8-23-25: Today was the 3rd Annual Philly Book Crawl!!
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The Book of Joe | 
8-23-25: Today was the 3rd Annual Philly Book Crawl!!
so-soMostly I‘m just happy to finally have this off of my TBR list after many years. It was ok. Started off kind of slow and definitely felt a bit dated to me (it‘s only from the early 2000s, but it just felt a little out of touch?). The main guy‘s defining characteristic seemed to be horniness, both in the present day and in his high school memories. All the descriptions of women‘s breasts got old. The end got better but I still didn‘t love it.
”Everyone always wants to know how you can tell when it's true love, and the answer is this: when the pain doesn't fade and the scars don't heal, and it's too damned late.”
pickA small-town guy becomes famous for writing a bestseller book about his teen years that is made into a hit movie starring Leonardo DeCaprio and Kristin Durst. Folks in his hometown despise him for the negative depiction of them. When his father becomes sick he goes home and has to deal with his past. Entertaining, but not as good as Tropper‘s "This is Where I Leave You."
pickI liked this book but I do feel like a lot of Jonathan Tropper‘s writing follows the same type of theme. It‘s a little dark and a little funny. This one has a strained relationship and a rocky past with family and hometown. I liked this, but I did find a lot of similarities to This is Where I Leave You.
pickNot as good as This Is Where I Leave You. Still fun.
Time doesn't heal as much as it buries things in the undergrowth of your brain, where they lie in wait to ambush you when you least expect it.
I just started reading this novel. This is the first line. We're off to a GREAT start!
I am Sitting here alone in the car waiting for my daughter to get out of swim practice and bawling my eyes out. I really hope no one I know sees me and thinks something is really wrong! I‘m not even half way through....
pickI‘m gradually making my way through Jonathan Tropper‘s books and I‘ve got to say that Tropper is fast becoming one of my favorite authors. Love the witty sense of humor! This was not necessarily my favorite of his so far, but still good stuff! My only regret was that this audio was abridged. It was a good abridgment, but I would‘ve preferred the whole, unabridged version.
pickWith minutes to spare before our book club discussion, let me say, this book was fantastic! There are some serious issues as the book goes back to Joe's senior year in high school. 17 years after graduating, a best selling book and movie about his small Connecticut town, he makes an appearance and the town is not too happy with him. Although the issues are serious, Tropper manages to write with much humor & awesome characters! ❤️❤️❤️
pickMy personal favorite of Tropper's, this book will make you laugh and cry. Centered around the story of a man coming back to his home town after he publicly ridiculed it, he encounters old friends, old loves, and of course, high school bullies. The book teaches that there's beauty in all places and don't judge a book by its cover.
so-so"You're an asshole, Goffman."
Joe Goffman is self-centered and often insufferable, but you like him just enough to care what happens. I could have done without the "Stacy's Mom" bit and Joe's obvious preoccupation with describing boobs (I wish I had kept a tally), but there were enough heart-felt moments to see through until the end.
10 of ?: #MountTBR
My adorable and thoughtful 4.5 year old just built me this nifty Lego book light for my Kindle. What a sweetheart. ❤️ #raisingreaders
“You have to question the originality of your life when it can be captured perfectly in the lyrics of a rock song.” 😆
― Jonathan Tropper
My summer reading has been too heavy. Tropper to the rescue!
