Jolissa
This memoir was written by Nina during the years before she died from cancer. She writes about fighting the cancer, about losing her mom to cancer during her own fight, and about navigating life as a sick person. While this book was really good, it was hard to read, because it was just very sad. It was hard reading about her decline, knowing that she died before the book came out. Riggs was an artist, and a lot of the chapters in her book are really artistically written. I had to go back a couple of times and reread several of the paragraphs to really understand them and soak them in. Overall it's really deep and very, very good – you just have to be in the right space to read it.
Read more of my reviews at http://www.literaryquicksand.com/
For anyone who has ever grieved the loss of another human or has/is supporting someone going through grief, this book is wonderful read. Heck, you don't need to be grieving or close to a griever to like it, either. It's a really amazing glimpse into what it really feels like to lose someone as close to you as a spouse, and Sandberg provides some truly enlightening insights into the life of someone who is deep in grief.
Read my full review here: http://www.literaryquicksand.com/2017/09/september-mini-reviews-three-nonfiction-greats/
Overall, I found this book insightful and enlightening, and I really enjoyed reading it. My only criticism is that the synopsis could be a bit more clear about how the book reads almost like a reference book with some memoir mixed in. I would have loved this book more if it had been more about Petersen's own life and anxiety battle.
Read my full review at http://www.literaryquicksand.com/2017/08/review-on-edge/
At first, I thought this might be a girly beach read, but found that this novel goes far deeper than that. The story made me have a difficult time putting the book down, and the quality of Jackson's writing had me loving every bit of it. I loved her characters – they were well developed and spot on.
The themes of family and race are really well done. I think Jackson did an amazing job of capturing the spectrum of family relationships that we all have in our lives, and the book made me think about my own relationships.
I recommend The Almost Sisters to anyone who enjoys great fiction that explores family relationships and race, and how those themes shape who we are as sisters, brothers, daughters, sons, husbands, wives – all kinds of family. Even the hidden kinds.
For my full review, visit http://www.literaryquicksand.com/2017/07/review-almost-sisters/
I've read a lot of great books in my lifetime, but it's rare that I read a book that actually changes my life.
This memoir by Amy Silverstein is a must-read for everyone. Whether or not you think you like memoirs, I don't care – put this on your list, right now.
My Glory Was I Had Such Friends is about life, death, love, and friendship. As Amy sits in a hospital bed with a failing donor heart on the other side of the country from her home in New York, nine of her friends sign up for time slots to come and stay with her in California as she waits for a second transplant. Her first transplant was when she was only 26 years old, and now at 50, that donor heart is so diseased, Amy is dying quickly.
For my full review, visit http://www.literaryquicksand.com/2017/07/review-glory-friends/
I'm so sad to say I was disappointed by this one! That's not to say I didn't like the story and enjoy reading it, but for me, it lacked the magic that made the first one into a book about zombies that I could like. There was a little too much military drama in this one for me. You had the typical alpha male military character who will do anything to protect himself and his group, and he has the ego to go along with his high rank. There was a good deal of the story centered around the politics of what was going on in Beacon, his fight against it...meh.
There were a couple of characters that saved this for me, including a teen who's definitely on the Autism spectrum (Asperger's) and the woman scientist who adopted him. They had an interesting relationship, and being in the teen's head were definitely my favorite parts of the book. Yes, there was still interaction with child hungries who aren't just walking dead, but the book wasn't from their perspective and they were portrayed a little more like savages, unlike Melanie from The Girl.
I also had a hard time following what time period it was in relation to The Girl, as I didn't read about that beforehand and assumed it was a sequel (until I started reading it, of course). It spans that entire book plus some, so I was just a little confused.
All-in-all, yes, the book was enjoyable to read and the action definitely held my attention, but for me, this one lacked what made The Girl so unexpectedly good. I gave it 3 stars.
For my full review, visit http://www.literaryquicksand.com/2017/07/book-review-boy-bridge/
This was my second experience with Neil Gaiman. However, my first experience wasn't finished (oops) – my husband and I were listening to Anansi Boys on a car trip, and didn't end up finishing when we got home. It was such an enthralling story, it kept our attention for hours in the car. So, I thought that this book would do more of the same for me.
American Gods, though, was a hard read for me. It's undeniably a fantastic, fantasticAL story, written with amazing attention to detail, beautiful turns of phrase and just overall impeccable creativity. If I was more of a fantasy story lover, I know I would have enjoyed this book. I did enjoy parts of it – I definitely got sucked in several times. It's just so out of my wheelhouse, though, that I had a hard time getting through the whole thing.
In a nutshell, the story is about gods living in America. Yes, we're talking Odin, Loki, and all the rest. However, these “old” gods are in a strange battle with the “new” gods that Americans worship, such as Media, World, and Time. (If you like to read books in an English major sort of way, enjoying the themes, you'll love dissecting this one.) Our main character, Shadow, leaves prison to find he gets sucked into a crazy world of gods and battles and craziness.
It's long. It's really long. I don't think I would cut anything out of it, because it all makes sense for the story, but I just had a hard time making it through. Many of the chapters were super long, too – luckily, there are breaks to stop at, but I don't often stop reading in the middle of a chapter, so I felt compelled to keep going, even when I felt like stopping because my attention was waning.
I also got a little confused about all the characters in this book – there are many of them, and they have some pretty strange names. I had a hard time keeping a lot of them straight. Perhaps it's just because I don't usually read fantasy stories with lots of characters and strange names and such, but I had a difficult time with it. A couple of the names, I didn't bother trying to figure out how to say and just sort of mumbled in my head when I got to them.
All of that said, I would definitely try watching the series that's on Starz. Unfortunately, I don't have cable, so I don't have the means to watch it currently. After reading the book, though, I think the series would be a total trip.
In conclusion, this is a dark fantasy story that, for me, would be best listened to or watched, because it was hard for me to keep my attention on the book. If you're a fantasy fan, though, have at it – I'm sure you'll love it.
Read my full review at http://www.literaryquicksand.com/2017/05/review-american-gods-neil-gaiman-coloring-book/
I've read reviews by those who thought that Cheryl Strayed was just a silly young woman who decided to hike the PCT with no experience and received special treatment on the trail because she was a young woman, hiking alone.
To all of those people, I have to respectfully disagree. If that's what you think about this book, I think maybe you haven't been through something as profoundly life-changing as suddenly losing someone in your life who's extremely important to your own identity.
I identified with Cheryl so completely - it felt like she was saying exactly what I feel. I lost my mom suddenly and unexpectedly in 2014, when I was 27 years old and she was only 54. Then, in January of this year, I lost my unborn son, Jonah, to a heart condition. He was stillborn.
Finding yourself and re-learning who you are after something so life-altering is a huge, difficult experience. You know you've changed...you're hardened by life's hardships. You know this, but you don't know HOW you've changed. It's like going through adolescence all over again, awkwardly figuring out who you are, what you want from life, what's important to you, and what you believe.
Wild is an amazing and truthful account of struggling with that finding of yourself, and of going on a journey to do so. My heart, broken and changed by my losses, felt a kinship with Cheryl as she navigated the trail, her thoughts, and her (new) life.
I recommend this book for anyone who's experienced a momentous change in your life - one that makes you feel like you're no longer you. I don't often give books 5 stars, but this one, I had to. I'm in love with Cheryl Strayed, now, and I can't wait to read more of her books.
I've been devouring memoirs lately, and I'm really glad that My Lovely Wife in the Psych Ward was one of them.
It's pretty easy to figure out what this one's about from the title, but on the inside, this is not a straightforward and ordinary book. Yes, the author's wife goes to the psych ward, but the entire story of how she gets there and their life before, during and after is unique and ridiculously compelling. I had a hard time putting this down!
My Lovely Wife in the Psych Ward is a really unique glimpse into family life with mental illness. Mike Lukach and his wife, Giulia, have a seemingly fairy tale life. They meet, they fall in love, they love intensely. Then, suddenly, Giulia experiences an onset of mental illness, despite not really having symptoms before. It's all very difficult to bear, and the strain it puts on their relationship and their lives is huge. Like I said before, I couldn't put this one down – I just had to keep reading to find out more about their story.
Lukach provides such an intimate look at living with mental illness. It was an eye-opening read, and I'm so glad I picked it up. If you enjoy memoirs or just want to read a real-life story of living with mental illness, I recommend this one.
For my full review, visit http://www.literaryquicksand.com/2017/06/review-lovely-wife-psych-ward/
Oh my goodness, how I loved this book! I hope Dane Huckelbridge writes more fiction, because I will definitely read it.
Castle of Water is the story of castaways on a desert island. Sound cliche? In this novel, it's not at all! It's dramatic, it's funny, it's romantic, it's everything you'd want it to be. I'm particularly picky about the writing I enjoy, and I fell in love with Huckelbridge's prose. It's engaging and colorful and unlike most other fiction prose out there.
I'll try to review the story without giving too much away. In the beginning, a plane goes down over the ocean. A seemingly uninteresting banker and a young newlywed woman are the survivors, and they form the most unlikely of bonds. Think Gilligan's Island with the shtick, plus Castaway with the drama, plus the romance of Atonement. And if you need more proof that I enjoyed this book, here it is: I read it in a weekend. I don't usually get around to reading often enough to finish a book in a weekend, but this one I just didn't want to stop reading.
I feel like if I say any more about the book, I'm going to give away what happens, and I don't want that. I want you to go and pick it up and read it, because it's lovely and sad and dramatic and beautiful. This is a super short review, but you know what? Oh well. Just put this one on your TBR now please 🙂
4.5 stars.
For more reviews, visit http://www.literaryquicksand.com/
If you've ever felt like you're unable to decide on “what you want to be when you grow up”, no matter your age, this book is for you! I don't read a lot of self-help books, but I enjoyed and was inspired by this one.
Recently, I've been having a lot of ideas about which direction my career could go. I enjoy the company I work for currently and I enjoy what I do (web marketing), but I have other interests and passions too that I would love to indulge. Of course I love books, I want to be an author, and I also would like to work on a project (a website maybe?) for other moms, like me, who've experienced the loss of a pregnancy or baby.
So, I've been....well, kind of all over the place. There are too many things I want to do, and too little time to do them all. I picked this book off the TLC Book Tours list because it sounded like just what I needed to help sort out all my interests/passions and my career.
How to Be Everything is a guide for “multipotentialites”, or people who have potential across a number of careers and interests and aren't easily satisfied by one specialty career. Author Emilie Wapnick not only provides ideas and solutions for how to harness your multipotentialite-ism, but also profiles several individuals who make their varied (and often very different) interests and passions work for them.
Wapnick proposes four general types of solutions for multipotentialites. I was really inspired by her “group hug” approach, which means that all of my interests and passions can sort of fit together in a career and side projects that all make sense together, in a group.
I loved how each portion of this book had an easy “key points” wrap-up at the end, and there were activities for you to do throughout to figure out how to make your multipotentiality work for you.
Overall, I loved this book and it was really useful for me to read! I definitely plan to put some of Wapnick's ideas into action to create a satisfying and fulfilling career and life. 4.5 stars!
See this and more reviews at http://www.literaryquicksand.com/
Kassi's writing is frank, it's funny, it's straightforward but moving – she has a wonderful voice for a memoir. I loved reading her story, I loved taking a deep dive into her most private of thoughts. I love her tenacity, her eagerness to fix the isolation she felt for other women going through abortion trauma, and her bravery for trying all methods of healing in a spiritual journey. What she learned isn't only relatable to abortion, but to any sort of grief, including my own with the loss of my son.
I don't often give books the full 5 stars, but I don't think I can hold back this time. I loved this book ❤️ 5 full stars, and a huge recommendation from me! Put this on your TBR list right now!
For my full review, visit http://www.literaryquicksand.com/2017/04/book-tour-review-may-cause-love/
The book is both hilarious and moving, and you'll find yourself moving from laughing to crying within a couple of chapters. If that sounds too intense for you, it's not at all...it gives you all the feels, in all the good ways.
Nora is a compassionate human with (too much) experience in the complicated art of grieving, and her book encompasses so many things about life and grief and love, and being imperfect, and being human. She does all of this while throwing in casual jokes that will make you lol.
Please, pick up this book. It will be the best nonfiction you read all year <3
For my full review, visit http://www.literaryquicksand.com/2017/07/review-okay-laugh-crying-cool/
I was SO excited for this one! I fell in love with Christina Baker Kline when I read Orphan Train last year. I reviewed it just recently, ahead of reading her new novel, A Piece of the World.
Before I say anything else, I have to tell you that this is a wonderful novel! If you read and liked Orphan Train or if you enjoy stories of rural American life before running water and electricity, definitely pick this one up.
A Piece of the World was inspired by a piece of art – Andrew Wyeth's Christina's World.
For the full review, visit http://www.literaryquicksand.com/2017/03/review-piece-world/.
I honestly don't think I would have finished this book if it hadn't been for book club. The premise was interesting at first – a 20-something woman picks up a hit novel, only to discover it's about her and her life, written by her childhood friend and first love. It was interesting, until it turned into a totally cliche romance. The “chance” meetings were much too perfect, the dialogue was cheesy, and the characters were annoying. My favorite characters were actually the lesbian aunt and her partner, and they had a regrettably small part in the book! I'm giving this on 2 stars. It would be one if it wasn't for the interesting premise.
Find my full review at http://www.literaryquicksand.com/2017/04/mini-reviews/
An Exact Replica of a Figment of My Imagination by Elizabeth McCracken is a beautiful memoir about loss, grief, and hope. It's the story of her first pregnancy that ended in tragedy when her little boy was born still. Her pregnancy and birth story all happen in France, as that's where she and her husband were living at the time, working on writing their books.
Yes, this part of the story is heartbreaking, but she also writes about hope. She and her husband still wanted to have a child after their loss, so she writes about the (guarded) hope they felt for their second child, and about how terrified she was during that pregnancy. Her second child is born healthy, and brings them so much joy.
The story jumps between past and present, which I really liked – it's like she's sitting in the room with you, telling her story. Her writing is clear and matter-of-fact, which I also appreciated. No bells and whistles needed when telling a story like this one...I loved how frank she is.
Above all, though, what really matters here is that she shared this story with the world. Her story of stillbirth, grief, hope and love is exactly what I needed to read after the loss of my son, Jonah. Going through stillbirth is one of those things that you just can't fathom until it happens to you, and I sincerely hope it never does! It's stories like McCracken's that help us who've experienced this understand that we're not alone: not even close.
I recommend this book for anyone who's going through the loss of a baby, or even the loss of a close loved one. Or, heck, if you just want to read an emotional memoir, pick this up. It's a quick read, but it's one that will stick with you for a long time.
For my full review, visit http://www.literaryquicksand.com/2017/02/review-exact-replica-figment-imagination/
This was a wonderful read!! If you're a fan of coming-of-age stories, I definitely suggest picking this one up. It's a family drama story, with a pre-teen girl narrator. I found the relationships between the characters ridiculously well done, and so real. I could feel the protaganist's teenage angst and rebellion and recognized it as pieces of my own pre-teen struggles. She's mortified several times throughout the story, and I really felt for her, and knew that feeling exactly. This story was really engaging and made it hard to put the book down. I hope Carol Rifka Brunt is working on another novel! 4.5 stars.
For my full review, visit http://www.literaryquicksand.com/2017/04/mini-reviews/
It seems like everything Margaret Atwood touches turns to gold, doesn't it?
She nails this retelling of Shakespeare's The Tempest for the Hogarth Shakespeare Project. The way she interweaves her own story with the play is just genius. Her main character is just as colorful and dramatic as any Shakespeare character, and I loved him for his crazed creative genius.
Seriously, if you have any smidgen of enjoyment for Shakespeare, pick this one up. You'll love it.
Find my full review here: http://www.literaryquicksand.com/2017/04/mini-reviews/
Let me preface this review by saying this: I am not exactly a science fiction girl. That doesn't mean I dislike it – it's just not something I read on a regular basis. So, when I saw this book in the lineup for Book of the Month a couple months ago, I thought “hey, maybe I should try something totally different!” The book sat on my shelf for a couple months while I made it through some book club reads and some others on my TBR. When I was looking for that always difficult-to-choose “what to read next,” I saw this and was overjoyed that I had something totally off my beaten path waiting for me. I was in the mood for something different, so I snatched it up and began reading.
The story begins with the finding of a mysterious, large metal hand in a hole, surrounded by panels with markings on them. These metal pieces have a mysterious bluish glow coming off of them. They're found by a young girl in the woods when she falls into the hole. Cue the excitement for all the crazy alien mystery coming up in this book, right?
I don't want to delve too much further into the plot, because heck, you might want to read it! For me, though, there was just way too much politics and not enough aliens. After getting super excited about this sci-fi novel, it just...wasn't sci-fi enough! The interview style writing was interesting, but I thought it didn't allow for the greatest storytelling. I just spent the whole time wanting something more to happen. Yes, there was drama. Yes, there were some small pieces of alien-type story pieces. A lot of it, though, was how the human world was dealing politically with this crazy alien robot weapon that could probably take out a whole country on its own.
Read my full review here: http://www.literaryquicksand.com/2016/12/review-sleeping-giants/
“Throughout her life, Elizabeth Lesser has sought understanding about what it means to be true to oneself and, at the same time, truly connected to the ones we love. But when her sister, Maggie, needs a bone marrow transplant to save her life, and Lesser learns that she is the perfect match, she faces a far more immediate and complex question about what it really means to love – honestly, generously, and authentically.”
When I dove into Marrow, despite that intriguing and descriptive paragraph, I wasn't sure what to expect. At first, to be totally honest, I really wasn't sure I was going to like this at all. You see, I tend to be the sort of person who just...sees things the way they are. You're not going to see me meditating in order to find myself. To find peace? Sure, that's a possibility. Calm and peace are two things that tend to elude me, and yoga and relaxation techniques have helped me reduce some of my anxiety in the past. When Lesser starts diving into things like the real and true finding of your own soul, I started wondering what I had gotten myself into.
However, I decided to give it a try and keep going. The chapters where Lesser is describing her childhood and introducing the reader to her family, I loved. I enjoyed her writing style, and the story held my attention. When she interjects with a chapter or several that dive into the soul finding, I do think that what she says is thought-provoking and often beautiful. I definitely became enthralled in a couple of those instances, and began applying what she was saying to my own life, and my own self...my own soul.
Read my entire review here: http://www.literaryquicksand.com/2016/09/review-marrow-elizabeth-lesser/
Definitely entertaining - read this in a day and a morning! Although, after reading Big Little Lies, I have to admit I liked that one better. What Alice Forgot pulled at all the right heartstrings for me - it really hits the theme of relationships changing with time head on. I wish Goodreads allowed half stars, because this one was more like a 3.5. I just couldn't help but compare it to Big Little Lies, which I found even more entertaining and so fraught with complex relationships. That's why I have to give this one 3.5. If you liked What Alice Forgot, definitely add Big Little Lies to your TBR!
I was so intrigued by this little book when I got it in the mail! It's not often that a book comes in such a pint-sized binding. I loved the cover and was excited to dive in.
At first, I really wasn't sure how I felt about this one. It started light and fun, then took an interesting turn that I wasn't quite sure was my cup of tea. As I read on, though, I really started to change my tune.
The story begins with an ordinary man living an ordinary life. He makes a very modest income working at a movie rental store with all the classics. He's not married, he doesn't have a girlfriend, his small apartment is just comfortable without any bells and whistles, he has one friend...but seemingly in spite of such a quiet and mostly solitary sort of life, this man is content and, well, happy.
One day, he gets a ridiculous invoice (bill) from some sort of vague bureaucratic organization. The amount he owes is astronomical, and he has no idea how he could possibly owe that much, or what it could be for. The story that follows is sometimes funny, sometimes sad, often perplexing, insightful, and chock full of human nature.
I loved some of the conversations that happened between the main character and the woman he ends up chatting with at the company to which he owes a ridiculous amount of money. She finally ends up telling him what it is he owes for: a lifetime of happiness. If you've had a good life, you've got to pay for it. As it turns out, our guy's average life adds up to a great one. Perhaps even the greatest life lived so far?
The Invoice was a fun, quick read. It was smart and insightful, and I'll give it a solid 3.5 stars.
Read more of my reviews at http://www.literaryquicksand.com/