Title Tuesday: The Crown

 ****spoilers ahead, stop now if you haven’t finished the first four books******

The Crown is the second of two books that tells the story of what happens after the happily ever after in America’s story in the #selectionseries.

This book is all about Eadlyn journey for love as the first female ruler to hold a selection.

This book was SUCH a disappointment. From the cliched guy interested in fashion comes out as gay trope to the love triangle trope, to the fact that Edalyn uses some of these boys as safety nets in a way that is really gross to me.

The lack of fidelity and the back and forth is just too much for me.

Also, Eadlyn is still a stuck-up, out-of-touch brat… she just changed her country’s form of government on a whim and without the direction of counsel.

Overall, serious disappointment.

This book is NOT a deep or complex read, but it is light (and I love series) so of course I’m going to finish them all!

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Title Tuesday: Katherine von Bora

We have been completely immersed in the 1500s since completing the #reformationday unit from @brighterdaypress. 

If you’ve been on the fence about unit studies, I would start with hers. They are so user-friendly!

While doing the unit, my oldest asked if only boys were in the Reformation. 

We have thoroughly enjoyed researching and hunting down information about the women of the Reformation. 

This was by far my favorite book we found for kids. 

If you are interested in resources for adults just shoot me a DM.

This is why I love homeschooling. 

A simple question sparked weeks of conversations, questions, and research.

Title Tuesday: The Heir

The Heir is the first of two books that tells the story of what happens after the happily ever after in America’s story in the #selectionseries.

****spoilers ahead if you haven’t finished the first three books******

This book is all about America’s daughter, Eadlyn the first female ruler to hold a selection.

I have to be honest. I wanted to like this book purely from the aspect of equality. The fact that an author had the guts to make the Cinderella-meets-HungerGames-while-watching-the-bachelor thing apply to men just like women.

So in that frame of mind, I kept reading even where there were obvious issues.

I really dislike the whitewashing that America and Maxon. They had such great character development in the first three books. They were dynamic and bright. It felt like the author had to dull them down to make Eadlyn interesting.

Just not super impressive.

This book is NOT a deep or complex read, but it is light (and I love series) so of course, I’m going to finish them all!

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Title Tuesday: The One

The next of the #selectionseries (the America portion) is The One.

Again, I say freely that this book is NOT a deep or complex read, but it is fun and I LOVE a series.

This book is where I started to dislike the series. The abusive behavior shown in this book is egregious. I really dislike the fact that the abuse is treated like it is normal and no big deal simply because it is happening in a palace.

Between the downplayed abuse, the forced softening of one of the Selected which was completely unrealistic, and the fact that Maxim and America are just SO flakey on their relationship… this book is like a teenage soap opera.

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Title Tuesday: The Elite

When we were on a family vacation I decided to read the #selectionseries as a bit of a mental break. You can read last week's Title Tuesday post for all of my thoughts. 

This is book number 2 of 3 in the America portion of the series, The Elite. When the group of girls gets cut down to just six.

I found myself rooting for America and her friends although I really, really dislike Aspen.

This book is NOT a deep or complex read, but it is fun (and I love series) so of course I’m going to finish them all!

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Title Tuesday: The Selection

We have been on a family vacation to the beach. Since we drove from Philadelphia to North Carolina I wanted some intellectual junk food for the drive.

This book series was recommended to me by FOUR different people and it was a perfect choice.

The Selection by Kyra Cass is a wild ride y’all.

Since this is book number one in the series I want to be careful about giving too much away. I am at the end of the third book now after all the driving…and I’m not quite sure how I feel about the series as a whole so let’s just look at book one for now.

I loved the main character, America, from the start. She is bright, enthusiastic, determined, relatable, and most importantly she is herself.

I found myself rooting for her throughout the book as she tries to work her way through life as one of 35 women vying for a prince’s heart.

I found myself thinking that this is a bit like Miss Congeniality mixed with The Hunger Games and 10 Things I Hate About You… all at the same time.

This book is NOT a deep or complex read, but it is fun (and I love series) so of course, I’m going to finish them all.

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Title Tuesday: Circe

This… book…. Wow.

I know I am late to the game on this book but good grief Circe by @madeline.e.miller was good.

I read a couple of reviews that said it was dry and I have to think those are the same people that look at a sunrise and go “meh”.

I loved the inter-connectivity between the different Greek myths. I loved the descriptions of basic and every day things.

When the beings were turned (if you’ve read it then you know) I was 100% on Circe’s side.

I loved the delicate dance that Circe walked between being a God but loving mortal things. I loved her dedication to certain key characters.

I can say I wasn’t surprised by the ending since if read Telegony but the creativity used to blend the story together was just phenomenal.

If you are into Greek Mythology (or mythology at all) this is a great read! You can find it here!

*A caveat, as always I want to provide book reviews that help protect the hearts of people that may be struggling. If you have dealt with:
-infant loss
-infidelity
-sexual assault
you should know that these are components of the story and you may want to tread lightly rather than delving in.

Title Tuesday: A Single Thread

I enjoyed the slow, sort of meandering pace of A Single Thread by Tracy Chevalier.

This is the story of a woman caught between world wars.

In the story, Violet deals with women’s rights, equal pay, devastation, loss, financial burdens, unrequited love, LGBT discrimination, and more.

If you are looking for high action or a really deep plot, this one isn’t it.

I think of it more as a sort of palette cleanser between denser books.

But I greatly enjoyed it even without a super complex plot so it gets a solid four stars. 

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Title Tuesday: The Accidental Empress

I  wanted to like The Accidental Empress by Allison Pataki, I really, really did.

But the thing is, the main character signed up for all the things that she struggled with. She also threw a lot of fits over things that could have been handled with a conversation.

She was one of the most privileged women of her time and yet instead of learning to deal with differences and adversaries she just runs away.

And the ending? Who could possibly celebrate that?

Sorry, this book was well written I think the subject was just dull, spoiled, and entitled.

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Title Tuesday: Lovely War

Every once in a while a book comes along that is SO good that you skip meals and forgo sleep to know what happens next.

Despite having four small children, homeschooling, and all the craziness that is life in a pandemic I skipped meals and lost sleep.

Lovely War by Julie Berry is incredible.

The book tackles #racism, women’s issues, #WWI and is told by Greek Gods without being corny.

I BAWLED during parts of this book like big ugly cried.

I fell in love with the characters, and my heart broke for them.

I don’t care what kind of books that you like, you need to read this one.

If I could give it more than 5 stars I would.

⚠️A sole note of caution ⚠️

As a military spouse, I am VERY careful about the books I read and the movies I watch. There are times in deployments and TDYs that you just CANNOT think about the dangers and risks or you will go absolutely crazy. If you struggle with PTSD or anxiety while your service member (or yourself) is deployed, then this might not be the book to read right now.

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Title Tuesday: My Dear Hamilton

So I am a massive @hamiltonmusical fan.

When I found out that the inspiration for My Dear Hamilton by @stephanie.dray and @laurakamoie was based on the authors’ viewing of the musical I knew I had to read it.

Let me tell you, @stephanie.dray and @laurakamoie did NOT disappoint. (Please tell me y’all are working on another book soon?!?!)

Their interpretation of how Elizabeth walked through life as the wife of one of the most influential men in American history was just AMAZING.

Of course, as I was reading I was imagining @phillipasoo and @reneeelisegoldsberry doing all of the talking between Eliza and Angelica and that was just heart-wrenching.

Also, can I just say that as a person that majored in history I LOVE the end portion where the authors talked about who, where, and why they researched in order to make the book as historically accurate as possible?

If you are a Hamilton fan you should read this one. Parts had me laughing, a LOT of parts had me bawling, but the story as a whole is so well written that you get lost in the birth of our nation through the eyes of a woman that lived it.

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Title Tuesday: American Duchess

 

A friend of mine said I had to drop what I was reading and start American Duchess by Karen Harper.

I decided to listen to it on audiobook while I work on my #quilt.

So far it seems pretty basic… but I am also basing this off of my absolute LOVE of @authormariebenedict’s historical fiction work which always blows you out of the water… so maybe that is an unfair standard.

Title Tuesday: Proverbs 31 in 5 Minutes a Day

If you are looking for a light and easy devotional, Proverbs 31 in 5 Minutes a Day by Mari Hernandez-Tuten is a good one to start with. 

The Proverbs 31 Woman is a challenging topic as it makes many women feel inferior and some feel superior. This devotional was simple to read, quick, and to the point. I would recommend this in addition to your regular Bible reading or as a short stopgap after a new baby or another major life event.

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Title Tuesday: Cole and Sav Our Surprising Love Story

I will confess when my grandmother first gave me Cole & Sav Our Surprising Love Story by @cole.labrant and @sav.labrant... I stalled on reading it.

I am not normally one for “influencers”, (especially Youtube creators) as they tend towards phony, mean, or dangerous stunts for the sake of content.

However… I was proved wrong with this one. I really enjoyed this book by the power team @cole.labrant and @sav.labrant.

Things I didn’t like:
-A good chunk of this is not realistic for the average long-distance couple (military families, in particular, might find this part frustrating)
-The expense of childcare was a nonissue since Savanah’s mom kept her daughter.
-The expense of plane tickets to go see each other would have crippled many people’s financial situation.
-not many mothers would be willing to have a boyfriend move into their home

Things I loved:
-Coles's stance on Internet porn as infidelity was a bold statement and I am impressed that he included that!
-I really appreciated the way that Savanah talked about her past and how she grew as a Christian.

-Savanah was honest about the fears that plague a lot of people that are new to faith: being judged, fitting in, and not speaking the language of Christianese especially during worship.

It was really nice to see Christian people talking about the challenges and difficulties in trying to walk out your faith! You can find it here!

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