Kristine Laco

This was an easy, charming read (actually, I listened).
I thought the characters behaved as expected but in unexpected ways. I was surprised by the read the author did though. He made the protagonist sound angry or overtly frustrated, and the dialogue sounded more maternal. I think I would have preferred to read this instead of listen.
If you are headed to the beach this holiday season, you can't go wrong with this book.

This look at the life of a Playboy Bunny is fascinating. Although this is fiction, it reads like a true story. The sex, drugs, and rock and roll, feels genuine to the era. The protagonist is flawed and we are rooting for her the whole time. I wish she would have snapped out of it sooner... but glad she got there. Worth reading, for sure.

The language in this book is lovely and poetic. Jones is masterful at setting scenes. I was not prepared for the content, however. It was all so sad and depressing. Maybe at another time (not during a pandemic when all sorts of misery are around), I would have received this book better. As it stands though, I found myself constantly saying ‘NO' while reading.
I also expected a bit of funny mixed-in based on the title. There was nothing funny in this book!

I thought this book was beautifully written. The protagonist was a sweet and caring girl in the middle of WWII. She was working at a bookshop in London when she discovered her passion for reading. But her passions also extended to the community and to the bookshop owner who seemed gruff but softened to a paternal influence which, as an orphan, she so desperately craved.
The language Martin used was so clearly period-specific and I thought, overall, it was an enticing read. I often shy away from wartime reads, but I'm glad I gave this one a read. It had war and hardship, but it had love and charm which I was thankful for.

If you see your wife reading this book, ask yourself if you are doing all you can to make her happy :)

This book I listened to on audiobook while I gardened. I had 2 hours of work to do but stretched it to the entire length of the book. My family couldn't believe how hard I worked (I turned the same patch of the garden several times–ha!).

I found both the current timeline and the past timeline engaging. I love books with strong female protagonists and we had three here (two past, one present). The premise of going to a chemist to take care of the man who wronged you is dark and fun at the same time. Who hasn't secretly plotted the demise of a bully or jerk? But it wasn't handled flippantly. There was mystery, intrigue, chases, and secrets. What more could you ask for?

You could ask that the ending surprise you. Bingo!
Read this book. You will love it.

I liked: The suspense in this novel is worth the read.
I missed: I found the characters bumbled around a bit. I wish I understood the protagonist's motives. Henley was so wishy-washy and mean I found it hard to feel bad for her except in the scenes that were obviously bad for her–trying not to spoil anything :)
I will likely pick up #2 just to see how the love interest storyline plays out.

I listened to this on Audible. This was one of the most fun reads! But as entertaining as the read was, it was the power of the words that had me crying on the highway. This is a story of two women who are forced together due to unlikely circumstances. On paper, they would never be friends. One stoic and organized, the other scattered and gregarious. But with the number of challenges they overcome together, they grow to understand and support each other in the most endearing ways. This is not about a beetle. It is about the enduring strength of love and friendship. Read this book!

I rarely stay awake reading into the night, but this book was my exception. From the first chapter to the last, I was hooked. I desperately needed to know if both women succeeded in escaping their dangerous situations. I sacrificed sleep and was not disappointed.

There are very few words to describe how I felt reading this book. I said WTF in my head with every turn of the page. Maybe that says it all.

This book is so full of crazy characters, you can't help but fall in love with several of them. I love white people behaving badly as a trope, but this author makes is so entertaining with twists and secrets, I can't tell if it's satire or truth (of course I can tell, but it is so well done I wondered).

I loved this memoir!

Christie was vulnerable and memorable. Her plight, to find love, was universal in its appeal, but her manner to find it was unconventional. The author uses her group therapy to help her find a life partner. I've been in group therapy and it was nothing like this! So funny and engaging. I loved her self-deprecating way of approaching her inner dialogue too. I swear she was in my head!

Full disclosure: I'm using this book as a comp to my own memoir which should go out for query in September :)

This is a cross between Wild (Strayed) and When Breath Becomes Air (Kalanithi). I would have liked to give this book a five-star, but I wanted more of the journey following the illness. I felt she deserved her happy ending and wanted to celebrate with her along the way. The cover indicates that the memoir would be more about her trip, so maybe it was because of the expectations set.

Her battle with illness was inspiring! She is definitely a strong woman and I'm looking forward to her next memoir, hopefully about her life with her celebrity boyfriend :)

This is a powerful memoir about a case many of us remember following–the Stanford sexual assault case. I didn't follow the case closely when it was in the news, but it was mortifying how this victim, Chanel, was treated by the people charged to protect her. Sexual assault is omnipresent and a constant threat for women. It is only when brave women speak their truth that true change can happen. Bravo, Chanel.

This was a pleasant surprise.

I picked up Hench based on CBC Canada Reads defense by Paul Sun-Hyung Lee.

Truly, if we are talking chicken and egg here, the egg was CBC Canada Reads and the chicken was Paul Sun-Hyung Lee. I love Kim's Convenience and think he's hysterical so why wouldn't I like a book he likes?

Evildoers at a temp agency is where we find our protagonist, Anna. Even villains need someone to help with filing and coffee. So Anna goes from villain to villain until she finds herself at a press conference that goes horribly wrong. A superhero shows up to save the day. The hero injures Anna, who is rushed to hospital and learns she is now a former temp because of her injuries, and she's pissed. Anna's spite is her superpower, and she uses it to find a different villain to work with and the excitement begins again.

I cheered for the bad guys more than once. Or were they the bad guys after all?...

If you love The Boys on Amazon Prime, you will love this book. The description of one of the battles (and that is not even remotely the point of the book), is hysterical and disgusting, but more hysterical. Full disclosure... I am entirely sick of superhero movies. I don't want to see any more re-takes or prequels or anyone in a cape that isn't Gaga. I made the exception for The Boys and love it, but that was going to be the end of my commitment to superheroes. No more. Hands down. Don't even ask. Then came Hench.

So why would I love a book that is so obviously not my kind of book? Because it is hysterical. Not laugh a minute jokes, two superheroes walk into a bar, kind of hysterical. Clever funny–which is my favourite kind of funny after potty humour.

Besides, Natalie Zina Walschots is from Toronto. All the best writers are from Toronto... right? (This is your cue to say, ‘damn straight they are Kristine!”) Shucks, thanks.

I waited for a library copy and got a 7-day read notice about five weeks later. I read this book in two days. But if you can't wait the twelve weeks for a library copy, this is definitely one I would have bought and probably read again on a beach. You know, like when travelling. You remember travel, don't you?

The end was a bit disappointing. Not the content so much but it slowed.

Backman is a master at character development. His unlikely group of participants in this novel is funny, quirky, and skillfully mastered. We didn't know what was going to happen to our poor bank robber (that's right, we feel awful for our villain). We cheer these crazy people on as they become a family, of sorts, in a difficult situation. As with families, there is conflict, conversation, community, and love. It is hard not to love this book or all the surprises it offers.

When the author wins the Pulitzer Price, I often pass because the prose might be too literary for my taste. Not this one! Themes of race, divorce, and the death of her mother at the hands of family make this engaging. I love to listen to memoir to hear the author's read and Natasha did a wonderful job. The poet's cadence really shines in audio.

I don't know why the average for this book is less than 4. This is a spectacular novel about a young boy (Oskar, 9) trying to find meaning in his father's senseless death on 9/11.

Maybe it was structure people took issue with. I found the timeline jumps hard at the beginning but only because I wasn't paying enough attention to the chapter titles which clearly told me the timing. The dialogue presented as prose might have thrown some off too.

Oskar is such a charmer. His internal dialogue captivating, but his external dialogue was even more delightful. A no-nonsense approach to the world (Asperger's maybe?) made the conversation believable.

I listened to this one on Audible and enjoyed the characterizations. I was guessing (and wrong) the whole way through. A little bigger than a cozy mystery in all the right ways.

What can I say? This story of a single survivor of a plane crash was heartbreaking.

The young protagonist, Edward duh, was so wonderfully crafted. He was complex, while still having reasonable reactions to his world. It was his neighbor and best friend, Shay, who really brought out his personality. I think we could not have understood Edward if it was not for Shay.

I liked the snapshots in the plane from the alternating points of view of the passengers. That was a clever way to bring us into the aircraft. I also liked the letters. They were not overdone and well selected.

Read this book! (Although, not before you take a trip on a plane, for obvious reasons.)

Time travel with a twist. There is no magic phone booth, but we see our protagonist through time. I was on the hook the whole book to find out where Marion is–if anywhere. I loved the multiple timelines in this book with a glimpse of historical fiction (a la Forrest Gump). Delightful.

This is an easy read and definitely one of the better celebrity memoirs. Still, it is a celebrity memoir. I find the genre disappointing, on the whole. “Born a Crime” is the exception.
What I liked was the voice. It was all Seth and didn't feel like an editor added their voice to it.
What I wish there was more of was the thoughtful reflection a memoir normally contains. This was a book filled with funny dinner-party stories of people I feel I know through their work. But what did the anti-Semitic elevator incident tell us about the world or about Seth? Not much and I wish I understood the importance of that moment for him.
All of that said–I'd still recommend this book. It is a beach read and we all need to inject more beach and more reading into our lives :)

I did not see most of this coming, and that is the magic of thrillers. If you have a busy day or week, save this book for when you have time to turn pages. An engaging read from beginning to end.

Both of the female protagonists in this story were captivating, complicated, and just a little unlikable. I wanted to like them and see them succeed and that made me turn the page. It is not a spoiler to say these women redeemed themselves... if they hadn't, I would not have been as pleased with this novel.

Jones didn't make this read poetic because it didn't need to be. It was real and messy. Two women's lives hung in the balance and required saving from themselves. I felt drawn into their worlds even though I am not a rock star or a reality TV star. She captured the feeling of hardship these women faced in their notoriety, and we understood these characters through their grief and lack of self-worth. We can all relate there!

Great read. You can get through this one on holiday and still have time for another.

Easily my favorite read of the year! The characters are relatable and engaging, the story charming and full of wit. I will re-read this at a later date because it was so fun I read it too quickly and didn't fully absorb myself in Iona's sage wisdom.