REVIEW The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

 

I read this book in high school and loved it and that feeling still remains after this reading. I picked this book up because my daughter is reading this and wanted to be able to talk about it in a more in depth way.  The narrator of this book is Nick Carraway, Gatsby's neighbor, although he is definitely from a different socioeconomic class than Gatsby is. At the beginning of the novel, Nick has only heard of Gatsby and his parties. Everyone seems to have been to one. One night Nick gets invited to a party and it absolutely changes his life. We learn about a man whose reputation really outshines his substance. He is rumored to have studied at Oxford, been a war hero and has so, so many outlandish stories.  But when we get down to it, we learn that Gatsby is tragically flawed and that is his undoing.

Although some might find the plot slow, I didn't feel that way at all.  The prose and tension building is beautifully written. It really makes you sit back and really re-assess your priorities in life (much much less than a cancer diagnosis is but there we are). Its deconstruction of the American Dream is absolutely brilliant.  This novel, though short, definitely deserves its status as the great American novel. 

I am selling my copy - you can find it here. 

REVIEW The Thoroughbreds by Elin Hilderbrand

 

This is the sequel to the Academy which came out last year I believe.  The characters from last year are now Seniors, worried about SAT's, college applications and graduation. Additionally, the teens we met last year are also going through some interesting experiences.  The Golden couple - Charlie and East - are fighting a lot. The star QB - Dubs - and his go to wide receiver/best friend are seemingly estranged. ANd there's a new day student - Pippa Sacks - is really upsetting the social landscape at the boarding school. And the Dean is also dealing with financial issues.Over the summer, the school somehow lost like 7 million out of its operating budget. 

This book was exactly what I needed to read after reading about white supremacy in the last book that I reviewed. This is fast, frothy and light, but also kept my interest. Who doesn't like a boarding school novel? Especially in the fall? I enjoyed how the book took apart the college application process as well as the life at a boarding school.  There never really was a moment where I thought that the book should move more quickly, the pacing was pretty good. What I didn't not particularly like is that everything seemed to resolve too neatly.  They were sometimes abrupt. However, that being said, it's still a very compelling read and I would recommend it. 

If you like Elin Hilderbrand, I'm selling an autographed copy. If you are a Pangobooks member, you can also make me an offer.  

REVIEW: American Reich by Erich Lichtbau

 

A co-worker told me about this book first, which put it on my radar and then I read about it on NPR and thought that it was a sign that I needed to read it so I got it from my library. This book looks at the simmering growth of white supremacy in Orange County, CA through the lens of the 2018 murder of Blaze Bernstein, a gay Jewish man, by Sam Woodward, a high school classmate Neo-Nazi. It also incorporates other cases (more superficially) and the history of white supremacy in the United States.  Sam Woodward was part of a shadowy Neo-Nazi group called the Atomwaffen Division and he lured Bernstein out, then stabbed him 28 times before hiding his body in a local park. Woodward was ultimately convicted of the homicide in 2024 and is currently serving a life sentence for the crime.

This book was as fascinating and essential as it was shocking and disheartening to me. It details the surge of Neo-Nazism in the last decade and clearly links that surge to the presidencies of Donald Trump, whose statements have seemingly provided permission for these groups to operate openly, as opposed to in the shadows that were previously in. This book not only details the history but also discusses the number of murders linked to these groups that never actually reach the national news media. It was truly shocking. This book was truly engrossing, well written and necessary. Lichtbau has clearly done his research and has made that research accessible to all in this book. It is a valuable expose of the far right that everyone should read regardless of your political persuasion. Run out and get this one ASAP.

Links that I loveree

 

These past few weeks have begun to feel like autumn.  I love this weather!  Autumn is my favorite time of year. I now switch between hot and iced coffee depending on my mood - in late spring and summer I prefer just iced coffee.

On the cancer front, I have a lumpectomy scheduled for October 15 and I have had genetic testing, which has revealed that I do NOT have any of the genes, or gene misfirings, that cause breast, uterine, ovarian or cervical cancer.  This is very reassuring.  

On the reading front, I have met my Goodreads goal of reading 75 books this year!  Everything else is now icing on the cake!  

• 10 classic novels that are the perfect fall read. 
• Kyle Maclachlan reflects on working with David Lynch.
• Cardio v. strength training for heart health.
• Are these stressors speeding up your aging process?
• Four books that complicate motherhood.
• 8 quiet books to read to block out the noisy world. 
• The real story behind the "witches" of England. On a related note, why English law used hanging to punish witches while Scottish laws used burning.
• Exercise after cancer.t 
• Obama's new podcast is the best kind of book club.
• What is healing fiction?
• October 2026 BOTM selections.
• Kit Harrington's favorite books.
• 6 mysteries set in the early historical period.
• The ten states with the worst weather.
• Top song from every year of the 70's.
• This book is on my nightstand!
• Parental rage is real, but NPR can help with some ideas to control it.
• People think of everything.
• America's best student podcasts
• First novel prize shortlist has been announced.
• 5 horror novels set in Georgia written by Georgian authors. And five horror novels set in country grand mansions. Tis the season.
• The best James Baldwin books.
• 92 cozy fall reads.
• Naps and longevity - is there a link?'
• The True story behind the Widower (which is on Netflix),
• 14 movies to look out for in the fall
• Four books for you to read if you enjoyed Practical Magic.
• Books that the author wishes that she had as an undocumented child.
• Libraries in Kentucky are seeing more books checked out with the cell phone bans.
• Secret lives of men who read romance novels.
• A 1700 year old Egyptian tomb has been discovered. This has always been really fascinating to me.
• 20 best books to read in October, according to Kirkus. And 20 books to read for book lovers, again according to Kirkus.
• Books to read if you haven't read any books as a fully formed adult.
• The finalists for the 2026 Circador prize. 
• This little guy was found on Cape Cod.
• Some books to look forward to this fall from NPR.
• 9 suspense books with unforgettable settings. 
• Books recommended by Ms Magazine.

I am currently reading Black Dahlia and listening to Greenlights.

REVIEW: Sisters of the Midnight Sun by Rebecca Wright Stevens

 

Not going to lie, I have an obsession with True Crime. This is the story of the 1993 murder of 2 sisters in the Northernmost point of Alaska. Their bodies were discovered in one of the sisters' homes. The bodies appeared to have been moved and a sexual assault seemed to have occurred. Ms. Stevens, one of the local Public Defenders, was assigned to represent one of the main suspects in the case. Her legal journey with him forms a bulk of the basis of the memoir, although she recounts her life living in Alaska as well (which is also absolutely fascinating).  As such, it is a penetrating, memorable and amazing memoir of her time in the Arctic Circle. 

What I found most fascinating was the tension between the American justice system, which ensures rights to a defendant such as a jury trial, rights of confrontation and due process and rights to privacy whereas the Iñupiaq method is infinitely older and requires that the community be involved in determining the fate of the Accused. If the community determines that the Accused is guilty, then retribution could be swift and fatal. It could also include banishment to the tundra which is also fatal. 

This is a tremendously skilled and intriguing narrative.  Stevens does a wonderful job in weaving her own narrative of her time in Alaska with her job as a Public Defender there. I loved how she described her feelings towards representing her client as well as the location. I also enjoyed learning about the tension that existed between the two cultures and gained a deeper appreciation of indigenous culture as well as the struggles that pervade it.  This was a fascinating, well paced and important book. Highly recommend.

REVIEW: A Hymn for Life by Gisele Pelicot

 

I heard about this amazing woman and her memoir on a podcast that I listen to regularly. Some of the research that was done was taken from this book. This book is part memoir and part social commentary - it incorporates flashbacks to her time in the infamous "Pelicot" trial, which was horrifying, by all accounts. It also incorporates commentary on her interpersonal relationships with all of the people in her life - from her husband, to her children and her friends. 

For nearly a decade Ms. Pelicot was regularly drugged by her husband such that she would become unconscious.  While she was unconscious, her husband would assault her and then have at least 72 other men come over to sexually assault her while she was passed out. His crimes were only uncovered after he was arrested for "upskirting" women at the local shops and his computer revealed evidence of the crimes committed against Gisele. This memoir also chronicles her journey to healing, dealing with the trauma and, ultimately, holding him and the other offenders be held accountable. A big part of this was her decision to waive her right to privacy at the trial - in France, sexual assault victims have the right to a closed trial so that their privacy is protected but Ms. Pelicot decided to waive that.

I was so happy that I first heard about this story, in depth, through her memoir and in her own words. It was refreshingly candid and open and vulnerable.  I highly respected her candidness and strength in coming forward. It was a remarkably well written and fast paced memoir that drew me in.  I literally sped through it. The reduction in the complexity of her writing makes the book accessible and aids the narrative. I felt like I was having coffee with her as she was describing what happened to her.  

This is a must read as it brings a tragically common form of sexual assault to the forefront. 

REVIEW: Self-Hep for Serial Killers by Asia MacKay

 This is actually the second book in the series, which began with A Serial Killer's Guide to Marriage, although I somehow didn't know this at the time that I selected the book from the library.  The first book introduced readers to the marriage of Hazel and Fox, and this book continues with their story. It is split into five parts: Mindfulness, Self-Sacrifice, Boundaries, Resilience, and Positivity, all of which are meant to be ironic.  Each section opens with a quote by a famous mommy blogger that is intended to be inspirational - she's an influencer after all - and the second quote is from Hazel, which demonstrates the starkness of parenting. 

Foxand Hazel really are in no position to give parenting advice as they bring their four month old to dispose of a body. We learn quickly that Fox is experiencing performance anxiety because he recently botched a kill and is seeing a therapist. Hazel also doesn't feel like she fits in with the other moms at her school so she is going through something very similar emotionally. In the course of their killing and living their lives, they have somehow managed to draw the attention of a dangerous and lethal group to their doorstep so the couple needs to get their poop in a group and FAST as it's not just about surviving in suburbia but it's about fighting for their lives.

What I loved about this book is that it is a tongue in cheek, very witty and satirical look at serial killer teams. I found myself laughing out loud multiple times in this novel, much to the chagrin of my teenage daughter (as I would read in public and would embarrass her). It was a quick, easy and intriguing read, that kept my attention and was a really nice break from the serious stuff I had been reading (about a mass killing!). This novel is definitely worth the read.