Secret Indiana

As a Hoosier I enjoyed reading this fun little travel guide about the weird, quirky, and hidden gems in the state. I was aware of maybe a dozen or so of the locations (I happen to live by two of them) and was really intrigued by the others. Some of the locations were kind of meh, but some were super interesting and I hadn't heard of. Will I go out of my way to visit all these locations? No, but if I am ever near one of them I may pop over (especially if it is one of the free ones). I feel like I am better equipped to win Hoosier Jeopardy now. This is a great little coffee table or bathroom book because you can read a few locations at a time. Each location has a two page spread with photos, the address, a little write up, accessibility features, and information on whether or not it's free. Interesting for sure. Now I know that Indiana is more than the RV capital of the world, we are also the goldfish capital of the world. Who knew?! 

Witchcraft for Wayward Girls

Why did I wait so long to read this book?!?! So freaking good. And I have to give props for Grady Hendrix, a male, for doing such an amazing job writing from the female perspective. His portrayal of young women going through pregnancy and childbirth was done so well and nuanced; so kudos to him! 

Fern is sent to Florida to live in a "women's home" with other young unmarried women while waiting to give birth. This home is where parents send their shameful daughters for a few months as a guise for "going away to camp" or "staying with an aunt for the summer," while in reality they are just waiting to give birth and adopt out the babies. It's the summer of 1970 and the Florida heat is stifling. With no access to news of the outside world and not much to do other than chores, Fern cannot wait for the bookmobile to come. When the librarian gives her a book on witchcraft, she and some of the other girls finally have something important, power. Can Fern and pregnant friends turn things around? Or are they getting involved in something that will place them in even more precarious straights? Delightful, wonderful. I could not put it down!

Made to Be She

This is a complicated review to write. There were a lot of areas I wholeheartedly agreed with and areas that I was appalled at. As a Catholic, one of the things I try to do most, is love thy neighbor. It's easy to judge others, but easy isn't right and we are not the judge, only God is. This book held a lot of judgment toward others - working mothers, divorced women, transgender individuals, non-Christian women, and more. It ruined a lot of the good message the authors were trying to get across. I love that they discussed the harm that the purity culture movement caused, the snares of the beauty industry, and falling into religious ditches. As another reviewer mentioned, some of those chapters could have been greatly expanded and been whole books. The authors chose to dedicate a lot of time however on transgendered men and women and casting judgement their way. Trans women existing doesn't diminish me as a woman. I love that I am a woman. Trans women aren't trying to take my rights away, but you know who is... men. All the time. Another chapter talked about how important it was to be a mother and to stay at home with your children. Well wouldn't that be nice. But in this economy... Come on. Nowhere in that chapter did the authors talk about the rising cost of housing or food. They mention how sad they felt for single mothers ONCE. The rest of the chapter was lamenting how much moms are missing out on by working. What about the dads? They are missing those moments too! If we are called to go forth and procreate in this awful American economy then most mothers will have to work. We unfortunately live in a time that demands that both parents work. We CAN'T have it all. Most women I know would love to stay home but can't. Most women I know would love to have more kids but can't afford to. The authors mention none of that. Another point I took issue with was that the authors villainized every wave of feminism and gave an awful over simplified view of them all. No mention of the benefits we got, only the negative downsides. We can own property, we can have credit cards, we can get custody of our children. They mentioned women getting the right to vote like it was a bad thing because the men should get the vote of the household... but even if that were the case what about unmarried or widowed women?! The final thing I take issue with is the oversimplified science of sex. According to the authors there are only males and females with absolutely NO VARIATIONS WHATSOEVER. However, intersex variations and hermaphroditism demonstrate that sex exists on a spectrum, and in some species, individuals do not fit neatly into a simple male/female binary. So I guess people born intersex can go jump off a cliff? I mean, what the heck. They are people too. Sorry they don't fit neatly in your little box. Not everything is black and white. Love one another. So actually now that I've typed all this out... maybe there wasn't that much good in here. 

We Know Your Secret

This was a fun and quick teen thriller, perfect for the Halloween season. This is essentially a Fear Street novel, but set in the 90s. Two best friends are looking forward to their weekly sleepover on Friday night, not knowing that it will be the last time anything is normal. Lisa and Katie have the house to themselves, two new releases from Blockbuster, pizza, snacks, and Cosmo magazine. Everything is perfect. That is, until they start prank calling people. What starts out as a funny joke, quickly goes dark. Maybe being home alone isn't the wisest move. Told through multiple perspectives, this fun little thriller was cute but could have had another rounds of editing. Some things weren't consistent. That being said it was still a fun little romp that any millennial or child of a millennial will enjoy. 

The Women of Bandit Bend

This was a quick and engaging historical read about two sisters who must learn what it takes to survive on their own. Ivy and Talley pack up and head to Sutton Creek, Colorado in search of their father. They haven't heard from him in months and are concerned about him. When they arrive at his homestead they are appalled at the state of things. The house is barely livable and it looks like the barn is about to fall down. They have to make the homestead livable so the government won't take it back so they decide to put in the work to fix it up and hope that their father will turn up. Unfortunately, calamity upon calamity befalls the sisters. Is someone trying to undermine their claim to the homestead? What really happened to their father? Compelling and quick. This was a satisfying read!

The Irish Goodbye

This was a good Thanksgiving read filled with lots of sibling drama and heartache. It's heavy, but it's short. This could easily be read in one sitting. Three sisters come back home to share a Thanksgiving with their elderly parents. Things have been uneasy in the years since their brother ended his life. There is a lot or hurt and resentment and rather than face it, each of the sisters (and their parents) have pushed down the grief and dealt with is in pretty unhelpful ways. Freshly divorced, Cait is flying in from London with her twins and she has some secrets that she doesn't know how to deal with. Maggie is bringing her girlfriend home for the first time much to the dismay of her staunchly Irish Catholic mother. Alice is feeling overwhelmed and underappreciated. As the one who lives closest to her parents she helps take care of them and her two boys and all she wants is to be seen and get a chance to do something she wants for once. Reunited for the first time in years, this family is about to have a Thanksgiving they will never forget.

Mapping the Interior

Yeesh. This was deeply unsettling and disturbing and I found myself having to reread parts of this novella because I was getting confused as to what was actually happening. I love Stephen Graham Jones but this was not a win for me. A twelve year old thinks he sees his dead father in full fancy dress regalia while sleepwalking. Is his father there to help, or is he there for a more sinister reason? All around upsetting and confusing, but as promised, full of horror.