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Fostering the love of reading, here are several reviews from myself.
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The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid
Star Rating: ★★★★★
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I clutch my chest when I think of this book still. The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo is one of the most beautiful stories I have ever read. Evelyn Hugo is 79 years old, living in NYC quietly after spending earlier decades as Hollywood's leading lady. She decides to give a rare interview and picks a specific, unknown journalist. What happens is captivating, emotional, and heartbreaking and heartwarming all at the same time. This book had me as a paperweight in a chair while I read it. I could not put this down and then mourned finishing it for days. Must read.
The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
Star Rating: ★★★★★
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My daughter chose The Book Thief for one of her summer reading books. I was interested in it as she read it, so I picked it up after she finished. This book is beautiful. A young girl living in Nazi Germany with foster parents befriends aa Jewish man her parents are hiding in the basement. The story is narrated by Death, which is so interesting as a character given the subject matter. But, it also becomes a character for which you have empathy for and even some respect in the end. This story is so moving and haunting and beautiful.
Mary Jane by Jessica Anya Blau
Star Rating: ★★★★★
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Mary Jane - ahh, such a good book. I know there are so many coming of age stories but this one is my favorite. Mary Jane, raised in a prim and proper, county club member home is 14. She takes on a summer nanny job for a neighbor and ends up having an eye-opening summer to other ways of living. It's set in the '70s anf if you're of a certain age, your imagination will be filled with images while reading this great summer novel.
Indistractable by Nir Eyal
Star Rating: ★★★★★
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Indistractable is a really important book and I wish it was recommended reading for Juniors and Seniors in high school. I learned some great tricks on how to find traction and eliminate distraction..and the connection between the two. In a post-pandemic world where there is an increased lape of attentiveness, I wish everyone would read this book. Indistractable is essentially a handbook full of tips and tricks on building attentiveness against internal and external triggers.
The best of this book? It's logically laid out for one type of learner. But--it starts by stating that if you prefer to learn a certain way, then it leads you through a different order to read the book. How radically inclusive!
We Need to Talk: A Memoir about Wealth by Jennifer Risher
Star Rating: ★★★★★
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We Need to Talk: A Memoir about Wealth should be a bestseller. This book covers middle class people getting massive options from Microsoft and then more options from Amazon, ultimately amassing a huge wealth and retiring before 40. But, Jennifer Risher still details everyday consumer purchase decisions like what stroller to buy with other mom friends.
This book covers how people deal with money. How people handle gifting or loaning money. And you know what? Whether it is $8 or $8,000, I promise you the same emotions are there. It was so interesting to read the accounts of surprisingly practical "everyday" money problems...and especially interesting to read about how money truly doesn't solve every problem.
The Answer is...by Alex Trebek
Star Rating: ★★★★★
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This was a fantastic palete cleanser from the heaviness of the pandemic. I honestly wept after finishing this bok. I always thought Alex Trebek was an amazing man but then I read this book and thought, "How is it even possible that he is this GOOD!?" (hint: he's Canadian).
The audiobook is fantastic, narrated by Alex Trebek and Ken Jennings. But, after hearing that the author donated all proceeds from the book to charity, I purchased the book as well. It's a book of short stories and lessons from life. A great book for the whole family to have on hand.
The Dutch House by Ann Patchett
Star Rating: ★★★★★
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This book. THIS AUDIBLE. It's just so good. Tom Hanks should narrate more books. It was so comforting to hear him read Danny's story. The Dutch House is about two siblings who move through life together, relying on each other during the multiple decades that this book covers. It's a beautifully simple story about a brother and a sister and their life together while in the dutch house and after.
Five Presidents by Clint Hill
Star Rating: ★★★★★
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An apolitical view of our country during a very politically divisive time. Secret Service Special Agent Clint Hill recounts his career, serving five US Presidents. "Walking beside history" is the introduction and it so perfeclty describes why I love stories from this point of view. He can tell stories from quiet observation without proividing any influence or getting into the politics and taking sides. What he does get into is how he used his influence to expand detail of the Secret Service to more than just the President as well as helping hire the first female Secret Service officer.
A very good storytelling of many things we missed in history class but helped mold our nation during a time of constant crisis and turmoil.
The Coddling of the American Mind by Greg Lukianoff and Jonathan Haidt
Star Rating: ★★★★★
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I read this in 2019 and it is still the book I tell everyone is a "must-read".
After seeing many dramatic changes in students on college campuses, the writers conducted a comprehensive analysis to answer "How did we get here?" What was uncovered are three Great Untruths that modern parenting since the 1980s has led to, which has ultimately come to a head as iGen arrived on college campuses.
This book is not a parenting book. It is for anyone who interacts with this latest generation as it is one that our society has never seen. It is a generation of Safe Spaces, Trigger Warnings, Callout Culture, and Vindictive Protectiveness. The book's title immediately drew me in. I'll share that, as a people manager, at times I felt like the word "coddling" was appropriate.
This book finally gave me data behind everything I have observed and experienced in the last 20 years in the workplace as younger people entered the office behind me. I have peace of mine with so many experiences now and have a perspective for why this youngest generation is how it is as well as how to parent in support of better ways to grow adults.
Quiet by Susan Cain
Star Rating: ★★★★★
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I read this book twice, back to back. It's outlined to take the reader through the parts of history and reflection on the subjects of introverts before leading you into a self-reflection ending. There is so much data packed into this book that grounds everything in the last section of the book. So, upon finishing, I immediately wanted to re-read it. Like you sometimes watch a movie again after knowing the ending so you can see the parts in the beginning and how they play into the ending.
I initially picked this book up to read as an effort to understand one of my children, who I think is an introvert. In reading Quiet, I came to identify that I myself am actually incredibly introverted, but with a tremendous toolkit for coping at work and in social settings. Chapter 9 in particular solidified it for me. If you think you might be introverted or "introvert extrovert", I implore you to read through for the first 9 chapters and see if you also have a lightbulb moment.