I've decided, partly because of GDPR and partly because it was just getting to be too much work, to make this blog private (no one was reading it anyway) and to write much shorter reviews (really more like notes) about each book. The exceptions will be books that I need to review for the LibraryThing Early Reviewers program - they will likely get their own posts and be more complete reviews. So, that being said, here are the rest of the books I read or listened to in May 2018:
Bittersweet by Colleen McCullough, read by Cat Gould - historical fiction set in 1920s and 1930s in Corunda, New South Wales, Australia. Two sets of supposedly-identical twins born to the same minister father but different mothers. Edda and Grace, Heather (called "Tufts") and Kitty. All initially become nurses (under the "new style" training, where they actually learn some true nursing skills) to get out of the house and away from their overbearing stepmother/mother. Interesting and unusual relationships with the men in their lives. Tufts was the only one of the four I actually found likeable, and her story is covered less in the book. Cat Gould was a good reader.
I'll Be There by Holly Goldberg Sloan (advance reader edition, no cover photo) is young adult realistic fiction. Well, sorta realistic - some of the things that happen are a little preposterous. Nevertheless, the plot was exciting enough that it kept me reading.
Sisters First: Stories from Our Wild and Wonderful Life, written and read by Jenna Bush Hager and Barbara Pierce Bush, with a forward written and read by their mother, Laura Bush. Much better than I expected (and I greatly admire George H. W., Barbara Sr., and also thought W. was a good president). The twins are great readers and storytellers, Jenna especially as she is rather droll and self-deprecating. It was nice to learn more about Barbara as she is more reserved in real life. A memoir with more-or-less alternating tales told by the sisters. See this review for more: https://www.librarything.com/work/19659003/reviews/147309502. Decided to listen to it after Barbara Bush Sr.'s death in April 2018. E-audiobook included a PDF with photos from the book of the twins throughout the years.
Spoken from the Heart, written and read by Laura Bush (actually finished in June, but swapped with a May book so I could put it right after the memoir by her daughters). Especially poignant are her stories about her grandmother's and mother's difficulties having children, as well as her own (and it turns out daughter Jenna had some complications too, an ectopic pregnancy and a surprise early arrival).
© Amanda Pape - 2018
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