Rachel

Quick read, and a good one. These are more like illustrated vignettes, each exploring a complex aspect of a friendship. These reflections and explorations are honest, raw, insightful, and true. There were quite a few moments that felt so familiar to me and the girls I've been friends with throughout my life. This is probably one I will return to.

Sorry, y'all. I couldn't finish this. There was definite potential in the characters and in the story line, but the writing was really tedious for me. When the omniscient narrator wasn't narrating every move, the characters would go ahead and narrate with their own dialogue. Narration upon narration...

Ish. This book was not my jam. Luckily, I was able to “read” it in an afternoon. By “read,” I mean that I skimmed a lot of this book because it felt like the same conversations/thoughts were happening over and over again. I fully recognize that there's only so much two people can do when they're (kind of) snowed in together, but...dang. There's also a subplot that seems mildly intriguing, but doesn't find any significance in the overall plot. If the book had been longer, there's a lot that could have been developed. I will say that the main characters' internal struggles were very real, and that's what kept me skimming until the end.

I've generally really enjoyed Ruth Cardello's books, especially this series, and I was really looking forward to reading a story with David as the love interest. However, this one was a disappointment for me. The tone was so serious, which is surprising, considering the main character starts an online sex toy store – I mean, that's asking for fun and shenanigans. Not only was it weirdly serious, it was also pretty boring, which is a complete departure from the other books in this series. There were also a few moments where David compared interacting with women to handling horses that were pretty appalling. I get that David is a rancher and his occupation might affect how he interacts with the world, but there are better ways to write that than what ended up in this book. Making it through this one was a struggle, and I ended up bailing with about 50 pages left.

I really liked this book for the most part. There were some ableist and body-shaming jokes that really rubbed me the wrong way, but they didn't overpower the story or voice for me. Adored the open-hearted and romantic Mack, and Andie was flawed and hilarious (except for those ableist and body-shamey jokes). Eastern Oregon was an interesting choice for a setting, mostly because I grew up going through through eastern Oregon at least 6 times a year, but I'm glad it's set there. It's unexpected and truly is gorgeous once you get to know it.

Anyway. One and a half thumbs up.

Alright. It's pretty safe to say that I'm a loyal Marina Adair fan at this point, terrible book titles aside. I put off reading this one because I'm averse to holiday tales, the title is pretty awful and the cover makes me cringe. Having said that, I blew through this book in a day and loved every minute of it. shrugs Read if you're into witty banter, meddling blue-haired ladies and stories set in small towns in wine country.

I turn to Marina Adair books in times of crisis, and if the current state of the world today doesn't qualify, I don't know what does.

Terrible title and terrible cover aside, this book is super cute. I adore Harper and Adam – they're both strong characters that complement each other well. Their interactions are A+, and their evolutions as individuals and within the relationship are both so charming and real. The town – especially the geriatric population – is a character to fall in love with as well. As much as I enjoyed this book, it doesn't quite hit the marks that the first two in the series do. I'm not sure what it is, but I still recommend this book and would definitely read it again.

Marina Adair delivers again with a story full of heart and likeable characters in a West Coast small town setting. And lord knows I love a story that revolves around a bakery. I knocked this down to 3 stars rather than 4 because of the pretty terrible caricature of a Latina woman at the beginning. I get what Adair was doing (comedic effect, making an unlikeable character), but there are so many ways to achieve those effects without relying on stereotypes and making fun of accents.

I adored the first book in this series, and so was really excited about this one. It's well-written and the main characters have to deal with situations that are incredibly complex. I appreciated the messiness of both Scarlet's and Bridger's situations, and I was so fascinated to see how Bowen would flesh out Scarlet's in particular. Although there were some strange plot twists that seemed random and didn't really contribute to the progress of the plot or growth of the characters, this was a satisfying read.

If you like the Property Brothers at all, you'll probably enjoy this book. Each chapter is written by one of the brothers with commentary by the other brother in the margins, which is a clever structure that recreates the brothers' banter on their shows. They talk about pivotal highs and heartbreak moments in their lives, from starting a decorative hanger business when they were 6 (!!!) to having to file for bankruptcy and lots in between. It's full of pictures from Jonathan and Drew's childhood and lives, and it's so hilarious to see all the terrible hairstyles they went through. I really geeked out over behind-the-scenes stuff about their shows and the chapters where they talk about their current relationships (I love finding out how couples met).

Having said all that, I'm not sure how to rate this book. If you like/love the Property Brothers, you'll mostly likely love this book. If you don't, you probably won't find much in this book that's interesting. I rated it four stars, because this book is what it is – the story of the Property Brothers with lots of photos, behind-the-scenes tidbits, and their insights into life (which are, surprisingly, very wise).

Too much of the conflict in this book was created by miscommunication or lack of communication in general. I'm not a huge fan of missed connections or any kind of story where the conflict could be avoided with some simple communication. Most of the conflict here could be solved with a few simple, mature conversations. There wasn't any character development that would justify these characters not communicating with each other. Still an entertaining read though.

Molly Ringwald wove an interesting web that centers around a separation. All the characters were written beautifully; they were flawed and human in all of their thoughts and emotions. My favorite was the titular story, “When It Happens To You.” I love how, as a reader, I assumed I was reading a second-person POV story, but it became a direct address. That turn took my breath away, and when I finished, I had to close the book and sit for awhile to think and absorb. I was pleasantly surprised by this book – can't wait for another one from Molly Ringwald.

For the most part, this book was cute. It takes place in the post-Civil War South. The main character, Lottie, needs to get $15,000 fast, so she decides to learn how to play poker. She also decides to ask the best poker player around to teach her. Shenanigans ensue.

I like the premise. I like that slavery is acknowledged, that the love interest fought for the North and that there's a little bit of Lottie working through what it means to own slaves (and when I say “a little bit” I do mean like maybe a paragraph). Lottie's got a lot of verve despite her naïveté, but not a whole lot of street smarts, and that's what really bugs me. She ends up needing to be saved a whole lot, and runs around thinking she's saving others when she's really just complicating things and endangering others. And she doesn't actually learn to play poker that well, but she's everyone's sweetheart, so everyone on the boat (unbeknownst to her) throws the games they play against her so she can make it to the big poker championship in St. Louis.

Overall, though, the story is cute, entertaining, and a quick read (I read the entire thing on a plane ride).

I highly recommend this book, especially if the thought of planning a wedding makes you break out into hives. (Happy hives, of course, but hives, nonetheless.) I was skeptical because of the cover, but this is one of the only wedding planning books that didn't give me a tension headache or assume that my budget started at $10k. There are so many helpful tips, things to consider, rules of etiquette, and general grounding advice (like shifting the focus from all the material things wedding websites say you need, to creating a unique experience that celebrates your love and is a fun time for everyone).

I picked up this cookbook because I love Great British Bake Off and am particularly smitten with Mary Berry. There are lots of recipes in here for tasty treats, along with accompanying photographs of said treats. Instructions seem to be written out fairly clearly, but I can't speak accurately to that because I haven't made anything from this cookbook yet. There is a section at the beginning that serves as a crash course in baking essentials like how to make a shortcrust pastry, making meringues, making sponge cake, etc., which I found really useful. My main complaint is that there are hardly any blurbs to accompany the recipes – nothing about the background or history of each recipe or suggestions for serving or substitutions. Half the fun of cookbooks are the recipe blurbs, and I was really hoping to find some in Mary Berry's trademark voice: extremely proper with a hint of sass. I didn't find much of that here, but still found some good recipes just the same.

Vintage Adair. Since the first book in this series wasn't my favorite, I skipped reading the rest of them. Recently though, I've been craving some unknown-to-me Adair, and the rest of this series was what was available. All the typical Adair stuff is here – the small town charm, the meddling town elders, lovable main characters who are trying to protect their wounded hearts but also take risks to live their lives to the fullest and be the best versions of themselves. I mean... what else is there?

Vintage Adair. This one got a little saccharine for me in places, but all the usual elements are here: a badass heroine who puts her family first and herself second, a love interest who is trying to prove to himself and everyone else that he's over his ex-wife, a town full of well-intentioned meddlers, complicated family dynamics, witty banter, sweetness, vulnerability, charm. It's all there. On a more personal note, I 100% related to the heroine, and cried without shame at the appropriate parts. It's rare that a book in this genre affects me emotionally (I read romance to hide from my feels!), but this one came along at just the right time.

I've been a fan of Klosterman since I read Sex, Drugs, and Cocoa Puffs in college (a solid 10 or 11 years ago). I really loved the way he could take a pop culture artifact, analyze it more than anyone thought it should be, and then somehow loop it into some larger theory on life or society. Plus, his writing made me laugh. I haven't read Klosterman since my 2nd year of grad school, when I had to teach an essay of his, and I haven't gone near a book of his since. A few months ago, I decided to pick him back up again and give him another shot as an older, wiser reader.

This book is divided into three parts: pop culture essays, essays that expounds his theories about various things, and then some fiction at the end. I only read the pop culture essays, most of which have been previously published in other publications like Spin, Rolling Stone, GQ, etc. They were exactly what I expected them to be: funny, sarcastic, and occasionally self-deprecating. Sometimes he takes his subjects seriously (see his essays on Wilco and the Metallica documentary), and sometimes he doesn't (see his pieces on Britney Spears and U2). Even when he takes his subjects seriously, he rarely goes beneath the surface layers of any subject, which might be because all of these pieces were written for magazines or other publications. Each essay is preceded by commentary by Klosterman, where he gives some behind-the-scenes details on the writing of the piece, which sometimes has more insight or depth than the piece itself.

I enjoyed reading the first section of this book. Klosterman is a great writer, a good thinker, and he makes me laugh constantly. However, he can definitely come across as pretentious and sometimes an insufferable music snob/geek (for example, his essay/theory on a specific Led Zepplin album being the birth of metal (which I read a couple paragraphs of and then skipped, because life is too short for me to read an essay that goes, song by song, through an album I've never listened to, and connects it to specific metal songs/albums, all of which I've never heard of in my life)). There were times when I thought, “Jesus, Klosterman. Britney is not a symbol of America or an empty vessel for you to pour meaning into. She's a human being. But you're right, everything she's saying IS bananas.” I chose not to read the last two sections because I'm just not interested in reading his theories or his fiction at this point in time.

Would I recommend this book to anyone? Probably not, unless I had a hunch that you might like Klosterman's writing.

Warning: Spoilers!

I thoroughly enjoyed volumes 1-3 of this series. However, volume 4 jumps the shark a bit for me. The narrative relies on more soap opera-y elements to move forward, and while I love a good soap opera as much as the next gal, this just didn't live up to the complexities of the first two volumes. Lucas making out with Claire out of anger at Zoey just wasn't enough to center an entire half-volume around. Aisha gets mugged in an alley, hits her head, loses consciousness and wakes up thinking she's 14 years old again? The shark has been jumped, my friends.

(Side-note: Things that really upset/irritate me in a book or television series: body switches (see: Buffy, The Vampire Diaries) and temporary and ill-timed amnesia that manages to create a series of unfortunate and cringe-inducing mishaps (see: Aisha Goes Wild).)

This seemed as good a point as any to wrap up the series. I don't know if they're planning on re-publishing the rest of the “Making Out” series in a similar fashion, but I think this was a good stopping point. Every thing gets tied up rather nicely - Claire winds up beautiful and alone (as usual). Jake, having woken up in a cemetery next to a bottle of tequila, is substance-dependent and working out like a maniac (as usual); Zoey has forgiven Lucas and the whole sex debacle has been forgotten (for now). The Passmore parents have reconciled their differences and are moving back in together. Aisha has miraculously recovered from her head trauma in the course of 6 hours and Christopher has believed and forgiven her for the whole weird situation he found her in. Nina and Benjamin (my favorite characters of the whole bunch) will live happily ever after, forever and ever always. The end.