Lift Me Up (Milly Johnson)

Why I have this book: I think it was an Amazon First Reads freebie last month. It's a short story.

I gave this book three stars on Goodreads. It was okay. Fine enough for a short read.

There was a quote in the author's words at the end of the book: Have only people around you who lift you up, who add to your smiles... and be your own best friend.

Definitely something to consider in life!

I don't recall anything offensive. There's a little talk about sex, but nothing graphic. If there was profanity, I don't remember. Not helpful, I know!

The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood Caused an Epidemic of Mental Illness (Jonathan Haidt)

Why I have this book: I have seen the author online many times, so I bought his book. Or I bought it first, and then found him online. I don't remember. I ended up buying the audio version, too, for my son to listen to. (I had to bribe him $10, but it was well worth it!)

I gave this one three stars. I was surprised I rated it so low!

I actually agree with everything he says about social media and technology. No arguments from me there! I think he could have taken his warnings further when it came to the dangers of pornography and the reasons it's dangerous. He was fairly brief about that and didn't really expand on why it's so harmful.

I also didn't totally agree with his assertion that kids should be free-roaming. I get that there needs to be a balance, but he and I differ on how much "Get outside and I don't want to see you until dinner!" there should be. It's not risky or scary until it's your child who goes missing... and it's always someone's child. Girls and women are sexually assaulted. Kids make decisions that do require parents to track and be aware of where their kids are and what they are doing.

It felt a little like he is super on top of the dangers of technology (which I agree with), but not real tuned into the reality of what can and does happen in real life. Maybe he's more willing to take that chance than I am. I do try to be balanced about it, but I'm sure we all come at it from different experiences and thus make our boundaries from those perspectives.

In any case, the book does have valuable information. It seemed too long for the topic. I think he could have focused on the dangers of pornography for young children and for teenagers more than he did. I do agree with some of his opinion on real-life experiences but not entirely. Overall, it's a worthwhile read, and I did see my son take to heart some of his advice, so I'm happy about that.

I think it was pretty clean. He does mention pornography and suicide and other things related to technology. 

The Wedding People (Alison Espach)

Why I have this book: My daughter recommended it, so I purchased the ebook version, then later purchased the audio so I could keep reading even when I was busy.

There was so much I liked about this book. I like the stories of women who discover their independence and find their inner strength and do things that help them grow and become who they want to be. This book had that. It was also humorous and interesting and had me super curious about what would happen. It would be a four-star read for me if I were just basing the rating off of that stuff.

I dropped it to three stars, though, because there was way too much talk about sexual things. There wasn't much descriptive sex, if any (can't remember), but way too much talk. Seems unrealistic, especially amongst strangers/people who aren't that close. It distracted from the story, in my opionion.

Still, I'm not sad that I read it.

I'm sure there was profanity, and like I said, there was plenty of sexual talk. The story also involved divorce and death of a spouse.

Happiness Falls (Angie Kim)

Why I have this book: My friend read it and gave it five stars, so I borrowed both the ebook and audio version from the ebook library.

This book was fascinating and engrossing from start to finish. The audio narrator did a great job which no doubt added to the experience. The author's note at the end was also very interesting.

I gave it four stars on Goodreads. Very good read.

There was profanity, and the story dealt with a missing person and not knowing if they are dead or alive.

Normal People (Sally Rooney)

Why I have this book: It's a well-known book due to the tv series and online reviews, and my daughter also recommended it. I borrowed it from the ebook library, then bought the audio version so I could listen while doing other things.

I really tried to love this book. I certainly thought about it a lot after I finished it. It's strange how a book that doesn't really bring you into the story (rather, it feels like you're observing from a distance) can also make you think. I don't know... I guess I didn't ever feel super connected to either of the main characters, and I didn't feel any connection to the side characters. It was hard to understand why the two main characters had all the issues they had. I could see their issues, but I didn't really feel any of it. Plus... could two such smart people ever figure out how to communicate? That would have solved a lot of problems for them.

Are they really "normal people?" It didn't seem very normal to me, but maybe that's more to do with location and culture than anything?

It's not a very happy book, and it kind of gets under your skin and makes you confused as you try to think it through. I gave it three stars on Goodreads. I'm actually surprised someone read it and thought, "Let's make a tv series out of this!" 

Don't even get me started on how the author didn't use quotation marks. It adds an unnecessary annoyance and distraction to the reading experience.

I'm pretty sure there was profanity, but I don't remember specifics. There were some definite unhealthy sexual situations as well as regular sexual situations that were moderately descriptive. (At one time I would have called them more than "moderately descriptive," but I know there's a lot more descriptive stuff out there now.) There is also a suicide, depression, anxiety, family issues, etc. 

Year of Wonders (Geraldine Brooks)

Why I have this book: I borrowed it from the ebook library after seeing that the local library had read it as a book club book in the past.

Okay, after I started the book, I realized I had read it before at some point. It was before 2010 since it's not already on this blog, so I decided to go ahead and read it again. I didn't remember everything about it, so it was still interesting. I gave it four stars on Goodreads.

I have to say there were some tough parts to read. It's based on a true story of a village dealing with the bubonic plague during the 1600's. There are some fairly graphic descriptions of how the disease manifested itself in human bodies.

The story itself never really feels uplifting, so don't read it if you're hoping for something that edifies you. The writing is fantastic... there were lots of words/phrases from that time period and location that I had to look up. The language made it easy to get enveloped in the setting.

There may have been some mild profanity (but maybe not?), but the bigger issue was the description of disease, death, decay, and murder. There were also some mild to moderately described sexual situations.

Devout: Losing My Faith to Find Myself (David Archuleta)

Why I have this book: I bought the Audible version to support the author and to learn more about his life.

I gave this memoir four stars on Goodreads. David narrated his book, and he did a great job. I had very little knowledge of all the things he went through with his singing career (even before American Idol) and all the difficulties in his personal and family life. 

I know people have been disappointed and have criticized him for leaving his religion and living a lifestyle that contrasts with the life he lived before, but it's his life and his journey and how he is figuring out what matters to him. 

I do think he was more blunt and TMI about some things than I was comfortable with, but you know... it's his story. In my opinion, he's courageous to tell it, and I support him in that. I think he's a good person with a good heart, and I wish nothing but the best for him.

It was also very interesting to hear his experiences with the highest leaders of the LDS Church.

There was some profanity in this book, as well as some brief descriptions of his sexual experiences.