Lora Terrill

Book #47:

What Could Be Saved by Liese O’Halloran Schwarz (Length: 460 pages). This is one of my favorite kinds of novels: expansive family saga where the author dives deep into the family’s history to find out why and how their pasts have shaped who they are today. The majority of this novel takes place in Bangkok in the 1970s, where a family of expats experiences a sudden loss when the young son (8 years old) disappears one day. The circumstances of his disappearance aren’t revealed until the last few chapters of the book so the focus of the book is on the other family members. The writing here is fantastic and I didn’t care for any of the family members here but it really didn’t matter as I was sucked in and wanted to keep reading to find out what really happened. I will say it is a SLOW start and doesn’t start picking up until chapter 5, so hang on until then. 4.5 stars from me for this one.

Book #48:

A Curious Beginning by Deanna Raybourn (Length: 354 pages). This is book 1 in the Veronica Speedwell mystery series; there are 9 so far. Set in the late 1880s Victorian London, Veronica is a 20ish year-old orphan who has been supporting herself as a butterfly hunter/scientist when she stumbles into a murder. Capers ensue with the help of a dashing natural historian named Stoker. I found this novel a bit slow to start and it really didn’t pick up until a third of the way through, but once there, I got the appeal of this very popular series and I couldn’t put the book down. The writing is strong, the action scenes are well done and I did enjoy the chemistry between Veronica and Stoker. I absolutely intend to read further into the series and give this installment a solid 4 stars.

Book #49:

How to Stay Married by Harrison Scott Key (Length: 317 pages). I first learned about this memoir in a list of “best on audio” books so I listened to this one. I agree–it’s fantastic on audio as it’s narrated by the author, a notable humorist. Essentially his wife cheated on him and this is the entire story, mostly from his perspective but his wife, Lauren, gives her “side” in one chapter that she also narrates. This memoir discusses how therapy, their church, friends and family all helped (and hindered) their marriage, and this book details their fight to try to save it. I’m not crazy about either the author or his wife, but I couldn’t stop listening to this and I totally get the hype. Would be a great road trip book.

Book #50:

Funny Story by Emily Henry (Length: 395 pages). This author ties with Abby Jiminez as my favorite rom-com author, thanks to her consistently witty dialogue and always-believable chemistry between the romantic leads. Emily, however, isn’t as consistent as Abby is, in my humble opinion, so I was relieved that this latest read is a good one in her canon and is much better than last year’s novel Happy Place. Here, Daphne and Miles are thrown together as roommates when their respective partners take off to be together. I love that Daphne is a children’s librarian and the library and readathon scenes are some of my favorites here. The duo’s chemistry is very believable, and I enjoyed their banter and the build up to their romantic relationship. This is the quintessential beach read so be sure to pick this one up this summer.

Book #51:

Two Twisted Crowns by Rachel Gillig (Length: 481 pages). I LOVE this book! This is the second book in the Shepherd King duology, and it is even better than the first one (which I reviewed last month). The pacing is absolutely perfect, characters from the first book are more fully developed here with a new love story (but this is not a true romantasy–it’s pretty closed door). ALL of the loose ends from the first book are tied up here with excellent, descriptive writing. The action scenes are so well-constructed, and I absolutely adore this little series. I will say it is a tiny bit gory in parts, so HSPs may want to steer clear. 5 stars from me!

Book #43:

Wellness by Nathan Hill (Length: 690 pages). This MONSTER of a novel was picked by my best friend for our shared book club, and I snagged her copy six days before our book club met. I actually was able to start and finish this doorstop of a book in that time, even with a crazy-busy week at work, and that’s a testament to how much I ended up enjoying it. Ultimately, it’s a story of the marriage between Jack and Elizabeth, including looks back at their individual childhoods and how their upbringing affected their union. This novel is unusual because spliced throughout are the author’s examinations of examples of social engineering in modern society (from algorithms used in social media to the placebo effect found in modern medicine) and these examples a are a bit wordy, but I found them to be super-fascinating and added to my overall enjoyment of this novel. I give this a solid 4 stars (subtracting one star for its absurd length).

Book #44:

How to End a Love Story by Yulin Kuang (Length: 382 pages). This rom-com has been HYPED (and blurbed) everywhere so I was a bit hesitant to pick this one up, and honestly, I was right to be hesitant. This novel features Grant and Helen who had a connection based on a tragedy that occurred in high school involving Grant and Helen’s sister, and are thrown back together years later in a writers’ room in L.A. where Grant is tasked with writing the screen adaptation of the first of Helen’s popular YA novels. The chemistry here is believable but I didn’t care for either of the two lead characters, and that’s tough (and a bit unusual) in a rom-com. Maybe you’ll like them more than I did and think the hype is real. If you do, let me know what I’m missing here.

Book #45:

Too Good To Be True by Carola Lovering (Length: 354 pages). I heard about this mystery on a book podcast and finally picked it up. I don’t think I’ve read anything else from this popular author, but I enjoyed this novel. It’s a standard mystery with a few twists built in and it’s essentially a “love story about 2 marriages with 3 versions of the truth”. Well-written and an easy, fast read; I did figure out the first plot twist fairly early on (as most readers will) but as long as you suspend disbelief with this one, you’ll enjoy it as I did. This is a solid 3.5 star read from me. A library checkout versus a buy, for sure.

Book #46:

The Kaiju Preservation Society by John Scalzi (Length: 268 pages). FUN! This book is just straight-up fun! I’ve heard it’s fantastic on audio but I wasn’t able to find an audio copy via my public library so I read it as an e-book and it was still great. Labeled as science fiction and fantasy, I’d agree with that but don’t worry about esoteric world-building or complicated science and just jump into this one feet first. Think Jurassic Park metaverse set during COVID and you’ve got the plot. This is not high-brow sci-fi–more popcorn thrilleresque, which is fine with me! This is very witty (I chuckled out loud at a few lines of dialogue), very well-written and fast-paced. I LOVED this so much and it’s the perfect summertime or beach read. I urged my dad to pick this one up as it definitely appeals to everyone. 5 stars from me!

Book #38:

System Collapse by Martha Wells (Length: 248 pages).  This is book 7 and the end of the Murderbot journey. Again, this is book 7 but it’s technically the sequel to Book 5/Network Effect, so I’d suggest reading this book after Book 5. In this novel, Murderbot and several Preservation Station colonists are still on a partially-terraformed planet trying to rescue some stranded colonists who are essentially slave labor. This book wraps up the series with the same dry humor from Murderbot and it’s fast-paced, easy to follow (especially on audio which is tricky for science fiction) and 100% enjoyable. I’m so sad the series is done, but I enjoyed every minute I spent with Murderbot and I hope you will too.

Book #39:

The Great Divide by Cristina Henriquez (Length: 327 pages). This sweeping historical fiction novel is set during the creation of the Panama Canal. This lovely book follows several different characters, several of who end up interacting with one another. There is a perfectly drawn sense of place, the characters are all interesting and the through line of the “big dig” of the canal propels the plot forward here. This is well-written, memorable and I absolutely recommend. I always wanted to pick this one back up so it would be a great vacation or beach read this summer for sure!

Book #40:

The Other Side of Night by Adam Hamdy (Length: 302 pages). This is part mystery and part science fiction, with a super intricate plot. Very well-written (and plotted) with strong character development. The premise here is a disgraced female detective briefly dates a man and then ultimately ends up investigating the death of his colleagues from work at a physics lab. This is a bit odd, but just go with it and enjoy this very fun ride. You will need to suspend your disbelief but if you, you will have a great time with this. I love memorable mysteries as they are few and far between.

Book #41:

One Dark Window by Rachel Gillig (Length: 419 pages). One of my book club friends recommended this fantasy to me and I finally picked it up. This is a fantasy romance but it’s heavier on the fantasy. The world building here isn’t complicated at all. It’s a dark fairy tale of sorts and the premise is that Elspeth Spindle lives in the kingdom of Blunder, which has been existing under an age-old curse that manifests in a mist which surrounds the villages. There is a deck of Providence Cards and if all of the cards are collected, the mist will lift and the “infected” will be cured. I love the writing here, the premise is clever and there is some witty banter (love the banter!) between some side characters. This does end on a cliffhanger because it’s part of a duology, so know that going in.

Book #42:

Just For The Summer by Abby Jiminez (Length: 424 pages). This is THE read of the summer (along with Emily Henry’s newest novel) and I LOVED it. I’m obsessed with all of Abby Jiminez’s books as I love her writing. Her rom-coms always feature witty banter, believable chemistry between the romantic leads and her characters are always flawed and dealing with real-life situations. These are all the case here as traveling nurse Emma meets Justin thanks to a Reddit “Am I the Asshole” thread where Justin mentions all of his exes immediately meet their soulmates after he breaks up with them. Since that’s also the case with Emma, they cook up a plan for them to date, to then break their respective curses. There are a few very funny gags in this novel (ie, Toilet King) that make for funny through lines here. I adore this novel and can’t wait to read next year’s.

Book #34:

Look Closer by David Ellis (Length: 459 pages).  This is a mystery/thriller that is very well-written and plotted, and a pleasant surprise. Without giving spoilers, the main premise involves a law professor, Simon, his current partner Vicky and his former crush Lauren, who ends up dead on Halloween night. At first I almost set this one aside because the beginning reads like so many other mystery/thrillers I’ve read over the years, but I kept going, and I’m so glad I did. I figured out where the author was going pretty early on, so I just hung on for the ride and enjoyed the heck out of it. Fair warning that no one is likable and there is no one to root for her, but honestly, as fun as this one is, who really cares? 4 stars from me!

Book #35:

The Littlest Library by Poppy Alexander (Length: 336 pages). I found this sweet novel at the Tucson Festival of Books and literally picked it up due to its darling cover. Set in England, this is about a young woman, Jess, who loses her grandmother who raised her and her librarian job within a short time period. So when Jess stumbles across a tiny derelict cottage for sale hours away during a drive in the country, she impulsively puts in an offer, not expecting it would be accepted. But it is and Jess finds herself without a job, in the middle of a quaint village with a cottage that needs a ton of work, plus an accompanying historic red phonebooth that she’s also responsible for caretaking. She turns it into a tiny lending library with her grandmother’s books, ultimately bringing together her new community. This is well-written, fun to read and very cute. 3.5 stars.

Book #36:

Sorrow and Bliss by Meg Mason (Length: 352 pages). If you don’t enjoy angsty novels about depressed main characters, skip this one. I truly don’t but the writing sucked me in, and I am glad I stuck with it. This is truly an unusual novel in its organization with sections that seem almost stream of consciousness, but they all come together in the end. This is mostly about a woman’s journey through mental illness (depression-adjacent?) from 17 years of age to 41. Two marriages, at least one suicide attempt and a miscarriage–triggers abound here–but if you push through, it’s worth it. At first I found Martha entirely too whiny and very unlikeable and several chapters are entirely too navel-gazing for my liking, but on balance, I believe that’s the point. The narrator is incredibly self-aware, even if she often hides the truth from herself, and I thought the various laugh-out-loud funny lines (mostly dialogue and texts between Martha and her sister Ingrid) and several moments of charm (between Martha and husband #2) and ultimately the resolution of the novel made this worth reading. The writing quality is stellar and the plot is memorable. 4 stars from me.

Book #37:

Fugitive Telemetry by Martha Wells (Length: 172 pages). This is book 6 in the series, but chronologically it takes place between Exit Strategy and Network Effect, which I really wish I knew before listening to this one. Back on Preservation Station with Dr. Mensah, in this standalone novella, Murderbot discovers a dead human body and gets roped into an entire investigation. This one is more dialogue and less action than the other parts of this series and wasn’t my favorite. But it’s Murderbot and of course I’m glad I read it. The last book is the last of the series and I almost don’t want to start it yet because then it will mean this whole ride is over.

Book #30:

Exit Strategy by Martha Wells (Length: 163 pages).  Yep, more Murderbot Diaries for this reader. Still on audiobook, I’m LOVING this journey with our favorite Murderbot. Book 4 is my favorite of what I’ve read to far. In this book, Murderbot is trying to deliver evidence of GrayCorp’s evil machinations back to Dr. Mensah, the only human he truly respects. She also happens to be the first human who’s seen past his sec unity exterior into the humanity buried deep inside. I adore this series if that’s not obvious already, but here are some of my favorite quotes from Murderbot: “Who knew being a heartless killing machine would present so many moral dilemmas. (Yes, that was sarcasm.)” and “They were all annoying and deeply inadequate humans, but I didn’t want to kill them. Okay, maybe a little.” I mean, come on . . . how can you not enjoy this robot series?

Book #31:

We Ride Upon Sticks by Quan Barry (Length: 386 pages). I ADORED this book and this reading experience! Set in 1989 in Danvers, Massachusetts near Salem and home to its own witch trials, this delightful and WITTY novel focuses on a girl’s (with one boy) high school field hockey season. Seeking to break its previous losing streak, a teammate co-opts an Emilio Estevez notebook to write some spells and their luck starts to change. This isn’t too angsty (a flaw of some YA novels in my opinion) but is full of 1980s pop culture references and has some seriously laugh-out-loud funny lines and scenes. This is very well-written, memorable and just plain FUN. I will say that each chapter is focused on a particular game and player and could be confusing on audio, so print may be the way to go with this one. This will be on my top 10 of this year for sure.

Book #32:

Network Effect by Martha Wells (Length: 348 pages). This is book 5 of the series and is full-length. This has won some awards and I can see why because it’s excellent! Murder Bots 2 and 3 join the fun and the adventures here are more fleshed-out, obviously. The audio is still perfection and yet still easy to follow. There is LOTS of action, a big rescue scene and the same funny dialogue, both interior and spoken out loud. I’m getting sad that there are only 2 more in the series. I’m rarely a series completist (save Louise Penny and Nancy Drew) but this one I absolutely will see to its finish. I hope some of you are joining me on this fun ride!

Book #33:

Thank You for Listening by Julia Whelan (Length: 423 pages). This romance novel is written by one of the most popular audiobook narrators there is, so I was excited to finally read it. This is excellent! While it was a bit slow to start for me (it picks up around the 20% mark on the Kindle), I enjoyed the central premise here. Swanee is a popular audiobook narrator who meets a mystery man in Las Vegas after an audiobook convention. She also has a fun texting relationship with a male audiobook narrator, a counterpart who is just as popular as she is. There is some travel here, great side characters (especially Swanee’s famous actress BFF and Swanee’s grandmother Blah). I enjoyed the inside look at how audiobooks are made and the work that goes into the various voices and characters. I’d give this 4.5 stars, high praise for a romance novel!