Roasting HGTV and Books Read 5/15/19

Hello out there to my six readers!  I've missed our chats.
I've had a fairly busy couple of weeks, so I haven't been reading quite as much.  Plus, Jeff has started turning HGTV on after the Cardinal's game (or after we've given up on the Cardinal's game) and we take turns making fun of everyone on the various house hunting and renovation shows, which is endless enjoyment.  Remember when we used to call them "rooms"?  Now it's a "space"!  I'm looking forward to making this nightly ritual a drinking game once I'm all done being pregnant (which is now, come to think of it).  
Take a shot every time someone knocks down a wall!  Take a shot every time someone mentions having space to entertain!  Take a shot every time a quip is made about the closets only being large enough for the wife's clothes!  Take a double shot every time carpet is pulled back to reveal BEAUTIFUL hardwood floors!  "Why on Earth did they put carpet over this?  This will *really* save us money on our renovations!"  Price point.  Built-ins.  Crown molding.  I'm drunk.

Still, I've managed to get some reading done!  Recently I finished.....​

​Daisy Jones & the Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid

Usually I go into a book mostly blind.  I have some vague idea of what it’s going to be about.  In this case, I knew it was going to follow a 70’s band called Daisy Jones & The Six.  However, for the first half of the book, I couldn’t decide whether or not this was a real band.  Finally I actually looked closely at the information on the book jacket and discovered that it is indeed a fictional band.  This decreased my overall enjoyment of the book, but only somewhat.
Presented as a compiled set of interviews with band members and others close to the band, the pages turned quickly.  While there was no lack of drugs, drinking, rock ‘n’ roll, and more drugs, there were a few sections that were a little too introspective/philosophical/kinda cheesy.  This made it a perfect parallel to a subplot within the book where a band member or two felt that they were a little more of a “soft rock” band than they were hoping to be due to the lyrics and sound of many of their songs.
Daisy Jones & the Six:  Solid soft rock, but with enough cocaine and intrigue to harden the edges and keep it interesting.

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​Endurance:  Shackleton’s Incredible Voyage by Alfred Lansing

The reason most people I know are involved with a book club is to expand their horizons.  Book clubs help us pick up books that we may not otherwise have picked up.  Sure, they don’t always get finished, but at least we tried.
I never in a million years would’ve picked up Endurance.  I wish I could tell you otherwise, but I’m an honest blogger.  Normally the thought of a story about exploration of Antarctica in the early-ish 1900’s would not blow my skirt up.  But since it was a book club book…
It was good!  There was a LOT of ice.  Lots of ocean.  Lots of wet boots and gross food and oozing infection and lack of sleep.  The author *really* took me there.  I thought it was well done and way more interesting than I expected (with some small stretches that were maybe a little less exciting – ice ice water snow ice ice ice).  My only gripe is that the end could’ve done a better job of providing closure and spelling out for the readers why these men endured and what lessons can be learned from that experience.  Sometimes I like people to spell things out for me.  But in general, a good read, and it helped me sleep like a little baby in my warm dry bed every night and thank God that I live in 2019 and don’t partake in activities like expeditions to Antarctica.

Up Next:
I'm ALMOST finished with a science fiction trip that my friend Adam recommended and I'm soon to start on the latest Ian McEwan.  I'm starting to need to relax and put my feet up more, so I'm expecting to start reading at a decent clip for the next month or so!  I'd better fit it in while I can!

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