katietotallybooked's Reviews (785)

 I couldn't think of a better time for this book to have been released. November 2020 was just a few weeks before legendary host Alex Trebek's passing. That element alone adds a timely nature to this book about a show that has been around for almost forty years.

I think anyone who has watched Jeopardy would enjoy this book. While I haven't watched Jeopardy much in recent years, it is something I grew up watching either after dinner or while we were eating. Jeopardy and its counter-part Wheel of Fortune were shows that the whole family could agree on watching. This book goes into detail about everything to do with Jeopardy, from casting and how contestants are chosen (including the infamous 'Jeopardy quiz'), to how the show was invented, to how the categories and answers are written and more.

It was an enjoyable listen on audio, and McNear's writing is fun and witty. She shares the history of Jeopardy well. I think she proves that she has done her research too because I felt this book was incredibly thorough. I don't think I have any questions about Jeopardy that have been left unanswered by this book. I also learned a lot about the show which is why this book was so insightful.

I'd recommend this book to anyone who has ever watched Jeopardy, whether it was just one episode or every episode ever aired. I think any reader would learn something new from this book about one of the longest-running television game shows of our time. 

 Toby is 15 years old. She lives with her grandparents in a small Ontario town. It's the 90s. And when Toby was 10, she found her mom dead on the floor of their apartment. She had overdosed.

This trauma has haunted Toby ever since. She never met her father, since he took off before she was born. But now, her father is coming to visit. She's only heard a few stories about him. She doesn't know that he's a Drag Queen.

Without being heavy and horrible, this book was a very powerful read given the difficult themes and subject matter that it was based around. I think it handled mental health and coming of age in a very graceful way. A word of warning because there are two passages with descriptive suicide scenes, so if that is a trigger for you, please be aware. The author writes this story well, and I would read more books by him in the future.

This is a book about acceptance, both of one's own self and of others. It's a book about family and community, and the different forms that can take. And the characters are all very lovable in their own quirky ways.

I loved the small-town 90s setting, because it discusses LGTBQ+ issues in a time when social media wasn't existent and this community felt even more marginalized then they do now. I think this was a great choice of a setting and timeline on the author's part.

I would definitely recommend this book if you are looking for YA fiction that handles tough mental health issues in a sweet and graceful manner. 

 

My first Lisa Jewell book, but likely not my last!

From the first few pages of this book, I was hooked. This book is set in the Finchley Road/Swiss Cottage/Hampstead neighbourhood of North London, UK. For those that don't know, that's where I lived when I lived in London in 2012-2013! So this book felt familiar to me and I was able to visualize the setting descriptions so well. There were references to restaurants that I remember, and the Finchley Road tube station stairs (which I actually tripped up and had HORRIBLE bruises on my shins from). From the author bio, I found out that Lisa Jewell currently lives in Swiss Cottage, which immediately built a connection for me to her as an author.

However, the actual story took me a bit longer to get into, and I think that was because of the multiple POVs. When a book has that feature, it takes longer for me to get into it. I find I have to read a couple of each character's perspective to really get a sense of what's going on.

The last 100 pages are what took this book from a 4 to 4.5 star. It ended in a way that I was not expecting, and I love that! Not that ever actively try to predict a thriller's ending, but when it's so unexpected that the events wouldn't even cross my mind, it's a winner!

What kept this book at 4.5 rating for me was that slow, and at times confusing, start to the book. And the foul language. I can handle that, but I'm definitely not a fan of it.

I will certainly read more of Lisa Jewell's books. I've added practically her whole backlist to my TBR.

I would recommend checking out this book if you are looking for a thriller with a web of characters centered around a family, and if you are okay with the darker/heavier themes. This book deals with assault, both physical and sexual, and the disappearance of a teenage girl. It's dark and not for the faint of heart.

 

 There aren't many times where I have the urge to start a book over from the beginning merely hours after first finishing it. But that's how I felt about Greenlights. I could listen to Matthew McConaughey for hours!

This book was mesmerizing. I was captivated by his stories, and I was awed by his personal insight. I personally love a memoir that is a mix of personal stories and reflections. I love when an author shares their perspective on events after the fact. I've read a lot of celebrity memoirs, and there isn't a lot that do that. There are even fewer that have done it as well as McConaughey, in my opinion. That's why I think his book is so distinguished. It's top tier exceptional.

I highly recommend this book, and definitely the audio version. This book is also great for the non-readers, or infrequent readers in your life. My partner is an infrequent reader. This is the first book that we have ever both read. It's a bonus that we both loved it too!

This book is also highly quotable. I would love to get my hands on the physical copy, just to write down some of my favourite passages. How McConaughey explains what greenlights are in terms of a person's life is just the start of the wisdom that he shares.

Just writing this review has given me the desperation to re-read it. So readers, put this one on your list! 

 
I am a worrier, and I have been for most of my life. As a teenager, my mom always used to tell me 'not to make mountains out of mole hills' because my worries were often over insignificant things.

Now, as a woman in my early 30's, I still find I worry about insignificant things. But I also have a lot of fear and anxiety about things that likely will never actually happen.

2020 really didn't help me deal well with my worry, so I kicked off 2021 with this personal development book, and I learned a lot!

I appreciated how this book started with chapters explaining what worry is and what causes it. There are actually different types of worry, which I had no idea about! The author includes case studies from individuals he has worked with too during his days as a clinical psychologist. I felt understood reading this book, and like I'm not the only 'chronic worrier' out there! In later chapters, the author goes into explaining techniques and methods that you can try to help handle your worry. He explains that not every method is going to work for every individual but that you can only help yourself by giving each method a try.

I can say that after reading this book, I have taken away a more insightful approach to my worry and why it happens, and I have started to use techniques that are helping me handle it so that it doesn't consume me. And also that I am having less of the same worrisome thoughts over and over.

This book taught me that the most important thing to do with worry is to break the cycle. And the best approach to take is a counter-intuitive one, which is why many people continue to struggle with worry. The way to solve it is not how you would think! Carbonell helps the reader learn these less-obvious approaches.

I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who considers themselves a worrier, and would like to do something about it. He has a second book, Outsmart Your Anxious Brain, that I might pick up later this year. I think it'll be a good one to read down the road to 'check in' with myself about how I'm handling my worry after working through this book this month. 

 Ready Player One was a five-star read for me. Unfortunately, this one just didn't quite hit that same bar.

However, it certainly was still an enjoyable read. I think these books are fun and nostalgic and I'd recommend them to any one who loves video games, the idea of virtual reality and 80s/90s pop culture.

I'm going to go into some specific details of the book for the rest of the review, so STOP HERE to avoid any spoilers.

What did I like?
I liked some of the quest themes (like the one dedicated to John Hughes). I like books about friends coming together to solve problems. I liked that Wade was more flawed in this book, and that he got a bit drunk with power after becoming the heir. I think his character had a good story arc in this sequel.

What didn't I like?
Some of the quest themes went way over my head - I know NOTHING about D&D and very little about LOTR. There was a lot of descriptive text and a lot of it felt very technical and if I hadn't of had the audiobook to keep me focused, my eyes might have glazed over. And lastly, I wasn't a fan of the Wade & Sam relationship in this one. Not sure I would have gone the same direction with that if I was writing the story.

I think this book has been optioned for a movie sequel, so I do look forward to that. I did enjoy the film adaptation of Ready Player One, so we'll see what this one develops into in a couple of years! 

 
Sunny is the third book in the Track series and it's my least favourite of the three.

I felt it lacked the substance and seriousness that the previous two books had. So my personal rating is low, but this book is certainly worth some merit and I would recommend it to younger readers, but only if they have read the previous Track books.

Sunny is a very joyful character, who has a unique zest for life! This book is both rhythmic and fun. This book is written in a 'dear diary' format which is different from Ghost and Patina. It makes it a quicker read for an adult, and I think the same would be said for a reader in the target audience. Sunny is trying to determine where he best fits in his friend group. He's homeschooled and he loves to dance. He doesn't know if track club is really for him, but he appreciates the friends it brings him. This book is his personal journey and a bit of a coming of age chapter for him.

It's hard to review a book positively that I didn't personally enjoy, BUT I know I'm not the target audience here. That's why I'll still recommend this series to young readers. And I still plan to read book #4, Lu. 

 

This book is the first in a series set at The Wayward Home for Children, where there are children and youth who have come for a variety of different reasons. Nancy is the star of this novel, but I felt like I didn't really get to know her too well. Maybe that is the downside of such a short novel. I would say that this is a lighter fantasy novel, because of it's magical realism element (magical characters and elements in a real-world type of setting...). That's why I thought I'd give it a try.

Although I read widely, fantasy is generally not a genre I explore. I figured since this series is about children, it would be a good entry point into the genre for me. But ultimately, I didn't vibe or connect with this book. I found it hard to focus while reading, and if it weren't for the audiobook helping me immerse myself in the story, I might have lost my focus altogether!

The strongest aspect of this book was its diversity, hands down. The characters are unique and interesting and there is LGBTQIA+ representation, which is fantastic. I applaud the author for that! Unfortunately, I just didn't connect with or start to care about any of the characters. The only ones that I found mildly intriguing were twins Jack and Jill.

But, there are lots of people who love this series. So if you are wanting to try fantasy, you might want to give this first book in the series a try. It is a shorter book and maybe you'll enjoy it more than I did.

 

 I thought this book was incredibly charming and it was the perfect escapist read that I didn't even know I needed!

This book features a strong sister relationship with Nora and Kit, who don't let their differences come between their eternal bond as sisters. It's set in the fictional town of Guthrie, Vermont which reminded me of a mix of fictional Cedar Cove and real-life Rhinebeck, New York. Nora runs her family's diner and Kit is a free-spirit who comes back to town with empty pockets and a film project on her mind.

When local cake baker Peggy passes away suddenly, her estate is left to Nora and Kit, much to their surprise. What follows is a story of how a community comes together in the face of sadness and change, and an explanation of how you don't have to just be blood sisters to have a sisterhood.

I was surprised how much I enjoyed this book. During a week when I was feeling nervous and anxious about a big event, this book gave me a place to escape to and it captivated me. Since I'm not a mood read, my books don't typically align that well so this was escapism fate, if you could call that a thing!

I will likely pick up Louise Miller's other book City Baker's Guide to Country Living next December for a lighter, holiday read.

Also, I listened to the audio and read the physical book in tandem and both were enjoyable! 

 
In She Come By It Natural, Sarah Smarsh uses stories from her own grandmother's past and facts from a previously published Dolly Parton title to reflect on the message of Parton’s songs. She writes about how Parton’s music resonated with women of her grandmother’s generation, and Parton’s contribution to Feminism and the country music industry.

I enjoyed this book, as I am someone who appreciates informative non-fiction about a topic of interest (music) and I love insightful writing.

I definitely recommend listening to this book on audio because Sarah Smarsh narrates it herself, and it's under 5 hours so it's a shorter listen. I'd compare it to listening to a news / current events podcast in terms of sound and style.

If you have an interest in Dolly Parton and/or country music, check this one out!