I have been waiting to read this book! So glad that it taught me the dangers and advantages of being sick with a disease.

I read this book all by myself. It's a silly book about how to make a pancake. It tells you every step you take like adding the eggs and then the milk and pouring it into the pan. If you listen to the directions you can make a pancake. I like bacon and pancakes.

Book 2 of Kamigawa Cycle is amazing!

I read this book as I had heard it was really sad and that was what I was in the mood for! It actually is not as sad as you would imagine. There are unhappy parts but mostly it is uplifting. It is about some animals who live in a circus attached to a shopping mall as told from their point of view. A nice quick read.

Set in a world where Slasher films really did happen, Lynnette is a member of what's known as the "The Final Girls Club." The club is made up of women who meet a very specific criteria - they all were the only survivors of two massacres, and they all killed the person responsible. They meet once a month to support each other and work towards moving on with their lives - until one day one of the members doesn't show up on time. Her monster has come back to kill her. Now, Lynnette is on a race to not only keep herself alive, but to keep the members of her club alive as well. This probably would have worked pretty well as a movie, honestly, but as a book it didn't quite work for me. First, Lynnette as a narrator was awful. She's unreliable from the start, so I found myself utterly distracted the entire book because I was always trying to figure out if I should believe what was happening. I know a lot of books use the unreliable narrator trope now, but it was a difficult sell in this book. I would have much preferred if a different narrator (Heather?) was responsible for telling us what was going on. Or if Lynette's character was tweaked a little. Second, the plot twists were not really plot twists. It was really easy to figure out who was going to be responsible for the killings happening, so that was disappointing. The twists didn't leave me going "oh wow!" so much as "ugh, finally, we got there." My third issue is that it seems like Grad Hendrix either didn't keep track of everything, didn't want to explain everything, or thought that no one would pay attention. For example, at one point a character is mentioned to have a cell phone that they are going to use to keep track of Amber Alerts and to check in with every five hours. Three sentences later, they say that they're going to keep the phone turned off and only have it on for the check in times. How...how are you checking for Amber Alerts? Why did you make a big deal about checking for Amber Alerts, only to then say you're turning the phone off and not getting them anyway? In another scene, Lynnette is dictating a message for someone to send. She claims that it was a difficult process, and that she had to spell out a lot of the words. The example given is using "p as in Paul which is fascinating, because the only words with "p" in her message are purchased, photos, people, and peace. Am I really supposed to believe that someone couldn't spell one of those words without help? Really? I could go on and on, but honestly? I had high hopes for this book. The summary sounded great, and I was really excited to read it. I'm glad I didn't spend money on it. The writing is just not good.

Elena Ferrante continues with themes of background, growth, and discovery. The story takes place again in Naples and explores the two worlds of the higher and lower classes. The protagonist, Giovanna, is torn between where she fits in and what is the truth.

I was encouraged to read this interesting book by my daughter. Each chapter explores a different way that men get things that they feel entitled to, at a woman's expense. It was very cleverly done and revealed a lot of behaviors that I did not even realize that we take for granted The chapters gave just enough information and links to other articles that you could pursue it in depth as much as you wanted. It is a must read for everyone - especially men!

I really enjoyed this short, but intense, book! Summerwater presents a slice of life of several families vacationing at a remote Scottish lake: a variety of retirees and families, and a group that is labeled "foreign" by the others. The weather is terrible (even for Scotland!) and nerves are frayed. The chapters alternate point of view between the different characters and although it seems nothing much is happening, there is a sense of foreboding that propels you onward. I'd also recommend "Ghost Wall" by Moss, another slim, unsettling story.

The is an amazing book which recounts the experiences of the author visiting 7 locations and reflecting on the visit as a Black male. The research on the legacy of slavery adds to the recollections of his experiences and shines a light on why history is so important to learn, even if it makes us uncomfortable.

I really liked this book because it had a lot of dancing and mysteries, which are my favorite kinds of books