One Chapter

Playaways

I’ve been listening to Playaways lately. I like them as they’re small and I can use my own headphones. My library has been getting more titles lately so that helps too.

Many individuals don’t know what a Playaway is, so I’m going to explain them. Our library carries them like they carry books on CD. Most of the time, a battery comes in the box, if not you’ll need a battery to put inside the unit. I usually just leave the battery rolling around in the case or in the clip for the next person.

Opening the box, you get a little rectangle box which is the book. You’ll need to put the battery in it. Plug in your headphones and you’re ready. You can also plug this into your cars audio system with a $10 cord, I found at Target.

This little system has volume control, speed control for the voice, fast forward, reverse, pause, a lock button and other timers to show you were you are in the book. I like how small they are. You can slip them into a coat pocket while taking a walk, into a shorts pocket, into jeans pockets, etc. they’re very versatile.

Back

Inside the box with Playaway at the bottom

Backside of the Playaway. Control buttons

Where you plug in headphones and box info about your car

All the Playaways I have checked out, my headphones and a Playaway

Living With Twelve Men….. a mother in training by Betty Auchard

Reading Betty’s stories are like sitting beside her and having a conversation. Betty doesn’t leave out anything as she writes about events in her life and I enjoyed the assortment of stories and her honesty. I found myself laughing many times as I read and I even thought, “no, she really didn’t do that, did she?”

Her story about the prayer chain hit home with me. When it came time for Betty’s turn to pray, I cracked up as she spoke to the group. I would have loved to be in that room and see everyone’s response as I think I would’ve started laughing. Her story about the guinea hens reminded me of the time I had turkeys. I don’t know how she kept her composure during that whole ordeal but I feel she’s a strong woman as I know I wouldn’t have been able to.

This is my second book of Betty’s that I’ve read and they’ve both been very enjoyable. Betty writes about her personal experiences which are honest and open. I read this book for book club and we had the honor this month (April 2021) of having Betty at our book club meeting via Zoom. Seeing her in person was wonderful, as she’s just like the individual, I pictured her to be. A very sweet, entertaining woman spoke with us. She answered all of our questions, talking about the stories in the book, asking us questions, and telling us about her life. We all enjoyed having her join us.

Concrete Rose by Angie Thomas

“Tough situations don’t last. Tough people do.”

I get this feeling of anticipation just before I read one of Angie’s books. I know they’ll be no turning back once I read that first page, for she begins setting the stage with her authentic scenes, the intense drama, and those characters that I swear have to have an address somewhere because her fiction is incredible, it’s so natural.

With his father in jail and his mother working, 17-year-old Maverick is learning about life the hard way. It seems that he just keeps getting knocked down again and again. Following in his father’s footsteps, Maverick has joined a gang and is selling drugs. This promise is an obligation that Maverick has now committed himself to. He’s enjoying his relationship with Lisa when his one-night stand, informs him that he’s now a daddy.

The temperature is starting to get warm as Maverick tries to handle the emotions and responsibilities that come with this new accusation. Maverick doesn’t understand how this can this happen, as it was only one night. I had to smile when I read this, as that’s normally what you hear from pregnant women. What’s going to happen with his relationship with Lisa? How will he be able to juggle everything that seems to be coming at him at full speed now?

I felt that Maverick did the best that he could, given the circumstances that he was under. Oh, he was frustrated and outraged at times yet, at the back of his mind, he was focused. He saw the end of the tunnel; he was just having a hard time getting there.

Another remarkable book by this fantastic author. I highly recommend this book and all the other books in this series. I look forward to the next book that Angie Thomas writes.

All He Knew by Helen Frost

I started to get all frustrated and concerned as I began reading this book. I felt so helpless as I read about Henry. He had begun his life alone and misunderstood. The label they slapped on him, became a wall. I felt some relief that Molly had never forgotten her brother, although he wasn’t living with her. She loved him whether he was physically present or not. The author’s creative way of expressing this factual event makes this a very powerful story.

Henry was four when he becomes deaf after falling ill. They had hoped that Henry could get his education at the State School for the Deaf. Needing to pass a test, Henry arrives for the test but he is unable to understand the tests’ directions. Failing the test, he can’t attend the state school and they label Henry, “unteachable.” With WWII on the horizon, they soon decide to place him in Riverview, a school for mentally disabled individuals. Talk about sad! Little time and effort are spent on the patients and Henry sinks further down. If I could just reach into this book and grab him out, I and I think plenty other readers would have.

As I read Henry’s thoughts, his hopes and his sadness, it’s beyond sad. I’m wondering how the other patients feel about life in Riverview. Molly is the only bright spot until I hear Victor’s footsteps mark the halls of Riverview. Is Victor a real person or is he an angel? Where did he come from? It’s sad to think that, finally one professional, seems to care.

With short chapters, this true event story is a story that will definitely make your think. Told through verse, it’s a fast read about this time period in history.

The Kitchen Front by Jennifer Ryan

What a fun novel to listen to. It took a few chapters for things to get situated but then, I really enjoyed the history, the relationships and the idea behind this book. I liked that the female relationships inside the book took more precedence than the male/female relationships, which was what I was hoping would happen. I didn’t want a romance to spoil this drama. This was a great package: a historical fiction story, centered around a cooking competition consisting of diverse characters with an uplifting ending.

It’s the popular BBC broadcasting of the British Show, The Kitchen Front with Ambrose as the show’s host. The show has decided that they need a female co-host and has launched a cooking competition to find her. Located in Finley Village, England, are four women who are supposedly using their war rations to make the winning entries and to prove to Ambrose that they should be his co-host. Here are four women who desperately need this position. These four women come from such different situations and circumstances in their lives. These four women give this competition everything that they have. And who do I think should win it? Nell? The kitchen maid at Finley Hall who started the competition so timid that she can hardly talk but she can cook. Lady Gwendoline? She married into money but does money buy happiness? Audrey? Lady Gwendoline sister, a war widow with 3 children who is trying to keep her head above water. Zelda? A previous London chef who is now pregnant (and unmarried).

I enjoyed listening to these ladies’ stories. How their lives were before the war and how their lives have changed since the war began. It was fascinating how they created their recipes using their war rations and how some of them used nature to help them spread their rations even further. Their resourcefulness really shined. What started out as a competition for these ladies, as they lifted up their dome lids and everyone marveled at their creation hidden underneath, ends in another type of celebration as the winner is selected. I highly recommend this novel.

A Woman is No Man by Etaf Rum

I know whatever I write about this book will not contain everything that I felt about this book. I should just write capital letters with exclamation marks adding in a mixture of facial expressions as that sums up how I felt reading this book. I had no expectations going into this book and as the two stories in the book converged into each other, I was swept away. The ending had me staring out the window, little tiny bumps spread across my arms and tears were falling down my face. The book was over but was it really over. There was nothing left for me to read but I couldn’t let these ladies go. And so, I stared out the window, waiting until something else came along to fill my mind.

The year was 1990, Isra in the kitchen with her mother cooking dinner, this has become her daily routine. Recently married, she’ll be moving from Palestine to America, where her new husband owns a deli. Isra is nervous about life in America. What will her marriage be like? What will her husband be like? Isra wants a romantic marriage with her husband yet she hardly even knows the man that she married. She’s hoping that her American marriage will be different than the one that her mother and father have. As she discusses her concerns, it was sad listening to her mother’s words. “Love each other? What does love have to do marriage? You think your father and I love each other?” After listening to her mother’s remarks, she’s hopeful that by leaving the country, her marriage will be different than her mothers and the abuse that her mother endures as a wife, will not follow her.

The year is 2008, Deya is one of four sisters living with their grandparents. Deya is the oldest and grandmother is on the hunt, trying to find a suitor for her. Although times have changed the girls still need to preserve their culture. Deya is not ready for marriage and would rather continue on with her education but according to Islamic traditions, Deya must get ready to become a wife and mother. It’s a battle of values, family, freedom and principles that Deya struggles with as she enters adulthood.

I found it fascinating to read about the idea of arranged marriages currently in our society and the implications of how the status of a wife remained the same for many of these women. Isra and Deya were both dealing with the notion of being in an arranged marriage. If that wasn’t enough, they also had to deal with the idea of what being a wife really meant and how that differed from what they really wanted.

As the chapters fluctuated between these two women, Isla story tore at me. She pictured America to be a wonderful place, an opportunity for her yet when she arrives, she realizes that they’ll be sharing a house with her in-laws and his siblings. The romantic marriage that she hoped to find, will have to be on the quiet-side, as everyone is sharing the same house. This was just the beginning of Isla’s spiral tale of what America had to offer her. Deya story was different because she was a fighter. She used what she had to fight back, even if it meant further consequences for her. Cheering for her, I pushed her. I wanted her to push the envelope until she couldn’t push it anymore. She was ready to accept whatever happened at the end. I loved how the author made the stories come together also.

I felt exhausted as I closed this book. As they stood there, I fell in line with them, just waiting. I felt tired yet there was this energy and excitement that I felt within me. What was next? I highly recommend this book. I can’t wait to see what else this author writes.

Choose Your Own Adventure Spies: Harry Houdini by Katherine Factor

**4.5 stars Choose Your Own Adventure Series**

This book took me back to when my children were little. I used to love reading these books when my children would check them out from the library and this one, was no exception. I choose my first path through the book, based on what I’d want to do and then, I went back and reread the book a few times, choosing paths that were totally different. I was Harry Houdini, a magician with big dreams!

All paths in the book begin in America, in the year 1899. Working as a traveling sideshow, you like to call yourself the “The King of the Cuffs,” as you’re able to outwit any handcuff that anyone tries to attach to you. This of course, angers the police but you’re starting to make a name for yourself, as people are beginning to notice you. Now in Chicago, as a crowd gathers around, you’re getting the attention that you don’t want. The police have arrested you, placed you in chains, and put you in a cell. Can their charges be legitimate? You’ve never attempted a cell break before, yet it could be possible. You receive a sign just before the lieutenant rushes into your cell to offer you a deal.

It’s time now for the first decision in this book: does Harry take the deal that was offered to him or does Harry decide to use the omen that he received and not take the lieutenant’s deal? What the reader chooses will direct their path to the next section to read and set their course for this book.

This book is based on a true story and there’s an article about Harry at the back of the book. I enjoyed my adventures as I traveled through the book; some were short-lived and I did have one very long journey. I did learn a few things about this man as I read and having the opportunity to choose the storyline is a very fun way to read a story.

Grown by Tiffany D. Jackson

“Content warning: mentions of sexual abuse, rape, assault, child abuse, kidnapping, and addiction to opioids.” Yes, to all of this but yet, there is no warning about not being able to eat, drink, or think of anything else besides this book once you step inside its pages. Then, there’s that book hangover, once you’re finished and you’re left staring at the back of the book breathing, reliving those incredible scenes that were more than just words on a page, where was this warning, as my mind tries to unwind.

Korey, was everything she ever wanted. He was perfect, at least that side of him was. When Enchanted finally sees all sides of Korey, it’s too late. This was a fantastic page-turner of a book, a book in which I felt a deep connection to the characters and the story couldn’t have been more honest and real unless I knew these individuals personally.

The book opens with a brutal murder and then, the book flashes back to when the characters first met each other and their story unfolds. Enchanted was trying to fulfill her dream, a dream filled with music when she is spotted by Korey. Korey, the famous R&B artist has taken an interest in Enchanted and tells her everything that she wanted to hear. As he works his charm, she is swept away. Korey knows exactly what he’s doing, as he wins Enchanted over but Enchanted is an innocent, 17-year-old, victim who just wanted a music career. And Korey, he’s a manipulator, a controller, an abuser(mentally), and a serial pedophile, who just got his next victim.

This was a hard book to read as Enchanted voice got harder to hear. Korey began placing restrictions on her which confused her yet Korey made them seem like a positive part of their relationship. More constraints and limitations began to weigh Enchanted down. She was losing control as she began acting like a puppet, doing what she was told, losing her self-confidence as she feels she has no other option. Such a powerful book, a book that had important messages and I appreciate the author addressing these issues openly and directly. I highly recommend this book if you enjoy stories addressing these issues. Amazing story!

The Dilemma by B.A. Paris

This can’t be a B.A. Paris book, no way! What a huge letdown! I can’t believe I actually finished this book. I don’t think I liked a single one of these characters. I thought the main couple was childish and simple, Livia needs to realize that not everything is about her. I kept thinking there had to be a major twist or a huge reveal or something major coming up as I read, for I knew this book wasn’t like her other books but it couldn’t be like this, could it?

To compensate for the wedding that she never had, Livia sets her sights on having a 40th birthday party blow-out. The idea of this party consumes her, I mean totally consumes her. Every beautiful item that Livia sees, up to the day of her party, she ponders on whether she could use that item for her party. Every item! From food, to clothes, to furnishings, Livia has these thoughts running through her head for years. You know Livia, you are an adult now, act like one. Adam, her husband, is a yes man. He loves Livia dearly and would do anything to make his wife happy but I think he needs to learn to be adult also. Adam also has a very close bond with their daughter, Marnie. His relationship with their son, Josh is a different story. I felt sorry for Josh a few times as I read this story, it seems like he was trying and he did make some compromises. I thought the children played an interesting role in this book.

There are a few other individuals in the story but everyone comes together with Livia’s 40th birthday party which should be a five-star production, since she’s had years to plan it, but the secrets that individuals are holding put a damper on the festivities. It frustrated me that these secrets ballooned. They didn’t seem to amount to much, when compared to the drama the individuals who kept the secrets were making them out to be. It was that anticipation of their reveal, that energy and that mysterious reaction that was going to be brought out by the characters not sharing the information until the last possible moment, that keeps the pages moving forward. I’m a huge fan of B.A. Paris but this one is not my favorite B.A. Paris book.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for my copy of this book in exchange for an honest opinion.

If You Come to Earth by Sophie Blackall

This book is beautiful! This book says it all. If you were to buy one book to have in your library, this should be the one! It’s almost brought tears to my eyes as the author explains how we are all unite on this one big planet.

I really enjoyed the illustrations inside this book, from how much detail was included, to the color choice, to how much there was to look at, these illustrations were wonderfully done. I was impressed with how the author used an assortment of each topic to get her point across. When she addressed how individuals traveled: she included a rowboat, tugboat, skateboard, taxi, tractor, airplane, hot air balloon, camper, police car, ambulance, race car, wheelchair, pickup, bus, etc. The two pages were full. The author covers a variety of subjects in this book including families, weather, food, what people do, feelings, etc. There was this feeling of love and community that came over me as I read this book, that we all are together on this planet, breathing and hopefully working together.

This is an oversized book (11.25 x9 approx.) with 74 pages. This is not one book that will be read once and put away as the illustrations again, are interesting and many of them have lots of look at. I think this one is a keeper. I highly recommend this one and make sure you read the last page of the book as the author talks about how she arrived at writing this book.

” There are lots of things we don’t know. We don’t know where we were before we were born or where we go when we die. But right this minute, we are here together on this beautiful planet.”

“We humans define ourselves be where we are born, where we live, what we believe, by the clothes we wear, and the languages we speak. But there is no “typical” person. We are all different.”