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chaosisafriend's reviews
955 reviews
Adventures of Huckleberry Finn: A Signature Performance by Elijah Wood by Mark Twain
adventurous
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
I think most everyone knows generally what The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is about even if they haven’t read it. Huck runs away to get away from his abusive, alcoholic father. He encounters Jim, a slave who escapes when he overhears his owner talking about possibly selling him. They team up and have many adventures trying to get to freedom. I wanted to read Huck Finn first before I read James by Percival Everett, which is a retelling of the story from Jim’s side.
I can’t decide if this book is racist or not. From what I read about the book after I finished it, I’m not the only one. As the book goes on, Huck starts to rethink the morality of slavery, but he doesn’t go as far to outright condemn it. Jim is portrayed as not very smart and the way Twain writes his speech is almost incomprehensible. That’s one of the reasons I switched to the audio book – I couldn’t understand most of Jim’s dialogue. I have a hard time believing slaves really spoke that way but of course, I didn’t live way back then. I can see that Huck’s views on slavery were probably progressive for that time period, but they aren’t by today’s standards.
I’m glad I read Huck Finn because I think it enhanced my experience reading James. (Review to come soon.) I would recommend reading it if you plan to read James, although it’s not strictly necessary. If you plan on reading it, I highly recommend the audiobook version that’s narrated by Elijah Woods.
You Never Know: A Memoir by Tom Selleck
informative
slow-paced
3.0
I think most everyone is familiar with Tom Selleck’s work. He’s most known for playing Magnum on Magnum PI. His memoir starts with a brief overview of his early years. He played basketball for USC, which I didn’t know. Then he was in a couple of Westerns and a lot of failed pilots before he was finally offered Magnum PI, which he calls Magnum because he thinks the PI part is dumb and fought against it being part of the title.
He then goes into agonizing detail about what seemed like every episode of Magnum PI. I slogged through that, eager to get to the part where he discusses playing Monica’s boyfriend on Friends. It never came! There is a little bit about Three Men and a Baby, which he filmed during his time on Magnum and then it jumps ahead to the epilogue, which is about him working on his ranch and briefly mentions Blue Bloods, his current show, which has been on for 14 seasons. Thank God he didn’t go into an episode-by-episode recap of that.
He’s a very private person and there is almost nothing about his personal life in the book, which is okay. I love tell-alls but I’m happy to read about the entertainment industry and how it works. Which is why I wanted know what it was like when he was on Friends!
I would only recommend this book to a die-hard Magnum PI fan. If you’re not, this book is a little tedious and boring. Sorry Tom!
After Life by Gayle Forman
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Amber rides her bike home from school everyday but today when she arrives home, her mother sees her and screams. Why? Seven years ago, Amber died in a hit and run accident while riding the very bike she rode home today.
Amber doesn’t know how or why she has returned from the dead and neither does anyone else. In coming back, Amber is able to see how both her life and her death impacted her loved ones. Even people she’s never met are affected. Everyone is grieving her death in their own way. Some are managing better than others.
After Life is about grief, regrets, family and sisterhood. It jumps around in time from the events leading up to Amber’s return, going back as far as when her parents met. The central relationship is Amber and her younger sister Missy. I love books where the story unravels in such a way that seemly unconnected people and events actually do connect, and this is one of those books.
After Life is a YA novel intended for high schoolers, but adults will enjoy it as well. It’s a quick read with good pacing and can easily be read in day. Recommended.
The Weight of Blood by Tiffany D. Jackson
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
The Weight of Blood is Tiffany D. Jackson’s homage to Stephen King’s Carrie. As such, I thought it was masterfully written. Our main character is Maddy, a biracial girl whose father is forcing her to pass as white. He diligently straightens her hair with a hot comb to keep up the ruse. Maddy is careful to avoid water, because getting her hair wet would expose her. One day, she is outside during PE class and it suddenly starts raining. Her secret is out.
Maddy has always been the weird girl, and this just adds fuel to the fire. Her classmates immediately start bullying her. A video of the bullying goes viral online. Maddy’s classmate Wendy, a popular white girl, convinces her friends to help her organize an integrated prom to make the school look better. Yes, this school, in 2014 has separate prom’s for Black and white students. Wendy convinces her Black football star boyfriend to invite Maddy to the “everyone prom” in an attempt to atone for her part in how Maddy has been treated. Not everyone is happy to have an integrated prom, and this is where the trouble really starts.
I was impressed with how Jackson was able to tell an insightful story about racism, both overt and systemic, while still keeping the fundamental essence of Carrie. Her creativity is amazing. Halfway through reading this book, I learned that it’s a YA novel. I never would have guessed although it is a book that teenagers absolutely should read. It’s highly entertaining while also making important points.
Highly, highly recommended.
Jaws by Peter Benchley
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This year marks the 50th anniversary of the publication of Jaws. Almost everyone has seen or at least heard of the movie but most of the people I told that I was reading Jaws didn’t know that the movie is an adaptation of the novel.
2024 marked the 50th anniversary of the publication of Jaws. Almost everyone has seen or at least heard of the movie but most of the people I told that I was reading Jaws didn’t know that the movie is an adaptation of the novel.
After reading the book, I watched the movie for the first time. I was surprised at how different the movie is from the book. The premise is the same – a great white shark terrorizes Amity’s beach and kills people. The police chief wants to close the beach, but the town leadership is afraid that will affect Amity’s economy, which is almost entirely based on the summer vacationers, and a group of men go out to sea to try and kill it. Almost none of the details are the same within this premise.
The movie is considered to be the first blockbuster action film and is entirely plot driven. Most characters in the book are developed and have back stories. The police chief’s wife has a detailed subplot in the book and is just a stock concerned wife and mother in the movie. Also, in the book the town leaders had a more complicated motive for wanting the beaches to stay open,
I liked both the book and the movie – but of course thought the book was better! I would consider the movie to be more “inspired by” the book rather than based on it. Keep that in mind before you read the book, and you’ll like it. Recommended.
The Wedding Game by Meghan Quinn
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
4.0
The Wedding Game is a reality TV show where a couple, along with a family member, compete to see who can plan the best DIY wedding. The winner gets a penthouse in NYC.
Luna Rossi is a crafting expert, with her own YouTube channel and everything. She convinces her brother and his future husband to compete in the contest with her by their side.
Alec Baxter is a bitter divorce attorney who’s grown apart from his younger brother Thad. When Thad asks him to compete with him and his fiancé as a way of becoming close again, Alec begrudgingly agrees.
Luna and Alec get off to a rocky start when he mistakes her for a PA on the show and rudely demands she get him coffee. After that, it’s game on. Luna was already competitive and now she takes it to the next level. But…of course they can’t help their growing attraction in spite of their first interaction. Should they tell their families? What if they question their loyalty? It’s a tough decision for both of them.
The premise of The Wedding Game is very similar to How My Neighbor Stole Christmas– an enemies to lovers romance involving a competition. The Wedding Game came first but How My Neighbor Stole Christmas is better. I still liked The Wedding Game but it didn’t have the same sharp, witty banter as How My Neighbor Stole Christmas, which is what I was hoping for. However, The Wedding Game did have some moments that had me laughing out loud. Most of them involved Farrah, Luna’s best friend. I loved her.
Overall, The Wedding Game was cute, and I do plan on reading more of the over 70 (!) books Meghan Quinn has written. Recommended.
Beyond the Gender Binary by Alok Vaid-Menon
informative
fast-paced
5.0
Beyond the Gender Binary is a pocket-sized book that seeks to educate people about gender and the fact that gender is not black and white. There are other ways of identifying other than strictly male or female, like non-binary or gender nonconforming. This book speaks generally to the issues all of these people face and the author also recounts some of their personal experiences related to the issue. They clear up a lot misconceptions and lies about people in their community.
Beyond the Gender Binary is the perfect beginners guide to the complex world of gender identity. Highly recommended.
Beyond the Gender Binary is the perfect beginners guide to the complex world of gender identity. Highly recommended.
The Deal of a Lifetime by Fredrik Backman
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
The Deal of a Lifetime is a short story written by Fredrik Backman. A man who’s always been rich, selfish and a terrible father finds himself in the hospital in a room next to a five-year old girl who has cancer and is wise beyond her years. A mysterious woman visits the man in the hospital and gives him the chance to make the deal of a lifetime.
A Deal of a Lifetime was both heartbreaking and heartwarming. It was the perfect little winter story to end 2024.