Category Archives: Book Club

Perfectionist Wannabe is Launching a New Horror Series on Substack

Once upon a time, I created this blog called Perfectionist Wannabe. For early readers, they were very aware of how the name of this site came to be.

It’s a decade later. There are new readers. The site has had several makeovers. But now, I think it is time to fully launch what this site has always been about. Or maybe go back to its original roots.

After a few years of trying to find this site’s direction, I think it is time to pivot. Vogue sent out an email last week about the base moving towards the Vogue business/industry model. Since I received training at Conde Nast College in London, I knew exactly what that meant.

It is time to apply the skills I was given to every aspect of everything I do.

So let’s start that new pivot by explaining how Perfectionist Wannabe got its name.

Would You Believe the Name was Inspired by a Cannibal?

Oh yes. It was. Keep reading.

The name was inspired by Hannibal Lecter. More specifically, from the Hannibal series featuring Mads Mikkelsen. Mads pulled off the most perfect Hannibal Lecter I have ever seen. It inspired me to want to become someone better than I was.

From his elegant abode to his attention to the arts and fine dining, I was enamored in the sophistication of it all. I loved the beauty in his perfection. From the clean pressed shirt to the debonair suits, Mads Mikkelsen was perfectly beautiful. He was well coiffed, even as he killed his next meal.

I was inspired to be a better version of myself all thanks to this series. I wanted to learn more about classical music, ballet, opera, and all of the finer things in life. I learned about caviar and how to make French food. I became a much better cook. I dined in the best restaurants and became a regular at the opera and ballet. I went to gallery openings. Simply put, I was out educating myself on the finer things in life.

Perfectionist Wannabe became my dumping ground for sharing that journey. People ate it all up.

In the back of my head, I had Hannibal’s perfectionism in my mind. No matter how much people protested the Perfectionist part of the name. You know they all secretly were trying to perfect something in their life. They kept coming back to see what I did, what I learned, and what I experienced.

Now, do you see where the wannabe part came in?

People are so apt to try to say that to seek perfectionism is a psychological disorder. That’s why I always used ‘wannabe’ instead of calling my site The Perfectionist, because I am far from perfect. But really, this has always been about Hannibal Lecter.

He just might be my favorite villain, followed by General Kirigan from Leigh Bardugo’s Shadow & Bone series. I read all of the books Thomas Harris wrote long before Mads Mikkelsen took the role. I saw all of the movies/shows. I am a Fannibal.

Someone sent me an invitation to the 25th anniversary screening of The Silence of the Lambs. When I arrived, the director, Jonathan Demme, just happened to be walking in at the same time. He didn’t want to look like he came alone, so he pretended I was his date. So we walked in together. We found a seat together. He sat down next to me with the composer, Howard Shore, sitting in front of us.

Event staff came by a few minutes later. They told him he was actually supposed to be on stage with Jodie Foster.

I laughed to myself that only in my crazy universe would this happen to me. The director of the film that started me on my path to horror pretended I was his date. This was the film that inspired it all for me.

Demme died of cancer in 2017.

Hannibal Lecter has a bit of a soft spot in my heart. Some people are nuts about Jason in Friday the 13th or Freddy Krueger in A Nightmare on Elm Street. But for me, it has always been Hannibal. It was the first film that ever scared the bejesus out of me. It was the first of its kind: a psychological film that scared you out of your mind.

So now that you know that Perfectionist Wannabe is actually inspired by a cannibal, let’s talk about what’s next.

A New Penny Dreadful Series on Substack

Kate Rock from Kate Rock Literary Services gave me this idea without meaning to. I thought, like others, she was commenting on the boldness of the site name. (She could have been commenting on the post I wrote for Book Influencers. She still won’t confirm one way or the other.)

I thought about it. In the past, people see the name and tell me I have a psychological disorder. [People really are the best when they are purposely being an asshole.] I thought about how the site name actually came from Hannibal Lecter. Then I thought about a book I had just finished. It was Bat Eater and Other Names for Cora Zeng by Kylie Lee Baker. Then my aha! moment came.

Perfectionist Wannabe is going to have a Substack featuring a penny dreadful series I’ve been wanting to do for years. This new series features an Asian American woman in NYC who is your everyday serial killer. The series will be part Dexter, Cora Zeng, and Hannibal Lecter. I may even throw a recipe in at the end to keep it true to this site.

This site remains a lifestyle blog sharing that Hannibal Lecter adventure into the finer things in life (sans eating people). Substack will be reserved for the fictional character. She is part fashionista in the world of Carrie Bradshaws, but make her Hannibal Lecter with a Dexter heart. Who doesn’t want to stalk those men and make them pay for pushing Asian American women onto the subway tracks?

I also want to note that this will be the first time I’m letting myself publicly release my fictional writing. I’ve spent the last 17 years writing news and blog pieces. So be gentle with me because fiction is where I get to be free from the confines of news reporting. I get to unleash that psychopath who sits through a scary movie and says, “This is not scary.” While the guy sitting next to me is balled up, rocking back and forth, scared out of his fucking mind.

Welcome to Perfectionist Wannabe.

One Last Note

It may not be obvious from this site, but part of my pivot has been to become a horror writer. That is something I have always wanted to be. A horror writer. I spent 7 years as a hockey writer because I felt like I needed to prove that I could write. I kept a blog because I had great success with them.

Over the last decade, I have been stuck in limbo. I tried to transition from one identity (hockey writer) to a new one (horror writer). I struggled with making this site what I wanted it to become.

In the past few years, Vogue has given me the tools to help me on my journey. It has just taken me a long time to figure out how it falls into place. If you believe in astrological stuff, apparently it’s in the stars on why it took so long. Now that those blockages have been removed, everything has been falling into place.

I’m finally figuring it out. I will admit that there are some tools I needed that hadn’t been invented, yet. So now that they exist, I can connect the new Perfectionist Wannabe horror series with this site. As one of my friends said to me, “So this new character is you, but make her serial killer.” Yeah. I think that’s who she is.

Vogue’s email last week was also like activating the GO switch in my life. I’m returning to my pre-pandemic VIP life. I missed it. That’s also a part of my identity that I felt I lost, but now I’m reclaiming it.

This site will share those things I’ve learned along the way. It will also share every little aspect from all the different hats I wear. From being a book influencer, to the fashion, dining, arts, film, and being a writer. A horror writer. In a way, I’m sharing my journey in hopes you’ll find something you can use or learn. Maybe there’s a recipe you’ll fall in love with. Or there’s a book or film review you need. There may even be an interview from someone I met that you’ll want to read.

Wherever this journey takes me, I hope you’ll come along for the ride. I promise there will be no fava beans or chianti. Or maybe there will be?

Oh, and here’s the link to the Substack if you want to meet the Perfectionist Wannabe. The first article will be free. The continuing series will be subscription only. Stay tuned. She’ll be here soon.

Roam

If you want a new thriller that will keep you on the edge of your seat, read this book from Erik Therme.  Erik is one of my favorite authors that always keeps me at the edge of my seat.  His first two novels, Mortom and Resthaven are both excellent reads.  Just when I think I’ve figured out what is going on, Erik always changes things up and it will leave you guessing all the way until the last page.  When you get to the last page, you are always left thinking, “THAT’S IT???”  He leaves you screaming for more.  

Glow 15

If you are a woman looking for a lifestyle that will help you in your 40s and beyond, you should try Glow 15.  Glow 15 is packed with information on how you can live a healthy, glowing life from the inside/out.  You are introduced to autophagy and how it can help your body rid itself of harmful pathogens (like cancer).  You’ll learn how to eat, create beauty products, and live a healthy, invigorating life.  I highly recommend this book.  You can read more in my review HERE. 

The Year of Less

For those who need the next level of Kon Mari, but with your life…get this book.  Cait Flanders year of minimizing her life month after month, saving as much money as she can, and foregoing shopping for a year (with the exception of certain items like food, toilet paper, etc.) will leave you inspired.  I was very impressed with what she was able to do.  It leaves the question if others could do the same.  Could I do the same?  I think it’s worth a shot.  All the while she’s living a year of less, she’s also learning to live with a lot more.  

How to Fix a Broken Heart

For those looking for an answer on how to mend your broken heart, read this book.  It will help you.  Guy Winch shares his expertise as a psychologist.  Using case studies ranging from a pet dying to that guy that ghosted you, he helps you move from heartbreak to moving on.

The Other Side of the Bridge

After losing his entire family in a deadly car accident, Dave Riley is lost, trying to find meaning to life itself.  On the other side of the country, Katie Connelly discovers a new story in the building of the Golden Gate Bridge.  Both people are suffering from the loss of family member(s).  Before Dave’s wife died, he revealed to her that his dream was to ride a motorcycle cross country to the Golden Gate Bridge.  She thought it was hilarious.  But as his birthday approached, she decided to buy him a motorcycle jacket…a jacket she would never be able to give to him.  When Dave finds the jacket, he believes it is a sign.  His marketing firm is being offered a chance to represent a motorcycle company in their next ad campaign.  Dave sees this as another sign and tries to come back out of his funk to take on the account…even if that means dropping everything, getting on a bike and heading from NYC to the Golden Gate Bridge.  What he finds along the way is not what he expected.  But isn’t that true of any journey we embark upon?  How these two lives intersect…you will never guess the outcome.  [Review]

[I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This post contains affiliate links.]

Wizard for Hire

This book is unlike any other YA book I’ve read in the past few years.  We live in a world where we leave the fairy tales in the books or up on the movie screens.  But what if magic was real in the world around us?  After Ozzy’s parents are kidnapped, he is left to fend for himself for seven years.  When he stumbles upon a mechanical raven his father built, his life begins to change.  He starts to venture outside of his home in the middle of the woods.  He discovers the beach, other humans, regular food (not in a can), and school.  His desire to get out into the world lies more with his quest to find his parents.  He ends up hiring a wizard that may or may not be magical.  As they go deeper into this labyrinth of truth, you have to question if magic in our world is real…or not.  BOOK REVIEW.

[I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.  This post contains affiliate links.]

The Abundance Project

For those who feel stuck in a moment, Derek Rydall shows you how to get out of it.  Sometimes when you are feeling like nothing is going right. Or maybe you are lost and need to find a way out.  Wherever you are in your life, Rydall will teach you how to tap back into the great Source of abundance.  If you want a life of abundance, start here.  This goes beyond the law of attraction.  You will learn to go within, to the permanent source of who we are and what we are to become.  You can read more here: book review.

[I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.  This post contains affiliate links.]  

The Great Gatsby

Before reading Gatsby, I began with “The Art of X-Ray Reading.”  This book highlights 25 great works of literature, starting with Gatsby.  I decided to read each of the works mentioned in X-Ray after reading each chapter.  In the Gatsby chapter, he talks about the use of color and use of certain words that foreshadows the events that are about to occur.  For instance, if you did not know how the book ends, or what was up with Mr. Gatsby, Fitzgerald’s use of the words imagination, wonder, and dream occurs frequently throughout the book, especially at the end of each chapter.  He also describes the use of color and its symbolism throughout the book.  For writers wanting to learn how to write better, he suggests reading certain sentences out loud, or even writing them down.  It will help you become a better writer by churning the beauty of words around.  For readers, X-Ray will help you have a deeper meaning in the material you are reading.

As for this book, I can’t believe I did not read this sooner.  It is so beautifully written.  Fitzgerald is a master of words.  I sighed many times as I read this 180+ page book, because of the words, not because of the story.  This is the way the love of words should come together.  It is magical.

[This post contains affiliate links.]

Anansi Boys

In curating my library, there is one thing that is certain, Neil Gaiman’s stories are ones that are meant to be kept in hardcover and never given away.  In his epic novel, “American Gods,” we are introduced to Anansi (the spider god).  In Anansi Boys, we are introduced to the trickster’s sons: Fat Charlie and Spider.

Fat Charlie Nancy’s life is boring.  He works a dead end job in London where the job turnover is high.  He is engaged to an incredible woman with a future mother-in-law out to get him.  When he gets news that his father has died, he returns to his childhood home in Florida to bury him.  This is when he learns he has a brother.  The old lady tells him to tell a spider that he’s looking for his brother and his brother will show up.

So what does Fat Charlie do?  He tells a spider.  When Spider arrives, he is nothing like Charlie.  He is a god, living it up and more than happy to steal the life his brother has, including his job and his girl.  So when Charlie tries to get rid of his brother, he goes to the other gods for help…ones that don’t like his father (the trickster) so well.  Some have a bone to pick and are willing to destroy the Anansi line in the process.

An excellent read.

[This post contains affiliate links.]

Skylight Confessions

A haunting tale of love, destiny and regrets.  When Arlyn’s father dies, she decides to test fate by casting her own spell into the universe and declares that the next man that comes up the road is the man she is destined to marry.  A young man, John, shows up at her home,  lost.  He stops to ask for directions, but all of a sudden feels tired and needs to lie down.  She invites him in and he sleeps it off on the couch.  When he awakens, he finds her naked in the kitchen and their fates become intertwined.

They marry and have a son.  While the boy is attached to his mother, the father refuses to have anything to do with the child.  He regrets marrying her, thinking it was all a big mistake.

They move into the infamous glass slipper in Connecticut that was built by John’s father.  As their unhappiness grows, Arlyn begins to believe she made a mistake.  Maybe she should have waited for the next man to come up the road.  As her loneliness grows and her neighbor’s flirting with her husband increases, Arlyn turns to another man to fulfill what she is missing in her life.

After the birth of her second child, Arlyn discovers a lump in her breast.  As the years pass, the family’s pain grows and the question of whether fate led John to love Arlyn or not is answered.  There are some loves you can never let go of, no matter how much you push it away.

[This post contains affiliate links.]

Potion Masters: The Eternity Elixir

From the publishers that brought us the incredible FableHaven series by Brandon Mull comes a new YA series about a young potion master caught between the forces of good and evil.  Gordy Stitser has many natural talents that are uncommon to most children, let alone elixirists.  He is well advanced in his potion making skills, like his banished evil grandfather who is imprisoned in a cave in Greenland.

Gordy’s mother works for B.R.E.W. and is constantly traveling the world, teaching at conferences and selling products.  Unbeknownst to him, that’s not what his mother really does.  She is out trying to stop the bad guys from destroying the world.

When a mysterious package arrives from his Aunt Priss, trouble begins for the Stitser household.  The bad guys arrive looking for the Eternity Elixir, and it’s up to Gordy to figure out on his own that these guys are not as nice or innocent as they proclaim, his father is under their spell, and he needs to keep them from getting the potion or risk the world falling apart.

This is a fun, new adventure for those looking for a new YA series to read.  The beginning is a little slow as the author introduces the characters, but once the adventure really starts to take off, be prepared for an incredible ride.

[I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.  This post contains affiliate links.]

Arcadia

One of my favorite poets is Lord Byron.  When I first started reading this play, I had no idea this was about an event that may or may not have happened in Lord Byron’s life.  Set in Sidley Park, we switch between the days of Byron and the current day.  In Byron’s day, we meet Thomasina and her tutor, Septimus Hodge.  What are they discussing?  Carnal embrace.  A foreshadowing of the main topic: Lord Byron.

In present day, Valentine (Bill Nighy starred in the first stage adaptation) discovers a book once owned by Septimus containing three letters.  This book was discovered among Byron’s books.  Valentine, working with author Hannah Jarvis, attempts to try to find the connection between Sidley Park, Septimus Hodge, Thomasina and Lord Byron.  Was he in Sidley Park?  Could what happened here be the reason why he fled England shortly afterward?

As the past unveils and the future tries to erroneously put two and two together, hilarity ensues.

Well written and extremely interesting.  Who knew there was a society devoted to the life and works of Byron?

[This post contains affiliate links.]

Anna and the Swallow Man

When I started reading this book, it reminded me a lot of “The Book Thief.”  I read the letter from the publisher and understood why.  The editor for “Anna and the Swallow Man” is the same person that edited “The Book Thief.”  What did that tell me?  I was in for a heartbreaking, but incredible story about World War II.

It’s 1939 in Kraków, Poland.  Anna’s father is a linguistics professor who’s taught his daughter how to speak several languages fluently (like a native).  These skills are all that he passes on before all of the intellectuals are purged from Poland.

Anna’s father leaves her with the local pharmacist one day, but never comes back.  The pharmacist does not know what to do, so he tries to send her back home.  But the doors are locked and her father is nowhere to be seen.  She goes back to the pharmacy and sits outside, waiting for her father.  That is when the Swallow Man appears.

He is a unique man.  The birds are his friends.  When he calls a swallow to him to keep Anna from crying, she is entertained and enthralled.  He leaves her with a bit of advice to keep her alive and out of sight, but her intrigue of the Swallow Man leads her to follow him into the wilderness where she not only saves him, but they save each other.

Over the next few years, Anna and the Swallow Man walk all over, living in the woods.  As the war deepens, they find themselves in the crosshairs of a battlefield where they must learn to survive among the dead with the enemies on all sides, and people that will turn them in if they only knew who the Swallow Man was and just how dangerous he was.

[I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.  This post contains affiliate links.]

The Tuner of Silences

When I interviewed Kim Thúy (author of Ru and Mãn), she referenced Mia Couto’s “The Tuner of Silences” in her interview (“it feels like their organ to dream had been amputated from them.”).  I immediately ordered the book.  The only reason why is because Thúy wrote so beautifully and saw the beauty in words.  I wanted to know what inspired her phenomenal works.  This is a story of loss and pain, wandering through emptiness due to regrets and trying to live, yet not live at all because you are scared to face your truths.  You will never forget Couto’s work.

Set in an abandoned animal reserve in Africa, Mwanito lives with his father, brother and former soldier.  His uncle sometimes visits, bringing them supplies.  Mwanito grows up believing that they are the only people left in this world.  He is eleven years old before he sees a woman for the first time.

What he doesn’t know is that he is being forced to live in his father’s world…a place to forget and to be forgotten.  Why they are there is the question.  Are they in prison for something his father did? Or are they in a prison of his father’s own design?

Beautifully written.  When we are introduced to the woman, Couto’s writing changes into something much more passionate that will make you sigh at the beauty of his words.

[This post contains affiliate links.]

You are a Badass at Making Money

As a followup to Jen Sincero’s “You are a Badass,” she dives further into the concept of generating more money by bringing us “You are a Badass at Making Money.”  This is the book I started 2018 reading.  What I learned from this book is exactly what I’m seeing repeated in every book I’ve read about creating wealth and abundance.  It’s all about changing your mindset and tapping into that wealth.  Wealth is already available to each of us.  We just have to learn how to access it.  A lot of this has to do with facing our fears and taking a good hard look at how we view money.

For many people, we look at money negatively.  We don’t see money as a means to an end.  When we receive money, we are happy.  When it is taken away from us, we are sad.  When we don’t have any money, we are scared, fearful, and missing it like an ex-lover that has left us.  Yet, money gets a bad rap.  People claim it is the root of all evil, when in fact it is not money that is evil.  Money is a medium.  It is what we decide to do with money that determines whether the use of money is good or evil.  In other words, it is the person using the money that is innately good or evil.  We are the ones who decide that, not money.

By dealing with how we view and treat money, this book is designed to help us get to the root of why we are in the predicament we are in when it comes to money.  It is up to us to deal with and change how we view money, especially if we want an abundance, rather than a lack of it.

[This post contains affiliate links.]

You are a Badass

Stop what you are doing and get this book.  This book will help you get your shit together and believe in yourself.  You will learn how to reconnect with yourself (and a higher power) to bring greatness into your life.  It all starts with you and how you think and believe.  This was the last book I read in 2017.  The timing of it was perfect, because it helped me to formulate my goals and resolutions for 2018.  This book helped me come up with my theme for the year: Love Yourself.  This theme may have a little something to do with this book because she ends every single chapter with words aimed towards loving yourself.  That is the key ingredient.  Pick this book up.  Follow what she says to do.  Become inspired to start living your most awesomest life.

[This post contains affiliate links.]

Cirque du Freak: Tunnels of Blood (Book 3)

As we go further into this series, we start to learn more about the secretive vampire Mr. Crepsley.  An old friend of Crepsley’s stops by the Cirque to deliver a message…there’s a bad vampire killing people in his hometown.  He packs things up and brings Darren and Evra (the snake boy) with him.  For Darren and Evra, this is a mini vacation away from the Cirque while Crepsley sneaks around town.  He doesn’t tell the boys why they are there, while the bodies keep piling up.  Darren assumes that the murderer is Crepsley and seeks to stop him by ending his life.  Evra and Darren start following Crepsley, only to find that they’ve put their own lives in grave danger.

[This post contains affiliate links.]

Cirque du Freak: The Vampire’s Assistant (Book 2)

In Book 2 of the Cirque du Freak series, Darren Shan is trying to adjust to being a half-vampire (and hating every moment of it).  The thought of drinking blood sickens him.  The thought of drinking human blood repulses him.  But if he is to survive, he must eventually drink human blood or he will die.  Mr. Crepsley brings Darren to the Cirque so he can have friends, something he was missing from being alive.  At the Cirque, Darren bunks with the snake boy and they become fast friends.  They help out at the Cirque by doing chores and even feeding the Wolf Man.

One day, a young boy that lives near the camp shows up, wanting to run away with the circus.  As much as they try to scare him off, nothing works.  They also meet and befriend an activist, but things go awry when he sees the Wolf Man.  Thinking that he was a caged animal, he attempts to set him free, not knowing just how deadly that can be.

[This post contains affiliate links.]