Fan Club

 

Fan Club by Erin Mayer. ***

An inside look into the world of being obsessed with a celebrity to the point of losing self-identity. "Fandom is about worship, yes, but it's also a reminder of all the ways life is unsatisfying for the regulars."  Stuck in a boring, mind numbing job as a Web Producer, a millennial connects with a group of women who are as obsessed as she is with Adriana Argento. The main character (she is not named) feels accepted and at home in the Group until she gets to know them individually. Is there a darker side to their activities?  

If you are looking for a change in the type of books that you are reading, this may be the one for you! My usual genres are mystery, historical , and women's fiction. I suspect that millennials will love this book, use of social media and the ability to stalk their idols electronically gives the false impression that the celebrity knows them and they have a personal relationship. Drugs distort their reality and intensifies feelings of isolation. For a debut novel, Mayer has captured the dark side of idolizing people you don't know and the burden on those performers. 

I received a copy of the book for a review and Blog Tour.

Erin Mayer is a freelance writer and editor based in Maine. Her work has appeared in Business Insider, Man Repeller, Literary Hub, and others, and she was previously an associate fashion beauty editor at Bustle. Fan Club is her first novel.

Follow me on IG at flamazing_books

#fanclub 

The Other Me

The Other Me by Sarah Zachrich Jeng. New York, Berkley, 339 pages. ****

Kelly, a free-spirited artist living in Chicago, is celebrating her 29th birthday by attending her best friend Linnea's art show. "Sour Grapes isn't a good look" and Kelly is trying very hard to keep a smile on her face and celebrate Linnea's success. Crowded and warm, Kelly begins to feel nausea. She opens the bathroom door to-- "Surprise." Kelly is back in her hometown of Michigan and the guest of honor at her surprise party. Not only has she been transported to another place, but single Kelly is also now married to Eric Hyde, someone she barely knew in high school. Eric senses that something is wrong with Kelly, however, how can she possibly explain what has happened to her and how does she get back to her old life? The bigger question is does she really want to?

Jeng's debut novel will hold you fast and not let go. A new plot twist in time travel with many unexpected subplots. Entertaining and the perfect book to escape into, I read it in two days. If you enjoyed The Midnight Library and the concept of what if? you will want to read this novel. 

Sarah Zachrich Jeng grew up in Michigan and always had a flair for the morbid and mysterious (for her dad’s thirty-fifth birthday, she wrote a story entitled “The Man Who Died at 35”). She had a brief career as an aspiring rock star before she came to her senses and went back to school to become a web developer. Sarah lives in Florida with her family and two extremely hyper rescue dogs. The Other Me is her first novel.

Fore more information https://sarahzj.com

Other books with a similar theme:

Dream Daughter

The Midnight Library

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#theotherme #timetravelfiction #alternativeuniverse 

Quilt Retreat and Checklist

 Quilt Retreats

I love going to Quilt Retreats and try to go to at least 2 a year. To avoid the risk of forgetting something, I created a Quilt Retreat Checklist. Not all items are needed every time, however, it is a good starting point. I updated it this fall to reflect new safety protocols. If one of the Retreats has a quilt project, contest or challenge and it requires materials, be sure to include those. 

Assuming you will be in a large room in a hotel or banquet hall, become familiar with the limitations set by the venue. Can you bring snacks to be shared? Are individual irons allowed? Will everyone need an extension cord? Must all attendees show vaccination cards and wear masks? Is alcohol allowed in the work room or guest's rooms? 

Quilt Retreat Checklist

Personalize for your needs. Do remember to mark your possessions with your name or initials, quilters are sharers and it's easier to pack up when you can identify your tools. If you and a friend are rooming and sitting together, you may want to plan ahead of time what each of you will bring so you can share your tools if you want to.

Seasonally I decorate my work space and thankfully I have sisters and friends who indulge me.

Calico Cutters Quilt Guild's Retreat has 3 rules:

Sleep when you want to.

Eat when you want to.

Sew when you want to.

Shop when you want to.

Quilt Retreats should be fun, NO QUILT POLICE! You will make new friends and learn new things. 

Quilt Retreat 2018

Retreat by the Sea

Quilt Retreat 2017

Quilt Retreat 2016

 #quiltretreat #quiltretreatchecklist 

Count the Ways

Count The Ways: A Novel by Joyce Maynard. New York: Willam Morrow, 2021. 445 pages. ****

Eleanor and Cam meet at a crafts fair in Vermont in the mid-1970's. Eleanor is an artist and writer; Cam makes wooden bowls. Fast-forward and they have four children and are living on a New Hampshire farm.

Eleanor is writing and illustrating a successful series of children's books, Cam is making hand-turned bowls from tree burls. When the demand for their books and bowls slow down, and money worries surface, Eleanor resents Cam's cavalier attitude that somehow everything will work out. When tragedy strikes because of Cam's inattention while watching the kids, Eleanor becomes bitter and can't forgive him. 

This is the first book of Maynard's that I have read and once started I couldn't put it down. It is so easy to analyze their marriage from the sidelines, however, I'm not sure I could be as strong as Eleanor in not telling the children the true story. I suspect the ending (no spoilers here) will have a different impact depending on the age of the reader. I recommend this book for a Book Club especially one with readers of different ages. 

Joyce Maynard is the author of eighteen books, including the New York Times bestselling novel Labor Day,  and To Die For (both adapted for film), Under the Influence and the memoirs, At Home in the World  and The Best of Us.  

Joyce Maynard is currently at work on a book about her return to Yale University two and a half years ago as an undergraduate, forty-eight years after dropping out at age 18.  

Joyce Maynard's website.

Follow me on IG @flamazing_books

#counttheways #family #betrayal

The Madness of Crowds

The Madness of Crowds (17th in the series) by Louise Penny. New York; Minotaur Books, 2021. 439 pages. *****

"Q & A With Louise Penny on The Madness of Crowds." "A Word About The Cover For The Madness of Crowds."

All will be well. Ca va bien alter.

Chief Inspector Gamache and his family are enjoying the holidays and are looking forward to the New Year. The Pandemic has been officially declared over and the residents of Three Pines are celebrating with friends and family in a way that would have been impossible a year ago. 

The fact that Gamache receives a new assignment to provide security for a professor of statistics who will be giving a lecture at a nearby university is puzzling on many levels. Complicating his assignment is the appearance of Haniya Dad, the Hero of the Sudan, who claims to have come to the village to meet someone, however, she won't divulge the person's name.  Is it Ruth or the Asshole Saint and why won't she tell them? New Year's Eve ends in murder, which only raises more questions - has the wrong person been killed, mistaken for someone else or is this a carefully crafted murder? 

Louise Penny's latest book packs a punch! I have read all of her books in this series and this one could have easily been divided into two novels. Inevitably, books published now will include Pandemic/Covid situations and themes. That's what I thought when I started The Madness of Crowds, however, it veers in a different direction. There are many sub themes and yet, are they? Who gets to decide who lives or dies, is it a matter of economy, convenience, or viability? I highly recommend this series and suggest starting at Still Life (book 1) even though her books can be read individually. 

Previous Book:

All the Devils Are Here

From Louise Penny

"I live outside a small village south of Montreal, quite close to the American border. My husband Michael and I have long had dogs, all golden retrievers. Bonnie, Maggie, Seamus, Trudy and now Bishop. Some came as puppies, some were adopted as adults. All beloved.

Michael and I were together for 22 years and married for 20. He was the inspiration for Armand Gamache. Kindly, thoughtful, generous, a man of courage and integrity, who both loved and accepted love. 

He developed dementia, and died peacefully at home in September 2016, surrounded by the love he'd put into the world for his 83 years. 

So now it's Bishop and me. But we're far from alone. We have the village, and all our friends including My Assistant Lise, and the indomitable, happy spirit of Michael. And, of course, the company of Armand, Clara, Ruth, Gabri and Olivier et al."

For more information on Louise Penny - https://www.louisepenny.com/louise.htm

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#gratitude #themadnessofcrowds