Tag: Book Reviews

June 2025–Part One

June 17, 2025

Book #36:

Elizabeth of East Hampton by Audrey Bellezza and Emily Harding (Length: 384 pages).  I don’t remember how this book came onto my radar but it’s a fun Pride and Prejudice retelling set in East Hampton. Lizzy has paused her career dreams (to be a journalist) to run her family’s bakery, Bennet Bakery, after her father’s stroke. Her four sisters are side characters here. This is a cute novel with witty dialogue, great chemistry between Darcy and Elizabeth Bennet and a believable plot to move events along. This is the second in a series, and the characters from the first series (an Emma retelling) appear here. 3.5 stars from me.

Book #37:

Heartwood by Amity Gaige (Length: 316 pages). This literary thriller set on the Appalachian Trail ticks all the boxes for me. It also happens to be a Read with Jenna pick, and I tend to enjoy most of the books she picks. A woman goes missing on the A.T. and the wardens and community come together to try to find her. This is SO well-written with a propulsive plot. The author skillfully brings multiple character arcs together; I read this in print, and I’m wondering if the audio version would be confusing given these multiple characters. I adore non-fiction accounts of hiking this trail (as my multiple reviews of these books attest to) so this novel was a fantastic read for me. The setting, however, is not the focus here, the characters are. 5 solid stars from me and this absolutely will be in my top 10 books of this year for me.

Book #38:

Here One Moment by Liane Moriarty (Length: 505 pages).  I listened to this one. The premise is an older lady walks down the aisle of a flight in Australia telling each passenger when and how they are going to die. When the first few passengers do, in fact, die in the manner and in the timeframe of when the lady predicted, this mystery gets interesting. I loved the audio narrator but given there are so many characters here, it did get a bit confusing to keep track of each. So, I’d recommend print for this fun read. The resolution of the mystery is a bit obvious and renders this less a mystery than general fiction, but given I enjoy Moriarty’s writing style and her portrayal of characters, I really enjoyed this beach read. 4 stars.

Book #39:

The Love Elixir of Augusta Stern by Lynda Cohen Loigman (Length: 320 pages).  I really enjoyed this novel. It’s very sweet without being cloying, mainly due to the straightforward writing style. The premise here is the protagonist, Augusta Stern, works in her father’s pharmacy in 1920s Brooklyn, when her mother dies. Her great aunt Esther moves in to help care for Augusta and her sister Bess. Esther happens to possess the gift of homeopathic healing (using herbs) and runs a side business helping those in the neighborhood who aren’t being healed by the traditional medicines Augusta’s father dispenses. The novel alternates between this timeline and 1987, when Augusta at the age of 80 moves into an assisted living community in Florida, where she runs into her teenage love, Irving Rivkin, the pharmacy delivery boy. I really enjoyed the alternating timelines here as they propelled the plot forward. This is one novel I found myself thinking about when I wasn’t reading it, which is the sign of a good read to me! 5 stars.

May 2025–Part Two

June 1, 2025

Book #32:

Sister, Sinner by Claire Hoffman (Length: 384 pages).  In an effort to round out my reading with more non-fiction, I picked up this biography of Aimee Semple McPherson because I had heard that it reads like a novel. Since narrative non-fiction is more my speed this time of year, I picked it up and was fascinated to learn about the life of one of the first female evangelists in the early 1900s here in the United States. The author covers her early life, a 35-day disappearance when she was at the height of her fame, as well as a few criminal trials that were held post her disappearance. Semple’s Four Square Church is still going strong today, and the road to its establishment is truly wild. The first 25% of this book dragged a bit for me but I’m happy I pushed through as this is a truly memorable read. 3.5 stars from me.

Victorian Psycho by Virginia Feito (Length: 202 pages). This is a truly bonkers, very satirical, horror novel about a psychotic governess in the Victorian era in England. Winifred Notty stalks her prey in this VERY graphic novella, but there are some truly LOL moments. This is super-fast-paced (I read in one sitting) and is written by a very self-aware narrator/protagonist. Think the movie Serial Mom mashed up with the classic novel The Turn of the Screw. Well-written and obviously quite memorable. 4 solid stars from me.

Book #34:

My Favorite Bad Decision by Eliabeth O’Roark (Length: 300 pages).  My daughter has Kindle Unlimited and I’ll occasionally hear about a few KU picks and will ask her to let me borrow them. This particular rom-com was mentioned by a Bookstagrammer I follow (Beach Reads & Bubbly) who raved about it so I gave it a try, and I’m so glad I did! Set mostly on a luxury guided hike to Kilimanjaro, Kit (the daughter of a billionaire) and Miller (Kit’s older sister’s ex-boyfriend) are the stars of this enemies to lovers’ trope. This is well-written, the setting is fantastic, and the pair’s chemistry is believably written and off the charts (open door but the scenes aren’t chapters long). This is more memorable than most thanks to the mountain climbing setting and makes for a great, 5-star beach read.

Book #35:

The Road to Tender Hearts by Annie Hartnett (Length: 363 pages).  Going on a road trip this summer? Definitely grab this (sure to be a hit this summer) adorable but with depth novel. PJ is a grumpy Gus with a big heart and an alcohol problem, and ends up taking his grandnephew (Ollie), grandniece (Luna) and his semi-estranged adult daughter Sophie on a cross-country road trip. A death-sensing orange cat Pancakes goes along for the ride. Deep and sensitive topics (suicide, child death, child and domestic abuse and alcoholism–none of it is exploitative or too descriptive) are balanced by a lot of humor (and LOL scenes) and a lot of heart. This is a fantastic novel, and I definitely plan to explore this popular author’s backlist next. 5 solid stars from me.

May 2025–Part One

May 14, 2025

Book #29:

American Wife by Curtis Sittenfeld(Length: 573 pages).  I’ve had this book on my shelves for almost 15 years and I just now have picked it up. I shouldn’t have waited as long as I did because I love it! Loosely based on Laura Bush, this isn’t gossipy, but it is a literary, fictionalized telling of what the author thinks Laura and her life were like. This book touches on only a handful of real-life events that actually happened, one of which is the tragedy that occurred when she was in high school. The writing here is wonderful (no surprise given the author), and I enjoyed all of the details of the character’s life. This is one of the rare novels where I was thinking about it when I wasn’t reading it, and I couldn’t wait to pick it up. While it’s lengthy, it didn’t feel long. A full 5 stars from me!

Book #30:

Maisie Dobbs by Jacqueline Winspear (Length: 321 pages). This is yet another novel that’s been stuck on my TBR list, and this backlist gem is book 1 (published in 2003!) in a 18-book series featuring a plucky female investigator working in London, post-World War I. This was a bit slow to start for me (and I actually set it aside twice) but I’m so glad I picked it back up. Maisie takes on a case involving potential marital infidelity and something about the case occurs that leads her (and the last third of the novel) in a different direction. The author then starts with Maisie’s early years as a child, and this is where the story really picked up for me and I loved learning about what makes Maisie tick. World War I plays a part as does the aftermath of the soldiers’ (and others who served in the war) lives. I really enjoyed this and I’m planning on reading further into the series very soon. A solid 4 stars from me.

Book #31:

Great Big Beautiful Life by Emily Henry (Length: 427 pages).  This novel is vastly different than Henry’s previous novels which are standard rom-coms and beach reads. Here, Hayden and Alice “compete” for the right to write the memoir of Margaret Ives, an icon born into a media empire family, who married a rock star (known as the poor man’s Elvis); Margaret disappeared from public view for decades, so this memoir will make Alice’s career and will cement Hayden (a Pulitzer-prize winning memoirist) as one of the best of his generation. So, the enemies-to-lovers trope competes with a historical fiction book within a book of sorts here, and I think it really works. I also enjoyed the Georgia island setting, and Emily Henry’s fantastic writing (dialogue, chemistry, character development) is on display to great effect. A solid five-star winner for me!

April 2025–Part One

April 28, 2025

Book #21:

The Funeral Ladies of Ellerie County by Claire Swinarski (Length: 267 pages).  This is a sweet, feel-good novel about a group of elderly Catholic church ladies in the small town of Northwoods, who cook massive feasts of casseroles and desserts for every funeral in their town. Esther, one of the afore-mentioned ladies, who is facing losing her family home (due to an embarrassing circumstance) and her granddaughter Iris, are the focus of this book. Both love men who suffer from PTSD and part of this story is about the dynamics that occur in romantic relationships. Those parts aren’t easy to read but the overall story arc is really sweet (yet not saccharine) and this is well-written, with perfect pacing. I raced through it. 4 solid stars from me.

Book #22

Jane and Dan At the End of the World by Colleen Oakley (Length: 368 pages). This is the third novel by this author I’ve read so far, and it’s my favorite. Jane and Dan go to an uber-exclusive restaurant (courtesy of a raffle they randomly won) where a hostage situation develops exactly as Jane tells Jan she wants a divorce after almost 2 decades of marriage. The kicker? The developing situation mirrors her first novel she got published (with lackluster numbers). This is laugh-out-loud funny, very well-written, and fast-paced. The premise is memorable because it’s so unusual. I was smiling during most of the novel. Five stars from me.

Book #23:

You Like it Darker by Stephen King (Length: 510 pages).  King has collated a diverse collection of short stories here. Some are much longer and some are very short, but each is well-written, and I enjoyed each one. My favorites in the bunch are “Danny Coughlin’s Bad Dream” which is about a psychic dream Danny (a high school janitor) has which results in him being accused of a murder, “Rattlesnakes” which is about yes, rattlesnakes, and dead twin boys who won’t go away and “The Answer Man” who is a modern-day genie who answers questions about your life, if you ask them the correct way. King, as always, is such a solid writer, and I enjoyed every minute I spent with this collection. 5 stars!

Book #24:

How to Have a Happy Birthday by Tamar Hurwitz-Fleming (Length: 148 pages).  I was gifted this book (along with its companion workbook) by the publisher. I enjoyed this easy-to-read volume full of ideas on how to reframe how to think of your birthday once you are an adult. The author skillfully helps you to figure out the basis for any negative feelings you may be harboring about this special day via various anecdotes and stories. She parcels out concrete tips on how to “have a happy birthday”. This would be a fun gift idea to a birthday grinch in your life . . . just be sure to gift it to them a month or so before, so they maximize their enjoyment based on these tips.

March 2025

March 31, 2025

Book #15:

Nine Lives by Peter Swanson (Length: 340 pages).  I’ve read a few mysteries by this author, so I was excited to get my hands on this one. This is loosely based on the Agatha Christie novel And Then There Were None in that nine people receive a list of names in the mail with their name on it, and one by one they are killed off by a nameless murderer who remains unknown until the very end. The resolution is interesting but ultimately a bit disappointing after the suspenseful build-up. The changing points of view of the various characters aren’t difficult to keep track of (although I can’t imagine it would be easy to do so in an audiobook version). Overall, I’ll give this mystery 4 stars because I enjoyed the ride.

Book #16:

The Hazelbourne Ladies Motorcycle and Flying Club by Helen Simonson (Length: 433 pages). This is a quirky post-WWI novel set in a town in England on the sea. The focus of this novel is the eponymous club and Constance, a young woman who needs to work to support herself, but who is mingling with female members of society who don’t. This was pretty slow to start (and I almost DNF’d) but my desire to find out what happened to Constance made me pick it back up and I’m so glad I did as the action picks up about halfway through and then I couldn’t put it down. This is a fascination examination of the plight of women who are left jobless and without purpose after their wartime jobs are taken back by the soldiers returning home. The writing is strong and often lyrical and overall, I enjoyed this look at a very specific slice of life and time period in England’s history. 4.5 stars.

Book #17:

A Walk in the Park by Kevin Fedarko (Length: 505 pages).  This non-fiction account of author and his photographer friend hiking the entire length of the Grand Canyon National Park (700 miles!) had me literally gasping in shock the first few pages. What a read!! I adored The Emerald Mile (Kevin’s historical account of the fastest rafting trip down the Grand Canyon) and his skillful writing in on full display once again in this entertaining, harrowing, frustrating and humorous book. I came away from this fully inspired to tackle my annual (and much shorter) hike in the Grand Canyon this month, and I found some fellow readers along the trail who also enjoyed this as much as I did. This would be a fantastic gift for anyone who enjoys adventure tales or books about hiking and nature. 5 stars!

Book #18:

Plainsong by Kent Haruf (Length: 320 pages).  Finding myself in the mood for some solid literary fiction, I finally picked up this National Book Award Finalist (book 1 of 3) featuring a community in the small town of Holt, Colorado. The author skillfully weaves various members of the community together and does it so beautifully here. Characters such as Tom Guthrie, the American History teacher at the local high school and his young sons Bobby and Ike, who have a paper route, causing them to interact with everyone in town. Victoria Robideaux is a young, pregnant high school student, and her teacher Maggie Jones is Tom’s co-worker and Victoria’s savior. My favorite characters, however, are the elderly bachelor farmers, the McPheron brothers, who immediately stole my heart. This novel is memorable, never saccharine and truly is a work of great literature. 5 solid stars from me.

Book #19:

The Other Side of Disappearing by Kate Clayborn (Length: 385 pages).  This is the fourth or fifth novel I’ve read by this author. I believe I got this one as part of the Amazon Prime free books and just hadn’t gotten around to it. This author is known for writing rom-coms with emotional depth and this novel is no exception, Jessie, her 18 year old half-sister Tegan, along with a podcasting duo of Salem Durant (think “Serial” level fame) and her assistant/partner Adam Hawkins set off on a trip to find the young women‘s mother who is believed to have run off with a notorious con man (the subject of Salem’s hit podcast). The plot is a bit confusing in the beginning, but it’s worth sticking with it, if only for the central romance. The chemistry is believable, the romantic developments are realistic, and the novel is really beautifully written. 4 stars from me. (Deducting one star for the slower start).

Book #20:

Tilt by Emma Pattee (Length: 240 pages). This book seems to be everywhere right now. Billed as psychological literary fiction, this short novel features Annie, a 37-week pregnant woman shopping for a baby crib in IKEA when the “Big One” (the Cascadia earthquake–a real-life pending 9.0 earthquake that will decimate the West Coast) hits. Set entirely over the course of one day, Annie tries to walk across the devastated city to find her husband, while alternating chapters flash back to Annie’s life. I am not a fan of Annie at all. I found her to be entirely too whiny and navel-gazing, but I was able to empathize with her and her situation thanks to the very vivid and skillful writing of the author. I literally read this book start to finish in a few hours because I had to find out what happens to Annie and her baby. I found the ending to be unsatisfying initially, but then after a few hours, thought that it had to end this way based on everything that came before. A solid 4 stars from me.