pick⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Whoo—what a ride. Story of a “workhorse” editorial assistant at a fancy fashion magazine at the beginning of the 21st century who struggles to manage her envy of the beautiful “show horse” girls from rich and famous families with the “right” pedigrees and the increasingly wild and unhinged decisions she makes to gain and keep a foothold in that world and how she reckons with who she becomes.
so-so⭐️⭐️⭐️ This was just okay. Biography of Jane Birkin, Englishwoman with a long singing and acting career in France for whom a very expensive and exclusive bag by Hermes is named. This detailed the important events of her life—partners, children, professional accomplishments, but there wasn‘t much to hold onto in terms of who Birkin was as a person, what she wanted and cared about. She was a pretty woman who lived in France and matured. So what?
pick⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 Engaging history of the 1929 stock market crash and its aftermath, told by profiling several of the men (and they all were) with prominent roles in banking and government. It also chronicled some of the fallout with congressional investigations and legislation meant to curb some of the excesses in the future. It got a little tricky to keep everyone straight at times, but was really interesting. 💰 💥 📉
pick⭐️⭐️⭐️ Story of an Albanian woman living in NYC, working as an interpreter, married to an American. She gets overly involved in the lives of other Southeastern European immigrants, straining her relationships. It had momentum but then the end just sort of petered off. It felt like nothing resolved, which left me wondering what the point was of picking it up at all. 🤷♀️ Between a soft pick and a so-so. #BookerLongList
pick⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ This was really interesting—history of the USA as a colonial power, even when it was not acknowledged as such, weaving in geopolitical and technological realities and developments. I learned a lot!
so-so⭐️⭐️⭐️ Meh, this was fine. Series of short essays of historical “snafus”, mostly military and/or technological, written in a light, jokey tone. A lot of them seemed more like “things that happened” instead of actual snafus, and there was no overarching narrative or thesis to give any of it meaning.
pick⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ In-depth story of Milliken vs. Bradley, the Supreme Court ruling that overturned a local decision to include suburbs in efforts to desegregate Detroit schools. I live and work in the region, which is one of the most racially and socioeconomically segregated in the country, and can see its legacy every day. I really appreciated the deep dive into the case and the people involved. Dense, but a great read!
pick⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 I was a little skeptical of this—I‘ve read disappointing memoirs of children of famous parents—but that was my mistake. Hanks is an accomplished writer and this book has almost nothing to do with her father. Instead it was the story of her search for information about her mother‘s past by recreating a road trip they took when the author was a teen 20 years after her mother‘s death. I really enjoyed it and finished it in a day!
pick⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Loved this biography of Pamela Harriman—daughter-in-law of Churchill, courtesan of powerful men on both sides of the Atlantic, political powerhouse in her own right, and eventual US Ambassador to France. This checked so many boxes for me… ✅ Formidable woman protagonist ✅ 20th century American history ✅ Gossipy nonfiction ✅ Balance of privilege and struggle. Highly recommend!
pick⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Oooh, this book was good. What a bunch of predatory, philandering, mostly mediocre ghouls.
pick⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Lauren‘s attic keeps delivering her new husbands, and lives to go with them. She has to decide whether and how long to keep them and when and how to finally stop the cycle. Interesting to think about how to approach deciding whether to keep a fully formed life when you know all you have to do to reset it is send your partner into the attic and get a new one.
pick⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Interesting look at the use of special counsel investigations of presidents since Watergate, with reform suggestions at the end. It‘s well written, thoroughly researched and just came out so the information is current. I listened to the audiobook and did find my mind wandering a little at the end, but definitely worth a look if you‘re interested in nonfiction related to law and politics.
pick⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Elizabeth Gilbert gets dark in this one… Memoir of her relationship with her best friend, Rayya, who she declares her love and leaves her husband to be with when Rayya is diagnosed with advanced cancer, and each of their struggles with addiction that are triggered in different ways by the experience.
pick⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 Fun biography of Mamie Fish and a look at New York and Newport society. Definite pick for any fans of The Gilded Age!
pick⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 Part treatise on the importance of writing well and clearly and part reference guide with specific advice for improving writing. There‘s a lot of great and useful information here, but it was difficult to absorb much of it in an audiobook.
pick⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ I put this off for awhile because I‘m actually hit and miss with Julia Whelan as a narrator (she has a dopey man voice that drives me up the wall), but this worked for me! Romance where the MC is an audiobook narrator of romance novels. I liked the characters at the heart of the story and liked that the book acknowledges but doesn‘t fall into a lot of romance tropes.
pick⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ I have a soft spot for gossipy nonfiction, and this is squarely in that genre. History of Condé Nast, and detailed looks at its flagship publications (Vogue, The New Yorker, Vanity Fair) and the people running them, and their impact on the culture in the late 20th century and early 21st centuries.
pick⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 Solid pick from TJR. It is a love story, as advertised, but I loved that the love story had to wrestle for priority with professional ambition and family dynamics, which felt more true to life than a lot of romance books. 🚀
pick⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ I wanted something light and not demanding while working around the house and yard over the weekend and this fit the bill. History of the show and in-depth summaries and reviews of several important episodes. It was perfectly pleasant and a nice reminder of the warm fuzzies I got from watching the show a couple of years ago.
pick⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Really enjoyed this. The author details her journey from running and calorie restriction into power lifting and eating to fuel performance, and how both her body and her outlook changed. I went to a gym that followed a version of the program she did once upon a time and it made me want to pick up a barbell again…
pick⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ I loved and devoured this. Loved the in-depth pieces about individual public servants and the breakthroughs they‘ve quietly made that have made lives better. Made me feel real pride in what this country is capable of accomplishing when we decide that‘s what we want to do.🇺🇸
pick⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ I don‘t want to say too much before #CampLitsy, but I really enjoyed this! It was suspenseful and surprising and dramatic but not overly so. This is probably more about me than about the books I‘ve been reading, but I actually had the thought that this was one of the least annoying fiction books I‘ve read recently! 😂
pick⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Took me awhile to get into this, but once I did I liked it. Starts with a woman on a plane going down the aisle and telling other passengers an expected age and cause of death. Then it follows a few of them with deaths that were expected soon, and things get freaky when a couple of predictions come true. The woman‘s story is interspersed throughout. Entertaining, and gave some interesting things to think about.
I think this is going to be a bail. It‘s not bad, but it leans really heavily on a pet peeve of mine, which is when characters who were once close reunite after several years and interact like they were never apart. I also really dislike Julia Whelan‘s dopey male character voice, so I‘m just more annoyed than anything. This is the rare book that might be better in print for me.
pick⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ I found this more insightful than I expected. It was not individual strategies for reducing time online or scrolling but instead went into more societal trends and pressures related to monetized attention. He makes some interesting points and I learned a few things.
so-so⭐️⭐️💫 Mehhhh… ugh, yes, I get it, you wrote an *artsy* novel where nothing means anything and there is no clarity about WTF is going on. It felt like a book version of playing a game with a child where they keep making up new rules so that they always win. The writing itself was fine, but I still wish I could have those few hours back. #CampLitsy 🏕️
pick⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Book was good, contents were infuriating. Behind the scenes/insider accounts of just how diminished Joe Biden was during his presidency and the disastrous decision-making that led him to run for a second term and stay in the race so long after it was clear he wasn‘t up to it. A national tragedy.
pick⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ I‘m a casual SNL fan and really enjoyed this. It‘s a biography of Lorne Michaels and also a history of Saturday Night Live. It‘s long but moved quickly, interweaving a close look at the creation of one full modern episode with the longer history of the show overall. The description of the last few hours leading up to the taping was fascinating. Strong pick.
pick⭐️⭐️⭐️ Pleasant enough retelling of Pride and Prejudice, set in modern day East Hampton. It was fine, although Elizabeth was more neurotic and Darcy less charming than the original. On its own this is pretty forgettable but I do love P&P, and so probably liked this more than I would have otherwise. Soft pick.
so-so⭐️⭐️💫 I found this audiobook kind of annoying. I don‘t remember Emma very well, so I don‘t know if the back and forth of two people liking each other but not having a grown up conversation and instead assuming they know what the other is thinking, causing grief is from the original or the adaptation. Both narrators had annoying voices for the women in particular. The sex scenes were overdone and I sort of wished they‘d hurry up. Meh. 🤷♀️
pick⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 Really interesting/infuriating look at several products/situations where Johnson & Johnson put profits over safety and efficacy. Also a rude wake up call about how ineffective the current system of FDA regulation and oversight is. Definitely worth a look if you like nonfiction, investigative journalism, and health and science writing.
pick⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 History of zoning and land use policies that have contributed to housing shortages, affordability issues, limited mobility in the US. It was interesting if a little dry in some places.
so-so⭐️⭐️⭐️ I‘m not sure what this was supposed to be. It was a little bit memoir, but both held back quite a bit and included a lot of post divorce romantic encounters that didn‘t feel that important. It was part history of divorce. It was a little bit of divorce in popular culture. Many of the pieces were fine, but there combination didn‘t really add up to a meaningful narrative.
pick⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Similar style of interwoven vignettes with many characters from A Visit from the Goon Squad, loosely centered around the existence of technology that allows you to upload your memories to a shared consciousness in exchange for being able to access the memories of others who opt in. A lot to keep track of, and some stories were more compelling than others, but once I decided to just let it wash over me and catch what I could, I enjoyed it.
pick⭐️⭐️⭐️ Totally fine and nothing special. Book about Perl Jam told by a music critic and without new interviews or perspectives of the band. I wanted something that didn‘t ask much of me and this fit the bill. If you‘re into music biographies and/or Pearl Jam, it‘s worth a look.
pick⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ I liked this, although maybe a bit less than others here. Interesting story of two women, or a woman and a family in the aftermath of post-WWII Netherlands. The subject and twist were interesting and the book was well written. I found the resolution of the main relationship not believable, which left me a little less enthusiastic than I might have been otherwise. #WPF25
pick⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 I think I liked this #WPF25 short list pick better than most of the other Litsy reviewers. Definitely some self absorption, but from characters I found interesting because they and their circumstances are so different from mine. I enjoyed passively learning a bit about the Iranian revolution and the lives of characters who stayed and those who left. And I enjoyed over-the-top Shirin and her tiny steps toward growth by the end.
pick⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 This one is hard for me to rate. I struggle with Strout—I find many of her characters to be annoying and not people I would enjoy spending time with, so bringing together two characters I didn‘t care for in her previous books didn‘t endear this to me, but I did enjoy the Bob parts of the story here and that helped. Overall soft pick from the #WPF25 short list.
pick⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ I enjoyed this pick from the #WPF25 short list. British Muslim academic gets a job with the UN developing a deprogramming/re-entry program for ISIS brides in Iraq, gets in over her head, and hijinks and self-discovery ensue. I liked getting to know and root for the MC before it became clear (to me) how problematic some of her behavior was, and also appreciated it mostly came from a good place and not pure self-absorption.
so-so⭐️⭐️ The useful thing I took from this book was the suggestion to identify what‘s most important for you in this given period and to use that to make decisions about what to prioritize, and know that that may change from one period to the next. But overall, ugh, just so many lists, frameworks, and tortured acronyms to wade through with no payoff. PLAN stands for something but even after reading it I can‘t remember what. Between so-so and pan.
pick⭐️⭐️⭐️ Gave this a shot after my Pride and Prejudice reread. It was fine, but also a little confusing (so many characters and relationships to keep track of), and the main relationships were a little (a lot) unbelievable. But Austen is Austen so it was also sharp and interesting.
pick⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ I needed something a little quiet that didn‘t require much from me and decided to reread (listen to) P&P. Yep, turns out I still love it. Free version on Audible with Rosalind Pike narrating was great. @Andrea313 love the memes from your recent posts.
pick⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ I hadn‘t been aware of this book until a physical therapist recommended it to me, and it was wonderful! Story of a girl and her foster parents outside of Munich during WWII, narrated by death. Fantastic characters, writing, and narration for the audiobook.
pick⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 This wasn‘t on my radar until I saw @Billypar post about it, but I really enjoyed it. I knew very little about Brandi Carlile before reading it, but enjoyed getting to know her, her family, and collaborators.
pick⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ It took a long time for me to get into this—she spent a long time on her childhood and to me that part got bogged down a bit, but once she got to adolescence and adulthood and had more agency in her path and decisions it got more interesting. She seems wise and understanding and like a powerful matriarch, but also doesn‘t shy away from her imperfections. Ended up as a pick from #WPNF25.
pick⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 Interesting look at the coming of age, education, and early careers of four women in China and the ways they managed their ambitions and passions given the resources and restrictions they faced. Their resilience and persistence were really admirable. A book I wouldn‘t have picked up if not for #WPNF25!
pick⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 Really great book interweaving the stories of the children and families on either side of a pediatric heart transplant, the providers who cared for them, and the history of the medical breakthroughs required for transplants to occur. My only quibble is that the transitions between the timelines and the inclusion of the history was a little clunky at times, but overall a remarkable book and a strong pick from the #WPNF25 long list.
pick⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 I became interested in Bishop Budde‘s work after her comments during the ceremony at her church after the inauguration. There are some calming words of wisdom, but I also found it a bit uneven, with a lot of focus on her specific career ups and downs in the middle. I did think it finished a little stronger. A bit of a softer pick than I expected it to be.
pick⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Delightful memoir of a woman who came across a struggling, abandoned juvenile hare and went on to raise it after realizing it couldn‘t be returned to its mother. I really enjoyed both her experiences and the documentation of the hare‘s behaviors, and the interweaving with biological and historical information. The end dragged a bit with the inclusion of some ecological advocacy, but overall a great #WPNF25 pick!
