I picked this up because it was recommended to me after finishing Under the Banner of Heaven I was alllllllll about finding out more when it comes to I picked this up because it was recommended to me after finishing Under the Banner of Heaven I was alllllllll about finding out more when it comes to “Secret Ceremonies” of the Mormon church. But then I listened to it and . . . .
While it does share some behind the scenes moments from a marriage in the temple, for the most part it reads like something from the 1950s by an author who would have been classified as “prone to hysteria” as she frequents the local psych ward for being an oversexed, “boy crazy,” chronic masturbator. Bizarre....more
Okay, not really since I listen while walking, but boy oh boy did I really not have the same experience as nearly everyone else did.
In my defense, I didn’t know much about this before diving in aside from (a) I have had it on my TBR for eons thinking I would read it every time “Nonfiction November” rolled around (b) I thought it was a true crime book about a murder committed by fundamentalists and (c) I’m sort of obsessed with all things polygamy (excluding Sister Wives because Kody and Robin *barf* . . . but Escaping Polygamy???? Um I’ll take that with cheese thankyouverymuch).
While the (double) murder was the jumping off point of the book, when it comes to true crime stories and how desensitized I probably am with my obsession to all things cult and murdery, it wasn’t a real shock and awe sort of grabber. Buuuuuuuuut, as I said above, I’m always down for a trip to Colorado City so at first I was hooked. However, then came the entire history of the Mormon faith from Joseph Smith to Brigham Young to very little on Warren Jeffs and the downfall of his FLDS sect since this was released 20 years ago.
Nearly everyone else found this fascinating, though, so take my “meh” with several grains of salt. Or read Into the Wild or Into Thin Air by this author because I found both of those fascinating. ...more
If you follow me you have already heard that I started dabbling in audiobooks to accompany me while I go on my daily walks. Memoirs have always been mIf you follow me you have already heard that I started dabbling in audiobooks to accompany me while I go on my daily walks. Memoirs have always been my go-to when it comes to nonfiction reading, so those are what I have tended to pick up in audio as well. This one came to be when I found myself on eternal wait lists for sure to be Pulitzer winners like Paris Hilton and RuPaul's autobiographies and I Googled "funny memoirs." It's probably pretty safe to say I would have not picked this up had it not been for my fellow Redditors, but I'm really glad they steered me in its direction.
Simultaneously hilarious (I mean, just how many things can one guy find shoved up orifices???) to heartbreaking (note this was an OBGYN so there's a solid chance of tears when discussing still births - even for a robot like me). But right when he breaks your heart the next entry is a dry-heave inducing gross out that will have you gag laughing. These journal entries from Dr. Adam as he attempted to make his way up the food chain of the NHO deserve all the Stars....more
I mean, I am literally shoving a Panera Sierra sandwich and heaping serving of salad into my maw simultaneously while typing this. But as I
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I mean, I am literally shoving a Panera Sierra sandwich and heaping serving of salad into my maw simultaneously while typing this. But as I have mentioned before, much like Jim Gaffigan I am an eatie, not a foodie. I’m also trying to avoid being on My 600 Pound Life by doing these lunch hour/weekend walks (with some guilty pleasure viewing of various Househoes and all other things Bravo has to offer while either on the rower or elliptical as “two a days” as penance for killing all of my brain cells on trash T.V.).
You would think a book all about food might be counterproductive. You’d be wrong, though, . . . well at least as far as the audiobook is concerned. As I’ve already said I’m an eatie, so tons of the dishes referenced were things I would need to Google which leads to another plus of audio which is the inability to Google while hauling my dumper around the park and trying to avoid the very goosey geese who oftentimes are blocking the trail . . . .
Since I’ve started these “walk ‘n talks” I’ve leaned toward memoirs since they don’t have a plot to follow or typically more than a mention of additional “characters.” My preference is for them to come off as conversational rather than simply reading off a script, delivery is important and the more intelligent (be it I.Q. in the writing or emotional as far as the reflection on their life) the better. But most importantly is that it gets my ass moving. Bourdain’s frenetic pace of narration and almost free association style of rambling off menu items, kitchen banter, whathaveyou most certainly did the trick. Such a shame he’s no longer with us, his passion for food and life just oozed out of every page (minute) of this book.
When I put my hold at the library for this audiobook, I had no clue I would be investing 16.5 hours of my life listening to Les Dogggg get me through When I put my hold at the library for this audiobook, I had no clue I would be investing 16.5 hours of my life listening to Les Dogggg get me through my walk ‘n talks for the week. And when I saw the Kindle version came in at less than 300 pages, the math simply was not mathing. That didn’t stop me from immediately dumping my planned listen in order to get right to this one – and it didn’t take long to figure out why there was such a discrepancy in the length. The Kindle version is going to be a condensed version of the audio, polished up by a ghostwriter. The audio is pure Leslie. She spits truth and offers sage advice with her infamous “trumpet voice.” If you are allergic to fucks or motherfuckers, keep your distance. But if you are like me (who, unfortunately, was pretty late for the party since I’m an old die-hard SNL fan but not much of a comedy special sort of fan) and fell in love with Leslie’s love for Colin Jost . . . .
I dared to Google “Why is Freida McFadden so popular” because truly, my mind? She be blown. The first response (from Reddit – oh how I love the subReddits) states “I get why it's popular because it's fast paced and a very easy read but the plot is so derivative and the writing style is so annoying.” To that I say – PREACH.
Talk about an easy reader. The plot (LOL plot!) here starts with a body being buried in the woods. You then meet the “teacher” (teacherS in this case since Eve is married to a fellow educator named Nate) and their student Addie. It doesn’t take much of an I.Q. to figure out EVERYTHING that is going to happen so I have no idea what “twists” people cream their jeans over. Maybe they are contained in her other books???? (Sidenote to anyone thinking of making a drinking game every time “shoes” are mentioned. Don't do it. You will die from alcohol poisoning.)
Apparently she has a real rabid fanbase so I guess I can look forward to potentially getting trolled for eternity like I have for nearly a decade by the Cohorts (note to trolls - I delete and block you rather than engage so have a blessed day and maybe go outside and touch some grass). It also appears from my quick one minute search of the interwebs that she apparently is a copycat so the half that don’t love her want her cancelled. Bottom line? No matter what we readers/reviewers can’t win. But before any of you go all keyboard commando please note that popcorn thrillers like these are a dime a dozen and trying to claim Freida steals from Riley Sager, an author who admittedly makes his millions reimagining others’ tales, isn’t gonna hold up in court. I was looking to venture out of my comfort zone of listening to memoirs during my “Walk ‘n Talk” and this was so easy to follow while I attempted to kiss every dog that crossed my path on the trail at the park that I will most likely end up picking her stuff up over and over again. And most likely also give them 2 Stars max.
I have probably put this on hold at the library only to remove my name when my turn came around over a dozen times. I tend to be a wrongreader when itI have probably put this on hold at the library only to remove my name when my turn came around over a dozen times. I tend to be a wrongreader when it comes to releases that become part of a massive hype train and since I’m an old lady I have to confess that I, Carly was one of my least favorite things to endure when my kids were little. And Sam Puckett????
Seriously? Butter sock? That ish was annoying as hell.
The great news is Jeanette McCurdy thought the show/her character were annoying as all get out as well!
So while I didn’t have the same reaction as someone who grew up as a superfan of McCurdy’s child stardom, I thought this book was very well put together and really provided a lot of insight with regards to coming to terms with an abusive childhood as well as disordered eating and removing toxic people from your life (hopefully on your own and not because they finally kicked the bucket).
I listened to this on audio and it most definitely held my attention so 4 Stars. The hype was pretty real here....more
It makes me terribly sad to only give 3 Stars on this edition of my “Walk ‘n Talk.” Watching reruns of The Carol Burnett show at my Grandma and GrandpIt makes me terribly sad to only give 3 Stars on this edition of my “Walk ‘n Talk.” Watching reruns of The Carol Burnett show at my Grandma and Grandpa’s house are some of my favorite childhood memories and I couldn’t wait to hear all about the behind the scenes and unknown (to me, at least) stories of the “company” she kept with Vicki Lawrence, Lionel Wagoner, Harvey Korman and the absolutely hilarious Tim Conway.
While the trip down memory lane did reminisce on some unforgettable moments in comedic history . . .
Hours were spent giving detailed play-by-play of various skits that really should simply be watched rather than listened to in order to get the belly laughs. This was a book for already existent fans – we KNOW these skits as they have been on repeat for 50 years! Also unfortunate was that Carol’s favorite bits were often not my favorite bits and at times I considered maybe fast-forwarding.
Burnett is still a national treasure, much like our dearly departed Betty White. This just missed the mark a bit for me. ...more
When I went to add this latest “Walk ‘n Talk” (that’s what I’m calling these from now on) to my Currently Reading, Goodreads gave me a surprise by infWhen I went to add this latest “Walk ‘n Talk” (that’s what I’m calling these from now on) to my Currently Reading, Goodreads gave me a surprise by informing me not only had I marked I had read this 11 years ago, but that I had given it 2 Stars. I have ZERO recollection of ever picking this up, absolutely nothing was familiar about any of the essays, I barely read memoirs to begin with, and really the only thing I found terribly funny that Silverman ever did was . . . .
Was this the Mandela Effect in action? Did future me time travel back and try to prevent present me from listening to a meh selection while torturing myself on my daily lunch hour trek? The world may never know. Anywho, whether it’s present me or the me who apparently read this eleventy twelve years ago, we both stand by the 2 Star rating. I’m all for low brow humor and fart jokes sometimes, but Silverman’s brand of “funny” is truly bottom of the barrel. Be vulgar, be offensive, but be unquestionably brilliant. You know, like Dave Chappelle.
P.S. Please don’t troll me if she’s still “canceled.” I didn’t even like this one....more
In case you don’t know me and this is popping up randomly on your feed because you are a Seth Rogen superfan, please accept my apology for not LOOOOOVIn case you don’t know me and this is popping up randomly on your feed because you are a Seth Rogen superfan, please accept my apology for not LOOOOOVVVVVVING this one and realize that 3 Stars is a perfectly acceptable rating and one which means I wouldn’t ever attempt to steer people away from reading this book.
(Apologies to those who ARE familiar with me for this next bit.) Late this summer after my time of putzing around in the yard had come to an end I noticed my body was hurting pretty much all the time because all I did was sit around on my fat a$$ and watch trash television once I didn’t have plants to plant and weeds to pull. I decided to blow the decade’s worth of dust off the treadmill and only allow myself to imbibe in my Housewives/1000 pounder/90 Day addiction if I was moving. And oh my god I fucking DESPISE the treadmill so when the temperatures dropped out of the 100s I gave walking outside a whirl - and guess what? Watching the leaves change and the squirrels out squirreling while listening to an audiobook is an easy way to get a shitton more steps in. Buuuuuuut since I live in flyover country I only got about 12 seconds of decent weather before it started raining every day and the wind was blowing 40 mph on the regular – soooooooooooooooooo . . . .
Why not? I could get away from my desk for an hour and be more physically fit? Killing two birds with one stone sounded pretty good to me so I’ve been doing 3 to 3.5 miles every time I'm in the office during my lunch hour. I still don’t have the ability to follow a plot via audiobook, however, and I only go in the office three days a week so memoirs have been a great option. This one took even longer than usual since I’ve had plenty of vacation days, but the comedic essay style meant there wasn’t ever a chance to get lost in what was going on.
Like I said above, I’m not a huge Seth Rogen fan, but turns out he directed a movie I really loved . . .
This is all about Dolly’s signature style (which she happily admits was inspired by the “Town Tramp” when she was a little girl).
If you follow me you know I’ve started listening to audiobook memoirs while walking. My turn at the library came up for this one when it was still pleasant outside and I was making my way to and from the park with a walking trail a couple miles away from my house. I could listen to Dolly forever and easily get a minimum of five miles in anytime she’s in my ear.
At some point over the summer after having worked a desk job for the past 417 years it started becoming more and more apparent that my body was sort oAt some point over the summer after having worked a desk job for the past 417 years it started becoming more and more apparent that my body was sort of . . . . breaking down, for lack of a better word, due to me being so sedentary during my 9-5:00 – followed by some serious couch potato sessions for the remainder of my evenings (and most of my weekends). My back hurt CONSTANTLY (probably because I have the posture of Quasimodo when at said desk job) and I thought maybe walking a little bit couldn’t hurt.
So I took all of the laundry that was being air-dried off the treadmill, queued up the Real Housewives of [Enter Whichever City You’d Like Because I’m Addicted to Them All] and off I went. And I HAAAAAAAAATED it. Oh lordy be the treadmill walk is the most boringass walk – even with those table flippin’ hoes to entertain me.
When the leaves began changing color and the temperatures finally dropped to the point where my underpants wouldn’t be soaked with all the sweat pouring all the way down from my head to my buttcrack I decided to give walking outside a go. I’m not a big audiobook listener and definitely have some . . . .
tendencies so anything with an actual plot to follow would pretty much be out of the question. And then came Dolly. Songteller was available as instant gratification from Hoopla and once she started talking to me I went from barely making it two miles to easily bumping it up to five. It was like having coffee and catching up with a best friend you hadn’t seen in an age. This covered everything from the coat of many colors to all things Porter Wagner to “Jolene” and Miley to my personal childhood fave . . . .
I grew up with Dolly, I was beyond thrilled to watch my son a few years ago in his high school musical production of 9 to 5 and realized I still want to be her when I grow up when I saw her rocking a Dallas Cowboys cheerleader outfit while performing at halftime on Thanksgiving. Her spirit and generosity makes me want to try and be a better human. What a national treasure. Every Star....more
Okay, I laughed probably WAY too hard at that, but #ifyouknowyouknow. And also if you live in my house you might want to bludgeon me with a
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Okay, I laughed probably WAY too hard at that, but #ifyouknowyouknow. And also if you live in my house you might want to bludgeon me with a Maglite tonight because I can't stop singing this song.
I gave the book version of this by Ned Vizzini a solo star awhile back, but this week I have to review and summarize over 500 Title Commitments and have determined this musical might be the best thing I've ever listened to. Catchy, relatable, giggle-inducing - a seriously high quality backdrop to the mundane task I have been assigned.
Musicians release “Greatest Hits” compilations all the effing time. Why can’t an essayist do the same?
Obviously this being the “Best Of” means there is not new material (that being said, at 400 pages he really gives you your money's worth). For a fan like me it was interesting to see which submissions David considered to be his best (and I hate to say, but I really don’t agree with his opening of the book with his fictional stuff because those aren’t always my fave). But this might be a great jumping off point for people new to my Darling David. You get to not only experience his humor with laugh-out-loud entries about The Rooster, the Sea Section, learning how to Talk Pretty One Day, Santa’s Six to Eight Black Men and more, but also his heart as he talks about his family (particularly his parents and deceased sister). As always, I highly recommend listening to the audio if given the opportunity because his delivery adds a whole ‘notha level to the experience (and this one includes some of his live performances like when he read at Carnegie Hall).
Bottom line is I am a Sedaris completionist and I will read and/or listen (in this case both) to anything he releases. Even if it’s stuff I’ve already read before. ...more
YMMV because her stories are about things like dropping hamsters due to aggressive menstrual cycles and shitting her pants and various other “swimsuit area” issues women sometimes have . . . .
And she is a woman of a certain age who grew up dreaming of being able to channel the lives of Veronica Sawyer, Vickie Miner and Daria Morgendorffer, who listened to badass bitches like Hole and Liz Phair and believes this video could quite possibly be the great unifier . . . . .
Not to mention, fantasizes about calling 911 regarding real-life issues such as . . . .
Hello, 911? I’ve been lying awake for an hour each night, reliving a two-second awkward experience I had in front of a casual acquaintance three years ago, for eight months.
And just gets it regarding being a fat person . . . .
I can’t watch This Is Us because even though the brothers are hot and the dad is a smoke show, in the first couple episodes the fat girl doesn’t get to be much more than “fat,” and wow, no thank you! Maybe there are fat people sitting around silently weeping about being fat every minute of every day, but that is a redemptive arc thin people like to see on television, and it’s just not the fucking truth.
Plus, we have the same policy regarding interactions with strangers on the intertubes . . . .
There’s no mute button for the woman at the grocery store who won’t stop asking you where the shampoo is, even though you’re pushing your own cart while wearing both sunglasses and a coat. But you know who you can mute? Everyone you hate on the Internet!
I double-dipped on this one and read part of it on the Kindle while listening to part while taking the dog for his daily stroll through the ‘hood. Irby’s delivery style (just like her writing) may not be for everyone, but for me the dry, droll reading added an extra level of hilarity.
If you don’t shy away from stories that are a little . . . . okay A LOT . . . . crass, I recommend all three of her books....more
After reading The Flat Share I knew Beth O’Leary was going to be a gal for me. The Switch takes what seems to be nearly everyone’s favorite trope . . . .
“My granddaughter wanted a break in the countryside, and I wanted some excitement in the city. So we swapped lives…”
Actually, said granddaughter Leena was sort of forced into a sabbatical by her boss and said granny Eileen is looking for a final chance at love. Enter the house swap. Eileen will move to the hustle and bustle of London and stay in Leena’s flat while Leena goes back to a quieter lifestyle at granny’s house in Shoreditch. The result is exactly what a book like this is supposed to deliver. (Also, can I just mention that I’m almost positive at this point if “Shoreditch” is the location, Imma give the book a high rating.)
I ended up scoring an audio copy of this last year when NetGalley started offering them as an option and this was a “Listen Now” selection. Of course, I didn’t realize I was clicking for an audiobook. I just saw Beth O’Leary’s name and was like . . . .
Thanks to Covid I had no commute time so I waited for the library copy and read ¾ / listened to ¼ of this one. Good news to listeners, the narration was lovely. Even better news to everyone, this author has a new release coming up later this year and if you thought this trope was good, it has my all-time fave . . . . .
I already wrotepictured up a review for the print version of this some time back, but when faced with potential solo couple hour long road-trips I decided it was high time to give the audio a checkout . . . and then immediately started listening to it because I need instant gratification at every single moment in my life. Bonus was that I listened to it with the oldest (literally a legal adult so don’t @ me about what a bad mother I am – I’m a bad mother for a whooooooooole bunch of other things worse than letting him listen to an audiobook with cuss words).
I stand by my assessment that this is one of the best of the bunch if you are a superfan of SNL and want to know the inside scoop. Despite the fact that Spade is not only absolutely adorable and someone I want to be besties with since he always makes me laugh . . . .
He was smart when it came to this release and kept the content at what the majority people want to know: his time/the inner workings on SNL and his friendship with Farley . . . .
Are little more than mere mentions. (He doesn’t really talk about Just Shoot Me (and doesn’t mention Rules of Engagement at all), which makes me wonder if there’s a story there.) And now I know why. Because he’s savvy enough to know no one’s going to buy the cow if you give all the milk away for free and saved some stuff up for this . . . . .
Obviously my 5 Star rating still stands. I’d give him 10 if I could and I’m so glad Lights Out with David Spade exists to satisfy my pop culture nerd and trashy reality television story cravings. ...more
And it is good. SO. GOOD. Like give them all the Tony Awards good. And the touring company is coming here soon and I’m sooooooo hoping tickets will be available so me and my fellow songlover kid can attend. But my reaction to the book?????
Here’s the pickle I’m in. This was so much more than a novelization. It was full length and well written to boot. The problem? Evan is kind of an awful unlikeable character for a goodly chunk (like 90% of the thing) until the reader/audience really gets to know what makes him HIM and you can become sympathetic to him making this just a cringey type of read. And the character who IS automatically the one you want to get to know more? Well, unfortunately he’s dead . . . .
I’m always looking for stuff to listen to during the commute, but since I only spend about 20 minutes in the car each way I’m pretty particular about what I want. Funny, short, or something I’m already familiar with in some way are generally winners. Probably goes without saying the narrator needs to not suck (narrator definitely does not suck here). If you’re a lover of YA you won’t be wasting your time here – same goes for if you’re a crazy completionist superfan (trust me, no judgment). As for me? My family is just happy I’ve changed up the playlist I sing while I’m dusting, vacuuming, washing dishes, doing laundry, taking a shower awake . . . .
I should have known better than to tempt fate after my miserable failure with Evelyn Hugo, but it was all over the Instagram and I am an easy mark.
I’ll be more than willing to take some of the blame for my experience here and say that from the cover/description I had definite opinions about what I was hoping the story would be like. Mainly in the form of . . . . .
How was no one else not completely bored with this? What a snoozefest! I was sure the high ratings were going to end up being just a Bookstagram thing because most of those young’uns are young enough that they might not realize this story/the delivery really wasn’t a fresh idea and was 100% done before . . . .
But most of my fellow oldsters over here loved it too. I’ll just go suck some turtles, I guess.
All that smacktalking aside, there is one thing about Daisy Jones that is deserving of all the Starzzzzzzz and that is the audio. Making it to the end of this selection had I opted for the print version may have ended up being one of the greatest struggles of my life (first worlder here), but the full cast audio was amazing. Too bad I hated the story they were reading to me : (
Seriously, though, who my age didn’t have a crush on . . . . .
And while I never got the appeal of Benjamin Bratt from a looks standpoint, after hearing him talk to me for infinity (because this thing never effing ended), I have this to say to him . . . . .
Somehow after double fails, Maybe In Another Life is still calling my name. If that one ends up as a wrongread like these other two have, someone take me out of my misery if I ever mention reading another book by this author....more
Confession: Chelsea Handler has a voice I want to punch in the face so I’ve never been abFind all of my reviews at: http://52bookminimum.blogspot.com/
Confession: Chelsea Handler has a voice I want to punch in the face so I’ve never been able to watch her on television. Despite this auditory issue, I have somehow managed to become quite the fan when it comes to her books. (I always tried to hear her doppelgänger, Elizabeth Banks, in my head instead when I read them.) Lord knows why I decided to give this one a listen, but it probably didn't help my rating any *shrug*
I thought this was going to be a hilarious take on a spoiled celebrity reevaluating her life and re-learning how to take care of some of the simple things without paid assistants. What I got instead was a real downer of a story that focused A LOT on death.
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