Why I have this book: It was on my wish list and I bought it. (Do you always have to have a compelling reason to buy a book???)
I liked this book quite a bit. Lots of bright yellow highlights on my Kindle app screen with this one. There isn't anything earth shatteringly new, but she shares good thoughts that help the reader think through the decisions we make and the thoughts we create that can either help us be balanced or burned out.
Clean.
Monday, March 17, 2014
Thursday, March 13, 2014
Twitterpated (Melanie Jacobson)
Why I have this book: I bought it for my daughter a year or more ago at a local LDS bookstore.
Like another of this author's books (The List), this is a romantic comedy. It fit the bill perfectly for the day of "escape" that I needed. I read it in just a few hours (because I ignored everything else I should be doing) and I'm not gonna lie... it helped me decompress.
There was one cringe-worthy quote, but that's to be expected in this genre. As I've mentioned before, I'm a romantic comedy cynic. But sometimes you just need a mindless, lighthearted, unrealistic fantasy (is that redundant?) for pure escapism.
Clean.
Like another of this author's books (The List), this is a romantic comedy. It fit the bill perfectly for the day of "escape" that I needed. I read it in just a few hours (because I ignored everything else I should be doing) and I'm not gonna lie... it helped me decompress.
There was one cringe-worthy quote, but that's to be expected in this genre. As I've mentioned before, I'm a romantic comedy cynic. But sometimes you just need a mindless, lighthearted, unrealistic fantasy (is that redundant?) for pure escapism.
Clean.
Tuesday, March 11, 2014
The Splendour Falls (Susanna Kearsley)
Why I have this book: I borrowed it from the e-book library.
I think I liked this book. It just took me so long to get through it. I'm not sure if it was because it was hard to get into, or if it was because my life has been hectic and my brain has been too busy to concentrate.
I have enjoyed the author's other books better... and this one had a different feel to it than the others. It was still good, though. I would like a do-over... I think if I read it straight through when I had more time, I would have stayed more connected to it. In some ways, the story is sticking in my mind, so I think it probably was much better than I'm making it sound.
(Can you tell my life is still hectic and my brain is somewhat tired??? I'm not sure I'm even making sense!)
There may have been a swear word or two, and there was some murder involved in the storyline. Nothing graphic or gory.
I think I liked this book. It just took me so long to get through it. I'm not sure if it was because it was hard to get into, or if it was because my life has been hectic and my brain has been too busy to concentrate.
I have enjoyed the author's other books better... and this one had a different feel to it than the others. It was still good, though. I would like a do-over... I think if I read it straight through when I had more time, I would have stayed more connected to it. In some ways, the story is sticking in my mind, so I think it probably was much better than I'm making it sound.
(Can you tell my life is still hectic and my brain is somewhat tired??? I'm not sure I'm even making sense!)
There may have been a swear word or two, and there was some murder involved in the storyline. Nothing graphic or gory.
Friday, February 28, 2014
Russian Winter: A Novel (Daphne Kalotay)
Why I have this book: I bought it for a new book club that I joined. :)
So... Well, I'm not sure if I liked this book or not. On the one hand, reading it was an exercise in frustration. It was sooooooo slow. I think I was halfway through the book before it started to seem like there was a story to follow. Prior to that, it seemed to just be planting seeds of a story. I was close to 75% done (Kindle percentages!) before I felt invested for myself. Seriously, even at 73%, I could have just called my friend and asked her to tell me how it ended and I would have been fine not finishing it.
After I passed 75%, it began to be more interesting and I'm glad I finished it. Although... another frustration was how it ended. It just sort of... ended. No resolution, really. You had to fill in the blanks a lot, not just at the end, but throughout the book. I guess because the characters didn't really know what was going on, the readers weren't gonna know, either. (ha!)
I think there was so much deeper of a story for each character, but I felt left to imagine what those stories were. Maybe that adds to the intrigue of the story... but I would have liked to have understood more of what really happened instead of making assumptions.
This book reads like a Russian novel, in my opinion. Not as tedious, but that same kind of feel. Not a lot of emotion, but a lot of pretty deep issues going on.
I don't recall any swearing, but I might have missed one or two. There were several "not-really-graphic" sexual situations. Abortion and suicide are also mentioned.
So... Well, I'm not sure if I liked this book or not. On the one hand, reading it was an exercise in frustration. It was sooooooo slow. I think I was halfway through the book before it started to seem like there was a story to follow. Prior to that, it seemed to just be planting seeds of a story. I was close to 75% done (Kindle percentages!) before I felt invested for myself. Seriously, even at 73%, I could have just called my friend and asked her to tell me how it ended and I would have been fine not finishing it.
After I passed 75%, it began to be more interesting and I'm glad I finished it. Although... another frustration was how it ended. It just sort of... ended. No resolution, really. You had to fill in the blanks a lot, not just at the end, but throughout the book. I guess because the characters didn't really know what was going on, the readers weren't gonna know, either. (ha!)
I think there was so much deeper of a story for each character, but I felt left to imagine what those stories were. Maybe that adds to the intrigue of the story... but I would have liked to have understood more of what really happened instead of making assumptions.
This book reads like a Russian novel, in my opinion. Not as tedious, but that same kind of feel. Not a lot of emotion, but a lot of pretty deep issues going on.
I don't recall any swearing, but I might have missed one or two. There were several "not-really-graphic" sexual situations. Abortion and suicide are also mentioned.
Sunday, February 16, 2014
When the Bough Breaks: A Memoir about One Family's Struggle with Mental Illness (Denise Brauer and Michelle Brauer)
Why I have this book: It was on a list for inexpensive Kindle books, if I remember right.
I have found that mental health issues seem to be a huge challenge in our world today. I know so many people who struggle. We've had more than a handful of suicides in our community and among our acquaintances and friends. It has been heartbreaking. I find myself drawn to these books because I think it's very important to be educated about mental illness for our own lives and for the lives of those we love.
This book was an interesting perspective from two sisters whose mother committed suicide after a year of struggling with what seemed to be a sudden decline into mental illness. It is painfully honest, and I appreciated that. It helps me to be more sensitive to what the children of a mentally ill parent might be feeling.
I'm glad I read it, even though it was very sad and emotionally wrenching. I can only imagine how the authors felt as they put their emotions and experiences into words… and I think their effort to reach out and share what they went through will ultimately be a blessing to others.
There is quite a bit of swearing in this book, including using the Lord's name as an exclamation of emotion. The "big" swear words are also used several times. There are a couple of instances of sexual contact between unmarried teenagers. Obviously, suicide is part of this memoir, and the trauma of it is not sugar-coated.
I have found that mental health issues seem to be a huge challenge in our world today. I know so many people who struggle. We've had more than a handful of suicides in our community and among our acquaintances and friends. It has been heartbreaking. I find myself drawn to these books because I think it's very important to be educated about mental illness for our own lives and for the lives of those we love.
This book was an interesting perspective from two sisters whose mother committed suicide after a year of struggling with what seemed to be a sudden decline into mental illness. It is painfully honest, and I appreciated that. It helps me to be more sensitive to what the children of a mentally ill parent might be feeling.
I'm glad I read it, even though it was very sad and emotionally wrenching. I can only imagine how the authors felt as they put their emotions and experiences into words… and I think their effort to reach out and share what they went through will ultimately be a blessing to others.
There is quite a bit of swearing in this book, including using the Lord's name as an exclamation of emotion. The "big" swear words are also used several times. There are a couple of instances of sexual contact between unmarried teenagers. Obviously, suicide is part of this memoir, and the trauma of it is not sugar-coated.
Sunday, February 9, 2014
Allegiant (Veronica Roth)
Why I have this book: I bought it while it was on sale for Kindle (before I even read the first book in the series.)
I don't even know what to say about this book. I really can't say very much without spoilers, so I'm kind of stuck.
I will say this: There is no point in reading the first two books if you're not going to read the third book. There is more humanity in the last third of the third book than the rest combined.
I really can't say anything more. Dang. However, the series went from being a series I wouldn't really feel the need to recommend to people, to one I might recommend to a few. My interest was similar to Insurgent, in that I didn't necessarily feel the need to neglect my housework in order to read it, but when I did pick it up each night to read a chapter or two, I had a hard time putting it down until I was unable to keep my eyes open.
There is a certain depressing feel to the entire series, though. It's only in the last bit that there was any sense of hope to me... which seems counterintuitive, considering...
This book has a handful or two of swearing, including the name of the Lord used as an exclamation of expression. It is implied that two of the characters have sex, but it is so subtle that I can't say for certain that they did. (Pretty sure they did, though.) There is a very subtle hint that two other characters have a homosexual relationship, but again, it's so vaguely alluded to that if you blinked, you'd miss it. There is violence (not really graphically described), just like in the other two books.
I don't even know what to say about this book. I really can't say very much without spoilers, so I'm kind of stuck.
I will say this: There is no point in reading the first two books if you're not going to read the third book. There is more humanity in the last third of the third book than the rest combined.
I really can't say anything more. Dang. However, the series went from being a series I wouldn't really feel the need to recommend to people, to one I might recommend to a few. My interest was similar to Insurgent, in that I didn't necessarily feel the need to neglect my housework in order to read it, but when I did pick it up each night to read a chapter or two, I had a hard time putting it down until I was unable to keep my eyes open.
There is a certain depressing feel to the entire series, though. It's only in the last bit that there was any sense of hope to me... which seems counterintuitive, considering...
This book has a handful or two of swearing, including the name of the Lord used as an exclamation of expression. It is implied that two of the characters have sex, but it is so subtle that I can't say for certain that they did. (Pretty sure they did, though.) There is a very subtle hint that two other characters have a homosexual relationship, but again, it's so vaguely alluded to that if you blinked, you'd miss it. There is violence (not really graphically described), just like in the other two books.
Wednesday, February 5, 2014
Insurgent (Veronica Roth)
Why I have this book: I borrowed it from the e-book library because I read the first book in the trilogy (Divergent.)
I already own the third book in the series (it was on sale for Kindle), so I'll be reading that next. I don't know... I kinda liked this book, but I could go all day and not think about reading it. On the other hand, every night I would pick it up to read a bit before bed and would read until I couldn't keep my eyes open. So...? Not sure how to classify that level of interest.
There were so many characters in so many factions that it was difficult for me to keep them all straight. I would totally recommend keeping a notebook (or using X-Ray if you have that function on your Kindle) to keep track if you are like me and are lacking brain power. :)
I think if I didn't find the characters and factions so confusing, I'd enjoy it more. I just can't relate to that type of society, so it's hard for me to get too enthralled. Maybe the third book will clear it up for me.
My cursed editor's brain wants to help the author with one sentence because it was redundant and contradictory at the same time.
There are some uses of the name of God as an exclamation of emotions. There is a scene or two of physical affection, but I would say they didn't go further than kissing and touching of non-private areas. Lots of violence, not graphically described.
I already own the third book in the series (it was on sale for Kindle), so I'll be reading that next. I don't know... I kinda liked this book, but I could go all day and not think about reading it. On the other hand, every night I would pick it up to read a bit before bed and would read until I couldn't keep my eyes open. So...? Not sure how to classify that level of interest.
There were so many characters in so many factions that it was difficult for me to keep them all straight. I would totally recommend keeping a notebook (or using X-Ray if you have that function on your Kindle) to keep track if you are like me and are lacking brain power. :)
I think if I didn't find the characters and factions so confusing, I'd enjoy it more. I just can't relate to that type of society, so it's hard for me to get too enthralled. Maybe the third book will clear it up for me.
My cursed editor's brain wants to help the author with one sentence because it was redundant and contradictory at the same time.
There are some uses of the name of God as an exclamation of emotions. There is a scene or two of physical affection, but I would say they didn't go further than kissing and touching of non-private areas. Lots of violence, not graphically described.
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