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Books I read for November.

Giddings is very, very clever. The fact that she developed this complex premise right out the gate, for her debut novel, is very, very, impressive. There were a few unanswered questions (like, who was funding these studies?) and the prose didn‘t always shine, but on the whole, an amazing effort. I think Giddings is going to have a writing career to watch. Full review: https://keepingupwiththepenguins.com/lakewood-megan-giddings/

Excellent audio narration! I picked this one up for #Booked2022 for #BlackOwnedPublisherOrImprint and I‘m glad I did. While I do agree wish some reviewers who mention the pacing issues, I liked the concept enough to overlook it. Our MC is hurting for cash so she enlists in a series of studies at Lakewood, where the benefits are great but come at a great price. A commentary on race and raises plenty of ethical issues which I appreciate in fiction.

This book was interesting, but not great. Half the time I felt like I didn't know where the story was going. I liked it enough to finish it. It's a strong story about racism within The US regarding medical testing in Black and people of color and I appreciated that aspect of it.

3.5 stars

Just heard of this new app called Bookycall like booty call it's a Book Recommendation app that is similar in style to Tinder. It's super cute. You create an account, tell it what types of books you like. And then you swipe right or left for books you like.or don't like and then you get messages from the books who send you links for how to get the book and they include print, ebooks and audiobook options. So fun!

Just got a new phone, maybe I should try reading an e book in this. The screen is really big and nicer to look at then my old phone.

Hmmm what book should I read as an ebook hmmm

Next Up! #TeamSlaughter #Scarathlon2021 #NextAudiobook

Would you accept a shit ton of money and some crazy good medical insurance in exchange for taking part of countless medical tests with no information given to you? I‘m about half way through this triller and I‘m loving it so far. #TeamSlaughter

Reading Envy Podcast Episode 223: Cicada Season with Rachel Mans McKenny @rachelm

Jenny and Rachel discuss books that didn't get as much attention as they deserved during the early days of the pandemic, science in fiction, a new podcast, and more.

Listen and subscribe:
https://tinyurl.com/ReadingEnvy223

This one was between a pick and a so-so for me. This book had so much to say and I appreciate it for what it is, but I had a hard time getting submerged in it. I agree with some of the reviews that the overall content was excellent but there lacked balance. It dragged in areas and then the end was a bit rushed with not quite as much closure and answers as I personally would have liked. This was a solid ⭐️⭐️⭐️ for me.

This is my #libraryhaul for March, many of which are on my #BookSpinBingo board alongside some I own that have been on my TBR for far too long.
I am not sure if it is because I am coming off the high of The Cerulean Sea or if it is just the book itself but I can‘t seem to connect with this one even though the message is so strong. Almost done and with all that is happening I want to feel more than I do for the characters. We shall see.

To pay off family debt, a college student joins a research program, agreeing to live in the mysterious town of Lakewood and take various experimental treatments in exchange for a healthy paycheck. An eerie novel that calls out the history of U.S. medical experimentation on Black people. I do think there is some unrealized potential here, and I didn't connect with the characters so much as the situation. But overall a solid, thought-provoking read.

This short book was an intense reading experience as you follow a young Black woman into a mysterious, secret series of experiments in a small town called Lakewood. She is driven to this by debt caused by medical bills for her mother and grandmother. There‘s a surreal quality to the story, and it‘s creepy though not written as horror. The ending is a bit loose, but I think it worked well. (Another book from @Amandajoy that I finished in January)

Earnest and chilling, Lakewood is a cautionary and thought-provoking critique on race and class disguised as body horror but succeeds at both.

Here‘s my #20best2020. What a fun game @Cinfhen !

Thank you @Bookzombie for this book and the other that I‘ll get to soon. This books starts off overcast as Lena‘s grandmother dies and stays that way as she realizes with her sick mother it will fall on her to pay all the incoming bills and provide for her mother. She drops out of college and signs up for secret experimental testing for money. As we follow Lena further it becomes increasingly hazy, creepy and frightening. Pick!

A Black college student in Michigan decides to participate in a lucrative research study in order to cover health costs for her ill mother. The NDA that Lena signs stops her from getting emotional support from her friends & family as the experiments get stranger, more invasive & downright frightening. The sense of dread mounts in this eerie novel about scientific experimentation on nonwhite citizens in the USA.

It brought Lena so much pleasure to call colors by specific names, both formal and made up. Klein Blue, Cerulean, Scarab-from-Cleopatra Blue. It made her feel like she was becoming an interesting adult to know things like that, to get pleasure out of the things her brain squeezed onto and refused to leave.

Was really slow and then super rushed

The closest I can come to describing how I felt at that moment was I was sentient champagne. I loved the feeling of being exposed to the air, fizzing over my bottle‘s edge.

Eyes liquid with emotion, having to attempt to communicate with gestures about how big you‘re feeling in that moment.

🎧 So this was on several spooktober TBR‘s as horror. Nope.

Lena‘s gramma dies. Her mom‘s medical bills are rising. She decides to join a government memory experiment because .. the money!

The Doctors directing the experiments are creepy & Lena finds herself losing touch with reality as the experiments go off the rail.

Lost a star as this isn‘t horror. It‘s an ok thriller. ⭐️⭐️⭐️1/4

Lakewood is about race and class. The main character, Lena, finds herself in financial trouble and signs up to be part of a human experiment group.

For some reason I thought this would be more horror than it was which brought my rating down a bit. Plus it was a little slow at times.

If this were to be made into a movie, Jordan Peele would make an excellent director/producer.

Next is another book from @Amandajoy (as I‘m sure you can tell, I loved her list!):

“An eye drop that makes brown eyes blue, a medication that could be a cure for dementia, golden pills promised to make all bad thoughts go away”...& a possible way out of debt for Lena‘s family.

“A startling debut about class & race, Lakewood evokes a terrifying world of medical experimentation—part The Handmaid‘s Tale, part The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks.”

🌟🌟🌟🌟

Currently reading 👀

August wrap up. Got through my June & August #bookspin and my August #doublespin, one #newyearwhodis selection, plus a few more. Not too shabby. 🤓

Great premise...first third of the book really grabbed me. Then it went mostly downhill. Drawn out, with not much of a conclusion. I never say this but I think it would be better as a movie or show. The writing is a bit of a disaster as well.

Secret medical studies are my idea of true horror stories. Plus, the US legacy of medical experiments on African Americans added to the creepiness factor. Family debt, familial love, and feelings of obligation make Lena‘s actions understandable. Also, the transition in voice from third person in part one to first person in part two added to the overall dark atmosphere.

*saw the photo online & liked it better than my own.

A book dealing with the legacy of experiments on black Americans in the U.S. with a psychological thriller feel. Lena decides to join a memory study in Lakewood in order to pay the medical bills for her ailing mother, but the strange and deadly experiments are clearly about more than memory. The longer Lena remains, the less she understands about the experiments and the less likely it seems she will leave the study unscathed

After the death of her grandmother, Lena signs on to a study to make extra money. But what Lena thought was a memory experiment soon has her questioning reality.

While the prose could be a little blunt and staccato for me, it also expertly kept the reader in a sense of questioning reality and truth.

If you enjoyed the fever dream narrative style of Catherine House, this may be a good fit, though this tends to feel more frantic than lethargic.

Saturday morning reading, fueled by iced coffee

My local bookstore recommended this book for fans of Get Out as being "part Handmaid's Tale and part The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks" so obviously I had to download it from my library immediately

I really enjoyed this one.

Our system crashed at work and I find fiction helps me focus and stay calm, so even though the subject matter is still going to be heavy, I‘m hoping it will help me through this hard day.

My 3 Tailored Book Recommendations for this quarter! Told them I was on a horror/thriller kick and they didn‘t disappoint with my selections!

#gettbr

Sharing books by black authors during the month of July. I will add the synopsis from Goodreads below and in the comments.
A startling debut about class and race, Lakewood evokes a terrifying world of medical experimentation—part The Handmaid‘s Tale, part The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks. ⬇️
#ReadBlackAuthors #BlackLivesMatter #BLM #BeTheChange

Interesting premise, but unfortunately I didn‘t find it to be very well written. It was repetitive, felt a bit pointless by the end, and was written in a way that was more confusing than enlightening. I‘d been looking forward to this for awhile, and am bummed that it didn‘t pay off.

"The hiss of tires on the road, rubber telling pavement gossip that shouldn't be repeated."

"A young man was pumping his gas with an unlit cigarette tucked between his lips. His dog was watching. Its eager expression, the way it wagged its tail, seemed as if he was encouraging the man to light it. The dog wanted to watch the gas station burn, film the carnage.

"Disgust was pressing its lips against her ears, her mouth, her neck."

"Dr. Lisa's white teeth looked freshly painted."

"Her shoes squeaked. Each step sounded like a surprised fart."

Whoa.

"Lena had kissed enough people to know that kisses rarely said anything more than please like me, or I like you, or let's have sex. But she hoped that somehow he could feel the thank you for helping me not to worry, to not grieve, for a few hours."

"Kelly's eyes were dark and his eyelashes were so long it was rude."

My recommendations are in! I asked my bibliologist for recommendations from Black authors and she obliged. These look so good! It took all my willpower to not run straight to the bookstore. (The family would‘ve been irritated at the lack of dinner prepared.) This is by far my favorite subscription service! #gettbr #mytbr #integrateyourshelf

Breakfast and reading outside. Couldn‘t ask for a more perfect start of the day. #SundayVibes

Yesterday was the first time that I left the house to visit people (other than my parents once). My husband and I took a road trip to visit his best friend and wife, who just had their first baby! On the way home, we stopped to visit my bff and her boyfriend for a few minutes and to drop off dishes. We didn‘t get too close to anyone to be safe.