Review: Still Me

Still Me by Jojo Moyes
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Honestly, I could have been happy with Lou's story ending after the second book. I'm not sure I needed anything else and was happy with where Lou and Sam ended up. But, of course, I had to read the third book as I was already invested in the characters. This one was okay. While I liked some of the new characters, the whole story felt like unnecessary drama. I was mad at the turn that Lou and Sam's relationship took and it felt like I was losing my happy ending. Nevertheless, I was satisfied with how the book ends and I hope that Moyes will leave it here.

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Review: The Fifth Risk

The Fifth Risk by Michael Lewis
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

"Here is where the Trump administration’s willful ignorance plays a role. If your ambition is to maximize short-term gain without regard to the long-term cost, you are better off not knowing the cost. If you want to preserve your personal immunity to the hard problems, it’s better never to really understand those problems. There is an upside to ignorance, and a downside to knowledge. Knowledge makes life messier. It makes it a bit more difficult for a person who wishes to shrink the world to a worldview."

Being a history teacher, I have a greater knowledge of how our government system works, as I have spent time studying it and teaching about it. But I confess, that after reading this book, even I had a new appreciation for the complexity of all the different departments and the many things that they do. What I wasn't surprised to hear was the Trump administration's failure to fully staff the government so that it can do its job. While this isn't surprising, it is a scary idea. The best way to undermine the foundation of the government is to pull it apart stone by stone and ignore the cracks that need fixing. If your curious about learning more about how our bureaucracy works and the vulnerable state it is in, check this book out.

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Review: Educated: A Memoir

Educated: A Memoir by Tara Westover
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Tara Westover's story is absolutely fascinating. The obstacles this woman had to overcome to get to where she is are extraordinary. Her story shocked me, made me laugh, made me cry, and inspired me. This memoir is about family, perseverance, and having the courage to walk your own path. I highly recommend you read this one.

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Review: Lincoln in the Bardo

Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I had a really hard time getting into this book. The format of the book made it really disjointed and hard to follow. The characters were strange and there was little in the way of development. Because of this, there was nothing to emotionally connect to. The book was just too avant-garde for my tastes and I just didn't get it.

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Review: Unhinged: An Insider's Account of the Trump White House

Unhinged: An Insider's Account of the Trump White House by Omarosa Manigault Newman
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

First, I have never been a fan of Omarosa. I can appreciate how she has crafted her public persona over the years, but she's never been my cup of tea. Like many of the other books written by rejected Trump staffers, I read this book simply because I knew that Trump won't want me to. Plus, I was a little curious about why Omarosa, someone who has historically been a Democrat or at least left-leaning, joined Trump's campaign.

I think she spends most of the book trying to justify her complicity in an administration that is, in my opinion, racist, sexist, dysfunctional, etc., which I don't think she does successfully. "He was my friend" is not an excuse or justification for what she did and defended as a member of Trump's White House. I do believe that what she said she saw and experienced happened but I can't say that I was surprised by any of her "revelations." Nevertheless, the book was well written and held my interest all the way through.

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