No.182: My Latest Reads // September

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NEED TO KNOW by Karen Cleveland 
My Rating: ★★★★★

“How long have you been working for the Russians?” I say. The words are raw, unprocessed. But they’re out now, so I watch his face closely, because his expression matters far more to me than his words. Will there be honest confusion? Indignation? Shame? There’s nothing. Absolutely no emotion crosses his face. It doesn’t change. And that sends a bolt of fear through me. He looks at me evenly. Waits a beat too long to answer, but just barely. “Twenty-two years.” (11%)

I stayed up way too late devouring this book!  You know how much I love a spy thriller and this one did not disappoint.  Such a page turner.  And the end?!  I can’t talk much about it without giving too much away, but it was SO good.  Definitely one of my favorites for 2018.  

TURTLES ALL THE WAY DOWN  by John Green 
My Rating: ★★★☆☆

Anybody can look at you. It’s quite rare to find someone who sees the same world you see. (4%)

Full disclosure: I don’t really enjoy YA – I have zero desire to return to my teenage years!  Even so, I have people in my life who suffer from OCD and anxiety and since Turtles All the Way Down comes highly recommended, I decided to give it a try.  And it was good!  Hearing of the main character’s internal battle was exhausting and even gave me a bit of anxiety, but I also found it to be really helpful.  By knowing more, I hope I can be a better friend/relative to those that suffer in this way.

SMALL GREAT THINGS by Jodi Picoult 
My Rating: ★★★★☆

On the day before classes were supposed to start, Mama took me out to dinner. “You’re destined to do small great things,” she told me. “Just like Dr. King said.” She was referring to one of her favorite quotes: If I cannot do great things, I can do small things in a great way. (35%)

The science of creating another human is remarkable, and no matter how many times I’ve learned about cells and mitosis and neural tubes and all the rest that goes into forming a baby, I can’t help but think there’s a dash of miracle involved, too. (40%)

What can I say about this book?  It was an honest look at racism in America.  Hard to read at times, but also so good.  The parts related to birth and motherhood choked me up on more than one occasion.  It definitely gave me a lot to think about.

THE KITCHEN HOUSE by Kathleen Grissom
My Rating: ★★★☆☆

“Abinia,” she said, “this I know.  What the color is, who the daddy be, who the mama is don’t mean nothin’.  We a family, carin’ for each other.  Family make us strong in times of trouble.  We all stick together, help each other out.  That the real meanin’ of family.  When you grow up, you take that family feelin’ with you.” (p.160)

The Kitchen House dealt with slavery in the eighteenth century.  I enjoyed it, even if the bad things happening one after the other seemed a little like a soap opera.  I wasn’t particularly attached to the main character, but I sure did love Mama Mae.  Solid three stars.