I'll show you my books, you show me yours 2020 v.1

I have not blogged in over 2 years, but I can't think of anything better to pull me out of a blogging hibernation than a Show Us Your Books link-up!  So, here I am.  The beauty of Steph and Jana (and all the other SUYB gang) is I know you all will welcome me back.  Thanks, readers.

What's been happening in my life for the last two years?  I suppose that's content for another post to get myself back into the blogging game.  But for now, I'm "stood down" meaning I still have a job but have no idea when I will be back to work.  So, a SUYB link-up is perfect stimulation and escapism for me right now.

Will I continue blogging?  Don't know?  Will I read every SUYB link this month?   Yep. Can't wait to see/read some familiar faces I interacted with years ago, those that still participate in my book challenge, and new book-lovin' peeps too.

Uhmmmm...how do I start? Let's see last link up was the 10th of March, 2020...so these are the books I've read since then.  That's how this works, correct?

1.  Dropped Third Strike by Micah K. Chaplin - What a great way to jump back into the blogging game...promoting a blogger's book.  (Does Micah still blog?  Let me go check.  Yes! Here's her blog: Unabashedly Me)  We participated in a book swap years ago, and Micah kindly sent a copy of her book to me.  I'm pretty awful about reading the books I own because I love going to the library so much, so it sat on my shelf.  Welllll, fast forward to now and no baseball.  I thought it was finally the perfect time to read a book that baseball plays such an important role.  But, this book is more than baseball.  There's a strong female lead and characters that I became invested in.  I enjoyed the writing style and how it smoothly transitioned from one character's voice to another's.
If you are missing baseball like I am, I recommend this book.  4/5

2.  Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood by Trevor Noah - due to so many rave reviews telling me to read this book, I finally did.  What a life.  What a story.  What a man.  What a mom who helped shape the man.  5/5

3.  Heaven, My Home by Attica Lake - This is a follow-up book to Bluebird, Bluebird...a book I enjoyed so much I put in my reservation for this one immediately after finishing it. This one was...fine...but not nearly as rich as the first.  Would I recommend it to others that read Bluebird, Bluebird?  Yes.  Do I think you need to rush to do so?  No. 3.5/5

4.  Sadie by Courtney Summers - Sometimes a book has so much hype surrounding it that my expectations are too high.  I think that happened with this one.  Or, maybe it's because I don't listen to podcasts, so I just missed that connection entirely.  But, I had to push myself through the first half of this book because of the rave reviews I'd seen.  I just wasn't feeling it.  I actually enjoyed the ending (which some readers loved the book but were unsatisfied with the ending), so I'm just sitting in the minority on this one.  2.5/5

5.  A Lesson in Violence by Jordan Harper - Sometimes, Australia likes to confuse me and release books with a different title here than in the U.S.  This is one of those.  I'm pretty sure it's called She Rides Shotgun in America. This book is brutal and brilliant.  Some of the writing seemed simple, but I found that added to its brilliance because the subject matter and character development was so far from simple.  5/5

I did it!  I wrote a blog post again!  Go me!  I hope my blog email still works...….