Jen > Recent Status Updates

People feel better psychologically if they have more involvement with their community. When people are engaged in a cause they feel their lives have purpose.

To me it seems obvious but this book uses these truths to explain depression and suicide in military vets even those who don’t have ptsd. When they come back, their lives get “better” in terms of safety, opportunities, etc. and yet they feel worse.

I wish I had picked a different FdR biography… the author is clearly a fan and acts as an apologist for the whole Lucy situation almost going so far as to blame Eleanor for it.

Caravaggio raises timeless questions people still argue over today —- when an artist gets in trouble with the law, in violent fights, escapes from jail, may have killed someone, let alone the more usual of the rowdy sins… and yet his art clearly shows Truth - depicting biblical scenes with real, human, emotional realism… well, what do you do with that.

My opinion: if God used David He can use anyone

“In the west we tend to pursue goodness and truth and beauty falls far behind…”

“Goodness beauty and truth are fundamental aspects of God”

But I appreciate that it started by saying that art needs to reflect truth — including the truth of our brokenness. Xn art tends to jump ahead to the redemption without showing the brokenness that was redeemed.

I’m becoming concerned that not telling the main character important stuff is the main way the plot moves along and if that is the case I’m going to be very annoyed by the end of this.
So far I’m still team “what the wind knows” (Harmon) if this was a battle of the time-travel genre books

Unimportant but the reader keeps mispronouncing the city “tevares”, and giving central Florida folks an accent I’m not sure they had, even then

But it’s “tevares” that has me making faces

I love Hiassen’s sense of Floridian-flavored rediculousity, and know it was published in 1988, and am generally against censoring difficult scenes but WOW I would be a big fan of an audiobook option to set this book to “skip any scenes of animal cruelty”.

“Arthur, focus. We’re hatching a diabolical plot here.”

“Nixon collaborated in his own demise. That’s why the story is so interesting”

“To understand Nixon you have to understand what happened to him on every step on the way to the White House” (paraphrased)

This girl keeps getting more stupid and selfish and untrustworthy. I’m pretty sure by the end of the book I will outright hate her.

She cries. Then doesn’t. Then cries again. Then blames others for her actions and accepts no accountability. And goes to great lengths and bizarre machinations to try to accomplish things she claims she cares nothing about.
This girl is about to get on my very last nerve.

I’m trying to reserve judgment because it’s so early in the book but seriously, people: this 👏 is 👏 not 👏 what 👏 ptsd 👏 looks 👏 like👏.
And it hurts those living with it when these stereotypes are perpetuated.

Poorly done.
Poorly done indeed.

This might wind up being a dnf for me which is a bummer... I can only get through a couple pages at a time because the h comes across so clueless and desperate, really. Wanting a family is one thing. This is way way beyond, planting all of her contentment and happiness on “if only”.

The main character is just so angsty and angry all the time. Never a hint of niceness or patience

Good story so far but this girl is just so immature, she’s about to get on my last nerve

Grrr the relationship stuff is about to get on my last nerve.

For fans of gardening, libraries, research....

This is turning into a much more serious story than I anticipated. Good but hard to read, with characters working through the messiness of issues they are dealing with.

For a book written in 2017, the protagonist seems unusually enamored with OnStar... just sayin.

Dude. How many traps can these people fall for 🙄😬🙄

How is this girl SO clueless??

I love the story but the typos are killing me.

great story and suspense but awkward/lazy grammar and stilted storytelling

I’m really enjoying it so far, but does anyone in this story wear any sort of shirt others than “sleeveless” (ha. I kid. )

. Trying to think of all the types of people who might enjoy it:
Those who
have been caught up in lay-offs,
would wish to seize the entrepreneurial spirit and make a slightly crazy career move
would wish to hop on a plane for a short trip to Scotland for a barn dance and the wind up staying for... much longer
fans and supporters of rural libraries

I love the characters and the fact that it takes a broad cross section of country village society

I lament matter-of-fact writing style, though. I just don’t quite get swept up in the story like I want to be.

My patience is wearing thin with this girl — it’s exactly like her wilderness skills... she might be able to read a map but out in the thick of it can’t seem to find true north

I feel like I missed something. Like, a whole lot of something. We jump from Cassidy being a bit curious about prayer and interchanging inspiring quotes with Bible verses, and just starting a relationship..... to one month later, going to church and a month into dating you next door neighbor is a big deal. I feel a bit cheated. Fingers crossed for flashbacks.

She used her real name (cady) when she went undercover with a dangerous gang? Really???