The Tenth Mistake of Hank Hooperman

I saw The Tenth Mistake of Hank Hooperman by Gennifer Choldenko recommended somewhere online, and it looked like the type of book I would enjoy. The book description says, "When eleven-year-old Hank’s mom doesn’t come home, he takes care of his toddler sister, Boo, like he always does. But it’s been a week now. They are out of food and mom has never stayed away this long… Hank knows he needs help, so he and Boo seek out the stranger listed as their emergency contact. But asking for help has consequences. It means social workers, and a new school, and having to answer questions about his mom that he's been trying to keep secret. And if they can't find his mom soon, Hank and Boo may end up in different foster homes--he could lose everything."

This was a great read. I was super engaged in the story and got through the book quickly because I wanted to keep reading. I loved Hank as a character and was really rooting for him. I also liked Ray and felt like Lou Ann was a believable character even though I didn't always like how she treated Hank. Overall this was a great read and one I'd recommend for others who enjoy realistic fiction books like this. There were a few things I liked less about the book-- 1) The book was super formulaic for a foster kid book. Like I have read similar books with a lot of the same plot twists and things that happen. So it felt a little bit same ol' to me. 2) I was kinda irked by the character Ana, the girl he likes, because she had a couple instances where she lied or seemed to be on the verge of being a troublemaker, and I didn't like that since Hank really needed some solid, good friends that weren't going to get him in trouble. I wish her character was written a little differently. So I'm making this book a "liked it," but it was super close to a loved it. It got me teary-eyed and was an enjoyable read.

Rating: * * (2/3 = Liked it)

Just Mercy

In my book club group chat this month, someone recommended everyone share some of their top reads from the year. One person recommended Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson, and then several other people commented how much they loved the book and called it things like transformative, important, wrenching, amazing, etc. I was like, wow, I've got to read this, so I got it on audiobook. The book description says, "Bryan Stevenson was a young lawyer when he founded the Equal Justice Initiative, a legal practice dedicated to defending those most desperate and in need: the poor, the wrongly condemned, and women and children trapped in the farthest reaches of our criminal justice system. One of his first cases was that of Walter McMillian, a young man who was sentenced to die for a notorious murder he insisted he didn’t commit. The case drew Bryan into a tangle of conspiracy, political machination, and legal brinksmanship—and transformed his understanding of mercy and justice forever. Just Mercy is at once an unforgettable account of an idealistic, gifted young lawyer’s coming of age, a moving window into the lives of those he has defended, and an inspiring argument for compassion in the pursuit of true justice."

This book was SO GOOD. I was completely engaged throughout and always anxious to read more. The stories were just heavy and haunting, and I was so inspired by Bryan's dedication to help people in desperate need. The book really impacted my perspective on lots of things (like children being tried as adults and the death penalty), and I came away from this book being so grateful for all it opened my eyes to. This was an excellent read.

Rating: * * * (3/3 = Loved it)

Persuasion

I read Persuasion by Jane Austen for my book club. The book description says, "At twenty-­seven, Anne Elliot is no longer young and has few romantic prospects. Eight years earlier, she had been persuaded by her friend Lady Russell to break off her engagement to Frederick Wentworth, a handsome naval captain with neither fortune nor rank. What happens when they encounter each other again is movingly told in Jane Austen's last completed novel."

I am not really a fan of this type of book, and I will admit it was a challenge to push myself through this one. I don't really get the disparity of how some people love Jane Austen book so, so much and yet to me, her books are pretty boring and hard to follow. Clearly I'm missing the boat but alas. I think I just don't read books like this enough for me to follow the content easily, so I kept having to refer to cliff notes to make sure I wasn't missing something. At book club, we did get to discuss some of the funny characters (like Anne's sister Mary) and the things in the book that tie into our world today. But overall, not really my kind of book.

Rating: * (1/3 = It was okay)