enJOY it

an archived personal and craft blog from Elise Blaha Cripe.

Bookreport

What Alice Forgot by Liane Moriarty | I liked this one. Not too much to say other than that. It was another memory loss book (what's with the string of those for me?) but it had a bit more interesting characters and not quite as predictable of a story line. Fun read.

The Big Tiny by Dee Williams | It always feels wrong to include a memoir in these posts. Not because I don't love memoirs, but because they're so big and personal that I hate to just "review" them in a few sentences between other books. I met Dee at WDS this summer. We spoke the same morning and I sat there with her in the green room while she got her makeup done. I was more nervous than I had ever been in my entire life and making small chat with her was one of the few things that kept me from one running away. As soon as I got home I added her book to my library queue and finally last month it was my turn. I loved this book. It was particularly relevant right now as I'm on yet another quest to cut down on "stuff." I'm never gonna live in a tiny house but Dee's story was still inspiring. I found it to be honest, smart, funny and thoughtful. Just like Dee.

Landline by Rainbow Rowell | this was my second Rowell book and I liked it, but not as much as I loved Eleanor & Park. Fun concept with the time traveling phone (that's not a spoiler it; says it on the back cover). It was a smart and unique way to tell a love story. I found myself thinking A LOT about what I would think of my current life if I woke up and felt 20. And also how different I might be a decade from now at 40.

Love Minus Eighty by Will McIntosh | Okay. Someone had to have recommended this to me because otherwise it wouldn't have been in my library queue, but I couldn't find the tweet or the comment to properly thank the person. I DEVOURED THIS. Like ate it. In maybe 18 hours and that includes time for sleep and work. It was totally addicting and totally crazy. It takes place in 2130(ish) and is more than anything else, a love story. But the real story here is the observations made about our social network and multi-tasking culture. I found myself fascinated and terrified by what the future might look like. Great read.

In other news, I totally drank the kool-aid and loved Gone Girl and am currently reading Unbroken. What about you guys?

Other posts you might enjoy: 

 

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42 responses to “october book report.”

  1. brooke Avatar
    brooke

    Just finished Dark Places also by Gillian Flynn. Really enjoyed it!

    Like

  2. Kelly Avatar

    I just finished Million Dollar Arm (I haven’t seen the movie yet) and loved it. Books are so often better than the movie! I laughed out loud several times while reading. My librarian recommended Unbroken to me just yesterday–so that’s up next for me too.

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  3. Mary Avatar

    Those sound like great recommendations! I read Gone Girl and let’s say the kool aid didn’t go down so well. My friends who are into writing loved it though – mostly because of Gillian Flynn’s skills as an author.

    Like

  4. amanda dawn Avatar
    amanda dawn

    just started reading gone girl. i’ve heard so many mixed reviews, i’m excited to see for myself.
    on a side note, i always love your book report posts! i have so many books on hold at the library because of these posts!

    Like

  5. Val Avatar

    After hearing your accolades, I read Eleanor and Park and absolutely loved it! Finished it in one day.
    My book club just read Gillian Flynn’s Sharp Objects and it was hands down one of the most disturbing books I’ve ever read. Hard to say I really “liked” it, but the writing was great.
    This month we’re reading Not That Kind of Girl by Lena Dunham…I’m expecting good things! Happy reading Elise!

    Like

  6. Rachel__alyse Avatar

    Oh my gosh I’m so excited to see you are reading Unbroken! How are you liking it so far? I am so excited for the movie (total movie geek here… Gone Girl was a good one!) I didn’t even think to pick up the book (gasp!). I think it just might have to be my next read.

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  7. Anna Avatar

    If you liked Love Minus Eighty, you might like Super Sad True Love Story. It’s science fiction in the not-too-distant future with lots of good stuff on social media and love and relationships. Definitely one of my favorites from the past few years.

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  8. lisa valinsky Avatar

    Yeah to The Big Tiny! Tammy Strobel’s book, You Can Buy Happiness, is also about downsizing. Tammy and her husband moved into a tiny house a few years ago, and her book is about their experience, plus tips on downsizing and finding happiness in different ways.

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  9. Tiffany M. Avatar
    Tiffany M.

    I just finished Ordinary Grace for my book club and really liked it! Also read The Angel’s Game, and really didn’t like it, especially loving his first book. Reading Silkworm right now, written by J.K. Rowling under a pseudonym.

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  10. michelle t Avatar
    michelle t

    I am reading Gone Girl now. Slow going for me but I like it enough to continue. Next up I will re-check out Letting Go With Love etc. By Dr Ken Goldstein et al , a “raising teenagers” guide that I’ve relied on time and time again. Michelle t

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  11. bri doyle Avatar
    bri doyle

    attempting to read lena dunham’s new book but can’t find the time i would like to dedicate to it. also have a stack of books on my night table that i can’t wait to read. sigh. can you write a post on how to unplug? sigh…we’re the same age, but i want to be you when i grow up…

    Like

  12. Amy T Schubert Avatar

    I just started Boneshaker — the first in a steampunk, alt-Civil War, zombie series 🙂
    We’ll see…

    Like

  13. Angie Avatar
    Angie

    Meh. Read Gone Girl and was liking it… until the last few chapters. Hated the ending.
    I’ll have to read your suggestions, the one about the time travelling phone sounds really interesting.
    Thanks for this 🙂 I love your book reports.

    Like

  14. Kelli Avatar

    The synopsis of Landline didn’t call to me, but I really loved Attachments by Rainbow Rowell. I have Eleanor & Park on hold, and I’m excited to see how it measures up. I’ve been rereading some Linda Howard books lately. Not sure you’d love romantic suspense, but Burn and Up Close and Dangerous are fun reads.

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  15. kris Avatar
    kris

    Looking for more book suggestions…always love this thread from readers for ideas. What Alice Forgot I thought was just pretty good. Gone Girl I loved until the ending and both my teenage son and I read Unbroken and thought it was good. Looking for my next book…..waiting to hear from you all for a great book.

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  16. Johanna Avatar

    I finished “The Invention of Life” (had to look up the english title 🙂 ) by Hanns-Josef Ortheil last month. It took a second start (I got it as a Christmas present two years ago and it just didn’t click), but this time around – I loved it! No idea if it’s anything down your line (I must admit I know nearly none of the books you’ve read so far), it seems like a very German novel to me (setting and writing-wise, but I really liked it. 🙂

    Like

  17. Kendra Avatar
    Kendra

    Totally love your book reports. I read (as in listened to them to and from work) the entire Tudor series based on one of your reviews. Gonna look to see if any of the above are on audio.
    Tries reading Unbroken and lost interest – but may have been the time I was reading it.
    Not drinking the koolaid for Gone Girl.

    Like

  18. Leah Avatar

    Oh my gosh, YES to a post about unplugging. And to wanting to be Elise when I grow up. (I’m 30.)

    Like

  19. Emily Avatar
    Emily

    I LOVE Unbroken, probably one of my top 10 of all time.
    I am in the middle of FANGIRL by Rainbow Rowell, and I am ob-sessed with it. I love the characters so much! You should try that one next!

    Like

  20. Heather Avatar
    Heather

    Big Little Lies by Lianne Moriarty had me laughing out loud in public on a flight recently. I wasn’t a fan of Landline, but I did love Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell. Finally, I just read Half Broke Horses by Jeannette Walls (she wrote The Glass Castle) for my book club and totally enjoyed it!

    Like

  21. Emily Avatar
    Emily

    Plus, there’s a Harry Potter-esque bent to Fangirl. You will love it!

    Like

  22. elise blaha cripe Avatar

    good question. I had to start reading REAL books, not on my kindle app, that helped a lot. I also make a point to keep my phone in the other room so I can’t check email, IG, etc. BUT, part of what I have realized is that if a book doesn’t grab me enough to make me not want to check my phone, I need to stop reading. 😉

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  23. elise blaha cripe Avatar

    just finished Fangirl last night! 😉

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  24. Emily Avatar
    Emily

    Hooray! I am, in your words, devouring it! Look forward to hearing your thoughts next book report.

    Like

  25. Brianna Avatar
    Brianna

    I’m reading The Curse of Van Gogh by Paul Hoppe, which is about an art heist. This book has me completely mesmerized. It takes place in DC and NYC and is amazing. I’m also reading Stillwater Rising by Steena Holmes, which is ripped from the headlines about Newtown, but it’s told from three or four different perspectives, including the killer’s mother (that is not a spoiler – she goes first in narration) and it’s just amazingly well-written. There’s a prequel, too, which I need to grab a copy of.

    Like

  26. Michelle Merrick Avatar
    Michelle Merrick

    Reading The Fracking King – which was my free kindle book with amazon prime. Pretty fun if you love scrabble!

    Like

  27. Rachael Avatar
    Rachael

    Love your book reports! Have found so many great books through these posts and all the comments too 🙂 Just read Attachments by Rainbow Rowell and loved it! Now just waiting to get my hands on Eleanor and Park…

    Like

  28. Emily Avatar

    I’ve heard quite a few people mention that Landline was not their favorite, especially compared to Eleanor & Park, which is too bad because I also loved E & P.
    I always have lots of books going at once, depending on my mood. I just finished Marry Him: The Case for Settling for Mr. Good Enough and am now reading Bread & Wine, The Confidence Code, and Christianity: The First Three Thousand Years (the last title is for professional reasons, not so much pleasure!).

    Like

  29. Alethea Avatar

    Unbroken is amazing, it hit home being married to a military pilot…it was heartbreaking and triumphant all at once.

    Like

  30. Lauren Avatar

    I am almost done with the Unbecoming of Mara Dyer and it is fascinating! Im totally sucked in! A little weird, but so much mystery!

    Like

  31. Teri Avatar

    I read Unbroken last winter and really enjoyed it. Of course, I’m definitely seeing the film when it comes out…just like Wild. I just finished reading Gatsby (for the first time!) and wow, what a book. Right now I’m reading The Elegance of the Hedgehog and…it’s different, but I really like the self-absorbed characters. I love writers that have an artful turn of phrase (like Fitzgerald) and so that is helping me enjoy it.

    Like

  32. Laura Avatar
    Laura

    My number one book recommendation right now is The Rosie Project. Light read, really funny and hugely enjoyable. The sequel, The Rosie Effect, just came out and I’m waiting for my turn at the library!

    Like

  33. Tsila Avatar
    Tsila

    Good to know. Thanks.

    Like

  34. Tsila Avatar
    Tsila

    Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell is also great. A lot better than Landline although not as moving as Eleanor and Park

    Like

  35. Christine Avatar
    Christine

    I read Laura’s book Unbroken. I admire Laura tremendously. Laura suffers from the same illness as I do and is also home and mostly bedbound. I know what an enormous task it must have been for to research and write this book, just like Seabiscuit. I have no idea how she managed with often cognitive functions, eyesight failing, suffering from light and noise sensory overload with a body riddled with pain but she is one driven and determined person.

    Like

  36. Debra Avatar

    Love your blog!

    Like

  37. Emily Hathcock Avatar

    I read this post before boarding a 2hour flight home, and I’m so glad I did! I immediately downloaded Love Minus Eighty and devoured it! Loved it! Very similar in feel to Unwind by Neal Shusterman. Thanks for the recommendation!

    Like

  38. Janet Kemper Avatar
    Janet Kemper

    Unbroken is one of my all time favorites. Another non- fiction that I read more recently and loved was The Boys in the Boat.

    Like

  39. Kathy Ellen Davis Avatar

    I’m a kidlit author who reads TONS of picture books, middle grade, and YA each month, so if you need some of those, here are some I’ve read lately:
    PBs:
    Unicorn thinks he’s pretty great (Hilarious!)
    The most Magnificent Thing (A MUST for anyone doing creative things!)
    The Dot (again, a must for artists!)
    MG:
    Brown Girl Dreaming…a memoir in verse by an amazing kidlit author
    The 14th Goldfish…science, girls, and humor!
    YA:
    I’ll Give you the Sun…twins, art, heartbreak, two POVs
    Afterworlds…two fictional stories in one….the story of the 18 year old author who wrote a YA book and got a six figure deal, and then the story she wrote.

    Like

  40. Catherine Daly Avatar
    Catherine Daly

    Personally loved and devoured ‘A Thousand Slepndid Suns’ by Kahled Hosseini so much so that I actually took off work early one day last year to finish it, as I was involved in the book. Also: ‘The Outside’ by Sadie Jones. AMAZING. 2 of my top books I have ever read.

    Like

  41. Andrea Merrigan Avatar

    Yah, I have some more books to add to my book club list. Thanks for the reviews.

    Like

  42. Jessi Avatar
    Jessi

    I received “The Big Tiny” for Christmas and am very excited to read it! I am fascinated with Tiny House and getting rid of things/living larger with less. I was happy to read your review in that you gave your opinion without giving away the whole book.

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