Welcome to the Stacks
Fostering the love of reading, here are several reviews from myself.
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Burn Rate by Andy Dunn
Star Rating: ★★★★★
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Andy Dunn is the CEO of Bonobos and also a person with bipolar disorder type 1. This is not a how-to for startups but it is an intensely candid conversation about episodes of fluctuations in his mental health as he tries to build Bonobos and sell it to Walmart. I flew through this book and really appreciated how vulnerable the writer went into his experiences.
The Woman in Me by Britney Spears
Star Rating: ★★★
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If you don’t absolutely follow TMZ, Perez Hilton and E!, there is alot of ‘new to you’ information in her stories. Otherwise this is a recount of her life with little new information. It was a nice trip down nostalgia lane (TLR, VMA red carpet, Diane Sawyer interview), but other than that there is nothing earth shattering in here. However, having Michelle Williams read this book and getting to hear her impression of Justin Timberlake was 100% worth the listen.
The Storyteller by Dave Grohl
Star Rating: ★★★★★
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Dave Grohl has stories for days. What rock band doesn't? But Dave Grohl has a heart of gold, and the stories he chooses to share in 'The Storyteller' are all about emotions. 'The Storyteller' isn't just about backstage antics, drugs, and drinking. It's about life in Virginia. It's about being surrounded by every possible bad decision in front of you but having the moral compass to stay focused on your goals. It's about working in a job you absolutely love but requires working all over the world with little control over your own travel schedule and no options to work from home... and how to handle being a present parent for your family. I loved the stories he chose to tell.
Taste by Stanley Tucci
Star Rating: ★★★★★
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I know the pandemic made a lot of people look at Stanley Tucci in a new light. But, as a long time fan of his, I have longed for this book! He lives such a great life off camera, exploring food and cooking passions. It was a great listen as he recounts his life through food. The audiobook is fantastic but you'll need the physical book for the recipes, so get both!
I'm Glad My Mom Died by Jeanette McCurdy
Star Rating: ★★★
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I did not growing up watching iCarly, but the title drew me in immediately. I'm Glad My Mom Died is a fast listen narrated by the author, recounting her life as a childhood actor with a gutting family life. She really lets it all out in this book about her upbringing in an abusive household. She recounts multiple encounters of control and and physchological abuse her mother enacted upon her. And, while I commend her confessional in this book, I wish she would have explored more about how adult children can remove parents from their lives and be at peace to breathe a sigh of relief when these people die. It's a topic that is barely explored and yet she had the chance and didn't go all the way there.
Spare by Prince Harry
Star Rating: ★★
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I don't know if there is any other way to read Spare other than to have Prince Harry narrate it for you. It was the only palatable thing about the story, frankly. While I wasn't looking for a dirty, behind-the-scenes tell all, I also wasn't looking for what seems to be a continious paradox he faces - endlessly drawing attention to himself while condemning the fame he has. I admire how frank he is in his memoir, especially given how private The Royal Family is. But, the whole time I listened, I wondered if he maybe should have continued self-improvement and therapy before finalizing this memoir. I suspect in due time he will regret sharing many of these stories and I also question if the motive for sharing now in haste is due to the aforementioned paradox he seems to find himself in.
The Year of Yes by Shonda Rhimes
Star Rating: ★★★★★
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The Year of Yes was a book club pick and I am so happy it was proposed as a pick because it is a great book! The audiobook is SO recommended because Shonda Rhimes intertwines recorded speaking engagements she has given with parts of the book where she discusses what we don't see backstage right before and after.
Shonda Rhimes is a force in Hollywood. And yet, it was so comforting to read how someone so public and so accomplished is also introverted and prefers to stay out of the limelight. Just because she is IN the limelight and gives speeches, doesn't mean that is what she thrives on. And so, she tried to say yes to everything for a year and this is her journey of growth while still holding a space for herself when needed.
Crying in H Mart by Michelle Zauner
Star Rating: ★★★★
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Crying in H Mart was a great audiobook. Michelle Zauner is found mourning the loss of her mother while in H-Mart, trying desperately to conjur up her favorite meals that her Korean mother did not have written recipes for. All to taste, all to smell, nothing written. I enjoyed reading the tale of food being comfort with her mother and for her mother once she died.
Educated by Tara Westover
Star Rating: ★★★
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Educated -- while this story is worth telling, I had a hard time getting why everyone was so obsessed with this story. Tara Westover's story is one of many. I'm glad it is out there and I hope it gives hope to people in a similar situation by seeing that education is freedom. This is not new information though. Jefferson said "Education is a passport to the future" and Mandela said it is "A powerful weapon you can use to change the world". So, while this is an important reminder of the known fact, I thought the overall storytelling was just okay.
Hidden Valley Road by Robert Kolker
Star Rating: ★★★★★
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Hidden Valley Road is the true story about a family in Colorado Springs in the 1950's of 12 children, six of whom were diagnozed with schizophrenia. Incredibly, this family goes on to be the best case study for understanding the biological nature of this mental illness.
This book was a book club pick and I am glad I was alerted to it. I don't discuss this much, but my brother is a person with schizophrenia. It's very hard for people to understand if they have never had an upclose seat to the illness. Hidden Valley Road not only brings this illness to light but also discusses the way the other siblings process and deal with being in a familal relationship like this.
The Wreckage of my Presence by Casey Wilson
Star Rating: ★★
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I did not know who Casey Wilson is but the title of the book was hilarious to me. I love a self-depracting personal memoir.
Turns out she is an actress and writer of some mildly funny things I have seen and this book is on par with my opinion of her work to date. While I was really hoping for a Chelsea Handler style account of short stories, The Wreckahe of My Presence came up short.
But, I will give her credit for having the whole first chapter being an ode to being a "bed person" and living life in the horizontal position. She makes a solid case.
Share Your Stuff. I'll Go First. by Laura Tremaine
Star Rating: ★★
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As someone who has Tabasco level stuff to share, I felt this poblano pepper story was not for me. I don't want to diminish anyone's pain because it truly is relative. But, I just couldn't relate to this book. The audiobook was fine in terms of narration but this is more of a workbook. So, I would suggest getting the physical book vs. audio or kindle.
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A Very Punchable Face by Colin Jost
Star Rating: ★★★★★
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Somehow this man has lived more lives than a cat. This is one of the funniest books I have ever read. I don't really know him from SNL but the book title had me laughing so I gave it a go. Fast read about Colin Jost's insanely privileged life and the antics that ensued. He laughs at himself so much in this book that you can't help but laugh alongside him.
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The Answer is...by Alex Trebek
Star Rating: ★★★★★
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This was a fantastic palete cleanser from the heaviness of the pandemic. I honestly wept after finishing this bok. I always thought Alex Trebek was an amazing man but then I read this book and thought, "How is it even possible that he is this GOOD!?" (hint: he's Canadian).
The audiobook is fantastic, narrated by Alex Trebek and Ken Jennings. But, after hearing that the author donated all proceeds from the book to charity, I purchased the book as well. It's a book of short stories and lessons from life. A great book for the whole family to have on hand.
A Promised Land by Barack Obama
Star Rating: ★★★★
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The audio of this book was outstanding. But, after almost 30 hours and Barack Obama only makes it to the end of his first term?! Oof, that's a long winded storyteller.
Regardless of who I voted for, I still try and listen and empathize with someone. And our country's first Black president definitely deserves that much from me. Hearing some of the predicaments our President is placed in, especially during a recession, was very interesting. I worked on some of the benfits of the relief plan action (via SNAP benefits increase) and so it was very interesting to hear his side of the story and issue at hand.
Random but it was fun to hear his side of the same stories that Michelle Obama covered in her book. First Ladies and Presidents--they are just like the rest of us married couples. :)
Greenlights by Matthew McConaughey
Star Rating: ★★★★
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There was no doubt the audiobook of Greenlights would be fantastic. Matthew McConaughey has a great voice. I tore through this book on audio. He details his life both before fame and during it, which were interesting to me as I still think of him as "the stoner that was arrested naked for playing the bongos too loudly".
But, in the wake of society working through how some are so privileged, this book seems ill-timed. A cis-gender, gorgeous looking, white, middle income male detailing stories of his "green lights" falls flat in 2021. And, listen, I don't need him making apologies of his privilege. I'm simply saying it was hard to accept some of his advice on life without also wondering if he realizes how limited or even not possible that advice is for many other segments of our society.
Uncanny Valley by Anna Weiner
Star Rating: ★★★★★
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Fantastic title. This is an autobiography about a woman who starting in publishing and ends up in Silicon Valley. You get an outsider's inside look at the tech industry. She fights against the regime a lot but also uses the same tech conveniences in her everyday life, therefore supporting the places she loathes. You learn a lot of interesting stories about very big tech hubs as well as how the tech workers internally discuss "God mode", which is incredibly fascinating. The audiobook is great.
I'm Still Here by Austin Channing Brown
Star Rating: ★★★★★
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There is no way a normal synposis can do this book justice. I feel that every person should read this book. Read it. Learn from it. And then do the work. And then do more work. I am the slowest reader I know and I read this in a weekend's time. Please pick it up, do your homework, and then get to work.
The League of Wives by Heath Hardage Lee
Star Rating: ★★★★
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Women who would hardly describe themselves at "feminists" end up taking off the pearls and lace gloves to take on the US government to lobby and negotiate a safe return for their husbands. Based on an incredible true story, The League of Wives is about wives from all branches of US military joining together to get their POW and MIA husbands home from the Vietnam War. Early on, reports were saying that both sides were following the rules of the Geneva Convention. Until one POW uses his eyes to send Morse code "torture" back home during his TV interview.
Putting aside all party lines, these wives work tirelessly to get their husbands home. Many of these women were without their husbands for nearly a decade and it's crazy to read the account of being a wife but not a widow in a time when women couldn't have credit cards, couldn't access their husband's savings accounts, etc.
Becoming by Michelle Obama
Star Rating: ★★★★★
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Regardless of political party, I always love learning about First Ladies. My favorite point of view of someone walking alongside history.
So, naturally, as our nation's first Black First Lady, I was very interested to read her story. And she does not hold back. She openly discusses how hard it is to be with her husband, someone whose energy level and ethics are so high, when she feels so human. I also enjoyed reading about her conscious decision to allow her career to take a backseat to her husband's (been there). The story is all so relatable for ambitious women who work their way up and out.
I wish more people who maybe didn't vote for this family could read the stories with an open mind. Because, at the end of the day, this is a story about humanity, sacrifice, and love.