Brief synopsis: Ron is a 17-year old Jewish-Israeli growing up in Nebraska during the 1980s. Split between following his family's beliefs and his own dreams (doctor or musician?) during the last few months of high school through the first few years of college, this is Ron's coming-of-age story with a Spotify soundtrack included.



This was one of the weirdest concepts of a book I've ever read. The author named the main character after himself and many of the characters were named after his real-life friends or family members, however, the book was considered a book of fiction. Throughout the entirety of The Frontman, I wasn't sure what was fact or fiction. I guess a lot of the deeper things the main character (Ron) was going through were angsts the real-life Ron had growing up, and some of the more on-the-surface things may have been real, too, like his friend Bennie and his band. Either way, I felt like I was reading like a really fun memoir.

Like a book I read last summer, The Best of Adam Sharp (which I really didn't like), this book also included a personalized Spotify playlist to accompany the novel, which I've included below. But this book, unlike Adam Sharp, was a fairly fun and relatable read. I loved learning more about Judaism and Israeli culture, which I don't know very much about.

Ron's character is very smart, and I loved reading his transition from shy boy with uncontrollable nervous IBS to front and center performer.

What I didn't like about this novel is the obvious gender roles and the complete disrespect for the choices of women. I was unhappy with the outcome of this book, and felt the story fell pretty flat. I would have loved to hear more about Ron's personal journey to becoming who he is, as opposed to the story being conformed completely around relationships. I would say this book would be a great for fans of John Green's Paper Towns, which I had similar feelings about. I also never really understood the point of the prologue.









This is really one of those novels that I wouldn't necessarily recommend, but I also wouldn't turn people away from reading. I'm still pretty bummed about the obvious gender roles though.
















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Brief synopsis: During the 70s and 80s, over 50 rapes were committed by the East Area Rapist (EAR) and over 10 murders were committed by the Original Night Stalker (ONS). DNA testing decades after the committed crimes led analyst to determine both the EAR and the ONS are the same guy. Michelle McNamara spent years of her life researching and investigating these crimes and dubbed the EAR-ONS with the moniker the Golden State Killer (GSK). This book is a collection of her research alongside retired detectives, investigators, and more.



I was really impressed with I'll Be Gone in the Dark. Honestly, the story was really dark, especially with it being true investigative journalism. Michelle McNamara really put her heart and soul into the book. Since she passed away before completing the book, I did feel like there was so much more we could've learned from her and about the crimes of the GSK. She actually wrote much of the book, but there were sections and chapters that were put together from her notes or other articles she'd written in the past. She had a true crime blog, as well, that focused on cold cases, and some of the content came from there as well.

What's so interesting about the story is the GSK was never caught or convicted - he could very much still be at large, which made the story terrifying. Granted, I live in the complete opposite side of the country, but every little noise I heard had me panicked. But because there's no specific identity, the story doesn't focus so much on him as it does his victims - who they were and are. It was beautifully written to respect the lives of those lost, but also wasn't afraid to give some of the gory details to really define the terrible deeds of the GSK.

The pieces that were less appealing to me were those written not directly by Michelle. The writing wasn't noticeably different, but were always preceded by disclaimers. Knowing they were not her words threw away a little of the appeal for me. I really enjoyed reading about Michelle's own childhood and what sparked her journey to uncover cold cases. Those were really my favorite parts of the entire book, if you'd believe it.

It was also so interesting to learn more about the start of DNA processing, which I had no clue was so relatively new!

If you're looking for something that's both educational and creepy, I'll Be Gone in the Dark is the perfect read for you. I'd definitely recommend it.

With no intention of discrediting or pulling attention away from Michelle's ingenuity or talent, I thought it was really interesting she was married to Patton Oswalt. While not an avid superfan of his, I've always enjoyed watching his shows and movies, so I thought that was a nice little tie-in and his afterword absolutely added to the overall quality of the book, and his little piece of love for his wife.

Brief synopsis: Grace has it all - the perfect prom date, a long-time best friend, a prime spot on her high school's golf team, is in the running to win a pretty awesome photo contest, and a wealthy lifestyle with her mother. Until her mother is convicted of running a Ponzi scheme, and Grace takes the fall with her. The novel moves back and forth between the before and after her mom's conviction, and Grace has to figure out if she ever really knew her mom at all.



I was really excited to read The Fall of Grace because I really enjoyed Amy Fellner Dominy's last release, Die For You, which was a really smartly written YA novel about abusive relationships. While The Fall of Grace was still an enjoyable read and fairly quick to get through, I didn't really have any active thoughts about it. I felt thoroughly passive throughout the entire novel - I didn't dislike it, but I wasn't especially excited throughout either.

I'm obviously not an expert on the consequences of Ponzi schemes, but I thought it was a bit ridiculous that Grace was basically exiled from her entire life because of what her mom allegedly did, even though she was only a teenager. That was ludicrous to me, but hey, what do I know?

I guess I was hoping for something more similar to Die For You, which held very realistic themes, and I felt The Fall of Grace did not. Granted, I've seen the effects and known individuals affected by domestic abuse, but I've never known or known of anyone affected by Ponzi schemes, which could've been what created disenchantment for me for The Fall of Grace. I guess I just went in with the wrong expectations.

The book had scenarios of YA angst and romance, and the hiking scenes were a bit reminiscent of Wild, so while I was let down by my predisposed expectations, this may end up being a novel you really enjoy.

This month, I read seven books. YASSS! Now I know I say this every month, but April may not be looking as great - I've got a couple double-digit papers due for this final month of the semester, and I'll be getting my wisdom teeth cut out this month, so I'm also fairly nervous about that just incapacitating me from doing anything except sleeping for a while. So, check back in next month to see my final count for April reads.

For March, see below for everything I got through for the month.





*The Little Book of Feminist Saints by Julia Pierpont ★★★★☆
POPSUGAR Reading Challenge Prompt: N/A
Brief synopsis: Full-color illustrated portions accompany mini stories about 100 women who have made significant changes in the world over the past several hundred years. Each woman gets a one-page anecdote, that delves a bit deeper into why their a significant individual in fights for human rights, discoveries in sciences and programming, and more.
See full review here.





The Power by Naomi Alderman ★★★☆☆
POPSUGAR Reading Challenge Prompt: A book about feminism.
Brief synopsis: All across the world, women and girls have developed an electric power that gives them shocking abilities (pun intended). Along with this power, comes a new dynamic worldwide. Females are now the dominate gender. Men are on strike. A war is brewing. The story follows three women and one man as they navigate this new way of society and figure out just how they fit into it.
See full review here. 





The Last Equation of Isaac Severy by Nova Jacobs  ★★★☆☆
POPSUGAR Reading Challenge Prompt: A book that involves a bookstore or library.
Brief synopsis: When mathematician Isaac Severy passed away under mysterious circumstances, he leaves a cryptic note for his non-mathematician adoptive daughter/granddaughter, Hazel, (it makes more sense once you get into the plot), who has no idea how to figure it out. There are people across the globe searching for Isaac's last equation. How will Hazel solve the equation and keep it safe? And what's the big deal anyways. 
See full review here.





Eight Hundred Grapes by Laura Dave ★★★★☆
POPSUGAR Reading Challenge Prompt: A book with a fruit or vegetable in the title.
Brief synopsis: Georgia Ford is a successful lawyer. One who came from a humble family who runs a successful small vineyard in Sonoma County. Weeks before her wedding's set to happen, she discovers a huge lie her fiancé has been keeping from her. This secret drives her back home to a place that's full of more secrets, and Georgia has to learn the hard way what's worth saving.
See full review here.





*The Good Twin by Marti Green ★★★★☆
POPSUGAR Reading Challenge Prompt: A book with characters who are twins.
Brief synopsis: Mallory grew up with a single mother, in a lifestyle close to poverty. At 26, she lives in New York, is pursuing her dreams in art, and works at a fairly upscale restaurant. She doesn't have a lot, but she's content. Then she finds out she has an identical twin sister and her life could change very much, and in fact, it will.
See full review here.





A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle ✮★★☆☆
POPSUGAR Reading Challenge Prompt: A childhood classic you've never read.
Brief synopsis: Meg feels like an outsider at school and in her home. She has a good relationship with her little brother, Charles Wallace, and her mom. Her father's been missing for "work" for a long period of time, but she and her mother refuse to believe the worse. When Charles Wallace introduces Meg, and a schoolmate (Calvin), to his three friends - Mrs. Who, Mrs. Which, and Mrs. Whatsit - a journey begins through space and time to save Meg's father.
See full review here.





Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng ★★★★☆
POPSUGAR Reading Challenge Prompt: A book set in the decade you were born.
Brief synopsis: The Richardsons are your typically Shaker Heights family - big house, a lawyer father, journalist mother, and four kids all in high school (Moody, Trip, Lexie, and Izzy). It's the perfect American family living the American Dream. Enter Mia Warren and her daughter, Pearl - new tenants in the Richardson rental house, and a duo that immediately intrigues all four Richardson children. The novel follows both families and how they're pulled together during the late 1990s.
See full review here.
























* denotes I received the book free for review. All opinions, as always, are 100% my own.

I vividly remember sitting in my sixth grade chorus class and watching a video about STOMP and thinking it was just about one of the coolest things I've ever seen. So when I heard that STOMP would have a limited three-show engagement at The Fox Theatre in Atlanta, I obviously jumped at the chance to go.

It can be kind of difficult to describe STOMP and do it justice - it's more concert than play, but either way the performance is awe-inspiring.

If you've never heard of STOMP, it's an award-winning percussion group which uses basically anything except conventional percussion instruments to make mesmerizing music. The group began as street performers in the U.K. in the early 90s, and has evolved to an international sensation. You may have seen videos of them banging on metal dustbins or making wondrous music with brooms.

Some of my favorite pieces of the night included rubber pipes, kitchen sinks, and a mesmerizing sequence using Zippo lighters. The piece I loved the most included most of the group strapped into harness hanging from pipes near the ceiling playing the most amazing percussion on items that may otherwise have just been trash. (see below)




The show, which was completed void of words, utilized lighting to cast shadows among the walls and audience. Everything about the show was completely in sync, including the fun comedic bits portrayed throughout the show.