katietotallybooked's reviews
765 reviews

Love the Home You Have: Simple Ways to…Embrace Your Style *Get Organized *Delight in Where You Are by Melissa Michaels

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informative

3.0

The Q2 topic in an online community that I am a member of is Creating a Peaceful Home Environment and this was one of our suggested reads for the quarter. The author shared a lot of helpful and practical tips for creating an inspired home. She did make me think about how I can turn my home into a space that serves me and my family better. She encouraged me to start dreaming about my home, and to start thinking about what my dream home would be.

One key takeaway relating to not just interior design, but many other aspects of life is that “the grass is greener where you water it”. I have gleaned some tips that I am hope to implement in my home over the next couple months. 

The author empowers the reader to work with what they have and figure out ways to bring what you want into your space, regardless of the space you are starting with. I do genuinely feel a spark towards my home that I didn’t feel before reading this book, which is fun too.
The Underground Library by Jennifer Ryan

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emotional informative inspiring relaxing sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

This book was comforting, warm, and a joy to read even though it dealt with heavier WWII themes. It actually didn’t feel heavy, it felt inspiring. Juliet, Katie, and Sofie are each strong female protagonists experiencing WWII in unique ways. I loved how the Underground Library brought them together. It showcased how a library is also a place of community, which aligns with my own values in librarianship. 
Jennifer Ryan is a new to me author. I picked this book up because of it’s library and librarian themes and it was a very pleasurable read. I will certainly keep her on my radar. The feeling I got while reading this book confirmed in my mind that historical fiction is my jam! It is hard to put the feeling into words, but its like a chord in my heart is vibrating, does that sense?

Favourite Quotes:

"Libraries aren't only about books; they're about people. They're about human life, how books can mend hearts, comfort wounds, and inspire us. But most of all, books can bring people together. Their ideas and thoughts make us realize that we are not alone, that we are all connected."

"To me, books are like old friends, telling us great truths, holding our hands through the difficulties, showing us light and joy at the end of every tunnel."
The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry: How to Stay Emotionally Healthy and Spiritually Alive in the Chaos of the Modern World by John Mark Comer

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informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

4.0

This book has been on my radar for a couple years now, I just shied away from it at first because I am not a Christian. But I felt called to pick it up recently because I have been struggling with feeling overwhelmed. I am determined to slow down and fight against hustle culture so this book was just what I needed. He really makes a great case for eliminating hurry from our lives and embracing slowness. It was filled with tangible action steps and personal stories and anecdotes. The idea of a Sabbath day and living all seven days differently, even though I am not a Christian, is a concept that is sticking with me. He also talks briefly about gamification of habits and checking emails / social media less. I think we can all embrace more rest in our lives and I hope to find more ways to let this in as I live this year and onward. I don’t think that I am comfortable with “rest” yet but I am working on it. Needless to say, I think I’ll be revisiting the key concepts of this book frequently on my growth journey. 
Expiration Dates by Rebecca Serle

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emotional reflective fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

2.5

This is one of my most disappointing reads of 2024 so far. I was so excited for a new Rebecca Serle book. I loved In Five Years and One Italian Summer so much! But Expiration Dates missed the mark for me. I didn’t connect with Daphne and her story at all. I felt it was predictable and flat and it didn’t really engage me. I do understand from the author’s note a bit about her writing process and the inspiration of the novel. I am thankful that she shared that with her readers and I can see where she was trying to go with this novel. However, in the end this book just didn’t connect with me. I am sad about it, but I know that the odds are that I won’t love every single book a favourite author writes and I’m okay with that. 
The Lost Apothecary by Sarah Penner

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dark mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

I can honestly say that I overlooked this book for many years. I have always known about it, but it never was something I thought I would read. I probably wouldn’t have if I wasn’t prompted to for a new book club. Therefore much to my surprise, I enjoyed this book quite a bit, especially when I was listening to it on audio. The narration was very well done, and I appreciated that each character in this multi-narrative story was portrayed by a different cast member. As a librarian, I was thrilled by the research component of the story and the references to the British Library. The writing was atmospheric and the story was intricately plotted. I loved how each narrative was woven together. Plus, the cover art is truly stunning, so points for presentation! 
If you enjoy historical fiction, books set in England, audiobooks, multi-narrative storylines and dual timelines, this book is for you! 
Other People's Houses by Abbi Waxman

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funny lighthearted medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

My Thoughts: I actually had a lot of fun reading this book. It was light, entertaining, and drama-filled - like just pure suburban drama which can definitely be my thing! It almost reminded me of Desperate Housewives? (Which I loved!). I felt so much joy while reading it and this is the perfect example of a pleasure read for my reading tastes. 
I am a bit surprised at my five-star rating, but I really don’t have any criticisms of the book. The only thing worth noting is since this book was published in 2018, other than some of the pop culture and diet culture references are already a bit outdated. But this didn’t impact my reading experience much at all. 
If you haven’t read anything by Abbi Waxman and you enjoy Contemporary Fiction, I would encourage you to give her a try. I have read 3 of her books and enjoyed each of them. I look forward to reading more! 
The Perfect Stranger by Megan Miranda

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dark mysterious tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

I picked up his backlist book from my unread shelf on a whim because I was in a reading slump after finishing The Women by Kristin Hannah. The good news is it did it’s job! The writing captured my attention with its fast pacing and entertained me enough to keep the pages turning. But the story certainly wasn‘t anything special or earth shattering. I felt equally confused and intrigued throughout most of the chapters. I liked the main protagonist Leah enough to care about her, but also felt parts of her experience unnecessary. It was an enjoyable but average book that I would only recommend to existing Megan Miranda fans.
I am glad to be able to check it off of my Author-Read-It All for Megan Miranda and also unhaul it from my shelves. 😊 
If You Would Have Told Me by John Stamos

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emotional reflective

4.25

This was so enjoyable! I loved Full House and Fuller House and so there was no question I was going to borrow this and listen to it. My main critique is that the timeline of his stories felt so jumpy and disjointed at times that it threw me off while listening. I would have preferred sections on his memorable experiences on Full House and ER, rather than snippets here and there throughout the whole book. 
Regardless, it’s a must listen for anyone who knows the name John Stamos. It’ll probably have you laughing at parts and crying at others, but it will ultimately leave you smiling at the end.  
Dragging Mason County by Curtis Campbell

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Did not finish book. Stopped at 25%.
Finding myself not interested in the story and overwhelmed by the characters’ names and drag names and keeping it all straight. 
The Women by Kristin Hannah

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challenging dark emotional sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

There is something about Kristin Hannah’s writing that captures my heart and attention from the first chapter. Right away I knew could feel this would be a five star read. Did I love every part of this book? No. Sometimes Frankie frustrated me. But she was going on a major growth journey and I was here for it. She went through so much trauma and hardship and I was praying she would find her footing again at some point. I also loved the friendships and the romantic relationships and the relationships with her parents and how they all shaped her story. Now, were there heavy topics covered? OH YES. I’ve never read a story that covered war so graphically and vividly before, and especially not from the unique perspective of an army nurse.

But honestly, this book was so well done. It felt well researched. It felt unique in the story it told and how it told it. It was simply a phenomenal reading experience and it will quite possibly be a favourite of the year for me.