#BookReview “Things Can Grow Between Your Toes!” Laurie L. Bolanos

This delightful story follows a little girl as she discovers the curious possibilities and inevitable drawbacks of not washing between her toes. My kids absolutely loved this adorable story. It's got just the right amount of silly and relatable content that captures kids completely. The illustrations are adorable and the story is simple but carries … Continue reading #BookReview “Things Can Grow Between Your Toes!” Laurie L. Bolanos

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“Hillbilly Elegy” J. D. Vance #BookReview

Vance identifies as a Conservative. I identify as a Democratic Socialist. Politically, it would look like we are opposites..... yet, there is a lot of common ground on our theories of how the issues of poverty can be solved.  The reason, in my mind, for that common ground is our shared experiences. Those of us who have lived it understand it in a way that those who haven't never will. This is why we need elected officials from every corner of every class of people we can find. The lenses they are currently looking through are much too narrow.

“An Authentic Experience” Kelly Wittmann #BookReview

"An Authentic Experience" is one of those books that I call a builder. At the beginning I didn't like Silver. Not even a little. She seems hollow, selfish and shallow. BUT....(and here is why I call this book a builder) by about the middle of the book I realized that her initial shallowness was part of her evolution as a character. This is one of those books about growing up. It's about gaining wisdom through experience. "An Authentic Experience" is really about how lifes challenges (whether they be our own challenges or those closest to us) morph us into someone different. Someone deeper. Someone wiser. Someone who is actually authentic.  

“Red Sparrow” Jason Matthews #bookreview

"Red Sparrow" is definitely action packed. From beginning to end it's a whirlwind of intrigue, misdirection and the complexities of humanity. Matthews spy jargon gives the story authenticity where he lacks in character depth. He definitely tried to bring depth to his characters but fell short with the two main characters, Nathaniel Nash and Dominika Egorova. 

#BookReview “A River In Darkness” Masaji Ishikawa

Something readers should take away from this part of Ishikawa's story is how a persons environment has a direct affect on their character. Some will argue that one must rise above such things but the reality is that most do not and in all honesty shouldn't be expected to. The existence of such oppression is what matters. Life shouldn't be a series of trial by fire. Are we not evolved past this? Are we all still primal beasts unable to transmogrify our society?

“Artemis” Andy Weir #BookReview

In "Artemis", we are also introduced to some judicial ethics that, if not carefully considered and worked out now, will plague us as we've already experienced with the explosion of tech and our judicial systems sluggish pace in keeping up. Is it ethical to deport someone to a planet they haven't been on since they were a young child knowing that it will cause them severe health issues? Is it ethical to deport someone to a country they know nothing of since they didn't grow up there? What constitutes a persons citizenship? As humanity becomes ever more connected is it ethical to continue to divide us into countries? How we move forward with these issues now and later will have a huge effect on our momentum technologically. 

Kids Book Review “The Nest” Kenneth Oppel

For some kids summer is a sun-soaked season of fun. But for Steve, it’s just another season of worries. Worries about his sick newborn baby brother who is fighting to survive, worries about his parents who are struggling to cope, even worries about the wasp’s nest looming ominously from the eaves. So when a mysterious wasp queen invades his dreams, offering to “fix” the baby, Steve thinks his prayers have been answered.

“The Liar” Nora Roberts

The book opens with Shelby's abrupt drop into widowhood and the realization that her now dead husband deceived her in almost everything.  Crushed by millions of dollars worth of debt Shelby gets clever. She takes stock of the fancy home with it's ugly expensive furniture and begins to sell it all off. This brings further realizations of her late husbands lying which is a reoccurring theme throughout the book. The guy really was a total douchebag.