whatcha readin'? {goal 35::book 4}

This book made me cry.

So good but so awful
and so sad and so
heartbreaking.

also…this.
and this.

:(

5♥♥♥♥♥’s out of 5
NEXT UP:: KNOW MY NAME - CHANEL MILLER

whatcha readin'? {goal 35 :: book 3}

I frigging loved this book.

Clever and funny
and interesting and
thoughtful…
the characters were quirky,
the plot was tricky,
the writing was
at times deep and made me stop & think
and then laugh out loud
in the next paragraph.

Read this one.

5♥♥♥♥♥’s out of 5
NEXT UP:: THE HOME FOR UNWANTED GIRLS- JOANNA GOODMAN

whatcha readin'? {goal 35 :: book 2}

It took me a little while to finish this
but I did enjoy reading it.
It was interesting to learn
about how she grew up,
how they met,
and reinforced my convictions
that I could never be involved in politics.

I can’t imagine how hard that must be…
that suddenly
your life is no longer your life…
dissected, examined, speculated, judged…
and not even always for
things that should be anyone’s business
or that the judgements/opinions being made
may not have anything to do with decisions
or choices being made,
but rather just a game of strategy and hidden agendas.

I couldn’t do it.

Definitely a good read though…

5♥♥♥♥♥’s out of 5
NEXT UP:: ANXIOUS PEOPLE - FREDRIK BACKMAN

whatcha readin'? {goal 35 :: book 1}

I had no expectations for this book.
I knew nothing about it.
Someone had passed it along to me
and so I gave it a try.

And it was so good.

It is a memoir…it is real
and gritting and
full of emotion
and a-ha moments.

I had a little a-ha moment of my own.
I am very, very bad at
being able to stay mad at anyone.
I just can’t.
And it’s not even that I can’t
stay
mad…but I have a hard time
even getting mad.

I can be rant-y or annoyed,
aggravated, irritated, sour,
cranky, snarky with a person
but I really struggle with actual anger.
I have lost my temper before
but not many times, by my count…
not REALLY lost my temper.

Usually, if someone really makes me mad
I just disappear. I withdraw. Retreat.
Until the bad feelings pass…
which they pretty much always do.

But in the book, the author learns
that she can’t be intimate
until she learns to express anger.

And immediately,
my brain was like “are you listening?
did you hear that? pay attention!”

So anyway,
I haven’t really decided what,
if anything,
to do with that lightbulb moment so…
yeah….this was a really great book. :)

Off to a good start for
whatcha readin’? 2022 edition!

5 ♥♥♥♥♥ out of 5
NEXT UP:: BECOMING - MICHELLE OBAMA

Final roundup - Books - 2021

The truth is
I didn’t hit my goal of 35 books
this year but I still read
more than I did
the year before (31)
so I am ok with that.

Here is a list of the last stragglers…

• Their Perfect Match - Debbie Macomber
  Honestly, this was painful. Not really my kind of thing.
  ♥ out of 5

• Hillbilly Elegy - JD Vance
  This was a bit of a tough, long read but worth it.
  ♥♥♥ out of 5

• Feeding My Mother - Jann Arden
  I had really, really been looking
  forward to this one and it did not
  disappoint. Her writing is beautiful
  and poignant and full of realness.
  Made laugh and cry…
  sometimes,
  at the same time.
  ♥♥♥♥♥ out of 5

• The Midnight Library - Matt Haig
  I loved this one. Big love.
  ♥♥♥♥♥ out of 5

• If I Knew Then - Jann Arden
  Another one that I was very excited about….
  I am at that point where I am aware of my age
  and the changes and perceptions,
  both mine and from other people
  and society as a whole,
  so I really enjoyed this.
  It made me think.
  ♥♥♥♥ out of 5

• The Last Thing He Told Me - Laura Davis
  A good way to catch my attention is
  definitely to lead with an ee cummings poem..
  I love, love, loved this book.
  Worth the hype
  ♥♥♥♥♥ out of 5

• Didn’t See That Coming - Rachel Hollis
  I don’t “love” Rachel Hollis but
  it was a book about dealing
  with the end of things you might not
  have seen ending
  and yeah…
  I can relate.
  ♥♥♥♥ out of 5

• The Four Winds - Kristen Hannah
  I love Kristen Hannah….
  I love everything by her…I find her
  writing draws me in, makes me want to stay.
  I can’t lie. I didn’t want to stay in this book…
  I loved the writing but I was
  exhausted and wrung out dry
  by the time I was reading it…
  so sad, so bleak, so desolate,
  at times so hopeless…
  but given the subject, that was unavoidable.
  Definitely worth reading but
  not a light beach read.
  ♥♥♥♥ out of 5

And that takes me to 33 books for 2021!

I am going to keep my goal for 2022 at 35
since I didn’t quite hit it this year.

Happy reading!! :)

(captain’s log::day six of temporary restrictions complete)