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Women can be heroes.When twenty-year-old nursing student Frances “Frankie” McGrath hears these words, it is a revelation. Raised in the sun-drenched, idyllic world of Southern California and sheltered by her conservative parents, she has always prided herself on doing the right thing. But in 1965, the world is changing, and she suddenly dares to imagine a different future for herself. When her brother ships out to serve in Vietnam, she joins the Army Nurse Corps and follows his path.
As green and inexperienced as the men sent to Vietnam to fight, Frankie is over- whelmed by the chaos and destruction of war. Each day is a gamble of life and death, hope and betrayal; friendships run deep and can be shattered in an instant. In war, she meets—and becomes one of—the lucky, the brave, the broken, and the lost.
But war is just the beginning for Frankie and her veteran friends. The real battle lies in coming home to a changed and divided America, to angry protesters, and to a country that wants to forget Vietnam.
The Women is the story of one woman gone to war, but it shines a light on all women who put themselves in harm’s way and whose sacrifice and commitment to their country has too often been forgotten. A novel about deep friendships and bold patriotism, The Women is a richly drawn story with a memorable heroine whose idealism and courage under fire will come to define an era.
I love Kristin Hannah’s books and I love Julia Whelan’s narration. I also needed a book with a palindrome on the cover.
The Quotes
“The women had a story to tell, even if the world wasn’t quite yet ready to hear it, and their story began with three simple words. We were there.”
“Women can be heroes.”
“The old white men who run this country are scared. And people do stupid, ugly things when they’re scared.” She leaned close. “But they’re counting on their power and our fear.”
“Maybe that was why people built walls: to look away, to ignore anything they didn’t want to see.”
The Narrator(s)
Julia Whelan. It’s no secret I love Julia’s narration in anything! This one was another beautiful one.
My Thoughts
This book pulls you in and doesn’t let go. I had so many feelings as I was reading it, mostly anger, and fury, and sadness, but also hope. So much hope. I hate that the women were treated so unfairly, I hate that there were so many scummy men, I hate that it was so difficult to find mental health help in the days where it was so important to get that help. With every page, it just got more and more heartbreaking to read and I was sure it wouldn’t end well. But it ended the way it should, and I’m happy with that.
My Rating
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/5 stars.
Have you read this book? Would you read this book? Did you like the book or do you think you would like it?
In a house full of sadness and secrets, can young, orphaned Mary find happiness?
Mary Lennox, a spoiled, ill-tempered, and unhealthy child, comes to live with her reclusive uncle in Misselthwaite Manor on England’s Yorkshire moors after the death of her parents. There she meets a hearty housekeeper and her spirited brother, a dour gardener, a cheerful robin, and her wilful, hysterical, and sickly cousin, Master Colin, whose wails she hears echoing through the house at night.
With the help of the robin, Mary finds the door to a secret garden, neglected and hidden for years. When she decides to restore the garden in secret, the story becomes a charming journey into the places of the heart, where faith restores health, flowers refresh the spirit, and the magic of the garden, coming to life anew, brings health to Colin and happiness to Mary.
It was available on audiobook and I needed a book with the word “secret” in the title. I thought this would do.
The Quotes
“If you look the right way, you can see that the whole world is a garden.”
“At first people refuse to believe that a strange new thing can be done, then they begin to hope it can be done, then they see it can be done–then it is done and all the world wonders why it was not done centuries ago.”
“Of course there must be lots of Magic in the world,” he said wisely one day, “but people don’t know what it is like or how to make it. Perhaps the beginning is just to say nice things are going to happen until you make them happen.”
“Two worst things as can happen to a child is never to have his own way – or always to have it.”
The Narrator(s)
Carrie Hope Fletcher. It was so lovely to listen to. I really enjoyed her narration.
My Thoughts
This was never one of my favorite childhood books. I read it as a child, I liked it, but I never loved it or thought about it much. I didn’t dislike it, to be clear, it just wasn’t on my favorites list. I decided to reread it recently because it was convenient and it fit a reading prompt I needed to finish, and I am so glad I did! I found that I love this book a lot more now as an adult than as a child.
There were many things about the book I didn’t understand as a child. Mary being neglected and left alone, the fact that not many adults in her life cared for her and she wasn’t parented well. And Colin too. I feel for them a lot more now instead of thinking they were nothing but brats in the beginning. I mean, they were, but it’s not their fault.
I love the transformation of their attitudes and personalities as the garden is also transformed. I love how this book presents the law of attraction in action. I love how the book started so bleak and sad, but ended so hopeful and happy. I love this book so much more now as an adult.
My Rating
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/5 stars.
Have you read this book? Would you read this book? Did you like the book or do you think you would like it?
As a botanist, Robin Wall Kimmerer has been trained to ask questions of nature with the tools of science. As a member of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation, she embraces the notion that plants and animals are our oldest teachers. In Braiding Sweetgrass, Kimmerer brings these lenses of knowledge together to show that the awakening of a wider ecological consciousness requires the acknowledgment and celebration of our reciprocal relationship with the rest of the living world. For only when we can hear the languages of other beings are we capable of understanding the generosity of the earth, and learning to give our own gifts in return.
This has been on my shelf for ages. I heard so much praise for it and I finally decided to read it.
The Quotes
“In some Native languages the term for plants translates to “those who take care of us.”
“Knowing that you love the earth changes you, activates you to defend and protect and celebrate. But when you feel that the earth loves you in return, that feeling transforms the relationship from a one-way street into a sacred bond.”
“We need acts of restoration, not only for polluted waters and degraded lands, but also for our relationship to the world. We need to restore honor to the way we live, so that when we walk through the world we don’t have to avert our eyes with shame, so that we can hold our heads up high and receive the respectful acknowledgment of the rest of the earth’s beings.”
The Narrator(s)
Robin Wall Kimmerer. Her voice is so gentle and soothing, I absolutely loved listening to her. She made me feel so connected to her, to the earth, to the stories she was telling.
My Thoughts
This book was longer than I expected, but it was such a beautiful meandering journey. It was really soothing to listen to and I felt like I was in another dreamy and idealistic world. I felt really connected to the earth and nature listening to it, but there were also parts that made me sad and angry about the state of the world now because we don’t honor and appreciate the earth the way we should be. I loved the journey and one day I’ll take it again.
My Rating
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/5 stars.
Have you read this book? Would you read this book? Did you like the book or do you think you would like it?
In Atlas of the Heart, Brown takes us on a journey through eighty-seven of the emotions and experiences that define what it means to be human. As she maps the necessary skills and an actionable framework for meaningful connection, she gives us the language and tools to access a universe of new choices and second chances—a universe where we can share and steward the stories of our bravest and most heartbreaking moments with one another in a way that builds connection.
Over the past two decades, Brown’s extensive research into the experiences that make us who we are has shaped the cultural conversation and helped define what it means to be courageous with our lives. Atlas of the Heart draws on this research, as well as on Brown’s singular skills as a storyteller, to show us how accurately naming an experience doesn’t give the experience more power, it gives us the power of understanding, meaning, and choice.
Brown shares, “I want this book to be an atlas for all of us, because I believe that, with an adventurous heart and the right maps, we can travel anywhere and never fear losing ourselves.”
I love all of Brene Brown’s works, and I’ve had this book on my shelf for ages.
The Quotes
“Science is not the truth. Science is finding the truth. When science changes its opinion, it didn’t lie to you. It learned more.”
“Choosing to be curious is choosing to be vulnerable because it requires us to surender to uncertainty. We have to ask questions, admit to not knowing, risk being told that we shouldn’t be asking, and, sometimes, make discoveries that lead to discomfort.”
“In fact, research shows that the process of labeling emotional experience is related to greater emotion regulation and psychosocial well-being.”
The Narrator(s)
Brene Brown. I love listening to her reading her own books. She’s so warm and genuine and you really feel like she’s talking directly to you.
My Thoughts
So I actually started reading the physical book a long time ago but I kept getting stalled because there were so many parts that hit me in the gut and I just had to stop and think about them. I finally finished this book because I got it on audiobook and decided I was going to listen all the way through. There were still many parts that hit me in the gut and made me want to stop and think about them, but it was also much easier to let the audiobook keep playing, so I did.
My Feels
Gut punch after gut punch after gut punch. It’s so interesting how putting our feelings into words can help so much. I still feel like I need to come back to this book over and over again and really think about all these emotions and their definitions and all the times I’ve felt them. It’s incredible.
My Rating
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/5 stars.
Have you read this book? Would you read this book? Did you like the book or do you think you would like it?
Ryland Grace is the sole survivor on a desperate, last-chance mission—and if he fails, humanity and the earth itself will perish.
Except that right now, he doesn’t know that. He can’t even remember his own name, let alone the nature of his assignment or how to complete it.
All he knows is that he’s been asleep for a very, very long time. And he’s just been awakened to find himself millions of miles from home, with nothing but two corpses for company.
His crewmates dead, his memories fuzzily returning, Ryland realizes that an impossible task now confronts him. Hurtling through space on this tiny ship, it’s up to him to puzzle out an impossible scientific mystery—and conquer an extinction-level threat to our species.
And with the clock ticking down and the nearest human being light-years away, he’s got to do it all alone.
I’ve read this book in print but people keep saying how good it is on audio and FOMO got me, so I signed up for Audible just to get the audiobook.
The Quotes
“Human beings have a remarkable ability to accept the abnormal and make it normal.”
“Fist my bump.”
“Grumpy. Angry. Stupid. How long since last sleep, question?”
“Good. Proud. I am scary space monster. You are leaky space blob.”
The Narrator(s)
Ray Porter. He has been praised so much as a narrator and I can certainly see what the fuss is about. He’s great!
My Thoughts
It hasn’t been that long since I read this book the first time, but I am blessed/cursed with a short-term memory when it comes to book details so I had forgotten a lot of what happens and how. I did remember some of the big details though, and as I was reading I kept looking forward to them, and was still very delighted to be reminded of how it all happens.
Since I’ve read this before I’ll also add my initial thoughts here for reference, written July 2021:
I loved this book so much! I loved The Martian, but this one completely surpasses it in so many ways. I feel like I cannot write a review that adequately describes my feelings right now. The Martian was a really smart book, and hilarious, and it appealed to me because of all the problems Mark Watney faced and the innovative solutions he came up with – and Andy Weir is also such a great writer in the way he makes it easy to understand all the science-y stuff.
But this book. This book has got all of that – the science-y stuff, the life-threatening problems, the innovative solutions, the humor… but it has also got feels! So much feels. ALL the feels! How do I even start?
The mystery he woke up with, the confusion of how everything worked, the loneliness, the excitement, the frustration, the friendship, the camaraderie, the anguish, the acceptance, the bittersweetness, the determination, the trust, the betrayal, the love, the fear, the choices… (no spoilers – it’s just how good the book is!)
I love this book so F**KING much!
My Feels
I will never not love Rocky and Ryland’s relationship. I love seeing how their relationship develops, how they learn from each other, how they communicate about cultural stuff, laugh with each other, respect each other.
My Rating
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/5 stars. Of course 5 stars, and yes, the audiobook was such a great way to experience the book the second time around!
Have you read this book? Would you read this book? Did you like the book or do you think you would like it?
Women in Science highlights the contributions of fifty notable women to the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) from the ancient to the modern world. Full of striking, singular art, this collection also contains infographics about relevant topics such as lab equipment, rates of women currently working in STEM fields, and an illustrated scientific glossary. The women profiled include well-known figures like primatologist Jane Goodall, as well as lesser-known pioneers such as Katherine Johnson, the African-American physicist and mathematician who calculated the trajectory of the 1969 Apollo 11 mission to the moon.
I needed a book to fit the 2024 52 Book Club Reading Challenge for #6: Women in STEM. There were several fiction books I might’ve tried, but I happened to come across this book in the library and was very interested in reading more.
My Thoughts
I loved it! I loved that it featured so many amazing women throughout history who have done so many great things! I loved the little snippets of information and quotes we get on each of their feature pages. I loved how it celebrated women and I love that it made learning about them and the things they did so interesting. I would totally recommend this book to anyone of any age and gender. I think I might buy a copy of my own, it would make a great reference book and a great source of inspiration.
My Rating
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/5 stars.
Have you read this book? Would you read this book? Did you like the book or do you think you would like it?
The Rise and Fall of the Dinosaurs by Steve Brusatte
The dinosaurs. Sixty-six million years ago, the Earth’s most fearsome creatures vanished. Today they remain one of our planet’s great mysteries. Now The Rise and Fall of the Dinosaurs reveals their extraordinary, 200-million-year-long story as never before.
In this captivating narrative (enlivened with more than seventy original illustrations and photographs), Steve Brusatte, a young American paleontologist who has emerged as one of the foremost stars of the field—naming fifteen new species and leading groundbreaking scientific studies and fieldwork—masterfully tells the complete, surprising, and new history of the dinosaurs, drawing on cutting-edge science to dramatically bring to life their lost world and illuminate their enigmatic origins, spectacular flourishing, astonishing diversity, cataclysmic extinction, and startling living legacy. Captivating and revelatory, The Rise and Fall of the Dinosaurs is a book for the ages.
Brusatte traces the evolution of dinosaurs from their inauspicious start as small shadow dwellers—themselves the beneficiaries of a mass extinction caused by volcanic eruptions at the beginning of the Triassic period—into the dominant array of species every wide-eyed child memorizes today, T. rex, Triceratops, Brontosaurus, and more. This gifted scientist and writer re-creates the dinosaurs’ peak during the Jurassic and Cretaceous, when thousands of species thrived, and winged and feathered dinosaurs, the prehistoric ancestors of modern birds, emerged. The story continues to the end of the Cretaceous period, when a giant asteroid or comet struck the planet and nearly every dinosaur species (but not all) died out, in the most extraordinary extinction event in earth’s history, one full of lessons for today as we confront a “sixth extinction.”
Brusatte also recalls compelling stories from his globe-trotting expeditions during one of the most exciting eras in dinosaur research—which he calls “a new golden age of discovery”—and offers thrilling accounts of some of the remarkable findings he and his colleagues have made, including primitive human-sized tyrannosaurs; monstrous carnivores even larger than T. rex; and paradigm-shifting feathered raptors from China.
An electrifying scientific history that unearths the dinosaurs’ epic saga, The Rise and Fall of the Dinosaurs will be a definitive and treasured account for decades to come.
Our in-person bookclub decided we wanted to go on a road trip to the Royal Tyrrell Museum this summer and thought we should read a book that was related to the dinosaurs.
The Quotes
“There is a dinosaur outside my window. I’m watching it as I write this.”
“You could call T. rex the James Dean of dinosaurs: it lived fast and died young.”
“A new species of dinosaur is currently being found, on average, once a week.”
The Narrator(s)
Patrick Lawlor. No complaints, it was great!
My Thoughts
So I had actually bought a physical copy of this book but ended up also borrowing the audiobook through my library. The audiobook went a lot faster and I occasionally refered to the physical book for pictures and illustrations, but I mostly finished it on audio. I thought about writing this review after I reread through the physical book again because I’m not sure I absorbed everything I wanted through audio, but life has been hectic and I don’t think I’ll be able to absorb everything even if I reread in print, so I’m letting it be.
Accepting that, I must say that this was a very interesting book and I really enjoyed listening to it. One of the things that delighted me the most is that I live in Alberta and we have an amazing dinosaur museum and history here that is also referenced in the book.
I’ve actually been to the Royal Tyrrell Museum three times before but the last time was at least five years ago and it’s time to go back and learn more, and hopefully remember more! I do intend to read this book again, eventually, but even if I don’t remember the details, I remember enjoying the process of listening to the book.
My Rating
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/5 stars.
Have you read this book? Would you read this book? Did you like the book or do you think you would like it?
On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous is a letter from a son to a mother who cannot read. Written when the speaker, Little Dog, is in his late twenties, the letter unearths a family’s history that began before he was born — a history whose epicenter is rooted in Vietnam — and serves as a doorway into parts of his life his mother has never known, all of it leading to an unforgettable revelation. At once a witness to the fraught yet undeniable love between a single mother and her son, it is also a brutally honest exploration of race, class, and masculinity.
Asking questions central to our American moment, immersed as we are in addiction, violence, and trauma, but undergirded by compassion and tenderness, On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous is as much about the power of telling one’s own story as it is about the obliterating silence of not being heard.
With stunning urgency and grace, Ocean Vuong writes of people caught between disparate worlds, and asks how we heal and rescue one another without forsaking who we are. The question of how to survive, and how to make of it a kind of joy, powers the most important debut novel of many years.
This was my bookclub’s Book of the Month for June, with the theme being LGBQT+ books/writers.
The Quotes
“They say nothing lasts forever but they’re just scared it will last longer than they can love it.”
“Because the sunset, like survival, exists only on the verge of its own disappearing. To be gorgeous, you must first be seen, but to be seen allows you to be hunted.”
“I am writing because they told me to never start a sentence with because. But I wasn’t trying to make a sentence—I was trying to break free. Because freedom, I am told, is nothing but the distance between the hunter and its prey.”
“Perhaps it was not a destination I sought, but merely a continuation.”
The Narrator(s)
The writer himself, Ocean Vuong. The book was absolutely beautiful and he was the perfect narrator for it.
My Thoughts
I had no idea what to expect going into this book but suffice to say I didn’t know it was going to be so beautiful and lyrical. The book talks about a lot of difficult things, awkward things, painful things, but with such beautiful words and flow that makes it feel like a magical fever dream. I don’t know how to describe it but it’s just one of the most amazing reading experiences and it moves you to the core.
My Feels
I loved it, and I love it some more. There’s so much complexity in this story and the way the story is told. I’m just so blown away.
My Rating
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/5 stars.
Have you read this book? Would you read this book? Did you like the book or do you think you would like it?
Logen Ninefingers, infamous barbarian, has finally run out of luck. Caught in one feud too many, he’s on the verge of becoming a dead barbarian – leaving nothing behind him but bad songs, dead friends, and a lot of happy enemies.
Nobleman Captain Jezal dan Luthar, dashing officer, and paragon of selfishness, has nothing more dangerous in mind than fleecing his friends at cards and dreaming of glory in the fencing circle. But war is brewing, and on the battlefields of the frozen North they fight by altogether bloodier rules.
Inquisitor Glokta, cripple turned torturer, would like nothing better than to see Jezal come home in a box. But then Glokta hates everyone: cutting treason out of the Union one confession at a time leaves little room for friendship. His latest trail of corpses may lead him right to the rotten heart of government, if he can stay alive long enough to follow it.
Enter the wizard, Bayaz. A bald old man with a terrible temper and a pathetic assistant, he could be the First of the Magi, he could be a spectacular fraud, but whatever he is, he’s about to make the lives of Logen, Jezal, and Glokta a whole lot more difficult.
Murderous conspiracies rise to the surface, old scores are ready to be settled, and the line between hero and villain is sharp enough to draw blood.
My online bookclub had a disagreement about the books, with some saying they loved it and some saying they hated it. I had to see what the fuss was about and where I stood on the matter.
I finished these books way back in May and June, and hadn’t gotten around to reviewing them so I decided to review them as a series and not as individual books.
Steven Pacey. He is an amazing narrator for these books! I have to admit that he makes me want to reread the books again just to hear his narration. His portrayal of Glokta is particularly good, but he does a great job with all the characters throughout and I’m really curious to try more of his works.
My Thoughts
The Blade Itself I started this book not really liking any of the main characters, and ended up loving them all! I think it’s brilliant that they are all so flawed and yet so relatable. I also love the “taglines” and repetitive quotes many of the characters use throughout the book. Some people criticise it as being lazy writing, but I feel like it’s actually quite true to real life because we repeat quotes and sayings all the time, and these characters and this world happen to have their own set of quotes and sayings they use all the time. I loved the first book and it left me wanting more.
Before They Are Hanged I started the second book almost immediately after, and I loved it even more. I especially love the quest that Logen and his team go on, and the way they all bonded through that journey. A lot of second books aren’t the best, but I think this one might be my favorite book in the trilogy. The stakes get higher, and it’s so thrilling to see some of the ways they resolve their issues. Glokta’s story was very exciting too, and he’s easily one of my favorite characters.
Last Argument of Kings It took a while to get to the final book because I had to wait on some book buddies, but I’ll be upfront and say I’m not completely satisfied with the resolution of the story in this book. I’m happy with most of it, but I have a problem with Logen’s storyline because I didn’t feel it was consistent what we’ve seen of him before. It’s a whole thing and I could get into it, but I won’t for now (unless provoked! 😂) so I’ll just focus on the positives. Overall, I loved the whole trilogy, and if I can find more audiobooks in set in this world narrated by Steven Pacey, I’m definitely going to read more!
My Rating
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/5 stars
Have you read this series? Would you read this series? Did you like the books or do you think you would like them?
From legendary storyteller and master of short fiction Stephen King comes an extraordinary new collection of twelve short stories, many never-before-published, and some of his best EVER.
“You like it darker? Fine, so do I,” writes Stephen King in the afterword to this magnificent new collection of twelve stories that delve into the darker part of life—both metaphorical and literal. King has, for half a century, been a master of the form, and these stories, about fate, mortality, luck, and the folds in reality where anything can happen, are as rich and riveting as his novels, both weighty in theme and a huge pleasure to read. King writes to feel “the exhilaration of leaving ordinary day-to-day life behind,” and in You Like It Darker, readers will feel that exhilaration too, again and again.
“Two Talented Bastids” explores the long-hidden secret of how the eponymous gentlemen got their skills. In “Danny Coughlin’s Bad Dream,” a brief and unprecedented psychic flash upends dozens of lives, Danny’s most catastrophically. In “Rattlesnakes,” a sequel to Cujo, a grieving widower travels to Florida for respite and instead receives an unexpected inheritance—with major strings attached. In “The Dreamers,” a taciturn Vietnam vet answers a job ad and learns that there are some corners of the universe best left unexplored. “The Answer Man” asks if prescience is good luck or bad and reminds us that a life marked by unbearable tragedy can still be meaningful.
King’s ability to surprise, amaze, and bring us both terror and solace remains unsurpassed. Each of these stories holds its own thrills, joys, and mysteries; each feels iconic. You like it darker? You got it.
Because I’m a huge fan of Stephen King’s and he just keeps getting better!
The Quotes
“Imagination is hungry, and needs to be fed.”
“The world is full of rattlesnakes. Sometimes you step on them and they don’t bite. Sometimes you step over them and they bite anyway.”
“Grief sleeps but doesn’t die. At least not until the griever does.”
“He considered this, then looked out the window at the steady rain. Nothing is colder than cold November rain. It crossed my mind that someone should write a song about it… and eventually, someone did.”
The Narrator(s)
Will Patton, and Stephen King for a couple of the stories. I always love Stephen King narrating his own stories, and Will Patton is the next best narrator.
My Thoughts
All the stories are so good and engrossing. I find myself getting sucked in and wanting more. I listened to these stories on audiobook and just flew through them. There were some that were more memorable than others; Two Talented Bastids, Danny Coughlin’s Bad Dream, Rattlesnakes, and The Answer Man. Rattlesnakes is very haunting and also refers back to Cujo and Duma Key. I’ve read both, a while ago, and remember loving them but I don’t remember much else and this made me want to reread!
My Feels
I love that Stephen King is such a prolific writer and I have so many more of his books I haven’t read and can look forward to, because he always leaves me wanting more. His stories are just so real, so well-written, and flow so well. I have so much admiration and respect for his mastery.
My Rating
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/5 stars.
Have you read this book? Would you read this book? Did you like the book or do you think you would like it?
