Review: The Gifted School

The Gifted School by Bruce Holsinger
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

4 out of 5 stars - If you ask me, I'll tell you to read it

This book had so many messed up relationships on so many levels. Marriages, friendships, parent/child... All levels of messed up.

Four women met at a "mommy and me" event over 10 years ago. The four stayed friends through life's various ups and downs. Now, they're navigating the application process to a new gifted school in their district, sure that their kid is gifted enough to get in. The process brings out the pettiness in relationships and the backstabbing and lying that can be done when someone wants to give their kid a leg up.

This book made me think about relationships in my life and how I might react to some of these situations in my life (if I had kids).

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Review: The Wild Robot

The Wild Robot by Peter Brown
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

4 out of 5 stars - I'll tell you to read it, if you ask me

Roz is a robot. She finds herself the sole survivor of a shipwrecked cargo container filled with robots. When she "wakes up", she finds she must learn to survive. Survival means learning from the local animals about how to best navigate the island and it's obstacles. Learning from the animals means observing, but also befriending!

This book was fun to see how friendships can develop even when differences abound.

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Review: Twelve Days of Christmas

Twelve Days of Christmas by Debbie Macomber
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

4 out of 5 stars - If you ask me, I'll tell you to read it.

This was a fun, light-hearted Christmas book that was perfect for a December book club I am a member of.

Julia is a peppy, young lady who tries to see the positives in everything. Living across the hall is Cain, who she sees as a real life Scrooge. Julia is in the process of interviewing for a new job in social media, which involved the final two candidates creating a blog and seeing who could get the most followers. It wasn't going great for Julia, when her friend suggests she blog about her neighbor and "killing him with kindness" to see if his outlook changes. For 12 days, Julia undertakes tasks to try to bring cheer to Cain's world and the blogging about the changes in how they interact.

Of course, love enters the mix and things go all wonky. It's fun to see how they interact, how the relationship changes, and how the blog is revealed.

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Review: Lord of the Flies

Lord of the Flies by William Golding
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

4 out of 5 stars - If you ask me, I'll tell you to read it

I can see why this book has been placed on the banned book lists out there. There's quite a lot of violence in it, considering the age group it was probably intended for and the time it was written.

The story of the shipwrecked boys on a deserted island did not go as I expected. There's a power struggle, bullying, and loss of life. It took a while before the title made sense to me, but it does eventually make sense.

There seems to be a lot of violence related to the wearing of war paint on the boys and the anonymity it allows. During a "war dance" type event, while wearing face and body paint, the boys beat one of their own to death. It reminds me of the anonymity allowed by the internet these days and the violent and evil things some people are willing to say that they'd never say to someone in person. [There seems to be a lot of violence related to the wearing of war paint on the boys and the anonymity it allows. During a "war dance" type event, while wearing face and body paint, the boys beat one of their own to death. It reminds me of the anonymity allowed by the internet these days and the violent and evil things some people are willing to say that they'd never say to someone in person. (hide spoiler)]

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Review: Robert's Rules of Order Newly Revised In Brief, 3rd edition

Robert's Rules of Order Newly Revised In Brief, 3rd edition by Henry Martyn Robert
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

5 out of 5 stars - I'll tell you to read it without you asking me (assuming we're talking about Robert's Rules!)

This book is a great introduction to Robert's Rules and shows real life examples of how they can be used during a meeting.

It's not an enjoyable read, but I didn't expect it to be. I read it with the expectation that it would allow me to pass the National Association of Parliamentarians membership exam, and it did exactly that!

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Review: Party of Two

Party of Two by Jasmine Guillory
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

4 out of 5 stars - If you ask me, I'll tell you to read it

A great book in a series of great books. I love the fact that the books feature strong, independent women who are not straight out of college. They're more relatable to this "older" single lady.

I really like how these stories stand alone, but they intertwine characters from each past book in an interesting way. Olivia Monroe moves to LA to be closer to family and start a new law firm with a friend. While staying at a hotel, waiting for her new place to be ready, she meets Max. Max is just a cute guy who is kind of recognizable, so she assumes he's a C or D-list actor. After leaving the hotel bar, Olivia turns on the TV to find that Max is actually Senator Powell, the junior senator from CA.

The twists and turns that bring these two together and drag them apart are extremely relatable.

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Review: Charlotte Holmes and the Locked Box

Charlotte Holmes and the Locked Box by Sherry Thomas
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

4 out of 5 stars - If you ask me, I'll tell you to read it.

This might be one of the shortest little stories out there. It was a great, quick mystery that Charlotte was able to solve. There was no true story, just the little meeting with a client and solving of the mystery.

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Review: The Curiosities

The Curiosities by Susan Gloss
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

4 out of 5 stars - If you ask me, I'll tell you to read it

I really enjoyed this book, set in Madison, because it allowed me to imagine the places I've been within town.

Nell and her husband have been trying all possible ways to have a baby after losing their first. What Nell hasn't told her husband is that much of the cost of IVF and other interventions wasn't covered by insurance and is now on credit cards. When the latest attempt fails to end in a pregnancy, Nell start searching for a job to fill the void. She comes across something that may be the perfect job at a new nonprofit called the Mansion Hill Artists’ Colony. Before she knows it, she's the Director and welcoming the first artists into the mansion.

I really enjoyed getting to know each of the artists. Annie is a well-known artist, but wants to break out of the medium she's known for. Odin is an up-and-coming metal sculptor who has recently had tragedy in his life. Paige is a student at UW-Madison who is proficient in many art mediums, but she hasn't found her voice.

I really enjoyed the story. I hope to see more of the artists in future books! I also really liked how she was able to have a quick tie-in to her first book, Vintage.

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