BOOK REVIEW for Strangers a Memoir of Marriage by Belle Burden

A big thank you to Penguin Random House for the e-book to read and review

TITLE:               Strangers

AUTHORL        Belle Burden

GENRE:            Memoir

RATING:          5 stars out of 5

I have such mix feelings on this book.

First, it is so well written I could not put it down and I am very picky about what I read, especially when it comes to memoirs.

I come from a family with a dad that cheated on my mom (thankfully, she is not on social media, so I can say that).  I saw firsthand what happens and it has left lasting impressions on me - some good ones (my mother is such a strong person) to bad (wow, I did not matter to my dad, not really)

I will state this right now, that man is something else and he does not deserve his family - no question about that and he deserves whatever karma is coming to him.

When it comes to men and love,  something seems to happen to many perfectly smart women, we get stupid (me included).  It was so obvious that James had disconnected and was actually doing what was best for HIM.  The whole prenup thing just got me mad.  Yet. Belle said it herself, it was her fault, everyone told her about the prenup, but she was so in love she throw away all advice - See what I mean about smart women,,,

Her writing style is wonderful.  You feel her pain, you feel her fear.  She built James enough, for many readers to have a strong opinion on this man and his actions.    I found myself rooting for her at times and wanting to yell at her at other times.  This is a direct testimony to the writing.

The pace was also excellent.  She does not go deep into useless details.  She tells us what we need to read.  The story moves forward well.

This was a very frustrating read - but I loved it and I hope she writes a follow up in a few years so we can follow her journey.

This was a very frustrating read - but I loved it and I hope she writes a follow up in a few years so we can follow her journey.

BOOK review for Breaking Good by Nikki Memmano

Thank you to Simon & Schuster for sending me an e-copy of this book

TITLE:                Breaking Good

AUTHOR:           Nikki Memmano

GENRE:              Memoir 

RATING:             4 atars

Will be released January 13, 2026

I read a lot of books on addiction and recovery, and this book, especially the first part, is quite harrowing.

it was a challenge to like Nikki. She seemed completely oblivious of the harm she was casually doing to herself as well as other people. She has zero self-awareness, yet she kept trying to treat the boys (she befriended) as some kind of surrogate mother, all the while pumping them full of drugs. She kept feeding their habit, but making sure she fed them food - junk food, but still.....

The middle part of this book was slow going. Yes, I know, we needed to understand her trauma, but it was very slow. Having said that, I typically don't like the "once upon a time" part of memoirs, and that's my personal taste as they seem to go on endlessly.

The recovery was interesting, and i do applaud Nikki for her honesty and for her resilience.

I am a little late on this post.

Last year, I participated in Goodread's 2025 Reading Challenge. I had set a goal of 39 but ended up reading 37, so I did not meet the challenge.

For this year, the number of books I set to read is at 37.

Like if quite busy and I do take out to knit, but reading is my number priority,

I have read many different types of books and I really enjoy.

Have a happy New Years and may 2026 bring you joy, love and health (not necessarily in that order LOL)

BOOK review for Splendor by Isabelle Laflèche

TITLE:          Splendor

AUTHOR:     Isabelle Laflèche

GENRE:        Self help

RATING:       5 stars

I discovered this author when her first novel, "J'adore New York"  was released   So, I was very intrigued by this non fiction.

This book could easily have been titled "To thine own self be true". (Yes, I know I am borrowing from Shakespeare);

Firstly, I love the way the universe chose to give Isabelle a message - the one she needed to hear.  Everyone who visits New York (or lives there) will attest to how crazy the sidewalks are.  There are so many people, at times, that just getting from point A to B is a challenge.

Yet, at the precise time, the universe made sure that a random woman (who turned out to have a very important message) would cross paths with Isabelle. and the rest, as they say, 'is history'.

From this point on, Isabelle followed her destiny, despite her fears, despite her doubts and despite her high salary.

I have to stop for a second to say that MY personal belief is that everything is already pre-destined, that nothing stems from chance or self will and the meeting between these 2 women is just more proof, in my view.

This book is so well researched, which is Isabelle's trademark.  If you see it in her book (novel or not), you can bet that it is true.   I love that she references Walden and Thoreau, while  also writing about the Law of Attraction, yoga and Ayurveda.

This book is a roadmap in discovering who you TRULY are.  It tells you that you CAN be happy, at least most of the time.  Its challenging and its scary, but the tone is so happy and joyful that you cannot help but believe there is something more, out there,  than just sadness, work, debt and horrible eating habits.

It is written in a very clear and encouraging way, with an honest voice.  You are encouraged to take what you need and leave the rest. 

Its hopeful and engaging

BOO REVIEW for Two Perfect Lies by Natalie Richards

TITLE:          Two Perfect Lies

AUTHOR:      Natalie D. Richards

GENRE:          YA thriller

RATING:         4 stars

If you can sit through the first chapter, which is slow, you will end up                loving this plot.For the most part, this is a really engrossing  story.  

I loved all the twists, especially when it comes to Lilly. It made me think about my friendships at that age, and would I have been able to tell if my best friend was not who I thought she was? 

After chapter 1, the author moves the story along well. There is a sense of urgency to the writing that was perfect for  the words on the page.The only predictable thing was the relationship between the main character,  Clara,  and Henry.  Other than that, this was a very good read.

BOOK REVIEW for Futue Boy by Michael J. Fox

 

Thank you to Flatiron and McMillan, for sending me a copy of this e-book

TITLE:             Future boy

AUTHOR:       Michael J. Fox

GENRE:          Entertainment/memoir

RATING:         5 Stars

I loved, loved this book.  Did I mention I loved it.

I have always been a fan of Michael J. Fox and I remember very clearly hearing how Fox was working day and night on his TV series and the first Back to the Future movie.  It was a thing back then.

In this short (unfortunately) book, he basically details how he nabaged to work all those crazy hours in order to respect his commitments to both Family Ties and Back to the Future.  

Fun stories, insider stories and everything is described well and surprisingly, despite the length of this book, nothing feels rushed and in true Michael J. Fox style, he is kind to everyone in this book.

I particularly loved how he admits to beeing pretty clueless in those first days, which somehow  just added to the innocence of the movie.

Michael J. Fox - please do a book on your time on Family Ties.

Such a great book.

BOOK REVIEW for The Beginning of Shi*t: An unapologetic Weight Loss Memoir by Suzanne Culberg

 

TITLE:            The Beginning is Sh*t: An apologetic Weight Loss Memoir

AUTHOR:        Suzanne Culberg

Genre:                Memoir

RATING:           5/5 stars

I loved this book.  

Suzanne is very honest about her weight as well as her situation.  She basically  wrote a book that could easily describe me, minus the kids and all the crying.  

Seriously, what is up with all that crying? getting angry, I get, feeling frustrated, scared.....all valid, but the crying on every other page was the one thing I found annoying.  

If you want to know how being overweight and feeling out of control sounds like, then read this book - everything she wrote touched me.

I also question the roles her family, hubby, and friends have in her life.  They are basically rarely mentioned, and at one point, I seriously thought she had divorced and chose not to tell us.

Bottom line, loved the honesty. I totally loved the pace of this book, and I totally identified.

BOOK REVIEW for Mania Tartan, turmoil and my life as a Bay City Rollers by Stuard Woody Wood

 

TITLE:                 Mania Tartan, Turmoil - and my life as a Bay City Rollers

AUTHOR:            Stuart Woody Wood

GENRE:                Memoir

RATiNG                3 out of 5 stars

I will start by reiterating that I still love the Bay City Rollers today and play their music all the time.

While it seems as though every fan had their own reasons for liking one of the guys more than the others, I can say that I liked Les as a teenager and now, I can appreciate all of them as they all contributed to the music.

It was quite a rude awakening for me, as an adult, as I discovered how much each of the guys suffered while in the band, including sexual abuse .  It was scary and sometimes I think how happy I was,  not knowing any of it, so I could honestly enjoy Rollermania (no cell phones way back in 1977).

Over the last 20 years or so, Les wrote a memoir, as did Alan and I even managed to read the entirety of the brick of  a book (over 400 pages) written on the music industry and how it chewed and spit out all of the Rollers.

I mention this because I will read anything on the Rollers.  Having said that,  Woody's book is,  boring.  Kind of vanilla.  I really had to force myself to get through it.  This is not something I felt with any of the other books.

While Woody describes events, accompanied by how he felt about them, the narration feels very one tone.  There is very little actual dialogue and he does not know how to build a story, everything sounds as though he is reciting it in a neutral voice (I read the book, not the audio).

The end result was, in my opinion, a boring book

I appreciate all the contributions he gave the band and I even plan on seeing him if he and his new band come to my hometown, but he is a way better singer and songwriter than he is as author.

BOOK REVIEW for Drunk Love, a Marriage Under the Influence by Melissa Fletcher

Thank you to Library Tales Publishing for sending me an e-copy of this book.

TITLE:                  Drunk Love: A Marriage Under the Influence

AUTHOR:            Melissa Fletcher Stoeltje

GENRE:                Memoir

RATING:                5 stars

This was a great read.

I did not like Melissa or Mark at all, and honestly, I am surprised they are still together.

For someone in his own recovery group, he is very annoying and often comes across as denying his own reality!

This book works on several levels:

1 the honesty to detail the good and the bad.

2 rarely have I seen a memoir about addiction so thoroughly explain, to the readers, what AA is and is not.

3 the message of hope.

I read a lot of memoirs on addiction, and the writing is solid, and the pace is great.

I really enjoyed this, or as much as you can enjoy reading such a serious subject.

BOOF REVIEW for A Marriage that Changed the World - Lois and Bill Wilson by Tom Adams and Joy Jones

TITLE:          A Marriage that Changed the World - Lois and Bill Wilson

AUTHOR:     Tom Adams and Joy Jones

GENRE:        Non fiction

RATING:       5 stars

I loved this book. I am a fan of A.A. history and this book gives such an interesting taste, particularly when Lois is a widow.

I do find that some subjects are glossed over, but overall this is an amazing read, created by dutiful research.

This book can be read by those in various programs as an inspiration and by those who love an addict for hope.

The best proof that there is a Higher Power in the world has been pr metoven when Bill Wilson and Dr Bob Smith met and the second miracle was that Lois and Annie married these men and stayed with them through all of it.