Confessions of a Prairie B*tch: How I Survived Nellie Oleson and Learned to Love Being Hated (Alison Arngrim)

Why I have this book: I've seen it now and again online, so finally borrowed it from the ebook library in the audio version. I'm a child of the 70's, so I definitely grew up with the Little House on the Prairie series.

I liked this book quite a bit. Alison Arngrim narrated the audio book, and she did a great job. It was fun to hear "Nellie" in her voice, and I also heard a bit of Carol Brunette's intonations, as well.

Alison had quite an upbrining. Her parents' stories are fascinating, too, and her childhood was not conventional at all. Sadly, she was also physically and sexually abused by her older brother for years, so that was a shocking and rough part of the life to hear, but I appreciated how she ended up handling that both as a child and later, as an adult. She sounds like a courageous and strong woman.

It was also fun to hear about her years on the Little House series, and I enjoyed learning about the actors who played all those familiar characters. Some of it was quite surprising!

I'm glad I listened to this book. I think it expanded my world.

There's quite a bit of swearing in the book, including the worst of the words. She talks about sexual assault and drug use and other difficult subjects, but overall she seems to have a positive and happy outlook on life.

The Still Small Voice (Brenda Stanley)

Why I have this book: My friend loved it (it was written by an old high school classmate of hers), so I bought it on Kindle.

Sadly, I only gave this two stars on Goodreads. The story itself had a lot of potential, but there was way too much foreshadowing that left too many questions for too long. The book needed some serious editing since the author would write about an action ("so and so gathered her tote bag") followed a page later with something like "she found her tote bag." Did she lose it since the moment she gathered it a few paragraphs ago? There were several instances like that.

The book also left a few unanswered questions that made it a bit unsatisfying. I don't know, overall it wasn't that great of a read for me.

I do give the author credit for keeping one detail a big secret throughout the book even though she didn't obviously go out of her way to hide it. That was clever and impressive!

Clean, but be aware that the storyline dealt with death, suicide, sexuality, and religious trauma.

Atomic Habits (James Clear)

Subtitle: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones

Why I have this book: I saw lots of talk about it online, so used an Audible credit to get it. 

I gave this book four stars on Goodreads. Lots of good ideas and tips. The problem is you can't just read the book. You actually have to take action. Haha...

Clean.

Do I Stay Christian? A Guide for the Doubters, the Disappointed, and the Disillustioned (Brian D. McLaren)

Why I have this book: My daughter and son-in-law gave the book to us for Christmas, and I ended up using a credit on Audible to get the audio version, too.

I was going to give this four stars during Parts One and Two, but dropped it to a three after finishing the book. The book wasn't what I expected... I thought it would be more about Christ (you know... Christian), but it was about the Christian religion, whether Catholic, Evangelical, etc. He talked about the problems of the history and current issues within the Christian religion. He talked about why people might want to distance themselves from Christianity (Part One) or why they might want to stay (Part Two).

I thought both of those sections were very interesting and relatable. Part Three bored me to tears (I don't even remember what the point was), and the section where he told listeners how to get the most of the book was kinda silly and annoying for me. I mean, he had some good ideas if that's what you're looking for, so maybe it's because I just wanted the book to be done.

The author is or was a pastor, but his view and belief in Christianity isn't traditional at all. He is obviously liberal-minded and progressive. Very nuanced. I'm not saying I disagree with all his points, but he did get a little too political for me in parts.

Anyway, I'm glad I listened to it. It gave me things to think about in regards to the history of Christianity and how the hierarchy of the "church" (any of them) can be problematic. I just don't understand why anyone wants to stay "active" in any church if they feel they have to change it to make it work for them. Just worship on your own. (But I'm an introvert, so I understand I don't need that "community" like some people might.)

Clean. I don't remember anything offensive other than some might be offended by his views on religion and Christianity. 

Boys Adrift: The Five Factors Driving the Growing Epidemic of Unmotivated Boys and Underachieving Young Men (Leonard Sax)

Why I have this book: My oldest son (who is a high school teacher and basketball coach) recommended this to me. Since I have still have one boy left to raise, I bought the audio version.

I gave this book four stars on Goodreads. It had lots of good information and research results on the things that might be contributing to some difficult trends for all children/adolescents/adults. The focus of this book, though, was boys and younger adult men (like mid-thirties and younger).

I was happy to see that I have done a lot of things that he recommends, and I see some things I need to do better. Those things aren't new ideas to me... I just have let things slide because I'm tired of fighting the battles all the time. Decades of doing that and having people be mad or judge me or roll their eyes wore me out! But I want my last two kids to have as much success as my older kids have had, so back to the battlefield of being the mean mom. 

Clean. The author does talk about negative behavior of young men and women (porn, masturbation, sex, drugs, etc.), but it's all as a clinical report, not a descriptive or glorified action.

Spare (Prince Harry)

Why I have this book: I borrowed it from the ebook library so I could judge for myself if what the tabloids were saying was true.

To be fair, it's reported that Harry had a ghostwriter named JR Moehringer, although his name isn't listed as author. I could only find his name in the "Acknowledgements" at the back of the book. I honestly don't know what role the ghostwriter played in the creation of this memoir. How much of the style of writing belonged to him and how much belonged to Harry? Either way, it was written in a lovely, flowing style that I enjoyed reading.

It was interesting to get a solid peek into the family. homes, and traditions of the British royal family. I loved reading about Harry's childhood and the things that stood out to him as core memories. He was insightfully honest about the perspective he had on his upbringing, his relationships within his family, and the loss of his mother at age 12. He shared the good, the bad, and the ugly of his choices and the paths he took throughout his life. 

The book was dedicated to his wife, his children, and his mother Diana.

He listed a lot of people in the Acknowledgements, including those who helped him with the book, his wife and children, his mother-in-law, his mother's siblings, and some of his mates. There was absolutely no acknowledgement of any member of the royal family. I skimmed through it twice to make sure I didn't miss it, but I didn't see them listed at all. I thought maybe - if nobody else - he'd list his grandmother Queen Elizabeth, with whom he seemed to have a special relationship.

Overall, I believe his story. I've seen the family as dysfunctional for years, so no surprise there. Having read the book myself, I see that the British press reporters have twisted and made a much bigger meaning of his words than I think he intended. That shows me that his feelings toward the press are justified.

I'm disgusted by the way members of his family have treated him. Why the British people continue to support royalty is beyond my understanding. There isn't much to admire there now that the Queen is gone. And frankly, I don't know enough about her to know if she was admirable, either. Other than staying on the throne for so long, I don't know much of her character. Her family isn't a testament to a good family environment, though, so something was amiss. (I know, that sounds harsh, but there's plenty of evidence outside of this book to support that opinion.)

I hope that Meghan is worthy of the complete devotion he has for her, and I hope she truly loves him. He needs someone he can count on in his corner.

I say, "Good for him." The royal family is a mess. They have been for years. Maybe he can break the cycle for his children.

Mostly clean. He does talk about some of his personal experiences with drugs, sex (not descriptive), war, etc. He uses some profanity, including the F-word. It's not at all as frequent as in other memoirs I've recently read, but there are a few instances.

Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind (Yuval Noah Harari)

Why I have this book: My sister-in-law was listening to it and recommended it to me and my husband, so we got the audio version.

I gave this book four stars on Goodreads. It was very fascinating to hear about the progression of humankind from the evolution viewpoint up through modern times (2014 when the edition of the book we listened to was published).

I'm not sure how the book made me feel. Are Homo sapiens just as random a species as any other? Is there no purpose to life and our existence? Is there really no better plan than just evolution and "progress" and maybe an eventual self-destruction of humankind? 

From a religious standpoint, of course, there is way more purpose than the book proposes. However, the things the author talked about regarding religion make total sense, as well.

I'd say I learned a lot about more modern history, but it was also interesting to hear about the theories of earlier life and the evolution of life on Earth. It gave me a lot to think about.

Clean. I don't recall any swearing. There was talk of mating and biological urges, wars and other killings, etc. All very scientific.