Tag: books

Let’s Talk Bookish: Are Big TBRs a Result of Abibliophobia?

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Wow. Me writing something other than reviews and Thankful Thursday posts? Yeah, I know. Weird. But I think it’s time to venture out of my comfort zone, and it’s fun to connect with people about books, even if I’m no good at it overall. And the sorts of discussions with the Let’s Talk Bookish meme, hosted by Rukky @ Eternity Books and Dani @ Literary Lion, look right up my alley.

This week’s topic of is abibliophobia, which I’d admittedly never heard of until this past week, and big TBRs, which…. I think “big” may be an understatement in my case.

Sometimes my whole office feels like a giant TBR pile.

Do I, possibly, have abibliophobia? No, not really. Phobias are something I think of as pretty intense, and I’ve never had that sort of reaction to the possibility of not having a book or magazine or newspaper, etc. Not even in a milder form.

I think my overlarge TBR is a result of semi-pragmatic impulsive overstocking.

Sorry, that was a mouthful.

I don’t fear having nothing to read, especially since the advent of the internet, but being a bookworm who only got a new book every now and then as a kid and didn’t get access to the public library until middle school probably had some effect. I remember a lot of days staring at my bookshelf, trying to figure out what to reread.

Though the connected emotion is really more akin to annoyance than anything else, because part of my problem is pickiness. I can’t pretend I didn’t have access to books. It wasn’t strange in my family to see a carefully chosen selection floating down the checkout counter at Walmart, though their selection was thin, and I was lucky enough to have a bookworm cousin who gave me plenty of hand-me-downs, though aside from the babysitter club books, a fairly large portion of those were very much of the ABC Afterschool Special variety, and I was more interested in mysteries and ghosts and dark-fantasy and the occasional controversial-subject-chosen-specifically-to-scandalize-my-Christian-school-teachers.

That hasn’t changed much over the years, though my tastes have broadened a little at least.

Still, while my local libraries are nice to have, the ones in rural Appalachia aren’t known for extensive collections, and interlibrary loans only get you so far sometimes. If I find a book that sparks my interest while I’m in a thrift store, I’m probably going to pick it up, because I have no idea if I’ll see it again any time soon. So I get a book here and a small stack of books there, and I don’t really think about it until one day I turn around and I have a full five-shelf-bookshelf worth of books I’ve never cracked open.

So, no. Not a phobia. Just, at times, specific tastes.

Whatever the case, at least I have lots to choose from now.

TBR – February 2021

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So, new month, new stack of books pulled out of my overflowing shelves. Well, half-way new. About half of them are holdovers from last month, because I didn’t get through a lot in terms of actual books.

Now do I have any intention of reading this whole stack? Good grief no. But it’s nice to narrow down my choices all in one go, rather than staring at my shelves intermittently throughout the month. Makes the choice paralysis a lot less of a thing. And if I end up just not feeling one of these it’s easier to put it aside if I have something else on hand to pick up.

Now, on to the stack.

The Fellowship of the Ring – J. R. R. Tolkien/
I’m slowly making my way through this sucker. I got a little over a hundred pages in last month, so we’ll see how far I get this time around.

Clues in the Shadows: A Molly Mystery – Kathleen Ernst
I’m admittedly a bit of an AG fangirl. I’ve read most of the original stories (minus the newer characters and the GOTY characters) but I only have a few of the mysteries, so when I see one out in the wild I tend to pick them up. I’ve had this one sitting around for a bit, but evidently I have WWII on the brain at the moment. A quick read that should work pretty good as a breather in between other books.

It Can’t Happen Here – Sinclair Lewis
I’ve tried reading this one before, but the language was kind of stilted and I just wasn’t feeling it. Figured with everything going on in the world it might be a good time to pick it up again.

Guts – Raina Telgemeier
Telgemeier is one of my favorite authors when it comes to middle grade graphic novels, so I was thrilled when I ran across another one of her books at my local thrift store.

A Darker Shade of Magic – V. E. Schwab
So, I’ve heard of this one, but I’m really walking in blind. All I know, really, is that it’s fantasy and it’s the beginning of a trilogy.

Look Who’s Back – Timur Vernes
Finishing this one up from last month. Well, technically I’ve already finished it as of last night, but I’m still trying to figure out how I feel about it…

The Case for God – Karen Armstrong
I’ve been trying to read this book for a few months now, though that doesn’t surprise me. I’m always rather slow with informational texts and I got bogged down in the early Christian theology. Gonna try to chisel away at it this month.

January 2021 Wrap-up

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Well, my reading ambitions this month kind of fell flat. Between spreading my reading out in a few different places, and the tiredness that seemed to dog me all month, I just didn’t find myself picking up books as often. I did plenty of reading, between fic and prepping for classes, but not as much from this month’s TBR stack.

Crank – Ellen Hopkins
I don’t normally lean towards gritty stuff. There’s nothing wrong with it; it’s just not my thing, personally. I’m more of an escapist literature sort of person. As usual, however, a novel written in poetry form drew my attention. What can I say, I have a weakness for story-written-in-verse. It still wasn’t as much my thing, but it was a pretty solid read and I enjoyed Hopkins’ use of free verse and concrete poems.

Full Review

The Fool’s Girl – Celia Rees
Eh… another one that wasn’t as much my thing, but for a different reason. I had a discussion with my husband the other day about sequels that do horrible things to the original story, and that’s essentially what this book did to Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night. It had flaws, but it wasn’t bad. I just don’t care much for those sort of retellings. It did end up making me search out Twelfth Night for a refresher, so there’s that at least.

Full Review

Critical Role Vox Machina Origins Vol 1
So this was my third or fourth re-read of this volume, probably. It actually surprised me how long it took me to pick it up again, considering I’ve been hanging on to volume 2 since Christmas. I suppose there’s only so much time my brain can devote to the world of Exandria at a time, even if this is Vox Machina and not The Mighty Nein. Plus, I always find the first volume of anything to be a little slower to get through for some reason.

Full Review

Critical Role Vox Machina Origins Vol 2
This was a much easier read, I found, than volume one. I think it’s because the character relationships have kind of developed since the first volume. It was nice to see Vox Machina actually together, solidly, as a group, rather than going through the introductions (with the exception of Percy, who I had completely forgotten was in this volume and thus burst out with a surprised squeak/shriek at seeing his gun). I’m already thinking about pulling it back out for a reread, if that says anything.

Still reading…
I kind of spread my reading attention out a little bit through the month, so I’m partially in to about three different books right now. I’ve made it through a bit over a hundred pages of The Fellowship of the Ring, and it’s… going slow. Tolkien, I’ve found, is not an author I can read in heavy doses.

I’ve gotten half-way through Look Who’s Back and… there’s a lot that my brain’s trying to unpack with that one. Had to set it aside this weekend and tell myself I’d get back to it in a few days.

And lastly, I Haven’t made much progress in The Case For God – been spending a bit much time on non-fiction stuff for work to be able to indulge myself in reading-for-pleasure comparative religion. Hopefully, next month will be better for that.

What I’m reading in January 2021

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So, it’s probably a little late for a TBR post. Honestly, I thought it was late when I’d initially decided to post it, back on the 6th. It was just sitting there in my drafts, ready to publish and… well, you may be able to guess why the post slipped my mind. Be that as it may, here’s the books I picked out as maybes for this month.

Lord of the Rings Part one – The Fellowship of the Ring – J. R. R. Tolkien
So, I’ve read the Hobbit. I’ve watched the Peter Jackson films and the Rankin/Bass films. I’ve never, however, actually read the Lord of the Rings trilogy and it’s about time I fix that. 

Crank- Ellen Hopkins
I have a small collection of this author’s work, thanks to a local thrift store, but this will be the first I’ll get to if it gets pulled out of the pile this month. It deals with some pretty heavy subject matter, but I love stories told through poetry, which is this author’s thing. 

The Fool’s Girl by Celia Rees
So I had intended on picking this one up last month, but it got pushed off a bit. So far I’m really liking the writing style. It veers between first and third person narration, which I don’t see very often.

Looks Who’s Back-  Timur Vermes
A few years ago I saw the film adaption of this book and found it… well, a story about Hitler, without explanation, winding up in present-day Germany? I like weird stuff like that sometimes, especially when it’s trying to make a point rather than being absurd simply to be absurd.

Honestly starting to rethink this one at this point…

The Case for God – Karen Armstrong
Afraid I didn’t make it very far in the book in December. Got a bit bogged down by the early Christian theologians and the creation of the trinity. Hitting slow spots is pretty normal for me in regards to nonfiction works though. I’ve found I just have to read a bit of them at a time. We’ll see how it goes in January.

Critical Role Vox Machina origins Vol 1
So I’ve already read this one once, but I received Vol 2 for Christmas which means it’s time for a reread!

Critical Role Vox Machina origins Vol 2
I love Critical Role. Seriously, it was my main obsession for over half a year at one point- the second campaign at least. If you’re familiar with it you’ll know how much of a time-sink the show is, so campaign one… well, I’m slowly getting there. Very slowly, so I’m looking forward to getting a more manageable chunk of Vox Machina this month.

December 2020 TBR

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So, I’m gonna preface this with the saying I have no intention of reading all of these books this month- I know by now that my interest in any one topic or book waxes and wanes sometimes by the hour, so it’s best to have an assortment brought out to choose from. So, here’s my TBR tower, heavily weighted towards Christmas stories. You’ll see, as the month goes along, which I’m actually pulling out (and not discarding after a few pages).

Skipping Christmas – John Grisham
I’ve seen the movie- not one my favorites, but I’m not gonna turn my nose up at it if someone else wants to watch it, or if my holiday faves aren’t available. I’ve always been curious as to how the book compares, so I didn’t hesitate to pick up this one from the thrift store when I saw it a couple of weeks ago.

The Twelve Dogs of Christmas – David Rosenfelt
So, normally I’m not the sort to pick up random mysteries from the middle of a series, but hey, I figured why not. It’s a Christmas book and it’s got dogs, which, I can guess from the cover and the general premise of the series (a dog-loving defense attorney) aren’t going to end up horribly killed.

Hogfather – Terry Pratchett
I’ve felt my mind gradually shifting back towards the Discword series recently (obsessing over a story partially penned by Sir Terry will do that I guess), and Hogfather seems the perfect re-entrance point. Unfortunately, this is one of the less likely for this month, since (as of today) finding the book isn’t going all that well. Oh well, crossing my fingers.

Plus-Any number of horoughly re-read children’s books that I’ve pulled out every single year since I got them, not limited to:

Mallory’s Christmas List – Ann M. Martin–
What can I say, I’m a sucker for the Babysitter’s Club, especially this one about a holiday gone excessive.

Kirsten’s Surprise – Janet Beeler Shaw
Really, any of the American Girl holiday books, but this was the first AG book I ever read and it’s still my favorite of the whole lot. Unfortunately, it’s another one that’s lost somewhere in the library, so we’ll see how that goes.

Zappy Holidays – Diana G. Gallagher
What can I say, I’m a product of the 90s and Alex Mack was one of my fave tv shows ever. I haven’t watched it in years, but every year I have to pull out this book. It’s my holiday tradition.

Now for some non-holiday possibilities, because you know there can be too much of a good thing.

The Case for God – Karen Armstrong
What can I say, Good Omens has sparked my comparative religions curiosity again. I love Karen Armstrong, and I hadn’t picked this one up yet- well, before a couple of weeks ago. This is one of my in progress books. I tend towards reading slowly through non-fiction texts. We’ll see how far I get this month.

The Fool’s Girl – Celia Rees
Not so sure about this one, but I’ve got a decent YA/middle grade backlog, and it dips a bit into Shakespeare, so I figured I’d give it a shot.

Book Review | Norse Mythology by Neil Gaiman

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Title: Norse Mythology
Author: Neil Gaiman
Publication Date: 2017
Length: 299 pages
Genre: mythology, religion, fantasy, short stories, retellings
TW: (I’m not sure this is complete- my bad for not putting this together until finishing the book) sexism, violence, death, blood, cannibalism? (blood used to make mead), loss of limb, end of the world 

Okay, to be honest, until about ten years ago, mythology never held much interest for me. I mean, the stories were fine, but I could never get past the typically dry writing style and the lack of dialogue (or lack of interesting dialogue at least). Plus, while there was, seemingly, a glut of info about the Greek and Roman gods, finding the tales from other cultures wasn’t so easy.

Gaiman’s Norse Mythology, essentially a short story collection spanning the Norse story of creation to Ragnarok (the end of the world…ish), is for me, a remedy to all of those issues. 

The writing here lacks the dryness I’ve encountered with many mythology collections. The writing style isn’t quite as colorful as Gaiman’s usual work, but he still describes the world of the Norse gods well, while in a conversational style. Those unfamiliar with Norse mythology won’t have any issue with accessing the stories, as the pieces are all set up and easily connected. Here, the stories themselves take center stage, as if they were being told around a fire at night. 

Additionally, the characters come alive on the page, largely due to the dialogue. Once again, Gaiman utilizes a more everyday tone, rather than the overly high-spoken or didactic lines that I’ve seen used when the writer’s trying to make the characters seem impressive. In doing so, the gods seem a bit more relatable, though the events are still at times bizarre, in the best way. 

That’s not to say that the book doesn’t have some issues of its own to deal with. I found the writing style to be almost too simplistic, Gaiman tending towards sentence saw structure that seems more fitting for a middle grade book, rather than one geared towards adults. I would have liked a bit more complexity. I also wished he had stretched himself a bit further concerning characterization. I must admit that at least one character (later in the book, at least) is a little short on motivation. I would have liked, if they’re going to bring about the ruin of everything, to  have a reason for it at least, instead of essentially getting stuck with a ‘because they’re evil’ sticker. 

Overall, I found the book enjoyable and a good introduction to Norse mythology, but had expected more from the author, given their other works.

Book Review | The Adventure Zone- Murder on the Rockport Limited! by McElroy and Pietsch

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Title: The Adventure Zone- Muder on the Rockport LImited!
Author: Clint McElroy, Griffin McElroy, Justin McElroy, Travis McElroy, Carey Pietsch
Illustrator: Carey Pietsch
Publication Date: 2019
Length: 240 pages
Genre: Fantasy, humor, Graphic novel, mystery, adventure
TW: violence, death, murder, decapitation, dismemberment, corpse, blood, serious injury, near death experience, weapons, does killing a monster count as animal death?, minor in peril (kinda), alcohol

Okay, so normally I don’t hop straight into the second book of a series (despite my best friend’s insistence this is a good practice) but since I’ve listened to the whole of the TAZ balance arc at this point, I figured it would be fine. 

For those of you not so familiar with The Adventure Zone, here’s a quick run-down. The Adventure Zone (from which this book is adapted) is a real play D & D podcast created by the McElroy brothers and their dad. The campaign this story is based upon follows the (mid)adventures of the dwarf cleric (kinda) Merle Highchurch, Human fighter Magnus Burnsides, and Elf Wizard Taako as they join a mysterious organization called the Bureau of Balance and are sent around to collect ultra-powerful magical artifacts. This particular arc takes place on a train, as they try to solve a mystery, collect the artifact they’ve been sent after, and keep the people in charge from finding out none of them are named Leeman Kessler. 

I was hopeful, going into this book. After all, the story had become a favorite of mine this summer. I binged the second half of the Balance arc within the span of a few weeks. However, I know things can go awry during the adaptation process. I’ve been burned before. 

Thankfully, the book didn’t let me down. It kept the humor of the original, while managing to add in some of the elements relevant to the overarching plot. Heck, it even kept in the occasional commentary from Griffin, the DM, which was unexpected, in that you don’t normally have the ‘voice of god’ popping into the narrative. There’s certainly a breaking of the fourth wall here, in a fun way. 

I’ll be honest that ‘The Murder on the Rockport Limited’ was never my favorite arc of The Adventure Zone while listening to the podcast. It certainly had its good moments, but it didn’t really catch my interest as well as some of the other parts of the story, like the Crystal Kingdom and Eleventh Hour, but I genuinely got sucked in this time around.  The story is tighter in graphic novel form, and it overall definitely improved the story, allowing all the gems to show through- it’s actually a pretty good mystery, and who wouldn’t love the boy detective Angus McDonald.

One of the things I have to complement the book on the most, I think, though, is the art. It’s perfectly complementary to the story, the drawings lively and animated (not literally of course) enough to match the characters and the comedy, without feeling overly goofy.

There were times, however, that the pacing felt a little off, the shifts between scenes or panels a little abrupt. Those times were few, thankfully, but when the hit I found myself flipping back through to see if I’d missed a page somehow. 

All in all, I’ll definitely be getting the first and third volume of the series, and waiting anxiously for the rest of the story to be published. 

Book Review | Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of Nimh by

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Title: Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of Nimh
Author: Robert C. O’Brien
Publication Date: 1971
Length: 249 pages
Genres: Animal story, science-fiction, children’s literature, fantasy
Awards: John Newbery Medal 1972
TW: Animal experimentation, captivity, serious illness- child, death, poisoning

So, I’m kind of dating myself here, but I remember a time before the Disney Renaissance. Not well, I mean I’m not that old, however that means that when I think of great animated films at the forefront of my mind, alongside Disney and Pixar and Dreamworks and Miyazaki, is Don Bluth.

Many of his creations stood out in the animated landscape of the 1980s and 1990s, but none possibly like The Secret of Nimh.

This, of course, isn’t a review of that film. The book predated it by about eleven years. It’s just that, considering the popularity of the movie, I find it strange and a little sad, that the book isn’t more well-known. Even being a bookwork, I wasn’t actually aware of the fact that the movie was based on a Newberry winner until I ran into this copy at a local thrift store. Now, this could be partially down to my childhood distaste for Newberry books (that’s a post for another day), however even in those times that I found myself perusing the Newberry devoted shelves at the bookstore I don’t recall seeing the book, and I think that’s something I would have noticed.

For those who aren’t aware, those who’ve never had the pleasure of being exposed to either the book or the movie, Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of Nimh is the story of a mother mouse who’s confronted with the threat of losing her home, and possibly child, to the farmer’s plow come spring. Her only hope comes in the form of her connections to a mysterious society of rats whose abilities set them apart from the rest of the animal world.

It’s an unusual story in many ways, and not without its flaws. The good definitely, in my opinion, outweighs the bad however. The story itself is interesting – definitely unusual in some ways, as one doesn’t often get the mixture of animal story and science fiction. The premise of an advanced society of rats was fun, and the odd bits and pieces of (child-friendly) philosophy was a surprising addition.

One of the best things about the story is the flow, I think. It’s very well paced, and put together, with the various elements of the story all syncing up nicely. There were only a few places, I felt, where the story dragged, and even fewer where it felt rushed. In addition, the story lacks the sort of moralizing that sometimes plagues children’s books, the outside voice-of-god narrator that stands over the reader to give commentary. There are effectively two narrative voices within the book, one first person and one third person limited, and both work well, neither drawing our attention out of the story.

There are, of course some issues. At times, the dialogue can feel a little stilted, with an over use of ‘oh, so-and-so’ phrases- the sort that I’ve found at times in older children’s literature. This seemed to have improved a ways into the book, but I’m not certain if that’s because it smoothed out that much, or because I just get used to the speech patterns. Either way, it wasn’t something that felt a hinderance to the story overall, though it was a little annoying when I was trying to read it out-loud.

Additionally, I will admit that the story, eventually, starts to lean a bit much on the story of the rats of Nimh. Their story ends up being around seventy pages out of two hundred and forty nine all said, and while it’s interesting enough- and Nicodemus works as a good narrator for this section- it did start to feel a little stretched eventually, and it made Mrs. Frisby’s part of the whole ordeal feel a little scant through the latter portion of the story, at least compared to the earlier parts of the book. The balance, through that section, felt a little off.

As a whole though the book was entertaining and kept me reading for a good day or so, even knowing the story beforehand.

Book Review – Just Ella by Margaret Peterson Haddix

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Title: Just Ella
Author: Margaret Peterson Haddix
Publication Date: 2001
Length: 218 pages
Genre: Retelling, Fantasy, YA

I think most everyone has a particular fairy tale they gravitate to- characters that just attach themselves to a part of your heart as a child and refuse to let go. Now, I grew up in the Disney renaissance, watching Ariel and Belle and Jasmine on the big screen, but none of them were my first Disney princess- no, that title belongs to Cinderella, and maybe that’s the reason I have such a soft spot for that story.

Ever After, the version with Drew Barrymore (one of the only movies I could literally watch on repeat), just made me love it all the more. But perhaps there’s something in that movie that’s spoiled me, because reading Just Ella, a retelling of Cinderella, I felt a little… let down.

Maybe that’s just what happens though, when one starts looking beyond the happily ever after- which is exactly what Just Ella does. The story takes place after the ball, after the glass slipper, with Ella (as she’s known here) now taking residence in the castle awaiting her marriage to the prince. All is not well, however, with the soon-to-be princess, as she finds herself in many ways, more trapped by her new surroundings than she was by her stepmother and stepsisters. It isn’t until she tries to do something about the situation, however, that she realizes just how dire things are.

I don’t think that’s the reason though, since ultimately, I love twisted fairy tales. The plot, upon reading the blurb sounded great, and I really was interested in seeing how this take on Cinderella would work out. I happen to have a weakness for Cinderella taking as much agency as she can get. And I can say that the plot remained one that I enjoyed- complete with a small war subplot that, while not so important early on, becomes vital later in the story. Additionally, Ella is indeed a strong character, both in terms of how developed she is, as well as her own willpower, which was fun to see playing out in the situation she finds herself in.

So why did I find myself wishing for more?

The problem lies in the fact that it’s just as trapped by stereotypes and tropes as the original story was. For instance, a main theme of the story is that beauty isn’t everything- that there has to be depth below the surface. The problem, however, lies in the fact that the book constantly undermines that by many of the character descriptions- the shear fact that unpleasant people are so often described in physically unpleasant ways. For instance, a jailer who is morally loathsome and described physically in many of the same ways, or the constant fat-shaming going on with the evil stepsisters (at least this version doesn’t call them ‘ugly’ point-blank). I think the author tried to save herself by making one of Ella’s friends ugly as well, but the attempt falls short.

Additionally, while Ella is interesting- a character that insists on taking charge of her own story- the characters in the castle (save for two) are so two-dimensional. Flatter than the pages they were written on. Was it really not possible to have a story in which Ella is unhappy- and thoroughly trapped wherever she goes- while also surrounded by round characters? Or at least ones with a slight curvature? It was almost as if the author felt that in order for Ella to appear strong enough, she had to be the only character in that place capable of being so.

All in all, I still found the book enjoyable, but it’s definitely not one of my favorite fairytale retellings, and certainly doesn’t rank as high as other versions of Cinderella I’ve seen throughout the years.

Book Review | The Road From Home by David Kherdian

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Title: The Road From Home
Author: David Kherdian
Publication Date: 1995 (originally published in 1979)
Length: 242 pages
Genre: Memoir/biography, YA

Perhaps it’s morbid of me, but I’ve always had a fascination with the awful side of human nature- what we do to each other in the name of who-knows-what.

As much as it hurts to delve into it, I can’t help but do so.

Considering the large amount of books on the subject it’s probably not surprising that the awful thing I’ve read about the most is the holocaust.

Of course, this isn’t a journal entry about a holocaust themed book.

The thing is, I’ve always wondered why so many other incidences don’t receive the same treatment as those awful years during the 30s and 40s. Perhaps it’s the scope of what happened in WWII, or the more recent quality of it, but nevertheless it’s still a noticeable difference. This isn’t to say that it shouldn’t be such a focus of attention or study, but rather the fact that I’ve always wondered… where are the other books.

Thus, when I found this book sitting amongst all the James Patterson paperbacks I had to pick it up.

Long Road from Home is the story of a girl living in Turkey in the 1910s- Veron, the author’s mother and a survivor of the Armenian genocide.

The story spans roughly from 1913 – 1924, from the time that Veron is about six, until she’s a teenager. The world the reader is introduced to is that of a young child’s, with the focus on the close-knit extended family- nights giggling with a cousin while everyone else tried to sleep, complaints about going to the baths and enduring scrub-downs – until that world crumples around her and her family is torn apart when part of them (including Veron) are forced from their homes and onto a grueling and uncertain journey across the country.

Kherdian does a wonderful job at capturing this changing world and making it as familiar to the reader as he can. So many elements of Veron’s culture are integrated throughout the story, pieces of the puzzle that makes up Veron’s life. Additionally, he doesn’t shy away from the hardships that Veron and her family endure, although they are at times obscured by Veron’s age and lack of experience, at least initially. That world, as said previously, is that of a younger child, even as the horrific events begin to unfold. It isn’t until later in the story, and subsequent events, that the reader begins to get a full open-eyed perspective- which matures as Veron does.

At times, however, the story struggles. There is a heavy reliance on telling, rather than showing, and while the events are harrowing, and tragic, there is sometimes an emotional disconnect. I think part of this stems from the author trying to tell so large of a story in so short a period of time. It feels as if certain emotional beats are underdeveloped- some sections not given quite the gravity that they should have, in order for the whole story to be told. This is, perhaps, the problem at times with stories about one’s family, as this story is. One knows the entire story already, all the elements having already taken place, the question then becomes not where the story should go, but where to begin and where to end and which parts to prune off in the middle.  I feel as if this story could have done with a bit more pruning, or perhaps the opposite- some extended details- especially at the end, which seems to drop off rather sharply.

Ultimately, I’m glad I read the book, as I walked away from it having learned about something, but I hate that I struggled to connect with the protagonist. While I’m keeping it for my classroom library, this one’s probably not a reread for me.