Fall Reads

You know the drill by now.

Here are my reviews for the books that I read this past fall. I guess it’s technically still fall, but we will pretend that since it’s already cold outside that we are officially in the winter, and today I will present to you my fall reads…

Baby, We Were Meant for Each Other

Synopsis: In this warm, funny, and wise new book, NPR’s award-winning and beloved Scott Simon tells the story of how he and his wife found true love with two tiny strangers from the other side of the world. It’s a book of unforgettable moments: when Scott and Caroline get their first thumb-size pictures of their daughters, when the small girls are placed in their arms, and all the laughs and tumbles along the road as they become a real family.

Woven into the tale of Scott, Caroline, and the two little girls who changed their lives are the stories of other adoptive families. Some are famous and some are not, but each family’s saga captures facets of the miracle of adoption. 

My Review: I know that the topic of adoption has become a heavily debated ethical subject in last few years, and for good reason. The synopsis of this book makes it sound like the author is singing the praises of adoption because of it’s beauty and miraculousness. However, I feel like this book has so much more than that. Yes, the author does sing the praises of adoption, as do his daughters. However, he does not shy away from the nitty gritty and real truths of adoption- that it is born out of brokenness, that it often contains trauma, and that it often has many, many different perspectives. Although we have not adopted, this book really spoke to me and I highly recommend it for anyone considering adoption or who has adopted in the past. It may be a little raw and too real/hard to read for those who have just recently adopted, however.

Daring Greatly

Synopsis: Researcher and thought leader Dr. Brené Brown offers a powerful new vision that encourages us to dare greatly: to embrace vulnerability and imperfection, to live wholeheartedly, and to courageously engage in our lives.

My Review: I quite often find myself not enjoying things/people that are extremely over-hyped, and I felt that way with this book. Brene Brown is practically worshipped, and I’m not sure I “get it”. That being said, she did have some great points about vulnerability and being willing to share emotionally. She tied her thoughts and research into many different aspects of life, including work, parenting and reaching audiences. I did find that if I read this book without the lense of Christianity, I was more enthralled. When I looked at what she was saying through my knowledge of Scripture I found that she was echoing much of what Christ teaches about vulnerability and love. I wish I could drive home the point that we do not find ourselves we are enough, but when we find that Christ in us is enough. I’m not sure I really loved this book, but it did have some thought provoking points.

Evvie Drake Starts Over

Synopsis: In a small town in Maine, recently widowed Eveleth “Evvie” Drake rarely leaves her house. Everyone in town, including her best friend, Andy, thinks grief keeps her locked inside, and she doesn’t correct them. In New York, Dean Tenney, former major-league pitcher and Andy’s childhood friend, is struggling with a case of the “yips”: he can’t throw straight anymore, and he can’t figure out why. An invitation from Andy to stay in Maine for a few months seems like the perfect chance to hit the reset button.

When Dean moves into an apartment at the back of Evvie’s house, the two make a deal: Dean won’t ask about Evvie’s late husband, and Evvie won’t ask about Dean’s baseball career. Rules, though, have a funny way of being broken–and what starts as an unexpected friendship soon turns into something more. But before they can find out what might lie ahead, they’ll have to wrestle a few demons: the bonds they’ve broken, the plans they’ve changed, and the secrets they’ve kept. They’ll need a lot of help, but in life, as in baseball, there’s always a chance–right up until the last out

My Review: I found this book delightful! It wasn’t fluffy chick-lit, because it dealt with some deep emotions and some tough topics like death, emotional abuse, grief and failure. But at the same time, the book was written in such a way that it was able to be fun and almost light-hearted. I love books where an author who can write both hard subjects and an enjoyable storyline at the same time. This one was a good read. It does end tied up with a nice little bow, which I don’t usually love, but I did enjoy in this story.

Family Trust

Synopsis: Meet Stanley Huang: father, husband, ex-husband, man of unpredictable tastes and temper, aficionado of all-inclusive vacations and bargain luxury goods, newly diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. For years, Stanley has claimed that he’s worth a small fortune. But the time is now coming when the details of his estate will finally be revealed, and Stanley’s family is nervous.

As Stanley’s death approaches, the Huangs are faced with unexpected challenges that upend them and eventually lead them to discover what they most value. A compelling tale of cultural expectations, career ambitions and our relationships with the people who know us best, Family Trust skewers the ambition and desires that drive Silicon Valley and draws a sharply loving portrait of modern American family life.

My Review: I picked this book up because I love books written from the perspective of other cultures. I was excited to read it because I heard that it resembled Crazy Rich Asians, which I loved. However, this book proved to be quite disappointing. I felt like all it talked about was the dysfunction of a family who looked normal on the outside but was crumbling from selfishness on the inside.

The Garden of Small Beginnings

Synopsis: Lilian Girvan has been a single mother for three years–ever since her husband died in a car accident. One mental breakdown and some random suicidal thoughts later, she’s just starting to get the hang of this widow thing. She can now get her two girls to school, show up to work, and watch TV like a pro. The only problem is she’s becoming overwhelmed with being underwhelmed.

At least her textbook illustrating job has some perks–like actually being called upon to draw whale genitalia. Oh, and there’s that vegetable-gardening class her boss signed her up for. Apparently, being the chosen illustrator for a series of boutique vegetable guides means getting your hands dirty, literally. Wallowing around in compost on a Saturday morning can’t be much worse than wallowing around in pajamas and self-pity.

After recruiting her kids and insanely supportive sister to join her, Lilian shows up at the Los Angeles botanical garden feeling out of her element. But what she’ll soon discover–with the help of a patient instructor and a quirky group of gardeners–is that into every life a little sun must shine, whether you want it to or not…

My Review: I loved the cute and quirky characters in this book and how they all banded together despite the completely different circumstances. I loved how the initial judgements of each other were completely broken down as they got to know one another. I also loved the emotion in this story and felt like it was such a feel-good read. However, I do not recommend reading this book right after reading Evvie Drake Starts Over, because they are both about young widows who are getting through their grief. I also didn’t love how the children were often portrayed as inconveniences, almost like it’s a huge drag to have kids. Yes, sometimes it is incredibly hard, and I cannot imagine how difficult it is to be single Mom, but I still wishes that the kids were portrayed as more delightful than they were.

Haben

Synopsis: Haben grew up spending summers with her family in the enchanting Eritrean city of Asmara. There, she discovered courage as she faced off against a bull she couldn’t see, and found in herself an abiding strength as she absorbed her parents’ harrowing experiences during Eritrea’s thirty-year war with Ethiopia. Their refugee story inspired her to embark on a quest for knowledge, traveling the world in search of the secret to belonging. She explored numerous fascinating places, including Mali, where she helped build a school under the scorching Saharan sun. Her many adventures over the years range from the hair-raising to the hilarious.

Haben defines disability as an opportunity for innovation. She learned non-visual techniques for everything from dancing salsa to handling an electric saw. She developed a text-to-braille communication system that created an exciting new way to connect with people. Haben pioneered her way through obstacles, graduated from Harvard Law, and now uses her talents to advocate for people with disabilities.

My Review: Friends, do yourself a favor and read this book! I remember reading about Helen Keller many years ago. I was fascinated by the story and always thought that our society has come so far since then in including people with disabilities. However, reading this book was incredibly eye-opening to me (no pun intended). Haben is both deaf and blind, so much of the opportunities that have been provided to those with disabilities do not apply to those with multiple disabilities. This book was inspirational and convicting to me. I did find that parts of the story was choppy, and I felt like it skipped a lot of her life, but I did enjoy the parts of her life that she was willing to share with us!

Christmas Bliss

Synopsis: From the New York Times bestselling author of Summer Rental comes a novella that celebrates love, the holidays, and antiques. Christmas is coming, but Savannah antique dealer Weezie Foley is doubly distracted both by her upcoming wedding to her longtime love, chef Daniel Stipanek and also by the fact that her best friend and maid-of-honor BeBe Loudermilk is due to give birth any day and is still adamantly refusing to marry her live-in-love Harry.

My Review: This holiday season, I decided to go all out and put as many Christmas books on hold as I could! This was my first of many Christmas books that I will be reading and reviewing this month! If you don’t want to wait for my book review blog post, then please follow me on Instagram @thegloriousmundane for my in real time reviews!

Do you like Hallmark movies? Then you will like this book! It was cute and fluffy and such a quick read- perfect for curling up under a blanket with a hot cup of tea. I will say that I expected the book to go one predictable way, but it went a different predictable way instead. Rated G, although as you can see in the synopsis one unmarried couple does live together.

And that’s all for now! I plan to be back at the end of December with my last book review of the year!