en-US Tue, 02 Jan 2024 08:58:05 -0800 60 144 41 /images/layout/goodreads_logo_144.jpg Review5697727721 Tue, 02 Jan 2024 08:58:05 -0800 /review/show/5697727721 Nadee gave 4 stars to Becoming (Hardcover) by Michelle Obama
I listened to this book as an audiobook, which I highly recommend. To hear the feeling and passion in Michelle Obama's voice makes these stories come to life.

I'm late to the party with this book. I was gifted it several years ago and only recently got around to reading it. But WOW. This memoir was incredible, full of takeaways and messages that had me itching for a pen.

You get the feeling that Mrs. Obama is an extremely reflective person. Her memoir had a couple of core threads running through it, tying together her experiences in a way that never felt forced or artificial - more so that she has looked back on her life and her experiences before and understands some of the big questions (and concerns) that have animated her throughout her life.

I loved her description of her family and her early life. It was vibrant and the characters were so immediately real and relatable, even if she only described them in a single memory. I found her description of her mother's parenting style to be fascinating, because it's not what I normally experience or read about these days. I loved the emphasis on letting her children be independent, trusting that she had raised them well, and it made so much sense that Michelle was as self sufficient and self assured as she was.

Reading about her meeting Barack was delightful, partially because we're all reading this knowing what's coming. I admit I felt envious of the connection and the ease she found with him, even if it took them months to realize it. There were so many things about their relationship that I took away to learn from, including how they learned about each other's differences and adjusted accordingly, and especially what it was like to be with someone so driven and so certain of their purpose. I loved reading about Michelle's own difficulty with her path and purpose, because she put into words feelings I have had over and over. It was reassuring and validating.

I did find the first half of the book a bit more compelling than their time in the White House, which I was more familiar with. I could hear at times the defensiveness with which she recounts her time and their decisions. This book made their larger than life story feel real, and difficult, and incredibly human.

Everyone will take different things out of this book. Her life, and the reflections she shares, have lessons for each of us. I highly recommend this memoir, the best I've read. ]]> Review6115122644 Tue, 02 Jan 2024 08:56:05 -0800 /review/show/6115122644 Nadee gave 5 stars to Know My Name (ebook) by Chanel Miller
You must listen to this book. Chanel Miller is so incredibly eloquent during one of the most traumatic experiences possible. She paints a picture that is so achingly personal and vulnerable, yet it shouts her strength from every chapter. It is an incredible story and one that stays with the reader. I felt her anger, her confusion, her resilience so clearly. ]]> Review6115114603 Tue, 02 Jan 2024 08:55:50 -0800 /review/show/6115114603 Nadee gave 3 stars to No Two Persons (Hardcover) by Erica Bauermeister
This book was such an interesting premise and I loved following the path of a book and its importance through so many readers' lives. At the same time, I wish there was more differentiation between the characters, that they were more complex and more diverse. ]]> Review6115114603 Tue, 02 Jan 2024 08:54:45 -0800 /review/show/6115114603 Nadee gave 3 stars to No Two Persons (Hardcover) by Erica Bauermeister
This book was such an interesting premise and I loved following the path of a book and its importance through so many readers' lives. At the same time, I wish there was more differentiation between the characters, that they were more complex and more diverse. ]]> Review6115110449 Tue, 02 Jan 2024 08:54:26 -0800 /review/show/6115110449 Nadee gave 4 stars to Caliban’s War (The Expanse, #2) by James S.A. Corey
]]> Review6115110449 Tue, 02 Jan 2024 08:54:06 -0800 /review/show/6115110449 Nadee gave 4 stars to Caliban’s War (The Expanse, #2) by James S.A. Corey
]]> Review6115099634 Tue, 02 Jan 2024 08:53:40 -0800 /review/show/6115099634 Nadee gave 4 stars to Homegoing (Hardcover) by Yaa Gyasi
This book was at times hard to follow given the breadth of characters, but I loved the surprises and complexity with which multiple generations were weaved together. The way it all came together at the end was fantastic. It tells such a rich and difficult story in a way that's never been done before. ]]> Review6115099634 Tue, 02 Jan 2024 08:52:20 -0800 /review/show/6115099634 Nadee gave 4 stars to Homegoing (Hardcover) by Yaa Gyasi
This book was at times hard to follow given the breadth of characters, but I loved the surprises and complexity with which multiple generations were weaved together. The way it all came together at the end was fantastic. It tells such a rich and difficult story in a way that's never been done before. ]]> Review6115091708 Tue, 02 Jan 2024 08:52:06 -0800 /review/show/6115091708 Nadee gave 5 stars to Circe (Hardcover) by Madeline Miller
Loved this book. Circe was a minor character that I had never fully thought about until this story, and her words and her experience stays with me. ]]> Review6115091708 Tue, 02 Jan 2024 08:51:02 -0800 /review/show/6115091708 Nadee gave 5 stars to Circe (Hardcover) by Madeline Miller
Loved this book. Circe was a minor character that I had never fully thought about until this story, and her words and her experience stays with me. ]]>