The Brave Learner by Julie Bogart

The Brave Learner: Finding Everyday Magic in Homeschool, Learning, and Life by Julie Bogart
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

It had some good ideas and some good frames for thinking about motivating kids. But it felt a bit fluffy and a little disorganized/repetitive. I preferred some of the parenting advice over the actual homeschool advice though I was reading it to learn more about homeschooling (through Covid).

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The Penderwicks by Jeanne Birdsall

The Penderwicks: A Summer Tale of Four Sisters, Two Rabbits, and a Very Interesting Boy by Jeanne Birdsall
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

It was tough getting into it because there were a lot of characters introduced in the first few pages, but once I got past the first few chapters it was a lovely story. The characters are unique and reasonably well-developed for a kid's book, and the story involved everything from following the rules, being polite, and kids recognizing that the adults are also complicated people.

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Lifelines by Heidi Diehl

Lifelines by Heidi Diehl
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

There are so many things I love about this book but definitely the characters are the best part. I feel like I know these characters, they are real people, and I want to sit down and drink coffee with them or go watch concerts with them. I'm sad that I can't!

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The Light Between Oceans by M.L. Stedman

The Light Between Oceans by M.L. Stedman
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

At first I thought this book was vaguely hilarious because right up front you know they steal a baby. How do you even feel for a bunch of baby stealers? But then little by little the book ripped my heart out and showed it to me.

Also, I have a crush on this beautiful cover.

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How to Be a Friend to a Friend Who's Sick by Letty Cottin Pogrebin

How to Be a Friend to a Friend Who's Sick by Letty Cottin Pogrebin
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

These are important issues to consider and I'm really glad someone wrote this book. I would have appreciated better organization and more science about what actually makes people feel better.

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What the Most Successful People Do Before Breakfast by Laura Vanderkam

What the Most Successful People Do Before Breakfast: How to Achieve More at Work and at Home by Laura Vanderkam
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I appreciate that this book is short. Vanderkam gives advice, good advice, and doesn't waste your time with filler.

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A Tale for the Time Being by Ruth Ozeki

A Tale for the Time Being by Ruth Ozeki
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This book is not the sexy Buddhist nun story it promises to be on the first few pages. That was a disappointment. It is also not the realistic story it promises to be for the first 60% of the book as it descends into magical realism madness. But I fell in love with the characters and any book that weaves mindfulness and physics into a narrative about time is likely to win me over.

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Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance by Robert M. Pirsig

Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance: An Inquiry Into Values by Robert M. Pirsig
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Ever want to experience the mental illness/breakdown of a philosopher? Also need a few motorcycle maintenance tips? This is the book for you. Some talk about mindfulness and zen as well but not the main topic in my opinion.

Spoiler alert. My hard copy is an original copy. My digital loan from the library had a 10-year anniversary edition Afterword that totally devastated me.

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Etched in Sand by Regina Calcaterra

Etched in Sand: A True Story of Five Siblings Who Survived an Unspeakable Childhood on Long Island by Regina Calcaterra
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

The beginning of this was particularly good and I think it could have been a better memoir with tighter editing. Part of the issue is the main story of her abuse and overcoming the abuse to build a good life is over way before the memoir is over. It could have ended with her first job, quickly summarized her adult life- possibly with a focus on her role as a leader in Long Island.

I was particularly confused about the lengthy section about her paternity test suit, even though as an attorney myself I understood what she explained about the case itself. I understand why the lawsuit may be important to her, but that's different than what's likely to be important to a reader. In any case, I think she sounds like a remarkable person who views her past in a self-aware and rational manner.

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The Association of Small Bombs by Karan Mahajan

The Association of Small Bombs by Karan Mahajan
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This novel is about terrorism in India, both the victims and the terrorists themselves and their relationships. The novel is brilliantly written and the author is apparently a hardcore literary genius. The author's descriptions of grief are moving and real.

My only issue is that there's a little shark-jumping at the end that I suppose is actually a metaphor? I hope it is, but it still put a damper on the overall experience for me.

I strongly recommend this book to people who love literary fiction or who have an interest in terrorism.

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The Moon is a Harsh Mistress by Robert A. Heinlein

The Moon is a Harsh Mistress by Robert A. Heinlein
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I first read this as a kid, but my rating is the same as then. There are many interesting things to consider in this novel: a conscious computer, consciousness versus having a conscience, the principles of freedom and rebellion, the dangers of a crowded dystopian Earth, and some fun guesses at utopian futures: racial integration, varying family structures, tax-free government etc. All of this, plus the tricky revolution plots, make for a very fun book. But large chunks of the book drag, especially in the second half.

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Payoff by Dan Ariely

Payoff: The Hidden Logic That Shapes Our Motivations by Dan Ariely
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A very short book about what motivates us at work, in our families, in our search for a meaning in life. Most of the results are based on actual research in behavioral economics.

In short: control over our lives, creativity, the hard work we put into things, personalizing our work, being personally appreciated at work, love and sacrifice for those we're committed to, and having a sense of legacy in our work or family life.

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Wild by Cheryl Strayed

Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail by Cheryl Strayed
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I feel like this is the part where I have to defend why I liked this so much. But no. It was a very enjoyable book. It was bad ass. It was feminist. I might even read it again one day. I liked the journey itself, I liked her writing, I liked the people she met, I liked all of it.

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The Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion

The Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

A beautiful memoir of how Didion experienced the death of her husband. I read Blue Nights first and now I wonder if I need to revisit Blue Nights, because apparently Quintana had not yet passed away when this book came out.

I looked up the timeline. In 1964 Joan and John got married, and in 1966 they adopted Quintana. Quintana got married in July 26, 2003. Shortly thereafter, Quintana fell into a coma from sepsis a virus or bacteria, and during that time, John Dunn, Joan's husband and Quintana's father passed away on December 30, 2003. Quintana recovered within 3 months. She had a hematoma while traveling shortly after that. She made a difficult recovery in 2004, but then passed away of pancreatitis on August 26, 2005. Didion's The Year of Magical Thinking about her husband's death was already coming out on September 1, 2005. Blue Nights about her daughter's death didn't come out until 2011. These books might be best read back to back, though The Year of Magical Thinking is the better book.

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The Girl with the Lower Back Tattoo by Amy Schumer

The Girl with the Lower Back Tattoo by Amy Schumer
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Different than what I expected. She has a lot of interesting and important things to say. Worth reading. Cried more than I laughed though.

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Eligible by Curtis Sittenfeld

Eligible: A Modern Retelling of Pride and Prejudice by Curtis Sittenfeld
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

It's mostly Pride and Prejudice all over again. But the ending was so awesome and hilarious. And the "modern" aspect of the book was great in terms of being non-judgmental and kind in modern liberal society. I can't wait for the movie, which I'm assuming will come to pass.

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Mom & Me & Mom by Maya Angelou

Mom & Me & Mom by Maya Angelou
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I have not read a biography or autobiography of Maya Angelou and so I was very interested this memoir. It focuses mostly but not exclusively on her mother and other close family relationships: her brother, father, grandmother, and son. It's interesting and a bit wild, as her mother sounds like a threatening character, and unrelatedly, some dangerous things happened to Angelou herself.

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My Name Is Lucy Barton by Elizabeth Strout

My Name Is Lucy Barton by Elizabeth Strout
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A very short, beautiful, and somewhat sad book. It's about a protagonist Lucy, her family, and a few people that make an impression on her. It's about love-and-hurt. It's about poverty. War. Psychological trauma in the lower case.

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Titus Andronicus by William Shakespeare

Titus Andronicus by William Shakespeare
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This play is extremely violent and as a result, it's very difficult to push through. The characters are one-dimensional in a way that is unusual for Shakespeare. However, if you're a lover of Quentin Tarantino's movies you might love this play.

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41: A Portrait of My Father by George W. Bush

41: A Portrait of My Father by George W. Bush
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I loved this book. Former President George W. Bush writes a biography of his father former President George H. W. Bush. I'm a liberal and so I don't think all the interpretations of events are precisely accurate, but I moved by the way George H. W. Bush lived his life in public and in private. I am also impressed by his accomplishments. This is both a celebration of George H. W. Bush specifically and American values and democracy generally. Over and over again, W talks about H.W.'s efforts to reach out to political opponents at home and abroad. As a result, he developed some of the surprising friendships, including with the Clintons and Obamas.

This is also an amazing palate cleanser for everyone suffering through the current election.

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