My white privilege shines through sometimes and this book comforted me that raising a new generation will make a difference. While this book dealt with ideas that weren‘t relevant to me (motherhood, certain ideas of religion), it never felt like she was pushing her view. She ties it up with the “Lie : I need a hero”. So many times I rely on others to change my life. The truth is, I can do it myself and need to prioritize that above anything else.

Stories like this - heartbreak, music, good writing - always get me. I‘d have to say though that Daisy Jones was not the heroine I wished she would be. Camila was definitely the character that defined the book for me. The ending was perfect.

Loved the book but the “author” got spoiled for me! I think I would have been more shocked otherwise and may have given it a higher star rating. 4/5 ⭐️

A short but powerful book with descriptive, beautiful writing. Terese faces multiple challenges as she grows up as an indigenous woman - from mental illness, parenting, relationships, self worth. I‘m not sure I‘m actually qualified to review this because I saw myself playing the white woman in all her stories. I can read them but I didn‘t live through them. It‘s rewarding to be reading from another perspective.

When you get a cozy package in the mail. Can‘t wait to read this one. 💫

I love Lin - he can do no wrong in my eyes. He‘s so poetic and every day he greets you with a good morning and good night - always uplifting, always relatable. Snowstorm in Ottawa today! We went to the pub and the parking lot was full of snow mobiles ❤️😂

Sunday: Reading through my moms old design books.

I read this, but didn‘t remember the ending. Watched the show and after a slow beginning, by episode 4 I was hooked! Amy Adams was spectacular.

Instructions for living a life. Pay attention. Be astonished. Tell about it. #maryoliver

Being Mortal is split into chapters, each one a pillar that is used to explain why medical professionals concentrate on prolonging life when they should be focused on 'sustaining the soul'. An honest look into the medical profession, what it means to truly be a doctor of those that are aging or living with terminal illness, and setting aside this idea that we need to fight until the very end. A hard read but an important one. 5/5.

A compilation of Saks pieces he wrote for the NY Times. I'm not here to judge anyone's thoughts on death and dying. Even though it didn't necessarily move me, I can see why it has such a high rating. 3/5.

Not a John Green classic, but still a good fast read for a YA nevertheless! I appreciated the ending, but there are other in this genre that affected me more. 3/5.

There are so many books about women, feminism, sex, relationships, etc out there right now. This book was great to me because it took place in Toronto and was a real look into the restaurant industry (where my parents worked my whole life) - and right away I knew I would like it. Take what you want from it, but I liked how she was honest and quirky! 4/5.

This book reminded me of Brain on Fire but with a caregivers point of view. Which, admittedly, I never thought about. Illness isn‘t our own, it affects all those closest to us. You can tell at times he‘s angry or resentful - but overall Mark is looking after his wife and son because he loves them. Thought provoking for me! 5/5.

I‘m not sure what didn‘t do it for me, but I didn‘t feel a connection to the characters or the plot. Not a thriller - you can guess who did what as the story goes on - but well written. However, I don‘t think I want my murder mysteries to be well written. 1/5.

In the future, DeathCast tells you when you‘re going to die. Mateo gets the call shortly after midnight that this is his last day. He meets a friend that also is dying that day and together the story they share is so unique. Not your typical “teen” book. It made me question how I‘m living, how I feel about dying, and what I would do in Mateo‘s situation! 5/5.

This book is. So. Addictive. It‘s like a bad car accident and you can‘t turn away. Jen thinks she‘s found the love of her life with Marco - only to discover he‘s been leading another life on the side. So chilling. Some of her grief made me cry with her. I gave it four stars because I wanted more - and at some points I wanted her to just check his email already. Definitely a quick must read. 4/5.

I think Lagencrantz (sp?) has ruined this series. If you‘re looking for a story that involves Salander & Blomkvist, eating sandwiches and good crime aspects look for another book... cause you won‘t find it in this one! (Side note; waaaay too many characters). 2/5.

Still thinking about this one. The perfect story. From the 50‘s until now we understand why Evelyn Hugo had so many husbands. Some Hollywood glamour, unpredictable love stories, a twist - told with fantastic writing. I was hooked! 5/5, one of my best books of the year!

I do feel like I can judge in a more non-biased view given my own diagnosis. Every cancer memoir that is published is going to influence people‘s view about our illness, mortality, etc. None of us can know what‘s to come, religion won‘t tell us the truth. To me, she explored (and over shared) her religion. This was more of a religious book then a cancer memoir. Was she still a televangelist and believed in the prosperity gospel? I don‘t know. 2/5.

A bus driver writes about the disabled students he gets to school and home every day. Besides being funny, Craig exposes the feeling of going from ‘normal‘ to ‘disabled‘ in a new way. The yearning for a normal life and realizing it‘s been right in front of you all along was a lesson I‘ll relearn over and over. This was a surprise and will renew your love for can-lit. 5/5.

3/5

I‘m giving this book one star but it deserves none. Out of all the books I‘ve read this one is by far the worst. Before you tell me I didn‘t understand it - yes, I did - and I still hated it.

I spent most of this book either crying, or folding pages, so I wouldn't forget all of the experiences Teva described that are the exact same as my own.

Also living with Stage IV, the feeling of hope-turned-sadness-turned-anger is so real for me. If you ever want a glimpse into my life, or anyone living with this incurable disease, read this book. It'll break your heart but you'll come out more compassionate, guaranteed. 5/5.

I learned a lot about the processes taken in the care system when you have a mental illness and about schizophrenia itself. She obviously came from an upper class family; because of that I wonder if her care was different. I hated her parents. I found them selfish. It just felt like a lot of it had been co-written, I started to feel like chapters were similar and I didn‘t get the same personal feelings as I did for other similar memoirs. 4/5.

Nothing extraordinary happens, there is no YA teen adventure and yet I found myself crying by the end. A good story, good writing - I can see why it caused so much interest in the category last year. 4/5.

The story was well written. I understood Lucy - I think these wandering thoughts about who are you and who you should be with are normal and important. I understand why she wanted to choose a dog, going to Paris, buying a new home and having someone support your work. It seemed like the ‘right‘ choice to go along with a partner who will take care of you, though, and I don‘t think that‘s true. 3/5 because I don‘t fully agree with her choices.

Conor‘s Mom is dying from terminal cancer - but he won‘t say it aloud. He can‘t come to terms with it. One day a monster shows up and tells him tales and stories and acts out and encourages Conor to act on his worst fears. I don‘t want to spoil anymore so I‘m going to leave it there. A powerful book and I think if you have kids or are a kid, you would appreciate it that much more. 4/5!

This book was a story I was happy to read, with unique characters. I‘m so pleased it was so well received by not only YA but all readers. I heard NPH and Kristen Bell bought out screenings at movie theatres just so people could see it, they loved it so much. 4/5!

At the end of his life Henry is reflecting on his time being a neuro surgeon. He felt anxieties talking honestly to patients and doing big surgeries. He knew he had the lives of people in his hands and he was ready to retire. I found it interesting that they were getting in “trouble” for treating too many patients in the ER ($$). His renos to his cottage were his way to decompress and relax. If you‘re into medical stories this one is for you!

This book was eye opening and exciting; I wanted to know all I could about the East Area Rapist. After awhile, though, all the stories made the same point with lots of detail. Since he wasn‘t caught in Michelle‘s lifetime (unfortunately), there wasn‘t a resolution. I‘m excited to read the extra chapters that are going to be released with the new evidence! 4/5!

What I thought was going to be a dramatic thriller featuring a female serial killer turned out to be a story about the victims and how their assault affected the rest of their lives.

It shines a light on men getting assaulted; something you never hear about. It was very disturbing.

The perfect amount of horror, sadness, and fact. Not just another celebrity novel like I thought! 5/5.

Two stars didn‘t mean I didn‘t enjoy it!! I thought the story was very different then what she‘s wrote before. Her son, Finn is accused of sending around a racist and shocking photo. He could be kicked out of college. Nina, his mother, doesn‘t know how to react. Not a cheesy love story that I thought I was going into but after putting aside for awhile I read the second half quickly. 2/5.

he first 80% of the book is Porochita‘s life in her teenage years until her thirties. She dates, drinks, and does a lot of drugs. She doesn‘t ever feel quite right. She‘s always sick. A doctor mentions Lyme disease but she never pursued it. It goes from her being sick to better multiple times. Finally, she meets some friends that insist she needed to get help. The last 40 pages were 5 star for me, you just have to get there. 4/5.

Better then any thriller I‘ve read and it‘s YA. I totally get why people say it‘s the best book of the genre this year. Addictive. Even when you think you‘ve predicted the ending, you haven‘t. The love story between Bronwyn and Nate actually made me cry. Can I be a teenager again???? 4.5/5!!

3/5!

This was like a book version of Scandal! Beck had a 4 year term in the White House, scribing Barack Obama‘s every word. This book gave a lot of detail on what happens during Obama‘s presidency and beyond what we see of the White House. The lavish parties and hotels, the rendezvous and multiple cheating stories, in between being flown together on fancy air jets. Overall great read! 4/5.

4/5!

O death your hands are clammy . . . I feel them on my knees . . . you came and took my mother . . . won‘t you come back after me?

Roxane sheds light on rape culture by letting others tell their story. She acknowledges that there are so many other books at this time documenting the same subjects, but hopes that as we look back on this time, her writing is part of what is to be sure a bigger movement. 4/5

Started this thinking it was going to be reminiscent of Nicholas Sparks and quickly realized I was getting myself into a romance! The couple was interracial and was so well done. The story was fun (and sexy), the characters were developed and smart. An easy read! (Note - never have I ever read a book where the characters are constantly eating so much food!). 4/5 stars!

This story was so unbelievable, it made me feel as if I were reading a fiction. I kept having to remind myself that this is someone‘s life!!

A star lost because I got it on audio. With how beautifully written and carefully crafted it was, I didn‘t get to appreciate reading all the quotes (herself, others) in this book. 4/5!

3 star!

The perfect Christmas love story. I‘m going to take it as is. I‘d pick it apart until I didn‘t like it, and I don‘t want to do that. It made me smile, laugh and cry. A Christmas version of One Day, less but almost as cheese as Nicholas Sparks. Which you should note, I love.

(I listened to this one and I think the accents and characters made me love it more)

Hannah is born but as she grows up, she never speaks. Her chapters are the inner workings of her mind. She loves the attention she gets from Daddy and doesn‘t want to share it with Mommy. She decides to take on an imaginary friend - a French witch. She decides Mommy needs to die. It has been considered one of the best horror books of last year. I wanted to see what happens in the end, but it doesn‘t tie up, so it lost a star! 3.5, recommend.

Best Books of 2018:
Call Me By Your Name: Andre Aciman / Best story: Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, Taylor Jenkins Reid / Best non-fiction: Being Mortal, Atul Gawande.
What should I read in the new year?! #bestof2018