Friday Review

The Best Friend Incident by Melia Alexander

Publication Date – April 10, 2018

3.5 stars

This is a short and sweet romance with one of my favorite plotlines, the best friends to something more story.  Stacy and Grant have been best friends since they were eight which is why it is so hard to admit to the new, intense feelings that are popping up.  I really like this one and gobbled it up. I do wish there was more to the backstory, maybe an additional fifty pages to draw it out a bit longer, but overall, I enjoyed every bit of it.  I received a digital ARC of this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. 

Personal Book from a Known Essayist

The Recovering: Intoxication and Its Aftermath

By Leslie Jamison

Publication Date – April 3, 2018

4 stars

Leslie Jamison is the author of a popular collection of essays, The Empathy Exams.  With this book she follows her own experiences with alcoholism and recovery interspersed with other writer’s struggles.  She explores the connection between addiction and creativity and discusses whether it is a necessary connection.  I found Jamison’s account to be an insightful look at the ways in which addiction occurs and the affect it has on relationships and the creative process and her sections on recovery are revelatory.  While, I enjoyed the parts concerning other authors, such as Jean Rhys and David Foster Wallace, towards the end I found those sections to drag a bit more.  Overall, I finished this book with a greater understanding of what drives addiction and impedes recovery.  I received a digital ARC of this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. 

All You Need is Love

Everybody Always:  Becoming Love in a World Full of Setbacks and Difficult People
by Bob Goff
Publication Date - April 17, 2018

Bob Goff answers the question of what if really means to love like Jesus in this short exploration of faith and relationships.  This is honestly not a book I would normally pick up but after reading the first chapter on the Bookish First site, I decided I liked the chatty and humorous tone.  Using his own life experiences, and mistakes, Goff discusses how we can open ourselves up to relationships with everyone, and he means everyone.  He also talks about letting go of our expectations of other people and also situations to live life more fully.  I thought that he had some really good insights into faithful living and his kind of writing just made me feel more joyful and hopeful.  At times he is really goofy but even his sillier stories eventually led to wisdom.  I received an advanced copy of this book through Bookish First in exchange for an honest review. 

Friday Review

Elmet by Fiona Mozley

3.5 stars

Slow and atmospheric, this novel follows a father and his two children living a simple and isolated life off the land.  Narrated by a teenage Daniel, we know from flashbacks that something terrible occurs but the beauty of the writing is how slowly the looming violence unfolds.  I loved the writing in this book and could have kept reading for pages more.  The descriptions of the copse and their daily life were exquisite.  I will say that I wasn’t a huge fan of the ending, especially after she worked so hard to get there, which is why I knocked some stars off my rating.  I do, however, look forward to whatever she writes next.  I received a digital ARC of this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. 

Germany Between Two World Wars

The Death of Democracy:  Hitler's Rise to Power and the Downfall of the Weimar Republic
by Benjamin Carter Hett
Publication Date - April 3, 2018
3 stars



This is a comprehensive look at how Germany's political situation following World War I lead to the circumstances that caused the rise of the Nazi party.  I've read a couple of books on this subject and this one definitely provided more in depth coverage of the different political parties that were involved and how the dissatisfaction with Germany's post-war reparations were impacting the citizen's opinions.  I did feel that this book jumped around quite a bit.  There were also anecdotes at the beginning of each chapter that interrupted the flow of the information.  Overall, while I do have a better understanding of Germany's post World War I political situation, I struggled with the organization of this book.  I received a digital ARC through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

To The Moon

Rocket Men:  The Daring Odyssey of Apollo 8 and the Astronauts Who Made Man’s First Journey to the Moon

By Robert Kurson

Publication Date - April 3, 2018

5 stars

Apollo 8 was the first manned mission to get a close up look at the moon while in orbit.  After a harrowing set back, when three astronauts died in an inferno, NASA and the trouble nation didn’t know if it could reach the moon before the Soviets.     When some brave engineers decided to rush the next mission into the moon’s orbit in just months, it was though foolhardy and risky by many.  This well written book just reinforces the belief that we need the space program, for the furtherance of mankind and to produce hope for the future.  This book gave me chills and tears as these three astronauts and all those supporting them on the ground ventured where no human has gone before.  I received an ARC of this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Last Review For Two Weeks!

Other People’s Houses by Abbi Waxman

Publication Date – April 3, 2018

3.5 stars

Following the neighbors on one street, this book explores what happens when the drama of one household spills into every other family’s life.  I had a couple of problems with the actual writing in the book.  It jumps around a lot between different characters and sometimes the only identification are the changes in children’s names.  There are also many lines of pretty mundane dialogue about normal family life which can get tedious.  Overall, though, it is mostly just highly entertaining and I read it in a couple of days.  I received an EArc through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. 

MIdweek Review

Magic Hours: Essays on Creators and Creation Tom Bissell
Publication Date - March 27, 2018
3 stars



I requested an ARC of this book because I love a good collection of literary essays, however, I then realized that I had the paperback version of this book already on my shelves.  After some investigation, I realized that this is a reprint with additional essays.  There are pieces of literary criticism, post 9/11 current events and one very long piece of criticism of Robert Kaplan (he really does not like Robert Kaplan).  As with all essay collections, there are some really good ones and not so good ones but some of it seems dated so I'm not sure why a reprint was actually needed.  I received a digital ARC of this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. 

Finding Their Way

I Have Lost My Way by Gayle Forman
Publication Date - March 27, 2018
4 stars



Three young people are wandering around New York dealing with lives that have gone off the rails when they (literally) fall into each other.  This is a short novel, that I read over the course of one evening, but I was able to become utterly immersed in the character's troubles.  It did end rather abruptly so I wonder whether there will be a sequel? Highlighting how even short acquaintances can have a huge impact, this is a easy, pleasant read.  I received an ARC of this book through Bookish First in exchange for an honest review. 

Life After Death?

Surviving Death:  A Journalist Investigates Evidence for an Afterlife
by Leslie Kean
3 stars



I found the first stories in this book, especially concerning reincarnation, fascinating and extremely thought-provoking even though the cynic in me wondered how much of those could be manufactured by parents.  As the book went on, I found myself losing interest which I think has more to do with my own personal interests then any sort of reflection on the book itself.  While I have absolutely no confident opinion about life after death, I just wasn't super interested in reading about it.  I can see this being a really engaging read.  I received a copy of this book through the Blogging for Books program in exchange for an honest review. 

Monday Memoirs

Meaty: Essays by Samantha Irby

Publication Date – April 3, 2018

4 stars

This is actually Samantha Irby’s first collection of essays that is being re-released this fall.  This is also the first time I have read a collection by this author.  She is definitely a blunt and “all out there” author/comedian.   For the most part, I read these essays saying “yes, that is so true!” but at times I was also thinking “ummmmm, maybe that’s putting TOO much out there”.  I couldn’t ever read this while eating (if that tells you anything) but, regardless, I will absolutely read her other books.  I received a digital ARC of this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. 

The Very Worst Missionary: A Memoir or Whatever by Jamie Wright

Publication Date  - April 3, 2017

4 stars

Jamie Wright came to Christianity as an adult and has an interesting perspective on faith, missionary work and her own spiritual evolution.  I think this has some definite common-sense advice and I liked her no-nonsense approach.  I also appreciated that it is short, to the point and never drags.  I received a digital ARC of this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. 

Weekend Review

Fantasyland: How America Went Haywire, a 500 Year History
by Kurt Andersen
4 stars



Andersen has written a sarcastic, realistic and ambitious history of the United States starting with the Puritans.  His focus on the traits that make America so American, the magical thinking, the delusions of grandeur and the innate confidence in our own rightness helps with understanding how we have come to the point that we are now.  This took a really long time to read but I enjoyed the different spin on the history of the U.S.  I received a digital ARC of this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. 

Important Reading

The Sun Does Shine:  How I Found Life and Freedom on Death Row

By Anthony Ray Hinton (and Lara Love Hardin)

Publication Date – March 27, 2018

5 stars

Almost a year ago, I read Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson and it profoundly changed how I thought about prisons, capital punishment and racism in the justice system.  Not that I didn’t know the inherent problems, I had just never had it so succinctly and emotionally laid bare for the reader.  This memoir is the story of one of the death row inmates that Stevenson helped free.  Hinton’s case was so ridiculously mishandled, smeared by racism and hindered by his lack of funds to pay for legal representation that it is devastating to read about.  Somehow through thirty years living in a 5 by 8 foot cell on death row, he was able to retain hope that his innocence would be proclaimed.  I’m having trouble summarizing how important I think his story is so just read this book…read Just Mercy and then read this book.  I received a digital ARC of this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.   

New York Mothers

Laura and Emma by Kate Greathead
Publication Date - March 13, 2018
3.5 stars

This novel is a snapshot of a single mother's life in New York City between the years of 1980 to 1995.  Laura is from a wealthy established New York family and when she is hilariously knocked up in her early thirties, she decides to buck conventionality and raise her child by herself.  Her daughter, Emma, is mostly seen from Laura's point of view and turns from a precocious child to a serious adolescent.  This really is just a random chunk of life and has no real plot which is at turns fascinating and frustrating.  There is definite humor, but the lack of plot means that there are also some irrelevant scenes.  Overall, I enjoyed it for the slice of New York city history and Laura's amusing and contradictory inner dialogue.  I received a digital ARC of this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. 

Graphic Edition

Unicorn of Many Hats (Heavenly Nostrils, 7) by Dana Simpson

Publication Date – March 20, 2018

4 stars

My love for these graphic novels is real.  I love that my nine year old daughter and I can read these books and enjoy them for completely different reasons and laugh at completely different bits of dialogue.   These novels are a collection of related vignettes following Phoebe, a snarky and playful girl, and her vain but loyal unicorn.   I’m not sure any can really live up to the first one, but this was so much fun.  I received a digital ARC of this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. 

Herding Cats (Sarah Scribbles #3) by Sarah Andersen

Publication Date – March 27, 2018

3 stars

Always relatable, Andersen creates fun cartoons that sum up the life of an anxious introvert.  This collection can be darker at times as it includes her own worries about the current news and life on the internet.   This is maybe the first book of her work that included things that I didn’t quite “get”, but it is a short read and there was plenty to enjoy.  I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. 

Big Nate: Silent But Deadly by Lincoln Peirce

Publication Date – March 20, 2018

4 stars

I let my nine year old daughter read and review this one as she is a fan of the series.  She found it funny as always and thought the boys in her class acted in much of the same ways as the middle schooler in this book (she’s a third grader so I guess male behavior doesn’t change much during that time.).  This was a digital galley from NetGalley, received in exchange for an honest review.