So, the book itself was "meh," but the audiobook, as read by Elwes, was awesome. I didn't realize he was such a talented voice actor.

Could we, I don't know, *not* mention this female doctor's size and shape *twice* in one paragraph when it has absolutely nothing to do with her actual, you know, WORK? #everythingmakesmeangryrightnow

Half a story of survival and half a story about titanium. Half fascinating, half deadly dull.

The structure of this needed some work - it was neither chronological nor organized by topic, so I sometimes got a little lost. The audiobook reader was a tad annoying, too - she didn't need to give all of the women Valley Girl inflections. I might have dropped out if I didn't love Jon Stewart so.

I really enjoyed the first 3/4 of this, but the last 1/4 was like Return of the King - it had about a million endings, each one slightly less engaging than the one before it. With 50+ chapters, this definitely could have used a heavier editing hand.

I have a confession: this is the first book I have read in almost two months. Moving across the country has been hectic and it significantly cut into my reading time. But I finally found my new local library! I haven't seen this show at all, and this was not what I expected, but I enjoyed this read.

Conflicted about this one. The writing was lovely, but the main focus is a Manic Pixie Dream Girl, so there are many cliches and things that only happen because they're dramatic, not because of any real motivation. I wanted to like this more than I did, but I guess I'd say it let me down.

My non-spoilery reaction: What even...? How in the...? That can't be... Huh!?! When does the movie come out???

So sad, yet also so very brave. Wrenching, stomach-churning, but worth it.

Mindless. Bratty. Trashy. Revealed nothing of any consequence.

I was quite bored during the first section ("Some Things I Believe"), as I found it a tad repetitive; however, the sections afterward were glorious. There are so many things I haven't seen, read or heard that I must see, read and hear now because of Gaiman's words.

I didn't have a lot of hope for this after the first twenty pages or so, but it really surprised me! Instead of a generic thriller, it really did turn into an interesting, frustrating adventure, with unexpected twists up to the very end. A lot of fun!

I struggled. The first 100 and the last 100 pages were great. The middle section, which was almost entirely a biography of George Wallace, was out of place and slow. Felt like a book purporting to be about a lynching and a fight to bring down the KKK should have focused more on those things.

I loved this. I cried, I rejoiced, and I got my happy ending. ❤️💛💚💙💜

You ever have one of those "WTF did I just read?" moments?

Yeaaaaaaaah.

This one took me forever to read because, with apologies to all involved, it was just really, really boring. I should have bailed on the first hundred or so pages, but I stuck it out and it never got any more interesting.

My father fought in Vietnam. I support our troops 150%. I admire them and I thank them for what they do.

I hated this book. What an egomaniacal, xenophobic asshat. I cringed every time I heard the word "savages," and that story about punching the mentally handicapped kid? Reprehensible and gross.

So, this may be lame, but these are the kinds of things I use as bookmarks: airplane boarding passes, the receipts my library gives me and this one weird coupon for free hugs that I found in a library book I checked out once.

This was a speedy little read - it took me maybe two hours to get through. No new territory for anyone who has read up on the death penalty, but I liked Kurtis' approach - to-the-point, illustrative and factual.

I... Didn't much care for this. It took me forever to get through the first 100 pages, because it felt like Okorafor was trying too hard. It revealed both too much and not enough at all of the wrong times. There was an interesting story somewhere here, but the style just muddled it.

So... I liked the book, but I didn't like the audiobook. Fisher Stevens was... Off. Sometimes cringe-worthy. But that aside, I was a fan of the story, the writing and the humor, which is always classic Moore. I just may stick to reading instead of listening...

I love Jon Krakauer. This work is equally as compelling as anything else I've read by him. The murder and violence here make Battle Royale look like some kids just having high tea. I do need a diagram, though, to figure out who married who (Stepfathers! Uncles!).

This was clearly my fault for putting the book down for 30 seconds. I put the book down to dig my phone out from under the same cat.

Uncomfortable. Thoughtful. Reckless.

Damn funny.

Worst Idea Ever: Reading this book on a plane. Uncomfortable closeness + uncontrollable laugher = Many strange looks.

It could have benefitted from more stories of real cons (the enjoyable parts) and less summarizing the research of others (the boring bits).

Christmas in July!

Even though some of the ideas here are a direct rip from the (waaaaaay superior) American Gods, I still thought this was fun. It's never gonna be a classic, but it was satisfying.

I am so hungover. You'd think I'd be wise enough by my age to know not to do birthday Fireball shots, but you'd be wrong.

At least I can recover in the shade with a book that I'm enjoying way more than I anticipated.

Finished this quick little read on the flight to Mexico. I love everything Krakauer has ever written - even though I hate camping and reading about camping, I could read about mountaineering all day every day.

It surprised me that I enjoyed this audiobook, as I don't normally care for Parks and Rec, SNL or audiobooks. But it was just the right amount of funny and insightful.

Um, HELP! All my holds came in at once again.

So, I'm going to Mexico tomorrow - how many books is reasonable to take for 4-1/2 days of doing nothing but reading and drinking on the beach? And which ones should I take??

350 pages and all I'm left with is intense sympathy for White's long-suffering wife and the sneaking suspicion that I will scream the next time anyone describes anything as "nut-brown."

Why did I check this out and why am I still struggling to get through it? I don't even LIKE camping!

I'm not at home until Monday, so I can't post a picture of my bookshelves, so instead for FPF, I am posting this accurate description of me. As to the topic, I like true crime (especially since jury duty), general non-fiction (but not biographies) and long, modern, fantasy-esque novels.

I very much enjoyed this. That said, these kids are supposed to be, what, 15 years old? Yet almost all of them are seriously psychologically damaged: prostitutes, orphans, psychopaths... Doesn't anyone grow up "normal" in dystopian Japan? Makes me grateful my class was just full of "mean girls."

I don't usually listen to audiobooks; however, I had a 6-hour drive tonight, so I figured, "What the hell?" So far, it's mostly about Fisher Stevens making me uncomfortable with his Mickey Rooney-esque Chinese woman's accent. The book is pretty funny despite that, though. I'll soldier on!

And then my library copy fell apart...

I completely agree with whoever wrote this in the back of my library copy - a strange little book, indeed! Still, it was a fast and intriguing read. Even if it wasn't as "deep" as I longed for it to be, I still enjoyed it.

I'm giving this a "like," even though I think I've decided this genre is not for me. The writing was great, the plot was riveting... The ending left me cold, but it was well done (this is no Maestra). I think I'm just not a mystery/thriller girl.

Fun Photo Friday: The sleeping cat was initially alarmed when I placed the book on him, but he immediately went back to sleep.

I really loved the first half of this. I wish I'd skipped the chapter on "Asshole Capitalism," as it was a bit dry, but overall I thought this was both funny and thoughtful.

#libraryproblems When all your holds come in at the same time, what do you read next??!?

"We first seek neither the 'royal asshole,' who is distinguished even among assholes, nor the 'borderline asshole," whose status as an asshole is not entirely clear. We want to identify the mean asshole between these extremes: your normal, everyday asshole."

I really, really wanted to like this, given all of the rave reviews, but Sacks' writing style just isn't for me. I made it through the first 100 pages before I gave up.

It's as disturbing as it is thorough, as heartbreaking as it is meticulous.

Nope.

Nope. Nope.

Nopenopenopenopenope.

I just finished reading this on the plane ride home. This book was dense, dry and not unbiased, but it was also fascinating, disheartening, and alarming. I loved it, but it may not be for everyone.

I am *loving* this book. It raises so many interesting questions about individual agency, legal principles and scientific issues.

Hypothetical question, gang: What would you do if you spilled a small amount of, oh, say, Crystal Light on the closed pages of a library book? 😳

I can't even with this. An interesting concept poorly executed makes for a hard-to-swallow (and follow!) plot line with characters I cared nothing about.