Tag: Beth Brower

December 2025–Part One:

December 16, 2025

Book #89:

The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion by Beth Brower (313 pages).  Set in March of 1884, this volume, like the others, takes over where the last one left off. This volume is my favorite of the series, so far! The romantic relationship between Emma and someone takes a big step forward. And Emma, once again, is caught in a delightfully, socially precarious situation which has major implications for her guardianship. (Even though she is 21, as an unmarried female she can’t be trusted to be without a guardian in these times). I enjoyed the development of both Emma and the plot here. If you haven’t started this series, what are you waiting for? The first 1-3 would make a fantastic holiday gift for the reader (tween to older readers!) in your life.

Book #90:

Conform by Ariel Sullivan (Length: 408 pages). This dystopian romantasy debut novel is EVERYWHERE. The premise is Emilene (a Minor Defect) whose job is to review and delete artwork from the time before a nuclear war decimated the planet, is finally given a chance to move up to the clouds where the Elite live. This is because she’s deemed ready to mate (ie, provide a baby to the Elite every 5 years of her fertile life). This has a Hunger Games feel, and the plot here is similarly propulsive. I read it in a day and I’m glad I had blocked out that time to do so because I couldn’t stop reading. The writing here is decent (some glaring typos–which are annoying in such a popular book with the marketing it’s been given) but the storyline makes this fun novel one of my all-time favorite fantasies. The world-building isn’t very confusing, and I never had to reference the map of the world included in the beginning, which is a great sign for me. There is a cliffhanger ending (it’s a trilogy as I recall) and there is a bit of open-door romance but it’s a very small percentage of the whole novel. Five stars!

Book #91:

Sisters in the Wind by Angeline Boulley (Length: 384 pages).  This is a YA series that is great for adults. (I haven’t read the first in the series, Firekeepers Daughter, but it’s very well-regarded.) Here, a young woman in the foster care system who is living on her own learns she is part Ojibwe and has a family she wasn’t aware she had. We learn about her history in between present-day occurrences and this back-and-forth narrative is so seamlessly drawn by this talented author. There is tense action with lots of adult themes and is very well-written. The fast-paced narrative made this one difficult to put down and the writing quality made this beautiful novel really stand out from the pack. I now feel as if I need to read the first in the series and will be on the lookout for the next. Four stars.

Book #92:

Mailman by Stephen Starring Grant (Length: 304 pages). In the interest of increasing the percentage of non-fiction reads this year, I picked up this riveting account of a marketing executing laid off due to the pandemic decides to be a rural carrier for the USPS in Blackburg, VA, in the Appalachian Mountains. This is a fascinating look at how mail carriers actually operate, with the author getting into the nitty-gritty details of how they “case” (sort) their mail routes, handle parcels and handle dogs and people on their routes. The writing quality is not the best here (the author himself clearly wrote this) but the content is what makes this worth picking up. It gave me a whole new appreciation for our mail system (run on ZERO taxpayer dollars) and our mail carriers. We are so fortunate to have this system. 3.5 stars.

November 2025–Part Two:

November 30, 2025

Book #81:

The Women on Platform Two by Laura Anthony (335 pages).  This is historical fiction set in 1969 Dublin and is about their fight for women’s rights, broadly speaking. This is really well-told, through the lens of a woman named Maura who has married a well-respected doctor, and said doctor is not respectful of Maura. The right to contraception plays a big role here. I enjoyed how the tale is told here too. Maura, in the future, is on an annual memorial train ride from Dublin to Belfast where she’s telling her story to a young woman in 2023. This is totally immersive, well-written and the plot never drags. Very memorable and a perfect gift for any woman in your life. 5 stars.

Book #82:

Writers & Lovers by Lily King (Length: 333 pages). This novel is a bit polarizing–readers either enjoy it or they don’t. I’m firmly in the former camp here as I love this book! The premise is a young woman living in Boston in 1997 is trying to finish her first novel (6 years in the making), while waitressing at a high-end restaurant. Her mother died the year prior and she’s still working through her grief, while also dealing with a recent failed relationship and a few new relationships are on the horizon. This isn’t as navel-gazing as I worried it might be, and while I am well beyond this stage of life, I found points of commonality with the main character. I also really enjoyed the author’s writing style, and the ending is perfect. A memorable, well-written read, with depth and heart. 5 stars from me.

Book #83:

The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion, Vol 6 by Beth Brower (Length: 249 pages).   If you haven’t yet checked out this series, what are you waiting for? This volume is delightful, particularly because Emma has finally arrived at the age of her majority and is now the rightful owner of the Lapis Lazuli house. There is forward movement in Emma’s relationship with one of her best male friends, and she has her first job, which is as the personal secretary to a newly wealthy society lady. There are some hysterically funny scenes here. This series just gets better and better. It’s a thinking girl’s fun read. 5 stars, of course.

Book #84:

A Curse so Dark and Lonely by Brigid Kemmerer (507 pages).  This highly recommended fantasy is book 1 of the Cursebreaker series but absolutely can be read alone. I was so excited to finally read this (dark) Beauty and the Beast retelling, and it lived up to the hype for me. The author jumps right into the plot and then never lets up. The world-building is minimal so it’s very easy to follow and the romance is not the main focus here. The character “Beauty” is from present day and the “Beast” and the world of Emberfall is in another dimension and time, and I really enjoyed that juxtaposition. This is billed as being for 14 years of age and up but it didn’t read young adult to me at all. I’m totally fine ending the series here but there’s enough in this first book that may make me pick up the next in the series. A full 5 stars from me.

Book #85:

With Friends Like These by Alissa Lee (Length: 240 pages). This novel is part psychological thriller and part campus novel with a unique premise: the main characters are all grown up and are still playing an annual game they started playing in college called Circus (similar to the assassin game many high school students play). Their senior year of college one of their friends died and a few people 20 years later think they’ve spotted her prior and during their final round of this game. This is a quick, fun read with a propulsive plot. I figured out the twist a bit early on but there was enough going on that I wanted to read the resolution. I really enjoyed this one. 4 stars.

November 2025–Part One:

November 12, 2025

Book #76:

Kill For Me Kill For You by Steve Cavanagh (351 pages).  This mystery author comes highly recommended by sources I trust, and I was excited to finally read this novel (of perfect length!). Well-constructed with an interesting premise, this novel is about two women who each want some killed, and who agree to kill the other’s target, giving the other a perfect alibi. This is a such a fun read! It’s propulsive, well-written (because bad writing is distracting in mysteries, let’s be honest) with people to root for. There are some great twists I didn’t see coming–the final twist really floored me, given a particular detail the author hid. A solid 5 stars from me and I’ll be recommending this in person from now on for a good, well-written mystery. (For true literary mysteries, my go-to recommendation is Louise Penny’s Three Pines series of course).

Book #77:

The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion by Beth Brower (Length: 265 pages). Yes, Emma is back. These wonderful novels are entirely addicting, and it takes great willpower for me not to read them all in order. (There are 8 so far in the series–25 total are expected–and I have the next 3 waiting in the wings on my Kindle). This particular installment is set in the fall through to New Year’s Eve. The focus is still on Emma’s deepening platonic friendships with 3 men: Pierce, the boarder in her attached guesthouse, Duke Islington and the young Vicar Hawkes. I loved Emma’s handmade Christmas gifts she gave to these three, and again, so many clever bits of conversation and laugh-out-loud turns of phrase here. Emma isn’t a perfect character or human being but she’s a total delight and her resilience is admirable. 5 stars from me. Once again.

Book #78:

What the Dead Know by Barbara Butcher (Length: 289 pages).   This is a non-fiction account written by a medico-legal investigator with New York City’s Office of the Chief Medical Examiner. The author’s job is to determine the cause and manner of deaths at scenes of fatal accidents, suicides and homicides. These accounts are disturbing, graphic, depressing and scary but are also well-worth a read as the dead deserve our attention to their stories. The author has personal battle scars of her own and is honest about her past addiction. Her background colors her accounts of how she handles the crime scenes and her clients and the writing is top-notch here. These stories are memorable, and this is honestly difficult to put down. I absolutely recommend this one. 4.5 stars.

Book #79:

The Academy by Elin Hilderbrand and Shelby Cunningham (428 pages).  Boarding school and campus novels are my jam so I had to pick up this new novel written by Elin Hilderbrand and her adult daughter which is set in the imaginary Tiffin Academy in New England. Rich kids behaving badly plus faculty making questionable life decisions set in a gorgeous stereotypical boarding school experience (with gourmet meals to boot) make this a really fun read. This novel is told from various perspectives: the female headmaster, the new girl (a junior), a few teachers and the student body itself. Nothing too serious happens but there is a bit of a plot and book two (about senior year) is en route. I do want to read about what happens to these students and I’ll definitely check it out. 4 stars.

Book #80:

Do Not Disturb by Freida McFadden (Length: 327 pages). I listened to this one as this is one of my favorite authors to listen to when I want an easy-to-follow, psychological mystery/thriller. This particular novel (as is the case with most of this author’s novels) is not well-written. The premise here is interesting on its face: a woman kills her abusive husband and then hides out in an out-of the-way dilapidated motel, named the Bates Motel. There’s a profile of a woman sitting in the window of the house behind the motel, surprise, surprise. The plot IS propulsive, and I kept picking this one back up, so there’s that. The resolution of the story is pretty straightforward, but apparently the author isn’t sure we understood it so she has a character walk us through the resolution step by step, in case we didn’t get it. The twists are fun here, if not a bit obvious. Don’t expect too much with this one but I’ll give it 3 stars for its entertainment value.

September 2025 Part Two:

September 30, 2025

Book #64:

The Identicals by Elin Hilderbrand (Length: 433 pages).  I really enjoyed this one! Set in both Nantucket and Martha’s Vineyard, the two main characters are identical twin sisters: Harper and Tabitha Frost. They are estranged, due in part to Parent Trap-style machinations years ago and part due to emotional traumas. This is a very fun read, with Hilderbrand’s strong writing per usual; it is a bit cheesy in parts but the propulsive plot and writing style makes this one more memorable than most of her books. 4.5 stars from me.

Book #65:

The Carpool Detectives by Chuck Hogan (Length: 336 pages). I’m OBSESSED with this non-fiction book! I listened to this one on audio, and it’s definitely the way to go here. At the beginning of the pandemic in 2020, four stay at home moms investigated a cold case murder of a couple whose car had gone over the guardrail into a deep ravine outside of Santa Monica, California. Because it was COVID lockdown, everyone who was a potential witness (including the case detectives) were at home and the women just cold-called them, starting to break this complex case open. This is so well-written and reads like a murder novel. It’s propulsive and you won’t be able to stop reading or listening. The audio was excellent here, with the reading of the group chats adding extra interest. This is absolutely a five-star book. Let me know if you pick this one up!

Book #66:

The Lost Bookshop by Evie Woods (Length: 448 pages).   There seem to be so many fiction books with the words “Bookshop” or “Bookstore” in them and apparently, I’m on a quest to read all of them. This particular novel has a blend of magical realism and romance and is set in two time periods: the 1920s through 1950s and present day. Opaline Carlisle is a woman in Ireland who opens a bookshop in the 1920s, which was very unusual for the time period. And in present day, Martha and Henry are two young people in Ireland who are connected to and are looking for this bookshop which has mysteriously vanished. This is a sweet story with likeable characters, but it’s a bit over-dramatic in parts. I enjoyed the focus on books here, especially those written by the Bronte sisters. This is a memorable, fun read. 4 stars.

Book #67:

Is She Really Going Out With Him? by Sophie Cousens (Length: 367 pages). Romantic comedies with older protagonists are rare, and I’m so happy when I pick one up that’s actually really well written, as this one is. Anna Appleby is 38, freshly divorced with two kids, and works as a journalist for a local magazine called Bath Living, about the goings on in Bath, England. To save her job, Anna agrees to write a dating column with the premise of her kids choosing who she dates and what they are to do on the date. There is of course, a separate love interest, and the chemistry between Anna and this person is fantastic. The dialogue is witty and charming, and I thought about these characters even when I wasn’t reading this. 5 stars.

Book #68:

A Marriage at Sea by Sophie Elmhirst (Length: 251 pages). This non-fiction account of an English couple, Maralyn and Maurice, who were lost at sea in 1973 after their boat capsized en route to New Zealand, thanks to a breaching whale. Forced to survive on an inflatable raft and small dinghy, this is partially an adventure story but it’s mostly about them as people and as a couple. This is a riveting, fast read and well-paced (although it does slow down a bit in the last third). 4 stars from me.

Book #69:

The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion by Beth Brower (Length: 208 pages). This volume is the best volume so far! Emma is trying to figure out options for her financial future, but this takes a backseat as her friendship with a trio of 3 different men continues to deepen. This quartet recognizes they have a unique chemistry together and it’s fun to see this develop. Emma, of course, gets into more hilarious adventures and her witty repartee shines even more here. These are so well-written and just so funny. I find myself smiling as I read them. 5 stars, of course.

September 2025–Part One

September 15, 2025

Book #59:

The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion Vol. 2 by Beth Brower (Length: 164 pages).  Clearly, I’m loving this series that seems to be everywhere on Bookstagram and various book podcasts. Here, in the second volume, Emma is getting more settled into her life at Lapis Lazuli house. The same characters that were in the first volume are here which is nice, as the focus in this volume is more on the plot. Now the plot is essentially Emma’s daily life but her antics are still on full display here. Emma doesn’t feel the need to act as a typical woman would in 1880s London; for example, she doesn’t have a chaperone, as she doesn’t feel the need for one. The writing is excellent, and the character development is where this author truly shines. Another 5 stars from me.

Book #60:

Bento Box in the Heartland by Linda Furiya (Length: 321 pages). This is a food memoir I’ve had on my bookshelf for quite a while and in the interests of clearing my shelves, I finally picked it up. The author writes about growing up in Versailles, Indiana, in the 1960s and 1970s, a town so small, she and her family were the only Japanese-Americans who lived there. Told through the various meals and foods her mother made for the family, Linda explores what it was like growing up during this time period in middle America, including the racism she and her family experienced. The writing quality here is mid-level but it’s still an interesting read. I enjoyed her food descriptions the most, and I am passing the book on to someone I know who would enjoy this account. Three stars from me.

Book #61

The Hungry Ocean by Linda Greenlaw (Length: 286 pages).   This is a non-fiction account written by the only female swordfish captain in America, the captain of the Hannah Boden. The author and her ship were referenced in Sebastian Junger’s The Perfect Storm (an account of the tragic loss of the Andrea Gale fishing boat). Here, the author intersperses an account of a “typical” 30-day swordfish run in international fishing waters in the Atlantic Ocean with snippets of her personal history. This is very well-written and very propulsive. She gets into the nuts and bolts of what it takes to operate a fishing boat, and her perspective as a female captain is riveting. She is a phenomenal writer (taking a year to write this book, she comments that running a fishing boat is actually easier than writing a book) and I enjoyed every page here. 5 stars.

Book #62:

One’s Company by Ashley Hutson (Length: 272 pages).  I listened to this one and the narrator is great. Now, this is a bleak book with a strange premise. A young woman win’s the nation’s largest lottery in history and uses the proceeds to reconstruct the entire “world” of the TV show “Three’s Company”, down to the entire apartment building, furnished exactly as it is in the show, down to period-specific daily newspapers. There is some traumatic history here which is obviously driving this, but the pacing and writing are top-notch. Ultimately, the narrator Bonnie isn’t causing harm to anyone else by doing this and we are along for the ride. Riveting account but it’s a bit unnerving to follow along at times. 4 stars.

Book #63:

The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion Vol. 3 by Beth Brower (Length: 229 pages). Clearly I’m a fan of this series and it just keeps getting better. In this installment, Emma gets invited to a society ball on her own and not as a foil to help her better suited cousin find a husband. There are so many laugh out loud lines here, and Emma’s innate intelligence and her grit make her a truly well-rounded and likable heroine. There are 5 more volumes in this series so far, and I’m intending to read all of them so fair warning. 😉. Five stars, once again.