January
- A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens. This is a timeless classic about a scrooge who hates Christmas, who in the end after meeting a few ghosts has a new found love for life and for Christmas.
- Faith: In search of Greater Glory in Sport by Gerard Gallagher This book is very well written. I could feel the topic of religion is very important on these peoples lives. Even the people who don't consider themselves religious, I felt were thinking some bit about religion. I did feel it focused a bit too much on people who played GAA sports. I suppose it's OK given that GAA is our national sports but not everyone in Ireland is into GAA. I suppose I felt it could have been more evenly spread out among all the sports mentioned. It was a very good read nonetheless.
February
- The House of my mother by Shari Franke. 8 passengers was a YouTube channel I watched around 2018 to 2020 or thereabout. Little did I know what was going on behind the smiles for the camera and seemingly lovely family moments. Shari Franke does a great job depicting what her life was like before YouTube and how what we saw on YouTube was a facade. She describes what Ruby was like in front of the camera and away from the camera. Shari and her siblings grew up in a very abusive household even prior to Jodi Hildebrant's counselling. After Jodi got involved things went from bad to worse until one day in August 2023 a brave little boy went to a neighbors house. This inadvertently lead to the rescue of his siblings and the arrest of Ruby and Jodi. I say inadvertently because he apparently wanted to go to the police station because he felt he did something wrong. Shari also suffered abuse at the hands of a man high up in the LDS church. The way this book is written is brilliant. Shari is such a strong woman for all she has been through. She is the glue that held the family together even when her family was turning against her. She was the proactive and protective parent to her siblings when her parents couldn't or wouldn't be. She is a beautiful example of a woman and a great pillar of strength. Shari you are an inspiration.
- Sabrina the Teenage Witch mummy dearest by Mel Odom. This is a nice little book that took me back to the 90s when I used to watch Sabrina the Teenage Witch.
- The Blessing of Christmas: Meditations for the season by Pope Benedict XVI (RIP)
- This book is full of nice meditations and prayers for the beautiful season of Christmas.
- The Rory's Stories Guide to the GAA
- A little book of Saint Patrick by Don Mullan. It is a book that briefly tells us the story of St.Patrick. It is brilliantly written. It reminds us of how St. Patrick himself struggled in life yet put his trust in God.
- Questioning the Cold War by Seán M. Sheehan. This is a nice book to learn about the Cold War. It is aimed at children so is easy to read and understand. I got this book as an adult from the library so I could learn a bit more about what went on in history. I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to learn about the Cold War.
- The Sleep Book: How to Sleep Well Every Night by Dr. Guy Meadows. I like the style of how this book is written. I like how it repeats some things often in the book because often with anxiety and insomnia it is easy to forget the little things. It has helped me to realise that I am using aids to help me to sleep and how sometimes this can not be a good thing. Reading the book has not stopped me using these aids as I do not feel confident enough to stop just yet but the book has brought it to my attention. I aim to work some more on my confidence and then reread the book to help me reduce the use of these aids. The biggest aid I use is blackout curtains to help me sleep. It is not the blackout curtains that is the problem but my fear of not sleeping if I don’t use them or my fear of waking too early due to sunlight. This book deals with the fear of not sleeping and teaches us to accept that sometimes we may not be able to sleep but it is how we react to it that can impact or sleep and our energy in our daily lives.
April
- A Graphix Book: Wings of Fire Graphic Novel #1: The Dragonet Prophecy, Volume 1 by Tui T. Sutherland
- The Woman of the House by Alice Taylor
- Our LadBaby Journey: Success, Sacrifice and Sausage Rolls by Mark Hoyle. This books demonstrates the highs and lows that Mark and Roxanne had to go through to become the people and the personalities they are today. From growing up in working class families to starting their YouTube channel all the way to becoming Christmas number 1 chart toppers 5 years in a row. The lows of the internet trolls and people telling them they would never amount to anything. I found this book to be very inspiring and funny at times. I would recommend this book to fans lad baby who want to get to know more about Roxie and Mark and what goes on in order to make the videos we see on YouTube.
- Rocket and Groot Tales of Terror by Amanda Deibert
May
- Love from Lexie by Cathy Cassidy I loved the story of Lexie. She was an orphan. She was part of a band. She tried to help save a library all while hoping her mother would come back into her life. It was ruined by propaganda by having a gay storyline in it for 1 chapter. It felt like it was just in there to push something at the last minute. In my opinion these books are read to get away from propaganda pushing.
- A Fresh Start (Quick Reads) by Fanny Blake
- Preparing for the Perimenopause and Menopause by Louise Newson. This book was easy to read. I read the parts that were for me and other parts I could easily skip over as the headings were informative and easy to read. The chapters were nice and small. The font was easy read and the language was also. I am not even perimenopausal yet but decided to read this book to inform myself on what symptoms I may have with perimenopause and Menopause.
- Favorite Irish Legends: Best Loved Tales from Ireland by Felicity Trotman, Fiona Waters, Yvonne Carroll
June
- Back to the Prairie: A Home Remade, A Life Rediscovered by Melissa Gilbert, Tim Busfield in June. I loved the parts where she was talking about moving back out to the country and meeting all her new friends and the stories about the animals. That was really good. I didn't enjoy the political side of her book. She comes across as very hostile even at one point calling Trump supporters "brainwashed brethren". I can only guess that a lot of her fans and fans of little house on the prairie are Trump supporters. She even says in her book to be kind. That is not being kind. She is entitled to her opinions as is everyone but I thought when picking up this book at the library that it was going to be about her moving back to the country and stories from the country. The politics side doesn't really fit a book like this. That is how I felt about the book.
July
- My Life In Your Hands: Thoughts & Words Of Fr. John Cummins: Year A by Fr. John Cummins (RIP) These are the homily’s of the late Fr. John Cummins, RIP. I thought these homilies were very informative and inspiring.
- The Holy Bible: Revised Standard Version - Burgundy - Second Catholic Edition by Anonymous. I finished this in July after about 6 years. I was using the Bible app help me read this bible.
So far in August I have read
- Counting the Cost by Jill Duggar. This is a great read. It showcases how it was for Jill growing up in the Duggar family, before, during and after their family shows. She describes in great detail the hardship about being on a family show but also the great things that happened because of the show. The book mentions all the trials she had to go through with her brother, Josh. She also tried hard to get her contract in order for her and Derick to work overseas. She showcases the relationship with her family with love and care even for those who have wronged her. She comes across as a kind and caring person even in the midst of family trauma.
I am currently reading.
- Country Passions by Rebecca Shaw, Small Steps by Louis Sachar.
- Morphenomenal: How the Power Rangers Conquered the World by Joshua Moore.
For more book reviews you can follow me on Story Graph. The link to my profile is https://app.thestorygraph.com/profile/90sirishgirl
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