Catch up

So remember that time I used to write reviews on all the books I read? And then suddenly I have four that I've read but haven't written about. Whoops. So these will be short and sweet.

taken from Goodreads.com

I've read quite a bit of Sharon Draper, and I've had mixed feelings about all of her books. They all tend to handle hardcore plot lines with Remember the Titans-type dialogue. I appreciate the PG-rating, but sometimes it just comes off as a little corny. There is a fair amount of that in this book too, but I think it's her best one. This story follows a slave from her village in Africa, to the ship that takes her across the ocean to America, to the plantation her new masters own, and then beyond. It's a heartbreaking, sweet, and interesting look at slavery in America. 

taken from Goodreads.com

I grabbed this book up when I saw a trailer for the upcoming movie. I really enjoyed it and thought it was incredibly interesting and well-written, even though it also terrified me (it was like a 9 hour episode of Law and Order: SVU. I've stopped watching SVU since Charlotte was born for a reason). I will say, though, that I think I only liked it as much as I did because I listened to it on audiobook. I think if I'd read it in actual book form, I would have been driven insane by the five-year-old narrator. But since I listened to it and heard a five-year-old voice reading the five-year-old words, it was perfectly fine. So I recommend the audiobook.

taken from Goodreads.com

I can't remember why I put this book on my list, but oh well. I liked it, despite the fact that it's about a mostly-failing marriage and that it's suuuuuuper depressing. There were elements of it, though, that were incredibly convicting and cause for reflection. Marriage is hard, and there's fighting, and listening to these two people fight and yell at each other was horrible...mostly because there were a couple of times where the things they were yelling sounded familiar. And that, friends, is not good. So I'm thankful for this depressing book, because good gracious, the last thing I want is to be able to relate to any of the crazies in this plot. (But all of that being said, it's a good read. Not a favorite or anything, but interesting.)

taken from Goodreads.com

I read Killing Kennedy a while ago, and loved it. This one, though, not as much. It was interesting, but it had a LOT of Civil War specifics and battle strategy, and I just cannot handle books about war (movies, yes...books, no). And the rest of it just wasn't nearly as interesting as Kennedy, I don't think. It was fine, just didn't love it as much.