bethreadsandnaps's reviews
2525 reviews

2.5 stars

This was a quick, yet frustrating, read. After main character Zara doesn’t inherit the pile of money she expected to after her father dies, she takes on a lucrative celebrity memoir ghostwriting gig for TV chef Jane Bailey. 

Then Zara seems to lose all intelligence and falls in love with creepy Jane, and things go south really fast. 

I didn’t see what either of these characters had individually, much less when they got in a relationship. Jane was evil. Zara didn’t seem to have much of a personality, or she abandoned it when she met Jane. Things started to go implausibly off the rails. 

Unless you’re really into toxic relationships or friendships, I’d recommend staying away from this one.

I don't often talk about the format I read a book on (ebook, audiobook, print), but in this case I think it's worth noting. The ebook format of this book is very slim - the shorter side of a memoir. Given the length of the ebook, I would have expected the audiobook to be about 7 hours. But the audiobook is almost 17 hours! 

I ended up doing the first half of this memoir on audio, and I finished the second half in ebook format. There's a lot of unscripted riffing in the audiobook (and some tears!), so if you'd like to experience that, then definitely zip right over to the audiobook format. I think the reason I switched to ebook is that I felt like it was taking FOREVER to get through, and I wanted to go at a faster pace. 
I took 6 hours to get through the first half on audiobook (that's at 1.5 speed) and only 2 hours to get through the second half on ebook.

I tend to prefer memoirs on audio, but I tend to also get the ebook or print as well to see pictures. Well, you're not missing pictures if you choose the audio. 

Now let me speak to the actual content. Leslie Jones was vulnerable, honest, and I truly enjoyed her memoir. I like how she spoke of the racism and sexism she has received in the business, but she didn't make everything about racism and sexism. She took accountability for her part in situations. 

I think this is why I like to read memoirs from people in their 50s and older. They tend to have more maturity and perspective. 

I most enjoyed the SNL sections, and since those were toward the end, I kind of regret not listening to those expanded sections on audio...but not enough to go back and actually listen.

 3.5 stars
I have read Laurie Notaro’s nonfiction, but THE MURDERESS is her first fiction novel that I’ve read. Even then, it’s based on a true story, so her journalistic roots show through here.

In her 20s, Winnie Ruth Judd killed her two female friends Anne and Sammy. In this novel, Notaro starts when Ruth is caught at the train station with trunks that are leaking blood and smell noxious. Then the reader learns of her past, when she marries Doctor Judd, who is a narcotics addict, and he tragically gets rid of her newborn baby.

The narrative then pivots to Anne and Sammy, who met in Juneau, Alaska. When Sammy is diagnosed with tuberculosis, the doctor orders them to go to warmer weather, like Arizona, for her to get better. They move there, and soon Ruth is folded into their social circle. Ruth and her husband have been living separately, and Ruth takes up with Jack Halloran. On one pivotal night, Ruth shoots and kills Anne and Sammy. The last part of the novel is her trial with her lawyer being funded by William Randolph Hearst of all people (the trial will make good news!), narrowly averting execution by hanging, and her being put in a state psychiatric hospital, her “escapes,” and her later life.

The topic is interesting, and I hadn’t heard of Winnie Ruth Judd before. So I learned a lot, particularly the intersectionality of past trauma, alcohol/drugs, and mental health contributing to a psychotic break. There was the text of Ruth’s actual writing in the notes section of the book, and I could see how coming up with a coherent story from that, newspaper articles, and any court records that could be found from over 90 years ago would be a challenge for any author.

Each part of this book has a different perspective and writing tone. Some are more journalistic with very clear writing and short sentences. Some, particularly those from Ruth’s perspective, have a bit more prose to them. Surprisingly, I actually liked Anne and Sammy’s part, even though it took me a bit to figure out what was going on there because it was an abrupt shift.

While I liked each part individually, I question how cohesive the narrative is as a novel. Some parts I could tell that the author spent her time honing, but others felt a bit slapdash. I did enjoy this one even though it won’t rise to the top of the year status.

Publishes October 8, 2024 

 

There is a lot that I liked about this one. The Indian American experience is often one of a model minority but at the same time experiencing a lot of racism and stereotypes. I was eager to see how this stabbing of a white male on school grounds was going to unfold with and a Black girl and Indian American girl being at the scene. The whole town, including Babur, makes presumptions.  

Babur (“Bobby”) Singh runs an Uber-type business, and he is a very interesting character who has a very black and white view of the world, as exemplified by how he treated his wife. He has been raising his daughter Angie as a single father, and when she makes the 911 call after the stabbing, his rigid views will be challenged. I really liked his character’s development and how he makes more effort with his daughter toward the end of the book.

Angie is a great character. I’m not sure I would have been that principled as a teenager. A bit too good to be true, but she was a good balance for her father and the character of Chris.   

There were some side plots that were either unnecessary (like Angie swimming in the pool without a lifeguard) or needed to be fleshed out more. I understand it’s a debut. I think the plot weaving might be more seamless in future books. I thought it was worth noting that a big chunk of this book read as young adult. I don’t necessarily mind that, but I think some readers would appreciate that heads up. 

I wanted to see Angie reunite with an important family member that she hadn’t seen in a long time and was bummed that it didn’t happen on the page. 

I think this one will stick with me and won’t hesitate to pick up another book by this author. 

 

I have tried this author before and didn’t really “get” her. Unfortunately, I came away with similar impressions of this one. 

Some of this short story collection features Jack and Sadie, in a non-chronological way, and their relationship. I didn’t really like Jack and Sadie very much, but other reviewers do seem to like them. 

I actually liked some of the “other” short stories a bit more than the Jack and Sadie stories. 

The theme of family, including aging, seems to permeate these. Some stories completely went over my head. Some I liked. There were some small moments in the title story Souvenir Museum that I really liked. 

All in all, I don’t think this author is for me after reading two just mediocre (to me) books.

4.5 stars

Emily Nussbaum interviewed HUNDREDS of people involved with reality TV and had to have watched countless hours of reality TV for this book (talk about a good pandemic project!). The book starts out with the origins of reality TV (the 1940s!) and works its way toward the present. 

As I was reading, I was prompted to go down Youtube and Google rabbit holes. I love a book that urges me to seek out more information. I had never heard of the 1970s PBS reality show An American Family, so I had no idea of how it laid the groundwork for future shows. 

One thing I had hoped this book had addressed more was the big push reality stars are making to have better working conditions/unionize. This was alluded to a bit, but I thought the Love Is Blind controversies would have propelled that current state of affairs to be discussed in its own chapter. 

Great information and put together very well! 

I saw a lot of people I trust gave this 5 stars. Maybe that was my problem. I expected too much. 

Jane Quinn is a last minute substitute for rock star Jesse Reid at a concert in 1969. I didn’t really ever get into their romance. I think I liked Jane’s family story a bit more, but several of the female family members were hard to differentiate. I think I liked the music industry elements the most. 

It was an okay read.

It was nice to be back with the characters that I've enjoyed in the previous two books in this series. I liked how the first chapter gets the reader back with a quick refresher, and we learn it's Christmastime with the upcoming hotel staff Christmas party. 

As far the "mystery," it wasn't a mystery because the reader will easily pick up on what's going on. Only Molly is in the dark, mostly because of her quirks of not picking up on social cues. This one just didn't seem as endearing as the other two books because of how it treated Molly.  

2.5 stars

I was on the struggle bus for this one. I picked it up in print, read a chapter, set it down. Then I requested the audio. When I tried the audio, it gave me a headache. This is one I probably should have DNFed, but I don't DNF. So I pushed through.

The guts of this story are good. Luciana is the youngest daughter in her Colombian American family. She is gay and feels that her mother is ashamed of it. She is also dealing with ongoing medical problems (endometriosis and irritable bowel syndrome). The story opens as they are evacuating for Hurricane Irma in 2017, and her grandmother Abue is refusing to leave. Abue is a colorful character, and the reader learns more about her and her family history as the novel continues. I thought it was interesting how there were parallels in the family dynamics. 

My lower rating on this one is purely due to the reading experience and how the novel is laid out as a stream of consciousness one-sided Luciana conversation.  Occasionally, there are side conversations interspersed. I didn't enjoy reading it with my eyes, and hearing a dramatic teenager (who seemingly never shut up) in my ear made me want to strangle her. I just think this is one that I shouldn't have continued. However, I did like the pivot points in the actual story.

If you liked How Not to Drown in a Glass of Water, this has a similar vibe and you'll likely enjoy this one more than I did.  

A fun little romp with Joel and Stella on their weekend getaway as a new couple. Joel and Stella have been dating for a month and decide to head out of town for the weekend. They run into a few odd things at the cabin, and then things turn really interesting when Stella kicks a room air conditioner out of the window during sex. 

If you've read even a handful of thrillers, the places this novel goes likely won't surprise you that much, but I found it an entertaining read with a chuckle or two (like during that air conditioner scene!).