REVIEW - Yellowface audiobook

 

Yellowface by R. F. Kuang (audiobook)

OVERVIEW

This is one of those books that people have been talking about since it was published in May 2023. It is a raw and ugly portrayal of writers, editors, literary agents, and the publishing business. Also, the nastiness of social media plays a huge and horrible role in the direction and plot line of this novel.

The two main characters, Athena Liu and Juniper "June" Hayward are "frenemies". They both attended Yale together and reconnected after June moved to Washington D.C. A horrible accident occurs and June takes Athena's recently finished novel and portrays it as her own. Then the book really takes off with all the twists and turns and ups and downs. It is one crazy, wild ride. 

It was a gut-wrenching and sad tale of our society. Stereotyping, racism, and elitism are all tied together with the insanity of social media.

OVERALL REVIEW: 3.5 stars

Writing: 3.5 stars

The writing was just okay, but it was popular culture writing. It was written with all of the slang and foul language that Gen Z's use all the time. Additionally, it was a first-person narrative from June's point of view.

The problem for me was that the writing didn't dig deep enough for me. Without the deep dive, this novel was too superficial and just about writing and publishing. Why, really, were Athena and June friends? Were they really talented or did the publishing industry need another "next thing"? What caused Athena and June to be who they are - what happened in their lives? 

Overall, I am an outlier who just didn't "get" this book and what was so special about it. 

Narration: 4.0 stars

Helen Laser is a strong narrator. She really captured both Athena and June really well and brought them to life. Overall, it was a good listen, but more for the narration than the writing. 

Character Arc: 3.0 stars

I really wanted more. It was written in a somewhat chronological order, but there were some flashbacks. However, it just didn't get deep into the characters so we could understand who they were, why they behaved so horribly, and how they could justify the obnoxious things that they did. Without the background character information, it just didn't sit well with me. 

Memorable: 3.0 stars

The biggest thing for me is that we continue to learn nothing as a society about race, social media, and entitlement.

Entertaining: 3.5 stars

It was entertaining at times, but it was very dark and satirical. 

Book cover: 3.5 stars

It could have been so much more.

Book title: 4.0 stars 

Very good! 

Recommend

AUDIOBOOK DETAILS

Los Angeles Public Library (LAPL) borrow (audiobook)

Yellowface by R. F. Kuang

8 hours, 39 minutes

Release date of 5/16/2023

INFORMATIONAL LINKS

R. F. Kuang

My Goodreads review

HarperAudio

Los Angeles Public Library

Happy reading! 📚

Dorothea 💜

January 2024 - Amazon First Reads

Hi, everyone!!

Did you know that there is a FREE monthly Kindle book available with your Amazon Prime membership??? It is called Amazon First Reads!! You can find out more about it here: Amazon First Reads.

I received the email yesterday and there are TWO free books in January 2024. No explanation, but TWO free books are GREAT!

My TWO choices for January 2024 are:

The County Line by Steve Weddle

The Real Deal by Caitlin Devlin

So what TWO books did you choose for your January 2024 First Read picks? Please share your choices in the comments!!

Happy reading! 📚

Dorothea 💜

P.S. Don't forget to "buy" the books at Amazon! I almost did that this month!

Goodreads 2024 Reading Challenge

Hi, everyone!

So, no surprise, I am setting my Goodreads 2024 Reading Challenge to 100 books!! It is a big number, but I will do my best to meet this challenge. 

If Oliver James @oliverspeaks1 (Instagram) who is teaching himself to read did it last year,  I can meet the challenge with him. If you want an amazing motivational account to follow, Oliver James is it!! I will share some more good Instagram accounts to follow as the year goes on - please share yours too.

If you want to set your Goodreads 2024 Reading Challenge, here are the simple steps:

- Go to the Main Page/Home on your Goodreads page. 

- Log in, if necessary.

- Click on the "Join the challenge" banner in the upper left of the page. 

- You will be prompted to enter YOUR goal! 

- Happy reading and good luck!

Happy reading! 📚

Dorothea 💜

My next audiobook is...

 Yellowface by R. F. Kuang (audiobook)

Happy reading! 📚

Dorothea 💜

CHANGES to Book Read Order

Hi, everyone! 

As you may have noticed, the order of the ebooks I read has changed. Initially, I was planning to read:

The Phoenix Crown by Kate Quinn and Janie Change

However, an ARC with a short review time became available so I had to switch gears quickly to read this book. The new ebook was:

The Queen of Sugar Hill by ReShonda Tate

I have finished and reviewed The Queen of Sugar Hill (REVIEW), Now I am going to restart The Phoenix Crown. Thankfully, I was only one chapter when I originally started it on December 17th. Then my holiday break started  December 21st with very minimal reading so I am going to start the historical novel completely from the beginning again. 

Happy reading! 📚

Dorothea 💜

 

My next ebook is...

 The Queen of Sugar Hill by ReShonda Tate (ebook)

Happy reading!!! 📚

Dorothea 💜

REVIEW - The Queen of Sugar Hill ebook

 

The Queen of Sugar Hill by ReShonda Tate (ebook)

OVERVIEW

This was the first book that I have read from the prolific author ReShonda Tate who was unknown to me! I was impressed and need to read more of her books going forward. 

The was a historical fiction novel based on the life of Hatte McDaniel. It is a thought-provoking and powerful story about an amazing woman. Hattie was bright, multi-talented (she sang, acted, and danced), and an Academy Award winner. This is her story told in the first person which made a compelling read!

This novel erased so many of my beliefs that Los Angeles (my hometown) was not segregated in the 20th century and was a haven for Blacks which is what I was taught as a child. So many stories in the book totally disproved my previous mindset. I am so saddened, convicted, and horrified by it all. But most especially since I did not know this continuing issue in Los Angeles history, I was shocked when colorism and racism reared their ugly head again with Los Angeles City Councilmembers in 2022. Now, I won't be shocked again. But we can be the change - we have a lot of work to do in this beautiful city, but we can and will do it!

OVERALL REVIEW: 4.0 stars

Writing: 4.0 stars

This is Hattie McDaniel's story told in the first person. From what I could ascertain, the author was very true to the life of Hattie McDaniel, her life experiences, and how she REALLY lived her life. It was a fascinating read and to read it in first person was great! The author writes strong prose with great descriptions, interesting dialogue, and fantastic peeks into Hattie's thoughts. 

Character development: 4.0 stars

The main character is Hattie McDaniel. She was an actor and performer from the young age of six and progressed to winning the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress (Gone With The Wind). One would have thought that she would have become a significant star as she was the first Black individual to ever win an Academy Award, period. Buckle up and get ready for a very bumpy ride as this novel plays out!

Hattie had a large circle of close personal friends, husbands/lovers, and Hollywood friends. They were the secondary characters. But there were a lot of secondary characters as is normal in a historical fiction novel. 

The tertiary character is the Hollywood power establishment of white male studio executives, white actors, and various Black groups such as the NAACP and sororities. 

Storyline:  4.0 stars

This novel starts when Hattie wins the Academy Award and follows her life through to her death. She was an incredible human being who was the child of former enslaved parents who rose to prominence in the movie and entertainment industry. 

The main location was Los Angeles, California.  

Memorable/Informative:  4.0 stars

The novel made me actively face the fact that I did not grow up in a utopian, perfect city. Los Angeles has its flaws and ugly history. But, we can, jointly and as individuals, work together to repair this flawed city to make it a place where all are welcome and equal. 

Book cover: 4.0 stars

Very pretty and appropriate!

Book title: 4.0 stars 

Totally on point! 

DEFINITE recommend

EBOOK DETAILS

NetGalley ARC (ebook)

The Queen of Sugar Hill by ReShonda Tate

368 pages 

William Morrow

Release date of 01/30/2024

INFORMATIONAL LINKS

ReShonda Tate

My Goodreads review

William Morrow

NetGalley

Happy reading! 📚

Dorothea 💜

REVIEW - Baggage audiobook

Baggage by Alan Cumming (audiobook)

OVERVIEW

This memoir was another amazing "Mr. Toad's Wild Ride" by Alan Cumming. I had previously read Not My Father's Son which was about his troubled home life and abusive father until he left for drama school and so hard to listen to read by the author. The two memoirs dovetail nicely and I would recommend reading Not My Father's Son first. 

Alan definitely wrote this book with an NC-17 rating. It is full of colorful language, a gay lifestyle, and VERY descriptive language that could offend some readers. So be forewarned. 

However, I found this memoir funny, warm, and interesting. It was fun to listen to Alan's lilting Scottish brogue. 

OVERALL REVIEW: 4.0 stars

Writing: 4.0 stars

It was very well written. Alan's prose was beautiful and thoughtful. 

Narration: 4.5 stars

Alan is a fantastic narrator. Well, that explains why this is the second audiobook that I have listened to by him. I thoroughly enjoy his code-switching between his native Scottish to English, American, and Australian accents. Also, some of his impersonations were fantastic. Overall, it was a fun listen. 

Character Arc: 4.0 stars

It was written in a somewhat chronological order, but it did diverge at times almost as if Alan had a thought bubble over his head. It was easy to follow and understand even though it was a bit scattered as I imagine Alan is. 

Memorable: 4.0 stars

I loved how Alan talked about how being kind can solve almost any problem. A beautiful way to live one's life. 

Entertaining: 4.0 stars

Alan was funny, kinda gossipy (but not mean-spirited), and very careful with the identities of many people, especially lovers, in the memoir. It really is a memoir all about Alan!

Book cover: 4.0 stars

Totally Alan!

Book title: 4.0 stars 

It was very on point. 

DEFINITE recommend

AUDIOBOOK DETAILS

Los Angeles Public Library (LAPL) borrow (audiobook)

Baggage by Alan Cumming

9 hours, 6 minutes

Release date of 10/26/2021

INFORMATIONAL LINKS

Alan Cumming

My Goodreads review

HarperAudio

Los Angeles Public Library

Happy reading! 📚

Dorothea 💜

RECAP - December 2023 Monthly Wrap-up AND 2023 Year End Wrap-up

Hello, everyone!

Since the holidays quickly came upon all of us, this is a short recap of two important December 2023 posts for booksbydorothea. Since many of you limit your social media time during the holidays, these two posts may have been missed. So I am doing a quick repost of the final wrap-ups for December 2023 and the 2023 Year-End which may be helpful to you. You can check them out below:

The first important December 2023 post on booksbydorothea is the December 2023 - Monthly Wrap-up (LINK).

The second important December 2023 post on booksbydorothea is the 2023 Year End Wrap-up (LINK).

I would appreciate any feedback that you have on either or both of these posts! Thank you for all of your support in 2023! See you in 2024!

Happy reading! 📚

Dorothea 💜

Back from Holiday Break

 

Hello, everyone!!

I'm back from Holiday Break (a little early) and looking forward to an amazing 2024 reading year! 

Now, get ready for some ebook and audiobook reviews!! I've been reading for the past few days!!!

Happy reading! 📚

Dorothea 💜

Holiday Break

Happy Holidays!!! 🎅🤶 

Happy reading!!! 📚

Dorothea 💜