⭐⭐⭐⭐
This was another feel good romcom from Lauren. The characters are likeable, and the storytelling is good. The DNA match premise is maybe a tad much, and the romance follows the usual formula (which led cynical old me to a few eye rolls), but I was mostly able to push my cynicism aside and enjoyit for what it is. ❤

I was drawn to this book for its gorgeous cover and promising synopsis. I hate to bail on a book - especially after I've invested hours in it - but over halfway through and I've got to call it. I found the story terribly disjointed, and there were a number of times throughout where I felt as though I must have skimmed over something important. It's as though Blackwood had this world all planned out, but forgot that the reader can't see it.

Sticking with my new motto of "If I haven't read it yet, I probably won't", I am clearing of my To Read shelf on Goodreads, and starting to actually use the app for the first time ever, for 2022. I started reviewing what I read on Facebook a few years back, and joined here last year. Might as well become active on Goodreads, too. Lol. I read 83 books in 2021, which is roughly twice the amount of the usual. I'm aiming for 90 this year.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
This is a must read if you are musician, or a fan of those who make music. I have been a somewhat passive Foo Fighters fan for years, buying and listening to their music, but without the "fanatic" part. When they recorded their 7th album, Wasting Light, in Grohl's garage using analog equipment as a return to the roots music recording, my interest, and respect, was piqued.... ?

I mean...I love food. And Gaffigan has some funny stuff to say about it. I made it half way through...but like a really large meal, it was just too much food.

⭐⭐
I started reading this book after it was first released a few years ago, but only got about 1/4 of the way through it at the time. Finally decided to start over and plug through. The premise is interesting, and reminiscent of The Handmaid's Tale, but unfortunately begs the comparison and then falls short. While I connected with the horror of possibility of a world where women are - literally- silenced, I felt no connection to the characters.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Reid is just SO good at writing characters in a way that makes then REAL - their umanity, and the accuracy of the time and situations which they have lived through. I felt like I was reading the autobiography of someone legendary, like Marilyn Monroe. I'm left rather sad that Hugo is a fictional character.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⚡
I really enjoyed this memoir. Union is a strong, intelligent woman, and it was very insightful hearing about her experiences growing up in a predominantly white area, fertility issues, helping to raise her husband's children (she doesn't like the word step-mom), losing a loved one to cancer, and more. I will be reading her more recently released memoir, You Got Anything Stronger?

⭐⭐⭐
I can kind of see where the author was trying to go...I just can't say the story effectively got there. A bit of a thriller, with a unique idea - lacking a little in execution.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
I'm not usually one for rom-com books. The usual cheesiness, and the helplessness and stupidity of the female lead...is absent from this one. The two main characters are likeable; the male lead is unexpectedly emotionally mature, and the female lead is independent and strong. In my mind's eye, I have already cast this as a movie with America Ferrera and Justin Baldoni. 1000% recommend.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⚡
I have always loved Fairy Tales, and was shocked, while in a Children's Literature class in university, to learn that the original fairy tales were far less... innocent. This book is along the vein of the original tales, and I wouldn't necessarily recommend it for young children - it's pretty grim, no pun intended. I certainly enjoyed it, though.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⚡
This was an enjoyable read. 😊 It reminded me a bit of the film Knives Out, in that it is the same type of family whodunit, where everyone has a motive.

⭐⭐
My love for Hendrix's Horrorstor and My Best Friend's Exorcism couldn't save this one for me. I was really hopeful, but this story just isn't it. 😔 I'm too sad to say more.

Okay, I'm counting on this one to not disappoint. Two of my favourite books are Horrorstor and My Best Friends' Exorcism, by Hendrix.
🤞

⭐⭐
I struggled through this one. I almost bailed a few times, but kept thinking that, surely, it would get better. It did not. I found the main character/narrator repetitive and naive. The storyline, which hinged on a seemingly villain-less childhood trauma, just dragged on and on. The events that transpire, 20 years later, make no sense, even after the "big reveal" at the end.
Disappointing.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
As previously stated, I love Jann and everything she writes. I started reading this book when I first bought it a couple of years ago, and loved it so much that I bought copies for my mom and step-mom; but I never finished it until now. Better late than never? Jann has so many insights that strike to the core of me. I recommend this especially for anyone who is caregiver to a loved one.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
I love Jann and everything she writes. I found this book so insightful, and it resonated with me a lot. Like Jann, I have recently become more accepting and forgiving of myself, and I am learning to say no to things, people, and even books that do not bring me joy. 😉

⭐⭐⭐⭐⚡
Great Big Sea's Alan Doyle is delightful to me in a way that only a fellow small-town-Atlantic-Canadian can be. As advertised on the cover, this book is a lighthearted collection of personal experiences, and I thoroughly enjoyed listening to Doyle read the stories in his native Newfoundland accent.

⭐⭐⚡
I don't know what made me pick this one - I wouldn't call myself a Dratch fan, though I do sometimes make reference to her most popular SNL character, Debbie Downer. The book was okay. The first 1/4 deals with her career, and the rest of the book was about relationships and the birth of her son.

⭐⭐⭐⭐
I don't watch Grey's Anatomy, but I must have heard Shonda Rhimes' name spoken in tones of reverence enough times to encourage me to give this book a try. Year of Yes gives insight on Rhimes' personal growth following a decision to step out of her comfort zone. I have built extra walls around my own personal comfort zone over the past year and a half. Maybe I need to step out?

⭐⭐⚡ Meh.
I have never, to my recollection, watched anything by or starring Lena Dunham. Why did I pick this book then? Truly, because I've heard her name many times in tones of reverence, and thought maybe I should know who she is. She is a very good descriptive writer, but I found the memoir a bit all over the place/aimless. Now is when I usually start binging all the author's shows, movies, etc., but I do not feel compelled to in this case 🤷‍♀️

⭐⭐⭐⭐
Yet another autobiography by a funny redheaded celebrity. Honestly, I really enjoy Kathy Griffin and how unapologetic she is for telling it how it is. This book is no different. Like Jerry Seinfeld said during an argument with her, "How am I supposed to keep track of who you don't get along with in Hollywood?" I will be looking to read her other, more recent book, Celebrity Run-Ins.

I do this thing (up until now unintentionally) whereby is a name, or a concept, or a book comes up a few times in things I have read in relative succession, I figure it must be for a reason and I seek it out. A few books ago, Hilarie Burton-Morgan mentioned that Dandelion Wine is her favourite book, and now Joe Hill mentioned it as influential in the intro to Full Throttle. So I guess I have to buy this?

⭐⭐⭐⭐
Another memoir by a quirky redhead. I know Day from Supernatural, and I am pleased to say that she seems every bit as funny and insightful as I would have expected. My only complaint is the lack of any juicy details of her time on Supernatural, and (my fault) that since I am not familiar with the web show she wrote and starred in, The Guild, those chapters were a tiny bit lost to me. Now I have to go familiarize myself.

⭐⭐⭐⚡
I really enjoyed Kemper on The Office, and Kimmy Schmidt (though I binged through to the second season and got sick of it too quickly to plug through). She definitely seems exactly how I imagined she would be (awesome), but the book was sort of a "meh" for me.

⭐⭐⭐⚡
This one started it pretty slow but the last 1/4 kept me in some suspense. It wasn't completely predictable, which was nice. It wasn't bad - just not overly great.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
I *might* have chosen this celebrity memoir because I have a massive crush on her husband... but I can honestly say this was the best celebrity memoir that I've ever read. I know it's a cliché, but she and her hubby come across as a genuine people who just happen to act for a living. Move over, Kristen and Dax, I might have a new favourite celebrity couple. That is high praise coming from me.

*Somebody* doesn't want to let me read tonight.🙄

The best way to spend a Sunday afternoon. ❤

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Dark Matter (also by Crouch) still has me thinking, and I read it a few years ago! Recursion is going to keep me thinking about Crouch. He has a handle on the logistics of time-travel that few movies and books have. Science fiction isn't usually my thing, but I'm starting to rethink that. I now have all his books on my neverending TBR pile.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⚡
This book would make a great movie (*paging Tatiana Maslany*)
I rarely read science fiction, which is a shame, because Dark Matter (Crouch) is one if my favourite books, and I also really enjoyed this one. The audio book reading was very clinical, for lack of a better word. However, as it turns out, this voice suited the main character very well. Definitely worth the read.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⚡
This one impressed me. The storytelling went back and forth in time, and incorporated several different POVs, similar to Lianne Moriarty. The storyline was unique enough to keep me guessing the whole way through, which is something that doesn't happen nearly as much as I would like. My one complaint is that there were still a few minor threads left loose at the end.

⭐⭐⭐⚡
Based on this autobiography, NPH is basically exactly who I expected him to be, with maybe a dollop of extra ego. I did enjoy his short but intense roasts of Dustin Diamond (Screech), and Kelsey Grammar, and he definitely has a lot of life experience and imagination to share. Worth the read if you're an NPH fan.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⚡
This one caught me in the feels. As a teenager watching the events at Columbine High on CNN, I was profoundly affected. As a teacher who practices lockdowns, I am aware of the possibility of tragedy in schools. While this school shooting story is fictional, the characters are familiar, and the emotions are real.

⭐⭐⭐⚡
This was a nice collection of short stories. I found them interesting, and open for the reader to interpret and make their own personal connections. The connection I made is that some people we meet, and experiences we have, can impact our lives in unexpected ways.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⚡
It's been a while since I found a thriller that is actually...thrilling. I didn't read the synopsis ahead of time, and somehow managed to not even read the spoiler on the cover, so I was pleasantly surprised at being surprised.

⭐⭐⭐
This collection of short stories was alright. I do enjoy hearing from the POV of a minority culture I have no experience with, but the stories really lacked a quality of universal humanity that I could make personal connections to.

⭐⭐⭐⭐
I can't think of anything I've read by King that I didn't like. These two stories (Elevation, and Laurie) were very reminiscent to me of the kind of classic short stories I studied in university. Even though the title is Elevation, it was actually Laurie that I enjoyed the most. It was also nice to listen to King read his stories.

This true story is like one extremely detailed episode of House, minus House himself. I was riveted for the first half, but became somewhat indifferent to the rest. I guess that's more of a ME problem than a BOOK problem, maybe.

I listened to just over half of this audiobook before the library took it back... I don't feel the need to renew it. I haven't watched the show, so I had no real expectations for the book. It wasn't bad, it was just...meh.

⭐⭐
This one is tough to rate. Was it a thriller, as advertised? No. The first 3/4 of the book was setting up more of a social justice storyline, and the last 1/4 was pretty outlandish. I don't want to completely discount this book, because I learned a lot from it about gentrification - I just think that the author cheapened the seriousness of the topic by trying to turn it into a thriller, seemingly as an afterthought.

Book #54
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
This book was so good. I absolutely fell in love with the protagonist. I definitely recommend the audiobook, because listening to the South African accent really helped to immerse me in the story. Heartbreaking at times throughout, but ultimately hopeful. 👍

⭐⭐⭐⭐⚡
I really wanted to read this Shirley Jackson classic, because the Netflix show was amazing. I knew that the show was loosely based on the novel, so I wasn't surprised by just HOW loosely. I spent a large part of this novel not entirely sure what was going on, and normally that would bother me, but in this case it was very intentional, and disoriented me enough that it helped me empathize with the main character's deteriorating state of mind.

Great stormy day weather for a little horror. 😱

⭐⭐⚡
I like Sarah Silverman. She gained bonus points when she did a song with my favourite band, Walk off the Earth (a cover of Video Killed the Radio Star). The book started out good, with some stories from her childhood and adolescence. Later stories about her career veered into pretty much just telling the reader about how great each of her friends are. Which is nice, just not interesting to me.🤷‍♀️

⚡
You know how the TV show LOST was years of random stuff, and then a terrible ending that didnt connect any of it? That's this book. Except at least LOST was interesting. I feel like the author owes me an apology for wasting my time. The character development is problematic, the plot outlandish, and about 95% of the book is just the main character ruminating about an incident that happened at the very beginning. Half star for good audio narration

⭐⭐⭐⭐⚡
This was an unexpectedly great read. I have had a hard time lately finding books in this genre that my true-crime drenched 🧠 does not pick apart into ruins. The characters were well developed, and the multiple storylines worked well, first separately, and then woven together in the end. I can't explain why the last star is only half without giving spoilers through opinion, so you'll just have to trust me and read it.😉

Why so grumpy, Sam and Dean?

My reading buddies ❤

⭐⭐⭐⭐
I was worried that I wouldn't be able to get into this one because it's been such a long time since I read the first one, but that was a non-issue. It is a smart YA book - that is to say that the author didn't dumb it down, underestimating the target audience, as some YA authors seem to do.