…of tardy reviews, here we are!
–Marissa
The Greatest Possible Good by Ben Brooks was a surprising mash-up of a novel, in the best way. The Candlewicks are successful, rich, and their kids are in good schools – but the father has an accident and then makes it his life’s mission to give away their wealth, much to the chagrin of his family. This was a good mash-up of morality, mixed with humor, and great characters, and a plot that whizzed along and never got preachy. I really enjoyed this novel!
Henry V by Dan Jones is subtitled “The Astonishing Triumph of England’s Greatest Warrior King”. I’ve been working my way through Dan’s nonfiction list, and, as a devoted listener of his This is History podcast, opted to listen to Dan narrate the audiobook rather than read my print copy – and of course, this delivered. I know this is a niche topic not for everyone, but I’m enjoying becoming a “minor expert” on the Plantagenets, Tudors and Yorks & Lancasters!
True Gretch by Gretchen Whitmer was a speedy audiobook listen I checked out after hearing Whitmer speak at our recent ALA conference. Whitmer weaves in political stories (as “that woman from Michigan”), personal stories, and everything in between with humor and honesty. I enjoyed this so much!
Disney Adults by AJ Wolfe was an automatic read for me for several reasons… I am a devotee of AJ’s Disney Food Blog, and… I’m a Disney adult, for better or worse. AJ weaves in scholarly work, personal ancedotes, interviews and a lot of Disney context for this work. An interesting take on a subculture I happen to be part of!
All the Way to the River by Elizabeth Gilbert was… fascinating, awkward, harsh, weird, and very “Elizabeth Gilbert”. This memoir details her at times incredibly tumultuous and toxic love and loss of her best friend and lover Rayya (a musician , a hairdresser, a drug addict), as well as her uncovering of being a sex and love addict. This was uncomfortable, raw, painful but fascinating in a car crash sort of way.
That’s a Great Question, I’d Love to Tell You by Elyse Myers (of social media fame!) that I scored (autographed!) at ALA. This is her debut memoir, told in intertwined vignettes that are cringy, uncomfortable, funny, relatable and full of life – just like Elyse herself.🙂
El Dorado Drive by Megan Abbott combines suspense, sisterly bonds, secrets, schemes and a women’s “investment” group in this prescient novel. A financial pyramid scheme, sisters caught in the “be careful what you wish for” hamster wheel of greed, and a murder combine in this novel – which I enjoyed, but found… slow and the characters hard to root for, but I kept with it to see how it would resolve.
Park Avenue by Renee Ahdieh was an audiobook listen and has been a bit of a buzzy book this summer billed as Crazy Rich Asians meets Succession, which feels apt. Jia is an up and coming attorney who is engaged to represent a wealthy Korean family going through divorce and devastation. I feel like this dragged at times with all the globetrotting and YA-type writing and plotting, a weird romance subplot and an… odd final twist. This was… mid.
Mess by Michael Chessler sounded like my wheelhouse – Marie Kondo meets Real Housewives – as Jane is an organizer and declutterer in LA, and while this was easy to read and quite short it felt… lacking. A character trait of Jane’s is never explored, her relationship with her boyfriend has some tension, her disdain for her colleagues and some of her clients makes her a bit prickly… this was an easy read, but not ultimately a winner.
Famous by Blake Crouch is just one giant cringe of a 210-page book, originally published in 2010 but getting a buzzy new release since a movie starring Zac Efron is in post-production. Like other reviewers, I think I kept waiting for… something to propel this forward other than an unlikeable and stupid (rather than mastermind-y_)main character, plodding plot, and general ick factor. If you want Crouch’s more established sci-fi bent, this is NOT it. But, at least it was short!
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