Etta and Otto and Russell and James - Emma Hooper
I have not been enamoured of the old person on a trek books (The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry The One Hundered Year Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared, and this book continues. It's not bad, but I don't really understand the motivation to walk. Etta leaves from Saskatchewan and heads east to the ocean. She has some dementia/alzheimer's so that at least makes some sense why she would wander, but I also don't often like books from a point of view of someone with dementia. (boy, I sound cranky today, lol) There's a past and present story, and a Etta and Otto, her husband, point of view so some historical fiction.
I read it because I've had my eye on the book, and it was picked for Canada Reads this year which made it more available at the library.
Brooke Shields is Not Allowed to Grow Old: Thoughts on Aging as a Woman - Brooke Shields NF
I'm a fan of Brooke Shields, watched the Prime mini-series Pretty Baby, and we are very close in age. I grew up with her, and loved her in The Middle, a family-favourite sitcom. It's a memoir (not her first but the first I've read) about aging woman. I liked her persepective and since this appears to be my year of menopause reading, this book fits right in. She is remarkably down to earth, as presented here and she narrates the audiobook so it feels like we had a great chat. She is critical of doctors and how they give information to women, and she details several medical experiences as you'd expect from an aging woman, lol. She included a lot of research in her book so it wasn't just a celebrity tell-all that you'd expect.
Scandal in Mayfair - Katherine Schellman
This is the fifth in the Lily Adler mysteries, set in Regency London. Lily Adler is a young widow with enough money and freedom to do as she pleases. She gets mixed up in upper class scandals that often lead to murder. I've enjoyed this series with a bit of romance, and manners, and murder.
Rejection - Tony Tulathimutte (ebook)
I particularly like connected short stories so was drawn to this one, despite the mixed reviews I read online. I understand why readers didn't recommend it to people as there is a terrible chapter that I can't imagine anyone finishes. I do look forward to the Tournament of Books discussion on this one. Each story main character is unhappy, sharing through social media, in some way looking for love. Waiting to see them in another character's story where they appeared normal, was my favorite part. There is a meta chapter where the author gets involved, and I do like this experimentation.
Feeding My Mother: Comfort and Laughter in the Kitchen as My Mom Lives With Memory Loss - Jann Arden
Canadian singer Jann Arden shares life with two aging parents from it appears her diary. She is truthful and raw and the topic is not easy to read about but at least it was short, ~ 3 hours.
