katietotallybooked's Reviews (785)

This book was Odd, with a capital O. The author was recommended by a fellow book club member. He had enjoyed Koch’s latest book The Ditch and was telling us about it at our last meeting. We all were intrigued and so we decided as a group to read this book to discuss at our October meeting. But it is so different from what I normally read, and not in a good way.

This book falls in the satirical fiction genre. Satire is not something I easily understand, and therefore it’s not a genre that I typically explore. Simply put, I just don’t really get it. Here’s an official definition of satire fiction, for those of you who may also be unsure as to what it actually is.

Satire is a technique employed by writers to expose and criticize foolishness and corruption of an individual or a society, by using humor, irony, exaggeration, or ridicule. It intends to improve humanity by criticizing its follies and foibles.

Taken from www.literarydevices.net
But honestly, that definition doesn’t even really help me understand Satire.

So because of the genre and writing style of this book, I barely got through it. The main premise is that two couples (in which the husbands are brothers) are meeting to discuss a shocking and horrible act against a homeless individual that was committed by their two teenage boys. The have this discussion over a fancy dinner at an upscale restaurant. But the way the parents handle it was boggling my mind! Their thought process, their priorities, everything! So the parenting is very questionable, to say the least. None of the parents are on the same page, and appear to all be thinking about the act from a selfish perspective.

The book is written in first person. Mr. Lohman (the narrator) remains somewhat of a mystery because it appears he has this ailment but the reader never finds out what it actually is. And then he goes back and forth between present time, which is the dinner that is happening, and the past to reveal information and events about himself and his family prior to. Ultimately, I found the back and forth timelines confusing to follow.

This book was HEAVY. And I don’t mean heavy in weight, I mean heavy in drama and sadness and tragedy. For those reasons, it was a difficult and slow read. It deals with suicide, unfair murder charges, tight-knit families, and young love. All of these topics can carry immense weights as individual book themes, so when you have them all together in this one novel, I found it was almost too much to read and digest. The story is nothing less than completely tragic. While reading, I was empathizing with Emily and the heavy feelings she was carrying about her relationship with Chris and her trauma. Chris and Emily spent practically every minute of their entire lives together. We learn that neither of them has memories that don’t involve the other person. I can understand how that can cloud and muddle romantic and familial feelings. I couldn’t imagine dealing with all that at only 17 years of age. I feel saddened that Emily felt that she couldn’t be honest with her parents or with Chris. It is heartbreaking that she felt the only way out was through suicide. Emily states:

I’m too much of a coward to kill myself. And too much of a coward to live.

Jodi Picoult, The Pact
I know that mental health and suicide is a very real and prevalent issue in society, especially amongst young people. Even though this book was first published over 20 years ago, the themes of it still relate and can be understood today. After reading it, I don’t believe that Emily wanted to die. I think she felt it would be harder to keep on living. Harder for herself, harder for Chris, and harder for her family. I feel immense sorrow and pain for anyone, fictional or real, who feels that suicide is their best option.

I enjoyed the writing style and language of the story. Even though the timeline goes back and forth between past and present-day, it is easy to follow and I didn’t get lost about the timeline or confused about the characters and their placement. I certainly was interested in the story and the outcome the whole way through, and the author maintained my interest until the very end. I remember feeling my heart rate increase and the suspense build inside of me at one point as I rushed to turn a page. That’s an experience I often only feel in suspense thrillers or rare books by my favourite authors.

Stephanie is admirable. I commend her for taking on the difficult role of single motherhood and for taking herself out of the unhealthy and abusive relationship that she had with Mia’s father. Neither of these choices could have been easy but she knew what she needed to do for her daughter. Stephanie lacked familial support, and that added extra stress as she truly had no one who she could lean on or ask for help. Stephanie’s story is just one story of Americans who struggle to get ahead. I live in Canada and our government supports are different from the United States. But whether they are more or less, better or worse, I can’t be certain. This is because it is not something I have ever had to inquire about or rely on, luckily. However, I do think that there should be more help and handouts available. Whether it is in the form of assistance in paying for childcare, loans or grants for education and job improvement, or subsidized living arrangements, it doesn’t matter. Although all would be preferred.

Stephanie’s story opens your eyes to the “servant” industry. I think that cleaners and janitors are so often looked down upon in society. They are perceived as being uneducated and less than. I think that Stephanie’s story can help to change that perception. Stephanie is smart, hardworking, and self-less. She is doing the work that she can to support herself and her daughter, while also taking college courses. Cleaning other people’s homes is a means to an end. It is a job. She does not let it define who she is. That makes me proud.

Stephanie’s accomplished degree in Creative Writing & English is evident in her writing. It is an engaging story of a personal journey. I read this book as an audiobook and found that there was a wonderful flow and rhythm to the words. As I listened, I found that parts of her story were terrifying and hard to experience, even second hand. I want to thank Stephanie for sharing her story with the world. It has certainly opened my eyes and erased some pre-conceived (and incorrect) notions about those who live and struggle below the poverty line.

This book was chosen as my library’s One Book campaign for the 2019-2020 season. All staff are encouraged to read each book that is selected for the campaign. That way, we can engage in informal book conversations and/or more formal book discussions with patrons who take part in the initiative by reading the book with us. I am only familiar with one other book by Craig Davidson, which is his memoir Precious Cargo: My Year of Driving the Kids on School Bus 3077 because it has been on my TBR list since it’s release. I likely would not have picked up this novel if weren’t for the One Book campaign, because the ghost club aspect would have turned me away (I’m not one for ghost stories). Even though I enjoy coming of age novels, that might not have been enough to convince me to pick it up.

But I am glad that I did!

This was an enjoyable story and there certainly is some literary merit to be given to Davidson’s writing. The story is concise, fitting into less than 250 pages. I felt like there could have been more depth and insight into the characters. Jake was intriguing, but I would have liked some more background on his parents and also his friend Dove. I felt like there was a lot of details about these characters’ lives that were left out. However, this book was also plot-driven and the author accomplished a fully developed and resolved story in that length of a book. So his word choice and use of language were on point here.

I am familiar with the Niagara area, having lived there for the better part of 5 years while attending Brock University. I still visit the area regularly, having friends and family who have since resided there. So it was cool to hear about places, intersections, and areas that I could picture in my mind. Without fact-checking, I do believe that the Screaming Tunnel is a ‘real’ place, as I remember hearing local legends about it while at school. However, I never visited it since I haven’t generally had an appeal for ghosts in the past. I enjoyed the 80’s nostalgia references in this book a lot! It also touched on mental health both uniquely and tragically. Plus, it has a very capturing twist ending, which probably is what boosted my rating for the book a bit higher overall.

This book is enjoyable and it’s a quick read. I feel like it was too short for my general tastes though, and could have used more length and detail in the character development and description.

Published in September 2019, The Last Train to London is a historical fiction novel by Meg Waite Clayton. The story is a fictionalized account of a real-life pre-World War II hero named Taunte Truus who is determined to save as many children as possible from Germany and surrounding war-threatened cities. Her goal is to bring them to safety whether or not they have the proper documentation required by the respective governments. Stephan Neumann, an ambitious young teenage playwright is dear friends with Zofie-Helene, a mathematical prodigy. Their relationship begins when the Nazis are far-off threats. But as Hitler’s forces advance their innocence and relationship are threatened, as well as the lives and livelihood of their families. As the story progresses, the reader is taken on an adventure. Is their hope for Taunte Truus, Stephen, Zofie, and their families? The characters face peril after peril and come upon many obstacles in their communities, as they race against time towards uncertain, but potentially free, futures.

Generally speaking, I don’t read a lot of historical fiction.

I would say that if I do choose to read this genre, it is because I am very interested in the book, and likely the story is based on a true event or person in history. That was the case with this book and Before We Were Yours by Lisa Wingate, which is the other historical fiction book I can recall reading and enjoying this year. I was inspired to read The Last Train to London by bookstagrammer Lindsey (@bringmybooks) because she read it and raved about it in her Instagram stories, telling her followers about how interesting it was. Plus, it seemed like a perfect fit for my IRL (in-real-life) book club theme for November, which is to read a novel with a strong female protagonist. Wouldn’t you agree that Tante Truus seems like a pretty boss lady for the pre-World War II era considering her goal? So that is what brought me to reading The Last Train to London.

This book started a bit slow and confusing. There is a lot of characters to keep straight out of the gate, plus you have German, Dutch, and British countries of origin for names. There were very different storylines forming as well. But I powered through. Eventually, the storylines started to connect and the plot began to fall into place. I appreciated the format of the short chapters of this book since it was quite lengthy (over 400 pages). I think that increased its readability, plus it gives you more opportunities to stop reading which is handy when you just get spurts here and there during the day to read (like I usually do).

I was enjoying the book so much that when I got to page 308 of my library copy, and the next page was 341, I was flabbergasted!

I literally looked from page to page and I was feeling very confused. I didn’t know what was happening until I realized there was actually a printing error. An entire section of pages had been missed, but then repeated, and then bound together. So that meant that I couldn’t keep reading! It was a few days before I purchased my own copy and finished the novel. My library’s copies all had to be returned to the publisher, and while I wasn’t sure this is I book I wanted to purchase, I needed to finish the book!

I found this book to be very interesting. It taught me about a historical event that I had no previous awareness or knowledge of. It has inspired me to do some research about the real-life Kindertransport and Truus Wijsmuller. The story seemed to be both character-driven and plot-driven which I enjoyed. I felt I could empathize with all of the characters and their personal struggles. I was rooting for Tante Truus, Stephen, and Zofie-Helene all the way through to the very last page. It was also a bit of a young-love story, which was an added romantic bonus.

In 2008, author Craig Davidson responded to a flyer he came across that was asking for school bus drivers. That was his first step to a year-long experience that was life-changing and eye-opening, as he drove a handful of kids with special needs back and forth to school on Bus 3077. This book is Craig’s reflection on his experiences over that year. It also weaves in parts of a fictional unpublished novel about a group of superhero types with animal names that Craig was working on while driving the bus. The memoir showcases Craig’s thought processes and ideas about disability that were in constant flux during his experience and lets us see how it may have influenced his fictional writing.

Precious Cargo: My Year Driving the Kids on School Bus 3077 is by Canadian author Craig Davidson. It is a literary memoir that was published in April 2016.

First off, if you don’t already know – I love memoirs. I also rode on a school bus for the majority of my elementary and high school years so I thought it would be interesting to be able to get inside of the mind of a school bus driver. Generally, I don’t remind myself of plot synopsis or read the book jacket summary before I dive into a book, so I wasn’t aware until I started reading that the author drove a group of special needs children students on his bus. But this only made the book more enlightening to me as I read it. As well, I just finished another one of the author’s books, Saturday Night Ghost Club, so I thought since this had been on my TBR for a while that I’d check it out on audio since it was available.

I was very engaged in this book while I was reading. I liked how the author showcased each student on his bus as it allowed me as a reader to get to know them individually. Each young person is endearing and unique. They all have special needs ranging from non-verbal autism, to ADHD, to cerebral palsy. There aren’t many books in the memoir genre that I have come across that allow a reader to gain insight and understanding into so many different disabilities and disorders at one time. I appreciated that the author shared his story too and told us what events in his life led him to drive school bus 3077 for a year. I think this offers a back story to the reader that is important in understanding his experience. At first, I didn’t really understand why he was including fictional excerpts of an unpublished novel. With some research, I learned that he was writing this story during the course of his year driving the bus. It actually signifies the power that the misunderstood in our society can have to affect and change the minds of those they come into contact with. Simply put, I think the novel acts as a metaphor for the author’s experience driving the bus for the year.

I do wish there would have been more to the book! It felt so short and I would have loved for the author to share more anecdotes and stories from his day to day experiences. To me, it felt like there may have been bits left out. I also would have liked the author to share a bit more about how his life changed afterward. Did his views and attitudes about special needs children change? If so, how? Obviously, we know he was finally able to make it as an author, but how long after he was a school bus driver did it take, and what ignited his writing fire again? During this year, he was a single bachelor. Did that change? I have questions!

All in all, I enjoyed the book quite a bit. I just wish it had been longer and included more details and stories about his experiences!

Fantastic memoir! I'll admit that I have never really listened to much of Jessica Simpson's music or seen her movies, or really followed her career too closely. The one CD of hers I had was With You, and I did follow Newlyweds with Nick Lachey. So why did I pick this book up? Because I love memoirs and I wanted to hear her tell her story.

I learned so much about Jessica that I never knew before. She shares details of her whole life, from her upbringing and the starting of her career to her various high-profile relationships. To her struggles with alcohol abuse and her journey into motherhood. After reading this book, I feel that Jessica has been underestimated as a singer, as a woman, and as a singer/songwriter. She was ridiculed and tormented by the media a lot, mostly about her weight & dress size, and intelligence. Yes, she has had slip-ups just like all of us, where we say the wrong thing or have a moment where we say a "dumb" thing. But unlike Jessica, we don't have those moments filmed and repeated in the media for days and days. And for a young teenager who was told to be more like Britney Spears in order to sell records, well I can only imagine the effects of that on her confidence and self-esteem.
I am so glad that she openly and honestly shared her story. I see Jessica as someone with wholesome values and strong morals, but as a young woman, those don't always contend well in Hollywood. Because sex sells right? I empathize with Jessica's struggles and I commend her for writing this book and putting her truth into the world. And I think it further shows that just because someone is a celebrity and makes millions of dollars, doesn't mean that they aren't a woman who has up and down days, just like the rest of us.

I mostly enjoyed this book via audio. The performance and experience of the book was SO GREAT. I enjoyed the demo recordings a lot! I do listen to some Tegan & Sara tunes, so that is why I was interested in this books But I found I couldn’t relate much to their high school experiences as it was so different from mine. The only common experience was probably being Canadian, to be honest.

An insightful memoir about Samra’s experience growing up as an Ahmadi Muslim in Pakistan, immigrating to Toronto with her family, and searching for happiness. She continually lived her life with courage and perseverance as she engaged in self-exploration and found her ‘people’ and her purpose.

I really enjoyed this memoir. It read likes a long journal entry as Samra shares her thoughts and experiences in a narrative form. She doesn’t really give details about her siblings, other than her relationship with her parents. It’s a very self-focus memoir. It’s also a quick and easy read. I read it in only two sittings, which is rare for me!

I had a very different upbringing from Samra. I was in one of those families where the parents were involved in the community and we went on summer vacations. My parents were, and still are my greatest supporters. She alludes to not knowing what that is like. But where I did find common ground with the author is in the expression that chosen families are a cornerstone of queer culture. I would add that this is true of many other cultures too, but I do understand it’s increased importance in her eyes. I just know that my chosen family are my dearest friends who I share interests, values and morals with. Maybe more so than my own biological family.

It’s always important to read #ownvoices books. Nominated as a Canada Reads title this year, I would say this is an important story to digest.

I found this book very informative. There was so much about how birth control works that I was not aware of. Sarah Hill writes in a way that is insightful and research based, without being too dry, boring, or scienc-y. From this book I learned a lot about hormones, and my biggest takeaways were:
1. You are your hormones. Hormones are what make you unique. So when the birth control pill works by flatlining your homones, it changes who you essentially are.
2. Everyone experiences birth control differently. How it makes me feel will be different from anyone else.
3. Women are where we are in society because of birth control. We have careers, we have children if and when we are ready, and we can have more dreams and goals than any generation before us. So thank you birth control.
But that doesn't mean that I want to take that little pill any more...
This is a worthwhile read for any woman who has taken birth control, is taking birth control, or is thinking about taking birth control. We need to know more about what it does and how it controls our body!