

Going Clear by Lawrence Wright
Going Clear: Scientology, Hollywood and the Prison of Belief As we continue Bear's descent into her Scientology obsession (this book was actually the fuel for my latest fascination... this book is just much more robust than the others I've recently read so it took me longer to finish), we come to the book that inspired the HBO documentary that everyone was losing their minds over this past Spring. Lawrence Wright is a non-fiction writer and journalist who tends to focus on t


The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson
The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson As a fan of fiction, I tend to appreciate the use of language and the music inherent in piece of writing. However, as a fan of history and knowledge, I thoroughly enjoy what non-fiction can give to the reader. Usually the two genres are very distinctive and separate and never the twain shall meet. However, Erik Larson broke all of the ideas I held about what fiction and non-fiction are. The Devil in the White City reads like fictio


Beyond Belief by Jenna Miscavige Hill
Beyond Belief: My Ssecret Life Inside Scientology and My Harrowing Escape by Jenna Miscavige Hill So, as I'm smackdab in the middle of a Scientology obsession, I of course had to pick up the book by the head of Scientology's niece. And it did not disappoint. Just as with Leah Remini's book Troublemaker, I was astounded to learn of the abuses inherent in the organization of the church. However, Miscavige Hill's time in Scientology began at a very tender and young age, and tha


Troublemaker by Leah Remini
Troublemaker by Leah Remini Go out and buy this book right this very minute... if you don't want to be able to think about anything but the fuckwit that is David Miscavige and the craziness that is The Church (snort) of Scientology for as long as it takes you to read it. My first exposure to this gorgeous and brash woman was on episodes of Who's the Boss and her subsequent cross over show, Living Dolls. I love that she discusses her time on this show as every time I mention


Just keep reading... reading... reading...
So, I'm still reading Savage Beauty, a biography of Edna St. Vincent Millay. I have been a little wayleighed by all the awesome books that I've added to my library recently. I already owe fines at my library on this. You know how I roll. As I work my way through the life of this genius woman, I figured I'd share with you one of the plaques I found in The Mayflower Inn's American Poet's Garden. Yeah, yeah, yeah Vincent... I get it. If I could manage to stay awake past 10pm


Ghostly by various authors
Ghostly by various authors Forget Time Traveler's Wife. Audrey Niffenegger should be better known for her work on Her Fearful Symmetry. Her dark wit, complex characters and beautiful writing are, in my mind, not lauded enough. Bookish people tend to write off (get it?) commercial successes... but there was a reason Time Traveler's Wife did well. And I believe that Her Fearful Symmetry should have given her the same accolades. So I was excited when I learned that the autho


The Heart Goes Last by Margaret Atwood
The Heart Goes Last by Margaret Atwood “For The Handmaid’s Tale, the rule was that I wouldn’t put anything into it that people had not done at some time in some place. I brought them all together but each of the individual things had already been done by somebody at sometime,” -Margaret Atwood as I sat 8 feet from her at Book Riot Live And this is exactly what I've always loved about Atwood's work. So often it comes across to people as satire of a dystopia that we should be


Finding your people... Book Riot Live
Last Spring, I was staring at a website... obsessively refreshing even though I knew registration didn't open until 11am. And my c̶r̶a̶z̶i̶n̶e̶s̶s̶ persistence paid off when at 10:58am, I was able secure my spot at Book Riot Live. Book Riot has felt like my book spirit animal since shortly after it's inception. Finally a book site that wasn't trying to be highbrow, snobby or ironic. No hipster beards, manbuns or JFranz lovers here (alright, alright , I'm okay with the bear


The Art of Crash Landing by Melissa DeCarlo
The Art of Crash Landing by Melissa DeCarlo Our heroine, a snarky, sassy hot ass mess is the perfect narrator for a story about family secrets and how they can destroy and bring together. Her questionable life choices make her relatable (at least to me. Not sure what that says about me). Which gives this unreliable narrator some decent credibility. Books about the difficulty of families tend to be dark... but Mattie Wallace's voice lends a lightness and humor to the story


Remember, remember the 5th of November!
Happy Guy Fawkes Day, you crazy kids! If you're not familiar with the events of November 5th, 1605- here is my beautifully written explanation (translation: the paragraph I lovingly ctrl c'd/ctrl v'd from Wiki) Guy Fawkes Night, also known as Guy Fawkes Day, Bonfire Night and Firework Night, is an annual commemoration observed on 5 November, primarily in Great Britain. Its history begins with the events of 5 November 1605, when Guy Fawkes, a member of the Gunpowder Plot, was