Somehow when I saw the blurb and its mention of a setting in New Orleans “where secrets--and bodies--never stay buried” – my mind went to this either Somehow when I saw the blurb and its mention of a setting in New Orleans “where secrets--and bodies--never stay buried” – my mind went to this either involving zombies or a murder mystery involving a casket brought back to the surface via storm surge or something of the like . . .
Turns out this was a pretty straightforward whodunit involving some debutantes – exactly like the actual synopsis would have informed me had I bothered reading it. Oops. I don’t pick up a lot of YA like I used to, but this was perfectly adequate. Great cover, though! ...more
The premise, however, of two killers who hunt serial killers as a hobby was enough to get me intrigued so I decided to give it a whirl. It was fun and fresh for a bit, but once the smexies started I started skimming because clearly this was just an excuse for . . .
And an overuse of all the squicky “C” words with an ending that hinted around about a brother and the best friend which will surely be featured in their own bang session in a future book.
If you are like me and have a hard time following a plot via audiobook, but absolutely CANNOT be left alone with only your own head while e
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If you are like me and have a hard time following a plot via audiobook, but absolutely CANNOT be left alone with only your own head while exercising/cooking/cleaning/working/whatever – then this one might be for you. It’s 100% predictable and terribly written, but got me through my walk when it was nineteen degrees outside, so it did its job. ...more
Ha! Y’all know that’s a bunch of crap and that I literally only read this because it won The Booker Prize in order to pretend like I don’t read 99% trash for the remainder of the year.
Good news is, you don’t have to be a smarty farty to understand this one and it’s surprisingly hypnotic. The story here is of six astronauts in the space station. Their one day will amount to Earth’s sixteen and while one crew member is mourning a personal loss, portions of the world below prepare for a natural disaster. Connections between persons on the blue planet and one in space are fleshed out and the writing is phenomenal . . . .
Our lives here are inexpressibly trivial and momentous at once . . . Both repetitive and unprecedented. We matter greatly and not at all. To reach some pinnacle of human achievement only to discover that your achievements are next to nothing and that to understand this is the greatest achievement of any life, which itself is nothing, and also much more than everything. Some metal separates us from the void; death is so close. Life is everywhere, everywhere.
This one was definitely made even more interesting with the current situation of the astronauts stranded in space. Recommended. ...more
this story is the beginning of a dark and twisted journey into the disappearance, and possible murder, of a girl at uni in the late 90s and its likthis story is the beginning of a dark and twisted journey into the disappearance, and possible murder, of a girl at uni in the late 90s and its likely link to the disappearances of three other young women, all students at Southern State University in Mt. Randall, North Carolina
^^^Actual footage of me the entire time I was reading this one. (I have since toned down the bleachiness of my hair color, however.)
If you are like me and addicted to all things true crime and the Lifetime TV caliber of stabby stabbies involving missing women, then this should be HIGHLY satisfying for you.
I’m eight gazillion reviews behind, so just trust me on this. I liked the “mixed media” snippets involving social media posts and the podcast – and the writing, pacing and ending (although it’s not a super big shocker) made me fly through this in one sitting. I’ll definitely pick up The Woods Are Waiting. ...more
“The important thing is this: to be able at any moment to sacrifice what we are for what we could become.” - Charles Du Bos
When it comes to plotli“The important thing is this: to be able at any moment to sacrifice what we are for what we could become.” - Charles Du Bos
When it comes to plotlines, I’m always down for a con or grift and toxic or fatal friendships. I also tend to stay dug in the same rabbit hole for quite some time. This selection popped up as a recommended to me after I finished listening to My Friend Anna and despite absolutely HATING We Were Liars I decided to give it a whirl since it was so short and I’m always looking for something to listen to while walking.
When it started at “Chapter 18” I thought oh Christ on a cracker, not this gimmicky shit . Be forewarned if you are listening that the time jumps allllllll over the place. The good news is, aside from the very endy-end none of the twists here weren’t something that readers who seek out these types of tales wouldn’t see coming and the getting there ended up being pretty fun. Also, despite being marketed as Young Adult, I think plenty of adult mystery/thriller fans would enjoy it as well. But once again, WTF do I know? A 3.24 Goodreads’ rating and I sort of loved it. I give up!
Since I started walking and listening to audiobooks a couple of times I found one finishing halfway through the daily trudge without a back-up in placSince I started walking and listening to audiobooks a couple of times I found one finishing halfway through the daily trudge without a back-up in place so now I’ve become a complete psychopath with 27 options at the ready. After listening to Heartburn read by the incomparable Meryl Streep and remembering a friend saying she had been fantastic on another audio selection, I did a little Google to remind myself what book said friend had been speaking of (that one was Tom Lake if you’re a nosey Rosey like me) and noticed this selection.
I had never heard of this author before (turns out she was the head of the documentary division at HBO which pretty much makes her my imaginary best friend, because HBO documentaries were IT back in the day), but holy crap what a cast of narrators!
Judith Light Marlo Thomas Edie Falco Kathy Bates Rosie O’Donnell Blythe Danner Lena Dunham Ellen Burstyn Martha Stewart Glenn Close Gayle King Lila Tomlin Gloria Vanderbilt (she was surprisingly FABULOUS!) RuPaul Chrstine Baranski even Alan Alda!
And that’s not even all of them so I snatched it right up from the library and breezed right through it in just a couple of short walks.
If you know me you know these sort of collections of fictional essays aren’t my fave. The all-star cast would certainly earn this one a trillion stars, but also since these shorts were maybe only somewhat fictional helped my enjoyment level - not to mention me being a woman of a certain age that seemed specifically the target audience. A physical copy wouldn't earn this many Stars, but since I'm rating the audio I will do just what I please.
Recommended to fans of Nora Ephron’s I Feel Bad About My Neck. ...more
Allow me to introduce you to the Lockdown Ladies’ Burial Club. Under the guise of creating a community garden during the Covid lockdown, a group of (formerly) abused wives come together to clear some …. errrr, plots and do some planting.
Obviously I got this one simply for the title alone and to make sure my husband always remains on his toes ; ) Since I remain 100 reviews behind I’ll keep this simple. Per usual, way too long – especially for the storyline being dealt with. Waaaaay too many details about the elaborate plan being created in order to disappear these fellas which then got wrapped up super tidily at the end. And speaking of the end – the extra “twist” was super easy to predict so I was merely waiting for confirmation when it came to that. Also, this truly did start off as darkly comedic, but the gallows humor dried up around the halfway point and I really missed it. All in all not a bad read for someone who prefers their “cozies” to be a little more bleak than most. ...more
The only thing I have to say about this one is FASCINATING. I listened to it while walking and took even more walks than usual in order to keep listening. Then last night I watched the documentary The Inventor which provided even more insight (this book ends before Holmes and others were ever charged criminally).
Moral of the story? Never underestimate the power of an attractive white woman conducting some hardcore Steve Jobs cosplay. When this story broke I knew the bare bones that this “Edison” machine for blood testing ended up being a complete sham, but I had no idea that not only was Theranos valued at billions of dollars with a product that never worked, but that her investors included the likes of Rupert Murdoch, Henry Kissinger, Sam Walton (of Wal-Mart fame), Robert Kraft (Patriots’ owner), George Schultz (another former Secretary of State), General Mattis (former Secretary of Defense), and on and on. It is mind boggling how far this complete bluff of scientific development was able to go – literally all the way to Walgreens “Minute Clinics” for testing that did not at any time work.
Now that I listen to audiobooks on my walks I pick up a lot more nonfiction . . . but I’m still a trash addict so it’s rare that I pick up something intelligent. This was an easy choice because Evicted remains one of the best books I’ve ever read and I recommend it consistently to anyone who is like me and generally is a fiction reader.
That one worked great because it was the story of the people themselves and the author embedded himself in their lives. This one relies heavily on statistics, facts, figures, studies – all the stuff that makes so many people steer away from “smarty” books. Then at about the halfway mark it turns into sort of a campaign speech all about how to fix the broken system . . .
But actual plans, not just a concept. I appreciate Desmond’s efforts here, but truthfully if I would have been reading instead of listening I don’t know that I would have made it through. ...more
When a cookbook containing recipes for naughty cakes is discovered at the local public library, Lula Dean makes it her mission to rid the town of smutWhen a cookbook containing recipes for naughty cakes is discovered at the local public library, Lula Dean makes it her mission to rid the town of smut and enlists fellow likeminded townsfolk to join her efforts. She also installs her own Little Free Library – guaranteed to only offer the purist of options. That is, until the locals start swapping out book jackets and replacing the actual stories with those which are on the banned list. Call it luck, fate, whatever – somehow those books seem to make it into the hands of the reader who needs them most.
First off, this puppy is maybe just a little too on the nose when it comes to the current climate in the good ol’ U S of A, so steer clear if you’ve had enough of hot button issues this election cycle. Second, Lula Dean???
I NEVER DNF, but Sally Rooney has bested me on this one at 37%. I know a billion people are waiting for their turn at the libra
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Check. Mate.
I NEVER DNF, but Sally Rooney has bested me on this one at 37%. I know a billion people are waiting for their turn at the library and I just can’t keep trudging along. I loooooooved Normal People and Conversations with Friends and I’ve been anxiously awaiting Rooney’s latest melancholy take on relationships, but what a disappointment. While this one proves that she is still a wordsmith, there is simply no soul to the story being told....more
My initial reaction to the trailer for Here was what in the CGI nightmare factory is THIS?!?!?!?! My second reaction was to go see if it or
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My initial reaction to the trailer for Here was what in the CGI nightmare factory is THIS?!?!?!?! My second reaction was to go see if it originated as a book . . . obviously. Of course my fantastic library system had a copy so I checked it out right away. What a fantastic premise this graphic novel is. With mainly imagery and little dialogue this is the story of what happened “here” in a particular location from 500,957,406,073 BC to 2313 AD. A great addition for collectors. ...more
I went against my personal “no thank you” rule regarding James Patterson (actually twice – whoops – because I just listened to the Epstein book he hasI went against my personal “no thank you” rule regarding James Patterson (actually twice – whoops – because I just listened to the Epstein book he has his name attached to as well) due to the fact that . . . .
I’m always looking for something to occupy my brain while I’m walking and when I saw that this was a full cast audio (LOVELOVELOVE full cast audio productions) with Dolly herself narrating one of the characters, I was in.
My 2-Star rating is generous and based solely on enjoying listening to our national treasure talk to me a little bit. The story itself????
Yeah, not great Bob. Set your expectations REAL low for a typical, formulaic, Patterson grift with 100 three-page each chapters, a thimble’s worth of plot with hundreds of pages of filler that all gets tied up in a neat little bow right at the end. Also, I don’t know if one man did a lot of the male voices (and I am not expending the energy to look it up), but either they cast a bunch of dudes who all sounded exactly the same or this one guy didn’t bother changing his voice whatsoever even when it was multiple male characters having a conversation with each other. And why bother casting an actual country music singer as a country music singer, releasing an album containing the songs in the book and then have that person SPEAK the lyrics on the audiobook (over and over and over again) rather than sing them???
I’m looking at you “is it easy? no it ain't, can I fix it? no I cain't.” ...more
This falls under the category of a good title will get your book checked out by yours truly. I grabbed this off the New and Notable shelf at the libraThis falls under the category of a good title will get your book checked out by yours truly. I grabbed this off the New and Notable shelf at the library when I ran in to get my holds . . . and then proceeded to lose it in my own couch, completely forgetting about it until I received a late notice. I decided to give a couple of pages a go yesterday to see if it caught my attention and proceeded to read the entire thing. Now I noticed it has a pretty low rating to which I say . . . .
This is the story of PJ who has returned to her hometown of Pennywhistle, TN to attend her father’s funeral . . . and then finds herself unable to return to Vanderbilt in order to finish up her PhD program. Instead, she takes a job as a fry cook at the local Chickie Shack, reconnects with her best pal Lee Ray, deals with the many moods of co-worker Linda and develops a crush on waitress, Boof.
I don’t know why this received such mediocre ratings. I’m a sucker for these small town “maybe you can go home again” stories and I freaking ate this up – complete with an order of take-out chicken!...more
I picked this one up for the cover/title thinking it was going to be a spoooooooky one for the Halloweeny season. Then I realized it was maybe a seriaI picked this one up for the cover/title thinking it was going to be a spoooooooky one for the Halloweeny season. Then I realized it was maybe a serial killer (or copycat serial killer) story and that was A-okay with me too. But then?????
I don’t love a police procedural to begin with and I don’t tend to love missing children stories much either. Combine the two and have the parents both working for the police department whose kid is missing – and yet they are somehow SUPER involved in the investigation and I’m already suspending my disbelief too much. Then add in she’s a drunken pill popper, he’s had an affair, there was a superbadawful that caused amnesia, potential copycat killer, original killer was investigated by cop’s dad back in the day, multiple personalities, maybe there’s a cult, 800 characters to keep track of and perhaps this psychic can help piece things together????? Oh my word . . . .
Well, allow me to introduce you to Fred. Ever since losing his wife Dawn, Fred just doesn’t have much left to live for and now he’s homeless as well. Then he “meets” Bernard, a resident of a local care home who has expired while feeding the birds while on an outing. When Fred attempts to notify someone about Bernard’s untimely demise, he accidentally dumps him from his wheelchair right into the drink where the current swiftly carries him away – and Fred is mistaken for Bernard.
After that . . .
Would you mind terribly, old boy, if I borrowed the rest of your life? I mean, I know you’re not using it, you see, and it seems a shame for it to go to waste. I promise I’ll take excellent care of it.
Follow along as Fred makes some new friends, dodges the advances of Patricia and even acquires the daughter he never got to have in his own life. The blurb is 100% accurate that this one is for those who can’t get enough of the feel-good stories like Remarkably Bright Creatures or A Man Called Ove. It will definitely make smiling your favorite ; )
I mean, isn’t this the guy who wrote classics such as Pounded In My Butt By My Own Butt? And now I’m supposed to believe he actually can write???? I was completely dubious, but also a founding member of the “I Need to Read All the Things” club so I put my name on the library waiting list.
I’m happy to report if you are looking for something a little creepy this spooooooky season, this might be a winner. The premise here is that screenwriter Misha is planning a big coming out party for two of his characters, but the studio has other plans – in order to appease the dreaded algorithm he needs to kill them off instead. Now Misha is being haunted – literally – by other fictional characters from his past and it’s a race to either kill or be killed.
3.5 Stars. I’d definitely give Tingle’s non-campy stuff another go. ...more
Before I even put a little blippy bit of nothing out about this one, let’s start with a pointer. If you, like me, find yourself literally 200+ people Before I even put a little blippy bit of nothing out about this one, let’s start with a pointer. If you, like me, find yourself literally 200+ people down on the waiting list for this new release that you already know you have zero chance of actually liking, don’t forget to check out Hoopla if that’s an option because it will provide you instant gratification before all the superfans over on the TikTok spoil things for you.
Okay, so a little bit of nothing about The Boyfriend. Good news is – I didn’t rage listen to this one. I mean, don’t get me wrong, it was still turrrrrible but I literally walked EIGHT AND A HALF MILES while blasting right through it. It also took me nearly up until the reveal to figure out the whodunit because there were plenty of red herring characters thrown in and Freida don’t give no effs about anything making any sense so you never know what the big ending might be. Speaking of – the additional “twist” or reveal at the very endy-end was quite satisfactory.
Now with some bad. The plot here is about the thirstiest girl in Manhattan who is so desperate for a boo thang that she hooks up with a doctor named Tom right after her friend gets murdered and she had been dating a doctor named Tom. So awful storyline is still awful. Way to keep on brand, Freida! Next, the male narrator sounded like he was 11, but he was supposed to be a horny 17 year old and that just made me feel like WUUUUUT????? If this is dude’s real voice, he should not be paid to read books for a living and if that is what he thinks high schoolers sound like, then maybe there’s a Dateline episode with his name written all over it. Which brings us to how terrible the quality of writing always is in these books. I’ve always called it “Wattpad caliber”, but my pal @sweet_tea_and_a_book nailed it by naming it the Shein of publication. I mean they are all baaaaaaaad, but we’re talking at some point Thirsty McThirsterson goes on a date, talks about dipping her fries in ketchup and then complains about being expected to go halfsies when she only had a salad. I mean ZERO quality control. And yet the lemmings lap it up. I truly don’t get it, but I also won’t stop listening either so I’m part of the problem and not the solution. ...more
Kelly (and the Book Boar)
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