Always Never Yours - Emily Wibberley & Austin Siegemund-Broka

Always Never Yours by Emily Wibberley
My rating: 1 of 5 stars

***Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me an advanced copy to review. All opinions are my own.

Megan is always the girl that guys date before they find the one they want a serious relationship with. She has embraced that role wholeheartedly. Until life circumstances make her reconsider if that's who she truly wants to be.

I did not at all like this book. I wouldn't recommend it to any teen I know based simply on the questionable content. There might have been a redeeming message, but it's overshadowed by the sex. All the sex. Talk of sex. Having sex. Casual sex. More committed sex. Hooking up. Making out. Plus a bit of drinking and language. But mainly the sex.

Now I'm not an ostrich with my head in the sand thinking there aren't a lot of teens out there having sex. I'm sure there are. However, I don't think that is something we need to hold up to them as tantamount to real love or feelings or relationships.

I did not like Megan. I did not like Tyler. I did not like Anthony. I like Owen a bit. He seemed the most insightful character in the whole mess. I did not like Megan's parents and parental figures who were mainly just there because...I'm not really sure. Other than one talk with her dad towards the end, there was no parenting or guiding going on.

I struggled with Megan being so shallow and flighty. If a guy looked good, he was a potential next hook up for her. People say that art (and writing) is just a reflection of our culture and society. Well, I hope not. Because I'd like to give the youth of today a bit more credit for their character and depth.

I did like the Shakespeare references sprinkled throughout, especially towards the start of the book. And I really liked the premise. But, again, not worth the read.

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Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine - Gail Honeyman

Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This book was not at all what I expected. And I adored it. However, it's a 4 start instead of 5 as it took me until halfway through the book to begin adoring it.

Eleanor is different. She suffers through the workweek, more than competent at her job, only to drink her way through the weekend so she can get back to what she knows. She is unskilled and awkward in social settings and even in the office. But then Eleanor meets Raymond, the new guy working IT at the office. As a result, she begins to shift out of her isolation. It's a beautiful and messy transition.

First of all, I have to say this book is full of amazingly deep thoughts and quotes to pull out and ponder. About love. About loneliness. About what it takes to be accepted in today's society. About judgment and assumptions and opening oneself to others. Profound.

Gail Honeyman's insight into humanity is keen. She has created a character in Eleanor that I didn't particularly like for the first part of the book. She was judgmental and odd. But then a shift happened. The more I learned of her story, the more I understood her quirks. The more I understood, the more sympathetic I could be. I was rooting for her 100% by the end (the end which I loved, by the way). I think that alone speaks to the fact that we need to take to the time to connect and listen to each other's stories.

Raymond, with his own awkwardness, was probably my favorite character. He really saw people for who they were. That was powerful.

There is some language, drinking (the vodka every weekend for sure), and some racy discussion. None of it was out of character nor was it much.

I'm already stalking Gail Honeyman's internet presence to see when her next book will be released.

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The Radium Girls - Kate Moore

The Radium Girls: The Dark Story of America's Shining Women by Kate Moore
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This book was so interesting. It was incredibly readable but very hard to read due to the content and all the names.

Radium Girls is the stories of the women dial painters in the early part of the 20th century (and even as recently as 1978) who were mislead about the safety of their work with radium. Often times leading to a painful and early death.

First, I can't believe none of this is ever covered in history classes. At all. Despite the fact the law suits these ladies filed are the basis for modern-day OSHA and other worker safety legislation and oversight.

Secondly, the ridiculousness these companies were able to get away with. Yes, in the beginning when it wasn't sure the cause and radium was widely believed safe, I can give them the benefit of the doubt. But that benefit doesn't last long as they fight tooth and nail to deny all culpability and responsibility. Despicable.

There were a lot of names. There are some pretty gory medical specifics. There is a lot that will stir anger in the soul. But absolutely and totally worth reading.

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PJ Sugar Series - Susan Mae Warren

So I recently read all three books in the PJ Sugar series.  They are Nothing but Trouble, Double Trouble, and Licensed for Trouble.  

A great, fun, light-hearted trilogy about PJ Sugar and her various mishaps and relationships.  PJ returns to the hometown she'd run from a decade prior.  Her sister says she needs help, so PJ puts aside her fears and shame to head back.  At home she encounters her penchant for trouble with various run-ins with criminals. 

The first book was, of course, the best.  The second was still super entertaining.  By the third, I was a little tired of PJ constantly making heart instead of head decisions and being so down on herself all the time.  Still, I would say the series is definitely worth the read.  

Two Mini Reviews

DK Eyewitness Books: First Ladies by Amy Pastan
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Quick bites of information about every First Lady from Washington to Trump. Also some historical context given.

View all my reviews Parenting Preschoolers with a Purpose: Caring for Your Kids Yourself by Jolene L. Roehlkepartain
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

This book on parenting revolves around "asset building." The first section covers what the assets are. There are a lot. The second part covers parental self-care. And the final section tackles a ton of common place preschooler situations and 5 tips (plus a couple of bonuses) on specifically how to handle each one.

The assets were overwhelming to me. To try to keep 40-some skills and characters traits and such to develop in my kids in my head all the time. Not going to happen. But I appreciate the exposure.

With the specific situations and issues and scenarios, there were a lot of good, practical tips. Some were common sense, I thought. But I did have some take aways. And, of course, there were some like "Heck, no. I'm not doing that."

A decent read to pick and choose what works for you.

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Flora & Ulysses - Kate DiCamillo

Flora & Ulysses: The Illuminated Adventures by Kate DiCamillo
My rating: 1 of 5 stars

A freak vacuum accident leaves the squirrel, Ulysses, with super strength and smarts. Flora is his self-appointed sidekick and protector.

So I made a goal of reading the Newberry winner for each year. Of the ones I read as a child and before making this goal as an adult, I remember liking them all. And the first few I read for this challenge, I enjoyed. Which made this one even more disappointing. Flora was disrespectful and annoying. The repetition of things got on my nerves. Granted, I only made it to Chapter 26 (about 35% through the book), so maybe there is redemption for the book in the end. Hopefully? I mean, it did win a Newberry in 2014. But I'm not willing to invest more reading time in finding out.

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The Love Letter - Rachel Hauck

The Love Letter by Rachel Hauck
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Thomas Nelson through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

In Rachel Hauck's latest dual narrative Christian romance, we move between Revolutionary War South Carolina and present day California. In the past, Esther Longfellow - daughter of a Loyalist - is in love with Hamilton Lightfoot, who leans Patriot. What will become of their love?

In present day, Chloe Daschle pours her heart and soul into an unlikely role, hoping to right her acting career. She is playing "Esther" in the screen play written by Hamilton's descendant, Jesse Gates. Is romance brewing there too?

Of course romance is brewing! Didn't I already mention the genre is Christian romance? The end result is generally predictable, but the journey there is what's important.

The characters, while I liked them, confused me with their decisions. Mainly in the current day plot line. Who leaves a wedding reception (when part of the bridal party) with a stranger to eat pizza at said stranger's house? Also, Esther is the only one who didn't waver in what she wanted.

I did like the Smitty character. I had my suspicions about him and am glad with how that character line ended up.

The historical plot was interesting to me. Revolutionary War books (and even history lessons) seem to focus on the New England colonies. In fact, I don't know that I've ever considered there were colonies in the south that were involved in the fighting. But there were. And I enjoyed the unusual, but still accurate, locale of the past story line.

This book overall was decent. I liked it and was engaged in the quick read. But I lean towards the "okay" side of I liked it instead of the "I really liked it" side of liked it.

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American Eclipse: A Nation's Epic Race to Catch the Shadow of the Moon and Win the Glory of the World - David Baron

American Eclipse: A Nation's Epic Race to Catch the Shadow of the Moon and Win the Glory of the World by David Baron
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

If you liked this review, you can find more of them at mommyreadsbooks.blogspot.com

So I originally picked this book off the library showcase bookshelf around the time of the total solar eclipse of August 2017. Life happened. More books shifted in. So I finally got around to listening to the audio book on a road trip all these months later. And it was good. I didn't really go in with expectations, and I think that helped.

The summary on the flap indicates the book follows three scientists (well, one was more an inventor) in their pursuit of the 1878 total eclipse in the western US. However, it was so much more. It references several total eclipses, many more in the astronomical field, and a whole slew of scientists. I'm glad I listened to it or else I fear I would have been bogged down with some of the details and science. Although I found most of the science accessible.

It was an interesting book. Worth the read/listen.

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Turtles All the Way Down - John Green

Turtles All the Way Down by John Green
My rating: 1 of 5 stars

So my opinion on this book is no doubt the unpopular one. And in the interest of full disclosure, I have only completely read one other John Green book. I've quit a few others. I wanted to quit Fault in our Stars but also wanted to finish to see if it lived up to the buzz. I wanted to quit this one multiple times. But I have heard it gives such a clear picture of someone living with anxiety, I wanted to finish and see that. However, I think all the things I disliked made it difficult for me to appreciate the picture of the anxiety struggle.

Daisy convinces her anxiety-ridden friend, Aza, to pursue and then abandon the mystery of a local billionaire's disappearance. Through this Aza reconnects (sort of) with a boy she had met at summer camp years before.

The whole tone of the book was grating. I never really connected to any of the characters. They seemed more like caricatures to me. As I've thought about it, maybe that's what was intended so that the "character" of anxiety was the only thing with depth. But all the characters annoyed me and were just super selfish and self-focused. True - to an extent - of some teenagers, or some would say teens in general. I would like to think better of our next generation and have seen many teens who don't live in "angst all the time" mode.

Anyway, I didn't love it. I'm not sure I hated it, but it was definitely less than "meh" for me.



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