Thank you to author Darcia Helle for recommending this book. I continue to think about its philosophical, hopefulWhat if We Could Rewrite Our Regrets?
Thank you to author Darcia Helle for recommending this book. I continue to think about its philosophical, hopeful questions for days after turning the last page.
Nora Seed is an Englishwoman feeling the despair of joblessness, poverty, and grief. But her deepest anguish is a lack of love in her life. Her attempt to end her pain opens a magical library where each book represents a chance to experience a life she missed.
Buddhists say that pain is inevitable, but suffering is optional. Suffering is about craving something we don't have. Nora craves a life in which she achieved Olympic gold in swimming, stratospheric fame as a rock star, global caretaking as a glaciologist, or the satisfaction of a loving family. She unearths surprising lessons when she's gifted that very opportunity to live those experiences.
How cool that Nora is a swimmer. This is a wonderful description of sensory-deprived submerging, losing yourself in the water:
The art of swimming, she supposed, like any art, was about purity. The more focused you were on the activity, the less focused you were on everything else. You kind of stopped being you and became the very thing you were doing.
There were clever similes and metaphors, including Nora's devastation from a man letting her down: She tried to act as if every sentence he said wasn't an animal running into the road. I also enjoyed the narrator's classy pronunciation of "glaciologist".
But the best part of this book was the exploration of painful regrets.
What if we dropped into a life of our dreams, where we could undo the decisions that led to regret? We'd be happier, right?
Maybe not. Maybe we're living the life we're supposed to live already. Maybe everything is as it should be....more
What a cute title for this hot romance between two actors. Jasmine is a soap opera star, and Ashton is a telenovela star. They come together¡Caliente!
What a cute title for this hot romance between two actors. Jasmine is a soap opera star, and Ashton is a telenovela star. They come together to film a new rom-com for a streaming service.
Jasmine just got dumped by a megastar musician, and the paparazzi hound her. She's determined not to rebound by falling for a costar. Ashton, on the other hand, is hiding a secret. He wants to avoid Jasmine and everyone else in order to keep his family safe. Too bad Jasmine finds Ashton so damn handsome, and uh oh, Ashton thinks she's so beautiful and kind.
I loved how neurotic Ashton is. He spills coffee all over Jasmine the first time they meet, and he's full of self-doubt despite his career success. (Sounds accurate for an actor!) But he can pull off suave and confident characters with aplomb. He sounds delicioso.
Jasmine and Ashton hail from large Puerto Rican families, and I appreciated the glimpse into Latinx culture (though that word was used approximately eighty-six times). Jasmine's family really knows how to throw a birthday fiesta! It was sad to hear that Ashton worries about the sun darkening his skin and leading to more racial discrimination.
I found the conflict between the characters, and its resolution, to be realistic and compelling. There was satisfying character growth.
I especially enjoyed the audiobook narration for Yaviel, an 8-year-old boy who sounds adorable....more
I'm still scratching my head over this one. I think it's great for authors to share their stories of healing, and group theraUnique Therapy Experience
I'm still scratching my head over this one. I think it's great for authors to share their stories of healing, and group therapy doesn't receive enough attention as a powerful treatment for building connection. However, the therapy described here seems bizarre at times and wholly unethical at others.
Christie is in her late 20s, finishing law school at Loyola. She's number one in her class and has worked hard to start recovering from bulimia nervosa. But she feels desperately alone and has suicidal urges.
She interviews for group therapy with a psychiatrist, Dr. Rosen, who she recognizes from Overeaters Anonymous. Despite their history of being in recovery together, Dr. Rosen takes her on as a client. And that represents the first of MANY boundary crossings.
It's impossible to guarantee that group members will maintain confidentiality about each other, but Dr. Rosen forbids secrets of any kind in his groups. Because he encourages clients to attend multiple groups, members of one group end up knowing the detailed sexual practices of members in other groups.
My jaw dropped when Christie began an affair with a married man in her group, and Dr. Rosen condoned it! How in the hell is that therapeutic, especially when her main therapy goal is to get married and have a family?
Sex and other bodily functions in this novel are so graphic that they border on gross. Do I really want to hear about the pin worms Christie had as a child, or about the horrible diarrhea Dr. Rosen endured? Granted, eating disorder treatment often entails digestive issues, but the answer is still no.
Speaking of eating disorder treatment, Dr. Rosen's approach was also suspect. Christie binged on apples at night partly because she restricted her food intake throughout the day, yet there was zero nutritional counseling. Her only edict was to call group members to report what she ate. Apparently, her eating behaviors improved, but her progress was much slower than it needed to be.
It seems like Dr. Rosen's only intervention was to try to reduce shame, as if that will be the magic pill to heal all. Shame can drive destructive behaviors, but I don't buy this shrink's methods. Hopefully, Christie took some liberties with her description of the treatment.
I listened to the audiobook, which the author narrated. It makes sense that Ms. Tate would narrate her own life story, yet I missed the nuanced performance of a trained actor. It seemed like she reported her emotional upheaval in a monotone delivery that did not endear me to her.
Fighting For Women's Rights in a Kentucky Mining Town
What versatility Jojo Moyes demonstrates with this book. Me Before You, a devastating romance setFighting For Women's Rights in a Kentucky Mining Town
What versatility Jojo Moyes demonstrates with this book. Me Before You, a devastating romance set in modern-day England, is one of my favorite novels. This story that takes place in 1930's rural Kentucky couldn't be more different, but I enjoyed it all the same. The one similarity between the novels is the author creating high-stakes conflict for her characters.
Alice is an English newlywed. Her dashing American husband, Bennett, moves them to a mountain town where his father owns the coal mine. Yearning Alice never fit in to genteel English society, and her father-in-law's boorish sexism in America feels equally oppressive.
Her saving grace is a position as a traveling librarian. When Alice joins the Packhorse Librarians of Kentucky, she finds a community where she belongs. She finds female friends with their own struggles and integrity. And, she finds her voice.
Audiobook narrator Julia Whelan is masterful in her characterization of spunky women, Southern men, and uneducated residents of the town. Two of my favorite characters are librarian leader, Margery, and her boyfriend, Sven. The murder mystery ends in a satisfying way.
Perusing other reviews revealed an accusation of plagiarism from a similar novel. I'm not sure what to think of that, but I'll assume innocence until proven guilty. I do know that I found this a moving and intriguing story....more
Since I'm obsessed with audiobooks from the library, I checked out this book as the only one available from thiSassy Heroine Meets Sassy, the Rockstar
Since I'm obsessed with audiobooks from the library, I checked out this book as the only one available from this author that I haven't read. I like this author's voice and humor, but this story wasn't one of her best, in my opinion. I wonder if the heroine needs a driving passion like in Kulti, instead of a role supporting the male lead like in this book and The Wall of Winnipeg, for me to get lost in the story.
Gaby is in her 20's and floundering after her breakup with a musician. When her drummer twin brother, Eli, asks her to work for the tour selling merchandise, she agrees only because she doesn't have other appealing options.
Gaby and Eli have an AWESOME twin relationship. He calls her Flabby, and she calls him Eliza. Their banter is hilarious.
While the meeting between Gaby and the other band's lead singer, Sasha, is funny as hell, I didn't feel the spark of chemistry between them. Gaby calls him Sassy, but he was a bit meh for me. Since he's described as such a handsome, soulful lead singer, I wanted him to have more of a dark side. I wanted to read Sasha's lyrics to get to know his heart. The author didn't seem to capitalize fully on the emotional opportunities of a rock romance setting. ...more
I enjoyed the premise of this author's debut novel, The Escape Room, so I wanted to read this thriller, especially given that aSexual Assault Cover-up
I enjoyed the premise of this author's debut novel, The Escape Room, so I wanted to read this thriller, especially given that a main character is a champion swimmer. The author likely chose that sport given a recent headline about a prominent swimmer accused of rape.
The true-crime podcast is the coolest part of this novel, creating a story within a story. Rachel narrates the "Guilty or Not Guilty" podcast that has exploded in popularity. Rachel arrives to the small North Carolina town, Neapolis, to follow the trial of an Olympic-hopeful swimmer accused of raping a teenage girl. Rachel is lucky that nobody recognizes her, allowing her to follow leads and cover the trial incognito.
One lead she pursues has nothing to do with the trial. A woman who grew up in Neapolis keeps contacting Rachel, begging her to take on the case of her teenage sister who was killed 25 years ago. Though Rachel is busy with the court case, she learns initial information about the sister's death that draws her in.
The book alternates between an assault in the present with an assault/murder in the past, and both are harrowing. Both engender feelings of disgust and injustice. Thank goodness the legal system, as flawed as it can be, provides an avenue to seek justice and expose the cover-ups. Still, there are no winners here.
As a former college swimmer, I wanted more details about the sport. But otherwise, I liked this audiobook better than the author's debut. The three female narrators did a fine job....more
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