Category — Book Reviews

As I say every month, I’m shamelessly stealing this idea from Jessica Lahey. She has a recurring monthly date where she reviews all the books she reads that month. Book reviews are important for authors, and I want to get better at doing this.

So. I’m going to review them here and also online, but I’m going to do it a little differently. I’m only going to review the stuff I really liked. I don’t see a reason to spend my time writing about something I didn’t love; it’s just using up more of my energy. So only positive reviews.

These are the books I liked (or mostly liked) from November.

Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone (Benjamin Stevenson): The best way I can describe this book is an Australian Knives Out crossed with Anthony Horowitz’s The Word Is Murder series. He often breaks the fourth wall to speak directly to the reader. I’d even go as far as to say it had the humour and cleverness of a Richard Osman book. I bought this because it sounded interesting, and I’m so glad I did because it was, in a word, brilliant. So much fun.

One of the Girls (Lucy Clarke): This is the type of book where you don’t remember any details two weeks later, but you have a lot of fun while you read it. A totally enjoyable fluffy thriller that made me want to go to Greece more than spend time with the characters. It moved very quickly, with short chapters to give plenty of stopping places.

The Other Side of Night (Adam Hamdy): This is a “just trust me” book. I cannot tell you anything without spoiling it, and it was one of the most moving, beautiful, amazing books I’ve ever read. I immediately ran out and bought it in hardback after reading it as an e-book. It is a map for grief, much like All Our Wrong Todays is a map for grief and love. I will re-read this book many times. I feel so happy this story exists in the world.

The Bullet That Missed (Richard Osman): Is there anything more enjoyable than a Richard Osman book? Probably not. Each one is better than the last. Richard Osman writes a perfect book. I bought this book without looking at the synopsis, positive I would love it. And I’ll do it again for the fourth book.

The Missing of Clairdelune (Christelle Dabos): The second book in the Mirror Visitor series. It continues to amaze me, and the second book was even better than the first. It ends on an absolute cliffhanger, so I immediately launched into the third book in the series. It’s billed as the French Harry Potter, by which people mean that it’s written by a French author and contains something akin to magic.

What did you read last month?

As I say every month, I’m shamelessly stealing this idea from Jessica Lahey. She has a recurring monthly date where she reviews all the books she read that month. Book reviews are important for authors, and I want to get better about doing this.

So. I’m going to review them here and also online, but I’m going to do it a little differently. I’m only going to review the stuff I really liked. I don’t see a reason to spend my time writing about something I didn’t love; it’s just using up more of my energy. So only positive reviews.

These are the books I liked (or mostly liked) from October.

A Line To Kill (Anthony Horowitz): Anthony Horowitz’s books are perfection. I save them up because I like to have one ready to go whenever I need it. I saved this one until I got the next book in the series: The Twist of the Knife. It was once again the most pleasurable read of the year. The pacing, the characters, the big reveal. I got the killer early on, but I couldn’t figure out why or how. The reveal was brilliant. Every piece slides into place, and Horowitz leaves us in agony, waiting for the next part of the story.

Upgrade (Blake Crouch): My friend Jodi said it perfectly — you can’t review Crouch’s books without ruining things. So trust me that this book was like the most delicious bag of potato chips. It was such a pleasurable, thought-provoking read. And really, really, really clever.

Daisy Darker (Alice Feeney): I enjoy Alice Feeney books, so I was excited to read this. It wasn’t quite as good as her last few. One of the issues with murder mysteries is whether you believe the murder would occur. Would the character take action? And I didn’t believe it. It felt out of character as she had drawn the character. I look forward to her next one, but I wouldn’t start with this book if it’s your first Feeney.

A Winter’s Promise (Christelle Dabos): This has been my happiest find in a while. I bought the whole series when I finished the first book. It’s billed as the French Harry Potter, but as much as I like Harry Potter, I’m not seeing the comparison beyond the fact that there is magic in both books. I love Ophelia. Love the complexity of every character. I am obsessed with watching her navigate this world. Just an incredible, incredible book and the next one (I’m currently reading book 2) is just as good as the first.

What did you read last month?

As I say every month, I’m shamelessly stealing this idea from Jessica Lahey. She has a recurring monthly date where she reviews all the books she read that month. Book reviews are important for authors, and I want to get better about doing this.

So. I’m going to review them here and also online, but I’m going to do it a little differently. I’m only going to review the stuff I really liked. I don’t see a reason to spend my time writing about something I didn’t love; it’s just using up more of my energy. So only positive reviews.

These are the books I liked (or mostly liked) from September.

Murder Before Evensong (Richard Coles): Did I have any business buying this book? That was the question I asked myself as I stood in the bookstore. I’m not Christian, so I was nervous it would be over my head, but Coles did a lovely job making the reading experience inclusive of everyone – British or American, Christian or not. This book felt like the love child of Thursday Murder Club (writing style) and Louise Penny (town building). It was such a quiet, pleasurable read. I’ve made a note to get the next book when it comes out.

Less (Andrew Sean Greer): I cannot believe I waited this long to read this book. I’ve owned it in e-book and paper form for years. By delaying it, all I did was miss out on having this beautiful story in my brain for more time. I laughed. I got teary. It was a perfect ending.

Fairy Tale (Stephen King): I have very complicated feelings about this book. I started out loving it. I kept telling Josh that it was a masterclass in storytelling. And I was excited because if I liked it this much above ground, how much more would I love it when he entered the magical world? But… I didn’t. By the time I decided that I wasn’t enjoying it, I was 57% of the way through and thought I should stick it out because maybe it improved. It didn’t for me, but a lot of people love it, so your mileage may vary. So… complicated… because I loved the first third.

What did you read last month?

As I say every month, I’m shamelessly stealing this idea from Jessica Lahey. She has a recurring monthly date where she reviews all the books she read that month. Book reviews are important for authors, and I want to get better about doing this.

So. I’m going to review them here and also online, but I’m going to do it a little differently. I’m only going to review the stuff I really liked. I don’t see a reason to spend my time writing about something I didn’t love; it’s just using up more of my energy. So only positive reviews.

These are the books I liked (or mostly liked) from August.

The Lies I Tell (Julie Clark): This is a fun non-mystery. Meaning, there is no crime you’re trying to solve — you already know who did what. But it’s a clever story of cat and mouse where the characters don’t know how much the other characters know. I still had a few questions by the last page, but it was overall a super engaging read.

Wrong Place Wrong Time (Gillian McAllister): This was a fun, twisty mystery. The narrator’s life is moving backwards, starting on the day of a life-changing event, and jumping backwards in time each chapter so she can understand what happened. I figured out some twists early. Other things surprised me as they fell into place. This felt like reading a kaleidoscope with the pieces constantly arranging themselves. Very very well done.

How To Kill Your Family (Bella Mackie): Ads for this book were everywhere while we were in London. It is best described as wickedly funny. I truly liked Grace, the narrator, and it was a pleasure to spend time with her, killings aside. The end totally surprised me, and it was a fitting conclusion. I loved this.

The It Girl (Ruth Ware): I always like Ruth Ware’s books — I’m never blown away, but they’re totally solid. This gets a bump up due to the setting (a fictional college at Oxford) and the clever ending. I figured out the killer early in the book, but I couldn’t figure out the how or why. The big reveal was fantastic.

Death and Fromage (Ian Moore): This is the second book in the series, and it was even better than the first one. (And I loved the first one.) I felt so happy reading it — it’s such a pleasure to find a book that makes you feel good while you’re spending time with it. It was clever and funny and sweet. Really, the perfect read.

What did you read last month?

As I say every month, I’m shamelessly stealing this idea from Jessica Lahey. She has a recurring monthly date where she reviews all the books she read that month. Book reviews are important for authors, and I want to get better about doing this.

So. I’m going to review them here and also online, but I’m going to do it a little differently. I’m only going to review the stuff I really liked. I don’t see a reason to spend my time writing about something I didn’t love; it’s just using up more of my energy. So only positive reviews.

These are the books I liked (or mostly liked) from July.

Rivals (Katharine McGee): I thought this series wrapped with the last book, so I was extremely happy to see that she decided to continue the story. The characters are great, the alternate history is fun. The book is like literary potato chips; you won’t feel like your life is enriched by reading the story, but who cares because it tastes/reads so good.

Death and Croissants (Ian Moore): This is up there as one of my favourite books of 2022. We aren’t getting the paper version in the US until this spring, but you can get the e-book version right now on all platforms. (And Blackwells ships for “free” to the US in the sense that the price you see on the site includes shipping. So it’s $10.97 for the book and shipping. The publisher’s site – Farrago – also has buying options for the US so we don’t have to wait). It is so much fun. It’s in the same vein as the Thursday Murder Club — clever, lighthearted mystery that makes you laugh and tilt your head to the side in sympathy for the characters at the same time. It’s set in the Loire Valley, mixing real places (that boat where you go through Chateau de Chenonceau) with a fictional B&B town. It’s funny. It’s sweet. And I loved it so much from the first chapter that I dragged my family to 12 different bookstores in London looking for the second book in the series. More on that next month…

Magpie (Elizabeth Day): I have never felt more seen by a book. She captures infertility perfectly, probably because the author has lived it. And far from being a painful read, it was like spending time with a friend who got it. While it wasn’t the best thriller — I figured out the twist 11% of the way through the book — it was an excellent novel. And I would gladly read whatever she writes next.

What did you read last month?