Wednesday, November 13, 2019

Show Us Your Books {November 2019}

Image result for books knit by gods hand"

I got to join in for a fun blog hop yesterday so I'm a day late on my book post.
... but better late than never, right?


36344555. sy475 All We Ever Wanted / Emily Giffin
*** / Liked It

Quick Summary:  A photo comes out that links a wealthy family's child to violating a girl who has a ordinary life with a single father & the families struggle to deal with the situation.

I didnt know what this book was about or where it was headed by reading the summary on the book cover.  This was just tough to read after watching 13 Reasons Why Season 3 & seeing what violating someone does to the victim & those around them.

I just like the ease of Emily Giffin's writing - always have.  I also enjoyed the different POV in this as well.

I left the book with a heavy heart & feeling frustrated at the things that happen in this world with social status & privilege & how those who are violated get swept under the rug & live with a fear of voicing truth.  It's reality though.


“Justice isn’t only about what a person deserves, but also about what a person needs.”




41150382Things to Save in a Fire
**** / Really Liked it

Quick Summary:  A female firefighter moves home to take care of a mother who left her when she was 16 & she has to prove herself to a new firehouse of men while also training a Rookie.

I didnt think I was going to like this book in the first chapter, but it took a quick turn & I was hooked.
I am finding I like the ease of Katherine Center's writing.  

This book touches on forgiveness & a woman's struggle of making it in a man's world.  I love Cassie - a real tough woman character.

Also love just the little nod to How to Walk Away.  Catch it in that first chapter if you read it.

“Choosing to love—despite all the ways that people let you down, and disappear, and break your heart. Knowing everything we know about how hard life is and choosing to love, anyway.. That’s not weakness, that’s courage.”


41812813. sy475 The Daughters of Temperance Hobbs
DNF

Quick Summary:  A young tenure professor finds out she's a direct descendant of witches back to the days of Salem.

I picked this up thinking it would be a great read for Halloween.  OH MY GOSH - I was struggling hard.  So much talk... so slow... such big words about professor life. I just couldnt.

Shame because I was totally getting Practical Magic vibes where the husbands of these witches die.... but I had to stop around page 75 because I felt like I was going to poke my own eyes.  Maybe I'm just too 'light minded' to follow big words & forever long descriptions.  Honestly, there was one sentence that I had to look up EVERY word for because I'd never even heard of each of the 8+ letter long words.  Geez.

I tapped out


596374Covenant Child
* / Did not like it

Quick Summary:  The granddaughters of a billionaire are the heirs to a fortune after their mother had died when they were little & their father dies unexpectedly. Their step mother loves them & vows to take care of them but their maternal grandparents take in the "Billion Dollar Babies" to get the money.  The twins grow up thinking the step mother has stolen the money from them. 

OK... so the book before was so advanced I couldnt take it... this one was so simple, I couldnt take it. I nearly quit because it was just like a 10th grader wrote it.  One sentence lines.  Weird "hillbilly" speak for the maternal grandparents.  The ending was just enough to make me shut the book & say, "That was so dumb"...I should say, "What ending?" - it just closed so abruptly & sorry, it was just - dumb.

I will probably offend some people but this is what I really dislike about Christian writing.  It's just too light in writing.  I value & love when books can center around scripture & use God in their writing & Christians for the characters - but there's a line where they put a stigma on christian novels & this is it.  This was just too juvenile for me.




22693222The Residence:  Inside the Private World of the White House
** / It was OK

Quick Summary:  Interviews & a look with the staff that runs the white house

I saw someone mention this on the last Show Us Your Books & this sort of thing intrigues me - so looked & my library had it.

I found parts of it really interesting - loved the parts where it would give some insight on the President & First Family. A little look to see who they really are in private, behind the scenes.  I thought it was a little "jumpy" though.  They'd be talking about one President / era in one paragraph & another one in the next.

Each chapter was divided by Situations... like Secrets or Scandals or Children of the White House... I almost wish it was divided into each Presidential term instead.

I will say, this did make me love all the Bush families even more.  Even the staff doesnt seem to say a bad word about them.  Barbara Bush has to be the kindest First Lady ever.

“Yet the very thing that the staff most pride themselves on—their ability to fade into the background—can also be dehumanizing.”


Life According to Steph



16 comments:

  1. I have not read Katherine Center previously and have had How to Walk Away on my list. This time of year I always seem to have more time to read so I'm adding to my true Amazon reading list now!

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  2. I have How to Walk Away but haven't gotten to it yet -- need to hop to it and then I want to read Things you Save in a Fire. I haven't read The Residence but your description made me think of Downton Abbey or Upstairs Downstairs - I definitely want to read it now.

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  3. Oh things you save in a fire is added to my list ASAP! xo, Biana -BlovedBoston

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  4. I really like Katherine Center's books. I'm reading an older one of hers this month and I'm excited about that!

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  5. I agree that the cover doesn't really match the topic of the Emily G. book. I just finished Things you Save and loved it! Thanks for the reviews!

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  6. PS I really liked The Lost Husband by Center.

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  7. I had no idea there was a link-up like this. I did books yesterday just because I wanted to. I ought to have linked up!!

    I really hate when books are like The Daughters of Temperance Hobbs. You have such high hopes, only to discover that you can't tolerate the writing style and have to put it down. I have had a few like that lately, most recently News of the World. So many people raved about it, but I just couldn't stand the author's writing style of no quotations marks and long, rambling, comma-less sentences.

    Covenant Child has been on my Goodreads to-read list for a couple years. I have never gotten to it, and now, thanks to your review, I don't think I'll bother. So many books...so little time to bear with duds.

    Have a great day,
    Patti

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  8. I'm currently reading Orphan Train Escape. I tend to read books of children survivors with some historical truth. I'm familiar with the Orphan Train. It will be interesting to read of an escape.

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  9. Love these suggestions! I have only read one of the five, the one by Emily Giffin, so I will be adding some of these others to my Goodreads list. Thanks for sharing, Rebecca Jo!

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  10. The fire book was on one of the book club summary lists but no one was terribly interested. I am glad to see you read it and liked it a lot. Going to try it. Hope it comes in large print to share with my mama. She is finally reading again. Thank You, God.

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  11. I love all the Bushes! Well, maybe not Jeb, but other than that.... ;) I'm going to have to do this one some day. I enjoy hearing all about your reads for the month.

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  12. I need to hop aboard the Katherine Center train! I hear so many great things.

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  13. I also DNF-ed a book this month. I try to read a seasonal book based on the month and for October I chose the book "October Baby". It was by a Christian author so I thought it would be good. The truth was I couldn't really stand it and the few references they made to the bible in the first few chapters I read were so awkwardly placed. Just enough to say "hey look, it's a christian book" but not enough to really make sense. Know what I mean? If you email me back I will tell you more about what this book was about and why I did not like it. Its sort of inappropriate to write it here.

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  14. I think I would enjoy Things to Save in a Fire. Thanks for the review. As for the others... I would agree with you just reading the summaries and what you thought about them. And I agree with you about most Christian Fiction... and all those Hallmark movies and most of the Christian movies for the same reasons. The themes are the same, the acting is not the best, and you know how it will end. Sigh.

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  15. I absolutely love when an author makes a reference to a previous book of theirs.

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  16. I've read one Emily Giffin book and I'm good with that.
    I've heard her older books are better than the new ones.

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