Here is my books that I read in 2025....
This is a short read. But super inspiring. I learned a lot about how I view things and how I can change those views to be better. I also learned a lot about how I can better my relationship with my Savior and my Heavenly Father.
A couple of months ago, the weekend before it was due, my 3rd grader told me he had a book report due on Monday. So, I started searching through our bookshelves, looking for a fairly quick read that was age-appropriate, and I found The Tale of Despereaux. We read quite a lot of the book over the weekend; at least enough for him to complete his book report. I didn't think he would want to finish it. But I was extremely happy when he kept coming to me asking me to read more.
Despereaux is a cute story about an abnormally small mouse who has big dreams and takes on big odds. He overcomes his own insecurities and doubts to triumph and become the hero. It is a super cute story and one I would recommend to anyone.
I have read this before, but I haven't finished the whole series. So I felt now is the time to try and finish the series. But first, I had to re-read what I've already read. I was surprised at how much I actually remembered this story. I am excited to revisit the rest and then finally finish this series.
I was a little nervous when I started this book. The Nightmare Before Christmas is a big thing in my household. I wasn't sure what to expect. It was such a good book!!! It was so fun to see Jack and Sally together and the blossoming of their love. But having a problem in Christmas town that Sally and Jack helped fix was not at all what I expected and kept me on edge wondering what was going to happen next. Such a fun read, especially right now during the beginning of fall.
I needed something a little more light after the last book I read. Then I remembered there were more Twisted Tales series that I hadn't read yet. The movie Brave I think is often overlooked by a lot of people as well as a few others but we'll stick to Brave. So I was excited to start reading this Twisted Tale. Merida goes to the witch for a spell to change her mother. But instead of giving the spell to her mother in the form of a cake. Merida ate the cake instead. By doing this she is somehow transported back in time and finds her mother as a young princess. Merida has to race against the clock to not only make sure her parents meet and fall in love but before Merida herself is turned into a black bear.
The twist in this was so fun and it was interesting to see a different side of Merida's Parents King Fergus and Queen Elinore and to delve deeper into their characters. I have to admit the whole time travel thing does make my head hurt to think about. But it gives such a quirky twist that it's easy to focus on the rest of the story.
So this book was NOTHING like I thought it was going to be. I guess I didn't read the synopsis close enough because I didn't realize it was literally about cannibalism during World War 2. None the less I did find it interesting but also very disturbing. I have read a lot of books about The second world war and I thought there wasn't going to be much about this war that would surprise me anymore. Enter this book. The author talks about how some of the reasons for the Japanese soldiers to turn to cannibalism was due to starvation and little to no supplies. But he also says that there was a lot who looked down upon their enemy and those affiliated with them so much. That they didn't see them as human at all. He also speculates that it could be a way of ultimate victory over the enemy by consuming their flesh. the authors go on to say that there is still much speculation regarding why some of these Japanese soldiers and commanders performed these war crimes. But this is a topic from WW2 that hasn't been researched as much as others. With the years slipping by and the generations that lived through the war get older and dying and taking their stories with them, there could be no way of finding out more answers.
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