Awake (Jen Hatmaker)

Why I have this book: I borrowed it from the ebook library in audio format.

I gave this one four stars on Goodreads. I honestly had never really heard of the author before this last year, and even then it was just glimpses online. I think I ended up borrowing her book because Sharon McMahon recommended it. They might even be friends if I'm remembering correctly, or at least they know each other.

Jen did a great job narrating her own book.

Anyway, I did enjoy it. I could relate to a lot of her perspective and I appreciated her thoughts. I do think she lives a life that's not typical. For example, as much as I'd love to take a month long "Me Camp" every summer to places like a little cottage in Maine, that's just not something that's within my reach. I could maybe manage a three-day "Me Camp" at home if my family would ever go camping for three days without me, but it's still not the same as the cottage in Maine.

It's kind of weird that some people seem to have so many resources at their fingertips. I'm sure her crowd of supporters who help her achieve her dreams is much bigger than the average person since she's been a public figure for quite some time.

Pretty clean except for profanity. She swears a lot more than you'd expect from someone who was quite publicly religious until recently.

The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion: Volume 1 (Beth Brower)

Why I have this book: I bought the audio versions when they were on a great sale, then borrowed the ebook versions when Kindle Unlimited gave me the three-month free trial again. (Let's see if I get through all the books I've borrowed before the three months are up.)

I enjoyed this book. To be honest, it wasn't super exciting until almost the last third or so, and then I finally had a feel for the characters and what was going on. Luckily the book is very short... only about 130 pages for this first book in the series. (They get longer as you go, it appears.)

I'm into Volume 2 currently, and I'm enjoying that one even more.

I gave this first book four stars just because that's how I felt at the end. Haha

Clean.

Finlay Donovan Crosses the Line (Elle Cosimano)

Why I have this book: I borrowed it from the ebook library because I've read the others in the series.

I gave this book four stars on Goodreads, but given the choice, I might have gone with 3.5 stars. I enjoy the stories a lot. They are easy to read, easy to get into, funny, etc. Bonus that there weren't any gory scenes this time around!

I'd drop the stars by a half-point just because the sexual banter is a little more than I want to read in a book like this. It's not necessary and doesn't even seem to fit in with everything else going on. There could have been just a tiny bit more editing work, too. There were just a couple things that needed to be tidied up.

I thought for sure this book would tie up the series, but the author left us with a cliffhanger again. She is really good at those cliffhangers!

I'm sure there was some profanity, but I don't recall exactly what level it was. There's some sexual banter/talk, no descriptive sexual scenes, though. It's a mystery, so expect some "edge-of-your-seat" moments.

All the Colors of the Dark (Chris Whitaker)

Why I have this book: I bought the Kindle version at one point after seeing it online a lot... or maybe a friend rated it on Goodreads or recommended it to me. 

Then my daughter listened to it and was dying to talk about it with me, and it so happened that the audio version I had put on hold came up that very day (probably her return that brought it up for me), so I dove in.

Oh, my gosh. I don't even know what to say about this book. I can't decide if the writing was good or not. I can't decide if I liked it or not. I have so many questions about how and why things played out the way they did.

I honestly had to give up on the audio version because it was so confusing. The author's writing style is lyrical and hauntingly beautiful, but it also makes things hard to understand. He says things that paint a picture, but you're (or at least I'm) not always sure what that picture means. That's why I had to stop listening. I had to go back and read it to understand some parts I had already listened to. After I caught up to where I had been, I just kept reading because it made it easier.

I feel like if I had to put a voice to the story, it would be Matthew McConaughey's voice. (A woman narrated the audio version, though.)

A quote that resonated with me: "At ten years old he realized that people were born whole, and that the bad things peeled layers from the person you once were, thinning compassion and empathy and the ability to construct a future. At thirteen he knew those layers could sometimes be rebuilt when people loved you. When you loved."

(Yes, one thing about this particular part of the story was how old thirteen-year-old kids sounded and how deeply they thought.)

I also enjoyed this statement by Charlotte when she went to a library for the first time: "So other people have touched these, maybe even read them on the toilet, and then you just go ahead and take them home?" Hahaha... yep. My sentiments exactly.

I laughed when Patch "winked" at Saint, and she said, "Technically it's just a blink when you do it." Hahahahaha... (Patch only had one eye.)

I was going to give the book only three stars because it left me with so many questions and some frustration at his writing style, and plus his acknowledgements at the end were kind of annoying (inside jokes, almost flirty with some people, etc). I also think he needed a better editor. Besides some punctuation errors, nobody in the US says "I fell pregnant." He (as a British author) used that phrase twice. Where was the editor??? 

I agreed with one review online that basically said the author seemed to be trying hard to use a lot of words nobody knows. Seriously. I gave up looking up words because it happened too often. Way too often.

But the story itself is super crazy, lots of twists and turns, so many threads to tie together. He's a brilliant writer in that sense. I stayed up until 3:00 am finishing it because it just got so intense.

I ended up giving it four stars on Goodreads. There's just so much to think about and chew on with this story.

Lots of profanity. The storyline deals with serial killers, abuse, sexuality, drug use, death, etc. There are a lot of dark topics going on.

The Man Who Couldn't Stop (David Adam)

Why I have this book: I borrowed the audio version from the ebook library.

This book wasn't what I expected. I was thinking it would be more about the author's personal struggle with OCD. While he did share a a fair amount, the book also had a lot of history of the treatments and medical/psychiatry theories about OCD.

It was interesting, for sure. It's really sad how many humans are just experiments as medicine progresses. I think everyone living now benefits to one degree or another because of those experiments. It's how knowledge is gained. (To be clear, I don't mean deliberate experiments. I mean, it's trial and error to figure out what works for all kinds of medical issues. Although it does seem like there were some pretty crazy "experiments" that happened, too.)

Anyway, I gave it three stars. I learned a lot, and I'm glad I read it, but it wasn't quite a four-star read for me. It was good for me to see the way his brain processes his experiences. I could relate to some of it.

I don't remember if there was any profanity, but he did talk about some OCD actions/thoughts that involve sexuality. He also discusses the ways lobotomies were performed and other "treatments" for OCD and other mental illnesses.

Heidi (Johanna Spyri)

Why I have this book: I bought the Kindle edition for 99 cents when someone mentioned it online. 

The edition is the "1922 Classic Edition with Original Illustrations."

I remember reading this book as a child. I think my Grandma B gave it to me, so that was a good connection to have as I was reading it this time. I remembered bits and pieces and could pull those memories out as I read, thinking ahead to what might be coming up. It was fun when those anticipated scenes played out as I expected.

I gave it three stars. I think I probably enjoyed it more as a child (target audience). Now it feels too simplistic, too Pollyanna'ish for my too cynical mind. Or maybe I'm just realistic, not cynical. Blah blah blah.

It's a sweet story, pretty religious in parts, and probably would rank higher for me if I were rating it in my childhood.

Clean.

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!