Bookshipper

BOOK REVIEW for Getting Naked by Valerie Bertinelli

2026-02-25T12:06:00.003-05:00

Thank you to HarperCollins for sending me a copy of this ebook.

TITLE: Getting Naked

AUTHOR: Valerie Bertinelli

GENRE: Memoir (its marketed as a memoir but its more essays)

RATING: 5 stars

Firstly, i admire Valerie Bertinelli for always being so honest and open in her books, in her various social media posts and in her life in general.

Its hard for me to think that she is 65 because she sooo does not look it.
We have shared many similar struggles and I am just a few years younger than she is. I mention this because all these commonalities, of course, affect my review of this book.
I would classify this as a book of essays with some self-help thrown in, its a bit of a stretch to call it a memoir. I was a tad disappointed in this as I would love to read another memoir based on her life since the last book.
My thoughts.....Bertinelli is extremely hard on herself. Many of the things she mentions, such as remembering all the events, in her past, which have caused and continues to cause her misery today is something, I believe, we can all relate to.
This is the strength in this book - Bertinelli shares feelings and thoughts that many of us have and it made me feel better knowing that I was not alone. Each chapter is a little ray of hope for all of us.
Her struggles with her weight, her two divorces, losing her job, the death of her parents and how it felt to be raised by them, as well as the death of Eddie Van Halen are front and center here.
The things I loved:
Her description of how free she was swimming in her pool was very empowering, as she described it, I could almost feel the calmness she felt at that moment.
Her love for Wolfie and his wife are obvious, as well as her love for Eddie Van Halen. These two (now3) have been a theme in all of Bertinelli's books. I have never heard her utter one bad word about Eddie Van Halen and its very obvious she still loves him. Not so much her second husband and I get it, I have no love loss for most of my relationships either, but there is always THAT one person.....

She mentions worrying about $ and I was very surprised at this. I am guilty of just assuming she has tons of money and while she questions many aspects of her life, she is doing it in a (what I assume) is a beautiful house, surrounded by lots of Hollywood friends and job offers all over the place. The 'what does she really have to complain about' thought did cross my mind, but everytime I read a book by Bertinelli, I get myself in check because, obviously you do not need to be wildly rich to have problems. I keep forgetting that and Valerie Bertinelli is certainly not a spoiled actress, without a clue about real life, which we so often see in Hollywood. In fact, she could easily be our best friend - because that is the overall vibe she gives out.
I do hope that Bertinelli writes another memoir and that she keeps doing what she is doing. It helps.

BOOK REVIEW for Strangers a Memoir of Marriage by Belle Burden

2026-01-04T19:40:00.027-05:00

A big thank you to Penguin Random House for the e-book to read and review

TITLE: Strangers

AUTHORL Belle Burden

GENRE: Memoir

RATING: 5 stars out of 5

I have such mix feelings on this book.

First, it is so well written I could not put it down and I am very picky about what I read, especially when it comes to memoirs.

I come from a family with a dad that cheated on my mom (thankfully, she is not on social media, so I can say that). I saw firsthand what happens and it has left lasting impressions on me - some good ones (my mother is such a strong person) to bad (wow, I did not matter to my dad, not really)

I will state this right now, that man is something else and he does not deserve his family - no question about that and he deserves whatever karma is coming to him.

When it comes to men and love, something seems to happen to many perfectly smart women, we get stupid (me included). It was so obvious that James had disconnected and was actually doing what was best for HIM. The whole prenup thing just got me mad. Yet. Belle said it herself, it was her fault, everyone told her about the prenup, but she was so in love she throw away all advice - See what I mean about smart women,,,

Her writing style is wonderful. You feel her pain, you feel her fear. She built James enough, for many readers to have a strong opinion on this man and his actions. I found myself rooting for her at times and wanting to yell at her at other times. This is a direct testimony to the writing.

The pace was also excellent. She does not go deep into useless details. She tells us what we need to read. The story moves forward well.

This was a very frustrating read - but I loved it and I hope she writes a follow up in a few years so we can follow her journey.

BOOK review for Breaking Good by Nikki Memmano

2026-01-04T00:00:00.001-05:00

Thank you to Simon & Schuster for sending me an e-copy of this book

TITLE: Breaking Good

AUTHOR: Nikki Memmano

GENRE: Memoir

RATING: 4 atars

Will be released January 13, 2026

I read a lot of books on addiction and recovery, and this book, especially the first part, is quite harrowing.

it was a challenge to like Nikki. She seemed completely oblivious of the harm she was casually doing to herself as well as other people. She has zero self-awareness, yet she kept trying to treat the boys (she befriended) as some kind of surrogate mother, all the while pumping them full of drugs. She kept feeding their habit, but making sure she fed them food - junk food, but still.....

The middle part of this book was slow going. Yes, I know, we needed to understand her trauma, but it was very slow. Having said that, I typically don't like the "once upon a time" part of memoirs, and that's my personal taste as they seem to go on endlessly.

The recovery was interesting, and i do applaud Nikki for her honesty and for her resilience.

2026-01-01T23:41:00.000-05:00

I am a little late on this post.

Last year, I participated in Goodread's 2025 Reading Challenge. I had set a goal of 39 but ended up reading 37, so I did not meet the challenge.

For this year, the number of books I set to read is at 37.

Like if quite busy and I do take out to knit, but reading is my number priority,

I have read many different types of books and I really enjoy.

Have a happy New Years and may 2026 bring you joy, love and health (not necessarily in that order LOL)

BOOK review for Splendor by Isabelle Laflèche

2025-12-22T16:30:00.001-05:00

TITLE: Splendor

AUTHOR: Isabelle Laflèche

GENRE: Self help

RATING: 5 stars

I discovered this author when her first novel, "J'adore New York" was released So, I was very intrigued by this non fiction.

This book could easily have been titled "To thine own self be true". (Yes, I know I am borrowing from Shakespeare);

Firstly, I love the way the universe chose to give Isabelle a message - the one she needed to hear. Everyone who visits New York (or lives there) will attest to how crazy the sidewalks are. There are so many people, at times, that just getting from point A to B is a challenge.

Yet, at the precise time, the universe made sure that a random woman (who turned out to have a very important message) would cross paths with Isabelle. and the rest, as they say, 'is history'.

From this point on, Isabelle followed her destiny, despite her fears, despite her doubts and despite her high salary.

I have to stop for a second to say that MY personal belief is that everything is already pre-destined, that nothing stems from chance or self will and the meeting between these 2 women is just more proof, in my view.

This book is so well researched, which is Isabelle's trademark. If you see it in her book (novel or not), you can bet that it is true. I love that she references Walden and Thoreau, while also writing about the Law of Attraction, yoga and Ayurveda.

This book is a roadmap in discovering who you TRULY are. It tells you that you CAN be happy, at least most of the time. Its challenging and its scary, but the tone is so happy and joyful that you cannot help but believe there is something more, out there, than just sadness, work, debt and horrible eating habits.

It is written in a very clear and encouraging way, with an honest voice. You are encouraged to take what you need and leave the rest.

Its hopeful and engaging

BOO REVIEW for Two Perfect Lies by Natalie Richards

2025-11-17T12:29:00.000-05:00

TITLE: Two Perfect Lies

AUTHOR: Natalie D. Richards

GENRE: YA thriller

RATING: 4 stars

If you can sit through the first chapter, which is slow, you will end up loving this plot.For the most part, this is a really engrossing story.

I loved all the twists, especially when it comes to Lilly. It made me think about my friendships at that age, and would I have been able to tell if my best friend was not who I thought she was?

After chapter 1, the author moves the story along well. There is a sense of urgency to the writing that was perfect for the words on the page.The only predictable thing was the relationship between the main character, Clara, and Henry. Other than that, this was a very good read.

BOOK REVIEW for Futue Boy by Michael J. Fox

2025-10-01T17:59:00.001-04:00

Thank you to Flatiron and McMillan, for sending me a copy of this e-book

TITLE: Future boy

AUTHOR: Michael J. Fox

GENRE: Entertainment/memoir

RATING: 5 Stars

I loved, loved this book. Did I mention I loved it.

I have always been a fan of Michael J. Fox and I remember very clearly hearing how Fox was working day and night on his TV series and the first Back to the Future movie. It was a thing back then.

In this short (unfortunately) book, he basically details how he nabaged to work all those crazy hours in order to respect his commitments to both Family Ties and Back to the Future.

Fun stories, insider stories and everything is described well and surprisingly, despite the length of this book, nothing feels rushed and in true Michael J. Fox style, he is kind to everyone in this book.

I particularly loved how he admits to beeing pretty clueless in those first days, which somehow just added to the innocence of the movie.

Michael J. Fox - please do a book on your time on Family Ties.

Such a great book.

BOOK REVIEW for The Beginning of Shi*t: An unapologetic Weight Loss Memoir by Suzanne Culberg

2025-08-02T16:19:00.001-04:00

TITLE: The Beginning is Sh*t: An apologetic Weight Loss Memoir

AUTHOR: Suzanne Culberg

Genre: Memoir

RATING: 5/5 stars

I loved this book.

Suzanne is very honest about her weight as well as her situation. She basically wrote a book that could easily describe me, minus the kids and all the crying.

Seriously, what is up with all that crying? getting angry, I get, feeling frustrated, scared.....all valid, but the crying on every other page was the one thing I found annoying.

If you want to know how being overweight and feeling out of control sounds like, then read this book - everything she wrote touched me.

I also question the roles her family, hubby, and friends have in her life. They are basically rarely mentioned, and at one point, I seriously thought she had divorced and chose not to tell us.

Bottom line, loved the honesty. I totally loved the pace of this book, and I totally identified.

BOOK REVIEW for Mania Tartan, turmoil and my life as a Bay City Rollers by Stuard Woody Wood

2025-07-12T19:04:00.001-04:00

TITLE: Mania Tartan, Turmoil - and my life as a Bay City Rollers

AUTHOR: Stuart Woody Wood

GENRE: Memoir

RATiNG 3 out of 5 stars

I will start by reiterating that I still love the Bay City Rollers today and play their music all the time.

While it seems as though every fan had their own reasons for liking one of the guys more than the others, I can say that I liked Les as a teenager and now, I can appreciate all of them as they all contributed to the music.

It was quite a rude awakening for me, as an adult, as I discovered how much each of the guys suffered while in the band, including sexual abuse . It was scary and sometimes I think how happy I was, not knowing any of it, so I could honestly enjoy Rollermania (no cell phones way back in 1977).

Over the last 20 years or so, Les wrote a memoir, as did Alan and I even managed to read the entirety of the brick of a book (over 400 pages) written on the music industry and how it chewed and spit out all of the Rollers.

I mention this because I will read anything on the Rollers. Having said that, Woody's book is, boring. Kind of vanilla. I really had to force myself to get through it. This is not something I felt with any of the other books.

While Woody describes events, accompanied by how he felt about them, the narration feels very one tone. There is very little actual dialogue and he does not know how to build a story, everything sounds as though he is reciting it in a neutral voice (I read the book, not the audio).

The end result was, in my opinion, a boring book

I appreciate all the contributions he gave the band and I even plan on seeing him if he and his new band come to my hometown, but he is a way better singer and songwriter than he is as author.

BOOK REVIEW for Drunk Love, a Marriage Under the Influence by Melissa Fletcher

2025-05-10T17:39:00.005-04:00

Thank you to Library Tales Publishing for sending me an e-copy of this book.

TITLE: Drunk Love: A Marriage Under the Influence

AUTHOR: Melissa Fletcher Stoeltje

GENRE: Memoir

RATING: 5 stars

This was a great read.

I did not like Melissa or Mark at all, and honestly, I am surprised they are still together.

For someone in his own recovery group, he is very annoying and often comes across as denying his own reality!

This book works on several levels:

1 the honesty to detail the good and the bad.

2 rarely have I seen a memoir about addiction so thoroughly explain, to the readers, what AA is and is not.

3 the message of hope.

I read a lot of memoirs on addiction, and the writing is solid, and the pace is great.

I really enjoyed this, or as much as you can enjoy reading such a serious subject.

BOOF REVIEW for A Marriage that Changed the World - Lois and Bill Wilson by Tom Adams and Joy Jones

2025-04-30T18:25:00.002-04:00

TITLE: A Marriage that Changed the World - Lois and Bill Wilson

AUTHOR: Tom Adams and Joy Jones

GENRE: Non fiction

RATING: 5 stars

I loved this book. I am a fan of A.A. history and this book gives such an interesting taste, particularly when Lois is a widow.

I do find that some subjects are glossed over, but overall this is an amazing read, created by dutiful research.

This book can be read by those in various programs as an inspiration and by those who love an addict for hope.

The best proof that there is a Higher Power in the world has been pr metoven when Bill Wilson and Dr Bob Smith met and the second miracle was that Lois and Annie married these men and stayed with them through all of it.

BOOK REVIEW for Loud Fast Words by Dave Pirner

2025-04-07T16:45:00.004-04:00

TITLE: Loud Fast Words

AUTHOR: Dave Pirner

GENRE: Not sure how to describe this - non fiction

RATING: 5 stars

I am usually pretty definitive in what I am reading. I love reading memoirs (celebrity or otherwise) so, technically, this book should never have been part of my reading history, because it is NOT a memoir.

I am not sure what happened, but as I was browsing in a bookstore, one of my favorite things to do, and was heading to the cash register with a pile of books, I casually looked down at a table and this book caught my attention. Have no idea why, but I just scooped it up, along with all my other books .

When I got home, I looked at the cover and thought 'wait, this is written by someone in Soul Asylum?". I had a distant memory of Soul Asylum, very vague and to me, they had "that guy with all the hair in front of his face" (a pet peeve of mine BTW) "who sang that song about trains".

My generation had so much good music, that Soul Asylum never even made my top 10. How can it? when I was enjoying Zeppelin, Supertramp and the Eagles to name a few. Plus, at the time, Soul Asylum was into grunge (I do remember that) and that type of music was NOT my thing at all.

Anyway, all of this to say that I adored this book. A lot of the lyrics are thought provoking and I found out that I really, really enjoy Stand Up and Be Strong (especially with Pirner singing it with his son) and yes, that "train" song is also really good.

I made a point of reading each page and then listening to the tune, so I have been on this book for quite a while now and I ended up going down the rabbit hole a bit. There were other songs I really enjoyed too, so I have added Sould Asylum to my repeat playlist, even though it appears that their music has been called, grunge, alternative rock and rock....I suppose it is genius to make music that is not defined by only one music type.

I am so impressed with Pirner's creativity (yes, that guy with all the hair in front of his face), he is obviously doing (songwriting) what he was put on this planet to do.

Pirner and I have nothing in common - oh wait!, we are both the same age and we both breathe the same air, that's about it. While I am no music expert, the depth of some of his lyrics has really touched me. The little blurb at the top of each page, discussing his mindset at the time of the writing of a particular song, gives us just a hint of what he was living or thinking or feeling at that time.

I really enjoyed reading this book and discovering (ok, granted 40 years later) some really great songs.

As I do when I finish a memoir (this is not that, but still), I do a deep dive on the author and I did this with David Pirner. While Pirner is obviously funny and very intelligent, it was a bit of a letdown, to me, to see that he is also kind of a cliché musician, with the work hard and party harder mentality. Obviously, he owes me less than zero, but I was kind of dejected. Addiction is a b**** for sure, but I had hoped Pirner would have grown through it, and maybe he has, but watching some interviews or concerts can be kind of painful. Yet, at times, he is so on the ball, its amazing.

He is such a contradiction, it really intrigues me.

Of course, the irony here, is that he could easily take this review and turn it into something powerful, a skill I have not been born with, obviously.

HAPPY NEW YEAR onwards to 2025

2024-12-31T21:41:00.003-05:00

Looks like I did not meet my 2024 challenge - missed it by 3 books.

2024 Reading Challenge

2024
READING
CHALLENGE
books completed
3 books behind schedule
36/39 (92%)
View Challenge

I rarely use this blog to express personal things, but I do make exceptions at the end of the year.
I discovered a great song in 2024 - Bridges Burn by Needtobreathe. My whole life I have been told to 'never burn my bridges" because I may need to use that bridge, at some point, especially when it comes to my career. I have come to realize that I WANT to watch all my bridges burn, I am tired of looking behind me for answers and I am tired of trying to fit square pegs into round ones.
Going back into my past, be it relationships or jobs has NEVER paid off, not once. I kept trying to "fix" the relationships and that somehow, the fact that I did not end up with a particular guy the first time, was something I could now go back and fix - NOPE, the Universe had it right the first time, Every. Single. Time. Even from a career point of view, I refuse to go back and repeat the same mistakes over and over, just with different employers.
Learning this has given me several life lessons that I wish I had learned the first time around, but my mother has always said that I needed to be hit over the head with the brick before "I got it".
To, once again, quote NEEDTOBREATHE, I now pretty much "dance in the light of a lesson learned" and I love it!
Obviously, I will still make mistakes, but god willing, they will never be because I chose to look back instead of ahead. I want to keep looking forward, I do not look backwards anymore because that is not the direction I am going.
So, to all the people in my past, be it bosses or boyfriends, thank you for the life lessons, but I do not want you in my life. Don't let the door hit you on the way out.
Happy 2025 to everyone, publishers, people who read this blog, even when I do not update it for weeks, and to the people I do love and love having in my life - health and happiness to all, May you always dance in the light of a lesson learned.

BOOK REVIEW for Suburban Junky by Jude Hassan

2024-10-30T20:17:00.002-04:00

TITLE Suburban Junky

AUTHOR: Jude Hassan

GENREL Addiction & Recovery Memoir

DATE: Released in 2012

RATING: 5/5 STARS

I loved loved this book. It is a difficult read, and Jude does not sugarcoat any of it.

From the bad and the ugly, he details his fall into addiction. I read a lot of addiction memoirs. This is one of the best reads when it comes to seeing how low even "good boys" can fall.

It is obvious that the love of his family has made so much of an impression on Jude and its touching.

I would love for him to write a sequel.

Love this.

BOOK REVIEW for Children Of Darkness and Light, Lori Vallow, Chad Deybell and the Story of a Murderous Faith

2024-09-14T16:36:00.001-04:00

Thank you to Simon & Schuster for sending me an e copy of this book.

TITLE: Children of Darkness and Light, Lori Vallow, Chad Deybell and the Story of a Murderous Faith

AUTHOR: Lori Hellis

GENRE True Crime

RATING: 3.5 stars

The author digs into the LDS church (Mormons) and while some of it was pertinent and interesting, it went on too long. It got convoluted and if you are not reading this book for lessons on being Mormon, you probably will end up drifting, as I did. It is obvious that she was setting up the situation so we could better understand Lori and Chad, but it was too much.

When she places Chad and Lori snack into the middle of their lives - both before they met and after, they met, its clear that religion (even distorted to the ump degree) was a major catalyst for their future actions. Although, I do question whether this was more about sex, power and money and a lot less on them believing they were assigned to the 144,000, although Lori seems to believe it and Chad wants Lori and power, so he keeps feeding her.

The description of the children was heartbreaking and the author did a great job of being respectful throughout the entire book.

Unfortunately, then we go back into further descriptions of Mormons and there is very little to do with Chad and Lori.

This book is 40% about Lori and Chad and the rest is on religion. Unfortunately, this is not the book I thought I was reading.

Kudos though for obviously excellent research.

BOOK REVIEW for Flash Flood by Gabrielle Prendergast

2024-08-06T15:28:00.001-04:00

Thank you Orca Publishing for sending me an electronic copy of this book to read and review.

TITLE: Flash Flood

AUTHOR: Gabrielle Prendergast

GENRE: YA fiction

RATING: 4 stars

I love that Orca Publishing writes books with social issues and does not shy from them.

This one was both heartwarming while thrilling me. Short book, but in that time, all the characters were great - surprise, surprise! there is not a huge rebellion going on.

Really enjoyed this one.

BOOK REVIEW for A Lie for a Lie by Jane Buckingham

2024-06-24T19:48:00.003-04:00

Thank you to Greenleaf Book Group Press for sending me an e-copy of this book to read and review.

TITLE: A Lie for a Lie

AUTHOR: Jane Buck

GENRE: YA

STARS: 5 stars

I know that there are several messages intertwined in this book, but honestly, I wasn't looking for life lessons, I was looking for fun and it delivers.

I took a chance with this book as this was the author"s first YA novel..

It was terrific.

I actually did not like any of the main characters, not even the lead Sabrina. She played the victims so often and her interactions with her "friends" felt selfish. Her constant whining about Harvard just made me dislike her. Nonetheless, the sheer fact that all the characters are flawed simply added to the overall suspense of the novel.

The REVENGE list and texts is a great idea for a novel. Different reactions from different people help us to better understand how each person reacted to being a target on the REVENGE list, until Sabrina gets involved. What follows is a whoddunit that was really well written. Anytime I thought I knew who the guilty person was, it turned out I was wrong.

The writing is just at a perfect pace and the author knows how to seamlessly propel a plot. Loved the writing, loved the plot and loved the story.

BOOK REVIEW for There is No Ethan by Anna Akbari

2024-05-27T07:53:00.001-04:00

Loved, loved this book.

The first chapter is a tad slow, but when you get familiar with the writing style and with all the "characters", the story really picks up and then, good luck putting it back down.

I would close the book at 11 PM for bed and then if I woke up in the middle of the night, I would pick this up again - I could not get enough.

Thank you to Hachette Books for sending me an e-copy of this book.

TITLE: There is No Ethan

AUTHOR: Anna Akbari

GENRE: Memoir

RATING: 10/10 stars

Loved, loved this book.

The first chapter is a tad slow, but when you get familiar with the writing style and with all the "characters", the story really picks up and then, good luck putting it back down.

I would close the book at 11 PM for bed and then if I woke up in the middle of the night, I would pick this up again - I could not get enough.

This is non fiction, so there is a need for special focus on all the people involved. First up, is the author's experience, followed by two other women and their own experiences. This is a tad convoluted because there is some back and forth when it comes to timelines and when it comes to which woman is experiencing what. Just to add to the confusion, there are two "Annas" involved, so this is the story of 3 women.

I kept wondering if this story was actually possible as a non fiction, because it was just so incredible, and as these 3 women start turning the tables on Ethan, you can feel them growing stronger, yet I kept thinking "no, this did not really happen?! except it did.

The writing is fast paced and on point - no lost or wasted moments here.

There are many twists and turns and one really big one, but I won't give it away....

Make sure you read this one - I am actually annoyed its over and by the way, "its scary out there".

BOOK review for God, I like My Plan Better by Ewaen Mariam Osagie

2024-05-12T18:01:00.001-04:00

Thank you to Troubador Publishing Ltd for sending me an e-copy of this book

TITLE: God, I Like My Plan Better

AUTHOR; Ewaen Mariam Osagie

GENRE: Non fiction

RATING: 4 stars

I often say...."we plan, God laughs" which easily could have been the title of this book.

I am always amazed at how 12 step programs mirror so many religious views. No, this book is not 12 step, but the God lessons of letting go, accepting life on life's terms and believing you are exactly where you are supposed to be at this moment are all covered in this book.

It could certainly have used some editing, but overall a helpful read

BOOK REVIEW for Monstruous Obsession by James L. Baker

2024-05-01T14:25:00.016-04:00

Thank you to Prometheus Publishing for sending me an advanced reading copy - ebook to read and review.

TITLE: Monstruous Obsession

AUTHOR: James L. Baker

GENRE: Memoir

RATING 5 stars

I read A LOT of memoirs on addiction and this one brought so much emotion to me. Firstly, this book focused on the family and what happened to each member as they slowly realized that they had a full blown addict in their family unit. Everyone dealt with it in their own ways and it was interesting to read how Mackie instinctively knew how to manipulate each member of his family, particularly his dad.

In fact the author (Mackie's dad) freely admits that he made many mistakes and had many shortcomings.

His HUGE dislike of his former wife played a significant role here, even after years of divorce they still hated each other and even the fact that their beloved son was an addict, did nothing to bring them together for a higher cause.

The author does discuss the concept of addiction being a gene which, in turn, can be transmitted from one family member to another. This is important because Baker is a doctor and admitted, on more than one occasion, how he knew nothing about addiction himself which, sadly, is common with many medical professionals. It will turn out to be a huge problem for Baker as he tries to play catch up by learning anything and everything he could about addiction, simultaneously trying to get his son some medical help (rehab). The learning curve was steep.

Yet, despite what Baker learned about the cycle of drug addiction, he often failed to see it in his son and often was defiant while sticking with his old ideas, by believing that there was a miracle medical cure out there that would fix it all for the better. If only....

The writing is very raw and honest- which I appreciated - no sugar coating here. It was/is very brave to write this book, it must have brought up so much. This was an important read for those who want to know how addiction touches everything in its path.

The ups and downs of addiction are palpable here and how family members and friends reacted to Mackie is quite interesting, although we can never forget that Mackie was beloved despite all of it, as it should be.

We do get an overview of 12 step programs, rebabs and various drugs that are prescribed to the addict in order to make weaning much easier.

This is a hard book to read and must have been a much, much harder book to write, but Baker wrote it.

This is a great read, if you can say that about a book dealing with a tough subject.

RIP Mackie, I hope you found serenity.

BOOK REVIEW for Private Equity, A Memoir by Carrie Sun

2024-02-09T19:54:00.002-05:00

Thank you to the publisher Penguin Random House for sending me an electronic copy of this book.

TITLE: Private Equity, A Memoir

AUTHOR: Carrie Sun

GENRE: Memoir

RATING: 4 stars

This is my kind of book. I love memoirs that take a hard look at certain types of companies - fashion, stock market, just to name a few.

Honestly, I did not like any of the characters in this story and it kind of freaks me out that this really happened.

Reading this was like getting an inside look at high finance and let's say it.....privileged white men run the markets. Boone was so typical of some of my bosses, it gave me chills and brought back memories that were not positive...actually made me feel so good about the fact that I am off the crazy rides driven by money.

Having said this, however, Carrie was a pain to read and I don't know why, other than to say that she was frustrating, not being remotely in tune with herself at all. She was so matter of fact about everything, the huge work load, her relationships, her friendships....all she kept saying was "i am tired". He relationship with Josh and her parents are good examples. She just went along, either by tuning out or by letting things go with the flow, which is usually a pretty good way to be, except that she did this with EVERYTHING. Even her ridiculous amounts of gifts and $ left you with a feeling that it was all just MEH!.

I struggled a bit with the actual writing. The author did not do a great job of linear writing. Josh, for example, has harassed her, for most of the book, and yet she casually drops, into the storyline, that they have started seeing each other again -almost like "oh, I have readers so I should probably tell them that Josh is in my life again" and does the very same thing when they break up again.

I think real, raw emotion is what is missing in this book. She never cries, she never yells, she never does anything bad.

Still, I loved this story. I know most of this review is pointing out issues with the book, but honestly I just loved to read about all of it, I felt like I got a front rom to such overindulgences.

BOOK REVIEW for Only Say Good Things by Crystal Hefner

2024-02-05T19:43:00.001-05:00

TITLE: Only Say Good Things

AUTHOR Crystal Hefner

GENRE: Memoir

RATING: 4 stars

It is very hard to give this book a rating.

I do admire the author's honesty, even when she does not come out looking all that great. Her writing is friendly and very engaging - loved her writing style, which is why this is a 4 star rate for me.

I know that this is mentioned all the time, but I can't help thinking that she stupidly put herself in a position that would demean her. When she describes her first meeting with Hefner, I am completely flabbergasted at how she doesn't even blink at wanting to be chosen, among a sea of half naked, blond women, but also at the fact that she never even questions anything of her surroundings, as she is directed to Hefner's room. I mean, not one second of "wait, one minute, this is not a scene I want to find myself in". She acted like a pro at having sex with random men.

Morally, I don't care about, but she set herself up for years of guilt and anger and while she could have left at any time, she kept coming back. Yes, she had hardship in her young life, but hiding behind them does not serve her.

I was intrigued by the section where she asks for forgiveness to all the young girls who want to be her -I can fully see how her influence is not a good thing.

As it turns out, she spent all of her twenties with a man who build an empire on orgies, power and disrespect for women. I was surprised when she mentioned this because it felt like she was with Hefner so much longer and should be in her mid thirties by now.

I hope she finds what she is looking for.

Just a side note - Hefner??? I realllllly don't get the allure.

BOOK REVIEW for Here with You by Kathy Wagner

2024-01-18T16:55:00.002-05:00

Thank you to Douglas & Mcintyre for the e-copy of this book

TITLE: Here with you

AUTHOR: Kathy Wagner

GENRE: Memoir

RATING: 5 Stars

I read a LOT of addiction/recovery books, except that this book is a about addiction - period.

I have never read a memoir focusing so much on what an addiction does to the people around the addict. Sure, this is always given a chapter or two in most memoir on this subject, but with this one, while the addict's issues are detailed, the equivalent timeline focused on the addict's family and friends.

I also loved how this book talks about the importance of 12 steps - it was very interesting to see how two of Wagner's children had addiction issues and both look towards rehab and 12 steps - and how it worked as a miracle for one of her children's while her other child could not see all the gifts of 12 step.

I admire how brave Wagner is in writing this heart wrenching book. I hope it helped her soul to heal.

BOOK REVIEW for After the Wedding by Eileen Gibb

2024-01-07T21:14:00.000-05:00

TITLE: After the Wedding

AUTHOR: Eileen Gibb

GENRE: Memoir

RATING: 4 stars

This book brought out so many feelings for me.

First off, I want to say that this man was a despicable barely human. Unfortunately, during that time period, "man" was still considered so much higher than women and this comes through clearly in the book. I kept having to remind myself that the generations were different then, not to say that family violence does not exist today though.

Eileen, as a young working woman, applied Christianity to EVERYTHING - to the point where it felt almost "holier than thou". I think the price she put on Christianity was a big reason she met John and ended up where she landed.

In fact, when she first met John, her comments made it obvious she did not particularly like him as he was not Christian enough (if only she had kept to that), instead she kept forcing religion on him and this would be a theme that would repeat often between the two.

Yet, why on earth would you date him and marry him and then basically proceed, for the entire book, to NEVER open your mouth - not for voicing an opinion, not for saying "no I don't want to marry you", not even for telling someone else about the violence in your home? It was so frustrating to read.

Throughout the entire book, she never defends herself and everyone around her dominates her, in fact, at one point towards the end of the book she actually says something like "i never seem to speak up for myself" REALLY!!??

The role of Christianity played a huge part in this story and it was painfully obvious that church and praying was something to pull out only when needed. For example Eileen trots out religion but when her husband John does something like stealing, she conveniently puts her beliefs on a shelf. When her daughter's friend says that John molested her, Eileen does nothing about it - does not confront him and does not even ask the child to tell her what happened (if anything, but why would this child say something like that if it were not true).

One of my pet peeves are couples that have horrible marriages, yet, continue to make babies. Why, oh why did they have 3 kids? - these poor kids were suffering from PTSD and by the way, if John molested this little girl, don't you think he could have done the same to his own daughter? In fact, their daughter speaks up as an adult and STILL nobody listened, certainly Eileen did not want to hear it, better to pretend its not there. The same way she accepted the cycle of being hit by John, who in turn , would then apologize and do it all over again and again.

I won't even bother talking about that horrid John - he got the ending he deserved.

The writing was very encompassing and Eileen did not shy away from writing about all of it - that is a brave thing to do. Her story brought out so many feelings for me and that is the sign of a good story, in my opinion.

I hope Eileen and her children have gotten the peace they were looking for.

Reading Goal and year 2024

2023-12-31T23:59:00.003-05:00

Tina has completed her goal of reading 37 books in 2023!
37 of 37 (100%)

Finished!

I realized that I actually had more reading time when I worked - between the bus and the metro rides and reading during my lunch, I use to get through a lot more books than I do now that I am not working.

Also, I find myself so picky and I, at some time, started gravitating towards non fiction a lot more.

I am going to set 39 books for 2024 and hopefully I will get there.

After doing the Goodreads Reading Challenge for several years, I realize that reading 37 books in a year is not that big of a deal when I see people setting their goals at 200 or 300 books to read in a year - and they actually meet their goals.

I WISH ALL OF YOU A HAPPY, SAFE AND HEALTHY 2024.

Bookshipper

BOOK REVIEW for Getting Naked by Valerie Bertinelli

BOOK REVIEW for Strangers a Memoir of Marriage by Belle Burden

A big thank you to Penguin Random House for the e-book to read and review

TITLE: Strangers

I have such mix feelings on this book.

First, it is so well written I could not put it down and I am very picky about what I read, especially when it comes to memoirs.

I come from a family with a dad that cheated on my mom (thankfully, she is not on social media, so I can say that). I saw firsthand what happens and it has left lasting impressions on me - some good ones (my mother is such a strong person) to bad (wow, I did not matter to my dad, not really)

I will state this right now, that man is something else and he does not deserve his family - no question about that and he deserves whatever karma is coming to him.

Her writing style is wonderful. You feel her pain, you feel her fear. She built James enough, for many readers to have a strong opinion on this man and his actions. I found myself rooting for her at times and wanting to yell at her at other times. This is a direct testimony to the writing.

The pace was also excellent. She does not go deep into useless details. She tells us what we need to read. The story moves forward well.

This was a very frustrating read - but I loved it and I hope she writes a follow up in a few years so we can follow her journey.

BOOK review for Breaking Good by Nikki Memmano

TITLE: Breaking Good

AUTHOR: Nikki Memmano

GENRE: Memoir

RATING: 4 atars

BOOK review for Splendor by Isabelle Laflèche

BOO REVIEW for Two Perfect Lies by Natalie Richards

BOOK REVIEW for Futue Boy by Michael J. Fox

BOOK REVIEW for The Beginning of Shi*t: An unapologetic Weight Loss Memoir by Suzanne Culberg

Seriously, what is up with all that crying? getting angry, I get, feeling frustrated, scared.....all valid, but the crying on every other page was the one thing I found annoying.

I also question the roles her family, hubby, and friends have in her life. They are basically rarely mentioned, and at one point, I seriously thought she had divorced and chose not to tell us.

Bottom line, loved the honesty. I totally loved the pace of this book, and I totally identified.

BOOK REVIEW for Mania Tartan, turmoil and my life as a Bay City Rollers by Stuard Woody Wood

TITLE: Mania Tartan, Turmoil - and my life as a Bay City Rollers

AUTHOR: Stuart Woody Wood

GENRE: Memoir

RATiNG 3 out of 5 stars

BOOK REVIEW for Drunk Love, a Marriage Under the Influence by Melissa Fletcher

BOOF REVIEW for A Marriage that Changed the World - Lois and Bill Wilson by Tom Adams and Joy Jones

BOOK REVIEW for Loud Fast Words by Dave Pirner

HAPPY NEW YEAR onwards to 2025

2024 Reading Challenge

2024READINGCHALLENGEbooks completed3 books behind schedule36/39 (92%)View Challenge

BOOK REVIEW for Suburban Junky by Jude Hassan

BOOK REVIEW for Children Of Darkness and Light, Lori Vallow, Chad Deybell and the Story of a Murderous Faith

BOOK REVIEW for Flash Flood by Gabrielle Prendergast

BOOK REVIEW for A Lie for a Lie by Jane Buckingham

BOOK REVIEW for There is No Ethan by Anna Akbari

BOOK review for God, I like My Plan Better by Ewaen Mariam Osagie

BOOK REVIEW for Monstruous Obsession by James L. Baker

BOOK REVIEW for Private Equity, A Memoir by Carrie Sun

BOOK REVIEW for Only Say Good Things by Crystal Hefner

BOOK REVIEW for Here with You by Kathy Wagner

BOOK REVIEW for After the Wedding by Eileen Gibb

Reading Goal and year 2024

Tina has completed her goal of reading 37 books in 2023!37 of 37 (100%)

2024
READING
CHALLENGE
books completed
3 books behind schedule
36/39 (92%)
View Challenge

Tina has completed her goal of reading 37 books in 2023!
37 of 37 (100%)