YES!! 52 Weeks!!!!

Let me preface this by saying I know I know I haven’t posted in two weeks, but I’ve been busy and stressed and not wanting to so what are ya going to do?.

A lot of people have been posting a lot of “it’s been a whole year of the pandemic” type posts but this is not one of those posts.

This is a I FINALLY GOT TO GO INTO A LIBRARY post!

When I left work last year on March 13th, I detoured to my local library and had to go inside to drop off some books I was using in my class for science and social studies.

Little did I know that it would be a year TO THE DAY!!!!! (minus like 2 hours) until I would be able to go back into a library.

I was so happy!!! And yes, my dear readers who don’t know, this is what I look like lol

I have been reading a lot lately. Like a LOT a LOT. I started the second week of January, and was picking up my first stack of holds when the city went into strict stay at home orders – only going out for emergencies. The library was my one exception. I was teaching online and was already forced to stare at a screen from 9-3:30 and I didn’t want to do it anymore. So I was allowing myself to get actual books. That’s the only rule I have broken this ENTIRE FREAKING PANDEMIC AND I WILL NOT APOLOGIZE FOR IT!

Usually I have to stand outside while a library worker gets my books and signs them out and then places them on a table that blocks the door way while she backs away and I take the books, but now that Toronto is in the Grey Zone, I was allowed to go INSIDE! An employee looked at my card and he found my books on the holds shelf and I was able to check them out myself. All. By. My. Self! Like the big girl that I am. *nods triumphantly*

Anyway, since I’ve read all these books, I thought I would share them and my ratings out of 5.

The Ragamuffin Gospel: 1 star

I heard about this book from the chat one Sunday during my church service. Apparently it was supposed to be this life changing book and super duper amazing awesome sauce. And ya know what? It wasn’t. Most of the life changing ideas I had already come to realize on my own last summer during my 100-days of Jesus and reconnecting with my God. On top of that, the author used derogatory language to describe a few groups of people and I honestly hated it after that. And sure, it was written 25 years before (legit probably more I just happened to have the anniversary copy) and they couldn’t have changed some words in their reprints? HUH HUH?! No. Be BETTER Christian community. BE BETTER!

A Fine Balance – 2 stars

This book was recommended by a FB friend. And I tried to finish it! I REALLY tried. But it was (seriously) 900 pages! And it was the type of book that I could read for 2 hours and only get through 30 pages. I’d be old and dead before finishing it and it wasn’t even that interesting to me. So I stopped reading about 200 pages in. It’s really hard for me to stop a book once I have started it but I am getting better at it.

She’s Come Undone – 5 stars

Same FB friend recommended this one. IT WAS GREAT! A little long and took about a week to get through but it was worth it. I loved it!

Tuesdays With Morrie – 5 stars

Same FB person AGAIN hahah she gave me a lot of suggestions. This was the first book I read. I finished it in 3 hours and loved every second of it! I had read Mitch Albom before and thoroughly enjoy his writing. I didn’t have any life altering moments like a lot of people claim to get from this book, but it was good all the same.

The Eyes of The Dragon – 5 stars

Suggested by Aaron, I was a little skeptical at first because I associate Stephen King with horror and I’m not that kind of girl. I thought this was the first King novel I ever read, but I had read one previously without knowing that it was a King novel. Or at least not remembering.

I loved it!! Excellent story and not scary.

Ps: if you are reading this and NOT participating in Aaron’s Sunday Scribblings, what exactly are you doing?! This week’s word of inspiration is pie so y’all best get to writing and tagging him so he knows you wrote a post!

Shantaram – 4 stars

For reals, this is the book that started my reading spree. I met a guy on FB dating and he suggested it. He turned out to be a poop, but the book was pretty good! Another legit over 900 pages book, and I didn’t have time to finish it before I had to return it and I wasn’t allowed to renew it because others were waiting for it so I HAD to give it back, but it was good. AND it’s based off this INSANE life story of a guy from Australia who escaped jail and lives on the run for 10 years. It was good.

Outlaw – 4.7 stars

If anyone would like to know, Ted DeKker is one of my all time favourite authors! He does thriller and suspense really well, he’s a Christian author, and just everything I have read (even the one horror novel I read without realizing until it was too late that it was horror) is amazing.

This is no exception. Great story, and interesting! But the ending was weak man. Weak and predictable and I was not impressed. But only the last 30 pages.

The Night Gardener – 5 stars

FB friend suggestion again! This was YA fiction, but ya know what, I don’t need anything deep and insightful all the time when I’m just trying to relax after a long day of children saying my name 50000000000000000000 times before first recess.

It’s spooky and intense but not enough to give me nightmares which is saying a lot because I get nightmares really easily. It’s a really interesting concept and idea and I am glad the author had it and wrote it because I really enjoyed it.

All the rest of the books are suggestions from Becky.

American Royals/Majesty – 7 billion stars each

Thank you Google for already having a picture of them together LOL

A book 1 and 2 from the same story. AND I LOVED THEM AND OH MY GOSH I WANT ANOTHER BOOK BECAUSE I NEED TO KNOW WHAT HAPPENS NEXT!

Read the first book over 24 hours. And the other over 2.5 nights after work. AMAZING.

The Bromance Book Club, Undercover Bromance – 5 stars

Again a series! And It was good!! My first like actual real “romance” novels but ya gotta try it at least once! And the concept was cute and the story line was good too! I picked up the third one today too!

I think I liked the second one better than the first, although I did find a small handful of spelling mistakes and grammatical errors that an editor should have caught before it went to print, but whatever.

So there ya go! Did you read all the way down here? Congratulations! You deserve a cupcake!