Review: The Most Beautiful Girl in Cuba

The Most Beautiful Girl in Cuba by Chanel Cleeton
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

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

Thank you to Berkley Publishing Group and NetGalley for this Advanced Readers Copy!

I really enjoyed this book. As someone who loves learning about history, there was a lot to learn about the historical side of this story.

Evangelina Cisneros was a real woman in history. She was determined to be an enemy of the Spanish state, and was put into a women's prison in Cuba.

She was dubbed "The Most Beautiful Girl in Cuba" by the New York Journal, a newspaper owned by William Randolph Hearst. This newspaper was in a circulation war with The New York World newspaper owned by Joseph Pulitzer. In order to sell more papers, Hearst was encouraging war with Spain over Cuban independence. I had no idea that we entered the Spanish American War, mainly because of newspaper stories!

I also liked meeting fictional Grace Harrington. She was a strong, independent woman who determined that she wanted to be the next Nelly Bly, a stunt newspaper girl! Grace was asked to help write some of the stories about Evangelina, her escape from prison with the help of Journal journalists.

I really appreciated the Author's Note at the end that told of the research and the truth behind this historical fiction book. It was nice to know who was based on a real story and where the side characters came from.

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21 in 21 - February Update

 

 I said I would update the blog once a month with an update on my 21 in 21 project

1. Donate 1 item per day
1. January - I'm 25 items behind
2. February - On Schedule
   
2. Bike 52 hours
1. January - I have completed 0.5 hours so far
2. February - I am 1% complete
   
3. Run 52 hours
1. January - I have completed 1.98 hours so far
2. February - I am 6% complete
   
4. Hike the complete Ice Age Trail in Dane County
1. January - I have completed 0 of 61.6 total miles
2. February - I have completed 0 of 61.6 total miles
5. Hike the complete Ice Age Trail in Fond du Lac & Sheboygan Counties
1. January - I have completed 0 of 39.6 total miles
2. February - I have completed 0 of 39.6 total miles
6. Hike the complete Ice Age Trail in Green County
1. January - I have completed 0 of 22.7 total miles
2. February - I have completed 0 of 22.7 total miles
7. Hike the complete Ice Age Trail in Rock County
1. January - I have completed 0 of 63.9 total miles
2. February - I have completed 6.07 of 63.9 total miles
   
8. Hike the complete Ice Age Trail in Walworth & Jefferson Counties
1. January - I have completed 0 of 25.2 total miles
2. February - I have completed 0 of 25.2 total miles
9. Hike the complete Ice Age Trail in Washington County
1. January - I have completed 9.7 of 45 total miles
2. February - I have completed 13.67 of 45 total miles
   
10. Mail 1 "just because" postcard each day
1. January -  I'm 14 behind, but working through them!
2. February - I'm 42 behind... This is way harder than I thought it would be!
   
11. Mail 1 "just because" gift each month
1. January - I mailed a scarf to my friend Hallie
2. February -  I mailed a baby gift to my friend Kathy
   
12. Get a massage once a month
1. January - I had a massage on January 4
   
2. February - I had a massage on February 26
   
13. Complete the 2021 PopSugar Reading Challenge
1. January - I have completed 4 of 50 reading challenge prompts
2. February - I have completed 7 of 50 reading challenge prompts
   
14. Maintain a feedback ratio of 80% in NetGalley
1. January - I am currently at 36% and I have 46 out of 72 books left to read/review
2. February - I am currently at 37% and I have 48 out of 76 books left to read/review
   
15. Sort through 1 box/tub/crate/drawer per week
1. January -  I'm 2 behind
2. February - I am on schedule
   
16. Watch 1 TED Talk per day
1. January - I am on schedule
2. February - I am 8 behind
   
17. Complete GEP 3 for DAR
1. January - I have not yet registered
2. February - I have not yet registered
   
18. Update Blog monthly with 21 in 21 status
1. January - Updated on January 26
2. February - Updated on February 28
   
19. (Re)Learn to Cross Country Ski
1. January - Contacted a local instructor about scheduling a private lesson
2. February - No update
   
20. Watch one "new to me" movie each month
1. January - I watched Girl on the Train on January 30
   
2. February - I watched Judy on February 28
   
21. Get a facial once a month
1. January - I had a facial on January 3
   
2. February -  I had a facial on February 6
   

Wisconsin Friends Explore Challenge 2021

 

Hooray!  A new challenge and way to get outside this year!  I'm super excited, and my friend Jessica said she's going to join me in the challenge!

 https://sites.google.com/view/wisconsin-friends-explore/home?authuser=0

The Friends of Wisconsin State Parks is hosting a challenge to get people outside, explore, discover new things.... and most importantly support the Wisconsin State Park System.

Goal for the year is to complete as many of these challenges as possible in the set time frame of March 20 through September 22.

Like my 21 in 21 Challenge, I'll try to update this monthly with a current status.

1. Hike 50 miles total on WSPS properties

2. Hike every trail on one WSPS property

3. Camp six nights total in the WSPS

4. Camp overnight while backpacking at least once

5. Fish at three different WSPS properties

6. Paddle five different bodies of water on WSPS properties

7. Visit and photograph 5 different waterfalls on WSPS properties

8. Build and photograph sand sculptures on 5 different WSPS beaches

9. Bike 50 miles on state trails or WSPS properties

10. Take a selfie from 10 scenic overlooks   

11. Take 10 photos of historic buildings, which includes lighthouses, located on WSPS properties

12. Photograph examples of Indigenous Cultures on 10 WSPS properties

13. Visit a WSPS property in each of the six districts

14. Visit the same WSPS property once a month, March through September 

15. Identify and list 25 plants seen on WSPS properties-take photos of at least three 

16. Identify and list 25 different birds seen on WSPS properties-take photos of at least three

17. Identify and list 25 insects seen on WSPS properties-take photos of at least three

18. Find 15 geocaches on WSPS properties

19. Join a Friend's group

20. Clean up litter for 2-3 hours total at two or more WSPS properties

21. Pick garlic mustard for 2-3 hours at a WSPS property

22. Cross-country ski 50 miles at a minimum of 2 properties

     

     
    

Review: The Guncle

The Guncle by Steven Rowley
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

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

Thank you to NetGalley, and PENGUIN GROUP Putnam - G.P. Putnam's Sons for this Advanced Reader's Copy.

Patrick, an actor who hasn't worked in a few years, has been keeping to himself in Palms Springs for a while. When his best friend, who is also his sister-in-law passes away, he finds himself being asked to watch his niece and nephew while his brother deals with his own health issues. Maisie (9) and Grant (6) come to stay with Patrick for the summer, and together they work through the demons of love and loss. Maisie and Grant call Patrick GUP (Gay Uncle Patrick) or Guncle, an awesome nickname if I've ever heard one!

Patrick has had other losses in life, and I loved seeing how he dealt with his own issues while helping the children deal with the loss of their mother. By the end of the summer, you can see changes in all 3 of them!

I loved the Guncle Rules throughout the book. I wish there was a full listing of them at the end!

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Review: Troubled Blood

Troubled Blood by Robert Galbraith
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 long (and I mean LONG) meandering story about a murder that (may or may not have) happened 40 years ago. A woman went missing on her way to meet a friend for a drink after work. The case was never solved, because along the way there was an incapacitated police officer, a husband who just wanted to move forward, and a city surrounded by a serial killer. Now, 40 years later, the woman's daughter has hired Strike and Robin to try to find out what happened.

Throughout the story, we actually get more glimpses into the personal lives of Strike and Robin as they struggle with losses of their own (Strike of a family member, Robin of her marriage). It was interesting to see more of their personal lives and connections throughout the story, as well as their reactions to some of the people they encountered along the way.

The mystery/mysteries they encountered along the way were all wrapped up nicely, which is always nice to have. It will be interesting to see where the relationship between the 2 detectives will lead next!

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Review: Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City

Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City by Matthew Desmond
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

5 out of 5 stars - I'll tell you to read it without you asking

This books was extremely interesting to me. I knew about the basics of eviction and poverty, but this brought a lot of new information to the table. Living near Milwaukee, there were a lot of places mentioned that I could picture on a map. There was a lot of detailed, personal information about the different individuals within the book. It made it much more personal than just a data-driven book about evictions. The author mentioned that no real studies had been done on evictions and the effect on poverty, and that surprised me.

Below are a few quotes from the book that I found extremely interesting:

Today, the majority of poor renting families in America spend over half of their income on housing, and at least one in four dedicates over 70 percent to paying the rent and keeping the lights on.

Landlords were allowed to rent units with property code violations, and even units that did not meet “basic habitability requirements,” as long as they were up front about the problems.

A white person living in and writing about the inner city is not uniquely exposed to threats but uniquely shielded from them.

I also highly recommend you read the end of the book where the author discusses how he collected information. It makes the details in the book that much more interesting!

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