I listened to this book, which I definitely recommend because it is about 6 hours, and it’s read by the author. She’s a comic and writer so her timing and delivery are terrific. This book is part memoir and part advice on how trauma and childhood insecurity can interfere with your friendship-making and -keeping skills. It’s also about how to identify ways to evaluate and keep good friendships. Important: The book isn’t really about going … Continue reading You Will Find Your People by Lane Moore →
I mentioned this book in a recent edition of Whatcha Reading? and said, I have started A Most Agreeable Murder and it is extremely silly and absurd and I’m turning pages. Or pressing a button to do so, whatever. There are glowing, I presume bioluminescent, frogs. Their glowy slime is likely used for face cream to create a similarly glowy complexion. These frogs are unique to the town and make a lot of noise. I … Continue reading A Most Agreeable Murder by Julia Seales →
Come As You Are: The New Science That Will Transform Your Sex Life is interesting and informative. It’s a solid Sex 101 book. I learned some new things from reading it and I got a better understanding of some things that I kinda sorta knew but didn’t fully understand. I also found it entertaining and accessible, and very body and sex positive. The book consists of the main text, which explains different concepts and elements … Continue reading Come As You Are by Emily Nagoski →
Let’s start with what this book does well. It’s a really interesting premise and the world-building is good (if slow). A long time ago, the balance of magic was upset and now the Spirit of the Woods is taking over with a magical mist that kills people. Cue: a need to save the kingdom and those infected by magic. While the King is ostensibly trying to do this, he is prepared to sacrifice the captain … Continue reading One Dark Window by Rachel Gillig →
Red alert people, this is not a drill. The Adventures of Amina Al-Sirafi is a book about: A woman in her 40s with a bad knee Who is also a pirate queen Who is also Muslim and plying the seas of the Indian Ocean Who lives during the Medieval Period Who is also a mother who struggles with parenting and pirating And who has built a found family without fully realizing it And who becomes … Continue reading The Adventures Of Amina Al-Sirafi by Shannon Chakraborty →
I think it’s safe to say that I am not the target demographic for Best Men, a romantic comedy between two Gay men in New York City. I say this not because I am a woman, nor because I live in the suburbs of Sacramento instead of in an apartment in Manhattan. No readers, I say this because I am OLD and the lives of these characters, all of whom are in their early thirties, … Continue reading Best Men by Sidney Karger →
The Happy Vagina is a fun book, primed for gift giving, punctuated with inspiring quotes and featuring bold, fun illustrations. I took one look at it and thought, “I should give this to my daughter.” My daughter took one look at it and said, “It reminds me of those very ‘You Go, Girl!’ pamphlets about periods.” This book, with its teeny tiny nibble sized portions of important health facts, is either too darn peppy, or … Continue reading The Happy Vagina by Mika Simmons →
CW: Homophobia on the page and mentioned in the past Cat Sebastian is an auto-read for me. She never lets me down. And she certainly hasn’t with this book. Nick Russo is on the city desk at the Chronicle, a progressive newspaper in New York. (Progressive because they don’t toe the party line and they dare to criticise the police.) He’s worked hard to get there and he’s good at his job. He’s brusque, respected … Continue reading We Could Be So Good by Cat Sebastian →
Dear Bitches: It is my sad duty to inform you that I cannot review Alexandra Petri’s US History: Important American Documents (I Made Up), a collection of humorous pieces that make brutal and glorious fun of all the stuff that we learned in high school. I want to review it, but I can’t. I can’t because I can’t breathe, and I can’t breathe because the chapter “How to Pose For Your Civil War Photograph” has … Continue reading Alexandra Petri’s US History by Alexandra Petri →
All of us here at the Pink Palace adore the Murderbot series by Martha Wells, so I was very excited about her new fantasy standalone, Witch King. The biggest thing you need to know about Witch King is that it is very different from Murderbot. If you are hoping for a fantasy version of Murderbot you will be disappointed. The tone is different, the humor, when it exists, is dryer, the scope is different, and … Continue reading Witch King by Martha Wells →
I started this book expecting the usual historical mystery fare just with older leads (42!), but no. From the start, it was clear that this novel was something different entirely. I’m going to try to keep my superlatives under control, but just know that I made Good Book Noise from page 1! This novel is divided into three parts, and each part focuses on a different adventurous rescue mission. One overarching plot ties the three … Continue reading The Benevolent Society of Ill-Mannered Ladies by Alison Goodman →
I really loved Romantic Comedy by Curtis Sittenfeld. Celebrity romance is one of my favorite tropes, and for me this book stands out. Romantic Comedy features a hero who is not purely defined by celebrity status, gives readers a deep dive into a world I found fascinating, contains an epistolary courtship, and at times is laugh-out-loud funny. Sally Milz is a writer for a weekly late-night sketch comedy show called TNO that is based on … Continue reading Romantic Comedy by Curtis Sittenfeld →
