So have you read any of these? What did you think?
Fences, 2016 with Denzel Washington and Viola Davis. I read the August Wilson play in January and loved it. This was good too, but different. I’ll be writing a post comparing the two next week. Viola Davis won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress for this role. Jason and I watched this on our ‘date night’. Not recommended unless you’d like to spend the rest of the evening talking it out while feeling a heavy sense of sadness.The Push by Ashley Audrain. The Push was our book club choice for the month and it generated some very strong feelings. Personally, disturbing as it was, this was a great book. It’s a complicated story about motherhood, all of the ugly parts no one talks about and the absolute highs when you are exactly the mother you thought you’d be.
Blythe comes from generations of bad mothers. The stories of her mother and grandmother are interspersed throughout the novel. Blythe falls in love, gets married and is nervous to start a family of her own. Motherhood comes and I’ll tell you no more.
This debut novel is well written, perfectly paced, and hard to put down. But it’s not an easy read. It’s difficult at times to take in what’s happening and I think a lot of women could be upset by much of what happens. It’s a love or hate book for most and I’m standing on the love side.Politically Correct Bedtime Stories by James Finn Garner. I read the oldie but goodie, Politically Correct Bedtime Stories, originally published in 1994. I was happy to see how well these stories held up. My favorite was Little Red Riding Hood so I’ll leave you a few quotes…
“One day her mother asked her to take a basket of fresh fruit and mineral water to her grandmother’s house-not because this was women’s work, mind you, but because the deed was generous and helped engender feelings of community.”
“He burst into the house and ate Grandma, an entirely valid course of action for a carnivore such as himself. Then, not hampered by rigid, traditionalist notions of what was masculine or feminine, he put on Grandma’s nightclothes and crawled into bed.”
I chuckled through all 13 stories.Feels Like Falling by Kristy Woodson Harvey. Feels like Falling should be packed in your summer beach bag. It splits time between two very different women who become friends. One is a recent divorcee and one just left her dead end boyfriend. One is living in one of her million dollar houses for the summer and the other is sleeping in her car. While only 6 years apart the two are decades apart in maturity. I liked it, it tackled serious topics but in a light way, hence the beach recommendation. Gray’s obsession with age got old, but it didn’t ruin the book, just made me like Diana more 😁National Geographic Backyard Guide to the Night Sky. Check out my thoughts form this week here. (Loved it!)The Black Book by Ian Rankin. Rebus is a great detective, so good he often rubs people the wrong way. He’s just been kicked out of his girlfriend’s house and moves back to his apartment, one that’s full of subletting students, and his brother fresh from prison. One of his partners ends up in a coma after investigating a five year old murder, so Rebus takes the reins.
This was not my favorite of the series, it took me too long to get invested, but if you love police procedurals, especially those set in different locales, this is a great series.Ramadan Moon by Na’Ima B Robert. A great, and beautifully illustrated, introduction to Ramadan in a sweet fictional story for kids.Bobbie: The Wonder Dog by Tricia Brown. Bobbie the Wonder Dog: A True Story starts in 1923 Oregon. On a trip to visit family in Indiana the family dog, Bobbie,runs away. The family is sad to have to leave before finding him, but 6 months later Bobbie shows up at their restaurant back in Oregon, having travelled 2800 miles on his own. He became a countrywide sensation. An adventurous and touching story.
Riding To Washington by Gwenyth Swain. Riding to Washington is about a young white girl’s bus journey to the March on Washington with her dad. She was too little to understand everything and yet was able to convey that she understood the importance of the moment. The author’s father and grandfather made the trip in 1963 and she always imagined what it would have been like to go with them.
I liked The Push so much more than I expected to. We saw the movie Fences and that it was quite good. Oh, and we borrowed the Dan Rather (audio) you blogged about and the two of us are enjoying it as well….thanks to you!
I forgot about Fences – I do want to watch it. Sounds like it was well done.
I read about some of the trigger warnings in The Push and had to decide it was not for me. But it’s a book I would like to read. Riding to Washington sounds like a good one too!
I’ve read some glowing reviews for The Push and look forward to reading it. It sounds like a great book to discuss with a group, but somehow, I doubt my book club would want to read it.
I have Fences in my Netflix queue, but I’m not sure my husband is interested.
Stacy's Books 
I liked The Push so much more than I expected to. We saw the movie Fences and that it was quite good. Oh, and we borrowed the Dan Rather (audio) you blogged about and the two of us are enjoying it as well….thanks to you!
I’m so glad that you’re enjoying the Dan Rather book! Fences, like The Push, is intense 🙂
I love Kristy Harvey’s books!
It was my first, but I look forward to more. I’ll have to check out her newest.
Yeah The Push pushed a couple taboo buttons! I was a bit mixed on it but it did keep me going.
It generated lots of feelings, good and bad, for sure. And lots of things to talk about!
You sure did a lot of good reading! I loved Feels Like Falling, glad you did too!
I’ve added Fences to my list to watch.
Such a great beach read!
I forgot about Fences – I do want to watch it. Sounds like it was well done.
I read about some of the trigger warnings in The Push and had to decide it was not for me. But it’s a book I would like to read. Riding to Washington sounds like a good one too!
Fences was good, the play itself and the movie. The Push, what a showstopper for a debut!
I’ve read some glowing reviews for The Push and look forward to reading it. It sounds like a great book to discuss with a group, but somehow, I doubt my book club would want to read it.
I have Fences in my Netflix queue, but I’m not sure my husband is interested.
Enjoy the rest of your week!