Thursday, February 6, 2025

Share Our Shelves-January

It's the first Thursday of the month which means it's time to share what we've read the month prior. Just a note (or possibly a few paragraphs) about how I rate books using the Goodreads five star system. 

I'm extremely stingy with five stars. If I give a book five stars I have absolutely loved it and continued to think about it after the cover has been closed. It's a book that will probably be added to my list of all time favorites.

Four stars for me means it was a great read. 

Three stars is good, but maybe not memorable. It likely had some flaws that bothered, but still not a bad read. 

Two stars is unfortunate and I should have probably quit before I did. 

One star. I don't think I've ever given a book one star because if it's that bad I'm sure I've put it down before finishing. 

Also, I hesitate to rate memoirs because they're someone's lived experience and it doesn't feel right to rate that. 

Now for what I read in January-

Ask Not: The Kennedys and the Women They Destroyed by Maureen Callahan


Whew. This book. If you're a Kennedy fan you likely won't be after reading this one. This isn't a book I would have grabbed on my own, but my sister gave it to me to read and once I got started it was hard to put down. I can't remember a book that made me as furious as this one. 

I will say this is billed as non-fiction, but the author takes a good many liberties in posting internal conversations she wasn't actually privy to. Casting this as non-fiction might be a stretch…calling it an historical re-telling feels more accurate. 

Honestly there was so much absolutely awful behavior it wasn't necessary to add imagined or supposed dialogue. The dirty deeds stand on their own. If social media had been around when some of this had been happening I doubt the family would be as revered as they are in American culture today.

This book isn't about politics at all. At times I felt like I was reading a tabloid but wow, some truly despicable stuff has been perpetrated by the men in this family. The book features nine different women very negatively impacted, some in fact having their lives completely ruined, by various male members of the Kennedy clan. Some of the stories-crimes-escapades I was more familiar with than others, and some I'd forgotten about until I read them re-told here. 

I'm not sure of the author's motives, but I feel like she wanted the stories of these women to be known and heard. Almost without exception the women were cast as 'they did it to themselves' or 'they knew this was what it meant to be married to a Kennedy' while the men take zero percent of the blame or responsibility. 

While not everything presented as fact is indeed a confirmed fact, you still come away feeling kind of sick to your stomach. At least I did.  


The Faculty Lounge by Jennifer Mathieu


Another book my sister recommended and thought I'd like since I taught school. I will say upfront there is some language and lots of the expected progressive point of view expounded upon, so if you don't have the stomach for that you might want to give it a miss. 

If you've taught school, particularly high school, I think you'll nod your head a lot, laugh a little, and will relate to much of the humor and inner workings of a high school as told from the faculty point of view.

The story begins with a substitute teacher dying (of natural causes) in the faculty lounge on a school day, and his death being discovered by a young new teacher. The substitute had been a teacher at the school for decades before retiring, and then returning as a sub. Each chapter following his death features one of the faculty members recounting their own personal experience and interactions with the sub, almost like a series of short stories. I enjoyed the format very much.

The Great Divorce by C. S. Lewis


I have read and loved a lot of C.S. Lewis's writing, but had never read The Great Divorce until now. This is a relatively short, allegorical tale of a bus ride from hell to heaven. You'll need your thinking cap for this one. 

In the tale anyone can take the bus, any one can stay in heaven, but sadly in the end most opt to return to the 'grayness' below. They're unable to give up the very things that prevent them from accepting heaven. The characters have a myriad of excuses as to why, and wow this book makes you think. I will definitely be re-reading it from time to time. 

The story begins with the main character at a bus stop where the bus is taking people to heaven. They begin in The Valley of the Shadow of Death so not quite hell, and end up in The Valley of the Shadow of Life, so not quite heaven. This person goes on to encounter a variety of characters responding to the opportunity to remain in heaven or return to hell. The word divorce is used in the sense that there is a choice to be made and there's no middle ground. There is a complete division between heaven and hell. 

Absolutely loved it and still thinking about it today. Five stars for me. 


The Paris Widow by Kimberly Belle

Let me just say from the beginning I loved the setting. The story begins with Stella and her antique dealing husband (Adam) hopping around Europe ending their tour in Paris, and about to head back to their home in Atlanta. There's an explosion and in the aftermath Adam is missing. Is he dead? Is he/was he the man he said he was? All questions to be answered as the story progresses, with the backstory revealed one chapter at a time. 

When I read books like this I scratch my head at how little fictional married couples seem to actually know about each other. About their work, their pasts, their family dynamics...all of it. And they don't seem curious about it either. I know people try and often succeed to keep affairs hidden, but criminal activity? Maybe I'm too much in my hubs business lol. 

There were some holes in the plot, and some unbelievable bits, but overall it was an enjoyable easy read. Three stars for me. 


The Unmaking of June Farrow by Adriennne Young


I don't remember how I ended up reading this one, and didn't know what I was getting in to when I picked it up. Magical realism isn't for me. There's some time travel in the book which was at times hard to follow, and it wasn't until the end I felt like I finally understood the timeline. I thought the writing was lovely and that's what kept me reading til the end. 

June Farrow is determined to get to the bottom of her mother's disappearance, and at the same time end her family's 'curse'. When she steps through a mysterious door she begins (or continues) a journey through time, discovering secrets about both her past and her future, and the choices she must make that come with the knowledge gained there. Another three star read for me. 

So what have you been reading lately? 


This book party is hosted by Joanne, Marilyn, Jenn, and Tanya...hop over to any one of their blogs to add your link and see what others have been reading. 

16 comments:

  1. Lewis' creativity is absolutely astounding. Combined with writing talent and a passion to share what he so strongly believed in makes it no wonder that his oevre is so impressive in terms of depth and volume. I have not read The Great Divorce and didn't know its premise but it sounds on brand for his work- completely compelling and told in a unique way. The book about the Kennedy men- wow, honestly not sure that I'd want to read it. Not because I'm a Kennedy fan (I'm not at all!) but I think it would leave me with a very sick feeling, knowing what the family has gotten away with. Enjoyed reading your reviews!

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  2. That Kennedy book--whoa! I'm definitely adding it to my TBR. I'm not surprised though...powerful men are often not very kind to women.

    I agree with you about couples in thrillers not knowing their partners very well. But I guess it's an effective plot device...

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  3. I love your book reviews! That first one sounds pretty infuriating. What is about the family that people revere so much? This will always astound me. Thanks for sharing today!

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  4. I am not one for magical realism either and usually struggle with those.

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  5. The Paris Widow sounds good and I'll add it to my reading list.

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  6. I am the same way with 1-star reviews. I will put a book down way before I give it one star. I felt the same way about June Farrow. She has a new book coming out (maybe already out?) and I hope it will be better. Thanks for the recommendation on the Kennedy book. I hadn't heard of it. The author's name sounded familiar, and I looked it up - she is a frequent guest on the Megyn Kelly podcast. Happy Reading!

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  7. Always interesting to read other people's book reviews. For me a 5* book isn't necessarily one that I love but has to be one where I can appreciate the quality of the writing and also one that I'd happily recommend to others.

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  8. The Great Divorce is one of my favorite books and high up the re-read list. It's so short; it doesn't take long to read at all but the questions it raises just...stick. Have you read his Space Trilogy?

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  9. I'm still working through The Inheritance by Nora Roberts. I'm enjoying it, but just read about a chapter a day. It is the first of a trilogy. I agree with your one star description. If I can't get past chapter two I put it down. Thanks for the reviews!!

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  10. It's been ages since I read The Great Divorce. C.S. Lewis has a way of making you think. Some of his writing I can only read a paragraph at a time. Right now I'm reading a 'cozy mystery' called An American in Scotland by Lucy Connelly which is entertaining especially since we traveled in Scotland last year. The non-fiction book I'm reading is The Vanishing Conscience (Drawing the Line in a No-Fault, Guilt-Free World) by John MacArthur. This one is filled with so much insight and makes you see some subtle and not so subtle false teachings that have not been challenged within the church. A more challenging book to read but well worth it.

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  11. Some really interesting books! I think I'd feel the same way about the Kennedy book - I have so many mixed feelings about the Kennedy family, like the men may have been good leaders or politicians, but I don't think they were good men. Happy Reading!

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  12. Oooh - can't wait to read The Faculty Room. Happy Reading !

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  13. As a retired school librarian (now sub) who started out working in a high school, I am curious about The Faculty Lounge. Will check it out. Also very interested in the Kennedy women book. I think the Kennedys were our royal family in the U.S. for decades but not sure that is still the case. And certainly hope not.

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  14. Hi Joyce, I read Ask Not .... WOW is all I can say. I was so sad to read about Rosemary. Then to find out she was right here in Wisconsin.

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  15. P.S. I thought having the women's eyes on the cover of the book to be a moving thing as well, especially after reading the book.

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  16. I need to read more Lewis.
    Saying the Kenney book is not exactly non-fiction, it seems a little sketchy. It tells that the events in the book might be over exaggerated and not fully reliable.

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