Summer Reading – …on the B.L.

What I’ll Be Reading

June 30, 2018 RaeAnna

I’m off on vacation! I will be gone for four weeks. Have no fear, I will be posting regularly. Probably more than I normally post because I will be doing a whole bunch of cool stuff. Not only will there be food and travel posts, but I will continue reviewing a bunch of books. I already have a couple done and ready to go.

So. What am I bringing to read?

Fruit of the Drunken Tree by Ingrid Roja Contreras
One of the most anticipated novels of the summer, I’m excited to dig in.

No One Tells You This by Glynnis Macnicol
Simon & Schuster sent me this book, and I’m excited to read a new feminist memoir.

Born a Crime by Trevor Noah
I’ve been wanting to read this, and I’m getting around to it!

The Color of Law by Richard Rothstein
I’m anticipating this to be a very sobering book, but I like a dose of reality on vacation.

The Forty Rules of Love by Elif Shafak
This was suggested to me, and I can’t wait to read my first Turkish author.

I Must Say by Martin Short
I have always enjoyed Martin Short’s comedy, so this should be good.

My Life on the Road by Gloria Steinem
The iconic feminist has lived her life traveling finally starts telling her stories from the road.

The Kitchens of the Great Midwest by J. Ryan Stradal
As an Iowan on my way to the midwest, this is a no brainer.

The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien
I’m rereading this because it was a favorite of mine when I was a whole lot younger.

The Singles Game by Lauren Weisberger
A fun, light read about the intense world of elite tennis by the author of The Devil Wears Prada.

Ten books to last me four weeks. Hopefully I will read them all. It’s the goal! Luckily, I’ll be in the vicinity of bookstores my entire trip, so if I run out I can always go buy more!

Books

Risk! by Kevin Allison

June 29, 2018October 4, 2018 RaeAnna

Read Yes
Length 380
Quick Review Kevin Allison compiles incredibly touching stories in Risk! People from different backgrounds some of their most trying experiences.

Kevin Allison is the creator of the podcast and live show Risk! Over the years, he has heard people famous and not tell their stories they never thought they would tell. He has compiled some of the most memorable stories into a book, which comes out on July 17, 2018.

Everyone has a story to tell. Allison tells his own story alongside a multitude of others, but the pages are filled with real experiences people never thought they would tell. The stories range from the hilarious, bizarre, unbelievable, to completely heartbreaking. At the heart of each story is the essence of being human and finding meaning in even the most difficult situations.

Risk! is divided into sections based on the content of the story. Stories range from two pages to ten or so pages long. They all usually have a humorous aspect to them, but most have a serious theme. After each story, is a brief Question & Answer with the storyteller about how it affected their life or healing process; some are a question or two and others longer. Part of me really enjoyed reading this part, but the other part of me really prefers for the story to stand on its own.

All in all, Risk! Is a really beautiful book full of insight into moments in people’s lives from a large variety of backgrounds and ethnicities tackling subjects from child sexual abuse to life in a drug cartel to prostitution to kinky sex. Laugh out loud moments kept me going through the tear jerkers. I really enjoyed this, and it’s a great book to take on vacations, commute, or in your busy stop-and-start life.

Buy on Amazon || Buy on Book Depository

Memorable Quotes
“This kid grew up poor with no hope and no support, and that is a very different kind of poverty – an emotional poverty.”
“I married my child when he was still a man.”
“…the thing about money is that it buys you comfort, but comfort is numbness.”

Title Risk! True Stories People Never Thought They’d Dare to Share
Editor Kevin Allison
Publisher Hachette Book Group
Copyright 2018
ISBN 9780316478281

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