Starfish

I got Starfish by Lisa Fipps from the library after reading and enjoying another book by the author. The book description says, "Ever since Ellie wore a whale swimsuit and made a big splash at her fifth birthday party, she's been bullied about her weight. To cope, she tries to live by the Fat Girl Rules—like 'no making waves,' 'avoid eating in public,' and 'don't move so fast that your body jiggles.' And she's found her safe space—her swimming pool—where she feels weightless in a fat-obsessed world. In the water, she can stretch herself out like a starfish and take up all the room she wants. It's also where she can get away from her pushy mom, who thinks criticizing Ellie's weight will motivate her to diet. Fortunately, Ellie has allies in her dad, her therapist, and her new neighbor, Catalina, who loves Ellie for who she is. With this support buoying her, Ellie might finally be able to cast aside the Fat Girl Rules and starfish in real life--by unapologetically being her own fabulous self."

This was such a good book, one I'll definitely recommend to my 14-year-old. It was an engaging read, and Ellie was a lovable character who carried a heavy load due to bullying from peers at school but also her siblings and mom. But I loved her dad, her two best friends, and her therapist--so much! I also loved the author's note at the end where the author explained that while some people may think this book wasn't realistic since people would never be that cruel, "a variation of every single mean thing people said or did to Ellie happened to [her] when [she] was a child." I also loved how the author explained that she wrote the book as a middle grade book so it could reach kids who are struggling and being bullied and help them realize their worth. This one is going down as a "liked it," but I really liked it.

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

Fahrenheit 451

I read Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury for book club. I think I read this back in high school, but it's been awhile. The book description says, "Guy Montag is a fireman. His job is to destroy the most illegal of commodities, the printed book, along with the houses in which they are hidden. Montag never questions the destruction and ruin his actions produce, returning each day to his bland life and wife, Mildred, who spends all day with her television “family.” But when he meets an eccentric young neighbor, Clarisse, who introduces him to a past where people didn’t live in fear and to a present where one sees the world through the ideas in books instead of the mindless chatter of television, Montag begins to question everything he has ever known."

This is not the type of book I really enjoy reading, even though I know it's a classic and an important read. I pushed myself through it but usually wasn't super engaged. Some parts I liked (since most of it wasn't really my thing): I did like Clarisse, but she had a very short part in the book. I also liked the group Montag ended up with in the end, and I liked the message about the power of books. I liked a quote toward the end where Granger talked about his grandfather who died. He said, "When he died, I suddenly realized I wasn't crying for him at all, but for all the things he did. I cried because he would never do them again, he would never carve another piece of wood or help us raise doves and pigeons in the back yard or play the violin the way he did, or tell us jokes the way he did. He was part of us and when he died, all the actions stopped dead and there was no one to do them just the way he did. He was individual. He was an important man. I've never gotten over his death. Often I think, what wonderful carvings never came to birth because he died. How many jokes are missing from the world, and how many homing pigeons untouched by his hands. He shaped the world. He did things to the world. The world was bankrupted of ten million fine actions the night he passed on." That quote really spoke to me because I reacted to it with the loss of my mother-in-law a few years ago. So overall, not my kind of book, but good for my brain to read it and some parts I liked that I can discuss at book club.

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

The Women

I read The Women by Kristin Hannah for my newest book club with the young friends at church. The book description says, "Women can be heroes. When twenty-year-old nursing student Frances “Frankie” McGrath hears these words, it is a revelation. Raised in the sun-drenched, idyllic world of Southern California and sheltered by her conservative parents, she has always prided herself on doing the right thing. But in 1965, the world is changing, and she suddenly dares to imagine a different future for herself. When her brother ships out to serve in Vietnam, she joins the Army Nurse Corps and follows his path.
As green and inexperienced as the men sent to Vietnam to fight, Frankie is over-whelmed by the chaos and destruction of war. Each day is a gamble of life and death, hope and betrayal; friendships run deep and can be shattered in an instant. In war, she meets―and becomes one of―the lucky, the brave, the broken, and the lost. But war is just the beginning for Frankie and her veteran friends. The real battle lies in coming home to a changed and divided America, to angry protesters, and to a country that wants to forget Vietnam."

Wow! What a book! This book was so engaging, and by the end, I was exclaiming so many things (No! Oh my gosh! Oh no!) that Connor basically needed a play-by-play of the last third of the book haha. The book was so well written with well developed characters (those I loved and hated and some that were flawed and yet came around) and a solid story. I don't read enough historical fiction, and I don't think I've ever read anything from the Vietnam period so this was super eye-opening and enlightening. I learned a lot and would definitely be interested in reading more on the time period, especially about women during the Vietnam War. There were times toward the end chunk of this book that I couldn't see how the story could end well, but I was so satisfied with the ending and just found this a really great read. I was so inspired by Frankie and her journey. There is some bad language and some other adult stuff, so I'd definitely classify this as an adult book. I have heard of this author before but haven't read any of her other books but definitely will now. I think the one I've heard about the most is The Nightingale. 

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

And Then, Boom!

I'm putting off reading several book club books and found And Then, Boom! by Lisa Fipps at a library book testing event. The book description says, "Joe Oak is used to living on unsteady ground. His mom can’t be depended on as she never stays around long once she gets “the itch,” and now he and his beloved grandmother find themselves without a home. Fortunately, Joe has an outlet in his journals and drawings and takes comfort from the lessons of comic books—superheroes have a lot of “and then, boom” moments, where everything threatens to go bust but somehow they land on their feet. And that seems to happen a lot to Joe too, as in this crisis his friend Nick helps them find a home in his trailer park. But things fall apart again when Joe is suddenly left to fend for himself. He doesn’t tell anyone he’s on his own, as he fears foster care and has hope his mom will come back. But time is running out—bills are piling up, the electricity’s been shut off, and the school year’s about to end, meaning no more free meals. The struggle to feed himself gets intense, and Joe finds himself dumpster diving for meals. He’s never felt so alone—until an emaciated little dog and her two tiny pups cross his path. And fate has even more in store for Joe, because an actual tornado is about to hit home—and just when it seems all is lost, his life turns in a direction that he never could have predicted."

I LOVED this book. I finished it in one morning because it was written in verse and was a quick, engaging read. I loved Joe as a character and his relationship with his grandma. I liked how the book opened my eyes to kids who are living in poverty and hunger, and I liked how the book had such solid, helpful adults in Joe's life (besides his mom)--teacher, therapist, landlord, foster parents, case worker, etc. I feel like in lots of these types of books, the kid has a deadbeat caseworker or a bad foster home or something like that, so I was glad Joe just got a break in the end. This was a great read and one I'd recommend. I noticed that the age range online says 10-13, so it's kinda an upper middle grade or younger YA book. I also now want to read the author's book Starfish, a book I've seen for years but never got around to reading.

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

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)