Jaws by Peter Benchley
Narrator: Erik Steele
Publication Date: February 1974
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Publisher’s Description:
A great white shark terrorizes the beautiful summer getaway of Amity Island, and a motley group of men take to the water to do battle with the beast. A heart-pounding novel of suspense and a brilliant meditation on the nature of humanity, Jaws is one of the most iconic thrillers ever written.
This year marks the 50th anniversary of the publication of Jaws. Almost everyone has seen or at least heard of the movie but most of the people I told that I was reading Jaws didn’t know that the movie is an adaptation of the novel.
2024 marked the 50th anniversary of the publication of Jaws. Almost everyone has seen or at least heard of the movie but most of the people I told that I was reading Jaws didn’t know that the movie is an adaptation of the novel.
After reading the book, I watched the movie for the first time. I was surprised at how different the movie is from the book. The premise is the same – a great white shark terrorizes Amity’s beach and kills people. The police chief wants to close the beach, but the town leadership is afraid that will affect Amity’s economy, which is almost entirely based on the summer vacationers, and a group of men go out to sea to try and kill it. Almost none of the details are the same within this premise.
The movie is considered to be the first blockbuster action film and is entirely plot driven. Most characters in the book are developed and have back stories. The police chief’s wife has a detailed subplot in the book and is just a stock concerned wife and mother in the movie. Also, in the book the town leaders had a more complicated motive for wanting the beaches to stay open,
I liked both the book and the movie – but of course thought the book was better! I would consider the movie to be more “inspired by” the book rather than based on it. Keep that in mind before you read the book, and you’ll like it. Recommended.
January 14th, 2025 in
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The Wedding Game by Meghan Quinn
Publisher: Montlake
Publication Date: March 1, 2021
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Publisher’s Description:
Luna Rossi is a veritable crafting genius―she can bedazzle and bead so hard her Etsy site is one of the hottest in the world. So it’s only natural that Luna would convince her brother and his husband-to-be to compete on The Wedding Game, a “do-it-yourself” TV show, for the title of Top DIY Wedding Expert.
As a jaded divorce lawyer, Alec Baxter scoffs at weddings and romance. But when his recently engaged brother begs him to participate in The Wedding Game, Alec grudgingly picks up a glue gun and prepares for some family bonding.
Both fierce competitors, Luna and Alec clash on national TV as harsh words and glitter fly with abandon. But as they bicker over color swatches and mood boards, they find themselves fighting something else: their growing mutual attraction. While Luna is torn between family loyalty and her own feelings, Alec wonders if he might have been wrong about love and marriage all along…
The Wedding Game is a reality TV show where a couple, along with a family member, compete to see who can plan the best DIY wedding. The winner gets a penthouse in NYC.
Luna Rossi is a crafting expert, with her own YouTube channel and everything. She convinces her brother and his future husband to compete in the contest with her by their side.
Alec Baxter is a bitter divorce attorney who’s grown apart from his younger brother Thad. When Thad asks him to compete with him and his fiancé as a way of becoming close again, Alec begrudgingly agrees.
Luna and Alec get off to a rocky start when he mistakes her for a PA on the show and rudely demands she get him coffee. After that, it’s game on. Luna was already competitive and now she takes it to the next level. But…of course they can’t help their growing attraction in spite of their first interaction. Should they tell their families? What if they question their loyalty? It’s a tough decision for both of them.
The premise of The Wedding Game is very similar to How My Neighbor Stole Christmas– an enemies to lovers romance involving a competition. The Wedding Game came first but How My Neighbor Stole Christmas is better. I still liked The Wedding Game but it didn’t have the same sharp, witty banter as How My Neighbor Stole Christmas, which is what I was hoping for. However, The Wedding Game did have some moments that had me laughing out loud. Most of them involved Farrah, Luna’s best friend. I loved her.
Overall, The Wedding Game was cute, and I do plan on reading more of the over 70 (!) books Meghan Quinn has written. Recommended.
January 10th, 2025 in
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Beyond the Gender Binary by Alok Vaid-Menon
Publisher: Penguin Workshop
Publication Date: June 2, 2020
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Publisher’s Description:
In Beyond the Gender Binary, poet, artist, and LGBTQIA+ rights advocate Alok Vaid-Menon deconstructs, demystifies, and reimagines the gender binary.
Pocket Change Collective is a series of small books with big ideas from today’s leading activists and artists. In this installment, Beyond the Gender Binary, Alok Vaid-Menon challenges the world to see gender not in black and white, but in full color. Taking from their own experiences as a gender-nonconforming artist, they show us that gender is a malleable and creative form of expression. The only limit is your imagination.
Beyond the Gender Binary is a pocket-sized book that seeks to educate people about gender and the fact that gender is not black and white. There are other ways of identifying other than strictly male or female, like non-binary or gender nonconforming. This book speaks generally to the issues all of these people face and the author also recounts some of their personal experiences related to the issue. They clear up a lot misconceptions and lies about people in their community.
Beyond the Gender Binary is the perfect beginners guide to the complex world of gender identity. Highly recommended.
January 2nd, 2025 in
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The Deal of a Lifetime by Fredrik Backman
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Publisher’s Description:
A father and a son are seeing each other for the first time in years. The father has a story to share before it’s too late. He tells his son about a courageous little girl lying in a hospital bed a few miles away. She’s a smart kid—smart enough to know that she won’t beat cancer by drawing with crayons all day, but it seems to make the adults happy, so she keeps doing it.
As he talks about this plucky little girl, the father also reveals more about himself: his triumphs in business, his failures as a parent, his past regrets, his hopes for the future.
Now, on a cold winter’s night, the father has been given an unexpected chance to do something remarkable that could change the destiny of a little girl he hardly knows. But before he can make the deal of a lifetime, he must find out what his own life has actually been worth, and only his son can reveal that answer.
With humor and compassion, Fredrik Backman’s The Deal of a Lifetime reminds us that life is a fleeting gift, and our legacy rests in how we share that gift with others.
The Deal of a Lifetime is a short story written by Fredrik Backman. A man who’s always been rich, selfish and a terrible father finds himself in the hospital in a room next to a five-year old girl who has cancer and is wise beyond her years. A mysterious woman visits the man in the hospital and gives him the chance to make the deal of a lifetime.
A Deal of a Lifetime was both heartbreaking and heartwarming. It was the perfect little winter story to end 2024.
January 1st, 2025 in
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How My Neighbor Stole Christmas by Meghan Quinn
Publisher: Hot-Lanta Publishing LLC
Release Date: October 15, 2024
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Publisher’s Description:
Every Kringle in Kringletown celebrated Christmas a lot.
But Cole Black on Whistler Lane, unfortunately, did not.
As his fellow citizens decorate their quaint town, brimming with carols and glad tidings, Cole wants nothing more than to hibernate the winter away. But his dreary plans are thwarted when his Christmas nemesis, Storee Taylor, moves in next door to care for her Aunt Cindy. Immediately, the new neighbor turns his life into a real nightmare before Christmas, especially when she decides to enter the town Christmas Kringle contest in honor of Cindy. And better yet, Storee is determined to win.
Over Cole’s dead body, she will. With help from his friend Max, Cole decides to enter the competition as well, to beat Storee at her own game by pretending that this hometown grump’s heart has grown three sizes this season and he’s fallen for the girl next door. And unfortunately for Storee, she has to follow his lead to have a chance at the Christmas Kringle title.
But the competition isn’t the only thing that heats up. Cole and Storee’s fake relationship becomes very real, and before they know it, they’re attempting to hide it from Aunt Cindy. Things get complicated, the competition gets tough, and all it takes is one single night for someone to steal it all…
[Said in my best Stefan from SNL voice] How My Neighbor Stole Christmas has everything: enemies to lovers, fake dating, grumpy sunshine, small town romance and lewd acts involving a candy cane.
As a child, Storee Taylor spent Christmas with her family visiting her Aunt Cindy in Kringletown, the town that celebrates Christmas year-round. She returns after a ten-year absence to take care of her Aunt Cindy as she recovers from a broken hip. When she runs into her childhood crush, Cole Black, in town, things do not go well. He’s upset with Storee for things that happened ten years ago.
When Storee enters the annual Christmas Kringle contest at her aunt’s behest, Cole enters too. He’s on a mission to exact his revenge on Storee by winning the contest. He’s forced suppress his grumpy side and act like he has Christmas spirit.
Part of his plan is to pretend that he’s fallen for Storee. If she rejects him, the town will think she’s cruel for breaking his heart, so she reluctantly agrees to fake date him. But you can guess what ends up happening…
I was surprised by just how much I enjoyed this book. The banter between Storee and Cole was top notch. As was the banter between Cole and his best friend Max. I was laughing out loud. I listened to this book but also wanted a print copy because I was so engrossed, I wanted to be able to read it when listening wasn’t feasible – like when my kids are creating chaos and I need to keep an ear out to make sure no one gets hurt. But I couldn’t find one – it was sold out everywhere!
The spicy scenes were very spicy. And yes, the rumors are true, a candy cane is involved. The only thing I didn’t like was that a hefty amount of spooge was involved and that turned my stomach. That’s a personal preference though – I’ve always been grossed out by discussion of spunk. Even just writing this is nauseating me.
That’s my only complaint. How My Neighbor Stole Christmas was a super cute and really funny holiday romance. It’s perfect for the season and should definitely be on your list if you’re a romance lover. I highly recommend listening to the audiobook. It’s a duet and has a full cast. Meghann Quinn has an extensive backlist and I’m looking forward to reading more by her.
December 13th, 2024 in
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The Eyes Are the Best Part by Monika Kim
Publisher: Erewhon Books
Publication Date: June 25, 2024
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Publisher’s Description:
Ji-won’s life tumbles into disarray in the wake of her Appa’s extramarital affair and subsequent departure. Her mother, distraught. Her younger sister, hurt and confused. Her college freshman grades, failing. Her dreams, horrifying . . . yet enticing.
In them, Ji-won walks through bloody rooms full of eyes. Succulent blue eyes. Mouthwatering blue eyes. Eyes the same shape and shade as George’s, who is Umma’s obnoxious new boyfriend. He brags about his puffed-up consulting job, ogles Asian waitresses while dining out, and acts condescendingly toward Ji-won and her sister, as if he deserves all of Umma’s fawning adoration. But George doesn’t deserve anything from her family. Ji-won will make sure of that.
No matter how many victims accumulate around her campus or how many people she must deceive and manipulate, Ji-won’s hunger and her rage deserve to be sated.
The Eyes are the Best Part follows Ji-Won, who lives in a small apartment with her mother and sister. Her father recently left her mother, upending the family. Her mother starts dating George, a disgusting white man with an Asian fetish. To give you a hint of what his character is like, he calls Asian people “Orientals”. To Ji-Wan’s horror, her mother lets George move in with them.
The stress of her family situation causes Ji-Won to have graphic nightmares involving eyeballs. Shortly after they begin, she is driven to actually eat human eyeballs. She obviously has to kill people to harvest their eyeballs and thus we are witness to the evolution of a serial killer.
Even though, or maybe because, this book is super gross, I loved it. It’s not just simply a horror novel about cannibalism. It’s a commentary on issues of race, specifically the microaggressions and racism directed toward Asian people. It’s about family and loss and grief. And it has a great twist at the end.
I picked this book up because it was recommended to fans of My Sister is a Serial Killer, and after reading it, I agree with that recommendation. But you should read it even if you haven’t read My Sister is a Serial Killer. And then read that book too!
Highly recommended.
November 8th, 2024 in
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True Confessions of an Ambivalent Caregiver by Cindy Eastman
Publisher: She Writes Press
Publication Date: September 17, 2024
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Publisher’s Description:
At first grateful to be able remodel the dining room of her family’s modest home in Connecticut to accommodate her eighty-six-year-old father for what everyone felt would be a short duration of care, Cindy Eastman ultimately experienced a whole gamut of feelings over the course of what turned out to be four years of caring for her dying dad. Caregiving impacts everyone, and this account—told in essays recorded before, during, and after the time Eastman’s father was with her—details that impact, not just on the primary caregiver but also the rest of the family.
One of the reasons Eastman committed to writing down her experiences was because she predicted that once her dad died, there would be a tendency to soften or even deny any of the negative and challenging times—and there were many. As of 2020, more than 53 million adults provide homecare in this country, and the reality of that arrangement is different for every family. It is not, as some might suggest, a “noble gesture” but rather an elegant conflict—an intricate reassembling of the family dynamic that many people don’t ever see coming. In these candid, often poignant essays, Cindy Eastman brings all the emotions of taking on the challenging responsibility of caregiving a parent at the end of their life to the surface.
When Cindy Eastman decided to care for her dying father in her home, she thought he only had a few months to live. He ended up living for four years in her home before he died. Not only was he diabetic and legally blind, but he also had dementia that got worse over time.
True Confessions of an Ambivalent Caregiver is a series of essays that Cindy Eastman wrote at varying points during those four years. She wrote them while she was in the midst of caring for her father because as she says, “I might not be as open and honest about recording them through the lens of loss and grief.” Because of that, this book is likea journal of what she was going through.
Being a full-time caregiver is hard and often thankless, as is clear in Eastman’s essays. It became her full-time job. She was overwhelmed and stressed out a lot of the time and she’s very honest about her thoughts toward her father and being a caregiver in general. I think this book would be great for someone who is a caregiver and is feeling frustrated and alone. The essays are short so it’s perfect for a caregiver, who probably doesn’t have much time to read, to read an essay or two at a time. It’s also good for someone who is friends with a caregiver to gain insight into what their friend is going through.
(I received a complimentary copy of this book for review.)
September 22nd, 2024 in
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Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI by David Grann
Publisher: Doubleday
Publication Date: April 18, 2017
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Publisher’s Description:
In the 1920s, the richest people per capita in the world were members of the Osage Nation in Oklahoma. After oil was discovered beneath their land, the Osage rode in chauffeured automobiles, built mansions, and sent their children to study in Europe.
Then, one by one, the Osage began to be killed off. The family of an Osage woman, Mollie Burkhart, became a prime target. One of her relatives was shot. Another was poisoned. And it was just the beginning, as more and more Osage were dying under mysterious circumstances, and many of those who dared to investigate the killings were themselves murdered.
As the death toll rose, the newly created FBI took up the case, and the young director, J. Edgar Hoover, turned to a former Texas Ranger named Tom White to try to unravel the mystery. White put together an undercover team, including a Native American agent who infiltrated the region, and together with the Osage began to expose one of the most chilling conspiracies in American history.
Killers of the Flower Moon is a well-researched account of what happened to the Osage. Unfortunately, we’ll never know for sure the extent of the murders and who was responsible for them. Some of the people were caught and convicted but there were surely more people involved. It’s speculated that hundreds of Osage deaths were murders.
I watched the movie of the same name, which is based on the book, when it first came out. I chose to read the book because liked the movie, but I wanted more of the nitty gritty details of the time. Even though the movie is over three hours long, it doesn’t delve into the specifics of the law, for example, how the government was able to declare fully functioning Native Americans incompetent and take over their finances. The movie expanded on and embellished a lot of what happened for dramatic effect. After you subtract the copious number of notes, the book is less than 300 pages long. There’s not enough material for a three-hour movie!
I recommend Killers of the Flower Moon to everyone who is addicted to true crime documentaries and podcasts. You know who you are!
September 17th, 2024 in
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The Last Thing He Told Me by Laura Dave
Publisher: S&S/ Marysue Rucci Books
Publication Date: May 4, 2021
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
Publisher’s Description:
Before Owen Michaels disappears, he smuggles a note to his beloved wife of one year: Protect her. Despite her confusion and fear, Hannah Hall knows exactly to whom the note refers—Owen’s sixteen-year-old daughter, Bailey. Bailey, who lost her mother tragically as a child. Bailey, who wants absolutely nothing to do with her new stepmother.
As Hannah’s increasingly desperate calls to Owen go unanswered, as the FBI arrests Owen’s boss, as a US marshal and federal agents arrive at her Sausalito home unannounced, Hannah quickly realizes her husband isn’t who he said he was. And that Bailey just may hold the key to figuring out Owen’s true identity—and why he really disappeared.
Hannah and Bailey set out to discover the truth. But as they start putting together the pieces of Owen’s past, they soon realize they’re also building a new future—one neither of them could have anticipated.
Hannah Hall’s husband, Owen, has disappeared. A girl delivers her a note from him that says, simply, “Protect her.” Hannah knows that he’s referring to his teenage daughter Bailey. But protect her from what? Why are U.S. Marshall’s and FBI agents looking for Owen? Hannah and Bailey decide to go on a mission to find out.
I actually read this book twice. The first time was about a year ago. At the time, I didn’t think it lived up to the hype. I read it again recently because there is a limited TV series starring Jennifer Garner streaming on Apple TV+ based on the book and I wanted to refresh my memory before I watched the show. I liked it even less the second time!
I had a really tough time with the premise. A man goes into hiding and leaves his wife a cryptic note when he easily could have a written a full note explaining to her why he had to go?
I’m not sure this actually is a thriller – maybe thriller light? The twist was little and not exactly jaw dropping. I had a hard time feeling invested in the story and what was going on with Owen because the suspense felt manufactured.
Even though I thought the book was meh, I’m still going to watch at least the first episode of the TV series because I’m curious to see how they’ve adapted the book.
September 5th, 2024 in
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A Novel Love Story by Ashley Poston
Publisher: Berkley
Publication Date: June 25, 2024
My rating: 4.5 of 5 stars
Publisher’s Description:
Eileen Merriweather loves to get lost in a good happily-ever-after. The fictional kind, anyway. Because at least imaginary men don’t leave you at the altar. She feels safe in a book. At home. Which might be why she’s so set on going her annual book club retreat this year—she needs good friends, cheap wine, and grand romantic gestures—no matter what.
But when her car unexpectedly breaks down on the way, she finds herself stranded in a quaint town that feels like it’s right out of a novel…
Because it is.
This place can’t be real, and yet… she’s here, in Eloraton, the town of her favorite romance series, where the candy store’s honey taffy is always sweet, the local bar’s burgers are always a little burnt, and rain always comes in the afternoon. It feels like home. It’s perfect—and perfectly frozen, trapped in the late author’s last unfinished story.
Elsy is sure that’s why she must be here: to help bring the town to its storybook ending.
Except there is a character in Eloraton that she can’t place—a grumpy bookstore owner with mint-green eyes, an irritatingly sexy mouth and impeccable taste in novels. And he does not want her finishing this book.
Which is a problem because Elsy is beginning to think the town’s happily-ever-after might just be intertwined with her own.
None of Eileen’s book club friends can go on their annual book retreat, where they spend the week reading and discussing romance books. Feeling sad and lonely after a bad breakup, Eileen decides to go on the retreat all by herself. On the way, her car breaks down and she finds herself in Eloraton, the town in which her favorite romance series is set. It will take a few days to get it fixed, so the town’s grumpy bookstore owner offers to let her stay in the loft in the store. She quickly makes friends with the townspeople since she knows almost everything about them from reading the books. She’s so comfortable in the town that she doesn’t want to leave and go back to her real life.
A Novel Love Story completely charmed me. While I’m not a huge fantasy fan, I can get on board with magical realism if it’s done right. Ashley Poston got it right in The Seven Year Slip and she’s done it again here. This book is a tribute to romance, not a send up. It’s interesting how self-aware it is. Eileen can recognize the tropes that are playing out right before her eyes. She feels like she knows what’s best for the characters and can’t help meddling in their lives a bit even though the bookstore owner warns her not to.
Eileen does have a bit of a romance herself, but the focus of the book is the journey that both her and the people who live in Eloraton take while she’s there. Eileen has to time to reevaluate her life and try to figure out what would make her happy.
I thoroughly enjoyed visiting Eloraton right along with Eileen and thought the story was clever and fun. Highly recommended.
September 2nd, 2024 in
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