Brian's bookshelf: all en-US Tue, 08 Apr 2025 16:57:23 -0700 60 Brian's bookshelf: all 144 41 /images/layout/goodreads_logo_144.jpg <![CDATA[The Griffin Sisters' Greatest Hits]]> 215768414 One of the most anticipated books of the year, from #1 New York Times bestselling author Jennifer Weiner, a glimmering novel set in the world of pop music about sisters, motherhood, young love, and the dreams we chase.

Sisters Cassie and Zoe Grossberg were born just a year apart but could not have been more different. Zoe, blessed with charm and beauty, yearned for fame from the moment she could sing into a hairbrush. Cassie was a musical prodigy who never felt at home in her own skin and preferred the safety of the shadows.

On the brink of adulthood in the early 2000s, destiny intervened, catapulting the sisters into the spotlight as the pop sensation the Griffin Sisters, hitting all the touchstones of early aughts fame〞SNL, MTV, Rolling Stone magazine〞along the way.

But after a whirlwind year in the public eye, the band abruptly broke up.

Two decades later, Zoe＊s a housewife; Cassie＊s off the grid. The sisters aren＊t speaking, and the real reason for the Griffin Sisters＊ breakup is still a mystery. Zoe＊s teenage daughter, Cherry, who＊s determined to be a star in spite of Zoe＊s warnings, is on a quest to learn the truth about what happened to the band all those years ago.

As secrets emerge, all three women must face the consequences of their choices: the ones they made and the ones the music industry made for them. Can they forgive each other〞and themselves? And will the Griffin Sisters ever make music again?]]> 384 Jennifer Weiner 0063342448 Brian 0 currently-reading 4.02 2025 The Griffin Sisters' Greatest Hits
author: Jennifer Weiner
name: Brian
average rating: 4.02
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/08
shelves: currently-reading
review:

]]> <![CDATA[This Beautiful, Ridiculous City: A Graphic Memoir]]> 212294437 A vibrant graphic memoir of a woman〞an immigrant, a survivor, a writer, a foodie, and, ultimately, an optimist〞who rebuilds her life in New York City while recovering from the trauma of an abusive relationship.

※An intimate portrait of the city not only as a place of dreams, but as a vital source for healing and self-discovery.§〞Nick Sousanis, Eisner Award每winning author of Unflattening

On her first night in New York City, Kay Sohini sits on the tarmac of JFK Airport making an inventory of everything she＊s left behind in India: her family, friends, home, and gaslighting ex-boyfriend. In the wake of that untethering she realizes two things: she＊s finally made it to the city of her literary heroes〞Kerouac, Plath, Bechdel〞and the trauma she＊s endured has created gaping holes in her memory.

As Kay begins the work of piecing herself back together she discovers the deep sense of belonging that can only be found on the streets of New York City. In the process she falls beautifully, ridiculously in love with the bustling landscape, and realizes that the places we love do not always love us back but can still somehow save us in weird, unexpected ways.

At once heartbreaking and uplifting, This Beautiful, Ridiculous City explores the relationship between trauma and truth, displacement and belonging, and what it means to forge a life of one＊s own.]]> 128 Kay Sohini 0593836154 Brian 0 currently-reading 3.96 This Beautiful, Ridiculous City: A Graphic Memoir
author: Kay Sohini
name: Brian
average rating: 3.96
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/07
shelves: currently-reading
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Past Tense: Facing Family Secrets and Finding Myself in Therapy]]> 205977782 A brave and captivating graphic memoir about the power of therapy to heal anxiety and generational trauma

When Sacha Mardou turned forty years old she was leading a life that looked perfect. But for reasons she couldn＊t explain, the anxiety that had always plagued her only seemed to be getting worse, and then she began breaking out in terrible acne. The product of a stoic, working-class British family, Mardou had a deep-seated distrust of mental-health treatment, but now, living the life she＊d built in the United States and desperate for relief, she finds herself in a therapist＊s office for the first time. There she begins the real work of growing up: learning to understand her family of origin and the childhood trauma she thought she＊d left in the past.]]> 336 Sacha Mardou 0593541367 Brian 4 4.42 Past Tense: Facing Family Secrets and Finding Myself in Therapy
author: Sacha Mardou
name: Brian
average rating: 4.42
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2025/04/07
date added: 2025/04/07
shelves:
review:
This was a well done graphic novel about a woman who attends therapy to deal with a very difficult childhood. The book is beautifully illustrated and at times hard to read book about dealing with ourselves as a person and learning to love not only yourself, but your flawed family members as well.
]]> <![CDATA[Mallory and the Trouble with Twins: A Graphic Novel (The Baby-Sitters Club Graphic Novels #17)]]> 210563235 A Baby-sitters Club graphic novel adapted by New York Times bestselling cartoonist Arley Nopra!

Mallory knows she's a good baby-sitter. She's been looking after her seven younger brothers and sisters for years. So when Kristy offers her a steady job baby-sitting for the Arnold twins, Mal thinks it'll be easy money.

The twins sure are cute in their matching outfits. But once Mrs. Arnold leaves, Marilyn and Carolyn turn into twin terrors! They trick Mallory so that she can't tell them apart and they act like spoiled brats.

Taking care of Marilyn and Carolyn is a baby-sitting nightmare. But Mallory is a responsible member of the Baby-sitters Club and she's not giving up!]]> 176 Arley Nopra 1338835637 Brian 4 4.21 2025 Mallory and the Trouble with Twins: A Graphic Novel (The Baby-Sitters Club Graphic Novels #17)
author: Arley Nopra
name: Brian
average rating: 4.21
book published: 2025
rating: 4
read at: 2025/04/05
date added: 2025/04/05
shelves:
review:
Mallory has to babysit for the Arnold twins, who are truly brats. They dress identically, and when Mallory tries to play with them they start using their twin talk and switch or remove their identifying bracelets so she can＊t tell which is which. Can Mallory figure out how to reach these kids or are they going to be on the babysitting blacklist? I thought that this book had really good translation to a graphic novel.
]]> Hunchback 214986269 A bombshell bestseller in Japan, a provocative, defiant debut novel about a young woman in a care home seeking autonomy and the full possibilities of her life.

Born with a congenital muscle disorder,?Shaka spends her days in her room in a care home outside Tokyo, relying on an electric wheelchair to get around and a ventilator to breathe. But if Shaka's physical life is limited, her quick, mischievous mind has no boundaries: She takes e-learning courses on her iPad, publishes explicit fantasies on websites, and anonymously troll-tweets to see if anyone is paying attention (※If I were to live again, I＊d want to be a high-class prostitute§). One day, she tweets into the void an offer of an enormous sum of money for a sperm donor. To her surprise, her new nurse accepts the dare, unleashing a series of events that will forever change Shaka's sense of herself as a woman in the world.

Hunchback has shaken Japanese literary culture with its skillful depiction of the physical body and?unrepentant humor. Winner of the prestigious Akutagawa Prize, it's a feminist story about the dignity of an individual who insists on her right to make choices for herself, no matter the consequences. Formally creative and refreshingly unsentimental, Hunchback depicts the joy, anger, and desires of a woman demanding autonomy in a world that doesn't aways grant it to people like her. Full of wit, bite, and heart, this unforgettable novel reminds us all of the full potential?of our lives, no matter the limitations we experience.]]> 112 Saou Ichikawa 0593734718 Brian 2 3.55 2023 Hunchback
author: Saou Ichikawa
name: Brian
average rating: 3.55
book published: 2023
rating: 2
read at: 2025/04/02
date added: 2025/04/02
shelves:
review:
This was a strange book about a woman who lives in a group home while dealing with some major health issues. It was a bit too short and a bit hard to follow at times.
]]> Naked City: A Graphic Novel 209501572 In this long-awaited graphic comedy from an esteemed illustrator and storyteller, three bohemians struggle to answer the ※Is it possible for an artist to survive in the 21st Century?§

A young singer poses for a painter who has shifted from landscapes to nudes, and both of them learn a thing or two about the purpose of art and the meaning of success. The original graphic novel Naked City takes us inside the head of native New York artist, Eric Drooker (frequent cover artist for The New Yorker). His award-winning graphic novels〞beginning with Flood〞have charted new terrain for the form, and Blood Song is soon to be a major motion picture. Don＊t miss this epic meditation on art and life.]]> 336 Eric Drooker 1506743501 Brian 3 4.06 2024 Naked City: A Graphic Novel
author: Eric Drooker
name: Brian
average rating: 4.06
book published: 2024
rating: 3
read at: 2025/04/02
date added: 2025/04/02
shelves:
review:
A guitarist moves to the city and tries to make ends meet by posing for a painter. The painter recruits a bunch of people to pose for him and tries to make it big but realizes the art world is a fickle one. This book had very nice artwork and an easy to follow story. I thought that it was a bit trippy at times but I enjoyed it overall.
]]> End of August 213245186 A captivating, multigenerational debut novel of a young woman navigating the personal trauma that ties herself, her nomadic mother, and her alcoholic grandmother together, perfect for fans of Ask Again, Yes and What the Fireflies Knew.

1979. Fifteen-year-old Aurora Taylor＊s single mother prefers to leave when things get hard. She＊s spent years abandoning bad boyfriends and dead-end jobs, without so much as a glance in the rearview mirror. After fifteen years in the passenger seat, Aurora needs more than two hands to count the towns she＊s lived in. She＊s learned to live small〞it＊s easier to leave when you don＊t need to say goodbye. So when her mother Laine shows up at school with the car loaded, Aurora assumes her latest fling has run its course. Instead, it＊s her grandpa Jay＊s death calling them back to the town Laine has spent fifteen years running from.

Every visit to Monroe, Indiana ends in an explosive fight. Her mother and her Gran are oil and water, and it doesn＊t take Aurora long to realize Gran has fallen off the wagon〞again. With Gran drinking, and Laine＊s discomfort in the little blue house, Aurora gives their visit a week, tops. But when Laine begins an affair with the town＊s married mailman, everything changes. While her mom falls in love with a man she can＊t have, Aurora has time to fall in love with the town. Her life begins to feel full〞she has a friend to call her own, a gran who loves her, and a picture-perfect pastor＊s son who sees Aurora as more than ※Laine＊s daughter.§ It＊s everything she never let herself dream about.

As the summer months march on, and her mom＊s happiness becomes even more dependent on her unstable new relationship, Aurora worries the dream she allowed herself will end in heartbreak. This isn＊t just another map dot on their endless journey, and Laine won＊t just burn a bridge this time. Her choices threaten to light the town on fire, burning Gran＊s hope, Aurora＊s future, and her own chance at redemption to the ground with it.]]> 320 Paige Dinneny Brian 3 3.90 2025 End of August
author: Paige Dinneny
name: Brian
average rating: 3.90
book published: 2025
rating: 3
read at: 2025/03/30
date added: 2025/03/30
shelves:
review:
This was a pretty long family drama about a young girl who moves back in with her grandmother after her mother goes back to her hometown. The town where our main character settles is a very quiet and sleepy town. The book is more of a character study and doesn＊t have a huge amount of plot points. In fact the first chapter forshadows the entire plot. I did enjoy this book but felt it was a bit long and dragging at times.
]]> <![CDATA[Stop Me If You've Heard This One]]> 214986196 From the New York Times bestselling author of Mostly Dead Things, a sparkling and funny new novel of entertainment, ambition, art, and love.

Cherry Hendricks might be down on her luck, but she can write the book on what makes something funny: she＊s a professional clown who creates raucous, zany fun at gigs all over Orlando. Between her clowning and her shifts at an aquarium store for extra cash, she＊s always hustling. Not to mention balancing her judgmental mother, her messy love life, and her equally messy community of fellow performers.

Things start looking up when Cherry meets Margot the Magnificent〞a much older lesbian magician〞who seems to have worked out the lines between art, business, and life, and has a slick, successful career to prove it. With Margot＊s mentorship and industry connections, Cherry is sure to take her art to the next level. Plus, Margot is sexy as hell. It＊s not long before Cherry must decide how much she＊s willing to risk for Margot and for her own explosive new act〞and what kind of clown she wants to be under her suit.

Equal parts bravado, tenderness, and humor, and bursting with misfits, magicians, musicians, and mimes, Stop Me If You've Heard This One is a masterpiece of comedic fiction that asks big questions about art and performance, friendship and community, and the importance of timing in jokes and in life.]]> 272 Kristen Arnett 0593719778 Brian 3 3.70 2025 Stop Me If You've Heard This One
author: Kristen Arnett
name: Brian
average rating: 3.70
book published: 2025
rating: 3
read at: 2025/03/26
date added: 2025/03/26
shelves:
review:
A clown falls in love with a magician and tries to deal with everyday life and the prejudices that a clown faces. This book was pretty fun to read but petered off a bit at the end. I like the main character and felt that the book was pretty quirky. I liked the unique theme that this book had; as there aren't too many books that feature a clown as a main character that aren't horror based.
]]> Tilt 214151301 Set over the course of one day, a heart-racing story about a woman facing the unimaginable, determined to find safety

Annie is nine months pregnant and shopping for a crib at IKEA when a massive earthquake hits Portland, Oregon. With no way to reach her husband, no phone or money, and a city left in chaos, she realizes there＊s nothing to do but walk.

Making her way across the wreckage of Portland, Annie experiences human desperation and kindness: strangers offering help, a riot at a grocery store, and an unlikely friendship with a young mother. As she walks, Annie reflects on her struggling marriage, her disappointing career, and her anxiety about having a baby. She＊s determined to change her life if she can just make it home.]]> 229 Emma Pattee 1668055473 Brian 3 3.87 2025 Tilt
author: Emma Pattee
name: Brian
average rating: 3.87
book published: 2025
rating: 3
read at: 2025/03/26
date added: 2025/03/26
shelves:
review:
A woman is shopping in an IKEA for a crib for her unborn baby when an earthquake occurs, leaving the city in a disaster. This book follows the path of this young mother and deals with the state of the world afterwards. I like this book overall, but did not care for the parts that focused on the past and how she got there with her husband.
]]> The Three Lives of Cate Kay 214152244 Alternate cover edition of ISBN 9781668076217.

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo meets First Lie Wins in this electric, voice-driven debut novel about an elusive bestselling author who decides to finally confess her true identity after years of hiding from her past.

Cate Kay knows how to craft a story. As the creator of a bestselling book trilogy that struck box office gold as a film series, she＊s one of the most successful authors of her generation. The thing is, Cate Kay doesn＊t really exist. She＊s never attended author events or granted any interviews. Her real identity had been a closely guarded secret, until now.

As a young adult, she and her best friend Amanda dreamed of escaping their difficult homes and moving to California to become movie stars. But the day before their grand adventure, a tragedy shattered their dreams and Cate has been on the run ever since, taking on different names and charting a new future. But after a shocking revelation, Cate understands that returning home is the only way she＊ll be a whole person again.]]> 304 Kate Fagan Brian 3 3.76 2025 The Three Lives of Cate Kay
author: Kate Fagan
name: Brian
average rating: 3.76
book published: 2025
rating: 3
read at: 2025/03/17
date added: 2025/03/17
shelves:
review:
In this novel, we meet Annie and her bestie, Amanda who are drama kids who want to take the world by storm. But then something happens to tear the two girls apart that leads Annie into an alternative life. This book had shifting perspectives, and while I liked the overall plot, I found some of the auxiliary characters to be a little confusing and not as interesting as the two mains. This was a pretty fast read.
]]> Three Days in June 213243949 A new Anne Tyler novel destined to be an instant classic: a socially awkward mother of the bride navigates the days before and after her daughter's wedding.

Gail Baines is having a bad day. To start, she loses her job〞or quits, depending on whom you ask. Tomorrow her daughter, Debbie, is getting married, and she hasn＊t even been invited to the spa day organized by the mother of the groom. Then, Gail＊s ex-husband, Max, arrives unannounced on her doorstep, carrying a cat, without a place to stay, and without even a suit.

But the true crisis lands when Debbie shares with her parents a secret she has just learned about her husband to be. It will not only throw the wedding into question but also stir up Gail and Max＊s past.

Told with deep sensitivity and a tart sense of humor, full of the joys and heartbreaks of love and marriage and family life,?Three Days in June?is a triumph, and gives us the perennially bestselling, Pulitzer Prize每winning writer at the height of her powers

]]> 165 Anne Tyler 0593803485 Brian 4 3.63 2025 Three Days in June
author: Anne Tyler
name: Brian
average rating: 3.63
book published: 2025
rating: 4
read at: 2025/03/15
date added: 2025/03/15
shelves:
review:
I always jump on I＊m able to read when there is a new Anne tyler books and this one really was a good one. The book focuses on a woman who just lost her job and is dealing with her daughter getting married along with her ex-husband staying for the night just like the titles suggest the book takes place over three days. It is a very short book and not a ton happens, but Anne＊s expert character development shines through once again
]]> <![CDATA[Sneaking Out (Sweet Valley Twins Graphic Novels #5)]]> 213197123 The Sweet Valley Twins are ready to rock out as the hottest band comes to town＃too bad they don't have permission to go! Will they sneak out to dance the night away or will it all fall apart? Find out in the next installment of the New York Times bestselling graphic novel series!

Everyone at Sweet Valley Middle School is going to the biggest concert ever...everyone except twins, Jessica and Elizabeth! Their favorite band is back in town but no matter how much they beg their parents they can't get permission to go. Elizabeth is ready to sulk and stay home, but Jessica refuses to give up hope. She'll see this band even if it means lying or leaving her sister behind.

Caught between her parents and her twin will Elizabeth sneak out with Jessica? Or will she blow the whole plan out of the water?

Get ready to rock, laugh, and cheer for the unstoppable duo as they navigate the challenges of friendship, family, and following their dreams in the next Sweet Valley Twins graphic novel.]]> 224 Nicole Andelfinger 0593807200 Brian 3 3.96 Sneaking Out (Sweet Valley Twins Graphic Novels #5)
author: Nicole Andelfinger
name: Brian
average rating: 3.96
book published:
rating: 3
read at: 2025/03/14
date added: 2025/03/14
shelves:
review:
This was a fun read but it was amazing what a total brat Jessica was. Jessica REALLY wants to go see her favorite musician, Johnny Buck in concert so she decides to become a dog walker. The problem with that; she is afraid of dogs! She pawns her walk off on other members of her family and just acts like a real jerk throughout this book. I really don't remember Jessica being so self absorbed and awful as a kid!
]]> <![CDATA[The Loves of My Life: A Sex Memoir]]> 211003842
In this peerless memoir, the 85-year-old ※paterfamilias of queer literature§ (New York Times) recounts the sixty-plus years of sexual escapades that have inspired his many masterpieces. He explores the sex he had with other closeted boys in 50s Midwest, with women as a young man trying to be straight, the sex he's paid for and been paid for, sex during the Stonewall and HIV eras, and in the age of the apps. Through stories of transactional sex, mutual admiration, open relationships, domination, submission, love, and loss, he paints an indelible portrait of queer history in America and abroad in a way only someone who has lived through it can.

Written with White's signature honesty, irreverence, and wit, The Loves of My Life is the culmination of this legend's life and work, a delightful and moving tour of over seventy years of being unabashedly gay and in love with love in all its forms.]]> 256 Edmund White 1639733728 Brian 2 3.69 2025 The Loves of My Life: A Sex Memoir
author: Edmund White
name: Brian
average rating: 3.69
book published: 2025
rating: 2
read at: 2025/03/13
date added: 2025/03/13
shelves:
review:
This was a memoir of a man's sexcapes throughout his life. Some of the stories were definitely more interesting than others, but this is not a novel for the prude by any means. I thought it was just okay, but it got a little repetitive towards the end.
]]> The Strange Case of Jane O. 213870076
In the first year after her child is born, Jane suffers a series of strange episodes: amnesia, premonitions, hallucinations, and an inexplicable sense of dread. As her psychiatrist struggles to solve the mystery of what is happening to Jane＊s mind, she suddenly goes missing. A day later she is found unconscious in Brooklyn＊s Prospect Park, in the midst of what seems to be an episode of dissociative fugue; when she comes to, she has no memory of what has happened to her.

Are Jane＊s strange experiences related to the overwhelm of single motherhood, or are they the manifestation of a long-buried trauma from her past? Why is she having visions of a young man who died twenty years ago, who warns her of a disaster ahead? Jane＊s symptoms lead her psychiatrist ever-deeper into the furthest reaches of her mind, and cause him to question everything he thought he knew about so-called reality〞including events in his own life.

Karen Thompson Walker＊s profound and beautifully written novel is a speculative mystery about memory, identity, and fate, a mesmerizing story about the bonds of love between a mother and child, a man and a woman, and those who we＊ve lost but may still be alive among us.]]> 288 Karen Thompson Walker 1984853945 Brian 3 3.93 2025 The Strange Case of Jane O.
author: Karen Thompson Walker
name: Brian
average rating: 3.93
book published: 2025
rating: 3
read at: 2025/03/13
date added: 2025/03/13
shelves:
review:
This was a very sterile, stark story of a therapist and his client who suffers from blackouts and has some strange stuff going on in her life. This book was very emotionless and read more like a medical journal than a novel at times with the characters offering little depth other than the facts of what happened to them.
]]> <![CDATA[丐六午六勻仃氏 8 [Ase to sekken 8] (Sweat and Soap, #8)]]> 53933951 In an office romance, there＊s a fine line between sexy and awkward＃ and that line is where Asako 〞 a woman who sweats copiusly 〞 met Koutarou 〞 a perfume developer who can＊t get enough of Asako＊s, er, scent. Don＊t miss a romcom manga like no other!

Asako＊s living her dream, working at the toiletry maker Lilia Drop. Little do her coworkers know, the reason she loves the company so much is that she＊s ashamed of her body odor, and their soap is the only thing that does the trick. So when the company＊s lead product developer, a perfuming genius, approaches her in the lobby and wonders what ※that smell§ is, she＊s terrified＃ but could it be＃ that he likes it? And, even more surprising to Asako＃ does she like him?

The hilarious ups and downs of an office romance at a personal care products company are the subject of this sexy, strange romp. Sweat and Soap combines the odd-couple chemistry of Wotakoi, the ※too real!§ workplace comedy of Aggretsuko, and a heavy dollop of office steaminess!]]> 192 Kintetsu Yamada 4065202817 Brian 3 4.42 2020 丐六午六勻仃氏 8 [Ase to sekken 8] (Sweat and Soap, #8)
author: Kintetsu Yamada
name: Brian
average rating: 4.42
book published: 2020
rating: 3
read at: 2025/03/13
date added: 2025/03/13
shelves:
review:
This volume was better than the previous. Our lovebirds go on a retreat with work and spend some time in the sand and sun. They also have further living together hijinks. I look forward to seeing where this book will conclude and if the drama will ever pick up.
]]> <![CDATA[丐六午六勻仃氏 7 [Ase to sekken 7] (Sweat and Soap, #7)]]> 51479214 192 Kintetsu Yamada 4065192056 Brian 2 4.47 2020 丐六午六勻仃氏 7 [Ase to sekken 7] (Sweat and Soap, #7)
author: Kintetsu Yamada
name: Brian
average rating: 4.47
book published: 2020
rating: 2
read at: 2025/03/11
date added: 2025/03/11
shelves:
review:
This was not a favorite of mine in the series. Our two love birds, meet the parents in this semi unforgettable volume of the manga. To be honest, I read this a few weeks ago and I forgot to log it and I don＊t remember much about it other than I found it to be boring.
]]> <![CDATA[Cats of the Louvre (Mus谷e du Louvre #14 & 15)]]> 44025156
The world-renowned Louvre museum in Paris contains more than just the most famous works of art in history. At night, within its darkened galleries, an unseen and surreal world comes alive〞a world witnessed only by the small family of cats that lives in the attic. Until now＃

Translated by?Tekkonkinkreet?film director Michael Arias.]]> 432 Taiyo Matsumoto 1974707083 Brian 2 3.90 2018 Cats of the Louvre (Mus谷e du Louvre #14 & 15)
author: Taiyo Matsumoto
name: Brian
average rating: 3.90
book published: 2018
rating: 2
read at: 2025/02/25
date added: 2025/02/25
shelves:
review:
This was a very strange graphic novel about a group of cats that live in the Louvre. I want to start off by saying that the artwork is very good. But that being said, the plot is very very strange, and I didn't care for the cats that morphed into almost humans. I found the fact that the name "Snowbebe" was repeated constantly to be very annoying.
]]> <![CDATA[Mary Anne and the Great Romance (The Baby-Sitters Club, #30)]]> 256380 160 Ann M. Martin 059067398X Brian 4 3.66 1990 Mary Anne and the Great Romance (The Baby-Sitters Club, #30)
author: Ann M. Martin
name: Brian
average rating: 3.66
book published: 1990
rating: 4
read at: 2025/02/19
date added: 2025/02/19
shelves:
review:
Mary Anne's dad and Dawn's mom are dating but both girls are THRILLED when they announce they are getting married. Mary Anne has always wanted a sister, and now she can have Dawn. But then Mary Anne discovers that everyone has been keeping a major decision from her and she gets raving mad! The side plot involves the Arnold twins, and a rift in their sisterhood. This book introduces my favorite non character ever, Gozzie Kunka! I completely forgot what book she appeared in. This was a fun book and one of the few that ends of a cliffhanger!
]]> Beta Vulgaris 213395442 A young woman＊s seasonal job takes a dark, surreal turn in this vivid and surprising debut.

When Elise and her boyfriend, Tom, set off for Minnesota, all she knows about harvesting sugar beets (Beta vulgaris) is that her paycheck will cover a few months＊ rent on their Brooklyn apartment. She＊ll try anything to escape the incessant debt collection calls〞and chronic anxieties about her body and her relationship. But as the grueling graveyard shifts set in, Elise notices strange threatening texts, a mysterious rash, a string of disappearances from the workers＊ campsite, and snatches of a hypnotic voice coming from the beet pile itself.

As crewmembers vanish, Elise obsesses over Tom＊s closeness with their charismatic coworker Cee and falls back on self-destructive patterns of disordered eating and dissociation. Against the horrors of her uncertain future, is the siren song of the beet pile almost . . . appealing? Biting and eerie, Beta Vulgaris harnesses an audacious premise to undermine straightforward narratives of class, trauma, consumption, and redemption.]]> 296 Margie Sarsfield 1324078731 Brian 2 3.58 2025 Beta Vulgaris
author: Margie Sarsfield
name: Brian
average rating: 3.58
book published: 2025
rating: 2
read at: 2025/02/18
date added: 2025/02/18
shelves:
review:
This was a strange book, and while I like strange, I felt that it didn't make any sense and still didn't make any sense at the end. Our main character Elise is moving to work on a beet farm with her boyfriend Tom. She adjusts to life there, befriending a woman named Cee. But then people start to vanish and Elise is confused and upset. This book really did not resonate well with me. It just kept going and did not have any sort of satisfying resolution.
]]> <![CDATA[丐六午六勻仃氏 6 癹隅唳 [Ase to sekken 6: LImited Edition] (Sweat and Soap, #6)]]> 50768307 176 Kintetsu Yamada 4065187834 Brian 4 4.45 2020 丐六午六勻仃氏 6 癹隅唳 [Ase to sekken 6: LImited Edition] (Sweat and Soap, #6)
author: Kintetsu Yamada
name: Brian
average rating: 4.45
book published: 2020
rating: 4
read at: 2025/02/13
date added: 2025/02/13
shelves:
review:
Asako and Kotaro finally move in together but there are a few bumps in the road as they settle into domestic bliss. This was as cute edition of this book. It didn't really add anything new or dramatic to the plot but it was more of the same sweet goodness.
]]> The Field 192793613 "This might be the best story about childhood that I've ever read (or heard). It's a masterpiece." 〞Chester Brown

Dave Lapp's new memoir unpacks a long, hazy 1970s summer and reveals that when we look beyond nostalgia, childhood is complicated〞and rarely innocent.

Dave＊s on the verge of summer vacation and change is on the horizon. Developers have begun digging up a field on the edges of Dave's universally familiar small town, presenting endless nooks and crannies for Dave and his fearless friend Edward to explore.

Over the course of the summer, while the town's adults remain focused on their fractured marriages and neighbourly resentments, the children are allowed to run wild in the field, collecting caterpillars and tadpoles, catching field mice (which they smuggle home), and nursing a curious fascination with Dave＊s mother＊s matches and their potential for disaster.

As the summer meanders on, Edward brings a new friend into the circle. But John＊s got a mean streak that＊s strong enough to flip Dave＊s world每and his place in it〞upside down.

In The Field, Ignatz-nominated creator Dave Lapp examines a time when kids stayed out until the streetlights came on--and exposes the dangers, foibles, and wildness of childhood in the 1970s.]]> 540 Dave Lapp 1772620947 Brian 4 3.73 2024 The Field
author: Dave Lapp
name: Brian
average rating: 3.73
book published: 2024
rating: 4
read at: 2025/02/12
date added: 2025/02/12
shelves:
review:
I think I liked this more than I probably should; the book is a series of vignettes in the childhood of the author. The author and his buddy spend a lot of time in a field, often involving animals with a touch of cruelty to them. His mother is overly dramatic but very entertaining. I liked the portray of the characters and I can picture some young kids getting into the type of trouble that these kids did.
]]> How Could You 209439529 Falling in love? Scary. Falling for your best friend? Terrifying. Naming all the ways your heart hurts? Impossible.

College upperclassman Molly Song is set on getting over her ex this semester, but it's hard when she dumps you via email and posts all over social media about cozying up with her study-abroad roommate. After convincing her friend, Lou Kingston, that they should go to parties and find rebound girlfriends, Molly learns she should be careful what she wishes for when she starts to develop real feelings for someone she＊s not sure feels the same way.

Meanwhile, Molly and Lou＊s exes, Yona and Olene, have left their pasts behind as they study abroad in France. Together they see springtime in Marseille, find new friendships, and uncover new personal truths. Will their whirlwind trip bloom into a whirlwind romance, or will their journeys to self-discovery put them on different paths entirely?

College is a time to find yourself, but what could you stand to lose along the way? Lessons of the heart abound in How Could You, a queer debut graphic novel from Ren Strapp, perfect for fans of Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up with Me and Heartstopper.]]> 224 Ren Strapp 1637155263 Brian 2 3.48 How Could You
author: Ren Strapp
name: Brian
average rating: 3.48
book published:
rating: 2
read at: 2025/02/12
date added: 2025/02/12
shelves:
review:
This book fell flat for me; very flat. Some LGBT college students deal with the heartache of breakups from their exes, while their exes on the other side of the pond deal with it in their own way. This book was just tedious and not one that I really got into. I felt that it didn't really even get going for a long time.
]]> <![CDATA[Sweat and Soap, Vol. 5 (Sweat and Soap, #5)]]> 51483292
The hilarious ups and downs of an office romance at a personal care products company are the subject of this sexy, strange romp. Sweat and Soap combines the odd-couple chemistry of Wotakoi, the "too real!" workplace comedy of Aggretsuko, and a heavy dollop of office steaminess!]]> 208 Kintetsu Yamada 1646510720 Brian 4 4.50 2019 Sweat and Soap, Vol. 5 (Sweat and Soap, #5)
author: Kintetsu Yamada
name: Brian
average rating: 4.50
book published: 2019
rating: 4
read at: 2025/02/12
date added: 2025/02/12
shelves:
review:
Asako and Natori decide to go visit Asako's parents to talk about their big plans to move in together. This book is super sweet, with little to no conflict and just a lot of fun. It's a feel good manga, and I look forward to reading the rest of the series.
]]> <![CDATA[丐六午六勻仃氏 4 [Ase to sekken 4] (Sweat and Soap, #4)]]> 50062096 192 Kintetsu Yamada 4065165164 Brian 4 4.45 2019 丐六午六勻仃氏 4 [Ase to sekken 4] (Sweat and Soap, #4)
author: Kintetsu Yamada
name: Brian
average rating: 4.45
book published: 2019
rating: 4
read at: 2025/02/12
date added: 2025/02/12
shelves:
review:
Our lovebirds get back from their trip and Natori wants to pop a question to Asako..but it's not what you think. This is a very cute slice of life manga, one that I am enjoying my journey through! I liked this better than the previous volume.
]]> Jessica Farm 208475450 304 Josh Simmons 1683969936 Brian 2
]]> 3.19 Jessica Farm
author: Josh Simmons
name: Brian
average rating: 3.19
book published:
rating: 2
read at: 2025/02/07
date added: 2025/02/07
shelves:
review:
This was extremely weird and bordering on incoherent. Our main character, Jessica, wanders around her house, talking to mostly inanimate objects. The book is very gross at times and graphic but for some reason, I Just kept reading it. The ending was very strange as well. I almost wish the book was done in color. There was one section in the middle that just was page after page of fighting that was very hard to follow and made little sense.


]]> Shrink: Story of a Fat Girl 209317900 Fat girl problems.

Derided by her high-school peers for being overweight, Rachel finally found a sense of purpose and belonging in a promising career as an EMT〞that is, until her body got in the way.

Shrink is a work of graphic medicine that depicts the emotional and physical realities of inhabiting a large body in a world that is constantly warning about the medical and social dangers of being ※too fat.§ This smart and candid book challenges the idea that weight loss is the only path for a fat person and encourages the reader to question the prevailing cultural and medical discourse about fat bodies.

Seamlessly weaving the most current research on the fatness debate with her own experiences of living in a fat body, Thomas lays bare society＊s obsession with size and advocates for each of us to push back on body weight bias and determine what＊s right for our own health and well-being, both physical and mental.]]> 188 Rachel M. Thomas 1637790791 Brian 3 3.86 Shrink: Story of a Fat Girl
author: Rachel M. Thomas
name: Brian
average rating: 3.86
book published:
rating: 3
read at: 2025/02/06
date added: 2025/02/06
shelves:
review:
In this graphic novel, we meet a woman who has always struggled with her weight. She joins a gym and starts to eat better and begins to lose weight, which changes her life. The book goes into a lot of preaching about fat people and their role in society, which was definitely a point that needs to be hammered in, but I wish the book had spent more time telling the story of our narrator and less about the obesity epidemic.
]]> Audrey Hepburn 208703628 176 Michele Botton 1681123460 Brian 2 3.80 2023 Audrey Hepburn
author: Michele Botton
name: Brian
average rating: 3.80
book published: 2023
rating: 2
read at: 2025/02/04
date added: 2025/02/04
shelves:
review:
I enjoyed the artwork in this book but it fell a little flat for me. The book tells the story of Audrey Hepburn, but it skips most of her childhood and upbringing and just jumps to when she starts making movies and then ends abruptly without talking about how her life ends. I had to go on Wikipedia to read more about her because I wanted to know if she was still alive and what happened to her.
]]> Blob: A Love Story 212994452 'A modern-day Mrs. Caliban, BLOB is a book that looks at identity and desire in profoundly interesting ways'
Kevin Wilson, author of Nothing to See Here

A hilarious and moving debut novel about a young woman who decides to turn a sentient blob into her perfect boyfriend...

The daughter of a Taiwanese father and white mother, Vi Liu has never quite fit into her Midwestern college town. Now at twenty-three, after getting dumped and dropping out of college, Vi works as a front desk attendant at a hotel where she refills cucumber water samovars and fends off overtures of friendship from her bubbly blond coworker, Rachel. But when Vi decides to accompany Rachel to a local drag show, her life changes forever. In the alley outside the bar, next to a trash can, is a blob with beady black eyes. Unable to leave it behind, Vi picks up the creature and, in a moment of drunken desperation, takes it home with her.

As her pet blob becomes sentient, Vi realizes it obeys her commands and she decides to mold the blob into her ideal partner. She feeds it sugary cereal and a stream of pop culture, and soon the creature transforms into a movie-star handsome white man. But as Vi's desire to be loved unconditionally threatens to spiral out of control, she is forced to confront her lonely childhood, the ex-boyfriend who has unfriended her, and the racial marginalization that has defined her relationships. Ultimately, Vi embarks on a journey of self-discovery and learns that it's impossible to control those you love.

Blending the familiar with the fantastical, BLOB tells a witty, heartfelt story of what it means to be human.

'An inventive, utterly unique debut'
Kimberly King Parsons, author of Black Light]]> 256 Maggie Su 0063358646 Brian 4 3.43 2025 Blob: A Love Story
author: Maggie Su
name: Brian
average rating: 3.43
book published: 2025
rating: 4
read at: 2025/02/03
date added: 2025/02/03
shelves:
review:
This was truly a strange book but that is perhaps why I enjoyed it so much. Vi, our narrator is a 20 something girl who is single and works in a hotel. One night, after going to a drag show, you stumbles upon a blob just lying there on the ground near a garbage can. She decides to rescue it and bring it home wit her, and it changes and morphs into something beyond her wildest dreams. The book was definitely a surrealistic fiction book and it was very strange but kept my interest throughout. I like the twist the story took and felt that this was a fun and light read.
]]> Isaac's Song 210719174 The beloved author of Don＊t Cry for Me and Perfect Peace returns with a poignant, emotionally exuberant novel about a young queer Black man finding his voice in 1980s Chicago〞a novel of family, forgiveness and perseverance, for fans of The Great Believers and On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous.

Isaac is at a crossroads in his young life. Growing up in Missouri, the son of a caustic, hard-driving father, he was conditioned to suppress his artistic pursuits and physical desires, notions that didn＊t align with a traditional view of masculinity. But now, in late ＊80s Chicago, Isaac has finally carved out a life of his own. He is sensitive and tenderhearted and has built up the courage to seek out a community. Yet just as he begins to embrace who he is, two social catalysts〞the AIDS crisis and Rodney King＊s attack〞collectively extinguish his hard-earned joy. At a therapist＊s encouragement, Isaac begins to write down his story. In the process, he taps into a creative energy that will send him on a journey back to his family, his ancestral home in Arkansas and the inherited trauma of the nation＊s dark past. But a surprise discovery will either unlock the truths he＊s seeking or threaten to derail the life he＊s fought so hard to claim.

Poignant, sweeping and luminously told, Isaac's Song is a return to the beloved characters of Don＊t Cry for Me and a high-water mark in the career of an award-winning author.]]> 320 Daniel Black 133509041X Brian 3 4.31 2025 Isaac's Song
author: Daniel Black
name: Brian
average rating: 4.31
book published: 2025
rating: 3
read at: 2025/02/01
date added: 2025/02/01
shelves:
review:
Through a journal, Isaac tells his story of what it's like to grow up gay in the 80's and have parents who don't fully support you. I enjoyed the relationship between Isaac and his family but felt that the book lost me a bit in the last 1/4. The writing was well done, but I am not sure if I agreed with some of the points that the therapist made to Isaac.
]]> I'll Come to You 208425024 A story of family, I'll Come to You chronicles intersecting lives over the course of 1995, anchored by the anticipation and arrival of a child.

With empathy, insight, and humor, Rebecca Kauffman explores overlapping narratives involving a couple whose struggle to become pregnant has both softened and hardened them; a woman whose husband of forty years has left her for reasons he＊s unwilling to share and the man who is now disastrously attempting to woo her; a couple in denial about a looming health crisis, and their son who is fumbling toward middle age and can＊t stop lying. These storylines converge into a dramatic and harrowing turn of events.]]> 224 Rebecca Kauffman 164009671X Brian 4 3.68 2025 I'll Come to You
author: Rebecca Kauffman
name: Brian
average rating: 3.68
book published: 2025
rating: 4
read at: 2025/02/01
date added: 2025/02/01
shelves:
review:
This was a fun short read about a family who is dealing with some real life issues including childbirth, memory loss and a lot more. The book takes place over about a year and has shifting perspectives. At first, it's hard to figure out the connection between the characters, but once the book starts rolling, you begin to see the connections to the various family members. I enjoyed the author's style and the modern setting of this novel.
]]> The Heart of Winter 211025449
Abe Winter and Ruth Warneke were never meant to be together〞at least if you ask Ruth. Yet their catastrophic blind date in college evolved into a seventy-year marriage and a life on a farm on Bainbridge Island with their hens and beloved Labrador, Megs. Through the years, the Winters have fallen in and out of lockstep, and from their haunting losses and guarded secrets, a dependable partnership has been forged.

But when Ruth＊s loose tooth turns out to be something much more malicious, the beautiful, reliable life they＊ve created together comes to a crisis. As Ruth struggles with her crumbling independence, Abe must learn how to take care of her while their three living children question his ability to look after his wife. And once again, the couple has to reconfigure how to be there for each other.

In this bighearted and profound portrait of a marriage, Jonathan Evison explores seventy years of big moments in subtle ways, elegantly braiding the Winters＊ turbulent history with their present-day battles, showing us how the oddly paired college kids became parents, fell apart and back together, andgrew into the Abe and Ruth of today. Endlessly heartwarming and moving, The Heart of Winter is a reminder that true love lives in small, everyday moments.]]> 368 Jonathan Evison 059347354X Brian 4 4.11 2025 The Heart of Winter
author: Jonathan Evison
name: Brian
average rating: 4.11
book published: 2025
rating: 4
read at: 2025/01/19
date added: 2025/01/19
shelves:
review:
In this novel, we meet a much older couple who are nearing the end of their lives. Abe and Ruth are living together despite being in their late 80s/early 90s. But when Ruth deals with a health setback, their kids rush in to try to help. This book switched back and forth between past and present and revealed a lifetime of complicated situations. This was a good read and had memorable and well written characters. I felt that the book was strongest in the first 3/4 and the last section just faltered a bit in terms of the past sections.
]]> <![CDATA[Keanu Reeves is Not in Love With You: The Murky World of Online Romance Fraud]]> 194028309 288 Becky Holmes 1789651638 Brian 4 3.77 2024 Keanu Reeves is Not in Love With You: The Murky World of Online Romance Fraud
author: Becky Holmes
name: Brian
average rating: 3.77
book published: 2024
rating: 4
read at: 2025/01/10
date added: 2025/01/10
shelves:
review:
This was a very funny book about a serious topic; a woman writes about people being scammed online by people often pretending to be someone or something they are not. Whether it is a person pretending to be a celebrity or a person giving a sob story, this book is a real eye opener. The author's messages between her and the scammers are truly hilarious and I enjoyed her delivery and the photos she included in some of the chats.
]]> I Might Be in Trouble 210331628 A suspenseful, satirical dark comedy about a struggling writer who wakes up to find his date from the night before dead〞and must then decide how far he＊s willing to go to spin the misadventure into his next big book.

A few years ago, David Alvarez had it all: a six-figure book deal, a loving boyfriend, and an exciting writing career. His debut novel was a resounding success, which made the publication of his second book〞a total flop〞all the more devastating. Now, David is single, lonely, and desperately trying to come up with the next great idea for his third manuscript, one that will redeem him in the eyes of readers, reviewers＃and maybe even his ex-boyfriend.

The issue is, good ideas are hard to come by, and the mounting pressure of a near-empty bank account isn＊t helping. But when David connects with a sexy stranger on a dating app, he figures a wild night out in New York City may be just what he needs to find inspiration. Lucky for him, his date turns out to be handsome, confident, and wealthy, not to mention the perfect distraction from yet another evening staring at a blank screen.

After one of the best nights of his life, David wakes up hungover but giddy〞only to find prince charming dead next to him in bed. Horrified, completely confused, and suddenly faced with the implausible-but-somehow-plausible idea that he may have actually killed his date, David calls the only person he can trust in a moment of crisis: his literary agent, Stacey.

Together, David and Stacey must untangle the events of the previous night, cover their tracks, and spin the entire misadventure into David＊s career-defining novel〞if only they can figure out what to do with the body first.]]> 329 Daniel Aleman 1538766345 Brian 4 3.61 2024 I Might Be in Trouble
author: Daniel Aleman
name: Brian
average rating: 3.61
book published: 2024
rating: 4
read at: 2025/01/06
date added: 2025/01/06
shelves:
review:
David Alvarez is in trouble after a one night stand goes horribly wrong. This book was a fun thriller of sorts minus a ton of thrills. I liked the main character and the plot kept me going, I just felt that the ending was a bit expected for me and that some of the characters weren't super realistic, like the literary agent who used "dear" and "darling" punctuating nearly every sentence. Maybe there are people who speak that way but I don't know any.
]]> <![CDATA[The Incredible Story of Cooking: From Prehistory to Today, 500,000 Years of Adventure]]> 208703648
As soon as humans mastered fire, they invented cooking. Did you know that Sapiens invented steam cooking and freezing? That the Mesopotamians created soups, bread, beer, ovens? That gastronomy and tableware have been symbols of political power?

These great discoveries changed the world, but also the way we eat. From America, the conquistadors brought spices, peppers, potatoes... Portuguese missionaries brought the frying technique to distant samurai who made the first tempuras. These are the beginnings of globalization.

In the 19th century with the industrial revolution, " capitalist" cuisine emerged: it was the beginning of the food industry. In the 21st century, the organic and buy local movements are shown as a reaction against the harmful effects of this culinary and gastronomic standardization.

To finish in style, find twenty-two recipes for dishes mentioned throughout our story that you can make at home!]]> 240 Benoist Simmat 1681123401 Brian 3 3.68 2021 The Incredible Story of Cooking: From Prehistory to Today, 500,000 Years of Adventure
author: Benoist Simmat
name: Brian
average rating: 3.68
book published: 2021
rating: 3
read at: 2025/01/02
date added: 2025/01/02
shelves:
review:
This book goes into depth about the history of food, perhaps focusing a bit too much on the past and not enough on the last century. The illustrations are cute but this book is a bit of an infodump and a little hard to get through. I read most of it and lost interest in the last 1/3 which is a shame because I was invested up until that point.
]]> <![CDATA[Something, Not Nothing: A Story of Grief and Love]]> 205544126 144 Sarah Leavitt 1551529513 Brian 4 4.50 2024 Something, Not Nothing: A Story of Grief and Love
author: Sarah Leavitt
name: Brian
average rating: 4.50
book published: 2024
rating: 4
read at: 2025/01/02
date added: 2025/01/02
shelves:
review:
This book was a real downer but it was very well written and emotional. The author does this sparsely illustrated graphic novel after the death of her partner and she conveys the feels she feels over the time spent apart from her. It's very very real and very sad but a good and powerful read.
]]> Milk Without Honey 209538526
Milk Without Honey is a poignant and provocative graphic novel about the plight of the bees in which illustrator Hanna Harms inspires not only reflection but also action.]]> 112 Hanna Harms 195149136X Brian 3 4.00 2022 Milk Without Honey
author: Hanna Harms
name: Brian
average rating: 4.00
book published: 2022
rating: 3
read at: 2024/12/26
date added: 2024/12/26
shelves:
review:
This was a super short, read about a very serious topic. The book goes into detail about the importance of bees and talks about how our world is slowly destroying them, which could lead to catastrophic results. I wish more people were aware of this, and this book really made me understand how uncaring people are about nature.
]]> <![CDATA[Beneath the Trees Where Nobody Sees]]> 202104245 Live, laugh, shed blood. Dexter meets Richard Scarry＊s Busy, Busy Town in this twisted debut graphic novel.

Don＊t murder the locals〞this is small-town serial killer, upstanding citizen, and adorable brown bear Samantha Strong＊s cardinal rule. A sea of potential victims is in the city just beyond the forest, but when you＊ve worked as hard as Sam to build a cozy life and a thriving business in a community surrounded by friendly fellow animal folk, warm decor, and the aroma of cedar trees and freshly baked apple pie, the last thing you want is to disturb the peace. So imagine Sam's indignation when one of Woodbrook＊s own meets a grisly, mysterious demise. You wouldn＊t blame her for doing anything it takes to hunt down her rival before the town self-destructs and Sheriff Patterson starts barking up the wrong tree.]]> 152 Patrick Horvath Brian 4 4.19 2024 Beneath the Trees Where Nobody Sees
author: Patrick Horvath
name: Brian
average rating: 4.19
book published: 2024
rating: 4
read at: 2024/12/26
date added: 2024/12/26
shelves:
review:
This was a very creepy graphic novel about a town of cute animals where a murder takes place. The artwork is very cute and childlike at heart, but the graphic nature of some of these scenes are truly gross and disturbing. I enjoyed this quick read.
]]> <![CDATA[Raised by a Serial Killer: Discovering the Truth About My Father]]> 207294155 The untold story behind the hit true crime podcast The Clearing, this unforgettable memoir traces one daughter＊s moving quest to understand her larger-than-life childhood as she searches for the truth about her father, the serial killer Edward Wayne Edwards. One evening in 2009, April Balascio was searching online, as she had been every night, for unsolved murders in the towns her family had lived growing up, when she stumbled across the latest investigations into the ※Sweetheart Murders§ cold case. All at once, the buried memories of her father＊s dark history were awakened, and she knew she had to take action. She picked up the phone to call a detective and the rest is infamous true crime history. In her unflinching memoir, Balascio bravely reveals an astonishing tale of a lifetime of manipulation, unexplained upheavals, and silent fear. Some part of her had always known what her father was capable of, but the full truth of how she came to these revelations is as riveting as it is quietly terrifying. Through searing storytelling, dedicated research, and intimate insight, Raised by a Serial Killer is a gripping, courageous memoir unlike any other.]]> 352 April Balascio 1982177039 Brian 4 3.84 2024 Raised by a Serial Killer: Discovering the Truth About My Father
author: April Balascio
name: Brian
average rating: 3.84
book published: 2024
rating: 4
read at: 2024/12/26
date added: 2024/12/26
shelves:
review:
April is the daughter of a serial killer and through this memoir, we learn what it is like to grow up with an unconventional childhood. The book tells a lot of horrific and strange stories and paints a very toxic picture of what it was like for her to grow up with such a mean and rude father. This book was well written and very engaging and if you are a fan of true crime or like a twisted true childhood story, this book will surely capture your interest.
]]> The Third Gilmore Girl 207298106 ※Come for the Gilmore Girls anecdotes, stay for the revealing truths about what it takes to build a lifelong career in and out of Hollywood§ (The A.V. Club) in this candid and captivating memoir from award-winning and beloved actress Kelly Bishop, spanning her six decades in show business from A Chorus Line, Dirty Dancing, Gilmore Girls, and much more.

Kelly Bishop＊s long, storied career has been defined by landmark achievements, from winning a Tony Award for her turn in the original Broadway cast of A Chorus Line to her memorable performance as Jennifer Grey＊s mother in Dirty Dancing. But it is probably her iconic role as matriarch Emily in the modern classic Gilmore Girls that cemented her legacy.

Now, Bishop reflects on her remarkable life and looks towards the future with The Third Gilmore Girl. She shares some of her greatest stories and the life lessons she＊s learned on her journey. From her early transition from dance to drama, to marrying young to a compulsive gambler, to the losses and achievements she experienced〞among them marching for women＊s rights and losing her second husband to cancer〞Bishop offers a rich, genuine celebration of her life.

Full of witty insights, The Third Gilmore Girl is a warm, unapologetic, and spirited memoir from a woman who has left indelible impressions on her audiences for decades and has no plans on slowing down.]]> 256 Kelly Bishop 1668023776 Brian 4 4.35 2024 The Third Gilmore Girl
author: Kelly Bishop
name: Brian
average rating: 4.35
book published: 2024
rating: 4
read at: 2024/12/22
date added: 2024/12/22
shelves:
review:
I saw this book at the library and was unaware of its existence. Kelly Bishop had a very interesting life that came across very well in this memoir of hers. She talks about her early life, giving me insight into something I knew nothing about including her time spent on Broadway and that she won a Tony award and then talks about Dirty Dancing and then culminates In a nice section of what it was like to work on Gilmore Girls. This is a must read for a Gilmore Girls fan or anyone who likes to get the perspective of a successful actress and her life leading up to her current day.
]]> Holler 209194418 Mark lives in a tiny town in the Appalachian Mountains of Virginia in the early 1990s. He doesn＊t fit in and feels out of sync with his family and the mostly-conservative crowd there. Lucky for him, he finds an escape〞the grunge band he forms with his best friend, Jay!

As the lead guitarist in Magnesium Mama, Mark and his bandmates make their time in their hometown bearable. Between gigs, there are a lot of ups and downs, and, luckily, Mark can remember most of them!

At a unique 7.5-inch by 9-inch size, this complete Holler collection gathers together issues #1 to #8 of Jeremy Massie＊s original story of grunge, rebellion, and friendship. The book will also include a brand-new cover, an original issue cover gallery with bonus pinup pages, and a new four-page afterword comic!]]> 280 Jeremy Massie 1506743412 Brian 4 4.24 Holler
author: Jeremy Massie
name: Brian
average rating: 4.24
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2024/12/22
date added: 2024/12/22
shelves:
review:
In this graphic novel, we meet a band that deals with drama and your normal small town life situations. The band struggles with trying to break out in the music business. I liked the art style as well as the episodic nature of this book. It wasn't a standout this year by any means, but it was one that I enjoyed.
]]> Memoirs of a Man in Pajamas 63051129 232 Paco Roca 1683967577 Brian 3 3.49 2011 Memoirs of a Man in Pajamas
author: Paco Roca
name: Brian
average rating: 3.49
book published: 2011
rating: 3
read at: 2023/12/21
date added: 2024/12/21
shelves:
review:
In this graphic novel by Spanish author Paco, we are given small little vignettes about the modern world, including about dating and just general life experiences. The artwork was nicely done but the book played more like a comic strip than a graphic novel.
]]> What Does It Feel Like? 214312329
※What Does It Feel Like? is fiction, but it is my most autobiographical work to date. Eve＊s story is my story.§〞Sophie Kinsella

Eve is a successful novelist who wakes up one day in a hospital bed with no memory of how she got there. Her husband, never far from her side, explains that she has had an operation to remove the large, malignant tumor growing in her brain.

As Eve learns to walk, talk, and write again〞and as she wrestles with her diagnosis, and how and when to explain it to her beloved children〞she begins to recall what＊s most important to her: long walks with her husband＊s hand clasped firmly around her own, family game nights, and always buying that dress when she sees it.

Recounted in brief anecdotes, each one is an attempt to answer the type of impossible questions recognizable to anyone navigating the labyrinth of grief. This short, extraordinary novel is a celebration of life, shot through with warmth and humor〞it will both break your heart and put it back together again.

※Why did I write such a personal book? I have always processed my life through writing. Hiding behind my fictional characters, I have always turned my own life into a narrative. It is my version of therapy, maybe. Writing is my happy place, and writing this book, although tough going at times, was immensely satisfying and therapeutic for me.§〞Sophie Kinsella]]> 144 Sophie Kinsella 0593977564 Brian 4 4.26 2024 What Does It Feel Like?
author: Sophie Kinsella
name: Brian
average rating: 4.26
book published: 2024
rating: 4
read at: 2024/12/16
date added: 2024/12/16
shelves:
review:
A famous author is on the verge of creating a new novel when she suddenly wakes up in a hospital bed, realizing something is gravely wrong. This book is Sophie Kinsella's latest and it definitely is not like anything else she has written. The book is powerful and very short but is a good and meaningful read that really portrays the way a person feels who is dealing with what the author is dealing with.
]]> Dying Inside 207293836 Scott Pilgrim and Wednesday combine into a teenaged Fleabag in DYING INSIDE, a supernatural, emo-fantasy thriller from the mind of FALL OUT BOY＊s Pete Wentz!Immortality is entirely overrated. From Fall Out Boy＊s Pete Wentz, Hannah Klein (Everything＊s Fine), and Lisa Sterle (The Modern Witch Tarot, Witchblood) comes the graphic novel about a chronically depressed girl who＊s tired of fighting for her＃death. Today is Ash＊s big finale. And by finale, of course, she means exiting the stage permanently. Ash is a sixteen-year-old girl with more angst than Ian Curtis and Elliott Smith combined (her two idols). She＊s apathetic and therefore believes death is the easiest route to relief. But nothing is more embarrassing than a lame death. Unfortunately, her meticulous plans 〞 which include the perfect outfit, soundtrack, and method 〞 are all ruined when the beautiful knife she buys off a webstore turns out to be charmed with a protection spell. Now, Ash has to track down the witch who turned her clocking out attempt into the worst gift immortality. Turns out, the witch responsible is another sixteen-year-old-girl named (get this) Liv. The two vow to undo the charm together and fight for Ash＊s death＃even as things get increasingly entangled with a strange new antidepressant called Somnia and her mom＊s gross boyfriend, Greg (ughh). DYING INSIDE is a musically immersive experience, original lyrics and poetry from Pete Wentz an integrated playlist from Pete Wentz and Hannah Klein never-before-heard music from Daisy Grenade and more! For fans It＊s Lonely at the Centre of the Earth (Zoe Thorogood), Squad (Maggie Tokuda-Hall & Lisa Sterle), Light as a Feather (Zoe Aarsen), Book of Shadows (M. Verano), The Secret Circle (LJ Smith), Heart-Shaped Box (Joe Hill), the Shadow and Bone Trilogy (Leigh Bardugo), Vicious (V.E. Schwab), Bunny (Mona Awad), The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina (graphic novels, prose novels), the Practical Magic series (Alice Hoffman), Anya＊s Ghost (Vera Brosgol), the series Charmed, and the films The Craft, Booksmart, Scott Pilgrim vs. The World, Easy A, and Jennifer's Body. CONTENT This book includes discussion of suicide, suicidal ideation, and depiction of self-harm. While Vault hopes this book will help some readers feel less alone, its content may be triggering. Please only read ahead if you are safe and supported. If you are struggling, it's important to share your feelings with people you trust. The 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline number is 988 - call or text 24/7 for free and confidential support. You can also access online ]]> 224 Pete Wentz 1638492247 Brian 4 4.10 Dying Inside
author: Pete Wentz
name: Brian
average rating: 4.10
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2024/12/16
date added: 2024/12/16
shelves:
review:
This was a very funny graphic novel about a girl who is chronically depressed and decides to end her life with a knife she bought online. But when things go horribly wrong, she tries to uncover the truth about why she can't off herself. The art style was cute and the book was very funny, making it a fast and fun read.
]]> <![CDATA[The City and Its Uncertain Walls]]> 209192695 From the bestselling author of Norwegian Wood and Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World comes a love story, a quest, an ode to books and to the libraries that house them, and a parable for our peculiar times.

We begin with a nameless young couple: a boy and a girl, teenagers in love. One day, she disappears . . . and her absence haunts him for the rest of his life.

Thus begins a search for this lost love that takes the man into middle age and on a journey between the real world and an other world〞a mysterious, perhaps imaginary, walled town where unicorns roam, where a Gatekeeper determines who can enter and who must remain behind, and where shadows become untethered from their selves. Listening to his own dreams and premonitions, the man leaves his life in Tokyo behind and ventures to a small mountain town, where he becomes the head librarian, only to learn the mysterious circumstances surrounding the gentleman who had the job before him. As the seasons pass and the man grows more uncertain about the porous boundaries between these two worlds, he meets a strange young boy who helps him to see what he＊s been missing all along.

The City and Its Uncertain Walls is a singular and towering achievement by one of modern literature＊s most important writers.]]> 449 Haruki Murakami 0593801970 Brian 3 3.73 2023 The City and Its Uncertain Walls
author: Haruki Murakami
name: Brian
average rating: 3.73
book published: 2023
rating: 3
read at: 2024/12/06
date added: 2024/12/06
shelves:
review:
I consider myself to be a big fan of Murakami, having read almost everything he has written, and I was extremely excited to read his latest. However, this book fell a bit short for me. In this novel, we encounter a town where people live apart from their shadows, and the town is surrounded by a wall that changes shape. This book was confusing but to be honest, it was also a bit slow at times, having most of the book take place in a library. The book is weird but not as strange as his past novels, thus making it not a great read for me.
]]> Death in the Downline 211401582
Drew thought she was destined to rise above her small New Jersey hometown and make it as a serious journalist in New York City. But now she's back in Clearfield, pushing thirty, newly single, and living with her father.

After a chance encounter at the grocery store, she reconnects with her former best friend, Steph, who married young and never left their hometown. But Steph looks . . . good. She's tanned, clear skinned, and glowing. She drives an expensive car and wears only name brands. What's her secret? A multi-level marketing scheme called LuminUS that's taken the ladies of Clearfield by storm. With nothing left to lose, Drew gets sucked into this glamorous world of downlines, sales parties, and girls' trips.

But when a LuminUS distributor dies under mysterious circumstances, can Drew uncover the dark secret at the heart of the organization〞and save her best friend〞before it＊s too late?

Laugh-out-loud funny and a pitch-perfect skewering of pyramid schemes, Death in the Downline is a page-turner that will have readers nodding in recognition and cheering for Drew until the cathartic conclusion.]]> 304 Maria Abrams 1683694147 Brian 3
EDIT: I read other people's reviews after writing mine (NOT before) and found it very funny that another reader used "down her luck" to describe the main character as well.]]> 3.54 2025 Death in the Downline
author: Maria Abrams
name: Brian
average rating: 3.54
book published: 2025
rating: 3
read at: 2024/11/29
date added: 2024/11/29
shelves:
review:
In this novel, we meet a down on her luck woman who reconnects with her best friend who gets her into the world of MLMS. But things aren't always what they seem, and the world of fast money may be too good to be true. But then, something sinister occurs behind the scenes that causes Drew, the main character to question everything. I loved the MLM aspect of this book and felt it was very well done, but I didn't love the murder mystery aspect quite as much. This was a fun read though, and one that I recommended to a friend immediately after!

EDIT: I read other people's reviews after writing mine (NOT before) and found it very funny that another reader used "down her luck" to describe the main character as well.
]]> Shred Sisters 208107364 A wry and riveting debut novel about family, mental illness, and a hard-won path between two sisters

It is said that when one person in a family is unstable, the whole family is destabilized. Meet the Shreds. Olivia is the sister in the spotlight, but when her stunning confidence morphs into something erratic and unpredictable, she becomes a hurricane leaving people wrecked in her wake. Put simply, she has no brakes.

Younger sister Amy, cautious and studious to the core, survives Ollie＊s bullying and outcast status throughout her school years. She dreams of winning a Nobel Prize and unlocking the mysteries of the mind. Amy believes in facts, proof, and the empirical world. Except none of that can explain what＊s happening to Ollie, whose physical beauty and charisma mask the bipolar disorder that will shatter Amy＊s carefully constructed world.

As Amy comes of age and seeks to find her place〞first in academics, then New York publishing, and through a series of troubled relationships〞every step brings collisions with Ollie, who slips in and out of the Shred family without warning. For all that upends and unsettles these sisters, an inextricable bond always draws them back.

Spanning two decades, Shred Sisters is an intimate and bittersweet story exploring the fierce complexities of sisterhood, mental health, loss and love. If anything is true it＊s what Amy learns on her road to self-acceptance: No one will love you or hurt you more than a sister.]]> 272 Betsy Lerner 080216370X Brian 4 3.77 Shred Sisters
author: Betsy Lerner
name: Brian
average rating: 3.77
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2024/11/21
date added: 2024/11/21
shelves:
review:
This book focuses on two sisters, one of which who has some mental issues and is pretty unstable. The main character takes us through her early life with her sister's strange behaviors and we see the progression of her days as her parents age and her sister continues to get into trouble. I really enjoyed the author's writing style and the way the book flowed.
]]> April Storm 167006920 A seemingly perfect suburban housewife is being pursued by a private detective . . . and hunted by a murderer in this riveting, much-anticipated posthumous novel from the beloved author of Roses and Dragonfly.

Katherine Walker enjoys an enviable life. Her husband is an accomplished doctor, her children are bright and successful, and she devotes herself to charity work that uplifts her Suburban Colorado community. Settling into a new year, her life couldn＊t be better. . .

Until April.

For Katherine, April has always rained trouble〞but this time may be even stormier than the fraught past she＊s trying to overcome. Already distraught over the child she miscarried in this same cursed month many years ago, the emotionally fragile woman isn＊t ready to consider the overwhelming evidence that someone may be trying to take her husband〞and her life.

Featuring the complex characters and powerful storytelling that are the beloved hallmarks of Leila Meacham＊s novels beginning with her breakout debut Roses, April Storm is a page-turning triumph that caps a remarkable literary career.]]> 256 Leila Meacham 0063323109 Brian 2 3.38 2024 April Storm
author: Leila Meacham
name: Brian
average rating: 3.38
book published: 2024
rating: 2
read at: 2024/11/21
date added: 2024/11/21
shelves:
review:
This book fell very flat for me. A woman is being followed and suspects that something is going on. The book just seemed to drag despite being pretty short. I lost interest at page 100 then skipped to the ending and realized that the ending also seemed pretty lame too.
]]> Sweat and Soap, Vol. 3 54901878
The hilarious ups and downs of an office romance at a personal care products company are the subject of this sexy, strange romp. Sweat and Soap combines the odd-couple chemistry of Wotakoi, the "too real!" workplace comedy of Aggretsuko, and a heavy dollop of office steaminess!]]> 210 Kintetsu Yamada 1646595734 Brian 3 4.45 2019 Sweat and Soap, Vol. 3
author: Kintetsu Yamada
name: Brian
average rating: 4.45
book published: 2019
rating: 3
read at: 2024/11/21
date added: 2024/11/21
shelves:
review:
In this book, the two lovers go on a weekend getaway and also share their relationship with a few select others. I will keep reading this series, but I didn't like this one quite as much as I liked the previous volumes.
]]> A Pillbug Story 200517992
Millie the pillbug feels like a bug apart. Unlike her friends, Millie needs to stay moist all the time, she doesn't pee, and she's the only vegetarian. How will she ever fit in and find meaning in her short life?

The bug world is harsh. One minute you're snacking on a scrumptious aphid, the next you're being eaten alive by your spouse! Plus you've got social drama and your family questioning your 'alternative' lifestyle to deal with. Ugh.

With humor, delight, and a touch of terror, NYC-based author Allison Conway brings us a collection of slice-of-life comics about being a young, female isopod in a modern, ever-changing world.]]> 196 Allison Conway 1990521215 Brian 4 3.88 2024 A Pillbug Story
author: Allison Conway
name: Brian
average rating: 3.88
book published: 2024
rating: 4
read at: 2024/11/21
date added: 2024/11/21
shelves:
review:
This was a quirky and fun graphic novel about a pillbug who hangs out with other insects. The book can be sad at times, but also was funny as well. I really liked the author's art style as well as her unique take on letting us getting into the world of insects.
]]> <![CDATA[Video Game of the Year: A Year-by-Year Guide to the Best, Boldest, and Most Bizarre Games from Every Year Since 1977]]> 61783788 Breaking down the 40-year history of the world＊s most popular art form, one video game at a time

Pong. The Legend of Zelda. Final Fantasy VII. Rock Band. Fortnite. Animal Crossing: New Horizons. For each of the 40 years of video game history, there is a defining game, a game that captured the zeitgeist and left a legacy for all games that followed. Through a series of entertaining, informative, and opinionated critical essays, author and tech journalist Jordan Minor investigates, in chronological order, the innovative, genre-bending, and earth-shattering games from 1977 through 2022. Minor explores development stories, critical reception, and legacy, and also looks at how gaming intersects with and eventually influences society at large while reveling in how uniquely and delightfully bizarre even the most famous games tend to be.

From portly plumbers to armor-clad space marines and the speedy rodents in between, Video Game of the Year paints individual portraits that, as a whole, give readers a stronger appreciation for the vibrant variety and long-lasting impact of this fresh, exciting, and massively popular art form. Illustrated throughout with retro-inspired imagery and featuring contributions from dozens of leading industry voices, including New York Times bestselling author Jason Schreier (Blood, Sweat, and Pixels; Kotaku), Max Scoville (IGN), Rebekah Valentine (IGN), Blessing Adeoye Jr. (Kinda Funny), and Devindra Hardawar (Engadget), this year-by-year anthology is a loving reflection on the world＊s most popular art form.
? ? ? ? ? ??
Featured Games: 1977 - Pong; 1978 - Space Invaders; 1979 - Speed Freak; 1980 - Pac-Man; 1981 - Donkey Kong; 1982 - Pitfall!; 1983 - Dragon＊s Lair; 1984 - Tetris; 1985 - Super Mario Bros.; 1986 - Dragon Quest; 1987 - The Legend of Zelda; 1988 - Mega Man 2; 1989 - SimCity; 1990 - The Secret of Monkey Island; 1991 - Sonic the Hedgehog; 1992 - Wolfenstein 3D; 1993 - NBA Jam; 1994 - Super Street Fighter II Turbo; 1995 - Donkey Kong Country 2; 1996 - Super Mario 64; 1997 - Final Fantasy VII; 1998 - Metal Gear Solid; 1999 - System Shock 2; 2000 Counter-Strike; 2001 - Halo: Combat Evolved; 2002 - Grand Theft Auto: Vice City; 2003 - The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker; 2004 - World of Warcraft; 2005 - Resident Evil 4; 2006 - Wii Sports; 2007 - Rock Band; 2008 - Spore; 2009 - Uncharted 2; 2010 - Super Meat Boy; 2011 - Minecraft; 2012 - Telltale＊s The Walking Dead; 2013 - Depression Quest; 2014 - Destiny; 2015 - The?Witcher 3; 2016 - Pok谷mon Go; 2017 - Fortnite; 2018 - Super Smash Bros. Ultimate; 2019 - Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice; 2020 - Animal Crossing: New Horizons; 2022 - The Stanley Parable: Ultra Deluxe]]> 296 Jordan Minor 1419762052 Brian 4 3.65 2023 Video Game of the Year: A Year-by-Year Guide to the Best, Boldest, and Most Bizarre Games from Every Year Since 1977
author: Jordan Minor
name: Brian
average rating: 3.65
book published: 2023
rating: 4
read at: 2024/11/09
date added: 2024/11/09
shelves:
review:
This book is certainly not frilled and filled with pictures of your favorite games from the past; it is wall to wall information and many of it is rather opinionated. That being said, the book had a lot of thought put into it and I think anyone who is a long time video game fan will enjoy it. My video game knowledge is good from 2000 and before and then from 2015 and after, thus leaving the middle of the book to be an area I didn't follow. If you like video game history, this is a book that may strike your fancy.
]]> <![CDATA[The Haunted House (Sweet Valley Twins Graphic Novels #4)]]> 198688444
The buzz at Sweet Valley Middle School is all about Nora Mercandy, the new girl living in the town's infamous haunted house. Jessica is convinced there's something witchy about her, but Elizabeth thinks there's more to the story. Caught in a whirl of rumors and a rift with her twin, can Elizabeth discover the truth before friendships are torn apart?]]> 224 Nicole Andelfinger 0593376560 Brian 3 3.91 The Haunted House (Sweet Valley Twins Graphic Novels #4)
author: Nicole Andelfinger
name: Brian
average rating: 3.91
book published:
rating: 3
read at: 2024/11/09
date added: 2024/11/09
shelves:
review:
The Wakefields encounter a young girl who moves into the Mercandy house which is haunted! When Nora starts at school, Jessica and the Unicorn are SUPER mean to her and of course Elizabeth is kind. This book was a fun read at Halloween time, but the way that Lila and her friends treated Nora was just flat out bullying. The book naturally had a nice ending, but the message was pretty cruel and the girls were especially judgy to poor Nora..
]]> <![CDATA[Woe: A Housecat's Story of Despair]]> 199389219
What if our cats could talk? Would they ask endless questions about why we haven't given them wet food...again? Would they scream greetings at the first sign of life before the sun even rises? Linney certainly will.

Have you met Linney yet? If not, prepared to be blessed! Lucy Knisley's online Linney comics are collected for the very first time in this gifty hardcover featuring the internet sensation, Linney. With all-new comics, this collection shows us just how amazing, and what a true gift, all cats are.]]> 208 Lucy Knisley 0593177649 Brian 4
]]> 4.36 2024 Woe: A Housecat's Story of Despair
author: Lucy Knisley
name: Brian
average rating: 4.36
book published: 2024
rating: 4
read at: 2024/11/04
date added: 2024/11/04
shelves:
review:
I love all stuff that Lucy has written and this book is a very funny and cute tribute to a departed cat. The book details some of the interactions Lucy has had with this cat, and many of them are very funny as she imagines how the cat would respond to different things. Many things in this book made me laugh out loud and I really enjoyed Lucy's artwork as usual. I look forward to her next endeavor.


]]> <![CDATA[Choosing Sides (Sweet Valley Twins Graphic Novels, #3)]]> 160047020 Elizabeth's best friend Amy wants to join Cheer Club but that means going against the Unicorn Club! Can Elizabeth protect Amy...even if it means standing up to her sister Jessica to do it?

No matter what Elizabeth does she can't stop her best friend, Amy Sutton, from trying out for the Unicorn Club's cheering squad. Elizabeth is sure that the Unicorns are going to steal Amy away from her but when it is revealed that Jessica and the rest of the Unicorns don't want Amy, what should Elizabeth do??

The Unicorns will do anything to keep Amy off the squad! Can Elizabeth stand by and watch Amy get hurt? And if Elizabeth takes Amy's side against the Unicorns does this mean she'll be taking a stand against her own twin sister?!]]> 224 Nicole Andelfinger 0593376587 Brian 2 3.96 Choosing Sides (Sweet Valley Twins Graphic Novels, #3)
author: Nicole Andelfinger
name: Brian
average rating: 3.96
book published:
rating: 2
read at: 2024/10/22
date added: 2024/10/22
shelves:
review:
Elizabeth's friend Amy who is a bit of a nerd wants to try out for the Boosters, which is a cheerleading squad. But the nasty Unicorns don't want her as part of their group. And on the other hand, Elizabeth is trying to help Ken who is a short kid who wants to be on the basketball team. I forgot how nasty Jessica and the Unicorn Club can be and sadly this book brought back memories of the past books. This was a fun read but I did not think the characters help up well.
]]> <![CDATA[Mallory and the Mystery Diary (The Baby-Sitters Club, #29)]]> 558284

The diary belonged to Sophie, a girl who lived in Stacey's house in the 1890s. As Mallory reads deep into Sophie's diary, she discovers a mystery on their hands to solve, because Stacey's house isn't big enough for her, her mom..and a family of ghosts!

]]> 144 Ann M. Martin 0590673971 Brian 4 3.65 1989 Mallory and the Mystery Diary (The Baby-Sitters Club, #29)
author: Ann M. Martin
name: Brian
average rating: 3.65
book published: 1989
rating: 4
read at: 2024/10/22
date added: 2024/10/22
shelves:
review:
Mallory finds a diary in a locked trunk and discovers a mystery involving a missing painting. The side story involves Buddy Barrett who is having trouble reading. I REALLY did not remember this book at all but I was so glad that I re-read it because it actually really got my attention. I liked both the man plot and the subplot as well.
]]> <![CDATA[Kristy and the Walking Disaster: A Graphic Novel (The Baby-Sitters Club Graphic Novels #16)]]> 202772992 A Baby-sitters Club graphic novel adapted by Eisner- and National Book Award-nominated cartoonist Ellen T. Crenshaw!

They're lean, they're mean, they're the pride of Stoneybrook. Who are they? They're Kristy's Krushers!

When Kristy sees how much her little brothers and sister want to play on a softball team, she starts a ragtag team of her own. Maybe Kristy's Krushers aren't world champions (how could they be, with Jackie Rodowsky, walking disaster, playing for them?), but nobody beats them when it comes to team spirit.

Now Bart's Bashers have challenged the Krushers to a game. It's bad enough that the Bashers truly are lean and mean -- but what's worse is that Kristy has a crush on the Bashers' coach!]]> 160 Ellen T. Crenshaw 1338835556 Brian 3 4.12 2024 Kristy and the Walking Disaster: A Graphic Novel (The Baby-Sitters Club Graphic Novels #16)
author: Ellen T. Crenshaw
name: Brian
average rating: 4.12
book published: 2024
rating: 3
read at: 2024/10/22
date added: 2024/10/22
shelves:
review:
This was better than the book that it was based upon, but that being said, this is not my type of book. Kristy starts a baseball team featuring a ragtag group of kids including a 2 and a half year old (?) and has to go against a rival she meets named Bart, who has his own team. The two teams have a game and hilarity ensues. This was a fun read but as a non sports fan, the theme of the book didnt' resonate highly with me.
]]> <![CDATA[丐六午六勻仃氏 2 [Ase to sekken 2] (Sweat and Soap, #2)]]> 45359373 208 Kintetsu Yamada 4065142970 Brian 4 4.40 2019 丐六午六勻仃氏 2 [Ase to sekken 2] (Sweat and Soap, #2)
author: Kintetsu Yamada
name: Brian
average rating: 4.40
book published: 2019
rating: 4
read at: 2024/10/11
date added: 2024/10/11
shelves:
review:
This is a very fun series about a couple dating in the same company. This second volume introduces the female lead's family and details the relationship as it begins to develop. I look forward to volume 3~
]]> Mothballs 199719594 In this moving family saga, a teenage woman uncovers the hushed history of sexual violence that shattered her grandmother＊s life.

San Mart赤n, Argentina, 2001. Upon her estranged grandmother Vilma＊s death, 19-year-old Roc赤o moves into a house haunted by memories. Seeking a deeper understanding, Ro delves into her family history and uncovers the episodes of violence and betrayal that shattered Vilma＊s dreams. All the while, the familiar scent of mothballs permeating the estate serves to remind Ro of the ineluctable spell of the past that she must break in order to forge her own path in life. Tender, heartrending, and leavened with biting humor, Mothballs is at once a moving family saga and a poignant reflection on the need to hold fast to one＊s identity, despite how painful it can be. A showcase of tour de force cartooning that marks Sole Otero as a major talent in the global comics scene. Full-color illustrations throughout]]> 336 Sole Otero 1683969618 Brian 4 3.83 2020 Mothballs
author: Sole Otero
name: Brian
average rating: 3.83
book published: 2020
rating: 4
read at: 2024/10/11
date added: 2024/10/11
shelves:
review:
In this graphic novel, we meet a young woman who moves into her deceased grandmother' home. The woman doesn't really know her grandmother well, but the reader is treated to the grandmother's life story, which is a sad and confusing one. I really enjoyed learning about this family and thought the artwork was great too.
]]> A Home for the Holidays 204316960 A witty, warmhearted novel about coming to terms with grief, taking a chance on unexpected connections, and finding family in time for the holidays.

For wedding singer Mel Hart, the holidays have always retained a certain magic. Her mother, Connie, always managed to pull off spectacular Santa hijinx that convinced Mel to keep believing in Santa way longer than other kids. Those moments meant everything to Mel because the rest of the year, life was unpredictable because of her mother＊s alcohol use.

But two weeks before Christmas, Mel gets a call from the hospital: her mother has died.

Then a woman shows up on Mel's doorstep, claiming to be Connie's estranged best friend, promising to tell Mel a different narrative〞one in which Connie was almost a famous country music star, if only a man hadn't gotten in the way. Instead of spending Christmas alone in her dead mother's house, Mel agrees to stay with Barb for the holidays, finding herself in the middle of Barb's complicated family and uncovering secrets while fighting an attraction to Barb＊s in-the-middle-of-a-divorce son. As Christmas approaches, Mel reckons with how little she knew about her mother's past while reexamining her own future.

A Home for the Holidays is a moving exploration of complicated grief, mother-daughter relationships, loving someone with addiction, and the redemptive power of opening one's heart to love in all its forms.]]> 256 Taylor Hahn 0593470702 Brian 3 3.80 2024 A Home for the Holidays
author: Taylor Hahn
name: Brian
average rating: 3.80
book published: 2024
rating: 3
read at: 2024/10/04
date added: 2024/10/04
shelves:
review:
If you like a lighthearted, sweet Christmas romance story, this is the book for you! I have to say that I am not really into chick lit anymore with a few exceptions. This book started off being amazing; I liked the main character, Mel a great deal and loved how the author really captured her grief for her mother. But the book took a nosedive for me when I realized that I had started to predict all of the plot twists that came several pages before they happened. And to me, that's not super fun when I can figure out what happens a mile away. The book is a nice short read and I think it will appeal to so many readers, but sadly it did not appeal a lot to me.
]]> A Reason to See You Again 199531902
The women of the Cohen family are in crisis. Triggered by the death of their patriarch, Rudy, the glue that held them all together, everyone＊s lives soon take a dramatic turn.

Shelly, the younger of the two Cohen sisters, runs off to the West Coast to immerse herself in the emerging (and lucrative) world of technology. Her sister, Nancy, gets married at the age of twenty-one to a traveling salesman with a shadowy lifestyle, while their mother, Frieda, hurls herself into a boozy, troubled existence in Miami, trying to forget the past even as it haunts her.

But they each learn in different ways that running from the past can＊t save you〞and then must make life-altering decisions about what they want their family to be and what they need to move forward.

Beginning in the 1970s and spanning forty years, A Reason to See You Again takes the reader on a kaleidoscopic journey through motherhood, the American workforce, the tech industry, the self-help movement, inherited trauma, the ever-evolving ways we communicate with one another, and the many unexpected forms that love can take.]]> 240 Jami Attenberg 0063039842 Brian 3 3.21 2024 A Reason to See You Again
author: Jami Attenberg
name: Brian
average rating: 3.21
book published: 2024
rating: 3
read at: 2024/10/01
date added: 2024/10/01
shelves:
review:
The subject of this book is a broken family and revolves around a mother and her two daughters. The book starts off in the past and each chapter takes place in different years. I found that the characters were a little bit flat, and I felt that I was watching them through a screen instead of being inside their heads and feeling what they really thought I was entertaining for the vast majority of this book except it kind of lost steam the last quarter.
]]> <![CDATA[Sweat and Soap, Vol. 1 (Sweat and Soap, #1)]]> 49199814
Yae's living her dream, working at the toiletry maker Lilia Drop. Little do her coworkers know, the reason she loves the company so much is that she's ashamed of her body odor, and their soap is the only thing that does the trick. So when the company's lead product developer, a perfuming genius, approaches her in the lobby and wonders what "that smell" is, she's terrified... but could it be... that he likes it? And, even more surprising to Yae... does she like him?

The hilarious ups and downs of an office romance at a personal care products company are the subject of this sexy, strange romp. Sweat and Soap combines the odd-couple chemistry of Wotakoi, the "too real!" workplace comedy of Aggretsuko, and a heavy dollop of office steaminess!]]> 208 Kintetsu Yamada 1632369702 Brian 4 4.23 2018 Sweat and Soap, Vol. 1 (Sweat and Soap, #1)
author: Kintetsu Yamada
name: Brian
average rating: 4.23
book published: 2018
rating: 4
read at: 2024/09/30
date added: 2024/09/30
shelves:
review:
If you like really weird manga, this book is someone's jam. A young woman works for a scent company and is approached by one of their top executives who is obsessed with how she smells, despite the fact that she thinks she smells bad. The two fall in love and the book goes on from there. I'm excited to read volume 2!
]]> <![CDATA[LOST: Back to the Island: The Complete Critical Companion to The Classic TV Series]]> 207003530 A comprehensive and critical companion to the blockbuster TV show LOST, revisiting its core themes, lore, and impact on culture Before it premiered in the fall of 2004, LOST looked doomed to be an expensive, disastrous plane crash of a TV show. Instead, LOST was a massive hit, debuting with the biggest audience for a new drama on ABC in over a decade, reaching heights of over 23 million viewers at its peak, and holding on to a hefty fan-base for its entire six-season run. The elements that made the series seem like a boondoggle proved, instead, to be a big part of its appeal. Audiences loved the exotic island setting, became invested in the morally compromised characters, and feverishly tried to unravel the show＊s many mysteries. In? Back to the Island, TV critics and veteran?LOST?recappers Emily St. James and Noel Murray revisit what made the show such a success and an object of enduring cultural obsession, twenty years later. Through essays, episode summaries, and cultural analysis, they take us back to the island and examine?LOST＊s lasting impact〞and its complicated, sometimes controversial legacy〞with a clear-eyed and lively investigation. For fans of one of the most successful and highly discussed shows in recent memory, Back to the Island is both a delightful time capsule and a rousing work of entertainment criticism.]]> 352 Emily St. James 141975050X Brian 4 4.02 2024 LOST: Back to the Island: The Complete Critical Companion to The Classic TV Series
author: Emily St. James
name: Brian
average rating: 4.02
book published: 2024
rating: 4
read at: 2024/09/30
date added: 2024/09/30
shelves:
review:
If you were a Lost fan and you have a good memories of this show, this is a great read and a book that will take you on a long journey back into what made this show so great. The book is divided into different sections, each focusing on the different season. Each episode has its own mini section, some more fleshed out than others. I really enjoyed this book and would buy for a fan of the show!
]]> Talk to My Back 58772767 An unearthed masterwork from one of the "three daughters of Garo," shimmering with realism and vulnerability

"Now that we've woken from the dream, what are we going to do?" Chiharu thinks to herself, rubbing her husband's head affectionately.

Set in an apartment complex on the outskirts of Tokyo, Talk to My Back explores the fraying suburban middle-class dream of the 1980s through Chiharu's relationship with her two young daughters as they mature and begin to assert their independence; and with her husband, who regularly works late and is unable to see his wife as anything more than a mother.

Despite Yamada Murasaki's honest engagement with marriage and motherhood, she is surprisingly generous with the characters that drag her protagonist down. When the husband has a brief affair, Chiharu brushes it off, feeling that she, too, has broken the marital contract by straying from the template of the happy housewife. Instead Yamada saves her harshest criticisms for society at large, particularly its false promises of eternal satisfaction within a family unit--as fears of having been thrown away inside that empty vessel called the household gnaw at Chiharu's soul.

Yamada was the first cartoonist to use the expressive freedoms of alt-manga to address domesticity and womanhood in a realistic, critical, and sustained way. A watershed work of literary manga, Talk to My Back was serialized in the influential Garo magazine during the early 1980s, and is translated by Eisner award winning Ryan Holmberg.]]> 384 Murasaki Yamada 1770465634 Brian 3 4.07 1982 Talk to My Back
author: Murasaki Yamada
name: Brian
average rating: 4.07
book published: 1982
rating: 3
read at: 2024/09/30
date added: 2024/09/30
shelves:
review:
This was an odd graphic novel/manga about a series of vignettes about a Japanese housewife. In each little section, we meet a woman who is not very happy in her life. She deals with a variety of different issues in each small section.
]]> The Pocket Wife 22664757
"EXCEPTIONAL."
-CHEVY STEVENS, New York Times bestselling author

Dana Catrell leads a quiet life in a suburb a stone's throw from Manhattan. She spends her days tidying, reading, missing her son who's away at college, and wondering what went wrong in her marriage to her husband, Peter, who comes home late most nights and makes her feel as unimportant as a pocketful of loose change.

Then on one horrific day, Celia - Dana's friend and neighbor - is found murdered... and Dana's life suddenly begins to spiral out of control as she feels herself sliding toward the brink of insanity. Dana suffers from bipolar disorder, and she can't account for the troubling gaps in her memory on the afternoon of Celia's death. Even more terrifying, Dana was the last person to see her friend alive on that deadly day when Celia revealed a disturbing secret.

Is murder on Dana's mind - or is it all in her head? And is there a killer lurking inside her... or is there one out there in the shadows of reality, waiting to strike again?]]> 320 Susan H. Crawford 0062362879 Brian 3 3.63 2015 The Pocket Wife
author: Susan H. Crawford
name: Brian
average rating: 3.63
book published: 2015
rating: 3
read at: 2015/01/24
date added: 2024/09/23
shelves:
review:
A woman is murdered in her home, but whodunit? The plot centers around two main characters, the odd, mentally unstable Dana, who has a lot of issues to say the least, and Jack, a detective. When Celia, Dana's friend is murdered, Dana wonders if she did it. She has blackouts, periods of mania, and then depression, yes she is bipolar. The book had an interesting if not odd narrator, but I thought the detective was a bit too barebones. Ultimately, this is an average murder mystery with a few twists here and there.
]]> <![CDATA[By the Time You Read This, I'll Be Dead]]> 8494000
While she＊s on the site, Daelyn blogs about her life, uncovering a history of bullying that goes back to kindergarten. When she＊s not on the Web, Daelyn＊s at her private school, where she＊s known as the freak who doesn＊t talk.

Then, a boy named Santana begins to sit with her after school while she＊s waiting to for her parents to pick her up. Even though she＊s made it clear that she wants to be left alone, Santana won＊t give up. And it＊s too late for Daelyn to be letting people into her life＃isn＊t it?]]> 225 Julie Anne Peters 1423139399 Brian 4 3.68 2009 By the Time You Read This, I'll Be Dead
author: Julie Anne Peters
name: Brian
average rating: 3.68
book published: 2009
rating: 4
read at: 2009/10/10
date added: 2024/09/23
shelves:
review:
What an amazing book! Daelyn has tried to kill herself several times. She is constantly put down and made fun of. She stumbles upon a suicide website that encourages its members it off themselves. BUt then she meets Santana, a random boy who happens to share the bench she waits for her mother at every day. The story that develops is a beautiful and powerful one.
]]> Colored Television 201102398 Alternate cover edition of ISBN 9780593544372

A dark comedy about second acts, creative appropriation, and the racial identity每industrial complex

Jane has high hopes her life is about to turn around. After years of living precariously, she; her painter husband, Lenny; and their two kids have landed a stint as house sitters in a friend＊s luxurious home in the hills above Los Angeles, a gig that coincides magically with Jane＊s sabbatical. If she can just finish her latest novel, Nusu Nusu, the centuries-spanning epic Lenny refers to as her ※mulatto War and Peace,§ she＊ll have tenure and some semblance of stability and success within her grasp.

But things don＊t work out quite as hoped. In search of a plan B, like countless writers before her, Jane turns her desperate gaze to Hollywood. After she meets with a hot young producer to create ※diverse content§ for a streaming network, he seems excited to work with a ※real writer.§ She can create what he envisions as the greatest biracial comedy to ever hit the small screen. Things finally seem to be going right for Jane〞until they go terribly wrong.]]> 277 Danzy Senna Brian 3 3.54 2024 Colored Television
author: Danzy Senna
name: Brian
average rating: 3.54
book published: 2024
rating: 3
read at: 2024/09/18
date added: 2024/09/18
shelves:
review:
I'm wavering between 3 and 4 stars so I'll say on the record that this is 3.5 but I'm rounding down. This book was a confounding read. The book is about a woman named Jane who is a novelist with two kids and a loving husband. They are living rent free in the house of a friend whom Jane has. Jane gets some troubling work related news and it causes her to create a bit of a lie to her husband. Will she get her happy ending? This book was a lot about race, in particular mixed race marriages, and I wonder if some of the plot got lost in this. The book started out with a heavy focus on Jane and her children, in particular her son Finn but the plotline really did not go anywhere by the end. The last 1/4 of the book also seemed a bit dull to me. I did like this book overall but I'm not sure if it knew what it was really supposed to be about.
]]> <![CDATA[Obsolete: An Encyclopedia of Once-Common Things Passing Us By]]> 21964355 196 Anna Jane Grossman 1613120303 Brian 3 3.47 2009 Obsolete: An Encyclopedia of Once-Common Things Passing Us By
author: Anna Jane Grossman
name: Brian
average rating: 3.47
book published: 2009
rating: 3
read at: 2011/11/20
date added: 2024/09/18
shelves:
review:
Like most encyclopedias, not all of this book was interesting. It was very short and I got the feeling that the author left out a lot. Certain entries had a mini rant slash essay. Overall this book was entertaining but not the best of its kind.
]]> Madwoman 204593567 A gripping story of motherhood and motherloss and the brutal, mighty things women do to keep themselves and each other alive, MADWOMAN marks the arrival of a major fiction talent.

The world is not made for mothers.
Yet mothers made the world＃

Clove has?gone to extremes to keep her past a secret. Thanks to her lies, she＊s landed the life of her dreams, complete with a safe husband and two adoring children who will never know the terror that was routine in her own childhood. If her buried anxiety threatens to breach the surface, Clove (if that is really her name) focuses on finding the right supplement, the right gratitude meditation.?

But when she receives a letter from a women＊s prison in California, her past comes screeching into the present, entangling her in a dangerous game with memory and the people she thought she had outrun. As we?race?between her precarious present-day life in Portland, Oregon and her childhood in a Waikiki high-rise with her mother and father, Clove is forced to?finally unravel the defining day of her life. How did she survive that day, and what will it take to end the cycle of violence? Will the truth undo her, or could it ultimately save her?]]> 336 Chelsea Bieker 0316573299 Brian 5 3.71 2024 Madwoman
author: Chelsea Bieker
name: Brian
average rating: 3.71
book published: 2024
rating: 5
read at: 2024/09/11
date added: 2024/09/11
shelves:
review:
A woman named Clove has a nice life with her husband and her two kids. But Clove has a dark past that centers around a murder and a family secret. This literary thriller had a ton of twists and turns, and despite reading another user's review who claimed they saw them all coming; I did not! This was a fun read and one that had a well written plot and enough surprises to keep me on the edge of my toes. If you are into literary thrillers, this book is a great read!
]]> <![CDATA[Birnbaum's 2024 Disneyland Resort: The Official Vacation Guide (Birnbaum Guides)]]> 125077908
As Disneyland continues to grow and evolve, trust Birnbaum as your 2023-2024 guide ]]> 160 Birnbaum Guides 1368083714 Brian 3 4.22 Birnbaum's 2024 Disneyland Resort: The Official Vacation Guide (Birnbaum Guides)
author: Birnbaum Guides
name: Brian
average rating: 4.22
book published:
rating: 3
read at: 2024/09/06
date added: 2024/09/06
shelves:
review:
These guides have not changed in all of the years I've been reading them. They are great for information and fluff about the rides, but as far as which rides are better to go on for which age, you should rely on the Unofficial Guides.
]]> Vera Bushwack 196674606
The wondrous rustic landscape of Nova Scotia bursts from the page in Vera Bushwack , where reality gladly gives way to fantastical flights of fancy before gently coming back down to earth. A chainsaw fires up and Drew＊s vision blurs. Their body vibrates alive with the whrrr of the engine, the whiff of gas. Drew dissolves as their alter-ego, Vera Bushwack, takes charge. Assless-chaps-wearing, unflinching Vera slashes through thick trunks, felling trees righteously from the back of a majestic steed.

Vera＊s here to help, of course. Drew needs to clear the land for their future cabin in the woods. And if it weren＊t for Vera＊s brazenness, Drew may, ironically, fall reliant on others to learn self-reliance. Nevertheless, men enter Drew＊s orbit, all too eager to explain how things work求an aggravating occurrence that comes crashing into Drew as dependably as the nearby ocean waves.

Joy, anger, grief, and self-acceptance ripple through these pages with Sig Burwash＊s hilariously expressive pencil drawings and flair for buoyant watercolors. Approaching something like liberation, our protagonist comes to terms with past traumas, boundaries, and the many expressions of themself.]]> 267 Sig Burwash 1770467114 Brian 2 4.06 Vera Bushwack
author: Sig Burwash
name: Brian
average rating: 4.06
book published:
rating: 2
read at: 2024/09/06
date added: 2024/09/06
shelves:
review:
This was a very strange graphic novel that I really did not get. The main character is very close to their dog and enjoys using a chainsaw. The art was well done, if at not a smidge vulgar but the storyline didn't make a ton of sense to me.
]]> Brittle Joints 49469873 When Maria Sweeney was young, she kept count of her broken bones. As she grew older, she living with Bruck syndrome, a rare progressive condition that gives her very brittle bones and joint abnormalities, meant that those numbers climbed and climbed.
Today, she struggles every day, living in an often-inaccessible world. As an ambulatory wheelchair user, ordinary actions like entering a building, sitting at a caf谷, or holding a cup of tea can be drastically different for her than for others.
With lush illustrations, Maria tells the story of her lifelong struggle to obtain care in an increasingly complicated and disinterested US healthcare system. But for every step that presents a struggle, there's also beauty, friendship, art, and growth. She documents the relief she's found in alternative therapies, particularly medical marijuana; in loving community and chosen family; and in nature and her creative practice. A powerfully understated critique of our modern world, Brittle Joints offers a generous, expansive look at how to live and love amidst the challenges of survival.]]> 160 Maria Sweeney Brian 4 4.41 2024 Brittle Joints
author: Maria Sweeney
name: Brian
average rating: 4.41
book published: 2024
rating: 4
read at: 2024/09/03
date added: 2024/09/03
shelves:
review:
This graphic novel is about a woman who is suffering from a little known condition; she has very brittle bones and is prone to breaking them easily. The book really invokes the daily struggles that this poor woman goes through while using beautiful artwork.
]]> The Same Bright Stars 199797895
Meanwhile, the DelDine group has been snapping up beloved eateries along this stretch of coast, and it is pursuing Jack with a very generous offer to take Schmidt＊s off his hands. Jack craves companionship and maybe even a family. He wonders whether closing the door on the restaurant might open a window for him〞but who would he be without Schmidt＊s, and can he trust DelDine＊s claims that it will continue to employ his staff and honor his family＊s legacy?]]> 287 Ethan Joella 1668024608 Brian 3 3.71 2024 The Same Bright Stars
author: Ethan Joella
name: Brian
average rating: 3.71
book published: 2024
rating: 3
read at: 2024/08/21
date added: 2024/08/21
shelves:
review:
Jack works at a restaurant and is thinking of selling it to a big corporation after putting blood, sweat and tears into it. Will he do it? The book was a very simple read, and it was definitely what I would call a "cozy read" for the most part, with one chapter being an exception. I liked the short chapters, making it a book that was easy to pick up and read, but I sadly found some of the plot twists to be a little too predictable.
]]> <![CDATA[Television Series of the 1990s: Essential Facts and Quirky Details]]> 36751216
In Television Series of the 1990 Essential Facts and Quirky Details, Vincent Terrace presents readers with a cornucopia of information about sixty programs from the decade. For example, did you know that Ally McBeal＊s favorite brand of ice cream is Ben and Jerry＊s? Or that Hank Hill＊s shoe size is 12? Or that Carrie Bradshaw＊s favorite cookie is Double-Stuff Oreos? These are just a handful of hundreds of fun and intriguing specifics found inside this volume. Programs from all of the major networks〞as well as select syndicated programs and HBO〞are represented here.

This is not a book of opinions or essays about specific television programs but a treasure trove of facts associated with each show. From Niles Crane＊s I.Q score to George Constanza＊s high score on Frogger, readers will discover a wealth of fascinating information that, for the most part, cannot be found elsewhere. In some cases, the factual data detailed herein is the only such documentation that currently exists on bygone shows of the era. Television Series of the 1990s is the ideal reference for fans of this decade and anyone looking to stump even the most knowledgeable trivia expert.]]> 260 153810377X Brian 2 3.00 Television Series of the 1990s: Essential Facts and Quirky Details
author: Vincent Terrace TV historian and author
name: Brian
average rating: 3.00
book published:
rating: 2
read at: 2024/08/21
date added: 2024/08/21
shelves:
review:
This was a strange book that went into detail about some but certainly not all TV shows in the 90's. The book listed all of the main characters of the shows as well as some side characters without getting into any sort of detail about the various seasons of plot points. It was an odd way of writing about the topic and I brought it to the beach and decided to chuck it afterwards.
]]> The Most 201626978
A riveting, single-sitting read set over the course of eight hours, The Most is an epic story in one single day, masterly breaching the shimmering surface of a seemingly idyllic mid-century marriage, immersing us in the unspoken truth beneath.]]> 144 Jessica Anthony 0316576379 Brian 2 3.31 2024 The Most
author: Jessica Anthony
name: Brian
average rating: 3.31
book published: 2024
rating: 2
read at: 2024/08/15
date added: 2024/08/15
shelves:
review:
This Novella took me about two hours to read and it was a little too short. We made a couple in the 1950s and are given a brief limp into their lives over short day. Both of these couples have secrets and by the end of the book you＊ll find out what secrets they kept from one another. None of the characters particularly were very fleshed out. That made this only a two star book.
]]> <![CDATA[The Bookshop: A History of the American Bookstore]]> 201751300 An affectionate and engaging history of the American bookstore and its central place in American cultural life, from department stores to indies, from highbrow dealers trading in first editions to sidewalk vendors, and from chains to special-interest community destinations

Bookstores have always been unlike any other kind of store, shaping readers and writers, and influencing our tastes, thoughts, and politics. They nurture local communities while creating new ones of their own. Bookshops are powerful spaces, but they are also endangered ones. In The Bookshop, we see those stakes: what has been, and what might be lost.

Evan Friss＊s history of the bookshop draws on oral histories, archival collections, municipal records, diaries, letters, and interviews with leading booksellers to offer a fascinating look at this institution beloved by so many. The story begins with Benjamin Franklin＊s first bookstore in Philadelphia and takes us to a range of booksellers including The Strand, Chicago＊s Marshall Field & Company, Gotham Book Mart, specialty stores like Oscar Wilde and Drum and Spear, sidewalk sellers of used books, Barnes & Noble, Amazon Books, and Parnassus. The Bookshop is also a history of the leading figures in American bookselling, often impassioned eccentrics, and a history of how books have been marketed and sold over more than two centuries〞including, for example, a 3,000-pound elephant who appeared to sign books at Marshall Field＊s in 1944.

The Bookshop is a love letter to bookstores, a charming chronicle for anyone who cherishes these sanctuaries of literature, and essential reading to understand how these vital institutions have shaped American life〞and why we still need them.]]> 416 Evan Friss 0593299922 Brian 4 3.93 2024 The Bookshop: A History of the American Bookstore
author: Evan Friss
name: Brian
average rating: 3.93
book published: 2024
rating: 4
read at: 2024/08/14
date added: 2024/08/14
shelves:
review:
If you've set foot in a bookstore in your lifetime and are curious about how they came to be, this book will definitely tickle your fancy. The author starts with the very beginning of the bookstore with a section devoted to Benjamin Franklin and slowly inches towards modern times. This book really made me miss my youth and spending so much time in bookstores. Sadly, now that I work in a library, I rarely go into a bookstore but I always will forever enjoy the smell of one!
]]> Pink Glass Houses 61467820
There＊s a reason people call Miami Beach ※a sunny place for shady people.§

Welcome to Sunset Academy, the most coveted elementary school in Miami Beach, where there are three categories of families: rich, wealthy, and ultra-wealthy.

Perfectly tanned and smiling Charlotte Giordani is Sunset Academy＊s alpha mom. With a sleek blowout and relentless charm, Charlotte＊s brashness serves her well. She＊s up for election as the PTA president and is riding high, having just secured a massive donation from billionaire Don Walker and his socialite wife Patricia. Don and Patricia are philanthropists, media darlings, and the owners of Villa Ros谷, a newly built modern glass house that everyone is talking about. (It＊s either spectacular or a tacky eyesore, depending on how you feel about billionaires.)

Enter Melody Howard, a wide-eyed transplant from Wichita, Kansas. At first a skeptic about Miami Beach and its endlessly hashtaggable social scene, Melody finds herself sucked into the glossy, frenetic world of Sunset Academy moms. Melody＊s easygoing manner and background in nonprofit management make her an asset to the PTA. But when she emerges as a rival for the PTA presidency, Charlotte begins to unravel. Even the most powerful players on the social scene prove to be vulnerable when an investigation into white-collar crime〞triggered by another school mom, the formidable Jamaican-American Judge Carol Lawson〞threatens to take down the whole institution. No amount of ros谷 can soothe tensions as the drama builds to a shocking crisis point.

Told in rotating first person voices, Pink Glass Houses is an irresistibly voyeuristic peek into the lives of the rich and infamous, where cocaine playdates, $100,000 kiddie birthday parties, and relentless social climbing are a way of life.]]> 272 Asha Elias 0063312794 Brian 2 3.41 2024 Pink Glass Houses
author: Asha Elias
name: Brian
average rating: 3.41
book published: 2024
rating: 2
read at: 2024/08/08
date added: 2024/08/08
shelves:
review:
This book centers around a school and the PTA moms who are circling around it. The book deals with many different characters and has shifting perspectives, and many of the characters are not very likable. This book was a very quick read, but it was one that I thought was very surface level and it felt more like a TV movie than an actual novel.
]]> The Wedding People 198902277 Alternate cover edition of ISBN 9781250899576.

A propulsive and uncommonly wise novel about one unexpected wedding guest and the surprising people who help her start anew.

It＊s a beautiful day in Newport, Rhode Island, when Phoebe Stone arrives at the grand Cornwall Inn wearing a green dress and gold heels, not a bag in sight, alone. She's immediately mistaken by everyone in the lobby for one of the wedding people, but she＊s actually the only guest at the Cornwall who isn＊t here for the big event. Phoebe is here because she＊s dreamed of coming for years〞she hoped to shuck oysters and take sunset sails with her husband, only now she＊s here without him, at rock bottom, and determined to have one last decadent splurge on herself. Meanwhile, the bride has accounted for every detail and every possible disaster the weekend might yield except for, well, Phoebe and Phoebe's plan〞which makes it that much more surprising when the two women can＊t stop confiding in each other.

In turns absurdly funny and devastatingly tender, Alison Espach＊s The Wedding People is ultimately an incredibly nuanced and resonant look at the winding paths we can take to places we never imagined〞and the chance encounters it sometimes takes to reroute us.]]> 384 Alison Espach Brian 3 4.11 2024 The Wedding People
author: Alison Espach
name: Brian
average rating: 4.11
book published: 2024
rating: 3
read at: 2024/08/07
date added: 2024/08/07
shelves:
review:
I really wanted to like this book more but I found it to be very slow moving. A young woman who is depressed goes to a hotel during a wedding and decides to kill herself. She meets the bride which is an event that has huge ramifications on her life. I can see why many people would get into this book but it seemed like slightly more literary chick lit.
]]> <![CDATA[Self-Esteem and the End of the World]]> 195790883
Life is not a race. There are no winners and losers. Immeasurable people are doing better than you＃immeasurably worse. You are statistically average.


For over ten years, cartoonist Luke Healy has invested all of his self-esteem into his career. But two years post publication of his last book, and suffering the blow of his twin-brother not finding him fit to act as best man, both Luke＊s career and self-esteem seem to have disintegrated.

Set against the backdrop of a dangerously changing global climate, with melting ice-caps and flooding cities, Self-Esteem and the End of the World spans two decades of tragicomic self-discovery. From self-help books to summiting Greek mountaintops, and workplace murder mysteries to a Hollywood revival of Luke＊s early work, we see our protagonist grappling with his identity as the world crumbles.

Quietly funny, smartly introspective, and grounded in deeply-felt familial highs and lows, Self-Esteem and the End of the World ponders what happens when the person you are isn＊t who you need to be, who you are when nobody＊s watching, and ultimately, Who can you possibly be at the end of the world?]]> 324 Luke Healy 1770467149 Brian 3 3.57 2024 Self-Esteem and the End of the World
author: Luke Healy
name: Brian
average rating: 3.57
book published: 2024
rating: 3
read at: 2024/07/29
date added: 2024/07/29
shelves:
review:
This was a strange but well written graphic novel about a gay man who deals with being single and eventually some major family trauma. The artwork was well done, as was the story.
]]> <![CDATA[Cue the Sun! The Invention of Reality TV]]> 203020280 Cue The Sun! explores the morally charged, funny, and sometimes tragic consequences of the hunt for something real inside something fake.

Nussbaum traces four paths of reality innovation〞game shows, prank shows, soap operas, and clip shows〞that united in the Survivor format, sparking a tumultuous Hollywood gold-rush. Along the way, we meet tricksters and innovators〞from the icy Allen Funt to the shambolic Chuck Barris; Cops auteur John Langley; Bachelor mastermind Mike Fleiss; and Jon Murray, the visionary behind The Real World〞along with dozens of crew members and ordinary people whose lives became fodder for the reality revolution. We learn about the tools of the trade〞like Candid Camera＊s brilliant ※reveal§ and the notorious Frankenbite, a deceptive editor＊s best friend〞and the moral outrage that reality shows provoked. But Cue The Sun! also celebrates what made the genre so powerful: a jolt of authentic emotion.

Through broad-ranging reporting, Nussbaum examines seven tumultuous decades, exploring the celebreality boom, reality TV as a strike-breaker, the queer roots of Bravo, and the dark truth behind The Apprentice. A shrewd observer who cares about television, she is the ideal voice for the first substantive cultural history of the genre that has, for better or worse, made America what it is today.]]> 464 Emily Nussbaum 0525508996 Brian 4 3.94 2024 Cue the Sun! The Invention of Reality TV
author: Emily Nussbaum
name: Brian
average rating: 3.94
book published: 2024
rating: 4
read at: 2024/07/29
date added: 2024/07/29
shelves:
review:
This was a very well researched and written book about the history of reality TV. The book starts off at the beginning with some of the earliest forms of reality TV including Candid Camera and goes all the way to modern times. My only qualm about this book and it's not a big one is that I wish some of the sections of the shows were expanded. For example, I'm a big Survivor fan and the author only spoke about the very beginnings of the show. I guess that is fodder for a different book!
]]> <![CDATA[The NES Encyclopedia: Every Game Released for the Nintendo Entertainment System]]> 51097889
The NES Encyclopedia is the first ever complete reference guide to every game released on the Nintendo Entertainment System, Nintendo's first industry-defining video game system. As well as covering all 714 officially licensed NES games, the book also includes more than 160 unlicensed games released during its lifespan, giving for the first time a definitive history of this important console's full library. Written by a retro gaming expert with 30 years of gaming experience and a penchant for bad jokes, the NES Encyclopedia promises to be both informative and entertaining.

The NES continues to enjoy a strong cult following among Nintendo fans and gamers in general with wide varieties of officially licensed merchandise proving ever popular: both for older fans who remember it the first time around, and younger gamers discovering the system for the first time through Nintendo＊s regular re-releases of its older games.

Nintendo＊s most recent console, the Switch, is the fastest selling video game console of all time in the United States and Japan. Nintendo will be launching a variety of classic NES games for download on the system later in 2018, meaning a new audience of gamers is due to discover the NES for the first time.]]> 272 Chris Scullion 1526737817 Brian 4 4.31 2019 The NES Encyclopedia: Every Game Released for the Nintendo Entertainment System
author: Chris Scullion
name: Brian
average rating: 4.31
book published: 2019
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2024/07/22
shelves:
review:
If you are a video game fan as I am, especially of the classic variety, this book will scratch all of those itches.
]]> <![CDATA[Claudia and the Bad Joke (The Baby-Sitters Club, #19)]]> 48904
Plenty. Claudia breaks her leg as a result of one of Betsy's mean joke... and now she's talking about quitting the club. "Baby-sitting," she says, "is just too dangerous." Kristy thinks Betsy needs to be taught a lesson. She also thinks the Baby-sitters are just the ones to do it.

Watch out, Betsy Sobak! The joke war is on!]]> 141 Ann M. Martin 0590606719 Brian 3 3.66 1988 Claudia and the Bad Joke (The Baby-Sitters Club, #19)
author: Ann M. Martin
name: Brian
average rating: 3.66
book published: 1988
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 2024/07/22
shelves:
review:
Claudia goes to babysit for Betsy Sobak, a girl who is obsessed with practical jokes. On her visit, something awful happens and Claudia wants to quit babysitting. Meanwhile, across the town of Stoneybrook, the rest of the regulars are also obsessed with jokes. This was a one note kind of book but it definitely brought back memories of the first time I read it.
]]> Catalina 202907408 A year in the life of the unforgettable Catalina Ituralde, a wickedly wry and heartbreakingly vulnerable student at an elite college, forced to navigate an opaque past, an uncertain future, tragedies on two continents, and the tantalizing possibilities of love and freedom

When Catalina is admitted to Harvard, it feels like the fulfillment of destiny: a miracle child escapes death in Latin America, moves to Queens to be raised by her undocumented grandparents, and becomes one of the chosen. But nothing is simple for Catalina, least of all her complicated, contradictory, ruthlessly probing mind. Now a senior, she faces graduation to a world with no place for the undocumented. Her sense of doom intensifies her curiosities and desires. She infiltrates the school＊s elite subcultures〞internships and literary journals, posh parties, and secret societies〞which she observes with the eye of an anthropologist and an interloper＊s skepticism: She is both fascinated and repulsed.

Craving a great romance, Catalina finds herself drawn to a fellow student, an actual budding anthropologist eager to teach her about the Latin American world she was born into but never knew, even as her life back in Queens begins to unravel. And every day, the clock ticks closer to the abyss of life after graduation. Can she save her family? Can she save herself? What does it mean to be saved?]]> 224 Karla Cornejo Villavicencio 0593449096 Brian 4 3.58 2024 Catalina
author: Karla Cornejo Villavicencio
name: Brian
average rating: 3.58
book published: 2024
rating: 4
read at: 2024/03/25
date added: 2024/07/22
shelves:
review:
Catalina features a larger than life college student who lives in the US illegally along with her grandparents. The author creates a larger than life character who is brimming with personality. The story is a sad one, but one that is told rather well. I really enjoyed this book; it was a quick read, but one that was impactful.
]]> Grown Women 139560194 400 Sarai Johnson 0063294435 Brian 2 4.32 2024 Grown Women
author: Sarai Johnson
name: Brian
average rating: 4.32
book published: 2024
rating: 2
read at: 2024/07/18
date added: 2024/07/18
shelves:
review:
I really did not get into this book and I read about 100 pages before I gave up on it. The book features four different women three of which have names that begin with the letter C which I found to be very confusing. The book has very shit has very different shifting perspectives, and it was confusing to tell which character was being focused on. I didn＊t find any characters to be particularly well likable or particularly deep either thus making me lose interest in this book.
]]> <![CDATA[The Boston Rob Rulebook: Strategies for Life]]> 17912173 86 Robert C. Mariano 0989338622 Brian 2 3.43 2013 The Boston Rob Rulebook: Strategies for Life
author: Robert C. Mariano
name: Brian
average rating: 3.43
book published: 2013
rating: 2
read at: 2024/07/16
date added: 2024/07/16
shelves:
review:
This book has some good advice, and some nice pictures, but it is VERY short. It's a fun read for a Survivor fan but not a book you can bring that will kill at most 1 hour. I do like the humor Boston Rob adds into the book though.
]]> <![CDATA[Rolling Stone: The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time]]> 60310731 256 Rolling Stone Magazine 1419758772 Brian 4 4.20 2005 Rolling Stone: The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time
author: Rolling Stone Magazine
name: Brian
average rating: 4.20
book published: 2005
rating: 4
read at: 2023/01/23
date added: 2024/07/15
shelves:
review:
This was a very well produced book that lists out the Top 500 albums of all time. I thought it would make a great coffee table book for a music fan. I wish that every entry listed the notable tracks on the album, so I could download them and add them to my music libary!
]]> Bye, Baby 127305890
On a brisk fall night in a New York apartment, 35-year-old Billie West hears terrified screams. It's her lifelong best friend Cassie Barnwell, one floor above, and she's just realized her infant daughter has gone missing. Billie is shaken as she looks down into her own arms to see the baby, remembering〞with a jolt of fear〞that she is responsible for the kidnapping that has instantly shattered Cassie＊s world.

So begins the story of Billie and Cassie's friendship--both in recent weeks, and since they met twenty-three years ago, in their small Hudson Valley hometown the summer before seventh grade. Once fiercely bonded by their secrets, including a traumatic, unspeakable incident in high school, Cassie and Billie have drifted apart in adulthood, no longer the inseparable pair they used to be. Cassie is married to a wealthy man, has recently become a mother, and is building a following as a fashion and lifestyle influencer. She is desperate to leave her past behind--including Billie, who is single and childless, and no longer fits into her world. Hurt and rejected by Cassie＊s new priorities, Billie will do anything to restore their friendship, even as she hides the truth about what really happened the night the baby was taken.

Told in alternating perspectives in Lovering＊s signature suspenseful style, Bye Baby confronts the myriad ways friendships change and evolve over time, the lingering echoes of childhood trauma, and the impact of women＊s choices on their lifelong relationships.]]> 352 Carola Lovering 125028936X Brian 5 3.70 2024 Bye, Baby
author: Carola Lovering
name: Brian
average rating: 3.70
book published: 2024
rating: 5
read at: 2024/07/05
date added: 2024/07/05
shelves:
review:
This book was a random pick off the new books shelf at the library but what a surprise it was! The book centers around two main characters, Cassie who is a young mom who has a huge social media following and her former best friend, Billie. The two friends were close but after a while Cassie's life became filled with rich people and her baby. But one night an incident causes Billie to do something shocking. This book really did a great job of portraying both characters as well developed and flawed. I read this book over the course of two days, mainly because I wanted to see how it would all end. I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to read a literary thriller.
]]> <![CDATA[The Way of the Househusband, Vol. 1]]> 44018869 Housework without honor or humanity

He was the fiercest member of the yakuza, a man who left countless underworld legends in his wake. They called him ※the Immortal Dragon.§ But one day he walked away from it all to walk another path〞the path of the househusband! The curtain rises on this cozy yakuza comedy!]]> 160 Kousuke Oono 197470940X Brian 3 4.20 2018 The Way of the Househusband, Vol. 1
author: Kousuke Oono
name: Brian
average rating: 4.20
book published: 2018
rating: 3
read at: 2024/07/03
date added: 2024/07/03
shelves:
review:
This manga focuses around a man who is formerly in the Yakuza and his transition into a househusband. The book is a bit one note, with people from his past acting confused about why he left the mob. I did find it a quick but fun read and I may try volume 2 to see where it goes.
]]> Bear 196056205 A mesmerising novel of two sisters on a Pacific Northwest island whose lives are upended by an unexpected visitor 〞 a tale of family, obsession, and a mysterious creature in the woods, by the celebrated, bestselling author of Disappearing Earth.

They were sisters and they would last past the end of time.

Sam and her sister, Elena, dream of another life. On the island off the coast of Washington where they were born and raised, they and their mother struggle to survive. Sam works long days on the ferry that delivers wealthy mainlanders to their vacation homes while Elena bartends at the local golf club, but even together they can＊t earn enough to get by, stirring their frustration about the limits that shape their existence.

Then one night on the boat, Sam spots a bear swimming the dark waters of the channel. Where is it going? What does it want? When the bear turns up by their home, Sam, terrified, is more convinced than ever that it＊s time to leave the island. But Elena responds differently to the massive beast. Enchanted by its presence, she throws into doubt the plan to escape and puts their long-held dream in danger.

A story about the bonds of sisterhood and the mysteries of the animals that live among us 〞 and within us 〞 Bear is a propulsive, mythical, rich novel from one of the most acclaimed young writers in America.]]> 304 Julia Phillips 0525520430 Brian 3 3.22 2024 Bear
author: Julia Phillips
name: Brian
average rating: 3.22
book published: 2024
rating: 3
read at: 2024/07/01
date added: 2024/07/01
shelves:
review:
Two sisters, Sam and Elena live with their ailing mother. Both of them don't have great jobs but they try to do what they can to make ends meet. One day, a bear appears on the island they live on and both girls have very different reactions; Sam is terrified and wants the bear to leave the family alone, but Elena is captivated and convinced that she and the bear share a special bond. Only one of them is right and if you read the entirety of this book, it will become clear! This was an okay book; I didn't feel a great connection to either of the characters but the plot kept me engaged.
]]> Five-Star Stranger 199797861 In Kat Tang＊s exciting and resonant debut, a ※Rental Stranger§〞a companion hired under various guises〞walks the line between personal and professional in surprising new ways.

Would you hire someone to be the best man at your wedding? Your stand-in brother? Your husband?

In an age where online ratings are all-powerful, Five-Star Stranger follows the adventures of a top-rated man on the Rental Stranger app〞a place where users can hire a pretend fianc谷, a wingman, or an extra mourner for a funeral. Referred to only as Stranger, the narrator navigates New York City under the guise of characters he plays, always maintaining a professional distance from his clients.

But, when a nosy patron threatens to upend his long-term role as father to a young girl, Stranger begins to reckon with his attachment to his pretend daughter, her mother, and his own fraught past. Now, he must confront the boundaries he has drawn and explore the legacy of abandonment that shaped his life.

Five-Star Stranger is a strikingly vivid novel about the commodification of relationships in a gig economy, isolation in a hyperconnected world, and the risk of asking for what we want from those who cannot give. This is the story of a man who finds out who he is by being anyone but himself.]]> 240 Kat Tang 1668050145 Brian 4 3.19 2024 Five-Star Stranger
author: Kat Tang
name: Brian
average rating: 3.19
book published: 2024
rating: 4
read at: 2024/06/24
date added: 2024/06/24
shelves:
review:
This was a very interesting book; an unnamed narrator works as a "rental stranger," which is someone who is hired to pose as someone else. One of his main roles is posing as a young girls' father since the mother is a single mom. The book took a bunch of twists and turns but created a fascinating world; one that I wish we could have spent more time in.
]]> <![CDATA[Haruki Murakami Manga Stories 2: The Second Bakery Attack, Samsa in Love, Thailand]]> 194993288 Haruki Murakami's best-loved stories finally in graphic novel form!

Haruki Murakami's novels, essays and short stories have sold millions of copies worldwide and been translated into scores of languages. Now for the first time, in this three-volume series, Murakami's best-loved stories are available in manga form in English.

With their trademark mix of realism and fantasy, centering around Murakami's signature themes of loss, remorse and confusion, the three stories in this volume are:

The Second Bakery Attack: A newlywed couple lie in bed, hungry. The man tells his wife that ten years earlier, he and his friend tried to rob a bakery. The baker told them that if they listened to Wagner's Tannhauser and The Flying Dutchman with him, they could take what they wanted. They did so and left with enough bread to feed them for two days. On hearing this story, the woman suggests they try the same thing. They drive around Tokyo looking for a bakery, but the only place open is a McDonald's. With a shotgun they demand 30 Big Macs. They find an empty parking lot where they eat until their fill. The man feels calm and satisfied after this experience.

Samsa in Love: is an extension of the tale of Gregor Samsa in Kafka's Metamorphosis. The main character wakes up finding himself transformed into someone named Samsa, and then falls in love with a hunchback woman who comes to fix the lock on his door.

Thailand: A middle-aged woman takes a break from her job as a doctor to go on holiday in Thailand. She learns from a spirit doctor that her sterile life and inability to forgive have created a rock in her gut, which will be all that remains of her after she is dead.

These new graphic versions of classic Murakami short stories will be devoured by his fans and will provide a new window onto his work for younger readers not yet familiar with it!]]> 128 Jean-Christophe Deveney 4805317671 Brian 2 3.74 2024 Haruki Murakami Manga Stories 2: The Second Bakery Attack, Samsa in Love, Thailand
author: Jean-Christophe Deveney
name: Brian
average rating: 3.74
book published: 2024
rating: 2
read at: 2024/06/24
date added: 2024/06/24
shelves:
review:
I didn't care for the vast majority of these stories; only one of them were interesting. This may sound a bit harsh but I think I definitely prefer Murakami's works to be in novel form and not graphic novel.
]]> Nothing's Ever the Same 181513291
Nothing＊s Ever the Same chronicles a young girl＊s coming of age in Chicago〞growing up as her family grows apart. In masterful fashion, Cyn Vargas gives us a touching and memorable and universal story about a marriage on the brink and a teenager looking for love. It's a short book that packs a wallop; it＊s also a beautiful meditation on dysfunction and forgiveness, and all the times in life to which we can never return.

The New Chicago Classics are a disparate set of titles united around a common showcasing the city's up-and-coming literary talents as they produce enduring works. These excellent titles are destined to stand in the first rank of literature about the second city.]]> 168 Cyn Vargas 1948954877 Brian 4 3.44 Nothing's Ever the Same
author: Cyn Vargas
name: Brian
average rating: 3.44
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2024/06/24
date added: 2024/06/24
shelves:
review:
This was a sweet, very quick read about a young girl who realizes something awful about her father, and how she deals with it. It was very simply written but captured how a young girl would react to the issue that she is going through.
]]> <![CDATA[The Unofficial Guide to Disneyland 2023 (Unofficial Guides)]]> 62537709
How do some guests get on the big, new attraction in less than 20 minutes while others wait for longer than 2 hours〞on the same day? Why do some guests pay full price for their visit when others can save hundreds of dollars? In a theme park, every minute and every dollar count. Your vacation is too important to be left to chance, so put the best-selling independent guide to Disneyland in your hands and take control of your trip.

The Unofficial Guide to Disneyland 2023 explains how Disneyland works and how to use that knowledge to stay ahead of the crowd. Authors Seth Kubersky, Bob Sehlinger, Len Testa, and Guy Selga Jr. know that you want your vacation to be anything but average, so they employ an expert team of researchers to find the secrets, the shortcuts, and the bargains that are sure to make your vacation exceptional! Find out what＊s available in every category, ranked from best to worst, and get detailed plans to make the most of your time at Disneyland. Stay at a top-rated hotel, eat at the best restaurants, and experience all the most popular attractions.

Keep in the know on the latest updates and changes at Disneyland. Here＊s what＊s NEW in the 2023














Make the right choices to give your family a vacation they＊ll never forget. The Unofficial Guide to Disneyland 2023 is your key to planning a perfect stay. Whether you＊re putting together your annual trip or preparing for your first visit, this book gives you the insider scoop on hotels, restaurants, attractions, and more.]]> 634 Seth Kubersky 1628091347 Brian 3 4.31 1985 The Unofficial Guide to Disneyland 2023 (Unofficial Guides)
author: Seth Kubersky
name: Brian
average rating: 4.31
book published: 1985
rating: 3
read at: 2022/11/03
date added: 2024/06/14
shelves:
review:
Are you going to Disneyland and want the honest truth? This book will go through the park, the hotels and all the rides and restaurants and give you some advice about traveling to the parks. I liked the directness of the book and the details it gives on the various rides of Disney.
]]> <![CDATA[The Unofficial Guide to Disneyland 2024 (Unofficial Guides)]]> 125371467 416 Seth Kubersky 1628091452 Brian 3 4.15 1985 The Unofficial Guide to Disneyland 2024 (Unofficial Guides)
author: Seth Kubersky
name: Brian
average rating: 4.15
book published: 1985
rating: 3
read at: 2023/09/18
date added: 2024/06/14
shelves:
review:
I've read quite a number of these books and this one was typical of the other editions, but in a much smaller scale having dealt with Disneyland, which only has two parks as opposed to WDW's 4. This book is great for anyone who is traveling because it gives the real scoop on how the rides are, and not the glossy version that certain other guides provide.
]]> I Hope This Finds You Well 200987323 In this wildly funny and heartwarming office comedy, an admin worker accidentally gains access to her colleagues＊ private emails and DMs and decides to use this intel to save her job〞a laugh-till-you-cry debut novel you＊ll be eager to share with your entire list of contacts, perfect for fans of Anxious People and Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine.

As far as Jolene is concerned, her interactions with her colleagues should start and end with her official duties as an admin for Supershops, Inc. Unfortunately, her irritating, incompetent coworkers don＊t seem to understand the importance of boundaries. Her secret to survival? She vents her grievances in petty email postscripts, then changes the text colour to white so no one can see. That is, until one of her secret messages is exposed. Her punishment: sensitivity training (led by the suspiciously friendly HR guy, Cliff) and rigorous email restrictions.

When an IT mix-up grants her access to her entire department＊s private emails and DMs, Jolene knows she should report it, but who could resist reading what their coworkers are really saying? And when she discovers layoffs are coming, she realizes this might just be the key to saving her job. The plan is simple: gain her boss＊s favour, convince HR she＊s Supershops material and beat out the competition.

But as Jolene is drawn further into her coworker＊s private worlds and secrets, her carefully constructed walls begin to crumble〞especially around Cliff, who she definitely cannot have feelings for. Soon she will need to decide if she＊s ready to leave the comfort of her cubicle, even if it means coming clean to her colleagues.

Crackling with laugh-out-loud dialogue and relatable observations, I Hope This Finds You Well is a fresh and surprisingly tender comedy about loneliness and love beyond our computer screens. This sparkling debut novel will open your heart to the everyday eccentricities of work culture and the undeniable human connection that comes with it.]]> 338 Natalie Sue 0063320363 Brian 4 3.75 2024 I Hope This Finds You Well
author: Natalie Sue
name: Brian
average rating: 3.75
book published: 2024
rating: 4
read at: 2024/06/01
date added: 2024/06/01
shelves:
review:
This was a fun read about the interpersonal relationships of an office that centers around one woman. Jolene is an antisocial employee who gets in trouble at work and has to do some training. She assigned to work with the new HR rep, Cliff. From there, Jolene's life is changed forever. I like the development the various characters took throughout the book. The book was a fun read without being too light.
]]> Real Americans 62929342 Real Americans begins on the precipice of Y2K in New York City, when twenty-two-year-old Lily Chen, an unpaid intern at a slick media company, meets Matthew. Matthew is everything Lily is not: easygoing and effortlessly attractive, a native East Coaster and, most notably, heir to a vast pharmaceutical empire. Lily couldn't be more different: flat-broke, raised in Tampa, the only child of scientists who fled Mao＊s Cultural Revolution. Despite all this, Lily and Matthew fall in love.

In 2021, fifteen-year-old Nick Chen has never felt like he belonged on the isolated Washington island where he lives with his single mother, Lily. He can't shake the sense she's hiding something. When Nick sets out to find his biological father, the journey threatens to raise more questions than answers.

In immersive, moving prose, Rachel Khong weaves a profound tale of class and striving, race and visibility, and family and inheritance〞a story of trust, forgiveness, and finally coming home.

Exuberant and explosive, Real Americans is a social novel par excellence that asks: Are we destined, or made, and if so, who gets to do the making? Can our genetic past be overcome?

From the award-winning author of Goodbye, Vitamin: How far would you go to shape your own destiny? An exhilarating novel of American identity that spans three generations in one family, and asks: What makes us who we are? And how inevitable are our futures? ]]> 399 Rachel Khong 0593537254 Brian 3 3.94 2024 Real Americans
author: Rachel Khong
name: Brian
average rating: 3.94
book published: 2024
rating: 3
read at: 2024/05/23
date added: 2024/05/23
shelves:
review:
We meet a woman named Lily who has a romance with a man named Matthew. We then fast forward to the future where Lily has a child but Matthew is no longer in the picture and the focus shifts to the perspective of Lily's son. The book then does a THIRD shift. I liked this book a lot in the first 2/3 but without spoiling it, I didn't care for the third perspective brought forth in the book. I really liked the author's writing but felt that the book should probably have focused more on one or two main characters.
]]> <![CDATA[Welcome Back, Stacey (The Baby-Sitters Club, #28)]]> 233797
Not only is Stacey sad and angry, but now she has a big decision to make: Stacey must either stay in New York with her father, or move out with her mother. . .to Stoneybrook.

Could Stacey really leave the city, her father, her best friend Laine, and all that great shopping? But then again, how could Stacey pass up going back to her old school, all the kids in Stoneybrook. . .and the members of the Baby-sitters Club?]]> 144 Ann M. Martin 0590673963 Brian 2 3.72 1989 Welcome Back, Stacey (The Baby-Sitters Club, #28)
author: Ann M. Martin
name: Brian
average rating: 3.72
book published: 1989
rating: 2
read at: 2024/05/23
date added: 2024/05/23
shelves:
review:
Stacey's parents have been fighting a lot, but she is SHOCKED when they announce they are getting a divorce. Will she stay in NYC or move back to Stoney Brook with her mama? This book was an odd one, as it had little to no babysitting and took place mainly in the city. I didn't really care for it that much and don't consider it to be one of the more memorable ones.
]]> <![CDATA[The Werewolf at Dusk: And Other Stories]]> 150778778 192 David Small 1324092823 Brian 2 3.50 2024 The Werewolf at Dusk: And Other Stories
author: David Small
name: Brian
average rating: 3.50
book published: 2024
rating: 2
read at: 2024/05/13
date added: 2024/05/13
shelves:
review:
This graphic novel seemed rather shallow in terms of a read. We are given three separate stories, all of them really short and lacking a lot of substance. I didn't really get the point of this overall but I enjoyed the artwork thus giving it 2 stars.
]]> Polar Vortex: A Family Memoir 199587225 256 Denise Dorrance 1615199055 Brian 5 4.24 Polar Vortex: A Family Memoir
author: Denise Dorrance
name: Brian
average rating: 4.24
book published:
rating: 5
read at: 2024/05/05
date added: 2024/05/05
shelves:
review:
This graphic novel was really really sad but very well written. A woman comes home to care for her mother and the book explores the healthcare system that is available to seniors and how awful it is. The book really got me feeling for the woman and the mother as well and the book had a pretty sad ending, but it was also very realistic in the way of our society is.
]]> <![CDATA[Jessi and the Superbrat (The Baby-Sitters Club, #27)]]> 48948 Jessi can't believe it, but even stars need baby-sitters,and she's the lucky club member to watch Derek Masters. Even though a lot of kids at school call Derek a spoiled brat, Jessi likes him immediately.He rides bikes and eats junk food like a normal kid, but he has exciting stories about Hollywood, too!
Pretty soon baby-sitting and ballet are starting to look kind of boring next to TV scripts and cameras. Maybe Jessi would like to be a star, too!]]> 135 Ann M. Martin 0590425021 Brian 3
This book was a middle of the road BSC book for me. I dont' remember it too well after re-reading it and I can see why; it doesnt' have the most exciting plot (and I have to say, I don't love Jessi's dance related sections) but it wasn't a bad book either. ]]> 3.56 1989 Jessi and the Superbrat (The Baby-Sitters Club, #27)
author: Ann M. Martin
name: Brian
average rating: 3.56
book published: 1989
rating: 3
read at: 2024/05/04
date added: 2024/05/04
shelves:
review:
Jessi gets STARSTRUCK when Derek Masters, an actual TV star moves back into town. The other BSC members and some of their siblings and clients also get very excited. But Derek has a hard time fitting in, and is plagued by a mean classmate named John. Who is this mysterious kid who is harassing this cutie patootie?

This book was a middle of the road BSC book for me. I dont' remember it too well after re-reading it and I can see why; it doesnt' have the most exciting plot (and I have to say, I don't love Jessi's dance related sections) but it wasn't a bad book either.
]]> <![CDATA[Baby-Sitters' Winter Vacation (The Baby-Sitters Club Super Special, #3)]]> 371080 224 Ann M. Martin 0590439731 Brian 2 3.79 1989 Baby-Sitters' Winter Vacation (The Baby-Sitters Club Super Special, #3)
author: Ann M. Martin
name: Brian
average rating: 3.79
book published: 1989
rating: 2
read at: 2024/05/01
date added: 2024/05/01
shelves:
review:
This book was not a great read in terms of BSC lore. The group goes on a trip to a ski lodge and has to deal with an accident that leaves them...guess what.... taking care of kids! The book was kind of dull and contained a lot of boring subplots. I really didn't care about the whole competition aspect and I didn't like many of the throwaway characters. I did appreciate that they brought back Ashley Wyeth, but this book pales in comparison to the last two Super Specials.
]]> Sociopath: A Memoir 176443093
Patric Gagne realized she made others uncomfortable before she started kindergarten. Something about her caused people to react in a way she didn＊t understand. She suspected it was because she didn＊t feel things the way other kids did. Emotions like fear, guilt, and empathy eluded her. For the most part, she felt nothing. And she didn＊t like the way that ※nothing§ felt.

She did her best to pretend she was like everyone else, but the constant pressure to conform to a society she knew rejected anyone like her was unbearable. So Patric stole. She lied. She was occasionally violent. She became an expert lock-picker and home-invader. All with the goal of replacing the nothingness with...something.

In college, Patric finally confirmed what she＊d long suspected. She was a sociopath. But even though it was the very first personality disorder identified〞well over 200 years ago〞sociopathy had been neglected by mental health professionals for decades. She was told there was no treatment, no hope for a normal life. She found herself haunted by sociopaths in pop culture, madmen and evil villains who are considered monsters. Her future looked grim.

But when Patric reconnects with an old flame, she gets a glimpse of a future beyond her diagnosis. If she＊s capable of love, it must mean that she isn＊t a monster. With the help of her sweetheart (and some curious characters she meets along the way) she embarks on a mission to prove that the millions of Americans who share her diagnosis aren＊t all monsters either.

This is the inspiring story of her journey to change her fate and how she managed to build a life full of love and hope.]]> 368 Patric Gagne 166800318X Brian 4 3.74 2024 Sociopath: A Memoir
author: Patric Gagne
name: Brian
average rating: 3.74
book published: 2024
rating: 4
read at: 2024/04/30
date added: 2024/04/30
shelves:
review:
In Sociopath, Patric takes us through her life and what it is like to be someone who doesn't have very strong feelings about most things and her methods of coping. I enjoyed this book and the dive the author allowed us to get into. I felt that the first section about her childhood was both the most disturbing (which I loved) and the most compelling; the parts about her later life got a little less interesting, but all in all this was a well written and deep memoir that allowed the reader to really understand what the author was thinking about as she dealt with her condition.
]]>