The Personal Librarian by Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray

In typical bibliophile fashion, I love reading about books, libraries, and other readers so it was quite enjoyable to follow Belle da Costa Greene as she navigated the world of elite manuscripts and high class expectations while hiding her heritage to maintain her job.

These 338 pages take the reader along the journey of Belle’s family changing their name in order to pass as white in New York as racial tension mounts around the country and even Northerners are not safe from prejudice. Belle’s sisters attain jobs as teachers and she as a librarian which leads to her placement as JP Morgan’s personal librarian as he seeks to build up a collection to rival libraries and museums around the world, placing himself in a place of prominence in the art world.

I’ll be honest, when I am reading a great book I often struggle to make notes for a review and am left just saying I liked it and it was put together well. There is something to be said of a well written book that keeps the reader engaged so I certainly will bestow the credit there, especially with two authors bringing this work to life. It is also important to note that I didn’t experience anything detaching me from the story, whether it be bad grammar, plot holes, or unrealistic moments.

It is also fun to see a historical figure brought to life amid the limited knowledge we have of Greene. The authors have some additional chapters where they each share a note with the reader and then go into detail of how they constructed the story from different small details recorded about Greene over time. As a reader and writer I loved learning the backstory of how they brought this novel to fruition, forming whole chapters originating from one sentence quoted to Greene.

Definitely an enjoyable read I would recommend for adults. There is no explicit content, but I would just put the 18+ rating on it to be safe as there is mention of affairs and abortion.

Sisters First by Jenna Bush Hager and Barbara Pierce Bush

Aww, what a sweet story of these two women growing up together and staying connected through everything.

This is another book I got from the used bookstore in Canton, NC- Blue Moon Books. I have been in a moment of easy reading and I would say this was the perfect transition book, dealing with real people and their real experiences, but not a heavy thinking and processing book.

The Bush twins are not anyone I really know about or have had an interest in their lives. I was drawn to the cover and figured this would be a fun read to learn about them as individuals, twins, daughters and granddaughters of Presidents, and their adult endeavors. I was right; it was fun to read about their lives from their own perspectives and to see how intertwined not only they are, but the whole (extended) family, in one another’s lives.

Sometimes it gets weird for the reader when a book has two authors, but I will say it flowed better because the girls shared about the same experiences and ultimately, their lives are connected in a way most co-authors’ aren’t.

If anyone remembers my least favorite thing about memoirs it is the awkward chunk of photographs slapped arbitrarily in the middle of the book. And this book also delivers this annoyance. I enjoy photos, but I get frustrated by the placement. I like to see the pictures as I read along so I have to try to find the right pictures without spoiling anything for myself.

The writing style is very honest and relatable. The sisters do a great job of sharing important moments and their differing experiences in the same situations. Since I did not know much about the Bush family there were plenty of fun moments I experienced for the first time through this book. Let’s recap a few favorites.

Barbara as a child trying to order pizza for a party while her grandfather was President so the company hung up on her after she told them her name is Barbara Bush. And that would prove a pivotal lesson of giving a different name when needed! Did you know the twins are both named after their grandmothers? The idea of a bunch of Secret Service on a college campus (or two!) dressed in jeans with backpacks full of weapons trying not to be obvious as they follow the First Daughter around. Barbara spent a semester abroad in Italy in high school. The reality of Jenna’s husband picking her up at the White House for their first date. Just like that movie about dating the President’s daughter. (It’s the big white house- you can’t miss it.) Barbara started and runs a whole global charity. That’s phenomenal. Michelle Obama inviting Jenna to check out her old room the first time Jenna came back to the White House as a reporter during the Obama years. So many fun moments!

I would certainly recommend this book for anyone interested in memoirs, celebrity stories, political figures and familes.

Saint Valentine the Kindhearted by Ned Bustard

This children’s book is the perfect way to bring a little history into the romance of St. Valentine’s Day. It shares a summary of Valentine and how his life and death spurred the holiday we currently know. It is a very cute story with poems mixed into the prose. It is well written, well constructed and a definite recommend for teaching kids about the originator of the holiday.

I haven’t studied the life of St. Valentine myself to speak into the accuracy of information or anything of value I would add to the story. Bustard does have a note from the author at the end of the book explaining that not much is known about Valentine and the limited information he found shares about his love for others. Bustard explains the different types of love known to the Ancient Greeks and how Valentine demonstrates the love Christ has for all of us, not just romantic love for one person. This is such an appropriate note for the readers to understand that Valentine was a believer who epitomized the love of God shown in a variety of ways.

The Princess and Curdie by George MacDonald

For those of you following along, here’s another George MacDonald book! This is a second story following Irene and Curdie after the events with the Goblins concluded. And it delivers!

My goodness, I enjoyed this book so much. The library only had an audio version available so I listened to it on my way to and from work during the week. The only downside to that was the inability to underline so many phenomenal lines I heard. There is such a gospel- centered thread of language throughout the novel. So many parallels and beautiful descriptions that make me want to know more about MacDonald because of the evidence of his salvation in his language.

This story continues after the events with the Goblins in the first book. It features Curdie and Irene’s great great grandmother interacting at the beginning making me think the reader would not see Curdie reunited with Irene and her father after they rode off in the last book. I do enjoy the Old Princess and her magical ways, but I was quite eager to see the dynamic duo together again. The Old Princess sends Curdie off on a mysterious journey with lots of cryptic instructions and he does encounter Irene and her father where trouble is waiting for Curdie. In quite a fun and majestic way, Curdie helps Irene and her father overcome the numerous obstacles keeping them from success. Along the way we hear many one liners that directly relate to the Christian life. Even in the conclusion alerting the readers that we will not get anymore Curdie and Irene stories we see such a replication of Biblical events that furthered my appreciation for MacDonald and his works. Also I am more excited to continue my efforts in reading his work and learning more about him. I would certainly recommend this book!

Little Women Mermaid Edition by Megan Lois Whitehall

I have been looking into more book review sites where I get to read a book for free in exchange for an honest review. On the Lola book tours site I saw this book and thought it would be a wonderful book for me to get back into the book review exchange. That week I received the ebook in my email and began reading this version of the classic.

I figured it would be a great time to reread Alcott’s masterpiece transposed into the underwater setting bringing the story into the low fantasy arena. Unfortunately, that’s where the story fell short. Whitehill often switched the land animals with the fish of the closest name, which doesn’t translate to make sense in the story. Take horses for example, the underwater equivalent is NOT seahorses though they share a name. First and most obvious is size. Seahorses range from one inch to one foot in size. If you have the largest seahorse at one foot long it is still not a powerful animal in comparison to a mermaid. No one is going to ride a seahorse. Now, I think they would be cute pets, and definitely interact with mermaids, but certainly not be work animals carrying any kind of load. And that was the same case of cats becoming catfish and parrots becoming parrotfish, neither of which makes sense for the land pets to be transformed underwater by picking real fish who don’t resemble them, only share a name.

Similarly the idea of mermaids experiencing all four seasons isn’t realistic for living in the ocean. Mermaids don’t wear winter coats, so let’s find a better way to explain a change in the season and landscape that is believable. Those are the bigger aspects which disrupt the story at large, while there are plenty of smaller moments that don’t seem thought through to develop the underwater aspects and inconsistencies. Some scenes simply won’t work underwater; specifically anything to do with hair. Hair plays an important role in the original story so it certainly needs to remain in the mermaid version, but you cannot keep the scenes the same. Most obviously is the curling iron burning hair off scene which is nothing but ludacris in the ocean. Every bit of that scene is nonsense underwater so why leave it in tact? Also the idea of Amy still having golden curls underwater is silly and inconsistent with the cover art of all the girls having the same salmon colored hair and same shaded tails when the book mentions differences in the tails and hair.

With all of these underwater inconsistencies I am sad to say I cannot recommend reading this version when you would be better served sticking to the original version. I did appreciate the opportunity to read and review this piece through Lola’s Blog Tours.

Bearly Reading 2022- final list

A Dog Named Christmas by Greg Kincaid…….. 136 pages…. fiction, Christmas, book featuring a character with a disability……….. finished reading 1 January

I Owe You One by Sophie Kinsella…….. 435…… fiction, favorite author……. 13 January….. recommend

Inkdeath by Cornelia Funke…………. 663…. fiction, fantasy series, book about books……. 3 February…….. highly recommend

Holier Than Thou by Jackie Hill Perry……….168…. non-fiction, Christian living, book by a person I admire…….. 28 February…… recommend

Story of With by Allen Arnold………. 268……. non-fiction, Flourish book club, book about writing…… 6 March….. recommend

The Perfect Couple by Elin Hilderbrand……… 466……. fiction, mystery, random book from the library…… 12 March

The Enchanted Castle by E Nesbit………. 291………. fiction, book I never finished previously……. 21 March

Why Fish Don’t Exist by Lulu Miller………. 195……… non-fiction, memoir, book chosen by cover……. 3 May

Necessary Endings by Henry Cloud………. 230……. non-fiction, recommended by a friend, lifestyle, career………. 21 May……. recommend

The Memoir Project by Marion Roach Smith……… 132……. non-fiction, Flourish book club, writing instructional……. 28 June

The Brontes: Eccentric Lives by Robert Johanson…… 62……. play, book bought in another country…… 29 July

Influence by Shannon Popkin and Kate Motaung………… 138…….. non-fiction, Flourish book club, book by an author I follow, writing related, Christian, book with two authors…….. 26 September

Marriage Be Hard by Kevin and Melissa Fredericks……….. 228……. non-fiction, memoir-ish, book by a couple, marriage, book recommended by YouTubers I follow………5 November

Little Women: Mermaid Edition by Megan Lois Whitehall……… 360….. fiction, retelling of a classic, book for review……. 26 November

Take a Breath With Him by Karen Brough……… 145…… non-fiction, book by a friend, Christian, book for review…….. 23 December……. recommend

In It Together by Eckhart Aurelius Hughes……….. 205…….. non-fiction, philosophy, book for review……. 31 December

16 books completed, 4,122 pages, 6 fiction, 10 nonfiction, 1 play, 3 writing related, 4 Christian living, 4 did not finish (not listed, 3 will finish in 2023), additional book reviews from end of 2022 coming soon

What books should I read in 2023?