Book Reviews 2015: The First 30

I know I shouldn't do them all at once like this--talk about overwhelming! After doing a small write-up of each book after I read each one, I'm finally publishing what I've read from January to May this year.





Here are the first 30 books of 2015...


It's too long and needs a page cut! Sorry!

1. Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand

    Published 2010

5 stars

I read it because I wanted to see the movie. Yeah let’s talk about that for a second—really Angelina Jolie?! Really?! Why did you leave out THE WHOLE POINT OF THE BOOK. This book is about forgiveness and the power that humans can summon beyond themselves by accessing God. The movie was okay, but it could have been INCREDIBLE. It could have been a masterpiece. Instead, it has pretty much fizzled away as a gray fog into my memory. The most breathtaking thing about that story is that the grit and resilience that it took to get through being a POW in the pacific theater of WWII wasn’t enough to overcome the difficulty of forgiving the enemy, yourself, the world, God, etc after being released. How incredible is that? The notion of forgiveness being more difficult than withstanding torture is a concept that Jolie didn’t even allow to make an appearance in her movie. The concept of God being the source of power to overcome was barely touched. That being said, THIS BOOK THOUGH!! It changed me, it enlivened me, I continue to reflect on it with reverence. Read it. Just get off your computer and go read it.

(also this is the only book on my Goodreads that has a 5 star rating from each of my friends. Crazy!)

Favorite Quote: “What resonated with him now was not all that he had suffered but the divine love that he believed had intervened to save him"

2. The Infinite Atonement by Tad R. Callister

     Published 2000

4 stars

This was a book I had to systematically put down, walk away, and then return to. It is so dense with information and inspiration that consuming it all at once might feel like that precious Bruce digging his pudgy little fingers into Ms. Trunchbull’s double chocolate cake (just without all of the cook’s nasty old woman sweat mixed in there. A good cake. Did I just loose this comparison? Just pretend the chocolate cake in Matilda is delicious and awesome with it’s only fault being its size and richness.) Yeah this book was a giant chocolate cake—moist, delicious, rich, but I could only eat a couple spoonfuls at a time before I felt bloated. I felt like I had to get through it once all the way through before I could start using it as a tool in study. Now that I’ve gone through it all the way, I’m excited to have it in my arsenal because I think that is really where its purpose shines. That being said, I think every human that walks this planet should learn what this book teaches. 

Favorite Quote: “If the Atonement is the foundation of our faith (and it is), then no one should be content with a causal acquaintance of this doctrine. Instead, the Atonement should be paramount in our intellectual and spiritual pursuits."

3. The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick

     Published 2007

5 stars

Stop it. Just stop it. Could you be any more charming Hugo Cabret? Just get out of here, you adorable creative little creature. This book is so clever and beautiful and I can’t wait to produce a child so I can show him/her this book. I had seen/heard a lot about Selznick’s books, and I really wanted to experience it for myself. It was even more fantastic than I thought it would be. I would have LOVED this book when I was younger. Lets be honest, I love this book right NOW. I didn’t realize how sick and trembling my under-nourished imagination was until I brought this book to it’s cavern, and my imagination had a sort of Beast to Prince Adam transformation upon consumption. (Yes, I looked it up. Apparently his name is never mentioned in the movie (can we talk about meninism for a second c’mon!) but it is confirmed in the subsequent "Beauty and the Beast” Disney CD-ROM—thank goodness, amiright?) But yes, you heard me, this book redeemed my imagination from it’s crypt called Adulthood.

Favorite Quote: "I like to imagine that the world is one big machine. You know, machines never have any extra parts. They have the exact number and type of parts they need. So I figure if the entire world is a big machine, I have to be here for some reason. And that means you have to be here for some reason too."

4. The Old Testament

5 stars
The Old Testament was my study for 2014 with a goal to be done reading every page by the end of the year. I had to take it a little bit into January, because lets be honest it is 5million pages and I was reading/writing a ton of supplementary materials with it. Now that I have moved on to my study for 2015, I feel almost like I'm missing a friend. Before last year, I felt the least connected to The O.T. out of all the books of scripture that I read. That definitely has changed. I love this book. I love The Lord more because of this book. I understand myself, Him, our relationship, and the gospel better now than I did before this most recent study. I know a lot of Christians that rely heavily on The New Testament because The Old Testament is more challenging, but I will just give my little soap box speech saying that every effort and minute you spend in it's pages are worth it. This book is full of our Savior, it just takes eyes to see. 

Favorite quote: "Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool." - Isaiah 1:18

5. The Old Testament Student Manual Part 2
      Published 1982

5 stars
I had read a lot of this manual back in my OT Institute class. It is SO. GOOD. It was a critical part of my study. Part 1 was reviewed in my post last year, and Part 2 is just as essential. It has so many references and assignments, and it helped me to stretch, grow, and understand. L.O.V.E.

Favorite quote:  "I am convinced that each of us, at some time in our lives, must discover the scriptures for ourselves--and not just discover them once, but rediscover them again and again." 

6. Me Talk Pretty One Day by David Sedaris

    Published 2000

2 stars

Okay. Hmph. I might make some enemies on this one. Here is the thing: I had originally read the first part of this book back when I was 19 or so but didn’t finish it. Then I fit every English major stereotype by telling a friend “you should read Me Talk Pretty One Day if you like that other book you’re reading right now. It’s really good.” Aka “The first 80 pages I read before getting distracted by something shiny were really good. Oh you didn’t want my opinion? Sorry not sorry, I am professionally trained to give my opinion on every single thing you could ever possibly mention.” So, I reread/completed it, and I have changed my mind. I have a suspicion that I may not be bitter enough to truly enjoy David Sedaris. I think Coco version 19.0 hadn’t had as much exposure to privileged white males being cynical, and therefore, I enjoyed it much more back then. I wanted it to be funny, fresh, unique, witty, and I just couldn’t feel it. I am sitting here two months later, and I can’t even think of a single anecdote from the book. Too forgettable. If you are really into memoirs about observant self-belittling bohemians, though, I bet you would love it. 

Favorite Quote: “Like all of my friends, she’s a lousy judge of character.”

7. Celiac Disease For Dummies by Ian Blumer and Sheila Crowe

    Published 2010

3 stars

I had never read a “For Dummies” book before, but it was at the library and…well…I have Celiac Disease…I’m also kind of a dummy…proof? I just tried to spell it dummie…so I checked it out and read it. There is no reason to read this book unless a). you have Celiac Disease, b). somebody you care about has Celiac Disease. It is a good overview of everything about CD, so I'm glad it is one of the first books I read about it. But now that my knowledge has increased its just...meh

Favorite Quote: "Having Celiac Disease totally sucks." just kidding. fake quote.

8. Daring Greatly by Brene Brown

    Published 2012

5 stars

And then there was that moment that I finally read Brene Brown...and my world has never been the same. Dramatic? Yep. How I really feel? Yep. If you made it this far that means you didn’t leave to start reading Unbroken. If you didn’t listen to me then, listen to me now: Go read this book. Every one I know would benefit from reading this book. Gosh, I feel like I’m tripping over myself trying to talk about my first date with the perfect man (his name is RBH by the way) that is how flustered and sweaty I am trying to talk about this book. I felt so understood. I think one of the most satisfying and addictive feelings we can experience as humans is the feeling of being understood. Isn’t that why we like conversation? Why we are addicted to social media? Why we read? Why we want to feel loved? I love a book when I can see one of my (little t) truths expressed in its pages, and this book gave me a new lens to look through that felt fresh, familiar, and forgotten.
Just give me a minute with this one...
I’ve always been a big subscriber to the idea of being vulnerable/letting people see the ugly in you, and I feel like most of the people that like me enough to be my friend have wanted to be my friend in a lot of ways because of that (not that I am any good at it but because I really believe in it). I had so many personal insights while reading this book and discovered that the root of some of my past frustrations in my relationships with family and friends has been because they wouldn't be vulnerable with me/allow me to be vulnerable with them. That was a huge eye-opener for me. Brene Brown is so good at helping you see areas you can improve in without making you feel too uncomfortable. (Like she does in her Ted talk) She leaves you feeling empowered and motivated to improve. Read it. Just do it. Or continue to my Gifts of Imperfection review haha.

Favorite Quote: "To love ourselves and support each other in the process of becoming real is perhaps the greatest single act of daring greatly."

9. The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon

     Published 2001

3 stars
I started reading this book, and then I stopped reading this book. Later, I started reading this book, and then I stopped reading this book haha. It took me a while to take the plunge here because I went into it thinking that I knew what this book was going to be. I spent the first chunk struggling with my expectations and what was really happening. I love reading books that have a lot to do with books. It's like eating food while watching The Food Network haha. I loved: how much of the story revolved around books, flashbacks, the setting in Barcelona, the time period of post Spanish Civil War, the whole dark romantic mood, and the great one liner observations. LOVED all of that. I didn't love: the characters--specifically the main character I just couldn't get down with and even though Zafon writes BEAUTIFULLY the way he wrapped up the plot was very disappointing to me. Also didn't love? when he would use a character to step outside of the story to explain parts of the plot out of the story's context. It just felt like a cheap move to resolve things and takes you out of that magical flow of the story. When magical flow is what is working for you, don't stop the magical flow, dude, even if it leaves some threads hanging loose. Still a good read, though.

Favorite quote: “I was raised among books, making invisible friends in pages that seemed cast from dust and whose smell I carry on my hands to this day."





10. The Stranger by Albert Camus
     Published 1942

3 stars

I’m always impressed when an author can create a full well-rounded story that introduces complex elements of plot and philosophy in less than 200 pages. In a lot of ways, that is more impressive to me than the epic 900 page novel. I definitely subscribe to the “Good Writing Means Good Editing” camp (and that is why my attention span begins to quiver when faced with the idea of trying to read another Girl With The Dragon Tattoo book. Let’s all be honest with each other now and confess that we all lied about enjoying that book and secretly suspected that even Stieg Larsson (no disrespect to my Swedish brothers) hadn’t read over his work before he turned it into his teacher. Okay so he did die, but that shouldn’t be an excuse…actually his life is pretty fascinating. Knowing his life makes his book better. The book is OKAY--its not GREAT. And it could’ve been great if it had been edited. Wow. Rant over). ANYWAY The Stranger was very engrossing. I couldn’t put it down till I had gotten all the way through it. But let’s be real— I am just so NOT an absurdist. If an absurdist was an animal (not to be confused with the terrible buzzfeed article—25 Existentialist Animals) I think he/she would be a cat. That would also make me a puppy when her owner just walked in the door. That being said, I’m not sure I could give this book more than 3 stars because I just don’t see a lot of myself reflected in it. That being said, I couldn’t give it any less because it is so well-written and the philosophical questions presented in it are placed perfectly like matching teacups (or mismatched would actually be more appropriate) strategically placed at each corner of a pressed tablecloth awaiting other Martha Stewart  enthusiasts. (Except that some of the teacups are actually bottles of brandy, buckets of sand, and a shoe, and your guests can’t remember what day their mother died on nor have they ever felt enthusiastic over anything, especially tablecloths.) There is a deep discussion waiting to be born on every page. I mean, c’mon. Just read the first line of the book...

Favorite quote: “Mother died today. Or maybe yesterday; I can’t be sure.”

11. The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath

    Published 1963

4 stars

I die over this new cover. Seriously? Gag me. By choosing that cover you are loudly telling me that you don't get it. Reading The Bell Jar is something you have to experience at least once in your life. I'm going through a period of time where I'm re-reading and finishing a lot of things that I glossed over during my education and growin'. This was another one that deserved a revisit. But...what do you even say? Sylvia Plath nails it: historically, emotionally, artistically. It's all real good. The best part though is that she isn't loud about it. She doesn't just throw it in your face. She invites you to her table and pulls out the chair for you. She looks you in the eye and hands you a cup of tea before you've even realized that you are in the bell jar with her. It isn't fun, but it is...something, isn't it? 

Favorite quote: “because wherever I sat—not the deck of a ship or at a street cafe in Paris or Bangkok— I would be sitting under the same glass bell jar, stewing in my own sour air."

12. Bossypants by Tina Fey

      Published 2011

4 stars

Tina Fey was one of my high school heroes. Let’s be honest in admitting that Baby Mama is my second most watched film of all time. It's been awhile, though, since we spent some significant time together. I decided I wanted to listen to her read her own words, so I listened to this baby on Overdrive. Best decision ever. I'm sure I would've laughed had I just read the book, but Tina Fey's delivery is just so wonderfully snarky and dry throughout the whole thing. I laughed out loud A LOT. I liked the beginning a lot better than the end. I am not a 30 Rock fan, and so when she spent the last chunk of the book talking about 30 Rock, I got a little bored. The beginning though? GOLD. As a child/teenager that was a total theater nerd, I was DYING at all of her coming-of-age memories. Nothing is as funny as Tina Fey admitting that she thought menstruation would be a neon blue liquid like you see in the commercials. Sigh. If you're a Tina Fey fan, how have you not read this book? 

Favorite quote: “Do your thing and don’t care if they like it.”

13. Mary Poppins by P.L. Travers

      Published 1934

4 stars

Let's be honest--Mary Poppins is the best movie ever created. It is impossible to not worship that movie. After seeing Saving Mr. Banks last year, I wanted to read the original book written by P.L. Travers. I really did like that movie (SMB), but of course found out after research that the film wasn't entirely accurate. With certain books/movies I feel very comfortable with thinking about them as separate stories/entities/works of fiction. For example, I actually enjoyed The 2nd Hobbit movie--but I have to think of it as a completely separate work from the book because...HAH yeah right. I like both for completely different reasons, not because the movie protected the integrity of the book. That is now how I feel about Mary Poppins. I worship that movie, and I LOVE this book as two different pieces of art. Both are similar and fantastically magical but there were some serious differences as well. I wish I had read this as a child, because I know I would have loved it.

Favorite Quote: “Don’t you know that everybody’s got a Fairyland of their own?”

14. Jennifer’s Way by Jennifer Esposito

      Published 2014

5 stars
The thing about Celiac Disease is that it is a very misunderstood and lonely disease sometimes--especially when you are first diagnosed. My 5 star rating is completely emotional. I felt like Esposito was cradling my head in her lap as she stroked my hair and talked me through the ins and outs of our mutually held disease. I saw so many of my life experiences in her story. This book is part autobiography, part information pamphlet, part self help health guide, but I felt like I was just reading, "You are heard. You are heard. You are heard" on every page. If I ever meet Jennifer Esposito, I will unabashedly kiss her and cry.

Favorite quote: "That's the one thing I hear from people with celiac all the time. They are always apologizing. You have to get to the point where you forgive yourself for having Celiac Disease--for having any disease. And eventually, you also have to get to the point where you forgive the people around you who don't understand, if you want any peace. They can't possibly understand what you're going through. It's not their fault, either."

15. The Sign of Four by Arthur Conan Doyle

       Published 1890

3 stars
I know this may sound crazy, but I actually enjoy Doyle's short stories of Sherlock Holmes more than the full-length novels. There is this pattern that all of the novels follow where the first part is all about the mystery and the second part is all an explanation. In every novel, I start to get a little distracted during the second part. The second part is almost always told from another character's perspective, and it makes me miss Watson's perspective so much. The short stories are just so clever, clean, and perfectly edited. Anyway, I did enjoy this story with all of its classic Holmes-y-ness and the relationship between Holmes and Watson. The best part, though, was being privy to Watson's thoughts as he meets and falls for Mary Morstan. Kills me. And THAT made it worth it.

Favorite quote: "My mind rebels at stagnation, give me problems, give me work!"

16. The Crucible by Arthur Miller

      Published 1953

4 stars
I googled this cover and HAD to post it because C'MON! It's just dripping in eery. I read this one under strange circumstances. It was my second go at the book, and I liked it a lot better as an adult. I really appreciate it as a play, and I honestly would rather see it performed than read. There are so many wonderful underlying currents of tension in this sucker that I love to see performed because it is so interesting to see what actors/directors choose to emphasize. Plus, terrifying little girls shouting the names of people they're gonna kill? it just doesn't get better than that in theater.

Favorite quote: “'More Weight,’  Giles Corey says.”

17. The Pearl by John Steinbeck

       Published 1947

4 stars
I read this one because RBH read it and then could not. let. it. go. We have this moment every once in a while in our marriage where the other person gets this look in their eye after finishing a book...and the other one just knows they are going to have to read it before we can move on. The Pearl was one of those books. After a couple weeks of "I seriously need to talk to you about this book but I can't ruin it for you" statements, I hunkered down. Yeah. He was right. It is so good. But you already knew that because if there is one thing we can all agree on--it is that Steinbeck can do no wrong. His craft is so powerful, and this story was so simple yet so powerful that I can still feel it weeks later.

Favorite quote: “He did not know, and perhaps this doctor did. And he could not take the chance of pitting his certain ignorance against this man’s possible knowledge. He was trapped as his people were always trapped, and would be until, as he said, they could be sure that the things in the books are really in the books”

18. The Gifts of Imperfection by Brene Brown

       Published 2010

5 stars
I actually read Daring Greatly first before realizing that it is actually Brene Brown's third book. I love this book with every fiber, and I know I will visit it again and again. I wish I had troves of money so that I could buy it for every family member and friend as a birthday present. The woman is good at what she does, and I've learned so much about myself and those around me from studying her work. If you only read one of her books, I would read The Gifts of Imperfection. Need a starting point? Visit her website here.

Favorite quote: "Until we can receive with an open heart, we are never really giving with an open heart. When we attach judgment to receiving help, we knowingly or unknowingly attach judgment to giving help."

19. American Born Chinese by Gene Luen Yang

       Published 2006

5 stars

Sooo good. This is officially my favorite graphic novel I have read thus far. I loved it so much that it became another "look" book, so RBH read it right after I finished because I wanted so badly to talk about it with somebody. It is so intelligent, and I can't stop gushing over it. Yang perfectly used the unique approach of "the graphic novel" to tell his story in a way that could only be told in this particular medium. All of it is yes. All of it.

Favorite Quote: “I would have saved myself from five hundred years’ imprisonment beneath a mountain of rock had I only realized how good it is to be a monkey"

20. Celiac Disease: A Hidden Epidemic by Peter H. R. Green

       Published 2010

5 stars

By far, the best CD book I've come across. It is extremely thorough, but don't worry, just embrace the long scientific words you can't pronounce. They will warm up to you. THE book to read about CD. I kiss it every time I walk by the bookshelf. Jk. Maybe...

Favorite Quote: "Six or seven years into this downward physical and mental spiral, an internist suggests that stress may be the answer. In other words, we cannot find anything really wrong with you--perhaps it is "in your head." Many patients live in a perpetual state of indefinable ill health that, after a period of time, they begin to accept as normal . . . The average time to diagnosis of celiac disease is 9 years."

21. The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams

      Published 1979

4 stars

Complete nonsense. Completely brilliant nonsense. I'm not British, I don't drink beer, and I don't have enough sci-fi geek scars to really love this book. I would really have to reverence this sucker if I was going to claim to love it and give it 5 stars. Out of respect for those that really get it and really inhale it and are it, I am giving it 4 stars. But for the record, I laughed...and thought...pretty hard with this one.

Favorite Quote: “DON’T. PANIC."

22. Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery 
      Published 1908

5 stars
I LOVED Anne of Green Gables as a kid. We read a part of this in a tutoring session that I did, and I couldn't help but read the whole thing all over again. (I'm just now noticing that I revisited a lot of childhood/young adult classics this year. I'm sure there is a psychological reason behind this haha). Sigh. This book. THIS BOOK. It could cure me of any blues. Anne Shirley is my spirit animal. She could give any worn soul a hopeful outlook on life. I will forever love her. The very very strange coincidence? Jonathan Crombie who played Gilbert Blythe died the same day that I finished re-reading. So my tears at the end of the book (inevitable, right?) were exacerbated by that sad sad news. I was surprised and happy that SO MANY people posted about their love of Gil and the series this week. It was so wonderful to feel connected in our love of a wonderful world filled with wonderful characters.

Favorite quote: “But the best of it all was the coming home.”

23. Readicide by Kelly Gallagher
      Published 2009

4 stars
First of all, I am a big Kelly Gallagher fan. I really appreciate his outlook on teaching. This book was so so so good. It inspired me and validated some of my feelings, but it also caused me to step back and reassess the way that I view reading in school. Every English teacher needs to read this book. I knocked it down to 4 stars only because it was published in 2009 which is right before the huge flood of smartphones filled our schools. I would love some added insight/perspective now that the entire population carries a mini-computer in their pocket with them everywhere they go. I would also love to see an updated version of all the statistics used in this book.

Favorite quote: "WYTIWYG (pronounced "witty-wig"): What You Test Is What You Get."
and "Nothing less than a generation of readers hangs in the balance."

24. Believing Christ by Stephen E. Robinson
Published 1992

4 stars
Another "I never finished this book" read. I am repenting here, people. I have often thought to myself "but I don't deserve it" about many things in life, including the comfort and love that Christ offers. The book helped to remind me that none of us will ever "deserve" it, but He loves and helps and comforts anyway and THAT is the beauty of His perfect goodness, grace, and mercy. No matter how hard I try to be perfect and without sin on my own--I will never be able to do it without Christ. He isn't there to step in after we have worked hard to deserve Him; He is there to step in at every hard and ugly moment. Good read for any Christian.

Favorite quote: "To this the Savior responds essentially, 'I know where you are; I've been where you are. I know what you're feeling, for I have felt it . . . But I want you back. I'll even carry you back, if you'll let me."




25. The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold
Published 2002

3 stars
This book came out over a decade ago and everybody WAS FREAKIN' OUT. So of course I decided to give it a go but it was a totally horrible experience for me because I was the same age as the protagonist that is murdered on page 1. For me, the whole experience then was just me being like "holy crap this girl was murdered...did I just hear a thump downstairs? Is somebody trying to break in our house?!?? am I dead?!?!" for a couple hundred pages. We were at a book sale the other day and there was a really nice hardback of this sitting there for 75cents and I didn't have any other plans for the weekend so I gave it another go. I kept telling RBH "I swear I don't remember any of this happening" when I would get to a new chapter haha. It went MUCH better this time around. Such an interesting premise, so many beautifully constructed observations, perfectly crafted suspense, great characters, but some rough similes. The first 80 pages? GOLD. The last 80 pages? Crap. Why did you have to happen, last 80 pages?!? We watched the movie afterwards, and I can't believe I'm saying this but...skip the book and watch the movie. Peter Jackson enhanced and muted all the right moments, and the story actually functions better as a movie.

Favorite quote: "Loss could be used as a measure of beauty in a woman."





26. Standing For Something by Gordon B. Hinckley
Published 2000

3 stars
I thought that I hadn't read this book, and then I started reading it and found all these annotations in my green handwriting haha. Whoops. I always have roughly 4 books going at once and this was the book that I had sitting in my bag to take out when I just had a minute. You can read it in chunks because the chapters don't really build on each other. All the values and stories were wonderful, but it didn't have a great impact on me because I pretty much already live this way haha. The intended audience is definitely supposed to be somebody that is not Mormon haha. That being said, what it teaches is good and true and powerful.

Favorite Quote: "One of the great ironies of life is this: He or she who serves almost always benefits more than he or she who is served."
and "Be excellent."





27. Antigone by Sophocles
Published...441 BC

4 stars
I was covering for a class that was reading Antigone...and then I just kept reading it. How do you even write a review of Sophocles? haha. It's amazing how applicable this play still is today. We could talk this thing through the ground. It is remarkably accessible and even stings a little wherever you happen to be feeling sensitive at the time. Girl power, baby.

Favorite quote: "All men make mistakes, but a good man yields when he knows his course is wrong, and repairs the evil. The only crime is pride."






28. En el Tiempo de las Mariposas (In The Time of the Butterflies) by Julia Alvarez
Published 1994

4 stars
I read this book when I was in middle school, and I went through this crazy Julia Alvarez phase because she came and spoke at our school and I thought she was a QUEEN. And she really is. Then they were watching this in Spanish class, and I got sucked back into the story and thought I should read it in Spanish. I love revisiting books as an adult (as you can see from this list) and I loved even more revisiting this book in a different language. It stretched me (lets be honest, guys, its been awhile since this Hermana se ha regresado) but it was worth it because you just feel differently in a different language, and I felt this story a lot harder this time around. This is the fictionalized telling of the amazing true story of the Mirabal sisters or "Las Mariposas" and the amazing legacy they left in the time of the dictatorship of Trujillo in the Dominican Republic. People need to know incredible stories like this. Another dose of girl power, baby.

Favorite quote: "Los campesinos en los alrededores de la finca dicen que el clavo no cree en el martillo antes de que lo golpee"
Translated: "The country people around the farm say that until the nail is hit, it doesn't believe in the hammer"





29. Frances and Bernard by Carlene Bauer
Published 2013

3 stars
I love books that are about/based on writers because I'm a complete nerd. With summer approaching, I was in search of a light escape. When I saw that this book was a sort of "what-could-have-been" take on the lives of Flannery O'Connor and Robert Lowell, I was sold. It goes really fast because it is an epistolary novel, but it feels as if the author spent hours carefully picking out each word. I just basked in the literary allusions, the snide remarks about authors and poets, and the erudite discussions about art and spirituality. It wasn't life-changing or a great literary accomplishment, but it was a fun escape--like wearing the kind of make up you don't normally wear on Halloween.

Favorite quote: "You and I are so different: I am one word at a time one foot in front of the other, slowly, always testing how surely footing is before proceeding to the next sentence with ruminative breaks for buttered toast and coffee."

30. Cranford by Elizabeth Gaskell
Published 1851

5 stars
In another life, I will be a fabulous elderly woman living in Cranford. Another book that made me laugh out loud. It is so subtle and juicy. It is so witty and judgmental. It is so 19th century England. And I LOVED it. My SIL really loves this book, and I had never read it before, so when RBH got me the BBC version for my birthday, I knew I needed to do it. SO GLAD I did. I didn't want it to end because I didn't want my friends to go away. I really could read this over and over and over...

Favorite quote: "Many a one has been comforted in their sorrow by seeing a good dish come upon the table"

Now turn off your internet and go read a book. Happy Reading!