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mrs_a_is_a_book_nerd's reviews
456 reviews
The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead
3.0
This was an interesting, challenging read. Some beautiful, poignant passages; some very painful scenes. Cora has a bit of a hero's journey on her quest for freedom. Ending was not what I liked/wanted, but it made sense. Add to your list of books that enlighten you to the lives of African Americans.
The Names They Gave Us by Emery Lord
5.0
This book though. This book WRECKED me, but in such a good way...
It's the summer before her senior year, and Lucy is facing a world turned upside down: her mom's breast cancer is back, seriously testing Lucy's faith in God--she's flat out "pissed" at him, which also means she's questioning her own worth. This is not helped by her upright boyfriend Lukas, who thinks they should "pause" their two-year relationship in light of the uncharacteristic behaviors he has seen in her, only to be sure they are right for each other--that she is right for him. Ashamed--and terrified of losing the mom who is also her best friend-- Lucy can't reach out to her pastor father or her sick mother, so she keeps it all hidden under an upbeat, "I'm fine" disguise. Then, her mom comes to her with an unthinkable request: instead of living with her parents and being a camp counselor for the summer at the family's Bible camp, her mom wants her to work at Daybreak, a secular summer camp for grieving and troubled kids. Desperate not to be separated from her mom when she's ill, but unable to deny her mother's wish, Lucy agrees, a decision that will change her life in ways she could never imagine.
At Daybreak, Lucy learns about the gift of friendship, gains perspective on loss and grief, discovers new facets of love, begins to cross the bridge to adulthood,and andies to reconcile her faith with an imperfect, painful, and messy thing called life.
This book was beautifully written. While the theme of faith and religion is woven throughout, I would not necessarily call it a work of "Christian" fiction. There is so, so much more to it.
I read until 1am through tears to finish it, and then cried for another 10 minutes afterward, not just because of the plot, but because Emery Lord gets so many things right in it.
Raw, real, and breathtaking, I am making long lists in my head of people whose hands I need to put this book into.
It's the summer before her senior year, and Lucy is facing a world turned upside down: her mom's breast cancer is back, seriously testing Lucy's faith in God--she's flat out "pissed" at him, which also means she's questioning her own worth. This is not helped by her upright boyfriend Lukas, who thinks they should "pause" their two-year relationship in light of the uncharacteristic behaviors he has seen in her, only to be sure they are right for each other--that she is right for him. Ashamed--and terrified of losing the mom who is also her best friend-- Lucy can't reach out to her pastor father or her sick mother, so she keeps it all hidden under an upbeat, "I'm fine" disguise. Then, her mom comes to her with an unthinkable request: instead of living with her parents and being a camp counselor for the summer at the family's Bible camp, her mom wants her to work at Daybreak, a secular summer camp for grieving and troubled kids. Desperate not to be separated from her mom when she's ill, but unable to deny her mother's wish, Lucy agrees, a decision that will change her life in ways she could never imagine.
At Daybreak, Lucy learns about the gift of friendship, gains perspective on loss and grief, discovers new facets of love, begins to cross the bridge to adulthood,and andies to reconcile her faith with an imperfect, painful, and messy thing called life.
This book was beautifully written. While the theme of faith and religion is woven throughout, I would not necessarily call it a work of "Christian" fiction. There is so, so much more to it.
I read until 1am through tears to finish it, and then cried for another 10 minutes afterward, not just because of the plot, but because Emery Lord gets so many things right in it.
Raw, real, and breathtaking, I am making long lists in my head of people whose hands I need to put this book into.
Speak: The Graphic Novel by Laurie Halse Anderson
4.0
I had not yet read Halse's original novel, though it has been on my TBR list for a while. Perusing our library's graphic novel collection, I stumbled upon this edition and picked it up. I devoured the book in two days. Melinda felt like a real person, her observations about high school culture satirically accurate. I appreciated the subtle references to other works of literature and authors, the archetypal teacher and peer charicatures.
The story is heartbreaking and compelling; the artist's rendition is beautifully done. I am not generally engaged with graphic novels, but this one was different, and definitely made me rethink my reticence to read them.
The story is heartbreaking and compelling; the artist's rendition is beautifully done. I am not generally engaged with graphic novels, but this one was different, and definitely made me rethink my reticence to read them.
The Alice Network by Kate Quinn
4.0
The Alice Network has something for everyone! Like a good mystery? It's got it. Espionage in wartime? Yep! Romance? Umm, yes! Historical fiction? In spades. Human interest? Loads. A villain who deserves his comeuppance? For sure!
I won this book in a giveaway on Goodreads that I entered after reading the description. This is my honest opinion. It did not disappoint.
Told on parallel timelines, Charlie St Claire wants to find her French cousin, Rose, missing since the end of WWII. Her one clue leads her to Eve, a former spy in the Alice Network, a group of women who collected intel about German plans and relayed it back to England during WWI. But Eve paid a toll for her service, and 1947 finds her a bit shy of stable. Still, at the promise of payment and the mention of something that brings Eve's past rushing back, she agrees to help Charlie. The two women and Eve's personal caretaker, Finn, take off in search of Rose, and much more. As their journey unfolds, so does the story of Eve's service as a spy, and the man who made sure it cost her almost everything.
Full of twists and heartbreaking turns, vivid descriptive detail, and the perfect narrative pace, the story in each timeframe unravels a thread that ties it to the next piece, right up to the book's satisfying end.
I won this book in a giveaway on Goodreads that I entered after reading the description. This is my honest opinion. It did not disappoint.
Told on parallel timelines, Charlie St Claire wants to find her French cousin, Rose, missing since the end of WWII. Her one clue leads her to Eve, a former spy in the Alice Network, a group of women who collected intel about German plans and relayed it back to England during WWI. But Eve paid a toll for her service, and 1947 finds her a bit shy of stable. Still, at the promise of payment and the mention of something that brings Eve's past rushing back, she agrees to help Charlie. The two women and Eve's personal caretaker, Finn, take off in search of Rose, and much more. As their journey unfolds, so does the story of Eve's service as a spy, and the man who made sure it cost her almost everything.
Full of twists and heartbreaking turns, vivid descriptive detail, and the perfect narrative pace, the story in each timeframe unravels a thread that ties it to the next piece, right up to the book's satisfying end.
This Way Home by Wes Moore, Shawn Goodman
3.0
This Way Home was a decent read. It had interesting characters and enough plot twists to keep me reading. One of our "non-reader" students (sophomore boy) told me I HAD to read it...so I did. I understood why he liked it.
The 57 Bus: A True Story of Two Teenagers and the Crime That Changed Their Lives by Dashka Slater
4.0
This was a thought-provoking, interesting read, both from the perspective of non-binary individuals and from the perspective of inner-city/poverty issues in the justice system. The author does a great job portraying all parties as human, without sanctifying or villifying anyone.
Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson
3.0
Three and a half--maybe three quarters. Definitely, verse is an interesting way to read a memoir. Love the idea of using it as a mentor text for snapshot autobiography. Some places in the verse are so lyrical and beautiful, I gasped. Woodson has lived an interesting, varied life in an interesting time period, and this work showcases the people and moments beautifully.
The Serpent King by Jeff Zentner
3.0
Really, more like 3.75. I have mixed feelings about this book, centered on three seniors--all "outcasts"--Lydia, Dill, and Travis.
Lydia writes a successful blog featuring alternative fashion and ideas that has gained her national notoriety and fame, but the scorn and derision of the "mainstream" student body at her small town Tennessee high school. Dill is the town pariah, son of a snake-handling preacher who is serving a prison sentence for having child porn on his computer. The townsfolk ostracize him, either for his family name and the legacy it suggests for him, or because he could have lied in court to protect his father, but didn't, thus depriving the church of its pastor and forcing its parishioners to travel long distances to worship. Dill keeps his head down and works hard to help his mom with the debt his father left them, even though she too blames Dill for their circumstances. Finally, Travis is a fantasy-novel-loving, quirky kid who takes shop classes and works at his father's lumber mill. He spends his nights in chat rooms, discussing his favorite fantasy novel series with other fans, and keeping a low profile around his father, an alcoholic who's none too happy with Travis being less than similar to his all-American football star older brother who died in service in Afghanistan.
Told in alternating narration, the characters' stories are compelling and their voices authentic. There are moments of sharp wit, deep feeling, and stark tragedy. Each character is finding his/her way toward a future after high school, whether it be one that holds promise of a bigger world, or a lifetime sentence of more-of-the-same. I loved how real and authentic these characters were; as a high school teacher, I could imagine students I've known who were similar to each of them. Their friendship, and the strength of their bond against the masses who tormented them regularly, was endearing, funny, and moving.
The reason I can't quite bring myself to rate the book higher was its somewhat sappy detour focusing on a romance between two of the characters near the book's end. It wasn't that it was implausible. I just felt like it was a little too cliche.
In all, I would still recommend the book; however, I was really hoping for a read to hand to some of my reluctant boy readers--which it was for 2/3 of the book--but in the end, the romance drove too much of the plot for me to imagine it would hold them until the end.
Lydia writes a successful blog featuring alternative fashion and ideas that has gained her national notoriety and fame, but the scorn and derision of the "mainstream" student body at her small town Tennessee high school. Dill is the town pariah, son of a snake-handling preacher who is serving a prison sentence for having child porn on his computer. The townsfolk ostracize him, either for his family name and the legacy it suggests for him, or because he could have lied in court to protect his father, but didn't, thus depriving the church of its pastor and forcing its parishioners to travel long distances to worship. Dill keeps his head down and works hard to help his mom with the debt his father left them, even though she too blames Dill for their circumstances. Finally, Travis is a fantasy-novel-loving, quirky kid who takes shop classes and works at his father's lumber mill. He spends his nights in chat rooms, discussing his favorite fantasy novel series with other fans, and keeping a low profile around his father, an alcoholic who's none too happy with Travis being less than similar to his all-American football star older brother who died in service in Afghanistan.
Told in alternating narration, the characters' stories are compelling and their voices authentic. There are moments of sharp wit, deep feeling, and stark tragedy. Each character is finding his/her way toward a future after high school, whether it be one that holds promise of a bigger world, or a lifetime sentence of more-of-the-same. I loved how real and authentic these characters were; as a high school teacher, I could imagine students I've known who were similar to each of them. Their friendship, and the strength of their bond against the masses who tormented them regularly, was endearing, funny, and moving.
The reason I can't quite bring myself to rate the book higher was its somewhat sappy detour focusing on a romance between two of the characters near the book's end. It wasn't that it was implausible. I just felt like it was a little too cliche.
In all, I would still recommend the book; however, I was really hoping for a read to hand to some of my reluctant boy readers--which it was for 2/3 of the book--but in the end, the romance drove too much of the plot for me to imagine it would hold them until the end.
The Interrogation of Gabriel James by Charlie Price
3.0
This book had some interesting twists, but ultimately, it fell a little short for me. As I read, I was intrigued enough that I wanted to read more, but in the end, I was just "meh."
The story is based on Price's work in psych hospitals and alternative schools, and specifically on a case he heard of in that work. He wove into it issues he saw with racism against native Americans, homeless individuals living with mental illness, and research on cross country running.
The story is told in alternating segments, moving from two police officers questioning Gabriel following a double homicide Gabriel witnessed, and Gabriel's memories of events leading up to the event, recalled in flashbacks prompted by the officers' questions.
The deaths were the culmination of several events and stories Gabriel knew about as independent issues. It was only at the very end that Gabriel pieced together the connections between what he had thought were separated events, and the reader is brought along to try to piece things together as Gabriel narrates his memories.
The story is based on Price's work in psych hospitals and alternative schools, and specifically on a case he heard of in that work. He wove into it issues he saw with racism against native Americans, homeless individuals living with mental illness, and research on cross country running.
The story is told in alternating segments, moving from two police officers questioning Gabriel following a double homicide Gabriel witnessed, and Gabriel's memories of events leading up to the event, recalled in flashbacks prompted by the officers' questions.
The deaths were the culmination of several events and stories Gabriel knew about as independent issues. It was only at the very end that Gabriel pieced together the connections between what he had thought were separated events, and the reader is brought along to try to piece things together as Gabriel narrates his memories.