A Quiet Life by Ethan Joella

4 Stars for A Quiet Life by Ethan Joella. This was the second book written by Ethan, and I read his first one, A Little Hope so I was elated to see he had written another book. 

Even though I gave the book 4 stars, please understand that I loved it. I was moved by it. I crawled up in it and lived in it. The only reason I gave it 4 stars instead of 5 is because I struggled to keep all the characters straight at the beginning. One of Ethan's strengths as a writer is his character development. So, about the time I was getting to know one, a new chapter would begin and I had to dive in with another one. As the book progressed, I could see how he used this to keep me coming back, ending chapters in a way that kept me waiting. And then? BOOM- they all came together in a beautiful story of heartache, disappointment, and loss. 

I am an underliner. I underline phrases, words, and sometimes I bracket paragraphs that speak to me or stand out as having something extra in them. This book contains multiple underlines and brackets now. As a result, it will remain on my shelf, snuggled up to A Little Hope. 

In  A Quiet Life, Ethan pulls in the significance of the cardinal. The bird that stays behind in the winter. The bird who shows up when all the others have left for the winter. It doesn't necessarily DO anything. The cardinal is symbolic for the gift of presence. How profound it was to see strangers in the book, each with their own suffering and loss, with these acquaintances that weren't able to change anything. But, they were able to show the significance of presence. 

The power of seeing and being seen in our struggles is something I have personally observed to be so significant to us as humans. To be seen in our suffering and not have someone try to fix us, minimize our trials, or change the subject. With the pandemic, the physical and emotional distance we have had to adapt to has had major impact in my opinion on our ability to see one another. To be seen. This book does an absolutely wonderful job of showing how important we all are to each other, and how healing it is to have cardinals in our lives. 

I can imagine this book would be difficult for those who have lost someone recently. I can also see how it could be refreshing, a breath, a beacon for those who feel unsure about tomorrow and how to move forward. And, may we never forget the impact of being someone's cardinal today, of the gift of presence. Of seeing. During the holidays, and for the rest of the year as well. We're all just walking each other home. 

#aquietlife #bookstagram #readaholic #sendmebooks #readforjoy #readtogrow #4stars #bookreview #ethanjoella @joellawriting #cardinal #humanity #loveoneanother 

These Silent Woods by Kimi Cunningham Grant

 

5/5 Stars for These Silent Woods. Nothing brings a book blogger out of an almost year in hiding like a solid book. I haven't stopped reading, of course. But, I haven't been reviewing books like before. But then These Silent Woods happened. I picked it up after reading the back of it @bncary. I gobbled it up in 3 days, which is really fast right now for me, considering all the shuffling of the kids, work things, and running I've been doing. 

Friends, I am not kidding when I tell you this one is going to sit next to Where the Crawdads Sing. I'm also not kidding when I tell you I may have liked it even MORE. It's written so lyrically well, the words just painted the setting and the characters with such detail that I was there, off the grid and on the edge of the pages with wide eyes and anticipation. 

It's been a long time since I've read a book this good. I don't want to give too much of it away. It is suspenseful but not gory. It is heartwarming but not a sobfest. It is a hell of a book for the crispy fall we are having. I wish I could tell you I'd let you borrow it. But, I want to know I have it. 

So, here's the book that got me back to writing book reviews. Because you NEED to know about this one. 

@kimicgrant please keep writing more. And, thank you for the beautiful gift of These Silent Woods and the characters I grew to love. I am sure I will go back to them over the years. And, I'll introduce others. #thesesilentwoods #bookstagram #bookreviews #5stars #mustread #pageturner #oakcitybook #booknerd #sendmebooks @stmartinspress @macmillanusa #readtolive #readforescape #readtogrow

Book Review: Our Country Friends by Gary Shteyngart

Y'all. I just couldn't finish this one, after it has received great reviews and has been placed in all the prominent places in my local bookstore and all over my bookstagram feed. I wanted to love this one, as this was my first pandemic read, a book truly capturing the pandemic with a new perspective. I found that I was bored at the beginning and middle by the way upper class folks must be coping with their difficult, privileged lives. I think we can all relate to stocking up on the spirits, crackers, and sequestering ourselves away from civilization. But, I don't know any one that has bungalows and invited their friends over to live in them, secluded and enjoying the high life for months on end. That being said, maybe I'm overly sensitive to the romanticism that I felt when reading this, page after page. It got to be too much and I wanted to feel and see some of myself and my experiences in the book. This book was not for me, and I have so many books lined up waiting, that it's time for me to move on to the next bouquet of words. #3stars #couldntfinish #ourcountryfriends #reallytried #betterlucknextbook #bookreviews #honest #everyonegetsanopinion

Book Review: A Little Hope by Ethan Joella

 

5 Stars for A Little Hope by Ethan Joella. I found A Little Hope at BN 50% off. Maybe I needed a little hope and decided, at 50%, it would be worth it. I was right. Chapter 1 hooked me. So much so, that I messaged Ethan myself and let him know I was hooked. Sometimes, you read a book and meet these amazing characters and wonder how someone could create something from a blank page that you can see so clearly and relate to so well. This was that book. Multiple characters, chapter after chapter contained so much depth and description that I was committed to the outcomes of each of them, and thoroughly enjoyed how they were all connected by grief, sorrow, and loss. But also, hope. I will remain a little bitter about one of the twists in the book. Without letting too many details fly here, I'll be emailing Ethan again about it. But, in the end I understood that it was all part of the realness of the story. If you're looking for a book that feels very real, allows you not to feel so alone, and shines a light on the ray of hope we are all continually walking towards even though we can't see it, this book is your next read. Thank me later. I check my messages. #alittlehope #5stars #bookfor2022 #wellwritten #risingstarauthor #quickread #sendmebooks #booklover #bookreviewsforfun #lovewriters #lovereaders @joellawriting

Book Review: Gone With The Wind

Gone With The Wind is such a majorly controversial book. There were so many parts that made my head spin. Alternatively, what an interesting and valuable perspective on historical happenings in the South. This is officially the longest book I've ever read. I was immediately hooked. That being said, I feel that the book is so controversial that it's probably going to disappear from shelves and reading lists and that makes me a little sad. I feel the magic of the writing and the important story (although fiction) would be lost today if this book was re-released or discussed because of the racial themes, descriptions, and happenings. All of that to say, personally I think it's a gem of a book. It's heartbreaking and enlightening. The characters are desperate and vulnerable. A true classic with lots of fuel for heated and loving discussions. Unpredictable, startling, and a cliff-hanger of an ending. 5 bold stars. #margaretmitchell #gonewiththewind #thebookisbetter #historicalread #deepsouth #controversialread #importantstory #bookreview #5stars #sendmebooks #longestbookeverread