the sun and her flowers by rupi kaur

My Rating: 4 Stars

Here’s why!

I discovered Rupi Kaur’s poetry last summer on a whim. My husband was intrigued by her first book, milk and honey, so we bought it, not really knowing anything about her or what it was. One day, I decided to check it out and ended up reading the whole book in one sitting. Last night, I did the same with the sun and her flowers.

the sun and her flowers (yes I am not capitalizing on purpose, I’ll explain later!) is split up into five chapters: wilting, falling, rooting, rising, and blooming, each covering the topic of grief, self-abandonment, honoring one’s roots, love, and empowering oneself.

Kaur’s storytelling though her poetry is such a pleasure to read, even when she is talking about something harsh or traumatic. She pulls on her own personal journey with love, family, sex, and self-worth as the inspiration for her poems. Usually they are just a few lines, but in this collection, there are at least one per chapter that are a few pages in length, which felt like it was taken from a piece of literature. She keeps her same structure and poetic flow, but is able to depict a conversation within it, which is something she did not do in her first collection.

Now, the no-capitals explanation: Kaur uses a style of writing that is based on her mother tongue, punjabi, which is written in the script gurmukhi, where the only punctuation is a period. (No commas, no upper and lowercase distinctions, etc.) In milk and honey, the forward poem goes into more detail about her life and why/how she started using this style of writing, which I gave 5 Stars last summer! All in all, it is a very unique and interesting read just with this aspect alone, although the context of her writing even adds more gravitas to her poetry.

Another interesting aspect of Kaur’s poems is her drawings. She also is an artist and dispersed throughout the book are what look like doodles that depict/complement the poem it is on the same page with. Some can be graphic (a few depict naked bodies or specific sexual acts), but they’re not super detailed. Plus, the drawings actually had a beautiful layer of intimacy and connection, complementing the mood she creates within her poems and the stories she tells. I know for me, sometimes I can get lost in the floweriness of poetry and not actually understand exactly what the poet is trying to say. With Kaur, however, her simplistic writing and doodles help make her poems clear to understand and relatable to read.

There were times within the sun and her flowers where I felt a pang of truth in what she was saying hit my soul. She has a beautiful gift of being able to talk about things that women, in particular but not limited to, have experienced or feel like but don’t know how to put it to words. I reread a few poems and took a moment for them to sink in which I think is a mark of an amazing crafter of words; to be able to capture a feeling, a thought-process, an experience in a way that no one else can but everyone knows what it is.

If you have never read poetry before RUPI KAUR IS YOUR GIRL!!! Check out her collections of poems. They’re a quick read, but you’ll be better for it! 🙂 Trust me.

HAPPY READING 🙂

 

Genre: Poetry/Feminism/Nonfiction

The Husband’s Secret by Liane Moriarty

My Rating: 5 Stars

Here’s why!

Last summer, I discovered the wonderful writing of Liane Moriarty, with Big Little Lies (before it was an award-winning show!) When I saw a copy of The Husband’s Secret at a book thrift store, I HAD to buy it and it did not disappoint!

Following suit with Moriarty’s style, The Husband’s Secret is based in Australia, since Moriarty is Australian herself, and follows the life of three different women: Rachel, Cecilia, and Tess. These women have hardly anything in common: one is a grandmother, one is a successful stay-at-home mom, and another is in the advertising industry. However, one fateful event from the past will unite them in ways they never expected.

One day, Cecilia finds a letter from her husband written to be read after his death, but stumbles across it while he is still alive. Eating her on the inside, she tries to move on and not open it, even at the request of her husband. What she doesn’t realize are the life-altering repercussions that will drastically affect their marriage and the lives of those around them with its content.

Liane Moriarty is one of my favorite authors and every time I read one of her books, I am reminded of how much I enjoy her writing. She has an amazing gift of creating different points of views that switch from woman to woman, usually each chapter, and somehow brings these individual viewpoints together around a certain plot point, social situation, or through their children’s friendships. This is something that not a lot of writers can do successfully without feeling schizophrenic and all over the place. I also haven’t read a lot of Australian writers and I appreciate the unique perspective she brings to the table just through this aspect alone.

One of my favorite elements of Moriarty’s style, which is very well done in this novel particularly, is how she understands the reader’s journey and what they want in a storyline. At one point in The Husband’s Secret, I felt like the plot was starting to plateau and was wondering if the book was going to continue this way until the conclusion; however, as soon as I started to feel this way, something HUGE happened and I was hooked AGAIN into the character’s lives/journey. The plateau feeling did not last long! This is a testament to Moriarty’s writing and knowledge of how the reader will experience/intake the story.

Whenever I need a good, well-written, reliable read with relatable characters, Liane Moriarty is who I turn to. Every time you pick up one of her books, you know it’s going to be good. If you haven’t read one of her novels, check them out!! I can personally recommend Big Little Lies, Truly, Madly, Guilty, and The Husband’s Secret, but I can’t wait to add more to my list!

HAPPY READING 🙂

 

Genre: Fiction/Mystery/Chick Lit/Romance/Contemporary

Developing the Leader Within You 2.0 by John C. Maxwell

My Rating : 5 Stars!

Here’s why

This was my first John Maxwell novel, and as you can see, I loved it! Very left-brained, intellectually-written, and full of amazing applicable points, Maxwell had me hooked in the first few pages.

Developing the Leader Within You 2.0 is the second edition of Maxwell’s revolutionizing leadership book that sold over two million copies since it’s first publication 25 years ago. In this edition, Maxwell has added two entirely new chapters and revised the original, adding new elements to leadership he has learned since the first edition was released.

Honestly, this book might not have caught my eye if I didn’t have to read it for the leadership school I am currently in, HOWEVER I have found that the books I would not normally gravitate to have changed my life the most, and this is no exception.

I really enjoyed Maxwell’s writing style and the way he tied in his personal life, victories and losses, and lessons of being a leader throughout each chapter. One very powerful point was at the end of the book where he was talking about personal growth. At 70, he still feels like he has so much to learn and doesn’t underestimate the power of growing, learning new things, and unlearning and relearning better ways to do things. It was really inspiring for me to see his determination and value for growth/failure, especially only being in my 20s!

Each chapter had so many great applicable points, even if you aren’t in a “leadership” position in the workplace. He does focus a lot on the business-side of leadership with boss/employee relationships because that’s his background, but he also was a pastor for many years, and he emphasizes that these tools are just good to apply to your life overall, even if you don’t have a “leadership” title.

I HIGHLY recommend reading this book if you want to be an influencer in any field you are interested in! Although it is more intellectual, it still has great stories dispersed throughout that make the book very relatable. A great “personal growth” book without getting too introspective/emotional.

HAPPY READING 🙂

 

Genre: Leadership/Nonfiction/Business/Self Help

Other People’s Houses by Abbi Waxman

My Rating: 4 Stars!

Here’s why!

Being a part of Book of the Month, a monthly online book club that gives you five book options a month to choose from that is sent directly to your house (early releases, exclusive authors, and all hard cover for a great price!), has its perks! (message me for more info on BOTM!)

This was my March selection and I was immediately drawn to it because of the relational dynamics and that it had a big LOL next to it. Sometimes, in the midst of reading the thriller or fantasy novels, you need a laugh and a break from all the seriousness! This book satisfied my desire to kick back, have a relaxing and relatable read, with laughs dispersed throughout!

Other People’s Houses is based in a neighborhood in L.A. surrounding the lives of four families, The Blooms, The Porters, The Hortons, and the Carter-Gillespies.

Frances Bloom is the carpool mom, picking up and dropping off the neighborhood kids, and is overall the “If you need me, I’m there” reliable friend. One morning, one of the little girls, Kate, forgot her arts and crafts project at her house. So, after dropping the kids off, Frances goes to the Kate’s house to be “helpful” and take her project back to her. What she doesn’t know is that Kate’s mom, Anne, is having an affair, and that very morning, Frances walks in on Anne in the midst of these (ahem..) relations.

The main plot of the book ties around this very encounter, completely throwing off the balance of the neighborhood and their interactions with each other. Gossip goes around, some reveling in it while others trying to avoid it. Who knew that one incident witnessed by Frances would be the undoing of the neighborhood as they knew it.

As the story progresses, other secrets or desires start to be revealed in the neighborhood, which causes division as well. However, in the end, something big ends up tying them all back together, reminding them how important family truly is.

Abbi Waxman does an incredible job of creating relatable characters, not just through the eyes of the parents but the children as well. The conversations that happen, parent to parent or parent to kid or kid to kid, make so much sense, and made me laugh to myself as I connected it to my own life.

I truly and thoroughly enjoyed this novel. Although the ending “big moment” took me by surprise, I knew what Waxman was trying to do. There was a lot of separation and division happening in the book and she wanted to bring it to a good conclusion with unity, so I did appreciate her thoughts behind why she did what she did.

If you’re looking for a laugh, and don’t mind some language, this book is for you!

Coming out APRIL 2018!! Keep your eyes peeled for it! You won’t regret it 🙂

HAPPY READING 🙂

 

Genre: Contemporary/Fiction/Humor/Chick Lit

Varina by Charles Frazier

My Rating: 3 Stars

Here’s why!

As this book is expected to be published April 2018, I was so excited to get my hands on it beforehand! Again, another shout out to working at Barnes and Noble 🙂 I have never read Charles Frazier before, but as soon as I saw “Civil War” and “through the eyes of the woman whose husband was the President of the Confederacy”, I knew I had to read it!

Varina is the name of the main character, the wife of Jefferson Davis, but throughout the book she goes by V. The novel begins with V in her eighties when a visitor from her past comes to interview her about what happened during the fall of the Confederacy. From her marriage to Davis, to fleeing South from Richmond with her children during the War, V’s life is full of mysteries laced with rumor and speculation. During the novel, Frazier unravels her life as she shares with her visitor, James, what really happened.

This was my first Frazier novel, as well as my first Civil War novel, so I was very excited at the idea of it. In his writing, Frazier goes back and forth between the present and past as V recalls moments of her history, not necessarily in order, but as she remembers it. It was fun at first, but as time went on, I began to notice how certain sections of the writing/her life were easier to read and follow than others.

I loved reading about her childhood and how she met her husband, but the times of her traveling South with some random soldiers, stopping at random cities/plantations, made it hard to follow. Potentially my lack of knowledge of the Civil War (I haven’t read about it since history in high school!) made it harder, but overall I felt like there could’ve been more clarity and linear storytelling to help the reader stay fully present.

Frazier’s style of writing, grammatically, was fun to read, but some of his descriptive moments were confusing to me. I’m not a big description-reader (no thanks, Dickens!) so it could be my personal preference, but some sentences/imagery felt incomplete, some were very wordy, and others just didn’t make much sense.

Despite the negative sides, the reason I chose this novel was because from the first page, I was hooked and wanted to know who these characters were. I cared for V and wanted to know what had happened, what it was like to be Jeff Davis’ wife, to be a mother on the run, to a woman trying to recoup from the war, rediscovering herself, and even how James’ life worked into the story as well.

I gave Varina three stars because of the moments where I did feel connected and found myself in the story with V. If the storyline was a bit more linear and I was able to follow the thread of thoughts easier, I would’ve given it a higher score. The ending, however, especially within the last 100 pages, I really enjoyed. The story finally came together for me as the book drew to a conclusion.

Keep your eyes peeled for this new release April 2018!

HAPPY READING 🙂

 

Genre: Historical Fiction/Military History