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 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 January.

All of Us Villains (Amanda Foody and Christine Lynn Herman): Hunger Games with magic and no main character (so you have no clue who will win) — that is how I keep describing this book. It also isn’t as bleak as the Hunger Games. The sequel is coming out next year, but it’s totally worth reading this first book now.

The Club (Ellery Lloyd): All of the pleasure of White Lotus without the stomach-turning close-ups. (Anyone who has seen the show knows exactly what I mean.) It’s terrible rich people at a terrible rich-person resort doing terrible-rich person things. I devoured it. Lots and lots of twists.

Taste (Stanley Tucci): So… this is a bit of a mixed bag. I loved the book while we were listening to it. He is a fantastic narrator, the stories were entertaining, and he made me want to eat. Constantly. After finishing the book, my cousin told me something that made me see the stories in a completely different (not very good) way. So take this audio book a little like Instagram; enjoyable to look at as long as you remember that there are piles of dirty laundry out of the frame.

The Maid (Nita Prose): I liked this book. It isn’t much of a mystery; you kind of know everything super quickly, and the one “twist” wasn’t much of a twist. So don’t go into it thinking you’ll get a mystery. You’ll get a character sketch. If you like the character, you’ll probably be happy with the story. (That was how I felt.) If you don’t like the character, there isn’t much else there.

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 December.

My Lovely Wife (Samantha Downing): This book was bananapants, in the best possible way. It’s about a suburban husband and wife who… murder people. WAIT! Before you reject this book, it is such a bizarre and interesting story filled with wonderfully terrible people. Downing makes you want to keep returning to the story to find out what happens next. This is my second book by this author, and she is great at creating horrible, fascinating characters.

The Killings at Kingfisher Hill (Sophie Hannah/Agatha Christie): Hannah does an amazing job of sliding into Christie’s style and resurrecting Poirot. It was a clever book with a classic Poirot reveal at the end. Totally enjoyable if you already enjoy Christie.

Not a Happy Family (Shari Lapena): This was my first book by this author, and it was kind of the verbal equivalent of potato chips. Even though I guessed the murderer early on, I felt compelled to keep reading and reading and reading. It’s a super quick read because the sections are brief. It would make the perfect beach read because it’s easy to jump in and out of the story.

Good Omens (Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett): ChickieNob and I listened to the audio version while we walked. Martin Jarvis is amazing at doing voices. I always knew which character was speaking from the first second of the chapter. And the strange thing is that the voices he did — many years ago — matched the voices of the actors from the recent television show. Bizarre.

Dava Shastri’s Last Day (Kirthana Ramisetti): One of my favourite books of the year. It’s about a woman tech giant who is dying and decides to announce her death a day early so she can read the obits. But… she learns that instead of basking in her accomplishments, people discuss her secrets. And now she needs to make peace with her kids who learn about these secrets while she’s still alive. I had to slow down towards the end because it is a painful read about loss. But the book is also filled with hope and love. Because family can be complicated, and while you will not always like the characters, you will love them and hurt for them. A lot of tears reading it — but good tears.

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 November.

As Good as Dead (Holly Jackson): This was the third and final book in a trilogy. I’m so impressed by this first-time author. This final book was a little rough in places, and I didn’t find all of the choices believable. But she wrapped up everything, and she wrote something fascinating — similar to Serial, which inspired this series.

The Man Who Died Twice (Richard Osman): His first book (and the first book in this series) was one of my favourite books last year. This book is one of my favourite books this year. Quirky, wonderful characters. A good mystery. A very moving ending. There were so many times I laughed aloud. I’ll buy the third one in this series, sight-unseen.

The Hawthorne Legacy (Jennifer Lynn Barnes): This was also a book in a series. I also read books this month that weren’t part of a series, but they weren’t enjoyable so I’m not going to mention them here. Anyway. Another series, and this was a second book just as exceptional as the first. Maybe more exceptional because she skillfully reminds you of everything you read in the first book while you read the second — not an easy trick to pull off without being annoying. It meant that I never felt like I had to work hard to remember things. Well done.

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.

The Magician’s Land (Lev Grossman): ChickieNob and I completed listening to the trilogy during our afternoon walk. That was a hard day: to come to the ending of a book series that made us so happy. We’ll probably listen again soon, but we’re currently listening to something else to mix things up. In the meantime, I leave you with my favourite line from this book (which should be required reading for all teenagers): “When I came back I didn’t have a weapon, I was the weapon.” Shivers. And what a powerful moment to flip loss on its head.

Dial A for Aunties (Jesse Q. Sutanto): This book was so. much. fun. I loved it. I loved it so much that I followed the author on GoodReads and added all of her upcoming books to my TBR when I was just a few chapters in. I’m not saying it’s the perfect read—the ending is a little bit rough—but I had so many moments when I laughed aloud reading it.

Rock Paper Scissors (Alice Feeney): Feeney got me so good with this book. It’s pretty rare that I’m blown away by a twist, but I was blown away by this one. She is a master at using your assumptions and turning them against you.

Under the Whispering Door (T.J. Klune): This is the kind of book you pick up if you need a good cry. I read his book, The House in the Cerulean Sea, at the beginning of the pandemic, and it got me through the first few days of worry. This is a beautiful, emotional book, and I highlighted so many lines that made me feel better about life in general. There are so many little endings and big endings baked into life. This is the sort of book that can help you through them a bit.

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.

In the Woods (Tana French): It was my first Tana French, and I know it’s not my last because I’ve already started The Likeness. This book is solid. And meaty. It takes a long time to digest. But the best part is the relationship between the two main characters: Rob and Cassie. They feel so real.

The Husbands (Chandler Baker): Think of it as Stepford Husbands… without the feeling of panic that accompanies Ira Levin’s book. (I really felt panicked reading Stepford Wives the first time.) And not really making commentary different from his book; just saying his thesis in a different way. It’s an enjoyable, quick read. You will not be surprised by anything, but not all books need a big reveal.

Bellweather Rhapsody (Kate Racculia): Kids snowed in at a creepy hotel that is hosting a statewide music festival. It’s quirky. And a little disjointed. And sometimes moves slowly. But it is also great writing and the characters grew on me. Plus, I loved encountering the memory of Fruitopia.

For Your Own Good (Samantha Downing): I wanted to read this book, and I grabbed it as soon as it was available at the library because I hated the cover and didn’t want to have to keep looking at it on my TBR. But it was such. a. good. book. Maybe the best example of don’t judge a book by its cover. It is creepy and wonderful.

The Great Godden (Meg Rosoff): This book feels like summer captured on paper. The writing is gorgeous, the characters walk off the page, the plot moves quickly, and I felt like I was part of their family for a summer. Such a beautiful and sad coming of age story.

A Slow Fire Burning (Paula Hawkins): This is the problem with book hype: decent books seem worse than they actually are when you’re told by every list that it’s the most amazing book ever. This book slips just onto this side of including it. I didn’t like any character, therefore, I didn’t care about the outcome for any character. But it’s an interesting story, and it moves quickly. I’m glad I finished it, but this is the second “big book of fall” that has not lived up to its hype.

What did you read last month?