I've been enjoying making my month reading wrap up posts, but I decided with all of the holiday fun this week it might be fun do to something a little special!
This month I will be doing one read along through Boldwood Books from December 12-15. I will add the link to that post in here so you can check that out once I get started.
I also decided to try to take part in this advent calendar challenge, also hosted by Boldwood! I'm not sure how many I will end up completing, but it sounds like a lot of fun!
December 1st, 2022: My December TBR
December 2, 2022: A book with snow on the cover!
Worthy
Kimberly Plante
Worthy is not an easy book to read, but it is easy to be drawn in to the story. People who have experienced significant childhood trauma rarely see themselves as worthy of the good things in life. I think that while there may be some triggers in this book, it is one that could be an opening for reflection for survivors of childhood trauma. The author did a truly remarkable job describing her experiences and connecting the dots between the cause and effects throughout her life. I would highly recommend this book and am so appreciative of the opportunity to read and review it with the help of Booksirens. Check out my full review post to learn more about this enthralling book!
December 3, 2022: Red, White & Green Christmas bookstack!
Where the Sun Rises*
By Anna Gomez and Kristoffer Paloha
My first read in December was also my first #DNF. Unfortunately, I just couldn't get into this one. It was a nice reminder of sunny days and my beautiful trip to Maui almost a decade ago (What?!)! Oh well, there is always another great book out there to read, but here's the scoop on this one:
When Maele Moana is paired up with Adam Yates to walk down the aisle together at her friend Andie’s wedding, it isn’t exactly a perfect match. Maele is the daughter of a plantation worker, and Adam is the son of one of the richest men in Oahu. Their worlds couldn’t be more different. But they have one thing in common. Big Dreams. Dreams that will take Maele back to Kauai while Adam pursues an incredible opportunity in Los Angeles. Adam wants to be in her life, and slowly, Maele lets him in. He inspires her to face her fears, and she restores his faith in redemption. But with love comes sacrifice, and the goals they’ve worked so hard for may end up tearing them apart. Where the Sun Rises is a story about overcoming adversity, the promise of young love, and the valor in letting go.
Thanks to Katie and Brey PA and the publisher for giving me the chance to read this book!
December 4, 2022: A Book set by the seaside
December 8, 2022
Uncultured
By: Daniella Mestyanek Young
Uncultured is a memoir written by a "Children of God" cult survivor (also known as "The Family"). The first half of the book is about Daniella's childhood in South America where she experienced serious child abuse as well as neglect, incest, sexual harassment and rape at the hands of a variety of adults all referred to as "aunties" and "uncles". Later in life, she joins the army, which leads to the second half of the book. Daniella makes several comparisons between her life in the cult and her life in the army, some of which include: sexual assault, sexism, abuse, prejudice and trauma. Uncultured is extremely well written and one that I would definitely recommend. Click here to see my full review!
December 10, 2022: Currently Reading & Fairly Lights
To see my review of Meant to Be scroll down or click here!
December 11, 2022: A Book with a journey
December 12, 2022
Check out my post with my Must Have Holiday Books for 2022!
December 14, 2022
Drinking Games By: Sarah Levy
I often find it a lot easier to read a book than to listen to it as an audiobook, but this one actually was perfect in both forms!
Drinking Games by Sarah Levy is a memoir about the author's alcohol addiction and the impact it had on her life before and after becoming sober. The story is also in a lot of ways a coming of age memoir about finding your way in life, dealing with anxiety and other mental health challenges, and learning how to navigate adult relationships. I love Sarah's honesty and ability to share even her most difficult or embarrassing moments in a way that feels so real and raw. Her writing is interesting and funny where appropriate, but also doesn't over simplify the challenges she faced. I think that more than just a memoir about her own self-healing, Drinking Games is an opportunity to help others who are struggling with addiction and determining when someone's alcohol abuse requires intervention. Additionally, the fact that the audiobook was read by the author helped add to the passion and intensity of the stories, and to create a sense of vulnerability. It almost felt more like a coffee date with a close friend where they share some of their most difficult secrets, rather than listening to a book.
I would highly recommend both the audiobook and written memoir as they were equally wonderful. Anyone who enjoys memoirs about mental health and addiction will definitely appreciate this book. Also, if you are a millennial, particularly a female, if you are Jewish, have a French background, or have had family members struggle with cancer or other similar illnesses, I think that it will be easy for you to connect with the author as her ability to relate with her reader is phenomenal. Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers, St Martins Press and Macmillan Audio for the opportunity to read and listen to this great book!
December 15, 2022 - Curl up with a Hot Drink and a Book
Christmas at the Little Knitting Box*
I wasn't too sure what to expect with the title of this book. Because it is a boldwood book, I assumed it was set in England, perhaps in a sleepy little town with a group of elderly knitters, but it actually was set in NYC and featured characters in their early thirties! Proves you can't judge a book by its title haha. Christmas at the Little Knitting Box is about a woman named Cleo who is trying to keep her late Grandmother's beloved small knitting shop in business even though the shop's lease is up and the end of her time there might be running low. Through friends, she meets a single dad and instantly feels the attraction, but when he tells her about his ex-wife and her desire to get the family back together, Cleo isn't sure this is the right person to get involved with, and to add to the situation, he is actually the original owner of the building her store is located in and is the root cause of her stresses about the business. I liked the premise and enjoyed the story, but I did find there was quite a bit of back and forth when it comes to the main characters. Should we date? No. Should we date? Maybe. Should we date? Better not. Overall it was a good book, it wasn't my favourite, but definitely fun and festive this time of year! I did have a lot of fun doing the Boldwood Challenges that went along with it, don't forget to check out that post too!
December 16, 2022 - A Book Set in Winter
December 17, 2022
Meant to Be By: Emily Giffin
I've been a fan of Emily Giffin books for a while now and was excited to read this one, even though I went into it without reading a synopsis. The story alternates between two perspectives, the female and male main characters, Cate and Joe. Joe Kingsley is a name everyone (in this fictional story) knows, much the same as a Kennedy (I just saw the similarity in the names there...), and he could have any girl he chooses, except maybe Cate. Cate is a former model and also a former Joe Kingsley childhood fangirl who even had a poster of him on her wall growing up. But when he starts to take an interest in her after running into her during a modeling shoot on a beach, she decides it is important to keep him at arms length. Eventually, he manages to convince her that a relationship with him is not the most horrible idea and from then on, a story of what is "meant to be" unfolds.
Romance novels can be predictable, what with tropes and all that, and this one was for the most part fairly predictable, but I do have to say that I spent most of the book wondering what the climax would be. I was fairly surprised by how things wrapped up in the end, and was pretty enthralled right down to the epilogue.
One thing that sets Giffin's books apart from other romance novels is the exploration of difficult themes and I appreciated the in-depth exploration around domestic violence and trauma in this one. My parents fought frequently and separated when I was nine. Until recently, if you had asked me if I had suffered from DV I would have said no, because I was never involved in the fighting. I have since learned that sometimes that is worse because as a child witnessing violence, I had no power over the situation, making it even more traumatizing. Cate faces a similar experience in the story, as she recovers from the trauma of witnessing her step father abuse her mother. Other characters urge Cate to see what her step father did as abuse towards her as well, but she often justified it as "just verbal" or that her mom took the brunt of things. I like that Giffin's messaging throughout was strong and clear; that whenever abuse is occurring it can be traumatic and that mothers have a responsibility to prevent their children from being in harmful situations. While hard to read, I also appreciated her commentary on victims needing to be ready to leave before any intervention will actually work. Unfortunately, domestic violence is a really challenging situation and I am glad that the author used her best seller status to help educate readers about this complex issue.
As Giffin has done successfully in the past, she was able to keep me caught up in the lives of the characters and not wanting to put the book down. If you're a Giffin fan, you absolutely have to read this book, and if you've never read one, this could definitely be one to start with, though I've enjoyed all of the books I've read by her so far.
December 18, 2022: Share your favourite festive treat to eat while reading
I love holiday baking, and will definitely be making a few batches of cookies this year. That being said, I have not started yet... I was hit with whatever plague has been going around lately and have spent the weekend in bed, so this pic is actually borrowed from a few years ago. It was actually David's and my first Christmas in our house (4 years ago already!). I absolutely hate gingerbread and have no clue why I baked the bottom ones, other than they turned out pretty freaking cute. The top ones are shortbread, which are my absolute favourite holiday treat! I bake an excessive amount each holiday season and eat them for breakfast most days over the winter break lol!
I also just finished reading Lunar Love, which I mention in my Christmas at the Little Knitting Box post is quite a bit like that book. Lauren Kung Jessen's book tells the story of Olivia, a third generation matchmaker who uses the zodiac calendar and the traits attached to it as a recipe for success when matching clients in L.A. But she has met her match (literally) when she bumps into Bennett, the creator and owner of a new dating app called ZodiaCupid, basically a tech version of what her very traditional family business has been doing for decades. Olivia wants to hate Bennett and uses there initial first interactions as opportunities to get dirt on him and his business, but eventually she starts to see that although they are technically incompatible, perhaps there is something to be said about the concept of opposites attract.
This book definitely has the enemies to lovers trope and I was a bit turned off about it fairly early on, but I got over it pretty quickly. There is a bit of a bet between Olivia and Bennett about finding love for each other, and it reminded me a bit of How to Lose a Guy in Ten Days, one of my all time favourite rom coms, so I stuck with it and I am glad I did! I found that though predictable at times, it was pretty hard to put down. I'm also not sure how I felt about their dates always ending up being together rather than with the people they arranged them with. In a way I guess I just wanted them to give up the act and date each other if that was what they wanted, but then I guess the book would have had no plot line lol. I really liked the romantic scenes and first dates peppered throughout the story and the cultural aspects related to lunar new year and family tradition, which was a big part of why I chose this book to begin with.
Overall, it was a quick and easy read and it was well written. I would definitely read future books from this author and am glad I had the chance to read this one, thanks to NetGalley and the publisher Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for the chance to read and review it!
And a little bonus Christmas fun...
Our Christmas Cards and Save the Dates came today! I'm so in love with how they turned out. Now I just need to personalize and address a million cards while being slightly distracted by all the other crazy things like finishing off our bridal party proposal boxes, Christmas shopping and you know... keeping my 25 little friends somewhat engaged for the last 2.5 days!
December 19, 2022
Unsilenced
By: Howard Shane
Wow, this book was everything I wanted and more! It was basically the adult version of Out of My Mind but a true story. It also reminded me so much of Torey Hayden's books. I'm so glad I finally got to reading this one!
Unsilenced is a memoir written by Howard Shane, a former Special Education teacher who spent one year teaching at the Belchertown State School - a horrendous institution for adults and children with disabilities in 1969. Shane was completely unprepared for both the conditions of the institution and the job he was expected to do there, and he pushed boundaries every single day he worked there. He developed the most beautiful relationships with his students and many of the staff who worked there, and also gave his students the gift of an education, something that most would not have received had he not fought for them. Additionally (and this is where Out of My Mind comes in), he started experimenting with low-tech and eventually high tech (at least for the time period) Augmented and Assisted Communication for two non-verbal students. These students went from desperately trying to communicate through blinking or frowns to being able to locate words on a clock-like template and trigger a light using a move of their wrist. For students who have lived in an institution for most of their lives and have no opportunity to have conversations with others, the attempts Shane made to help them communicate were likely the greatest gift these two students ever received.
While I have not gone on to research Howard Shane and his contributions to the AAC or inclusive education fields, I can assume that his experimental programs and technologies contributed to the strategies, training and communication tools we use today. Additionally, it is clear from the very beginning of the story that Shane was ahead of his time in his perspectives of people with disabilities and if nothing else, the students he worked with over the years would have undoubtedly benefited from his attention and care, though I'm sure he made an impact in the field outside of the students he specifically worked with as well.
I am so glad that I had the opportunity to read and review this book. I am currently searching for a copy of a book cited in this one, called I Raise My Eyes to Say Yes by Ruth Sienkiewicz-Mercer and Steven B. Kaplan. Ruth was actually one of the students Shane worked with and described in his book. It was published before I was born... so I'm still looking for a copy, but that would be such a cool book to read. Thanks to much to NetGalley and Brookes Publishing for giving me the opportunity to read and review this powerful book!
December 20, 2022
I received a bunch of holiday books from Forever Pub and had a hard time deciding which one to read first. I posted about each book on instagram and decided to go with the one with the most votes. Here were the choices:
December 21
How You Grow Wings
By: Rimma Onoseta
How You Grow Wings by Rimma Onoseta is a YA novel that tells the story of two teen sisters, Zam and Cheta, from Nigeria who both work very hard to escape the abuse and suffering they experience in their home. In the end, both girls find their own way to leave the past behind and become free.
Many discussions of racism, colourism, abuse, classism, and sexism are woven throughout the story. As a result, this book is interesting and insightful which will capture the attention of a young adult and adult audience, while also sharing important messages about societal views and discrimination.
Check out my full blog post and review here. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher, Algonquin Young Readers for giving me the chance to read and review this wonderful book!
December 22
Wild Souls * by Faith Prince
I definitely took a chance with this one and while it wasn't my favourite book, I definitely think it shows potential! Wild Souls by Faith Prince is a sci-fi, paranormal YA romance about Ethan, an awkward teen boy who can see people's souls. He sees snakes wrapped around his lab partner's new boyfriend, while his other classmates are encased in a ticking clock or sending scary lasers at him. As the story progresses he meets and falls for Jenna, a sweet, down-to-earth girl who accepts him for who he is and loves him unconditionally.
The book is well paced and the dialogue and events are realistic and appropriate for a YA. Even though sci-fi and paranormal stuff is definitely not my cup of tea, Prince's detailed descriptions helped me imagine or visualize things more than I do with most fantasy and sci-fi books. There are some great lessons to take away from this story and I think it would also hold the interest of ya readers so I could definitely see myself recommending it. Thanks to the author for reaching out and giving me the chance to check out her new book!
December 23
They Don't Want Her There*
This non-fiction book is written by a lawyer who represented a woman named Dr. Jean Jew who was sexually harassed and experienced sexism and racism in her position at an Iowa University. The men who worked with her in the medical school felt threatened by a woman joining their ranks, and created a variety of rumours, gossip and allegations related to her relationship with another male colleague who was also her mentor and friend from before she arrived at the university.
This book is extremely thorough and covers each step of the case from the timeline of events prior to Dr. Jew seeking legal representation right down to the decision process the Judge and Jury faced. It is quite obvious from early on that this book is written by a lawyer. The writing is very factual and while opinions are mentioned at times, it is generally very neutral in tone. This makes it a bit difficult to connect with the author and the subject of the harassment, Dr. Jew. As far as "legalese", Chalmers did a really good job explaining the laws and the reasons why they chose one court vs another etc. so it was really easy to follow. It was also well planned out and for the most part told in chronological order, so the writing style choices the author made make perfect sense. That being said, these choices also really bogged down the book and made it very dry and slow. If you're looking for a non-fiction book that breaks down the case very carefully and in a way that is passionate yet not emotional, this is definitely a book for you. If you're looking for a memoir or biography related to sexual harassment in the work place, this book isn't quite that. Still definitely worth reading, but not quite what I was expecting.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me the chance to read and review this book!
December 24: 2023 TBR
My plan to do a separate post on this one and update throughout the year, so I'll try to remember to come back and link the post here.
December 25, 2022: Share a book you think everyone should read
Do you have a book that you wish was on your shelf but you read it on a device/as a library or borrowed book/was lost or given away? I have two books like that (at least anyway), where I just wish I had a copy because I love the book so much I want to pull it out and show a friend or plan to reread it one day. I can't bring myself to buy a copy though, I have so many books. Anyway, today my #boldbookclub challenge book is: This Little Light by Lori Lansens.
I am not sure when I first read this book as it is shelved multiple times on my goodreads shelves on both the want to read and read shelves. I definitely read it, I swear. When tasked with picking ONE book I think everyone should read (this is impossible, Boldwood), I decided this was the book. I'm surprised how much I loved this book. It is dystopian, but it's set in 2023 (which is also the reason I decided this is the perfect book to recommend as the calendar ticks down to the new year), so not THAT dystopian, and also sci-fi but again, not THAT sci-fi. It is a book that reminded me that you can't necessarily judge a book by its genre.
Normally I write my own synopsis, but since it has been a while and I don't want to forget to include something important, here is the Goodreads synopsis:
Taking place over 48 hours in the year 2023, this is the story of Rory Ann Miller, on the run with her best friend because they are accused of bombing their posh Californian high school during an American Virtue Ball. There's a bounty on their heads, and a social media storm of trolls flying around them, not to mention a posse of law enforcement, attack helicopters and drones trying to track them down. Rory's mom, a social activist and lawyer, has been arrested and implicated in her daughter's "crimes" whereas her dad (who betrayed his wife and daughter in a nasty divorce) is cooperating with the authorities. The story exists in a universe of gated communities, born-again Christians, Probationary Citizens (once known as "Dreamers"), re-criminalized abortion and birth control, teenage virginity oaths and something called the Red Market, which is either a Conservative bogey-man created to further polarize the "base" or a criminal network making money from selling unwanted babies to whomever wants them and fetal tissue to cosmetics and drug companies.
Rory is cynical and scared, furious and scathing, betrayed and looking for something or someone to trust. What she has to say about the dads and bosses and politicians lining up to keep women in their place, and about the ways women collaborate in their own undermining, is fierce, and funny, and sad, and true.
This book creates a terrifying scenario that is really not that far out there from where we are today, and weaves in important lessons from history in a futuristic setting that make readers accept that we have been here before and are dangerously close to going there again. Hovering somewhere between young adult and adult fiction, this book touches on topics teens and adults need to read about, while being interesting (and slightly terrifying) enough to captivate both audiences. The writing is fast-paced and the storyline lasts only 48 hours. It is one of those books that is nearly impossible to put down, and keeps readers engaged until the last few pages. A fantastic book, definitely worth reading AND you can buy it from Indigo for only $6!
December 26: Tying up loose ends with the Advent Challenge
That was a lot of fun! At a busy time of year, the challenge also helped me keep Christmas and holiday fun at the forefront and forced me to think creatively and reflect on the books I am reading. This Boldwood challenge is a wrap (pun intended), but I am definitely looking forward to the next one!
The Twelve Dogs of Christmas*
By: Lizzie Shane
This is your pretty standard Christmas romance, there is a girl and a guy, they have some kind of small town issue, end up falling in love and then there is some kind of happy ending, usually involving some kind of miracle or problem resolution which for one reason or another did not work at the beginning of the story but now makes perfect sense. In this case, Ally has come to her grandparents' home town to help with photography and keeping up with the day to day business of their animal shelter. Ben is the guardian and uncle of 10 year old Astrid who loves dogs and Christmas spirit. He is also in charge of making budget-related decisions at the town hall. When forced to choose between a community centre roof repair and continued funding for the animal shelter the following year, he goes against what Astrid and Ally would clearly choose and ends funding for the shelter, but promises to help the 12 dogs currently awaiting adoption find their forever homes. When Ally finally gives in to the reality of the impending closure, she considers returning back to the city to piece together the life she left behind, but she is torn by her feelings towards Ben.
I'll be honest, I skimmed the majority of the book. It was exactly what it was supposed to be, but unfortunately when it comes to mass market romance books, that usually means predictable and lacking substance. The animal shelter aspect definitely appealed to me because of my past experience working in one, but the descriptions and events were fairly surface level so even that didn't keep my interest. For a Christmas romance, it checks all the boxes, it is a light read, it has some nice themes and decent character development, but nothing that will make you burn the turkey because you just can't put down your book. Thanks to Forever Publishing for the fun Christmas reads!
December 27
Love and Genetics*
By Mark MacDonald & Rachel Elliott
This memoir is written by two authors, Mark and Rachel, who are biological siblings but never knew each other existed. When Mark's wife Tina is told that she cannot safely conceive a baby due to her kidney disease, Mark decides he wants to learn more about his family history before making a choice between adoption and surrogacy with his wife. Mark was born in Canada and was adopted but had no previous information about his biological parents. Through a long process he is able to connect with the adoption registry in Canada and eventually get in contact with his birth parents and full siblings. Rachel, one of his siblings also shares the story from her perspective, so while it is mainly Mark telling the story, some chapters are about (and I'm guessing written primarily by) Rachel.
I enjoyed the story, I love adoption memoirs and the surrogacy aspects were interesting as well. I loved the Canadian context and learning more about the adoption process in Canada's history. I did find the story a bit slow at times. I loved the detail and care the authors put into writing this, especially down to the exact wording of the information Mark received from the registry prior to finding his biological parents. That is honestly a part of history and something that should be recorded as I never would have guessed that things like the physical appearance of the birth mother's father's siblings would have been recorded! These kinds of details did slow down the story, but like I said, cool information.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me the chance to read and review this book.
December 28
By: Melissa Fu
This Historical Fiction tells the story of 3+ generations of Chinese family who have to flea for their lives during the war with China and Japan, eventually ending up in the US. One of the main themes throughout is the impact that various aspects of war have on families, inter-generationally.
One of the things that resonated with me was the author's repeated use of the phrase "their names are not important" each time a woman was mentioned in the family tree. Without going into too much detail it was clear right from the start that in a Chinese family, women are not important.
The story is extremely detailed, and obviously well researched, but at times that made things a bit slow and tedious. For anyone looking for more information about the fighting between China and Japan during the same time period as WWII, this book will definitely give you a lot of really great information. The amount of detail is both a positive and a negative in this book, as it definitely gets bogged down at times but also offers some really great information for readers.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher, Little Brown and Company, for giving me the chance to read and review this book!
December 29
Looking For Jane by: Heather Marshall
This book was super good, definitely one I would recommend, and it is Canadian too! The story alternates between a few characters/perspectives and time hops quite a bit, but for the most part it is fairly easy to follow along. Angela Creighton is in her 30s and is ready to start her family with her wife using IVF, but the process is not as easy as they had hoped. In the early 1970s, Evelyn Taylor becomes friends with Maggie, another young pregnant teen, when they are both sent to a home for unwed mothers while waiting to give birth and then give their babies up for adoption. In the 1980s Nancy is young and pregnant and after witnessing a terrifying and almost lethal back alley abortion in her teens she now knows that in order to get a safe, illegal abortion, you need to access the Jane network, an underground organization of doctors, nurses and volunteers who offer abortions in secret. Tied together by through a passion for women's reproductive rights but decades apart, the three women's lives follow similar but also very different paths, yet somehow they all lead to the same place in 2017.
I love that this historical fiction explores multiple problems from Canada's history related to women's reproductive rights. From the homes for "fallen" women, to the Jane network to the abortion caravan, as well as the adoption process throughout history and challenges with IVF and LGBTQ+ couples wanting to have biological children, this book touches on so many important ideas. Despite being relatively long (around 400 pages), I found this book so enthralling it became a pretty quick read. In fact I finished it in under a day.
There were many moments and ideas I will take away from it, and areas I want to continue to explore in the future, but there were only two things I highlighted. The first was this quote:
She hadn't been too concerned about her fertility but discovered, with no small measure of surprise, that there was a razor's edge in her life where she went from being terrified of getting pregnant to terrified of not getting pregnant. - Heather Marshall
I think this is a really common thought for women around my age. At a dinner with friends a few weeks ago, the four of us, all 31, 1 married, 1 engaged, 1 common law and 1 single, all wondering where our paths would take us in the following years, each unsure whether infertility, the medications required for medical conditions which include insomnia, anxiety, epilepsy, autoimmune disorders and decreased heart and kidney function, or even just our careers, love lives and other aspirations might cause a bumpy road ahead. Each of us shared our fears, our frustrations and our hopes, without the seriousness or pain the same conversation could bring 5 years from now if we are all still not parents. How does that window close so quickly? How do we go from stressing about missed birth control pills and late periods to laughing off the fact that it is fine the punch at Christmas is spiked because I sure as hell am not getting pregnant before my wedding in 8 months, to the tiny fear in the back of my mind of what might it mean if I'm not pregnant next Christmas. That window is like a year. A year between panic for one reason and panic for the exact opposite. And yet, my biological clock does not really feel like it is ticking. I think I wouldn't mind waiting another year or two. But it's that unknown. What if I wait and THEN I find out I have fertility issues. *Sigh* too much anxiety for tonight... I'm on winter break and trying to fit into a wedding dress in a few months, no point in dwelling on this right now.
The other interesting point was related to both abortion and adoption. At the unwed girls home there was a "goodbye room", a place were girls only went when saying goodbye to their baby right before adoption took place. It was described as a place that they would leave behind and never have to return to. A metaphor for suppressing your emotions and blocking out the trauma. Later in the story when the author describes the two types of abortion being offered in the 1980s - one was a D&C and the other a gel that causes a miscarriage over a period of time, it is explained that most women still choose the D&C because they do not want to miscarry at home, instead "they prefer unfamiliar territory they wont have to return to" (H. Marshall). I thought the connection between the two ideas was interesting and likely the author was hoping it was one readers would notice.
Looking For Jane is a really well researched and written emotional tale that teaches history in a way that most classrooms couldn't. By contrasting women who want to have abortions, want to access adoption, want to keep their babies and want to get pregnant, Marshall demonstrates that the answer to all issues related to women's reproductive rights is simple: choice. Afterall, the window of fertility really isn't that long and at some point the choices become naturally narrowed, so why take away options during that short period in which they exist? We know that history is doomed to repeat itself, so taking the opportunity to read and learn about our past is important. Get this book, you'll love it and you'll learn something too!
December 30, 2022
Here are my top 22 books of 2022. I read and reviewed a lot of books this year, here are the 22 I will never forget and why.
The House on the Cerulean Sea - I wasn't expecting to love it as much as I did and TJ Klune won me over with this one.
Every Note Played & Left Neglected - I can't help but love everything Genova writes.
One last day of Summer - My first Shari Low and my first Boldwood Read Along.
Breaking the Friendzone and Revenge Honeymoon - Some fun romances that standout from the rest.
3 AM Shattered Mums Club, Suffer and Bookish People - 3 of my favourite fictions from this year.
A Game Maker's Life - Everything I didn't know that I didn't know about my favourite childhood games.
Uncultured - like three books in one.
Wine Girl - Waited forever, glad I read it.
Worthy - Heartbreaking and impossible to put down.
Fierce and Chalked Up - Read vicariously and so I don't do this to my future daughters
Unsilenced - Essentially the adult and nonfiction version of my favourite middle grade book.
So Damn Sketchy - An exciting find that I couldn't put down.
Scarborough and Abundance - two similar books, both reminded me of an all-time fave, Maid.
Looking for Jane - A recent read and definitely a new fave, watch for my review in 2023.
Unreconciled - I didn't know about Jesse Wente before but I definitely feel I know him now.
How you Grow Wings - one of my last books of 2022 and a good way to end the year.
December 31, 2022
A Child of My Own
I was SO lucky to receive this book from Nicole at Forever (Hachette Book Group)! Bookmail in general is very exciting, but it's even better when you get to discover a fabulous new book from a new fave author! I will definitely be grabbing copies of Vanessa Carnevale's other books asap!
A Child of My Own tells the story of two women, Isla and Lucy, through alternating POV chapters. At first, the connection between the two women is not overly obvious, but Carnevale slowly and carefully lets the story unfold and as it becomes clear, the tie between these two women is one that will last a lifetime despite not having had any contact with each other for almost a decade.
Isla and her husband Ben are not able to conceive naturally. They needed a donor couple (not just a sperm or egg donor) and an embryologist to help them conceive their dream child. Fast forward 10 years and they have a a beautiful daughter who is curious about her genetic traits such as blue eyes and being able to roll her tongue, and has no idea she is donor-conceived. Added to the chaos of raising a preteen, Isla and Ben also have to decide whether or not they will try to conceive one more time using the last embryo that is about to reach its time limit for being frozen and stored.
Lucy and her husband Nate are extremely happy. They both have careers that are exciting and filled with traveling and adventures, but as they begin to settle down and renovate their house, they reconsider their future. They initially thought that neither of them ever wanted children, but one day Nate brings up thoughts he's had about becoming a dad and Lucy is terrified this will be a deal breaker. Just as Nate starts to convince Lucy that maybe she could become a mom one day, a terrible accident happens that will change their lives forever.
One of the things I loved about this book was how there were so many surprises and twists revealed as the story unfolded. From decades-long secrets to an unexpected turn of events, Carnevale definitely knows how to hold a reader's attention! I had such a hard time putting this book down and was devastated when it was done. The ending and epilogue were great, but I wasn't done following the lives of Isla, Lucy and their families! If you're looking for a fiction story that involves fertility challenges and family secrets, this is definitely a great book for you and I highly recommend it! Thanks again to Forever for sending me a copy of this book.
December Reading Wrap Up
Year in Books
*DNF