The Glitch: Live in the world of data, not delusion

I was very generously given a copy of this book, The Glitch, in exchange for an honest review and it has taken me until now to actually get that finished. I am sorry and if I can please buy your forgiveness with some pictures of the current distraction.

Adorable, right? All is forgiven?

So anyway, The Glitch. I saw this book around the bookernet and it seemed intriguing. Shelley Stone is a type-A executive to the extreme. She ran a company making a device called a Conch that's basically Google glasses but it's worn in the ear and tells you things (people's names, the weather, restaurant reviews) rather than showing them on a screen right in front of the eyes. Except people seem to like the Conch. She takes 2am conference calls, repeats various axioms to herself throughout the day, takes standing naps to maximize her time, keeps a note reminding her to "be likeable" because it's not something that comes naturally. I'm not saying I've known people just like her but I have seen (and worked with) people that could have inspired her, with the characteristics just dialed up to 11.

You may think that this is what the book will focus on BUT WAIT, THERE'S MORE. Shelley meets a mysterious person who seems very, very interested in Conch who seems to keep showing up around Shelley and her family. Then a woman shows up who seems to be Shelley from the past. She looks like her, has her scar, and knows things about Shelley's past. And then there seem to be some issues with Conch that don't make sense.

Had the book been more of a satire of Shelley, I think I would have enjoyed it more. I only say this after the fact because otherwise, all of that other mystery and intrigue and sci fi-ness would draw my attention. Indeed it did when I read the description. But honestly, it didn't pan out the way I wanted. Not even the way I wanted, but in a way that was particularly interesting or that ultimately paid off.

I did really like the ridiculousness of the tech industry and Shelley's craziness, especially when she brings her executive style to her home. Because if there's one thing young children (she has 2) love, it's business jargon. And while Shelley isn't really the most likeable person, I did appreciate a female character that is allowed to prefer work to family. She doesn't hate her family but she loves her work and that's where she thrives.

Ultimately I liked the writing but felt like there were a lot of ideas going on here and many of which just didn't really work out.

Gif rating:

Title quote from location 1727

Cohen, Elisabeth. The Glitch. Doubleday, 2018. NetGalley.

July Reading Wrap Up

There isn't much to report in terms of reading this month. Because I only read one book. One and a half books but I guess if I don't finish the book it doesn't count. So one book.

BUT I did other things in July. Such as have this guy show up

He showed up 3 weeks early, because when do things go according to plan? I mean, it wasn't really his fault, it was more on me. And there were complications with the the birth (again, on my end, he was fine) so I didn't get a lot of reading done in July. I thought I would cos there was a lot of time just sitting around while I was at the hospital but a lot of that time was spent staring at a blank wall (which was about the amount of mental energy I was willing to exert much of the time). We'll see how August goes. So far, eh, but I'm working on it. Kinda

Anyway, hey some really boring stats for July

Number of books read
1
Agorafabulous by Sara Benincasa

Number of pages read
279

Fiction
0%

POC authors
0%

Female authors
100%

US authors
100%

Rereads
100%

Book formats
ebook: 100%

Where'd I get the book
Kindle/Audible: 100%

Decade published
2010s: 100%

Resolution books
0%

June Reading Wrap Up

I know I'm late with this. I mean, when am I not at this point. And right now we are close to go time with the whole pregnancy thing so it's probably not going to get better soon. Know that I promise I am not going away. It may be a hiatus but not disappearing.

Anyway on that, here's how my June reading went. Getting stuff done with a lot of re-reading because right now I just want to read stuff I know I love. Not that I've recently been disappointed by books I've read but it's always a possibility and right now I don't need that.

With that's let's see how I did

Number of books read
5
Brain on Fire by Susannah Cahalan
Attachements by Rainbow Rowell
Exit West by Mohsin Hamid
The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion
Hope Never Dies by Andrew Shaffer

Total pages read
1,426

Fiction
80%

POC authors
20%

I know, small sassy girl. I know

Female authors
40%

US authors
60%

Book formats
ebook: 40%
paperback: 60%

Where'd I get the book
gift: 20%
indie: 40%
Kindle/Audible: 40%

Blogger reco
60%

Rereads
40%

Readalong/bookclub
20%

Decade published
2010s: 100%

Resolution books
40%
Exit West by Mohsin Hamid (POC author, non-US author)
The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion (non-US author)

Meaty by Samantha Irby: I am excited because I am thirty years old and I don't have a man in my life

I was scanning through NetGalley and saw a copy of Samantha Irby's earlier collection, Meaty available. And since I enjoyed We Are Never Meeting in Real Life so damn much I thought I'd see if I could get a copy of this. And a copy was granted, in exchange for an honest review.

I can't decide which of two books I like better. It's hard to say since really they're both similar. They're both collections of essays about her and her life. They're hilarious and vulgar and a times touching (did I tear up while reading one about her mother? MAYBE. Was it followed up not long after with an essay about diarrhea? MAAAYBE) 

She has essays about dating ("How to Get Your Disgusting Meat Carcass Ready for Some New, Hot Sex"), medical issues ("The Many Varieties of Hospital Broth"), family ("My Mother, My Daughter"), money ("I Should Have a Car with Power Windows By Now"), pop culture ("Elena Tyler: AKA Why I Can't Be Mad at Lena Dunham"). What I'm saying is Irby has range.  

And she's relatable. I mean, look at the way she talks about her Crohn's Disease

And I know a lot of things suck, and so many people are going through so many terrible things, but to me, in this goddamned moment, nothing is worse than this gross-ass shit disease. Yes, there are worse things, but since those things are not currently happening to me, this bullshit is the worst thing that has ever happened to anyone in the history of ever.

This is how I feel about any bad thing that happens to me, regardless of how serious. It's times like this you realize how truly connected we all are.

This book is hilarious. Thinking about it, I may like it better than WANMIRL. Maybe. It's close. But they're both pretty great and if you like funny ladies, give them a try.

Gif rating:

Irby, Samantha. Meaty. Vintage, 2013. NetGalley

May Reading Wrap Up

I know. I only posted ONCE in May. And it was one of these wrap ups. I'm disappointed. I wanted to get some more writing done and I could/should make more of an effort to do so. But I'm tiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiired. I am going to (try) to stop feeling guilty about not getting writing done and just accept that for a little while, this is how it's going to be. I'll have a couple reviews and I'm thinking I'm gonna try to do some mini-review posts to get caught up. (ALSO I'll have you know I wrote some posts for the Frankenstein readalong and then never posted them because who knows why. I think I forgot and then was so far back and just. I need a nap)

But hey, since I can do some stats, let's do that

Number of books read
3
And a Bottle of Rum: The History of the New World in Ten Cocktails by Wayne Curtis
Crazy Rich Asians by Kevin Kwan
The Glitch by Elisabeth Curtis

Total pages read
1,189

Fiction
67%

POC authors
33%

Female authors
33%

US authors
67%

Book formats
ebook: 33%
paperback: 67%

Where'd I get the book
Indie: 67%
Netgalley: 33%

Review books
33% (and now I have 2 books I really need to review)

Rereads
33% (gotta get ready for the Crazy Rich Asians movie! Also, great beach reach. And I read it on the beach. I was on a )

Books by decade
2000s: 33%
2010s: 67%

Resolution books
33%
because of Crazy Rich Asians (POC and non-US author) but it feels sort of like cheating since it's a re-read. But not so much that I'm not going to count it.

May Reading Wrap Up

I have already explained my tardiness in these posts but now I have double the reason. I mean, the main one is still the whole making a human thing BUT we also took a vacation prior to this guy showing up and most likely putting a hold on our vacations for the immediate future. We had a very relaxing vacation in Hawai'i* and it was amazing and I had thought maybe I would actually get some writing done. But it turns out I would much rather sit on the beach/by the pool and read instead of pulling out a computer and writing anything (surprise, I know) so that didn't happen. I did get reading done though so that's fun.

Also I realize I never posted my infographic for Q1 reading. The infographic has been 90% done since before March ended but in order to get the book covers to format the way I want them I now have to use a different computer than I do all of my writing on and while that other computer is RIGHT HERE (I'm looking at it right now) and available to me whenever I want to use it, that is so much more work than using my personal laptop (not it isn't) and I am very lazy (this is a fact). So. By this point that probably won't get posted. But you never know.

Anyway, let's jump into those April stats!

Number of books read
5
The A to Z of You and Me by James Hannah
Texts from Jane Eyre by Daniel Ortberg
Meaty by Samantha Irby
Relish by Lucy Knisley
Weird Things Customers Say in Bookstores by Jen Campbell

Total pages read
1,206

Fiction
40%

POC authors
20%

Female authors
60%

US authors
60%

Book formats
ebook: 40%
paperback: 60%

Where'd I get the book
Gift: 20%
Indie: 40%
Kindle: 20%
Netgalley: 20%

Review books
20% (Also I should really review that book...)

Books by decade
2000s: 25%
2010s: 75%

Resolution books
60%
The A to Z of You and Me and Weird Things Customers Say in Bookstores are both by UK authors
Meaty is by a POC author

So there you have it. Not too bad. My writing may be pathetic right now but keeping up with the reading.

*We were there just before the volcano Pahoa started erupting though we were on a completely different island (Oahu mostly, with some time in Maui) so we were fine. Also we'd watch the local news there and they are, or at least were while we were there, far calmer about this than everything I've seen since coming home. Yes it is serious and dangerous and for the people who had to be evacuated and lost their homes, a tragedy. But also, the national park where the volcano is located was still open to the public while it was erupting. Mostly it's been a surprise how different reporting has been.