Little Thoughts About Books and Stuff

Run: Book One by John Lewis My rating: 5 of 5 stars Goodreads Summary:  “In sharing my story, it is my hope that a new generation will be inspired by Run to actively participate in the democratic process and help build a more perfect Union here in America.” –Congressman John Lewis The sequel to the #1 New York Times bestselling graphic novel series March—the continuation of the life story of John Lewis and the struggles seen across the United States after the Selma voting rights campaign.  To John Lewis, the civil rights movement came to an end with the signing of the Voting Rights Act in 1965. But that was after more than five years as one of the preeminent figures of the movement, leading sit–in protests and fighting segregation on interstate busways as an original Freedom Rider. It was after becoming chairman of SNCC (the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee) and being the youngest speaker at the March on Washington. It was after helping organize the Mis...

Title:  Someday, Someday, Maybe Author:   Lauren Graham Publication Date:  April 28, 2013 Rating:  3 Stars Reading Challenge:  Book Riot Read Harder 2022 - Read the book that's been on your TBR the longest Synopsis:  From Lauren Graham, the beloved star of Gilmore Girls and Parenthood, comes a witty, charming, and hilariously relatable debut novel about a struggling young actress trying to get ahead―and keep it together―in New York City. It’s January 1995, and Franny Banks has just six months left of the three-year deadline she set for herself when she came to New York, dreaming of Broadway and doing “important” work. But all she has to show for her efforts so far is a part in an ad for ugly Christmas sweaters, and a gig waiting tables at a comedy club. Her roommates―her best friend Jane, and Dan, an aspiring sci-fi writer―are supportive, yet Franny knows a two-person fan club doesn’t exactly count as success. Everyone tells her she needs a backup plan, a...

Yes, Chef by Alex Cohen My rating: 4 of 5 stars Description Nothing is more important to Diego than his kitchen. He's dedicated to his job running one of the top restaurants in town and doesn't have time for relationships. Then the boss, building on the restaurant's success, brings in Ben. He's young, hot, and not nearly as unlikeable as Diego wishes. But between the distance of age and the old wounds both men are still nursing, it may be easier if Diego gives up on making something other than his kitchen the center of his world. Review I really liked this novella. It was a romance that focused on the relationship and wasn't all about sex, sex, sex. I also liked that it was in a restaurant kitchen, those are always great because it means a focus on food and some great descriptions. It was nice to see that Ben wasn't a chef in training but a pastry chef who was settled in his own chosen career path.  There were some stilted sections in this novella...

The Mysteries of Udolpho by Ann Radcliffe My rating: 3 of 5 stars Mysteries of Undolpho  was published in 1794. The novel is the story of Emily, an orphan, who is sent to go live with her aunt. The aunt has her own ideas of suitors for Emily even though Emily has found her love. Then her aunt marries and the new husband wisks them both away from France for Italy.  There Emily finds herself under the control of Montoni who wants to stripe both aunt and niece of thier independence.  Confined to Undolpho, a medieval castle Montoni has inherited under suspecious means, Emily encounters stories of mysterious deaths, secret passageways, and strange music. She needs to find away to escape Undolpho and be reunited with her love. 3 Things I Disliked: There was so much more included in the book than what was really needed. Random bits of poetry and stories that aren't part of the main plot. A lot of decription of scenery and places. Most of it seems really uncessary. The ...

I finished the series Fairy Tales by Eloisa James.  I'm also using these books to complete the "A book that is a retelling of a classic story" requirement for the Read Harder Challenge. The Duke Is Mine by Eloisa James My rating: 4 of 5 stars The Duke is Mine  is a retelling of The Princess and the Pea. It has the heroine showing up in the middle of the rain storm, not looking at all like the lady she is supposed to be, and there is  scene where she sleeps on a pile of mattresses and feels something uncomfortable but it's not a pea.  I really enjoyed this retelling and thought that the hero and heroine were a really good match. I liked them both and how they were upstanding enough to want to please their families but realistic enough to know that it wasn't at all possible to deny their feelings for one another. The Ugly Duchess by Eloisa James My rating: 3 of 5 stars The Ugly Duchess  is a retelling of The Ugly Duckling.  Like the original the h...

This full challenge is to pick A National Book Award, Man Booker Prize or Pulitzer Prize winner from the last decade.  I took a look at the lists and while there were a few books on there I would read, nothing struck me as "Read me now".  Then I took a look at the Drama category of the Pulitzer Prize and decided on the 2008 winner. August: Osage County by Tracy Letts My rating: 4 of 5 stars Wow, talk about a dysfunctional family!  I didn't know much more than it was a story about a dysfunctional family from the promos for the movie (which I haven't seen yet.).  It took me a little bit to get a handle on who was who in the family, I had to keep flipping back to the character list.  I would love to see the stage setup, it describes a stage that is broken up into multiple levels and rooms of the Weston house. The story centers on the disappearance of Beverley Weston and the way his family deals with the fallout of disappearance. His wife, Violet, ...

Got my set today! @teampbr #books A photo posted by Amelia (@litjrzygrl) on Apr 29, 2015 at 11:31am PDT These four books were a mix of two things I enjoy, Harlequin romances and bull riders/riding. True Harlequin romances are my guilty pleasure. I feel they are kind of cheesy and very predictable, but sometimes you just need a light read. These were all reissued version of older books by Tina Leonard. While they all feature bull riders I was upset that there wasn't more talk about bull riding. Added on top of that there were a few scenarios that did involve bull riding that just didn't seem plausible.  They were enjoyable reads for the escapism. I gave all four books three stars.

Save Yourself by Jeremy Whitley My rating: 5 of 5 stars I'm a princess fan. I grew up with them and but I never wanted to be one. This is one princess I wouldn't mind being. Adrienne might have been born a princess, but she doesn't want to be a princess. In her world a princess comes of age and then gets locked in a tower with a dragon to guard her.  There she waits until a prince comes to save her. Adrienne doesn't want that life, but her father doesn't give her a choice.  Stuck in her tower Adrienne gets the idea to use her dragon to free herself and go free her sisters. This turns into a humorous adventure. Adrienne is joined by the daughter of an armor maker who wants to design for women. This was one of my favorite sections in the book. Get Over Yourself by Jeremy Whitley My rating: 5 of 5 stars The story continues with Adrienne and her small troupe head off to save her sister Angelica.  While the group is trying to find Angelica's tow...

With April being National Poetry Month, I thought it would be a good time to get this requirement crossed off the list.  I would have gone back to some of my favorite collections or poets that I already knew so I reached out to the Twitter hive mind for some suggestions. I got what I could from the library and picked up one other. Small Poems by Valerie Worth My rating: 4 of 5 stars I thought these poems were really cute and I think a great way to start kids off with poetry.  These are simple poems about everyday objects, animals, and I think some foods stuffs. Pug: And Other Animal Poems by Valerie Worth My rating: 4 of 5 stars When I was looking in the library catalog for I saw this book.  Being a pug mom I had to check it out. Again some great poems for children. Personally I think the pug poem was the best! Poisoned Apples: Poems for You, My Pretty by Christine Heppermann My rating: 4 of 5 stars I was intrigued by this collection of retold fairy tal...

Trigger Warning: Short Fictions and Disturbances by Neil Gaiman My rating: 3 of 5 stars I love Neil Gaiman. I didn't love this book. There were only a handful of stories I really liked and a few of them I had read/heard before picking up this book.  A few I had heard Neil read during a speaking engagement. A few I had listened to in audiobook format. I enjoyed: The Thing About Cassandra Down to a Sunless Sea The Truth is a Cave in the Dark Mountain My Last Landlady Orange The Case of Death and Honey (a Sherlock Holmes story) Click-Clack the Rattlebag Nothing O'clock (Doctor Who story) A number of the stories just weren't holding my attention and I ended up just skipping over them.

The DUFF: Designated Ugly Fat Friend by Kody Keplinger My rating: 3 of 5 stars I've been sitting on writing this review for awhile now.  I don't know what to really say about this book.  I went into reading this book after reading a lot of reviews which were all over the place.  A number mention how the story is all over the place and the characters are unsympathetic and I fully agree. I started reading and quickly found that I wasn't finding a connection to these characters so I started skimming the book.  At some point I found myself no longer skimming but really reading the book.  While I never cared about the characters, I found I wanted to know how this story played out. Bianca built barriers to keep herself apart from those around her. Wesley was able to break through her barriers.  Wesley, like Bianca, has sort of built a persona around himself to protect himself from the facts of his life.  Even knowing that they are this way as a kind ...

10% Happier: How I Tamed the Voice in My Head, Reduced Stress Without Losing My Edge, and Found Self-Help That Actually Works - A True Story by Dan Harris My rating: 4 of 5 stars This is not a typical self-improvement book, but it had a positive affect on my own thoughts on meditation and how to calm my monkey mind. I've tried meditation. I never knew if it was worth it or not to keep at it or just give it up.  I've read a lot about how it can help with anxiety and sensory processing disorder, my two major issues. Dan Harris shares his personal journey with meditation and how it's helped change is life.  Part of his journey was reading the works of other meditation self-help gurus. Hearing about his disbelief resonated with me. I liked hearing how even though he had some disbelief he continued to pursue this path because what little he had at that point seemed better with meditation. He says that as a result of his journey he's 10% happier than he was at the s...

I Love I Hate I Miss My Sister by Amélie Sarn My rating: 4 of 5 stars This book was originally written in French and I think some of the translations caused for some awkward phrases. Besides the translation issues, this book was a quick read and an interesting read.   Sohane and Djelila are sisters. They are both close and distant with each other. While physically they live in France, they inhabit two different worlds.  Sohane is an observant Muslim while Djelila has embraced a secular lifestyle.  Both girls are facing negative feedback from the community based on their decisions. Sohane has decided to wear a head scarf. Since head scarfs and veils have been outlawed in France, her school has given her an ultimatum. She can either remove her head scarf while in the building or she must leave school. Sohane decides that correspondence classes will be a better choice for her than attending school.  She doesn't have any friends so it's not a hard choice for her ...

If I Stay by Gayle Forman My rating: 4 of 5 stars THIS REVIEW MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS My friend read this book before me and knowing my reading taste she told me it was one I should skip.  She knew I wouldn't like the abrupt ending.  Then she found out there was a second book and I quickly put the book on hold (still waiting for book 2!). I really liked how the title played multiple roles in the story. Mia is faced with the question of staying with her family or going off to explore her music. She's questions if she should stay with her chosen musical path. But the ultimate question is should she stay alive. I think this really powerful, this idea that in a situation like hers, we can make that choice. It really made me think. I liked that she is able to walk away from her body and see how her loved ones are coping and reacting to the events.  It's almost a It's A Wonderful Life  kind of story.  She gets to see what role she plays in everyone's lives. It ...

Leaping Hearts by Jessica Bird My rating: 3 of 5 stars I'm always reading romance novels, so for this challenge requirement I just went with the first one I read. This one could also probably go as a recommendation, a patron brought in these (the series) books thinking I would like them. I did like them. This is J.R. Ward writing as Jessica Bird. I'm used to reading J.R.'s paranormal series (Fallen Angels, BDB) so this was a bit of a change. In this book A.J. goes against her step-brother's wishes and purchases a very spirited horse.  She's sure she can tame the horse and ride him to a championship equestrian win. Forced from her house, she ends up at the house of Devlin, the one trainer she feels can help her reach her goal.  Of course Devilin wants nothing to do with A.J. or her horse. I like when characters are forced into each other company and end up falling in love. Besides ranch themed books, I haven't read anything having to do with horses that...

Fortunately, the Milk by Neil Gaiman My rating: 5 of 5 stars I've read this book but I couldn't pass up to hearing Neil Gaiman read this delightful book. This is the story a father tells his children about why it took him so long to go and get milk for their cereal. It was a typical enough trip to the market to purchase the milk, but as he left to head home, things got difficult. There is a run in with aliens, time travel in a hot air balloon, and more interesting twists and turns (I don't want to spoil it!). I received a signed copy of the book at Book Expo America a few years ago and quickly read through the book.  At the book talk, Neil mentioned that he writes children's book just as much for the parents as for the kids, and that is clearly evident in this book.  He mentioned that when a child likes a book an adult is 'forced' to read it multiple times so it should also be enjoyable for them. I can honestly say I can't wait to keep reading/listen...

Monster's Chef: A Novel by Jervey Tervalon My rating: 2 of 5 stars Somewhere along the way in 2014 I had acquired an uncorrected proof of this novel. It had been sitting on my self and I randomly grabbed it when I went away the first weekend of the year.  As we relaxed in our hotel room before heading out for the night I looked at some reviews of the book and found a debate about the influence of Monster. The majority of people feel that Tervalon pulled his inspiration from Michael Jackson and a handful think everyone else is crazy and that's not the case at all. I wasn't 100% sure if this would be my kind of book I was willing to give it a try, at least to see if I would be with the majority of people reviewing the book. The book follows Gibson as he starts on a new path in his life.  He had been a successful restaurant owner/chef before drugs took it all away from him, including his wife. Gibson is living in a half way house cooking for the residents. The woman who ...