I’m going to start this by borrowing the author’s own words and saying to Chris Whitaker . . .
“Can’t you see how beautiful you make tragedy?”
In my house my husband and I often use the turn of phrase “We Got Shawshanked.” If you are familiar with the film The Shawshank Redemption, you most likely have experienced this yourself. It happens less frequently in the time of streaming services, but occasionally we still flip through channels trying to decide on something to watch and run across that movie. Getting Shawshanked starts off innocently enough. You say “oh this is the scene where _____________ happens – I’ll just watch for a minute.” Then two hours later you realize you completely lost time and ended up watching the entire movie.
That’s what happened with this book. I went in completely blind and I’m not going to provide a summary of any sort to anyone reading this, so go to other reviews and risk being spoiled if you dare. I loved both We Begin at the End and Tall Oaks so when I saw this author had a new release I put my name on the library waiting list. Unfortunately for me (but fortunately for Whitaker and his book sales), it was after Jenna already made it her “Read With” selection so I was about eleventy-seven down the list. Luckily I have a great library system who acquired a trillion more copies of this so my wait was nearly non-existent. Then I realized it was 600 pages long – and if you know me you know I will die on the hill that 350 pages is the magic maximum number for nearly everything out there. But I dove in anyway . . . and then it was midnight, I turned the final page and found myself 100% in a bookhangover and mourning the loss of all of my new best friends.
Not only was this an exception to my “ugh this has too many pages” rule, it was an exception to nearly alllll of my personal tics. I loved the multiple viewpoints, I loved jumping from location to location, I loved the cobwebby storylines that eventually came together, I effing LOOOOOVED the youngsters (and that’s only happened like twice this year), I loved the descriptive prose when it was utilized. Everything. I loved everything about this book. I made half a gazillion notes and highlights, but I still have a feeling that should anyone question me about nuanced plot points or any other details in a week I’ll still be like . . .
Anyone who has ever experienced 9 to 5 life in cube farm hell might be able to relate to Jolene’s passive aggressive email responses which she always writes in white font . . . that is, until the day she forgets to adjust the setting and lets her true feelings fly. Jolene finds herself in a mandatory HR course that will teach her how to behave in the corporate environment, but also comes with an unexpected glitch where she can see EVERYTHING going on by way of the computers. We’re talking not just calendars, but emails and even instant messaging. With rumored “rightsizing” on the horizon, maybe Jolene can use this inside track to become a better version of an employee after all.
Okay, so these hermit-y people with trauma in their past stories might seem like a dime a dozen at this point (I mean I unintentionally found myself listening to one while reading this so they are errrrryyyyywhere), but Jolene’s voice felt so fresh that I really enjoyed this one. I could have lived without Miley the neighbor kid and the drinking issues because they really weren’t necessary whatsoever to me except to add to the page count, but other than that not a whole lot of complaints.
I’ve said it a billion times that I don’t generally love magical realism . . . unless it’s in the form of a romance story. I was 100% sure this would I’ve said it a billion times that I don’t generally love magical realism . . . unless it’s in the form of a romance story. I was 100% sure this would be for me. The idea of coming home from a girl’s night out to be greeted by a husband you didn’t have when you left the flat – only to be greeted by a NEW husband each time the previous one goes in to the attic to fetch something sounded absolutely delightful. I wasn’t sure if this would be finding Mr. Right by accident or maybe a “one who got away” do-over sort of love connection, but I was certain I was going to love it.
I mean NOTHING happened aside from Lauren sending literally hundreds of dudes back up the ladder. WTF? Where was the plot? The character development? The chemistry? The romance???? I have soooooo many can’t wait to reads that have queued up from the library in the past few days I spent wasting my time waiting for something to happen with this. So disappointing! ...more
When Piglet’s fiancé Kit spills the beans THIRTEEN DAYS before their wedding about a dalliance, the life she has so carefully curated may come crumbliWhen Piglet’s fiancé Kit spills the beans THIRTEEN DAYS before their wedding about a dalliance, the life she has so carefully curated may come crumbling down upon her like a poorly constructed croquembouche. I mean ….
“How do you tell people, when the invitations have been sent, the crème patisserie made, that the fullness of your life has been a pretense, your pleasures, you realise, posture?”
Well if you’re Piglet you lean into two all beef patties special sauce lettuce cheese pickles onions on a sesame seed bun while you figure things out.
This has a terribly low Goodreads rating, but I ate it right up (hyuck hyuck) in one afternoon. The story behind Piglet’s nickname made me have an actual human feeling, the meal prep had me salivating (in both good and pretty-vomity ways, depending on the circumstances). The use of food and manner of eating to differentiate between the two families’ classes brilliant. And the will she or won’t she all the up to the very end was chef’s kiss.
Literary food addiction. What would Dr. Now say????
But seriously though. This thing was making its rounds on The ‘Gram so of course I got big FOMO and requested it immediately from the library. At some point I have to learn there are lots of people who (a) are much kinder than I am, (b) obtain advanced copies and feel obligated to push them to the front and center on/near pub date, and/or (c) are not addicted to all things trash T.V. like myself. This is the story of three ladies who all get taken by “Ethan” – their online boyfriend – back in 2011. While I understand the intertubes and at-home sleuthing weren’t quite what they are today, that actually worked against me feeling for these women. Call me a victim blamer, but JFC at some point even if Ethan weren’t a total fabrication, it was REAL apparent . . . .
Releasing this book THIRTEEN YEARS after the fact certainly did it no favors either. Ethan was a little minnow in comparison to some of the Catfish stories that have been on my boob tube for almost the same amount of time....more
I’m always looking for something to listen to on my walks and while I’m attempting to dabble into books with more “plot” (term used as loosely as possI’m always looking for something to listen to on my walks and while I’m attempting to dabble into books with more “plot” (term used as loosely as possible), my go-to of choice remains the humorous essay. This popped up on the library’s recommendation feature and the title was truly a “you had me at hello” moment. But while I thought said title was going to be a little funny ha-ha regarding the awkwardness of coming into one’s own, unfortunately it was a pretty good descriptor for how I felt while listening.
I knew nothing about this author before checking this out (see above regarding what an easy mark I am when it comes to titles/covers). Had I known she was “Twitter famous” I may have steered clear. And while I did get a few chuckles here and there – I mean I truly thought this was going to be a gem when it opened with . . .
And then telling people that they better have Google handy if they don’t understand pop culture references – sadly those moments were few and far between.
Mainly because I am a Boomer who doesn’t feel someone’s personal reflections on growing up need to be over explained as to not offend. (And sometimes, there is no differential to begin with. Dear 18 year olds, you are bad at sex things. Universally. Zero gender, race, sexuality qualifiers are necessary.) The fact that this book had ALLLLLLLLL the monikers used in every sentence – while being presented by a cis, white, straight, privileged upbringing woman came off very much like the well-intentioned social justice warriors who really end up hurting rather than helping any particular cause. And the ending saying this isn’t an advice book, accompanied with some self-deprecation “oh could you imagine? #cringecringe” – while also pretty much advertising she writes an advice column left me shaking my head.
This one is for the people who think Hannah from Summer House is a real knee slapper instead of insufferable. ...more
Okay, so obviously this is no Pulitzer winner but hell effing Demon Copperhead won that and it was nothing but clichéd Appalachian trauma p
[image]
Okay, so obviously this is no Pulitzer winner but hell effing Demon Copperhead won that and it was nothing but clichéd Appalachian trauma porn so maybe the Pulitzer ain't all it’s cracked up to be. This one is pure poolside fun. Get baked till you're looking like Kramer when he buttered himself like Kenny Roasters and have some fun when . . .
I was searching for a new, funny memoir to listen to and when this popped up as a recommendation on the Reddit I snagged it from the library real quick. I assumed the title was just a little funny ha-ha and that it wouldn’t really be her philosophizing, but it wasn’t so I’m a wrongreader (or wronglistener, as the case may be here). I’m just not a religious (or even spiritual) person so this wasn’t for me. Also, it appears it was intended to be some sort of almost devotional sort of workbook with various prompts, so other than the bonus of listening to her delightful delivery, it was really intended to be on paper rather than audio. ...more
Of course I never read it because why would I ever read things I own???? However, I am a big fan of humorous essays and my ride-or-die here is a true Southern belle so when I was perusing the Hoopla looking for an audiobook to check out I snatched it right up.
I had no idea of the original publication date having only purchased this a couple of years ago, but unfortunately it has aged like milk in the 20 years since it originally came out. Rivenbark was apparently one of a handful of original “mommy bloggers” who contributed to the local newspaper (insert youngsters asking what are those?!?!?!) back in the day. Had I known this collection would feature not only outdated material, but a heaping helping of “aint’ she sweet” tales of child-rearing I would have steered clear. I am more than happy to admit I only enjoy my own children . . . . and I made sure to NOT be one of those people who overshared every unremarkable thing both little Billy and Bobby did whilst marking their milestones.
Also, Neil Diamond is a natural treasure so anyone who dares besmirch his name can kindly kiss my grits. And also 2.0, every woman I know who is roughly my age wants to bang the bearded middle-aged Marshall Mathers (and some of us even named one of our cats after him) so take that, Boomer . . . .
(Oh and since this was on audio: I don’t know if it was because I am old and need to crank things up to eleventy to hear or the recording or the reader, but OH MY GOD THE MOUTH NOISES! Y’all know what I’m talking about, right? Like a smacky sort of noise while she opened her mouth before speaking? Barf!)...more
I have no intention of bashing this book, but it 100% did not meet my expectations. I don’t really care for the most part if a celebrity chooses to glI have no intention of bashing this book, but it 100% did not meet my expectations. I don’t really care for the most part if a celebrity chooses to gloss over some of the more personal aspects of parts of their life or any traumatic experiences of their upbringing and instead focus on their journey to fame and fortune, but they have to give me something.
RuPaul was coming into his own in New York Freaking City during the time of Club Kids, the AIDS crisis, closeted lifestyles, you name it. I didn’t just want to hear how/why he decided to become the “prettiest girl in the room” – I wanted to get to know him. Although well-written, this felt more like an extended fluff piece for a publication like Vanity Fair.
The one good thing? The audio was great and it certainly helped me get more than 5 miles in while listening and attempting to . . . .
Anybody see Shelby out there? Don’t tell her where I am.
“It’s the setup that is so fascinating,” said Wendy. “Two strangers meet on a tr
[image]
Anybody see Shelby out there? Don’t tell her where I am.
“It’s the setup that is so fascinating,” said Wendy. “Two strangers meet on a train, by accident. They get to talking and we find out one of them wants to kill his father, and the other has secret fantasies about killing his wife.
“They swap murders,” said Amanda, smiling and nodding. “Right. That way each of them can set up the perfect alibi, and they can’t be tied to the crime.”
So there is 100% NOTHING wroooooooooonnnnng with this story – it’s a classic. But that also ended up being a bit of a problem for me. I will read (and read and read and read) ANY reiteration/reimagining of Strangers On A Train. Since that’s the case, it’s simply a matter of liking others more than this. If you know me you know I’m not always a giant fan of additional perspectives, so I wasn’t super in to hearing from “Ruth” (and I guessed really early on the plot twist that was going to come). Suspension of disbelief is obviously a requirement to enjoy this one, and there are some glaring oddities like insistence of using a payphone rather than cell phones (because those are on every corner still) and a seeming unawareness of how the female reproductive system works. Also, blurbing “Hitchcock inspired” on a BOOK when said inspo was first a book itself written by Patricia Highsmith and only adapted to film by Hitchcock started me off with a bit of a bad taste in my mouth. Give credit where credit is due, authors. All in all, though, this was pretty fun. ...more
I’m not trying to steal Tarryn Fisher’s bag so let me recommend I Can Be a Better You, The Wrong Family, The Wives or the first in The Opportunist serI’m not trying to steal Tarryn Fisher’s bag so let me recommend I Can Be a Better You, The Wrong Family, The Wives or the first in The Opportunist series. This one, though????
I didn’t have anything queued up to listen to while walking this weekend and thought what the hell – let me hang out with my old pals Stephanie and Lula. If you’re familiar with this series, you know there’s not ever going to be much change to the formula. You have skips that outsmart the gal pals, at least one blown up vehicle, Stephanie gets tased, Lula or Grandma accidentally pop off a couple of rounds from their handguns, Uncle Salvador’s Buick makes an appearance, Ranger says “Babe” a lot, Stephanie’s mom is sneaky drinking hooch and ironing her anxieties away, MEATLOAF, POT ROAST, CLUCK IN A BUCKET AND PINNEAPPLE UPSIDE DOWN CAKE!, there’s a mystery to solve, Stephanie gets kidnapped, Ranger or Joe (or both save the day) and we get the set up for the next . . .
Highlights for this one include a Freudian slip by Stephanie regarding her real age and Lula’s tig ol’ bitties making an appearance where a comparison of her nipples to . . . .
Literally made me LOL so hard this man who was out watering his flowers while I was walking by seemed like he might have been a little afraid of me. Whoops!
These books are my comfort food – and now that I’m dabbling in audio I will definitely continue listening. But I HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAATE the change in format with regard to the titles starting with “Fortune and Glory.” I have an entire shelf that ranges from One for the Money all the way up to this one because the numerical names were “a real pip” as Grandma Mazur would say. I have hunted those hardbacks down in bargain bins and thrift stores for over a decade – but I won’t be adding the rest because the aesthetics are no longer there. Bummer....more
Welcome to Freida’s scaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaary overnighter at the local psych ward where everyone is a schizophrenic, the “plot” is oh-so-
[image]
Welcome to Freida’s scaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaary overnighter at the local psych ward where everyone is a schizophrenic, the “plot” is oh-so-predictable and the writing is Wattpad. Am I completely mindblown by the cult-like following Freida has on the bookish social medias? Yep. Is this a prime example of why I will never partake in "BookTok". You betcha! But will I keep listening to her stuff? Abso-root-toot-tutely because they are easy as hell to follow along with while trudging up endless hills in 100 degrees with 100% humidity....more
In homage to “Darkly Dreaming Dexter” I have lovingly been referring to Augusten Burroughs as “Darkly Delightful David” for years since I have enjoyedIn homage to “Darkly Dreaming Dexter” I have lovingly been referring to Augusten Burroughs as “Darkly Delightful David” for years since I have enjoyed his memoirs nearly as much as my one true love, David Sedaris. While Burroughs has always leaned waaaaaay more into the macabre memories of his coming of age and adulthood than Sedaris, he has done so often in a laugh out loud way that makes you feel like (even more of) a terrible person.
This time around he tackles his childhood – back when his parents were still together, in a VERY dysfunctional marriage, and before he went to live with his mother’s shrink. Much like Sedaris’ Happy Go Lucky this one delves into true darkness – including alcoholism, untreated mental illness(es), and domestic violence to name a few. And then there’s this hinting around nearly at the end that maybe his father was, if not a serial killer, potentially at least a murderer of one person that has become a reoccurring dream for Augusten.
I was really ready to pan this one . . . but then at the end Burroughs explained it was sort of a “modern art project” for him so take my rating with a grain of salt. I’m giving this 2.5 Stars and rounding down for the audio version because I absolutely HATED all of the interludes of sound and music that, unfortunately, were 100% Burroughs’ own idea. He also includes four songs at the end and I really didn’t like the Patty Smith one . . .
(But how absolutely kick-ass is it that he could just call PATTY SMITH up and say, “hey, wanna write me a song for this audiobook thing I’m doing?”)...more
If you were here a couple of weeks ago for the Great Author Tantrum of ’24 when apparently I should have been drawn and quartered for faili
[image]
If you were here a couple of weeks ago for the Great Author Tantrum of ’24 when apparently I should have been drawn and quartered for failing to read/review an advanced copy within a week of receiving it, then maybe I should be burned at the stake for this one since it was released in 2021, I received it as an ARC and three years later I just now finally got around to it. And to be 100% honest, I probably wouldn’t have even then if I had not been looking for a murder show to binge on the television and saw this title pop up which led to “hmmmmm, don’t I have a book by that name????” Also? I didn’t even read it. This was my latest “walk ‘n talk” that I finished during my lunch hour just now that I checked out via audio from the library.
But I digress . . . .
I REALLY appreciated the way this was delivered. I’m not a big true crime reader, but this approach to tell the VICTIM’S story with the perpetrator only coming in at the end to wrap up how he was caught and for him to get his comeuppance was such a change of pace.
This story of a serial killer literally didn’t even have a Wikipedia page before the book was written was one that had already been mishandled for eternity, so I appreciated the sensitivity with which it was told. I also “enjoyed” (wrong term, but I’m no tortured poet so you get what you get) the history of the hole-in-the-wall sort of gay bar scene in NYC during the late ‘80s and early ‘90s instead of only ever hearing about the Stonewall Riots, the terror of the AIDS epidemic, and how newfound technology so often cracks the cold case (like the new way of lifting fingerprints here or “23andMe” with the Golden State Killer).
If you are looking for a gory detailed sort of bloodbath serial killer book, this won’t be for you, but I thought it was so well done and the narration was great. Orrrrrrrrr, if you have Max you can simply watch the docuseries.
ARC provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review....more
I started attempting this “Walk ‘n Talk Wednesday” over on The ‘Gram, but I need to get my a$$ in gear and actually review the books I’m listening to I started attempting this “Walk ‘n Talk Wednesday” over on The ‘Gram, but I need to get my a$$ in gear and actually review the books I’m listening to in order for this to be a thing. I’m still fairly a newb when it comes to audiobooks and have only just now started venturing out of memoirs or true crime stories because I am Dug the Dog when it comes to distractions while I’m out getting my steps in – mainly in the form of . . . .
I just figured I would never be able to pay attention to something with a plot to follow without missing every key moment, but a co-worker who exclusively does audio recommended this one to me and said the reader was an absolute delight to listen to.
Meet Rhiannon. She’s a serial killer . . . . but don’t worry she only offs people who really have it comin’ to ‘em – sorta like Dexter. I love her. ...more
Ooooof. This is a hard one. It had all sorts of swooney Ryan Goslingy types of dialogue to make a romantic heart go pitter-pat and while I knoooooooooOoooof. This is a hard one. It had all sorts of swooney Ryan Goslingy types of dialogue to make a romantic heart go pitter-pat and while I knooooooooooooooooow romance books aren’t steeped in reality, the plotline was sort of problematic for me.
I set aside the fact that most workplaces have anti-fraternization rules and simply went along with that trope for the sake of . . .
But this idea that the boy your entire family has blamed for your sister’s death for well over a decade somehow coinky-dinkily becomes not only your co-worker in a REAL niche profession of screenwriting, that also happens to be 100% across the country from where you grew up and then also can somehow become your love interest was a lot for my logical non-romantic brain. Also, I’m in a current phase where I prefer fade-to-black smexuals so all the dirty talk did absolutely nothing for either me or my lady garden.
This morning while perusing Reddit like I do I came across a post talking about how Rebel Wilson basically lost money doing Bridesmaids because she onThis morning while perusing Reddit like I do I came across a post talking about how Rebel Wilson basically lost money doing Bridesmaids because she only made $3,500, plus she had to pay agent/manager/taxes, plus more to be in the union/SAG (are those the same thing?), AND bought her own dress for the premier. And being that Reddit is the dumpster fire that it is the whole thing was steeped in a “poooooooor Rebel” tone that took others who had actually listened to the interview rather than simply reposting a click-bait article to explain that REBEL wasn’t bitching and whining – she was simply pointing out that the return on that investment ended up being what got her discovered, turned into a $10M per movie going rate, jumpstarted her ability to provide for herself, her family, develop her own television series, become a producer, etc., etc., etc. NEVER CHANGE YOU REDDIT DE LU LUS!
So anyway, what better time to puke up a review than now. This was my latest “walk ‘n talk” and while I’m nowhere near what you would call a Rebel Wilson superfan (I did not even know she had a child or anything about her sexuality), I absolutely was one of the billions of people who fell in love with . . . .
But even more than that? Isn’t It Romantic (which probably got panned by every reviewer in the universe) is a movie I have watched eleventy trillion times over. First, I love Rebel’s “work husband” Adam Devine and their obvious chemistry on set together, but more importantly I loooooooove the theme that everyone is worthy of love, but most importantly you have to be able to love yourself. And also?????
This maybe wasn’t the most fascinating memoir I’ve listened to – I mean the big “shocker” that was the headlines pre-release date was that Sascha Baron Cohen – a man who has made an entire career out of being shockingly offensive – was, in fact, shockingly offensive in real life . . .
But the parts about being okay with your body up to a point where you reach a certain age and start thinking about potential health concerns that come with aging or the inability to get pregnant or carry a baby were so relatable. Also, that women in general (and famous women even more so) are in a damned if they do damned if they don’t situation no matter WHAT they look like, getting scrutinized both for being fat or for trying to lose weight. And the absolute best was explaining the basics of long-term sustainability when it comes to losing weight. Explaining that diets and fads may work for the short-term, but until you come to terms with changing your lifestyle, calories in/calories out and deficits the weight probably won’t stay off forever. For a person listening to this while going on my 7 mile hike up hills and more hills to become a more physically fit version of myself this was music to my ears.
Per usual I put a hold at the library for Tananarive Due’s newest release without knowing anything about it. I previously read and really dug The BetwPer usual I put a hold at the library for Tananarive Due’s newest release without knowing anything about it. I previously read and really dug The Between, so it was a no-brainer. And let me tell you – this one????
Twelve year old Robbie attempts to defend his sister’s honor after witnessing the neighbor kid trying to get fresh with her, but that is simply something that is not done by a black kid in the South when said neighbor is not only white, but also from a family who kind of owns the town. Robbie finds himself sent to The Reformatory – known for not only its brutality, but also its haints. As Robbie’s sister tries to devise a plan to get Robbie out, he is simply trying to survive.
I don’t have any words for this other than read it. Every Star....more
Kelly (and the Book Boar)
>
Books:
liburrrrrry-book
(1312)
Loading...