Vox
by Christina Dalcher
Vox: Not Simply Fiction (6/9/2018)
Vox: A Novel is more of a cautionary tale in this day and age when things we never imagined would happen in our country are suddenly happening. It makes you realize how people with extreme religious beliefs can hijack the government and take away the rights of others due to their beliefs. In this case, it's women and girls who are being suppressed. Their right to speech and even communicating the written word is severely limited. As a woman who continues to fight for the rights of all suppressed people, I find this concept frightening.
It's a must read book that makes you think about freedoms we often take for granted. It's also very relevant in today's political climate!
Happiness: The Crooked Little Road to Semi-Ever After
by Heather Harpham
Interesting Memoir (8/15/2017)
This memoir kept my attention and made me keep reading to find out what happens next. It was easy reading and well written.
The memoir is about a parent's love for a baby/child born with an undiagnosed life threatening disease and how it affects her relationship with the baby's father. It describes what it's like to have to make decisions that could potentially save your child's life or possibly end it.
Having lost a fullterm baby and knowing people who have grandchildren who were disabled by life threatening illness, I could relate to the medical parts. Life isn't always perfect and not all pregnancies end happily ever after.
Precious Thing
by Colette McBeth
Intriguing (2/12/2014)
Comparisons aside to Gone Girl, this book has a unique style and will be one you cannot put down. I like books about friendship and how people change over the years. I found it to be an interesting novel.
Golden Boy
by Abigail Tarttelin
Timely Twist on Adolescent Angst (2/13/2013)
So many novels have been written about adolescence angst and family relationships, but Golden Boy puts a timely twist on this genre. Like most teenagers, Max feels different. However, his difference is something that is kept secret due to societal taboos.
Having read the book Middlesex which is also about someone who finds out they are intersexed, I found Golden Boy to be more engaging and readable for both young adults and adults of any age. It is one book you don't want to put down as you become involved in the secrets and lies of the intricate family unit Max is a part of. I am honored to have had the opportunity to read such an interesting and thought provoking book prior to publication thanks to Bookbrowse. I highly recommend it.
Bloom: Finding Beauty in the Unexpected - A Memoir
by Kelle Hampton
An Unexpected Blessing (3/7/2012)
This beautiful memoir of the birth of the author's second child is a lesson to us all. Having expectations for her second child and the future and realizing that her fantasy of perfection is not what life is about, Kelle leads on a journey from grieving over having a child with a handicap to support from her many friends and family members and finally acceptance and joy. I loved the photos since they made me feel as if I were part of her support group. Everyone has something. Sometimes we put too much emphasis on perfection instead of unconditional love and acceptance. It is gratifying that she found joy and learned a lesson from the birth of her "less than perfect" baby. We should all live up to our individual potential and not project our expectations upon others. A heart warming journey of life...
The Language of Secrets
by Dianne Dixon
The Language of Secrets (2/14/2010)
I found this book to be a real page turner that kept me interested to the end. The author, a screenwriter, knows how to write a story which keeps the reader wanting for more information to solve the puzzle.
The style is easy to read and chapters are named for the character, place, and date of the event. It flashes back and forth between the present and past events which helps the reader t understand some of what has happened, although it has a surprise twist at the end.
It's relatively light reading and would be a good book to take on a trip. I can see a movie version in the future. It did remind me of Jodi Picoult's novels.
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