Month: August 2020

August Reads

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The Vanishing Half

This was our book club pick for the month of August, and I had it read in two days. Not having power for a week due to a land hurricane called a derecho barreling through Iowa may have been a helping factor, but the book was so good.

The Vanishing Half tells the story of two identical twin sisters who leave their small home town. The sisters are Black, but they can pass for White, which is what one sister does. The two go their separate ways, and live separate lives, until their daughters cross paths.

The story is a wonderful journey in the lives of four women, the twins and their daughters, and I love how rich the story is. I became very invested in their stories, and could only hope things would work out for the women.

I highly recommend this story to everyone. (BOTM)

You Are Not Alone

I borrowed this book from a friend, and I have to say, out of all the books I’ve read so far in 2020, this is definitely near the bottom of my list.

Billed as a thriller, I never really felt like the main character was in any danger. Throughout the book the authors made it feel as if the socialites had some big secret society thing going on, and when everything is revealed, it felt like a bit of a let down.

If you’re going to try to read one book a month for the rest of the year, skip this one, it’s not worth trying to fit in. (BOTM)

The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes

I really wanted to like this one. I really did. And It was okay. I liked parts of it. However, there are a few things that made me frustrated, and things that I would have wanted to change.

The story is basically President Snow’s origin story, so it is expected to show how he became the sadistic man we met in The Hunger Games Trilogy. However, because we knew he would become evil, there really wasn’t anything too shocking.

The things I felt were interesting in the book were the 10th Hunger Games which helped show us how the games had evolved, and President Snow’s ties to District 12, which allowed us insight into why Snow did the things he did with Katniss.

Things I felt could have been better: I really, really, really wanted there to be an LGBTQ+ relationship between Snow and his rival. I wanted there to be some tragic story of loss and class difference between the two of them, and I wanted that to propel Snow into the man he became in the Trilogy.

That said, I think everyone should read it, especially if you’re a fan of the Trilogy, and I’m actually looking forward to the film.

The Jackal

I don’t have much to say about this one. I love basically everything J.R. Ward publishes. If you’re a fan, I recommend this book. I loved the love story, I loved the characters, and I’m interested to see where the story goes, since this is touted as Prison Camp Book 1, and seeing how this book ended, I wonder how there will be more.

July Reads

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Beach Read

I was on vacation while I read Beach Read and I read it in two days. Even while parenting my two children. I found this book irresistible and enchanting.

The premise of two writers challenging each other to right the other’s genre to get out of writer’s block was a compelling enough reason to pick the book up. The nuanced way the characters ultimately fell in love, was the reason I kept reading.

Not your typical romance, Beach Read pulls you along with its emotionally damaged characters as they begin to heal.

This was easily a five star read, and I have to stop myself from picking it right back up for a re-read. My TBR pile is much to large right now for that. (BOTM)

The Sun Down Motel

I borrowed The Sun Down Motel from a friend, and while it is not typically a genre I read a lot of, I found I couldn’t put this book down. The setting of a haunted roadside motel was incredibly terrifying. And the mystery of the woman disappearing from there in the 1980s kept me reading to find out what happened to her.

The only thing that kept me from giving this book five stars was I felt the ending was a little bit of a run down. The author built up the haunting and the ghosts and the disappearance, and it all sort of petered out in the end.

Still, this book was another I read on vacation, and I read it in two days. So even with the lackluster ending, I still really enjoyed the book as a whole, and would recommend it. (BOTM)

A Beautifully Foolish Endeavor

A very highly anticipated release, I was on vacation when this book got delivered to my doorstep and I couldn’t wait to get home to read it. The sequel to An Absolutely Remarkable Thing, A Beautifully Foolish Endeavor finishes off the story of April May and Carl, while also allowing us into the minds of all the side characters we fell in love with in the first book.

Being about 250 pages longer than most books I read, it took me a little while longer to read this book than I would have liked. If only eleven month olds would entertain themselves while reading.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book, and it really gave you a lot to think about, especially around technology use and becoming addicted to new technology.

Where An Absolutely Remarkable Thing ended in an excruciating cliffhanger, A Beautifully Foolish Endeavor wrapped up the story in a satisfying ending. That is not to say, I didn’t close the book not wanting more. I could read about Maya, Miranda, April, and Andy for several more books. Green did an amazing job creating characters you could fall in love with, and who you wanted to know absolutely everything about.

What is GISH?

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by Sharon Clark

For one week each year, seemingly normal people the world over begin behaving strangely. Their friends and family worry as household chores and yard work are abandoned. What kind of affliction could be so
widespread, affecting every gender, every age group, on nearly every continent?

GISH.

What is GISH, you may ask. Simply put, it’s an acronym for the Greatest International Scavenger Hunt, previously with the addendum ‘the World Has Ever Seen.’ But that very un-catchy moniker was wisely truncated in
recent years. There is no reliable description of this phenomenon. Some say it’s stressful and bizarre, some will call it freeing and bizarre, and other can only mutter, “Damn it, Misha” as they slingshot food into the mouth of a
neighbor.


But GISH can not be explained in simple terms. What started out as a distraction and a big-hearted attempt to help those in need in real and meaningful ways, has morphed into something with a life of its own. It
devours the hearts and minds of everyone that encounters it, leaving an indelible, shining mark of joy on their souls. In its wake you will always find laughter, tears, glitter, probably something to do with unicorns, and the beautiful squishy aftereffects of 7 days of unreasonable pain and suffering.


Because, you see, GISH is more than merely a week, or an acronym, or a massive list bent on driving its participants mad. It is a living, breathing entity that injects light and purpose into an otherwise dark and chaotic
world. GISH is a lifeline for some, pulling them from the depths of despair or loneliness, giving them an instantaneous family of millions, and all the support and encouragement that comes along with it. For others, GISH
is a license – an excuse, if you will – for letting loose and trying things they never would have considered on their own. It is freeing and exhilarating, and once you’ve been enveloped by its adventurous and all-consuming
existence, you are never the same.

Are there dangers associated with becoming a GISHer? Oh, heck yeah. Coworkers will avoid you for the week before and the week after this scavenger hunt. Craft supplies will sprout from corners of your living space for months after it ends. Those brave – or foolish – enough to look into the depths of GISH have been known to utter, text, or write sentences they never thought were possible, such as, “Hey, I think I left my potatoes in the park;would you get them for me, please?”

What is GISH? It is love, and adventure; it is an opportunity to push your boundaries and test your hidden talents; it is a worldwide movement to do good and be good. GISH is the reason we shrug with a rueful smile early each August and explain, “It seemed like a good idea at the time.”

Sharon Clark is an author who lives in Des Moines. This is her third year as a GISH participant, and is a good friend of Steph Caffrey. Thank you Sharon for being a guest on my website.