| Book | Author | Genre | Type of Read | Ranking/Goodreads |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Killers of a Certain Age | Deanna Raybourn | fiction/mystery kind of/strong women | Beach read | 1/3.91 |
| Calypso | David Sedaris | non fiction/essays | beach read | 2/4.11 |
| Happier Hour: How to Beat Distraction, Expand Your Time, and Focus on What Matters Most | Cassie Holmes | non fiction/organizing/personal growth/time management | how to | 3/3.90 |
| The Sweet Spot | Amy Poeppel | fiction/light/cute family caper | beach read | 4/4.02 |
| The Twyford Code | Janice Hallett | fiction/mystery/concept book- told in form of phone transcriptions | beach read | 5/3.68 |
| The It Girl | Ruth Ware | fiction/psych thriller | beach read | 6/3.88 |
| Teatime for the Firefly | Shona Patel | fiction/historical/tea | beach read | 7/3.93 |
| The Greatness Mindset: Unlock the Power of Your Mind and Live your Best Life Today | Lewis Howes | non fiction/personal growth/manifest | personal growth | 8/4.53 |
| Decluttering at the Speed of Light: Winning Your Never Ending Battle with Stuff | Dana K. White | non fiction/decluttering | how to | 9/4.07 |
| How to Keep House while Drowning: A Gentle Approach to cleaning and organizing | K.C. Davis | non fiction/neurodivergent/organizing/home management | how to | 10/4.35 |
- Killers- I love books about women of a certain age kicking ass. If you’ve ever been made to feel invisible because of your age and sex, this book might help you out. Fun and funny and full of girl power!!
- Calypso- I like Sedaris. While some of his essays don’t appeal to me, and there are some subjects he talks about too much, on the whole I find his witty, sarcastic, curmudgeonly charm delightful. Though since seeing him live last year, when I read it I hear his voice in my head. But- some people just don’t like him, so it’s sort of niche. I read this for book club but I don’t think it’s a good book club choice
- Happier- I love time management books, and this one fell right into my wheelhouse. With examples from her life, the author gives us simple, practical exercises and concepts that are easy to digest and utilize. The one caveat I see is that if you have no inclination towards time management you might want to throw this book out the window.
- Sweet Spot- This is a light, easy to read story centered mainly around three women in NYC. I needed a sweet, fun read and this hit the spot for me. Sometimes you don’t want to think took much. However, if I am going to be, let’s just say pedantic, I did not like the overriding concept of parenthood in this book, nor did I appreciate the take on public school in NYC. But- at base level this book is a perfect time waster if family shenanigans are your thing.
- Twyford- This book is told in the form of phone transcriptions- I like concept books like this…this is sort of a mystery and sort of a code book, which I don’t think I completely understood. It’s cute but I don’t know if I can recommend it
- It Girl- Underwhelming. This has all the elements of a psych thriller- lots of motive, lots of possible suspects, lots of self doubt- yet I wasn’t overly excited about turning the page to see what came next. I think there are better examples of the genre…
- Teatime- follows a woman in India in the 1940’s. While there was some interesting stuff, on the whole this was a stilted read. Some of the descriptions of tea plantations and India were quite evocative, as well as how women were treated then. I read for book club and I think it is an Ok choice if your book club is part of a tea society…
- Greatness- This is sort of manifesting on steroids- how to set your mind to something and accomplish it. I wasn’t a fan of this particular book, though there was one chapter that I thought was enlightening and almost worth reading the book. Enjoyment of this book ties into if you are buying what the author is selling
- Decluttering- I am always looking to figure out ways to organize, declutter and such, so I’m always on the lookout for books on the subject. This is not about organizing, but really about how to declutter. If you need help with this specific task, this isn’t a bad resource.
- This book is catered towards those who identify as neurodivergent, which I didn’t realize at the time I bought it (it was on sale and I’m always looking for household management books) I think if you need to remind yourself to be kind to yourself when it comes to cleaning and organizing, this is a good book. It’s a very gentle and forgiving approach. But it wasn’t for me, though it’s well organized and probably quite helpful
| Movie | Genre | Where Seen | Ranking/Rotten Tomatoes-critic/audience |
|---|---|---|---|
| Air | based on a true story/Nike signing Michael Jordan | Theater- AMC | 1/92/98 |
| A Thousand and One | drama/family | Theater- AMC | 2/97/84 |
| Somewhere in Queens | dramady/family | Theater- AMC | 3/89/91 |
| Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves | action/adventure | Theater- AMC | 4/90/93 |
| Suzume | animated/coming of age/foreign (Japanese, but I saw it dubbed) | Theater- AMC | 5/95/98 |
| Murder Mystery 2 | who dun it | Stream- Netflix | 6/46/48 |
- Air- I loved this film- just straight up entertainment- a story told in a straight forward yet charming way. Simple but accomplishes its task…the story of how Nike signed Michael Jordan
- Thousand- This is a beautifully told tale about a woman and her son, just trying to get by- about family and what it ultimately means. Solid acting performance by Teyana Taylor in a heart wrenching role. This is a very emotional film- lots of feels
- Somewhere- Heartfelt movie about a family, and all the dynamics that come with it. Blue collar Italian Americans (directed by Ray Romano) sort of afraid to break tradition. If you come from a big Italian family you will probably enjoy this
- D&D- Just a rollicking, fun adventure movie. You need to sort of believe in Dungeons and Dragons, but if you’re willing to suspend belief, it’s a fun ride
- Suzume- The animation is the star here- just gorgeous. The story was a little weird for me- I sort of got it but sort of didn’t. That being said, I’m guessing there are legions of people who will like this film.
- Murder- I like Jennifer Aniston and Adam Sandler- but this sequel to their who dun it is more a why dun it- there is nothing redeeming about this movie at all…
Waking up on the Wrong Side of 50 
Nope, I think this is month 2 for me where we have nothing in common! My reading has been focused on ecology though so there’s that. I saw Super Mario Brothers with the grands- cute and made me feel old as I remember learning to play the game itself from my then 10 yo son. Also a doc about Jimmie and Stevie Ray Vaughn- interesting but I was hoping for more actual music. Just a lot of really old musicians reminiscing who clearly have lived hard lives and still prioritize their guitars.
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I do like a music doc though. I think my top two are worth a watch if you get a chance
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Wow…thanks for all of this, LA…the housecleaning book with a neurodivergent emphasis might be an especially good read for someone I know! 😉
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👍👍
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D&D…. my wife tells me I’m a loser for good reasons. I played back in the day. Also played a lot of Risk but off topic. Haven’t seen it for fear I will be let down. Murder I enjoyed, I needed a laugh & it delivered (in the beginning). Lets say I am glad I saw it for free.
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I wanted mm2 to be more quirky I guess….but catch d and d on demand. It’s fun
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Danny, my younger brother, aged 53, still plays D&D! He watches some You-Tube group playing as well, but don’t ask me the name cuz I only watched once!
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Glad I am not the only “loser” (LOL) and Thx for the info, I’ll have to search for it.
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I ordered “Killers of a Certain Age” on your recommendation. The book I liked called “Black Cake” follows strong women from their teens through the later years of their lives.
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Black cake was one of my faves last year!!
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It was great!
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👍👍👍
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I’m familiar with none of these, but “Somewhere in Queens” sounds pretty interesting.
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If you’re interested in the subject it’s worth a watch
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