Bookworm 2022

After only getting to read a handful of books in 2021, I made sure that 2022 was going to give me enough for a blog post!

I read a pretty good variety this year, including a professional book cover to cover, which I hadn't done in years. I rediscovered Reese Witherspoon's Book Club. And I also went back to graduate school, so I read three large textbooks on top of all of this 😅. This may be my last Bookworm, as it was difficult for me to remember details about some of these books after reading them so long ago. 2023 may be the year I finally join GoodReads!

Entertainment

The Meaning of Mariah Carey by Mariah Carey (w/Michaela Angela Davis)

Sick in the Head: Conversations about Life and Comedy by Judd Apatow

    I used to LOVE Mariah Carey when I was younger. She was a huge musical influence for me. I was excited to read her memoir because she has been notoriously private about her personal life. I now see why. She has had a lot of sadness in her life, and parts of this were difficult to read. What struck me the most about this book was how well-written it is! I knew she was a talented songwriter, but the writing in this book was truly memorable. Hearing the stories behind some of the songs made me appreciate them so much more. 

    I have been trying to read Apatow's book for several years, and unfortunately, I was disappointed. I think I was expecting more of an oral history of some of his work, and that's not what I got. 

Hello Sunshine Book Club

The Last Thing He Told Me by Laura Dave

Counterfeit by Kirstin Chen

The Last Story of Mina Lee by Nancy Jooyoun Kim

Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens

    These are four very different books and I enjoyed them all! My favorite of the four was Mina Lee. It was surprising, but not in the typical "twisty" way we have become accustomed to in so many thrillers these days. I think it also resonated with me as someone who has lost a parent. 

    Counterfeit was frothy and fun. Quick read too! I loved The Last Thing He Told Me, which had been recommended to me by several people. Crawdads started off really slowly for me and I couldn't understand the big deal for a while, but it definitely picked up about halfway through. I am conflicted about the ending though and would really love to chat about it-- don't want to spoil it for anyone here! 

    I also watched the movie about a month after finishing the book and thought they did a good job, but would have liked it better had I not read the book first. I feel like they made Kiya too "normal." Did anyone else feel like that? I pictured her a little more feral HAHA.

Twisty Fiction 

Such a Quiet Place by Megan Miranda

The Wife Upstairs by Rachel Hawkins

    If you're looking for some good suspense, these both fit the bill! Both of these came from friends' recommendations and kept me guessing until the end. The Wife Upstairs is also a modern update of Jane Eyre, and I much prefer the update 😄

Other Fiction

The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett

All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr

    Both of these books sat with me for a while after I finished reading them. They are not light reads, but are beautifully written. Doerr's novel is against the backdrop of World War II, which I gravitate toward frequently. I have never read anything like The Vanishing Half. I recommend giving yourself some extra time with these two-- I don't think you'll be disappointed. 

Rain Reign by Ann M. Martin

The London Eye Mystery by Siobhan Down

    These are a couple of novels I read for one of my classes. They'd be best for 9-12 year olds probably, but I thought they were pretty entertaining, so I included them. Both feature an autistic narrator and even though I thought I had the "mystery" figured out from the jump, I was very wrong 🙈

Other

Shifting the Balance by Jan Burkins and Kari Yates

    This is the professional book I referenced earlier. I'm glad I read it and it helped me make sense of some of the literacy chatter going on. If you didn't like it, please carry on-- not looking for debate please. 

Growing Up in Fancy Gap by Delmon Quesinberry

    This was written by my great-uncle about some of his childhood experiences. My grandfather is no longer with us, so it was nice to be able to feel some connection to him. 

Have you read any of these? What did you think? 

Bookworm 2020

 Apparently this is my first Bookworm post in six years! With all of the craziness of this year, one good thing that came out of it was that I finally got to read a novel for the first time in two years. 

Since basically everything I've read previous to now has been parenting books and articles, I'll start with the three I read this year:

The Montessori Toddler by Simone Davies

   This is a great introductory book that give practical advice and tips, and has wonderful reference charts for quick look-ups.

Ready Set Go!: A Gentle Parenting Guide to Calmer, Quicker Potty Training by Sarah Ockwell-Smith

    After giving it a go with the "three day method," and being extremely stressed, I read this book in one sitting and felt so much better about everything!

1-2-3 Magic: Effective Discipline for Children 2-12 by Thomas Phelen

    I didn't love it; I didn't hate it. There were some good reminders and things to think about, but not a diehard fan like some I've seen.

Achtung Baby: An American Mom on the German Art of Raising Self-Reliant Children by Sara Zaske

    I actually started reading this a few months after Rainier was born (in 2018), and was only able to read it in bits and pieces until I finally finished it early in 2020. This was part parenting, part memoir, part German history. Some parts were a little sluggish, but it was mostly interesting to read about how things are done in another country, especially as a new parent!

Hope Never Dies: An Obama/Biden Mystery by Andrew Shaffer

    Yes, you read that title correctly LOL. As the pandemic really set in and things were starting to get tense, this was the perfect "fun" read, even though it was a murder mystery. The writing started off kind of pretentious, but once I looked past that, it was an interesting story. It was weird though because Biden became the Democratic nominee as I was in the middle of the book. Reading fake dialogue from a real person was a whole other experience in and of itself!

Beneath a Scarlet Sky by Mark Sullivan

    One of my team members let me borrow this after I told her I liked to read books about the World War II era. It's over four hundred pages, so I laughed and said "When am I ever going to have time to read this?!" HAHA you win 2020. It is based on a true story and riveting! There are definitely some truly devastating parts, but as we know, real life is not always sunshine and rainbows. An inspiring read. 

Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng

    I have to be honest-- I had never heard of this book until I watched the Hulu miniseries (we'll blame it on the two year old). The series was so amazing and brilliant, that I decided to let it rip my heart out in print too. I hesitate to write this, but I think I liked the series better than the book. It hit me in a different way. Honestly, they made so many changes, it's hard to compare them. The series was able to dive deeper into the characters, and I recommend reading some of the things that Celeste Ng had to say about why that is. It is still a well written book and I would be interested in reading her other novel.  

White Fragility by Robin DiAngelo

    I know this book is "controversial," but it was interesting. Social justice is important to me, and even I came away from some passages thinking "yikes! I've done that!" There were lots of updates and clarifications of terminology that I found helpful, particularly that the term racist should be attributed more to actions that people. The book brought another level of awareness that people could benefit from. I started to notice more about situations around me and have felt an even stronger pull to speak up when necessary.

The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins

    This was the long awaited The Hunger Games prequel and I think it was mostly worth the wait. It definitely was slower paced than the trilogy, but awesome to read the backstory of President Snow. I gained a lot of insight into his actions later in life. It made me want to go back and read the other books again (of course!). 

Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates

    A much shorter book than I anticipated, this memoir is a series of letters that Coates wrote to his son, describing his experiences as a black man in America. I've seen others say that it's a hard book to describe, and I agree. All I can say is that Coates is one of the most gifted writers I've ever read.

The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas

    This book is soooo devastating, yet sooooo good. I cannot recommend it enough. If you struggle through nonfiction, but really want to learn more about the current situation in our country, this is the book to read. Thomas is such a talented writer and you can't help but relate to the main character in some way. 

Too Much and Never Enough: How my Family Created the World's Most Dangerous Man by Mary L. Trump

    I debated reading this book, but curiosity finally did me in. Mary L. Trump is not the best writer, but this is different than the rest of the Trump books and articles because it explains the WHY. Donald Trump had a terrible upbringing that directly contributed to the way he behaves as an adult. I had to renew it from the library three times to finally finish it, which means I finished it during election season, but it was an interesting read!

Nothing Like I Imagined collection by Mindy Kaling

    I love Mindy Kaling. I want her to be my best friend. I love everything she writes. Next time you're watching The Office, check out who wrote the episode-- Mindy's were some of the best. To end 2020 on a high note, she put out a collection of six short story memoirs. They are funny, easy to read, and quick! Perfect for mommies! (Full disclosure-- I have one left, but I plan to read it by the end of the weekend.) If you haven't read anything by Mindy, you should start with these, but you should also read her other two memoirs. I always recommend them when people are looking for something to read! 

As you can see, my reads were all over the place this year, but well rounded reading makes a person better, right? What did you read this year? Does anything on this list jump out at you? 

Daddy's Little Girl

Monday marked seven years since Daddy passed. One day I will write about how that has affected my life, but today is not that day. Instead, I'd like to share something I wrote for my dad's memorial service all those years ago. I knew I would never make it through myself, so I had the pastor read it for me. It is shared here in its entirety:

In honor of my Dad’s love for Dave Letterman and his Top Ten Lists, these are my “Top 5 Things I Will Remember Most About My Dad.”

5. When I was in primary school, Dad used to be off of work one day during the week. On those days, he would pick me up from school instead of me going to daycare. We would always go and get purple and orange slushies and sometimes we would get stale bread or crackers and go feed the seagulls on the beach.

4. Everyone knows my Dad’s love for trivia and pop culture. What you might not know is that he passed that down to me. When I lived at home, we would always watch all the awards shows and comment about performances and winners. When I moved out, I could count on a phone call at some point during a big awards show, usually saying something to the effect of “What were they thinking?!” I must say though, that, growing up, I helped him add to his trivia vault exponentially by cluing him in to all the teenybopper information on music and movies.

3. My Dad used to come read to my class at school when I was younger. My friends and teachers were always so excited because Dad would read everything in character. No boring monotone from him. Every character had a different voice. And I thought I had the coolest dad because of it. Because of his work shift, he would also often go on field trips with my class, the greatest of which was our 5^th grade experience in Washington DC.

2. Dad never met a stranger. When I was a teenager, this brought me much embarrassment. “Do you have to talk to everybody?” I would ask him as we went from grocery store, to restaurant, to gas station. As an adult, it allows me to see how many connections and ways you can brighten a person’s day, just by having a couple minute conversation with them.

1. In recent years, almost every time my dad and I talked on the phone, at the end of the conversation he would almost always tell me how proud he was of me. It didn’t matter what we had been talking about, he would end with “I’m proud of you.”

And so I leave it at that, and would like to turn it around on him. I can say that I am proud to have a father whom so many cherished and cared about. Thank you all for being there for him.

Bookworm- The YA Challenge!

If you are a "faithful" reader of this blog (it's probably not that hard!), then you know how much I love to read. 

I have parlayed that love into a NEW blog venture. My friend Ashley and I have challenged each other (and ourselves) to read all of Time.com's 100 Best Young Adult Books of All Time. 

Head on over to https://yabookchallenge.wordpress.com/  and check out the fun! Go ahead and subscribe by email or follow the blog, and you'll never miss a new post. 

Please share with anyone you think would be interested... we would love to have lots of you reading along with us and sharing your thoughts!

Can't wait to see you over there!

Bookworm 2014

So apparently the only post that is guaranteed around here is a book review post.

Although, I was worried when June rolled around and I had yet to pick up a book for pleasure. Thankfully, summertime is for reading and most of these were read during a four month time period. Without further ado...


Divergent, Insurgent, Allegiant, Four by Veronica Roth

I finally got to read the entire Divergent series and the best part is that I didn't have to wait for anything new to come out. I loved the trilogy (ending aside) and especially the relationship between Tris and Four. I thought it was really authentic and heartwrenching. The added short story collection of Four was excellent as well. Getting more backstory on a character seems to be somewhat of a trend in YA these days, and I love it! I highly recommend these books, especially if you like The Hunger Games trilogy (although those were better.)


Reached by Ally Condie

This is the third book of the Matched trilogy, which I have previously reviewed HERE. Unlike the first two, I was not very enthralled with this particular book. By the end, I was just waiting for it to be over. Part of my disdain I think was that I didn't like who the main character ended up with. That is always a dealbreaker for me! Try them for yourself and see what you think.


Austenland by Shannon Hale

After the intensity of Divergent, this was a great story to just sit back and relax with. It's about a woman who is obsessed with Mr. Darcy and goes to an amusement park/dinner theater dedicated to Jane Austen to get over her obsession. It's a super fun read-- good for the beach! Apparently there is also a movie, which I must watch.


Pitch Perfect by Mickey Rapkin

This is what the movie was based on, but it's actually non-fiction. It follows three groups on their journey to the ICCA, which is essentially the a cappella equivalent of the NCAA tournament. The most fascinating thing about this book to me, is the fact that I have met some of the people in the book and didn't realize they were in it! I don't know if everyone would like this book without having all of the background that I do. It's a really simple read though, so it wouldn't hurt to try!


I Want my MTV: The Uncensored Story of the Music Video Revolution by Rob Tannenbaum
If you haven't figured it out by now, I LOVE reading about pop culture! This book was completely awesome and exactly what I expected. I kind of wish they would do a part two on the more recent history of MTV, but I digress. It's an oral history of sorts, and as such, there are tons of contributors within each chapter. Sometimes that made it a little hard to follow, but it was so entertaining. It reminded me of Top of the Rock, which I enjoyed as well.


Did I Do That? The Best (and Worst) of the 90's by Amber Humphrey

Complete coffee table book, so easily consumable. Exactly what you would expect from the title. There were 2-4 pages per item, dedicated to everything from Captain Planet to Beanie Babies to boy bands. If you grew up in the 90's, you can't go wrong with this book!


And there you have it. Not quite as lengthy as some years, but I packed a lot into a short amount of time! I'm currently reading The Giver quartet and have already finished the titular book, but will wait and review those next year.

Hope you found something new to try... what did YOU read this year?

Girl Meets World- Live Blog

This is filmed like every other single show on the Disney Channel. *sigh*

I literally just teared up at the sight of Cory and Topanga. What is wrong with me?

I like the nudge-nudge *wink wink* of "when is it going to be my world dad?" 

Good shout out to the audience.

So Cory's daughter is still going to be the "Cory" of the relationship, clearly.

Digging the theme song!

Dad as teacher? Don't they live in New York City? How is their school that small?!

Minkus spawn?

What a coincidence... subway boy is the new kid!

Is Maya a Shawn clone?

Oh my gosh their son is so cute!!! Give him more screen time.

Who still has lunch tables that only fit three people?

Typical shenanigans...

Okay, the Maya/Shawn similarities are going a bit too far for my taste.

Feeny's a ghost?

Not enough Topanga in this show!

FINAL THOUGHTS: This show wants to be Boy Meets World so bad, that it's actually kind of painful. Every single character is a version of a character in the original show, which is good and bad. There are two audiences for this show: the typical Disney Channel watcher and those who watched Boy Meets World and want to see what happened to those characters. Unfortunately for the latter, I feel that the producers are trying to mold it into the original show, just with girls. Based on the preview of the upcoming episodes, it's going to be very "afterschool special" like. I want it to be a continuation, not a rehash. I'm more interested in the original characters from the show, which is why it's disappointing that so far they're not fleshing out Topanaga's character AT ALL. I will probably give it a few more episodes, just for the chance to see some old characters. 

Anybody else watch? What did y'all think?

The Voice Top 5

PERFORMANCES

1. Kristen "Foolish Games" - When I heard the teaser that she was singing Jewel, I was really hoping it was this song. She did not disappoint. What a gorgeous performance. 

 

2. Josh "All of Me" - First of all, I love this song. I am totally a sucker for songs that were written for weddings (see Dave Barnes' "I Have and I Always Will"). Secondly, he FINALLY sang a current song! It is a miracle! This is my favorite performance of his since the live shows started. It was heartfelt and emotional.

3. Christina "Some Nights" - She hasn't really done an "anthem" so far, so I was happy to see this from her. She still looks like the most seasoned performer up there. 

4. Josh "Love Runs Out" - Another "finally" for Josh. He FINALLY did an upbeat song! And it is current too! Vocally, I didn't enjoy it as much as his first one, but it was definitely his most entertaining performance to date, and much needed at this point in the competition. I could actually see him as a One Republic-ish artist.

5. Jake "Heaven" - This is the ONLY performance that I won't totally hate on Jake for. He actually sounded decent, but his voice is still not close to the caliber of the other people left on this show. 

 

6. Kristen "Gunpowder and Lead" - This was a good performance, but as a friend and I discussed, something was weird about the rhythm of this version, which was slightly distracting. She still sounded great though. 

7. Kat "Let It Go" - This is actually the most I've ever heard of this song. All my kids ever sing is the title line over and over. and over. While her voice on this song is less annoying than Idina Menzel, my suggestion for her is to stick with the rock thing.

8. Christina "Hide and Seek" - I'm still unsure what I think of this performance. It was difficult to hear her for most of the first half of the song, which doesn't matter in the original recording, because ALL of the voices are of Imogene Heap and it works. When I could hear her, she was yelly, which didn't really work with the tone of the song. I'm torn.

9. Kat "Chandelier" - I just did not like this. The song is quite strange and pretty much required her to screlt (scream + belt) the whole thing... and the tone of her voice does not make for a pretty operatic tone. Sorry I'm not sorry.

10. Jake "Good Ol Boys" - Another straight-up redneck performance from Blake's golden boy. Worst of the night.

LAST CHANCE

What was with all the Carrie Underwood songs? Especially from one artist who hadn't sung a country song the whole competition? Obviously I don't really care that Kat went home (she clearly hasn't been a favorite to be in the bottom so many times!). However, I am so devastated for Kristen. I really thought the final was going to be her, Christina and Josh. If she had been on Blake's team, I can pretty much guarantee she would have been in the final. That's really crappy that the coaches have that much sway. It should be all about the artist. They shouldn't be allowed to talk after Last Chance performances either. Those should stand on their own.

Final Thoughts & Predictions

Jake is the first one to the final?! Are you freaking kidding me? Mark my words, the only reason he is in the final is because Blake is his coach. Blake's fans will literally vote for anyone, as long as they are on his team. I have no problem with Jake as a person; he seems like a nice guy. However, this show is called "THE VOICE" and he does not have a great voice. He also hasn't grown as a singer or performer, unlike Kristen, who has grown leaps and bounds since the beginning of this competition.

Who Will Win: Josh Kaufman- He has clearly been the most consistent, and several of his songs are still in the top 100 ITunes chart, which will count for the final. He has also never been in the bottom. 

Who Should Win: Christina Grimmie- She is the chance for this show to finally be a viable option for winners to be successful after the show. I bet most of you can't even name one other winner of this show... and that's because none of them have done much with their win. Christina could change all of that.

Who I Want to Win: Josh or Christina- I am completely fine with either of them winning, because they've been in my top 3 basically the whole time. If Jake wins, I don't think I will be able to watch this show anymore. Seriously.