Firefly Lane (Kristin Hannah)

Why I have this book: I bought the Kindle version a few years ago when it was on sale. 

I didn't finish this one. Here's what I wrote to a friend about it:

Lots of 70's references to prove it's set in the 70's: tv shows, song titles, bell bottoms, foods, color of shag carpet, etc. Over and over and over again.

Mom is a druggie hippy whose friends say things like "Right on" or "Far out," and they have a van with flowers on the side. Sooooooo many clichés. 

Date rape scene where the "boy part" is described in a very bad slang term.

It reminded me of a Danielle Steel book. I actually thought that very specifically while reading, and then someone on Amazon said the same exact thing.

I only got through about 26% of it and couldn't go on. I checked the one-star reviews on Amazon (which were the minority), and yes! They were saying the same things I was thinking.

Kristin Hannah has written some huge bestsellers. It's hard to even see her writing this one, and I'm surprised it was made into a Netflix series. (Surprised and not surprised at the same time. Netflix isn't exactly the pinnacle of high class productions.)

I'm not even keeping it in my library on the cloud. It's being deleted.

Battle of Brothers - The Inside Story of a Family in Tumult (Robert Lacey)

Why I have this book: I borrowed the audio version from the ebook library because I'm a "sort-of" follower of the royal family due to growing up in the Princess Diana era.

I probably would have given this book a 2.5 if I had the choice, but I went with a two on Goodreads. I couldn't quite go to a solid three. It was interesting at times, boring at other times, and most of it is stuff I've heard before. (And I couldn't care less about Charles and Camilla and their grand "love" story. I'm not a fan and still am Team Diana on that one.)

One thing is for sure. The royal family of Great Britain is pretty dysfunctional. I don't know how the British people support keeping a monarchy around. What do they even do? I know they have charities and so on, but really, I'm not sure they make as much of a difference in the world as they like to think they do. (There are a couple of exceptions in my opinion, but only a couple.)

After listening to this, watching the Oprah interview, and reading articles and another book I read earlier (can't even remember the title), I'm not really sure what the truth is. I'm sure each side has it's own perspective on how things went down. I can't say I blame Harry for wanting out, though, whether what was said with Oprah is true or not.

Honestly, they all are a little messed up, just like the rest of us. We just generally don't have to deal with it in the public eye.

Mostly clean, although I was surprised to hear the F-word (quotes from members of the royal family) a handful of times. There were also some gross quotes from Charles that he was recorded saying to Camilla on the phone. (And ewwwww... what a creep.) 

The Jane Austen Society (Natalie Jenner)

Why I have this book: I borrowed it from the ebook library after someone online recommended it.

Well, I kinda liked it, but I ended up giving it two stars on Goodreads. I think it would have gotten three or even four stars if the author had left out some of the yucky stuff dealing with the Hollywood star. It feels like it was just thrown in there for gratuitous reasons... an attempted rape or maybe it really was a rape. I was unsure as I was listening, and I didn't want to go back and listen again. Maybe it was an attempt to show how ruthless Hollywood can be to women actors, but the emotional aftermath didn't match what happened.

There was also the obligatory gay angle. It's fine to have gay characters, but again, it didn't feel like it fit into the rest of the story. It felt thrown in to meet a PC checklist.

And... I guess I just couldn't relate to the level of Jane Austen obsession the characters had. It was like her books were scripture to them, and... well... I don't get that.

Some of the storylines were interesting, and I wasn't bored listening while I worked in my sewing room. 

There was the attempted rape/rape, several uses of the F-word (limited to a short portion involving the Hollywood people), and probably some more swearing with those same people. The homosexual storyline was mostly implied and never really developed beyond the surface level. There was an out-of-wedlock sexual relationship, not described.

A Mother's Confession (Kelly Rimmer)

Why I have this book: I bought it on Kindle a while ago because I've enjoyed other books by the author.

Okay... I could barely put this book down. I didn't accomplish much today for that very reason. I mean, I got some obligatory things done, but I was picking my Kindle up every chance I could.

The story is written in a way that you're seeing things unfold a little at the time... and I honestly did not guess where it was going. I gave it four stars on Goodreads for how completely engrossed I was from start to finish.

There's a handful or two of F-words in the book and some other swear words, as well. There are descriptions of spousal abuse, a suggestion that marital rape occurred, and an extra-marital affair.

A Tender Struggle: Story of a Marriage (Krista Bremer)

Why I have this book: I can't remember why I bought it... probably because it was inexpensive ($1.99). I bought it nearly six years ago, and finally read it.

I liked this book a lot. I just finished it today and already recommended it to several people. The writing is beautiful, and the experiences shared are the kind that help you expand your vision of the world. It also made me contemplate my relationship with God and my own spirituality.

There are a couple of things I would have mentioned if I had edited the book, but overall, it was an excellent read. I gave it four stars on Goodreads.

The F-word was used a couple/few times. There may have been a couple other swear words. There was a somewhat sensual undertone, although it was along the lines of how people live together without marriage, and how sexuality is a normal part of life whether married or not. There wasn't any descriptive sexual content.

The Tuscan Child (Rhys Bowen)

Why I have this book: I think my aunt might have recommended it to me. I borrowed it from Prime Reading quite a while ago, but finally read it this past week.

I gave it three stars on Goodreads. While the story kept my interest, there were quite a few typos/editing errors, and I wasn't entirely satisfied with the wrap up/ending of the story. It's like it went from this intriguing storyline to a bit of a shallow finish.

I think it was clean. I don't remember any swearing, so if there was any, it probably was infrequent and mild. One couple sleeps together outside of marriage, and the main character had at one time been living with a guy in a long-term relationship. None of it is descriptive.

The Heavens are Open (Wendy Watson Nelson)

Why I have this book: I bought it on Kindle, then borrowed the audio version from DBS+.

I feel super bad giving this book only 2 stars on Goodreads. I mean, the author is a pretty important person in the Church community, and I have no doubt she is a really wonderful person. I just could only go with two stars because I felt like "it was okay" was an accurate description of how I felt about the book.

To be fair, maybe I would have liked it more if I had read it instead of listened to it. (The author narrated the book, and she was fine.) The problem for me was that I felt like I was listening to the Church of the 1980's and 1990's when the feeling was more about how you're not doing enough instead of the more compassionate and understanding Church of today. (That's just my perception, I know. It might not be the same for others.)

The story of her friend who was diagnosed with cancer... yeah, I don't like that. The gist of it was that her friend had been praying for her sons and husband to want to spend more time at home and together as a family, so God answered her prayer by giving her cancer because now they were spending more time at home and together.

Nothing like a story like that to make me very careful about what I pray for... and to make me feel like God is kind of mean. Like, "You want that? Okay, let me strike you down with something super hard and painful and scary, and then you can have what you asked for."

I just don't know how I feel about that.

There were definitely some good stories in there, and some things that I felt were helpful, but overall, for me, "it was okay." Then again, the prophet chose her to be his wife, so maybe I'm the one with the problem. Haha...

Clean.