Reading Challenge: A Book Written by a Woman of Color - check!

Once again I am a few days late in my post, but I am flying through books this year. Looks like I may just smash my goal of 30 books if I keep up this pace.

My latest read was The Lost Girls of Camp Forevermore by Kim Fu.

I made my way through this pretty quickly, but would have liked for the past and present to be tied  more cohesively together. I felt like the incident that was supposed to have changed everyone's lives, making them who they ended up being, was not delved into enough. I felt like it was just touched upon lightly and did not go deep enough for me. I was thinking it might be a bit more of a newer female version of Lord of the Flies (which I loved when I read it in Grade 9! I even saw both the original movie and then the remake that starred a very young Balthazar Getty). Where each of the girls ended up was interesting enough, I just wish that the time on the island had been more weighted. If not for the fact that it was supposed to be what influenced their later lives, the rest of the book was an interesting read in and of itself. I had a hard time relating to some of the characters - not quite sure why. I rated it 3 stars on Goodreads.

My next book is one that I have heard is quite creepy, so I am intrigued:

Reading Challenge: A Book With a Color in the Title - check!

This was an easy pick. The minute I saw a James Patterson book with a color in the title, I borrowed it from the library. I have always loved his books and just like many, have often found myself thinking, 'just one more chapter' and then it is 2am in the morning (those darn 5-page chapters are misleading)! I actually have my father to thank for introducing me to his books back when I was in college. He had bought Along Came a Spider and Kiss the Girls as stocking stuffers for me (must have been Christmas of 1995). Who could have known that he would put me on the path to loving a particular author?

NYPD Red is the start of a series (I just know I am gonna enjoy each book in the series) of NY City cops sworn to protect the rich and famous. High stakes, fast-paced and some fun characters. I always enjoy his characters as well as the sarcastic tones that always come across from some of them (this book was no different). I love the formula and always will. I once saw Patterson interviewed and one of the questions was, "Does it bother you that there are people who call you a sell-out because you keep using the same formula?" to which his answer was, "I sell millions of books every year - people can say whatever they want. Why would I change a thing?" I loved hearing that response! Only once did he really break from his normal formula and I was caught off-guard. I will not say which book, but in one the villain actually walks away in the end. I was shocked! And I thought, good on Patterson, for breaking the formula just once to surprise his readers. Even tried and true formulas can be broken just enough to throw fans for a loop. Well played...

So even with my limited time for reading, I managed to get this one done in 4-5 days. A fun read! I gave it a rating of 4 stars on Goodreads.

Now I am starting The Lost Girls of Camp Forevermore, which will cross off a book written by a woman of color. Looking forward to seeing how this one turns out!

 

Reading Challenge: A Book That Stephanie Recommended - check!

I finished this book last weekend. 

Reading The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas was quite the ride. I found myself constantly trying to find time to read it as I wanted to know what was going to happen. The main character, Starr, was in such an impossible position at such a young age. Trying to figure out who she was and how to find her voice while living in 2 very distinct worlds/societies was a great weight on her shoulders while carrying so much tragedy, past and present. The thread of prejudice and racism was something that I wish I could say was an old theme and something that no longer exists, but I am not naive enough to say that. In fact, it brought me back to my days in college, living in Florida. Having moved from a melting pot of races and cultures, I will admit that it was very hard for me at that age to realize that what I had seen in movies was not necessarily exaggerated - it was just not something I had experienced first hand in Montreal (where I was born and raised). Having some situations to pull from with the writing style of Angie Thomas, this book really hit home and pulled me along from page to page, just hoping that things would work out somehow.

The theme of family was one that really hit me as well. What defines a family and the family dynamic is something that is different for everyone. I have always said that we have our family that is blood and our family that we choose. This was something that often came up throughout the book. I don't want to give anything away because I think that this is a story that everyone needs to discover as it happens in order to be able to feel a raw reaction. I was heartbroken while angry while hopeful all the while hooked to the story. I went through lots of emotions and that is why I gave this book a rating of 5 stars on Goodreads. I am still thinking about it, which means it made quite the impression on me. I encourage others to read it and go along the ride with Starr. 

That was a book that was one of Stephanie's 5-star ratings, so I am glad I picked it as my choice for something she recommended.

I have already started my next book: a book with a color in the title. Oh James Patterson, how I love your books. So far this one does not disappoint!

Reading Challenge: Non-fiction - check!

The first book I decided to read for the 2019 Reading Challenge was "It's Not About Perfect" by Shannon Miller and Danny Peary. I decided that this would be the one to check off non-fiction from the list.

I really enjoyed this book. I have always been a fan of gymnastics (not that I can do the sport at all, with my 5'10" frame) and got to relive what I saw in the 1992 and 1996 Olympics. Getting to know more about what led to them and all the years of work that Shannon Miller put into them was really interesting. She mentions her family often, whether to mention how her work ethic was instilled in her by her parents or just to say how supported she was by all the members in her family. Her drive to get to where she ended up, but never feeling like she was the best was surprising. She would only say she worked hard to earn what she received, not that it was because she was the best. Her love of the sport is evident and hearing about what went on behind the scenes was a nice new view on things. Going through her career and then seeing how tough it can be once a top athlete needs to find their way in the "real world" was a good reminder that even those we see in the public eye can be a bit lost at times.

Moving on from athletics to schooling, business and her own marriage and family was a nice glimpse into her life as well. When cancer came into the mix, she touched upon the devastation, but still kept positive and fought it with her trademark upbeat attack. It allowed her to make her company - Shannon Miller Lifestyle - really reach out to others as she really became the poster child for women's health and keeping up with doctor's appointments and such. Imagine if she had not gone in and caught the tumor on her ovary as early as she did...unthinkable!

An easy read and very upbeat story. I rated this 4 stars on Goodreads as I really did like it a lot (I nearly finished the book in 2 days!).

1 book down, 23 to go. Next I am tackling a book recommended by Stephanie: