My Life with Bob: Flawed Heroine Keeps Book of Books, Plot Ensues by Pamela Paul
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This newest book by Pamela Paul started of strong and fizzled a bit for this reader. Paul has kept a journal of sorts during the last almost 30 years. This Book of Books (or Bob) tells of her reading life which also happens to tell the story of her actual life.

There was a podcast from Book Riot a couple of years ago called Reading Lives. Host Jeff O'Neal spent about an hour with each guest asking about the books they read when they were young, how they came by books, what books they feel are underappreciated, etc. This book starts off with a similar style as Paul shares with readers what it was like growing up as a dedicated reader. (Can anyone contact Jeff O'Neal and ask him to start this podcast back up? I LOVED it and miss it completely.)

Towards the middle of the book a lot of the memoir focuses on travels abroad and early relationships. The books she read along the way are woven in, but I had hoped for more about the books à la the Reading Lives podcast and less about her world travels.

Paul's writing is engaging and though my TBR list didn't grow the way I had anticipated before I cracked this book's spine, I will be happy to seek out her book reviews in the future.

What made you become a reader? Comment below!

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Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption by Laura Hillenbrand
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Such a great book! The story is so good it should be fiction, but it's not. Louie is really an inspiring character and his story is one that will stay with me for a long time.

Louie Zamperini was a great athlete whose Olympic potential was halted by WWII. After suffering a crash he endures a long stay on a life boat with almost no provisions. This part of his story, the bravery and ability to overcome, was incredible. However, the story doesn't end there. Louie is final rescued from the life boat, only to be held as a POW in Japan. The terrible abuse he suffered there will make readers cringe, but his positive attitude and resilience is unbelievable.

There are so many other stories included in this wonderful book, the stories of other men who served in the military with Louie. There are some happy endings along with some tragic ones. This story left nothing to the imagination and even describes the terrible suffering Louie goes through after the completion of the war.

This is a must read! I watched the movie after finishing the book, and it stayed very true to the story, though it did leave out some details. Great movie to follow a book that I had trouble putting down.

Have you seen the movie or read the book? What did you think? Leave your comments below!

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Excavation: A Memoir by Wendy C. Ortiz
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

This was tough for me to read. Wendy is 13 years old when she first meets Mr. Ivers, her English teacher. He's more than twice her age. And it doesn't take long for them to begin a relationship. An unhealthy relationship.

Wendy was a wild child growing up during the late 80s. Her parents divorced, her mom drank, and it would seem she was able to take any risk that could possibly be presented to a young person. I'm certain my preteen years were sheltered compared to Wendy's which may not make me the best reader for this memoir. This entire book (view spoiler)[ (sex with a teacher, drugs, drunken driving, cheating, lies, verbally abusive relationship) (hide spoiler)] was far from informative, enjoyable, or halfway pleasant to read.

It seems Wendy Ortiz is a talented writing. Unfortunately I didn't care much for her subject matter. A relationship, particularly one that isn't very loving, is often only interesting for the two people in the relationship. I had trouble finding any interest in the relationship that was presented in these pages.

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