Review: REINCARNATION BLUES by Michael Poore

Rating: 4.5/5 stars

Reincarnation Blues had me hooked when I first heard the premise that Milo is an ancient soul that has lived 9,995 lives, each time hoping only to meet Death (A.K.A. Suzie) each time he dies. Milo is in love with Suzie, and this is what is preventing him from reaching Perfection, for fear he won't be able to ever see Suzie again. But Milo has only five more lives - five more opportunities to reach Perfection - until he becomes Nothingness.

The best part about this book is that it really is a combination of all genres mixed together: historical fiction, science fiction, contemporary, fantasy, dystopian. Milo lives in all different periods of time, including during 2600 B.C., in many futuristic colonies in space, in the current day, and in the "afterlife."

Reading this book is kind of like reading a bunch of short stories that take place in multiple time periods and locations but are all about the same person, Milo. Because of this, most stories recounting one of Milo's lives don't go very far in depth and therefore have more "telling" than "showing." But the stories are interesting nonetheless. This book goes in depth in detail for the last five lives that Milo lives, and the shorter snippets are told in between those five lives.

The story is told in a third-person omniscient perspective. It's interesting though because sometimes the story will be in the future tense, and sometimes the POV will be that of a shark, or a dog, or a whale.

Reincarnation Blues is a highly original, eccentric book that's full of magical realism. Poore's writing can be very poetic at times, which just adds to the beauty of the story. I highly recommend this book.

Milo had squeezed so much learning and experience into his one, single soul that the knowledge had grown pressurized and hot and transformed into wisdom the way coal changes into diamonds. His wisdom was like a superpower.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this ebook in exchange for an honest review. 

Review: MAN'S SEARCH FOR MEANING by Viktor E. Frankl

Rating: 2/5 stars

The first part of this book, Frankl's autobiographical account of being in the prisoner of war camps during World War Two, was enlightening to read. I have not read many true accounts of concentration camps, but that doesn't make the horrors that happened there any less real. Even though this part of the book was interesting, I found it hard to read, as in I didn't really have the desire to pick it up and continue reading. When I got to part two about logotherapy, I found myself reading this part much more quickly. I actually enjoyed reading about logotherapy more than I enjoyed reading about the camps (this seems to be an unpopular opinion, as I've read from others that part two was boring and hard to get through).

I originally thought Man's Search for Meaning would be a philosophical discussion about how to find and attain purpose in one's own life. I didn't realize it would include an autobiographical section about World War Two, although that account and the stories within add great depth to the philosophical discussion that did follow in part two. Frankl taught how to find meaning when it seems that there is nothing left to live for and all hope is lost. This book would have been less impactful had his story not been included.

The reason I gave this book two stars is primarily because I struggled to want to read it. In my rating system, all books start out at three stars and either gain or lose stars based on my interest level and engagement in the book. I think it is wrong to rate someone's personal experiences, and therefore my rating does not in any way invalidate Frankl's experiences that he wrote about; it is merely a reflection of my personal interest while reading his book. I do want to say, though, that I think this was a meaningful and powerful book that many will benefit from.

Review: GOODBYE, THINGS by Fumio Sasaki

Rating: 3/5 stars

If you know me, you know I've been into minimalism for a little over a year now. In that time, I've been trying to read many books about minimalism to gain different perspectives on it. Goodbye, Things offers the perspective that minimalism is living with the bare minimum possible to sustain your life. According to Sasaki's philosophy, I am not a minimalist. I am just "living simply."

I appreciate that he has his own opinions and views about minimalism, but I disagree with him; to me, minimalism is living with the bare minimum to be happy. Yes, I own 400+ books, and yes, I still consider myself to be a minimalist. Why? Because books bring me so much joy. I couldn't imagine walking in the door every day and seeing a blank wall in my living room instead of my three full bookcases. Each book is something that makes me happy, and so I keep them. Could I get rid of them to be more of a minimalist? Of course. But I don't want to. As I've said before, everyone has their own definition of minimalism, and that's okay. Fumio Sasaki's definition includes not owning a bed but instead using a fold-up "airy" mattress, and owning only eight clothing items. That seems a little extreme to me, like a step beyond minimalism. My bed is my number one necessary item.

At one point Sasaki says, "I think the ideal minimalist is someone who can give a rundown of every item that they own." I mostly disagree with this statement. I could tell you what kinds of items are in every drawer and cupboard in my home, but I'm not going to list for you every book I own or every item in my pantry, nor will I describe every shirt in my closet. I don't think being able to do that necessary qualifies someone for being a minimalist.

I appreciate Sasaki's story of his own transformation from a maximalist (I love that terminology) to a minimalist, and I am glad he included photos in the beginning of the book of his journey. It is very enlightening to hear others' stories of their transition to less.

Review: WHY WE SLEEP by Matthew Walker

Rating: 4/5 stars

In the beginning, the author made claims that seemed to have no medically researched background, such as, "Routinely sleeping less than six or seven hours a night demolishes your immune system, more than doubling your risk of cancer," and "A lack of sleep can kill you outright." I was worried the whole book would be written like this, that the author would expect me to believe his claims without evidence, but it was only the first chapter that left me skeptical. The rest of the book was actually well organized, and Walker's claims were backed up by the results of decades worth of research and studies. I slowly became impressed at the amount of evidence that went into each chapter of this book.

Why We Sleep is written in a witty and light banter that's easy to understand and engage with. It was such a relief to read a nonfiction book that actually feels like the author was telling me a story instead of quoting a textbook. Matthew Walker uses many analogies to explain concepts that may be difficult to the average reader (like me) who is not familiar with the scientific and medical terminology. For the most part, the explanations are easy to understand and enjoyable to read about.

There were a few parts that became mundane and started sounding like a university essay. One example was when the author started talking about biological concepts involving the evolution of sleep in different species of animals since the beginning of time. I think that part was too technical and unnecessarily long for this book. Other than those few parts, this book was a pleasurable and highly informative read.

This book talks about not only why we sleep (as the name suggests), but also the effects of different amounts of sleep on a person, and especially how a lack of sleep can affect someone over time. I learned about the problems of mixing caffeine and technology with sleep, what sleeping pills actually do for you, how the brain functions while sleeping, how sleep revives our minds, and everything I ever wanted to know about dreams. I honestly was shocked to learn just how important sleep is for every aspect of our well-being, and I will definitely be making a better effort to get at least eight hours of sleep every night after reading this book. As Walker says, "That humans can never 'sleep back' that which we have previously lost is one of the most important take-homes of this book."

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with this ebook in exchange for an honest review.

Review: STARGAZER by Patrick Carman

Rating: 5/5 stars **some spoilers ahead**

I was a little weary before starting this book since it isn't part of the original series and is an add-on book, but it was so, so good! It only expanded further the already expansive and rich world created by Patrick Carman. (Stargazer is book four in the Land of Elyon series; you will not want to read this book or this review until you have finished the original trilogy.)

Alexa and her crew travel across the Lonely Sea to a mysterious and hidden land called the Five Stone Pillars, which is a unique world within itself. It turns out Abaddon got loose and followed them there, and now Alexa has to save the Five Stone Pillars before he completely destroys them.

There are many new and loveable characters introduced in this installment, and I wish I had more books with them. It would be wonderful to see this world and set of characters continue in more follow-up books. Just like Alexa says, Thomas Warvold was the land adventurer, Roland Warvold was the sea adventurer, and she is meant to be sky adventurer. We also read at the end that Elyon tells Alexa, "I have many things that need doing, and so it will be awhile for you [before you return to the Tenth City]." There is a lot of room for expansion in this world, and I would love to read about Alexa's other adventures as she explores other corners of this world.

Although this book was probably my favourite in the series, there are a few inconsistencies I was confused about unless I am mistaken and heard wrong while listening:
Matilda said she had been to the fourth pillar when she was very young, but later Alistair said he is the only person to have come to the fourth pillar.
Alexa said she could hear the voice of Abaddon only when she looked at him but then she starts hearing his voice without looking at him.

By the way, I highly recommend reading book 0.5, Into the Mist, right before this book. The series is very fluid when read that way, as book 0.5 ends at the exact point that Stargazer begins.

Review: THE END WE START FROM by Megan Hunter

Rating: 2/5 stars

This is an interesting little book, more of a novella, about a woman just after she gives birth. Written in a stream-of-consciousness style, almost like a diary, this story follows the nameless mother and her husband as they try to survive after all of London has become uninhabitable due to a massive flood. The couple moves around, looking for shelter, meeting others in the same circumstance. There is a minor dystopian feel to this book, although it is different from a typical dystopian novel.

All of the characters are named only with a single letter (e.g. R, Z), though I am not sure why the author chose to name them this way. It makes the story impersonal, and I had a hard time connecting with any characters. I think I would connect more with the main character if I were a mom like her because this story focuses heavily on her birth and her son and his impact on her life.

In fact, I think this book would appeal mostly to mothers, especially those who have lost their husbands or whose husbands are away for an extended time (e.g. at war).

I both liked and disliked the writing style. I didn't really understand what the author was trying to communicate at times, but the writing does have a beautiful quality.

The End We Start From doesn't feel much like a book to me, more like an outline for a book that never got written. There is no direct dialogue, although conversations do take place. There is lots of room to make the story deeper if it were expanded into a full-length book, lots of places to add emotion and suspense. Overall though, this is a story about finding hope in troubling times, and I appreciate the way the author communicated that message.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with a copy of the ebook in exchange for an honest review.

Review: THE DARK HILLS DIVIDE by Patrick Carman

Rating: 5/5 stars

The Dark Hills Divide was one of my very favourite books when I was little. I remember reading it and being enthralled by the magical story of Alexa as she finds a magical glowing stone that allows her to communicate with animals and uses her newfound ability to help stop a war on the city of Bridewell.

I am so glad that I decided to reread this book. I was worried the story would have lost its magic with age, but it was just as good as I remember. I had forgotten many of the details, so it was as if I was reading the story for the first time, following the journey and solving the clues right along with Alexa.

As an older reader now, I can see some problems with the story, like the fact that Alexa seems to be the only child in the whole city, and that no women are present or have speaking roles in the book (aside from a letter from Alexa's mom), but that didn't deter me from loving the story.

If you love middle-grade fantasy and haven't yet discovered this series, I highly recommend you give it a chance. This is a story of hope and renewal that will stick with you for quite some time.

Review: MILK AND HONEY by Rupi Kaur

Rating: 4.5/5 stars

I saw this book on display at the grocery store one day and casually picked it up and started reading it. The next thing I knew, my husband had already checked out and was waiting for me to leave. I put the book down but immediately reserved it from the library and got it the following week. In the store, it was this poem that made me realize I had to finish the entire book:

every time you / tell your daughter / you yell at her / out of love / you teach her to confuse / anger with kindness / which seems like a good idea / till she grows up to / trust men who hurt her / cause they look so much / like you

That particular poem just spoke to me. When I got the book from the library, I read it all in one sitting (rereading all the parts I had previously read at the store) and it was beautiful. These poems are for women, mostly. Women who have experienced pain and love and loss. I believe everyone will be able to relate to at least one poem in here; I know many resonated with me.

Rupi Kaur takes us on a journey through the hurting, the loving, the breaking, and the healing in life, illustrating every other poem with a line drawing that is so connected with the poem that it becomes part of the poem. This is the kind of poetry collection I could see myself rereading when I am sad or broken. It has that kind of healing effect.

Here is another of my favourite quotations, one that shows the self-worth of a woman is not dependent on what a man thinks. I just love the meaning behind this:

the next time he / points out the / hair on your legs is / growing back remind / that boy your body / is not his home / he is a guest / warn him to / never outstep / his welcome / again