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 . . .
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????
When Isabelle’s mother passes away and leaves a gift that only she is supposed to be privy to, the aspiring author (whose father is a national treasurWhen Isabelle’s mother passes away and leaves a gift that only she is supposed to be privy to, the aspiring author (whose father is a national treasure of literary fiction) has some decisions to make . . . .
Okay so I’m really not trying to spoil this, but you might want to just click out of here if you don’t want to ruin your time if this is on your to-read pile. The whole “gift” seemed super obvi to me, but maybe it won’t be to others????? Having that hunch didn’t really ruin anything for me, though, it’s just a storyline that has become extremely popular the last few years and unfortunately no one is ever going to do it better than John Boyne. This also got lost in the weeds a bit with a totally unnecessary timehop/narrative by the decease mother (seriously a letter accompanying the gift would have sufficed and saved my eyeballs from reading all those extra pages). Also, the superbadawful thing that happened to Isabelle when she was a child that was hinted around about for eternity before finally being divulged wasn’t needed either.
TLDR: Basically, not terrible, but it didn’t knock my socks off either. Read A Ladder to the Sky or Yellowface if you want to be blown away. 3.5 Stars
ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you, NetGalley!
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
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 isn’t a particularly new sort of mystery plot: It starts with a party, someone gets murdered, everyone is a suspect and then you spend the rest oThis isn’t a particularly new sort of mystery plot: It starts with a party, someone gets murdered, everyone is a suspect and then you spend the rest of the book figuring out the whodunnit. Good news is, I generally love this storyline. Bad news is this one wasn’t much of a stand-out.
The specifics here are the Calhouns are having their annual Cherry Blossom party . . . and the police are there are on page one. By the 20% mark you know who the victim is and then you get to find out exactly what skeletons are hiding in the closets of each family member (as well as a neighbor or two). Things play out via sort of an “everything but the kitchen sink” approach and you really have to throw all common sense out the window when it comes to things like police procedures or legal work – not to mention that no one is likeable or more than a cardboard cutout as far as character development. But it’s getting real high ratings, so what do I know?
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!
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
Like bajillions of other true crime addicts around the world, the story of Gypsy Rose Blanchard is one that is like a trainwreck I couldn’t simply looLike bajillions of other true crime addicts around the world, the story of Gypsy Rose Blanchard is one that is like a trainwreck I couldn’t simply look away from. From Mommy Dead and Dearest to binging The Act to reading fictitious takes on Gypsy’s story in novels such as Darling Rose Gold, I have been hooked on this wilder than fiction tale of murder and Munchausen By Proxy for years now. When I saw a book was being released you bet your butt I was the first on the library waiting list. What I didn’t realize this was simply a sampler of around 100 pages – otherwise known as . . . . .
These transcriptions of phone calls from the prison leave nearly all of the story left untold (and would have worked so much better as an audiobook than in hard copy). I 100% anxiously await Gypsy’s full memoir and want to hear her side straight from the horse’s mouth. I will say, the general reaction of “YAAAAAAS QUEEN” by the public upon her release has been more than a little disconcerting to me. Yes, Gypsy-Rose was a victim, but are the same folks who seem to be offended by nearly everything really celebrating murder now? Odd. Also, her Peter Griffin looking husband skeeves me out to the max so it will be interesting to see if he is an opportunist. Let’s face it, Gypsy is an easy mark. She clearly suffers from a severe case of arrested development and dives right into relationships head first looking for her fairy tale. Or is it all an act? She certainly drops her bubbly persona and lets it be known she has some serious sour grapes off of others making money from her tale without her getting a cut (as explained in this book – the public record is free for the taking). The one thing that is certain is she has fully embraced being front and center in the public eye and her millions of new followers on social media. Time will tell if there is to be more than 15 minutes of fame. ...more
If you are someone who feels like they are “failing” when Goodreads continually reminds you throughout the year you are behind in your reading challenIf you are someone who feels like they are “failing” when Goodreads continually reminds you throughout the year you are behind in your reading challenge, I highly encourage you to follow my lead and “challenge” yourself to only one book. And if you do so, maybe you kind of guaranty yourself the first thing you pick up in the new year is going to be a winner as well ; )
I really dug Shiner by Amy Jo Burns so when I saw someone I follow on The ‘Gram post about this release I immediately went to the library to put a copy on hold. But typical me, my holds were at max capacity. I took a gamble and headed to NetGalley thinking I had a snowball’s chance, but turns out this was still a Read Now so I snatched it up quick without needing to know anything about it first. I figured if I liked Burns once, there was a good chance I’d like her again.
Turns out I didn’t just like this one – I looooooooved it. At its heart Mercury is a story about the Joseph family (and y’all know how much I dig family stories – truly they are my #1 genre). To make things even better . . .
“They found a body up in the church attic.”
Family drama with a side of murder? Ummmmm, yes please. This came out yesterday and if you like the stuff I like and know how stingy I am with ratings, you should get you a copy. You don’t need to know much more than what I’ve already told you regarding the plot so I’ll let the book itself tell you the rest . . .
Two young women arrived in this town, twenty years apart. The first was named Elise, the second named Marley. They lived in the same house. They loved the same men. They raised their children.
Every Star.
ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you, NetGalley! ...more
If you are a reader who digs unlikeable characters like I do, boy is he maybe the author for you! This one is all about cancel culture and oh my word . . . .
Boyne's ability to walk the tightrope between hilarious and horrifyingly cringey is simply amazing. I love that he has a backlist for me to go to whenever I’m not sure what I want to read. ...more
If so, this may be one to keep on your radar for release day. But PLEASE don’t let the tags fool you. This is not a “thriller” by any stretch of the imagination and the mysteries revealed can all be seen coming from a mile away. No, this is a nighttime soap opera from my childhood featuring a rich family and a lot of murder confessions. So tasty. Rachel Hawkins has definitely become a go-to author for me. I’ve enjoyed all of her stuff that wasn’t in the YA genre.
ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you, NetGalley! ...more
Once again, I pretty much went into this one blind. Jennifer McMahon is an author who I wouldn’t hesitate to pick up to begin with and what
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Once again, I pretty much went into this one blind. Jennifer McMahon is an author who I wouldn’t hesitate to pick up to begin with and what I had seen was that people said this was scary and un-put-down-able. I am happy to report that FINALLY in a sea of spooky season specific reads I finally came across a couple of winners this weekend.
The story here (in case you are a person who wants a synopsis) is that Alison has always kept her mother at arm’s length since she moved out of the family home. Mavis was a woman who Alison would have considered a pretty good mom – until her father committed suicide and Mavis fell into a downward spiral of alcohol abuse with a hefty side of emotional and physical child abuse to Alison and her brother Ben to boot. Now Alison has received a call that her mother is dying of pancreatic cancer with only a few weeks to live. Her last request? To spend her remaining days with Alison and her family. But something is off about Mavis. Is it simply the combo of medication and cancer or is it something else?
Okay, this was IT when it comes to Halloween (and so many extra props for this creepy creep taking place in December when the fam has been decking the halls - be still my Christmas lovin' heart!!!). Really my only complaint was the very ending. If you are a freak and watch endless amounts of paranormal shows that “twist” wasn’t twisty whatsoever.
Still, HIGHLY recommended and a 4.5 that I am rounding up because FINALLY a f*^%ing Halloween success!...more
Nothing like having an “advanced” copy of a book that you don’t read until a year after publication! I was lucky enough to get this from Berkley but nNothing like having an “advanced” copy of a book that you don’t read until a year after publication! I was lucky enough to get this from Berkley but never read it and then it was announced back in January my newest obsession Phoebe Waller-Bridge had come to an agreement with Amazon to adapt it into a series and I still didn’t read it. What can I say? I’m a mood reader and never quite found myself in the mood. But now it’s spoooooky season and I figured a book about Hell had to at least sort of fit in with Halloween so I decided to give it a whirl.
Boy was I surprised with what this ended up being! I knew the bare bones before going in: Peyote Trip (horrible new name assignments are one of Hell’s never ending punishments – just like only the FIFTH pen you try to write with will actually produce ink, Jägermeister is the only alcoholic beverage that can be relied on being served at the local watering hole and there’s ALWAYS a car alarm going off somewhere on the street, but you can’t ever seem to locate it just to name a few others) works on the 5th Floor of Hell (a pretty decent gig, compared to the lower levels) and has set his sights on a “hat trick” of sorts where he’ll get the entire Harrison family to agree to sell their souls. He believes if he can pull this off, he just might get himself out of hell.
But then!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! But then you have ANOTHER narrative. This one is with the aforementioned Harrison family themselves back on Earth and oh it is juuuuuuuuuuuicy family drama with a twist I did not see coming.
What a genre bender and an unexpected surprise. Highly recommended.
ARC provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review....more
Here’s another ancient ARC that’s been sitting around my NetGalley shelf for eternity. I picked this up despite the dreaded face cover (and let me telHere’s another ancient ARC that’s been sitting around my NetGalley shelf for eternity. I picked this up despite the dreaded face cover (and let me tell you the flowers/fruits/veggies covering the face cover is one of my absolute most hated face covers, but it actually makes sense here so kudos to you, cover artist) because I REALLY enjoyed Good Rich People by this author. But this one???? Woof.
So first, the entire premise of some woman who randomly listens to a podcaster and then not only assumes she has gone missing/has been murdered when said podcast stops casting lets you know right away the leading lady is . . . .
But I can get on board with a little Velma action sometimes, suspend my disbelief and lean into the crazy. The main problem with this is that nothing happened until the end. This could have been a pretty decent short story, but even at less than 300 pages it just drug on and on with nothing happening but repetition that the ranch was not the place Sera wanted to be.
1.5 Stars but rounded up because there was potential here and I appreciate second person narratives when they are done well. ...more
The husband was out of town last week so I was perusing the 50,000,000 streaming services we subscribe to for something brainless and fun and cutesie The husband was out of town last week so I was perusing the 50,000,000 streaming services we subscribe to for something brainless and fun and cutesie to maybe watch. I ran across this title and was almost positive it was a book first and turns out I was right. So then I do what I do and I didn’t watch the movie, but instead immediately went to the library to download a copy to read instead.
Now that I’m finished I’m seeing the Goodreads’ rating sits at 2.85?!?!?!?
I’m wondering if maybe Grant Ginder was simply ahead of his time because stories about dysfunction junction starring not the nicest people in the world have become sort of the rage. And these people weren’t even that bad once you got to know them a little. (Except for Mark. He was a real twat.) After being trolled incessantly for daring to not love all the things about Remarkably Bright Creatures - Cameron in particular – it was nice to read a story where the attitudes/behaviors/choices of each character were explained and everyone ended up with a believable redemption arc.
I liked this one enough for several of you who didn’t ; ) I hope the film version is just as good. ...more
Hahaha! Not really. I’m as basic as they come. Well maybe not as basic being that I do not enjoy the pumpkin spice, but I’m still pretty basic and only get my thrills from fiction. And boy oh boy do I love a fucked up family!!!!
The story here is about going home again. Told from Dahlia’s perspective as she returns home for the burial of the family patriarch, she will reunite with her mother along with siblings Charlie and Tate who she hasn’t seen in ten years. If you haven’t caught on courtesy of these kids’ names . . . .
They weren’t raised in a typical all-American family. Nope, their momma was country back when country wasn’t cool – a/k/a when it comes to true crime . . . .
And now the family has their own cold case to figure out.
Okay so I lowered my expectations before starting this due to seeing the mediocre reactions my pals were having, but I’m telling you I 100% did not need to do that whatsoever. Oh this was just what my freaky deaky little heart desired. Four Stars.
When Oprah announced Hello Beautiful would be her ONE HUNDREDTH Book Club recommendation, there was no way I was going to be left behind. And when I pWhen Oprah announced Hello Beautiful would be her ONE HUNDREDTH Book Club recommendation, there was no way I was going to be left behind. And when I pulled the list of her past selections for a photo (follow me on the ‘Gram for crappy book content and a real cute dwarf cat) I realized not only do I own a whole lot of her choices, but I’ve read at least 75 out of the 100. You know why? Because they are farking TERRIFIC. I said what I said.
Now, please take it under advisement when I say that about this novel, I say it as someone who has never read (nor watched a film version) of Little Women. While I avoid reading reviews in their entirety before forming my own opinion on books I already plan on reading, I have noticed some reappearing complaints from superfans of that classic claiming this is nothing like it. And without any knowledge, I would have to agree. I can’t imagine this being much of anything like the original as far as plot goes, so I would label this as “inspired by” as it is the story of the lives of four sisters. Like a lot of Oprah’s choices, this is a sweeping narrative that imbeds you right into the family home and invests you in the lives of its people. It made me feel all the feels so it gets an abundance of stars. Just take my rating here with a grain of salt if you are a Louisa May Alcott purist.
I went into this one blind. All it takes sometimes is a snappy title, folks! I had not read this author before (because Kitchens of the Great MidwestI went into this one blind. All it takes sometimes is a snappy title, folks! I had not read this author before (because Kitchens of the Great Midwest was a title that did NOT grab my attention, but I’ll be rectifying that shortly). To keep it brief and without any spoilsies, just know things all start off with a mom who needs a ride home from the church pancake breakfast from the daughter she has been estranged from for years who is prevented from said Ubering thanks to getting in a head-on with the local fauna.
We then timehop back to 1934 to Florence’s story – then to the 1980s and Ned’s and eventually back to the present with Mariel . . . . and her mother who has now been holed up in the church waiting for that ride for over two months.
If you are familiar with me at all you know that I am a sucker for a family story and when it comes to dramedies that also involve restaurant ownership? Well . . . .
If you enjoyed Marrying the Ketchups or The Chicken Sisters or We are the Brennans run, do not walk to get a copy of this one. And serve it with a relish tray . . . .
In case any of you are like me after finishing the absolutely unnecessary The Family Remains and were doubting Lisa Jewell, along comes None Of This IIn case any of you are like me after finishing the absolutely unnecessary The Family Remains and were doubting Lisa Jewell, along comes None Of This Is True and Ms. Jewell declaring . . . .
The story here is about Josie. She already has it in her head that she wants to make some changes in her life, so when she accidentally meets her “birthday twin” at a restaurant where they are both celebrating their 45th, discovers said birthday twin Alix has a podcast and suggests she be the subject for the next set of installments.
You may be thinking you know where this is heading and it’s another dime or dozen stalker situation, but oh would you be wrong! My oh my do I appreciate a quality unreliable narrator and this book has one of the best. And just look at all those houses on the cover!!!!!!! I loved it.
ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you, NetGalley! ...more
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