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Librarian's Next ChapterReading whatever I want to read
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Today's review is for Your Table is Ready by Michael Cecchi-Azzolina. I picked up this book because I saw it on someone's "To Read" list and I enjoy foodie/restaurant type books. This was a good, not great, read. It was great fun seeing names of chefs and restauranteurs that I recognized from watching (probably too many) food competition shows and reading the author's descriptions and impressions of them. One definitely gains a new respect for those who run food establishments and those who serve in them. With all the shenanigans described by the author, it's amazing that so many are successful at all. I have no doubt that all kinds of debauchery took place during the time period described by the author, but again - repetitious - I received the message the first time or two. The storytelling was a bit disjointed in places as the author tried to connect the present with his past, a bit of editing might have fixed this. Definitely a well-informed peek behind the curtain of the food industry, but now I'm happy to let the curtain fall back into place. 
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My TBR pile and wheel has several YA novels leftover from my career as a school librarian. Oddly, my first spins yielded two titles from those selections. Perhaps fate’s way of easing me into reading post-teaching? The novel I read yesterday was Every Last Word by Tamara Ireland Stone. This novel explored a myriad of topics: OCD, depression, anxiety, friendship, and forgiveness. Samantha/Sam is a fringe member of her high school's “popular” crowd, but hides a near crippling OCD condition fearing that this will cause her to lose her friends. We see Sam through the lens of her swimming, appointments with her therapist, and interacting with her friends. At the beginning of the school year Sam meets a fellow student, completely different from her friends, who introduces her to a secret poetry group. Through this group, Sam begins to explore who she is and what truly matters to her. There are several twists and turns in this story, a few of which I did not anticipate. The characters were the archetypical high school students, and it did feel as though some of the plot turns were a little too pat. A good read for those who enjoy high school angsty romance.  Very seldom have I thought, “I should have listened to the audiobook instead of reading this.” Shampoo Unicorn by Sawyer Lovett gave me exactly this feeling. Many of the chapters of this book were transcripts of podcasts and hearing them as such would have amplified both the story experience and emotional content of the episodes. Brian, Greg, and Leslie’s lives are woven together via friendship (Brian and Greg) and a podcast (Brian and Leslie). All three of them are struggling to live with their sexuality, and the ramifications of the personal choice they have made to live out or closeted. The story is set in rural West Virginia and incorporates the magnified sense of isolation and fear that folks in the LGBTQ+ community may feel in such places. Brian, Greg, and their friend Riley have known each other for years. Over time and choices, their friendship has morphed, events in the story cause it to shift yet again. Leslie, unknown to the others but tethered to them via the podcast, is struggling to make a decision on how to live as her authentic self. All the characters are well-fleshed out and multi-faceted and relate their story in their own voice. Getting into the head of the various characters adds so much depth to a story. In telling the story from multiple points of view, the author did a wonderful job of portraying a unique voice for each character, jumping from one to another with such ease I literally checked to see if the book was written by more than one person. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and look forward to the author’s future work. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.  |
About meI am a newly retired middle school librarian who is experiencing the joy of reading books written for an older audience and sharing my thoughts. Archives
April 2025
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