pickLOVED this book. Gilbert is not the most comfortable lead, he has many faults but you still end up championing him throughout. He navigates his dysfunctional family the best he can, his love for his brother, Arnie is pure and whilst he struggles to find reasons to stay his loyalty ties him to his family. 5 stars for me
so-soA widowed mother takes her adult children on a cruise. The 4 are not friends & seem to barely know each other. If you are a parent you will recognize the innocent and unintentional rudeness of the adult child. That will carry certain readers a far way, but it‘s not enough. The story is easy to follow with moments of interest, and sometimes even literary reach, but I cannot say it is worth the time unless you are young & have loads of it.
pickThe Latecomer is one of those #dysfunctionalfamily reads with few (maybe 2 out of the bunch) likable characters. I had the physical book, but mostly listened for Julia Whelan‘s expert narration on the audio which I recommend. A set of triplets (Brooklyn, Jewish, wealthy) grow up chaffing against each other until tragedy strikes and things take a turn right at the cusp of adulthood. The book switches gear and we get to know “the latecomer”. Pick!
"As the rest of the guests wandered the deck of the beach club under an early-evening midsummer sky, taking pinched, appraising sips of their cocktails to gauge if the bartenders were using the top-shelf stuff and balancing tiny crab cakes on paper napkins while saying appropriate things about how they'd really lucked out with the weather because the humidity would be back tomorrow, or murmuring inappropriate things about the bride's snug satin↩️
pickThe nonfiction mood reading continues with a harrowing survivor story. Misty Griffin's journey to her current life is remarkable. You feel her frustration with how the Amish lifestyle protects repeat offenders from repercussions.
This was an intense read that was only possible to finish because I knew she got out. #nonfiction2024
pickI‘ve seen mixed reviews for this one, but I really enjoyed it! Maybe it‘s because I‘m currently binging Succession 😂 The Plumb family is MUCH less toxic than the Roy family, though 😬 Another #dysfunctionalfamilyfiction win and it‘s my #TBRtarot choice for February (author‘s first name starts with C).
pickAn academic scandal, a gay uncle, a free spirited mother, a mystery father and some unusual family friends earn this: #dysfuntionalfamily
First time reading this author, but I might have to check out his backlist. More TBR!!!
