Reading update... Chick Magnet by Emma Barry, Under the Whispering Door and more

 

Just a bit of a reading update!

READ:

Chick Magnet by Emma Barry ~ Goodreads

Source: Kindle Unlimited

"From Emma Barry comes a clever romance about a hot veterinarian and a chicken-loving influencer who can’t help but ruffle each other’s feathers."

Review: This was a delightful romance! I think it's hard to write a *present day, post COVID* romance and not head into divisive or non romantic mode but Barry nails it. 

Chicken influencer (yup it's a thing lol) Nicole Jones' YouTube channel takes off during the lockdown but it also shined a light on her toxic relationship. She heads back to the small town where her grandmother had once lived, hoping for a fresh start.

Next door, lives the hot grumpy veterinarian, Will Lund, who hates the hobby chicken raising trend and, what he sees as, Nicole's making light of something that is a big responsibility. Add in the the pandemic and closures have not been so kind to him and his practice and things get off to a rocky start for the pair.

As I said, I think Barry uses COVID as a framework - she is writing contemporary romance after all and this is what's happening in real life - but moves on and shows how to move forward and heal. Will with his business and Nicole from her gaslighting ex.

They are both broken in different ways but so openly, and honestly call each other out when needed but offer support as well. They start with a friendship, then more. 

Chick magnet is also funny! Lots of chicken (& kitten) mayhem ensues. But Barry masterfully balances trauma recovery, struggles with anxiety, healing and growth with humor and a whole town full of support and love. 👍👍

READING:

Under the Whispering Door by T.J. Klune ~ Goodreads

Source: Hoopla - audiobook

"Welcome to Charon's Crossing. The tea is hot, the scones are fresh, and the dead are just passing through."

So far: I'm 30% into the audiobook. This lacks the all out whimsy of The House in the Cerulean Sea with it's cast of young  ghosts, goblins - not to mention it's lead character is dead and needs to accept that so he can move on. 

Even so, it still has that charm of lovely, eccentric people, helping each other, a tipsy, turvy tea house that shouldn't be standing but is and themes of acceptance. 

Loving it so far!

UPCOMING READS:

~ Goodreads

"They've spent their lives as the deadliest assassins in a clandestine international organization, but now that they're sixty years old, four women friends can't just retire - it's kill or be killed in this action-packed thriller."

This is a library hold that came in - I'm not ready, so I bumped it for 7 days lol I'm excited to read it though. It sounds fun!

~ Goodreads

"A starry-eyed romantic, a cynical writer, and (the ashes of) an elderly woman take the road trip of a lifetime that just might upend everything they believe about true love."

I guess I requested this on Netgalley?? I don't remember doing it or why I would lol but I was approved so apparently I'm reading this soon.

What are you reading this week?

Reviews: Carrie Soto is Back by Taylor Jenkins Reid, Born a Crime by Trevor Noah

I have fallen so far behind with reviews and it feels overwhelming, so I was thinking of doing a quick wrap-up of a few books I read last year that I did want to share my thoughts about - clear the slate - and hopefully move on to the new year and new reviews. 

Carrie Soto is Back by Taylor Jenkins Reid ~ Goodreads

Source: ALC provided by the publisher via Libro.fm in exchange for an honest review

Review: I liked Daisy Jones and the Six audiobook - it was the audiobook that finally won me over to the format - but I loved Carrie Soto is Back! 

Carrie was a young tennis phenom, coached by her father, tough as nails and without many friends. She's written off by the sport due to age (30's *gasp*) and injuries. But Carrie isn't going down without a fight. 

Carrie burned a lot of bridges, including with her father, making it to the top before her retirement from the sport, so when she wants to make her comeback, support is scarce. But with a small and loyal team, she claws her way back.

Carrie is fierce af and I loved every prickly inch of her. This book follows Carrie over decades and it's a joy to watch her growth. She's closed herself off so much with her hyperfocus, in pursuit of the record Slam title, that she has really earned her nickname - the Battle-Axe. Only she needs people if she wants to make her comeback, and more importantly, if (& when) she inevitably leaves tennis for good. 

Jenkins Reid does a few things I really love in this story. Sure, this is a sports comeback story (super engaging too! despite not caring about tennis), but it's really a father/daughter love story. Her father Javier is so wonderful. Their relationship is messy, sometimes painful but - oh my heart. I just loved it. It's is the crux of the story. 

There's also a romance but I wouldn't call this book romance. It's an important part of Carrie's healing, for many reasons, but not the focus. 

And while Carrie doesn't have girlfriends in the traditional sense, she develops (a sometimes grudging) comradery with competitors and her agent. I loved to see how terrified she was to open herself up to that but it happened anyway - against her will. lol

I almost think of Carrie Soto is Back as a coming of age story. It just took her over 3 decades to get there.

And the full cast audio is fantastic!

Content Warning: (& this is a BIG spoiler): death of a parent

Stacy Gonzalez (Narrator), Mary Carillo (Narrator), Patrick McEnroe(Narrator), Rob Simmelkjaer(Narrator), Brendan Wayne (Narrator), Max Meyers (Narrator), Reynaldo Piniella (Narrator),Vidish Athavale (Narrator), Tom Bromhead (Narrator), Heath Miller (Narrator) Julia Whelan (Narrator), Sara Arrington (Narrator) 

Born a Crime by Trevor Noah ~ Goodreads

Source: Bought

Review: I've had Born a Crime since the beginning of the pandemic - but the paperback print is SO fricking tiny!

I finally did an audiobook trial and listened to it instead, which of course, was much better since it is narrated by Trevor Noah. 

This biography covers Noah's childhood during the last gasp of & post apartheid South Africa, as the child of a black mother and white Swiss father where he was, literally, as the title suggests, born a crime. 

"On February 20, 1984, my mother checked into Hillbrow Hospital for a scheduled C-section delivery. Estranged from her family, pregnant by a man she could not be seen with in public, she was alone. The doctors took her up to the delivery room, cut open her belly, and reached in and pulled out a half-white, half-black child who violated any number of laws, statutes, and regulations—I was born a crime."

As such, Noah never really quite fits in anywhere and even his own mother is forced to distance herself from him in public, so it didn't look like she was kidnapping a white child. He was white passing and enjoyed the privileges that came with that, at times, but was also seen as black and endured the racism as well. 

Their mother, son dynamic is quite fascinating because he's a spoiled, precocious, sometimes wild child of a deeply religious mother. She doesn't spare the rod when it comes to discipline but clearly does what's necessary to give her child every possible advantage. Some could see it as almost abusive in some ways but he has nothing but admiration, love and respect for her and the women who raised him. 

She remarries and has another child but it's an abusive marriage and that was really heartbreaking to read.

Noah has a way of looking at the world and seeing the bad in people and society while having, because of his own unique circumstances, a deep understanding of what led to it - and forging on with his life anyway, which has, obviously, turned out to be very successful for him.  

This is the story of apartheid South Africa, Trevor's coming of age but, at it's core, it's a love letter to his mother, to her resilience and sacrifice so that he could have a better life. 

Content warnings: racism, bullying, animal abuse, domestic violence, his mom hits him as punishment

Note: It doesn't really even mention his comedy career or The Daily Show, so if that's what you're hoping to read about, this isn't it. And if there is one flaw with this book is that it jumps around in time quite a bit and while you get s sense of what shaped Trevor Noah - it feels like you're missing a huge chunk of his life between childhood and adult. But maybe that is left to a second biography.

Tell Me Something Tuesday: Topic catch-up!

Tell Me Something Tuesday is a weekly discussion post where bloggers discuss a wide range of topics from books and blogging to life in general. 

It is co-hosted by (Linda from Book Girl of Mur-y-Castell, Roberta from Offbeat YA, Jen from That’s What I’m Talking About, Berl's from Because Reading is Better than Real Life  and me) 

Join in by answering this weeks question in the comments or on your own blog.

If you would like to join TMST and receive periodic emails of upcoming topics, please fill out this GOOGLE FORM. TMST is a laid back meme – join in or opt out depending on your interest in topics or schedule.

I think I'm due for a Tell Me Something Tuesday catch up!!

I co-host this feature and all I can say is thank you to Jen from That's What I'm Talking About for always keeping the topics and Google forms up to date because I have suuuucked at even participating. And to Roberta from Offbeat YA to carrying about 80% of the question load and for posting them on her blog ahead of time so I even know what's going on lol Jen & Roberta - I salute you! 🤣

1/10: Do you read classics? Why or why not? *hangs head in shame* No. If I could find one that I could stay awake though, maybe I would lol

1/17: Do you tend to enjoy spinoff series? or are you hesitant about them? Back when I read more series, I loved spinoffs. I like seeing characters that might have been interesting but in the background of the former series - now being featured. Or maybe an expansion of worlds from a new perspective. Also maybe a revisit to old characters that pop-up. 

1/24: Do you listen to author playlists? do you create your own? I used to listen to author playlists - way back from the Twilight days when Stephanie Myer posted music on My Space lol 

Another was for Jeri Smith-Ready and her WVMP Vampire series - the vampires worked at a radio station (they were stuck in the music of their time of *death*) I credit that series and Smith-Ready for getting me back into music and concert going.

Having said that, I never listen while reading, and can't say I relate the music directly to the book as much as it was just about finding new music. 

These days, not at all, but can be attributed more to not following authors anymore really. 

2/7: Would read a book by a favorite author in a genre that isn't in a genre you usually enjoy? Yes! I love when authors try new genres. 

I've followed Jeri Smith-Ready through fantasy, PNR, YA contemp and paranormal, M/M.

Ann Aguirre from sci-fi, dystopian, romance, gothic romance, NA, YA, steam punk

Stacey Kade through YA sci-fi/paranormal, NA, YA contemporary, cozy mystery, and her latest adult sci-fi horror.

Does it always work out? No but that's ok - I get to test out a new genre but with a little bit of familiarity with the writing. 

2/14: Share book covers you love! I'm going to be a Valentine's Grinch and get something off my chest with this weeks question lol

I think there are a lot of pros and cons to illustrated covers. You can capture the characters and story precisely, they can be totally unique and have characters acting in ways you could never get real life cover actors to do.

However, as with all trends, it goes overboard. My chief complaint is that I have NO idea what I'm getting inside. The cover screams romantic whimsy - what I get is despair, or even worse - death. Don't trick me like that boo. 

But the biggest complaint I have about the illustrated cover trend is it is all a blur to me. It's just a see of pastels and pops of colors with mostly white font. I don't even mean this as a critique of the artist. The covers are pretty! But I literally can't tell anything apart anymore.

Authors used to have a signature style (even within a trend) but now...I feel like they're trying to trick me and it's confusing (did I already read the book? I DON'T KNOW) so I don't even bother looking anymore. 

This might be worse that the falling girl in a gown cover trend lol

I think I'm all caught up! (for now) 

Review: Highly Suspicious and Unfairly Cute by Talia Hibbert

From the New York Times bestselling author of the Brown Sisters trilogy, comes a laugh-out-loud story about a quirky content creator and a clean-cut athlete testing their abilities to survive the great outdoors--and each other.

Bradley Graeme is pretty much perfect. He's a star football player, manages his OCD well (enough), and comes out on top in all his classes . . . except the ones he shares with his ex-best friend, Celine.

Celine Bangura is conspiracy-theory-obsessed. Social media followers eat up her takes on everything from UFOs to holiday overconsumption--yet, she's still not cool enough for the popular kids' table. Which is why Brad abandoned her for the in-crowd years ago. (At least, that's how Celine sees it.)

These days, there's nothing between them other than petty insults and academic rivalry. So when Celine signs up for a survival course in the woods, she's surprised to find Brad right beside her.

Forced to work as a team for the chance to win a grand prize, these two teens must trudge through not just mud and dirt but their messy past. And as this adventure brings them closer together, they begin to remember the good bits of their history. But has too much time passed . . . or just enough to spark a whole new kind of relationship? ~ Goodreads

Source: e-arc provided by the publicist in exchange for an honest review

Review: I've adored Hibbert's books going way back to her self publishing days - so when I saw she had her debut YA book coming out - I took the rare step or requesting an arc. 

Highly Suspicious and Unfairly Cute his most of same notes and themes as her adult books. Mental health, quirky hobbies, witty banter - check, check, and check!

Celine and Brad used to be best friends until Brad decided to be more concerned with fitting in with the popular kids - which does not include introducing them to UFO, Big Foot - conspiracy theory obsessed Celine. Instead they've become enemies, waging verbal warfare and trying to one up each other academically. 

Their fighting goes too far during an (accidental) altercation which leaves Celine with a bum foot and Brad with a giant case of guilt.

When Celine, aspiring lawyer, is accepted to a survival course in the woods with a grand prize to meet her idol, help her career path and yeah - maybe stick it to the father who abandoned her family, she jumps at it. Brad, feeling like he needs to help her win after what he did signs up as well.

Their rivalry softens at the camp and they open up to each other more about what happened in the past and their struggles and hopes for the future.

This is a really adorable romance with two great kids trying to overcome natural insecurities, mental health issues (OCD) and abandonment - surrounded by good parents (minus the absentee dad, of course) and supportive friends. This is light, easy reading which was nice.

Having said that, I was expecting more adventure, rivalry and I guess more about Celine being a popular social media conspiracy theorist lol All of those things take a backseat to Brad and Celine's budding romance. It is super sweet, as I said, but I felt like those cool elements that made me want to pick up the book were more stated as fact than part of the plotline described int he summary.

Highly Suspicious and Unfairly Cute does tackle several deeper issues (brilliantly by the author, as always) and both characters show a lot of growth but this is mostly a low stakes, lots of witty banter/inner monologue, romance/coming of age story vs action and big characters - which is fine! just not what I was expecting.

Overall, despite not being what I was hoping for, it was the adorable, light read I was looking for anyway, 

Music: I was a naïve little girl...

I think I, maybe, have hit a little blogging groove. We'll see how long it lasts. 

I have not, however hit a reading groove (well, actually, I have, but not at a fast enough pace to have a lot of reviews to schedule). There will probably be a lot of *mixed bag* content from here on out. 

One post I had wanted to do for a while was inspired by Greg's Book Haven's Sexy Song Lyrics 3 part series but with my little twist on it. 

As a child of the 80's - I grew up with the birth of MTV, Ozzy Osbourne biting off the heads of bats, Judas Priest and other rock bands luring us into satanic cults and suicide and Madonna leading us down the road of hedonism. Parents were TERRIFIED.

But my twist is...how oblivious we (just me and my friends?) actually were as teens. Not that lyrics aren't influential, or go over everyone's heads, but I truly didn't catch any meaning and just went by the beat of the music.

Exhibit A:

Frankie goes to Hollywood - Relax

There was my teen self, roller skating faster and faster with my friends, belting out these lyrics.

"Relax, don't do it
When you want to go to it
Relax, don't do it
When you want to come
Come on
Ohhh"

NO idea. NONE as to what I was singing. Only vaguely knowing it was a sexy song, but not about THAT. And watching the video not knowing they were gay or at a gay club. lol

Exhibit B:

Grandmaster Melle Mel - White Lines (Don't Do It)

Again - no clue this was about drugs lol Was I the most naïve teen ever???  None of my friends thought much of them either. I just liked songs that were easy to skate fast to. I didn't really dissect them unless they were love songs - because my friend made me listen to those over and over to write down the lyrics 😄 

Want to know more about the kids are all going to hell because of music era? Listen to the You're Wrong About Podcast: Tipper Gore vs. Heavy Metal: The Case Against "Porn Rock" episode.

White Lines is having a bit of a comeback as the theme song for the new movie Cocaine Bear...Yes, Cocaine Bear

And going back into the blog archives - I had a post about misheard song lyrics.

Were there any songs from your childhood that you were completely oblivious to their meaning? And I truly fear what kind of sp*m I might receive from this post lol

Vintage cookbooks Part 2 - the personal touches...

Last year, I wrote a post about several vintage cookbooks that I found at Powell's Used Bookstore. 

I had meant to follow it up with the newspaper clippings that the previous owner had tucked in her Better Homes and Gardens 1965 edition.

I got such a kick at seeing the ads (all from the 1965 San Francisco Examiner newspaper), and what recipes were trendy at the time and the cost of things. The original book owner was also a member of Weight Watchers and had a lot of meeting notes and recipes - "for ladies" lol

In these clippings, you can find recipes for  Gourmet Halibut Mousse with grapefruit and avocado, Corn Custard, and for a special "gala occasion" there's Breast of Chicken Pergourdine - boned chicken breast rolled in chicken liver stuffing. Yum

There's Mrs. Robert Preston's Black-Eyed Beef and Husk Salad, which won the National Cooking Contest search for Australia's *The Great Australian Dish*.  Black-Eyed Beef is filet of beef - stuffed with prunes and bacon, dotted with butter, baked then brushed with an egg yolk, wrapped in puff pastry then baked again. The Husk Salad is sliced ham, pineapple, tomato and croutons.

There's a hearty salad recipe of strips of bologna, cheddar cheese tossed in a green salad - "the family will eat it all up."!

The recipe for beef stew called Carbonnade a la Flamande, described as a Belgium peasant dish, sounds good and I think I'm going to give a try. It's basically, chuck roast cut into 1/2 inch thick slices (not cubes) then arranged side by side with onions, broth, beer, veggies and herbs then baked at 300 for several hours. It sounds really easy and delicious. 

The ads are hilarious. You can see the evolution of cooking (& the women's social revolution) happening at this point. There are more processed foods to add to fresh food for busier lifestyles and working women. 

~ Spray starch - for the woman who doesn't really have time to iron!

~ Post Toast'em Pop-Ups please try us and we'll give you .50. In cash!

Trivia - Post invented the mylar bags to keep moist food fresh but weren't able to ramp up production before Kellogg's snuck in and beat them to the punch with Pop Tarts. Post finally rolled out Country Squares but they never took off, so they rebranded as Toast'em Pop Ups and were willing to give you .50 in cash to give them a try.

Then we have the personal notes, mostly from Weight Watchers...It cost $2 a week and they had very strict rules of attendance and weigh ins. And you mustn't lose your original handout (pic below) You will NOT get another!!

Per usual in the 60's - there is lots of gelatin lol and we were starting the anti sugar trend with the *pink stuff* and liquid no-calorie sweetener. Diet soda, cottage cheese, skim milk (powdered) and fish were popular as diet foods.

My favorite thing about finding this particular cookbook was that it was so personal. With all the clippings, WW handouts and handwritten notes/recipes, I feel like I made a friend. 

I don't know her name but I think of her as Jane lol

I know she made a lot of friends at WW and loved recipes that had baked vs fried versions. She like baked hamburgers. She also really enjoyed the summer popsicle recipes. And I think she liked to entertain. She clipped a lot of fancy recipes and had a note to make sourdough bread. Or maybe, like me, she just thought they looked good and then got lazy and never made any of it lol

It also makes me wonder what Jane's later years were like. Was she still married? Did she move from San Francisco to the Portland area where I found this book - or were the books passed on to family and they no longer wanted them? Did they love Jane and cherish the personal touches, at least for awhile?

Finding this cookbook has sort of kicked off the vintage cookbook collector in me. I now spend hours perusing the cookbook section at Powell's looking for books with inscriptions or clippings/handwritten notes. My cutoff is $10 to buy it though unless I think I will actually use the book. 

I am really not a collector so this a weird development! Honestly, I think it's because I'm getting old(er) myself and maybe becoming a touch sentimental. Again, weird...I'm a very unsentimental kind of person lol.

Let me know if you collect anything or think I'm getting weird in my old age 🤣