booksngrannies's reviews
105 reviews

Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson

5.0

Very well written! I loved how it was both indirect and direct about anxiety and trauma and their traits. Absolutely loved it!

Critical Encounters in Secondary English: Teaching Literary Theory to Adolescents by Deborah Appleman

5.0

Turtles All the Way Down by John Green

3.0

I was honestly a bit disappointed in this book. While I love that Green had his main character struggle with mental health and it was extremely relatable, I hated how he addressed it. By using the words "shrink" and "crazy" I felt like he was giving in to the mental health stigmas and not really addressing them in a way that was completely beneficial to the mental health community. I wouldn't normally be that upset because I know these words are commonly used inside and outside of the mental health community, but comparing the way he wrote about mental health to the ways he wrote about sexism, feminism, poor vs rich, and even comparing and contrasting schools and prisons, I feel like he could've done more in how he spoke about mental health. Even having a friend or family member encourage Aza that she's not crazy instead of asking her repeatedly "Do you think you're crazy?" or "How crazy are you?" would've been huge!

I did appreciate though that Aza's mental health journey didn't magically heal as soon as she met a boy. I was scared that all of that would happen and it didn't. I like that Green made her journey through healing rather realistic. It did feel a little like Aza had magically healed towards the end, but I know that was due to how much he sped up the timeline.

The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas

5.0

Twelve Steps to a Compassionate Life by Karen Armstrong

2.0

The Bad Beginning by Lemony Snicket

5.0

Kale to the Queen by Nell Hampton

4.0

Originally, I wanted to give this book three stars. I found lot of this book to be rather cheesy and was annoyed by the way some of the characters acted. After an impressive plot twist though, I just had to bump it up to four. I'll definitely be reading the second book!

Inspired: Slaying Giants, Walking on Water, and Loving the Bible Again by Rachel Held Evans

5.0

I absolutely loved this book! At first I was skeptical because of the way I was raised to be a Christian, but Evans really opened my eyes to a lot of different ideas. I really appreciate that she wrote this book!

Stand All the Way Up: Stories of Staying in It When You Want to Burn It All Down by Sophie Hudson

4.0

This book was nice! It felt like I was catching up with a friend! Although I didn't feel like I had any epiphanies while reading this book, I appreciated how open Hudson was about her life from the funny to the serious.

That Sounds Fun: The Joys of Being an Amateur, the Power of Falling in Love, and Why You Need a Hobby by Annie F. Downs

4.0

This was a really encouraging, uplifting read!