Middletide by Sarah Crouch
Yes, I am back to reading Middletide!!!
Happy reading 📚,
Dorothea 💜
Friday, March 8, 2024
REVIEW - Crying in H Mart ebook
Crying in H Mart by Michelle Zauner (ebook)
OVERVIEW
So I am one of those readers who normally isn't a fan of best sellers. So I am going to be the outlier who likes this book but doesn't love it. It just didn't resonate as deeply for me as for others and that is okay.
Michelle Zauner is a beautiful writer, but this memoir felt more like a cathartic project for her than a memoir for the broader reader. Yes, she had a lot to process while nursing and caring for her mother and then ultimately losing her to cancer. As a mixed-race or hapa woman, she seemed to have lost her connection to her Korean heritage with the passing of her mother. But, food and music helped her reconnect with her remaining Korean family on a very intense level.
As I know very little about Korean food or culture, this book was difficult for me as I am not familiar with the food or language at all. My husband is an ABC (American-born Chinese) so the Chinese culture and food are what I am more comfortable and familiar so I need to broaden my horizons.
OVERALL REVIEW: 3.5 stars
Writing: 5.0 stars
The writing was very strong, most especially as a debut book. She is a young woman (34 years old) and her future writing will deepen and develop with a long career ahead of her, I truly believe.
Character development: 3.0 stars
This book has two main female characters: Michelle (the author) and Chongmi (her mother). We do not learn much about Chongmi until after she passes and Michelle learns more about her as a young woman. Their relationship is tortured, but we really didn't learn why exactly. I still am not certain whether the issues were due to being raised in different countries or simply being different people.
The secondary characters are Joel (her father) and Peter (her husband). Her father comes across as a very weak and dependent man and Peter comes across as a strong man who supports Michelle during this difficult time of her life.
The tertiary characters are Michelle's Korean family, her in-laws, her friends, and the Korean community in Eugene, Oregon.
Storyline: 3.0 stars
This memoir is told chronologically with the appropriate flashbacks. However, it is written more like a novel than a memoir to me. Most especially, I wanted more about Chongmi's life in Korea.
The main locations are primarily in New York City, New York; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Seoul, South Korea; and Eugene, Oregon.
Memorable/Informative: 3.0 stars
Okay, I initially thought that this was a novel until the last few chapters when I realized that this was a memoir. Yes, I must have been under a rock. But, normally I do not read reviews about a book before I read it. Also, in my defense, this book came out during the pandemic when I was not reading at all.
The biggest takeaway for me is that Korean food is spicy, fermented, and served blazing hot!
Book cover: 3.0 stars
Okay.
Book title: 3.0 stars
I don't get it. Was it a metaphor?
Recommend
EBOOK DETAILS
NetGalley ARC (ebook)
Crying in H Mart by Michelle Zauner
243 pages
Knopf
Release date of 04/20/2021
INFORMATIONAL LINKS
Happy reading 📚!
Dorothea 💜
Thursday, March 7, 2024
My next audiobook is...
The House of Hidden Meanings by RuPaul (audiobook)
Happy reading 📚,
Dorothea 💜
Monday, March 4, 2024
My next ebook is...
Crying in H Mart by Michelle Zauner
I have been waiting for months for this hold to become available at the library, finally!! Anyway, I will pause my reading of Middletide by Sarah Crouch to read this more time-sensitive hold!
Happy reading 📚,
Dorothea 💜
Saturday, March 2, 2024
REVIEW - Still Just a Geek audiobook
Still Just a Geek by Wil Wheaton (audiobook)
OVERVIEW
OMG, OMG, OMG! This memoir is just AH-MAZING!!
I knew Wil Wheaton from his work on Stand by Me and The Big Bang Theory and a bit from Star Trek (I am a below-average watcher). I really didn't know much about him at all and that is why I enjoy reading memoirs to learn about people that I don't know much about.
Well, Wil is my So Cal brother. We grew up not far from each other in So Cal, loved KMET (RIP), used similar non-PC language that we have had to unlearn, have strong left political leanings, have mental health issues, and had somewhat similar dysfunctional childhoods. Oh, and he uses the same swear word that I prefer, HA! Wow, that is a lot of commonality.
This book is an updated, annotated memoir that Wil published in 2004 - it is NOT a new memoir. It is a long audiobook - over 23 hours. It has the cringy, original writings of a young thirty-something Wil updated with the 49ish writings of an older, more mature Wil. It is a compelling methodology.
This is a very powerful memoir. Please read or listen to it.
OVERALL REVIEW: 5.0 stars
Writing: 5.0 stars
The method applied to this updated memoir is so good! I loved hearing how Wil's writing improved and improved. Now, it is REALLY good - I mean, gut-wrenching and powerfully good.
I also really enjoyed the asides that Wil used throughout the audiobook to further explain a situation or story. It made it so rich and interesting. Some people may have issues with this style, but I loved it!
Narration: 5.0 stars
Wil is a strong narrator. He is telling his own story and it was difficult to listen to it at times and triggered a lot of childhood memories for me. However, I cried and laughed with Wil and thoroughly enjoyed his narration.
Character Arc: 5.0 stars
This is told chronologically from his previous memoir with some essays, speeches, and blog posts along with Wil's asides sprinkled liberally throughout the memoir. The updates and asides make this memoir so very strong.
Memorable: 5.0 stars
As someone who grew up in Southern California in the shadow of Hollywood, I had no idea until the past twenty years or so how horrible it is especially to young actors. Hollywood sucks and more controls need to be in place to protect our children who are involved in the business. The Coogan Law needs to be updated - 15 cents on every dollar earned is not enough to be placed in trust for child actors.
Entertaining: 5.0 stars
Wil is a great writer and narrator. He tells the stories vividly and I could picture it happening as he tells it in the audiobook. Wil made me laugh, cry, and be very thankful for my therapist.
I would love to have a burrito with Wil (inside story from the book)! He is very funny and a fantastic storyteller
Book cover: 4.5 stars
Nicely done.
Book title: 5.0 stars
Perfect!
HIGHEST recommendation
STATISTICS
Los Angeles Public Library (LAPL) borrow (audiobook)
Still Just a Geek by Wil Wheaton
HarperCollins
23 hours, 51 minutes
Release date of 04/12/2022
INFORMATIONAL LINKS
Happy reading 📚,
Dorothea 💜
Friday, March 1, 2024
February 2024 - Monthly Wrap-up
Hi, everyone!
Well, I am shocked that I read as many books as I read this month. This month included the week that I took off for our Anniversary trip to Cambria, California.
But the weird thing is
that February was a month with three HIGHEST recommendation books (5.0 stars) and three LUKEWARM
recommend books (3.0 stars). What a dichotomy!
2nd ANNUAL “booksbydorothea”
BEST BOOKS OF 2024:
All
We Were Promised
by Ashton Lattimore (January) 5 stars
Miss
Morgan's Book Brigade
by Janet Skeslien Charles (February) 5 stars
GOODREADS READING GOAL:
For 2024, my goal will be 100 books from the very start!!! As of 02/29/2024, I have read 15 books, or 15% of my
goal.
FEBRUARY 2024 STATISTICS:
10 total books
7 e-books; 3 audiobooks; 0
physical books
5 books were an ARC
(Advance Reader Copy)
3 books were library books
0 books were purchased
2 books were Amazon
First Reads
1 book was a Book Club
Girl
Audio listening time in February:
19 hours, 46 minutes
Pages read in February:
5,173 pages
Average review rating:
4.05 stars
FEBRUARY BOOK RATINGS with BOOK COVERS:
5.0-star books (3)
Deaf Utopia by Nyle DiMarco REVIEW
The Food of Love by Amanda Prowse REVIEW
Miss Morgan’s Book Brigade by Janet Skeslien Charles REVIEW
4.5-star books (2)
Husbands & Lovers by Beatriz Williams REVIEW
Shelterwood by Lisa Wingate REVIEW
4.0-star books (1)
A Great Country by Shilpi Somaya Gowda REVIEW
3.5-star book (1)
Boys in the Trees by Carly Simon REVIEW
3.0-star books (3)
Ladykiller by Katherine Wood REVIEW
An American Princess by Annejet van der Zijl REVIEW
Face It by Debbie Harry REVIEW
If you want to read my
full review of any of these books, there are individual review posts for each ebook
or audiobook below the picture of the book. You can just click on the specific
book link to get to that book review!!
Happy reading 📚!
Dorothea 💜
P.S. For more information about my book ratings, you can find out more HERE.
Thursday, February 29, 2024
REVIEW - Miss Morgan's Book Brigade ebook
Miss Morgan's Book Brigade by Janet Skeslien Charles (ebook)
OVERVIEW
This is the type of historical fiction that a history nerd LOVES!! This was the second book that I have read by Janet Skeslien Charles and it was about a time that I didn't know much about at all - World War I. After reading this book, I feel like I was definitely educated!
This book has two timelines with two main characters. Both of the main characters are strong women which I loved!! Jessie "Kit" Carson lives in 1918 and volunteers with CARD (American Committee for Devastated France/Le Comité américain pour les régions dévastées) when she was recruited by Anne Morgan, vice-president of the organization. Wendy Peterson lives in 1987 in New York City (NYC) while working at the New York Public Library (NYPL) and discovers CARD and wants to learn more.
OVERALL REVIEW: 5.0 stars
Writing: 5.0 stars
The writing was just so perfectly done. It was descriptive, it was clipped, and it was both depending on the circumstances in the storyline.
Janet also moves effortlessly between the two distinct periods. It flows so very well which makes it very easy to read.
Character development: 5.0 stars
This book has two main female characters: Jessie "Kit" Carson and Wendy Peterson. They live in very different times, but they have a lot in common. Both are loners, book lovers, and librarians who work at the NYPL (Kit in 1918 and Wendy in 1987).
The secondary characters are Alice Morgan and Anne Murray Dike (in France) and Winnifred Smythe (Kit's boss in NYC) for Kit. The secondary characters are Roberto (Wendy's boss) and Meredith (Wendy's friend) for Wendy.
The tertiary characters are the armies, civilians, and cards (CARD volunteer title) during WWI for the older timeline. The tertiary characters are the coworkers, friends, and patrons at the NYPL for the newer timeline.
Storyline: 5.0 stars
The two storylines were woven together in a storyline tapestry so well. The commonality was the love of books, libraries, and reading. Historical fiction done to perfection!
The main locations are primarily in NYC and Picardie, France (northern France).
Memorable/Informative: 5.0 stars
I learned so much about CARD and WWI. This period in history really wasn't covered in my American history classes very much at all which is so wrong. This time should be fully examined along with WWII to better understand why bloody wars continue to ravage Europe.
Book cover: 5.0 stars
Perfect.
Book title: 5.0 stars
Right on point!
HIGHEST recommendation
EBOOK DETAILS
NetGalley ARC (ebook)
Miss Morgan's Book Brigade by Janet Skeslien Charles
352 pages
Atria Books
Release date of 05/07/2024
INFORMATIONAL LINKS
Happy reading 📚!
Dorothea 💜
Saturday, February 24, 2024
REVIEW - Face It audiobook
Face It by Debbie Harry (audiobook)
OVERVIEW
So as a teenager, I learned about Blondie listening to KROQ while working at McDonald's after hours. When we closed up, we would listen to music very loud!!! I loved Blondie!
But, I like Debbie Harry, but I don't love her. She narrated this memoir which I prefer, but she had an emotionless, flat, and monotone reading style which was off-putting. I was disappointed.
OVERALL REVIEW: 3.0 stars
Writing: 4.0 stars
The writing was good, but some editing would have made the writing in this memoir so much better. The first few chapters were very strong when Debbie discussed her childhood, high school, and community college years. But, when she moved to NYC, it became multiple streams of consciousness fighting each other for attention.
Narration: 3.0 stars
The narration is bland and boring. It was as if she was reading about someone else's life.
Character Arc: 3.0 stars
Debbie Harry comes off as aloof, vain, and egotistical throughout the book. Additionally, she is very sexual and uses that sexuality in her writing, performing, and personal life.
Her appearance is mentioned throughout the book numerous times including how pretty she is. I know that she has to be more than a pretty face, but that just didn't come through.
Memorable: 3.5 stars
The punk scene in New York sounds like a crazy time in a dirty, dangerous, and broke New York City. I enjoyed hearing about all of the artistry in all of its forms that blossomed in the 70s and 80s.
Entertaining: 3.0 stars
It could have been so much more. More about Blondie the band, Blondie the individual members, and Blondie who was Debbie Harry.
I only wish that I knew the backstory of the people, places, and bands that he talks about. Being a West Coast kid put me at a disadvantage, but Wikipedia was my friend!
Book cover: 4.5 stars
A beautiful portrait.
Book title: 4.5 stars
Very appropriate!
LUKEWARM Recommend
STATISTICS
Los Angeles Public Library (LAPL) borrow (audiobook)
Face It by Debbie Harry
HarperAudio
8 hours, 57 minutes
Release date of 10/1/2019
INFORMATIONAL LINKS
Happy reading 📚,
Dorothea 💜
Friday, February 23, 2024
My next ebook read is...
Miss Morgan's Book Brigade by Janet Skeslien Charles (ebook)
Happy reading 📚!
Dorothea 💜
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