Juicy, juicy, juicy! This book has the makings for some GREAT TV. The relationships between 4 sets of Type A parents devolve into chaos as they vie foJuicy, juicy, juicy! This book has the makings for some GREAT TV. The relationships between 4 sets of Type A parents devolve into chaos as they vie for coveted spots at a new “gifted” school in their wealthy community. I was hooked from the start by this unique, well-paced story. And it was fun to read from the perspectives of both the moms and dads - and to see how they were all behaving badly! Initially I was surprised that this book was written by a man, as it did a pretty good job portraying the mothers’ points of view. But I did notice a few things that felt a bit off - the friendships between the women were really not believable. Why did they even like each other? How were they so bonded that they forgave each other even the gravest of mistakes? And all the kids acted WAY older than 5th grade. Finally, I wasn’t a big fan of the ending as it was over the top and in my opinion not necessary. Still 4 stars for a very enjoyable read....more
There is a lot of buzz surrounding this book, but for me it was just ok. 19-year-old Vivian Morris has flunked out of Vassar College and is shipped ofThere is a lot of buzz surrounding this book, but for me it was just ok. 19-year-old Vivian Morris has flunked out of Vassar College and is shipped off to live with her free-living Aunt Peg in NYC. It’s 1940, and Aunt Peg is running a funky neighborhood theater, where a band of mismatched actors and showgirls put on campy musicals for their working class guests. Vivian immediately immerses herself in the lifestyle of these colorful cast members, and a lot of boozing and sex ensues. There is some solid storytelling about the ups and downs of theater life and how getting tangled up with the press can only lead to bad news. But this book was actually kind of...boring. It is narrated by 90-year-old Vivian, in response to a letter that a woman named Angela has sent asking Vivian, “What did you mean to my father?”. Vivian proceeds to start from the very beginning, telling the story of her entire adult life to Angela. I kept waiting for some big reveal about Angela’s father that would tie everything together and make this rather long (480 pages) book worth it. The narrative format (which by definition puts some distance between the reader and the story) had to have a point, right? In the end, I’m not sure it did. City of Girls has some fun and funny parts, charming characters and reflective moments. Just not my favorite of the summer....more
Bravo Jacob Tobia, for writing a book that truly pushes the boundaries of how we think about gender. Modern thinking tells us that boys can like pink Bravo Jacob Tobia, for writing a book that truly pushes the boundaries of how we think about gender. Modern thinking tells us that boys can like pink and girls can like cars. It tells us that a person born in a boy's body can identify as female and choose to transition their gender. What it doesn't tell us is that being "gender non-conforming" or "trans" does not always mean exchanging one binary for another. It doesn't tell us that more often than not, people are mashups of multiple gender identities that can co-exist at the same time. The best part about this book is that Jacob tells their story through the most HILARIOUS stories - of growing up in the church, coming out to their parents, experimenting with dress, going to college and entering the working world - all while coming to understand the complexity of their gender. Jacob is only 27 years old but so, so wise and life-affirming. I loved listening to Jacob's voice narrating the audio book - so many tender and laugh out loud moments. This is someone I would want to be friends with in real life!...more
The Unbreakables was compulsively readable. On Sophie Bloom's 42nd birthday, she discovers that her "perfect" husband Gabe has been cheating on her, dThe Unbreakables was compulsively readable. On Sophie Bloom's 42nd birthday, she discovers that her "perfect" husband Gabe has been cheating on her, dozens of times, over the course of their marriage. An empty nester, Sophie jets off to Paris where her daughter is studying abroad. She then proceeds to - among other things - crush on her daughter's lover (weird), indulge in luxury hotels, have a ménage à trois with millennials, proceed to become BFFs with said millennials, become an apprentice to a world-famous sculptor, get in the middle of a love triangle...it was a lot. This book is pure escapism. I enjoyed it, despite how comically far-fetched it was. The arc of Sophie's journey from grief-stricken-wife to empowered-free-woman was on fast forward (and notably never on rewind). A fine enough book to read at the beach or in the bathtub, but not a whole lot more than that....more
I'm sorry, Red, White & Royal Blue - it's not you, it's me. You are a very sweet story, and you know I love diverse characters in a romance. I just caI'm sorry, Red, White & Royal Blue - it's not you, it's me. You are a very sweet story, and you know I love diverse characters in a romance. I just can't do contrived fairy tales! This would make a fantastic live action Disney move, and I would probably enjoy it. Trailer voice over: Once upon a time there were two young heartthrobs that lived oceans apart. The first son of the United States and the Prince of Wales should never have fallen for each other, but their love was too strong. Evil political foes that try to viciously tear them apart...will love conquer all? Bonus points for LGBTQ characters in a leading role! I listened to this on audio, and it was well done. But the story line was just too formulaic for me, and it was also way too long for such a simple plot....more
Big family dramas are my jam, so I had very high expectations for The Most Fun We Ever Had. And in many ways it lived up those expectations. We get toBig family dramas are my jam, so I had very high expectations for The Most Fun We Ever Had. And in many ways it lived up those expectations. We get to go deep into the lives of the Sorensons - David and Marilyn, and their four daughters Wendy, Violet, Liza and Grace. Over a 40 year period, each family member faces their fair share of trials (adoption, illness, death, relationship troubles, etc.), but the real drama lies in the relationships between the siblings. Here’s where I had a slight problem with the book. The drama between the sisters seemed so contrived! These are privileged young women who were raised by loving, attentive parents. Why weren’t they more supportive of each another - Wendy and Violet in particular?! And, it’s been said before, but this book was LONG. I really enjoyed Claire Lombardi’s writing (minus a few odd references to “Asian”, “Irish” and “black” people that seemed unnecessary), but I think it could have been edited down and been just as strong of a book, if not stronger....more
I really enjoyed this one. Balli Kaur Jaswal transports you to India along with the three Shergill sisters, who have traveled there together to honor I really enjoyed this one. Balli Kaur Jaswal transports you to India along with the three Shergill sisters, who have traveled there together to honor their mother’s dying wish. Rajni, Jezmeen and Shirina - born in Britain to Punjabi immigrants - are in their 30s and not particularly close. Each of the sisters is struggling in some way - Rajni’s 18-year-old son is engaged to a much older woman, Jezmeen’s acting career is imploding before it has taken off, and Shirina’s super traditional mother-in-law has expectations that are impossible to fulfill - but the sisters keep all this close to their chest. Jaswal really nails the cultural tendency to keep private things private, while also illustrating the depth and tenderness of their familial bond. This book is full of heart and humor, and will most definitely make you want to eat Indian food....more
John Glynn invites us into The Hive, a summer rental house shared amongst young New Yorkers one summer in Montauk. I love coming-of-age memoirs, so I John Glynn invites us into The Hive, a summer rental house shared amongst young New Yorkers one summer in Montauk. I love coming-of-age memoirs, so I eagerly immersed myself into John’s world with his group of 20-something friends bumping up against “real” adulthood. Though they were all college graduates with jobs, The Hive was basically an extension of college, with non-stop partying, hookups and fluid relationships. What Glynn portrays so well is the vast loneliness and insecurity felt even in the midst of a crowd. John’s story of coming out as an adult was compelling. But I felt the vignettes about other Hive members to be lacking in authenticity. I didn’t understand how this book was non-fiction, but John was somehow omniscient of his friends’ thoughts and feelings? Overall, it’s a bit of a stretch that this even became a book since there really isn’t anything special about this group of friends, but I did enjoy the writing....more
Searching for Sylvie Lee has all the elements I love in a book - immigrant story, family drama and a bit of mystery. The book started out strong as thSearching for Sylvie Lee has all the elements I love in a book - immigrant story, family drama and a bit of mystery. The book started out strong as the groundwork was laid. As a young child, Sylvie Lee was raised by her Chinese grandmother in The Netherlands before returning to live with her parents and younger sister Amy in New York. Now an adult, Sylvie returns to The Netherlands to support her ailing grandmother. When Sylvie goes missing during her trip, Amy and her Dutch second cousin Lucas come together to search for her. Here’s where things go a bit off the rails. There are a LOT of plot points - Sylvie's disappearance, grandmother's hidden treasure, Sylvie's tense relationship with her aunt and uncle, Sylvie's creepy ex-husband, weird love triangles/quadrangles, and more. Kwok does link everything together to some degree, but I wanted to go deeper with fewer story lines. I loved the Dutch setting and the way Kwok used literal translations to represent Chinese phrases. But about halfway through, I noticed a sentence pattern where nearly every sentence started with a subject (usually a person) and then a verb...and then I couldn't stop noticing it, which distracted me. In the end, this book didn't really work for me....more
The Island of Sea Women is not a book I would have thought to pick up. A book about diving for seafood? But it came so highly recommended on BookstagrThe Island of Sea Women is not a book I would have thought to pick up. A book about diving for seafood? But it came so highly recommended on Bookstagram that I had to try it. It did not disappoint! Within the first few pages, I was captivated by culture of the Korean Island of Jeju, where from the turn of the century, skilled women divers fueled the economy while men took care of babies. We follow the complicated friendship of two women in a village diving collective, Mi-ja and Young-sook, whose families come from politically opposite sides of the Japanese occupation of Korea. Mi-ja and Young-sook bond as closely as sisters, until war, political uprising and violence threaten to tear them apart. It is a heart-breaking book that does not spare us from the collateral damage of the post-WWII US occupation of Korea. I learned so much from this book through the eyes of these two long-suffering women - a testament to the profundity of See's storytelling....more
This book is so freaking fantastic. Jo and Bethie Kaufman are sisters born in the 1950s into a working class family in Detroit. From an early age, Jo This book is so freaking fantastic. Jo and Bethie Kaufman are sisters born in the 1950s into a working class family in Detroit. From an early age, Jo is “a trial” for her parents - never dressing right or acting properly - while Bethie is perfectly girly and sweet. When their father unexpectedly passes away when the girls are in their teens, the family dynamic is thrown for a loop. We follow Jo and Bethie from their childhood through the present, in alternating chapters, as they take unexpected paths toward self-discovery. The backdrop of how views toward women change over the decades is ever-present and powerful. This book is GRIPPING in its portrayal of both everyday trials and life-altering tragedies. I absolutely loved how each woman was never defined by just one thing - whether that was her relationships, her sexuality, her children, her career, or her trauma. Jennifer Weiner has written a deeply satisfying, feminist masterpiece....more
I adore Ruth Reichl's memoirs. Tender at the Bone captivated all my senses with its stories of family and food. In Save Me the Plums, Ruth recounts heI adore Ruth Reichl's memoirs. Tender at the Bone captivated all my senses with its stories of family and food. In Save Me the Plums, Ruth recounts her 10 years as Editor-in-Chief of Gourmet Magazine. She is a fish out of water when she is first tapped to take on the job, having been a writer but never a manager, let alone a corporate executive. I loved the depictions of Ruth as a funky free-spirit who finds herself sitting in meetings about advertising, budgets and reorganizations. The delicate balance between the creative and the commercial is the ebb and flow of this book, told through tell-all stories featuring some of the biggest names in the culinary world. We follow Ruth as she breathes new life into the magazine, fights to keep it afloat through the rise of the internet age, and ultimately faces its demise. It's a fascinating look into the inner-workings of a magazine, and equally a very personal account of her struggles, successes and failures as a leader....more
Ask Again, Yes is quiet, mournful and slow burning...which doesn't exactly sound like a ringing endorsement, but oh my goodness did I love this book. Ask Again, Yes is quiet, mournful and slow burning...which doesn't exactly sound like a ringing endorsement, but oh my goodness did I love this book. Brian Stanhope and Francis Gleeson are rookie police officers with young families, making their first homes next door to each other in the suburbs of New York City. The climax hits early, with a tragedy that will link the two families for decades to come. What follows is a love story of sorts, between the Stanhopes' son Peter and the Gleesons' daughter Kate. Their relationship is built on the deepest of bonds, yet infected by shame, secrets, mental illness and addiction. While the event that shapes Peter and Kate's childhood friendship would be considered extraordinary, the way it plays out in subtle ways as they navigate adulthood is so profoundly universal. This could have been any family in America, marching through the long, messy journey of forgiveness. I wanted to savor this book, even as I could not stop turning its pages....more
It’s been a week since I finished this book and I’m still thinking about it. I’m completely in awe of how Lisa Taddeo was able to capture the innermosIt’s been a week since I finished this book and I’m still thinking about it. I’m completely in awe of how Lisa Taddeo was able to capture the innermost thoughts of three real women and craft them into a narrative that reads like fiction. Three Women has been billed as “a book about female desire”, which some seem to interpret as it claiming to be THE definitive book on female desire. That is obviously not the case, since all three women are white and middle/upper class. All three also happen to be in problematic relationships, and relationships where they are the other woman. Is it a book about desire? Yes. Does Taddeo do a staggering job of capturing the women’s passion, vulnerability, desperation, and struggle for agency? YES. She manages to convey this by describing the act of putting dinosaur-shaped frozen chicken nuggets in the oven for god’s sake! This woman can write. My point is that these stories should not be held responsible for representing the universe of female desire. These stories should stand for themselves, yet you may just find that you feel a little less alone after reading them....more
Oh, Queenie! Queenie was my one Book of the Month selection that I kept putting off, for months and months, and then a year. For some reason I couldn'Oh, Queenie! Queenie was my one Book of the Month selection that I kept putting off, for months and months, and then a year. For some reason I couldn't get past the first couple of chapters. I'd read a lot of mixed reviews, and then the opening pages felt...thin. There was a lot of text messaging happening; I will leave it at that. I finally decided it was now or never for me and Queenie. Once I dedicated myself to it, I had two experiences with the book. The first half was rough - pretty much just Queenie making a series of bad decisions in the aftermath of a breakup. Where was Candice Carty-Williams going with this, other than to make us really frustrated with and sad for Queenie? Well, it turns out she had a plan all along. The book truly blossoms in the second half, as Queenie's very real struggles with mental health are revealed. It's all very messy and there no quick fixes - just a lot of therapy and the support of some wonderful girlfriends who catch on to the severity of the situation. This is definitely not a rom com and I'm so grateful for it!...more