Review: Becoming by Michelle Obama

Becoming by Michelle Obama

Published: November 13, 2018

Publisher: Crown

Format: audiobook via Overdrive

Ratings: 5/5

Synopsis

In a life filled with meaning and accomplishment, Michelle Obama has emerged as one of the most iconic and compelling women of our era. As First Lady of the United States of America—the first African-American to serve in that role—she helped create the most welcoming and inclusive White House in history, while also establishing herself as a powerful advocate for women and girls in the U.S. and around the world, dramatically changing the ways that families pursue healthier and more active lives, and standing with her husband as he led America through some of its most harrowing moments. Along the way, she showed us a few dance moves, crushed Carpool Karaoke, and raised two down-to-earth daughters under an unforgiving media glare.

In her memoir, a work of deep reflection and mesmerizing storytelling, Michelle Obama invites readers into her world, chronicling the experiences that have shaped her—from her childhood on the South Side of Chicago to her years as an executive balancing the demands of motherhood and work, to her time spent at the world’s most famous address. With unerring honesty and lively wit, she describes her triumphs and her disappointments, both public and private, telling her full story as she has lived it—in her own words and on her own terms.

My Thoughts

This book is utterly amazing! In Becoming we get the life and thoughts of Michelle Obama and she doesn’t hold back. We get the story of her upbringing and her relationship with her parents. We see her grow up and her school life and the friendships that still impact her today. I loved when she talked about her parents and how she didn’t ask for more than she needed because she knew that her parents sacrificed for her and her brother yet they always encourage her and made all things possible when it came to her future. There were times in this memoir that brought tears to my eyes when she discussed her parents and her love and the devotion that they had for one another touched my heart.

When Barack enters the picture she shares her initial thoughts on him and how he simply fitted into her life, they balanced each other out and they always supported one another in all aspects of their lives. I liked that she shared parts of her life, such as her trouble to conceive and her heartbreak of miscarrying a child to her feelings on both election nights and how she felt when Hilary Clinton lost.

All in all, this is a compelling read one that shows us sides of the former First Lady that many might not know. We get her feelings on things that happened during their run in the White House and how she tried to balance marriage and family life in the world spotlight. Its inspirational and you can truly feel her love for her family and for this nation. This is a must read for sure.

Review: The Grownup by Gillian Flynn

The Grownup by Gillian Flynn

Published: November 3, 2015

Publisher: Crown

Format: via Overdrive

Rating: 4/5

Synopsis

A canny young woman is struggling to survive by perpetrating various levels of mostly harmless fraud. On a rainy April morning, she is reading auras at Spiritual Palms when Susan Burke walks in. A keen observer of human behavior, our unnamed narrator immediately diagnoses beautiful, rich Susan as an unhappy woman eager to give her lovely life a drama injection. However, when the "psychic" visits the eerie Victorian home that has been the source of Susan's terror and grief, she realizes she may not have to pretend to believe in ghosts anymore. Miles, Susan's teenage stepson, doesn't help matters with his disturbing manner and grisly imagination. The three are soon locked in a chilling battle to discover where the evil truly lurks and what, if anything, can be done to escape it.

My Thoughts

This was one creepy and outrageous read that had me guessing until the very end and even then I wasn’t sure what was true and what wasn’t. These two women meet when one is conning her into believing she is a psychic who can clean her home of evilness. We soon learn that maybe this home is indeed possessed and she soon realizes she is in over her head. We meet Susan’s stepson who is pure evil and will do anything to get rid of her.

Now what happens next is when things get weird and I didn’t know what was what. You see we find out the real reason how these two women are connected…in a way. Soon the stepson pits these two women against each other so you don’t know what is true. Miles is rude and crude and definitely scary beyond words, and he wants the younger girl to take him with her or else he will call the cops on her. This read was weird beyond everything but in a crazy good way. You see these two are cut from the same cloth because they are both crazy and have this odd and sinister way about them. It’s a short read and people either like this read or they don’t there is no middle ground but I liked it. You have to take Gillian Flynn’s work for what it is. It's usually dark, twisted and a little sick but that what I like about her work. This is one read that will take you for one crazy and odd ride, I for one was definitely intrigued by it.

Review: Bittersweet by Miranda Beverly-Whittemore

Bittersweet by Miranda Beverly –Whittemore 

Published: May 13, 2014

Publisher: Crown

Format: via publisher in exchange for an honest review

Rating: 4/5

Synopsis

On scholarship at a prestigious East Coast college, ordinary Mabel Dagmar is surprised to befriend her roommate, the beautiful, blue-blooded Genevra Winslow. Ev invites Mabel to spend the summer at Bittersweet, her cottage on the Vermont estate where her family has been holding court for more than a century; it's the kind of place where swimming boldly is required and the children twirl sparklers across the lawn during cocktail hour. Mabel falls in love with the midnight skinny-dips, the wet dog smell lingering in the air, the moneyed laughter carrying across the still lake, and before she knows it, she has everything she's ever wanted: wealth, friendship, a boyfriend, and, most of all, the sense, for the first time in her life, that she belongs.

But as Mabel becomes an insider, she makes a terrible discovery, which leads to shocking violence and the revelation of the true source of the Winslows' fortune. Mabel must choose: either expose the ugliness surrounding her and face expulsion from paradise, or keep the family’s dark secrets and redefine what is good and what is evil, in the interest of what can be hers.

My Thoughts

This is one of those stories that is so epic it’s beyond any and everything. Bittersweet has everything that you want in a story. This is the story of Mabel and her relationship with her roommate Ev. After never really talking much during their year at school Ev invites Mabel to spend the summer with her and her rich family. Mabel having no other viable options decides to go despite something telling her not to. Once she’s there she realizes she wasn’t brought there as a friend but more as a cover-up. Ev is having a secret relationship with one of caretakers and uses Mabel to cover-up her secret romance.

Mabel realizes that she is in over her head when she sees the entire Winslow’s in all their glory. They are a family who believes in tradition, old money, and that they feel they are utterly untouchable. They also have secrets so scandalous that it will knock you off your feet.  What I find most shocking is that just about everyone knows these secrets and continue to do nothing about them. They just continue to go with the status quo. It's mind boggling! Not to be undone Mabel has one of her own that doesn’t make her any better than them. Mabel soon gets caught up in their lifestyle and wants what they have; even more she wants to be one of them. In the process she soon finds herself in the middle of their drama and secrets but does she had what it takes to stand up for what’s right or does she crumble when they flex their power? At first I saw Mabel as a victim, taken advantage of, maybe even mutilated by these powerful people but then but the end I thought of her as the one doing all of this. She isn’t so innocent in her plans either. She wants what she wants and has no qualms about it.

Bittersweet is one of those summer reads that draws you in with its beautiful landscapes and equally intense writing. Its layers of story lines keeps you locked in and doesn’t let you go. Just when you think you have figured out something, you are thrown a curve ball you never saw coming. Its twists and turns are a thing of beauty. This is one of those books that will leave you shocked, sadden and beyond emotions when you are done. This is one book you have to read to believe.

"I received this book for free from Blogging for Books for this review."

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WoW [20]

Waiting on Wednesday [WoW] is a weekly event hosted by Jill @ Breaking the Spine that spotlights upcoming releases that we’re eagerly anticipating.

This week’s WoW feature is:

Save Yourself by Kelly Braffet

Expected Publication: August 6, 2013
Publisher: Crown

Summary via Goodreads...

Patrick Cusimano is in a bad way. His father is in jail, he works the midnight shift at a grubby convenience store, and his brother's girlfriend, Caro, has taken their friendship to an uncomfortable new level. On top of all that, he can't quite shake the attentions of Layla Elshere, a Goth teenager who befriends Patrick for reasons he doesn't understand and doesn't fully trust. The temptations these two women offer are pushing him to his breaking point.

Meanwhile, Layla's little sister, Verna, is suffering through her first year of high school. She's become a prime target for her cruel classmates, not just because of her strange name and her fundamentalist parents: Layla's bad-girl rep proves to be too huge a shadow for Verna, so she falls in with her sister's circle of outcasts and misfits whose world is far darker than she ever imagined.

Kelly Braffet's characters, indelibly portrayed and richly varied, are all on their own twisted paths to finding peace. The result is a novel of unnerving power-darkly compelling, addictively written, and shockingly honest.

Why I Can’t Wait....

Every once in a while I like a dark intense and intriguing read. This one seems to fit the bill. It seems like this book has a great cast of characters and I’m really interested in seeing what becomes of this story. Looks like a good break from all the sunny and fun loving summer reads that will be out around that time.

That’s what I’m waiting for…please share yours.