Review: What Kind of Woman by Kate Baer

I saw this book on Instagram, and it had raved reviews. And after reading, they were very deserved. There was something deeply raw and captivating about this. It’s a book of poems based on how it is being a woman in today’s world.  

It was had such rich storytelling, that at times I found myself in awe that these short sentence paragraphs had transported me to a world I wasn’t excepting. It felt deeply visually. It’s safe to say, I really liked this book. 

I feel like there is something in here for everyone. There are poems about being single, being married, and being a mother. It’s like a journey. It was stunning.

And each poems, make you stop and think. I found myself rereading them over and over because they were so captivating. It hits you deep in the core. And I haven’t read a poetry book like that did that in a while. 

My favorite poems include:

·      My Friend Bethany Rages at the News

·      Dearly Beloved

·      Fat Girl

·      What I Meant

·      During This Double Date We Will Prove We Have a Happy Marriage

Final Thoughts

What Kind of Woman is a stunningly raw collections of poems. 

Review: Sanctuary: A Noire Immortals Story by Alexandria House

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Sanctuary is sort of a mystery. Not in terms of storyline wise. Just in terms of what the book is about. The summary is quite ambiguous so I hadn’t really known what to expect. But I thoroughly enjoyed it.

The book centers in Temple and Sam. They were high school sweethearts, until he just left and she never heard from him again. Now twenty years later, he reaches out to her with an explanation as to what happened.

Alexandria House does an outstanding job pulling you in and getting you emerged in this world in a few words. Sanctuary is beautifully descriptive, emotional, spiritual, and deep. And it has a twist I hadn’t seen coming.

Although it was a very interesting concept, and I felt the book’s length hindered it a little. I was completely hooked, and I would have wanted more. So in summary, I felt it was too short.

Final Thoughts

Sanctuary is a beautiful, emotional read, that is unfortunately too short. 

Review: Clouds by Laura Sobiech

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I’ve had this book for a little bit, and was struggling with turning the pages after losing both my grandmother and mother this past year and a half. I knew Zach’s story would open up some wounds but I pushed on because I wanted to get to know his story. To my surprise, reading similar moments that I shared with my mom’s journey through cancer, I found some comfort and healing living through Zach’s moments.

I found Zach wise beyond his time. He inspired and gave me the comfort of seeing him use his tragedy as a blessing to give others. There was a moment in the book that someone shared about him just that really struck a nerve. In the comments shared with his family positive and negative someone said he was just being another kid with cancer. I had to take a moment away because everybody is somebody. No one knows what it’s like to be in his shoes or the Sobiech family. This book was a love a letter for those who are on borrowed time.

I found myself reaching for the Kleenex so many times. My heart beaming through overcoming his hurdles and acceptance, peace and serenity for his last moments. I thought the book captured an honest perspective of the ups and downs with living and caring for someone who is terminally ill. After reading the book, I’m curious to see the film and how this translates on screen. If it is any indicator of the book, than I’m sure it will be amazing to watch.

Overall, I thought this was a beautiful memoir and tribute to both Zach and The Sobiech family. This definitely gives truth to living each day as your last and making each one count. If you haven’t had a chance to read this book, I’d recommend checking it out.

Review: Prayers for Healing 365 Blessings, Poems, & Meditations from Around the World (Meditations for Healing) By Maggie Oman

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Inspirational and soul enriching, Prayers for Healing brought such an encouraging beginning after the strenuous year we just had. The book shares 365 spiritual messages, poems and meditations that have been compiled from around the world. This book will inspire and heal bringing insightful and familiar texts from influential leaders and philosophers.

For the purpose of reading this book, I read straight through. A really lovely thought is how this book is separated by season. I would encourage this to be read daily for some inspiration and to learn some tidbit facts that are thrown in. Since this book is drawn from different traditions and reflective of different cultures, some may speak to you and others may not. The beauty in the book is gaining a new perspective and understanding that will inspire a renewed and reinvigorated growth in your spiritual journey. Overall, I thought this was an enlightening read.

Review: After All I’ve Done by Mina Hardy

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I wasn’t sure what to expect with this one, but I’m happy I picked it up. This book was entertaining. I didn’t want to put it down. With every page, I stayed intrigued and hungry for more. Quite honestly, the book was too short.

It’s a thrilling, psychological suspense story about Diana and her former best Valerie. Months ago, Diana had a car accident and is unable to remember a few months of her life, and she keeps having these reoccurring nightmares about that night. One thing she does know is that her best friend is sleeping with her husband and there are some other things in her life that aren’t right.

This book had multiple POVS. The main two were Diana and Val. It was great to be in Diana’s POV where she is struggling to remember details of her life and then have a chapter in Val’s POV’s where she knows exactly what happened and why they stopped being friends. I thought that was a good dynamic. In addition, to their POVs, there were a couple chapters in Cole’s POV. Like Val, he had knowledge about Diana’s past and knew things she couldn’t remember. At first, he may not see as connected to the entire situation, but as the story progresses, it’s revealed that he has a pretty big part.

Speaking of reveals, I found this story to be nicely paced. Not all the information is provided at once. Instead, it’s sort of like a journey finding out what happens. And the plot twist!!! Wow. I have no words. I thought I knew where the story was heading, but I was completely and utterly shocked. My jaw hit the ground. And the journey getting to the conclusion was appreciated.

This book is dealing with complicated characters. Everyone has a secret, and everyone has a desire to get what they want.

Final Thoughts

After All I’ve Done is a captivating and engaging thriller with three dimensional characters and an unexpected twist.

Review: Floored by Karla Sorensen

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Floored is the third book in The Ward Sisters series. I read the first book in the series- Focused-, and from memory, I think I enjoyed the story and the big focus on family. Unfortunately, this installment was a little different.

It was hard for me to power through this story. I kept wanting to stop reading. The story sounded interesting, and the characters were likable, I just didn’t connect to this one.

Floored is about Lia who is spending a semester in England. On a rainy day, she meets sports star Jude MacAllister. They have a special night and a few weeks later, she learns she is pregnant. It’s an accidental pregnancy trope mixed together with the trope of two people having tragic pasts and trying to not let that define their future.  

It pains me to say this, but I found this story a little boring. It had potential, but it didn’t live up to it. The only major thing that happened in this story was Lia’s pregnancy. And although that was handled well, it wasn’t enough to keep the story interesting for me. Neither was the chemistry between the two characters- Lia and Jude. And that chemistry was present, but it wasn’t electrifying.

Final Thoughts

Floored is fine, but a little boring and forgettable.