Pure Innocent Fun

"The beauty of nostalgia, however, is that most people forget the things that they hated about something they love." ~ 14%

New year, new books! Look no further than Ira Madison III's new book of essays titled Pure Innocent Fun. He is the host of pop culture podcast Keep It. He has written for many publications including MTV News and GQ. He's also appeared on WWHL with Andy Cohen and The Wendy Williams Show. To say he is qualified to write about pop culture is an understatement.

In this nostalgic collection of original essays, Ira combines memoir and entertainment criticism. The essays are written strong enough to stand alone but together, they create a worldview of pop culture in the 90s and 2000s sprinkled with Ira's coming-of-age as a Black gay man. Key cultural moments shaped him into the funny talented man he is today. 

Reading Pure Innocent Fun was like meeting an old classmate at a reunion brunch and reminiscing. Ira had me cackling and nodding my head in agreement throughout most of the book. He captured the sentiments of Gen X / millennials that grew up watching a lot of Black families on TV. 

His takes are hilarious on Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, Steve Urkel vs. Stefan Urquelle, Marlena Evans being possessed by the devil on Days of Our Lives and the younger daughter from Family Matters that was written off the show with no explanation. I thought I was the only one that remembered she was sent up to her bedroom and never came back downstairs!

Ira could not have picked a better title. It is pure fun to read this collection of essays, especially if you were born in the 80s. Prepare to be entertained!

Happy Early Pub Day, Ira Madison III! Pure Innocent Fun will be available Tuesday, February 4.

Disclaimer: An advance copy was received directly from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Opinions are my own and would be the same if I spent my hard-earned coins. ~LiteraryMarie

Title: Pure Innocent Fun
Author: Ira Madison III
Published: February 2025
Pages: 207
Edition: Galley
Genre: Nonfiction Pop Culture
Rating: 🖤 🖤 🖤 🖤

The Great Gatsby

The Cambridge Centennial Edition

"Despite his best efforts, however, Fitzgerald's most acclaimed novel arrives a century after its publication encrusted with them: the American dream, the Roaring Twenties, Gatsby's green light, hot jazz and cold gin, feathered flappers dancing the Charleston, a book that's all one extravagant spree." ~ pg. xiv

First published in 1925, The Great Gatsby is often referred to as an American masterpiece. On the surface, it can be categorized as a romance tragedy. Self-made millionaire Gatsby reunites with a woman he loved in his youth named Daisy. The book is narrated by Nick Callaway, who recounts the events of his 1922 summer on Long Island. There is scandal, criminal activity, murder, love affairs and a glamorous party. For those unfamiliar, I bet you didn't know this classic had all this going on!

My first introduction to this classic literature novel was in middle school. Looking back, it was probably inappropriate for the average preteen; however, it was required reading in my English class for the gifted and talented students. Shout-out to my fellow Bates Brats! It was my first introduction to New York as a setting and the Roaring Twenties era. Since then, I have read The Great Gatsby three more times. With every re-read, I pick up new details and more themes like morals, love affairs, wealth, power, glamour and greed.

"There is no confusion like the confusion of a simple mind..." ~ pg. 127

This centennial edition is a different experience with The Great Gatsby because it goes beyond the story in a collector's volume style, complete with social, cultural and historical context. Illustrations include leaves from the manuscript, new material and dust jackets. Alternate passages are shared (all these years and editions later!).

As a copyeditor, I found the chronology of composition very interesting. It briefly details the steps Fitzgerald took to bring The Great Gatsby to publication from June 1922 to April 1925. And here we are 100 years later in 2025 with a fresh outlook. The story itself is about 175 pages; the rest is goodies for lit geeks and professionals.

"Perhaps the most famous passage in The Great Gatsby appears on the final two pages of the novel in a luminous evocation by Fitzgerald of American innocence, aspiration, and hope." ~ pg. 230

I recommend The Cambridge Centennial Edition of The Great Gatsby to all. Those who enjoy classic literature, read it once before or never read it at all. It is the great American novel bringing to life the American dream in depth. Start the year with this great read!

Happy Pub Day and 100th Anniversary! The Cambridge Centennial Edition of The Great Gatsby is available today.

Disclaimer: An advance copy was received directly from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Opinions are my own and would be the same if I spent my hard-earned coins. ~LiteraryMarie

Title: The Cambridge Centennial Edition of The Great Gatsby
Author: F. Scott Fitzgerald
Published: January 2025
Pages: 251
Edition: Galley
Genre: Classic Literature
Rating: 🖤 🖤 🖤 🖤

My Year in Blogmoir & Books

Blogmoir: 

02.01.2024 New Year Hold 'Em

06.19.2024 Just for Fun

12.18.2024 Year-End Hold 'Em

2024 Goodreads Challenge: Read 106 of 94 books (113% to goal)

2024 Page Count Challenge: Read 38,065 of 34,000 pages (112% to goal)

2024 Average Book Length: 359 pages (shortest 31 pages ~ largest 2,895 pages)

2024 Average Book Rating: 3.3 out of 5 

2024 Amount Saved Using Public #Lieberry: $1,473.62

2024 Top Genres: Romantasy, Fiction and Nonfiction

Perpetual Jack Reacher Challenge: Read #29

Keeping Up with Patterson Challenge: Read Alex Cross #33, Women's Murder Club #24 and Michael Bennett #16

Live Reads: The Truths We Hold and Dare to Lead

Top 1% Reviewer on Goodreads

Top 10% Reader on Goodreads

Lit Tidbits: Click here for all Pithy Pick reviews in 2024.

First Lines Friday: Click here for all FLF posts in 2024.

Series Sunday: Click here for all SS posts in 2024.

Many Merry Blessings in the New Year❣️

Top 7 First Lines of 2024

1. "Did you ever think this country, in 2024, would be here?" ~ A More Perfect Party by Juanita Tolliver

2. "Reading was my first addiction. When I tell people this today, they laugh and nod as if they understand, as if they too are part of a secret book-addict society whose greatest crime is staying up late, a flashlight under the covers, compulsively reading page after page." ~ The Many Lives of Mama Love by Lara Love Hardin

3. "Some days, you wake up, and you're supposed to feel different, but you don't. Take, for example, your birthday, your anniversary, the first day of the year. You want to be excited, but it's just another day, like all the days before it." ~ Sisters with a Side of Greens by Michelle Stimpson

4. "Someone like me was never supposed to be in my position." ~ Lucky Me by Rich Paul

5. "I open my eyes and choose violence." ~ The Last One by Rachel Howzell Hall

6. "If I leave this house, it will be in handcuffs." ~ The Housemaid by Freida McFadden

7. "A thousand lights glittered, incandescent stars twinkling in celebration. Golden champagne, the potable required by the night, flowed endlessly into fluted crystal. Mirth floated above harps and flutes, blended with conversation. Dazzling couples circled the parquet in elegant steps." ~ Power of Persuasion by Stacey Abrams writing as Selena Montgomery

Top 7 Quotes of 2024

1. "Why should I take your problems and ain't had none of your fun gettin em?!" ~ Homemade Love by J. California Cooper

2. "So, yes. I like to read. I cannot survive without reading." ~ A Court of Silver Flames by Sarah J. Maas

3. "One never understands one's use but through the opinion of others." ~ The Ministry of Time by Kaliane Bradley

4. "I wear my depression like a winter coat, zipped up tight to my chin and bulky—a barrier that smothers out the rest of the world. No one has ever asked me about it because I hide it." ~ The Other Side by Kim Holden

5. "I was now more acutely aware that at any minute, your body could stop functioning and that maybe it would be good to make sure every moment was meaningful." ~ Invisible by Michele Lent Hirsch

6. "If you buy the dress, the occasion will come." ~ What Does It Feel Like? by Sophie Kinsella

7. "Most of the trouble in this world boils down to one person not recognizing the worth of another." ~ Good Dirt by Charmaine Wilkerson

DNF & NRN of 2024

Bookhearts, you are familiar with my 50-Page Rule. The purpose of this annual DNF (did not finish) and NRN (not right now) post is to share my reason(s) in an effort to help books find their intended audience. May these books find a new home where they will be finished and enjoyed.

1. The American Daughters by Carlos Maurice Ruffin ~ Overcomplicated story within a story.
2. Power of Persuasian by Stacey Abrams ~ Not meshing. Forced chemistry between characters.
3. Heir of Fire by Sarah J. Maas ~ Hopping off the TOG train. Life is too short for a series that doesn't get good until book 5 or so. Too slow. Too meh. Assassin's ain't assassin' enough.
4. Good Half Gone by Tarryn Fisher ~ Boring; no connection to character.
5. The Fury by Alex Michaelides ~ Started off so interestingly different.
6. When Cicadas Cry by Caroline Cleveland ~ Too slow. Lacks originality.
7. House of Glass by Sarah Pekkanen ~ Pivotal moment lacking development with useless deets.
8. One of Us Knows by Alyssa Cole ~ Something is off. Cannot name what it is but nope.
9. Like Mother, Like Daughter by Kimberly McCreight ~ Not in the mind space or focused enough to keep up with writing style of alternate POVs and time jumps.
10. A Mythical Case of Arson by Melissa Erin Jackson ~ Not flowing, even with a map.
11. The Night We Lost Him by Laura Dave ~ As if written for TV. Better as a future mini-series.
12. Safe Enough by Lee Child ~ Non-Reacher stories aren't my cup of joe.
13. Eruption by Michael Crichton ~ Overhyped collab. Cliché heavy.
14. Ruin Road by Lamar Giles ~ Unexpected content. Not my type of horror.
15. All the Other Me by Jody Holford ~ MC too naive/silly to be this intelligent and successful.
16. Queen Charlotte by Julia Quinn ~ Prefer to watch than read.
17. Beautiful and Terrible Things by S.M. Stevens ~ Lost and disinterested.
18. Missing White Woman by Kellye Garrett ~ Unexpected content based on title.
19. She Wouldn't Wait by Lorilyn White ~ Time jumps are one thing. But switching between months is a bit much. Just tell the story chronologically. Too confusing to follow.
20. One in a Millenial by Kate Kennedy ~ Fun reminiscing but not enough to continue.
21. That Time I Got Drunk and Saved a Demon by Kimberly Lemming ~ MC's name is Cinnamon Hotpepper. Pop culture language. Cloak robbery. Should've judged by the cover.
22. Missing in Flight by Audrey J. Cole ~ Far-fetched to lose a whole baby on a flight.
23. Mother-Daughter Murder Night by Nina Simon ~ Time jump. Uninterested in trio characters.
24. Headshot by Rita Bullwinkel ~ Love boxing but this writing style is not it.
25. Didn't You Use to Be Queenie B? by Terri-Lynne DeFino ~ Misleading description.
26. Hell Divers by Nicholas Sansbury Smith ~ Heavy in descriptive narrative; too light on dialogue with all the world-building. Might be easier in another format (audiobook).
27. Lenny Marks Gets Away with Murder by Kerryn Mayne ~ Dragging for no reason.
28. We Rip the World Apart by Charlene Carr ~ High expectations because of the author but this was a whole struggle. Multiple POVs did not mesh and it just seemed off. I feel no connection to characters or their backstory.

Top 5 Fiction of 2024

1. A Love Song for Ricki Wilde by Tia Williams 

2. A Love Letter to Whiskey by Kandi Steiner

3. The Collected Regrets of Clover by Mikki Brammer

4. The Answer Is No by Fredrik Backman

5. The Teacher by Freida McFadden