I liked this book a lot, the mystery was good, the characters well developed. In the early 1960s a child called Bear goes missing. In the mid 1970s hiI liked this book a lot, the mystery was good, the characters well developed. In the early 1960s a child called Bear goes missing. In the mid 1970s his younger sister also vanishes. Are the disappearances connected? Are they dead? Who is responsible? ...more
Comedy writer Chelsea Devantez takes us on her path from childhood (including the pitfalls of abusive parental figures and questionable parentage), eaComedy writer Chelsea Devantez takes us on her path from childhood (including the pitfalls of abusive parental figures and questionable parentage), early adulthood struggling to make a career in comedy, to her success as a head writer on a prestigious comedy show. Best comedy memoir I’ve read so far....more
Could have been good, started out interesting but then got boring and super repetitive. Ethan was 10 when his best friend was taken from the tent theyCould have been good, started out interesting but then got boring and super repetitive. Ethan was 10 when his best friend was taken from the tent they were both in (camping in their parent’s backyard). 30 years later Ethan is back and the mystery of what happened to Billy remains unsolved.
The problem is that Ethan has zero personality outside of Billy’s disappearance. The police investigate and react in completely unbelievable ways. There’s maybe a paranormal element that could have been done well, but it wasn’t. Do not recommend this book and I don’t think I’ll be reading more from this author. ...more
A memoir not just about workaholism, I enjoyed all aspects of this book. From dysfunctional family dynamics, climbing the corporate ladder as a woman,A memoir not just about workaholism, I enjoyed all aspects of this book. From dysfunctional family dynamics, climbing the corporate ladder as a woman, addiction, and ultimately finding yourself. ...more
I liked this book a lot. A memoir about a middle aged, single, childless woman who, after the isolation of Covid, goes to Paris to revitalize herself.I liked this book a lot. A memoir about a middle aged, single, childless woman who, after the isolation of Covid, goes to Paris to revitalize herself. She was suffering from skin hunger and lack of connection after the pandemic’s isolation. While the topic of a woman pursuing pleasure shouldn’t be taboo, it still kinda is.
I liked that the book wasn’t just about the physical pleasure of sex, but also about the pleasure of companionship / friendship, and the pleasure of good food.
Some quotes I liked:
Misery loves company but so does joy
It is hard to express the joy of finding a person who is made to feel the most alive by the very thing that makes you feel most alive. It’s one of the great gifts. The gift of not having to translate yourself.
Maturity has little to do with growing away from things that bring us joy or pleasure or just silly fun. It most often just mean kindness; knowing how to give it, to ourselves and others, and also receive it. ...more
I so didn’t care for this book. Foley tried to make it atmospheric but it just didn’t work for me. What a shame because I really enjoyed The Guest LisI so didn’t care for this book. Foley tried to make it atmospheric but it just didn’t work for me. What a shame because I really enjoyed The Guest List by her. There were twists and turns but I couldn’t bring myself to really care or get into the story at all. I liked the summer journal flashback parts the most, the present day opening weekend dragged on and on. ...more
Decent mystery, kept me interested. Was surprised by at least some of the twists and they didn’t come out of nowhere. A pet peeve of mine is a charactDecent mystery, kept me interested. Was surprised by at least some of the twists and they didn’t come out of nowhere. A pet peeve of mine is a character that acts normal the whole book and then at the end has a big villain reveal. ...more
Scientist in Hawaii working to protect native plants at risk of extinction. He carried the dried out body of a natNotes I took while reading the book:
Scientist in Hawaii working to protect native plants at risk of extinction. He carried the dried out body of a native flower, the last of its kind, back to the lab so they could toast to its life. I cried reading this part.
Many indigenous people recognize plants with personhood (plant person vs human person). Some include them in their family trees. They recognize plants as animals since they are animate.
Electrical impulses in plants (will go limp w anesthesia)
Plants can hear, take in vibrations (and know when a vibration will harm them and change what chemicals they emit to launch a defense against the invader - caterpillar chewing makes a vibration that the plant recognizes). Phytoacoustics. Implications if we can trigger the right defenses in plants to make their own pesticides
Light receptors? Plant mimicry
Pro social behaviors - staghorn fern • Preferential treatment to family members. They recognize their kin • Will move and arrange their leaves to avoid shading out Kim neighbors and don’t steal all the nutrients in the ground (sunflowers do this and farmers get a 40% increase in sunflower oil when they plant genetically related plants closely together)
We don’t have the right language to describe how plants experience the world since they are so different than us. Hard to describe without anthropomorphizing them. But if we can’t get people to understand plants experiences, how will we get public buy in to change how we interact / protect / give rights to them? ...more
I guess I’m an outlier from all the 5 star reviews. I thought this was good, but not extraordinary, 3.5 stars. It’s a very touching memoir about the eI guess I’m an outlier from all the 5 star reviews. I thought this was good, but not extraordinary, 3.5 stars. It’s a very touching memoir about the early death of her mother due to cancer, and what she leaves in her wake. She leaves not only sorrow and loss, but a chest full of gifts and letters for her children to open on birthdays, graduations, and special life events (engagement, marriage, birth of a child).
I especially liked the bond between Gwen and her older brother Jamie. Her father and step mother were not painted in the best light and I had a harder time connecting with them, even through tragedy. ...more
Gosh I do love Hari’s books! He’s talented at taking complex topics and writing about them in a way that the “everyperson” can understand. He exploresGosh I do love Hari’s books! He’s talented at taking complex topics and writing about them in a way that the “everyperson” can understand. He explores the research that led to Ozempic and other GLP-1 drugs. He talks about the risks of taking these drugs vs rewards (the health benefits of getting to a lower weight) thoroughly.
But the book is so much more than just this topic. He explores the history of weight loss medications and crazes. He talks about why we eat, body image, satiety, and the food system at large. Would definitely recommend! ...more
3.5 stars, the author writes well about the grief she experienced after her husband suddenly died at the age of 32. However, the chapters were all suc3.5 stars, the author writes well about the grief she experienced after her husband suddenly died at the age of 32. However, the chapters were all such short peeks into her past with her husband, and her present grief, that I wish they were a little longer to better immerse into the story. Still a good, very quick read...more
I just wasn’t drawn into the story or characters. Starting every chapter with how many days it’s been since rain was weird too, especially since it haI just wasn’t drawn into the story or characters. Starting every chapter with how many days it’s been since rain was weird too, especially since it had only been about 2 months of no rain (as of May) which hardly constitutes a drought where the lake levels would be so low.
I wasn’t drawn into the mystery of what happened to Hazel’s mother, or the current disappearances in the small town. I kinda yawned through the reveal, not a great twist. ...more
I would have liked this more if it was a true mystery/thriller. Its more so just a reality TV cast that gets stranded on an island with no help in sigI would have liked this more if it was a true mystery/thriller. Its more so just a reality TV cast that gets stranded on an island with no help in sight. How will supplies be divided? Will alliances form? Are people who they say they are? Kinda an interesting premise.
But taking away from what could have been a more enjoyable book was our MC narrator Lyla. She wasn’t that likable and since we see the story through her eyes, it got a little tiring to always get only her perspective. I still enjoyed the book overall, it was an easy read and kept me mostly interested. ...more
2.5 stars. Somewhat lackluster. Aubrey is cursed with an illness that sets in anytime she stays somewhere longer than a couple of days, making her lif2.5 stars. Somewhat lackluster. Aubrey is cursed with an illness that sets in anytime she stays somewhere longer than a couple of days, making her life one of continual motion. An interesting premise, but the story lags in places. Her relationships with other people are almost entirely unconvincing, I didn’t buy into most of them. Marta is supposed to be her friend and traveling companion for 2 years, yet we didn’t get to see their bond. Aubrey had more of a bond with a man on a train.
Disappointing ending with nothing getting explained. Somewhat magical realism, somewhat fantastical. This could have been really great but wasn’t. ...more
Some parts of this memoir were so touching and poignant (the parts about her best friend’s relationship and younger sister, and the end where she museSome parts of this memoir were so touching and poignant (the parts about her best friend’s relationship and younger sister, and the end where she muses on the passage of time and lost futures), but far more were somewhat meh. Overall probably still worth a read but I found its quality to be inconsistent. ...more
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