Toss Me That Book

Format: Audiobook Date Started: June 12, 2019 Date Abandoned: June 13, 2019 I knew that I was going to hate this book even as I was checking it out from the library.  But for some reason, the fact that this book had landed on a "Great Summer Mysteries" list trumped the fact that I cannot stand Mary Higgins Clark's books.  They are the completely predictable murder-y cousin of romance novels.  I don't know what I was thinking.  But, I'm pretty sure that my inner monologue went something like this:  "If it made a list, surely it must be pretty good.  I mean, it's not like this list is straight from the publisher.  (Spoiler alert:  It totally was.)  Maybe I'm being a snob?  After all she is a popular author.  (Double spoiler: Lots of people like terrible books.)  I'll give it a whirl." Approximately one hour into the audiobook, the inner dialogue shifted. "I literally cannot.  There are about seven million charac...

Format:  Kindle Date Started:  June 7, 2019 Date Finished:  June 12, 2019 More than anything, this book validated by long-held belief that everyone is completely nuts . . . especially parents.  While it was pretty funny to read about the nutty things that parents have tried in the name of better behavior/better sleep/better battles with toddlers, I wouldn't recommend it if you're looking for actual help.  But, if you want to feel less alone in the wacky adventures of parenting, this is a good one to borrow from the library where it is free.  

Format:  Paperback Date Started:  June 3, 2019 Date I Asked Permission to Stop Reading:  June 12, 2019 You know that feeling of intense dread?  Like, something is coming down the pike, and it isn't good?    I had when I picked up the book and read that one of the characters was already so anxious about the coming day that he was throwing up.   As a result, I plodded through this book and did things incredibly out of character - like not reading at all before I went to bed - just so that I wouldn't have to face whatever was coming in the book.  Once it arrived, though, I felt like I had committed to riding out the horror, but I am a wimp and couldn't take it.  As ridiculous as it sounds, I had to ask my husband if I could stop reading it. I think I felt like I was abandoning the character in question when she needed help the most, and thus I needed permission to walk away from a totally fictional character...which will be great to ...

Format:  Paperback Date Started:  May 27, 2019 Date Finished:  June 3, 2019 My mother has this entire series of books which she acquired as my brother and I grew.  The covers of her books, though, are super 80s, and I am jealous.  However, it wasn't until I was teaching school in a former life that I realized how useful these were.  I was having trouble with a 10 year old boy, and I couldn't decide if his behavior was developmentally appropriate or he was just a . . . let's say JERK.  I borrowed Mom's copy of Your Ten-Year-Old and discovered that the kid was just a JERK.  What I did find useful then and what is incredibly useful to me now are the techniques and explanation of what a child is experiencing emotionally and mentally.  It's incredibly helpful to have reassurance that bouts of being a JERK are normal for a two year old, and that it is relatively a short amount of time in this phase.  This book is also unintentional...

Format:  Paperback Date Started:  May 14, 2019 Date Finished:  May 27, 2019 I saw a review on Goodreads that the only good thing about this book was the historical accuracy and research.  Sad to say, I totally agree.  Neither of the three characters felt fully fleshed out, and I didn't totally understand any of their motivations.  I mean, I understand that really all they were trying to do after the war was survive, but I feel like that should have drawn them all together when in reality it just made the divisions sharper.  What I did really like was the exploration of what "normal" Germans were doing during Hitler's rise to power.  Each of the three women seemed to serve as a representation of those who were paying close attention to politics, of those who were indifferent, and those who bought in.  I'm going to spare myself the obvious parallels between the political climate in Nazi Germany and what's going on in the US because...