lydialovestoread's reviews
489 reviews

Connie: A Memoir by Connie Chung

informative inspiring medium-paced

3.0

This book was mostly informative. Starting out slow Connie describes her parent’s immigration from China to the US.

Her career achievements were the main part of this book full of name dropping, coanchor drama, and celebrity interviews she landed. I learned how much of a dick Dan Rather was and the prejudice she faced as an Asian woman in a White male profession.

Overall it was an interesting read, but just okay.

James by Percival Everett

adventurous dark inspiring reflective tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

This is a rewriting of Huckleberry Finn from Jim’s perspective. When Jim finds out he’s about to be sold, he runs. At the same time, Huck fakes his own death and also runs away after his abusive father returns. They meet up along the Mississippi River, setting out on their historic adventure.

In James, Jim is an intelligent, literate black man. He has a heart, a conscience, and a will to live. Ruminating on the morality of owning people and what the color of skin really means, Jim encounters Voltaire and Locke in his dreams, asking questions that leave the readers pondering. Throughout the tales of adventure we see both Jim as an endearing character and the problematic views of racial hierarchy.

I loved this book. It was deep. It made my heart ache with injustice. It was moving and perplexing, witty and intelligent, a true literary genius of a book! Everyone should read it, discuss it, and sit with the tension it brings to light.

Daughter of Mine by Megan Miranda

adventurous mysterious tense

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Hazel and her mom melded into the Holt family when she was young. Perry Holt was the main detective who kept his small town functioning. A strait-laced, honest-to-goodness, salt of the earth, GOOD man who claimed Hazel as his own daughter. But was he?

Her mother disappeared when she was young, a criminal known for disappearing in a cloud, leaving a wake of criminal activity. After her father’s death, Hazel returns to town. The lake she grew up on has evaporated from drought and a submerged car is found in its depths. Along with its discovery are more questions than answers and Hazel questions the facts she’s been fed. Who can she trust? Who is sneaking around the house at night? What was her dad trying to tell her? And what actually happened to her mom?

I devoured this book. There was potential for romantic development that I think would have elevated the story, but it kept me engaged at every turn.

Piece of Work by Staci Hart

lighthearted fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

1.0

AI suggested this book to me. It was wrong.

He is chiseled and mysterious, broody, rich, powerful and surly. She is awkward and nerdy until her makeover. Suddenly she’s a 6’ tall Asian goddess that he can’t stop thinking about. He is the owners son, she is an intern. Before they even know each other he kisses her and touches her without consent in a back closet. He’s impulsive and an asshole but she can’t refuse. The condensed version of my review is: RED FLAGS!!!

The Rachel Incident by Caroline O'Donoghue
Did not finish book.

I couldn't get through it and quit at 44%. Rachel, who lives in Ireland is immature, pouty, and quite frankly annoying. She and her best friend, a not-quite-out-of-the-closet gay man both have a crush on the same man. Her friend has an affair with her crush and she is eat-a-box-of-cookies depressed every time this older man comes over. Bleh. I gave up.

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

adventurous fast-paced

5.0

This was my second time through. The first was years ago and I reread it after my 13 year old got obsessed.

It holds up. Fast paced, emotion, love, grief, you find it all. On to book #2.

A Well-Trained Wife: My Escape from Christian Patriarchy by Tia Levings

dark emotional inspiring medium-paced

4.0

This Could Be Us by Kennedy Ryan

4.0

What My Bones Know: A Memoir of Healing from Complex Trauma by Stephanie Foo

dark emotional reflective sad slow-paced

4.0

This is a HEAVY book about complex PTSD. Stephanie Foo worked at This American Life for a time and shared several of these stories on the air, so those were familiar to me. Her trauma growing up was severe, beatings, verbal abuse, and abandonment as a teen.

She spends time talking about her trauma responses, therapy modalities, and the work she did to heal her wounded heart. The ending is beautiful as she ultimately discovers that love begets love. She learns to give love lavishly and interpret her own emotional responses.

I liked it, but it took time to get through since the subject matter was dark and at times heady.

Hold My Girl by Charlene Carr

4.0

Katherine and Tess both went through the pain of IVF. After endless miscarriages Tess got pregnant but went into spontaneous labor at 21 weeks, losing both the baby and her uterus. Katherine, after countless miscarriages, carried Rose to term. Shortly before Rose turned one, the women found out that their eggs had been switched. Rose is genetically Tess’s child.

The rest of the book is the unfolding drama of a court case and the emotional toll on both of the women in deciding whose child Rose really is.

It got slow in the middle and a little repetitive, but overall there was enough drama to keep me reading. For sure a thought-provoking read on custody and IVF.