I liked the first book in this series. The second felt like forced quirkiness - especially when it came to the main character, Phaedra. The mystery was fine - I guessed the killer, but not too early.

I love Madeline Miller books and this feminist retelling of Ramayana ably scratches the same itch.

I‘m not sure I was waiting on a time travel romance starring Nathaniel Hawthorne. I really liked the structure of the book and the way the beginning and end work together. It was a quick read, definitely more enjoyable if you‘ve read The Scarlet Letter.

80% two dimensional coming of age story, 20% murder thriller. Not for me.

Ess wakes up with amnesia on a boat in the Pacific Northwest. Who was she and why can‘t she remember? I liked the setting and cli-fi elements of this slow burn thriller, but far preferred the secondary characters to Ess and her personal journey. Between a pick and a so so

I haven‘t been to NYC in 11 years but you can feel the love for it on every page of this fantasy novel.

Excellent reading view (with a window seat no less!) for this excellent fantasy novel ❤️

When you forget your commute book at home so have to pick up a new book

Equal parts fascinating and terrifying. I don‘t know what 2024‘s #CanadaReads theme is, but I‘m already hoping this wins.

It was completely bonkers and yet I couldn‘t put it down.

I‘m not usually into non-linear audiobook narratives and I loathe ‘suicide as mystery‘ storylines. And yet I really liked this book. It‘s totally not a ‘me‘ book, but I really felt like it worked.

Giller Time! Giller longlist is out today. I first saw the list when I was out running errands. These two books coincidentally followed me home #gillerprize

An incredible raw horror novel. It does not flinch - despite oh so many trigger warnings. I love how committed to the darkness the author was. And yet the ending felt a smidge rushed.

Not what I planned on reading today (or even this month) but my hold came in and I was pretty quickly sucked in. The story moves quickly but ultimately there‘s not much depth to the narrative. The audaciousness of his crimes is shocking, but that‘s about it for me.

Dragons! Rebellion! A bit of smut! A shocking ending that sets up a sequel! A fun summer read.

A Russian mother and her Black daughter live in poverty and have a fraught relationship as the daughter comes of age.

Read during a week where my screen time soared to six hours a day, I wanted slightly more tech from this story. It was very intricate work and I enjoyed it. Will reread to see the connections i may have missed.

I liked Pod. Ea and Google were interesting characters; the wrasse subplot less so. At first I found the use of anthropomorphic terms unsettling, but once I got used to it, I really got into the book.

A soft pick for this quick read chunkster.

I liked the will they won‘t they more than the resolution. The ending really didn‘t agree with me.

Milena lives a life of relative privilege behind the Iron Curtain. After a terrible tragedy, she finds herself intrigued by a visiting British poet and defects to the UK.

I love an absorbing historical drama and this one did not disappoint.

Always excellent illustrations and creepy ideas I‘d never thought of. The title story is a standout!

Two tween girls experience first love and loss in this touching novel in verse.

This read like it was trying to be Schitts Creek-y. While the characters were largely endearing, I wasn‘t sold on the mystery.

I liked the main character and the episodic structure of the book. For some reason it took me forever to read / listen to this relatively short book - and I can‘t put my finger on why I wasn‘t fully engaged. A light pick.

An entertaining look at being a female doctor in the 1400s in China. I learned a ton and heard a good story as well.

Jess is called home to Australia to attend her ailing grandmother, Nora. Jess gets drawn into a web of family secrets - some of which I guessed, others that surprised me. I always really enjoy Morton‘s books.

What an absolutely brilliant ride. (And there were snake handlers in the book so the image works.)

Really compelling unlikeable main character driven to almost unbelievable lengths to gain and maintain relevance as a published writer.

I haven‘t audiowalked in ages and this book helped me get back into it. I liked the setting - historical mystery set in rural BC. I liked the main character too - maybe because it was only the first book in the series, I wanted to know so much more about her. Both the mystery and romance fell flat for me.

Super fun, twisty, gothic thriller that had me guessing (and second guessing) right to the end

Super speedy but predictable thriller about a not particularly techie pen tester who becomes a suspect in her husband‘s murder. It was fine.

I liked the dual timelines and the connection between them. Really enjoyed the Orlova storyline in the earlier timeline. Wasn‘t always sold on Kazimer and Sveta‘s relationship, but still a pick on the whole.

Did an excellent job of capturing the formless intensity of new adulthood

Between a pick and a so so for me. I really liked the second part of the novel with Connie and Ethan, but wasn‘t keen on the first or third part. The Junie and Ida bit I kinda sped read because it didn‘t seem to fit with the rest of Bob‘s character.

This one wasn‘t for me. A then and now thriller in which neither timeline was particularly propulsive. I knew who ‘the bad guy‘ was early on - I just didn‘t know exactly why,

A solidly enjoyable summer read; the tale of three generations of the Weyward family. The male characters were largely 2D and the ending felt a bit rushed, but I still enjoyed reading these women‘s stories and the connections between them.

An excellent read: a social Justice thriller with interesting characters and a strong connection to FKD.

A compelling memoir about looking for answers and questioning the family you thought you knew. Excellent writing - I‘m sure it took a ton of work to organize the fragments into this whole, but I loved the shape of the book.

Timely and compelling. There‘s a rawness that makes me think Elliot wishes it weren‘t important he tell his story now.

Such a fun big-hearted beachy read

Really gorgeous cover and I‘m drawn to ‘the dark side of suburbia‘ drama. This one was predictable and the characters weren‘t ones you‘d root for. I‘d have liked more insight into what made the husbands tick - even though that wasn‘t the point. They seemed there purely in service of the plot.

Big fan of Rowley‘s storytelling. I was expecting more crying on my part, but still excellent.

This reads as Paolo Coelho- inspired horror fantasy. It has a lot going for it, but the dialogue / narrative voice read a bit flat too me for the emotional grappling Alejandra was going through. Great concept.

Short Miller is better than no Miller at all. Write more, please

I think novellas are super tricky to do well; this one was excellent.

This could have been so much longer and more detailed and I‘d have been fine with that.

Super easy to read, Irby tells a good story. Unfortunately too many of the essays seemed fragmented to me and I wasn‘t equally interested in all of the subject matter - not super into poop.

The concept was interesting: a white man wakes up black. The writing was too vague for me to fully engage with the story or characters.