recent library book reviews

Books are always a good idea. Recently, an afternoon was spent browsing the shelves at the nearby library for something interesting to read. I wasn't looking for any genre in particular, but was open to whatever happened to catch my eye that day. Though I spent a long time looking at the young adult section for something fun or nostalgic...my choices ended up largely being non-fiction titles. I need to work on this, because my 20/20 reading goal for the year (20 non-fiction and 20 fiction) is rather lopsided at the moment. I've already hit my non-fiction reading goal, but I am falling behind on my fiction books. Those will definitely be the focus in the next little bit. For now, it is time for mini reviews of these recent library books.

Murder She Wrote: Death on the Emerald Isle. There was one fiction book that made it home with me, and no surprise, it was a mystery. I love a good mystery novel! Murder She Wrote is certainly a weakness of mine (the show and the book series) so it was nice to take another adventure with the iconic Jessica Fletcher. Death on the Emerald Isle was set in Ireland. I loved learning about the history of the area and imagining Jessica take her bike rides through those scenic views. My only critique is that there were an awful lot of characters to keep track of and it could be a bit confusing at times as I tried to remember how each one was connected to the other. Though it wasn't my favourite Murder She Wrote book, it was still a good read.

Home Work by Julie Andrews and Love Me As I Am by Garcelle Beauvais. The next two books were celebrity biographies. Confession: I love a good celebrity biography. It is fascinating to learn about other people and their experiences. The first biography was Home Work by Julie Andrews. She went into detail about the different movies and stage productions she was involved with. However, the narrative ends in the mid 1980s. I am hopeful that there will be another book to cover some of the other years. So much of her life and work is intriguing and I would love to hear more. Fingers crossed! The second book was Love Me As I Am by Garcelle Beauvais. I adore her on The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills and wanted to learn more about her life. The stories she told about her childhood and modeling career were especially captivating. She sees so much beauty in the world and I love that. My only critique is that the book was not written in chronological order. The narrative went all over the place based on the theme of the chapter. It is a personal preference, but I always prefer a story told in chronological order.

Rage Becomes Her and Notes From a Feminist Killjoy. The last two books were some non-fiction items that caught my eye. One was on my to-read list already and the other was inspired by another book in my collection. Rage Becomes Her: The Power of Women's Anger is all about the ways righteous anger at injustice has been cast as something shameful or wrong when expressed by women. It talks about social conditioning, shame, and the power of using our anger to create positive change in the world. Anger doesn't just have to be seen as only destructive...it can inspire women to use their voices, push back against social norms, and fight for a better world for all. It was such a validating read but also a really informative read. This is one that I plan to purchase and add to my book collection. The last library book was Notes From a Feminist Killjoy. It talked about several themes and blended memoir and theory together. Certain sections were compelling, but being honest, the feminist mothering section did very little for me. As a childfree person, that portion of the book did not resonate the way it might for another reader. Given that, the book was interesting, but not one that I plan to add to my bookshelf in future.

Have you read any of these books? When is the last time you visited your local library?