RaeAnna Rekemeyer – Page 59

Social Creature

May 30, 2018 RaeAnna

Read: Yes
Length: 320
Quick Review: A psychological thriller delving into friendship, social media, and the power of perception.

I’m not a huge fan of thrillers, they’re just not my thing. The ones I took a chance on recently were beyond horrendous. (Looking at you Sinner.) DoubleDay Books reached out to me, and I have always enjoyed their books. So I said, “sure.” Fingers crossed this would not be painful.

Social Creature, well… it’s cringe worthy in the best way possible. Like I said, I don’t have tons of experience with thrillers, but this has everything you could possibly want. It’s a thriller for the social media generation.

It’s a thriller meets Gossip Girl meets Great Gatsby. Louise is almost thirty and barely getting by in New York City. Working several jobs and exhausted, she is as far away from the dream as she can get. Lavinia is in her early twenties with the world begging for her attentions. Louise and Lavinia meet and start up a whirlwind friendship. Lavinia introduces Louise to all the right people because “things just happen” for her. The two friends waffle between mania and codependency.

That’s all I’m giving you of the plot because any more and you’ll know too much! Social Creature has you reading and asking so many questions! Will they be answered? Or will you end up in a book hangover?

Not only a thriller, it reads as a social critique of wealth, friendship, mental health, singledom, high society, education, and more. There is an exploration of how integral social media has become in our daily lives, in interacting with people, in receiving validation, and in our identities. There are so many references from classical literature, to opera, to music, and a bit in between; I loved it.

Narrated from an omniscient third party, but there is definitely a leaning towards Louise’s side of the story. The narrator breaks the fourth wall speaking directly to the reader. The reader is let in on the secret learning things that are yet to come long before the characters are aware. The style Burton uses is abrupt and disjointed. It is excellently crafted and fits the story perfectly.

Sometimes, I have a difficulty reading dialogue by contemporary authors because it can feel forced. Burton has some of the best contemporary dialogue I have read in a long while. It is perfectly executed for the audience, characters, age, and location of the novel. It is really well done.

With an impressive resume already, this is Burton’s debut novel, and she writes superbly. It is set to be released on June 5 of this year. I have a feeling it will be one of the summer’s must read novels. Perfect for the beach or wherever your vacation will take you.

Title: Social Creature
Author: Tara Isabella Burton
Publisher: Doubleday Books
Copyright: 2018
ISBN: 9780385543521

Books, Fiction

The Veins of the Ocean

May 26, 2018 RaeAnna

Read: Yes
Difficulty: II
Length: III
Genre: Fiction – Novel
Quick Review: A young Colombian woman struggles with finding herself amid healing from a life burdened with tragedy and guilt as an immigrant, daughter, sister, and woman.

Patricia Engel is an award winning author, and she doesn’t disappoint in her novel The Veins of the Ocean. A beautiful novel about a young woman who emigrated from Colombia to Miami as an infant with her family. Mere months later, a tragedy strikes her family, which changes her future forever. Engel captured my attention within the first page with her dark yet enchanting style and content. The first chapter is stunning while setting the mood with a unique cadence, style, language, and enough clues to let you know you’re in for a story about gender inequity, culture, family, and so much more.

Reina is in her mid twenties. Her brother Carlito is on death row. Her life has been nothing but reactions to one tragedy after another. She struggles with being a daughter in a traditional latino family, where her brother received all the attention and praise. When there is nothing left for her, she picks up her life in Miami to start a fresh in the Florida Keys. Along the way, Reina grieves and finds love, passion, acceptance, and forgiveness.

It’s hard to describe the depths Engel reaches in her novel. She explores sexism, immigration, communism, religion, grief, the prison system, ecosystem, guilt, sexual assault, and so much more. The characters are beautiful and flawed and relatable. Dealing with Colombian and Cuban characters, Engel brings cultures seldomly discussed.

There are seven parts comprised of many chapters, which vary in length. Along with the compelling narrative, the chapter lengths make you say “just one more chapter; it’s only two pages,” and next thing you know, you’ve read fifty more pages. The story is beyond compelling, and I finished the novel in a day because it was so interesting. It’s beyond quotable about love and pain and loyalty. Engel draws beautiful parallels between life surrounding the characters and their own.

One of the things I enjoyed most about The Veins of the Ocean was the lack of dialogue. The vast majority of the story is Reina looking backward and her thoughts on the present. It’s a stunning look into the mind of someone coping with pain. For me, I found it relatable. I think most people can relate to working through grief and guilt. There’s a unique cadence to the language that is so engaging.

Memorable Quotes:
“It’s good for you to dream about things that will probably never happen.”
“We thought it hysterical that there is an industry of artificial horror when real life is so much more lethal.”
“Making friends with danger is the only way to survive.”
“… the love of a mother is not unconditional or eternal the way they say.”
“I am mourning my sadness.”

Title: The Veins of the Ocean
Author: Patricia Engel
Publisher: Grove Press
Copyright: 2016
ISBN: 9780802126740

Lifestyle

Happy 27th Birthday to Me

May 23, 2018 RaeAnna

Today, is my 27th birthday.

I decided to celebrate with a Get To Know Me post because I haven’t done one in, well, ever. Since I have over 6,000 followers, I thought it might be time for you to know more about me as the blogger and person.

I was born and raised in Ames, Iowa, which is known for being the home of Iowa State University. You’re welcome for peanut butter; George Washington Carver discovered that gem about a mile away from my parents’ house.
I’m allergic to peanut butter, but didn’t develop that allergy until I was 17. So I know exactly what I’m missing.
I went to Cornell College and majored in Literature, French, and Russian with an Emphasis in Literary Translation and Analysis. Yup. It’s a mouth full.
I speak English, French, and Russian. My Spanish is passible. My German is marginal at best.
I am a freelance editor, writer, and translator. I would love to do more writing.
I hate wearing pants. I work from home, so I never have to wear pants. My dog starts having mild anxiety attacks whenever I pull pants out of the drawer because she knows that means I’m leaving the house.
I lived in Aix-en-Provence, which is in Southern France, for a bit during college. If I could live anywhere, I would live there. I also spent some a summer studying literary translation in London.
I travel all the time because I love it. My dream would be to get paid to travel with my dog.
My dog is named Beauvoir – for Simone de Beauvoir – but she goes by Beau. She’s a rescue, who I brought home a year and three months ago. She is almost three years old and is the light of my life.
My favorite genre to read is literary fiction. Although, I also really love British history.
The top five places I want to see: India, Nigeria, Algeria, Ireland, and Bali.
I have a passion for advocacy and volunteering. I have spoken and written about my past with sexual and domestic violence because it is really important to me to try and change the world we live in.
I trained to be a ballerina for years, but stopped because I was too tall to be a ballerina and I had a bunch of injuries.
I am incredibly goofy and weird. I sing and dance around the house constantly. I tell jokes a lot because I love making people laugh.
I love fashion and looking good, and I always have. When I was little, my grandma used to make me clothes, and everyone loved them.
I love fashion, but shopping is a pain in the ass because I’m 5’10”. Clothes, in my budget, are not made for people this height. UGH!!!
I hate working out. With a passion. I like going for walks, but working out is the worst.
I LOVE food. I love eating, cooking, baking, and learning about food. I am pretty sure I ate my way through Europe.

There’s a bunch of random information about me.

In my 27th year living, I am focusing on doing. Doing the things I have wanted to do, doing the things I’ve been scared to do, doing the things I should do, and doing more. So that’s my goal! I wrote more about it on my personal blog Unashamed Truths about my Year of Doing.

Books

The Glitch

May 22, 2018 RaeAnna

Read: Yes
Difficulty: II
Length: III
Genre: Fiction – Novel
Quick Review: The CEO of a wearable tech company, Shelley Stone, is a workaholic Type A mom, who is unsure if she’s having a mental break or her identity has been stolen.

Happy publication day to Elisabeth Cohen and her debut novel, The Glitch! It is a witty and provocative look into the pressures of being a mom who’s broken the glass ceiling. Literally the pinkest book I have ever seen, it is going to be the perfect beach read this summer.

Shelley Stone is the CEO of Conch, a wearable tech company, in Silicon Valley. After a tragic accident in her teens, Shelley decided to climb the corporate ladder as high as she could by working longer, harder, and more than anyone else. Married with two kids, she’s almost forty and totally unsure if she has lost her mind. A young woman comes into her life with the same name and the same memories.

Shelley takes her “me time” at 3:30 in the morning. An extreme multi tasker, she never does one thing at a time. She checks emails waiting for the hot water to warm, spends time with her daughter while working, and schedules sex at a convenient and efficient hour. She is in a constant battle for a place in a male dominated field. Traveling constantly, people are always asking her how she balances it all. As much as I would love to believe this is a satire, I have a feeling it is all too accurate for some women.

It’s hard to relate to the lavish lifestyle a tech CEO lives, Cohen makes the trials and tribulations completely relatable because they are issues women face every day on varying levels: mommy guilt, busy lives, work, relationships, sex, and more. Shelley is an intensely strong character, although not necessarily likeable. As a mom, she is trying to be strong and loving and supportive while also fostering an environment of gender equality and tearing down gender walls.

Cohen creates a world vastly different from my own. A tech world. Shelley is a believable tech CEO because everything from snack time to peeing to sex is quantifiable. Every moment she is awake she is working even when she doesn’t own up to it.

Cohen’s writing style is odd and engaging. Told from Shelley’s perspective it reads as an uncensored inner dialogue spotlighting her type A personality, flaws, and attributes without being apologetic. The first person narrative is fascinating in this book. She can go on tangents or monologues starting out with purpose and drive as her statement begins to unravel as she explains herself over and over. It’s a really good look into the thought process of many women, or at least, I saw a lot of my thought process in hers.

I would love to say the mystery is super mysterious, but it’s pretty guessable – or it was for me. This book is wickedly funny and pointed. I really enjoyed reading it, and finished it in a weekend. I highly suggest it for your summer vacation reads.

Title: The Glitch
Author: Elisabeth Cohen
Publisher: DoubleDay (Penguin Random House)
Copyright: 2018
ISBN: 9780385542784

Baked Goods, In The Kitchen

Raspberry Oatmeal Muffins

May 20, 2018 RaeAnna

These are super yummy and pretty healthy. You can have them for a quick breakfast on the go or an afternoon snack. These hardly take any time to make, so they’re great if you’re feeling like baking during the week or want a warm muffin on a weekend morning.

Personally, I love settling down with a book and a hot cup of black tea and a muffin in the late afternoon because I eat dinner so late. I like to fill my muffins with texture and flavor. The oatmeal has a great chew; the raspberry brings a tart softness; and I add pecans for small crunch in every bite.

Ingredients

1 ¼ cups of oatmeal (quick oats or regular oats work)
1 ¼ cups of flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
½ cup sugar
1 teaspoon salt
¼ cup pecans (optional)
1 cup milk
1 egg
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
¼ cup of vegetable oil
¾ cup of raspberries (fresh or frozen)

Directions

Preheat oven to 425 degrees and grease the muffin tins. I like to use liners and grease the liners with butter. More flavor!
In a large bowl mix together dry ingredients.
In a smaller bowl mix together wet ingredients.
Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients. Combine until well mixed. Fold raspberries into the mixture – do not beat raspberries into mixture.
Fill the muffin tins ¾ of the way full.
Bake for 20 to 23 minutes. They will be golden brown at the top and cooked all the way through when pierced with a toothpick.
Cool on cooling rack for five minutes before devouring.

Variations

You can use blueberries or blackberries instead of raspberries.
Pecans are optional, but you can substitute almonds or walnuts.
Add a teaspoon of cinnamon for extra zing!

Books

I’ll Have What She’s Having

May 19, 2018 RaeAnna

Read: Yes
Difficulty: II
Length: III
Genre: NonFiction – Literary Journalism
Quick Review: Romcoms were changed by the iconic Nora Ephron when she began making her movies in the 1980’s.

Happy Birthday to Nora Ephron!

Erin Carlson’s I’ll Have What She’s Having is named after one of the most iconic lines in Romantic Comedy. Nora Ephron was a creative icon as she pushed the genre into the modern age and had a hand in some of the most talked about movies of their time and today as a talented journalist, screenwriter, producer, and director. I grew up on Ephron movies; some I didn’t even know were Ephron movies – My Blue Heaven. She was born in New York City, but moved to LA as her parents’ screenwriting career blossomed. Never getting over her love for NYC, she moved back and never really left. Her career started out as a hard hitting journalist. She went through the dissolution of two marriages including a high profile marriage to Carl Bernstein before marrying her true love Nick Pileggi. Ephron was propelled to even greater success as a screenwriter with When Harry Met Sally. It was the first of what would be her trio of iconic films: Sleepless in Seattle and You’ve Got Mail. Though, her Hollywood credits extended much further.

Carlson tells Ephron’s story through the making of the three iconic films. Although, it’s not the only story being told. The story of the actors, crew, and Hollywood were also unfolding throughout the book. Ephron was a unique woman combining type A personality, warmth, drive, ambition, inclusion, and so much more into a pint sized woman. One of the things that really stood out about her was her ability to collect talented people utilizing their ideas when it added to a project. Collaboration was a word people used to describe her. She was a legend in her own time. People simultaneously loved and were intimidated by her. There’s a sense of her being completely fabulous yet transparently flawed.

It’s hard not to be drawn into the book because so many of us have a special place in our hearts for these films. Carlson has a big story to tell, and she does a very good job of covering this topic. She writes with a strong sense of humor and a style that can be described as bouncy. It is apparent she has so much admiration for Ephron.

Carlson writes incredibly well with her own style. The book includes excerpts from the script, anecdotes, and tons of quotes. The quotes are funny, sweet, honest, and add so much depth to the book and Ephron. Carlson includes tons of pertinent facts about Ephron, crew, actors, companies, locations, and history. These are really wonderful. Due to the immense amount of quotes and excerpts used the style and syntax can get very complex. Carlson increases this complexity as she peppers the book with her own opinions and thoughts about certain aspects. She is fostering a feeling of friendship between herself and the reader, which supports the style of film Ephron made. However, these personal opinions made the syntax even more complex. Sometimes it detracted from the reading experience because I would get distracted by the interesting side notes. Footnotes might have been a more effective way of communicating some of the side information.

I really enjoyed reading this book. It was wonderful learning so much history and backstory to some of my favorite movies growing up. I sped read this book in a day, a Sunday. After reading it, I had a movie marathon to watch all three of the iconic films because it truly made me nostalgic.

Memorable Quotes:
“Sleepless, Stressed, and Addicted to Starbucks.”

Title: I’ll Have What She’s Having; How Nora Ephron’s Three Iconic Films Saved the Romantic Comedy
Author: Erin Carlson
Publisher: Hachette Books
Copyright: 2017
ISBN: 9780316353908