Reviews with TLC

Just a Girl by Alyssa Cole took me in an unexpected direction. I had forgotten the format the story is told in between I bought it and when it started reading it. I hesitated when I started unconvinced it could work, but it did. The story quickly pulled me in, made me care, reminded me of events from my past, and brought forth my empathy for Tiana, the main character. Cole tells the story through social media posts, direct messages, emails, etc. in a way that feels immediate and all too real. Just a Girl is a well written story that is also a stark reminder that the Internet doesn't always offer the safety or the cover we think it does. While it took me a minute to get used to the format, I did end up enjoying the story itself more than I expected to. Check back soon for my thoughts on other books I'm reading including: Pity the Reader: On Writing with Style   by Kurt Vonnegut and Suzanne McConnell Capitalism Calls Poetry Lazy  by Wyatt Welch The Woman in Me  by Brittany Spea

The Scenic Route: A Short Story by Christina Baker Kline vacillates between being an easy read and a hard read, not because of the writing but because the  subject matter is so heartbreaking and feels so real. Kline pulled me into the story and the pain of the characters from the beginning. The Scenic Route explores so many issues in a few pages because they are all related and they all drive the story forward leading a resolution that feels at once life-affirming and heart-wrenching just like life can sometimes be. The Scenic Route travels emotional and physical journeys of self-punishment and self-discovery in ways that bring the story home without letting anyone off the hook for their decisions, choices, and actions - good or bad. Check back soon for my thoughts on other books I'm reading including: Pity the Reader: On Writing with Style   by Kurt Vonnegut and Suzanne McConnell Capitalism Calls Poetry Lazy  by Wyatt Welch Just a Girl   by Alyssa Cole The Woman in Me  by Britt

Cocaine: An Unauthorized Biography by Dominic Streatfeild explores the history of cocaine starting with the chewing of coca leaves by the natives of South America. Coca's history, use, misuse, and abuse is a fascinating tale of how humans can take something good and corrupt it with just a little effort. The effects of imperialism on the coca plant and its transition into cocaine and the various forms of cocaine are scary and yet somehow felt unavoidable. I was torn between what I thought I knew and what the facts and evidence show in regards to the coca plant, cocaine use, and cocaine trafficking based on Streatfeild's research. The intersection of political aspirations and cocaine is incredibly disheartening leaving one to wonder just how much those in power drove or at least ignored cocaine trafficking for political benefit. As I reached the latter part of the book, the realization kept coming to me that criminalizing cocaine and other drugs created the prices that made traf

How to Fly (In Ten Thousand Easy Lessons) Poetry by Barbara Kingsolver surprised me with its combination of simplicity and breadth. Kingsolver effectively uses the personal to make more universal points in poems that immersed me in the joys and heartaches of life. I enjoyed almost every poem in How to Fly , and even those I didn't enjoy held my interest. Kingsolver demonstrates how the small, often forgotten moments often create the greatest connections and longest lasting memories. How to Fly connects the process of living with the process of learning to live in well written poems that are easy to read and engaging. Check back soon for my thoughts on other books I'm reading including: Cocaine: An Unauthorized Biography  by Dominic Streatfeild Pity the Reader: On Writing with Style   by Kurt Vonnegut and Suzanne McConnell Capitalism Calls Poetry Lazy  by Wyatt Welch Reviews will be posted as I finish these books. Disclosure: This blog contains affiliate links meaning if you c