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

Con/Artist

I love a good true crime story, but I was so unprepared for Con/Artist.

This was amazing.

Tony Tetro wrote Con/Artist about his time as an art forger. His attention to the most minuscule detail is why he's considered the world's greatest art forger. He was passing off hundreds of his paintings as "lost art" for some massive names like Dali, Rembrandt, Chagall, even Rockwell. He even went so far as to forge a Ferrari. Yes, like a real ass Ferrari and he actually did it.

Reading about how and why he got into this life of crime was so interesting because the man has immense talent. But what struck me as the most interesting part is that his first forged art sale he actually sold under the guise of another art forger. He created a piece, signed a known art forger's name to it, and sold it almost as a novelty item.

This was just absolutely insane to read and I loved every second of it.

BadAsstronauts

This book was comedic gold.

BadAsstronauts was originally published under the title, Occupy Space. But last year, Grady Hendrix revamped his first self-published book and re-released this absolute masterpiece.

Grady is known for his quirky, campy, horror books and this is not that at all. This book has all the quirky elements of his horror books, mixed with his firsthand knowledge of the south. That being said, I understand why this book didn't take off the way he wanted it to in 2012. I also know that I am 100% his target audience for this book. So do with that what you will.

This novella is only about 160 pages of pure southern anarchy.

Local boy turned astronaut, Bobby Jr., gets stuck in space. NASA isn't really doing anything to help bring him home. But dammit, his South Carolina family will find a way to bring him home to his Momma. A ragtag team of almost astronauts, community college students, and extreme couponing grandmothers are determined to bring Bobby Jr. home....they just have to figure out how to build a rocket.

This was just so absurdly realistic. The Redneck NASA, the small town police, the acres of ramshackle land for their launch site. It was just hilarious and exactly what I would expect if a group of normal ass people were attempting to shoot one of their own into outer space.

Looking for other books by Grady Hendrix?

The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires

My Best Friend's Exorcism

Horrorstor

The Final Girl Support Group

We Sold Our Souls

How to Sell a Haunted House

Dear Freedom Writer

I was in grade school when I first learned about The Freedom Writers. Every since then, I've been obsessed with reading published journals and diaries. Every single person has a story to tell, they just need somebody to listen. That's what Erin Gruwell and The Freedom Writers set out to do in Dear Freedom Writer.

 

Dear Freedom Writer features letters from people all over the world. They began writing to The Freedom Writers with their issues, ranging anywhere from sexuality, to covid, to wars going on in their own backyard. The Freedom Writers wrote back to each of these people with their own experiences. They offered advice, forgiveness, and a shoulder to cry on. Many of the letters were written by people who were just kids when Ms. Gruwell started teaching in Room 203, which quickly became a sacred oasis for many.

Some of these stories were hard to read, but all of them needed to be heard.

Looking for other books by The Freedom Writers?

The Freedom Writer's Diary

Kurt Cobain: The Last Interview

I've been obsessed with Kurt for a verrrrrry long time.

I think every kid going through their alternative phase finds Nirvana and it speaks to their twisted, tortured, teen souls.

Kurt Cobain: The Last Interview follows the same formula as every other book in The Last Interview collection. It leads up to his final interview in February 1994, just months before his death. Some of these interviews were absolutely insane to read but two specific ones stuck out to me the most. The July 1993 interview for Guitar World with Jon Savage shows them bantering on gay rights, feminism, and how their music allowed them to raise awareness for things they were genuinely passionate about without being overtly political. I also enjoyed the August 1993 interview for Much Music TV with Erica Ehm. They talked about life, love, and music. It showed a sweeter more relaxed version of Kurt as opposed to the Edgar Klusener interview with the whole band that honestly made me think a little differently of them.

Kurt lived the life he thought he wanted and it just wasn't enough for him. Growing up with next to nothing and being catapulted into stardom would be hard on anyone, let alone someone living with a chronic illness and shaky mental health. Yet somehow, through all that Kurt became the voice of a generation. Someone who said and did what everyone was thinking without any regrets.

Peace, love, and empathy.

Looking for other books in The Last Interview Series?

Anthony Bourdain

Marilyn Monroe

Looking for other books featuring Kurt Cobain?

Heavier than Heaven

27

Life on Planet Rock

Who Killed Kurt Cobain?

Love Letters to the Dead

Paris

I was not ready for all the bombshells Paris Hilton dropped in this book.

 

I'm kind of obsessed with the "It Girls" of the early 2000s. These are the girls I grew up watching in real time, and saw their worlds crumble around them in the media. Paris, Britney, and Lindsay literally went through hell and somehow in 2023 ended up on the other side. And I'm grateful for that.

 

For years we heard about their parting, clubbing, and bad habits. But it's hard to imagine judging them now the way they were judged then. They were in their 20's, doing what literally every single twenty year old woman does....living their best lives.

 

That being said, Paris doesn't really talk about that part of her life in this book. Yes, it's in there but the bulk of her memoir talks about her time in trouble youth camps and schools. You know the one's we all heard about in hushed whispers because no one wanted to admit there might be abuse going on there.....even though there absolutely was.

 

I genuinely don't know how Paris or any of the other kids in these schools survived. Hell, some of them didn't. The Provo school that Paris was forced into has been compared to the likes of the Standford Prison Experiment by Phillip Zimbardo. A study that literally got shut down after a few weeks because of the horrific power dynamics surrounding solitary confinement and breaking people down to their absolute lowest point.

Paris was literally ripped from her bed in her own home and shoved into one of these schools after the other. I could almost hear her voice shaking while reading the words on the page.

I am so happy to see her thriving now, living her truest life, and doing everything in her power to keep this from happening to other kids.

Into the Water

This felt like an overly researched news article that just needed to make their word count.

 

I read true crime books regularly and for some reason I just could not follow this one. Maybe it's because there were so many different factors that Diane Fanning was explaining all at once. With Marc Evonitz never facing a trial for his crimes, it was harder to understand exactly what happened. He went undetected for several years and other men where suspected in his crimes. But other true crime stories were somehow tied into this one as well. It was just so messy.

Looking for other books by Diane Fanning?

Through the Window