the bassoon king

I still have six more books to post after this one which means that unless I double up, I will not be finishing in 2017. Likely, I won't double up and I won't end up finishing until February. C'est la vie.

Well, I present The Bassoon King.

"Leia, don't you know that's a clarinet and not a bassoon?" Well I didn't play bassoon in high school so this is the woodwind instrument that was available. Don't start with me!

The very first thing that surprised me about this book was how spiritual Rainn Wilson is. Is faith listed right there in the title of the book? Yes. Did I think he was going to discuss faith as in how much he has? No. You watch one television show and all of a sudden you think you know everything there is to know about Dwight K. Schrute, RIGHT?!

On people who wouldn't watch the American Office because they were fans of the British Office:
And, as for statement number two, when your loyalty to a handful of episodes of a brilliant TV show actually prevents you disdainfully from watching another version, something is wrong with you. Just check it out. Give it a gander. It's not gonna hurt you. You're not going to lose hipster street cred by saying, "Yeah, I checked out the NBC remake of The Office and I liked it/didn't like it."

This hit me 100% because of someone previously in my life who was dead set against watching How I Met Your Mother because it was "too much like Friends and wasn't made during the sitcom era". Like what in the actual fuck does that even mean?!

Rainn talked a lot about a lot of different things. It was all really interesting but I was more focused and interested in his acting career and his time on The Office. If you are a fan, I would recommend this book because it went into a lot of detail and it was a cool inside look.



Bears. Beets. Books.
Leia

the book thief

I actually felt quite horrible when I was scanning my shelves after putting away the book I read prior to this when my eyes fell on this book and I realized I had never read it. I got it for Christmas one year while I was in high school; likely the year that it was a best seller. Somehow it got shuffled to the point where it became a normal fixture in my collection and became out of sight. But voila! The Book Thief's time had come!

And guys, I have really enjoyed being extra with my book pics. It's great and I definitely forced Brendon to help me capture it.

Death tells us about the plight of Liesel Meminger during the rise of Nazi Germany in the late 1930's. Leisel has it rough. First she loses her brother and then is thrown into foster care during war times. Luckily she finds herself with a family that is on the right side of history and they fight for the Jew's and shelter one for many months on a promise that Hans (her foster father)had made years prior.

He was not well-educated or political, but if nothing else, he was a man who appreciated fairness. A Jew had once saved his life and he couldn't forget that. He couldn't join a party that antagonized people in such a way. Also, much like Alex Steiner, some of his most loyal customers were Jewish. Like many of the Jews believed, he didn't think the hatred could last, and it was a conscious decision not to follow Hitler. On many levels, it was a disastrous one.

How frightening that this mantra is something we're currently hearing the United States! But Hans? This man is GOLDEN. G O L D E N.

But Hans Junior wasn't finished. He stepped closer and said, "You're either for the Führer or against him - and I can see that you're against him. You always have been." Liesel watched Hans Junior in the face, fixated on the thinness of his lips and the rocky line of his bottom teeth. "It's pathetic - how a man can stand by an do nothing as a whole nation cleans out the garbage and makes itself great."

Prior to our current leadership I always questioned if I had grown up during segregation and such would I have been on the right side of things? If my government was eloquently telling me that people were bad and simply did not have the right to be equal would I have stood up or even thought that something was fucked up? I like to definitely think that I would have been. I like to think that I would have done the right thing. Listening to Voldemort speak confirms notions that I would've done the right thing.

This book was really great and I wish that I had read it sooner, but part of me is glad that I didn't read it until I was out of my teens and well into adulthood. It's heartbreaking and also hopeful. I would definitely recommend it.



Saumensch.
Leia

the woman in cabin 10

Tried to catch up but I'm actually managing to fall further behind.

Ah, The Woman in Cabin 10. Yet another book I didn't read the synopsis on because I love Ruth Ware and when I saw the book I didn't even care to know what it was about, just that I wanted to read it and it was my personal treat after hosting and making it through Piper's birthday. What did this get me? I thought it was going to be about another mystery in the woods. But lo and behold they meant Cabin 10 as in a cruise ship cabin. AND DUH, LEIA! LOOK AT THE COVER A LITTLE CLOSER. Clearly those are fucking ocean waves.

Ruth Ware did not disappoint. Is Lo crazy? Is she sane? Who is who and what the hell is going on aboard this vessel!? It was somewhat reminiscent of The Girl on the Train in that it was truly hard to pick a perspective to believe as reality. The ending got a little rushed with the details and the layers, but without getting too Stephen King and going on for fourteen years I think it worked.

Generally if you are a fan of suspense-thrillers I think you would enjoy this. Also, check out In a Dark, Dark Wood. Not sure which I liked more. I need to pick up The Lying Game soon, as well.



Richard Branson meets the most dangerous game.
Leia

fight club 2

EXTRA behind on posting books for this year. And currently I'm *ahead* of my Goodreads reading challenge and on par to read more than my goal! Also, I'm officially in a book club now! More on that later, though.

Okay, so Fight Club 2! Somehow I missed all whisperings and talkings of this book. I stumbled across it randomly and sent a snap to Brendon because of how excited I was, and he surprised me with it a few days later. Such a sweet husband.

In my haste, I didn't even really read the synopsis or do much research so first off, I didn't even realize it was a graphic novel. You would think the 5 names or the beautifully illustrated cover would have been an indicator. Chuck Palahniuk is one of my favorite authors. Some of ideas are lost on me and go right over my head or don't come full circle, and this was no exception. While reading his books my mind is constantly turning, and I think I sometimes will unnecessarily focus on something that I think is supposed to be important and then miss the actual twist or meaning.

This article was nice to read after finishing. I would definitely recommend if you are a fan of his franchise; specifically Fight Club.



The first rule of Fight Club.
Leia

it

This book was #15. And guys when I tell you this book was frightening.. it had me SHOOK. I was literally more terrified reading the book than I was watching either film. I know, I know how does the original even qualify as a horror movie.

"He wanted to tell them that those dead boys who had lurched and shambled their way down the spiral staircase had done something worse than frighten him: they had offended him.

Offended, yes. It was the only word he could think of, and if he used it they would laugh -- they liked him, he knew that, and they had accepted him as one of them, but they would still laugh..
..You can live with fear, I think, Stan would have said if he could. Maybe not forever, but for a long, long time. It's offense you maybe can't live with, because it opens up a crack inside your thinking, and if you look down into it you see there are things that live down there, and they have little yellow eyes that don't blink, and there's a stink down in that dark, and after awhile you think maybe there's a whole other universe down there..."

This is one of the first (and unfortunately the only one I could easily find after losing my quote list) quotes that really made me go "whoa." Because I totally can totally relate when your mind starts to wander after you've seen a scary movie; that feeling when the hair on the back of your neck stands up or when you aren't quite sure if you really saw something out the corner of your eye.

I had more scary parts picked out and I planned on doing a big comparison between the book, the original movie, and the new movie but I'm like nah it's been done a million or more times already on the internet and I loved the book and movie in their own ways. Between this book and 11/22/63 I have really loved Stephen King and I think my reading list next year is going to be solely composed of his books.



You'll float too.
Leia

bargain books at barnes & noble

You know when you attempt to run to the book store and back on your 30 minute lunch break and end up back at work almost 15 minutes late because the bargain section was slamming with awesome material and you slowly browsed all the rows even when you didn't see the book you specifically went for but ended up coming out three books richer regardless?

Asking for a friend who is interested in keeping her job.

Leia

a wrinkle in time

Fourteen was A Wrinkle in Time. Lately most of the books I've picked up have been due to the fact that there is an imminent screen adaptation coming. Oh well! 

With this one there was literally no way I was going to resist. When I saw the cast I might've fan girl screamed. Not just internally.

 Mindy Kaling, Reese Witherspoon and mother fucking OPRAH?! Erm, dream team if you ask me! Collectively they are a writer, have book clubs (one that has an emblem you're probably familiar with) and their OWN television network and can seemingly do no bad to anyone. The choice to read this book was almost a no brainer.

I'm not sure what age group this book is really for and unsure if it's assigned in elementary or middle for reading. It was a good book but it definitely escalated quickly. This is something that could easily be determined from the size of the book. Looking at the stance of a younger person reading it's probably better that things kept rapidly happening. Attention span and memory retention would be factors for a good quick story with lots of high points.

"Mrs. Whatsit?" Aunt Beast was puzzled. "Oh, child, your language is so utterly simple and limited that it has the effect of extreme complication."

Haha, if there was ever a quote about communication that spoke to my soul, it's that one.



Excited for the film!
Leia

rich people problems

Lucky #13? Rich People Problems did not disappoint. This glorious brain child-saga from Kevin Kwan is one of my favorites. Somewhat comparable to the Babe Walker and White Girl Problems.

Rich People Problems is the third installment. It follows behind Crazy Rich Asians and China Rich Girlfriend. If you are a fan of satire, sarcasm, and luxury this is definitely a book for you.
Footnotes throughout to help you understand various pop culture references, familial ties, and old Asian women swears, curses, and rituals although I have never cross referenced and some seem too far fetched to be real! This just adds to the experience and I love every moment.

For instance at a celeb filled multi-million dollar party to unveil a completely revamped McMansion after divorce hearings and wedding vows:

"It's such a trip, all that's missing are the quaaludes!" Michael Kors* said.
*Michael, Project Runway just hasn't been the same without you. Pleeeeeeeeeeeese come back.

"Sek si gau!"* Ah Ling muttered angrily.
*Cantonese for "shit-eating-bastard."

These characters. You love to hate them and want to hear every last gooey bit of gossip or mishap. You want to rip your hair out at some of their outlandish purchases or wonder where you'd put some of the items or wish they had bought it in a different color. Buy a copy, borrow a copy from a smart friend who bought the book themselves, check a copy out from you library.. whatever you have to do I recommend to have this story in your mitts.

Rachel + Nick FOREVA.
Leia

into the water

Half of my books are done for the year but I've been extremely slow to update. Into the Water was 12, but I'm currently reading number 15. If you follow along on Instagram it probably seems like ages ago I posted that I was reading this one.

I was really excited for this book because of how much I loved The Girl on the Train. Not to discourage anyone from reading this one, I would recommend reading it BEFORE you read The Girl on the Train. Granted, this book was good. But compared to her first book it was just sort of lackluster.

I had expected a plot twist, but this one involved two 'twists' near the end. As a reader I was angry at the twist. I couldn't understand Paula's reasoning! Why, Paula, why?! This is not AT ALL what I was hypothesizing! Then the story goes on some more, and she hits you with another twist. I was still too upset about the first one to even enjoy the ending. 

It was like when I read Gone Girl before reading any of Gillian Flynn's other books. The others were still good, but, like.. not as good?

#averagemomreads

Leia

number9dream

Number9Dream is number 11 for the year. This is one of the last few books that I got for my birthday.. in January.

 If there was ever a time for the universe to tell me to read a book it was now. "Number 9" was in the two books I read prior to this. Sure, one of them was David Mitchell which is kind of how he does things, but the other was Truly Madly Guilty.

In this book you're with Eiji the whole time. Is he dreaming, or not? In the beginning it seems clear but then as you go further into the story the lines get blurred. There are symbols throughout that attempt to keep you in sync with reality and keep the dreams differentiated.

"Dreams are shores where the ocean of spirit meets the land of matter. Dreams are beaches were the yet-to-be, the once-were, and the will-never-be may walk awhile with the still-are."

It read more like Black Swan Green than any of his other books. Cloud Atlas and The Bone Clocks are still holding it down as my favorites from him. Worth a read, but not something I would find myself actually recommending to someone?

Inception vibes.
Leia

truly madly guilty

Liane Moriarty strikes again. All of her books are 🔥and this one did not disappoint. 10 out of 24 in the books. Har, har. Hate me I don't care.

Truly Madly Guilty followed a similar rhythm to her other stories. A group of adult friends (or are they) are involved in some major catastrophe that may or may not affect all their futures once the twist is revealed. Typically we don't figure out who is the good girl, who is the bitch, and who is just there to try and throw you off the scent until the end. But I mean really, who actually enjoys figuring it out before the author tells you?

When reading her books, I more often than not find myself relating to multiple character types that Moriarty creates. Usually there is a working/career mom who feels like she is spending too much time on herself or her own needs when she should really be allocating them elsewhere. This time around it was Clementine and a particular passage hit me.

"She murmured sympathetic words of comfort and rocked Holly back and forth while she stared longingly at her cello, sitting quiet and dignified up against her pretend audition chair. No one warned you that having children reduced you right down to some smaller, rudimentary, primitive version of yourself, where your talents and your education and your achievements meant nothing."

While I'm not a professionally trained cellist and while I haven't even begun a career I feel that when I take the steps to try and make something happen there are so many obstacles and feelings from all angles; internally and externally. On the same hand though, I do not feel like a wasted shell of my previous self either. Do I wish that I had this stuff figured out before I became a mom? Sure. But should I be exempt from trying to accomplish my own dreams because I have to help make my offsprings dreams come true? I don't think so.

Regardless this book is a good one to pick up this Summer and I recommend it along with her other works as well. Specifically Big Little Lies (don't watch the mini series on HBO first if you plan on reading it) and The Husband's Secret.



"Like drinking a pink cosmo laced with arsenic." - USA Today.
Leia

black swan green

I've fallen behind again having just finished #9 for the year. Black Swan Green by David Mitchell is a book I've had on my list for over a year ever since reading Cloud Atlas and The Bone Clocks.

The story is about Jason Taylor in his thirteenth year. One of the reviews listed it as the UK version of Catcher in the Rye and I can totally dig it. Catcher in the Rye is one of my favorite books. I even have a tiny hardback copy that I stole from my high school and I might consider it a prized possession. The first thing I have to say is that the issues Jason experiences are more relatable than Holden's since it is set in more recent history, the 80's to be specific. Holden was stuck in the 40's but A) books are supposed to transport you to another time so ultimately it's a non-issue and B) the internal struggles he's faced with are just the same.

 Overall I really, really enjoyed this story but compared to David Mitchell's other works it was not a favorite. I'm hoping that makes sense. If you enjoyed Catcher in the Rye I would recommend giving this story a whirl and head into Kingfisher Meadows and meet Jason Taylor.

There were tons of quotes I loved, but most need the context or characters to be described or explained and felt like it would just ruin it. And all I'm thinking about is the episode of South Park with George R. R. Martin and how he can never finish a story. BUT, this one struck me particularly.

"People'er a nestful of needs. Dull needs, sharp needs, bottomless-pit needs, flash-in-the-pan needs, needs for things you can't hold, needs for things you can."



Read it before Hangman gets ya.
Leia

behind closed doors + thirteen reasons why

Yippie Skippy, picking up like nobodies biznaz. Comin' atcha with books #7 and #8, both of which I've already completed leaving me in the process of debating which of the three unread books I have from my birthday to pick next.

What can I say about this little number? For one, it was absolutely nightmarish. After Gone Girl I was thriller hungry and tried scrounging up every last novel that had a glimmer of the jaw dropping and heart palpitating moments Gillian gave me. This book was published in 2016 after my psycho hunt had ended but luckily Angelique stumbled upon it and let me in on the deets. I think the title and tagline make it clear there is an issue within a marriage that is unknown to anyone else. But boyyyyyyyyyyyyy is it terrifying how different the problem turned out to be. I was uneasy and horrified the entire time and it was only made worse knowing that there are people who have endured something similar. If you are a fan of either Gillian Flynn or Paula Hawkins I highly recommend this book to you. Feel free to badger me if you read it and end up hating it.

My next decision was solely based on the new Netflix series.

This novel went undetected from my radar until I saw the series as a new release on Netflix. Maybe it all dwindles down to me being a glutton for punishment, but when I see people raving about a movie or show and I find out it's roots began as a novel, I absolutely love to give the author credit first. Do I understand that even when they do an amazing job it's never as good as the book? Yes. But hey, they took one book and turned it into a thirteen hour series so I find it hard to believe that any details are going to be ill presented. 

When I added this book onto Goodreads, the first things I read were the first few sentences of the top most rated reviews by other individuals and they were a mix of, "oh my god I loved this story so much! Such a good representation of missed signs" to "wow, I can't believe this book is so popular since it glamorizes teen suicide." Now that I have finished the book I can see both sides. I can see the reviews as coming from someone compassionate towards mental illness and from those that are not. Tonight I finally slip into the film version with Clay and the individuals who tore Hannah Baker down.

Olly-olly-oxen-free!

Leia

everything, everything

Time to play a novel game of catch up now that I'm back at a desk for work! Yes, I'm corny and I hope you all now that I eat that shit up.

#6 for the year and I'm officially behind schedule. Should totally be starting up on #8 but hopefully things should be able to pick up for me shortly. I finished this little number in just a few hours when you consider that I finished it in spurts over two days at work. 

Every now and again I fancy myself a young adult novel and this was a nice, quick, read and it comes out as a movie next month. There are already a few character changes as far as their description in the book but that really looks to be about it from what I can tell in the commercials. One thing that I don't quite like about young adult novels is the sexual side of things. Sure! These are normal things young adults experience but it really gets me creeped out when I think of a grown adult male or female author writing about it. Still worth a read.

"You can do every goddamned thing right, and your life can still turn to shit."

Leia

how the light gets in + the long way home

Making a bit of headway with my books the past few weeks. I started the ninth Inspector Gamache novel, How the Light Gets in, on my flight down to Florida and finished a few days after I got home. While I have enjoyed the entire series so far, this one takes first place for me. A lot of the characters were in turmoil the entire time and there were so many stories that came together and I am so happy that I was able to appreciate every detail due to the fact that I have followed along from these characters inception. 

My favorite (and I think relatable to the current climate in the US) passage in the book:

"Armand Gamache had always held unfashionable beliefs. He believed that light would banish the shadows. That kindness was more powerful than cruelty, and that goodness existed, even in the most desperate places. He believed that evil had its limits. But looking at the young men and women staring at him now, who'd seen something terrible about to happen and had done nothing, Chief Inspector Gamache wondered if he could have been wrong all this time.

Maybe the darkness sometimes won. Maybe evil had no limits."

And now I'm reading The Long Way Home, the tenth installment and my fourth book for the year. If I finished in the next few days I will really be on track with my goal.

The gang is back together (even more-so than before) and they are on the search for a missing villager. Hoping it ends well for everyone.

"Magical." -NPR's Weekend Edition

Leia

the beautiful mystery

Back on track with Chief Inspector Gamache in the New Year! Between Christmas and my birthday I received the last books in the series and I'm excited.

The Beautiful Mystery is the eighth book in the series and my second for the year. I'm excited to be back in Three Pines after taking a trip to the underbelly of our government with Edward Snowden. No Place to Hide had a lot of information that was sometimes hard to swallow; especially knowing that not a lot has really changed since the exposure of Americans being unlawfully spied on.

Hoping to stay on track with my goal this year of yet another 'dismal' goal of twenty-four. It's late in the month but yeah, setting the pace for roughly two books per month!

"A stirring, though-provoking read that satisfies as a mystery, and stands as a powerful literary novel in its own right." -The Globe and Mail

Leia

uganda be kidding me + american babe

In the midst of all my Christmas preparations I tried starting my twenty-third book of 2016. I am happy to say that after I got caught up on things, I was able to zip through Uganda Be Kidding Me in just a few days. Oh, it felt good to be on a roll like that!

My fav quote from the book: I stared at the smaller children with deadness behind my eyes, looked at Shoshanna, and declared, "I just don't get the upside of having kids." She regaled me with her perspective: "Chelsea, sometimes I wake up and Russell [three years old] touches my face and says, 'Mommy, you're beautiful.' I stared at her waiting for her to finish. Then I told her, "That's not enough." and went inside for more hummus.

Ugh, girl, I get you. I feel this way even after having some gremlins of my own! They demand all of your attention, all of the time. It's exhausting. Not one for the wary or for the 'on the fencers'.

My least favorite quote from the book: I looked around for somewhere to sit but there wasn't a chair in sight, so i just fell over on my side in the middle of the road and lay there like a melting snowman. I tried to think of a worse experience I had had in life, and all I could come up with was a James Franco art exhibit.

BACK OFF, BISH. I'll be damned if I didn't put the book down right then and there. Lucky enough though I was actually really enjoying her tales. But, don't get me wrong. The statement has gone unforgiven. Ain't nobody puts my baby in the corner! James, if you're reading this I didn't finish the book, I was just trying to appease Chelsea in case she's reading. *I know, right?*

Next up, for my final book of the year is American Babe; the third in the Babe trilogy.

I'm halfway through already so I'm somewhat on track to finish by midnight on New Year's Eve.

Love you, hate you, mean it.
Leia