The Thursday Murder Club

The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Oh my gosh -this book is SO clever and funny. I loved the characters, their quirks, and their details. I loved the different narrative voices that added great layers to the story. I loved that the main characters were in their 70s and seemed like real people - they weren't simply relegated to the respected elder or sick grandparent. They were men and women with hopes, past successes and failures, specific interests, etc.

The book is more of a 4.5, but I'm rounding up for originality and because the interview at the end of the audio version shed such interesting insights into Osman's reasons behind some of the characterization and plot choices. Also, Osman has already submitted the second book to his editors, so it gets bonus points for not making me wait too long for another book. Quality first novel from Osman!

Happy reading indeed--

The Four Winds

The Four Winds by Kristin Hannah
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This book is heartbreaking and educational. Over and over again, it feels like a punch to the gut as you grieved for the characters and their struggles during the Dust Bowl and the Great Depression. I thought that I had a good understanding of that time period, but I really didn't grasp what life was like for people in the Midwest and what it was like to be a migrant worker in California. So many of the issues Hannah weaves into her narrative are timeless, which perhaps is why the book weighs so heavily on the reader. I was captivated from the beginning because the story of Elsa and her family is not just a historic retelling-- it's about connection, worth, and motherhood. It's about tenacity and the will to survive. The only reason it's not a five star read is that I didn't like one of Hannah's ending details. I'd still wholeheartedly recommend the book.

Happy reading--

What Alice Forgot - Round Seven

What Alice Forgot by Liane Moriarty
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Yes, I read it again. I really love this book.

A Very Punchable Face

A Very Punchable Face by Colin Jost
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I know Jost as an SNL writer and host of Weekend Update, which has consistently been my favorite part of SNL since I was a teenager. The book was so funny at the beginning that I was laughing out loud over and over again and texting people that they had to pick this up. I can't say that I loved the reading experience of the second half as much as I loved the first half, but Jost is smart and very clever. He just goes off the rails sometimes (I'm talking especially about his section about crapping his pants...TMI in the extreme). If you're looking for a light read though, this fits the bill. However, it is not a kid-friendly book, so it's an Airpod only type of listen if you're doing audio.

Happy reading and happy laughing--

ps. Who would have guessed that Jost went to Harvard?! Also, his mom's ties to 9/11 as well as the fact that he is engaged to Scarlett Johansson made reading portions of this book like reading a better written celebrity magazine...something my inner teenager wishes I still read.

Today Tonight Tomorrow

Today Tonight Tomorrow by Rachel Lynn Solomon
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is everything a good YA book should be. I loved the Seattle references, that it took place literally over the course of 36 hours, and that the main characters were so quirky and fun. Solomon gave the depth necessary to create quality teenage characters without overdramatizing everything and sold the experience of high school graduation with just the right amount of nostalgia and expectation. I have one small issue with a piece of the ending, but no spoilers here. Highly recommend, especially as a summer read.

Happy reading and here's hoping we get to travel again soon. Seattle is calling!

Ps. Probably a 4.5.

The Answer Is...:Reflections on My Life

The Answer Is…: Reflections on My Life by Alex Trebek
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

There are few pop culture icons that have woven so seamlessly into our lives as Alex Trebek and Jeopardy. It has literally been on the air for as long as I can remember. Even if you haven't watched it much, you can identify the host and know the music instantly or the idea that you're supposed to answer in the form of a question. I read this in part because my adopted grandparents LOVE Jeopardy and would sometimes interrupt dinner to move into the family room to watch it (pre-DVR, of course). I read it too because Trebek was almost the same age as my own grandparents, and his experiences somehow felt like insight into their lives, and lastly, I read it because I wish I watched more Jeopardy. I love trivia games even when the categories are woefully out of my league.

The book is entertaining. It's not enormously detailed, but under the circumstances (Trebek was dying from terminal cancer as he wrote it), it was pretty good. I learned some fun trivia and realized I liked Trebek even more than I thought I did. The answer is...I'm glad to have read it.

Happy reading-

Ps. One of my most quoted SNL references is part of a Jeopardy skit when an actor pretending to be Sean Connery says, "I can read Trebek." Definitely worth finding it on YouTube if you've never seen it.

Big Friendship: How We Keep Each Other Close

Big Friendship: How We Keep Each Other Close by Aminatou Sow
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

This book was entirely underwhelming. While I love the idea that friendship requires effort and focus, this book wasn't on topic. The authors spent more time talking about their own lives and personal beliefs without giving tangible takeaways or applications. I'm so glad that they're great friends, but that's not what this book was sold as. As always, it's good to be reminded that we need to show up for the people who matter most to us, but this book isn't the best encouragement to do so. I only finished it because it was a book that I was reading with some of my oldest friends.

Happy reading--

Fat Chance, Charlie Vega

Fat Chance, Charlie Vega by Crystal Maldonado
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I like seeing more diverse protagonists in YA books - whether that diversity be in ethnicity, body type, interests, etc, so this one started strong and then got a bit repetitive and trite. Strong potential that didn't quite hit the mark for me. The writing was good enough that I would read the author again.

Happy reading--

Stuff You Should Know: An Incomplete Compendium of Mostly Interesting Things

Stuff You Should Know: An Incomplete Compendium of Mostly Interesting Things by Josh Clark
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Stuff You Should Know was one of, if not the first, podcast I listened to regularly. I loved the random facts and more in depth looks at topics that were a part of my every day life. As the medium of podcasts took off and time became more limited, I stopped following along, but have always had a soft spot for Chuck and Josh and the company I kept with them during grad school over a decade ago.

This book is just like Chuck and Josh's podcast. The chapters are unrelated and offer more details that you thought possible about topics ranging from Mr. Potato Head to The Price is Right. I still enjoyed learning about their random topics, but the book doesn't get a higher rating because certain chapters held no interest to me (I'm thinking about the chapter on the smell of dog paws in particular). This is a perfect book for trivia nerds or waiting rooms - something you can pick up and put down and get a complete idea out of it.

Happy reading and happy learning--

Ps. The audiobook has a great Q&A at the end of it.

The Secret Garden

The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I love revisiting stories I read as a child and young adult. There are so many details and nuances that I missed. One of the books that has a prized place on my book shelf is a gorgeous illustrated copy of The Secret Garden, and I've always thought of it as one of my favorite childhood stories.

Reading it again, I loved Martha and Dickon even more than I did when I was a girl. I was surprised at the politically incorrect racial undertones, especially in reference to Mary's life in India. Reading it again, I still loved the idea of getting lost in an English garden and wished I was playing outside along with them.

Happy reading--

One Life

One Life by Megan Rapinoe
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I think the word or phrase I hear used to describe Megan Rapinoe most often is unapologetic. Second might be bad ass. Both apply in the context of her book "One Life". Rapinoe is best known perhaps to people who don't follow soccer as the athlete Trump singled out and tweeted horrible things at when Rapinoe said she had no interest in visiting the White House (me either when he who must not be named was living there). Inside the sport, Rapinoe is considered one of the greatest soccer players and athletes of her generation. With her talent and fame, Rapinoe has taken it upon her self to champion those without a voice as she tackles LGBTQ rights, equal pay, racism, and many other critical issues of our day. She's inspiring in her tenacity and candor. She is, for sure, not everyone's cup of tea, and so too, her book might not be for everyone. Rapinoe swears a lot and almost seems to dare people to disagree with her. That said, I am glad to have read this book and to know more of her back story. I'm truly sorry she and the women's team didn't get a chance to play for gold this past summer. I was really looking forward to it.

Happy reading and happy remembering that we only have this one life to live, so what are you going to do with it?

Ps. Any body else not know that Megan Rapinoe and Abby Wambach dated?! So much talent and energy in one couple.

Miss Benson's Beetle

Miss Benson's Beetle by Rachel Joyce
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I knew almost nothing going into this book. I knew it was by a good author and about a woman in England in the 1950s. I had to look back at the title to realize that it literally has beetle (yes, referring to the bug) in its title. Totally worth reading and almost all the more delightful for not having any idea what was coming. Well written and well narrated by the fabulous Juliet Stevenson. I didn't love one element of the ending, but the rest of Joyce's wrap up still made the book a really good one.

Happy reading and happy adventuring--