The Burning Season

I saw The Burning Season by Caroline Starr Rose on a list of potential Newbery contenders and so got it from the library. The book description says, "Twelve-year-old Opal has a secret: she’s deathly afraid of fire. Still Opal is preparing to become a fourth-generation lookout on Wolf Mountain, deep in the New Mexico wilderness. She, Mom, and Gran live at ten thousand feet in a single room at the top of a fire tower. They are responsible for spotting any hint of smoke before it becomes an uncontrollable blaze. Instead of training for the lonely life of a lookout, Opal wishes she could be starting seventh grade in Silver City, attending real classes with kids her own age and even going to afterschool clubs like FFA. But Wolf Mountain has other ideas. When Mom makes the long trek to town for supplies and Gran goes missing, Opal is the only one to spot a tell-tale spiral of smoke moving up the mountainside. She’ll have to be braver than she’s ever been as she heads into the woods, beyond Wolf Ridge’s old blackened burn scar, to face down a fire on her own. But when a fire is what took her father away, and Opal herself knows the sting of smoke and lick of flames, how can she be brave enough when it really counts?"

This was a good read. The story kept me interested, and I liked Opal as a character. I thought it was fun to see her draw connections and inspiration from Hatchet and Brian's Winter, books I enjoyed as a kid as well (but I didn't live out in nature like she does!). It was a really unique story premise, which I enjoyed. I thought the verse format wasn't as good as some books in verse, and I'm not sure why. It just gave a bit more of a choppier vibe, but I know the author is a capable verse writer since I liked her book May B as well. I liked how the book came together in the end, which made me like it a little more (originally this was maybe more of an "it was okay" book).

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

The Snow Child

I read The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey for book club. The book description says, "Alaska, 1920: a brutal place to homestead, and especially tough for recent arrivals Jack and Mabel. Childless, they are drifting apart—he breaking under the weight of the work of the farm; she crumbling from loneliness and despair. In a moment of levity during the season's first snowfall, they build a child out of snow. The next morning the snow child is gone—but they glimpse a young, blonde-haired girl running through the trees. This little girl, who calls herself Faina, seems to be a child of the woods. She hunts with a red fox at her side, skims lightly across the snow, and somehow survives alone in the Alaskan wilderness. As Jack and Mabel struggle to understand this child who could have stepped from the pages of a fairy tale, they come to love her as their own daughter. But in this beautiful, violent place things are rarely as they appear, and what they eventually learn about Faina will transform all of them."

This book was so good! It took me awhile to start reading, but once I did, I was hooked and anxious to keep reading and see how the book would conclude. The writing was beautiful, and I loved the realness of the characters. I felt the pain of Jack and Mabel, loved Esther and her confidence and decisiveness, and was enchanted by Faina. I wasn't sure if I was going to be happy with the end of the book, but somehow the author made it beautiful even when things weren't all good. It was a great January read, especially since we had book club the day before a big snowstorm hits. :) The book lended itself to some great book club discussion. I'm really glad I read this one.

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

Good Inside

I saw Good Inside: A Guide to Becoming the Parent You Want to Be recommended somewhere and so got it on audiobook from the library. The book description says, "Over the past several years, Dr. Becky Kennedy—known to her followers as 'Dr. Becky'—has been sparking a parenting revolution. Millions of parents, tired of following advice that either doesn’t work or simply doesn’t feel good, have embraced Dr. Becky’s empowering and effective approach, a model that prioritizes connecting with our kids over correcting them. Parents have long been sold a model of childrearing that simply doesn’t work. From reward charts to time outs, many popular parenting approaches are based on shaping behavior, not raising humans. These techniques don’t build the skills kids need for life, or account for their complex emotional needs. Add to that parents’ complicated relationships with their own upbringings, and it’s easy to see why so many caretakers feel lost, burned out, and worried they’re failing their kids. In Good Inside, Dr. Becky shares her parenting philosophy, complete with actionable strategies, that will help parents move from uncertainty and self-blame to confidence and sturdy leadership. Offering perspective-shifting parenting principles and troubleshooting for specific scenarios—including sibling rivalry, separation anxiety, tantrums, and more—Good Inside is a comprehensive resource for a generation of parents looking for a new way to raise their kids while still setting them up for a lifetime of self-regulation, confidence, and resilience."

This was a great read. I found the book had lots of practical ideas and a good perspective on parenting. I feel like there were many parts that helped me see things differently in how my kids behave and how I parent. I feel like this is one of those books I may have to read again (nonaudiobook next time) to really pin down all the parts that stuck out to me, but for now, I hope lots of the ideas have just seeped in to my mind and will help me be a better mom. :) I wasn't always 100% engaged, so it took me awhile to get through it (since I wasn't like, oh I can't wait to listen to this again), but I would definitely recommend this book to others.

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

It's Not Supposed to Be This Way

I read It's Not Supposed to Be This Way: Finding Unexpected Strength When Disappointments Leave You Shattered by Lysa TerKeurst for book club. The book description says, "Life often looks so very different than we hoped or expected. Some events may simply catch us off guard for a moment, but others shatter us completely. We feel disappointed and disillusioned, and we quietly start to wonder about the reality of God’s goodness. Lysa TerKeurst understands this deeply. But she's also discovered that our disappointments can be the divine appointments our souls need to radically encounter God."

This was a good read. I felt like the author made some great points, and I found the book to be uplifting and relatable. She asked the hard questions and didn't tie everything up with a perfect bow. Rather, she shared insights that helped her face the difficulties and disappointments that have come her way. I listened to the book on audio but would be interested in going back through the hard copy to make note of some of the lines that stuck out to me. I thought this was a meaningful read and would recommend it to people going through difficult times and trying to come to terms with how this aligns with faith in God. Every now and then, I felt like the book dragged on a bit or was a little repetitive, but I think it was a good read. I would read more books by the author.

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