Still Needs Work, a Novel by Ellen Barker | Book Review | Release Day Instagram Tour – June 11, 2024 #LiteraryFiction #Satire @elrubar @Ellenbarkerpac1 @iReadBookTours
A book blog tour from iRead Book Tours.
Thank you to the author, publisher, & Lauren at iRead for providing me with the information for this tour. 
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Book Details
Still Needs Work: A Novel by Ellen Barker
Published by She Writes Press on June 11, 2024
Genres: Adult Fiction 18+, Literary Fiction
Format: eBook, Paperback
Pages: 285
Source: iRead Book ToursMarianne gets the call while attending a conference in San Francisco: laid off, department dissolved. Two days later, she’s back home in the dicey Kansas City neighborhood she moved to after a reversal of fortune two years ago. After all this time rebuilding her life, it’s all collapsed.
The daily grind is just that—a grind. Until it isn’t, until it’s gone and taken health insurance, retirement contributions, and the currency to buy food and shelter, never mind the free coffee at the office, along with it. In the aftermath of her layoff, Marianne tries all the usual routes to re-employment, but a middle-aged woman, regardless of experience, has little job cred in the tech world, especially with an address in the heartland. A contract job at a Chicago startup morphs through two acquisitions in eight weeks. And then she’s mugged in her own neighborhood, which frightens her enough to consider a permanent move away.
An irreverent look at the alien denizens of the tech world, the fraught business of mergers and acquisitions, and the parallel universe of job openings, Still Needs Work is a contemporary story of the working world wrapped around a very human story of one person, her dog, and her community.
Content Rating: PG-13 +M: Moderately bad language, mostly in the opening pages, but no F-word or truly crude language. No sex, some violence (a mugging with no serious injury).
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Purchase Links for Still Needs Work
- Amazon Kindle Edition
- Barker, Ellen (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 300 Pages - 06/11/2024 (Publication Date) - She Writes Press (Publisher)
If the above link does not take you to your country’s Amazon page, please let me know, and I’ll gladly get a link for you.
Using my link does not change the price you pay. Amazon pays me a minimal amount out of their share. Every penny helps to support this blog.
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My Thoughts on Still Needs Work
Marianne gets the call while attending a conference in San Francisco: she’s been laid off, and her department has been dissolved. Two days later, she’s back home in the dicey Kansas City neighborhood she moved to after a reversal of fortune two years ago. Her house and her life still need work, and now she needs a job, too.
Undeterred by the challenges, Marianne explores all the conventional paths to re-employment. However, the tech world, with its age bias, fails to recognize her skills. To add to her troubles, she is mugged in her own neighborhood, a terrifying experience that pushes her to consider a permanent move.
Still Needs Work offers a unique perspective on the inhabitants of the tech world, the cutthroat game of mergers and acquisitions, and the soul-stifling search for a new job. It’s a contemporary narrative of the working world, woven with a touching tale of one individual and her loyal canine best friend, Boris.
Still Needs Work is a well-written, satisfying story that will resonate with many readers as Marianne strives to find peace in her new world.
I received a copy of the book for the tour. This review is my honest, unbiased opinion.
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I love to read books through my Amazon Kindle Unlimited subscription.
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About Ellen Barker
Ellen Barker grew up in Kansas City during a period of demographic upheaval, and she returns there in her novels.
She has a bachelor’s degree in urban studies from Washington University in Saint Louis, where she developed a passion for how cities work, and don’t. She began her career as an urban planner, then spent many years working for large consulting firms, first as a writer-editor and later managing large data systems, jobs-rich in corporate drama, large and small.
She is the author of East of Troost, which introduced readers to the neighborhood where Still Needs Work takes place. She now lives in Los Altos, California, with her husband and their German shepherd, Boris, who inspired the dog in this novel.
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Official Tour Page for Still Needs Work (includes full tour schedule)
Book Title: Still Needs Work by Ellen Barker
Category: Adult Fiction (18+), 286 pages
Genre: Literary Novel
Publisher: She Writes Press
Release date: June 2024
Tour dates: June 11 to June 28, 2024
Content Rating: PG-13 +M: Moderately bad language, mostly in the opening pages, but no F-word or truly crude language. No sex, some violence (a mugging with no serious injury).
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