whatcha readin'? {book 18::goal 25}

This book.

Wow.

The true story of a Canadian woman
held captive for 15 months in Somalia.

It was heartbreaking and terrifying.
I burned through this book pretty quick.

I definitely recommend.
I’ll be watching for the movie…

5 out of 5♥♥♥♥♥s
NEXT UP:: WEB OF ANGELS - LILLIAN NATTEL

whatcha readin'? 2019 {book 16::goal 25}

I don’t even know where or how I heard of this book…
but I am sooooo glad that I did.

I loved this book.
The intricate threads tying each person together
in ways I didn’t expect,
the backstory,
the reasoning behind the reasons…

But Kate & Peter’s story…well….
Kate’s story…
the creeping realization, the gradual descent into…
the delayed reactions and then the subsequent
futile motions of trying to figure out where it all
went wrong, of how to fix it, to apply rational logic
to something that defies logic & is completely
out of your control…
well.

That made me cry.

Because I saw myself in that.
I saw me.
As clear and as sharp as looking in a mirror.
I saw me.

So my opinion on this book may be a little biased
because of that….I suspect you are either drawn to
or run away screaming from
what you recognize in yourself….depending on the day.

On this day, it felt good to be understood,
if only by a fictional character in a book with a name
I can never seem to remember.

Also, I wrote this note after reading it:

“The only secret to love is to be kind” found in the acknowledgements.
♥

5 out of 5 broken ♥♥♥♥♥
NEXT UP:: THE GREAT ALONE - KRISTIN HANNAH

whatcha readin'? 2019 {book 11::goal 25}

I really didn’t know a lot about this book
when I picked it up.
It had gotten a lot of attention on blogs
and websites so I thought I would give it a shot….
I don’t want to say that I enjoyed this book
because that feels wrong…
it didn’t feel like a book that you were meant to enjoy…
it seems more like something
that should anger you, surprise you, make you think,
make you want to change things,
make you grateful for the things that you take for granted
in your own life…
and, in that sense, it was very effective.

It is unfortunate that a book like this has to be written
and it’s equally unfortunate that there are so many
real life examples of exactly the type of scenario
that happens in this story.

4 ♥’s out of 5 ♥’s
NEXT UP: THE TATTOOIST OF AUSCHWITZ - HEATHER MORRIS

whatcha readin' 2019 {book 3::goal 25}

I just realized I have never actually read
Still Alice…
I had only seen the movie.

But now that I have read Every Note Played,
I think I would like to read Still Alice as well.

I was a little prepared for this book,
but still,
totally not prepared for this book.

I mean, I knew what it was about
but, I really wasn’t that familiar with ALS
and what it does to a person.

What a heartbreaking, terrifying disease.

And she writes about it in a way
that makes you really understand
the scope of its entirety,
of its paralyzing progression…
I felt constricted and panicky just reading about it,
I cannot imagine what
it must be like to be living with it
or watching a loved one deal with it.

That said, it was a beautifully written book
and well worth the read….
just, keep some kleenex handy.

5 ♥’s out of 5 ♥’s
NEXT UP: THE GREAT SPRING - NATALIE GOLDBERG

whatcha readin'? {book 27::goal 24}

i loved this book.

i don’t really know what else
i can say
except…
i loved it (with great enthusiasm).

she is funny and sad,
cautious and bold…

definitely worth your time.
it’ll make you laugh
(but, not gonna lie, it might make you cry, too….)

5 out of 5 ♥♥♥♥♥'s

NEXT UP:  EDUCATED - TARA WESTOVER