Life Will Be the Death of Me

Life Will Be the Death of Me: . . . and You Too! by Chelsea Handler
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This was the most 'deep' book that Chelsea has written. She talks about the death of her brother, Chet, the death of her father, and of course the deaths of Tammy and Chunk, her beloved dogs. There is still that witty, dark humour that Chelsea has but it's like she opens up and you get to relate to her on how she is or isn't handling the grieving process. The book is not entirely about death but also growth. There's the infamous Ayahuasca experience that Chelsea showed on Chelsea Does, but she goes in to what she saw, what it was like, what she learned and the necessary changes to make the learning experience change the future. Chelsea talks about going to therapy and working many of her issues out, even though she stated a long time ago that she would never go to therapy. Chelsea now sees the benefits and welcomes anyone to try therapy since she has seen the amazing changes and the benefits it has done for her. For those of you reading this, Chelsea Handler has started a support/discussion group on Facebook called THE ORANGE ROOM. There is an approval process but it's a place to safely talk about grieving, death, support and so much more that goes along with those topics. This book definitely deserves 5 stars but I would give it more if I could. Transparency is hard to find among celebrities but Chelsea is slowly taking that wall down and making herself more open to people. I have always admired Chelsea because I think we are very similar in a lot of ways and I look up to her for the fact that she is always in a constant state of learning (and if you know me that's a big thing). She's reading books, testing out certain things, trying to see another person's point of view. She has a documentary coming out in September discussing her own white privilege and the disadvantages of privileges to others. It's a sketchy topic for this time, especially in the USA, where there is so much unrest and the country is becoming more divided by the day, but it's a topic that needs to be shown so that people can get a glimpse of what others have to go through.


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Pretty Mess

Pretty Mess by Erika  Jayne
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This book was an absolute delight to read and it dove-tailed perfectly with the Ted Talk that Erika Girardi gave on how Erika Jayne evolved. There was a lot of information about how she grew up in a small town and moved to New York to try to make it. The ups and downs with her mum who she considered more like a friend than a mother. The special bond she had with her mum's mum and her other grandparents. Having a child at a young age and then making the most difficult decision any parent could make. It all made sense and you understood how Erika is very honest and down to earth but can be totally flip. I really enjoyed the chapters of how she met Mikey Minden and the rest of her glam squad who help her to keep the Erika Jayne experience larger than life. Expenses, high fashion, and simply “How many fucks do I give? None, None, Not ONE, zero, zero, zero, DONE!” I would definitely give this a 5 star rating but I think that's a bit lavish because I am biased and love everything Erika Jayne, therefore a solid 4 will be the number. A light easy read, with lots of biographical content but it feels so much like Erika is reading you the story of her life. A good biography should be like that, hearing the person's voice tell you everything, like sharing intimate secrets. Either way an entertaining read and the fact that the cover is HOT HOT HOT doesn't hurt either!


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Book Bingo Challenge

Book Bingo/ Reading Challenge

This was a book bingo created by the library I go to. I thought that I would post it so that people could use it as a reading challenge in case they were interested. Of course I am going for the full card but let me know what you come up with or books that really stood out to you!

A book published in the last year	A book by a female author	A memoir OR biography	A book set in the past	A book with a one-word title
A book based on a true story	A book with a blue cover	A book with over 300 pages	A book by an author you've never read	A book set outside Canada
A book made into a TV Show OR movie	A book with a number in the title	Bingo	A book that makes you laugh	A book that has won an award
A book with a female main character	A book set in Canada	A book by your favourite author	A book with a red cover	A book that is part of a series
A book you've re-read	A book set in the future	A book with an illustrated cover	A book a friend told you about	A non-fiction book

Make the World Your Runway

Make the World Your Runway: Top Model Secrets for Everyday Confidence and Success by Liris Crosse
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This was an excellent book. There was a ton of inspirational quotes and sayings (which I love because I am a word bird!). The foreword was written by Tim Gunn who is fantastic in my books, and from watching Project Runway, he seems like a mentor who looks at the positives and frames the negatives in a gentle way yet tries to get the point across that change needs to be made. This book is a solid 4 star book. It doesn't quite get a 5 because there is a lot of religious bits and I'm not religious so those parts didn't do anything for me. I have talked to Liris several times on Instagram and she's a delight to chat with. She makes herself available to respond to fans questions and ideas. Yes, I was waiting for the inspirational quote that was the Tyra “We were rooting for you” tirade but it wasn't there. Liris shares her experiences and things that a woman can do to be prepared for making yourself 'runway' ready, even when you are just going out in to the world. My favourite part of the book was when Liris shared her “Runway Tales”. These little stories were great from so many different perspectives. I have suggested to Liris that she just do an entire book about these stories as I am sure there is many more than the few in the book. I will be waiting to see if this happens and when it does I will be sure to order it.


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A Million Little Pieces

A Million Little Pieces by James Frey
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I have read this book at an earlier date but was not keeping track on Goodreads, therefore there is no first opinion about the book.

RE Read Completed May 5, 2019

This choice of book was because I wanted to re-read the dental surgery that Frey 'had' to go through with out any meds because he is receiving treatment at a rehab facility. Frey does a great job describing what the pain is like, almost to the point that I started to get pain while reading it. Oprah outed Frey as a phony because the book is considered autobiographical but I think that can be left to interpretation. What one may consider devastating pain, turmoil and trouble another person may see as 'light work.' Do I think that Frey exaggerated the truth for it to be effective? 100% There are lots of people that write autobiographical books and extrapolate on things that have happened to them. That's the whole point is to make the reader want to continue reading more. If Frey had just written about the difficulty of going through withdrawl (ie the shakes, nausea, the trots etc) his book wouldn't be any different than other people who have written about their rehab journey. Another reason this book is a keeper is because of the relationship Frey builds with Leonard. The way that relationship comes to be is something very special. We all need a Leonard in our lives!


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A Beautiful Truth

A Beautiful Truth by Colin McAdam
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I loved every minute of this book. I thoroughly enjoyed how Walt and Judy brought Looee into their life and treated him just like he was their son. The one thing that scientists try to remind people is that you can never take the wild out of an animal no matter how domesticated you make them. This was a perfect example and it didn't come apparent until Looee was in his adolescent years. He started acting out and doing things that would be considered more his wild side. Another thing I found interesting was I was amazed at how sexual the chimps were. I know that they are sexual creatures but everything they do somehow related back to sex whether it be in a literal or innocent way. It broke my heart when Looee was taken to Girdish to become a test subject. The animals were not well taken care of and it does make me sad that we use animals to test on for certain things. When Looee was taken to the area where David was running the experiments and studying the social behaviours of the chimps that was the best that Looee's life was going to get after he left Walt and Judy's. David had a sort of respect for the chimps even though he was watching an monitoring their social and learning capabilities. This was a fabulous book and when authors can successfully pull off writing from an animals perspective that truly shows their literary talents.

RE READ completed March 28, 2019

This was a re-read because I enjoyed it the first time I read it. There is a harsh reality about this story and it's very sad. People try to convert animals in to having human qualities yet they tend to forget that deep down that animal is still wild and there may be some 'wild' behaviours appear. I also read this book because of the incident and how graphic it was. It wasn't Tess Gerritsen gritty but it was light gore. One thing about this book is when the CM tries to convey what the animals are thinking etc, sometimes it is very hard to understand and you need to re-read things again to figure out the true meaning. It's a roller coaster of a ride and the end is not candy and nuts. In my previous rating I gave the book a 5 star review, the second time through I would give it a 3.5 but 3 will have to do.


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The President Is Missing

The President Is Missing by Bill Clinton
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

TBH – I had gotten over reading James Patterson unless I was looking for a book to fly through that was pretty predictable and I would be able to figure it out before it ended. There are very few JP books that I haven't solved prior to finishing them. This book had Bill Clinton as a co-author and I was looking for a book to fill the mystery component of my 52 book challenge (WHICH IS FINALLY FINISHED!) and this book was getting rave reviews so I wanted to see what all the hub bub was about.

Well the beginning of the book had me going, “All the stuff that this is discussing is happening in the US currently, do I really want to bombard myself with extra US drama?” BUT there was a turning point and from that point I couldn't put it down. I loved the characters and how brilliant they were. I loved the descriptions. The fact that JP pulled the whole story out over the course of 5 days and it wasn't annoying as hell was great. There was enough misleading to throw my guess of the villain off except for at the last minute. It was interesting to see how the different government officials were in crisis when the president was missing (I don't consider that a spoiler bc the title of the book says it). The one thing I was very curious about was – What did Bill Clinton actually do to contribute to the writing or fact checking (to make the story seem real)? I haven't read a Bill Clinton book but I CANNOT stand to listen to him talk. He rambles on and adds a lot of “Ums, buts, ifs, uhs, etc.” Either way, I am giving this book a solid 4 as I haven't read a JP book that was this good in a long time.


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You Can Stop Humming Now

You Can Stop Humming Now: A Doctor's Stories of Life, Death, and in Between by Daniela Lamas
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is in the medical genre but it's a compilation of stories that the author has put together. There are happy/sad/triumphant stories. I really liked how the whole book spanned over the author's residency and beginning years as a doctor. The medical field is an endless bunch of learning opportunities and I am a bit of a jargon junkie, so when I start hearing or reading medical terminology, I am in it to finish it. I think this book earns it's 5 stars and then a little bit of extra love on top. The author is down to earth, good bedside manner (from what she mentioned in the book) and she made a point of getting to know the people she was writing about. There was back story all the way up to end (whatever it was) of each story. I enjoyed the manner in which this book was written. This book was slightly reminiscent of When Breath Becomes Air.


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52 Book Challenge (Blank)

52 books in 52 weeks

The 2017 List
1. A book from the Goodreads Choice Awards 2016 (link)
2. A book with at least 2 perspectives (multiple points of view)
3. A book you meant to read in 2016
4. A title that doesn't contain the letter "E"
5. A historical fiction

6. A book being released as a movie in 2017 
7. A book with an animal on the cover or in the title
8. A book written by a person of color
9. A book in the middle of your To Be Read list
10. A dual-timeline novel
11. A category from another challenge
12. A book based on a myth
13. A book recommended by one of your favorite authors
14. A book with a strong female character
15. A book written or set in Scandinavia (Norway, Sweden, Finland, Denmark, Iceland)
16. A mystery
17. A book with illustrations
18. A really long book (600+ pages)
19. A New York Times best-seller
20. A book that you've owned for a while but haven't gotten around to reading
21. A book that is a continuation of a book you've already read
22. A book by an author you haven't read before
23. A book from the BBC "The Big Read" list (link)
24. A book written by at least two authors
25. A book about a famous historical figure
26. An adventure book –
27. A book by one of your favorite authors
28. A non-fiction
29. A book published outside the 4 major publishing houses (Simon & Schuster; HarperCollins; Penguin Random House; Hachette Livre) - check all the editions
30. A book from Goodreads Top 100 YA Books (link)
31. A book from a sub-genre of your favorite genre –
32. A book with a long title (5+ words, excluding subtitle)
33. A magical realism novel
34. A book set in or by an author from the Southern Hemisphere
35. A book where one of the main characters is royalty
36. A Hugo Award winner or nominee (link)
37. A book you choose randomly
38. A novel inspired by a work of classic literature
39. An epistolary fiction
40. A book published in 2017
41. A book with an unreliable narrator
42. A best book of the 21st century (so far)
43. A book with a chilling atmosphere (scary, unsettling, cold)
44. A recommendation from "What Should I Read Next" (link)
45. A book with a one-word title
46. A time travel novel
47. A past suggestion that didn't win (link)
48. A banned book
49. A book from someone else's bookshelf
50. A Penguin Modern Classic 
51. A collection (e.g. essays, short stories, poetry, plays) 
52. A book set in a fictional location

I'm Back

NOTICE

Dear Ladies/Gents, Lads/ Lass' or Anyone else in between.

I have been on a bit of a hiatus for a while. I haven't been posting anything and reading had a bit of a slow spot. I found the 52 book challenge incredibly difficult at times and taxing because I am not a very organized reader. There are times when I just want to read something easy or I've read before and when you have already marked off most of the challenge the things that are usually left are the harder things to find. Yes the 52 book challenge took me 2 years and 5 days BUT in my defense there were some pretty shitty books on there that I plugged through just to cross them off the list – book character Kurt Wallander that's a big arrow pointing at you! I am going to start posting book reviews again because I really enjoyed posting them and found it interesting to see who was checking in or looking at the reviews. Thanks for your dedication, trust and following. It means the world.

Below find a copy of my 52 book challenge that is now completed.

I will also post a Blank 52 book challenge in case anyone is interested in going through the adventure.

Thanks, Sg

The 2017 List

52 books in 52 weeks (started Jan 4, 2017)

The 2017 List
1. A book from the Goodreads Choice Awards 2016 (link) When Breath Becomes Air – Paul Kalanithi (July 25, 2018)
2. A book with at least 2 perspectives (multiple points of view) The Last Hero – Rick Riordan (Feb 6, 2017)
3. A book you meant to read in 2016 Hands of My Father – Myron Uhlberg (May 4, 2018)
4. A title that doesn't contain the letter "E" 15^th Affair – James Patterson and Maxine Paetro (June 7, 2017)
5. A historical fiction Midnight at the Electric – Jody Lynn Anderson (July 9, 2018)
6. A book being released as a movie in 2017  The Shack – Wm. Paul Young (Feb 24, 2017)
7. A book with an animal on the cover or in the title Homer's Odyssey – Gwen Cooper (Mar 25, 2018)
8. A book written by a person of color The Colour Purple – Alice Walker (July 15, 2017)
9. A book in the middle of your To Be Read list Weekends at BelleVue – Julie Holland (Apr 17, 2018
10. A dual-timeline novel Everything Beautiful Is Not Ruined- Danielle Younge-Ullman (Aug 12, 2018)
11. A category from another challenge PostSecret – Frank Warren (June 7, 2017) – A book you can finish in a day
12. A book based on a myth Dinotopia Lost – Alan Dean Foster (Feb 4, 2018)
13. A book recommended by one of your favorite authors Quiet Journey – Joanne S Cripps (March 5, 2018)
14. A book with a strong female character Die Again – Tess Gerritsen {Rizzoli and Isles} (Mar 21, 2017
15. A book written or set in Scandinavia (Norway, Sweden, Finland, Denmark, Iceland) Faceless Killers – Henning Mankell (Aug 14, 2017) – Set in Sweden
16. A mystery The President is Missing – James Patterson and Bill Clinton (March 9, 2019)
17. A book with illustrations Dinotopia – James Gurney (Oct 21, 2017)
18. A really long book (600+ pages) Wonderstruck – Brian Selznick (Feb 19, 2018)
19. A New York Times best-seller Uganda Be Kidding Me – Chelsea Handler (July 26, 2017)
20. A book that you've owned for a while but haven't gotten around to reading James and the Giant Peach – Roald Dahl (Nov 6, 2018)
21. A book that is a continuation of a book you've already read Furiously Happy – Jenny Lawson (Oct 16, 2017)
22. A book by an author you haven't read before The Children Act – Ian McEwan (April 22,2017)
23. A book from the BBC "The Big Read" list (link) Lord of the Flies – William Golding (Aug 26, 2017)
24. A book written by at least two authors Confessions: The Murder of an Angel – James Patterson and Maxine Paetro (May 7, 2017)
25. A book about a famous historical figure Hot Zone – Richard Preston (June 29, 2017) – Peter Jahrling and Tom Geisbert co-discoverers of Ebola Reston, Dr. Joseph McCormick Chief of Special Pathogens Branch at CDC (worked with Ebola patients in a hut in Sudan and survived a needle stick), Colonel CJ Peters overall leader of the Reston Biohazard Situation. Colonel Jerry Jaax the mission leader of the spacesuited SWAT team during the Reston Biohazard Operation, LT Colonel Nancy Jaax was a player in the Reston Biohazard Situation
26. An adventure book – The Witches – Roald Dahl (June 22, 2017)
27. A book by one of your favorite authors The Wonder – Emma Donoghue (June 4, 2017)
28. A non-fiction A Mother's Wreckoning – Sue Klebold (April 11, 2017)
29. A book published outside the 4 major publishing houses (Simon & Schuster; HarperCollins; Penguin Random House; Hachette Livre) - check all the editions A Dog's Journey – W. Bruce Cameron (May 18, 2017) – published by Forge which is a trademark of Macmillan Publishing LLC
30. A book from Goodreads Top 100 YA Books (link) The Pain Eater – Beth Goobie (July 18, 2018) wasn't on GoodReads Top 100 but it was a YA*
31. A book from a sub-genre of your favorite genre – Are You There Vodka? It's Me Chelsea – Chelsea Handler (Sept 4, 2017) [sub genre – Sex]
32. A book with a long title (5+ words, excluding subtitle) The Love Song of Miss Queenie Hennessy – Rachel Joyce (April 18, 2017)
33. A magical realism novel Chocolat – Joanne Harris (June 28, 2018)
34. A book set in or by an author from the Southern Hemisphere Life Without Limits – Nick Vujicic, who is from Australia (April 2, 2017)
35. A book where one of the main characters is royalty Norse Mythology – Neil Gaiman (Aug 27, 2018)
36. A Hugo Award winner or nominee (link) Coraline – Neil Gaiman (Aug. 29, 2017)
37. A book you choose randomly Lies Chelsea Handler Told Me - Chelsea Handler (July 8, 2017)
38. A novel inspired by a work of classic literature The Madman's Daughter – Megan Shepherd (Sept 28, 2017) {classic lit was Island of Dr. Moreau}
39. An epistolary fiction Sam's Letters to Jennifer – James Patterson (July 20, 2017)
40. A book published in 2017 I Hate Everyone Except You – Clinton Kelly (Mar 7, 2017)
41. A book with an unreliable narrator The Man Who Couldn't Eat – Jon Reiner (May 27, 2017)
42. A best book of the 21st century (so far) The Woman in Cabin 10 – Ruth Ware (Dec 28, 2018)
43. A book with a chilling atmosphere (scary, unsettling, cold) We Need to Talk About Kevin – Lionel Shriver (Dec 3, 2017)
44. A recommendation from "What Should I Read Next" (link) Long Hard Road Out of Hell – Marilyn Manson and Neil Strauss May 29, 2018
45. A book with a one-word title Harvest – Tess Gerritsen (June 10, 2018)
46. A time travel novel – Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children – Ransom Riggs (Oct 8, 2018)
47. A past suggestion that didn't win (link) -a book with an appealing title My Life in Parts – Bryan Cranston (Jan 4, 2017)
48. A banned book The Face on the Milk Carton – Caroline B Cooney (July 10, 2017)
49. A book from someone else's bookshelf Scar Tissue – Anthony Kiedis (Jan 20, 2017)
50. A Penguin Modern Classic - any edition Animal Farm – George Orwell (July 28, 2017)
51. A collection (e.g. essays, short stories, poetry, plays)  The Stories of Your Life and Others - Collection – Ted Chiang ( May 3, 2017)
52. A book set in a fictional location – The Twenty Three – Linwood Barclay (June 20, 2017) = location was Promise Falls, New York which is a fictional setting for several of the author's books

Other Books I Have Read

53. My Horizontal Life : A Collection of One Night Stands – Chelsea Handler (July 4, 2017) -bio- memoir/ comedy/ adult non-fiction (Re-Read)

54. Chelsea Chelsea, Bang Bang – Chelsea Handler (Aug 2, 2017)
55. It – Stephen King (Discontinued on November 8, 2017) FUCKING TERRIBLE>NOT SCARY