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 March.

You Are Fatally Invited (Ande Pliego): I have found you the perfect beach read. This is a solid thriller about a writing retreat turned murder retreat. Each chapter is short enough that you’ll keep saying to yourself, “Just one more.” Not all of the crimes seem murder-worthy, but I could suspend those thoughts and go along for the ride. Looking forward to this author’s next book.

The Rachel Incident (Caroline O’Donoghue): This is one of those books that I kept seeing on other people’s lists, but I didn’t know anything about it. It was an exceptional book. Amazing and stunning and emotional. You will remember being in your twenties and trying to figure out the world. This book transports you.

Famous Last Words (Gillian McAllister): I always enjoy her books, though this one had a few inconsistencies that threw me off (character’s hands are tied in one scene, and we’re told they’re not tied in another, etc) because you think you’re being clever noticing and then they’re just editing oversights. It moves quickly and would make a great beach read.

Claire, Darling (Callie Kazumi): It has another name outside the US (Cuckoo), which is perhaps too large a clue? It was super engaging writing with a not very engaging plot. I kept wanting to pick it up, but there were zero surprises in the end. Which may be your cup of tea – a lite thriller.

All the Other Mothers Hate Me (Sarah Harman): While I don’t know if I’d ever want to spend actual time with the main characters — Florence or Dylan — they were fun to encounter on the page. It’s a super fast read and a good distraction from doomscrolling. It reminded me a little bit of a Bella Mackie book.

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 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 February.

The Proof of My Innocence (Jonathan Coe): This is up there as one of the best books I’ve ever read. Coe is always reliably good, but this book is incredible. Sort of a mystery. Sort of not. Thought-provoking, mind-bending. Wow. I’m just blown away by this one. It will leave you thinking about it for weeks afterward.

Big Swiss (Jen Beagin): A friend recommended it, and I put off reading it because I wasn’t sure I would like it. Big mistake. It’s a great story with great characters – every one of them. Except one, but he’s terrible so it’s okay not to like him. It’s being turned into a television show with Jodie Comer as Flavia. I think it will be fantastic.

The Potting Shed Murder (Paula Sutton): This is the sweetest book – the perfect book to read when overwhelmed by the world. I passed it along to ChickieNob the moment I was finished because everyone needs a chance to spend time with kind characters in a beautiful space. I love Pudding Corner. I loved that I guessed every piece of this mystery. It was the least stressful and loveliest read. I am pre-ordering the next book in the series.

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 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 January.

You Be Mother (Meg Mason): I own Sorrow and Bliss, but I haven’t read it yet, so this was my first Meg Mason book. It was a gorgeous, beautiful, heartbreaking book. You will love Abi and want her to win. Such a great piece on how we form family and what we mean to each other. And how people can let us down, and we can still find a way back to each other and trust again.

Mr. Wilder and Me (Jonathan Coe): I listened to the audio version while on trains, and I was sucked into the story despite never seeing any of the films mentioned in the book. Coe is an extraordinary writer, and the writing here is so subtle and clever. My only quibble is that I feel like he may have missed sides of Billy and Iz’s life that would have turned them from black and white to technicolour, but even black and white and even without ever seeing a Billy Wilder film, I loved this book.

The List of Suspicious Things (Jennie Godfrey): This book has been on my to-read list for a long time, and I bought it for myself now that it’s in paperback. I wish I had gotten it sooner. It will go down as one of the best books I read this year. I want to get it for everyone I know. I plan on re-reading this one a few more times this year — it was that good.

All Her Fault (Andrea Mara): Solid thriller with great pacing that (I think) is being turned into a tv show. It feels very tv show-y. I don’t usually read child endangerment thrillers, but I wanted to read an Andrea Mara book. And this one was so solid that I bought another one immediately after.

Strange Pictures (Uketsu): It was billed as a horror-mystery, but I can’t say that I was ever scared or challenged. It was neat how the stories fit together, but the answer to the mystery was usually delivered a page or so later, and the horror didn’t feel like traditional horror. I’m glad I read it, but I don’t know if I would read a second book like this.

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 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 December.

Helle and Death (Oskar Jensen): I really wanted to like this book. I mostly did, but I also had trouble connecting with the story. I didn’t believe the plot setup. And there were lovely moments, but there were also offensive moments. And those took you out of the story. I guess I would sum it up by saying it’s a solid mystery with some problematic features, which shouldn’t stop you from reading the book but may impact your feelings as you read it.

The City and Its Uncertain Walls (Haruki Murakami): This is a long book with an amazing payoff. The last part of the story is worth getting through the meandering portions where you don’t completely understand why you’re off on a tangent. There is a point to everything — every word in this book — and the story is like a lucid dream, one where you wake up understanding yourself better and feel comforted by what you’ve learned about the world. You will walk away feeling like you’ve been given a gift. The afterword just makes the book that much better.

The Blue Hour (Paula Hawkins): 3.5 rounded up. It was fine. I didn’t connect with the characters, which made it difficult to get into the story. It was well written, and I could see someone else liking it, but I couldn’t get into this one. But I’m leaving it on the list because if you like Paula Hawkins, you’ll probably like this one. But if you’re not a huge fan of Paula Hawkins, this book will probably not grab you.

Over My Dead Body (Maz Evans): I’m glad I ended the year with this book instead of the last book. This mystery was delightful. It was funny and campy, and I read the last page with a smile plastered across my face. Will you see every twist coming from miles away? Yes. Will you care? No. Because the point of this book isn’t really solving the mystery. The point — dare I say it — is the friends we made along the way. And I loved Miriam and Winnie.

What did you read last month?

For the past four years (2020) and (2021) and (2022) and (2023), I set reading goals tied to the year — 20200 pages, 20210 pages, 20220 pages, and 20230 pages. As of December 30th (which is the date GoodReads last updated my reading stats), I hit 19,676 pages with 56 books, but I’m not sure it counted my final book of the year (Over My Dead Body). Um… it’s close to a win?

I still wish GoodReads would give you a running page count throughout the year.

To stay on-brand, I set 20250 as a goal for 2025.

My favourite things I’ve read this year:

• All the Queen’s Men and Murder Most Royal (SJ Bennett)
• Spaceman of Bohemia (Jaroslav Kalfar)
• Green Dot (Madeleine Gray)
• First Lie Wins (Ashley Elston)
• I Promise It Won’t Always Hurt Like This (Clare Mackintosh)
• Malice (Keigo Higashino)
• Moderate Becoming Good Later (Katie Carr)
• How To Solve Your Own Murder (Kristen Perrin)
• The Husbands (Holly Gramazio)
• Wives Like Us (Plum Sykes)
• Lies and Weddings (Kevin Kwan)
• Very Bad Company (Emma Rosenblum)
• The Twist of a Knife (Anthony Horowitz)
• Long Island Compromise (Taffy Brodesser-Akner)
• The Wedding People (Alison Espach)
• The In Crowd (Charlotte Vassell)
• The Examiner (Janice Hallett)
• Pony Confidential (Christina Lynch)
• We Solve Murders (Richard Osman)
• You Are Here (David Nicholls)
• You’d Look Better as a Ghost (Joanna Wallace)
• The City and Its Uncertain Walls (Haruki Murakami)
• Over My Dead Body (Maz Evans)

What is on your list of favourite reads this year? (Feel free to list movies or television shows if books are not your thing.)