Spoiler Alert: The Hero Dies by Michael Ausiello
Publisher: Atria Books
Publication Date: September 12, 2017)
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Publisher’s Description:
In this evocative and gorgeously wrought memoir reminiscent of Rob Sheffield’s Love Is a Mixtape and George Hodgman’s Bettyville, Michael Ausiello—a respected TV columnist and founder and editor-in-chief of TVLine.com—remembers his late husband, and the lessons, love, and laughter that they shared throughout their fourteen years together.
For the past decade, TV fans of all stripes have counted upon Michael Ausiello’s insider knowledge to get the scoop on their favorite shows and stars. From his time at Soaps in Depth to his influential stints at TV Guide and Entertainment Weekly to his current role as founder and editor-in-chief of the wildly popular website TVLine.com, Michael has established himself as the go-to expert when it comes to our most popular form of entertainment.
What many of his fans don’t know, however, is that while his professional life was in full swing, Michael had to endure the greatest of personal tragedies: his husband, Kit Cowan, was diagnosed with a rare and very aggressive form of neuroendocrine cancer. Over the course of eleven months, Kit and Michael did their best to combat the deadly disease, but Kit succumbed to his illness in February 2015.
In this heartbreaking and darkly hilarious memoir, Michael tells the story of his harrowing and challenging last year with Kit while revisiting the thirteen years that preceded it, and how the undeniably powerful bond between him and Kit carried them through all manner of difficulty—always with laughter front and center in their relationship. Instead of a tale of sadness and loss, Spoiler Alert: The Hero Dies is an unforgettable, inspiring, and beautiful testament to the resilience and strength of true love.
I actually watched the movie Spoiler Alert (starring my BFF Jim Parsons) first and then liked it so much I decided to read the book. Spoiler Alert is Michael Ausiello’s memoir of the time he spent caring for his husband Kit when he was dying of cancer. He also flashes back to moments over the course of their fourteen-year relationship. It’s actually quite funny in parts and of course incredibly sad in others. It’s a true testament to the power of unconditional love. Recommended.
June 1st, 2023 in
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Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt
Publisher: Ecco
Publication Date: May 3, 2022
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Publisher’s Description:
After Tova Sullivan’s husband died, she began working the night shift at the Sowell Bay Aquarium, mopping floors and tidying up. Keeping busy has always helped her cope, which she’s been doing since her eighteen-year-old son, Erik, mysteriously vanished on a boat in Puget Sound over thirty years ago.
Tova becomes acquainted with curmudgeonly Marcellus, a giant Pacific octopus living at the aquarium. Marcellus knows more than anyone can imagine but wouldn’t dream of lifting one of his eight arms for his human captors—until he forms a remarkable friendship with Tova.
Ever the detective, Marcellus deduces what happened the night Tova’s son disappeared. And now Marcellus must use every trick his old invertebrate body can muster to unearth the truth for her before it’s too late.
Shelby Van Pelt’s debut novel is a gentle reminder that sometimes taking a hard look at the past can help uncover a future that once felt impossible.
Tova works the night shift cleaning the Sowell Bay Aquarium. Her husband has passed away and she needed something to fill her time. She forms an unlikely friendship with a giant octopus, Marcellus who lives at the aquarium. I was skeptical about a book where one of the main characters is an octopus but it works. Marcellus’s chapters are narrated in the first person and I felt empathetic towards him and his situation. He doesn’t want to be trapped in an aquarium.
Tova’s son disappeared several years ago under mysterious circumstances. Marcellus, who is extremely observant, actually figures out what happened to him. The way he communicates with Tova is so clever it seemed realistic.
Remarkably Bright Creatures was May’s selection for my book club. We had so much to talk about. This book brings up issues of grief, motherhood, friendship and much more. Highly recommended.
You’ll Never Believe What Happened to Lacey: Crazy Stories about Racism by Amber Ruffin and Lacey Lamar
Publisher:Grand Central Publishing
Publication Date: January 12, 2021
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Publisher’s Description:
Now a writer and performer on Late Night with Seth Meyers and host of The Amber Ruffin Show, Amber Ruffin lives in New York, where she is no one’s First Black Friend and everyone is, as she puts it, “stark raving normal.” But Amber’s sister Lacey? She’s still living in their home state of Nebraska, and trust us, you’ll never believe what happened to Lacey.
From racist donut shops to strangers putting their whole hand in her hair, from being mistaken for a prostitute to being mistaken for Harriet Tubman, Lacey is a lightning rod for hilariously ridiculous yet all-too-real anecdotes. She’s the perfect mix of polite, beautiful, petite, and Black that apparently makes people think “I can say whatever I want to this woman.” And now, Amber and Lacey share these entertainingly horrifying stories through their laugh-out-loud sisterly banter. Painfully relatable or shockingly eye-opening (depending on how often you have personally been followed by security at department stores), this book tackles modern-day racism with the perfect balance of levity and gravity.
You may know Amber Ruffin from her appearances on Late Night with Seth Meyers or The Amber Ruffin Show. While she lives in culturally diverse New York City, her older sister Lacey lives in Nebraska. You’ll Never Believe What Happened to Lacey is a collection of racist incidents that Lacey has experienced living in the Midwest. It’s supposed to be a humorous take on these events but it mostly just made me mad and ask myself, “Why are people so stupid?” Most of these stories are about overt, unmistakable racism. People have no shame. I might have chuckled a few times but mostly I was rolling my eyes. And I’m sure Lacey has hundreds more stories that didn’t make it into the book. I understand why the stories try to be funny – it’s like if you don’t laugh, you’ll cry.
I think this book would be extremely helpful to people who think they aren’t racist but still commit micro-aggressions without even realizing it – like the woman in the grocery store who put her hand in Lacey’s afro. And since it’s marketed as a comedy book, your friends won’t be suspicious when you gift them a copy.
Even though I didn’t find it laugh-out-loud funny, I did find it to be an engaging read. I finished in one night, which is rare for me. Highly recommended.
May 25th, 2023 in
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The Memory Police by Yōko Ogawa
Translated by: Stephen Snyder
Publisher: Pantheon
Publication Date: August 13, 2019
My rating: 4 out of 5 stars
When a young woman who is struggling to maintain her career as a novelist discovers that her editor is in danger from the Memory Police, she concocts a plan to hide him beneath her floorboards. As fear and loss close in around Publisher’s Description:
On an unnamed island off an unnamed coast, objects are disappearing: first hats, then ribbons, birds, roses—until things become much more serious. Most of the island’s inhabitants are oblivious to these changes, while those few imbued with the power to recall the lost objects live in fear of the draconian Memory Police, who are committed to ensuring that what has disappeared remains forgotten.
them, they cling to her writing as the last way of preserving the past.
The Memory Police is a stark, dystopian novel about an island where the Memory Police are slowly disappearing objects from everyone’s memory. Only a few select few can remember these forgotten items and those who can are enemies of the state who disappear themselves. When a woman discovers that her friend is one of those people, she hides him under her floorboards.
There is never a backstory given of how the Memory Police came into power or what their objective is. None of the characters even have names. My friend who lived in Japan for years said this style is quite common in Japanese literature. This would usually be frustrating for me because I like good world-building, but for some reason, I enjoyed this book anyway. It’s definitely disturbing but in a good way. It was a selection for my book club and led to a great discussion. People either loved it or hated it. Those are always the best meetings. It’s boring when everyone agrees!
Recommended.
May 22nd, 2023 in
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Apples Never Fall by Liane Moriarty
Publisher: Henry Holt and Co.
Publication Date: September 14, 2021
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Publisher’s Description:
The Delaney family love one another dearly – it’s just that sometimes they want to murder each other….
If your mother was missing, would you tell the police? Even if the most obvious suspect was your father?
This is the dilemma facing the four grown Delaney siblings.
The Delaneys are fixtures in their community. The parents, Stan and Joy, are the envy of all of their friends. They’re killers on the tennis court, and off it their chemistry is palpable. But after 50 years of marriage, they’ve finally sold their famed tennis academy and are ready to start what should be the golden years of their lives. So why are Stan and Joy so miserable?
The four Delaney children – Amy, Logan, Troy, and Brooke – were tennis stars in their own right, yet as their father will tell you, none of them had what it took to go all the way. But that’s okay, now that they’re all successful grown-ups and there is the wonderful possibility of grandchildren on the horizon.
One night a stranger named Savannah knocks on Stan and Joy’s door, bleeding after a fight with her boyfriend. The Delaneys are more than happy to give her the small kindness she sorely needs. If only that was all she wanted.
Later, when Joy goes missing, and Savannah is nowhere to be found, the police question the one person who remains: Stan. But for someone who claims to be innocent, he, like many spouses, seems to have a lot to hide. Two of the Delaney children think their father is innocent, two are not so sure – but as the two sides square off against each other in perhaps their biggest match ever, all of the Delaneys will start to reexamine their shared family history in a very new light.
I read this book when it first came out but somehow neglected to review it. I decided to listen to the audiobook to refresh my memory of the story and I’m happy to say, it was just as good the second time around.
Apples Never Fall is told in classic Moriarty fashion. Something big happens in the first few pages – in this case, Joy Delaney, the mother of four adult children has gone missing. The prime suspect in her disappearance is her husband. Then the book alternates between the recent past, when a stranger knocks on the Delaney’s door and the future where the police are looking for Joy. The stranger, Savanah, is a young woman who says she’s running away from her abusive boyfriend and Joy invites her in. Savanah stays with them up until right before Joy goes missing. Could she be involved?
In the meantime, all four children are harboring secrets of their own. There’s a lot going on in this book and it’s all expertly woven together. I just love Liane Moriarty. Highly recommended.
Tell Me How to Be by Neel Patel
Publisher: Flatiron Books
Publication Date: December 7, 2021
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Publisher’s Description:
Renu Amin always seemed perfect. But as the one-year anniversary of her husband’s death approaches, she is binge-watching soap operas and simmering with old resentments. She can’t stop wondering if, thirty-five years ago, she chose the wrong life. In Los Angeles, her son, Akash, has everything he ever wanted, but he is haunted by the painful memories he fled a decade ago. When his mother tells him she is selling the family home, Akash returns to Illinois, hoping to finally say goodbye and move on.
Together, Renu and Akash pack up the house, retreating further into the secrets that stand between them. Renu sends an innocent Facebook message to the man she almost married, sparking an emotional affair that calls into question everything she thought she knew about herself. Akash slips back into bad habits as he confronts his darkest secrets―including what really happened between him and the first boy who broke his heart. When their pasts catch up to them, Renu and Akash must decide between the lives they left behind and the ones they’ve since created, between making each other happy and setting themselves free.
By turns irreverent and tender, filled with the beats of ’90s R&B, Tell Me How to Be is about our earliest betrayals and the cost of reconciliation. But most of all, it is the love story of a mother and son each trying to figure out how to be in the world.
Renu’s husband of over thirty years died almost a year ago and she’s decided to move from Illinois to London. Her son Akash comes back from Los Angeles to help her pack up the house. Akash has secrets and so does his mother. The book flashes back and forth between the present day and the past, making the characters well-developed and providing context for where they are now. This book brought out strong emotions in me – that’s usually a good sign. Akash is self-destructive but sympathetic at the same time.
My son gave me this book for Christmas – he knows me well! Recommended.
May 15th, 2023 in
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The Good Sister by Sally Hepworth
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press
Publication Date: April 13, 2021
My rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Publisher’s Description:
Fern Castle works in her local library. She has dinner with her twin sister Rose three nights a week. And she avoids crowds, bright lights and loud noises as much as possible. Fern has a carefully structured life and disrupting her routine can be…dangerous.
When Rose discovers that she cannot get pregnant, Fern sees her chance to pay her sister back for everything Rose has done for her. Fern can have a baby for Rose. She just needs to find a father. Simple.
Fern’s mission will shake the foundations of the life she has carefully built for herself and stir up dark secrets from the past, in this quirky, rich and shocking story of what families keep hidden.
I just love reading books that have neurodivergent characters. They have such an honest, refreshing, and usually humorous take on the people and world around them. In The Good Sister, that character is Fern. Her sister Rose wants to have a baby but can’t so Fern decides to get pregnant for her…without telling her. As you can probably guess, this was not the best decision.
This story had twists that kept me guessing and was thoroughly enjoyable. Recommended.
May 11th, 2023 in
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Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin
Publisher: Knopf
Publication Date: July 5, 2022
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Publisher’s Description:
On a bitter-cold day, in the December of his junior year at Harvard, Sam Masur exits a subway car and sees, amid the hordes of people waiting on the platform, Sadie Green. He calls her name. For a moment, she pretends she hasn’t heard him, but then, she turns, and a game begins: a legendary collaboration that will launch them to stardom. These friends, intimates since childhood, borrow money, beg favors, and, before even graduating college, they have created their first blockbuster, Ichigo. Overnight, the world is theirs. Not even twenty-five years old, Sam and Sadie are brilliant, successful, and rich, but these qualities won’t protect them from their own creative ambitions or the betrayals of their hearts.
Spanning thirty years, from Cambridge, Massachusetts, to Venice Beach, California, and lands in between and far beyond, Gabrielle Zevin’s Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow is a dazzling and intricately imagined novel that examines the multifarious nature of identity, disability, failure, the redemptive possibilities in play, and above all, our need to connect: to be loved and to love. Yes, it is a love story, but it is not one you have read before.
Even though this book is about gamers, you don’t have to be one to appreciate how wonderful it is. I’m definitely not a gamer in any way – Candy Crush and Wordle are the extent of my gaming experience. Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow is more about the relationship between the two main characters, game designers Sam and Sadie, and their friend Marx and what happens to it when the video game they design becomes a massive success. The characters are well-drawn and complex. It’s character-driven but still has an out of nowhere twist. This is also one of the few books that have made me ugly cry. Luckily, I was in the privacy of my own home! I chose this book because John Green recommended it and he did not steer me wrong. I also highly recommended it.
May 8th, 2023 in
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Shockaholic by Carrie Fisher
Narrator: Carrie Fisher
Publisher: Simon and Schuster Audio
Release Date: November 01, 2011
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Publisher’s Description:
Infused with Carrie Fisher’s trademark incisive wit and perfectly poised on the heels of Wishful Drinking’s instant New York Times best-selling success, Shockaholic takes listeners on another rollicking ride into her crazy life.
Told with the same intimate style, brutal honesty, and uproarious wisdom that placed Wishful Drinking on the New York Times best-seller list for months, Shockaholic is the juicy account of Carrie Fisher’s life, focusing more on the Star Wars years and dishing about the various Hollywood relationships she’s formed since she was chosen to play Princess Leia at only 19 years old. Fisher delves into the gritty details that made the movie – and herself – such a phenomenal success, admitting, “It isn’t all sweetness and light sabers.”
Shockaholic was a quick, fun listen. As usual, Carrie Fisher pulls no punches and tells it like it is. She has a very long section about her friendship with Michael Jackson and thinks there is no way he could be a pedophile. I didn’t realize they were such good friends. That section might be a little troubling, depending on what your thoughts on Jackson are. She also talks about getting electroshock therapy for her depression and other mental issues and how it’s helped her. I think her honesty will help people going through the same thing.
Fans of Carrie Fisher and/or Star Wars will enjoy this book. Recommended.
Other books I’ve reviewed by Carrie Fisher:
Wishful Drinking
The Princess Diarist
This Time Tomorrow by Emma Straub
Publisher: Riverhead Books
Publication Date: May 17, 2022
My rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
Publisher’s Description:
On the eve of her fortieth birthday, Alice’s life isn’t terrible. She likes her job, even if it isn’t exactly the one she expected. She’s happy with her apartment, her romantic status, and her independence, and she adores her lifelong best friend. But her father is ailing, and it feels to her as if something is missing. When she wakes up the next morning, she finds herself back in 1996, reliving her sixteenth birthday. But it isn’t just her adolescent body that shocks her, or seeing her high school crush—it’s her dad, the vital, charming, forty-something version of her father with whom she is reunited. Now armed with a new perspective on her own life and his, some past events take on new meaning. Is there anything that she would change if she could?
This Time Tomorrow is an interesting take on time travel and has elements of Peggy Sue Got Married and Back to the Future as well. Even so, I found it to be original. Alice wakes up on her 40th birthday discovering that she is 16 again. Her father, who had been dying in the hospital in the present time, is his spry younger self. Alice’s fervent hope is to change the past so that her father can live longer and happier in the present. Is that even possible and if so is it a good, idea? You’ll have to read to find out!
Emma Straub is one of my favorite authors and this book did not disappoint. Highly recommended.
Other books by Emma Straub I’ve reviewed:
Laura Lamont’s Life in Pictures
The Vacationers
All Adults Here
May 1st, 2023 in
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