"I love Keeping Up With The Penguins — Reviews For The Would-Be Booklover"

2022-06-22 04:45:09

Keeping Up With The PenguinsReviews For The Would-Be Booklover HomeAboutBook ReviewsNew ReleasesRecommended ReadsContactHomeAboutBook ReviewsNew ReleasesRecommended ReadsContact Red, White & Royal Blue – Casey McQuiston June 21, 2022 / Sheree / 0 CommentsWhat happens when America’s First Son falls in love with the Prince of Wales? It’s a killer premise for Casey McQuiston’s debut novel (and #Bookstagram darling) Red, White & Royal Blue. They’ve quickly become one of my auto-buy authors – I loved One Last Stop, and I’m desperate to get my hands on a copy of I Kissed Shara Wheeler – so it was great to go back and see where it all began for them back in 2019.Get Red, White & Royal Blue here.(And I’ll be tickled pink if you use an affiliate link on this page – when you make a purchase, I earn a tiny commission!)McQuiston, unsurprisingly, came up for the idea for Red, White & Royal Blue – a romance between the heirs to two of the world’s most powerful families – during the 2016 American presidential election. They’ve also cited the TV show Veep, the Hilary Clinton biography A Woman In Charge, and royal romance The Royal We as sources of inspiration.It makes for a delightful escapist read. Alex Claremont-Diaz, one of the romantic leads, is the First Son of America’s first woman president. He’s had a few encounters with Britain’s Prince Henry, none of them good. Their mutual dislike bubbles over at a royal wedding, when a little argy-bargy sends them careening into an extravagant wedding cake – a moment unfortunately captured by photographers.So, it’s time for damage control! Their handlers concoct a plan for Henry and Alex to make a public show of friendship, to alleviate the risk of any further diplomatic incidents. Red, White & Royal Blue isn’t so much a fake-dating romance book as it is a fake-friendship-turns-into-real-dating romance book – a welcome twist on the trope.Alex and Henry’s forced proximity really keeps the tension high, and propels the plot forward. Their burgeoning love affair is paced just right – not so quick as to be completely unbelievable, not so slow as to become boring, and with just the right amount of angst. The sociopolitical complexities of coming out are addressed as significant obstacles, but not overwhelming ones. The only flaw in Red, White & Royal Blue‘s story, as far as I could see, was that one of the plot points (re: the emails, no spoilers but IYKYK) was so blatantly foreseeable! I felt like I spent two-thirds of the book waiting for that particular shoe to drop. Hot tip: if you EVER want to keep ANYTHING secret, NEVER put it in writing – especially in a romance novel!That was forgivable, though, given how FUN this novel was. It’s hard to believe McQuiston was a debut writer. The tone was consistently youthful (without being either annoying or condescending), wry, and self-aware.He’s unsure of the dress code for inviting your sworn-enemy-turned-fake-best-friend to your room to have sex with you, especially when that room is in the White House, and especially when that person is a guy, and especially when that guy is the Prince of England.Red, White & Royal Blue (page 134)I did get a weird pang towards the end, looking at the dates. The timeline of Red, White & Royal Blue clearly stretched in the future at the time McQuiston was writing; they (understandably) had no idea that absolutely everything would change in 2020. It makes for a heart-wrenchingly sweet parallel universe where a left-wing woman could be President and none of us ever did a birthday party via Zoom.Red, White & Royal Blue, unbelievably, lives up to the hype. Of course, it’s targeted at younger readers, but I can vouch for the fact that it resonates for young-at-heart readers, too. I’d especially recommend it for fans of The West Wing, and/or anyone who’s just particularly burned out by The State Of The World and looking for some starry-eyed optimism. My favourite Amazon reviews of Red, White & Royal Blue:“Alex is sad. He looks at Henry. Their eyes meet. Henry smiles for once. That makes Alex smile. Alex says “OMG LOL WE ARE CRAZY” then Henry says “we ARE crazy” then they both turn on their heels and head to another room. Sex happens. Sky is blue. Grass is green.” – Amazon Customer“If you want to read chapter after chapter of vulgar language explicitly describing homosexual sex, then this is the book for you.” – goldie“Written for adolescent girls with the reading difficulties.” – Kneale Grainger The Strangers – Katherena Vermette June 19, 2022 / Sheree / 0 CommentsBuy The Strangers(affiliate link)The Strangers is “a searing exploration of race, class, inherited trauma, and matrilineal bonds that – despite everything – refuse to be broken”. Katherena Vermette is a Red River Métis (Michif) writer, from the heart of Métis nation (Canada), and her heritage permeates this incredible First Nations novel. The wonderful team at UQP Books were kind enough to send me a copy for review.The first thing that struck me about The Strangers (after the truly stunning cover art) was the perfect content warning provided before the story began. I hope they don’t mind me reproducing it in full here, because it’s truly a masterclass in how trigger warnings should be done: thoughtful, encouraging, and helpful.This book is about coping within the systems that have been imposed upon us, so there are plenty of triggers for those whose lives have been traumatically affected by them. These include depictions of child apprehension, solitary incarceration, suicide ideation, some drug use, and some physical violence. (It’s not just about that, hey? And I do try to cram as much love and hope in between as possible.) The Strangers (Trigger Warning)The Strangers is told in five parts, vignettes from five consecutive years in the lives of three generations of Stranger women. Margaret is bitter and weary; her daughter, Elise, is addicted and broken; Elise’s eldest daughter, Phoenix, is angry and incarcerated; and Cedar, Phoenix’s younger sister, is lonely and confused.I found Elise particularly infuriating, and came to dread her chapters – but in a good way, somehow. I really wanted to empathise with her, and I swear I tried my best, but it was a tough row to hoe. The “dangerous criminal”, foul-mouthed Phoenix, was actually a lot more relatable and enjoyable to read. I suspect every reader will have their own affinities and preferences for these four very different women.Despite the (very) heavy subject matter, and Vermette’s talent for stark realism, The Strangers is surprisingly readable. The pages fly by! It really exceeded my expectations, and I’m still mulling over it days later. What’s The Difference Between Autobiography And Memoir? June 17, 2022 / Sheree / 0 CommentsFor about as long as we’ve been making up stories about other people, we’ve been telling our own stories, too. There are two main book genres for people writing about their own lives: autobiography and memoir. Autobiography comes from Greek, translating roughly to “self life write”, while memoir comes from the French mémoire, meaning memory or reminiscence. It’s easy to smush these two categories together (as I do when categorising my reviews), but they’re actually quite distinct… most of the time. Here’s my guide to the difference between autobiography and memoir (and all of the exceptions to the rules).Similarities Between Autobiography and MemoirYou’d be forgiven for thinking autobiographies and memoirs are pretty much the same thing. Both are shelved in the non-fiction section. Both contain stories about the author’s own life, written from the author’s perspective (and here’s the first of many exceptions-to-the-rule: sometimes authors play with convention, like Carmen Maria Machado cleverly using second-person in In The Dream House).So, if both types of book are authors telling their own story, what’s the difference between autobiography and memoir?Subject: Autobiography vs MemoirThis key difference between autobiography and memoir comes down to the popularity and/or notoriety of the author.Autobiographies are typically written by/about people of note, people who have made a significant contribution to public life or history, people with long Wikipedia entries.Often, autobiographies are written with the assistance of a ghost writer (especially for celebrities who aren’t writers themselves, such as sports stars and political figures). This helps ground their perspective and keep the narrative on track. Memoirs, on the other hand, can be written by just about anyone. In fact, some of my favourite memoirs have been written by people we might otherwise never have heard of (e.g., Educated by Tara Westover). If someone has some kind of life experience that would be interesting or resonant for others, they’re well placed to write a memoir.The fuzzy grey area in between this definition are professional memoirists. Writers like David Sedaris have made their name through writing about their own lives, even though they never escaped North Korea or lived in the White House. David Sedaris has achieved the level of popularity/notoriety that would normally warrant an autobiography, but his books are still definitively memoirs because of their other features.Focus: Autobiography vs MemoirA related difference between autobiography and memoir is the focus of the author’s story.An autobiography’s main focus is presenting the facts and historical context of the subject’s life. The view is usually quite broad, taking into account any number of aspects and points of interest.A memoir, on the other hand, is more narrow in focus (or, at least, it can be). A memoir is focused more on the author’s feelings and personal experience of events.To put it in terms of the five Ws, an autobiography would usually focus on the what/when/who questions, while a memoir might focus on why/how. Timeline: Autobiography vs MemoirMaybe the easiest-to-spot difference between autobiography and memoir is their timeline.An autobiography typically covers the subject’s whole life, starting from birth (or even earlier). That’s why the best autobiographies are written later in the subject’s life, once they’ve done most of the interesting stuff they’re going to do. They also usually cover events in a linear chronological order, following the natural progression of life and time (though, as always, there are exceptions).Memoirs are a lot more flexible in terms of their timeline. They might cover most of a subject’s life, or only a few years – even just a few weeks or days. Memoirs are anchored by key events in the subject’s life, so they can skip over the irrelevant stuff that came before or after. (So, bonus: a well-written memoir is almost always much shorter than a well-written autobiography.) Tone: Autobiography vs MemoirThe final – and most difficult to define – difference between autobiography and memoir is the tone.Basically: the vibes are different.Autobiographies – with their neat chronological timeline and focus on facts – tend to be more formal in tone, and more traditional in style.Memoirs can be formal too… but they can also be very informal, reflective in tone, even totally bizarre and experimental.A reader of autobiographies would probably be put off by the casual/conversational/dialectic tone of many memoirs. A reader of memoirs would likely find a lot of autobiographies too stilted and solemn.But as I said, this is the most difficult difference between autobiography and memoir to define, and there are far too many exceptions to call it a hard-and-fast rule. Nancy Wake’s autobiography was very laid back in style, while Chanel Miller’s memoir was quite serious, for instance. So, it’s really no use trying to judge the difference between autobiography and memoir based on tone alone. The Main Difference Between Autobiography and MemoirUltimately, the main difference between autobiography and memoir is whether the publisher prints “autobiography” or “memoir” on the cover.Normally, bookshops – and book reviewers, like me! – will shelve them together, because these sub-genres have more in common than they do otherwise.What are your favourite autobiographies or memoirs? Tell us in the comments! Calypso – David Sedaris June 14, 2022 / Sheree / 0 CommentsDavid Sedaris is a must-read auto-buy author for me now, but I’m forcing myself to take it slow. I make myself read only one book of his at a time, every so often, instead of gobbling them all down at once like the gluttonous goblin-reader I am at heart. I started with Me Talk Pretty One Day, then last year Dress Your Family In Corduroy And Denim, and now Calypso – a collection of 21 autobiographical essays published in 2018.Get Calypso here.(And if you use an affiliate link like this one to make a purchase, I’ll earn a teeny tiny commission! It all adds up!)My first literal lol came from Calypso‘s blurb. After promising that “Sedaris sets his formidable powers of observation towards middle age and mortality”, it reveals that he named his beach house the Sea Section. HA! It also says that Calypso is “beach reading for people who detest beaches, required reading for those who loathe small talk and love a good tumour joke” – so if there was any doubt whether it might be up my alley…Sedaris’s essay collections always revolve around a rough theme or motif. With Calypso, he focuses on middle-age and the changing shape of his family (as he approaches the age his mother was when she passed away, and deals with the loss of his sister). Many of the stories take place at the aforementioned Sea Section (I still laugh, every time! What a brilliant pun!), with his remaining family members gathering at the North Carolina beach house for holidays and getaways. It presents the perfect location and excuse for the Sedaris clan to gather, and spend time with their patriarch, now in his ’90s.Plus, it gives Sedaris the opportunity to realise his childhood dream of “[owning] a beach house and it would be everyone’s, as long as they followed my draconian rules and never stopped thanking me for it,”. Sedaris is at his best (i.e., his cattiest) in Your English Is So Good, an essay bemoaning the nonsense filler phrases that pepper our interactions with strangers. I also struggled to control my snort-laughs while reading And While You’re Up There, Check On My Prostate, about the curses of various languages and cultures. (His conclusion is that the Romanians have us all beat, with gems like “I fuck your mother’s memorial cake” and “shove your hand up my ass and jerk off my shit”.)Unusually, for Sedaris, the content of Calypso warrants a pretty strong trigger warning: for suicide, his sister Tiffany’s in particular. It’s a sad event in his life, of course, and there are a few particularly bleak moments as Sedaris reckons with what it means for himself and his family, but for the most part Sedaris addresses it with the same matter-of-fact wry tone that he does most facts of life.The best thing about David Sedaris books is that I get to enjoy them for the “first time” twice! Once on paper, once on audio! I’m pleased to report that the Calypso audiobook, read by Sedaris himself, is just as wonderful as the paperback version (though hearing him imitate his brother’s drawling dialogue makes those parts even funnier, if you can imagine).So, of course, I enjoyed Calypso. There was no way Sedaris was going to let me down. Even though the content is a bit darker in parts, he still writes with the humour and panache that makes him unique. It’s impossible not to be impressed by his mastery of the form, the way in which he can punch in any direction and still manage to remain thoroughly likeable and hilarious. It’s going to be difficult to force myself to wait to pick up another one of his books… My favourite Amazon reviews of Calypso:“Usually donate books to either Hospice or our local Friends of the Library; however, in fear that someone will purchase this, read it and give it a 5-star review thereby encouraging further reading, I felt that I had to prevent that.” – Sammypot“Tumors being fed to turtles, injured kittens being shot, yuppies in a buying frenzy for useless clothing, diarrhea on a plane, suicide, alcoholism, etc.” – Shelaw“If you like neuroses and self absorption, this is the book for you.” – Indiana Kevin“As a David Sedaris fan I was really looking forward to this book. Saved it to read on vacation. Big mistake. Full of depressing stories. Death, illness, diarrhea. Really? Can’t understand the good reviews.” – Pop99 Bone Memories – Sally Piper June 12, 2022 / Sheree / 0 CommentsBuy Bone Memories here(affiliate link)Bone Memories is the immersive new novel from Sally Piper. It examines the repercussions of a terrible crime, across three generations of a family. The wonderful team at UQP Books were kind enough to send me a copy for review.Jess, a young mother, was murdered – in front of her toddler, by a complete stranger – sixteen years ago. Her mother, Billie, clings desperately to her memory and believes she lives on in the land she walked in life. Her son, Daniel, is desperate to move on and not let this tragic event define him, but struggles with the feeling that he’s abandoning his grandmother. Carla, Daniel’s stepmother, also feels trapped by the memory of Jess, and is pushing the family to move on and move away, for a fresh start.The first thing that struck me while reading Bone Memories is that, even though Jess’s murder is unsolved, the story isn’t about the search for her killer. The crime doesn’t propel the story. Rather, it’s the relationships between the people left in the event’s fading wake that drive everything forward.My allegiances shifted, several times, as Bone Memories played out. Hyper-sensitive Billie, conflicted Daniel, and frustrated Carla are all relatable in different ways. They’re all trying to build a future while adequately honouring the past; the trouble is, they all have different ideas about the best way to do that. There’s no clear “winner” in this story. They’re all right, and they’re all wrong, in the way they go about things.Readers of Australian literary fiction and family dramas will really enjoy Bone Memories, for its intensity and keen insight into grief, family, and place-memory. « Older postsLooking For Something?LOVE KEEPING UP? SUBSCRIBE!Keep Up On Instagram keepingupwiththepenguinsonline• Follow The Strangers is told in five parts, vignettes from five consecutive years in the lives of three generations of Métis women. Margaret is bitter and weary; her daughter, Elise, is addicted and broken; Elise’s eldest daughter, Phoenix, is angry and incarcerated; and Cedar, Phoenix’s younger sister, is lonely and confused. This is a story of inherited trauma and matrilineal bonds, an incredible First Nations novel from Katherena Vermette..Despite the (very) heavy subject matter, and Vermette’s talent for stark realism, The Strangers is surprisingly readable. The pages fly by! It really exceeded my expectations, and I’m still mulling over it days later. My gratitude to Vermette and the team at @UQPBooks for sending a copy! ♾♾♾♾♾/5 (and my full review is up on the blog now, link in bio ?).What was the last book about Hard Stuff that you found surprisingly easy to read? ?.#TheStrangers #KatherenaVermette #UQPBooks 3 days ago View on Instagram |1/9 keepingupwiththepenguinsonline• Follow For about as long as we’ve been making up stories about other people, we’ve been telling our own stories, too ? There are two main book genres for people writing about their own lives: autobiography and memoir. It’s easy to smush these two categories together, but they’re actually quite distinct… most of the time ?.Over on the blog (link in bio ?) I’ve put together a guide to the difference between autobiography and memoir - and all the exceptions to the rules ?? Check it out if you want to sound like you know what you’re talking about, in this regard at least ?.What are your favourite autobiographies/memoirs? I want more recommendations! ?.#Autobiography #Memoir #BookStack 5 days ago View on Instagram |2/9 keepingupwiththepenguinsonline• Follow My first literal lol came from Calypso‘s blurb. After promising that “Sedaris sets his formidable powers of observation towards middle age and mortality”, it reveals that he named his beach house the *Sea Section* - HA! ?.Sedaris’s essay collections always revolve around a rough theme or motif. With Calypso, he focuses on middle-age and the changing shape of his family. Even though the content is a bit darker in parts, he still writes with the humour and panache that makes him unique. It’s impossible not to be impressed by his mastery of the form, the way in which he can punch in any direction and still manage to remain thoroughly likeable and hilarious. Full review is up on the blog (link in bio, etc etc) - ?????/5.What would you name your getaway beach house, if you had one? Bonus points for terrible puns! ?.#Calypso #DavidSedaris #PrideReads 1 week ago View on Instagram |3/9 keepingupwiththepenguinsonline• Follow Bone Memories is the immersive new Australian novel that examines the repercussions of a terrible crime, across three generations of a family. The wonderful team at @UQPBooks were kind enough to send me a copy for review ?.The first thing that struck me is that, even though Jess’s murder is unsolved, Bone Memories isn’t about the search for her killer. The crime doesn’t propel the story, which makes for a nice change! My allegiances shifted, several times, as it all played out. Hyper-sensitive Billie, conflicted Daniel, and frustrated Carla are all relatable in different ways. Readers of Australian literary fiction and family dramas will really enjoy this one! My full review is up on the blog now (link in bio ?) - ????/5.#BoneMemories #SallyPiper #UQPBooks 1 week ago View on Instagram |4/9 keepingupwiththepenguinsonline• Follow ? I am dipping, once again, into my Complete Works Of Oscar Wilde collection. This time, I’ve decided to give one of his plays a go: The Importance Of Being Earnest. The farcical premise and witty dialogue have made it his most enduring and popular play ?.It’s full of gems like: “Oh! It is absurd to have a hard and fast rule about what one should read and one shouldn’t. One should read everything. More than half of modern culture depends on what one shouldn’t read.” ? I loved it! My full review is up on the blog now (link in bio ?) - ?????/5.Do you have an Oscar Wilde favourite? Now that I’ve done Dorian Gray and Earnest, which should I flip to next? ??.#TheImportanceOfBeingEarnest #OscarWilde #PrideReads 2 weeks ago View on Instagram |5/9 keepingupwiththepenguinsonline• Follow “Our Members Be Unlimited is a beautiful and often moving guide to union organising that’s in touch with the reality of work today,” according to Bhaskar Sunkara (the founding editor of @JacobinMag ?), and I can’t come up with a better way to describe it myself. I was lucky enough to receive a copy from the publisher @ScribePub for review..Our Members Is Unlimited‘s fun format and beautiful rendering belies the significance of its subject – a must-read for fans and followers of @JortsAndJean ? My full review is up on the blog now (link in bio ?) - ✊✊✊✊/5.Are you a member of your union? ?.#OurMembersBeUnlimited #SamWallman #UnionStrong 2 weeks ago View on Instagram |6/9 keepingupwiththepenguinsonline• Follow I don’t know about you, but if I’ve had a bad day or a hard week, it’s tough to unwind with a book that has life-or-death stakes ?‍♀️ There’s a lot of pressure on authors to “ramp up the stakes” of their stories, as though the only way we readers could be compelled to read on is if we’re worried the world might end before the epilogue ?.The thing is, the truly masterful writers out there can make the low-stakes problems of their characters gripping without an adrenaline rush, and keep us reading while soothing and entertaining us. I’ve put together a list of my favourite books about low stakes problems, it’s up on the blog now ? and some of them are pictured here ?.I’m always on the hunt for more! Drop your light-reading recs ⬇️?.#WhatToRead #UpLit #ToBeReadPile 3 weeks ago View on Instagram |7/9 keepingupwiththepenguinsonline• Follow BRRRR! ? I know summer is starting for Northern Hemisphere Keeper Upperers, but down here at the bottom of the world it’s cold as balls. Shout out to everyone wearing layers right now ? You know what else will warm you up? A saucy, steamy romance novel ?.Happy Endings is a delight to read. The blurb maybe overstates the stakes a little (they’re comfortingly low), and there’s a cast of supportive, empowering characters that keep the mood up. All told, it’s a fun second-chance romance with a sweet message and (as the title suggests) a happy ending for all involved. My full review is up on the blog now (link in bio ?) - ???/5.Do you prefer a sunny summer romance, or a cozy winter romance? You can only pick one! ?.#HappyEndings #ThienKimLam #WinterReading 3 weeks ago View on Instagram |8/9 keepingupwiththepenguinsonline• Follow For a while in the 2010s I lived in St Kilda, right on the edge of Melbourne’s Jewish enclave. Despite my proximity, grocery shopping on Balaclava Road was as close as I ever got to the Orthodox community ? I welcomed the opportunity to learn more about them via Ashley Goldberg’s debut novel, Abomination (kindly sent to me for review by the wonderful team at @PenguinBooksAus ?)..This is a remarkably deep story about crises of faith and the ripple effects of secrets and scandal, but one that doesn’t rely on shock-value or voyeurism. It’s important not to try to “binge” Abomination – it’s a book that needs to be sipped like fine wine, not chugged like cheap beer ?? My full review is up on the blog now (link in bio ?) - ????/5.Which books have given you insight into religions outside of your own? ??.#Abomination #AshleyGoldberg #PenguinBooks 3 weeks ago View on Instagram |9/9 View on InstagramKeep Up On Facebook Here’s The Latest… Red, White & Royal Blue – Casey McQuiston The Strangers – Katherena Vermette What’s The Difference Between Autobiography And Memoir? Calypso – David Sedaris Bone Memories – Sally PiperKeep Up On Pinterest Looking For Something? Keeping Up With The Penguins operates on the lands of the Gadigal people, of the Eora nation. This land was never ceded or sold. Our First Nations communities have the oldest continuing storytelling tradition in the world, and custodianship of the land always was, always will be, theirs. Privacy PolicyWant to know what we’re up to with this whole website thing? Check out our full Privacy Policy here.Keeping Up With The Penguins is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. © 2022 Keeping Up With The Penguins Theme by Anders Noren — Up ↑