Well no wonder this book has such a long wait time at the library. It's interesting and helpful. My favorite advice from the author: It's perfectly OKWell no wonder this book has such a long wait time at the library. It's interesting and helpful. My favorite advice from the author: It's perfectly OK to save money without earmarking it for anything. That way you can someday avoid debt when there's an emergency. Or you can buy something that you see as undervalued when there's an opportunity. Or you can give yourself time to figure out what to do when your plans, needs, or wants change.
Merged review:
Well no wonder this book has such a long wait time at the library. It's interesting and helpful. My favorite advice from the author: It's perfectly OK to save money without earmarking it for anything. That way you can someday avoid debt when there's an emergency. Or you can buy something that you see as undervalued when there's an opportunity. Or you can give yourself time to figure out what to do when your plans, needs, or wants change.
Merged review:
Well no wonder this book has such a long wait time at the library. It's interesting and helpful. My favorite advice from the author: It's perfectly OK to save money without earmarking it for anything. That way you can someday avoid debt when there's an emergency. Or you can buy something that you see as undervalued when there's an opportunity. Or you can give yourself time to figure out what to do when your plans, needs, or wants change....more
Charming, action-filled mystery caper from the author of the Thursday Murder Club series. I didn't understand some of the British humo(u)r, but I enjoCharming, action-filled mystery caper from the author of the Thursday Murder Club series. I didn't understand some of the British humo(u)r, but I enjoyed it very much all the same. Richard Osman has created some delightful characters. Is the multimillion-selling author in this one based on Jackie Collins, Jilly Cooper, or someone else?...more
"After we purchased side-by-side cemetery plots years ago, I asked her what she wanted her marker to say. She answered, 'I'm with Stupid.' (That reque"After we purchased side-by-side cemetery plots years ago, I asked her what she wanted her marker to say. She answered, 'I'm with Stupid.' (That request will not be honored.)"
Morbid yet intermittently lighthearted accounts of death customs, last meals, mourning rituals, and scathing obituaries. There was also one incredibly appealing obituary, which was of Linda Weide by her husband: https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/...
Spicy advice from 1936! There is liquor! There are morals! There are bed jackets! (Apparently three or four different bed jackets are needed for diffeSpicy advice from 1936! There is liquor! There are morals! There are bed jackets! (Apparently three or four different bed jackets are needed for different circumstances. I had no idea. This was decades before the Snuggie.)
I don't live alone right now, but I certainly loved it when I did.
The author assumes that the reader will be able to hire a maid or other servant full-time or part-time for just a few dollars a week. No word on whether that person lives alone and likes it.
Marjorie Hillis was a Vogue employee of many years when she wrote this witty and highly opinionated guide. The book was a huge success in pop culture and financially, and Miss Hillis went on to marry (and stop living alone) three years after its initial publication....more
Fun poems about animals. I never knew that unlike other birds, pigeons drink as if through a straw. (Most other birds shovel in a little water and theFun poems about animals. I never knew that unlike other birds, pigeons drink as if through a straw. (Most other birds shovel in a little water and then tip back their heads to swallow it.)...more
Tawdry, sleazy, morally bankrupt true crime with a patina of religiosity, written by someone with a DPhil from Oxford, so it has a bunch of ShakespearTawdry, sleazy, morally bankrupt true crime with a patina of religiosity, written by someone with a DPhil from Oxford, so it has a bunch of Shakespeare quotations in it. I loved it. Many true crime books are whodunits, but this one focuses on how the murder was accomplished and where the body was. (We find out both at about the 70 percent mark, but there's plenty to keep a reader occupied before that.) If you are already upset about unfair stereotypes of Floridians, Baptists, and Floridian Baptists, do yourself a favor and skip this one....more
A witch trial in Pennsylvania in 1929? I had no idea. I also didn't expect Stephanie Clifford/Stormy Daniels to make an appearance. (She makes a prettA witch trial in Pennsylvania in 1929? I had no idea. I also didn't expect Stephanie Clifford/Stormy Daniels to make an appearance. (She makes a pretty good living as a tarot reader.)
Vivid and compassionate writing. I will look for more by this author....more
Very similar to the author's previous mystery, Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone. Fun romp with corpses. I learned a bit about Australian histoVery similar to the author's previous mystery, Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone. Fun romp with corpses. I learned a bit about Australian history and geography. Also, now I know that Australians don't rummage in their purses; they fossick in their handbags....more
Emily Nussbaum, New Yorker staff writer and winner of the Pulitzer Prize, conducted more than 300 in-depth interviews on the topic of . . . reality teEmily Nussbaum, New Yorker staff writer and winner of the Pulitzer Prize, conducted more than 300 in-depth interviews on the topic of . . . reality television?! The title is a bit of a cheat because it comes from the movie The Truman Show. But the whole thing is written well and held my interest, even though I haven't seen some of the shows Nussbaum writes about. (But I have seen a lot of them. Even The Gong Show.) I didn't know that the whole reality vs. scripted conflict goes all the way back to radio, when people complained that writers and actors and musicians were being thrown out of work by a show called—I'm not kidding—Candid Microphone....more
I thought this book was very old because the typical banker, investor, fraudster, and so on is described as "he." But it's from 2018. I thought this book was very old because the typical banker, investor, fraudster, and so on is described as "he." But it's from 2018. ...more
Seventeen and a half hours! Seventeen and a half hours of audiobook details about Regency-era sports, clothing, sexism, debtors' prisons, breakfasts, Seventeen and a half hours! Seventeen and a half hours of audiobook details about Regency-era sports, clothing, sexism, debtors' prisons, breakfasts, manners, theater, stagecoaches, fashion, and liquor! I loved it. I don't know much about this era, so a lot of the information was eye opening. Some of my favorite bits:
• The first person to publish a work about atheism in English was Percy Bysshe Shelley. His 1811 essay "The Necessity of Atheism" got him kicked out of Oxford.
• Toll takers did not have to provide change. If the toll cost sixpence and you only had shillings, you had to pay a shilling. So travelers brought many sixpences with them.
• If you wanted to travel on a stagecoach but couldn't afford it, you could pay half price if you were willing to sit on top of the stagecoach and hang on the entire time.
• Cookbooks became very popular during this period. The goal for the author of one of the most popular cookbooks was for any servant who could read to become a cook. I'm sure you can see the potential convenience and savings of this.
• The Prince Regent, later King George IV, was very powerful during the latter part of his father's reign because not only did poor old George III have bouts of insanity, but he eventually became deaf and blind as well. Most British people intensely disliked the Prince Regent for being rude, lazy, gluttonous, mean, and wasteful. He wore spectacular clothing, though.
• The famous dandy Beau Brummel spent three hours every morning washing and getting dressed. He was besties with the Prince Regent but eventually they had a big fight and Brummel insulted the prince by calling him "your fat friend" in public....more
Feminist analysis and criticism of what the author calls the Upskirt Decade. She even throws in a cogent explanation of the subprime mortgage crisis iFeminist analysis and criticism of what the author calls the Upskirt Decade. She even throws in a cogent explanation of the subprime mortgage crisis in the chapter on Kim Kardashian. It doesn't really fit there, but I'm impressed anyway. I didn't know much about the wrestler Chyna, so that was the most interesting chapter to me....more
I came for the absurd title and for the funny messages the author has published on Twitter. (She responds enthusiastically to romance fraudsters, tellI came for the absurd title and for the funny messages the author has published on Twitter. (She responds enthusiastically to romance fraudsters, tells them she is a murderer and/or a cannibal, and then sends them photos of her in a helicopter or on a boat and tells them she's coming to see them in person so they can be together forever. They respond with panic, horror, and disgust.) I stayed for the compassionate and practical advice.
What I learned:
• Romance fraudsters often pretend to be military officers or oil-rig workers. These folks travel internationally, are gone for long periods, and are in physically risky jobs, all of which help the fraudsters manipulate others.
• Romance fraudsters and abusive partners share many characteristics, including sudden outbursts, abusive comments, and long periods of the silent treatment followed by love bombing. So people who have been in abusive relationships in the past may be more vulnerable to online romance fraudsters.
• The author thinks it's cruel to say that someone "fell for" a romance scam. She points out that we don't usually say that someone "fell for" a burglary.
• The public are becoming more aware of romance scams, but there's still a ton of victim blaming, which causes many scam victims to avoid coming forward out of embarrassment.
• Women (or people pretending to be women) perpetrate romance frauds on men, but this book is about the ladies.
Leslie Jones once got so enraged at a Saturday Night Live colleague that she called up a murderer she knew and offered to fly him out to New York so hLeslie Jones once got so enraged at a Saturday Night Live colleague that she called up a murderer she knew and offered to fly him out to New York so he could kill this person. The murderer's response? "Les, it's Christmas. I just had a baby." The murderer suggested that Leslie simply stop communicating with this person "because it's cold in your shadow." Leslie tried this option and it worked! No homicide necessary! This audiobook is a wild, freewheeling, often teary account of the author's life, career, and philosophy. I enjoyed it very much, and I felt especially sympathetic to her when she revealed that she was unable to attend either of her parents' funerals because she was away making money to pay for those funerals. (One of her most strongly worded pieces of advice is to buy insurance so you don't burden others with those costs.) Today Leslie Jones lives in a 4,000-square-foot home in California with a swimming pool and a beauty salon and a pantry that is stocked like a 7-Eleven. And I'm so happy for her. She deserves all of that....more
Read for work. I'm so happy that this book is available so that young children can learn about some vital events in U.S. history. I enjoyed the text, Read for work. I'm so happy that this book is available so that young children can learn about some vital events in U.S. history. I enjoyed the text, but the art didn't do anything for me. Your mileage may vary....more
Intriguing accounts of speculative bubbles and collapses throughout history. My favorite parts were about the South Sea Bubble and the Gilded Age. ThiIntriguing accounts of speculative bubbles and collapses throughout history. My favorite parts were about the South Sea Bubble and the Gilded Age. This is the 1999 edition, made into an audiobook in 2019. So there are parts that a major publisher would never allow into print today, such as the assertion that White people discovered Australia (there were plenty of other people there already) and that women were granted the right to vote (they won it themselves, of course). The last event the book covers is the collapse of Long-Term Capital Management....more
Rhyming poems in the Scots language, confidently read by the poet. Often somber but with some optimism and joy, especially near the end of the book. ARhyming poems in the Scots language, confidently read by the poet. Often somber but with some optimism and joy, especially near the end of the book. AH'M nae greetin, YE'RE greetin....more
This is a fun story with some toilet jokes and just a little hint of scariness. The art is full of surprises, my favorite ofGet the flock out of here!
This is a fun story with some toilet jokes and just a little hint of scariness. The art is full of surprises, my favorite of which is a large soft drink labeled BLADDER BUSTER.
I can't wait for the sequel, Van Full of Toucans....more
Short, often fascinating accounts of bizarre incidents in history, some obscure and some well-known. To me, the most interesting chapter was about AlfShort, often fascinating accounts of bizarre incidents in history, some obscure and some well-known. To me, the most interesting chapter was about Alfred Loewenstein, the third-richest man in the world. One day in 1928 he fell out of his private plane into the English Channel. Murder? Suicide? Accident? Faked death? Absent-mindedness?? Nobody knows, although it's interesting that his wife didn't attend the funeral and didn't add his name to the gravestone.
I didn't know that Adolf Hitler had his own Dr. Feelgood. According to the author, the cocaine was bad for Hitler's health and mental acuity, but the methamphetamines were much, much worse. (There's no attempt to blame anti-Semitism on drug use, of course. Hitler was depraved long before a quack pumped him full of drugs.)
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