thebacklistbook's reviews
300 reviews

This one was super annoying and full of bad advice on dating and sex. Oh well.. not every book is going to be perfect.

This one was vaguely entertaining this go around. Finally Mia can move past whining about prom. Maybe she will have some growth in the next one too. 

Eddie (pronounced Addie) Jaku (jay-koo) takes us through his experience of the Holocaust. He shares loss, love, and joy of life. Please read this book. It is educational and poignant.

This one was a real stretch. The plot was all over the map. Serial killer in present linked to 20 year old satanic panic daycare case. And too many red herrings to shake a stick at. 

This book had such polarizing reviews I had to read it myself. It reads like a terrible coming out manual. Aside from that there are sections of good advice and atrocious advice within. Rule number one is keep hair hydration in balance. This is good. The suggestion of finding a botanical conditioner and saturating your hair with it is not. This will result in 2 things: thinning from blocked follicles, and rotting (when combined with the gel/mousse on wet hair tip).

If you want to invigorate curls all you need is 1 part natural healthy conditioner that works for your hair to 3 parts water in a spray bottle (this is leave-in conditioner the custom way). For me, I do a coconut oil and cornstarch or baking soda deep conditioner monthly in the summertime. The part about avoiding silicones and waxes is good. The part about using a microfiber towel/t-shirt/pillowcase to dry hair doesn't make any sense.

My hair takes four hours to air dry if, and only if, I scrunch it in a cotton absorptive towel first. if I used one of the books options here my hair would take more like two days to dry. I usually just gently squeeze it out before leaving the shower then blot it with the towel. The tip about brushes is not quite right. Some hair textures can't be brushed. Others can. I can only brush my hair after it's dry. If I do it wet I lose more hair and have more pain. Also on no planet should styling product be put on wet hair, it will rot over time. Ultimately you know your hair better than a stranger does.

PS. If you deal with dandruff like I do (my hair is hella thick), wash your hair more often concentrating on the scalp. massage as long as you can stand it. Do a massaging water wash first, followed by a cleansing wash with your non clarifying shampoo. 

This book is all about how Stanley Tucci loves food; more specifically cuisine. He literally uses food as a guidance system to the major changes in his life. From childhood all the way through being diagnosed with and beating cancer.
 I highly recommend giving it a listen. 

This one was so refreshing after the last few duds. The zoology connection and the red herrings really spiced up an otherwise grim situation. This book features dual timelines that intertwine to form the pattern of a killer. 

Jane and Maura have their friendship tested when they disagree strongly about the connections or lack thereof in several cases. These cases will take Jane to South Africa on the hunt for something far more dangerous than a leopard. She hunts a human. Serial killer. Chameleon.

This was highly formula driven. broody Damon Salvatore type wants to get his way with downstairs neighbor. They meet, they avoid, they bang. Again. and so on. she falls in love only to discover his betrayal and then he makes grand sweeping gesture. She forgives him. They live happily ever after. Just not my cuppa.

This one was super tense the whole time. I prefer some variation in my fiction. Apparently I missed an entire novel existing and will be rectifying that shortly.

This book is equal parts hilarious/cringey jokes and sound advice. With some past anecdotes thrown in for good measure. I laughed a lot reading this one.