Different, hot

This book sucked me in from the first chapter. Being inside Joe's head, seeing how he rationalizes his behavior and his delusional thinking, is addictive. You is one those books that I just couldn't put down; I kept wanting and needing to know what happened next. Is definitely recommend it!

Very interesting read that leads to a bit of self-examination

I found this book incredibly fascinating, and found that I was viewing online sensations a bit differently. While I was reading this, Steve Harvey accidentally announced the wrong winner at a beauty pageant- I was more analytical about the memes that came out and the comments on the posts, especially the harsh ones. Steve Harvey apologized immediately and owned his mistake, even making a job at his own expense on Christmas, so why were some people being so mean and personal in their comments about him? What pleasure were the deriving from it? It's not on the same level as the subjects Jon Ronson discusses, but still helped me apply some of his writing to a real world scenario. I'd definitely recommend this book to anyone who participates in any form of social media.

I won a copy of The Forgetting Time through a Goodreads giveaway, but was planning to read/buy it anyway, so my review is not influenced by its free-ness!

Janie is in the middle of her life, trying to recover from the loss of her mother, when she unexpectedly creates a new life. Her son Noah grows into a very unusual toddler, speaking about things he's never been exposed to, deathly terrified of water, and waking every night from night terrors. After his daycare says they can no longer have him until he gets some professional help, she seeks the top medical and psychological care for him. Facing a heartbreaking diagnosis of schizophrenia and a long, difficult life, Janie has one last hope: Dr. Jerome Anderson.

Dr. Jerome Anderson is facing the end of his road. An academic, a man who found comfort in research and data, has been diagnosed with dementia. However, he has a leading scholar in his field, though that field lead to derision from his peers: reincarnation. He built his life around interviewing and attempting to help children with memories of their previous life.

Dr. Anderson talks to Noah and takes on his case- for Dr. Anderson, it's his last hope for getting a book of research published, a strong case based in America, something for the readers to really relate to and get behind. For Janie, it's her last hope of getting Noah help, the last hope before having to accept her young son is schizophrenic and will struggle through his entire life.

Dr. Anderson's attempts to research Noah's case takes him on a journey through his own fading memories- his research partner, his deceased wife, their son and his short life, the cases that impacted him the most.

This is a good novel about memories, and how important memories are to a person, to who they are at their core.

Note: I won a copy from a Goodreads giveaway.

The Assistants is a great summer read- it's light, funny and fun. I think the idea of magically getting your student loans paid off appeals to a huge number of people, and those people will enjoy that wish fulfillment fantasy and relate to the struggle of working hard to get ahead, only to be stuck in the same place year after year.

While I personally find all the characters just ever so slightly underdeveloped, rarely stepping too far afield of their stereotype cores, I think ultimately, Tina is very relatable. She's trying, she's just not getting ahead in life. Maybe she's settling a little, maybe she's gotten a bit too comfortable, or maybe she values the specialness of being the assistant to one of the most powerful people in the world more than she realizes. The relationship between Tina and her boss Robert is probably the best of the novel.

I love Anna Kendrick

I relate so hard to the funny, lazy, stubborn, anxious woman Anna Kendrick turns out to be. This felt like talking to a friend whose life is simply far more interesting than mine.

A Hallmark Christmas movie in book form (in a good way)

It’s got all the heartwarming schmaltz I want in a quick read, with all the expected turns- a new friend family, relationship drama, family drama, and an elderly mentor-type. Plus a super cute pug named Teddy Roosevelt.

Good sense of fear and terror, but some cliche plot points

It’s hard to say more without being spoilery. It’s a good, fun, fast read, with an excellent sense of dread throughout. There are many plot points that make it feel like a mashup of a 90s after school special and Cloverfield, but overall it’s an enjoyable read.

Only read if you like snarky, middle aged women who think they’re above everyone else

I had a hard time getting through this book because the main character, Eleanor, is so unlikeable in fact, halfway through the book she does something with their dog Yo-Yo that made me spend the rest of the book worrying more about the outcome of the dog versus the outcome of her life, because the dog is a far more sympathetic character! She’s incredibly judgmental and self obsessed, but there is one section of the book that’s very interesting and tells a good story, and I found myself wishing we had been allowed to dive deeper into that story.

Beautiful

I actually can’t put into words how great I think this novel is. It feels so realistic, so everyday average, but in such an amazing way. How the relationships are easy and hard, how self discovery is easy and hard, how telling the world who you think you are is easy and hard. Nothing feels too over the top or Dawson’s Creek-y (aging myself with that reference!)- the fights, the anxieties, the new love, the thrill of doing what you love, it all felt so real.

A truly beautiful story

Excellent message, humorous writing, and adorable illustrations; this book might be seen as just a John Oliver gag by some, but the messages of acceptance, standing up for love, and of civic responsibility in voting makes this a truly important book for children AND adults alike.