The one and only thing, I did not care for was our hero", Griffin was adopted as a baby and his mother never told him. When he found out about being adopted, which he did not find out until he was out of high school, he hightailed it out of town and joined the Marines. Now he is trying to make amends to his mother, who now has Alzheimer's, but he thinks of her as not his "real" mother. Being that I am an adoptive mother, I find referring to her as "not his real mother" is incorrect; she may not be his "biological mother", but as she has loved him and raised him since he was an infant, she is definitely a "real" mother, more so than the biological mother, who I believe abandoned him. Most people would probably not even have noticed the language used, but an adopted person or parent of an adopted child may find exception with the terms used.
Other than the "real mother" references, I loved this book and would give it 4.75 stars on Goodreads.
(I received this book through NetGalley from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.)
I received an ARC of The Bridge to Brilliance by Nadia Lopez from the publisher and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Very much enjoyed it. She is a principal at a middle school in the Brownsville section of Brooklyn, who opens a school and makes a huge difference in her "scholars" (students) lives and the community at large. It is an inspiration to read how one person's vision, along with the help of teachers and staff helped to make students who the public mostly expected to fail, ended up exceeding: getting their grades and test scores up, graduating not only middle school, but to go onto and finish high school and in many circumstances continue onto college.
3.5 to 4 stars
(I received this book through NetGalley from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.)
I listened to this book on audio and it's narrated by Drew Barrymore herself. For the most part I liked this book; the stories that she includes in the book are not in chronological order though, which is somewhat confusing as to what happened when in her life. This book though is not highly memorable, but Drew does seem to have grown up and become responsible now that she is a mother to 2 young daughters, Olive and Frankie.
2.75 - 3.0 stars
I listened to this as an audiobook. This was not as good as I hoped, and some of it was not the most interesting. I wish there would have been more stories about the dogs and the people they were placed with. I did find it interesting how the dogs were trained by prisoners in a couple prisons, I believe in West Virginia and later how the dogs more or less picked the people they were to be match with. Some of the stories also just were not necessary to this book. For these reasons I feel this book should actually be 2.5 stars.
Another book that I listened to on audio. I enjoyed this book and after reading some of the Goodread reviews I wasn't sure I would. It may not be the best book of the year, but it was an interesting and inspirational read (listen) about a young woman, who had a horrific accident but was able to persevere over the odds with her and her family's very strong faith in God.
3.5 stars.
3.5 stars.
I really love this series. Most of these books just keep getting better and better. This one centered on two fairly new characters. Aidan, a fire fighter and fire investigator who sister, Sloane was in the last book and Dana, a real estate agent who was mentioned briefly in the last one or two books and you learn more of her back story.. I really enjoyed this story, there are a slew of fires that have been set in the small town of Nugget and there is a mystery behind who-dun-it. If you enjoyed Robyn Carr's Virgin River series, you will probably enjoy the Nugget series by Stacy Finz.
I received this an ARC through NetGalley from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
4.5 stars
(I received this book through NetGalley from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.)
I received this an ARC through NetGalley from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
4.5 stars
(I received this book through NetGalley from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.)
This is an incredibly difficult book to rate and review. It is based on a true story of Arn Chorn-Pond who was still technically a child when the Khmer Rouge came to power in Cambodia and through miraculous odds survived the Cambodian genocide. He saw and did things in order to survive that no person, much less child should ever have to see or do. This book is labeled as young adult literature and with the subject matter and descriptions found in this book, I think that it is suited for older high school students. I am glad that I listened this rather than reading it, since the way it is written using phrases and incorrect grammar as if the story was being told by Arn himself, before he had a full grasp of the English language. Although I recommend this book, a better book was one I read a few years, Mother and the Tiger: A Memoir of the Killing Fields by Dana Hui Lim.
3 stars
This was my first book that I've read (listened to) by Karen Kingsbury; I have read quite a few other Christian fiction novels, though. The basic underlying story in Shades of Blue is good, but it is very preachy and took away from my enjoyment of the story.
2.5 stars
2.5 stars
I think this is the first Nicholas Spark book I read (listened to), although I know I saw the movie, The Notebook and possibly A Walk to Remember. I loved this book. The ending wasn't quite what I expected, but it was still pretty good.
4.75 stars.
4.75 stars.
I am currently reading the ARC of Jodi Picoult's newest book, Small Great Things, which is to be released in October. I know that I won't be able to finish this before the end of August. I also have 2 library books on my Kindle to read, This Is Where It Ends by Marieke Nijkamp and Freedom: My Book of Firsts by Jaycee Dugard. I've heard both good and bad about This Is Where It Ends, so I'm not sure what to expect. This is the second book by Jaycee Dugard . I read A Stolen Life over 4 years ago; can't believe it has been this long.. Also, have a few audiobooks from the library, An Invisible Thread by Laura Schroff and Missing by Shelley Shephard Gray. I'll review these in September. What else I'll read or listen to I'm not sure yet. We'll see what I'm in the mood for. What did you read in August? Do you have any specific books for September?
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