We Were the Lucky Ones

We Were the Lucky Ones by Georgia Hunter
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Hunter's beautifully told story begins and ends with the Kurc family gathering to celebrate Passover. All that transpires in between is hard to sum up, but I resonated so strongly with each person's overwhelming desire to find and/or return to their family as the horrors of the Holocaust unfolded around them. The even more remarkable thing is that the Kurc family are real people. The story is labeled as historical fiction because Hunter did not want to put words or thoughts into her family members' mouths (her grandfather is the middle of the Kurc family's five children), but the events and experiences of each person are real. The family was part of the 300 people who survived out of town of 30,000 in Poland. They are seemingly ordinary people who did extraordinary things in the name of survival and selfless love of family. I loved this book.

I don't what else to say. Sometimes real life really is stranger and more incredible than fiction.

Happy reading--

(Book 20 - 2019)

On the Come Up

On the Come Up by Angie Thomas
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Angie Thomas' writing is hard to describe because there is no one out there who is writing like she does, especially not for young people. Thomas takes on hard issues, and yet her books do not feel like they are trying to teach a lesson. Rather her books are filled with humanity - in all its wonder, in all its brokenness. I shook my head over and over again reading this, just hoping the characters would succeed. Thomas paints people so honestly, and she does this with a set of society who is rarely seen.

I can't say that this book is as good as The Hate U Give. That book jolted me and felt like it should be required reading for people living in the United States. On the Come Up isn't as monumental, but it is still such a well told story. This would be a 4.5 for me, but Thomas gets the rounded up star because like Starr and Lisa Carter, the mother/daughter duo in On the Come Up is beautifully created.

The language of Thomas' Garden Heights is still rough. The violence and drugs are still present. Still Thomas does not endorse or condemn. She just presents a world that demands and invites our attention.

So glad I noticed the book's release date, so I could be on the library's wait list early. Also, the reader for this book is one of the very best, so if you're into audiobooks, this is a good one.

Happy reading--

(Book 18 - 2019)

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone...Again, Again

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I don't know when Harry Potter became synonymous with something comforting, but it is that. When the world seems too dark or when I am at a loss for what to read next, I return to Hogwarts. It's always a good decision. Last time I finished this book I was newly pregnant with Hudson. Now he's sleeping in a swing next to me, and I cannot wait to introduce him to Rowling's magical world.

Happy reading--

(Book 17 - 2019)

Welcome to the Club

Welcome to the Club: 100 Parenting Milestones You Never Saw Coming by Raquel D'Apice
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I received this book as a baby shower gift last summer. I tried to read it a little while after having my son, and it was not funny for me. Instead it played into whatever exhaustion or worries I was having at the time. Now six months in, I found myself laughing out loud at D'Apice depictions of parenthood. The book is honest and filled with the type of dry wit essential for getting through the bliss of baby smiles alongside diaper blowouts in public places. Totally fun and an instant parenting classic--

Happy reading and good luck with your baby waking up at 4am ready to start the day...oh wait, that's my little guy. :)

(Book 19 - 2019)

The Library Book

The Library Book by Susan Orlean
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This book is about libraries. I don't know what exactly I expected, but I think was expecting a little bit more than the inner workings and history of the Los Angeles Public Library system. The book book is well written and well researched, but I powered through this one because I knew I would lose interest if I didn't. This is not a book for book lovers - you need to, in fact, love libraries and love history and perhaps on top of that, love librarians as well. Don't get me wrong, I'm a huge fan of all of the above, but reading about them wasn't as captivating as perusing the shelves of a library (or Goodreads for that matter).

Still, as always, happy reading--

(Book 16 - 2019)

The Next Person You Meet in Heaven

The Next Person You Meet in Heaven by Mitch Albom
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I appreciate Albom's work. He often writes quiet, mortality tales that leave you wanting to be more kind and more appreciative of life. This book is just the same. It's not life changing like "Tuesdays with Morrie" was for me years ago, but I was content when I finished. He always gives us something to think about. I don't know who the five people would be for me in this book's version of heaven, but it's a powerful thing to think about. Who would be in your heaven or whose heaven would you be in? God knows five doesn't seem like nearly enough for me.

Happy reading and happy living--

(Book 14 - 2019)

Glitter and Glue

Glitter and Glue by Kelly Corrigan
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Years ago, my dad leaned over and told me that I was the glue - the one that pulled everyone in the family together no matter the circumstances. At the time, I was touched, grateful to be noticed. Other times, I was exhausted by that notion - after all, I wasn't one of the parents. I was just the oldest child; a circumstance of birth I had no control over. Whatever the feeling, my family has been my whole world, and so Kelly Corrigan's endeavor to define the almost gravitational pull we feel toward our parents is right in line with how I understand my life. In Corrigan's case, her dad is the glitter and her mom the glue. She doesn't say that one role is more important than the other. She just shares how she came to appreciate her mother's less glamorous, often harder, role in her life.

I have always said I am my father's daughter. We often think the same or approach a situation with the same determined logic. But since having my son, I have spent many more hours with my mom. We've shared an unconventional parent-child road with me often being the listening ear or the one doing the encouraging. However, as I watch her with the baby, I can see what she was like with me when I was growing up. I get to hear her sing the songs or patiently spoon bite after bite of baby food into Hudson's mouth. Like Corrigan, my mom is a sort of North Star for me, a steadying force in every situation. I so appreciate Corrigan's work once again providing a lens with which to see my family in a different light.

If you haven't read Corrigan's work yet, jump right in. It's more than worth it. Happy reading--

(Book 15 - 2019)

The Proposal

The Proposal by Jasmine Guillory
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

For the record, I had this book on hold from the library long before Reese announced it as her February book club pick. It was just a happy coincidence that my library hold came available the same day she made the announcement. The unhappy part is that this book was not for me. This book would make a great romantic comedy movie, but it is not a great book. The premise is great. I loved the idea of a proposal at a baseball game come wrong as the opening, but the whole thing just felt someone writing some fantasy version of what life could be. There was nothing real about it. The characters have too many cliched elements and the dialogue got repetitive. There was too much profanity and too many wannabe Spice channel moments.

I shouldn't have finished the book, but Reese has had such good picks that I kept waiting for something redeeming to happen. I think she and her team chose this because, like I said, this could make a good movie. Movies can deal in more archetypes and cliches. They don't have to spend as much time developing good characters or even worry strength of dialogue as much. I do think some people would really like this book - it seems like a classic beach read. I should have known better though. The book starts at a Dodgers game, and we know that nothing good comes from a Dodger game. :)

Happy reading and happy love month--

(Book 13 - 2019)

Dear Evan Hansen

Dear Evan Hansen by Val Emmich
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I was unable to see Dear Evan Hansen when it came to San Francisco, so I decided to dive in to the book to tide me over until I'm actually able to see the musical. The novelization of the musical has some beautiful moments, but it was uneven and sometimes felt like it was trying to hard. The novel just came out in the fall of 2018 after the widespread success of the musical and the rumors of a movie version had already surfaced. This story is still poignant and so important to tell. People do need to be heard and seen. I think the original musical writers created something remarkable. I just don't think the novel stands alone. So I'll head back to the Dear Evan Soundtrack. Pretty sure Hudson has it memorized already.

Happy reading and remember, you will be found.

(Book 12 - 2019)

Saints - The Standard of Truth: 1815-1846 (Vol. 1)

The Standard of Truth: 1815–1846 by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I do not typically review church books, partially because I rarely get all the way to the end and partially because it feels as though I am somehow rating or reviewing my faith. That said, this book is an interesting summation of early church history. I am glad to have read it. I just was left wishing some analysis of events had been included, rather than just a reporting of what happened. I understand why church editors left that out though in their attempt to present unbiased facts. This is just the first volume published of Saints. I look forward to reading the next ones when they come out.

Happy reading--

(Book 11 - 2019)