A Higher Loyalty: Truth, Lies, and Leadership by James B. Comey

Ok, yes, you got me, I read this because of all the hype. I expected my anger over Comey's part in the outcome of the election, his bad calls (my opinion) in what he said and when about the Clinton emails, to make this book either unreadable or at the very least not a good read. But I was wrong. 

Comey does at times come off as overly arrogant. But what really comes through is his love of the agency he led for a little while, and for the justice system and country. The best parts of this book are when Comey drops the arrogance and allows a sense of humor and his love of his wife and children to show. 

Ok, I will also admit that I chuckled when I read this part:

And Comey is at his worst self, admittedly, when he forgets what he has learned about leadership and being benevolent. I still disagree with his handling of announcements around the election day approach but he does a good job explaining why he did what he did. As I just said, I still think he didn't make the right choice but I can now understand his thought process and why he did what he did. 

He says he wrote this book because "I also hope it will be useful to readers long after the flames are doused, by inspiring them to chose a higher loyalty, to find truth among lies, and to pursue ethics leadership."

What I am walking away with is a stronger desire to be ever vigilant and to think before I speak with less missteps and to appreciate opinions different from my own. I will continue to try my best to be compassionate and fair minded and to speak up, to speak truth to power, even when it is hard, but to do it in such a way that invites conversation not shuts it down. 

Be aware that while it didn't ruin the book for me, in fact it made Comey seem more human and real to me, there are times when the self pat on the backs and justification for the impact he had on the election become too much. But he has a good message and writes pretty darn well. 

(Finished April 19, 2018)

Small Great Things by Jodi Picoult

I have read a bunch of books by Picoult and other than Songs of the Humpback Whale I have liked them. This one was a whole new level of story telling by this author.

My overall thought is that I liked the book and found the story timely and interesting. That being said, I had to put this one down at times and look away, catch my breath even. Some parts were just so hard to read and made me angry.

Picoult mastered here the weakness that I found in Humpack, she writes her chapters from the voices of three main characters, Ruth (the nurse), Turk (the dad), Kennedy (the lawyer), and manages to capture three distinct and recognizable voices.

The chapters from Turk's point of view are particularly hard to read. Turk is a hate filled white supremacist. His wife gives birth and Ruth is the nurse that comes on duty and gets assigned to care for his family. And that is not ok with him. He demands that "her and people who look like her" not be allowed to touch his child. This demand is followed by the supervisor and puts Ruth in a difficult spot when she is in the room alone with the baby when he stops breathing....What comes next is a legal drama but more than that it becomes a conversation on race and privilege.

Kennedy is faced head on with her white privilege and must face her own biases and it is a hard thing to do. She has to face the face that racism isn't always as overt as the kind shown by Turk, it is more often more subtle and sometimes the person with the bias isn't even recognized by the person with it.

While there are parts of this book that are, as I said, hard to read, it really is a well done and I would even say important read.

(Finished April 16, 2018)

My Sister Rosa by Justine Larbalestier

Back in 2009 I read a few other books by Larbalestier, Liar and the Magic or Madness series) and enjoyed them. This book landed in my hands because my daughter read it and told me she thought I would like it. I liked the others by this author and am a sucker for good YA so I dove in...and now I need a shower!!!

Are we what we are born? Are we what our environment makes us? You know, the whole nature vs. nurture debate. Are we more than our brains?

Siblings Rosa and Che are so very different. Che knows his little sister Rosa isn't normal, in fact she is downright scary dangerous. But no one else seems to see it and his parents (who they have to call by their first names) either don't or won't see it. They move a lot and so aren't in one place long enough for others to get to know them and see what Che knows to be true. He keeps journals and tries to keep Rosa from doing any permanent harm to people. 

But then in NYC it comes to a head. Che falls for a girl, Rosa is getting older and pushing the boundaries, and Che wonders what he is. 

I didn't see the end coming, but that is ok because what one of the things Larbalestier does so well is write characters who are unreliable (check out Liar for a great twisted read with an unreliable narrator). 

(Finished April 14, 2018)

The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah

First let me say that you may notice that it took me a week to read this, which is a little longer than it normally would have to finish this book but it isn't because I didn't like the book, but it was because I got caught up in watching The Great British Baking Show with my husband and used time I would have normally been reading, but this is a book worth reading!!


The backbone of the story in The Nightingale is one about the strength and love of women and what we can do even in the toughest situations.

Two sisters, Vianne and Isabelle, are incredibly strong and brave French women living in Nazi occupied France. Because their father suffered so much during the first war and then more when their mother died they grew up broken from each other and him and everything that came after is colored by this painful childhood. But they surprise themselves and each other by the lengths they are able to go in order to do what is right when right can be deadly. They both come to it at different times and are heroic in different ways. But they both find their true healing among the broken ashes of life and in death.

Don't read this expecting a spot on history book, it is a novel and the characters are the focus and not writing a fully faithful history of events.

I really liked Hannah's writing style and will seek out and read more by her. Thank you Barnes & Noble bookseller Dude (memory fail, I can't remember his name) for recommending this to me.

(Finished April 10, 2018)

Milk and Honey by Rupi Kaur

I read this because I bought a copy as a gift for my poetry loving 17 year old daughter. The content is a bit mature and I wouldn't suggest this for teens much younger, maybe 16 or so...That being said...
This book is like being trusted with the author's heart in the reader's hands, and she says as much in her opening and closing.

In between the opening and closing are expressions of beautiful and blush worthy eroticism, powerfully heartbreaking pain, and lovely and gentle healing.

Just a beautiful book!!!


(Finished April 6, 2018)

Queens of Geek by Jen Wilde

I read this book because Cale Dietrich (follow him if you don't already!!!), author of The Love Interest, Tweeted such excited tweets about Queens that I had to read it. Now my kids are both reading it. I LOVED THIS little (as in not too long, not as in small content wise, there is huge!!) book!!!


I relate so much to the feeling found and home in a fandom. I appreciated the insight into the toll social anxiety takes on a person who wants to feel whole and part of something, and I loved the autistic character angel, it felt real and honest.

The reminder of the emotions a person tackles as they transition from kid to teen to adult was welcome too. And it was just such a fun glimpse into the nerd world and the life of these likable trio of friends. And HUGE kudos to Jen for writing a guy character who isn't afraid to have feelings and doesn't feel like he has to justify them to keep his "guy cred."


(Finished April 1, 2018)


PS more please Jen!!!