Book Review - Best Possible Place, Worst Possible Time: True Stories from a Career in Hollywood by Barry Sonnenfeld

 

Best Possible Place, Worst Possible Time: True Stories from a Career in Hollywood by Barry Sonnenfeld is a biography about the famous and celebrated director, producer, and cinematographer.  Barry has worked in the industry for over four decades. He has worked on the Men in Black franchise, The Addams Family franchise, Pushing Daises, and RV. He talks about his experiences and projects that he has won and lost.

I have seen Barry’s name, and I am familiar with some of his works. However, I can’t say that I am a fan of his or read his other book, “Barry Sonnenfeld, Call Your Mother”.  So, this book was a new experience for me. I thought the book was an okay read. The first half of the book was overly technical. It might be interesting to those who are interested in learning more about cinematography or the movie process, but for the average person like me, it went over my head.

I liked reading his stories with other celebrities. I found those bits to be entertaining. I also liked reading about his triumphs and failures.  He also talked about the inner workings of the movie industry like how some movies get made before a script is even finalized! There were some parts of the book that I felt were fluff, and didn’t understand why Barry included them and what he was trying to get at. While I thought the book was a good read, I wish the book had come out earlier when some of the movies and TV shows were more recent. Sometimes, I would try to remember a scene that he was referencing, and I couldn’t.

Book Review - Homemade Love by J. California Cooper

 

Homemade Love by J. California Cooper is a collection of fictional short stories. The stories showcase different aspects of love in various relationships and center around the lives of black people.

The book was an entertaining read. It had 13 short stories and could be finished in a day. The stories are written in a conversational style, almost like your best friend is telling you a juicy bit of gossip. The stories are relatable even though the book was written in 1986. It does talk about adult themes, but I do like that it celebrates love, loyalty, and friendship in many various and entertaining forms. I would be open to reading other books by the author.

Book Review - The Guilt Pill by Saumya Dave

 

The Guilt Pill by Saumya Dave is about a new mom, Maya Patel, who struggles with the demands of motherhood, being a wife, and also in the work force.  Maya seems to be having it all. She is the CEO of a thriving start-up, she has a doting husband, and a beautiful newborn. Unfortunately, behind closed doors, her world is falling apart. She had a falling out with her best friend, her company is barely staying afloat, her son isn’t eating enough and it’s all taking a toll on her marriage. Maya feels that she is the reason everything is going wrong. She feels that if she were a better wife, mother, daughter, and boss, everything wouldn’t go wrong. She is struggling to manage feeling guilty all the time.

After a recent TV interview, one of Maya’s idols, Liz Anderson, reaches out to connect. Liz introduces Maya to a new experimental supplement that her company is working on that helps reduce the amount of guilt women feel. Maya is hesitant to try it at first but, after noticing how well the pill works for her self-blame and imposter syndrome, she is hooked. Maya feels that she can finally be the person she always wanted to be.  As Maya starts to feel more empowered, she realizes that she can’t have it all unless she is willing to risk everything she has built for herself.

I was a bit torn on the novel. It was a fast-paced and interesting book, but I thought the ending was a bit weird.  As a person who identifies as a melanated person of color, I thought the author throwing that twist in the ending was a bit odd. I feel like there could have been more to the ending. I did enjoy the book and liked reading how Maya was balancing her life and dealing with the struggles she was facing. I think it’s a relevant book that a lot of working mothers can find themselves relating to. I would be open to reading more books by the author. 

Book Review - Looking at Women Looking at War: A War and Justice Diary by Victoria Amelina

 

Looking at Women Looking at War: A War and Justice Diary by Victoria Amelina is a diary of the author’s experience during the war in Ukraine. When Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24, 2022, Victoria was a published author and an active member of the country’s literary scene. She was in the process of writing a new novel.  After the invasion, Victoria spent her time documenting and researching war crimes and extraordinary women who joined the resistance.

The book was published posthumously after the author had died during the invasion. Hence, there were parts of the books that weren’t finished, and it felt a bit fragmented, understandably so. Unfortunately, we need a book like this, to show the horrors that occur during war. While the book is an important read, I didn’t connect to it. Some of the parts felt like it was jumping around. Some sentences, thoughts, paragraphs, and even chapters were not completed. It was hard for me to understand where Victoria was going with a half-finished thought. It was hard to understand what the point of the book was. It felt like a diary but then a book showcasing other women. I feel like Victoria had started the book planned one way and then switched directions but unfortunately, wasn’t able to complete it.  I stopped reading the book around the halfway point. I believe readers who have more cultural or emotional connection to Ukraine might appreciate the book more than me.

Book Review - The Swindler's Daughter by Stephenia H. McGee

 

The Swindler's Daughter by Stephenia H. McGee is about a young woman, Lillian Doyle, who finds out her father, Lloyd, leaves her a windfall inheritance that can change her life. Lillian has been surrounded by high society with her widowed mother. She believed her father had died years ago. However, when she receives a letter, she finds out that her father had only recently passed away in jail and he left her a business and all his earthly possessions. Lillian is heartbroken by the news and disappointed that her mother lied to her. .

Lillian travels to a small Georgia town to sort out her inheritance. She is dismayed to discover the house she inherited desperately needs repair. When she tries to open the door to her new home, she comes face to face with another woman, Melanie, who claims the house was already promised to her son, Jonah.

Lillian is desperate to sort through the mess so she can go back home to Atlanta. However, while she is sorting out her father’s affairs, she meets a family that she never knew existed. And to add to her troubles, the business that Lloyd left her seems to be dabbling in illegal affairs.  Will Lillian be able to sort through her father’s troubles before it’s too late?

The book was a straightforward and okay read. It didn’t have many twists or turns. It was easy to guess who the main villain(s) were. I thought the book would have a bit more of a mystery aspect to it. Even the title gives away one major spoiler. I have read the author’s other book, “The Secrets of Emberwild”, and I liked this book better. I would be open to reading more books by the author.

Book Review - Happy Place by Emily Henry

 

 

Happy Place by Emily Henry is about a couple who broke up months ago and made a pact to pretend date for their annual weeklong vacation with their best friends in Maine.  Harriet and Wyn had fallen head over heels with each other when they first met. They have been together since they were in college, but they broke up six months ago and have kept it a secret from their best friends and have refused to talk to each other.

On their retreat, they find themselves in their current unfortunate situation of sharing the largest bedroom which also has an open plan for the bathroom area. There is no privacy in the bedroom and nowhere to spend a moment alone.  Both Harriet and Wyn along with their four other best friends, look forward to spending this annual retreat with each other and it’s their chance to unplug and bond with each other.

Since Wyn and Harriet haven’t told their friends the truth about their relationship, they have to lie and pretend that everything is okay and that they are still together. To add salt to the wound, this is their last trip to the cottage as it is going on sale, and it will be the last time they are all together in one place. They don’t want to ruin the last trip for their friends, so they pretend to still be in love.

I heard many great things about this author, and I was kind of disappointed by this book. I felt like it was unnecessarily long and very boring, at times. There were a few funny moments sprinkled in but for most of the book, my eyes just glazed over. None of the characters felt well developed and they were boring. Originally, I had given this book three stars but eventually, I realized that I could have gone without reading this book and I wouldn’t have missed it much. I did enjoy some things in the book but the romance between Wyn and Harriet and the cast of subpar secondary characters wasn’t enough for me to reach for another one of the author’s books.

Book Review - The Whisper Man by Alex North

The Whisper Man by Alex North is about a serial killer who stalks his prey by whispering by their windows, luring them out in the open.  Tom Kennedy feels that he and his young son, Jake, need a new beginning after the sudden death of his wife. They decide to move to a new house and new town, Featherbank, where they can start over.

However, Featherbank has a dark secret and past. Around twenty years ago, a serial killer, Frank Carter, kidnapped and murdered five young boys. He was nicknamed “The Whisper Man," as he would whisper to his victims at night before kidnapping them.

As Tom and Jake start settling into their new home, another young boy disappears. His disappearance is very similar to Frank Carter’s crimes. When Frank was caught decades earlier, there were rumors that he worked with an accomplice.  Detectives Amanda Beck and Pete Willis are assigned to find the missing boy and prevent another child going missing. Pete is desperate to find the truth behind the young disappearance even if it means visiting Frank Carter in prison and asking for help.  Pete and Amanda are running against the clock when Jake starts acting weird and hearing voices outside his window at night.

The book was an interesting read. It had a few twists and turns that were unexpected. The book was an okay read, but it wasn’t a scary thriller. I was expecting a few more creepy elements. I was also expecting more backstory between some of the characters and their motives. At times, I was left wanting more. I did enjoy the book and I would be open to reading more books by the author.

Book Review - The Fox Wife by Yangsze Choo

 

The Fox Wife by Yangsze Choo is about a female fox spirit, Snow, who wants to avenge the death of her child. In 1908, in Manchuria, a courtesan is found frozen to death in the doorway of a prominent restaurant. The shop owner fears that her death is a bad omen especially since rumor has been circling that it is the work of foxes. Foxes are believed to have the ability to trick and lure people into doing their bidding because they transform themselves into beautiful and alluring people.

Bao is an amateur detective that people hire when they want to find people. He has the ability to tell if someone is lying or if they are telling the truth. He was hired by the shopkeeper to find the dead woman’s identity so she could get a proper burial and not haunt his shop. Bao has always been intrigued by fox gods since he was a child. He is excited that he finally might get his chance to meet one now.

Snow is a fox spirit haunted by the death of her child. She is searching for the man responsible for her child’s death. She is traveling from northern China to Japan searching for the truth. Unknowingly on her trail Bao is determined to find out the truth behind the dead woman.

I found the book to be an entertaining read. It was filled with emotion and well-developed characters. While the book was predictable, I still found myself wanting to read what happened to the characters. I loved reading about the fox spirit mythologies, but I just wish the book had a quicker pace. I liked that the book was told from alternating points of view. I would be open to reading more books by the author.