Book #56:

The Push by Tommy Caldwell (Length: 344 pages). This is a memoir written by the world’s best free climber. There isn’t a ghost writer listed but he does mention receiving help from friends in writing this very well-written (for a sports memoir) book. The last quarter of this book details the first (and last) free ascent of the Dawn Wall in Yosemite’s El Capitan, and his account is equal parts riveting and inspirational. The first portion of the memoir is relatively interesting, especially when he recounts being held hostage by militants in Kyrgyzstan. I could’ve done without the back and forth on his relationships and marriages, but it IS a memoir. All in all, this would make an excellent gift for any athlete or adventure lover in your life.

Book #57:

Restless Dolly Maunder by Kate Grenville (Length: 257 pages). This short novel has been nominated for a few book awards, so I wanted to see what all the fuss was about, even though it’s a historical fiction novel (my least favorite genre). This book is about a real woman born in the late 1800s in North South Wales, Australia, and the author is Dolly Maunder’s granddaughter. Obviously very well-researched and well-written, this is essentially an account of Dolly’s life, from birth to death. The author deftly illustrates how frustrating it must have been to be a strong-willed and intelligent woman living during this time period. I really wanted to like her, but I just couldn’t (based on several decisions she made). I do respect her though, and her resilience and hard work are admirable, and the writing here is top-notch. 4 stars for sure.

Book #58:

The Stowaway by James Murray and Darren Wearmouth (Length: 318 pages). If you are in the market for a fun, frothy palate-cleanser, look no further. This was a FUN read! One of the authors is an actor and producer on a few TV shows so that’s why this thriller has been receiving some buzz. The premise here is a juror on a trial of a child serial killer (which ends in a hung jury) goes on a cruise with her new boyfriend and her 2 children to essentially escape the media hubbub over which juror voted not guilty, letting a “predator” off the hook. While on the cruise ship, similar crimes to the serial killers occur and the juror decides to hunt down the killer (or his copycat). This is fast-paced, well-written and gruesome in a sense (but not too many gratuitous details to dampen your enjoyment). 4 stars here!

Book #59:

Let’s Pretend This Will Work by Maddie Dawson (Length: 347 pages). I loved this author’s Matchmaking for Beginners (and I still remember the premise of that novel, which is remarkable given how much I read) so I was excited to find this romance has the same vibe. Which is, a quirky protagonist who is full of heart, with fun side characters and a unique setting bringing disparate characters together. Here, it’s a co-op daycare which occupies the first floor of a building she’s found herself renting an apartment in, after following her lover to his ex-wife’s town. Her lover is caring for his ex-wife after an accident, so the protagonist is in a holding pattern through much of the novel. This was slow to start, but halfway through I couldn’t put it down and I will absolutely continue to read more from this author. 4 stars for another memorable romance.

Book #52:

If the Shoe Fits by Julie Murphy (Length: 316 pages). This rom-com features a plus-size shoe designer who goes on a Bachelor style reality TV show as a contestant (thanks to her stepmother creator). The writing is solid here, the chemistry is believable, and the shoe angle is fun (as a HUGE shoe lover here). I enjoyed the descriptions of the shoes she designed and wore as well as the insight into what goes into the design of a shoe. This is a frothy, fun summer read. Closed door too if that’s important to you.

Book #53:

Annie Bot by Sierra Greer (Length: 238 pages). I’ve been hearing about this book everywhere, and it’s got a very unusual premise (and narrator) so I was excited to grab it from the library. The narrator is Annie who is a Cuddle Bunny, a sex robot whose owner has switched her to autodidactic mode (meaning she can learn from her environment and build on that with her programming). This is a perfect commentary about the growing incel culture plus AI in pop-culture and media. It’s an easy, very quick read, very open door and has a faster moving plot than you’d think. There are a few twists and turns I didn’t predict, and there are some deeper themes throughout that are worth examining (and discussing–this would be a fun book club book).

Book #54:

The Fury by Alex Michaelides (Length: 295 pages). I chose this book as one of my Book-of-the-Month options but then put it aside after hearing it’s very polarizing amongst readers. I enjoyed his book The Silent Patient, unlike many others, so ultimately, I decided to pick it up and give it a try for the first 25 pages. I was instantly sucked in. This is a slow-build thriller focused on a former movie star, Lana, and her entourage, who all gather on her tiny Greek island. A murder occurs right away, and the middle part of the novel contains flashback sequences. The resolution of the murder occupies the last part of the book. There is an unreliable narrator, and NO ONE is likeable here. I found the second half to be much faster paced (and more enjoyable) than the first half. I enjoyed this overall. 3.25 stars.

Book #55:

Lovers & Liars by Amanda Eyre Ward (Length: 277 pages). I thought this was a combination of women’s fiction and rom-com (ie, a rom-com with more depth). It got off to a SLOW start for me, but I gave it some time/pages and I’m glad I did. The focus is on the 3 Peacock sisters: Emma, who is happily married but in secret debt due to a MLM; Cleo, an unhappy NYC lawyer with an unemployed boy-toy boyfriend; and Sylvie, who is a widow living in Miami, and is getting remarried to a man named Simon, at his ancestral castle, Mumberton. I really enjoyed learning about the castle and its history and there are some cute side characters. The depth in this novel is due to the semi-traumatic childhood, due to the sisters’ narcissistic mom, Donna. Overall, I enjoyed this perfect beach read and would give it a solid 4 stars.

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.