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sdbruening

sdbruening

Joined April 2016

Milwaukeean Bookworm
review
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Run to Daylight | Vince Jr. Lombardi, W C Heinz
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Panpan

Well, most of that book went over my head. I don‘t understand play calls and formations at all. I was hoping maybe for more general leadership/coaching wisdom. Some of the more interesting things to me were how different the NFL was in the 60s. Players had real jobs outside of football in the off-season. They referred to teams as clubs. The Packers used to share their field with high school teams. And “How to go!” was a supportive thing to say.

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Run to Daylight | Vince Jr. Lombardi, W C Heinz
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🏈🏟️🏉💚💛

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Mehso-so

Wide variety of Christmas stories, lyrics, and poems collected here by Caroline Kennedy. The artwork felt like it was from the 1960s, so I had to keep reminding myself this was published in the 2000s. A nice collection to read around Christmastime, though. My dad got this signed by the author and kept the newspaper clipping saying when she came to town.

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Once Upon a December | Amy E. Reichert
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Pickpick

So exciting to read a book of this genre by a Wisconsinite author!! I loved reading about cannibal sandwiches, a beloved staple for my German Milwaukeean family, Christkindlmarket, Door County cherries, and West Allis Candy Cane Lane. Loved the premise wondering what it would be like to live in never ending Christmas. The ending twists pleasantly surprised me. Jack was super romantic in how long he waited for Astra.

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Profiles in Courage | John Fitzgerald Kennedy
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It‘s not a book I would have picked up on my own, but I really enjoyed it, so thanks, Dad ❤️ It was impressively written by JFK but not about himself. Each chapter is a vignette of a courageous point of a Senator‘s career where he followed his own conscience despite his party or constituents or everyone disagreeing with him. Doing what you feel is the right thing doesn‘t win popularity contests.

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Profiles in Courage | John Fitzgerald Kennedy
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🇺🇸❤️

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Panpan

I loved Chandler and Friends, so I am disappointed to say that I really didn‘t enjoy this audiobook. Never meet your heroes, I guess. He had a bit of an ego; at least he acknowledged that he was selfish and narcissistic. Came off as very whiny. Used women. I wanted to hear more about his career versus his addiction, but it seems his addictions consumed him. The ending was overly sentimental and has a different flavor knowing that ketamine got him

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Pickpick

Time was definitely not linear in the writing of this story. I enjoyed the concept of it, though it was nothing new, making a deal with a devil. And considering that she could live as long as she wanted, that was a pretty good deal compared to most of the others he made. I was hoping that she would end up with Luc anyway, I was just bummed that even though she did…she really didn‘t. I enjoyed how she inspired all those artists.

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Finding the Mother Tree | Suzanne Simard
Bailedbailed

I ended up getting about a third of the way through and stopped listening to the audiobook. I enjoy listening to her voice, but it‘s more memoir than scientific discovery for me.

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Pickpick

Very insightful book about the death and life of Edgar Allan Poe. Draws on a lot of previous biographies and speculations. I didn‘t like that the book jumped around chronologically. Edgar Allan Poe didn‘t really intend on being known for horror, but poetry.
They suspected he had very low tolerance for alcohol and was perhaps allergic to it. Had a beloved cat called Catterina. Compelling arguments for latent tuberculosis causing his death.

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🤨 Nobody reads Longfellow? Lies. I read Longfellow. And I read Poe.

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The spooky side of the street 👻

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The Vampire Lestat | Anne Rice
Mehso-so

This was a re-read for me about 20 years later. Didn‘t like it as much as when I was a teenager. It felt all over the place. Seemed like Rice was backtracking with Lestat‘s character as he seemed very different here and the rest of the series than in Interview with the Vampire. The history of the Theater of the Vampires makes more sense. Relationship with his mom after he makes her a vampire is super weird. Marius‘ story in here was 70 pages.

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It's OK to Be Angry About Capitalism | Senator Bernie Sanders
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Pickpick

Bernie Sanders is my favorite politician. As I listened to him read his own audiobook, I found myself nodding along with just about everything. He didn‘t stop working for the progressive movement after he dropped out of the presidential campaigns. His “Not me, us,” slogan lived on. Medicare for all sounds like an absolute dream. I believe criticizing our country doesn‘t mean you don‘t love it; it means you love it more to make it better.

DogMomIrene Bernie is the man! I get pumped every time I see an interview with him. 2mo
6 likes1 comment
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The Vampire Lestat | Anne Rice
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1. Why yes, I certainly have. But not for trick-or-treaters 😂
2. Emo vampire adventures
#Two4Tuesday
@TheSpineView

TheSpineView Of course, we get the candy first! 🤣🤣🤣 2mo
5 likes1 comment
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Pickpick

I really enjoyed listening to Tom Felton read his own book! He is very animated, does funny accents and impressions of himself and others, and is a joy to listen to. He goes through his life and acting career pre, during, and post Harry Potter. Tom struggled through some addiction and behavior issues that he is candid about. He told many stories in the form of a film script. The best story was “Don‘t tread on my fucking cloak” from Alan rickman.

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Louis‘ character growth

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Pickpick

The author and illustrator made this book of a real sanitation worker who made a museum of trash. Nice idea of reduce, reuse, and recycle. The artwork was really nicely done. I feel like that‘s illegal to do that, though? Also, sometimes we just need to get rid of clutter. If you turn it into something else, you still have the thing. But that‘s why you sell or donate instead of throwing it away.

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Pickpick

That was a fun, imaginative 1602 version of Marvel characters. I thought the plot was interesting, and there were fun surprises. The characters I was able to identify (there were some name and appearance changes) were Dr. Strange, Nick Fury, Angel, Daredevil, Wanda and Petros Maximoff, Cyclops, Iceman, Jean Grey, Beast, Professor X, Natasha Romanoff, Doom, Peter Parker, Magneto, Fantastic Four, Thor, Toad, and Captain America. Mutants=witch breed.

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Panpan

Blech, not a fan. The concept of a human telling a mythical creature‘s story is similar to the Vampire Chronicles, but I was not invested in Azriel. Azriel‘s commentary on the state of society today was unnecessary. The arguing between Azriel and Gregory about who is worthy of who was annoying. I skipped the sex scene with the spirit and dying woman. Perverted. Gregory‘s masterminding was way over the top. Just not enjoyable.

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The Crown | Kiera Cass
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Pickpick

Some shocking twists at the end there! Definitely glad she followed her heart and picked Eikko after that beautiful talk with her dad. America‘s heart attack and recovery was really difficult to read. The ending was not long or satisfying enough. I wanted to hear more of the happy ending with Eikko.

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The Heir | Kiera Cass
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Mehso-so

I find the spelling of names in here to be rather annoying. The premise of Eadlyn making a deal with her Dad about the selection is like mythologies. Even after we spent so much time with America and Maxon, I don‘t get a sense of their personalities anymore. Called it immediately that she would like Kile. Hate and love are never far off in any love story.
The story did grow on me as it went along, but it didn‘t grab me like the first three.

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The Heir | Kiera Cass
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❤️

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Culinaria Germany | Christine Metzger
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Panpan

This book is impressive in its scope. It covers all regions of Germany and their highlighted foods. But not all of the foods they talk about have recipes in here. The font is extremely small, so it was difficult to read. The recipes are so region-specific that there are many ingredients I would not have access to in the US, so it‘s not really meant to be a cookbook. It‘s more like a history book than a cookbook, I would say.

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The One | Kiera Cass
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My, what a whirlwind! For everything they went through, the ending of this book seemed rushed. I wanted to enjoy the happy more. Some elements were predictable and a couple weren‘t. It seems clear to me that the author hasn‘t experienced much loss or true grief in her life as the characters‘ reaction to parents‘ death is insincere and lame.

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1964: Eyes of the Storm | Paul McCartney
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Pickpick

Lovely book. Background information from Paul McCartney on the context of these pictures he took. Great photographs in a very exciting time for The Beatles.

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The Elite | Kiera Cass
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Mehso-so

Things felt a little more predictable and disjointed in this one compared to the first. But still totally drawn in and must read the next one as soon as possible!

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Panpan

A quick enough read but depressing and inconclusive. Mary‘s grandmother is killed for accused witchcraft. Her mother (who she never knew) sends her to the New World to escape persecution. Persecution finds her anyway but she‘s able to escape. Pretty amazing how the Puritans find anything unfortunate in life to be blamed on witchcraft.

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The Selection | Kiera Cass
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Glad my sister gave me this one! I had considered reading it years ago and never got around to it. Definitely a cross between The Hunger Games and The Bachelor. Super fun. I like the depth of the story of the country beyond just the selection itself. Quick, riveting read.

8 likes1 stack add
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The Ickabog | J.K. Rowling
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Mehso-so

The narrative was not a style I would expect from JK Rowling. It seemed overly simplistic, especially compared to how riveting Harry Potter is. There was a lot of death for a children‘s story. Most of it was pretty depressing until the last quarter. Some names were funny and revealing. I‘m glad everything turned out well in the end. The artwork from children in a contest was a cute idea but it made the illustrations really disjointed.

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Mehso-so

Wanted to read this because I learned about it while reading Julie Andrews‘ autobiography. It has Roald Dahl/BFG and Alice in Wonderland vibes with the fantastical creatures in a land accessible only by imagination. Three children siblings and a professor are the protagonists. I‘m not sure if I would have liked it more as a kid for the first time.

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Mehso-so

Some interesting ideas. The narrative was a little too winding for me. She certainly did research, but maybe the concepts were too broad and not focused enough for me. But writing a book about bittersweetness may have to be that way.

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Mehso-so

Definitely an adventure story with all the elements of one that you‘d want. The idea reminded me of Frankenstein—scientific assertions without believable explanation. I wouldn‘t say Challenger is the opposite of Holmes, like the introduction says. Opposite in appearance, maybe, but not in confidence and derision. There was an annoying amount of white race superiority. I enjoy Doyle‘s writing style, but the story wasn‘t one that really stuck.

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Carrie Soto Is Back | Taylor Jenkins Reid
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Well, I had a very hard time with Carrie losing her dad in the way she did. Hit way too close to home. Other than that, this book was beautiful. It seems like Taylor Jenkins Reid likes writing imperfect, not exactly likable main characters. Maybe that‘s what makes them so intriguing? Carrie is a ruthless tennis player in skill and personality. She doesn‘t have people close to her except her dad, Bowie, and Gwen. The ending was a twist

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Carrie Soto Is Back | Taylor Jenkins Reid
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Boom

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Carrie Soto Is Back | Taylor Jenkins Reid
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Bahaha yes

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Carrie Soto Is Back | Taylor Jenkins Reid
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😂

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The Glass-Blowers | Daphne Du Maurier
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Mehso-so

It was okay, mostly sad actually. At times read more historical than fiction. Follows the life of Sophie and her family during the French Revolution and the glass-blowing houses she grew up in.

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The Glass-Blowers | Daphne Du Maurier
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👦🏻👻

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Pickpick

This was a sweet story about Danny and his dad and their poaching adventure. I enjoyed that they have midnight feasts when they can‘t sleep. Dahl‘s writing is so personal. Like the narrator is talking directly to you.

Aimeesue My 4th grade teacher read this to us and i still remember it vividly. ❤️ 5mo
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Twice-Told Tales | Nethaniel Hawthorne
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Mehso-so

I wouldn‘t say it‘s a collection of horror short stories but most of them definitely have darkness, which I wasn‘t expecting. The trope of the funeral bell tolling and the funeral procession were overused, appearing in the majority of these stories. My favorite stories were The Prophetic Pictures, David Swan, Fancy‘s Show Box, Dr. Heidegger‘s Experiment, The Sister Years**, and The Threefold Destiny. Very New England history driven.

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Twice-Told Tales | Nethaniel Hawthorne
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🎨🧑‍🎨🪞

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The Borrowers | Mary Norton
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Loved it! Adorable. I read this because I saw and loved the Studio Ghibli movie The Secret World of Arrietty. The movie stays pretty well with the book, I think. I love the author‘s imagination in using human things for tiny people uses. I enjoyed that the family names of the Borrowers were where they lived like Overmantel, Harpsichord, Clock, and Rain-Pipe. They don‘t borrow, they steal, but they think human beans were made for Borrowers.

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Panpan

Disappointed in this one. It‘s bound so beautifully and smells great, but for something that‘s labeled as an atlas and says it celebrates great artwork inspired by Tolkien without too much explanation in the preface, there‘s not a lot of artwork and a lot of words. Also a lot of dense family tree type charts and timelines. Would much rather recommend reading illustrated editions of the Silmarillion, Hobbit, and Lord of the Rings.

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Saratoga Trunk | Edna Ferber, Stuart M. Rosen
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Pickpick

I enjoyed how vividly the settings and characters were described in Paris, New Orleans, and Saratoga. Clio‘s accompanied by an African lady and a midget at all times, and wooed by a Texan. Off to Saratoga to trick people so she can marry a millionaire. Ends up with the Texan anyway, who becomes a millionaire. So a colorful cast of characters. Pretty fun read but definitely has some questionable racial content.

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Pickpick

Very enjoyable, enlightening, and disturbing. A lot of these goddesses, heroines, and monsters have sad stories. This book has sexual and gruesome content at times, so don‘t give it to your young daughters to read! I was bummed that not all of the women had artwork for them, because the ones that did were lovely to see. The commentary on the stories had a sassy spin but not excessively. The modern pop culture references seemed superfluous.

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The World of Christopher Robin | Ernest Howard Shepard, Alan Alexander Milne
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I thought this was going to be “the” Winnie the Pooh book, but it wasn‘t. It was a lot of silly, childish rhymes supposedly from Christopher Robin with a very few with Winnie the Pooh. I liked 11 out of 81 poems/stories.

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💰🤑

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Cool