⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ I really enjoyed this book about a boy who‘s a “Terror” because he‘s born with a bird in his chest so he needs to keep it hidden. This was a good coming of age novel - it kind of gave me Perks of Being a Wallflower vibes but for me, this was better.
This was a #gettbr recommendation

⭐️⭐️⭐️ Some of this book worked for me and some of it didn‘t. I enjoyed the humor and it was a distraction which was exactly what I wanted, but I found some of the details gross and not necessary to describe. I got pretty tired of it by about 2/3 through. At times the writing reminded me of My Year of Rest and Relaxation (I enjoyed that one more).

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ This book is a memoir about Casey‘s struggle to become a mother in the late 70s and early 80s when IVF was brand new. Though I didn‘t really identify with her desperation to have a child, I did appreciate her willingness to try something so new, and her openness about her fertility journey.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ I loved this book! There were so many characters and timelines to follow but the author has a way of letting the reader know exactly where they are in each story. I thought the stories were brilliantly woven together and I enjoyed reading each part. I loved All the Light We Cannot See and I‘m so happy this was excellent also. Highly recommend!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2. My sister-in-law read this when she went through a really tough time last year, and passed it along to me this year. Even though the book is about grief and the author‘s personal story of her cancer diagnosis, it‘s such a comfort to read. Plus I love her snarky humor. I highly recommend.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ I loved this book about girls/women growing up in Queens NY. It‘s written as a chorus of voices (reminded me of the Virgin Suicides) and it‘s very effective this way. I highly recommend and hope to pick up whatever she writes next!

Overall: ⭐️⭐️⭐️ 1/2. I really liked the first short story and the novella at the end. The rest of the stories went over my head a little or weren‘t as compelling. The novella was great overall with great characters. It was a little slow in parts but that didn‘t take too much away from the poignancy of the story.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ This was my first Kevin Wilson book and it was really quirky and charming with surprising heart. I remember being about 60 pages in and wondering if I‘m supposed to like the main character. I‘m definitely interested in reading more of Wilson‘s books if they‘re anything like this.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ This is not my typical read, but I picked it up on the suggestion of a bookseller at my local indie. I really enjoyed it! It‘s focus on sexism in the corporate world interested me. I‘d describe it as “brain candy” - kind of a lighter read, easy to breeze through, with just enough tough issues to keep me interested. I recommend!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ I enjoyed this novel about a woman unsure of her choices in life. She questions almost everything in her life, but her relationship with and views of each of her parents were some of the most interesting parts to me. The writing is kind of stilted and detached but unexpectedly funny in places. I picked this up on a whim and I‘m glad I did!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ I weirdly enjoyed this book about a mother who believes she‘s turning into dog. I‘m not a mother but found a lot of this relatable and/or echoing my anxieties over becoming a mother. I liked that it wasn‘t all focused on drudgery but had times of complete joy too. This was definitely surrealist and became more absurd as the book went on. I do recommend for people who like this sort of book!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ This was the perfect weekend read - something that was engrossing and a fast read. A 25 year old guy wakes up to find that a terrible crime has occurred in the house. It‘s a bit dark and gory, but I don‘t want to say too much more because I think it‘s best to know very little ahead of time. I recommend for a medium paced thriller.
This was a #gettbr recommendation.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2 This book is very good. The author has a way of describing so much using so few words at times. I‘m interested in her other books now!
My twin sister and I have a “book club” and this is the second book featuring twins we‘ve read together. It‘s interesting because sometimes I cringe, but I thought this was done well.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ This is a case of right book right time. It‘s a faith based book about anxiety and depression. The author felt like she was speaking directly to me. Highly recommend for those interested in something like this!

Unfortunately I just couldn‘t get into this book. I was so intrigued by the idea.. I read Beautiful Country (a memoir I HIGHLY recommend!!) recently and it had so much depth and reflection, but I didn‘t feel that here. It might just be me and the timing.

⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2 This memoir was published in France in 1945 by Banine, about growing up in Azerbaijan. I can‘t remember the last time I learned so much about culture and history from a memoir. Some parts were a little slow and I didn‘t love her occasional “oh I forgot to mention..” which made it feel even more unedited. Though I felt she wrote with a sense of detachment I found a lot of her younger life experiences fascinating and I‘m glad I read this.

“To my mind, the definition of childhood is very simple: belief in stability and the goodness of the world. Take away that belief, and childhood comes to an end.”

What a time to be reading this memoir about the author‘s childhood, during which Russia invaded Azerbaijan, given the current invasion of Ukraine.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2 I enjoyed this book quite a bit. The prose is pretty matter of fact but effective. There‘s a lot here about modern women in society and motherhood. Not being a mother (or from Korea for that matter), I still identified pretty strongly with this book. The ending was perfect. I definitely recommend!

This was a #gettbr recommendation.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2 This was a great thriller. Some twists and interesting characters.. I couldn‘t put it down and I highly recommend!!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2 This is an important memoir and I‘m glad I listened to the audiobook. It‘s moving and brought me to tears a few times. Also a gorgeous cover. Highly recommend!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ I thoroughly enjoyed this! It was originally published in 1978 and republished last year. It‘s the story of two men who fall in love with two women, but really don‘t understand them. The characters were entertaining and surprisingly funny. A light read but not too fluffy. It was a nice break between heavier, more serious books. I highly recommend!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ This was really different for me on many levels: translated from Chinese, sci-fi, and short stories. I enjoyed many of these stories, and I skipped a couple that weren‘t interesting to me. Overall I recommend!
This was a #gettbr recommendation.

⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2. I really enjoyed the first half of this book. I felt it started dragging a little and I became less invested. The eunuch‘s story line became the most interesting to me. By the end I didn‘t really understand the motivations of the characters and felt conflicted about the ending.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ This book was one my favorites this year. Such a propulsive read with a strong but flawed main character. I could hardly put it down and didn‘t want it to be over.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ This book is one of my favorites this year. His books are slow paced but read so well. I loved the multiple POV and how they give a deeper understanding to the story. Every character felt so real. I felt it slowed a little around 2/3, but picked right back up again. Amor Towles is just phenomenal. - I will read anything he writes.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2 Excellent thriller! Some suspension of belief was required but some good twists in the story as well. I still think The Push is my favorite thriller this year, but this one is definitely second.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ I listened to this on audio which was a great format. It discusses several of the same concepts as The Body Keeps the Score but was easier to understand for a non-psych-major like me. I recommend this for any and all people interested in the way trauma affects us. It‘s absolutely excellent.

My new #gettbr recommendations are in! Some books I haven‘t heard of - I‘m so excited to dig in!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ This has been on my TBR for a while and I finally read it 😅 I enjoyed this book overall. Some parts were slow and I found myself skimming a little. It has some good creepy vibes.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ This memoir was excellent - one of the best I‘ve read this year. It was gut wrenching and opened my eyes to a lot of experiences so different from my suburban midwestern upbringing. It‘s incredibly well written with such honesty. I highly recommend. I‘m sure it‘s also worth a re-read. The audiobook is fantastic.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ This was a nice mix of murder mystery and magic. I enjoyed the setting of post civil war Philadelphia. The pacing felt a little slow at times but I liked the story and the strong main character.

⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2 This was a #gettbr recommendation and I liked it overall. It‘s speculative fiction set in a future where a second civil war has happened in the U.S. and people have rights based on the color of their skin. It was very plot heavy and I prefer character-driven books. It felt long at times but kept me interested.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ I can see why people don‘t like this book but it‘s definitely my kind of book. It‘s speculative fiction which I didn‘t really know I liked until now. The author creates such a real tension in the early part of the book that was impressive. Lots to think about here - it‘s one I won‘t forget.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ This book reminded me why I thought A Gentleman in Moscow was just so good. His writing is fantastic and he writes a strong female main character so well. I think he has an uncanny ability to create a propulsive read but with a slow pace - in a similar way to Donna Tartt. I can‘t wait to read Lincoln Highway!!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ I listened to this on audio. It took a little time to get used the the author‘s cadence (I sped it up a little) but once I did I hardly thought about it. Her use of second person was really effective. Partner abuse is a tough subject and I think this is an important read. I really want to read her short story collection!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ This is a beautifully written memoir about her childhood and her mother. I listened to the audiobook, narrated by the author. She did such a good job of building the story so there was context, and changed to second person so she could cope with writing it. It‘s a heartbreaking memoir but I do recommend it.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ This is a pretty solid pick and it kept me turning the pages. I found it pretty fast paced and unsettling, but not too creepy. There were supernatural elements which I really liked. Overall I recommend it!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ This book strikes a great balance between being morbid and funny. It‘s a great follow up to Stiff by Mary Roach (which I loved) but has more personal experience and opinions from someone who actually works in the crematory/death business. I appreciate Doughty‘s take on the way we handle death and how it‘s not talked about enough in our culture. I have the paperback but actually listened to the audiobook. Highly recommend!

⭐️⭐️⭐️ 1/2. This is somewhere between a so-so and a pick I think. I‘ve had a physical copy for many years but finally listened to the audiobook. The narrator was exceptional, and I loved the first half of the book. It then became a bit too slow in my opinion and less compelling. It‘s beautifully and thoughtfully written. Overall I‘m glad I finally read it!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2 This middle grade book was delightful! I listened to this on audio narrated by Neil Patrick Harris who made it very entertaining of course.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ This is an excellently written story about a family and the characters felt true. I enjoyed it quite a bit but I was somewhat sad at the lack of some resolution.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ This was my first time reading Brene Brown and I‘m way behind but this book is excellent and I think it‘s aged well. It gave me a lot to think about and put into practice. There were a couple times where I would‘ve loved more examples but I appreciate that she doesn‘t waste words. I highly recommend and I‘m happy to find out she is not overrated!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2 I‘ve had this book for years and finally read it. I did a mix of reading via paperback and audio. I feel a lot of the politics went over my head, but that‘s probably my fault as that‘s the least interesting to me! She was a fascinating woman. I‘ve also always loved the movie by Sophia Coppola. ❤️

⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2 The concept is so interesting - six people write letters to someone they care about, including confessions, that are never delivered but are found by others. It took time to get my bearings when I started each letter. The book includes some dark confessions but overall I felt it was almost too unresolved and left me kind of wondering what the point was.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ This is a fascinating memoir that‘s compulsively readable. It‘s beautifully written and she writes with so much honesty. I didn‘t share many of her experiences but was able to empathize with her story. The strength of the women throughout the memoir really shines through. I definitely recommend.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ This is definitely a book where it‘s easier to keep track of the characters if you don‘t set it down for too long between readings. I thought this book was very well written and held my attention until almost the end. I‘m not sure if it‘s just my impatience, but I felt the last section dragged a bit. Overall it‘s a powerful story and an excellent debut. I‘m glad I read it.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ The idea behind this story - the creation of a species from the unborn babies of African slaves thrown overboard ships - was immediately intriguing to me. I did love most of this novella, though it was occasionally difficult to follow. Overall it‘s a powerful novel about history, trauma, and remembering.
This was a book riot #gettbr recommendation.

⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2 This was kind of gross and strange.. I realize it‘s from a stalker‘s perspective so it‘s probably supposed to be. I found some parts really interesting - how he views the behavior of the girl he‘s stalking and how he justifies his own behavior. A crazy premise. It‘s not very uplifting but I did get through it quickly!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ I enjoyed this multigenerational novel overall. It starts in Palestine in the 1960s and switched perspectives, jumping forward through time. I felt that it rounded out some of the characters. Some parts were a little slow, but a lot of it was interesting and well written. Some strong female characters in a part of the world I‘m not very familiar with.
This was a #gettbr recommendation.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ This is a very quick read - as in 79 pages with the introduction and afterward. Set in the early 1930s, this is written in letters between a Jewish American and his business partner living in Germany. Originally published in the US in 1938, it must have been such a warning about nazi Germany. So short but so moving, it‘s easily one of my favorites this year. I highly recommend!!