TOB2024 | Care's Books and Pie

***** Before I write about Wellness, I want to make an announcement or, rather, give notice, that this blog is suffering. Not sure exactly what is the issue— I think it might be old age?! — but, I am having lots of frustration and annoyance with the ability to load, not only the dashboard to this blog, but to load the page URL to view. To search help in WordPress forums, everything! I have a new laptop, I have cleared cache and reset the stupid AdBlocker. Nothing loads, or it takes chunks of minutes. It is only white pages that display and I can’t get to anything, not even to see if it is WordPress of my blog. It is signaling the end of my blogging days, I fear. Okay, just wanted to let you know….

Thoughts by Nathan Hill, Borzoi Book/Alfred A Knopf 2023, 611 pages

Challenge: What’s in a Name: Double Letter category / Litsy TOB

Genre/Theme: Contemporary Lit / Marriage

Type/Source: Hardcover / Purchase

What It’s About: from official blurb:

“A hilarious and moving exploration of a modern marriage that astounds in its breadth and intimacy.”
—Brit Bennett, author of The Vanishing Half.

Thoughts: I was not in the proper mood to read this book. I could not get into it and I believe it was a “me” problem, not the book, because it seems like one I would typically enjoy. But, alas, let’s call it bad timing and TOB-fatigue.

Rating: I gave it 3 slices of pie.

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Thoughts by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah, PantheonBooks 2023, 364 pages

Challenge: What’s in a Name: Footwear category / TOB

Genre/Theme: Prison reform / Entertainment

Type/Source: eBook/ Libby

What It’s About: from official blurb:

Welcome to Chain-Gang All-Stars – the highly popular, highly controversial profit-raising program inside America’s private prison system. Harkening back to the time of gladiators, but watched by millions of live-stream subscribers, prisoners compete for the ultimate prize: their freedom.

Thoughts: I’m not sure what to think but would state that this is a great example of fictionalizing an important topic and hitting ALL the issues of what makes humans “human” – so aggravatingly complex.

Rating: I gave it 5 slices of pie. Though not quite what you would call an “enjoyable” read, it is memorable and sobering, illuminating and full of love as well as violence..