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This week in…: Volume 39

November 13, 2015 by Jana 15 Comments

Not much to report this week. Let’s get to it anyway.

Thanks again to everyone who joined us for this month’s Show Us Your Books. Steph and I genuinely appreciate your participation and enthusiasm and we have another giveaway planned for you next month (linkup is December 8).
Finished Ready Player One, almost finished with Stoner, picked up God Shaped Hole (a book I read years ago and saw a picture of on IG but didn’t remember what happened so maybe it’s worth a reread).
Obsessively listened to Welcome to Night Vale. It’s genuinely the weirdest podcast I have ever listened to but it’s so, so funny and creative.
Stuck to my TV regimen of Fargo, The Bastard Executioner, Big Bang Theory, Mom, How to Get Away with Murder, and John Oliver. Looking forward to the next seasons of all the Netflix shows I enjoy (and the new season of Prison Break!) and am currently in the market for a new show to binge watch. Suggestions?
Everything in the next paragraph is true–On Monday, I got an email from the child’s principal that they had to put the school on soft lockdown due to police activity at a house a bit up the road from the school. Fortunately, she stayed home on Monday and I breathed a sigh of relief because I freaked out a bit that their lockdown drills had to actually be applied (note: a soft lockdown is one where the building is locked but normal activity continues inside the classrooms. Not an actual lockdown where they lock the school and the classroom doors and the kids and staff and teachers go into the breakout rooms). So I keep reading the email and it turns out, the lockdown and police activity were due to the emu that’s been running loose in my town for the last 2-3 months. Guys. We have an EMU on the loose AND NOBODY CAN CATCH THE DAMN THING. Everyone around here is mildly obsessed with this rogue emu because it’s hilarous. Our residents group posts pictures of emu sightings. People debate the emu. The thing is a freaking legend. We were even in the news!
I also learned that there have been orders to shoot him on sight, provided he’s not on private property, since apparently animal control or fish and wildlife or whomever has been charged with capturing him don’t have the capacity to humanely tranquilize him and he’s become a “safety hazzard”. I have so many thoughts on this, the least of which is I am appalled. He’s not harming anyone or anything and if people wouldn’t stop their damn cars to take pictures and/or selfies, he wouldn’t pose a traffic problem. If he were aggressive, I could understand. But he just wants to be left alone. And people and deer and cats and groundhogs run out in the middle of the road, too, and no one campaigns to shoot them. Fortunately, there are some great people where I live who are trying to get him captured safely and humanely. ETA: The emu has been caught, unharmed, and relocated to a farm.
Ticked a couple of items off the fall project list, which felt great, even if I’m sucking ass at NaNo (seriously, my goal is simply to finish my book not write 50K words so I won’t actually be a “winner” if I get to my goal). But I am writing a little bit at a time so I’m getting closer to the end.
Haven’t read much on the internets since I’ve been obsessively researching how to run my writing contest and podcast for work, recipes for the Whole30 the husband and I are currently doing, and all the tweets from The Bloggess’s thing about awkward moments. If you have a few spare hours and haven’t read those yet, DO IT. You will not regret it.
Got this funny from the husband:

This is our last weekend with the cheer gym we’ve been going to for 3 seasons. It’s a very bittersweet parting but one that’s necessary. She’s superexcited about her new gym and as a parent, I’m very pleased with it, too. Other than that, we’ve got nothing planned. Maybe a movie and some (necessary) food prep. Definitely books.

How about you guys? Any big plans?

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Show Us Your Books–November edition

November 10, 2015 by Jana 33 Comments

Hello, fellow booknerds. We meet again. FOR THE GREATEST DAY OF THE MONTH!!! I cannot wait to see what you guys have read and to add to my TBR even though I have 8 books on my nightstand, 6 books on hold, and about a dozen unread books on my iPad. This is perhaps why I am taking a readcation over Thanksgiving. No blogging, no social media except maybe Instagram, no work. Just books, family, the occasional workout because food, and more books.

It really needs to get here already.

But since it’s still 2 weeks away, let’s review what I read last month, which was perhaps my slowest reading month of the year. I finished 5 and had one DNF.

Did You Ever Have a Family by Bill Clegg. This was just nominated for a Goodreads award and with good reason. This is a sad, beautifully written book. It told the story of a woman who lost her entire family in a terrible, tragic accident (that actually could have been prevented but we don’t know that until the big confession), and the narrative is done through a number of characters who, in another book, would have been peripheral characters but in this book, come together to tell the whole story. It does drag in some places but overall, it was such a phenomenal story and I gave it 5 stars because of the creativity in storytelling. I don’t recommend this book for everyone. But I loved it.

Who Do You Love by Jennifer Weiner. There is a reason she is on my list of authors I’ll never quit. I simply love her books. They are not earth changing, they are not inspiring, they will not make you think differently about life. But she writes (mostly) realistic stories with (mostly) realistic characters and those stories give you all the feels without being overbearing or wrecking you for days. Which is nice. This one in particular chronicles the relationship between Rachel and Andy, starting from their first meeting at 7 or 8 and ends with them as adults, and it’s not always as storybook as you’d think. That’s the part I loved. Also, the characters are my age and since the story is told with an age progression, I could relate on a whole different level. I’m describing that poorly. Essentially, I liked that I understood a lot of the pop culture references and experiences.

You Too Can Have a Body Like Mine by Alexandra Kleeman. Fuck this pretentious, boring book with awful characters written by someone who clearly has buckets of talent but chose to showcase it in a way that alienates readers who actually want to be slightly entertained by books. The main character, A, is miserable, her boyfriend, C, is a huge dick, and her roommate, B, is even more miserable than A and they’re all pathetic and maybe it was social commentary that I’m not smart enough to understand and that’s why it didn’t click for me but blech. I hated this book. I could write dozens of sentences as to why and they’d probably all be more interesting than everything about this book. This was my DNF, by the way

Hate List by Jennifer Brown. Continuing my support for banned books, I decided to read this one. Another school shooting book but this time, it followed the girl whose boyfriend was the shooter and how he seemingly picked victims both at random and targeted based on their collective “hate list”. We see how the shooting affects not only Valerie mental health, family life, and school life, but we see the overall impact to the school and survivors. The ending was a little to rushed and parts were tied in a neat little bow, but for the most part, the author did not shy away from the ugliness of the aftermath (particularly in the way Valerie’s family treats her). It’s a hard topic to read but I highly recommend this book.

Galveston by Nic Pizzolatto. If his name sounds familiar, it’s because he’s the guy behind True Detective. I first heard of this book from Erin, and since she and I have similar taste in, well, everything, I put this one on my list. I’m glad I did. I read this book in about 3 hours. It’s definitely right up my gritty, dark, violent, emotional, crime story alley. The book–which is relatively short–follows the Roy, who’s essentially mafia muscle and recently diagnosed with terminal cancer, who escapes a hit on him and in the process, becomes the unwilling partner/guardian of Rocky and her “sister”. The story follows them in their travels through Louisiana and Texas and eventual stay at a motel in, you guessed it, Galveston. What happens isn’t pretty, which I liked. The ending is not at all what I expected, even if it became pretty predictable after a point.

Bream Gives Me Hiccups & Other Stories by Jesse Eisenberg. If his name sounds familiar, it’s because it’s Jesse Eisenberg, the actor. Who, for what it’s worth, I love as an actor. He’s one of those actors who will get me to watch a movie simply because he’s in it. So that’s partly why I wanted to read this book. Also because a book of short stories is on my self-imposed, never shared reading challenge. What’s nice about a book of short stories is, if you don’t like one, you can skip it and it doesn’t at all affect your reading experience. That’s what happened in this book. There were some stories I LOVED (like the one with the college freshman and the opening one with the kid giving his life story hidden in restaurant reviews) and some that were just meh. I will say, though, regardless of my opinion of the story, he’s a great writer. I’d read another collection if he writes one.

Definitely add to your TBR: Hate List, Galveston

Read only if every other book ever written goes up in flames and the internet shuts down: You Too Can Have a Body Like Mine

Now it’s your turn! Link up below with your posts or, nonbloggers or bloggers who didn’t write a post, let me know in the comments what you’ve been reading. Next linkup will be on December 8.

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This week in…: Volume 38

October 30, 2015 by Jana 22 Comments

Slow news week:

Finished Hate List and Galveston. Started Gangerland. Picked up Maybe in Another Life and The Financial Lives of the Poets. Next Show Us Your Books is November 10 and I’m hoping to have a few more finished to review for you guys by then.
Restarted the podcast Welcome To Night Vale. I listened to it for a while last year and then stopped and now it’s a book which is crazy awesome so I figured I’d catch up on the podcast happenings.
Watched season 2 of Fargo (well, the episodes that have aired). I heart Jesse Plemons which is why I even decided to watch this season even though I’ve heard amazing things about season 1. I figure it’ll make it onto Netflix eventually and I’ll watch it then. Verdict: it’s quite excellent. Even Kirsten Dunst who generally annoys the fuck out of me.
Baseball. Sigh. My boys better pull it together this weekend.
Beamed with pride at some of the decisions my child made this week. They were difficult, especially for a kid, but she did good. And her maturity surprised me, especially for an almost 9 year old.
Read this internet stuff: I like salad but it’s nice to have options: 39 healthy recipes for people who hate salad. I call this list hope for my book when it eventually is finished: 10 bestsellers that were originally rejected. I can’t even begin to imagine what it was like to be there: A restrospective on the 80s Sunset Strip, featuring all the hairbands.
Got these funnies from the husband:

Have a great Halloween weekend! Maybe it be filled with all the Reese’s!

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This week in…: Volume 37

October 23, 2015 by Jana 35 Comments

Every time I see the number 37, I think of the movie Clerks. I’m not the only one, right? RIGHT?!

Anyway. Weekly recap stuff.

Didn’t finish any books not for work but currently reading You Too Can Have a Body Like Mine. Picked up Infinite Home, Ready Player One, the new Nickolas Butler, and an eBook (Brene Brown’s Daring Greatly). Hopefully all will be read in time for the next Show Us Your Books on November 10th. And congrats to Kate and Kristen for winning the one year anniversary giveaway!
Started volunteering in the library at the child’s school. Told the other volunteer I like books more than people. She was not amused. #sorrynotsorry But guys, if you have a kid and you have the time, offer to go in and help the librarian. School libraries are so crucial and the librarians work really hard. No, it’s not the most glamorous or fun job like chaperoning a field trip, but I can guarantee you it’ll be appreciated.
NATIONAL LEAGUE CHAMPIONS, BITCHES!!! #LGM
Also currently dogsitting for a little dachshund I’ve named Houseguest (not her real name). Freaked out a litte behind her owners’ backs because when they dropped her off, the brought her and her food. No dish, no bed, no toys (no leash because she’s always off leash. Her legs are so small and she’s old so it’s not like she’s going anywhere). I mean, who does that?? Here, watch my dog but I’m going to give you absolutely nothing she needs for you to take care of her for 5 days. Made me mad.
Speaking of dogs, Barkley went to the vet for his yearly appointment. The growth on his leg that forced him into the cone of shame (if you follow me on Instagram, you saw the pathetic picture)? Easily removable through a little minor surgery. YAY!!
Created my own personal online scheduler for appointments and phone calls. Because obviously I’m important now.
Worked through an unexpected pantry challenge because getting to the supermarket has been near impossible. It’s amazing what you can come up with to eat when you have to use what’s in the house. Makes you realize that sometimes, maybe we have too much.
Made my friend Mackenzie’s pumpkin dip but subsituted honey for maple syrup since we had none on hand. SO EASY. Here’s the recipe: 1 cup canned pumpkin, 1 package cream cheese (softened), 3 tbsp honey or syrup, 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon. Mix (I used my electric hand mixer). We used apples as the dipper but you can really use anything you want.
Read some fun internet things: This list is filled with some of my all-time favorites: 5 films that turned 30 this year (and why you should care). An amazing story, actually written in April but discovered by me this week, on how a Mets fan turned his pain as a fan (and trust me, it is painful to be a Mets fan) into a lucrative business. All the truths in this one: 10 reasons your house will never look like a home goods catalog. Malls: one of the staples of my teenage years. This is a cool photo projects about what malls looked like in 1989 and how they haven’t changed all that much. Major props to the chick rocking the Skid Row t-shirt.
We’re supposed to go pumpkin picking this weeked but this about sums it up:

Hope you guys have a great weekend! I’ll be catching up on sleep and reading since no baseball and no cheerleading competitions. See you Tuesday!

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Judging Covers with The Husband, third edition

October 22, 2015 by Jana 25 Comments

This entry is part 2 of 11 in the series Judging Covers

You know what you do when you’re fumbling around for content and you have a pile of books on your nightstand and a husband who loves to tell you what the books are about soley based on the covers? You write the third edition of Judging Covers two weeks early (make sure you read the first edition and second edition if you haven’t. My husband is…something else).

Book #1: Hate List by Jennifer Brown

The Husband says: This bitch (seriously, we need to have a discussion about his calling every girl on the cover of a book “this bitch”. Didn’t realize until now how much that actually bothers me) is gonna kill somebody. They’re scary. Those are hate eyes.

Goodreads says: Five months ago, Valerie Leftman’s boyfriend, Nick, opened fire on their school cafeteria. Shot trying to stop him, Valerie inadvertently saved the life of a classmate, but was implicated in the shootings because of the list she helped create. A list of people and things she and Nick hated. The list he used to pick his targets.

Now, after a summer of seclusion, Val is forced to confront her guilt as she returns to school to complete her senior year. Haunted by the memory of the boyfriend she still loves and navigating rocky relationships with her family, former friends and the girl whose life she saved, Val must come to grips with the tragedy that took place and her role in it, in order to make amends and move on with her life.

Jana’s note: Pretty decent accuracy on this one. Then again, it’s not like the title or the cover took pains to hide the topic of the book.

Book #2: Bream Gives Me Hiccups & Other Stories by Jesse Eisenberg

The Husband says: Is this Jesse Eisenberg the actor? (after running through references to Sunbeam bread and former baseball player Sid Bream and me yelling at him to stop being ridiculous and actually tell me what he thinks the book is about), I’ve got nothing. I don’t even know what “Bream” is. It’s a nonsense cover.

Goodreads says: Taking its title from a group of stories that begin the book, Bream Gives Me Hiccups moves from contemporary L.A. to the dormrooms of an American college to ancient Pompeii, throwing the reader into a universe of social misfits, reimagined scenes from history, and ridiculous overreactions. In one piece, a tense email exchange between a young man and his girlfriend is taken over by the man’s sister, who is obsessed with the Bosnian genocide (The situation reminds me of a little historical blip called the Karadordevo agreement); in another, a college freshman forced to live with a roommate is stunned when one of her ramen packets goes missing (she didn’t have “one” of my ramens. She had a chicken ramen); in another piece, Alexander Graham Bell has teething problems with his invention (I’ve been calling Mabel all day, she doesn’t pick up! Yes, of course I dialed the right number – 2!).

Book #3: Infinite Home by Kathleen Alcott

The Husband says: It’s about Qbert’s house because the game never ends and he just keeps jumping from square to square. Otherwise I have no clue what that cover means. It’s the only possible thing.

Goodreads says: Edith is a widowed landlady who rents apartments in her Brooklyn brownstone to an unlikely collection of humans, all deeply in need of shelter. Crippled in various ways—in spirit, in mind, in body, in heart—the renters struggle to navigate daily existence, and soon come to realize that Edith’s deteriorating mind, and the menacing presence of her estranged, unscrupulous son, Owen, is the greatest challenge they must confront together.

Faced with eviction by Owen and his designs on the building, the tenants—Paulie, an unusually disabled man and his burdened sister, Claudia; Edward, a misanthropic stand-up comic; Adeleine, a beautiful agoraphobe; Thomas, a young artist recovering from a stroke—must find in one another what the world has not yet offered or has taken from them: family, respite, security, worth, love. The threat to their home scatters them far from where they’ve begun, to an ascetic commune in Northern California, the motel rooms of depressed middle America, and a stunning natural phenomenon in Tennessee, endangering their lives and their visions of themselves along the way.

Book #4: Ready Player One by Ernest Cline

The Husband says: It’s a video game with some little guy who’s the character in the video game.

Goodreads says: In the year 2044, reality is an ugly place. The only time teenage Wade Watts really feels alive is when he’s jacked into the virtual utopia known as the OASIS. Wade’s devoted his life to studying the puzzles hidden within this world’s digital confines, puzzles that are based on their creator’s obsession with the pop culture of decades past and that promise massive power and fortune to whoever can unlock them. When Wade stumbles upon the first clue, he finds himself beset by players willing to kill to take this ultimate prize. The race is on, and if Wade’s going to survive, he’ll have to win—and confront the real world he’s always been so desperate to escape.

Jana’s note: again, he was sort of close on this one. But he likes video games and it’s a pretty obvious title.

For the next edition, let me know if you are reading a book with a cover you’d like my husband to judge, especially if you read different types of books than I do. That should make for some interesting stuff.

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This week in…: Volume 39

Show Us Your Books–November edition

This week in…: Volume 38

This week in…: Volume 37

Judging Covers with The Husband, third edition

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