ELIZABETH BISHOP AT WORK by Eleanor Cook

Published: August 15th 2016 by Harvard University Press
Read: August 2016
How I Got It:  Hardback (320 pages) from Library Journal

Review published in Library Journal Xpress Reviews September 29, 2016.

http://reviews.libraryjournal.com/2016/09/books/nonfic/nonfiction-sports-writing-china-elizabeth-bishop-obesity-russia-space-travel-xpress-reviews/

GRACE NOT PERFECTION by Emily Ley

Published: October 11th 2016 by Thomas Nelson
Read: October 2016
How I Got It: Ebook (approximately 224 pages) from NetGalley. Purchased Hardcover from Premiere Collectibles. 

I’m going to break my own rules and write this review in first person. If Emily Ley taught me anything in the last 224 pages, it’s that perfection doesn’t exist. So who cares if this review looks different from all the rest?

I should start out by thanking NetGalley and Thomas Nelson for allowing me to receive an advanced copy of this book, an advanced copy that I requested only AFTER purchasing two signed copies and watching Emily Ley’s live signing on Premiere Collectibles. I saw this on NetGalley and realized I couldn’t wait for my purchased copy to be shipped, I needed to read it now. Thankfully, NetGalley obliged.

I follow Emily on Instagram, and although I don’t know her and I only found her through a six degrees of separation from other people and companies that I follow that I don’t know, I really liked her story and how open she is about her life. So when she wrote a book, I had to read it. Grace Not Perfection is not only the title of this book, but a way of life. Through the pages, Emily describes ways that women can allow themselves grace. She details through personal anecdotes that perfection doesn’t exist, social media feeds are only highlight reels of life, and “no” is a complete sentence. She explains that being busy for the sake of being busy is a mistake, and that women should slow down and find the joy in life. There are chapters on career, relationships, and motherhood, but there is something in this book for all women to relate to. Emily also speaks about faith and God often as she wonders why God won’t listen to her plans but instead guides her through other avenues.  There are also tips and lists throughout the book of how to find joy and simplify life as well as pictures of Emily and her family. This a book that I will be sharing with friends and family and reading over and again. The message is wonderful, and the pictures of cute children throughout don’t hurt.

My one and only qualm with this book is the ARC formatting which I’m sure is fixed in the finished copy. There were many paragraphs out of place. Adding trying to find where the paragraphs left off and continued to the so many feelings this book made me feel was a struggle. But I know that that is my own fault. If I had only waited for my purchased copy and not let my impatience overwhelm me, I wouldn’t have had that problem. But, I’m glad I got this advanced copy, I pushed through it so fast, and it got me out of a reading slump. Also, Emily mentions that she loves to read. So, be like Emily, read this book.

*Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with  an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review. 

ENTER TITLE HERE by Rahul Kanakia

Publication August 2nd 2016 by Disney-Hyperion

Read: October 2016

How I Got It: Ebook (approximately 352 pages) from NetGalley 

Enter Title Here is a novel within a novel. The novel is being written by a high school senior, Reshma, who is contacted by a literary agent after writing a column for a local publication. Reshma decides that writing a novel and having an agent will help her get into Stanford. Reshma is a selfish cutthroat character that will do anything (something she says often) to get what she wants. When she cannot earn her grades, she results to finding loopholes and suing the school so that she can get the valedictorian spot and in turn attend Stanford.

The meta element of this novel will draw readers in, but putting up with the main character’s annoying personality may take some work. There are some supporting characters that make following through worth it though. Reshma’s friendships and her familial relationships are mentioned, but in going along with Reshma’s point of view as the author and narrator, her selfishness does not allow the reader time to truly enjoy those other characters. Ultimately, readers looking for a diary format YA novel might be better off with the darker subject matter of Anonymous Go Ask Alice or the humorous angst that Louise Rennison presents with Angus, Thongs, and Full-Frontal Snogging. 

*Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with  an advanced electronic copy in exchange for an honest review.