This week, once again, I haven’t added any new TBR’s. As a matter of fact, I converted a couple of TBR to “currently reading” so that brings me some extra progress. As it is, I’m sitting at 491 on my TBR shelf. Let’s get right to it! And the random number generator says…

7

Iron Butterflies: Women Transforming Themselves and the World by Birute Regine

Synopsis excerpt from goodreads: “A profound transition is taking place in our society, a revolution that is largely hidden, and led predominantly by women. A society once based on domination and power over others is beginning to crumble as an era of cooperation and community emerges, founded on the principle that power should only be exercised with and for others. This is the inspiring, central message of this compelling narrative that weaves together the stories of sixty successful women from all walks of life and throughout the world. The author spent several years in eight countries interviewing these dynamic female role models: businesswomen, CEOs, a Congresswoman, a governor, an ex-Prime Minister, a Pulitzer Prize finalist, a Nobel Peace Prize laureate, a winemaker, artists, doctors, nurses, and many others. The author calls these women “Iron Butterflies” because they meld a will of iron with the gentle, nurturing touch of a butterfly. With disarming candor, these women talk about their struggles, their fallibilities, and their strengths in the journey to the top of their professions. Forging their leadership from an amalgam of masculine and feminine skills, all of these Iron Butterflies have transformed themselves and in doing so they are contributing to a larger social transformation…”

Verdict: While I do find the subject matter for this to be extremely compelling, it only has 12 reviews to go on and they are average. Considering I don’t often gravitate toward nonfiction, in general, I think I will remove this one.

REMOVE

103

Ordained (The Immortal Archives #1) by Devon Ashley

Synopsis from goodreads: “Abby Sorrensten likes to play rough. Ripping the horns off the foreheads of demons, manipulating lightning and setting things on fire with the flick of your wrist can give you a serious rush. So she probably wasn’t the best choice for the Order’s experimental training program. Thirteen years of isolation, lack of affection and a bruised and broken body from horrendous training sessions creates more than just an exceptional fighter. It creates an evil within – an evil responsible for several deaths the night she left.

Two hundred years later Abby resurfaces as the very thing the Order trained her to kill: a vampire. A mythical demon has set his sights on the school and only the ordained hunter has the powers to face it. Unbeknownst to the Order, Abby’s their precious ordained one and their only chance for survival. As much as she would love to leave them hanging, she’s not willing to risk the life of Emily, a fellow friend and hunter also fed up with the organization.

But for Abby, locking herself away in a fortress with angry descendents of those she killed causes suspicions and tensions to run high. Abby must learn the demon’s weaknesses for battle before the Order learns hers.”

Verdict: This strikes me as a book that must have been added as the result of a giveaway. It’s not really the type of book that’s just begging me to read it. That coupled with the fact that the reviews are merely average has led me to remove it.

REMOVE

445

All In: An Autobiography by Billie Jean King

Synopsis excerpt from goodreads: “An inspiring and intimate self-portrait of a champion of equality that encompasses her brilliant tennis career, unwavering activism, and an ongoing commitment to fairness and social justice.”

Verdict: I’m torn on this one. On the one hand, I love inspiring stories about women who break barriers and defeat sexism to rise in the ranks in male dominated fields. On the other hand, I really couldn’t give two figs about sports and don’t really enjoy sports memoirs. Since I’m feeling particularly brutal today, I think I’ll remove this one.

REMOVE

234

The Sky is Everywhere by Jandy Nelson

Synopsis from goodreads: “Adrift after her sister Bailey’s sudden death, Lennie finds herself torn between quiet, seductive Toby—Bailey’s boyfriend who shares her grief—and Joe, the new boy in town who bursts with life and musical genius. Each offers Lennie something she desperately needs… though she knows if the two of them collide her whole world will explode.

Join Lennie on this heartbreaking and hilarious journey of profound sorrow and mad love, as she makes colossal mistakes and colossal discoveries, as she traipses through band rooms and forest bedrooms and ultimately right into your heart.

As much a celebration of love as a poignant portrait of loss, Lennie’s struggle to sort her own melody out of the noise around her is always honest, often uproarious, and absolutely unforgettable.”

Verdict: This YA novel has pretty good reviews, and it’s been compared to Before I Fall, which I remember liking a while ago. I think I’ll go easy on this one for now and keep it on my list.

KEEP

160

A Calculated Life by Anne Charnock

Synopsis from goodread: “A Calculated Life is a dystopian vision of corporate life later in the 21st century when big business and state institutions are thriving thanks to a compliant, stratified and segregated workforce. Hyper-intelligent professionals live in affluence within the metropolis while menials live out in the subsidized, but spartan, enclaves.
There are upsides for everyone. Advances in genetic engineering have freed the population from addictive tendencies. Violent crime is a rarity.
Mayhew McCline, a corporation that detects global trends, recruits a young woman, Jayna, who instantly becomes the firm’s star performer. No one seems to be jealous. After all, she guarantees they all make their bonuses.
Despite her flawless track record, Jayna is feeling twitchy. She knows she’s making stupid mistakes. But no one has noticed, yet. Working on a hunch that she’s too sheltered from real-world unpredictability, she embarks on an experiment to disrupt her prescribed daily routine.
Unwittingly, she sets a path that leads to clandestine forays beyond the metropolis, forbidden relationships and disloyalty.”

Verdict: This looks so interesting. The reviews are very mixed, but they are mixed reviews that actually make the book more appealing because they seem to be purely based on reader interpretation and taste. Some people seem to “get” what Charnock was trying to do but others felt it fell short. This sort of makes me want to read it more to see where I fall into the mix. I will keep this one for now.

KEEP

That’s it for today! Final total is 488. I will have two reviews to post soon so stay tuned. Happy Reading!