Tag: book-review

December 2025–Part Two:

January 1, 2026

Book #93:

The Compound by Aisling Rawle (304 pages).  This dystopian novel is a lot of fun, with a unique premise. It’s about a reality TV show (a cross between Survivor and Love Island) set in the future post a traumatic event (think nuclear war), and 19 contestants are sent to live in a house in the middle of a compound. The contestants have to earn their rewards and prizes by completing certain tasks and they also have to couple up together to survive another day. The plot is incredibly propulsive, the writing is very descriptive, and parts are of the plot are very disturbing. Told from the point of view of one of the contestants, Lily, we learn what happens through her lens which is a bit problematic as Lily is vapid, depressed and not very likable. (We still root for her though). The writing is decent here, but the plot is what you want to pick this up for. The dystopian element is not front and center as we never really learn what exactly happened in the outside world. The novelty alone of this novel’s premise is what makes it a 5-star read for me.

Book #94:

How to Read a Book by Monica Wood (Length: 288 pages). I hugged this book when I was done as this is quite possibly my favorite book of 2025. The cutesy cover does not convey what a beautifully written novel this is. A young woman (21 years old) fresh out of prison leaves behind a prison book club which made her stay tolerable, along with the volunteer who leads that book club, Harriet. Another character in this novel is Frank, a recent widower and retired machinist who gets a part-time job in a bookstore. Finally, we meet some adorable parrots who reside in an observational lab on a university campus in Maine. Everyone comes together in an exquisite novel with crisp dialogue, fully drawn characters and an interesting plot. Perfection! The ending is delightful too. 5 full stars.

Book #95:

The Christmas Tree Farm by Laurie Gilmore (Length: 368 pages).  This is book 3 in the Dream Harbor series, a feel-good, cozy rom-com series that is very open door. The premise here is that Kira hates Christmas but just bought a Christmas tree farm which needs a lot of work and of course Kira has no idea how to fix everything but is determined to do so. Bennett is in Dream Harbor on vacation visiting his sister (a previous DH character), and Bennett’s toxic trait is that he likes to help women because that’s what he’s always done, even though they take advantage of him. This open-door romance is cute, and the writing is decent. I’m drawn to this series due to the cozy settings and the small-town residents make it a fun world to return to. The vibe is very Gilmore Girls. 3.5 stars.

Book #96:

The Strawberry Patch Pancake House by Laurie Gilmore (Length: 384 pages). Book #4 in the Dream Harbor series, this romance features Iris, a yoga teacher turned nanny to a sweet young Olive, the 5 year old daughter a hot, world-renowned chef just discovered he has. Archer arrives in Dream Harbor after Olive’s mom Cate passes away, to care for Olive. But as Archer has to work (in the town diner of course), he hires Iris, who has zero nanny experience, to care for Olive. Sparks fly, etc. I enjoyed reading about the previous couples from the previous books here, and it’s fun to see how all of them interact. (It reminds me of the Rome, Kentucky series by Sarah Adams, which I love). I will say there’s a trope here which I’m not a fan of (it’s spoiler territory so I’m not mentioning it) and the romance is a bit too earnest for me. I still adore the world in which this is set so I’m glad I read it. 3 stars.

Book #97:

Awake by Jen Hatmaker (320 pages).  This memoir has been everywhere this year, so I was excited to finally pick it up. This is a memoir written after the author discovered her husband’s infidelity after 26 years of marriage. Jen was a pastor’s wife, and she has been very visible in the Christian community on social media. She’s an excellent writer and while some of what she’s known for is a bit problematic, none of that colored my reading of this excellent memoir. It reads as several essays woven together, and features Jen’s wit and charm. You’ll either love this or you won’t–there’s no in between. I enjoyed this very much. 4 stars.

Book #98:

A Guardian and a Thief by Megha Majumdar (Length: 224 pages). This slim debut novel was nominated for the National Book Award which is a huge honor. In this dystopian climate fiction novel set in the future in India, we meet a shelter manager who has been stealing food here and there from the shelter to feed her 2-year-old daughter and her father to take back to their home. The manager has climate passports for the three of them in her possession, but they are stolen a mere week before they are to fly to America to join her husband there. The thief, Boomba, has his own story which weaves in and out of the shelter manager’s story. This novel packs a punch in relatively few pages with its propulsive plot and gorgeous writing. The ending is A LOT and is a bit of a gut punch after you’ve been so emotionally invested with the characters, so proceed with caution. 4.5 stars from me.

Book #99:

Everything is Tuberculosis by John Green (Length: 206 pages).   I’ve had this non-fiction book in my Kindle for awhile and I was so excited to finally pick it up. I adore Green’s previous book, The Anthropocene Reviewed and had read this one is even better, and while I’m not sure about that assessment, I do agree this book is fantastic! Green explores the history of tuberculosis, interspersed with the specific story of Henry, a young man in Lesotho Africa, who has lived with TB most of his young life. This narrative non-fiction book is part call to action, part optimism about the future and part scorn with Big Pharma and the wealthier “white” nations and with racism and colonialism in general. This is an absolutely fantastic book and a must read. I do wish I would have listened to this one instead as that’s how I read his previous work. 5 solid stars.

Book #100:

The Gingerbread Bakery by Laurie Gilmore (Length: 385 pages). Book 5 (of 6) in the Dream Harbor series. This open-door romance features Annie, the owner of the local gingerbread bakery and Mac, the owner of the local pub. He’s grumpy and she’s over him, having known him since they were 5 years old. They had a brief entanglement post high school graduation, and she’s been angry with him since. This is probably the best in the series and is a great example of enemies to lovers done right. The author does a great job of developing the readers’ understanding of the protagonists’ shared history and the chemistry is a slow burn here. 4 solid stars from me.

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 Three:

December 1, 2025

Book #86:

The Intruder by Freida McFadden (292 pages).  I listened to this one on audio. It’s a super-fast listen (I can even listen to this author’s books at 1.5 speed which I appreciate) and it’s easy to follow the plot, even on audio. The premise here is a single woman living in the middle of nowhere in a decrepit cabin, discovers a young girl covered in blood outside of her window in the middle of the night during a storm. There is a parallel story about a young girl living with her abusive hoarder mom. As always with the author’s novels, the writing is serviceable. You read these for the escapist plots, not the writing. There are a few twists. I did guess the main one right away because I’m familiar with the author’s favorite tropes, so that was a bit of a bummer. It’s a fun book to listen to while doing something else (puzzling, walking, hiking, etc) so I’ll give it 3 stars.

Book #87:

A Duke Never Tells by Suzanne Enoch (Length: 363 pages). This novel has such a fun premise: Meg, a young lady promised to a duke she’s never met, and her aunt/companion, Clara, decide to hide their identities in hopes of finding out about who the duke is before the wedding. But the duke and his right-hand man of business switch their positions unbeknownst to the women. The duke has been away from his ancestral home for years thanks to his failed relationship with his father, and the castle is in great disrepair, ultimately causing Meg (and Clara) to be stuck in the castle for a fortnight. Chaos and a lot of fun ensue. I enjoyed reading about the castle being put back to rights, the writing is solid, and the chemistry is believable on the page. This is closed door if that matters to you. 5 stars!

Book #88:

The Business Trip by Jessie Garcia (Length: 341 pages).   I don’t recall where I first learned about this domestic thriller, but my library hold came in, and I started reading it right away. I then had a difficult time putting it down, which is always a positive sign for me. Two women both want to escape their lives, for different reasons. This novel has endless twists and turns throughout and the narrative is advanced via the perspective of several of the pairs’ coworkers and friends, which is a bit unique. There is lots of vengeance, a little bit of murder and so-so writing. The plot is definitely propulsive and that’s what made this a fun, quick read. 3 stars from me.

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.