I picked this up because it was recommended to me after finishing Under the Banner of Heaven I was alllllllll about finding out more when it comes to I picked this up because it was recommended to me after finishing Under the Banner of Heaven I was alllllllll about finding out more when it comes to “Secret Ceremonies” of the Mormon church. But then I listened to it and . . . .
While it does share some behind the scenes moments from a marriage in the temple, for the most part it reads like something from the 1950s by an author who would have been classified as “prone to hysteria” as she frequents the local psych ward for being an oversexed, “boy crazy,” chronic masturbator. Bizarre....more
Generally when a movie I am interested in gets released I immediately Google it to see if it was a book (because, duh, the book is nearly a
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Generally when a movie I am interested in gets released I immediately Google it to see if it was a book (because, duh, the book is nearly always better – except Forrest Gump - I will eternally shame that book for being turrrrrible). This time around, however, I bitched and moaned about why American Fiction was not being released to one of the twelve thousand streaming services I subscribed to and then only after it won the Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay did I think “ADAPTED?!?!?!?! WTF ADAPTED!” because . . . .
And then! And then I effing DID finally Google it and discovered it was by my recently discovered best friend Percival Everett who totally blew my mind with The Trees and whose books I have been picking up every few months or so because he’s just brilliant.
After being on the library waiting list for what felt like a billion years my turn finally came around and I got to crawl around in Thelonious (Monk) Ellison’s head for a while. I will stand behind my gif above and say I truly am not smart enough to understand all of the fishing and woodworking interludes that were thrown in here, but the gist of the main story was well worth the price of admission and I’m whining even more that the film went to some bullshit MGM+ or whatever crap that I DON’T pay for monthly.
As I said, the story here is about Monk – an author of previously published (but don’t really sell) smarty smarts who has been receiving rejection after rejection from publishing houses for his newest novel. After seeing the praise and glory, hundreds of thousands of books sold, million dollar movie rights and a knockoff “Oprah’s Book Club” singing the praises of a new release entitled We's Lives in Da Ghetto Monk takes to the keyboard and pens his own “true plight” *cough satire cough* of the “Authentic Black Experience” under a pen name – only to receive even MORE praise than the aforementioned “Ghetto” (including a National Book Award nomination – for which he is on the judging panel). Then you add in a “maybe you can go home again” subplot featuring a brother, sister, aging mother and a box full of dearly departed dad’s secrets and you have nearly a home run of a novel.
And talk about life imitating art. Erasure originally was released over 20 years ago, got nominated for the Pulitzer and yet most people probably never even heard of it until it was finally made into a film. If you haven’t taken time to read Everett yet, you are truly missing out and should add him to your TBR post haste.
Okay, not really since I listen while walking, but boy oh boy did I really not have the same experience as nearly everyone else did.
In my defense, I didn’t know much about this before diving in aside from (a) I have had it on my TBR for eons thinking I would read it every time “Nonfiction November” rolled around (b) I thought it was a true crime book about a murder committed by fundamentalists and (c) I’m sort of obsessed with all things polygamy (excluding Sister Wives because Kody and Robin *barf* . . . but Escaping Polygamy???? Um I’ll take that with cheese thankyouverymuch).
While the (double) murder was the jumping off point of the book, when it comes to true crime stories and how desensitized I probably am with my obsession to all things cult and murdery, it wasn’t a real shock and awe sort of grabber. Buuuuuuuuut, as I said above, I’m always down for a trip to Colorado City so at first I was hooked. However, then came the entire history of the Mormon faith from Joseph Smith to Brigham Young to very little on Warren Jeffs and the downfall of his FLDS sect since this was released 20 years ago.
Nearly everyone else found this fascinating, though, so take my “meh” with several grains of salt. Or read Into the Wild or Into Thin Air by this author because I found both of those fascinating. ...more
If you are trash like me, you might be familiar with the term “the sun shines on a dog’s butt every once in a while.” This could also be rephrased as If you are trash like me, you might be familiar with the term “the sun shines on a dog’s butt every once in a while.” This could also be rephrased as occasionally Kelly actually likes something that she has really been anticipating. Oh, but have no fear, friends – I’m still a wrongreader as most of my pals found this to be pretty lackluster. Me, however???
I was really vibulating with the Ira Levin sort of feels I was picking up. Be forewarned, this tale of a couple who inherit a deceased uncle’s $5M fat pad in NYC doesn’t contain many twists or turns, so it’s truly about the connection. I have no idea if the homage to Levin was intentional or not, but I was picking up on the best sort of tasty tidbits from Rosemary’s Baby and (maybe the only decent part at all) from Sliver.
The one thing I found absolutely unnecessary? The time-hop to the narrative in the past. That was 100% a lame distraction simply for “shock and awe” (and very little of that) that could have easily been information revealed while Rosie was digging through the boxes upon boxes in the storage unit to discover the “haunted” past of the historic Windermere. Also? Please don’t name characters “Chad” . . . .
This is the time where half stars would be great because I truly think this falls at 3.5. Buuuuuut, Imma round up because Lisa Unger remains firmly planted on my “don’t care how, I want it now” list and to maybe convince her publisher to not deny me every time I request an ARC since I actually read AND dig her stuff....more
Friendly reminder to authors. Covers are important. Your opinion can differ from mine with respect to the cutesie cartoony cover (me = love ‘em), but similar cover art is never a bad thing when it comes to the ability of old geezers like myself looking for their next read. I loved The Love Hypothesis and still have Love on the Brain on the Kindle to get to eventually – and the reason it got there was because I recognized the art instantly. Honestly, I didn’t even notice Ali Hazelwood’s name on this one because . . .
But then I was chatting my weekly chat with Shelby like we do and when we finally got around to talking books after dissing our husbands for a bit she said she was reading this porny little vampyre/werewolf thing and loving it so obviously I put it on hold at the library.
Now, it’s been a hot minute since I’ve read some leechy shifter shiz, but be still my ever Twilight loving self, this was IT for me! Bonus – it even had a plot and not just smexuals (*cough knotting cough*). If you want your supernatural love to be full on NC-17 rather than PG-13, get a copy of this stat. And if you want some more werewolf smut, I recommend most anything by Suzanne Wright.
I mean, I am literally shoving a Panera Sierra sandwich and heaping serving of salad into my maw simultaneously while typing this. But as I
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I mean, I am literally shoving a Panera Sierra sandwich and heaping serving of salad into my maw simultaneously while typing this. But as I have mentioned before, much like Jim Gaffigan I am an eatie, not a foodie. I’m also trying to avoid being on My 600 Pound Life by doing these lunch hour/weekend walks (with some guilty pleasure viewing of various Househoes and all other things Bravo has to offer while either on the rower or elliptical as “two a days” as penance for killing all of my brain cells on trash T.V.).
You would think a book all about food might be counterproductive. You’d be wrong, though, . . . well at least as far as the audiobook is concerned. As I’ve already said I’m an eatie, so tons of the dishes referenced were things I would need to Google which leads to another plus of audio which is the inability to Google while hauling my dumper around the park and trying to avoid the very goosey geese who oftentimes are blocking the trail . . . .
Since I’ve started these “walk ‘n talks” I’ve leaned toward memoirs since they don’t have a plot to follow or typically more than a mention of additional “characters.” My preference is for them to come off as conversational rather than simply reading off a script, delivery is important and the more intelligent (be it I.Q. in the writing or emotional as far as the reflection on their life) the better. But most importantly is that it gets my ass moving. Bourdain’s frenetic pace of narration and almost free association style of rambling off menu items, kitchen banter, whathaveyou most certainly did the trick. Such a shame he’s no longer with us, his passion for food and life just oozed out of every page (minute) of this book.
Despite the trolling I received from the masturbatory mental midgets who could not wrap their pea-size brains around the fact that I didn’t like Lawn Despite the trolling I received from the masturbatory mental midgets who could not wrap their pea-size brains around the fact that I didn’t like Lawn Boy - NOT because I’m a Karen who would ever ban a book, but because I am of the 50% who find Holden Caulfield to be insufferable and therefore found Mike Muñoz quite the same, I still immediately put my name on the library waiting list for Evison’s newest release.
And while I could complain that I wished Angel was more fully developed as a character rather than only exploring the “baby daddy” parts of him and even though I wasn’t real invested in the parts about the Moors, I still never wanted to put this book about a centenarian in an old-age home who claims to have lived “again and again” down at any point. The more I learned about Eugene (ancient Spanish history excluded), the more I became intrigued and invested.
When I put my hold at the library for this audiobook, I had no clue I would be investing 16.5 hours of my life listening to Les Dogggg get me through When I put my hold at the library for this audiobook, I had no clue I would be investing 16.5 hours of my life listening to Les Dogggg get me through my walk ‘n talks for the week. And when I saw the Kindle version came in at less than 300 pages, the math simply was not mathing. That didn’t stop me from immediately dumping my planned listen in order to get right to this one – and it didn’t take long to figure out why there was such a discrepancy in the length. The Kindle version is going to be a condensed version of the audio, polished up by a ghostwriter. The audio is pure Leslie. She spits truth and offers sage advice with her infamous “trumpet voice.” If you are allergic to fucks or motherfuckers, keep your distance. But if you are like me (who, unfortunately, was pretty late for the party since I’m an old die-hard SNL fan but not much of a comedy special sort of fan) and fell in love with Leslie’s love for Colin Jost . . . .
I really dug All the Dangerous Things and was so excited when my turn for this one came at the library I pushed all of my other checkouts to the side in order to start it right away. And then I spent three days waiting for something . . . ANYTHING . . . to happen.
This one appears to be a major hit with most readers so take my average rating with a grain of salt. I’m going to blame my somewhat wrongread here on This one appears to be a major hit with most readers so take my average rating with a grain of salt. I’m going to blame my somewhat wrongread here on the fact that my husband and I are currently making our way through the Hulu version of Mr. and Ms. Smith and the plot here was very much . . .
With a “Mr. Smith” providing the “Hihi” types of instructions for various missions to our leading lady and a timehoppy sort of narrative that went back and not only explained some of those tasks, but also came full circle with some of the marks.
This was a perfectly enjoyable read – actually better than most of Reese’s selections. Keep this on your TBR/your name on the library list if it’s already there. ...more
I dared to Google “Why is Freida McFadden so popular” because truly, my mind? She be blown. The first response (from Reddit – oh how I love the subReddits) states “I get why it's popular because it's fast paced and a very easy read but the plot is so derivative and the writing style is so annoying.” To that I say – PREACH.
Talk about an easy reader. The plot (LOL plot!) here starts with a body being buried in the woods. You then meet the “teacher” (teacherS in this case since Eve is married to a fellow educator named Nate) and their student Addie. It doesn’t take much of an I.Q. to figure out EVERYTHING that is going to happen so I have no idea what “twists” people cream their jeans over. Maybe they are contained in her other books???? (Sidenote to anyone thinking of making a drinking game every time “shoes” are mentioned. Don't do it. You will die from alcohol poisoning.)
Apparently she has a real rabid fanbase so I guess I can look forward to potentially getting trolled for eternity like I have for nearly a decade by the Cohorts (note to trolls - I delete and block you rather than engage so have a blessed day and maybe go outside and touch some grass). It also appears from my quick one minute search of the interwebs that she apparently is a copycat so the half that don’t love her want her cancelled. Bottom line? No matter what we readers/reviewers can’t win. But before any of you go all keyboard commando please note that popcorn thrillers like these are a dime a dozen and trying to claim Freida steals from Riley Sager, an author who admittedly makes his millions reimagining others’ tales, isn’t gonna hold up in court. I was looking to venture out of my comfort zone of listening to memoirs during my “Walk ‘n Talk” and this was so easy to follow while I attempted to kiss every dog that crossed my path on the trail at the park that I will most likely end up picking her stuff up over and over again. And most likely also give them 2 Stars max.
Yesterday I reviewed a 5 Star thriller and commented that most are a dime a dozen and don’t earn more than 3-3.5 Stars from me. This is one of those cYesterday I reviewed a 5 Star thriller and commented that most are a dime a dozen and don’t earn more than 3-3.5 Stars from me. This is one of those countless many. The story here is about a woman who returns to the family home where her parents were murdered when she was a teen . . . murders for which she was the main suspect. In addition to sister #1, Emma, two more sisters (“JJ” and Daphne) are also thrown into the mix after being estranged for well over a decade. It’s a long way to get to the final destination of the whodunit with plenty of red herring suspects (even though the actual culprit is pretty obvious) and I kept having to check if this was a Reese’s Book Club selection because it seemed right up her alley. Basically? Meh. Great house cover, though!
A couple of weeks ago I was chatting it up on my weekly talk with my pal Shelby and she said I had to read this book. I promptly told her say no more A couple of weeks ago I was chatting it up on my weekly talk with my pal Shelby and she said I had to read this book. I promptly told her say no more and managed to multitask and get myself on the library waiting list for it without even disconnecting the call . . .
She didn’t tell me anything at all about the plot – simply said it was a must read. I still have not looked at any blurb or review about this one. I’m just here to tell you she was right. And also? I had some trepidation upon starting because . . .
Those aren’t my favorite stories (either to read OR to watch). I have a tendency to either start screaming (at both book and film versions) “FIND A WEAPON! KILL THAT MOTHEREFFER!!!” or become bored quickly because I am Dug the dog and my attention span wanes when the action all takes place in one room.
I have zero intention of spoiling this for any of you. Just know that about the 50% mark things took a twist and by the time I finished reading on Saturday I wanted to call Shelby right back and be like . . . .
I have probably put this on hold at the library only to remove my name when my turn came around over a dozen times. I tend to be a wrongreader when itI have probably put this on hold at the library only to remove my name when my turn came around over a dozen times. I tend to be a wrongreader when it comes to releases that become part of a massive hype train and since I’m an old lady I have to confess that I, Carly was one of my least favorite things to endure when my kids were little. And Sam Puckett????
Seriously? Butter sock? That ish was annoying as hell.
The great news is Jeanette McCurdy thought the show/her character were annoying as all get out as well!
So while I didn’t have the same reaction as someone who grew up as a superfan of McCurdy’s child stardom, I thought this book was very well put together and really provided a lot of insight with regards to coming to terms with an abusive childhood as well as disordered eating and removing toxic people from your life (hopefully on your own and not because they finally kicked the bucket).
I listened to this on audio and it most definitely held my attention so 4 Stars. The hype was pretty real here....more
We all know I’m a sucker for a house cover and shame on me because Megan Collins has now fooled me twice with one. I’d like to WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD
We all know I’m a sucker for a house cover and shame on me because Megan Collins has now fooled me twice with one. I’d like to say after two fails with this author I’ll be passing her up in the future, but I’m an idiot so give me another house on the front and I’ll probably be first in line.
The story here revolves around the brutal murder of Julia’s husband (and Sienna’s brother) Jason’s boss. Found in his own yard stabbed, suffocated and with his lips sewn shut this has the entire town on edge . . . and has Jason as the police’s #1 suspect.
And then things just become a mess beginning with the coppers telling Julia and Sienna to keep their nose out of things, which promptly leads to . . .
You then get some convoluted back story thrown in about a dude from the past who killed Jason and Sienna’s parents as a drunk driver, a coma, multiple sexual harassment/assault subplots and a teenage son who has become distant from his mother. Mess.
Tip to authors: Maybe tell your readers to throw every bit of common sense out of the window or do a teensie lil’ bit of research about how policing, brain injuries and/or medically induced comas work. Also? Maybe don’t have someone be known for their sewing skills if you don’t want us to know the whodunit immediately and then spend the remainder of our reading experience pissed off for wasting our time through hundreds of additional pages. ...more
Once again I didn’t read the blurb for this. I read the first in the “Knockemout” series and figured I would continue reading this author, it fit the Once again I didn’t read the blurb for this. I read the first in the “Knockemout” series and figured I would continue reading this author, it fit the bill for the . . . .
Had a cute cover and I just assumed from the title Maggie moving on was going to be about a woman finding a second chance at love after a divorce.
That is incorrect. Maggie was actually a house flipper with a near million person following on You Tube where she has been broadcasting her projects. HGTV/Magnolia is my Saturday/Sunday morning addiction (especially the Lake/Beachfront Bargain Hunt Renos – LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOVE!) so this plot was actually right up my alley. And some things are just no-brainers: Maggie will find love despite professing how she’s always going to be single, she will make friends, she will fall in love with the town a la Hallmark romance movies, etc., etc., etc.
I’ll be honest and admit that I did not read even one bit of the smexuals (but from flipping pages on my Kindle to get to the end they lasted FOR.EV.ER.). Every once in a while I’m down for a trip to pound town, but the majority of the time I prefer fade-to-black. And I’ll say the “Imma marry you” instant commentary from the landscaper would definitely have had me NOT hiring him for the job for fear of becoming a murder victim should I not return the sentiments, but I get that’s what the majority of gals are looking for when it comes to their mommy smut.
As per my reaction to the other Lucy Score I read – did I think it was great? No. Will I read more of her stuff?
It makes me terribly sad to only give 3 Stars on this edition of my “Walk ‘n Talk.” Watching reruns of The Carol Burnett show at my Grandma and GrandpIt makes me terribly sad to only give 3 Stars on this edition of my “Walk ‘n Talk.” Watching reruns of The Carol Burnett show at my Grandma and Grandpa’s house are some of my favorite childhood memories and I couldn’t wait to hear all about the behind the scenes and unknown (to me, at least) stories of the “company” she kept with Vicki Lawrence, Lionel Wagoner, Harvey Korman and the absolutely hilarious Tim Conway.
While the trip down memory lane did reminisce on some unforgettable moments in comedic history . . .
Hours were spent giving detailed play-by-play of various skits that really should simply be watched rather than listened to in order to get the belly laughs. This was a book for already existent fans – we KNOW these skits as they have been on repeat for 50 years! Also unfortunate was that Carol’s favorite bits were often not my favorite bits and at times I considered maybe fast-forwarding.
Burnett is still a national treasure, much like our dearly departed Betty White. This just missed the mark a bit for me. ...more
Romantic Comedy was definitely one of my Top 5 reads in 2023, and I knew I would be returning to the works of Curtis Sittenfeld in short order. I loveRomantic Comedy was definitely one of my Top 5 reads in 2023, and I knew I would be returning to the works of Curtis Sittenfeld in short order. I love coming of age stories and love the idea of the goings on at some prestigious boarding school so it was easy to add this to the TBR. Little did I know this was going to be a first person experience that truly meanders through Lee Fiora’s four years at Ault. If you are of the DNF ilk, you will know right away this probably isn’t for you. And I wouldn’t blame you at all for putting it down because not a whole lot happens aside from residing in Lee’s head and dormitory room for hundreds upon hundreds of pages. It reads very much “MFA” course, which typically I can’t stand, but for some reason I became invested and kept on keeping on. I can’t say I would ever recommend this one, but I don’t regret reading it and I’ll definitely get around to Sisterland one of these days....more
What in the Wattpad Misery fanfiction did I just read?????? I’m assuming this selection was a “Bookstagram Made Me Do It” because I have no recollectiWhat in the Wattpad Misery fanfiction did I just read?????? I’m assuming this selection was a “Bookstagram Made Me Do It” because I have no recollection of why this got put on my TBR, but when my turn at the library came up and I saw the low page count I figured what the hay. I also noticed my few Goodreads’ friends who read this all 5-Starred it, so once again I am a horrible wrongreader who will roast in the fiery pits of some literary hell once I pass on.
The premise here is a drunken female author narrator (so original!) who gets contacted by a movie producer wanting to potentially turn one of her books into a feature film. Apparently Harvey Weinstein doesn’t exist in this chick’s world because she agrees to a meeting at his house . . . where he proceeds to Dollar Store version Annie Wilkes the crap out of her.
Note to youngsters who might not be old enough to understand the reference, but if you ever meet someone for the first time and think to yourself . . .
“If Ben Linus from Lost had a twin, this would be him.”
This is a book that I have put on hold at the library/removed from hold at the library umpteen times for no real reason aside from the size of the waiThis is a book that I have put on hold at the library/removed from hold at the library umpteen times for no real reason aside from the size of the waiting list. Once the hub-bub had finally died down I noticed it was going to be turned into a series and I figured I better finally take my turn when it was offered to me in case some jackhole at work watched it and decided to spoil everything at the coffee station one morning.
At its heart, Black Cake is the story of . . . .
You children need to know about your family, about where we come from, about how I really met your father. You two need to know about your sister.
Siblings Byron and Benny are reunited for their mother’s funeral and reading of her will – where they are presented with a recording detailing their family history . . . including a sister neither knew existed.
The problem here is with the telling – not the tale. The story was intricately woven and you know I’m always down for some family secrets. However, the MULTITUDE of timelines and timehops and narrators would have made this extremely difficult for me to follow if I weren’t such a fast reader. It also fell victim to the “everything but the kitchen sink” when it came to including every single hot button topic that could possibly be included. Those things are very important to talk/write about, but this was a family drama so it felt disconnected and thrown in just to make sure the author wasn’t accused of NOT throwing it in.
Kelly (and the Book Boar)
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