★★★★★ Rick Rubin’s The Creative Act, which contains the record producer’s 78 areas of thought on creativity, argues that creativity is as essential to being human as breathing. As the subtitle suggests, Rubin believes creativity is a way of being in the world.
Tag: book blog
Happy Place by Emily Henry
★★★★☆ In Happy Place, college sweethearts Harriet and Wyn are headed to a cottage in Maine to participate in a decades-long beach week tradition with their best pals. One problem: they broke off their engagement six months ago but haven’t confessed the news to their trip mates. The two are forced to keep up the charade of still being engaged to the people who are supposed to know them best.
The Villa by Rachel Hawkins
★★★☆☆ Rachel Hawkins writes good escapist thrillers. Reckless Girls was deliciously wicked, and her Southern Gothic novel, The Wife Upstairs, had some fun twists. So, when I saw she had a new book, The Villa, I decided to check it out.
Home Front by Kristin Hannah
★★★☆☆ With its portrait of a stoic woman enduring terrible circumstances, Home Front is a difficult read. Just as her marriage begins falling apart, Jolene Zarkades, a mother to two girls, is deployed to active duty as a helicopter pilot in Iraq. Jolene, her husband, Michael, and their daughters are each tested in different ways while she is away and again when she returns.
The Girl with Seven Names by Hyeonseo Lee
★★★★☆ This memoir gives insight into what it was like to be a young woman born and raised in North Korea and the challenges she faced after impulsively crossing the border into China as a teenager.
We Are the Brennans by Tracey Lange
★★★☆☆ The Brennans are a close Irish Catholic family with lots of secrets. Oh, so many secrets. This family drama opens with the normally conscientious Sunday Brennan being hospitalized after driving under the influence and having a car accident. Her brother, Denny, fulfills his duty as her emergency contact and flies to L.A. to bring … Continue reading We Are the Brennans by Tracey Lange
Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer
★★★★★ With its message of gratitude and reciprocating gifts, Braiding Sweetgrass was an excellent choice to read during the Thanksgiving season. Using the braiding metaphor, the author, trained as a botanist, weaves scientific, environmental, cultural, and spiritual knowledge to teach readers a different way of seeing the world.
Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo
★★☆☆☆ Every once in a while, you run across a book that has all of the makings of a great read, but in the end, it just doesn’t work for you. This was the case for me with Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo.
The Last Carolina Girl by Meagan Church
★★★☆☆ The Last Carolina Girl is Megan Church’s debut novel. Set in 1935, Leah Payne is living a happy, simple life in Holden Beach when tragedy strikes, making her an orphan. She is forced to leave the people and town that she loves to live with a foster family in Matthews, N.C.
Bossypants by Tina Fey
★★★☆☆ Tina Fey is a major celebrity in our house - mostly because she’s one of the most famous people to attend. Given how much I’ve heard about comedian Tina Fey over the years, I was excited to listen to her memoir, especially since everyone kept describing it as hilarious and laugh-out-loud funny.