December 2024–Part One

December 16, 2024

Book #103:

Rock Paper Scissors by Alice Feeney (Length: 304 pages). This psychological thriller is very well-plotted and executed and it’s smart! I didn’t see the big twist coming here, but of course, looking back all of the signs were there. The premise is a couple who has been married for coming up on ten years wins a stay at a very remote B&B in Scotland during the winter, and things get very creepy, very quickly. I had a mounting sense of dread almost the entire way through and couldn’t stop reading. I love when that happens! Because of the nature of the twist here, I’d recommend the written version of this novel over the audio. I give this a solid 4 stars!  

Book #104:

The Echo of Old Books by Barbara Davis (Length: 413 pages). Ashlyn Greer is a young woman who owns a used bookstore and also restores old books. She happens to have a gift for psychometry and can sense the emotions of readers/owners of old books, so when she comes across a beautiful pair of books with no author’s name but with intense emotions attached, she starts to investigate the provenance of these books. This is a beautiful love story: well-written and not manipulative, which I appreciate. The storyline here is very memorable and while this was slow to start for me, I am so glad I picked this one up. 4.5 stars from me!

Book #105:

A Winter in New York by Josie Silver (Length: 372 pages).  I’ve had this book for the entire past year, having selected it from the Book of the Month club. I waited until this month to read it because I wanted to enjoy its promised seasonal vibe, and it absolutely delivered! I LOVE this book. It’s set in New York City, obviously, and the premise here is Iris, a young British chef escapes a problematic romantic relationship and comes to New York to start over. She visits a gelato shop she recognizes from her mom’s old photos, and it turns out her mom has the only existing copy of the family vanilla gelato recipe which, thanks to a somewhat unbelievable series of events, is very necessary or the business will go under. It doesn’t hurt that the shop owner’s son Gio is a total hottie! This does have more depth than most rom-coms, I adored all of the characters here and the winter in NYC setting is magical! 5 solid stars from me.

Book #106:

Agatha Raisin and the Vicious Vet by M.C. Beaton (Length: 224 pages).  This is the second book in the Queen of the Village Mystery Series featuring Agatha Raisin. I listened to this on audio (and it was delightful–so easy and fun to listen to!). I am growing to like Agatha a bit more but I’ve read one doesn’t truly get to like (and understand her) until further on in the series. This installment features a handsome new vet who tries his luck at opening his business in the village, but doesn’t seem to like animals at all. He does, however, seem to be drawn to all of the single ladies who have larger pocketbooks. Agatha solves the mystery here with the helpful of her reluctant (single and handsome) neighbor and they get into all sorts of good trouble. I enjoyed this one! The setting is just as charming, the mystery is more at the forefront in this second novel and it’s an easy read/listen. 4 stars from me.

Book #107:

The Wedding People by Alison Espach (Length:355 pages). This magical book is in the top 3 books I’ve read this year! Set in a fancy hotel in Newport, Rhode Island, which has been rented out for a $1 million wedding, Phoebe Stone (the sole guest who isn’t involved with this wedding), has arrived with the sole intention of enjoying her $800/night penthouse suite for one single night, before killing herself. Instead, Phoebe gets strong-armed into being the willful bride’s confidante and is sucked into participating in all of the drama of the week-long wedding. Spending a week with the various members of the party affects her in unexpected ways. The writing here is truly lovely, the main characters are all multi-dimensional and fantastic and the supporting characters are funny and charming. There are some laugh-out-loud lines of dialogue and while trigger warnings do abound (suicide, obviously, along with infidelity), nothing here is gratuitous in my opinion. A solid 5 stars from me!

November 2024–Part Two

December 1, 2024

Book #98:

Night Watching by Tracy Sierra (Length: 368 pages). I listened to this one and recommend doing so as well! This psychological thriller starts off with an intruder in a young mother’s home, and while the intruder is still there, the mother gathers her young children and hides in a secret room while listening to the person move through the house. This is a VERY scary and pulse-pounding thriller with a very propulsive first half. Then it gets even better. There are some surprises here, but it all works. The pacing is absolutely fantastic as it never lets up on the suspense or the mystery, and the tension on the page is very realistic. A 4.5 stars from me!  

Book #99:

Birding With Benefits by Sarah T. Dubb (Length: 336 pages). This cute rom-com is set in Tucson, Arizona, amongst an apparently very vibrant and cut-throat birding community. I enjoyed that the romantic leads are in their mid-40s (a middle-school English teacher and a bird enthusiast/woodworker). I adore the setting–the various beautiful parks around Tucson, as well the romance trope the author employs here: fake dating. Tucson is an amazing city, having lived there for 10 years and I honestly enjoyed the setting here the most. This is VERY open door so skip this if not your thing. I’m giving it a solid 4 stars.

Book #100:

The Seven Year Slip by Ashley Poston (Length: 368 pages).  Many romance readers list this novel as their all-time favorite and I get the hype! This is a bit of a time travel romance set in a “magic” apartment in New York City. The romantic leads here, Clementine (a publishing company publicist) and Iwan (a chef) are both adorable and very likeable. This is well-written, with deeply-drawn characters and their chemistry is very believable and not too cloying or sweet. FIVE STARS from me! I love this book so much!

Book #101:

Worst Case Scenario by T.J. Newman (Length: 336 pages).  This thriller is the third by a former flight attendant; I’ve read and reviewed her first two and recommend both of them: Falling and Drowning. The premise is an airliner crashes into a nuclear power plant resulting in almost 300 deaths in the first few pages, so be forewarned if this isn’t your cup of tea. But as far-fetched (or maybe not?) as this scenario is, it’s a lot of fun to read on the page, as the entire town jumps into action to attempt to prevent a worldwide nuclear disaster. This is fast-paced, well-written for what it is and I definitely recommend picking this one up!

Book #102:

The Quiche of Death by M.C. Beaton (Length: 288). One of my favorite Instagram follows (a super-smart attorney who keeps me abreast of all things political–EmilyInYourPhone) is currently reading this series. There are currently 35 books so far and this is book #1 of the Agatha Raisin series. The main character is super interesting–not sure I like her quite yet but given the popularity of this series, I’m hoping she just has more redeeming qualities that have yet to be revealed. This is a cozy mystery set in the Cotswolds, and Agatha is 53 years old, which I appreciate. The mystery here is very obvious but I’m assuming the author is using this novel to introduce the main players and will follow up with some meatier plots and mysteries to solve. I did enjoy a few of the supporting character and most likely will continue reading this series. I’ve ordered the second book in audio format so stay tuned regarding that one. 3.5 stars for me for this book.

November 2024–Part One

November 18, 2024

Book #93:

The Pumpkin Spice Cafe by Laurie Gilmore (Length: 384 pages).  This first book in a series of rom-coms went viral on TikTok, and since I was in the mood for a “cozy” rom-com, I picked it up. Set in Dream Harbor, a small town in New England, this novel features Jeanie, the brand-new owner of the Pumpkin Spice Cafe and Logan, a quiet, handsome bearded farmer. One might suspect nothing bad or stressful happens in a cafe with this name, and one would be correct . . . this is cute, charming and nothing too deep or particularly well-written. It’s a great palate-cleanser between meatier reads, however, so it does the trick. 3.5 stars.

Book #94:

We Used to Live Here by Marcus Kliewer (Length: 320 pages). WHOA. This mystery/thriller is very creepy and unsettling, and downright scary in parts. The premise is a woman answers her door, and a family is standing there. The father talks their way inside, saying he just wants to show his family his former childhood home, and things go downhill from there. There is a bit of an unreliable narrator here (which isn’t my favorite trope) but I enjoyed this novel, overall. There a few “articles” that appear every few chapters which provide some needed background (not sure how these would play out in an audio version, however). There are a few surprise twists, and I definitely found it to be scary. Don’t read this one if you’re home alone at night! 4 stars for this fun read!

Book #95:

The Island of Sea Women by Lisa See (Length: 400 pages).  This historical fiction novel is based on the lives of haenyo, the female divers who supported their families while the fathers took care of children in Korea in the early 20th century. The main historical event in this book is the horrific Bukchon Massacre which occurred on 4/3/49 where up to 80K Koreans were killed. The sections on diving are absolutely fascinating, and the female friendship at the center is fully drawn. This is dark, sad and very well-written. 4 stars from me.

Book #96:

Winter Street by Elin Hilderbrand (Length: 272 pages).  I’m a bit burned out on Hilderbrand but I’ve heard this series is her best, and I like that it’s set in the wintertime on Nantucket Island. This is the first in the series and it centers on the Quinn family. The book starts with a bunch of drama right off the bat, with wife #2 leaving the family patriarch, Kelley, and each of Kelley’s adult children (and wife #1) all have their own issues going on. But nothing is super serious, and Hilderbrand’s writing style is top-notch here: smooth, well-written, propulsive plot and fun character interactions. Because it’s the first in a series it does end on a bit of a cliffhanger, but I’m not sure I’ll keep reading any further. 3.5 stars from me.

Book #97:

The Deaf GIrl by Abigail Heringer (Length: 240). This is a memoir written by the first deaf contestant on the Bachelor show, with a cochlear implant. I have a loved one who has recently started wearing such an implant, so I picked this one up with the intention to learn a bit more about the realities of hearing-impaired and deaf people’s lives who choose this device. To that end, this book is worth reading. The writing is (understandably) juvenile given it’s not the author’s job, but I learned quite a bit and would absolutely recommend if you, like me, want a firsthand account of how this device can impact one’s hearing and life.

October 2024–Part Two

October 31, 2024

Book #90:

Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo (Length: 496 pages). This is an intense fantasy novel about 8 of the main secret societies at Yale. There is lots of black magic and violence, some necromancy and very little character development, but it’s a wild and fun ride. I think it’s well-written, the plot is interesting (a bit slow to start but once it gets going it’s hard to put down) and the action is a bit stress-inducing. You do have to read the sequel I think (which I have, and plan to review in the future) to get a solid resolution. I’ll give this one a solid 4 stars.

Book #91:

Only Say Good Things by Crystal Hefner (Length: 240 pages). I listened to this memoir on audio and it’s really good! The ghost writer is Lara Love Hardin, the author of The Many Lives of Mama Love (which I really enjoyed) so this memoir is very well-written. This memoir was recommended by a book podcaster who equated it with Jessica Simpson’s equally good memoir, and I’d say that comparison is very apt. I couldn’t stop listening to this once I started it. Crystal doesn’t sugarcoat her own mistakes and failings or her bad decisions, and I found her candor to be refreshing. I was fascinated to learn even more about Hugh Hefner and his narcissism (horrible man!) and I enjoyed learning more about the inner workings of the Playboy Mansion. This is absolutely worth a listen!

Book #92:

What Happened to Nina? by Dervla McTiernan (Length: 336 pages). Despite the dumbest cover ever, I really enjoyed this mystery! It’s a fun, fast read and is about Simon and Nina, a young couple who have been together for most of their high school years and are now in college. Nina has disappeared, per the title, and this mystery of her disappearance is told from the viewpoints of the parents of both Nina and Simon as well as the detective assigned to investigate what happened. This is not a whodunit as the killer is revealed early on, but it’s still a wild and pulse-pounding read, with a few surprising twists I enjoyed. 4 stars from me!

October 2024–Part One

October 17, 2024

Book #87:

The Marriage Portrait by Maggie O’Farrell (Length: 356 pages). This is a literary fiction and is based on the real life duchess Lucrezia de’ Medici who lived in Florence in 1550s and died a year after being married at age 16 to the young duke Alonso. There is a sense of mounting dread throughout this quick read as the reader knows the real-life person this character is based on was found dead, and Lucrezia speaks of her own fear that she will die at the hands of her new husband. This is accessible literary fiction, and much like the author’s Hamnet, no words are wasted here. I adore this book and definitely recommend!

Book #88:

A Million Junes by Emily Henry (Length: 398 pages). This is a YA magical realism novel written by one of my favorite authors, published in 2017. This novel is about the 18-year-old June O’Donnell whose family has had a century’s long feud with the Angert family. This feud was over land, a suspected murder of a family member and an angry ghost who has cursed both families. Enter 21-year-old Saul Angert who returns to town, and instant chemistry between June and Saul ensues. The premise here is a bit cheesy but the two things Emily Henry excels at as a writer in her popular adult novels are present here: detailed character development and clever, snappy dialogue. I am not a huge fan of YA novels but I am a fan of Emily Henry, so this was a worthwhile read of her backlist for me. 4 stars.

Book #89:

Darling Girls by Sally Hepworth (Length: 361 pages). Miss Fairchild takes in 3 foster kids–Jessica, Alicia and Norah. This mystery novel is told in dueling timelines, past and present, and when a set of baby bones is discovered under the former foster home decades later, everyone comes together again. I’ve been a Sally Hepworth fan for years, and I’ve read everything she’s written. This, her most recent novel, is a huge miss for me, unfortunately. While the plot is propulsive, the writing style here is juvenile, and there are some very basic errors throughout in the e-book (ie, “piece of mind” instead of “peace of mind”) and they are super distracting. The story itself is entertaining, but the writing is honestly not worth suffering through. I’d recommend skipping this one. 2.25 stars.