Sunday, August 8, 2021

The Week in Review and Mini Book Reviews - Shoulder Season; Christina Clancy - Everyone in this Room Will Someday Be Dead; Emily Austin and The Stranger Behind You; Carol Goodman

Thank You Deb@ Reader Buzz


We are back to some higher temps and humidity but last week was lovely. The week was flew by in the blink of an eye. Everyday I had something to do. Monday brought the first group yoga class in 17 months for me. The classes meet M-W-F from 9-10:30 a.m. and it was so good to get back.  On Monday many felt a little apprehensive as although it is a very large room, there were about 30 in the class, Wednesday perhaps 25 showed up and Friday around 15 (Fridays are alway light in summer). Half of the class wore masks and it was nice to chat with people I haven't seen since before the pandemic.  Do you know how you know you are had broken her femur in a fall and had surgery and another broke her collar bone in a fall. Needless to say we did lots of balance exercises this week each day some with our eyes closed as well.  

We also managed to walk a couple of days and I also had a doctor's appointment Thursday.  Friday we enjoyed a lovely lunch out and my traditional favorite: a Cosmopolitan to go with my grilled chicken chopped salad. A perfect way to end the week.

How was your week?

READING

I finished a few somewhat disappointing reads but, I have started (2) new books that I am really enjoying. I guess really need to start being more selective.


I was interested in reading Shoulder Season (Christina Clancy) when I read that it took place, at least in part, at the former Playboy Resort in Lake Geneva, WI which closed down in the 1980s.  I had an opportunity to attend a corporate function retreat there in 1995 when it reopened as the Grand Geneva Resort and Spa. Some of the former playboy staff had still worked there when it reopened.  The spa services were fabulous and we had a wonderful time....but I digress.

Shoulder Season was a coming of age story in part, the type of story which I tend to enjoy. The story starts out with Sherri Taylor, as a woman in her 60s and then get to see her life as a young woman. She was barely out of her teens and trying to figure out what to do with her life after her mother dies. When her friend Roberta convinces her to interview for a job as a Bunny at the Playboy Club, Sherri never expects to get the job but she's hired.  Let's just say after all the she went through and was pretty much expected to endure, it's clear that the job of a Bunny isn't the glamorous job some might have expected it to be. 

I thought it was strange how Sherri was referred to as "smart or intelligent", on the contrary, I found her anything but. She makes some really poor choices along the way. I did not care for her character at all but, I still had hope that the story would come around that would make me care more about Sherri in the decades following her "bunny life."  Unfortunately, after all the depressing details of her younger life when her life improved and she had some things to be proud of, it all seem glossed over.  I did like the inside scoop and details a.bout "Bunny life" even though some of it seemed quite trivial.

This audio book was made available by NetGalley and Macmillan Audio in exchange for my unbiased review. The narrator, Karissa Vacker was very good job but, I  just wanted more from the story.


Everyone in this Room Will Someday Be Dead; (Emily Austin) was a book I was drawn to based on the catchy title and the fact that I read it had a lot of "deadpan humor" - which seemed like just my thing.

Gilda is a 27 year old woman suffering from anxiety, depression and panic attacks. She is in a bad way, she's unemployed and in need of mental health services. Gilda is constantly thinking about death, in fact it is pretty much all she can think about. When she learns about free mental health services at the local Catholic church, she decides to find out more. When Gilda shows up, the priest thinks she is there to apply for a job as a receptionist and she is too nervous to correct him. Surprisingly she is offered the job with the church. Can an anxious, death-obsessed lesbian and atheist find a calming place in this world?  It isn't long before she adds to her worries as she wonders whether the older woman who held the job before her might have actually been murdered.

This isn't a really long book but, there is a lot going on in the mind of Gilda that is both concerning and sometimes funny. It's more the way her panicky brain works and thinks. The story line jumps around as her thoughts move from one worry to another with her brain on overdrive. Gilda also worries about others like her younger brother Eli who she feels is in trouble and needs help, yet her parents seem unconvinced.  I liked that there were many people who cared about Gilda even though at times she felt very alone. Clearly in this story Gilda had a lot on her plate and some serious mental health issues, yet the story was written in a fashion meant to be funny. It was not her illness that was funny but her reaction to situations. Sometime it worked other times her short internal train-of-thought ramblings got to be a bit much.

The audio version was made available by Simon & Schuster Audio in exchange for my unbiased review. Audio was read be Emily Tremaine who did a very good job.


The Stranger Behinds You (Carol Goodman) had an interesting premise and good possibility - think #metoo #Gothic. 

Joan Lurie is a journalist who was fired from her job at the Globe after complaining to HR about being accosted by the head of the organization, Casper (Cass) Osgood.  Hired by a competitor, her boss supports her idea about writing a story exposing Osgood, the sexual predator for what he is.  The day the story breaks, Joan is riding high and has even signed a seven figure book deal advance which gets her a penthouse apartment at The Refuge, a Manhattan building which formerly was occupied by the Magdalen laundries run the the Catholic church. In the 1940s it was a place to house fallen young women and a place with a horrific reputation. Joan tries to settle in and write her book but, after being recently attacked on her way home one night and suffering a possible concussion, disturbing things start happening. She isn't sure if her mind and eyes are playing tricks on her and whether her headaches and vision are from the earlier attack. Despite this she never gets checked out by a medical professional. Seriously??

The chapters alternate between Joan's story and Melissa's story (wife of Casper Osgood). Melissa wants both revenge and to find out what Joan knows about her husband's past.   Then there is another person added to the mix.  Lillian is a 90+ year old woman who lives across the hall from Joan. She visits for tea and each time she begins to tell Joan a story from her past and the reason she has become somewhat of a recluse at The Refuge. Are her stories even believable or is there a similar thread to the present day?

This story hooked me early on and  the author did a good job setting up the story: eerie feeling, old building with a dark past, security cameras everywhere and doormen who don't always do as they are supposed to. Sadly and slowly the story began to go downhill. There were several times when I caught myself rolling my eyes with too many implausible events. Once I put this one down it was hard to pick it back up. This was just not the riveting Gothic thriller I had hoped for.

The eGalley was sent to me by Edelweiss and William Morrow in exchange for my unbiased review.

Current Reads

(both very good)


                                                             
Hope everyone has a great week.

36 comments:

  1. Glad to hear you are back to your yoga classes! I'm bummed out to hear the Carol Goodman book wasn't as good as it could be but I may still check it out. I've really enjoyed so many of her other books. And, Claire Fuller is an author I've been hearing a lot about lately so can't wait to hear what you think of this book. Hope you have a great week!

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    1. Hi Iliana, yes, the Goodman book was a disappointment and her previous book did not wow me either so perhaps it's time for me to move on.

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  2. Everyone in this Room sound intriguing. I can relate to that character, lol.
    By the way, thanks for commenting on my Sunday Post. You might also like Michel Bussi's first novel in English, Black Water Lilies, set in and around Monet's Gardens in Givenchy. Excellent. He has a few more in English translation too. I love his books and his plot twists!

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    1. Harvee, thanks for mentioning Bussi's other book that you enjoyed. I added it to my wish list - it does sound good.

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  3. Glad you're having fun with your yoga classes! I've DNF a few books lately. The one I'm listening to now, Midnight At The Blackbird Cafe, might be another on since it's not holding my attention. I'm not that far into it though so it may grab me more as I keep going.

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    1. Vicki, you are not alone with certain books just not holding your attention, same here. I think we need to be more choosy LOL

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  4. It must have felt so good to be back at your yoga class! I'm keeping my fingers crossed that things improve in FL before we get back... I really want the group fitness classes to restart! Your current books sound great. Paper Palace was a page turner for me and I read Claire Fuller's last novel earlier this year. Hope to get to Unsettled Ground in the next few months and will look forward to your review. A Cosmopolitan and grilled chicken salad is the perfect way to kick off the weekend!

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    1. JoAnn, I do hope things improve in FL before you return, so unnecessary that we are dealing with this once again. Nothing like in person exercise classes, so much more motivating.

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  5. I'm happy you have been able to return to yoga. I hope to be able to go to a yoga class of some sort this fall. I will be happy to wear a mask.

    Wow. You really had some disappointing reads. I had high hopes for Everyone in This Room. Thanks for sharing your thoughts. I think I'll cross it off my list.

    I've heard some good things about Paper Palace.

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    1. Deb, I hope your classes resume in fall. Everyone in this Room just rubbed me the wrong way at time. Depression, anxiety and panic attacks are serious issues and there was too many trying to make funny moments.

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  6. Well done on getting back to your yoga class. Slowly we're all returning to normal although other stuff going on in the world is not so encouraging (fires in Greece, war in Afghanistan and so on.) Choosing books is so hit and miss and I sometimes think there are more near misses than hits really. I've had a difficult week, family stuff, hoping for a quieter week this week with a bit more time for reading and blogging.

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    1. I can't deal with too much news and my husband keeps flipping from one new channel to another - life is hard enough at times. I'm trying to be more selective with my book choices this month. We shall see how that goes. I hope this week is better for you and yours.

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  7. I'm hearing good things about Paper Palace.

    It's so good that your yoga class does lots of balance work as that is one of the main things to go as we get older (not that we're old, but we aren't young either) :-)

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    1. Balance is a real problem for many seniors, my husband has had a few falls (nothing broken) but no longer rides a bike outdoors.

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  8. I like your selection of reads and though I cannot get at them now, am making a note of them for some future date.
    Covid news is huge here and I now try to avoid the various dos and don'ts there are so so many of them, it can get confusing.

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    1. Our state is 64% totally vaccinated and 73% with at least one dose so we are doing well and still totally open for business. Although cases are still low they are inching up so I'm concerned.

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  9. Several titles here that interest me. I have to monitor my news intake as well--and balance my reading as well. I need to resume (or try again to resume) my personal yoga practice. Things in our state are not at all good and avoiding those who are determined to avoid vaccination and masks is already difficult.

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    1. Sorry your state isn't doing well for vaccinations. Our state is 64% totally vaccinated and 73% with at least one dose so we are still totally open for business. Although cases are still low they are inching up so I'm concerned.

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  10. I’ve seen a few recommendations for Austin’s book recently.

    Wishing you a great reading week

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    1. I wanted to like it more but I found the humor tough when dealing with a serious issue.

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  11. In Shoulder Season I just didn't buy the quick jump into the present and Sherri's new career. It was so abrupt.

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    1. I know what you mean - I don't think your eGalley was missing pages it's just how it was - disappointing. I was expecting something else entirely. I do hate requesting a book and not liking it.

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  12. I like the sound of all the books you've shared! Shoulder season is a really good title. I agree with you on Everyone in the room will one day be dead (or something like that...) - I would also have picked it just for it's title!

    Have a good week and I hope you will go to yoga again this week!

    Take care of yourself.

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    1. Sorry I'm late in responding, one of those weeks :) Shoulder Season wasn't terrible but the way the author jumps from Bunny life to mature life felt jarring.

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  13. Sounds like a wonderful week! I don't think Shoulder Season is for me and I've heard quite a few meh reviews of The Stranger Behind You which is too bad because it looks like it has a lot of potential. Hope you have a great week!

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    1. Late in responding here but, yes both books were disappointing and Someone Behind You was really even more disappointing than Shoulder Season.

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  14. For me Shoulder Season was good because the setting is so close to me (about an hour away) and I liked knowing where everything occurred - even though I'd never been to the PBC.
    I'm glad you were able to go to the group yoga class. You're right about balance being so important for us as we age. I'm still doing yoga at home with youtube. Thank goodness for being able to do that!

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    1. Mary, I'm that way too when the setting is one near me or an area I am familiar with. I just didn't care for the way the story had an abrupt transition from Bunny to her other life.

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  15. I'm still waiting to get my hands on "Everyone in This Room Will Someday Be Dead," so I appreciate a taste of what it is all about and how it is presented (I requested it based entirely on its title, and that can be a waste of time).

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    1. Sam, it was the title that hooked me as well, but, I just didn't appreciate the humor for some reason.

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  16. Oh, how wonderful to get back to a regular yoga class! I used to go twice a week and really do miss it. Our numbers are skyrocketing right now, so I doubt we'll get a group together for many months, if not until later in 2022. :( I read your reply to another comment about your husband's fall and no longer riding a bike outside. My husband isn't keen on riding again either, after falling, breaking his shoulder and having to have shoulder replacement to repair the break. It was pretty much a year out of his life with the recovery.

    Your lunch and cocktail sound delicious. It's been too hot on our trip to enjoy wine (I don't care for whites), so I've been drinking beer, which is much more refreshing, but also heavier. I should probably just mix up some margaritas. :)

    I finished a great book (Writers & Lovers) and a ho-hum audio (Anxious People) and now my current read/listen selections are pulling me in from the get-go. I'm adding Everyone in This Room... to my audio list. It sounds like one that will make me laugh out loud, if I can ignore the internal ramblings.

    Enjoy the rest of your week, Diane!

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    1. Hi Les, sorry I'm almost a week late in responding, that's how fast the week went. Yes, balance is the first to go with most seniors so exercises like yoga is so important. Yoga is going well - so happy to be back although some of the poses have not been ideal for me knees so I now have a cushy pillow. I don't like red wine only white or blush which is refreshing in summer but I do like cocktails more than wine if I had to pick. I like Anxious People but I read the print, not sure if that made a difference. Have a good weekend.

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  17. My inactivity on the blogosphere meant I was either uninspired or lazy. Or both. Imma have to go with both. Lol. Last week, our province loosened virtually all restrictions so there was a bit of adjustment for us. Though Canada has the highest rate of fully vaccinated people in the world, I'm still not comfortable sharing my space with people. Lol. So yeah, still wearing my mask despite it not being mandatory anymore.

    Anyway, I'm looking forward to visiting your blog again, Diane. I sorely missed it.

    I hope you'll have a great weekend!

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    1. Hey Joy, Welcome back. I'm just catching up on week old comments so that's how my week went LOL Glad Canada is back open, we love out Canadian neighbors:) Our state has 65% fully vaccinated and close to 80% with one vaccine at least. I started wearing masks again indoors in most places. Have a good weekend.

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