Rita
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.
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 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.
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.
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.
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.
Gary Soto, even when he is writing essays instead of poetry, has a wonderful way with words. This collection of essays containing various musings on his life is a joy to read. It had me laughing out loud in parts. Mostly though, it was just a very enjoyable read for someone who loves the written word. I would highly recommend it.
I just finished Famous Baby and before I say anything else, I have to say that I thoroughly loved it. The story is told from multiple perspectives and each voice is distinctive. Being both a mother and a daughter it is easy for to understand both characters, Ruth the slightly unhinged mother, and Abbie, the daughter longing for privacy. It raises the question of the oversharing that parents do on social media about their kids. Something I think about every time I scroll through my news feed. Great book. Highly recommended!
Mommy Man is a story about the making of a family. It is, for the most part, a funny and touching book and I thoroughly enjoyed almost all of it. There are a few times in the story where the author seems to look for instances of homophobia that aren't really there so that he can make a point or make a political sort of statement, and then mention how the person wasn't discriminating after his lifestyle choices after all. I'm not sure if it's because of how those sections were written or if it because for the most part he was defending himself from slights that were imagined, but it took me out of the story a bit. Many families do go through this type of discrimination, but his family did not, and the story did not need the extra drama added to it. The story was beautiful on its own because of the struggles they overcame to become parents and the cast of characters that made it possible.
A good read about a a relationship between a mother and a daughter. It was a little difficult to get into at first, but after a while, I was emotionally invested. The book follows what happens as the Mother's health deteriorates, and is at times funny and at times heartbreaking. The asides about cooking and the recipes seemed to fit in in certain parts, and in others sort of distracted from the story. All in all it was a good read.
When I read the title and description of this book, I expected a comical take on what it means to be a man today. What I got was comical in parts, but was overall a more serious look on what being a man really is. Heimbuch speaks of his feelings freely and at times I even got choked up reading about his struggle to define his manhood when basing on the definitions of the men in his family. The book had a lot more heart than I was expecting, and that was nice surprise. I am recommending it to my husband and I would recommend it to any young husband/father who is a little unsure of his manhood.
Getting Over Mr. Right by Chrissie Manby is one of the funniest books I have read in a while. I found myself laughing out loud as the heroine Ashleigh went from one crazy scenario to the next even crazier one. I would recommend this book to anyone looking for a light and funny read, and especially to anyone who has ever been through a rough break-up. Hilarious.
More Like Her, by Lisa Palmer grabbed me from the first sentence on the first page and didn't let me go until the very end. Even though a major plot point is revealed both on the back of the jacket in the description and in the Prologue, it still shocked me when it happened because of how well it was written. The story of what these friends go through before and after the event is at times gut-wrenching, and at times hilarious. Highly recommended.
Amy Ephron's voice is sometimes sentimental, sometimes hilarious, and always entertaining in this book. The short stories from her life's experience weave together an interesting story even though there is no concrete narrative. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes to hear a friend tell stories over dinner, as this is what the stories in this book remind me of.
Sometimes I Feel Like A Nut, is filled with the hilarious musings of Jill Kargman. I often found myself laughing out loud and having to read passages to others so that they could share in the laughter with me. Kargman writes in a stream-of-consciousness style that makes for highly entertaining reading. Recommended to anyone looking for a quick and funny read.