The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls

 

Synopsis: The Glass Castle is a remarkable memoir of resilience and redemption, and a revelatory look into a family at once deeply dysfunctional and uniquely vibrant. When sober, Jeannette’s brilliant and charismatic father captured his children’s imagination, teaching them physics, geology, and how to embrace life fearlessly. But when he drank, he was dishonest and destructive. Her mother was a free spirit who abhorred the idea of domesticity and didn’t want the responsibility of raising a family.

The Walls children learned to take care of themselves. They fed, clothed, and protected one another and eventually found their way to New York. Their parents followed them, choosing to be homeless even as their children prospered.

The Glass Castle is truly astonishing—a beloved memoir that has lived on the bestseller list for more than six years. 

When I read "Educated" months ago I was shocked at how some people live their lives and how much resilience they have to have to survive in their homes growing up. This book was no exception.  This book was different from "Educated" as the Walls children protected each other and all had the same goal.  They lived with two parents that were more interested in themselves, their hobbies and alcohol than the welfare of their children.  The part of the story where they haven't eaten in 3 days and ended

mixing butter and sugar together just to eat something just made me cringe. And then they get in trouble for it because the mom might have wanted to bake bread eventually.

I then found out that this book was also made into a movie which I watched just after finishing this novel.  There were so many things left out, because they couldn't fit every crazy thing in there, but there were some important moments too that they captured. 

Death by Chocolate Malted Milkshake (Death by Chocolate Mystery #2) by Sarah Graves

 

Synopsis: The island fishing village of Eastport, Maine, has plenty of salty local character. It also has a sweet side, thanks to Jacobia “Jake” Tiptree, her best friend Ellie, and their waterfront bake shop, The Chocolate Moose. But when island life is disrupted by the occasional killer, Jake and Ellie put their chocolate treats aside to make sure justice is served. 

 
This summer, Eastport’s favorite lovebirds, kindergarten teacher Sharon Sweetwater and Coast Guard Captain Andy Devine, are getting married. The gala reception is sure to be the fête of the season, especially with a wedding-cake-sized whoopie pie courtesy of The Chocolate Moose. For Jake and Ellie, the custom-ordered confection will finally reel in some much-needed profits. But the celebratory air, and sweet smell of success, are ruined by foul murder.
 
When Sharon’s bitter ex-boyfriend Toby is poisoned with an arsenic-laced milkshake, Andy is jailed as the prime suspect and the wedding is cancelled, whoopie pie and all. Then Sharon makes a shocking confession—one that sounds like a fishy attempt to get Andy off the hook. Now both the bride and groom are behind bars. And with the fate of The Chocolate Moose at stake, it’s up to Jake and Ellie to catch a poisonous predator before someone else sips their last dessert.

Once I finished the first book in this series I knew I had to keep going, thus this book. I like how these books are not really graphic for a murder book, but it gives just enough detail so you can imagine everything. At the same time there are many twists and turns that I have been kept guessing as to who the killer is.  Plus, these books refer to chocolate and makes me just want to curl up with some chocolates nearby as I read to keep me satisfied. I would highly recommend this book to a person who loves a good mystery.

The Choice by Nicholas Sparks

 

Synopsis:#1 New York Times bestseller Nicholas Sparks turns his unrivaled talents to a new tale about love found and lost, and the choices we hope we'll never have to make.

Travis Parker has everything a man could want: a good job, loyal friends, even a waterfront home in small-town North Carolina. In full pursuit of the good life - boating, swimming , and regular barbecues with his good-natured buddies -- he holds the vague conviction that a serious relationship with a woman would only cramp his style. That is, until Gabby Holland moves in next door. Spanning the eventful years of young love, marriage and family, THE CHOICE ultimately confronts us with the most heartwrenching question of all: how far would you go to keep the hope of love alive?

I think I am one for a good romance novel about love and happiness. Nicholas Sparks always seems to bring that. I did find this novel good, but predicable in a sense. Maybe you get that way after reading so many of his books.  I don't know if I was a fan of how fast paced the romance was. In the book she starts with a serious boyfriend who she has been together for years. Then enter Travis and in just one weekend the whole thing gets disrupted and she wants something else completely.  

But the choice that Travis has to make in this book made me question my own life and prompted me to a discussion with my own husband about what he would do if I was in that position or visa versa. It does make you remember just how precious life is and how fast it can all disappear. I don't know how I could do it with my two young kids that are 5 1/2 and 18 months if I were to lose my husband so suddenly.

After reading this book I borrowed the movie from my local library and I personally wasn't a big fan of the casting they did for the movie. But the story line was good and was portrayed how I envisioned it.

Girl, Wash Your Face: Stop Believing the Lies about Who You Are So You Can Become Who You Were Meant to Be by Rachel Hollis

 

Synopsis: With wry wit and hard-earned wisdom, popular online personality and founder of TheChicSite.com founder Rachel Hollis helps readers break free from the lies keeping them from the joy-filled and exuberant life they are meant to have.

Founder of the lifestyle website TheChicSite.com and CEO of her own media company, Chic Media, Rachel Hollis has created an online fan base of hundreds of thousands of fans by sharing tips for living a better life while fearlessly revealing the messiness of her own. Now comes her highly anticipated first book featuring her signature combination of honesty, humor, and direct, no-nonsense advice.

Each chapter of Girl, Wash Your Face begins with a specific lie Hollis once believed that left her feeling overwhelmed, unworthy, or ready to give up. As a working mother, a former foster parent, and a woman who has dealt with insecurities about her body and relationships, she speaks with the insight and kindness of a BFF, helping women unpack the limiting mind-sets that destroy their self-confidence and keep them from moving forward.

From her temporary obsession with marrying Matt Damon to a daydream involving hypnotic iguanas to her son's request that she buy a necklace to "be like the other moms," Hollis holds nothing back. With unflinching faith and tenacity, Hollis spurs other women to live with passion and hustle and to awaken their slumbering goals. 

I really enjoyed this book and how fast paced it went as well as how much I was able to relate to the story. It was like I was sitting right next to her and chatting away as she was sharing all these life stories.  I have dealt with several issues she has about being a working mom and insecurities about her body and love life with her husband.  It definitely made me feel more comfortable with who I am currently.  I would recommend this book to any woman or Mom who is feeling a bit insecure about her life.

I'm adding a link down below for a video Rachel Hollis made explaining why she wrote this book. 

Why did I write Girl, Wash Your Face?

The Mermaid and Mrs Hancock by Imogen Hermes Gowar

 

Synopsis: This voyage is special. It will change everything…

One September evening in 1785, the merchant Jonah Hancock hears urgent knocking on his front door. One of his captains is waiting eagerly on the step. He has sold Jonah’s ship for what appears to be a mermaid.

As gossip spreads through the docks, coffee shops, parlours and brothels, everyone wants to see Mr Hancock’s marvel. Its arrival spins him out of his ordinary existence and through the doors of high society. At an opulent party, he makes the acquaintance of Angelica Neal, the most desirable woman he has ever laid eyes on… and a courtesan of great accomplishment. This meeting will steer both their lives onto a dangerous new course, on which they will learn that priceless things come at the greatest cost.

Where will their ambitions lead? And will they be able to escape the destructive power mermaids are said to possess?

In this spell-binding story of curiosity and obsession, Imogen Hermes Gowar has created an unforgettable jewel of a novel, filled to the brim with intelligence, heart and wit.

I admit the cover of this book is what caught my attention. I had seen it in my local library and checked it out. Then I found it was available in audio book, so I went that route. At first it was very hard to follow and keep track of the characters, but once I got it all organized it was easier to follow.  I admit I was not a fan of this storyline and how it was about prostitution and how graphic some of the scenes were.  I was thinking of not finishing it but it kept me seeing how it ended.  I had thought that the mermaid would have had a more magical effect on the people, but it seemed to be quite the opposite.   This audiobook was 17 hours long and I felt like there were bit and pieces of the storyline that could have been cutout to save time. 

Hidden Figures by Margot Lee Shetterly

Synopsis: The #1 New York Times Bestseller. Set amid the civil rights movement, the never-before-told true story of NASA’s African-American female mathematicians who played a crucial role in America’s space program. Before Neil Armstrong walked on the moon, a group of professionals worked as ‘Human Computers’, calculating the flight paths that would enable these historic achievements. Among these were a coterie of bright, talented African-American women. Segregated from their white counterparts, these ‘coloured computers’ used pencil and paper to write the equations that would launch rockets and astronauts, into space. Moving from World War II through NASA’s golden age, touching on the civil rights era, the Space Race, the Cold War and the women’s rights movement, ‘Hidden Figures’ interweaves a rich history of mankind’s greatest adventure with the intimate stories of five courageous women whose work forever changed the world.

When I first saw the movie, I was inspired by the story and was excited to read this story. And while I found it had snippets and bits from the movie I felt this like book was at times hard to follow and many pieces I couldn't relate to.  I am grateful for these women and the hard work they did and that their story is out there, but I think I would stick to the movie before reading this book again.