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keepingupwiththepenguins

keepingupwiththepenguins

Joined June 2019

Book reviews for the would-be booklover | Blogging all things bookish at https://www.keepingupwiththepenguins.com
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Cat's Eye by Margaret Atwood
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keepingupwiththepenguins
The Catch | Amy Lea
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It might sound like The Catch has a lot of moving parts, but it‘s actually very smooth reading. As a romance, it‘s both swoony and spicy, though a rather slow burn (by my standards, anyway). It‘s well-written and heartfelt without being cloying or annoying, which is a tricky balance to maintain. The Catch is the perfect escapist romance that won‘t insult your intelligence. Full review: https://keepingupwiththepenguins.com/the-catch-amy-lea/

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keepingupwiththepenguins
The Old Man & the Sea | Ernest Hemingway
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This is definitely the one to pick up if you‘re not sure you‘ll vibe with Hemingway and his whole schtick. There‘s a lot less explicit misogyny and ethnocentrism in this one (it‘s still there, but not quite so in-your-face), and it‘s definitely Papa at his most emotionally intelligent and sensitive. Full review: https://keepingupwiththepenguins.com/the-old-man-and-the-sea-ernest-hemingway/

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The Busy Body | Kemper Donovan
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The Busy Body is a solid locked-room mystery with plenty of suspects, a couple of good twists, and very evocative prose. Donovan even leaves a nice little thread dangling for the next book in the series without leaving this one feeling unfinished, a very tricky balance to achieve. Full review: https://keepingupwiththepenguins.com/the-busy-body-kemper-donovan/

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keepingupwiththepenguins
The Concierge | Abby Corson
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Mehso-so

The Concierge does start to drag a bit beyond the half-way point, when things should be ratcheting up, but if you can hang in there, there‘s a Big Twist(TM) to come in the final chapter. You‘ll also have to overlook some clunky dialogue and some major plot holes (no DNA testing?), but it‘s forgivable as long as you‘re as endeared to Hector as I am. Full review: https://keepingupwiththepenguins.com/the-concierge-abby-corson/

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Tampa | Alissa Nutting
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Mehso-so

I struggled to understand the “point” of Tampa, but reading it was an interesting intellectual exercise all the same, analysing my own visceral reactions to it. Proceed with caution. (Of course, if you‘re anything like me, such a warning will only make you want to read it more – godspeed, but be careful!) Full review: https://keepingupwiththepenguins.com/tampa-alissa-nutting/

The_Book_Ninja This book is just wrong😆 3w
Reggie I honestly thought that woman was the devil. And when I finished, believed I had read a book written by the Devil. She was so evil. I love this author and this was hands down a horror book. 3w
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The Fury | Alex Michaelides
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Mehso-so

The Fury is a great idea for a twist on a locked room mystery, but it needed more refinement before going to print. I suspect a few fans of The Silent Patient will love it, but most will be disappointed. Full review: https://keepingupwiththepenguins.com/the-fury-alex-michaelides/

Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks Love this cover ❤️ 3w
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We Need To Talk About Kevin is a truly chilling read. Not horror-movie jump-scare scary, but can‘t-look-away feel-it-in-your-bones unnerving. I found myself totally gripped by it, even though the ending was a foregone conclusion. I “just-one-more-chapter”ed myself past bed-time more than once. Full review: https://keepingupwiththepenguins.com/we-need-to-talk-about-kevin-lionel-shriver/

The_Book_Ninja Great film too. 4w
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keepingupwiththepenguins
The Woman in the Library | Sulari Gentill
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I don‘t want to overstate things, but I think The Woman In The Library is going to be one of the best books I read this year. It‘s a meta-fictional mystery, a book-within-a-book, with two puzzles playing out on the page. This twisty and mischievous novel was a true delight to read. Full review: https://keepingupwiththepenguins.com/the-woman-in-the-library-sulari-gentill/

CarolynM I‘m a Sulari Gentill fan, but I didn‘t like this one as much as most of her others. Have you read Crossing the Lines (republished as Before She Wrote Him) ? I loved that one, as well as the Roland Sinclair series. 1mo
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The Silent Patient | Alex Michaelides
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This might be one you just have to read for yourself to form a complete picture. I‘m not sure it *quite* lives up to the unbelievable hype, but it‘s definitely a decent, pacy read for the next time you want some twists and turns in your literary life. Full review: https://keepingupwiththepenguins.com/the-silent-patient-alex-michaelides/

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Whenever You're Ready | Trish Bolton
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Mehso-so

Before you pick it up, you should check the trigger warnings, as there are quite a few scenes in Whenever You‘re Ready that are pretty heavy going. There was also a lot of inherent ableism that I found really concerning. It wasn‘t a terrible read, but if I‘m honest, I expected more from this “love letter” to post-menopausal life. Full review: https://keepingupwiththepenguins.com/whenever-youre-ready-trish-bolton/

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Mehso-so

Dick takes an interesting approach, then, to dystopian science fiction, writing Do Androids Dream Of Electric Sheep? more in the style of detective noir fiction. Deckhard is the hard-boiled world-weary investigator, tempted by selfish motives (sex, owning his own ostrich) but keeping his cool in life-threatening situations. Full review: https://keepingupwiththepenguins.com/do-androids-dream-of-electric-sheep-philip-...

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Lin offers remarkable insight, her academic understanding of both illness and narrative informing an unusually keen self-awareness. Her experience of mental illness defies the story we‘re comfortable with (“things were bad, then they got better, now I am healed and strong”), and she doesn‘t shy away from that. Full review: https://keepingupwiththepenguins.com/the-night-parade-jami-nakamura-lin/

batsy This sounds super interesting and such a great cover! 1mo
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The Guernsey Literary And Potato Peel Pie Society is a highly readable book, and surprisingly moving. The wide cast of characters is charming and entertaining, and the letter format is used to great effect. Most importantly to me, the war is more than a convenient backdrop – it‘s integral to the plot and the characters. Full review: https://keepingupwiththepenguins.com/the-guernsey-literary-and-potato-peel-pie-s...

Gissy I read it this month...beautiful ❤️ 2mo
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The Italian Marriage | Jenna Lo Bianco
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Mehso-so

If you‘re looking to escape with an easy read, The Italian Marriage will certainly do the job. It would also be the perfect pick for readers trying to learn Italian, as you‘ll frequently have to look up phrases from the dialogue. Full review: https://keepingupwiththepenguins.com/the-italian-marriage-jenna-lo-bianco/

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The Natural Way of Things | Charlotte Wood
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Wood is a masterful writer, at the top of her game in this one, so The Natural Way Of Things is a fantastic read – but it‘s also traumatic and difficult and fascinating and provoking and nuanced and scary and gut-wrenching. Make of that what you will! Full review: https://keepingupwiththepenguins.com/the-natural-way-of-things-charlotte-wood/

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Love, Just In | Natalie Murray
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Love, Just In is a friends-to-lovers romance, with a little bit of heat, a peek behind-the-scenes in a TV newsroom, and a few well-timed public health messages. It's a fun read with a resonant message about health anxiety. Full review: https://keepingupwiththepenguins.com/love-just-in-natalie-murray/

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I Saw a Man: A Novel | Owen Sheers
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Normally, I‘m happy to blow past spoiler warnings to tell you the full story – but the twist in this one is so powerful, so brutal, and so laboriously built up, that I‘ve decided to hold back. Unfortunately, that makes my review a short one, as there‘s not a lot more I can say about I Saw A Man without revealing too much. Here it is, anyway: https://keepingupwiththepenguins.com/i-saw-a-man-owen-sheers/

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The Professor: A Novel | Lauren Nossett
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I loved the Athens, Georgia setting – an unconventional choice for dark academia mystery-thrillers – and the carefully crafted prose. I got strong Tana French vibes, so it would be the perfect pick for fans of her novels. There are plenty of twists and turns, and the last 50 pages absolutely bulldozed my expectations. Full review: https://keepingupwiththepenguins.com/the-professor-lauren-nossett/

Fr3NcHtOaSt Gotta give this a read. Karin Slaughter endorses it and she wrote some of my fav books, the Will Trent series so this sounds like it would be up my alley. 2mo
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The Sellout: A Novel | Paul Beatty
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I laughed out loud reading The Sellout, frequently – but in a way that made me feel oddly ashamed. It‘s a deeply satirical book. I found myself wondering whether it was really “okay” for me to be laughing, given that I‘m clearly not the intended audience, and many of the nuances would undoubtedly escape me. It‘s the taboo that makes it funny, a lot of the time. Full review: https://keepingupwiththepenguins.com/the-sellout-paul-beatty/

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Never Ever Forever | Karina May
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Never Ever Forever might be a great read for an older audience, or readers who aren‘t sticklers for dialogue that sounds like something a human would actually say – unfortunately, it just wasn‘t for me. Full review: https://keepingupwiththepenguins.com/never-ever-forever-karina-may/

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I Kissed Shara Wheeler | Casey McQuiston
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I Kissed Shara Wheeler would be the perfect pick for fans of Sex Education on Netflix, or anyone who considers Taylor Swift‘s Mastermind their personal anthem. I‘m even surer now that McQuiston has a great, long career of writing queer romances ahead of them. Full review: https://keepingupwiththepenguins.com/i-kissed-shara-wheeler-casey-mcquiston/

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Eggshell Skull | Bri Lee
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Eggshell Skull falls into the category of an incredibly good book that it‘s incredibly difficult to recommend to anyone – I‘d certainly say to take great care reading it, even if you think that you‘re unlikely to feel triggered. It will be a five-star read for anyone who enjoyed Roxane Gay‘s Hunger. Full review: https://keepingupwiththepenguins.com/eggshell-skull-bri-lee/

The_Book_Ninja The full review is excellent. 3mo
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The Heart Is A Star | Megan Rogers
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Mehso-so

The Heart Is A Star combines rich and evocative nature writing with a family drama about “the messiness of midlife”. Rogers examines the inter-generational impacts of inherited trauma, ultimately revealing that discovering the truth doesn‘t necessarily mean a happy ending. Full review: https://keepingupwiththepenguins.com/the-heart-is-a-star-megan-rogers/

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Mehso-so

I thought All The Things We Never Said would be more of a thriller, a la A Good Girl‘s Guide To Murder, but it's nothing like that. It‘s more of a cautionary tale with A Message(TM), about the importance of friendship and support for teenagers dealing with depression and anxiety. Full review: https://keepingupwiththepenguins.com/all-the-things-we-never-said-yasmin-rahman/

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Love and Other Scores | Abra Pressler
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Mehso-so

Love And Other Scores has a cute, if fairly standard, rom-com conceit and follows the exact trajectory you‘d expect. It‘s all palatable enough, except for some moments of amateurish writing. The side characters and their relationships with the leads are strong, though, and keep Love And Other Scores on solid(ish) ground. Full review: https://keepingupwiththepenguins.com/love-and-other-scores-abra-pressler/

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Kill Your Husbands | Jack Heath
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We‘ve got swinging! We‘ve got murder! It has the kind of scandalous, ridiculous fun I love in a novel. It‘s perfectly paced to keep you intrigued all the way along. Even though the red herrings might feel a little obvious at times, the pieces of the puzzle fit together nicely in the end. I‘m seriously impressed by Heath‘s skilled hand in crafting a summer mystery. Full review: https://keepingupwiththepenguins.com/kill-your-husbands-jack-heath/

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Women & Children | Tony Birch
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Women & Children is an inter-generational story of inherited trauma and violence, set in working-class suburbia circa 1965. It's a quiet novel about big problems: rage, justice, powerlessness, and complicity. Full review: https://keepingupwiththepenguins.com/women-children-tony-birch/

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The Dry | Jane Harper
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The Dry is remarkably well written. The prose is taut and evocative, a step above Liane Moriarty in my view (though it would certainly appeal to readers who like her books). I will concede, though, that most of the plot twists were very predictable. Full review: https://keepingupwiththepenguins.com/the-dry-jane-harper/

thegreensofa Lol I spotted the rotary hoist bit too. Great review! 🤠 4mo
CatMS I am a huge fan of Jane Harper and really liked "The Dry" as I do all her books. Aaron Falk is a favorite character too. 4mo
Ruthiella I think her later books are better than her debut. 4mo
MrsMalaprop I read this when it first came out. I recall it was a ‘like‘ but not ‘love‘. Agree the writing was good, and for me one of the rare times the movie was better than the book. 4mo
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Check & Mate | Ali Hazelwood
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Even though Check & Mate will probably be shelved in the Young Adult section, I‘d call it New Adult – and it‘s definitely adult enough to interest older readers. It‘s a well-paced romance novel, with enough sparks flying to keep the pages turning. I also loved the family relationships and the dialogue that plays out between Mallory and her loved ones. Full review: https://keepingupwiththepenguins.com/check-mate-ali-hazelwood/

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The Secret History | Donna Tartt
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The Secret History is as good as everyone says it is. Its enduring popularity is entirely deserved. I‘ll be joining the ranks of Donna Tartt fans, hanging desperately onto hope that a new novel is coming from her very, very soon – she‘s past due! Full review: https://keepingupwiththepenguins.com/the-secret-history-donna-tartt/

Ruthiella She is due now to deliver her next novel! Come on Donna! 😂 4mo
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The Teacher's Pet | Hedley Thomas
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The Teacher‘s Pet is a comprehensive and interesting account of the unravelling of Chris Dawson‘s crimes – but a revolutionary work of true crime literature? Not so much. Full review: https://keepingupwiththepenguins.com/the-teachers-pet-hedley-thomas/

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The Five is a fascinating and insightful read, one I really wish I‘d got to sooner. If you‘re on the fence about picking this one up, let me be the one to tip you over to the side of “yes”. True crime readers will likely find it dry and scant on grisly details, but hopefully will recognise the reason for that and understand its importance in the broader context. Full review: https://keepingupwiththepenguins.com/the-five-hallie-rubenhold/

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Emmett | L C Rosen
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Mehso-so

As much as it wasn‘t quite for me, I can see how Emmett would be a fine, cutesy read for young adult romantics getting their first taste of Austen-esque stories. Full review: https://keepingupwiththepenguins.com/emmett-l-c-rosen/

CarolynM The Erin Gough blurb makes me want to read it, though. I loved 4mo
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Sybil | Flora Rheta Schreiber
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As a book in and of itself, Sybil is pretty good. Some of the language is Of A Time, there‘s a lot of outdated commentary and applications of psychotherapy, it needs a big time trigger warning for abuse and mental illness, and there's a lot of controversy about its accuracy - but I was gripped by it. Full review: https://keepingupwiththepenguins.com/sybil-flora-rheta-schreiber/

BarbaraBB I read this ages ago but can still remember some horrible abusive parts of it 🥲 5mo
keepingupwiththepenguins @BarbaraBB I think it will take a long time to cleanse them from my brain 🫣 4mo
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Edenglassie | Melissa Lucashenko
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Lucashenko has called Edenglassie her “big book”, and I can see why. I have no doubt that another Miles Franklin nomination (and probable win) is in her future. Blak joy, tragedy, and righteous rage all play out in these pages, with the same wisecrack cheek that punctuated her previous book Too Much Lip. Full review: https://keepingupwiththepenguins.com/edenglassie-melissa-lucashenko/

BarbaraBB Interesting. I enjoyed 5mo
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The Factory | Hiroko Oyamada
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Reading The Factory really took me back to my undergrad days, studying sociology and arguing about Marxism in workshops. I went to bed that night dreaming of baguettes and the bourgeoisie. I‘d recommend it to any fellow pinkos, and fans of Sayaka Murata or Yoko Ogawa. Full review: https://keepingupwiththepenguins.com/the-factory-hiroko-oyamada/

batsy Great review! This one is waiting for me on my shelves. 5mo
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Green Dot is also full to the brim with dark, wry humour. I loved it. I laughed out loud, a lot. I particularly enjoyed the fun little meta nods to the format that Gray sprinkles throughout the narrative. The only thing that struck me as unrealistic was the fact that Hera‘s office didn‘t hot-desk. Full review: https://keepingupwiththepenguins.com/green-dot-madeleine-gray/

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Luster: A Novel | Raven Leilani
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Luster‘s content, on the whole, is pretty discomfiting and I‘d imagine there‘s a large segment of readers who won‘t be inclined to it 😬 But for those of us who are willing to sit with the discomfort and let Leilani take us where she wants to go, it‘s a very worthwhile read. Full review: https://keepingupwiththepenguins.com/luster-raven-leilani/

Ruthiella I thought this was great. I can‘t wait to see what the author writes next! 5mo
Reggie I really enjoyed the relationship between the wife and the MC. That guy was a hot mess. 5mo
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Pearl | Sin Hughes
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I must admit, I went in making some assumptions that were way off base. With that title – Pearl – and the blurb referencing a young girl and her mother, I assumed it was some kind of adaptation or allusion to The Scarlet Letter. If you‘re assuming the same, let me disabuse you of that right now and save you a bit of confusion! Full review: https://keepingupwiththepenguins.com/pearl-sian-hughes/

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Well Met | Jen DeLuca
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Well Met is very easy to read. Emily‘s sunny nature makes for delightful narration (without ever becoming grating), and the plot is perfectly paced. Sure, the characters get a bit Extra at points, but it‘s a romance novel. That‘s *expected*. Full review: https://keepingupwiththepenguins.com/well-met-jen-deluca/

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Even though I read Writely Or Wrongly cover-to-cover in one sitting, I don‘t think that‘s necessarily the best way to use this book. It‘s one to flip through for an overview, then keep on hand to use as a reference text or a cheat sheet. It‘s even got a great Index at the back for your convenience. Full review: https://keepingupwiththepenguins.com/writely-or-wrongly-joanne-anderson/

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Queenie | Candice Carty-Williams
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Queenie is, I think, emblematic of an interesting direction in the New Adult and Romantic Comedy categories – books that look like the light-hearted reads we remember, but actually have hidden depths. It‘s difficult to “enjoy” a book like this, but it‘s still highly readable and surprisingly insightful. Full review: https://keepingupwiththepenguins.com/queenie-candice-carty-williams/

The_Book_Ninja This book is one of my wife‘s top 5. 5mo
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Nothing to See Here | Kevin Wilson
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I thought this novel was going to be along the lines of Veep, but it was more like My Brilliant Friend – except more humorous and pithy. So, I guess I‘d call Nothing To See Here contemporary feminist fiction meets political satire with a speculative fiction element. That‘s one heck of a combination, I know, but Wilson truly nails it. Full review: https://keepingupwiththepenguins.com/nothing-to-see-here-kevin-wilson/

coffeenebula I loved this one sooo much. 🔥 6mo
KT1432 I loved this! 6mo
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Borderland | Graham Akhurst
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Mehso-so

Borderland is an intense speculative eco-horror YA novel. It felt oddly dissonant to me in that the content is fairly mature, but the language/prose skews a little young. The pacing is also a bit odd; it has a slow build, then a rapid-fire resolution. As for the story itself, I really liked how Akhurst depicted differences and division within the First Nations community. Full review: https://keepingupwiththepenguins.com/borderland-graham-akhurst/

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Bound to Happen | Jonathon Shannon
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It‘s a sweet opposites-attract romance, with fun arts vs science content, but honestly what I enjoyed most was its familiarity. Tom and Sophie go to so many places I know, and drink at so many bars I‘ve frequented, it was like talking to someone I know IRL about how they met their soulmate. It ends a little abruptly, but it was still all-around a delightful read. Full review: https://keepingupwiththepenguins.com/bound-to-happen-jonathon-shannon/

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The Visitors | Jane Harrison
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The Visitors is a particularly thought-provoking read with the forthcoming Referendum in Australia, and I doubt the timing of its release is an accident. I highly recommend it to all Australian readers – and all international readers who want to know more about our history, come to that. Full review: https://keepingupwiththepenguins.com/the-visitors-jane-harrison/

LeeRHarry I‘ve had my eye on this one - good to know you recommend it. 6mo
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I loved reading Trace as much as I loved listening to the podcast initially. Sure, it broke my heart and turned my stomach at times, but that‘s the reality of what happened to Maria James and her family. I live in hope that Brown‘s investigation, which is ongoing, brings some answers and closure for the James boys, and everyone else impacted by this horrific crime(s). Full review: https://keepingupwiththepenguins.com/trace-rachael-brown/

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Masters of Death | Olivie Blake
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Mehso-so

This would be a great pick for fans of Erin Morgenstern and young adult fantasy readers ready to bump up into the books-for-grown-ups category. The tone is irreverent but somewhat self-consciously so. I found it pretty hard to sink into, before I even got to the Rube Goldberg machine of a plot, but maybe I just haven't read enough urban fantasy (or fantasy full stop). Full review: https://keepingupwiththepenguins.com/masters-of-death-olivie-blake/

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Mehso-so

If all you know about Shirley Jackson is The Lottery, or her novella We Have Always Lived In The Castle, the other 24 stories in this collection will come as a bit of a surprise 😳 Most of them are just weird, maybe a little unsettling, more so than spooky or scary. They‘re much quieter than I was expecting, and on occasion a little… well, blah 🤷‍♀️ Full review: https://keepingupwiththepenguins.com/the-lottery-and-other-stories-shirley-jacks...

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The Vitals | Tracy Sorensen
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I love a memoir with a twist, a unique approach that up-ends your expectations. The Vitals evokes Chris Flynn, or Laura Jean McKay – Australian authors who de-anthropomorphise perspective in their writing, with a healthy spoonful of humour to make the searing insight go down. Full review: https://keepingupwiththepenguins.com/the-vitals-tracy-sorensen/