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 October.

Grave Expectations (Alice Bell): My only regret is that I borrowed this book, but I will buy a copy because I still chuckle to myself when I think about it. This was big, campy fun, and I am so glad the characters are returning for a second book because I adored spending time with them.

One Puzzling Afternoon (Emily Critchley): This book blew me away. I’m not generally drawn to historical fiction, but this book is perfectly structured. The modern day story follows a woman with dementia, and the jumpbacks give the reader information on the woman’s teen years. It is beautiful and aching and heartbreaking. All at once.

The Last One (Will Dean): This was a weird one. I had been looking forward to it, but the story had so many holes that the holes became the focus more than the plot. I’ll try another book by this author in the future because I liked the writing.

Good Bad Girl (Alice Feeney): I usually love Alice Feeney books, and I’m still listing it here because maybe someone else will like it more than I did. This one just didn’t do it for me because I couldn’t connect with any character. Maybe my expectations were too high because I loved her other books so much.

The Christmas Guest (Peter Swanson): This book was bonkers in the best possible way. I am not a Christmas fan and usually wouldn’t choose a book like this, but Christmas is kind of beside the point. The time of year makes part of the plot possible, and it’s such a great twist.

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 September.

None of This Is True (Lisa Jewell): I know this author is super popular, but this was my first Lisa Jewell book. I loved the writing and the pacing; I wanted to keep going and going. But I was waiting for a big, amazing twist that never happened. So, I’ve adjusted expectations for future Jewell books because I will read many of them.

A Trick of the Light (Louise Penny): As I summed it up on GoodReads, there should be a word when your heart explodes while reading a book. That’s how I felt when Ruth said numb nuts at the end. It is always a good reading night when you spend time in Three Pines.

Reign (Katharine McGee): I almost didn’t read this book right now; I didn’t think I was in the mood. But the ChickieNob convinced me that literary fluff is exactly what you need when you’re down. And this is well-written, engaging literary fluff. Absolutely love the conclusion of this four-part series.

Okay Days (Jenny Mustard): This is a book that I will buy for many people in my life because it’s a simple story that carries deep wisdom. It is the smartest relationship/friendship advice I’ve seen in a while about how to know you’re choosing the right people to keep in your life.

Adelaide (Genevieve Wheeler): This was a solid book that I may have enjoyed more if I hadn’t read it right after Okay Days. You love all of the characters in Okay Days because they are all essentially good, flawed people. You do not love all of the people in Adelaide because some are truly awful people. It’s a novel that feels like non-fiction. Like I had to keep remembering that it was fiction because it read like a memoir. But it was an interesting read, and I’m glad a friend recommended it.

The Hike (Lucy Clarke): I liked the last Lucy Clarke book I read, but I really loved this one. It was a great, non-scary thriller about women taking a vacation together that goes horribly wrong. It was such a quick, engaging read, filled with great characters who felt so real.

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 August.

Strange Sally Diamond (Liz Nugent): I wrote on Goodreads that “this is a complicated review. It is a five-star book. The writing is incredible. I’ll admit that I didn’t know a lot about the book, and I read it because Anthony Horowitz mentioned how much he liked it at a reading for his book. But it was deeply deeply disturbing, and I felt uncomfortable and upset reading it. So beautiful writing, but go into it knowing it is a very upsetting story.” I still have regrets about reading this book despite it being great writing.

Death at the Chateau (Ian Moore): The third cozy mystery in the series. They’re funny and cute and you won’t tax your brain reading it. It was exactly what I needed in August.

The Skeleton Key (Erin Kelly): I was blown away by this story. If you love the idea of Masquerade by Kit Williams, you need to read this book about a family that unravels as the world chews through its obsession with the treasure hunt. So so so so so good.

Just Another Missing Person (Gillian McAllister): It was a good thriller, though I fulfilled the prediction I made on Goodreads: “I don’t know if I’ll remember a lot about this a few weeks from now, but it was super engaging while I was reading it.” I don’t remember most of it, but I remember enjoying it while the book was in my hands. Sometimes that’s enough.

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 July.

My Murder (Katie Williams): Wow. Wow. Wow. Wow. Wow. I didn’t think a lot could top her other book, Tell the Machine Goodnight, but this managed to top that story. It’s about a woman brought back to life after her murder and how she processes moving through a world where she is both alive and not alive. I could not stop thinking about this book whenever I put it down, and I highlighted so many amazing sentences that half the e-book was yellow by the time I finished.

The Brutal Telling (Louise Penny): I finished this book while in Montreal, which gave me a chance to visit the Emily Carr statue and walk the same streets as the characters. Reading these books is like spending time with old friends.

The Magicians (Lev Grossman): The ChickieNob and I live in a perpetual state of listening or reading this trilogy. As much as we’ve memorized the story, I still notice new things with each re-reading. I love this trilogy so much.

Bury Your Dead (Louise Penny): I started this book the night before we went to Quebec City, the setting for this story. What luck! I got to see so many of the streets referenced in the novel. Each book gets better and better, and this one was moving and interesting and touching and thrilling. It was everything. I think it’s my favourite one so far.

The Hangman (Louise Penny): It was a Three Pines-heavy month. This story was fine. I guessed the ending, which I can’t even remember a few weeks later, which is odd. Maybe Three Pines works better as a novel than a novella.

Zero Days (Ruth Ware): I guessed the killer and motive 25% of the way through the book, which was disappointing because I shouldn’t notice more than the main character, who is a penetration tester. But I gave this five stars because it was a great thriller that felt like a movie in paper form.

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 June.

Death of a Bookseller (Alice Slater): I started out loving this book. Interesting situation with vivid writing and great characters. But somewhere along the way, it moved from pleasurably creepy into just creepy, full stop. I can’t recommend it, but I also liked parts of it. It’s complicated. But only read if you’re looking for something super unnerving.

Bad Summer People (Emma Rosenblum): They were all the worst people, which made this the best possible fun. Like White Lotus in Fire Island homes instead of Italy. The book has gotten much buzz because some characters are based on real people in a Fire Island town. So you may feel a bit dirty reading it, but it’s so enjoyable.

The Endless Vessel (Charles Soule): What an incredible book about love and mattering and connection. It will make you think, cry (that last page!), and smile. What more can you possibly want in a story? This was a top read of the year for me.

The Wishing Game (Meg Shaffer): To enjoy this book, you need to go into it understanding that nothing about the situation is realistic or healthy. Like relationships you’re supposed to admire and cheer for are dysfunctional and inappropriate. BUT I still loved being in this world while I was in the world. It’s best described as Charlie and the Chocolate Factory but with a book instead of candy.

Death Comes to Marlow (Robert Thorogood): If you like Richard Osman, you will likely enjoy Robert Thorogood. Three friends, running around Marlow, solving crimes and crossword puzzles. I am so happy whenever another one of these books comes out, similar to Osman.

What did you read last month?

P.S. I think I’m going to skip the Roundup this week. See you again this weekend.