Daisy Jones and The Six by, Taylor Jenkins Reid

5 Stars!!
“It is what I have always loved about music. Not the sounds or the crowds or the good times as much as the words -- the emotions, the stories, the truth -- that you can let flow right out of your mouth. Music can dig, you know? It can take a shovel to your chest and just start digging until you hit something.”

I decided to do the audiobook, and I am so glad I did!! Written in an interview style reminiscent of VH1 Behind the Music, this one did not disappoint !



Daisy Jones is a girl growing up in LA in the 60's. Going to clubs, hanging with Rockstar's is just a normal day for her. She loves the scene she lives in, but most of all, she loves Rock and Roll. By the time she is in her 20's daisy is a beauty and her voice is starting to get noticed, unfortunately its not the only thing.

Also getting noticed, is The Six, and up and coming rock band led by lead singer Billy Dunne. While on tour, Billy finds out his girlfriend is pregnant- which sends him into a downward spiral..

Daisy and Billy cross paths, and get noticed by a producer who seems to think throwing them together will ignite a new freshness for Rock and Roll. What happens next is the stuff for legends.

I really, REALLY loved this book. From the first chapter, I was wishing I had an actual physical copy because, there were so many quotes and little words of wisdom that I wanted to highlight and keep forever!!

“But loving somebody isn't perfection and good times and laughing and making love. Love is forgiveness and patience and faith and every once in a while, it's a gut punch. That's why it's a dangerous thing, when you go loving the wrong person. When you love somebody who doesn't deserve it. You have to be with someone that deserves your faith and you have to be deserving of someone else's. It's sacred.”

I litereally felt like I was watching VH1 behind the music while I listened to this audiobook!! There is a full cast with well known actors that just made it come alive.

Cast List: Daisy Jones, read by Jennifer Beals; Billy Dunne, read by Pablo Schreiber; Graham Dunne, read by Benjamin Bratt; Eddie Loving, read by Fred Berman; Warren Rhodes, read by Ari Fliakos; Karen Karen, read by Judy Greer; Camila Dunne, read by January LaVoy; Simone Jackson, read by Robinne Lee; Narrator/Author, read by Julia Whelan; Jim Blades, read by Jonathan Davis; Rod Reyes, read by Henry Leyva; Artie Snyder, read by Oliver Wyman; Elaine Chang, read by Nancy Wu; Freddie Mendoza, read by P.J. Ochlan; Nick Harris, read by Arthur Bishop; Jonah Berg, read by Holter Graham; Greg McGuinness, read by Brendan Wayne; Pete Loving, read by Pete Larkin; Wyatt Stone, read by Alex Jenkins Reid; Hank Allen, read by Robert Petkoff; Opal Cunningham, read by Sara Arrington

This book was about sex, drugs and Rock and Roll life. But it was also SO MUCH MORE. We get to see what really goes on in the life of a musician. The obstacles they personally have to face and the hoops they go through to get where they are. I honestly thought this was so well written and not at all as bad as I thought "seeing behind the scenes" would be.

The characters had tons of depth. The writing was brilliant and I fell in love along with the characters and seeing them struggle to be a part of something, to make a name for themselves. I totally recommend this to everyone. Its a beautiful broken story about finding out what it means to overcome and defining yourself by your own standards. Absolutely amazing!

The Knife of Never Letting Go by, Patrick Ness

4 Stars!!
“But a knife ain't just a thing, is it? It's a choice, it's something you do. A knife says yes or no, cut or not, die or don't. A knife takes a decision out of your hand and puts it in the world and it never goes back again. ”

I honestly have zero idea where to start with this one ya'll!! It was something of a mystery from the moment I opened the book. I only picked this one up because there are making a film adaptation of it. So needless to say when I started it, my eyes were like ,.....



Because the writing is so extremely unique, and it took some getting used to. This book will not be for everyone- but if you can make it through it, kudos!! Yeah- its like that !

So we follow a boy Todd, who is the only boy in a town full of men. A long time ago, the town he lives in was infected with a noise Germ, which means - he can hear the thoughts of the men- and the men can hear his thoughts as well. According to the laws of this town- Todd will become a man on his 13th birthday. In the midst of the noise, Todd feels his town is hiding something from him. He is forced to flee with his dog, whose simple, loyal voice he hears too. While on the run they stumble across a silent girl in the swamp. Who is she? Why wasn't she killed by the germ like all the females on New World? With Todd's gritty narration, readers are in for a unique journey in which a boy, on the cusp of manhood, must unlearn everything he knows in order to figure out who he truly is.

So at first, I thought this was just going to be a weird coming of age story about a boy and his dog. I was so very wrong. This was so much more! The Knife of Never Letting, is a deep and dark tale. Hitting on issues like, dehumanization and problems with colonization, loyalty and helplessness- slavery and racism. Its a thought provoking novel, happy, sad, and funny- it hits on pretty much every emotion there is! Gives you all the feels for sure.

Todd was a fantastic character.



He was raw and real and we not only get to hear his story but his thoughts. His dog- Manchee will go down as my absolute FAVORITE animal character EVER!! He reminded me so much of the dog from the movie UP.



The thing I liked about hearing the animals talk/thoughts is that - they sound exactly how animals should talk. Ness brings them to life just effortlessly. Viola is the girl in the story



and I thought she brought wisdom and just a totally different feel to the book so concentrated on thoughts/themes of men.

This book will take time to get into. There are so many spelling and grammatical errors- but it has a purpose in this book. The dialect is very different. But I encourage you to press on and try to get through it. I don't have much else to say about it because it really is one of those books you'll either love or hate, and one you have to read to truly grasp its meaning and underlying themes. Totally recommend it if you are looking for something completely different and RAW! I'm really looking forward to this film and seeing it come to life !!

Bird Box by, Josh Malerman

                          

4 Stars!!!  🌟🌟🌟🌟 “In a world where you can’t open your eyes, isn’t a blindfold all you could ever hope for?” Suspenseful and Terrifying!!! I decided to read this with the new movie coming out and I must say... what a surprise it was!! The author did an amazing job scaring the crap out of me. The type of fear I experienced was more from the emotional standpoint of being a mother. The themes were delivered in such a way that it felt entirely real. It was gripping and fast paced. The characters were a pot luck of the nuts and not so nuts. I related to MC Malorie the most. As a mother, I could not fathom having to go through this raising kids, let alone being pregnant. The strength of her character was amazing. My only complaint was I wish there would be a sequel or the ending would have been longer. I’m totally looking forward to the movie now!!!

Dumplin by, Julie Murphy

4 Stars! 

🌟🌟🌟🌟

“Perfection is nothing more than a phantom shadow we’re all chasing”

I honestly don’t know why I waited so long to read this! With the movie coming out I decided it might be time to give it a shot and it didn’t disappoint. I loved how it embraced self worth and esteem. There were so many little nuggets of wisdom throughout this book.

“I've wasted a lot of time in my life. I've thought too much about what people will say or what they're gonna think. And sometimes it's over silly things like going to the grocery store or going to the post office. But there have been times when I really stopped myself from doing something special. All because I was scared someone might look at me and decide I wasn't good enough. But you don't have to bother with that nonsense. I wasted all that time so you don't have to.”

Willow Dean the MC was great. I gotta say in the beginning and for a lot of the book she was upset about people being judgmental but yet... she was kind of like the people she despised. She had lessons to learn and I think by the end, (without spoiling anything) I think she learned a good bit.

These days there is so much pressure on Women AND Men to be a certain size, look a certain way, be like this one or that one, that it’s just to the point where people have a hard time just being themselves. That’s what this book was about for me. Shinning the light on ourselves and looking at the inside and not the outside. I read this in one sitting- it was written so “easy breezy” that it was extremely hard to put down. I am so looking forward to the movie now!