January Month End Stats+

I'm going to try something new this year for my monthly stats in an attempt to keep on top of reviews. Well not just that because I don't necessarily review out of a feeling of obligation. I want to review because while I'm reading/listening to books I have THOUGHTS and OPINIONS that I want to share, which is the whole reason to start this thing. Clearly, given priorities of the last few years, I haven't had the time to write full reviews and even my mini reviews are few and far between and by the time I get to them half my reviews are "I don't remember this. Are you sure I read this?" 

Here's what I'm going to do. I'm going to start my monthly stats post NOT at the end of the month as I usually do, but throughout the month. And I will include my mini-reviews of the books I read here. So I can jot down my thoughts about the book right after finishing them. Seems like a pretty obvious solution and I don't know why it's taken me so long to come up with, but it did and here we are. 

With that, let's take a look at those stats and mini-reviews.

Number of books read

4

The Final Girls Support Group by Grady Hendrix

Real Food/Fake Food: Why You Don't Know What You're Eating and What You Can Do About It by Larry Olmsted

Killing Yourself to Live: 85% of a True Story by Chuck Klosterman

You Can't Touch My Hair and Other Things I Still Have to Explain by Phoebe Robinson

The Final Girl Support Group by Grady Hendrix

The basic plot follows Lynette, a "final girl". You know what a final girl is, right? At the end of a slasher movie, when there's one girl left. That's the final girl. Lynette survived multiple massacres (there's always a sequel) which defined her life. She's part of a therapy support group for other final girls but it seems someone is trying to finish off these final girls.

Hendrix does a really good job of creating characters that don't fall into stereotypes and behave as one would think a real person might, when dealing with these incredible bizarre scenarios. Which in this case often means they behave in a way that is frustrating and infuriating, and if you want a character that isn't necessarily likeable but someone you still want to read about, this gives you a solid option. It's not my favorite Hendrix book (hello My Best Friend's Exorcism and The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires) but it's still a good one, though it had some pacing issues and it lacks the close female friendships that are at the center of those other two books. The plot kept me guessing, both what was coming next and what slasher movie inspired each of the girls.

Goodreads Rating: 4 stars

Real Food/Fake Food:Why You Don't Know What You're Eating and What You Can Do About It by Larry Olmsted

I like the conceit of this book, examining the food you think you're getting and what you're actually getting. Is that really parmigiano cheese or is that wood pulp? There is advice on what to look for to make sure you're getting what you're actually expecting, all of which is helpful. BUT much of the book focuses on high end items (Kobe beef, ), mostly looking at items that are supposed to only be made in one location (champagne for example). Olmsted makes the point on why something called "California champagne" is not that and how it isn't as good as the real thing but listen. If the concern is just that the quality is better with the real thing, I'm not going to get too up-in-arms about stuff listed as California champagne. And since I'm not regularly purchasing things like a $300 Kobe steak, whether that's actually Kobe beef or not doesn't really matter to me. Many of the solutions he proposes involve having to pay a lot more to get something that, yes, I'm sure is of better quality. But I'm not going to buy real balsamic vinegar if the cost is in the 3 digit range. His point that you should know what you're getting and food shouldn't be misleading is valid, but overall his level of outrage felt out of proportion to the problem discussed (except when talking about slave labor being used in imported shrimp). 

Goodreads rating: 3 stars

Killing Yourself to Live: 85% of a True Story by Chuck Klosterman

I feel I should preface this by saying I have liked Klosterman stuff in the past. I read Sex, Drugs and Cocoa Puffs a few years after it was published and liked it. I read a few of his others as well and they didn't make a huge impact but I remember enjoying. But recently I went back to relisten to Sex, Drugs and, well, after about 10 min I decided this was no longer for me and returned it to the library. I think Klosterman's stuff might be of its time and unfortunately that time has passed and, at least for me, it didn't hold up great.

Unfortunately, this was the case with this book as well. If you were to ask me what the book is about, I'm not sure I could tell you. He goes on a road trip to visit places where rock stars died for a Spin Magazine article and spends a lot of time talking about past girlfriends. He makes some broad universal statements that fell flat for me and other observations that made me suck in air and cringe. There were some interesting moments but they were brief.

Goodreads rating: 2 stars

You Can't Tough My Hair and Other Things I Still Have To Explain by Phoebe Robinson

This is a reread and I read it so long ago I actually have a full review of it! Incredible, right? This was a Christmas gift and since my earlier copy was an ARC and also I heart physical copies of books I like so not only did I keep it but decided I wanted to reread. I maintain my comment from last review that Robinson teeters just on the edge of using a skooch too many pop culture references. But she pulls herself back just enough, and it's still very funny and tackles difficult topics (like a fellow student writing a love story where a woman decided to not escape slavery because she's in love) in an approachable way that finds the humor in the situation while still dealing with how serious some of these things are. And then there are the pieces that are just funny (not-so-guilty pleasures, love of U2).

Goodreads rating: 4 stars

Bear Town by Fredrik Backman (DNF)

You'll notice I'm writing about this book here yet it's not on my list of books I've read. Because I didn't finish this. Not because it wasn't good. It actually was pretty good. I like this author a lot. I was actually thinking about how much I liked this book right up to the point I decided I wasn't going to read it anymore. There are some spoilers here, but anyway, the story was about to involve a rape. A rape and the after effects, which were going to the remainder of the book. Something that I'm sure the author would have dealt with well, because I like the other stuff the author has done and they aren't necessarily the happiest of topics. But that doesn't mean I want to read about it. Because I don't, not really. Not now. I considered it. I talked to a friend who read it to understand what was coming and I just...reading is what I do for fun, with my limited free-time. This is just to say if that topic isn't a dealbreaker for you, this could be a good one. Or like maybe read one of his other ones first cos they are excellent.  

Number of pages read

1,235

Fiction

25% - big month for non-fiction apparently. I do find it's easier to listen to non-fiction than fiction so if I don't know what to read next, that does tend to be the way I lean

Female authors

25%

BIPOC authors

25%

US authors

100%

Book format

audiobook: 75%

paperback: 25%

Where'd I get the book

gift: 25%

library: 75%

Book club books

25%

Rereads

25%

Decade published

2000s: 25%

2010s: 505

2020s: 25%

Resolution books

25%

Just the one Phoebe Robinson one

That was pretty successful with the mini-reviews. Let's see if I can keep that up!

2020 Mini Reviews - January 2020

I am getting to some 2020 mini reviews and it's still 2021! I'm within a calendar year in these reviews. Are you impressed? I am. I mean, that's not going to last very long but it's something for now.

Mrs. McGinty's Dead by Agatha Christie 

Read January 2020

It's a Poirot mystery. That's basically all I remember. As a matter of fact, I was just looking it up and realized originally I had the title wrong. I had it written as Mrs. McGinty's Murder. So I didn't remember enough to get the title right. I was trying to read some summaries and none of these sound familiar either. I'm not going to worry too much and just say it's a Poirot mystery so it was probably pretty fun and you knew what you were getting and it not being super memorable isn't a huge fault. 

White Kids: Growing Up with Privilege in a Racially Divided America by Margaret A. Hagerman

Read January 2020

Here's another one I don't really remember. I remember the cover and that it was a book I found when I was browsing through the library app available books. It's basically a book of how white children learn about race in a country where white people really don't talk about race much but race is obviously a big and important topic. And how when race isn't talked about explicitly there are lots of implicit lessons being learned and maybe we should pay more attention and take more control of that? 

The Body: A Guide for Occupants by Bill Bryson

Read January 2020

You know I love a Bryson book. And hey, here's a book I actually remember. It's Bryson writing about the body. It's funny, you learn something, and who doesn't want to learn more about this meat sack we're carrying around? Or that's carrying us around? Anyway, I loved it, I loved Bryson's enthusiasm for what the body does and how we learned what we learned and that enthusiasm is infectious. I kinda want to read it again even though I think I've already read it twice in less than 2 years. And he reads this one so that's fun too.

Tanica Jones by Matt Boren

Read January 2020

This one I have some vague memories of. It was an Audible Original, one of those free items they used to give away every month. A story about a woman (Tanica Jones) who finds her identity is stolen by some other lady. This isn't in a thriller-y way. Tanica is working to launch a lifestyle brand and is VERY proud of her name when she finds out some other lady is making herself famous off of this name. This will not stand. The book/short story was performed by Retta (from Parks & Rec) and consider her character from there if you want an idea of the tone of this story. Funny and short.

Mini reviews - finishing up 2019!

Lookit this. After this post I'll have finished up at least mini reviews through 2019. 2019, which was, by my calculation, 200 years ago. Let's wrap up these mini reviews and then I'll only be 1 year behind. Until you know, we wander into 2022 and I'm multiple years backlogged again.

Career of Evil by Robert Galbraith aka JK Rowling

Read December 2019. 

Nothing. I got nothing on this book. I mean, it's a Cormoran Strike novel. I remember liking those. But this rings no bells. 

OK so I looked up the summary and it's vaguely familiar. I remember it not being a favorite although I was happy it wasn't as gross as The Silkworm so that's something, right? 

Dear Girls by Ali Wong

Read December 2019

Ali Wong is hilarious and I have watched her 2 Netflix specials I don't know how many times. As a matter of fact, one of my Xmas gifts 2019 was to go see her perform. Of course, then things happened so you know, that hasn't yet occurred. Anyway, the book. Very funny letters Wong wrote to her 2 daughters with advice. It's funny, she's funny, and I remember sitting the parking lot of a Target laughing at some nonsense piece (I was listening to the audiobook).

Hercule Poirot's Christmas by Agatha Christie

Read December 2019

What a seasonally appropriate book I picked. Good job, me. I mean, I don't remember what the mystery was. I think plum pudding might have been involved. Forgettable sure, but it's Poirot so it was entertaining. I assume. They usually are.

So there you have it. Some sorta-kinda-barely-at-all reviews and now I'm at least caught up through 2019.

Wee little reviews

Time again for some mini-reviews! Let's dive right in, shall we?

Invisible Women: Data Bias in a World Designed for Men by Caroline Criado-Perez

Read October 2019

This was real good. Assuming you want to get mad hearing about systemic gender-bias built into everyday things. I added this to my TBR after listening to the author talk about her work on a podcast and excellent choice. Thinking about it, I might re-read this one soon.

Small Animals: Parenthood in the Age of Fear by Kim Brooks

Read October 2019

I don't remember this one. I had to go look up the cover on Goodreads to see if it looks familiar. It does, but I was originally thinking about a different parenting book. Which isn't a great endorsement. I skimmed the summary and it's sort of coming back to me. Woman leaves her child in the car for a few min while she runs into a store, someone calls the cops on her and she has to deal with the consequences for years (her child was ok, btw. Those aren't the consequences she dealt with). She talks about how parenting has changed and people are more fearful and it's of course important to make sure kids are safe and cared for but are we as a society going overboard. Interesting topic and one that apparently just did not stick in my memory. So make of that what you will.

Damn Fine Story: Mastering the Art of a Powerful Narrative by Chuck Wendig

Read October 2019

Writing advice story that isn't judgey. Not quite Stephen King's On Writing but if you're looking for another book about writing, this is a good choice. He uses Die Hard as an example of a good narrative and it's something I think of whenever it's on (which is more than I would have otherwise thought).

Food: A Love Story by Jim Gaffigan

Read November 2019

Hey, more Gaffigan! It's very much like the Dad Is Fat in that it's fine. It's mostly like this standup. I believe the food stuff has even more of his stand up material than the other book, which isn't surprising if you know his routines and how much of them are about food. It was fine. Something I wouldn't mind listening to again though I probably wouldn't be able to recall much more of it even if I read it more recently.

The Silkworm by Robert Galbraith (aka JK Rowling)

Read November 2019

The second Cormoran Strike detective novel. This one is stranger than the first one and spoiler, gets way grosser. I don't believe i guessed the solution before the end so good on that, I suppose. I liked the Cormoran books but this was prob my least favorite out of the collection. 

Almost done with 2019! So close, I can feel it. Then I'll just be a year and a half behind.

Hot Days, Cool Reviews

I dunno about how the weather is in your part of the world but given the news, my guess would be not ideal. We've been in the 90s (30s for celsius folks) for what feels like forever with lots of thunderstorms that luckily in our immediate area have not caused flooding issues. It has been interesting to see how these rainstorms have done nothing to cool things off. I took a walk in the later afternoon yesterday after a big thunderstorm thinking this would be the time it's cool enough. But the sun came out and laughed at our assumptions. That'll teach me to try to go out in nature.

Now I'm staying cool in the house, with some Blue's Clues on the in background as the lil monster crawls all over and figure I'll take this opportunity to try to get through a couple mini-reviews. Let's see how far I make it.

Confessions of a Domestic Failure by Bunmi Laditan

Read September 2019

Story of a stay-at-home mom with a young child who can't really cook or keep the house clean and is really trying to just hold it all together. But she wants to do better so she enters for a chance to win life-coaching from someone who knows what she's doing (I pictured a judgey Joanna Gaines type) with a group of other women and things don't quite go as planned, there are shenanigans, etc. A fun, light read

The Honest Toddler: A Child's Guide to Parenting by Bunmi Laditan

Read October 2019

What if a toddler wrote a parenting advice column? it would mostly be a collection of responses explaining why toddlers should be allowed to eat all the candy they want, why nap time is nonsense, why you should keep the juice flowing and other such pieces of wisdom. As the description of the book says "What makes toddlers so fascinating is their unique blend of cute and demonic behavior. A toddler will take your hand and say "I love you," then slap you in the face." Something I have experience with. Funny if it's something you're dealing with because it's nice to know that it's not just your kid.

Dad is Fat by Jim Gaffigan

Read October 2019

Apparently I went through a parenting (or parenting-adjacent) book phase. Anyway, this book. It's basically comedian Gaffigan talking about becoming a dad. And then doing it again. And then a few more times. (He's got 5 kids in a 2 bedroom apartment.) It's basically a book of his stand-up which isn't a bad thing. I'm a fan of his standup and have watched his specials more times than I can count. Nothing super special here but if you like his stand up, it's entertaining.

My own toddler is yelling for "Juice right NOW! Juice please! Juuuuuuuuuuice" so I'm going to go take care of this. 

Micro-review Time

It's the end of a long weekend, so why don't I write a couple super teeny, mico-reviews before we have to go back to our regularly scheduled work and such.

I'm still making my way through the backlog so this is going back to fall 2019. Crazy right? I did write a semi-for-real review of Bringing Up Bebe recently but that is certainly the exception and not the rule when it comes to me reviewing things. Even though while reading I still think "Oh man, I'll have to make sure to talk about X when I write about this". It's too bad that time almost never comes. Sigh.

Where the Crawdad's Sing by Delia Owens

Read September 2019

Read this for bookclub, and I probably wouldn't have picked it up otherwise. But hey, bookclub is for reading outside what I would normally read so it's all working out. Good story if slow much of the time and the mystery format is interesting. 

Death on the Nile by Agatha Christie

Read September 2019

On the one hand, it's Poirot and those are aways a measure of fun. On the other hand, I barely remember this one. Which hardly makes a difference and I absolutely recommend this.

Someone Could Get Hurt: A Memoir of Twenty-First Century Parenting by Drew Magary

Read September 2019

I have read very few actual parenting books but man do I enjoy books about parenting that aren't like, advice books. I suppose they're more parenting commiseration books? Because parenting is wonderful and stressful and a lot of work and very strange and I love hearing stories about why there is a household rule that you must wear pants while brushing your teeth. Or the "What's up, fuckface?!?" story that is making me laugh thinking about. 

I'll Be Gone in the Dark: One Woman's Obsessive Search for the Golden State Killer by Michelle McNamara

Read September 2019

Excellent true crime about a truly heinous terror. It's so sad to think about what more the book could have been had it not been for McNamara's sudden death, but what was completed is great. And while police say that nothing in the book had anything to do with the guy finally being captured, I'm going to go ahead and ignore that.

She wrote some itsy bitsy, teeny weeny...yellow polka dot reviews?

Sorry, that title started off strong but sort of fell apart on me. Anyway, it's been a while. Like a while, a while, so why don't I try to write up some more teeny book reviews about books I read 2+ years ago and barely remember. Sound good to everyone?

The Bride Test by Helen Hoang

Read June 2019

I do not remember this book. I mean, I sort of remember it. Vaguely. I remember being annoyed at it at times (a bunch of times) but other times I was on board. I realized after the fact this is the second in a series, though it never read like that, but maybe I would have liked it better had I read the first one. Rom com and misunderstandings and eh.

Doing Harm: The Truth About How Bad Medicine and Lazy Science Leave Women Dismissed, Misdiagnosed and Sick by Maya Dusenbery

Read August 2019

What a fun, light-hearted topic! This was a very good book about an infuriating topic. It made me very mad many times over. As the subtitle says, it's about all of the ways medical science fails women, usually by not bothering to test anything (including birth control at some stages) on women and not taking into account that medications, treatments and symptoms may be different in women and this is literally killing people. 

Because Internet: Understanding the New Rules of Language by Gretchen McCulloch 

Read (first) August 2019

Do you like linguistics? Do you spend time on The Internet? Do you want learn about linguistics on the internet? Of course you do, don't lie, you nerd. McCulloch is very enthusiastic about the topic and it was very fun listening to her narrate this. Especially when she had to say things like "aldhaighdajghda" or whatever the actual written "keyboard smash" looked like in the book. Definitely recommended

It's Not What It Looks Like by Molly Burke

Read August 2019

I have no idea what this book is. 

OK I looked up the cover and I have some memories of it. Less than The Bride Test so not great. It's a memoir from a YouTube star who is blind and it's about her being blind and growing up blind and it had interesting parts but overall it was...just OK. And not all that memorable

More Teeny Reviews (May & June 2019)

Those mini-reviews went pretty well yesterday, right? I thought so. And hey, here I am again typing out some more.

One reason I'm more apt to write these seems silly but. I got a new computer. And it makes a difference in the sense that my last computer was getting on in age and it got slooooooooow. I know that is my fault and Tom has pointed out his desktop was even older and it's working fine and he's not wrong. But that didn't make using my old computer less frustrating. This new computer is snazzy and light and it's rose gold, which I have recently learned is a lame millennial color but I think you're just jealous of my pink computer.

Anyway, I digress. Let's see what I remember of books I read almost 2 years ago.

Fed Up: Emotional Labor, Women & the Way Forward by Gemma Hartley

Read May 2019

That sounds good, right? Something I would be way into and would have lots of good insights. And I bet it did. Except I do not remember it at all. I believe she had an article about Emotional Labor which was probably where I first heard the term and I bet this was good and possible I even talk about points from it without remembering where I heard them. But I don't remember this.

Shakespeare: The World as Stage by Bill Bryson

Read May 2019

It's Shakespeare by way of Bill Bryson. What's not to love?? Assuming, you love those two things already. If you don't already love them, well then I have no idea. It's great and also not that long cos we don't really know that much about Shakespeare and Bryson isn't about to do a ton of conjecture. Get that from Stephen Greenblatt. (Maybe I should reread Will in the World...)

Stay Sexy and Don't Get Murdered by Georgia Hardstark and Karen Kilgariff

Read June 2019

Are you a fan of My Favorite Murder? If so, then you already know about this book and don't need me to talk about it. If you haven't listened to MFM, give that a listen and decide if you want to read this. Already listened and decided you don't like it. Why are you thinking you'd read this? What do you think you're going to get out of it? 

The Death of Mrs. Westaway by Ruth Ware

Read June 2019

More British murder mysteries. Those are fun just don't take them too seriously. Also I don't know that Ware knows exactly what time period she set this book in because while I only remember bits and pieces I remember for a while thinking this book was from the early half of the 1900s only for there to be a flashback to like 1993 and no ma'am, I'm sorry. Ignore that and it's entertaining.

Things That Make White People Uncomfortable by Michael Bennett

Read June 2019

I was thinking about this book recently because I just finished Mediocre by Ijeoma Oluo and her sports section talks about him a fair amount and I was reminded that I enjoyed his book. I mean, there's a lot of football in it, him being a football player and all and I only know so much about the sport (and only care so much about it to...sorry) but since the sport isn't the focus but instead systemic racism, it was a good read.

You Do You: Proud to be Fabulous ed by Tan France & Nikki Levy

Read June 2019

I remember this was a free Audible original (which I think...Audible stopped doing?) and I believe it was some short stories/essays but that's all I've got. I don't remember anything about it other than it was short.

Alright 6 more reviews done and I even almost remembered things about them. Good job, me.

Even Minier Mini Reviews

I am so behind on reviews. So behind. It's ridiculous. It's embarrassing. But also it is what it is. I have a busy job. I have a toddler. There's also a pandemic but considering how far behind I am in reviews, I don't think I can blame that. I mean, I'm going to. Because this pandemic suuuuuucks.

anyway, to get through this backlog, I had been doing mini reviews. But here's the thing, I'm so far behind I don't think mini reviews are going to cut it. It will take too long. So let's go with even minier reviews. A couple lines and then BOOM move on. Plus, I can't say I remember a lot about some of these books so I can't write more than a few lines without a bunch of research or rereading which would take even more time.

So let's do this!

Magpie Murders by Anthony Horowitz

Read April 2019

It's a murder mystery within a murder mystery and that format is less fun than it may seem. But it's still a murder mystery, something I'm a fan of, so not terrible. 

Strange Weather by Joe Hill

Read April 2019

A few short stories, which can be really hit or miss but his are mostly hit so that's nice. There's one about a camera that made me cry but was v good and I think Wil Wheaton narrated it (audiobook). There's one about glass raining from the sky killing people. There's one about a magic cloud. And then there's another but you're lucky I was able to remember the other three. I kinda want to go back and read it again so that's a good sign.

The Dispatcher by John Scalzi

Read April 2019

Short story in a world where most of the time if you are murdered you just come back to life so there are people who's job is to "dispatch" people who are about to die otherwise and hopefully they'll be fine. I don't remember the plot but that's a pretty good set up.

Dark Water Bride by Marty Ross

Read May 2019

Murder and death and secrets and horror and the audiobook was done with a full cast which adds something fun. Pretty sure I didn't guess the ending but it still held together so good stuff.

My Planet: Finding Humor in the Oddest Places by Mary Roach

Read May 2019

I like Mary Roach. I do not remember any of this. At all. Which is odd cos I like and typically remember the other stuff. Not this one. Maybe it's good. Who knows? Not me.

The Evil Eye by Madhuri Shekar

Read May 2019

Short story about a mom who is just looking out for her daughter and maybe it seems like she's overreacting but IS SHE? This one was very good and I definitely remember it and will probably listen to it again since I can probably finish it in an afternoon.

Pretty good for a first attempt. Let's see if I can keep up with this and WHO KNOWS, maybe I'll be able to get through all my 2019 books before the end of 2021.

April Mini-Reviews

Lookit this! Another post in March. I mean, it's close to the end of March, but still! Another post! Which means I'm making my (very low stakes) goal. Phew. It was touch and go for a while. Honestly, even while I'm writing this, it's still touch and go cos who knows if I'll actually finish it.

As I was writing the last couple mini-review posts, I realized last year my reading was very...eh. Which is very likely why my first read in April was The Graveyard Book, which I won't go into here because I've already written about it. I will just say the more often I read it, the more I love it and I think I need to relisten to it again, even if it gives me ALL THE EMOTIONS. But hey, let's instead talk about books that I haven't already written about here.

Act Natural: A Cultural History of Misadventures in Parenting by Jennifer Traig
I only remember bits and pieces of this book. There's a LOT in the beginning about kids...not making it. Which is rough to get through, although it to be fair to it, it doesn't linger. I remember enjoying it; there's lots of interesting bits about the history of child rearing. BUT it didn't totally stick with me. To the point where I saw this book included on a list of parenting books and thought "That looks interesting, I should check it out!" only to see that I had already marked it as Read in Goodreads. Make of that what you will. But I think I may give it another read and see if it sticks with me more.
Gif rating:

Magpie Murders by Anthony Horowitz
A bookclub selection! An English murder mystery. Actually, it's two murder mysteries in one, since there's a story within the story that's also a murder mystery. It's hard to talk too much about it because, you know, mystery. Don't want to wander into spoilers territory. I liked the idea of it and I liked the story within the story best but the flow of the book was not my favorite. But it did make me want to read more murder mysteries.
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Strange Weather by Joe Hill
Short story collections can be very hit or miss. I tend to stay away from them, because I often find they contain more misses. Stephen King tends to be an exception and I figured why not give his son a chance. Good news, he did not disappoint. I mean, it helps that I already like Hill's stuff, so I felt confident giving this a try. The stories were really good. There's a story about a guy who can erase memories with a polaroid. A story about a guy who finds himself carried away on a cloud. Or cloud like thing. A story about a sudden deluge, not of rain but of nails and the horror that it brings. And finally a story about a good-guy with a gun...maybe. They were all very good, had moments that were truly tense and scary and had moments that were heartbreaking.
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The Dispatcher by John Scalzi
A sci-fi short story about a world where you can't murder anyone anymore. Most of the time if you try, that person comes back to life. Oh sure, people can still die, but not from murder. So there arises a group called Dispatchers, whose job it is to "kill" someone, someone who is on death's door, so they maybe have another chance at life. But there's a shady underground world to this (of course) and what happens when a fellow dispatcher is murdered? It was an Audible Original, so a quick story. I don't totally remember the resolution but the premise seemed interesting. I gave it a decent rating so I suppose I enjoyed it.
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Can I get another post in before the month ends??? Probably not but you never know!

March (2019) Mini-Reviews

Here's an attempt to catch up on posting and actually, you know, write on this blog. What a concept.

I'm taking advantage of some time to write as COVID-19 has got us social distancing. Which seems counterintuitive (not the social distancing, that makes sense) since you'd think if we're all trapped in the house I'd have less time to write cos the lil monster requires attention. Except now we're BOTH home so entertainment detail can be split.

So why not catch up on some more mini-reviews? See if I can't stay ahead of the game (I cannot). Heads up, as I look at the list of books I read in March of 2019 I gotta tell you...not a lot is coming to me. This may be brief.

How to Be Good by Nick Hornby
Nick Hornby. I like the guy. I mean I think. I like High Fidelity anyway (both book and movie, thankyouverymuch). And he wrote an album with Ben Folds that includes a song about Levi Johnston (Sarah Palin's almost son-in-law?) that's catchy. I was at the Strand and saw a copy of How to Be Good and figured I'd give it a try. Basically this guy who is sort of a jackass has a spiritual awakening where he decides he has to turn his life around and be a good person. And while it's hard to fault someone for doing this, it is driving his wife and kids nuts. It's a strange book and I don't really remember much in the way of a resolution but that could just be my bad memory. I remember it being mostly just...eh. Not terrible but not great.
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Early Riser by Jasper Fforde
I listened to this as an audiobook and I think that was a mistake. Because I generally lurve Fforde's stuff. But I have noted, to myself and even out loud to others, that I can't imagine how stuff like the Thursday Next series would work in any format other than a book. There's so much that plays with language and footnotes and typography that you need to see it. And yet I thought "Oh, here's a new book from him, I should definitely listen to this as an audiobook. Even though in general I find I have more trouble paying attention to fiction audiobooks than nonfiction ones, I'm sure it will be fine this time." Like most of Fforde's stuff, the plot is hard to describe. Basically it's a dystopian where in the winter everyone has to hibernate and there are these strange dreams killing people and there are weird creatures roaming about. And there is Charlie a winter consul, who is dealing with the bureaucracy that comes with this (because there is hilarity and satire within dystopias). I remember it being weird, as his stuff often is, but I had trouble getting my bearings in the story and I don't know if that was intentional (i.e., he's trying to make you doubt your own sanity) or if I just missed out on stuff cos I was listening instead of reading. I should probably give this a try but as a book-book and then come back with new thoughts.
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Sakina's Restaurant by Aasif Mandvi
This was a short story, one of the Audible Originals that's free each month with a subscription. It's sort of a one man show about a man coming to America from India and working at a restaurant and the strangeness of the new life and what he loves about his new home and what he misses and what the family he works for is like. It was funny at times but overall I can't remember much of it. Apparently it was originally an actual one-man play so perhaps it works a bit better that way.
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A Mind of Her Own by Paula McLain
Another free Audible Original. This one a fictional account of the life of a young Marie Curie (nee Sklodowska). She's far from home, studying in Paris and meets a certain Pierre Curie. I thought it'd be interesting to hear a bit about this woman of whom I know only a bit here and there. Mostly the radioactive stuff. And there's a bit about her but I can't say I retained much. Even at the time of listening, judging by the rating I gave it, I wasn't too into it then. It focuses more on the love story with Pierre and less about her work. Which could be fine but wasn't my thing.
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So when I look at my mini-reviews for Feb 2019 and now these things were...not great, reading wise. Which explains why, following these reads, I listened to The Graveyard Book which is def one of my fav books (to listen to, to read-read) because I needed something that was going to be great. Spoilers, it WAS great, even if it gives me ALL OF THE EMOTIONS. But now is not a time to review that book. Now is the time to see what nonsense is going on while I keep myself hidden away.