Home Feed
Home
Search
Search
Add Review, Blurb, Quote
Add
Activity
Activity
Profile
Profile
mcuculich521

mcuculich521

Joined March 2016

Reader. Writer. Teacher. Reading and writing teacher.
reading now icon
Swing Time by Zadie Smith
review
mcuculich521
Exit West: A Novel | Mohsin Hamid
Mehso-so

I wished I loved it, but it fell short of my expectations. As the two characters flee their war-torn nation, the plot has tremendous potential as the characters move through various doors and end up everywhere from Mykonos to London. However, the narrative violates the "show don't tell" rule of writing for the entire book, robbing the reader of the chance to use their imagination and insight to understand the book-Hamid just tells you instead.

review
mcuculich521
Pickpick

I loved this book! It's hard to believe this is Chang's first novel. She's a skilled storyteller who shares with us the story of a multigenerational family who once embodied the American Dream only to have lost it. Faced with bankruptcy, the father takes his two youngest children out of school to go on a road trip to his eldest daughter's hope. Funny, irreverent, and contemporary, this is a great story of a family's love for each other.

review
mcuculich521
Pickpick

Best book of 2016. Vance's reflection of growing up in both Kentucky and Ohio gives a voice to the disenfranchised of the rust belt in a way like no other. He recounts in painful detail growing up in a turbulent home and how the support of his grandparents truly saved his life and put him on an entirely different path than of his relatives. Very engaging and relevant-a must read!

review
mcuculich521
This post contains spoilers
show me
Mehso-so

This day-in-the- life of a frenetic mom novel definitely has its moments, but is often very disjointed and lacking depth. The narration switches from first person to third person mid-book and then returns to first. It's when the author switches to third, the story about sisters Eleanor and Ivy comes alive. The illustrations are wonderful and add a lot to the sister storyline, but the subplot of Eleanor's husband's conversion is a head-scratcher.

review
mcuculich521
Disgruntled: A Novel | Asali Solomon
Pickpick

Highly readable and very authentic, this book is not your typical coming of age story. The main character moves through childhood and adolescence with all of the uncomfortable and awkward hallmarks of being a kid. The title of the book is a bit misleading, but it reminded me that so many of our experiences as kids are out of our control and that can be so frustrating and angst-ridden. Even though the pacing was a bit off, it's a must read.

review
mcuculich521
Sweetbitter: A novel | Stephanie Danler
Mehso-so

A deep dive into the world of service proved to be both interesting and predictable. The best moments of the book are when she goes into detail about the inner workings of the restaurant and talks about the food itself. The meh moments are when the "new naïve girl in the big city" trope takes over.

Sydsavvy I agree with that. 8y
2 likes1 comment
review
mcuculich521
Pickpick

I recently heard her interview on "Fresh Air" and had to read it. Sarah Hepola's memoir is highly-readable, engaging, and really frightening. Her approach is honest and is never preachy about her path to recovery. Definitely worth checking out!

2 stack adds
review
mcuculich521
Pickpick

This is a no-nonsense, but supportive book that helps you begin eating healthy, whole foods. Full disclosure: this is a lot of work, but if you follow their guidelines and stick with it, you'll enjoy cooking great food and you'll feel great.

review
mcuculich521
Mehso-so

A rare glimpse into the author's writing process! If you think of this novel as a work in progress, it's actually pretty interesting. With novels, we only ever get to see the end product and never the bits and pieces the author played around with before the plot and characters took shape.