shellballenger's reviews
496 reviews

Type of read: Commuter Read.

What made me pick it up: I grew up watching Thompson on All That and I think I was looking for a redeeming celebrity memoir to block out some of the past, not-so-successful or engaging memories I've read this year.

Overall rating: 'When I Was Your Age' is delightfully superficial. You're not getting anything super crazy or controversial with Thompson, they are still very much in the Hollywood spotlight and maintaining a career in front of the camera, but you do get some cute, fun, behind-the-scenes stories about what makes the actor who they are. Don't get me wrong, there are serious moments within the pages too, but I saw it as very much a rose-colored glasses, coffee talk style, recollection of all the things that have made Thompson who they are. Overall, not a bad read but you're definitely getting fluff. 

Type of read: Commuter Read.

What made me pick it up: It's Michael J. Fox. Need I say more?

Overall rating: A big thank you to Fox for sharing their experiences, memories, and musings with us readers. As someone who has a family member with PD and has seen how this disease worms its way into every part of life, every decision you make, I enjoyed listening to how Fox has taken everything on and not allowed, or at least tried to not allow, PD to be a deciding factor to their happiness but I did find that I needed to pace myself. This is not a bingeable book, at least not in the audio format.

'No Time Like the Future' is not one of my favorite memoirs that I've read. I do feel like someone was like 'Hey Michael, you should write a memoir!' and they just decided to write a stream of word vomit and personal thoughts on a life lived and a life worth living. 'No Time Like The Future' is not a straight-through storyline. While there's continuity because it's all about Fox and their life/experiences, and they do somewhat follow a linear move from past to present, this isn't a chapter-to-chapter story going through a specific timeline.

Reader's Note: If you choose to read it as an audiobook (which I did) it is narrated by the author. I found I needed to slow my typical reading speed down (normally a 1.75 girly) to a "normal" 1.00 speed due to the tone, intonation, and flow of Fox's narration.

Type of read: Commuter Read.

What made me pick it up: I was looking through available audiobooks at my local library and 'Women Talking' was included. The description had me incredibly intrigued and I borrowed it right away.

Overall rating: You need to go into 'Women Talking' in the right mindset. It's not a book for everyone - the format alone could drive someone bonkers - but I think it tells an important story. For those reviewers who don't like that the story is told from the perspective of a man, I would urge you to understand why it's being told that way. I believe Toews knew what they were doing when they picked that point of view and used it as a way to further share the inequities of the women included in the book.

If you open 'Women Talking' and expect a riveting, page-turner of a book, you're going to be disappointed. If you open it expecting to hear the story of the women, from a historical fiction perspective, you're in the right spot. The discussion the women have is a cold, nearly emotionless look at how they are supposed to move on in life, protecting themselves and their children, while maintaining their religion and being true to the God they have decided to follow.

Taking format and context into consideration, I would recommend 'Women Talking' but only to select readers and with the caveat that it's more of an educational than an enjoyable read.

Reader's Note: 'Women Talking' includes themes of sexual abuse, religion, and child pregnancy.

Type of read: Commuter Read.

What made me pick it up: I stumbled across the Black Dagger Brotherhood in early 2024 with Darius (Book 0) and I got sucked into this crazy, cracked-out, sexy, throwback-feeling, world of vampires fighting something more evil than themselves.

Overall rating: I was wondering how Ward was going to make this one make sense, but they did. The way that Ward approached Butch and his relationship with the brotherhood, Marissa, and the general vampire community (i.e. a world where he is essentially always on the out because he's human) does the series justice.

Butch's progression to becoming a vampire doesn't feel like a cop-out, an easy write, or Ward just satisfying what we all want (Butch and Marissa together forever, duh). It actually makes sense with his backstory and how he falls into the vampire world. Plus I'm so happy it's not just a bite on the neck and then done.

One thing that continually amazes me throughout this series is Ward's ability to interconnect the characters and their storylines, building from one book to another. Sure, 'Lover Revealed' is primarily about Butch and Marissa, but we also learn more about John, Vi, Rehv, and the interworkings of the vampire world as a whole (governing, rules, traditions, etc.).

I also thoroughly enjoy seeing what could be the beginning of the next generation of brothers with John and his training class.

Also, I just have to say it, the Scribe Virgin walked so the Suriel could run. 😂

I know I've said it before in previous reviews for this series, but I feel like I just have to say it again, this is just a good escape read. You don't have to think too much about it, you don't have to try and keep things straight (Ward does a great job dropping little reminders at the beginning of each book and throughout so you keep the characters and their traits straight), and you can just dive into a (slightly dated) world of sexy vampire warriors. I'm here for it.

Reader's Note: 'Lover Revealed' includes themes of death; dying; consensual sexual activity; consensual first time sexual activity; violence; torture; rape; murder; and character recollections of physical abuse.

Type of read: Commuter Read.

What made me pick it up: MGK released 'Lonely Road,' I watched the music video, saw Fox, started going through a list of newly available audiobooks at my library, and 'Pretty Boys are Poisonous' popped up. It felt right.

Overall rating: The realness and rawness that Fox uses in their writing is absolutely gutting. I thoroughly enjoyed 'Pretty Boys Are Poisonous and am thankful Fox felt they were at a place where they could share their feelings with the world. I do see the difference from quote unquote traditional poetry structure that some other reviews questioned, and I think it's important to note that poetry doesn't have to fit a specific mold. Poetry, at its core, is about using words artistically to share a feeling.

Reader's Note: 'Pretty Boys are Poisonous' includes themes of physical, mental, and emotional domestic abuse; drug use; sex; alcohol; miscarriage; self-harm; and suicide.

Type of read: Commuter Read.

What made me pick it up: Picoult is a regular on my TBR and I read both 'Where There's Smoke' and 'Larger Than Life' earlier this year.

Overall rating: I'm so happy I read 'Where There's Smoke' and 'Larger Than Life' before getting into 'Leaving Time.' It gives you a good perspective and baseline to the story so you know what you're getting into, especially if you read some of the other reviews and wonder where all the different perspectives, character backgrounds, and supplemental information come from. I won't lie, I know I'm biased when it comes to Picoult's books. Even their worst book would still be incredibly readable in my opinion. But there's something about 'Leaving Time' that scratches a reading itch. You've got love, you've got heartbreak, you've got mystery and intrigue, you've got deception, and an adventure to find answers. I do think there's part of 'Leaving Time' that leans a bit more to the 'The Book of Two Ways' side of their writing than 'A Spark of Light' or 'My Sister's Keeper' side of writing, simply due to the scientific nature of the content and the backgrounds of the characters. That's not to say it's bad, it's just not going to be the style for everyone. I don't think it comes as any surprise that I'd recommend 'Leaving Time,' just with the caveat that while it comes from one of my favorite authors, I don't feel as though it's their best work. Although there were still quite a few times I couldn't stop turning the page!

I'd say the rating is closer to a 3.5 than a 4. And I do think it's important to echo the words of another reviewer, if you're not into elephants and don't want to learn about elephants, this is not the book for you.

Reader's Note:  'Leaving Time' includes themes of domestic physical abuse, mental illness, suicide - including method, infidelity, death, abandonment, and the supernatural.

Type of read: Commuter Read.

What made me pick it up: One of the TN R.E.A.D.s prompts for July is to read a short story or essay collection. 'Oh My Mother!' has been on my TBR list and it seemed like a great time to rent it.

Overall rating:  'Oh My Mother!' is a beautiful look at the relationship between mother and daughter and the different factors - both in and out of the family - that impact that relationship for better or worse. I do think I found a little extra enjoyment with 'Oh My Mother!' because Wang reminisces on their time in Minnesota. As a Minnesota native, I always get extremely nostalgic and feel connected when my beautiful home state is included in a story. As with any of the nonfiction/memoirs I read, my main review is thankfulness that the author chose to tell their story and share the feelings and experiences they remember with us, the reader. 

Type of read: Commuter Read.

What made me pick it up: BookTok made me do it.

Overall rating: I do believe, this might be the one. This is the one that finally does it. 'Icebreaker' is the book that might make me stop listening to all the random recommendations on BookTok.

First, I don't think I'm a sports romance girly. It's just not my vibe. I don't hate it, but everything in 'Icebreaker' was so cliche. If this was romance book bingo, I'd have a blackout by the end of the book. Let's talk about some things I did appreciate about this book though - the consent. We love to see that. It was a little redundant and spelled out, but I appreciate what Grace was doing with the consent piece. I also like the casualness that Grace used when approaching some of the relationships, both sexual and not. It made it feel like a real friend group/college environment.

I think part of my issue with 'Icebreaker' was that the narrators - while great - didn't give me the feel of Nate and Anastasia. Their tone and voices seemed much older and it almost made it weird trying to envision them as sex-crazed, college athletes. The vibe was just off. I hate that I'm comparing it to this, but I think of something like 'Haunting Adeline' where the narrator choice was brilliant. I can picture those narrators as Zane and Adeline. I just didn't feel like the choices for 'Icebreaker' represented who I wanted Nate and Anastasia to be in my mind.

Overall, I can see why there is such hype all over social platforms for 'Icebreaker.' It's steamy, it's lighthearted, it's something that you can almost see yourself in. And honestly, it's very much set in a way that's all about the FMC and what she wants, in and out of the bedroom. There's even some great material to keep in your brain file for certain occasions but none of that can make up for the fact, at least for me, that at its core, 'Icebreaker' is a mediocre, cliche story that doesn't have much going for it past the spice.

Reader's Note: 'Icebreaker' is sexually explicit in an incredibly descriptive, quite literal porn-on-the-page sort of way. There's also general bullying, harassment, and disordered eating (including a lot of calorie talk). 

Type of read: Commuter Read.

What made me pick it up: I was searching my local library for something different from what I have been reading and available immediately. 'Sisters' popped up and the description along with the cover art completely got me.

Overall rating: The way my jaw dropped multiple times during 'Sisters.' I'm still not sure I entirely understand what really happened, but I absolutely loved the way Johnson wove through the words and feelings of July and September and made you question so.many.damn.things throughout this entire book. I think I'll need to read 'Sisters' again, maybe in a tangible version, to really get the full story. If you're looking for a shorter, psychological mind-bender of a read - and aren't queasy - 'Sisters' is for you.

Type of read: Commuter Read.

What made me pick it up: I think I found 'Among the Bros' on a list of top true crime books or new true crime or something similar.

Overall rating: Nonfiction books like 'Among the Bros' always amaze me because, by comparison, I live a completely sheltered and boring life. I always have a hard time rating nonfiction books because I'm usually just happy to have learned something and for the author to have shared their experience or the information they gathered and were passionate about sharing. I don't know if enjoy is the right word, but I did like 'Among the Bros,' it was an interesting look at something - organized crime within the university systems - that I honestly never knew ran so deep. If I were to suggest 'Among the Bros,' I would suggest a printed version. There are a lot of quotes and clips from various individuals, and it is incredibly hard to keep everyone straight.

Especially when you get into the sections where they are talking about the undercover work and codenames.

Reader's Note:   'Among the Bros' includes themes of drug use, distribution, possession, violence, and abuse; sexual harassment and assault including the use of date rape drugs; sex; murder; general violence; use of racial slurs; violent hazing rituals; bullying; and death.