Can you really call something a "whydunnit" if you still haven't revealed who was killed, let along who did it a quarter of the way into the book?
Ultimately, this was quite predictable.
Can you really call something a "whydunnit" if you still haven't revealed who was killed, let along who did it a quarter of the way into the book?
Ultimately, this was quite predictable.
A little chewier than I expected based on the cover and what a strong debut! Cheeks does a beautiful job with developing Willie's character and exploring all the different facets of her life as she's navigating things with the Forgiveness Act.
The structure of this was too intriguing for me to pass up, though in the end, it didn't end up being my cup of tea. Perhaps I'd have done better if I hadn't chosen to read one chapter a day?
Finally sat down to catch up on my reading journal and do my February #readingwrapup. So much reading in February!
Holy ####, this was so good! It probably had something to do with the six cups of whole milk?
I‘ve never seen the pasta shape called for in the grocery store so I used another recommended shape and there wasn‘t enough. Next time, I‘d do 1.5x the amount of pasta and freeze half for another dinner. This also reheated way better than any other Mac and cheese I‘ve ever made.
Eighth recipe for #MtCookbook
More jam, always more jam!!
Fourth recipe for #MtCookbook
Fifth recipe for #MtCookbook was not baked goods! This was overly oily so I‘m keeping the recipe but dropping the oil drastically next time. Oh, and I couldn‘t be bothered to seek out broccolini but using broccoli was totally fine.
This was the ultimate banana bread! I pulled frozen bananas from my freezer and I think I should have given them a quick blend before adding to the batter because they were a bit lumpy and sunk to the bottom but the flavour was so good. New standard banana bread recipe found!
Ninth recipe for #MtCookbook
I‘m super behind on my #MtCookbook posts! I made these brownies back at the beginning of Feb and they were pretty good! I did use a different size pan (I think they would have been too thin if I used the size in the recipe) so they needed a lot longer in the oven but otherwise worked well!
My seventh recipe done!
A powerful read. Oluo digs deep into history to explain how we got where we are and the dangerous path we‘re still on.
Roll 76 for #Roll100
This could definitely have been shorter and I was annoyed with how a major event was unveiled but overall, I liked the story and really enjoyed the strong sense of place Morton created.
Bring on March! Did I read a tonne in February? Yes! Was it all from the library and not anything from my #BookSpin list? Also yes. Am I regretting putting 30+ new releases on hold and not reading from my shelves? Never!
March isn‘t going to be my month either, but hey, it‘s fun to pretend.
I really liked what Appiah-Kubi did with updating the P&P storyline, she made the story fresh & interesting, adding her own ideas without losing the original story. I particularly like what she did with the Jane & Bingley storyline! But when she took things past the original P&P story, the pace really shifted and it felt like the story was dragging. But this is definitely one of the better adaptations that is around!
Roll 50 for #Roll100
I needed a palette cleanser after my last read so I turned to this sweet little graphic romance. Mari and Hazel are separated in their youth but reunited 50 years later - the art was so lovely but the story moved a little too quickly in places for my taste. Another 10 pages would have really helped with that.
DNFing at 300 pages because of the absolutely unnecessarily graphic depictions of violence.
Seriously. I can‘t believe how much buzz this book has and NO ONE seems to be talking about the particularly graphic gun violence.
This was an interesting one because early on, I felt like I could really tell when Quinn was writing and when Chang was writing but either I got so sucked into the story that I couldn't tell anymore or the meshing of their styles improved. Either way, I loved getting a more thriller-like story from Chang and a more character-driven story from Quinn. I hope they collaborate again!!
Oh shit.
Well, I guess this is what happens when you have 35 books on hold. And only one is renewable!!!
I‘m not a brittle fan and I don‘t handle spice well but this is right up my husband‘s alley so I made it for him to take on his ski weekend with his buddies. It didn‘t have a lot of kick to it but the spice is sprinkled on top so easy to adjust for taste!
#MtCookbook (6th recipe made!)
I love a good dysfunctional family thriller and this family is dysfunctional AF! Marshall has some good layers here, leading to a couple of possible conclusions and while I did think I knew who did it pretty early on, she had me second guessing myself a lot. A good one to keep you turning the pages!
I see why this is compared to the Secret History. I liked the little bits of philosophy, religion, etc. that were peppered in through Ari's lessons but it did get to be a bit too heavy b the end. And while the book isn't light be any stretch of the imagination, it gets REALLY intense & dark at the end, which makes for a page-turner but also kinda leaves you feeling like you've been punched in the face.
My Jan #BookSpin
Hey #MtCookbook friends... It took me a while but here's a Google doc we can use to share recipes! Hopefully it won't take too much time to update. If you don't have a URL for your recipe, snap a photo and throw it at the end of the doc and I'll take care of linking it :)
Feel free to add all the recipes you try or just the ones that people ask for.
https://docs.google.com/document/d/16Ult3c_4oBXJRxZNySTk3neLRh-twMpFRof3hdpTZtY/...
Does Janice Hallett need any new friends? This was such a fun book. I love how Hallett uses the epistolary style to unfold such an intriguing mystery and does it with such humour & style! Hallett is such a unique writer and I can't wait for her next one.
Wow, I loved the way this unfolded! It‘s more like a series of short stories that form part of the larger mystery but still have their own resolution. Over the course of the book, there is a subtle shift to more of a traditional narrative. It‘s just so well done, I love how each of these Kaga mysteries is a little different!
With this finished, I‘m caught up on the Detective Kaga mysteries! First series done for #SeriesLove2024
Huh. This has such a strange structure that just defies description. It works, giving such depth to Coral‘s story, but it can be hard to stay in the story. I liked the Wildfire excerpts the best, oddly, and I think if this had been longer, I‘d have better appreciated & understood the way Blackburn was telling the story.
I‘m moving slowly this month but got my #FebruaryTBR sorted.
I don't get it.
This is definitely the earliest I‘ve ever done my #readingwrapup! I had a really strong start with January for my reading but it kinda tapered off. I want my early Jan momentum back for February!
I have no idea why I put this on hold because I‘m not much of a middle grade reader but this came in for me at the library and it sucked me in!
What a beautiful way to tell a story, the stream of consciousness approach worked so well. The lighter moments & poop stories helped break up the heavier aspects, which were told so well.
A strong debut but there was some inconsistency in the writing - generally, it was really easy reading but Parekh would throw in words here & there that didn't seem to suit (like arrhythmic to describe a pounding heart.) But she really shines with how she sets a scene, creating such a strong atmosphere, I kept looking out the window expecting to see rain.
Just missed my last #JoyousJanuary goal by 50 pages with this! There‘s always next month.
I probably should have known better than to pick this up. I definitely preferred the second half with more of the fallout/impact of the relationship than the time at Browick but I can‘t say I enjoyed this (if one can even say they enjoyed a book about statutory rape…)
Roll 83 for #Roll100
2/2 #BookSpin or #Roll100 books for #JoyousJanuary and 5/6 overall
Hey #MtCookbook friends!
Everyone is posting such delicious photos of their cooking and I just want to try so many of the recipes!!
If I set up a shared doc, would people be interested in sharing the recipes they‘ve tried with some commentary (like if you‘d make any changes next time - that sort of thing)? We‘ll keep it simple - a link if available online or a photo of the recipe and a short note
Tagging folks in comments, tag anyone I miss!
Higashino constructs such an elegant resolution to the opening murder, which is both simple & insanely complicated all at the same time. I particularly like how we follow multiple detectives as they pursue their lines of inquiry, really showing how complex a case this is. And the writing is just so crisp & precise!
2/3 library books (and 4/6 overall) for #JoyousJanuary AND progress for #SeriesLove2024
This was dark & gritty but rather ho-hum until the last 50 pages and then it just took a wild left turn and I finally understood the hype. It's a very, very slow start, though.
1/3 library books (and 3/6 overall) for #JoyousJanuary
While the story was engaging, the over-production of the audio made this less than enjoyable. The sound of the pages turning was distracting and I didn't find the narrator had a particularly good American accent.
But, it got me in the Christmas spirit as we drove to my in-laws for the holiday 😛
As I do every year, I have undertaken a strict 2-out-1-in policy to try to get my TBR under control. And also as I do every year, I went nuts during late-in-the-year sales at the end of 2023 and put myself seriously into deficit before the year even started since I was already very much behind on the 2-out part of the policy. Oops.
Wow, what incredibly precise & pointed writing. The construction of this was absolutely fascinating. The murderer is arrested before page 100? Love it! Unravelling the motive slowly for the rest of the book? Love it!
I'm just so disappointed that only 4 books of the series have been translated so far. It's easy to see why Higashino is such a success in Japan!
#SeriesLove2024
Rich People Problems are right smack-dab in the middle of my wheelhouse and this one did not disappoint. I love yelling at people while they make questionable choices - and there were a few in Pineapple Street - plus this had some great humourous moments, with my absolute fav when Tilda made a few calls to the country clubs!
Meh. I can‘t remember why I was excited about this but it‘s been on the shelf since 2018. It was fine but it just feels Pollyanna-ish given the current state of American politics (especially that epilogue…)
Roll 19 for #Roll100
1/2 #Roll100 or #BookSpin books for #JoyousJanuary (and 2/6 overall)
I think I need to concede that Fates & Furies was a one-off Groff.
This was interesting and unique but I didn't go absolutely nuts for it the way most people are. I felt the same about the Matrix. So I think I might need to take Groff off my must-read list.
I haven‘t read Lawhon before & I realise now how big of a mistake that is. Lawhon beautifully balanced giving voice & power to strong women with the historical aspects - without feeling forced or fake. And, there were some lovely light moments scattered throughout the heavier, darker story line.
But I forgot to read the author's note before I returned this to the library. Happily, it shouldn't be too long before I can get an eBook to read that!
I think this should have been longer? It's quite introspective and I would have liked more interaction between Joan & her colleagues, family & neighbours. But it was very insightful, exploring a lot of issues for a relatively short book.
1/1 (and 1/6 overall) MMD or Stacks book club book for #JoyousJanuary
Third recipe done for #MtCookbook
These were pretty labour intensive so won‘t become my everyday brownie recipe but they are so tasty! I would increase the jam next time since our jam has big chunks of fruit to have a stronger jam flavour but otherwise, SO GOOD! (And yes, Anna Olson does say to not use jam with big chunks of fruit but I‘m loving it when I bite into one!)
We‘re supposed to get walloped with a storm tonight, which means I‘ll be a #snowboardwidow all weekend, which means SO MUCH TIME TO READ! So I‘m diving in to #JoyousJanuary with the the goal of 6 books:
📚 3 Library books
📚 2 #BookSpin/#Roll100 books
📚 1 MMD or The Stacks book club book
Thanks for hosting, @Andrew65
This was on pace to be a 4- or 5-star read but I didn't love the "twist" - I saw it coming and it shifted the tone of the book. I didn't care for the ending, it felt like it belonged to another book. That being said, Cassandra was a wonderful character to spend time with, I admired the way Smale made Cassandra's neurodiversity A thing but not THE thing.
And I want to spend time in Cassandra's closet. It sounds amazing.
My #DoubleSpin for Jan.
Quite interesting, as Adam Grant always is, but a few days later, I'm remembering the case studies but not much in the way of the content...
There were a few times I found the time jumps confusing - I wasn't sure where I was or who I was with - but aside from that, this was a great family saga read with excellent narration from Bahni Turpin.