Finding Freedom: A Cook's Story; Remaking a Life from Scratch by Erin French

Kindle Edition

I first learned of Erin French from my Aunt when I visited with her in 2021-ish. She told me about this amazing series called "The Lost Kitchen" that airs on the Magnolia Network. Erin has a restaurant in Freedom, Maine and the series is about that. She's the epitome of a farm to table chef and the series shows her interacting with local farmers and growers and how she creates her amazing multi-course meals solely based on what's available locally. The restaurant is so popular that they don't take reservations. It's also only open for like 4 days a week and 6-months out of the year. How do you get a table there? You mail them a postcard and hope that they pick yours out of the hundreds or thousands they get. They call you if your's has been picked out of the bins of postcards they collect and you get to make a reservation. The series is really good. I got the Husband totally addicted to watching it.

It was The Husband who told me that Erin French wrote a book (this one isn't a cookbook - she has that too, though). Presto! It was available right then on the Libby app / from my local library. I started the Kindle book on December 25 and finished on December 31 (ha! Holiday to Holiday!). And, boy was this a doozy. I had no idea about all of the heartache, drama, and trauma in the life of Erin so far. On the series she seems to have it all together. It was really interesting (and heart-wrenching) to learn her story. I would definitely recommend this book.

As I'm writing this long after I read this book, I can report that The Husband and I each sent in a postcard in April 2023 to try to get a reservation at The Lost Kitchen. We haven't heard anything, yet. Here's hoping one of our postcards is pulled our first time. If not, we'll keep trying. The food looks AMAZING!

 Post written on May 8. Publication date reflects date I finished the book.

The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V. E. Schwab

Kindle edition

This is another book from the Real Simple magazine reading recommendations. It was so good!

Here's what Real Simple had to say:

"...a young woman in 18th-century France escapes an arranged marriage by making a bargain with the devil for the ultimate freedom: she'll be immortal... but no one she meets will ever remember her. Then one day in a bookstore, after 300 years of loneliness, she meets a man who recognizes her. Everything changes, revealing just how much we need connection after all."

I started this book on December 12 and finished on December 23.

I loved this book. It is beautifully written, rich in details and layers, full of longing and heartache. Imagine no one ever remembering you. Ever. It might feel really liberating - you can do whatever you want without consequences - like in the Do-Over. But no one will ever remember you. Think about that. Renting an apartment - nope. The landlord won't remember you. Having a job - no. No one there will remember you. Wanting more than a one-night partner - another nope. They won't remember you. Maybe you could try something clever like Adam Sandler in 50 First Dates where he makes a video for Lucy to watch every day to remind her of her life with Sandler. But Addie, through some part of the curse with the devil, can't be photographed or leave her image in any way. So, liberating for a time, yes. But I imagine it would grow very old very fast. 

This book tells Addie's story - her trials and travails. How she manages her life (it's precarious). And how things seem to magically improve one day in a bookstore. There's way more to that than I can divulge here.

This is historical fiction meets immortality (without vampires though) meets love story. So good!

 Post written on May 25. Publication date reflects date I finished the book.

An Offer From a Gentleman: Bridgerton Book 3 by Julia Quinn

Kindle edition

On the Bridgerton bandwagon - third book and counting. I started this book on December 5 and finished it on December 10.

In all honesty, these two things are true:

1. I liked this book

2. This book annoyed me

Like with the other Bridgerton books, I tore through this one. From the outset, something about this book perturbed me. Obviously I kept on reading. But something bothered me. It was probably the 2nd night of reading that I realized that this was basically an exact replica of the Cinderella story but in a Bridgerton wrapper. That's what annoyed me. Couldn't Julia Quinn come up with an original story for Benedict? Why did she need to recreate Cinderella? Ugh.

Of course the book was good. And to me, it was also annoying. I still want to see the story come to life in the Netflix series though.

 Post written on May 28, 2023. Publication date reflects date I finished the book.

Bridgerton: The Duke and I (Bridgertons Book 1) by Julia Quinn

Kindle edition

Though this is the first book in the series, it is the second Bridgerton book I read, mostly due to availability at the Library. I started this book on November 26 and finished it on December 3.

OK, this somewhat crosses over with the visual edition of this book (aka the Netflix series). This book was hot (as was the Netflix version). I loved the banter between Daphne and Simon. Having read this after I watched it, it was all the more rich being able to visualize it already vs. creating the visualization myself.

Love always wins. Writing this now (in May 2023 after having read this in Nov/Dec 2022), hindsight for all of the Bridgerton books tells me that love always wins. Maybe it is naive. I don't care. Love always wins.

From the beginning, especially in the series, it is blatantly obvious that Daphne and Simon are meant for each other. Violet and Lady Danbury know it. It just took a while for Daphne and Simon to figure it out. I love the epilogue so you can know more of how life took shape for them.

Two thumbs up from me. For the entire series, really! Except for Benedict's story - that is only one thumb up.

Post written on May 28, 2023. Publication date reflects date I finished the book.

The Art of Gathering: How We Meet and Why It Matters by Priya Parker

Kindle edition

I can't recall where I became familiar with this book, but I did somewhere and checked it out from the library for my Kindle. I started this book on November 1 and finished it on November 26.

So, this was sort of a cross between a business book and a self-help book. Priya Parker offers some really great advice and thoughts on how to organize gatherings. Yes, for professional-related gatherings (meetings, conferences, etc.) and also for personal gatherings (think dinner parties, etc.)

I am writing this review some time after I finished the book so am not crystal clear on everything there. A few of the takeaways that stayed with me are:

1. Be mindful of how you start your gathering. For professional gatherings, she gave an example of how a typical conference or large meeting starts - with logistics. The bathrooms are here. The refreshments are there. Etc. She talks about how this is the worst possible way to start. There is no intention. There is no "start". It's just blah, bland, and unmemorable. Imagine if the main speaker started with a good introduction, talked about the intent of the meeting/session, gave expectations (for what the speakers would do and what the participants should do). This would make for a much more meaningful, mindful, and memorable gathering. For personal gatherings, be very intentional about who you invite. Don't invite people who will bicker. Don't invite people who won't get along. Think about the PURPOSE of your gathering and then select the people who will be in service o that purpose. When they arrive, don't let them walk right in without introducing them to the other people. Perhaps have an activity or something for them to do while you finish cooking, putting food out, etc. Can you think of anything worse than a room of people who don't know each other, haven't been introduced, and don't really know why they are all there? Ick.

2. Think about the purpose of your gathering. Why are you bringing people together in either scenario - professional or personal? One quote from the book offers this, "Specificity is a crucial ingredient. The more focused and particular a gathering is, the more narrowly it frames itself and the more passion it arouses."

While I don't remember all of the nuggets, I do remember liking this book. Lots of good suggestions on how to design your gatherings so they are enjoyable, meaningful, intentional, have a purpose, and more.

 Post written on May 29, 2023. Publication date reflects date I finished the book.

I Kissed Shara Wheeler: A Novel by Casey McQuiston

Kindle edition

I picked this up after reading two other books by Casey McQuiston - Red, White, and Royal Blue, and One Last Stop.

I'm writing this well after I read this book and can't really remember much about it. I did like it though. I started this book on October 27 and finished it on October 29.

I read a plot summary and the summary on Amazon to try and jog my memory. They helped, a little. This is the story of Chloe and Shara and their experiences together in their senior year of high school. The plot reminds me a little of other books I read about someone who disappears, leaves clues as to where/why, and then people in their lives have to figure it out. Looking for Alaska, for example, by John Green. I feel like there are others out there with a similar plot. Regardless. This was a cute, YA, LGBT genre book. It is an easy and quick read.

 Post written on May 29, 2023. Publication date reflects date I finished the book.

Never Go Back: A Jack Reacher Novel by Lee Child

Kindle edition

Here we go with another Jack Reacher. I started this book on October 24 and finished it on October 26.

Lee Child uses a formula for this Jack Reacher books, much like Vince Flynn/Kyle Mills do for Mitch Rapp books, and Michael Connelly does for Harry Bosch books, and like many other authors with long-running series do. It makes books predictable, in that you know what you're in for. Predictable in this sense isn't a bad thing. 

These are easy books to pick up when you need some mind candy. A book that is good, interesting, easy to read, maybe even addictive. I like these books. Jack Reacher is an interesting guy with an interesting, if violent (mostly not due to his instigation) life.

This book follows Reacher as he heads to the D.C. area to meet, in person, the woman behind the voice on a phone. She's in his old role in the service and she helped him out in a prior book.

Of course, he gets there and some shit hits the fan - this time something to do with him. A BS charge of a homicide from long ago. Rather than walk away, which Reacher never does, he stays and sorts through the shit.

This is a good, quick read. Love this character. Love these books. Love this author.

Post written on May 29, 2023. Publication date reflects date I finished the book.

Sea of Tranquility: A novel by Emily St. John Mandel

Kindle edition

Ok, so I'm writing this well after I read the book (call it laziness on my part) but I took a long hiatus from writing my reviews much to my chagrin now because it is hard to remember books from many months ago. So, after jogging my memory about this book from reading a few reviews, here is a very brief and high-level summary.

I started this book on October 13 and finished it on October 19.

So, this is a doozy of a time-travel, time-loop, multiple people from multiple timelines in the same place at the same time.

This starts in the early 1900s with Edwin arriving in Canada from England and in his time there has a "vision" in the Canadian wilderness of a man playing a violin in a futuristic-looking place.

Two hundred years-ish later, an author, Olive, who lives on a colony on the moon is on Earth doing a book tour. Her book contains a bit about a man playing a violin in the hallway in an airship terminal surrounded by a forest.

The the time-travel component comes up. Gaspery is a detective investigating an anomaly in the Canadian forest. Throughout his investigation he discovers a series of events that are intertwined in a variety of ways.

Buckle your seatbelt and get ready for a topsy turvy wild ride through this book. It is good. It is confusing. You should read it.

Post written on May 29, 2023. Publication date reflects date I finished the book.

The Cartographers: A Novel by Peng Shepherd

Kindle edition

Here is another gem from the Real Simple magazine suggested reading list. They describe it as "thrilling suspense":

"Nell Young's father, an acclaimed cartographer, sidelined her promising career in the field when they had a falling out over a worthless old highway map. When he turns up dead in his office and Nell discovers the very same map hidden among his things, she discovers that it may actually be quite coveted and valuable - dangerously so. [This book] is a wildly entertaining, imaginative ride, with a cinematic plot that keeps the page turning."

I started this book September 24 and finished it on October 12.

Ok - so, the Real Simple summary is spot on. This book is amazing. I have a soft place in my heart for maps. My dad is a geographer and taught us to read/follow maps from an early age. Maps are pretty amazing things. I love looking at old ones, especially really old ones. I love paging through this book I got some time back and looking at the illustrated maps of cities in North America - Bird's Eye Views: Historic Lithographs of North American Cities by John W. Reps. Maps can tell stories. Maps can show you how crazy a city is to navigate (ever looked at a map of Boston, MA - oh boy is that city a challenge to navigate - everything is circular.)

Ok, enough of my tangent. Back to this book. As the Real Simple review mentioned, Nell is trying to follow in the footsteps of her father but is sidelined by a random highway map she finds in the basement of the library where she is working with her father. This sets in motion a vast series of events directly tied to that map. That seemingly random, useless street map.

I don't want to give too much away. So, let me say this - in trying to figure out how, why, and who killed her father, Nell uncovers her history. There's time-loop stuff, hidden places outside of time, murder, intrigue, and plenty of maps.

I highly recommend this book. It was amazing! 

Post written on May 29, 2023. Publication date reflects date I finished the book.

The Storyteller: Tales of Life and Music by Dave Grohl

Kindle edition

The Husband read this book first and loved it. It's funny - he knew who Dave Grohl was, knew who the Foo Fighters are, yet wasn't really into them until we went to see them in concert a few back. Then he reluctantly came around to liking them. The Husband is a rap music fan. That's almost exclusively all that he listens to. Anything that isn't rap really isn't on his radar. So when he likes something other than rap, it takes a while for him to freely admit he likes it. 

Well, after feeling good enough to admit he likes the Foo Fighters and that he wants to be best friends with Dave, he saw that this book was out and got it from our local library. He told me I'd like it too.

I started this on September 15 and finished it on September 23. Now, I'm super behind on reviewing the books I've read, I'm writing this book in 2023 and I finished this in September of 2022. So it's been a minute. Forgive me if I don't offer too many specific details, as they've left my brain already.

I can tell you that this book was great! It's the story of how Dave became Dave - through his early years and the different bands he grew up liking, became a member of, to Nirvana and the gross apartment and room he lived in with Kurt Cobain, through the death and end of Nirvana, to beginning the Foo Fighters. And so much in between.

Dave is a storyteller, for sure. Not only in this book. If you haven't seen it, check out the Sonic Highways documentary from 2014. It's streaming somewhere, I'm sure. It follows the band in making their album of the same name. They go to different cities and the music and history of those cities influences the song, lyrics, and sound. It's really great! And gives me, at lest, a deeper appreciation for the music, knowing the back-story and not just trying to infer it from the lyrics.

Great book. Highly recommend it.

Post written on June 4, 2023. Publication date reflects date I finished the book.

Think Like a Monk: Train Your Mind for Peace and Purpose Every Day by Jay Shetty

Kindle edition

So, I meditate daily using the Calm app. In addition to all of the great meditations they have, they started having Jay Shetty do meditations called "The Daily Jay". I started incorporating them into my daily meditation and really liked them. 

Jay is a former monk and has great insights to share, interesting questions to ponder, and a calming voice. I still meditate with him through the app.

I learned he had a book and was excited to read it. I got the kindle edition from my local library and started the book on July 8 and finished it on September 14. This one took a while for me to get through.

So, as with many of these reviews, I'm writing them in 2023 despite finishing the book in 2022. I don't remember a lot of specifics, so here's my high-level recollection. While I liked the book, I felt it was a little too preachy, a little too "do this". That's probably intentional, this being a 
"self-help" book of sorts. I'm realizing I don't take to those quite as much as I do purely fiction books.

So, while I think there are some great points about what meditation and mindfulness can do for you, and I fully support those things (and practice them myself), I don't think I got as much out of this book as I do from the daily meditations on Calm. I think that is further evidenced by how long it took me to read this book.

So, while not a total fan of the book, I really do like Jay Shetty and his daily meditations on the Calm app.

Post written on June 4, 2023. Publication date reflects date I finished the book.

Gossip Girl: A Novel (Gossip Girl, 1) by Cecily von Ziegesar

Kindle edition

I was a loyal watcher of the original Gossip Girl series on TV. I even got sucked into the re-do/re-imagining of the series as well (definitely not as good as the first). So I thought I'd pick up the book and give it a try - this was after reading another book by Cecily von Ziegesar called Class.

I started Gossip Girl on July 2 and finished it on July 8. A quick read.

Maybe because I already knew the TV series (watched it when it originally aired and then again more recently), I had high expectations for this book.

Sadly, I didn't love it. Maybe there were too many nuanced differences between the book and the series. I don't know. But I know I didn't like it enough to read any of the other ones in this book series. For me, the show, the original show, was better. 

Post written on June 4, 2023. Publication date reflects date I finished the book.

The Towering Sky (Thousandth Floor Book 3) by Katharine McGee

Kindle edition

The final book in this trilogy by Katharine McGee. I started this one on June 22 and finished it on July 1.

Another quick page turner filled with Gossip-Girl-esque drama. Who gets with whom? What revenge is exacted? How will everything come together? That's for you to find out when you read this book.

Again - I'm writing this almost a year after I read this book. The details are fuzzy, but I know they are juicy and good!

Really enjoyed this series, and really like this author.

Post written on June 4, 2023. Publication date reflects date I finished the book.

The Dazzling Heights (Thousandth Floor Book 2) by Katharine McGee

Kindle edition

On to the 2nd book in this series - The Dazzling Heights. This picks up where book 1 leaves off. I started this one on June 17 and finished it on June 22.

More drama. More intrigue. More everything! Since it's been some time since I finished this book, the details are a tad hazy. But I do remember really liking this book and wanting to get to the bottom of the drama. Find out more. See how it turns out.

It was a quick read and when I finished, I was ready to jump into book 3.

Post written on June 4, 2023. Publication date reflects date I finished the book.

Class by Cecily Von Ziegesar

Kindle edition

So, even with the help of the Amazon summary, I cannot remember anything about this book. Some of the character names seem familiar, but I can't bring up any of the plot details.

I started this book on June 13 and finished it on June 16. This tells me that it was intriguing and fast-paced enough for me to finish in just a few days. Books that don't grab me usually take me longer to finish.

So - read at your own risk!

Post written on June 4, 2023. Publication date reflects date I finished the book.

American Royals III: Rivals by Katharine McGee

Kindle edition

Third book in this series - another page turner and entertaining quick read!

I started this book on June 5 and finished it on June 12. I don't know how it is for you, but I can lose myself in a book. When I'm really into the book, and the story, details, and writing are just right, it's easy to immerse myself in the book and feel like it is real. Of course, I'm not delusional and I know what reality I live in. It is just easy for me to imagine another reality that the book depicts.

More royal drama between family and friends. The story is great. I love the characters. If you've liked the other two, you'll like the third!

Post written on June 4, 2023. Publication date reflects date I finished the book.

The Viscount Who Loved Me: Bridgerton (Bridgertons Book 2) by Julia Quinn

Kindle edition

So, Bridgerton book #2 that I read first in the series because it was the first one I could get from the library. I started this book on May 21 and finished it on May 31.

I had just finished watching this series on Netflix and was obsessed and just had to read the books. I was a little worried about reading it in order, but ultimately, didn't care, I got it and was full steam ahead.

I really enjoyed the book - especially after having seen it on my TV. The show followed the book fairly closely and enhanced the reading experience for me. I could "see" what I was reading - not just the words, but the colors, the people, the expressions, everything.

I'm glad Anthony came around and found marriage to not just be a box to tick off but to be something immensely important and something that has to do with love. I'm glad he and Kate (she's right there on the cover, no spoiler here) came to their senses. And, I love the two epilogues at the end of the books so you get to find out what happens in their lives.

I highly recommend both the book and the series.

Post written on July 7, 2023. Publication date reflects date I finished the book.

The Thousandth Floor by Katharine McGee

Kindle edition

I fell into this series of 3 books by Katharine McGee after reading her "American Royals" books (which I love, by the way). I started this book on May 11 and finished it on May 21.

This book focuses on a group of friends/people living in a not-too-distant (100 years) future New York where the Tower is a 1,000-story building that's basically a city in and of itself. Yes, it is in New York / Manhattan. Yes, it is it's own city. And Yes, the Manhattan city still exists outside of the Tower, but it's different than the Manhattan we know today.

This book is kind of like Gossip Girl meets The OC meets the future all wrapped in one. There are the haves and the majorly haves and the have nots. They don't really mix, until they do.

This book follows all of the drama of a core group of people trying to figure things out, especially how a person came to plunge to their death from the top of the tower.

I enjoyed this book and was eager to get into the other 2 in the series.

Post written on June 4, 2023. Publication date reflects date I finished the book.

One Last Stop by Casey McQuiston

Kindle edition

I latched onto this book after reading Red, White, and Royal Blue by the same author. Loved that book! This one was different than the first one I read. I have to say right now, I loved this book!

I started reading it on May 2 and finished it on May 10. A quick read that I absolutely wanted to finish fast but didn't want to end.

This is a bit of a time-loop love story for August, a 23 year old girl who moves to New York City and her life takes some unexpected twists and turns. From random roommates, working at a pancake diner, to meeting an amazing girl on the train, Jane.

August sees Jane repeatedly on the same train, and she's always wearing the same thing. Peculiar. Fast forward a little and we come to learn that Jane is stuck on the train, and became stuck there in the 1970s. Insert time-loop drama here. August and her unique roommates have to figure out how to get Jane un-stuck from the train. Therein lies the rest of this book. It's so good!

Read it!

Post written on July 7, 2023. Publication date reflects date I finished the book.

Cobble Hill: A Novel by Cecily von Ziegesar

Kindle edition

I'm fairly certain this was a Real Simple recommendation, but I can't find the blurb. Oh well. I read this book. I started it on April 12 and finished it on April 17. A very quick read.

As I'm writing this more than a year after I read it, I'm using basically word for word the write-up from Amazon.

This book chronicles "a year in the lives of four families in an upscale Brooklyn neighborhood as they seek purpose and community—until one unforgettable night at a raucous neighborhood party knocks them to their senses."

"Welcome to Cobble Hill.

In this eclectic Brooklyn neighborhood, private storms brew amongst four married couples and their children. There’s ex-groupie Mandy, so underwhelmed by motherhood and her current physical state that she fakes a debilitating disease to get the attention of her skateboarding, ex-boyband member husband Stuart. There’s the unconventional new school nurse, Peaches, on whom Stuart has an unrequited crush, and her disappointing husband Greg, who wears noise-cancelling headphones—everywhere.

A few blocks away, Roy, a well-known, newly transplanted British novelist, has lost the thread of his next novel and his marriage to indefatigable Wendy. Around the corner, Tupper, the nervous, introverted industrial designer with a warehouse full of prosthetic limbs struggles to pin down his elusive artist wife Elizabeth. Throw in two hormonal teenagers, a ten-year-old pyromaniac, a drug dealer pretending to be a doctor, and a lot of hidden cameras, and you’ve got a combustible mix of egos, desires, and secrets bubbling in brownstone Brooklyn.

“Breezy, witty, and compulsively fun to read” (Kirkus Reviews), Cobble Hill is highly entertaining portrait of contemporary family life and the colorful characters who call Brooklyn home."

I fully agree with the summary from Amazon. This book was funny, engaging, and really painted a fun and funny picture of life for these people in Brooklyn. I really enjoyed it and laughed out loud several times. I would definitely recommend this book! Reading this sort of pushed me to read the first Gossip Girl book. For me, the TV series (original) Gossip Girl was way better than the book. I didn't feel compelled to read any more of that series. To me, Cobble Hill was way better.

Post written on July 7, 2023. Publication date reflects date I finished the book.

On The Wings Of A Sleepless Knight: Chronicles Of A Freight Dog by Lee Jones

Kindle edition

My dad is a pretty avid reader. He loves some of the same book series as I do (Harry Bosch by Michael Connelly, Dirk Pitt by Clive Cussler, and a few others). I often read books after he's told me about them (as long as they seem interesting)...

He told me about this one and I was really interested. I started reading it on April 7 and finished it on April 11. Since it's been more than a year since I read it, I'm relying on parts of the summary from Amazon to jog my memory. The summary seems to have been written by the author, Lee Jones - it's in the first person.

"On the Wings of a Sleepless Knight is the story of my singular passion for flying starting from the first moment I saw an episode of "Sky King" to beginning my pilot's lessons at twelve to flying covert missions in war-torn middle eastern countries, Columbia and communist Russia. 

As a young man, I cared only about one thing. That singular focus served me well as I got my license at seventeen years old and shortly after began teaching others to fly as a senior in high school and chartering flights around the country. With each new facet of my flying career, the rewards became greater while the risks grew more dangerous. After countless near-crashes in large jets and cargo planes, I was recruited into a sketchy company that flew under the radar performing top secret trips that the government would likely deny. This memoir details my journey as a pilot from first learning to fly to retiring my wings and everything in between."

Believe me, there is a LOT in between Lee learning to fly and the end of the book. Some of it seems to fantastical to be true. I hope it is all true. 

So here's the thing - I really liked this book. I love hearing about peoples' life and their stories. I love listening to my dad's stories (and he has a lot). This felt a lot like one of my dad's stories, maybe that's part of what made it so good. I don't know. Here's the other thing - there are some (many) typos in the book that I had to work hard to overlook. It felt a little self-published, but whatever. It was chock full of great stories. And it gave me something to connect with my dad over.

If you love a good adventure story (or 5 or more), this is a pretty good book to read!

Post written on July 7, 2023. Publication date reflects date I finished the book.