Category: reading

I wish that Jocelyn had continued the series but I understand why she did not. I enjoyed these final two books in the series just as much as the first two. Even though each book is episodic, Aggie and Hector continue to develop as characters and as friends. I think this series is an excellent…

I love Shirley Chisolm. This book provides a short but profound look at Chisolm’s background as well as several of the things that led up to making her the tenacious lawmaker she became. I eragerly anticipate reading her other memoir. I thought this would be a fun romp with talking animals and at a few…

The infographic below does not really show just how many of the books that I initially put on my September TBR that I did not get to. For the first time in a while, I “failed” my TBR. I learned that even the most voracious of readers cannot get through that many books when so…

I should have realized from the description that this would not be the book for me. While I appreciated the glimpses Sepetys provided into her own life and her writing process, I ended up skipping all of the sections with writing prompts and challenges. I think that these prompts and challenges are well written but…

For the first time in a while, I did not complete my monthly TBR. As you will see in the September wrap up to come, I did not even come close. That’s what happens when you put several books (probably more than 10) on the TBR that are larger than 500 pages. Did I put…

I feel conflicted about this story. On the one hand, I appreciate the author’s development of the main character’s recently deceased father – a man who had gained fame from a viral photo of a rescue he performed on 9/11 but who also struggled with complex PTSD and how that led both to alcohol problems…

I think that my reading experience would have been enhanced by reading the physical book since the illustrator is mentioned at the beginning and has his own note. Even with that, I still found this collection of short stories and memoir-like nonfiction compelling and interested. I may pick up the physical copy in the future.…

I loved this book just as I expected when I read the synopsis and discovered that the book involved linguistics and dragons. (My interest definitely lie in the full-blown nerd category.) This book uses alternate history complete with an alternative Bletchley Park and a rigid class system enforced through society-wide brainwashing and subtle threats. I…

This series continues to fascinate me. I love the unique and complex world that Dabos has created as well as the slow and methodical ways that she develops the characters and their relationships, especially the romantic relationship of the main character. In this installment, she starts to exert her own agency and learns tremendous lesson…

Daré kept me engaged the entire time with this story of a remarkable girl who faced tremendous, yet unfortunately typical, challenges in a world not designed for her. Her story shows the complexity of simply existing as a woman in Nigeria through her interactions with a variety of different other women. It’s not just about…