Summer Reading Celebration

I can see where the appeal is but I didn't much care for it. Girl meets girl, girl falls in love with girl and is forced apart by disapproving family. The historical significance of such a story, based on stories of lesbians in the Asian American community are important too and should be told I just didn't really care for this one. The main character Lily only showed strength of character once she found something she was passionate about and that was the sciences and Kath. Lily's friend Cheryl was not a very good friend and I personally dislike her from the get go but she was helpful in making her opinion, which was socially acceptable, very clear when it came to roles of women and what they should and shouldn't be doing. I appreciated what this book stands for and wh9 it was written for and it just wasnt for me.

When I have a task of drudgery to do, I make light work of it by simultaneously listening to an audiobook. The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning audiobook filled that need well as I tackled some kitchen cupboards. Author Margareta Magnusson makes quick work of explaining the blunt, practical premise of “death cleaning” then devotes most of the book to describing how to implement it as a gentle art. Death cleaning is simply weeding out and organizing your personal stuff in such a way that it won’t pose an undue burden to someone after your death. Very pragmatic! The gentle art is what makes it a pleasure: admittedly, most death cleaners are older people and sometimes their friends and relations are dwindling. One can build new ties in the gentle ways they pass along possessions such as photo collections, hand tools, and all manner of things. The gentle art may include giving away curated collections of photos at family gatherings, or passing along furniture to young people just starting out. Through her chapters readers also catch glimpses of the aged author’s well lived life. It was not a long book, and I highly recommend it.

Pretty good. Sweet. Very Wattpad ngl. She's "smart" but not like smart. Idk you can tell she started this book at a younger time and then had to try and finish it. The family was frustrating at the beginning. The end turned them around but they still bothered me. And also the fact that there is no trigger warning for harassment, assault, and stalking is CRAZY!!! especially cause its on page. That really yucked me out.

This was a great book if you like historical fiction, particularly WWII history. I have read many different historical novels set around the arena of WWII, but this one had a unique perspective. It is seen through the eyes of a young woman who goes to London with a friend after losing her own accommodations in the country. A good friend of her deceased mother puts her up and helps her land a job in a bookstore run by a crotchety old man (think, crotchety people are that way for a reason...but that is secondary to the story). She becomes very successful at what she does even though she is not a reader at the start of the book. The story unfolds against the backdrop of Hitler's blitz on London and England. So you get a front row seat to that harrowing year. I always learn new things and perspectives about the war when I read these books. This was a charming and generally heartwarming read based on real events including the impact of literature during the war.

Daine is on her way to Cathak with the delegation for peace between Tortall and Carthak. In this third installment of The Immortals Quartet, Daine is summoned to the Emperor's home to heal his sick birds but the gods have other plans for her. Numair, Alanna the Kings Champion and Kit are back for another thrilling adventure filled with treachery, new animals and gods aplenty. Will Daine survive her encounter with the gods and a emperor bent on making the world bend the knee to him alone? I love these characters, especially Daine, Numair, Alanna and so many others! A great series and one of my favorite cover art!

Well written historical novel that portrayals what it might have been like for a woman in the medical profession in England in the 1800's.

Very good book.

As someone who has experience with dealing with people in toxic relationships, this book hit a tad harder than I expected. Freddy's situation is all too familiar. It was refreshing to see her get out of it. Relationships where the people keep breaking up and getting back together are, in my opinion, romanticized far too much, so the author treating it as a bad thing was nice to see.

The fascinating Hildegard was a composer, seer, nun, and spiritual leader in the 1100s, in Germany. In this historical fiction account of her life the “illuminations” referred to are less about her mystical visions and more about her personal enlightenment and growth. It is about her growth in understanding people, connections, relationships. She grows to understand that some can help and enrich the world and others hinder and harm. Hildegard’s naivety evolves through experience to wisdom. Though her life was nothing like ours, her wants, needs, and desires are as real as yours or mine. Read this book to learn what it is to be a woman ahead of her time.

This gem from the late 1950s tells the adventurous tale of William Prendergast, father of James who founded Jamestown, who led other Hudson Valley area colonists in revolt against the manorial system in place there. William was the leader of the “levelers” who believed that they had claim to the land they leased and about 1,700 farmers followed him. William was arrested for treason, and sentenced to be hung, drawn, and quartered. His wife, Mehitabel Wing Prendergast, appealed to the governor for a reprieve and pardon. The family moved to Tennessee, didn’t care for it, and came to Chautauqua Lake. This book was written for middle grades, and contains lots of swashbuckling adventure from the point of view of a boy of about 13 who is a nephew. It uses very dated descriptions of Native Americans and of women. But it is a rollicking piece of historical fiction that relates the family back story of Jamestown’s First Family.