Book Review: Educated, by Tara Westover

Genre: Non-fiction memoir
Date Published: February 2018
Publisher: Random House
# Of Pages/Listening Time: 334 pgs/12 hours

Goodreads | Audible

Synopsis: Tara Westover was 17 the first time she set foot in a classroom. Born to survivalists in the mountains of Idaho, she prepared for the end of the world by stockpiling home-canned peaches and sleeping with her "head-for-the-hills bag". In the summer she stewed herbs for her mother, a midwife and healer, and in the winter she salvaged in her father's junkyard.
Her father forbade hospitals, so Tara never saw a doctor or nurse. Gashes and concussions, even burns from explosions, were all treated at home with herbalism. The family was so isolated from mainstream society that there was no one to ensure the children received an education and no one to intervene when one of Tara's older brothers became violent.
Then, lacking any formal education, Tara began to educate herself. She taught herself enough mathematics and grammar to be admitted to Brigham Young University, where she studied history, learning for the first time about important world events like the Holocaust and the civil rights movement. Her quest for knowledge transformed her, taking her over oceans and across continents, to Harvard and to Cambridge. Only then would she wonder if she'd traveled too far, if there was still a way home.
Educated is an account of the struggle for self-invention. It is a tale of fierce family loyalty and of the grief that comes with severing the closest of ties. With the acute insight that distinguishes all great writers, Westover has crafted a universal coming-of-age story that gets to the heart of what an education is and what it offers: the perspective to see one's life through new eyes and the will to change it.

My Rating:

 ★★★★ 1/2

.....For capturing my interest from the beginning

Book Review: How To Read Literature Like A Professor, by Thomas C. Foster

Genre: Non-fiction, Education
Date Published: 2014 (revised edition)
Publisher: Harper Perennial
# Of Pages: 335 pages

Goodreads

Synopsis: While many books can be enjoyed for their basic stories, there are often deeper literary meanings interwoven in these texts. How to Read Literature Like a Professor helps us to discover those hidden truths by looking at literature with the eyes—and the literary codes—of the ultimate professional reader: the college professor.
What does it mean when a literary hero travels along a dusty road? When he hands a drink to his companion? When he's drenched in a sudden rain shower? Ranging from major themes to literary models, narrative devices, and form, Thomas C. Foster provides us with a broad overview of literature—a world where a road leads to a quest, a shared meal may signify a communion, and rain, whether cleansing or destructive, is never just a shower—and shows us how to make our reading experience more enriching, satisfying, and fun.

My Rating:

 ★★★★★

.....For being interesting and entertaining

Happy Monday! A Recap Of What's Happened All Month Long

Well, it's been a while.  Happy Monday everyone!

So, a little catch-up is in order.  I've been rather busy since the last time I posted.

First, I went on a little vacation to California (April 19-25)

Orfila Vineyard Wine-tasting

What a fun trip this was!  I've never been to California before, so Dave and I were excited to go to a town near San Diego to watch two dear friends of ours get married!

Ballast Point Brewery

San Diego Zoo

Because it was a destination wedding, the couple planned some activities for everyone to do, such as a wine tasting, a nature walk, and a beach day.  Dave and I were staying at an AirBnB house with three other friends of ours, and we found a whole bunch of stuff to do just the five of us, like visit a whole bunch of breweries with unique beers, visit the San Diego Zoo, and explore Little Italy and the Gas Lamp District of the city.  We had a blast!

Nature Walk

Oh, and the wedding was beautiful too.  Of course.  It took place in a backyard patio area of a brewery and it suited this couple to a tee.  High quality beer for the groom, gorgeous outdoor scenery for the bride, it was perfect.

The Wedding at Stone Brewery

Suffice it to say, we were sad to leave the beautiful hills of California.

Next, I had to host a major dance event (April 29)

So when I got back from my trip, I was in full planning mode.  My brother and I were going to host our very own dance social.  We opened up the parking lot area for outdoor grilling and a game of ladderball.  A couple of my students did a little performance.  I baked a cake, we had a raffle, there was dancing....it was a good time!  We also had a decent crowd, and made a reasonable profit, soooo....yay!

Then I had to catch up on all the bills...(April 30-May 5)

This was the bummer part.  I got to see exactly how much I spent during our trip, and I had to pay all the usual bills, and watch all my money go away (*sob*).  Yeesh, California was expensive, and it didn't help that we drank all that beer!

Then I had to get used to my husband's new work schedule (May 8-12)

So my husband finally quit his old job.  Yay!  This past week he started his new job at Middlesex Hospital, which had a rather major schedule change.  In his last job, his hours were Monday thru Friday from 1:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m..  Now, he's got Monday off, Tuesday and Wednesday he works 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., and Thursday and Friday he works 8 a.m. to 5 p.m..

This new schedule took some getting used to.  For one thing I now have to wake up at 6 a.m., which is a little tricky.  For another thing, our daily habits have to change; morning gym visits will have to be re-adapted, and we can't chill out in the morning anymore.  Ah well.  We'll get used to it.

Now it's Monday the 15th and I feel like I can finally catch up on blogging and other book-related stuff! Yay!

I did read a few books over the past month, not as many as I would have liked, but I did get a few.  Here they are (click on the cover for more info):

Genre: Memoir
Date Read: April 19th
My Rating: ★★★ 1/2
My Thoughts: This was for a book club, but I didn't finish this in time for the meeting. I ended up finishing this on the plane on the way over to San Diego.
I don't usually read memoirs, but I'm really glad I read this one. Richard Russo is a talented writer, and he told his story of his relationship with his mother incredibly well. The writing style is what really defines this book; it makes an average tale an extraordinary tale. Try a Russo book if you haven't already!

Genre: Urban fantasy
Date Read: April 28th
My Rating: ★★★★
My Thoughts: Yet another fun installment in the Dresden Files! It had all the usual qualities that this series has, with an additional "Ocean's Eleven"/"Italian Job" feel to it. Looking forward to the next installment!

Genre: Urban Fantasy/Short Stories
Date Read: April 28th
My Rating: ★★★★
My Thoughts: When Harry Dresden of the Dresden files mentions a guy named River Shoulders, your first thought is "who the heck is River Shoulders?!" This short story compilation answers that question! A nice little add-on to the Dresden Files, we get three short stories involving the Bigfoot known as River Shoulders. A very quick read and totally worth it!

Genre: Fairy Tale Retelling
Date Read: May 9th
My Rating: ★★★ 1/2
My Thoughts: This book is exactly what you expect it to be; it's the Disney film, but with a key plot change that affects how the rest of the story plays out. It was entertaining and fast, a very easy read. I can't say it was amazing, but it was definitely fun.

So now, I've got some catching up to do.  I'm two books behind schedule on my 80-book reading goal, and I have two BOTM's to finish.  I have no goals right now except to finish the books I'm currently reading in a timely manner.

Here are my current books (click on the cover for more):

This is for a library book club that I need to finish by tomorrow at 1 p.m.  So far, I've got about 60 pages left, and I'm liking the book.  I'm looking forward to the discussion on this one, because I feel like I missed a couple of things.

Yes I'm still working on this one.  This is for a family book club, comprised of my grandmother, my mother, and myself.  It seemed like a good idea at the time to read this book, but man!  This book is depressing!  We're all barely a 100 pages in, and we hate reading all the horrible stuff that's happening.  Mom and I ended up switching to an annotated edition because the footnotes are making the story a little easier to swallow.  We'll have the book club meeting once we all finish this story, although at this rate it'll be a month from now.

This is the non-BOTM read.  I needed something to listen to on audiobook, since apparently listening to an audiolecture on famous Romans wasn't doing it for me.  I didn't realize it was a sequel (whoops!) but so far it isn't spoiling much from the other story.












Okay, now I have to get ready to meet with a landscaper, who's coming over to check out our yard.  I have decided that I have absolutely no clue what I'm supposed to do with the garden, so we hired a landscaper to take a look and advise on what to do next.  See ya!

Book Review: Keep Calm...It's Just Real Estate, by Egypt Sherrod

Genre: Non-Fiction/Real Estate
Date Published: March 2015
Number Of Pages: 224 pages
Source: Owned copy

Goodreads

Overview: Egypt Sherrod knows how to take nervous prospective home-buyers by the hand and lead them through the process. She does it every week as host of HGTV's highly-rated show, Property Virgins. Now she translates her reassuring personality onto the page, with this "No-Stress" guide to buying a home. Egypt takes readers through, simplifying all the many steps of the process, and giving them invaluable information, including:-Top ten things to consider before buying a home
-How sticking with one agent works in your favor
-Eight ways to be an attractive homebuyer on paper, and ease the mortgage-approval process.
-What to do in a bidding war
-Why you should NEVER overlook the home inspection
-And much more!
Egypt blends her professional know-how and her personable touch with this down-to-earth guide, providing plenty of anecdotes, handy lists, and even a glossary to ensure that readers keep calm...and experience the thrill of home ownership.

My Rating:

★★★★

....For being a very informative read

Book Review: Guns, Germs, And Steel, by Jared Diamond

Guns, Germs and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies by Jared Diamond
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Guns, Germs, And Steel, by Jared Diamond
★★★ and 1/2

Description: Why did Eurasians conquer, displace, or decimate Native Americans, Australians, and Africans, instead of the reverse? In this groundbreaking book, evolutionary biologist Jared Diamond stunningly dismantles racially based theories of human history by revealing the environmental factors actually responsible for history's broadest patterns. Here, at last, is a world history's broadest patterns. Here, at last, is a world history that really is a history of all the world's peoples, a unified narrative of human life.
In A Sentence: A fascinating study with a lot of information crammed in