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A year after getting divorced, Helen Carpenter, thirty-two, lets her annoying, ten years younger brother talk her into signing up for a wilderness survival course. It’s supposed to be a chance for her to pull herself together again, but when she discovers that her brother’s even-more-annoying best friend is also coming on the trip, she can’t imagine how it will be anything other than a disaster. Thus begins the strangest adventure of Helen’s well-behaved life: three weeks in the remotest wilderness of a mountain range in Wyoming where she will survive mosquito infestations, a surprise summer blizzard, and a group of sorority girls.
Yet, despite everything, the vast wilderness has a way of making Helen’s own little life seem bigger, too. And, somehow the people who annoy her the most start teaching her the very things she needs to learn. Like how to stand up for herself. And how being scared can make you brave. And how sometimes you just have to get really, really lost before you can even have a hope of being found.
I have enjoyed Katherine Center’s other books, and this one in particular had been talked up so much by Rissi from RissiWrites.com that I just had to read it.
The Narrator(s)
Marguerite Gavin. I enjoyed the narration very much.
My Thoughts
Okay, there is quite a bit of cheesiness and some cringy parts in this book, but overall I loved it and thought it was such a cute read. It’s also what I needed because I have been reading so many heavy books in recent months and very few romances. I have read several of Katherine Center’s books and really enjoyed them, so I thought I would take a chance on this one too. I’m glad I did because even though it was a little cheesy/cringy, there was also some really great scenes and heartwarming stuff that made me happy.
I also realized that there was a movie adaptation and I ended up watching it immediately after reading the book!
I love Ellie Kemper so I was really looking forward to the movie and seeing what they did with it. They took out some of the cringiest bits, which I’m glad of(!), but it also felt a little less charming. I felt like the MC wasn’t as charming as in the book, and there wasn’t enough chemistry between the two leads. But I still enjoyed it and it was such a nice book and movie combo to take me away from the other solemnities in life. I would still recommend both.
My Rating
⭐⭐⭐⭐/5 stars.
Have you read this book? Would you read this book? Did you like the book or do you think you would like it?
Now in paperback, the eye-opening book that was nominated for a 1998 James Beard Foundation award in the Writing on Food category.
In the winter of 1996, Michael Ruhlman donned hounds-tooth-check pants and a chef’s jacket and entered the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York, to learn the art of cooking. His vivid and energetic record of that experience, The Making of a Chef, takes us to the heart of this food-knowledge mecca. Here we meet a coterie of talented chefs, an astonishing and driven breed. Ruhlman learns fundamental skills and information about the behavior of food that make cooking anything possible. Ultimately, he propels himself and his readers through a score of kitchens and classrooms, from Asian and American regional cuisines to lunch cookery and even table waiting, in search of the elusive, unnameable elements of great cooking.
I am a foodie and I have a weird fascination for food writing. I also have a couple of books by Michael Ruhlman that I haven’t read yet. This book happened to be available from my library so I dove in!
The Narrator(s)
Jeff Riggenbach. It was great!
My Thoughts
I loved the writing and the storytelling. I got so immersed in the whole book as I was reading that it just transported me away from real life and into a culinary dream world. It made me think about food and cooking so much more deeply; my relationship with food, the way I approached cooking for myself and my family, the appreciation I have for food and food culture. I loved the way the author talks about food and cooking and his own appreciation for food and his experience of working in the kitchen.
It almost made me want to sign up for culinary classes but I know myself well enough to know that I wouldn’t do well as a professional cook. I love food, and I love cooking, but as Ruhlman’s teacher talks about in the book, I don’t think I have that drive to cook for others professionally and to always show up no matter the weather and the occasion (and unlike Ruhlman, I’m totally fine with that!).
I love Ruhlman’s candidness and the way he talks about his experience with such transparency. I love the way he is so passionate about food and cooking, and I love the way he really makes me feel like I’m right there. I want more of this and I hope to come back to this book again in the future.
My Rating
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/5 stars.
Have you read this book? Would you read this book? Did you like the book or do you think you would like it?
The boys of Huaxia dream of pairing up with girls to pilot Chrysalises, giant transforming robots that can battle the mecha aliens that lurk beyond the Great Wall. It doesn’t matter that the girls often die from the mental strain.
When 18-year-old Zetian offers herself up as a concubine-pilot, it’s to assassinate the ace male pilot responsible for her sister’s death. But she gets her vengeance in a way nobody expected—she kills him through the psychic link between pilots and emerges from the cockpit unscathed. She is labeled an Iron Widow, a much-feared and much-silenced kind of female pilot who can sacrifice boys to power up Chrysalises instead.
To tame her unnerving yet invaluable mental strength, she is paired up with Li Shimin, the strongest and most controversial male pilot in Huaxia. But now that Zetian has had a taste of power, she will not cower so easily. She will miss no opportunity to leverage their combined might and infamy to survive attempt after attempt on her life, until she can figure out exactly why the pilot system works in its misogynist way—and stop more girls from being sacrificed.
I thought the premise was brilliant. This book has been on my TBR for ages and it’s a buddy-read on my online bookclub so I decided to join in.
The Quotes
“The entitled assholes of the world are sustained by girls who forgive too easily.”
“That’s not a matter of losing control. Every guy who does something like that knows exactly what he’s doing. There is always a moment where he consciously decides that he will ruin someone’s life to feel better about his own. Always.”
“Shame and humiliation are self-imposed emotions, and from here on out, I choose not to feel them.”
“This body of mine is not big enough to contain the scale of emotion coursing through me. How could I feel a rage like this, and not be able to tear the sky open and scorch the earth?”
My Thoughts
Overall, I didn’t like the book very much. I liked the idea and the worldbuilding based upon Chinese culture; it’s new and different and I thought the story itself was very interesting. The execution was very poor though. The MC, Zetian, was an incredibly Mary Sue character; her powers kept increasing to ridiculous levels, within days, with no training and no explanation, against people who were supposed to have higher Qi points than her. The fight scenes were almost always conveniently not shown on page, taking us into things that happens in the mental realm instead. I get that the battles fought in the mental realm are important, but there should be enough physical fight scenes to balance it out as well.
The intimate and vulnerable scenes between the MCs felt very shallow; there wasn’t any chemistry and I didn’t feel their connection at all. We are mostly told and not shown a lot of the feelings they feel; the anger at the oppression and being lied to, the love and attraction between the MCs. I just didn’t feel it. I don’t know if I’ll read the next book. I really like the story idea, but I’m character-driven and I need to like the characters and feel like they make sense. We’ll see.
My Rating
⭐⭐/5 stars.
Have you read this book? Would you read this book? Did you like the book or do you think you would like it?
A super-powered collision of extraordinary minds and vengeful intentions—#1 New York Times bestselling author V. E. Schwab returns with the thrilling follow-up to Vicious.
Magneto and Professor X. Superman and Lex Luthor. Victor Vale and Eli Ever. Sydney and Serena Clarke. Great partnerships, now soured on the vine.
But Marcella Riggins needs no one. Flush from her brush with death, she’s finally gained the control she’s always sought—and will use her new-found power to bring the city of Merit to its knees. She’ll do whatever it takes, collecting her own sidekicks, and leveraging the two most infamous EOs, Victor Vale and Eli Ever, against each other.
With Marcella’s rise, new enmities create opportunity–and the stage of Merit City will once again be set for a final, terrible reckoning.
I read Vicious, the first book in the series, and loved it. I wanted more of the story.
The Quotes
“How many men would she have to turn to dust before one took her seriously?”
“It doesn’t matter if you’re a human versus a human or a human versus an EO or an EO versus an EO. You do what you can. You fight, and you win, until you don’t.”
“The next time you point a gun at someone, make sure you’re ready to pull the trigger.”
“The life I had is gone. There’s no getting it back. I’d rather make a new one. A better one. One where I don’t have to pretend to be weak to survive.”
My Thoughts
I didn’t like this book as much as the first one. I loved the characters, and still do, but there were so many plot holes and issues with the story this time around that were really convenient and annoying. The storytelling style with the jumping timelines was also an issue; it was very confusing and tedious to get through.
The catalyst of the story was stupid, in my opinion, because Victor justified doing many bad things by saying that he was trying to cover their tracks, but that doesn’t make sense at all because anyone with any common sense would realize that it’s exactly what would bring attention to them. I also didn’t like how conveniently things were resolved in the end during the boss battles. I still love Sydney and Mitch, and I think June is a very interesting new character. I want to know what happens to them in the next book, but I’m not looking forward to slogging through the jumping timelines storytelling style, and if the plot is going to have issues like in this book, I don’t know if it’s going to be worth it. I truly hope it gets better.
My Rating
⭐⭐⭐/5 stars.
Have you read this book? Would you read this book? Did you like the book or do you think you would like it?
A novel about a Malayan mother who becomes an unlikely spy for the invading Japanese forces during WWII—and the shocking consequences that rain upon her community and family.
Malaya, 1945. Cecily Alcantara’s family is in terrible danger: her fifteen-year-old son, Abel, has disappeared, and her youngest daughter, Jasmin, is confined in a basement to prevent being pressed into service at the comfort stations. Her eldest daughter Jujube, who works at a tea house frequented by drunk Japanese soldiers, becomes angrier by the day.
Cecily knows two things: that this is all her fault; and that her family must never learn the truth.
A decade prior, Cecily had been desperate to be more than a housewife to a low-level bureaucrat in British-colonized Malaya. A chance meeting with the charismatic General Fuijwara lured her into a life of espionage, pursuing dreams of an “Asia for Asians.” Instead, Cecily helped usher in an even more brutal occupation by the Japanese. Ten years later as the war reaches its apex, her actions have caught up with her. Now her family is on the brink of destruction—and she will do anything to save them.
This book is set in Malaysia (Malaya back then) and the author is Malaysian. I’m always excited for Malaysian-produced media and try to support them when I can!
The Narrator(s)
Samantha Tan. She was great and I loved hearing the Malaysian accent on the dialogues.
My Thoughts
I really wanted to like this book but I’m quite disappointed with it. The story started out really well; it was compelling and the characters were interesting even if they weren’t exactly likeable. There were a few minor problems with the book in the beginning, but they weren’t big deals and were easily forgiveable. A lot of the cultural beliefs and racism was a little triggering to me because of how familiar it was for me living in Malaysia, but in a good way, bringing me deeper into the story.
However, the part where it lost me completely was with Jasmine and her story. I am very much a character-driven reader, and while I don’t have to like the characters, I very much need to believe in the plausibility of their behaviors. She was seven, almost eight years old, in the chapters with her POV, and I won’t go into details because of spoilers, but she was just not a believeable character to me. Nothing she did made sense for her age and background. I could believe it if she was older, I could believe it if she had a horrible relationship with her family, I could believe it if there were any other myriad of changes made to her character, but as she was, it just ruined the story for me. It might even still be okay because she’s only one character and one part of the story, but her story was such an integral part to the book as a whole that I just couldn’t ignore it.
It’s a shame because I love reading stories about Malaysia. There are too few Malaysian books and authors, and it’s such a comfort to read about Malaysian people and Malaysian life. The subject matter and time frame of this book is also such an important historical event that I wanted to learn more about, and while I disliked Cecily very much as a person, she was such an interesting character to read about.
The book is still very much worth reading if you’re not a character-driven reader or as much a stickler for believeable characters as I am. It’s also worth reading to see the impact WW2 and the Japanese occupation had on Malaya at the time. I certainly learned something and despite my issues with it, I’m glad I read this book.
My Rating
⭐⭐⭐/5 stars.
Have you read this book? Would you read this book? Did you like the book or do you think you would like it?
On November 15, 1959, in the small town of Holcomb, Kansas, four members of the Clutter family were savagely murdered by blasts from a shotgun held a few inches from their faces. There was no apparent motive for the crime, and there were almost no clues.
As Truman Capote reconstructs the murder and the investigation that led to the capture, trial, and execution of the killers, he generates both mesmerizing suspense and astonishing empathy. In Cold Blood is a work that transcends its moment, yielding poignant insights into the nature of American violence.
I’d heard a lot about it and been curious for a long time. There was a buddy read so I decided to join.
The Quotes
“Those fellows, they’re always crying over killers. Never a thought for the victims.”
“As long as you live, there’s always something waiting; and even if it’s bad, and you know it’s bad, what can you do? You can’t stop living.”
“I thought that Mr. Clutter was a very nice gentleman. I thought so right up to the moment that I cut his throat.”
“Nancy Clutter is always in a hurry, but she always has time. And that’s one definition of a lady.”
My Thoughts
It was difficult to get into in the beginning but it got better towards the end. This book is true crime, nonfiction, but there are some questions as to the veracity of Capote’s version of events. As for me, I’m not a fan of how much focus there is on Dick and Perry, the perpetrators, and how much effort was put into making them seem sympathetic and relatable.
I realize that this book was written a long time ago and there was probably a lot more fascination towards the criminals than the victims, but reading it now, I can help but notice how much focus there is on Dick’s and Perry’s backgrounds and stories and how little on the victims and the victims’ friends and family left behind. The two elder daughters of the Clutter family are most noticeably absent from the story.
The way the story was written also somewhat downplays the true villainy of the perps. I get the feeling that they were a lot worse than how they were portrayed. They had no remorse, didn’t feel sorry for what they did, only that they were caught. It’s very offputting. I’m still glad I read it and know a little more about this horrific incident.
My Rating
⭐⭐⭐/5 stars.
Have you read this book? Would you read this book? Did you like the book or do you think you would like it?
A gripping historical mystery inspired by the life and diary of Martha Ballard, a renowned 18th-century midwife who defied the legal system and wrote herself into American history.
Maine, 1789: When the Kennebec River freezes, entombing a man in the ice, Martha Ballard is summoned to examine the body and determine cause of death. As a midwife and healer, she is privy to much of what goes on behind closed doors in Hallowell. Her diary is a record of every birth and death, crime and debacle that unfolds in the close-knit community. Months earlier, Martha documented the details of an alleged rape committed by two of the town’s most respected gentlemen—one of whom has now been found dead in the ice. But when a local physician undermines her conclusion, declaring the death to be an accident, Martha is forced to investigate the shocking murder on her own.
Over the course of one winter, as the trial nears, and whispers and prejudices mount, Martha doggedly pursues the truth. Her diary soon lands at the center of the scandal, implicating those she loves, and compelling Martha to decide where her own loyalties lie.
Clever, layered, and subversive, Ariel Lawhon’s newest offering introduces an unsung heroine who refused to accept anything less than justice at a time when women were considered best seen and not heard. The Frozen River is a thrilling, tense, and tender story about a remarkable woman who left an unparalleled legacy yet remains nearly forgotten to this day.
Full disclosure, I judged this book by its cover and just really wanted to read it. Up until I started reading it, I had no idea it was based on real people and events.
The Quotes
“The act of mothering is not limited to the bearing of children.”
“Memory is a wicked thing that warps and twists. But paper and ink receive the truth without emotion, and they read it back without partiality. That, I believe, is why so few women are taught to read and write. God only knows what they would do with the power of pen and ink at their disposal.”
“It’s an unimaginative accusation and one that I am frankly tired of hearing. Witchcraft. As though there is no other explanation for a woman who excels at her work.”
“Though you never think it possible, you can celebrate and grieve in the same breath. It is a holy abomination.”
The Narrator(s)
Jane Oppenheimer. I loved listening to the audio narration, it was perfect.
My Thoughts
I was very surprised by how much I enjoyed this book. When I realized it was historical biographical fiction, I expected it to be a slow and meandering, but pleasant, read. I started listening before going to bed and ended up not being able to sleep because it was just so gripping! I had to switch to a different audiobook to get to sleep!
A lot of it was really emotional and infuriating; it’s unfortunate that so many of the issues women faced in the 1700s are still issues we face now. Not much has changed. Not enough has changed.
The author does take some liberties with the story, changed some details and timelines, and of course adds imagined dialogue and encounters towards the story. From what I’ve gathered, the true events aren’t as satisfying as what happens in this book. That doesn’t surprise me. However, this book is such a great read and I highly recommend it!
My Rating
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/5 stars.
Have you read this book? Would you read this book? Did you like the book or do you think you would like it?
How to Keep House While Drowning will introduce you to six life-changing principles that will revolutionize the way you approach home care—without endless to-do lists. Presented in 31 daily thoughts, this compassionate guide will help you begin to get free of the shame and anxiety you feel over home care.
Inside you will learn: · How to shift your perspective of care tasks from moral to functional; · How to stop negative self-talk and shame around care tasks; · How to give yourself permission to rest, even when things aren’t finished; · How to motivate yourself to care for your space.
For the Reading Challenge(s): None
The Reason
I think it’s obvious why I read this. I’ve been complaining about feeling overwhelmed and disorganized lately and I thought this book might help.
The Quotes
“You do not have to earn the right to rest, connect, or recreate. Unlearn the idea that care tasks must be totally complete before you can sit down. Care tasks are a never-ending list, and if you wait until everything is done to rest, you will never rest.”
“No one ever shamed themselves into better mental health.”
“Forget about creating a routine. You have to focus on finding your rhythm.” With routines you are either on track or not. With rhythm you can skip a beat and still get back in the groove.”
“You don’t exist to serve your space; your space exists to serve you.”
The Narrator(s)
The author herself. It was good.
My Thoughts
This book is short and sweet. There were parts that didn’t resonate very much or that I felt didn’t apply to me, but there were also parts that were like a salve to my soul and I needed those parts very much. It doesn’t give instructions for how to keep house, which was what I was looking for at first. It focuses more on getting you to the mental and emotional space for taking care of yourself and your space, which I guess was what I ended up needing.
I needed the reminder that my space is meant to serve me, that I’m not required to be perfect, that some things are more important than others and it’s okay to drop the ball on the unimportant things to keep the important ones going. Listening to the audio made me feel like the author was a friend who had my back.
My Rating
⭐⭐⭐⭐/5 stars.
Have you read this book? Would you read this book? Did you like the book or do you think you would like it?
Centuries after the last humans left Earth, the Exodus Fleet is a living relic, a place many are from but few outsiders have seen. Humanity has finally been accepted into the galactic community, but while this has opened doors for many, those who have not yet left for alien cities fear that their carefully cultivated way of life is under threat.
Tessa chose to stay home when her brother Ashby left for the stars, but has to question that decision when her position in the Fleet is threatened.
Kip, a reluctant young apprentice, itches for change but doesn’t know where to find it.
Sawyer, a lost and lonely newcomer, is just looking for a place to belong.
When a disaster rocks this already fragile community, those Exodans who still call the Fleet their home can no longer avoid the inescapable question:
What is the purpose of a ship that has reached its destination?
“Our species doesn’t operate by reality. It operates by stories.”
“We are a longstanding species with a very short memory. If we don’t keep record, we’ll make the same mistakes over and over again.”
“The only way to really appreciate your way is to compare it to somebody else’s way. Figure out what you love, specifically. In detail. Figure out what you want to keep. Figure out what you want to change. Otherwise, it’s not love. It’s clinging to the familiar–to the comfortable–and that’s a dangerous thing for us short-term thinkers to do.”
“Knowledge should always be free. What people do with it is up to them.”
The Narrator(s)
Patricia Rodriguez. Same narrator as with the first two books and still as enjoyable.
My Thoughts
This book is a little different from the first two books, but while I was surprised and a little blindsided with the way it went, after I took the time to process my feelings, I think I love it for precisely that reason.
There are a few different main characters in this book, and the one I resonated with the most is Sawyer. I really like him as a person, and I felt like his story was the most interesting even though it didn’t end up where I expected it to. I also really like Eyas’ story. It was really interesting to see her perspective about the work she does and the respect she shows towards rituals and beliefs.
The worldbuilding is one of the best things about this series. I love how diverse and different everyone is. I love the way the author is so good at showing us the differences and similarities we all have, no matter where we come from, who we are, what we believe. There’s one more book in the series and I’m excited to read it, but I hope that the author will continue to write more books in the series.
My Rating
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/5 stars.
Have you read this book? Would you read this book? Did you like the book or do you think you would like it?
Victor and Eli started out as college roommates—brilliant, arrogant, lonely boys who recognized the same sharpness and ambition in each other. In their senior year, a shared research interest in adrenaline, near-death experiences, and seemingly supernatural events reveals an intriguing possibility: that under the right conditions, someone could develop extraordinary abilities. But when their thesis moves from the academic to the experimental, things go horribly wrong.
Ten years later, Victor breaks out of prison, determined to catch up to his old friend (now foe), aided by a young girl whose reserved nature obscures a stunning ability. Meanwhile, Eli is on a mission to eradicate every other super-powered person that he can find—aside from his sidekick, an enigmatic woman with an unbreakable will. Armed with terrible power on both sides, driven by the memory of betrayal and loss, the archnemeses have set a course for revenge—but who will be left alive at the end?
I’ve enjoyed the author before and there was a buddy read for this book.
The Quotes
“Plenty of humans were monstrous, and plenty of monsters knew how to play at being human.”
“The absence of pain led to an absence of fear, and the absence of fear led to a disregard for consequence.”
“He wanted to care, he wanted to care so badly, but there was this gap between what he felt and what he wanted to feel, a space where something important had been carved out.”
“There are no good men in this game.”
My Thoughts
I was pleasantly surprised with how much I enjoyed this book! I had no expectations going in, I didn’t even know what it was going to be about, but I just got sucked into the story and the rest is history. I loved the format of the story, the way the story unfolded. It was interesting to see Victor’s POV at the beginning, to see himself with all his flaws, and to see Eli through his emotions.
Mitch and Sydney were also very interesting characters. I loved seeing Victor with them, as opposed to Victor with Eli. I think the thing I love most about the book is all the complexities of the different relationship dynamics between every single character. There’s so much I can’t talk about because of spoilers, but suffice to say this book is worth reading just to explore the different ways the characters are with each other and why they like/dislike/trust/distrust each other.
I will be reading the next book in the series and I cannot wait to see more of the characters and how the story unfolds!
My Rating
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/5 stars.
Have you read this book? Would you read this book? Did you like the book or do you think you would like it?
