7 Word Reviews: December 2018

I’m trying something new beginning with my December 2018 Book Reviews. 7 Word Reviews. 

Why?

Because over the past two years, I spent an inordinate amount of time writing my monthly book review blog posts. And I want-need-must spend that time elsewhere. But because I LOVE to read and I still want to recommend books to you, this is the idea I’ve come up with for now.

Writing a 7 Word Review feels like a fun challenge for me—like trying to tell the shortest of stories in the least amount of words. Yes, I’ll continue to provide my favorite quote from each book. I believe this gives you a glimpse into the author’s voice as well as the setting of the story. I will also continue to share my ratings on Goodreads, so I hope you’ll be my Goodreads buddy. I find so many great reads via books my friends add to their “want to read” shelf.

Tip: Adding books to your “want to read” shelf helps authors by making the books more visible to readers.

So here we go…

This is How it Always Is
by: Laurie Frankel

7 Word Review: Claude isn’t like his brothers. Family copes.
My favorite lines. You can tell anytime. But once people know, they can never unknow.
This book broke my heart, made me cringe and cheer and feel compassion for the entire family. A gem of a story.

Convenience Store Woman
by: Sayaka Murata, Ginny Takemore (Translator)

7 Word Reiew: Quirky protagonist is content. Enter arrogant guy.
My favorite lines: Once we donned our uniforms, we were all equals regardless of gender, age, or nationality— all simply store workers.
This book reminded me of that one summer I spent in Japan and the fascinating culture I discovered in the throngs of humanity.

Keep Moving
and other Tips and Tricks about Aging
by: Dick Van Dyke

7 Word Review: Bittersweet. Like listening to an elderly uncle.
My favorite line: Why sit on the sidelines of life at any age?
This book made me want to watch old Dick Van Dyke episodes and the original Mary Poppins.

The Story of Authur Truluv
by: Elizabeth Berg

7 Word Review: Feel good story of three lost souls.
My favorite line: Some things come true. They might come true in ways different than we might have predicted, but some things do come true.
This book warmed my insides like a cup of hot cocoa with homemade whipped cream.

The Bluest Eye
by: Toni Morrison

7 Word Review: Rich, brutal story about racism and hate.
My favorite line: Jealousy we understood and thought natural—a desire to have what somebody else had; but envy was a strange, new feeling for us… The thing to fear was the thing that made her beautiful and not us.
This book wrecked me.

The Prince and the Pauper
by: Mark Twain

7 Word Review: Be super careful what you wish for.
My favorite line: A fully belly is little worth where the mind is starved.
This book, highly descriptive and written in 16th-Century English, is as timeless as a black pencil skirt.

Vilonia Beebe Takes Charge
by: Kristin L. Gray

7 Word Review: Spunky 4th-grader plots, plans, and proves herself.
My favorite line: That’s the thing with hope: If you keep hoping long enough and hard enough, even with life’s disappointments, something good will happen.
This book made me laugh and cheer. Super cute, fun read for middle schoolers by Northwest Arkansas author!

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Let me know what you think of my 7 Word Review idea. I’m open to suggestions.

Grace Grits and Gardening
Farm. Food. Garden. Life.

P.S. I exceeded my Goodreads Reading Challenge goal of 70 books for 2018! Check out my results HERE.