March memoirs month

 
I don't know if it's a thing, but for me, March is memoirs month. ☺️

I was channeling my inner World Wide Vet, aka Dr. Evan Antin when I "wrangled" this garter recently. 😁 (Taken right before he tried to strike.) His memoir/travelogue Encounters in the Animal Kingdom was a joy to read. He details his wild, fun animal adventures from around the world in an easy, down-to-earth manner.
This is exactly the book to read after a heavy, emotional one. And #thatcoverthough 👀
🦎
Listening to Glennon Doyle narrate her story in her soft & sweet, yet strong voice is a big theme in Untamed: that women aren't just one thing. Society tends to tell women who we are, until we can hopefully find it out for ourselves. She examined all the expectations placed on her, what it lead to, and how she broke free. There are so many gems here and much to contemplate.
🏳️‍🌈
In Jennifer Palmieri's manifesto
She Proclaims, we hear stories & advice from her political career in a man's world. Palmieri is the former director of communications for Hillary Clinton's 2016 presidential campain, and White House communications director for President Obama. I learned about bropriating: when men don't acknowledge an idea when it's presented by a woman, but laude the same idea from a male. Oh, so that's what it's called. 🙄 Another gender bias issue in the workplace mentioned is how we judge men based on the potential we see in them, but judge women based on their record of accomplishment.
Older men are often revered as wise & their experience gives them the ability to offer sage advice. But she noted age & experience isn't valued in women. Fortunately the exception to this is Speaker Nancy Polosi. She didn't run for office until she was 47, and became the 1st female Speaker at 66, & then again at 78.
💪🏼♀️
I was hoping to hear from historic Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg herself about her battles with sexism, and fights for women's and worker's rights. But My Own Words is a collection of speeches, writings and even excerpts from the Scalia/Ginsburg opera. If that's what you're interested in, this will be an interesting read for you. For me though, I think I chose the wrong RBG book.

Thank you Bookstagrammers for these books which I received in giveaways. 

Until next time,

~Kara

Black History Month awesome audiobooks

The audiobooks I've been listening to lately continue to be awesome. 👊🏼 I'll start with a memorable favourite Seven Days in June. It's fun & full of current contemporary culture and sharp, quick witted dialogue. Eva and Shane meet as teenagers and in 7 days, fall fast in love. They don't see each other for 15 years until they reconnect for 7 more days. The tone reminded me of Such a Fun Age with all the trendy pop culture references. Narrator Mela Lee was a delight to listen to. Is it romantic? Yes. Is it erotic?Definitely!! Is it a must read? Absolutely!!! 👀♨️                                       💕                                                                                                                                                                                        In Sankofa, Londoner Anna discovers some information about the father she never knew. Not only is he still alive, but he's the dictator president of a (fictional) West African nation. So begins her journey to find her father and answers. The meaning of the metaphorical bird Sankofa is to go back to the past and bring forward that which is useful. This interesting, unique story looks at race, belonging, the African diaspora experience, and family dynamics. Sara Powell narrates each character wonderfully.

💚
The Prophets is a heartbreaking, difficult story featuring two young plantation slaves. Isaiah and Samuel grew up together, and found solace, refuge, and eventually intimacy with each other. Their love though, is forbidden and a sin. The Prophets changes points of view with many characters, and contains biblical references & chapter titles. I do feel like I needed a notes section. Moving and emotional, Robert Jones Jr. wrote a cruelly beautiful debut. Karen Chilton brings these characters alive so well with her incredible narrating.
💙
What audiobooks have you enjoyed lately?
I'm currently listening to and enjoying Lawrence Hill's The Illegal.

❤️💛💚❤️💛💚❤️💛💚❤️💛💚❤️💛💚❤️💛💚❤️💛💚❤️💛💚❤️💛💚❤️💛💚❤️💛💚❤️

White Out

 

❄Another seasonal read here with Danielle Girard's thriller White Out.

It has good flow at the beginning, and I appreciated how the action started immediately, we were right there in it.
Chapters were told by multiple characters points of view. A lot was happening in this story, and at about ¾ of the way in I started to feel lost, so there was some re-reading. I found I had to pay closer attention at this point.

In a small North Dakota town, Lily Baker survives a car accident but has no memory of what happened and who she even is. That same night a murdered woman is discovered in a dumpster.
Detective Kylie Milliard eventually learns that Lily and the murdered woman share a dark past.
White Out is Badlands Thriller # 1, so stay tuned for the next in this series.

Have you read any backlist books lately? What about any by Danielle Girard?

I received White Out in a giveaway. Thank you @daniellegirardbooks!🙏🏼

Until next time,

~Kara

❄🌨❄🌨❄🌨❄🌨❄🌨❄🌨❄🌨❄❄🌨❄🌨❄🌨❄😨❄🌨❄🌨❄🌨❄❄🌨❄🌨❄🌨❄❄🌨❄🌨❄🌨❄❄🌨❄🌨❄🌨

In a Holidaze

🎄Now this is my kind of Christmas book! I received this in January, and waited to read it this month. Do you also only read Christmas books in December? I was very pleased to see that In a Holidaze isn't sappy or sweet, but current, with the right amount of spice & steam mixed in with yuletide fun.

The nicely written love scenes are hot & unique. This isn't your typical romance, so great to see! The Groundhog Day style repeating was well done, not too over the top. Dialogues between Maelyn and Andrew were fun and realistic.
In a Holidaze was my first, but definitely not last Christina Lauren. I will eagerly read more from this writing duo.
What non cheesy holiday books do you recommend?
Merry Christmas everyone! 🎄🎅🎁❄🦌🍬☃️🤶🏼🍗🌟🛷♥🎲🥞🍾🌨

I received In a Holidaze in a giveaway win, thank you 🙏🏻@laurenashleybecker!

Until next time,

~Kara

Non fiction November reads

For Non fiction November, I've got an assortment, including some fascinating memoirs.                                             

In The Book of Hope, the world's most famous living naturalist Jane Goodall looks at how we hold onto hope.

The amazing human intellect, the resilience of nature, the power of young people, and the indomitable human spirit are her 4 reasons for hope.
To tackle our climate crisis she says the head and heart must work together.
Our challenges are alleviating poverty; reducing the unsustainable lifestyle of the affluent; eliminating corruption; and dealing with the problems caused by growing populations of humans and their livestock.
Thinking and acting long term is essential, and millions of small daily ethical actions will make a difference, she says.
🌳
Listening to Hollywood Park was an enlightening, powerful experience.
I hadn't heard of author Mikel Jollett or the infamous cult, Church of Synanon, that he spent his first 5 years in. He tells his story of escaping the cult with his mother & brother and then trying to find their way with such raw, open emotion. Jollett's strong yet vulnerable voice details the poverty, violence, emotional abuse & addictions he experienced. Heartbreaking and fully engaging, Jollett is a talented poet you've got to listen to/read. Definitely one of the best I've ever read.
🌴
Almost as good as watching Matthew McConaughey is listening to him. 🥰
In his search for the meaning of life, he tells us stories & shares the lessons he's learned so far in Greenlights. His rapid fire thoughts come in the format of witty prescriptions and bumper stickers. This "love letter to life" is certainly unique, just what you would expect from McConaughey.
💚
80's teens know him, the cute actor in some of our favorite movies. Brat: An 80's story is on the lighter side for a memoir. Andrew McCarthy tells us how he got his start in acting, & about the Brat Pack. He doesn't go deeper than that though, and don't expect a tell-all.

I received all books in giveaways. Thank you @celadonbooks @goodreads and @readalotwritealot!

Until next time,

~Kara

🌳💡💚🌴🌳💡💚🌴🌳💡💚🌴🌳💡💚🌴🌳💡💚🌴🌳💡💚🌴🌳💡💚🌴🌳💡💚🌴🌳💡💚🌴🌳💡💚

Thriller month reads

 

For Thriller month, I'm featuring some great backlists, starting with The Chain.
This quick, easy read flows along like a rushing river, & you don't want to get off.
Imagine getting a call that your child has been kidnapped, & the only way to get her back is to kidnap another child. So goes The Chain. The masterminds twins behind it upbringing/traumatic childhood development into evil may be cliché, but it's captivating nonetheless.
"George Orwell was wrong... In the future, it won't be the state that keeps that keeps tabs on everyone by extensive use of surveillance; it will be the people. They'll do they'll do the state's work for it by constantly uploading their locations, interests, food preferences, restaurant choices, political ideas, and hobbies to Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and other social media sites. We are our own secret police."
⛓
What was really eerie in The Passengers is how close we are to having fully driverless cars. Several people find their self-driving car has taken over & told them they're going to die. With cameras in the cars, it's being broadcasted worldwide for the public to decide who to kill first, & who to save. Truly terrifying stuff!
🚘
The very real lifestyle choice many uni students make to get a sugar daddy to help pay bills is fascinating. Reading about how it all came to this for one & then got terribly twisted was interesting in The Arrangement. Questionable morals & obsessive behaviors make for a gripping read.
🍬
In Woman on the Edge, when the protagonist is at the subway, a hysterical mother forces her baby into her arms & then jumps. The crazy situation she's then in, trying to figure out how she knew her, kept me quickly turning the pages. Author Samantha M. Bailey does a wonderful job writing about the strong desire to have a child, & post partum depression.
🚇
Have you read any of these? Happy Halloween everyone!

I received all books in giveaways Thank you @thephdivabooks and @lafemmereaders620! 

Until next time,

~Kara

🕵‍♀️🔪🩸🌚🕵‍♂️🔍😨🕵‍♀️🔪🩸🌚🕵‍♂️🔍😨🕵‍♀️🔪🩸🌚🕵‍♂️🔍🕵‍♀️🔪🩸🌚🕵‍♂️🔍🕵‍♀️🔪🩸🌚🕵‍♂️🔍🕵‍♀️🔪🩸🌚🕵‍♂️

Jonny Appleseed

Many times while listening to Jonny Appleseed, I had to pause to consider what I just heard. Not the explicit parts, of which there are plenty, but the powerful prose that brought both smiles and tears, often together. This book was so poetic in many ways to me. It's like contemporary "poetry" told from an NDN Two-spirit Indigiqueer cybersex worker.

Gritty, graphic, and often TMI, Jonny tells his story of life on the rez and later hustling in Winnipeg. Like me, you may not know anything about this lifestyle, but after taking in this book, you are bound to experience a connection.
Author Joshua Whitehead details rez life with truth, humour, and memorable style.
Jonny's relationship with his kokum (grandmother) is among the most touching I've ever heard. Never any holding back of raw emotion and pain. There's a lot of power and respect in how he's unabashedly himself.
This audiobook is heartbreaking, humorous, and haunting. I can see how it won for the Canada Reads 2021 theme "One book to transport us".
Jonny Appleseed left me with an appreciation of the deeply poetic way we can connect with one another.
May we all be so lucky to experience it's many forms.

🐂🍎🌱

Until next time,

~Kara