This one has been staring at me from my shelves for several years and I finally read it! I really enjoyed the Cold War setting as well as the dual storylines in both the US and Russia. I did find it a little uneven, dragging in places, so it‘s a low pick for me. And look at the pretty surprise under the jacket!

My #aardvark pick this month. I think the selection of books and book types is good, but I‘m a little perplexed at the decision to choose 4 books that are already published before the picks dropped, @AardvarkBookClub . I‘ve already read one, am reading another, and have a third on hold, all from my library. One of those I would have added to my box if it hadn‘t pub‘ed yet. 🤷🏼‍♀️

This one just isn‘t grabbing me, so I‘m out. I think this is me, though, not the book.

Brutal, wholly engrossing, and with compelling characters and story, this no holds barred critique of the prison system and, frankly, white supremacy is one of the best books I‘ve ever read. It absolutely took my breath away.

The dog stuff is cute, but otherwise this book is terrible. I will never read this author again.

This book is actively bad. Paper thin plot with a one-dimensional character. I typically enjoy an unlikable character when they inform the story or you come to understand why they are who they are. There‘s none of that here. This feels like a self-centered writer believing their own press and failing to deliver because they can.

The best memoirs open a door into a different world, teaching the reader about a different kind of life while showing a shared humanity and relatability. That‘s what this book does. It‘s absolutely phenomenal. I‘m so glad it was chosen for #camplitsy23, as I‘m not sure I would have read it otherwise, and I‘m better for having done so.

A group finds an anomaly on a planet that could only have originated from intelligence, sparking a debate on what to do next. This is a taut, claustrophobic story made even more compelling by the audio (which uses sound effects to excellent effect, and I usually don‘t like them in audiobooks). I didn‘t want to stop listening. I‘ve heard of Paolini but never read him before but would definitely read him again.

Ruthy Ramirez disappears at 13, but 10 years later, her sisters believe she has resurfaced on a trashy reality TV show. While following their efforts to reach to this woman, we also see the lived experiences of the women in the family—sisters and mother. I really enjoyed this.

Oh man, this one is painful. I LOVED Real Life and Filthy Animals, so I was SO excited for this one. But it just never grabbed me. I even restarted it after listening to the first third then setting it aside for a few days. I feel like there are moments of brilliance, but it‘s a bit flat overall.

I heard Klune on a podcast mentioning this book is darker than Cerulean Sea or Whispering Door, and he‘s not kidding! I‘m glad I knew that going in. Otherwise, I really enjoyed this story and the sociopathic robot nurse is one of the best characters I‘ve ever read—I loved her!

I tried, but I just cannot get into this. The writing isn‘t interesting me at all—it feels bloated and as though it‘s spinning in circles, with no plot and no character development. I‘m out.

In 1811, the Richmond Theater burned to the ground during a performance, killing 72 people. We see this event and it‘s immediate aftermath through the eyes of 4 characters. I found this book engrossing and propulsive. I just loved it. Also, be sure to read the author‘s note at the end where she details the fact in the fiction.

I didn‘t know a whole lot about butterflies, but now know some interesting facts and a couple of mind blowing ones (structural color—wow!). Really interesting, accessible read with a gorgeous cover. #NaturaLitsy

I have a lot of empathy for Harry. In a world where his family is constantly hounded by the press yet often unwilling to respond to media stories, his choice to tell his own story is understandable. There‘s definitely some spin visible in places, but I‘m pretty sure we all do that. Glad I listened to it, but given how petty William comes across as, by opinion of him is diminishing.

I‘ve been dragging my feet on writing my review on this because I‘m not really sure what happens in it. That being said, I really enjoyed this in all its weirdness and found it really engrossing. And it has the funniest tampon scene I‘ve ever read. But I‘m going to guess it won‘t be for everyone.

I have mixed feelings about this one. On one hand, Lacey has created a dystopia that is such a fantastic social commentary on our current moment that I want to shout it to the stars. On the other hand, she has made the character of X so extra that she speeds right past believability into eye rolling territory. I‘ll give it a pick for the brilliance of the dystopia, but it‘s a low pick.

Aretha, a law associate at a huge NYC firm, meets Aaron and they really click. When Aretha decides to move in, she has to contend with his survivalist roommates. What a great premise, but this book doesn‘t deliver. The prose is bloated with lots of tell instead of show. There are some flashes of social commentary in here that could‘ve been great, but it‘s just not well fleshed out.

I feel I can count on Barry to be wild, wacky, and funny, and he certainly didn‘t let me down with his latest novel. Some craziness in the Everglades with a little skewering of social media thrown in to boot. I loved it!

Everyone raves about this book, but it didn‘t quite work for me. I thought the setting of Belfast and the background of the troubles was done really well, but I was never grabbed by the central storyline, which made the whole book fall flat.

Two storylines unravel side by side, following Lexie and Elina as they move through various major events in their lives. I thought I knew how the stories related, but I gradually understood it was different than I thought. After I got into both stories, I really enjoyed this.

An interesting look at the rise of the KKK and how one grand dragon, a violent misogynist, was ultimately brought to justice. I felt this was a tiny bit too long and gave too much time to this horrible man, but it‘s an interesting read. And an important one, too, given the too many parallels to our current moment.

This engrossing story follows two booksellers in the same orbit as changes are happening at the bookshop. Slater injects fantastic nuance into these characters, making you question who you should be rooting for. I thought this was superbly crafted and can‘t believe it‘s a debut.

This interestingly structured book starts with a woman writing her tragedy into a novel. This book in the book is then the thread that connects the rest of the story, as we see how it touches the lives of different people. It‘s a really lovely tribute to the written word, though I finished it a week ago and I already feel it isn‘t going to stick with me.

Very excited that my #aardvark box has arrived. I‘m thrilled about both of these choices, for very different reasons!

The only thing I love more than a new Samantha Irby book is Sam herself reading it to me on audio. I just loved this. Lots of snort laughing plus appreciation that she‘s so willing to share the parts of herself most people wouldn‘t. And the way she would rewrite old Sex and the City episodes is a hoot!

Pretty sure this is my favorite quote in the whole book, though there‘s lots of competition. I think other childless by choice folks like myself will appreciate this one. 😂

The second book in Blake‘s next gen Buffy series is a great follow up! It‘s not quite as good as book 1, but still for sure a solid pick. Many demons known from the show pop up in this one, which is fun. She does a good combination of resolving certain story lines and giving hints to what‘s coming. I can‘t wait for the next book!

I love a good shipwreck or mutiny story, and this has both! Grann is such a great writer and crafts a great narrative story here that‘s completely engrossing. And as far as the audio, I need only say two words: Dion. Graham. 🤩

I saw this at the library and thought it might be fun but it ended up a bit meh. But then, it‘s a book about dating in your 20s by an author self-described as “on the wrong side of 25,” so this reader on the wrong side of 45 might not be the right audience.

The man convicted of nearly killing Naomi when she was 11 has died, prompting her to go back home. But she starts to wonder if he was really her almost murderer. This mystery takes off from there on a very satisfying ride. I was able to guess some twists but not others. Engrossing read!

Most of this is a fun, silly, horror-lite story of a dark force arising in a suburb, which I enjoyed. But I was really bothered by the insidious thread through the book of judging women‘s bodies and choices. It‘s layered in there as though this is a perfectly normal and acceptable way to look at women, and that‘s so bad. I just can‘t give this book a pick for that reason.

Penny is at loose ends when her husband leaves her and her whole life blows up. She ends up following the wind a bit in a madcap adventure involving some very interesting people. This is whimsical and funny to balance the sad parts, but it‘s also a bit uneven in the writing, starting oddly flat and not so much ending as just stopping. Low pick for me.

This tour de force novel sets you down with Zora in Sarajevo, as war slowly descends and siege sets in. It‘s visceral, stark, harrowing. A tremendous book that I did not want to put down. This will be one of my top books of the year, without question.

Nicole goes missing and her aunt travels from the UK to Nigeria to try to find out more, discovering that Nicole‘s husband and his family don‘t seem to care very much that she‘s gone. Dual timelines show Nicole in the past and her aunt searching for answers and illustrating the social structures in Lagos. This didn‘t grab me immediately, but I gradually became fully invested.

While I enjoyed reading this book, I found it mildly disappointing. It was easy to predict where it was going and how the storylines would intersect. I also feel like the author was trying to end it with a bang, but it fell flat for me.

I like Sittenfeld but rom-coms aren‘t my jam, so I figured this would be a mixed bag for me and it was. I did find parts of it quite funny, but I find the genre predictable in ways that don‘t work for me, and that was true here. I wouldn‘t have picked this up if not for Camp Litsy, but at least I didn‘t hate it!

In You Know Her, we get the side by side stories of a murderer and a burgeoning detective, both dealing with the depths of misogyny in a rural Virginia town. The murderer‘s reasons for killing (we learn this and her identity early) are frighteningly relatable. I liked how chilling this was. Very good thriller.

Anna works housekeeping on weekends at the hotel attached to her rez‘s casino and is a high schooler during the week. But then things change a bit when she‘s asked to do some special jobs at work and continue to keep her head down. This is a little slow to start, but a good exploration of the exploitation of Native women and girls as well as a conversation about gender fluidity. This is an adult novel, not YA, and it‘s quite good.

In 1986, two people in the Seattle area died of cyanide poisoning. This book shows what happened along with the eventual trial of the person charged with the murders. The story here is super interesting, but the writing in the first third or so is convoluted and poor. It evens out later, but as this is a reissue, I think it should have been reworked. Ultimately, I was really captured by it, so low pick for me.

This book was a little disappointing. There are multiple storylines that do ultimately come together at the end, but I think it was overly ambitious and a bit messy. I was only really pulled in by one of the storylines and another is a bad ripoff of Interior Chinatown, a far superior book. I nearly bailed. I think Chong has a lot of talent, but this needed more work.

My only interest in the coronation was to look at some of the pictures of attendees and I spotted this superior book game from the crown princess of Greece (who looks just thrilled to be attending!). I knew Littens would appreciate this! 😂

Wilding tells the story of a couple‘s decision to rewild their enormous 3500 acre property rather than continue intensive farming. It‘s quite interesting to follow how they went about this and why certain decisions were made as well as the early results. However, the book does bog down a bit in a few places and the author leans a bit too heavily into confirmation bias.

This book looks at the Romanov story by focusing on the 4 daughters. We get a look at their gilded cage and an idea of their personalities, as well as a bit about Alexandra. Engaging writing that I really enjoyed. This pulls from their letters and writings as well as other sources.

A prominent man in Dingle is murdered, prompting veterinarian Dimpna Wilde to return home, as her parents have been implicated. This is a well-plotted mystery with lots of characters and potential suspects. I really enjoyed it and am happy to have discovered this new to me author! (Plus, what a gorgeous cover!)

Wedded Wife looks at marriage and it‘s history from a female, feminist, and often queer standpoint, from proposals to weddings to divorce and more. I found this book engaging and interesting. I definitely learned a few things. Publishes later this month.

I‘ve been dragging my feet on my review, as I‘m not sure what to say about this one. I enjoyed reading it, but I feel like it was a little too subtle. The structure is interesting, employing the second person effectively, but it lacked the punch I was expecting. Between pick and so-so.

Ivy has been working hard to get by when she answers a mysterious summons to a solicitor‘s office and discovers she is the heir to a great house in Yorkshire. She discovers there a tremendous library but quickly finds odd things happening. Great premise, but it sadly doesn‘t deliver. I wish this had been reworked a bit and that the author hadn‘t relied on very obviously keeping things from the reader/protagonist.

If there‘s something that I love to read, it‘s a societal critique that really sees who people are. Conklin does that here in a hilarious fashion, skewering the ridiculousness that can be a middle class suburb. I absolutely loved this!

At the very start, a child is dead and an au pair accused. While that central mystery frames the story, it‘s ultimately not needed, as this is an exploration of women in the community, be they mothers, daughters, or au pairs, and their lives of quiet desperation. I ultimately liked this, though the end was a bit weak. If you need to like characters, this is not the book for you. A low pick for me because of the weak ending.