I Hate the Ivy League

I listened to the audiobook of I Hate the Ivy League: Riffs and Rants on Elite Education by Malcolm Gladwell as a book on the side for my next book club meeting. (We're reading a different book about applying to college, and someone recommended this.) I don't know if it should even necessarily count as an audiobook since it's really a collection of podcasts that he's turned into an audiobook, but alas. The description reads, "Malcolm Gladwell has long relished the opportunity to skewer the upper echelons of higher education, from the institution of U.S. News & World Report’s Best College rankings to the LSATs to the luxe Bowdoin College cafeteria. I Hate the Ivy League: Riffs and Rants on Elite Education upends the traditional thinking around how education should work and tries to get to the bottom of why we often reward the wrong people. The higher education system follows a hierarchy that was created to primarily benefit top-tier, elite, well-off students, but Gladwell wants to find out how we can do a better job at educating the middle and make education more affordable, fair, and open to all."

This was an interesting listen. I really like Malcolm Gladwell, and I was definitely interested and entertained and wanted to keep listening. He made some excellent points throughout. I especially liked the part about the tortoise and the hare (in relation to the LSAT and standardized tests), and I also thought this made me reconsider how much value I give to the US News college rankings since the book really persuaded me about how that list really is just a list of the most privileged colleges. He had a lot of interesting facts and stats in there--definitely worth a listen.

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

Rock, Paper, Scissors

I read Rock, Paper, Scissors by Alice Feeney for my newer book club with friends from church. The book description says, "Things have been wrong with Mr and Mrs Wright for a long time. When Adam and Amelia win a weekend away to Scotland, it might be just what their marriage needs. Self-confessed workaholic and screenwriter Adam Wright has lived with face blindness his whole life. He can’t recognize friends or family, or even his own wife. Every anniversary the couple exchange traditional gifts--paper, cotton, pottery, tin--and each year Adam’s wife writes him a letter that she never lets him read. Until now. They both know this weekend will make or break their marriage, but they didn’t randomly win this trip. One of them is lying, and someone doesn’t want them to live happily ever after. Ten years of marriage. Ten years of secrets. And an anniversary they will never forget."

This was an interesting read. The story kept me reading to see what was going to happen, and it definitely had some crazy and shocking twists and turns as the book went on. For a lot of the book (at least the first half), I was kinda confused trying to figure out where the book was going and even what genre it was. (Is this book realistic or fantasy? Is it turning into a horror book or is the character just paranoid?) I also didn't love this type of book where the narrators are unreliable and you're not really sure who to trust. I did think the unexpected twists were fun to follow in the end, but I was also just left with a lot of questions about how things came together. It was fun to talk about at book club.

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

Coyote Lost and Found

I saw online recently that Dan Gemeinhart had written a sequel to The Remarkable Journey of Coyote Sunrise and immediately put it on hold at the library. Coyote Lost and Found's book description reads, "It's been almost a year since Coyote and her dad left the road behind and settled down in a small Oregon town. . . time spent grieving the loss of her mom and sisters and trying to fit in at school. But just as life is becoming a new version of normal, Coyote discovers a box containing her mom’s ashes. And she thinks she might finally be ready to say goodbye. So Coyote and her dad gear up for an epic cross-country road trip to scatter the ashes at her mom’s chosen resting place. The only problem? Coyote has no idea where that resting place is―and the secret’s hidden in a book that Coyote mistakenly sold last year, somewhere in the country. Now, it’s up to Coyote to track down the treasured book . . . without her dad ever finding out that it’s lost. It’s time to fire up their trusty bus, Yager, pick up some old friends, discover some new ones, and hit the road on another unforgettable adventure."

This was another great read. I loved the first book, so it was really fun to reconnect with the characters and add a few new ones in Yager. The premise of the book (Coyote hiding from her dad that she got rid of her mom's important book) was a little stressful for me, so it was hard for me to read the first 2/3 of the book because I hated that she was keeping that a secret. But once that got figured out, I felt a lot better and could enjoy the story more. The book made me laugh and cry and was just a beautiful story of self-discovery. If you're a fan of the first Coyote book, I highly recommend this one.

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

Mere Christianity

I read Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis for book club. It's one of those books that I've heard quotes from for years but never actually read it. The book description says, "In the classic Mere Christianity, C.S. Lewis, the most important writer of the 20th century, explores the common ground upon which all of those of Christian faith stand together. Bringing together Lewis’ legendary broadcast talks during World War Two from his three previous books The Case for Christianity, Christian Behavior, and Beyond Personality, Mere Christianity provides an unequaled opportunity for believers and nonbelievers alike to hear this powerful apologetic for the Christian faith."

This is a classic book that had some amazing thoughts and quotes that really got me thinking. But I will confess that as a whole, the book was pretty boring for me, and I wouldn't have finished it if it weren't for book club. A friend at book club described the author style as "meandering," which I think maybe describes why it was hard for me to follow sometimes, in addition to things being quite deep. But even though the book was slow/dry/boring for me, the parts I liked, I really liked. I had like 4 pages of favorite quotes I collected to share and discuss at book club, so clearly there was lots of good content in there, and we had a great book club meeting chatting about all the things we enjoyed from the book.

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

Once Upon a Broken Heart

I read Once Upon a Broken Heart by Stephanie Garber for a new book club some friends at church started. (I'm already in a book club with other friends at church, but this is a group of young moms who I guess wanted a different vibe of a book club, so I figured I'd try it out sometimes too when I can fit it in.) The book description reads, "For as long as she can remember, Evangeline Fox has believed in true love and happy endings . . . until she learns that the love of her life will marry another. Desperate to stop the wedding and to heal her wounded heart, Evangeline strikes a deal with the charismatic, but wicked, Prince of Hearts. In exchange for his help, he asks for three kisses, to be given at the time and place of his choosing. But after Evangeline’s first promised kiss, she learns that bargaining with an immortal is a dangerous game ― and that the Prince of Hearts wants far more from her than she’d pledged. He has plans for Evangeline, plans that will either end in the greatest happily ever after, or the most exquisite tragedy."

This was a silly but fun read. I haven't read a book like this in a long time (like a YA romance with sappy stuff throughout), and it made me laugh sometimes just because of how silly certain things were. But the story was definitely engaging and made me want to keep reading, and there were some fun and unique storylines. I thought the characters were fun to get to know and figure out. I did think the author had the main character overexplain all of her choices, which I guess was good since I would have been questioning her choices if not, but I don't know if I loved that style. Unfortunately, the author ended the book completely inconclusively, making the story feed right into book 2. (I probably won't read it but will have a friend summarize books 2 and 3 for me because I definitely want to know what happens.)

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

Next Stop

I got Next Stop by Debbie Fong from the library for my daughter, but it caught my eye and my interest, so I decided to read it too. The book description says, "Pia is a soft-spoken middle schooler whose life is turned upside down after the loss of her younger brother, followed by her parents’ decision to move to a new town. In an effort to get her mind off of the troubles at home, Pia goes on a bus tour with a family friend, stopping at weird and wacky roadside attractions. The final destination: a mysterious underground lake. The locals say it has magical powers; Pia won’t admit she believes in it, but she’s holding on to hope that the waters may hold the answer to mending her broken family."

This was a quick and engaging read. The flashback style of the book (telling the current story but frequently flashing back to past events) kept me engaged and interested in seeing Pia's full backstory. The book definitely had some sad and heavy things in it, but the author kept the book light enough that it's a good read for 8-12. The story was fun and unique with some entertaining characters. Good read.

* * (2/3 = Liked it)

Freestyle

I read Freestyle by Gale Galligan while with my daughter in line to meet Gale Galligan and get the book signed. :) The book description says, "Cory's dance crew is getting ready for a major competition. It's the last one before they graduate eighth grade and go their separate ways to high schools all over New York City, so they have to make it count! The group starts to have problems as their crew captain gets increasingly intense about nailing the routine, and things go from bad to worse when Cory's parents ground him for not taking his grades seriously. He gets stuck with a new tutor, Sunna, who he dismisses as a boring nerd… until he catches her secretly practicing cool yo-yo tricks. Cory wants to learn the art of yo-yo, and as his friendship with Sunna grows, he ends up missing practice and bailing on his crew -- and they are not happy about it. With mounting pressure coming from all sides, how is Cory supposed to balance the expectations of his parents, school, dance, and his new friend?"

This was a good read with great illustrations that really told the story. It was fun to read this right after hearing Gale Galligan talk about her process as a graphic novelist. I liked the story and the messages on friendship and being yourself.

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