September faves: In Light of All Darkness and I Contain Multitudes. Both were fascinating non-fiction reads.

#september #monthend #bookreport

This is a story that should be wrought w/emotions but it felt surface level. It lacked a depth. It was told almost clinically, &parts where I should have been indignant or crying, I just felt like I was reading a report of events.

Emily is being tried for manslaughter of a family of 4 after leaving the stove on when she babysat. The whole trial was extremely messy &Emily‘s sole character trait is that she wants to be friends with a popular girl.

I find memoirs and essays from immigrants and other countries so important and enlightening. Here, Khakpour uses her voice to show how being a refugee and Middle Eastern in a country that has a tumultuous past with both has shaped her. She explores her identity of being Iranian and being American and how she can love and struggle with each at times.

#arc #memoir

Soft pick.

I liked the plot, but there was so much unnecessary things in here; it could have been shorter. Also, the word “said” is used way way too much.

⭐️⭐️⭐️

#botm

This book is laugh out loud funny, filled with plenty of heart, &wholly relatable.

Sasha‘s toxic workplace causes her mental health to take a turn, so she goes out on some R&R. She chooses to go to Rilston, a small town full of nostalgia from her childhood summers &new friendships in the form of Finn, another guest staying there for burnout, &the hotel staff who were quirky and caring. Slowly she heals, but not w/out some mishaps along the way.

Rachel Krall is back, this time looking into a string of killings that the police believe to be connected to a man about to be released from prison. I enjoyed unraveling the mystery w/ Rachel &getting the multiple POV allowing for us to have more insight into what‘s happening.

I had to laugh that the last two mysteries I read had a character w/ a rare medical condition that made them smell. I don‘t think I‘ve ever seen this in a book before now.

Utterly fascinating. I never knew I needed a book about microbes but this was so informative and easy to comprehend. Highly recommend.

A great mystery where my opinions were constantly changing. I love procedural based books, especially focused on forensics. A solid start to a series. But wow, being written in 1990, this was certainly a blast from the past: smoking indoors everywhere and all the time; casual homophobia; limited technology (omg the computers); DNA in its infancy. I‘m excited to see how Scarpetta navigates through all of this as she solves new crimes as I read on.

2.5 Stars

I‘ve seen a few reviews mention the similarities to The Hunger Games and other fantasy novels, and I would agree. While an interesting premise, nothing felt new; it all felt regurgitated from the many other fantasy series already out there. I did think it set up a second book well, though.

#botm #fantasy

I love enemy to lovers and work place romances so when I saw this had both, I knew I had to request a copy; I wasn‘t disappointed. I loved Alex. I loved his willingness to be open and vulnerable and have the girl be the one slower to trust instead. This had the perfect blend of witty banter and depth. Highly recommend this debut rom-com.

#arc #romance

I‘m finding it hard to focus on my current reads right now even though I am enjoying Love Interest (struggling with Immortal Longings), so I‘m starting the tagged book in hopes a mystery will draw me in.

#weekendreads

Well this book title is certainly apt. I‘ll admit it took me a long while to really get into this as I couldn‘t see how all of it would come together, but once all the little secrets were revealed, I liked how everything fit and it made for a good story.

#arc #mystery

A modern retelling of Beauty and the Beast that was sometimes a little too on the nose. It lacks the chemistry the first book in this series had, however, it was still enjoyable and great escapism.

⭐️⭐️⭐️

#netgalley

This was one of the most well-researched true crime books I‘ve read in a long time. As opposed to many others, which center around the perpetrator or the victim, Cross shines a light on the investigation itself and highlights the techniques, protocols, and people who shaped it and ultimately changed some of the ways law enforcement works child abduction cases. I found the insight into the case procedures informative and interesting.

#truecrime

While I thought the writing was great, I did find the story itself slow. I don‘t think having Nathaniel Hawthorne be a part of the plot was essential. He could have been any man and Isobel‘s story would have been the same.

⭐️⭐️⭐️

#botm #historicalretelling

Tash, a freelance journalist, begins researching the death of a young woman, Sophie. She slowly realizes her investigation intertwines with her new life & the affluent mothers of her son‘s playgroup. As she navigates around what is true, she finds herself sucked into their world while also becoming more obsessed with Sophie‘s case.

I love a book with a ton of tiny twists and reveals that keep you guessing and this book certainly had that!

#arc

August seemed to last forever, so I was surprised to see I only read 11 books this month! I think The Wake-Up Call was my favorite, but it was a close call!

#auguststats #monthend

If you enjoyed Drunk History and History of the World, then you will love this. For each day in a year there is a historical anecdote that shone a light on a lot of moments in time I either didn‘t know or forgot about. Fell does an amazing job with bite sized chunks of history told in humorous and sarcastic ways. I laughed out loud many times; however, it was also very informative. There was really no dull moment while reading this.

A great coming-of-age story about a biracial teen who is trying to find her identity while navigating being a teenager. I found Navaeh real, flawed, and honest in her search for belonging.

#arc #ya #contemporary

Thought-provoking and informative.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

#history #sociology

My #weekendreads. I have to go be social tonight, but I‘m hoping for a few good hours of reading tomorrow. Enjoying all of these so far.

It‘s always hard to know how many recipes to try before reviewing a cookbook, but when you start gaining weight from all baking you‘ve done, I guess that‘s a good sign. I‘m an awful cooker & an okay baker, yet I love cookbooks.

This cookbook has a dessert or sweet for everyone. There‘s cookies, cakes, bars, pies, & breads. Kartes does a great job explaining each step & I found the recipes easy to follow.

What a great enemy-to-lovers rom-com. While it had some of the traditional tropes, it still felt refreshing & new. The story takes place around X-mas, but even for a grinch like me, it was enjoyable & created the right atmosphere.

Izzy and Lucas both work at Forest Manor Hotel, a whimsical but ramshackle hotel in England. I absolutely loved the dichotomy of Izzy and Lucas‘ personalities, and the side characters provided such depth to the story.

Thanks for the tag! @Born.A.Reader

1) The Replacements probably; it‘s been a while since I‘ve seen it though.
2) Book Club: The Next Chapter
3) Hoping I‘m successful in my new job!

#wondrouswednesday

Esmé returns home 2 her small town 2 find her HS BFF has been murdered outside her yard in the woods. Det. Rita Myers is in charge of the case & struggles 2 find leads.

Told in dual POV, it allows us to gain insight that would have been missed w/only one POV. Even so, I still kept changing my mind on who I thought did it! I think everything unfolded perfectly, making it hard 2 know who 2 trust & keeping me turning the pages 2 find out the truth.

The whole time I was reading this, I kept thinking of J.P. Delaney‘s book, The Perfect Wife, as it had a similar vibe. However, the differences made it so I was kept on my toes about what happened to Lou. I really enjoyed the journey until the end. It was lackluster and not fleshed out well. The “why” is missing.

⭐️⭐️⭐️

#botm

It‘s been a whirlwind of a month, but I finally have free time this weekend, so I‘m hoping to finish at least two of these!

#weekendreads

Written by the journalist who wrote Columbine, I went into this expecting the same hard-hitting, deep dive he produced there. However, here Cullen focuses on the survivors of the Parkland tragedy & how the event spurred them to create a movement. While still emotional, & definitely inspirational, it didn‘t affect me quite the way his book on Columbine. I did learn new facts & am in awe of these teens (now mostly adults).

A poignant novel about what two teens do after getting the call that it‘s their last day alive. I can see why so many people love it. I just had trouble connecting to the characters and the emotion behind the idea.

#14books14weeks2023

I read Legacy by Kane years ago and remember liking it, so I was excited to have an opportunity to read her latest book. This falls somewhere between family drama and domestic thriller.

Ultimately, I think this book was trying to do too much and would have preferred slightly less of Hallie‘s internal thoughts and snooping and more suspense by developing the unfolding of the secrets more.

*Not in Litsy Database

Eloquently written with equals amount introspection and information, I found this insightful into Obama‘s rise in politics through his first term as president. I will say that at times it got a little too policy heavy which made those parts go a little slower. However, I also found myself laughing in other areas so it rounded out well. I also loved the moments when he spoke as a dad and about fatherhood.

#president #history #memoir

I normally don‘t post non-book related stuff, but I am so excited that I had to share: I accepted a job offer today! My current place of work has been incredibly toxic, and I am so happy to get out. The only downside is I have to move my library to the living room b/c the job is remote and I will be putting my desk here. Now for the challenge of culling my books and moving all of this.

#newjob #library

I struggled some at the end of the month, but looking back it was overall a good reading month.

The Only Plane in The Sky takes top spot.

#julyreads #julyrecap

My second DNF of the month and the week. I just felt that this was maybe a little sensationalized about complete strangers telling her their secrets and her responses to them. I seem to be easily irritated this week by people‘s decisions, fictional (The Wishing Game) or in reality (this one).

#dnf #botm

This was such a powerful hitting book filled with uncomfortable situations and unlikeable characters which made it unputdownable. The only thing that kept this from being a 5-star read was the ending.

One day I will read and finish a #camplitsy23 book while we‘re actually discussing!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

DNF at 15%

I couldn‘t get over Lucy promising a little boy she‘d adopt him when it wasn‘t a sure thing. Or why she wouldn‘t get a second, part-time job to help get more money. I didn‘t get far enough in to tell if I‘d like Hugo, but thus far he wasn‘t anything special. On to the next.

I buddy read this with a friend. This is such a powerful and heartbreaking book. It takes the oral history of those directly a part of that fateful day and puts them together in a chronological timeline. Hearing the firsthand accounts of the survivors, of those who lost loved ones, and of those who chose to risk their own lives to save others…I teared up many times while reading.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

#history

This was darker and more twisted than I thought it‘d be, given that the premise is that our narrator‘s brother was accused of rape. It‘s a sad tale about a dysfunctional family who has everything money can buy and yet still takes intangible things from the innocent.

3.5⭐️ #botm

For fans of No Reservations and Raising Helen. The premise is similar. What I enjoyed is that both were working through the challenges life throws at you & together they make it out better.

Bryce‘s three nieces were so well fleshed out and multidimensional for side characters. I felt the way their grief showed and how they processed things were nuanced and honest.

This is the third in a series but can be read as a standalone.

I can always rely on B.A. Paris to write a good domestic drama with some suspense mixed in. I figured out the twist pretty early on, but there were still some small ones that got me. Alice was a little naive in my opinion, but overall a great read!

⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

This was enjoyable! A lot happens and I‘m curious to see where the series will go after so much was smooshed into the first book.

⭐️⭐️⭐️

#timetravel

This is getting a pick from me, but I‘m still struggling to become fully immersed in the story. I like Celaena‘s and Rowan‘s story, but I don‘t care for Manon‘s, Chaol‘s or Dorian‘s. I‘m really hoping this is a series that when I get closer to the end, I have an OMG moment and it all comes together and I end up loving it.

⭐️⭐️⭐️

Sarah buys an infamous house where a murder-suicide happened 40yrs ago. As mysterious things begin to happen, I felt myself lose the grip on reality in time with Sarah‘s spiral. She‘s the perfect unreliable narrator, w/ a secret past & hidden issues that slowly come out. I never knew what was real & what I could trust. There are so many twists & a whole lot of psychological manipulation in this book; I was guessing until the end what would happen!

Spoiled heiress Lexi and downtrodden mechanic Evan switch places after a bet proposed by his niece goes viral. Neither is expected to last in the others world.

Overall the story was…meh. I couldn‘t connect to either of them and I longed for more depth. A lot felt surface level and great opportunities for more (Evan is the guardian of his niece, Lexi was abandoned my her mom) were sadly glossed over and given limited page time.

A good thriller, albeit predictable. Chloe is in a car accident & wakes up with no memory of her past or who she is. Between her dysfunctional and manipulative family and her isolation from most everyone except her dad‘s colleague (both psychiatrists), Chloe struggles to find the truth of what happened that night and who she was before. Not everything is as it seems and the more she remembers, the more she realizes there‘s a lot she doesn‘t know.

3.75 Stars

Powerful and thought-provoking.

#14books14weeks

A serial rapist who has been dormant for a few years returns to Austin & soon escalates to murder in San Antonio. Det Jack Bruner enlists the help of genetic genealogist Rowan Healy to try & identify the UNSUB & capture him before he strikes again. I really enjoyed the police procedural part of the story as they hone in on the suspect; however, I could have done without the romance between Jack & Rowan as I didn‘t feel they had any real chemistry.

The premise of this book was intriguing: a husband‘s mistress is murdered in his cabin & his attorney wife chooses to defend him. As evidence come to life, the truth seems hard to find. The thing is, everyone in this book is batshit crazy. It‘s like their id & superego are fighting & the former is continually winning out. Ultimately though, I found myself strangely liking this novel even as I shook my head at it.

⭐️⭐️⭐️

After Graham is injured in a climbing accident, his roommate, Claire, takes care of him. They also just started a friends with benefits relationship and as can be expected, they develop feelings for each other. There was some cute banter and I enjoyed the character growth both Graham and Claire had. My biggest issue was how formulaic is was to the friends to lover trope. There really wasn‘t anything new here I hadn‘t read before.

#arc #netgalley

June was an amazing reading month! Tons of books, most of which I liked or loved. The Love Hypothesis was my favorite, but I would honestly recommend so many of these.

#junestats