In Pieces by Sally Field
In Pieces was not what I expected at all from a celebrity memoir but it is all the better for it. I enjoy listening to memoirs in the audio-book format but not if I am required to use the right side of my brain for a task at the same time; because of this I tend to listen audiobooks while driving or cleaning but listen to music at work. However, this week I devoured Sally’s story during a long day at work that involved a […]
The Huntress by Kate Quinn
I thoroughly enjoyed The Alice Network and was very excited to hear Kate Quinn was releasing a new novel, The Huntress, this year. Quinn focuses again on WWII and its aftermath using various points of view resulting in a complex, layered narrative. Nina’s story is primarily set during the years Russian was engaged in battle with World War II. After growing up by the Old Man, an affectionate name from the Siberian lake outside her home, with an abusive father who openly denounces Stalin, Nina Markova runs away […]
Us Against You (Björnstad #2) by Fredrik Backman
Fredrik Bachman is one of the best writers I’ve had the pleasures of encountering; he excels at pushing the knife into your gut and twisting it just enough that you’re still willing to come back for more. Beartown was a hauntingly beautiful novel and Us Against You is a near-perfect follow up. Spoilers ahead for Beartown~ Us Against You picks up shortly after the events of its predecessor. Kevin’s parents have divorced and his mother has taken him away from Beartown; while the removal of a rapist from the community […]
Access Restricted (Word$ 2) by Gregory Scott Katsoulis
I enjoyed All Rights Reserved last month and sought out Katsoulis’s follow-up Access Restricted only to be disappointed. I began reading this book almost 3 weeks ago when I was in Arkansas for a funeral but I only finished it this weekend when I realized I needed to turn it back into the library on Monday. Spoilers for All Rights Reserved~ At the close of the last novel Speth Jime, along with Kel, Henri and Margot, have disrupted the WiFi of their dome in order to give people the […]
How to American: An Immigrant's Guide to Disappointing Your Parents by Jimmy O. Yang
Jimmy O. Yang was born in Hong Kong but immigrated to the United States, specifically Los Angeles, when he was thirteen. He learned English by watching BET, smoked a lot of weed and chose UCSD sight unseen because there was a beach nearby. Jimmy eventually graduated with a degree in economics from UCSD and comedy juggernaut Mike Judge was the commencement speaker that year. He unwittingly inspired Jimmy to reject the life his parents wanted for him in favor of one in comedy. “I turned […]
Can You Ever Forgive Me?: Memoirs of a Literary Forger by Lee Israel
Every letter reproduced here, along with hundreds like them, were turned out by me — conceived, written, typed, and signed — in my perilously held studio apartment in the shadow of Zabar’s on New York’s Upper West Side in 1991 and 1992. I heard about Lee Israel and her forged autograph scheme during Melissa McCarthy’s Oscar campaign this year. I was only four when Lee’s legal shenanigans occurred so I missed the original scandal- was there much of a scandal? This was a fairly niche […]
