Lora's United States of Whatever

Mad Honey : This collaboration between Jodi Picoult and Jennifer Finnegan Boylan was beautifully so written. The story is told from two perspectives - Lily and Olivia. It is a story of love and loss, forgiveness and acceptance. In typical Jodi Picoult fashion, as story unfolds my personal opinions are challenged. More than once, I put down my book and had a conversation with Greg about the controversial topics highlighted in this story. My key takeaway: if you aren’t in the situation, you’re really not entitled to an opinion.   ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ The Measure : The plot of this story was so interesting to me. Each person in the world age 22 and older receive a wooden box on their door step. Inside the box is a string. As people share about their string, they notice different string lengths. Soon, research shows that string length correlates with the length of one’s life. This book follows the perspective of eight characters, sharing their experiences and the impact of the string in their lives. ...

And just like that, February comes to a close! This short month had me grabbing books I knew I’d quickly devour and left me with four books to recommend and one that was a flop. The House Across the Lake : I was craving a thriller and was hoping to get my fix with this book. As I began reading, I enjoyed the flashbacks to “Then” and flashforwards to “Now” in the storytelling. More than once, I had to go back and reread as the story unfolded. The main character, Casey, uses alcohol to cope with the loss of her husband, and it blurs her interactions with her lake house neighbors. A neighbor goes missing, and Casey gets involved. This book gave me Girl on the Train and Gone Girl vibes. The twist at the end was interesting, and, honestly, it shifted my opinion about this book. I had more than one “oh geez” moment as I wrapped up this book. If you’re looking for a good thriller, pass on this one.   Nora Goes Off Script : This book was a quick, easy, somewhat fluffy read. It felt a lit...

I love to read. I also love to talk about the books that I love to read. This year I decided to share more about the books I read each month, and I hope this blog inspires you to read a book or two from my recommendations! Radically Content : This book has been on my TBR list for a loooong time! I started following the author, Jamie Varon, on Instagram a few years ago, and I love her inspirational posts. She writes in relatable ways, and I’ve felt very connected to her ways of thinking about our journey in life. When I saw she was writing a book, I knew I had to read it! Back in December, I saw that it was on sale for $2.99 on Kindle, and I immediately purchased it! I highlighted 55 quotes from this book and some of the quotes were entire paragraphs. This book provides practical advice for enjoying the journey instead of focusing on the destination. I will come back to my highlighted quotes time and time again.   “We’re completely ignoring that the most important opportunity of ou...

 On New Year's Eve 2021, I set the following goals for 2022: Read 50 books. Read the books in my TBR stack. (I think I have about ten books in my nightstand that need to be read!) Write one hour each week for pleasure (52 hours for the year). This could be a blog post, story ideas, journaling, etc.  Here's what I accomplished in 2022: I read 81 books. I read some of the books in my TBR stack... and I added some books to it, too! I wrote more through journaling and brainstorming book ideas. I wrote my book autobiography back in the summer, too!  As I was reflecting on the books I read over the course of this year , I noticed some patterns. Many of the books I read were about summer and even had the word summer in the title. Summer is my favorite season, so, of course, I love escaping to summer when I read. I also noticed that most of the audiobooks I listened to were nonfiction books. Nonfiction is more challenging for me to read, so this makes sense! I often found myself...

  A few weeks ago, I began reading The Joy of Reading by Donalyn Miller and Teri Lesesne. In the first chapter, readers are encouraged to jot down a timeline of books that have impacted their reading lives. As I jotted down my list on a sticky note, I was taken on a trip down memory lane.  My earliest memory of true reading joy was during 4th grade. Living in a small rural town, we would travel about 30 miles to the nearest Walmart for grocery shopping. My sister and I would walk straight to the book section, looking for the latest book in our series and knowing that our mom wouldn't say no to a new book! I was avidly reading The Babysitters Club books, and Nikki was into the Sweet Valley Kids  series. On the way home in the comfort of the backseat, we would curl up and devour those books, Nikki often finishing hers before we arrived home. I read EVERY book in the BSC series, including the mysteries and super series books. My friends and I would even play Babysitters Cl...

Here are the goals I set for 2021: Read 50 books. Continue to read more nonfiction. Read like a writer. Gather a list of lines I love from the books I love and use these lines to inspire my writing. Here's what I accomplished: I read 66 books . About one-third of those books were nonfiction books.  When I read using the Kindle app, I highlighted lines that I loved. However, I didn't use the lines to inspire my writing. I mostly highlighted lines that were relatable.  My Picks for Best Books of 2021 I devoured every fiction book I read by Taylor Jenkins Reid this year; however, Malibu Rising was my favorite! I loved the struggle and perseverance of the main character, Nina. Her journey to finding her true self left me reading "just one more chapter!" “I don’t think what you’re born into says anything about where you’re headed.” - Taylor Jenkins Reid, Malibu Rising     Really, though, every book I read by Taylor Jenkins Reid was a page-turner. If you're looking f...

"Reading gives us someplace to go when you have to stay where you are." - Mason Cooley I've always loved losing myself in a book, but this year, I truly lived by the above quote. From heading to Chicago and D.C. with Michelle Obama in her autobiography,  Becoming, to heading back in time to the 1940s in New York City with Vivian in City of Girls , I went places this year. The comfy corner of my couch and favorite yellow throw were my travel companions. My time was not only spent traveling, but it was also spent challenging my thinking. Many of the nonfiction books I read this year challenged my perceptions about racism. I learned so much about how my experiences have shaped my thinking and how that thinking needs to evolve.  Here were the goals I set for reading in 2020: Read 36 books Read more nonfiction Try at least one audiobook.  With the help of a global pandemic, I crushed those goals.  I read 58 books this year.  Out of 58 books, 17 were nonfiction. I li...