I Love You More by Jennifer Murphy

This book sucked me in from the start, and I felt that I had to keep reading to find out what happened and how it happened. I hope to never meet any of these people in real life, but they were compelling characters. A few of the situations and characters seemed a little implausible, but that didn't take away from my overall enjoyment of the book. 4 stars

I received this book for free through Goodreads First Reads.

Journeyman by Sean Pronger

“Journeyman” is the story of the ups and down of Sean Pronger’s hockey career. He bounced around from minor league to NHL so many times I lost count. Despite all the ups and downs, Pronger never seemed to lose the sense of humor that made this book so entertaining. Well, maybe he lost his sense of humor in Germany, but in his situation you can’t blame him. There were times when he was more serious, such as the birth of his daughter. He also discussed the effect his many career moves had on his family, as well as the effect his family had on his career decisions.

My only complaint, and it's a tiny one, is that he seems to downplay his skill throughout the book. I've never seen him play, but if you make it to the NHL, you've got to be among the best. Sometimes his description made him seem mediocre, and I'm sure that wasn't the case.

The accessible tone of this book made it read like a friend relating his experiences over a few beers. I loved it and am a little disappointed that this is the only book he’s written.

5 stars

The Opposite of Maybe, Maddie Dawson

This book followed Rosie, the main character, as she dealt with a slew of life-changing events. At times it was frustrating to see her just floating along and making big decisions almost in a cloud, or not making decisions and going along with what other people want or expect her to do. I felt that Tony did that as well - going along with what his ex-wife wanted even when it involved his son who he obviously loved. Rosie did call him out on this, not seeming to realize she often did the same thing.

Most of the characters were likeable and believable, including Rosie. I cared about what happened to her and her baby and was rooting for her to make the right decision. Soapie was one of the characters that I didn't care for. She seemed to abrasive and too dismissive of Rosie, and it sounded like that was how she had been to her all along, quick to tell her she didn't want to be saddled with raising her.

I thought this was a well written book that I wanted to keep reading because I had to find out what happened.

4 stars
 
I received an advanced reader copy of this book.

Will Not Attend, Adam Resnick

I enjoyed this collection of humorous essays about author Adam Resnick's life. They spanned his life from school-age in Pennsylvania to adulthood in New York. The stories of his childhood were amusing, but also a little sad. Maybe I'm a bad person for finding humor in his anxiety-inducing childhood, but that's definitely why he was telling those stories.

4 stars

I received an advanced reader copy of this book.

Back at blogging

I've been very lax at posting here, but I'm reading more and reviewing on Goodreads, so I thought I'd add those reviews here.