L V

A short paragraph in which a mom tells her daughter what to do and how to act in every situation you can think of (how to keep house, how to wash herself, how to please a man, how to smile at people she likes, and those she doesn’t). Basically, mom is shaping her daughter to not think for herself. And with what mom says about daughter, I’m guessing she’s shaping daughter to have a hefty dose of low self-esteem to boot. The daughter only says two quick things in the whole passage, one of which is to protest against one of mom’s assumptions about her, and mom keeps shooting off orders without skipping a beat. Different times. Different cultures. Same cringe when I see women (or anyone, really) continue to support this ideology. You can read it for free here:

https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/1978/06/26/girl

I love looking at old photographs, especially black and white ones. I wonder what the story behind the photos is. Who the people pictured are and how their lives turned out.

The author of this book started collecting photos at a young age. His grandparents would drag him to all kinds of garage sales and flea markets, and that’s where his hobby began. What first fascinated him is that photos of perfect strangers are even sold at all. Then he came across a photo of a girl who looked like the one he had a crush on at summer camp. He bought it and kept it and didn’t buy another random photo for another 15 years, when he removed the little cardboard frame from the photo of the girl to discover that her name was Dorothy, aged 15, who died of leukemia.

Those little written captions in the stranger’s life touched him, and he began to search for more photos with writing on them. The rest of the book is just that—photos of the past. Some are happy, others are sad, and some are plain goofy. There’s nothing super amazing about this book. But if you like looking through old photos this book will fit the bill. It’s peaceful and relaxing and will make you want to treasure your personal photos a bit more.

A close call for Reggie indeed. Kidnapping a boy so that Freddie’s ex would soften up and get back together with Freddie? Only Wodehouse can make a scene like this seem cozy and cute.

I paired my reading along with the audiobook (great narrator btw). I think had I read the book on its own, the Groundhog Day-like time travel would have done me in. The narrator made those parts much easier to digest.

Poor Cassandra is having a bad day. Her “quirks” make it difficult for her to connect with people. One day, Cassandra wakes to find she can go back in time and she tries to undo her bad day. Through these trials, Cassandra begins to learn to pick up on signs and cues from others, something she struggles to do in real time as she processes information a bit differently. She also comes to realize what makes her different and learns to use that info to break the bad day loop and move on to a more agreeable present .

It’s a sweet book but I expected a little more out of it. Not sure what. A little more emotion…a little more action…a more solid ending? All in all, a decent read. It just lacked a bit of wow.

I’ve been in a reading slump for about two months; I pick up a book and can’t focus. I find myself reading a simple passage over and over again.

Powering through, I tried dipping my toe back into the classics. I kept it light by choosing a children’s classic. This particular choice, along with my lack of focus, made it difficult to get through.

A sweet book with many lessons to be learned about friendship and accountability, it dragged in places where the author used excessive use of flowery words to dredge up imagery of the landscape, and so forth. The chapter on the Sea Rat (Wayfarers All) was particularly brutal. I’ll probably give this book another try when I’m back to regular reading mode, but for now I’ll let it be.

Poor Mr. Pepper

“Clay can be salvaged…Jungmin whispered.”

Perfect read for springtime. A story of renewal, clay work is a metaphor for life. Using the steps required to make a piece of pottery is mirrored in the protagonist's own life as she takes her first steps to reshape her’s.

Jungmin is burnt out. Stress in a highly demanding and thankless job causes her to throw it all in. Little by little she kind of becomes a shut-in. She finally musters a little courage to take a walk and stumbles upon a pottery shop. The subtleties used by the owner (life coach) to get Jungmin to stay and give pottery work a try is masterful.

Life is malleable. It takes a steady dose of patience and persistence to make something out of it that you can use and that will bring you satisfaction. It is unique and its imperfections should also be embraced as sometimes it’s the imperfections that bring the piece character and draws others in.

Now, what I am describing are lessons that are delicately woven into the story. The author’s use of language is soft and relaxing, and she takes great care not to beat you over the head with the moral of the story. A friend recommended this one and I am glad Libby came through when it did. Thanks for the recommendation, Elwira! Very sweet story.

A lovely debut novel by Mr. Graham Norton. Characters are well developed and relatable, and the story unfolded with a nice flow and ease. No loose ends. It kept my interest as to what would happen next all the way to the end. Reading it in his voice helped a lot (and unavoidable).

I received the audiobook version from Libby way too late into my reading, but I read the last two chapters along with the audio, and it was excellent. Not only is Norton a solid writer, he’s an amazing narrator.

As for the story itself, it’s ultimately about the idea of how life’s what-could-have-beens and past memories and secrets can keep one from living their fullest and happiest present.

If this debut novel were on the famous Red Chair, I would let it tell its tale and I wouldn’t dream of pulling the lever!

Not going to review PG’s works anymore. I’ve come to realize how much I love his short witty stories and already know they’re all going to be 4 to 5 stars across the board. I will say one thing about this particular story, had it taken place in current times, Chiswick would definitely have given old Bicky the money to corner the egg market!

Wooster has a bit of a problem that only Jeeves can help him resolve. Jeeves, however, is a bit ticked off with Wooster for not taking his advice in another matter, and this leaves Wooster pretty much hanging by a rope. Not until the very end does Jeeves come through and help save the day. The story is funny, the plot is creative and engaging, and the characters are all so lovable. Wodehouse’s way of writing is just so witty and delightful.

I needed a palette cleanser after reading a pretty heavy book about death and dying. This short comedy fit the bill. 

Wooster knows that listening to Jeeves will always pay off in the end, so when his friend, Corky, finds himself in a bit of a bind and seeks Wooster’s help, Wooster doesn’t hesitate to bring Jeeves into the conversation. 

Jeeves’s plan to help Corky is played out, but it backfires on old Corky. Not to worry. Jeeve finds a better way out, and it leaves Corky in much better shape than if Plan A had panned out. Wooster knows how lucky he is to have Jeeves by his side and knows that things will always be okay with Jeeves there:

“I agree with Shakespeare and the poet Johnnies about it always being darkest before the dawn and there’s a silver lining and what you lose in the swings you make up on the roundabouts.”

I haven’t read Wodehouse’s work in a long while, but I’ll definitely be seeking out his work whenever I need a bit of a mood booster or quick read. 

A friend told me to read this, so I did. I went in not knowing anything about it at all. And, holy smokes, this read crushed me.

This book tackles the stages of grief. Life experiences shared throughout serve as a lesson that some stories don’t have happy endings, but if we can confront our fears, we can begin to heal and move on and not allow the grief to make us feel isolated and unseen. It also allows the reader to forgive themselves for wanting to ease their own pain by secretly wanting to let go.

“You were merely wishing for the end of pain, the monster said. Your own pain. An end to how it isolated you. It is the most human wish of all.”

It’s beautifully told, but as it tackles some rough subject matter, I’d never recommend this as a blind read (just a heads up). The last two pages will get you. Be ready to be sad and perhaps quiet-cry. Have a fun, light-hearted read as a chaser waiting for you.

“Everything changes into something else, turns into some version of what it was before.”

“Maybe the way back will somehow make sense of the coming.”

I think I’ve found a new favorite writer. Keegan has such talent for drawing you into a story, as though you’re actually in it - viewing and experiencing everything that’s going on first-hand.

In Small Things Like These the ending leaves the reader thinking about what happens to the characters beyond the chapter’s end. This story’s little twist will have you doing the same. This is my second read from this author. I will definitely read more of her work.

This was a fast and fun read. It wasn’t hilarious, but the non-work related chats workers engaged in were amusing in that they are pretty realistic and true to office culture. Aside from their personal chats and inside jokes, is the PR firm’s biggest and most pressing project: putting out fires for Bjärk, their dog food client. Those of you who have the misfortune of talking up a shitty client, stretching report data (or making it up) to their favor, or exaggerating and manipulating interviews, quotes, social media posts, etc. to keep the client happy and paying up, will nod in agreement and understanding with a lot of the back and forth chat going on in the Slack channel.

The story does get weird (in a good way). Without giving anything away, I’ll just say that the twist is creative and fresh, yet I would have liked a bit more action and detail to the ending’s resolution. Just like in the the beginning of the story, the wrap-up could’ve seemed a bit more exciting had it stayed true to office culture by having the characters gossip and dissect the crap out of the ending (have an office meeting, one-on-one meetings, and after work gossip sessions about what just happened!). Each character could have provided a piece to the puzzle as to how and why things took a turn. Overall, makes for a very fast and enjoyable read when you’re in between books or want to get out of a reading slump. Lydia??

This was our very first pick for book club and I might have made my reading partner a little nuts flip-flopping from liking a character to disliking him/her and then liking them again. An unreliable narrator and events that keep building up and leaving you with questions you need answered, like right now, make for a good read because it keeps you reading until you get to the answers. I tacked on an extra star because having someone to share my thoughts about this read provided me with some insight and different perspectives on the characters that I would not have come to had I read on my own.

How, after all these years, King continues to churn fresh and engaging page-turners is beyond me. I can only suspect that the tale of the Two Talented Bastids is based on his life story, and that the character of Laird Carmody is based on none other than the distinguished master himself.

I read this book on my e-reader and listened to the audiobook at the same time (I highly recommend for the best reading experience). The audiobook’s narrator is outstanding, and the timbre of his voice will pull you in. In one of the stories, a character uses a voice-altering device when making a phone call, and one is used in the audiobook version; it made for a nice touch.

An entertaining read loaded with humor, evidence and sharp insight. The author covers a wide variety of topics in sizable chunks, making this a quick and fun read. There are so many things I was fascinated to learn, I mean, this author covers topics dating back to before 49 B.C.E. up to about 2019.

The wealth of information I learned, however, kept getting overshadowed by the realization that throughout the vast span of history, we haven’t made that much progress . Two quotes from his March chapter come to mind:

( March chapter: March 25, 1911) “Rights come from fighting for them, not asking nicely. Advancements in society are made because people are pissed about not being treated with a modicum of decency, and they’re willing to reveal just how pissed they are. Those with power will ignore anyone petitioning for change that doesn’t serve the interests of the powerful. They must be forced to change by making it more costly to ignore demands than accede to them. Across areas and eras, it has repeatedly been shown that this is how the world works.”

And…

(March chapter: March 5, 1953), “If people are beholden to a leader rather than a system of government, not only does it allow leaders to get away with whatever the fuck they want, it makes transition to new leadership all the more challenging…It places a nation under the whim of a very mortal ruler…They may be great, they may be horrible, but either way, they eventually die. Strong systems of government, however, can survive no matter who is in charge.”

Yup.

* I received a copy through a First Reads giveaway*

After a mundane and low-paying job as a typist, Vera , a nice Jewish girl from humble beginnings models jewelry on the side to make ends meet. They dress her up in the nicest clothes and most expensive jewelry and have her model in the swankiest hotels. Vera dreams of living the high life and longs for the glitz and glamour of it all. She gets more than she bargains for when she meets and falls in love with two rival Chicago gangsters.

The carefree days of the Jazz Age and sinister Prohibition crime wave come to life in this read. At first Vera seems like a one dimensional character, but when she is forced to do for herself, she becomes a force to be reckoned with. This one is more a 3 star read, but I'll give it a 4 for the realistic depiction of how Chicago used to be in the Roaring Twenties.

Oof. What a powerful read.

When doing the right thing doesn’t seem like an option for most because the powers that be are too evil and mighty and can make one’s existence pure hell, that’s when you discover what you’re truly made of. For “was there any point in being alive without helping one another? Was it possible to carry on along through all the years, the decades, through an entire life, without once being brave enough to go against what was there and yet call yourself a Christian, and face yourself in the mirror?”

We all need to channel our inner Furlongs. We need more Bill Furlongs in the world. Make this book a mandatory daily reading.

I’m not sure I believe Mr. A. Wolf’s version of events - too many holes in his story. I think we’re gonna need to speak to Grandma Wolf and verify her birth date. Nice illustrations and a fun read for little ones who have a good (and darkish) sense of humor.

Not sure what I was expecting. The beginning started off strong and it seemed like there was a to-be revealed purpose to the siblings going back to the House. Things then take a shift and the story kind of loses a little something, as do the characters. But maybe that’s the point the author is trying to get across. That life has its highs and lows. And to quote Danny, “disappointment comes from expectation.” My takeaway: so long as you have at least one person who truly loves you unconditionally and is always there for you, then you’re always home.

The podcast is way better.

Many years ago I came across the film of the same name, I almost changed the channel, but upon seeing Baby Jane played by Bette Davis, wearing insane makeup and laughing with that throaty smoker’s voice, I dropped the remote and watched the rest of the film. I thought it was the most insane thing I had ever seen, and loved every minute of it. I loved the film even more when I learned through older members of my family that it was rumored that Davis and Crawford couldn’t stand each other.

Mitch Douglas, Farrell’s literary agent, confirms the rumors in this book’s introduction: <i>Henry Farrell and the Story of Baby Jane</i>. Both actresses agreed to take the parts with the intention of mopping the floor with the other. On set, Davis “accidentally” kicks Crawford. Crawford retaliates by adding weights under her clothes, causing Davis’ back to give during a scene in which she has to carry and drag Crawford. Later, the actresses were to star in another film together. By this time, Crawford was married to the president of Pepsi. So what does Bette do? Before Crawford arrives, she gets the crew to replace all the Pepsi machines with Coca-Cola machines. She even takes pictures with some of the crew drinking Coke.

No matter to what extreme their animosity ran for each other, the final film product shows nothing but professionalism on both their parts. Knowing about their personal rivalries and reading the book cover to cover, I can’t imagine who else might play the roles of the Hudson sisters. For those of you who have only seen the film and are curious, the book is pretty much the same as the film, with very minor differences – such as Blanche is blonde and Baby Jane has dark hair. In the book, the neighbor watches the old Blanche Hudson movies with her neighbor, not her daughter.

Long story short: If you love the movie, you’ll love the book!

A beautifully told story of a boy who faces so many challenges at school because of his appearance. He's really a cool kid but people keep him at arms length - that is until someone finally breaks from the pack and shows him some decency. Not all follow suit at once, but it goes to show that sometimes it only takes one small act of kindness to turn things around. Such a simple idea, yet such a complex concept for most.

This is not my genre at all, but I read it upon my friend’s insistence. I’ve made it a habit not to read blurbs on any books recommended to me, so I was not aware of the genre going into it. Sorry to say this just wasn’t my cup of tea. In my opinion, it felt like the writer tried too hard to write beautiful prose so that the reader could feel and imagine everything the protagonist was going through. It was beautiful at first, but a little over the top; how many ways can one describe having mind-blowing sex before the reader stops and thinks to him/herself, “alright, I get the picture.” At least you get a story line and characters that have brains in this one. If you’d like to read a smarter version of Fifty Shades, sans the violence, try this one on for size.