Brandy's bookshelf: the-nerd-daily-2022-challenge en-US Tue, 07 Jan 2025 20:13:47 -0800 60 Brandy's bookshelf: the-nerd-daily-2022-challenge 144 41 /images/layout/goodreads_logo_144.jpg The Midnight Library 56241022
In The Midnight Library, Matt Haig's enchanting blockbuster novel, Nora Seed finds herself faced with this decision. Faced with the possibility of exchanging her life for a different one, following a different career, undoing old breakups, realizing her dreams of becoming a glaciologist, she must search within herself as she travels through the Midnight Library to decide what is truly fulfilling in life, and what makes it worth living in the first place.]]>
304 Matt Haig Brandy 3 4.04 2020 The Midnight Library
author: Matt Haig
name: Brandy
average rating: 4.04
book published: 2020
rating: 3
read at: 2025/01/07
date added: 2025/01/07
shelves: uncorked-2022-book-challenge, gxo-keyword-challenge-2022, elif-the-reader-2022-challenge, stacked-reviews-2022-challenge, modern-gypsy-bingo-2022, the-nerd-daily-2022-challenge, booklist-queen-2022-challenge, 52-book-club-challenge-2022
review:

]]>
The Great Gatsby 4671 The only edition of the beloved classic that is authorized by Fitzgerald’s family and from his lifelong publisher.

This edition is the enduring original text, updated with the author’s own revisions, a foreword by his granddaughter, and with a new introduction by National Book Award winner Jesmyn Ward.

The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald’s third book, stands as the supreme achievement of his career. First published by Scribner in 1925, this quintessential novel of the Jazz Age has been acclaimed by generations of readers. The story of the mysteriously wealthy Jay Gatsby and his love for the beautiful Daisy Buchanan is an exquisitely crafted tale of America in the 1920s.]]>
180 F. Scott Fitzgerald 0743273567 Brandy 5 3.93 1925 The Great Gatsby
author: F. Scott Fitzgerald
name: Brandy
average rating: 3.93
book published: 1925
rating: 5
read at: 2023/03/01
date added: 2023/03/01
shelves: 2022-audiobook-challenge, 52-book-club-challenge-2022, booklist-queen-2022-challenge, uncorked-2022-book-challenge, tea-and-ink-classics-2022, pick-your-poison-2022, the-nerd-daily-2022-challenge, stacked-reviews-2022-challenge, nerdy-bookworm-2022-challenge, 1001-books-scavenger-hunt-2022, modern-gypsy-bingo-2022, four-moons-2022-challenge
review:

]]>
The Maid (Molly the Maid, #1) 55196813
Since Gran died a few months ago, twenty-five-year-old Molly has been navigating life's complexities all by herself. No matter—she throws herself with gusto into her work as a hotel maid. Her unique character, along with her obsessive love of cleaning and proper etiquette, make her an ideal fit for the job. She delights in donning her crisp uniform each morning, stocking her cart with miniature soaps and bottles, and returning guest rooms at the Regency Grand Hotel to a state of perfection.

But Molly's orderly life is upended the day she enters the suite of the infamous and wealthy Charles Black, only to find it in a state of disarray and Mr. Black himself dead in his bed. Before she knows what's happening, Molly's unusual demeanor has the police targeting her as their lead suspect. She quickly finds herself caught in a web of deception, one she has no idea how to untangle. Fortunately for Molly, friends she never knew she had unite with her in a search for clues to what really happened to Mr. Black—but will they be able to find the real killer before it's too late?

A Clue-like, locked-room mystery and a heartwarming journey of the spirit, The Maid explores what it means to be the same as everyone else and yet entirely different—and reveals that all mysteries can be solved through connection to the human heart.]]>
304 Nita Prose 0593356152 Brandy 3
It was kinda boring from start to finish and really hard to get through. Plus the plot felt so elementary/basic and there really wasn’t much mystery there. Like some other reviewers have said, Molly’s actions were inconsistent and she wasn’t that believable as a character.

I really didn’t like the “twist� at the end, and was just generally “meh� on this book.

I am just now discovering it was supposed to be a cozy mystery. It doesn’t read as a cozy to me at all. It also doesn’t read as a thriller or crime story. It honestly felt like it was trying so hard to be so quirky and cutesy it just doesn’t come across as anything specific and doesn’t succeed in any genre. I don’t know if that makes sense.

I really wouldn’t recommend this one. ]]>
3.71 2022 The Maid (Molly the Maid, #1)
author: Nita Prose
name: Brandy
average rating: 3.71
book published: 2022
rating: 3
read at: 2022/03/13
date added: 2022/04/06
shelves: horror-aficionados-alphabet-challen, stacked-reviews-2022-challenge, modern-gypsy-bingo-2022, nerdy-bookworm-2022-challenge, 2022-audiobook-challenge, four-moons-2022-challenge, alphabet-soup-challenge-2022, the-nerd-daily-2022-challenge, booklist-queen-2022-challenge, 52-book-club-challenge-2022
review:
Now that I’ve finished and sat with this, I think I like it even less. I’d say it’s a 2.5 rounded up to 3. I know everyone loves this book, but I’m really not sure why.

It was kinda boring from start to finish and really hard to get through. Plus the plot felt so elementary/basic and there really wasn’t much mystery there. Like some other reviewers have said, Molly’s actions were inconsistent and she wasn’t that believable as a character.

I really didn’t like the “twist� at the end, and was just generally “meh� on this book.

I am just now discovering it was supposed to be a cozy mystery. It doesn’t read as a cozy to me at all. It also doesn’t read as a thriller or crime story. It honestly felt like it was trying so hard to be so quirky and cutesy it just doesn’t come across as anything specific and doesn’t succeed in any genre. I don’t know if that makes sense.

I really wouldn’t recommend this one.
]]>
Lord of the Flies 7624 182 William Golding 0140283331 Brandy 5 3.70 1954 Lord of the Flies
author: William Golding
name: Brandy
average rating: 3.70
book published: 1954
rating: 5
read at: 2022/03/01
date added: 2022/04/06
shelves: this-or-that-2022-challenge, rad-challenge-2022, 2022-audiobook-challenge, nerdy-bookworm-2022-challenge, the-nerd-daily-2022-challenge, horror-aficionados-alphabet-challen, alphabet-soup-challenge-2022, 52-book-club-challenge-2022
review:

]]>
Suburban Hell 60018623
Amy Foster considers herself lucky. After she left the city and moved to the suburbs, she found her place quickly with neighbors Liz, Jess, and Melissa, snarking together from the outskirts of the PTA crowd. One night during their monthly wine get-together, the crew concoct a plan for a clubhouse She Shed in Liz’s backyard—a space for just them, no spouses or kids allowed.

But the night after they christen the She Shed, things start to feel . . . off. They didn’t expect Liz’s little home-improvement project to release a demonic force that turns their quiet enclave into something out of a nightmare. And that’s before the homeowners� association gets wind of it.

Even the calmest moms can’t justify the strange burn marks, self-moving dolls, and horrible smells surrounding their possessed friend, Liz. Together, Amy, Jess, and Melissa must fight the evil spirit to save Liz and the neighborhood . . . before the suburbs go completely to hell.]]>
336 Maureen Kilmer 0593422376 Brandy 5 the-nerd-daily-2022-challenge
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the digital ARC in exchange for my honest opinion. ]]>
3.49 2022 Suburban Hell
author: Maureen Kilmer
name: Brandy
average rating: 3.49
book published: 2022
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2022/04/06
shelves: the-nerd-daily-2022-challenge
review:
I loved this book! It was funny, very creepy in moments, and a wild ride. I loved the main friend squad and the plot was very interesting. Each of the foursome had their own personality, and it felt like I was reading a story about real people. I enjoyed everything about this book and it was hard to put down! I highly recommend it.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the digital ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.
]]>
<![CDATA[The Restart Roadmap: Rewire and Reset Your Career]]> 58429317 208 Jason Tartick 1400226864 Brandy 5
This book was like that. There was so much valuable information, but I didn't feel like I was reading some boring business book filled with jargon. It was relatable, helpful to the everyday reader, and applicable to lots of areas in life. There were a lot of actionable and specific tips and tools. It wasn't just theoretical or fluff. He broke it down and related the ideas and tips to actual situations. The Restart Roadmap really gave me a lot to think about. I plan on buying it when it comes out to have it on hand to review specific sections as needed.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the digital ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review. And thank you, Jason, for writing such an inspiring and helpful book!]]>
3.56 The Restart Roadmap: Rewire and Reset Your Career
author: Jason Tartick
name: Brandy
average rating: 3.56
book published:
rating: 5
read at: 2022/03/07
date added: 2022/04/06
shelves: stacked-reviews-2022-challenge, the-nerd-daily-2022-challenge
review:
Like many who will read this book, I know Jason Tartick from his time on The Bachelorette. He is absolutely one of my favorite people who has ever been on this reality franchise. I wanted to read this book due to that, but also because I have loved the videos I have seen from him regarding finance, business, and the stock market. He knows how to break it down for people like me, who don't live in that world but want to learn more.

This book was like that. There was so much valuable information, but I didn't feel like I was reading some boring business book filled with jargon. It was relatable, helpful to the everyday reader, and applicable to lots of areas in life. There were a lot of actionable and specific tips and tools. It wasn't just theoretical or fluff. He broke it down and related the ideas and tips to actual situations. The Restart Roadmap really gave me a lot to think about. I plan on buying it when it comes out to have it on hand to review specific sections as needed.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the digital ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review. And thank you, Jason, for writing such an inspiring and helpful book!
]]>
<![CDATA[The Radium Girls: The Dark Story of America’s Shining Women]]> 31409135 The incredible true story of the women who fought America's Undark danger

The Curies' newly discovered element of radium makes gleaming headlines across the nation as the fresh face of beauty, and wonder drug of the medical community. From body lotion to tonic water, the popular new element shines bright in the otherwise dark years of the First World War.

Meanwhile, hundreds of girls toil amidst the glowing dust of the radium-dial factories. The glittering chemical covers their bodies from head to toe; they light up the night like industrious fireflies. With such a coveted job, these "shining girls" are the luckiest alive—until they begin to fall mysteriously ill.

But the factories that once offered golden opportunities are now ignoring all claims of the gruesome side effects, and the women's cries of corruption. And as the fatal poison of the radium takes hold, the brave shining girls find themselves embroiled in one of the biggest scandals of America's early 20th century, and in a groundbreaking battle for workers' rights that will echo for centuries to come.

Written with a sparkling voice and breakneck pace, The Radium Girls fully illuminates the inspiring young women exposed to the "wonder" substance of radium, and their awe-inspiring strength in the face of almost impossible circumstances. Their courage and tenacity led to life-changing regulations, research into nuclear bombing, and ultimately saved hundreds of thousands of lives.

]]>
479 Kate Moore 149264935X Brandy 2 4.13 2016 The Radium Girls: The Dark Story of America’s Shining Women
author: Kate Moore
name: Brandy
average rating: 4.13
book published: 2016
rating: 2
read at: 2022/02/17
date added: 2022/04/06
shelves: decades-2022-challege, out-of-comfort-zone-2022, pick-your-poison-2022, 2022-audiobook-challenge, nerdy-bookworm-2022-challenge, the-nerd-daily-2022-challenge, book-riot-read-harder-2022, booklist-queen-2022-challenge, popsugar-2022-book-challenge, 52-book-club-challenge-2022, four-moons-2022-challenge
review:
I feel like a jerk for giving this 2 stars. But it really should’ve been half as long as it was. I didn’t know about the dial painters or the radium craze of the 1920s, so I appreciated learning more about that and hearing these stories. They so need to be told! But it was a lot of info and too many names and a lot to keep up with, so it was hard to get to know any of the girls. I think it should have been shorter, more in-depth and only focused on a main few girls. It started to get super repetitive and I felt like I’d been listening to this for weeks. I felt like I was slogging through it. I’m about 2/3 of the way through and I’m not sure I can finish it.
]]>
Ethan Frome 5246
Ethan Frome works his unproductive farm and struggles to maintain a bearable existence with his difficult, suspicious and hypochondriac wife, Zeena. But when Zeena's vivacious cousin enters their household as a hired girl, Ethan finds himself obsessed with her and with the possibilities for happiness she comes to represent.

In one of American fiction's finest and most intense narratives, Edith Wharton moves this ill-starred trio toward their tragic destinies. Different in both tone and theme from Wharton's other works, Ethan Frome has become perhaps her most enduring and most widely read book.]]>
99 Edith Wharton Brandy 5 3.42 1911 Ethan Frome
author: Edith Wharton
name: Brandy
average rating: 3.42
book published: 1911
rating: 5
read at: 2022/02/24
date added: 2022/03/01
shelves: 1001-books-scavenger-hunt-2022, the-nerd-daily-2022-challenge, alphabet-soup-challenge-2022, 52-book-club-challenge-2022, horror-aficionados-alphabet-challen
review:
I feel like this book gets a lot of unfair hate. I remember liking this book in high school, so I just reread it and still really enjoyed it. It’s a tragedy of course, but it’s a good length, doesn’t drag, and is a solid story, in my opinion. I still need to read her other stories�
]]>
The Cousins 49757149
Their parents are all clear on one point—not going is not an option. This could be the opportunity to get back into Grandmother's good graces. But when the cousins arrive on the island, it's immediately clear that she has different plans for them. And the longer they stay, the more they realize how mysterious—and dark—their family's past is.

The entire Story family has secrets. Whatever pulled them apart years ago isn't over—and this summer, the cousins will learn everything.]]>
337 Karen M. McManus 0525708014 Brandy 4 3.76 2020 The Cousins
author: Karen M. McManus
name: Brandy
average rating: 3.76
book published: 2020
rating: 4
read at: 2022/02/25
date added: 2022/03/01
shelves: pick-your-poison-2022, four-moons-2022-challenge, 2022-audiobook-challenge, nerdy-bookworm-2022-challenge, the-nerd-daily-2022-challenge, alphabet-soup-challenge-2022, booklist-queen-2022-challenge, horror-aficionados-alphabet-challen
review:

]]>
<![CDATA[Born a Crime: Stories From a South African Childhood]]> 29780253
Trevor Noah’s unlikely path from apartheid South Africa to the desk of The Daily Show began with a criminal act: his birth. Trevor was born to a white Swiss father and a black Xhosa mother at a time when such a union was punishable by five years in prison. Living proof of his parents� indiscretion, Trevor was kept mostly indoors for the earliest years of his life, bound by the extreme and often absurd measures his mother took to hide him from a government that could, at any moment, steal him away. Finally liberated by the end of South Africa’s tyrannical white rule, Trevor and his mother set forth on a grand adventure, living openly and freely and embracing the opportunities won by a centuries-long struggle.

Born a Crime is the story of a mischievous young boy who grows into a restless young man as he struggles to find himself in a world where he was never supposed to exist. It is also the story of that young man’s relationship with his fearless, rebellious, and fervently religious mother—his teammate, a woman determined to save her son from the cycle of poverty, violence, and abuse that would ultimately threaten her own life.]]>
289 Trevor Noah 0385689225 Brandy 5 4.48 2016 Born a Crime: Stories From a South African Childhood
author: Trevor Noah
name: Brandy
average rating: 4.48
book published: 2016
rating: 5
read at: 2022/02/24
date added: 2022/03/01
shelves: rad-challenge-2022, 2022-audiobook-challenge, elif-the-reader-2022-challenge, stacked-reviews-2022-challenge, nerdy-bookworm-2022-challenge, the-nerd-daily-2022-challenge, alphabet-soup-challenge-2022, uncorked-2022-book-challenge, booklist-queen-2022-challenge, 52-book-club-challenge-2022, horror-aficionados-alphabet-challen
review:

]]>
<![CDATA[The First Two Lives of Lukas-Kasha]]> 1569400
To his astonishment, Lukas is hailed King of Abadan by those who find him. But his life in the palace is endangered by rivals who threaten to overthrow him. Running for his life, Lukas takes off with the court astrologer, a hot-tempered slave girl, and a poet. Not in his wildest dreams could Lukas have imagined this strange turn of events. And the adventure is just beginning…]]>
213 Lloyd Alexander 0440427843 Brandy 4 3.76 1978 The First Two Lives of Lukas-Kasha
author: Lloyd Alexander
name: Brandy
average rating: 3.76
book published: 1978
rating: 4
read at: 2022/02/05
date added: 2022/02/28
shelves: the-clock-challenge-2022, alphabet-soup-challenge-2022, horror-aficionados-alphabet-challen, four-moons-2022-challenge, stacked-reviews-2022-challenge, modern-gypsy-bingo-2022, nerdy-bookworm-2022-challenge, the-nerd-daily-2022-challenge, booklist-queen-2022-challenge, 52-book-club-challenge-2022
review:

]]>
<![CDATA[Real Murders (Aurora Teagarden, #1)]]> 140091 En el club Real Murders les gustaba hablar de asesinatos, hasta que se volvieron reales...

La bibliotecaria Aurora Teagarden pertenece al club Real Murders, que se reĂşne una vez al mes para charlar sobre asesinatos famosos.

Parece un pasatiempo inofensivo, hasta que uno de los miembros es asesinado de una manera sospechosamente parecida al crimen del que iban a hablar esa misma noche. Y no será el único cadáver?

Aurora aunará fuerzas con el apuesto detective Arthur Smith y el galante novelista de misterio Robin Crusoe para cazar al asesino. Un asesino que bien podría ser uno de sus propios amigos?

Ěý

Charlaine Harris, autora superventas de True Blood, presenta la serie Los misterios de Aurora Teagarden, ahora también en películas en Prime Video]]>
175 Charlaine Harris 0802757693 Brandy 4 3.68 1990 Real Murders (Aurora Teagarden, #1)
author: Charlaine Harris
name: Brandy
average rating: 3.68
book published: 1990
rating: 4
read at: 2022/02/01
date added: 2022/02/28
shelves: craving-for-cozies-challenge-2022, cruisin-thru-the-cozies-2022, alphabet-soup-challenge-2022, horror-aficionados-alphabet-challen, nerdy-bookworm-2022-challenge, the-nerd-daily-2022-challenge, booklist-queen-2022-challenge, 52-book-club-challenge-2022
review:

]]>
<![CDATA[One of Us Is Lying (One of Us is Lying, #1)]]> 58679358 On Monday afternoon, five students at Bayview High walk into detention.
Bronwyn, the brain, is Yale-bound and never breaks a rule.
Addy, the beauty, is the picture-perfect homecoming princess.
Nate, the criminal, is already on probation for dealing.
Cooper, the athlete, is the all-star baseball pitcher.
And Simon, the outcast, is the creator of Bayview High's notorious gossip app.

Only, Simon never makes it out of that classroom. Before the end of detention Simon's dead. And according to investigators, his death wasn't an accident. On Monday, he died. But on Tuesday, he'd planned to post juicy reveals about all four of his high-profile classmates, which makes all four of them suspects in his murder. Or are they the perfect patsies for a killer who's still on the loose?

Everyone has secrets, right? What really matters is how far you would go to protect them.]]>
416 Karen M. McManus 0593565371 Brandy 4 3.87 2017 One of Us Is Lying (One of Us is Lying, #1)
author: Karen M. McManus
name: Brandy
average rating: 3.87
book published: 2017
rating: 4
read at: 2022/02/23
date added: 2022/02/28
shelves: alphabet-soup-challenge-2022, horror-aficionados-alphabet-challen, four-moons-2022-challenge, the-clock-challenge-2022, 2022-audiobook-challenge, elif-the-reader-2022-challenge, stacked-reviews-2022-challenge, nerdy-bookworm-2022-challenge, the-nerd-daily-2022-challenge, book-riot-read-harder-2022, booklist-queen-2022-challenge, popsugar-2022-book-challenge
review:

]]>
<![CDATA[Delicious and Suspicious (A Memphis BBQ Mystery, #1)]]> 7694190
Named in honor of Lulu Taylor's great aunt, Aunt Pat's family-run Memphis restaurant is known for its ribs and spicy cornbread. But now the Taylor family will be known for murder...

Rebecca Adrian came to Memphis to suss out the best local BBQ for a prominent Cooking Channel Show. Trouble is, a mystery ingredient has killed her-and now all fingers are pointing to Aunt Pat's restaurant. Horrified that her family is being accused of murder, Lulu fires up her investigative skills to solve the crime before someone else gets skewered.]]>
278 Riley Adams 042523553X Brandy 3
My main issue is that it was kinda boring at first and took me way too long to get into it. The last third went by faster and was twisty. I wish the whole book had gone like that, but I felt I had to force myself to read it for the first half or so.

I did end up liking it ok, but it wasn’t that memorable. I probably won’t read the next one in the series. ]]>
3.39 2010 Delicious and Suspicious (A Memphis BBQ Mystery, #1)
author: Riley Adams
name: Brandy
average rating: 3.39
book published: 2010
rating: 3
read at: 2022/02/11
date added: 2022/02/28
shelves: craving-for-cozies-challenge-2022, cruisin-thru-the-cozies-2022, rad-challenge-2022, alphabet-soup-challenge-2022, horror-aficionados-alphabet-challen, pick-your-poison-2022, four-moons-2022-challenge, elif-the-reader-2022-challenge, nerdy-bookworm-2022-challenge, the-nerd-daily-2022-challenge, uncorked-2022-book-challenge, booklist-queen-2022-challenge, popsugar-2022-book-challenge
review:
I’ve lived in Memphis my entire life, and I have to say, this didn’t feel entirely authentic and had a lot of stereotypes. It was nice to read about the Peabody and Beale, which are both a couple blocks from my apartment. It was cool to have a book set where I live, which was probably my fave part about reading this.

My main issue is that it was kinda boring at first and took me way too long to get into it. The last third went by faster and was twisty. I wish the whole book had gone like that, but I felt I had to force myself to read it for the first half or so.

I did end up liking it ok, but it wasn’t that memorable. I probably won’t read the next one in the series.
]]>
The Night Shift 57693427
Fifteen years later, in the same town, four teenage employees working late at an ice cream store are attacked, and again only one makes it out alive.

Both surviving victims recall the killer speaking only a few final words... “Goodnight, pretty girl.�

In the aftermath, three lives intersect: the survivor of the Blockbuster massacre who’s forced to relive her tragedy; the brother of the original suspect, who’s convinced the police have it wrong; and the FBI agent, who’s determined to solve both cases. On a collision course toward the truth, all three lives will forever be changed, and not everyone will make it out alive.

Twisty, poignant, and redemptive, The Night Shift is a story about the legacy of trauma and how the broken can come out on the other side, and it solidifies Alex Finlay as one of the new leading voices in the world of thrillers.]]>
312 Alex Finlay 1250268885 Brandy 5
I loved that the chapters were short and alternated between a few characters' POVs. It built suspense, kept it fast-paced, and showed various facets of this case and how it impacted so many lives. The plot was twisty but made total sense by the end.

The Night Shift is absolutely riveting, and I HIGHLY recommend it.

Special thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press/Minotaur Books for sharing this ARC with me in exchange for my honest review.]]>
3.87 2022 The Night Shift
author: Alex Finlay
name: Brandy
average rating: 3.87
book published: 2022
rating: 5
read at: 2022/02/23
date added: 2022/02/28
shelves: alphabet-soup-challenge-2022, horror-aficionados-alphabet-challen, pick-your-poison-2022, four-moons-2022-challenge, modern-gypsy-bingo-2022, nerdy-bookworm-2022-challenge, the-nerd-daily-2022-challenge
review:
Wow, this is the best thing I have read in a while. I DEVOURED this book. It sucks you in from the first page and keeps you hooked until the very last. It starts with the Blockbuster murders in 1999 and fast forwards 15 years later to the ice cream shop murders. Could the same suspect be responsible for both, or could it be a copycat killer?

I loved that the chapters were short and alternated between a few characters' POVs. It built suspense, kept it fast-paced, and showed various facets of this case and how it impacted so many lives. The plot was twisty but made total sense by the end.

The Night Shift is absolutely riveting, and I HIGHLY recommend it.

Special thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press/Minotaur Books for sharing this ARC with me in exchange for my honest review.
]]>
<![CDATA[Welcome to Dead House (Goosebumps, #1)]]> 125553
Because they want to be friends...

...Forever.]]>
160 R.L. Stine 0439568471 Brandy 4 3.86 1992 Welcome to Dead House (Goosebumps, #1)
author: R.L. Stine
name: Brandy
average rating: 3.86
book published: 1992
rating: 4
read at: 2022/02/23
date added: 2022/02/28
shelves: four-moons-2022-challenge, elif-the-reader-2022-challenge, the-nerd-daily-2022-challenge
review:

]]>
<![CDATA[The 39 Steps (Richard Hannay, #1)]]> 153492 100 John Buchan 1419151126 Brandy 4 3.62 1915 The 39 Steps (Richard Hannay, #1)
author: John Buchan
name: Brandy
average rating: 3.62
book published: 1915
rating: 4
read at: 2022/01/25
date added: 2022/02/28
shelves: decades-2022-challege, alphabet-soup-challenge-2022, out-of-comfort-zone-2022, rad-challenge-2022, 52-book-club-challenge-2022, elif-the-reader-2022-challenge, booklist-queen-2022-challenge, four-moons-2022-challenge, tea-and-ink-classics-2022, pick-your-poison-2022, the-nerd-daily-2022-challenge, popsugar-2022-book-challenge, nerdy-bookworm-2022-challenge, horror-aficionados-alphabet-challen, stacked-reviews-2022-challenge
review:

]]>
The Grownup 26025580
“The Grownup,� originally appeared as “What Do You Do?� in George R. R. Martin’s Rogues anthology.]]>
64 Gillian Flynn 0804188971 Brandy 3 3.55 2014 The Grownup
author: Gillian Flynn
name: Brandy
average rating: 3.55
book published: 2014
rating: 3
read at: 2022/01/15
date added: 2022/02/24
shelves: 52-book-club-challenge-2022, alphabet-soup-challenge-2022, popsugar-2022-book-challenge, 2022-audiobook-challenge, booklist-queen-2022-challenge, four-moons-2022-challenge, pick-your-poison-2022, the-nerd-daily-2022-challenge, stacked-reviews-2022-challenge, nerdy-bookworm-2022-challenge, horror-aficionados-alphabet-challen
review:

]]>
<![CDATA[Amazons, Abolitionists, and Activists: A Graphic History of Women's Fight for Their Rights]]> 44071928 A bold and gripping graphic history of the fight for women's rights

The ongoing struggle for women's rights has spanned human history, touched nearly every culture on Earth, and encompassed a wide range of issues, such as the right to vote, work, get an education, own property, exercise bodily autonomy, and beyond. Amazons, Abolitionists, and Activists is a fun and fascinating graphic novel-style primer that covers the key figures and events that have advanced women's rights from antiquity to the modern era. In addition, this compelling book illuminates the stories of notable women throughout history--from queens and freedom fighters to warriors and spies--and the progressive movements led by women that have shaped history, including abolition, suffrage, labor, civil rights, LGBTQ liberation, reproductive rights, and more. Examining where we've been, where we are, and where we're going, Amazons, Abolitionists, and Activists is an indispensable resource for people of all genders interested in the fight for a more liberated future.]]>
208 Mikki Kendall 0399581790 Brandy 3 4.18 2019 Amazons, Abolitionists, and Activists: A Graphic History of Women's Fight for Their Rights
author: Mikki Kendall
name: Brandy
average rating: 4.18
book published: 2019
rating: 3
read at: 2022/01/29
date added: 2022/02/24
shelves: alphabet-soup-challenge-2022, gxo-keyword-challenge-2022, rad-challenge-2022, out-of-comfort-zone-2022, pick-your-poison-2022, 52-book-club-challenge-2022, booklist-queen-2022-challenge, four-moons-2022-challenge, the-nerd-daily-2022-challenge, book-riot-read-harder-2022, modern-gypsy-bingo-2022, nerdy-bookworm-2022-challenge, horror-aficionados-alphabet-challen
review:

]]>
Station Eleven 20170404 An audacious, darkly glittering novel set in the eerie days of civilization’s collapse—the spellbinding story of a Hollywood star, his would-be savior, and a nomadic group of actors roaming the scattered outposts of the Great Lakes region, risking everything for art and humanity.

Kirsten Raymonde will never forget the night Arthur Leander, the famous Hollywood actor, had a heart attack on stage during a production of King Lear. That was the night when a devastating flu pandemic arrived in the city, and within weeks, civilization as we know it came to an end.

Twenty years later, Kirsten moves between the settlements of the altered world with a small troupe of actors and musicians. They call themselves The Traveling Symphony, and they have dedicated themselves to keeping the remnants of art and humanity alive. But when they arrive in St. Deborah by the Water, they encounter a violent prophet who will threaten the tiny band’s existence. And as the story takes off, moving back and forth in time, and vividly depicting life before and after the pandemic, the strange twist of fate that connects them all will be revealed.]]>
333 Emily St. John Mandel 0385353308 Brandy 4 4.05 2014 Station Eleven
author: Emily St. John Mandel
name: Brandy
average rating: 4.05
book published: 2014
rating: 4
read at: 2022/01/09
date added: 2022/02/24
shelves: this-or-that-2022-challenge, 52-book-club-challenge-2022, alphabet-soup-challenge-2022, popsugar-2022-book-challenge, elif-the-reader-2022-challenge, booklist-queen-2022-challenge, four-moons-2022-challenge, pick-your-poison-2022, the-nerd-daily-2022-challenge, nerdy-bookworm-2022-challenge, the-clock-challenge-2022, horror-aficionados-alphabet-challen
review:

]]>
<![CDATA[The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck: A Counterintuitive Approach to Living a Good Life]]> 28257707 Alternate cover edition of ISBN 9780062457738

In this generation-defining self-help guide, a superstar blogger cuts through the crap to show us how to stop trying to be "positive" all the time so that we can truly become better, happier people.

For decades, we’ve been told that positive thinking is the key to a happy, rich life. "F**k positivity," Mark Manson says. "Let’s be honest, shit is f**ked and we have to live with it." In his wildly popular Internet blog, Manson doesn’t sugarcoat or equivocate. He tells it like it is—a dose of raw, refreshing, honest truth that is sorely lacking today. The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F**k is his antidote to the coddling, let’s-all-feel-good mindset that has infected American society and spoiled a generation, rewarding them with gold medals just for showing up.

Manson makes the argument, backed both by academic research and well-timed poop jokes, that improving our lives hinges not on our ability to turn lemons into lemonade, but on learning to stomach lemons better. Human beings are flawed and limited�"not everybody can be extraordinary, there are winners and losers in society, and some of it is not fair or your fault." Manson advises us to get to know our limitations and accept them. Once we embrace our fears, faults, and uncertainties, once we stop running and avoiding and start confronting painful truths, we can begin to find the courage, perseverance, honesty, responsibility, curiosity, and forgiveness we seek.

There are only so many things we can give a f**k about so we need to figure out which ones really matter, Manson makes clear. While money is nice, caring about what you do with your life is better, because true wealth is about experience. A much-needed grab-you-by-the-shoulders-and-look-you-in-the-eye moment of real-talk, filled with entertaining stories and profane, ruthless humor, The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F**k is a refreshing slap for a generation to help them lead contented, grounded lives.]]>
212 Mark Manson Brandy 1 3.87 2016 The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck: A Counterintuitive Approach to Living a Good Life
author: Mark Manson
name: Brandy
average rating: 3.87
book published: 2016
rating: 1
read at: 2022/01/21
date added: 2022/01/31
shelves: 52-book-club-challenge-2022, gxo-motif-challenge-2022, modern-gypsy-bingo-2022, 2022-audiobook-challenge, elif-the-reader-2022-challenge, booklist-queen-2022-challenge, four-moons-2022-challenge, pick-your-poison-2022, the-nerd-daily-2022-challenge, nerdy-bookworm-2022-challenge
review:

]]>