Oath and Honor: A Memoir and a Warning by Liz Cheney
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
I can’t say I enjoyed this book. But it is a necessary book. And I was lucky to get to hear a copy from our library app, Libby. Liz Cheney reads it herself, giving it all the authenticity it needs. Regardless of your political stance, this is an essential look into our government and the laws of this country we all love.
My Grape Year by Laura Bradbury
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Who knew that a book about a foreign exchange teenager would have me in tears and longing to read the next in the series immediately? This book is the reason I read books. It took me to a place I hadn’t been before. It challenged a lot of preconceived notions. And I picked up a word or two more of French. That probably doesn’t count for much, but every little word counts, right?
Laura Bradbury can write an engaging book. When I found I couldn’t read it tiny bits at a time, I longed for more of the story than the time reading it took. I added Whispersynch, and the voice of Hope Newhouse (Narrator) made the story even better, especially since she pronounced the words text-to-speech or my own struggles with unfamiliar French words.
I don’t remember how I heard of the Grape books, and I hope it might be in connection with a movie or television series because this could be quite good in that medium, too. Anyway, I got the first Grape on Kindle Unlimited but decided to buy it and buy the Audio to go with it as I love the layers it adds to the written word.
I highly recommend this to teens and older. Even if 18 is 56 (yikes!) years ago, I still remember the angst of those years quite well, sometimes better than I remember where I put the keys, ya know?
If You Would Have Told Me by John Stamos
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
John Stamos was on a talk show promoting this book. Immediately, I put it in the search area on Libby. And there it was!
This is an honest account of Mr. Stamos’s life. In that, I feel I can’t really be a judge. It feels like he wrote it in his own voice, and as he narrated, it sounded quite real.
In a sense, I found myself a bit bored. But a great life well lived isn’t always full of action, adventure, and conflict. It was good for bedtime, and it didn’t keep me up worrying or stressed. I cared about what he was talking about and felt his feelings about it all.
Some ratings are very high. Others are quite low. Judge for yourself. It was interesting. And I am glad he is finding success in his life.
Grandma Gatewood’s Walk: The Inspiring Story of the Woman Who Saved the Appalachian Trail by Ben Montgomery
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Though Patrick Lawlor (Narrator) did a good job telling the story, I felt it would have been better with a female narrator. Still, it wasn’t about the narrator or the author. This book was dedicated to Grandma Gatewood, her life and times, and the many hikes she walked just because.
Regardless of the way the story is told, I felt inspired by Grandma Gatewood. Granted, I find a walk of a couple of miles more than enough. I think maybe because I have other things planned for the rest of the day. I wonder, if I told myself that this day is for walking if I would find it more enjoyable than trying to get back on time for this or that appointment. On the other hand, this is winter and the wind is horrid. And I might melt if it rained, excuses, excuses.
Anyway, I was lucky to find this on Libby You might like it too.
Enough by Cassidy Hutchinson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
This young woman has been through enough. Meanwhile, she has proven she is honorable and brave.
I can’t say I enjoyed this book. In fact, it was challenging to listen to. It isn’t fiction. And yet it pulled me like the best mystery or sci-fi adventure. Knowing it was true made me feel so afraid for Cassidy. I hope she can continue being strong and safe. I hope others learn how to stand up to the bullies with truth.
I highly recommend this read. I was lucky to read it on Libby.
My Planet: Finding Humor in the Oddest Places by Mary Roach
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
The world is far too serious. A person needs to step away and see the humor where they can. Here is a step in the right direction.
Have you read Mary Roach’s Stiff? If so, you will need no pushing to pick this up. Ms. Roach has the best sense of humor. This is a dangerous book if you are attempting to be quiet while your partner sleeps. I almost blew a gasket, trying to prevent the laugh-out-loud experience.
I wasn’t thrilled with narrator Angela Dawe’s voice, but I got used to it, and she had a handle on the reader or listener’s funny bones. Mary Roach just told stories about her life, or her take on life, and I can guarantee these situations you have lived through and had similar thoughts but maybe didn’t laugh as hard as the stories caused.
Though this was an Audible, I bet you could pick this up at the library. Give yourself a break for joy.
I Swear: Politics Is Messier Than My Minivan by Katie Porter
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
I don’t know how I heard of this book, but as often happens, I hear about it and go straight to Libby and put it on hold. I love the ability to get audio or Kindle versions of books even when I can’t afford to buy them. I do enjoy hearing the book read by the author, especially in the case of a memoir.
I must admit to feeling refreshed when Katie Porter shows up on a show. She pulls no punches and speaks honestly, not buying into the usual memes of either political party. As a young mom, being in any career seems challenging. Single mom, even harder. But she chose to try to make life better for others. It seems more accurate when you know what she has given up to be where she is.
The hardest part of this book was listening before going to sleep. Her raspy voice and the exciting topics she brought up made sleep hard to come by.
Even so, I highly recommend this book, especially in audio form.
The Light We Carry: Overcoming in Uncertain Times by Michelle Obama
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
This was what I needed during the time I was a new mom, or working and feeling inadequate, even as I was getting home from the ER and feeling feverish from newly diagnosed diverticulitis. Michelle’s gentle voice made me feel like my mother was sitting and holding my hand. Or I was in a very good counselor session. So much good advice for all of us when we are feeling ‘less than.’
Okay, I know that some will not hold with her political point of view. But this book isn’t about that. It is about feeling awkward and being uncool. In so many ways, she nailed the feeling I know I had as a kid or teen. But mostly how I felt as a new mother. Everyone else had it together. How was I supposed to be a parent to this little one? Everyone I knew did it better. I know it was just part of growing up and becoming a parent. But I remember that insecure feeling well. This book reached inside and hugged that young mother and childhood me.
I highly recommend especially women to read this. And if you get the chance to listen to the audio version, do it! Her voice was comforting while I was still feeling the fever.
Wildflower: A Memoir by Aurora James
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Wow, what a woman! I am very impressed with this young lady. For that, I want to make sure people read this book.
On the other hand, as an audiobook, I found Aurora’s reading got harder to take as the more excited she was about what had happened lately, the faster she read. Toward the end of the book, I could barely understand her. Here is the blurb that pulled me to the read. Maybe it reads better in book form or with Kindle text-to-speech.
Aurora James’s life is a great American “success story”—precisely because it looks so different from others we’ve seen. Born in Canada to a counterculture mother, James was raised to question everything—specifically the very institutions that have shaped so many of us. When James was seven, her mother married a man who would move them to Jamaica, where James would learn harsh lessons about control, power, abuse, and belonging. Eventually she would find her way back home to Toronto, where her blue-eyed and fair-haired grandmother welcomed her with unconditional love—and inadvertently showed her that racism is the water in which we are all submerged.
Scouted as a model in eighth grade, James struggled with body image and became disenchanted by the industry’s objectification of women and commodification of race and culture. After she dropped out of high school, a flirtation with street racing led to her eventual arrest. She’d hit rock bottom, but as a visionary and optimist, she allowed that experience to become one of many that reshaped her way of thinking about the world. A slew of fashion-related jobs led James to discover the real power in creating for the runway, and she started her own business in a flea market: a sustainable fashion line showcasing traditional African designs that would become an award-winning international brand. But none of this came from a drive to “succeed.” It came from a desire to forge a new creative path—and to lift others up alongside her.
Already a rising star in fashion and the first Black female designer to win a Council of Fashion Designers of America Award, James posted a revolutionary idea in the wake of George Floyd’s murder that connected economics to racial justice in a way that has forever changed the American economic landscape. With that Instagram post, she founded the Fifteen Percent Pledge, which challenges retailers to commit 15 percent of their shelf space and spending power to Black businesses and is one of the fastest-growing social justice nonprofits. To date, more than two dozen of the world’s most recognized retailers have taken the pledge, redirecting $10 billion in annual revenue to Black and BIPOC brands.
Empowering and full of heart, Wildflower is the riveting story of how Aurora James made an indelible mark the American economic system, and a rallying cry for those eager to make change.
Tell Me Everything: A Memoir by Minka Kelly
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
The name Mindy Kelly didn’t ring a bell. I still am not sure I have ever seen her in shows. But the book was recommended on one of the morning shows, and I thought I’d look it up. Luckily Libby had the audio version. Mindy reads her autobiography quite well.
Ms. Kelly’s life was nothing like my own. I felt awful for her for the things she had to survive as a child and teen. But I do appreciate her spirit to try to live properly and healthily. She is an inspiration in how she looks at life now, and her attitude seems to pay her well.
If you read this, keep the Kleenex handy, as the end parts are very touching. I highly recommend listening to this book. There is a lot of knowledge and power packed into her life and her story,
Congrats! You have completed your goal of reading 100 books for the 2013 Reading Challenge! 115 of 100 (115%)
Congrats! You have completed your goal of reading 225 books for the 2012 Reading Challenge! 225 of 225 (100%)
Congrats! You have completed your goal of reading 200 books for the 2011 Reading Challenge! 204 of 200 (102%)
“Log your journey to success.” “Where goals turn into progress.”
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