JenniElyse

Review: Rock Paper Scissors

Title: Rock Paper Scissors
Author: Alice Feeney
Genre(s): Mystery, Thriller
Pages: 304
Source: Library
For: Personal Interest
Rating:
Sexual Content:

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Goodreads Synopsis

Things have been wrong with Mr. and Mrs. Wright for a long time. When Adam and Amelia win a weekend away to Scotland, it might be just what their marriage needs. Every anniversary the couple exchanges traditional gifts--paper, cotton, pottery, tin--and each year Adam's wife writes him a letter that she never lets him read. Until now. Ten years of marriage. Ten years of secrets. And an anniversary they will never forget.

My Thoughts

I love thrillers. Love them. When I read the synopsis of ROCK PAPER SCISSORS, I knew I had to read it. I especially had to read it when I found out that Adam Wright has prosopagnosia or face blindness.

Like Adam, my husband has face blindness. He doesn’t recognize people when he looks at their face. He uses their voice, hair, mannerisms, and other features to help him recognize them. Unlike Adam, he does recognize facial expressions and facial features while he’s looking at them, but he can’t recall what he saw when he looks away.

I really liked the premise of ROCK PAPER SCISSORS. I liked the alternating POVs and I liked reading the secret letters from Adam’s wife. The story was suspenseful from the get-go and I wanted to keep reading so I knew what was going on, what was going to happen, and how it would all come together in the end.

As I read the story, I figured out some of the mystery. I didn’t figure out everything … and I was a little disappointed in the ending. Only a little disappointed, though, because I thought it was kind of confusing. If Alice Feeney had stopped it one chapter sooner, I think the ending would’ve been better. Maybe, I’m wrong and I missed the point of the last chapter. If you’ve read ROCK PAPER SCISSORS and you disagree, please tell my why.

Even though I was slightly disappointed, I still had fun reading ROCK PAPER SCISSORS. I stayed up way too late one night feeling the suspense and not being able to put the book down. Needless to say, I’ll look into Alice Feeney’s other books.

Have you read ROCK PAPER SCISSORS? If so, what did you think?

February 21, 2022/8 Comments/by Jenni Elyse

Sunday News

Sunday News #6

Sunday Post and Sunday Salon are blog news memes hosted at Caffeinated Reviewer and Reader Buzz, respectively. It’s a chance to share news, recap the past week on your blog, and showcase books and other things.

Feeling

I’m feeling exhausted both physically and mentally. I’m also feeling grateful. (I’m not sure about talking about this. I have before, but not as a book blogger. I’m a little nervous I won’t be accepted the same way I was after sharing this.)

I was diagnosed with Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) about a year and a half ago. This means my emotions are more extreme than the general population. I can go from feeling really happy to suddenly feeling the lowest I’ve ever felt all within a matter of minutes. People with BPD are often misdiagnosed with Bipolar Disorder. However, the ups and downs with Bipolar Disorder last longer, usually weeks at a time, whereas the ups and downs with BPD only last for hours, maybe days.

Trigger warning. Only continue reading if you’re in a good space. It’s been a really difficult week. I wanted to hurt myself earlier in the week because of a misperception on my part that made me spiral into a bad place. Luckily, I was able to use my skills that I’ve been learning in DBT (Dialectical Behavior Therapy) and stop myself before I did anything. It’s the first time I’ve come to really hurting myself since last March when I overdosed on Lithium and ended up in the hospital for a week.

Mental illnesses are hard. They’re invisible. Others don’t know you’re suffering most of the time and with my type of BPD, Quiet BPD where I act in rather than out, it’s even harder for others to recognize when I’m having a rough go. What I’ve learned in DBT is that it’s not up to others to make me feel better. It’s up to me. It’s been a long, hard process. Sometimes, I want to give up. I remember where I was almost a year ago and that I never want to go through that again. DBT has given me the skills to help me succeed. Without learning how to regulate my emotions when I’m in crisis, I wouldn’t have been able to stop myself and I may not have survived this week. I thank God for my therapist and DBT!

Blogging

This week on the blog:

Reading

I finished reading ROCK PAPER SCISSORS by Alice Feeney yesterday and I’ll be posting my review tomorrow. I’m starting THE SOUND OF STARS by Alechia Dow today. It’s one of my picks for Black History Month. I don’t think I’ll get to my second pick, which is a companion novel to THE SOUND OF STARS called THE KINDRED.

I’ve managed to read four of the books that all came available at the same time from the library. I still have two more to read, both Alechia Dow books, and as I said above, I’ll probably only finish the one by Thursday. Five out of six books is awesome! Especially for me, one of the slowest readers in existence! Okay, not really, but I am slow.

Listening

Last week, I said I’d share my favorite song by The Piano Guys since I shared their version of “Für Elise.” Here’s my favorite song. I like to listen to it when I’m feeling down, which is perfect for this week. What do you think?

Watching

I watched the new season of Disenchantment with Corey on Netflix. It’s from the makers of Futurama and The Simpsons. As you know from last week, I’m a huge fan of Futurama. Disenchantment has been Corey’s and my way of dealing with no Futurama. Plus, it’s a really good show!

Loving

I love this picture of my cat Izzy that Corey sent me while I was at group (for DBT) on Thursday. It makes me smile and laugh. She’s such a crazy kitty. I love her so much.

Wanting

I want more! Bear with me, lol. My friends and I had a chance to go to our local library to attend a book launch for LEMON DROP FALLS by Heather Clark. She was in conversation with author Jennifer A. Nielsen. It was the first author event we’ve been to in over two years because of the pandemic. Now, that we’ve gone to one event, I want to keep going. I miss them and I miss getting out.

Needing

I need to spend more time with my friends. I’m an extrovert and I need people. I think my recent decline in mood has been due to isolating more because of omicron. Even though this week was hard and I almost hurt myself, I also felt happier than I have in a really long time. I felt the happiest when I was out with my friends.

How was your week? Anything exciting happen?

February 20, 2022/28 Comments/by Jenni Elyse

Book Club

February 2022 Book Club

My IRL book club met this past Tuesday to discuss February’s book. We again opted to meet via Zoom rather than in-person because of the Omicron variant, but I think we’re going to be brave next month and meet in person.

We discussed TO ALL THE BOYS I’VE LOVED BEFORE by Jenny Han. There were seven of us that met and all of us read the book. Here are some highlights of our discussion:

One person hated the book with a fiery passion because of the “fake boyfriend” trope and the ending.
Most, including me, liked the story but disliked different aspects of it, such as the love triangle, the ending, one or more of the characters, etc.
A couple of people loved the book and the characters and didn’t mind the things that the rest of us complained about.
All of us watched the Netflix movie as well and every one of us loved the movie. Those of us who only liked or hated the book thought the movie fixed the problematic parts of the book.
Most of us don’t plan to read the rest of the series. Some of us don’t plan to watch the other two movies either (me included). A couple of people have already read the whole series and watched all three movies and advocated for us to at least read and watch the second book/movie.
Most people like the addition of the Korean culture and the Korean protagonist and how that changed/added to the story.

We actually had a really good discussion about the book and the movie. It spurred on discussions about other tropes we like and dislike, own voices, and whether or not the book being YA played a role in our opinion of it.

We also each recommended some books to vote on for our next list of books to read. I recommended A TALE FOR TIME BEING by Ruth Ozeki, any book by Fiona Davis, THE LAST ANNIVERSARY by Liane Moriarty, any book by Sally Hepworth, and TASTE: MY LIFE THROUGH FOOD by Stanley Tucci. We should have all our books voted on and figured out by next book club.

Next month’s book is NINE PERFECT STRANGERS by Liane Moriarty. I’m so excited to read it. I love Liane Moriarty so much. Everything I’ve read of hers, I’ve adored. I’m usually the one who requests we read something written by her each year. This will be our fourth book for book club. We’ve read WHAT ALICE FORGOT, BIG LITTLE LIES, and TRULY MADLY GUILTY. All of them made awesome book club books because of the discussions we had.

Anyway, have you read TO ALL THE BOYS I’VE LOVED BEFORE? If so, what do you think about my book club’s discussion about it?

February 17, 2022/10 Comments/by Jenni Elyse

Top Ten Tuesday

Top Ten Tuesday #5

Books too Good to Review Properly

This week’s prompt is hard! There are books I’ve read where I felt like I didn’t have the words to review them properly. Or, to review them, you’d have to litter the review with spoilers, which most people don’t want. Hmmm. Here are my top ~~ten~~ 12 books that are too good to review properly:

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by JK Rowling

Most of the reason I chose these books is because I can’t properly convey how much I love them without giving too much away. For example, when I first read TWILIGHT, I knew nothing about it. Nothing. I also didn’t read the dust jacket or the back cover, so I didn’t know anything about Edward Cullen. Let that sink in for a minute. If I could introduce TWILIGHT to a newbie, it would be the same way I read it, completely unsuspecting anything. Of course, that’s hard to do now unless you’ve been living under a rock for the last 16.5 years.

I don’t think I ever do the book justice. I’ve decided that my reason for reviewing a book isn’t to recommend or not recommend a book to someone else. It’s simply to state if I liked it or not. Based on that, others can decided if they want to read the book as well.

What about you? Which books do you think are too good to review properly? Do we have any in common?

I’ve been learning in DBT (Dialectical Behavior Therapy) that life is full of dialectics, or two opposing truths. In this case, the two opposing truths are: 1) I don’t agree with JKR’s stance regarding trans people, and 2) I still love Harry Potter.

February 15, 2022/32 Comments/by Jenni Elyse

Book Reviews Jenny Lawson Humor, Memoir, Non-Fiction Library Play Book Tag, Trim Your TBR Challenge

Review: Broken

Title: Broken (in the best possible way)
Author: Jenny Lawson
Genre(s): Humor, Non-Fiction, Memoir
Pages: 285
Source: Library
For: Play Book Tag, Trim Your TBR Challenge
Rating:
Sexual Content:

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There's content in this book that may be triggering to some readers. I've tried to include the possible triggers in this book at end of my review.

Goodreads Synopsis

As Jenny Lawson’s hundreds of thousands of fans know, she suffers from depression. In BROKEN, Jenny brings readers along on her mental and physical health journey, offering heartbreaking and hilarious anecdotes along the way. With people experiencing anxiety and depression now more than ever, Jenny humanizes what we all face in an all-too-real way, reassuring us that we’re not alone and making us laugh while doing it. BROKEN is a beacon of hope and a wellspring of laughter when we all need it most.

My Thoughts

Back in 2017, I read Jenny Lawson’s FURIOUSLY HAPPY and loved it. It actually kind of changed my life. I realized in a very profound way that I’m not alone. And, even when I’m in the depths of depression, it’s okay to laugh and enjoy life. Because I loved FURIOUSLY HAPPY so much, I’ve wanted to read more of her books. I finally got the chance by reading BROKEN (IN THE BEST POSSIBLE WAY) for a couple of reading challenges.

BROKEN didn’t have as profound of an effect on me as FURIOUSLY HAPPY did. And, I still appreciated Lawson’s candor and openness with her struggles with mental and chronic illness. I find the way she describes things to be a very raw, honest, unique look at how someone deals with their pain. At times, I felt like she was stealing parts from my own life as she described hers. I feel like she and I are kindred spirits.

I didn’t fail in responding to past treatments … those treatments failed to work for me.

Lawson’s humor and writing are definitely not for everyone. In fact, if you’re easily offended, then I wouldn’t even attempt to read her books. I’m glad I found her, though, and I’ll keep reading more from her. I also think that if we knew each other IRL, we could be friends.

Have you read BROKEN (IN THE BEST POSSIBLE WAY)? If so, what did you think?

Trigger Warning

There is a trigger warning for suicidal ideation.

February 14, 2022/4 Comments/by Jenni Elyse