Review: Station Eleven

Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

What's the perfect book to read during a pandemic?  A book about a pandemic that wipes out 99% of the world's population because it spreads and kills so fast you almost can't avoid it.  The Georgia Flu would pwn COVID-19.  What kind of witch is Emily St. John Mandel that she wrote Station Eleven in 2014?  Why do I keep reading books like this right now?????????

Put all of that aside, Station Eleven is a great book.  I had heard it was a great book.  I put off reading it specifically because I kept hearing it was a great book, and most books don't live up to that kind of hype.  Yet, this one did.  More than just a book about the end of the world as we know it, it is a book about the interconnectedness of people.  We follow the stories of a few primary characters as we jump back and forth through time to watch their lives unfold.  Oddly, Station Eleven is not as predominant as the title might make you think.  It is more a thread that links these characters together, sometimes tenuously.  I have my own mental image of what it looks like.  I'm hoping someone will do an artistic rendering someday.

View all my reviews

Review: Wishful Drinking

Wishful Drinking by Carrie Fisher
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I listened to Wishful Drinking written and narrated by Carrie Fisher.  If you are looking for a quick listen, this is a great choice.  I think it only took about 3 hours.  I finished it in one sitting.  

Confession time.  I was a Debbie Reynolds fan long before I knew that she was Carrie Fisher's mother.  Keep in mind I was a child (!) so it is not all that weird that I didn't make the connection.  I actually went with my own mother to see Debbie Reynolds perform at the Rialto Square Theatre in Joliet, Illinois when I was about 12.  I can't remember the whole show, but I remember pieces of it very vividly.  I was so excited.  She was so glamorous and an incredible performer.  Listening to Carrie tell the stories of her mother took me back to that moment with my own mother.  Her impression of Debbie is also very impressive.  

Listening to this on the heels of The Princess Diarist, there were some familiar anecdotes.  She really hated those buns!  Harrison Ford is a heartbreaker.  The rest was mostly about her family and the incestuousness of Hollywood.  I loved when she broke down the family trees so we could figure out whether her own daughter was dating a relative.  I am going on record that Elizabeth Taylor may have been the original Kevin Bacon.  It feels like she was connected to everyone!

View all my reviews

Review: Weird: The Power of Being an Outsider in an Insider World

Weird: The Power of Being an Outsider in an Insider World by Olga Khazan
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Full disclosure:  I received an advance copy of Weird: The Power of Being an Outsider in an Insider World by Olga Khazan from the publisher in exchange for possibly writing a review.

Do you ever feel like an outsider?  Are you the one bucking some trend?  Have you ever used "weird" to describe yourself?  Would "fish out of water" be a good way to describe your life?  If you answered yes, this book was written for/about you.  I thoroughly enjoyed this book because I self-identify as weird.  I'm not ashamed to let my freak flag fly and so, it was entertaining to read the stories of others doing the same.  I think she found an interesting mix of people from various walks of life.  You can probably find at least one of them relatable.

I subscribe to The Atlantic, so I wasn't really surprised that this was so well-written.  I did go back and see how many of Olga Khazan's articles I had read (not really paying attention to who wrote them at the time).  Not surprisingly, I'd read most of them.  Now, I will be looking for articles from her.  

This was also great to read after taking an introduction to social psychology class during the stay-at-home order because it references much of what I learned.  It really helped me further understand many of the concepts.  So even if you aren't really weird, you might like learning more about people who are.

View all my reviews

Review: Hollywood X

Hollywood X by M.Z. Kelly
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Hollywood X is the 24th book in the Hollywood Alphabet series by M.Z. Kelly.  If you feel like 24 books is too much of a commitment for you, this book comes with a handy prelude that will catch you up on the most important bits of the first 23 books.

This book was a refreshing return to the writing that got me reading the series in the first place.  I'm going to admit that some of the books in the middle of the series were veering too absurd for my taste.   This one was a nice balance of crazy roommate antics, an intriguing serial killer, and progression of the main character's back story.  

With just two more letters left in the alphabet, I'm looking forward to seeing how everything wraps up!

View all my reviews

Review: The Princess Diarist

The Princess Diarist by Carrie Fisher
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I decided to listen to The Princess Diarist.  Written and mostly narrated by Carrie Fisher herself, her daughter, Billie Lourd, reads the portion of diaries from when Carrie was 19.  It was an interesting creative choice that may have made me shed a tear or two.  It was a little weird to have Carrie Fisher speaking to me from beyond the grave.  I almost forgot she is gone.  

Just like the fans that Carrie Fisher lovingly pokes fun of, I wanted to be Princess Leia when I was a little girl.  I made my mom put my hair in those buns and ran around in my Star Wars Underoos.  I had a crush on Han Solo.  Let's not kid ourselves.  I still want to be Princess Leia.  I still have a crush on Han Solo.  

Hearing Carrie talk about the good and bad of playing a character that she never expected to become so iconic as to almost eclipse her as a person was very moving.  How hard it must be to have people expect you to always be a fictional character and never yourself.  It made me more aware of my position as a fan, and the obligation to remember there are real people behind those characters I love.  

I was even more moved by her candid reveal of her affair with Harrison Ford.  I had heard about the affair when this book was released.  For some reason, I thought it was just a brief mention.  I didn't realize that Carrison would have a starring role.  While she avoids spilling all the down and dirty details, my heart went out to this young women wrapped up in her obsession with an older, married man.  How much she longed for him to love her back.  How life doesn't have fairy tale endings.   

View all my reviews

Review: Seveneves

Seveneves by Neal Stephenson
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

You won't need to clear your schedule to read this review of Seveneves by Neal Stephenson, but you may want to if you decide to read the book.  I'm a pretty fast reader and it still took me the full 21 days of my library loan to finish it.  Let that not discourage you!  It takes time to build a whole new world. It will be worth your investment.  Let me also note that this was like getting two books for one.  The last third of the book includes a time jump that could make it a standalone novel.  

During these crazy pandemic times, I have been taking many college courses.  One of those was an Intro to Physics and boy am I so glad I did!  You don't have to understand physics to enjoy this book.  However, if you like to geek out about science, a basic understanding of physics will really help you appreciate the details Neal includes in his narrative even more.  The inside of his mind must be amazing!

I will admit I almost put this book down when I started.  It is not a spoiler to say the world is ending.  I think you can find that out in any summary of the book.  It just felt a little too close to home at first.  Sure the moon hasn't blown up and the United States doesn't have a female president but thinking the world could end within two years doesn't feel all that fictional.  If it did, would we be ready?  I will be because I read this book.  I hope to see you in space as well.  Get reading!

 

View all my reviews

Review: So You Want to Talk About Race

So You Want to Talk About Race by Ijeoma Oluo
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I listened to So You Want to Talk About Race written by Ijeoma Oluo and read by Bahni Turpin. You might find it uncomfortable, but you need to read or listen to this book.

Ijeoma Oluo doesn't mince words when writing about the issues of racism and racial injustice facing our society today. Each chapter addresses an issue in a clear and easy to understand way so that you have no excuse to live in ignorance any further. She covers a variety of topics including cultural appropriation and the school-to-prison pipeline. I especially appreciated the chapter on privilege. It's a term you hear thrown around but what does it really mean and who does it apply to? You. It applies to you. Ijeoma lays it out for you and explains why everyone has some sort of privilege. It was the best explanation I have ever read/heard.

The chapter on hair touching had me yelling "THANK YOU" out loud. Unless you are a professional hair stylist or someone asks for your assistance with their hair, don't touch people's hair. Don't ask to touch their hair. It's creepy.

View all my reviews

Review: Talking As Fast As I Can: From Gilmore Girls to Gilmore Girls, and Everything in Between

Talking As Fast As I Can: From Gilmore Girls to Gilmore Girls, and Everything in Between by Lauren Graham
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I listened to Talking As Fast As I Can: From Gilmore Girls to Gilmore Girls, and Everything in Between written and narrated by Lauren Graham. If you don't like Gilmore Girls. Stop reading now. If you've never seen Gilmore Girls, go watch it, and come back when you are finished.

I know some people take issue with the Gilmore Girls. I've read all the analysis. And yeah, I don't like Logan either. Rory, what were you thinking? All that aside, I enjoyed the show and Lauren Graham's recounting of her time spent filming it.

I liked that she included other narrators as themselves. It made it feel less like a book and more like a conversation. That is one advantage of an audiobook over a traditional book.

Lauren Graham talks about the alter ego she created, Old Lady Jackson, to advise young people without losing cool points. I have quite a bit of Old Lady Jackson in me too! When did that happen?

Bonus points for Roy Choi mentions! How did I forget he was in Gilmore Girls? Some people know about my mild obsession with Roy Choi and The Chef Show (even though I'm a vegetarian). Also, I think he and my sister's fiance share a remarkable resemblance. They have the same smile. It's crazy!

View all my reviews