This post contains affiliate links.
(P.S. I highly recommend Book Outlet! Use my link for $10 off your first order of $25 or more)
#08. THE TRUE CONFESSIONS OF CHARLOTTE DOYLE by AviNot every thirteen-year-old girl is accused of murder, brought to trial, and found guilty. But I was just such a girl, and my story is worth relating even if it did happen years ago. (the first sentence! p.1)
I decided to change things up a little by reading a children’s (maybe more accurately, a tween/YA) book. The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle is a page turner about a mystery at sea and was so much better than I was expecting! I enjoyed it so much that even my big boys are possibly interested in picking it up. (Female protagonists are not their thing, so that’s HUGE.)
#09. AT HOME IN THE WORLD: REFLECTIONS ON BELONGING WHILE WANDERING THE GLOBE by Tsh OxenreiderMy Rating: ★★★☆☆
I know this: I am weary of playing games, of the games I am asked to play in order to succeed as a writer. These travels for a year are admittedly part escapism, a desperate plea for a sabbatical from expectations, pressure, noise. I want to get lost in myself, I want to stop thinking so much of myself, and I want to see in the flesh how many people there are in the world and how many don’t know me or, really, care about me. I want to remember my smallness. I want to be a prophet in the wilderness, shouting from jungles and deserts and foreign cities that we are all small, and to remember what a tiny place we each take up in the world. Small might be insignificant, but it does not mean unimportant. (p.56)
I enjoyed this book, but it also solidified something I already knew about myself: I’m a homebody through and through! I definitely don’t experience the same wanderlust – some of her experiences gave me anxiety just reading about them, hah! I do have a short list for travel someday, but for now, I’ll just drink up the experiences of others. (Also available at Book Outlet here.)
My Rating: ★★★☆☆
The Americans were very clever; they sent rockets into space and invented machines which could think more quickly than any human being alive, but all this cleverness could also make them blind. They did not understand other people. They thought that everyone looked at things in the same way as Americans did, but they were wrong. Science was only part of the truth. There were also many other things that made the world what it was, and the Americans often failed to notice these things, although they were there all the time, under their noses. (48%)
Tears of the Giraffe is the second book in the No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency series. I read the first book last year and enjoyed it, so after reading about Africa in At Home in the World, I thought I’d revisit Botswana’s premier lady detective, Precious Ramotswe. Nothing ground-breaking, but a good story with charming characters. Solid three stars.
My Rating: ★★★★☆
“Dear, sweet Mabel,” she said. “We never know what is going to happen, do we? Life is always throwing us this way and that. That’s where the adventure is. Not knowing where you’ll end up or how you’ll fare. It’s all a mystery, and when we say any different, we’re just lying to ourselves. Tell me, when have you felt most alive?” (p.258)
First of all, can we talk about this cover?! So beautiful. The Snow Child captured my attention from the first few pages and I was hooked. The overall tone of the book is a little sad and melancholy, so it may not be a good fit for everyone, but I really enjoyed it. (Also available at Book Outlet here.)
My Rating: ★★☆☆☆
Living together in the two-family house had always had its benefits. When Rose first moved in, she had been grateful every day for Helen’s companionship. Helen taught her how to cook, how to sew curtains, how to bleed the radiator when it started getting noisy. She told Rose where to buy fish and which grocer had the best produce. The two of them had been inseparable back then, more like sisters than some real sisters Rose knew. When the children came along, the cousins had each other for playmates. There was always an adult around if any child was sick or wanted help with schoolwork. And if either Rose or Helen needed something for a recipe, chances were that one of them had the ingredient the other was missing. (p.83)
According to Goodreads, I am definitely in the minority here, but I just couldn’t get behind The Two-Family House. The writing is fine but the story itself was very predictable. I figured out the “plot twist” about 30 pages into the story and couldn’t figure out if I was just clever or if it was intentional. (Turns out everyone figured it out early.) There were only a few characters that I liked and many more who were just rotten. I don’t know…it could have been a great premise, but I thought it fell flat. (Also available at Book Outlet here.)
My Rating: ★★★★☆
Last year, Mark listened to a podcast with Mike Ritland and was really impressed. With our new puppy arriving in a few months, February was the perfect time to read his book and check out his advice. Straight forward and easy to understand – I liked it and learned a lot.
My Rating: ★★★☆☆
“How long have you lived here?” Mama asked. “Ten of the best years of my life,” Large Marge answered. “Life in the bush is hard work, but you can’t beat the taste of salmon you caught in the morning, drizzled with butter you churned from your own fresh cream. Up here, there’s no one to tell you what to do or how to do it. We each survive our own way. If you’re tough enough, it’s heaven on earth.” (9%)
Another book based in Alaska! I’ve been on the hold list at the library since last August, so was pleasantly surprised to get the email saying it was my turn. I don’t know how to accurately describe my feelings on this one, though. While it was well written, the domestic abuse was very difficult for me and it just felt so depressing. The Snow Child and The Two-Family House also had a sad/melancholy tone and I may have unintentionally hit a breaking point with The Great Alone. Still worth the read, but I need something cheerful next! 3.5 stars.
Pages Read: 4,304
Kindle Books: 2 // Paper Books: 12
Original 2019 books “to-read” total on Goodreads: 424 // Current “to-read” total: 433 (I’m going in the wrong direction, hah!)
I just kinda like The Great Alone too .I read The Nightingale first which I think just blew me away so I had too high of expectations for The Great Alone (hah) have you read One Beautiful Dream ? I'm trying to remember where I heard of it and I think it was you. But if not – I kept thinking of you while I was reading it! Xxo
I have heard about One Beautiful Dream, but haven't read it yet. I've heard great things about it though! Will have to add it to my wishlist.