Carry On, Warrior: Thoughts on Life Unarmed is absolutely a good read! Glennon Doyle Melton is a very popular blogger who inspires readers with her uniquely honest voice. In the book, Glennon details both the darkest and difficult and giddy and glorious days of her life in a manner so self-deprecating and witty, that you cannot put the book down. From her struggles with drugs, alcohol, and, an eating disorder to her triumphs in sobriety, marriage, and writing, this mother of three delivers a …
Autobiography
Everybody Into The Pool
Beth Lisick’s Everybody Into The Pool is supposed to be a humorous novel which pays tribute to America’s subcultures. In many respects, it works too. I found myself laughing a lot while I read this and it’s a short work which won’t outstay its welcome. The downsides are that it’s R-rated and often unnecessarily so and Beth’s a bit too full of herself at times and it detracts from her points. However, this is a minor whine and it’s very much worth the discounted price you can grab it for …
Stuck In The Middle With You: A Memoir Of Parenting In Three Genders
There is a lot of controversy around the difficulties of parenting in a transgender and non-binary world. I don’t know how I’d parent if I found out that one my children felt trapped in the wrong gender, but I do know that I learned a lot about it from Stuck In The Middle With You: A Memoir Of Parenting In Three Genders by Jennifer Finney Boylan. This is a book about the big joys of being human and the big challenges too. If you ever wondered how you might handle a situation which requires …
Wild Swans: Three Daughters Of China
This is one of the best-selling novels of all time and it’s one of my personal favorites. Wild Swans by Jung Chang opens the door to China, the world’s largest country, and shows you the relationship between three women spanning three generations. It’s a powerful and moving book with great insight into the evolving superpower on everyone’s doorstep. I couldn’t put it down once I started it and I suspect you won’t be able to either. This is what writing should be. Kirkus Reviews said, “An …
Are You My Mother?
Alison Bechdel’s mother always wanted her to become an artist. Are You My Mother? is the story of how Alison achieved her mother’s dream and also an exploration of a complex relationship with a complex woman. Alison’s mother was married to a gay man still trapped in the closet, she rarely offered physical affection and yet, was a voracious reader and solid actor. It is the interplay between mother and often confused daughter that will bring both a smile to your face and tears to your …
In The Hot Zone: One Man, One Year, Twenty Wars
Kevin Sites has lived through the craziest year of anybody’s life. He took his video camera, stills camera and a laptop. He married them to a Satellite Internet connection and then as Yahoo! News’s first war correspondent – he threw himself into 20 war zones in a single year. Something that no other reporter has ever done in history. If you’ve ever wondered what it takes to be a war reporter in the era of modern media, this is the book for you. If you’re fascinated by tales of human courage …
A River In Darkness
This is not an easy read. It’s the tale of Masaji Ishikawa and his 36-years trapped in North Korea before he could finally escape to the world. It’s fast-paced and compelling reading which will absolutely shock you and move you. Don’t expect to get away without breaking into tears at least once. However, this is an essential read. This book tells the story of the ongoing genocide of the North Korean people as much as it tells the story of a man. You need to read this and maybe ask, why do our …
As Wide As The Sky
If you read one book this week, make it As Wide as The Sky by Jessica Pack. This is a deep tale of the way a mother copes with the loss of her child. Robbie’s end is not a natural one, it comes after four years on death row. Amanda his mother has to piece her soul back together after putting her own life on hold to support him. This is not an easy read but is one of the most rewarding reads I’ve had in recent times. You won’t forget it for a long time after you finish the last page. That …
Wild Swans: Three Daughters Of China
This is one of the best-selling novels of all time and it’s one of my personal favorites. Wild Swans by Jung Chang opens the door to China, the world’s largest country, and shows you the relationship between three women spanning three generations. It’s a powerful and moving book with great insight into the evolving superpower on everyone’s doorstep. I couldn’t put it down once I started it and I suspect you won’t be able to either. This is what writing should be. Kirkus Reviews said, “An …