Friday Read - May 27, 2016

I Do It With the Lights On  by Whitney Way Thor
Publication Date - May 31, 2016
3.5 stars



This author is the star of a TLC reality TV show that I have never watched so I went into this book fairly clueless.  This is basically a memoir of her struggle with weight loss, how she resolved issues with body image and her diagnosis of PCOS.  What she does well is describe the claustrophobia of living your life solely to lose weight.  I found it anxiety inducing just reading about how she exercised three hours a day and ate next to nothing for months while losing minimum weight and it was a relief when she decided to give up that lifestyle. I do assume that her personality and positive attitude comes out more on TV than it does in written form because it felt flat at times but overall it was an enjoyable read.  Received through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. 

Lost Women - May 26, 2016

Hot Little Hands by Abigail Ullman
Publication Date - May 31, 2016
4 stars



This collection includes sad, funny and poignant stories about women that I really enjoyed.  Three follow one witty, rebellious woman from England as she navigates dating and sex while playing in a band in California.  Another follows a group of young Russian gymnasts that left me stunned.  Another was about an up and coming blogger/author who decides having a baby is the best way out of having to finish her book.  I am not a huge fan of short story collections but I found these extremely easy to read and the lives of these characters both fascinating and relatable.  I received this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. 

The Crash - May 23, 2016

Before the Fall by Noah Hawley
Publication Date - May 31, 2016
4 stars



A private plane crashes off the coast of Martha's Vineyard and most of the passengers perish, except for Scott, a struggling artist and swimmer, who saves the four year old boy of a millionaire.  This book is set up in a very interesting way.  It follows Scott in the aftermath of the tragedy but it also follows the investigators as they try to piece together how the wreck occurred and it looks back at each of the passengers, any one of which could be the reason the plane went down.  This is both a suspenseful whodunit and an interesting character study.  It is not surprising that the author is a renowned screenwriter because this book reads like an intense television show, full of crooked characters with redeemable backstories and lots of suspense.  Occasionally this book veered toward the implausible but it never interfered with the pure enjoyment of a well thought out suspense.  I received this through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. 

Beatlemania - May 19, 2016

Paul McCartney: The Life by Philip Norman
5 stars



Paul McCartney is one of the most well-known, often written about musicians alive, yet I somehow inhaled this 800 plus page biography in a matter of days.  The author had an early encounter with Paul over 50 years ago and was none too impressed.  He was even a touch hard on him in his biography of John Lennon (which has been added to my list), so it is interesting that he wrote this book with Paul's tacit approval.  Much of the first half of this concerning the Beatles origin story, I've already read before (although to be honest the story of the Beatles just never gets old to me) but this was still an interesting take from the perspective of Paul's influence.  I think this book does a good job of balancing the different facets of Paul's personality and the reality of the crazy existence he lived.  I think the second half of the book is summed up pretty good by this Paul quote about John "he died a legend and I'm going to die an old man.". Paul has had to accept the Beatle mantle while still continuing on with the majority of his life and career and this book does a excellent job of following the many years following the band's dissolution.  I love the Beatles, and I loved this book.  Received through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. 

Revolution - May 16, 2016

Witness to the Revolution:  Radicals, Resisters, Vets, Hippies, and the Year America Lost Its Mind and Found Its Soul by Clara Bingham
Publication Date - May 31, 2016
4 stars



The late sixties were a time of civil and social upheaval.  Young men were forced into fighting an unpopular war while African Americans fought for equal rights.  A new drug was discovered and a subculture grew out its hair.  This fascinating book is divided into chapters based on a different aspects of the sixties with a quick introduction from the author, it mostly includes narratives from different participants in their own words.  This immersive experience is completely fascinating and a very good way to tell this story.  I would advise a print copy of this book over a digital copy.  There are many names to keep track of and extensive footnotes at the end of each chapter which would have been easier to manage in a physical copy.  This book is a great reminder of what this generation was fighting for.  I received this from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. 

A Hollywood Affair - May 13, 2016

June by Miranda Beverly-Whittemore
Publication Date - May 31, 2016
4 stars


This luscious, fun, soap-opera of a book takes place in two different time periods during the month of June and is about a woman named June and her granddaughter.  When Cassie inherits the huge mansion Two Oaks, she has just left her boyfriend and is still grieving over her grandmother's death.  She isolates herself into the crumbling estate ignoring phone, mail and civilization until a young man knocks on her door letting her know that she is the soul inheritor of a recently deceased Hollywood star's estate.  This forces Cassie our of her isolation and into the past when a big Hollywood movie and all of its crew descended on the sleepy, small town of St. Jude, Ohio.  Big Hollywood personalities with miserable backstories, small town secrets, and illicit affairs, this book is just pure fun.  This is the second book by this author that I have really enjoyed, so I will probably just automatically read her books from now on.  I received this from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. 

Book Review - May 10, 2016

The Bricks That Built The Houses by Kate Tempest
4.5 stars



This book starts at the end, with three people in what can be assumed is a bad situation, fleeing London.   The first chapter, jarring at first, seems a stroke of genius as the book continues.  Written in beautiful, flowing sentences that call out to be read aloud, this book explores these three characters, their parents, their friends, their friend's parents as they navigate the London scene.  These are all flawed people who make their way the best they can by forming connections.  When almost at the end, I went back to read the first chapter and loved how suddenly I knew these people inside out and it all meant so much more.  I was honestly surprised at how much I loved this book and while I was not familiar with the author, I will definitely read any future novel that she writes.  I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher. 

Weekend Review - May 7, 2016

Beware That Girl by Theresa Toten
Publication Date - May 31, 2016
3.5 stars



Beware that girl.  But which girl?  This novel follows two different eighteen year old girls as they navigate their last year of private school.  Kate is the scholarship girl who's difficult life has forced her to be tough, hard and manipulative, always one step ahead of everyone else.  Olivia is the rich, icy girl just returned after a mysterious absence.  Then there is the new development director of the school who is handsome, smooth and has everyone immediately under his spell.  All of these factors make for a fast paced and entertaining read.  There are some elements that are unbelievable and nonsensical such as a stubborn refusal to consult adults and the police, but regardless of that, I enjoyed this book.  Received through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. 

Raindrops Keep Fallin' - May 6, 2016

Rain: A Natural and Cultural History by Cynthia Barnett
4.5 Stars




In Earth's earliest history, rain has played an important role in cultural and geographic development.  It's abundance and scarcity has formed and destroyed societies and has major implications in our future.  This book details rain in all of its history, science and religion in an enjoyable, interesting manner.  Starting with the very first rain occurring on Earth to how current climate change and city planning will affect how our civilization survives in the future.  I enjoyed this book immensely and my copy is full of notes and underlining as I found unbelievable and insightful information.  It belongs in the group of nonfiction book that focus solely on one subject, but since this subject has such consequence it reads very quickly.  This definitely sits as one of my favorite topical reads so far this year.  I received this book from the Blogging for Book program in exchange for an honest review. 

Food and Company - May 5, 2016

Dinner With Edward: A Story of an Unexpected Friendship by Isabel Vincent
Publication Date - May 24, 2016
4 stars



After losing the love of his life, Edward's daughter worried about her elderly father's frame of mind, so she introduced him to her good friend (the author) and thus started a series of dinners and a friendship that improved both of their lives.  Isabel was in the midst of a disintegrating marriage and a stressful job that left her feeling trapped and adrift.  Her dinners with ninety-something year old Edward helped her de-stress and figure out how to fix her life.  Written with menus atop each chapter, this book focuses on food and friendship and is a snapshot into a short period of the author's life when she desperately needed the friendship that Edward supplied.  This is a short book that I found inspiring and moving.  Plus, the descriptions of food were incredible and often left me feeling very hungry.  I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. 

Villains Need Love Too - May 4, 2016

Duke of Sin by Elizabeth Hoyt
Publication Date - May 31, 2016
4 stars



After reading the previous book in the series and learning that Val, Duke of Montgomery, was going to be the next leading character I was instantly intrigued on how exactly that would be pulled off.  Val is pretty much a horrible person who blackmails important people in order to get what he wants, kidnaps women he wants to marry and is so incredibly vain that a huge nude portrait of himself hangs above his bed.  This is not a case of a misunderstood bad boy who is all good underneath.  No, Val is pretty much a despicable person with a horrible backstory and very few redeemable qualities.  This was such an interesting romance.  Val's inner dialogue is strange, almost lyrical, and definitely a little bit insane.  Bridget, his housekeeper, is very straightlaced, too serious and extremely normal and yet it somehow works very well.  Their dialogue is often humorous and they just seem to be absolutely perfect for each other.  I only wish that the ending wasn't quite so rushed because I definitely could have stuck with these characters for a more drawn-out conclusion.  I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. 

Life on The Street - May 3, 2016

Street of Eternal Happiness: Big City reams Along a Shanghai Road by Rob Schmitz
Publication Date - May 17, 2016
5 stars



As a foreign correspondent reporting on Chinese economics, Rob Schmitz lives in Shanghai on a street named The Street of Eternal Happiness.  As he gets to know the personal stories of the business owners that live on his street he learns about the history, economics, culture and frustrations of China.  He follows several different people including a young entrepreneur who keeps pushing ahead at his sandwich shop even when he has no customers, a man who owns a snack business and his bickering wife who invests thousands of dollars in pyramid schemes, and a flower shop owner who escaped a abusive marriage to build her own life in Shanghai.  In some ways this reminded me of Katherine Boo's Beyond the Beautiful Forever in that it follows one small area of people who have been at the mercy of their country's political and economic situation (though this book is much less bleak) but the author in this book is very present in the situation he writes about whereas Boo removes herself completely from the pages of the book.  I have to say that I personally favor Schmitz's approach because there is definitely a reaction to his foreigners that affects the overall interactions.  Overall, I really thought this was a well written, insightful look into a country that still remains somewhat a mystery.  I received this book from Penguin's First to Read Program in exchange for an honest review.

Weekend Wrap-Up - May 2, 2016

My Name is Lucy Barton by Elizabeth Strout
4 stars



I am a big fan of Elizabeth Strout and her writing so it was no surprise how much I loved this book.  Lucy Barton is in the hospital after an appendicitis left her with a life endangering infection.  While stuck in her hospital bed, her long estranged mother comes to sit by her bedside and reminisce about their past.  This novel is divided into very short chapters that are Lucy's memories which works well with the slow moving, beautifully written language.  Strout creates characters that are memorable even if they are only mentioned briefly which is one of the many reasons that I love her work.  I received this from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.