December

Know My Name by Chanel Miller
Do you remember the victim statement of Jane Doe, read in a courtroom after Brock Turner was given only six months minus time served, for raping an unconscious woman at Stanford University? I do. She said every single thing every person who has been sexually assaulted feels - every angry feeling on the lack of justice, every frustrated moment of not being heard, every spark of rage of the 'how dare you?' This is Chanel's story, her voice, her moment and she deserves all the accolades for the courage of her honesty. "This is an attempt to transform the hurt inside myself, to confront a past and find a way to live with and incorporate these memories. I want to leave them behind so I can move forward. In not naming them, I finally name myself." This book was painful, crushing, inspiring, courageous, unforgettable...a Must Read for everyone.

The Butterfly Girl (Naomi Cottle, #2) by Rene Denfield
Sequel to The Child Finder, it is not necessary to read the first one to love this second one. Book #2 follows two story lines: Naomi, the newly married private investigator, famous for finding children no else could, now searching for her sister, the one she abandoned years ago as Naomi fled their kidnapper; and Celia, the young street kid, the runaway from an abusive home, the one the judge discounted, the one no one believed until Naomi did. These two incredible characters form a plot line that deals not only with a world of today's issues of homelessness, the opiate epidemic, and child abuse, but with questions about what makes a family, how does our past mold our future, and how does one move on? This is a beautifully written, compelling tale that I highly highly recommend.

The Education of an Idealist by Samantha Power
Yes, I continue my search for normalcy in the past political world by another memoir of an Obama appointee. I listened to this one and I will say...former UN Ambassador Power is a terrible narrator, but she does write an intriguing story. Power covers everything from the time of her birth, to the aftermath of the 2016 election (and I mean everything - could've used about 200 less pages). However, her life as an Irish immigrant, her time as a war reporter in Bosnia, her beginnings with Obama, her fight to have her voice heard in a world full of men, her close relationship with the President, all of these things do make for a fascinating story, especially if you're a political junkie like me.

Nothing to See Here by Kevin Wilson
The premise is this story is rather silly: former schoolmates and 'friends,' Lillian and Madison have not spoken in years when Madison asks Lillian to come take care of her two stepchildren who can spontaneously combust. Yep, you heard that right - they catch on fire and can pretty much 'light' up a room (sorry, I couldn't resist!) Yet for the implausibility of the story, some home truths also exist. The story deals with privilege (Lillian is dirt poor, Madison has generations of wealth and family social standing), what is it to love a child (the two kids have been emotionally abused and tortured, and just need someone to love them), and what does success actually mean (is it power and money, or is it the attic room in your mother's house?). If you're looking for a light entertaining read, this could be it:)

The Toll (Arc of a Scythe, #3) by Neal Shusterman
I began this trilogy over three years ago, and it has been an exhilarating ride. A mix of fantasy and sci-fi, Schusterman has given us a look into the future. What would earth be like without disease, pain, death? The world population is controlled through 'scythes' (ie. assassins) who are supposed to 'glean' (ie. murder) judiciously, and the 'Thunderhead' is a god-like artificial intelligence who runs the world. But what happens if the scythes become too powerful? If two young acolytes start to distrust the system? If the Thunderhead loves the humans too much? If scythes start to enjoy the killing? This is YA fantasy at its best!

Get A Life, Chloe Brown by Talia Hibbert
I was looking for some light reading after a time of great upheaval in life, so I turned to this audio book. The premise is as follows: Chloe has fibromyalgia and suffers from chronic pain, thus she has lost all her friends and social life so decides to do something about it. Enter Redford, the hot landlord of her apartment building in London. Yeah, can you tell this book is already not my style? Yet the narrator was delightfully British, it has a lot of steamy sex scenes, and is cutely funny yet has decent things to say about the life of chronic pain. Many others loves this book; it just wasn't my cup of tea.

American Predator: The Hunt for the Most Meticulous Serial Killer of the 21st Century by Maureen Callahan
True life crime story about a prolific, dark, evil serial killer...perfect for weird people like me who love the Mindhunter series on Netflix and Erik Larson's book Devil in the White City. Alas, it should have been a long newspaper article by installments; there just wasn't enough to write an entire book about, as there are still so many questions surrounding this killer. Therefore, a bit long-winded with lots of filler - not one I recommend.