The Woman's Hour

I got The Woman's Hour: The Great Fight to Win the Vote by Elaine Weiss on audiobook from the library after seeing it somewhere. (It caught my eye because I recently saw the musical Suffs about the women's suffrage movement.) The book description says, "Nashville, August 1920. Thirty-five states have approved the Nineteenth Amendment, granting women the right to vote; one last state–Tennessee–is needed for women’s voting rights to be the law of the land. The suffragists face vicious opposition from politicians, clergy, corporations, and racists who don’t want black women voting. And then there are the 'Antis'–women who oppose their own enfranchisement, fearing suffrage will bring about the nation’s moral collapse. And in one hot summer, they all converge for a confrontation, replete with booze and blackmail, betrayal and courage. Following a handful of remarkable women who led their respective forces into battle, The Woman’s Hour is the gripping story of how America’s women won their own freedom, and the opening campaign in the great twentieth-century battles for civil rights."

This was a really inspiring read. I learned so much about the movement and the different sides and the effort it took to win the vote. The details were a little hard to keep track of at times since there were so many people to keep track of, but I didn't worry about following every person exactly and just focused on getting the overall gist/message. I'm glad I read this book and just saw there's a young reader's edition, so I'll recommend that to my daughter. At the very end (after ratification was won), there was a quote from Carrie Catt that I really loved: "The vote is the emblem of your equality, women of America, the guarantee of your liberty. That vote of yours has cost millions of dollars and the lives of thousands of women. Money to carry on this work has been given usually as a sacrifice, and thousands of women have gone without things they wanted and could have had in order that they might help get the vote for you. Women have suffered agony of soul which you can never comprehend, that you and your daughters might inherit political freedom. That vote has been costly. Prize it!"

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

A Sea of Lemon Trees

I have had A Sea of Lemon Trees by Maria Dolores Aguila on my to-read list ever since it won the Newbery Honor and finally got around to reading it. The book description says, "Twelve-year-old Roberto Alvarez is the youngest of his siblings, born on United States soil. He’s el futuro, their dream for a life away from the fire of the Mexican Revolution. Moved by anti-immigrant and anti-Mexican propaganda, the Lemon Grove school board and chamber of commerce create a separate 'Americanization' school for the Mexican children attending the Lemon Grove Grammar School. But the new Olive Street School is an old barn retrofitted for the children forced to attend a segregated school. Amid threats of deportation, the Comité de Vecinos risk everything to stand their ground and, with the support of the Mexican Consulate, choose Roberto as the lead plaintiff in a lawsuit against the school board in this vivid and uplifting novel in verse based on true events."

This was a great read. I loved that it was based on a true story, and it taught me about this time period and the types of things these groups of people went through. I thought Roberto was a great character, and the author did a great job putting us in his mind. I came away from the book inspired by people like Roberto and his family and community who have to be very brave to stand up for their rights.

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

Rebecca

I read Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier for book club. The book description says, "In Monte Carlo, our unnamed heroine is swept off her feet by the dashing widower Maxim de Winter and his sudden proposal of marriage. Orphaned and working as a lady’s maid, she can barely believe her luck. It is only when they arrive at Manderley, her husband’s cavernous estate on the Cornish coast, that she realizes how vast a shadow his late wife, Rebecca, will cast over their lives—introducing a lingering evil that threatens to destroy their love from beyond the grave."

This was a great read. It was one of those books I would have never picked up if not for book club, but I'm so glad I read it. (It's a 1938 book that is considered a "best book of the century" and has had several movie adaptations, including one by Alfred Hitchcock in 1940.) The writing was so well done, and I thought the book was super engaging. The characters were well developed and memorable. There were several parts in the book that just completely shocked me, and there were times the author just made it so easy to feel what the characters were feeling. I did some of the book by audiobook (a fun version with some musical background to help set the mood) and some by just reading.

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

Finding Lost

I saw Finding Lost by Holly Goldberg Sloan on some kind of book list, and since I've enjoyed at least one other book by the author, I got it from the library. The book description says, "Cordy Jenkins is searching for something that will change her life, and for the safety that vanished when her father died. She is convinced that if she just tries hard enough, she will find part of what her family lost, which will stop her mom from wanting to leave the small town she and her little brother have always called home. What Cordy finds instead is a muddy, hungry little dog with bad breath. And he's the start of her family's new beginning."

This was a great read. I loved Cordy as a character, and the things she did and said made me laugh out loud sometimes. I liked how the story came together and the side characters. I feel like the ending was a bit of a disappointment. I did like how the author tied up loose ends, but the last chapter was just alllll the loose ends being tied up, like, This is how everything is now a little bit in the future. I just didn't think it was the strongest writing/ending. I think a different ending would have moved this book into the loved it range. 

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

I Can Fix This

I saw I Can Fix This And Other Lies I Told Myself While Parenting My Struggling Child by Kristina Kuzmic recommended somewhere, and the title caught my eye. The book description says, "When Kristina Kuzmič started to see signs that her otherwise sunny, resilient teenage son was struggling, she was sure a few simple fixes could right the ship. But over the following months, the issues her family faced became more nuanced, complicated, and pervasive than she could've predicted—and what began as a clear to do list spiraled into an emotionally fraught and seemingly endless push and pull between signs of progress and overwhelming fear. Despite her best efforts, Kuzmič had internalized a set of obligations, ideas, and unrealistic standards from parenting culture and social media that left her unprepared to guide her child when he needed her most. Featuring an urgent and affirming foreword by renowned and New York Times bestselling clinician Dr. Shefali Tsabary—Kuzmič's new book debunks ten "parenting truths” that kept her in crisis, and delves into her insecurities and the mistakes she made to reveal invaluable lessons and transformative approaches that worked. While her family stands on the other side now stronger than ever, Kuzmič's journey calls to parents who have felt the instinct to say 'I can fix this' in situations where good intentions far exceed our abilities to enact change."

This was a great read. I was super engaged in Kristina's story and was inspired by how she endured some very difficult times with her son. I think this book would be particularly meaningful for people who have children with serious mental health struggles.

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

Blood Over Bright Haven

I read Blood Over Bright Haven by M.L. Wang for book club. The book description says, "An orphan since the age of four, Sciona has always had more to prove than her fellow students. For twenty years, she has devoted every waking moment to the study of magic, fueled by a mad desire to achieve the impossible: to be the first woman ever admitted to the High Magistry. When she finally claws her way up the ranks to become a highmage, however, she finds that her challenges have just begun. Her new colleagues will stop at nothing to let her know she is unwelcome, beginning with giving her a janitor instead of a qualified lab assistant. What neither Sciona nor her peers realize is that her taciturn assistant was once more than a janitor; before he mopped floors for the mages, Thomil was a nomadic hunter from beyond Tiran’s magical barrier. Ten years have passed since he survived the perilous crossing that killed his family. But working for a highmage, he sees the opportunity to finally understand the forces that decimated his tribe, drove him from his homeland, and keep the Tiranish in power. Through their fractious relationship, mage and outsider uncover an ancient secret that could change the course of magic forever—if it doesn’t get them killed first. Sciona has defined her life by the pursuit of truth, but how much is one truth worth with the fate of civilization in the balance?"

This was a great book! I was very engaged in the story and really liked the characters of Sciona and Thomil. I haven't read a lot of adult fantasy type books (and really it's been quite awhile), so it was interesting to be back in a world-building type book. The book was kind of heavy at times with just lots of bad things happening, so I had to take breaks now and then. But it was a great story and premise, and at the end, I was just like, wow, that was crazy. I think it'll be a really fun book to discuss at book club.

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

Small Things Like These

I saw Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan recommended on some kind of list and so got it from the library. The book description says, "It is 1985 in a small Irish town. During the weeks leading up to Christmas, Bill Furlong, a coal merchant and family man faces into his busiest season. Early one morning, while delivering an order to the local convent, Bill makes a discovery which forces him to confront both his past and the complicit silences of a town controlled by the church."

This was kind of a weird read for me because I wasn't sure where it was going and then it was suddenly done. I maybe should have read up on the book more so I was more prepped for what to expect because it is an award-winning and super cherished book. I am clearly missing the boat haha. But I did like a couple of the quotes at the end: "He found himself asking was there any point in being alive without helping one another? Was it possible to carry on along through all the years, the decades, through an entire life, without once being brave enough to go against what was there and yet call yourself a Christian, and face yourself in the mirror?" and "Already he could feel a world of trouble waiting for him behind the next door, but the worst that could have happened was also already behind him; the thing not done, which could have been -- which he would have had to live with for the rest of his life." I really liked the ending and the message. I saw in a review on Amazon that someone described it as being similar to The Christmas Carol, a meaningful story to read each Christmas. I think I maybe would have moved this to "liked" if I had gone into it seeing it like that rather than reading it more like a typical novel.

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