Book 37 Broken

 

 

Broken (in the Best Possible Way) by Jenny Lawson fulfilled the category “Book by a Blogger, Vlogger, YouTuber, or other Online Personality” for the PopSugar 2021 Reading Challenge. I’ve read all of Ms. Lawson’s books. They inspire me.

Broken is a continuation story of life, mental health, and perseverance. Ms. Lawson suffers from various health issues. Despite the sometimes crippling effects of her condition, the woman has published three books and an entire blog about her life, career, and issues. She’s a true American hero.

The book is a series of essays on various topics. Many of them spoke to me on a personal level. I’ll be honest with you. I’m writing this on the day I post it. I read the title a few months ago and realized I wanted a refresher before I wrote my review. Then I fell down the rabbit hole and listened to most of the book again. Her voice is soothing, and her fight is my fight. First, I apologize if this post is wonky because I’m rushing, and second, you can already guess my thoughts on the quality of this title.

One of the essay topics (more than one actually) was health care. If you’ve read anything by Ms. Lawson, you know she struggles with multiple mental and physical health issues. One chapter was an open letter to her insurance company regarding her medications and treatments. It was a powerful letter calling out this company for denying her medicine and treatments because they didn’t think they were medically necessary. I have struggled some with insurance issues regarding meds, but nothing like this poor woman. Why do we allow insurance companies to override doctors’ orders? Is this why we are in this state with the pandemic? If we continually see insurance claim they know more than doctors, no wonder we question the vaccines. (I myself am a believer in science and medicine and am vaccinated.) A huge point the author made spoke of equity. She can afford to pay for meds on her own and seek her own treatment. But most of this country cannot. Most people are out of luck if the insurance says “no.” And to receive a “no” after being brave enough to ask for help is a terrible, terrible thing. End of rant.

Another issue Ms. Lawson discusses are those trite “truisms” people post all over Facebook and other social media. I’m all about inspiration, but come on. How many kitten posts do we need? (Unless they are orange kitties, and I can show them to evilcat.) One of her quips really hit me. She made fun of “Live as if it’s your last day.” She changed it to “Live as if it’s Saturday, but it’s only Wednesday. This is some advice I can follow. We are all busy and must run a thousand errands every day. And with the pandemic, running errands is harder. One, we can’t get the things we need, thanks to shipping issues, and two, we are so used to being cocooned in our homes that leaving is horrific. (I’m speaking to all those introverts out there.) So every once in a while, we need to live Wednesday like Saturday. Skip the errands, and sit in a lawn chair, curl up with a good book, or stay up late. It’s good for mental health. And you are a rock and can deal with a wonky Thursday once in a while.

Last, I wanted to mention her tweet that went so viral it ended up in the New York Times. It’s about awkward moments. The section made me laugh out loud. If you read the book, be sure your bladder is empty. Thousands of people shared their awkward “Have a good flight” moment (when you wish the ticket clerk the same…). My favorite is one from work. Many times I say things like “I hope your books are wonderful” or “Happy Reading!” to my patron. Then they wish it back on me, and I grin. I have done 1000 more awkward things, but I’m not ready to admit more in print.

I give Broken (in the Best Possible Way) by Jenny Lawson Five Stuffed Alligators with adorable names.

 

Book 36 This Is How You Lose the Time War

This Is How You Lose the Time War by Max Gladstone and Amal El-Mohtar fulfilled the category “Book my Best Friend Would Love” for the PopSugar 2021 challenge. Both my best friends are avid readers. I had a dozen choices for this one but ended up with my husband’s choice. He’s not a romance reader, unlike my bestie since seventh grade, Jen. Boy, he was surprised by this title.

This is a sci-fi romance. No question. As far as I can tell, no one is selling this novel as a romance. But it has all the beats in a beautiful, complex format.

How to explain this story… It’s a wild ride, full of twists and turns, as one would expect from a time travel novel.

Let’s work on that first. Not only is this a time travel book, but it’s the quintessence of time travel books. The two protagonists travel all over the timeline, creating alternate realities in an attempt to win the time war for their own side.

Wait, let’s talk about that. The two protagonists are time warriors, traveling the strands of time, altering events, trying to sabotage the other side in a war that ravages forever. One person, Red, is for all intents and purposes is a cyborg with complex anatomy that works to her advantage to survive her missions. The other, Blue, seems to be a plant-based entity born from a mother plant and part of the intricate machinery devised to win the war. The war, the characters, the world are complicated, and we get no genuine answers.

Instead of a hard sci-fi story about sabotage, war, and alternate timelines, we get a budding love story between these two antagonists. Blue, for some reason, leaves a note for Red at an essential moment. Red was leery but fascinated by her archenemy would leave an actual written message. She messages back. The two string secret messages along the timeline in wondrous and inventive ways. Blue grew one message in a tree over hundreds of years. Slowly, romance blooms through their notes until they are essential to each other’s existence.

I don’t want to spoil, but OMG, the black moment and the happy ending. Sigh, it was perfect.

I enjoyed the book, but honestly, it was complicated. A second read might be in order to appreciate the crafting of the tale. We are never privileged to background information. We get glimpses of the personal history of the mains, but no details. We don’t know why the war is happening, only that it is. And spoiler! In the end, we only care if these two lovers win. (Oh, yeah. It’s not just a romance. It’s a lesbian romance, and it’s beautiful!)

I listened to the tale with two readers, which helped me differentiate between Blue and Red. It was tough to follow who was who without those details of their personality, hopes and dreams, and home life. We know little, except the two females end up clinging to probably the only friendship either has ever had. They only write, never seeing each other or having any physical relationship. But the love is real, binding, and timeless.

Go read this one.

I give This Is How You Lose the Time War by Max Gladstone and Amal El-Mohtar Four Secret Messages in Tea Leaves.

 

 

Book 35 The Silent Patient

 

 

The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides fulfilled the category “Book about an Artist” for the PopSugar 2021 Reading Challenge. The title was not my first choice for the prompt. I read Get a Life, Chloe Brown and had Luster as an option, too. Chloe Brown, a romance, switched up the heat level too much, too quickly for my taste. I opted to try another novel for the challenge, and I’m glad I did.

Bestsellers are not my jam. I find the books lack the fun, sexy, deep elements I enjoy. Books like Nine Perfect Strangers or All the Light We Cannot See made me a bit stabby. But The Silent Patient hit all the right notes. I love a novel with well-created twists and turns. Gone Girl and Verity rank very high on my favorite book scale, and I’m adding The Silent Patient to the list.

It chronicles therapist Theo Faber as he takes on a tough patient artist Alicia Berenson, who hasn’t spoken in five years. He seems a kind, caring person who genuinely wants to help her. He’s also dealing with some marital troubles. Alicia herself is coping with the aftermath of her husband’s murder, which she is accused of committing. The audiobook used two narrators, a female to read Alicia’s diary and a male to read Theo’s recording of his involvement with the case. The dual narrators worked well, calling back to Gone Girl with the diary.

The book moved back and forth through time, but it was easy to follow. The narration seemed very natural and interesting. Suspicious characters and red herrings dropped seamlessly throughout the story. And as I hoped, the end twisted everything around. It was wonderful.

Tying this to the prompt, Alicia’s art plays a role in the tale. After the murder, she paints a picture in a single go, unusual for her. All sorts of theories are formed around her subject, herself, and the title Alcestis, a tragic Greek heroine. Also, art therapy is finally used for Alicia and her new painting is a key to understating the complexity of the tale. So delicious!

Just as I began the novel, my PopSugar group on Facebook posted some bad feelings about the book. No one trashed it, but their consensus was to pass on the title. I’m glad I didn’t. It was right up my alley with questionable actions by characters, lack of trust for most characters, the constant guessing of who-dun-it and how. The story hit all my buttons for a great read. I can’t say too much, or it will ruin the experience for you. But if you liked Gone Girl or Verity, this is the novel for you.

I give The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides Five Secret Diaries.

 

Book 34 The Worst Best Man

 

The Worst Best Man by Mia Sosa fulfilled the category “Book with an Oxymoron in the Title” for the PopSugar 2021 Reading Challenge. I had several great titles for this one, Openly Straight, Summer Frost, and Death of a Ghost. But we all love romances here, so…

The Worst Best Man is a classic enemies-to-lovers romance. It chronicles the story of Lina, a wedding planner who is stood up at her own wedding. We flash forward a few years, and Lina is doing well but needs a new location for her business. Her job search finds her working with her ex-fiancé and his brother. Lina pretends not to know the two men so she can vie for the perfect job. Of course, this gets her in trouble. Let’s not mention how amazing, hot, and fun former best man Max is. Lina is in hot water here!

The novel had some wonderful elements. Lina is Brazilian, and the author paints fantastic pictures of the culture, food, and traditions through Lina and her family. I loved every second of hearing about eating Pão de Queijo or dancing to samba music. I listened to the audio (of course). Occasionally, the characters spoke in Portuguese, adding even more to the culturally rich book. I loved that the white guy embraced her culture and wanted to learn more about it. Especially the part where she tricked him into eating some very spice peppers.

Another great aspect of the story was the conflict. The novel built the perfect level of conflict as we moved through the tale. This book was the picture-perfect representation of “the build.” The author carefully layered a failed wedding, then business with the ex, then liking the ex’s little brother, then losing her place of business, all the while working on her inner goals of emotional stability and keeping her lust in check. The further you read in the story, the more the conflict escalates. It’s a perfectly written romance.

But… I mentioned I listened to the audio. I would not recommend it. The narration alternated between two readers, one male, one female. The woman reader was amazing, speaking Portuguese and differentiating between characters with changes in her voice. The male reader, on the other hand… Well, I’ll say it. He was terrible. He made Lina sound like some dizzy blonde. All his female voices were awful. If I were the author, I’d ask for a new version of the audio. The female reader could have done the whole thing, and then the book would have been absolutely perfect. I’m not sure why they choose to use dual readers in many romance books. It isn’t necessary, and in this case, it almost ruined the story. I finished on audio, but if I ever reread, only paper!

I give The Worst Best Man by Mia Sosa Five Pieces of Pão de Queijo (if you don’t listen to the audio).