Monday, May 26, 2014

Hold Her Down Review


I found this book super frustrating but possibly because I can't imagine ever living my life the way Elizabeth does in it. I can't imagine living in an abusive relationship of that type of being that incredibly unhappy and unfulfilled yet continuing to live my life that way. But then again, I have never been in a situation like this so I probably shouldn't say I would never live that way because until you have been in that person's shoes, you obviously shouldn't judge them.
I did find the book a little bit difficult to read at times because of the way it was written. At first it wasn't easy to know that the narrator was no longer speaking and the main character was. It wasn't exactly clear but once I got used to it, it did work though it was something I haven't experienced before.
This book does touch on a very important topic so it is probably not for everyone because of the sensitive nature of the subject matter but is definitely worth a read.



athryn Biel hails from Upstate New York and is a spouse and mother of two wonderful and energetic kids. In between being Chief Home Officer and Director of Child Development of the Biel household, she works as a school-based physical therapist. She attended Boston University and received her Doctorate in Physical Therapy from The Sage Colleges. After years of writing countless letters of medical necessity for wheelchairs, finding increasingly creative ways to encourage the government and insurance companies to fund her clients' needs and writing entertaining annual Christmas letters, she decided to take a shot at writing the kind of novel that she likes to read. Her debut novel, GOOD INTENTIONS, was released in 2013, and her second novel, HOLD HER DOWN was released in 2014. Her musings and rants can also be found on her personal blog, Biel Blather.

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Monday, May 19, 2014

Unwell Review


This book was definitely one that was hard to read but impossible to put down. The main character was so raw and honest about everything in her life that at times it was so difficult to keep reading but it was also so captivating that I could not stop even if I had tried.
The story is quite a sad one with the hurts and betrayals of an ordinary life adding up to someone who feels like they don't deserve happiness and cannot provide it to their own child. Being a young mother, it truly hit home. This is definitely a must read as I have never heard a voice quite like this before!


Marie is a former teacher, education evaluator, and engineer. A lifelong student, she has degrees in degrees in chemical engineering, teaching, an MFA in writing, and a doctorate in educational leadership. Her writing focuses on bilingual and English-only children's books that feature mixed families, as well as literary and contemporary fiction focused on Asian and Asian American characters.

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