The reading continues....
People We Meet On Vacation-Emily Henry
Another “Left In The Lounge” book. Pure “chick-lit,” I guess, but cute, funny and well done. Very much an homage to When Harry Met Sally. Lots of snarky dialogue and fun travel stuff. I did end up caring about the characters, even as I recognized some of the more manipulative tropes being used to get me there. Quick read. I was definitely willing to go along for the ride.
Single weirdest factoid: obviously this book is a million miles away in tone and content from my previous read, and yet they both contained references to “A Case of You” by Joni Mitchell.
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Meat Market-Bruce Feldman
A completely random “left in the Lounge” book that I held on to for years, started once, then petered out, then finally picked up again and whipped through in three weeks. (One week off, when I was sick.)
I‘ve never been interested in college football at all, and certainly would have no reason to care about Ole Miss and whether they can recruit a winning football team from high schools and Junior Colleges around the country.
And yet I got absolutely wrapped up and excited as coach Ed Orgeron and his staff drink gallons of Red Bull, travel, and work phones nonstop trying to do that. The personalities are wonderfully conveyed and I got caught up in the emotional highs and lows of the Chase. My new favorite phrase: ”You can tell a trapper by his furs!”
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One World, One Heart-Let Peace Begin With Me by Marilyn Mills.
An offering from one of my Karaoke buddies. It’s basically a vanilla smoothie of of positive affirmations, various spiritual principles, a very uplifting and optimistic view of life and the universe. I enjoyed the personal anecdotes and glimpses into Marilyn’s life, especially, especially her work as a teacher. I enjoyed it, but had to fight my own tendencies toward cynicism and negativity, particularly when she invokes The Law Of Attraction as a given. I remember Marilyn talking about the book with me at the Mint when she was writing it. The publication date is 2019, so it predates the horrors of the past two years. That doesn’t mean none of it is valid. I’m just curious if the last two years have changed any of her views or if this use of affirmations and a belief in the inherent goodness of the universe has made the two years easier. I do recommend reading this, partially to support my friend, but also on its own merits. Just be prepared for feeling a bit overwhelmed by sweetness and light if you’re not in that head space.
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The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up-Marie Kondo
A party I’m a bit late to. Not even sure how I acquired this. I wanted to see if there was more to it than what I’d osmosed via popular culture. There are some practical ideas in there, but also (IMAO) a lot of twee gobbledygook. I haven’t watched the TV show, so I haven’t seen any of this done for real. I can’t visualize her folding method at all and as a chronic maker of piles, I’m now concerned that books or clothes on the bottom of the piles are screaming in pain from being crushed.
After reading this, I decided I really needed to get back to some fiction.
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The Maidens-Alex Michaelides
A Lounge guest handed this to me to see if I could give it a good home.
I didn’t particularly enjoy reading it or like the characters, but it was well-written and enough of a page-turner that I knocked it off in a week and I will say the plot twists in the last third or so caught me by surprise. After the reveal, I felt the wrap-up went by too quickly. Either the writer was trying to get it done under a certain page-count or just lost interest.
Points for setting. Nice descriptions of Cambridge, UK. Loss of points for “women-in-jeopardy” and violence against women.
Another “Left In The Lounge” book. Pure “chick-lit,” I guess, but cute, funny and well done. Very much an homage to When Harry Met Sally. Lots of snarky dialogue and fun travel stuff. I did end up caring about the characters, even as I recognized some of the more manipulative tropes being used to get me there. Quick read. I was definitely willing to go along for the ride.
Single weirdest factoid: obviously this book is a million miles away in tone and content from my previous read, and yet they both contained references to “A Case of You” by Joni Mitchell.
@@@@@@
Meat Market-Bruce Feldman
A completely random “left in the Lounge” book that I held on to for years, started once, then petered out, then finally picked up again and whipped through in three weeks. (One week off, when I was sick.)
I‘ve never been interested in college football at all, and certainly would have no reason to care about Ole Miss and whether they can recruit a winning football team from high schools and Junior Colleges around the country.
And yet I got absolutely wrapped up and excited as coach Ed Orgeron and his staff drink gallons of Red Bull, travel, and work phones nonstop trying to do that. The personalities are wonderfully conveyed and I got caught up in the emotional highs and lows of the Chase. My new favorite phrase: ”You can tell a trapper by his furs!”
@@@@@
One World, One Heart-Let Peace Begin With Me by Marilyn Mills.
An offering from one of my Karaoke buddies. It’s basically a vanilla smoothie of of positive affirmations, various spiritual principles, a very uplifting and optimistic view of life and the universe. I enjoyed the personal anecdotes and glimpses into Marilyn’s life, especially, especially her work as a teacher. I enjoyed it, but had to fight my own tendencies toward cynicism and negativity, particularly when she invokes The Law Of Attraction as a given. I remember Marilyn talking about the book with me at the Mint when she was writing it. The publication date is 2019, so it predates the horrors of the past two years. That doesn’t mean none of it is valid. I’m just curious if the last two years have changed any of her views or if this use of affirmations and a belief in the inherent goodness of the universe has made the two years easier. I do recommend reading this, partially to support my friend, but also on its own merits. Just be prepared for feeling a bit overwhelmed by sweetness and light if you’re not in that head space.
@@@@@
The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up-Marie Kondo
A party I’m a bit late to. Not even sure how I acquired this. I wanted to see if there was more to it than what I’d osmosed via popular culture. There are some practical ideas in there, but also (IMAO) a lot of twee gobbledygook. I haven’t watched the TV show, so I haven’t seen any of this done for real. I can’t visualize her folding method at all and as a chronic maker of piles, I’m now concerned that books or clothes on the bottom of the piles are screaming in pain from being crushed.
After reading this, I decided I really needed to get back to some fiction.
@@@@@
The Maidens-Alex Michaelides
A Lounge guest handed this to me to see if I could give it a good home.
I didn’t particularly enjoy reading it or like the characters, but it was well-written and enough of a page-turner that I knocked it off in a week and I will say the plot twists in the last third or so caught me by surprise. After the reveal, I felt the wrap-up went by too quickly. Either the writer was trying to get it done under a certain page-count or just lost interest.
Points for setting. Nice descriptions of Cambridge, UK. Loss of points for “women-in-jeopardy” and violence against women.