I’m a little short on time for getting this post done because meetings so today I’m just going to share 3 memes I love about reading. Here we go . . .
Those just might be 3 of the truest memes ever!
If you wrote a post for today please share your link below. Thanks and Happy Thursday . . . it’s almost the weekend!
Even though I shared all of the books I read in 2019 with you last week, what I haven’t shared is my reviews of the books I’ve read since November. So, here you have what I read during November and December of 2019.
The Christmas Spirits on Tradd Street by Karen White
My rating: 2 of 5 stars
It’s difficult when you’re invested in a series and the books start to degrade but that seems to be the case with the Tradd Street books. There is too much repetition and no real development with the main character . . . she likes sweets, I get it . . . she’s OCD, I get it . . . she wants to pretend that she doesn’t communicate with spirits, I get it. The descriptions of Charleston and the curiosity to see what will happen have kept me coming back, and I’m sure I’ll read the final installment when it comes out, but honestly, this series should have ended after book 4.
I received an advanced copy of this title from Net Galley in exchange for my honest review.
The Nickel Boys by Colson Whitehead
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
So good and yet so heartbreaking, it’s hard to say I enjoyed this book since it’s truly difficult to read, but I really did love it. The characters are real and Whitehead’s description are fantastic, this one is highly recommended.
Stolen Things: A Novel by R.H. Herron
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
This is a good suspense novel that mostly kept me guessing until the end. I do think it dragged a bit and maybe tried to cover too many hot button issues, some tighter editing would have made for a better book. I’m looking forward to reading more from this author.
All the Bad Apples by Moïra Fowley-Doyle
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
This book started out strong, the middle was a bit of a slog, and then it picked up again at the end. Honestly, I felt like there was really just too much going on: family curses, feminism, abortion rights, the evil practices of the Catholic Church, LGBTQ rights and then some magical realism mixed in. It was enjoyable but ultimately fell flat for me.
The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
This book is not for everyone but for me it was amazing. Full of magic and symbolism, it’s an epic tale that has many twists and turns and doesn’t wind up at all the way I thought it would. I do think it’s a tad long but it’s really an incredible story within a story within a story. There’s a passage in the book that describes it far better than I could: Part spy movie, part fairy tale, part choose your own adventure. Epic branching story that doesn’t stick to a single genre or one set path and turns into different stories but it’s all the same story. I was given a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Save Me the Plums: My Gourmet Memoir by Ruth Reichl
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
I love the way Ruth Reichl describes food and this book about her experiences as the editor of Gourmet magazine is terrific and classic Reichl.
The Revisioners by Margaret Wilkerson Sexton My rating: 4 of 5 stars
This is a powerful story of multiple generations of women in the same family and how they are connected by the experiences and cruelty of racism. There were moments in this book that were so painful to read they took my breath away. Highly recommended.
Nanaville: Adventures in Grandparenting by Anna Quindlen
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Anna Quindlen writes about being a grandparent in a beautiful way, she truly captures the feelings that come along with loving the child of your child. Her advice on navigating the role is helpful but mostly this is a book that just celebrates the joy of being a Nana.
Black Is the Body: Stories from My Grandmother’s Time, My Mother’s Time, and Mine by Emily Bernard
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
This collection of essays is good but somewhat uneven. The opening chapter is fantastic and some of the others are as well but many of them are repetitive and lack the insight of the first one. Still, recommended because of the insights she shares and the vulnerability she exhibits.
Trust Exercise by Susan Choi
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
I’m giving this 3 stars because, even though I sort of disliked it, I can appreciate the literary aspects of this book. I was fine with the timeline, with the ambiguous story and abruptly changing narrators, and even the ending, although I think the publisher’s promise that the ending will make everything click into place is misleading. My problem with the book is that I found the characters completely unlikable and I couldn’t connect to their experiences. That lack of connection is the flaw and kept me from giving the book a higher rating.
On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous by Ocean Vuong
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Beautiful, haunting, and emotionally powerful, this novel reads more like a stream of consciousness poem. I loved it . . . but it’s not for everyone.
Do You Mind If I Cancel? by Gary Janetti
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
A great collection of essays, funny and entertaining, there were moments where I laughed out loud.
And there you have it. I ended the year on a pretty strong note. And, here’s one of my quirks. I finished Do You Mind If I Cancel on December 30, 2019. And I made myself wait to start a new book until January 1, 2020. I’m weird like that.
You know what’s a great distraction from the stuff of every day life? Movies. Oh boy do I love the movies! Yesterday the nominees for the 92nd Oscars were announced and I watched it live with pencil and paper in hand, ready to update the list of movies I need to see.
Now. I’ve been doing this whole see-all-the-best-picture-nominees for many many years and I already had a pretty exhaustive list of potential nominees (courtesy of Kym this year since my head wasn’t in the game last month) but it’s so exciting to create the actual list of nominated films. It’s also exciting to know that I’ve already seen several and I’ve got a plan of attack for seeing (most) of the rest.
Of the Best Picture nominated movies I have seen four total: Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, A Marriage Story, Little Women, and 1917. I have also seen Bombshell, which was not nominated in the Best Picture category but Charlize Theron was nominated in the Best Actress Category, Margot Robbie was nominated in the Best Supporting Actress Category and the movie also received a nomination for Makeup and Hairstyling. The Best Picture nominated movies also received nominations in other categories. Once Upon a Time in Hollywood was nominated in ten categories total, A Marriage Story received six nominations, Little Women had a total of six nominations and 1917 came in with ten nominations.
It should be easy enough to see the other Best Picture nominees except for one. The Irishman is on Netflix, JoJo Rabbit, Joker and Parasite are already (or will be) on Amazon before the Oscar show. Ford v. Ferrari will be trickier. It’s currently in the theater but it’s not playing near me. And by near me I mean somewhere less than 45 minutes away and other than Boston because parking. Sometimes when a movie is nominated for Best Picture the release becomes wider and I’m hoping that will be the case with this movie. (Cross your fingers for me please.) I’d also like to see some of the other movies that have been nominated for various categories and are available for watching at home like Harriet, The Two Popes, Judy, The Lighthouse, and Pain and Glory. I’m hoping to see A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood but, like Ford v. Ferrari it’s not playing near me so we shall see on that one.
I don’t have any predictions yet since I haven’t seen all of the movies but I will say that I have enjoyed the 4 that I have seen and think they are all worthy of being in this group. We just saw 1917 on Sunday and wooo boy is it intense! Little Women is charming and although I’ve heard some people don’t like what they did with the timeline I have to say that for me it kept it fresh and I enjoyed it immensely. A Marriage Story is an utterly realistic portrayal of the disintegration of a relationship. Finally, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood is fascinating and an incredible blend of fantasy and history.
I’d love to hear your thoughts on this years race to the Oscars!
January is practically half over and I have yet to post December’s media stuff! I decided to put the one second video first this time just to mix things up. And also because I have things to say about my photos this month and I wanted those thoughts to be at the end of the post.
So. First the video:
And now the photos:
Here’s the deal.
Frankly, it’s been hard to go back and look at these and get them ready to share with you. There’s nothing that indicates that our lives fell apart in the middle there, but in my head the month is very clearly divided into before Randy died and after Randy died . . . exactly one month ago today. I honestly don’t think it’s reflected in the photos . . . no one else can probably tell that anything changed . . . there are still twinkle lights and cookies and all that’s lovely about December. But. The photos at the beginning of the month feel joyful to me. There’s Dale in the snow with his new hat. There is a silly outtake from our Christmas card photo shoot. There is the joy of our town tree lighting. And then there is the rest of the month. When I look at the photo from December 13th, I remember taking that picture of our Christmas tree before we headed out to a party, only to be called back home shortly after we left because something tragic had happened. When I look at the photo of our town gazebo, I remember walking down there with Dale, hoping to feel the peace of the season despite our sadness. When I see that photo of Jackie asleep on our bed, I remember that as I was taking it Dale was in the living room with Luke and they were telling Randy stories and trying to make sense of what had happened. I love to document our life events with photos but this event . . . this before and after . . . it’s a story I don’t know how to tell in photos.
There are feelings behind those photos that aren’t directly reflected in the photos themselves. But they are there. And they are sad. Those feelings are relentless and heavy. But it’s life and sometimes life breaks your heart. And you take photos of twinkle lights and cocktails anyway.
You carry on.
Thanks for listening.
On Tuesday night we put away the obvious Christmas decor . . . the tree, the window lights, the Merry Christmas signs and Santas. But the winter decor . . . that’s another story. There are still twinkle lights and greens and small trees. And this bedroom tree. Because it brings me so much joy.
I hope you find lots of things that bring you joy this weekend.
