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The Circle by David Eggers (A Not-Stash Book)

    This book is...A Not-Stash library book. A dystopian satire on the dangers of ever-expanding digital connections. My husband had been after me to read it for years, and while I think it was worth my time, I'm not as much of a fan as he is. Although it is described as a thriller, the storyline is a slow build. Eggers takes his time leading us deeper and deeper into the Circle, and I found some sections surprisingly tedious, although in certain places tedium may have been the point. His main character, Mae, is sympathetic enough-- at times-- although I often felt that she wasn't a fully realized character as a much as a plot device that existed to make a certain point. I struggled to make emotional connections with most of the characters, the exception being Annie, whose narrative was actually more compelling than Mae's in many ways. I'll be interested to see what he does with the sequel. Author: David Eggers Rating: 4/5    
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The Parade by David Eggers (A Not-Stash Book)

    This book is...A Not-Stash library book. A parable on the unexpected difficulties and dangers of good intentions in postwar reconstruction. At times satiric, at times sober, at times surprising...the book builds to a final moment that jabs you like a sudden poke to the ribs. This is my favorite Eggers book so far and the one I would most readily read again. It might even end up on my shelf eventually. Author: David Eggers Rating: 5/5
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Love and Respect by Dr. Emerson Eggerichs

   Back to the shelf stash. This book is....a guide to understanding marriage in terms of what the author describes as the greatest male and female needs. Author: Dr. Emerson Eggerich Keep or Donate: Donate ! This book is the first to fail the 50 page test. I found his premise reductionist at best and couldn't really get past the part when he said that a greeting card store was a representation of a woman's most deeply held values. I'll be a charitable reader and assume he had no idea how utterly condescending that was (along with talk of "pink sunglasses" and "blue sunglasses")...but this is not the book for me. Rating: 3/5. Charitably
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Embodied by Preston Sprinkle ( A Not-Stash Book)

    This book is...A Friend-Shelf Book. A compassionate, person-centered discussion of the complexities of our society's gender questions. Social media makes it quite easy these days to reduce people who disagree with us to caricatures but Preston Sprinkle stays focused on the human experiences behind these questions and discussions.    Rating: 5/5  
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The Captain And The Glory by David Eggers (A Not-Stash Book)

This book is....A Not-Stash library book. A Swiftian satire on the Trump presidency. Need I say more? Rating: 4/5
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Everyone Says That At The End of the World by Owen Egerton (A Not-Stash Book)

  This book is..... another Non-Shelf Stash library book. It is one of those delightfully odd end of the world books that had me hooked from the premise of a prophetic hermit crab...which was only about the fifth weirdest thing about the story. The main character's best friend, Roy, is the kind of sidekick we should all be so lucky to find in an apocalypse. There's some philosophical-theological musing but the story is at it's best when it focuses on its quirky but relatable cast of characters. Rating: 4/5
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Little Victories by Jason Gay (A Not-Stash Book)

 Because, Dear Reader, I get distracted from my own shelves sometimes often but still have opinions about what I read in my prodigal bookworming. This book is....a Not-Stash library book. It caught my eye on the shelf and turned out to be a meditation on life and family that was both comedic and moving. Thoroughly refreshing. Jason Gay has one of those authorly voices that keep playing in my head like a narrator even when I am not reading the book. Rating: 4/5
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