Dispatches from the Edge: A Memoir of War, Disasters, and Survival by Anderson Cooper

This is by Anderson Cooper of CNN fame. He recalls his experiences covering various disasters such as the 2005 tsunami, Hurricane Katrina, and Somalia. He interweaves some, but not much, of his own personal life and the losses and grief he deals with himself. He shows his compassion and humanity through his descriptions and seems pretty honest and aware of his own reactions to what he sees and hears.

I enjoyed this book, especially the section on Hurricane Katrina. The writing was easy to read, but some of what Cooper writes about was not so easy to read. I probably wouldn't buy this book, but I recommend reading it if you can check it out from the library. Or you can borrow my copy.

What Cooper writes about Katrina:

"Here [in the United States], you grow up believing there's a safety net, that things can never completely fall apart. Katrina showed us all that's not true."

Standing in the Rainbow by Fannie Flagg

I finished reading this book by flashlight inside a tent while camping in Yosemite. It's a nice way to finish a book.

I've reviewed a couple of other Fannie Flagg books already, including Can't Wait to Get to Heaven and A Redbird Christmas. This book is like the others - enjoyable, funny, and sweet. The characters are quirky but real with their own wounds and challenges. I became quite fond of some of them. Overall, an entertaining read.

A Neat Bookshelf

Thanks to faithful reader, Emily, for sending in this picture of a wonderful bookshelf!

I have not been reading.

I have not posted any new books for awhile for one very good reason: I haven't finished any lately! This is a source of frustration to me. I started a new internship about 2 months ago and man, that has really cut into my reading time. So I am determined to be more intentional about Self-Care and making more time to read. So hopefully, I'll have some more reviews up here shortly.