kae

Here's to my next hyperfixation series pops champagne and clinks bottles

I just want to say that I don't really feel like I have a place to comment on the quality of this book. I will say it was extremely information dense and fascinating. I really enjoy all the work John Douglas has done for the field he is in. The psychology of a criminal is already very intense and the lens he uses for analysis is amazing. I read Mindhunter (because I am avid watcher of the Netflix show... I SOOOOO hope it comes back) which was also amazing. Jonathan Groff narrates this book and his voice is just what the hard facts needed to be in the delivery department. He plays the character that is loosely based off the author of this book and the audio includes a few pages with an interview between them which was really really wholesome and informative. I'm glad I got to experience it.

This book was fantastic. There was so much that I took out of it. I had to take so many breaks purely because every sentence was a separate journaling prompt. Which is EXHAUSTING at times! Emily Nagoski has such an awesome way with words, it was the perfect of scientific fact and down to earth analysis and comparison. I really enjoyed that the information was distilled to a level that was digestible for someone who is not in STEM. I would recommend to anyone wanting to understand stress: where it comes from, why we carry it, how we carry it, and how we can set it down for awhile or release it for good.

3.5 stars

The reason for this was because for 2/3 of the book, it was boring as hell. And the writing on the wall for Carrie. As someone who is a fan of an unreliable narrator, I have no problem disliking characters. However, this girl was annoying as hell. Super stubborn, persistent to a fault–it makes sense. The thing that gets me was that there was no reprieve for the reader from this constant situations of Carrie “shooting herself in the foot”, because there are no other POVs or narrative shifts, like Reid's other books. There are a few newspaper articles and sport casters, but nothing like Malibu Rising or Evelyn Hugo.

Another thing I continue to be disappointed about is that Reid is a wonderful world builder. As a historical fiction/ contemporary writer, I feel like I have never seen this level happening before for a non-fantasy/ Sci-fi genre, between several ‘stand alone' novels. Are we forgetting Carrie Soto's large cameo in Malibu Rising? I was hoping to be able to hear her point of view as the reader for that in this novel. And i truly cannot wrap my head around why this isn't happening for multiple of Reid's books. Its such a missed opportunity and truly unfortunate. I really hope we get unreleased chapters at some point because this point ALONE is making me really unenthusastic about her most recent and future work. (Also, can we talk about how Daisy Jones makes a cameo as well?)

This book was riding 2 stars hard core, but ended up being 3.5 because of the last 100 pages. As someone who recently lost her father, the relationship that Carrie and Javier have is fantastic and pulled at my heart. There were several instances at the end with evens that made me relive a lot, but I appreciate the talent of Reid to be able to put such a loss into words. I also loved Beau and Nikki's characters. I think they were dynamic and expressive people, I only wish they were introduced earlier in the narrative to break up the monotony of Carrie's dialogue.

As a professional who has 5 years of experience in the field after completing ehr Masters degree in architecture, I can honestly say that I am burnt out. I saw Jake and his profile on LinkedIn and immediately became a connection. He and his team's postings about real life truths involving architecture as a profession, burnout, deception, confidence and breaking down of skills lead me to this book. Jake and Erin's retelling of multiple types of stories involving the mistreatment, gaslighting and hard truths of the industry attempt to snuff out innovation and ethics to administer the mass agenda made me feel super seen and validated.

I feel like there was a point in my career where I was asking myself “have I made a mistake? Is this really what I want to do for the rest of my life?” It was fantastic to be reassured that my (very expensive) degree hasn't been wasted, even though I feel as though the profession no longer represents the pathway and ideals I desire for a career path. This book is a refreshing take on shaking things up and how to make your degree for work you, rather than slaving away for the sake of a label on a degree. I highly recommend to anyone at any stage of their architectural or design career. The perspective and narrative shifts in this book foster a flexibility of the mind. A big aid in open-mindedness, synergy and general well-being in the design field as a whole. Thank you for all you have shown light on in the profession!

TW TW TW TW TW:

I feel as thought this book should have came with an extreme trigger warning at the beginning of the book. (Maybe it did but I took it with a grain of salt and it did not measure up to the actual amount of abuse in here)

TW: EATING DISORDERS, verbal abuse, gaslighting, Stockholm Syndrome, absentee-father, heavy drug and alcohol use

I loved this book. I really appreciate Jennette's candor and no-nonsense retelling of her story. You can tell by her writing tone and overall narration of the book how exhausting and struggling her life has been. It was really refreshing to hear from someone who is so ready to move on with their life that they retell all the nitty gritty details of the abuse they faced.

I would highly recommend not reading this if you have every struggled with or have not solidly healed from that trauma as this couple cause a spiral back into old behavior.

-1 star because even though Taylor has done such an amazing job of creating this universe of movie stars and rockstars and tennis pros, she FAILS to reference them in each other story lines!!!

You mean to tell me that although Mick Riva was referenced in not one but TWO of her other novels, those people are not even referenced in Mick's life?? And to be honest, this story is written in 2 separate timelines, 1 from Mick Riva and 1 from the alternating view of June (Riva's children's mom) and his kids (Nina, Jay, Hud and Kit). Its a damn shame because the Mick chapters are relatively short and it would not be too much to reference his interaction with both Evelyn Hugo and Daisy Jones with the Six. That is the true shame.

This book was good, but all in all you could really tell that it was a world-building book. It set up the cast of characters for Taylor to expand upon in future novels. At the time I read this, I knew that ‘Carrie Soto is Back' was coming out, so I read the parts that mentioned her with more intent because I knew she would be expanded upon from her own point of view very soon.

As for other instances, there was a part at the party where she was naming random actors, producers, financial gurus, etc. etc. The few sentences of pure name drops were clearly for reference later in future novels.

This book really reminded me more of a stepping-stone novel as opposed to a stand-alone. It was good, don't get me wrong, because I really enjoy Taylor's writing and the way she humanizes her characters. Her play on drama is more down-to-earth comparted to other contemporary/historical fiction writers, which is a feat when talking about actors and rockstars, etc. with big egos. BUT, this book did not measure up to Evelyn Hugo or Daisy Jones, which I have read several several times over (and I don't normally do that).

4.5 stars. Slow burn, witty banter, ‘i-dont-like-anyone-but-her trope (we stan).

I really liked this book because I saw a lot of my witty quirkiness in Olive, especially being involved with someone that she grows to love. However, there were so many times that I was screaming ‘GIRL SAY IT SAYYYY IT' to her because she stutters sooooo much. Sometimes I wasn't sure if she really knew how to speak, and that was infuriating juxtaposed with her very good tennis-match worthy banter back and forth in previous chapters.

A lot of this was predictable. Did it make the plot bad? Absolutely not. There was a solice and comfort reading this book because I knew how it was going to end, but the route to get there was not exactly the same as other things I have read. I would definitely recommend for a quick, feel-good read that will make you smile and laugh out loud.

Ooooooooo I absolutely loved this book. I have read a lot of works that are part of this ‘self-help' genre, but Tara's take on self-love and acceptance was completely different than those that I have read previously. She embraces the messy, chaotic, sticky, uncomfortable truly exasperating things about being an individual with lots of trauma and hardships to work through. Instead she writes about how hate is okay and how angst and absolute loathing of situations, people and yourself is an essential part of the process. I feel as though other authors just state “let go”, but HOW am I supposed to f*cking let go when I literally spent my whole teenage experience in heavy eyeliner and a bad attitude (the angst has not changed). I saw so much of myself in the stories that Tara told about her life and it made me feel seen, It's okay to be angry and feel shitty about your childhood, your lack of significant other, feeling behind, your career, your friendships, etc. But write that down, work through it. Tara gives a billion (literally so many) simple exercises/ways to combat or work through things that are so low stakes you have to be absolutely nuts not to try. I really wish that this came with a workbook though (I listened to the audiobook though) because there was just so much to absorb and so much good to hear. TARA, ARE YOU LISTENING???????????? You can credit K$ with the inspo via GoodReads. Also, like can we just be friends? I love you. Please do book signings so I can give you all the hugs and convince you to come have 3 drinks max with me at a local bar in western Mass. Love you love you love you and cannot wait to see what else you have up your sleeve! -K

i LOOOOOVED this book. Frederik Backman has such a way of combining humor and saddness, struggle and understanding into one complex package that highlights all the things in the spectrum of emotions. He gives you all of this while still supplying moments to breathe and rest within the story to recover. I would highly highly highly recommend this book to all people in all areas of their life and at all ages. There was a spectrum of challenges and ages affected by the plot. It is very special when you find a book that says “life is hard, and that is okay. It's okay to feel and to fall and to get up and try again. At least you'll get a good laugh out of it at some point.” Humble and powerful, I hope we many many more like this soon.

4.5 stars/5.

This was probably one of the best nonfiction books I have ever read. It was incredibly informative and I had a lot to take away from it. Dweck describes the differences between ‘fixed mindsets' and ‘growth mindsets' and how they can make or break literally everything in your life, especially when looked at through the lens of ‘success'. What does success mean to someone? Does it mean getting the grade (via cheating or cramming) or accumulating the knowledge through hard work and pacing oneself to get the grade? Is it looking at the shortest possible way to get somewhere, like fad dieting? Or is it looking at making the habits consistent for long-term success?

This book had me looking at all the areas of my life I jumped to wanting to ‘instant fix' rather than the longterm learning. While reading this book, I was studying for an exam, and although I did not pass, I would not say I failed. This book helped me really see and capitalize on the fact that all the time I spent studying was not wasted because I did not get the grade I wanted. It actually was time well spent because it made me better at my job and made it easier to understand the systems I am working with through a different lens. I expanded my knowledge through this in a way that may have not been so obvious in the beginning.

This book also called me out in terms of the limited ‘fixed' mindset I was displaying in my romantic relationship, as well as friendships/ familiar relationships. I now have some new strategies in my pocket to employ to work with another person towards success.

Also, Dweck highlights the fact that just because you start this does not mean that its done. If you think its in a good spot and you don't need to put more effort in, you are stagnant and that is where the trouble starts again. This was refreshing because there is this misconception that if you have to put any work into anything, whether it is a relationship, job, hobby, etc. then it something is wrong. How can we love the underdog story of those who put in all this hard work for whatever, but then when it is our turn we think that the needing to work hard is in indication of inadequacy?

All in all this book was great, however, there were things that Dweck discusses (particularly with parenting) that I would not agree with. Its all a balance. I have no children myself, but I tapped into how I would have reacted if my parents parented the way she suggested. I would have felt unseen and unheard, which would have backfired. This is the reason why I knocked off .5 stars. It is really because she pushes the envelope too far in certain directions, and many of these can be argued to be disruptive to overall growth. That aside, it was only .5 reduced not 1 because those situations just described are great opportunities for discussion and communication.

I would highly recommend this read to people who feel stuck and a little lost in life, or for those looking to improve themselves in ways that are considered ‘soft skills' (less about concrete credentials and more about how you as an individual perceive people, situations, yourself and success.)

I loved this book and read it for my Law of Attraction bookclub. It was incredibly informative and took a spiritual approach to how we hold trauma and stress in our body and how it manifests itself as pain and diseases. It was incredibly eye opening and really informative while reiterating the importance of letting go. This book was definitely written awhile ago (1984), and you can tell while reading. Some things I dont think aged well and her opinions on certain circumstances are not somewhat overdriven by concrete science. However, her overall train of through and large themes rang true. This is definitely the “first of the genre” and now there are several other works that communicate her theories more effectively. I would highly recommend reading as a starting point with the loose spiritual understanding of the power of your thoughts. While I do look forward to reading Hay's other work, I understand that for concrete data, etc. these are not the end-all-be-all's of the genre.

This is probably one of the best books that I've ever read in my life. My second time reading this has come almost 2 years to the tee since I finished it the first time. My July book club theme was Independence Day and great American stars and this hit the spot. Evelyn Hugo is one of the most dynamic main characters that I've ever met and been fortunate enough to know. (Yes I speak about her as if she's a real life person because I honestly feel like the character development was just that in depth.) There was so much going on with her in terms of her life from start to finish and the glimpses and timelines that Taylor Jenkins Reid covered and one novel was amazing. The actress lived to be 79 and we caught everything from start to finish. However, it never felt as though you were reading a biography. Rather, the main character's story wove into several others. Evelyn, her 7 husbands, the real love of her life, her biographer Monique, Monique's family, Connor and all the others were beautifully placed in the storyline. I think of them as “trinkets” in the story of Evelyn's life. So beautiful and amazing in their own rights, however they fit together so great. I was very impressed that Reid was able to have so many dynamic and unique characters interacting with one another for so many timelines. A true feat I will keep reading over and over 5/5 stars!!!

Alright, so I'm going to shoot you straight: this was not great. It was actually a pretty bad book. First, it was more or less a rehash of Julia Quinn's third book in the Bridgerton series (peep my review of that last month for the scoop). I am not saying that the details were 100% the same, but the storylines were pretty similar (60%?). Also this book is wild in its descriptions. Like 50 shades crazy. And honestly its not that the content was bad its just that I expected a lot more from the author.

“I'm not mad, I'm just disappointed.”

Evie, come on. I heard so much about this book from BOTM to forums, etc. and I guess I just expected more. I knew Julia Quinn's ‘An Offer from a Gentleman' was not going to have the best quality writing and yet it was somehow better than this. Yikes

There were just so many characters and so much going on I found myself searching for some plot between the large amount of intimate scenes and then I was lost because the story was all over the place. Needless to say, I probably wont be reading the sequel. 2.75 stars/5.

the new BIBLE. I said what I said. 5 stars. Hear-ye Hear-ye step off the diet train and actually love yourself (or respect yourself enough to know when you are being manipulated by a multi-billion dollar industry that capitalizes on making you feel unworthy).

Alright. So. This book was literally 50% a Cinderella rip-off, 50% a lesson in consent. I'm so disappointed because Benedict is my favorite Bridgerton! Let's be real... drool THUS I am thoroughly disappointed in his judgemental, impatient and blind to consent nature in this book. Honestly though, I'm just reading these so that I have a background for when the show progresses to each season. I really did not have high expectations for this author after reading the first book in terms of writing quality, but I continue to have high expectations for the Netflix series as I LOVED Shonda Rhimes' adaptation. 3 stars because I love Benny, -2 because I like him in the show better (sad face).

Wow. Just Wow. I learned so much from this book about myself, life and people in general that I almost feel too humbled to have an opinion. I will say this: I enjoy Jessamyn so much. I am a follower of her Instagram page, a subscriber to the Underbelly and have read both of her books. Her take on life and fluidity of truth and knowledge of self in this world inspires me and makes me feel whole. I hope that she comes out with more content, I cannot wait to consume and reconsume it all 10/10 would recommend reading this book on your yoga (and self-acceptance) journey.

I gobble this whole book up in one weekend. It was probably one of the most wholesome, witty, lighthearted, best romantic comedy novels I've read in a long time. Last year I read Beach Read by this author and absolutely loved it it was a perfect summer book to keep me going on vacation. I wanted something equally as lighthearted this weekend stuck inside for a rainy Fourth of July. I started this book on Saturday morning and I am glad to say that I finished it Monday morning. This book took me so many different places and made me Feel so many different emotions. Alex and poppy have been friends for over a decade. I love that the author chose to recount previous stories of vacations they had took leading up to the one that they were actually taking for the main storyline. I feel like I was able to get a full grasp of the characters because we were able to see them in so many different regions for travel but also social situations and financial situation. We learn a lot about the characters from their upbringing in their hometown and family life from Wayback win and it really added to how the reader was able to create a connection to the main characters. All in all this is probably one of the best books I read this year and I'm really looking forward to reading more of what Emily Henry is coming out with in the future. I've been really impressed with her work as of late and I am really looking forward to more spicy beach and vacation rates that are the epitome of summer in a novel. Highly recommend!

This was good. The plot did not really seem to do much or move to great heights anywhere, but honestly that is what the book was about: stagnancy. There was a lot that was said by the author by not being said in the book fully. Hints of racism, being an immigrant in a foreign country, betrayal, addiction, love, family ties and bloodline. I thought that this book hit upon a lot of things. It was definitely wholesome and looking back I feel like it took me to a different place and mindset. With an undertone of melancholy, this book left me at a low because it was low the whole time. I do not regret reading this but it was not the best I have ever read.

I really enjoyed this book. There was a lot of meat in it. I first came across Lisa when she was interviewed as part of the Secret by Rhonda Byrne. I loved her voice and her ability to weave words together like a warm blanket that can surround a nourish the soul. This book was no different. I appreciated how raw her openness with her stories are - this woman lived a hard life! Through the action steps she suggests in the book, one can work their “other” group of muscles (determination muscle, I know like I know muscle, self-love muscle, acceptance muscle) to really flex on them haters (including yourself). Haha in all seriousness though, I will definitely read this book over again as I can gather that I would identify and give attention to something I missed the previous times because it is more applicable to my life. Definitely a great read and I would highly recommend.

WOW! I am so happy that I picked up this book. It is so nice to hear someone who is closer to my body size advise on fitness and health. I learned so much from this book in terms of equipment, supplements, workouts, workout terms and most importantly, experiencing it all with respect. I have always had a really bad relationship with exercise. I would probably go as far as to say that it was worse than my relationship with food, because I only ever did it out of punishment to my body. Yes, I thoroughly enjoyed the soccer games with teammates and the look on everyone's faces when they knew I ran that marathon in high school. But it was all for other people. I literally ran that marathon in high school because I thought that people thought I was too fat to do it (in my 160 lb frame, oh my sweet summer child). I did it because I thought that it would make my varsity coach proud of me because she would see me as worthy of her love like the other skinny athletic girls on the team, and not just a charity case. I broke down as the end of the year because she had this speech about how proud she was of me. It was exactly what I wanted and what I did it all for... so why wasn't I happy? Because I didn't do it for me. I was left empty. In healing my relationship with food, my body and my relationship with exercise, I now move in a way that celebrates it. It's hard to forget your old ways when you have been conditioned by yourself, your family, society to see yourself as flawed. This book was amazing because Meg describes that there are no such thing as flaws, just being and being all without judgement. I wish to read more from her and would welcome any suggestions from anyone about books similar to this! I love weightlifting and I am into this way of teaching! Recommend me all the books!!

This was probably one of the best books I have read in terms of self-help. The self-help I need it totally addressing my limiting beliefs when it comes to all sorts of things. In this case it was/is money. After each chapter, Amanda gives you some end of chapter homework to journal and answer the questions correlating to the content that was spoken about & introduced in the chapter. I honestly hate journaling but it was through this process that I was able to really confront my shite and dig in. I still have a hard time with a lot of this because I am in the process of getting rid of my “it has to be hard to be successful” mindset, but this really helped. Peep my notes that transferred over from kindle (God, I love technology) if you want a sense of what this book is about beyond reading the synopsis. Read as May book for bookclub, “The Law of Attraction Changed My Life” via Patreon which includes chapter analysis via podcasts. highly recommend all of the above for catapulting personal self growth.

My path back to spirituality brought me to this book. I am a huge believer in the law of attraction and I have implemented that in my life for as long as I can remember. Going beyond that and having weird experiences with Catholic schools and organized religion, it has been hard to get back in touch with my spirituality beyond this law of attraction point. This book identified that the way that I feel about that whole experience was OK and also there was a place to move forward. This book you gave me hope. Overall this book identify that there are many names for the things going on in the universe that are a higher vibe and out of our control. Whether you believe in God, spirit, the universe, whatever you name it, it's all the same thing. This book boiled down the basics of what really is taught in a lot of religions and it focused on one thought. The thought is that we are all beings with vibrational energy that can either match or separate us. Every day we wake up we choose to either be love and one with the universe and one another or we choose to be separate and live in fear and lack. I highly recommend this book for people of all religions. I also highly recommend this book for people who are in my boat: grew up under the guise of forced religion and sup-consequently grew up and revolted against what was shoved down our throat. Leaving us only to believe that we must control everything because there is no such thing as a higher being or faith. Let go with this book. I am looking forward to reading many others of Gabby's and her down to earth approach to the spiritual teachings of the universe.

This was a really good book. First off: I think I actually liked this more than ‘the Duke and I'! Second off: I am enjoying these Bridgerton books a lot more than I thought i would and ya girl has NO SHAME. ZERO!

Anyways, this book follows the life/love of Anthony Bridgerton, which given if you watched the show also, was a great way to sequence because through Daphne finding her love in the first book, you find out a lot about Anthony.

Anthony meets Kate aka the BEST woman so far in the series (except Violet. Personally I like how the show version of her is more casual but I admire her strength and fierce loyalty to her family.) Kate is incredibly down to earth and I am sue that every women who reads this book will find at least 1 characteristic of Kate relatable. This to me is a big thing because these [eriod dramas (at least to me) can be rather cold. Meaning, there isn't but character to viewer kindship. Yes, we watch and all admire the characters for who they are and how they fit in the story, but I haven't found someone as relatable as Kate.

Modern twist on a tale as old as time. He finds her the annoying sister of the girl he is courting based off his “standards”. And she finds him to be a total ass. Thy get into it and possessive over the girl in question and then end up being frenemies. Th smolder burns and from there the fire takes root and the rest is history. There are several twists and turns along the way.

Like I said earlier, I have been finding these to be incredibly satisfying reads partially because I have no expectations for romances/historical fiction like I do my psychological thrillers. These have been nice breaks from the drama that is the world and my usual reading hit list. Would highly recommend (especially now that the show has been renewed to season 4! This means we get breath quickens Benedict (swoon) and Colin (which is you all have been reading the second epilogues in the book and know what went down in season 1 finale of the show, SHOULD BE A TREATTTTTTT).

3.75 stars/5

Okay this was a good book! But I just wanted more. Especially more insight into the goddesses of this war. Like some straight chapters of Athena, etc. Maybe an unpopular opinion. But this lower rated review doesn't have me looking at the high reviews in disgust (like a lot of other books - Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires, I'm looking at you). I honor those and can see how people would feel that way about this book. This is just my opinion.

Okay ima shoot you all straight I wish she put the Afterword as a Foreword because I was super unaware that this was her attempt as an epic and I think I would have appreciated it more knowing that ahead of time.

One thing I think was unique to this book (besides showing a woman's perspective on war and strife), is the underlining of grief that scored the whole thing. Let me explain: when there is a work that discusses or dives into war, grief is always an inevitable part of that. However, those works primarily focus on the violence. This movies being rated ‘R' with a disclaimer of ‘gore and violence', but there is never a warning about grief. To me, the grief is almost more impactful because you cannot explicitly see it. You can see someone getting torn to shreds, blood oozing on the battlefield but the only grief one can see is through a characters experience. Because of this, it is emotional. When we see grief, we are seeing an individual going through an experience and how that unique individual processes this. This is what Natalie Haynes does so incredibly well in this work. She works through countless women with many separate personalities, but writes as those personalities seeing through a veil of grief. This is constant through the whole novel.

I would say if you're looking for some high points as a respite from the feelings of loss and grief within this book, you are looking in the wrong place. It took me so long to get through it because I did not realize the emotional impact of subconsciously dealing with all that was like a buffering symbol on my head.

In other words: would highly recommend the works of Madeline Miller if this is your thing!