Scan barcode
booksare42's reviews
592 reviews
What I ate in one Year by Stanley Tucci
adventurous
informative
medium-paced
4.0
What I Ate in One Year is a memoir where Stanley Tucci talks about what he ate in 2023. I listened to the audiobook for this one and it was almost like he was reading his diary. It was different from what I normally reach for and I really enjoyed it.
I’ve known of Stanley Tucci for a while, but I became a fan of him after watching his tv series Searching for Italy. I loved Searching for Italy and seeing his love for food. Tucci’s passion for food comes through in What I Ate in One Year and it made for a very enjoyable read.
The other things that come through very well in What I Ate in One Year are Tucci’s love for his family and his dry sense of humour. It’s very clear that he adores his wife and kids and I liked hearing about the meals and the time they shared together. I don’t know how well his dry sense of humour would come through on the page, but it comes through quite well while during the narration of the audiobook.
There are a lot of moments in What I Ate in One Year where Tucci describes how he made a certain dish. I’m intrigued by some of these recipes and if I ever found this book at a discount bookstore I’d consider buying a copy to explore some of these recipes. I did enjoy listening to him describe the cooking process and how delicious some very simple meals can be.
I enjoyed hearing about some of the people that Tucci and his family dined with. It was neat hearing about some of the culinary talents and eating habits of some of his famous friends. There were also a few cute moments, most notably when his son realized that he was eating dinner with David Tennant and he asked him to do some of the voices from How to Train Your Dragon audiobook.
Overall, What I Ate in One Year was an enjoyable read. I enjoyed learning a bit more about Stanley Tucci and learning more about food, the culinary world, and the celebrity world. I have his other memoir on hold at the library and I’m looking forward to diving into that later this year.
I’ve known of Stanley Tucci for a while, but I became a fan of him after watching his tv series Searching for Italy. I loved Searching for Italy and seeing his love for food. Tucci’s passion for food comes through in What I Ate in One Year and it made for a very enjoyable read.
The other things that come through very well in What I Ate in One Year are Tucci’s love for his family and his dry sense of humour. It’s very clear that he adores his wife and kids and I liked hearing about the meals and the time they shared together. I don’t know how well his dry sense of humour would come through on the page, but it comes through quite well while during the narration of the audiobook.
There are a lot of moments in What I Ate in One Year where Tucci describes how he made a certain dish. I’m intrigued by some of these recipes and if I ever found this book at a discount bookstore I’d consider buying a copy to explore some of these recipes. I did enjoy listening to him describe the cooking process and how delicious some very simple meals can be.
I enjoyed hearing about some of the people that Tucci and his family dined with. It was neat hearing about some of the culinary talents and eating habits of some of his famous friends. There were also a few cute moments, most notably when his son realized that he was eating dinner with David Tennant and he asked him to do some of the voices from How to Train Your Dragon audiobook.
Overall, What I Ate in One Year was an enjoyable read. I enjoyed learning a bit more about Stanley Tucci and learning more about food, the culinary world, and the celebrity world. I have his other memoir on hold at the library and I’m looking forward to diving into that later this year.
Caraval by Stephanie Garber
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Loveable characters? No
3.0
I find books like Caraval to be the most difficult to review. I enjoyed the book, there were moments that had me intrigued, but I wasn’t super invested. There wasn’t necessarily anything wrong with Caraval but there also wasn’t anything that made it stand out.
Unfortunately, I didn’t love the characters in Caraval. I found the main character, Scarlett, to be annoying. While I could sympathize with her concerns about her sister, after a while I found it repetitive. It was difficult to get a feel for a lot of the other characters because in the world of Caraval things and people aren’t always what they seem.
I liked the ideas of “remember it’s only a game” and not getting too swept up in the game. These ideas kept me on my toes and they provided a lot twists and turns that kept me invested enough to keep reading.
I found the world-building in Caraval to be lacking. While I’m not a fan of heavy world-building, I thought Caraval could have used a bit more. I liked learning about the history of the game but I would have liked to know more about the magic and the world it’s set in.
Caraval has a romantic storyline in it, I liked watching it unfold and I’m curious to see where it goes as the series continues.
There were a few moments in Caraval that were unexpectedly violent, including some parental violence.
Overall, I enjoyed Caraval enough to want to continue on with the rest of the series, but I also found it underwhelming.
Done and Dusted by Lyla Sage
4.0
Done and Dusted is a steamy cowboy romance that features the “brother’s best friend” trope.
I thought that Clementine “Emmy” Ryder and Luke Brooks had great chemistry. I enjoyed their banter and seeing their relationship evolve from friendship to something more. I thought they had some sweet moments while they were getting to know each other, and I especially liked the moments where Luke was helping Emmy work through her trauma from her riding accident.
I also appreciated the mental health rep in Done and Dusted. Emmy has ADHD and there were scenes where she talks how it affects her.
I enjoyed getting to know the other characters in Done and Dusted. I liked Emmy’s family and her best friend, I’m looking forward to reading their books and getting to know them more.
One of the best things about Done and Dusted is that it does not have a third act break-up, I wish more books would leave this common occurrence out.
As far as spice goes, Done and Dusted has it’s fair share of open door spicy moments. I thought they were well-written and not overly cringy.
Overall, I really enjoyed Done and Dusted and I’m looking forward to reading the rest of the Rebel Blue Ranch series.
Amari and the Night Brothers by B.B. Alston
4.5
Amari and the Night Brothers is the first book in a magical middle-grade series. Set at the Bureau of Supernatural Affairs, it features some fantastic characters, great world-building, and lots of twists and turns to keep you hooked until the very end.
Amari is a great main character. She’s faced a lot of adversity in her life. She’s dealt with bullies and things have not been easy for her since her brother mysteriously disappeared. Amari is an easy character to root for and I really enjoyed seeing her grow throughout the book. I liked seeing her become more comfortable in the supernatural world and starting to believe in herself more and more as the story went on.
Amari and the Night Brothers also has a great set of supporting characters. Elise is Amari’s roommate and she is a weredragon. She’s brilliant and I love the friendship between Elise and Amari. Agent Magnus and Agent Fiona are senior agents at the Bureau of Supernatural Investigations. I enjoyed getting to know them, their pride in their careers, and some of the comments they made. Dylan and Lara are an interesting pair and I’m curious to see how their roles evolve later on in the series.
I love the world building in Amari and the Night Brothers. I love books where the supernatural world co-exists with the ordinary world. I love the idea that some famous moments in the ordinary world were caused by the supernatural world and that there are cover stories to explain things. I loved learning about the supernatural world with Amari. I liked seeing the different departments in the Bureau of Supernatural Affairs. I would definitely read some of the books Amari had to read for her Junior Agent tests just to learn more about the supernatural world. I also love how open ended this world is and how much room there is for more.
I also quite enjoyed the mystery aspect to this book. I liked trying to piece together what happened to Quinton and Maria. Since this was a reread for me, I did remember one major plot point to this mystery, but I still enjoyed putting the clues together and seeing what I missed the first time around.
I thought the three challenges to become a junior agent were a lot of fun. I enjoyed the set up of the first two challenges and the tricks that were built into them. I enjoyed seeing Amari grow more confident throughout the challenges and how she used her new found skills to succeed.
I thought the idea of magicians being illegal was interesting. I liked the parallels between Amari’s life growing up in a low-income area and being a magician. I liked how Amari used her experiences growing up to help her navigate her newfound title. I’m curious to see what happens with magicians in the rest of the series.
Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed my reread of Amari and the Night Brothers. I think it’s a brilliant opener to a middle-grade fantasy series. I’m invested in Amari and her career as a Junior Agent. I’m looking forward to finally continuing on with this series.