Mad Girl (Bryony Gordon)

Subtitle: A Happy Life with a Mixed-Up Mind

Why I have this book: Someone I follow on IG recommended it, so I bought it for Kindle.

I gave this book three stars on Goodreads. I did enjoy it, but it was hard to relate to the life this woman has lived. Apparently she's a well-known journalist in the UK, but I had never heard of her before. Lots of drugs, drinking, casual sex, etc. was the norm in her life prior to marriage. Yeah, I can't relate to that lifestyle.

While I thought the book was supposed to be more about her mental health, it felt more like a memoir and how her mental health issues played into the chaotic life she led. Yeah, the mental health issues were there, but for me, they were overshadowed a bit by the memoir part of the story.

It was interesting. I don't hate that I read it. She is actually quite funny and a good writer. I admit I probably googled more words and phrases in this book than maybe any other I've read. There were so many British sayings and words, and other commonly known things for those who are British or who live in the UK... and I just had no clue.

Lots of swearing, including the F-word. Lots of sleeping around (not described), lots of drinking and drug use, etc.

Nine Perfect Strangers (Liane Moriarty)

Why I have this book: I borrowed it from the ebook library. Liane Moriarty is an author whose books I enjoy very much, but it was also recommended by a friend.

My friend said she liked it, but it wasn't her favorite by Liane. I agree completely. I did enjoy it, but it wasn't my favorite, either.

I gave it a three on Goodreads.

Lots of swearing, including lots of uses of the F-word. Sex was mentioned several times, but it's not something that happened in front of the readers, and nothing was graphically described.

When a Family Member Has OCD (Jon Hershfield)

The title continues:

Mindfulness and Cognitive Behavioral Skills to Help Families Affected by Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder.

Why I have this book: It was recommended somewhere or by someone from the OCD online community, I think. I bought both the Kindle edition and the audio version, so I listened to the audio version over the last two days.

I thought this was helpful. I don't really have much to say about it, other than it's a good overview of OCD and how it affects family members who live with and love someone with OCD. It also talks about how to understand and support family members who have OCD.

Clean. I don't remember anything offensive.

Searching for Sunday: Loving, Leaving, and Finding the Church (Rachel Held Evans)

Why I have this book: My sister-in-law recommended it, so I borrowed the audio version from the ebook library.

I think I checked this book out three times before I finished it, so it obviously wasn't so engrossing that I couldn't put it down (or turn it off, as it was).

I gave it three stars, though, because I appreciated her thoughts. When she's talking about "the Church," she's talking about it from the view of being Evangelical, so she has a lot more leeway when it comes to checking out other churches/congregations. That also means she's not expecting to necessarily find the "true" church... just one that works for her.

I don't think there was anything offensive in this book. I think she's a popular Christian author/speaker, so that's the angle it's coming from. 

Leaving the Witness: Exiting a Religion and Finding a Life (Amber Scorah)

Why I have this book: My sister-in-law recommended it, so I borrowed the audio version from the ebook library.

I gave this book four stars on Goodreads, and that's mostly because it was so fascinating to me to read about how similar the emotions are within the membership of the JW's and the LDS. Of course, I realize that this is just her experience and my experience... not necessarily the experience of everyone in either religion.

I wasn't real impressed with her affair, and I did have thoughts that the guy she had an affair with was just trying to lead her astray, so to speak. Maybe I'd see it all differently if I wasn't looking at religion through my current lens.

The book was maybe more memoir than just about leaving a faith, but being a member of a different "high-demand" religion does make me feel like it's all intertwined, anyway.

There was some pretty nasty profanity, including the F-word a couple of times. I don't think there were more than 5 or so swear words altogether, so it's not like it was full of them. She briefly describes a sexual encounter she had as a teenager, and she talks about sex a few times. Adultery is also part of the story, as well as the loss of a child.