HAPPY NEW YEAR onwards to 2025

  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

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

 

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

 

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

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

 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

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

 

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

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

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.