Amanda's bookshelf: 2021 en-US Wed, 26 Mar 2025 12:15:22 -0700 60 Amanda's bookshelf: 2021 144 41 /images/layout/goodreads_logo_144.jpg The Devil All the Time 12992927 The Devil All the Time follows a cast of characters from the end of World War II to the 1960s. There’s Willard Russell, tormented veteran of the carnage in the South Pacific, who can’t save his beautiful wife, Charlotte, from an agonizing death by cancer no matter how much sacrifi­cial blood he pours on his “prayer log.� There’s Carl and Sandy Henderson, a husband-and-wife team of serial kill­ers, who troll America’s highways searching for suitable models to photograph and exterminate. There’s the spider-handling preacher Roy and his crippled virtuoso-guitar-playing sidekick, Theodore, running from the law. And caught in the middle of all this is Arvin Eugene Russell, Willard and Charlotte’s orphaned son, who grows up to be a good but also violent man in his own right.]]> 320 Donald Ray Pollock 0307744868 Amanda 5 2021
The story pulls you in on the first page and does not let go even after you finish the last page. (Two months later and I am still thinking about it.) It is a dark read with a full cast of captivating characters and the writing is phenomenal. I do recommend this book to others, but only if their reading tolerance rating goes past PG-13.]]> 4.16 2011 The Devil All the Time
author: Donald Ray Pollock
name: Amanda
average rating: 4.16
book published: 2011
rating: 5
read at: 2021/10/03
date added: 2025/03/26
shelves: 2021
review:
I do not want to accidently give anything away, so I am going to keep this review short and sweet.

The story pulls you in on the first page and does not let go even after you finish the last page. (Two months later and I am still thinking about it.) It is a dark read with a full cast of captivating characters and the writing is phenomenal. I do recommend this book to others, but only if their reading tolerance rating goes past PG-13.
]]> Inherent Vice 7285355 Part noir, part psychedelic romp, all Thomas Pynchon � private eye Doc Sportello comes, occasionally, out of a marijuana haze to watch the end of an era

It's been awhile since Doc Sportello has seen his ex-girlfriend. Suddenly out of nowhere she shows up with a story about a plot to kidnap a billionaire land developer whom she just happens to be in love with. Easy for her to say. It's the tail end of the psychedelic sixties in L.A., and Doc knows that "love" is another of those words going around at the moment, like "trip" or "groovy," except that this one usually leads to trouble.

In this lively yarn, Thomas Pynchon, working in an unaccustomed genre, provides a classic illustration of the principle that if you can remember the sixties, you weren't there . . . or . . . if you were there, then you . . . or, wait, is it . . .]]> 369 Thomas Pynchon Amanda 1 2021, black-sheep-opinions My current goal is to finish all of the books on my DNF shelf. So far, two out of two and my ratings stand. On this book the first part of the original review still stands. The line about me possibly enjoying the story, not so much.

**OCTOBER 2015 DNF REVIEW**
I need a sentence that doesn't contain an ungodly amount of commas and that eventually ends. I need to be able to read more than a page without throwing my hands up in the air with a, "What did the who just say to the when?"
I caught a glimpse of the story and feel that I could possibly really enjoy if it wasn't for the fog of every which way writing acting as a story block.

I'll just have to catch the movie.]]> 3.79 2009 Inherent Vice
author: Thomas Pynchon
name: Amanda
average rating: 3.79
book published: 2009
rating: 1
read at: 2021/06/18
date added: 2024/05/03
shelves: 2021, black-sheep-opinions
review:
**JUNE 2021 ACTUAL READ UPDATE**
My current goal is to finish all of the books on my DNF shelf. So far, two out of two and my ratings stand. On this book the first part of the original review still stands. The line about me possibly enjoying the story, not so much.

**OCTOBER 2015 DNF REVIEW**
I need a sentence that doesn't contain an ungodly amount of commas and that eventually ends. I need to be able to read more than a page without throwing my hands up in the air with a, "What did the who just say to the when?"
I caught a glimpse of the story and feel that I could possibly really enjoy if it wasn't for the fog of every which way writing acting as a story block.

I'll just have to catch the movie.
]]> Little Fires Everywhere 51704136 Everything I Never Told You, a riveting novel that traces the intertwined fates of the picture-perfect Richardson family and the enigmatic mother and daughter who upend their lives.

In Shaker Heights, a placid, progressive suburb of Cleveland, everything is planned--from the layout of the winding roads, to the colors of the houses, to the successful lives its residents will go on to lead. And no one embodies this spirit more than Elena Richardson, whose guiding principle is playing by the rules.

Enter Mia Warren--an enigmatic artist and single mother--who arrives in this idyllic bubble with her teenaged daughter Pearl, and rents a house from the Richardsons. Soon Mia and Pearl become more than tenants: all four Richardson children are drawn to the mother-daughter pair. But Mia carries with her a mysterious past and a disregard for the status quo that threatens to upend this carefully ordered community.

When old family friends of the Richardsons attempt to adopt a Chinese-American baby, a custody battle erupts that dramatically divides the town--and puts Mia and Elena on opposing sides. Suspicious of Mia and her motives, Elena is determined to uncover the secrets in Mia's past. But her obsession will come at unexpected and devastating costs.

Little Fires Everywhere explores the weight of secrets, the nature of art and identity, and the ferocious pull of motherhood--and the danger of believing that following the rules can avert disaster.

Named a Best Book of the Year by: People, The Washington Post, Bustle, Esquire, Southern Living, The Daily Beast, GQ, Entertainment Weekly, NPR, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, iBooks, Audible, Ĺ·±¦ÓéŔÖ, Library Reads, Book of the Month, Paste, Kirkus Reviews, St. Louis Post-Dispatch, and many more...

Perfect for book clubs! Visit celesteng.com for discussion guides and more. ]]> 368 Celeste Ng 0143135163 Amanda 4 2021
In my teen years I realized the differences were many and struggled with how best to counsel or be the best shoulder for crying on when friends unloaded their feelings and frustrations. I put a lot more thought to it all and assumed the answers would be available in adulthood.

In my current years I realize that family is extremely complex, and nobody has a perfect one. What I give my daughters is flawed even though I try with all my heart to make it not so. The things I swore I would not repeat and have not, are creating their own ripples and waves of things my daughters will swear to not repeat which will then inadvertently become the repeated mistakes of my grandparents that my parents swore not to make.

This book reminded me of all of this. It was well written with riveting characters that created an intricate piece of art full of swirls of new and shaded spots of misunderstandings. One family who on the surface is the textbook perfect family meets another who checks all the opposite boxes. When the two tracks collide, so does their past, present and future.

The one issue I had with this book was the excessive number of detailed references to pop culture from the 90s. A few can decorate a story nicely but too many and I feel like the author is trying to trick me into liking the story based on my own triggered past memories of a favorite song/movie/clothing style or that they are riding the current nostalgia train. I will forever be against this type of thing so down a star it goes.]]> 4.06 2017 Little Fires Everywhere
author: Celeste Ng
name: Amanda
average rating: 4.06
book published: 2017
rating: 4
read at: 2021/02/04
date added: 2023/05/17
shelves: 2021
review:
In my early years I thought all families were the same and would get quite confused when I happened upon somebody in a different set up. I didn’t put much thought to it at the time, just stored it away in my “think on it later� box.

In my teen years I realized the differences were many and struggled with how best to counsel or be the best shoulder for crying on when friends unloaded their feelings and frustrations. I put a lot more thought to it all and assumed the answers would be available in adulthood.

In my current years I realize that family is extremely complex, and nobody has a perfect one. What I give my daughters is flawed even though I try with all my heart to make it not so. The things I swore I would not repeat and have not, are creating their own ripples and waves of things my daughters will swear to not repeat which will then inadvertently become the repeated mistakes of my grandparents that my parents swore not to make.

This book reminded me of all of this. It was well written with riveting characters that created an intricate piece of art full of swirls of new and shaded spots of misunderstandings. One family who on the surface is the textbook perfect family meets another who checks all the opposite boxes. When the two tracks collide, so does their past, present and future.

The one issue I had with this book was the excessive number of detailed references to pop culture from the 90s. A few can decorate a story nicely but too many and I feel like the author is trying to trick me into liking the story based on my own triggered past memories of a favorite song/movie/clothing style or that they are riding the current nostalgia train. I will forever be against this type of thing so down a star it goes.
]]> <![CDATA[Cat Pictures Please and Other Stories]]> 35394775 313 Naomi Kritzer Amanda 5 2021, short-story 4.29 2017 Cat Pictures Please and Other Stories
author: Naomi Kritzer
name: Amanda
average rating: 4.29
book published: 2017
rating: 5
read at: 2021/06/19
date added: 2023/01/19
shelves: 2021, short-story
review:
This appetizer sized story was pure genius in the idea department, and I look forward to dining on more from this author.
]]> <![CDATA[Clarkesworld Magazine, Issue 160, January 2020]]> 51267546 Clarkesworld is a Hugo and World Fantasy Award-winning science fiction and fantasy magazine. Each month we bring you a mix of fiction (new and classic works), articles, interviews and art. Our January 2020 issue (#160) contains:* Original fiction by Naomi Kritzer ("Monster"), Filip Hajdar Drnovsek Zorko ("The AI That Looked at the Sun"), Rita Chang-Eppig ("The Last to Die"), I-Hyeong Yun ("The Perfect Sail"), and Chen Qiufan ("The Ancestral Temple in a Box").* Non-fiction by Douglas F. Dluzen, interviews with Walter Jon Williams and Victo Ngai, and an editorial by Neil Clarke.]]> 194 Neil Clarke Amanda 3 2021, short-story 4.19 2020 Clarkesworld Magazine, Issue 160, January 2020
author: Neil Clarke
name: Amanda
average rating: 4.19
book published: 2020
rating: 3
read at: 2021/07/10
date added: 2022/04/07
shelves: 2021, short-story
review:
The word that comes to mind is satisfactory. It won’t be remembered but it did occupy my time.
]]> Billy Summers 56852407
How about everything...]]> 517 Stephen King 1982173610 Amanda 3 2021, king-me An old hired gun has only one rule, that the target must be a bad person. He has one more job left in him, and it looks to be the perfect finisher…until it isn’t.

This book was a quick slap of reality and it made me sad. Not because of the story itself but because of what was stashed behind the words. I love King and I’m fully aware I have repeatedly said it in my reviews past the point of annoyance (not sorry). To have one of his books remind me that he won’t be around forever to tell his stories, absolutely breaks my heart.

This book did not amaze me. It did not stay with me past the dejected feelings mentioned above. It was an extremely average read. I am not angry for the moments spent on it, but I am not super excited about it either. The characters were typical King but lacked that extra charm required to really endear the reader to them. The story was predictable and all could be seen a mile away. I don’t think it was meant to be a shocker, so I did exclude that when rating it.

Overall, I give this one a three star rating because it isn’t one I would recommend to others looking for a decent example of the author’s work.]]> 4.11 2021 Billy Summers
author: Stephen King
name: Amanda
average rating: 4.11
book published: 2021
rating: 3
read at: 2021/11/08
date added: 2022/03/20
shelves: 2021, king-me
review:
An old hired gun has only one rule, that the target must be a bad person. He has one more job left in him, and it looks to be the perfect finisher…until it isn’t.

This book was a quick slap of reality and it made me sad. Not because of the story itself but because of what was stashed behind the words. I love King and I’m fully aware I have repeatedly said it in my reviews past the point of annoyance (not sorry). To have one of his books remind me that he won’t be around forever to tell his stories, absolutely breaks my heart.

This book did not amaze me. It did not stay with me past the dejected feelings mentioned above. It was an extremely average read. I am not angry for the moments spent on it, but I am not super excited about it either. The characters were typical King but lacked that extra charm required to really endear the reader to them. The story was predictable and all could be seen a mile away. I don’t think it was meant to be a shocker, so I did exclude that when rating it.

Overall, I give this one a three star rating because it isn’t one I would recommend to others looking for a decent example of the author’s work.
]]> Daisy Jones & The Six 50392746
Also getting noticed is The Six, a band led by the brooding Billy Dunne. On the eve of their first tour, his girlfriend, Camila, finds out she's pregnant, and with the pressure of impending fatherhood and fame, Billy goes a little wild on the road.

Daisy and Billy cross paths when a producer realizes that the key to supercharged success is to put the two together. What happens next will become the stuff of legend.

The making of that legend is chronicled in this riveting novel, written as if it were the oral history of one of the biggest bands of the seventies. In Daisy Jones & The Six, Taylor Jenkins Reid brilliantly captures an unforgettable place and time in an utterly distinctive voice.]]> 382 Taylor Jenkins Reid 1524798649 Amanda 4 2021 The behind the scenes on a rock band that made it big in the time of peace, love and happiness.

Interviewer: What did you think of the book?

Me: This was a fun little read. Nothing complex or deep thought worthy. Decent writing done in an interview style format. Stereotypical characters that entertained but lacked what it took to form any kind of attachment. I felt the “made to be a movie� vibes instantly, and I am not too sure when it does hit the screen that I will see it.

Interviewer: Would you recommend it?

Me: To those that are seeking a quick break from their usual reading and don’t mind a predictable story with stock characters.]]> 4.25 2019 Daisy Jones & The Six
author: Taylor Jenkins Reid
name: Amanda
average rating: 4.25
book published: 2019
rating: 4
read at: 2021/12/28
date added: 2022/01/30
shelves: 2021
review:
The behind the scenes on a rock band that made it big in the time of peace, love and happiness.

Interviewer: What did you think of the book?

Me: This was a fun little read. Nothing complex or deep thought worthy. Decent writing done in an interview style format. Stereotypical characters that entertained but lacked what it took to form any kind of attachment. I felt the “made to be a movie� vibes instantly, and I am not too sure when it does hit the screen that I will see it.

Interviewer: Would you recommend it?

Me: To those that are seeking a quick break from their usual reading and don’t mind a predictable story with stock characters.
]]> <![CDATA[People Who Eat Darkness: The True Story of a Young Woman Who Vanished from the Streets of Tokyo - and the Evil That Swallowed Her Up]]> 12988314
Lucie Blackman - tall, blond, twenty-one years old - stepped out into the vastness of Tokyo in the summer of 2000, and disappeared forever. The following winter, her dismembered remains were found buried in a seaside cave.
Richard Lloyd Parry, an award-winning foreign correspondent, covered Lucie's disappearance and followed the massive search for her, the long investigation, and the even longer trial. Over ten years, he earned the trust of her family and friends, won unique access to the Japanese detectives and Japan's convoluted legal system, and delved deep into the mind of the man accused of the crime, Joji Obara, described by the judge as "unprecedented and extremely evil".

The result is a book at once thrilling and revelatory, "In Cold Blood for our times" (Chris Cleave, author of Incendiary and Little Bee).
]]> 454 Richard Lloyd Parry 0374230595 Amanda 3 2021, time-to-get-real In July of 2000, a young woman named Lucie Blackman vanished in the city of Tokyo. She had recently moved there with her best friend to pursue a job that she had heard paid quite well. All was going as planned until that fateful day she stepped out of their rented room, never to return.

This book is more than just a detailed investigation into Lucie’s disappearance and the crime committed against her. The author digs deep into her life to give the reader a vivid impression of who she was. He also includes a lot of content involving her family and friends as well as the person accused of the crime, which adds so many layers to an already complex read.

The piece that stood out the most was the research done into the type of work Lucie and her friend were doing while in Tokyo. I found it to be quite fascinating.

Overall, I did consider the book to be a little dry and a bit heavy on the details. Trimming it down and reducing it by around fifty to one hundred pages would have made it a better reading experience.

I would recommend this one to true crime lovers that are all about detail diving expeditions.]]> 3.80 2010 People Who Eat Darkness: The True Story of a Young Woman Who Vanished from the Streets of Tokyo - and the Evil That Swallowed Her Up
author: Richard Lloyd Parry
name: Amanda
average rating: 3.80
book published: 2010
rating: 3
read at: 2021/11/30
date added: 2022/01/27
shelves: 2021, time-to-get-real
review:
In July of 2000, a young woman named Lucie Blackman vanished in the city of Tokyo. She had recently moved there with her best friend to pursue a job that she had heard paid quite well. All was going as planned until that fateful day she stepped out of their rented room, never to return.

This book is more than just a detailed investigation into Lucie’s disappearance and the crime committed against her. The author digs deep into her life to give the reader a vivid impression of who she was. He also includes a lot of content involving her family and friends as well as the person accused of the crime, which adds so many layers to an already complex read.

The piece that stood out the most was the research done into the type of work Lucie and her friend were doing while in Tokyo. I found it to be quite fascinating.

Overall, I did consider the book to be a little dry and a bit heavy on the details. Trimming it down and reducing it by around fifty to one hundred pages would have made it a better reading experience.

I would recommend this one to true crime lovers that are all about detail diving expeditions.
]]> My Lovely Wife 57190353
I met a gorgeous woman. We fell in love. We had kids. We moved to the suburbs. We told each other our biggest dreams and our darkest secrets.

And then we got bored.

We look like a normal couple. We are your neighbors, the parents of your kid's friend, the acquaintances you keep meaning to get dinner with.

We all have our secrets to keeping a marriage alive.

Ours just happens to be getting away with murder.]]> 371 Samantha Downing Amanda 2 2021 A white picket fence marriage with a little extra spice.

I made a reading rule a while back to avoid books such as this one because of how done to death they are. The only reason I caved in this instance was because of my teenage daughter. She had read it for a book report assignment and wanted to hear my thoughts on it. You read that right, a teenager willingly asking a parent their thoughts on something. What parent could resist? I immediately added it to my nightstand pile and promised her a review as soon as I got to it.

Her review: It was bland and it dragged on for too long. I feel like they could have shaved off a lot of extra time from the beginning to the end.

My review: I liked the spark of the story I glimpsed as I read through the first part. It had potential to be something a little different from the current psych thriller norm if executed properly. Sadly, this did not occur. The characters were poorly written and everything about the story became predictable in a hurry. What started as a possible page-turner ended up being a chore. The only redeeming quality it had was the time I spent discussing it with my daughter.

Two stars to a book that did not impress a mom & daughter dynamic reading duo.]]> 3.93 2019 My Lovely Wife
author: Samantha Downing
name: Amanda
average rating: 3.93
book published: 2019
rating: 2
read at: 2021/11/14
date added: 2022/01/19
shelves: 2021
review:
A white picket fence marriage with a little extra spice.

I made a reading rule a while back to avoid books such as this one because of how done to death they are. The only reason I caved in this instance was because of my teenage daughter. She had read it for a book report assignment and wanted to hear my thoughts on it. You read that right, a teenager willingly asking a parent their thoughts on something. What parent could resist? I immediately added it to my nightstand pile and promised her a review as soon as I got to it.

Her review: It was bland and it dragged on for too long. I feel like they could have shaved off a lot of extra time from the beginning to the end.

My review: I liked the spark of the story I glimpsed as I read through the first part. It had potential to be something a little different from the current psych thriller norm if executed properly. Sadly, this did not occur. The characters were poorly written and everything about the story became predictable in a hurry. What started as a possible page-turner ended up being a chore. The only redeeming quality it had was the time I spent discussing it with my daughter.

Two stars to a book that did not impress a mom & daughter dynamic reading duo.
]]> <![CDATA[Winning the War in Your Mind: Change Your Thinking, Change Your Life]]> 55918375 256 Craig Groeschel 0310362725 Amanda 2 2021, dull-jane
ME: What once was a couple of shelves that mostly contained Stephen King mixed with a few classic favorites has expanded to multiple shelves of pretty much the same.

MY GIRLS: What once was four shelves of picture books changed to middle school aged reading, and then decreased to a half shelf of the favorite books mom and dad once read to them. It wasn’t that their reading stopped but that they wanted to take their young adult books to the privacy of their bedrooms where mom and dad are not allowed to venture.

MY HUSBAND: What once was a shelf of outdated sports related books changed into a bursting at the seams bookcase full of the latest and greatest coaching and team building books. It wasn’t that he didn’t read a lot before but that he began the process of refining a career and pursuing a passion to its fullest.

That is a very large amount of backstory to get to my main point which is that change happens. I could see a lot of change on the shelves of my loved ones but not much on mine. I picked this book up thinking it would be an interesting way to investigate my supposed stagnant shelf situation further. I promised myself that I would go into the read with an open mind and actually give the advice a fair shake, which I did. At the completion of the book, I realized that my shelf had actually changed over the years and that I needed to stop being so damn critical of myself.

Did the detailed steps for change given in the book get me there? NOPE

What did get me there was seeing the author be way too hard on himself at various points in his life which duh, was exactly what I was doing to myself.

The book contained very basic self-improvement concepts presented from a religious viewpoint. The core of it was a lot of stuff I have heard many times before in various formats. It wasn’t the worst version of it, but it wasn’t the best either.

Two stars to a mediocre read.]]> 4.29 2021 Winning the War in Your Mind: Change Your Thinking, Change Your Life
author: Craig Groeschel
name: Amanda
average rating: 4.29
book published: 2021
rating: 2
read at: 2021/10/26
date added: 2021/12/26
shelves: 2021, dull-jane
review:
Analyzing the bookshelves in my home is like an archeology dig into our family’s past. What I have discovered is that you can see a person’s life changes visible in their reading preferences.

ME: What once was a couple of shelves that mostly contained Stephen King mixed with a few classic favorites has expanded to multiple shelves of pretty much the same.

MY GIRLS: What once was four shelves of picture books changed to middle school aged reading, and then decreased to a half shelf of the favorite books mom and dad once read to them. It wasn’t that their reading stopped but that they wanted to take their young adult books to the privacy of their bedrooms where mom and dad are not allowed to venture.

MY HUSBAND: What once was a shelf of outdated sports related books changed into a bursting at the seams bookcase full of the latest and greatest coaching and team building books. It wasn’t that he didn’t read a lot before but that he began the process of refining a career and pursuing a passion to its fullest.

That is a very large amount of backstory to get to my main point which is that change happens. I could see a lot of change on the shelves of my loved ones but not much on mine. I picked this book up thinking it would be an interesting way to investigate my supposed stagnant shelf situation further. I promised myself that I would go into the read with an open mind and actually give the advice a fair shake, which I did. At the completion of the book, I realized that my shelf had actually changed over the years and that I needed to stop being so damn critical of myself.

Did the detailed steps for change given in the book get me there? NOPE

What did get me there was seeing the author be way too hard on himself at various points in his life which duh, was exactly what I was doing to myself.

The book contained very basic self-improvement concepts presented from a religious viewpoint. The core of it was a lot of stuff I have heard many times before in various formats. It wasn’t the worst version of it, but it wasn’t the best either.

Two stars to a mediocre read.
]]> The Things We Cannot Say 40899464
Since she was nine years old, Alina Dziak knew she would marry her best friend, Tomasz. Now fifteen and engaged, Alina is unconcerned by reports of Nazi soldiers at the Polish border, believing her neighbors that they pose no real threat, and dreams instead of the day Tomasz returns from college in Warsaw so they can be married. But little by little, injustice by brutal injustice, the Nazi occupation takes hold, and Alina’s tiny rural village, its families, are divided by fear and hate. Then, as the fabric of their lives is slowly picked apart, Tomasz disappears. Where Alina used to measure time between visits from her beloved, now she measures the spaces between hope and despair, waiting for word from Tomasz and avoiding the attentions of the soldiers who patrol her parents� farm. But for now, even deafening silence is preferable to grief.

Slipping between Nazi-occupied Poland and the frenetic pace of modern life, Kelly Rimmer creates an emotional and finely wrought narrative that weaves together two women’s stories into a tapestry of perseverance, loyalty, love and honor. The Things We Cannot Say is an unshakable reminder of the devastation when truth is silenced…and how it can take a lifetime to find our voice before we learn to trust it.]]> 448 Kelly Rimmer 1525831518 Amanda 3 2021 The book flips between past and present to tell the story of a young couple’s struggle to be together during a war.

I originally rated this read four stars, but the longer I thought on it the more I realized how wrong that rating was. Like a piece of popcorn stuck in the back of your throat, what I did not like about the read nagged at my mind.

THE GOOD: The parts of the story related to the past (and only the past) were interesting. The choice of location and the general flow of the story kept me engaged.

THE BAD: The parts of the story related to the present were terrible. I can and will put all the blame in how the characters were handled, mainly Alice. She was beyond annoying and every time her chapters came up I wanted to skim past them as quickly as possible. The supporting characters were excruciatingly flat and I could care less that they even existed. In fact, I can’t even remember their names.

Overall, this book gave a strong B performance in a few areas and a low D where it mattered most. I would only recommend it to those looking for a simple read with basic characters.]]> 4.51 2019 The Things We Cannot Say
author: Kelly Rimmer
name: Amanda
average rating: 4.51
book published: 2019
rating: 3
read at: 2021/10/15
date added: 2021/12/21
shelves: 2021
review:
The book flips between past and present to tell the story of a young couple’s struggle to be together during a war.

I originally rated this read four stars, but the longer I thought on it the more I realized how wrong that rating was. Like a piece of popcorn stuck in the back of your throat, what I did not like about the read nagged at my mind.

THE GOOD: The parts of the story related to the past (and only the past) were interesting. The choice of location and the general flow of the story kept me engaged.

THE BAD: The parts of the story related to the present were terrible. I can and will put all the blame in how the characters were handled, mainly Alice. She was beyond annoying and every time her chapters came up I wanted to skim past them as quickly as possible. The supporting characters were excruciatingly flat and I could care less that they even existed. In fact, I can’t even remember their names.

Overall, this book gave a strong B performance in a few areas and a low D where it mattered most. I would only recommend it to those looking for a simple read with basic characters.
]]> <![CDATA[Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind]]> 25816990 A Summer Reading Pick for President Barack Obama, Bill Gates, and Mark Zuckerberg

From a renowned historian comes a groundbreaking narrative of humanity’s creation and evolution—a #1 international bestseller—that explores the ways in which biology and history have defined us and enhanced our understanding of what it means to be “human.�

One hundred thousand years ago, at least six different species of humans inhabited Earth. Yet today there is only one—homo sapiens. What happened to the others? And what may happen to us?

Most books about the history of humanity pursue either a historical or a biological approach, but Dr. Yuval Noah Harari breaks the mold with this highly original book that begins about 70,000 years ago with the appearance of modern cognition. From examining the role evolving humans have played in the global ecosystem to charting the rise of empires, Sapiens integrates history and science to reconsider accepted narratives, connect past developments with contemporary concerns, and examine specific events within the context of larger ideas.

Dr. Harari also compels us to look ahead, because over the last few decades humans have begun to bend laws of natural selection that have governed life for the past four billion years. We are acquiring the ability to design not only the world around us, but also ourselves. Where is this leading us, and what do we want to become?

Featuring 27 photographs, 6 maps, and 25 illustrations/diagrams.]]> 464 Yuval Noah Harari 0062316117 Amanda 3 2021, time-to-get-real
Three stars to a book that offered up some much needed education on our biological roots.]]> 4.40 2011 Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind
author: Yuval Noah Harari
name: Amanda
average rating: 4.40
book published: 2011
rating: 3
read at: 2021/09/24
date added: 2021/10/28
shelves: 2021, time-to-get-real
review:
I played the pick it up and put it down game with this book multiple times before finally deciding to go for it. I was afraid it would be dry, thankfully it was not. What I should have feared was a poor ending. I was expecting only information on the past, maybe the present, but not the future. The final pages got lost in its own opinion of what the author thought the future might bring. I would have preferred a walk up to where we are now on the timeline and a “to be continued� for anything after.

Three stars to a book that offered up some much needed education on our biological roots.
]]> News of the World 25817493 Enemy Women that explores the boundaries of family, responsibility, honor, and trust.

In the wake of the Civil War, Captain Jefferson Kyle Kidd travels through northern Texas, giving live readings from newspapers to paying audiences hungry for news of the world. An elderly widower who has lived through three wars and fought in two of them, the captain enjoys his rootless, solitary existence.

In Wichita Falls, he is offered a $50 gold piece to deliver a young orphan to her relatives in San Antonio. Four years earlier, a band of Kiowa raiders killed Johanna’s parents and sister; sparing the little girl, they raised her as one of their own. Recently rescued by the U.S. army, the ten-year-old has once again been torn away from the only home she knows.

Their 400-mile journey south through unsettled territory and unforgiving terrain proves difficult and at times dangerous. Johanna has forgotten the English language, tries to escape at every opportunity, throws away her shoes, and refuses to act “civilized.� Yet as the miles pass, the two lonely survivors tentatively begin to trust each other, forming a bond that marks the difference between life and death in this treacherous land.

Arriving in San Antonio, the reunion is neither happy nor welcome. The captain must hand Johanna over to an aunt and uncle she does not remember—strangers who regard her as an unwanted burden. A respectable man, Captain Kidd is faced with a terrible choice: abandon the girl to her fate or become—in the eyes of the law—a kidnapper himself.

]]> 209 Paulette Jiles 0062409204 Amanda 4 2021 A news delivering man traveling the countryside is asked to transport the surviving child of a murdered family to her relatives.

The characters were the standout with this read and I instantly fell for the elder Captain and the young girl placed in his charge, Johanna. I have read other books that mention Native American tribes taking on outside members but not like how this one portrayed it. It made me ponder the impact that kind of thing can have on a person. Many layers of thinking on this one, because the child in this story had so many moments where the depth of her experience shined through and offered a different take on various interactions she had.

The only thing I struggled with had to do with the secondary characters. It was either a lot or a little with them and it left me feeling unsettled. With some it was an open window that allowed a sneak peek into their colorful existence (I wanted more), and with others there just wasn’t enough to see more of a wisp to what they were (I needed more). I would say the ending really stirred up the struggle because it had character updates which reminded me of how much wasn’t there for the ones I needed more on.

Four stars because overall, it was a worthwhile read.]]> 4.02 2016 News of the World
author: Paulette Jiles
name: Amanda
average rating: 4.02
book published: 2016
rating: 4
read at: 2021/09/05
date added: 2021/10/27
shelves: 2021
review:
A news delivering man traveling the countryside is asked to transport the surviving child of a murdered family to her relatives.

The characters were the standout with this read and I instantly fell for the elder Captain and the young girl placed in his charge, Johanna. I have read other books that mention Native American tribes taking on outside members but not like how this one portrayed it. It made me ponder the impact that kind of thing can have on a person. Many layers of thinking on this one, because the child in this story had so many moments where the depth of her experience shined through and offered a different take on various interactions she had.

The only thing I struggled with had to do with the secondary characters. It was either a lot or a little with them and it left me feeling unsettled. With some it was an open window that allowed a sneak peek into their colorful existence (I wanted more), and with others there just wasn’t enough to see more of a wisp to what they were (I needed more). I would say the ending really stirred up the struggle because it had character updates which reminded me of how much wasn’t there for the ones I needed more on.

Four stars because overall, it was a worthwhile read.
]]> <![CDATA[The Fiery Trial: Abraham Lincoln and American Slavery]]> 10856622 448 Eric Foner 039334066X Amanda 3 2021, time-to-get-real THE NEGATIVE: The book could be quite dry at times. It was a real struggle to read through it when it got lost in its own factual based presentation. I am not saying it needed to be filled with BS, tons of fluff or only the author’s take on things; but I do think it needed more of a break here and there to keep the reader engaged. There were far too many nights I fell asleep while reading and that is never a good sign.

THE POSITIVE: The book made me think a lot about Lincoln as a person and how open his mind was to change. Most of the people I have encountered in life are pretty set in their beliefs and won’t budge an inch when introduced to a new idea that is different from their own way of thinking. I cannot imagine the emotional and mental struggles he had the entire time he worked through it all. It takes a special person to be open like that. It was interesting, very interesting.

OFF-THE-WALL THINKING: While reading this book I was also watching various things on Ted Bundy. One random thought led to another and before I knew it I was comparing the two people. I know what you are thinking, what in the world could I possibly be going on about and did it occur in relation to drug use? I assure you that no drugs were used in the making of this rabbit hole. It was a thing that entered my mind one night as I turned off the nightstand lamp, and it did not flutter away after a visit to dream land. Both names are well known at this point in history. One person devoted his life to pursuing things that positively impacted society, while the other devoted his life to pursuing his own desires that negatively impacted society.

What strange paths the mind can meander down.]]> 4.30 2010 The Fiery Trial: Abraham Lincoln and American Slavery
author: Eric Foner
name: Amanda
average rating: 4.30
book published: 2010
rating: 3
read at: 2021/08/22
date added: 2021/10/15
shelves: 2021, time-to-get-real
review:
THE NEGATIVE: The book could be quite dry at times. It was a real struggle to read through it when it got lost in its own factual based presentation. I am not saying it needed to be filled with BS, tons of fluff or only the author’s take on things; but I do think it needed more of a break here and there to keep the reader engaged. There were far too many nights I fell asleep while reading and that is never a good sign.

THE POSITIVE: The book made me think a lot about Lincoln as a person and how open his mind was to change. Most of the people I have encountered in life are pretty set in their beliefs and won’t budge an inch when introduced to a new idea that is different from their own way of thinking. I cannot imagine the emotional and mental struggles he had the entire time he worked through it all. It takes a special person to be open like that. It was interesting, very interesting.

OFF-THE-WALL THINKING: While reading this book I was also watching various things on Ted Bundy. One random thought led to another and before I knew it I was comparing the two people. I know what you are thinking, what in the world could I possibly be going on about and did it occur in relation to drug use? I assure you that no drugs were used in the making of this rabbit hole. It was a thing that entered my mind one night as I turned off the nightstand lamp, and it did not flutter away after a visit to dream land. Both names are well known at this point in history. One person devoted his life to pursuing things that positively impacted society, while the other devoted his life to pursuing his own desires that negatively impacted society.

What strange paths the mind can meander down.
]]> <![CDATA[Row the Boat: A Never-Give-Up Approach to Lead with Enthusiasm and Optimism and Improve Your Team and Culture (Jon Gordon)]]> 57182105 128 Jon Gordon 111976629X Amanda 1 2021, dull-jane
This read was more about a coach’s career and less about the concept he authored. The little outside of that I did take from it was brand yourself before becoming a group/team leader. Have a catchy idea/phrase worked up and sell that. Once the group/team buys in, success will be yours.

Was that the message it intended? Probably not.

Would I recommend this book to others? Nope.]]> 3.91 Row the Boat: A Never-Give-Up Approach to Lead with Enthusiasm and Optimism and Improve Your Team and Culture (Jon Gordon)
author: Jon Gordon
name: Amanda
average rating: 3.91
book published:
rating: 1
read at: 2021/07/12
date added: 2021/09/25
shelves: 2021, dull-jane
review:
Books are amazing in that what is good for you may be terrible for me and neither is wrong. This book was perfection for my husband and useless drivel for me. He keeps pulling it off the shelf so he can share bits of wisdom with his staff and team, and I keep trying to figure out why I originally gave it two stars when it only deserved one.

This read was more about a coach’s career and less about the concept he authored. The little outside of that I did take from it was brand yourself before becoming a group/team leader. Have a catchy idea/phrase worked up and sell that. Once the group/team buys in, success will be yours.

Was that the message it intended? Probably not.

Would I recommend this book to others? Nope.
]]> The Queen's Gambit 55892954 243 Walter Tevis 1474622577 Amanda 5 2021 BUT, time spent with people I love always ranks higher, so the irritation was quickly forgotten. So many months later I finally made my move and gave the reading game clock a quick tap and well...

This book surpassed by expectations.

Every piece of this was well crafted. The lead character was an instant win, and the inner workings of her mind were spectacular. The only thing about her that gave me pause was the insane number of eggs she consumed. Not sure if the author has an addiction himself or if that was an accurate representation of what most people ate at that point in time. Either/or it caught my attention in an odd way and now every time I eat eggs I think of this story.

Five eggstatic stars for a very eggworthy read.]]> 4.14 1983 The Queen's Gambit
author: Walter Tevis
name: Amanda
average rating: 4.14
book published: 1983
rating: 5
read at: 2021/07/26
date added: 2021/09/17
shelves: 2021
review:
It was a Sunday evening when my daughter suggested that we should watch the series. It was instant love which led to a binge-watching spree that we both thoroughly enjoyed. We were a few in before I realized a book existed so the out of order thing I despise had happened. BUT, time spent with people I love always ranks higher, so the irritation was quickly forgotten. So many months later I finally made my move and gave the reading game clock a quick tap and well...

This book surpassed by expectations.

Every piece of this was well crafted. The lead character was an instant win, and the inner workings of her mind were spectacular. The only thing about her that gave me pause was the insane number of eggs she consumed. Not sure if the author has an addiction himself or if that was an accurate representation of what most people ate at that point in time. Either/or it caught my attention in an odd way and now every time I eat eggs I think of this story.

Five eggstatic stars for a very eggworthy read.
]]> No Country for Old Men 12497 Alternate Cover Edition for ISBN 9780375706677

In his blistering new novel, Cormac McCarthy returns to the Texas-Mexico border, the setting of his famed Border Trilogy. The time is our own, when rustlers have given way to drug-runners and small towns have become free-fire zones.

One day, Llewellyn Moss finds a pickup truck surrounded by a bodyguard of dead men. A load of heroin and two million dollars in cash are still in the back. When Moss takes the money, he sets off a chain reaction of catastrophic violence that not even the law–in the person of aging, disillusioned Sheriff Bell–can contain.

As Moss tries to evade his pursuers–in particular a mysterious mastermind who flips coins for human lives–McCarthy simultaneously strips down the American crime novel and broadens its concerns to encompass themes as ancient as the Bible and as bloodily contemporary as this morning’s headlines.
No Country for Old Men is a triumph.]]> 309 Cormac McCarthy Amanda 5 2021, cormac-and-cheese I am not going to tell you what this book is about because it is an extremely popular read which means there are a gazillion other reviews doing exactly that. Also (and for real, the main reason), that is not my review style so buckle up for some random Amanda NEVER MANDY thoughts on whatever that is there that caught my eye.

This was the last book from Cormac that I had planned on reading. I saved it for last because it came highly recommended. I started the Cormac experience with an amazing book, and I wanted my ending experience to match it. I did have some hesitation because the parts of the movie I had seen in passing were brutal and I was not up to a reading experience that matched it. Thankfully, it was not the same and I am able to say that the recommendations regarding the quality were right on the mark.

As usual one of my favorite components was the author’s ability to keep the writing style as basic as possible. He keeps it limited and to the point, carefully choosing a single word or two that tell so much more than what other authors have to say using five paragraphs. In doing things the way he does, he accomplishes the exact opposite of what you would think it would do, he tells a complex and lasting story.

Another item I appreciate is how the characters are presented. On the surface they appear two-dimensional, but after a few chapters you are surprised to find you are knee depth in their existence. Their individual being is built by the simplest statements that are so complex in meaning. As mentioned in the previous paragraph, the author can do so much with so little, and it shines through all aspects of his storytelling. The only time it becomes an issue is when he strays from his original formula and tries to swim in the ocean of excessive descriptions.

Great read. Worth every page.]]> 4.15 2005 No Country for Old Men
author: Cormac McCarthy
name: Amanda
average rating: 4.15
book published: 2005
rating: 5
read at: 2021/07/19
date added: 2021/09/12
shelves: 2021, cormac-and-cheese
review:
I am not going to tell you what this book is about because it is an extremely popular read which means there are a gazillion other reviews doing exactly that. Also (and for real, the main reason), that is not my review style so buckle up for some random Amanda NEVER MANDY thoughts on whatever that is there that caught my eye.

This was the last book from Cormac that I had planned on reading. I saved it for last because it came highly recommended. I started the Cormac experience with an amazing book, and I wanted my ending experience to match it. I did have some hesitation because the parts of the movie I had seen in passing were brutal and I was not up to a reading experience that matched it. Thankfully, it was not the same and I am able to say that the recommendations regarding the quality were right on the mark.

As usual one of my favorite components was the author’s ability to keep the writing style as basic as possible. He keeps it limited and to the point, carefully choosing a single word or two that tell so much more than what other authors have to say using five paragraphs. In doing things the way he does, he accomplishes the exact opposite of what you would think it would do, he tells a complex and lasting story.

Another item I appreciate is how the characters are presented. On the surface they appear two-dimensional, but after a few chapters you are surprised to find you are knee depth in their existence. Their individual being is built by the simplest statements that are so complex in meaning. As mentioned in the previous paragraph, the author can do so much with so little, and it shines through all aspects of his storytelling. The only time it becomes an issue is when he strays from his original formula and tries to swim in the ocean of excessive descriptions.

Great read. Worth every page.
]]> Pachinko 35099568
Richly told and profoundly moving, Pachinko is a story of love, sacrifice, ambition, and loyalty. From bustling street markets to the halls of Japan's finest universities to the pachinko parlors of the criminal underworld, Lee's complex and passionate characters--strong, stubborn women, devoted sisters and sons, fathers shaken by moral crisis--survive and thrive against the indifferent arc of history.]]> 484 Min Jin Lee 1455563927 Amanda 5 2021 This is the story of multiple generations of one family and the many lives that are entwined within it.

It is usually the characters that capture my interest but this time it was purely the story itself that did the trick. The author used a handing the torch off storytelling method across characters that left me in awe of her abilities. How I would visually explain it would be a painting of two people strolling down a path around a lake. As your eyes roll forward along the path you notice a child trying to play fetch with a dog who happens to be distracted by a duck that is getting ready to fly from the water into the trees that bleed into a view of a sunset peeking through some clouds. One can briefly ponder the existence of each individual piece as well as what it looks like when it all comes together.

Loved it.

What will forever stick with me: “A woman’s lot is to suffer.� ]]> 4.34 2017 Pachinko
author: Min Jin Lee
name: Amanda
average rating: 4.34
book published: 2017
rating: 5
read at: 2021/07/09
date added: 2021/08/29
shelves: 2021
review:
This is the story of multiple generations of one family and the many lives that are entwined within it.

It is usually the characters that capture my interest but this time it was purely the story itself that did the trick. The author used a handing the torch off storytelling method across characters that left me in awe of her abilities. How I would visually explain it would be a painting of two people strolling down a path around a lake. As your eyes roll forward along the path you notice a child trying to play fetch with a dog who happens to be distracted by a duck that is getting ready to fly from the water into the trees that bleed into a view of a sunset peeking through some clouds. One can briefly ponder the existence of each individual piece as well as what it looks like when it all comes together.

Loved it.

What will forever stick with me: “A woman’s lot is to suffer.�
]]> <![CDATA[1491: New Revelations of the Americas Before Columbus]]> 20892800
Contrary to what so many Americans learn in school, Columbus did not land in a sparsely, near-pristine wilderness. Recent research has shown that Indians arrived millennia earlier than previously thought and shaped the lands around them in ways that we are only now beginning to understand. The astonishing Aztec capital of Tenochtitlán had running water and immaculately clean streets, and was larger than any contemporary European city. Native cultures created corn in a specialized breeding process that has been called man's first feat of genetic engineering. Perhaps most surprising, many researchers believe that past Indian cultures created much of today's Amazon forest. This is a transformative new look at a rich and fascinating world we only thought we knew.]]> 553 Charles C. Mann Amanda 5 2021, time-to-get-real
The author of this book kept things to the point and he didn’t insert himself into it. It was just endless amounts of research and history that painted a completely different picture than what I was taught in elementary school. He did mention his travels some, but it was nothing that detracted from the main focus of the book. It was more to show one of the methods he used to obtain the information that was presented, physically going to the locations and meeting with the people researching and uncovering our past.

What I loved most was that it clearly stated that what we know about history at any given point can be altered by new revelations. We should all be open to the idea of changing the way we perceive things and not lock ourselves into believing that an item we learn at one point in time is the final say on it and anything past that is instantly wrong. I love that shit. I love having my beliefs challenged and I love opening my mind to new ways of thinking.

Five stars to a book that taught me so much and reset some earlier thinking.]]> 4.22 2005 1491: New Revelations of the Americas Before Columbus
author: Charles C. Mann
name: Amanda
average rating: 4.22
book published: 2005
rating: 5
read at: 2021/05/30
date added: 2021/07/20
shelves: 2021, time-to-get-real
review:
This was an extremely informative read. It brought back fond memories of a college history class that I took a lifetime ago. Not necessarily the content taught but the way it made me feel as I furiously scribbled out the notes. There was so much information available and so many different directions a person could take in researching it. It was for sure one of those worldview shifting experiences.

The author of this book kept things to the point and he didn’t insert himself into it. It was just endless amounts of research and history that painted a completely different picture than what I was taught in elementary school. He did mention his travels some, but it was nothing that detracted from the main focus of the book. It was more to show one of the methods he used to obtain the information that was presented, physically going to the locations and meeting with the people researching and uncovering our past.

What I loved most was that it clearly stated that what we know about history at any given point can be altered by new revelations. We should all be open to the idea of changing the way we perceive things and not lock ourselves into believing that an item we learn at one point in time is the final say on it and anything past that is instantly wrong. I love that shit. I love having my beliefs challenged and I love opening my mind to new ways of thinking.

Five stars to a book that taught me so much and reset some earlier thinking.
]]> A Dream of Passion 37301535 5 Steven Brust Amanda 2 2021, short-story
Will that lead me to the series? Only time will tell.]]> 3.22 A Dream of Passion
author: Steven Brust
name: Amanda
average rating: 3.22
book published:
rating: 2
read at: 2021/07/01
date added: 2021/07/01
shelves: 2021, short-story
review:
I needed more to understand what was going on but what was there did interest me.

Will that lead me to the series? Only time will tell.
]]> A Guide For Working Breeds 53062854
100 years after Karel Capek coined the word, “robots� are an everyday idea, and the inspiration for countless stories in books, film, TV and games.

They are often among the least privileged, most unfairly used of us, and the more robots are like humans, the more interesting they become. This collection of stories is where robots stand in for us, where both we and they are disadvantaged, and where hope and optimism shines through.]]> 30 Vina Jie-Min Prasad Amanda 3 2021, short-story
I guess cute can only take you so far in life.]]> 4.16 2020 A Guide For Working Breeds
author: Vina Jie-Min Prasad
name: Amanda
average rating: 4.16
book published: 2020
rating: 3
read at: 2021/07/01
date added: 2021/07/01
shelves: 2021, short-story
review:
A cute read that made me smile at times but it also made me ponder the times it did not.

I guess cute can only take you so far in life.
]]> <![CDATA[Foreign Faction - Who Really Kidnapped JonBenét?]]> 15940737
Foreign Faction blows the cover off the lone-intruder / sexual predator theory, and reveals startling new evidence that heretofore has only been seen by a select few. Kolar's work offers an entirely new perspective for the events leading up to JonBenet's murder on Christmas Day 1996, and it will ultimately redifine the public perception of one of the most unusual murder investigations this country has ever witnessed.]]> 530 A. James Kolar 098476321X Amanda 2 2021, time-to-get-real
What I liked: The case details that I had not read/heard about before.

What I didn’t like: The author going on and on about his beef with people involved in the case and his constant self-aggrandizing. The book was poorly organized and contained entirely too much unnecessary content. An editor could have fixed a lot of the mess, but I have a strong feeling that the author would not accept constructive criticism.

I am a detail person when it comes to situations such as this. Present me with the facts and offer your theories separate from the fact sharing. This book has facts mixed with theories, mixed with pauses to take in the author’s amazingness, mixed with rants about how other people messed everything up, mixed with where did the rest of that train of thought go, mixed with oh wait there it is, why did it reappear two chapters later?

IF you are willing to spend the money and put in the work sifting through the author’s bullshit, the book is okay. Though honestly, you can probably find these same details by doing a deep internet dive into the case. It would be a cheaper venture but it would probably take more time and quite a few risky clicks.]]> 3.94 2012 Foreign Faction - Who Really Kidnapped JonBenét?
author: A. James Kolar
name: Amanda
average rating: 3.94
book published: 2012
rating: 2
read at: 2021/05/16
date added: 2021/06/28
shelves: 2021, time-to-get-real
review:
There are a handful of unsolved crimes and mysteries that I keep an eye on and the JonBenet Ramsey case is top of the list. I discovered this book existed while reading through comments on Reddit and decided to give it a go.

What I liked: The case details that I had not read/heard about before.

What I didn’t like: The author going on and on about his beef with people involved in the case and his constant self-aggrandizing. The book was poorly organized and contained entirely too much unnecessary content. An editor could have fixed a lot of the mess, but I have a strong feeling that the author would not accept constructive criticism.

I am a detail person when it comes to situations such as this. Present me with the facts and offer your theories separate from the fact sharing. This book has facts mixed with theories, mixed with pauses to take in the author’s amazingness, mixed with rants about how other people messed everything up, mixed with where did the rest of that train of thought go, mixed with oh wait there it is, why did it reappear two chapters later?

IF you are willing to spend the money and put in the work sifting through the author’s bullshit, the book is okay. Though honestly, you can probably find these same details by doing a deep internet dive into the case. It would be a cheaper venture but it would probably take more time and quite a few risky clicks.
]]> Charlie the Choo-Choo 32198259
Engineer Bob has a secret: His train engine, Charlie the Choo-Choo, is alive � and also his best friend. From celebrated author Beryl Evans and illustrator Ned Dameron comes a story about friendship, loyalty, and hard work.

Beryl Evans is the pseudonym adopted by Stephen King for this picture book, 'Charlie the Choo-Choo'.]]> 24 Beryl Evans 1534401237 Amanda 5 2021, king-me 4.12 2016 Charlie the Choo-Choo
author: Beryl Evans
name: Amanda
average rating: 4.12
book published: 2016
rating: 5
read at: 2021/06/28
date added: 2021/06/28
shelves: 2021, king-me
review:
The teeth of the train will haunt you.
]]> <![CDATA[Stick Together: A Simple Lesson to Build a Stronger Team]]> 56296408
From bestselling author Jon Gordon and coauthor Kate Leavell, Stick TogetherĚý delivers a crucial message about the power of belief, ownership, connection, love, inclusion, consistency, and hope. The authors guide individuals and teams on an inspiring journey to show them how to persevere through challenges, overcome obstacles, and create success together. Stick Together follows Coach David, a high school basketball coach looking to motivate his team for the new season. The team members are given sticks with words written on them and tasked with a number of missions: As the players work together to complete their tasks, they discover how to make their team stronger and create an unbreakable bond. Perfect for student athletes and teams in all industries including business, education, healthcare, and nonprofit, and for readers of all ages, Stick Together will resonate with anyone looking to improve their team performance and excel in a group environment.]]> 128 Jon Gordon 111976260X Amanda 3 2021, dull-jane Sticks and stones may break my bones, but stories about sticks will never motivate me.

A quick read that would be beneficial to team leaders looking for ideas to strengthen their team. If presented as is, it should only be done with a younger audience. An older audience (me) would compare it to a time-wasting ice breaker activity and instantly be turned off.]]> 4.07 Stick Together: A Simple Lesson to Build a Stronger Team
author: Jon Gordon
name: Amanda
average rating: 4.07
book published:
rating: 3
read at: 2021/06/19
date added: 2021/06/19
shelves: 2021, dull-jane
review:
Sticks and stones may break my bones, but stories about sticks will never motivate me.

A quick read that would be beneficial to team leaders looking for ideas to strengthen their team. If presented as is, it should only be done with a younger audience. An older audience (me) would compare it to a time-wasting ice breaker activity and instantly be turned off.
]]> Later 54798187
Later is Stephen King at his finest, a terrifying and touching story of innocence lost and the trials that test our sense of right and wrong. With echoes of King's classic novel IT, Later is a powerful, haunting, unforgettable exploration of what it takes to stand up to evil in all the faces it wears.]]> 264 Stephen King 1789096499 Amanda 4 2021, king-me 3.98 2021 Later
author: Stephen King
name: Amanda
average rating: 3.98
book published: 2021
rating: 4
read at: 2021/05/01
date added: 2021/06/19
shelves: 2021, king-me
review:
I can’t think of a way to write a brief teaser without giving away bits of the story. I also can’t think of a way to explain why I am knocking it down a star without doing the same. What I can say is that I enjoyed the story except for one thing that can be discussed by message for those who want to know. The plot, writing style and characters all get a double thumbs up from me. It was short, sweet and a welcome break from the books I have been reading lately.
]]> <![CDATA[The Only Plane in the Sky: An Oral History of 9/11]]> 48590066
Over the past eighteen years, monumental literature has been published about 9/11, from Lawrence Wright’s The Looming Tower, which traced the rise of al-Qaeda, to The 9/11 Commission Report, the government’s definitive factual retrospective of the attacks. But one perspective has been missing up to this point—a 360-degree account of the day told through the voices of the people who experienced it.

Now, in The Only Plane in the Sky, award-winning journalist and bestselling historian Garrett Graff tells the story of the day as it was lived—in the words of those who lived it. Drawing on never-before-published transcripts, recently declassified documents, original interviews, and oral histories from nearly five hundred government officials, first responders, witnesses, survivors, friends, and family members, Graff paints the most vivid and human portrait of the September 11 attacks yet.

Beginning in the predawn hours of airports in the Northeast, we meet the ticket agents who unknowingly usher terrorists onto their flights, and the flight attendants inside the hijacked planes. In New York City, first responders confront a scene of unimaginable horror at the Twin Towers. From a secret bunker underneath the White House, officials watch for incoming planes on radar. Aboard the small number of unarmed fighter jets in the air, pilots make a pact to fly into a hijacked airliner if necessary to bring it down. In the skies above Pennsylvania, civilians aboard United Flight 93 make the ultimate sacrifice in their place. Then, as the day moves forward and flights are grounded nationwide, Air Force One circles the country alone, its passengers isolated and afraid.

More than simply a collection of eyewitness testimonies, The Only Plane in the Sky is the historic narrative of how ordinary people grappled with extraordinary events in real time: the father and son working in the North Tower, caught on different ends of the impact zone; the firefighter searching for his wife who works at the World Trade Center; the operator of in-flight telephone calls who promises to share a passenger’s last words with his family; the beloved FDNY chaplain who bravely performs last rites for the dying, losing his own life when the Towers collapse; and the generals at the Pentagon who break down and weep when they are barred from rushing into the burning building to try to rescue their colleagues.

At once a powerful tribute to the courage of everyday Americans and an essential addition to the literature of 9/11, The Only Plane in the Sky weaves together the unforgettable personal experiences of the men and women who found themselves caught at the center of an unprecedented human drama. The result is a unique, profound, and searing exploration of humanity on a day that changed the course of history, and all of our lives.]]> 528 Garrett M. Graff 1501182218 Amanda 5 2021, time-to-get-real “The Occurrence� . I used an array of lighters and other props to explain my theory regarding the impact it had on life from that point in history moving forward and how other events such as Columbine have done the same. It was a lot and I pity my friends for having to put up with it.

This is an extremely well put together book. It uses snippets from the people directly involved to tell a more detailed version of what happened. It is a read that will stick with you, and it is worth every difficult moment it takes to get through it.]]> 4.73 2019 The Only Plane in the Sky: An Oral History of 9/11
author: Garrett M. Graff
name: Amanda
average rating: 4.73
book published: 2019
rating: 5
read at: 2021/03/24
date added: 2021/06/03
shelves: 2021, time-to-get-real
review:
Normally I start with a brief intro regarding the contents of the book, but my desire to bare my reading soul first won out on this one. It was an emotionally devastating read as I knew it would be. It seeped into my thoughts while I showered, on my way to and from work, while at work, during evening family time and it even invaded my dreams. I was in denial about how much it was affecting me until the one night I inadvertently vented about it. I was a few drinks deep when the idea to share my thoughts on the book hit me. Once the floodgates opened, all of the heavy feelings I had been carrying around came pouring out of me. From what I barely remember and was told about the next morning, I went on and on about it and I kept calling it “The Occurrence� . I used an array of lighters and other props to explain my theory regarding the impact it had on life from that point in history moving forward and how other events such as Columbine have done the same. It was a lot and I pity my friends for having to put up with it.

This is an extremely well put together book. It uses snippets from the people directly involved to tell a more detailed version of what happened. It is a read that will stick with you, and it is worth every difficult moment it takes to get through it.
]]> Circe 40537101
Threatened, Zeus banishes her to a deserted island, where she hones her occult craft, tames wild beasts and crosses paths with many of the most famous figures in all of mythology, including the Minotaur, Daedalus and his doomed son Icarus, the murderous Medea, and, of course, wily Odysseus.

But there is danger, too, for a woman who stands alone, and Circe unwittingly draws the wrath of both men and gods, ultimately finding herself pitted against one of the most terrifying and vengeful of the Olympians. To protect what she loves most, Circe must summon all her strength and choose, once and for all, whether she belongs with the gods she is born from, or the mortals she has come to love.

With unforgettably vivid characters, mesmerizing language and page-turning suspense, Circe is a triumph of storytelling, an intoxicating epic of family rivalry, palace intrigue, love and loss, as well as a celebration of indomitable female strength in a man's world.]]> 393 Madeline Miller 0316556327 Amanda 5 2021 A daughter from so much feels like so little in a world that keeps her on the fringe.

Circe is not like the rest of her family and they have no qualms about letting her know it. All she wants is to fit in, but it goes against who she is at the core. Trouble follows her everywhere she goes, and it eventually pushes her down a path that leads to a lonely island and self-discovery. Along the way she meets many unique characters, hears many life stories and creates lasting memories of her own.

My knowledge of Greek mythology is limited. It is an item on my want to read more about list, but it is not at the top of it. I assume this story pulls a lot from that folklore, but I can’t say for sure. What I can say is that it did an excellent job of being a fandamntastic read. The artist painted a gorgeous picture with her words and what she did with Circe was beyond amazing. I can’t think of a single gripe (rare, I know) and I look forward to reading more from this author.]]> 4.25 2018 Circe
author: Madeline Miller
name: Amanda
average rating: 4.25
book published: 2018
rating: 5
read at: 2021/04/22
date added: 2021/05/25
shelves: 2021
review:
A daughter from so much feels like so little in a world that keeps her on the fringe.

Circe is not like the rest of her family and they have no qualms about letting her know it. All she wants is to fit in, but it goes against who she is at the core. Trouble follows her everywhere she goes, and it eventually pushes her down a path that leads to a lonely island and self-discovery. Along the way she meets many unique characters, hears many life stories and creates lasting memories of her own.

My knowledge of Greek mythology is limited. It is an item on my want to read more about list, but it is not at the top of it. I assume this story pulls a lot from that folklore, but I can’t say for sure. What I can say is that it did an excellent job of being a fandamntastic read. The artist painted a gorgeous picture with her words and what she did with Circe was beyond amazing. I can’t think of a single gripe (rare, I know) and I look forward to reading more from this author.
]]> Where the Crawdads Sing 37703550
But Kya is not what they say. A born naturalist with just one day of school, she takes life's lessons from the land, learning the real ways of the world from the dishonest signals of fireflies. But while she has the skills to live in solitude forever, the time comes when she yearns to be touched and loved. Drawn to two young men from town, who are each intrigued by her wild beauty, Kya opens herself to a new and startling world–until the unthinkable happens.

In Where the Crawdads Sing, Owens juxtaposes an exquisite ode to the natural world against a profound coming of age story and haunting mystery. Thought-provoking, wise, and deeply moving, Owens’s debut novel reminds us that we are forever shaped by the child within us, while also subject to the beautiful and violent secrets that nature keeps.

The story asks how isolation influences the behavior of a young woman, who like all of us, has the genetic propensity to belong to a group. The clues to the mystery are brushed into the lush habitat and natural histories of its wild creatures.]]> 370 Delia Owens 0735219095 Amanda 4 2021 “A mysterious death in a small town draws attention to an elusive creature hidden away in the marsh.�

What I liked: The characters, especially Kya Clark.

What I didn’t like: The story was a bit fat around the edges.

Kya Clark, aka Marsh Girl, has lived her entire life in the marsh. Abandoned at an early age, she turns to nature to show her the ways of the world. All is well until the day comes when her loneliness meets a new feeling, desire. This overwhelming combination of feelings takes her down a path of seeking companionship from those who seek their own wants.

Kya is an exceptional character and I loved reading about her. She sees the world through a different lens and her perspective is an interesting one. The sections that detailed the beauty of nature where some of my favorites. I also enjoy spending hours outside letting the cluttered thoughts in my mind work themselves out while taking in all that nature has to offer.

I will admit that it was hard at times to believe a child so young could survive on her own. There are so many instances where bad could happen and without a person there to guide and protect, well it just doesn’t seem possible. It was one of those shut your damn mind mouth, suspend your belief and enjoy the read for what it is.

The story at times would drift to the edge of lost interest swamp where the reading can turn stagnant. It seemed to occur mostly when it wandered off into Kya’s head on things just a little too much. Every time I thought it would for sure run out of gas, a strong current with a new bit of story would come along and shove it back into the stream.

Four stars to a read that reminded me how enjoyable a day with the birds can be.]]> 4.42 2018 Where the Crawdads Sing
author: Delia Owens
name: Amanda
average rating: 4.42
book published: 2018
rating: 4
read at: 2021/04/08
date added: 2021/05/16
shelves: 2021
review:
“A mysterious death in a small town draws attention to an elusive creature hidden away in the marsh.�

What I liked: The characters, especially Kya Clark.

What I didn’t like: The story was a bit fat around the edges.

Kya Clark, aka Marsh Girl, has lived her entire life in the marsh. Abandoned at an early age, she turns to nature to show her the ways of the world. All is well until the day comes when her loneliness meets a new feeling, desire. This overwhelming combination of feelings takes her down a path of seeking companionship from those who seek their own wants.

Kya is an exceptional character and I loved reading about her. She sees the world through a different lens and her perspective is an interesting one. The sections that detailed the beauty of nature where some of my favorites. I also enjoy spending hours outside letting the cluttered thoughts in my mind work themselves out while taking in all that nature has to offer.

I will admit that it was hard at times to believe a child so young could survive on her own. There are so many instances where bad could happen and without a person there to guide and protect, well it just doesn’t seem possible. It was one of those shut your damn mind mouth, suspend your belief and enjoy the read for what it is.

The story at times would drift to the edge of lost interest swamp where the reading can turn stagnant. It seemed to occur mostly when it wandered off into Kya’s head on things just a little too much. Every time I thought it would for sure run out of gas, a strong current with a new bit of story would come along and shove it back into the stream.

Four stars to a read that reminded me how enjoyable a day with the birds can be.
]]> <![CDATA[Devolution: A Firsthand Account of the Rainier Sasquatch Massacre]]> 56349469 Ěý
FINALIST FOR THE LOCUS AWARD

As the ash and chaos from Mount Rainier’s eruption swirled and finally settled, the story of the Greenloop massacre has passed unnoticed, unexamined . . . until now. The journals of resident Kate Holland, recovered from the town’s bloody wreckage, capture a tale too harrowing—and too earth-shattering in its implications—to be forgotten. In these pages, Max Brooks brings Kate’s extraordinary account to light for the first time, faithfully reproducing her words alongside his own extensive investigations into the massacre and the legendary beasts behind it. Kate’s is a tale of unexpected strength and resilience, of humanity’s defiance in the face of a terrible predator’s gaze, and, inevitably, of savagery and death.

Yet it is also far more than that.

Because if what Kate Holland saw in those days is real, then we must accept the impossible. We must accept that the creature known as Bigfoot walks among us—and that it is a beast of terrible strength and ferocity.

Part survival narrative, part bloody horror tale, part scientific journey into the boundaries between truth and fiction, this is a Bigfoot story as only Max Brooks could chronicle it—and like none you’ve ever read before.

Praise for Devolution

“Delightful . . . [A] tale of supernatural mayhem that fans of King and Crichton alike will enjoy.â€� â€� Kirkus ReviewsĚý (starred review)

“The story is told in such a compelling manner that horror fans will want to believe and, perhaps, take the warning to heart.â€� â€� Booklist Ěý(starred review)]]> 287 Max Brooks 1984826808 Amanda 1 2021, zombie-sasquatch Left behind journals tell the story of a nightmare incident involving a volcano, a community of people and various woodland “creaturesâ€�.

What I liked: The story concept.

What I didn’t like: Everything else.

The story had so much potential but the execution of this piece of work was terrible. The writing was basic without much substance which corrupted everything it touched. Attempts at cliffhanger chapter endings fell flat because the excited feeling of wanting to know what would happen next was thwarted by very obvious content. The characters, which can act as a lifeboat in situations like this, had zero impact. I did not care about a single one and I quickly gave up trying to keep up with where they were located in the community as well as the story. Maybe character A lived with character B or maybe they lived alone? Did the name of character C change or did I not pick it up the first time it was stated? These are things a reader should not have to ponder.

Throughout the story the author repeatedly described a distinct smell that the characters kept wandering into. I too kept happening upon a stench as I turned each page of a very disappointing read.]]> 3.96 2020 Devolution: A Firsthand Account of the Rainier Sasquatch Massacre
author: Max Brooks
name: Amanda
average rating: 3.96
book published: 2020
rating: 1
read at: 2021/03/28
date added: 2021/05/05
shelves: 2021, zombie-sasquatch
review:
Left behind journals tell the story of a nightmare incident involving a volcano, a community of people and various woodland “creatures�.

What I liked: The story concept.

What I didn’t like: Everything else.

The story had so much potential but the execution of this piece of work was terrible. The writing was basic without much substance which corrupted everything it touched. Attempts at cliffhanger chapter endings fell flat because the excited feeling of wanting to know what would happen next was thwarted by very obvious content. The characters, which can act as a lifeboat in situations like this, had zero impact. I did not care about a single one and I quickly gave up trying to keep up with where they were located in the community as well as the story. Maybe character A lived with character B or maybe they lived alone? Did the name of character C change or did I not pick it up the first time it was stated? These are things a reader should not have to ponder.

Throughout the story the author repeatedly described a distinct smell that the characters kept wandering into. I too kept happening upon a stench as I turned each page of a very disappointing read.
]]> <![CDATA[All the Pretty Horses (The Border Trilogy, #1)]]> 469571 302 Cormac McCarthy 0679744398 Amanda 3 2021, cormac-and-cheese
Why did I decide to read all of these Cormac books? Because my husband is a huge fan and they were sitting on our shelf unread by me.

Have I said this exact same thing before in another Cormac review? Without a doubt. I know me well enough to know when I am messing up. I also know me well enough to know that I won’t change my pattern because now it is a “thing�.

Why can’t I come up with new material? See above regarding the “thing� issue. Also, I like to remind myself that having them collect dust on a shelf is the main reason I am reading them and that is a really pathetic reason.

Am I boring pile of reviewing meh right now? Absofreakinlutely.

The first book of his that I read I thoroughly enjoyed, and the rest have been a mixed bag of ratings since. This one falls in the middle arena. The writing is intriguing, but the story does tend to wander off into endless fields of landscape descriptions and/or detailed acts of violence. I am not a hater of these things being included in a book, but I do tend to get turned off by them when they are not reined in properly.

The introduction was another rough spot for me. It opened the door right in the middle of a busy street of a story and I had to reread it a few times before I realized that what I needed to know would come back up again and what didn’t wasn’t worth the time to map it all out. I am not sure if that method was intentional to put the reader in a mindset to match the main character or if it was a poorly put together intro. Either/or, it was bad.

The most impressive part of the book is the main character, John Grady Cole. He sits center stage and does a fabulous job of presenting himself as a person that does not want the honor. He is a simple person trying to find his place in a life that is complicated by changes out of his control and his inherent desire to be a good person. He is a fascinating individual and the author did a fantastic job with him. (Fabulous, Fascinating and Fantastic...damn I am on a F word roll.)

I originally rated this book four stars but after a good hard think, I will have to drop it one. The above three items I discussed with only one being positive is a strike against it. The fact that I have zero interest in reading the rest of the books in the series is another.]]> 4.04 1992 All the Pretty Horses (The Border Trilogy, #1)
author: Cormac McCarthy
name: Amanda
average rating: 4.04
book published: 1992
rating: 3
read at: 2021/03/13
date added: 2021/04/22
shelves: 2021, cormac-and-cheese
review:
What to say, what to say, what to say.

Why did I decide to read all of these Cormac books? Because my husband is a huge fan and they were sitting on our shelf unread by me.

Have I said this exact same thing before in another Cormac review? Without a doubt. I know me well enough to know when I am messing up. I also know me well enough to know that I won’t change my pattern because now it is a “thing�.

Why can’t I come up with new material? See above regarding the “thing� issue. Also, I like to remind myself that having them collect dust on a shelf is the main reason I am reading them and that is a really pathetic reason.

Am I boring pile of reviewing meh right now? Absofreakinlutely.

The first book of his that I read I thoroughly enjoyed, and the rest have been a mixed bag of ratings since. This one falls in the middle arena. The writing is intriguing, but the story does tend to wander off into endless fields of landscape descriptions and/or detailed acts of violence. I am not a hater of these things being included in a book, but I do tend to get turned off by them when they are not reined in properly.

The introduction was another rough spot for me. It opened the door right in the middle of a busy street of a story and I had to reread it a few times before I realized that what I needed to know would come back up again and what didn’t wasn’t worth the time to map it all out. I am not sure if that method was intentional to put the reader in a mindset to match the main character or if it was a poorly put together intro. Either/or, it was bad.

The most impressive part of the book is the main character, John Grady Cole. He sits center stage and does a fabulous job of presenting himself as a person that does not want the honor. He is a simple person trying to find his place in a life that is complicated by changes out of his control and his inherent desire to be a good person. He is a fascinating individual and the author did a fantastic job with him. (Fabulous, Fascinating and Fantastic...damn I am on a F word roll.)

I originally rated this book four stars but after a good hard think, I will have to drop it one. The above three items I discussed with only one being positive is a strike against it. The fact that I have zero interest in reading the rest of the books in the series is another.
]]> Greenlights 52838315 From the Academy Award®–winning actor, an unconventional memoir filled with raucous stories, outlaw wisdom, and lessons learned the hard way about living with greater satisfaction.

I’ve been in this life for fifty years, been trying to work out its riddle for forty-two, and been keeping diaries of clues to that riddle for the last thirty-five. Notes about successes and failures, joys and sorrows, things that made me marvel, and things that made me laugh out loud. How to be fair. How to have less stress. How to have fun. How to hurt people less. How to get hurt less. How to be a good man. How to have meaning in life. How to be more me.

Recently, I worked up the courage to sit down with those diaries. I found stories I experienced, lessons I learned and forgot, poems, prayers, prescriptions, beliefs about what matters, some great photographs, and a whole bunch of bumper stickers. I found a reliable theme, an approach to living that gave me more satisfaction, at the time, and still: If you know how, and when, to deal with life’s challenges - how to get relative with the inevitable - you can enjoy a state of success I call “catching greenlights.�

So I took a one-way ticket to the desert and wrote this book: an album, a record, a story of my life so far. This is fifty years of my sights and seens, felts and figured-outs, cools and shamefuls. Graces, truths, and beauties of brutality. Getting away withs, getting caughts, and getting wets while trying to dance between the raindrops.

Hopefully, it’s medicine that tastes good, a couple of aspirin instead of the infirmary, a spaceship to Mars without needing your pilot’s license, going to church without having to be born again, and laughing through the tears.

It’s a love letter. To life.

It’s also a guide to catching more greenlights - and to realizing that the yellows and reds eventually turn green too.

Good luck.]]> 289 Matthew McConaughey 0593139135 Amanda 5 2021, time-to-get-real
Some of us are born into nothing with all modes of escape layered in a struggle.

Some of us have that great life mixed with poor luck, some of us have that misery mixed with exceptional luck and vice versa.

This book marked me. It made me think a lot about the above. I was fired up, I was pissed off and I was enthralled. Here are the thoughts I jotted down while reading. The last two sentences were more about me sassing off in the moment than the actual truth. I am choosing to leave them because it shows the true range of my feelings in that moment.

“People that say that they were born into a less than stellar situation and tell everyone to look at what I have made of myself are still not grasping that it is so much more than that. That they still happened into luck that changed their life path for the good. I wanted to reach into the book and slap him at times because he does kind of get it more than most, but he still isn’t there. To have random dreams and run away to places like the Amazon to clear your mind every so many years is not a norm. He implies you can do the same thing within your means but I’m going to call bullshit on that one. It is not an equal comparison because the experiences themselves are not equal. It is frustrating to happen upon stories like this time and time again. We are all not created equally, are not living equally and when you start at a kicked in the ass level and continue to get kicked all the way through life you aren’t going to feel like you are living the best life. I guess maybe that is the real truth behind this book. Read about somebody that lucked out because you did not.�

Experiencing contradictory thoughts and feelings while reading something does not always mean it is a terrible book. A reader should be stirred up now and then to feel the full range of emotions available. I like to laugh, I need a good cry now and then and I for sure need to get angry about a sudden gut check with my current way of thinking. Maybe I defend it and nothing changes because my thoughts are valid or maybe it opens doors into new realms and my thoughts shift because a change is necessary.

McConaughey did an exceptional job with this book. He has lived a fascinating life or at least the version of it he is telling the reader about is. (He does admit early on that “storytelling� is something his family is known for.) His life stories, his views on life and the above deep thoughts reading about it all triggered came together to be a perfect reading experience. If I had to knock it down a star it would be for that damn dust jacket.]]> 4.21 2020 Greenlights
author: Matthew McConaughey
name: Amanda
average rating: 4.21
book published: 2020
rating: 5
read at: 2021/03/02
date added: 2021/04/22
shelves: 2021, time-to-get-real
review:
Some of us are born into splendor with a free ride to anywhere we want to go.

Some of us are born into nothing with all modes of escape layered in a struggle.

Some of us have that great life mixed with poor luck, some of us have that misery mixed with exceptional luck and vice versa.

This book marked me. It made me think a lot about the above. I was fired up, I was pissed off and I was enthralled. Here are the thoughts I jotted down while reading. The last two sentences were more about me sassing off in the moment than the actual truth. I am choosing to leave them because it shows the true range of my feelings in that moment.

“People that say that they were born into a less than stellar situation and tell everyone to look at what I have made of myself are still not grasping that it is so much more than that. That they still happened into luck that changed their life path for the good. I wanted to reach into the book and slap him at times because he does kind of get it more than most, but he still isn’t there. To have random dreams and run away to places like the Amazon to clear your mind every so many years is not a norm. He implies you can do the same thing within your means but I’m going to call bullshit on that one. It is not an equal comparison because the experiences themselves are not equal. It is frustrating to happen upon stories like this time and time again. We are all not created equally, are not living equally and when you start at a kicked in the ass level and continue to get kicked all the way through life you aren’t going to feel like you are living the best life. I guess maybe that is the real truth behind this book. Read about somebody that lucked out because you did not.�

Experiencing contradictory thoughts and feelings while reading something does not always mean it is a terrible book. A reader should be stirred up now and then to feel the full range of emotions available. I like to laugh, I need a good cry now and then and I for sure need to get angry about a sudden gut check with my current way of thinking. Maybe I defend it and nothing changes because my thoughts are valid or maybe it opens doors into new realms and my thoughts shift because a change is necessary.

McConaughey did an exceptional job with this book. He has lived a fascinating life or at least the version of it he is telling the reader about is. (He does admit early on that “storytelling� is something his family is known for.) His life stories, his views on life and the above deep thoughts reading about it all triggered came together to be a perfect reading experience. If I had to knock it down a star it would be for that damn dust jacket.
]]> The Woman in the Window 35725040 It isn't paranoia if it's really happening . . .

Anna Fox lives alone--a recluse in her New York City home, unable to venture outside. She spends her day drinking wine (maybe too much), watching old movies, recalling happier times . . . and spying on her neighbors.

Then the Russells move into the house across the way: a father, mother, their teenaged son. The perfect family. But when Anna, gazing out her window one night, sees something she shouldn't, her world begins to crumble?and its shocking secrets are laid bare.

What is real? What is imagined? Who is in danger? Who is in control? In this diabolically gripping thriller, no one--and nothing--is what it seems.

Twisty and powerful, ingenious, and moving, The Woman in the Window is a smart, sophisticated novel of psychological suspense that recalls the best of Hitchcock.]]> 427 A.J. Finn 0062678426 Amanda 1 2021, black-sheep-opinions
Women. Wine. Murder.

A woman on a plane, train or in the window always watching.

I am tired of the twists and turns that you can see coming a mile away. The endless pages to get to the obvious. Cliffhanger chapters and everything falling into place for the drunk and/or supersleuth to become the star.

Maybe all of the authors woke up on the same day with the same idea.

Maybe one started the trend and the others thought they could do it better.

All I know is that I want it to end.]]> 4.05 2018 The Woman in the Window
author: A.J. Finn
name: Amanda
average rating: 4.05
book published: 2018
rating: 1
read at: 2021/01/20
date added: 2021/04/07
shelves: 2021, black-sheep-opinions
review:
I am so very tired of this type of book.

Women. Wine. Murder.

A woman on a plane, train or in the window always watching.

I am tired of the twists and turns that you can see coming a mile away. The endless pages to get to the obvious. Cliffhanger chapters and everything falling into place for the drunk and/or supersleuth to become the star.

Maybe all of the authors woke up on the same day with the same idea.

Maybe one started the trend and the others thought they could do it better.

All I know is that I want it to end.
]]> <![CDATA[Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas: A Savage Journey to the Heart of the American Dream]]> 7745 Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas is the best chronicle of drug-soaked, addle-brained, rollicking good times ever committed to the printed page. It is also the tale of a long weekend road trip that has gone down in the annals of American pop culture as one of the strangest journeys ever undertaken.]]> 204 Hunter S. Thompson 0679785892 Amanda 1 2021, black-sheep-opinions
So, did my opinion change after reading the whole thing? NOPE

I was not entertained by it. I felt it was all over the place and had no real point. I was not amused by the characters and the writing style was not one I cared for. Others would argue that it was more about the journey and that it was meant to be exactly what it was. I won’t argue that because reading experiences are meant to be unique, to each their own. What I will say is that it was not a journey I took pleasure in, nor did I like what it was. There were humorous moments but not enough to sway my opinion on the rest of it.

The one star rating stands.]]> 4.08 1971 Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas: A Savage Journey to the Heart of the American Dream
author: Hunter S. Thompson
name: Amanda
average rating: 4.08
book published: 1971
rating: 1
read at: 2021/02/27
date added: 2021/04/07
shelves: 2021, black-sheep-opinions
review:
My reading bucket list has only one item on it and that is to give all of the books on my DNF shelf a second chance. I decided to start with the one that I have had to defend not liking the most. I’m not sure on the year I first tried to read it, but I do remember that it was an instant dislike after only a few chapters. If I had to guess I would say it was when the movie came out, which I was also not a fan of. To not like it at that stage of my life does seem strange to me. To stand by not liking it when all of my friends did, does not seem strange at all. I have never been one to fear having a different opinion.

So, did my opinion change after reading the whole thing? NOPE

I was not entertained by it. I felt it was all over the place and had no real point. I was not amused by the characters and the writing style was not one I cared for. Others would argue that it was more about the journey and that it was meant to be exactly what it was. I won’t argue that because reading experiences are meant to be unique, to each their own. What I will say is that it was not a journey I took pleasure in, nor did I like what it was. There were humorous moments but not enough to sway my opinion on the rest of it.

The one star rating stands.
]]> <![CDATA[The Neil Gaiman Reader: Selected Fiction]]> 50358085 An outstanding array�52 pieces in all�of selected fiction from the multiple-award-winning, #1 New York Times bestselling author Neil Gaiman, curated by his readers around the world, and introduced with a foreword by Booker Prize-winning author Marlon James

Spanning Gaiman’s career to date, TheĚýNeil Gaiman Reader: Selected Fiction is a captivating collection from one of the world’s most beloved writers, chosen by those who know his work best: his devoted readers.Ěý

A brilliant representation of Gaiman's groundbreaking, entrancing, endlessly imaginative fiction, this captivating volume includes excerpts from each of his five novels for adults â€�Neverwhere, Stardust, American Gods, Anansi Boys, and The Ocean at the End of the Lane—and nearly fifty of his short stories.Ěý

Impressive in its depth and range, TheĚýNeil Gaiman Reader: Selected Fiction is both an entryway to Gaiman’s oeuvre and a literary trove Gaiman fans old and new will return to many times over.]]> 752 Neil Gaiman 006303185X Amanda 5 2021, neil-before-me
I think this would be the perfect book for somebody that is brand new to the author as well as the reader that is already familiar with him. It would probably be a terrible book for somebody that loathes him and/or his writing. In conclusion, I am recommending it to new and existing readers but not to haters. Step off haters.]]> 4.46 2020 The Neil Gaiman Reader: Selected Fiction
author: Neil Gaiman
name: Amanda
average rating: 4.46
book published: 2020
rating: 5
read at: 2021/02/20
date added: 2021/04/07
shelves: 2021, neil-before-me
review:
This book contains 52 entries that consist of short stories and tidbits of novels from Gaiman’s career to date (1984 � 2018). I went into this book with the hopes it would be mostly new to me stories but that was not the case. For a person that does not like doing rereads, I still managed to enjoy the journey so there is that. I did consider for a moment breaking this review down by entry but felt that would be overkill because I have already done reviews on most of them. If that disappoints you then comment below and I will do nothing.

I think this would be the perfect book for somebody that is brand new to the author as well as the reader that is already familiar with him. It would probably be a terrible book for somebody that loathes him and/or his writing. In conclusion, I am recommending it to new and existing readers but not to haters. Step off haters.
]]> House of Leaves 337907
Of course, neither Pulitzer Prize-winning photojournalist Will Navidson nor his companion Karen Green was prepared to face the consequences of that impossibility, until the day their two little children wandered off and their voices eerily began to return another story—of creature darkness, of an ever-growing abyss behind a closet door, and of that unholy growl which soon enough would tear through their walls and consume all their dreams.]]> 709 Mark Z. Danielewski Amanda 4 2021 4.03 2000 House of Leaves
author: Mark Z. Danielewski
name: Amanda
average rating: 4.03
book published: 2000
rating: 4
read at: 2021/01/12
date added: 2021/01/24
shelves: 2021
review:
I was captivated in this book at first but towards the end my interest waned a little. It was like the guide got lost in his own thoughts for a moment and forgot about the tourists following behind him. The exit was passed without knowing it was the exit and a side hall was exposed with less than interesting sights. This is really the only negative thing I have to say because everything else was amazing. I loved the layout, the outside the box thinking and the various stories layered underneath. It was a maze of so much everything and I thoroughly enjoyed roaming around in it.
]]> <![CDATA[The Counselor (Movie Tie-in Edition): A Screenplay (Vintage International)]]> 17288611 Ěý
Along the gritty terrain of the Texas–Mexico border, a respected and recently engaged lawyer throws his stakes into a cocaine trade worth millions. His hope is that it will be a one-time deal and that, afterward, he can settle into life with his beloved fiancée. But instead, the Counselor finds himself mired in a brutal and dangerous game—one that threatens to destroy everything and everyone he loves. Deft, shocking, and unforgettable, McCarthy is at his finest in this gripping tale about risk, consequence, and the treacherous balance between the two.

Look for Cormac McCarthy's latest bestselling novels, The Passenger and Stella Maris .]]> 184 Cormac McCarthy 0345803590 Amanda 1 2021, cormac-and-cheese 3.44 2013 The Counselor (Movie Tie-in Edition): A Screenplay (Vintage International)
author: Cormac McCarthy
name: Amanda
average rating: 3.44
book published: 2013
rating: 1
read at: 2021/01/15
date added: 2021/01/24
shelves: 2021, cormac-and-cheese
review:
Another strike against Cormac. This was janky and I did not enjoy any part of it. There is a movie (duh, it is a screenplay) and I have no plans of going anywhere near it. The dialogue is over the top annoying and it takes from whatever deep thoughts moment it kept trying to have. It doesn’t help matters that the lifestyle being portrayed is not relatable, so whatever life lesson it was trying to sneak up and tap me on the shoulder with was lost.
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