Honestly, I don't think I even cleared 10 pages...the characters felt flat and I felt like I was just rereading the same sentences over and over.

Reached page 43 before I admitted to myself that this book just wasn't for me. *shrugs*

Made it to page 159. Every time I'd put it down I felt no real desire to pick it back up. :-/

I certainly hope this is the end of the books that I DNF for a while. I gave this one the shortest window of opportunity of the 3...at page 30 I gave up. For one thing, I realized that the person that needs this book is not myself. And for another, it's written a bit too hokily* for my tastes. Like a lot of books under the heading of self-help it felt as if the author was talking down to the reader and it was impossible for me to get past that.

*I just made sure I wasn't insane with this word choice. For anyone doubting me, the definition of 'hokily' according to the Cambridge Dictionary is "in a way that is too emotional or artificial and therefore difficult to believe". So there.

On a streak lately of picking up books that I end up abandoning due to low interest. I made it to page 70 of this one before I called it quits. Nothing overtly wrong with it except that I didn't find the topic engrossing enough to hold my enthusiasm in continuing. I think if you have a stake (hardy har) in the restaurant or hospitality business then this could be for you but alas that is not the case for myself.

Made it to page 102 scratching my head over this book being categorized as 'sci-fi'. Googled the series to see if I was losing my mind and saw that it's labeled as 'technothriller' which somehow falls under the umbrella of sci-fi? Ummmm the only conceivable way I can think that this could be sci-fi is that the author might be exploring how the emergence of computers and big tech companies will effect society. And that is indeed a stretch. At any rate, I feel that I was hoodwinked and bamboozled into picking up this book (which btw is the 3rd in a series which was a surprise to me) and I had no desire to carry on with it.

Made it all the way to 218 before admitting defeat. I felt like I was being hit over the head with religion in almost every paragraph. Also, the meandering style of writing that skipped between past and present became tedious.

I had to concede defeat by page 46. I didn't know it was possible to make true crime this boring. The author seemed to take as a given that the reader had absolutely no knowledge of how true crime writing or criminology works, and the over explaining of every aspect felt like being hit over the head. That's a big no for me.

I got halfway through and realized that the characters still felt one-dimensional and uninteresting. With so much else to read, I decided it wasn't worth my time to keep going. A shame since so many people recommended this one to me.

This book was recommended to me by SO many of the patrons at work.

Made it to page 158 and had to concede defeat. It felt like I had been reading forever and making no headway. While some parts were interesting (the history and science sections), the rest of it dragged interminably.

I tried SO hard to get thru this one and made it about halfway (pg 330) before conceding defeat. I had to accept that my interest just wasn't being held and it was time to move on to another book.

Interesting story concept but it just wasn't for me. I just couldn't seem to get into it. I kept at it until page 101 where I finally had to accept defeat. I just couldn't connect with any of the characters and so when I'd set the book down I had no real interest in picking it back up again.

While I really enjoyed this author's other book, Hamnet, this one just didn't hold my attention. I think largely this is because I didn't feel any investment in the main character (or indeed any of the characters). I tried so hard to give this book a try but in the end I had to call it quits.

I think it says something that a few months after reading this I have absolutely no recollection of what I thought of its contents. I can't even remember a single story. *chagrined*

I have to admit that I was disappointed by this one. I've read other books that focus on museum curation and so my expectations were set at a high bar. While this does talk about different collections that are located in Iceland, the writing style drifted into purple prose a bit too much for my taste. And many of what the author termed 'museum collections' are more like tourist attractions kept at someone's home. I wouldn't have an issue with a book that gave the history of these places if it wasn't presented as a 'museum'. It's obvious that the author has spent a significant amount of time visiting and researching these locations (and the love she has for the country is indisputable) but the writing style combined with the loose definition of what makes a museum collection left me wanting.

As a Librarian, I try not to narrow down my reading to any one genre and it's books like these that help me to do that (as well as give me talking points about the books I haven't gotten around to yet). This book is exactly what it purports to be: a collection of titles (with reviews) of books that are recommended for repeated reading. I made note of several of these titles (I clearly remember writing down Kierkegaard) while happily checking off the ones that I've read before. If you're a big reader looking to expand your horizons or you're in a bit of a reading rut (happens to us all) you can dip in and out of this book for reading inspiration.

This book gives an exhaustive history of the homes that Christie and her family lived in during her lifetime. Keen on decorating and 'flipping' properties, she was also an ardent collector of knickknacks and bric-a-brac (much of it passed down through the generations). The author has given tours of the various properties and sites that were both a part of Christie's life as well as inspiration for many of her most famous works. [There's also a lot of behind the scenes info on her writing process + what she did when she wasn't writing.] This is definitely a coffee table book so if you're interested just be aware that it might be slightly difficult to carry this one around while commuting. ;-)

For fans of Agatha Christie's books as well as those interested in architecture, decorating, and history.

A great little 'pick me up' of a book. Full of quotes and little short stories that are designed to give you the warm fuzzies...and it definitely delivers.

Well researched look at 'democracy in action' in particular the way that voting is conducted in the United States...or rather the way it is misconducted. Without question, the poor and people of color (not generally mutually exclusive) are systematically disenfranchised through various 'legal' means like gerrymandering (redrawing political district lines), removal of voting sites, and increased stipulations on what kinds of ID can be used (keeping in mind that birth certificates incur a cost and DMV locations may be few and far between). Those are just a few of the ways that city and state governments have managed to gain a majority in states where in actuality they are only the minority of the population.

This is a great companion to The New Jim Crow which goes in-depth about the inequalities of the U.S. Justice System.

Translated from French, this is the story of Bob the Postman who just happens to have a route through space. No biggie. However, as the book opens Bob's tried and true routine is upended and he is given a new itinerary. Things don't go quite to plan.

Such a fun little graphic novel. I really loved the illustration style which was colorful and which spanned the book in full page spreads. I definitely got vibes like Tom Gauld's Moon Cop (definitely a compliment). If you're looking for something of a book palate cleanser this is an excellent choice.

I'm always keen to read books about climate change and this one seemed especially interesting to me as it deals with how we educate (or don't) children about climate change.

The author went around the country to interview teachers, school administrators, students, and parents to see what if any information the children in their communities were receiving on this topic. I think most of us won't be surprised to learn that it varies widely depending on the political party that holds sway over states, cities, and districts. The U.S. does not have a national standard of education which means that states and indeed individual schools can make decisions about how much information they impart to the students in their classrooms. [A/N: This goes for the actual textbooks that are used across the U.S. as well. They actually have widely different content! This really blew my mind even though it seems quite obvious in hindsight.] The standard of a state may be 'this topic can be covered as long as all sides of the debate are discussed' even though among those in the scientific community there is no debate about whether or not climate change is real and if it is mostly caused by human activity. (It is and it is.) Still in other parts of the country the topic is not even brought up at all for fear of making waves.

So what we end up with is uneven access to information which leads to uninformed adults who will one day be making decisions based off of the scant information they've show more absorbed. Whether or not you have children, I think this is most definitely something you should be concerned about as it will have an impact on everyone down the line. Check out the educational standards where you live, visit the next school board meeting to ask questions, and if you do have young people in your life make sure that the facts they are receiving at school are indeed the facts. show less

This book was recommended to me by one of my regular patrons. He said that he picked it up on a whim and ended up really enjoying it so I thought I'd give it a go as well.

Thus far, this is the only book that I've read that deals directly with COVID-19 and/or lockdown so it was definitely eerie and somewhat uncomfortable reliving the darkest days of the global pandemic we're still battling. The author essentially journals every day of that first year that the pandemic took hold of the U.S. and experiencing again the confusion, fear, anger, numbness, and acceptance of those days (which still continue for most of us) was difficult. I think this would have hit differently had I read it at some far-flung date in the future when this time was a hazier memory but as it is still fresh and ongoing I couldn't fully relax while reading it. Maybe that was the author's goal? Or perhaps he just had to expel these thoughts and feelings onto paper so that he could move on and hope that it would resonate with his readers. I'm not sure. I can say that it was well-written and certainly topical but I think if I had it to do over again I would tell myself to wait and pick it up in 5-10 years from now. *shrugs*

This book begins in the late 1970s and follows those who dared to push back against the political and economic agendas of both big fossil fuel companies and the U.S. government. Viewing these as separate entities has been a mistake as many of the key decisions about what should (or shouldn't) be done to mitigate the disastrous effects of rising temperatures were made with fossil fuels + the global economy in mind. The author of this book lays out step-by-step how policies were proposed, watered down, and ultimately made useless in the face of what many policymakers thought would cause an 'economic disaster' to the United States (and our trade partners across the globe). Through disinformation and outright denialism, the American public who once fully understood that scientists wholeheartedly agreed on the generalities of climate change were made to question and eventually come to distrust any information that was labeled as 'environmental science'. And this is how it stands today with very little in the way of real statutes or limitations regarding the use of fossil fuels. Every time there has been an approach to a global agreement, the U.S. (and usually its allies) have refused to participate wholesale.

Climate change is undeniable and in the 1980s when it became a hot button topic both politically and socioeconomically no one questioned this fact (or the science behind it). But when it first 'hit the scene' at this time it was not a new subject to those who were show more studying climate science and worrying about how to get the U.S. government to begin making widespread (leading to global) changes to slow the heating up of our planet.

If you're interested in this topic (and we all should be!) then this is a great little starter book to give you a history of how this topic was approached in the States + how it stands today. show less

As a Children's Librarian, I try my best to be diverse in my reading choices. However, over the last couple of years while being at my current branch I've not read as much middle grade as the patrons I have the most interaction with are either pre-k aged or senior citizens. But then I saw all the press for Jason Reynold's latest book Stuntboy and I thought it looked too fun to pass up.

But this is not one of those books that translates to the "unintended audience" in my opinion. [A/N: The illustrations are a treat for any aged reader.] I felt utterly out of touch with the "youths" as I was reading this. lol This isn't bad news though! I have no doubt that middle grade readers will absolutely LOVE this book. The main character, Portico, is realistic and likable and his confusion over the meaning of words (the meantime being the main one) will be a delight to readers who do understand what's being said. It's the start of a series so if you have young graphic novel enthusiasts in your life this would be a great series for them to sink their teeth into.

A music lover writing about his love of music for other music lovers? YES, PLEASE.

Reading The Storyteller: Tales of Life and Music by Dave Grohl right after finishing up Paul McCartney's The Lyrics was absolutely the best decision I could have made. Firstly, Dave is a huge Beatles fan (and a friend of the man himself!) so there were tons of references to him and his music making it feel like I was enmeshed in an almost surreal literary musical infinity loop. Secondly, the parallels to their musical journeys are undeniable (and fascinating). Thirdly, both books absolutely engrossed me and fired up my imagination. [A/N: And since I've had a fairly slow start reading wise this year I am eternally grateful to these two men for this.]

The Storyteller is exactly what the subtitle claims it to be: Dave Grohl's musical journey from his childhood playing "pillow drums" in Virginia, leaving on tour as a teenager with the band Scream, making music history with the super band Nirvana, and creating his own label with his bandmates the Foo Fighters. Reading this book felt like watching a behind the scenes documentary of the 90s punk scene. It's gritty and devastating at times, full of heart always, cheeky (I definitely laughed out loud multiple times), and just an all-around excellent book for anyone who has ever felt overcome by the power of music. 10/10

If you love cute little comics and/or could use a smile you've found the right book.

I've been following Liz Climo on Twitter for a while now (in a non-creepy way) but I never had a chance to pick up one of her collections before. I'm super glad that I finally did because this was such a breath of fresh air. This book follows different little animals through the four seasons in little vignettes. Characters like bear and rabbit (who are roommates), blob fish and anglerfish, and turtle and hamster (I think they might be someone's pets?) have cute little conversations (and misunderstandings) but the whole vibe of the book is one of positivity. In short, this is exactly what I needed!

I should have known that I wouldn't be satisfied with simply borrowing a copy of The Lyrics: 1956 to the Present by Paul McCartney (with help from Paul Muldoon). Even though I've only had a chance to look at the first volume which covers his songs from A-K I know that this book set is one that I will most definitely be adding to my personal collection. Beautifully designed and executed, this is exactly what it purports to be: a collection of the lyrics that he's written from 1956 to the present day. I guess it must have been Paul Muldoon who suggested they arrange the songs alphabetically which was an excellent decision as it allows the reader to feel like they're sitting with Paul and hearing his reminiscences rather than a backlog of albums chronologically. Arranged into chapters by letter, each song lists the writer(s), vocal artist, recording studio, album, and year along with the entire lyrics. Following that is a short recollection from Paul about the story behind the song as well as various photographs and ephemera (some of which has never been seen before!). This is a gorgeous masterpiece of literature in my opinion. [A/N: And if you love a book that lays down flat then you're going to melt with rapture.] As you could probably guess, this is a 10/10 from me (and I haven't even gotten my hands on L-K yet!).

This book interested me on two levels: That outrageous title and the fact that the 2000s marked a very important time in my life (high school, college, & a move to NYC).

This is a collection of essays that center on pop events/icons of the 2000s that either resonated with the gay community or had a profound effect on the author during her journey of self-love and expression as a queer woman. From Katy Perry's "I Kissed a Girl" to the iconic TV show "The L Word" she covers the gamut of pop culture phenomenons with self-deprecating panache. It was a fun, quick read that I especially enjoyed because I remembered vividly several of the songs, TV shows, and cultural "moments" that she mentioned. Ah, nostalgia.

I was excited to read David Mack's take on the reboot universe because I've been a big fan of his other ST books but I have to admit this one fell short of the mark for me. I found it unengaging (and frankly lackluster) and the characterizations did not feel genuine (yes, we're talking about fictional characters but if you've consumed as much ST media as I have you'll get what I mean). At any rate, I set it aside and had no desire to return to it. I'd recommend if you're looking for a David Mack ST book to read that instead you pick up his Destiny series which is EXCELLENT.

I had a lot of high hopes for this one which is why it lingered so long on my TRL but in the end I just didn't love the depiction of Mary (or the slow writing pace). I read another adaptation that focused on this character that (in my opinion) was a lot more interesting to read. (It's Mary B. by Katherine Chen if you're interested.)