jenbsbooks's Reviews (2.41k)

This so absolutely the typical "Hallmark" Christmas movie ... in book form. It was fine, I won't remember it at all. I was glad it was done and told myself "no more 'ChristmasMovie' movies or books"... just fluff and no substance and probably not worth the time investment. 

3rd person/past tense - single narrator ... fine, felt a little "old" in the voice, not as contemporary (even though the book is fairly new). 

So stereotypical - girl goes to small town with the Christmas name (Pinecone Falls here) so wrap things up with Grandma's old in. Meets up with "him" (here, an old childhood friend). Some miscommunications, will the big Christmas party need to be cancelled? Throw in a dog and a cat ... I know the blurbs can shift up, but this one is very misleading where Kringle is concerned. The blurb "Kringle, the cat, only wants a warm home and his forever human. This girl, Julie, does not seem to fit the bill no matter what the nice lady at the animal shelter told him. Julie knows nothing about cats so he will do his best to get her to return him to the shelter. But as the week unfolds, Kringle discovers that people can change in surprising ways and sometimes what you thought you wanted, isn’t what you really needed at all." Kringle is NOT personified as a "thinking" cat ... we don't get his POV (it has happened in books where we get the animal's perspective).

The book says it's the first in a series - but I don't see sequels (okay by me).  The kindle copy was available in KindleUnlimited, audio available in Hoopla. 

I'm really not sure how to rate this ... even how I felt about it. For 600+ pages, it actually kept me very involved, but I don't know that I could really give a recap. It was ALL OVER the place, although everything ended up tying together. It covered SO MUCH stuff. I'm not exactly sure how much is actually real (when citing studies and such), or if much is just made up for the book (it IS fiction). It feels like the "facts" presented within the story are real. There is a bibliography (I wasn't able to get a Kindle copy, but could access an epub version to see some in print) and it is loooooooong ... pages and pages of studies cited.  I would have appreciated some author notes letting me know fact from fiction ... despite all the credits in the bibliography, my attempt to look up any of the other references got mixed results (some I could find in a Google search, others I couldn't). 

Within the simple story of a husband and wife, there is a lot brought up on marriage/love/sex and parenthood, as might be expected. Beyond that though, there is a look at medical studies/placebo and wellness culture (this was super interesting, thought provoking, tons of discussion aspects); social media, misinformation, algorithms and conspiracy (interesting, and hilarious with its presentation!); gentrification, authenticity, real estate; discussions on the prairie/forced fires, ponzi schemes, the KKK.

Content Concerns - there was a lot of sex, proFanity (47). 

So overall ...left feeling mixed. Liked it. A lot. Didn't love it. Would actually LOVE others to read it so that I could discuss it, but I probably wouldn't recommend it to most friends/family because of the explicit content. It kept my interest, but I'm also glad it's over. It's likely that I'll want to look back on this at some point, might buy a Kindle copy if it was inexpensive.  The narration was good, not great ... 3rd person, mainly two POVs, but it included others (family history) ... one narrator/male. It shifted between present and past tense ... I couldn't exactly tell when/why it would change.

NPR review - https://www.npr.org/2023/09/20/1200197882/book-review-nathan-hill-wellness

This was cute enough ... not one I'd recommend to family/friends per content.  I'm NOT a big "Christmas Movie" gal, but I have purposely attempted to get into the spirit with some of the stereotypical movies over the years. This year I thought I'd try some Christmas books. This was included in AudiblePlus, so free with my membership. AudibleONLY ... I do miss having a Kindle copy to skim over. 

This was a pretty stereotypical "christmas movie" story ... there are the two MCs, no doubt they'll end up together by the end, probably some miscommunications along the way. SPOILER

our two MCs have met the month before - a one night stand they both thought might be more, but ... so uber awkward when they end up stuck in a car together for a long drive (didn't I watch a Christmas movie with that premise?) End up with car troubles, stuck in a tiny town (Tinsel ... SO Christmas Movie) as they make friends with the people there, get involved in some of the activities while waiting for the repair. Work things out, then more miscommunication and separation ... I totally called it when the female MC was going to pick up the 'artwork' that it would happen to be from the male's MC's mother. So ... they meet again, work things out.

Unlike the Hallmark movies ... there were some steamy sex scenes in this. Once upon a time, I might have sought out the sexy stuff, now ... it just always feels like authors are trying to come up with new ways to describe it, and it's gotten old and eye-rolling. I'm not sure I would have been interested in the book had I known, these cute cartoon covers are a little misleading (the Harlequin bodice rippers really let you know what you're getting into).  It was fine, I just was more in the mood for closed door, cute/sweet romance.

With this title, I might have been expecting a little purposeful "losing" ... like the movie "How To Lose a Guy in 10 Days" where that actually WAS the plot line. Here, it was just a throwaway title. 

I can't recall if there was proFanity (often I'll double check on my Kindle copy -- which I didn't have here. I had noted it Storygraph though, so , yes). 3rd person, past tense ... two narrators, male and female. The male narrator ... his voice didn't really match for me, too deep and serious.

I'd recently read a non-fiction book about the earthquake/fires in SanFran1906, and it was so factual, so many "characters" (can't really call them that, as they were real/researched people). I wanted to experience it in a more fictional way and this was one of the novels I found. Currently I have a KU subscription, so I was able to access the Kindle and audio as part of the program. 

While I liked this, and it kept my interest, I don't know that I ever really connected to the characters, enough to get emotionally involved. The whole set-up of the story seemed a little over the top SPOILER 

that the Uncle/Cousin would have schemed SO much, getting the MC to come out, knowing about her inheritance when even she herself did not. All the little "setups" to make May look bad, to have the murder and blame her ... that went off without a hitch. Throw in that May happens to draw interiors/architecture and that can be stolen from her as well.

I had to refer to the Kindle copy to straighten out a few of the people in my mind.

I'm not sure how much the story itself will stick with me. It was interesting to see what I had learned from [book:The Longest Minute: The Great San Francisco Earthquake and Fire of 1906|60784534], seeing some of the situations. The earthquake, while playing a pivotal part for May, didn't really get that much attention. The fires were mentioned. It was good to see some aspects in the story, but I think I wanted more. 

First person, past tense. This had a few of the "words" I track ... roiled, deign, mullioned windows. No proFanity. There was some sex, but pretty closed door if I remember correctly. 

Back to Middle Falls ... it's been a while since my last read. There are a few full length novels for me to catch up on. As December has started here, I figured I'd jump into a "Christmas" read. I have KindleUnlimited but hadn't realized this was included, and paid a little for it during an Audible sale. 

As the title says, Robert Burke is the MC ... a homeless veteran. Scott McKenzie sounded familiar to me  (book #7 was his feature, although he was introduced in book #6).

This was just a sweet tory, mostly in the "NOW" one timeline (unlike many of the the books) ... seeing how a character from before is continuing to help others in his redo.  Loved the ending here, although it was all pretty Hallmark (which works for a Christmas story). 

 3.5 stars. I went into this fairly blind ... It had been recommended randomly in a FB group, and it's "free" (included in AudiblePlus) and short, so I figured I'd give it a go, not really reading the blurb or knowing what it was about. It feels a little more like a pod-cast, or an interview, not a "book" per se. In fact it's only audio, no Kindle copy ... I would actually like to have the text in print to skim and review.

This is a recounting, from the perspective of both the father and the son (each giving their own voices for the narration, ie interview). Hard to talk much more about it without spoilers ... I think I appreciated coming in not really knowing what I was going to get, no expectations.

The father has a definite twang ... not saying he's uneducated, but there is a bit of that feeling there. As the son tells his story, one does have to wonder if he's telling US the truth (as he doesn't tell the truth along the way).

I wasn't really expecting the shift from what happened to the information about guns, and accidental firings, and legal responsibilities. That was interesting ... could definitely see this being a "Dateline" type show.

Just sad all the way around. What happened to Josh (although it was so quick it had to be painless, there are certainly worse ways to go), and to Zach, and to the family - the father and mother. Interesting look at the community and perceptions. 

Probably not a book I would have grabbed ... but #nonfictionNovember and this was included in the AudiblePlus catalog, so immediately available (I also noticed it was at my library). I'd just listened to a couple other actor memoirs so, why not? I know Dick Van Dyke only from the Disney movies, never watched The Dick Van Dyke Show or Diagnosis Murder, other than a small clip here and there. 

I went with the audio edition, and it was narrated by the author, at the age of 89. His diction and voice has been affected by age (unsurprising) but made a few things a little harder to understand. I had to listen at regular speed (I have been speeding up most listens of late). 

While a good portion of the book WAS about "keeping moving" and staying active while aging,  most was just a memoir, stories of his life. It wasn't exactly chronological, and it was repetitive in parts (seriously, a couple times I wondered if I had bumped the player and repeated a section). 

Definitely learned some things about the actor that I hadn't known (his drinking/smoking, early family life, three relationships - divorced, never married but with 30 years companion who died, then married again to a woman 40+ years younger). I have to admit the age difference of the latter is a little mind boggling. I despise drinking/smoking ... my own issues, but it always affects me seeing someone struggle (and that's not even looking at how it affects those around the one doing it). 

I'm at the "just over 50" ... but I've always had a fear of growing old. While I admire those who manage it (and some of the examples highlighted here ... Ruth Ginsberg, Betty White, are no longer living, and anyone reading the book in the future will likely find more, including the author, although he IS still alive during my read!) this didn't really help change my perception. Not sure anything can. 

In a conversation with his brother ...
"Is there anything good about getting older? Do you have any advice for people who are getting older, who are entering their sixties, seventies, eighties and nineties?"
"Don't do it"
"Don't do what?"
"Don't get older"
What my brother mean was don't slow down, don't give up the things you like to do, don't pay attention to the calendar ...

IS that what he meant? That's not what he said ...

Later ... "you do the same things you always did-or try to-except that it hurts."  

Now that I believe. Even at just over 50, I seem to be going downhill fast! In my mind I've had this little checklist of things I felt like I needed to accomplish, and I'm pretty much there. Seriously, I think after that last one is checked, I'm good to go.   He states "Don't be scared of dying. Be more frightened that you haven't finished living"  ... is there a point where people have "finished living" and we don't need to say "oh how sad" ... even if it's a little earlier than expected? I know it's different for everyone, but for me, I do NOT want to be a burden, I don't want to "fight" through disease with doctor's appointments that eat up time and money and effort. Some people can stay active and adorable while aging ... others might very well ruin any fond reflection their loved ones had of them by sticking around too long.

So - I've got a bit of a negative view of this whole thing, so it's a little hard to be impartial about the book, based on a positive view of the topic.

He jokes about his term life insurance, that expires at age 95 ... paid into it all that time for no return. He tries to be a little too punny and clever. It got a little rambly ... as he tried to make sure he showed his support for gay marriage, race relations, lots of topics. Got a touch political, and a little into "god" and faith and religion too.  He had a chapter "Ninety Years - A Report Card" where he'd  touch on any and every topic and give it an A, or and F or a D ... (usually just the extremes). Good/Bad. He has some poems ... sings "That Old Senility" to the tune of "The Bare Necessities".  In a final chapter (A Conversation with Carl) about how he could go to Carl with needs and here "in need of another chapter for this book" and I was thinking "no, we don't need another chapter!" In this, he literally replays a conversation ...

Me: So how is it being ninety-three"
Carl: Slower (he smiles). But hey, it's better than having stopped at ninety-two...

He goes on and on, and while he does list the Me/Carl ... in audio it all ran together and I couldn't keep track of if what was being said was Dick or Carl ... but I didn't really care. 

While I did learn a little about Mr. Van Dyke here, and he's a cute old man ... I think I might have preferred to just have my memory of him from his younger years in the Disney films, and not learned some of the things about him. I'm afraid the negative outweighed the positive for me in this presentation. 

Reading a lot of non-fiction this month, and like other works featuring a disaster ([book:Columbine|5632446], [book:The Longest Minute: The Great San Francisco Earthquake and Fire of 1906|60784534] and others) - if it were fiction, I'd say it has "too many characters" ... following the stories of so many people, and having them not be "characters" there often isn't the same connection as to a fictional work, even taking into account that these stories are actually true. I do have to wonder that so much dialog is included in the book. In the "Facts About the Titanic" at the end the author does note "There are no reconstructed conversations in this book. The words quoted are given exactly as people remembered them being spoken. yet there is margin for error. The same conversations are often reported with slight variations."  Of course that is the case. In Columbine, the author had more detailed notes about what was taken exactly from recorded journals, interviews, etc ... and that seems a bit more reliable. I have a hard time remembering exactly what I said, and this doesn't address WHEN these words quoted were recorded (directly after the disaster? Or with a survivor 40+ years after the fact?) Add in memory (also addressed in Columbine, and here, how most of the women said they left on the "last boat" ... because that was the perception in THEIR mind, they were leaving, the ordeal was over, without really knowing what was going on. It's addressed a wife asking her husband the time on the Carparthia during the rescue, him thinking it was about 4:30 pm when it was actually 9:30 am). Even with actual witness interviews ... one wonders about how correct things are completely. What is given during the main portion of the book sets things out as fact, and then these questions are only brought up afterward.  But at least they are brought up.  

The Acknowledgments were NOT included in the audio, and there was good information there that I feel like the listener misses out out (also some illustrations and such at the start which don't convert to audio).  Here, there is even more information about how details were gathered and compiled.  There is a passenger list included in the Kindle copy as well.

Of course, I've seen the blockbuster movie. There are quite a few books out there ... I haven't read most yet (I think only a couple where the Titanic was just a small side-story). I do have several of the novels about the sinking on my to read list. It will be interesting to see if I remember some details from this appearing in fictionalized works. I think I got a fairly good "story" of what happened. It was interesting even if it is difficult to even attempt to keep track of names and other details. 

This was included in AudiblePlus, and the text included with KindleUnlimited. I noticed that this was included at the local library as well (text and audio).  The audio copy just listed the basic chronological chapters ... there were headings which I always appreciate being included. It helps me focus on the idea of the chapter, and while it was stated quickly in the narration, it's more helpful to see it in print on my Audible app, I glance at it as I'm listening, as I turn the book on and off. 

Originally published in 1955 with new editions published in later years. 1983 and 2012 listed in the copyright info on the Kindle edition. The Audible edition lists 2015. 

This was mentioned in a Facebook Sourdough group I'm in ... funny because I usually get my book recommendations from my book groups! :) Not that I NEED any recommendations, with 4000+ books already on my list. But, as I'm a sourdough gal, and currently attempting a #nonfictionNovember and this was available for immediate borrowing at my library, it jumped to the top of my list. 

Just like the novel [book:Sourdough|33916024] - I'm not sure how much appeal this would have to non-bakers. I'm sure there are some who might like just the inspirational memoir, but I think it helps to have experience baking bread so that there is that personal connection. The mental health aspect was also interesting ... perhaps I have a personal connection there as well. The baking of bread and sharing, giving life a little more meaning, a reason. 

I went with the audio edition, which was narrated by the authors. They had heavier English accents and not being professional narrators, were a little harder for me to understand. They were both really good though, with enough enunciation and emotion, not all authors have the ability to narrate. 

One might have expected Covid to shut everything down - I know here in the states, flour was hard to come by, as was yeast (which IS why sourdough was making a comeback here as well). I didn't start my journey until after the main Covid concerns had passed, but it has been interesting to see the price and availability of flour shift. 

I've never got to the "selling" point ... this is just an enjoyment, a hobby, a service for me. I make 12-20 loaves a week and just give them away. No stress, no obligation or expectations. The journey featured here, while fun and giving young Kitty purpose, did sound super stressful too!

I have started following Kitty on Instagram. The audiobook did NOT include recipes, but that was actually fine (I did get the kindle copy too) as I already have my established plan and wasn't looking  for that. I saw in another review that they only wanted the recipes, not the journey. 

I listened to the similar lecture series about Mozart earlier this year. I remember really liking it ... but I'm actually NOT remembering that much about Mozart, other than being absolutely able to associate Queen of the Night/The Magic Flute with him. 

Here, I felt I learned quite a bit about Beethoven that I wasn't aware of (his relationships, his father, his brothers, his SILs, his nephew). I was surprised NOT to recognize as much of the sampled music as I would have thought (no Fur Elise, Ode to Joy or ... "The Burger King" song). I did a little lookup before, again attempting to assign familiar songs to Beethoven, Bach and Mozart. Made more difficult with the songs don't have distinct names ( ... Moonlight Sonata IS one I will remember, but not Symphony #5 ... although I definitely recognize the music when I hear it). 

Quick listens, very entertaining lecturer. Sounds a little like Vencinni from The Princess Bride (here even saying "Sicilian" and "Florenes"). Included in AudiblePlus right now (the content can change), also available at my local library. THIS one wasn't priced as low during an Audible sale, so I gifted the Mozart one to a couple siblings. While I did like this, I seem to recall enjoying the Mozart one a little more? Maybe his story wasn't as sad/bad as Beethoven's...