The idea for this book is really good and I like the premise. The problem is that the narrator sounds very dated and does not do a good job of brining you into the story. Having a narrator who sounds that way isn't necessarily a problem, but I found myself treating the book like a commercial in the background. I would occassionaly look up and go "oh that's interesting, I wonder what this is about?" and then I would quickly realize they are dwelling on a storyline that seems to have little to no relevance to the story. It may factor in later but after a while the story has to actually start and not keep telling these side stories that unfortunaley weren't that interesting. Like I said, the premise of the book is good, but it feels like a chore to get to where the story possibly gets more interesting but I wasn't given enough early to give that attempt.

Someone Else's Bucket List by Amy T. Matthews

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adventurous emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

4.75

I will go ahead and bury the lead, I really enjoyed this one. As someone dealing with grief from the loss of a parent over the past couple years; this is one of the few books that has been able to truly encapsulate what it feels like. For me, grief sucks and it feels like a permanent cloud that is always in the sky; but the sun does still come out and eventually if you just allow it to keep coming out and appreciate the things that it still shines its light on, you can begin to look at the sky and see a "cloudy day" and not just focus on the one storm cloud. This book does a good job of being able to explore the ups and downs of grief but not make the entire story feel like you are constantly stuck underneath the blanket of it but still doesn't ignore the inevitable fact that it is permanently there. There is still joy, fun and adventure throughout. I faced two main challenges while reading this book. One was that I found myself having to go back and reread a few parts, not because of issues with the content but because I would find myself thinking about my own life at times due to the different emotions you would sometimes get put through while reading. Secondly, I found the lead character challenging at times. Mainly due to the realness of her. She had moments that many of us face when both dealing with self-confidence issues and in finding ourselves again when we deal with the loss of a very close loved one. I don't view either of those things as negatives, just being real about what were challenges for me while reading. I do think that different audiences will have different experiences with this book. If you are a person dealing with grief and have a hard time with those moments where you begin to reminisce about a loved one. Not being able to escape the pain that comes with those memories and also recognize the joy in them, you may have a hard time with this book at times. I also think if you have a hard time with stories that make rapid changes in emotion this one may be a little bit of a challenge as well. But if you enjoy books that challenge your emotions or have reached that point in dealing with grief where you can absorb tough moments but still see the beauty in them as well, this is a must-read.

On Juneteenth by Annette Gordon-Reed

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emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

4.5

A must-read during black history month! This book encompasses so much history in such a short amount of time. While the main focus is in the title, Juneteenth, the author does a brilliant job of explaining so much of Texas' history through the lens of African Americans and its effects on the black community. Though frustrating, like most of the history involving African Americans being enslaved, this book did a really good job of making the read fun. There were a couple moments where the text sort of drug along, but even during those times, I was able to remain engaged and want to follow along with the stories and information. This is not typical in text, so heavily dense with facts, so bravo to the author for that. It's definitely a read that needs to be added to anyone's list who wants to broaden their knowledge base on African American history and, more specifically, African American history in Texas.

Inside the NBA Bubble: A Championship Season under Quarantine by Jared Dudley

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lighthearted reflective relaxing fast-paced

4.0

Great, fun, quick read! Jared himself narrated this book and you can tell he obviously isn't a professional voice actor but he did a good job of showing off his personality. As a big sports fan and particularly a Lakers fan, this book did a good job of taking you right back to that moment in time. There wasn't a lot of information that was particularly new for someone like me who follows this stuff pretty closely, but the descriptions of everything did a great job of placing you right back to wherever you were when those moments happened. A good quick read to take someone back along that crazy ride in the world of sports during the peak of COVID.

The Life and Times of Hannah Crafts by Gregg Hecimovich

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hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad slow-paced

3.0

This is a good companion piece to 'The Bondwoman's Narrative'. I initially began reading this prior to 'The Bondwoman's Narrative' after seeing a news article describing the story of Hannah Crafts. It was about how she was deemed the first black female author and it intrigued me. The article initially led me to believe that this was a narrative retelling of the story but it was more of an informational piece. I think that is important to know because I was initially disappointed because I felt that it was just spoiling the story without really telling it. I also felt irritated by the fact that it felt like a whitewashing of her story because it seemed to initially only to refer to the Hannah as hypothetical, even though it was presented as a story proving that she wrote it. I ended up taking a step back and decided to read her actual book first. When I came back, this work was much more enjoyable. Even though it isnt necessarily an exciting read, it did have alot of really good information. There were some moments where I wanted more, because subjects such as "passing" would be brought up and the topic of how slavemasters used "passing" to their advantage at times would come up. The issue I had is that there wasn't much information given there and it was such a provoking subject to bring to light. That is why I feel there is a little left to be desired with this book. Nonetheless it is a good companion piece to the original novel and it does provide good subjects for further investigation. If you are going to read 'The Bondwoman's Narrative' and want further explanation of events within the text it's definitely worth taking a look at.

The Bondwoman's Narrative by Hannah Crafts

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adventurous challenging emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

I really enjoyed this book. It has some moments where you begin to fade out a little while reading, mainly due to the wording being pretty dense and the verbage to be a little dated (which is kind of obvious considering this text would have been over 150 years old). It brings me back to my feelings when I read Tom Sawyer, there are moments where you feel like the wording can be so dated that it loses you, but you never feel like you can't relate. That is where the beauty of these types of works really come through. Timeless storytelling is the best way to put it. I am honestly more impressed with the fact that if Hannah truly learned to read in the manner in which it is presented, her being able to tell this story in such way that I can still relate 150 years later is truly astonishing. I definitely think this book is worth a read. Even if the story alone doesn't grab you, taking these steps back in time are so invaluable and when you can find a piece of literature that was done well it is really worth giving it a shot. I read it as a part of my Black History reads and feel that if you wanted to break up some of the hardline texts about slavery and that time period, I think this would be a good one to add to your list.

The Giver by Lois Lowry

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense slow-paced

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

3.0

Love the idea, but the execution was, meh. I just felt like I spent the first quarter of the book waiting for the book to get good, which I did, kinda. The world building to begin the book was just so slow that it kinda loses you for a little bit. When the story really gets started, it definitely brings you back in, but I just feel like there should have been more action. I realize that this is a part of a series, but the finish didn't really have that good of a payoff. With all of those things being said, those weren't my most disliked parts. The narrator almost made me turn it off, it literally sounded like he was reading with a hard candy in his mouth and it was so annoying to hear his "mouth juices" squish around everytime he talks. I'm sure that after all I said you would wonder why I gave this book 3 stars. Well, even with all those flaws, I felt that the plot was strong enough that when it was working, it really worked. I'm not saying don't read cause it's definitely not that bad. Just manage your expectations.

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texassippiwill's reviews 60 reviews

texassippiwill's reviews
60 reviews