tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-49600745144882433222024-03-12T15:03:53.105-07:00Read. Write. Repeat.For those who love good books and the discussion they createAlisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08782778978854499305noreply@blogger.comBlogger774125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4960074514488243322.post-75460442446665314832019-01-06T02:00:00.000-08:002019-01-06T02:00:00.129-08:00Epilogue<div style="text-align: justify;">
It's hard to write this post. I've known it was coming for months now, but actually putting words to screen is tough. This will be my last post here (at least for the foreseeable future).</div>
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Any faithful reader of the blog knows my schedule has drastically changed and become much busier this year. That reality has not only decreased my time spent reading, but also the time I have available to write about my reading. One by one, I've had to drop things from my schedule this year. Read.Write.Repeat. is the next casualty. </div>
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<a href="https://ajreader.blogspot.com/2012/01/prolouge.html" target="_blank">Seven years ago today</a>, I started this blog with a goal to read 52 books in a year and share my thoughts about them. I've surpassed that goal every year since, sometimes by a long distance. I read every book on <a href="https://ajreader.blogspot.com/p/100-best-novels.html" target="_blank">Modern Library's 100 Best Novels list</a>. I've recommended hundreds of books to readers of all types. I've reviewed over 600 books. I've met incredible people and made friends. I've learned so much and been challenged and shaped by what I've read. It's been a wonderful ride.</div>
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Though this feels like the right time to say goodbye, doing so is bittersweet. I may pop in from time to time if I get that insatiable urge to share what I'm thinking about. I certainly won't stop reading. My <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/16836355-alise-read-write-repeat" target="_blank">Goodreads account</a> will remain active and be the place that I share what I'm reading and do occasional short reviews. Make sure we're friends on there if you're interested in continuing to follow my reading habit. </div>
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To all of my readers, thank you for making this journey such a fun, community-driven one. I'm thankful for every person who ever read my blog and especially those of you who made it a regular habit. You are my people and you mean the world to me. </div>
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“Ah, how good it is to be among people who are reading.” – Rainer Maria Rilke</div>
Alisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08782778978854499305noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4960074514488243322.post-41308388865171905142018-11-06T06:34:00.000-08:002018-11-06T06:34:09.072-08:00October 2018 Chapter<div style="text-align: justify;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvqwZhmhJwCVCBPQc6C6VPsvL_ymuQS-Qo6OKth7N0TdASq_Akc18kyiVGStlsx6BFRUXXw2rgNWK1VwHpSrleMTwEcrR8A6V6kFCaQTfkc_KacnWiiaA4Oqzaq8uL2cZSlvGyvS5Ogp4/s1600/Monthly+Update.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvqwZhmhJwCVCBPQc6C6VPsvL_ymuQS-Qo6OKth7N0TdASq_Akc18kyiVGStlsx6BFRUXXw2rgNWK1VwHpSrleMTwEcrR8A6V6kFCaQTfkc_KacnWiiaA4Oqzaq8uL2cZSlvGyvS5Ogp4/s320/Monthly+Update.jpg" width="320" /></a><i>Welcome to the Read.Write.Repeat. monthly wrap-up. Every month, I give a quick overview of what books I read, the</i><i> progress made on my reading goals, a few book-related links, and general blog news. </i><br />
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October News </h4>
Hello, world. If the late nature of this one monthly post is any indication, my life continues to be insanely busy. I'm struggling to balance. Reading has been a beautiful break stolen in short, quiet moments. I haven't read nearly as much as I wanted to this year, but I have enjoyed what I've read so much more than the past couple years. It's been so freeing to quit books I'm not enjoying or delete things from my TBR list with no regrets.<br />
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Books Reviewed<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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None! I'm still enjoying the break from doing this.</div>
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Books Read</h4>
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<ol><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-T8TLeq9wZW2PRe-9AmfsLG60gu4S8MmP6CB9LmiVFRBYtE1uMPN0HYRPVrR-hpYgPmHUHSe34av9VPBOP8J6tjdOYHV7V1ufubbWXaIqUqM0lAeTnRxz4FKRJ-9-agrHV4oetMfsWEY/s1600/Girls+Like+Us.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="263" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-T8TLeq9wZW2PRe-9AmfsLG60gu4S8MmP6CB9LmiVFRBYtE1uMPN0HYRPVrR-hpYgPmHUHSe34av9VPBOP8J6tjdOYHV7V1ufubbWXaIqUqM0lAeTnRxz4FKRJ-9-agrHV4oetMfsWEY/s400/Girls+Like+Us.jpg" width="262" /></a>
<li><i style="font-weight: bold;">Anna Karenina </i><b>- Leo Tolstoy</b><br />It took me months to get through this one, but I'm glad I did. It annoyed me how much of this story was about men.</li>
<li><i style="font-weight: bold;">Evolving in Monkey Town </i><b>- Rachel Held Evans</b><br />I'm surprised it took me this long to go back and read Evans' first work. I enjoyed it, but it wasn't as moving for me as her other books. </li>
<li><i style="font-weight: bold;">An Everlasting Meal </i><b>- Tamar Adler</b><br />This is a fun and practical book about how to cook largely without recipes. I took some good ideas from it.</li>
<li><i style="font-weight: bold;">Girls and Sex </i><b>- Peggy Orenstein</b><br />I read <i>Cinderella Ate My Daughter</i> and loved it. This is the natural continuation of that research, but it's much heavier. I probably shouldn't have read it the week of the Kavanaugh confirmation.</li>
<li><i style="font-weight: bold;">We Two </i><b>- Gillian Gill</b><br />I learned <i>so </i>much from this biography of Victoria and Albert. Mainly, that, despite our romanticization of their relationship, they were both pretty difficult people. </li>
<li><i style="font-weight: bold;">The Monsters of Templeton </i><b>- Lauren Groff</b><br />I love Lauren Groff's writing and this was no exception. She's a writer's writer.</li>
<li><i style="font-weight: bold;">Wildcard </i><b>- Marie Lu</b><br />This was fun, but not nearly the page-turned for me that the first book was. I appreciate that it's just two books in the series and she didn't pull it out into a third.</li>
<li><i style="font-weight: bold;">The Panem Companion </i><b>- V. Arrow</b><br />We binge-watched <i>The Hunger Games </i>movies over our anniversary weekend and it put me back in the thesis-research mindset. I've read (and written) a lot of analyzing of the series. This is among the weaker installations in that genre, but it's still a fun read because of how granular the author gets on some things. </li>
<li><i style="font-weight: bold;">The Sharper Your Knife, the Less You Cry </i><b>- Kathleen Flinn</b><br />A charming book about a woman's journey through Le Courdon Bleu. I loved every word.</li>
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<b>Pages Read</b>: 3,537</div>
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<b>Favorite Book Read: </b>I think I have to pick <i>We Two</i>. I'm such a sucker for royal history and it surprised me how very much I learned from this one. </div>
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<a href="https://ajreader.blogspot.com/2018/01/2018-Blog-Goals.html" style="text-align: justify;" target="_blank">2018 Goals</a><span style="text-align: justify;"> </span></h4>
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One of my goals this year is to read 3 specific books each month:<br />
<ul>
<li><b>1 Faith-Centered or Philosophical Book </b><br />Evolving in Monkey Town - Rachel Held Evans</li>
<li><b>1 Political of Issue-Driven Book</b><br />Girls and Sex - Peggy Orenstein</li>
<li><b>1 Book Written by a Minority Author</b><br />Wildcard - Marie Lu</li>
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I also am trying to work my way through my <b><a href="https://ajreader.blogspot.com/2018/01/2018-TBR-Challenge.html" target="_blank">TBR list</a></b>. My goal is to get from 350 books on the list to 200. That means lowering that number by 13 in some form or fashion every month. Here's how that went this month:</div>
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<li><b>Books Read: </b>9</li>
<li><b>Books Removed: </b>1</li>
<li><b>Books Added: </b>6</li>
<li><b>Total Count for the Month: </b>-4</li>
<li><b>Books Remaining on TBR: </b>234</li>
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I didn't have time this month to go through the list and do another culling. That kept my numbers down. Honestly, though, at this point, I've brought the list down by 116 books. Even if I don't take another book off the list this year (which I will), I'm proud of how much progress I've made. Especially since I didn't read as much as I expected to this year. </div>
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I'm really hoping that these last two years of the year bring some dedicated reading time for me. It's not looking promising - the holidays are <i>busy</i> - but I want it! </div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13695981141651000974noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4960074514488243322.post-70654316759606711502018-10-02T06:08:00.001-07:002018-10-02T06:08:55.300-07:00September 2018 Chapter<div style="text-align: justify;">
<i>Welcome to the Read.Write.Repeat. monthly wrap-up. Every month, I give a quick overview of what books I read, the</i><i> progress made on my reading goals, a few book-related links, and general blog news. </i><br />
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September News </h4>
I miss checking in here more often and talking books with you all, but scaling back to monthly overview posts has definitely been the right choice for this moment in my life. My time is so limited these days and when I do have down time, I'm much more inclined to open a book or turn on some mindless tv than I am to put more creative energy out into the world.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvqwZhmhJwCVCBPQc6C6VPsvL_ymuQS-Qo6OKth7N0TdASq_Akc18kyiVGStlsx6BFRUXXw2rgNWK1VwHpSrleMTwEcrR8A6V6kFCaQTfkc_KacnWiiaA4Oqzaq8uL2cZSlvGyvS5Ogp4/s1600/Monthly+Update.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvqwZhmhJwCVCBPQc6C6VPsvL_ymuQS-Qo6OKth7N0TdASq_Akc18kyiVGStlsx6BFRUXXw2rgNWK1VwHpSrleMTwEcrR8A6V6kFCaQTfkc_KacnWiiaA4Oqzaq8uL2cZSlvGyvS5Ogp4/s320/Monthly+Update.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
September went so quickly. In part because Kevin was traveling a lot and in part because Hurricane Florence seemed to dominate existence here in the Carolinas for weeks. My parents live in Wilmington, so our family had a direct stake in a natural disaster for the first time. I was talking to my mom last night and she commented how they will never view disasters like this the same again now that they have seen it in their city. Thankfully, their house and property came through largely unscathed. It feels like a miracle in comparison to the devastation around them.<br />
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Originally, the storm was supposed to hit our area pretty badly. Kevin was actually out of town on work travel for the duration of the storm, so I hunkered down on my own. We didn't end up getting hit really at all except for one very rainy day. But, I enjoyed a quiet weekend at home with lots of books and a binge viewing of the last five Harry Potter movies. It wasn't the most exciting weekend and I was pretty ready for some human interaction at the end of it, but it was a nice break from reality. Plus, I got some great reading in!<br />
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Books Reviewed<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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None! I'm enjoying the break from doing this.</div>
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Books Read</h4>
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<ol><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-T8TLeq9wZW2PRe-9AmfsLG60gu4S8MmP6CB9LmiVFRBYtE1uMPN0HYRPVrR-hpYgPmHUHSe34av9VPBOP8J6tjdOYHV7V1ufubbWXaIqUqM0lAeTnRxz4FKRJ-9-agrHV4oetMfsWEY/s1600/Girls+Like+Us.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="263" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-T8TLeq9wZW2PRe-9AmfsLG60gu4S8MmP6CB9LmiVFRBYtE1uMPN0HYRPVrR-hpYgPmHUHSe34av9VPBOP8J6tjdOYHV7V1ufubbWXaIqUqM0lAeTnRxz4FKRJ-9-agrHV4oetMfsWEY/s400/Girls+Like+Us.jpg" width="262" /></a>
<li><b><i>The Three-Body Problem </i>- Cixin Liu</b>This Chinese sci-fi novel has gotten a lot of traction because President Obama included it on his reading list one year. It was much denser than I was expecting. I absolutely see the appeal of it, but I struggled to get through and don't plan to read the rest of the series. </li>
<li><i style="font-weight: bold;">Girls Like Us </i><b>- Rachel Lloyd</b><br />I read this on the recommendation of my friend <a href="https://suzannemseidel.com/" target="_blank">Suzanne</a>. Lloyd runs a non-profit committed to helping young women escape the exploitation of the sex industry. Her personal experiences and her stories of the girls with whom she works are powerful and sobering. This is a tough read, but a really important one. I strongly recommend it. </li>
<li><i style="font-weight: bold;">My Last Supper </i><b>- Melanie Dunea</b><br />This coffee-table book asks dozens of top chef's around the world what their ideal last meal would be. It's a visual and imaginative treat.</li>
<li><i style="font-weight: bold;">The Zookeeper's Wife</i><b> - Diane Ackerman</b><br />This was much more narrative nonfiction than novel, which I wasn't expecting. It's a fascinating story that deserves to be told, but the style of the prose made it hard for me to engage.</li>
<li><i style="font-weight: bold;">The Husband's Secret </i><b>- Liane Moriarty</b><br />After reading <i style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="https://ajreader.blogspot.com/2017/11/Big-Little-Lies.html" target="_blank">Big Little Lies</a></i> last year, I knew I wanted to read more of Moriarty's work. She didn't disappoint with this one.</li>
<li><i style="font-weight: bold;">Binti</i><b> - Nnedi Okarafor</b><br />This was a quick, fun read. I would have liked some more world-building but there really wasn't time for it at a length of 96 pages.</li>
<li><a href="https://ajreader.blogspot.com/2015/12/Jesus-Feminist.html" target="_blank"><i style="font-weight: bold;">Jesus Feminist </i><b>- Sarah Bessey</b></a><br />I read this for the first time back in 2015. The Kindle edition was on sale for $1.99 a few months ago, so I snagged it and I'm so glad I did. For as much as I loved this book the first time around, it spoke even more deeply to me this time in this moment. This is good stuff and you really should read it. </li>
<li><i style="font-weight: bold;">The Beast's Heart </i><b>- Leife Shallcross</b><br />I got a copy of this retelling of <i>Beauty and the Beast </i>through First to Read. It was enjoyable enough, but kind of flat. It's the only retelling of the classic fairy tale that I've been annoyed by the Beauty character. Not a good sign. </li>
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<b>Pages Read</b>: 2,337</div>
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<b>Favorite Book Read: </b>Since I don't count rereads like <i>Jesus Feminist</i>, I have to go with <i>Girls Like Us</i>. It was so powerful and educational. </div>
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<a href="https://ajreader.blogspot.com/2018/01/2018-Blog-Goals.html" style="text-align: justify;" target="_blank">2018 Goals</a><span style="text-align: justify;"> </span></h4>
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One of my goals this year is to read 3 specific books each month:<br />
<ul>
<li><b>1 Faith-Centered or Philosophical Book </b><br />Jesus Feminist - Sarah Bessey</li>
<li><b>1 Political of Issue-Driven Book</b><br />Girls Like Us - Rachel Lloyd</li>
<li><b>1 Book Written by a Minority Author</b><br />The Three-Body Problem - Cixin Liu<br />Binti - Nnedi Okarafor</li>
</ul>
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I also am trying to work my way through my <b><a href="https://ajreader.blogspot.com/2018/01/2018-TBR-Challenge.html" target="_blank">TBR list</a></b>. My goal is to get from 350 books on the list to 200. That means lowering that number by 13 in some form or fashion every month. Here's how that went this month:</div>
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<ul>
<li><b>Books Read: </b>7</li>
<li><b>Books Removed: </b>14</li>
<li><b>Books Added: </b>9 </li>
<li><b>Total Count for the Month: </b>-12</li>
<li><b>Books Remaining on TBR: </b>238</li>
</ul>
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I see this as a win for the month! I added a <i>lot</i> of books (there were just so many that sounded good.....), but I also culled quite a bit. I had a day this month (during the hurricane weekend) where I got real with myself about books that have been on my list for years and, even when presented with the opportunity to read, I still don't pick up. I'm never gonna read them so off they went. I hope to maintain that attitude through the rest of the year. </div>
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It's still in the mid- to upper-eighties down here in North Carolina, so clearly our region hasn't gotten the message yet that it's fall. It's weird to be in October and the leaves haven't even started turning, but you'll never hear me complain about extended weeks in this temperature range. Between 75 and 85 degrees is my sweet spot and I'll happily camp out here forever. Still, it's weird to see so many people posting pictures of fall scenery while dressed in sweaters, boots, and scarves. </div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13695981141651000974noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4960074514488243322.post-62964201958725258272018-08-31T16:20:00.000-07:002018-08-31T16:20:24.428-07:00August 2018 Chapter<div style="text-align: justify;">
<i>Welcome to the Read.Write.Repeat. monthly wrap-up. Every month, I give a quick overview of what books I read, the</i><i> progress made on my reading goals, a few book-related links, and general blog news. </i><br />
<h4>
August News </h4>
Hello, friends! It feels like it's been so long. It's been a whole month since I last posted. I ended July with a resolution to find more balance in my life and part of that necessitated putting the blog on hold for a while. I'm not writing reviews of each book I read any longer, but I am going to continue these monthly posts. I love this community too much to abandon it entirely.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvqwZhmhJwCVCBPQc6C6VPsvL_ymuQS-Qo6OKth7N0TdASq_Akc18kyiVGStlsx6BFRUXXw2rgNWK1VwHpSrleMTwEcrR8A6V6kFCaQTfkc_KacnWiiaA4Oqzaq8uL2cZSlvGyvS5Ogp4/s1600/Monthly+Update.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvqwZhmhJwCVCBPQc6C6VPsvL_ymuQS-Qo6OKth7N0TdASq_Akc18kyiVGStlsx6BFRUXXw2rgNWK1VwHpSrleMTwEcrR8A6V6kFCaQTfkc_KacnWiiaA4Oqzaq8uL2cZSlvGyvS5Ogp4/s320/Monthly+Update.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
August was a really good month. Very busy, as every month has seemed to be this year, but good. We went to Michigan to see my in-laws, went to my cousin's beautiful wedding, and celebrated my birthday. Plus, I had an incredible weekend in D.C. with my very best friends. With the exception of going to Italy with Kevin earlier this summer, that weekend as the best trip I've had in years. All that plus two works trips and taking on some more responsibilities over at <a href="http://pantsuitpoliticsshow.com/" target="_blank">Pantsuit Politics</a>.<br />
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Despite that schedule, it's been one of the best reading months I've had this year. I reclaimed the time I've typically spent blogging and put it into reading. I read things I wanted to and thought little of anything I "should" be reading. It was delightful. Taking away the pressure of blogging about what I was reading really let me sink into some of the books I read in a way I haven't in a long time. I read for pure pleasure and didn't analyze everything. It was a nice change. For everything there is a season, I suppose.<br />
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Even though I'm not going to write full reviews, I thought I'd leave you with a sentence or two about each book I read so you have my impressions at least. Let me know what you think of this format.<br />
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Books Reviewed<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1lylqcRHX9pqWfKCI9elBM0nWEm5bLxznX5IZK06T1P7Jd9q9a5f9COmy0DVoitdm2GRSnKBs6KWD5GzrKiM1OE45-t74mhOWb1DhQIDzXvRekBxh_8EKfDRBAV2BwJjXbyQf6-f532g/s1600/Everything+Happens.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="314" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1lylqcRHX9pqWfKCI9elBM0nWEm5bLxznX5IZK06T1P7Jd9q9a5f9COmy0DVoitdm2GRSnKBs6KWD5GzrKiM1OE45-t74mhOWb1DhQIDzXvRekBxh_8EKfDRBAV2BwJjXbyQf6-f532g/s400/Everything+Happens.jpg" width="263" /></a></div>
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None! Maybe next month...</div>
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Books Read</h4>
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<li><b><i>Present Over Perfect </i>- Shauna Niequist</b><br />Powerful and timely for me. I love Shauna's writing and this one came at a perfect moment in my life. </li>
<li><b><i>A Swiftly Tilting Planet </i>- Madeleine L'Engle</b><br />As much as I adore <i>A Wrinkle in Time</i>, I've been rather disappointed by the next two books in the series. I don't think I'll read the last two.</li>
<li><b><i>Warcross </i>- Marie Lu</b><br />I was really surprised how much I liked this. It reminded me a touch of <i style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="https://ajreader.blogspot.com/2013/11/Ready-Player-One.html" target="_blank">Ready Player One</a></i>. I can't wait for the sequel this fall!</li>
<li><b><i>Among the Hidden </i>- Margaret Peterson Haddix</b><br />This has been on my <b><a href="https://ajreader.blogspot.com/p/on-reserve.html" target="_blank">TBR</a> </b>forever. It was fine, but geared toward younger readers than I thought. I probably won't read the sequel. </li>
<li><b><i>My Beloved World </i>- Sonia Sotomayor</b><br />I knew basically nothing about Sotomayor before reading her memoir. I learned a lot and it was the perfect read for my D.C. weekend.</li>
<li><b><i>My Kitchen Year </i>- Ruth Reichl</b><br />I've read a lot of Reichl's work, so it was fun to pick up the cookbook she wrote in conjunction with leaving <i>Gourmet</i>. </li>
<li><b><i>Euphoria </i>- Lily King</b><br />This was a beautifully written book, but I didn't find it particularly memorable.</li>
<li><b><i>Everything Happens for a Reason </i>- Kate Bowler</b><br />Just read this. Read it. Read it. Read it. I saw Bowler speak at a conference this spring and, despite how moving she was then, I am kicking myself for not picking up her book until now. </li>
<li><b><i>Daring Greatly </i>- Brene Brown </b><br />I've enjoyed reading Brown's books less than I thought I would. They've all been very good, but I'm wondering if I've heard her distill her content too much in interviews and her books, including this one, have felt drawn out to me. </li>
</ol>
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<b>Pages Read</b>: 2,400</div>
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<b>Favorite Book Read: </b>I read some good one's but Kate Bowler's bestseller stood head and shoulders above them all. </div>
<h4>
<a href="https://ajreader.blogspot.com/2018/01/2018-Blog-Goals.html" style="text-align: justify;" target="_blank">2018 Goals</a><span style="text-align: justify;"> </span></h4>
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One of my goals this year is to read 3 specific books each month:<br />
<ul>
<li><b>1 Faith-Centered or Philosophical Book </b><br />Present Over Perfect - Shauna Niequist<br />Everything Happens for a Reason - Kate Bowler<br />Daring Greatly - Brene Brown</li>
<li><b>1 Political of Issue-Driven Book</b><br />My Beloved World - Sonia Sotomayor</li>
<li><b>1 Book Written by a Minority Author</b><br />Warcross - Marie Lu<br />My Beloved World - Sonia Sotomayor</li>
</ul>
<div>
I also am trying to work my way through my <b><a href="https://ajreader.blogspot.com/2018/01/2018-TBR-Challenge.html" target="_blank">TBR list</a></b>. My goal is to get from 350 books on the list to 200. That means lowering that number by 13 in some form or fashion every month. Here's how that went this month:</div>
<div>
<ul>
<li><b>Books Read: </b>9</li>
<li><b>Books Removed: </b>3</li>
<li><b>Books Added: </b>3</li>
<li><b>Total Count for the Month: </b>-9</li>
<li><b>Books Remaining on TBR: </b>250</li>
</ul>
<div>
As I mentioned last month, I'm running out of books to cull from the list and getting down to things I just want to read! Though I technically missed the goal again this month, I'm still on track to hit my goal for the year. Kevin is traveling a ton for work in September and I'm not traveling at all, so I have high hopes for that month. Either way, every single book I read in August came from my list and I feel very proud of that. I've officially taken 100 books off the list in some form or fashion since the start of the year and I think that's worth celebrating!</div>
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There was one day earlier this month when I opened the front door and felt a slight chill. Now, I <i>love</i> summertime, but that moment gave me such a thrill. I am really looking forward to fall. I had my first PSL yesterday despite it being 90+ degrees outside and it just made me eager for sweaters and boots and scarves. I don't even care how basic that sounds. </div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13695981141651000974noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4960074514488243322.post-36193130393545457982018-08-01T04:00:00.000-07:002018-08-01T04:00:07.392-07:00July 2018 Chapter<div style="text-align: justify;">
<i>Welcome to the Read.Write.Repeat. monthly wrap-up. Every month, I give a quick overview of what books I read, the</i><i> progress made on my reading goals, a few book-related links, and general blog news. </i><br />
<h4>
July News </h4>
Life continues to move at a brisk pace for us. I so desperately love summer because it often brings chances to see people we don't get to see the rest of the year. This July has been no exception. We've seen so many dear friends and a good amount of family, too. We've especially gotten lots of great time with the little people in ours lives, several of whom got a copy of <i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B016I3AP0W/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?_encoding=UTF8&btkr=1" target="_blank">Our Great Big Backyard</a></i> to enjoy this summer. Lots of them are getting old enough to actually know who we are and sit and read together, which I adore.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvqwZhmhJwCVCBPQc6C6VPsvL_ymuQS-Qo6OKth7N0TdASq_Akc18kyiVGStlsx6BFRUXXw2rgNWK1VwHpSrleMTwEcrR8A6V6kFCaQTfkc_KacnWiiaA4Oqzaq8uL2cZSlvGyvS5Ogp4/s1600/Monthly+Update.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvqwZhmhJwCVCBPQc6C6VPsvL_ymuQS-Qo6OKth7N0TdASq_Akc18kyiVGStlsx6BFRUXXw2rgNWK1VwHpSrleMTwEcrR8A6V6kFCaQTfkc_KacnWiiaA4Oqzaq8uL2cZSlvGyvS5Ogp4/s320/Monthly+Update.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
Work has been going well. I'm still completely exhausted and working on adjusting to the fast pace of our firm, but I'm really enjoying the work and I think I'm going to be good at it. I feel like I have the logistics on the job down pretty well and now I'm working on adding context, the <i>why</i> of the <i>what</i>.<br />
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As we come to the close of the summer, I'm also recognize that the pace and plethora of commitments I've accumulated over the last few years of teaching part time are not going to be sustainable with my new job. I've been involved in so many great thing and I'm beginning to face the reality that I'm going to need to give some of them up if I want to remain sane. I'm still figuring out exactly what will stay and what will go. In that vein, I've made some decisions in regards to the blog...<br />
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I'm choosing to scale back the blog. It's not going away, because I don't want to leave the wonderful community of people I've found in the book blogging world and with whom I have great conversations about what I've been reading. However, I don't have time to do reviews for every book I read any more. At this point, I'm choosing to do reviews only for the books about which I really want to share my thoughts. That will scale back the frequency of posts intensely, but I'm hoping what will be left will be more worthwhile. In practicality, this likely means 1-2 book reviews per month rather than the 8-12 I've been doing for the last several years. The monthly updates will continue because I find them a great tracking mechanism and a great way to touch base with all you wonderful readers.<br />
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Ultimately, I'm hoping this means I'll break my reading slump. With the pressure of writing a review for every book I read removed, I think I'll be more apt to tear through things voraciously again and not have any fear associated with loading up my Kindle app. So, while you may see less of me here, hopefully that will mean I'm reading more, which is the whole point anyway.<br />
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Books Reviewed</h4>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge-v0JvB7l3jEqNfXx3_ytE9i5QkwSwY9VW3s8dfWnJQ7Qa4p86-QxsA19jhZzdBkha0V0RUq2e9RFb0OO1Rv7wWWvhgbZ3hxe_eHHwL_98WuBkIz5W1ezcOlUcKDDSaGRncPBDkQzhRM/s1600/The+Gifts+of+Imperfection.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="317" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge-v0JvB7l3jEqNfXx3_ytE9i5QkwSwY9VW3s8dfWnJQ7Qa4p86-QxsA19jhZzdBkha0V0RUq2e9RFb0OO1Rv7wWWvhgbZ3hxe_eHHwL_98WuBkIz5W1ezcOlUcKDDSaGRncPBDkQzhRM/s400/The+Gifts+of+Imperfection.jpg" width="266" /></a></div>
<ol>
<li><a href="https://ajreader.blogspot.com/2018/07/Final-Girls.html" target="_blank"><i>Final Girls </i>- Riley Sager</a></li>
<li><a href="https://ajreader.blogspot.com/2018/07/The-Silent-Wife.html" target="_blank"><i>The Silent Wife </i>- A. S. A. Harrison</a></li>
<li><a href="https://ajreader.blogspot.com/2018/07/Grace-for-the-Good-Girl.html" target="_blank"><i>Grace for the Good Girl </i>- Emily P. Freeman</a></li>
<li><a href="https://ajreader.blogspot.com/2018/07/A-Wind-in-the-Door.html" target="_blank"><i>A Wind in the Door </i>- Madeleine L'Engle</a></li>
<li><a href="https://ajreader.blogspot.com/2018/07/Grace-and-Grit.html" target="_blank"><i>Grace and Grit </i>- Lilly Ledbetter</a></li>
<li><a href="https://ajreader.blogspot.com/2018/07/Inspired.html" target="_blank"><i>Inspired </i>- Rachel Held Evans</a></li>
</ol>
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Books Read</h4>
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<ol>
<li><i>The 39 Clues: The Emperor's Code </i>- Gordon Korman</li>
<li><i>The 39 Clues: Storm Warning </i>- Linda Sue Park</li>
<li><i>Men Explain Things to Me </i>- Rebecca Solnit</li>
<li><i>The Smart One </i>- Jennifer Close</li>
<li><i>The 39 Clues: Into the Gauntlet - Margaret Peterson Haddix</i></li>
<li><i>Autumn </i>- Ali Smith</li>
<li><i>The Gifts of Imperfection </i>- Brené Brown</li>
<li><i>32 Yolks </i>- Eric Ripert</li>
<li><i>The Power </i>- Naomi Alderman</li>
</ol>
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<b>Pages Read</b>: 2,187</div>
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<b>Favorite Book Read: </b><i>The Gifts of Imperfection</i> by Brené Brown was great. I found it so relatable and practical. </div>
<h4>
<a href="https://ajreader.blogspot.com/2018/01/2018-Blog-Goals.html" style="text-align: justify;" target="_blank">2018 Goals</a><span style="text-align: justify;"> </span></h4>
</div>
One of my goals this year is to read 3 specific books each month:<br />
<ul>
<li><b>1 Faith-Centered or Philosophical Book </b><br />The Gifts of Imperfection - Brené Brown</li>
<li><b>1 Political of Issue-Driven Book</b><br />Men Explain Things to Me - Rebecca Solnit</li>
<li><b>1 Book Written by a Minority Author</b><br />Autumn - Ali Smith (LGBT)</li>
</ul>
<div>
I also am trying to work my way through my <b><a href="https://ajreader.blogspot.com/2018/01/2018-TBR-Challenge.html" target="_blank">TBR list</a></b>. My goal is to get from 350 books on the list to 200. That means lowering that number by 13 in some form or fashion every month. Here's how that went this month:</div>
<div>
<ul>
<li><b>Books Read: </b>6</li>
<li><b>Books Removed: </b>1</li>
<li><b>Books Added: </b>4</li>
<li><b>Total Count for the Month: </b>-3</li>
<li><b>Books Remaining on TBR: </b>259</li>
</ul>
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This is the first month that I've missed the goal on this. Honestly, I could take an hour and cull through the list, but I don't have time for that this week. I'm really happy about my progress thus far. I'm ahead of schedule over all and am honestly running out of books I want to remove without reading. Now I've just got to get down to actually reading things!</div>
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Elsewhere Online...</h4>
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I didn't bookmark anything this month.</div>
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I'm really looking forward to August. We're heading to Michigan today to spend time with my in-laws and attend my cousin's wedding. I have a couple work trips and a weekend planned in D.C. with my very best friends. Plus, my birthday is in August and I'm a big birthday person. I really went back and forth on signing up for OTSP Secret Sister again, but I love the program and so I did. I'm really excited about my new sister and can't wait to start sending her stuff. Plus, my work with Pantsuit Politics is going really, really well and bringing me so much joy. It's going to be a good month. </div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13695981141651000974noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4960074514488243322.post-15615058865637290212018-07-25T04:00:00.000-07:002018-07-25T04:00:08.891-07:00Inspired - Rachel Held Evans<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: justify;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4B-Wm225JKb_MzzXdDt1OthkKjVgjf5nZpihLBhznPdrlZWGu1fwmKaupZKdRXE-H9m4ogVu_RV3G8Mw3aeW4Oapvk89f4c185_3B2o-O6XST8BJheaUw4hN8bHLUhsSzI19nQkYjn9Q/s1600/Inspired.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="312" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4B-Wm225JKb_MzzXdDt1OthkKjVgjf5nZpihLBhznPdrlZWGu1fwmKaupZKdRXE-H9m4ogVu_RV3G8Mw3aeW4Oapvk89f4c185_3B2o-O6XST8BJheaUw4hN8bHLUhsSzI19nQkYjn9Q/s400/Inspired.jpg" width="262" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36576151-inspired?ac=1&from_search=true" target="_blank">Inspired</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b>Title: </b><i>Inspired: Slaying Giants, Walking on Water, and Loving the Bible Again</i></div>
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<b>Author:</b> Rachel Held Evans</div>
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<b>Publication Date:</b> 6/12/2018</div>
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<b>Pages:</b> 240</div>
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<b>Genre:</b> <a href="http://ajreader.blogspot.com/search/label/Faith" target="_blank">Faith</a> / <a href="http://ajreader.blogspot.com/search/label/Memoir" target="_blank">Memoir</a> / <a href="http://ajreader.blogspot.com/search/label/Nonfiction" target="_blank">Nonfiction</a></div>
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<b>How I Found It: </b>I'm a big fan of Evans's work</div>
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<b>Date Completed:</b> 6/23/18</div>
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<b>Summary: </b>Evans wrestles with some of the toughest passages of Scripture. She challenges traditional mindsets about the Bible. Above all, she expresses her deep love for this book and its message.</div>
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<b>What I Thought: </b>It's no secret that I'm a bit of a Rachel Held Evans fan-girl. When I met her at the Why Christian conference this past spring, it was all I could do to not invite her to dinner and to be my best friend. I realize how creepy that sounds, but I swear my intentions it's not. She's just one of those authors with whom I feel a strong, real connection. In so many ways, I feel as though she is a few steps ahead of me on a shared faith journey. Her books have been a balm to my soul and an encouragement in times of spiritual struggle. </div>
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When she announced that her fourth book would focus on Scripture, I was thrilled. Anyone who has ever actually read the Bible knows that it is complex and complicated and wonderful and fearful and often introduces more questions than it answers. </div>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
Evans does a beautiful job navigating that complexity. She writes both frankly and reverently. It's evident that her questions come from a place of deep love and connection to her faith, but also from a desire to be informed about the context in which each book of the Bible was written. Filling in the gaps of historical knowledge and literary understanding can drastically shift how we read familiar Bible stories. That information adds layers of depth and richness that speak so strongly of who God is and what He desires for humanity. </div>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
I'm always in awe of Evans's writing skill, but her reflections on the gospel were easily my favorite part of this book. I think she does her best writing on this subject, in part because it's so clearly close to her heart. Plus, the power of the gospel message is so inherently beautiful.</div>
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I think there is value in this book for any Christian, although I think some will have a harder time meeting Evans where she is at in her faith journey. To appreciate this book takes a willingness to engage Scripture with fresh eyes and humility. We have to be willing to step outside our boxes of culture or denominational upbringing and see God and His Word anew. In my mind, it's an exercise that never disappoints. </div>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b>Quotes I Loved:</b></div>
<ul>
<li style="text-align: justify;">"If you want to do violence in this world, you will always find the weapons. If you want to heal, you will always find the balm. With Scripture, we've been entrusted with some of the most powerful stories ever told. How we harness that power, whether for good or evil, oppression or liberation, changes everything."</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">"God save me from the day when stories of violence, rape, and ethnic cleansing inspire within me anything other than revulsion. I don't want to become a person who is unbothered by these texts, and if Jesus is who he says he is, then I don't think he wants me to be either. There are parts of the Bible that inspire, parts that perplex, and parts that leave you with an open wound. I'm still wrestling, and like Jacob, I will wrestle until I am blessed. God hasn't let go of me yet."</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">"I strained to conjure a single memory in which I 'came to Jesus.' From my first prayers at bedtime, to the picture books and songs that formed my early conceptions of the world, Jesus had always come to me."</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">"The kingdom of heaven...advances not through power and might, but through missions of mercy, kindness, and humility."</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">"Jesus didn't just 'come to die.' Jesus came to live - to teach, to heal, to tell stories, to protest, to turn over tables, to touch people who weren't supposed to be touched and eat with people who weren't supposed to be eaten with, to break bread, to pour wine, to wash feet, to face temptation, to tick off the authorities, to fulfill Scripture, to forgive, to announce the start of a brand-new kingdom, to show us what that kingdom is like, to show us what God is like, to love his enemies to the point of death at their hands, and to beat death by rising from the grave. Jesus did not simply die to save us from our sins; Jesus <i>lived </i>to save us from our sins. His life and teachings show us the way to liberation."</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">"[Jesus] was a man who loved a good feast and could spin a good tale."</li>
</ul>
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<b>Rating:</b> ★★★★★</div>
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<b>Will I Re-Read:</b> Definitely</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b>If You Liked This, Try: </b><i><a href="http://ajreader.blogspot.com/2016/05/Out-of-Sorts.html" target="_blank">Out of Sorts</a> </i>/ <i><a href="http://ajreader.blogspot.com/2018/04/Pastrix.html" target="_blank">Pastrix</a> </i>/ <i><a href="http://ajreader.blogspot.com/2017/09/A-Year-of-Living-Prayerfully.html" target="_blank">A Year of Living Prayerfully</a></i></div>
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<b>Other Books By Rachel Held Evans:</b> <i><a href="http://ajreader.blogspot.com/2013/06/a-year-of-biblical-womanhood-rachel.html" target="_blank">A Year of Biblical Womanhood</a> </i>/ <i><a href="http://ajreader.blogspot.com/2015/07/Searching-for-Sunday.html" target="_blank">Searching for Sunday</a></i></div>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b>A Reduced Review: </b>A beautiful homage to Scripture in all its complexity. Evans tackles some of the toughest passages of the Bible, but her love for the book is evident on every page. </div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13695981141651000974noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4960074514488243322.post-14552569213539289162018-07-17T04:00:00.000-07:002018-07-17T04:00:08.792-07:00Grace and Grit - Lilly Ledbetter<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: justify;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbSU3fP_aKCgUoJNzpvzQs4-oHNsq6mwBFOhZzc4wiekYESA_vQBNCV2qfm41dUhXjynr8i90pZ02Y9klXaTVtqbvfOyWObM5TXlQ3JVVs7AQWn3n6ZiyPPHkdxC49DZlT41MvmX-iCgI/s1600/Grace+and+Grit.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="315" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbSU3fP_aKCgUoJNzpvzQs4-oHNsq6mwBFOhZzc4wiekYESA_vQBNCV2qfm41dUhXjynr8i90pZ02Y9klXaTVtqbvfOyWObM5TXlQ3JVVs7AQWn3n6ZiyPPHkdxC49DZlT41MvmX-iCgI/s400/Grace+and+Grit.jpg" width="265" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13069045-grace-and-grit?ac=1&from_search=true" target="_blank">Grace and Grit</a></td></tr>
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<b>Title: </b><i>Grace and Grit: My Fight for Equal Pay and Fairness at Goodyear and Beyond</i></div>
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<b>Author:</b> Lilly Ledbetter</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b>Publication Date:</b> 2/28/2012</div>
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<b>Pages:</b> 288</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b>Genre:</b> <a href="http://ajreader.blogspot.com/search/label/Memoir" target="_blank">Memoir</a> / <a href="http://ajreader.blogspot.com/search/label/Political" target="_blank">Political</a> / <a href="http://ajreader.blogspot.com/search/label/Nonfiction" target="_blank">Nonfiction</a></div>
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<b>How I Found It: </b>I can't remember</div>
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<b>Date Completed:</b> 6/23/18</div>
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<b>Summary: </b>Ledbetter became a symbol for equal pay when she sued her long time employer, Goodyear. In this memoir, she shares her life story, including the epic legal battle that led to the Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 2009.</div>
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<b>What I Thought: </b>I honestly did not know much about Lilly Ledbetter before reading this book. I knew she had something to do with equal pay in this country and that's about it. It was so fun to read her whole story and see how she became an unlikely activist.</div>
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Ledbetter spends a lot of time talking about her early life and marriage which, while reading, feels more like a novel than a political memoir. However, I'm so glad she spent that time there; you really need the context of those years to understand just how incredible it was that Ledbetter became the symbol she is today. You would never have predicted her path when she was a poor child in rural Alabama. </div>
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When I think about the women of history upon whose shoulders I stand, Ledbetter is certainly one of them. The treatment she endured during her years in the Goodyear plant and other workplaces is astonishing to read about. My age, education, and professional field all make her story nearly unfathomable to me. Yet, other women are still having very similar experiences today. We need to hear their stories, as Ledbetter shared hers, if we ever hope to see true workplace equality. </div>
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You can tell from her story that Ledbetter was never someone to back down from a fight. She recognizes that this came at her family's expense over the years. Her reflections on her marriage are particularly touching, since she's transparent that it was not always a model one. </div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="clear: right; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; text-align: justify;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJAV9qdgjc199nZiFG8sNYPh0wwkelS4kKIgJQTUZQ2K3UWgoMu2eoZnzoNQmE-dVp9qgYA_Q9w-f1-mBVJWa5j4xshn1pn2C0v412HxZiPoV-DPJuyEADrYlVCOIj6FJBeng8juwmths/s1600/2018+TBR+Challenge.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="800" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJAV9qdgjc199nZiFG8sNYPh0wwkelS4kKIgJQTUZQ2K3UWgoMu2eoZnzoNQmE-dVp9qgYA_Q9w-f1-mBVJWa5j4xshn1pn2C0v412HxZiPoV-DPJuyEADrYlVCOIj6FJBeng8juwmths/s200/2018+TBR+Challenge.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">This book is part of my </span><b style="font-size: 12.8px;"><a href="https://ajreader.blogspot.com/2018/01/2018-TBR-Challenge.html" target="_blank">2018 TBR Challenge</a></b><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">!</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
While it's not the best written book ever (Ledbetter's talents clearly lie elsewhere and her publisher probably should have gotten her a better ghostwriter), it's a great memoir and, I believe, an important one for working professionals to read. </div>
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<b>Rating:</b> ★★★☆☆</div>
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<b>Will I Re-Read:</b> Probably not</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b>If You Liked This, Try: </b><i><a href="https://ajreader.blogspot.com/2017/06/Strangers-in-Their-Own-Land.html" target="_blank">Strangers in Their Own Land</a> </i>/ <i><a href="https://ajreader.blogspot.com/2018/01/Off-the-Sidelines.html" target="_blank">Off the Sidelines</a></i> / <i><a href="https://ajreader.blogspot.com/2018/02/Who-Thought-This-Was-a-Good-Idea.html" target="_blank">Who Thought This Was a Good Idea?</a></i></div>
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<b>A Reduced Review: </b>Though Ledbetter's skills are not particularly literary, her tenacity and talent shine through in her memoir. </div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13695981141651000974noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4960074514488243322.post-10565050315038207482018-07-12T04:00:00.000-07:002018-07-12T04:00:09.594-07:00A Wind in the Door - Madeleine L'Engle<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: justify;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRnVNqSFs-2HJKFWQ_Bl4pV49U5-nKPIz1ILJ_2nj1YOlhlnh7ggpafgI_N8d_uRvcQmUG3lnbOlAG17unJsI0HVBnCH8K63i-e0aDtuQnZeOug40JjhcRy5QLNTI_XY82sLBpW_c-hQ8/s1600/A+Wind+in+the+Door.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="472" data-original-width="318" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRnVNqSFs-2HJKFWQ_Bl4pV49U5-nKPIz1ILJ_2nj1YOlhlnh7ggpafgI_N8d_uRvcQmUG3lnbOlAG17unJsI0HVBnCH8K63i-e0aDtuQnZeOug40JjhcRy5QLNTI_XY82sLBpW_c-hQ8/s400/A+Wind+in+the+Door.jpg" width="268" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/865964.A_Wind_in_the_Door" target="_blank">A Wind in the Door</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<b>Title: </b><i>A Wind in the Door</i></div>
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<b>Author:</b> Madeleine L'Engle</div>
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<b>Publication Date:</b> 1973</div>
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<b>Pages:</b> 203</div>
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<b>Genre:</b> <a href="http://ajreader.blogspot.com/search/label/Children%27s%20Literature" style="text-align: justify;">Children's Literature</a><span style="text-align: justify;"> / </span><a href="http://ajreader.blogspot.com/search/label/Classic" target="_blank">Classic</a> / <a href="http://ajreader.blogspot.com/search/label/Fantasy" target="_blank">Fantasy</a> / <a href="http://ajreader.blogspot.com/search/label/Science%20Fiction" target="_blank">Science Fiction</a> / <a href="http://ajreader.blogspot.com/search/label/Fiction" target="_blank">Fiction</a></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b>How I Found It: </b>I read <i><a href="https://ajreader.blogspot.com/2017/06/A-Wrinkle-in-Time.html" target="_blank">A Wrinkle in Time </a></i></div>
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<b>Date Completed:</b> 6/23/18</div>
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<b>Summary: </b>The Murrys are at it again. This time, it's the fate of Charles Wallace, not their father, which hangs in the balance. Fantastical creatures, a fight against evil, and lots of character development. </div>
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<b>What I Thought: </b>I didn't know until a few years ago that <i><b><a href="https://ajreader.blogspot.com/2017/06/A-Wrinkle-in-Time.html" target="_blank">A Wrinkle in Time</a></b></i> had sequels. Upon rereading the classic in 2017, I knew I wanted to read the whole series. </div>
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I found <i>A Wind in the Door</i> to retain many of the qualities which make the first book so delightful. L'Engle mixes fantasy with science fiction. She brings her technical science down to an understandable level for the average reader. There are creatures of all sorts. There is an epic battle against nebulous evil forces. And there is loads of character development. </div>
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I did not think this book had quite the same charm as its predecessor. It's good, certainly, but it doesn't retain that same intangible magic. If the rest of the series follows in this vein, I understand why the first book made such an impact and the rest of the series is so little known. I think L'Engle just got a little too complex in this one...or something. I can't quite pinpoint it. The book is good and has lots of wonderful moments, but I didn't love it the same way I did <i>Wrinkle</i>. </div>
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<b>Quotes I Loved:</b></div>
<ul>
<li style="text-align: justify;">"If someone knows who he is, really knows, then he doesn’t need to hate."</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">"We don’t have to know everything at once. We just do one thing at a time, as it is given us to do."</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">"It is the nature of love to create. It is the nature of hate to destroy."</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">"We are the song of the universe. We sing with the angelic host. We are the musicians. The farae and the stars are the singers. Our song orders the rhythm of creation."</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">"I don’t know how many there are. It’s their names that matter."</li>
</ul>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="clear: right; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; text-align: justify;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJAV9qdgjc199nZiFG8sNYPh0wwkelS4kKIgJQTUZQ2K3UWgoMu2eoZnzoNQmE-dVp9qgYA_Q9w-f1-mBVJWa5j4xshn1pn2C0v412HxZiPoV-DPJuyEADrYlVCOIj6FJBeng8juwmths/s1600/2018+TBR+Challenge.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="800" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJAV9qdgjc199nZiFG8sNYPh0wwkelS4kKIgJQTUZQ2K3UWgoMu2eoZnzoNQmE-dVp9qgYA_Q9w-f1-mBVJWa5j4xshn1pn2C0v412HxZiPoV-DPJuyEADrYlVCOIj6FJBeng8juwmths/s200/2018+TBR+Challenge.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">This book is part of my </span><b style="font-size: 12.8px;"><a href="https://ajreader.blogspot.com/2018/01/2018-TBR-Challenge.html" target="_blank">2018 TBR Challenge</a></b><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">!</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<b>Rating:</b> ★★★☆☆</div>
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<b>Will I Re-Read:</b> Maybe</div>
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<b>If You Liked This, Try: </b><i><a href="https://ajreader.blogspot.com/2017/08/The-Search-for-Delicious.html" target="_blank">The Search for Delicious</a> </i>/ <i><a href="https://ajreader.blogspot.com/2017/05/The-Gammage-Cup.html" target="_blank">The Gammage Cup</a> </i>/ <i><a href="https://ajreader.blogspot.com/2015/07/The-Golden-Compass.html" target="_blank">The Golden Compass</a></i></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b>Other Books By Madeleine L'Engle:</b> <i><a href="https://ajreader.blogspot.com/2017/06/A-Wrinkle-in-Time.html" target="_blank">A Wrinkle in Time</a></i></div>
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<b>A Reduced Review: </b>While it doesn't pack the same punch as <i>A Wrinkle in Time</i>, it retains many of the same qualities which make L'Engle's work so classic.</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13695981141651000974noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4960074514488243322.post-77407228591949081622018-07-10T04:00:00.000-07:002018-07-10T04:00:08.097-07:00Grace for the Good Girl - Emily P. Freeman<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: justify;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgftTig0lxZkWzxJs0Vzynq0fZSeauszDGYDjykv9XKClRGbcpyLsB7dTBDOihWhcd26HbBCjeVWeNtpcWhpYpI9X0V7G8JzNrsJEZD7o3NcAeEOnztcKBLG3meMMD5nSaBVT6DBUMeFl4/s1600/Grace+for+the+Good+Girl.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="307" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgftTig0lxZkWzxJs0Vzynq0fZSeauszDGYDjykv9XKClRGbcpyLsB7dTBDOihWhcd26HbBCjeVWeNtpcWhpYpI9X0V7G8JzNrsJEZD7o3NcAeEOnztcKBLG3meMMD5nSaBVT6DBUMeFl4/s400/Grace+for+the+Good+Girl.jpg" width="257" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18907628-grace-for-the-good-girl" target="_blank">Grace for the Good Girl</a></td></tr>
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<b>Title: </b><i>Grace for the Good Girl: Letting Go of the Try-Hard Life</i></div>
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<b>Author:</b> Emily P. Freeman</div>
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<b>Publication Date:</b> 2011</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b>Pages:</b> 257</div>
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<b>Genre:</b> <a href="http://ajreader.blogspot.com/search/label/Faith" target="_blank">Faith</a> / <a href="http://ajreader.blogspot.com/search/label/Nonfiction" target="_blank">Nonfiction</a></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b>How I Found It: </b>I think Sarah on <a href="http://pantsuitpoliticsshow.com/" target="_blank">Pantsuit Politics</a> mentioned it.</div>
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<b>Date Completed:</b> 6/22/18</div>
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<b>Summary: </b>The pressure for a woman to be "good" can be debilitating, particularly in faith communities. Freeman addresses the heavy expectations and how freeing life is when you step out from under them.</div>
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<b>What I Thought: </b>I enjoyed this both more and less than I thought I would. I know that's a contradiction. Let me try to explain.</div>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
I'll start with the more. I've read a lot of books like this in my life. Not on this topic in particular, but a variety of subjects. As a teenager, I spent a lot of time in Lifeway stores. I was submersed in a culture that really celebrated and encouraged this type of writing. Since that time, my faith journey has been winding and I do not find much joy in cliché Christian culture. I haven't been in a Christian bookstore in years and am 110% cool with that. So, coming into this book, I felt some apprehension. I wanted to hear Freeman's message because I was pretty sure it would apply to me (spoiler: it did), but I was worried it would be all fluff I've heard before. I mean, even the cover looks like it came directly off the Christian-ese assembly line. </div>
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Thankfully, I was (mostly) wrong. Maybe it's just that Freeman's message really applied to me <i>so, so much</i>. I knew I was on the same page as Freeman when she self-described like this:</div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: merriweather; font-size: 16px;">"Even though I admit to occasionally bringing candy into the movie theater, I am always worried that the ticket person will search my bags and throw me out for smuggling in a bottle of water and two Peppermint Patties."</span></blockquote>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
I could relate intensely to her story and the pressures of being the "good girl." I've modeled that role in so many ways throughout my life and it gets exhausting. To have someone speak into your life - even through the written word - and say it's ok to let that go, that you can rest in Jesus....that's freeing. Even though there wasn't anything particularly new for me in this book, it felt good to be reminded. </div>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
The "I liked it less than I thought I would part" was the writing. I guess "less" isn't the right word. I should not have expected great writing. I've been spoiled on <b><a href="https://ajreader.blogspot.com/2015/07/Searching-for-Sunday.html" target="_blank">Rachel Held Evans</a></b> and <b><a href="https://ajreader.blogspot.com/2016/05/Out-of-Sorts.html" target="_blank">Sarah Bessey</a></b> and others writing about their faith in such lyrical prose. Freeman is not a <i>bad </i>writer, but she jumps around a <i>lot</i>. She starts a lot of thoughts and doesn't dwell on them long enough to really let them resonate and sink in. She's always moving quickly from a thought to a story to a new idea. I would say she needed a better editor, not better content. </div>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
This book was a nice reminder to me that the pressures I put on myself are exactly that: self-imposed. I don't have to live up to the expectations of others. I only need to seek my identity and worth in one person and that Person loves me regardless. </div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; text-align: justify;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJAV9qdgjc199nZiFG8sNYPh0wwkelS4kKIgJQTUZQ2K3UWgoMu2eoZnzoNQmE-dVp9qgYA_Q9w-f1-mBVJWa5j4xshn1pn2C0v412HxZiPoV-DPJuyEADrYlVCOIj6FJBeng8juwmths/s1600/2018+TBR+Challenge.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="800" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJAV9qdgjc199nZiFG8sNYPh0wwkelS4kKIgJQTUZQ2K3UWgoMu2eoZnzoNQmE-dVp9qgYA_Q9w-f1-mBVJWa5j4xshn1pn2C0v412HxZiPoV-DPJuyEADrYlVCOIj6FJBeng8juwmths/s200/2018+TBR+Challenge.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">This book is part of my </span><b style="font-size: 12.8px;"><a href="https://ajreader.blogspot.com/2018/01/2018-TBR-Challenge.html" target="_blank">2018 TBR Challenge</a></b><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">!</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b>Quotes I Loved:</b></div>
<ul>
<li style="text-align: justify;">"The best part of hiding is being found."</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">"Good girls aren't needy, they are needed."</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">"I see myself as irreplaceable when I think that the work won’t get done unless I do it. Instead of looking to him to provide what is needed, Martha rolled up her sleeves and took on responsibility for things that may never have been meant for her."</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">"When you are a good girl who finds your identity in your performance, then mistakes mean punishment."</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">"I can’t remember a time when I didn’t feel responsible. I was responsible to be right. I was responsible to look good. I was responsible to have it all together. I was responsible for being responsible."</li>
</ul>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b>Rating:</b> ★★★☆☆</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b>Will I Re-Read:</b> I doubt it.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b>If You Liked This, Try: </b><i><a href="https://ajreader.blogspot.com/2018/05/Of-Mess-and-Moxie.html" target="_blank">Of Mess and Moxie</a> </i>/ <i><a href="https://ajreader.blogspot.com/2017/11/One-Thousand-Gifts.html" target="_blank">One Thousand Gifts</a> </i>/ <i><a href="https://ajreader.blogspot.com/2017/07/Bittersweet.html" target="_blank">Bittersweet</a></i></div>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b>A Reduced Review: </b>A great reminder that the pressure to be perfect is often self-imposed and not an accurate indicator of our worth. </div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13695981141651000974noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4960074514488243322.post-79281879372219243632018-07-06T04:00:00.000-07:002018-07-06T04:00:14.988-07:00The Silent Wife - A. S. A. Harrison<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: justify;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibk1QuJJC_kS2OUyDMxfnsp70Y9jFzDrgpW5yTZMq0WLmdhBwZ9kuIH_Kmn4pWdd-eL8lFSt5FceTLrRHie75jVu_IUtSZ6Fp6nqTWEttUemfGzvuOMW4TfVADOSk7JKtC8Uy41Xi0jek/s1600/Silent+Wife.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="261" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibk1QuJJC_kS2OUyDMxfnsp70Y9jFzDrgpW5yTZMq0WLmdhBwZ9kuIH_Kmn4pWdd-eL8lFSt5FceTLrRHie75jVu_IUtSZ6Fp6nqTWEttUemfGzvuOMW4TfVADOSk7JKtC8Uy41Xi0jek/s400/Silent+Wife.jpg" width="260" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16171291-the-silent-wife?ac=1&from_search=true" target="_blank">The Silent Wife</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b>Title: </b><i>The Silent Wife</i></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b>Author:</b> A. S. A. Harrison</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b>Publication Date:</b> 2013</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b>Pages:</b> 326</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b>Genre:</b> <a href="http://ajreader.blogspot.com/search/label/Thriller" target="_blank">Thriller</a> / <a href="http://ajreader.blogspot.com/search/label/Fiction" target="_blank">Fiction</a></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b>How I Found It: </b>Some friends recommended it.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b>Date Completed:</b> 6/9/18</div>
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<b>Summary: </b>Jodi and Todd have a picture-perfect marriage that has been emotionally dead for a long time. A series of choices they make lead to a dramatic end to their relationship and Todd's life.</div>
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<b>What I Thought: </b>Some very dear friends of ours recommended this book to me and even graciously loaned me their copy. They talked it up, so my expectations were high when I packed it in my suitcase for Italy. </div>
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I read almost the entire book during our endless layover in LaGuardia airport. If you've ever been to LaGuardia, you know how desperately anyone in that place needs an escape. Easily the worst airport I've ever been in. </div>
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Unfortunately, this book was not as gripping as I had hoped. I found Jodi's character to be cold and flat. The character is obviously meant to portray the cool collection of having everything together, but to have that carry into her inner left was disconcerting. She didn't feel emotionally engaged in her actions and so I didn't feel emotionally engaged with her story. </div>
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The chapters alternate between Jodi's and Todd's perspectives until Todd meets his untimely end. I found Todd's chapters more compelling, but my gosh is he an awful person. His character is so deeply selfish and irresponsible. I found him to be a textbook case of "man child." So, while I didn't feel connected to Jodi and as thought I wanted to side with her, I also didn't feel any particular sympathy for Todd's character either. That's not a good recipe in a book crafted to pull you back and forth between two characters.</div>
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Ultimately, I think Harrison's writing style just isn't the right fit for me. A story that could've been infused with so much drama and emotion felt flat and clinical. But, obviously our friends really enjoyed it, so take my opinion with a grain of salt. </div>
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<b>Rating:</b> ★★☆☆☆</div>
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<b>Will I Re-Read:</b> Probably not</div>
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<b>If You Liked This, Try: </b><i><a href="https://ajreader.blogspot.com/2017/10/The-Widow.html" target="_blank">The Widow</a> </i>/ <i><a href="https://ajreader.blogspot.com/2017/11/The-Kind-Worth-Killing.html" target="_blank">The Kind Worth Killing</a> </i>/ <i><a href="https://ajreader.blogspot.com/2017/11/Big-Little-Lies.html" target="_blank">Big Little Lies</a></i></div>
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<b>A Reduced Review: </b>I found the lead character so cold and flat that I had a hard time connecting with this book at all. </div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13695981141651000974noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4960074514488243322.post-23164884178194740552018-07-04T04:00:00.000-07:002018-07-04T04:00:07.962-07:00Final Girls - Riley Sager<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: justify;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEoftmrAHWwmv_7lICcupbafcxiJnppMqFDHZ3BeichrzeEWz2MFmEqZqi0rUUmLqwqqP8gyTDjSShabgZAkCthDr_4pMR5Sg4m4lFVkHEf4-ZpxN9Dowojp6e6Tbbra24XaBkda4mRWQ/s1600/Final+Girls.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="315" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEoftmrAHWwmv_7lICcupbafcxiJnppMqFDHZ3BeichrzeEWz2MFmEqZqi0rUUmLqwqqP8gyTDjSShabgZAkCthDr_4pMR5Sg4m4lFVkHEf4-ZpxN9Dowojp6e6Tbbra24XaBkda4mRWQ/s400/Final+Girls.jpg" width="265" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/32796253-final-girls?ac=1&from_search=true" target="_blank">Final Girls</a></td></tr>
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<b>Title: </b><i>Final Girls</i></div>
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<b>Author:</b> Riley Sager</div>
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<b>Publication Date:</b> 7/11/2017</div>
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<b>Pages:</b> 342</div>
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<b>Genre:</b> <a href="http://ajreader.blogspot.com/search/label/Thriller" target="_blank">Thriller</a> / <a href="http://ajreader.blogspot.com/search/label/Fiction" target="_blank">Fiction</a></div>
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<b>How I Found It: </b>I can't remember, but I think another blogger talked about it last year.</div>
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<b>Date Completed:</b> 6/9/18</div>
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<b>Summary: </b>Years after being the sole survivor of a brutal mass murder, Quincy Carpenter is still trying to cope with the emotional and social pressures that come with that position. Being in the "Final Girls" club is not a membership she ever wanted. But, when one of her fellow "Final Girls" dies suddenly, she's forced to confront her past head on. </div>
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<b>What I Thought: </b>If you've been following the blog in the last year, you know I've been on a hunt for a really good thriller. I read a bunch of them while we were on vacation at the start of June, including this one. </div>
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Kevin passed on this one because he said it looked less like a thriller and more like a horror novel from the marketing blurb. I had that fear as well; after reading the book, I would say Sager rides the line between the two. There are flashbacks to Quincy's nightmarish experience in college that slowly fill in the pieces of her memory and the plot. Even in those flashbacks, though, there isn't too much graphic gore until closer to the end. Overall, there are more violent descriptions than most psychological thrillers, put I wouldn't push this all the way into the horror genre because most of the book doesn't center on those scenes. </div>
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I thought this was a pretty decent thriller. I didn't see the big twist coming, an experience I already appreciate. My biggest complaint was that I didn't really like the character of Quincy that much. She's not terrible, but I struggled with some of her actions and motivations thereof. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJAV9qdgjc199nZiFG8sNYPh0wwkelS4kKIgJQTUZQ2K3UWgoMu2eoZnzoNQmE-dVp9qgYA_Q9w-f1-mBVJWa5j4xshn1pn2C0v412HxZiPoV-DPJuyEADrYlVCOIj6FJBeng8juwmths/s1600/2018+TBR+Challenge.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="800" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJAV9qdgjc199nZiFG8sNYPh0wwkelS4kKIgJQTUZQ2K3UWgoMu2eoZnzoNQmE-dVp9qgYA_Q9w-f1-mBVJWa5j4xshn1pn2C0v412HxZiPoV-DPJuyEADrYlVCOIj6FJBeng8juwmths/s200/2018+TBR+Challenge.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">This book is part of my </span><b style="font-size: 12.8px;"><a href="https://ajreader.blogspot.com/2018/01/2018-TBR-Challenge.html" target="_blank">2018 TBR Challenge</a></b><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">!</span></td></tr>
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Overall, it's a quick read and not a bad one. If you don't like descriptions of violence or if you steer clear of the horror genre entirely, then this probably isn't for you. If you want a purely psychological thriller, this probably isn't for you. If you're happy riding the line, then I think this could be a great option for a summer, poolside read. </div>
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<b>Rating:</b> ★★★☆☆</div>
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<b>Will I Re-Read:</b> Nope.</div>
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<b>If You Liked This, Try: </b><i><a href="https://ajreader.blogspot.com/2017/11/The-Kind-Worth-Killing.html" target="_blank">The Kind Worth Killing</a> </i>/ <i><a href="https://ajreader.blogspot.com/2017/12/Fierce-Kingdom.html" target="_blank">Fierce Kingdom</a> </i>/ <i><a href="https://ajreader.blogspot.com/2018/06/Good-as-Gone.html" target="_blank">Good as Gone</a></i></div>
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<b>A Reduced Review: </b>A fast-moving, interesting thriller with a relatively unique premise. </div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13695981141651000974noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4960074514488243322.post-48896173283875270362018-07-02T04:00:00.000-07:002018-07-02T04:00:07.654-07:00June 2018 Chapter<div style="text-align: justify;">
<i>Welcome to the Read.Write.Repeat. monthly wrap-up. Every month, I give a quick overview of what books I read, the</i><i> progress made on my reading goals, a few book-related links, and general blog news. </i><br />
<h4>
June News </h4>
I feel like I start every monthly recap this year by describing how busy we are. If you're tired of the repetitive nature, I apologize. We really are just that busy, though.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvqwZhmhJwCVCBPQc6C6VPsvL_ymuQS-Qo6OKth7N0TdASq_Akc18kyiVGStlsx6BFRUXXw2rgNWK1VwHpSrleMTwEcrR8A6V6kFCaQTfkc_KacnWiiaA4Oqzaq8uL2cZSlvGyvS5Ogp4/s1600/Monthly+Update.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvqwZhmhJwCVCBPQc6C6VPsvL_ymuQS-Qo6OKth7N0TdASq_Akc18kyiVGStlsx6BFRUXXw2rgNWK1VwHpSrleMTwEcrR8A6V6kFCaQTfkc_KacnWiiaA4Oqzaq8uL2cZSlvGyvS5Ogp4/s320/Monthly+Update.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
June has been no exception. As you know, we traveling to Italy for the first two weeks of the month and that was delightful. Then, four days after our return, I started my new full time job. I've done three full weeks now and it's going really well. I feel as though I'm finally doing "real" work and not just observing/training. I still am confident that it's going to be a good fit. I'll be traveling for this job a decent amount and I already have my first two trips booked: a conference in Williamsburg, VA later in July and a visit to Knoxville, TN in late August. While both of those will be car trips, I am optimistic that I'll do a lot of flying in this job and, therefore, have lots of reading time.<br />
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Being back in a 40-hour office job has been good, but exhausting. I cannot describe to you how very tired I am on so many levels. I'm a little concerned that I will be out of town for five out of the next six weekends (for a variety of reasons) and so will not have weekend recouping time. That's been invaluable these past few weeks as I've adjusted to the new schedule. I'll make it work, though; I'm sure.<br />
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I did get in a lot of reading this month and it feels so good to be finding my rhythm again. I've been totally slashing my TBR and not finishing books right and left. Not finishing books (after starting them) is something I've basically never done. In the past, I've been a strong proponent of just pushing through to the end. These days, however, my reading time is precious and I am just not interested in wasting it on something I'm not enjoying.<br />
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Books Reviewed</h4>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrr-chm86HmD-3pSnvoZfcq42lL7zKcqu414PDNBZD_QEo_RwZ7vWGFv619hwy6MhmMmAwhAHImeSPgF9BT99YMknqfA1hyZo2JsjBf8s_6O5tbbKr6XOsDZAYje5iVminH1eYhWkDqlo/s1600/I%2527m+Still+Here.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="315" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrr-chm86HmD-3pSnvoZfcq42lL7zKcqu414PDNBZD_QEo_RwZ7vWGFv619hwy6MhmMmAwhAHImeSPgF9BT99YMknqfA1hyZo2JsjBf8s_6O5tbbKr6XOsDZAYje5iVminH1eYhWkDqlo/s400/I%2527m+Still+Here.jpg" width="265" /></a>
<li><a href="https://ajreader.blogspot.com/2018/06/Unbelievable.html" target="_blank"><i>Unbelievable </i>- Katy Tur</a></li>
<li><a href="https://ajreader.blogspot.com/2018/06/Cooking-for-Jeffrey.html" target="_blank"><i>Cooking for Jeffrey </i>- Ina Garten</a></li>
<li><a href="https://ajreader.blogspot.com/2018/06/Good-as-Gone.html" target="_blank"><i>Good as Gone </i>- Amy Gentry</a></li>
<li><a href="https://ajreader.blogspot.com/2018/06/I-Thought-It-Was-Just-Me.html" target="_blank"><i>I Thought It Was Just Me </i>- Brené Brown</a></li>
<li><a href="https://ajreader.blogspot.com/2018/06/Sourdough.html" target="_blank"><i>Sourdough </i>- Robin Sloan</a></li>
<li><a href="https://ajreader.blogspot.com/2018/06/Im-Still-Here.html" target="_blank"><i>I'm Still Here </i>- Austin Channing Brown</a></li>
<li><a href="https://ajreader.blogspot.com/2018/06/Bitter-Greens.html" target="_blank"><i>Bitter Greens </i>- Kate Forsyth</a></li>
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Books Read</h4>
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<li><a href="https://ajreader.blogspot.com/2018/06/Im-Still-Here.html" target="_blank"><i>I'm Still Here </i>- Austin Channing Brown</a></li>
<li><a href="https://ajreader.blogspot.com/2018/06/Bitter-Greens.html" target="_blank"><i>Bitter Greens </i>- Kate Forsyth</a></li>
<li><i>Final Girls </i>- Riley Sager</li>
<li><i>The Silent Wife </i>- A. S. A. Harrison</li>
<li><i>Grace for the Good Girl </i>- Emily P. Freeman</li>
<li><i>A Wind in the Door </i>- Madeleine L'Engle</li>
<li><i>Grace and Grit </i>- Lilly Ledbetter</li>
<li><i>Inspired </i>- Rachel Held Evans</li>
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<b>Pages Read</b>: 2,344</div>
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<b>Favorite Book Read: </b>I loved <i>Inspired</i>, but <i><a href="https://ajreader.blogspot.com/2018/06/Im-Still-Here.html" target="_blank">I'm Still Here</a> </i>was just. so. good. I have to give it top honors for the month. </div>
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<a href="https://ajreader.blogspot.com/2018/01/2018-Blog-Goals.html" style="text-align: justify;" target="_blank">2018 Goals</a><span style="text-align: justify;"> </span></h4>
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One of my goals this year is to read 3 specific books each month:<br />
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<li><b>1 Faith-Centered or Philosophical Book </b><br />Grace for the Good Girl - Emily P. Freeman<br />Inspired - Rachel Held Evans</li>
<li><b>1 Political of Issue-Driven Book</b><br />Grace and Grit - Lilly Ledbetter</li>
<li><b>1 Book Written by a Minority Author</b><br /><a href="https://ajreader.blogspot.com/2018/06/Im-Still-Here.html" target="_blank">I'm Still Here</a> - Austin Channing Brown</li>
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I also am trying to work my way through my <b><a href="https://ajreader.blogspot.com/2018/01/2018-TBR-Challenge.html" target="_blank">TBR list</a></b>. My goal is to get from 350 books on the list to 200. That means lowering that number by 13 in some form or fashion every month. Here's how that went this month:</div>
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<li><b>Books Read: </b>5</li>
<li><b>Books Removed: </b>13</li>
<li><b>Books Added: </b>5</li>
<li><b>Total Count for the Month: </b>-13</li>
<li><b>Books Remaining on TBR: </b>261</li>
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Elsewhere Online...</h4>
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Beth Moore is on fire lately. On Twitter and in <a href="https://blog.lproof.org/2018/05/a-letter-to-my-brothers.html" target="_blank">this open letter</a> she wrote to evangelical men.</div>
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As much as I'd love to be out in my hammock right now reading, it is crazy hot here. July in North Carolina is like a sauna, so I'm typing away indoors and thanking God we have working AC. </div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13695981141651000974noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4960074514488243322.post-38893637053021703812018-06-28T04:00:00.000-07:002018-06-28T04:00:09.327-07:00Bitter Greens - Kate Forsyth<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: justify;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihpFgm1wXcebzRvMevCiI8UZrFMMOsIkx81g5CD5aJA8TqfZgVUiOrNb_o76zCz2Ltb-v59D5en52EPXkiEWVGScsHUjoftpxrfezKG7KQWGIyQ8tyNRygH7uYWABMXkLA6mH9EEJxcQA/s1600/Bitter+Greens.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="311" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihpFgm1wXcebzRvMevCiI8UZrFMMOsIkx81g5CD5aJA8TqfZgVUiOrNb_o76zCz2Ltb-v59D5en52EPXkiEWVGScsHUjoftpxrfezKG7KQWGIyQ8tyNRygH7uYWABMXkLA6mH9EEJxcQA/s400/Bitter+Greens.jpg" width="261" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/19286545-bitter-greens?ac=1&from_search=true" target="_blank">Bitter Greens</a></td></tr>
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<b>Title: </b><i>Bitter Greens</i></div>
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<b>Author:</b> Kate Forsyth</div>
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<b>Publication Date:</b> 9/23/14</div>
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<b>Pages:</b> 496</div>
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<b>Genre:</b> <a href="http://ajreader.blogspot.com/search/label/Fantasy" target="_blank">Fantasy</a> / <a href="http://ajreader.blogspot.com/search/label/Historical" target="_blank">Historical</a> / <a href="http://ajreader.blogspot.com/search/label/Fiction" target="_blank">Fiction</a></div>
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<b>How I Found It: </b>I can't remember.</div>
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<b>Date Completed:</b> 6/2/18</div>
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<b>Summary: </b>A retelling of Rapunzel, with two quasi-related plots woven in as well. </div>
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<b>What I Thought: </b>I've had this book on my TBR list for a very, very long time. I've known it was a retelling of Rapunzel, but not much more than that. It ended up being much more detailed and involved than I expected.</div>
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Forsyth weaves together the stories of three women across decades of Italian and French history. It takes a while to understand their connection to each other. Admittedly, this grated on me a bit in the beginning. Even though I knew Forsyth would likely bring them together in the end - and she did - I struggled to build connection with three separate sets of characters and plot lines. </div>
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The book is also a lot longer than I expected. Because I was reading a digital version, it wasn't until about a third of the way through that I really looked at the length. It clocks in at nearly 500 pages and it felt it to me. Not in a bad way, necessarily, but having three full stories in one book does feel long. It wasn't until the last 100 pages or so that the stories started to really coalesce and the pace picked up. </div>
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I did enjoy the book. I appreciate when authors doing a retelling of a fairy tale add so much depth and substance to it. While I think Forsyth maybe did a little <i>too</i> much backstory, I appreciate that she didn't shirk on details or character building. I also really enjoyed how she brought real history into the story. Not so much that I get annoyed at historical inaccuracy (which you know I often do!), but enough to keep the story tied to historical reality. </div>
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I can think of so many different types of readers who would enjoy this book. Historical fiction, fairy tale, strong, complex female protagonists...it hits so many markers. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJAV9qdgjc199nZiFG8sNYPh0wwkelS4kKIgJQTUZQ2K3UWgoMu2eoZnzoNQmE-dVp9qgYA_Q9w-f1-mBVJWa5j4xshn1pn2C0v412HxZiPoV-DPJuyEADrYlVCOIj6FJBeng8juwmths/s1600/2018+TBR+Challenge.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="800" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJAV9qdgjc199nZiFG8sNYPh0wwkelS4kKIgJQTUZQ2K3UWgoMu2eoZnzoNQmE-dVp9qgYA_Q9w-f1-mBVJWa5j4xshn1pn2C0v412HxZiPoV-DPJuyEADrYlVCOIj6FJBeng8juwmths/s200/2018+TBR+Challenge.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">This book is part of my </span><b style="font-size: 12.8px;"><a href="https://ajreader.blogspot.com/2018/01/2018-TBR-Challenge.html" target="_blank">2018 TBR Challenge</a></b><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">!</span></td></tr>
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<b>Rating:</b> ★★★☆☆</div>
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<b>Will I Re-Read:</b> Probably not.</div>
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<b>If You Liked This, Try: </b><i><a href="https://ajreader.blogspot.com/2016/04/The-Woodcutter.html" target="_blank">The Woodcutter</a> </i>/ <i><a href="https://ajreader.blogspot.com/2017/09/Hold-Me-Like-a-Breath.html" target="_blank">Hold Me Like A Breath</a> </i>/ <i><a href="https://ajreader.blogspot.com/2015/06/Boy-Snow-Bird.html" target="_blank">Boy, Snow, Bird</a></i></div>
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<b>A Reduced Review: </b>Wonderful historical fiction with the magic of fairy tale retelling woven in as well. </div>
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Alisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08782778978854499305noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4960074514488243322.post-60194551624356363152018-06-26T04:00:00.000-07:002018-06-26T04:00:10.330-07:00I'm Still Here - Austin Channing Brown<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: justify;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAxZQq8J0rtzHfIGQnZ-VmrzJTyHCTI2wd36lUF3B8WUlWpcUWsQUu8vLqAFd8xqZTvbCHZGl28fkMOVQwEsutOBnfdKvMuY-dgh8MGIQz4dSyKehxkfC_UsCFck8E7lgfj253Ilk0Zk0/s1600/I%2527m+Still+Here.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="315" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAxZQq8J0rtzHfIGQnZ-VmrzJTyHCTI2wd36lUF3B8WUlWpcUWsQUu8vLqAFd8xqZTvbCHZGl28fkMOVQwEsutOBnfdKvMuY-dgh8MGIQz4dSyKehxkfC_UsCFck8E7lgfj253Ilk0Zk0/s400/I%2527m+Still+Here.jpg" width="265" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35883430-i-m-still-here?ac=1&from_search=true#" target="_blank">I'm Still Here</a></td></tr>
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<b>Title: </b><i>I'm Still Here: Black Dignity in a World Made for Whiteness</i></div>
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<b>Author:</b> Austin Channing Brown</div>
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<b>Publication Date:</b> 5/5/2018</div>
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<b>Pages:</b> 192</div>
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<b>Genre:</b> <a href="http://ajreader.blogspot.com/search/label/Faith" target="_blank">Faith</a> / <a href="http://ajreader.blogspot.com/search/label/Memoir" target="_blank">Memoir</a> / <a href="http://ajreader.blogspot.com/search/label/Political" target="_blank">Political</a> / <a href="http://ajreader.blogspot.com/search/label/Nonfiction" target="_blank">Nonfiction</a></div>
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<b>How I Found It: </b>I was given an advance copy at the Why Christian conference.</div>
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<b>Date Completed:</b> 6/1/18</div>
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<b>Summary: </b>Brown reflects on life as a Black woman in modern America and how the undercurrent of racism persists in our country.</div>
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<b>What I Thought: </b>In my welcome bag for the Why Christian conference back in the spring, hiding among the general conference detritus, was a galley of this book. They gave a galley to every person at the conference. Talk about a marketing push. Being the voracious reader I am, I'm always thrilled to be handed a free book.</div>
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The next day, when Brown spoke at the conference, I went from being generically excited about a book to being very excited about <i>this </i>book. Brown spoke with grace and humor, but also with truth and a loving ferocity. I am sure it was not the most comfortable thing to speak about race to a room full of mostly white people in North Carolina, but she did and it was awesome. The book is an extension of that conversation. </div>
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Brown is clear that her primary audience for this book is Black women. If you are not a Black woman, don't let that scare you away from reading it. This book is for everyone. It's not going to be the most comfortable read; Brown doesn't hesitate to call out racism, injustice, or the quotidian discrimination we often brush aside with a laugh or a shrug. </div>
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Between current events and my intentional effort to read authors who do not look like me or experience the world in the way I do, I am slowly, slowly opening my eyes to my own prejudices. We all have them, yet we rarely confront them in ourselves. After all, doing so is hard and requires admitting not just imperfection but sinful hearts more vulnerable to hateful cultural messaging than we could have ever imagined. This book was an important part of that process for me. Honestly, I had never really imagined what it is like for a Black woman in my working world. I interact with them; my new office-mate is one. And, yet, I had never considered that their moment-by-moment existence in our professional lives was so different from mine. I should have; I see the ways I'm treated differently as a woman. Of course there is also a difference because of color; I've just been blind to it. </div>
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Brown doesn't offer a specific pathway to correction. She recognizes that everyone's position and abilities will equip them to fight racist constructs and discrimination in different ways. One takeaway for me is to do a better job elevating Black voices, particularly within the professional context. I need to be a better listener and a champion of equality, even in the smallest of ways. </div>
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In the midst of all the wisdom, this book is also a fun read. My sense from spending an hour listening to her at the conference is that Brown is a genuinely fun person to be around (not that her personality should matter, but it does shine through in the book). She's passionate and smart and I predict she will be an important voice in this cultural conversation for years to come. I'm not the only one to think so, either. Three of the most prominent quasi-evangelical female leaders had <a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1bGRZuH26LbYrhRl9yk3c8YU1TCWnjTZN/view" target="_blank">a great conversation about this book that you should totally check out</a>. Glennon Doyle, <a href="https://ajreader.blogspot.com/2018/04/Pastrix.html" target="_blank">Nadia Bolz-Weber</a>, and <a href="https://ajreader.blogspot.com/2018/05/Of-Mess-and-Moxie.html" target="_blank">Jen Hatmaker</a> have nothing but wonderful things to say about the book, which should say something to you. </div>
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This is a quick read, though not always an easy one. You could get through it in a weekend, if not an afternoon. I exhort you to pick it up. Regardless of your race, gender, or social class, Brown has something here that you should hear. My guess is that after you read it, you'll be telling others the same. </div>
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<b>Quotes I Loved:</b></div>
<ul>
<li style="text-align: justify;">"When you believe niceness disproves the presence of racism, it's easy to start believing bigotry is rare, and that the label <i>racist</i> should be applied only to mean-spirited, intentional acts of discrimination."</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">"Sadly, most white people are more worried about being called racist than about whether or not their actions are in fact racist or harmful."</li>
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<b>Rating:</b> ★★★★☆</div>
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<b>Will I Re-Read:</b> Yeah, I will</div>
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<b>If You Liked This, Try: </b><i><a href="https://ajreader.blogspot.com/2018/03/Sister-Citizen.html" target="_blank">Sister Citizen</a> </i>/ <i><a href="https://ajreader.blogspot.com/2017/10/the-New-Jim-Crow.html" target="_blank">The New Jim Crow</a> </i>/ <i><a href="http://ajreader.blogspot.com/2013/06/a-year-of-biblical-womanhood-rachel.html" target="_blank">A Year of Biblical Womanhood</a></i></div>
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<b>A Reduced Review: </b>Powerful, thoughtful, honest, and raw. While not always the most comfortable read for a white reader, it's an important one. </div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13695981141651000974noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4960074514488243322.post-85956155436266322842018-06-21T04:00:00.000-07:002018-06-21T04:00:00.134-07:00Sourdough - Robin Sloan<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: justify;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQI2VY6RHHyy5iszp3TjXQaoRpAWuhpYuVGUzNQkWpBfOqLco1QpBdQpid2NbpBoQlddK7Phz3xxzQG762bpcRca53ZWb_dGuo0klbZdoKvoqlF0GRuuJ9LB9eAENoaMsGwY-s0XDH4Ao/s1600/Sourdough.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="317" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQI2VY6RHHyy5iszp3TjXQaoRpAWuhpYuVGUzNQkWpBfOqLco1QpBdQpid2NbpBoQlddK7Phz3xxzQG762bpcRca53ZWb_dGuo0klbZdoKvoqlF0GRuuJ9LB9eAENoaMsGwY-s0XDH4Ao/s400/Sourdough.jpg" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/33916024-sourdough?ac=1&from_search=true" target="_blank">Sourdough</a></td></tr>
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<b>Title: </b><i>Sourdough</i></div>
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<b>Author:</b> Robin Sloan</div>
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<b>Publication Date:</b> 9/5/2017</div>
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<b>Pages:</b> 262</div>
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<b>Genre:</b> <a href="http://ajreader.blogspot.com/search/label/Fantasy" target="_blank">Fantasy</a> / <a href="http://ajreader.blogspot.com/search/label/Food" target="_blank">Food</a> / <a href="http://ajreader.blogspot.com/search/label/Science%20Fiction" target="_blank">Science Fiction</a> / <a href="http://ajreader.blogspot.com/search/label/Fiction" target="_blank">Fiction</a></div>
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<b>How I Found It: </b>I've read Sloan's work before.</div>
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<b>Date Completed:</b> 5/31/18</div>
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<b>Summary: </b>A young tech worker has her life changed when the men behind her favorite local restaurant leave her their sourdough starter. </div>
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<b>What I Thought: </b>This book was perfectly charming. It's a light, quick read and one that will leave you hungry, too. </div>
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I desribed Sloan's previous novel, <a href="https://ajreader.blogspot.com/2015/12/Mr-Penumbra.html" style="font-style: italic;" target="_blank">Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore</a>, as "a fun adventure that blends old world solemnity and reverence with modern attitudes and ideas." That same sentiment applies here, albeit with an eye toward food and not books. Sloan is masterful at bringing together respect for tradition and modern advancement. He does it well, without becoming ham-handed in his approach. </div>
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It's hard to classify an exact genre for this book. Magical realism, perhaps? It's set in the not too distant future where our heroine, Lois, works at a tech company which produces robot arms. Yet, the myth of the Mazg people brings some fantastical elements to the story. That defiance to be classified, for me, makes the book even better. Sloan continues to be unexpected and delightful throughout. </div>
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This book is just one of those fun, feel-good treats. There's some mystery and adventure and a dash of romance. Lois is a wonderful, strong, complex protagonist, even if many of the characters around her are a bit one-dimensional. The plot is fast-paced and you can fly through this book in a few days or maybe even a few hours by the pool. Be warned, though; your hunger for good sourdough bread will be nearly insatiable upon completion.</div>
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<b>Quote I Loved: </b>"The internet: always proving that you’re not quite as special as you suspected."</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJAV9qdgjc199nZiFG8sNYPh0wwkelS4kKIgJQTUZQ2K3UWgoMu2eoZnzoNQmE-dVp9qgYA_Q9w-f1-mBVJWa5j4xshn1pn2C0v412HxZiPoV-DPJuyEADrYlVCOIj6FJBeng8juwmths/s1600/2018+TBR+Challenge.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="800" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJAV9qdgjc199nZiFG8sNYPh0wwkelS4kKIgJQTUZQ2K3UWgoMu2eoZnzoNQmE-dVp9qgYA_Q9w-f1-mBVJWa5j4xshn1pn2C0v412HxZiPoV-DPJuyEADrYlVCOIj6FJBeng8juwmths/s200/2018+TBR+Challenge.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">This book is part of my </span><b style="font-size: 12.8px;"><a href="https://ajreader.blogspot.com/2018/01/2018-TBR-Challenge.html" target="_blank">2018 TBR Challenge</a></b><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">!</span></td></tr>
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<b>Rating:</b> ★★★★☆</div>
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<b>Will I Re-Read:</b> Yeah, maybe.</div>
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<b>If You Liked This, Try: </b><i><a href="http://ajreader.blogspot.com/2012/07/particular-sadness-of-lemon-cake-aimee.html" target="_blank">The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake</a> </i>/ <i><a href="http://ajreader.blogspot.com/2017/11/The-Welcome-Home-Diner.html" target="_blank">The Welcome Home Diner</a> </i>/ <i><a href="http://ajreader.blogspot.com/2014/05/Delicious.html" target="_blank">Delicious!</a></i></div>
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<b>Other Books By Robin Sloan:</b> <i><a href="https://ajreader.blogspot.com/2015/12/Mr-Penumbra.html" target="_blank">Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore</a></i></div>
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<b>A Reduced Review: </b>A quirky, but delightful example of magical realism at its best. It's a light, quick read and one that will leave you hungry, too.</div>
Alisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08782778978854499305noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4960074514488243322.post-1277698382873334272018-06-19T04:00:00.000-07:002018-06-19T04:00:12.558-07:00I Thought It Was Just Me - Brené Brown<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: justify;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFOTaJm2wVc5c58utjfdFhyphenhyphenXNpTOZgwP4x0j6AghiOzrCxZxycM-udZY3_x3KJXbJQXyx3-pcd3I9LMkbpJn6abkagvt7sfCoaKBhCAzXkIB-htoQwFzcu9v-C5MfmIbz9BbPRYwdcGFo/s1600/I+Thought+It+Was+Just+Me.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="315" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFOTaJm2wVc5c58utjfdFhyphenhyphenXNpTOZgwP4x0j6AghiOzrCxZxycM-udZY3_x3KJXbJQXyx3-pcd3I9LMkbpJn6abkagvt7sfCoaKBhCAzXkIB-htoQwFzcu9v-C5MfmIbz9BbPRYwdcGFo/s400/I+Thought+It+Was+Just+Me.jpg" width="265" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/279308.I_Thought_It_Was_Just_Me?ac=1&from_search=true" target="_blank">I Thought It Was Just Me</a></td></tr>
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<b>Title: </b><i>I Thought It Was Just Me: Women Reclaiming Power and Courage in a Culture of Shame</i></div>
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<b>Author:</b> Brené Brown</div>
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<b>Publication Date:</b> 2007</div>
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<b>Pages:</b> 305</div>
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<b>Genre:</b> <a href="http://ajreader.blogspot.com/search/label/Self-Help" target="_blank">Self-Help</a> / <a href="http://ajreader.blogspot.com/search/label/Nonfiction" target="_blank">Nonfiction</a></div>
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<b>How I Found It: </b>I'm a big fan of Brené Brown's work.</div>
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<b>Date Completed:</b> 5/31/18</div>
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<b>Summary: </b>Brené Brown's research about shame will be seminal. Her influence is already wide-reaching as so many people resonate with what she's learned. </div>
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<b>What I Thought: </b>I've been exposed to Brené Brown's work through a lot of avenues, but I've never actually read any of her books before this. Somehow, that seems kind of insane to me, but it's true. My goal is to read through her recent work, starting with this one. I heard her say once in an interview that her work makes the most sense in order because it follows the path of her own growth, so that's what I'm doing. </div>
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When I taught Critical Thinking, we spent a chunk of time talking about emotional intelligence and also about moral sentiments. Included in those conversations were discussions about shame, guilt, and how those sentiments affect us. Brown's work around these ideas totally changed how I taught those subjects. In fact, I incorporated a lot of content from this very book into my last semester because I started reading it in February and then didn't finish before my library loan ran out and I got sent to the back of the waiting list again.</div>
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Sidebar: it thrills me that there are waiting lists for Brown's work. Her writing is easy to read, but the content is not really "feel good" material. Brown jokes about how people respond when she tells them she researches shame for a living. I feel a modicum of that when I think about how much I enjoyed reading about shame. It's a weird thing to be so excited about exploring.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJAV9qdgjc199nZiFG8sNYPh0wwkelS4kKIgJQTUZQ2K3UWgoMu2eoZnzoNQmE-dVp9qgYA_Q9w-f1-mBVJWa5j4xshn1pn2C0v412HxZiPoV-DPJuyEADrYlVCOIj6FJBeng8juwmths/s1600/2018+TBR+Challenge.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="800" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJAV9qdgjc199nZiFG8sNYPh0wwkelS4kKIgJQTUZQ2K3UWgoMu2eoZnzoNQmE-dVp9qgYA_Q9w-f1-mBVJWa5j4xshn1pn2C0v412HxZiPoV-DPJuyEADrYlVCOIj6FJBeng8juwmths/s200/2018+TBR+Challenge.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">This book is part of my </span><b style="font-size: 12.8px;"><a href="https://ajreader.blogspot.com/2018/01/2018-TBR-Challenge.html" target="_blank">2018 TBR Challenge</a></b><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">!</span></td></tr>
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It's simple to understand why people are engaged, though; we all experience shame. Thus, Brown's exploration of its mechanics and how to overcome it are powerful tools in developing stronger emotional intelligence and coping mechanisms. </div>
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Reading this work made me very excited to read her later books. In her most recent books, she's moved on to some other, tangentially related areas of study and those are the books I'm most excited to get my hands on. I'm especially excited/nervous to read her work on vulnerability because it's something I don't feel particularly good at, yet I recognize its importance in strong relationships. </div>
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No matter who you are, I think you could benefit from reading Brown's work. She focuses here on largely how shame affects women, but there is plenty of material that is applicable to men as well. Her words are research-based while still being practical and easy to read. </div>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b>Quotes I Loved:</b></div>
<br />
<ul>
<li style="text-align: justify;">"Shame is the intensely painful feeling or experience of believing we are flawed and therefore unworthy of acceptance and belonging."</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">"Shame is much more likely to be the source of destructive behaviors than it is to be the solution."</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">"Recognizing we’ve made a mistake is far different than believing we are a mistake."</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">"Shame is about the fear of disconnection. When we are experiencing shame, we are steeped in the fear of being ridiculed, diminished or seen as flawed. We are afraid that we’ve exposed or revealed a part of us that jeopardizes our connection and our worthiness of acceptance."</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">"If you put shame in a petri dish and douse it with empathy, shame loses power and starts to fade. Empathy creates a hostile environment for shame—it can’t survive."</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">"Real empathy takes more than words—it takes work."</li>
</ul>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b>Rating:</b> ★★★★☆</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b>Will I Re-Read:</b> Y/N</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b>If You Liked This, Try: </b><i><a href="https://ajreader.blogspot.com/2016/07/Scary-Close.html" target="_blank">Scary Close</a> </i>/ <i><a href="https://ajreader.blogspot.com/2017/05/Killing-Wonder-Woman.html" target="_blank">Killing Wonder Woman</a> </i>/ <i><a href="https://ajreader.blogspot.com/2017/01/The-Defining-Decade.html" target="_blank">The Defining Decade</a></i></div>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b>A Reduced Review: </b>Brown's powerful research on shame is relevant to everyone on the planet. Despite being a presentation of academic information, this book is easy and enjoyable to read. </div>
Alisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08782778978854499305noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4960074514488243322.post-91296479188800550562018-06-14T04:00:00.000-07:002018-06-14T04:00:05.476-07:00Good as Gone - Amy Gentry<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: justify;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7RQRQ_tj2ciGOP0lEgmVRJ7rBbRy2SZ5ydMhj8Xou_zWaSJcFkXvBrSce4z_0KUhbCda443Ftm5JvrpE-mgEjMgfmU32I6CrBdegdS9IVaO4yvsWNN9ynsatd-IV5QX7-gtmHREvSl7c/s1600/Good+as+Gone.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="310" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7RQRQ_tj2ciGOP0lEgmVRJ7rBbRy2SZ5ydMhj8Xou_zWaSJcFkXvBrSce4z_0KUhbCda443Ftm5JvrpE-mgEjMgfmU32I6CrBdegdS9IVaO4yvsWNN9ynsatd-IV5QX7-gtmHREvSl7c/s400/Good+as+Gone.jpg" width="260" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/29975458-good-as-gone?ac=1&from_search=true" target="_blank">Good as Gone</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b>Title: </b><i>Good as Gone</i></div>
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<b>Author:</b> Amy Gentry</div>
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<b>Publication Date:</b> 7/26/2016</div>
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<b>Pages:</b> 273</div>
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<b>Genre:</b> <a href="http://ajreader.blogspot.com/search/label/Thriller" target="_blank">Thriller</a> / <a href="http://ajreader.blogspot.com/search/label/Fiction" target="_blank">Fiction</a></div>
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<b>How I Found It: </b>I can't remember.</div>
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<b>Date Completed:</b> 5/29/18</div>
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<b>Summary: </b>Julie was kidnapped from her bedroom at thirteen. The only witness was her younger sister. When Julie shows up on the family doorstep nearly a decade later, the Whitakers are suddenly thrust back into a world of intensely mixed emotions. </div>
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<b>What I Thought: </b>For whatever reason, I've been on the hunt for another really good thriller for awhile. I got on the kick around Halloween last year and has continued. Perhaps because I put a lot of thrillers on my TBR around that time and now I'm reading through them in my efforts to slim down that list this year. </div>
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All that to say, here's another one.</div>
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And I'm getting worn out on this genre. It just...so rarely succeeds in thrilling me. </div>
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This book has been all over the place lately. It sold well and lots of people liked it. Kevin and I both read it while on our Italy trip. I knew I wanted easy reads on that trip. This certainly fit that bill, but I couldn't help feeling a little let down by it. Kevin felt the same.</div>
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It's a good concept. Kidnapped child turns up years later and, as days go on, her mother becomes plagued with doubts as to her real identity. It reminded both of us a bit of that documentary, <i>The Impostor</i> (which is FABULOUS!). I liked that Gentry told "Julie's" story backward, leading us slowly to the truth of her identity. </div>
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Ultimately, though, the twists just weren't that good. The reveal of the kidnapper was decent; I'll give Gentry that. But the truth around Julie was obvious to me long before the reveal. Kevin's complaint was that, even when presenting a plot twist, Gentry didn't make it much of a presentation. He said she just threw shocking moments in there like any other line. I can see that complaint, although I often don't mind that literary style. </div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="clear: right; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; text-align: justify;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJAV9qdgjc199nZiFG8sNYPh0wwkelS4kKIgJQTUZQ2K3UWgoMu2eoZnzoNQmE-dVp9qgYA_Q9w-f1-mBVJWa5j4xshn1pn2C0v412HxZiPoV-DPJuyEADrYlVCOIj6FJBeng8juwmths/s1600/2018+TBR+Challenge.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="800" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJAV9qdgjc199nZiFG8sNYPh0wwkelS4kKIgJQTUZQ2K3UWgoMu2eoZnzoNQmE-dVp9qgYA_Q9w-f1-mBVJWa5j4xshn1pn2C0v412HxZiPoV-DPJuyEADrYlVCOIj6FJBeng8juwmths/s200/2018+TBR+Challenge.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">This book is part of my </span><b style="font-size: 12.8px;"><a href="https://ajreader.blogspot.com/2018/01/2018-TBR-Challenge.html" target="_blank">2018 TBR Challenge</a></b><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">!</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
It's not a bad book. It was a bit "rape-y," something that always makes us (Kevin especially) uncomfortable. So, if abusive situations are a trigger for you, I wouldn't pick this one. If you're looking for a quick, easy summer vacation read, this is not a bad choice. </div>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b>Rating:</b> ★★★☆☆</div>
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<b>Will I Re-Read:</b> No</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b>If You Liked This, Try: </b><i><a href="https://ajreader.blogspot.com/2018/03/Emma-in-the-Night.html" target="_blank">Emma in the Night</a> </i>/ <i><a href="https://ajreader.blogspot.com/2017/10/The-Widow.html" target="_blank">The Widow</a></i> / <i><a href="http://ajreader.blogspot.com/2015/03/Daughter.html" target="_blank">Daughter</a></i></div>
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<b>A Reduced Review: </b>A perfectly mediocre thriller, but I don't really understand all the hype it's gotten. </div>
Alisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08782778978854499305noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4960074514488243322.post-9257786768595947332018-06-11T04:00:00.000-07:002018-06-11T04:00:16.961-07:00May 2018 Chapter<div style="text-align: justify;">
<i>Welcome to the Read.Write.Repeat. monthly wrap-up. Every month, I give a quick overview of what books I read, the</i><i> progress made on my reading goals, a few book-related links, and general blog news. </i><br />
<h4>
May News </h4>
I don't know where to start today. There's so much to share! First of all, let me acknowledge the weird blog schedule for the last month. I barely posted at all in May. I had a massive reading slump this spring. Compile that with a slow reading year in general and I just didn't have enough content to post on a regular basis. So, I gave myself three weeks off and just didn't worry about it (much). Plus, the slow May I had planned where I would lounge around and read books was suddenly...not that.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvqwZhmhJwCVCBPQc6C6VPsvL_ymuQS-Qo6OKth7N0TdASq_Akc18kyiVGStlsx6BFRUXXw2rgNWK1VwHpSrleMTwEcrR8A6V6kFCaQTfkc_KacnWiiaA4Oqzaq8uL2cZSlvGyvS5Ogp4/s1600/Monthly+Update.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvqwZhmhJwCVCBPQc6C6VPsvL_ymuQS-Qo6OKth7N0TdASq_Akc18kyiVGStlsx6BFRUXXw2rgNWK1VwHpSrleMTwEcrR8A6V6kFCaQTfkc_KacnWiiaA4Oqzaq8uL2cZSlvGyvS5Ogp4/s320/Monthly+Update.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
Why not, you ask? Well, I got a job!<br />
<br />
Today is actually my very first full-time day in the office, but I did several training days in May so that I could hit the ground running. I'm no longer teaching, which is a big switch for me. However, I've remained in the higher ed world and joined a consulting firm which works with mainly private colleges and universities. The firm offers consulting on a range of issues from enrollment management to student success to campus planning and architecture. I'm working as a Project Manager and will be mainly focused on projects we do with faith-based schools. From the moment I read the job description, I knew it was going to be a great fit. I'm so excited to be starting a new chapter professionally. This has been a long time coming.<br />
<br />
Suffice it to say, that consumed so much of my life and thought in May. Even though I didn't do that much actual working time, I suddenly felt the urgent need to fit a whole summer of productivity (teachers know what I mean) into 2 weeks. Add in getting us ready for our big trip and it was not the deck-sitting, book-reading time I anticipated. But it was a good month.<br />
<br />
And speaking of that big trip, we just got back on Thursday! Hence, this delayed monthly recap post. We spent 12 days away from home, which might be a record for us (outside of time with parents). We hit NYC, Rome, Cinque Terre, Florence, and a bunch of small towns in Tuscany. It was an amazing trip and we came home utterly exhausted, but so happy. If there's interest, I may do a post here recapping our trip a bit. Otherwise, I have just a few posts on Instagram.<br />
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The great thing about the trip is it gave me dedicated reading time like I haven't had in ages. Planes and trains ferried us around the world and afforded me hours to indulge. I set aside most of the heavier reading I've been doing this year and just read <i>fun</i> stuff. I can't wait to share it with you in the upcoming weeks.<br />
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For today, the lists below are short, but a good reflection of time spent elsewhere last month.<br />
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<h4>
Books Reviewed</h4>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSx58_MfZOFNkrMgsaalzL4xRo3GmknzIaEVDZXrGyRDeW3LWJ7KjmuAZfo8p7MwLTxMNYtShLcO27jRQerUNAgX1Y3AFKMilWkLwVfbMsRs8dAqWtCFgmiNkYJbnFl0xhX7ym11IVxK8/s1600/I+Thought+It+Was+Just+Me.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="315" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSx58_MfZOFNkrMgsaalzL4xRo3GmknzIaEVDZXrGyRDeW3LWJ7KjmuAZfo8p7MwLTxMNYtShLcO27jRQerUNAgX1Y3AFKMilWkLwVfbMsRs8dAqWtCFgmiNkYJbnFl0xhX7ym11IVxK8/s400/I+Thought+It+Was+Just+Me.jpg" width="265" /></a></div>
<ol>
<li><a href="https://ajreader.blogspot.com/2018/05/Of-Mess-and-Moxie.html" target="_blank"><i>Of Mess and Moxie </i>- Jen Hatmaker</a></li>
<li><a href="https://ajreader.blogspot.com/2018/05/American-War.html" target="_blank"><i>American War </i>- Omar El Akkad</a></li>
<li><a href="https://ajreader.blogspot.com/2018/05/The-Hate-U-Give.html" target="_blank"><i>The Hate U Give </i>- Angie Thomas</a></li>
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Books Read</h4>
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<ol>
<li><a href="https://ajreader.blogspot.com/2018/05/American-War.html" target="_blank"><i>American War </i>- Omar El Akkad</a></li>
<li><a href="https://ajreader.blogspot.com/2018/05/The-Hate-U-Give.html" target="_blank"><i>The Hate U Give </i>- Angie Thomas</a></li>
<li><i>Unbelievable </i>- Katy Tur</li>
<li><i>Cooking for Jeffrey </i>- Ina Garten</li>
<li><i>Good as Gone </i>- Amy Gentry</li>
<li><i>I Thought It Was Just Me </i>- Brené Brown</li>
<li><i>Sourdough </i>- Robin Sloan</li>
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<b>Pages Read</b>: 2,212</div>
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<b>Favorite Book Read: </b>While <i><a href="https://ajreader.blogspot.com/2018/05/The-Hate-U-Give.html" target="_blank">The Hate U Give</a></i> was really good, I have to go with <i>I Thought It Was Just Me</i>. Brené Brown is doing incredibly important work, though this is the first full book I've read by here. I can't wait to get my hands on the rest. </div>
<h4>
<a href="https://ajreader.blogspot.com/2018/01/2018-Blog-Goals.html" style="text-align: justify;" target="_blank">2018 Goals</a><span style="text-align: justify;"> </span></h4>
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One of my goals this year is to read 3 specific books each month:<br />
<ul>
<li><b>1 Faith-Centered or Philosophical Book </b><br />I Thought It Was Just Me - Brené Brown</li>
<li><b>1 Political of Issue-Driven Book</b><br />Unbelievable - Katy Tur</li>
<li><b>1 Book Written by a Minority Author</b><br /><a href="https://ajreader.blogspot.com/2018/05/American-War.html" target="_blank">American War</a> - Omar El Akkad<br /><a href="https://ajreader.blogspot.com/2018/05/The-Hate-U-Give.html" target="_blank">The Hate U Give</a> - Angie Thomas</li>
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I also am trying to work my way through my <b><a href="https://ajreader.blogspot.com/2018/01/2018-TBR-Challenge.html" target="_blank">TBR list</a></b>. My goal is to get from 350 books on the list to 200. That means lowering that number by 13 in some form or fashion every month. Here's how that went this month:</div>
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<ul>
<li><b>Books Read: </b>5</li>
<li><b>Books Removed: </b>10</li>
<li><b>Books Added: </b>1</li>
<li><b>Total Count for the Month: </b>-14</li>
<li><b>Books Remaining on TBR: </b>271</li>
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<h4>
Elsewhere Online...</h4>
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<a href="https://twitter.com/JustinWelby/status/997923855791468544" target="_blank">This interview</a> with the Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby and Bishop Michael Curry from after the royal wedding is great. I love knowing that the royal family is being spiritually advised by someone as on fire for Christ as Archbishop Welby.<br />
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Love this. <a href="http://www.scarymommy.com/disney-princesses-as-career-women/" target="_blank">Disney Princesses as Career Women</a>. </div>
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Today is a day of new beginnings. Summer months are our favorite around here and I'm sure this summer will be no exception. As excited as I am about the new job, it's going to be quite an adjustment transitioning back to 40+ hours a week. I'm not sure how, if at all, the new schedule will affect the blog, but I promise to keep you updated. In the mean time, find yourself a spot of sunshine and a good book and indulge in some summer yourself!</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13695981141651000974noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4960074514488243322.post-89178819528490507622018-06-07T04:00:00.000-07:002018-06-07T04:00:09.816-07:00Cooking for Jeffrey - Ina Garten<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhynqSbAvY-2B9ks49bFffTf38uOxYIy1Q3N6n1gqdF0ZfCC53vfe3ay28bfzlZIpE9Q6wo5IOWLfUIjk_C3B9zqaTLqQ6h1s_cXGRepL2EksFBYGqgHZ8LFCfIdkGCz7Y_vNeHARVm2Jo/s1600/Cooking+for+Jeffrey.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="424" data-original-width="318" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhynqSbAvY-2B9ks49bFffTf38uOxYIy1Q3N6n1gqdF0ZfCC53vfe3ay28bfzlZIpE9Q6wo5IOWLfUIjk_C3B9zqaTLqQ6h1s_cXGRepL2EksFBYGqgHZ8LFCfIdkGCz7Y_vNeHARVm2Jo/s400/Cooking+for+Jeffrey.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/28813966-cooking-for-jeffrey?ac=1&from_search=true" target="_blank">Cooking for Jeffrey</a></td></tr>
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<b>Title: </b><i>Cooking for Jeffrey: A Barefoot Contessa Cookbook</i></div>
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<b>Author: </b>Ina Garten</div>
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<b>Publication Date:</b> 10/25/16</div>
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<b>Pages:</b> 272</div>
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<b>Genre:</b> <a href="http://ajreader.blogspot.com/search/label/Food" target="_blank">Food</a> / <a href="http://ajreader.blogspot.com/search/label/Nonfiction" target="_blank">Nonfiction</a></div>
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<b>How I Found It: </b>I can't remember</div>
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<b>Date Completed: </b>5/20/18</div>
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<b>Summary: </b>A collection of Barefoot Contessa recipes, purportedly gathered because they are her husband's favorites. </div>
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<b>What I Thought: </b>I liked the concept of this book - that Garten was gathering all her husband's favorite recipes. As someone who does 99% of the cooking in my own household (because I like to, not because I'm the woman in the house), it's an idea with which I'm quite familiar. I love treating Kevin to his favorite meals.<br />
<br />
While there are some great recipes in this book, I didn't really get the sense that it's true to its title. In the introduction, Garten mentions that every recipe is Jeffrey approved. Yet, references to the titular personage appear rarely after that. I guess I was hoping for more personal discussion in the recipe introductions. Doesn't make the recipes less good, but it did make the book less engaging.<br />
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Garten's cooking style is luxe and simple simultaneously. She lets the ingredients shine for themselves, but she's using great, high-end ingredients. It's not a cookbook for those on a budget. For us, the recipes I marked will be more special occasion recipes.<br />
<br />
I ended up pulling 7-10 recipes from the book. There was a lot here that I just knew we would never eat. This is exactly the type of cookbook that I'm thrilled to be able to get from the library. I just don't need the whole thing, as I would never cook most of the dishes in it. Still, I am excited about several of the ones I did save. They were all highly seasonal, so I won't make some of them for months, but I'm still looking forward to trying them out. </div>
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<b>Recipes I Want to Try: </b>Fig and Goat Cheese Bruschettas, Filet Mignon with Mustard and Mushrooms, and Lamb Stew with Spring Vegetables (among others). </div>
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<b>Rating:</b> ★★★☆☆</div>
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<b>Will I Re-Read:</b> Probably not. I pulled a few recipes but not </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b>If You Liked This, Try: </b><i><a href="https://ajreader.blogspot.com/2017/09/Seriously-Delish.html" target="_blank">Seriously Delish</a> </i>/ <a href="https://ajreader.blogspot.com/2017/07/Cravings.html" style="font-style: italic;" target="_blank">Cravings</a><i> </i>/ <i><a href="https://ajreader.blogspot.com/2017/07/Appetites.html" target="_blank">Appetites</a></i></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13695981141651000974noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4960074514488243322.post-15631537330494452422018-06-05T04:00:00.000-07:002018-06-05T04:00:00.543-07:00Unbelievable - Katy Tur<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: justify;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCugecn_pkMEXoC5Z_2Kx861whXOQ5v2cyFkeBkpIrrazQMVg-41hAmyr4qJNGPQpNpjjuWFydgbJF9RJXAL9ciM3JOUfKnOJ2LJaLp9aR4tB5c_i5sMg3W03h6VaojXq-MkjqHzR9y4M/s1600/Unbelievable.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="314" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCugecn_pkMEXoC5Z_2Kx861whXOQ5v2cyFkeBkpIrrazQMVg-41hAmyr4qJNGPQpNpjjuWFydgbJF9RJXAL9ciM3JOUfKnOJ2LJaLp9aR4tB5c_i5sMg3W03h6VaojXq-MkjqHzR9y4M/s400/Unbelievable.jpg" width="263" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/34731226-unbelievable" target="_blank">Unbelievable</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b>Title: </b><i>Unbelievable: My Front-Row Seat to the Craziest Campaign in American History</i></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b>Author:</b> Katy Tur</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b>Publication Date:</b> 9/12/17</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b>Pages:</b> 304</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b>Genre:</b> <a href="http://ajreader.blogspot.com/search/label/Memoir" target="_blank">Memoir</a> / <a href="http://ajreader.blogspot.com/search/label/Political" target="_blank">Political</a> / <a href="http://ajreader.blogspot.com/search/label/Nonfiction" target="_blank">Nonfiction</a></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b>How I Found It: </b>I heard about it from a lot of places.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b>Date Completed:</b> 5/20/18</div>
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<b>Summary: </b>Tur recounts her days on the campaign trail with Trump. She started reporting on his campaign shortly after the infamous announcement at Trump Tower in which then-candidate Trump referred derogatorily to Mexicans. She share the details of her life on the road up through election night 2016.</div>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b>What I Thought: </b>This book was hard to read at times. Not because it was poorly written. On the contrary, Tur did a wonderful job capturing the tumultuous emotions of the 2016 campaign season. That's exactly what made it hard to read at times. It's hard to emotionally reinsert yourself into that era, particularly knowing how it turned out. </div>
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Tur was one of the earliest reporters to join Trump campaign and, perhaps consequentially, developed an odd relationship with the candidate. His hot-and-cold relationship with the media is exemplified perfectly in his treatment of Tur during the campaign. He would favor her and then immediately turn around and insult her and her work. Tur does a decent job of explaining the emotional effect this had on her, although I think she is still fairly guarded in what she chose to reveal about her own feelings. That reporter instinct to conceal personal feelings must be hard to kick in some aspects. </div>
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It's a fascinating book. Reading a first hand account of life on the Trump campaign confirms so much of what we think to be true about it. Chaos and the destruction of political norms reigned supreme. Outside of the Trump specifics, though, it's just really interesting to read about what life is like for a political reporter assigned to a campaign, as Tur was. Sure, there were some pretty big abnormalities on the Trump campaign, but the general gist of things was still the same. Honestly, it sounds like a miserable life. However, I'm with Tur in my belief that we owe a debt to those reporters. They are the recorders of history and, without them, we would have little way to verify statements from a candidate or their campaign. The media is far from perfect, but we desperately need to them to help us hold accountable those with political power. </div>
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It wasn't particularly pleasant to revisit the months of that awful campaign season, but I think this is an important read. It's one of the first books out documenting that time in our history. It's easy to forget, in the midst of ever-changing current events, some of the insanity that occurred during that time. We shouldn't forget. </div>
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<b>Quotes I Loved:</b></div>
<ul>
<li style="text-align: justify;">"I don’t get why protesting a broken political system also means you need to protest the very notion of objective truth."</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">"He is the polar opposite of President Obama. Where Obama’s rhetoric soars, Trump’s rhetoric slithers. While Obama eats arugula, Trump scarfs Burger King. Where Obama is controlled and calculating, Trump is petulant and loud."</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">"He is the living embodiment of the old maxim that if you say something often enough, people will believe it."</li>
</ul>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="clear: right; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; text-align: justify;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJAV9qdgjc199nZiFG8sNYPh0wwkelS4kKIgJQTUZQ2K3UWgoMu2eoZnzoNQmE-dVp9qgYA_Q9w-f1-mBVJWa5j4xshn1pn2C0v412HxZiPoV-DPJuyEADrYlVCOIj6FJBeng8juwmths/s1600/2018+TBR+Challenge.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="800" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJAV9qdgjc199nZiFG8sNYPh0wwkelS4kKIgJQTUZQ2K3UWgoMu2eoZnzoNQmE-dVp9qgYA_Q9w-f1-mBVJWa5j4xshn1pn2C0v412HxZiPoV-DPJuyEADrYlVCOIj6FJBeng8juwmths/s200/2018+TBR+Challenge.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">This book is part of my </span><b style="font-size: 12.8px;"><a href="https://ajreader.blogspot.com/2018/01/2018-TBR-Challenge.html" target="_blank">2018 TBR Challenge</a></b><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">!</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b>Rating:</b> ★★★★☆</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b>Will I Re-Read:</b> No</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b>If You Liked This, Try: </b><i><a href="https://ajreader.blogspot.com/2017/11/What-Happened.html" target="_blank">What Happened</a> </i>/ <i><a href="https://ajreader.blogspot.com/2017/11/What-Happened.html" target="_blank">Strangers in Their Own Land</a> </i>/ <i><a href="https://ajreader.blogspot.com/2017/01/the-Hopefuls.html" target="_blank">The Hopefuls</a></i></div>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b>A Reduced Review: </b>Tur recounts her days on the campaign trail with Trump, from his earliest events to the night he won the White House. It's a compelling and, at times, uncomfortable read.</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13695981141651000974noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4960074514488243322.post-44414768080567772132018-05-31T04:00:00.000-07:002018-06-26T12:38:34.197-07:00The Hate U Give - Angie Thomas<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: justify;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaRYSm1mOFP_i8BmVl2osbNo6KLUVs_KJ3CZpUNv9X82rdFG1lPqBhlxcM8ipHft81wuS5JAc2i7b1xxyXOHqFeF0Yltswln9LJoP1x9BVDrnj6d_V8g0GiMq_en6CWTf29TOdITGwkv0/s1600/The+Hate+U+Give.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="314" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaRYSm1mOFP_i8BmVl2osbNo6KLUVs_KJ3CZpUNv9X82rdFG1lPqBhlxcM8ipHft81wuS5JAc2i7b1xxyXOHqFeF0Yltswln9LJoP1x9BVDrnj6d_V8g0GiMq_en6CWTf29TOdITGwkv0/s400/The+Hate+U+Give.jpg" width="263" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/32075671-the-hate-u-give?ac=1&from_search=true" target="_blank">The Hate U Give</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b>Title: </b><i>The Hate U Give</i></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b>Author:</b> Angie Thomas</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b>Publication Date:</b> 2/28/17</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b>Pages:</b> 444</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b>Genre:</b> <a href="http://ajreader.blogspot.com/search/label/Young%20Adult" target="_blank">Young Adult</a> / <a href="http://ajreader.blogspot.com/search/label/Fiction" target="_blank">Fiction</a></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b>How I Found It: </b>It's been all over since publication.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b>Date Completed:</b> 5/11/18</div>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b>Summary: </b>Starr Carter lives in an urban neighborhood but commutes out to a wealthy suburb for school. When she witnesses the murder of a childhood friend, the careful walls she's built between her two lives begin to crumble. </div>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b>What I Thought: </b>This book is intensely powerful. The debate over officer-involved shootings and the Black Lives Matter movement is so intense in our country. Yet, we often forget the very real lives that are affected with each tragic shooting. Thomas places us directly in the epicenter of one of these moments. She does not shy away from the diversity of emotions or political responses. </div>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
This book is exactly why I am trying to read books with a more diverse authorship. There was so much in here that, as a white woman, I will just never understand. Some of it was hard to digest, forcing me to confront my own biases (we all have them). Some of it was just heartbreaking; we are so unaware of our own privileges. </div>
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While I did not love the climax of the book, I also recognize that it wasn't for me. My discomfort with Starr's decisions toward the end really made me think. I'm not a very angry person, in general, and so it can be hard for me to understand moments when anger spills over into action, especially on a large scale. Yet, for some people, that's the only way they see to make their voices heard. I still don't think violent protests or riots are the right way to go, but I think I understand the mentality behind them slightly better. Particularly since this book reminded me that it is so often young people who push a situation into those territories. I remember that feeling of invincibility that came with the teenage years and I can imagine how that must deeply affect someone when that cognitive stage collides with such intense anger and grief. </div>
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I think everyone should have to read this book if for no other reason than to better understand how a large portion of the American population feels about officer-involved shootings. If you are a white person like me, read this book. It will help you see things with fresh eyes. It's ok if you don't agree with every decision a character makes or action they take. But, the character development Thomas infuses here will at least help you better understand the depth of the racial disparity in our country and the consequences - emotional and physical - it can create. I'm anxious to see how the movie adaptation, which comes out later this year, goes over. </div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="clear: right; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; text-align: justify;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJAV9qdgjc199nZiFG8sNYPh0wwkelS4kKIgJQTUZQ2K3UWgoMu2eoZnzoNQmE-dVp9qgYA_Q9w-f1-mBVJWa5j4xshn1pn2C0v412HxZiPoV-DPJuyEADrYlVCOIj6FJBeng8juwmths/s1600/2018+TBR+Challenge.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="800" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJAV9qdgjc199nZiFG8sNYPh0wwkelS4kKIgJQTUZQ2K3UWgoMu2eoZnzoNQmE-dVp9qgYA_Q9w-f1-mBVJWa5j4xshn1pn2C0v412HxZiPoV-DPJuyEADrYlVCOIj6FJBeng8juwmths/s200/2018+TBR+Challenge.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">This book is part of my </span><b style="font-size: 12.8px;"><a href="https://ajreader.blogspot.com/2018/01/2018-TBR-Challenge.html" target="_blank">2018 TBR Challenge</a></b><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">!</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b>Rating:</b> ★★★★☆</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b>Will I Re-Read: </b>Possibly</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b>If You Liked This, Try: </b><i><a href="https://ajreader.blogspot.com/2017/09/Everything-Everything.html" target="_blank">Everything Everything</a></i> / <i><a href="https://ajreader.blogspot.com/2018/03/The-Thousandth-Floor.html" target="_blank">The Thousandth Floor</a> </i>/ <i><a href="https://ajreader.blogspot.com/2014/12/Thirteen-Reasons-Why.html" target="_blank">Thirteen Reasons Why</a></i></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b>A Reduced Review: </b>A powerful novel that forces readers to put the emotion back into a situation that has become intensely political. </div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13695981141651000974noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4960074514488243322.post-15799885231456768272018-05-29T04:00:00.000-07:002018-05-29T04:00:12.430-07:00American War - Omar El Akkad<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: justify;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtWxnDZNwPas0Dc-mM0StmMSRXwJ63U32RtKnwUHF-T9x1u_2znw5A4VfNBGksUfoQO4_Gf-9xKmt2AzFpKB-Fr52DVBI1QBIdCdJLCJ6EeHX9l9UPLcNIkDTNKiszr0_1fqQc739uDgg/s1600/American+War.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="313" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtWxnDZNwPas0Dc-mM0StmMSRXwJ63U32RtKnwUHF-T9x1u_2znw5A4VfNBGksUfoQO4_Gf-9xKmt2AzFpKB-Fr52DVBI1QBIdCdJLCJ6EeHX9l9UPLcNIkDTNKiszr0_1fqQc739uDgg/s400/American+War.jpg" width="262" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/33311863-american-war?ac=1&from_search=true" target="_blank">American War</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b>Title: </b><i>American War</i></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b>Author:</b> Omar El Akkad</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b>Publication Date:</b> 4/4/17</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b>Pages:</b> 352</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b>Genre:</b> <a href="http://ajreader.blogspot.com/search/label/Dystopian" target="_blank">Dystopian</a> / <a href="http://ajreader.blogspot.com/search/label/Fiction" target="_blank">Fiction</a></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b>How I Found It: </b>I can't remember</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b>Date Completed:</b> 5/8/18</div>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b>Summary: </b>The United States has ceased to be united. Facing increasing environmental disaster, disputes over consequential policy decisions led the South to secede once again, launching a new Civil War. The novel follows the story of how one girl's live intertwines with the events of that conflict.</div>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b>What I Thought: </b>I really wanted to like this book. The premise is fascinating to me. As we currently stand at such a fraught point in our history, the idea of another civil war doesn't always seem so crazy. Particularly since El Akkad wisely had the country split over environmental concerns and scaling back the use of fossil fuels. If and when America does ever get to that point, the fight will likely be enormous. </div>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
The book is set up as a decades-long story following the path of one southern girl in particular. Sarat Chestnut and her family end up at a camp for refugees after the war breaks out in 2074. It is there that her fighting instinct is ignited and nurtured. She goes on to be a key player in the war itself. </div>
<a name='more'></a><br />
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El Akkad inserts historical record items in between each chapter. They range from interviews to news articles to other reflections on the war (as though the story is being told years after the war's conclusion). As much as I usually love story-telling devices like that, they just didn't grab me in this case. I was more interested in Sarat's story and felt the in-between pieces did not fit with the tone of the rest of the book, although they did provide important contextual information.</div>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
Overall, I wanted this book to be better than it was. It was fine, good even. But I wanted to be captured, and I wasn't. Still, there's enough good here that I know others will be far more engaged than I was. </div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="clear: right; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; text-align: justify;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJAV9qdgjc199nZiFG8sNYPh0wwkelS4kKIgJQTUZQ2K3UWgoMu2eoZnzoNQmE-dVp9qgYA_Q9w-f1-mBVJWa5j4xshn1pn2C0v412HxZiPoV-DPJuyEADrYlVCOIj6FJBeng8juwmths/s1600/2018+TBR+Challenge.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="800" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJAV9qdgjc199nZiFG8sNYPh0wwkelS4kKIgJQTUZQ2K3UWgoMu2eoZnzoNQmE-dVp9qgYA_Q9w-f1-mBVJWa5j4xshn1pn2C0v412HxZiPoV-DPJuyEADrYlVCOIj6FJBeng8juwmths/s200/2018+TBR+Challenge.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">This book is part of my </span><b style="font-size: 12.8px;"><a href="https://ajreader.blogspot.com/2018/01/2018-TBR-Challenge.html" target="_blank">2018 TBR Challenge</a></b><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">!</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b>Rating:</b> ★★★☆☆</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b>Will I Re-Read:</b> Probably not</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b>If You Liked This, Try: </b><i><a href="https://ajreader.blogspot.com/2015/12/The-Dead-Lands.html" target="_blank">The Dead Lands</a> </i>/ <i><a href="https://ajreader.blogspot.com/2017/07/The-Wild-Shore.html" target="_blank">The Wild Shore</a> </i>/ <i><a href="https://ajreader.blogspot.com/2017/03/Gold-Fame-Citrus.html" target="_blank">Gold Fame Citrus</a></i></div>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b>A Reduced Review: </b>The fascinating premise of a second American Civil War was middling in execution. </div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13695981141651000974noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4960074514488243322.post-19298540426760793892018-05-03T04:00:00.000-07:002018-05-03T04:00:01.998-07:00Of Mess and Moxie - Jen Hatmaker<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: justify;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifCOncFN-M4c7csE4TjwbBbtK2r1IICuyKd56P-dSmZEzSK3os94xnPh310ZswquPaozalPM8J-A1Kq5CTr0LHoKciu6xacXD32TGjalI1Mh-IMVSMjZXzD9TbLqnffCdt2G789HoJjCM/s1600/Of+Mess+and+Moxie.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="317" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifCOncFN-M4c7csE4TjwbBbtK2r1IICuyKd56P-dSmZEzSK3os94xnPh310ZswquPaozalPM8J-A1Kq5CTr0LHoKciu6xacXD32TGjalI1Mh-IMVSMjZXzD9TbLqnffCdt2G789HoJjCM/s400/Of+Mess+and+Moxie.jpg" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/33027965-of-mess-and-moxie?ac=1&from_search=true" target="_blank">Of Mess and Moxie</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b>Title: </b><i>Of Mess and Moxie: Wrangling Delight Out of This Wild and Glorious Life</i></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b>Author:</b> Jen Hatmaker</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b>Publication Date:</b> 8/8/17</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b>Pages:</b> 224</div>
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<b>Genre:</b> <a href="http://ajreader.blogspot.com/search/label/Faith" target="_blank">Faith</a> / <a href="http://ajreader.blogspot.com/search/label/Memoir" target="_blank">Memoir</a> / <a href="http://ajreader.blogspot.com/search/label/Nonfiction" target="_blank">Nonfiction</a></div>
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<b>How I Found It: </b>I'm a Jen Hatmaker fan.</div>
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<b>Date Completed:</b> 4/28/18</div>
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<b>Summary: </b>Hatmaker broaches motherhood, faith, and the messiness of life in her new memoir. As always, she does it with grace and heart. </div>
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<b>What I Thought: </b>Hatmaker delivered exactly what I expected her to here. She's funny and witty and so real. She's not afraid to engage with hard issues and lay her vulnerabilities out on the table. </div>
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She does it in a way, however, that still protects others in her life. I love that she's clearly only sharing stories that she's received permission to share or aspects of vulnerability that are hers alone to reveal. It has to be such a hard balance and she walks it well. </div>
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One of my favorite parts of the book was Hatmaker's real talk about motherhood. Now, I'm not a parent, but I love reading about the Hatmaker family. I regularly read her Facebook posts about her kids to Kevin and we laugh and laugh. The book is no different. It just adds in a layer of depth that is not always present in the sound bites on social media. She talks about what it's like being a working mom and how she doesn't let her kids - or anyone - make her feel guilty about that. <i>Loved</i> that section! See the second quote below for a perfect example of Hatmaker blending humor with real talk. It was a encouragement to me, someone who has no intention of giving up work if and when I ever have kids. Mostly because I would lose my mind. </div>
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As with previous books she's written, Hatmaker sort of alternates between more serious chapters and more comedic content. There's plenty to laugh about here, but there's also plenty that will tug at your heartstrings and maybe your tear ducts. She talks about rejection and love and balance. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJAV9qdgjc199nZiFG8sNYPh0wwkelS4kKIgJQTUZQ2K3UWgoMu2eoZnzoNQmE-dVp9qgYA_Q9w-f1-mBVJWa5j4xshn1pn2C0v412HxZiPoV-DPJuyEADrYlVCOIj6FJBeng8juwmths/s1600/2018+TBR+Challenge.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="800" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJAV9qdgjc199nZiFG8sNYPh0wwkelS4kKIgJQTUZQ2K3UWgoMu2eoZnzoNQmE-dVp9qgYA_Q9w-f1-mBVJWa5j4xshn1pn2C0v412HxZiPoV-DPJuyEADrYlVCOIj6FJBeng8juwmths/s200/2018+TBR+Challenge.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">This book is part of my </span><b style="font-size: 12.8px;"><a href="https://ajreader.blogspot.com/2018/01/2018-TBR-Challenge.html" target="_blank">2018 TBR Challenge</a></b><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">!</span></td></tr>
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It's no surprise to me that this is one of Hatmaker's best yet. Her process of growth and self-awareness is evident on the page and lends so much to her work. I definitely recommend the book. Or, if you're looking for Hatmaker in audio form, she is absolutely killing it in the podcast world lately. She recently had <a href="http://jenhatmaker.com/episode-01-lisa-sharon-harper" target="_blank"><b>Lisa Sharon Harper on her own podcast, For the Love, to talk about race and the gospel</b>.</a> It was SO GOOD. One of the most powerful conversations I've heard in ages. Then, earlier this very week, she was on <a href="http://www.pantsuitpoliticsshow.com/show-archives/2018/4/30/the-whca-dinner-a-metoo-moment-and-faith-and-politics-with-jen-hatmaker" target="_blank"><b>my favorite podcast, Pantsuit Politics, talking about the intersection of faith and politics</b></a>. Also amazing and deep and meaningful. Seriously, go listen to both of those episodes. After you do, when you're hungry for more of Jen's wisdom and thoughtful questions, you'll know exactly what book to pick up. </div>
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<b>Quotes I Loved:</b></div>
<br />
<ul>
<li style="text-align: justify;">"What is right for us may not be right for everyone, and we don’t have to burn down the house simply because we’ve moved our things out."</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">"“It’s all right, Mom. I forgive you.” No. Nope. No, ma’am. Forgiveness is offered to someone who has wronged you, not a mother who has a job during your 11:10 a.m. lunch slot at Buda Elementary School. My work is not a sin against you, Child of Sorrow."</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">"It’s so weird to live in this world. What a bizarre tension to care deeply about the refugee crisis in Syria and also about Gilmore Girls."</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">"Love means saying to someone else’s story or pain or anger or experience: “I’m listening. Tell me more.” Love refuses to deny or dismantle another’s perspective simply because I don’t share it."</li>
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<b>Rating:</b> ★★★★☆</div>
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<b>Will I Re-Read:</b> Yeah, quite possibly.</div>
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<b>If You Liked This, Try: </b><i><a href="http://ajreader.blogspot.com/2017/04/Bread-and-Wine.html" target="_blank">Bread and Wine</a> </i>/ <i><a href="http://ajreader.blogspot.com/2016/10/Love-Does.html" target="_blank">Love Does</a> </i>/ <i><a href="http://ajreader.blogspot.com/2016/05/Out-of-Sorts.html" target="_blank">Out of Sorts</a></i></div>
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<b>Other Books By Jen Hatmaker:</b> <i><a href="https://ajreader.blogspot.com/2016/01/For-the-Love.html" target="_blank">For the Love</a></i></div>
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<b>A Reduced Review: </b>Funny, vulnerable, and real - Jen Hatmaker's latest memoir is exactly what we've come to expect from her. Chances are, she'll make you laugh and cry as you read this one!</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13695981141651000974noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4960074514488243322.post-61089511692774143052018-05-01T04:00:00.000-07:002018-05-01T04:00:16.596-07:00April 2018 Chapter<div style="text-align: justify;">
<i>Welcome to the Read.Write.Repeat. monthly wrap-up. Every month, I give a quick overview of what books I read, the</i><i> progress made on my reading goals, a few book-related links, and general blog news. </i><br />
<h4>
April News </h4>
I feel like I've been longing for spring on here every month. I've talked incessantly about the weather like I'm at a cocktail party and don't know anyone. I can't help it, though. It was such a long winter and this spring has felt like a very, very long time coming. It is finally here and it is glorious. Leaves on the trees, color everywhere. North Carolina offers the most beautiful spring colors. My lilac bush is right on the verge of blooming. I'll be smelling that sweet scent every time I open the front door within days. So, forgive my months-long diatribe on the weather.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvqwZhmhJwCVCBPQc6C6VPsvL_ymuQS-Qo6OKth7N0TdASq_Akc18kyiVGStlsx6BFRUXXw2rgNWK1VwHpSrleMTwEcrR8A6V6kFCaQTfkc_KacnWiiaA4Oqzaq8uL2cZSlvGyvS5Ogp4/s1600/Monthly+Update.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvqwZhmhJwCVCBPQc6C6VPsvL_ymuQS-Qo6OKth7N0TdASq_Akc18kyiVGStlsx6BFRUXXw2rgNWK1VwHpSrleMTwEcrR8A6V6kFCaQTfkc_KacnWiiaA4Oqzaq8uL2cZSlvGyvS5Ogp4/s320/Monthly+Update.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
It was, once again, such a busy month. We can't catch a break this spring. I feel this way every year, but I always forget just how intense things are. Kevin is not in grad school this year, which is wonderful, but he still worked almost every weekend of the last two months. He's finally done with his crazy season; I have two weeks left until I'm finished with the semester. He's thrown himself into outdoor projects full force, mostly because we're hosting a party for some of his student workers today and he wants our yard to be nice for that. This will be our third summer in this house and we are slowly but surely making our deck area a wonderful summer oasis in which we love spending time. I can't wait for long, lazy evenings out there with cool beverages and good friends.<br />
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Part of what has made April particularly busy is all of the extra stuff I've been doing on top of my regular job. I started leading the choir I'm in that goes to sing at nursing homes. I'm still serving on the board of our local housing authority; this month, that involved a conference in Myrtle Beach and several extra meetings because we're making some major transitions. A commitment that is usually 3 hours a month became 3+ hours a week in April. Sigh. I'm also the new Production Assistant for <b><a href="http://pantsuitpoliticsshow.com/" target="_blank">Pantsuit Politics</a></b>! I've actually been doing this since the start of March, but we've got our rhythm down and I'm doing as much as I can to help the amazing Sarah and Beth. If you aren't already listening to this podcast, you <i>really </i>need to! Today's episode is an interview with <b><a href="https://ajreader.blogspot.com/2016/01/For-the-Love.html" target="_blank">Jen Hatmaker</a></b> and it exemplifies everything I love about the show and why I wanted to work with them. On top of all of that, I've been very actively searching for a full-time job. I'm hoping to have some news on that front next month...<br />
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Somehow, I always seem to read more when I am crazy busy. I ended my reading slump and, though my numbers aren't super impressive, every single book I read was gold. Seriously. Not a bad one in the bunch this month. I can almost never say that. I would easily recommend any of the books I read this month, and have already! If you haven't read my reviews this month, I definitely encourage you to go back and take a look. I am confident you'll find something to enjoy!<br />
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Books Reviewed</h4>
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<ol><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpCl2M0jBA-0EkPj96HILnctCoNR3ZVkHATPX3ZEs5ZgnqQTpKKim9G0bZ_Yj6dkIep4KlGe9LEXWQcu9WkSuT1aLLrTHRFEIUyAYMpjOf_kEhMOKiw4sEJjuBFHAzJs2s-i2XgSrFyFI/s1600/Dear+Ijeawele.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="308" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpCl2M0jBA-0EkPj96HILnctCoNR3ZVkHATPX3ZEs5ZgnqQTpKKim9G0bZ_Yj6dkIep4KlGe9LEXWQcu9WkSuT1aLLrTHRFEIUyAYMpjOf_kEhMOKiw4sEJjuBFHAzJs2s-i2XgSrFyFI/s400/Dear+Ijeawele.jpg" width="273" /></a>
<li><i><a href="https://ajreader.blogspot.com/2018/04/Rich-People-Problems.html" target="_blank">Rich People Problems</a> </i>- Kevin Kwan</li>
<li><i><a href="https://ajreader.blogspot.com/2018/04/Pastrix.html" target="_blank">Dear Ijeawele</a> </i>- Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie</li>
<li><i><a href="https://ajreader.blogspot.com/2018/04/Pastrix.html" target="_blank">The Bell Jar</a> </i>- Sylvia Plath</li>
<li><i><a href="https://ajreader.blogspot.com/2018/04/Pastrix.html" target="_blank">Daughter of the Gods</a> </i>- Stephanie Thornton</li>
<li><i><a href="https://ajreader.blogspot.com/2018/04/Pastrix.html" target="_blank">Pastrix</a> </i>- Nadia Bolz-Weber</li>
<li><i><a href="https://ajreader.blogspot.com/2018/04/Homegoing.html" target="_blank">Homegoing</a> </i>- Yaa Gyasi</li>
<li><i><a href="https://ajreader.blogspot.com/2018/04/The-News-A-Users-Manual.html" target="_blank">The News: A User's Manuel</a> </i>- Alain de Botton</li>
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Books Read</h4>
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<ol>
<li><i><a href="https://ajreader.blogspot.com/2018/04/Pastrix.html" target="_blank">Dear Ijeawele</a> </i>- Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie</li>
<li><i><a href="https://ajreader.blogspot.com/2018/04/Pastrix.html" target="_blank">The Bell Jar</a> </i>- Sylvia Plath</li>
<li><i><a href="https://ajreader.blogspot.com/2018/04/Pastrix.html" target="_blank">Daughter of the Gods</a> </i>- Stephanie Thornton</li>
<li><i><a href="https://ajreader.blogspot.com/2018/04/Pastrix.html" target="_blank">Pastrix</a> </i>- Nadia Bolz-Weber</li>
<li><i><a href="https://ajreader.blogspot.com/2018/04/Homegoing.html" target="_blank">Homegoing</a> </i>- Yaa Gyasi</li>
<li><i><a href="https://ajreader.blogspot.com/2018/04/The-News-A-Users-Manual.html" target="_blank">The News: A User's Manuel</a> </i>- Alain de Botton</li>
<li><i>Of Mess and Moxie </i>- Jen Hatmaker</li>
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<b>Pages Read</b>: 1,749</div>
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<b>Favorite Book Read: </b><i style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://ajreader.blogspot.com/2018/04/Pastrix.html" target="_blank">Dear Ijeawele</a> </i><span style="text-align: left;">was so, so good. I was nodding along in agreement on every page.</span></div>
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<a href="https://ajreader.blogspot.com/2018/01/2018-Blog-Goals.html" style="text-align: justify;" target="_blank">2018 Goals</a><span style="text-align: justify;"> </span></h4>
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One of my goals this year is to read 3 specific books each month:<br />
<ul>
<li><b>1 Faith-Centered or Philosophical Book </b><br /><a href="https://ajreader.blogspot.com/2018/04/Pastrix.html" target="_blank">Pastrix</a> - Nadia Bolz-Weber<br />Of Mess and Moxie - Jen Hatmaker</li>
<li><b>1 Political of Issue-Driven Book</b><br /><a href="https://ajreader.blogspot.com/2018/04/Dear-Ijeawele.html" target="_blank">Dear Ijeawele</a> - Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie<br /><a href="https://ajreader.blogspot.com/2018/04/The-News-A-Users-Manual.html" target="_blank">The News: A User's Manuel</a> - Alain de Botton</li>
<li><b>1 Book Written by a Minority Author</b><a href="https://ajreader.blogspot.com/2018/04/Dear-Ijeawele.html" target="_blank">Dear Ijeawele</a> - Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie<br /><a href="https://ajreader.blogspot.com/2018/04/Homegoing.html" target="_blank">Homegoing</a> - Yaa Gyasi</li>
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I also am trying to work my way through my <b><a href="https://ajreader.blogspot.com/2018/01/2018-TBR-Challenge.html" target="_blank">TBR list</a></b>. My goal is to get from 350 books on the list to 200. That means lowering that number by 13 in some form or fashion every month. Here's how that went this month:</div>
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<ul>
<li><b>Books Read: 7</b></li>
<li><b>Books Removed: 9</b></li>
<li><b>Books Added: 2</b></li>
<li><b>Total Count for the Month: -14</b></li>
<li><b>Books Remaining on TBR: 285</b></li>
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Elsewhere Online...</h4>
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My royal mania is at peak levels right now. Between new baby Prince Louis Arthur Charles (boy, was that name a surprise!) and the upcoming wedding, I'm living my best royal life right now. If you haven't already, make sure you take a look at <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2018/04/06/style/meghan-markle-prince-harry-royal-wedding.html?mtrref=www.gofugyourself.com" target="_blank"><i>The New York Times</i>' super fun guide to the royal wedding</a> - which is May 19! I'll be up super early live-tweeting the whole thing and CAN. NOT. WAIT.</div>
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May is going to be glorious. Throughout the craziness of spring, the promise of May has held me over. The end of the semester. A trip to a cabin in the mountains with some of our dearest friends. The royal wedding. And we leave for Italy on Memorial Day weekend! My expectations are sky high. I'm already thinking about what books best compliment all of those delightful activities!</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13695981141651000974noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4960074514488243322.post-76873269374937179032018-04-26T04:00:00.000-07:002018-04-26T04:01:06.037-07:00The News - Alain de Botton<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: justify;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoe1fOMJxQ5w3KEKpOoCr6J04BSNeuy6NCWjUPz4BsurXY1bFW2cGFiqa-Ou5qaGYagwREzxWJo7Xyr3L-LJAzJ_mXk7OiHfc5McRvFwlBlgvXQTzXa7WllqTVdIIey2T7ygQuq5LtzZk/s1600/The+News.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="456" data-original-width="318" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoe1fOMJxQ5w3KEKpOoCr6J04BSNeuy6NCWjUPz4BsurXY1bFW2cGFiqa-Ou5qaGYagwREzxWJo7Xyr3L-LJAzJ_mXk7OiHfc5McRvFwlBlgvXQTzXa7WllqTVdIIey2T7ygQuq5LtzZk/s400/The+News.jpg" width="278" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18282869-the-news" target="_blank">The News</a></td></tr>
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<b>Title: </b><i>The News: A User's Manuel</i></div>
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<b>Author:</b> Alain de Botton</div>
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<b>Publication Date:</b> 2/11/14</div>
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<b>Pages:</b> 272</div>
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<b>Genre:</b> <a href="http://ajreader.blogspot.com/search/label/Nonfiction" target="_blank">Nonfiction</a></div>
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<b>How I Found It: </b>Several sources have recommended it recently. </div>
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<b>Date Completed:</b> 4/25/18</div>
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<b>Summary: </b>de Botton takes a wide angle look at our news climate. He breaks the book into sections, each one tackling a different type of news: political, international, celebrity, disasters, weather, etc. </div>
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<b>What I Thought: </b>After seeing recommendations for this in several places, it seemed like a good time to pick it up. After all, we are <i>struggling</i> with how to handle media in our world right now. A user's manual seems like just the ticket.</div>
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The book is fascinating. de Botton has a lot of astute observations about how the news works and how we consume it. I particularly enjoyed the section on political news, as that is the majority of what I consume these days. </div>
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I happened to pick up this book at just the right time - the same week I was teaching the Mass Media unit in my Critical Thinking course. Several times while reading I wished I had started it just a week earlier so I could have incorporated some quotes and content from the book into my lesson about the news. de Botton's thoughts are right in line with much of what I say in class.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJAV9qdgjc199nZiFG8sNYPh0wwkelS4kKIgJQTUZQ2K3UWgoMu2eoZnzoNQmE-dVp9qgYA_Q9w-f1-mBVJWa5j4xshn1pn2C0v412HxZiPoV-DPJuyEADrYlVCOIj6FJBeng8juwmths/s1600/2018+TBR+Challenge.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="800" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJAV9qdgjc199nZiFG8sNYPh0wwkelS4kKIgJQTUZQ2K3UWgoMu2eoZnzoNQmE-dVp9qgYA_Q9w-f1-mBVJWa5j4xshn1pn2C0v412HxZiPoV-DPJuyEADrYlVCOIj6FJBeng8juwmths/s200/2018+TBR+Challenge.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">This book is part of my </span><b style="font-size: 12.8px;"><a href="https://ajreader.blogspot.com/2018/01/2018-TBR-Challenge.html" target="_blank">2018 TBR Challenge</a></b><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">!</span></td></tr>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
My biggest disappointment with this book is I felt it was more exploratory than guiding. Because of the subtitle of the book, <i>A User's Manual</i>, I had hoped for more action steps. de Botton does a wonderful job explaining our current condition, but doesn't give many ideas as to how to remedy the problems therein. Perhaps if this book had been written today instead of in 2014, he would have included more of that. After all, the last two years and opened a lot of our eyes to the need to revise the nature of our media consumption. </div>
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I appreciated that de Botton broke his sections into chapter and chapters into small, digestible chunks. His content is dense at times, though very readable, so it helps to have it sliced up. It's a book that is worth taking in slowly, so even just reading a piece or two at a time would be enjoyable. I know I'll be chewing on the thoughts from this book for a while and that would certainly be the case if I had read it slowly - probably even more so. </div>
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If you are a news consumer or even are just wondering why in the world you should care about the news at all, this is a great book. He generally stays out of the nitty gritty controversies around the news and instead takes a big picture approach that applies to us all regardless of political persuasion or level of news obsession. </div>
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<b>Quotes I Loved:</b></div>
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<li>See my whole litany of highlights and notes <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/notes/20774830-the-news/16836355-alise-read-write-repeat?ref=bsop" target="_blank">here</a>.</li>
<li>"Once our formal education has finished, the news is our teacher. It is the single most significant force setting the tone of public life and shaping our impressions of the community beyond our own walls."</li>
<li>"The press had made it very possible for a person to be at once unimaginative, uncreative, mean-minded and extremely well informed. The modern idiot could routinely know what only geniuses had known in the past."</li>
<li>"They are...suffering not so much from ignorance as from indifference."</li>
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<b>Rating:</b> ★★★☆☆</div>
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<b>Will I Re-Read:</b> Yeah, maybe</div>
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<b>If You Liked This, Try: </b><i><a href="https://ajreader.blogspot.com/2017/08/Tribe.html" target="_blank">Tribe</a> </i>/ <i><a href="https://ajreader.blogspot.com/2014/04/Amusing-Ourselves.html" target="_blank">Amusing Ourselves to Death</a> </i>/ <i><a href="https://ajreader.blogspot.com/2016/03/The-News-Sorority.html" target="_blank">The News Sorority</a> </i></div>
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<b>A Reduced Review:</b> Alain de Botton's guide to the news is informative and interesting, though I was hoping for actual guidance about how to move forward. </div>
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