Thrillville, USA

This book was so intense from the start and I freaking loved it.

Thrillville, USA is a collection of daaaaaaark short stories that tie together in a round about way. It's really just stories about self-destruction. There's drug and alcohol abuse, death, infidelity, unemployment, homelessness, and really just the nitty gritty underside of life that no one really seems to want to talk about. It kind of reminded of Devil All the Time. Life was just constantly kicking the shit out of these guys while they were just trying to make the best of it.

Thrillville, USA is actually the dying amusement park where a lot of these stories take place. It's hard to pinpoint what exactly made me love this book as much as I did. It's not thrilling like the title suggests but it is depressing and messy and real.

WarholCapote

It's not a secret that I'm obsessed with all things Truman Capote.

 

But I'm also obsessed with Andy Warhol.

 

So when my sister handed me this book, I immediately jumped right into it and finished it while I was on my weekend trip.

 

Rumor has it, Andy and Truman had been talking about recording their conversations and turning all their drama and gossip into a Broadway show. A show I definitely would have wanted to see. When Rob Roth caught wind that there might actually be tapes recorded between these two icons, he jumped at the chance to find them. The Warhol Foundation confirmed there are almost 3,000 tapes in their possession that can't be shared until 50 years after Andy's death. So yeah, 2037. A handful of these tapes were released to Roth and he decided to re-imagine their conversations into a "play" of sorts, which resulted in this book.

 

These two men are absolutely icon in my eyes.

I will be not so patiently waiting for the next 14 years for those tapes to be released.

 

Looking for other books by or featuring Truman Capote?

In Cold Blood

Other Voices, Other Rooms

The Grass Harp

Breakfast at Tiffany's

The Complete Stories of Truman Capote

Music for Chameleons

Answered Prayers

Marilyn Monroe: The Last Interview

Tru & Nelle

No Saints in Kansas

For You and Only You

This was honestly one of my least favorite books in this series.

It just feels like Joe isn't Joe anymore?

If that makes sense.

Maybe I'm just stuck in a world where I wanted Forty to be alive and for Love to be his endgame. But here we are.

For those of you who watch the show, this book veers kind of off track. Yes, he's at a prestigious school and writing a book. But that's like.....the only similarity. But honestly, I hated the newest season of the show too. It just felt like Joe was losing himself. I know that sounds crazy to say about our favorite fictional serial killer, but that's how it feels.

I don't know, but this book just was not for me.

Looking for the rest of the series?

You (You #1)

Hidden Bodies (You #2)

You Love Me (You #3)

 

The One and Only Ruby

This is honestly one of my favorite series.

I love getting to know the stories of each of these animals. We started with Ivan, the gorilla trapped in a roadside attraction. Then we got to know Bob, the dog who became Ivan's unlikely pal. But Ruby really hit home for me. Ruby is a young elephant who experiences loneliness, growing up, and finding her herd. She takes us back to her life in African and what it was like watching as the poachers descended on her family. How lost she felt until ending up in a sanctuary.

It was heartbreaking. I wasn't expecting her story to resonate so much with me but it really grabbed me and it's not letting me go. It took over a month for me to even find these few words for my review. It's just a great little read and might be my favorite of the series.

Looking for the rest of the series?

The One and Only Ivan

The One and Only Bob