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
This is for everyone who dreams about vacations roaming the Italian countryside (but also do not willingly leave their house), want to eat allllllllllThis is for everyone who dreams about vacations roaming the Italian countryside (but also do not willingly leave their house), want to eat allllllllllllllllllllllllllllll the pasta and cannoli (but are actively trying not to be the next person on My 600 Lb. Life), and fantasize about a slow burn turn hot and heavy romance with a new beau (but have been married nearly 30 years).
Olive’s father always chose “Nicky’s” - the restaurant he owned - over their family. It was the catalyst of her mother finally deciding to divorce him and strained her own relationship with him to the point where they shared only occasional phone calls. When he dies and leaves Nicky’s to her with a final request she finish penning the cookbook he had been working on – which she must do by traveling to the final three destinations of Sicily, Catania and Liguria with Leo, the restaurants sous chef – she has to deal with not only the grieving process, but whether to sell/not sell the restaurant and some unexpected feelings she finds herself catching for Leo.
I loved last year’s trip to Scotland where Birdy had to fake it ‘til she made it as a sommelier in The Summer Job. Being that I’m not a wino, but DEFINITELY an eatie, I loved this trip to Italy even more : ) Lizzy Dent is must read for fictional summertime getaways. Oh, and by the time I was done with this one I was all . . . .
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????
I am always down for some "maybe you can go home again" family drama which is totally what I was expecting to receive here. What I got instead was a pretty comprehensive explanation of OCD that presents itself in the form of intrusive thoughts, along with the story of the Beck family who were always fairly dysfunctional, but who truly haven’t been the same in over a decade when Henry died. Told through the voice of youngest daughter Eliot, this is a story of first love, of family, of grieving, and of The Worries that plague her mind.
I don’t know that this will be for everyone. I understand “Boose’s” brain could be triggering for some and potentially exhausting for others. But I hope people give it a chance.
4 Stars
ARC provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review....more
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
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!
Okay, so obviously this is no Pulitzer winner but hell effing Demon Copperhead won that and it was nothing but clichéd Appalachian trauma p
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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 . . .
The Jacobson siblings (all previously known as the “Fantastic Foursome” by their dearly departed mother) have been thick as thieves despite
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The Jacobson siblings (all previously known as the “Fantastic Foursome” by their dearly departed mother) have been thick as thieves despite age gaps, tax brackets, parenting styles, career paths, etc. But when they take a gamble and buy a few lottery tickets for a Megamillion on a whim . . . and then WIN . . . the newly coined “Jackpot Jacobsons” find their relationships put to the test.
I almost read this in time for Pub Day, but alas I still suck. Good news is it’s now out so if you were just waiting with bated breath to see my opinion, you can go pick up a copy now ; ) I love a good family story. I don’t care if it’s full of stabbies, full of drama or just a feel good one like this – I’m always down. Each sibling has various chapters dedicated to their individual goings on, they were all well developed and each charmed a place in the black pit which is my heart. I also just now realized I’ve read this author several times and have enjoyed every one of her books so consider me a fan (if my old lady brain can remember her name next time). Oh, and there was a house on the cover + it was "cartoony" so DUH of course I was going to read it.
3.5 Stars and rounding up.
ARC provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review....more
This last hurrah at summer camp for these now grown-ups is full of Broadway musical and Young Adult bestseller namedrops that will take many a reader This last hurrah at summer camp for these now grown-ups is full of Broadway musical and Young Adult bestseller namedrops that will take many a reader on a trip down memory lane as the two narrators attempt to save their “Chicka-awesome” teenage getaway while rekindling respective romances with their old crushes (please be warned the smexuals are most definitely not in the fade-to-black category). Unfortunately for me, I never attended a sleepaway camp so there was no nostalgia to be had. My only experience came from watching the CITs of North Star on an endless loop during my pubescent summers off . . .
I will die on the hill that no fluff piece like this will EVER require 450 pages so this was a true 2.5 Star for me. Alas, no halfsies on the Goodreads so I’m rounding down rather than up.
Good news is, if this doesn’t work out for you, maybe The Beach Trap will be a better fit like it was for me : )
ARC provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review. ...more
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 . . . .
Let me start by saying I will continue to pick up whatever Sidney Karger lays down because his stories are thiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiis close to turning me into a superfan. Unfortunately this one had a main plot point that simply was not for me.
In this latest release you tag along with Wyatt and Biz on their “Babymoon” while they make their way cross country for the birth of their new baby via surrogate. The problem here is the two’s relationship was already on the rocks on page one and then ONE AND A HALF YEARS LATER they are having a baby while having the exact same problems when in all actuality they should have probably broken up and definitely should have put the babymaking on pause.
I love a road trip and rekindling romance stories, so this would have 100% been my jam if the whole baby thing wouldn’t have been a part of it. A baby doesn’t save a relationship and they should not be brought in to a toxic environment. Having just binged all of Flipping Out recently, these two were reminiscent of . . . .
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
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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-
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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
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