Homegoing: Family Tree Required

    Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi got a lot of buzz this year, and for good reason. It's a beautiful and tragic story about family, legacy, loyalty, slavery (in more ways than one), and more things that will make you squirm and think. But first, did you know Gyasi is in her twenties?? Talk about goals! I read this interview of her and it gave some great background to her purpose behind writing the story. The part I thought was most interesting was how she said "this book was more about time" and how that changed the format of the book drastically while she was writing it.

    The story starts with two women in Ghana who are forced from their home villages. They are half sisters but they are unaware each other exist, even when one lives in the castle above and the other lives in the dungeons below.  One sister's legacy remains in Ghana and the other's is lost as she is sold into slavery and taken to America. Readers follow their families and descendants through centuries and across oceans getting a glimpse into a different character at every chapter.

    I am a sucker for books that follow people --especially families-- over long periods of time. I like watching how characters change and grow and how their decisions affect the people who come after them. This book checked that box perfectly. What I wasn't expecting when I first started reading was that you only get to read from each character's perspective one time. You may encounter them again within the chapter of someone else, but the timeline keeps progressing with each character and chapter, no going back. That was one of the few things I wished was different about the story. Sometimes I wanted more from certain characters like Esi and Ness.

    I was completely engaged with each sister's side of the family tree (and believe me, you will need to refer to that family tree in the front of the book over and over). I found myself unintentionally trying to choose whether I liked Ghanaian setting or the American setting better, but I didn't have a favorite. Every time it went from one to the other I was really interested in knowing what was coming next. Gyasi is a fantastic storyteller. Though I didn't always get as much from each character as I would have liked, I feel like they were all deep, dynamic, and well-written for having so many of them to keep track of!

    If you have not yet caught on to timeliness of this book as far as racial issues; it packs a powerful punch. This was such a beautiful and interesting way to paint a picture of the struggles black people have faced since they came into America. From slavery to segregation to the present and everything in between, I think this fictionalized perspective should be required reading for everyone. It brought the tragedies and hardships they've faced --and still face-- into a whole new light for me.

    I feel like the ending started to come full circle a little too conveniently and wish that Gyasi would have just made the ending exactly as though every question was answered and every loose end tied up. Instead, to me, it felt halfway. Like she was going to make it a perfect ending, and didn't follow through. I don't know if that make sense, but it's how I feel!

    Overall, I highly recommend this book. It's certainly weighs heavily on the reader, but at 300 pages it won't take long to get through and you definitely won't regret it.

4/5 Stars

Beartown: I didn't know hockey could be so emotional

    Wow. This book holds so many feelings and emotions! Beartown is vastly different than Backman's charming A Man Called Ove, but he manages the same amazing character development. You don't have to know or care about hockey in order to like this book; I sure didn't.

    The people of Beartown eat, sleep, and breathe ice hockey. Boys are bred to play the game, and anyone who doesn't play watches intently. Big hopes and dreams are on the line for everyone involved. But it's all about to come crashing down when a big secret is shared and begins to rip the town apart.

    That summary really doesn't do this story justice, but I'd rather spend more time writing about my thoughts! This book isn't about hockey, not really. Backman does such an incredible job of capturing and contemplating human nature (I kind of make myself cringe using that term, but it's true) within the context of hockey. There is so much wisdom here. He brings to light some of the ugliest parts of ourselves as broken people. But he also plants seeds of redemption and forgiveness among it all.

    "A great deal is expected of anyone who's been given a lot." This is a quote and major theme from the book. Through multiple perspectives we get a glimpse into how the different characters use and abuse what they've been given in the form of money, talent, family, and influence. Having everything doesn't mean anything if you treat people like they're nothing. There were times I pleaded with the characters to do the right thing, to stand up, or to back down. I think this was a painfully honest portrayal of the internal and external conflicts we go through all the time.

    Backman is a master storyteller. This year I have finally come to realize that I prefer character driven stories and this book is all about character development. He does it so well, even though there are a lot of people to keep track of, I never felt lost, confused or bored. There were several characters (David, Kira, and Bobo for example) that I judged pretty harshly at the beginning for their first impressions. But they were each so dynamic; there was usually more to the characters than there seemed (just like real people! duh!). And then there were the characters that made me want to scream into a pillow...I'll let you decide who they were for yourself.

    There is so much more I could say about Beartown; it really packs a punch. It's certainly a heavy read but without a doubt this book will stay with me for a very long time.

5/5 stars

Dear Fahrenheit 451: A Book about Books (could it get any better?)

    I have really been enjoying audiobooks lately. However, I'm super picky about what I listen to. It can't be anything too long or too complex--I will get distracted. And obviously, the narrator has to be bearable. I absolutely will stop listening to an audiobook if I can't handle the voice reading it. I also refuse to pay for audiobooks. My library has 3 really good services from which I can checkout and download free ebooks and audiobooks so that's what I stick to. It's been interesting because most of what's on my TBR is either not available in the digital collection as an audiobook, popular enough that I'd have to be put on a long waiting list, or too long that I'd rather read it than listen to it. This means I've been listening to things that aren't always high on my TBR list. It's fun to dive into some things that I haven't been anticipating like I often am for the print books I read.

    Annie Spence is a public librarian and Dear Fahrenheit 451 is her collection of letters to the various books she's crossed paths with during her life. Some of them are love letters to the books that have meant the most to her and some are break up notes to the old, offensive books she's weeding from her library's collection, plus, everything in between.

    I think my favorite part of this book though, are Spence's notes and commentary about working with the public. I laughed out loud because her stories as a librarian were so relatable.  Even if you don't work in a library, I think you'll find some humor here!

    There were lots of books Spence talked about that I either haven't read or haven't either heard about (...should I feel guilty about that..?) so I would kind of zone out sometimes. But it was really enjoyable to hear her thoughts on those book I have read or ones I haven't but have always meant to. It gave me some great ideas for doing reader's advisory at work! The last third or so of the book was mostly recommendations which probably would have been more useful had I stopped folding laundry and wrote them down, but we all know I don't really need more books on my TBR. I think if I had been reading the print version of the book, I probably would have skimmed through that last part and found the lists that looked most interesting ("Readin' Nerdy: Books about Librarians", heck ya!).

    Overall, a fun, quick listen. But stay away if you don't like to read books about books. However, if you don't like reading books about books, I don't know why you're reading a blog about a book about books ;) Happy Reading!

3/5 Stars

Artemis: Not the Heist I Was Hoping For

    This is not the review I was hoping to write when I picked up this ARC, and I'm afraid a lot of people are going to be disappointed, but I just had a really hard time getting through this book. I never read The Martian. The idea of a man stranded on Mars just didn't really grab me, but a heist on the moon? Oh yes. When I first heard about Artemis on a podcast this summer I immediately put it on my TBR. I can't say reading it made me want to rush to add The Martian to my TBR.

    Artemis is about a young woman named Jazz. She grew up in Artemis, the first city on the surface of the moon. What appears to be a marvel to tourists is just rock and glass to Jazz. Although her smarts and skills for mechanics and metal work could take her far, she has disappointed her father by choosing the life of a delivery porter, specializing in smuggling illegal goods into Artemis from Earth. Her goal: work as little as possible to pay her debts and live a modest life. But it's not going well for her. She once again fails the test to be an EVA master (someone who take tourists outside the city walls in special suits) and lives in a "coffin" where she can't even stand up straight. Things look up when a wealthy connection provides her with an opportunity she can't turn down. But it all takes a turn for the worst when she realizes there's more at stake than just money...control of Artemis itself.

    Maybe the summary will be enough to pull you in like it was for me, but all in all I was disappointed by this book. I really prefer character driven stories, and this book was mostly plot. Normally, I could get past this but I really did not like Jazz's character. It wasn't just her wasted potential but her cocky attitude and flippant personality. I'm all for flawed characters, but this one had few redeemable qualities for me. Honestly, she often came across as a teenage boy. I didn't feel like I had much of a chance to get to know the minor characters, which in turn left me feeling like there was a major hole in the story. Weir's writing, especially dialogue, felt really forced to me, particularly with the humor. There were a lot of "cringy" scenes and phrases, which sounds silly, but that's really the best way to describe how I felt. I'd be interested to know if this is how The Martian reads as well. Is this Weir's style or just how I felt about Artemis?

    I had high hopes for the heist aspect of the story, but it definitely fell flat for me. I was expecting something similar to Bardugo's Six of Crows for some reason...if anyone is familiar with that. But here, there just weren't any really exciting, gripping moments. Instead there was a lot of technical jargon weighing the story down. Every time something remotely interesting happened I felt like it was interrupted by a lesson on smelting. There are so many more interesting things Weir could have done with the world he created. Instead readers are subjected to paragraph after paragraph of welding explanations, air quality descriptions, and rock/dust composition.

    I don't know, perhaps my hopes for this were too high? I think Weir had some really great world building going for him, but unfortunately what it lacked in depth of character it overloaded with sarcasm and scientific lingo.

Artemis is released November 14, 2017. Thanks to Baker & Taylor for the ARC!

2.5/5 Stars

Echo: a MUST Listen

    Do your ears and heart a favor and GO GET THIS AUDIOBOOK! You can thank me later. I don't even remember why I chose to listen to this book rather than read it. I think it was mostly because it was the only kidlit title from my TBR that was available on Libby at the time and I needed an audiobook while I folded laundry or something. I am telling you right now, listening to Echo is the only way to go! The print book just cannot compare!

    Echo starts with a fairy tale about a boy named Otto and a harmonica. Throughout the rest of the book this harmonica proves to carry some magic within it as it comes in contact with three different children when they need it most. Friedrich is living in Germany just as Hitler is taking power. His world is changing and he must learn to stand for what he believes in. A few years later we meet Mikey who lives in Pennsylvania as an orphan with his little brother. All they want is to belong in a loving family. A few years more and readers are introduced to Ivey. She must cope with moving to a new town and being sent to the Annex School just because she is not white all while her older brother is fighting in the war. Each of these characters have a talent for music and the harmonica finds them at just the right time.

    You're probably wondering what is so wonderful about a bunch of kids and a harmonica. Well, the best part about listening to this book is that there is a different narrator for each of the main characters AND there are instrumental sections. There are whole parts where you get to hear the songs played on the harmonica. I just can't imagine this book having the same effect on me if I had only read it in print. The audio was so well done! And it makes all the difference at the very end...I got chills listening to it!

    Apart from a completely magical listening experience, this story is just plain beautiful. I loved and cared for each character. Their struggles were so real and although I didn't live during these time periods, I personally felt the pain of injustice as if it were happening to me. I loved the little bit of fairy tale that was woven throughout the book. There's a little rhyme that makes its way full circle and it's something I would love to make into a print and put on my wall.

    You know when you're nearing the very end of a book and you think the next page is your last but then there's one more and then one more and you're like "ugh, this author has killed so many good endings!"? Well for one of the first times ever in my reading life I kept thinking it was the end, but instead it kept going and it only got better! Each "ending" was a better ending than the last and when it actually was the ending I almost started applauding!

    I can't wait for the next teen, or family, or really anybody at work who asks me for a recommendation. I will very enthusiastically suggest require they read listen to this book. It was truly enjoyable and what all reading experiences should be.

5/5 Stars
 

Station Eleven or: Eerie Dystopian that Could Actually Happen

    I've been wanting to read this book for a long while and finally got the chance to for my book club. It's often classified as science fiction which I get, but what's different about this novel is that everything is 100% realistic. It could literally happen tomorrow and that's what makes reading this such a nail biter.

   Arthur Leander is a world famous actor who collapses from a heart attack while performing King Lear on stage. His death is not a spoiler, I promise, it happens on page 1. From there readers follow his life (through flashbacks) and the lives of those who crossed paths with him at one point or another. The big catch is that the night of Arthur's death is also the night the world ends. 99% of the population is wiped out. And soon after that anything powered by electricity, gas, or battery dies too. No more air travel, internet, government, or hospitals. We're given details of life 20 years before and after the collapse and bits and pieces in between to form a narrative about art, survival, and civilization.

    So, that summary is kind of vague, but I don't want to give anything away. There's quite a few characters to keep track of and it would be better for you to just go read the book rather than me typing out a long summary of each of them! After finishing I realized how there wasn't ever really a main character because the story was told from multiple points-of-view. You know I love stories told from multiple POVs!
 
    This book wasn't what I was expecting when I heard it was dystopian mainly because of all of the flashbacks to before the collapse. There was just as much happening in the pre-collapse narrative as the post-collapse. It made the story more relatable, whereas so much dystopian fiction feels disconnected from my own world. Mandel certainly has a talent for making ordinary characters interesting to read about. There often wasn't anything special about the people in this story, but she had a way of making me sympathize with them and wanting to know what happened to them. I especially loved they way they were all interconnected with one another. It was like this web that spread over decades tying everyone together even if they never knew it.

    Like I said above, the disturbing part about this book is that it could happen to us at any moment. Nothing Mandel wrote about was out of the realm of possibility in the world as we know it. In our book club we talked about what skills we would have to offer if we survived what the characters here did. How horrifying would it be to never see your family again, trying to move on while assuming they are probably dead. Would we stay where we are or try to move somewhere more promising? So many questions are raised by the time I finished the book that I can't even begin to answer. I don't even want to think about answering most of them, it's too scary!

    There is so much more I could talk about but I think I'm going to leave it at that...hopefully this review is the little taste you need to bite into the book as a whole. Overall, a must read! Although it ends on a hopeful note, it left me a little depressed, so you've been warned!

4/5 Stars

The Underground Railroad and How It Stressed Me Out

    I don't want to make light of the events described in Colson Whitehead's The Underground Railroad, but gosh, I feel like I need to watch several episodes of Friends to recover after this book. I finally picked it up when it was selected as a September title for the Diverse Books Club (@diversebooksclub on Instagram...check it out!). I'm always up for some great historical fiction, but reading this makes me feel the same way I feel when I watch movies like Deepwater Horizon or The Impossible. I think to myself, "Holy cow. I would not survive this. I cannot imagine the pain and suffering. I don't even want to think about it!" Stories like these have me holding my head in my hands the whole time because they're true. They really happened. I can't tell myself, "Well it's sad but it's just a story."

    The Underground Railroad follows Cora from childhood on a cotton plantation in Georgia through her young adult life as she tries to escape slavery and find freedom in the North. She meets friends and enemies along the way, gets captured more than a few times, and can't begin to know what it means to live a carefree life. She is aided by the the underground railroad, a network of allies and abolitionists working to help free slaves. Whitehead, however, takes it a step further and imagines the underground railroad as a literal train track underground that helps fugitives flee their owners. The story is told mainly through Cora's point of view (third person) but occasionally breaks to secondary characters.

    Like I said above, this book brought the 19th century South to life. So much so that I was practically groaning at the torture and punishments slaves were put through. I just cannot imagine treating human beings like they're property, animals. It's something I knew happened, but this Whitehead opened my eyes to it in a whole new way. There were so many heart-wrenching scenes throughout this book. I mean every time I thought maybe Cora could be happy, something horrible happened. I just wanted her to reunite with her mother, fall in love, have her own children, learn to read for crying out loud! I just wanted her to be able to relax! This was the most compelling part of the story: following Cora's journey. I had to know where she was going to end up.

    What I wasn't crazy about was the character development, meaning I didn't think there was much of it. Although we follow Cora from birth to young womanhood, I don't feel like I ever got to know her really well. I was certainly rooting for her, but it wasn't because I really liked her as a character (although I didn't dislike her), it was because she (and the other slaves) didn't deserve to be treated way she was. And if the main character wasn't completely fleshed out, you can imagine the secondary characters weren't either. I think the chapters from the other points of view were supposed to help with that but I found some of these more confusing or distracting than necessary or interesting (except for the one at the end...you'll know it when you get there!) I guess I found all of the characters to be rather cold and unapproachable (can that be a thing for characters in a book??).

    The other aspect of this book that bothered me was the timeline. There was a lot of back and forth between childhood and adulthood, past and present. The book definitely did not follow chronological order, which it wouldn't absolutely have to except I often had to reread sections to reorient myself about where I was in relation to where was a paragraph ago. I think Whitehead's goal here was to reveal certain things at certain times. He would often work backward as a way of introducing a new setting, but I found it a little jarring and disjointed.

    Overall, the need to know what was going to happen to Cora outweighed the things I didn't like about Whitehead's style choices. This was a great read, but definitely not because it gave me warm, fuzzy feelings. Instead, it made me angry about the injustices that took place in the past and the injustices that are still happening in the present. America may have made progress since slavery in the South, but we still have a long way left to go. I think that is Whitehead's real motive behind writing this story and he certainly drove it home for me.

3.5/5 Stars

 

This Is How It Always Is by Laurie Frankel

    I'm going to come right out and say that this book made me uncomfortable. It was beautifully written and had me totally engrossed the entire time, but I was certainly challenged while reading it. I picked this book up because there was so much buzz about it and I don't like being out of the book loop. I knew what the main idea was, but the story tackled it a little differently than I was expecting.

    Penn and Rosie are doing their best to raise their five children. Without really meaning to, they carry one big secret. Their daughter, Poppy, is not like the other little girls around her. She has to go into the bathroom to change into her pajamas at slumber parties and her parents spend hours on the internet researching hormone blockers. This is because Poppy used to be Claude. The story follows the family over a decade as they navigate life and learn about acceptance of others and oneself.

    Transgender issues and rights are not topics I am very familiar with and honestly, not ones I intentionally seek to learn more about. But I realize stories like this one are reality for people and families around me. And I really believe this gave me a perspective I wouldn't have had otherwise. Although this is only one story and there are many more unique stories out there, I feel my understanding of this challenging, but timely topic has been enhanced.

    I suppose the hardest thing for me to grasp about this story was how easily Rosie and Penn accepted the idea of Claude becoming Poppy. I don't pretend to know how to raise kids, or know what it means to love one's child unconditionally, but there was so little resistance coming from the parents which didn't strike me as very realistic. In general, I thought the majority of characters in this book were very accepting of Poppy's transformation. Clearly there are scenes that stand out to refute that claim, but I mean overall, and especially at the end (sorry, slight spoiler), everyone is just pretty much hunky dory about everything. It's not that I wish bad things for Poppy's character, I just had an impression that things for her and her parents would take a lot more time, explaining, fighting, pushing against the system, etc.

    No matter how I feel about the content though, Frankel is, without a doubt, an excellent writer. My favorite parts of this story were all the bits and pieces of the family throughout the years. How Rosie and Penn fell in love, "watching" the older boys grow up, Grumwald and Princess Stephanie (and how they came full circle!), Poppy and Aggie tapping on each other's windows and more. The real heart of this book is family and love and I can't argue with that.

 4/5 Stars

Sourdough: A love letter to bakers and techies

    If you read Mr. Penumbra's 24 Hour Bookstore than you know what I'm talking about when I say Robin Sloan once again wrote a totally quirky but lovable book. Sourdough is like an ode to carbs. Or bread really. Mr. Sloan, you are a genius. Thankfully I had 2 loaves of bread (honey wheat & zucchini) in the house as I was reading this book, because take my word for it: You will want to eat an entire loaf within the first few pages.

    Lois is a programmer who recently moved to San Francisco for a job at a robotics company called General Dexterity. They specialize in developing robotic arms. Alone in a new city, Lois finds herself depressed and malnourished until she discovers Clement Street Soup and Sandwiches run by brothers Chaiman and Beo. She is soon their most frequent customer and they are her only form of social interaction. When the brothers must close up shop and leave the country, Lois is crushed, until they bring her one last delivery: their sourdough bread starter. She has zero baking experience but quickly learns how to care for the starter and bake the bread. Proud of her new little hobby, Lois begins sharing the bread with those around her and soon finds herself applying to sell the sourdough at one of the local farmer's markets. Instead she is immersed in an underground experimental market of sorts. Her programming skills and new bread baking talent are combined to make an interesting and totally one-of-kind story. 

    That was a lengthy summary, but there were so many strange little details about this story, and that synopsis didn't even skim the surface! What I liked most about this book was Lois's character. She was the nice balance to all the quirkiness going on throughout the story. She was relatable and often provided a breath of fresh air among all of the eccentricity. I loved the little snide comments she would make to herself about her coworkers and acquaintances. 

    This book wasn't just all about baking, it also incorporated technology. More specifically it combined the two and explored the ways people could (potentially) live only off of food gel packets, grow food underground with lights, and use strange and interesting ingredients and tools to make ordinary food extraordinary food. This setting was unlike anywhere I'd ever read about. Many descriptions sounded like science, but I knew it was unlikely that most of it was real or accurate. If there was anything I didn't like about this book, it was probably these scientific explanations that I thought bogged down the story line just a tad. 

    As for the ending, I loved how it all came full circle in a way. Let's just say I was hoping what happened was going to happen, although I really had no idea it would until it did! Those are the best kinds of endings! Overall, I'll say I'm usually turned off by extreme quirkiness in the characters and plots that I read, but Sloan just seemed to do it in a really interesting and balanced way here. I credit the bread. Bread makes everything better.

Sourdough is released September 5, 2017! Thanks to my boss for the ARC!

4/5 Stars

On the Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness (not on the edge of my seat)

    I had heard great things about Andrew Peterson as a musician and writer from my brother and sister and law. When the Wingfeather Saga was recommended on the What Should I Read Next podcast to kids who love Harry Potter, I immediately put a hold on it at the library...I mean we're all looking for Harry Potter read-a-likes, am I right?

    I think for those reasons I had really high expectations for this story, and that's why it kind of disappointed me. But before you cross this one off your to-read list, let me tell you that I actually do plan on reading the next book in the series. Though it didn't leave a great first impression on me, On the Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness set the series up for what I hope to be an exciting ride. And with the right audience, I think there's potential.

    Janner lives in Glipwood with this mother, brother (Tink), sister (Leeli), and grandather (Podo). Their little town sits between the Dark Sea of Darkness and the sinister Glipwood forest and is overseen by the mean and nasty Fangs of Dang (stationed there when horrible Gnag the Nameless took over the continent in a quest to conquer High King Wingfeather). As the oldest child, Janner feels the strong burden to protect and watch out for his siblings. It is this responsibility, along with his natural curiosity, that brings Janner to the conclusion that his mother and Podo must be hiding something important from him about the past. What could they be keeping secret and what does it mean for their family and for the world as they know it?

    It was hard to summarize this story for one of the several reasons I did not like it...there were so many weird names! I suppose that makes it more fantastical, but I thought it was confusing. What disappointed me the most was how the first three chapters set up an interesting world and backstory, but after that it all just kind of fell flat. I had assumed going into this story that there was going to be an epic journey or adventure (perhaps because the summary on the back of the book says "this epic adventure"???). Instead it was more about three siblings who kept getting into trouble in town and then someone coming to their rescue. In fact, it seemed to me the only purpose the character of Leeli served was to get captured and then rescued. I got bored. Every so often interesting bits and pieces of that world and backstory would make their way in and then it got boring again...until the very end when it really did get interesting. I won't spoil anything, but twist at the end is what makes me want to read the next book.

   I think the right audience (middle grade readers) would probably gloss over the grievances that I have and might really like it. The quirky names, and funny situations will make them laugh. There's lots of action and likable characters. Themes like courage and sacrifice, as well as greed and grudges make for good conversation after reading.

    I'm holding out hope for North! or be Eaten, but I can't say I'm going to rush to read it soon.

3/5 Stars

Thoughts on Fitness & Fitness Junkie

Here are my health and fitness routines as told by memes:

Can anyone else relate? ;)

    A healthy lifestyle has never been an easy thing for me to maintain. I never have enough discipline. I would rather eat the cookie/brownie/pie. Vegetables just aren't priority in our house. My husband and I go on regular bike rides but we do it because it's something we enjoy together, not because we're trying to lose weight.

    I confess these things because I can relate to the main character in Lucy Sykes and Jo Piazza's newest book Fitness Junkie. Janey Sweet is the CEO of the popular and thriving wedding dress company, B. When her childhood best friend and business partner, Beau, says that she must lose weight or lose her job, Janey initially thinks he's crazy. But before she knows it, she's sucked into the world of bizarre exercise routines, crazy fad diets, and some strange New Yorkers.

    What's great about this book is its commentary on today's health and fitness industry. I loved the way it poked fun at the levels of "health" people will go to in our culture. While some of the characters and situations were rather extreme, I thought there was definitely truth to be found. I mean, we all have those Instagram friends who clearly spend more time photographing their avocado smoothies than actually eating them, right? It was interesting to see how the various characters achieved their version of health and how they all reacted to the pushes and pulls of the behaviors around them. Some were hesitant. Some were desperate. Some believed in what they were doing wholeheartedly. Some were total fakes, and others just did what they felt they had to do.

     For a long while I was unsure where the plot was headed in this story. There were a lot of different directions I could see it taking and I have to say I was surprised at how much of a punch the ending packed in. Regardless of the sometimes implausible plot lines, I think the overlying message of self acceptance is one we could all stand to hear.

4/5 Stars

Youth Lit. Goals & Tuesdays at the Castle

     At work I often get asked by parents, what are some "good, clean, appropriate" books for my kid/teen? I put it in quotes because I know what they're really looking for are quality stories minus vulgar language or steamy romance scenes. More often than not, parents are okay with violence. Even more often than not, parents aren't able to read everything before their kids do. I totally understand wanting to be cautious of watch young kids are reading. On the other hand, I don't believe kids become/do/model a behavior just because they read about it. I suppose it really depends on the reader themselves, their age, and what they know they can handle. This can be a very personal opinion, but one I'm always interested in discussing with others. Let me know your thoughts in the comments!

    I usually have a few titles to throw out but it seems the kid has either already read it or the book is checked out. I end up wandering the stacks pointing things out that I've heard are good or read a really long time ago.

    With that all said, I've made a goal for myself. I want to try harder to find more "good, clean, appropriate books" and then actually read them so I can enthusiastically recommend them in these situations. Because if I've learned anything in working with kids and teens it's that they aren't interested in checking out a book that I have half-heartedly recommended.

    I spent about an hour on good reads last week (oh wait, that's nothing new...) adding children's and YA lit to my to-read list and the first one I checked out was Tuesdays at the Castle by Jessica Day George. 

    Tuesdays at the Castle is the perfect example of "good, clean, appropriate" literature that I think parents are looking for. It was a fun, engaging story without any questionable content. This fantasy centers around Castle Glower and the royal family that lives within it. But Castle Glower isn't just any ordinary castle. Every Tuesday the castle grows and adds new rooms, stairways, doors, or secret passageways. It's almost as if the castle is alive. Princess Celie is the youngest daughter of King Glower the Seventy-Ninth and knows the ins and outs of the castle better than anyone. When tragedy strikes, Celie and those closest to her must use their wit to fight. It's a good thing Celie has the Castle Glower on her side!

    Perhaps one of the reasons I liked this story so much is because Castle Glower reminded me a little bit of the Hogwarts Castle with it's magically changing scenery. I love that the Castle Glower is a character all by itself. Though Celie is a young girl she is smart and tough. There are great themes of loyalty and family throughout the story. It had just enough conflict to keep me interested, but remained lighthearted. I would recommend this for anyone over the age of 8!

5/5 Stars

Another Mystery: I Found You

     It seems I have been on a thriller, mystery kick lately. I've been reading more in this genre than usual. I Found You by Lisa Jewell was another title on Modern Mrs. Darcy's Summer Reading Guide. It sounded very intriguing, but I hadn't really planned on picking it up so soon until I began my search for book club titles at work. My boss raved about this one and it had high praise on Goodreads. When I saw it on the new shelf at work and just couldn't resist the urge to grab it!

     Alice is a single mother who takes in a man suffering from memory loss. He doesn't know who he is, or why he has been sitting on the beach for the last 24 hours. Can she trust him? In another town, young wife Lily is wondering why her husband hasn't returned home from work last night. Involving the police only turn up more questions. Can she trust him? Alternating chapters take the reader back 20+ years when Gray and Kirsty's family vacation takes an eerie turn after a stranger invites them over for dinner. Gray is convinced he has ulterior motives. Can he trust him?

     This book certainly kept me on the edge of my seat the entire time. Just when I thought I had it figured out, I started to second guessed myself. I would say I Found You is more plot driven and I've learned from the various books I've read this year that I much prefer character driven stories. I felt like I was only getting a shallow view of each of the characters. And honestly, I didn't particularly like any of them. That was hard for me. What kept me reading was the switch between past and present timelines and the desire to know how they fit together in the end. While this was a great summer read, it certainly isn't a light read. There are some pretty dark themes and each character is marked by their own sort of trauma. Don't let that stop you though, there are great twists and turns that left me pleased that it wasn't as predictable as I thought!

4/5 Stars

Rekindled Love & The Dry

    When I started reading chapter books as a kid, I would check out a huge stack of The Boxcar Children mysteries from the library and start reading as soon as we got in the car. I'd average about one per day. Regardless of the fact that they all followed very formulaic plot (rich grandfather takes them somewhere, they discover a problem, they conveniently overhear a private conversation, a mysterious phone call tells them to butt out, they save the day anyway), I was hooked!

    Seeing as mysteries are what made me fall in love with reading in the first place, I don't know why I don't read them more often as an adult! Though many of the books I read have mysterious elements to them, I don't read a lot of straight up detective/police stories. The Dry by Jane Harper was on Modern Mrs. Darcy's 2017 Summer Reading List and I was hearing/reading rave reviews all over the internet and book podcasts. I'm so glad I picked it up! My love with mysteries has been rekindled!

    The Dry is about FBI agent Aaron Falk and his return to his hometown, Kiewarra (Australia). His visit is due to the tragic death of his childhood friend Luke and Luke's wife and young son. The small town is reeling from the tragedy for more reasons than one. All of the evidence shows that Luke killed his wife and son before taking his own life. What Aaron thinks is going to be a quick trip home, soon becomes a lot more complicated when his past catches up with him.

    You can probably tell from my summary that this book isn't exactly heartwarming, but it is oh so satisfying. Just like the main character, I was constantly trying to figure out who I could trust throughout the story; nothing and no one were quite as they seemed. I love books that switch between past and present story lines, and this one did a really good job of that all the way to the very end. The title of the book plays a really interesting and important role both in the setting and the climax. I definitely recommend this to anyone who's looking for a page-turner. I'll admit it has some heavy themes, but it had me on the edge of my seat!

5/5 Stars