3 stars = Good and worthwhile but something held it back from being great.
You can’t force a person to show up, but you can learn a lesson when they do3 stars = Good and worthwhile but something held it back from being great.
You can’t force a person to show up, but you can learn a lesson when they don’t.
I reached for this one because I was looking for something light, funny, plot-driven and easy to listen to while doing chores. It fit the bill perfectly. Julia Whelan’s narration was a solid performance with distinct voices and a suitable amount of emotion.
If a person lets you down, it’s time to reconsider what you’re asking of them.
From the very first chapter, you learn that the main character’s fiance has left her for his lifelong best friend a month before their wedding date. Scrambling to find an affordable place to live quickly, the MC moves in with the other woman’s now ex-fiance. The four of them were friends with several years of double dating, so they were not total strangers.
This is as close as I get to life on the edge: a milky tea and a near-white rug.
The first half of the book flew by with several lol moments and enjoyable awkwardness as things begin to settle. The MC and her new roommate end up pretending to be a couple to hurt their philandering ex-fiances and naturally this leads to a real romance. Fake lovers to real is one of my two favorite romance tropes, the other being enemies to lovers. This one is written realistically with a slow burn romance.
Every time I dole out a kernel of my history to someone who’s not going to become a fixture in my life, a piece of me gets carried away, somewhere I can never get it back.
The last third of the book was not as much fun. More serious with less laughs, but mostly drama as all the adults start to make difficult life decisions. I appreciated that the author showcased a couple of unhealthy parental relationships, something that is prolific in real life but underrepresented in fiction. In general, the moral of the story is to not accept poor treatment from others. I enjoyed this one and would recommend it to anyone else looking for a summer rom-com type of story.
You, my girl, are whoever you decide to be. But I hope you always keep some piece of that girl who sat by the window, hoping for the best. Life’s short enough without us talking ourselves out of hope and trying to dodge every bad feeling. Sometimes you have to push through the discomfort, instead of running. ------------------------------------------- First Sentence: Some people are natural storytellers.
Favorite Quote: You can’t untell someone your secrets. You can’t unsay those delicate truths once you learn you can’t trust the person you handed them to....more
5 stars = Utterly incredible. One of the best books I've read this year.
History is written by the victors, but it is made by the rebellious.
This book 5 stars = Utterly incredible. One of the best books I've read this year.
History is written by the victors, but it is made by the rebellious.
This book contains the information that your Social Studies and History textbooks intentionally omitted. While they still teach American children lies about Christopher Columbus discovering America, this book tells you about the actual first non-indigenous people that came to America’s shores. Forget the lies you were told about “state’s rights”, this book teaches you the real reason the Civil War was fought, as well as how the Revolutionary War was in large part due to protecting the practice of slavery.
Slavery existed in Africa before white people showed up, but human beings were not commodified or chattel. In pre-colonial Africa, enslaved people had legal rights, their status was not passed down to their children, and they did not serve as a major labor force. In fact, most of the previous iterations of human bondage around the world offered a path to freedom. To be fair, it is much easier to refer to America’s unique institution as “slavery” than it is to call it the “perpetual, race-based, constitutional, human trafficking enterprise that legally reduces human beings to chattel through the means of violence or the threat thereof.”
I could go on all day with examples, but you should just read the book to learn more about how our country was founded to how the GOP’s overt bigotry and fear mongering with imaginary threats continues to be effective today.
And according to Trump, America is the greatest country on earth, despite what the numbers say. We are a beacon of freedom and liberty even though we rank first in the world’s prison population. We are the smartest nation in the world, despite ranking fourteenth in education and second in ignorance. We believe in equality and tolerance, despite ranking number one on the list of the most racist countries in the world.
It is amazing and a great compliment to the author’s writing, that while discussing such vile and incomprehensible parts of history, he somehow makes you laugh. He manages to keep heavy topics light, even as your heart breaks and your temper flares. I found the inclusion of random childhood and family stories along with his digressions about food and music to be welcomed breaks that allowed your mind to consolidate and digest what you just took in.
From its inception, America was always a pyramid scheme where the wealthy benefited from the labor of the poor.
Perhaps because my spouse and I are in the process of emigrating out of the USA, or perhaps because like a privileged fool I did not pay attention to politics until several years ago when I was shocked to see the brazen bigotry and corruption that had always been there, this book really hit home. I highly recommend it to all Americans as well as everyone else.
Whiteness is not a social construct, nor is it as eternal or as confident as it seems. Whiteness is fleeting. It is a ghost; a shadow of an imaginary thing. It is the result of an insecurity that not only justifies man’s inhumanity to man, it reinforces the subconscious doubt in one’s own inferiority. Superiority does not require subjugation. A superior human being has no need.
You cannot fight oppression and discrimination, if you do not stay informed and vigilantly pay attention. In America, we must educate ourselves on our factual history, because you are not taught it in school nor any other inconvenient truths. Give me the painful truth every time, as I have no use for comfortable lies.
Like its history, this nation is a mirage. Its greatness is a figment of a collective white imagination that envisions a bright, shining star where there is only a dumpster fire. America is a con artist. It is a counterfeit farce of a white country convinced of its own supremacy. It is a boot on every Black throat and noose on every negro neck. ------------------------------------------- First Sentence: I remember when I discovered America.
Favorite Quote: The lesson of Reconstruction is us. That we exist and breathe and love and sing and laugh and are still here is not a miracle or a revelation. It is a simple, unignorable fact that we cannot be extinguished. All the evil that the world has ever had to offer has been lobbed in our direction. They enslaved. They brainwashed. They lynched us separately and massacred us by the hundreds. They enslaved us by the boatload and sold our families in pieces. They mined our muscles and our minds for their profit and built an empire from it. And when we did the same without their help, they set it on fire. This is America - a floor slick with blood. But that is not who we are. ...more
5 stars = Utterly incredible. One of the best books I've read this year.
There is an America that some people never see. It’s not just the ignorance, i5 stars = Utterly incredible. One of the best books I've read this year.
There is an America that some people never see. It’s not just the ignorance, it’s the hardness. Some people grow up hard, and all that hardness makes them mean. They’re people who, if they see you slip on ice, what’s the first thing they’re going to do? They’re going to laugh. They may eventually help you, or they may not - but first they’re going to laugh.
I absolutely loved this book and want to be friends with the author. Do not let the pink chick-lit cover fool you, I think this is a book that would appeal to all rational people that appreciate a satirical examination of the modern dating world and America’s current division and traitor problem. I laughed and laughed, because what else can we do and not go crazy?
I will never be able to truly know another person. The most intimate relationship of my life would be my relationship with me - which was wildly unappealing. This is why people believe in gods, so we can have intimate relationships with them instead of ourselves.
It is character driven instead of plot, and the group of main characters are well fleshed out and show growth throughout the novel that spans a couple of years. It is sprinkled with interesting reflections on humanity and our current state of affairs, while keeping a tone of cynical hilarity as the heroine tries to figure out life and how to survive. Highly recommended to everyone, though sadly the people that would benefit the most will refuse to read it, as is usually the case with them. I will miss reading about these characters and look forward to checking out what the author does next.
How can our corporeal cages betray us like that? How is it that Time is allowed to write, without our permission, on our faces and bodies like that, in all caps, for everyone to see? ------------------------------------------- First Sentence: Two months after the war began, I found myself single - abandoned.
Favorite Quote: Racism is the problem that gives birth to every other problem: capitalism, war, environmental destruction, you name it. Every time you decide that it’s all right to treat one group of people more terribly than you treat another group of people, that’s racism - and once we have decided to live with it, we can justify going to war, or doing capitalism, or tolerating climate change....more
I was right to trust nobody. They all let me down in the end.
It is usually difficult for me to select my nex4 stars = Fantastic and easy to recommend.
I was right to trust nobody. They all let me down in the end.
It is usually difficult for me to select my next book to read, perhaps because I am a digital book hoarder which can lead to analysis paralysis. I tend to be a mood reader, but even with an idea of what genre I am looking for, in this instance a mystery or thriller, there are still so many choices that it’s difficult to settle on one.
Recently, I started narrowing it down to around 5 books that fit the mood I am looking for, and then I read the first page of each. Typically one of them will be difficult to put down, as was the case with this one. How do you read these first two paragraphs and not want to continue??
‘Put me out with the bins,’ he said, regularly. ‘When I die, put me out with the bins. I’ll be dead, so I won’t know any different. You’ll be crying your eyes out,’ and he would laugh and I’d laugh too because we both knew that I wouldn’t be crying my eyes out. I never cry.
When the time came, on Wednesday 29th November 2017, I followed his instructions. He was small and frail and eighty-two years old by then, so it was easy to get him into one large garden waste bag.
So with my selection made, I settled in and thought this one is going to be funny in a dark and dry sense of humor kind of way. And it is quite funny at times, but it also gets extremely dark rather quickly, and in my case unexpectedly, and then proceeds to run you through the whole gamut of emotions.
It is a compelling, steady paced, grim psychological drama. It’s twisted, fascinating, and disturbing all at the same time. Much like a train wreck, it was hard to look away and hard to put it down. The writing itself was disappointingly light on quotable prose, but when the words are all put together, a captivating story emerges.
No animals were harmed and no one seemed to have an eating disorder, but it is safe to consider all other content warnings applicable. This book is an excellent reminder that some seemingly normal, polite people are actually monsters. Those that have been hurt, will often go on to hurt others.
I love books written from the perspective of someone that is neurodivergent, foreign, from a different time, or in general just has a different take on life. The heroine here is “socially deficient”, and some reviewers find her to be unlikeable. I disagree with that sentiment, but can understand how she is a polarizing figure. I really empathized with Sally and wanted to see her thrive.
‘It’s not good to be racist, Caroline,’ I said. ‘You don’t understand a lot of things, Sally, and this is one of them.’ ‘I understand racism.’ ‘Stop calling me a racist.’ ‘Stop being one.’
The themes incorporated are diverse and varied, including the effects of isolation, the requirement of love for humans to flourish, nature vs nurture, control and manipulation. If you are looking for your next psychological thriller to read and do not mind darkness in your stories, this is one I can easily recommend. ------------------------------------------- First Sentence: ‘Put me out with the bins,’ he said, regularly.
Favorite Quote:I hung up shortly after we had done the goodbye thing that annoys me: 'Goodbye,' 'Bye,' 'Goodbye,' 'See you later,' 'Yes, goodbye,' 'Bye, then.' So tedious....more
Probably shouldn’t have dropped an f-bomb at book club, but there it was.
This was such a sweet and funny boo4 stars = Fantastic and easy to recommend.
Probably shouldn’t have dropped an f-bomb at book club, but there it was.
This was such a sweet and funny book to read that features a slow burn romance and a heroine in her 40’s that is a gamer and borderline hermit-level of introvert. This is a delightful combination that I had never enjoyed the pleasure of reading about before. Is it too much to hope for a literary trend of mid-life characters to take off?
Now that he was gone, it was like it had all welled to the surface, like a suit of armor made of razor blades. Dating? She was ready, maybe even eager, to cut someone.
Thank you to Sara and her lovely review, which brought this novel and author to my attention. I deeply appreciated the positive messages it portrays, from setting boundaries with toxic family members to fully embracing your sexuality, and the importance of loving and accepting yourself for who you are. It was a very satisfying summer read with the right balance of heavier topics included, without ever coming across as preachy. Well done, Bogwitch, well done.
She supposed she ought to feel sorrier about cockblocking the woman (or whatever the female equivalent of cockblocking was - clam slamming?) ------------------------------------------- First Sentence: Stay calm.
Favorite Quote: I heard a lot of regrets, when I was working hospice… There were regrets about what they’d done, and what they hadn’t done. A lot of them said they wish that they’d taken more risks. And even more said that they wished they’d lived the way they had wanted, instead of letting other people tell them what they should do, and living that way....more
A more shallow pool of information than other research books I have been reading, but unlike those, this one is far from being dry, and the author wilA more shallow pool of information than other research books I have been reading, but unlike those, this one is far from being dry, and the author will even have you laughing in parts. ...more
The perfect ending to a delightful, modern fairie tale. I laughed, I gasped, I worried, I cheered. Bravo, Holly Black.
------5 stars - Utterly amazing.
The perfect ending to a delightful, modern fairie tale. I laughed, I gasped, I worried, I cheered. Bravo, Holly Black.
------------------------------------------- Favorite Quote: All power is cursed. The most terrible among us will do anything to get it, and those who’d wield power best don’t want it thrust upon them.
First Sentence: The Royal Astrologer, Baphen, squinted at the star chart and tried not to flinch when it seemed sure the youngest prince of Elfhame was about to be dropped on his royal head. ...more
In the beginning, it feels a teensy bit boring, but the back half is hilarious. Because I don’t want to sound creep4 stars - It was great. I loved it.
In the beginning, it feels a teensy bit boring, but the back half is hilarious. Because I don’t want to sound creepy, I would never say that I wish I knew Jen in real life and that we were the best of buddies. I’ll just be content instead with laughing out loud over her books. ------------------------------------------- Favorite Quotes: Words have power when you let them.
Just saying’....That’s the f*ck you of sanctimonious bitches.
First Sentence: I remember the first time my dad told me to get a job. ...more
Women are both afflicted and empowered by something I call Girl Logic. GL is a characteristically female way of thinkin3.5 stars - It was really good.
Women are both afflicted and empowered by something I call Girl Logic. GL is a characteristically female way of thinking that appears to be contradictory and circuitous but is actually a complicated and highly evolved way of considering every choice and its repercussions before we make a move toward what we want.
I only recently discovered Iliza, but she’s incredible. If you haven’t watched it yet, I highly recommend her Netflix special, Elder Millenial.
I couldn’t relate to a lot of the dating stories (I’ve been with my husband for over half of my life and can’t even comprehend what dating today would be like), but the majority of the book was insightful as well as being humorous, especially the back half. I really enjoyed the pictures she included at the end as well. The point is, this book deserves far more recognition than it has received.
What I love most about her style of humor is that beneath the laughs, there are sharp, perspective observances and explanations. She’s not just funny and beautiful, she’s also intelligent. Smart people are awesome, funny people are awesome, but when you get both in one package, it’s a beautiful thing. ------------------------------------------- Favorite Quote: You teach people how to treat you. If you don’t like someone’s behavior towards you, educate them.
First Sentences: Women aren’t crazy. We are not crazy. We are conflicted. ...more
A delightful rom-com with numerous laugh out loud moments. I’m a sucker for my favorite trope of “hate to lo4.5 stars - Incredible. I really loved it.
A delightful rom-com with numerous laugh out loud moments. I’m a sucker for my favorite trope of “hate to love”, and this one outshines most in the genre. ------------------------------------------- Favorite Quote: I see all these choices unrolling in front of me - career, travel, friends, geography - and despite things being insane and hard and messy, I don't think I've ever liked myself more than I do now. It's the strangest feeling to be proud simply because I'm taking care of me and mine. Is this what it's like to grow up?
First Sentence: In the calm before the storm - in this case, the blessed quiet before the bridal suite is overrun by the wedding party - my twin sister stares critically down at a freshly painted shell-pink fingernail and says, “I bet you’re relieved I’m not a bridezilla.” ...more
Not for the most sexually conservative reader, but I found this memoir to be captivating. Well written, enga4.5 stars - Incredible. I really loved it.
Not for the most sexually conservative reader, but I found this memoir to be captivating. Well written, engaging, and had me laughing out loud and reading excerpts to my husband throughout. She artfully balances those funny memories by discussing thought provoking moments and including tragic personal details about her life.
Having a degree in archaeology + quickly progressing from vanilla to confident role playing professional + writing a debut book that is this wonderful = the author sounds like a well-rounded individual that would be interesting to have in your circle of friends. And so no surprise that the memoir reads like you are sitting back and catching up with an old friend. ------------------------------------------- Favorite Quote: Men mostly just seem to worry about other penises without realizing that it’s women’s hearts that run away with them.
First Sentence: I was having a typical Monday....more
“This second,” his father liked to tell him, “just became the past. As soon as you noticed it, it was alre4 .5 stars - Incredible. I really loved it.
“This second,” his father liked to tell him, “just became the past. As soon as you noticed it, it was already gone. Too bad for you, Son. It’s lost forever.”
Such memorable characters and highlightable prose. The main character is a patriarch that is dying, reflecting on his life and trying to wrap up loose ends before it happens. He broke my heart with his reference to rhinos as it was clear in his frail state that he coveted their impenetrability. Mija - a rhino has such thick skin, mosquitoes and flies can’t bite him. They bend their beaks on him.
Since I am trying to become fluent in Spanish, I enjoy books that mix the two languages. For those that don’t, the author does a wonderful job of giving the translation smoothly, or it is obvious from context.
Between his thoughtful prose and vivid, grey characters, I became an instant fan. Really loved the writing and eagerly look forward to reading the author’s other works as well. ------------------------------------------- Favorite Quote: Death. What a ridiculous practical joke. Every old person gets the punch line that the kids are too blind to see. All the striving, lusting, dreaming, suffering, working, hoping, yearning, mourning, suddenly revealed itself to be an accelerating countdown to nightfall.
First Sentence: Big Angel was late to his own mother's funeral. ...more
Much heavier on romance and sex than the first, but still hilarious. Now that the relationships have been firmly established I h3 stars - It was good.
Much heavier on romance and sex than the first, but still hilarious. Now that the relationships have been firmly established I hope the series takes another turn back towards paranormal adventures going forward, otherwise it will become monotonous. ------------------------------------------- Favorite Quote: Revenge was the emptiest of emotions. Apparently it motivated people to do the stupidest things as well.
First Sentence: I waited outside the large, four-story home in Manhasset that was owned by a Mr. Liam Flannery....more
If you were 75 years old or older, and starting to deal with pain and physical limitations that often beset 4.5 stars - Incredible. I really loved it.
If you were 75 years old or older, and starting to deal with pain and physical limitations that often beset seniors, would you accept an offer to be made young again while retaining your memory and age old wisdom, if it came along with the commitment to fight in an intergalactic war, never to return to Earth?
Bravo, Scalzi! The brilliant and unique concepts behind the novel bring up thought provoking questions - I would have loved to have covered this one with a book club. Stimulating, action packed, rife with snark, and a touching romance all mixed together made for a lovely and memorable read. I hope Netflix does the story service with their future movie adaptation.
------------------------------------------- Favorite Quote: The problem with aging is not that it’s one damn thing after another—it’s every damn thing, all at once, all the time.
First Sentences: I did two things on my seventy-fifth birthday. I visited my wife’s grave. Then I joined the army....more
This was exactly what I needed to cleanse my palate after Infinite Home. I had not read any of Raybourn’s books si4 stars - It was great. I loved it.
This was exactly what I needed to cleanse my palate after Infinite Home. I had not read any of Raybourn’s books since I completed her Lady Julia Grey series but was rather excited when this series came out as it returns to Victorian England. Her writing is just as fun, witty and fast paced as I remember, and this heroine was also brave, independent and snarky. I always look forward to her opening sentences as she typically grabs me from the very start. After all of these compliments, perhaps I should give her more “romancy” novels a go.
While Miss Speedwell was inconceivably unrealistic for her time, it didn’t bother me. I think it has something to do with modern women hoping that if we were to find ourselves suddenly back in time 150 years ago, that we would magically manage to retain our intelligence, logic, and sensibilities. And that thought makes the heroine seem not quite so out of place. ------------------------------------------- Favorite Quote: The truth is a hard mirror, and I am in no mood to look upon my reflection.
First Sentence: I stared down into the open grave and wished that I could summon a tear. ...more
This struck me as a mesh-up of Ready Player One and Ender's Game, which resulted in a really fast and fun read wit4 stars - It was great. I loved it.
This struck me as a mesh-up of Ready Player One and Ender's Game, which resulted in a really fast and fun read with a lot of heart and LOL moments. Much like RPO, this has a lot of 80's and gaming references, but Armada is much heavier on the gaming and lighter on the 80's, a plus for my personal tastes. I must say that I am now feeling nostalgic and itching to jump into an immersive RPG. Loved it! ------------------------------------------- Favorite Quote: I’d spent my entire life overdosing on uncut escapism, willingly allowing fantasy to become my reality.
First Sentence: I was staring out the classroom window and daydreaming of adventure when I spotted the flying saucer. ...more
Easily the best comedic memoir I have read thus far, topping my more recent reads by Tina Fey and Betty White. Love4 stars - It was great. I loved it.
Easily the best comedic memoir I have read thus far, topping my more recent reads by Tina Fey and Betty White. Loved how the book was not just a blow by blow of her life, but that it also included little nuggets of advice and wisdom for life from Amy. There's something for everyone, and by that, I mean there's even a haiku about plastic surgery.
------------------------------------------- Favorite Quote: Decide what your currency is early. Let go of what you will never have. People who do this are happier and sexier.
First Sentence: At this very moment I am attempting to write this preface in the dark while my oldest boy, Archie, sleeps next to me. ...more
Wonderful! I laughed out loud and blew through it in one sitting -- what more could you ask for? The whole book wa 4 stars - It was great. I loved it.
Wonderful! I laughed out loud and blew through it in one sitting -- what more could you ask for? The whole book was funny, but if you only have time for one chapter, pick the one on garage sales. Trust me. Recommended for anyone that enjoys snark, witty sarcasm, or has an appreciation for the fine art of passive aggressiveness.
------------------------------------------- Favorite Quote: I always say “excuse me” even though I heard perfectly well what the person said. I feel that by saying “excuse me,” I’m giving them a chance to realize they’re being an asshole, and they can change their attitude for the second attempt.
First Sentence: Believe it or not, I’m happily married to a guy who doesn’t mind the fact that I’ve never set foot in a CrossFit class and that I own “good” Crocs and “bad” Crocs. ...more
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