An easy, breezy summer read for educators and everyone, with just enough righteous social commentary to give it some heft. Fans of Abbott Elementary wAn easy, breezy summer read for educators and everyone, with just enough righteous social commentary to give it some heft. Fans of Abbott Elementary will love. ...more
**spoiler alert** As a superfan, I was initially disappointed in this latest King story collection. The first half was a slog for me. "Two Talented Ba**spoiler alert** As a superfan, I was initially disappointed in this latest King story collection. The first half was a slog for me. "Two Talented Bastids" seemed too simple, "The Fifth Step" is just a short, cheap shock and "Willie the Weird" is just a re-tread of one of King's earlier and better stories, "Gramma." "Danny Coughlin's Bad Dream" is a little better, with classic King detail, except the reference to Les Miserable is too, too obvious. "Finn" was an interesting experiment in surrealism, and I appreciated it for its originality, but it's just not my bag. "On Slide Inn Road" was too obviously a Flannery O'Connor homage, so much so it slipped into parody for me. "The Red Screen" was also unsubtle. It's only the last five stories that took off for me and made me believe in my favorite guy again. "The Turbulence Expert" was thought provoking and a new twist on the age old issue of the fear of flying. "Laurie" is a classic dog save man story, which you can never go wrong with."Rattlesnakes" just made me happy, as it combined supernatural horror with the horror of growing older and provided a satisfying endnote for a character from Cujo. "The Dreamers" is spare and mean: tight prose that thrums with fear. Loved it! "The Answer Man" is a delightful closer, a long form crowd pleaser that will have you wiping away a tear. if you're short on time, just read the last 5 and skip or skim the rest. ...more
A perfectly paced and multi-voice read that expertly folds social class, feminism and survivalism into a summer camp missing child mystery. Devoured iA perfectly paced and multi-voice read that expertly folds social class, feminism and survivalism into a summer camp missing child mystery. Devoured it in 3 days on Kindle....more
Racy, class-based, suspenseful fun. The prose was solid, if unexceptional. One of the *a-hem* sexiest books I've read in a while! Great summer read, aRacy, class-based, suspenseful fun. The prose was solid, if unexceptional. One of the *a-hem* sexiest books I've read in a while! Great summer read, a page turner that will pass the time on the beach or on a plane. This will likely sell like hotcakes in paperback....more
I’m happy to report that Newman has eliminated here what I didn’t care for in her first novel (too much whimsey and twee) and amped up everything I loI’m happy to report that Newman has eliminated here what I didn’t care for in her first novel (too much whimsey and twee) and amped up everything I loved (authentic characters, contemporary dialogue, deep personal vulnerability, putting on the page what many women think but don’t ever say out loud). Also, this is right in my wheelhouse as I am currently a perimenopausal woman dealing with aging parents (tho not children thank god) I loved Rocky’s marriage and how she fights with her husband about the same things I fight with my husband about. And the Cape Cod, falling apart beach house is the perfect backdrop for decades of family drama that Rocky re-lives this summer as she vacations once again with grown children, parents and much put upon husband Nick. A delightful summer read for all us middle aged ladies. ...more
This is the second book in a row I've read about working class sisters who grow up in a resort area. What I appreciated most about this book were the This is the second book in a row I've read about working class sisters who grow up in a resort area. What I appreciated most about this book were the setting details of Nantucket and the class confrontations. But the once the mother is separated from her daughters, both stories stall out to an inconclusive ending that was deeply unsatisfying. A solid read, but not a great one. ...more
This has been sitting on my shelf since it came out in paperback and I finally picked it up because I loved I Have Some Questions for You, and I have This has been sitting on my shelf since it came out in paperback and I finally picked it up because I loved I Have Some Questions for You, and I have been in reading slump. While I initially loved Believers, it did slow down too much for me in the end, and that might be because of my internet age-lessened attention span. The writing is superb, and I loved and related to the idea of Fiona’s adult life being stunted by the trauma of having to watch her brother and all his friends die when she was young. But once we knew Yale’s fate and the mystery of the Nora’s paintings was revealed, I was ready to be finished. But it is a tremendous work of fiction with a staggering amount of research that proves to me that authors writing and imagining outside their personal experiences can be done right if the author puts in the work....more
The vibe of this book is similar to My Year of Rest and Relaxation: vaguely compelling and transgressive because the characters are saying everything The vibe of this book is similar to My Year of Rest and Relaxation: vaguely compelling and transgressive because the characters are saying everything they feel with no filter, but there’s no real plot and no resolution. I get that it’s supposed to be darkly funny, but these Gen Z sisters are so miserable and selfish that each laugh comes with a cringe. While there’s something to be said for brutal honestly, I like my fiction to be better than real life and this was real to the point of being unenjoyable. Yet I finished it. A bit like not being able to look away from a train wreck. It’s possible I’m too old for this novel, as a middle aged lady who grew up without the internet, I don’t think I’m the audience. ...more
**spoiler alert** Another slow burning, character-driven story of human connection from Julia Philips, who is fast becoming my new favorite writer. Di**spoiler alert** Another slow burning, character-driven story of human connection from Julia Philips, who is fast becoming my new favorite writer. Disappearing Earth is one of my top ten titles, and Bear does not disappoint. I will be interested in seeing how this one is received, as Philips moves from a large and varied cast of characters in DE to focus in on the lives of two working poor sisters whose understanding of each other and their close relationship is challenged in Bear. While this is a clever and thoroughly modern take on the Grimm fairy tale Snow White and Rose Red, don't expect any magical realism. It is heartbreakingly real, right up to and including the tragic ending. Incredibly well executed on both the sentence and story level. Massive thanks to Netgalley for the advance reading copy. Do not miss it!...more
Lively dialogue, brisk pacing, realistic romance. And what kind of librarian reader doesn’t love love between a high school teacher and a copy editor?Lively dialogue, brisk pacing, realistic romance. And what kind of librarian reader doesn’t love love between a high school teacher and a copy editor? This one is just as easy breezy as One Day, which I read long before it was a movie or Netflix series (2010!) Great thanks to Netgalley for the advance read....more
Clear, crisp and sharp as a knife, this story of a biracial Gen X writer trying to finish her novel and make ends meet while the bills pile up and herClear, crisp and sharp as a knife, this story of a biracial Gen X writer trying to finish her novel and make ends meet while the bills pile up and her insecurities grow is a damning and damn entertaining story for our time. I'm a middle aged white lady who has loved Senna's work since Caucasia, and this one has been worth waiting for. Set aside some time because once you start, you won't be able to put it down. ...more
Beautiful writing, little to no plot but that makes sense as it seems to be an autobiographical fiction character study of the author’s actual family.Beautiful writing, little to no plot but that makes sense as it seems to be an autobiographical fiction character study of the author’s actual family. It has piqued my curiosity to read more about French Algeria, but I can’t say I liked more than her other novels. ...more
The hype is real. An instant classic that should be taught alongside Huckleberry Finn. Accessible and fast paced, you might not notice at first how deThe hype is real. An instant classic that should be taught alongside Huckleberry Finn. Accessible and fast paced, you might not notice at first how deeply the voice sinks into your consciousness. Unforgettable. ...more
This slow burning female centered family drama runs steadily on Attenberg’s unadorned but solid prose that chugs the reader along in a very pleasant, This slow burning female centered family drama runs steadily on Attenberg’s unadorned but solid prose that chugs the reader along in a very pleasant, road trip sort of way. The physical stakes are low, the emotional stakes high, and I was always invested enough to keep going, but it is definitely more character than plot driven. It is a quiet, true to life book, no big reveals and no full-on happy endings. But satisfying nevertheless. Big thanks to Netgalley for an advance copy....more
Meh. Oddly bloodless and quiet after hearing so much hoopla about it. The prose was pristine, perhaps a little too much. It was so formally and quietlMeh. Oddly bloodless and quiet after hearing so much hoopla about it. The prose was pristine, perhaps a little too much. It was so formally and quietly written that I felt distanced and removed from the characters and their lives. And it was not nearly as much about the actual building of the Panama Canal as I thought it would be. ...more
I appreciate the writing and the interpersonal insights, which were both top notch. I’m just not at that stage of life anymore, so it was a little sloI appreciate the writing and the interpersonal insights, which were both top notch. I’m just not at that stage of life anymore, so it was a little slow and boring for me. But my high school students will be fascinated by this blow by blow account of a thirty something romantic relationship....more
**spoiler alert** I’m not a fan of TJR because I find her writing derivative and lazy. But I finally broke down and read this book because it is so po**spoiler alert** I’m not a fan of TJR because I find her writing derivative and lazy. But I finally broke down and read this book because it is so popular with my high school students. And yes, much of it was derivative (this is the thinly disguised Fleetwood Mac story for any one whose been under a rock) and the prose was often cliched, but I was surprised how much I liked the ending of Daisy and Billy NOT getting together, and the twist of Billy and Camila’s daughter Julia being the journalist interviewing the band. Camila was also a a character I didn’t expect, as was Karen, who voiced an ahead of her time opinion on being happy being child free. I look forward to watching the series to fill in the setting details, which were sorely lacking in the book. ...more
LOVED. Smart and wicked and fun and appalling and completely unafraid. The dialogue is gold. The devil is in the delicious details. I wish there was mLOVED. Smart and wicked and fun and appalling and completely unafraid. The dialogue is gold. The devil is in the delicious details. I wish there was more. I want to see how Millie turns out. ...more
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