Lauren Hough — Leaving Isn’t the Hardest Thing (Book Review)
Lauren Hough shares her outspoken and unique voice in the essay collection Leaving Isn’t the Hardest Thing. It’s a memoir that wanders (in the very best way) through the various chapters of her life. Listening to the audio version, narrated by Cate Blanchett and the...Azedah Moaveni — Lipstick Jihad (Book Review)
Azedah Moaveni writes part memoir and part political discussion in her 2005 book, Lipstick Jihad: Growing Up Iranian in America and American in Iran. Although the events in this book are over 20 years old, as I read it in 2021 the topics and issues felt relevant....Hour of the Witch by Chris Bohjalian (Book Review)
Chris Bohjalian’s new book, Hour of the Witch, is proof to me that even a beloved author sometimes writes a book that feels like a dud. Your mileage may vary, but despite having elements I usually love, this book just didn’t do it for me. I love journeying back in...More Gwen Proctor Thrillers: Wolfhunter River & Bitter Falls (Series books 3 & 4)
These two satisfying thrillers follow more of Gwen Proctor and her family, which still comprises her teenage son and daughter and now adds a trusted male friend and love interest. If you remember from my recent reviews, she fights vicious Internet trolls and stalkers...Caitlin Myer on Escaping Abuse, Church, Patriarchy in Wiving
(Book Review)
Caitlin Myer explores family, identity and the role of women in her upcoming book Wiving: A Memoir of Loving then Leaving the Patriarchy. The story starts in Provo, Utah where she’s the youngest child in a medium-sized Mormon family. And her Art Professor dad holds it...
Book Review: The Power Worshippers by Katherine Stewart
Katherine Stewart deftly explains the intersection of Christian evangelism and political power in The Power Worshippers: Inside the Dangerous Rise of Religious Nationalism. She breaks down the history, the people, organizations, goals, and the tactics. For the first...Book Review: Hollywood Park by Mikel Jollett
Musician Mikel Jollett didn’t have an easy childhood. In his upcoming memoir, titled Hollywood Park, he tells his story. It’s a moving exposition of many topics, from cults to chronic depression, addiction, and the power of family to both hurt and heal. Jollett’s...Book Review: Women Talking by Miriam Toews
In Women Talking by Miriam Toews, a group of women sort life out after experiencing terrible assaults. What makes this unique is that the women are all conservative Mennonites living in the isolated, fictional colony called Molotschna. But this isn’t strictly a work...Book Review: Educated by Tara Westover
Tara Westover tells the story of her unique upbringing in Educated. And that might be the most understated sentence ever used in a book review. Westover’s parents are Mormon, but also combined that faith with more fundamentalist beliefs. They stockpile weapons and...Book Review: The Line Between by Tosca Lee
Tosca Lee brings us a strong entry for the “young innocent woman tries to save the world” genre. The Line Between is a cult escapee, pandemic, dangerous emergency road trip book. Its heroine is likable, and the topic is fairly relevant.The young protagonist is Wynter...Book Review: The Road to Jonestown by Jeff Guinn
Author Jeff Guinn divides The Road to Jonestown into three parts. The final third of the book deals with the Jonestown endgame, which felt most familiar to me. It’s the remaining two-thirds that was new and most interesting. If you’ve ever wondered how a demagogue...Book Review: Awakening the Buddha Within by Lama Surya Das
In this short book, Lama Surya Das introduces readers to Buddhism, and the process of Awakening the Buddha Within. It is subtitled Tibetan Wisdom for the Western World, which is an accurate description. Lama Surya Das tells how a guy from Long Island ends up in Tibet...Book Review: Priestdaddy by Patricia Lockwood
Patricia Lockwood’s memoir Priestdaddy is laugh-out-loud funny, quirky, and poignant. Growing up in a household where your parent is deeply involved in their religion is something I’m familiar with from my own life, yet Lockwood elevates the storytelling to hilarious...Bookshop.Org Affiliate
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