I felt March was over in a blink. However, reading Bridgerton feels like a lifetime ago, so I guess a lot of time did pass. My reading continues to be random and a mixed bag. There is a VERY promising list of books I’m planning on reading in April, so stay tuned if none of this matches your tastes (or I have successfully steered you away from a couple of these duds).

Total Books: 12
Physical: 4
Audio: 6
Mix: 2
DNF: 2

Genre: Regency Romance (one explicit scene)
Format: Audio/Physical Mix
Rating: 4.25/5

Well, Violet Bridgerton, we did it. We married off all of your children! The eight books in the original series were unique and funny in their own way, but she saved the best for last. This “stop the wedding I love her!!” plot was such a fun ride. I was seriously going to be a sucker for this series finale and toss it a 5 star rating, but she had to screw it all up with childbirth trauma in the epilogues. Boo, groan, ugh. So close!

Genre: Contemporary Romance (Just Flirting!)
Format: Physical
Rating: 4.75/5

My issue with Abby Jimenez books has been that she writes absolutely lovely books and then drops dramatic/painful issues into the middle of the fun. But in this short story, she barely had time to make it complicated! There was only time for CUTE! (Other than the stalker issue, but it was resolved and sped up this romance.) Two neighbors come together and fall in love when their apartment stairs are removed by accident. It’s aDORKable. I would have gladly taken a full book on these nerds (or their sidekick friends!).

Genre: Thriller/Mystery
Format: Audio
Rating: 1.75/2

Miserable people get stuck in a cabin after an avalanche. One of them is a killer. It wasn’t bad enough to quit, but I *was* rooting for a second avalanche to wipe them all out and just end the book already. Oops.

Genre: Contemporary Romance (Closed Door)
Format: Audio
Rating: a generous 2.5/5

I loved the set up and loathed the second half. There was cute banter, but the fun female lead turned into a wishy-washy whiner and the pacing was all over the place. Plus, it just didn’t make sense? She says they can never be together because the universe is against them and chaos happens whenever they are together….but they pretty much had a two-night stand where a few minor inconveniences happened? He’s perfect, she’s a mess, there’s only one bed, and she lets out the breath that she didn’t know she was holding multiple times. I didn’t hate it, but it wasn’t good.

Genre: Nonfiction
Format: Physical
Rating: 3/5

I got a new job! I read this for work! It was fine!

Genre: Thriller
Format: Audio
Rating: 1.25/5

Yes, this was an extreme rating. But any book that makes me rant to my husband for a solid ten minutes when it’s over gets an extreme rating. For the second “thriller” in a row, I could not find a single character to root for – and I would have been okay with no one getting out alive. Ouch. The people were miserable, the reality show premise was ridiculous, and the twists were unsatisfying.

Genre: Sci-fi/Thriller
Format: Physical
Rating: 4.25/5

Fun Fact! I quit this book about a decade ago, because no new mother should read this book. It starts with infant/child death, and there is plenty of suspense and gore throughout the story. My postpartum hormones made me believe the idea of dinosaurs invading my nursery was an actual threat, and I quit within the first chapters. Which is why it’s good to remember timing and mood are very important elements to reading! Fast forward several years, and I found this to be captivating. It was like watching a different version of the movie – some things word for word and other elements completely different. I’m glad I picked it up again. Also: nobody bring back dinosaurs, okay??

Genre: YA Fiction
Format: Audio
Rating: 3.75/5

If you had a middle grade student that loved Wonder, this would be a great next step. It does a great job demonstrating empathy for differences, and I enjoyed the overall writing, humor, and style. However, I also thought that it tackled way too many issues (main character is a girl born without arms, being the new girl in school, best friend has Tourette’s syndrome, befriends “the fat kid”, and more!). It’s like 80 after-school-specials. However, the worst part is the adoption subplot. I will spare my rant, but it really didn’t make sense.

Genre: Thriller
Format: Audio
Rating: 1.5/2

This genre is like reaching into a bowl of Jelly Bellys blindfolded. Every now and then I get the coveted fruit punch. However, for the month of March, I’ve grabbed all buttered popcorn – where you want to like it, but it’s pretty gross. This one was full of mental health disorders, child abuse, and unlikable characters. I yelled the twist to my husband at 41% and confirmed it at 83%. It was annoying.

Genre: Fiction/Mystery
Format: Physical
Rating: 4.5/5

YES. This is my favorite book in the series, because it was a reset (for the series and for my reading this month!). It recapped all the antics in the first books but stripped the cast down to the original team + a reasonable amount of extras for a new mystery. (Books 2/3/4 were getting NUTS with plot and characters.) It was funny and sweet and ridiculous in a lovely way. I will forgive yet another cliffhanger, because I am a sucker for these books and will take as many as she wants to write.

Genre: Fiction
Format: Mix of Audio/Physical
Rating: 3/5

I really wanted to like this book more than I did. The main character was delightful and the premise was great. But, overall, I felt like it was forcing me to feel instead of just letting me feel. While I laughed at several parts and cared about the characters, it interrupted the main plot to pummel the reader with: grief/loss, miscarriage/infertility, loneliness, aging, dementia, death, alcoholism, gambling addiction, abandonment, divorce, childhood cancer, AND MORE! WE GET IT ALREADY. ENOUGH, THANK YOU.

Genre: Nonfiction
Format: Audio
Rating: 3.5/5

I stumbled upon this author on a podcast, and I appreciated her interest and enthusiasm on television history. This book was much darker and detailed than I expected, but it was an interesting ride through time. It surprised me, connecting modern reality TV all the way back to prank shows on 1940s radio. The pacing was weird, nitpicking some shows and glossing over many others, but I learned a lot about how reality shows changed over time and built off of each other (and are/were mostly toxic yet fascinating). I wouldn’t necessarily recommend it, but I was intrigued.

It’s a short and sweet Quit List this month! Last year I did a no-quit April. Can I do it again?

DNF @ 18%. I was really going to try for a “No Quit March”, but the insta-love of this main character did me in. She immediately fell in love with this dude while they were at this retreat. I never made it back with them to the post-retreat real world, but (according to Goodreads comments), the part that made me throw up a little in my mouth was the *good* part of the relationship, so I’m glad I quit when I did.

DNF @ 52%. This is probably a “me problem”. It started out SO FUN AND CUTE – a real fun fairy tale with a curse and a fire demon. For the first 1/3 of it, I was ready to dole out 5 stars. However, around the halfway mark, it introduced many more characters and the plot was detouring all over the place. I lost all interest and the audiobook was confusing my brain. I might finish it someday, but I was forcing myself to pick it up. That’s a good sign to stop.

Happy Spring and Happy Reading!

What a weird month!! I LOVED some, I loathed some, I quit many. There was space, dystopia, the lightest romance, and the weirdest plots. Some 5s, a couple 1s, and lots in between.

Physical: 6
Audio: 3
Mix: 6
DNF: NINE!

Genre: Fiction (but really sci-fi)
Format: Physical
Rating: 2.75/5
Library Challenge: Short Stories

This author was recommended to me, and I picked up this book because of a library challenge. I’m not a real fan of short story collections in general, so it’s hard to judge this one. I liked the writing, and the first story was super intriguing. But then, well, in a book called “Normal Rules Don’t Apply”…..things got weird. The stories were loosely connected and interesting, but overall I was just uncomfortable and confused. Ha! Someday, I will be back for one of her full novels and will give that a shot.

Genre: Regency Romance (with extreme clutching of pearls)
Format: Audio/Physical Mix
Rating: 4.25/5

Once again, if you read these books, it is *not* because you heard about them from me. Good heavens, I do fear my reputation would be of utmost scandal and I would have to retreat with great haste to my bedchamber for an entire fortnight! However, I have come this far with the Bridgertons, so I will be making my way through the rest of the siblings’ stories eventually. Francesca’s tale was a nice reprieve from the setting of society gossip, and these stories are obnoxiously easy to read and captivating.

Genre: Middle Grade Fantasy
Format: Audio/Physical Mix
Rating: 3/5

Book 1: Fall into the underworld and try to rescue sister. Be part of a prophecy where you need to fight rats and figure out who is your friend vs. foe. Get back home.

Book 2: Repeat.

I enjoyed the first book enough to read the second, but it definitely felt repetitive.

Genre: Fantasy
Format: Audio/Physical Mix
Rating: 3/5

I could have justified giving this book any rating 1-5, so I settled on a 3. It was several genres and styles and books all shuffled into one novel: fantasy, sci-fi, YA romance, humor, horror, and more! I alternated between loving and hating it, but I was intrigued enough to see it through. I know this review is vague, but I’m going to be processing this one for a while. Because what just happened….?

Genre: Children’s Fiction/Mystery
Format: Physical
Rating: 1/5

I’ve quit this book before, because it had a bazillion characters and seemed super choppy. I slogged through it this time because my kid had to read it for school. I confirmed why I quit it the first time. It was zero fun (and many of the words in dialogue/phrases did not age well!).

Genre: Contemporary Romance (PG-13)
Format: Physical
Rating: 5/5

Sometimes books can gift you with the most delightful surprises. I giggled at the thought of this series – pairing current romance writers with Disney movies, but I will definitely be back for more. If you are a fan of the movie Tangled, this retelling creates a contemporary world that captures the beats of the movie and the heart of the characters. I went in with low expectations and absolutely loved it. It was SO cute.

Genre: Contemporary Romance (PG)
Format: Audio/Physical Mix
Rating: 3/5

While this didn’t live up to Tangled Up in You, this was another cute and clever adaptation of a Disney tale. Cinderella mixed with The Bachelor was pretty hilarious. However, if you have followed the reality show in the last 20 years, this was a little *too* spot on…like just copying story lines. And, while I loved the emphasis on plus-size women in romance/TV/fashion, it got quite preachy – to the point where it stopped the plot and lost some of the fun.

Genre: Regency Romance (of the raunchy variety)
Format: Audio
Rating: 4.25/5

All disclaimers stand: you did not hear about this series from me. For better or for worse, I’m a sucker for these stories – and I am as determined as Violet Bridgerton herself to marry off all 8 siblings (each book follows an offspring). This time, it didn’t even get toxic until the third act – and it was actually the healthiest of all the pairings so far!

Genre: Middle Grade Sci-Fi
Format: Audio
Rating: 3.75/5

This is a better version of The Giver and would make for an excellent gateway book for kids to get into heavier sci-fiction/fantasy. After fleeing the planet (darn meteor, anyway!), a girl wakes up after 300+ years and realizes she is the only person that remembers earth. A hostile takeover forces all survivors to serve The Collective – wanting to wipe out all diversity. With a few good twists, it’s a celebration of history/stories mixed with sci-fi suspense.

Genre: Sci-Fi
Format: Physical
Rating: 4.5/5

Andy Weir makes it so that I can’t say “I hate space books” anymore. Project Hail Mary is still my favorite, but I gobbled this one up. I laughed. I almost cried. It was fun and sometimes scary. While it still gets buried in scientific weeds, his humorous writing makes science fiction accessible and enjoyable. Suspend your disbelief and enjoy this tale of getting trapped on Mars!

Genre: Fiction
Format: Physical
Rating: 4.75/5

Woah. What. Just. Happened. This rounds up to a “5” for me, because it kept me up past my bedtime and I felt a significant book hangover the next day thinking about it. It makes you feel like you just watched a movie instead of being a nerd and reading. If you love Taylor Jenkins Reid, this book is for you – it’s like if the documentary style of Daisy Jones and the Six meshed with sports passion of Carrie Soto is Back (but replace tennis with ice dancing!). This is a page-turner of toxic characters. (It’s also a little like the book Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow – but intriguing instead of a horrible snooze!)

Genre: YA Dystopian
Format: Audio
Rating: 5/5

Haymitch’s prequel is coming out next month, so I wanted to revisit the original – especially since The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes really bummed me out. The Hunger Games still sucked me in and got me teary, so I’m happy to report that this depressing little book still holds up. However, instead of making me excited for the prequel, it just made me want to reread the rest of the series again. Not a bad year to revisit the warnings of dystopian tales, eh?

Genre: Children’s Nonfiction
Format: Physical
Rating: 4.25/5

What a delightful surprise! I read this out loud with my sixth grader – who loves to tell stories but hates to write. We laughed out loud and brainstormed ideas. This was a great introduction to the basics of writing and storytelling, giving tips and sharing strategies….with a lot of humor to teach the skills.

Genre: Fiction
Format: Audio/Physical Mix
Rating: 1/5 *This much loathing means it’s memorable and the rating is almost a compliment. Almost.

I would have quit this within the first 10%, but I have tickets to see the play and wanted to see it through. All I knew was there was a shipwreck and a tiger (see: cover). Honestly, I’m glad I know what to expect now. I was not prepared for the book. It was boring. And then it was gruesome. And then it was boring again. And then it was boring AND gruesome. HUZZAH! Apparently, it was supposed to alter me forever on a spiritual level. It did not. I must be heartless. I would be delighted to fight someone about this book.

Genre: YA Dystopian
Format: Audio/Physical Mix
Rating: 4.25/5

I’m still so impressed with the pacing of these books, although this one is a little clunkier than the original. It glosses over some plot points to speed things up, leaving me wanting more. It’s rare that I want a book to slow down, but I needed more information from the last couple of chapters – which I know, I know, is what the whole third book is for. Rereading this series has been a hilarious test of my comprehension skills of what I remembered clearly and what I 1000% forgot about. I might take a break before Mockingjay (because after Pi and two Hunger Games books, I need to LIGHTEN UP), but I’d like to finish the trilogy again before the next prequel comes out.

The Quit List (DNF): Is it the state of the world?? Did I just pick the wrong ones? Whatever happened, this was a crazy month for the quit list….But life is too short.

DNF @ 46%. Oof. This started out SO strong, and then I just couldn’t take the YA cringe and cliches anymore. The plot just didn’t make sense? It turned into a really bad version of The Hunger Games. So…..just go reread The Hunger Games. (I actually did just go reread the Hunger Games.)

DNF @ 16% I might try this one again with a physical copy, but this is the second book I have quit with this male narrator. I cannot stand his voice. Ha! What is supposed to be sultry 1000% creeps me out. Also, this book is incredibly cheesy. While I wanted a fluffy break from stressful books, this was too much. I picked it because the author gave me a 5 star read this year, but this one did not hit.

DNF @ 18% While this was a cute premise (a dragon exterminator that likes dragons), it was…..so boring? If I don’t care about anyone within the first 90 minutes, I’m out!

DNF @ 47% I made it quite a bit before calling it. This was delightfully weird and gave me flashbacks to when I watched the movie in high school. However, the teen angst, miserable characters, and plenty of F-bombs were grating on me. It wasn’t bad, but it didn’t match my mood.

DNF @ 8%. The roaring 20s vibe with space con-women, but it was so boring. I just couldn’t get into it. Next!

DNF @ 48%. Total transparency: I gave this author a 1 star on a previously read romance novel. I wanted to give her a second chance, since it was part of the Disney series. Apparently, we just don’t click. The Beauty and the Beast Easter eggs were cute, but I just didn’t even want these characters to be together – which was kind of the point of the whole book. Oops!

DNF @ 24%. Goodness gracious, Heidi! Quitting SEVEN books this month?! Life is short. No regrets. This one was the same world as Graceling (interesting and cool!) but had completely different characters – and waaaaay too many of them. This had potential, but I did not have the strength to learn 5,000 characters & places.

DNF @ 20%. I was excited to give Sarah Adams another chance, but we might be breaking up. It’s just not for me. D’oh! The whole thing was how they “hated” each other….real “he teases you because he likes you” energy. But there were so many things that just didn’t make sense. The tension was just uncomfortable and I didn’t want them to be together – again, that’s a pretty big red flag to quit a rom-com book. Next!

DNF @ 20%. Half of this book is 1950s actresses and old Hollywood and super interesting. Half of this book was Biblical fanfic with a million names and no forward momentum. Next!

Here’s hoping for better picks and fewer quits in March. Happy reading, friends!

Welcome to the 1,208th day of January! Much like the state of the world, my reading genres were all over the place and a little nuts. However, I embraced the audio format and devoured a personal record number of books this month! Hooray for staying just a little tuned into the news – and then saving my mental health by diving into escapism fiction. Happy reading, friends!

Physical: 4
Audio: 8
Mix: 4
DNF: 3

Format: Audio
Genre: Romance (of the regency and raunchy variety)
Rating: 3.25/5

I finished the 2024 reading year by gobbling up half of the fluffy ridiculous romance novels in the Bridgerton series (audio format). I have no regrets. Are these books a little like the song “Baby, It’s Cold Outside” – where you’re having a great time until you realize they’re pretty problematic? Sure. Just don’t think too hard about it and you’ll have a good time with the charming jerks in this series.

Format: Audio
Genre: Fiction (I refuse to call this a thriller.)
Rating: 2/5

Friends, I OVER-CORRECTED. I thought I needed to cleanse my brain of Bridgerton, but I made a horrible mistake. This was supposed to be a follow up to The Firm (which I remember enjoying a solid 25 years ago), but other than the names of the main characters, it really had nothing to do with it. Instead, it was a lawsuit about a construction project in Libya that turns into a (somehow very boring) hostage negotiation. And NO ONE EVEN ASKED ANYONE ELSE TO A BALL. NEXT.

Format: Audio
Genre: Fiction (with sci-fi/fantasy elements?)
Rating: 1.75/5
Library Challenge: Translated Book

It’s not a good sign when I have to think the thought: “Is this experience with a cozy Japanese coffee shop better or worse than reading legal drivel about Libyan terrorism?” Big sigh. Comparing/rating books is impossible, but I had two stinkers in a row. I had seen a lot of hype around this book, but it was another one that totally missed the mark for me. I only kept going because it was a shorter audio book that fit the “translated” category for this year’s library challenge. The premise was very interesting – including time travel and a ghost! – but way too many questions were unanswered and the characters were sad and boring. It could have been so fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuun. Time travel AND A GHOST THAT DRINKS COFFEE???? Why was I so boooooored? Why did we have to reflect on Alzheimer’s disease, car accidents, and childbirth complications when there was TIME TRAVEL AND A GHOST THAT DRINKS COFFEE. I’m so upset.

Format: Physical
Genre: YA Fantasy
Rating: 4/5
Library Challenge: Long-time TBR

This book was a journey for me. A good friend suggested it years ago as an all-time favorite – which always adds a little pressure. I had to start this book four times to see it through, but I’m glad I stuck it out. Timing is everything. It involved multiple kingdoms and lots of characters and a very slow start. It took me a couple *years* to give it a real try. However, it picks up once the lovely male character is introduced. It’s an interesting quest and the story wraps up pretty nicely. Do I have questions about the plot? Sure. But I can also just enjoy the adventure elements & go along for the ride. It was a fun YA read with lots of fight scenes, a little magic, and some romance.

Format: Audio
Genre: Fiction
Rating: 2.75/5
Library Challenge: Floral Cover

In hilarious news, I picked this book out for the “floral cover” library challenge, as I said I would choose the first one that with flowers that looked remotely okay. And it was….remotely okay! I could summarize this book in about four sentences, but it did have some humor to keep it interesting. If you like very descriptive character studies with not much else going on, this would be a cozy enough read. It wasn’t great, but it was refreshing to have senior citizen leads who do not take it upon themselves to solve crimes/murders. Apparently senior citizens in books can do other things!

Format: Audio
Genre: Fiction
Rating: 3/5
Library Challenge: Book from the 19th or 20th century

I know that I seem like someone who would have read Jane Austen in high school or was obsessed with the movies based on her books. But – gasp – I had never read/watched a single story. The best part about reading this novel was realizing how much listening to Bridgerton helped prepare me for it, hahahaha. There is a very specific cadence and vocabulary to these British tales, and reading a little regency romance helped set me up for something much more “proper”. Overall, I felt like I needed to read this with the help of an excited English teacher or to have watched the movie first. Because it was a very drawn out way to say: two jerks hate each other until they don’t. Love story as old as time! I’m glad I read it, but I’m also glad that my husband dug up the old episode of Wishbone to help explain it to me.
**Update: I did watch the 2005 Keira Knightley movie version after writing this review. I should have watched the movie first. Ha!

Format: Physical
Genre: Romance (of the raunchy and ridiculous kind)
Rating: 2.75/5
Library Challenge: Published in 2025

Do you know how FAST you can read a contemporary romance novel after listening to all of Pride & Prejudice? It was like eating a full course fancy meal with etiquette guidelines and then following it up by chugging Pixie Sticks. While I didn’t enjoy this as much as Raiders of the Lost Heart, and some phrases/scenes made me throw up a little in my mouth, I knew what I signed up for and enjoyed the cheesy ridiculousness.

Format: Audio
Genre: Thriller
Rating: 3.25/5

Did I take down my Christmas decorations and go on a cleaning spree while listening to a psychopath attack people? Absolutely, I did. Yikes. This book was going to serve as my Freida McFadden tie-breaker (I quit one and I gobbled up another with intrigue), but I have to admit that I am still undecided about these books. If you like creepiness and twists and some gore, this will do it for you!

Format: Physical
Genre: Romance/Mystery
Rating: 4.5/5
Library Challenge: Whodunit

There are cringe-worthy cliches and things that a reader could be really picky about – but I don’t care. It was FUN! A quick mystery with just the right amount of suspects. These hot dummies unpack emotional baggage while solving crime! It’s a little lusty but closed-door and suspenseful without too much stress. I wanted a fun read, and I got it – rounding up to my first 5 star of the year!

Format: Audio/Physical Mix
Genre: Romance (of the regency and raunchy variety)
Rating: 4/5

Does this read like problematic Sound of Music fanfic? Sure. Can I recommend this series? Not really. Are they quick reads that make me chuckle a bit in all of their over-the-top glory and make me work in random 19th century phrases into my daily life? Absolutely. I should not like this series, but for some reason I keep coming back for more.

Format: Audio/Physical Mix
Genre: Children’s Fiction
Rating: 2/5

If you have sweet nostalgia for this book or thought it was about light overcoming the dark, please just skip ahead. It’s apparently a very hot take that this book makes for a miserable experience, starting out like a dream of whimsy and delight before plummeting into uncomfortable abuse and unlikable characters. And I’m all about breaking the fourth wall, dear reader, but this book busted down the fourth wall, reader, in maximum condescension. But reader, free to look that up ‘condescension’ in the dictionary, reader. I was sooooo frustrated, reader.

Format: Audio/Physical Mix
Genre: Mystery/Fiction
Rating: 4/5

I gave up on The Thursday Murder Club series – I liked the writing, but the characters annoyed me greatly. So I thought I’d try the same author with a new batch of characters. It mostly worked! While I would have loved this book to be half the length (it easily could have told the same story in 250 pages instead of 400!!), it was a fun mystery with quirky people. I would read the next in the series.

Format: Audio/Physical Mix
Genre: Middle Grade Fantasy
Rating: 1.75/5

This might have been a case of poor expectations. This read as Men in Black, Jr., but you aren’t rooting for anybody in the entire book. Artemis was extremely unlikeable (along with the rest of the cast?). The best part of the book is when the fairy punched him in the face. I’m glad this series is for somebody, but it definitely was not for me.

Format: Audio
Genre: Children’s Fiction
Rating: 4.25/5
Library Challenge: Recommended by a Friend

After hearing me complain about the children’s books mentioned above, my husband suggested this winner from his childhood. I was happy to report that – not only did it hold up – it redeemed this month’s “Newberry Award Winner Mouse Novel” category. Boring in a simply lovely way, I really enjoyed this bada$$ mouse mother. It was just the right amount of weird.

Format: Physical
Genre: Romantasy (520 pages of adventure, 7 pages of explicitness *you’ve been warned)
Rating: 5/5 (Any book that makes me gasp, laugh out loud, or cry is in automatic consideration for a five. This book – annoyingly – made me do it all.)
Library Challenge: Quest Novel

I can justify people loving or loathing this series. Personally, I’m a sucker for Rebecca Yarros. She sets things up, and I fall for them every time. I refuse to spoil anything, but she is the queen of page turners and cliffhangers in a series: At the end of book one, I gasped. After book two, I was enraged. Finishing book three, I’m so excited to see where she takes this crazy ride. (No spoilers – but if you haven’t read Iron Flame lately, you have to just accept you won’t remember 83% of names or places and she adds 1700 new ones. Just go along for the ride!)

Format: Audio
Genre: YA Fiction
Rating: 3/5
Library Challenge: Fairytale Retelling

I powered through finishing this audio book after crashing from my Onyx Storm high/hangover. There were many elements to this Cinderella story that I enjoyed and found twisty and delightful, but it was very drawn out and lagged in many spots. It was….fine!

January’s Quit List:

DNF @ 8%. On paper, this is a book I would love. I didn’t love it – and that’s okay! It was incredible wordy to the point of being painful. And while I like the idea of curmudgeons, there is a fine line between being aloof/grumpy and being clueless/cold. This is a magical tale for the fans of Eleanor Oliphant, one of my least favorite characters of all time (Heidi ducks).

DNF @ 5%. I went looking for a “fairy tale retelling”, but my face fell staring at the remaining 13 hours of audio book. I’ll admit I didn’t give this one much of a chance, but it failed to hook me in the first hour…so that was enough.

Oofta. The concept was fascinating. I mean, what IF you cloned yourself but then your husband had an affair with the clone and then the clone killed your husband?! I mean, WHAT IF. However, this was way more gore than I expected, told by an emotionless main character. Not my thing, but if you have ever said, “I like Freida McFadden but wish it had more sci-fi elements”, this is a book for you!

Happy Reading in 2025!!

Thanks for coming along on my reading journey this year. Here’s my 2024 wrap up! Y’all, I made it to 144 books this year. Who even am I??
This includes audio and physical books – and my favorite style: hopping back and forth between audio/physical. Books “counted” if they were over 100 pages, but let’s also celebrate all those amazing picture books, graphic novels, books I quit, and internet scrolling. All reading counts!

Disclaimer: The best thing about books is how they can hit so differently from person to person. I have loathed some of my friends’ favorite books. So, these are purely based on vibes and my personal feelings and opinions.
Historical fiction? Grab me a pillow for a nap.
Realistic fiction that requires crying? How dare you.
Super random weirdo humor with a hint of magic? Sign me up.
So if you agree, tell me! If you disagree, fight me! If you are appalled by my choices, MAKE UP YOUR OWN AWARDS.

Here are the 2024 stats.
I read or listened to 144 books this year. And I logged them in a spreadsheet. Because I’m a nerd.

Without further ado, I present: The 2nd Heidi Ann-ual Reading Awards!

Favorite Book of the Year:

Do you remember what it was like to find a book when you were young and innocent and it had just the perfect amount of magic? This is adult fiction, but it will make you feel like a kid enjoying reading again. A girl that loves tea cups, a quest, funny sidekicks, and a magical adventure. Humorous and lovely, I sighed and wanted to hug it when it was over – and that’s my favorite kind of book.

Best Fiction of the Year:

This is probably going to be my most controversial pick. This is a weird book, and I could easily see why some people would hate it. I loved it (see disclaimer above). Every time the character’s husband goes into a magical attic, he disappears and it spits a new husband out. The most suspenseful part of this book was figuring out how in the world the author was going to write her way out of quite the plot pickle.

HONORABLE MENTION:
2.) The Mostly True Story of Tanner and Louise by Colleen Oakley
3.) Finlay Donovan Rolls the Dice by Elle Cosimano
4.) Daisy Jones and the Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid
5.) The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon

Best Children’s or Middle Grade:

It only took my 12 years to figure out what everyone already knew. This book is a winner, and I forgive it for making me cry.

HONORABLE MENTION:
2.) BOB by Wendy Mass
3.) Out of my Mind by Sharon Draper
4.) The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum
5.) The Life of Zarf by Rob Harrel

Best Romance:

Emily Henry made me fall in love with the genre (in all of its cheesy glory). Her latest book delighted me, and the banter was divine.

HONORABLE MENTION:
2.) Variation by Rebecca Yarros
3.) A Novel Love Story by Ashley Poston
4.) The Seven Year Slip by Ashley Poston
5.) This Summer Will be Different by Carley Fortune
6.) Just for the Summer by Abby Jimenez

Best YA

I can’t necessarily recommend this book, but it made me feel feelings and branch out into a different genre/format of book (thanks, library challenge!). I appreciated it for what it was.

HONORABLE MENTION:
2.) The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas
3.) Stolen Time by Danielle Rollins
4.) The Toll (The Scythe Series) by Neal Shusterman
5.) A Wizard’s Guide to Defensive Baking by T. Kingfisher

Best Sci-fi/Fantasy

This was the most lovely surprise. Humor, science, suspense. It made me overcome my fear of space books. Good recommendation, Husband!

HONORABLE MENTION:
2.) The House in the Cerulean Sea (reread) by TJ Klune
3.) Starter Villain by John Scalzi
4.) The Kaiju Preservation Society by John Scalzi
5.) Going Postal by Terry Pratchett

Best Thriller/Mystery

I will even forgive this book for using one of my least favorite plot lines: increasing suspense using diabetic emergency (eye rolls forever). This was creepy and intense and made me see the appeal of Ruth Ware (after the first book I read was a slight slog).

HONORABLE MENTION:
2.) The Housemaid by Freida McFadden
3.) None of This is True by Lisa Jewell

Best Nonfiction/Memior

I tip-toe into any book that I read that comes from an “influencer”, but I enjoy following Taylor Wolfe on Instagram and thought it was worth a shot. It climbed up to be one of my favorite audio books of the year.

HONORABLE MENTION:
2.) Born a Crime by Trevor Noah
3.) ADHD is Awesome by Penn and Kim Holderness

That’s a wrap from me. Whew! Feel free to give me suggestions. The library already released its Bingo board, so apparently we just keep reading! Here are my most anticipated books coming out in 2025:

Happy Reading to All in 2025!

After November was a literary drought, December started with a reading sprint! And now I’m back in a lull. Ha! Sometimes this hobby is feast or famine. I’m going to publish my reviews early this month – as the end of the year is busy, and I want to create a year end review! So here’s the lovely gathering of December books.

Physical: 8
Audio: 4
Mix: 1
DNF: 4

Format: Audio (but checked out the book for illustrations)
Genre: Children’s Fiction
Rating: 4.25/5

As the fourth installment in the “One and Only” series, the final book tied everything together and got back to its beautiful roots. The second and third book really jumped the shark and lost the charm of the original, so I was thrilled when this book returned to Ivan’s point of view. It gave a beautiful take on family and parenting, while bringing back the issues of Ivan’s past filled with loss. I almost gave up on the series, but I’m thankful I gave this one a chance. If you loved the first Ivan book, just skip directly to this one.

Format: Physical
Genre: Nonfiction
Rating: 2.5/5

This wasn’t so much a writer’s “guide” as it was a “series of random pep talks from different people (based on a hashtag) with contradicting advice”. Summary: writing is hard, everyone does it differently, don’t-stop-don’t-give-up. Sooooooo, it was fine but not super helpful.

Format: Audio
Genre: YA Sci-Fi/Fantasy
Rating: 4.25/5

I love when books surprise me. I went into this one with zero expectations and found it available on Libby while in a sci-fi mood. You know it’s a great narrator and decent pacing when I wanted to find an excuse to turn on the audio book. Plus, I did not see the very obvious twist coming, which was a delight in itself. Do you have to overlook some YA cringe and some nonsense time travel logic? Sure. But if you were looking for a solid book containing Six of Crows or Scythe YA vibes sprinkled with time travel, this is a good one. Also, I’m a sucker for an “assemble the heroes” plot line.

Format: Physical
Genre: Children’s Fiction
Rating: 4.25/5

My eldest picked this out to read aloud with me. I wasn’t too excited, which made it even more delightful when we got some actual laugh-out-loud moments and a delightful fairy tale compilation woven into the book. The mix of modern language and fairy tale characters can sometimes be jarring – and watch out for all the plentiful potty humor – but the illustrations and characters were charming. Both boys were ready to cuddle with this one, which made it a winner in my book.

Format: Physical
Genre: Nonfiction/Memoir
Rating: 3.25/5

This is a fun walk down memory lane if you are a fan of Parks and Recreation. However, the overall execution of the book is pretty weak. It’s a hodge-podge of television history (the best and most interesting parts), memories of the show (cute, but often like looking at someone else’s vacation photos – interesting, but you mostly had to be there), and a memoir of Jim O’Heir’s life (also interesting, but the long tangents and stories seem off topic based on the cover). I wish this was just branded as a Jim O’Heir memoir and completely reorganized. That’s me being a very picky reader.

Format: Audio
Genre: YA Sci-Fi/Fantasy
Rating: 3/5

I went straight to this sequel after a twist ending left me intrigued. However, this follow-up lacked the same charm of the original and got so much more complicated (and not in a good way). It’s bound to happen in time travel plots, but this was….a bit much. Another twist/cliffhanger was dropped at the end of this book, but it was more frustrating than anything. I want to finish the trilogy, but it’s pretty much because I’m invested now and the narrator is great.

Format: Physical
Genre: Sci-Fi
Rating: 4/5

(Movie Trailer Voice) IN A WORLD…..where people come back to life if they are intentionally killed…..
This was a big premise that reads like a Law & Order episode. Sometimes briefly graphic, murders are used as “reboots” and a missing persons case is solved in a quick 120ish pages or so. I love the way Scalzi rights dialogue and would have great interest in the next installment of this series.

Format: Audio
Genre: YA Sci-fi/Fantasy
Rating: 2.75/5

(Michael Scott Voice) SNIP SNAP SNIP SNAP SNIP SNAP! Do you have ANY IDEA what it does to a person when you go back in time 500000 times?!?!? I finished the series. I needed a bulletin board connecting timelines and characters, but I did not have the energy or determination to think that hard about this. For being super in love, I think the main characters spent about 5 total hours together. This was an engaging series (thanks to the narrator), but I wouldn’t recommend it beyond the first book.

Format: Physical
Genre: Contemporary Romance (of the raunchy variety)
Rating: 4.5/5

Yarros!!! There is something about her writing that makes me devour her books. I’m sure you can pick them apart (definitely not for everybody), but they are quick reads where you can just go along for the ride. This is a second-chance-fake-dating-OOPS-ONE-BED-soap-opera that is over-the-top and more complicated than it needs to be, as 200 pages could easily be chopped out. However, I was stressed enough to peek ahead and it kept me reaching for the book instead of my phone, so that’s a WIN. Ballet dancers and a hot Coast Guard rescue swimmer. What more could you ask for?

Format: Physical
Genre: Comedy/Cartoon
Rating: 4/5

I’m going to count this, because I have read so many pages in the books that I quit that haven’t “counted” – it all balances out, ya know? Anyway, this collection of very short stories and cartoons is completely absurd and random humor. It’s worth reading if you like to laugh at ridiculous things like bears cursing and birds wearing pants.

Format: Physical
Genre: Children’s
Rating: 1/5

Once every decade, I try to like this book. It never works. This might be my least favorite book of all time. I know, I know! I’m an elementary teacher! There’s imagery and a vague ending for discussion! But, alas, I do not enjoy a single second of it. I only read it this year to follow along with my kid’s book club.
“This was a terrible book.” – My sixth grader.
Apparently, it runs in the family! We are with the 50,000 people on Goodreads that missed the point, while 1.1 million people gave it 5 stars. I mean, what’s not to love about a pill to stop sex dreams, graphic baby euthanasia, 1:1 tutoring sessions with a creepy old man, vivid descriptions of the cries of men dying on a battlefield, and a very poorly explained dystopian society? Did I mention the vague ending? What a party!!

Format: Mix of Physical/Audio
Genre: Regency Romance (of the clutching-your-pearls variety)
Rating: 3/5

Sometimes you walk by a book in the library and think WHY NOT?! I knew nothing about this book – other than it was a regency romance (a genre I’ve never tried) and it was turned into a raunchy Netflix show (that I’ve never seen). To my delight, there was a lot of humor and the plot was more interesting than I expected. I adored the first half, but then it really took a turn (big “I can change him!” energy with some problematic/manipulative events). Overall, it was a fun introduction to the genre, and a boost from the audio book made me narrate my own life in the voice of Mrs. Potts for a while.

Format: Physical
Genre: Children’s
Rating: 4/5

Drew Daywalt has some fantastic picture book humor, and it was fun to see it translate into a chapter book. A dog’s POV of misinterpreting everything in the human world is always going to be funny, and the pictures add to the story and charm. It gets a little more complicated than it needs to be, but he does a great job pulling it together. This book was my youngest son’s read-aloud pick, and it was a fun one with many LOL moments.

The December Quit List:

DNF @ 8%: When you know, you know. This character was absolutely miserable, and I did not have hope for it to be “funny and heartwarming” as the blurb promised me. A skim of Goodreads comments confirmed that it was unlikely to improve.

DNF @ 5%: While fascinating, I could tell it was going to bounce around history and locations and give me 1000 names in an audio book. I was not in the mood. It’s not you, it’s me.

DNF @ 6%: Once again, I was just not in the mood for breaking the 4th wall that hard. When books try to be super relatable – YOU DON’T KNOW ME, BOOK. I’m weird.

DNF @ 7% Oh, how I want to love this series. This is – once again – a me problem. I read the series out of order, and then the author gave me this book of short stories that bounced around the timeline. I might come back to it sometime, but I just wasn’t excited to pick it up. Sometimes that’s all you need to know.

Get ready for my end of year awards! The name is still in the works, but it will obviously be the most coveted award that no one knows about. Except for you, dear reader that made it to the end of the blog. You are a champion.

Two. Two books. Two completed books.
It was a rough month for reading. November started as a distracting beast and kicked off a massive reading slump. However, I have a few books started for December and hope to finish the year strong. I only need one more book to tie last year’s record!

Physical: 0
Audio: 0
Mix: 2
DNF: 5 – LIFE IS TOO SHORT.

Format: Mix Audio/Physical (Great Narrator!)
Genre: Science Fiction
Rating: 5/5

My husband recommended this one, and I’m delighted to report that I overcame my fear of space books and absolutely loved this novel. I can’t tell you my favorite parts, because it would ruin all of the charm and twists. This would make a great gateway into science-fiction if you have never dabbled in the genre. I will patiently await the movie – coming not-so-soon (May 2026)!

Format: Physical/Audio Mix
Genre: Contemporary Romance (of the raunchy variety)
Rating: 3.75/5

I promised myself long ago that I would attempt to read any book that made me snort-laugh in a library aisle. Look, this is explicit and stupid – but it’s also pretty charming and follows the rom-com formula without making me completely die of cringe. However, if you read this, you didn’t hear about it from me.

THE QUIT LIST. I gave most of these a serious chance. But if you break up with a book and feel relieved, you have made the correct decision. Onward, friends!

DNF @ 61%
It’s so painful to get 2/3 in a book and have to call it. This novel had a charming premise and a fun buddy road trip plot – until it didn’t. The deep dives into European political fan fic was just too much for me. I tried my best.

DNF @ 31%
She’s 26. He’s 33. They acted like they were 12. While the service dog trainer and single dad plot kept me hanging on for a while, I was so bored. Next!

DNF @ 11%
Once again, this might have been a me problem. At this time, I did not have the stamina for the amount of world building this book required. Plus, it was about a planet with nightmares. I was not in the mood.

DNF @ 32%
I want to like cozy books, but this one was beyond a Hallmark movie. I couldn’t take it anymore. Grumpy/Sunshine in a small town. He’s been heartbroken by a different big city girl – will this one be worth risking his heart? She wants a fresh start – but what could she possibly have to give him? I guess I will never know…

DNF @ 40%. This book was recommended to me, and I understand why! This was totally a timing issue in my brain, and I was not in the mood. But it’s quirky and fun and might make a comeback list in the future. This is a book for people that liked the Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine vibes but hated Eleanor Oliphant. So if that very specific description hits, this might be for you!

Ready for a new month of reading! I have a couple fun read-aloud books in progress with the boys, so I will have a bit of variety to end the year. Stay tuned!

Physical: 6
Audio: 4
Mix: 4
DNF: 1

In the spirit of Halloween, I decided to go with a zombie reading theme this month. But since I am scared of the horror genre, a zombie theme means that most of the books in October rose from the depths of the DNF list to come back to life. My experiment showed that the timing and format of books truly makes a difference. I’m happy to report that many of the books I was wishy washy on actually passed the second chance test. (To be fair, I only picked books that had a legitimate shot.)

Format: Mix of Audio/Physical
Genre: Sci-fi/Fantasy
Rating: 3/5
October Quest for Redemption: I never quit this book, but I thought about quitting this book. D’oh! So this was a slow-and-steady story, but I finished it!

I picked this book because it falls in the “secret projects” category of Brandon Sanderson novels, and Tress of the Emerald Sea was my favorite book of the YEAR. Unfortunately, this book did not create the same magic in my head. While the premise was fantastic (waking up in a parallel dimension without memories), this trip through a portal was often a slog. There was humor, but it was often based on a recurring joke that got pretty old. The middle part of the book got really in the weeds of world building. It was cute, but it wasn’t the Tress-like delight I was anticipating.

Format: Mix of audio/physical
Genre: Contemporary Romance (rated PG-13 tops)
Rating: 4/5
October Quest for Redemption: Success! I quit this book because of the audio book’s male narrator. Imagine saying the name “Bree” in the skit of SNL’s The Californians over and over. The surfer dude was killing the vibe. Once I got the physical copy from the library, I was able to fly through the book. I’m glad I didn’t give up on it, because the ending picked up into a Hallmark movie style.

Look, this is a contemporary romance that can make adult characters sound like teenage angst. It’s annoying and cavity-inducing from pure sweetness. Sometimes it reads like “OMG YOU GUYS – HE DOESN’T EVEN LIKE ME LIKE THAT”. However, if you are in the mood for a closed-door (but still plenty of tension) rom-com, this will do the trick. It’s a friends-to-lovers banter-filled adorableness that could cut out 200 pages if one of them would shut up and say “I like-you-like-you”. If you need a fast rom-com, it’s not bad.

Format: Physical
Genre: Children’s Fantasy
Rating: 3/5
October Quest for Redemption: I had recently quit another book by this author that was adult fantasy, so I gave her another shot with a children’s book. It was okay.

It had been too long since I did a read aloud with the boys, and this book had a giant cat on it. An obvious pick. However, it took way too long to introduce the reasons for why this cat was magically growing (Spoiler: Just Random Magic). The characters were cute, but the boys lost interest pretty quickly. In fact, I finished it off on my own and summarized it for them. No regrets.

Format: Audio
Genre: YA Fiction
Rating: 3.5/5
October Quest for Redemption: In a reverse of The Cheat Sheet scenario above, this time I needed to swap out the physical book for the audio.

I will totally admit that I messed up with this series. I quit this book, read the 5th one, and then came back when realized I needed the 4th one completed for it all to make sense. Long story short, this series is super uneven in pacing, filled with a ridiculous amount of characters, and riddled with cliffhangers. It’s like four books have been shuffled together. As much as I should probably drop it all together, I will almost certainly read the next book in the series.

Format: Physical
Genre: Thriller
Rating: 4.25/5
October Quest for Redemption: I quit another Freida McFadden book this year, but I kept hearing about how much people LOVE her and this book was popping up everywhere. I’m glad I gave her a second chance (but it might be a while before I try again).

I don’t know what I was expecting, but it wasn’t *that*. I hate to write anything about it, because spoilers would ruin the creepy experience. I raced to finish this book, but I didn’t want to pick it up at the same time. If you want a messed-up-psychological-thriller, this is a good one.

Format: Audio
Genre: Cozy Fantasy
Rating: 2/5

It’s a book about dreams, and it will put you to sleep. The cover and the summary lured me in, but this was a snooze. I’m all about cozy fantasy low stakes, but this was NO stakes. Seriously, there was no conflict and barely anything happened. I kept waiting for a plot, but it was pretty much only world building. It’s a cool world, but I definitely missed the point.

Format: Physical
Genre: YA Fiction
Rating: 4.5/5
October Quest for Redemption: Confession time. I had only heard good things about this book, but I absolutely hate the imagery of fish out of water. The cover kept me from a great book for the last 12 years. However, I saw that they were making a movie on Disney+. The trailer was so good that I immediately checked out the book.

Wow. As a fifth grade teacher, I really missed the boat on this book. It pulls of the wonderful feat of representing disabilities and diversity without pandering in a condescending tone. While the ending got a bit far-fetched and obnoxious, the first 75% of this book was amazing. It shows the harsh realities of growing up and being different, while also demonstrating empathy and what happens when people lead with compassion. I loved it and can’t wait until the movie comes out next month.

Format: Audio/Physical Mix
Genre: According to Wikipedia – “Tragedy” (Fun!)
Rating: 2.5/5
October Quest for Redemption: I picked this up at a thrift store and have started it at least 4 times. I’m glad to check it off the “classics” list, but it’s not the must-read I thought it would be…

Well, that was….fine? If you like miserable people, lots of fancy words, and the phrase “old sport”, this book is for you! The most hilarious part of this book is that I was unspoiled for a plot that is 99 years old. Hardly anything happens for 100 pages and then it goes off the rails. I am baffled why this is common high school literature, but yay for nerdy English teachers? What a weird little book.

Format: Audio/Physical Mix
Genre: Mystery
Rating: 1.75/5
October Quest for Redemption: I started this book and then got a nasty case of flu-Covid. It ruined the vibe. It did not pass the quest for redemption experiment.

I really wanted to like this book, but I was so annoyed by it. Maybe I need to finally give up on the “senior-citizens-are-quirky-and-above-the-law” genre. It’s obviously not for me. The huge cast and loose ends throughout this book are incredibly frustrating. Throw in random suicides and unlikeable characters, and I’m ready to quit the series. The overall writing was entertaining, but I was relieved when it was over.

Format: Audio
Genre: Mystery-ish Detective-y
Rating: 1.75/5

My sister recently recommended the Apple TV show based off of this book. As I was listening to the audio book, I had the rare thought of “this would actually make a better TV show”. For a novel, it was doing way too much – too many characters, side plots, crass descriptions… While it had some interesting plot twists, it was just plain unpleasant (trigger warning for language, body parts, sex, child death, murder, and more!). It would need the action sequences and Vince Vaughn humor of television to turn this plot around. It was interesting to see what Carl Hiaasen did with adult fiction, but this was too adult for me. Give me Hoot back.

Format: Physical
Genre: Children’s Fantasy
Rating: 3.5/5

I really wanted to like this book more than I did. It had so many delicious ingredients and the artwork was stunning. However, the characters fizzled and the last 20% was a bit disappointing compared to the amount of effort I had invested into this world. It has many similarities to Narnia or Harry Potter, but it was just frustrating in the end.

Format: Audio
Genre: Nonfiction
Rating: 3.25/5

This is another book that I wanted to rate much higher, but something was just missing. I used to be a pretty big history nerd, so I found these stories fascinating. The idea of telling the stories of lesser-known characters in history was intriguing and I was very impressed with the research and topics covered. However, it was too much. The organization of this book was so confusing. She jumped around chronologically, connected some stories while abandoning others, and broke the fourth wall with pop culture references and modern slang. I can even tell you who the “twelve unsung Americans” are from the title because SO many characters, events, and tangents were dumped in each chapter. It was overwhelming. Yet, the themes of the past are more than relevant today, and this was a fantastic reminder of how much (recent!) history is overlooked and forgotten.

Format: Physical
Genre: Middle Grade Fiction/Poetry
Rating: 5/5

Wow. This was unexpected. If you would have told me that a book written in free verse – that was also a minefield of bullying, fat shaming, and middle grade triggers – would somehow creep into my top 10 books of the year, I would have laughed in your face. This book was just vulnerable and awful and wonderful. I definitely wouldn’t give this to a young person and walk away, but it would help explain the need to have empathy for others and work as a good conversation starter.

Format: Physical
Genre: YA Fiction
Rating: 3/5

I enjoy the challenge of reading what my son’s book club is reading, but that doesn’t always mean I enjoy the book, haha. This novel was a boring journey through grief. The characters did eventually grow on me, but – whew – realistic sad fiction is not my jam. And again with the fish cover! Bwahahahaha.

The Quit List

This is a book that might be on the Redemption Quest List for another month. A guy landing on the surface of a planet where the inhabitants have to outrun the sun sounded intriguing. I tried, but I just couldn’t get into it.

I cannot believe it’s November when I post this. Here’s hoping to finishing the year with some real winner books! Happy reading!

For the first time in 2024, I didn’t break into the double digits for my book count. Oops! It wasn’t the best month of reading (not much to see here), but I’m optimistic for October. I’m going to get back in the groove and pick some winners!? Here’s hoping!

Total Books:
Physical: 3
Audio: 4
Mix: 1
DNF: 1

Format: Audio
Genre: Thriller (slower psychological suspense)
Rating: 3/5
I read it because: time to switch up the genre & it was available
Warnings: general creepiness, teen pregnancy, death
I would recommend this to: readers wanting a thriller without being scared

This was an interesting book to break up the groove of my cheesy romance novels. A writer learns a story from a student and writes the novel after he learns of the student’s death – but then creepy messages start accusing him of plagiarism. (I just learned how to spell plagiarism!) The narrator created suspense and a relatable character, but it was pretty slow overall and I saw the twist from a mile away. It was interesting but mostly uncomfortable.

Format: Physical
Genre: YA Fiction
Rating: 2.75/5
I read it because: I loved the original Inheritance Games book
Warnings: death/suicide, puzzles, unfinished plot points.
I would recommend this to: fans of the series and puzzles

This series baffles me, as my star ratings went from 5 to 4 to 5 to DNF to 2.75?!? By quitting the 4th book, I obviously missed out on some set up to the fifth – but I used my context clues to pick up the story where it left off. Unfortunately, this book also disappointed me and couldn’t live up to the original trilogy. I committed to over 360 pages of puzzles and escape rooms for a cliffhanger and nothing but frustration. I might have to call it quits on this series.

Format: Audio
Genre: Humor/Fantasy
Rating: 3/5
I read it because: I was intrigued by a card in a Barnes & Noble.
Warnings: Evil Villain Violence
I would recommend this to: fans of the Apprentice to the Villain books

For the third book in a row, I give the rating of, “Eh, it was fine.” The premise of this book was SO MUCH FUN. A guy wakes up without memories in a castle and figures out that he’s actually an evil villain. The main cast of characters is very entertaining but it gets really bogged down in the second half and is overly complicated. However, there are some good chuckles woven throughout the story and it was a fun narrator.

Format: Audio
Genre: Fiction
Rating: 2.25/5
I read it because: I enjoyed Thank You for Listening by the same author/narrator
Warnings: Cancer, Grief/Loss, the only tolerable characters fall out of the book never to be seen again
I would recommend this to: people that want to remember that feeling of being in college and ignoring relationship red flags. See: “I Want Crazy” by Hunter Hayes

Book blurbs should not give away major plot points, but they should also not bait-and-switch the reader. What I thought was going to be a fun romance turned into annoying characters trauma dumping for hours. I was actively rooting for these characters to break up. Oops.

Format: Physical
Genre: Fantasy
Rating: 3.25/5
I read it because: I loved the characters and world of the first book.
Warnings: Adoption, Child Abuse, Beyond blatant woke-splaining of Racism, LGBTQ+ rights, Illegal Immigration, Fascist Government, Stealing Indigenous Land, Book Banning and so much more!
I would recommend this to: fans of the Delores Umbridge storyline of Harry Potter (which is hysterical, because the author uses the acknowledgement section to rip apart JK Rowling)

I know I shouldn’t get my hopes up for sequels. I know it. But sometimes I can’t help it – I loved the characters of the first book SO much. The world and the characters stayed charming and the writing is excellent Klune – brilliant imagery and easy to read. However, the book does not trust the reader, and it reads like a liberal lecture. It’s like, “Hey, I know I was pretty clear in my fantasy metaphors, but DO YOU GET IT!? HERE IS WHAT I MEAN BY IT.” Yes, we got it. But Chauncey is still my favorite.

Format: Physical
Genre: Nonfiction
Rating: 4/5
I read it because: I enjoy the Holderness family, genre switch up, friend recommendation
Warnings: All things ADHD (obviously)
I would recommend this to: Anyone who has, suspects they have, or loves someone who has ADHD

With plenty of disclaimers that this is not a medical book, the Holderness Family shares their experiences with ADHD. Challenges are presented in an optimistic way and provides overviews of the diagnosis. It makes a great introduction to the topic and approaches mental health with humor and compassion.

Format: Mix of Audio/Physical
Genre: Fantasy
Rating: 4/5
I read it because: My husband has been talked about Terry Pratchett for yeeeeeears.
Warnings: N/A
I would recommend this to: fans of British humor and words

My husband is a big fan of the Discworld series, so I finally took a recommendation from it. I don’t know what I was expecting, but it wasn’t this – ha! Set in a fantasy world that mirrors ours but it also very much not ours, a conman must chose between death or running the post office. I mean, that’s pretty funny. A ridiculous cast of characters and a sometimes overcomplicated plot can make this confusing at times. However, if you just enjoy the ride, it’s an entertaining book with some lol moments.

Format: Audio
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Rating: 3.5/5
I read it because: Needed a quick read and light genre. I wanted to give Christina Lauren a second chance after DNFing another book.
Warnings: Toxic Family Relationships, Raunchy Relations
I would recommend this to: fans of Crazy Rich Asians and Ali Hazelwood romance reads

It takes a LOT for me to overlook certain tropes in romance novels, but for some reason this audio book caught me in the right mood and fulfilled the need to shut off my brain and enjoy a rom-com. It’s a grumpy/sunshine, fake marriage, one bed, forced proximity love fest with some graphic doin’ it and a few swears. The humor and ridiculousness kept me engaged, and I enjoy a “hot mess” main lead that has enough confidence to power through a book where it could have easily gone the route of “I’m such a commoner – why would he even *like* like me?” The main characters were likable enough to root for them, even though it dragged a little in the back 40%.

Septembers Quit List:

In my quest to break the pretty-cover-sprayed-edge curse, I really gave this one a chance. It was a dystopian mix of Hunger Games and Avatar – cool, right? But at 37%, I just couldn’t take it any more. It was so boring and overly complicated. The main character had to fight in seven competitions, but I made it through the first one and completely lost interest. It was marketed along the romantasy genre, but it was sci-fi in the most draining way. Plus, she was a suicidal fighter with a traumatic past and didn’t want anyone to touch her. So that was confusing.

That’s it for September – a month that went shockingly fast. Happy Fall Reading!

Seriously, 2024. The end of August? What is happening….

It was a busy month of wrapping up summer activities and diving back into school. We’re one week into the new academic year, and I’m still not ready. This month completed my Goodreads challenge of 100 books for 2024 (any format counts!), so I am officially a nerd.

Total Books: 12
Physical: 5
Audio: 4
Mix: 3
DNF: 4

Two of August’s books cracked the top 10 for the year (including a new favorite!) And one of them slipped into the bottom 10 – d’oh. It’s called balance. Happy reading!

Format: Physical/Audio Mix
Genre: Sci-Fi/Romantasy
Rating: 1.75/5
I read it because: It was pretty and I wanted a sci-fi/fantasy.
Warnings: Very graphic “open door” scenes (and not in a good way, bwahaha), language, violence
I would recommend this to: women that were Team Edward in 2008 and readers that like it when eyes darken

Vampires and warlocks and werewolfs, oh my! And oh, how I wanted to like this one. It was so pretty! A Beauty and the Beast retelling?? Yay!? But oh, how it was not good. The beginning and the premise were awesome – but then it got overly complicated and the romance was gross. Apparently, I’m not into bad boy immature warlocks and a 475 year age gap. That’s a me problem. I kept going out of sheer hope that it would get better, but it just got more confusing and ended with a cliffhanger. This was a very ambitious book (mixing a million monsters and lore together), and it was too much for me.

Format: Physical
Genre: Nonfiction
Rating: 3.25/5
I read it because: I need hope in this election year.
Warnings: All things politics
I would recommend this to: people that need hope in the election year.

I saw this book on Instagram and thought I’d try it out. It wasn’t perfect and went on a few tangents, but it was a refreshing read to take a break from the extremes in politics. It emphasized giving people the benefit of the doubt, embracing nuance in complicated issues, and seeing the humanity in people – especially those you disagree with. It made way too much sense.

Format: Audio
Genre: Poem/Memoir/Short Stories
Rating: 3.25/5
I read it because: Jenny Slate is delightfully weird.
Warnings: This book is so weird.
I would recommend this to: adults that sometimes talk to themselves

This book is fantastic word art but should be consumed in small doses. I cannot describe this book of poems and essays other than it is peak Jenny Slate. She is a whole vibe.

Format: Physical
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Rating: 4.25/5
I read it because: it was on a “you might also like” reading list.
Warnings: the disclaimer page cautions about dyslexia (that’s a new warning for me!), parental neglect, and to clutch your pearls during chapter 34.
I would recommend this to: Romcom fans of second chance romances and – gasp – only one bed!

With serious Abby Jimenez vibes, this story was “obnoxiously cute” – which is how the main character is described throughout most of the book. College exes find each other again and have to mix business with their pining. Humorous banter and sidekick characters helped me overlook any cliches and moments of cringe in this lovely little romance. It was a book I kept wanting to pick up again to finish – which is always a good sign.

Format: Audio
Genre: Middle Grade Fiction
Rating: 3.75/5
I read it because: I saw it in a 6th grade classroom.
Warnings: bullying, middle school feelings
I would recommend this to: 5th/6th graders

This book was able to overcome my lackluster feelings about realistic middle grade novels. It had a diverse cast of characters without plodding through a diversity checklist. It had friendship/crush feelings without inducing nausea. It was sweet and clever with light suspense. It was a very pleasant surprise.

Format: Physical/Audio Mix (Great Narrator!)
Genre: Sci-fi/Fantasy
Rating: 5/5
I read it because: I heard it was a delight on the “cozy fantasy” list.
Warnings: Mild Pirate-based Violence
I would recommend this to: fans of the movie The Princess Bride

For months, I have been telling my husband “I just need a fun, innocent quest with some good sidekicks”. This. Was. It.
Now, it’s not going to be for everybody, as there is a lot of world building and plot that is a bit of a riddle. However, this was a quirky and cute tale that made me want to hug the book. It was clever and charming and I gobbled it up. A girl who loves cups, a quest with found family, pirates, word play, young love, a cursed narrator. My favorite book of the year so far.

Format: Physical
Genre: YA Fiction
Rating: 3.25/5
I read it because: Sequel to The Prince and the Apocalypse
Warnings: plane crash w/injuries, stranded without diabetic supplies, angst
I would recommend this to: fans that need closure from the first book

The sequel continued to be just as over-the-top as the first one, but this is a quick (SUPER FAST) read with decent action sequences and the characters were more charming this time around. If you don’t mind horrendous pouting/communication styles and a few plot points thrown in just for shock value before getting ignored forever, this edition was cute closure for the story. But please stretch your face prior to reading to prepare for the eye rolls ahead.

**This is my second book this year with “I’m stranded on an island and one of the characters is diabetic.” This plot point was so unnecessary. Broken legs, gashed arms, and an erupting volcano was enough drama.

Format: Audio (a must do if you are interested in this one!!)
Genre: Memoir
Rating: 3/5
I read it because: Library Challenge – Auto/Biography
Warnings: Childhood Trauma, Late-diagnosed Dyslexia
I would recommend this to: TV historians and lovers of celebrity memoir

This was adorable and sweet. If you’re interested, I highly recommend the audio book, as he has excellent story telling and his wife of 45+ years reads her perspective on some of the events. The parts where he talked about his life and behind the scenes of his career were very interesting. Unfortunately, sometimes the name dropping and repetitiveness weighed down the book. However, it included great lessons on perseverance and self-growth.

Format: Physical
Genre: Nonfiction
Rating: 4/5
I read it because: I got lost in the hobbies nonfiction section
Warnings: N/A
I would recommend this to: writers that need a coach like Tim Gunn on their shoulder (make it fabulous! Now, time to edit, designers!!)

This was a quick and easy book to encourage writers and give practical tips to draft and revise your work. I appreciated the tips, blah, blah, blah – Here’s my promise to you. If you have actually clicked on this blog, and actually read this far, and didn’t even skip the paragraph about the non-fiction book, and are interested in why I actually read this book, and take the time to message me, I will tell you what I’m dabbling with. Are you brave enough to ask and make me brave enough to tell you about it? Let’s see! Now I’m going to hide that part in more boring words so I can only let you – the devoted reader – feel special about discovering my new hobby. Prose and structure and revision are tools discussed in this easy-to-follow and practical guide.

Format: Audio
Genre: Memoir
Rating: 4.5/5
I read it because: I’ve been meaning to read it forever. It also finished my library challenge.
Warnings: Apartheid/racism, violence, domestic abuse, language
I would recommend this to: Americans that need to zoom out

As I checked out the book, the librarian said, “Oh! This is so good. You HAVE to listen to the audio version.” So, I did – and she was right. Between the African languages and impactful storytelling, listening to Trevor Noah’s book was the correct choice. While uncomfortable, it was informative and emotional and interesting. Now I really want to know how he wound up going from those childhood stories to hosting The Daily Show, because hearing about his life in South Africa was incredible.

Format: Physical
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Rating: 4.25/5
I read it because: I wanted to give Carley Fortune another chance (and I’m glad I did!)
Warnings: It’s raunchy. Stressed friendships and parent/child dynamics, grief/loss
I would recommend this to: fans of Emily Henry or Abby Jimenez and ladies that think oyster shucking is hot

This book helped me break a pet peeve: we time jumped every three chapters and I wasn’t mad about it! Amazing! It was very similar to Happy Place in the way it was told, but I liked these characters better. This book was well on its way to a 5 star romance, but if I had to hear about the three moles on her collar bone one more time……or the fleck of color in his eyes or his teacup birthmark. Stop talking about her moles. (Hey, you can’t please everybody. Maybe some people really want to hear about moles. Maybe I just don’t like the word “moles”.) Anyway, it was way more fun than the other book of hers that I read, and Prince Edward Island was an interesting setting. There were a lot of references to other books – so I’ll need to check out some of the characters’ recommendations.

Format: Audio
Genre: Nonfiction
Rating: 4/5
I read it because: Friend recommendation
Warnings: 2020 references, depression
I would recommend this to: adults that need baby steps to be productive

This isn’t going to be for everyone, but I felt personally called out for the vast majority of this book. If you get overwhelmed with basic tasks, fall to negative self talk, or have an all-or-nothing personality, this is encouraging. If you have an organized brain and find it easy to initiate tasks, this book will sound nuts. It’s just laundry – not a sign of personal failure.

Format: Physical/Audio Mix
Genre: Children’s Fantasy
Rating: 4.25/5
I read it because: I’ve been meaning to read this series forever, and I found the set at a book sale.
Warnings: Peril, bugs, rats, and battles with bugs and rats
I would recommend this to: middle grade students in need of adventure

Before she became the author of The Hunger Games series, Suzanne Collins wrote this series for a younger demographic. Honestly, I don’t know what took me so long to read these books, because they are fun and suspenseful quests. It’s Alice in Wonderland meets Harry Potter meets the Nutcracker meets City of Ember meets Percy Jackson. There are prophecies and battles and quests and friendships and a crazy cast of characters. If you are a fan of adventure in the middle grade genre, this is a solid bet.

August’s Quit List

Some memoirs that include trauma can be a gripping journey where readers are put at ease while battling horrible topics. Gracie Gold has quite the story, but the presentation was uncomfortable. I was forcing myself to read it because of the library challenge, but I realized that I was not the best audience for it. DNF @ 10%.

I was a social studies minor. I love historical topics. So WHY can’t I get into historical fiction!?! This book was chosen after a trip to Galena, Illinois. Galena is amped up on the Grants. We toured the house, and the family was interesting. But after reading the first chapter and carrying this book around the house for three days without opening it again, I realized that I should follow my own rule of quitting books that don’t spark interest and return it to the library.

This is the perfect example of how the romance genre is hilarious. Even though I previously enjoyed this author and gave a very similar book (above) a four star rating, I couldn’t finish this one. Tropes and cliches are rampant in romance – and if it doesn’t work for you, the book is doomed. I could not overcome my personal dealbreaker: “He’s so hot! I know we are best friends and he’s giving me every signal ever, but he could never *like* like me…..did I mention he was also tall?” followed by horrendous miscommunication. Also, it was an audio book where the male narrator sounded like a surfer dude. I couldn’t take it. DNF @ 32%.

This one makes me so sad to DNF. I can’t pinpoint why this didn’t work for me. On paper, it’s everything I could want in a “cozy fantasy”, but I just couldn’t get into it. I felt like I was reading forever and only three pages were completed. I even switched to an audio book assist, but it was taking forever. When it feels like a chore, put it away. DNF @ 37%. So sad.

My pace is slowing down a bit as 2024 enters its final months, and that’s okay. Thanks for following along on my reading journey!

Whew. July’s reading momentum hit a major roadblock at the beginning of the month. I got hit with a nasty flu-version of Covid that took me out of commission for about 6 days. At the beginning, it was the kind of sick where even an audiobook was overstimulating. I couldn’t get out of the brain fog enough to comprehend a paragraph at a time. Yowsa. But I’m happy to report that I got back on track big time! And while I started out with more “fun” books, I fell back into weirdo/murder books. I need to continue my quest to lighten up!!

I also broke this year’s record for the most quits in a month. Life is too short, friends. Enjoy your books!

Audio: 5
Physical: 7
Mix: —
Quit: 6

Format: Physical
Rating: 4/5
I read it because: I needed an easy read to come out of a sickness-induced reading slump.
Warnings: Language, partial 2020 Covid setting, Brief open door scenes and some graphic sexting. Whoopsie doopsie.
I would recommend this to: fans of classic romcoms

The characters had a lot of baggage to unpack and were pretty annoying. However, this is a fast read with entertaining banter (I’m a sucker for flirting via email). It’s a second chance grumpy(her)/sunshine(him) romance, and does that thing where the book uses romance tropes while explaining romance tropes during the narration. After all, the main character is a rom-com screenplay writer, because of course she is. The plot spans a bet over the course of 5 years with a lot of will-they-won’t-they and it was a decently paced rom-com to binge in the last day of my sickness marathon and break the reading slump.

Format: Physical
Rating: 3.75/5
I read it because: husband recommendation
Warnings: animal death, uncomfy family tension
I would recommend this to: readers that really wanted to like Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine and A Man Called Ove but hated both of those books. This book is similar vibes but way better.

This was one of the more unique books I’ve read this year and will not be for everybody. It starts out as simple and charming with a neurodivergent main character trying to solve a pet murder, but then it gets really uncomfortable. I mean, it’s a pet murder mystery that takes a turn to complicated family relationships. However, it was intriguing enough that I also devoured this one in a day (I was still pretty sick, guys. Reading was about all I could do for a couple of days.)

Format: Physical
Rating: 4.5/5
I read it because: I enjoyed her other books
Warnings: language, brief but graphic open door scenes, grief/loss
I would recommend this to: fans of small town Hallmark movies or the TV series Schmigadoon.

I think this makes me an official Ashley Poston fan? I’m also a fan of mixing a typical romance book with any kind of sci-fi element – and she has written three very creative takes on the genre. She’ll be an automatic add to the TBR list for me in the future. This time, the main character gets lost and winds up in the fictional town of her favorite romance series. It’s cute and adorable with some clever twists and nods to her other books. It was even cuter after just reading The Dead Romantics last month. I could be really picky about some things that I didn’t like, but I refuse. It was adorable: the end.

Format: Audio
Rating: 2.5/5
I read it because: it looked cute!
Warnings: Cancer, teen angst
I would recommend this to: middle grade readers that need a next step after the books mentioned below…

This is the book if The One and Only Ivan mixed with The Wild Robot. However, it wasn’t as good as either of those. D’oh! Overall, this was a solid middle grade book with themes of family and science and perseverance. However, a lot of it was disjointed. Giving a Mars rover the inner dialogue of a young child was tiresome after a bit. Beeps and boops. The other perspective was told over the span of 17 years through one-sided pen pal letters written to the robot from a scientist’s daughter. This built in all the angst of a coming of age tale mixed with exploring Mars? It didn’t really do it for me, but that’s okay.

Format: Physical
Rating: 4.5/5
I read it because: I wanted to give Ruth Ware another try.
Warnings: Gruesome injuries, Diabetic complications, Storms, Drowning, Emotional and Physical Abuse, and more!
I would recommend this to: fans of reality dating shows and murder?

It had been a while since I enjoyed the writing of a thriller. I thought Ware’s Zero Days was decent, but I didn’t love the overall plot. Once again, I could pick this one apart, but I’m feeling generous with my stars in July after such a stinker month of June. This one was tense with good suspense and twists, if you can stomach all the ick that getting stranded on an island. It kept me up past my bedtime and made every sound in the house spook me…..so five stars for the page turning aspect alone!

Format: Physical
Rating: 2.25/5
I read it because: I liked The Bodyguard by Katherine Center
Warnings: Grief, Death of a parent, Near-drowning, Cancer, traumatic brain injury, absolutely horrendous communication styes
I would recommend this to: readers that need a fast book and toxic characters

Oh my. On one hand, I could read this book like a movie, it had funny parts, and it was a super fast page-turner. On the other hand, if you stop to think about the main characters too hard, you will hate them. He’s a jerk, she plays games, and they both are in need of lots of trauma informed therapy. Heidi’s generous ratings streak is over. I’m mad.

Format: Physical
Rating: 3/5
I read it because: The author was quoted on the back of The House in the Cerulean Sea
Warnings: Gore/murder, estranged family
I would recommend this to: readers wanting Alice in Wonderland to have gore?

The premise was phenomenal: what happens to the kids that fall through magical portals once they come home? This book answers that question by providing a home for children that get labeled as crazy or are desperate to return to their magical land. However, this amazingly weird found family story starts in a very interesting way and then suddenly morphs into a serial killer murder mystery with super gore? What. Just. Happened.

Format: Audio
Rating:3/5
I read it because: it’s on all the trendy lists right now
Warnings: Lying, car accidents/death
I would recommend this to: fans of undercover work and scam artists that aren’t actually really good at their jobs.

I’m usually pretty good at remembering books, but the details of this book completely disappeared from my brain while I waited to write this summary after a week of putting it off. I actually had to go back to the Goodreads write up to remember the plot, and then I remembered that I was super annoyed with this book. Oops! This was an okay “thriller”, but there was a LOT going on with time jumping and aliases. The twists weren’t twisting very much and at the end I was like, “well, yeah. I mean, obviously…” Hahaha. Once again, I am obnoxiously giving a mediocre review to a book everyone loves. Welcome to my favorite past time!

Format: Audio
Rating: 3/5
I read it because: Friend Recommendation
Warnings: Murder (obviously)
I would recommend this to: fans of the genre “old people ignoring police”

Before I started my reading habit a couple years ago, I had no idea the amount of murder mysteries featuring nosey seniors solving crime. But hey, if it works for you, you have options! This one was entertaining but exhausting. There was a good narrator and fun twists at the end, but I just can’t get over the many plot lines I have read lately of the police being charmed by the elderly. No, they should not be on the case. I know I read books about dragons and sentient objects, but this is apparently what trips me up while suspending my disbelief. Dragons are awesome – Ethics violations are unacceptable. Hahahaha.

Format: Audio
Rating: 4/5
I read it because: Library Challenge: Classics
Warnings: Extremely dated and offensive language, murder
I would recommend this to: fans of the classics and people that want an entertaining audio book that makes them think in the cadence of “by golly them there doggonit fir sure you betcha”.

In hilarious news, I wanted to read this to prep for another book, James, that is on the popular lists right now. As it turns out, I read the wrong book. I was supposed to read The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Oh, well! To be honest, I only knew this story from a play when I was younger and watching Wishbone. It’s amazing how many scenes I remembered, but there were plenty of new (and offensive!) things to check out in this classic. Overall (other than the n word and insensitivities toward Native Americans and women), this was a charming read about a real impulsive little a$$hole. Tom Sawyer really sucked, but his adventures made for an entertaining time capsule into American literature.

Format: Physical
Rating: 3/5
I read it because: I had a book club with the husband!
Warnings: death and confusion
I would recommend this to: people who loved the movie Babe but wished it was more murder-y

What a weird and unique (ewe-nique?? I crack myself up.) little mystery. If you like the above mentioned “old people take it upon themselves to solve murder” genre, you might also like this “sheep take it upon themselves to solve murder” tale. Reading from multiple sheep perspectives was extremely cute and entertaining – but massively confusing. This book took a lot of work to figure out, and the pay off was not nearly as satisfying as I wanted it to be. However, if you are looking for a cozy mystery that would break you out of your current genre, this would do the trick.

Format: Audio
Rating: 1.75/5
I read it because: it was a tiebreaker book to see if Katherine Center was my jam (sorry, KC, we might be breaking up)
Warnings: Tons of trauma – miscarriage, child drowning, abandonment, alcoholism, divorce, suicide attempt – and more! And none of it is really even relevant to the main plot! Huzzah!
I would recommend this to: someone that needs a good pity party palooza

This was a slog of a book watching an insecure woman struggle. I should have quit this one too, but Ellie Kemper was the narrator so I gave it way too many chances and then it was over. Yay! The romantic storyline was paaaaaainful. It’s really hard to root for a couple where she thinks he’s gross/stupid/tooyoung for 30% of the book, she doubts how he feels for 40% of the book and can’t imagine him liking her like *that* (she was a 32 year old woman that acted 15), and then he’s not even in the book for the last 20% before they – poof – have a happily ever after. It was 100?% weird. This was my third Katherine Center book, and it might be my last (at least for a while). I like her writing, but I have closed three of her books going “yikes, those people should not be together. This is not going to work.” D’oh!

July’s Quit List: A new record! They weren’t all bad, but they just weren’t for me. And some were bad.

The blurb did not fully set up my expectations for this book and I had to call it by 17%. Tough love! But, you need to be in a very specific mood for extremely wordy 1800s magical tale with flowery prose. The premise was interesting, but the execution was so confusing. If the point of a curse was to kill off a family line by not allowing them to be in love – but the grandma had already found a loophole by making her own baby with magic – then what is the point of the curse anymore? Also: an extremely graphic midwife/miscarriage scene. There was a trigger warning on the first page, but I didn’t expect it to be that bad. It was bad. I’m out.

I did not expect a fantasy mystery to have this much heavy world building. Once again, it was a me problem. I tried. If you like the character of House (you know, the medical mystery doctor), you might love the quirky detective in this book. It’s pretty funny at times and the murder is intriguing, but it is dense. I needed something much lighter at the time. DNF @ 23%.

After going through two chapters of no plot except for introducing miserable characters, I finally called it when she compared a woman to “a rabbit on coke” and described the last box in the shipment truck “like a limp penis overpowered by pubic hair”. I’m out. DNF @ 9%.

This was a cute set up and there wasn’t anything really wrong with it. But after I thought I had been listening it for a super long time and noticed there was THIRTEEN hours left, I decided I wasn’t invested and didn’t have it in me to go on. Apparently it’s a murder mystery – but 90 minutes in and there was barely anything established without a sign of anyone dying anytime soon. DNF @ 11%.

I really tried to like this one, because her other book (The Helsinki Affair) was interesting. However, this one was painful and slow. The fictional president in this book was obviously comparable to a certain current presidential candidate – and since thinking about that former president brings me zero joy, DNF @ 26%. Life is too short.

I needed a memoir/biography for the library challenge, and this looked cute. It was. It just wasn’t for me. I definitely felt like my subcategory: elder millennial. DNF @ 7%.

That’s all for July. I’m in the middle of three quirky and interesting books right now, so the August blog is looking promising. Here’s hoping! If you have gotten this far and have advice for sneaking in a LIGHT AND FLUFFY “beach read”, please message me to add to my August reading list. I want an easy book where the leads don’t have to unpack anything. Give me emotionally healthy people having fun while they fall in looooove. Thanks!