Shalan Mitchell > Recent Status Updates

Based on all the bookish buzz, I went into this thinking it likely wasn’t for me. However, I was hooked from the beginning to the end. Did I like any of the main characters? No. Was I deeply conflicted by some of the commentary? Yes. That’s the point. This book is a character study of a woman so tortured by the identity she was taught a woman must have and crafted to imperfection. This story will stick with me.

Soft DNF: Good book, bad time. I liked this, but I’m not in the mood for it right now. I may return to it in the Spring or Summer when I gravitate to stories like this.

These books get better and better! This one is my favorite thus far. The friendships that blossomed completely captured my heart. Please read this series! It’s hilarious, heartwarming, and utterly delightful! 5🌟

This book is extremely slow paced and can feel repetitive sometimes due its cyclical nature, but it’s worth it. The writing is beautiful and the themes are so intriguing. The conversations around memory, ideas, art, and permanence are executed so well. It takes about 30% to get going, but it’s a story that comes to mind again and again once it’s all said and done. 4🌟

If you like the Shady Hollow series, then I would highly recommend this one! I love a good set of woodland friends living human lives. This book is the perfect pick for Halloween! It’s cozy yet contemplative and explores themes of friendship, healing, life, loss, and grief. 4🌟

This may be a soft DNF based on the format alone. I’m still slightly curious about where the story will go, but I don’t care to listen anymore. I think I’m just burnt out of the audiobook format and this one is in desperate need of various narrators. I need a break and to just read with my eyeballs again. I hope this will free me from the never ending slump.

I love Maggie and her writing style. I love Will Paton’s voice and narration. I love Ronan and his family. I do not love this story enough to finish it. Perhaps if it was following the Raven Cycle friends then I would continue, but I think I’m happy where the other series ended. I may pick it up again one day, but I also may not.

The slump is over (hopefully!!)! I loved the writing style and really enjoyed this story! I don’t usually read much fantasy, so I did get a little lost in the action sometimes; however, it didn’t take me out of the story that much. The audiobook was also narrated by my fav, Ms. J.W., so that probably helped too. 4.5 🌟

After the longest slump, I am finally loving a book!

2🌟 … this book tried to be honest yet radical about racial relations at the height of the Civil Rights Movement, but fell into racial stereotypes and white savior narratives. The main character had a strong voice and I wanted to root for her, but I also didn’t like what she or this book said most of the time.

Meh. 🤷🏽‍♀️ Didn’t hate it. Didn’t love it. The book slump continues. 🌟🌟🌟

I liked this, but (and it may be because of the unending slump) I didn’t love it. The writing was good, I liked the perspective of a mother sharing her stories with her daughters, and Meryl Streep did an amazing performance. However, I didn’t resonate with the characters. If anything, I kind of side eyed and rolled my eyes at them for most of the book. Sigh … 3.5 🌟

I love this author and all her novels in verse. While I enjoyed Poet X and Clap When You Land a little more, I still really enjoyed this one. I loved the representation of a young mother and the honest commentary on relationships, community, and pursuing one’s dreams. 4🌟

I listened to this for book club. It was simply a book; nothing awful and nothing spectacular. 3🌟

I wrote a long review about how I found the characters unlikeable (especially the MMC) and liked the movie a bit more, but then I accidentally deleted it all. I don’t feel like writing all that again for a book that I just felt meh about, so here is me writing something so I can remember that I didn’t really care for this book. 3🌟

Despite many DNF deliberations, I finished it! I did not enjoy my time listening to this book. I’m in a slump and this has only made me feel more slumpy. I understand why this story is a classic and beloved; however, the “chronicle of events” writing style does not appeal to me. I liked Francie and her family, but I would have liked them more with some nuance. It was okay, but I won’t read it again. 2.5 🌟

I really enjoyed Once Upon A Wardrobe by Patti Callahan. I like her writing style, and I often adore the setting descriptions and imagination she adds to her stories. This one was no different; however, the plot and pacing were a bit off. It felt a little too long. I didn’t mind too much because I did love the characters. The narration was really comforting as well because C.E. has such a warm voice. 3.5🌟

I would DNF this book if it wasn’t for a bookclub. I may still DNF it and just read a synopsis about all the mundane things these characters do. I may also just let it be the background noise while I pack my apartment. Who knows? What I do know is this book is a bit boring.

Another two months with Emma have come and gone. I read the July’s journals throughout the same month, and all the August journals in a single sitting on the final day of July. These books give me so much joy; they’re comforting and hilarious. I particularly enjoyed the beginnings of the slow burn romance. I cannot wait to return to this story in September. 4.5🌟

(YAL) This was the final book for my YA Literature course, and I absolutely adored it! I’m not a Sci-Fi reader, but this is a great soft Sci-Fi to begin with. I loved exploring what makes us human through the perspective of stories, songs, dreams, and memories. I cried a lot while reading this book and loved our main character, Petra, for her resilience and care for humanity’s stories and legacy. 5🌟

This book was a very detailed multi-step guide to how to study the Bible. She gives a very exhaustive approach to studying the Bible, but I think there is something for everyone to try as they get into the word. I honestly don’t know why the book is marketed specifically for women because most of what is discusses is universal and could be applicable for men wanting to study the Bible more as well. I recommend it.

This book is blowing me away. I’m also crying a ton too, so there’s that.

I really enjoyed this book! Sarah Dessen was an auto-buy/read author for me throughout middle and high school. Reading this book was such a nostalgic experience for me! I remembered how much I enjoy her writing style and her books’ themes around family dynamics, romantic relationships, and self-growth. It was a wholesome and endearing summer story! 4.5🌟

(YAL) This was a heart wrenching and heart warming memoir in verse. Rex’s childhood and youth were full of so much heartache at the hands of his mother, but his abuela was such a light in his life. She showered him with unconditional love, support, and safety. I will definitely be reading his other two companion memoirs! I highly recommend this one.