Oliver Twist - Charles Dickens

Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This was my first read of Oliver Twist. I've never seen the movie or play either. The only thing I really knew going in was the line that I'd heard somewhere about "More gruel, please."

Oliver is an orphan boy who has more than his share of troubles in his young life. The book is also Dickens's take on poverty and wealth, morality and decay in Victorian England.

I liked it. I was probably more interested in the commentary on treatment of the poor, nature vs. nurture, etc., than in Oliver's story itself. It has caused me quite a bit of contemplation.

A pretty quick read and well worth it.

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The Family Upstairs - Lisa Jewell

The Family Upstairs by Lisa Jewell
My rating: 1 of 5 stars

This book was all kinds of messed up.

When Libby Jones turns 25, she receives notice of her inheritance from her dead parents: an empty mansion in an upscale part of London. It's all downhill and nuts from there. I particularly didn't like Lucy's point of view. I don't find that it added much to the overall story. So much in this book was disturbing and convoluted yet not much of it was really surprising or suspenseful. Thankfully it was at least a quick read.

There was one quote I liked, and it even applies here:
"They weren't bad books," Phin countered patiently. "They were books that you didn't enjoy. It's not the same thing at all. The only bad books are books that are so badly written that no on will publish them. Any book that has been published is going to be a 'good book' for someone."

This book definitely qualifies as one I didn't enjoy.

Content Warnings: Language, abuse in many forms

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Never Have I Ever - Joshilyn Jackson

Never Have I Ever by Joshilyn Jackson
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I'm waffling between 2 and 3 stars on this one.

Amy is happy with her life as wife, "stepmonster," and mom and doesn't think anything can shatter her peaceful existence...until Roux shows up in her neighborhood and on her doorstep. Roux brings with her information about Amy's past and objectives all her own.

I feel like Amy's character has depth and nuance but all the rest were pretty static. There were definitely some twists I didn't see coming, which I always appreciate in a book.

Content Warnings: language, violence, sexual content (of a disturbing nature)

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Follow Me - Kathleen Barber

Follow Me by Kathleen Barber
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This book takes a look at the potentially extreme costs of an online social media influencer. Audrey has thousands of followers on Instagram, sharing every aspect of her life with them. When a new job causes her to relocate to DC, she doesn’t realize the opportunity presented to one of her more obsessive followers

Probably a 3.5 for me, rounded up to a 4. I liked it. I was definitely interested in figuring out what was actually going on, although I had my ideas. It was compulsively readable. However, there were definitely some things about the book I didn’t like as well.

I like suspense books and always have in the back of my mind wonderings about what I share online, even though that’s mainly to friends and family. So when I got an email from NetGalley about reading/reviewing this book early (thanks, NetGalley and the publisher!), I jumped on it.

The characters were just not very likable…pretty much any of them. Which means that while I loved the plot and the suspense, I didn’t really like the characters.

Also, I was still left with some questions at the end where I felt like previous details indicated something else. So I might reread it for those clues. A few questions stemming from the ending itself as well. It ended rather abruptly.

Worth the read if you like suspense.

Content Warnings: Some language and slightly open-door romance.


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Pioneer Girl (The Annotated Autobiography) - Laura Ingalls Wilder (Pamela Smith Hill - Editor)

Pioneer Girl: The Annotated Autobiography by Laura Ingalls Wilder
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I am a long-time Little House fan. Not the show but definitely the books. Since early elementary school (I'm now in my 40's). So a long time. And I've lost track of how many times I've read the original series or how many add on books, adaptations for younger children, etc. I've written.
While it took me what felt like an eternity to read this book, it was absolutely worth it. And, as way of excuse, one of the reasons it took me so long was because the book itself is a rather large format. I couldn't just chuck it in my bag and head out, reading it in the nooks and crannies of my day.
Anyway, enough about me. Wilder wrote Pioneer Girl to be an adult book of growing up in the ever expanding western territories of the United States. It went to several agents and through multiple revisions, but was never actually published. However, Wilder pulled heavily from this memoir text to develop her iconic, historical fiction(ish) stories for children. It was so interesting to see where it all began from.
This annotated version was especially interesting because the abundant annotations added so much understanding, context, and clarification.
Now I'm just going to go back to kicking myself that I decided against the Herbert Hoover Presidential Library a few weeks ago when I was in Iowa City. I was right there on the grounds but didn't know that's where the original manuscript of Pioneer Girl is housed until I read this book.

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The Enchanted Hour: The Miraculous Power of Reading Aloud in the Age of Distraction - Meghan Cox Gurdon

The Enchanted Hour: The Miraculous Power of Reading Aloud in the Age of Distraction by Meghan Cox Gurdon
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I enjoy books about books and reading books about reading and reading aloud. So this one is right up my alley. I learned many new vocabulary words myself reading this book, like the book states the children you read to will if you read aloud to them. Some of the stats and studies weren't great as far as having incredibly small sample sets, etc. But, like a normal human, I can ignore that if I really support whatever those small studies are purporting. :)
Anyway, great book about reading aloud. Not just to children but to tweens, teens, spouses, aging adults, dogs. Basically anyone. It doesn't address reading to your plants, but I imagine that wouldn't hurt either.
Two extensive book lists in back: one of the books mentioned in the text and another of additional books. Now I just need to get more consistent on reading aloud to my little people more than just a quick picture book at bedtime.

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The Nickel Boys - Colson Whitehead

The Nickel Boys by Colson Whitehead
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Important.
Heart-wrenching.
Thought provoking.
Absolutely worth reading.

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