Review | The Hating Game

The Hating Game // Sally Throne

Disappointment is not the word. This book was explicit without having to say the words. In the effort to stave off explicit language, there is some confusion in place of sexiness. But don’t get me wrong this book was a trip. I enjoyed it, even though I hated that I did. Unlike Sophia Kinsella books that I know I love despite myself because of their syrupy sweetness, this book was marketed to me as a new kind of romcom. But it was exactly the same in every way, the stony, muscly man is an asshole to everyone but softens for the ingenue. 

I enjoyed it for what it was: a quick read with no substance. The characters were little more than two dimensional and towards the end, it looked the author ran out of time and just ended it. 

As for it being new and different?

Rant beginning in 3…2…1…
I did appreciate the question that was posed about halfway through the book to her mother, “did you regret giving up your dream?” And in a way, her mother did. There is something there that could have been explored but it is dropped and never spoken about again. 

The tropes were endless. The cute short girl with the tall gruff guy. The tiny quirky girl with a weird obsession. The tiny girl who eats like a hippo and doesn’t gain weight. The ridiculously beautiful girl who doesn’t think she’s beautiful. The gruff guy with a bad attitude whose hardened heart is melted by the beauty. The fawning that Lucinda does over his body is ridiculous. Why are you acting like you’ve never seen a muscled man before? The hating that turns into love. We all knew that it was going to happen, but the way Lucinda tarted herself to finally get his attention, to get him to act was absolutely the wrong message to send. She was so desperate that he was holding her off of him. She was smelling him.

If the roles were reversed, this would be a horror or psychological thriller book. I was waiting for the whole book for her to gain a backbone and then when she did, it was in defense of him. Did she not have a battle to fight before? Why did she say he was going to be better at the COO position if it was something she really wanted? We are never given any resolution which makes me feel cheated out of 4 hours of my life. We don’t know why she doesn’t visit her parents. We don’t know if she gets the job or not. You could argue that the job is not the point of the book, but it is because that is the freaking catalyst. Then he just gets another job, because he wanted another one anyway and kept his job so he could be around her. It’s only not insanely weird because he’s attractive. The fact that he bows out solidifies my thought that he didn’t think she would beat him out for the job. 

Overall for a book that was so highly praised, the traps were right in there and the author fell right into them. The last seven pages were so painful for me to read because they were utterly cheesy and felt so out of a place in a book that just spent the last 350 pages trying to convince me that it was different. I guess 3 stars. I wouldn’t recommend for a good read but it’s good if you are at the airport and want to fill the time with the same formulaic rom com nonsense. Again enjoy it for what it is, not what is hyped to be, because it’s not. 

2019 POPSUGAR Reading Challenge – A book that includes a wedding
2019 ATY Challenge – A book about reading, books or an author/writer

Review | Born A Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood

Born A Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood // Trevor Noah

Love is a creative act. When you love someone you create a new world for them. My mother did that for me, and with the progress I made and the things I learned, I came back and created a new world and a new understanding for her. 

I picked up this book for a prompt because I somehow remembered that Trevor Noah was from South Africa. I didn’t know what I was in for. Because a lot of comedians will write memoirs and sometimes it won’t be funny and this book wasn’t funny. 

But it was the realest thing I’ve ever read. 

The way he describes navigating his life during apartheid after apartheid and all it entailed including an abusive stepfather, feeling like an “other”. There were things about his experiences that though unique were utterly universal. He didn’t fit in anywhere and he kept stressing that one must make a choice because race is such a large topic in the American Arena, it was refreshing to see racism from another point of view in another arena. He explained a lot of things that I personally had never heard of, so this book, while entertaining, was also incredibly educational.

The stories, while some funny, highlighted the struggles that most kids growing up face, although he had to do more because of where he grew up. He talks about his first crush and love and not understanding the intricacies of domestic violence and how to escape the hood and the concept is the black tax. After reading this and understanding what he went through I have a new appreciation for how he can stand up and make people laugh for a living. There’s strength in that.

It seems like all the circumstances fit together in a way that can only be God ordained. I don’t think there is a single thing in this book but I could say that I disliked. it made me laugh at all the weird situations he would find himself in, it made me cry when he was beaten down, it made me angry when I read about the injustice but at no point did I want to put this book down. It was an utterly singular experience that I would highly recommend to anyone who is going to pick up a memoir or pick up something from an author who is not from America.

There are three things that I learned from this book and (I don’t usually learn things from books) I learned that no matter how smart you think you are, your mother is smarter. I learned that language is the unifier of people and I learned that as long as you focus on the differences of the people around you, to you, you will always be alone. 

I thank Trevor for writing this and for getting out of the “Hood” and for giving hope that it can happen and it will happen if you believe in yourself and have a mother who never lets you get away with anything. 

2019 POPSUGAR Reading Challenge – A book author from Asia, Africa, or South America 
2019 ATY Challenge – A book related in some way to a TV show/series or movie you enjoyed 

Review | A Man Called Ove

A Man Called Ove // Fredrik Backman

Ove had never been asked how he lived before he met her. But if anyone had asked him, he would have answered that he didn’t.

It’s amazing. I’m astonished at how this book made me laugh, cry and then get frustrated that the book was making me cry. This is such a great book. This reads like different stories strung together by Ove’s thread. Ove was so lovable. Because he didn’t mince words; he was straight forward in all his dealings, had integrity, saw the world in black and white, in lines and numbers and the way that this book unfolds, shows the reader that there is truly a place for everyone in our world. 

I have nothing to say about the things I didn’t like, because everything was great. The way all of the characters were introduced was phenomenal. I loved Parvenah. She was stubborn and empathetic; strong and loving. I instantly fell in love with her character. The way he talked about his wife made me cry. I’ve never read a description of a significant other that wasn’t corny. This was so genuine and lovely that I tossed my kindle on the couch because it made me cry. 

This was a perfectly constructed novel; every inch of it took me out of myself and transported me into Ove. At the end of the day, and at the end of our lives, we are all a little like Ove. Wondering what the world will come to in our absence and doing our best to make our mark before we go. We are all a little stubborn, all a little passionate, all a little loving and maybe prone to anger but at the end of the day. Just good. 

I was told that this is very similar to Gran Torino. I’ve never seen the movie but I highly doubt it. This was something that I’m a better person for reading. Because of this great impact, I give this book a five out of five stars. I love this book but also hate it because it made me emotional. 

2019 POPSUGAR Reading Challenge – A book set in Scandinavia
2019 ATY Challenge – A book featuring an elderly character 

Review | Flowers for Algernon

Flowers for Algernon // Daniel Keyes

“Intelligence is one of the greatest human gifts. But all too often a search for knowledge drives out the search for love.”
“Your genius has destroyed your faith in the world and in your fellow men.” 

Wow, that was a sad book. You know what, sad isn’t the right word. It opened me up and bled me dry. I didn’t cry but my throat burned a little bit and my eyes got a little wet…

I was emotional, the whole way through. 

No spoilers but seriously, read this book. 

I went in blind. No synopsis, no summary, nothing.

At first, I was like what is this? 

And then it got so good that I started it at 10 pm and thought I would be able to go to bed and then I wasn’t able to.

It was enrapturing. There were a couple of scenes that made me uncomfortable, but I think that was the point. As Charlie gets more intelligent, the people around him get more uncomfortable. They are used to him being a certain way and then he is suddenly changed. They can no longer make fun of him because he understands what they are saying and why they laugh. 

There is something fundamentally universal about his rise and inevitable fall. Something irrevocably human. 

Intelligence does not make the man, but emotional intelligence does. 

Every human interaction was a surprise. I didn’t know how they would react to him because that is very similar to the way that Charlie felt. 

The journal entries/progress reports do an amazing job of setting the pace of the book. There is never a slow moment. Every word has meaning and depth and there is something beautiful in the chaos of his words. 

We are all human, regardless of intelligence. I think this book can simply be a lesson in humility or it can take you on a ride to make you question how you treat people and how you would like to be treated. 

So like I said, read the book. I highly recommend it. 4.5 stars out of 5. Not a full 5 because I don’t know if I could do a reread of this. 

2019 POPSUGAR Reading Challenge – A book set on college or university campus
2019 ATY Challenge – A book set in a school or university 

Review | 61 Hours

61 Hours // Lee Childs

It was like Fargo mixed with Mission Impossible.

I’m not sure if it was good or just long enough for me to forget that I really didn’t care about this book. 

I cared about two of the characters and I think I was really shocked by certain actions by other characters because I had never read a Jack Reacher novel, but I had a couple of issues with it that have to be addressed. 

1. He calls this woman in Virginia who is the commander of his old army division and just flirts with her, while basically ordering her to give him classified information. It wasn’t even good flirting. He kept asking her if she was married. I was so close to just DNFing this. 

2. We are reminded every five pages that Reacher was part of the military. Like, yeah we get it. You’re the military cop. But you are an EX military cop, right? 

3. He’s doing this countdown 61 hours, right? But we don’t even know what his mission is or why he’s counting down. 

4. Also if the bus breaking down on the way to the Grand Canyon was an accident, how on Earth is this deviation from his trip plans a part of his countdown? 

5. What is he counting down to? I think this is the most infuriating part, especially considering, I’ve read the book and still don’t understand how that was supposed to work. 

6. Also, the ending [ was wrapped up so perfectly that it was almost like the whole book was a waste. ]

Okay, maybe I had more than a couple of things…. 

But at the end of the day, this fulfilled a prompt on my challenge and I got to listen to it for two work days which was actually pretty cool. Okay, it kept my attention and I had a couple of “oh my god” moments, and I wouldn’t say it was fun, but I listened to the whole thing, so It’s fine. 

I guess. 

Not for me. I wouldn’t recommend it. But if you like action thrillers that are the pace of molasses for the first 11 hours and then from 0 to 100 in 30 minutes, then go ahead. 

So 2 stars, because I didn’t like it but it’s not the worst. 

Audiobook comments: Maybe just read the book and not listen to it. The accents are awful and Mexican and Russian apparently sound the same to this guy. 

2019 ATY Challenge – A book with a number in the title or on the cover 

Review | Before The Devil Breaks You

Before The Devil Breaks You // Libba Bray

“The moment your country first sinned, I emerged, slick and formless. Born of your restless ambition. Your greed, and hunger. You, who tell yourselves a story of yourselves. Do you imagine you can rid yourselves of me? You have created me! I am you, incarnate—a new god for a brave new world. I am written into your history now. I am written into you. And oh! What a nation of glorious dreamers and devourers!”

The hardest thing about reviewing a book in an ongoing series, is everything that I talk about is a spoiler. 

EVERYTHING. 

There are so many things that I want to say. I had a lot of emotions about this book. All the characters have me enraptured. I genuinely care about them and I’m rooting for their success! 

I was disappointed in a couple of scenes, which is why it won’t get 5/5 stars, but it’s still a solid read and well worth the 6 hours. 

This is the first book that I have finished the author’s notes. Usually, I’m done when the end of the novel is, but I have carried on being hungry for more information. The amount of research and care that has been put into this book series is something to be admired. It took me an entire weekend to finish this book and I found myself wanting to steal away from friends to dive back into this world. 

Also, there are a couple of historical figures that make appearances in this book. 

There is love, death, fear, desire, sex, and tests of loyalty. Nothing is what you think it will be.

NOTHING.

I am patiently waiting for the next book. 

….Now I remember why I don’t like book series. 

I’ve never been very patient. 

2019 POPSUGAR Reading Challenge – A book you think should be turned into a movie
2019 ATY Reading Challenge – A book featuring a historical figure

Review | The Sister Pact

The Sister Pact // Stacie Ramey

“I think she gave everyone a small piece of who she was. So if any one of them left, no one would have taken all of her, she wouldn’t be completely broken.”

A late night read. 

It took me about three hours. It felt a little disjointed. 

And I think that was the point. 

If you’re going to talk about someone with mental illness the whole book has to feel like a constant back-and-forth. Like they’re constantly at war with themselves between what they think is right, what they think they want, what they think other people want from them, etc. 

I appreciated the frank use of drugs in this book because it’s believable. Most YA will use drug use as a character flaw instead of what it usually is, a cry for help or a symptom of a larger root cause. This is my first time reading a book about the emotional fallout after suicide. 

I enjoyed the secrecy aspect. That Allie had to uncover and learn all these things about her sister because she never really knew her. When it comes to heavy topics like this, it’s important that it isn’t glamorized. The reasons that Allie surmises are not “Good” reasons in her opinion, but it’s not her who made the decision and it’s not her who had those emotions wreaking havoc in her brain. 

I was tempted to DNF after the second chapter because the dreaded love triangle appeared and nothing annoys me more than those. A lot of the middle section felt like spiraling. There were some decisions that I didn’t understand but I chalked that up to her mental illness. 

I didn’t know what was going on half the time. It was choppy and the writing was all over the place. We were in a flashback and then we weren’t and then Leah was a ghost and then she wasn’t. Honestly, the confusion took me out of the whole reading experience. 

Kudos to Ramey for trying but I think this book needed a little more TLC to coax it out of its proverbial shell. It had potential to be really good, but the overdramatic boy drama (unrealistic) and Mary Sue tropes took me out of it. 

I wouldn’t recommend this book to someone who has battled with mental illness or drug use or anything like that. I picked this up because I was interested in the topic but didn’t want to read 13 Reasons Why. 

If you are thinking about suicide, you’re not alone. There’s never a good enough reason. Ramey didn’t list the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. So I will. Call 1-800-273-8255. Even if you just need someone to talk to. 

2019 POPSUGAR Reading Challenge – A debut novel

Book Review | After Anna by Lisa Scottoline

After Anna // Lisa Scottoline

After Anna is a mystery thriller about what happens to a family when a long lost daughter comes to live with her mother and her husband.

I picked this book up because I really am starting to enjoy books that have alternating timelines and voices. But this book let me down. I think it was trying to show how one accusation could ruin a life so completely, but books like these are dangerous for a number of reasons…

I just realized this whole thing is going to be a spoiler. 

The first reason being that the moral of the story is don’t believe the girl. I know that in the end, it’s all a ploy and the guy is really innocent, but that’s what you want to put into the world? that men like that are railroaded when girls are afraid to come forward all the time because people won’t believe them. Especially the fact that he is a respected member of society (a doctor in a small town) makes this plot exceptionally implausible. 

From the beginning, I knew that Anna wasn’t Anna. The simple reason that not ONCE did the author mention an accent and in fact, in the audiobook, Anna sounded like a Valley Girl, but that wouldn’t make sense if Anna has spent her entire life in the South of France until three years ago. Maggie was characterized as a woman who loved her daughter so much that she would lie for her about something so heinous as sexual abuse. She wholeheartedly believed this girl and started to hate her husband, just because he had a relationship before they were even together and she gets a picture of him walking out of a hotel room. She doesn’t even let him explain that he told her that he didn’t see Jordan there because she would get jealous and overreact and he was right. Then to spare her feelings because she’s “sensitive”, Noah even messes up his testimony on the stand because he believes Maggie is in the courtroom and refuses to let his lawyer make her testify. Maggie is so weak and Noah coddles her and I’m sick of women being characterized that way. 

The last few chapters were unbelievable. I don’t mean good “unbelievable” I mean, on what planet is this a real thing? The fact that Noah is released after Connie’s confession is not a thing. He was still convicted of the crime which means that he would have to file an appeal based on new evidence with the appellate court. They would then review the evidence and overturn the conviction, and THEN the DA would have to formally drop the charges. That would another 6 months or so of adjudication. You don’t get out of prison just like that *snaps fingers*. 

And randomly it’s about sex trafficking? It gets revealed in the last 30 minutes of the audiobook. Seriously? What was the point of bringing something up that isn’t alluded to at all in the book. “Anna” was trying to get in with the misfits so that no one would miss them? 

There were so many ends that are still loose after Scottoline does her happily ever after. Like what happened with the school, were they held liable at all? Did Noah get his practice back? If not, how are they supporting themselves? What happens with the Range Rover? Does the real Anna keep it? 

Also what was that epilogue? “Noah owed her for saving his life”, what kind of crap is that? So now their marriage is unequal and is ruled by eternal penance? If anything Noah should be pissed off and get an apology. Not only did she not discipline her “daughter” at any point in time, but signed off on a document that expelled Noah from his own home and ruined his career. 

I didn’t want them to get back together. I think Maggie needs more therapy. She is supposed to be acting like an adult but somehow has it in her mind that she deserves no consequences for the part she played in all of this.

Stop writing women like this. 

2 stars.

Book Review | Helter Skelter

Helter Skelter // Vincent Bugliosi

Wow. Just wow. 

It’s one thing to know about this through pop culture and our society’s recent fascination with serial killers but to know the intricacies of the case and how it was almost bungled is baffling. 

I know that the epilogue is outdated because Manson died in 2017 and Leslie Van Houten was denied parole again. There still has ever been something as heinous as this committed and for the reason it was committed. I didn’t know about the additional murders before and after the murder of Sharon Tate and Graham, so this was really interesting to understand. 

I didn’t know the measure of Manson’s belief system. I had heard about the Tate Murders and watching all the different movies and TV shows made about this time period made me see Manson’s failure as a musician and him murdering people who rejected him or didn’t help him with his career. I had no idea that he was talking about Helter Skelter as a race war between blacks and whites. 

Reading this I am both amazed and perplexed as to why the movie and TV depictions don’t include a lot of the more apocalyptical aspects of Manson’s belief system. It feels like the most important part. Or at least the most interesting part. 

This book blew me away. The detail was focused on the trial and the police investigation which makes sense because D.A Vincent Bugliosi was the prosecutor on the case. This book has sold me on reading more of his work in the future. I appreciated this viewpoint because very often it feels like true crime books, try as they might not to glamourize this behavior, they do. I have never been a fan of the books that discuss the crimes in vivid detail; the road to justice is the most interesting part to this. 

I am going to say 5 out of 5, the hardcore true crime fan in me highly recommends this book. 

2019 POPSUGAR Reading Challenge – A book about someone with a superpower
2019 ATY Challenge – 2 books related to the same topic, genre, or theme 

Rave Review | The Plea by Steve Cavanagh

Ever since I read Thirteen last year, I have been slowly going through the rest of the books. They are part of a series revolving around an ex-conman defense attorney with street smarts and a penchant for pissing off the wrong people. I’ve read them all out of order but I love that it doesn’t matter because we get a lot of backstory.

Short review: I loved it.

Long review: