Down the Rabbit Hole Book Review

Title: Down the Rabbit Hole: Curious Adventures and Cautionary Tales of a Former Playboy Bunny
Author: Dolly Madison
Genre: Memoir
Format: Hardcover


______________________________________________
A former girlfriend of Hugh Hefner describes how her years inside the Playboy Mansion went from a fairy tale of A-list celebrity parties to an oppressive regime of strict rules, scheduled sex, and a total loss of identity, so much so that she even contemplated suicide.
______________________________________________










I picked this book up because I knew nothing about Playboy, the magazine or the house.  And since I never plan to be personally acquainted with Playboy, I hoped Holly Madison would be my behind-the-scenes sneak peak.  That is what you get: a sometimes dry but very informative sneak peak.

Holly shows the reader what it actually felt like to live in the Playboy Mansion: the strict rules, the fighting between girlfriends (that Hefner often fueled), the constant partying, the drugs, the bedroom routine.  This book truly is a behind the scenes look at mansion life.  It seemed as if Holly went out of her way to be honest about the goings on of the mansion, even when it made her look bad.  I really respect her honesty.  My one criticism is that she sometimes made herself look like a naive, innocent child and constant victim of the "mean girls" who had no way out of the lifestyle rather than a full-grown woman making a decision that kept her in a constant state of unhappiness.

About Hef.  He is a creepy, manipulative, old dude who likes to have sex with young women.  Why? Because it makes him feel powerful.  Because it seems that he wasn't in it because he enjoyed the sex.  There were a few occasions where Holly said that when he didn't get his way, he would burst into tears, mind you, he was like 80 years old at the time.  There was once when Kendra explained a time when he purposely tried to start a fight between his girlfriends because "he likes the drama."

Holly's story does not end with her getting out of the mansion.  She talks about how she adjusted, relationships after Hef, and figuring our her career.  This part of her story, getting out and adjusting, I found just as interesting as the time she spent in the Mansion.

Down the Rabbit Hole isn't always always entertaining; there was never a point where I felt like I couldn't put the book down.  It's good for the information, not the entertainment.  It wasn't fun and grabbing like a reality television show.  Sometimes I got bored but keep pushing on for sheer curiosity's sake.  That was my main struggle with this book: it could be dry sometimes.

Holly is honest about her mistakes, she does try to justify them a little but don't we all?

4 stars for the content.
3 stars for how it was delivered.

November 9 Book Review

Title: November 9
Author: Colleen Hoover
Genre: Contemporary NA
Format: eBook

___________________________________________________
Fallon meets Ben, an aspiring novelist, the day before her scheduled cross-country move.  Their untimely attraction leads them to spend Fallon's last day in L.A. together, anther eventful life becomes the creative inspiration Ben has always sought for his novel.  Over time and amidst the various relationships and tribulations of their own separates lives, then continue to meet on the same date every year.  Until one day Fallon becomes unsure if Ben has been telling her the truth or fabricating a perfect reality for the sake of the ultimate plot twist.
___________________________________________________






So good.  SO GOOD.  Colleen Hoover, this is so good.  

You don't even want to read the description.  All you need to know is that two people decide to meet on the same day, every year, for 5 years.  

You don't want to know anything more before reading this book.  Dive right in!

My Best Reads of 2017 Part. 1

1.)  A Court of Thorns and Roses (whole trilogy)

The A Court of Thorns and Roses trilogy is a fantasy retelling of Beauty and the Beast.  Maas created a beautiful world with amazing characters.  I love everyone and everything so much.  Pleaseeeee read all 3!!!  This is my favorite series of all time.





2.)  Seeking Allah, Finding Jesus: A Devout Muslim Encounters Christianity

The title says it all.  Seeking Allah, Finding Jesus is mentally stimulating and emotionally moving.  Nabeel "provide(s) an intimate window into a loving Muslim home (and he) shares how he developed a passion for Islam before discovering, almost against his will, evidence the Jesus rose from the dead and claimed to be God."  Be prepared to learn a lot about both Christianity and Islam.  And be prepared to get on an emotional roller coaster with the author as he describes making some of the hardest decisions of his life.









3.)  Nowhere But Up: The Story of Justin Bieber's Mom

Pattie Mallette's story is worth reading whether you consider yourself a Belieber or not.  Don't overlook it just because you aren't a fan of her son's music.  "Pattie shares with the world the story of a girl who felt abandoned and unloved.  Of a teenager who made poor choices.  Of a young woman who attempter suicide and could hardly bear to believe that God would ever care for her.  One who messed up, got pregnant, and got a second chance."






4.)  November 9

Contemporary New Adult.  If you like the genre, go ahead and pick up the book. Don't even read the description.  This is a book best read by going into it knowing absolutely nothing.













5.)  The Notorious Benedict Arnold

The Notorious Benedict Arnold is one of the most engaging biographies I have ever read.  Sheinkin turns the static figure of Benedict Arnold we all learn in elementary school into the complicated historical figure he truly was.  Like most of America's founders, Arnold was passionate, brave, and proud.  This biography show how a man so similar to his honored contemporaries could make a decision that would forever sully his name in America's history books.

A Court of Wings and Ruin Book Review

Title: A Court of Wings and Ruin

Author: Sarah J. Maas

Genre: New Adult Fantasy

Format: Hardcover

Series: Yes, Third of trilogy

Status of Series: Completed

This is the last book in the ACOTAR trilogy (though Maas will pick the series back up with other characters in 2018).  If you haven't started the series, click here to see my review of A Court of Thorns and Roses, the first book in this trilogy.

Immediately after finishing ACOWAR, I went back and reread most of ACOMAF.  Why?  Because I don't want to leave this world quite yet.  I have--to this day--never reread a book series.  Not Harry Potter.  Not Twilight.  But I started rereading this one.  In fact, I think I will reread the whole series.   ACOTAR is officially my favorite series of all time.

This was a satisfying end to the ACOTAR trilogy.  It didn't top ACOMAF (which was disappointing) but it was still very good.  I appreciated seeing Rhys and Feyre settle into their relationship.  They acted like a married couple, which rarely happens in YA/NA books.  It was done well.  I do wish there were more scenes between just the two of them though.  I loved what we got but I wanted more.  

The plot was constantly go, go, go.  From the second the book opens in the Spring Court, I was on my toes.  You know the war is coming and that war was intense.  I loved seeing everyone on the battlefield.  Especially Cassian.  Holy cow!  And I loved getting to know Azriel better.  The final battle was epic and I was terrified!  SJM wrote an ending that has me full of emotions.  Should've expected that ending.  Totally didn't.

My one complaint?  I wish I liked Feyre's sisters but I just can't seem to muster the energy to actually like them.  I tried, believe me.  I wanted them to be tenacious like Feyre was when she got to Prythian but (even though they add to the plot) they are just sorta there.  

One More Thing: Stories and other Stories Book Review

Title: One More Thing: Stories and other Stories
Author: B.J. Novak
Genre: Flash Fiction
Format: Hardcover
_______________________________________________________
B.J. Novak's One More Thing: Stories and Other Stories is an endlessly entertaining, surprisingly sensitive, and startlingly original debut collection that signals the arrival of a welcome new voice to American fiction.

In One More Thing, a boy wins a $100,000 prize in a box of Frosted Flakes - only to discover that claiming the winnings may unravel his family.  A woman sets out to seduce motivational speaker Tony Robbins - turning for help to the famed motivator himself.  A school principal unveils a bold plan to permanently abolish arithmetic.  An acclaimed ambulance driver seeks the courage to follow his heart and throw it all away to be a singer-songwriter...
_______________________________________________________


I assumed I was picking up a memoir.  That is generally what I assume when I pick up a book written by a celebrity (which is obviously a mistake since the assumption has led me wrong quite a few times).  OMT is actually a collection of short stories and flash fiction.  The stories range from just a few lines to 30-or-so pages long.

Once I realized I was reading flash fiction, I expected the stories to have a sense of humor reminiscent of The Office but it was nothing like that.  The stories aren't laugh out loud funny, they are a one-sided smile and quick breath out the nose funny (go ahead, do it and  you'll understand what I mean).  The majority of the stories have a dark, clever, sarcastic, and cynical sense of humor.   B.J. Novak is obviously brilliant and funny but his sense of humor is not for everybody.

I personally like B.J.'s dark and sarcastic sense of humor a lot but his flash is weird, really weird.  If you like dry, sarcastic, and sometimes twisted humor, you will like this book.  If you are looking for something light & funny, look elsewhere.  This is the perfect book to read if you don't want to get emotionally invested in a novel but still want to read a work of fiction.  It was perfect for me during college finals because a short burst of dark humor was the perfect distraction from monotonous studying.

I liked OMT 3 stars worth but it deserves 4 stars.  How about 3.7 stars?  That seems right somehow.

Strong Looks Better Naked Book Review

Title: Strong Looks Better Naked
Author: Khloe Kardashian
Genre: Health & Fitness, Memoir-adjacent
Format: eBook

_________________________________________________
Khloé Kardashian shares her secrets for finding strength of body, heart, mind, and soul with inspirational, revealing stories of her own struggles with weight, relationships, and her self-image.

In a culture that worships skinny, Khloe Kardashian writes with passion about the power of strength: a strong body becomes a strong mind, which builds to strength of heart, character, and ultimately strength of spirit.  This is an inspiring book about how to create strength and true beauty in every area of you life, inside and out.  The book features inspired personal stories from Khloe and practical how-to advice about building a strong body, mind, heart, and soul in your own life.
_________________________________________________



When I picked up this book, I assumed it was going to be a memoir.  All I actually knew was that it was written by Khloe Kardashian and I like watching KUWTK, so why not?  Turns out, Strong Looks Better Naked is a healthy living book.

The health advice is nothing revolutionary.  The depth doesn't come from the health information itself but in how Khloe presents it.  She writes like she talks, so you feel as if you are listening to a friend tell you about their journey to a healthier lifestyle.  She also gives the recipe for "Khloe's Famous Breaded Chicken."  If you watch KUWTK, you may think buying the book is worth it just for the recipe.  I already used it (hah).  So, yes, she gives some advice we've all heard before but the way the advice is presented is what sets the book apart.

Since SLBN probably won't have any health information that you haven't heard before, don't read it hoping its will be full of nutrition research, give you the ten secrets to becoming skinny in 10 days, or even a specific diet (of course, if that's what you are looking for, you probably wouldn't have picked up this particular book anyway).  SLBN is more of a personal journey, the way Khloe went about getting in shape: her eating & exercising habits and her mindset.

And don't be totally disappointed if you are hoping for a memoir.  There were some memoir-like aspects.  Khloe shares some of her childhood (her dad and his death), her relationship with Lamar, and addresses some scenes you may have seen on KUWTK.  The space she uses to talk about her father were my favorite parts of the book.

In the end, I enjoyed the book but not because I learned some revolutionary way to get in shape but because I enjoyed reading about Khloe's journey to fitness (and it can't hurt to be reminded of basic healthy habits).

Nowhere but Up: The Story of Justin Bieber's Mom

Title:  Nowhere but Up: The Story of Justin Bieber's Mom

Author:  Pattie Mallette

Genre:  Autobiography

Format:  eBook

I know a lot of people will either be turned off or turned on to this book simply because it was written by Justin Bieber's mother.  I want you to know that her story is worth reading.  Regardless of your opinions about her son, about music or Hollywood, her story is worth being told and it is worth being heard.

Pattie's story is incredible.  I have read a lot of memoirs and autobiographies written by high-profile individuals and this one of the top 2.  

Calling Pattie's childhood rough would be an understatement.  Starting with abuse from a young age.  Then drugs and alcohol as a teenager.  Then an attempted suicide.

Yes, this is the story of Justin Bieber's mother.  She talks about raising him as a single mom.  She talks about the struggles and joys of raising Justin on his rise to fame.  But the story is much more than that.  

This is Pattie Mallette's story.  The story of a young girl who didn't believe she was worth being loved until she met Jesus.  The story of a woman trying to overcome the horrors of her past.  And the story of a single mom doing her best to raise her child.  

Public Relations Book Review

Title: Public Relations
Format:  Paperback
Genre:  New Adult Contemporary Fiction
Series: Stand Alone













This book is exactly what you would expect from two authors who work for Buzzfeed. 

There were some good moments in the book but they don't happen until at least 70% into the book. Up until then the book is slow and the characters are boring. I enjoyed reading about Rose's relationship with her boss but her relationship with her best friend fell flat. Her relationship with Archie was fun to read but they don't actually get together until about 80% into the book.  And even then, it wasn't great.  Just okay. 

One of my complaints is that Rose's second love interest is an attractive, 36 year old surgeon using Tinder to find a relationship. Not a fling but a relationship.  If that is how Tinder is actually used, then I have been grievously misinformed. The number of pop culture references were also a little much.  

Now onto my main criticism of the book: Archie is Harry Styles.  Someone who isn't a fan of One Direction may miss it but I felt like I was being bashed over the head repeatedly with HS references.  Allow me to list out some things that Archie and Harry have in common: 
1.) British 
2.) pop singer 
3.) long hair usually pulled up into a bun 
4.) two identical bird tattoos on chest 
5.) heart tattoo on shoulder 
6.) wears sparkly ankle boots 
7.) wears a flamingo shirt 
8.) dated an older woman at the beginning of his career. 
And those are just the things I noticed!  One or two I could've looked past but that was unbearable.  Sometimes it felt like reading really, really boring fanfic.

If you are looking for some easy to read chick-lit (or fanfiction), then Public Relations may be for you but, even then, its probably not.

And in case you didn't believe me:

Flamingos


Bird Tattoos

The Literalist's Love Poem

Roses are rose.
Violets are violet.
I love you.

One More Thing: Stories and Other Stories, B.J. Novak

A Court of Mist & Fury Book Review

Title: A Court of Mist & Fury
Author: Sarah J. Maas
Genre: New Adult Fantasy
Format: Hardcover
Series: Yes, Second of trilogy
Series Status: To be completed on May, 2 2017

That.  Was.  Possibly the BEST book.  I have EVER read.

I wish I could forget it, so I could read it again for the first time.
I don't know what to do with myself!  The final installment of the series comes out during finals!  What am I going to do?!?!

ACOMAF is the second book in the A Court of Thorns and Roses trilogy, which is a Beauty & the Beast retelling.

I really enjoyed reading ACOTAR but ACOMAF BLEW ME AWAY!  I could not put the book down.  I woke up on Saturday morning, rolled over in bed, picked the book up, and didn't stop reading until dinner.

ACOMAF has none of what has come to be known as "second book syndrome."  The plot never slows down.  Feyre was constantly moving and discovering and fighting.  The reader gets to see new (and A-MAZING) parts of Prythian, meet and fall in love with new characters, fall deeper (or not) for characters we already know and love, and we see the development of this new threat off Prythian's shores.

One disclaimer: ACOMAF definitely falls into the New Adult, not Young Adult, genre.  And rightly so because it has some sexually explicit content.


Spoiler review located below.
Don't even glance down here if you haven't read the book.
I mean it.

From the second I opened the book, I was dying to see Tamlin, Rhysand, and Feyre in the same room.  I kept flipping ahead to see how much farther before Rhy's name popped up.

Then you get to the wedding.  OMG I loved the wedding scene.  Feyre is walking down the aisle and mentally begging someone, anyone to save her.  And then up shows Rhy in all his sassy glory, saying he thought the wedding was over, "At least, Feyre seemed to think so."  That is the right was to get my emotions flowing at the beginning of a book.

Then we get to the Night Court and its BEAUTIFUL.  And Feyre throws a shoe at Rhy, the most powerful High Lord to have ever existed.  And he tells her that when he feels she is in danger through the bond, he rifles through it to make sure she is okay.  I fell in love with Rhy that first week in the Night Court.  I didn't even need to see Velaris.  Sorry Tamlin, but Feyre and Rhysand's relationship is WAY more fun to read.

IDK if its just how Ianthe was introduced but I didn't like or trust her from her first word.  Mor, though, you could tell she was gonna be the girl friend we needed in this book.  I hope Mor and Feyre's relationship is more fleshed out in the next book.

The friendships built in ACOMAF were, in general, better than that of ACOTAR.  Of course, I think SJM did this on purpose.  It was fun meeting Rhy's friends.  He has a squad.  They insult each other, they fight with each other, they go out together, they stay in together.  These friendships were the "homey" piece missing from ACOTAR.  They made me feel at home in the world of Fae.

When Rhy told Feyre he knew history would remember him as the villain, I finally started putting the pieces together.  Then Feyre goes on to tell Amren that the villain is the one who locks up the maiden.  And Rhy was the one who let her out.  Tamlin locked her up.  Then I knew.  In my review of ACOTAR, I asked where Gaston was.  I wondered if he was Isaac Hale.  But it didn't make sense for Gaston to have such a small part in a Beauty and the Beast retelling.  I wrote it off because these are SJM's books and she can do what she wants with the characters (and I thought she might've dropped his character all together because there is no Gaston in the original Beauty and the Beast).  But here, I realized.  Tamlin is Gaston.  SJM makes us fall in love with Gaston before we even meet the Beast.  Tamlin, with his inflated sense of self.  Tamlin, with his refusal to accept her rejection.  He is Gaston.  Well played, Sarah.  Well played.

I have read some reviews where readers were upset by how SJM developed Tamin's character in this book.  They say that she unmade the character she built in the first book.  I disagree.  Yes, the PTSD affected him but SJM didn't change Tamlin fundamentally.  She gave us enough information about him in ACOTAR to think we knew him; then she added information in ACOMAF that sharpened the image.  And you realize that you don't like who you see.

For example:
In ACOTAR, Tamlin had a temper.  After Rhy showed up, he tore up his house in a rage.  In ACOMAF, Tamlin destroys his study in a temper.  The only difference is we see it first hand because he does it in front of Feyre.
In ACOTAR, Tamlin tells Feyre that she doesn't need to fight and that ends with them all Under the Mountain.  He tells her not to fight in ACOMAF and, this time, she refuses to acquiesce.  So he locks her in the house.
Yes, the PTSD had an affect but his problems were already evident before they ever went Under the Mountain, just to a lesser degree.

When squad gets to Hybern, there were not enough pages left in the book and Tamlin had been gone for too long.  I knew it was about to get bad but I never imagined he would ally himself with Hybern.  The Queens AND Tamlin?  Is every ruler in this book that stupid?  (Normally that would bug me but I can overlook it because the book as a whole was so great.)  I can see how, if Tamlin wanted to, it would be easy to interpret all of the evidence in a way that indicates Feyre was kidnapped by Rhysand.  I won't fault him for holding on to that belief.  The evidence was just murky enough to justify it.  I do fault him for allying himself with Hybern.  Stupid, Tamlin.  Stupid.

I was in hysterics when Feyre asked the King to break her and Rhy's bond.  I respected her decision to make such a drastic sacrifice to protect her court but I was a mess.  And then you get to Rhy's POV and, oh hey, they actually got married last night.  NBD (we didn't even get to be there!!!).  She is just the High Lady of the Night Court.  Serving as a spy in the Spring Court.

The ending was perfect for a second book in a trilogy and I cannot wait for the next book.  GAH! 

“I’ve an idea that all those circles and things are rather rot.  I don’t think [Aslan would] like them.  It would look as if we thought we could make him do things.  But really, we can only ask him.”

Eustace, The Silver Chair

Seeking Allah, Finding Jesus Book Review

Title: Seeking Allah, Finding Jesus
Author:  Nabeel Qureshi
Genre:  Christian, Religion, Theology, Autobiography
Format:  Audiobook
Narrator:  Author











Nabeel Qureshi's story is life changing.  It is paradigm shifting.  It's full of love and despair and hope and brokenness.  Some parts had me crying.  Others had me (very literally) jumping for joy.  Just the dedication alone had me on the verge of tears. He dedicated this book to his Muslim parents and I could hear his love for them in his voice.

Nabeel is the son of two Pakistani immigrants, who came to America before his birth.  His family is a devout Muslim family with a long and prestigious Muslim lineage.  He grew up a devout Muslim, had chapters of the Quran memorized, and was always ready to advocate for his religion.

In college Nabeel met a Christian who became his best friend.  Nabeel shares with the reader the struggles he went through theologically and emotionally as he tried to prove to this friend that Islam is the true way to God.  He shares how and why he ultimately chose Jesus and how that decision totally changed his life.

I learned a lot about Islam in this book.  It was eye opening to learn about Islam from someone who grew up practicing the faith devoutly, who is emotionally tied to it, and who has happy memories attached to this faith he ultimately chose to leave.  Nabeel is also very well learned in apologetics.  He made me want to learn more about Islam from the Quran and Hadith.

This isn't the typical "coming to Christ" story we hear in the West.  Seeing God from Nabeel's POV (which is a mixture of Eastern and Western ideology) was convicting.  At one point, a friend of his asked if he would be concerned for his safety if he was to choose Jesus over Allah.  Nabeel responded that, while he wasn't concerned, it would be an honor to die for God, even if that God turned out to be the Christian God.  Like I said, convicting.

Nabeel reminded me how blessed I am to be a child of God.  He reminded me how amazing my King is.  He reminded me to be proud to belong to our God.

But this autobiography isn't just for Christians.  There are theological arguments for and against Islam and Christianity.  There are historical arguments and scientific arguments.  Whether or not you agree with either religion, you will learn a lot.

Seeking Allah, Finding Jesus definitely deserves 5/5 stars.  I would recommend it to anyone and everyone.  

P.S.
This is the link to Nabeel's youtube channel.  I definitely recommend watching his vlogs.
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCepxnLs6GWAxAyI8m2U9s7A

The Girl with the Lower Back Tattoo Book Review

Format:  Audiobook
Genre: Autobiography
Narrator:  Author


"In The Girl with the Lower Back Tattoo, Amy mines her past for stories about her teenage years, her family, relationships, and sex and shares the experiences that have shaped who she is - a woman with the courage to bare her soul to stand up for what she believes in, all while making us laugh."









I particularly enjoyed some parts of Amy Schumer's The Girl with the Lower Back Tattoo and particularly disliked others.

Surprisingly, I found Amy's stories about her family to be the best part of the entire book.  Her childhood was intense, the kind of plot a novel would covet.  Her parents divorced when she was young under the weirdest of circumstances.  The struggles she has with her relationship with her mom are relatable and the anecdotes she tells about her experience with her dads multiple sclerosis are sad but Amy tells them in a beautifully funny way.


I loved the way Amy discussed money.  My favorite quote from her in this book is, "It is FUN to give money away."  I also loved that she told the reader that her greatest fear at 9 years old is that she would churn herself into butter.  These anecdotes were relatable and funny.

I do specifically take issue with one thing Amy said in this book and that is, "No one can be innocent and wise at the same time."  She seems to use that mindset to justify her shoplifting as a teen and other mistakes she has made throughout her life.  Maybe, "No one can be naive and wise at the same time," would be a true statement.  But if there is any correlation between wisdom and innocence, it is the reverse of what she said.

Amy also talks a LOT about her sex life.  In fact, she opens her autobiography with a chapter titled, "An Open Letter to My Vagina."  Thank you, but I didn't need to know that.  It added absolutely no value to the book.  Nor did I want to hear about her one night stands and other arbitrary sexual escapades.

This is not to say that all of her stories about sex and boys had no merit.  I appreciated Amy's honesty when she talked about her first relationship, the emotional as well as the sexual.  I also really appreciated her openness about her experiences with domestic abuse.  These two stories were powerful and the subject matter is important.

I give this book 3 stars.  While I enjoyed learning about Amy's childhood and how she got started in the comedy field, the book could have done without the extensive (and often pointless) details about sex life.

A Court of Thorns and Roses Book Review

Title: A Court of Thorns & Roses
Author: Sarah J. Maas
Series:  Yes, first book of a trilogy
Status of Series:  To be completed May 2, 2017















ACOTAR is a retelling of Beauty & the Beast in which Belle hunts to provide for her poor family and the Beast is a Fae, one of the creatures all humans know to fear.  Let me begin by saying, this book was so freaking good.  In fact, it was the best YA fantasy book I have read in a long time.  (If you are wondering why I am just now reading ACOTAR, please check out my "About Me" page.)

Beauty & the Beast was my favorite Disney Princess movie as a child, so I was skeptic when Sarah J. Maas began twisting the traditional story.  Feyre is not the avid reader that Belle was and Maas removed some of the benevolence that I always attributed to Belle's character.  But Mass quickly won me over with the world and characters she built.  Each of her characters was strong yet flawed and I grew to love them all, especially Lucien (and even Rhysand).

I was slightly worried that this book wouldn't live up to all the hype surrounding it but it did.  It most definitely did.  I think ACOTAR is a series that a reader should go into knowing as little as possible, so I'll say no more.  If you haven't already, go.  Go now.  Read it.  Its great.  No, seriously, do it.  


Spoiler found below.  Please do not read if you have not finished the book!!!

ACOTAR opens up with Feyre hunting with a bow and arrow in the woods.  I don't remember how The Hunger Games opens but it was too close for my liking.  I immediately thought of Katniss.

Where is Gaston?  Is he Isaac Hale?

When I started liking Tamlin:
When he assures Feyre that her family is alive and well-cared.
When he said "Do not do whatever you were contemplating."
When he first complemented her: "You hair is...clean." AHAH

I nearly died laughing when Tamlin asked: "And do you...love anyone else?" I may have cried.

I did have one issue with Tamlin's character in this book: he let Amarantha torture Clare.  That was hard for me to stomach.  I get that he didn't really have a better option but I wish we could have seen him try to do something.  Even if that something was killing Clare to let her out of her misery.  Also, Rhysand protected her identity!  That made me happy.

The fact that Maas introduced Rhysand as the most attractive person Feyre had ever seen and he saved her life the first time we meet him made me trust him regardless of anything else he did.  Is it gonna be a love triangle?  I hope not.

Because Lucien had a fox mask, I kept waiting for him to do something conniving but he never did.  Even though I was on edge about his character, I loved him.

I literally rolled over in bed laughing when I read that Rhysand bet on Feyre for the first of Amarantha's trials.

I love that Feyre thought "I did it for you" towards Tamlin when Rhysand told the court about their deal.  I also loved it that Rhysand hinted that he thought she would win. 

WHEN RHYSAND GOT HER THROUGH THE SECOND TASK I LOVE HIM THIS MAKES ME HAPPY.  Then he kept her together as she left the throne room.  Yep.  Love him.

When Feyre came to her last trial and saw there were two boys and a girl for her to kill, I was super worried that it was gonna be Alis and her boys.  Dodged a bullet there.

For a second I thought the last way to break the curse was Feyre being willing to die for Tamlin.  But no.  Then the answer to the riddle was love.  Come on.  Really?

I really loved the scene where Rhysand tries to help Feyre and fails; then Tamlin kills Amarantha.  I was surprised because I thought Amarantha would be the villain for at least the first two books, but overjoyed that she died.  And not expecting Feyre to become a High Fae.  That was a total surprise for me.

Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me Micro-Review

After reading Why Not Me?, I had to get my hands on Mindy Kaling's first memoir.  I wish I had read Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? first because she talks about her road to stardom, beginning with her experience upon first arriving in NYC.

One of my favorite parts is when she discusses the play she co-wrote and starred in as Matt Damon ("I have never been so excited to hold back vomit.").  She then goes on to explain how she wound up on The Office.

This book is also full of fun and interesting anecdotes, like her short essays on boys and relationships. (Although I disagree with her opinion on chest hair.  Sorry, Mindy.)  

And the cover.  Can we talk about the cover?  It's beautiful!  

"The best leaders create high-performance cultures.  They set demanding goals, measure results, and hold people accountable.  They are change agents, constanlty driving their institutions to adapt and advance faster than their competitors do."
Who Says Elephants Can't Dance, Louis V. Gerstner Jr.

Yes Please

I enjoyed reading Amy Poehler’s Yes Please. It’s the average celebrity memoir full of anecdotes about her career & personal life, with some industry insights here and there.

The first 20 minutes of the book were hard to get through because Amy rambles and talks in circles.  I started the audiobook in the car on vacation and the people with me made me turn it off.  But once I got to the first chapter, she kept me entertained and interested in her life and career. I consider that a win for someone who has never watched Parks & Rec (I know, I know.  I'll get on it eventually).

I found some of her anecdotes really fun and entertaining and others fell flat for me.  I often found her sense of humor too crass for me to enjoy (I don't find jokes about wanting to have sex with your foreign cab driver to be funny, just lazy).  But even when I didn't find her sense of humor funny, I was interested in the story she was telling.  I especially loved her story about the one skit on SNL that she regrets.  That anecdote was hart-felt and touching; it alone would have been enough to justify reading the book.

I give Yes Please 4/5 stars.

"I can feel no sentiment of approbation inferior to love."
Miss Dashwood, Sense and Sensibility

The Last Star Book Review

If you are reading this review, then you have either: a) read the first two and are checking to make sure this last installment doesn’t have a terrible ending before deciding whether or not to finish, or b) haven’t started and want to make sure the last book has good reviews before committing to reading the whole thing (props to you for your forward thinking).

A’s:

The Last Star is worth reading if you’ve already read the first two.  There were some plot points I wasn’t fond of (not because of poor writing but because I didn’t like where Yancey took the plot) but, all in all, I’m glad I saw where the book went and how everything was tied together.  I definitely got emotional during a few parts, sometimes tears and sometimes internally screaming at the characters (in a good way).

B’s:

The whole series was entertaining.  I wouldn’t put The 5^th Wave in my top five favorite series in this genre, nor would I put it in the worst.  If you have another series you are really excited to read, pick that one up first.  But if you are just looking for a decent trilogy to read, pick this one up.

Please stop reading here if you do not want to be spoiled!

This book had so much potential but only realized about 50% of it.  I really wish the last book hadn’t been another “kidnap and rescue” book; I feel like that plot had already been used enough in this series.  But my real issue with the plot stems from the aliens’ plan.  They want to save the earth by killing most of the humans and ruining humanity’s ability to trust in order to prevent civilizations from ever being rebuilt.  Really?  Then Yancey says the aliens value life so much that they have to destroy most of it to protect some of it.  That isn't valuing life.  And maybe that's part of the point but it still grated on me.

My criticisms may lead you to believe that I didn’t enjoy reading the book but that's not true.  It’s a weird dichotomy.  When Vosch had Evan’s memories erased, I knew Cassie was going to die (I thought Evan would kill her.  Only wrong on one of those things.).  I had to close the book for a few minutes to let the tears subside.  Then when Evan’s POV is titled “Silencer” and he is referred to as “it”?  Beautifully done.  It was painful, after reading three books and growing to love him, reading about Evan as an “it” again.  And when Cassie thought she killed Evan?  My heart. 

Conclusion?  I did like the book; it just wasn’t everything it could have been.

"Everything’s uglier up close."
Margo, Paper Towns

Modern Romance Book Review

      After listening to Why Not Me by Mindy Kaling, I decided to start listening to more audiobooks written and narrated by celebrity authors.  Modern Romance did not disappoint!  Aziz had me hooked in the first two minutes; I knew I would love it immediately. 

What’s even better?  The book is actually based on data and (social) scientific research.  I was really impressed by that.  (I also thought it was great that the authors used reddit for some of their research.  Great blending of old and new.)

The book can be a little crass at times but, so long as you’re good with that, its informative and funny and a quick read.  Modern Romance is definitely worth the time investment.

P.S. My favorite quote from the book is “Jewish and my zip code.”  Just wait till you get there.