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.”
Now I am obsessed with all things Saltburn. When I saw a post on The ‘Gram sharing book recs for weirdos like me I was très intéressé. And when not only was The Secret History, but also The Shards included on said list I knew I needed to go the library site immediately and check out the other three.
So here’s number one. This is an oldie from the 1950s, so to say it’s just a TAD more subtle than grave-f*cking would be an understatement. But there are some similarities – mainly in the form of a poor boy being invited to spend the summer at a wealthy schoolmate’s summer home. While there Leo is recruited as the “go-between” or “postman” delivering the letters Marian and Ted write to each other in order to arrange their secret rendezvous behind Marian’s family (and her soon-to-be fiancé’s ) backs.
3.5 Stars - pretty tasty. Just very heavy writing due to its age. ...more
The FOMO is 100% to blame for my TBR being completely unmanageable. Each Tuesday when new books are published I am the first one in line banging on thThe FOMO is 100% to blame for my TBR being completely unmanageable. Each Tuesday when new books are published I am the first one in line banging on the library’s double-doors hoping to score every hot release. Sometimes it works, sometimes I stay on the waiting list for perpetuity. Thus was the case with the highly touted Yellowface, so when someone on the ‘Gram posted that they actually preferred this novel I jumped all over it as it was immediately available for my greedy self.
I don’t think I was smart enough for this one. I’m admittedly not a big fan of satiric humor, but this sort of went all over the place from what started with zany slapstick style antics and accidental near overdosing on “allergy pills” to serious subject matter like a MAGA type movement and the fetishizing of Asian women to the aforementioned satire. If this would have been streamlined to around 250-300 pages rather than 400 I think it would have worked better for me. Or maybe . . . .
This was most definitely an “Instagram Made Me Do It” selection. Before Taylor Swift concert pics took over my feed, it was all about the hype surrounThis was most definitely an “Instagram Made Me Do It” selection. Before Taylor Swift concert pics took over my feed, it was all about the hype surrounding the Daisy Jones series. Since I had been so early to that party I decided to take a dive into Taylor Jenkins Reid’s backlist and was guaranteed this one would make me cry the ugly cry. Have no fear, friends . . . .
That being said, if you are looking for a sappy sucker, this one DELIVERS. Brief plot summary is girl loves boy, girl marries boy, boy’s helicopter goes down and he is presumed dead, girl reconnects with other boy from her youth, girl loves that boy and then DEAD BOY RETURNS FROM THE DEPTHS OF THE OCEAN! And not like in a zombie way which would be my typical fare. Maybe it was simply right place/right sort of headspace. Maybe it was because I had a hard copy, nice weather and was able to read this on the deck without drowning in my own underboob sweat while the mosquitos sucked my soul right out of my body. Maybe I was on my period. I don’t know but this worked for me.
Notes on an Execution is another “Blame It On Bookstagram” selection, but one that ended up being a great rShe was just a girl. You were only you.
Notes on an Execution is another “Blame It On Bookstagram” selection, but one that ended up being a great read so all those book pictures really paid off ha-ha. To be honest, despite this recent release being featured in photos all across the ‘Gram, I was able to restrain myself for a change for quite a while before adding my name to the library request list. The cover didn’t really appeal to me and the title had me thinking this was going to be some sort of tragiporn death row tale that I simply wasn’t in the mood for. When I finally decided to look it up over here on Goodreads I noticed a BUNCH of my pals had read it and nearly all with high marks (and we’re some picky so-and-sos).
This one is billed as a literary thriller and I would say that’s a fitting description. The story begins with the countdown to suspected serial killer Ansel Packer’s execution. With 12 hours to go, you hear Ansel’s tale (and his firm belief that he absolutely will not be dying today) told via Ansel himself, as well as his mother’s story, his wife’s (through his ex-sister-in-law) and the detective who has put her own career in jeopardy in order to bring justice to these victims.
I don’t have much to say aside from everybody else was right. This was a great book. The content is not for those easily triggered, but gory details are for the most part spared for the rest of you who can deal with dark content. If you know me, you know I’m A-okay with stories that are all about chills and thrills without a lot of depth. This was a nice twist on the classic serial killer story that contained many layers to the onion. One that really makes you think about nature vs. nurture and will make the reader sympathetic to every one of the characters involved.
There is no history in a place until we make it, until you live a life worth remembering.
This was another book that was being flung all over the ‘There is no history in a place until we make it, until you live a life worth remembering.
This was another book that was being flung all over the ‘Gram recently, but that Rorschach inkblot cover art and title didn’t particularly appeal to me. Then somehow I caught wind it might be a little missing person at some sort of off the grid potentially culty compound and I was like . . . .
Buuuuuuut I literally have like 30 library books on hold at any given moment recently so I took a peek over here at Goodreads to see what my peoples thought of this one. And it was a mixed bag, so pretty much no help at all with deterring me from adding this to the TBR. The good news is thanks to Jan B I knew that there was going to be an abrupt change of narrator right when the getting was getting good. I think that knowledge definitely ended up being helpful when it came to my enjoyment. However, I also agree with Anna Avian when it came to sooooooooo much talk of the effing trees. Broken record, party of one! Really, though, Beth Anne Vivian summed it up best . . . .
”What in the M. Night Shyamalan did I just read?”
There were most definitely familiar vibes when it came to not going into the woods (and even a blind girl) . . . .
I think this ended up a right place/right time sort of read for me. I was easily sucked in to the atmospheric quality of the writing (all the tree sap talk notwithstanding) and the payoff ended up being A-okay. It took me to the 75% mark to sniff out what was stinking and if you follow my reviews you know that’s a fairly rare event. So I’m giving it 3.5 Stars and rounded up because I’m a nice girl. Just ask anybody . . . except Shelby because she knows the truth. ...more
This book was all over the ‘Gram on release day and while I (mostly) know better by now than to get persuaded by pretty pub day pictures, when I came here my friends seemed to all like this one okay too so I put it on hold at the library (despite that fugly face cover). And now I’m here to tell you all that you guys read this wrong. Bwahahahaha! I kid. But someone read it wrong and it couldn’t possibly be me . . . .
The story here is about a chick who suspects her brother-in-law may have a habit killing his significant others. She's an unreliable narrator due to a trauma that was 100% not necessary for this story aside from being used to make her an unreliable narrator. There are zero surprises and it is all very Lifetime Stabbies for Women. Sometimes those work for me, sometimes they don’t. This was a definite don’t and now I really have no desire to ever read Pretty Little Wife by this author that I received an ARC of and never picked up (because fugly cover is fug).
And even though I never watched the SATC movies or the new “and just like that” actual revamp of the oldie but goodie, I was a fan back in the day and I’m all about reading about those types of ride or die friendships. I’m here to tell you, though, . . . .
Since these gals were based in London I think it’s okay to go ahead and say they were right twats nearly all of the time. So be forewarned before starting that you may not like all of them (or any of them) at any given moment. That ended up being okay for me. I read a lot of actual turrrrrrible characters on the regular so having a few who just needed a good shake to get them back on track was perfectly fine for me. And I had no idea where this story was going to end up going so color me SHOOK by the time it was over. Not to mention all the food talk!!!!
Once upon a time, there was a house in the middle of the forest and it stood silently until a group of twentysomethings barged through the door, loOnce upon a time, there was a house in the middle of the forest and it stood silently until a group of twentysomethings barged through the door, looking for ghosts. They ate their dinner. They drank their beer. They played a game to call up the dead from their rest. Except they didn’t have to. The house already knew they were there.
The only thing I have to say about this is . . . . .
Almost painfully so. At first I was trying to give it a pass and saying it’s simply because I’m not a big fan of shorts/novellas, but there’s no forgiving this kind of writing . . . .
Like hell I was going to stand down for an ego swollen as an alcoholic’s liver, bruised black, bleeding warm pus and grief.
Yeah, that’s just turrrrrrrible.
Not to mention the name dropping with zero explanation regarding the various forms of ghosts these morons encounter: ohaguro, kitsune, tengu, yokai, kappa. Hello, I’m a stupid American. Please ‘splain.
But the one thing I do know? The motherfucking SKIN is the body’s largest organ. Y’all should have died. ...more
I mean to each his own, but I don’t get it. I was all about picking up a story about a serial killer’s daughter, but could she maybe not be some pill popping alky cliché in this supposedly “fresh” debut????
Not to mention the suspension of disbelief that has to occur in order for (i) this chick who is clearly not right in the head to be able to not only hide the above, but somehow become a highly successful psychologist, who (ii) apparently has not ever Googled anyone ever and (iii) remained completely oblivious of the whodunit despite the fact that it was . . . .
If you are new to mysteries or are a person who can simply enjoy super farfetched storylines and/or have no interest in playing couch detective and spoiling things for your own dang self immediately only to be annoyed you wasted two days to discover your first thought was 100% spot on then maybe this will be a winner for you??????
But seriously though, people really and truly didn’t know who the bad guy was right away????
This book had been all over the intertubes, but you know how your girl feels about a face cover so I continued to pass it by. But then it was availablThis book had been all over the intertubes, but you know how your girl feels about a face cover so I continued to pass it by. But then it was available on the new and notable shelf at the library so of course it ended up coming home with me. I actually took a gander at the synopsis for a change and was immediately intrigued by the premise of seven psychopaths ….
(No relation) being chosen for a sort of medical research program where they all receive free tuition as their fee.
But then I met Chloe and it turned out she had only agreed to participate in the study because she wanted revenge on someone who wronged her. You probably know how I feel about that tired ass trope by now too ….
Yeah I hate it almost as much as I hate this cover.
Then someone died which should have had my tail wagging, but when you don’t even get to meet the person before they are offed it’s sorta hard to generate much of a feeling from me. And then the same thing kept happening *frowny face*
Never Saw Me Coming was a win for my friends, but I found it too long with not enough action. I already griped about the plot within the plot. I didn’t like the change in POV - either go all in with seven perspectives or stick to one because this muddled mess didn’t work. I didn’t guess the whodunnit but I also didn’t really care. The psych study that was what hooked me pretty much didn’t exist and on and on and on. This just wasn’t my jam.
Seems once again I’m a bit of a wrongreader here and didn’t fall over myself about this recent Reese’s Book Club selection like all the other2.5 Stars
Seems once again I’m a bit of a wrongreader here and didn’t fall over myself about this recent Reese’s Book Club selection like all the other horny housewives did. Mainly due to the fact that you can’t write about stupid shit such as clothing like this . . . .
Draped in a long-sleeve paisley maxidress plunging to her navel (vintage Dior) and shoulder-skimming beaded earrings (Nairobi street market) …
In suuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuch detail, but then gloss over the “before” section where two high schoolers meet, bang for a week in a drug addled and self-harm stupor and yet have hardly any pages written about all that.
So the story here is Eva and Shane met as mentioned directly above and then 15 years went by without them ever speaking. It’s hinted that he “broke a promise” which, of course, takes an eternity to ever get around to disclosing and winds up being a trope contained in approximately 112% of all romance novels that could have been wrapped up had the two main characters taken Khalid’s sage advice of . . . .
But I digress and back to the plot. Eva and Shane have both grown up to be successful writers. He’s a Colson Whitehead literary sort, she writes “supermarket checkout porn.” They wind up at a black author book convention where the reader learns that they have both spent their careers writing about the other and eventually they commence the re-banging. Then stuff and things happen and in the end it was just aiiiiiight for me.
I think I need to lower my expectations or fight the FOMO when it comes to Reese’s picks. While I really loved Such a Fun Age, most of her choices seem to miss the mark a bit for me. Most likely because when I see the words “Book Club” my brain wants to go in that Colson Whitehead type of direction or at least be a story that makes you think about things like social issues, race, wealth, bias, etc. all wrapped up in an easy-to-read format as with Such a Fun Age. I read a lot of smut and included in that has been a handful of literary porn too. At the end of the day this was simply a romance that could have used A LOT more pages to fill in the details in what became a very disjointed now/then narrative for me.
Having a “Bookstagram” account has been so much fun for me. All books, all the time and very little drama llama B.S. But then there’s the dark underbeHaving a “Bookstagram” account has been so much fun for me. All books, all the time and very little drama llama B.S. But then there’s the dark underbelly no one talks about . . . .
My debilitating condition is not helped by things like Reese’s Book Club or Read With Jenna or Book of the Month either. Much like Pokemon, I gotta catch read ‘em all! And sometimes they aren’t winners. Don’t get me wrong, the pages turned quickly enough on this one, but the premise (and I’m going to try my best to not present any spoilsies) that a husband leaves his life, his wife, his daughter and only a note to “Protect Her” was maybe just a weeeeeeee too Lifetime Television for Women for me. As the story developed, it became even more farfetched that this particular gentleman would have even put himself in such a potentially high-profile position he did to begin with and, well . . . .
I actually just got scolded (lightheartedly) by one of my real-life friends for being such an easy sell when it comes to house covers. My defense???? But this had a houseBOAT on the cover. And then I promptly read How Lucky which also had a house on the cover and requested The Perfect Family on NetGalley because it had a house on the cover. It’s a sickness.
Everyone else seems to really love this one. I’ll gladly take the wrongreader title with my mediocre rating....more
There are innumerable reasons to bash social media, to worry our brains are being rewired to crave likes and retweets like fucking junkies. And likThere are innumerable reasons to bash social media, to worry our brains are being rewired to crave likes and retweets like fucking junkies. And like the junkies we’ve become, we lack the attention span to even read the many well-deserved critiques on social media.
I’d say something like “buckle up, kids” but really this was so underwhelming the only thing you’ll need a seatbelt for is the whiplash my free association rambling delivery style is going to maybe provide.
So by now either you’re smart and don’t involve yourself with the toxic side of the internet which is all things relating to the Facebook and Twatter or you’re like me who happened to see a screengrab containing certain “receipts” regarding a temper tantrum and it just so happened to catch your eye due to the fact that you recognized the thumbnail sized avatar, a 4.5 Star review and terms like “assholes” and “nerds on a power trip” being thrown around. A lot of reviewers chose to respond via their rating or shelving the book as a “never ever” which is totally their right, but since I’m an actual asshole I decided to read it. Now, mind you, I don’t want to get it twisted. There’s zero chance someone who behaves badly is deserving of any of my hard-earned nickels, but thanks to having one of the best library systems in the good ol’ USofA I was able to obtain a Kindle copy in short order. I also have a terminal case of FOMO and this ain’t my first rodeo with a BBA so it is what it is.
But enough of that. Let’s get to the actual book. To begin with, I will reiterate what I always say when it comes to memoirs and that is the fact that I don’t totally get why non-famous people feel like their story is so worth telling. To be honest, I don’t get how a lot of famous people think theirs are so interesting to share with the world either. We can chalk it up to me not being a big nonfiction reader to begin with and even more so when it comes to autobiographies, but there’s just a certain level of pretentiousness that accompanies life stories. And that is certainly the case here. Pretentious with copious amounts of victim mentality throughout. I know it makes me heartless and I don’t detract from the fact that some people have had to eat more than their fair share of the shit sandwich their life, but at some point I get tired of the woe is me in every essay. I’m most definitely a glass is half empty type of girl, but JFC not everyone is out to get you and not every slight should be a fucking trigger. And maybe I was on high alert reading this because the author was so inclined to throw an absolute hissy fit because *gasp* she didn’t receive only 5 Star ratings (the HORROR!), but it is what it is and as a female I’ve spent my life having to find a public toilet while everyone in my household could just whip it out and piss in the wind wherever they are so cry me a river that you were a “cable guy” and had to hold your pee sometimes. Also it’s called a funnel and a Gatorade bottle. You’d think if it was such a monumental issue that constantly got you written up at work you’d get inventive. But maybe that’s just me. And oh wow you were a female and were paid less than your male counterparts? Or some creep tried to rub his wiener on you? Stop the presses girl ‘cause that doesn’t happen to ANYONE *eyeroll*. I know all you superfans will probably get it twisted and double down that I’m heartless (which I am), but the point I’m trying to make here is that this author isn’t sharing anything that hasn’t happened in some way, shape, or form to most other women. But the way she writes it, you’d think she was the first. And maybe some of the early reviewers aren’t used to this sort of content so it really blew them away. Who knows?
Before the event which shall not be mentioned again, this debut was receiving glowing reviews. It appears the author had a fanbase due to her blog post that went viral on the Huff Post. I knew nothing about that and had never even heard of this person or her book. So let’s talk about a different pink elephant in the room for a second. Ever since that unfortunate moment when Oprah went all in with James Frey only to discover his memoir should have probably been released as a fictional tale I take every biography that relies on “shock and awe” with a grain (or more like a pound) of salt. At the 9% mark Hough acknowledges that her siblings have a very different recollection of their childhood than she does. That’s what I call a red flag. The viral blog post reads like something Frey himself would have conjured up. And when the selling point that earned you a book deal to begin with is that you grew up in a “sex cult” and you talk about things like having little to no parental supervision while practically raising yourself and going hungry and being homeschooled, etc. only to then say how your mother packed carrot sticks in your lunchbox rather than HoHos or Twinkies makes my hinky meter goes on high alert. Once I sniff B.S. it’s hard for me to not believe nearly everything is half true at best. And being told you often received commentary of “what, did you grow up in a cult or something?” because you weren’t allowed to watch popular films or television programs only to continually reference all things 90210 again feels inauthentic. Hell, I’ve never seen an episode of Schitt’s Creek or The Office. Guess I was raised in a cult too!
And speaking of the cult. FFS how could someone make a cult story so boring???? Simply repeating the phrase “I was raised in a cult” doesn’t make for interesting content. Come on, don’t be a tease. Give us some culty insider info! I’m pretty sure if I Wikipediad “The Family” I could come up with some titillating tales. But since I had never even heard of this cult I was severely underwhelmed with what was provided. Or simply didn’t get it. According to Hough the cult leader’s son was as famous as Prince William???? Uhhhhhhhhhh . . . . . okay?
Then there’s the awful stuff that gets twisted via semantics. Men are rapists, but women who choke you and call you a whore even though you definitely haven’t consented to any sort of BDSM are not. Continually talking about being 6 feet tall and a trained military member who then could never have committed an assault because lifting another women and throwing her to the ground is something only a trained stuntperson could do. Uhhhhhh, okay???? I mean I’m an old fat couch potato, but I’m pretty sure if someone pissed me off enough I could probably channel my inner Stone Cold Steve Austin and knock them on their ass. Saying you got kicked out of the military for being gay in the aforementioned viral essay when you actually decided to break Don’t Ask Don’t Tell yourself. And again, DO NOT come at me that I think discrimination is okay – I’m simply saying she was well aware of the military's policies regarding homosexuality at the time and the repercussions that would follow when she slid that letter across the table and she received an honorable discharge with full benefits when she was "kicked out." Semantics. With a supersized side order of victim mentality. She’s not the only person who has experienced some shit. She was not alone. She was not unloved. She was not friendless. Her family didn’t disown her. Essay after essay has examples of people coming to her aid or her defense, but she clearly doesn’t see it that way.
Oh and the writing that people were supposedly so blown away by????
My original placeholder "review" (in which I simply called myself an asshole) was flagged and removed as an attack on the author. As you all know, I do not shy away from controversial books or bad behavior (I still stand behind my review of Kathleen Hale's debut despite her becoming social pariah) and now that my library hold has come in I will be starting this one in order to give it a fair chance. We'll see what side of the fence I land on . . . ....more
That's great, it starts with an earthquake Birds and snakes, and aeroplanes Lenny Bruce Find all of my reviews at: http://52bookminimum.blogspot.com/
That's great, it starts with an earthquake Birds and snakes, and aeroplanes Lenny Bruce is not afraid Eye of a hurricane, listen to yourself churn World serves its own needs Don't mis-serve your own needs Speed it up a notch, speed, grunt, no, strength The ladder starts to clatter With a fear of height, down, height Wire in a fire, represent the seven games And a government for hire and a combat site Left her, wasn't coming in a hurry With the Furies breathing down your neck Team by team, reporters baffled, trumped, tethered, cropped Look at that low plane, fine, then Uh oh, overflow, population, common group But it'll do, save yourself, serve yourself World serves its own needs, listen to your heart bleed Tell me with the Rapture and the reverent in the right, right You vitriolic, patriotic, slam fight, bright light Feeling pretty psyched . . . .
Ooooooooooooohweeeeeeee me likey this one! All I knew before diving into Leave the World Behind was it was about a family who has done some sort of Air B&B type rental for a week to escape the sweltering summer heat and work responsibilities of Brooklyn for a taste of how the other half lives in a Long Island McMansion – and then people who claim to be the house’s actual owners arrive in the night. My immediate reaction was . . . .
Because I am a huge fat baby and Us ‘bout made me pee myself so I am not about strangers showing up after dark and thinking they are coming into the house. Turns out it wasn’t going to be like Us at all so that was a relief!
Confession: I had never heard of this author before and only requested this book because I am a lemming and once everyone else starts posting about something I get FOMO. And also I was today years old when I realized that the Jenna of the “Read With Jenna” book club and Hoda’s co-host was G.W.’s daughter Jenna . . . .
Alright, so now comes the time when I say “this won’t be a book for everyone” and then feel stupid because DUH not every book is for everyone. That’s the whole reason a site like this even exists so we can all share our varying opinions and get trolled for being wrongreaders. Buuuuuuut, I’m gonna go ahead and say it again because this really isn’t for everyone. To begin with, this is not an in your face type of Armageddon. It’s super subtle and due to these folks being isolated out in the sticks they really have no clue what is happening in the rest of the world. They simply are aware that something like this happened in the city . . . .
And they probably shouldn’t go back there until that situation is rectified. If you don’t have time to dedicate and really sink in to this story, there’s probably a significant chance it will annoy the crap out of you. The entire reason the concept works is your own anxiety starts to crank up due to the unknown. Sort of like how the films Signs or A Quiet Place make you feel. The “what the fuck is happening” factor generates the heebie jeebies.
Also note Rumaan Alam is an obvious lover of words and uses them very well – to the point where a dumbo like me could have used a dictionary a time or two. And setting is a big thing. If you don’t want to hear about exactly what went in the grocery cart during a trip to the store or a step-by-step instructional on how to make the perfect grilled brie and chocolate sandwich (which, by the way, why the eff have I never had one of those before because that sounds like heaven) you might want to chuck this book out the window when it’s all said and done. But again, AT.MOS.PHERE. It’s where it’s at. One more thing: open endings. If you want your end of the world wrapped up and a body count provided, you need to look elsewhere.
So like I said, not for everyone. I read the majority of this on my lunch break during a pandemic where downtown looks more like a ghost town and when I was literally the only human on the 35th floor of a skyscraper while the wind was gusting at 50 MPH making all of the windows sound like they were going to blow out at any moment. Talk about right place/right time. ...more
I’ve also never watched an episode of Gossip Girl which is maybe unfortunate because that probably would have been my idea of a good time and I totally ate up the reality version of it a few years ago when it aired on Bravo . . . .
Ummmmmm, notsamuch. More like I love a good dumpster fire.
Truth be told this was all over the interwebs a while back and I have FOMO to the nth degree and could not resist the urge to pick it up. While obviously not a literary classic like its inspiration, I found this to be kind of a delightful timesuck. 3 Stars for the story, 1 Star for the fugass cover, negative eleventy trillion stars for the "#1" notation meaning this is going to be a series....more
When I first heard about this book I was soooooooo stoked. I mean . . . .
Every year, on your birthday, right at midnight, you travel through time to inhabit your body at a different point of your life. For exactly one year. Then you “leap” to another random age you haven’t lived before (could be older, could be younger). You’re physically and mentally healthy, but you’re experiencing your adult life out of order.
Now THAT is some tropey yum yum that I can get on board with. I immediately started getting the warm and fuzzies remembering some old blasts from the past like . . . .
Unfortunately Oona Out of Order was a case of an excellent premise that I was suuuuuuuuure was going to end up scoring 4 Stars, but the execution was a complete flop *insert sadface*. Oona was not someone I ever ended up liking even a little bit so that was never going to help matters - but then the majority of the story was all she’s going to be a famous rockstar and do drugs and have random sex despite being left notes from her damn self not to and just . . . . barf. There are enough vapid people on television 24/7 – I absolutely don’t need to seek them out in my fiction. And I realize this entire thing is steeped in the oh-so-very-not-realistic-at-all, but if you “wake up” once at a different age with no recollection of WTF happened and require an assistant or your mother or someone to ‘splain things to you, you can’t then at another time “wake up” and being fully cognizant of the goings on. Or be totally woke when you’re a boomer who hasn’t even lived your life in chronological order. Also, your average 19-year old isn’t aware of the workings of stop losses and limit orders in order to build a stock portfolio large enough to live on for eternity. Just sayin’. As my friend Ron 2.0 would say, this was just a big too ridiculous™ and one day I will get over this ceaseless case of FOMO and not check out every single book that is overshared on the ‘Gram. ...more
As I mentioned last week, after all the big hullabaloo over the past month the go-to artiFind all of my reviews at: http://52bookminimum.blogspot.com/
As I mentioned last week, after all the big hullabaloo over the past month the go-to article appears to be this 17 Great Books on the Border to Read Instead of ‘American Dirt’. No one else seems to have a problem that said article was written by one of the whitest white women I’ve ever seen, yet somehow I can’t stop singing . . . .
But I digress. I don’t like the “don’t you dare” approach to reading, whether it’s American Dirt or anything else, so I wish this article would have been entitled “17 Great Books on the Border to Read IN ADDITION to American Dirt.” Voracious readers aren’t stupid. We’re more than capable of reading more than one narrative and/or author regarding similar topics and I certainly felt I should put my money (or library card, as the case was here) where my mouth is and pick up a few of these books and see if they offered more than the cause of the kerfuffle.
Where We Come From is the story of 12-year old Orly and three weeks he spends with his godmother Nina during the summer in Brownsville, Texas. I thought this book was excellent up to around the halfway point. The story about how Nina agreed to do a favor for her housekeeper which then ended up turning her mother’s guest house into a safe house for coyotes to use was page-turning. And the snippets regarding various ancillary characters’ personal/family immigration stories was some of the best storytelling I’ve come across recently. Buuuuuuuuut if you want to talk about farfetched and a book that totally took a nosedive, everything after Orly met Daniel (a boy who had been with a group of migrants in the back house, then managed to find his way back through the city of Brownsville to the safety of Nina – despite never being there before and never being allowed to see even the light of day, much less the surrounding neighborhood/street signs/etc. of said house – when Border Patrol pulled over their vehicle who knows how many miles away, and yet somehow couldn’t remember his father’s phone number in order to contact him) cued a massive never-ending eye roll for me. Not to mention all of the stupid decisions Nina made with respect to the care of either of these children.
5 Stars for the first half, 1 Star for the second. I’m calling it 2.5....more
1. One aging, suicidal, infertile, almost divorcée;
2. One nun excommunicated from the Catholic Church decades ago (after being secretly raped and impregnated by the parish priest) whose baby was taken and raised by the sisters in the convent;
3. One currently pregnant girl (who also was a victim of rape);
4. One former maid and mother of pregnant girl who is currently dying;
5. One set of good intentions of dying woman delivering pregnant girl’s baby to wealthy white sisters named in numbers 1 and 2 above;
6. One (now formerly) pregnant girl who gets herself hired as current maid for sisters 1 and 2 in order to be near son;
7. Two cases of HIV;
8. One setting of post-apartheid South Africa;
And you’ll have what was added to my TBR due to it being soooooooo many people I follow on Instagram’s choice for Book of the Year. When will I learn that I am an old curmudgeon rather than a millennial and I don’t share a lot of these young whippersnappers’ opinions?
Positives? The black/white racial commentary was very well done. Not real heavy-handed and how both sides viewed each other was presented throughout. I also loved Ruth. I won’t forget her soon. Other than that?????
If you know me, you know that tragiporn isn’t generally my idea of a great time unless it’s done extremely well and catches me in the feelings when I’m off guard. This one was like being beaten over the head with a frying pan to get the point across....more
Me no likey. I’ll gladly take the wrongreader title here, because everyone else looooooved the writing and I felt it was flat. They loooooooved how fresh the story was, but I thought it was stale. They looooooooved all of the social commentary while I thought it was nothing but the usual dose of tragiporn (with an extra helping of 9/11 in case you weren’t aware just how miserable you were supposed to feel). This is the problem with having booknerd social media accounts along with a terminal case of FOMO – you end up reading books that you should have never even added to your TBR. ...more
Kelly (and the Book Boar)
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