Becoming by Michelle Obama
Adult Non-Fiction // Category: Memoir
Release Date: November 13, 2018
Publisher: Crown (Penguin Random House)
Format: Audiobook • 19 hours 3 minutes
Rating: 5 stars
My first five-star read of 2021 ✨
Don't be intimidated by this chonky book! The audiobook may be 19 hours long, but it feels just like a long conversation with Michelle Obama. For some reason, I was worried that I wouldn't connect with this memoir because I didn't know much about the Obama family. So I'm here to say that you don't need to know anything about them before reading! Michelle Obama discusses her entire life, as a child and growing up, all the way to meeting Barack Obama and their journey to his presidency. And she does so in such a natural and down-to-earth way.
A handful of times, I've talked about struggling to share the "in progress" version of me on Instagram. It’s not a secret that I'm currently looking for work that's specific to the career I want to start, and have been in "limbo" for a while now. In Becoming, Michelle Obama talks a lot about the uncertainties she's faced regarding her career, and it brought me a sense of comfort. I was talking about it to my husband (I always give him a lil summary and my thoughts whenever I finish a book 🤣) and he said it's easy for her to bring those things up because she's at a place where she wants to be now. She's no longer in those difficult positions.
True, it may be easy for her to tell us that practicing law didn't bring her joy, or that she was hesitant about Barack Obama becoming a senator and then president. But the comforting thing is knowing that she's been where I am now, and she came out strong. She figured out what she's passionate about, and she pursues those things relentlessly, even now. Whether it's creating campaigns to encourage healthy eating or supporting students to stay in school, she puts her heart and soul into it.
Sometimes, it's nice to hear from powerful people that they don't know what they're doing. Not as an ego boost, but it's kinda like … proof that they recognize and are willing to admit they're human too.
Don't be intimidated by this chonky book! The audiobook may be 19 hours long, but it feels just like a long conversation with Michelle Obama. For some reason, I was worried that I wouldn't connect with this memoir because I didn't know much about the Obama family. So I'm here to say that you don't need to know anything about them before reading! Michelle Obama discusses her entire life, as a child and growing up, all the way to meeting Barack Obama and their journey to his presidency. And she does so in such a natural and down-to-earth way.
A handful of times, I've talked about struggling to share the "in progress" version of me on Instagram. It’s not a secret that I'm currently looking for work that's specific to the career I want to start, and have been in "limbo" for a while now. In Becoming, Michelle Obama talks a lot about the uncertainties she's faced regarding her career, and it brought me a sense of comfort. I was talking about it to my husband (I always give him a lil summary and my thoughts whenever I finish a book 🤣) and he said it's easy for her to bring those things up because she's at a place where she wants to be now. She's no longer in those difficult positions.
True, it may be easy for her to tell us that practicing law didn't bring her joy, or that she was hesitant about Barack Obama becoming a senator and then president. But the comforting thing is knowing that she's been where I am now, and she came out strong. She figured out what she's passionate about, and she pursues those things relentlessly, even now. Whether it's creating campaigns to encourage healthy eating or supporting students to stay in school, she puts her heart and soul into it.
Sometimes, it's nice to hear from powerful people that they don't know what they're doing. Not as an ego boost, but it's kinda like … proof that they recognize and are willing to admit they're human too.
In Five Years by Rebecca Serle
Adult Fiction // Categories: Contemporary, Women's Fiction
Release Date: March 10, 2020
Publisher: Atria Books (Simon & Schuster)
Format: Audiobook • 6 hours 45 minutes
Rating: 3.5 stars
I picked up In Five Years because, at the time, I assumed it would be long-listed on the 2020 Goodreads Choice Awards. (I can now confirm that, yes, it was a contender. But we'll ignore the fact that it was nominated under the "Best Romance" category ... please read on to find out why I question this judgment.) It had more than 80,000 ratings, so I was curious! I decided to skip reading the synopsis, since it's a short book, and I assumed it would be a romance novel. (THAT WAS MY BAD.)
In Five Years follows a woman named Dannie who is living the seemingly perfect life—she just nailed an interview for her dream job and ended the day with a marriage proposal from the man of the dreams. But after falling asleep that night, she wakes up in an apartment that is definitely not hers, and next to a man she doesn't recognize. The news is on TV, and she finds out it is now five years later.
I am going to stop the synopsis here, because I think there is enough intrigue for you to decide if it's interesting enough for you to pick up or skip. Instead, let me talk around it and tell you some things I wish I was aware of before reading:
- In terms of genre, In Five Years leans more toward women's fiction than romance.
- It's not a time-travel novel. Dannie doesn't spend any more time in the "future" outside of that one night.
I guess you can see the difficulties in distinguishing between the two genres, which is something that affected my enjoyment of this book. Even after listening to the first 10%, I was thinking, "ooh, it's going to be a love story where Dannie will have to decide if she's really happy staying with her fiancé because of the dream she had!" And it is, to a certain extent, but it's not the focus.
I've been really conflicted because how I feel and how I should feel doesn't match up. It's an emotional story, which means everything in my heart is supposed to be wrung out. But I kinda felt ... cheated? Like I wasn't introduced properly to what the story would be, even after getting past the first third. It's like I made a plan to visit the beach and I ended up at a ski resort. Both are places I love, but I didn't prepare to go snowboarding! I think it just seems like In Five Years was two different stories combined together to make one, and it negatively affected my experience and appreciation. I liked how everything came together, but I would've loved this book so much more if it built up the theme of friendship from the beginning.
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If you want to know more, there's a spoiler section in my Goodreads review!
Shipped by Angie Hockman
Adult Fiction // Genre(s): Contemporary, Romance, Women's Fiction
Release Date: January 19, 2021
Publisher: Gallery Books (Simon & Schuster)
Format: eARC • 336 pages
Rating: 4 stars
Links: Add to Goodreads • Purchase from Bookshop
WHAT IS SHIPPED ABOUT?
Henley Evans is finally given the opportunity for a promotion after working many years as SeaQuest Adventures' marketing manager while juggling MBA classes. If only Graeme Crawford-Collins, the social media manager, could get out of her way. Ever since he took credit for the viral video she made, he's been on her hate list. Unfortunately for Henley, they are up for the same promotion, and their boss wants them to prove themselves by going on a cruise together—the one their company advertises—and individually coming up with a marketing proposal to improve bookings. Whoever presents the best one, wins.
Content warning: Some details from an abusive relationship in the past.
THE UNHONEYMOONERS X THE HATING GAME
Shipped has been pitched as The Unhoneymooners by Christina Lauren meets The Hating Game by Sally Thorne, and I'd say it's accurate in a very *general* sense, so keep that in mind. I'd say the biggest reasons for this comparison are 1) the island exploring aspect from The Unhoneymooners and 2) the office promotion competition from The Hating Game. And, of course, all three novels feature the "hate-to-love" trope.
SO HOW WELL DOES IT TACKLE THE "HATE-TO-LOVE" TROPE?
Henley's reasons for hating Graeme make sense, and I love that it was believable. I wrote down in my notes, "I, too, am annoyed at Graeme for his behavior. If I fall in love with him by the end of this book, I am a SIMP." Did this book deliver? Yes it did. I am, in fact, a simp.
One thing I didn't like—and this is totally a *personal* preference I have for the trope—was how often Henley thought about wanting to kiss Graeme, even though she didn't like him. You can't soften the hate so early!!! The best thing about "hate-to-love" is witnessing the slow transition from one extreme to the other, and it ruins the experience if the "hating" part is not truly hate to begin with.
I will also say that the ending is not completely satisfying. There is an HEA (happily ever after), as all romances have, but not fully ... like, we only get the chase and then it ends. Now that I think about it, romance isn't the main focus of Shipped. It helped to guide the bigger story, which I'd say was about gender inequality in the workplace. Still, even with all that said, I had a good time! I really flew through it, and I especially loved all the embarrassing moments 🤣
ADDITIONAL CRITICISMS
- There are a couple of fat-shaming thoughts from the main character. Henley thinks, "I like to think that ... he has spindly arms and legs, cottage cheese breath, and a fat, beer-gut middle to match his personality," as if every person who has a "fat, beer-gut middle" is sneaky and entitled like Graeme. This is hurtful, even if it's not spoken out loud, and Hockman should've written something differently to describe Henley's hatred for him.
- I would like to start a petition to ban authors from using "purr" to describe anything that is not a cat 🤢
- To be completely honest, I don't think Henley is a very interesting character. But it kinda makes sense because she's so caught up in advancing her career ...
OTHER RANDOM THINGS I LIKED ABOUT SHIPPED, IN BRIEF
- We love a wholesome tipsy moment!!!
- Angie Hockman described their experience on the Galápagos Islands in such great detail. If animals and bodies of water didn't dreadfully scare me, I would be so eager to sign up for a cruise like this. I could really tell Angie Hockman is so passionate about ecotourism—I liked that it showed up here in an inspiring way, instead of preachy and forceful.
BASICALLY ... (TL;DR)
Okay, this all sounds like I didn't enjoy the book, but I'm really just being critical because I love romance a lot! The bottom line: I was very much sucked in by the romance!!! The tension was *chef's kiss*. Just be aware that it feels ... 65% romance and 35% women's fiction, and it's not as steamy as your average adult romance. Like a 🔥🔥/5. (I didn't mind this at all though. I go into romance novels for the emotional suffering. We love torture here ✌️)
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Okay my friends, how do you feel about the "hate-to-love" trope?
Are you going to pick up Shipped?
Thank you to NetGalley and Gallery Books for accepting my request to read and review Shipped by Angie Hockman!
The photo above may be familiar, since I first posted it on my Instagram back in May. I had no intentions of writing this post at the time, I just wanted to document what I had on my shelves and see if anyone had feelings toward any of the displayed spines.
After watching Marines from mynameismarines (on YouTube) do a "bookshelf tour" series by sharing her thoughts and some sort of backstory on each acquired book in her library, I really wanted to do the same! Similarly, I wanted to implement her project here to also re-evaluate whether or not I want to keep these titles in my collection. For the past two years, my spending has gone down exponentially—mostly because I am much more picky with what I read now. So, a lot of the books I will be talking about are older titles. It'll be interesting because I've changed my mind about a lot of things! Also, you'll notice that most of the titles are written by white authors and about white characters. What I own really does not represent what I read, as you'll quickly notice, and I mean that in an assortment of ways. (I'll share more about this in a reflection post at the end, but I touch on this throughout the whole series too.)
My thoughts about keeping a library has changed a lot. I used to want a huge wall full of books. Now, it's not so much about filling up a space as much as it is about making sure it's well-stocked. I don't mind if I have a ton of books I haven't read, as long as I'm still interested in reading them and have intentions to pick them up someday. As a mood reader, it's nice to have the option to reach for a variety of different stories whenever I want. The goal is to have a good mix of books I 1) have read, loved, and want to re-read; and 2) am excited to read. That's it! We don't have room here for books I feel indifferent about ☕
Alright, here is the bookshelf tour: round one!
💭 = unsure; thinking about it ...
✖️ = donate
✅ Tiger Lily by Jodi Lynn Anderson • 3.96 rating
Every time I come across this cover, I really question who designed it. Why isn't "Lily" capitalized?! (Note: This book got a cover change last year and it is much more enticing now!) I've owned Tiger Lily for five years now, and I'm pretty sure I bought it because Margot talked so much about it. If I remember correctly, I bought this in New York City at Barnes & Noble while I was there for my internship to supplement my Peter Pan retellings blog post that never saw the light of day 😂 I still want to read it though, so it's staying on my shelf.
(Note: I added each book's average rating on Goodreads next to its title because that is information I like to know. I thought it might interest you too.)
✅ Tiger Lily by Jodi Lynn Anderson • 3.96 rating
Every time I come across this cover, I really question who designed it. Why isn't "Lily" capitalized?! (Note: This book got a cover change last year and it is much more enticing now!) I've owned Tiger Lily for five years now, and I'm pretty sure I bought it because Margot talked so much about it. If I remember correctly, I bought this in New York City at Barnes & Noble while I was there for my internship to supplement my Peter Pan retellings blog post that never saw the light of day 😂 I still want to read it though, so it's staying on my shelf.
The third and last book in the Illuminae Files. I re-read the first book, Illuminae, at the beginning of 2019 in hopes to continue on with the series and ... I still haven't picked up Gemina 🤡 As you will be able to tell soon enough, I am terrible at completing book series. Still, I have high hopes for this one! Illuminae is one of my favorite books.
✅ Prisoner of Night and Fog by Anne Blankman • 4.02 rating
Ah yes. I bought this when I truly believed I loved historical fiction. Then I proceeded to read approximately zero books in that genre. I'm really still interested in reading this book, but it's unfortunately not something that comes to mind when I'm thinking of what I should read next ...
💭 The Cuckoo's Calling by Robert Galbraith • 3.87 rating
I bought this because I wanted to see what else J.K. Rowling could write, but ... to be honest, I don't know if I care anymore. Very mixed feelings about this one ...
💭 Truthwitch by Susan Dennard • 3.85 average rating
I should probably mention that I own a lot of YA fantasy books. And you may respond with, "But Amaris, you don't read much fantasy? ..." And you would be right about that. When I first entered the online book community (and it's true now too I think), fantasy was probably the most talked about genre. At least among the people I follow. And so, because everyone was talking about all the fantasy books they love and read, I, too, wanted to join the conversation. I can't even tell you what Truthwitch is about, aside from maybe friends who are connected to each other in some way ... ? I don't know! 😬 But I can tell you that a good number of people love this series. And maybe one day I'll give it a go. I read the first book in Susan Dennard's Something Strange and Deadly series and had a pretty good time, so maybe this will be entertaining as well?
✅ Behind Her Eyes by Sarah Pinborough • 3.76 rating
This was quite the mystery/thriller read, one that interested me all the way through but left me feeling BAMBOOZLED. It was written VERY well—there were clues sprinkled throughout the whole novel, but for the life of me I couldn't put it together. And when everything hit, it was truly a "WTF" moment. My two emotions for Behind Her Eyes = "I am never reading this again ... WHAT WAS THAT ENDING" and "That was ... a good book." I want to keep it solely for lending to friends so they can experience this brand of torture hahaha.
✅ The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern • 4.03 rating
According to my Currently Reading post from 2017, I made it 24% of the way through before putting it down. I remember LOVING it, but ... I'm just a bad combination of slow and moody. And I can't sit still for a long time. This is definitely high up on my WANT TO READ list! I bought this hardcover second-hand at, I believe, Half Price Books. Definitely one of my favorite finds.
✅ Six of Crows/Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo • 4.43/4.58 rating
One book stands in the way of me starting this duology—Ruin and Rising, the last book in the Shadow and Bone trilogy—but I really am eager to continue with it!!! At my pace of one Leigh Bardugo book every four years, I'll be starting Six of Crows in 2027 😂😂😂
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I really enjoyed doing this, and I think typing out my reasonings for these will help with being intentional about what I should keep or give away. Are any of these books on your "favorites" list? Or, if any of these are on your TO READ list, let's buddy read!
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