The Guncle by Steven Rowley
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
This is a surprisingly wonderful read. It’s sweet and touching and deep and also really hilarious. There’s so much healing and so much humor and so so much heart. Definitely recommended.
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I really liked the premise of this book. I liked the idea of taking Stepford Wives and turning it on its head. And bits of the execution was excellent. I liked the way the story was set up with the wide variety of careers the women had and using each other and that as a way to build a network and power, which is something many men do. I thought the story was setup well with many examples of all the ways big and small that women carry the load and all the ways big and small that they worry/think nonstop about life as a family and all of its bits. How they carry a disproportionate amount of the load by such a large margin. And yet. I also thought it was more stereotypical than I would have liked it to be because when it’s that two-dimensional the story doesn’t have as much of an impact as it could. It makes it easier for people to write off the points the author was trying to make. I do wish there were more combinations of couples and marriages. Overall, I liked the time I spent with this story. It was a fast, fun read. with gratitude to netgalley and Macmillan Audio for an advanced audio in exchange for an honest review.
This book had such mixed reviews. Especially as a follow up to Daisy Jones which was so good. So I walked into it thinking it was going to be terrible. It was perfectly enjoyable. It wasn’t deep and layered as much as her previous novels but I still enjoyed it. A perfect example of how expectations can color the reading experience.
This was a mixed bag for me. I enjoyed some of the parts of it and thought other parts dragged a bit more than I preferred. The premise was interesting and felt similar to Ready Player One a little bit and at parts it was fun like that book. I liked the idea more than the execution at times. 
 Year of Yes – 192
I was feeling super unmotivated and blah all day today. Vacation is ending and I am tired and i.dont want it to end. I was whiny and lethargic all day. I finally dragged myself out of the house to go food shopping with the little boy. After we returned I figured I might as well make some food for the week. I made steak, ground beef, salmon, zucchini, yellow potatoes, sweet potatoes and corn. And I cut the watermelon. And I bought some beautiful flowers. I still feel mostly blah but at least I have some fresh and delicious food in the fridge now. Yes to doing it anyway. #yearofyes #karenikayearofyes  Once There Were Wolves by Charlotte McConaghy
 Year of Yes – 191
Tonight I am sitting in the back yard, a hummingbird just passed by me, it’s quiet with just enough breeze for my chime to go off occasionally. I just had a delicious salad and I am listening to a good book. This is the kind of moment where I close my eyes and say “yes” and feel so grateful for being here and now. Yes. #yearofyes #karenikayearofyes  Morningside Heights by Joshua Henkin  Year of Yes – 190
Back home and excited to be playing with paint again. I have three more days before I go back to work and while I definitely feel more rested and calmer, I certainly wouldn’t say no to another few weeks off. Each time I think about vacation ending I can feel the stress of going back. Today we got the first laptop email from school which reminded me that we’re also halfway through summer. Not excited about summer ending either. This coming year will be challenging and busy for my kids. I am not ready to be in the office or doing school drop offs just yet. So instead I am reminding myself to be here now. I still have three more days, no reason to spend them stressing about what’s to come. I still have half a summer with the kids. No need to worry about the fall just yet. There’ll be time for all that. That time is not now. Be here now. Yes to being present. #yearofyes #karenikayearofyes  A Good Day for Chardonnay by Darynda Jones |
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