Book Reading Boy Mama

  Don't Be Afraid to Drop is the story of Hopp, a little raindrop, and his mission to share his gifts on Earth.  At first, he is afraid, but after encouragement from his father, he drops and achieves his mission.   This is a short read - perfect for a bedtime story, or a discussion book with a child from preschool age up. It also made me think about my older teen son getting ready to go out into the world on his own.     The illustrations are engaging and the book rhymes, which is often difficult for an author to do. I didn't get too tongue twisted, so that was good.     My four-year-old paid attention throughout the book and got the main point of the book "don't be afraid."   We rate this book a solid 3 stars. We were provided a free copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.    

This book was chosen by a friend for a local book club meeting.  I downloaded the free sample from Amazon, but since I am blessed to know the author, excitedly, I picked up my signed copy along with a bottle of my favorite wine (Ladies Best Friend) and settled in for a good read.  One thing I really enjoyed about the book was its readability.  The language was simple and flowed easily. There are some decent sex scenes, and a little bit of language (part of the book was set at college, after all), but I don't think it is crude.     At its core, the story is about Kacey and Wes.  Once best friends, turned lovers, and how their relationship evolves over an extended period of time. This book had several references to the late 90s and made me feel like I was reliving my early college days at times.  Kohl did a nice job developing the characters, and I felt like these could have easily been my friends.   While I don't want to give away too muc...

While scrolling through NetGalley, I chose this book on cover alone. I received my free copy in exchange for an honest review.   When I chose the book, I figured it would be about a crazy cat lady.  Picture an older, grouchy American version of Bridget Jones (of Bridget Jones' Diary), who goes on drunken email tirades, crossed with You've Got Mail.   The protagonist is Fawn, a spinster bookstore owner with a drinking habit who alienates herself from others (there is a long backstory and I don't want to give too many details). Just know the book chronicles the ins and outs of her daily life and her strained relationships with many people (family members, employees, fellow businessowners, etc.) Her character comes off as a real curmudgeon. There are several supporting characters in the book. The author did do a good job with character development.  All of the supporting characters tie back to Fawn.  There are many different forms of writing in the b...

**THERE ARE SPOILERS IN THIS REVIEW**  If you do not want to read spoilers, turn back now!**  Before you dive into this review, you must know I am an Elizabeth Gilbert fan.  I really adored The Signature of All Things, and I even liked Eat, Pray, Love (I know a lot of people didn't). That said, I had read some mediocre reviews of this book, and didn't know what to expect; it turns out, I enjoyed it VERY MUCH!   Full disclosure: I started with the ebook and switched back and forth between it and the audiobook.  The audiobook was FANTASTIC! I think it helped make the book.  Blair Brown (the actress who played OITNB's Judy King) was the reader. She helped the story spring to life and brought an element of comedy I'm unsure it would have had if I'd read the book on my own.   There were so many themes - relationships including friendships, family dynamics, and sexuality (including promiscuity &  homosexuality), as well as love, loss, life...

As a fan of many of Gabrielle Union's films, I was thrilled to see 'We're Going to Need More Wine' in the available audiobook section of Libby. The title was definitely catchy. I mean, who doesn't want to listen to a celebrity dish while drinking wine?! I prefer listening to memoirs on audiobooks, especially when they're read by the author. I think they are more authentic than books read by voice actors. I think it would have been nice if the subtitle "Stories that are Funny, Complicated and True" was included on the audiobook. The first thing the reader needs to know is this is not a comprehensive memoir, but instead a collection of essays. My husband joked "is she even old enough to have a memoir?!" "Nickie" as she is called by her family and friends grows up in affluent suburbia but spends her summers in Omaha. A lot of the book centers around her time in high school. We learn about her friendships, relationships, puberty, promis...

**SPOILER ALERT: This review CONTAINS spoilers**  Unfollow is an emotionally charged memoir written by Megan Phelps-Roper, a former member and part of the founding family of the Westboro Baptist Church (which I personally wouldn't refer to as a church, but more of an extreme religious hate-group). When I finished this book, I had to sit with it and let it settle so I could write a thoughtful review. The book chronicles how Megan's grandfather founded the church, and she and her family were taught extremism from an early age. She details beatings, extremely twisted religious programming, her realization that she did not agree with the church's doctrine, and ultimately her departure, which resulted in her ex-communication from her family and the church. She embarked on a journey of discovery with her younger sister, ultimately found love. The story was easy to read, yet it seems unfinished. Perhaps this is because the author is still fairly young and needs to develop more of ...