Fangirl

By: Rainbow Rowell
Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin
Dates Read: December 28, 2020 - January 20, 2021
Pages: 434
Source: Own it

Why did I read it?
I had read Eleanor & Park recently and all the book people on the internet say this is THE book for introverts. 

 

Fangirl follows Cath as she heads of to her first year in university.  Her twin sister attends the same school but while she is off making friends and partying,  Cath can be found in her room writing her fan fiction of this world's Harry Potter equivalent.  She gets along well enough with her older, grumpy roommate and her boyfriend.  Cath's single dad remains at home and she could care less about her mom that left them 10 years earlier. 

 

I had high hopes for this book.  It started so well and it had me intrigued.  Cath is judged severely for preferring to be alone while also navigating her first year of university, and the relationships that come with it.  She is meeting cute boys and learning that they are much different than her high school boyfriend.  Her dad struggles with his mental illness and she fears it may also pass to her.  She only wants to be a writer but her teacher dislikes her writing of fanfiction.  

 

It had so many places to go and then it just sort of fizzled out.  Her dad struggles with mental illness and for two pages she battles with the idea that maybe she will also struggle with it, and then we forget all about it.  She's not sure that she should date the guy she wants to date and struggles with it, and then just does it.  Her fiction writer teacher gives her a second chance at her major project, and then we don't even know if she even ever finishes it.  I mean, talk about dropping all the balls Rainbow Rowell.  

 

Honestly, I'm just so disappointed.  I'm disappointed that all the book nerds of the internet love this book.  I'm disappointed that Rowell can write the struggles one teenager faces so realistically in one novel (i.e. Eleanor & Park) and totally drop the ball in another.  I was hoping for yet another book to recommend to young people to get a glimpse into the lives of others, but the problems seem to just disappear instead of worked through.  

 

I guess I should also mention that every chapter begins with a snippet of either Cath's fanfiction or the "actual" writing from the Simon Snow books.  I could have done without it and Carry On (the spinoff book that is the actual fanfiction) is not something I will ever read. 

Rating: 2/5

Overhyped books that plummet in disappointment get low ratings. 

 

Recommendation: I don't know that I would really recommend this book and I don't think that I will be keeping it on my shelf for that very reason.

The Gospel Comes with a House Key

By: Rosaria Butterfield
Publisher: Crossway
Dates Read: December 14 - January 1
Pages: 220
Source: Own it

Why did I read it?
Some dear friends of mine gave it to me with a note inside that said "every Christian should read this book," so I did.  

The Gospel Comes with a House Key talks about what the author calls radically ordinary hospitality.  People who live out radically ordinary hospitality see strangers as their neighbours and neighbours as family of God.  They don't see their homes as their own but as God's.  Hospitality is something they are seeking out (and planning for) every day all the time.  

Butterfield came to know Christ by a Christian couple showing her radically ordinary hospitality every Sunday.  She was invited into their home even though she felt as though she did not belong there.  They fed her, talked with her, shared with her, and beared burdens with her.  Now she does the same things with her neighbours and many individuals from different walks of life.  

Butterfield takes us through stories of her and her husband practicing hospitality.  She often begins with a story from her own experience and than uses that to give some practical ways in which we can practice hospitality.  She bases everything on biblical truth and talks about the hardships and joys that come from radically ordinary hospitality.  

The book was a beautiful reminder to love our neighbours and to love our enemies.  It was an excellent follow up to my last read, Everybody, Always.  Bob taught us to love everybody, always.  Rosaria is teaching us ways to actually do it.  She talks about some marginalized populations and some people that the church has often been not so friendly too.  She challenges all of this and calls us to do better and to start in our very own homes. 

It was a great book to read, but, ironically, it's not something we can start putting into practice right now due to the COVID-19 lockdowns.  However, I feel like there are many ways to start even in lockdown.  Phone calls and messages and porch gifts are all very manageable right now and I would guess that is what Rosaria is doing herself. 

Rating: 4/5

Recommendation: I don't think my friends were wrong.  Maybe every Christian should read this book. 

Hear Them Ring

By: Erynn Mangum
Publisher: Self-published
Dates Read: December 15-23
Pages: 312
Source: Own it

Why did I read it?
Erynn Mangum is my favourite author.  Over the years she has released many novellas for Kindles only and since I will never own an e-reader, I had to wait years until she released them in a novella collection and here we are!

Hear Them Ring is a Christmas novella collection that includes four novellas: The Christmas Watch, Merry and Bright, My Revised Christmas List, and O Christmas Bree.  All four are warm, cozy Christmas love stories.  And I won't lie, from the very first chapter you can tell where every one of them is going except for the last one.  Let's just say this, Erynn Mangum really seems to have a thing for blondes with either blue or green eyes.  

One reason I love Erynn's books is because I find that while I am reading them I pick up my own Bible to read along with the characters.  If her characters are going to read a chapter, I am going to read a chapter.  It's one thing to get lost in a story and another to get lost in a story and learn about Jesus.  

My only complaint, as always since she began self-publishing, is the enormous amount of mistakes.  When I say enormous, I really mean enormous this time: twenty-one!  Twenty-one mistakes across four novellas.  Please Erynn, I have been begging you for years, please give me a first peak at your books because I will cherish them and make them less ugly on the eyes!!


Rating: 4/5 

Recommendation: If you love cheese-y love stories, this was made for you.  Warm, cozy, easy reads around Christmas time are always a pleasure. 

A Curse so Dark and Lonely

By: Brigid Kemmerer
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Dates Read: November 14 - December 13
Pages: 477
Source: Own it

Why did I read it?
I saw someone on youtube say this was a Beauty and the Beast retelling (and I am a sucker for BATB), so when I saw it for $7 on bookoutlet in the middle of a pandemic, it seemed like a no-brainer.  

A Curse so Dark and Lonely switches back and forth between the two main characters: Harper and Rhen.  Harper is a teen living in Washington DC with a mom at home dying from cancer, a dad on the run from not nice people, and her brother working for those not nice people in hopes to repay some debt.  One night while she is on lookout, she sees a man seemingly trying to kidnap an unconscious girl.  Harper attacks him with a tire iron and suddenly finds herself inside a castle from what seems to be another world (spoiler alert: it is).  Rhen is the prince of this castle and land but it is not as it once was.  Every season a new girl is brought to him in hopes to break the curse that has taken everything from him and his people. The land of Emberfall is not what it once was as it is being attacked by a monster that Rhen cannot protect them from.  It is Rhen's last season and last chance to break the curse, but the kidnapped Harper is more eager to get back home to her family than fall in love with a tortured prince.  

I went into this book thinking I would be able to fairly easily predict what it would hold.  How could a retelling of a story from our childhood be almost 500 pages?  We are going to know exactly what is coming.  Wrong.  The basic premise is Beauty and the Beast: girl is held captive in hopes she will fall in love with the Prince and she doesn't like it.  That's it.  That's all they have in common.  This book goes deeper and darker and realer.  

Harper is smart and independent and does her best to get as far away from the prince as possible.  She also has cerebral palsy which, in all honestly, I don't think I have ever read a book with any character having cerebral palsy, let alone the main character.  It was really interesting to read how she works with it and how she explains it in a land where they literally have no idea what cerebral palsy is.  The two men in the castle assume she is weak or injured but quickly find that she is stronger than they think.  

Harper and Rhen end up working together with different goals in mind.  They agree to save the kingdom, if they can, before the season ends and everything probably goes terribly wrong.  I should maybe mention that the other main character is Grey, Rhen's personal (and only remaining) guard.  Grey teaches Harper how to fight, helps them build their crazy plan, and becomes close to Harper because he's not the one trying really hard to make her love him.  

Honestly, I don't think there is much more that I can say without spoilers.  The beast isn't quite what you expect.  The ending isn't at all what you expect.  I haven't wanted to pick up the second book in a series so bad in a long time.

Rating: 4/5

Recommendation: I don't read a lot of fantasy, but this was really good.  I think most people would enjoy.  It makes a childhood classic more suitable for teens and adults with stabbing and fighting and dancing and the mob! 

Everybody, Always

By: Bob Goff
Publisher: Nelson Books
Dates Read: January 12 - December 7
Pages: 223
Source: Own it

Why did I read it?
Because Bob Goff wrote it.  

 

Everybody, Always is Bob's follow up to the wonderful and whimsical Love Does.  In this book Bob focuses on who we should love and how often.  The answer: everybody, always.  Again Bob brings us through stories from his own life where he learned (usually the hard way) how to love others without inhibition.  

 

Bob is a guy who is filled with love and whimsy and good stories.  He tells stories about his neighbours.  He tells stories about his family.  He has a whole chapter about Walt Disney World!  He attends a croc drop.  In all of this he gives us a little slice of what it means to love others.  

 

Bob always starts of simpler and slowly revs up to some heavier topics to fill the last chapters.  This time those last chapters focus on the work he has done with witch doctors in Uganda.  Bob is a lawyer by trade and has brought cases against witch doctors to justice.  He has also built a school for witch doctors where they read only two books: the Bible and Love Does.  He is loving the enemy always, as they are equally the "everybody" he shares about in this book.  

 

Bob seems to have a way of saying harsh things in the kindest of ways.  This book ends with a challenge for everyone - a challenge everyone needs.  Right at the end, it almost feels a little harsh, but it's a harsh reality that we all need.  He builds us up, gains our trust, and then challenges us to be different.  He challenges us to love everybody, always - not just the people who are easy to love.  Because you know what, love does.  

 

Bob, I tried to see you on Tom Sawyer Island last September, but maybe I'll try again sometime when Disneyland opens up again (or maybe sometime when you're in Canada after the borders open). 

Rating: 4/5

I am giving this one a 4 simply because it is not quite the perfection Love Does was.  Still an exceptional book though.  

Recommendation: This book should be read by everybody, always...well, at least once.  If you haven't read Love Does start with that one and then come back to this. 

The Library of Lost and Found

[Audiobook]
By: Phaedra Patrick 
Narrated by: Imogen Church
Publisher: Harlequin Audio
Dates Listened: September 29 - December 4
Length:  10 hrs 32 min
Source:  Overdrive

Why did I read it?
Yet another audiobook to fill the complete silence of my office.  I seem to be on the search for the perfect book about book-lovers.  

 

Martha Storm is a part-time librarian waiting for her chance to finally be hired on full-time (after a decade plus of work).  One night on her way into work, she finds a mysterious book outside the library door.  However, this is not any ordinary book, it is a book full of stories she wrote when she was a child.  Not only are these her stories, but there is a handwritten note addressed to Martha inside from her grandmother, dated two years after her supposed death.  This sends Martha on a mission to figure out how her stories ended up in a book, how her grandma could have signed that note, and how it ended up at her library in the first place.  

 

The Library of Lost and Found is a nice book about a book.  Martha is a middle-aged woman just waiting for her time.  After leaving the life she knew to take care of her parents when they were sick, she has fallen into a life of taking care of others instead of herself.  When a book with her stories shows up all of that changes.  On her search to find answers, she makes some new friends, reconnects with family, and finds herself.  The story overall is pretty charming and there is maybe even a hint at love, but there were many parts you could see coming long before they happened.  The writing was really good but if you want more of a mystery, this isn't it.  

 

There was a little something at the end that I thought was pretty weird and random.  For a 40 something year old, she reacted (I feel) unrealistically and found herself in another unrealistic situation.  It through me off a fair bit and seemed pretty out of place.  It was used as a climax that sets the book off too finish, but it just did not work for me.  

 

The audiobook was read in a lovely British accent, as all British book should be.  It could make any book better - this one didn't need it, but it's always appreciated. 

Rating: 3/5

Recommendation: It's a charming book about a lady with a book.  If that sounds like something nice to you, go for it. 

Every Little Piece of Me

[Audiobook]
By: Amy Jones
Narrated by: Therese Plummer and Tavia Gilbert
Publisher: McClelland & Stewart
Dates Listened: 
Length:  11 hrs 36 min
Source:  Overdrive

Why did I read it?
Work was quiet so I went looking for a random book to listen to.  This one was by a Canadian author and mostly took place in Canada's east coast so I fell for Canada.

Every Little Piece of Me follows two women who are in the spotlight in their own right: Mags and Ava.  Mags is the lead singer of a rock band she formed with her eventual husband.  When they finally make it big, tragedy strikes and Mags is left to navigate the world of music amidst her grief and anger.  Ava is, reluctantly, a cast member of her family's reality show in which they run a bed and breakfast in Nova Scotia.  She grows up on the show and watches it broadcast her families ups and downs as it takes a heavy toll on them.  

They advertise this book as the first time they meet, Mags saves Ava's life and the second time they meet Ava saves Mag's.  Everything in the middle they are pretty well separate.  In all honestly, I did not like either character's story.  We go back and forth between each character and watch them grow up and into these broken women who need to save each other.  I guess I'm for the idea of women helping women, but the stories were not great.  It actually felt like both of them were just being dragged along as victims and all we could do was blame the media but don't worry, women support women.  It felt really forced and I don't know if it is the best showing of women empowerment.  We can blame the media for a lot of what happened to these young women, but they did a lot to themselves and were not just victims. 

It felt like the author was throwing grit onto grit and trying to make this as edgy as possible.  Going into it, I thought it would be cool to be in the brains of a reality start and a rock star, but it was all just...blegh.  I think this book was supposed to be heart-wrenching and throw some blame on how the media treats women but it just did not get me there.

I don't have anything bad to say about the narration.  They were fine.  If anything, they almost sounded a little too similar and if they didn't start each chapter with the character's name I would have been lost. 

Rating: 2/5 (This makes it to two mostly for the first few chapters and Canada)

Recommendation: I don't recommend this book.  There has to be better Canadian fiction than this.  There has to be better women empowerment, media shaming, edgy books.  There just has to be.  

Also I would give this book an 18+ because some of the content is not appropriate for high school (in my opinion)

Second Chance Summer

By: Morgan Matson
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Dates Read: August 27 - September 16
Pages: 468
Source: Own it

Why did I read it?
Morgan Matson has very quickly climbed the list of my favourite authors so I was excited when I found this book in the bargain section.  

Second Chance Summer follows Taylor and her family as they all return to their lake house for their first summer together in five years.  Five years ago, when Taylor was 12, she left a mess behind at their summer home having hurt her best friend and boyfriend.  Now the family is returning to spend one last summer together as her father has been diagnosed with terminal cancer.  

Have you ever read the first chapter of a book and thought "oh shit this is going to make me cry?"  Well, if you haven't before, this book will do it.  From the very beginning you know that Taylor's dad is sick and is not going to get better.  When the family goes to their lake house, their dad encourages them all to live normal lives: to spend time with friends, get jobs, and enjoy the summer.  At first, this is difficult for them to do, but they all slowly fall into it as their father deteriorates.  Taylor has to face the old friends that she hurt long ago and, hopefully, get a second chance with them.  

This book was amazing.  Morgan Matson always has the greatest, realest character development in her books.  From the very beginning Taylor wants to run and hide, an emotion we can probably all empathize with in hard times, but in situations like this running is not an option.  We get to be with her as she stays and struggles and grows.  

In regards to Taylor's dad, well, what an accurate portrayal.  Like Taylor, I have watched my dad be diagnosed and deteriorate quickly.  It is not an easy thing to do, especially when you are young like Taylor is (17).  Her emotions are real and valid and spot on.  We also get to watch her siblings (12 and 20) struggle through the same experience differently.  This is the sort of book that every teenager needs to read.  Someday, we will all face these situations.  Mercifully, we will not all be this young, but we will have friends and neighbours and coworkers who are.  Young people need books like this to help give them a glimpse of these situations to understand the feelings of those affected and how to love and support others when these things happen.  

To say the least, I was right: this book made me sob, but in a good way.  Morgan Matson tapped into something real and true and everyone needs to cry over this book.  After I read this I ate ice cream for dinner and watched Gilmore Girls and had no regrets. 

Rating: 5.5/5

Not only is this a perfect book, but it includes a showing of What About Bob? starring the great Bill Murray, earning it an extra 0.5 stars.  Yes, you heard me right.  More books should highlight Bill Murray films like this one has.  

Recommendation: Every person (teens especially) should read this book.  Yes, there is love weaved in but I don't know that it is as strictly a "girl book" as many other YA summer reads.  I think the situations and the emotions are so real it is worth while for everyone. 

Looking for Alaska

By: John Green
Publisher: HarperCollins
Dates Read: August 15-23
Pages: 263
Source: Own it

Why did I read it?
Back in my bush years, one of my staff said this was her favourite book.  So when I found a used copy with a daisy on the front, I figured I should trust her and read it.  This was before I had ever read a John Green book and maybe should have known better.  (After finishing the book I talked to her about it and she said it has for sure changed.  Thank goodness.)

Looking for Alaska follows Miles aka. Pudge as he begins boarding school in Alabama.  Pudge knows famous people's last words which makes his roommate, the Colonel, decide he is worth being friends with.  Apparently everyone has to have a stupid nickname unless you already have a weird name: like Alaska.  Alaska is an attractive girl who lives just a few doors down from Pudge and the Colonel.  She has a room FILLED with books that she plans to spend the rest of her life reading.  

The book starts "before" and instead of chapters we are counting down the days to some unknown-to-us event.  I didn't care for the "before" portion of the book.  It was a lot of teenagers doing the worst of things people assume teenagers do with a lot of drinking, smoking, and pranks.  Pudge starts dating someone because he is in love with Alaska but she is dating someone else.  I think we're supposed to want them to get together but it just all seems a little to dysfunctional, even for teenagers.  All I can say is that this boarding school needs WAY more adult supervision and people should stop sending their kids here.  

The "after" is where the book is actually pretty good.  We are now counting the days up after the now known-to-us event.  We follow these teenagers as they struggle with grief, mourning, anger, guilt, and shame.  This is the half of the book teenagers need.  We need more real stories about these feelings so teenagers can have an understanding of tragedy and natural responses to it.  Unfortunately for us, we had to make it through the first half to get there (which I almost didn't). 

For whatever reason, John Green always feels like all his characters have to have some weird, out-of-the-ordinary like for something in order for them to be interesting.  Honestly, I am so sick of it but I still own one more book of his.  I will read it and then donate all four to get them off of my shelf.

Rating: 2.5/5 (half of this book was good, half of this book was not)

Recommendation: I don't know why I keep reading John Green's books and I don't know that you should either.  However, I've said it before and I'll say it again: the rest of the world seems to love him so proceed at your own risk. 

Christy Miller: The Baby Years

By: Robin Jones Gunn

Publisher: Robin's Nest Productions, Inc.

Dates Read: June 3-July 21

Pages: 822 

Source: Own it

Why did I read it?

I have always said and will continue to say, every teenage girl should read Christy Miller.  And now I guess every adult woman should as well so they can read into the marriage and baby years.  I've been reading Christy Miller (and friends) for 10 years and will never stop as long as she keeps publishing books.  

 

I have decided to group the Christy Miller trilogy, The Baby Years, together.  I decided to group them because most of what I have to say for one, I have to say for all three. This time around, you guessed it, Christy and Todd are pregnant and have babies!  The first novel, Sandy Toes, follows Christy's first pregnancy.  Salty Kisses follows them being first time parents and (spoiler alert) they have a second child by the time Sunset Lullaby begins.   

These Christy Miller books continue to be what you always expect them to be: sweet books about Christy, her friends, and Jesus.  They warm your heart, teach you a little about God and life, and give you all the general feels.  I think these books would be especially impactful for new moms.  I think the author, Robin Jones Gunn, continued writing books so her readers could grow up with Christy and keep learning from her.  However, when you are in a different life stage (even if you are the same age as Christy) some of the lessons and life experiences don't hit as hard.  There is, of course, still lessons to glean, but I would imagine newer moms would have a much bigger connection with her in these books.  

Sometimes I found that in this trilogy Robin Jones Gunn skipped over the good parts.  There was going to be an event or a commotion and we jumped right over it to the aftermath.  It felt like a little bit of a cop-out.  I mean, Katie (finally) comes back and we barely get any Katie time.  Let's be real, she is everybody's favourite and yet we miss half of her time in California.  In fact, she is in the second book and that is the book that was the slowest with the least happening.  How is it even possible that not much happens when Katie is around?  It just seemed like a waste to me.  

As all of my Robin Jones Gunn reviews end, the books were riddled with mistakes.  Ever since she started self publishing there are so many mistakes that shouldn't be there.  I even counted this time: thirteen mistakes across all three books.  Honestly, that just isn't acceptable.  I've offered before and I'll offer again: please let me read your books before you publish them with silly mistakes!  

Rating: All together, these books average out at a 3.5/5.  Individually, the first and last got a 4/5 and the second got a 3/5 (because slow slow slow).  

Recommendation: Are you a woman?  If the answer is yes, read these books - wait, no - read all the Christy Miller books. 

Dear Evan Hansen

By: Val Emmich (with Steven Levenson, Benj Pasek, and Justin Paul)
Publisher: Poppy
Dates Read: May 23-June 2, 2020
Pages: 358
Source: Own it

Why did I read it?
It was Musical May!  Also, it was 40% off at Walmart and I like the show so I went for it.  

Evan Hansen is a socially anxious teen about to start his senior year with a broken arm.  He goes through school invisible and pining after Zoe Murphy.  An assignment from his therapist turns into a weird opportunity to no longer be invisible.  After Connor Murphy dies by suicide they find a letter on him addressed "Dear Evan Hansen" and suddenly Evan's assignment becomes Connor's last words and an opportunity for Evan to be seen on campus.  

This is the first time I have ever agreed to read anything that was written after a movie (or in this case, a musical).  Novelizations never seemed like a good idea.  Dear Evan Hansen as a story is a good story.  It gives youth an opportunity to learn about people struggling with mental illness and anxiety.  Emmich's writing was good and brought the musical to life on the page.  I wondered how the songs would make their way into the book and there are some creative ways to get song lyrics into the prose.  Overall though, there are not a lot of lyrics/songs that make it into the book.  

The novelization also added some plot and had to make some creative decisions to get perspectives from more of the characters than just Evan.  We get to follow Connor as a sort-of ghost throughout the book.  We get to go deeper into Connor than we do in the musical which is neat.  We get to understand a little more of the misunderstood Connor.  I do feel like some of the decisions they made for Connor were made due to fanfiction (or whatever you would call it) on the internet.  Not that that is terrible, but it almost feels like a lot of the extra story was curated from the fans on the internet and their hypotheses.  Overall, going deeper into some of the characters backgrounds and feelings was nice, but nothing all that wowing. 

The musical also has a very powerful message.  If you are the sort of person who does not get teary during You Will Be Found, Words Fail, or So Big So Small where is your heart?  There was nothing in the book that brought a message this powerful to the forefront.  If all you do is read the book, you might learn a little about mental health, suicide, and grief, but it is not nearly as powerful.  The book was nice, but it is missing the power and importance that is right there on the stage for the taking.  It can be so much more than "don't lie" which is the best that this book comes up with.  

I also wonder if in the addition to a ghost-like Connor it takes away a piece of the permanency of suicide.  After Connor's death, the reader gets to understand his life and the decisions he has made (like throwing a printer at his grade 3 teacher), but in reality no one would ever know.  Death is permanent and I do not want a young person to miss that.  Once you are gone, all we can know about a person is what we have seen and been told.  In the show, Connor dies a monster and is remembered by most (without the influence of Evan) as a monster.  In the book, we have the opportunity to see that Connor was in fact not a monster, but I feel as though it lessens the permanency of death.   Through this we miss the message of asking and listening to see how people are really doing.  We miss the importance of being kind to one another because we don't know their story.  We miss it because the book fills in the holes for us that in real life could never be filled.  I want young people to learn they can reach out and they will be found.  I think the writers want that too but missed the mark.  Maybe the writers have never faced the reality of suicide first-hand, but I fear it's true impact was not fully seen in the book. 


Rating: 3/5

Recommendation: If you have the privilege and opportunity of seeing the musical on stage, always choose that over the book. 

Stargirl

By: Jerri Spinelli
Publisher: Scholastic Inc.
Dates Read: May 1-19
Pages: 186
Source: Own it

Why did I read it?

Like all Canadian kids, I looked forward to the Scholastic catalogue coming out every month.  My mom would really only allow me to buy the $1 book of the month.  At some point this was the book.  It quickly became my favourite book and I can't tell you how many times I have read it before this.  It has probably been 10 years or so since the last reading and with the movie out on Disney+ I wanted to pick it up before screening the film.  

Leo is starting grade 10.  On the first day there is a new girl, Stargirl.  She has arrived dressed in eclectic clothing with her pet rat in the pocket of her backpack and ukulele in hand.  Right from the start, the whole school thinks she is odd.  Leo tries to ignore her, as his goal in school is usually to fly under the radar, but that does not happen for him.  They start dating and then everything starts to change for both of them.

Stargirl is a beautiful book about being yourself even when it is hard to.  It is not only Stargirl who decides to just be herself, but Leo finds himself too.  He goes against the crowd and befriends Stargirl.  It is a beautifully told story that every young person needs to read.  My copy is wearing out.  Even when Stargirl does what she can to fit in, she's not happy.  If you're weird, just be weird.  You will find your place in this world.  

The book is short and poignant and beautiful, but I would be remiss without mentioning the movie.  As a girl, I dreamed of them making this book into a movie.  In fact, I thought my friend Stefanie was perfect for the part because she was blonde and had a pet rat (I didn't know how Hollywood worked at 10).  My first thought is why does there have to be dead/absentee dads?  The parents play little role in the book because they don't need to.  Leo doesn't need to find himself because of something his dead dad did, he just needs to find himself by himself.  Also, Stargirl was not special enough.  In the book she shines but somehow the movie dulls her light.  It is not her.  I don't think the movie portrays the real meaning of Stargirl, it's just a nice movie. 


Rating: 5/5

Even as an adult I am going to give this book 5/5.  It is so important for young (and old) people to read this book.

Recommendation: Read this book.  No matter how old you are.  I think we all could use a reminder to be unconditionally kind. 

Eleanor & Park

by: Rainbow Rowell
Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin
Dates Read: April 21-28
Pages: 325
Source: own it

Why did I read it?
This book was the talk of the town when it came out in 2013.  They said it was one of the best YA romances of all time.  I can't stand to read books in hype like that so I waited 7 years until I found it in a thrift store for $2. 

Eleanor has just moved back in with her mom after a year of living elsewhere because her stepdad kicked her out.  Her stepdad is decent to her four younger siblings, but hates her and does not hide it.  They all share a two bedroom house and living there is like walking on egg shells for Eleanor.  Park lives in a wealthy neighbourhood and is a bit of a loner.  His parents met in Vietnam during the war and he holds just enough status to not be bullied because of his race, but not enough to be popular.  When he sees Eleanor for the first time he pities her.  However, when she gets on the bus on that first day there is no where but beside him to sit.  

Eleanor is different.  She wears weird clothes and doesn't fit in.  They start reading comic books together on the bus.  Then Park shares his music with her.  They become friends.  Then they become more.  Except Eleanor can't let her family know because she knows her stepdad would kill her for it.  

This was a good book.  It followed real characters with real stories.  It gave you an opportunity to glimpse just a little into the darkness in which some young people live.  A life that you don't notice until someone finally breaks and shares what it is like.  Since working with kids and youth in similar situations has been my job for seven years, I enjoy reading stories like this.  It's more insight.  It's more affirmation that sometimes you just can't tell until someone is brave enough to open their mouths.  It's proof that it is not as easy as just leaving.  I feel these are important stories for people to read, especially if they never experienced something like this in their lives (which I hope they didn't but the reality is that it's all around us).  

The writing was overall very good.  It switches perspectives from Eleanor to Park so you know what is happening in both of their heads as they experience love for the first time.  It also helps us understand why a boy like Park would love a girl like Eleanor and vice versa.  It was very nice.  However, I had to constantly remind myself that these are 16 year olds.  First I would find myself frustrated.  A reaction or a feeling or a thought would be too big or too dumb and then I'd remember they are 16 and this is how 16 year olds think.  Maybe that's just what happens when you read teen novels in your late 20s.  Nevertheless, this just proves the good writing even further.   

Rating: 4/5
There were times I knew it was time to stop reading, but couldn't stop so kept on anyway.  I would say that's the sign of a good book.  

Recommendation: Honestly, a good read. I do think it should be a more mature reader, maybe 16 at the youngest, but an important read. 

Little Women

by: Louisa May Alcott
Publisher: Bantam Classic
Dates Read: December 25, 2019 - April 21, 2020
Pages: 529
Source: Own it

Why did I read it?
The short story: the new Greta Gerwig adaptation was coming out and I (of course) wanted to read it before I saw it.
The long story: When you were a kid did you feel like every character with your name was like a piece of you?  Well, when I was young and watching friends and Rachel spoils what happens to Beth when Joey reads Little Women, I just didn't want to read about what happened to me/Beth.  I couldn't face it.  

Little Women follows the four March sisters: Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy.  Meg is beautiful and dreams of love.  Jo is a writer and a free spirit.  Beth is shy and quiet.  Amy is spoiled and dreams of fancy things.  Laurie lives next door with his wealthy grandfather and becomes like a brother to the girls. 

Honestly, I feel as though I can't really go into plot with this one because the book legitimately spans something like 12 years.  It's a classic so just know this: it is a classic for a reason.  

This is an incredibly well written book.  Each of the girls is so well written and grows in a natural way.  The character of Jo is fantastic.  It's a timeless story of sisters and friends and it just can't be wrong.  It can't.  

I feel as though I need to explain why it took so long for me to read.  I was still like that little girl afraid about what happens with Beth.  I just kept putting it off and putting it off because if you put something off it can't happen.  An excellent lesson about living your life in denial.  And when it did finally happen, I put my book in the freezer just like Joey. 

Rating: 4/5  
Honestly, it could be a 5.  It really could, there were a few times when it was a little slow.  And, I know times were different, but what happens with who Amy marries just made me feel a little weird. 

Recommendation: Everyone should read it.  Everyone.  Everyone.

The Friday Night Knitting Club

[Audiobook]
By: Kate Jacobs
Narrated by: Carrington MacDuffie
Publisher: Blackstone Publishing
Dates Listened: March 10-23
Length: 12 hrs 36 mins
Source: Overdrive App

Why did I read it?
This was the last book in my monotonous work phase.  I chose it because I'm 83 inside and like to knit and wanted to read fiction about people who knit.

Georgia is a single mom who owns a knitting shop in New York City.  A group of women start gathering in the shop on Fridays after closing to work on their knitting projects and talk.  This brings in a mess of other characters: an older woman who works in the shop part-time, a woman in her 40s who has decided to have a baby on her own, a loud middle-aged woman who has decided to go to law school, a young purse designer, and a feminist who joins to write her thesis on women participating in antiquated practices. 

The plot is all over.  Georgia gets hired by her former high school best friend to knit her a gown even though they haven't spoken in 15 years.  The father of Georgia's twelve year old reappears after years with little or no contact.  Georgia falls in love, she goes to Scotland, and other life-changing events take place (no spoilers).  Plus the plots of all the other woman in the club.  It was all just too much.  I listened to the book so maybe it was written better but all of a sudden we would be following the story of someone else with no warning, not even a pause, and I would be so confused about what was going on.  Too much happened in this book.  I would think we were reaching a nice place for it to end and then I would look and still see there were 5 or 9 or however many chapters left.  I saw there is a second and third book and thought "HOW?!" because way too much already happened in the first.  

The writing was not great.  In the book Georgia's daughter, Dakota, is 12 and eventually 13.  She sounds NOTHING like a 12 or 13 year old.  As someone who works with kids for a living, I would have believed her to be 8 or 9.  She was both written poorly and read poorly.  The words alone made her young, but the narrator made her sound even younger.  Not only did the jumping character to character with no warning make the story hard to follow sometimes, but she referred to her parents in the narrations by their first names. There is a point when she is talking to her mom and I thought another woman only to find out minutes later that the woman is her mom.  Why would you say "said Suzie" instead of "her mother said"?  Because you want me to struggle?

The narrator was not great.  Sometimes there would be no change at all in her voice/tone when reading different characters.  This is especially confusing when 8 women are having a discussion while knitting - you could not tell who was talking!  She also pronounced some words really weird.  They went to a Seder dinner, but it took me a moment to figure out what they were doing because she pronounced it 'cedar' like the tree.  She also pronounced culinary like 'que-linary'.  I get it, there are accents and dialects out there...but it made it really difficult to stay on track in an already mish-mashed book.  

I did like that there was some knitting terms and metaphor included.  As an inner old lady, I really enjoyed that part.  It wasn't a lot, so if you don't knit you're not lost the whole time.  It was just a nice touch for us old souls.  


Rating: 2/5 -- It's just not a good sign when near the end I hope for something bad to happen and when it does, I stand and cheer.  I was in my office literally cheering for what happens and the end and when I told my coworkers what I was so happy about they thought I was crazy. 

Recommendation:  I don't know that I would really recommend this book to anyone.  If anyone really wanted to read it I would say to physically read it to avoid the narrator.  But honestly, you don't need to waste your time. 

Dear Mrs. Bird

[Audiobook]
By: AJ Pearce
Narrated by: Anna Popplewell
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
Dates Listened: March 4-10 
Length: 9hrs 48 mins
Source: Overdrive App

Why did I read it?
This one just looked interesting at a glance.  Plus I was down for listening to a British accent.  

Dear Mrs. Bird follows Emmy in the midst of World War II.  Emmy volunteers as a telephone operator for the Auxiliary Fire Services, taking calls during the many bombings over the city of London.  She dreams of being a war correspondent and takes an interview with a London newspaper.  It isn't until she accepts the job that she realizes it is actually a job as a typist for the editor of a women's magazine.  

Her new boss, Mrs. Bird, has an advice column; however, she is very picky about the letters she responds to.  Nothing containing any "unpleasantness" is to be make it into the magazine - this is most letters by Mrs. Bird's standards.  Emmy finds it upsetting that Mrs. Bird leaves so many women with real problems unhelped because they're problems are there own silly fault.  So Emmy decides to take their problems into her own hands, under Mrs. Bird's name, and responds to them herself.  

This book does one of my favourite things, it laces fiction into history.  Some big events of these books include real events that happened in London during WWII.  I even Googled a few places and events to see if they had happened - they did.  This was a very clever and funny book.  The whole thing is quite lighthearted and charming.  While it carries some of the realities of the London Blitz, it is not overbearing or gruesome.  

The narrator was perfection.  I will gladly look up and listen to other things she has done. 

Rating: 4/5

Recommendation: I would recommend this to just about anyone.  It was a really nice read and I would read it again. 

Dirty Work: My Gruelling, Glorious, Life-Changing Summer in the Wilderness

[Audiobook]
By: Anna Maxymiw
Narrated by: Anna Maxymiw
Publisher: McClelland & Stewart
Dates Listened: February 27-March 3
Length: 8hrs 29 mins
Source: Overdrive App

Why did I read it?
I chose this one because I have also had gruelling, glorious, life-changing summers in the wilderness and thought it would be nice to hear about someone elses gruelling, glorious, life-changing summer in the wilderness.  

Dirty Work is a memoir about the summer Maxymiw spent working as a housekeeper at a fishing lodge in Northern Ontario.  While in her early 20s she took a job during her masters to stretch herself and grow somewhere she never thought she'd be.
I would like to tell you what happens during her summer at the lodge, but nothing really does happen.  She works the bar serving stinky men who had been fishing.  She cleans poop out of a shower.  She sees a bear.   Wow.  

When a book title says "life-changing summer" I expect to hear about how the summer changed your life.  It was just a bunch of stories about random stuff that happened that didn't seem to actually change her.  At the end she just leaves on a boat and that's it, we are just supposed to think that her life changed with no discussion about it.  

What scares me the most about this book is that she was studying for her masters in creative writing.  The stories were all disjointed and random and it seemed like she just threw in big words to make herself seem impressive.  I also usually like when people read their own memoirs, but this is one where someone else could have done it better. 

Rating: 1/5
Honestly, it's harsh, but finishing this book was a torture.  Yeah, I said it.

Recommendation: Don't read this.  I think the only people who could possibly like this are people who actually worked at the Kesagami Wilderness Lodge (and still no promises there). 

Any Dream Will Do

[Audiobook]
By: Debbi Macomber
Narrated by: Laurel Rankin and Mark Deakins
Publisher: Penguin Random House Audio Publishing Group
Dates Listened: February 23-27
Length: 9 hrs 17 mins
Source: Overdrive App

Why did I read it?
Did I choose this one because it shares its title with one of my favourite musical theatre songs?  Yes.  Any Dream Will Do from Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat is one of my favourite musical theatre songs.  

Shay has found herself in trouble after her brother convinces her to commit fraud for him before disappearing.  After she is released from prison she finds herself sitting inside a church to get out of the cold.  This is where she meets Pastor Drew.  Pastor Drew is a widower with two kids and he helps her get back on her feet.  The two become friends and I think you can see where the rest of this goes. 

This book is told from alternating perspectives.   Each chapter goes back and forth between Shay and Drew narrating.  You could see where the story was going pretty well the whole time.  The writing was subpar.  This woman has almost 200 books under her name.  So either she is writing each one in a month (which I would believe based on the quality) or other people write under her name for her. 

The narrating was fine for both the man and woman.  It is kind of nice to listen to these changing narration books.  They keep you a little more interested, but it was not enough to boost this book any higher. 

Rating: 2/5

Recommendation: My recommendation is to not waste your time.  There is far better light reads to fill your time than this. 

Exit, Pursued by a Bear

[Audiobook]
By: E.K. Johnston
Narrated by: Jorjeana Marie
Publisher: Penguin Random House Audio Publishing Group
Dates Listened: February 21-22
Length: 6 hrs 27 mins
Source: Overdrive App

Why did I read it?
Again, monotonous work at work.  I picked it because it was available, had an odd title, and I won't lie I like a good cheerleading story. 

According to the internet Exit, Pursued by a Bear in inspired by Shakespeare's A Winter's Tale.  I've never read A Winter's Tale so it doesn't help with the plot at all, but it's where the title comes from.  

In this book Hermione attends a cheer camp the summer before her senior year.  She is co-captain and this camp serves as a sort of training camp before her last year of cheerleading and nationals.  One the last night of camp she is drugged and raped and she doesn't know by who.  We follow her in the investigation, how she deals with her forgotten trauma, and the road to cheerleading nationals.  

This book explores some heavy topics as Hermione has to make some difficult decisions after her rape.  While the topics are heavy, it is not graphic. It is an important book for the YA Fiction world.  It brings some important topics to light for a younger audience and would serve well as a first dip for teens into some of these topics.  

One of my favourite parts of this book is that it takes place in Ontario.  Hermione lives about an hour away from my hometown.  They make jokes about places in Southern Ontario and choose between Ontarian colleges and universities and it made me feel like I was home.  E.K. Johnston is an Ontarian author and she used what she knows!  

I will also say that I didn't love the narrator.  It is hard to describe what it was.  It wasn't a lisp but she talked real slow and there was just something about it that made me glad it was only 6.5 hrs of listening. 
 
Rating: 4/5
Honestly, the end pulls me from a 5 star.  They added a bow to tie it up and they really didn't need it.  Kind of bugged me.  
 
Recommendation: I would recommend this book to pretty well anyone.  There are some who may find it triggering, but it is a book worth reading to help open some of those doors to what is happening in the world. 

The Bookshop of Yesterdays

[Audiobook]
By: Amy Meyerson
Narrated by: Ann Marie Gideon
Publisher: Harlequin Audio
Dates Listened: February 11-17
Length: 11 hrs 45 minutes
Source: Overdrive App 

Why did I read it? 
February and March are filled with monotonous work of lots and lots of paperwork, so I decided to listen to something.


The Bookshop of Yesterday follows Miranda whose Uncle Billy has just passed away.  When Miranda was a child, Billy used to prepare scavenger hunts for her around his bookshop.  On Miranda's twelfth birthday Billy left to never return. Fifteen years later Billy has died and left her his bookstore, his apartment, and one last scavenger hunt to complete. Billy's scavenger hunt is going to lead her to the one secret he never got to tell her.  He scattered clues in the books in his shop and to people along the way that could help tell Billy's story.  

Overall, the book was pretty enjoyable.  It spent a lot of time talking about books and literature which was really nice.  It was an interesting premise as well that pulled me in.  Unfortunately, in some parts it was executed a little poorly.  I knew what the big secret was about halfway through.  There were some interesting tidbits along the way and people to meet, but it was pretty easy in that way.  I was also incredibly annoyed when she found out what the big it was as well because she reacted to it like a child.  Her stomping around giving the silent treatment was just too unbelievable for a grown women.  

The narrator was enjoyable.  I really liked her and have no complaints.   

Rating: 3/5 

Recommendation: This was a pretty easy read but also a little bit of a mystery.  It had a pretty good balance of family, love interests, and progressing plot.  I would recommend it especially if you enjoy reading books about books.