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Review Date: 10/7/2023
Sophie Kinsella's books can be categorized into 3 distinct eras: 1) âCan you keep a secret?â until âWedding Nightâ 2) âFinding Audreyâ through âThe Party Crasherâ and 3) Shopaholic. The sharpest wit, humor and plot development are found in the first era, 2003-2013. It was during this time that âchick lit,â Sex and The City, The L Word, Single Ladies, and the whole aura of the modern career woman reigned supreme. She was everywhere and everyone loved her. However, times changed and by 2015, society assumed she made it and wrote her off into the sunset.
It was during this time that Ms. Kinsella's books entered its second era. The prose became prosaic with similar plots in different settings. This lasted until âThe Burnout.â It harkens back to the golden age of chick lit and Kinsella's best era. The plot follows other early Kinsella novels where the main protagonists initially do not like each other but grow to fall in love. Also, there are several humorous characters that bring fun and games to the story along with the obligatory light mystery and a heartfelt misunderstanding about the relationship that acts as the tension to keep the reader turning the pages.
Sasha Worth and Finn Birchall find themselves at the Rilston Hotel on the English seaside to recover from toxic stress. After a series of mix-ups, they gradually become attracted to each other and fall in love. The Rilston Hotel, a family resort that has fallen into disrepair, is chock full of quirky characters Cassidy, Simon, Nikolai, etc. who provide comedic relief for the love story such as sourcing the green kale and noni juice smoothies, coordinating the dismal resort events and tricky hotel app, and creating the mysterious beach messages for Sasha and Finn to solve.
The Burnout is for Sophie Kinsella fans who are looking for heyday women's pop fiction. This book is it. Funny, friendly entitled Karens made a splash 20 years ago. The best of their times are behind them. The Burnout pretty much sums it up.
It was during this time that Ms. Kinsella's books entered its second era. The prose became prosaic with similar plots in different settings. This lasted until âThe Burnout.â It harkens back to the golden age of chick lit and Kinsella's best era. The plot follows other early Kinsella novels where the main protagonists initially do not like each other but grow to fall in love. Also, there are several humorous characters that bring fun and games to the story along with the obligatory light mystery and a heartfelt misunderstanding about the relationship that acts as the tension to keep the reader turning the pages.
Sasha Worth and Finn Birchall find themselves at the Rilston Hotel on the English seaside to recover from toxic stress. After a series of mix-ups, they gradually become attracted to each other and fall in love. The Rilston Hotel, a family resort that has fallen into disrepair, is chock full of quirky characters Cassidy, Simon, Nikolai, etc. who provide comedic relief for the love story such as sourcing the green kale and noni juice smoothies, coordinating the dismal resort events and tricky hotel app, and creating the mysterious beach messages for Sasha and Finn to solve.
The Burnout is for Sophie Kinsella fans who are looking for heyday women's pop fiction. This book is it. Funny, friendly entitled Karens made a splash 20 years ago. The best of their times are behind them. The Burnout pretty much sums it up.
Review Date: 10/7/2023
Sophie Kinsella's books can be categorized into 3 distinct eras: 1) Can you keep a secret? until Wedding Night 2) Finding Audrey through The Party Crasher and 3) Shopaholic. The sharpest wit, humor and plot development are found in the first era, 2003-2013. It was during this time that chick lit, Sex and The City, The L Word, Single Ladies, and the whole aura of the modern career woman reigned supreme. She was everywhere and everyone loved her. However, times changed and by 2015, society assumed she made it and wrote her off into the sunset.
It was during this time that Ms. Kinsella's books entered its second era. The prose became prosaic with similar plots in different settings. This lasted until The Burnout. It harkens back to the golden age of chick lit and Kinsella's best era. The plot follows other early Kinsella novels where the main protagonists initially do not like each other but grow to fall in love. Also, there are several humorous characters that bring fun and games to the story along with the obligatory light mystery and a heartfelt misunderstanding about the relationship that acts as the tension to keep the reader turning the pages.
Sasha Worth and Finn Birchall find themselves at the Rilston Hotel on the English seaside to recover from toxic stress. After a series of mix-ups, they gradually become attracted to each other and fall in love. The Rilston Hotel, a family resort that has fallen into disrepair, is chock full of quirky characters Cassidy, Simon, Nikolai, etc. who provide comedic relief for the love story such as sourcing the green kale and noni juice smoothies, coordinating the dismal resort events and tricky hotel app, and creating the mysterious beach messages for Sasha and Finn to solve.
The Burnout is for Sophie Kinsella fans who are looking for heyday women's pop fiction. This book is it. Funny, friendly entitled Karens made a splash 20 years ago. The best of their times are behind them. The Burnout pretty much sums it up.
It was during this time that Ms. Kinsella's books entered its second era. The prose became prosaic with similar plots in different settings. This lasted until The Burnout. It harkens back to the golden age of chick lit and Kinsella's best era. The plot follows other early Kinsella novels where the main protagonists initially do not like each other but grow to fall in love. Also, there are several humorous characters that bring fun and games to the story along with the obligatory light mystery and a heartfelt misunderstanding about the relationship that acts as the tension to keep the reader turning the pages.
Sasha Worth and Finn Birchall find themselves at the Rilston Hotel on the English seaside to recover from toxic stress. After a series of mix-ups, they gradually become attracted to each other and fall in love. The Rilston Hotel, a family resort that has fallen into disrepair, is chock full of quirky characters Cassidy, Simon, Nikolai, etc. who provide comedic relief for the love story such as sourcing the green kale and noni juice smoothies, coordinating the dismal resort events and tricky hotel app, and creating the mysterious beach messages for Sasha and Finn to solve.
The Burnout is for Sophie Kinsella fans who are looking for heyday women's pop fiction. This book is it. Funny, friendly entitled Karens made a splash 20 years ago. The best of their times are behind them. The Burnout pretty much sums it up.
Review Date: 7/9/2023
Elsewhere. Oh baby, this is nowhere. Wish I was somewhere, over you. Those long forgotten lyrics are from Roxy Music's titled album, Flesh + Blood. The lyrics came storming back to me and stayed on REPEAT in my head because I read Yan Ge's Elsewhere. After reading Elswhere, the pun of the album title became apparent too.
If you like your literature content filled with the dark side of humanity and laced with gore and death lurking at every turn, and you want to experience it unfiltered through irritatingly nonchalant and vapid narrators, this book is for you. Elsewhere will make vegans and vegetarians rejoice in their dietary choices. That said, Yan Ge's stories are exquisitely written and each one is carefully crafted with complex themes. Yan Ge's writing is so engaging that the reader will keep turning the page to see what happens next. Elsewhere spans time from the 21st century and goes all the way back to the time of Confucius. Yan Ge delivers a very real, even surreal, experience of the respective time period in each story.
Hai highlights the wary and scheming scholars of Confucianism; Mother Tongue explores Chinese identity through the eyes of young Chinese nationals in the 21st century; How I fell in love with the well documented life of Alex Whelan - the most enjoyable and light-hearted of all the stories - shows how far FB obsession can go in a lonely person and, yes, death shows up there, too; In No time to write, a feckless young man named Cliona declares, I worship randomness and authors a 10-page prose on how his bulimia and his deteriorating mental state are affecting his relationships; Free Wandering is surreal tale of magic realism where a zombie discovers how to live again; Stockholm shows a new mother with constantly lactating breasts who craves adult experiences beyond parenting but takes the time to laugh at a closeted gay man's secret while showing one's nether regions to her best friend; When traveling in summer takes place over several months in China in 1095, when a retired minister who is sentenced to death by the Emperor has to find a way to save himself, those he loves, and his estate; Shooting a elephant is about a wistful Chinese newly wed living in Dublin with her Irish husband who, while bemoaning her lost honeymoon and recovering from a miscarriage, discovers she likes reading George Orwell; and, The little house is a voyeuristic look at amoral Chinese free thinkers who enjoy cannibalism and free love (who knew?). Yet, the underlying theme throughout the book is disappointment and that is why this book is disappointing, especially the characters' names.
If you like your literature content filled with the dark side of humanity and laced with gore and death lurking at every turn, and you want to experience it unfiltered through irritatingly nonchalant and vapid narrators, this book is for you. Elsewhere will make vegans and vegetarians rejoice in their dietary choices. That said, Yan Ge's stories are exquisitely written and each one is carefully crafted with complex themes. Yan Ge's writing is so engaging that the reader will keep turning the page to see what happens next. Elsewhere spans time from the 21st century and goes all the way back to the time of Confucius. Yan Ge delivers a very real, even surreal, experience of the respective time period in each story.
Hai highlights the wary and scheming scholars of Confucianism; Mother Tongue explores Chinese identity through the eyes of young Chinese nationals in the 21st century; How I fell in love with the well documented life of Alex Whelan - the most enjoyable and light-hearted of all the stories - shows how far FB obsession can go in a lonely person and, yes, death shows up there, too; In No time to write, a feckless young man named Cliona declares, I worship randomness and authors a 10-page prose on how his bulimia and his deteriorating mental state are affecting his relationships; Free Wandering is surreal tale of magic realism where a zombie discovers how to live again; Stockholm shows a new mother with constantly lactating breasts who craves adult experiences beyond parenting but takes the time to laugh at a closeted gay man's secret while showing one's nether regions to her best friend; When traveling in summer takes place over several months in China in 1095, when a retired minister who is sentenced to death by the Emperor has to find a way to save himself, those he loves, and his estate; Shooting a elephant is about a wistful Chinese newly wed living in Dublin with her Irish husband who, while bemoaning her lost honeymoon and recovering from a miscarriage, discovers she likes reading George Orwell; and, The little house is a voyeuristic look at amoral Chinese free thinkers who enjoy cannibalism and free love (who knew?). Yet, the underlying theme throughout the book is disappointment and that is why this book is disappointing, especially the characters' names.
Review Date: 6/6/2023
Helpful Score: 1
Thank-you to NetGalley and Ecco/Random House Audio for advanced read copies of the book and audiobook in exchange for an honest review.
The Librarianist follows a retired librarian Bob Comet, who has lived most of his adult life in quiet desperation, as he tries to figure out if he matters at all and looks back at the three times in his life that broke the mold: when he ran away at 11, when he had dinner with a gay librarian at 18, and when his wife left him for his only friend at 26. Now, at 71, he decides to volunteer at a local senior center, which involuntarily leads him to the biggest changes yet in his life and to the answers he seeks. To quote the book, "a totem or treasure which to possess even briefly was worthy of enormous personal sacrifice."
Patrick deWitt's writing is reminiscent of books written in the 1960s, which gave The Librarianist a very authentic 20th century reading experience. His prose is crisp for literary intellectuals without being purple prose. Additionally, there were no dull parts in Bob Comet's story. The story moved at a quick pace so as not to bore the reader with Bob's quiet life. The comic relief is wonderfully placed throughout. The young runaway Bob is almost identical to Pete Davidson's SNL character Chad. And, if this book were a movie, it would be a Bill Nighy movie [i.e. The Bookshop, Living, Hope Gap, Their Finest ... ]
The audiobook version is well worth a listen. Narrator Jim Meskimen skillfully uses the right voice inflections and characterizations to infuse energy into Bob's stillness and to bring secondary characters like Ida & June, Lester, Mr. More and The Sheriff to life, which adds a whole new dimension to The Librarianist.
I highly recommend The Librarianist, especially for bibliophiles, introverts, library book clubs and all librarians (and their admirers). This is a three olive martini with a twist!
The Librarianist follows a retired librarian Bob Comet, who has lived most of his adult life in quiet desperation, as he tries to figure out if he matters at all and looks back at the three times in his life that broke the mold: when he ran away at 11, when he had dinner with a gay librarian at 18, and when his wife left him for his only friend at 26. Now, at 71, he decides to volunteer at a local senior center, which involuntarily leads him to the biggest changes yet in his life and to the answers he seeks. To quote the book, "a totem or treasure which to possess even briefly was worthy of enormous personal sacrifice."
Patrick deWitt's writing is reminiscent of books written in the 1960s, which gave The Librarianist a very authentic 20th century reading experience. His prose is crisp for literary intellectuals without being purple prose. Additionally, there were no dull parts in Bob Comet's story. The story moved at a quick pace so as not to bore the reader with Bob's quiet life. The comic relief is wonderfully placed throughout. The young runaway Bob is almost identical to Pete Davidson's SNL character Chad. And, if this book were a movie, it would be a Bill Nighy movie [i.e. The Bookshop, Living, Hope Gap, Their Finest ... ]
The audiobook version is well worth a listen. Narrator Jim Meskimen skillfully uses the right voice inflections and characterizations to infuse energy into Bob's stillness and to bring secondary characters like Ida & June, Lester, Mr. More and The Sheriff to life, which adds a whole new dimension to The Librarianist.
I highly recommend The Librarianist, especially for bibliophiles, introverts, library book clubs and all librarians (and their admirers). This is a three olive martini with a twist!
Review Date: 8/21/2023
First, thank-you Grand Central Publishing (both hands up for Andy!) and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to review the book.
A Love Song For Ricki Wilde is a Harlem love story filled with magic realism and fashionista-inspired writing. Ricki Wilde, the flighty daughter of a wealthy conservative Southern family falls in love with Breeze Walker, a perennial (read: immortal) jazz musician from the 1920s, who -unbeknownst to 27 year-old Ricki- is eternally 28. Their chance meeting in a community garden sets in motion a series of events that could bind their destinies if they can fix themselves in time. Ricki has to prove to herself and the world that she is a strong independent woman without her family. Breeze has been searching for nearly a century for the elusive notes to an inspired love song that he needs to finish. Since Ricki and Breeze meet in a leap year, the veil between this world and the other is gossamer thin, which lets A Love Song For Ricki Wilde weave surreally through the Jazz Age and the present. Other delights that are sprinkled throughout the book include a cameo by Eva Mercy from Seven Days In June; the interesting true factoids of black history; and the wonderful use of little used words such as gossamer, psychopomp (Japanese Breakfast, anyone?), stan, etc. Have a dictionary close by...
Tia Williams uses her best storytelling methods to show how this love story is possible through timely use of flashbacks and quirky secondary characters. Unlike many authors who have been writing for a minute, Tia Williams' books get better with time. Like fine wine. The richness and texture of her prose is a far cry from her debut novel, The Accidental Diva. In Ricki Wilde, Tia Williams describes in detail the trendy fashions of the eras yet avoids the danger of trite beauty magazine writing and the we-don't-say-chicklit pitfall. The rich prose also forgives the Hallmark Channel-like simplicity of plot conveniences the author takes. Whenever a character is in a bind, voila the solution pops right up. For example, when Ricki needs to escape her family, the wealthy Ms. Della conveniently shows up right after Ricki's father gives her an ultimatum.
And yet, A Love Song For Ricki Wilde is a sultry romantic page-turner that keeps a quick pace and every chapter is a very engaging tidbit that builds Ricki's world without unnecessary details. All loose ends are neatly wrapped up at the very end of the story. With A Love Song For Ricki Wilde, Tia Williams is at the peak of her writing.
A Love Song For Ricki Wilde is a Harlem love story filled with magic realism and fashionista-inspired writing. Ricki Wilde, the flighty daughter of a wealthy conservative Southern family falls in love with Breeze Walker, a perennial (read: immortal) jazz musician from the 1920s, who -unbeknownst to 27 year-old Ricki- is eternally 28. Their chance meeting in a community garden sets in motion a series of events that could bind their destinies if they can fix themselves in time. Ricki has to prove to herself and the world that she is a strong independent woman without her family. Breeze has been searching for nearly a century for the elusive notes to an inspired love song that he needs to finish. Since Ricki and Breeze meet in a leap year, the veil between this world and the other is gossamer thin, which lets A Love Song For Ricki Wilde weave surreally through the Jazz Age and the present. Other delights that are sprinkled throughout the book include a cameo by Eva Mercy from Seven Days In June; the interesting true factoids of black history; and the wonderful use of little used words such as gossamer, psychopomp (Japanese Breakfast, anyone?), stan, etc. Have a dictionary close by...
Tia Williams uses her best storytelling methods to show how this love story is possible through timely use of flashbacks and quirky secondary characters. Unlike many authors who have been writing for a minute, Tia Williams' books get better with time. Like fine wine. The richness and texture of her prose is a far cry from her debut novel, The Accidental Diva. In Ricki Wilde, Tia Williams describes in detail the trendy fashions of the eras yet avoids the danger of trite beauty magazine writing and the we-don't-say-chicklit pitfall. The rich prose also forgives the Hallmark Channel-like simplicity of plot conveniences the author takes. Whenever a character is in a bind, voila the solution pops right up. For example, when Ricki needs to escape her family, the wealthy Ms. Della conveniently shows up right after Ricki's father gives her an ultimatum.
And yet, A Love Song For Ricki Wilde is a sultry romantic page-turner that keeps a quick pace and every chapter is a very engaging tidbit that builds Ricki's world without unnecessary details. All loose ends are neatly wrapped up at the very end of the story. With A Love Song For Ricki Wilde, Tia Williams is at the peak of her writing.
Review Date: 6/18/2023
What you are looking for is in the library is an inspirational feel-good book by Japanese author Michiko Aoyama that incorporates magic realism through interconnected short stories. Five characters who are facing crossroads in their lives and need a nudge in the right direction, find themselves at one point or another, in front of the desk of Mrs. Komachi, the Reference Librarian. She is a physically imposing yet comforting presence with an uncanny ability to tap into 'what your are looking for' and use her magic computer to generate a list of books: the ones requested and one that is completely unrelated to the others. The oddball book and the bonus gift -a mini-plush figure Mrs. Komachi gives to go with the books- leads each character onto their respective soul-satisfying journey. Did Aoyama read âGarden Spells,' the 2007 novel by Sarah Addison Allen? Mrs. Komachi is âthisclose' to Aunt Evanelle.
The author presents stories from Gen Z to Baby Boomer in order to showcase the librarian's ability to bridge all generations: 21 year-old Tomoka, a sales girl who is faced with adulting and a work-crush for the first time; 30 year-old Hiroya, a quintessential starving artist with a Manga obsession who, like Tomoka, is facing adulting 101 issues but with crippling anxiety (A caveat to Christian readers, the Hiroya story might be offensive); 35 year-old Ryo, an accountant who yearns to start his own antiques shop but is too fearful; 40 year-old Natsumi, a careerwoman trying to balance late motherhood, her marriage and a career change; and 65 year-old Masao, a retiree of the Honeydome Cookie Company that doesn't have a hobby or know what to do with himself in retirement. It's good for him that the librarian met her husband over some Honeydome cookies. Unbeknownst to each character, their lives are intertwined by the library at the Community House.
I highly recommend this enjoyable read. It's a three olive martini with a twist! It gives hope to anyone in a rut or looking to make a change in their lives. It is chock full of wise anecdotes and some unusual translation choices from its original Japanese give the book an air of Asian authenticity. The author's writing is crisp and direct whereby the plot is eloquently delivered. âWhat you are looking for is in the library' is reminiscent of the 'Before the coffee gets cold' series by Toshikazu Kawaguchi and 'Elsewhere' by Yan Ge. For readers who enjoy closure, all dilemmas and questions of 'whatever happened to?' are neatly resolved by the end of the book.
The author presents stories from Gen Z to Baby Boomer in order to showcase the librarian's ability to bridge all generations: 21 year-old Tomoka, a sales girl who is faced with adulting and a work-crush for the first time; 30 year-old Hiroya, a quintessential starving artist with a Manga obsession who, like Tomoka, is facing adulting 101 issues but with crippling anxiety (A caveat to Christian readers, the Hiroya story might be offensive); 35 year-old Ryo, an accountant who yearns to start his own antiques shop but is too fearful; 40 year-old Natsumi, a careerwoman trying to balance late motherhood, her marriage and a career change; and 65 year-old Masao, a retiree of the Honeydome Cookie Company that doesn't have a hobby or know what to do with himself in retirement. It's good for him that the librarian met her husband over some Honeydome cookies. Unbeknownst to each character, their lives are intertwined by the library at the Community House.
I highly recommend this enjoyable read. It's a three olive martini with a twist! It gives hope to anyone in a rut or looking to make a change in their lives. It is chock full of wise anecdotes and some unusual translation choices from its original Japanese give the book an air of Asian authenticity. The author's writing is crisp and direct whereby the plot is eloquently delivered. âWhat you are looking for is in the library' is reminiscent of the 'Before the coffee gets cold' series by Toshikazu Kawaguchi and 'Elsewhere' by Yan Ge. For readers who enjoy closure, all dilemmas and questions of 'whatever happened to?' are neatly resolved by the end of the book.
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