Thursday, January 28, 2021
Book Review: Strange Bedfellows: Adventures in the Science, History, and Surprising Secrets of STDs by Ina Park
Dr. Park specializes in sexually transmitted infections, and over the years it's been a constant in her house, so much that her son was excited when he was told the wart on his knee was HPV and he fights with his sibling over who gets to play with the stuffed animal of chlamydia. But Dr. Park noticed very few people actually talk about STIs and she wants to change that. She's certainly got me talking about them! I was thrilled to learn that crabs are pretty much gone (although sadly, she notes, never appeared on the endangered species list.) And thanks to the new vaccine, HPV is quickly on its way from being the most prevalent STI to the least (and taking cervical cancer along with it!) But of course, the fun stuff was what I was here for. Did you know the merkin first appeared around 1450? And if you don't know what a merkin is, picture a toupee, for your nether regions. Over 3000 people go to the ER every year for pubic grooming injuries. That seems overly high. And there's a terrific story about STD contact tracers in the 1970s getting invited to a swingers party, where it was initially difficult for them to do their work of interviewing the participants, until they too discarded their clothes. At the end of their work, they joined the swingers in the hot tub (nude.)
Naturally, the chapters in the middle of the book on antibiotic-resistant gonorrhea, syphilis, and HIV were not funny at all. However, sandwiched around those were delightfully amusing anecdotes about the latest version of the female condom, getting a Brazilian in Brazil (along with the fun side topic of vajazzling), douches (the original was Lysol. Yep, you could smell pine fresh!), and a researcher gripping a tank of half-frozen gonorrhea samples between his knees on on a harrowing flight from Manila to Hawaii.
If you like armchair science, aren't too easily grossed out, and think we all could do with more frank talk about sexuality and the medical issues that come along with it, this book is for you! Your friends and family should be prepared for some eye brow-raising fun facts along the way.
This book is published by Flatiron Books, a division of Macmillan, my employer.
Tuesday, January 26, 2021
Book Review: Finlay Donovan Is Killing It by Elle Cosimano
While discussing her contract, and her ideas for her next mystery novel, a neighboring patron overhears and misunderstands, particularly after she caught a glimpse of Finn's open diaper bag with a bloody burp cloth, knife, and duct tape tucked inside. She leaves a note, asking Finn to kill her husband, as she thinks Finlay is a contract killer.
How absurd! Although, the money would be great. Especially after her husband fired her babysitter that morning. And now that she's looked into him, the husband seems like a very bad dude. But she could never do that! Right? It wouldn't hurt to check him out at the bar she knows he's supposed to go to that night. Right? I mean, what could go wrong, just going to the bar? Finn isn't a killer after all! Isn't she?
This is a hysterical novel that riffs on the harried-mom-can't-hold-it-together subgenre epitomized by I Don't Know How She Does It, but combining it with a hitman storyline is truly original and creative. I enjoyed every minute of it.
This book is published by Minotaur, a division of Macmillan, my employer.
Sunday, January 24, 2021
Book Review: The Four Winds by Kristin Hannah
I attended a virtual event with the author recently and someone asked about the seeming variety of her last three books, and how they all seem so different from each other: The Nightingale, The Great Alone, and now The Four Winds. But then a theme was called out that crosses them all and I loved it as it made them all make sense: they're about women having to find inner strength during difficult times. And what better book to read during the winter of 2021, as we're all hoping for a return to normalcy, but it's not here yet?
Elsa was sick as a child and has been beyond-babied by her family ever since. They won't let her go out or do anything. They think she's incapable of taking care of herself and won't let her try. Once night she makes herself a new dress in the fashionable new styles of the twenties, and sneaks out of the house. She meets a handsome young man and they have a brief love affair. Naturally, she ends up pregnant. Her family kicks her out and so she shows up on the Martinelli doorstep. Despite her being several years older, Rafe makes an honest woman out of her and they even have another child. They seems to have had a pretty good life, living on the family farm with his parents. But as the story jumps ahead to 1934, things are bad as anyone with even a passing understanding of US history would expect.
In the panhandle of Texas, dust storms are a constant occurrence. Everyone wears a bandanna or scarf around their neck to pull up as a mask as soon as it's needed. The family goes from struggling to keep their crops and animals, to struggling to keep themselves alive. The government promises help, but it's too late and not enough. Then Elsa has to make a decision, and so they pack up and try their luck in California.
We don't see the beginning of the Depression in this novel, nor the end. But I think a whole lot more people now understand the Depression than did just two years ago. Elsa never wanted to be in these situations and this wasn't the life she saw for herself. But she does the best she can with the hand she's dealt, over and over. She's a thin woman who was once sickly, and she has a deep well of inner strength she never even knew she had. During our own troubled times, it's nice to see another story of strength during hardship.
Personally, in the past I've found Ms. Hannah's endings to be too pat for me, too tied up in a bow, but this one was not. I think she's achieved a new level in her writing. I'm glad I read this. It gave me hope.
Thursday, January 21, 2021
Book Review: My Brilliant Life by Kim Ae-ran, translated by Chi-Young Kim
Boy, this book is really hard to describe, so this will be a short review.
Areum has the opposite of the Benjamin Button disease. He's one of those little kids you see who looks like a tiny, really old man. Because essentially, he is. His body is aging at an astonishing rate, causing stress and havoc on his whole family. His parents, who are very young and had fewer resources and experience when they had him, have had to grow up fast and muster help.
He decides to give his parents the ultimate gift: he is writing their love story as a novel, even though their young pregnancy with him was not a welcome event. But he is shifting the focus of the story to their love for each other.
Then his family's story is filmed and shown on a national show that solicits donations for families in need. Through that exposure, Areum makes a new friend online who seems to truly understand him. And since he likely will never meet her in person, she's not put off by his sickliness and appearance.
Even though there is no magic in this book, it had a very magical, unreal feel to it. It's about family and unconditional love. It's about sacrifice and responsibility. It's about facing down uncomfortable truths you can't avoid. It is beautiful and tragic. It was a unique reading experience.
This book is published by Forge Books a division of Macmillan, my employer.Tuesday, January 19, 2021
Book Review: Robert E. Lee and Me: A Southerner's Reckoning with the Myth of the Lost Cause by Ty Seidule
Monday, January 18, 2021
Book Review: I Want to Be Where the Normal People Are by Rachel Bloom (audiobook)
I'm glad I listened to it on audio as she did a lot of funny voices and occasionally sung. I did miss out on the amusement park map, but she described it which was also fun. If you purchase the audio book you should also get a PDF of the images.
About half of the book is about Rachel's childhood and teen years which were rather traumatic. There's not a Bad Thing that happens and her parents seem nice, but she just had a ton of trouble fitting in and finding her tribe, and she was unpopular and yet couldn't manage to fly under the radar like a couple of her friends did. So most people can identify with that. But even the parts about when her show was nominated for an award and when she had to fly to NYC for the Up Fronts, were very relatable as she had to sleep on a friend's sofa the night before the WB's paid hotel room kicked in, and she wore borrowed clothes (not borrowed from a designer, but from a friend's mom) and she was asked if she could change into something darker and... that fit better.
Occasionally you have to kind of give her a pass with some of the singing and the (blessedly short) chapter told from her dog's POV about her award win (she is not impressed. Also she thinks of Rachel as her step-dad.) Overall it's delightful fun and if you're also a fan of the show, I'm sure it's even more amazing. I might check out the show now even though the musical interludes might not work for me. We'll see.
I borrowed this digital audiobook from Libby/Overdrive.
Wednesday, January 13, 2021
Book Review: A Walk Around the Block: Stoplight Secrets, Mischievous Squirrels, Manhole Mysteries & Other Stuff You See Every Day (And Know Nothing About) by Spike Carlsen (audio)
Spike goes for a walk around the block and along the way, he wonders about the composition and cost of sidewalks, where the water goes down the drainage grates, and why there's a metal number on telephone poles and what it means. You'll find out the answers to all of these and much more in this book! Where does the water coming into your house come from? When and how were road surfaces invented and developed?
Some facts: squirrels chew on your house not to be assholes, but because if they don't wear down their teeth, they will grow too long for squirrels to be able to eat. Their teeth continue growing throughout their life.
Also: there is water in your concrete. It binds with the cement in the mixture and while it "dries" (it's not drying), it's forming crystals through chemical reactions. So even "dry" concrete still has about 10% water. And yes, you can add way too much water and no, it won't just take longer to "dry"--it will be terrible concrete that is weak and not functional.
You'll learn about the different types of electrical poles. I was fascinated that the highest wires, which are the ones with the most high power, aren't insulted. That would cause the wires to be enormous, heavy, and expensive--in ways that just won't work. So they're super duper dangerous if they were to come down. Which is why they're so high. Also the reason birds can sit on wires and not be electrocuted is because A) they're so little that they're not very useful to electricity as a conductor and B) they'd need to be touching something other than the wire for the electricity to go through them. Electricity just go into things that touch it--it travels through things to get somewhere. While Mr. Carlsen doesn't state it specifically, the implication is that humans also could sit on a wire and be safe--if they don't touch anything else.
What do you wonder about when you go on a walk? Would you like a fun walk companion who will tell you all sorts of trivia? Invite Mr. Carlsen along. He's an excellent walking companion.
I downloaded this digital audiobook from Libby/Overdrive.
Monday, January 11, 2021
Book Review: The Comeback: A Figure Skating Novel by E.L. Shen
Sunday, January 10, 2021
Book Review: The Only Plane in the Sky: An Oral History of 9/11 by Garrett M. Graff (audio)
I listened to this digital audio book through Libby/Overdrive.
Thursday, January 7, 2021
Book Review: The Lost Manuscript: A Novel by Cathy Bonidan
Wednesday, January 6, 2021
Book Review: Gone to the Woods: Surviving a Lost Childhood by Gary Paulsen
Tuesday, January 5, 2021
Book Review: The Other Mother by Matthew Dicks
And that's by far from his only problem that he has to deal with. His little sister has invited their next door neighbor, one of the prettiest and most popular girls at school, to go fishing with them. His jerk of a step-father is still a jerk. He has to check in with the counselor at school twice a day. He has a big secret about his father's death that he hasn't told his mother. He regrets having agreed to help a friend at school get revenge on a teacher. And his little brother is... well, a little brother. And yet every time he comes home, he hopes his mother will have returned and this faux-mother will have disappeared to wherever she came from.
Michael is dealing with a lot of crap. And his brain which already was on overload and already had learning differences going on and maybe some depression, kind of goes on the fritz when it comes to his mother. There is an actual condition that is like this, but that's not the point. The point is whether or not that's resolved, Michael has too much on his shoulders, and not enough workable coping skills.
While this is an adult book, I think it's perfect for teens too. And in a way, everyone will be able to identify with Michael. Hopefully none of us has all this on our plates, but we've all felt overwhelmed and like life is just too much, and you'll see a bit of yourself in this story. And you'll come away with some hope.
This book is published by St. Martin's Publishing Group, a division of Macmillan, my employer.
Friday, January 1, 2021
2020: The Year in Review
2021 Reading Challenges!
What challenges to do for 2021? I really like to do reading challenges but they're hard with my job. On the other hand, some I've been doing in recent years like the one for reading as many books as possible published this year, aren't really a challenge at all (and the next level up from where I've been participating is impossible without stretching the rules.) So I'm having a think about what to pick for 2021. This first one, European Reading, is easy to decide to do again because it's always a slight challenge. Last year I read two extra, but that was the only time that has happened. I think I'll stick with the Audiobook challenge but go down a level. And also stick with the diversity challenge but change it up a bit this year. And I'm dropping the reading as many books as possible in favor of a challenge on Facebook from a friend. It's got 52 categories this year (last year it was 26) and on that one I'm hoping to hit 40 of the 52. I can't post it yet (it's not up yet) but I will soon.
2021 EUROPEAN READING CHALLENGE
Thank you to those loyal readers who have joined in since the beginning! A warm welcome to those joining us for the first time or those who are coming back after some time off.
THE GIST: The idea is to read books by European authors or books set in European countries (no matter where the author comes from). The books can be anything – fiction, nonfiction, novels, short stories, memoirs, travel guides, cookbooks, biography, poetry, whatever. You can participate at different levels, but each book must be by a different author and set in a different country – it's supposed to be a tour. (See note about the UK, below.)
WHAT COUNTS AS "EUROPE"?: We stick with the standard list of 50 sovereign states that fall (at least partially) within the geographic territory of the continent of Europe and/or enjoy membership in international European organizations such as the Council of Europe. This list includes the obvious (the UK, France, Germany, and Italy), the really huge Russia, the tiny Vatican City, and the mixed bag of Baltic, Balkan, and former Soviet states.
Albania, Andorra, Armenia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Kazakhstan, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Moldova, Monaco, Montenegro, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Republic of Macedonia, Romania, Russia, San Marino, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, Ukraine, United Kingdom, and Vatican City.NOTE: Even with Brexit, the United Kingdom is still one country, part of Europe, that includes England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland. One book from any one of these four counts as your one book for the United Kingdom. I'm not going to bust your chops about it because challenges should be about fun not about rules. However, when it comes to winning the Jet Setter prize, only one book from one of the UK countries counts.
Participants can read as many books as they want and are encouraged to visit as many European countries as possible. The Jet Setter Prize will go to the person who reads (and reviews) books from the greatest number of different countries (see below).
Not everyone wants to compete for a prize, review books, or read a lot of books. You can complete the challenge by reading one to five books from different countries.
To participate in the challenge, sign up at the levels below. If you want to go on to compete for the Prize, keep reading!
- FIVE STAR (DELUXE ENTOURAGE): Read at least five books by different European authors or books set in different European countries.

Grab your earbuds and join hosts Caffeinated Reviewer and That’s What I’m Talking About for the 2021 Audiobook Challenge! Choose your level and rock your ears off!
We have a new co-host and a new category to achieve! Please welcome Jen from That’ s What I am Talking About.
Use hashtag #2021AudiobookChallenge on social media to alert others of your listens and progress!
Challenge Details
- Runs January 1, 2021 – December 31, 2021. You can join at any time.
- The goal is to find a new love for audios or to outdo yourself by listening to more audios in 2020 than you did in 2018.
- Books must be in audio format (CD, MP3, etc.)
- ANY genres count.
- Re-reads and crossovers from other reading challenges are allowed.
- You do not have to be a book blogger to participate; you can track your progress on Goodreads, Facebook, LibraryThing, etc.
- If you’re a blogger grab the button and do a quick post about the challenge to help spread the word. If you’re not a blogger you can help by posting on Facebook or Tweet about the challenge.
- Updates plus a giveaway will be posted twice during the year. The first update will be July 2, 2021, and the last update will take place on December 30, 2021.
Achievement Levels
- Binge Listener (Why read when someone can do it for you) 20-30
2021 DIVERSITY READING CHALLENGE
We’re back for another year! This challenge is focused on intentionally reading more diverse books, whether it be diverse characters or diverse authors. We’ve been hosting it since 2019, when we merged some concepts from the Platypire Diversity Challenge and the 2017 Diverse Reads Book Challenge hosted by Chasing Faerytales and Read.Sleep.Repeat. There’s the basic challenge of reading as many diverse books as you can, with the added monthly theme mini-challenge, where you can get bonus points for reading towards a theme each month (and by bonus points, we really just mean bragging rights). It’s a way to challenge yourself, but still reward yourself for just reading diversely altogether.
how do we classify a book as diverse?
“We recognize all diverse experiences, including (but not limited to) LGBTQIA, Native, people of color, gender diversity, people with disabilities*, and ethnic, cultural, and religious minorities.*We subscribe to a broad definition of disability, which includes but is not limited to physical, sensory, cognitive, intellectual, or developmental disabilities, chronic conditions, and mental illnesses (this may also include addiction). Furthermore, we subscribe to a social model of disability, which presents disability as created by barriers in the social environment, due to lack of equal access, stereotyping, and other forms of marginalization.”
guidelines:
While we’re pretty lax about how you wish to set up this challenge for yourself, we do have a few guidelines to follow.
- The challenge will run from January 1st, 2021 to December 31st, 2021. Books must be read during this time frame to count. Sign up is open from now until December 1st, 2021, so you may join even just for the last month of the year.
- Any format and length of book counts – print, ebook, audio, ARC, etc.
- Crossovers from other challenges are totally acceptable!
- Reviews are not required, but highly encouraged.
how to play:
- Declare your intentions to participate in this challenge somewhere on the internet!! You do not need to be a blogger to participate, there are many ways to declare. You could write a blog post, create a reading challenge page, create a Goodreads shelf containing diverse books you hope to read, post about it on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc.
- Some things you could include (but that aren’t required):
- A link to this page so that others may find us and join the fun as well (feel free to download the button at the bottom to use in your posts).
- The goals you are setting for yourself (number of diverse books you want to read over the year, number of different kinds of diversity you want to explore, and if participating in the mini-challenge, the level you are aiming for).
- A list of potential diverse books you hope to read for this challenge.
- Sign up for the challenge using the link up below, and link directly to where you’ve declared your intentions (ie to the specific blog post, the goodreads shelf, the facebook post, etc).
- We will be posting quarterly link ups for you to add links to your reviews or any wrap-up/overview posts you wish to share.
- Go forth and READ!! And have fun!!
- Use the hashtag #DiversityRC2021 on any social media to keep up with other participants!
mini-challenge (optional):
For those who want to challenge themselves even more, each month has a theme to read towards. These themes will help you tackle the different kinds of diversity. On occasion we’ve given multiple themes in a month to give readers options (ie I had a lot of great choices, and I couldn’t decide).
JANUARY – diverse folktales/culture/mythology; or diverse retelling; or non-western setting
FEBRUARY – poc: Black/African American
MARCH – #ownvoices; or gender: female authors in male-dominated genres/non-fiction
APRIL – poc: Middle Eastern/South Asian
MAY – poc: East Asian/Southeast Asian/Pacific Islander
JUNE – LGBT+ pride summer: sexuality and gender identity
JULY – LGBT+ pride summer: sexuality and gender identity
AUGUST – mental health/addiction
SEPTEMBER – poc: hispanic/latinx
OCTOBER – physical/sensory/cognitive/intellectual/developmental disabilities
NOVEMBER – poc: Native American
DECEMBER – religious minorities
There’s sort of an extra level to the LGBT+ pride summer in June and July — aim to check off as many letters in LGBTQQIA (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, questioning, intersex and asexual) as possible!
Book Review: The New One: Painfully True Stories from a Reluctant Dad by Mike Birbiglia
Basically, Mike never wanted to have a kid. Jen agreed. At first. Until she didn't anymore. But she promised it wouldn't change anything.
Not only did Mike not want to have a kid, but he's also really unsure about passing along his genes since he's a lemon. He had cancer at 19. He has a terrifying sleepwalking disorder that has tried to kill him. Midway through this book he's diagnosed with diabetes. I think he does have a good point, here. Not to mention that their lifestyle with his job, being on the road over 200 days a year, isn't super conducive to child raising.
But they make it work! Sort of. Anyone who has ever felt like they were failing at parenting or doing it wrong should read this book. It's amazing how honest he is. He does truly love his daughter Oona (meaning "one"!) but for at least her first year, he doesn't even feel like he's part of the family anymore. I love his analogy that it's like he's the Vice-President, a purely ornamental post.
Sprinkled throughout are poems written by his wife, who apparently also had some mixed feelings at times (not reluctance about motherhood but other things). It's great to see other people being purely human and vulnerable. Even though I don't have any kids, I really identified with a lot of the issues of society telling us to be perfect, of families being weird and messed up, and of having honestly mixed feelings about a major decision. It's so rare to ever hear these admissions, and even rarer to have them presented in a funny way. I'm now going to see if I can figure out how to watch his move Sleepwalk With Me. His piece called that on This American Life is how I first discovered him and it was brilliant and unique. I want to begin this year (2021, writing this on 12/31) with a story of how all humans are weird, and yet things will work out, with laughs. That's generally Mike's whole humor theme.
I bought this book at Main Street Books, an independent bookstore in Davidson, North Carolina.
My Month in Review: December 2020
I note the non-Macmillan books in this post with a star.
Books completed this month:
She Who Became the Sun by Shelley Parker-Chan
Books I am currently reading/listening to:
What I acquired this month (non-work books):