Why I have this book: I borrowed it from the ebook library.
In all honestly, I didn't know much about Jessica Simpson. I knew she was an actress to some degree, and thought maybe she was a singer... but honestly, I've only ever seen articles about her and have never seen or heard any of her work enough to tell you about it. I just like memoirs, so I thought I'd give this a try.
Her story was interesting, but honestly, she comes across as very shallow and narcissistic. I even watched a few episodes of The Newlyweds (the reality show she did with her first husband) to give her a fair shot, and that made me even less of a fan.
I'm really not going to say more about it because I would mostly be saying negative things about her and her lifestyle.
I can't remember if there was any swearing. She makes a big deal of being a virgin on her wedding night, but once she's divorced from her first husband, she sleeps with the other guys she dates. She's also an alcoholic, and talks about being molested by a girl one year older than her as a child.
Friday, April 3, 2020
Wednesday, April 1, 2020
The Island of Sea Women (Lisa See)
Why I have this book: I borrowed it from the ebook library.
Okay, so my aunt (who passed away last year) had recommended this book to me not too long before she passed. She warned me that it wasn't always easy to read due to some atrocities committed against the people in the story. To do more research about this, I read the one-star reviews on Amazon, and the readers acted like this book had so much disturbing stuff in it that they couldn't get it out of their minds. I decided not to read it.
A friend just recently recommended it to me, as well. I asked her about the disturbing stuff, and she reassured me that it wasn't as bad as some other books we had both read, so I decided to take a chance on it.
Oh, my goodness. I LOVED this book. Yes, there are some hard things to read about, but it's not expressed in gratuitous tones. There is so much humanity in this book. So much about friendship, motherhood, womanhood, the longings of our hearts...
I could go on and on about how much I felt while reading this book. It's set in Korean culture and history, which has special meaning to me because my daughter was born there. It was also super interesting to read about the sea women of Korea. I had no idea.
I gave it five stars on Goodreads. I wish I would have read it while my aunt was still alive so I could have talked to her about it.
There are hard things in this book, but most are confined to a section in the middle. It's not as descriptive as it could have been, but it's still hard to think about. The book is open about marital relations (but not descriptive), female bodies, birth, death, etc. I don't recall any swearing.
Okay, so my aunt (who passed away last year) had recommended this book to me not too long before she passed. She warned me that it wasn't always easy to read due to some atrocities committed against the people in the story. To do more research about this, I read the one-star reviews on Amazon, and the readers acted like this book had so much disturbing stuff in it that they couldn't get it out of their minds. I decided not to read it.
A friend just recently recommended it to me, as well. I asked her about the disturbing stuff, and she reassured me that it wasn't as bad as some other books we had both read, so I decided to take a chance on it.
Oh, my goodness. I LOVED this book. Yes, there are some hard things to read about, but it's not expressed in gratuitous tones. There is so much humanity in this book. So much about friendship, motherhood, womanhood, the longings of our hearts...
I could go on and on about how much I felt while reading this book. It's set in Korean culture and history, which has special meaning to me because my daughter was born there. It was also super interesting to read about the sea women of Korea. I had no idea.
I gave it five stars on Goodreads. I wish I would have read it while my aunt was still alive so I could have talked to her about it.
There are hard things in this book, but most are confined to a section in the middle. It's not as descriptive as it could have been, but it's still hard to think about. The book is open about marital relations (but not descriptive), female bodies, birth, death, etc. I don't recall any swearing.
Sunday, March 22, 2020
Flight of the Sparrow (Amy Belding Brown)
Why I have this book: A friend recommended it, and it was available to borrow from the ebook library, so I did!
I liked this book quite a bit. I didn't realize until later that it was based on a true story, but the author admits that it was very loosely based on a true story... so I'd call it more fiction than fact.
Still, it give an idea of what life was like in the 1600's in early America when hostilities between Native Americans and new immigrants were an intense part of life for both groups. Violence and hardship were afflicted from either side in the most brutal ways.
I think there was some swearing in the book (if I remember correctly), and there was pretty descriptive violence throughout the story, although it wasn't constant or continual.
I liked this book quite a bit. I didn't realize until later that it was based on a true story, but the author admits that it was very loosely based on a true story... so I'd call it more fiction than fact.
Still, it give an idea of what life was like in the 1600's in early America when hostilities between Native Americans and new immigrants were an intense part of life for both groups. Violence and hardship were afflicted from either side in the most brutal ways.
I think there was some swearing in the book (if I remember correctly), and there was pretty descriptive violence throughout the story, although it wasn't constant or continual.
Monday, March 16, 2020
Leap of Faith: Confronting the Origins of the Book of Mormon (Bob Bennett)
Why I have this book: I borrowed the audio version from DBS+ on the recommendation of my son.
I gave this book four stars on Goodreads because...
1) The audio version was very well done.
2) The subject matter was explored very thoroughly.
3) The author admitted when there are things that just can't be explained.
4) I was impressed that Bob Bennett did this much research and put it all together in an impressive book in addition to his career as a politician and his post-political careers.
Clean.
I gave this book four stars on Goodreads because...
1) The audio version was very well done.
2) The subject matter was explored very thoroughly.
3) The author admitted when there are things that just can't be explained.
4) I was impressed that Bob Bennett did this much research and put it all together in an impressive book in addition to his career as a politician and his post-political careers.
Clean.
Glass Slippers, Ever After, and Me (Julie Wright)
Why I have this book: I borrowed it from the ebook library because I've enjoyed other books by the author.
I enjoyed this one, too. Definitely not the depth of the other books I've been reading lately, but for a light read, it was a good one. Not too cheesy and not too light. It was an interesting look into the publishing/publicist world (assuming it's an accurate representation).
I gave it four stars on Goodreads because for it's genre, it's a well-written and enjoyable book.
Clean.
I enjoyed this one, too. Definitely not the depth of the other books I've been reading lately, but for a light read, it was a good one. Not too cheesy and not too light. It was an interesting look into the publishing/publicist world (assuming it's an accurate representation).
I gave it four stars on Goodreads because for it's genre, it's a well-written and enjoyable book.
Clean.
Friday, March 13, 2020
The Twelfth Child (Bette Lee Crosby)
Why I have this book: I bought it for 99 cents five years ago on Kindle.
Well, I liked it enough. It was a cute story, but maybe got a little too cute at the end. Some of the characters were a bit unbelievable (like the opposing attorney who belched so much that everybody had to fan the air under their noses every few paragraphs).
The beginning of it (and the story of Abigail's life) seemed heavier, then the story of Destiny seems light and airy. Interesting contrast.
There was an open question that is apparently answered in the next book, but I didn't love this one enough to read it right now. Maybe I will at some point just to answer that question.
There was some occasional swearing in this book, and it always surprised me because it just seems like it shouldn't have swearing. There's also extramarital sex, but not really graphically described.
Well, I liked it enough. It was a cute story, but maybe got a little too cute at the end. Some of the characters were a bit unbelievable (like the opposing attorney who belched so much that everybody had to fan the air under their noses every few paragraphs).
The beginning of it (and the story of Abigail's life) seemed heavier, then the story of Destiny seems light and airy. Interesting contrast.
There was an open question that is apparently answered in the next book, but I didn't love this one enough to read it right now. Maybe I will at some point just to answer that question.
There was some occasional swearing in this book, and it always surprised me because it just seems like it shouldn't have swearing. There's also extramarital sex, but not really graphically described.
Saturday, March 7, 2020
When We Were Sisters (Emilie Richards)
Why I have this book: I bought it when it was on a good deal for Kindle because I've enjoyed other books by the author.
I really would have liked to give this like a 3.7 on Goodreads, but since it has to be whole numbers, I gave it a three. It wasn't quite a four, but it was close. I know I could round up, but I just didn't.
Maybe if I had read this faster (instead of every night when I'd fall asleep before too long), it would have been a solid four. But then... if it was super compelling, maybe I wouldn't have fallen asleep? I don't know. I did enjoy the story, and the ending threw a real twist that made it go up to the 3.7 instead of 3 rating... so I don't know.
In any case, I did like it. Interestingly, I felt like the story became a completely different story by the end... even though it didn't.
Clean'ish. There was a little bit of swearing, but not consistently. There is talk about rape, and there is one scene where you know a married couple is having sex, but it's not described.
I really would have liked to give this like a 3.7 on Goodreads, but since it has to be whole numbers, I gave it a three. It wasn't quite a four, but it was close. I know I could round up, but I just didn't.
Maybe if I had read this faster (instead of every night when I'd fall asleep before too long), it would have been a solid four. But then... if it was super compelling, maybe I wouldn't have fallen asleep? I don't know. I did enjoy the story, and the ending threw a real twist that made it go up to the 3.7 instead of 3 rating... so I don't know.
In any case, I did like it. Interestingly, I felt like the story became a completely different story by the end... even though it didn't.
Clean'ish. There was a little bit of swearing, but not consistently. There is talk about rape, and there is one scene where you know a married couple is having sex, but it's not described.
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