keepingitreal

Shanda: A Memoir of Shame and Secrecy | Letty Cottin Pogrebin

so-so

Mixed feelings on this one. It‘s 💯 going to make for FABULOUS bookclub discussions- SO MUCH TO UNWIND but the author really annoyed me - I found her SO FUCKING irritating!!! Shonda is a memoir chock full of family “secrets” that Letty spills& spills & spills without any regard for the feelings of others in her family. She‘s a bit sanctimonious, judgmental and self absorbed- a trifecta that‘s a real turn off. Looking forward to IRL bookclub 😜

marleed Those are the best bookclub discussions. I‘m realizing books like this have better discussions if the second question of the night is not - And who liked the book? …. That question can oft times be best when it‘s the last question of the night! …oh 1st question being - Who read the book!? 1y

BarbaraBB Love your review! Will skip the book though 😂 1y

Cinfhen Hahaha 🤣 exactly @marleed 1y

Cinfhen #KeepingItReal @BarbaraBB 😇 1y

55 likes4 comments

Cinfhen

The Winners | Fredrik Backman

#KeepingItReal
I want to LOVE this book but….it‘s been such a drag. Every time I set it down, I have zero interest in picking it back up. Beartown as a standalone would have been enough - in my opinion that book was PERFECTION. This final installment is 688 pages - so far 388 pages too long!!! UGH!! Im at 62% 😩 hoping to finish before it publishes this Tuesday September 27. It‘s also my #BookSpin for September @TheAromaofBooks

DGRachel You know I‘ll support you if you bail. That‘s a lot of pages to suffer through! 2y

AmyG 😬 2y

ChaoticMissAdventures I had a digital ARC sent to me, looked at that page length and thought, there is no way I could do that. I love Backman, but I don't think any of his books should be that long.
2y

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merelybookish Time to channel your inner @shawnmooney 😂 2y

TheAromaofBooks Sometimes you have to #hailthebail 😂 But I also understand being reluctant to DNF a book by an author you generally like, especially when it's an ARC. Even though I really enjoyed Beartown, I felt no desire to read Us Against You... I just felt like the story had been told completely in the first book. 2y

Cinfhen I will NOT bail on this one because I want to know how Backman wraps things up @TheAromaofBooks @merelybookish @ChaoticMissAdventures @AmyG @DGRachel BUT I think I might have to institute #TheSkim - 😉 I appreciate your support friends!! I didn‘t realize the length until several other reviewers pointed it out. It‘s really wayyyyyyy too long!! 2y

TrishB Good luck! 2y

70 likes8 comments

MicheleinPhilly

The Maid | Nita Prose

Does this get better? Cause I‘m 40% through and I HATE IT.

squirrelbrain I didn‘t love it, like most seem to do. But no, it doesn‘t change from how it is now and I *hated* the plot twist near the end…it came out of the blue and made no sense. 2y

Cinfhen If you‘re hating it at 40% you‘re gonna ABHOR it at 100% #KeepingItReal - I didn‘t hate it but I also can‘t remember anything about it 🤷🏼‍♀️ 2y

brittanyreads Just read this. It was one of my most anticipated and I was let down. I found it very predictable. IMO more a story of found family and grief rather than a thrilling whodunnit. I only finished because it was for my BOTM challenge. 2y

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MicheleinPhilly @squirrelbrain @Cinfhen Thanks friends! Bailing. 2y

Leftcoastzen I had a hunch! 2y

EverydayImReading I agree. She certainly can write and the character was interesting. I felt the first two thirds had potential but then it completely lost direction and fell apart. Great potential utterly wasted. 2y

MerlinTheSlightlyAwkward Also bailed at about that point! Such a bummer after so much hype. 2y

MyNamesParadise Oh dang. I bought this book and of course haven‘t read it. 2y

MicheleinPhilly @MyNamesParadise I am CLEARLY in the minority according to the Litsy rating so don‘t let my opinion sway you. 2y

45 likes9 comments

Cinfhen

Canoeing the Congo: The First Source-To-Sea Descent of the Congo River | Phil Harwood

#ReadingAfrica22 #Zambia #Booked2022 #AboutAnExploration 🎧
Phil Harwood, an Outwards Bound extreme sportsman attempts to canoe the Congo River until he reaches the Atlantic Ocean solo. It‘s a bonkers idea but one he becomes obsessed with accomplishing. So far he‘s encountered numerous crocodiles 🐊 and lovely locals.

Cinfhen Forgot to tag @BarbaraBB @Librarybelle @BarbaraTheBibliophage @4thhouseontheleft 3y

Librarybelle I bet he discovers a lot of crocodiles on that journey! 3y

alisiakae I‘m really curious how he is going to navigate the rapids and falls! (And all the power plants) 3y

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BarbaraBB It could be an exciting read but I'm not convinced yet!
3y

Cinfhen The falls & rapids are proving very treacherous @4thhouseontheleft it‘s enjoyable and entertaining but it‘s not a MUST READ @BarbaraBB He‘s also battled river snakes 🐍 and hippos 🦛 @Librarybelle and mosquitoes the size of dragonflies 😛 3y

BarbaraBB Are you trying to sell it 😉🤣? 3y

Cinfhen Nope, I‘m #KeepingItReal @barbarabb 3y

70 likes7 comments

swishandflick

The Reckless Oath We Made | Bryn Greenwood

pan

Oof, I don't even know where to start. All the Ugly and Wonderful Things was by far my favorite book in 2016 so the bar was set *extremely* high, and sadly, as much as it physically pains me to say it, I didn't enjoy this at all. Gentry's whole medieval speech angle felt forced, tedious, and exhausting. I feel like I just got caught in the crosshairs of a drive-by Renaissance fair. This will be a love it or hate it book, for sure #BOTM #WTF

Cinfhen Hahahaha!!! Perfect review 🤣🤣🤣 5y

vivastory "the cross-hairs of a drive by Renaissance fair" surely deserves an award for best line in a review ?? 5y

Megabooks I completely disagree but wonderful review! 5y

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MicheleinPhilly Unstacked! 5y

swishandflick @Cinfhen @vivastory Thank you! 😂 5y

Cinfhen I think you‘re either gonna love the character of Gentry or hate it! I thought he was wayyyyyyy too gimmicky and reading through his dialogue was annoying @Megabooks @swishandflick also given how popular and fantastic her debut was, this book was too far off the mark for me🥺I‘d still try another by her but this book (for me) was disappointing #KeepingItReal 5y

swishandflick @Cinfhen Agreed! Although All the Ugly and Wonderful Things wasn't her debut, she has two other lesser-known books!

Lie Lay Lain

Cinfhen Oh, thanks for sharing!! Are her other books good?? 5y

Megabooks @Cinfhen I liked it much more than Ugly Wonderful, mainly because of the lack of creepy pedophilia vibes! 5y

swishandflick @Megabooks I can totally get that. I personally felt the opposite despite it being controversial. To each their own! Curious to continue seeing reviews for this book, bc I definitely feel like Gentry as a character will be polarizing. (edited) 5y

swishandflick @Cinfhen I read Lie Lay Lain a while back and really enjoyed it though I couldn't tell you details. Haha. I haven't read her other one yet, but I have it on my shelf somewhere so it may be time to dig it up 😄

Last Will

Cinfhen Both her other books sound intriguing and I feel like I see a bit of a theme / quirky characters & kidnappings 🤪 5y

97 likes12 comments

Cinfhen

The River | Peter Heller

so-so

Another #UnpopularOpinion 😝I found this book slow and torturous😩like being up a creek without a paddle 🚣🏽‍♂️I was expecting a nature thriller but instead I got 2 dudes in a canoe and some geo fracking 🤪#WrongReaderRightBook #BackToTheLibrary

britt_brooke 😆 I haven‘t read this, but I love your review! 5y

Cinfhen #KeepingItReal @britt_brooke 😉 5y

The_Shelf.ish_Life That‘s how I felt about it too! It took me 2 weeks to read a 200 page novel 🤦🏼‍♀️ 5y

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Crazeedi How is your vacation? Still having a great time? 5y

Cinfhen Vacation is going great @Crazeedi so much fun with friends & family but haven‘t been doing too much reading 😒 5y

Cinfhen I hear ya @The_Shelf.ish_Life 😩😩😩I wanted to like this book...but it just dragged on 😝 5y

MrBook 😆👏🏻 Good review! 5y

TrishB I‘m glad I only paid 99p 😁 5y

Cathythoughts I‘m also glad I only paid 99p 👍🏻 5y

Cinfhen 99P is perfectly acceptable price @TrishB @Cathythoughts and you guys might enjoy 😊 I was just expecting more of a thriller and I found it a bore 😠thanks @MrBook Hope you‘re doing well xx 5y

Crazeedi @Cinfhen of course not! You can read when you get home, soak up all the love of family and friends now, take care💖 5y

Cinfhen Thanks so much @Crazeedi xx hope your summer is going well 5y

MrBook @Cinfhen Splendidly, thank you! ☺️🤗 5y

BookBabe Gee. I might be the right reader for this though. 🙂 For obvious reasons, I adored his book

The Painter: A novel

104 likes1 stack add14 comments

Cinfhen

East of Eden | John Steinbeck

This post contains spoilers

show me

Question 3 Part 4
#EoE
What connection is Steinbeck making between Alice in Wonderland and Cathy?

Reviewsbylola This is a great question. Alice was in a fantasy world and I feel like Cathy wanted to be a part of that. She had a lot of issues and clearly became more unhappy and disenchanted with the lies she was telling herself. Alice seemed like an escape in that sense. 5y

CarolynM Really, I've no idea. I could be mean and say he was just trying to give Cathy a bit of humanity before killing her off...or do I just think that because I was a bit annoyed by his treatment of the female characters? I know we have to make allowances for the period but still... 5y

mrp27 I'm still thinking about that one. For me it just symbolized her mind going. 5y

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Cinfhen Great answer @Reviewsbylola @mrp27 part of me felt like it was another “gimmick” like Steinbeck adding in all the not so subtle Bible allegories @CarolynM but still, there must be in his writer‘s mind some strong reason. Was Cathy really Alice or was she The Queen Of Hearts?? And was Adam& Charles Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum!!?? 🤷‍♀️I‘m curious (heehee, no pun intended) 😉 5y

mrp27 @Cinfhen Ha! Ha! I agree that there is a reason he put it in but I can't decipher it. I finished the book this evening so I'm still ruminating... 5y

Susannah I wonder if the reason we struggle to figure out why Steinbeck had Cathy compare herself to Alice is because it‘s a poor comparison. I don‘t see it unless we are to think that both Alice and Cathy existed in a state of arrested development and ultimately sought oblivion, which is either really pretentious or freshman lit class symbolism. Either way, 🙄. 5y

Cinfhen That‘s great @Susannah #KeepingItReal ♥️ 5y

MemoirsForMe @Cinfhen @Reviewsbylola 😂Can‘t figure this one out except as you said, Cathy‘s twisted mind may have found relief by escaping into this fantasy world. Maybe since Steinbeck‘s mother was such an avid reader, he felt the need to somehow include this classic??? Who knows! 🤣 5y

staci.reads Overall, I didn't like the way he wrote Cathy's death at all. It seemed completely against her character. Nothing about her death seemed to match the way he had developed her to that point. 5y

staci.reads @CarolynM I struggled with his female characters too. Yes, he's a product of his time, but this went beyond depicting traditional gender roles. 5y

Cinfhen Cathy‘s death was really bothersome, I agree @staci.reads and the whole Ethel dimension didn‘t really make sense to me either. I think Steinbeck really saw women in only 2 ways and I don‘t think that was a product of the times 🥺 5y

Susannah I agree @staci.reads. The exits of really integral characters—Charles, Samuel, Cathy, Aron (and Dessie and Tom too)—all seemed abrupt to me. Cathy made a ridiculous effort to live life her way, it seemed odd that she‘d give up at that point. It felt a bit like Steinbeck needed her out of the story and thought this was the most expedient way. 5y

rubyslippersreads I agree with everyone who thought Cathy‘s suicide was out of character (although foreshadowed throughout the book, with her constantly touching the little vial). I think the Alice thing was an escape mechanism from her extremely troubled childhood. And I don‘t think Alice would want Cathy in Wonderland with her! 😏 5y

MemoirsForMe @rubyslippersreads 😆👍🏻 5y

Cinfhen The more we discuss @Susannah @UwannaPublishme @rubyslippersreads @CarolynM the more flaws I‘m finding with this novel 🙄maybe I should quit while I‘m still ahead or soon my “pick” is going to change😉 5y

DebinHawaii Steinbeck definitely had the whole madonna-whore complex with his female characters which did make the female characters especially one-dimensional. I found the Alice in Wonderland references odd although I agree with @CarolynM that it might have been for a bit of humanity or sympathy. I didn't find Cathy's suicide out of left-field. I feel like her responses to feeling threatened throughout the book were always dramatic fight or flight or... (edited) 5y

DebinHawaii ...both as in fight, then flight so as her strength ebbed & she felt things closing in on her with the Ethyl/Faye thing & even her fantasy of having Aron visit her in NYC & not know her past falling through, it seemed like the last big '"flight" to me. 5y

CarolynM @DebinHawaii Yes, excellent point about the flight. 5y

16 likes18 comments

Cinfhen

Prognosis: A Memoir of My Brain | Sarah Vallance

so-so

This was a free Amazon Prime First Read selection for July. I feel a little apathetic marking this memoir as somewhere between a Pan & a so-so. While I can admire Sarah Vallance for sharing and relating her calamitous accident it did not make for an engaging story. The entire retelling felt devoid of any emotion. It was a rather dull read, and I found myself skimming pages. #SorryNotSorry #KeepingItReal

Kaila-ann I picked this one too but haven‘t read it yet 🤔 5y

Cinfhen I seem to be in the minority @Kaila-ann hopefully you‘ll feel differently 🙏🏻 5y

KT1432 I almost picked this one as well and now I'm glad I didn't lol. I've seen some other reviews echoing yours. (edited) 5y

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Cinfhen Which two did you end up choosing @lele1432 ? This was my other July pick

What You Did

KT1432 I almost got that one too lol! But decided to wait until it's on Kindle Unlimited. I got this one

They Could Have Named Her Anything

KT1432 And this. It sounded pretty interesting.

The Boy Between Worlds: A Story of Love and Loss

Cinfhen I almost chose that one ☝🏾 @lele1432 it really does sound interesting 5y

KT1432 Yeah! I'm going to try to get to it before the end of the month lol. 😅 5y

106 likes8 comments

writerlibrarian

Murder in the Dark: Phryne Fisher's Murder Mysteries 16 | Kerry Greenwood

pan

It's a long, an heteroclite bunch of things that make a kinda nasty soup of cliches on race, women, drugs you name it it's there. I was taken a bit by surprise because this series had a better than average outlook with these subjects. Big herring... the add on of cocktails recipes. When the bath bubbles fragrances, lunch picnic food and child abuse are on the same level it's time for me to reconsider if I'm still on board with the series.

writerlibrarian Now question for @Cinfhen or @BarbaraTheBibliophage or @4thhouseontheleft could this count as #booked2019spring #nightoriented because I do not have the stomach to read what was my choice. But me, being a completist and read in order freak I read this one before. Big mistake, huge. ☹️

Murder on a Midsummer Night: A Phryne Fisher Mystery

(edited) 6y

Cinfhen Sure!!!! Dark is night oriented !!!!! Clever💫wouldn‘t want all that reading time go to waste 😂 6y

writerlibrarian @Cinfhen 🥰 this was a waste of precious reading time. I did finish it because it had the paralyzing effect of watching a train wreck. Thanks. (edited) 6y

Cinfhen 😂😂😂#KeepingItReal 6y

36 likes4 comments

Cinfhen

I'll Be There for You: the One about Friends | Kelsey Miller

Time for my first #BFC “weigh” in😜Week 1
If I‘m #KeepingItReal I had some successes and a failure too 😔

My scorecard:
Fitness Goals - 1 ( need to improve during week 2)
Nutritional Goals - 3 ( can do better but off to a good start)
Book Goals - 4 (I finished 3 physical books & I‘m in the middle of 2 audio books 🤓🎧 tagged book is really good)

Overall Week 1 score 2.75

Doing some #AudioCooking ~ weekend guests 😜

wanderinglynn

Cinfhen #BookFitnessChallenge 6y

TheSpineView Awesome! 6y

wanderinglynn A great week 1! 🙌🏻 6y

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bewareofwords Way to go for Week 1! 🤗 6y

BookwormAHN Great job 👏🏻 6y

britt_brooke 🙌🏻 6y

LauraBeth Sounds like you did a pretty good job to me! 6y

guinsgirlreads Great job this week! 6y

Bookwormjillk 👏👏👏 6y

Cinfhen Thanks for the positivity @Bookwormjillk @guinsgirlreads @LauraBeth @britt_brooke @BookwormAHN @bewareofwords @wanderinglynn @TheSpineView I‘m just disappointed in myself that I gave up so easily when the fitness portion of the challenge was too difficult. #NoPainNoGain I need to sweat it out a little more and build up my strength/ breathing 6y

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