Michelle's Musings

01 April 2024

Review: The Divorcées

The Divorcées by Rowan Beaird
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

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One of my favorite movies of all time is The Women starring Norma Shearer, Joan Crawford, Rosilind. Russell, Marjorie Main and other big time actresses. The film came out in 1939, the year of the greatest films ever, and is all about a group of women (except Joan) that travel via train from their homes to a Divorcee farm in Nevada. The law was if you were a resident of Nevada for 6 weeks, you could obtain your divorce and move on. These women would live on the farm for 6 weeks, get the divorce and go back to their lives. During the 6 weeks, friendships are born, women will explode at each other and they have to work a little on the farm for their keep.

There was a similar movie in 1961 starting Marilyn Monroe. We don’t see her living on a ranch, but we see her living in Reno and spending her days and nights flirting with cowboys, falling for other men and chasing wild horses. (FUN FACT, it was the last film of both Gable and Monroe-not that great of a film but she looks absolutely stunning throughout the whole thing).

This book follows a similar path, a group of women are living at the Golden Yarrow ranch to fulfill their residency requirement and form new relationships and discover new things about each other, and themselves. Lois is our protagonist and she lives a little bit of a sheltered life. She isn’t really sure what she will do after this divorce or even what she wants to do. Enter a new soon to be ex wife, Greer. Greer will cause Lois to rethink life, love, freedom and limits.

Here is my review from NetGalley….

The Women is one of my favorite movies of all time. The Misfits isn't one of my favorite but it is Marilyn so I watch it. This book makes me think of both of those movies, with more character development than The Misfits and less pretension than The Women. Set in the 1950s, we meet, Lois, the main character seeking refuge in Reno for six weeks so that she could obtain her divorce. She's living at a ranch with many other women waiting the time for their divorce to come through. She meets some women that become temporary friends and one day a new woman arrives...Greer. Greer shows Lois a life she never dreamed of, a way she could live alone after the divorce is complete and how to be a strong woman. Then Greer tries to destroy Lois. Lois will have to become strong and independent all by herself.

I very much enjoyed this one!

01 March 2024

March Book Pick

I chose this book for March, because I simply could not stop reading it and the story reminded me of a spring concert tour that is full of fun (and other things-I was thinking Coachella or Woodstock).

The Last Days of the Midnight Ramblers, does not really tell you much about the music the band wrote/performed, instead, the book will show the reader about life BEHIND the band. You see the sex, drugs and rock and roll side, but also get brought in on a murder/suicide, what exactly was it?

Here is the quick review I posted before….. It is on the vibe of Daisy Jones and the Six, but holds its own very well. What we have here is a book about a ghost writer, Mari, that’s been hired to write the book of Anke. Anke is the widow of Mal and he was the leader of the Midnight Ramblers. While Mari is meeting with Anke, she starts to uncover the cause of Mal’s death and gets herself caught up in a world she never dreamed about.

I did try to cast the movie while I was reading and I was thinking someone like Steven Tyler for Mal. Come on, he needs to get into acting. I saw Mari as Emma Stone, because she can do anything!!!!! And Anke, well that one is Cher. Cher would nail a role like this. I would love to know what you think about the book and casting.

17 February 2024

Review: The National Parks Bucket List: The Ultimate Adventure Journal for all 63 Parks

The National Parks Bucket List: The Ultimate Adventure Journal for all 63 Parks by Linda Mohammad
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I am National Park obsessed, so I just had to grab this one. The text explains the features of the parks to you, and there are very detailed journal pages that you can leave as much or as little detail as you want. I love the journal part!!! But the best part? The illustrations!!! OH MY, they are just beautiful, darling, and make me want to go to the parks, TODAY!!! They are a little reminiscent of the park posters from way back, just fantastic.

I am going to highly recommend this book for anyone obsessed with the parks, who wants a list of all the parks so they can start visiting, a person who wants to keep up with hiking the parks, and finally, someone who wants a bucket list that looks like none other.

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