Call the Nurse: True Stories of a Country Nurse on a Scottish Isle – Mary J. MacLeod

Rating: 3 stars (would have picked 3.5 if Goodreads allowed half stars)

Cliff Notes: This was a sweet book. Perfect for this crazy season of work.

Full Summary: I hit the jackpot when I picked up this paperback at a book sale for only $1. As I mentioned before, I am in a season of work that is BANANAS. I have dropped non-fiction and the sci-fi I was going to take a chance on got shuttled straight to Bixby’s nightstand. When I read I want to escape, not learn, be motivated or improved in any way. Just. Check. Out.

Call the Nurse: True Stories of a Country Nurse on a Scottish Isle Mary J. MacLeod

This book was absolutely up to the task. Each chapter was a stand alone – although there were a few threads that ran through several stories. This made it easy to pick up and put down when I only had a few minutes (translation: fell asleep after 3 pages).

Plus there was the most delightful character, Mary. She had a habit of mixing up words that was hysterical. Probably because it was really frustrating to her husband, yet did not bother her in the LEAST. Here is a sample:

“Then it will go off again, takin yon body with it. What’s the point o’ that, I’m wonderin?”

“It’s for explicity,” said Mary knowledgeably.

“What?”

“What?”

There was a puzzled pause, then Archie sighed. “Ach, the woman! I think she means ‘publicity’.”

“Aye,” said Mary, unperturbed as usual.

By |2019-12-12T19:19:24-05:00August 23rd, 2019|Mental Well-being|0 Comments
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Sold on a Monday – Kristina McMorris

Rating: 3 stars (3.5 if Goodreads would allow half stars)

Cliff Notes: I am judging the woman who sold her children less than the newspaper guy who exploited them.

Full Summary: I wanted to read more about the mother who found herself in this situation and the children’s experience rather than the selfish newspaper guy who selfishly took advantage of this family for his own gain.

I knew this book was inspired by a real photo (ripped from the headlines so to speak), but when I read the notes at the end of the book, it was a newspaper that we grew up reading!

4 children for sale Sold on a Monday

From the author’s website: The photo had first appeared in The Vidette-Messenger in 1948 and, in a brief caption, claimed to exhibit the desperation of a family in Chicago. As a mom myself, I wondered what could have possibly pushed a parent to that point. In the direst of times, I could fathom perhaps having to give up my children for the sake of their well-being. But why on earth ask for money in return? Possible answers to that question soon became the foundation of Sold on a Monday.

http://www.kristinamcmorris.com/sold-on-a-monday
Sold on a Monday - Kristina McMorris
By |2019-12-12T19:19:40-05:00August 21st, 2019|Mental Well-being|0 Comments
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The Great Believers – Rebecca Makkai

Rating: 4 stars

Cliff Notes: I am sure there was symbolism that I did not catch (I generally just want to read a good book), but I really could have thrown out the whole 2015 timeline.

Full Summary: It was moving to read about the AIDS epidemic in Chicago from a perspective of me being alive during that time and living only 45 minutes away. I would like to think I would have been like Fiona. This book is definitely one that stayed with me after I finished reading it.

If you ever have a chance to view the AIDS quilt, it is incredibly powerful. I am horrified about the treatment of AIDS patients by family members and health care workers. It made me wonder if there are situations like that today – that we will look back in 30 years and wonder what we were thinking, why we (or maybe I) didn’t stand up for the someone suffering.

The Great Believers Rebecca Makkai
By |2019-12-12T19:20:08-05:00August 19th, 2019|Mental Well-being|0 Comments
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Big Sky – Kate Atkinson

Rating: DNF

Cliff Notes: I am half way through this book, 5 hours. And I have no idea what the hell is happening or who any of these people are. Enough.

Full Summary: I cannot give you a summary because seriously – I have no idea what the heck is going on. I know there was a murder, but no idea how any of it was going to come together or who all the people even were.

Kate Atkinson Big Sky
By |2019-12-12T19:20:28-05:00August 17th, 2019|Mental Well-being|0 Comments
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Recursion – Blake Crouch

Rating: 4 stars

Cliff Notes: I loved it until I got caught up in the number of lives and the timelines – just like with Dark Matter and the number of Jasons.

Full Summary: I definitely plan on going to this author’s backlist for future TBR choices.

I am married to a Super Nerd and when he saw that I was reading a book called Recursion, he was really excited and impressed. Apparently “recursion” is a nerd topic or theory of something or other. I am not smart enough or really interested at all in what recursion is, but it was funny to watch him think I had turned a nerd corner, then to watch it slide off of his face.

Recursion Blake Crouch
By |2019-12-12T19:20:45-05:00August 15th, 2019|Mental Well-being|0 Comments
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Shoe Dog: A Memoir by the Creator of NIKE – Phil Knight

Rating: 3 stars

Cliff Notes: I liked how he talked in this book about the struggles and what he might have changed or identified mistakes.

Full Summary: I had lots of misconceptions about the history of Nike – it seems to always summarized as a overnight sensation story about Bill Boweman, a waffle iron, and his protege named Phil.

Not so much, my friends. This is definitely worth the read.

Shoe Dog: A Memoir by the Creator of NIKE Phil Knight
By |2019-12-12T19:21:04-05:00August 13th, 2019|Mental Well-being|0 Comments
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Sanibel Flats – Randy Wayne White

Rating: DNF

Cliff Notes: Ugh. I cant even with this guy. I threw this book.

Full Summary: First of all, I NEVER want to read a book that takes 3 (super small font super single spaced) pages of a dude dissecting a shark. Then to have to read about him playing two women to sleep with them both in the same night. Almost as gross as the fish guts. I tried for about 2 weeks or so to power through this book because my parents have a condo near Sanibel and I thought it would be fun to connect to those places.

It was not.

Sanibel Flats Randy Wayne White
By |2019-12-12T19:21:46-05:00August 9th, 2019|Mental Well-being|0 Comments
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Night Road – Kristin Hannah

Rating: 3 stars

Cliff Notes: It was a good distraction, but I did not really connect with it.

Full Summary: I don’t know if this book did not land with me because of my feelings about motherhood or what. I like it because I had just visited Seattle and lots of places talked about in the book were those we had visited. However in general – just a good distraction from a really hectic work week – which is ALWAYS a good thing!

Night Road Kristin Hannah
By |2019-12-12T19:22:01-05:00August 7th, 2019|Mental Well-being|0 Comments
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Ask Again, Yes – Mary Beth Keane

Rating: 4 stars

Cliff Notes: I just love a book that is a family saga.

Full Summary: This one moved between generations really well – always forward in general, but the flashbacks were seamless. I really hope this is made into movie.

This book even distracted me from a root canal! Then when the hygienist was walking me out she asked me how I was enjoying it because she had seen Jimmy Fallon gushing about it being the book of the summer and the book his viewers voted on to be his book club read. Who knew I was in such good company!? And seriously – you just cannot swing a dead cat without hitting a celebrity who is starting up a book club. I wonder how many of these celebrities 1) read books before their publicist told them to start a book club and 2) actually read the books they pick fo the club,

Ask Again, Yes Mary Beth Keane
By |2019-12-12T19:22:22-05:00August 6th, 2019|Mental Well-being|0 Comments
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