Man. Today is feeling rough. My kiddo is having a tough time, learned the hard way last night that money does not, in fact, grow on trees, and it made him spiral a bit. I, on the other hand, have finally decided to start therapy next week, so we will see how that all goes. It’s a bit like feeling on the edge of a precipice and not knowing how far or hard I’m going to fall, and hoping that I can guide my son while I do it. I know I need to be strong, but I am so tired of having to be that person sometimes.
That being said, I’m also glad that he knew he could talk to me about it. That he knew I was a safe space for him. I always worry that maybe one day, he won’t think so, but I think I did a good enough job that he knows and I felt that last night when he text me to tell me his woes. He is a good kid and I hate that his brain sometimes tells him that he isn’t. It’s hard, managing that. I want him to maybe start therapy again, but I also don’t want to overwhelm him with things that might be too much when he is already vulnerable as it is. I know he can do the hard things, but should he have to? How much of it do I take on for him? At what point do I go “ok, now you have to fly on your own”? This parenting thing is hard work.
Hoping that this weekend gives me some reprieve from the intensity of life lately. There has just been SO MUCH happening that it’s becoming exhausting instead of easy.
So I chose to listen to I’m Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy and oh man. I have so many thoughts that a review just doesn’t even do it justice. I yelled at people out loud in my home to just leave her alone, and for her to stop asking questions she knew the answer to (Spoiler: her mom is the worst). I honestly can say that I have never felt more relief than I did toward the end of the book when I was finally shouting “GOOD FOR YOU!” “YAS GIRL!” and “FINALLY!!!”. Jennette, and other child stars like her, deserve so much more.
I’m Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy
Rating: 5 out of 5 therapists
Oh man. How do you put stars or words on one persons life? Truly? Especially someone as honest and soul bearing as Jennette McCurdy was in this one. Jennette McCurdy was more than just Sam in iCarly (which, I must confess, I never actually watched). She was more than any of her roles and I feel for her and other child stars, especially those who were abused under Nickelodeon, because many of them were failed by everyone around them. There were so many times during her reading of her story (I made sure to listen to this as an audiobook, I needed her voice) that I was just so angry on her behalf. SO MANY PEOPLE failed her. All around her. And yet, she made it. She forged her own way, made her life her own in spite of those who, it seemed, just wanted yet another something from her. Her mother was the worst of them all. After listening to this, I understand, now, why her book is titled the way it is. It’s more than a gleeful “YAY SHE’S GONE” or a “ding dong the wicked witch is dead” type of title. It’s also a relief type of title, for both herself and her mother, who was battling stuff as well. Her relationship with her mother is so complicated, because of course she loves her but also she had to come to terms with all the abuse she suffered at her hands. This was just such an awe inspiring book. Ironically enough, it forced me to make an online appointment of my own for therapy. I can’t thank her enough for giving me that push. I really would love to meet her and just…hug her and tell her we are all proud of her. She’s truly amazing.
I had quite the time with reading this last week! I was on a mission to get some Goodreads Challenges done before the September 14th deadline and boy did I!
Up first: Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt
Rating: all 8 tentacles
What started as a book that I wasn’t sure I was going to finish, became a book that made me cry over it. Wow. What a story, about grief, about loss, about aging, about finding family. Just stunning. Marcellus was by far the best part of that story. His brief narrations were amazing. Tova’s story was so sad but she was a superstar. And Cameron, once I stopped being annoyed by him, really was just a guy who had a bunch of crap luck. The town and the area of Puget Sound seemed like just the perfect setting and I longed to be there so many times. This was just such a genuine and heartfelt book. I loved listening to it, the audio narrators were amazing. I chuckled, I gasped and I cried.
I really do want to watch this now, knowing that Sally Field is playing Tova.
Then: Dead Eleven by Jimmy Juilano
Rating: 5 out of 5 VCR’s
Now THIS is the creepy horror I was looking for this past weekend. Whew. I might be dreaming about dead things for a while. Willow and her grief…honestly, I’m not sure I wouldn’t be acting the same if it were me. My kiddo is my life. Clifford Island is a super creepy place. To be stuck in 1994 is a…choice. It kind of reminded me of the Wayward Pines trilogy, except you can come and go as you please on the island. The real creepy factor is the psychological aspect of it all. Of something evil preying on your grief and misery. Of never being able to escape it or move on from it. Lily was a firecracker of a character. I enjoyed her time with Willow. I loved the way the book was written, almost epistolary, which is my favorite way to read a book. Truly a great horror novel.
Finally: Every Summer After by Carley Fortune
Rating: 3 out of 5 pierogies
Well dang it all. This was an emotional gut punch the whole way through. I really enjoyed reading this as flashbacks and present time, with the present being at an age I could at least somewhat relate to, as I’m in my 30’s. A story about growing up and young love, and making mistakes and owning up to them, this had it all. I actually really appreciated seeing the growth that our FMC (Percy) had. I also appreciated seeing apologies happen and that they were meant, not just said to say them to be absolved. Percy and Sam really went through it and absolutely had some devastating things happen to them. I wish we had seen a little more of Delilah and Chantal, especially Chantal, because I think Percy really needed to have people on her side. Either way, this was such a beautiful story, some amazing lines that I HAD to highlight/tab, which I only really do on some books, but this one had some doozies. I think this was the author’s debut work and she really hit it out of the park.
*I ended up editing this review on Goodreads and I want to add that edit here*
editing my review once I’ve had some time with this…I realized that while I liked it, I liked it precisely because it was very similar to another book and I kept thinking “I know romances tend to be similar but this is another thing entirely, why does it seem familiar?” and BOOM – because it’s just like Love and Other Words by Christina Lauren, which I LOVED (I still think about it occasionally too). I also have to agree with others that the twist was kinda…there in plain sight, though I disagree with readers that it’s SOLEY on Percy…Charlie had a hand in that too. But the end was definitely rushed, and I feel like, even though Sam forgave a long time ago, there should have been just a little more in the present, since Percy didn’t know. The makeup was just…to swift, I think. So rating moved to 3 stars from 5. Also, I’m noticing that for the show, I feel like the actors they chose look SO YOUNG, and I thought they were supposed to be in their 30’s?? And why does the guy who plays Sam look…nothing like the description in the book??? Same with Charlie? Am I missing something?? (edited review ends here).
I did not realize that this was a series on Amazon Prime and now I am intrigued and want to watch it…
Now, I am currently listening to I’m Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy, and it’s…whew. That’s going to need it’s own review when I’m done. Everyone let this poor woman down. I’m surprised she is still standing.
Had some horror over the weekend and wanted to share them with you! One was more body gore, definitely worth heeding the trigger warnings, and one was more traditional horror.
ONWARD!
First up: You Weren’t Meant To Be Human by Andrew Joseph White
Rating: 4 out of 5 worms
There were Trigger Warnings aplenty on this work. ALL OF THEM NEEDED HOLY MOLY. I’m good, I don’t usually need them, but boy am I glad they were there!
Yea. Uh. This is gonna stay with me for a long while. This was absolutely brutal and beautiful. It is VERY graphic and so trigger warnings should be heeded. I read a handful of them and was still struggling with some of it. I cannot possibly imagine what kind of dysmorphia of body and mind must happen in trans individuals. That kind of horror for them, to not understand or be seen is something I don’t have to worry about but I deeply care for my trans community and it hurt my heart to know that these scenarios are something that they contemplate or deal with. Pregnancy is scary anyways but to do so while you are feeling like you’re in the wrong body must be exhausting and terrifying all at the same time. And that’s not to say that those in the community who choose that don’t feel it or anything, I would never assume anything about that. But this book…wow. Just dark and bleak and yet beautiful and hopeful. The pain I felt for Crane was unmatched. Levi was…quite possibly the most horrid being I’ve ever encountered in a novel. Stagger….grew on me. Jess….oh Jess. And Tammy….i don’t know whether to like her or hate her. These characters were so polarizing but I think that was the point. So that by the end, you could absolutely say that Crane did everything he was supposed to do, with the information and tools he had.
Gosh. I don’t even know what to do with myself now that this is over.
Final weekend book: The House That Horror Built by Christina Henry
Rating: 3 out of 5 movie props
This was definitely not as scary as I had hoped it would be. It was enjoyable but I just wanted…more, ya know? I had most of it figured out around the middle, and really there was only one scene that ACTUALLY made me go “Oh! Didn’t see THAT!” But even then, that was the only time. I really did like the characters though, Harry and Gabe and even Javier and Daniel. They were fully fleshed out. The flashback scenes were perfect in establishing their characters and their personalities and the WHY for their motives. It was all great there. The missing thing for me was the actual horror. Maybe I was too fresh off of another horror that was very explicit in its gore and such, but this wasn’t as atmospheric as I wanted it to be. Promising premise but the end fell flat for me.
Overall, a great weekend for reading! I was able to do so by having a mini road trip to spend the weekend with my cousins, a little in state vacation!
Hey there! Here’s some more fun! I have a few books (ok, more than a few), but I swear, I’m going to get better at this!
UP FIRST: Student Union by Julie Murphy
Rating: 4 out of 5 fake marriages
I really needed this palette cleanser, a HEA after the roller coaster of emotions I’ve been on the last week and half. Bennett Graves is a snotty Rich Kid and Clover Walsh is decidedly not. But their history is something that Clover decides to lean on when she realizes that her housing situation at college needs to be changed and quick. So she asks him to marry her for the housing perk. Thus begins the whole trope of former friends to lovers, one bed, forced proximity, etc. I did enjoy seeing the characters fully fleshed out, though sometimes they acted both older than their ages and exactly their ages. Bennett was definitely a dick for a good portion of the book, but I think he was also just trying to protect himself from more pain. Clover gave as good as she got though. They both hurt each other but Bennett needed to grow up to learn how to apologize to Clover for the pain he caused her when they were young. I did really enjoy this though. It was a quick read for me (finished in a day, few hours at most) and I will likely go ahead and read the next book in the series.
NEXT UP: Where You See Yourself by Claire Forrest
Rating: 5 out of 5 ADA Compliant Colleges
As a non disabled person, I will never have to navigate the challenges of the world they way those that are will have to. I am very grateful and thankful for that. Reading this, though, made me so much more aware of all the way we let our disabled community down. I work at a university. A MAJOR university, where I know we still have plenty of work to do to make people of all backgrounds feel seen and supported and valued. This book highlighted challenges that I would have never even thought of. I want to be challenged and I want to be able to be a better ally. I never want to make someone feel the way Effie did about navigating the world. She shouldn’t have to feel that way. I loved her little community, her parents and her sister were quite possibly the best humans in the world. I loved that she fought and made up with her bestie, Harper. I did that in high school too and now I’m still friends with mine 20+ years later. And I love that she figured out (with some nudging) how to truly advocate for herself and for future students. She was amazing. Wilder was great too, that he saw her chair but didn’t see it as something negative, it was just a part of her. He never made it seem like it was a burden. He was an amazing young man. I honestly would love to see this as a sequel, her first year in college, maybe coming home for the summer and seeing her friends and family. Just so we can see her growth and her view on the world. This was a phenomenal book. 100/10 would read again and again.
NEXT: Heated Rivalry and The Long Game by Rachel Reid
Ratings: 3 out of 5 Stanley Cups (HR) and 5 out of 5 GOALS (TLG)
Heated Rivalry: Well I have to say, I definitely think the second half of the book made up for the absolute mess of the first half. I’m all for smut and smut for smut sake but this was supposed to also be them like falling in love and stuff and…we didn’t really get there? Like I loved their banger and some of the sex was super hot but really it was all lust and anger and then BOOM they love each other and I just…didn’t buy it. I wish the slow burn that happened at the end had happened in the middle. It would have given the story more substance. I’ll probably still go read their next part of the series, but this one wasn’t as strong as other hockey romances I’ve read, or even other MM romances.
The Long Game: Ok I liked this one WAY MORE than the first one. There is so much more character development and the dive into mental health and homophobia with hockey culture was so good. Ilya is a precious cinnamon roll and I will hear no slander. Also, Anya is the best puppers. I also appreciated that Shane got his mess together, because he was really starting to get on my nerves but again, CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT! It was all here in this one. The smut and spice was still hot but it was also so tender. I just really really liked this one so much more. I’m glad I read the first one so that I could get here to this part of Ilya and Shane’s story. I can’t believe I have to wait until June for the next one. 😩
ALMOST DONE: In Stormy Weather by Chelsea Curto
Rating: 5 out of 5 crazy storms and podcasts
OBSESSED. I love a good “guy is ultimate simp for FMC” and LORDY IF SEBASTIAN WASN’T THE BIGGEST SIMP! 😍😍😍Quincy and Sebastian’s banter with each other had me cracking up laughing and sometimes just blushing-I can’t believe it took her so long to figure it out! I knew my boy was down bad for her from the beginning! This was like the ultimate pulling on the pigtails because he likes you. There were a few times in the beginning that I was like “ugh he better not be a huge jerk that has some crazy turn around and boom we have to like him”. No. No he was just obsessed with Quincy the whole dang time. I really loved, though, how much time we get with each Quincy and Sebastian with their friends. It really fleshed out the friend and friend group too, which I loved. Yes, they are side characters, but they also had substance. I really hope we get more books with Harlow and Mia and Cooper and Nate. Above all, I’m always down for a good disaster movie or documentary and having all that sprinkled into the plot?! Sign. Me. UP! I absolutely devoured this. It’s definitely on my favorite list for summer reading. Maybe even the year so far. If only all the world loved like these two did. 💜 What a story.
FINALLY: Icebreaker by Hannah Grace
Rating: 4 out of 5 skating rinks
I almost gave this a 5, and I did really enjoy it. It was a fun, easy read. I think the big reason why it’s not a 5 is because I kind of feel like there are some plots that don’t really get resolved. Like, we get a hint of Nate’s dad and him talking out what happened but then…nothing. Same with Anastasia and Aaron. Like, there’s sort of a resolution but it wasn’t satisfying for me. There were definitely parts of the book that were a little tedious (honestly, Anastasia annoyed me sometimes) but I did appreciate the mental health inclusion and the body image/food issues that women face. Having that worked out in a healthy way was amazing. I honestly think there were some parts that seemed excessive to the story, but overall, it was a decent book.
OK – I swear, I’m not going to leave this so long again! I’m currently listening to the audiobook of Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt and I am loving it. Hope to have a review for that soon!
So after being gone for FAR TOO LONG (I’m sorry, please forgive me), I have a few book reviews to give you. I also just went to the Emily Rath book tour here in Detroit for her new release DEVOUR ME and OMG it was the best time! I love her books so much. Was able to get some signed books and chat with both her and B.B. Reid, it was amazing! Now, on to the reviews!
Willing Prey by Allie Oleander
Rating: 4 out of 5 lawyers
I have to admit that I wasn’t sure what I expected from this book but boy did I like it! Came out swinging right out the gate and it was HOT!🥵 The first time we meet Shane, I was ready to be just like Claire! Then as the story goes, and we see these two figure out that they are falling for each other, you realize that yea, these two work in a fun way. Keith is a jerk and Claire was too good for him. Margot and Gretchen though were hilarious. I wish we would have had more of Claire’s bestie but since Claire was “living” with Shane, it makes sense to have just had those in that household. I feel like the ending was a bit rushed but I’m glad we got an epilogue…not gonna lie, I wish some of the epilogue showed some of the aftermath of Keith but I also understand that that storyline was done.
Good book and I will most likely read the next one when it’s out!
First-Time Caller by B.K. Borison
Rating: 4 out of 5 late-night radio calls
I loved this book. The four stars instead of 5 are for two reasons: 1) I struggled with the MMC name bc…it’s my son’s name. So that was hard to get around lol. 2) there was all this build up between Aiden and Lucie, and we got to see Lucie interact a TON with her side crew (Maya, Greyson, Mateo, even the guys at the shop) and we got like…barely anything with Aiden and his crew until the end, nor did we get much interaction between him and Lucie’s crew or vice versa. As someone who dates while raising a kid, that interaction is SO important and I feel like it was just barely included. I know women shouldn’t all be reduced to being a mom but like, dating someone, bringing them around? That’s usually HUGE for a parent and I really feel like we missed out on some golden opportunities for Aiden to not just fall in love with Lucie, but with Maya and even the silly family they have with Greyson and Mateo. Watching Lucie and Aiden fall together was so worth it though.
Overall, this was very sweet and I definitely smiled pretty much the whole way through. It is definitely also a slow burn with not a ton of smut, so if you’re looking for that, this isn’t really your book. I will absolutely venture and read the others by this author and would recommend this to someone who believes in the magic of love or who needs to find that magic again. 💜
And Now, Back to You by B.K. Borison
Rating: 5 out of 5 post it notes
This is everything I wanted First Time Caller to be. More development of the characters, more interactions with their respective friends and families, more…everything. Again, if you’re looking for a tone of spice, you won’t find it here but this is such a great love story. Jackson is the epitome of a hot nerd and I loved, nay, absolutely adored, Delilah. Her personality was just what Jackson needed to help him realize that it is ok to have life be a little chaotic. His sisters were hilarious though. And the tv crew that Delilah worked with (minus Keith, that absolute jerk) were the best kind of found family.
All in all, a fantastic and heartwarming story. 10/10 would read again.
Note: I got all of these as part of my Probably Smut monthly subscription, so I had to find these pics of those covers specifically because LOOK AT THEM!!!!
Now I am off to go read a MASSIVE backlog of books I have. Toodles!
Now to finish off my June reads (I know, I know, I’m so late AND I have actually read a couple books in July already, I’m SLACKING), I present: some summer spooks. I’m going to add my one spooky one from July simply because…it fits the theme, ok? Gosh. *insert epic silly face here*
First up: Japanese Gothic by Kylie Lee Baker (author of Bat Eater and Other Names for Cora Zeng)
Rating: 5 out of 5 Samurai
“She had killed someone too. She understood, at least in part, the torrents that he carried inside him. She looked him in the eye and didn’t run away. Perhaps someone like his father would have thought the situation romantic, but Lee wasn’t interested in Sen’s body. He wanted to hopelessly entangle her soul with his until they were one and the same, to follow her to the bottom of the sea, to rot beside her when death devoured them both.” (Japanese Gothic, pg. 234)
Oh my goodness. I really like Baker as an author. She creates such imaginative stories and really shows parts of Asian folklore or mythology that I would have never searched out on my own. The way she weaves these in with the horror of humanity is just incredible.
This book incited so many feelings in me. There was spookiness, there was horror, mystery, mythology, intrigue, and there was even sadness and frustration. Lee, he seemed so uncertain about everything but could tell that there was some kind of trauma he was suppressing. He talks about always being in a fog, drug induced, so he simply didn’t have to feel or to be a “good son” for his dad. Sen, in her own way, was so alone and so afraid to disappoint a father who was a coward and had gone back on his own beliefs. To have them find each other, this wall that would connect them in the same home, hundreds of years apart, was certainly fate. I think for me, most off all, this story was just sad, a sad tale of two lost, young souls, who found each other, and it was not a romantic love story but it was a love story in its own way, I think.
I would absolutely read this again, find the hints that maybe I missed as I read it the first time. Fantastic storytelling as usual, by Baker.
“She didn’t want Lee Turner to kiss her, or marry her, or fall in love with her. She wanted him to sit beside her on this porch and watch the stars with her for as long as she was still alive. She wanted to exist beside him, to be real and whole in someone else’s eyes, to bare her soul to someone and have them stay beside her anyway.” (Japanese Gothic, pg. 271)
Up next: Morsel by Carter Keane
Rating: 5 out of 5 Appalachian Monsters
The description was so spot on, The Ritual meets Blair Witch Project, that I was completely stunned. Lou is a desperate young woman trying to help her mother pay bills, becoming more and more stressed. Close to being fired, her boss Ellis, gives her a job: go out to the rural hills of Ohio, survey and take pics of some land, and report back. Already, I knew that this was going to go south. When her truck is completely sabotaged, Lou, with her dog Ripley, have to rely on the generosity of a stranger. Does she pick the nice house or the beat up house? That choice sets off a series of events that spiral into darker and darker territory. When she realizes that she is truly stuck, the terror truly begins.
I have to say, I was completely in awe of the writing. For this being a debut, the story flowed so nicely, the twists weren’t super obvious, and the imagery was par none. I can’t tell you how many times I had to just put the book down and think and shudder from some of the gruesome scenes. If you don’t like dead wildlife, this book might not be for you. I would definitely recommend this to those who like gruesome horror, body horror, and books about crazy cults. Perfect horror for the summer!
And finally: Bodies of Work by Clay McLeod Chapman (July read)
Rating: 5 out of 5 Butterfly Girls
“Don’t apologize. Never apologize. We need to hold on to our stories. Don’t forget. We are though, aren’t we? Forgetting? Fading? What’s going to happen to us? Only time will tell.” (Bodies of Work)
Wow. Wow. Wow. This was wild and so heartbreaking. I know it says horror but I’m only thinking it’s that because of the gore more than anything. Winston is a gross old man but his life was one of those “is it nurture or nature?” things. His home life as a child was full of trauma and abuse, and he was growing up in a time when things like autism and depression and such weren’t really talked about. So it’s not like he would have been able to receive and mental health support. However, he still becomes this awful human being. His butterflies, however, their stories are just as devastating. But the story in the story? What fantastical imagery and prose. I honestly think that this was a gorgeous story about disturbing and vile behavior and it doesn’t glorify it. But it does give peace and some semblance of justice or balance for the girls. 10/10 would read again.
“This happens everywhere. Women vanish. People forget their names, and their disappearances barely demand our attention.” (Bodies of Work)
Ok, that is all for now. I’m currently working my way through the Read Harder Challenge and the various Goodreads challenges, I’ll make a post to update where I am there! Off to reader land for me!
Alright, I missed a couple here, and so I am making up for it. Forgive me!
First we have Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid. Absolutely phenomenal, if I do say so myself.
Rating: 5 out of 5 missions
I am fairly certain that this is my first book by this author and holy moly did I pick a good one. Atmosphere is just as much about the 1980’s NASA space missions as it is about love and family and friendship. I truly cannot fathom anyone giving this less than 4 stars. This was an emotional rollercoaster. So much of the highs from finally having women in NASA, to women on space flights, to the lows of family not being who you want them to be and of the old thinking of queer people being “deviant”. The whole gamut of feelings were expressed in this book. I appreciated that the author tried to both keep the NASA language as technical as it needed to be and show how high pressure it truly was, with making sure we actually knew what was going on. That she did so much research, even going so far as to interview and work with former NASA folks, is amazing. Obviously, some liberties are taken but honestly it seemed pretty true to form for the 80’s. I was rooting for Joan and Vanessa and Frances the whole book. Barbara could kick rocks, I’ve never wanted someone to fall off a cliff as much as I needed her to. You have this amazing kid and you do all that to her?! Ugh. I had my kid young and he just graduated high school with honors. I was there for EVERYTHING. I hated Barbara.
Gosh, but the ending? THE ENDING?! I sobbed. Full out sobbed. Had to blow my nose and everything. What a punch. But my god was it beautiful. I can’t wait to read more work by TJR.
Next up, we have Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir. I was trying to finish this BEFORE it left theatres but alas, I missed the deadline on that one. HOWEVER, my partner actually read this before me which is a MAJOR WIN!
Rating: 4 out of 5 astrophages
Ok. Ok. I can see why there is a wide range of reviews on this one. I have watched The Martian, read Artemis, and now have read Project Hail Mary. I have to say, this was very science-y, moreso than I feel that Artemis was, so there were definitely large chunks of the science that my mind just glossed over. That didn’t take away from the story though, so I am not mad about it. Overall, I enjoyed the plot. I definitely felt like this one had me suspending my disbelief so much more (because who is truly going to learn a language that fast??) but I did enjoy the pacing of the book. The flashbacks of learning what is happening to Earth and why Ryland was out in space, really helped to flesh out his character in a way that I found to be more believable. Was he still written like a weird science nerd? Sure, he also felt a little bit like a self insert character, but he was…tolerable. I definitely enjoyed his relationship with Rocky and their banter definitely made me giggle a few times. Overall, this was an enjoyable book, I would likely read it again, but I wouldn’t say I loved it, mostly because there was a lot more science mathing that frankly, I didn’t care about.
Ok, here is my space page reviews, and from here, I will be back with some horror reviews!! See you on the flip side!
Whew. This too me WAY too long to listen to. I have to admit that the author himself as a narrator is not the most exciting to listen to. I had so many days in between listens but because it’s a memoir, there wasn’t really a loss of pace. I do wish he had gone deeper into some of his stories, especially in college, and I have to wonder…did any of those professors or people around him in his stories reach out to him after? Like that one prof in the narrative class?? She seemed awful so I wonder what she thinks about his perspective on it.
I did appreciate learning about what it must have been like in the growing up in the 80’s in Detroit, it was such a special time in the history of Detroit. I think Chin did a really good job of showing us Detroit in a way that is meaningful but real. As a native Michigander, Detroit is one of my favorite cities, and I hate when people tear it down. I also appreciate his perspective in the intersectionality of being a gay Asian boy in the 80’s, at the height of the AIDS epidemic and the Vincent Chen case in Detroit. What I didn’t like…was his crazy hold on the Republicanism but also his hold on liberal ideas…like he was definitely confused growing up and it felt like he only felt that way to spite his parents. It was…weird.
However, I’m giving this a 2 star because I became so disinterested that I finally would work while listening, just to have sound in the background. Ultimately, his story just didn’t resonate with me (which, valid, I’m a 38 year old mixed race Mexican American who grew up in the 90’s) but it wasn’t because it wasn’t interesting, but because it COULD have been interesting and he just…didn’t make it so? It’s hard to describe. Like there were so many places where he could have extrapolated more on parts of the history, or on his family, and yet, he would just cut off a story and never come back to it. I finished it and realized that I don’t even know if he told his family he was gay?? That’s how dissociated I became from his story. I appreciate that he is the co-founder of the Asian American Writers Workshop (that is, actually SO COOL) and that he found inspiration for writing though poetry, but honestly, his prose was so dry and chock full of the very stereotypes he hated, that I have a hard time believing that he did that. Also, why wouldn’t he have found inspiration from all the letters to the editor he had been writing since he was a child?? That would have made more sense to me.
Anyways, this was just ok, and I wish it was better, but hey. It’s his story. Who am I to judge, really? Thank you, Curtis, for sharing your life with us.
That was certainly a wild ride. An interesting Who Dun It, translated from it’s original language to English, Nishizawa certainly brought a murder mystery with a CRAZY side of family drama.
We have the story of Hisataro, a 16 year old in a family fighting over an inheritance that hasn’t even come to fruition yet. His grandfather has been inviting the whole family to his home for the last few years so that he can “choose” an heir to his fortune, should his childless daughter ALSO pass, who is his initial heir. His other two daughters left the family as soon as they could, as he was not a great dad, gambling a lot and basically making them grow up in poverty. Hisataro, however, has a special ability: he can relive a specific day, over and over again, a la Groundhog Day. He’s not able to PICK what day he relives, though, and this time, he ends up reliving the day his grandfather dies mysteriously. So he spends the next few “time loops” trying to find out who could have killed Grandfather. Hilarity and family drama ensue.
There is definitely lots of cultural differences between Japan and the US, especially in terms of marriage. Generally, we try NOT to marry our first cousins, and we try to marry when we are of age…not 16/17 years old, if we can help it. Since a lot of that seemed to be cultural (especially given that I believe the book was originally published in the late 90’s, I gave that bit of the book a pass. The rest of the drama though?? Oh man there was so much tea the pot was OVERFLOWING. I can’t count how many times I covered my own mouth in disbelief of what was happening!
Unfortunately, what brought the whole thing down from 5 stars to 3, was the last two chapters. The epilogue was COMPLETELY unneeded and honestly, the explanation for why everything happened seemed…too tidy? I don’t know. I just didn’t really vibe with how those two chapters went with the rest of the book. So because of that, I cannot give this a full 5 star rating. I did enjoy myself immensely and had a fund time for the rest, and I can’t say I saw the “twist” coming, but yea. I think if nothing else, the epilogue could have remained out, for sure.
“I once read somewhere that when we make a mistake, the blood rushes to our heads, causing us to make even more of them.” – Hisataro
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