Caught Up by Liz Tomforde (★★★☆☆)
E-Book • Owned (Amazon) • Sports Romance • 2023
Short synopsis: Kai, a grumpy single dad and MLB star is forced to accept help from Miller, his coach’s free-spirited daughter. Miller is a pastry chef in a creative slump when she steps in as his temporary nanny—sparking a summer romance neither of them planned for. But with her time in Chicago ticking down, they’ll have to decide if what they’ve found is worth staying for.
This was a fun romance, although the writing was a little pedestrian and needed a tighter edit. (I still firmly believe that romance novels should not be 400+ pages.) There was a lot happening in this story and you really had to suspend your belief for a lot of it (especially the way a professional baseball team would bend over backwards to help out a single dad and allow him to bring his toddler on the road). Miller was a delight and I loved watching her break down Kai’s walls, as well as the way she ended up falling head over heels for Kai’s son. This book also explored the idea of expectations, success, and sacrifice—Miller felt that her dad sacrificed a lot to give her a great life after her mom died when Miller was only four, and as such, she feels like she has to live this wildly successful life to make it feel “worth it” to him (even though he’s never asked that of her). It’s a reminder that we place these expectations on ourselves and the best way to live a successful life is to live the life you want to live, whether that’s being a world-renowned pastry chef or a stay-at-home mom.
Cue the Sun! The Invention of Reality TV by Emily Nussbaum (★★★★☆)
Audiobook • Libby • Nonfiction • 2024
Short synopsis: In Cue The Sun!, Emily Nussbaum traces the chaotic rise of reality TV through its quirky origins, industry pioneers, and lasting cultural impact, blending sharp critique with empathy. Drawing on seven decades of history, she explores how the hunt for authenticity in something fake reshaped pop culture, politics, and our sense of what’s real.
Man, I loved this book. It is fully in my wheelhouse as someone who loves reality TV. And who knew reality TV went back as far as it did? I would have guessed it all started with shows like The Real World, but in truth, we can count certain game shows like The Newlywed Game and Match Game as reality TV. This book takes us on a journey from the beginnings of reality TV in the 1960s and ends with talking about The Apprentice and how this show essentially re-launched Trump’s career. (Which is really depressing, especially considering that I watched and liked The Apprentice. *shudder*) I loved getting the origin stories of shows like The Bachelor, Survivor, and Big Brother, as well as how a show like Queer Eye for the Straight Guy was able to be produced in the early aughts! What I also liked was getting the behind-the-scenes details: learning how the shows came to be, getting insights from the producers and camera people, and the juicy details of what happened when the cameras were off. I really enjoyed Nussbaum’s writing style; you can tell that she’s a fan of reality TV and isn’t dismissive of the genre at all. I appreciated that because this is the kind of book that could have gone off the rails easily, but instead, it’s a smart look at how reality TV has affected our society and the changes it has made over the years. Highly recommend to anyone who loves reality TV!
Only Mostly Devastated by Sophie Gonzalez (★★★★★)
Audiobook • Spotify • YA • 2020
Short synopsis: When Ollie’s dreamy summer fling with Will ends in radio silence, he’s crushed—until a family move lands him at Will’s school, where he finds a very different, closeted version of the boy he fell for. Caught between past feelings and present complications, Ollie must decide if trusting Will again is worth the risk.
This queer take on Grease was so much fun. There was so much happening in this book: queerness and coming out and the spectrum of sexuality. Family and sacrifice and grief. It was about love in all its forms, romantic and platonic and familial. Ollie was a character I immediately fell in love with. He was someone who was so easy to root for and I just wanted to protect him from all the bad things. Will is a complicated character and hard to like at times. As the story progressed and Will became more honest with Ollie, I came around on him. I understood his character better and why he was doing the things he was doing. This was a very sweet YA love story and I’m so glad I finally read it.
What are you reading?
Oooh I am reading what is going to be a rough read but it’s fascinating. It’s called Loved and Missed and it has to do with a woman whose daughter is a drug addict, and she cares for her granddaughter. So far it’s simultaneously moving and upsetting. I’m not usually a person who wants to read about addiction, but it’s an interesting take on what it is to love an addict.
Nicole, you read books with such hard themes, oof. I hope you have a palate cleanser to help you after that tough book!
I haven’t read any of these! I have considered Cue the Sun but I don’t watch all that much reality tv overall. I also liked The Appentice sadly… but I only watched a couple of seasons and then got sick of it. I mostly like the challenges, I didn’t love the boardroom aspect as much.
I’m currently reading “A Love Song for Ricki Wilde.” I really enjoyed the author’s previous book, 7 days in June. This book has a magical realism aspect to it and I don’t care for that in my reading. But I saw that one of my friends (I think Kyria?) gave it 4 stars so I stuck with it. I think it will probably be a 3-star read. Next I will read “How to Read a Book” which I’ve heard great things about!
I can’t remember when I stopped watching The Apprentice (maybe after the first or second celebrity season). But man, I loved it and thought Trump was a smart businessman. It hurts to write that now!!! In my defense, I was like 16 when it aired and definitely in my conservative Republican era.
These all sound good! And yes- I liked The Apprentice too. WHO KNEW.
Inspired by you, I’m having a mini reading retreat today! I’m mostly focusing on Ken Follett’s Pillars of the Earth, but I have a couple other books (one non-fiction and one poetry) to flip through as well. I can’t wait to hear about your retreat- I’m thinking today is the day you wrestled the cats into their carriers and took off. Hope you’re all enjoying yourselves!
It’s fascinating to learn all the stuff that was happening behind the scenes at The Apprentice, too. It was very telling and makes more sense of how he is today. I feel bad for all of the people who worked on the show and felt like they contributed to his ascendence to president. They couldn’t have known what they were doing (the showrunner and higher-ups in the production, maybe, but not the smaller people in less executive roles).
I really enjoyed Emily Nussbaum’s I Like to Watch: Arguing My Way Through the TV Revolution. I’ll have to check this one out, too!
I need to read that book! Tradesies. 🙂
How fun you had some good picks. The last one sounds interesting but I am not reading romance this year so will not add it to the TBR.
I am currently reading so many books: finished one on habits yesterday, one about life in a certain part of Germany through the centuries, another one on turtles, and a coming of age story based in Missouri.
Wow, those are all so different! I love when my reading can align like that and I’m able to read books that are so different from one another.
Why are you not reading romance this year?
I realized I am steering towards romance because it is easier and I can get more done. However, I don’t particular enjoy it really. I have never read a 5 star romance they are all between 2.5 and 3.5 and I figured why do that when I have 90 books on my shelf I really want to read but never have the time.
I am sure there will be one or two books this summer that are more romance novels though.
I love romances and think they deserve more respect, but yeah..I agree with you on the page length! I just slogged through a Lucy Score “Story of my Life” that was 577 pages! About 277 (minimum) pages could have been cut out. There was no reason in the story for it to drag on like that!
LOL when I saw the graphic and Liz Tomforde I was like, ooo, I wonder if this book is way too long like the one I read of hers, and, yep! Not for me LOL. The other two books sound interesting! I love how you read such a variety!
I just started Beach Vibes last night and am listening to Technically Yours 🙂