February Wrap Up

Love is in the air and, while this is the shortest month of the year, I finished seven books this month, which is far more than usual!

The Girl Who Drank the Moon - Kelly Barnhill
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Wow, this was a truly magical tale about the power of sorrow and the healing power of hope.
My students were reading "The Lottery" by Shirley Jackson at the time and the introduction to Barnhill's enchanting tale reminded me of Jackson's theme of blindly following traditions. Although things with the reading club have fallen through, I have already discussed this book with several students!

Dear Martin - Nic Stone
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
I walked in to work one day and this book was waiting for me as a gift from my "Morale Pal" who is like a Secret Santa. This short book shook me to my core. I don't know exactly how to write a review for it, but I can say that everyone should read this book. It is similar to The Hate U Give (which I am nearly finished with), but I appreciated this book a little more. In writing to Martin Luther King, Jr., Justyce challenge himself and the reader to ponder these questions: Who do I want to be? Am I making choices so I can become that person?

Barefoot in the Park - Neil Simon
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
As a theatre minor, I always love taking a couple of hours to read a new play, but this play is special: I'm going to be directing a production of it at my local community theatre in September! As I have not already seen it, I am prohibiting myself from watching the movie until I have read through the play a few more times and selected my creative direction. This is a touching, hilarious comedy of newlyweds who discover that while a couple can share love, they may have different views on just about anything else. 

Gone Girl - Gillian Flynn
⭐⭐☆
I FINALLY FINISHED listening to this book and, dear readers, I am not a fan. Gone Girl made landmark changes to the mystery and suspense genre and I did enjoy the twists and turns along the way. I desperately wanted to like this book because Flynn is from my home town (Kansas City) and it came as a recommendation from a bibliophile friend and my husband, who loves the movie.
So, what didn't I like? Far too much cursing (the F-word does not have to be used one every page) and description of genitalia. I also had a difficult time buying in to the characters. Both Nick and Amy were vile, selfish, manipulative human beings. Even when watching movies, I just cannot buy in when none of the prominent characters are redeemable or moderately moral. Was the story shocking? Absolutely. Could I have lived without reading (listening to) it. Absolutely.

The Gilded Wolves - Roshani Chokshi
⭐⭐⭐⭐☆
Mysteries have captivated me of late and I truly enjoyed following this band of outcasts as they sought to capture a hidden treasure. Chokshi did an excellent job separating the personality of the six (you read that correctly) major characters, making the story engaging from all angles.
*OwlCrate January selection

The Glass Castle - Tricia White Priebe
⭐⭐⭐⭐
This isn't the book you're thinking of, but you should check it out! Tricia babysat my siblings and I when we were younger and has always been a gifted writer. She worked for Jerry B. Jenkins (co-author of the Left Behind series) for some time and teamed up with him to publish her own trilogy. The Glass Castle is the first book in that trilogy and is a magical, coming-of-age novel.  The reading level is lower than I generally go for (lower middle grade, 3-5th grade), so I felt the story was a little slow in creating  the setting, but the pace quickened and I am interested in reading the next two of the series.

January Wrap Up

New Year, New (extensive) TBR!

My goal this year is to read one book a week or a total of 52 books. 

A few of my book purchases this month!
All of these were purchased for my classroom.

At the end of the first month, I'm off to a great start! I completed five books, with another book and an audiobook that have significant progress.

The Afterlife of Holly Chase - Cynthia Hand
☆☆☆☆☆
A truly imaginative and well-written, modern retelling of A Christmas Carol. I did guess the twist, but I love the way Hand  flushed out Holly's character development--arguably better than Scrooge in the original. Also, I firmly believe Boz is Dickens.

Amber & Dusk - Lyra Selene
☆☆☆☆
I was skeptical about this story at first: it felt too similar to two other books I have read, Tangled Webs (Lee Bross) and The Glass Spare (Lauren DeStephano), but eventually the plot evolved into something uniquely its own. I am interested in what will be coming next.
*OwlCrate selection, December 2018

The Tattooist of Auschwitz - Heather Morris
☆☆☆☆☆
A poignant love story blooms during one of the cruelest events in human history, the holocaust. Morris writing style of vignette-like memories made me feel as though I was sitting with her as Lale shared his story.

Cress: The Lunar Chronicles Book 3 - Marissa Meyer
☆☆☆☆☆
This second installment has only made me fall deeper in love with Cinder and Kai. Cress's character building has made Thorne more likable, but Scarlet and Wolf are still growing on me. Meyer has done a fantastic job creating a truly vile evil queen in Levana, but I have mixed feelings about Kai's adviser. Is he supporting Kai or Levana?

This Splintered Silence - Kayla Olson
☆☆☆☆☆
Olson wrote one of my favorite reads from last year, The Sandcastle Empire, so I have truly been looking forward to reading this sci-fi mystery. I was cautious at first because Lindley's narrative voice was similar to Eden's from TSE. However, this story quickly took on a personality of it's own and drew me in completely! I was constantly guessing who was guilty and how the love triangle would work out.

Gone Girl - Gillian Flynn (audiobook)
I'm started listening to this in April 2018 and I still have not finished it because I have a difficult time buying in to the motivations of these two selfish, vile characters. But I'm no quitter--I will finish this. Eventually.

The Girl Who Drank the Moon - Kelly Barnhill
My mentor teacher and a school librarian are leading a reading club at our middle school and have encouraged teachers to choose one of the "32 Best Middle School Reads" to discuss at one of their book talks. While I have not read this book yet, I selected it because I had already purchased it because the story intrigues me.

More detailed summaries and my progress on my goal can be found on my GoodReads account. Feel free to follow me (Lynnae Rachele Andersen) there and let me know what you're reading!