L V
“Staying alive costs money.”
This book’s main character felt like a high school senior whose plans for the future were up in the air, and she was drowning in thoughts of her uncertain future post graduation. Ah Ro’s role: the kind and intune guidance counselor who holds her hand and gives the teen the resources and support she needs to help carve her path in life.
“Staying alive costs money.”
This book’s main character felt like a high school senior whose plans for the future were up in the air, and she was drowning in thoughts of her uncertain future post graduation. Ah Ro’s role: the kind and intune guidance counselor who holds her hand and gives the teen the resources and support she needs to help carve her path in life.
This story is nuts! It starts out in 1980 with Andy,16, being given the task of testing his dad’s amusement park rides. Rides constructed by people his dad knew in a past life or hired on the cheap. Andy faces the Cannonball Loop, which is scheduled to premiere in a month’s time, and as much as Andy likes to test out his teenaged bravado, even this scary looking ride gives him pause. The rides keep getting more dangerous, so much so that the media is picking up on it and writing stories about it to warn the public. This media attention only serves to make it a must-visit kind of place for thrill seekers.
Andy and his siblings just keep getting more and more banged up until they get the hang of the rides and learn to ride them with as little injury as possible, but customers don’t have this advantage (?), and they don’t seem to mind. Seeing with his own eyes how rides are erected at Action Park, and witnessing the near fatality of its patrons when riding them, would not only give me pause, I’d run in the opposite direction without ever looking back.
Still, with all the lack of licensed engineering, safety procedures, trained personnel, etc., there is something nostalgic about this book that cannot be denied. It’s like when older folk reminisce about the times when they could ride in cars without seatbelts and pack all their kids and pets in the back of a truck bed and go on long, winding, speedy rides.
Kids from the 70s and 80s were tough. They licked their wounds if they got hurt in a public place - no one dared think to sue. They just walked it off, if they were lucky. And reading about what went on in Action Park, it’s amazing that many were able to do just that. What a time to be young and free! If anyone is reading this and has their own Action Park or similar days-of-yore stories, do share. I find it to be so much fun!
This story is nuts! It starts out in 1980 with Andy,16, being given the task of testing his dad’s amusement park rides. Rides constructed by people his dad knew in a past life or hired on the cheap. Andy faces the Cannonball Loop, which is scheduled to premiere in a month’s time, and as much as Andy likes to test out his teenaged bravado, even this scary looking ride gives him pause. The rides keep getting more dangerous, so much so that the media is picking up on it and writing stories about it to warn the public. This media attention only serves to make it a must-visit kind of place for thrill seekers.
Andy and his siblings just keep getting more and more banged up until they get the hang of the rides and learn to ride them with as little injury as possible, but customers don’t have this advantage (?), and they don’t seem to mind. Seeing with his own eyes how rides are erected at Action Park, and witnessing the near fatality of its patrons when riding them, would not only give me pause, I’d run in the opposite direction without ever looking back.
Still, with all the lack of licensed engineering, safety procedures, trained personnel, etc., there is something nostalgic about this book that cannot be denied. It’s like when older folk reminisce about the times when they could ride in cars without seatbelts and pack all their kids and pets in the back of a truck bed and go on long, winding, speedy rides.
Kids from the 70s and 80s were tough. They licked their wounds if they got hurt in a public place - no one dared think to sue. They just walked it off, if they were lucky. And reading about what went on in Action Park, it’s amazing that many were able to do just that. What a time to be young and free! If anyone is reading this and has their own Action Park or similar days-of-yore stories, do share. I find it to be so much fun!
I see this one as a mashup of Rear Window and Only Murders in the Building. All of the characters are colorful and lovable. The setting is beautiful and peaceful, and had me thinking about my own neighbors: how well do I really know them?? As the story went on, I just wanted to learn more about these folks instead. I just loved tagging along and deciphering the clues with the main characters. I was guessing who’d done until the very end. A fun and satisfying read indeed.
I see this one as a mashup of Rear Window and Only Murders in the Building. All of the characters are colorful and lovable. The setting is beautiful and peaceful, and had me thinking about my own neighbors: how well do I really know them?? As the story went on, I just wanted to learn more about these folks instead. I just loved tagging along and deciphering the clues with the main characters. I was guessing who’d done until the very end. A fun and satisfying read indeed.
And that, my friends, is why you keep the windows up and the music blasting!
An awesome father/son collaboration. Had me guessing which creepy parts were imagined by the son and which were conjured up by the dad.
And that, my friends, is why you keep the windows up and the music blasting!
An awesome father/son collaboration. Had me guessing which creepy parts were imagined by the son and which were conjured up by the dad.
A sweet story about a few strangers who become friends and help one another overcome their personal struggles.
A sweet story about a few strangers who become friends and help one another overcome their personal struggles.
From Sam Cooke to The Chainsmokers, songs, as we know them, are reimagined as Shakespearean sonnets. I wanted to include one in my review, but couldn’t decide on the perfect one. Some are clever, others, a bit saucy, most are pretty much a good laugh. If you need some light reading, a palate cleanser, or something with a bit of humor that can help pull you out of a slump, pick this one up. The book is divided into five parts:
Sonnets of Love
Sonnets of Despair
Songs of Time and Morality
Rogues, Rascals, and Wanton Women
Ballads of Heroes
From Sam Cooke to The Chainsmokers, songs, as we know them, are reimagined as Shakespearean sonnets. I wanted to include one in my review, but couldn’t decide on the perfect one. Some are clever, others, a bit saucy, most are pretty much a good laugh. If you need some light reading, a palate cleanser, or something with a bit of humor that can help pull you out of a slump, pick this one up. The book is divided into five parts:
Sonnets of Love
Sonnets of Despair
Songs of Time and Morality
Rogues, Rascals, and Wanton Women
Ballads of Heroes
“It’s about the blatant criticism of girls who were victims of manipulation. It’s about holding the right person accountable for the crime he committed. It’s about corporations attempting to silence victims and continuing to profit off the very monster they helped create.”
When Korey tells of his first time at 14 with an older woman, Enchanted is devastated for him because he was groomed and had not realized it. Meanwhile, he’s doing the exact thing to her, but he’s so smooth at what he does that she can’t recognize it for what it is. It broke my heart.
The parent’s guilt also got to me. They knew deep inside not to let her go, but when your child wants something so very much, you’d do almost anything to make it happen and Korey took advantage of their love for their daughter. You hear stories of groomers playing the long game to build that trust slowly over time, but it can also happen in the blink of an eye. My heart goes out to all victims and the families who’ve had to endure such pain, betrayal, doubt, and humiliation.
“It’s about the blatant criticism of girls who were victims of manipulation. It’s about holding the right person accountable for the crime he committed. It’s about corporations attempting to silence victims and continuing to profit off the very monster they helped create.”
When Korey tells of his first time at 14 with an older woman, Enchanted is devastated for him because he was groomed and had not realized it. Meanwhile, he’s doing the exact thing to her, but he’s so smooth at what he does that she can’t recognize it for what it is. It broke my heart.
The parent’s guilt also got to me. They knew deep inside not to let her go, but when your child wants something so very much, you’d do almost anything to make it happen and Korey took advantage of their love for their daughter. You hear stories of groomers playing the long game to build that trust slowly over time, but it can also happen in the blink of an eye. My heart goes out to all victims and the families who’ve had to endure such pain, betrayal, doubt, and humiliation.
The author begins by recalling a road trip his family made back in 1976, when he was 7 years old. It was a time when there weren’t any smart phones, tablets, Spotify or GPS. And can you even imagine the car radio not being able to tune into a decent radio station? The horror!
From waking up at the crack of dawn to make good time to rationing snacks and planning out rest stops, the author unfurls the minute details it took to plan and execute the great, big family road trip. Along with his shared highs and lows of the trips of his youth, he expertly weaves historical feats that helped make family road trips possible in the first place. The evolution of paved roads, the automobile boom, Cape Canaveral (and so much more!) have all done their part in making the road trip accessible while also taking a part in shaping our current landscape and economy.
If you’re not into story telling mixed with bits of history lessons, this one isn’t for you. But if you were a 70s or 80s baby and remember making family road trips, and all that it entailed, you’ll appreciate this trip down memory lane (for good or for worse). Now read quietly back there, and don’t make me pull over. I’ll turn this car right back ‘round and we can forget the whole thing. I mean it!
The author begins by recalling a road trip his family made back in 1976, when he was 7 years old. It was a time when there weren’t any smart phones, tablets, Spotify or GPS. And can you even imagine the car radio not being able to tune into a decent radio station? The horror!
From waking up at the crack of dawn to make good time to rationing snacks and planning out rest stops, the author unfurls the minute details it took to plan and execute the great, big family road trip. Along with his shared highs and lows of the trips of his youth, he expertly weaves historical feats that helped make family road trips possible in the first place. The evolution of paved roads, the automobile boom, Cape Canaveral (and so much more!) have all done their part in making the road trip accessible while also taking a part in shaping our current landscape and economy.
If you’re not into story telling mixed with bits of history lessons, this one isn’t for you. But if you were a 70s or 80s baby and remember making family road trips, and all that it entailed, you’ll appreciate this trip down memory lane (for good or for worse). Now read quietly back there, and don’t make me pull over. I’ll turn this car right back ‘round and we can forget the whole thing. I mean it!
“It works because it’s rock and roll” ch 56
This was a nice cozy read. A great array of songs are mentioned instantly taking me back to my youth. If you’re looking for something where not much happens, in terms of twists and turns, but you still want to care about the characters and feel something, this one’s for you. It also makes for a good palate cleanser in between those heavier reads.
P.S. Gustavo’s recurring joke finally makes me guffaw at chapter 50.
“It works because it’s rock and roll” ch 56
This was a nice cozy read. A great array of songs are mentioned instantly taking me back to my youth. If you’re looking for something where not much happens, in terms of twists and turns, but you still want to care about the characters and feel something, this one’s for you. It also makes for a good palate cleanser in between those heavier reads.
P.S. Gustavo’s recurring joke finally makes me guffaw at chapter 50.
A million thanks to @Audiobooks=Life for bringing this book to my attention. I thoroughly enjoyed the flow of the story—how the reader gets to peek into the character’s private thoughts and life and then is treated to a podcast update. I highly recommend you pair this read with the audiobook. And buckle up, because searching for who’s done done it is going to take you in all directions at once and leave you with whiplash. It’s a mystery that is sprinkled with humor and sarcasm, which I love. Will definitely be recommending this one to friends.
A million thanks to @Audiobooks=Life for bringing this book to my attention. I thoroughly enjoyed the flow of the story—how the reader gets to peek into the character’s private thoughts and life and then is treated to a podcast update. I highly recommend you pair this read with the audiobook. And buckle up, because searching for who’s done done it is going to take you in all directions at once and leave you with whiplash. It’s a mystery that is sprinkled with humor and sarcasm, which I love. Will definitely be recommending this one to friends.
2026 Review: This one is a re- read for me (from a 3 star to a solid 4). I like to re-read books from time to time because it always amazes me how age, experience, and changes in our social and political climates can change our perspectives and our book reviews! A.J. Fikry puts it best:
“…the things we respond to at twenty are not necessarily the same things we will respond to at forty and vice versa. This is true in books and also in life.”
“We are not quite novels. We are not quite short stories. In the end, we are collected works.”
“The words you can't find, you borrow. We read to know we're not alone. We read because we are alone. We read and we are not alone.”
2015 Review: I think the author was going for a heart-warming and tear-jerking read, and it had all the potential in the world to be just that, but the characters were too underdeveloped to allow that to happen. The plot too is a bit disjointed in that the author attempts to provide deeper insight into some of the main character's lives, however, she skips back and forth through each of them so quickly, that they all just remain two dimensional.
As with all of the books chosen by members in my book club, I try not to read any of the blurbs or reviews about the book until I've fully read it, so I was really disappointed to go back after reading this book and looking through the book's blurb which is quite misleading and for the most part inaccurate as it relates to the characters' roles within the story. With that said, it wasn't a total disaster, there are some great references to other works of literature which I've duly noted and will go back to at some point and read on my spare time.
2026 Review: This one is a re- read for me (from a 3 star to a solid 4). I like to re-read books from time to time because it always amazes me how age, experience, and changes in our social and political climates can change our perspectives and our book reviews! A.J. Fikry puts it best:
“…the things we respond to at twenty are not necessarily the same things we will respond to at forty and vice versa. This is true in books and also in life.”
“We are not quite novels. We are not quite short stories. In the end, we are collected works.”
“The words you can't find, you borrow. We read to know we're not alone. We read because we are alone. We read and we are not alone.”
2015 Review: I think the author was going for a heart-warming and tear-jerking read, and it had all the potential in the world to be just that, but the characters were too underdeveloped to allow that to happen. The plot too is a bit disjointed in that the author attempts to provide deeper insight into some of the main character's lives, however, she skips back and forth through each of them so quickly, that they all just remain two dimensional.
As with all of the books chosen by members in my book club, I try not to read any of the blurbs or reviews about the book until I've fully read it, so I was really disappointed to go back after reading this book and looking through the book's blurb which is quite misleading and for the most part inaccurate as it relates to the characters' roles within the story. With that said, it wasn't a total disaster, there are some great references to other works of literature which I've duly noted and will go back to at some point and read on my spare time.
I think the author was going for a heart-warming and tear-jerking read, and it had all the potential in the world to be just that, but the characters were too underdeveloped to allow that to happen. The plot too is a bit disjointed in that the author attempts to provide deeper insight into some of the main character's lives, however, she skips back and forth through each of them so quickly, that they all just remain two dimensional.
As with all of the books chosen by members in my book club, I try not to read any of the blurbs or reviews about the book until I've fully read it, so I was really disappointed to go back after reading this book and looking through the book's blurb which is quite misleading and for the most part inaccurate as it relates to the characters' roles within the story. With that said, it wasn't a total disaster, there are some great references to other works of literature which I've duly noted and will go back to at some point and read on my spare time.
I think the author was going for a heart-warming and tear-jerking read, and it had all the potential in the world to be just that, but the characters were too underdeveloped to allow that to happen. The plot too is a bit disjointed in that the author attempts to provide deeper insight into some of the main character's lives, however, she skips back and forth through each of them so quickly, that they all just remain two dimensional.
As with all of the books chosen by members in my book club, I try not to read any of the blurbs or reviews about the book until I've fully read it, so I was really disappointed to go back after reading this book and looking through the book's blurb which is quite misleading and for the most part inaccurate as it relates to the characters' roles within the story. With that said, it wasn't a total disaster, there are some great references to other works of literature which I've duly noted and will go back to at some point and read on my spare time.
Lucas and I share the same philosophy of life, and I fell for him on page 1.
“You have to position yourself somewhere right between “What a great guy!” and “He seems . . . weird.” That’s your sweet spot.”
It’s official: Backman is my new favorite author. His characters are always relatable and loaded with that great balance of humor, compassion and sarcasm. And his books are so quotable. Another one that made me chuckle:
“Lucas opens the door with the defeated manner of a sausage that dressed itself up as a carrot to avoid being eaten by a bear, only to be found by a rabbit.”
Lucas and I share the same philosophy of life, and I fell for him on page 1.
“You have to position yourself somewhere right between “What a great guy!” and “He seems . . . weird.” That’s your sweet spot.”
It’s official: Backman is my new favorite author. His characters are always relatable and loaded with that great balance of humor, compassion and sarcasm. And his books are so quotable. Another one that made me chuckle:
“Lucas opens the door with the defeated manner of a sausage that dressed itself up as a carrot to avoid being eaten by a bear, only to be found by a rabbit.”
2026 Review:
I don’t remember reading this one before and just came across my own review from when I first read it many years ago. Upon rereading, let me just say that the measures taken by the government to silence and keep its citizens uninformed and under its control seem exaggerated in this story, but no more so than in our own society. Sure, we don’t have weights and sacks of rocks chained around our necks, or wear mandated headphones that blurt out noises to make us forget crucial memories or quiet us from opining, but we bear a lot of weight, and it comes in ever-changing and much more subtle forms. And I think this makes the world we live in a lot more dangerous than Harrison’s, and equally unjust.
2012Review:
As I read this short story, I couldn't help comparing it to [b:The Giver 3636 The Giver (The Giver, #1) Lois Lowry http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1342493368s/3636.jpg 2543234] . Though I haven't read The Giver in a very long time, I believe that the main character lives in a society in which everyone is expected to look and act the same way. I can't remember how the book ends, but I was disappointed with the way this short story ended. Overall, it's a decent read and made me appreciate the freedoms I do have.
2026 Review:
I don’t remember reading this one before and just came across my own review from when I first read it many years ago. Upon rereading, let me just say that the measures taken by the government to silence and keep its citizens uninformed and under its control seem exaggerated in this story, but no more so than in our own society. Sure, we don’t have weights and sacks of rocks chained around our necks, or wear mandated headphones that blurt out noises to make us forget crucial memories or quiet us from opining, but we bear a lot of weight, and it comes in ever-changing and much more subtle forms. And I think this makes the world we live in a lot more dangerous than Harrison’s, and equally unjust.
2012Review:
As I read this short story, I couldn't help comparing it to [b:The Giver 3636 The Giver (The Giver, #1) Lois Lowry http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1342493368s/3636.jpg 2543234] . Though I haven't read The Giver in a very long time, I believe that the main character lives in a society in which everyone is expected to look and act the same way. I can't remember how the book ends, but I was disappointed with the way this short story ended. Overall, it's a decent read and made me appreciate the freedoms I do have.
Added to listOwnedwith 1 book.