No One Tells You This is a memoir focused on the author's 40th birthday and living life without a husband or children. MacNicol is an extremely talented writer and I enjoyed reading this but I couldn't help but feel she was trying to convince herself that this "unconventional" life was what she truly wanted.
I feel like it's a bit old school to assume that all women want to marry and have children. And, yes, there are still people who think this is the way life should be and the author certainly has had to deal with snide comments. But she seemed to be wishy-washy at times. For example, repeatedly noting how she has no other half in which to help in times of need or to split the rent. Her "in case of emergency contact" is a friend. I wanted her to be more firm with her life decisions. Own it. At times, I couldn't figure out if she truly wants to be single or if it just happened and she's making the best of it.
When people who haven't read Stephen King hear Stephen King, they automatically imagine gruesome, horrific, terrifying plots. And, yes, many of his books are like that. But he also has many which are completely tame. If you've wanted to try out a new author, but have been hesitant to read King in the past, Elevation is the perfect book for you. It's extremely short and not gruesome. In fact, it's a feel good story with a sad ending.
(I also highly recommend King's book 11/22/63 to anyone and everyone. It's one of my favorites and falls into the category of tame Stephen King. There are no ghosts or scary clowns or deadly dogs.)
There is much to like about Severance. It has an interesting storyline. It moves along at a good pace. The flipping back and forth between present and past mixes things up and adds a fresh layer into the plot. The main character, Candace, is a millennial living and working in NYC. When the Shen Fever strikes and kills off almost the entire population, she's one of the last to leave the city.
If you aren't a fan of apocalyptic plot lines, I'd have to say that about 75% of this book centers on life prior to the end of the world. That remaining 25% is an easy read.
As much as I enjoyed reading this, I couldn't help but feel like the author could have done more with it. I suppose it would be a different book that way though. There were also some very minor inconsistencies, which bothered me, but don't take away from the book's success. Also, I was not a fan of the ending. But still, a 4 star rating from me.
Back in December and January, I came across so many glowing reviews of this book that I just couldn't wait to get my hands on it. Based on what I had heard, I expected this to be one of my top rated books of the year. The main character, Daphne, is unwillingly separated from her husband, who had his green card taken away by the US government and is stuck in Turkey. She's been on her own for 6 months with their infant daughter and an unsatisfying job with a long commute. She walks out of work one day, packs up her daughter and heads to the desert of Altavista, which holds family ties. Will we watch her break down or can she pull herself and her life together?
I always say that books do not need to be page turners in order to be loved. That being the case, I wished there had been a little bit more here. The writing was outstanding, aside from the author's refusal to use commas, but I still wish there had been more meat to the plot. Constructive criticism aside, I did like The Golden State and would give it 4 stars.
Admittedly, prior to reading this, I knew very little of Steve Jobs's personal life. Small Fry is a memoir written by Jobs' oldest daughter, Lisa, whose mother was Jobs' on/off girlfriend from high school. They were in their 20s when Lisa was born. Jobs denied Lisa was his daughter for several years after her birth and provided no emotional or financial support to her mother. When she was 6 years old, the state of California actually sued Jobs, requiring him to reimburse the state for welfare payments made to Lisa's mother. He slowly became more involved in Lisa's life and she did live with him and his wife for some time.
Despite his status as a millionaire many times over, Jobs often gave the bare minimum of financial support to Lisa and her mother. He used money as a form of punishment, withholding it when he became angry. His emotional support was terrible, and his social behavior bizarre. Definitely an interesting book to read. Oh, one more thing I wanted to point out. I was curious as to what happened to Jobs' estate after his death and if any monies were left to Lisa. She doesn't address it here, even though she discusses money throughout the book. Thanks to the internet, my question was easily answered.
This is the only "psychological" thriller I read this month and it was a pretty good one. An Anonymous Girl has co-authors, who also wrote The Wife Between Us, a book I quite enjoyed reading as well.
Jess sneaks her way into a study on morality and ethics at a nearby college, hoping to earn some easy money. The study turns out to be more than she bargained for as it spreads into the real world and her personal life. Soon Jess finds herself in a web of jealously, deceit and lies. Can she escape?
These types of books are so prevalent now, they tend to be somewhat predictable. 15% of the way through, I guessed what was going to happen. And it did. That was the main plot, which I won't say more about so as not to spoil it for anyone else. I was kind of bummed at first because reading a book when you know the outcome isn't as enjoyable. What made it interesting are the subplots and how the authors tied everything together, wrapping it up nicely at the end. There were a couple of surprises in there. If you're a fan of these thrillers, I would recommend this one. I'll be looking out for future books by these authors as well.
Sixth Grade Reading
I don't know exactly every book the girls have read this month but I do know what they were reading last week, and they are good books so I thought I would include them here. Their literacy teacher has been a great resource in helping them find new books to read, mainly because she knows their reading level. She has a small library in her classroom and they also visit the school's library. We do still visit our local town library, and that's where we feel mostly caught between "child" and "young adult."
Orphan Train Girl is the young readers' edition of Orphan Train, a book I loved and easily rated 5 stars. The suggested age range of this book is for readers 8-12 years old.
Emily really liked this book. There's a reality TV show of someone who is supposed to be out in the wilderness. But he's not. Behind the scenes, a family in FL, who own animals, such as gators, are hired to ensure the local wildlife "behave."
A family of Chinese immigrants, who are struggling financially, hear about a motel where they can work and live for free. The owner is mean and behind his back, the family helps out others who have no place to stay. There are some higher level real life issues throughout the book, like racism and poverty.
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