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January was a month of solitude. Days spent reading that lasted well into the late evening. I read anywhere from memoirs to historical fiction to dystopian settings. Each book a unique journey. Everything I read in January was about grief, letting go, and the relationship with have with ourselves.
Lily and the boy are deeply in love. From the moment they met in high school, they knew they wanted to be together forever. Then one tragic night changed their lives forever. Lily, already accustomed to loss, tries to move on. Unlike her sister Jane who turns to drug abuse, Lily buries her broken heart deep down inside her. Years past and she finds solace in Marshall who is steady, intelligent, and loves her. Everything felt a little bit at peace once more, that is until the boy reappears in her life. Now Lilly must face the past, deal with the demons she has been keeping at bay, and try to balance her love of two men.
4.5 Stars
Review
Yes this is a love story but honestly it’s more about how we cope with loss and forgiveness. A philosophical outlook on life. Whether it’s through religion, physics, or nature, we try to find the meaning of it all. I really love how the book ties-in catholicism, quantum physics, and ornithology with all the symbolism. It was beautiful. It challenged you to think beyond the physical and into the mystic. I really enjoyed how the book played out. I did feel the beginning was a little tedious but I get that the author was trying to set up the girl’s religious background. Overall I really enjoyed the book!
Frankie grew up looking at the “heroes wall” in her father’s den. When one day she hears the words that women can also be heroes, everything changed. At 20 years old in the 1960s, she already has her whole life planned out; become a nurse until marriage. When the Vietnam war breaks out, and her brother is shipped off, Frankie does the unimaginable. She signs up for the Army to become a nurse, much to the dismay of her parents. The war was much more than Frankie, and everyone else in America, thought it was. Thrown right into the mix of chaos, destruction, and death, Frankie is no longer the naive California girl she was. But the war doesn’t end in Vietnam. The battle continues in coming home to an unwelcome America. The unknown of PTSD and the proper treatments. The angry protestors and a country divide. Frankie, like many veterans, will fall victim to a system and a society that tossed aside those that came home from Vietnam.
5 Stars
Review
Oh I loved this book! It’s wonderful that the women who served during the Vietnam war can finally be recognized for their duty and bravery. I, obviously, knew a lot about the Vietnam war but there was still so much that I learned from this book. I think I spent a lot of the time googling names, battles, cultural happenings, etc. I found both Frankie’s time in the war and her struggles afterwards to be fascinating. I also enjoyed all the juicy, and shocking, love stories. It was nice to tie that all in, giving us a reprieve from the horrors.
It’s been centuries since the war. Society is now run by advanced technology and an exclusive group called the Illum. Emeline is a minor defect. She spends her lonely days on the surface sorting through the old world’s art. Her life only has one purpose, and that is wait to see if she has been chosen as someone’s mate to procreate for the greater good. When she gets the call, she is shocked to find out her mate Collin is actually part of the Illum. Now every move she makes is monitored, and one wrong move could get her eliminated. When Emeline discovers there is an uprising in the works, she finds herself falling for the one person she shouldn’t – Hal one of the leaders of the resistance.
4.5 stars
Review
This is the 1st book of a 9 book series. I was immediately hooked upon opening the first few pages. From Emeline being in danger amongst the Elites and risking her life for Hal, it was all very thrilling. I loved the side characters and how Emeline is being reacquainted with her family. What I do wish the book had was getting more of a relationship between her and Collin. Even though we see glimpses of her having feelings, I think the love-triangle and the betrayal would hit harder if there was more of a romance between them. I am very curious how the author is going to write 9 books out of this, but I am excitedly waiting for it all!
After surviving the Taliban attack, and being thrust into the spotlight, Malala is learning to live life for herself. Taking us through her time at Oxford, she struggles to balance academia and work. Besides that, she is wanting to live by her own rules not the ones governed by her family or society or the internet. To enjoy college as a student, not as the famous Malala.
4 Stars
Review
I saw Malala speak at a Q&A with Threads. I knew of her story, but didn’t read her first book (which I will now!). So going into the event, and the book, I wasn’t quite aware of her personality. She is an absolute delight! Has a humorous outlook on life. I enjoyed reading this book. I found her struggles to balance her studies with traveling around the world to do interviews interesting. Spoiler alert: She doesn’t balance it. It was nice to see her not sugar coat anything. She was naive in a lot of ways, yet always willing to take a risk. I will say some stories felt a little redundant, but overall I loved getting to know Malala in a new light.