Book #78:

The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna (Length: 334 pages). This is a wonderful, sweet book, perfect for fall! This novel features a young witch who has been orphaned and raised by another (emotionally distant) witch and is now looking for a witchy community. She’s hired to tutor a trio of child witches who live on a sprawling estate outside of London. I adore the dialogue, ALL of the characters and the side romance story (one open door scene so this is definitely for adults and not kids). I fell in love with this memorable read and immediately texted my college-age daughter to read ASAP.

Book #79:

Storyteller by Dave Grohl (Length: 429 pages). This is a memoir written by Nirvana drummer, Foofighters frontman. It’s very well-written and I was captivated by his story from the very first page. It “seems” like he’s such a kind, genuine man, and this memoir is very well-written, thoughtful and truly a memoir to enjoy, even for a non-fan like me. It’s that interesting. Having said this . . . literally the day after I finished this, the news came out about Mr Grohl admitting to fathering a daughter out of wedlock, which is definitely counter to the persona that he seemed to put forth in this memoir. I immediately stuck a “Free” Post-It on the book and left it in my office kitchen for some unsuspecting sucker. Too bad–I was almost a fan of the man.

Book #80:

 You, With a View by Jessica Joyce (Length: 378 pages). This is an enemies to lovers romance with a bit more depth than most novels (my favorite!). Two high-school rivals, Noelle and Theo, come together as young adults when they realize their grandparents had dated in college A road trip ensues (the best part of this novel!) when they trek with Theo’s grandfather Paul from Yosemite to Death Valley to Zion to Bryce Canyon to Sedona. This is a bit slow to start (at least the first 20%) but I kept with it and I’m glad I did as it’s aa fun read. This is well-written, great character development and all 3 main characters are truly easy to like (especially Grandpa Paul). A solid 4 star rom-com.

Book #81:

Not a Sound by Heather Gudenkauf (Length: 285 pages). I am back to doing puzzles in my spare time so I’m listening to more audiobooks. I’ve read a few by this author, and when I saw the famous Julia Whalen narrated this one, I snapped it up from my library. This is a fun thriller about a sexual assault nurse, Amelia, who tragically loses her hearing after a horrible collision involving herself and a SA patient. A few years later, Amelia is now a recovering alcoholic (due to the trauma), trying to put her life back together. No husband, no RN job and very little contact with her beloved stepdaughter, Amelia is kayaking on the river and discovers the body of a former RN colleague in the river. She tries to solve the mystery with the assistance of her trusty service dog sidekick, Stitch. While I figured out the killer in the first 25% of this novel (a bummer!) I still found the ride to the end to be enjoyable, and a mindless, easy listen. 3.5 stars for the story and 5 stars for the audio production of this one!

Book #74:

Ready or Not by Cara Bastone (Length: 373 pages). I listened to this on audio as it was recommended to read it this way. It’s definitely a “produced” audiobook so if the voice of the narrator annoys you in the first 5 minutes, read it in print instead. I pushed through as the premise is interesting: the protagonist, Eve Hatch, finds out she’s pregnant as the result of a one-night stand in New York City, and the father is a bartender at a local bar. This was an easy, breezy, fast read that I truly enjoyed listening to. (If you are struggling with fertility, however, I’d advise skipping this one as there may be some triggers here). I really enjoyed Eve, and I was rooting for her. The side characters are even better here, and this romance is more memorable than most. 4 solid stars from me.  

Book #75:

The Pursuit of Endurance by Jennifer Pharr Davis (Length: 316 pages). This non-fiction book was mentioned in the last Appalachian Trail book I read (and reviewed in July) so I picked it up from the library. The author herself has set a FKT (fastest known time) record for the Appalachian Trail in the past, and has interviewed other record setters (and breakers) about what makes them tick. She explores what is resilience and how are endurance records able to be set. And what body types, sex and ages comprise the optimal endurance athletes? (The answers may surprise you). This is very well-written and researched and I enjoyed the various accounts of these amazing hikers. This isn’t a day-to-day account of the FKTs but it’s more about how they are achieved, so it’s an excellent companion piece to those books.

Book #76:

 Diavola by Jennifer Thorne (Length: 296 pages). I love scary books and this one is truly the scariest horror book I’ve read so far. This is Gothic (my favorite!) in town and is about a young woman, Anna Pace, who joins her family for a vacation in Italy in a rented villa that turns out to be truly haunted. This is so well-written, WAY too descriptive in places and is truly terrifying. There’s no body gore but the hauntings are well-rendered and I kept thinking about this novel when I wasn’t reading it. The marketing blurbs say it’s humorous but while there are moments of levity and some funny lines of dialogue, I wouldn’t agree with that characterization. This is straight up horror and it’s a true 5 star read for me. Let me know if you read or have read this one and if you agree!

Book #77:

Lucky Me by Rich Paul(Length: 247 pages). This is a truly inspiring memoir by the founder of Klutch Sports Group, whose first client was LeBron James. Rich Paul came up in Cleveland, and this is an account of what he dealt with as a child and as an adult in the streets. This memoir is raw, gritty and tough to read in parts but it’s very worth it. For most of us, we will realize we have had it EASY and have nothing to complain about. I also came away from this read with a great appreciation of Paul’s tenacity, determination and drive. This is an excellent read and would make an excellent gift for any sports fans (and anyone from Cleveland).

Book #70:

The Mostly True Story of Tanner and Louise by Colleen Oakley (Length: 351 pages). This is the second book by this author I’ve read; the first was The Invisible Husband of Frick Island, reviewed last month. This book was also slow to start, but I enjoyed her characters more here. Louise is in her 80s and Tanner is her new, young helper/driver and the pair ultimately drive cross-country to California, chased by law enforcement as Louise is on the lam for some mysterious crime she committed when she was younger. The plot, once it gets going, is a lot of fun and the dialogue is well-written here. 3.5 stars from me.

Book #71:

Bookends by Zibby Owens (Length: 263 pages). This is a memoir written by a popular book podcaster and author. Essentially the very wealthy mother of 4 young children leaves her husband for her tennis pro. The author discusses her childhood, teen years, college years and how she broke into the podcasting industry. I found the content a bit naval-gazing and not relatable, but her writing is strong, I enjoyed the parts about how 9/11 affected her and she’s great about discussing grief and depression. She also mentions all the books she’s read during various times of her life (with a list of all of them in the end, asterisking the authors she’s interviewed on her podcast). Ultimately, I’m not sure why we, as readers, should even care about her and her life, but perhaps fans of her podcast may find this is worth a read.

Book #72:

 The Fellowship of Puzzlemakers by Samuel Burr (Length: 361 pages). I had so much FUN reading this book which is about a fellowship of puzzlemakers who lives in a commune of sorts in England. The group ends up raising a child who was left of their doorstep. This child, Clayton Stumper, is now in his 20s and when the woman he thought of as his primary mom passes, he is given a series of puzzles by her to help him figure out what to do with his life, and to possibly find out who his birth parents are. The puzzles in this book are fun . . .there is one crossword puzzle clue at the beginning of each chapter (so audio probably isn’t the optimal way to read this one). The plot is propulsive, thanks to each clue, the characters are sweet, and if you enjoy coming of age and found family stories, this is definitely the book for you. It’s admittedly a tiny bit cheesy but I don’t care. 4 solid stars from me.

Book #73:

The God of the Woods by Liz Moore(Length: 490 pages). I finally got my hands on this one–likely THE book of this year (made Obama’s favorite books of the year list too!)–and this will absolutely be in my top 3 books of the year. This is a mystery set in the 1960s and 1970s in the Adirondacks at a family-run Camp Emerson. First the family’s 9 year old son, Bear, goes missing. A decade and a half later, his sister goes missing too. This mystery isn’t violent or exploitative; it’s more of a suspense type of novel. The plot is excellent–very intricate and well-designed. The characters are exquisitely developed and I thought the author’s use of flashbacks is perfect here. Given the constant jumping back and forth and between various characters, plus the map of the property in the front of the print/e-book versions, audio is NOT the way to go here. This is a true 5 star read for me and I’m definitely going back and reading more from this author.

Book #65:

James by Percival Everett (Length: 304 pages). This imaginative and beautifully written novel will be in my top 3 books of 2024, guaranteed. This is Huckleberry Finn told from the point of view of “Jim” the slave who Huck escapes with via a raft down the Mississippi River. Except here, James is a fully-fleshed out character. This is surprisingly humorous in many parts; for example, the slaves speak gibberish to their masters but speak perfect English amongst themselves, leading to some funny scenarios. The details here are frightening and sad in parts, but this is so masterfully written that it’s a must-read for any and every reader. It’s a propulsively fast read too . . . I sat down to read the first 20 pages to see if I’d like it, and I literally couldn’t stop reading it and finished it in one sitting. It’s THAT good!

Book #66:

Colton Gentry’s Third Act by Jeff Zentner (Length: 388 pages). Rom coms written by male authors generally give me pause (specifically regarding their depictions of women) but Jeff did alright here! The premise is a country music star goes on a verbal anti-gun rampage while drunk at his concert. The impetus? His best friend was recently killed in a mass shooting at a country music festival. Colton ends up moving back to small town Venice, KY and living with his mom. In an attempt to make a living he works at a restaurant, and his high school sweetheart enters the picture for the romance part of this novel. I ADORED the writing here, the chemistry and dialogue are perfection and parts of it made me chuckle. This is a solid 4 star rom com and its memorable plot will make it easy for you to recommend to others.

Book #67:

This Summer Will be Different by Carley Fortune (Length: 361 pages). I rarely chase one rom-com with another but since I was on vacation in Maui, I wanted another “beach read”. This one is set on Prince Edward Island (home of Anne of Green Gables) and features Felix and Lucy. Felix is a champion oyster-shucker/bartender/carpenter and Lucy is a florist. Felix’s sister Bridget is Lucy’s best friend and before Lucy heads to PEI to visit Bridget, Bridget warns Lucy, do NOT fall in love with my brother. Thus, the secret lovers trope is borne. The dialogue is perfection, the two leads have believable chemistry, and the best part of this book is the sense of place. There are lots of AGG references and the food and scenery descriptions are swoon-worthy. This is a rare 5-star rom-com for me.

Book #68:

The Shell Seekers by Rosamunde Pilcher (Length: 656 pages). I’ve had this back list read on my Kindle for years and finally picked it up while on vacation. It’s the perfect long plane ride read as it’s a chunker! A family saga set primarily in Cornwall and London, before, during and after WW2, the primary focus is Penelope, the daughter of Lawrence and Sophia Stern. Secondarily the novel focuses on the three adult children of Penelope: Nancy, Olivia and Noel. Lawrence Stern was a renowned painter whose paintings have now become very valuable, which causes some machinations by a few of his grandchildren. This novel is primarily character-driven but with the war in the background of much of it, this through line makes it feel faster paced than most family sagas. The writing is perfection here, and is many readers’ top 3 books of their lifetimes which is why it’s been on my TBR for so long. There is a beautiful sense of place (in various settings throughout the novel) as Pilcher is known for her descriptive writing but her writing is never flowery or too verbose. Penelope is very likeable and is easy to root for. This is an immersive read that you’ll think about when you’re not reading it and the plot is memorable. A solid 5 star read for me.

Book #69:

Chasing the Smokies Moon by Nancy East (Length: 194 pages). This short and fun read was gifted to me by a good friend who recently visited the Smoky Mountains National Park. This is a signed copy which is so fun and is about a 948-mile record-setting hike (Fastest Known Time) set by Nancy and her best friend Chris, both middle-aged non-athletes who hiked all of the trails in SMNP in under 30 days. Nancy was a part-time veterinarian and mom who wanted to do something just for herself, and the impetus was to raise money to fund a preventative search and rescue team in light of a few rescues she had participated in as a volunteer SAR member herself. These rescues should have been prevented, and she discusses these in the course of this book. The author’s tone here is perfect. I enjoyed the daily accounts as well as following along on each chapter’s hiking maps. (Audio would NOT be the way to go here). Her sense of humor (and that of her hiking companion) are fun, and this audacious effort is very inspiring. I immediately ordered a few books she mentioned here from my local library and can’t wait to read and share those.

Book #60:

Slow Horses by Mick Herron (Length: 336 pages). This is book 1 of 8 in a series and this first book has already been adapted into a TV series on Apple TV. I started that series and quickly grew confused so I decided to switch to the book instead as I had heard it’s very well-written. This is a bit of a backlist book, with a 2010 publication date, so it’s easily available at the library. The premise is that washed up M15 spies in Britain are relegated to the Slough House in hopes that they’ll grow so bored they will quit (in lieu of being fired). They all do boring, tedious work, and bits and pieces of some of their individual back stories are slowly revealed throughout this first novel. The character development here is excellent, and I enjoyed the spy “slang” and terms of art. I found (just as with the TV show) it’s a bit tricky to tell all of them apart at first, but it gets easier as it progresses. The central plot point (a Pakistani young man’s impending beheading is throwing all the spies into a tizzy) is very clever and an excellent through line for the novel. Five stars from me!

Book #61:

All the Colors of the Dark by Chris Whitaker (Length: 586 pages). This long novel is blowing up several Best of 2024 book lists so far and I agree! This fantastic novel will absolutely be in my top 3 of this year. The main characters here are Patch and Saint, two kids who live in a small town in Missouri in the 1970s when girls are going missing. One girl is snatched, Patch intervenes and then goes missing himself. His best friend Saint becomes obsessed with trying to find him. This is a sweeping saga of these two characters and their families and the inhabitants of this small town. There are definitely a few triggers here (abduction details are minimal however as these happen off the page) but nothing is exploitative and this novel is beautifully written. The middle section of this novel is about 200 pages too long in my opinion, so it’s 4.5 stars for that reason only. I will always remember this book!

Book #62:

Shark Heart by Emily Habeck (Length: 415 pages). I finally have read this book that’s been EVERYWHERE in the book universe. It’s magic realism, set in our modern world, and I am a fan of magic realism and quirky novels–you need to be a fan of both to enjoy this one. The premise here is that the husband of a newlywed couple is diagnosed with a great white shark mutation, which causes him to transform into a shark the first year or so of their marriage. I enjoyed the unique writing style here (random lines of verse and essays are sprinkled throughout), the interesting premise, the fast pace of the plot and there’s just a lot of heart and deeper meaning here. I adore this book! 5 stars from me.

Book #63:

The Invisible Husband of Frick Island by Colleen Oakley (Length: 362 pages). I wish I enjoyed this sweet novel more. The premise is a young woman, Piper, loses her husband, Tom, at sea during a storm, very early in their marriage, but still “sees” him and the islanders go along with it. Anders, a podcaster who is looking to make his podcaster “Serial” big, is sent to the island by his small newspaper to write an unrelated story and latches on to this Tom phenomenon for his newest batch of podcasts. This conflicts with Anders’ growing feelings for Piper as the islanders are not aware of the subject matter of his podcasts and are understandably protective of her. The first half of this is VERY slow, but I kept going because I was curious how this storyline was going to resolve. The second half is better but then it almost felt a bit rushed. This could have used a better editor. 3.5 stars.

Book #64:

Margo’s Got Money Troubles by Rufi Thorpe (Length: 302 pages). This is one of the “it” novels of the summer so I was excited to get it from the library. Margo is a 20 year old community college student and she’s impregnated by her married English professor. With no familial support and no way to pay for childcare and work her waitressing job, Margo decides to start an OnlyFans account. Margo’s father, Jinx, a retired pro wrestler shows back up in her life and moves in to her apartment, ultimately helping Margo with the baby, and sharing the parallels on how to create a story in wrestling translates to making her OnlyFans account a viable business. This is very funny, well-written, fast-paced and truly hard to put down. It’s one of those rare novels that you think about when you aren’t reading it. (Obviously if you find Only Fans and its ilk offensive, skip this one. I think it really works here, and I enjoyed this entire novel.)