Brief Book Review: The Long Awakening

The Long Awakening, a memoir by Lindsey O'Connor
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This was an interesting glimpse into a situation most of us (hopefully) won't find ourselves in: a long coma with a long recovery. What precipitated the coma was childbirth -- a uterine rupture and massive blood loss. This hit a little too close to home for me, but I am thankful that I didn't suffer to the extent that the author did. What I really appreciated about her account was her admission that even though so many who prayed for her consider her recovery a miracle, she isn't sure of the "meaning" of it all.

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*Thanks to the publisher for providing an ecopy for review through NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

Book Review: Dear Mr. Knightley

Dear Mr. Knightley by Katherine Reay
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I have mixed feelings about this book. I am no Jane Austen fan (despite having degrees in English and Library Science), so perhaps that influenced my enjoyment (or lack thereof), but I had a very hard time buying the main character in this epistolary novel. A former foster kid whose traumatic childhood was far from sheltered, Samantha Moore somehow knows very little about the world -- think Dr. Temperance Brennan in "Bones" for a pop culture reference. She has long taken refuge in books, particularly Austen's and the Brontes', and the two-year period of the book reveals her slow blossoming into trust and connection with others, notably a couple who become surrogate parents and a famous author. Her letters themselves are addressed to "Mr. Knightley," an anonymous benefactor who is paying for her to attend graduate school in a program not of her choosing (although the reasons behind this are never quite clear), and in which she struggles mightily. Anyone who has read "Daddy Long Legs" will not be remotely surprised by the "twist" at the end, and perhaps that deflated the book's plot for me as well. Despite all of this, I was compelled to finish the book --perhaps because of the inherent momentum of a book written in brief letters? -- and the ending was as I expected. I'd like to hear an Austen fan's take on this novel.

* Thanks to the publisher for providing an e-galley for review through NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

View all my reviews

Book Review: Dear Mr. Knightley

Dear Mr. Knightley by Katherine Reay
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I have mixed feelings about this book. I am no Jane Austen fan (despite having degrees in English and Library Science), so perhaps that influenced my enjoyment (or lack thereof), but I had a very hard time buying the main character in this epistolary novel. A former foster kid whose traumatic childhood was far from sheltered, Samantha Moore somehow knows very little about the world -- think Dr. Temperance Brennan in "Bones" for a pop culture reference. She has long taken refuge in books, particularly Austen's and the Brontes', and the two-year period of the book reveals her slow blossoming into trust and connection with others, notably a couple who become surrogate parents and a famous author. Her letters themselves are addressed to "Mr. Knightley," an anonymous benefactor who is paying for her to attend graduate school in a program not of her choosing (although the reasons behind this are never quite clear), and in which she struggles mightily. Anyone who has read "Daddy Long Legs" will not be remotely surprised by the "twist" at the end, and perhaps that deflated the book's plot for me as well. Despite all of this, I was compelled to finish the book --perhaps because of the inherent momentum of a book written in brief letters? -- and the ending was as I expected. I'd like to hear an Austen fan's take on this novel.

* Thanks to the publisher for providing an e-galley for review through NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

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My First #MamaVoxBox from Influenster!

I read about Influenster on another blog and took about 10 minutes to register and set up a profile.  Shortly thereafter, I found out that my #MamaVoxBox was on the way!  What a great box of free samples.  I was excited to find two full-size tubes of Pond's BB Cream (in light and medium; I'm pale but my sister is not, so I gave her the medium!), a pair of Dr. Scholl's for Her Comfort Insoles (which have greatly improved my favorite fall/winter boots), a belVita SoftBaked Breakfast Biscuit (yum!), and Annie's single-serving microwaveable mac & cheese, which Evan happily ate for lunch one day.  If you'd like to try out great stuff for free, signing up for Influenster is a really easy way to do that. 

*Obviously, I was given free samples of these products by Influenster.  All opinions are my own.

My Brilliant Idea: Personalized Dishwasher Magnet

I couldn't find a clean/dirty dishwasher magnet I liked, so I made up my own!

Photo Gallery Magnet

Click here to browse Shutterfly's modern graduation invitations.

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Book Review: Expecting Better

Expecting Better: How to Fight the Pregnancy Establishment with Facts by Emily Oster
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Oster, an economics professor, wanted to know the "why" behind all of the recommendations she was given during her first pregnancy, and she figured she wasn't the only one. So she wrote a book examining all the studies that have led to various recommendations for pregnancy and childbirth, with very interesting conclusions...but it was like a cliffhanger ending regarding breastfeeding; the author only mentioned it in the epilogue that the nurse wanted to supplement with formula in the hospital since her newborn daughter had lost 11% of her body weight, and Oster realized she had more research to do. Hopefully there will be a sequel! I appreciated her conversational style and the way she simplified the medical research. I'd recommend this to anyone interested in pregnancy and the current medical system.

*Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing an e-galley for review.

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Brief Book Review: The Outcast

The Outcast: a modern retelling of The Scarlet Letter by Jolina Petersheim
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I haven't read The Scarlet Letter since high school, so I can't say how close this adheres to the original, but transferring the setting from the Puritan community to the Old Order Mennonite community works very well, and the modern twist that leads to the revelation of Rachel's illegitmate son's father ratcheted up the tension. A worthwhile read.

*Thanks to the publisher for providing an e-galley for review through NetGalley.

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