Tag Archives: Review

Review: I’m Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy (read by the author)

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I vaguely knew who Jennette McCurdy was thanks to years of stocking magazine’s working for B&N. I knew she was on some Nickelodeon show but I was passed the Nickelodeon phrase in my life. I have nothing but good things about her memoir but the more I learned about her life, I wasn’t sure I wanted to read it. I decided to to listen to the audio book. I find listening to memoirs more enjoyable. Listening to her story was rage inducing. I knew that her mother was abusive from the press tour and as an adult who knows the signs of abuse I could see it but Jennette as a child who obviously in love her mother, did not see it that way. She didn’t know any better because for her this was just how things were. Knowing what we now know went on behind the scenes of Nickelodeon shows at the time, I couldn’t help to be angry. All the adults in her life and not a single one of them stepped in to help her. She spiraled out of control but because she was making a lot of people money, they just let her spiral. Infuriating I am happy that she is now in a better place and can see what her mother did and was and find support that she needs to be healthy. To step away from acting, even though it was never what she wanted to do in the first place, takes a strong person. It may not have been we career of choice but it made her a lot of money and leaving acting meant leaving a lot of money on the table. I do appreciate Jennette’s matter of fact way of telling her story. She doesn’t try to paint rosy pictures of her childhood, eating disorders or alcoholism. She talked about all of it in plain terms. She didn’t apologize for how she coped with things or try to excuse her behavior nor did she ever our right made her mom the villain. She told her story Told her truth and has moved on Very healthy of her.

Review: Yellowface by R.F. Kuang

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**Contains some minor spoilers**

The internet has been going crazy over the whole Man vs. Bear debate. However, there was another debate that came out of the other debate. A TikToker asked Black Women “who would you rather be left alone in a conference room? A white man or a white woman. ” I didn’t even have to read the comments to know what they answer would be. Let’s face it, white women have a history of not being very good allies to our sisters of color. Just look at the last two presidential elections. If you are still shocked by black women’s answer to above question then, read Yellowface because it is a description as to why. June went to Yale with Athena Liu. Athena comes from money and is beautiful and gets her first writing deal before they graduate. She is also Chinese American. June on the other hand struggles to find her voice and has to tutor privilege high schoolers to pay the bills. Meanwhile, Athena has had nothing but success since they graduated. She has released multiple best sellers and now a netflix deal. June’s one book barely sold and her editor and agent ignore her calls. Athena and June go out to celebrate Athena’s Netflix deal then end up going to Athena’s apartment. They get more drunk and make pancakes, which Athena chokes on and dies. Before she dies, Athena shows June her finished manuscript. No one else has seen it or even knows what it’s about. Athena was very secretive about her process or what she was writing about. June takes the manuscript and is instantly drawn to it. As good as it is, it is a first draft so June decides to make some changes to it and then sends it off to submission as her own work. She convinces herself that Athena wouldn’t want it published as it was and she did so much work on it that it’s her book too.

She publishes book under her a new name Juniper Song. Her first and real name. She is finally gets all the acclaim and fame that she always craved and felt she deserved. She is convinced that her lack of success wasn’t because she wasn’t talented but because she was a minority. These days, everyone is looking for diversity after all. She is one of those people that would say with a straight face that she can’t be racist because she had a black friend or in this case an Asian face. Since the story is told in the first person, we get her thoughts in their uncensored glory. How she dislikes Chinese food and afraid to go to Chinatown without her mace. How she was also jealous of Athena and never really liked her. Of course, she is found out but instead of coming clean she just digs in deeper. And for a while she gets away with it because people want to believe white women and since she was making a lot of people a lot of money they kept protecting her. That was until she uses a old prompt of Athena’s and scandal all over again. At this point she is much in her victim era that she has convinced herself that she has done nothing wrong and she’s being bullied. Very much like a certain Author of kids wizard’s and her transphobic comments but I digress.

I got to tell you, as a white woman myself, I had moments reading this where I thought “not all White woman are like this” or “I’m not like this” because I really don’t want think of myself like this but honestly that’s exactly what June would say about herself. She identified as liberal and a democrat. She liked to point out how she started a scholarship in Athena’s name in the same sentence as she denigrated the Black Lives Movement. Any criticism of her was nothing but jealous, SJW looking to score points on the internet despite that fact that they were right. She did steal Athena’s work and passed it off as her own, It really made me think more retrospectively about my own relationships and yeah it’s uncomfortable but need to be down. I don’t truly think I am anyway as bad as June but I do recognize I have my own work to do to be a better ally. I do hope that other white readers do the same too. I did enjoyed the ending because even though June got caught, it was left open to how she could and most likely make a comeback because who doesn’t love a redemption story. Especially for a young white woman.

Review: Love, Theoretically and Love on the Brain by Ali Hazelwood

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I read these two books back to back and since even though they are not technically related to each other I am assuming they take place in the same universe. I know that Love, Theortically and the first book in Ali Hazelwood’s first STEM Romance The Love Hypothesis because Olive and Adam do make a quick cameo. Love, Theoretically follows Elise, a adjunct professor barely getting by. She is interviewing for a tenure track position at MIT but 1 problem. Jack is a physicist professor on the hiring committee and he hates her. It doesn’t help that he thinks she is dating his younger brother. Adjuct professors do not make a lot of money and to help pay the bills she is paid to fake date men. One being Jack’s brother. Not that Jack knows that. I liked this book. Elsie is a great main character that really grows throughout the book. With the help of Jack, Elise finally starts to decide who she wants to be instead of what everyone else wants her to be. I know a little bit about the academia world thanks to Kate and well it sucks. I really sucks. The haves and have nots is such a stark contrast when it comes to professors and the power that mentors have over their mentees. I definitely had a lot of rage moments.

Love on the Brain is the only book in the STEM romance books that doesn’t take place in a University. Bee is a neuroscientist who works for the NIH but gets a chance to lead a project at NASA. The problem is as it always is, her co-lead Levi hates her from their grad school days. When she gets to NASA, her equipment isn’t there. She doesn’t have access to email or even her office. Politics of course is the blame. NASA doesn’t want to share credit. This puts Bee in a bad position because NIH wants results and ready to pull her at any moment. She has to trust Levi will get NASA on board. Despite their shaky start they work well together. And fall in love and all that jazz. Of the three books so far, this is probably my least favorite. Not that I didn’t enjoy it. I did but I didn’t really connect with Levi and Bee as I have with the other couples. That being said I would probably would reread all three books again because they are the perfect escapism.

Review: The Familiar by Leigh Bardugo

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This was a fun book about court intrigue and magic. Luiza is a maid in a poor aristocratic families home. Her parents are dead and her only family is her Aunt who is the mistress to a very powerful man. Luiza has a secrets. Not only can she preform little miracles she is also Jewish. Both a dangerous things in Catholic Spain. Things start to change for Luiza when her mistress notices her magic and gets involved in a plan to earn the favor of Antonio Perez and the King of Spain himself. She just has to survive. Make sure that her miracles are seen as coming from God and that no one finds out about her Jewish blood. She meets Santangel, an immortal being to her Aunt’s lover who is to teach her to control her powers.

I do love Leigh Bardugo’s writing. Luiza is strong as I believe anyone has to be in her position. Constantly having to make herself smaller to go unnoticed but also never forgetting who she is. Santangel at first is weary as anyone would be who has lived as long as he has as a slave basically. He has to obey but the more he gets to know Luiza more of his humanity starts to return. It has became a worn trope that the protagonist must enter a dangerous contest to that threatens their life but if they win they get a prize but what can you do. Either than that, I really like this book and I’m okay that it’s a standalone novel. Not every story need to be told over multiple books.

Review: Goodbye, Things by Fumio Sasaki, translated by Eriko Sugita and read by Keith Szarabajka

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Every now and then, usually in the Spring when I have that itch to Spring clean and try as many new things as I can cram into my waking hours, I want to pick up a book on minimalism. The idea that you should have only the possessions you need, or at least the fewest possessions you can get by with, is nothing new. And even though I don’t really want to live a minimalist life, I am always a little curious. Fumio Sasaki has so few possessions, it takes him thirty minutes to move apartments. I look around my apartment and get an overwhelming feeling of not even knowing where to start if I wanted to move. So, as appealing as it sounds to be able to pick up and go at the drop of a hat instead of spending a month to pack up my place, what I realized when I was reading this wasn’t that I want to be able just abandon all my things and live with a toothbrush, a bowl, a cup, a spoon, my cat, his bowls, and his litter box (until I teach him to use a toilet, of course). What I want is to have more emotional space in my life. I would like some room, metaphorical but also physical, to grow.

In the end, this is what I take from minimalism. The Marie Kondo idea that if it doesn’t spark joy, I don’t need to keep it. I don’t need to keep something I am not using and don’t love, even if it was a gift. I don’t need to keep a piece of clothing, even if it will be cute once I lose another ten pounds. I don’t need to keep yarn I no longer love. And, gasp, I don’t need to keep books I know I’ll never (re-)read. That, in itself, is a daunting project. But, it is also exciting. I could have shelf space. Shelf space for new books that I am excited to read. Or, shelf space for something else. Who knows what’s out there?

This book (essay?) was short and it was okay. It wasn’t overly groundbreaking. The writing was economical and there were no turns of phrase that caught me and had me thinking days later. I have been thinking about the concepts of minimalism, but there’s a good chance I would have been anyway since I made a massive Spring cleaning list. So, in the end, this book gets a 6/10. I wouldn’t necessarily recommend it, but I also wouldn’t not recommend it.

Review: Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng, narrated by Jennifer Lim

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Oh, my god, this was so good, y’all. Just, so so good. So, this is the story of two families whose lives collide with each other. Set in 1997, the Richardsons have four kids and live in a nice house in the lovely suburb of Cleveland, Shaker Heights. Mia Warren, a single mother and artist, moves to town with her daughter Pearl and rents an apartment from Mrs.Richardson. One of the Richardson children, Moody, rides his bike to the house because he is curious about the new tenants and that starts this story of friendship, growth, self-discovery, betrayal, and love. The main complication of the story comes when the Richardsons attend a party of a family friend celebrating the birthday of their child, whose adoption is about to be finalized. Lexie, the oldest Richardson child, mentions the baby to Mia, who has become the Richardson’s part-time housekeeper and cook. Mia realizes that this baby is the daughter of someone she met at a different part-time job. Bebe, the baby’s mother and a Chinese immigrant, surrendered the child to a fire station in the midst of post-partum depression and hopelessness. Since getting back on her feet, she’s been trying to find the little girl.

The resulting public revelation and custody trial sets fire to the community. Family members disagree, everything is heated, and Mrs. Richardson uncovers Mia’s involvement and takes it personally. She sets out to discover everything she can about Mia. The results are painful, beautiful, and deeply touching.

I was taken in by this novel. The characters felt real; you could see how their choices had led them to where they were and how they gloried and chafed against their results and consequences. I felt for all of them, even when what they did made me angry or deeply uncomfortable. The court case that ran through part of the story made clear how complex family situations can be. Issues of maternal support, child welfare, and race all interconnected in a way that made for no easy answers.

This book was so good and I can’t believe it took me so long to get to it. I know it is now also a TV show, so I might have to watch it and see how it compares. But the book on its own is enough. If you’ve not read it, get out there and give it a try. The audiobook was read by Jennifer Lim and she brought the characters to life. I can’t recommend this book enough.

Quick Review: House of Flame and Shadow by Sarah J. Maas

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Bryce, Hunt and crew final or at least I think final adventure as they work together to rid themselves of the Asteri. On a whole this was an enjoyable series. Nothing ground breaking but fun. It started a bit slow and it could have had a few more spicy scenes but other than that it was a satisfying way to end. I did appreciate the little crossover with Maas’ ACOTAR series. I’m not sure if it was really that necessary that so much of the first act walking cave for Bryce to get some exposition As much as I like Nesta and Azriel but it could have been condense. I also could have done without Ithan’s story line. Another storyline that could have been condensed. Anyhoo. I few minor complaints in otherwise a good series. Entertaining and fun.

Quick Review: The Atlas Complex by Olivie Blake

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I haven’t been reading as much so it’s a good thing Kate has picked up the slack. I think I mentioned this before during the pandemic but it’s still true. I do most of my reading on my commute. I read at home, yes but not every night. I’ve been working more and more from home and not going into the office as often so I haven’t been commuting So, yeah, it took me a while to read this one. Now that I have finally finished it I don’t know. I’m not sure how I feel about this whole series. The first book was so engrossing and the second was a pretty good sequel but I had trouble with this one. It could have to do with me not reading it consistently as I’m used to. It could be that I realized that most of the characters I kinda stopped caring about or is that I’m not sure what the conclusion of this book ended up being. So, yeah I don’t really have much to say about this book beyond, I finally was able to finish i. Which leaves me kind of sad for a series that I really did like at the beginning.

Review: Starter Villain by John Scalzi

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This book was so funny. I listened to the audible ebook narrated by Wil Wheaton and it’s just perfection. Charlie has had a string of bad luck. He was laid off from his journalist job and now working as a substitute teacher. He’s divorced and his father just recently died. He is living in his families home that his siblings want to sell. Things are not great. Then his estranged Uncle died and he’s thrown in the world of villains. He founds out that his Uncle may have had a legit business of owner parking lots but his real business was being a villain and messing up the plans of other villains. Charlie is now a head of his Uncle’s business and with cat spies and talking dolphins. He’s a bit over his head. Even more so when a group of other villains want him to join their group or he’ll lose everything.

This is book is ridiculous in all the best ways. His cats Hera and Persephone are spies that were sent to watch him and can communicate with specialize keyboards. The dolphins that guard his Uncle’s volcano island lair want to unionize. Charlie is funny and grounded. He takes everything with an awe and WTF reaction that is appropriate in situations like this. While everyone underestimates him, he outwits all of them with his knowledge and journalistic experience to dismantle his rivals in one fell swoop. To say this book was enjoyable that I was so sad when it was over and there isn’t a sequel. I forgot what it’s like to read a standalone book. Go read the book or listen to the Audible. You will not be disappointed.

Review: Sword Catcher by Cassandra Clare

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I’ll admit I was curious of what Cassandra Clare could do outside her Shadowhunter series. Sword Catcher is a good book. It actually is better than her last couple of Shadowhunter books. I think it was good for her to explore a different kind of world. This is a high fantasy that is set in the kingdom of Castellane and is narrated by Kel, the Sword Catcher or the body to the Prince and Lin, a physician outcast. An outcast because not only she a woman in a man’s field but she’s an Ashkar, who can’t live in the city but only in the Sault. Kel was an orphan who looks enough like the Prince that with a talisman he can look just like the Prince and stand for him if needs to. Kel was raised in the Palace, among the courtiers and wealthy but will never be one himself. Both Kel and Lin are outsiders to this world but they collide when he is stabbed and left for dead. Now they are caught up in the political intrigue that neither knows what to do with it. 

Now, it wasn’t the best book I’ve read but it was definitely entertaining. I really liked both of Kel and Lin’s voices as they navigated a world that needs them but doesn’t necessarily want them. This was a good set up novel. I am not sure how many books are in the series but it was a good introduction to the world. People and the upcoming trouble to come. It still leaves a lot to explore, like what is the madness the king suffers from? Is Lin really the returned Goddess to bring magic back to world? All and all a good start.