My first Kobo read in ages! I loved Light‘s look at Hallelujah. My expectations were simply to high for this one. My kids love Fleetwood Mac and I know what‘s brought them there so this didn‘t feel all that fresh.

My first Guy Gavriel Kay in ages. A really enjoyable tale of political intrigue without having to make time for an epic series.

My first Louise Penny! I really enjoyed this one on audio - even though I guessed the murderer. Lots of interesting tidbits about the community, archery, and art.

As a teen, I was in awe of Plath. As an adult, I‘m a Swiftie. It was interesting to think of their respective bodies of work in relation to each other. Some of the insights were ones I hadn‘t considered. I loved the idea that Eras reframes women‘s journey through life as different than: childhood, marriage, motherhood.

Two sisters with special powers find themselves pitted against the ghost of Bluebeard. Utterly delicious.

I like all of E Lockhart‘s books though nothing matches the joy of reading We Were Liars for the first time.

My second or third Pavone and I think his novels simply aren‘t for me. There was nothing wrong with it per se, it just felt like a bit of a missed connection between me and it.

A 10-year old kid narrates this story of a summer vacation, complete with a missing kid mystery, and intense friendship, suspicions about a parent‘s affair and more. It‘s pretty jam packed but only feels rushed toward the end. A light pick

What a life Atwood has had! I really enjoyed reading the parts she chose to share with us (though wish I‘d done the audiobook as she narrates). A treasure.

This is obviously my favourite non-fiction read of the year. Oodles of behind the scenes stories - especially from the crew. A little more from the cast would‘ve been ideal - maybe for the sequel? I was hooked and will definitely reread.

Aliens land in Alberta and change the lives of Victoria BC‘s residents in ways both subtle and profound.

Solid narration by Saskia Maarleveld kept me listening to this one despite the so-so story. The central metaphor simply didn‘t work for me. There was a lot going on and I‘m kind of curious to see how a different editor would‘ve shaped this story.

I had absolutely no idea this post-apocalyptic read would be so damn good. I‘d never read Winton before and he is an incredible storyteller.

A most excellent reread. Not as much about Nero as it is about Agrippina. On to Tyrant!

Please keep in mind I‘m not objective. I have listened to the Lemonheads every single day since I was 15 or 16. The story of Evan‘s charmed and troubled life. I was surprised by how relentlessly well-connected he is.

I think this atmospheric novel worked particularly well on audio. Thematically packed. Maybe a tad overhyped.

I very nearly slept on this #gillershortlist title and it‘s a total five-star read. Casper goes home and has to confront A LOT: his dad‘s nascent dementia, his unresolved feelings about his twin‘s long ago disappearance, feelings of unbelonging, and conflict about his own identity. At times it reads like a family drama, at times like a thriller. Wholly beautiful.

An unexpectedly amazing debut that I heard of thanks to #netgalley. Aleys lives in 13th century Belgium and is called to a religious life. She unwittingly finds herself a pawn in two brothers‘ desires for greatness.

I love fake dating romances and the relationship between these two men did not disappoint. What did disappoint was the reality show backdrop. It wasn‘t fleshed out enough for me to feel invested.

I‘m not normally huge on fairies. I really enjoyed the setting of this one though - it was perfect for November.

I am pretty sure the last time I read a Grisham novel was when the movie with Susan Sarandon came out (The Client?). #netgalley gave me the incentive I needed to try another during last week‘s sick day. It felt uneven to me. The first half was pretty gripping and I wanted Simon to run screaming from the widow. Then things took a pivot with the court case and I was way less interested. It was like two different books. 5/10

I started this book immediately after finishing the show Dept Q - which had me rapt. It was maybe too soon to visit the same storyline again but I really enjoyed the book too. So grim.

A compulsive and morally complex work with thriller elements. It‘s rare I‘ll read 400 pages a day, but I couldn‘t put it down.

Alluring cover. Intriguing world-building. Quirky gargoyle sidekick. Sweet budding romance. Devastating villainy. I‘m in for Book 2.

I have read a fair number of Follett‘s books and this one was good but not great for me. For a book about Stonehenge, it wasn‘t Stonehenge-y enough for me. Absolutely loved the audiobook narration by Richard Armitage though. A high so-so, soft pick

A snail biologist takes on sex work to fund her mobile lab. And then things got really interesting. One of my top three reads this year.

I‘ll read anything Boulley writes. I wanted more of the MC reuniting with her family and the ending felt a bit rushed, but I still loved it.

Love fake dating but werewolf sex scenes apparently give me the ick 🤷‍♀️

I am utterly the target audience for this book. (Pictured here in our Moscow apartment just 2 years after the book was set). It‘s such an incredible (yet true!) story about a very unstable period of Russian history. With Muppets.

What an absolutely gorgeous love story. Edgar sees ghosts and keeps himself at a remove from the world as a result. Jamie creates haunted houses. They both have trauma to work through and they absolutely belong together.

Scratches the True Crime itch without any of the oogey feelings about sensationalizing a person‘s horrid death.

Raise your Vitamin Waters, there‘s a new Gossip Girl in town.

Things were bad and then they worse, then wayyyyy better, then wayyyyy worse. I loved it. Szalay‘s super sparse writing makes this an easy read despite the heaviness of some of the subject matter #manbooker25

Nena is the headstrong daughter of a landowner. She loves Nestor, a vaquero. Their romance is the central plot of the book. Vampires and political tensions feature less prominently. A strong pick.

I very much enjoy hockey romance. My favourite part is always when the hockey player realizes they need therapy and goes to therapy. If you write a hockey romance and the hockey player gets mental health support, I‘m pretty much guaranteed to love it.

Absolutely not for me. I‘m a no on the reverse harem, a no on hot for teacher, and a yes on the Hunger Games-y vibes of the first 1/3.

There are few things as delightful as a new Osman novel. Was the mystery his best? No - but I don‘t think it mattered a whit because the book was so like a warm hug.

Amy, a middle-aged, cuckolded, stepmother and dog rescuer with a relatively privileged life travels to Georgia on a whim to find a lost dog / find herself / avoid dealing with her possibly over marriage.

A tender love story between a sentient alien plant named Stasia and a trans man named Graham. Also a cracking alien invasion story. Huge thanks to #netgalley for access to this audiobook. The solo narrator ably did this chunky page turner justice.

Fact: we‘re six in to the series. Either you devour it, or you don‘t. I do.

A sweet romance. He was an apple farmer who made a rolling ladder for his home library. He would‘ve been perfect had he not made a hybrid using a Delicious x Pink Lady Apple. Unforgivable to this apple connoisseur

A timely read about unpleasant characters with unfortunate logic. I‘d say this barely hangs together as a novel and praise the writing and evocative characters- especially Lenny. The first and last sections are super tight but there‘s a lag in the middle.

#netgalley gave me early access to the audiobook. The narrator was incredibly easy to listen to and it was a short meditative listen about the hidden depths of a nail salon owner known as Susan. Because it wasn‘t a plot driven novel I‘d be more inclined to recommend it in print.

I so appreciate #netgalley giving me early access to this prequel by one of my favourite favourite authors. I LOVE Bunny and wasn‘t sure it needed a prequel - the work speaks for itself. For the first third of the book - when the Bunnies tell their side of the story - I thought my suspicions were true. Once Aerius (the OG himbo bunny) starts telling his story, I was hooked back in. Not as comfortable with dark ambiguity as its predecessor still 👍

A bittersweet account of one manchild dealing with a breakup he didn‘t want and didn‘t see coming.

A super odd choice of commute listen on my part. Centred around the question, “Why do you write?” Toews delves into her family trauma and her joys, her past, her community. I loved it. It was very short.

Culpability relied a bit too heavily on coincidence toward the end and was a smidge more heavy handed than I‘d like, but was still an excellent, timely read. Lots of good bits about raising teens. Lots of thought-provoking arguments for and against AI.

I bought this YA fantasy for the incredible cover. Dani escapes after being wrongly imprisoned and seeks revenge. I liked the magic system and was blindsided by the twist.

I do not know why I continually do this to myself. I‘m not the target audience for dead estranged dad books.

Imagine Joe from YOU as a geriatric woman who just wants to retire from the murdering already. She has bingo to play and snacks to make for church socials. Yeesh - can‘t an old lady get any peace?