Month: January 2025

January Reads

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I’ve read 10 books this month. Four were mystery/thrillers, three romances, two non-fiction, and one fiction. Well on my way to my 100 goal for the year. Most amazingly, I’ve actually shared my thoughts about each of them here this month!

My favorite

This will not hit the same for everyone. I’ve read some of the issues people have had with it, BUT it did so much right! The disappearance of the father is what keeps this first person narrative moving along, but there are so many other things happening. Mia, the narrator, gives neurospicy vibes, which I love, but it’s her non-speaking younger brother with Angleman Syndrome that brings accurate representation to all kinds of families. There are studies about happiness and a biracial element too. You will be rooting for a happy ending for this family. my review here

Good Stuff

In my quest to read more current nonfiction this year, I picked this up at the library. It’s written by a woman diagnosed with autism as an adult and she shares some of the current thinking on the front lines of the neurodivergent. The numbers are abysmal. If you are neurodivergent your chance of having a job are so low it makes this mama want to cry. Also, the life expectancy is in the 30s. 30s! Something needs to change. my review here

This is the 4th and final book in a historical romance series set in London. The series revolves around three friends who bond over their love of riding. This last one, may have been my favorite because it was about two people finding comfort in each other. The hero was in a wheelchair and the heroine started going gray as a child so her desirability was low. A sweet romance. my review here

While the last romance was more about feelings, this one was a bit more on the physical attraction, enemies to lovers side. I had issues with some of it, but I really liked that this got messy and still managed a happily ever after. my review here

This was my first book of the year and it was a twisty fun thriller. A woman who lies for a living gets played. my review here

I love Anita Shreve and am working my way through her backlist. Her writing mesmerizes me 🙂 In this one a widow and a divorcee is staying with a family on Cape Cod to tutor the teen daughter. There are also two brothers, a caring father, and hateful mother. my review here

If you need a restart or a jolt to your daily life, this is a nice place to start. Meditation and mindfulness are the themes, but there are also studies and ways to look at the world and the people in it. Buddhism based, but good for anyone who wants to be more connected. my review here

These were okay

I didn’t realize this was the third in a series when I started it, but wish I had so I could have started with the first one. It was fine as a standalone, but probably would have been better if I’d read the first two. my review here

Kleypas is one of my favorite historical romance authors. This was the first book in the Wallflowers series, and as a first book it was fine. I didn’t particularly care that much for the heroine, but her other friends might prove more interesting. my review here

I didn’t care that much for it before the recent plane crash, but now it makes it almost impossible to talk about. A plane crashes into the ocean. You can read my review from a few weeks ago here.

Radically Happy: A User’s Guide to the Mind

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Radically Happy by Phakchok Rinpoche and Erric Solomon, illustrated by Julian Pang. Finished 1-28-25, 4/5 stars, Mindfulness, Self-Help, 240 pages, 2018

“Happiness is love. Full Stop.” That is the conclusion of George Vaillant, the director of a 75 year study conducted by Harvard University that followed 268 men over the course of their lives. Valliant summarized the study’s conclusion as the “warmth of relationships throughout life have the greatest positive impact on ‘life satisfaction.'” page 118

Wanna be Radically Happy? Well a meditation master and a Silicon Valley bro team up here to let you in on the way. This book is beautifully illustrated. I’ve enjoyed just flipping through it again to write my thoughts.

If you know about meditation and mindfulness, much of this will cover familiar ground. But there is also more about interconnectedness and ways to make it all work in your life. They also included lots of studies, one of which was also mentioned in the fiction book, Happiness Falls. They did cover some of the same ground!

I like reading these types of mindfulness books because, at least for a bit, I do a better job on staying in the moment and loving myself and others proudly and loudly.

I think this is worth a look if you want some introspection and aspire to be a better person.

“Radical Happiness is not found in situations and things” p. 17

“I’ve been through lots of terrible things in my life. Some of them happened. – Mark Twain” p. 32

A Talent for Murder by Peter Swanson

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A Talent for Murder. Finished 1-27-25. Thriller, 3.5/5 stars, 255 pages, 2024

“When she was a seven-year-old she had declared rain to be the best weather because it was reading weather.”

I feel the same way about cold and snow! When I picked this up I didn’t realize it was the third in a series, but it is. I enjoyed it as a standalone, but I did feel like I was missing something with the two main characters of The Kind Worth Killing books.

Who doesn’t love a good serial killer thriller? Martha’s husband is a traveling salesman. Who knew this was even still a thing? One day he comes home with a little blood on his shirt and, BOOM!, she’s thinking serial killer. I don’t know about you but there are at least 1000 thoughts I’d have before that one was ever entertained.

But the thought is there so she calls her old friend Lily to see if she thinks it could be true.

It was fine, but would have been better if I’d read the first two.

Drowning by TJ Newman

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Drowning by TJ Newman. Thriller, 3/5 stars. 304 pages, 2023

Six minutes after takeoff, Flight 1421 crashes into the Pacific Ocean. During the evacuation, an engine explodes and the plane is flooded. Those still alive are forced to close the doors—but it’s too late. The plane sinks to the bottom with twelve passengers trapped inside.

from Goodreads

I’m not a good flier. I’m a mess and I don’t recommend getting in a plane with me. I’m planning a trip in March that I’ll have to get on a plane for and I’m already low key stressed about it 😆. But I read TJ Newman’s first book, Falling, about a hijacked airplane and I liked it so I thought I’d give this a try.

In Drowning a plane has crashed into the ocean after leaving Hawaii. As the surviving crew and passengers scramble to evacuate, some decide to stay in the plane and wait to be rescued.

I listened to this one, which is good I guess because I never would have made it through reading a physical copy. The beginning was intense and I liked it, but it lost momentum and I just wasn’t that invested. It’s got good ratings, but it just wasn’t for me.

This Week – Did you read The Women?

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This week I had the change to attend a small book club with Mary Reynolds Powell, a nurse who served in Vietnam during the war. In 2003 she published a book with her story and those of others who she interviewed. She said that she thought The Women by Kristin Hannah got it right. AND she came home and married the doctor she worked with at Long Binh. It was a lovely evening set up by Gage’s school, where Mary currently sits on the Board of Trustees. I’m really looking forward to reading this.

A World of Hurt: Bewteen Innocenceand Arrogance in Vietnam by Mary Reynolds Powell

Last night we attended Gage’s school’s school play and this morning we attended a new church. I’ve spent lots of time at the library this week sorting donations and maintaining the ongoing book sale. It’s nice to be healthy again!

Posts

I only posted once this week, a review of Autism Is Not a Disease by Jodie Hare.

Right now I’m reading

and

Movies

I only managed one movie this week, the new Jamie Foxx/Cameron Diaz Netflix movie, Back in Action. It was fine. Predictable. But if you want to see Cameron in action again after ten years, you’ll be okay with it.

Plans for the weekend
What’s left of it will be spend making lists and prepping for the week. What about you?

Autism Is Not a Disease: The Politics of Neurodiversity

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Autism Is Not a Disease by Jodie Hare. Finished 1-21-25, 4/5 stars, Neurodiversity, 160 pages, 2024

Neurodiversity is one of the most urgent political issue of our times. As the number of diagnoses of Autism, Aspergers, ADHD, Dyslexia and Dyspraxia rise, we are starting to understand that there is no such thing as a normal brain. But society is still organised around neuro-normalcy, and autism is treated as a social disease. Jodie Hare, diagnosed with autism at twenty-three, argues that it is time to redefine the politics of who we are.

from Goodreads

This was a very thoughtful and eye opening book about the current state of the neurodiversity fight written by a woman diagnosed with autism at 23.

It’s 120 pages of the why, the numbers, and the way the fight for neurodiversity intersects with many other groups struggling for a way to change the system we live in.

I appreciated her perspective. As a parent, I still need to process some of it. A few things I’m not sure I see the way she does and that’s okay. It still gave me a lot of new information and I’m glad that she covered how these other fights, LGBTQ and others..) intersected with the one of neurodiversity.

An interesting and current book on what’s happening in the world of autism.

“Autistic people are thought to experience a substantially increased risk of self-harm in comparison to non autistic people, studies suggesting their likelihood of self-harming is three times higher.”

“In medical settings, neurodivergent individuals are often denied access to life-saving transplants on the basis of their disability…The extent of this discrimination became so widespread that, in 2021, laws were passed in multiple US states to ensure that disabled people were eligible for organ transplants…”

“Recent studies suggest that transgender and gender-diverse people are between three and six times more likely as cisgender adults to be diagnosed as autistic.”

This Week – House of Pestilence

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Ugh. Gage still has a cough from last Friday. He went back to school on Tuesday, but the cough remains. Jason came home from work sick on Monday and didn’t talk for 3 days. He’s mending, but not 100 percent. I am having mild cold issues only. So far. This appears to be a sickly winter for us considering we’ve all already had covid.

I did manage to get myself to the Friends of the Library board meeting on Monday, but not a lot else.

On the blog

Happiness Falls by Angie Kim review

The Unhoneymooners by Christina Lauren review

Books

I’ve finished 6 books so far this month/year.

Still reading Autism Is Not a Disease

Movies

I watched this teen movie about a girl who wants to empower herself by getting into shape and making friends at a summer camp. She does both and also manages to fall for her personal trainer. I thought it was a sweet Netflix movie about the way we see ourselves and the power we wield as we make our way through our days. But, it’s also not that deep, lol.

Plans for the weekend

I’m going to try something new on here this week. I need to find some productive way to get through the next four years.

Linking up on the Sunday Salon

The Unhoneymooners by Christina Lauren

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The Unhoneymooners. Finished 1-17-25, 4/5 stars, romance, 432 pages, 2019

“the only coherent thought that comes to mind is how insulting it is that eyelashes like his were wasted on Satan’s Errand Boy”

What happens when your twin sister’s wedding ends with all attendees in the hospital with food poisoning, except for you and the best man you hate? The two of you go off on their Hawaii honeymoon of course! Once there you have to pretend to be your twin sister and married to your new brother-in-law. I’m sure everything will be fine. Oh, wait! There’s your new boss and his wife and now he thinks you’re married. As does your new ‘husband’s’ ex when she shows up. Somehow Hawaii feels like Minneapolis 2.0.

I liked this one. I thought the twin aspect was fun. A huge, close knit family always makes for story. No spoilers, but one of the main characters was a real ass, but the revenge scene was perfection. Loyalty to siblings caused many of the problems, which felt pretty true to life.

A definite beach read, or if you’re like me stuck in the frozen tundra for much of the next week, it’s a perfect escape.

Happiness Falls by Angie Kim

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Happiness Falls. Finished 1-16-25, 4.75/5 stars, Mystery. 387 pages, 2023

“Our brains are hardwired to want resolution, to want the answer. The bigger and broader the mystery, the deeper the satisfaction when it’s resolved (a variation on Dad’s low baseline theory). They turn the pages and join the search party, to accelerate the process of solving the puzzle, of turning it into a different kind of story.”

Why did I wait so long to read this?!

One day Eugene, a non speaking teen with Angelman Syndrome, shows up at home, agitated and without his dad. Told in first person from 20 year old Mia’s point of view, this mystery has many layers of mystery. Where is Adam and who is this mystery woman who left messages on his phone? And why are the police interested in Eugene? Mia, her twin John, her Mom, and Eugene are thrown into a world with more questions than answers and more turmoil than it first seemed. Who is this dad they are learning about it? Did they know him at all?

This is set during Covid lockdown time. Personally, learning more about Angelman Syndrome and the risks and dangers of how it’s perceived in the world outside the home spoke to me. The whole question of how much nonspeaking individuals know and if alternate ways of communicating can be found was something worth reflection. There is not enough autistic representation in stories and Kim tied Eugene into the mystery flawlessly.

The end left some questions and I loved that. It felt real.

This Week – 1000

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It’s been back to reality this week. Gage went back to school on Tuesday and by the time he came home from school on Friday he was sick. So, he’ll miss another day tomorrow. I’m hoping we can get him healed up by Tuesday. I’m still not entirely sure what kind of ick we’re dealing with.

But I was able to get some home projects done/started in the few days when I had the house to myself (Jason worked from home on Thursday and Friday so that also threw things off). And I had lunch with a friend which was nice.

Oh, and I hit 1000 followers on Instagram. I didn’t start using IG for books, but for the past few years it’s mainly been me tracking what I read. I don’t exactly feel like it’s an accomplishment because it wasn’t a goal I had, but I think it’s pretty cool. I did start noticing a few months ago when I hit the 950 mark and was only a few away at the end of the year.

On the blog

Secrets of a Summer Night by Lisa Kleypas – book review

Body Surfing by Anita Shreve – book review

The Muse of Maiden Lane by Mimi Matthews

Books

I finished all three books above and got them reviewed! A goal of mine this year.

I’m currently reading Autism Is Not A Disease: the Politics of Neurodiversity by Jodie Hare and Happiness Falls by Angie Kim

Movies

We went to the movies with friends on Monday and saw Sonic the Hedgehog 3. It was good and I loved listening to Keanu Reeves as Shadow.

I watched Lonely Planet on Netflix and liked the offbeat feel of it, just as a movie about writers should be.

Last night I watched Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire. I thought it was a nice modernizing of the original. And I loved seeing most of the original Ghostbusters and where they are today. Not going to be on anyone’s favorite list but, for nostalgia, it’s a win.

This Weekend

Trying to heal up this kid and stay healthy myself!

Linking up with the Sunday Salon