education – Life, Eats, & Dog Treats

Hi, Melissa here. This time for the book review, you just get me and my opinion. (Sorry not sorry.) Joey hasn’t read this one, and I’m not sure he ever will, because it’s not really his style. Although Amanda in my Book Club said her husband, Aaron, was really enjoying it – so who knows?

Yes, you heard me correctly. I’m in a Book Club. It’s a fairly new club! We have only met twice, and the first meeting was to pick this book: “The Alice Network” by Kate Quinn. Although I missed that first meeting, I’m so glad this book got picked, and I can’t wait to tell you more.

5 out 5 stars

“The Alice Network” by Kate Quinn is an adventurous historical fiction following the stories of European female spies during the World Wars (particularly one named Eve Gardiner), and a female American college-aged socialite in search for her cousin after World War I (Charlie St. Clair). Somehow, their worlds collide together to unfold an unforgettable journey about courage, friendship, female empowerment, love, and revenge.

More Opinions

The book also touches on so many hot topics – from PTSD to unplanned pregnancies. It boggles my mind how people have been struggling with the same things for so long, and societal reactions are still so similar. But that’s a post for another time…

I think my favorite part of the book was the very end, where the author, Kate Quinn, talks about the true history behind her narrative. To learn the real-life stories about the female spies during the World Wars is fascinating! It’s not a topic I learned about in any of my history classes.

I highly recommend this book and encourage you to BUY IT NOW if you want to start an incredible reading journey.

If you want to keep up with my Book Club, we are currently reading and set to discuss on Wednesday, July 11, 2018:

“Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine: A Novel” by Gail Honeyman

Meet Melissa

Born and raised in Tampa, you can find me embracing the Texas heat. Our air conditioner never goes below 75 degrees because anything less is out of my comfort zone. I’ve never seen snow fall from the sky, but it’s not because I’m not adventurous. I have visited 10 countries and pride myself in being able to try anything once – especially when it comes to food. A large part of who I am is my adoption. It’s what made me want to work in the nonprofit sector. I am currently in fundraising and marketing for Arms Wide Adoption Services, an organization which places foster care children with adoptive families. Although most acquaintances know me for my caring spirit and can-do attitude, my close friends and family know me for snarky remarks and ability to tell you like it is.

From Melissa’s love of horror movies to Joey’s love of the great outdoors, it should be no surprise that we enjoy very different things – including genres of books. We wanted to explain our book preferences more in depth, so you could know what to expect in our upcoming book reviews.

What Melissa Likes To Read

I don’t even know where to start when it comes to books and my preferred genre. I love them all – from autobiographies to science fiction. I’ve always been an avid reader and writer. I’m not sure where my passion for reading began, but I would have to guess with my parents. They used books as tools for education. I learned early on how books could teach me things, from what it means to be adopted to how to treat others with respect (thanks, Berenstain Bears). Then, I learned you could use them to get lost in another world. One of my early favorites was Shel Silverstein’s “The Giving Tree.” But nowadays, you can find me reading less poetry and more autobiographies, murder mysteries, and science fiction.

What Joey Likes To Read

Most of the time you will find me reading motivational, business, and non-fiction books, which might come as a surprise to my family because growing up I was NOT a reader. I wanted nothing to do with reading and preferred to be outside playing in the Florida sunshine. (Sorry to my parents for the stubbornness). My passion for reading really didn’t start until after I graduated college, when I was recommended by a friend to read “Rich Dad, Poor Dad” by Robert Kiyosaki. After reading that book it was like a light bulb went off in my head, and I had found the type of reading I really enjoyed. This is what you should expect from my book reviews. Now that’s not to say I don’t enjoy a good adventure book every once in a while and might throw a few other curve balls into the mix. I hope you enjoy some of these as much as I do, cheers!

Tag: education

Book Review: “The Alice Network” by Kate Quinn