⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thought-provoking. Difficult at times to read but necessary.

A fun and suspenseful novel told from two POVs: Tessa, the pregnant wife of a fertility doctor whose young son seemed to have recognized a young woman, Regina, later found dead in the canal outside their home and Barb, Regina‘s mother, who doesn‘t believe her death was an accident. Together, Barb and Tessa embark on an amateur investigation to find out what really happened to Regina.

Infuriating, heartbreaking, and another thing I wish we were taught.

I loved hearing about Ypi‘s connection with her grandmother and her search for the truth of her grandmother‘s past. However, a lot of this read more like historical fiction and not an investigative look into the past. I suppose that should be evident by the word “Reimagined” in the title, but I missed it. Still, I knew so little about Albania and its past, that learned a lot throughout the book.

#arc #Albania

This is a hard one to rate. On one hand, it‘s one of the slowest books I‘ve read & took me months to finish. I found the lack of dialogue challenging & it‘s hard to know if it was the writing or translation that made it flow the way it did. On the other hand, this book is steeped in so much richness & culture (specifically that of the Mapuche people of Patagonia/Argentina) that I not only learned a lot, I‘m thankful I read this book.

#arc

This started out really strong, then waned after halfway. Told in Effie‘s POV, we go between present day, where a young girl comes out of the bush muddied & injured, & the past, when Effie lived w/ her family off the grid in the New Zealand bush. I found myself needing answers about the little girl while also engrossed in Effie‘s past. I was a bit underwhelmed by the ending & felt the extra POV later on was unnecessary, but overall a solid debut.

Soft pick. I really wish there was more of Anne.

Enjoyable, but I wish it was longer. I felt it only scratched the surface of something before moving on and I wanted to know more!

#riseupreads

I think this book is a great example of why own voices are so important. There is such an authenticity in the author‘s writing and even while tackling so many topics, it never felt overdone or too much. I loved following Layla on her journey as a Black choreographer and thirty-something woman.

#arc

My second book by Meagan Church and I love how she is not afraid to tackle the difficult and infuriating topics in history, especially those pertaining to girls/women. A challenging and well-written piece of historical fiction.

❤️

A touching and inspirational sequel.

This was way longer than it needed to be.

I wish I would have read this as a kid.

Started off a little slow, but then I got invested and loved figuring it all out.

There‘s a few tragic events in here. It‘s short but it still felt like many things could have been taken out and the narrative would have remained the same.

This book was not for me but I appreciate that for others this will be one that stays with them. While fictional, it shows a window into society in Egypt.

Read for #ReadtheWorld2025 #Egypt

An incredibly brave memoir.

A quick read that‘s fascinating and easy to absorb.

I hesitate to call this a suspense/mystery and lean more toward calling it a domestic drama. While there is definitely secrets and an underlying mystery of what happened, it focuses a lot more on the relationships and coming to terms with what life throws at you. I enjoyed it, but wish there would have been more suspense and build up to the “twists.” I think less POVs could have helped accomplish this.

Stuck &confused, Sadie is experiencing her coming-of-age moments at 35 &on the Camino de Santiago! I loved seeing her grow &learn to accept herself. Mal is her exact opposite but at their core they‘re very similar: fear of rejection &vulnerability, not feeling worthy of the love.
Along w/the side characters &setting (both which made me yearn to go on this trip), I found this a sweet novel w/a touch of romance &a great balance of humor &depth.
#arc

I knew so little about Liberia, its past and its customs. This was an enlightening memoir that is infused with the history of both the author and the country. Highly recommend.

#ReadtheWorld2025 #Liberia

There were parts I liked about this book (the investigation, detective work, learning more about psychic abilities, etc) but there were others I struggled with (some chapters, like Vick‘s, felt gratuitous and only put in to boast about high profile cases). I‘d recommend for fans of John E. Douglas and/or the supernatural.

#arc

⭐️⭐️⭐️

Another great book by Angie Thomas. Thomas does an amazing job with creating complex characters who are dealing with real life issues. I also loved the character dynamics.

Expect the same quirky, silly, and fun ride that Ally Carter gave us in the first book. I read this at the right time as I needed something light and this has a bonus a hint of mystery and adventure and large dose of romance.

#arc

Read on the recommendation of my friend‘s mom. An extensive memoir on Betancourt‘s time in captivity with the FARC. At times it felt a bit sanitized (she seemed to have more issues with fellow hostages than her captors), but I also can‘t imagine enduring what she did.

*small pot in pic is from Cartagena, Colombia.

#ReadtheWorld2025 #Colombia

3.25 Stars

I‘ve read a few books by Bal Khabra and I appreciate how she always balances the romance and humor with deeper subject matters. I liked Sierra and Dylan and really enjoyed the side characters, especially Kian.

I really enjoyed this twisty novel that plays with genres and keeps you guessing. I thought the decision to write it as a mix of a doctor‘s notes and the main characters letters was unique and fit well.

Books count, right??

I collected Beatrix Potter and Boyd‘s Bears figurines as a child. It‘s mostly just books now lol.

#majicmondays

A semi-autobiographical novella that‘s both sad and hopeful.

⭐️⭐️⭐️

#arc

For fans of retellings about women in history. I do wish there would have been an author‘s note at the end that let us know what was based in fact and what was hypothetical/liberties taken by the author.

⭐️⭐️⭐️

#litsyAtoZ #letterJ

Infuriating.

#botm

I can‘t believe September already over!

I read a lot of smaller books this month, but also had higher ratings than the last few months.

#september #stats

How did I wait so long to read James Baldwin? This should be required reading. Now which of his books to read next?

found Janeta to be a more challenging character and not always easy to like or connect with, but I loved her journey and growth. I did connect more with Daniel‘s character and appreciated his point of view and how he reconciled what he‘d been through. As always, Alyssa Cole wrote strong characters and a great story line.

#arc

Such an enjoyable, short, coming-of-age novel. I feel like every girl growing up has a piece of Annie in her. I loved Annie‘s contradictory nature and the simple sentences structure.

#ReadtheWorld2025 #AntiguaandBarbuda

I loved this fast-paced, genre-bending novel that seamlessly switched between POVs and perfectly balanced the science-fiction with the mystery. I enjoyed watching each character‘s story come together and overlap until the aha moment of why we‘re getting each of their POVs.

The only thing that put me off a little bit was Andy. (Slight spoiler in comments.)

#arc

When I saw this was a retelling of The Little Mermaid with an African folklore twist, I knew this would be an exciting read. I found this YA fantasy to be full of adventure, suspense, and mythos, I recommend for anyone who enjoy diverse fantasy reads.

I‘ve been reading Gregson‘s poetry and admiring his photography for the better part of a decade now, so was excited to get my hands on an advanced copy of his latest book. It‘s in-line with his previous works, introspective and filled with both longing and contentment. His photographs are stunning, and I‘d definitely recommend getting a physical copy in order to better appreciate the mixed media in this volume.

When Lorna‘s job makes her take a sabbatical to work on her anger, she‘s forced to slow down &start reconciling her childhood &her work on forgiveness.

I loved so much about this book. Lorna was so relatable &real. She‘s flawed & broken yet as she works through healing, you see her strength shine through too. The side characters were well-developed & the perfect complement to Lorna. The story is a perfect blend of emotions, humor, & depth.

#arc

Incredibly tragic but interesting to hear about people‘s experiences in the aftermath of the disaster.

I listened to part of this on audiobook and it seems the “narrator” was AI generated (by the Voice Clan?) which came across with weird pauses and no inflection in its tone. I don‘t recommended this version as it detracted from reading/words.

Read for #classicschallenge2025 Q3: #plays

I saw the play years ago and enjoyed it. Just as dramatic as I remember.

⭐️⭐️⭐️

I devoured this book. Even with the more serious subject matter, I found it hard to put down. I loved the rawness and realness of both Logan and Mattie.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

#botm

Entertaining.

⭐️⭐️⭐️

#botm

I really liked how this started with something so specific (a sack given to a daughter from her mother) and then zoomed out to look at other enslaved women before honing back in on the item and woman we originally were looking at. It created a thread between each story and they were all so important to learn.

Well-written, informative, upsetting, and inspiring. A wonderful memoir.

#ReadtheWorld2025 #Afghanistan

This dystopian novel which pulls heavily from 1984 follows a book censor as he becomes obsessed in the books he‘s reviewing. It looks at a society where the majority of books are banned and a child having an imagination is considered an illness. The absurdness of it all would be funny if not for how terrifying the parallels to certain things happening in the world.

I hesitated to pick up this book as I wasn‘t sure if it would be too slow for me, but I ended up becoming absorbed in the story. There‘s a lot of heavy subject matter (see: trigger warning), but to me it was equal parts devastating, tragic, and beautiful with a quiet strength seen in the characters no matter which thread we follow.

TW: domestic violence

#botm

I enjoyed this fun rom-com filled w/banter, great friendships, & a sweet story. Mira &Preston are screenwriters &while she can‘t stand him, he doesn‘t feel the same. While at Monaco for work, sparks fly.

The story is peppered w/flashbacks from Mira‘s life &I liked how that shaped everything. There‘s a twist around the 75% mark that I wasn‘t originally excited about but it ended up creating a heartfelt final act that pulled everything together.

An important read. Asgarian primarily focuses on the tragic story of six adopted children who were killed in a murder/suicide when their parents intentionally drove off the road in 2018, but she also zooms out to take a look at the broken foster care and child protection services systems in America. Truly heartbreaking.