Warning: I give lots of five star reviews here. I’m pretty good at picking stuff I will love. And I go into most books to have fun and fall in love with the book so if it can grab me I’m totally willing to give it all five. Not all books obviously. I’ve given one star reviews. Or DNFed stuff. But again I do pick super well.
By Your Side by Kasie West
So this book was cute and funny and fun as all Kasie West is! I adore her books for a fast light happy “bring a smile to your face” type reads. This book was about a girl named Autumn who gets locked in a library for a long weekend with a boy named Dax. These two have nothing in common and come from very different family lives and friend circles but, surprise, they seem to gel really well. What more do you need? A library, opposites attract, the whole “missing for a weekend” drama. It’s super fun. I gave this book five stars. If you need some adorable it’s here.
Going Clear: Scientology and the Fear of Belief by Lawrence Wright
This book is amazing. It’s a super in depth analysis of Scientology through told along side one person personal journey through Scientology. I really loved the mirroring of the beginnings of Scientology with one mans personal beginnings in Scientology. I had become interested in Scientology after listening to the Oh No Ross and Carrie series of episodes on Scientology and I had to learn more. Also passing the Scientology buildings whenever I am in Clearwater and being confused about all the security and the creepy vibe that comes from them. So I 100% recommend this book to anyone who is interested in Scientology. It’s completely wonderful. I loved every second of it and still will chat anyone’s ear off about this book. I watched the documentary after this and if you had any interest in that the book is so much more in depth. I cannot gush about this book enough. I gave this book five stars and I’m sure it will end up on my favorites list at the end of the year. Loved this one
Troublemaker: Surviving Hollywood and Scientology by Leah Remini
I picked up this book after marathoning her show about Scientology (which I super recommend, it’s great) and reading Going Clear. I listened to the audiobook because it’s read by her and I always prefer that experience. She is totally funny and charming and her manner of speaking is wonderful. I enjoyed hearing about her life story both inside and outside of Scientology. Her account is very much about her and her families personal experiences in Scientology. The only negative thing I would have to say about her book is that if you don’t know much about Scientology then I do think that some things can be slightly confusing or that the reader won’t fully understand the implications of some of her statements. Though the parts where I felt this were not very long or frequent so if you really wanted this to be your Scientology jumping off point then go for it. By the end of reading this book I felt very personally invested in her journey which should be the goal of memoirs. I have this book four stars on Goodreads.
Wires and Nerves, Volume 1 by Marissa Meyer
I really enjoyed this book! It is a story of what is happening post Winter (mostly pre Stars Above I think) on Earth and Luna and stars everyone’s favorite android Iko! This book goes deeper into Iko’s backstory and made me appreciate her character so much more. I never disliked Iko I just didn’t always connect to her because her personality is very very not me. This book is exciting and action packed and lets us check in with our favorites from the series! If you liked the Lunar Chronicles you have to continue in with this. I gave this book five stars.
Extreme Honor by Piper J. Drake
I am not a normal straight up adult romance reader. I love romance. But it is not on its own my typically genre. But Piper J. Drake is a sometimes host on the podcast Brandon Sanderson hosts called Writing Excuses and I loved the way she talked so much I had to dive into her books. And this series is about hot ex-military dudes and puppies. Soooooooo this was clearly the place to start. Puppies. If you don’t gel with intense drama, romance, and description if animal behavior then this isn’t the book for you. I had fun reading this book thought did feel a lull in the middle of the book. There is a thriller aspect to this book that was exciting to read and the mystery was fun to figure out along with the characters. And the romance was fun and the characters had real conflict and chemistry. I’m totally going to continue with this trilogy it’s so much fun. I gave this book four stars!
Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi
I loved this book so much. It’s the story of two Ghanaian half sisters one is married off to a British slaver and the other is sold into slavery in America and for a time is kept in the dungeons under the castle her sister lives in. It follows the descendants of each sister through 300 years and explores the ways the slave trade me legacy still effects the lives of people today. It is not only deeply moving and important but it is also written beautifully and can be funny and hopeful even when there are stories that are deeply sad. I have recommended this book to basically every human I know. Also watch all the interviews with this author. She rules. I gave this book five stars because it’s awesome. Read this. All humans. Loved this one.
A Long Way Home by Saroo Brierley
I listened to the audiobook right after I saw Lion in theaters. I complexity recommend both the book and the movie! This is such and interesting, inspiring, amazing story. If you don’t know yet it is the story of young Saroo who lived with his mother, two brothers, and sister in a small village in India when a series of events happen to Saroo that lead to him being trapped on a train alone that ends up in Kolkata alone and away from his family. A language barrier and versions other experiences keep Saroo isolated and living on the streets for around three months before he ends up in an orphanage and eventually is adopted by an Australian couple. The story is amazing and the book is informative and deeply interesting. I will say that Saroo is not a writer by trade so there were occasional issues around that but the book is written well. I gave this book four stars and would recommend this to anyone who loves memoir and to people how haven’t read one because they are “boring”. This is not boring.
