A life of books . . .
I’m not sure how I stumbled across this one, it was probably a random email from Prolific Works that I just happened to actually open and they happened to profile a MM Romance novel in it.
It’s the story of Chase, a news anchor, and Ashton, a nonprofit CEO, college acquaintances who reconnect later in life at a gala event hosted by Ashton. There’s drama and office gossip and Ashton’s adorable kid, Trent, calling things like they are even when the adults won’t.
I kept going with Allwood’s books because I wasn’t totally put off by the less-than-stellar copy editing and I had nothing more pressing to read. Plus start a series = finish a series 😀
Surprisingly, I enjoyed this one more than I enjoyed the first book in Allwood’s Chances series, Love by Chance. This is surprising because he veered very close to over-complicating things with the mystery/thriller addition again, but somehow managed to bring it back with some great minor characters who had their own plot lines but really supported the overall plot.
Continue reading “Book 738: Another Chance with Love (Chances #2) – Blake Allwood”
Of course after I saw the trailer for Love, Simon (embedded at the end of this post) I HAD to read the book they adapted it from. Who doesn’t love an awkward teen romance, especially an LGBT one? Seriously, just go watch the trailer so adorkable!
I’m not sure if I’m in love with Simon or in love with Simon’s hopelessness. I’m sad that books like this weren’t around when I was a teenager, but also so incredibly happy that books like this exist for teens! Was this a literary wonder? No. Was this a beautiful coming of age/first love story that anyone could identify with regardless of their sexuality? Yes.
Continue reading “Book 528: Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda – Becky Albertalli”
My final foray, at least for the time being, into professional development was Badowski’s Managing Up: How to Forge an Effective Relationship with Those Above You, and if I’m completely honest it’s the only one I should have read.
I enjoyed the “theory” and the “professional opinions” in the Harvard Business Review compilations I read, Managing Up (The 20-Minute Manager Series) and HBR Guide to Managing Up and Across, but neither of them had the wit, the humor or the charm of this book. Seriously, there is something to be said about reading a book that could be an incredibly boring (or pedantic) subject that makes you laugh out loud or giggle to yourself on public transportation. They all provide great advice, but this book offered the advice through the art of storytelling and not the other way around.