Seriously...I'm Kidding

Book 32 of my 2019 Reading Challenge

read from March 20 - 28

Seriously...I'm Kidding

by Ellen DeGeneres

Summary (via the book jacket)

published 2011

Welcome to my third book. Inside this book you will find an assortment of wonderful things - words, pictures, advice, tidbits, morsels, shenanigans, and, in some copies, four hundred dollars cash. So you might want to buy a few.

I'm so happy you're holding this book in your hands right now and reading its jacket or flap or whatever you want to call this little extra part of the book. Jackap or Flacket or Flapjacket. Whatever, really.

I don't have enough room on this flapjacket to tell you all the reasons why you should buy this book, but I can tell you this and it's a guarantee: if you buy it, you will feel better, look better, be happier, grow taller, lose weight, get a promotion at work, have shinier hair, and fall madly, deeply in love.

And as an added bonus feature I'd like to point out that this flapjacket doubles as a bookmark. So you're paying for a book and you're getting a bookmark absolutely free. Where else are you going to find that kind of deal?

Now, before you begin reading, if you'd like to learn more about me please turn to the back flap. (Back flap sounds weird, doesn't it? The more you say it the more it sounds like something you try to get rid of through exercise and eating right. Anyway, please read on.)

My Opinion

3 stars

This was a good palate cleanser to read before bed because the other books I was reading at the same time were not helpful in calming down and drifting off.

It's an older book but her material isn't really that dated since it's observational stuff.  The chapter of journal entries was a clever way to hit some of her life's highlights.  Nothing groundbreaking or new if you're familiar with her work but it was fine.

A Few Quotes from the Book

"To me, beauty if about being comfortable in your own skin. It's about knowing and accepting who you are. I'm happy being who I am. I'm confident, I live honestly and truthfully, and I think that's why I was chosen as the first fifty-year-old, open gay CoverGirl. It's just a bonus that I have devastatingly blue eyes."

"It is better to give than to receive. ~ Liars"

William & Catherine

Book 31 of my 2019 Reading Challenge

read on March 23

William & Catherine: A Royal Wedding

by Andrew Morton

Summary (via Goodreads)

published 2011

The marriage of Prince William to Catherine Middleton is one of the most significant royal events of recent times. As second in line to the throne, the elder son of the much mourned Diana, Princess of Wales—whose famous sapphire and diamond engagement ring he bestowed on his future bride—William embodies the hopes and expectations of millions of people around the world. And as a “commoner” who will become a princess, Catherine brings romance and freshness to a very traditional union.
Acclaimed biographer Andrew Morton, who was trusted by Diana herself to recount her true story to the outside world, has been covering Prince William since birth. Now he brings his unique insights to this portrait of the histories and characters of the bride and groom—from their family backgrounds, their childhoods, and the early days of their relationship at university, through their ups and downs as a couple in the public eye, their private engagement in Kenya, and all the glamour and drama of the wedding itself.  Lavishly illustrated with color photographs, both a chronicle and a lasting memento of a day to remember, William & Catherine brings us both the public spectacle and the private moments as only the author of Diana: Her True Story can reveal them.

My Opinion

3 stars

I was given this book as a gift because I love the royal family and William and Catherine's relationship in particular.  I felt a little weird reading it because I doubt if it was done with their consent and it veered into the gossipy/soapy side when it came to his parents but at the same time I did enjoy it, especially the pictures.  

Quote from the Book

"If William's mother was famously 'the people's princess', then Kate, or Catherine as she now wishes to be known, is truly 'a princess of the people'.

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children

Book 30 of my 2019 Reading Challenge

read from March 14 - 23

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children

Book 1 of the "Miss Peregrine's Peculiar Children" series

by Random Riggs

Summary (via Goodreads)

published 2011

A mysterious island. 

An abandoned orphanage. 

A strange collection of very curious photographs. 

It all waits to be discovered in Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children, an unforgettable novel that mixes fiction and photography in a thrilling reading experience. As our story opens, a horrific family tragedy sets sixteen-year-old Jacob journeying to a remote island off the coast of Wales, where he discovers the crumbling ruins of Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children. As Jacob explores its abandoned bedrooms and hallways, it becomes clear that the children were more than just peculiar. They may have been dangerous. They may have been quarantined on a deserted island for good reason. And somehow-impossible though it seems-they may still be alive. 

A spine-tingling fantasy illustrated with haunting vintage photography, Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children will delight adults, teens, and anyone who relishes an adventure in the shadows.

My Opinion

3 stars

This is probably one of the few times I will say I think this would be better as a movie than a book.  Although the action picked up at the end there were lots of lulls and it took some time to get started since it was all from a kid's point of view and it took longer than I expected for him to catch up to where I already knew it was going.

I didn't dislike it enough to stop reading the series, especially since my daughter owns them so they're easily accessible, but I'm not in a huge hurry either.  I'm hoping that the rest of the series will be more like the end of this book now that he knows some of the mysteries and they're on an adventure but am also a little wary since one of my girls didn't finish the second book and another one (the one who owns the series) read the second book but hasn't continued on yet.

A Few Quotes from the Book

"I had just come to accept that my life would be ordinary when extraordinary things began to happen."

"And that is how someone who is unusually susceptible to nightmares, night terrors, the Creeps, the Willies, and Seeing Things That Aren't Really There talks himself into making one last trip to the abandoned, almost-certainly-haunted house where a dozen or more children met their untimely end."

Five Days at Memorial

Book 29 of my 2019 Reading Challenge

read from March 12 - 23

Five Days at Memorial: Life and Death in a Storm-Ravaged Hospital

by Sheri Fink

Summary (via Goodreads)

published 2013

In the tradition of the best investigative journalism, physician and reporter Sheri Fink reconstructs 5 days at Memorial Medical Center and draws the reader into the lives of those who struggled mightily to survive and to maintain life amid chaos.
After Katrina struck and the floodwaters rose, the power failed, and the heat climbed, exhausted caregivers chose to designate certain patients last for rescue. Months later, several health professionals faced criminal allegations that they deliberately injected numerous patients with drugs to hasten their deaths. 
Five Days at Memorial, the culmination of six years of reporting, unspools the mystery of what happened in those days, bringing the reader into a hospital fighting for its life and into a conversation about the most terrifying form of health care rationing.
In a voice at once involving and fair, masterful and intimate, Fink exposes the hidden dilemmas of end-of-life care and reveals just how ill-prepared we are in America for the impact of large-scale disasters—and how we can do better. A remarkable book, engrossing from start to finish, Five Days at Memorial radically transforms your understanding of human nature in crisis.

My Opinion

4 stars

I knew that this would be tough on the heart because of the subject and because of the review from someone that has a very similar soul to me.  I started taking notes of different things, especially the frustrations with bureaucracy and miscommunication, but had to stop because I knew that typing them all out and focusing on them in a review would be too much.  As far as the people actually doing the work, I don't think I can pass judgement when I wasn't there.  I understand why people investigated it and hopefully learned for the future but I was very frustrated with the workers that left before all of the patients were gone who then talked to the media like Monday morning quarterbacks.  Cooperating with the investigation and expressing disagreement in those forums was fine but going to the press was not.  You don't want judgement for leaving?  Then you don't get to judge the actions of those who stayed.

It was engaging and readable.  It's hard when there are so many people involved, not to mention the medical jargon, but the material was presented in digestible pieces and I understood everything.

I wavered between 3 and 4 stars because the end dragged but I rounded up because the parts that were good were really, really good.

A Few Quotes from the Book

"We did everything humanly possible to save those patients. The government totally abandoned us to die, in the houses, in the streets, in the hospitals. Maybe a lot of us made mistakes, but we made the best decisions we could at the time."

"Why weren't there plans to cope with these patients when you knew a storm was coming? Sometimes the ethical - the most important ethical question sometimes is the one you ask not at the moment of crisis, but the duty you have to anticipate certain kinds of crises and avoid them."

"In the end, with systems crashing and failing, what mattered most and had the greatest immediate effects were the actions and decisions made in the midst of a crisis by individuals."

The Divorce Papers

Book 28 of my 2019 Reading Challenge

read from March 9 - 14

The Divorce Papers

by Susan Rieger

Summary (via the book jacket)

published 2014

Sophie Diehl is happily toiling away at an old-line New England law firm when Mayflower descendent Mia Meiklejohn Durkheim strides through the door. While dining at the most chic eatery in town, Mia was handed a most unwanted substitute for the wine list: divorce papers. Sophie reluctantly steps away from her criminal law casework to conduct Mia's intake interview and, to her dismay, Mia insists she take the case - Sophie is just who she needs to take on her soon-to-be ex and his thuggish lawyers. For Sophie, the whole affair sparks a hard look at the relationships in her own life with parents, friends, and lovers. 

Smart, affecting, and funny to the bone, The Divorce Papers is a compelling story of the lengths we'll go to for that thing called love.

My Opinion

4 stars

It was a very unique format (it's all done through various forms of correspondence such as e-mails, letters, court filings, etc.) that I wasn't sure would work and I was very happy that it did.  The pages passed very quickly and I was able to keep the different voices separate.

It was a light, fun read that didn't get too "hijinky" (how I refer to stories that throw in shenanigans that don't make sense strictly to create drama) - I'm glad they didn't go too far with the Fiona plot line.

I loved the line, "I'm always afraid I'll leave something out. My mother says I start with the kitchen sink." from someone who was describing her lengthy explanations.

Everything I Need to Know I Learned from a Children's Book

Book 27 of my 2019 Reading Challenge

read from March 3 - 11

Everything I Need to Know I Learned from a Children's Book

by Anita Silvey

Summary (via the book jacket)

published 2009

Here in one captivating and inspiring volume more than 100 leaders from the arts, sciences, politics, business, and other fields recall a children's book they loved, and its impact on their lives. Insightful, funny, inspiring, and unexpected, the contributions illuminate the lives of a fascinating range of people and introduce readers to a selection of the best books for young readers.  Each is accompanied by an excerpt and illustrations from the selected book and an informative background essay by distinguished children's book authority Anita Silvey.

My Opinion

4 stars

I found this book as I was searching the library's catalog for a similar title and this popped up on the page and peaked my curiosity.  This book is made for readers because it's page after page of people's excitement for reading.  The format was 110 people wrote a few paragraphs about a children's book they loved and what it meant to them, there would be a little backstory about the book and/or author, and there would be an excerpt from the book itself.

My book would be "The Westing Game" by Ellen Raskin.  It was the first book I read that had a "plot twist"; the person behind the game was someone that had disappeared and appeared to be a victim earlier in the book, immediately dismissing them as a suspect in my mind.  Learning that authors could be tricky and not follow a straight path like Easy or younger Juvenile Fiction books tend to do completely changed my approach to reading and developed my love for mysteries and picking up clues.

Fun Fact: "Where the Wild Things Are" started off as "Where the Wild Horses Are" but Maurice Sendak couldn't draw horses so he kept the story and changed the characters to things he could draw.

It's not a 'binge read' sort of book or the stories will start to run together but it was an enjoyable way to end the night a few pages at a time over the course of a week. 

A Few Quotes from the Book

"The act of reading to a child is the most important contribution to the future of our society that adults can make." ~ Anita Silvey

"Some books you never forget. Some characters become your friends for life." ~ Judy Blume

"Children should be encouraged to read anything and everything because you never know what they will get out of a book." ~ Lucy Mangan 

Gemini

Book 26 of my 2019 Reading Challenge

read from March 3 - 9

Gemini

by Carol Cassella

Summary (via Goodreads)

published 2014

A stranger's life hangs in the balance. What if you had the power to decide if she lives or dies?
Dr. Charlotte Reese works in the intensive care unit of Seattle's Beacon Hospital, tending to patients with the most life-threatening illnesses and injuries. Her job is to battle death - to monitor erratic heartbeats, worry over low oxygen levels, defend against infection and demise.
One night a Jane Doe is transferred to her care from a rural hospital on the Olympic Peninsula. This unidentified patient remains unconscious, the victim of a hit and run. As Charlotte and her team struggle to stabilize her, the police search for the driver who fled the scene.
Days pass, Jane's condition worsens, and her identity remains a mystery. As Charlotte finds herself making increasingly complicated medical decisions that will tie her forever to Jane's fate, her usual professional distance evaporates. She's plagued by questions: Who is Jane Doe? Why will no one claim her? Who should decide her fate if she doesn't regain consciousness - and when?
Perhaps most troubling, Charlotte wonders if a life locked in a coma is a life worth living.
Enlisting the help of her boyfriend, Eric, a science journalist, Charlotte impulsively sets out to uncover Jane Doe's past. But the closer they get to the truth, the more their relationship is put to the test. It is only when they open their hearts to their own feelings toward each other—and toward life itself—that Charlotte and Eric will unlock Jane Doe's shocking secret, and prepare themselves for a miracle.
Filled with intricate medical detail and set in the breathtaking Pacific Northwest, Gemini is a riveting and heartbreaking novel of moral com­plexity and emotional depth. 

My Opinion

3 stars

The book alternated viewpoints and they were both good but I liked Raney's chapters a little more than Charlotte's.  This was definitely a "just one more chapter...okay maybe another one too" kind of read but the way the story came together, both the coincidences and the scientific stuff, was outlandish and then just when I was getting used to how far off the rails it had gone it was over with too abrupt of an ending.

The Weight of Blood

Book 25 of my 2019 Reading Challenge

read from February 28 - March 3

The Weight of Blood

by Laura McHugh

Summary (via the book jacket)

published 2014

Deep in the Ozark Mountains, folks in Henbane still whisper about Lucy Dane's mother, a bewitching stranger who appeared long enough to marry Carl Dane and then vanished when Lucy was just a child. Now on the brink of adulthood, Lucy experiences another loss when her friend Cheri disappears and is then found murdered, her body placed on display for all to see. Haunted by two lost girls - the mother she never knew and the friend she couldn't save - Lucy sets out with the help of a local boy to uncover the mystery behind Cheri's death.

My Opinion

4 stars

I was so uncomfortable while reading this because everyone was suspicious and every interaction, both in the present-day and in the flashbacks, just had this undertone of dread because I had no idea where the story was going.

I wavered between 3 and 4 stars and rounded up because of what a binge read it was.  The downside that made me consider a 3 was that everything came together at the end very neatly; while I appreciated knowing all the answers it was also pretty inconceivable that [no spoilers] would give up everything in a long confession and also that there wouldn't be more consequences.

Quote from the Book

"When Cheri turned up in the the tree, I knew uncertainty wasn't the worst part. It was a luxury, a gift. The worst part was knowing for sure that your loved one was dead, and I was grateful then that my mother's body had never been found. The mystery eats away at you, but it leaves a thin rind of hope."

Still Foolin' 'Em

Book 24 of my 2019 Reading Challenge

read from February 28 - March 3

Still Foolin' 'Em: Where I've Been, Where I'm Going, and Where the Hell Are My Keys

by Billy Crystal

Summary (via the book jacket)

published 2013

"At sixty-five I can do whatever I did when I was thirty-five, if only I could remember what those things were."

Seventy-seven million baby boomers have either recently joined or will soon join Billy Crystal at this milestone birthday. Here, with his trademark blend of wit and heart, Crystal looks back at the most powerful and memorable moments of his storied life and provides a road map to the absurdities and challenges that come with aging. He reflects on everything from his legendary stint at Saturday Night Live, to making City Slickers and When Harry Met Sally..., to his long run as host of the Academy Awards, to his one-day career with the New York Yankees (he was the first player to ever "test positive for Maalox") and his enduring friendships with several of his idols, including Mickey Mantle and Muhammad Ali. In between these unforgettable tales are meditations on such topics as "Buying the Plot" and "Nodding Off," in which Crystal catalogs his gripes in hilarious detail. He lends a light touch to more serious issues like religion ("the aging friends I know have turned to the Holy Trinity: Advil, bourbon, and Prozac"), grand parenting, and, of course, dentistry. Wise, poignant, and laugh-out-loud funny, Still Foolin' 'Em Is a triumphant counterpunch to the indignities of aging, from the beloved comedian who for forty years has captured the anxieties and joys of his generation.

My Opinion

4 stars

These are the kinds of books that don't seem necessary to review.  If you like Billy Crystal and his style you will like this book and its behind-the-scenes stories of his work and his life.  If you don't like Billy Crystal, why are you even looking at this?

I don't listen to audiobooks because my mind wanders too easily but autobiographies/memoirs like this seem exactly what they're made for.  I was able to hear his voice while I was reading and I would imagine that if he did his own reading for this book it would really add to the experience.

A Few Quotes from the Book

"I shouldn't complain so much. Life at sixty-five is good. I have had one house, one wife, my real nose, my real name, and most of my teeth."

"I no longer live in the state of California, I live in the state of permanent annoyance."

All Our Names

Book 23 of my 2019 Reading Challenge

read from February 15 - 28

All Our Names

by Dinaw Mengestu

Summary (via the book jacket)

published 2014

A sweeping, continent-spanning story about the love between men and women, between friends, and between citizens and their countries, All Our Names is a transfixing exploration of the relationships that define us.

Fleeing war-torn Uganda for the American Midwest, Isaac begins a passionate affair with the social worker assigned to him. But the couple's bond is inescapably darkened by the secrets of Isaac's past: the country and the conflict he left behind and the beloved friend who changed the course of his life - and who sacrificed everything to ensure his freedom. 

My Opinion

3 stars

It took a minute for me to get settled in because the chapters are in first person and alternate viewpoints.  The ones with the heading 'Helen' made sense but the ones with the heading 'Isaac' didn' because they were written in first person but he talked about Isaac in the third person because he wasn't Isaac.  I figured that was the case but it wasn't explained until the end, yet it also can't really be a surprise or a spoiler since the chapters were set up that way from the beginning.

The story itself held my interest while I was reading (no small feat since I read the majority of it during a loud cheer competition) but I didn't think much about it when I was done.

Quote from the Book

"I thought eventually I would find a house or a street that seemed to have been made just for me. I think I have walked more miles than just about any man I know, and I have learned that if I were to walk every day for the rest of my life, I would never find such a place. That is nothing to be sad about. Many people have it worse. They dream of belonging to a place that will never have them. I made that mistake once."

Admit One

Book 22 of my 2019 Reading Challenge

read from February 22 - 28

Admit One: My Life in Film

by Emmett James

Summary (via the book jacket)

published 2010

If I could tell you just one things about my life it would be this: My alter ego was once a very famous man.

While reflecting fondly on the films that are most memorable to me, I am struck by one pertinent truth (thanks to the 20/20 hindsight of adulthood). That fact is this: A film itself, though unalterable once the physical reel is printed and unleashed, changes continually in the reel of our memory.

One of the earliest critics of drama, the ancient philosopher Aristotle, postulates in Poetics that there are really only six basic points to every story; everything else is merely a variation on a theme. Whether you agree or disagree with his theory, picking up any present-day film guide serves at least to prove that we have accumulated a voluminous set of variations to date.

I wrote this book under the guise that the key to experiencing film, without losing relevance and meaning, is context. The environment, mood, personal history and circumstances in which a person sees a film changes that film in a necessary, unique, and exciting way. It creates a whole new story - a living, breathing film. The film of one's life.

That being said, I present to you my story. I hope you will in turn recount your own with similar reverence.

My Opinion

2 stars

I went into this book completely blind because my husband was getting books that I requested at the library and impulsively grabbed this one too because he thought I'd like it.  Being the random reader I am I think that's great but I also know from random reading that taking a gamble doesn't always pay off.  Unfortunately, this book wasn't one I enjoyed; for me a 2 star rating means I didn't like it but it wasn't so bad that it made me angry - 1 star is reserved for rant reviews.

It started off with a weird rant about Steven Seagal and then there were a few other "what did I just read?" moments as well, such as a strong opinion about people with a unibrow being untrustworthy or when he described someone as "one of my Indian (dots, not feathers) friends".  It also veered from weird to uncomfortable at times, such as when he decided to impersonate an Oscar nominee (apparently easy to do because "who the hell knew what the writer [I'm choosing not to repeat his name in my review but the author named him] looked like anyway? Apart from his mother, I'm sure..." to get into an Oscar party in the hopes of picking up a beautiful woman (or to quote him directly, "finish the evening off by taking home a little golden, tanned, trophy of my own. Placing her on my mantle...or better yet, bent over the footboard of my bed.") or when he made money by editing paparazzi photos (and I use "editing" loosely, as the story of pretty much manufacturing the wedding photo of Nicolas Cage and Lisa Marie Presley was beyond crazy).

I did find his "behind the scenes" story of how they got a certain shot of him as an actor getting hit by a car very interesting.  They did it backward, starting with his head on the truck and then him and the vehicle both reversing away from each other - it would be hard to sprint backward, especially while looking like you're running forward.

A Few Quotes from the Book

"So the local cinema soon became a frequent weekend event for our family, something we could all share and have an opinion on. I always loved to feel like grown-ups were truly interested in what I had to say, and with film we all saw different things and shared in each other's knowledge, likes and dislikes. This event was something where there truly was no right or wrong, just personal opinion, and age was suddenly and unequivocally irrelevant. It was a unique family occurrence that soon became greatly cherished and frequently attended by us all."

"Career plans and life-altering directions throughout my childhood years were consistently dictated by the cinema and my favorite film at the time. I went from praying that I grew up to be a mouse after the highly emotional and utterly disturbing animated Disney film The Rescuers, to being sure my destiny was now in the field of archaeology after seeing Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom."

Dead Again

Book 21 of my 2019 Reading Challenge

read from February 21 - 23

Dead Again

by Kevin Grover

Summary (via Goodreads)

published 2019

“In a week I'll be murdered. I need to figure out who kills me before they do it again. I know they'll try. If I was that person, I would.”
Neve’s last week before she dies is far from dull. There’s someone stalking her, doing their best to make her life hell. Her husband suspects she’s cheating on him, so she has to cover her tracks. Perhaps that’s what gets her killed?
Or is the threat from Jenny who’s convinced there’s something alien in the woods? Is she hiding a darker secret? Of course, the obvious suspect is Neve’s secret lover, but he wouldn’t harm her. Would he? What about the stories of aliens in the woods? Could they be responsible for bringing her back to life?
A dark story of a woman returning from the dead a year later to solve her own murder brings a number of exciting twists. Can anyone be trusted in this tale of murder, betrayal and secrets? Is the woman who returned really Neve and what’s her link to a murdered woman twenty years ago?
Neve must find her killer before she’s….
Dead Again. 

My Opinion

4 stars

*I received an electronic copy of this book via NetGalley and would like to thank the author and/or publisher for the opportunity to read and honestly review it*

I had a dream about being murdered after reading it before bed so I would say it stuck in my mind.  Halfway through it was still ramping up and adding more stuff instead of resolving anything and I was wondering if the author would be able to wrap everything up.  She did and I ended up rating it 4 stars because I couldn't stop reading it even though it wasn't really that great; it was more out of confusion and wanting to see how everything would come together.

There were a few groan-worthy lines, such as when she rang the buzzer at her lover's apartment and then thought, "In a few moments, I realize he'll be ringing my buzzer."  There were also a few little typos that I feel like I should point out since I read it on NetGalley but I don't really hold against the author since I never know how much control they have over the formatting.

This review ended up being more negative than I actually feel about the book, probably because I didn't stop to make notes of anything I enjoyed (usually the case with mysteries since I want to avoid spoilers) and instead only noted things that took me out of the story.  This book may not have fired on all cylinders for me but it was a quick read and I would read this author again. 

The Oxford Project

Book 20 of my 2019 Reading Challenge

read from February 14 - 21

The Oxford Project

by Peter Feldstein

Summary (via the book jacket)

published 2008

The town of Oxford, Iowa, lies just outside of Iowa City but you've probably never heard of it - until now. Its population hovers around 700; the same Mayor has presided since 1974; it's hard to spot on the map. But take a look beneath the surface of this Midwestern enclave, and discover a community of people that are as fascinating, complex, and surprising as any you might ever meet.

The Oxford Project is a living time capsule that challenges assumptions and shatters stereotypes as it reveals the extraordinary true tale of one seemingly ordinary American town. Its power is grounded in a captivating series of then-and-now portraits of Oxford residents - taken in 1984 and again today - and in the confessional first-person prose accompanying each pair of photographs. 

In these pages, the story of two decades unfolds before your eyes. You will be moved and riveted by the truths and secrets, fantasies and flaws, the profound differences and shared histories that define and unite this unique community.

My Opinion

4 stars

What an interesting project!  It would've caught my eye anyway both because I love people-watching and because of the comparisons between the 1984 and 2008 versions of the citizens (especially the older generation) but this had the added bonus of taking place in a small Iowa town, something I'm very familiar with since I grew up about an hour away from the town in the book.  I recognized many of the things and places they talked about and there was even a shoutout of my husband's very small hometown (Brooklyn, Iowa).

It was nice that he paid tribute to the people that were pictured in 1984 and had passed away before 2008 but it was also sad to see, especially the young ones.

It's not all shiny nice and some people met the conservative Midwestern stereotypes (a few homophobes, one person mentioning they never met a black person before) but that made it even more authentic.  Another example of this was when one person said he was the black sheep of the family because he "read everything he could get his hands on" and he gets "a lot of grief for having a college degree" since it makes him "different from [his] brothers and extended clan."

Quote from the Book

"That's Oxford. People have family feuds. They bitch. But when the shit hits the fan, people who on Wednesday were pissing and moaning, they'll be helping each other get through whatever you need them for. Then by Friday, they'll be calling each other assholes again." ~ Bob Tandy

Only in New York

Book 19 of my 2019 Reading Challenge

read from February 9 - 18

Only in New York: 36 True Big Apple Stories Spanning 55 Years and 5 Boroughs

by M.G. Crisci

Summary (via NetGalley)

published 2018

An accomplished storyteller with a New York accent, M.G. Crisci portrays his experiences with people, their struggles, triumphs, loves and jealousies that meandered through his extraordinary life.

It is said that you can't take New York out of a New Yorker. Only in New York is a collection of short stories that are steeped with the richness of the author's skill in depicting his ethnic heritage, colorful neighborhoods, and childhood friends, along with a tapestry of clients and colleagues that were central to his New York-based career.

Throughout each of the individual narratives, readers will become acquainted with local restaurants, favorite Italian dishes, adventures in advertising and misadventures on Wall Street. In the end, it is the author's self-effacing humor that communicates his enjoyment of these twists and turns on the mean streets and upmarket avenues of New York City.

My Opinion
3 stars

*I received an electronic copy of this book via NetGalley and would like to thank the author and/or publisher for the opportunity to read and honestly review it*

This would be an amazing gift of a book if I was related to him or knew him.  His illustrations at the beginning of each story were a cute addition to this light, enjoyable read.  They were the kind of stories passed around while shooting the shit where it doesn't take anything away from them even if they aren't all exact black/white quotable truth (or maybe they are and he's led an amazing, fantastical life).  They weren't the most politically correct but it was in an 'old person can kind of slide by' kind of way, where you'd roll your eyes and say, "You can't say things like that anymore!!!" if you were talking to him in real life.

At first I was letting typos, missing words, and grammar things slide by both because of the kind of book it was and because I never know how much is NetGalley formatting and how much is what the author submitted.  But then I saw he's written other books so I started critiquing a bit more, ending up at 3 stars.

Quote from the Book

*Since I read this from NetGalley this may not be the exact quote in the final copy*

"I'm an imperfect being who has lived an imperfect life. Through it all I have loved my New York, the streets, the people, the meter of the place. There is nothing like it anywhere in the world."

Hope Never Dies

Book 18 of my 2019 Reading Challenge

read from February 9 - 14

Hope Never Dies

by Andrew Shaffer

Book 1 of the "Obama Biden Mysteries" series

Summary (via the book jacket)

published 2018

It's been several months since the 2016 presidential election, and "Uncle Joe" Biden is puttering around the house, grouting the tile in his master bathroom, feeling lost and adrift in an America that doesn't make sense anymore.

But when his favorite Amtrak conductor dies in a suspicious accident, Joe feels a familiar desire to serve - and he leaps into the role of amateur sleuth, with a little help from his old friend President Barack Obama (code name: Renegade). Together they'll plumb the darkest depths of Delaware, traveling from cheap motels to biker bars and beyond, as they uncover the sinister forces advancing America's opioid epidemic.

Part action thriller, part mystery, part. bromance. and (just to be clear) 100 percent fiction, Hope Never Dies imagines life after the Oval Office for two of America's greatest heroes. Together they'll prove that justice has no term limits.

My Opinion

3 stars

I was really really excited to get this as a Christmas present.  It didn't quite live up to my expectations but I understand why...since it's not clear if Joe Biden is done with politics I think the author didn't lean into the satire of his reputation as hard as he could have.  But the touches were definitely there and I think that if he writes more (PLEASE write more!) there will be lots of opportunities to expand on the "bromance" and shenanigans.

Quote from the Book

"The longer I thought it over, the more I realized just how far over our heads we were. Barack and I weren't detectives. We weren't even politicians anymore. We should have known better than to go around poking bulls. One of us was liable to get gored."

The Marriage Test

Book 17 of my 2019 Reading Challenge

read from February 7 - 11

The Marriage Test: Our 40 Dates Before "I Do"

by Jill Andres and Brook Silva-Braga

Summary (via the book jacket)

published 2016

Picking a partner is life's most important decision, but how are we supposed to make it? Being in love is a good start, but the issues that ultimately wreck marriages - money and monogamy, career and kids - are hard to gauge until you're actually hitched. So after a few years of dating, Jill Andres and Brook Silva-Braga built the Marriage Test to confirm their compatibility before saying "I do."

Forty revealing challenges simulate the issues that could tank or strengthen their union. For a month, they swap credit cards, for a weekend they borrow a baby. An embarrassing lunch with their exes tests their trust issues. Sexual gymnastics are required to re-create TV love scenes. From a night of speed dating to twenty-four hours handcuffed together, the crazy, awkward, emotional trials fling them headfirst into assorted marital minefields.

My Opinion

4 stars

Going in I thought that this was a cute idea for a book as long as they weren't promoting this as something serious that every couple should go through.  Once I read a few chapters and was reassured this isn't a self-help book I settled in and really liked it.  I liked both their voices as they alternated but whether it was personality or gender or a little of both, I could relate to Jill a little more than Brook.

Even as someone who's been married awhile there were a few challenges that made me think but there were also a few that I knew were going to be problematic, both for the potential of things going too far and because it just doesn't matter so there's not a lot of positive things to be gained by the risk anyway...the one where they imitated each other and the one where their friends imitated them.

The challenge where they packed for each other made me laugh because it reminded me of a moment I'll never let my husband live down.  I went grocery shopping with my mom and when I came home my husband had surprised me by planning a weekend away so the kids were gone and he had my bag ready.  I don't like surprises anyway so the first thing I did was cry because if I'd known I wasn't going to see the kids for 2 days instead of what I thought was a quick trip to the store, I would've hugged and kissed them goodbye.  Once we got past that hurdle and to the hotel the second "WTF was he thinking?!?!" moment happened...he had packed a shirt for me that I had never worn before because it was a little tight.  Obviously that's why he picked it but that wasn't the main issue...It was a Halloween shirt that said, "Are you a good witch or a bad witch?" on it.  And our trip was to a book festival.  In JULY.  Needless to say, we had to make a stop at Target so I could get another shirt.  So he got points for trying but it's definitely one of our funnier 'dinner party' stories to retell over and over.

A Few Quotes from the Book

"Picking a partner is the most important decision any of us will ever make, but how are we supposed to make it? Being in love is obviously a good start, but the things that ultimately wreck marriages - money and monogamy, career and kids - are hard to practice for until you're actually hitched. What if she spends too much? What if I'm a bad dad? You can be together for years without ever truly auditioning each other for the Big Job."

"At its best, this Marriage Test shined a light on problems we'd overlooked or issues we avoided confronting. But at its worst, it felt like we'd put our relationship up on a pedestal and instead of admiring its beauty we were circling its faults...The love we shared and the problems we had overcome mattered at least as much as our shortcomings."

"The magic of partnership is finding someone who can love you in spite of yourself, someone willing to adapt to your personality quirks and vice versa."

The Testing

Book 15 of my 2019 Reading Challenge

read from February 2 - 8

The Testing

by Joelle Charbonneau

Book 1 of The Testing series

Summary (via the book jacket)

published 2013

The Seven Stages War left much of the planet a charred wasteland. The future belongs to the next generation's chosen few, who must rebuild it. But to enter this elite group, candidates must first pass The Testing - their one chance at a college education and a rewarding career.

Cia Vale is honored to be chosen as a Testing candidate, eager to prove her worthiness as a University student and future leader of the United Commonwealth. But on the eve of her departure, her father's advice hints at a darker side to her upcoming studies: Trust no one.

Surely, though, she can trust Tomas, her handsome childhood friend who offers an alliance. Tomas, who seems to care more about her with the passing of every grueling (and deadly) day of The Testing. To survive, Cia must choose: love without truth or life without trust.

My Opinion

4 stars

The history part of the testing was a clever way to get the backstory.  The 6 days it took to read this doesn't reflect how quickly the pages turned when I actually got to sit down and read; this definitely could've been finished in 1-2 sittings if I'd had time.

I was frustrated in the beginning with Cia because it looked like she was turning into the lovesick character that trusts so easily and falls for a guy who lets his hair fall in his face and isn't like the others, ugh.  Things did settle down and even though it wouldn't be a YA dystopian novel without a little time for kissing as they fight for their lives, Cia did use her brain and followed her gut instincts as well.

I look forward to continuing the series. 

A Few Quotes from the Book

"It's time to go home and tell my family that tomorrow I will leave the house in the morning and I won't return."

"After everything I've seen and done, I'm forced to admit I don't know exactly who I am. But I know I need to find out fast because this final interview requires that I show them. And that test has just begun."