The Overdue Life of Amy Byler

   Picked this one up on a whim because I loved the cover and found the title intriguing.  It was Kindle Unlimited, so it's hard to go wrong.  I'm so glad I did!  I really loved it.

You know how some books are a little slow to get into and you have a hard time developing a relationship with the characters?  This isn't that book.  Amy was immediately relatable to me.  She is a 40 something mom of two teens whose husband up and abandoned her and her children to find himself and have an affair with a younger woman.   Amy was left holding the pieces of her family. 

Three years later, he's back.  And guess what?  He's decided that he wants to actually be a father.  Amy is a much bigger person than I am because she convinces her children to give this man another chance at fatherhood.  While her children spend a week with their father, Amy goes to New York for a work seminar and to reconnect with a college friend.  The rest is a wild ride of self discovery.  I want a #momspringa! 

This is a quick read, feel good book.  Check it out, I'm sure you will be glad you did.  Four out of five stars. 

A Heart So Fierce and Broken by Brigid Kemmerer

   Don't you just love when the second book is even better than the first book of a series and you loved the first book?  I do and that is certainly what happened here with Brigid Kemmerer's second book in the Curse Breakers series.

This is the story of Grey, the once captain of the Guard of Emberfall.   Let's be clear, in the first book I was 100% Team Rhen.   But I loved getting this look at Grey's life and perspective.  There is a depth to the characters and their relationships that I think surpass even the original.  I love Grey's inner voice and how he really struggles with who is he and who he wants to be.  It's really a brilliantly told story.

I love the way it also makes us question what we would do out of fear.  Fear is a powerful motivator and people do things that are out of character when they experience this primal emotion.   Brigid takes the characters we loved in the first book and really turns things on their head in this new book.

And let's talk about new favorite characters - oh my god - so many!   First of all - Lia Mara is absolutely amazing.  I love every single thing about her character.   She is both strong and gentle.  She tries always to do what she thinks is right.  There's Jake - who isn't a new character but certainly comes into his own in this story.  In the first book, Jake is just a surly brother who is something of an albatross for Harper, really.  Now, he's strong, fierce and deeply independent ( and I love the representation here, as well!) Tycho is a new favorite.  He is a sweet cinnamon roll and nothing bad must happen to him - EVER.   And my own personal favorite?  Iisak - the mysterious creature who contributes so much to Grey's development and story - Lia Mara's as well.

This book leaves us off at a terrible cliff hanger - so reader beware.   You will find yourself desperately hoping that Brigid is burning the midnight oil to give us the amazing next chapter of this series that I know she will.  It was so good I had to finish and also so good that I didn't want it to end.  5 out of 5 stars.  Brilliant!

Miss Hazel and the Rosa Parks League by Johnathan Odell

   There was just something about this cover and this title that just jumped out at me.  I just had to read it.  I was looking for something akin to The Help, and this sounded like it would fit the bill.

This is the story of Hazel, a white woman in the 1950's pre-Civil Rights Mississippi.  ( God help her)   She marries an up and coming white man named Floyd.  Things should be coming up roses for Hazel, but she just doesn't quite fit in.  After suffering a terrible personal loss, she turns to alcohol and pills for succor. Desperate, Floyd hires a colored maid, Vida, to look after Hazel and they form an unlikely friendship.

I was hoping for The Help, but I didn't find it here.  While the characters were well written, the story was slower than southern molasses with moments of brilliance written in.  (I loved the scene where the society women come to Hazel's for tea)   There just simply wasn't enough of that to save the book, in my opinion.  It just took too long to develop and then, ended up sounded like a less intelligent version of Twain's Pudd'n Head Wilson.  I gave it three out of five stars and am happy to be moving on.

Girl, Wash Your Face by Rachel Hollis

I have heard about this book and heard about this book.  There seemed to be a lot of buzz about it, apparently because the author is a party planner to the stars?  Who knows.  I had never heard of Rachel Hollis before picking up this book.  I wanted so very badly to love it, to find grains of real truth in her story and advice. 

There is a reason I don't usually read books that Oprah, "celebrities" and others talk about - it's usually much adieu about nothing, and sadly that was true in this case.  Don't get me wrong, Rachel shares her story but the truths that she shares are not life hacks but trite truths that any person could share  - minus the whole I'm bad at sex chapter.

Initially, I felt commonality with Rachel as I have faced in my life some of the things that she talks about in her book.  She is very relatable, but eventually it came of as preachy and trite.   If I wanted a lecture, there are people I can go to in my life to provide that.  I purchased this book and Girl, Stop Apologizing at the same time.  I doubt I will even pick the other book up as I expect it to be more of the same.   Two stars.

My Wish for Us by Tillie Cole

   I have to start by saying that I read another book by this author called "A Thousand Boy Kisses".  I loved it so much that I picked this one up without knowing anything else about it.

     Tillie Cole definitely has a style and this book is very representative of that style.  This is the story of a troubled but extremely gifted musician, Cromwell Dean.  He is hiding from his pain, his loss and most of all his music when he meets Bonnie at college.  She is also a gifted musician and lyricist. They get assigned to work together in composition class.  Will Bonnie be able to help Cromwell work through his past and find the genius in his music again?

Even though some of this book was predictable, it still had some unforeseen twists and turns, with ALL the feels.  I gave it 4 out of 5 stars and found it to be very entertaining.  I will definitely be keeping an eye out for any future books by this author.

Night Witch by S.J. McCormick

     I was actually really looking forward to this book.  I had only recently heard that story of the very real group of Russian female pilots who bravely bombed Germans cities who were called the Night Witches. 

I think what I was looking for was a real non-fiction book not this YA historical fiction telling.  It was a good story but somewhat disappointing.  Perhaps just because I was outside the target audience.  At any rate, in encouraged me to learn more on the topic and since, I have found several non-fiction books that I will be reading.  Really looking forward to learning more about these fabulous women.

Not much to say about this one.  It was a 3 out of 5 - a good story but just not much to write home about.

Thoughts on the 12 novels considered the best ever written

So Britannica created a list of the 12 best novels ever written.  Usually I find that most of these "lists" are extremely pro-British, but I find this one, while erroneous, to be quite inclusive.  How refreshing.  Their list can be found here:  https://www.britannica.com/list/12-novels-considered-the-greatest-book-ever-written?fbclid=IwAR10iAIxB3OMtktSiJcnVZY0hae7uPUPcFubcpB7EV8V58krtq-RHI10fgQ

Like all lists of this nature, the selected works are chosen in a completely subjective manner.  Since I don't believe that any one opinion has any more validity than another, particularly in regard to reading,  I have created my own list. Realize of course that every reader reads a book differently and our perceptions are all colored by our experiences and therefor, our opinions are as well.

Without further adieu,  my list in no particular order other than first:

The Lord of the Rings trilogy by JRR Tolkien.    The story of Bilbo's young nephew, Frodo, and his journey to save Middle Earth.   I love this story - every single second of it.  The idea that the smallest person can change the course of human events is something that I have always believed and Tolkien is part of the reason.  This story is an inspiring story of friendship, hope, courage and love.  It epitomizes both the best and worst in all of us.  For me, Tolkien is and always will be the Master Storyteller.  This quote seemed particularly potent today:  “Frodo: I wish the Ring had never come to me. I wish none of this had happened.
Gandalf: So do all who live to see such times, but that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us.”

A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens.   First of all, this book contains, in my opinion, the greatest single sentence ever written.  It is the opening stanza.  It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to Heaven, we were all going direct the other way – in short, the period was so far like the present period, that some of its noisiest authorities insisted on its being received, for good or for evil, in the superlative degree of comparison only.  

What could possibly be added to improve Dickens.  This book is a spy story, an adventure novel and a love story all rolled into one.  It is slow going at first and at times, the characters can be easily confused, but it is so worth the effort.

No list of great books would be complete without Harry Potter.   JK Rowling helps to make the magic real.  Harry grows with the reader and has become part of our lives.  I read my first Harry Potter novel because a religious leader told me I shouldn't.  I am forever grateful.  Fantasy is my thing and this is a wonderful tale of friendship, courage and the ultimate battle of good and evil within ourselves.  It is so much more than a children's story.

Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card.  Probably the single greatest book about leadership that I have ever read.  What a story about a boy who inadvertently nearly kills an entire race and also saves it. The Enemy's gate is always down. 

Red Rising series by Pierce Brown.  This one is a new favorite but it simply had to be included.  It is a sweeping tale of what it means to be a hero, what it means to fight a revolution and the challenges one faces when they are running a government versus fighting one.  This series really runs the complete gamut.  It is very thought provoking especially considering the historical context/ backdrop within which it was written. 

Gone With the Wind - because in my opinion, no list of best books ever would be complete without Margaret Mitchell's sweeping tale.  I think for me, what makes Gone with the Wind worthy of being on this list is the relationships between the characters - most notably Scarlett/ Melanie and Scarlett/Rhett.   This book demonstrates so beautifully, that in relationships, there are some things we just can't overcome - even though we may want to.  Sometimes life gets in the way and we must confront that and find a way to deal with it.

Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand.  Because whatever you think of Ayn Rand's politics/philosphies, the fact remains that she is a beautiful writer and deserves to be on this list.  This book is hardly her favorite of mine - I prefer Anthem, We the Living and Fountainhead to this one; however, it is a sweeping work which best reflects her thoughts and ideologies.  The arguments made in this book have been replayed in real life, many times.  I used to admire John Galt, but now I know that a real hero never shrugs.  Still worth the read.

Dune the series by Frank Herbert.  I didn't understand, until recently when I read Children of Dune, what a huge environmentalist Frank Herbert was.  Perhaps I should have seen it sooner, but I was much younger when I read the first book.  At any rate, when considering this fact the implications of his work are so much larger.  Think about it "He who controls the spice, controls the universe".  When you put it into perspective, you can see how true this is and how we are still waiting for the kwisatz haderach.

The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck.  What a long, trudging book to read but the people and the values represented - so painstakingly real.  Stenbeck once said, and I'm paraphrasing here, that the greatest threat posed to any society is leisure and plenty.  I agree with that assessment.  The Joads represent the best of us before that was our affliction.

The Outsiders by SE Hinton.  This is a story about what it means to be an outsider, how maybe all of us have felt that way at one time or another.  This book really is timeless -- it relates as much to teenagers today as it did the day it was written.  Add to the fact that it was written by a 16 year old girl...well.  It's an amazing accomplishment.  Ponyboy Curtis stays with me so much that years after I can still remember most of the dialogue in the story including "when I stepped out into the bright sunlight from the darkness of the movie house, I had only two things on my mind - Paul Newman and a ride home".  

The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood.   As I woman, I almost hate to include this one; however, Margaret Atwood's dystopian tale has turned out to be oddly prophetic.   Look at the events unfolding in places like Alabama and Ohio and tell me that a woman's rights to her own fertility aren't under assault.   This is what happens when religious zealotry is allowed to parade as governance.  We are steps away for Gilead my friends. 

The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne No list is complete without Hawthorne's tale of women in religious society.   The judgement passed on Hester while her co-sinner suffers in silence is so telling of how woman have been treated in the past and are still treated today.  

And finally, My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell you She's Sorry by Fredrick Backman.  I included this book not because it deserves to be on this lift, but because ALL of his books do and this one happens to be my favorite.  Told in one, big ongoing metaphor this a moving tale about a girl, her relationship with her grandmother and coming of age.  I loved it and all his books from start to finish.  So if the 12 books brought to you by Britannica weren't quite your cup of tea,  try some of mine. 

First Non-Fiction of the Year - A Woman Makes A Plan by Maye Musk

   Right out of the box, my first non-fiction of the year is 5 out of 5 stars.  Not because it is the best written book I've ever read but because it is the true story of an amazing woman told in her own voice with humor, humility and grace.

To say I admire Maye Musk is, quite possibly, the understatement of the century.   One only has to look at the contributions to humanity of her son, Elon, to know that all of that drive and passion came from somewhere.  But like most people,  I thought that Maye must have lived a perfect, charmed life.

I was both saddened and surprised to find out that was not the case.  Like me, Maye is a survivor of domestic violence.  She worked hard to change her life - many times and to the improve the lives of her children.  She was never satisfied with being unhappy and worked to make changes.  In her book, she lays out how she made a plan and changed her life.

It's a wonderful book and I am so glad that I read it.  Now, not only do I admire Maye Musk but she inspires me as well.  I know that if she can bravely face that challenges that she can and make the necessary changes in her life - including struggles with her weight - then I can too.

Thank you for sharing your amazing journey, Maye!