She leaned forward, "And you're a hypocritical motherfucker, Phil."
Okay, so Mom raised me with the "If
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"You're a cold-hearted bitch, Miranda."
She leaned forward, "And you're a hypocritical motherfucker, Phil."
Okay, so Mom raised me with the "If you can't say something nice, then don't say anything at all."
But, guess what? Mama ain't here no more.
Buckle your seat-belts - things are about to get ranty.
To limit my novel of a review, I will only talk about the Main Character, the Weird Racism and the Smoking.
The Main Character - aka what an absolute b*tch
I rarely (rarely) hate a main character but Miranda is an exception (and can I mention how horribly disappointing it is that my own namesake is the main character?).
Miranda Corbie is the hard-nosed female detective with a chip the size of Antarctica on her shoulder.
The author spent so much time building up Miranda's reputation and attitude that she comes off as extremely abrasive, bitter, and unlikable.
I like a gruff non-nonsense detective as much as the next person but this ridiculous.
Miranda's the kind of person who will get her way, no matter what, and if you suggest (even for a minute) that she's not right - F*CK. YOU. I HAVE A TRAGIC PAST. (Oh, and did I mention f*ckkkkkkkk youuuuuuuu?)
Case-and-point - one of Miranda's friends (informers?) shows up dead and the police are beginning to figure out motive, etc.
Miranda is able to worm her way into the investigation, where this charming conversation happens:
"Looks like she had intercourse shortly before she was killed, can't tell it was consensual."
"Betty was a friend of mine and you're telling me you can't tell if she was raped because she was a whore. So maybe you can tell me why the fuck I should even bother with you anymore."
It's just absolutely exhausting to have to read about someone who so consistently and constantly rants and raves to every little thing.
Yes, Miranda, your friend died and you are feeling a lot of emotions. BUT she was (quite literally) a whore, and how exactly were the police supposed to know that **this time** was rape?
There aren't any signs of struggle - it could very well just have been a client "innocently" visiting her prior to the death.
(Miranda knows, because of her super-duper PI instincts (Obviously)).
This wouldn't be so bad if it made sense - I love a well-deserved and self-righteous rant -but no, the whole book consisted of Miranda absolutely going into it with people - tearing them a new one over the littlest things - and then she'll ask for a favor and they're like, sure thing!
Case-and-point - the conversation she had about her "whore" friend was with the detective, who let her into the investigation as a special favor. Then she treats him like dirt as a thank you.
The only detective-work (if you can even call it that) consisted of Miranda blundering and bullying.
Beyond annoying.
The Weird Racism - aka, am I racist for wanting the book to be more racist??
Now, before people light their pitchforks, allow me to the set the seen.
It is 1940s San Francisco - the world is rife with highs and lows, riches and poverty, racism and more racism (the one thing I cannot fault this book on is its unapologetic depiction of the times).
Everywhere Miranda looks there is racism and sexism - from the detectives treating her like dirt to the Chinese and the Japanese going at it.
BUT the ONLY one who is NOT racist is the Main Character(TM) - she is literally above it all.
I wouldn't have minded it so much if there was some backstory - perhaps she was raised on the other tracks and has empathy for all classes and races (etc).
But nope.
No background. No explanation. No reason for why her attitudes are completely different from literally everyone she meets.
Just Miranda Corbie being an absolute b*tch (BUT NOT a racist b*tch).
Given how little empathy she shows towards other characters in the book, I can only assume that the author didn't want to risk making her MC "unlikable" by giving her a period-appropiate attitude.
It would be simpler to just to take racism out of the picture than have Miranda deal with and evolve.
The Cigarettes - aka ohmygod, your poor lungs.
This one was more of a reoccurring annoyance but literally every. single. page. Miranda was taking a drag.
I literally think that cigarette (or Chesterfield as the book calls them) was the most popular word in the entire book.
There's one thing about establishing substance abuse problems, and there's another when you are leaning on it for the word count.
Audiobook Comments The only things I can't fault this book for is its extremely well-researched setting and solid audiobook. Audiobook was surprisingly well-done - great tone and inflection.
The Finer Books Club - 2018 Reading Challenge - A book with a character that has your name
People like you must create. If you don't create, Bernadette, you will become a menace to society.
Oh. My. Gawd. I love this so muc
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People like you must create. If you don't create, Bernadette, you will become a menace to society.
Oh. My. Gawd. I love this so much.
Bee Branch, genius daughter of the infamously famous Bernadette Fox, has a puzzle to solve - where in the world is her mother?
Before her mother went missing, Bee's parents made the dubious promise of buying her whatever she wanted IF she got perfect grades...which she did and she cashed that in for a trip to Antarctica.
And with the help of an online Indian personal assistant, Bernadette begins planning...and planning...and planning...and quickly realizes that perhaps, it may have been a bit of a mistake to make such a rash promise.
One of the main reasons I don't like leaving the house is because I might find myself face to face with a Canadian.
Meanwhile the pressures mount from all sides until suddenly *poof* Bernadette disappears.
It's up to Bee to find her - and she is not about to back down.
Hello, can I help you with something? If not, please step aside because I'm about to kick the shit out of life.
In short - abso-freaking-lutely hilarious.
I was laughing to myself almost every chapter - Semple combined just the right amount of hilarity and heartwarming hi-jinks.
Bernadette has such an amazing take on life - she was sassy and witty every single moment she was on the page.
'That's right,' she told the girls. 'You are bored. And I'm going to let you in on a little secret about life. You think it's boring now? Well, it only gets more boring. The sooner you learn it's on you to make life interesting, the better off you'll be.'
My favorite part? The ongoing battle with Audrey - the snooty next door neighbor.
The petty squabbling and the exponentially increasing responses made my jaw drop - especially when the kindergartners got PTSD from billboard incident.
This is one that needs to be read to be fully appreciated - I am absolutely in love.
The Finer Books Club 2018 Reading Challenge - A book you see a stranger reading in public
But...But...Miranda...how can you not love, cherish and worship a suicide book? Hannah was so brave, she dealt with life the
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Wow. What a b*tch.
But...But...Miranda...how can you not love, cherish and worship a suicide book? Hannah was so brave, she dealt with life the best way she could...
Blah, blah, blah.
Are you sitting down?
Good, cause things are about to get ranty.
HUGE MOTHER-EFFING DISCLAIMER:
If you absolutely loved this book or if you think it really helped you through a tough time - I have absolutely no problem with that.
You are completely (and utterly) entitled to your opinion on this novel - just like I'm entitled to hate it with every fiber of my being.
My hatred can be split into four parts: The Message to the Target Audience, Glamorous Suicide, The Absolutely Terrible Excuse for A Main Character and Were you Raped? Sorry, it's Me Time Now.
The Message to the Target Audience - aka just kill yourself.
As an 25-year-old adult, I am able to read this book and take a step back to truly appreciate the full wrath of Hannah.
She's able to absolutely crumble the lives of the bullies, extract sweet revenge on her ex-friends and even get the boy she likes to admit that he really, really likes her.
And how does she do that? By killing herself.
Let me repeat that - she's able to accomplish all her wildest dreams By. Killing. Herself.
And the target audience? Preteens/teens. Kids who are already thinking of suicide and are curious to see what happens after.
And how does the author (a grown adult) advise them? Just kill yourself and everything will be better after you die.
I cannot begin to express how furious that made me.
Okay, okay. I will admit that there is another message - one of accepting, embracing and truly caring for your peers before something tragic happens...but, I'd like to remind you, how do we reach this conclusion?
Well, Hannah only had to off herself for this to happen. Kill yourself and the world becomes a better place.
Glamorous Suicide - aka suicide is a wondrous method to bring about change.
This is in a somewhat similar vein to the previous - but did anyone else notice how beautiful and poetical her suicide was?
How all the bullies were cowed. How all her friends regretted not appreciating her when she was alive. How everyone felt bad about not being nicer.
Even her suicide was a graceful fade-to-black.
The book doesn't show any negative repercussions for her actions - just that everything is better after she's gone.
And while (maybe) some kids may react the same as the ones portrayed in this book, I'd wager that most teens out there won't fall perfectly into the, "Oh-poor-Hannah-such-a-tragic-little-victim" category.
Most teens won't have the self-reflection and emotional awareness shown in this novel. She'll become a footnote, a blip on their radar, and they'll move on.
Absolutely Terrible Excuse for a Main Character - aka what a b*tch
I am of the firm belief that if something tragic, or some self-inflicted tragedy, befalls the main character, does not erase their sins.
Just because they did some grand, meaningful gesture, does not mean everything they did is given the rose-tinted glasses.
And what Hannah did was absolutely inexcusable.
Most suicides (according to google) are due to mental illness (90%) (i.e. clinical depression, bipolar, etc) or due to an impulse decision (triggered by a great tragedy/overwhelming circumstances).
From my (admittingly untrained) eye, Hannah experiences neither of these. And I believe that if the author wanted us to see either one of those cases, he would have made that abundantly clear.
Which makes Hannah's premeditated revenge odd, to say the least.
She picks out thirteen people who she's perceived wronged her and sets about to find the most hurtful and vengeful way to ruin their lives.
She wants to make her suicide count by destroying these other teen's lives so thoroughly that they become traumatized and absolutely terrified for the rest of their days.
So, who are these life-ruiners you ask?
Who are these absolute monsters who made Hannah's life a living hell? Pushing her every day closer to oblivion?
--Her first kiss -- now, the guy did brag that he got a bit further than a first kiss with her, but to pin her suicide on him? On a kid who likely felt inadequate and just wanted to seem older/experienced among his friend group?
--A friend who drifted apart from her -- sure this girl wasn't Hannah's bestie for life, but isn't she allowed to choose who her friends were? She and Hannah drifted apart, just like millions of girls throughout high school...but no Hannah has to make sure this girl KNOWS that stopping friendships with ANYONE is a direct cause for suicide.
-- A guy who said she has a nice ass -- I'm all for not objectifying women, but really? She's trying to pin her suicide on a teenage guy who said she has a nice ass.
--A nice girl who ended up not being super nice -- this girl was polite to Hannah, hung out a couple of times, but ultimately did not want to become best friends. Well, now she knows that if she is not ABSOLUTELY PERFECTLY NICE AND FRIENDLY with everyone she meets, then they may kill themselves in revenge.
--A guidance counselor who didn't stop her suicide -- In Hannah's version, he was the last straw between her and oblivion. And he failed. He failed her, her parents and the school.
To expect one man to completely turn around a suicidal girl (especially one who premeditates her suicide to such an extent that she uses it as a weapon against other kids) is (in my opinion) horribly unrealistic.
And that's the thing that everyone seems to forget - these people who "caused" her suicide are kids.
Teenagers with their own troubles, trials and tribulations.
They're wading through the murky waters of high school with as much direction as Hannah.
And in her anger, fury and spite, she puts them all on the same playing field.
The peeping Tom and rapist somehow contributed equally to the guy who stole the compliments from her compliment box.
Apparently, no one commenting about your haircut is just as likely to send you into a suicidal spiral as privacy violations.
Were you Raped? Sorry, it's Me Time Now - aka My God Hannah, What's Wrong With You?
I will admit there were some of the kids that had it coming (i.e. the rapist and the peeping Tom) - they should have been called out on their actions.
But, instead of going to the authorities and actually doing something about this, Hannah just outs them in one of her tapes.
And, it gets better, shenever sends a tape to the rapist.
Instead, she sends it to her ex-friend, the girl who was drunk and barely conscious throughout the rape, and Hannah blames her suicide on her.
That's right, the RAPE victim learns that she's RAPED on Hannah's suicide tape, that Hannah (and the boy the rape victim liked) did nothing about it.
AND what's Hannah's interpretation? You, ex-friend, caused my suicide cause you didn't want to be friends for life.
And to that I say:
A) GOOD RIDDANCE. Dropping Hannah like a hot tamale was obviously the right choice.
B) Can you even begin to imagine learning that happened to you while your so-called friend was hanging out in the closet of the same room?
And what was Hannah doing?
What was SO CRAZY IMPORTANT that she just couldn't stop her friend from being raped?
Having a tipsy mental breakdown because A) the boy she liked her tried to kiss her and B) when she said no, he stopped.
Excuse me, but how was THAT more important that preventing an ex-friend from getting RAPED?
Literally all Hannah had to do was step out of the closet and he'd be scared off.
But noooooo, Hannah decides to make the suicide tapes (LONG after all the evidence has been washed away) to let everyone know that she's the victim.
That SHE deserves the pity and sympathy.
I'm sorry, I'm sure there are many (MANY) ways to interpret this book, but I just can't see feeling sympathy for the girl who killed herself over "nice ass" and "friends not staying friends" vs the one who was raped while her best friend/guy-she-liked watched and then was blamed for a suicide.
This is the sort of revenge Hannah decides to extract on these teens.
It's unforgivable.
I can't believe I wasted my time with this..
ANOTHER BIG MOTHER-EFFING DISCLAIMER (cause apparently my first one was not enough)
Yes, this is my opinion. This is my interpretation of this novel. Is it the right one? Maybe and maybe not.
If this book is perfect in your eyes, if it really saved you, I am not discounting that experience.
This book has a LOT of potential to bring about difficult discussions but I feel that the way it is written is problematic (to say the least). But again, this is one take on the novel.
Audiobook Comments The one thing I couldn't fault this book on was the choice of narrators. Joel Johnstone and Debra Wiseman were absolutely perfect throughout this book. The way they played off of each other, the way they conveyed emotions - amazing through and through.
The 2018 Finer Books Club Reading Challenge - A book with a number in the title
Merida, a Scottish Princess, must be married according to tradition and her mother's wishes - which amounts to her being won in a contest.
Desperate anMerida, a Scottish Princess, must be married according to tradition and her mother's wishes - which amounts to her being won in a contest.
Desperate and despondent, Merida tries convincing her mother every which way but her mom refuses to listen.
In a last-ditch effort, Merida throws the archery contest designed to win her hand by competing (and winning) her own hand.
The princes are confused.
The neighboring nobility feel cheated.
And (most of all), Merida's mom is furious.
Merida, even more desperate than before, decides to use magic to convince her mother that her actions were right...only that magic misfires in a major way.
With her mom transformed into a bear and only three days to end the curse - what can Merida possibly do?
Dare I say it? I liked this one better than the movie!
I remember the movie absolutely amazing me with the animation...but ultimately bewildered and confused - there's too much that happened and I just couldn't follow the plot. (Though, I loved just watching Merida's wild mane bounce across the screen.)
The novel, however, was a whole other story.
Brave the novel was a true-to-movie adaption - but it does give the audience a smidge more detail (too which I'm eternally grateful!).
I definitely feel like the relationship between Merida and her mother is a bit more fleshed out in the novel and I understand the subtleties between their arguments significantly better.
I enjoyed how you can really see how the mother-daughter pair really cared for each other, just not in the way that the other needed.
The only thing that was missing was the amazing detail from the movie - such as Merida's hair or the whimsical magic.
Those aspects were truly fantastic in the movie but in the book, they were only given the barest of details (or should I say bearest?).
Overall, rather fun short adaption.
Audiobook Comments Read by Lucy Rayner - and she did a pretty good job. I liked her display of emotion and range of tone.
The Finer Books Club - 2018 Reading Challenge: A book based on a TV show or movie
Cause this summary may knock your socks off: Half-vampire, full-Navajo police officer with a vendetta against ski3.5 stars
Okay. Are you sitting down?
Cause this summary may knock your socks off: Half-vampire, full-Navajo police officer with a vendetta against skin walkers teams up with a FBI agent to keep the a stolen World War II plutonium out of ex-Nazi full-vampire hands.
I know, right?
I couldn't get enough of it.
Lee Nez (our half-vamp, full-Navajo, full-cop) accidentally intercepted a plutonium ambush during WWII. Lee becomes gravely injured.
Much to his horror, one of the Nazis-vampires brings Lee back to life solely so he could torture the plutonium's hidden location out of Lee.
Despite his weakened condition, Lee disarms the vampire and makes a getaway to a Navajo medicine man.
While the medicine man was able to halt the progression of the disease, he was not able to fully reverse it - leaving Lee with about half the strength, lifespan and sun sensitivity of a full vampire.
The next few decades, Lee joins one police force, then another. All in the New Mexico area, hoping that the evil Nazi vampire will come back and Lee can finally get his revenge.
Only, when this finally does happen, Lee realizes that he's not nearly as prepared as he thought.
Picked it up for a reading challenge, and I honestly did not expect to enjoy this one as much as I thought I would.
The authors (Mr. and Mrs. Thurlo) do a pretty darn good job of combining plenty of left-field ideas into one cohesive story.
Finally, we have a main character with some sense in his noggin. Lee meets an evil Nazi-vampire? He tries to kill him. Lee is turned into a vampire? Immediately seeks medical aid.
That being said, there were a few things that threw me out of the story - namely the tone, the romance and the skinwalkers.
The Tone
This one felt very...procedural. It was almost like someone took a police report and added in some dialogue - First, Lee did this. When folks retaliated, he then did that. It was very tell-not-show, which took some of the fun out of reading it.
The Romance
We know (immediately) that FBI agent Diane is supposed to be the love interest...but the relationship felt very forced.
Diane and Lee had fairly decent rapport when they were acting as friends, but as soon as the mood "turned romantic" the whole scene became wooden. The dialogue, in particular, became almost laughably predictable.
The Skinwalkers
We are told repeatedly that the Skinwalkers are merely animals in human form. That they will do anything and everything in their power to murder vampires. That they are evil incarnate...and I honestly didn't get that.
Sure, the Skinwalkers would attack half-vampire-Lee whenever they sniffed him out - but how is that different from someone discovering a monster is on their homeland and wanting to get rid of it?
If they were really so animalistic and evil, how do you explain them working in packs? Taking revenge if one of their family members is killed? Wearing clothes, speaking English, driving cars?
Other than that, a surprisingly enjoyable read!
The Finer Books Club 2018 Reading Challenge - a book by a husband and wife team
Audiobook Comments Read by Brian Holsopple. He did a good job with the voices, but his narration did seem dry at times.
Second off, I loved the concept. Coffee themed murders? Yes. Count me in.
Third off, I think I liked the titFirst off, such a freaking brilliant title.
Second off, I loved the concept. Coffee themed murders? Yes. Count me in.
Third off, I think I liked the title more than the actual book.
Clare Cosi, the manager of the historic Village Blend coffeehouse, is in a bit of a complicated situation.
There'sall the normal stuff- she's working under her ex-mother-in-law (whom she adores) but is sharing a duplex with her husband (whom she doesn't adore) due to her ex-mother-in-law's meddling.
And then there's all the not-so-normal-stuff - like the attempted murder on her assistant manager. The cops thinks it's an accident but she knows differently - and one way or another, she will prove it.
I loved the premise - coffee, murder and mayhem.
I adore the way the characters talked about coffee.
Coffee makes a sad man cheerful, a languorous man active, a cold man warm, a warm man glowing.
But the actual murder-sleuthing left something to be desired.
Clare's sleuthing was just so-over-the-top and painfully awkward. She abides by the whole whole blurt-out-random-questions-and-conveniently-gets-all-the-right-right-answers.
And the mayhem mostly consisted of Clare A) thinking about her "pillowy chest," B) conflicting thoughts about her hawt ex-husband is or C) day dreaming about the equally hot cop. Someone throw this woman in a cold shower.
So, it's not that the book was terrible per say...It just felt like it was trying too hard.
The Finer Books Club 2018 Reading Challenge - A book with a pun in the title
Audiobook Comments Read by Rebecca Gibel. Much like the actual text...the audio felt like it was trying too hard. Every character had such exaggerated inflections (a pet peeve of mine). I.e. the New York Coppers were just so very Nue Yahk as they drank their cawfee and tawked abou murdahhh. *shudders*
Click the link for my video review of the big bois in my life.
The Writt
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No denying that this one is a big boi.
But was it worth all that paper?
Click the link for my video review of the big bois in my life.
The Written Review:Why are all prize winning books so depressing?
Do the Pulitzer Prize judges immediately disqualify fun books? Seriously, I don't think I've seen a happy one yet.
Don’t you want to be alive before you die?
We follow two storylines - one set in Germany focused on Werner Pfennig, an orphan, who's always dreamed of an education.
He finally gets an opportunity, through the brutal tutelage of the Nazis.
And we follow Marie-Laure, a french blind girl much beloved by her father, a locksmith of the Museum of Natural History.
She and her father flee occupied France to live with a reclusive uncle.
But it is not bravery; I have no choice. I wake up and live my life. Don't you do the same?
Unbeknownst to Marie-Laure, her father carries a priceless gem (or one of the three replicas) that is rumored to grant everlasting life to its keeper but nothing but misery to all others around him.
Meanwhile Werner spends all his time in the Nazi army, chasing down enemy radio signals.
Just like the ones that Marie-Laure and her uncle send out to help the allies. Their paths draw ever closer...
You know the greatest lesson of history? It’s that history is whatever the victors say it is. That’s the lesson. Whoever wins, that’s who decides the history. .
This one was an interesting story but not an engaging one. I couldn't connect to the characters and the plot seemed to stretch on forever without making much progress.
We spend so much time building to the ending for that moment to occur...only for everything to fizzle out. I feel like I wasted my time.
Also, it really bothers me when such tragedies are capitalized and twisted to fit some glorifying narrative.
It feels just a bit odd to turn truly horrifying events into something beautiful and poetical. I feel like there's a real danger to viewing events through rose tinted glasses.
Audiobook Comments Read by Zach Appelman - it was alright. The voice was so monotone that listening became rather difficult at times.
The Finer Books Club 2018 Reading Challenge - A book you got from the free reading library
Honestly, I was expecting a lot more...like the characters from book 1 to shAs a sequel - horribly disappointing.
As a standalone - mildly interesting.
Honestly, I was expecting a lot more...like the characters from book 1 to show up in book 2.
I mean, there's a hint (and it's barely a hint) so I guess, it might be able to be classified as a companion novel.
We follow Kira, a young teen with an almost magical artistic gift. She is forever hindered by a birth defect, causing lameness in one leg.
“Take pride in your pain," her mother had always told her. "You are stronger than those who have none.”
Her society is cruel, stupid and evil. Women are little more than breeding stock and homemakers - A far cry from the orderly yet emotionless one we saw in the first book.
Kira's fate would've been to marry and breed... well, until the village realized her flaw (to paraphrase - no one wants a crippled wife).
Unsurprisingly, her society also suppresses all forms of educations (especially for women).
But it made her smile, to see it, to see how the pen formed the shapes and the shapes told a story of a name.
Kira is on the cusp of losing her home and everything she's ever known. When she performed a vigil over her mother's body...the village women hatch a plan toseize newly orphaned Kira's land and build a pen for the toddlers.
Their justification?
Kira is lame, so really...she should've been given back to the forest (aka left to die) years ago.
Just before they can carry out their plans, the council of elders swoo in to save her. Kira suddenly finds herself in a brand new world. One with plumbing, and beds, and with all the embroidery string she could want.
The council (conveniently) needs a new artist to repair the singer's robe and were willing to take Kira in when she was desperate.
Only now that she's there, she begins to realize that perhaps she wasn't rescued at all...
This book was a bit frustrating. It didn't have the same magic as book 1 and my interpretation is colored by my bitterness - how is this even considered a book 2??
Maybe because I'm older this time, but it's so. painfully. obvious. when Kira gets manipulated or the reasons behind a unexpected death.
It just frustrates me so much when the main characters are so darn oblivious.
The Finer Books Club 2018 Reading Challenge - A book with a color in the title
Audiobook Comments Extremely well read - a pleasure to listen to. Hats off to the narrator - Katherine Borowitz.
Ethan lives in Gatlin and which is just about the most
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Teenagers. Everything is so apocalyptic.
Truer words have never been spoken.
Ethan lives in Gatlin and which is just about the most boring town in existence.
Well...until Old Man Ravenwood's niece shows up in the company of a wolf and driving a hearse. Things suddenly got a lot more interesting.
There's just something so...ethereal...about Lena. The way she moves, the way she talks, her hopes and fears and loves - Ethan knows right away:
Lena wasn't just some girl you took to the last three rows of the CINEPLEX. She was more than that.
Well, hot damn. Isn't that a stunning endorsement. (Okay, okay. Sarcasm aside, I was actually really taken with this story.)
Within a few days Ethan finds himself falling hopelessly and helplessly in love.
I never loved you any more than I do, right this second. And I'll never love you any less than I do, right this second.
But this isn't solely a love story. Lena is a caster - belonging to a magic race - and there's a horrible fate looming over her.
On her sixteenth birthday, Lena will be claimed as either the light or the dark. And if she goes dark, she's powerless to stop it.
Mortals. I envy you. You think you can change things. Stop the universe. Undo what was done long before you came along. You are such beautiful creatures.
Unusual for YA lit/romance, we have a love story from a guy's perspective. And we are blessed with lines such as:
You're so full of crap, you could pass for a toilet.
Utter brilliance.
Where do I even begin?
The rating is so low because it took me three tries to get through this novel and I'm not going to go attempt it again.
Ethan felt so over-the-top mellow dramatic that he actually turned a rather cool concept into something that needed to be slogged through.
There was so much emphasis on the will-they-won't-they aspect of Ethan and Lena's relationship that I honestly completely detached and didn't care one whit whether they would ever get together.
The only thing that kept me going was Lincoln - Ethan's deeply southern best friend.
Lincoln made the entire book worth it - and if he would've starred in this novel, I would've five-starred it in a heartbeat.
He's off-the-cuff hilarious and provides a much-needed break from Ethan's lovesick musings.
Audiobook Comments
The reader had the slowest southern accent I've ever had the displeasure of listening to. I've stopped listening to this book twice now solely cause it was just draggggging.
I had just about given up hope of ever finishing...when I've discovered that my newly acquired reading app lets me listen to books on 2x speed. Success!
Another note: The song "Sixteen Moons" floats in and out of this book several times and the audiobook went above and beyond.
I absolutely motherfreaking love it when I listen to audiobooks that takes lyrics and creates songs for us. Now, every time I read the lyrics, the melody goes through my head.
Sixteen Moons, Sixteen Years Sixteen of your deepest fears Sixteen times you dreamed my tears Falling, Falling through the years
The Finer Books Club - 2018 Reading Challenge: A book on your DNF list
New week, New BookTube Video - all about the best (and worst) literary apocalypses to live through!
The Written Review
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“Life
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New week, New BookTube Video - all about the best (and worst) literary apocalypses to live through!
The Written Review
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“Life breaks free. Life expands to new territories. Painfully, perhaps even dangerously. But life finds a way.”
Jurassic Park has all the major problems of a theme park, a zoo...and genetically altered prehistoric animals.
That's right - the dinosaurs are back from the dead and nothing - I repeat nothing - could go wrong...right?
Ha.
As my favorite character, Ian Malcom would say,
All major changes are like death. You can't see to the other side until you are there.
Though, considering some of the problems they had with the park, I strongly believe that several of issues could've been predicted...that is, if Mr. Hammond and his scientists would've taken the time to thoroughly consider implications and consequences of bringing back extinct species.
Dr. Allen Grant, Ellie, Ian Malcom and a host of other professionals (along with Mr. Hammond's grandchildren) are invited to the island to give their expert opinion on this un-extinction.
Of course, this visit comes at an excellent time - there is a huge storm rolling in, the raptors are getting restless and there's some evidence that the smaller dinos have made it off the island. Perrrfect
But don't mention any of this to Mr. Hammond or his staff - they won't listen to any negativity.. As Ian Malcom said,
“They don't have intelligence. They have what I call 'thintelligence.' They see the immediate situation. They think narrowly and they call it 'being focused.' They don't see the surround. They don't see the consequences.”
Predictably, the storm rolls in, things go very, very wrong...and soon even Mr. Hammond might have to admit that there may be an issue or two in his precious park.
“You know, at times like this one feels, well, perhaps extinct animals should be left extinct.”
If I had to pick a single, defining movie from my childhood...this would be it. So, of course, I had to pick up the book to see how it compared. It definitely delivered.
In this novel, Mr. Hammond wasn't quite the bumbling, grandfatherly figure he is in the movie. And of his grandchildren, Lex is certainly younger than her movie-version (and young-Lex was more than a little annoying).
This is one of those rare cases where the movie is not being a true-to-book adaption, but they are both equally entertaining and delightful. Highly recommended!
And just like when I was a kid, I am comforted that if this dinosaur apocalypse ever happens, things would play out like this:
“God created dinosaurs. God destroyed dinosaurs. God created Man. Man destroyed God. Man created dinosaurs."
"Dinosaurs eat man...Woman inherits the earth.”
The Finer Books Club 2018 Reading Challenge - A book with a written inscription
Audiobook Comments The reader (Scott Brick) was alright. It's just...this book is about DINOSAURS - surely this reader could've mustered some enthusiasm??
Just because people no longer believe... Just because folks surround themselves with all sorts of technology... Doesn't mean magic up and disappeared.
It's there, it's everywhere.
The trump-card of misdirection, the opaque artistic license of sleight-of-hand is all governed by a singular law: it's all in the execution.
The perfect cover to practice magic in modern world is as a magician. As long as enough exaggerated motions are thrown in, as long as the audience thinks they can see through the trick then true magicians can live quite comfortable lives, if a bit lonely.
Set in the Big Apple during the 1920s we follow the story of:
A young-at-heart magician meets an aspiring little songbird beside a Central Park Fountain.
Darby (our songbird) stumbles upon Baird (our magician) during one of his impromptu magic shows and immediately she's entranced. She finds him again, and again, and each time she's inexplicably drawn closer to him and his wild magic.
But the closer they grow, the greater the stakes. As dangers mount, they begin to wonder, will they even survive?
I liked reading this one (I'm a sucker for magicians and old-timey stories). Though, I did have a bit of trouble following parts of the plot - this book was so fast paced that a few times I had to go back and reread parts.
This is (in part) because when I'm reading a good book, I have a habit of reading so fast that I start to skim a bit. I learned that this is not one of those books you can skim and get the gist of. You really have to read all of it to stay with the story.
I definitely liked the dynamic between our main characters, Darby and Baird. I loved the cat and mouse chase between them throughout the novel. I especially enjoyed the humor that Olesiewicz threw in. It really appealed my funny bone:
"The walls to my apartment are so thin, the other day I sneezed and I got a "God Bless" from upstairs, a "Gesundheit" from across the hall, and a "Shut the hell up" from below."
Overall, a fun quick read - I do wish it was longer and would've loved for some of the shorter chapters to have been given more page space.
The Finer Books Club: 2018 Reading Challenge - A book by an author who has written just one book
With thanks to the author for providing a free copy in exchange for an honest review
If the Church Cult of Scientology doesn't horrify you, then you don't know enough.
By their actions, they will show you who they are.
Leah RemiIf the Church Cult of Scientology doesn't horrify you, then you don't know enough.
By their actions, they will show you who they are.
Leah Remini was indoctrinated into the Cult at a young age by her mother. Her mother, stuck in an abusive relationship, broke free with the help of the "benevolent" Cult. Little did she know that she was signing away her family's freedom.
As a result, Leah spent many of her formative years internalizing and projecting their beliefs. Her "basic training" consisted of cleaning and housekeeping - working dozens of hours beyond what was legal for a 14 year old. She was so convinced that this was the way to goodness that anyone who tried to say otherwise only caused her to dig her heals in deeper.
She realizes that things don't add up only when she gets older and more into mainstream media. The core principles she studied for decades are thrown away by the higher-ups (*cough* *cough* Tom Cruise). And there are rumors about torture and people disappearing that are becoming more real by the day.
No one wants to give her answers and when she becomes outspoken, she is interrogated beyond what anyone would consider humane. Her interrogations/"truth sessions" lasted for upwards of twelve hours a day. She'd have to pay 'repercussion' fees and publicly apologize for things that the Cult said she did wrong.
This book is absolutely fascinating. Her life within and her break out captivated me. I literally could continue my review for pages and pages. Highly, highly recommended if you are looking for a memoir but are tired of the dishy-trashy ones or the woe-is-me sort.
Just take the first chapter for example. Leah states why she is sharing her story. She hopes to educate the public and reach out to those on the verge of leaving the Cult. She knows that she cannot help the true believers and she knows what will happen to her once she publishes this book,
I HAVE NO DOUBT THAT when this book comes out, Scientologists will scream about religious intolerance, say that I am a liar, that I was kicked out of the church, and call Troublemaker the work of a hateful bigot or a self-absorbed person...What they will likely not do, however, is actually read this book, because that would be going against one of the basic tenets of Scientology. A member should not read or watch anything generated by someone whom the church approves.
It's a real-life horror story
Audiobook Comments She read her own book and wow. I have not been so impressed by the tone/inflection in a long time. Such great job. Boosted this book from a 4.5 to a 5.0.
The Finer Books Club - 2018 Reading Challenge: A book where the font of the author's name is larger than the title
Latest BookTube Video is up - a totally serious take on writing Young Adult Lit!
The Written Review
An absolute dumpster fire
I do not say this
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Latest BookTube Video is up - a totally serious take on writing Young Adult Lit!
The Written Review
An absolute dumpster fire
I do not say this lightly. This has (quite possibly) been the most difficult book I've ever forced myself through.
It violated the three "Big Three": Plot, Character and Dialogue. I can handle a book is a bit sucky on any one of those, or even two. But all three? The entire book? Are. You. Kidding.
The Plot (aka The Plotholes)
After you die on Earth, your Firstlife is over. You then have three options. If you signed with one of the two realms (Troika and Myriad aka Heaven and Hell), you will go there. If you are Unsigned, you go to Many Ends (Purgatory).
Tenely (our main character) is at the age of consent (17) and thus can be recruited by either side. She declines to make a decision and is thrown into essentially a concentration camp by her parents until either (A) she signs with one or (B) she ages out (at 18).
Troika and Myriad are at war and have been at war for over a hundred years and are constantly sending "laborers" to recruit more soldiers. BUT it's never explained (A) the purpose of the war and (B) what they are fighting for.
Let me repeat this: The entire plot of this book is which side Tenley will choose to fight for and we have no idea why they're fighting.
The best part? The book goes on and on about how there's No Second Chance - once you die, that's it and you can never go back. Tenley died four times.
The Characters (aka My Hit List)
We center on Tenley - a particularly special girl with a special destiny and an especially special personality. She's a quirky special snowflake.
“Oh, and let’s not forget the time I was waterboarded. So fun!” Shut up! common sense shouts. I’m oversharing when it’s time to be a vault. Oh, who cares? This is a wonderful day, and I love absolutely everyone!
Just picture an entire book filled with that...and add in the obsessive number comparisons which crops up because she's Ten-ley. Get it? GET IT? It's so quirky!!
“Just thirteen streaks of blood.” In the ancient past, thirteen steps led to the gallows. A hangman’s noose has thirteen knots. At thirteen, children are considered teenagers.
Tenley is relentlessly pursued by two Laborers - Archer (Troika) and Killian (Myriad) - hell-bent on getting her to sign with their realm and getting into her pants. They are technically in their Secondlife but can possess Shells to interact with the human world.
Also, they are unbelievably hot (like you have no idea how completely gorgeous they are. OMG. heavy breathing.). Don't believe me? Sloan (the former mean girl / sworn enemy) completely collapses at the sight of them - regressing to the mind of an elementary child:
“He’s hot,” Sloan says in a stage whisper. Hoping he’ll hear and respond? Then she gives up all pretense of timidity and makes grabby hands. “Yummy yum yum, give baby some sugar.”
But of course, in typical YA dogma, both hotties completely fall in love with the quirky main character within the first day. Thus burdening her overtaxed mind with more decisions. It's a rough life.
The Dialogue (aka How Was this Typed with a Straight Face??)
Now I smile sweetly at him. “Cockiness kills as surely as this knife.” I use the tip of my weapon to give his berries a little pat.
Archer (along with the other characters but he's especially like this) is given that "edgy humor" - which came off as cripplingly cringey:
"If your lady balls are so big, why don’t they call you Hairy Cherries? Or Furry Meatballs?"
Or this:
"Well, duh. Because neither name describes your explosive temper. Oh! I know. I’ll call you Sperm Bank! It covers the balls and the explosions."
Or this:
"Boobs are awesome, yeah? Literal fun-bags. I don’t know what you girls are always complaining about."
Killian aka the "he-slut" (EXCUSE ME GENA SHOWALTER, it's man-whore and you know it) has finally found love through Tenley. Sure he used to bang everything that moved but Tenley tamed him with just a look. Oh, and he's Irish because he says Lass. Eighteen times.
The Summary (aka this is literally me the entire time)
Me vs. Tenley [image]
Tenley: [image]
Me: [image]
After all my complaining, there is something positive that can be gained. If this can be published, anything can happen. Never give up on your dreams.
The Finer Books Club - 2018 Reading Challenge: A book a friend doesn't recommend
P.s. With many thanks to Angela's Booked for "not recommending" this book.
P.p.s. I will be reading Book 2 solely to "not recommend" it to you.
I had never bothered to consider that there might be such a thing as a boy, but now that I had found one, I thought it
Prepare your heartstrings...
I had never bothered to consider that there might be such a thing as a boy, but now that I had found one, I thought it was just about the most wonderful concept in the world.
Ahhh, snap goes one heartstring right away.
The more I read this book, the fewer heartstrings I had - completely touching and absolutely wonderful throughout.
Cleaning the dishes was where the boy would put a plate of food down and I would lick it. It was one of my jobs, but only when Mom wasn’t watching.
If you haven't guessed already, our narrator is a dog but he isn't a typical dog - he keeps getting reincarnated.
Whether it be as Toby, Bailey, Ellie or Buddy, he always finds a way back.
He's lived as a stray, as a treasured pet, as a service animal and so much more but what he hasn't found was why he has so many lives.
Why does he keep coming back? Could it be that...somehow, someway, he has a very important purpose?
Sweet and heartbreaking in his innocence - Bailey just wants to find his purpose.
If you can't already tell, I absolutely adored this book.
I was really impressed with the way the dog's consciousness was handled.
In the perspective-from-a-dog books I've read, there's always been plot holes where the dog would understand a difficult or abstract concept but not be able to communicate back to the humans (because of...reasons).
Within this novel, there was a marked difference between what was told to the audience and what Bailey understood. For example:
“Bailey’s a hero, now. Todd’s leg took eight stitches.” At the mention of my name, both Duchess and I froze. Dog biscuits, maybe?
The only thing that kept this from being a 5-star book was the ending.
It wasn't a terrible ending (in fact, it ended better than I thought it would) but it just missed its mark for me.
So much build only for things to quit like that.
The job of a good dog was ultimately to be with them, remaining by their sides no matter what course their lives might take. All I could do now was offer him comfort, the assurance that as he left this life he was not alone but rather was tended by the dog who loved him more than anything in the whole world.
SNAP! there goes my last heartstring.
The Finer Books Club - 2018 Reading Challenge: A book from an unusual perspective
Can we start with how this book (written in 1912) was based off of the "Friend Zone"??
"Poor" Edward Malone confesses his love for a girl but she Can we start with how this book (written in 1912) was based off of the "Friend Zone"??
"Poor" Edward Malone confesses his love for a girl but she is not interested. She tries telling him nicely, rudely and all ways in between but he just doesn't get it.
She could but refuse me, and better be a repulsed lover than an accepted brother
So, finally, in a fit to be tied, she makes up some excuse - that he's not adventurous enough for her - that he's not a daring-and-dashing hero. And so, Edward, a journalist, races off to find the craziest adventure he could possibly find.
And boy-oh-boy does he find one hellova adventure.
Edward meets Professor Challenger - an adeptly named adventurer - who just came back from an exhibition. The professor is sprouting a whole host of impossible claims - including that dinosaurs have managed to survive and thrive deep in the jungle.
Edward, the professor and few scientists set off in search for this "Lost World" and discover something far more exciting in the process.
Periodic racism and sexism
My instincts are all against a woman being too frank and at her ease with me. It is no compliment to a man.
Ahhh.... there's nothing blatantly obvious periodic racism and sexism to wake you up in the morning.
Zambo, who is a black Hercules, as willing as any horse, and about as intelligent.
From the half-breeds to "their loyal negro" to the literal annihilation of an entire species . . . This book is a "wonder."
There are times, young fellah, when every one of us must make a stand for human right and justice, or you never feel clean again.
How ironic - considering the first thing they do when they discovered Ape-men was form a posse to slaughter them and sell them into slavery.
Now, if you can ignore all of that - this was a pretty good novel.
It had adventure and mishaps and mayhem. Our meek journalist really finds his stride and absolutely thrives on his journey. If only Sir Arthur Conan Doyle didn't play up the servitude and slaughter all the non-white characters...
Audiobook Comments Read by Glen McCready - an excellent narrator
The Finer Books Club - 2018 Reading Challenge: A book AJ Rocks has read
Ohmygosh. OH. EM. GEE. No way.Oh. My. Gosh. No way in hell. No motherfudging way.
*muted screaming*
Thank you, thanThe Last 50 Pages - A Reenactment:
Ohmygosh. OH. EM. GEE. No way.Oh. My. Gosh. No way in hell. No motherfudging way.
*muted screaming*
Thank you, thank you. I'm here all week. *takes a bow*
*thunderous applause*
Joking aside - wow. Just wow. I did not see that coming.
And because I hate spoiler-y reviews, I will not be talking about that at all. But seriously, check out this book solely because the "that" in this book made it all worth it.
So here's the non-spoiler-y review:
Kacey had it rough. She lived with her mom, and the revolving door of her mom's boyfriends, in New York. She hated life with her mom and after one too many altercations, is shipped off to her dad's home. The dad she never met. The dad with a completely different family in Wisconsin.
And immediately, she notices something is off:
People around here are polite. Like the type of polite where if there's one piece of pie left at desert, the person next to you will give a twenty-minute dissertation on why you should have it
Creepy, right? But the new family is nice and soon Kacey settles down into the sleepy Midwest life.
Kacey becomes friends with Jade and Bailey. They get into all sorts of hijinks together, including hosting a seance in a haunted barn.
That's why we're here. To see for ourselves.
To scare the shit out of ourselves. Because what else is there to do during a Broken Falls winter?
But the plan goes wrong, Kacey's 13-year-old sister insists that she comes with and Jade and Bailey are inexplicably pissed. To make things worse, all of them run out of the barn before they could get more than a few words out.
A few days later Bailey disappeared. Kacey knows something terrible has happened but no one, not even the police, are giving her the time of day. No matter how much she begs, no matter what evidence she manages to find.
"So, you're taking this seriously now?" I press. "It's already been almost forty-eight hours
And worst of all, every day Bailey's remains missing, the more evidence piles up against Kacey.
I know they say that hate can destroy a person. But I've never felt so alive.
A wonderfully thrilling read. It has a bit of a slow start but once you get to Bailey's journal entries. Wow. Just WOW!
The 2018 Finer Books Club Reading Challenge - A book recommended by a book blogger (Kat)
I am not, of course, telling you for one second that your teacher actually is a witch. All I am saying is that she might be one. It is most unlikel
I am not, of course, telling you for one second that your teacher actually is a witch. All I am saying is that she might be one. It is most unlikely. But--here comes the big "but"--not impossible.
After the tragic loss of his parents, a young boy goes to live with his much beloved grandmother. He soon learns of the impossible - witches exist.
And they're sole joy in life is to find ways to make children disappear. Preferably in nasty and mysterious ways.
We soon discovers how to recognize a witch - they have clawed hands which they hide under gloves, they disguise their toe-less feet in pointy shoes and their spit has a faint blueish sheen. They excel at hiding in plain sight.
REAL WITCHES dress in ordinary clothes and look very much like ordinary women. They live in ordinary houses and they work in ORDINARY JOBS.
His fiercely protective grandmother does her absolute best to protect her grandson - arming him with enough knowledge to recognize and evade capture of one terrifyingly normal-looking neighborhood witch. During one summer vacation, things becomes significantly more...hairy...than expected.
An absolute delight to read. Dahl truly outdoes himself - combining the right amount of sweet and scary. The grandmother-grandson relation was absolutely splendid. Highly, highly recommended.
It doesn’t matter who you are or what you look like so long as somebody loves you.
Audiobook Comments Like the other Dahl books - this is a full-production presentation of the novel. Plenty of side-effects and the characterizations were wonderful though the Grand Witch was a bit difficult to understand. I felt like such an oldie by having to rewind it to hear what she said.
The Finer Books Club- 2018 Reading Challenge - A banned book
The beginning and end - simply stunning. The middle - a giant cesspool of infected matter
Thank goodness that the plot holes from the first book (The GThe beginning and end - simply stunning. The middle - a giant cesspool of infected matter
Thank goodness that the plot holes from the first book (The Girl with All the Gifts) were patched and filled in. And I was delighted that the hopeless-ending from the first book was wrapped up beautifully in this book's epilogue. For that alone, the book gets 3-stars but that middle? Completely ruined the novel.
Why?
It was the same as the first novel. Between the similar narration and the overlapping plot, I would actually forget which novel I was in. This happened like four or five times. Just like the first novel, we end up with a team of scientists with soldier guards running around in Rosie (the tank-like portable medical unit) being pursued by the hungry-children.
The soldiers and scientists spend so much time backstabbing and squabbling that I wanted them all to die. Painfully. The soldiers were stereotypical jarheads - shooting up situations that clearly did not call for it. The scientists had no street-sense - running headlong into danger at the slightest chance of an interesting specimen. I physically couldn't stomach all how in the face-of-death it was more important for them to argue and yell at each other than to ACTUALLY RUN FROM DANGER.
That's not to say there wasn't redeeming qualities. The cast was diverse and we didn't have to listen (too many times) to comparisons between skin tones and food (caramel, chocolate) or eyes and snacks/art supplies (almond, charcoal). There's gay characters but their sexuality is more of an aside than plot device. Which made the treatment of the autistic fifteen-year-old (Steven) all the more frustrating.
Khan and her protege, Steven, were wonderfully fleshed out characters and I will never forgive M. R. Carey for what he did to them. Steven is an autistic savant and Khan took him under her wing. They have such an amazing job showing their parent-adopted child relationship. The author did an amazing job of bringing the audience to Steven's level.
Then there's the one-dimensional hatred of the rest of team for Steven. Why? Because he was smart, sweet and was their best chance at surviving the zombie apocalypse? Oh wait, it's because he's autistic and had a few quirks. You'd think, in a world where humans are in such short supply they could see past that. Apparently not. Whenever Steven discovers something essential to the zombie apocalypse and the rest of the team would deliberately antagonize him into silence. It was maddening.
That being said, the ending was superb and saved the book.
The Finer Books Club - 2018 Reading Challenge: A book set in the future
Audiobook Comments Very well-read but I had an issue with the author's voice. It was the same tone and inflections as the same novel. Considering the plot was so similar between the two books, I kept forgetting that I was in the prequel and would subsequently get confused.
This is a bit of a difficult one to review because 1) I overwhelmingly liked it and 2) I have no idea how sum up the book Quirky, fun and fascinating
This is a bit of a difficult one to review because 1) I overwhelmingly liked it and 2) I have no idea how sum up the book in a way to give it justice - other than saying I was surprised by how much I enjoyed it.
(Aside: it takes a lot for me to enjoy a self-help/philosophizing book - I'm not normally big into that field)
Told in a series of tangentially related vignettes, Tal McAbian adopts common adages for modern life. He applies these to his life-experiences (especially with his kids, affectionately referred to as the children of Lucifer). In addition, he connects these adages to real-world examples - anywhere from the success of Star Wars to struggles in third world countries.
One thing that I really liked was how much of "him" was present in this book. I really felt like I got to know the author as I read. His personality shone through when he broke down big concepts into solid, applicable advice:
Accept who you are and, remember, it is OK to have vices (no one is perfect; and that's a gross understatement).
Whatever you do and wherever you go, do NOT let the millennials just "document" the trip...Let them take their two hundred selfies, but make sure they also go on a hike.
So much sass and character. I can't even begin to imagine how much time and effort went into writing this book.
After pondering this novel for a day or two, I've decided that the most accurate way to describe this book would be in McAbian's own words:
I'm so sorry, I REALLY digressed here
Don't be sorry McAbian, I loved it I had no idea where this book was going for about 90% of the time but I was having so much fun on the journey that I didn't mind. Looking forward to reading what he writes next!
With thanks to Tal McAbian for a free copy in exchange for an honest review
The Finer Books Club - 2018 Reading Challenge: A book you read on a trip
However you think Roald's name is pronounced, you're wrong.
Wendy Cooling's excellent book meandered its way through Dahl's greatest works and misadvenHowever you think Roald's name is pronounced, you're wrong.
Wendy Cooling's excellent book meandered its way through Dahl's greatest works and misadventures. It was full of fun facts - such as his first name is actually pronounced Roo-ahl (silent D).
I loved reading about the little adventures that happened throughout his life, such as:
Roald Dahl was keen to help out his daughter Lucy with her English homework. He wrote a story especially for her, then Lucy copied it out neatly and handed it in. Both she and her dad were horrified when the teacher returned it marked: “C—you could do better.”
Could you imagine being that teacher?
We also get a few very amusing musing from a young Dahl:
Waterproof ~ When he was a very small boy, Roald Dahl would lie in the bath worrying that his skin would develop a leak and he would fill up with water and sink, or even die.
Dahl frequently invented elaborate pranks and new sweet recipes (like a Creamy Kit Kat Pudding). His most important invention was for his son Theo. Theo received a head injury and doctors were worried about fluid build-up in the young child's brain. Roald Dahl co-invented a valve that could drain the liquid and prevent such pressure from negatively impacting the brain. (Luckily his child recovered fully).
I loved the author's sense of humor - quite a few entries went something along the lines of this:
Dhal ~ A spicy Indian dish made from lentils. Ooops, sorry—wrong type of Dahl.
But by far, my favorite entry had to be for W:
Whizzpops ~ One of Roald Dahl’s dinner guests had peculiar table manners. After dessert, he would entertain everyone else by lighting his own whizzpops.
For those of you who haven't read the BFG recently, whizzpops was the BFG's way of saying toots. Dahl was one crazy guy!
The Finer Books Club - 2018 Reading Challenge: A book with less than 10 chapters
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