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katietotallybooked's Reviews (785)
A Mind Spread Out on the Ground was a fascinating and insightful critical and narrative essay collection. The writing is powerful and it's the type of book that has words that hit you and make you think. Her essays cover a range of themes and topics including depression & mental health, man vs. woman stereotypes, colonialism, sexual assault, abuse, and trauma, and Indigenous culture. There is so much to unpack from this book. It's one of the most insightful essay collections that I've ever read. The final essay threw me for a loop and I didn't like the way that it came across so the book ended on a lower note for me. But I recommend that this book be read by any Canadian interested in social issues and the way the world thinks.
Thank you to #netgalley and
MIRA/Harlequin for an advanced digital copy of #EastCoastGirls in exchange for an honest review. Publication Date is May 26th 2020.
This is a book that claims to be more than what it is. I actually found the "tragedy" to be far fetched and unrealistic. When it was revealed (because it's built-in as a mystery), it felt like watching a bad movie. These women are very stuck in the past. I couldn't relate to any of them, except for Hannah (and only her constant worry and heightened anxiety). The writing was average. The perspective changed a lot but there was no difference in writing style. I actually initially rated this book a 3⭐ in my mind. Then a conversation with Lindsey @bringmybooks and a refresh of the synopsis and what this book claims to be brought my rating down to a 2⭐. Unless I totally missed something, the official synopsis makes this book seem more than what it is. I just think there are better books out there to read this summer.
MIRA/Harlequin for an advanced digital copy of #EastCoastGirls in exchange for an honest review. Publication Date is May 26th 2020.
This is a book that claims to be more than what it is. I actually found the "tragedy" to be far fetched and unrealistic. When it was revealed (because it's built-in as a mystery), it felt like watching a bad movie. These women are very stuck in the past. I couldn't relate to any of them, except for Hannah (and only her constant worry and heightened anxiety). The writing was average. The perspective changed a lot but there was no difference in writing style. I actually initially rated this book a 3⭐ in my mind. Then a conversation with Lindsey @bringmybooks and a refresh of the synopsis and what this book claims to be brought my rating down to a 2⭐. Unless I totally missed something, the official synopsis makes this book seem more than what it is. I just think there are better books out there to read this summer.
I am an Iliza Shlesinger fan. I enjoy her personality and her comedy. I've watched all of her Netflix comedy specials. Her humour amplifies her spot-on observations and insights of the modern-day woman. She's blunt. She does voices and impressions. She gets excited when she talks.
I enjoyed this book on audio and it was like listening to one of her stand-up shows. She was intriguing and laugh out loud funny. As women, we are known for our sometimes irrational way of thinking. Our minds are complicated thought webs. I know I'm prone to over-thinking, over-worrying, and over-complicating. Iliza recognizes those common behaviours in women and she seeks to explain them with real-life examples and observations. However, her book does focus mostly on single women and the dating world. I found this a bit hard to relate to since I've been with my boyfriend for over four years. But the essence of truth is still there and I could understand her points well enough. She talks a lot about girl power, voicing how and why we need to love ourselves first and not let others (mostly men) get inside our heads.
I enjoyed this book on audio and it was like listening to one of her stand-up shows. She was intriguing and laugh out loud funny. As women, we are known for our sometimes irrational way of thinking. Our minds are complicated thought webs. I know I'm prone to over-thinking, over-worrying, and over-complicating. Iliza recognizes those common behaviours in women and she seeks to explain them with real-life examples and observations. However, her book does focus mostly on single women and the dating world. I found this a bit hard to relate to since I've been with my boyfriend for over four years. But the essence of truth is still there and I could understand her points well enough. She talks a lot about girl power, voicing how and why we need to love ourselves first and not let others (mostly men) get inside our heads.
If You Must Know by Jamie Beck follows the Foster Family. Life turns upside down for sisters Amanda and Erin Foster who couldn't be any more different. Amanda is a pulled-together, part-time early childhood educator, expectant wife to her real-estate mogul husband Lyle. Erin is a struggling yoga-teaching, bath-bomb making free-spirit.
The family's separate but happy lives are all twisted by lives. Then a scandal breaks out involving Amanda's husband and the family must come together, while also struggling with grief over the loss of their patriarch a year prior.
The biggest strength of this book was its fleshed-out female characters. I enjoyed the sister-sister and mother-daughter dynamics as they were untraditional from what I've seen before. However, the writing of this book was lacking. It was very simplistic and it didn't have enough descriptive details. It is also a slow read.
I'd market it as a contemporary novel rather than romance, as there was only a slow-burning, no steam romance included. If you are going to pick this up, I recommend it as a beach read or something lighter between more emotional books.
The family's separate but happy lives are all twisted by lives. Then a scandal breaks out involving Amanda's husband and the family must come together, while also struggling with grief over the loss of their patriarch a year prior.
The biggest strength of this book was its fleshed-out female characters. I enjoyed the sister-sister and mother-daughter dynamics as they were untraditional from what I've seen before. However, the writing of this book was lacking. It was very simplistic and it didn't have enough descriptive details. It is also a slow read.
I'd market it as a contemporary novel rather than romance, as there was only a slow-burning, no steam romance included. If you are going to pick this up, I recommend it as a beach read or something lighter between more emotional books.
Get Your Sh*t Together is a straight forward guide to living your best life. It’s full of easy and to the point advice about how to organize your life in order to get more done and pursue your dreams.
I didn’t love this book. Not because it wasn’t blunt and full of sound advice. But because I felt burnt-out on the “live your best life” topic. Again, there wasn’t a lot in this book that I felt was new advice to me. I also felt like Sarah was trying way too hard to be funny. However, I did enjoy the conversation and discussion I had with others in the book club. My key takeaways from Sarah are 1) set goals that motivate you and that you can break down into small manageable chunks and 2) prioritize those chunks. Plan them into your day. Make sure you take action. And don’t get caught up in perfectionism because that cycle won’t get you anywhere.
So here’s a book that can motivate you to take action if you feel stuck, overwhelmed, and like you just want to get your head above water and start swimming.
I didn’t love this book. Not because it wasn’t blunt and full of sound advice. But because I felt burnt-out on the “live your best life” topic. Again, there wasn’t a lot in this book that I felt was new advice to me. I also felt like Sarah was trying way too hard to be funny. However, I did enjoy the conversation and discussion I had with others in the book club. My key takeaways from Sarah are 1) set goals that motivate you and that you can break down into small manageable chunks and 2) prioritize those chunks. Plan them into your day. Make sure you take action. And don’t get caught up in perfectionism because that cycle won’t get you anywhere.
So here’s a book that can motivate you to take action if you feel stuck, overwhelmed, and like you just want to get your head above water and start swimming.
To everyone who told me this book was excellent, you were right! The writing was beautiful and enjoyable. I was engaged from the first few chapters. The story is engrossing and detailed. I can’t believe that I was unaware of this part of my country’s history. Also, I appreciate that this fictionalized story is based on real facts and stories of mothers and orphans. I don’t read a lot of historical fiction but when I do I want it to be based on real events.
I look forward to reading more from Joanna Goodman, including the follow-up novel The Forgotten Daughter which will be released in October 2020!
Full review available on my blog https://www.katietotallybooked.com/mini-book-reviews-may-wrap-up/
I look forward to reading more from Joanna Goodman, including the follow-up novel The Forgotten Daughter which will be released in October 2020!
Full review available on my blog https://www.katietotallybooked.com/mini-book-reviews-may-wrap-up/
Frying Plantain by Zalika Reid-Benta was a delight to read. Set in Toronto, it’s about a multi-generational Jamaican family and told in connected short story format. It demonstrates Kara’s struggles of fitting in, adapting to the many different viewpoints of her elders, and finding her place and Black identity in predominantly white society as she grows from a child to a young adult. It’s a fast and smooth read that shows everyday life for modern-day Black immigrants and first-generation young people in Canada.
So Fun Fact: I added this book to my Goodreads TBR on Sept 11, 2013. On June 14, 2020 I finally moved it to the Read shelf.
My review? I really loved it. If you don't know what it's about its the story of a relationship between Clare and Henry. Henry is a time-traveler because of a genetic disorder. He's also a librarian. And Henry starts visiting Clare as a child and eventually they meet in real-time and their relationship spans years and years. This book was some of what I expected but also nothing at all. I had seen the movie years ago but couldn't remember much about the story. The writing in this book is beautiful. It's a very language-driven book, and there isn't a lot of action but that's okay. Although it was a bit slow-moving at times. However, I loved the characters of Clare and Henry and their relationship. I couldn't help but picture Rachel McAdams as Clare through the entire novel. But I just really fell for their love story.
It was a book worth the wait and I'm glad that as a 4star book it will remain on my bookshelf for years to come!
My review? I really loved it. If you don't know what it's about its the story of a relationship between Clare and Henry. Henry is a time-traveler because of a genetic disorder. He's also a librarian. And Henry starts visiting Clare as a child and eventually they meet in real-time and their relationship spans years and years. This book was some of what I expected but also nothing at all. I had seen the movie years ago but couldn't remember much about the story. The writing in this book is beautiful. It's a very language-driven book, and there isn't a lot of action but that's okay. Although it was a bit slow-moving at times. However, I loved the characters of Clare and Henry and their relationship. I couldn't help but picture Rachel McAdams as Clare through the entire novel. But I just really fell for their love story.
It was a book worth the wait and I'm glad that as a 4star book it will remain on my bookshelf for years to come!
For such a short and simple book, this story is poignant and powerful, yet innocently written. Bruno is this nieve young boy who walks to the edge of his property where there is a fence, and every day he chats with Schmuel, a young boy on the other side of the fence. Bruno struggles with big questions - why is the fence there? Who are all the people in striped pajamas? Why are they there?
Families are so complicated, and in the eyes of a child, it can be hard to understand everything. I appreciated the exploration of this theme in this story. There is a very clear good v. evil dynamic as well.
Even days aften reading I still feel an emotional connection to this story, and to Bruno. Even though I had seen the movie version years ago, I was still captivated by the novel as I really had forgotten the story.
I think this is a book for everyone. You could read it to kids, teens could read it, and adults a like. It's just one of those books for all generations. It also teaches that you never really know what experience anyone is having on the other side of a fence, whether it's an actual fence or a metaphorical fence.
Families are so complicated, and in the eyes of a child, it can be hard to understand everything. I appreciated the exploration of this theme in this story. There is a very clear good v. evil dynamic as well.
Even days aften reading I still feel an emotional connection to this story, and to Bruno. Even though I had seen the movie version years ago, I was still captivated by the novel as I really had forgotten the story.
I think this is a book for everyone. You could read it to kids, teens could read it, and adults a like. It's just one of those books for all generations. It also teaches that you never really know what experience anyone is having on the other side of a fence, whether it's an actual fence or a metaphorical fence.
This book had my attention from the moment I first saw the cover. I love cherries and those look extremely appetizing!
The book opens with Hope, and her ten-year-old daughter Tink driving. You learn they are driving away from a traumatic incident and experience but you don't know the details. They arrive at Hope's aunt Peg's house, which also happens to be on a cherry orchard/farm. So begins a story of new beginnings and secret pasts, accompanied by farm work and cherries.
This story was very engaging and I was intrigued by the first chapter. I think that the author did an excellent job of hooking the reader in and slowly unraveling the story. It's certainly a women-centered story that is about growth. I loved Tink's character. Her tenacity and personality were endearing. Her love for her mother is clear, but the tough exterior she has is evidence of her rough upbringing. I liked the food aspects of this book and there are even recipes at the end!
I didn't love the romantic aspects of this book though. I felt they were predictable and "easy". I'm just more a fan of complicated romances I think personally. But it did fit with the over-arching new beginnings theme of the story.
Content Warnings: Domestic Abuse, Depression.
The book opens with Hope, and her ten-year-old daughter Tink driving. You learn they are driving away from a traumatic incident and experience but you don't know the details. They arrive at Hope's aunt Peg's house, which also happens to be on a cherry orchard/farm. So begins a story of new beginnings and secret pasts, accompanied by farm work and cherries.
This story was very engaging and I was intrigued by the first chapter. I think that the author did an excellent job of hooking the reader in and slowly unraveling the story. It's certainly a women-centered story that is about growth. I loved Tink's character. Her tenacity and personality were endearing. Her love for her mother is clear, but the tough exterior she has is evidence of her rough upbringing. I liked the food aspects of this book and there are even recipes at the end!
I didn't love the romantic aspects of this book though. I felt they were predictable and "easy". I'm just more a fan of complicated romances I think personally. But it did fit with the over-arching new beginnings theme of the story.
Content Warnings: Domestic Abuse, Depression.