k8feelsreading

These are the books a librarian reads and how they make her feel. What is it that you feel when you read? These are book opinions not reviews. I try to spoiler alert you in the post if I give away too much. Read at your own risk.

[k8feelsreading]

Eileen by Ottessa Moshfegh I loved how this book slowly introduced what happened. It is a character- driven book. Elaine is twenty-four years old, living at home with her alcoholic father after the death of her mother, and working at a juvenile prison for boys during the 1960's. Elaine sometimes made me uncomfortable with her neuroticism of her thoughts, obsessions, self-absorbed issues, and actions. Elaine's story slowly unfolds, keeping me interested in what could possibly happen to make her leave. Elaine is an unforgettable character that you may not like at all. If you liked The Girl on the Train , this book could be your cup of tea. I think Elaine is a more reliable narrator than Rachel but that is not really saying much here. Both will earn your distaste. Another book that this somewhat reminds me of is Wetlands by Charlotte Roche. Again, I like Elaine more than Helen there. Read all these books to be shocked, disgusted, and see females in a truer light.

[k8feelsreading]

Assassination Vacation by Sarah Vowel This author makes history fun! Go on journey to places where presidents were shot and learn some interesting things. It's like having a friend with you while you are geeking out on history. I am now going to read her other books.

[k8feelsreading]

Amp'd by Ken Pisani A fun read about a guy who loses his arm. You would think losing an arm isn't funny but this story was a quirky rollicking read. Packed with an alligator, radio talk show host, a kid with cancer and a mom who dates a younger local fireman. Enjoyable!

[k8feelsreading]

Girl in the Woods by Aspen Mathis A book that confronts rape culture. Aspen Matis was raped on her second day of college in her freshman year. Not supported by her family and the school, she leaves school and embarks on a healing hike from Mexico to Canada along the Pacific Crest Trail. Recommended for fans of Cheryl Strayed's Wild.

[k8feelsreading]

Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption by Bryan Stevenson You may not know this: for my undergrad, I graduated with a major in psychology with a criminal justice minor. I am majorly into criminal justice reform. This book is another reason that our criminal justice system needs help. It’s an important read for people who are for the death penalty but should be read by all.

[cheshirelibrary]

Take flight!

📚 🕊

[k8here]

What I’m reading. #murder #mystery #tanafrench #thelikeness #ireland #dublinmurdersquad #crimefiction

[k8feelsreading]

We Should All Be Feminists by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie Read this quick! Everyone should read it, right now. It's a quick important read that should be read by all.

[k8feelsreading]

My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante The first in a series by an Italian author. I really enjoyed this book and am waiting to read the next one in the series. This is a story of two girlfriends growing up in the 1950s outside of Naples, Italy. I felt it was an insighful, honest and refreshing read. The different paths the girls take all the while staying friends and helping each other really moved me. I felt a strong sense of place during this novel. The class and gender struggles within the neighborhood and during the times they are living in were represented within their relationships with themselves and each other.

[k8feelsreading]

Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn This book had me rolling my eyes. The cutting words on her skin, the mother's mental illness, -it was all too contrite, too easy, and just pathetic. I keep trying Gillian Flynn's novels but I should stop because I just don't like them. Well, I liked Gone Girl, in a way. I felt like it was one of those spellbinding Dateline or 48 Hours murder mystery-type shows but in book form. However, when I don't feel an ounce of empathy for a character it really makes it hard for me to like the book. Flynn is really good at making unlikeable characters. I preferred The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins to all of Flynn's books and that isn't saying much.

[k8feelsreading]

The Little Paris Bookshop by Nina George

I really enjoyed two thirds of this book. I loved how Monsieur Perdu calls himself a literary apothecary. Having a book barge in Paris sounded amazing while he prescribed books to customers. What librarian wouldn't love that job? I just did not get his ignoring the letter from his exlover for all those years. I never understand people when they think they know what someone thinks about them so strongly when they haven't even been told. It was exciting that he took off and had an adventure with what ended being three other dudes because he picked up an Italian dude along the way. I enjoyed the descriptions of France. However, the adventure lasted too long and the purpose became lost for me. It became tedious. I really wanted to like this more. I gave it four stars on Goodreads but I will change it to 3 to 3.5 instead. This book sounded similiar to The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin but is not as good. Zevin's story was more concise and I felt more understanding and empathy for Fikry. Read that one instead.

[k8feelsreading]

The Life and Death of Sophie Stark by Anna North Interesting. I like how the book is about filmmaker Sophie Stark and we get everyone else's perspective about her and do not know what really was going on inside her. Even her films that push boundaries tell us about her only from an outsider's perspective. A bit like life, huh? Definitely worth reading for the portrayal of an artist and the people she loves. This book will make you feel and think about your own relationships. How are you portrayed to others? Ultimately, this is a sad book. It's as if you feel Sophie's despair of being misunderstood and the weight that pulls one under.

[k8feelsreading]

A Dictionary of Mutual Understanding by Jackie Copleton This story starts out in present day America when a badly burned man from Japan comes to see Amaterasu. This begins the main story of the novel about the past of a family in Nagasaki before the bombing by the United States during World War II. Throughout the book, family secrets are revealed. Amaterasu's daughter, Yuko's sordid love story comes to light. I try to understand Yuko and her love but really I cannot. I was angry at her mother's reactions but really Yuko's love interest isn't an easy one to accept. Even when Amaterasu's past came to light, it didn't help me to feel more empathy for her. I find that people who are the most judgemental about something tend to be guilty of it in their past and they haven't accepted their own mistakes. I recommend reading John Hersey's Hiroshima and the more recent and applicable Nagaski: A Life after Nuclear War by Susan Southard for more understanding of the bombs and it's aftermath.

[k8feelsreading]

The Secret Wisdom of the Earth by Christopher Scotton Yes, to this one. This is a coming-of-age novel with action, adventure, social issues, family ties, a setting with a strong sense of place, and a descriptive writing style. I was engaged and interested in the main character, Kevin throughout the novel. Eighty-five percent of the novel was especially engaging. When the action died down towards the end and the author was explaining the future and wrapping it up, I wasn't as engaged anymore because all the great action that happened before was where it was at. The story had a survival aspect, crime aspect, and grief aspect to it that all contributed to the overall plot. The scene where Buzzy left Kevin and Pops getting into the stream and Kevin had a feeling that Buzzy was moving away from them and they were actually still in the water when they were flowing downstream gave me that actual feeling and said so much at that moment. I was moved (but I was sitting still reading, ha, see what I did there?). If you've seen the TV series Justified, this book has a similar setting. I highly recommend both. I'd also recommend it to high schoolers, it's a YA crossover novel for sure and should've won an Alex award in my opinion.

[k8feelsreading]

The Days of Awe by Lauren Fox I recommend this book for teachers, wives, mothers, divorcees and women interested in those things. That being said, I didn't care for it. I saw it recommended online somewhere and I gave it a shot without knowing much about it. There was grief from losing a best friend to a car accident but that didn't pull me in too much either. I can't not recommend it, because I see that it could be good. It's just not my piece of cake. Other books somewhat similiar that I did like are Summerlong by Dean Backopoulos and Fates and Furies by Lauren Groff.

[k8feelsreading]

The Good Girl by Mary Kubica Caution: Spoilers This mystery thriller was a fast, enjoyable read. I have this crazy belief that people who do bad things like crime, kidnapping, and even murder can also have good in them even if their actions have been evil. Saying that, I like how we get the point of view of the kidnapper. Sometimes people feel they have to do something bad to help someone they love. Like how the kidnapper in this story was trying to do good for his mother. There was a big twist at the end of the book. That is the only thing about the book that could compare to Gone Girl . However, this book only has the one twist unlike GG with it's multiple twisty revealings throughout. This book displays stockholm syndrome quite well. I would recommend the book Bel Canto by Ann Patchett as the ultimate stockholm syndrome book though. Can evil be good to some? This book says yes to that question. Is Mia a good girl or just a rich bitch? Read to find out.

[k8feelsreading]

The World Before Us by Aislinn Hunter Caution: Spoilers I understand the comparisons to In the Woods by Tana French but this book had a museum archivist instead of a detective. Being a librarian, this seemed like I would like the story more. I think my love for detective stories wins here. While researching the mysterious 'N,' Jane all the while is devastated about the girl she babysat twenty years ago that went missing on her watch. The father of the girl and his place in Jane's life made me roll my eyes. Did she have to have a crush on him? Come on. Plus, after he speaks at the museum she works at and doesn't remember her, I felt that slapping him was unnecessary and uncalled for. Couldn't she have said who she was and spoke to him like a mature adult? I understood that Jane had lived with Lily's disappearance at the forfront of her life and was shocked and hurt that Lily's father doesn't remember her. I also get that he was devastated by his daughter's disappearance so maybe he put all thoughts of the tramatic experience out of his mind? Unless he was puposefully not remebering her because he blamed her? That is not really implied, I'm just thinking it as a possibilty because the father had not spoken to Jane since the day of the disappearance. I also didn't get why that day, she was watching Lily with her father present? He could've blamed himself as much as Jane. With multiple plotlines included throughout the story -the present, the past, and the even farther past- they distracted from the main mystery. Actually, I wasn't sure what the main mystery was. I thought it was Lily's disappearance but it then became who was 'N' in the farther past. When the "ghosts" appeared, it confused the story for me. So, yes, right at the beginning. It wasn't until late in the book that I undestood what was going on there. Towards the end, I began to appreciate them more. Especially because I like the anology that while uncovering the past, the past comes to life -as a way to explain the reason for the ghosts. However, I just didn't care for this one.