Books I Read and Other Assorted Oddities

 This book was recommended to me by one of my coworkers. The case of Lori and Chad Daybell have fascinated me from the start. I'm not usually a "true crime junkie" by any means, but I do tend to follow some cases like this. The more I've read about this case, the weirder I feel it's gotten. This book aims to clarify and shed some light on the Daybell's strange belief systems. When the Moon Turns to Blood  written by investigative journalist Leah Sottile gives insight into the religious beliefs of Lori and Chad Daybell, both of whom are accused of murdering Lori's two children from previous marriages, and Chad Daybell's former wife. The book focuses mostly on the pair's beliefs and focus on the "end times" - the times right before the second coming of Jesus Christ as outlined in the book of Revelation in the New Testament. The couple have taken the doctrine taught in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints and twisted it to their o...

 One of my coworkers handed this book to me to read and I literally read it in about 20 minutes. How can three sentences be so powerful? This book, combined with the beautiful artwork, tells the story of a black family in the U.S., grappling with the aftermath of the murder of George Floyd. It also tells the story of their grapple with the COVID-19 pandemic. This book is beautiful. It's very simplistic, but the artwork speaks volumes to what the author doesn't explicitly say. I loved its overall message and what it was trying to communicate. I particularly love how the narrator points out how the pandemic impacted their family. This is a great book to look at when talking about inferencing. I rated it ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ G

 My coworkers were all reading this, and I have to say that I'm fascinated by the royal family, so I gave into temptation and listened to this on Audible. Listening to the audio book was totally the way to go, since Prince Harry reads it himself. Spare  by Prince Harry is a heartbreaking memoir outlining Harry's treatment by the British tabloids. He outlines his experiences with the tabloids from the time his mother died until his departure from the royal family. This fascinating memoir gives an inside look into the workings of the royal family, and their relationships with the press. The memoir certainly makes it look as if all is not well in the house of Windsor, and attempts to set the record straight (from Harry's perspective) of what happened among the family members. Overall, I did enjoy this book. I loved the way Harry writes (and because I listened to it, the way he reads). I found his descriptions of events and places beautiful, and wish I could use it in AP! His p...

This book was recommended to me by one of my teachers as a possibility for AP. I didn't end up going with it, and I don't think I still will, but I very much enjoyed the memoir. I Want You to Know We're Still Here  is Esther Safran Foer's memoir about life after the Holocaust. She describes how her and her parents came to the United States following the end of WWII, and her life following. She is obsessed with discovering her family's history. She describes traveling to Israel and Ukraine to meet with people who knew her family, particularly her father's family. She eventually is able to track down the Ukrainian family who helped hide her father during the war. Through this family, Foer was able to learn about her half sister, who her father had never mentioned. This connection to family is so incredibly important to the author. Overall, I did enjoy this book. The family history side of it particularly drew my attention. In my religion, there is a big focus on f...