No.202: My Latest Reads // December

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EDGE OF EXTINCTION #1: THE ARK PLAN by Laura Martin
My Rating: ★★★★☆

We read The Ark Plan for our homeschool read aloud.  It was described to me as “Jurassic World meets Planet of the Apes” and I think that’s pretty accurate!  The first few chapters are slower, but quickly pick up.  And the end is a cliff hanger!  We have to order the second book soon.

INTO THE WILD by Jon Krakauer
My Rating: ★★★☆☆

An extended stay in the wilderness inevitably directs one’s attention outward as much as inward, and it is impossible to live off the land without developing both a subtle understanding of, and a strong emotional bond with, that land and all it holds. (84%)

You know the saying, It takes all kinds to make the world go round?  That’s the phrase that kept coming to mind as I read Into the Wild.  Chris McCandless lived his life uniquely and while I would not necessarily make the same decisions, this book was able to somewhat explain his why. (As much as a third party can.)

CRIME SIGNALS: HOW TO SPOT A CRIMINAL BEFORE YOU BECOME A VICTIM by David Givens, Ph.D.
My Rating: ★★★☆☆

The most commonly experienced danger signs, however, are intangible feelings and suppositions that something is wrong. (2%)

Crime Signals is a good primer if you’re new to criminology.  I was already familiar with much of the information, but the tips on child predators were particularly helpful.  This book was written about 10 years ago and I’d be interested to see what has changed in criminology since then.

NIGHT OF MIRACLES by Elizabeth Berg
My Rating: ★★★☆☆

When Lucille was a girl, a carnival came to town one summer and they had a ride called the Whirligig. You sat in some wooden contraption that jerked you here, there, and everywhere. One minute you’d be going forward, the next backward or sideways or tilted over so far you thought you might fall out. It was never still and you had no idea what might come next. That’s life. You’re born, and you get a ride on the Whirligig. (72%)

This book is the sequel to The Story of Arthur Truluv with a few of the same characters and a few new ones.  Definitely not as good as the first book, but a charming easy read.

TEN ARGUMENTS FOR DELETING YOUR SOCIAL MEDIA ACCOUNTS RIGHT NOW by Jaron Lanier
My Rating: ★★★☆☆

…What if listening to an inner voice or heeding a passion for ethics or beauty were to lead to more important work in the long term, even if it measured as less successful in the moment?  What if deeply reaching a small number of people matters more than reaching everybody with nothing? (p.68)

I’m on a bit of a tech criticism kick lately, but don’t buy me a tin hat yet!  One of my goals for 2018 was to learn to think for myself again: stop scrolling, pull out the books and wrestle with new concepts.  I wanted to make my own conclusions without being swayed by what everyone else thought.  Ten Arguments for Deleting Your Social Media Accounts Right Now reinforces those ideas.  Not a perfect book – it rambles on a bit and I didn’t fully agree on a few things – but lots to still think about.  Solid three and a half stars.

A CHRISTMAS CAROL by Charles Dickens
My Rating: ★★★★☆

It is a fair, even-handed, noble adjustment of things, that while there is infection in disease and sorry, there is nothing in the world so irresistibly contagious as laughter and good-humour. (p.71)

I’ve seen the cartoon versions of this story numerous times growing up, but have never read the original text!  At just over 100 pages, it’s not an intimidating classic and the descriptions are much more vivid than the movies can portray.  A great fable to read in December.

THE MIRACLE OF FATHER KAPAUN: PRIEST, SOLDIER AND KOREAN WAR HERO by Roy Wenzl and Travis Heying
My Rating: ★★★★☆

The suffering of that first winter was overwhelming.  Many soldiers were in their teens and early twenties, not mature enough to deal with that level of misery.  Kapaun never yelled at the prisoners when in their weakness they let each other down; he led by example. (p.47)

I assigned this book to my sixth grader for school, but quickly realized that it was one I needed to read too!  Fr. Emil Kapaun was such an inspirational man and a great example for my boys.

WHAT ALICE FORGOT by Liane Moriarty
My Rating: ★★★★☆

She had always thought that exquisitely happy time at the beginning of her relationship with Nick was the ultimate, the feeling they’d always be trying to replicate, to get back, but now she realized that was wrong.  That was like comparing sparkling mineral water to French champagne.  Early love is exciting and exhilarating.  It’s light and bubbly.  Anyone can love like that.  But love after three children, after a separation and a near-divorce, after you’ve hurt each other and forgiven each other, bored each other and surprised each other, after you’ve seen the worst and the best – well, that sort of love is ineffable.  It deserves its own word. (p.457)  

I’m probably one of the last people on Earth to read What Alice Forgot!  It found it easy to read, interesting and surprisingly thought-provoking.  I flew through it in days.

UNTIL I SAY GOOD-BYE: MY YEAR OF LIVING WITH JOY by Susan Spencer-Wendel
My Rating: ★★★☆☆

The big questions rose before me: Where do I want to go? How do I want to live? What is the central message of my life? (10%)


That is the secret I learn more of every day. Not to want things I cannot have or cannot do. Remove the want, and you remove the pain. (80%)

I chose Until I Say Good-Bye randomly from the library because the title sounded promising.  This memoir is about a mother diagnosed with ALS and the year she spent traveling and living with intention.  It was equal parts inspiring and just painfully raw and sad.