This was a fun quirky kind of read. Very much a young adult style book, dealing with high school love and dealing with Charlie's personal struggle with her weight. It was interesting how the main character dealt with not only the loss of a parent, but how she dealt with the parent left behind that made her feel self conscious of her weight. I think we as women all struggle with the stereotypes of not thinking we are loved when we don't love our own bodies.

VERY SHORT BOOK!

This was such a page turner of a book. Not based on a true story (as I had originally thought) this book follows a daughter's struggle to turn her father in after he escapes prison. Though the turmoil starts well before when she realizes that her father abducted her mother at 14 and she is a result of his holding her captive. Now married with two children of her own, what decisions will she make to keep her own family safe from her father? Her cunning and wilderness upbringing will be tested in everyway as she tracks her father and ultimately makes a decision on what to do!

This was one of those books that I could not seem to put down. I don't know if it was the ties to the childhood story of La Llorona or what, but the story was so intricately woven in and out of generations of women in the same bloodline suffering this curse. It was painful to hear these different women's stories of not feeling good enough or not wanting to be a mother or really not feeling like they had any choice in their lives. Watching them suffer with how to best stop their pain for them and their daughters. Bringing in the story line of the Curandera and how she helped them to reach into the power of their familial roots for strength and knowledge was simply beautiful!

Good

Wow! This was a one of a kind "reading" experience! I 100% recommend the audio version of this book. From the snippets of Alicia singing and playing the piano to the short poignant guest speakers at the beginning of a few chapters made the audio version stand out fantastically. Learning about how Alicia came to be in her current stage in life, the way she supports women in all the ways she can, and how she has kept her marriage and family at the forefront of her life (ahead of her career) was amazing to read about. Now, I do not care for books that go into one's political views, and she does quite a bit of that in her book (whether I agree or disagree with political views, I do not look to celebrities to influence me, I will do my own research and come to my own opinions). Though, I can't discount the fact that listening to her tell her life's truth and showcase her artistry made me look past those political moments.

So I saw that they made a TV Series based on this book, I have not watched it yet, I wanted to read it first. This book spoke to me in ways that reached me deeply. You have to ask yourself, "I've helped raise this child that is not mine, what am I willing to give up in life to keep her safe?" The twists and turns in this book kept me engaged. The snarky teenage angst came through flawlessly. I can't wait to see if the series holds a flame to the book version.

Dink and Josh are best friends. They got help from one of their friends Ruth Rose to find a famous author, Wallice Wallace. Wallice Wallace has been kidnapped. They were detectives to find him

I will have to say right upfront that this should have a domestic violence warning. With that being said, I really enjoyed this book. Watching a mother, her mother and her daughter going through a life littered with teen pregnancies and trying to break generational curses was so deep and sad in ways. Trying to break away from a life with a man that was abusive did not help her cause. The moments that struck me the deepest were watching her not think she deserved a better life. I love Esmeralda Santiago's writing and thought this book was wonderful!

I wanted to read this book ahead of the movie coming out to streaming platforms. This book was made even better by Mark Bramhall's narration. The story of how these boys, who came from simple working families, pushed through all skepticism and doubts pushing their way to the 1936 Berlin Olympics. At a time when many rowing teams were sons of lawyers, doctors and senators, these boys were not the ones with the training facilities and high caliber schools at their disposal. They rose above and worked extra jobs during summers to afford to enroll in school each year to be able to get another shot at being part of something even bigger than they even realized at the time. Please be sure to read through the epilogue as well. It gives you a deeper understanding of the time period and how poignant this particular Olympics was.