Book Report

 

My rating system:
10 – life-changing, an all-time favorite
5 - average for what I read
1 – terrible; why did I finish it?

 

2Brides2Be by Laura Leigh Abby – The author recently got married (to a woman), was on a reality show, and decided to write a “how to” guide for lesbian weddings. This is one of those books that should have stayed a memoir because clearly the author just wanted to share her own experiences and talk about herself and how cool she is (over and over again). There are LGBT wedding guides that are far better than this, if an actual guide is what you want. The only reason I finished this book was because I was on a plane and didn’t have much else to read. Grade: 2

 

Endurance: A Year in Space by Scott Kelly – This was really good! It’s a memoir by the astronaut who spent a year in space. He completely nailed every aspect: the pacing was good, he provided just the right amount of detail on his backstory and his space trips, he kept it suspenseful, and he provided lots of interesting tidbits. The book really made me think that this general topic (the space station, space travel) is something we should know more about. Kelly makes an interesting point: not that long ago, Russian was considered the US’s enemy, but now we can’t get into space without them. It is incredible how well the two countries cooperate in this extremely complex area. (I will refrain from making any comments about Russian interference in elections though…) Also I liked learning more about what it takes to go into space. For example, Kelly’s background is a naval aviator, but astronauts rarely pilot anything. The most important attributes astronauts need are getting along well with others and being able to solve a multitude of problems. Grade: 8

 

A Gift From Darkness by Patience Ibrahim with Andrea Hoffmann – Patience Ibrahim survived Boko Haram, and Western journalist Andrea Hoffmann tells her story. It’s compelling, heartbreaking, and fast-moving. One other sad thing – after reading it, I went to the website that Hoffmann said had been set up to help women like Ibrahim, but it had been taken down. Globalgiving,org has some grantees to help Boko Haram survivors though. Grade: 7

 

The Last Kings of Sark by Rosa Rankin-Gee – A novel taking place during modern times. The protagonist goes to a remote island to work as a tutor for a boy. The interactions between her, the boy, and the family’s young cook lead to some growth and heartache. The novel was atmospheric and well-written but it dragged quite a bit and never really drew me in. Grade: 3

 

What Every Body is Saying by Joe Navarro – This is an excellent guide to reading other people’s body language. I might order a copy to keep for myself so I can refer back to it. It’s full of useful info that a lot of people overlook or are unaware of. Grade: 7

3 Things

 
1. The cat actually plays with a toy I bought her. (A tunnel). That's a first!

2. Had some spare time yesterday so I did some de-cluttering. Given how much I love doing it, it's odd that i don't do it more often. On the other hand, there's not much clutter in the house to begin with

3. At work today we get to go home early since it's annual employee appreciation day!