I Kissed Shara Wheeler

 Book 73 of my 2024 Reading Challenge

read from September 19 - 28

I Kissed Shara Wheeler

by Casey McQuiston

My Opinion

2 stars

It pains me to give this 2 stars.  I love the author and love the representation but this specific book just wasn't it for me.

The writing was great and I want more of the characters in other situations but this particular book and plot...nah.  I can handle tropes and setups, especially in YA romance, but this was way too much.  There were too many coincidences to be able to find all the clues and in the correct order.  She was also gone too long to have no consequences (although there was a little bit of an explanation as to why her parents reacted the way they did).  Then everything both completely blew up yet also completely resolved.

So while I can't recommend this specific book, I highly recommend this author and look forward to their next book.

The Road to Jonestown

 Book 72 of my 2024 Reading Challenge

read from September 9 - 25

The Road to Jonestown: Jim Jones and Peoples Temple

by Jeff Guinn

My Opinion

4 stars

This book is a high 3/low 4 star read but I rounded up because for a 500+ page non-fiction book, it was very accessible and readable.  When I saw before reading that the author has written nonfiction books about other subjects, I felt better because I really didn't know anything going in other than "don't drink the Kool-Aid" and having an author that approached this from a research standpoint helped lay the groundwork for a reader like me.  Now that I've read this, I may read other books from authors that study Jim Jones as their sole focal point.

As mentioned above, I didn't really know anything about Jim Jones.  After reading, I can't believe the church lasted as many years in as many places as it did.  The ending is absolutely horrific but it does appear that no matter the motivation, there were people genuinely helped by their programs.

Also as mentioned, I've obviously heard and probably even said "don't drink the Kool-Aid" (although technically they drank the cheaper version of Flavor-Aid).  I didn't even consider how hurtful that would be for survivors/relatives.  To be honest, before reading this I would've struggled to put a timeframe on this and it feels so long ago that I had to get over the surprise that the author interviewed people who were there.

Math/time blindness...I was born in 1979 which was 30 years ago yet also anything that happened in the 60's was 100 years ago.  And the massacre happened in 1978 which was much later than I would've guessed.

The book also mentioned a Jonestown Institute website that I may look at for further information.  I would be interested in reading more from people who were involved (either as a member or working against as an outsider) but I have no interest in hearing any of his sermons.

So all in all, this book did exactly what a nonfiction book should do.  It was clear about the subject going in, it gave enough information to satisfy a new reader, and it also gave further resources if a reader would like to take a deeper dive.

Revenge of the Librarians

 Book 71 of my 2024 Reading Challenge

read on September 18

Revenge of the Librarians

Cartoons by Tom Gauld

My Opinion

3 stars

This book is a perfect example of why I love libraries.  It was a quick little read that I picked up with zero hesitation when browsing at the library but would never have purchased.  That's not a slight against this particular book, that's just my general philosophy on buying books.

The small, wide size of the book added to the reading appeal because it was pretty much one strip per page.  The old-school catalog card in the front was a nice touch as well.

The cartoons obviously add a lot but I have to shout out one of the panels because the text alone made me laugh.  I'm totally guilty of this.

"Bedtime Reading Routine

 1 Get into Bed.

 2 Take Book from Bedside Table.

 3 Open Book at Marked Page and Place in Lap.

 4 Pick Up Phone and Scroll Through Social Media for 45 Minutes.

 5 Replace Bookmark in Book and Go To Sleep."

Happy-Go-Lucky

 Book 70 of my 2024 Reading Challenge

read from September 14 - 17

Happy-Go-Lucky

by David Sedaris

My Opinion

4 stars

This flowed easily and was a quick read.  I cringed a little at some of the casual meanspiritedness but it added to the authenticity.  My impression is the author is someone I enjoy reading but would be afraid to talk to in real life because I wouldn't want to know his opinions about me.

Out of the Mirror, Darkness

 Book 69 of my 2024 Reading Challenge

read on September 15

Out of the Mirror, Darkness

by Garth Nix

My Opinion

2 stars

This short story is part of the Into Shadow collection available through Prime Reading.  It was a fully fleshed out story with a good arc but I just couldn't get into it.  Maybe if Mrs. Hope had been there on site so there wasn't the extra stuff about her unexpectedly showing up it would've helped.

Even though the title had 'mirror' in it I thought it was the cheap lights causing the issue.  My lack of short-term memory is really embarrassing sometimes.

The Queen of the Night

 Book 68 of my 2024 Reading Challenge

read from September 2 - 14

The Queen of the Night

by Alexander Chee

My Opinion

3 stars

I'm conflicted about this book which is why I'm rating it in the middle.

What I liked: the writing.  It was easy to get swept up into the atmosphere and there was a gauzy, almost mystical feel that kept me guessing (but I also had the security of certain characters remaining alive since this happened in flashbacks).  Treating each "transformation" as its own little mini-story helped break the book so it didn't feel like I'd read an 561 page book.

What I didn't like: it was too much.  There were so many transformations/reinventions I really struggled to understand how she stayed under the radar to be able to accomplish them yet also had fame and kept friends throughout.  I also didn't like the seemingly few consequences until the end that allowed her to continue her upward mobility.

I also thought the final section between the duel and the ending was too long, although I did not know how it was going to play out.

So I would definitely read this author again but felt this particular book needed some paring down because it was too many ideas for one character to experience.

The Candles Are Burning

 Book 67 of my 2024 Reading Challenge

read on September 10

The Candles Are Burning

by Veronica Henry

My Opinion

5 stars

This short story is part of the Into Shadow collection available through Prime Reading.  I was fully absorbed while I was reading.  I did consider rating it 4 stars when reflecting after it was over but in the end, I'm not going to be nitpicky on a 36 page story and my initial reaction was excellence.

Zoobiquity

 Book 66 of my 2024 Reading Challenge

read from August 25 - September 8

Zoobiquity: What Animals Can Teach Us About Health and the Science of Healing

by Barbara Natterson-Horowitz and Kathryn Bowers

My Opinion

3 stars

I picked up this book after reading Wildwood by the same authors and it has bonus points for being a 'Z' title (I try to complete an A-Z challenge each year).

The book's premise was interesting.  I'm bummed to see it came out in 2012 and as far as I know there haven't been a ton of changes made in vets and doctors working together.

The book's content was fine.  Covering many different topics in a short book kept my interest but not going in depth kept me from feeling connected.