Popsugar Reading Challenge 2019 discussion

For the week of Nov. 10-16.

Not as great this week, but still trying to chug along.
I read 'Tales from a Not-So-Smart Miss Know-It-All (#5), which I liked.

And I read 'Breathless' by Helen Hardt, which is book 10 in the saga of the Steel Brothers and IT WAS AMAZING! If you haven't read this series yet I highly recommend!!

I did really good this week. Finished 4 books!


The First Four Years by Laura Ingalls Wilder
I read this for the prompt- a book published posthumously.
I loved the Little House books when I was younger. They were sweet and innocent, and Laura was this brave, strong girl. Reading this book as an adult was different. I found myself not really liking Laura, finding it hard to sympathize with her when she jumped to racist judgement of Native Americans or had condescending opinions of farmers even though she was marrying a farmer. Granted, the books are written for kids so they're simplistic which means the books didn't go into a lot of detail and background to really get the depth of Laura's character as a young wife and mother living a hard life on the prairie and going through tough times. I think I would have enjoyed the book more as a kid, and I have fond memories of the series, but I think this is one series I'll leave in the past.

Never Have I Ever by Lauren Blakely
I read this for the prompt - two books with the same title.
I picked this book randomly for the title but I really ended up enjoying it. Its a romance, two 'enemies' who find out they're perfect for each other. What I really liked about the story is that they didn't make either character a complete jerk who then miraculously becomes a nice person who was hiding behind a tough exterior like some stories tend to do. They were both good people who just liked to argue and were both stubborn. It was funny and sweet.

Pumpkinheads by Rainbow Rowell
I loved this graphic novel. The art was great, the facial expressions were funny. I found myself really getting into the story and rooting for the characters.

Frankly in Love by David Yoon
Ahhh, this book. I thought it would be a light, fluffy read. Two friends pretend to date and chaos ensues, typical romance trope right? Nope! From the start I didn't know if I was going to continue because the racism by the main character's parents is horrible (which yes, is the point the character makes but it was hard to read). I'm glad I stuck with it though because it ended up being a deeper read about an child of immigrant parents and how your heritage can really shape who you are even if you are American born and raised. It was a sad, heavy, somehow also hopeful read. Definitely made me think and even though it was hard to get through at points I'm glad I read it. Books are supposed to open up our worldviews and grow our understanding of one another right?