An American Tragedy by Theodore Dreiser

I first heard about this book by my high school Humanities teacher. I saw it on the library shelf and checked it out. At 856 pages, this is not a lightweight read. And, as the title says, it's a tragedy. A tragedy about Clyde Griffiths and his desperate desire for success and social acceptance.

About 1/3 of the way through the book, I looked up this book on Amazon. The reviews generally had the theme of "Why did I read this book?" Aw man, I should have paid more attention. Because at the end of the 856 pages, I was also bemoaning the fact that I had read this book. It's quite the downer.

Young Jane Young by Gabrielle Zevin

Aviva Grossman is an intern who has an affair with the congressman she's working for, and then she blogs about it as well. Whoops.

A fast, enjoyable read but I'm not raving about it. But it made for a decent weekend read.

Pancakes in Paris: Living the American Dream in France by Craig Carlson

When I lived overseas, I would argue that Grandma's Kitchen, a restaurant downtown that served up American classics (hamburgers, milkshakes, pizza, pie), was "the happiest place on Earth," not Disneyland. Going to Grandma's Kitchen was a tremendous treat, something that I looked forward to weeks in advance (it was about 45 minutes away so I didn't go very often).

Pancakes in Paris is a memoir about how Mr. Carlson opened up an American diner in Paris. Oh, the struggles of a business owner! Kinda stressed me out, but the whole concept is so fun. A fun, easy-peasy read.

Happiness: The Crooked Little Road to Semi-Ever After by Heather Harpham

Heather becomes pregnant, and her boyfriend never wanted to be a dad. But, they come together after their baby is born sick.

A fast-moving read of the journey of their daughter and their relationship.

A Reread - Goodbye, Things: The New Japanese Minimalism by Fumio Sasaki

Just noting that I read this again. Loved it and am getting rid of lots of stuff. It's amazing how physical things can carry so much emotional weight. So shedding some emotional stuff as well. Goodbye, shame! :)

Textbook Amy Krouse Rosenthal

A whimsical celebration of life.

Loved it, and was saddened when Boomer told me that the author had died earlier this year.




I will go back and re-read her other book, Encyclopedia of an Ordinary Life.

The Crossover by Kwame Alexander

A young adult novel told in verse about a family, basketball, and supporting each other through good times and bad. I read this in a couple of hours.

The Life-Changing Manga of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo

The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up in manga form!

Teaches the basics of the KonMari method of tidying up in a super-fun way (even Boomer read it and then KonMaried his closet!).

Fitness Junkie by Lucy Sykes and Jo Piazza

Janey Sweet tries to lose weight by trying all sorts of exercise regimens.
Meh, just okay.

Love, Loss, and What We Ate by Padma Lakshmi

Remember: we're trying to catch up so keeping things short and very to the point!

The story of Padma's life so far.
Ugh...I liked her and her decisions less and less as the book went on.

The Sun is Also a Star by Nicola Yoon

I've got a backlog of books to catch you up on, so I am going to post a little bit more frequently and also keep the posts shorter than usual! I'm gonna try for two sentences. Here we go!

Two unlikely teenagers meet and fall in love at a very inopportune time.

Loved the ending and immediately asked Boomer to read the book (he did and even stayed up late to finish it!).