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 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?

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.

Still Life (Penny Louise): I am a late arrival to Penny Louise, but I make up for it with passion. We’ve already started making French Canadian book-themed meals for dinner, finding recipes for every food mentioned in the pages. The world is lucky to have good books, and this is the best kind: when you want to go to the place in the pages because you love the people and stories so much. I’m only at the beginning of the series, but I can’t wait to get to the later books because I’ve heard they get better and better, and I already loved this one a lot.

The Box in the Woods (Maureen Johnson): This is a hard one because I loved the first books in the series. I was sad when the series was over. And then, suddenly, it wasn’t over! There was going to be another book! But this is maybe a case where the series should have ended where it ended. I liked it enough, but I never felt like I was in western Massachusetts. The situation didn’t feel believable. I spent a lot of time thinking, “But why didn’t they just…” and that is never a good sign with a book. BUT I still enjoyed it so much more than many other books. So worth reading, but not the same level as the other Truly Devious books.

Tokyo Ever After (Emiko Jean): This book made my heart happy. Great writing, great characters, great location—everything added up to a truly enjoyable read.

The Other Passenger (Louise Candlish): The writing drew me in—and I’ll definitely read more by this writer due to the strength of the writing—but the plot twists are pretty obvious. It didn’t detract from the reading enjoyment. Maybe it’s the opposite: it didn’t detract from the enjoyment, but I kind of wished things had been a little more surprising to add to the enjoyment.

The Last Thing He Told Me (Laura Dave): This book received so much buzz that I probably held it to an unrealistic standard going into the reading experience. But it was just okay. It was solid. I liked the writing, but I never believed the choices the characters made. Not because humans don’t make these sorts of choices but because I didn’t believe THESE humans would make these choices. I sort of felt like I was getting a story about random neighbours, even though I should have been closer to the characters due to the first-person narration.

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.

The Dark Vineyard (Martin Walker): This is the second book in the Bruno series, and it’s even better than the first story, which introduces you to the town and its inhabitants. Now you know the people and have the lay of the land, and Walker takes you on a deep dive into wine making… and… murder. They’re lighter mysteries—your brain won’t spend a lot of time focused on solving the case because it’s too busy enjoying the food, people, and scenery.

The Maidens (Alex Michaelides): If you know anything about therapy, psychology, or human nature, you probably will not enjoy this novel. But if you can set aside everything you know about life and people, you will thoroughly enjoy this second novel by the author of The Silent Patient. I say that even though there are too many plot points that don’t move the story forward or wrap up too quickly. Okay, maybe a better review would be that this is not a well-written book BUT I enjoyed the process of reading it.

The Magician King (Lev Grossman): ChickieNob and I listened to the audio book version, and it made me want to go on a walk every afternoon. I think this book (and the whole trilogy) should be required reading in high school. It makes me sad when people quit after the first book and never get to witness Quentin’s transformation. This book is my favourite in the trilogy, and it means so much to me that my favourite line in it hit ChickieNob in the same way, too.

Moonflower Murders (Anthony Horowitz): A great book by one of my favourite authors? Yes, please. This was such a fun story, and the way the mystery wrapped up in the end was perfect and brilliant. You probably need to read the Magpie Murders to understand everything in this one, but that’s a plus in my book.

The Secret Bridesmaid (Katy Birchall): I am completely stunned by this book. Someone told me to put it on my TBR, and I did. It’s not the sort of thing I normally read, but I LOVED this book. It was so sweet; a great celebration of friendship. But it’s also a masterclass in conversation. Seriously! There were so many times when the main character needed to have a hard conversation, and she navigated them all perfectly. There’s even a breakdown of how you comfort a person towards the beginning of the book that literally spells out, “Step one,” “Step two,” “Step three…” I love this book so much, and I’m going to recommend it to everyone.

The One (John Marrs): This is a book that gives you a lot to think about. It was a decent Netflix show and a better book. It’s easy to pick up and put down, and it’s designed in such a way that it’s easy to keep the stories straight and always feel compelled to read another chapter. There are some pretty disturbing twists, but all of them make you think about the intersection of technology and humanity.

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 June.

People We Meet on Vacation (Emily Henry): I adored this book. I am normally not a fan of books or movies giving us the ins and outs of someone else’s friendship. It’s kind of like listening to the details of someone’s dream. But this friendship book was fantastic. I cared deeply about both characters. I laughed aloud so many times. (It was the same kind of laughter I got from reading Boyfriend Material by Alexis Hall—snarky, perfect bon mots.) I cried. I can’t wait for her next book.

Ace of Spades (Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé): I waited a long time for this book. I heard about it many months earlier—before it had a Goodreads listing so I had to write it down in my bullet journal so I didn’t forget to check for it. It was billed as “Gossip Girl meets Get Out… but gayer.” It was the first of two books I read—back-to-back—that both billed itself as like Get Out (see below). How did it hold up to expectations? It was a solid book clearly written by someone who was not from the US but was setting their book here. (Meaning, it really didn’t feel like a book from the US.) But it was thought-provoking and scary, and I tore through it in a few nights. I’ll definitely read this author’s next book.

The Other Black Girl (Zakiya Dalila Harris): It billed itself first as “Get Out meets The Devil Wears Prada” and then changed the listing to “Get Out meets The Stepford Wives.” Neither description really works, but that’s okay. Some books defy comparison. This one was a 5-star for me despite there being HUGE plot holes. Like super huge things that aren’t explained and don’t make sense. Even with those plot holes, I loved this book and couldn’t wait to get back to it each day.

The Guncle (Steven Rowley): There were points where I was laughing and points where I was crying and points where I was laughing and crying at the same time. This was a very sweet book about continuing to live after loss and whether we can really help each other mourn. The book made me feel good, and I loved all of the characters.

What did you read last month?