Rita

Started off a little slow but picked up and by the end I stayed up way too late to finish it, which is the mark of a good book for me. I did guess the who-dunnit very early and kept getting mad at the red herrings, but that's much more the fault of my autistic pattern recognition and less a problem of story telling. The reveal was well done.

I really wanted to like this more, but wow did I find the protagonist, Liza, absolutely insufferable. Even knowing that as the narrator of a cozy mystery she was highly unlikely to end up murdered, I still hoped she would be. The killer was easily spotted and I thought it would have been a lot more fun if somehow Hanna was Mr. B. Parts were still pretty fun which brought it up to a 3 for me.

I was so looking forward to reading this and I was not disappointed! It gave me everything I wanted and more I didn't even think of. I knew the bones of Haymitch's story from reading the original trilogy of course, yet reading it was still engaging, emotional, and surprisingly surprising. It was fun seeing people we know in District 12, and later in the Capitol, though I do wonder if maybe there were too many once we got into the games. Spoilers on who they are here, but seeing how involved Beetee, Wiress, and Mags were in Haymitch's games makes me wonder if most of the reaping done in Catching Fire was completely rigged, since Haymitch would have gone in if Peeta hadn't volunteered, or if their inclusion here was mostly fanservice. If it was rigged, that's pretty cool. If it's fanservice, I thoroughly enjoyed it. Also, I want to read an entire book on Mags' life please.

I only knocked down half a star because of the overuse of "The Raven" throughout. At first, it was cool to see where Lenore Dove got her name and she symbolism of the lost Lenore who would haunt Haymitch forever, but by the end (where it was used A LOT) I completely skipped reading the poem parts in the middle. I think it would have been fine to maybe throw in a short quote in there once or twice, but we didn't need as much of the poem as we got, and I say that as someone who LOVES "The Raven."

Bring on any more sequels Suzanne! I would read 71 more books of each Hunger Games we haven't seen.

A lot of interesting ideas here, though listening to it as a child of a parent with undiagnosed Autism, an adult who myself was undiagnosed until I was 35, and an now a parent of kids with Autism, I have to wonder if a lot of these "emotionally immature" parents aren't simply neurodivergent. Not that it excuses crappy parenting - it doesn't. But it might be an explanation for why there are so many of these types of parents.

Thoroughly enjoyed this book. Went back and forth a lot about whether I liked June or not, whether I wanted her to get away with what she did or get caught. Fun read for sure.

I've read a lot of murder mysteries and this is one of the funniest ones I've ever read that was also still riveting and managed to surprise me. The constant breaks in the 4th wall were very well done.

The Way Out has some very interesting ideas about healing chronic pain. Even people with structural reasons for their pain, as opposed to the neuroplastic pain the book focuses on, might find some good techniques to help relieve their symptoms. I have a little bit of both, and while I haven't used all the tools in the book yet, it has been helpful even just giving me things to think about and discuss with my doctor at my next visit. I listened to the audiobook, which was read very well. Recommended for anyone dealing with chronic pain who has an open mind.

Three stars only because it was a little short and while the techniques are discussed, I would have liked more detail about how to actually do the work needed to treat the pain.

Some really good questions in here. Great conversation starters for sure.

I started out thinking this ending to the trilogy wasn’t as strong as the first two, but by the end it completely hooked me. And that end!

Funny and irreverent. Great for fans of sci-fi or comedy, but ideal for those who love both. As with the first two, I listened to the audio book read by the author and it made it way better.

People on the Autism spectrum are not homogeneous, yet so much of Jenifer Cook O'Toole's story rang true for me. For many women born before 1990, we were never diagnosed or even considered for a diagnosis until we had children who are on the spectrum and saw ourselves in them. Life has been a struggle of always feeling weird or somehow left out until the light of diagnosis showed us that we are not flawed, just different, and Autism in Heels does a great job explaining what undiagnosed life was like. Audiobook was great as I got to hear Jennifer's voice tell her own story, but I'm sure the printed editions are just as good. Recommended for any woman who is or might be on the spectrum, or anyone who knows or loves one.

Great storytelling wrapped up in Angelou's poetic and lyrical phrasing made for a great listen, especially since the audiobook is read by the author herself.

Fun and funny horror. It took a while to really get started, but once it did, it was pretty good. It's a little long and meandering in parts, which led to a definite drop in any suspense that got built up. Adding an extra half a star for the Audiobook version. Hearing Pipkin's voice upped the creepiness factor, for sure.

The beginning of this book had me thinking that I would enjoy it very much. As it went on however, it lost steam for me. I tried reading something else and then going back to it a few times, but I could never really get into it enough to finish it.

"The Break-Up Diet" by Annette Fix was one of the best books I've read in a while. In this memoir, Fix describes the phenomenon of the weight loss that happens following a break up. More than that, she draws the reader in with her humor and by the end of the book you feel like she is someone you know and want to root for. There are portions of the book that are laugh out loud funny, and others that made me slightly teary-eyed. I was going through my own break-up diet when I read this and this book is a must read for anyone who is going through or has ever been through a rough break-up. Highly recommended.

Cursed Child? More like cursed book. I hated everything about it. Gave it a full star instead of a half only because I love the world so much and it was nice to see some of my favorite characters again after so long.

As a former theatre kid, the play format didn't bother me at all, but the story itself was terrible. I've seen people call it a well-written fan-fiction and honestly that's an insult to many of the amazing fan-fictions out there.

This was a very quick read and I was very engaged in the story. However, I think Kerry spends the majority of the book telling the story of what she did, and not as much time was spent on how she healed. In the end, which was rather abrupt, I am not sure she even learned anything or came away with any self-reflection. Neither a lesson learned nor an in independent defense of behavior in the name of sexual independence. I just kind of...ended, and that makes the book seem like a bit of a waste of time to me.

The book If Jack's In Love was a great read. I read the whole book in just under three hours and literally did not put it down from the time I started it to the time I finished it. The title character, Jack, weaves a narrative that is at times hilarious and at times heartbreaking. I truly would recommend it.

The book Anna's Heaven is a gorgeously illustrated book with a story that is just as lovely. Although marketed as a Children's book I think this book could find an audience in anyone who is going through loss and asking the tough questions about what happens next.

I really enjoyed this book. Although I am not one of the women who wears high heels all the time, the book helped me to understand why I sometimes feel guilty that I don't wear high heels all of the time. The book was not only about the shoes that women wear, it was about the historical events that lead to the reasons that women choose to wear the shoes that do such damage to their feet. I will pass this book on to my sister, who wears high heels on a daily basis, in the hopes that it can help her to overcome the shoe addiction and perhaps even save her feet.

This is the book I always say when people ask me what my favorite book is. I read it and when I finished it, I immediately read it again. I love Daniel Handler's way with words as Lemony Snickett and he is just as fun here.

Losing Clementine is about an artist who decides she is going to kill herself in 30 days. The subject, in the hand of another writer, could have been heavy and sappy, but Ashley Ream concocted a story that made me laugh out loud on more than one occasion, and cry only once. Clementine is a wonderfully written character and taking the 30 day journey with her was a truly satisfying reading experience. Highly recommended.

Unabrow is one of the funniest books I heave read in a long time. And when I say funny, I mean laugh out loud in the break room at work, and then get self-conscious because people heard you, funny. Una tells her life story in a series of essays, charts, and lists that are as insightful as they are humorous. As a woman who also grew up in the 80s and 90s and is now dealing with the craziness of marriage and motherhood, I felt like I was reading the journal of a very funny friend. Highly recommended.

In Old Age, Michael Kinsley writes with a great deal of humor about a subject that many people do not find very funny. It was a quick and enjoyable read and although I am not from the Boomer generation, it made me think a lot about illness, old age, and what the ultimate goals.in life should be.

My Confection is a memoir that spoke to me much more than I expected it to. Written in a style that is hilarious and gut-wrenching at the same time. Kotin's sentences thoughts flow in a string of contradictions that seems like a small window directly into her mind, and the strange thing is how much her mind sounds like mine. I would recommend this book to anyone who has ever suffered with an eating disorder, or any kind of addition. I absolutely loved it.

On the Rocks is a light and fun read. The characters often said things that had me laughing out loud. I thought it was heading for a predictable ending, but I was pleasantly surprised.