Ms. Benincasa is the author of two YA novels and one deeply honest and very entertaining memoir. This latest novel follows three high school sophomores and one very young teacher on a high school trip to DC. My local library somehow ignored the release date (November 3), and so yesterday I got told my hold notice was up. This book was so entertaining that I started it while working out this morning and didn’t end up putting it down (for real) until I finished it three hours later.

The book moves pretty quickly – the trip to DC is only two nights and three days long, so usually there wouldn’t be a ton of time to build the characters, and yet Ms. Benincasa manages to do just that. There are at least five, and more like ten characters that we are interested in learning more about, and we get, not the whole picture, but enough to not have them merge together in a blur of teenager-ness.

The main young teacher is very idealistic, and also romantically interested in the other chaperone. Every other chapter covers her being either a bit naïve about the students in her care or concerned about her interactions with her co-chaperone. Then there is a trio of sophomore girls whose story is covered in the in between chapters, seeking to have a little bit of extra fun while on their vacation. The convention of alternating chapters could have been a bit confusing, or taken the reader out of the story, but it works here.

There are moments when I was genuinely surprised at what happened, which, considering this isn’t a mystery novel, was a pleasant twist. And the characters weren’t caricatures, which could be easy enough to do with the storyline. Some were sexually experienced; some weren’t. Some were more politically aware and socially conscious; some weren’t. Not everyone was white, and not everyone was straight.

I’m pretty sure I’m always going to enjoy what Ms. Benincasa writes, and I’m looking forward to what comes next. She also holds a special spot in my writer heart, as she signed my notebook with the below message when I went to a reading and told her I was working on a book.

Three Stars

This is very sweet, very raw, book. I’m not sure what I expected from it, but I’m happy that I bought it.

You probably know Maria Bello because she is an actress. But this book isn’t the typical memoir that I’ve been reading as of late. Instead of the story of her life, Ms. Bello shares with us her search for meaning within her life. The point of the book is to explore the labels we put on ourselves and others, and question what those labels mean.

She jumps right in, with a section called ‘Am I a Partner?’, where she examines what it really does mean to be a partner – is it your spouse? Do you have to be having sex with someone to consider them a partner? Are we limited to just one? Other sections explore religion, feminism, and resiliency.

The book offers some interesting ideas. I can’t relate to everything she says – her Catholicism and strong belief in that idea of the divine factors into many of the discussions – but I found a lot of value in her writing. It got me thinking about how I view myself and others, and where I can find strength.

Ms. Bello is so vulnerable and open, but I never felt like she was sharing too much. I wouldn’t go so far as to say this is a must-read, but I’m certainly glad I read it.

Five Stars. OBVIOUSLY.

Do you remember that commercial for Broadway from the 80s where the woman said ‘I laughed, I cried, it was better than Cats!’

God, I hope you do. Well, that’s how I feel about this book. Now, granted, I actually hated the musical Cats, and walked out at intermission, so in theory that phrase wouldn’t be high praise. But I’m choosing to think that Cats means cats, as in kitty cats, as in my favorite animals. And even with that major adjustment, the phrase STILL applies to how I feel about this book.

That’s right, this book is better than kittens. I laughed, and I cried, and damn if I’m not seriously considering “It might be easier. But it wouldn’t be better.” for my next tattoo.

I listened to Ms. Lawson read her first book “Let’s Pretend this Never Happened” a couple of years ago, and loved it. I hadn’t known of The Bloggess before the book, but I subscribed to her blog immediately upon finishing it. I follow her on twitter, and am continually impressed by the way she supports people she’s never met. Her ‘Depression Lies’ … campaign? I don’t even know what to call it, but I know that it has helped and continues to help people.

This book is lovely. It is laugh-out loud funny – I had to read the felted vagina section out loud to my husband, because, I mean, come on – and painfully honest. It’s over 300 pages long and yet still ended too soon. I want to keep the book because I know I’ll enjoy reading it again, but I also want to give it to everyone else to read. But then she won’t get the money from the sale. What to do…

Surprise, friends! You’re all getting Furiously Happy for the holidays

Four Stars

This was a delightful book to read. I laughed out loud more than a few times, and found myself staying up later than I probably should have because I wanted to finish it. I interrupted my husband more than once to read to him from the book, something I haven’t done in probably a year.

If you enjoyed Ms. Kaling’s first book – Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? – I don’t think you’ll be disappointed with this one. It has much of the same tone, but doesn’t feel like a rehashing of the stories she’s told us previously.

She shares some more of her personal life with us in this one, including a pretty interesting story about her experience dating (maybe?) someone who worked in the White House. Honestly, I don’t even know if that chapter was fully true, but it read like it was, so I’m going to say sure, why not. Either way, it was entertaining.

There was really only one misstep, involving her imagining an alternate life where she teaches Latin at a prep school. I get what she was going for (I think), but I didn’t really find it that funny or interesting. But perhaps I’m alone on this one. And frankly, in a 200+ page book, it makes sense that there’d be at least one thing that I am kind of ‘meh’ about. Doesn’t mean it isn’t overall a worthy read.

I originally put myself on the waiting list to get this from the library, because I figured I’d enjoy it but read it quickly (which was true – I started and finished it yesterday). But in the end, I purchased it, because I like giving my money to talented, funny women writers, and Ms. Kaling clearly fills that bill.

Two Stars

I read the first book in this series during the Cannonball two years ago, so I went back to read my review before writing this one. Sadly, it seems that in the years that have passed between these novels, Mr. Forstchen has gotten more hyper-militaristic in his writing and a bit more willing to express a few bigoted viewpoints as well. And he continues to either relegate women to periphery roles, or, when granting higher-profile roles (the President is apparently a woman, the former Secretary of Health and Human Services – because of course, that’s the only cabinet-level position a woman would hold, right?), making them incompetent. Mr. Fortschen is all about guns, guys, and glory, and it’s obnoxious as hell.

A refresher: two years ago some EMPs were detonated in the US and other parts of the world, rending all electronics inoperable. Towns were cut off, people had to fend for themselves. The federal government was nowhere to be seen, and lead military vet John Matherson saved the day, but lost his daughter to lack of insulin. Pretty good, but also pretty militaristic.

Hoo boy, if Mr. Fortschen didn’t crank that up to 11 for this book. The thing is, so much potential lies in this story. And at times, I get a glimpse into what an awesome book he could have written. There are really interesting discussions about treating the wounded of the ‘enemy’ and of the morality of certain actions during war. But it all gets lost in some of the more absurd comments.

I recognize that authors can create characters that include complexities, but I also don’t think Mr. Fostchen is talented enough to infuse his main character with those complexities and not have them reflect the author’s true views. John finds the racism of his Civil War-loving buddies endearing, and scoffs at sexism while characterizing it as “basic politeness.” Ew. At one point, he gets really indignant about the federal government referring to people like HIM (a white dude) as terrorists, and waxes nostalgic about how this is just the outcome of the “political correctness” that kept the US from calling “real” terrorists (read: Muslims) terrorists after 9/11. Double ew.

But the real topper on this shit cake of ‘patriotism’ is when John complains about how much things have changed, and how much better the US was at being moral during war, especially during the Iraq and Afghanistan fights. If I’d been drinking, I’d have done a spit take. Perhaps the fact that the US just bombed an MSF hospital last week is coloring my vision, but this idea that the US is some moral arbiter when it comes to war and the military is just absurd, and I can’t stomach it even in a novel.

If there’s a third book, I won’t be reading it. And I’m guessing the author would be fine with it, because I’m pretty sure he’s not a fan of my kind (a woman, a pacifist, someone who isn’t a blind lover of all things USA).

Four Stars

A mystery that involves incorporating actual old, creepy photos into the story? Sign me up!

Seriously, that’s the hook that drew me into this entertaining read. I purchased this and its sequel at Powell’s (I should really go back and see how many of my CBR reviews are on books I purchased there this year). I read the book in basically one sitting, on a two-hour flight, because I could not put it down.

Jacob is fifteen, and his grandfather has just died. Been killed, actually. Possibly by wild dogs? Grandfather had told Jacob many elaborate stories over the years, based off of his time in an orphanage on an island in Wales. At some point, Jacob stopped believing the stories were true, but after finding Grandfather’s body, he has some issues, and convinces his parents to let him and his dad go to this island. From there things transpire that I won’t share because it’s more fun to discover them yourself.

I don’t have a lot to say about this book other than that I really enjoyed it. The use of creepy old photos is brilliant and adds a really interesting layer to the book. Now, it isn’t a horror thriller (although there is a lot of creepiness and a fair bit of action), so I don’t think you’ll have to pull a Rachel reading The Shining and keep it in the freezer overnight. But it’s a bit odd, and definitely unsettling. Perfect for October, frankly.

Two Stars

When I searched on Amazon to provide a link, I learned that this book was updated in 2015; whereas the version I read was published nine years ago. So I’m going to *hope* that the updated version is better than this one. It’d be pretty challenging for it to be worse.

This is a pretty sexist book. I think the author has this idea that teaching etiquette is the same thing as teaching women how to fit into every stereotype about what a woman should be. Now, I love etiquette books. I’ve read loads of them, including some hilariously ridiculous ones from the 19th century. This one isn’t AS bad as those when it comes to some areas, but given that it was only written nine years ago, I’m kind of flummoxed as to why it feels so very outdated.

The first, and most glaringly obvious point, is that the book is completely heteronormative. There’s no entertaining the possibility that the ‘lady’ to which we should aspire to be could be a lesbian, or bisexual, or exhibit any range of gender identity. In the dating section (which is particularly mediocre), it’s all about how to interact with men. Not good.

Any etiquette book runs the risk of seeming classist, and this one definitely falls into that trap, especially when it comes to the section on “image.” This idea that we should all just accept that people will judge us based on our looks is silly. I’m not interested in a book that panders to all the things that are wrong in society because that’s how a lot of people act; there are ways to talk about things like personal grooming (ugh, that word) without implying that only people in neatly pressed skirts are worthy of respect.

Now, I’m a bit biased when it comes to advice on interacting with pregnant people and new parents (since I’m writing a book on the topic), but seriously, some of her advice in that area is just straight up bad.

This book is not awful – there is some pretty straightforward advice in the realm of, say, how to eat lobster without getting shell and meat all over the place – but it is not one I can recommend. If you’re interested in etiquette, you can find much better books.

Four Stars

I wish I had bought this book, because I think I could do a better job of reviewing it. I’d have loads of sections highlighted, and could go back to my favorite parts. Alas, I checked this out of the library and have to return it tomorrow, so here is my best go at explaining this.

The author’s central thesis is that white people in the US continue to have advantages today not because of over racism (although that may – and obviously does – still play a part), but because of what happened long in the past. Dr. Roithmayr argues that society is stuck in a feedback loop that was perpetuated under slavery and Jim Crow, and continues today because it’s a lot easier to keep going than make the serious changes needed to fix it.

She uses many interesting examples to illustrate her point – examples such as red lining and the Chicago Real Estate Boards, to the admission process at Harvard. She discusses the fact that many informal networks help whites get ahead, and those networks have been building on themselves for generations.

I can’t do the work justice, but I urge you to pick it up if you are interested in race issues, or if you think you might have to (try to) have a discussion over the holidays with a relative who thinks that having a Black president means we live in a colorblind society. It’s pretty easy to read. My only complaints are that each chapter at times feels like a separate mini-book, so Dr. Roithmayr will often repeat in too great of detail items covered in previous chapters (as though she forgot we’d already read about it), and that the conclusion really isn’t a conclusion at all; it’s just another chapter.

Regardless, go read this. It’s really good.