Books and Games: Maui Addition

I just returned from ten amazing days in Maui with my best friend, Sarah, her husband, Nick, and my husband, Coby. We lounged, body surfed until I had sand in every nook and cranny of my body, built sand castles, ate incredible food and hiked in the West Maui mountains. We embraced our inner child and laughed until we cried. But mostly, we sunned ourselves like lizards.

Which allowed me to read three books and play one amazing game. I’ll try to keep it spoiler free, but in book reviews there is always the chance of a spoiler. You’ve been warned. Let’s get into it.

FAIRY TALE by Stephen King.

Honestly, I will read anything this man writes. His voice is so unique. You could rip the cover off and in two paragraphs, I would know it’s a Stephen King book. It’s one of the best things about his books. King will never lie to you. If a character is a piece of shit, he or she is going to say piece-of-shit things and think piece-of-shit thoughts.

Fairy Tale was no different, though just about everything else was. For one, this is a fantasy book, not horror. Though King couldn’t help but make parts of it dark and suspenseful.

In the book, Charlie is a 17 year old kid who finds himself helping an elderly neighbor and his dog, but the neighbor has a secret. There is a portal to another world on the old man’s property. Charlie finds himself in this other world, desperate to save Radar, the dog. But the world has been cursed with a gray nothingness that is spreading and killing its inhabitants. Can Charlie save this other place before the gray swallows it whole, or will he be too late?

Five Stars.

YESTERYEAR by Caro Claire Burke.

Believe the hype! This book is getting a ton of press and the internet is buzzing with both good and bad reviews. This is a debut and honestly, that blows me away. Caro is extremely talented and the fact that this is her first published book makes me feel both excited and wholly inadequate. Like, this woman is a talent!

But the trad wives are apparently, to put it lightly, pissed. Caro does an incredible job at not shaming them, it’s all very nuanced and both sides (pro and against the “trad wife” trend) get heat in this book. And the ironic part is that the protagonist, a “trad wife” and farm influencer, labels the online trolls as “the angry women.” And now these angry women are coming for Caro. As if she cares. I certainly don’t.

YESTERYEAR follows Natalie, a trad wife influencer who has amassed a gigantic online following on her farm, selling products and pushing a lifestyle that she herself is not living. The book uses satire to very artfully portray Natalie’s life as anything but “traditional,” especially after Natalie awakes to find its 1855 and she’s forced to confront the dark side of the lifestyle she peddled.

Five star read.

REMARKABLY BRIGHT CREATURES by Shelby Van Pelt.

This novel follows Tova, a widow who lives alone in Sowell Bay, Washington. She keeps herself busy by cleaning the local aquarium, where she meets and develops a friendship with Marcellus, the giant Pacific octopus. Marcellus is an escape artist and wise beyond our comprehension, and he’s on his last few weeks of life.

And it’s Marcellus who first notices that the new kid in town is somehow attached to his friend, Tova. But how exactly, no one but Marcellus knows. Can he bring Cameron and Tova together before its too late?

I’m going to get some heat for this, but debate is good for the soul. I liked this book and I think you should read it (if you haven’t already), but I did not love this book. Was it cute and cozy? Sure. Did the ending pull at my heart strings? A little bit.

But the problem was that the plot was very predictable. I figured it out pretty early on and so the rest of the book fell flat. I just kept waiting for that propulsive moment and when it came, it felt….convenient. And I know people love this book so no offense to ya’ll, but I’m going to go with “cute and worth a read” as my review.

Three and a half stars. (I said 4 on Instagram so I didn’t get yelled at but feel free to yell at me on here, that’s what this whole thing is about)

SKYJO

Has anyone else played this game? We first played it with Coby’s parents, and now we’re hooked. Highly recommend you bring this on all upcoming trips you might have. Skyjo is a fast-paced card game in which your objective is to turn over all your cards and have the lowest hand. You’re delt 12 cards, all face down, in three rows of four columns. Cards are -2 to 12, and your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to get the lowest score when you go out. If you’re not the lowest score, you must double your points.

We played this every single night of our 10 day vacation. It was a huge hit, we laughed and joked and even made up a theme song for the game, which we eagerly sang to each other each night as the cards were being dealt.

It’s mostly about luck and there isn’t a lot one player can do to another player, so it’s fairly low-stakes. This is important if have someone in your card-playing friend group who is like my Sarah: AKA, the most competitive person I know.

We played two games of Monopoly Deal and had to stop because Sarah was looking around the table like a tiger shark ready to bite a surf board. Murderous intent flickered in her narrowed eyes. It was win or die for my sweet Sarah. Coby, Nick and I decided that in order to continue to love Sarah, we must forgo any further games of Monopoly Deal and stick with Skyjo.

If you’re ever traveling to Maui and want recommendations, please reach out! I’ve been going there regularly since I was two (as explained in this Substack), and would love to answer questions or provide recommendations. I’ve amassed a few gems over the years.

And please, don’t forget to read actual books. I know AI is trying to give summaries and dumb things down for us, but we must resist! We must, above all else, read or listen to actual books, written by human beings, and:

Remember, stay difficult and always question authority.