Bookwhims

*Book Review* * I’ll be honest, at first I thought most of the chapters in this book were pure nonsense. I had no idea what was going on and it felt very much like a stream of consciousness that led me to places very similar to Wonderland. But as I continued reading, it occurred to me that this is what it sounds like when someone is being brutally honest about what is going on inside their head. Jenny Slate shares with us her intimate stories, thoughts and opinions (as bizarre as they might be) in order to give us a better sense of who she is and how she sees the world, maybe how we should all see the world. And through her personal essays about ghosts, family, divorce, and color spirits, #JennySlate gives us nuggets of wisdom and positivity we could all use in our every day lives. #LittleWeirds is a quirky quick read I’d recommend to all humor enthusiasts and French-kissing rabbits, even if it just wasn’t for me. 🤩🤩🤩/5 * Who is your favorite Jenny Slate character? For me, it’s Mona-Lisa hands down quickly followed by Assistant Mayor Bellwether 😂 * A very special thanks to @librofm and @hachetteaudio for providing me with a copy of this audiobook! * 🖥Somewhat Similar TV Suggestion: Dollface on Hulu (at Manhattan, New York) https://www.instagram.com/p/B5nvpxEAwYO/?igshid=a88sqqawa8ip

*Book Review* * I hope everyone had a pleasant Thanksgiving! I know my body is still recuperating from all that food. I did in fact gain 2lbs just from dinner last night alone. No joke. Also-no regrets. * I actually think this is the perfect time to talk about this book because Thanksgiving is a holiday that usually involves families getting together to celebrate despite their differences. This book is first and foremost about the love of family, and the struggle to find who you are outside of them. In #HowWeFightForOurLives, Saeed Jones provides us with a heartfelt memoir about coming out, and finding himself. I was so moved after I read this book, I haven’t shut up about it. To be honest, I feel like Saeed Jones is the voice of this gay generation. In this book, he captured what it means to live in a time when gay culture is becoming more widely accepted yet many still deal with rejection or denial at home from family they actually love and are close to. This book was raw and deep and I shed tears after it was finished because there was so much truth to his words. This is a must read and I for one have become a huge fan of Saeed Jones (and his Twitter posts). 🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩/5 for story 🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩/5 for narration (Jones does the audiobook yay!) I’d love to know what you memoir addicts thought about this book! * Sidenote, I’ve become completely addicted to audiobooks this month and have read so many more books than usual thanks to it! I’ve already passed my reading challenge and I don’t think I’ll be stopping any time soon. Special thanks to @librofm and @simon.audio for a copy of this audiobook. I had the best time reading it! (at New York, New York) https://www.instagram.com/p/B5eV7AagBrr/?igshid=qlbnz5zli6ha

When you spend a lovely day downtown with bae and realize you hadn’t been to the new McNally Jackson location yet! Those were a 4 hours reading and perusing well spent! 🥰📚 * Discovered any new bookstores lately?! * * #mcnallyjackson #bookstore #indiebookstore #readingday #reading (at Mcnally Jackson Seaport) https://www.instagram.com/p/B3m5osWAJ2O/?igshid=8490b0muipjx

Adventure days in the city 🌃♥️ * * #nyc #wandering #hudsonriverpark #bookdays #walking #downtown #specialplaces #southstreetseaport #tinysandthebarupstairs (at Hudson River Park) https://www.instagram.com/p/B3imUrmjuakyKCYOQlsCOpK-P2IOZub8rwNYek0/?igshid=g3vrc8kkmqgc

Yes, it’s Saturday night. And yes, I’m staying inside reading a book instead of going out or being any sort of productive. But how can I not when I’m completely transported to Rome in this fun little adventure? Following 22yrd Alice as she finds herself and figures out her career in Rome reminds me so much of my own experiences in Europe and the nostalgia is overwhelming to say the least. It’s fun, it’s crazy, a little emotional and I’m LOVING it. It’s a journey I think many women can understand having visited abroad or not and it’s too much fun to put down! * * Synopsis: Recent Yale grad, Alice, wants to be close to her boyfriend in Paris, with enough space to sow a few oats. Rome fits, so off she goes. Her other goals? To make art and find a muse. Instead, she finds herself a muse to various men―including a TV-host dwarf, lonely banker, alcoholic playboy, aging prince, and the disillusioned Oscar-winning film director, Frank Colucci. The middle-aged Frank is in Rome to film the last of his famed movie series, but longs to get back to making art films. Alice, still wandering Rome, lost and confused, tumbles into Frank’s life, and he hires her as his philosophy tutor. Although at opposite poles of life with little in common―the bright but broke Alice is just getting started and has few prospects, and the married-with-kids Oscar-winner Frank bored and disillusioned―the two form a bond. Will this be an older, powerful man using his position to seduce a confused young woman, or something else entirely? And will Alice ever find her way? * Have you read any contemporary novels that have transported you lately?! * Special thanks to @jenrichards and @rarebirdlit for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. I’m having a great time with it! Full review soon to come! * * #thetutor #marlieealbert #rarebirdbooks #europeangetaway #expat #newreleases (at The Met Cloisters) https://www.instagram.com/p/B3ij4T3gLod/?igshid=bvy0nn94iykd

*Book Review* * * The #AshFamily is about nineteen year old Beryl “Berie” who is desperately seeking something more to life. Then she meets a mysterious boy named, Bay, who introduces her to the Ash Family, a group of environmentally conscious people who live on a farm and follow the charismatic leader, Dice. Here, she gets a new name (Harmony), and finds a home away from the “fake world” that she slowly but surely proves she would do anything to protect. * * Books about cults always intrigue me. There’s so much to analyze about the reasons why people join cults, and about cult leaders themselves. I thought the book was very timely especially with the NXIVM situation coming to light. However, I feel like the Ash Family novel could have been more nuanced. You follow Berie around but she fails to ever really gain any perspective of the things around her. Things happen to her but she never really reacts much to it, unless it’s to protect the ‘Ash Family.’ This could be a testament in and of itself to the powers of cults on its members but I just wasn’t convinced. I always felt a distance to Berie. She’s not a particularly likeable character, she doesn’t have much of a personality, and even her obsession with the environment seems superficial at best. It just felt to me like we never break through to the layer of why Berie is so attracted to the Ash Family in the first place. It’s as if we are simply seeing her journey through the eyes of a visitor to the farm and not through Berie herself even though she’s the main character. I would have just liked to have broken through that wall into what was really inside Berie’s mind or at least in Dice’s. I was really looking forward to this book and I hate the fact that I didn’t enjoy it as much as I expected. There were some good moments in the novel and I would definitely still check out Molly Dekter’s work in the future. 🤩🤩🤩/5. * A very special thanks to Simon & Schuster for the ARC in exchange for my honest review. * * Have you read any fiction books about cults lately? I’d love some recommendations! * #bookstagram #books #bookish#bookworm #bibliophile #booklover#bookreview #igbooks #instabook#igreads #read #reading (at Manhattan, New York) https://www.instagram.com/p/B1JasWHg6pl/?igshid=wkoy0mcq0is3

*Book Review* * * Okay, so I’m a huge fan of Elizabeth Gilbert’s nonfiction books. I make an effort to read #BigMagic at least once a year, and it never stops being an absolutely fantastic read, which I recommend to everyone. I also loved Eat Pray Love and & had to literally (yes, literally) stop reading it because it touched on some topics that were just too real—how so many people passed it off as a simple beach read is beyond me. (I still go back and read a couple of chapters every few months 🤓). However, I hadn’t yet read any of her fiction. Then #CityofGirls came out and I couldn’t wait. I didn’t even know the concept of the story before I opened the first page, but once I did, I was hooked. * * * City of Girls. So…I loved loved LOVED the beginning. It reminded me so much of #TheSevenHusbandsofEvelynHugo, especially with the framing of the story. It was however, more lesbian undertone than lesbian, which was fine, but like why? Either way, I loved entering the world of 1940s theatre in NYC, especially during a time when few women were working in theatre. It felt so real, so lively and I escaped full-heartedly into the story. I read the entire book in 2 days! I loved the concept and #ElizabethGilbert is just such a great storyteller. But I soon realized the 1st half of the book (in which the protagonist, Vivian, moves in with her Aunt Peg who runs a rundown midtown theatre called the Lily Playhouse) was much more interesting to me than the 2nd half. It felt as if the climax happened too early on and the falling action dragged on forever. I kept waiting for something, anything new to happen after the war started but it just felt like the story was going nowhere else. I struggled reviewing this one since I loved the first part of it so much…but in the end it was just a 🤩🤩🤩/5. Maybe a solid 3.5. * * Have you read City of Girls? What did you think? * #bookstagram #books#bookish#bookworm #bibliophile#booklover#bookreview #igbooks#instabook#igreads #read #reading (at New York, New York) https://www.instagram.com/p/B1FJa7FgaPi/?igshid=nipoq624ibff

I couldn’t complete this book review challenge without throwing in at least one play. So, sue me. I love theatre and usually when I’m broke (which happens to be very often lately) I tend to spend money I really don’t have on last minute lottery and rush tickets because in the words of Carrie Bradshaw, “I felt it fed me more.” Alas, even though I live in NYC, even I can’t see all the plays and musicals I want to. But damn, do I make a hell of an effort. So, sometimes I read them. A lot of them. And The Spoils was a perfect pick. 
Let me start off with I’m not a huge fan of Jesse Eisenberg….’s face. (What? People still judge women on the state of their image, I will allow myself to do the same to men until this is no longer the case). Blame it on Social Network (I will personally blame it on the Social Network), or his countless other movies where he plays an arrogant awkward smartass who always gets what he wants. I’ve just never come around to him. But—the guy can write. I’m a HUGE fan of #TheSpoilsPlay which follows Ben (an arrogant awkward smartass) who’s rich, lazy and a bully. He’s been kicked out of grad school and goes out of his way to destroy the relationship of a girl he hasn’t seen since childhood. He even finds a way to harm his relationship with his kindhearted roommate who literally lets him get away with murder (not literally). The Spoils is about Ben. It’s about what’s really going on inside his brilliant, messed up mind. It’s sad, it’s twisted and it’s honest. And once you start, you won’t be able to turn away. 🤩🤩🤩🤩/5. I know I’ve posted a lot of 4 star reviews but hey, I just want to spread the love of these really amazing books and (play[s]).

Have you read or seen any great plays lately? Would you like me to review more plays here?
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#bookstagram #books #bookish#bookworm #bibliophile #booklover#bookreview #igbooks #instabook#igreads #read #reading 
https://www.instagram.com/p/B03x3nXgXY1/?igshid=1nt3qem1hb620

*Book Review*

In my opinion, #HowItFeelstoFloat is probably one of the most underrated novels released this past spring. I haven’t read such a universal novel in a very long time. It’s potent, touching and had me glued to it page after page. Biz Martin Grey knows how to float through life. Survive, despite her dark thoughts and inescapable sadness. Biz lost her father when she was 7 years old. She is now a teenager and still sees her father every day even though she lost him all those years ago. Then after one night on a beach, her dad disappears and she can no longer see him no matter what she does. What follows is Biz’s journey as she tries to find her dad and come to terms with his death as well as her own depression and mental illness. Biz is such a touching character—everyone who has suffered through any type of difficult time in their life will be able to see some semblance of themselves in her. If you’re in the mood for a hopeful, touching novel, this one is for you. 🤩🤩🤩🤩/5

What are some of your favorite books that deal with grief?

Special thanks to @bookishhq for allowing me the chance to win this book in their #bookishfirst raffle.

(at Brooklyn, New York)
https://www.instagram.com/p/B0zeGWggnG4/?igshid=r2l3fhnnjbia

*Book Review* This little classic snuck up on me. Sometimes I feel like there are classics that are too hyped up but I feel the opposite about #aseparatepeace. I feel like it’s entirely underrated. It’s subtle and there were many moments where I didn’t catch the profoundness of scenes until after I read them and reflected on them. In my opinion, A Separate Peace is a perfect coming of age story because it slowly and beautifully shows the main character’s innocence and the loss of that innocence, not only by one dramatic moment but several small meaningful moments. It surprises you and breaks you until the very last page. Highly recommend. 🤩🤩🤩🤩/5 What classic novels have you read that left a lasting impression on you? Did you read it in your youth or as an adult? https://www.instagram.com/p/B0uI94gAEUc/?igshid=jvk16d0q8ph9

*BOOK REVIEW*

So, I’ve never been a huge true crime fan but #thetrialoflizzieborden was a fascinating read for me. Not only was I intrigued by the story after watching the Kristen Stewart movie ‘Lizzie’ but when this book came out, there was buzz about it EVERYWHERE and with good reason! This book contains all the background knowledge you could ever possibly want pertaining to the Lizzie Borden murders. Though it may not shed much light on Lizzie Borden’s inner thoughts, it does provide keen insight into the world she grew up in and the people that surrounded her throughout her life and during her trial. The book not only gives you possible motives for Lizzie but also clear contradictions that will still leave you wondering of the true causes of that fateful day in 1892. What I loved most about the book was that the author, Cara Robertson, provides such a rich showcase of the ideals and social beliefs of the time—which arguably go to show why the outcome of the trial was so inevitable. I still think she did it. 🤩🤩🤩🤩/5

What about you? Is she guilty? What’s your verdict?

A very special thanks to Simon Books for providing me with a copy of the book! 
https://www.instagram.com/p/B0q4RZFAfRD/?igshid=hmq2ey25b1nl

I’m rarely in Brooklyn, but when I go, I go to a bookstore. Love this place. It’s so beautiful and there’s so many interesting events coming up!

If you live in NYC, which is your favorite NYC bookshop?

If you live outside NYC, how far do you travel to get to your favorite bookstore? 
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I’m so happy I got the chance to win these two exciting books in @bookishhq’s BookishFirst raffles! I’m extremely excited to get started on them! * * #HowItFeelsToFloat Synopsis: Biz knows how to float. She has her people, her posse, her mom and the twins. She has Grace. And she has her dad, who tells her about the little kid she was, and who shouldn't be here but is. So Biz doesn't tell anyone anything. Not about her dark, runaway thoughts, not about kissing Grace or noticing Jasper, the new boy. And she doesn't tell anyone about her dad. Because her dad died when she was seven. And Biz knows how to float, right there on the surface--normal okay regular fine. But after what happens on the beach--first in the ocean, and then in the sand--the tethers that hold Biz steady come undone. Pub. 5/7/19 * #ThePaperWasp Synopsis: In small-town Michigan, Abby Graven leads a solitary life. Once a bright student on the cusp of a promising art career, she now languishes in her childhood home, trudging to and from her job as a supermarket cashier. Each day she is taunted from the magazine racks by the success of her former best friend Elise, a rising Hollywood starlet whose life in pictures Abby obsessively scrapbooks...When Abby encounters Elise again at their high school reunion, she is surprised and warmed that Elise still considers her not only a friend but a brilliant storyteller and true artist. Elise’s unexpected faith in Abby reignites in her a dormant hunger, and when Elise offhandedly tells Abby to look her up if she’s ever in LA, Abby soon arrives on her doorstep. Ever the supportive friend, Abby becomes enmeshed in Elise’s world, even as she guards her own dark secret and burning desire for greatness. Pub. 6/11/19 (at New York, New York) https://www.instagram.com/p/BwIBGcSnIhu/?igshid=1m45dvp7dyu9n

I don’t know what I can say about this book that hasn’t already been said at least 1000x over! Daisy Jones & The Jones is a great, quick fiction read written from a naturally feminist perspective that we just need more of. It’s smart, fun and captivating. I finished it in less than a day which I haven’t done in years! I was most impressed by Taylor Jenkins Reid’s ability to create such an interesting narrative despite writing in a multiple interview format. It read as if I was watching a biopic on a band I quickly became obsessed with. For any Taylor Jenkins Reid fans out there, you will not be disappointed! 🤩🤩🤩🤩/5 * * Have you read #daisyjonesandthesix? How did you think it stacked up against her other works? Did it make you want to read more of her books? (at Asheville, North Carolina) https://www.instagram.com/p/BwFcyodgl3G/?igshid=1jqexihzfeq21

🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩/5

Speaking of WW2 novels, I won this book in a #bookishgiveaway Yay! I’m actually really excited about it. Feedback so far has been great & it just feels like it’s coming from a different perspective. I’ll keep you posted! * * Synopsis: Elise Sontag is a typical Iowa fourteen-year-old in 1943—aware of the war but distanced from its reach. Then her father, a legal U.S. resident for nearly two decades, is suddenly arrested on suspicion of being a Nazi sympathizer. The family is sent to an internment camp in Texas, where, behind the armed guards and barbed wire, Elise feels stripped of everything beloved and familiar, including her own identity. The only thing that makes the camp bearable is meeting fellow internee Mariko Inoue, a Japanese-American teen from Los Angeles, whose friendship empowers Elise to believe the life she knew before the war will again be hers. Together in the desert wilderness, Elise and Mariko hold tight the dream of being young American women with a future beyond the fences. But when the Sontag family is exchanged for American prisoners behind enemy lines in Germany, Elise will face head-on the person the war desires to make of her. In that devastating crucible she must discover if she has the will to rise above prejudice and hatred and re-claim her own destiny, or disappear into the image others have cast upon her. (at North Carolina) https://www.instagram.com/bookwhims/p/BvXRw8GHitT/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=nkueemlmfnho