Me Talk Pretty One Day by David SedarisMy rating: 2 of 5 stars
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Monday, May 5, 2025
Saturday, April 19, 2025
Monday, March 31, 2025
Sunday, March 30, 2025
Review: Little Earthquakes
Little Earthquakes by Jennifer WeinerMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
I've never read Jennifer Weiner before, and now I want to read all of her backlist. I love women's stories and she crafted something here that most mothers could connect to in some way. This was a great exploration of new motherhood. I appreciated that she tried to include some diverse voices and featured different types of mothers. I also loved the friendships that developed between the women. This has been on my bookshelf for years and I wasn't that excited to read it, but I'm so glad I finally did! And I found a new author to be excited about! :)
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Sunday, March 23, 2025
Monday, March 3, 2025
Sunday, March 2, 2025
Tuesday, February 25, 2025
Review: Every Falling Star: The True Story of How I Survived and Escaped North Korea
Every Falling Star: The True Story of How I Survived and Escaped North Korea by Sungju LeeMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
Very depressing but well written. I have not read anything about North Korea before, but I have heard about how awful it is, of course. It was enlightening, but a tough read, especially when the world feels so depressing right now anyway. It’s definitely an important read though!
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Review: Rez Ball
Rez Ball by Byron GravesMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
I think this book deserves four stars, although to be honest, my personal enjoyment was probably closer to three stars. I think this is an interesting, important book and I think it is a very good one to recommend to my basketball-loving students. I personally don't care about basketball so I didn't love those parts, which is a large portion of the book. However, I loved the explorations of racism, grief, and friendship in this book. It is an excellent one for my students!
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Monday, February 17, 2025
Thursday, February 6, 2025
Sunday, February 2, 2025
Tuesday, January 14, 2025
Review: The Sapling Cage
The Sapling Cage by Margaret KilljoyMy rating: 3 of 5 stars
Not bad, but also not a new favorite. I think that because I am not in this demographic any more, I don’t enjoy YA fantasies the same way I used to. That said, I did really enjoy hearing from Laurel’s experience as a trans witch, and thought her character was interesting. I just didn’t care that much about the rest of it.
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Friday, January 10, 2025
Wednesday, January 8, 2025
Review: Fourteen Talks by Age Fourteen: The Essential Conversations You Need to Have with Your Kids Before They Start High School
Thursday, January 2, 2025
Biggest Disappointments of the Year
I loved many of the books I read this year, but I also had some big disappointments. Not all the books on this list are books I truly disliked, but some I expected to really love and they ended up being just okay (hence one of my "biggest disappointments"). Here are some that I didn't like or was disappointed by for one reason or another:
The Paris Apartment by Lucy Foley - I've liked other Lucy Foley books, but I just couldn't get into this one. The last quarter was decent, but it took me too long to get into it.
Atomic Habits by James Clear - This one wasn't necessarily bad, just very basic. It's rated highly and some of the booktubers I follow recommended it, so I was excited about it and was hoping it would be helpful, but I was disappointed. I thought I could have gotten the same thing if I'd just read the chapter summaries at the end of each chapter. It was fine, but I didn't get anything out of it. I'm happy for anyone it did help though!
My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante - This is another that I'm so glad some people love, but I didn't. I usually like complicated friendships, but these two didn't seem like actual friends. I also had some trouble keeping track of all the characters, possibly because of the audiobook. Someone could change my mind, but I'm done with this author for now.
Eats Shoots and Leaves by Lynne Truss - I've been looking forward to reading this for years. I'm an English teacher and librarian, and it seemed like something that would be fun and right up my alley. Unfortunately, I felt simultaneously bored and stressed while reading this. The tone was pretty condescending and pretentious. It also made me anxious about school for some reason, which isn't how I want to feel while reading.
The Lost Story by Meg Shaffer - This wasn't bad, but I was disappointed because my expectations were too high. I gave Meg Shaffer's last book (The Wishing Game) five stars and since this one was supposed to be inspired by Narnia (a favorite series of mine), I thought this one would be just as good or better. However, I didn't like the relationships between the characters for some reason, and those were at the heart of the story. I should have loved this, but something about it didn't quite work for me.
In Five Years by Rebecca Serle - Okay, so this is a weird one because I loved the writing style, but some of the content drove me crazy. I don't want to give anything away here, but my review was pretty spoiler-filled. If you want to see what I didn't like about it, you can read my review here. I will read more by this author though because I do like how she writes. I just need a whole new story.
There were a few that I just gave up on for one reason or another as well:
The Bone Season by Samantha Shannon - I struggled to get into this one for some reason. I might try again at some point, but I'm not sure. I think something about her writing might not work for me, but she is so beloved that I'm not sure about giving it up for good.
Abandon by Meg Cabot - I probably would have loved this as a teenage (Hades and Persephane - should be my thing!!), but it was another that I couldn't connect with. I gave up after about 20%.
The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store by James McBride - I'm going to assume that this one actually is good and that I jsut wasn't in the mood for it because everyone I know who has read it has loved it. I don't know what my problem was, but I gave it up at about 50%. I may or may not try it again in the future.
There you have it! I genuinely hope those of you who read these enjoyed them more than I did! I don't think this list is too bad though as I read more than 100 books this year. Honestly, only one or two of them I entirely disliked, but I can see redeeming qualities even in those. Life is too short to read books you don't enjoy though, so I'm glad there are only nine on this list. Hopefully 2025 will have even fewer!
Wednesday, January 1, 2025
A Year in Review
I haven't really posted on here, except accidentally when I click the "share to blog" link on Goodreads. I forgot I even had a blog! However, I just decided that maybe I'd like to try posting occasionally. As a full time teacher/librarian and mother of three, I'm not sure how realistic it is to be honest. I love reading and talking about books with people, but the chaos of life is often overwhelming. Still, I thought I'd try and see how it goes! If I practice for a while here and stick with it, maybe I'll actually share this at some point.I read 106 books this year. I read a combination of audiobooks, physical books, ebooks. I'll start by highlighting some of my favorite reads this year in no particular order:The Measure by Nikki Erlick - This one has a fascinating premise and held my interest the whole time. It was emotional, fast-paced, and has stuck with me. It led to some really interesting conversations with my husband and family. It's a great one for a book club, or for anyone who just wants a thought-provoking read!Decluttering at the Speed of Life by Dana K. White - I went on a decluttering binge in February, and this one was actually somewhat life-changing. I am still working on it, but White's suggestions about how to declutter and live under your "clutter threshold" have really helped my home be more manageable. I also appreciated her book "How to Manage Your Home Without Losing Your Mind." My house is very much still a work in progress, but this has helped more than I can express.Lost in the Moment and Found by Seanan McGuire - I just love this series of novellas! Some have been better than others, but this was a really good one. I wouldn't recommend starting with this one though (as it is book eight). Start with Every Heart a Doorway and if you like it, there is a whole series of novellas you might love too!The Wishing Game by Meg Shaffer - This one was so nostalgic for me. It wasn't perfect - It has some major plot conveniences that were, at the very least, noticeable and may be annoying to some people. However, overall I thought it was great. It was exactly the kind of book I love and gave me the nostalgia I feel for Harry Potter, Narnia, or His Dark Materials. There is no magic in this but it felt magical. IT was clearly inspired by Charlie and the Colcate Factory (but with and for adults). That said, I was disappointed when I read her second book that came out this year (The Lost Story) because it wasn't anywhere near as good as this one. Hopefully I'll like her next book better, but I thoroughly enjoyed my time with this one!This Tender Land by William Kent Krueger - My mom lent this one to me and either because of the title or the premise, it just didn't seem like something I'd like. However, I'm glad to say I was wrong. This was SO well-written and interesting! The author said he envisioned it as a sort of update on Huckleberry Finn and I could see that. It also reminded me sort of of Oh Brother, Where Art Thou and The Odyssey. Honestly, most of those things wouldn't have really intrigued me, but this book was so much better than I expected and I really got into it. I really liked the main character and the family he created. The problems and characters were complex and compelling. I definitely want to read more from this author. It was an unexpected surprise!Tress of the Emerald Sea by Brandon Sanderson - Another magical book that is exactly the kind of thing I like. I highly recommend it if you like whimsy and The Princess Bride.A Psalm for the Wild-Built by Becky Chambers - A lovely book where not much happens, but it feels like a warm cup of tea. The premise might sound weird, but trust me, it was calming and thought-provoking. The second one was also wonderful. I haven't read more by Becky Chambers yet, but it is high on my list for 2025!Just for the Summer by Abby Jimenez - This is definitely on the best romances I've ever read. I don’t know that it is truly a romance because there is so much more depth to it and romance is not the only focus. It explores difficult relationships with family members with care and authenticity. I actually cried at one point because there was a pretty heartbreaking scene, but there were plenty of laughs too. Abby Jimenez has quickly become of my favorite authors (although I have to read more of her backlist)!Marmee by Sarah Miller - Little Women is one of my favorite books so while I was excited to try this, I was also slightly skeptical. Sometimes retellings are not very well done. However, I am happy to say that that is not the case with this retelling from Marmee’s perspective. I don’t know if I would’ve appreciated it in my younger years, but now as a mother of three, perhaps Marmee is the one I can most relate to. The author retails the story from Marmee’s perspective, and it is believable, charming, and adds layers to her character that were not explored in the original. It was perfectly executed, and if you are a fan of Little Women, I highly recommend it!
Review: Marmee
Marmee by Sarah MillerMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
Maybe 4.5 stars. Little Women is one of my favorite books so while I was excited to try this, I was also slightly skeptical. Sometimes retellings are not very well done. However, I am happy to say that that is not the case with this retelling from Marmee’s perspective. I don’t know if I would’ve appreciated it in my younger years, but now as a mother of three, perhaps Marmee is the one I can most relate to. The author retails the story from Marmee’s perspective, and it is believable, charming, and adds layers to her character that were not explored in the original. It was perfectly executed, and if you are a fan of Little Women, I highly recommend it!
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