The Spite House by Johnny Compton

Continuing my plan to read a new book starting each Tuesday, this was recommended to me by Amazon.  I have a love hate relationship with Amazon.  I love how fast they send me books, I hate how much I spend there.

Anyway, this was sold to me as a haunted house/horror story.  It was. Very much so.

However, it was WAY WAY WAY too much like The Haunting of Hill House (the novel, the movie, the movie remake, and the Netflix series) with a dash of The/A Haunting in Connecticut (the TV episode and the movie--fun fact, my late Golden Savannah was from the real neighborhood where that supposedly took place).  Family in crisis meets haunted house in need of caretaker.    

A very quick read (it's quite a short book) that held my interest.  I guess I was hoping there would be something that didn't sound recycled, but alas.  If you've never read/watched the aforementioned titles, you will absolutely love it.  If you have though, it will not be as scary a read.

All opinions expressed on this blog are solely those of Mrs. W. 

Carrie Soto is Back by Taylor Jenkins Reid

First an apology on being late with my review.  Crazy times with NGSS, Union meeting, St. Patrick's Parade, etc.!

Alright, so...

I recently learned all of Taylor Jenkins Reid's books have "Easter Eggs"--references to her other books.  You can read about her world here: https://www.jenryland.com/the-fictional-world-of-taylor-jenkins-reid In this book, Carrie Soto has an affair with the son-in-law of one of Evelyn Hugo's ex-husbands, Mick Riva.  It's fascinating how she has concocted this world and although the books are not sequels/prequels, they are interconnected like the old daytime soap operas.  

I absolutely loved The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, and I had big expectations for this.  My feelings are mixed.  Carrie Soto was a phenomenal tennis player, winning a record Grand Slam titles.  Now, at 37, a new player, Nicki Chan, has tied her record.  Soto decides to come out of retirement, at what is considered a geriatric age in sports, to try to win back her statistic.  

We flash backwards to how Carrie got to this moment.  And these parts I really liked, as they give a true picture of how women, specifically WINNING women were treated in the sports media (and in some ways still are).  Because Carrie wasn't interested in being friends with competition or being jolly with the press, she is called names.  Because she exploits weakness in her opponents, there is one particular B word used often.  

Once we get back to the present, I kinda lost interest.  I played tennis in high school, so I know how the scoring works and the terminology, etc.  It just got boring, and I did have to skip some of the play by play.

I will not spoil the ending when Soto and Chan face each other in the final.

All opinions expressed on this blog are solely those of Mrs. W.    

Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus

Hello there!  March 6th already.  Mrs. Paredes sent out the tentative end of year event calendar to teachers for review. This year is flying by!

This is the next book in my Teachers and Friends Book Club.  Since there is a cooking element, we are having a cook-off hosted by Mrs. Tirollo in two weeks.  

I thought this was going to be laugh out loud funny.  I did smile big a couple times, but I did not find it hilarious.  So just know my particular brand of humor didn't match up to Amazon's description.  Instead, I found this to be quite a statement about women's history in America, the history of entertainment and women in the television industry, the role of women in the 50s and 60s, the lack of women in sciences (or at least being credited for their work, and the place of the mother in the American family.  

Elizabeth is a brilliant chemist seeking her PhD when she is assaulted by her advisor.  The police and university take his side, and she is thrown out of the program.  She ends up working in a lab, but never being viewed as "smart enough".  Still trying to work on her theories, she steals equipment from legendary chemist Calvin Evans.  They fall in love, but refuse to marry, causing a scandal when they live together.  They adopt a stray dog and name him Six Thirty.  Calvin and Six Thirty are hit by a car, and Calvin is killed.  Elizabeth learns she is pregnant and is terminated from her employment.  

Years later, barely scraping by, Elizabeth's daughter Madeline gets into trouble at school when Mad had her lunch stolen by classmate Amanda.  Amanda's father is a local television producer, and after having Elizabeth's dinner, realizes she'd be perfect for a cooking show to fill a new empty time slot.  Elizabeth takes her chemistry background and applies it to food, while preaching women's education and life beyond the kitchen.  She becomes an icon.  You can imagine how the (male) television execs react. 

I will say Six Thirty is the absolute best character, and his internal monologue is fascinating.  Every year he ages I was afraid we'd be reading about his passing, but he lives through the end of the book (a fact I had to share with Ms. Marcella, as I knew she'd have the same fear!).  So do not despair animal lovers.

I'll be adding this to our collection momentarily (I'm sitting in the library listening to the BOE meeting going on downstairs via YouTube while directing lost parents at Parent Visiting Night), and it will be on the Book Club hold shelf until after our meeting.

All opinions expressed on this blog are solely those of Mrs. W.