Tell Me Tuesday is a weekly blog post put on by LA LA in the LIBRARY. It is where we discuss what we have been, will be, and are currently reading. What are you reading? Tell us.
What I Read Last
LA LA and I buddy read this book together. She was kind enough to send me an ARC because she had an extra copy. I think we both thought this book was going to be true stories about adoption but we were surprised to find out that all the stories were fictional. Not only were the stories fictional, some of them were fantasy and magical realism. Neither one of us was a real fan of this book but we pressed on and decided to ask each other…
Which stories did you like the best and why?
Here is LA LA’s answer. Be sure to check out here entire TMT post HERE!
My favorite was Peace Of Paper. I loved the realistic writing style and it had a solid ending. So many of the stories had weak and/or incomplete endings (Jolene also had a problem with the endings for many of the stories). It showed how having family discussion and support for big life decisions is invaluable. My second favorite one was Twenty-Seven Days by Jenny Kaczorowski. Again, the author had a skilled realistic writing style and the ending was not a dangler. I loved reading about foster care because my aunt had foster children while I was growing up. This one was also about friendship, too.
Others I liked a lot…
Tunneling Through
These Broken Stars
A Kingdom Bright and Burning
Webbed
Invited – also one of Jolene’s favorites!
Upon the Horizon’s Verge– another Jo fave!
Finding only eight really great stories, and a handful of good ones, out of twenty-eight is not a very good average for me. I am giving it two stars on Goodreads. Thanks for buddy reading Jolene!
Here is my answer.
My favorite stories were Up by a Million by Caela Carter, Upon the Horizon’s Verge by Sangu Mandanna, Invited by Lauren Morrill, and The Take Back by Kate Watson. The reason these were my favorite, I think, is because I am adopted and so I related to them more. They had a very realistic feel to them which is why I connected with those stories. It is has never really bothered me that I am adopted but I have always wondered what my birth mother went through. Was it easy for her to give me up? Was it heartbreaking? I like what the author writes in Upon the Horizon’s Verge, “She does matter, I say. That’s why I want to give her up. She’s not my dream, but she is somebody else’s. She deserves to be there, with that somebody else. She deserves to be their dream.” I know I was my adopted parents dream. They tried for years to have children. In vitro was very new and expensive and there was no way they could have afforded it so they turned to adoption. It was their only chance of having a baby.
Other Thoughts
Of the 28 stories, I only enjoyed reading 4! I felt like most of these stories were rushed and not well written. There were even a couple times the story ended and I kept turning pages looking for more because it didn’t seem like the story had ended. Even though they are supposed to be short stories, there can still be some depth to the characters and have a thought out plot. Unfortunately, these stories did not have any of the above. I would have loved to read true adoption stories. Ironically, many of the authors have adopted children or family members that are adopted and talked about their experiences at the end of their story.
What I am Currently Reading
PUPDATE
My senior foster dog, Trixie, may be leaving us soon. There is an older couple interested in adopting her. Even though that makes me sad, I know it is for the best. If she is adopted by this couple, she will only be a few blocks away so I will get to see her anytime I want. I should know more next week.
Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created by The Broke and Bookish. Each week they will post a new Top Ten list. This week’s Top Ten list is…
Top Ten Books on my TBR list for Fall
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