My Week in Books {2/25/20}

What a week it’s been! I spent Friday in the emergency room with my grandma and it was one of the most terrifying experiences of my life. The important thing is she’s back home and doing just fine; you’d never know anything happened! Then on Saturday, I spend the day back in the emergency room, but this time with my grandpa. He was admitted and got home on Monday, and again, you’d never know anything happened.

I’ve been so emotionally exhausted from last weekend’s ordeal that I’ve been absent from here and my Bookstagram account. I’ve still been reading because duh, but I just don’t have the mental energy or capacity to engage in the commenting, following, and likes game. I think it just means I need a break, and I hope my desire returns, but for now, you’ll probably see a little less of me. I want to keep up with these Week in Books posts because it’s my online journal of what I read – at this point, that’s the very least that I want to be sure to keep up with!

Anyway, onto books! Here’s some of my recent posts, in case you missed them:

• Book Flights Vol. 2
• My Week in Books {2/19/20}
• My Week in Books {2/12/20}
• Libro.fm’s Bookstore Link – Allowing you to easily buy physical books from your favorite indie bookstore!

What have you been reading (and loving) this week?

Last Week’s Reads:

 

🎧 *** Open Book by: Jessica Simpson

I’m not a huge fan of Jessica Simpson, but I was still interested in her story. She is very open and honest in this memoir, and I really appreciated it. Listening to her read her own story on audiobook was powerful. I was struck by her insecurity – always feeling not good enough and fighting her bodyweight to make the music industry happy. Though most of us aren’t celebrities, I think a lot of us can relate to those insecurities and battles with our bodies. I loved feeling like Simpson was relatable.

There is speculation that Simpson used a ghostwriter – for me, I absolutely think she did. And while I appreciate how readable it made the book, it also frustrated me because it truly didn’t sound like her voice. It kept this from being a five-star review for me (I fluctuated between 3 ½- and 4-stars, but settled on 4 because, even if it is ghostwritten, I was still captivated by her story).

I’d recommend the audiobook on this one because stories are always better told through the voice of the real person. Also, at the end, there’s a bonus of six songs that help inspire the book!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ | Dey Street Books | Pub Date: February 4, 2020 | 416 Pages | Audiobook | Purchase via Bookstore Link

📖 *** Darling Rose Gold by: Stephanie Wrobel

The creep factor is high in this one! I don’t want to say too much and spoil the book for anyone, but I enjoyed this dark pshycological thriller even if it was predictable. I love a book with an unreliable character and in this book, you get two! And what freaked me out the most is that there are actually people like this in the world! 😳 Anyway, if you need a quick read and you like a good psychological book, this would be a great one to pick up!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ | Berkley Books | Pub Date: March 17, 2020 | 320 Pages | E-book | Purchase via Bookstore Link

🎧 *** Me and White Supremacy: Combat Racism, Change the World, and Become a Good Ancestor by: Layla F. Saad

This is a must read, especially if you’re a white and don’t believe you’re racist and that you don’t perpetuate racist stereotypes and behaviors. It’s uncomfortable – in a good way – and helped me see where some of my blindspots are. I want to keep reading books that help open my eyes and continue to make me a better person.

(The audiobook is great, but the book is good to have as well because the contents are presented in a workbook format.)

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ | Sourcebooks | Pub Date: February 4, 2020 | 256 Pages | Hardcover | Purchase via Bookstore Link

📱 *** Big Lies in a Small Town by: Diane Chamberlain

I wish this book would have been more engaging. It’s almost like it was too long. It took me awhile to get into, but once I did, I enjoyed the story and the mystery element very much. This is the first book I’ve read of Chamberlain’s so I wasn’t totally sure what to expect from her writing. I think I liked it enough to give her another shot, but overall I think I was definitely hoping for more.

⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 | St. Martin’s Press | Pub Date: January 14, 2020 | 391 Pages | E-book | Purchase via Bookstore Link

📖 Burnout: The Secret to Unlocking the Stress Cycle by: Emily and Amelia Nagoski

This was one of the most raved about nonfiction books of last year. I heard about it all over #bookstagram and on podcasts. Because of all the hype, I was expecting (and wanting) so much more than what I got.

I can understand how this book was helpful to many women. But, for me, it fell flat. I have spent the better part of the last six years exploring my health and so many of the concepts presented in Burnout were not new news for me.

Also, the patriarchy aspect was a little too over-the-top for me. I didn’t totally understand how it fit into the rest of the book and its inclusion felt a little forced, in my opinion.

⭐️⭐️⭐️ | Ballantine Books | Pub Date: March 26, 2019 | 277 Pages | Hardcover | Purchase via Bookstore Link

Currently Reading:

📖 *** The Water Will Come: Rising Seas, Sinking Cities, and the Remaking of the Civilized World by: Jeff Goodell

Halfway through and I’m still amazed at all the things I’m learning! Highly recommend if you’re curious about climate change, rising water levels, and where we may be heading in this modern day crisis.

Little Brown | Pub Date: October 24, 2017 | 352 Pages | Hardcover | Purchase via Bookstore Link

📖 *** Wyoming by: J.P Gritton

Picked this up on a whim because I couldn’t get to my Kindle (which I was reading Big Lies in a Small Town on) that was on my nightstand and I was trying to be nice to my sleeping husband. Anyway, this one is gritty and the writing really reminds me of Cherry, though the plots are very different.

My main reason for picking this one up is because I just don’t get to read dark and gritty books. Men write in a way so different from women and I like that diversification from time to time. But I hardly ever really love or connect to the story…so I’m not sure how this one will finish for me. Stay tuned. 

P.S. For a dark and gritty book written by a male author that is so, so good, read The Line That Held Us and thank me later!

Tin House Books | Pub Date: November 19, 2019 | 242 Pages | Paperback | Purchase via Bookstore Link

🎧 *** Running With Sherman: The Donkey With the Heart of a Hero by: Christopher McDougall

I loved McDougall’s previous book, Born To Run: A Hidden Tribe, Superathletes, and the Greatest Race the World Has Never Seen, and I’m not even a runner! I’ve heard unbelievable things about Running With Sherman, so I decided to give it a try on audio!

Knopf | Pub Date: October 15, 2019 | 341 Pages | Audiobook | Purchase via Bookstore Link

(#partner #freebooks: All books noted by asterisks (***) indicate I received the book for free from the publisher, the author, or another promotional company to review. All opinions are my own.)