The Book Nerd Mom

I Am These Truths: A Memoir of Identity, Justice, And Living Between Worlds by Sunny Hostin

I won a free copy of this book during BookCon thanks to HarperOne in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are solely my own.

In this memoir we follow Hostin’s life from growing up in the South Bronx in poverty to her journey to law school and into her career as a legal journalist. She was one of the first to report on Trayvon Martin’s death. We follow the case, how it impacted her, and how she came to use her platform to speak out for equality and justice. She touched on the adversity she’s had to overcome–both personally and professionally.

This book was really interesting. Honestly, I hadn’t heard much about Hostin so it was fascinating to read about all of the things that she’s done and accomplished. It was a little eye-opening—where have I been the last 2 decades!? I’m ashamed to admit I don’t remember hearing of her. Reading about her life’s journey was inspiring. I really appreciate that she took her life experiences and used them to help connect with people during her career. I love that she is using her position of influence to stand up for equality and justice for minorities.

Not only does she share her professional life, she shared her personal life as well. We learned how hard her parents worked so that she could have a better future, a work ethic she inherited. Even when she was a lawyer or on TV, she constantly worked to make sure she got things perfect. We learned about her family’s traditions and beliefs. We were privy to her struggles with fertility. She shared the indignities she often suffered from others for various things, including her race and her talent.

Overall I absolutely recommend this book. I think this memoir is one that is timely and Hostin’s story is important. Expected publication is September 22. (In a previous post I said Sept. 8th., it appears it is now the 22nd.)

I Am These Truths: A Memoir of Identity, Justice, and Living Between Worlds by Sunny Hostin

MooMoo the Monkey

When I was little, my favorite stuffed animal was Bluey, a blue teddy bear. I still have him and plan to pass him down to my son. When K turned 6 months old, we gave him a stuffed monkey, affectionally called MooMoo. MooMoo never leaves K’s side. We bought a duplicate just in case we needed to replace MooMoo. One night, K threw up on MooMoo so we figured we’d switch them out and wash MooMoo. K took one look at Fake MooMoo and threw him on the ground.

When we got MooMoo, he came with a book: If I Were A Monkey by Anne Wilkinson for Jellycat. This is an interactive touch and feel book. K loves spending time reading it and touching the fur of the tail, the smooth hands, and the other fun elements of the book. (I don’t want to give away all the fun this book entails!) Many times, after we finish reading the book, he will immediately turn the book back to the beginning and we will read it again.

Knowing that he loves MooMoo so much and enjoys If I Were A Monkey, I sought other monkey-related books. I was able to get my mom to make Counting Monkey. (This is not sponsored, just wanting to share what K absolutely loves!) We read this book over and over as well. I love it because not only does it have monkeys, but it’s silly and it incorporates counting! It’s perfect for learning and having fun.

I love that K’s created such a bond with his stuffed animal friend. I personally feel like for his age it’s a healthy attachment, and it is encouraging his love for reading by allowing us to find monkey-related books that he wants to read.

Do any of you have children who have a favorite stuffed animal? What stuffed animals do they love? Do they have special books they love to read? Any other monkey-related books for us to read?

MooMoo monkey book — MooMoo, If I Were a Monkey, and Counting Monkey

monkey book — MooMoo, If I Were a Monkey, and Counting Monkey

September TBR

I have quite a few books on my September TBR. You’d think I’d learn to make them smaller since I never get through them all! I’ve finished up 2 books that I started last month and will be reading 5 others, bringing the total to 7. This month I’m reading them in a particular order based on publication date. Since I’m posting this TBR kind of late in the month, I’ve updated this list to reflect what I’ve already finished.

Finished September TBR Reads

I finished Wicked Fox by Kat Cho, which I started as a buddy read in August. It was a really interesting read. Honestly, I was skeptical at first but the more I read, the harder it was to put down. I’ll go into more detail in my review my reaction to the story, but I enjoyed the story, and I can’t wait for the sequel!

Next I finished I Am These Truths by Sunny Hostin, which I had started in August. You can read my review for Hostin’s memoir here. I Am These Truths by Sunny Hostin is set to be published on September 22nd.

I just finished reading Legendborn by Tracy Deonn, publishing on September 15. This is about a girl, Bree, who attends UNC Chapel Hill in a program for high schoolers. Upon arrival, she notices things aren’t as they seem, and it appears there is magic afoot. The more she learns about this magical society, the more she realizes her mother’s death isn’t as black and white as she was led to believe. We follow her as she joins the Legendborn and tries to uncover the truth of what really happened to her mom. Y’all, this was so good and I cannot wait for you to read it! More in my review to come.

To Be Read September Reads

I’ve started The Left Handed Booksellers of London by Garth Nix. This book is intriguing because it intertwines booksellers and magic and I am all for that. I can’t wait to find out what happens! You can purchase this on September 22nd.

I’m also reading Oshibana Complex by Craig Hallam. Inspired Quill is publishing this on September 26th. In this book, gender and race are no longer a part of the society of Shika-One. Procreation involves synthesis but with limited make-up, doppelgängers are abundant. Can one maintain the status quo and still showcase individuality? This book sounds interesting. It’s written completely in gender-neutral language, which is a first for me, and I’m excited about that.

After that is Hush by Dylan Farrow, releasing on October 6th. This book follows Shae, a 17-year-old girl determined to figure out the secrets of her world. A world that’s kept quiet by Bards who use magic to silence its citizens. Shae must figure out who to trust and find strength to break the Hush.

Then comes Twig and Turtle 1: Big Move to a Tiny House by Jennifer Richard Jacobson. Twig and Turtle are two young girls who move with their family into a tiny house. While Turtle doesn’t mind the move, Twig is sad to have to leave her Great Dane with her grandma. How can Twig get her dog to come live with them in their tiny house? This book sounds like a nice fun read and I can’t wait to find out how Twig fares with getting her dog back! This hit shelves on October 6th.

So what are y’all reading this month? What is on your September TBR? Are any of these on your anticipated reads list? Have you read any?

August Wrap-Up

Well, y’all, I didn’t get to all the books I had wanted to. I had tried to read 8 books during August and I was only able to fully complete 5 of them. I’m in the middle of 2 others and one I wasn’t able to get to. Let’s dig in, shall we?

So what did I read this month? To recap, there was White Fox by Sara Faring, How It All Blew Up by Arvin Ahmadi, The Talented Miss Farwell by Emily Gray Tedrowe, Eleanor, Alice, & The Roosevelt Ghosts by Dianne K. Salerni, and Dress Codes for Small Towns by Courtney C. Stevens.

I didn’t find any new favorite books this month, but there were two that I did enjoy more than the others. Those books were White Fox by Sara Faring, and Eleanor, Alice, & The Roosevelt Ghosts by Dianne K. Salerni. I hadn’t read from either of these authors before but I found myself enjoying both books and I will look for more books from them in the future. Faring did a great job with the atmosphere in White Fox and I found that a particularly strong element in that story. Salerni really brought the characters to life in Eleanor, Alice, & The Roosevelt Ghosts and made me want to continue down the history tunnel. I gave each book a 4/5.

The books that were misses for me were a tie between Dress Codes for Small Towns by Courtney C. Stevens and The Talented Miss Farwell by Emily Gray Tedrowe. Both had interesting premises but seemed to fall flat in their execution. I struggled to get through both and can’t say I’d recommend either one. Both received 2/5.

So there you have it, folks. What books did you read last month? Were you able to find some awesome new books? Any that you’d recommend?

Dress Codes for Small Towns by Courtney C. Stevens

In this book we’re following Billie McCaffrey, daughter of the town preacher, and just one of the guys. Living in the small southern town of Otters Holt, Billie knows people are used to conventional thinking. But Billie isn’t used to being conventional. We follow her as she comes to terms with her own sexuality when she realizes she may be in love with two of her best friends.

I’ve had this on my shelf for years and have been meaning to read it, and have even started it before, but just have never gotten around to finishing it. Thankfully this buddy read forced me to actually read it. Unfortunately,

I thought the synopsis of the story sounded so interesting but the execution needed to be better. I was not a fan of Billie. She didn’t like that people assumed things about her but she spent quite a bit of the novel making assumptions about everyone else. She also seemed selfish in some of her actions and decisions. I did like that she had such a close group of friends. What I liked even more was that Davey’s friends took her in so quickly without even a second thought.

The book just overall was not it for me. It was too slow paced and if it hadn’t been a buddy read, I probably would have set it back down again. I wouldn’t recommend this book but would rather read something else that deals with coming to terms with your own sexuality and identity.