Tag: Review

Perfect Murder And Breeding Purposes

“Like the small fires we sometimes need in our lives to remind us that we are alive.”

“It’s the only reason the human race isn’t extinct, because people with no purpose breed.”

The Perfect Marriage is about a husband who is accused of killing his mistress and the wife who takes up his defense. Sarah, the wife, is a defense attorney and she is the best around. Adam, the husband, is an author that is struggling. He frequents the vacation house they bought to help with his writing but for a while now he has been involved in an affair. One day the cops show up at his door and aggressively arrest him for the murder of Kelly Summers. Matthew, the gay best friend, and Anne, the assistant/friend, are both side characters that get involved in some capacity. We follow along with the characters trying to determine what happened. There are secrets revealed and the past coming back to mess with the present. Did Adam commit murder? Will the truth come out? How will their lives be changed?

Jeneva Rose wrote a very engaging story. It was a quick read that grabbed your interest and kept it throughout the book. It was not a thought-provoking, deep book but it was entertaining which sometimes is all you need at the time. There were a couple funny moments with Matthew where he talks about breeding and kids. There were also some great descriptions about a town and the dichotomy of the looks and how modernization resembled a virus infecting the town. While reading this book, I actually yelled out loud and talked to myself especially in response to some of the characters. Eleanor was infuriating and should have been slapped multiple times. Adam is so stupid and did so many dumb things that you could not help shaking your head. Scott Summers is a character as well and it made me think of X-Men. There was also a character named after me! Very few parts had some explicit sexual descriptions but it was few and far between. I liked how the ending and result was just so casually referenced. I was just reading and it was so subtle that I was like wait what? That happened? There were no fun or interesting words that stood out to me. The language was pretty simple and straightforward. The author did put in some things that were not too believable and made me think hmm. Could that really happen? This is exactly the type of book that I would read to dissuade me from marrying. 

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Secret Secrets And The Lack Of Intrigue

“With our thoughts, we create the world.”

“’The human mind hates change…and the mind despises abandoning existing beliefs.’”

“’The right book at the right time can save your life.’”

The Secret of Secrets reunites us with Robert Langdon. This time he has a love interest with potential and the main topic deals with the mind. The story takes place mainly in Prague with a little bit in London and New York. It all starts with a brilliant scientist, her studies, and her manuscript. There are powerful forces involved, who will stop at nothing to prevent people from discovering a secret and letting the world in on this powerful knowledge. Robert Langdon finds himself opening his mind and willing to look at things with a new perspective. He is racing against a shadowy organization to prevent more deaths and save himself in the process. Will he be able to save the one he loves or will the clandestine forces succeed in silencing everyone, permanently?

I was so excited when I heard that a new Robert Langdon was being released. I loved the earlier books and I flew through those. I was so engrossed in them that I could not put them down. This time around I felt somewhat similarly but not close to the extent as before. I did want to keep reading and find out what was going on though. Dan Brown does have a way with creating suspense and enticing the reader to keep turning the page. He is a very entertaining author. However, this time around I felt a little let down. I didn’t like the Golem character as it was too “out there” for me. I am all about fantasy and sci-fi and mythology but not in this realistic context. It just didn’t fit for me. One thing I have always liked about Robert Langdon books was the puzzles, history, and secrets but I found that severely lacking in this book. I enjoy topics like when Langdon was thinking to himself about the usage and difference between the Rod of Asclepius and the caduceus. I also felt that this book didn’t have as much thought put into it. It felt rushed and lazy. I didn’t think of it before but there were several reused tropes like the protagonists being chased by a bad cop, a separate character (turns out to be connected) doing a lot of the dirty work, and a female that is right there alongside to help. It is also a little hard to believe after everything that Robert has been through that he wouldn’t be more skeptical and cautious. He just runs off without even thinking things through. It seems uncharacteristic. Some things I could see coming from a mile away too. A few things I predicted including the deciphering of a clue. I also felt that there were unrealistic scenes like pausing to just talk in an alcove while being chased by a madman. There was some interesting real-life information like experiments and theories that were referenced. I found these fascinating topics like retrocasuality, fractals, TMT, and habituation filtering throughout. I am just more interested in history, buildings, groups, and myths than the science, even though it can be very fascinating. There were some scary things brought up in this book too like In-Q-Tel. Who watches the watchers? Fun that the ambassador drives the same car as me! The word play on a specific page was so enjoyable! “Abomination of indolence…not only adroit, it brings propitious consolation.” I did find the name of this book a little pompous but describing the internet as a kind of nonlocal consciousness and the last page describing the Statue of Liberty was pretty cool. This is exactly the type of book that I would read just to complete the series.

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Wood Goddess And End That Let Down

“How quickly, I reflected, peril could be followed by beauty in the wilderness, each forming a part of the other.”

“The idea that one is free to do what one wishes in life, expectations be damned.”

The God of the Woods is about a rich family, a camp, and the ripple effects emanating from them. The story centers around Barbara, a missing girl from this camp that was created by the Van Laar family a few generations ago. The story grows from there, where several characters and timelines get introduced. The author jumps back and forth between present day in the story and things that happened in the past. We get perspectives from counselors, campers, police, friends, and the community of the town nearby. There is an investigation into the missing girl but things are complicated because she is a Van Laar and her brother vanished years ago as well. What happened to the brother and what happened to Barbara?

Liz Moore is the author of this book and this is the first book I have read by her. Overall, I thought it was ok. I found it a little boring and I did not like the resolution. There were only a few likeable characters, so I found myself despising a lot of them. There were plenty of weak women and asshole men in this book. I was very judgmental throughout and kept on thinking how can anyone do that. There were a lot of characters and timelines to keep track in this book. I had to keep pausing and think heavily to remind myself who each character was, how they fit into the overall story, and where we were in the timeline. I couldn’t feel like I could really sink into the story. There were a couple of lines I smirked at including “From her toiletry kit she removed the new glasses…these she placed at the back of the single drawer…it would be better, she thought, not to see anything too clearly this summer.” This was also a long book and I thought it could do with a little more editing. There were multiple times I didn’t think a chapter added any value to or moved the story forward. This was also true of a specific character. I didn’t see the point in them. There were loose ends that were never tied up. However, I did feel compelled to finish the book to find out what happened to the missing kids. As usual, there were a few words that I came across that I enjoyed like indefatigable and abstemiousness. This is exactly the type of book that I would read if I was trapped in a cabin and was bored and wanted to read something. It was enjoyable enough as a distraction but not something that I would highly recommend to people. 

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The Focus Of James And Riding The Mississippi

James by Percival Everett

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


“But the real source of our rage had to go without address, swallowed, repressed.”

“With my pencil, I wrote myself into being. I wrote myself to here.”

“Dey takes the lies dey want and throws away the truths dat scares ‘em.”

James is the story of Jim from Adventures of Huckleberry Finn but told from his perspective. We follow him through his journey from being separated from his wife and child, traversing the mighty Mississippi, encounters with many helpful people, run ins with people who want to do him harm, and all along his desire to get back to his family fueling his resolve. Throughout this story, Huck Finn is along for the ride, popping in and out of the narrative. It is told in a very rustic, local, and realistic way in the tradition of Mark Twain. Will Jim meet back up with his family or forever be on the run?

Percival Everett wrote a masterpiece here. I could not find one fault with it. The writing style was perfection and he allowed the readers to dive into the story. I felt like I was right there besides James and Huck while they were on the river, running from the white men, or eating catfish that they stole from a trotline. He has a gift with sardonic humor, keen observations, and humanistic writing. Right from the get-go I laughed out loud with “those boys couldn’t sneak up on a blind and deaf man while a band was playing.” You could just picture those boys trying to sneak. The spoken language used throughout added such depth to the narrative. On page 28, throwing in types of irony made me smile as it tickled my linguistic interests and just because I love language. Some words I ran across that I loved were Labyrinthine, Daedalean, perfidy, and sonorous. Page 103 had a great back and forth which was witty and funny. This book had an intellectual side to it as well. There were dreams of Jims, portraying historical figures and discussing equality, slavery, liberties, and whether humans are inherently evil. It added another layer of historical context based on centuries old thoughts of highly regarded writers like Volatire. It highlighted the fact that people who think they are enlightened might not be as much as they/we think. It generated many interesting possible debates. “Was it evil to kill evil?” There are so many topics and discussions I want to showcase here but I should leave things for other readers to discover on their own. The depiction of the horrific nature of slavery was palpable. The imagery that conjured in my brain with scenes describing whippings and the fear while running or hiding was vivid. It was harrowing and that was just me reading about it. Percival showcased the inhumanity it and the struggle of black people. This is exactly the type of book that I would recommend to anyone and everyone. It is quintessential.

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The Lyrical Life And Critiquing Love

Deep Cuts by Holly Brickley

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


“I personally like to pretend the phrase ‘deep cut’ has a totally different meaning, one that has nothing to do with anyone else’s opinion. How deep does it cut? How close to the bone? How long do you feel it?”

“Why do we listen to those voices, calling from just outside our door, that tell us to reject contentment in search of something more?”

“’Am I allowed to be a person right now?’”

Deep Cuts is about music and life. We follow Percy Marks from college to adulthood as she navigates relationships and her place in this world. She is roughly the same age as me so I relate to a lot of the events. The time periods that were referenced really hit home. Percy went to college in the early 2000s and so cultural milestones, like September 11th, evoked vivid imagery and feelings in me. It spans many years and several cities. There is also Joe, who is a musician and throughout the book, he is the yang to Percy’s yin. They revolve around each other, occasionally colliding, and greatly influencing each other’s lives. Percy is all about music, writing, and critiquing. She helps others write music and writes articles about music, but does she have what it takes to write her own songs?

This is the type of book I have always wanted to write. Each chapter is a song title and seems to be intricately woven into what is going on. The music sets the scene and tone for what is happening on the pages. I didn’t pull up the song every single time one was mentioned but I did it a lot. There is even a playlist on Spotify with a list of songs from this book (which I am not listening to as I write this). I do love music and have always wondered how it could work within the confines of a book. I think that Holly Brickley did a great job of doing this and I am jealous. This book grabbed me from the first chapter. The repartee between the characters and the time period it took place in was energizing. I was excited to see what would happen in this story and how it would evolve & resolve. It felt like an indie film and it was all about character development. It was punchy and clever. It was a kind of love story with a will they/won’t they vibe. Love of each other or of music or what they other elevates them to do. I wrote down tons of artists and songs to go back and listen to. One thing about my listening habits is that I favor style over substance. I tend not to listen to the lyrics as much as I would like to. Now after reading this, I want to listen to the highlighted songs with a new ear. I want to focus on the lyrics and give the artists their due. Holly used the phrased “sprawl of knowledge more than a well of joy” which made me think and consider. I liked how she intimated that going deep into something is joyful. There was a lot of good turn of phrases and sentences that I related to. “It was the kind of beer that tasted like rubber bands” and I could immediately conjure that taste in my mouth. “Instead of sleeping that night I revised my end of the conversation in my head over and over” which is something I could understand immensely. I had a bad habit of doing that over and over again…or the reverse where I play out potential future conversations that have yet to happen. I love it when books reference the title in a normal way as when Holly does it on page 27. I liked the comment on men. “’Boys are less afraid of being wrong’…this was why men got to run the world, even as it became slowly obvious that they were terrible at it.” I had to laugh out loud at this. I liked how the author took lyrics from songs and expanded on them including possible meanings. “The bottomless pit of misfortune hovering just on wrong step away from all of us? It’s a miracle just to be here, the song seemed to say, on this side of the blue. Don’t torture yourself trying to understand why. Know what you know. Do what you have to do.” There were songs “written” by Joe & Percy that were referenced in the book too. It was a cool tie back in. The words in this book that I ran across that I enjoyed, looked up, and said out loud were ensorcelled, melisma, and prismatically (the way this was used was perfection). I really love ensorcelled. It is just a fun word. This is exactly the type of book that I would read to get great song suggestions especially ones that I would not normally be exposed to. It is a thoughtfully written book.

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Potentially Good And Running Rich Or Poor

“Without the reliable narcotic drip of an education to remind me how special I was…my self-worth became unstable and indeterminate.”

“You have so much potential.”

Killer Potential is about a tutor and a woman she goes on the run with. Evie tutors students for the SAT and her clients are rich. They are the wealthy with huge mansions and money to spare. One day she enters the house of a student and discovers that the parents are dead and it looks like murder. As she was just about to head out, she hears the whimpering pleas asking for help. She discovers a woman tied up in a closet and frees her. As they were about to leave, they were spotted and now they are on the run. They are suspects. They are fugitives trying to evade capture. Evie is now famous but will she find the real killer in time?

I liked the opening chapter of this book and the discussion of grammar. I love grammar and English. It was delightful to start off this way, with the discussion of passive and active voice which set the stage for the bigger story. Are we active or passive in our own lives? Do we do things or do we have things done to us? One thing I like throughout the book were the descriptions and imagery the author, Hannah Deitch, can conjure up. Her sentences like “Bootstrapping stories have kept capitalists’ dicks hard since the Gilded Age. But the thing about potential is that it’s purely speculative” or “the dark sinews of my body like an eel” really help to paint a picture. You can vividly picture it. I found it unique and fun. Her word choice is great…”gilded firmament of your life.” I also love learning so a couple things that she mentioned that I learned were about the Dimples of Venus and the words susurrus & sibilant which are fun to say. Authors gain points with me by doing this. In chapter 36, Hannah describes the differences between being poor and being wealthy in such an interesting way. I have never thought of it that way before but I could totally see it. It makes a lot of sense and thought she was clever with this paragraph. As I have stated there were many examples of the writing that I liked but now it is time for the negatives. The story started off with potential but I slowly lost interest in what was happening. I started to not care what happened with them or with the investigation. It was kind of boring and uneventful. There were no surprises for me and I didn’t like the development of the protagonist. I really didn’t like any character actually. I think the focus was more on big picture, existential topics of society and rich vs poor. I needed something to happen or it was just kind of like reading a philosophy book. As a debut novel though, it is not bad. This is exactly the type of book you read for a book club to discuss what they went through, how you can relate, and if things are justified or not. 

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Prevent Dreadful Decision Fatigue And Live Life By Choosing

Don’t Overthink It: Make Easier Decisions, Stop Second-Guessing, and Bring More Joy to Your Life by Anne Bogel

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


“Far more than you may realize, your experience, your world, and even your self are the creations of what you focus on.”

Don’t Overthink It is a book about your thoughts and thought patterns. It is about your mind running wild and ways to rein it in. It provides real world examples of different situations that really illustrate each concept in turn. It addresses many aspects of overthinking followed by things that you can do in your daily life that could counteract and address them. Anne Bogel details out techniques that worked for her or others that she has talked to. She points out all the negative consequences that take a toll on not just our mental health but all aspects of our lives. It provides help with decision-making. “Decisions made out of fear are not good decisions.” This book really tries to hit home that it is not one singular, drastic change but a series of small, incremental, and intentional changes that you implement daily that will get you to where you want to be. It is all about belief and self-talk.

This book really resonated with me. I have a strong connection with overthinking and it has been pointed out by almost everyone that knows me. It is a bad habit that I am actively working on and Anne Bogel did an excellent job in communicating the exact things that I struggle with. It is not just big decisions like where to live that are difficult but even small ones like which pop to get at a fountain machine or to work out inside vs outside. Analysis Paralysis is where my brain really lit up and where I paid extremely good attention to. I loved how she explained why it occurs and why it is something that is attractive to do. I am definitely a perfectionist and I am very curious. These are two things that lend itself easily to paralysis in analyzing. I try and research all possible options to get the “best” one and make sure I don’t miss out on the “perfect” opportunity as I have this drive to spend my time well. However, I could benefit from the suggestion of limiting my choices and to not put so much pressure on the decision. We all experience decision fatigue. Limiting this is important. Move on and make that decision. We don’t have the time or headspace to wallow or wobble. One thing to remember, not deciding is deciding. Building patterns and habits can help with this as well. Another overthinking trap I fall into is rumination. Anne Bogel gives good ways to try and overcome this as well. It does not come across as judgmental at all but straightforward and matter of fact. I like the suggestion of try it and see. Give yourself permission to experiment, fail, and learn some valuable & helpful information. One thing that I identified with (and have known for a while but haven’t quite figured it out) is section on values. Having a solid idea of your values can help in the decision-making process. “Do I hold a value that can inform this decision?” I must address this gap. The book really focuses on how you talk to yourself and what you say. Anne really gives hope and support throughout. It may be “too hard right now” but it won’t stay that way. “You don’t have to be at the mercy of your negative thoughts” but you can control and harness them. There is a benediction at the end that I love. A couple words that were used that I liked were perseverate (even Word doesn’t recognize this and wants to change it) and quotidian. This is exactly the type of book that I need to learn from and implement in my life daily.

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Egyptian Corruption And Sexy Secrets Surrounding A Single Address

The Yacoubian Building by Alaa Al Aswany

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


“It may happen that you will hate a thing which is better for you.”

The Yacoubian Building is about a residential building in Cairo and the people connected with it. We rotate through different stories focused on one or more of these characters and sometimes they interweave with other storylines. There is a list of main characters in the front of the book, which I found myself utilizing quite a bit. It is told from the 3rd person perspective, and we get to know all that is going on internally and externally. It takes place around the 1990s and there is a lot going on. In this book you will find religion, sex, greed, family, homosexuality, and many other divergent topics. It encompasses a wide array of things and gives us a glimpse into what life might have looked like. It is a real time piece.

Alaa Al Aswany is the author of this novel and he is quite the writer. His detailed descriptions really allow you to paint a vivid image in your head. He has some real talent with this. And it doesn’t go on for days either like Hemingway. Everything he puts down on paper has relevance and allows the reader to get to know the characters in depth. It shows the environment they are living in and their history and motives and why they are the way they are. He can create an amazing sense of place and mood. There is a lot of sex in this book and a lot of describing people in sexual terms. The way the bodies are detailed, the words people use, or the actual sex scenes are numerous. I liked the words he chose to use too. There were just enough words that I had to look up and ones that I loved pronouncing out loud like, abrogate and disputatiousness. I enjoyed how they sounded on my tongue and learning new words. It was sad what people had to go through and how they treated each other. People suffered…”This country doesn’t belong to us, Taha. It belongs to the people who have money.” Unfortunately, this is still true in a lot of ways and places. It really touches on corruption within people and institutions and society. It really showed the worst of people. This had a direct impact on my views of characters. At one point I would be on their side and then later I would totally despise them. One thing I didn’t enjoy was trying to keep track of everyone and where we were in their stories. I had to rely on the list of characters at the front to remember who was who and what was previously revealed about them. This book also talked a lot about religion and it got to be too much for me. I cannot relate at all and I just did not get it. I enjoyed this novel and I think others will as well. It is very well written and it is truly thoughtful. This is exactly the type of book that I would love to look back on for inspiration on writing descriptions.

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Stop Standing In Your Own Way And How To Level Up

“The greatest act of self-love is to no longer accept a life you are unhappy with.”

“What you believe about your life is what you will make true about your life.”

The Mountain Is You is a book in the realm of self-help and self-improvement. It is written by Brianna Wiest and she goes into depth around the topic of self-sabotage. Sometimes we are not even aware of how we are doing this. It starts from a point of realizing that you never want to feel a certain way again. It covers a lot of topics related to this and how one can identify the problems. She then dives into what you can do to help alleviate the issues and move your life in the direction you want. It guides you into being more in the moment and not letting outside forces dictate your moods and thoughts. You cannot control everything but you can control how you react. Ultimately this book guides you through how to go about figuring out what you want and understanding what is holding you back.

I took almost two pages worth of notes while reading this book. There were things I want to definitely remember going forward. I want and need to be able to think of them in everyday moments so I can apply them to my own life. “Usually when we have a problem that is circumstantial, we are facing the reality of life. When we have a problem that is chronic, we are facing the reality of ourselves.” This was the first light bulb moment I had while reading this tome of knowledge. She goes on to give examples of ways you are self-sabotaging and then explain what your subconscious might want you to know. Like for me, what really hit home was pushing people away and wanting solitude because I am not being my authentic self; if I were it would be easier to have people around. Or eating poorly because I am not giving myself the true experiences I crave. It is ultimately about what you end up doing, not what you intend to do. This book really puts things in perspective and says some smart things. It is not about making huge sweeping changes but microshifts and doing them daily until they become habituated. Change equals stress so reducing the size of the change can help. We even resist things that we want because if we achieve it we then level up, forcing us out of survival mode and into thriving mode, thinking about the bigger questions in life. It is about moving on from the life you don’t want for yourself and building something new. Show up as you are. Your purpose is just to be here. I loved the way it was organized, the way it phrased things, and the level of explanation. This was extremely helpful, and everyone should own a copy. This is exactly the type of book that I would love to have on my shelf behind my desk so that I can just reach back and open it up to find a piece of inspirational advice whenever I need it. 

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Best Friends Discover Love And Sultry Scenes Of Sex

Him by Sarina Bowen

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


“Good thing he’s not a traffic cop, because he’s sending enough mixed signals to cause a ten-car pileup.”

Him is about two friends who meet at hockey camp and become friends. They made a bet on a shootout which caused one to cut the other off for years. Now a chance encounter at the Frozen Four brings them back into each other’s lives. They quickly become friends again and have six weeks to figure out what is going on between them. They are coaching teenagers to improve their hockey skills while navigating their own relationship. One is on his way to Toronto to play in the NHL and one is supposed to be headed for Detroit. This is a fun will they/won’t they book that keeps you enthralled from beginning to end.

I plowed through this book in a single day. I kept wanting to read more and more. There were plenty of hot scenes. It was well written, and this is the second gay romance I have read recently written by two female authors. I don’t know how they do it but they do an excellent job at describing things in a way that makes you feel like you are the one participating. One thing that I found myself doing throughout though, is trying to keep track of which name belonged to which character. I wrote it down but I still found myself flipping back to when the chapter started to remember if it was Wes or Jamie. Wes was the forward and Jamie was the goalie. Wes is gay and Jamie is straight. Wes has tattoos and breaks rules. Jamie has a huge family and loves coaching. The difference between each of their families is vast and it makes you feel for each of them. I loved how the book was written from both viewpoints, and it really helped to build the tension and see it from each perspective. The sex scenes were very sultry and provocative. I found myself frustrated at times with each of them and wanted them to just get over their hangups. I kept putting it down needing to move on to do something else but I found myself reaching for the book again and again so I can see what happens. I bet you could easily finish this in a single day. I cannot wait to read the next one.

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