Random House – Page 3 – …on the B.L.

I Like to Watch by Emily Nussbaum

August 1, 2019 RaeAnna

Worth A Read Absolutely
Length 384
Quick Review Emily Nussbaum is a Pulitzer Prize winning critic. I’ve heard of her in passing, but I fell in love with her in I Like to Watch, a collection of new and published essays.

Reading *I Like to Watch* by Emily Nussbaum on Top Sail in North Carolina. | Bikini Bottoms | Bikini Top | Beach Towel |

I don’t read a lot of critiques because I don’t like to be influenced one way or the other, but maybe I should start reading Emily Nussbaum’s critiques because, damn, she’s spot on. After reading I Like to Watch, I am officially an Emily Nussbaum fan.

TV is seen, by many, as a waste of time. As the work-from-home, freelancer, hermit, stay-at-home dog mom type, I’m a huge fan of TV. Other than Beau, television is my constant companion. I don’t always broadcast my love of TV, but I have always defended shows I find smart and compelling, which others tend to throw away as “girly.” Idiots. I might like Nussbaum because she bolstered my opinions, but she’s very smart and has been published in a lot of the best publications. I have watched to completion almost every show reviewed and mentioned in I Like to Watch, so maybe I need to be more productive, or maybe I should go into TV criticism… But she has a Pulitzer, and I have a blog.

Nussbaum was on her way to a doctorate when her future changed during an episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer turned her into a TV critic.

Nussbaum is an amazing writer with deep insights, a sense of humor, and a complete lack of herd mentality. Her opening and closing sentences to her essays are amazing. I aspire to those kinds of clinchers. Though I Like to Watch focuses on TV, Nussbaum dives into more like the Me Too movement, Weinstein, and the fall out. Television is more than just mindless entertainment. It is a way to show people other ways of life, open minds, sway opinions, and dive into the nitty gritty. There has been a decent amount of uproar about rape depictions on TV, but representing dark and gruesome is not a bad thing, “Well drawn characters …. may be rape survivors, but that’s not where their stories stop. They’re more than their worst days.”

I live in this world as a woman. There are some great parts about being a lady, but there are a ton of downsides. I am not represented in the media to my fullest complexity, and it is far worse for people and women of color. I have known this for awhile, but there are shows I couldn’t totally pinpoint why I didn’t like them until I read I Like to Watch. In several highly underrated shows, Nussbaum agreed with the things I’ve been saying for, well, since I saw the shows. Shows like True Detective and The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel were fun but lacking in my opinion because, as Nussbaum explains, they completely lack female characters of any depth or humor or qualities making women complex entities. I liked them, but they weren’t great. I guess I like my shows to have men and women with personalities. Shows poo-pooed by friends, critics, and randos like Jane the Virgin and Crazy Ex-Girlfriend are great. They are smart and funny but belittled because they’re shows for women. Fuck the patriarchy. I binged Sex and the City last year because I’d never had access to HBO, and all I’d ever heard was how girly it was. I was hooked because it showed flawed, complex women working at friendship, relationships, and their goals with really great clothes and shoes, “High-feminine instead of fetishistically masculine, glittery rather than gritty, and daring in its conception of character, Sex and the City was a brilliant, and, in certain ways, radical show.”

By the way, I fucking loved Nanette. I watched it the day it came out. Hannah Gadsby is a delight. It is a special I keep thinking about and recommending to anyone who has an interest in comedy, art history, feminism, LGBTQIA rights, or existing on this planet.

This is not a collection of glowing critiques, but it is an honest collection. There are good, pans, and some in between. I Like to Watch is an array of previously published and new essays from Nussbaum’s career as a critic. I seriously enjoyed this one, and I keep recommending it to people.

Memorable Quotes
“It was elitist screed, nostalgic for an America that never really existed…”
“Criticism isn’t memoir, but it’s certainly personal, so you dan consider these essays to be a portrait of me struggling to change my mind.”
“Jokes were a superior way to tell the truth – and that meant freedom for everyone.”
“…there’s a risk to Schumer’s rise: When you’re put on a pedestal, the whole world gets to upskirt you.”
“Bigotry is resilient, because rejecting it often means rejecting your own family.”

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Man interrupting my photo shoot on a public beach. How dare he!!!

Title: I Like to Watch; Arguing My Way Through the TV Revolution
Author: Emily Nussbaum
Publisher: Random House
Copyright: 2019
ISBN: 9780525508960

Books, Fiction

Time After Time by Lisa Grunwald

July 7, 2019July 5, 2019 RaeAnna

Worth A Read Yes
Length 416
Quick Review A love story conquering time and obstacles set in 1940’s Grand Central Station. A great light read for summer vacation.

Lisa Grunwald is a beloved author of six novels. She returns with her latest novel Time After Time. Grand Central Station is the setting for a fantastical love story beginning in the 1920’s and lasting through World War II and after.

Nora Lansing and Joe Reynolds meet under the gold clock in the main concourse of Grand Central Station on a crisp winter morning of 1937. They come from very different backgrounds but are drawn to each other anyways. Nora is an early 20s socialite in a dress that doesn’t quite befit her class. Joe is a leverman from a working class family in Queens. They don’t meet again until 1938, but Nora disappears suddenly. Joe is intrigued by the mysterious woman in the unusual dress. It’s not until two years later Nora reappears and they fall in love.

Lisa Grunwald narrates Time After Time in the third person told mostly from Joe’s perspective but Nora’s as well. In the beginning, the book jumps from their present to their pasts, but it is mostly chronological for the majority. The book consists of five parts.

I liked Nora as a character. She’s strong, vibrant, and determined during a time women were not allowed to be quite as free. Joe is a traditional man from Queens. I don’t like him much. He’s old fashioned and controlling. I can’t imagine a woman like Nora falling in love with a man like that under any other circumstances than set in the plot. She’s trapped and Joe is kind of the only option as far as relationships go.

The plot is slow but not boring. Time After Time is littered with clues, so I found the plot incredibly easy to guess. It’s not a bad book. Just a bit slow.

Memorable Quotes
“…Nora had come to understand the difference between infatuation and love. Infatuation was weather. Love was climate.”

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Title: Time After Time
Author: Lisa Grunwald
Publisher: Random House
Copyright: 2019
ISBN: 9780812993431

Books, Fiction

Sabrina and Corina by Kali Fajardo-Anstine

July 2, 2019June 28, 2019 RaeAnna

Worth a Read Yes
Length 224
Quick Review A collection of stories centering around latina women of indigenious descent and their lives as women, mothers, sisters, friends, and as people in the American West.

Reading Sabrina & Corina in Galveston, Texas | Bikini Top | Bikini Bottom

Sabrina & Corina by Kali Fajardo-Anstine at the beach in Galveston, Texas.

Kali Fajardo-Anstine writes a beautiful and haunting collection of stories in her debut book Sabrina & Corina. Each story is a snapshot into the life of latina-indigenious women in the American West.

The stories are complicated and deeply laced with heartache and perseverance. There is strength in the women Fajardo-Anstine creates, and a fearlessness in the stories she tells. The women live in different times and under different circumstances, but they are all a testament to the scars of their homeland and the truth of being a woman and a minority in an inhospitable land.

I truly love the way the stories ebb and flow in Sabrina & Corina. Fajardo-Anstine brings voices to a population often left out of the narrative. The world is in dire need of stories about latina-indigenous women.

Sabrina & Corina is absolutely enveloping. I read it in a day because I couldn’t put it down. There are so many things about the stories I can relate to as a woman, and so many things I can’t relate to because I do not share the characters ethnic background. Nonetheless, it is impossible to not feel deeply while reading the stories.

Memorable Quotes
“I was ashamed of myself that I still wanted her close to me, even after everything she had done.”
“”Dead people,” he said, “are like white people. They can’t dance.””

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Title: Sabrina & Corina
Author: Kali Fajardo-Anstine
Publisher: One World
Copyright: 2019
ISBN: 9780525511298

Books, NonFiction

First by Evan Thomas

June 11, 2019 RaeAnna

Worth A Read Yes
Length 496
Quick Review A biography of the Supreme Court’s first female justice of the peace.

Reading First by Evan Thomas in Galveston. | Black Dress

I loved this book. First by Evan Thomas is a beautiful look into the life and work of Sandra Day O’Connor. It is an in depth and interesting look at the life of a fascinating and brilliant woman. Thomas pays homage to a life built on principle, truth, honor, and family.

I didn’t know much about Sandra Day O’Connor when I started the book, except for the fact she exists and the Supreme Court bit. Surprisingly, a lot of my peers don’t know anything about her either. Even my feminist friends didn’t realize she was the first woman on the Supreme Court. Ugh, the education system fails again. I couldn’t wait to dive into this book, and it did not disappoint. Thomas writes an account as brilliant and intimate as the woman deserves.

Sandra Day O’Connor was born and raised on a ranch in the middle of nowhere. She went to Stanford for her B.A. in Economics as well as for law school. She married her husband John O’Connor. As an educated woman in the 1950’s, she had difficulty finding work as a lawyer even though she was more than qualified. She became the mother of three boys and was an active part of their Arizona community. In the 1960’s, she was an assistant Attorney General in Arizona before becoming a Senator in Arizona’s state legislature. In 1974, she became a judge. In 1981, Reagan appointed Sandra Day O’Connor to the Supreme Court, where she worked tirelessly for justice. She was the First woman to be on the Supreme Court.

First by Evan Thomas | Black Dress | Straw Hat

There is so much in a life, but in an extraordinary life, there is even more. First could have been a much longer book and still been interesting. Thomas writes about the life and the woman. She was funny, personable, and hardworking. Sandra Day O’Connor cared. She cared about her family, the people around her, and the country. She worked for the good of the community and the world. She kept her personal feelings aside from her job in order to make the right decision. People who met her were always charmed.

I, generally, don’t love female biographies written by men. They don’t have the life experience of women and can’t write an accurate depiction of what women go through. Thomas is not afraid to point out the inequality and male blind spots O’Connor faced in her daily life as a strong and smart woman.

One thing I deeply admire about Sandra Day O’Connor was her dedication to her family and her career. In a time when women didn’t have careers, she rose to one of the highest positions in the country. Her husband supported her and was a partner, but she did the same for him.

I highly suggest First by Evan Thomas. It is a beautiful biography and homage to a revolutionary woman.

Memorable Quotes
“She learned not to take the bait.”
“Revolution always breeds counterrevolution.”
“when Sandra Day O’Connor joined the Court in 1981, the justices were still working out whether gays and women enjoyed the same Fourteenth Amendment protection as African Americans did.”

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Title: First; Sandra Day O’Connor
Author: Evan Thomas
Publisher: Random House
Copyright: 2019
ISBN: 9780399589287

Books, Fiction

American Spy by Lauren Wilkinson

March 9, 2019 RaeAnna

Reading American Spy on a cruise. | Cute and comfy one-piece swimsuit.

Worth A Read Meh
Length 304
Quick Review I wouldn’t read American Spy for the mystery, but I would read it for the nuance, depth of understanding, and style. Lauren Wilkinson makes an impression in her debut novel.

Lauren Wilkinson sets her novel, American Spy, against the backdrop of the spread of communism during the Cold War. Wilkinson writes a beautiful novel about the ferocity of a mother’s love.

Marie Mitchell is a former FBI operative of Caribbean descent. When her home is broken into late one night, her past compromises the safety of her children. Marie writes about her journey to the FBI and operations with the CIA to explain to her past and decisions to her two young sons. A love story unfolds as Marie, the American Spy, is pulled by country, love, duty, and relationships.

I really enjoyed reading American Spy, but I would not come for the mystery. It is absolutely predictable and not terribly interesting. Then again, I never have any difficulty predicting love stories or mystery plots. What is interesting is Wilkinson’s ability to weave a story and her ability to delve into the complexities of human nature, feeling, and personal history. She also utilizes French words and sayings to add authenticity to Marie’s Caribbean heritage. Wilkinson doesn’t over simplify the French but makes it accessible to non-francophiles.

American Spy has a really interesting organization. Time is not linear, nor is there any specific organization. It reads the way the diary of a distraught person would. A bit jumpy. Talking about the past, the present, important people, events, and minor tangents. It’s a brilliant way of transporting the reader into Marie’s mental state. The majority of the time, Marie is telling a story but often utilizes “you” referencing her two sons.

Wilkinson explores the complexities of human nature and racial charges. American Spy is charged with the difficulties of being a professional woman and a professional black woman in the white, good-ole boy club. Wilkinson demonstrates so many prevalent issues throughout her novel without ever seeming preachy or condescending.

I enjoyed reading American Spy; it is definitely a great vacation read.

Memorable Quotes
“My parents had nothing but their children in common.”
“I think that conclusion was drawn too neatly – people are too complex for such simple arithmetic – but I understand the purpose it serves.”
““I don’t like to say what I’ve read. That’s how you disclose the most about yourself. I never make notes in a book or underline passages either. That’s even more revealing.””
“But for you, for black American boys, the middle class can’t help guarantee your safety.”

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Title: American Spy
Author: Lauren Wilkinson
Publisher: Random House
Copyright: 2019
ISBN: 9780812998955

Books, Fiction

The Adults by Caroline Hulse

January 18, 2019 RaeAnna

Worth a Read Meh
Length 368
Quick Review The holidays can be full of drama but nothing compared to the drama of The Adults. A novel about exes coming together for a child with a bit of an oopsies.

So I fell behind with my reading over the holidays, so this is the second to the last book before my holiday reading list is done. The Adults by Caroline Hulse is kind of a holiday nightmare come to life. It is vastly different from the other Christmas-themed novels I read all last month. It was breath of fresh air. I’m not sure if I totally love it, but it definitely made an impression and had me turning the pages.

The Adults starts off with a 999 (911 equivalent) call about an accident on Christmas Eve. The story jumps to a little bit before Christmas. Alex and Matt are together. Matt is the father of Scarlett a little girl whose mother is Claire. Scarlett has an imaginary purple bunny named Posey. Claire is with Patrick – he has his own minor family drama in the background. Other than divorced Claire and Matt, they don’t really know each other very well. They all want to spend Christmas with Scarlett, so they decide to go to Happy Forest, a resort, for Christmas as blended family. Also someone gets shot with a bow and arrow.

The only characters I like are Scarlett and Claire. Alex is judgy and a pain in the ass. Patrick is super judgy and thinks he is better than everyone else. Matt is irresponsible. They all have an honesty issue. None of them seem to be trying to enjoy the time very much. It’s kind of a strange family dynamic, but they all harp on it instead of working on getting along. In a world where divorce is common, I think families celebrating holidays together should become common as well. So in one vain, I like it. But I don’t like how the people are portrayed. They’re irritating. Claire is my favorite. She’s fun and responsible and truly means well. Scarlett is a little kid; you can’t blame her for anything she does because it is all beyond reasonable. It’s title The Adults, but they don’t really act like adults.

I don’t know if I love how the book was narrated, but it was an interesting take. It may be a little confusing at first. The book is told from three perspectives: Alex, Patrick, and Scarlett. It doesn’t follow a pattern of perspectives shifting every chapter; sometimes, it does, but sometimes, the same character will narrate for several chapters in a row. The book is also split up by days. So every new day there is a new section with a little excerpt from the Happy Forest brochure. Throughout, there are also interviews with various characters by the police giving a little more information about the bow and arrow incident.

As far as a Christmas book, I think The Adults is fun. The holidays can be chock full of weird family relationships and dynamics, so it’s fun to dive into another family’s drama. Like the vast majority of Christmas books, this does have a happy ending. I was pleased with it.

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Memorable Quotes
“All men want to be dads, really, Ruby had once said to her. None of them would want to be a mum. But everyone wants to be a dad. It’s parenthood, but semi-skimmed and pasteurized.”

Title: The Adults
Author: Caroline Hulse
Publisher: Random House
Copyright: 2018
ISBN: 9780525511748