Lie, Lie Again

 Book 42 of my 2021 Reading Challenge

Lie, Lie Again by Stacy Wise

Summary (via Goodreads)

published 2021

All three women who live at 1054 Mockingbird Lane have secrets…and with a body at the bottom of their apartment building’s staircase, those secrets need to stay buried.

Sylvia Webb has a plan. And a potential Mr. Right. He’s sweet, simple, and dependably clueless about what she’s up to. The only thing unpredictable about him is his needy ex-girlfriend, who is this close to shattering Sylvia’s dreams. But Sylvia’s not going to let that happen.

Riki McFarlan has a good career and an amazing boyfriend who wants to settle down. If only she didn’t have feelings for her neighbor—who happens to be her close friend’s husband. With everything going so right, why is Riki flirting with something so wrong, so…dangerous?

Embry Taylor is as devoted to her children as she is to her husband, who’s a bartender by night, an aspiring actor by day. She is his biggest fan. But with his career not taking off and tensions high, even sweet Embry has something she’s desperate to keep hidden.

Lies, secrets, and revenge. For three neighbors with stakes so high, someone is headed for a downfall.

First Impressions/Judging a Book by Its Cover

I chose this book from the Free Reads monthly options on Amazon Prime.  I don't remember being super drawn to it but of the options that month, it looked the most interesting to me.

The cover art is interesting and I've discovered reading mysteries electronically adds a layer of surprise for me since I don't have my page count listed at the bottom, meaning most of the time I'm reading with no idea how much is left.

My Opinion

4 stars

The pages passed very quickly and it could've easily been a book I tore through in one or two sittings if I'd had the time.  The pacing was really good in the beginning.  I started to feel a little restless about two days before the incident (it started with the reveal of the body and then went back in time to have everything leading up to it unfold in real time) but luckily, some of the smaller storylines started wrapping up and things kept moving forward.

The first few chapters did a good job setting up the distinct characters and giving multiple options for the victim and perpetrator.  The characters all felt human with likable and unlikable characteristics.

Since there were lots of things going on I could not predict which storyline would be the "big one" leading to the dead body.  Some of the secrets felt unnecessary for the characters to keep but all the details worked together to move the story along.  

It definitely didn't end the way I expected.  Everything was plausible looking back but just barely. It required a little stretch in the way most mysteries do (such as discovering things at just the right moment or people opening up in a way they typically wouldn't) but all in all, this book was a fun read.

Screenshot

 Book 41 of my 2021 Reading Challenge

Screenshot by Donna Cooner

Summary (via the book jacket)

published 2018

Skye's social media game is always on point. Until her best friend, Asha, posts an embarrassing video of Skye at a sleepover. But Asha deletes the post, so everything's okay. Right?

Then someone texts Skye a screenshot from the video. This person threatens to share the shocking photo everywhere...unless Skye does whatever they say. Suddenly, Skye's perfect image - and privacy - are in jeopardy. What will Skye do to keep the screenshot under wraps? And who is trying to ruin her life?

First Impressions/Judging a Book by Its Cover

I'm reading this book at the recommendation of my daughter.  She's 15 now but she read it a few years ago and when we came across it while cleaning our bookshelves, she pulled it and said I should read it.

The cover is a grid of Instagram-esque photos.  Looking at the description, I'm not sure of the age range so I don't know how "embarrassing" the post will be but this could definitely be a starting point for conversations about social media.

My Opinion

4 stars

First off, that was horrifying for Asha to a) record a video without Skye's knowledge and b) post it.  That's a bitchy thing to do and I do not miss the dynamics of teen girl "friendship" at all.  

As mentioned above, I was concerned that what was posted would be really high-stakes which would take enjoyment away from me.  That is not the case...it's a big deal (especially without consent) but what she was doing in the video was not illegal or life-changing.  

I can see why my teen daughter liked it and it held my interest too.  I read the book in one sitting and it was a good length - it wasn't entirely predictable as she worked through who was blackmailing her (the anonymity added a layer since it cast doubt on everyone) but it also didn't drag on too long.  

Only in New York 2

 Book 40 of my 2021 Reading Challenge

Only in New York 2

by M.G. Crisci

Summary (via Goodreads)

published 2021

Among these 37 unforgettable short stories, you will learn how a school's Mascot Ram was accidentially murdered and Why Chiquita Bananas CEO jumped out a 44th Floor window on Park Avenue, .
You'll also discover how a stoned Neil Young perfomed in Milkwuakee, Joan Rivers sent up her husband at the Four Seasons Restaurant, and a group of mulit-millionaires consumed a prodigious amount of high fat Jewish comfort food at a landmark restaurant in a Bowery basement.
These are poignant, entertaining, and powerful stories about a Manhattan that is almost gone. Chronicled by a native New Yorker, with 37 original illustrations, Only in New York Vol 1 and 2, are must reads.

First Impressions/Judging a Book by Its Cover

I saw this book while browsing on NetGalley (full disclaimer below).  I'd read the first volume, giving it 3 stars, so I decided to read this one too.

I'm expecting similar things to the first volume - the author was a natural storyteller and I was entertained even if I didn't think every story was completely true.  I did note multiple typos and grammatical errors in the first volume so hopefully that has been improved.  

Since it's an electronic book I don't have much to say about it.  The title is clear in big block letters which drew my attention, jogging my memory about reading the first volume, so it was effective at grabbing my interest.

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**

He seemed to take feedback about his previous books to heart.  This kept the folksy chatty style of the first volume but was more polished and concise. I enjoyed this book even more than the first one.  I think since most of the top-shelf outlandish stories were used in the first volume, this volume had stories with a more personal feel.  It's still a life I know nothing about (the money earned, spent, lost, etc. is more than I can imagine) but it felt more grounded.  It's like a fisherman - maybe not everything is completely accurate but any embellishments are harmless.

I laughed at his description of hitting a ball "three manhole covers down the street" - that's true street ball! 

As I noted with the first volume, these books will be an absolute treasure to his family for historical purposes, especially this volume that focused more on family stories.  The illustrations were fun too.

I mentioned above in my first impressions that I was concerned about typos and I'm happy to say that was not an issue.  As an editing note since I read an ARC, the author added dates to help place the world around him but there was one that felt very out of place so I'm assuming it was either a typo of the date or of the anniversary.  "50th Anniversary Celebration" was listed as August 1994 which doesn't match their ages or any of the other stories.

I didn't realize how many books he's written and I'd read him again if I saw them.

Second Grave on the Left

 Book 39 of my 2021 Reading Challenge

Second Grave on the Left

by Darynda Jones

Summary (via Goodreads)

Book 2 of the Charley Davidson series

published 2011

Charley Davidson, Grim Reaper Extraordinaire, is back in this sexy, suspenseful novel of supernatural shenanigans.

 When Charley is rudely awakened in the middle of the night by her best friend who tells her to get dressed quickly and tosses clothes out of the closet at her, she cant help but wonder what Cookies up to. Leather scrunch boots with a floral miniskirt? Together? Seriously? Cookie explains that a friend of hers named Mimi disappeared five days earlier and that she just got a text from her setting up a meet at a coffee shop downtown. They show up at the coffee shop, but no Mimi. But Charley finds a message on the bathroom wall. Mimi left a clue, a womans name. Mimis husband explains that his wife had been acting strange since she found out an old friend of hers from high school had been found murdered a couple weeks prior. The same woman Mimi had named in her message. 

Meanwhile, Reyes Alexander Farrow (otherwise known as the Son of Satan. Yes. Literally) has left his corporeal body and is haunting Charley. Hes left his body because hes being tortured by demons who want to lure Charley closer. But Reyes cant let that happen. Because if the demons get to Charley, they'll have a portal to heaven. And if they have a portal to heavenwell, lets just say it wouldnt be pretty. Can Charley handle hot nights with Reyes and even hotter days tracking down a missing woman? Will Cookie ever get a true fashion sense? And is there enough coffee and chocolate in the world to fuel them as they do?

First Impressions/Judging a Book by Its Cover

This is a re-read.  I gave it 5 stars the first time around but that was years ago.  I'm interested to see if it holds up as an absolute love but I do think it will definitely fit my reading needs at the moment - something light and entertaining.

My Opinion

4 stars

Nothing to do with the book but the summary on Goodreads is a jumbled mess.  Most of the time I use the book jacket unless Goodreads has the same info but I've already returned the book to the library (behind on reviews always!) so what's above is what I have access to.

On to the book...

The side cases specific to this book weren't my favorite (it was a lot of extra people and hard to keep track of) but the overall stuff moving the story along as it goes through the series was interesting and cohesive.  I'm glad she's finding people she can trust.  I mentioned it in my review of the first book but something different that I like about this series is that her powers aren't new to her.  There are still new situations as she navigates living with them, especially as it relates to those around her, but she has a clear foundation of who she is and how she's different.

It ended on a cliffhanger that makes me want to immediately continue.  That's a bonus of waiting to start a series - I can jump right into the next book instead of waiting for them to come out.

Original Review (December 2012)

Even better than the first book in the series. Tense action while also making me laugh out loud. Can't wait to read the next one.

Disability Visibility

 Book 38 of my 2021 Reading Challenge

Disability Visibility by Alice Wong

Summary (via Goodreads)

published 2020

One in five people in the United States lives with a disability. Some disabilities are visible, others less apparent—but all are underrepresented in media and popular culture. Now, just in time for the thirtieth anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act, activist Alice Wong brings together this urgent, galvanizing collection of contemporary essays by disabled people.

From Harriet McBryde Johnson’s account of her debate with Peter Singer over her own personhood to original pieces by authors like Keah Brown and Haben Girma; from blog posts, manifestos, and eulogies to Congressional testimonies, and beyond: this anthology gives a glimpse into the rich complexity of the disabled experience, highlighting the passions, talents, and everyday lives of this community. It invites readers to question their own understandings. It celebrates and documents disability culture in the now. It looks to the future and the past with hope and love.

First Impressions/Judging a Book by Its Cover

I can't remember exactly where it was but I added this book to my "to-read" list after it was mentioned in an article about books covering disabilities.  This topic is very important to me - I have a mom with MS, a sister with Down Syndrome, and I work as a respite/SCL provider.

Books with stories/essays by multiple authors appeal to me and especially in this book, I imagine I will hear many perspectives.  I'm looking forward to reading it.

My Opinion

3 stars

As I mentioned above, my sister was born with Down Syndrome when I was 5 and my mom was diagnosed with MS when I was 14 so I have the personal experience.  I also have a psychology degree and work as a Respite/SCL provider so I have professional experience as well.  With that being said, there are still a range of disabilities and experiences I've never seen so this book made me think about things I hadn't before.  For example, reading about the deaf prisoner.  In his experience, all cellmates with disabilities were put together so he had a blind cellmate the majority of the time; this left them with no way to communicate at all (there were other ways that he wasn't treated equally but I pulled this most cut-and-dry one as an example).  I didn't need a reminder that there's a difference between being technically compliant and actually providing equal service but his was a viewpoint I hadn't heard before.  

This was a really interesting project and unique concept.  I think stories like these are necessary because it matches how I feel.  Not everyone living with a disability is heroic or "brave" and their stories are just as valid as anyone else's.  For all the stories about "regular" individuals, that doesn't happen with people with disabilities; their stories have to be magical and about perseverance and overcoming obstacles to meet "norms" to be heard.

You don't have to be "handicapable" (good grief, that term makes me cringe!) to be seen and allowed to exist.

I especially resonated with the essay by Ellen Samuels comparing disability to time travel.  When you don't hit milestones at typical ages you also don't experience life in a linear fashion.  Sometimes you're treated as older (her example was attending a water aerobics class filled with people decades older than her; their symptoms were the same, theirs from typical aging after living an active life but hers from a physical disability, so they were a good peer group for commiserating but not the same because of experiences beforehand) and sometimes you're treated as younger (such as when people don't factor in adult hormones when working with someone with a mental disability).

As with any book with essays by multiple authors, there were some I liked more than others.  The 3 star rating reflects that; I'm glad I read it but I'm also not recommending it to everyone I know.  I am very very happy that this book exists and people who may have been overlooked in the past were given a voice/platform.

A Few Quotes from the Book

"I know only that in chasing to achieve the person I once was, I will miss the person I have become." ~ Jillian Weise

"As disabled people, we are often both hyper visible and invisible at the same time." ~ Leah Lakshmi Piepzna-Samarasinha 

The Boy Between

Book 37 of my 2021 Reading Challenge

The Boy Between: A Mother and Son's Journey from a World Gone Grey

by Amanda Prowse and Josiah Hartley

Summary (via Goodreads)

published 2020

Josiah was nineteen with the world at his feet when things changed. Without warning, the new university student’s mental health deteriorated to the point that he planned his own death. His mother, bestselling author Amanda Prowse, found herself grappling for ways to help him, with no clear sense of where that could be found. This is the book they wish had been there for them during those dark times.
Josiah’s situation is not unusual: the statistics on student mental health are terrifying. And he was not the only one suffering; his family was also hijacked by his illness, watching him struggle and fearing the day he might succeed in taking his life.
In this book, Josiah and Amanda hope to give a voice to those who suffer, and to show them that help can be found. It is Josiah’s raw, at times bleak, sometimes humorous, but always honest account of what it is like to live with depression. It is Amanda’s heart-rending account of her pain at watching him suffer, speaking from the heart about a mother’s love for her child.
For anyone with depression and anyone who loves someone with depression, Amanda and Josiah have a clear message—you are not alone, and there is hope

First Impressions/Judging a Book by Its Cover

I chose this book from the monthly freebies on Amazon First Reads.  The subject matter could hit close to home for me but the fact that both of them are listed as authors gives me hope that there is some positivity to be found as well.

Since it's an electronic copy I don't have an impression of the book itself but the cover is beautiful and the subtle hints of rainbow on a mostly gray/neutral cover covey what the book appears to be about.

My Opinion

3 stars

The authors made a good point about the importance of treatment before things get very severe yet how difficult that can be, whether it's from stigma, availability of services, waitlists, etc.  As a society, we will all function better when we start looking at mental health similarly to physical health (as in recognizing the chemical factors and not being so judgmental).

This is one family's story so I'm not going to begrudge them their answers but I'm glad they didn't present this as medical canon.  The side effects of medication can be brutal but not being on any medication ever is not always a realistic goal.  Leaving university and losing weight isn't going to be enough for everyone (I'm simplifying, not to downplay the massive struggles they went through but to say what appeared to be the most helpful to them by the end).  They also acknowledge the luck of the draw when it comes to getting treatment and having support, both in the family (not everyone can stay home and focus solely on improvement) and financially regarding work and insurance (NHS in this case because of their location).

Reading this as an e-book gave the added bonus of hyperlinks for the sources which is especially helpful for topics like this when the information is ever-changing.

I'm glad he is still here to tell his story.

Shit, Actually

 Book 36 of my 2021 Reading Challenge

Shit, Actually by Lindy West

Summary (via Goodreads)

published 2020

New York Times opinion writer and bestselling author Lindy West was once the in-house movie critic for Seattle's alternative newsweekly The Stranger, where she covered film with brutal honesty and giddy irreverence. In Shit, Actually, Lindy returns to those roots, re-examining beloved and iconic movies from the past 40 years with an eye toward the big questions of our time: Is Twilight the horniest movie in history? Why do the zebras in The Lion King trust Mufasa-WHO IS A LION-to look out for their best interests? Why did anyone bother making any more movies after The Fugitive achieved perfection? And, my god, why don't any of the women in Love, Actually ever fucking talk?!?!
From Forrest Gump, Honey I Shrunk the Kids, and Bad Boys II, to Face/Off, Top Gun, and The Notebook, Lindy combines her razor-sharp wit and trademark humor with a genuine adoration for nostalgic trash to shed new critical light on some of our defining cultural touchstones-the stories we've long been telling ourselves about who we are. At once outrageously funny and piercingly incisive, Shit, Actually reminds us to pause and ask, "How does this movie hold up?", all while teaching us how to laugh at the things we love without ever letting them or ourselves off the hook.
Shit, Actually is a love letter and a break-up note all in one: to the films that shaped us and the ones that ruined us. More often than not, Lindy finds, they're one and the same. 

First Impressions/Judging a Book by Its Cover

I added this book to my 'to-read' list after reading a friend's review on Goodreads.  The description sounds tailor-made for me: essays by a funny writer revisiting movies from my childhood/early adulthood.

I reserved the book through my library's curbside pickup but looking at the book, I think it would've grabbed my attention while browsing even if I hadn't heard of it.  It's a catchy title with a bright yellow jacket.

My Opinion

4 stars

This was a quick, breezy read.  It's a niche book for a certain time of movies but I fit into that age group so I recognized pretty much everything.  I also read aloud many parts to my husband and he enjoyed them as well (he actually asked me to read more to him but since the chapters are so long, I told him to just read the book himself so I could continue to read quickly).

An extra bit of fun comes from trying to guess which movie an essay is about based on the title.  For example, "Big Boy Freaky Friday" is about "Face/Off".

Quote from the Book

"Also, who writes their novel on loose pages on a typewriter in an open-air shack next to a pond? Amelia Bedelia?" ~ from the chapter "Shit, Actually" about the movie "Love, Actually"