This is Where I Leave You (review by Arianna)

This is Where I Leave You Jonathan Tropper 4.5 / 5	Published 2009 First Sentence "'Dad's dead,' Wendy says offhandedly, like it's happened before, like it happens every day."
Publisher's Description: The death of Judd Foxman’s father marks the first time that the entire Foxman family—including Judd’s mother, brothers, and sister—have been together in years. Conspicuously absent: Judd’s wife, Jen, whose fourteen-month affair with Judd’s radio-shock-jock boss has recently become painfully public. Simultaneously mourning the death of his father and the demise of his marriage, Judd joins the rest of the Foxmans as they reluctantly submit to their patriarch’s dying request: to spend the seven days following the funeral together. In the same house. Like a family. As the week quickly spins out of control, longstanding grudges resurface, secrets are revealed, and old passions reawakened. For Judd, it’s a weeklong attempt to make sense of the mess his life has become while trying in vain not to get sucked into the regressive battles of his madly dysfunctional family. All of which would be hard enough without the bomb Jen dropped the day Judd’s father died: She’s pregnant. This Is Where I Leave You is Jonathan Tropper's most accomplished work to date, a riotously funny, emotionally raw novel about love, marriage, divorce, family, and the ties that bind—whether we like it or not.
Dear Reader, I don't know how much more I could add to Amber's comprehensive review of this book, especially without giving things away!  She is right - I would definitely classify it as a dark comedy, and a very enjoyable one at that.  The Foxman family is a crazy mess, but underneath all of their issues they clearly love each other.  They have each others' backs and they are there when someone needs a shoulder to cry on (well...usually).  I loved the oddball family and all of its messed up issues.  I am really looking forward to the upcoming movie, especially after Amber & I (along with our friend Claire) got to see a panel at BookCon which featured Jonathan Tropper, Tina Fey, Jason Bateman, and Shawn Levy (the director).  The cast looks really well selected!  Even though I felt like Judd (played by Jason Bateman) was younger in the book...but, from the preview clips they showed the audience, it doesn't appear to be a game-changer: Bateman was masterful in the role. I don't know what else really to write about this book that hasn't already been said.  Especially because it is essentially a character study of an entire family, and there isn't much plot aside from the main storyline, wherein Judd must attend his father's funeral shortly after having found his wife in bed with his boss.  A nuts but not unimaginable scenario, one which Tropper handles with grace and aplomb - he writes a very true-to-life story.  The players are so real, and the situations so tangible.  Readers can identify with the family tension and can easily put themselves into the same situation, mentally.  However, don't try asking yourself what you'd do in the same situation - because the characters will constantly surprise you! The ending of the book seemed perfect, though.  The decision Judd makes is exactly the right one, I believe. Yours, Arianna

And Again

And Again Jessica Chiarella 3/5	Published January 2016 First Sentence "Maybe it's like being born."
Publisher's Description: In the spirit of Station Eleven and The Age of Miracles, this exciting literary debut novel imagines the consequences when four ordinary individuals are granted a chance to continue their lives in genetically perfect versions of their former bodies. Would you live your life differently if you were given a second chance? Hannah, David, Connie, and Linda—four terminally ill patients—have been selected for the SUBlife pilot program, which will grant them brand-new, genetically perfect bodies that are exact copies of their former selves—without a single imperfection. Blemishes, scars, freckles, and wrinkles have all disappeared, their fingerprints are different, their vision is impeccable, and most importantly, their illnesses have been cured. But the fresh start they’ve been given is anything but perfect. Without their old bodies, their new physical identities have been lost. Hannah, an artistic prodigy, has to relearn how to hold a brush; David, a Congressman, grapples with his old habits; Connie, an actress whose stunning looks are restored after a protracted illness, tries to navigate an industry obsessed with physical beauty; and Linda, who spent eight years paralyzed after a car accident, now struggles to reconnect with a family that seems to have built a new life without her. As each tries to re-enter their previous lives and relationships they are faced with the question: how much of your identity rests not just in your mind, but in your heart, your body?
Dear Reader, This was a unique read. I'm a science fiction fan and I love books that can delve into that genre without being TOO much sci-fi (if you know what I mean). This was kind of like that except it didn't go far enough, I'd categorize it as "Literary Fiction with a dash of Science Fiction". What was nice about the whole thing is that this book is one I can definitely see myself recommending to those readers trying science fiction out (pretty perfect for that). The story is all about this exclusive group of people who have been selected for a trial (think clinical trial) to test out being uploaded into a clone body. Each of the characters had a reason to be selected (some terrible illness) and each got a new purpose to live. How they decided to run with it was their own. I enjoyed getting to see all the perspectives of what would/could happen if you had a second chance to live your life. Each one of them was on the brink of such a terrible illness that this chance should have been entirely positive. That was not the case. What would happen if you got downloaded into a new body? Would you enjoy the youthful new skin or would it freak you out? The Author does an excellent job going over all the little nuances that might come up if/when this type of procedure comes about. We have the Artist who can't paint the same way... is it her or the new body? What about the woman who was stuck inside her body for years with no way to communicate except for blinking... how can she cope in the world after all that time shut up? Or the actress who wants to make a comeback after being hidden from the world from her illness... will she be able to pick up where she left off? The most complex of them all being the Congressman, the one who gets picked or did he buy his way in? So many questions and the Author addresses them each. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who loves to read "what if" tales... this fits into that category perfectly. Happy Reading, AmberBug P.S. - Thank you Netgalley and Touchstone for giving me the opportunity to read and review this title.

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The Boston Girl

The Boston Girl Anita Diamant 3.5 / 5	Published 2014 First Sentence "Ava, sweetheart, if you ask me to talk about how I got to be the woman I am today, what do you think I'm going to say?"
Publisher's Description: From the New York Times bestselling author of The Red Tent and Day After Night, comes an unforgettable coming-of-age novel about family ties and values, friendship and feminism told through the eyes of young Jewish woman growing up in Boston in the early twentieth century. Addie Baum is The Boston Girl, born in 1900 to immigrant parents who were unprepared for and suspicious of America and its effect on their three daughters. Growing up in the North End, then a teeming multicultural neighborhood, Addie's intelligence and curiosity take her to a world her parents can't imagine - a world of short skirts, movies, celebrity culture and new opportunities for women. Addie wants to finish high school and dreams of going to college. She wants a career and to find true love. Eighty-five-year-old Addie tells the story of her life to her twenty-two-year-old granddaughter, who has asked her "How did you get to be the woman you are today." She begins in 1915, the year she found her voice and made friends who would help shape the course of her life. From the one-room tenement apartment she shared with her parents and two sisters, to the library group for girls she joins at a neighborhood settlement house, to her first, disastrous love affair, Addie recalls her adventures with compassion for the naïve girl she was and a wicked sense of humor. Written with the same attention to historical detail and emotional resonance that made Anita Diamant's previous novels bestsellers, The Boston Girl is a moving portrait of one woman’s complicated life in twentieth century America, and a fascinating look at a generation of women finding their places in a changing world.
Dear Reader, I have had this book on my shelf for a few months, and actually partly picked it up so I would stop getting the Pushstars song stuck in my head every time I saw it. Plus, my sister (whose taste is uncannily similar to my own) really enjoyed it, and knowing Diamant from The Red Tent, I looked forward to seeing her writing in a more modern setting. I was a little disappointed though, because I think I expected more North End Boston (the one-time home of me and my sisters, at various times) and the book certainly didn't focus too much on that place, although it got its mentions. The book takes place all over Boston, which I suppose is the reason it’s not called “The North End Girl”, and the author does the entire city justice - you can see her love for its history.  I loved the conceptual notion of the main character, Addie: she was a strong, smart, independent first-generation American woman, who figured life out on her own terms. However, as much as I liked her and probably would have wanted to be her friend had I met her in real life, I felt as if there was something missing that didn't allow me to care about her as much as I would have liked. Granted, I couldn't put this book down; I sped through it in two days. But I was unable to entirely connect. Luckily, the story carries the reader along, and there is enough personality in the book from all of Addie’s family and friends that you still do grow to care to know what happens. While the point of the book is only really about the love Addie has for those she holds dear, I found myself tearing up a bit at the end. So that says something. I found the chapter titles interesting: each was a significant sentence pulled from the following pages which embodied the spirit of what was being said. I am not quite sure how I felt about that style. Knowing how things were set up, though, I often found myself flipping back to see what sentence had been pulled from the preceding pages, and taking a moment to ponder the significance. I don’t recall if that is a Diamant idiosyncrasy or if it was just used for this book, but I do think it made me sit for a moment after every chapter to consider the important phrases. I think I liked that.  Overall, the book was a lovely little portrait of a young Jewish girl finding her way in early 1900s Boston. I thought it was a charming story about family and independence. Certainly a great summer read for the beach or a long trip. Yours, Arianna

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Spinster: Making a Life of One's Own

Spinster: Making a Life of One's Own Kate Bolick 4.5/5	Published April 21st, 2015 First Sentence "Whom to marry, and when will it happen—these two questions define every woman’s existence."
Publisher's Description: A bold, original, moving book that will inspire fanatical devotion and ignite debate. “Whom to marry, and when will it happen—these two questions define every woman’s existence.” So begins Spinster, a revelatory and slyly erudite look at the pleasures and possibilities of remaining single. Using her own experiences as a starting point, journalist and cultural critic Kate Bolick invites us into her carefully considered, passionately lived life, weaving together the past and present to examine why­ she—along with over 100 million American women, whose ranks keep growing—remains unmarried. This unprecedented demographic shift, Bolick explains, is the logical outcome of hundreds of years of change that has neither been fully understood, nor appreciated. Spinster introduces a cast of pioneering women from the last century whose genius, tenacity, and flair for drama have emboldened Bolick to fashion her life on her own terms: columnist Neith Boyce, essayist Maeve Brennan, social visionary Charlotte Perkins Gilman, poet Edna St. Vincent Millay, and novelist Edith Wharton. By animating their unconventional ideas and choices, Bolick shows us that contemporary debates about settling down, and having it all, are timeless—the crucible upon which all thoughtful women have tried for centuries to forge a good life. Intellectually substantial and deeply personal, Spinster is both an unreservedly inquisitive memoir and a broader cultural exploration that asks us to acknowledge the opportunities within ourselves to live authentically. Bolick offers us a way back into our own lives—a chance to see those splendid years when we were young and unencumbered, or middle-aged and finally left to our own devices, for what they really are: unbounded and our own to savor.
Dear Reader, Spinster was such an unexpected surprise for me! The author, Kate Bolick, is a very talented writer and I wasn't prepared for that. Perhaps it was the subject of the book or the cover that had me thinking this would be a girly empowering book written by a NYC socialite. Totally wrong. Kate Bolick grew up in New England, and she really knows how to describe the area. She talks about finding her love by reading about love (or lack of) among some of her most cherished writers/poets. Each chapter flips back and forth between her own life, the life of one of her idols and some very intriguing facts about marriage, women, expectations and traditions. This format made for a very smooth reading experience, it broke up the monotony felt with that pattern quite well. Just as I was getting tired of hearing about her love life, she switches gears and goes back to a strong female writer that broke boundaries of her time. Really fantastic. Let me start with complaining how much Kate has increased my to-read list. She name drops and gives such a glorified background on many talented female authors that it was near impossible to not want to add them. I've decided to create a goodreads list of all the titles I highlighted while reading, feel free to add to that list (if you've read it). Just click that link and check out the list, you'll understand what I'm talking about. The history she shares about oppression, coercion and brainwashing that happens when dealing with marriage and children is stupefying. I couldn't believe that during the depression, companies were encouraged to fire the female workers to hire males, "By 1932, married women were prohibited by law from working in twenty-six states". Looking back, it makes sense but doesn't make it right. Taken slightly further, society viewed menstruation as so debilitating that it held women back from working full-time, "therefore rendering them undeserving of full wages." There is some great history here of women rising in the workforce after some terrible setbacks. The history isn't all about marriage though, she covers motherhood and the pressure women go through to have kids. "Throughout the 1600's & 1700's, it was common for a woman to give birth nine months after her wedding and continue on every two years, until she reached the end of her fertility or died (whichever came first)." What I truly found fascinating was her insight into how our culture uses reproduction to tie a woman into thinking a certain way. A man grows up without that pressure. Kate even asks the question of what it would be like for a girl if we grew up like a boy, "with marriage an abstract, someday thought, a thing to think about when she became an adult, a thing she could do, or not do, depending?" I would LOVE to see a world that treated us equally in that way. YES, women are given the miracle of birth, of carrying a child... but there is so much sacrifice to be had there. Our minds get trapped into the thought of life having no other meaning besides this. "Rare is she who doesn't at least occasionally succumb to the nagging fear that if she remains childless, she'll live to regret it." I feel this way all the time. I'm happily coupled with my long time "life-partner" boyfriend and extremely happy. We don't need a giant wedding or kids to make us happy or fulfilled. Why then do I still feel that pressure? Not only among our parents and family but inside myself as well? It's a terrible feeling and completely unfair because it is very one sided. Kate Bolick truly hit the nail on the head when it comes to the pressure women have to deal with. Her ideas to overcome this and create a "new" thinking on relationships and coupling are very modern and appealing. I stand behind her 100%. I could go on and on about this book, I have piles of notes. I want to share something that Kate says that really stuck with me. This is less about marriage, equality and forward thinking but relates to a memory I had as a child, one that was brought to mind by her own description of her childhood. She is talking about growing up in New England and how being in her room reading was a comfort, "For me it was being alone up in that bedroom, reading or lazing about, one ear forever tuned to the orchestra of family life." THIS! This was my childhood. I remember reading books in my bedroom to the background noise (downstairs, below me) of my family chattering on, muffled voices with no meaning. This was the soundtrack to my childhood reading, what was yours? Happy Reading, AmberBug

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Jacob T. Marley

Jacob T. Marley R. William Bennett 4 / 5	Published 2014 First Sentence "To understand the time between Jacob's death and his wispy visit with Ebenezer in the bedroom with the old Dutch tiles showing the scenes of Bible stories, one must go back and see what path led him to this spot wherein he was permitted to frighten Scrooge for his own good."
Publisher's Description: Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol is a holiday favorite and this new book, written in the style of Dickens, tells the story from the perspective of the character who was a ruthless taskmaster business partner who taught and influenced Scrooge and then saved him from the brink of a terrible fate. Jacob T. Marley is to A Christmas Carol as the world-famous Wicked is toThe Wizard of Oz and is a masterfully crafted story teaching us, once again, the true meaning of Christmas.
Dear Reader, I meant to write this review before Christmas, of course. But the holiday season caught up with me and I am still trying to find time for reading and posting here! My apologies that this is a bit delayed...I hope you will forgive me and allow this belated holiday post: I hope it will perhaps continue your celebrations just a little bit longer! I was very wary of this book, going into it. I loved the concept behind it: how did Scrooge become the true miser he was? - but was worried that it might try too hard and then fail to meet those expectations. Lucky for us, Bennet did a great job of writing in Dickens' style with enough of a touch of his own that it became an enjoyable but very traditional read - I could see this easily joining the A Christmas Carol canon, becoming the volume which everyone places to the left of the classic on the shelf. I was impressed by how well Bennett matched the style and feel of Dickens' classic: it feels as if he must have read and re-read that book a hundred times over! It is why I truly believe this book could be a serious companion piece to ACC, rather than a bit of fluff that someone felt like imagining up. And in many ways it was quite unlike Wiked as compared to The Wizard of Oz. While Wicked is a standalone piece which touts Maguire's own style and voice, Jacob T Marley is much more of an homage to the master, weaving Marley's view of things in with the story which Dickens originally told. My favorite quote from this book? "If we do nothing but remove a rock upon which someone might have tripped, though they may never know we did it, is this not our cause, our reason for life?" All I can do is recommend this to anyone who loves the classic and wants to see more of Scrooge's story. It's a wonderful explanation of how both men turned into who they were - and, who they would ultimately turn into, which is the heart of both of these original and timeless Christmas tales. Yours, Arianna

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The Bone Clocks

The Bone Clocks David Mitchell 4/5	Published 2014 First Sentence "I fling open my bedroom curtains, and there's the thirsty sky and the wide river full of ships and boats and stuff, but I'm already thinking of Vinny's chocolaty eyes, shampoo down Vinny's back, beads of sweat on Vinny's shoulders, and Vinny's sly laugh, and now my heart's going mental and, God, I wish I was waking up at Vinny's place in Peacock Street and not in my stupid bedroom."
Publisher's Description: Following a scalding row with her mother, fifteen-year-old Holly Sykes slams the door on her old life. But Holly is no typical teenage runaway: a sensitive child once contacted by voices she knew only as “the radio people,” Holly is a lightning rod for psychic phenomena. Now, as she wanders deeper into the English countryside, visions and coincidences reorder her reality until they assume the aura of a nightmare brought to life.  For Holly has caught the attention of a cabal of dangerous mystics—and their enemies. But her lost weekend is merely the prelude to a shocking disappearance that leaves her family irrevocably scarred. This unsolved mystery will echo through every decade of Holly’s life, affecting all the people Holly loves—even the ones who are not yet born.  A Cambridge scholarship boy grooming himself for wealth and influence, a conflicted father who feels alive only while reporting from occupied Iraq, a middle-aged writer mourning his exile from the bestseller list—all have a part to play in this surreal, invisible war on the margins of our world. From the medieval Swiss Alps to the nineteenth-century Australian bush, from a hotel in Shanghai to a Manhattan townhouse in the near future, their stories come together in moments of everyday grace and extraordinary wonder.
Dear Reader, I really wanted to bring you this amazing, enlightened review that broke everything down intelligently... yeah, not going to happen. I think being myself and giving you an Amberific review will have to do. You might be wondering if I liked the book? Well, yes reader... I did. As usual, David Mitchell brings out all his big guns for this novel and you can certainly be prepared to work hard for the reward. The Bone Clocks tells a story of heartbreaking truth, gives you an eerie feeling of impending doom and thoughts on eternal life and human bodies decaying. How can I summarize this book to you?! Each chapter is in a way a novel by itself... not unlike Mitchell's other work. I've heard in some of his interviews that this is because he can't seem to write longer than 100 pages in one place and with one person before he feels the need to move on. Oh, and before I get into the plot... I just need to mention how SMOOTH the pages are, whatever paper they used for this hardcover is divine. I found myself 'feeling up' the book quite a bit during my quiet time. The Bone Clocks is made up of six parts of roughly 100 pages each. Part one starts the story of Holly Sykes (the ultimate character that underlines every part of the book) and her runaway escapades after having her heart broken by a typical 'first love'. Nothing extremely unexpected or unusual except for a few glimpses into the strange (Holly's brother giving her unclear parting words and happening upon a strange woman who wants 'sanctuary' and finally a showdown of epic weirdness at a stop along the way). One line from this first section really hit home for me, "being born's a hell of a lottery". For some reason that line really stood out for me and helped me connect with Holly Sykes, being the child who sees what could have been when viewing the life of others around her. Who doesn't imagine that every now and then? After we meet Holly in the first section, we get thrust into the second act that follows Hugo Lamb. This section was a little less exciting for me but still important to the overall plot line. Hugo Lamb crosses paths with Holly, giving us a different perspective on her life. Actually, each part has glimpses of Holly from all different angles, which is super interesting. Moving on, we have two more parts of "normality"... one that follows Ed the war reporting Journalist married to Holly Sykes and Crispin Hershey, a middle-aged Author that bumps into Holly at a book fair. We again get to see Holly in so many ways, through the eyes of a husband and a fellow prize winning Author. Crispin Hershey's section is FILLED with put downs to the literary world and the snobbery surrounding it. This was actually quite enjoyable but also became a little tedious after awhile. I started saying, "I get it! I get it! Enough already!". But still, it was fun to read for a bit. By section five, things start getting REAL strange, we finally see what the heck is going on in the background and things come to a head. I don't want to spoil anything for you, so I won't go any farther. Those sci-fi/funky parts reminded me of L. Ron Hubbard and Scientology, but want to know the funny part? Mitchell predicted that reaction and countered it by actually negating the scientology-ness of the crazy plot line. Anyways, you'll see for yourself... as for me, I connected with this book more than Cloud Atlas but I can't say I'm a devout Mitchell fan. I'll read his work, he is super talented and I can enjoy the ride he gives us... but I'm not going to break things down and connect all the crazy dots. I know he has recurring characters and he has a plan to connect all his books somehow. Should I follow this giant puzzle down the Mitchell rabbit hole? Maybe, I do like puzzles... but I have a stronger aversion to disappointment, so I won't. Happy Reading, AmberBug

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The Killing Moon

The Killing Moon N. K. Jemisin 4/5	Published 2012 First Sentence "In the dark of waking, a soul has died."
Publisher's Description: In the ancient city-state of Gujaareh, peace is the only law. Upon its rooftops and amongst the shadows of its cobbled streets wait the Gatherers - the keepers of this peace. Priests of the dream-goddess, their duty is to harvest the magic of the sleeping mind and use it to heal, soothe . . . and kill those judged corrupt. But when a conspiracy blooms within Gujaareh's great temple, Ehiru - the most famous of the city's Gatherers - must question everything he knows. Someone, or something, is murdering dreamers in the goddess' name, stalking its prey both in Gujaareh's alleys and the realm of dreams. Ehiru must now protect the woman he was sent to kill - or watch the city be devoured by war and forbidden magic.
Dear Reader, This book was included in Book Riots Quarterly Box 3 (BK03), the theme was "Expand Your Reading Horizons". I love that they sent books to change reading habits up a bit. I do like fantasy and sci-fi so this particular book wasn't TOO far out of my comfort zone but I don't devour the genre like some. The Killing Moon is a great selection for those to expand their "reading horizons" because it's unlike any fantasy/sci-fi book I've ever read. It doesn't take place in Medieval times (thank dog), but in a world of it's own... one that the Author has developed on a grandiose scale. The beginning of the book is hard to get involved with, imagining and connecting with a entirely made up world can be daunting for a reader. Once you start feeling the flow, it was smooth sailing and hard to put the book down. Jemisin has a fantastic imagination, wheweee, one you clearly become engulfed in from the beauty and awe inspiring scenes she weaves. I feel this world truly exists, out there somewhere... and since this book is all about dreams, I'll go cliche and say I wish it existed outside of my reading dreams. I'd like to give you a great synopsis of the book but I think it would come out as mumbo jumbo due to the complicated world built around it. I can try though... feel free to laugh, I'm sure this will be funny. So... there's this group of people called the "Gatherers" who worship this idea of a goddess sun called "Hanajan" (I hope I got that right), and these "Gatherers" are kinda like priests. They gather magic dreams from corrupted people in their sleep, this stuff they gather is known as "dreamblood". Which they then store this "dreamblood" away for use to heal those injured citizens of Gujaareh. On the other side of this world (well maybe not that far) there lies a group of people who have detached themselves from the Gujaareh, believing that letting people live out their life and die naturally is better. The reader gets to follow both groups with their ideals and learn about some controversial topics that delve into life, death, pain, mercy. I enjoyed and could agree with both sides of the argument and found it really interesting that the Author was able to take this topic and bring it into her make believe world. So... that's a good enough background for you. I think many people could read this, even the ones who don't think fantasy is something they'd like... this is a good one to use as a test. The storyline, characters and world is completely out of the box and different, making this book hard to place into a specific genre. I'd love to hear what you think. I'd also like to thank Book Riot for expanding my horizons, I don't know if I would have picked up this book otherwise. Happy Reading, AmberBug

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Love Me Back: A Novel

Love Me Back: A Novel Merritt Tierce 3.5/5	Published September 2014 First Sentence "I met all four of them at an off-site catering event for the opening of their new Minimally Invasive Spine, Back and Neck Group."
Publisher's Description: From "5 Under 35" honoree and Rona Jaffe Award-winner comes an urgent, intensely visceral debut novel about a young waitress whose downward spiral is narrated in electric prose. Marie, a young single mother, lands a job at an upscale Dallas steakhouse. She is preternaturally attuned to the appetites of her patrons, but quickly learns to hide her private struggle behind an easy smile and a crisp white apron. In a world of long hours and late nights, where everything runs on a currency of favors, cash and cachet, Marie gives in to brutally self-destructive impulses. She loses herself in a tangle of bodies and the kind of coke that 'napalms your emotional synapses.' But obliteration—not pleasure—is her goal. Pulsing with fierce, almost feral energy, Love Me Back is an unapologetic portrait of a woman cutting a precarious path through early adulthood.
Dear Reader, Boy, this was gritty. It made me blush, which is pretty hard to do. I love Palahniuk, so this should have been a cake-walk. In truth, it was but I could see SO many readers turn away from this book due to the language and sleazy situations. As dirty as this book is, the truth is... so is real life (especially in the foodservice industry). This novel should be read as a warning as to what life can give you and how you should avoid the crap (a don't end up like this! cautionary tale). We all know someone like Marie, the slutty waitress that has no inhibition and lets people walk all over her. Some will look at her with disgust, others with pity but after reading this book... just MAYBE, the looks will change to understanding. Some people get shit on and others let it happen. This is life. This is the essence of this book. Truth, dirty and real and nothing you can do will stop it from happening. There are times I want to scream at the book and take a chunk out of it with my teeth. Have any of you worked in the food industry? I did briefly, and from my experience this book is pretty dead on. Each little detail of what a day is like during the hustle and bustle of a mealtime is perfectly, horribly accurate. Hard work, end of story. I almost think that the way the job is might have something to do with the drugs, drinking and debauchery that happen, to get away from reality. Nobody wants to live like that forever, right? Theres parts of this book that make me feel grimey, like if I took my finger and rubbed it on the page, it would come back black with grime. I liked this book but do I think this is everyones cup of tea? No way. Do I think it's important to have a book that shows the perspective of a messed up girl working her butt off? Yes. People like this exist and I'll even admit that I've had my moments throughout the years that I can be ashamed of... but should we shy away from the reality of it? No. If you aren't afraid to get your hands dirty (well, maybe more your mind), read this book, I can promise you you'll learn something. Happy Reading, AmberBug

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Your Perfect Life

Your Perfect Life Liz Fenton & Lisa Steinke 4/5	Published June 10th 2014 First Sentence "My mouth tastes like ass."
Publisher's Description: With “a delicious, page-turning premise, and sweet and surprising insights” (New York Times bestselling author Jen Lancaster), Your Perfect Life perfectly illustrates that old adage: Sometimes, you to have to walk a mile in someone else’s shoes to see what’s in her heart. Best friends since childhood, Casey and Rachel couldn’t lead more different lives. While workaholic Casey rubs elbows with celebrities daily as the host of Gossip TV and comes home nightly to an empty apartment, stay-at-home mom Rachel juggles an “oops” baby, two fiery teenagers, and a husband who barely seems the man she fell in love with two decades before. After an argument at their twentieth high school reunion, Casey and Rachel throw back shots to get the night back on track. Instead, they get a life-changing hangover. Waking up in each other’s bodies the next morning, they must figure out how to navigate their altered realities. Rachel is forced to confront the reason she gave up her broadcasting dreams when she got pregnant in college, and Casey finally steps out of the spotlight to face the truth about why she’s alone. And they soon discover that they don’t know themselves—or their best friend—nearly as well as they thought they did. Liz Fenton and Lisa Steinke bring humor and heart to every page of this novel that is sure to please fans of In Her Shoes and The Opposite of Me. Your Perfect Life is a story about two very different women, what they didn't know about each other, and how, by switching lives, they each learn to appreciate their own.
Dear Reader, How cute is this book? I was a little apprehensive (I'm not the romance or chick lit type of reader) and feared this would be the type of book made into a Lifetime movie... I was wrong. If this is made into a movie, they better steer clear of Lifetime! Your Perfect Life follows that old "switch-a-roo" plot line but these ladies do it right. One woman, Rachel, is a stay at home mom with three kids, the other woman, Casey, is trying to climb the ladder of journalism using her starring role as a TV Host for GossipTV. I found Casey's storyline very intriguing, but maybe that was because I'm not married with kids. I wonder if the Authors intended this to be the case, so that most readers can relate to one or the other. When they (Rachel & Casey) attend their High School Reunion, they find each other struggling to find common ground with one another, hardly finding enough time for their friendship nor recognizing the hard work the other goes through. Some unexplained magical bartender sees this interaction and decides to magically switch their lives, giving them the opportunity to see what life is like in the others shoes. Liz & Lisa, the Authors, have a great collaboration here. I love that these two came together and wrote this book, giving it uber charm. I liked all the little details they've thought of, for example: After the switch, the only person who might have an inkling that this has happened is Rachel's toddler who gives slight clues to the reader that the child is in-tune with the switch. This book made me think about my own relationships with my High School friends, and how we've grown apart but still keep in touch. I do think circumstances such as having kids, focusing on a career, traveling, can put a distance on a relationship. If we look at what High School means, everyone having that same life experience, you'll see we select our friends based on common interests. Those interests might not go away but as we grow-up our priorities DO change. We begin to think more about our day to day life, spend more time with the families we've created and those common interests tend to sit by the wayside. What I love about this book is how it got me to think about that, how it makes you think about what it would be like to be in someone elses shoes. If I had kids, lived a different life... would I be too busy, what about a mother who doesn't work 8 hours a day, would she feel just as exhausted? Sometimes changing things up breathes new life into things. I think everyone needs to have a refreshing look on their own lives every now and then, and wouldn't it be nice to be forced into appreciating your life like these two were. Okay, so maybe a magical bartender isn't going to switch things up for me... but I can do that on my own, and reading Your Perfect Life has reminded me that I SHOULD be doing just that. I should stop complaining that I don't have enough energy to call everyone back, to go out during the work week. I need to realize what is important in life and worth my energy. My friends are definitely worth that.. so thank you Liz & Lisa, for getting me to realize that. So yes, this is a book that follows a cliche, one that has been rehashed a million times over... but that one makes you think, brings some insight... and that is what I think makes this book shine. Happy Reading, AmberBug

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This is Where I Leave You

This is Where I Leave You Jonathan Tropper 4/5	Published 2009 First Sentence "'Dad's dead,' Wendy says offhandedly, like it's happened before, like it happens every day."
Publisher's Description: The death of Judd Foxman’s father marks the first time that the entire Foxman family—including Judd’s mother, brothers, and sister—have been together in years. Conspicuously absent: Judd’s wife, Jen, whose fourteen-month affair with Judd’s radio-shock-jock boss has recently become painfully public. Simultaneously mourning the death of his father and the demise of his marriage, Judd joins the rest of the Foxmans as they reluctantly submit to their patriarch’s dying request: to spend the seven days following the funeral together. In the same house. Like a family. As the week quickly spins out of control, longstanding grudges resurface, secrets are revealed, and old passions reawakened. For Judd, it’s a weeklong attempt to make sense of the mess his life has become while trying in vain not to get sucked into the regressive battles of his madly dysfunctional family. All of which would be hard enough without the bomb Jen dropped the day Judd’s father died: She’s pregnant. This Is Where I Leave You is Jonathan Tropper's most accomplished work to date, a riotously funny, emotionally raw novel about love, marriage, divorce, family, and the ties that bind—whether we like it or not.
Dear Reader, I don't know how many of you have heard of Jonathan Tropper, but I hadn't until just recently. The Shelf Notes team will be attending Book Expo America this year and will be staying to attend BookCon (formerly known as Power Reader day). The reason I bring this up is because I wouldn't have picked up this book if it weren't for a panel (featuring the Author) for a kickoff event to BookCon (This is open to the public, so click here for tickets). The event is not only having Jonathan Tropper there to discuss the book but since the book will be made into a movie for the Fall this year, we'll also get to hear from the Director and some of the celebrities from the film (Tina Fey & Jason Bateman!!!) So yes, we bought up those tickets and I downloaded the ebook of This is Where I Leave You right away! Now that I've got that out there, I think I'll start talking about the book. This is Where I Leave You is tummy ache funny, but from the darker side of that closet you hold all those secrets. No, not SCARY... more like troubling family confessions, messed up relationships, you know... the usual. Tropper does follow a formula that is tried and true, so this book is not cutting edge but it does give you a very solid dysfunctional dark comedy (and who doesn't love one of those?!) Cue Jason Bateman (yes, while reading this book I was flipping to IMDB and imagining the characters as the cast slated for the movie) a.k.a. Judd Foxman, the main character who has just recently observed his wife sleeping with his boss. Or how about Tina Fey (a.k.a. Wendy Foxman) who has three children and is married to a man who is married to his job. But wait, we also have Corey Stoll (a.k.a. Paul Foxman) the older brother who could have had a different life if it wasn't for a freak accident that happened when he was a teen. And the last sibling, Adam Driver (a.k.a. Phillip Foxman), the uncontrollable train wreck and also the baby of the family. All these siblings are told they have to sit "Shiva" even though their father wasn't really religious or practicing. For those that don't know, Shiva is when the family sits and receives family for 7 days (like a very, very long wake). From here, you can only assume that family secrets will be revealed and shenanigans will ensue, which is exactly what happens. Anything I say about the book will be giving things away so I'll leave you with this... It's well worth the read and if you need a laugh, this book will surely scratch that itch. Happy Reading, AmberBug P.S. - Stay tuned for a post in June with a wrap up of the BookCon Kickoff event.

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The People in the Trees

The People in the Trees Hanya Yanagihara 4/5	Published 2013 First Sentence "I was born in 1924 near Lindon, Indiana, the sort of small, unremarkable rural town that some twenty years before my birth had begun to duplicate itself, quietly but insistently, across the Midwest."
Publisher's Description: In 1950, a young doctor called Norton Perina signs on with the anthropologist Paul Tallent for an expedition to the remote Micronesian island of Ivu'ivu in search of a rumored lost tribe. They succeed, finding not only that tribe but also a group of forest dwellers they dub "The Dreamers," who turn out to be fantastically long-lived but progressively more senile. Perina suspects the source of their longevity is a hard-to-find turtle; unable to resist the possibility of eternal life, he kills one and smuggles some meat back to the States. He scientifically proves his thesis, earning worldwide fame and the Nobel Prize, but he soon discovers that its miraculous property comes at a terrible price. As things quickly spiral out of his control, his own demons take hold, with devastating personal consequences.
Dear Reader, Every now and then you read a book and after you've finished you sit there wondering if you liked it or not. This was one of those books. The People in the Trees is very well written, has all the makings of a good novel including adventure, science, culture, even a little bit of mystery. The book is essentially about this scientist who is invited to join an anthropologist to an island rumored to contain a lost tribe. Before we even get to this plot line, we're introduced to the scientist's associate, who is the narrator of the book. Even before that, we're introduced to the scientist through a scandal involving him and some children, yes... he was accused of inappropriate relationships with some of his children (who've been adopted by him). This is all within the first few chapters, after that the narrator (his associate) wants to clear his name and tell the story of a great scientist who did wonderful things and adopted children from this mysterious island (children who would have become destitute). What I loved about this book was the vivid way the Hana Yanagihara describes this tribe, the people, the language, the customs, the novelty of it. Clearly, this is a book that involves so many controversial topics. If we come upon a hidden society/tribe, should it be kept a secret?  When first introduced to the tribe, you notice that the people have it together, more than we do even. They hunt, gather, trade, live, love... all the things that satiate our needs in life. Can technology bring them easier ways of doing things, un-complicating tasks that take time and effort? Yes! Should we bring this technology them to "better" their lives? This is a question that gets answered in the book and they results are rather interesting. Technology can be a dangerous thing, especially when brought into the wrong hands. It brought this question to my mind; Are morals and ethics culturally relative? I'd be inclined to say they aren't but this is a question that could create week long discussions. The Author brings life to this tribe with intricate stories, the storytelling in the book is fantastic. We have this long lost tribe that apparently can "live forever", after performing a ceremony where they eat some meat from a local turtle (native only to this part of the island). There is much more to this ceremony and "why" they do this, you'll have to read it yourself to find out because it's fantastic made-up folklore, giving the tribe even more depth and interest. This is where the story starts to turn ugly, the turtle is found and the scientist believes he can use it to create eternal life. This life comes at a cost though, the elderly people of the tribe who've lived over a hundred years, closer to two hundred, start to act strangely. They become different, can't remember things, the body stays healthy and fertile while the mind slowly disintegrates. Perina, the scientist, believes he can harness the ability to skirt death while also removing the problems. I don't think we're suppose to like Perina, at least I didn't. I understood he had a very scientific brain that didn't include much room for emotion, especially empathy but doesn't a person without empathy also describe a psychopath? This is exactly how I felt about him. I did like the many ideas and questions his personality made me think about though. I started pondering about the brain a little more, different personality types, what truly makes a psychopath. I could go on and on about the ideas this book burned into my brain. I think this might be why I gave it four stars. I didn't particularly like any of the characters, the story was solid but kind of slow paced but the Author brings you into this discussion, almost like he wants to have a fun lengthy debate about ALL sorts of things. I liked that, I really did. I would suggest this book to someone who likes pondering over profound ideas, maybe even someone who flirts with culture and finds anthropology fascinating. I will warn you ahead of time, there's things in the book that aren't for the faint of heart. If you can't stomach certain things involving child molestation, animal cruelty, etc... you might need to pass this up. I don't like reading about these things but can admit that they exist and books reflect life, sometimes we need to be reminded that life has horrible things in it. Happy Reading, AmberBug

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Heidegger and a Hippo Walk Through Those Pearly Gates

Heidegger and a Hippo Walk Through Those Pearly Gates: Using philosophy (and jokes!) to explore life, death, the afterlife, and everything in between Thomas W. Cathcart and Daniel M. Klein 1.5/5	First Sentence "Uh, Daryl, we're still waiting for an answer here. Do you really think you're going to die?"
Publisher's Description: The new book by the bestselling authors of Plato and a Platypus Walk Into a Bar is a hilarious take on the philosophy, theology, and psychology of mortality and immortality. That is, Death. The authors pry open the coffin lid on this one, looking at the Big D and also its prequel, Life, and its sequel, the Hereafter. Philosophers such as Schopenhauer, Nietzsche, Camus, and Sartre have been wrestling with the meaning of death for as long as they have been wrestling with the meaning of life. Fortunately, humorists have been keeping pace with the major thinkers by creating gags about dying. Death’s funny that way—it gets everybody’s attention. Death has gotten a bad rap. It’s time to take a closer look at what the Deep Thinkers have to say on the subject, and there are no better guides than Cathcart and Klein.
Dear Reader, This book made me roll my eyes so much they almost fell out of my eye sockets. What do you get when you mix really dumb jokes with basic philosophy? You'd think something interesting and fun, this was the opposite of that. Maybe it wasn't just for me... maybe it was meant for someone with a different sense of humor. The jokes just didn't get me going AT ALL. I laughed maybe once, if even that. However, I do believe there is an audience out there that could be intrigued by a book like this, pre-teen or maybe teens just starting out with philosophy. I could also see this being strongly suited to people who like a light listen in audio book format. I really think this format is the only way to experience the book. I wish I could give this more praise but this just wasn't for me. Happy Reading, AmberBug