November Wrap Up #1

So far in November, I have read 5 books.

On the first I picked up Coraline by Neil Gaiman. (Since this was my spooky book I wanted to read it close to Halloween.) This was adorable about a little girl who finds a magical pathway that leads to a different life. At first she thinks it's exactly what she wants, but finds out not all is well. The audiobook was great and I enjoyed it so much that I watched the movie adaptation later that evening. I gave it 3 stars.

I then picked up A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett. I loved the movie as a child but I had never read the book. This was a sweet classic about a girl who is very wealthy and attending boarding school. She then finds out her father dies, leaving her a penniless orphan and is badly mistreated. She still pretends she is a princess and acts with grace towards those who are cruel to her. Even though it was written in the early 1900s, it felt timeless to me. I gave the book 4 stars.

My hold of The Tea Dragon Society by Katie O'Neill finally came in and I was able to see what the fuss was about. This is a cute graphic novel about creatures called tea dragons which are about the size of cats. There wasn't much story but it was sweet and I really liked the art style. I gave the book 3 stars.

After months of waiting, I also picked up No Visible Bruises by Rachel Louise Snyder. This is a narrative nonfiction focusing on domestic violence and how that sometimes leads to more violence ending in mass shootings or family annihilation. This was a difficult book to read. She focused on victims, perpetrators, and resource communities trying to prevent the family violence from escalating. Incredibly informative and utterly heartbreaking. I gave the book 5 stars.

Additionally, I read When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi. This is his memoir of training to be a surgeon and when he was finally about to reap the rewards of his efforts, he is diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer. So sad, I literally sobbed at the end. I would recommend it to anyone but be prepared to cry. I gave it 5 stars.