Review: War and Me: A Memoir by Faleeha Hassan and William Hutchins (Translator)

War and Me by Faleeha Hasssan is a touching and brave story that unfolds through a tumultuous period in Iraq’s history. Her memoir takes us deep into her life with her close family, navigating the challenges growing up and dealing with the hardships and obstacles during this time. No matter how much she or her family lost or feared, her determination and strength is inspiring and a testament to her faith and resilience.

During this time, her life progresses during the time of a war that was supposed to be short lived but continued. Her memoir captures a story that is often never heard from voices that often seemed silenced. The casualties of the effects of war faced by innocent people that go far beyond just physical injuries. Having to face the trauma of watching her father and brother being taken in war, poverty, and just trying to survive had a tremendous impact on their family. The harsh reality of the impact of everyday life, health and safety, we get a heartbreaking but courageous perspective that in spite of, a courageous spirit and resilience gave her the strength to fight through insurmountable obstacles.

Despite the numerous hardships, her success as a teacher and getting the opportunity to build a life in the US that she deserves, she was able to freely share her voice which deserves to be heard. Her book is a testament to her determination to fight her way through adversity but also share a perspective of life as a Muslim woman from Iraq and/or the Middle East that hopefully will shed certain stereotypes and open hearts for compassion and empathy. Her narrative will give us insight into life trying to survive, loss, love and family.

War and Me overall was a beautifully written book that will captivate you with a story that is honest, compelling and hopefully makes you appreciate the freedom of life we have. Her memoir is a testament of the strength of the human spirit and through the worst of times, the unbreakable bonds and foundation of the love of a great family that can carry you through anything. This is one of the books that will leave a lasting impression, hopefully collectively inspire compassion and empathy for those whose experiences may be similar.

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Review: Big Little Spells: A Witchy Romantic Comedy (Witchlore Book 2) by Hazel Beck

Big Little Spells by Hazel Beck is wonderful addition to the Witchlore series, giving us an enchanting story to add to the witchy romcom genre. I'll be honest, I haven't dove into this genre before but this book has me wanting to stay. This story gives us mix of magic, romance and mystery.

Rebekah Wilde, the protagonist, is one of the characters that grabs your attention right away. She returns to her hometown after a decade of banishment due to the Joywood Coven and their politics. This sets the stage for some page turning drama that will keep your attention as it unfolds. Throw in the fact that The Joywood Coven oversee the magical world which heats up the plot, it actually makes things harder as she faces a death sentence unless she can prove that she and her friends are not a threat to witchkind.

Beyond the intended plot, other elements that blend in make the book more interesting to invest in. The supporting characters, her sister and her friends, their journey grows on you and makes them more likable. In particular, the charm and mystery surrounding Nicholas Frost and Rebekah was something worth rooting for. Considering the fact that he was the only one who knew how to stop the Joywood, the suspense and anticipation brought some fun to the book.

Overall, this was a nice read. Honestly, it was hard to initially get into because I'm not used to the creative elements in this genre but once I did and embraced the magical elements, it became a page turning experience. I enjoyed experiencing something new in this witchy romcom genre. I'm looking forward to catching up with the series and anticipating the third book coming out next year. It was a different but a welcomed experience that I hope to continue reading in the future.

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Review: Bookmarked: How the Great Works of Western Literature F*cked Up My Life by Mark Scarbrough

About the Book

A poignant, funny, and timely memoir that marries the intimacy and the sexual identity themes of Boy Erased with My Life in Middlemarch’s interest in the way literature shapes and influences our lives, written in the authentic Southern voice, deeply incisive wit, and with quirky but erudite observations evocative of John Jeremiah Sullivan's Pulphead.

Mark Scarbrough has been searching for something his entire life. Whether it’s his birth mother, true love, his purpose, or his sexual identity, Mark has been on a constant quest to find out who he really is, with the great Western texts as his steadfast companions. As a boy with his head constantly in a book, desperate to discover new worlds, he can hardly distinguish between their plots and his own reality. The child of strict Texan Evangelicals, Mark is taught by the Bible to fervently believe in the rapture and second coming and is thus moved to spend his teen years as a youth preacher in cowboy boots. At college, he discovers William Blake, who teaches him to fall in love with poems, lyrics...and his roommate Alex. Raised to believe that to be gay was to be a sinner, Mark is driven to the brink of madness and attempts suicide. Hoping to avoid books once and for all, Mark joins the seminary, where he meets his wife, Miranda. Neither the seminary nor the marriage stick, and Mark once again finds himself turning to his books for the sense of belonging he continues to seek....

In the tradition of beloved titles like The End of Your Life Book Club, Reading Lolita in Tehran, and The Year of Reading Dangerously, Bookmarked tells a deeply personal story through the lens of literature. An examination of one man’s complicated, near-obsessive relationship with books, and how they shaped, molded, ruined, and saved him, Bookmarked is about how we listeners stash our secrets between jacket covers and how those secrets ultimately get told in the ways that the books themselves demand.

Review

As I was initially intrigued and drawn into the book based upon its title, I didn’t get the experience that I’d hoped based on that assumption. As I appreciate when people discover books and the impact literature has influenced their lives, I didn’t feel or see how it affected him to the degree as the title might have inferred. The obsession with some of the literature he referenced may have been congruent with his experiences but that was based on choices he made in his life that seemed independent of that.

In spite of this, what I enjoyed reading about this memoir was about him as a person. His story layered with insecurities, obstacles and a lifelong journey to find himself and his own voice is what kept me interested. I feel his obsession with the classics and books as with many readers who look to escape the realities of life seem to what might have been a positive rather than a negative.

I can’t imagine one’s experience being like his. He was adopted, raised by conservative evangelicals, and going through life having conflicting feelings trying to fit into a life where your story was meant to be told differently. It was courageous of his self discovery and embracing who he was meant to be later in life was a testimony in itself. As a consequence, living his best life, finding his authentic self and love wraps up a lifetime of trying.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading about his life after finding his place and truly embracing and enjoying what life has to offer. So overall, I wasn’t sold on the concept that it ruined his life, but was pleased to see that today he’s living the best version of it.

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Review: Be the Difference Monthly Planner: Serve Others and Change the World: A Guided Journal by Ink &. Willow

About the Book

Identify the issues that matter most to you, create a plan of action, and make the impact God wants you to make—locally, nationally, and globally—with this undated, guided twelve-month planner.

All too often, the news is filled with heart-wrenching stories of poverty, injustice, inequality, fear, prejudice, divisions, and more. You may want to help fix the brokenness and change the world, but may not know where to start.

In Be the Difference Planner, you will find the motivational strategies and organizational tools to identify the issues that matter most to you. Then, using the planner’s practical guides and insightful reflections, you can map out intentional steps to create a meaningful impact, both at home and on a global scale.

Special features and tools that will instruct and enable you to be the difference include: 

• overviews of several current issues that have always been on God’s heart and should be on ours as well—such as poverty, racial reconciliation, homelessness, fostering, and human trafficking

• monthly spreads to organize and view a month at a glance and refreshing monthly check-ins for guarding against burnout

• brainstorming and vision board pages for narrowing advocacy goals and focus

• profile spotlights on leaders and advocates who are already established voices in different humanitarian spaces

• a log for tracking taxable gifts and donations throughout the year

• space to record and reflect on any articles, blogs, books, films, or other media that speak to your topic of focus 

• line art throughout

God has called us to love those around us. In our broken and hurting world, redemption is still part of His plan, and it’s time to be the difference.

Review

If you are faith based and are looking for a social cause to rally behind or have something in mind and want to gather your focus more collectively, this is a wonderful monthly planner to have. It’s not like your typical planner. You can curate your own journey based upon the tools they give to guide your progress in the planner. The time frame is open ended so you can start when you want to use it. Many find themselves wanting to do so much but don’t know where to start. This is one of those resource tools that you can brainstorm, visualize and plan out your advocacy agenda. You can keep track of ideas, reflect and so much more. If you aren’t sure, they offer some ideas to consider getting involved in and throughout the planner highlight individuals out there making a difference.

This isn’t just for those who are just starting out but for those who have a cause and want to organize their efforts. Overall, it was an interesting concept for a journal and I know that the people who use it will find it helpful and fulfilling.

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Review: Gutsy: Learning to Live with Bold, Brave, and Boundless Courage by Natalie Franke

About the Book

Whether you’re struggling to get started, afraid of making a big decision, or clinging to a path no longer meant for you—this book is the kick in the pants you need to take the next step and go after what you want.

Gutsy is your guidebook to uncovering the audacious courage within you and making an impact on this world that only you can make. This book will help you learn to turn off the expectations of others, ask for what you deserve, stick your neck out, and be brave enough to take that next step.

This book is for you if:

You’ve been putting things off, procrastinating, or feeling stuck

You’re done letting the opinions of others hold you back

You’re tired of chasing after approval and hustling for validation

You know that you are capable of greatness with a little push

You’re ready to take action and become the boss of your own life

The gap between where you are and where you want to be is never as wide as you think it is.

Gutsy will turn your momentary pause into forward progress with a heavy dose of radical curiosity, audacious courage, and abundant grace.

Review

Gutsy by Natalie Franke is the book for anyone who’s ever felt invisible, discouraged or has had their light dimed by others.

Beyond the words I can write here, this book not only is an encouraging hands up but the positive reinforcement for all those who felt like they or no one can ever achieve whatever is in their heart.

Blending her own experiences, wisdom and insight, you can’t help but end this book with a smile and unlimited determination to start living.Her enthusiasm is infectious. She truly was the sister or best friend that was here to encourage, motivate and give you the push you need to go forward and start living. She helps you dig deep and reach for that buried courage to be brave and be the boss of your life.

She has some amazing advice and great takeaways that will leave you motivated and inspired. She definitely helps you learn to live bold, brave and boundless.

So, I was bold and simultaneously read the book and listened to the audiobook. That audiobook was awesome. No one could’ve narrated that book but her. I didn’t want to turn it off. Reading the book was good but the audiobook had an elevated appeal that kept you engaged and felt like a friend with a determined purpose was talking to you.

Overall, I loved both the book and the audiobook. If you love empowering motivation, this would be great to listen to.

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Review: Rental Person Who Does Nothing: A Memoir by Shoji Morimoto

In "Rental Person Who Does Nothing," Shoji Morimoto takes readers on an interesting journey into the heart of loneliness, social anxiety, and the pursuit of connection. His unconventional service, Rental Person, is a safe haven for those looking for companionship where there may not be any or are uncomfortable with those around them in certain situations.

The book begins with Morimoto's personal struggle, as he deals with feeling insignificant in his professional life. Inspired by his introspective moment on whether “doing nothing” can have value in the world, he transformed his life and the people that he comes into contact with. His concept seems simple and ordinary but for those people, their moments were extraordinary.

Morimoto shares his experiences in detail which allows the readers to experience some of the service requests that were asked for. With a wide range of requests, we experience through the shared tweets moments of people trying to navigate life from something as simple as grabbing a coffee to someone just looking to share a moment rather than be alone. Not putting in much effort, his nonjudgmental, committed demeanor allows the boundary of strangers but gives them the comfort they need to feel fulfilled.

As you go deeper into the book, it becomes more fascinating understanding the cultural norms of Japanese culture and the effects of how this service brought awareness to the need for human connection in their lives. Also by contradicting the culture norms of reciprocity by fulfilling the requests without the expectation of something in return, its thought provoking and inspires the conversation of how being there for someone can really make a difference. Also, how the act of doing “nothing” can for strangers be so moving and inspirational because many people out there don’t have anyone. This gives them a chance to fulfill a moment in their lives without feeling alone.

Overall, Rental Person Who Does Nothing is a wonderful memoir with a simple concept but leaves a deeper meaningful impression that will hopefully inspire people to be more present for people who may need someone.

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