
Becoming Duchess Goldblatt by Anonymous
Part memoir and part exploration of what happens when you portray a fictional character on Twitter. Like with @DuchessGoldblatt, I really wanted to enjoy the book, but her style doesn’t land with me. Also, for someone who claims to have no friends and low self-confidence, the author spends a lot of time detailing conversations with famous friends and boasting about her productivity and growing popularity.

The Big Book of 30-Day Challenges by Rosanna Casper
I borrowed this because OverDrive suggested it when another book I wanted was not available. It’s essentially a list of good habits (go to bed at a regular time, exercise, meditate, etc) with the recommendation to do it for 30 days. How this magazine article justified a book is beyond me.

Cauliflower Power by Lindsay Grimes Freedman
Some good recipes to try, but I’ll pass on the cauliflower-as-dessert ones, thanks.

Didn’t See That Coming: Putting Life Back Together When Your World Falls Apart by Rachel Hollis
The book equivalent of getting advice from that over-confident, know-it-all acquaintance who somehow thinks you want to emulate her. The advice about always putting on a smiley face for your kids, no matter what is going on in your life, is garbage.

Disloyal: The True Story of the Former Personal Attorney to President Donald J Trump by Michael Cohen
Yet another memoir by a former member of Trump’s inner circle trying to come to grips with the fact that he is a greedy, lying, sleazy thug. To Cohen’s credit, he owns it. There are no lame excuses, just a straight-up list of all the shady things he did in the service of a sociopath. How does Trump find these people?

Draw Your Day: An Inspiring Guide to Keeping a Sketch Journal by Samantha Dion Baker
I love the idea of adding drawing to my journalling repertoire, but Baker’s illustrations are SO good, I think I’d only be disappointed in my lack of skill. A nice book, but only if you’re more confident in your artistic abilities than me.

Finding Freedom: Harry and Meghan and the Making of a Modern Royal Family by Omid Scobie and Carolyn Durand
Absolutely nauseating. It’s hundreds of pages of non-stop bragging about how perfect Megan is in every conceivable way. I went into the book fairly sympathetic to Meghan for the rough treatment she received for daring to marry into the royal family while Black and American, but came out of it disliking her intensely. Talk about a monster ego. And the idea that the book was written without Meghan’s cooperation is laughable. Could your anonymous friends speak at length about what you were thinking in situations where you were alone? Would your anonymous friends find it impossible to find any hint of a fault in your character? And if these anonymous people really were your friends (and not, say, you) why wouldn’t they speak on the record?

Happy Hour: A Novel by Marlowe Granados
I wasn’t sure about this one since the story of two party girls living it up in NYC one summer is not really my thing, but the writing was great. For instance: “I realize now, the older you get, the harder it is to be impressed because people make you feel ashamed of ever being impressed by anything at all. I keep many glowing remarks to myself because of this.”

How to Pronounce Knife by Souvankham Thammavongsa
Really, really good short stories. Definitely recommend.

Rage by Bob Woodward
Yet another list of all the reasons Trump shouldn’t be President. Why do I keep reading these? And why does Bob Woodward keep writing them when he doesn’t have anything new to add?

Skinnytaste Meal Prep by Gina Homolka
I checked it out because it was available, but considering I have no recollection of it, I’m thinking I wasn’t terribly impressed.

The Truth Will Set You Free, But First It Will Piss You Off!: Thoughts on Life, Love, and Rebellion by Gloria Steinem
A short book of quotes interspersed with some brief essays. Enjoyable and thought-provoking, but my god the formatting. No professionally published book should be a font sampler.