This Week – Books, books, and more books!

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This has been a very bookish week. It started with a Friends of the Library beard meeting. If you aren’t involved with your library Friends group (or they don’t have one) I encourage to check it out. We hosted our annual meeting event on Thursday night, a family poetry jam and it was so much fun.

On Wednesday I volunteered at the Cleveland Kids Book Bank with friends. A great nonprofit that takes used books in good condition and distributes them to the Cleveland area to schools or organizations that would like to send books home with kids who might not otherwise own books. We spent a few hours sorting.

I’ve been to library almost every day doing some prepping for our upcoming big fall book sale next week. After I get done with this post I’ll emailing all of the volunteers reminding them of their shifts. I have always loved library book sales and love coordinating these big ones. It takes a village for sure.

This week has been particularly bookish!

Posts you may have missed over the last few weeks…

Book vs. Movie – It Ends With Us

August Reads

Movies and Shows – July/August

Books I’ve finished in the last few weeks…

The Paradise Problem by Christina Lauren. 4.25/5 stars. romance, 352 pages, 2024

I will be adding more Christina Lauren books to my TBR list. Fun and sexy with a bonafide hot multi millionaire as a fake husband. Sign me up (just don’t tell Jason). Did I totally buy the Cinderella-like transformation? No, but it was still fun.

Happy Place by Emily Henry. 4/5 stars, romance, 400 pages, 2023

The six friends meet once a year in Maine for a week at the cottage, but this year will be the last since the cottage has been sold. Harriet and Wyn are there, pretending to still be engaged, even though they broke up six months ago.

There’s more than just a broken romance. Friends who are family can break your heart just as easily and a week spent nursing lies and resentment can cause fireworks.

I’ve now read all five Emily Henry books. The few that I haven’t loved as much (still loved though) have had something in the end that felt unfinished. This felt a little rushed with some issues that needed more attention in the end, but I will still read everything she writes because she’s just that good.

A Court of Silver Flames by Sarah J Maas, 3.75/5 stars, fantasy, 757 pages, 2021

5th book in the A Court of Thorns and Roses series. (technically book #4)

What a fun ride this series is. Adventure, love, magic, lots of magic, death, battles, friendship, family, wings, winnowing, and a large cast of characters. This last one was from only two perspectives, Nesta and Cassian. I know after 751 pages I’m supposed to like Nesta, but I’m still not her biggest fan 🤷🏻‍♀️ I don’t dislike her but she’s got a lot of sharp edges that are willfully sharpened to slice. She did have a nice story progression in this one, but every few chapters she kept finding new miraculous powers and it seemed a bit much.

On the Screen…

We watched the 6 episode miniseries on Netflix. The Perfect Couple was a frilly, fun whodunit. Great cast and a beautiful Nantucket setting.

We watched season 1 of The Boys on Amazon. What a crazy, messed up ride this show is! Superheroes among us, only idolized and accepted without a check on their powers.

Plans for the weekend

We’re headed to the Guardians baseball game this afternoon. The last time I attended a game they were still the Indians so I’m excited!

What are you up to today?

Posting on the Sunday Salon.

Book vs. Movie – It Ends With Us

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I read this book at the end of 2022 and was apparently so busy at the time that I didn’t write a review of any sort. On Goodreads I said, “Perfect book to end the year on a high note.” On Instagram I included it in a post of 5 star reads. I took my mom to see the movie last week and we both liked it. Yes, I know some about the controversies surrounded the film, but they didn’t ruin my enjoyment at all. I think it’s best knowing that while there is a love story there is also a more serious theme. I think it’s fantastic that young women have a story like this as a cautionary, yet hopeful, tale.

So, now you know that I liked them both. But which did I like better? Let’s find out!

I’ll try to keep it spoiler free but read at your own risk.

The Story/Plot

We begin with Lily ‘delivering’ her father’s eulogy. When she returns back to Boston she has a rooftop encounter with Ryle, a very attractive neurosurgeon. Lily opens up her own flower shop and, unaware of the connection, hires Ryle’s sister to work for her.

We also see flashbacks to her teen years in Maine. Her parents have a violent relationship. Lily befriends Atlas, a boy from school who’s been kicked out of his house.

So as the story moves forward I feel that they are both fairly true to each other. The book features Lily’s diaries written to Ellen DeGeneres as a way to move the story forward, the movie doesn’t. I think that was a missed opportunity to enrich the story.

Thumbs up – Book

The Visual

So, I loved seeing Lily’s flower shop come to life onscreen. But, spoiler alert, the hot neurosurgeon was also fun to see come to life onscreen. It was steamy in all the right places.

Thumbs up – Movie

Characters vs. Actors

I thought Blake Lively was a good Lily and Brandon Sklenar was a good Atlas. Isabela Ferrer was a fantastic young Lily. I thought Justin Baldoni shined as Ryle and Jenny Slate sparkled as Allysa.

Thumbs Up – Both/Neither. I’m calling it a draw

The Ending

Most movies muck things up by changing an ending too much. In this case there were a few details changed, but it mostly got it right. But I didn’t like them leaving out visitation issues near the end. It may be a small thing, but it still missed an opportunity to show the story more truthfully.

Thumbs Up – Book

And the winner is…the BOOK! This was a close call because I really liked them both.

Other book vs. movie polls you can still vote on: (Perfume: The Story of a Murderer) (The Sun is Also a Star) (We Have Always Lived in the Castle) (Good Morning, Midnight/The Midnight Sky) (Before I Go To Sleep) (The Little Prince) (Charlie St. Cloud) (Far From the Madding Crowd) (The Girl on the Train) (Tuck Everlasting)  (Northanger Abbey) (Me Before You) (And Then There Were None) (Still Alice) (The Blind Side) (The Fault in Our Stars) (The Hound of the Baskervilles) (Gone Girl) (Jack Reacher) (Ender’s Game) (Carrie, the original) (Under the Tuscan Sun) (The Secret Life of Bees) (The Shining, the original)

Movies and Shows – July/August

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Summer was a slow screen time. If not for me bring sick for a week in August, these numbers would be dismal. I watched 5 movies in July and 5 in August.

Streaming – We watched seasons 1 & 2 of Bosch: Legacy. We loved the Bosch series and enjoyed continuing on with these characters. Some police friends are back and he’s able to go even more off the rails as a private detective.

I loved…

Beverly Hill Cop: Axel F, 2024. Do I remember much of the plot? No. But as someone who grew up watching the originals I loved stepping back in time with Axel and friends. Nostalgia at its finest.

I liked…

Mr. Malcom’s List, 2022. If you like historical romances or Bridgerton, this is probably going to hit the spot for you. I thought it was a very well done movie about a man who has a list of the attributes he wants in a wife and a woman who didn’t meet the criteria.

Run Lola Run, 1998. We don’t watch many foreign films, but we both felt fancy one night and watched this time-bending German thriller. Think Groundhog Day with guns.

Harold and the Purple Crayon, 2024. Even though making one of my favorite children’s books into a live action movie didn’t sound great, I knew I had to see it. It was full of weird directions and not nearly enough fun scenes like the one in Ollie’s, but I liked it because I liked Zachary Levi as a grown up Harold.

The Other Zoey, 2023. For a cutesy young adult rom com I actually liked the twist in this one.

Find Me Falling, 2024. An exotic mature love story with Harry Connick Jr. Yes please!

These were fine…

A Family Affair, 2024. The cast was good, but didn’t feel a lot of love for the actual love story.

Despicable Me 4, 2024. Gage still likes seeing the new movies do we went. As with all of them, I’ve resigned myself to just going with it it since I’m going to be dragged to all of them. I’m a little more accepting of Gru since he’s become a family man.

I watched these so you don’t have to…

Space Cadet, 2024. Rex cons her way into the space program. I liked Emma Roberts, but the movie is just beyond ridiculous.

You May Not Kiss the Bride, 2011. A fake wedding forced by mobsters with mobster kidnappers. Mobsters are not my thing.

August Reads

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What I read this month…11 books, 4018 pages. I’ve read 98 books so far this year.
Nonfiction
4.5* Enough by Cassidy Hutchinson – read my review here.
4* Seek You: A Journey Through American Lonliness by Kristen Radtke (also a graphic novel)
3.5* Focused: ADHD & ADD Parenting Strategies for Children by Blythe Grossberg Well laid out and some solid information and tips.

Reread
5* Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck – read my thoughts here.

Fantasy Series
5* A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J Maas – It’s not very often that I love the second book in a series more than the first, but here it is. Thanks to @thepageburner I am unlikely to get anything done until I’ve burned through this series. I’m listening to the audios mostly because it’s the only way that I can get my fix and still keep our house running.

It’s pure escapism which is why I need it right now. And you might too! It’s fantasy. It’s fairies. It’s humans becoming fairies. It’s full of characters that you love. There’s romance. There are battles. There are powers and wings.

That’s all I can really say without spoiling anything. Anything I say about the second book can spoil the first. Don’t start unless you’ve got some time on your hands.


4.5* A Court of Wings and Ruin by Sarah J Maas – Book 3 in the A Court of Thorns & Roses series brings the whole gang together for the battle royale. Alliances, betrayals, magic, sacrifice, love, wings, witches, magic cauldrons, and rebirth all make this 699 pager a nice culmination.

This is not my usual fare and I’ve been thinking about what makes this such a good series for me, aside from the high adventure and intrigue. I think it’s because it’s a story of family. The one we’re born with and the one forged through love and trials. I love a good friends as family story.


4.25* A Court of Frost and Starlight by Sarah J Maas – After the mad rush of A Court of Mist & Fury, book 3.5 was a nice breather. I’m not sure it was completely necessary, but I’ll reserve judgement until I read the last one.

The whole gang is back in Velaris recovering from the effects of a brutal war. We hear from 5 different voices, Feyre, Rhysand, Cassian, Nesta, and Morrrigan. Nesta is in a bad place. Feyre wants to make the world a better place. Elain isn’t interested in Lucien. And Amren is doing…jigsaw puzzles. I look forward to the last book to see how everything pans out.

Fiction
5* Funny Story by Emily Henry – Daphne is a children’s librarian who is about to be married to the man who brought her to Michigan last year. But what happened at the bachelor party didn’t stay at the bachelor party and now she’s got a roommate with heartbreak as big as her own. When she lies to make her ex-fiancee jealous it sets off a chain of events that have her wondering if leaving Michigan is really what her heart wants after all.

Steamy, funny, and real. Don’t miss it.

4.5* Listen for the Lie by Amy Tintera– Listen for the Lie is the story of Lucy. Lucy left her small Texas town for LA five years ago after everyone there became convinced that she had killed her best friend Savvy. When a popular true crime podcaster starts sniffing around that can only mean trouble.

I loved this fast paced thriller. Once I started it was hard to put down. Lucy is such an unreliable narrator, not just because sure she still claimed amnesia from the night, but because of the voices in her head. My favorite character of the book was her day drink grandmother who is turning 80 and convinces Lucy to come home.

A fantastic thriller, especially if you love podcasts or true crime.

3* The Last Mrs. Parrish by Liv Constantine – Not gonna lie, this one left me feeling yucky. I really didn’t like spending time with these people. I did make it to the end and liked the twist, but can’t really say I liked the book. And why would there be a sequel? No thank you.

YA
4.5* One of Is is Lying by Karen M McManus – Couldn’t put it down, finished it in a day. Shades of The Breakfast Club.

Enough by Cassidy Hutchinson

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Enough by Cassidy Hutchinson. 4 stars. Memoir/politics, 384 pages, 2023

Cassidy Hutchinson’s desk was mere steps from the most controversial president in recent American history. Now, she provides a riveting account of her extraordinary experiences as an idealistic young woman thrust into the middle of a national crisis, where she risked everything to tell the truth about some of the most powerful people in Washington. from Goodreads

I admired Cassidy Hutchinson’s testimony before the January 6th Committee. Too few were coming forward with the truth and she was a reluctant witness, but one willing to put country above loyalty to one man.

She was an ambitious workaholic and proud to be part of the Trump spin machine. She said again and again how adept she was at the politics of it. She did not resign on January 6 like many others did and even intended to go and work for Trump in Florida. She was a tried and true Republican.

She spoke at length of her fractured relationship with her father, the close relationship she shared with Mark Meadows, and her repeated creepy encounters with Matt Gaetz.

A good 90 percent of this book paints her time in the White House as a positive. I was surprised at her change of heart. She reveled in the politics. To see her go from a Trump sychophant to truth teller was fascinating. For her it came down to something that was said to her about having to look at herself in the mirror for the rest of her life and having to live with that person. She also took great courage from the book The Last of the President’s Men by Bob Woodward and Alex Butterfield’s Congressional testimony about Richard Nixon.

After her January 6 I heard all of the Republican noise about her not having ‘real’ access and Trump saying he barely talked to her, at some point I’m pretty sure he said he didn’t even know her name. These attempts at belittling her are obviously false. Before working for Chief of Staff Mark Meadows she worked in the offices of Scalese and then Ted Cruz.

If you are considering voting for Trump, I’d read this. She was his people until she wasn’t and loyal longer than most with a conscience.

Listen for the Lie by Amy Tintera

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Listen for the Lie. 4.5 stars, Thriller, 336 pages, 2024

Lucy and Savvy were the golden girls of their small Texas town: pretty, smart, and enviable. Lucy married a dream guy with a big ring and an even bigger new home. Savvy was the social butterfly loved by all and, if you believe the rumors, especially popular with the men in town. But after Lucy is found wandering the streets, covered in her best friend Savvy’s blood, everyone thinks she is a murderer. from Goodreads

Lucy left her small Texas town for LA five years ago after everyone there became convinced that she had killed her best friend Savvy. When a popular true crime podcaster starts sniffing around that can only mean trouble.

My favorite character of the book was her day-drunk grandmother who is turning 80 and convinces Lucy to come home. She’s a hot with a heart. Lucy is such an unreliable narrator, not just because sure she still claims amnesia from the night, but because of the voices in her head. Her wicked humor had me chuckling throughout.

This was a fast paced thriller that was hard to put down. I breezed through it in a day.

I don’t listen to podcasts, but this is the second book I’ve read this year with a true crime podcast driving the plot (Christmas Presents by Lisa Unger was the other), but I preferred this one. Are you a true crime lover?

Favorite Kids Book – Harold and the Purple Crayon

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Harold and the Purple Crayon by Crockett Johnson, 5 stars, 64 pages, 1955

I loved reading this book with Gage when he was younger. There are so many ways to be inspired, so many fabulous activities to do with your little ones. The most important thing about this book is the lesson that there’s magic in imagination. This magic may come from creating your own world through art or words. Or the magic from getting lost in a story from someone else’s imagination. Art is subjective. Art is your own point of view. Embrace it.

The illustrations are simple, just a black and white Harold and everything that comes from his purple crayon. It encourages enchantment of the mind. There is magic in the every day, the mundane. He draws himself into comforting situations and into danger equally and manages to be zen about it.

Gage and I went to see the movie this summer starring Zachary Levi as Harold. It maintained some of the magic and much of the simplicity of the book. I thought it was cute, although I did take issue with the bad guy being a librarian/writer.

This is going my Top 100 Kids Books list.

Favorites, Best, Of Mice and Men

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I’ve been a bit neglectful posting here this summer. It’s time for my $100 renewal for the blog and I had to take a step back and remember why I started this blog in 2008. I wanted to write and journal and maybe make some friends (I did all that). I have to acknowledge how the blog has changed over time, mainly after I had Gage in 2010 and I started posting about motherhood. And now, where do I want it to go, if anywhere? I do like talking about books and movies and making connections. It’s more of an online journal for me, one that I can access anytime I want to share old posts with people who might need to read them.

I started my Top 100 lists last year and haven’t gotten very far. I decided that I wasn’t going to add a book to the list unless I’ve read it more than once, so I’ve reread a handful of books this year to see if they’d make the cut. The criteria, might I want to read them again in the future. That’s it really. If I’m not interested in reading them again they don’t make the list.

A BEST list is different than a FAVORITE list. I’ve had Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck on my Favorite book list since 2009, but what I realized after a reread a few weeks ago is that it’s more of a BEST book. There’s a reason it’s a classic. I loved the spare prose writing style, how much he was able to say with so few words, and the full circle story of George and Lenny. BUT would I want to read it again? I’m not sure. I tend to love rereading favorite romances or fantasy or thrillers more than something so sad, no matter how good it is. I’m guessing my top 100 lists will be full of comfort reads when I’ve finished.

My last 5 star read was Funny Story by Emily Henry. What was yours?

Back to School

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The beginning of every school year seems to bring different emotions. Today it’s excited nervousness or nervous excitement, take your pick. Gage went to the same school K-3 and 7. We homeschooled 4-6. Today he started 8th grade at a new school.

This school will challenge him in every possible way. I envision a rough few months, but like everything I’ve ever asked of Gage, I know he will rise to the task. I know that. What I don’t know, yet, is how much of his rising will depend on me.

Being on the autism spectrum and finding the right school can be tricky. We live in a district with very good schools, but not right for Gage. Some kids thrive, but Gage needs a smaller class with teachers who can see when he’s zoning out. He needs a school that teaches executive functioning skills to all students. He needs a school that knows all kids learn differently. I hope that we’ve found that school.

Over the summer Gage went back to FIT Learning (we used then when homeschooling) for tutoring in reading and writing, every day for 45 minutes. I also hired a math education major home for the summer to come twice a week for an hour to teach him math. I had a meeting this morning to go over his end of the summer assessment. He improved in the reading and writing (but it’s still a struggle), but in math he scored in the 97th percentile for his age!

When you have a kid who falls behind in some areas of learning it’s easy to get stuck focusing on that. Having a young woman come and teach him math, a subject he really likes, was a new approach for me and one that paid off. Celebrate all of the successes and let the kids truly excel at what they are gifted at. Here’s to a great school year for all the kids and teachers.

Here’s a link to his You Tube channel that he’s been working on this summer https://www.youtube.com/@lightning43

Time Travelling

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I like a good time travel book. They’re usually exciting and learning about a new time and place in a fun way is a bonus.

My personal favorites…
Outlander by Diana Gabaldon – It’s been a long time since I read the first four books of this series back to back to back to back 🙂 Once day I may start from the beginning and read through the whole series. Or maybe I’ll watch the tv show. It’s a toss up.

The Time Machine by HG Wells – a classic that has aged well and has surprising depth for such a slim book.

A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’engle – I devoured this series as a kid.
11/22/63 by Stephen King – What would happen if you could travel back and prevent the Kennedy assassination?

Kindred by Octavia Butler– This was an interesting look at travelling back to the time of slavery and becoming enslaved. It left me with many conflicting feelings, something I quite enjoy in a story.

Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams – I read the first few of this series years ago and would like to start at the beginning and read straight through. Stay tuned.

The Winter Sea AND Mariana by Susanna Kearsley – two of my very favorite books from one of my favorite authors. Both historical fiction with satisfying romantic storylines.


A Knight in Shining Armor by Jude Deveraux – I remember reading this more than once in my younger years.

A few days I read Captive by Brenda Joyce and was disappointed in it. I couldn’t imagine a less strong, modern woman than the heroine. The Tripoli setting and her eunuch slave/best friend kept me reading til the end. But now I’d like a good one.

Let’s hear your favorite time travel book!