I’m back, baby!! A gardening project needed some audio books, and I started getting in the summer reading groove. The quality is debatable, but the quantity is back to full speed.

Total Books: 13
Audio: 7
Physical: 4
Mix: 2
DNF: 4

Genre: Middle Grade Sci-Fi/Fantasy
Format: Physical/Audio Mix
Rating: 2.25/5

Summary: Kids discover a portal to another world.

The premise was interesting, and the suspense was fine. However, this book was frustrating, packed with abandonment issues and unreliable adults. For better or worse, almost every scene ended on a cliffhanger. The book was incredibly long and only served as a setup to the sequel (which I will not be reading).

Genre: Historical Fiction/Mystery
Format: Audio
Rating: 2.5/5

Summary: A spinster buries her half-brother and then poses as him while trying to to solve another murder.

The first half of this book was so fun (Mrs. Doubtfire meets Bridgerton??), but the second half was very annoying. I almost quit. The “romance” (totally innocent) was very sudden and out of place. The murder mystery could have been interesting, but the author pummeled me over the head with 21st century values of classism and racism in a book set in the 1780s. It’s fine if you want your character to be on the right side of history, but please don’t stop the entire plot in order to preach and condescend (including an author’s note about the issues). We get it.

Genre: Fiction
Format: Audio
Rating: 4/5

Summary: A band reunites for a final concert, and the lead singer throws in a heist for funsies!

This was a completely random pick and a nice surprise. It was a quick, engaging listen. Nothing spectacular about it, but it was a solid “get the band back together and rob a theme park” story to pick up the reading momentum for the month!

Genre: Non-fiction
Format: Physical
Rating: 4.75/5

Summary: A history of the series, Parks and Recreation!

This was an excellent and organized compilation of the Parks and Rec series. From the creation of the show, casting, behind the scenes stories, and how it related to the culture of the times, this book covered all the important information without too much fluff. (There was a little fluff.) I had fun recalling episodes and learning all the fun facts. It was a fantastic gift to fans of the show.

Genre: Children’s (?) Fiction
Format: Audio
Rating: 4/5

Summary: The characters become better characters by the power of friendship and plants and birds.

Here’s another classic I somehow missed. And it’s hilarious. The author makes a bold choice by starting with “neglectful parents die of cholera and leave behind an ugly jerkface kid who also gets neglected by a jerkface uncle and finds a cousin who is the WORST jerkface”. However, if you can stick it out, this book will grow on you like the delphinium in the garden.

Genre: Children’s Adventure
Format: Physical
Rating: 5/5*
*Ratings are arbitrary and silly. But I dare you to find a better reading experience than having this book explained to you by some serious Minecraft enthusiasts.

Summary: A rogue adventurer comes into the lives of a seasoned adventurer and an up-and-coming adventurer to go adventuring.

I learned so much. I felt so much. It’s a tale of sisters, friends, PTSD, and rediscovering yourself. High praise. No notes.

Genre: Regency Romance (2 brief Pearl-clutching Scenes)
Format: Audio
Rating: 3.25/5

Summary: A lady down on her luck gets tips on getting a husband from a gentleman who has a secret.

To pick up the pace of summer reading, sometimes you need a sure thing. This is my third Julia Quinn book of the year, and they all received the same rating. Some chuckles, some misunderstandings, some….ahem…..romance. Quick reads and escapism!

Genre: General Fiction, Holiday
Format: Audio
Rating: 2.75/5

Summary: A big city gal comes home to a small town for the holidays.

This was a random pick, because why not!? Okay, I have a few reasons why not after reading it, but the point is to throw in a Christmas story in the summer for fun. This is a straight-forward-leave-the-work-aholic-boyfriend-for-the-hometown-sweetheart, but it needed to be 50% shorter. I would have quit, but the narrator was okay and I thought the romance would be enough to save it (it was not). This book was so descriptive that I found it hilarious. With Parks and Rec on my mind, this book sounded like Perd Hapley wrote it:

The main character explained in great detail to a nine-year old the steps on how to make a snow angel, and I almost passed out from boredom. But, if you like descriptions of food, wine, and New England, cozy on up with this never-ending tale where you will say, “Eh, it was fine.”

Genre: Thriller
Format: Physical
Rating: 3/5 with a side of “WHAT JUST HAPPENED”

Summary: A house-sitter is stalked by a madman after leaving a one-star review for his book.

I wanted to switch up my genres, but I was not prepared for whatever this was. I cannot recommend it, based on the sheer number of trigger warnings needed. At one point, I laughed, because I thought it was a parody like all of the Scream movies. But in the end, it took itself pretty seriously and very murder-y. It was WEIRD and all over the place, but it was also crazy enough that I needed to finish it in two days. I have absolutely no idea how to rate it, but I learned that it should be more than one star if I don’t want to fight for my life.

Genre: Non-Fiction
Format: Physical/Audio Mix
Rating: 3/5

Summary: Get ready for second puberty, ladies!

Yes, I will rate this the same as the horror book above. Scary stuff. While I am wary of anything I find on Instagram, I deemed it worthwhile reading after last year’s annual physical went like every cliche tale told in this book:
Me: So, I hear perimenopause is coming at me…..soooooo…..do I just increase my protein and hope for the best?
Doctor: Yeah, sure!

While this book is filled with information, I can sum it up with “there aren’t enough studies….and you will experience 0-50000 symptoms…..but most of them overlap with other things…..but it’s definitely hormonal too…..and let me tell you about some studies that won’t impact daily medical norms for another decade…..yay!”

The best part of my experience with this book was having a husband that exclaimed, “PERRY THE MENOPAUSE??” every time I talked about it.

Genre: Non-fiction
Format: Audio
Rating: 4/5

Summary: A sampler platter of lady history.

This book was better and more organized than the last lady-history book I read. Norah O’Donnell covers famous figures throughout different periods of American history as well as telling more obscure tales. It was a fantastic refresher and it inspired me to pick a few women for future biographical deep dives!

Genre: YA Fantasy
Format: Audio
Rating: 3.25/5

Summary: A child is taken in by a magical society of bird-people and becomes an important part of the war with dragon-people. In modern day NYC – because, why not?

This book was a very solid YA Fantasy until it tried to explain itself. I was even able to look past a 200-year age gap based on the lore surrounding the twist. However, just trust me, when multiple characters are confused with the explanation of the plot’s last 10%, it asks a lot for the reader to fully comprehend the end of this book. It was super fun until it wasn’t, and I will not be continuing the trilogy.

Genre: Speculative Romance (1 very explicit page in an otherwise very chill book)
Format: Physical
Rating: 3.75/5

Summary: A gardener finds a hot guy behind a magical door (yay!) while grieving the death of her best friend (trombone slide).

I will always love Ashley Poston, but this one was tough. NOWHERE in the blurb mentioning hot guys and magical doors did it even hint that this was going to be 65% about losing a best friend to cancer. OUCH. Big ‘ole bait-and-switch. It’s also not as good as her *other* hot-guy-behind-a-magical-door book, and the romance goes from 0-100000 mighty quickly. It was still worth the read if you’re a fan. However, newbies should go to The Seven-Year Slip or A Novel Love Story.

The Quit List

12% (Heidi ducks) Sometimes you have to quit books solely on mood and timing. There was nothing necessarily wrong with this one, but it is not one to read to get out of a slump. It was a little snoozy to start. Maybe later. NEXT!

14% The red flags were flying and the flirting made me throw up in my mouth. NEXT!

24% An explosion killed 54 pigs and an unidentified person. A vet tries to figure it out. Exciting, right? Then, why oh why, was this not more interesting!? I found myself turning into Scuttle from The Little Mermaid. NEXT!

6% Barely gave this one a chance, but it was not a match for me. While it looked cute and cozy, the start was so slow I couldn’t take it anymore. If you are going to pun this hard, I have great expectations. NEXT!

Buckle up, as I’m starting July with a 640-page Science Fiction/Fantasy book recommended by the husband. So far, so good. I’m sure you’ll be in serious suspense. Anticipate at least two cheesy romances to rebound from it. Happy Summer Reading, Friends!

Four. FOUR!? Four total books.

Welp, that about sums up May for ya! Shake ups at work, the end of the school year, and a trip to celebrate graduates. Time to elbow my way into June by cracking open some books!

Total Books: 4
Audio: 3
Physical: 1
Mix: 0
DNF: 2

Genre: Middle Grade Fiction/Fantasy
Format: Audio
Rating: 2.25/5

Summary: Twins fall into a book and go on a series of quests meeting fairy tale characters.

The audio book contains a full soundtrack and the story has amazing potential. However, this exciting setting had a brother/sister duo go on a bunch of errands for 400+ pages. We need this! Peril! Okay, got it! Now we need this! Peril! Okay, got it! (repeat x 10) My husband caught me in the act of rolling my eyes while listening to the twist. I’m sorry to say it fell very flat.

Genre: YA (Dystopian)
Format: Audio *reread
Rating: 3.25/5

Summary: A community lives in factions based on characteristics meant to help the greater good. Uh oh – what if this is a corrupted system!?

This book didn’t hit as hard the second time – maybe because I first read it 15 years ago or maybe because I’ve read so many similar books since then. Tris, the main character, breaks from her family’s expectations (abruptly), falls in love (abruptly), and gets involved in a revolution (abruptly). You must suspend a lot of disbelief. I heard there was a “sliding doors” book coming out in the next year on what happens if she made a different choice, so I wanted to remember what happened the first time around.

Genre: The least thrilling legal thriller
Format: Audio
Rating: 3/5

Summary: An old lady dies and the lawyer is suspected of murder.

There is nothing really bad about this book, but the description of “MYSTERY LEGAL THRILLER” while being a snooze fest is the real twist. Don’t say the intrigue will keep me up at night when an old lady dies, and then we find out that the guy we know didn’t do it…..didn’t do it. It is very okay.

Genre: Reality TV Memior/Non-fiction
Format: Physical – with illustrations!
Rating: 5/5

Summary: A history of Survivor and Rob’s path to make a career out of the show.

This was written for a very specific group: Nostalgic Survivor fans and listeners of Rob Has a Podcast. I started listening to RHAP a few years ago and became a bigger fan during the Covid times. Where else was I going to find a song parody contest about the previous week’s episode?? How else can I partake in one of my favorite New Year’s traditions of listening to a 4-hour podcast using pop culture references in a fake game simulator?? I warned you – this caters to a very specific fan base. I just happen to be one of those fans, so 5 stars, no notes.

THE QUIT LIST: SUPER PICKY EDITION!

This book has potential. At 40 pages, the main character was annoyed at another character for pronouncing her name incorrectly. I had also been pronouncing her name incorrectly in my noggin. Now the main character is annoyed at ME!? Life is too short. NEXT!

I was pessimistic about this book to begin with, as it had popular Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow vibes. By 20 pages, I was thinking, “Ew, it actually has The Great Gatsby vibes”. (Yes, I should have known by the cover.) At page 21, it made a The Great Gatsby reference. NEXT!

Okay, okay. Seriously, next. I need to get back to it, big time! Happy Summer Reading, friends!

April’s reading came in HOT and then cooled to a distracted simmer. Ha! Sorry it’s late….my brain is b-a-n-a-n-a-s as we roll through spring!

Total Books: 11
Audio: 6
Physical: 3
Mix: 2
DNF: 0 (I dabbled but didn’t commit)

Genre: Nonfiction (WWII History/Biographies)
Format: Audio
Rating: 3/5

Summary: A series of short stories, detailing women’s impact on WWII.

This book was carried over from my non-fiction-filled March, and the individual stories told in this book are incredible. Spies, nurses, pilots, boundary pushers, code breakers! However, the organization and narration left a lot to be desired. It was a bit all over the place, pivoting settings and historical figures quickly while cramming in as much information as possible. I was impressed by the content, but it required several breaks to get through it.

Genre: Fantasy (Romance/Cozy/Rated G)
Format: Physical
Rating: 4/5

Summary: A tired dragon rider and a menopausal witch from opposing sides of the war retire on the same island.

This took me a while to get through, because I literally kept falling asleep. This is a cozy fantasy with an emphasis on COZY. It’s cute x 10000 – but it is far from a page-turner! Anyway, it’s fun to have characters in their 50s starting over in life and falling in love. There are elves and dragons and bookshops and bakeries and fixer-uppers. It’s sweet.

Genre: Contemporary Romance (PG-13)
Format: Physical
Rating: 4.25/5

Summary: A woman gets herself mixed up in quite the romantic doozy between best friends.

I started this book by announcing:

This is classic Abby Jimenez: hilarious banter, lots of trauma-dumping, and an incredibly page-turning-easy-to-read escape. I would give it 5 stars for the ease of how I get sucked into these books – but some of the content and overall uncomfortable story lines kept it at a 4. The best-friends-girlfriend is a TOUGH plot to craft. Throw in a severe nut allergy and she wrote herself into quite the puzzle. I enjoyed it overall, but I’m not sold that the relationships at the end of the book are the healthiest for any of the characters. You’ll enjoy it if you don’t think about it too much!

Genre: Nonfiction (Spiritual, Reflection, Advice)
Format: Audio
Rating: 3/5

Summary: Short stories and anecdotes about bravery and faith.

This is the bishop who gave the message at the latest inauguration’s prayer service and told the president to be nice to all people. So, yeah, she knows a bit about bravery. The stories were interesting – and her voice was so calming – but it was all over the place. From FDR to personal coworkers to Jesus to Frodo, this book pulled from several inspirations.

Genre: Fantasy (Cozy/Mysterious/Light Romance)
Format: Audio
Rating: 4/5 *Second Re-read

Summary: A home for magical youth changes the life of an inspector.

TJ Klune and Abby Jimenez are a sure thing to officially bust me out of a major reading slump. While the magic didn’t hit the same as when I read it the first (or second – ha!) time, it was still a delight.

Genre: Non-Fiction
Format: Physical
Rating: 3.5/5

Summary: A couple survives 118 days in a raft in the Pacific Ocean after a whale breaks their ship.

This story was captivating, but the subjects of the story were pretty unlikable. Obviously, I rooted for them to survive and it was a fascinating story, but over half the book painted the husband as controlling, traumatized, and depressed (before, during, and after the shipwreck). Sooooooo FUN!? This book was really a compilation of a tale spun from their own books, interviews, and diaries. It read like fiction, so it was a speedy read!

Genre: Romantasy
Format: Audio/Physical Mix
Rating: 4.25/5

Summary: An author jumps in and out of her story while writing a romance novel.

This is an incredibly niche book written by a YouTuber. Have I lost you yet? But seriously, once you get used to the format, shifting settings, and heavy accent (I eventually switched to the physical book for all those reasons), this is an adorable tale of a frustrated author. With parallels to her own life, the main character writes a romance novel with the ability to chat with her characters. They just won’t behave!

Genre: Regency Romance (Two scenes to clutch your pearls!)
Format: Audio
Rating: 3.25/5

Summary: After a reputation is ruined, a family friend steps in for a marriage of convenience – and then there is LOVE!?

It was a month of desiring known quantities and sure things, so I picked up the final Bridgerton prequel. You know what you’re going to get here. Charming wit, ridiculous characters, and a happily ever after.

Genre: Fiction/Fantasy
Format: Audio
Rating: 4.75/5 *Reread

Summary: A woman solves a mystery and learns lessons with the help of an octopus.

I wanted to reread this book before the movie comes out next month! Slow at times and lacking in second-half-octopus content, this story still wraps up in a way that is charming and worth a continued 5-star rating.

Genre: Fiction
Format: Audio
Rating: 3/5

Summary: Finlay finally takes on the challenge of solving Vero’s robbery case.

While I’m a sucker for this series and will read the next one, this book fell pretty flat. I’ve complained that some of the other stories are doing too much with too many characters. However, this next step in her adventures left half the cast at home and barely anything happened. I actually needed the audio book assist to finish it because I would read a couple pages and then get distracted. It was a good comfort read with familiar characters, but it was just fine.

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

Summary: A wedding singer processes his own (toxic) relationship while working his way through a series of ceremonies.

This book is for fans of the book types I usually loathe: Elinor Oliphant, Ove, The Wedding People, etc. So why the 4 stars?? I was in a mopey mood and the main character experienced only situational depression without substance abuse or major grief. There’s a big difference. Also, this novel was super clever, working in actual original songs that you could listen to with a QR code.

THE QUIT LIST: There were a few books that I switched after 5% but they didn’t even count and I can’t even remember. Ha!

It’s a slow start to this month also, but May the reading force be with you!

March took an interesting turn in my reading journey. Apparently I was in the mood for nonfiction with a side of weird. Enjoy this very random reading list!

Total Books: 8
Audio: 5
Physical: 3
Mix: 0
DNF: 2

Genre: Memoir
Format: Audio (Read by Tom Bergeron)
Rating: 3.25/5

Summary: Anecdotes and reflecting on Dick Van Dyke’s 100 years.

It’s even admitted in the book, but this title is not correct at all. Instead of a self-help/advice route, this book contains random stories and reflections. The optimist part is also misleading, as he faces some heavy topics and is a bit pessimistic on modern day issues. I’m honestly glad it wasn’t all sunshine and platitudes, but the stories were scattered and, like most celebrity memoirs, it can often be a little tone-deaf to the everyday person. As a kid who grew up watching The Dick Van Dyke Show and Mary Poppins, this was a great collection of tales and an honest look at the joys and trials of living to 100.

Genre: Nonfiction (Science is cool!)
Format: Physical
Rating: 4/5

Summary: Short stories on fun studies.

This book is a compilation of “silly” scientific studies defending why curiosity is worth the time and money. Did you know pregnancy tests are available thanks to frogs!? Or that honeybee algorithms helped computer networking issues!? The bite-size fun facts and writer’s love of science is worth the read.

Genre: Nonfiction (History is cool!)
Format: Audio (Abridged – because the book is 900+ pages. Yowsa!)
Rating: 4/5

Summary: From the election of 1860 through the assassination, the author fan-girls over the 16th president.

Please do not quiz me. However, I enjoyed this calm narrator jogging my memory of this time period in history. The book covered the brilliant political maneuvering to steer the country through the Civil War and USING EMPATHY AND OTHER PEOPLES PERSPECTIVES TO MOVE THE COUNTRY FORWARD. Anyway, I was very impressed with the balance of historical details and storytelling. I really thought there would be more hockey and steamy dudes but….oh, wait….that’s a different rivals book?

Genre: Middle Grade Fiction
Format: Physical
Rating: 1.25/5

Summary: Kids are raised in The Refuge and are told they will die if they leave. One of them gets a heart transplant from a dog donor for some reason.

One of the biggest bait-and-switch books I have ever read (the cover and blurb do NOT AT ALL reflect the content in this book). I almost quit it, but it was on the shorter side and I *was* curious as to how it would turn out. However, I should have quit it (ouch!). I am almost speechless.

Genre: Mystery
Format: Audio
Rating: 3.25/5

Summary: A lawyer, a scientist, and a writer need to become detectives when they discover they have all been dating the same dude – and he has been murdered.

This is very much the same vibes of the Finlay Donovan series with a younger cast. Some crass phrases took me out of it – and it was all ridiculous – but it helped get me out of a slight reading slump!

Genre: Middle Grade Fantasy
Format: Physical
Rating: 5/5

Summary: Two boys overhear their teachers speaking in another language. Let the chaos commence.

My husband told me, “Hey, this is a weird book.” And it was! While it’s not for everyone, there were some great one-liners and the right weird for me. Unlike many books that frustrate me with a child’s POV obviously written by a grown up (see above), this one was incredibly believable. Or maybe I’m just weird too.

Genre: Mystery
Format: Audio
Rating: 1/5

Summary: Breaking away from her family’s expectations, a woman becomes a Rockette in the big city – and then needs to solve a bombing case?

The setting was great and it started with real Taylor Jenkins Reid vibes. Around 30%, things started going downhill and these dumb characters never recovered. I was actively angry and flirted with DNFing it – and I should have. Ouch. Just hurl me back into that reading slump why don’tcha…

Genre: Children’s Historical Fiction
Format: Audio
Rating: 3.5/5

Summary: A family lives through a year of peril on the prairie.

I have fond memories of the television series and thought I should revisit this book from my youth. *Insert all disclaimers of a book written in 1935 about the late 1800s (racism, cough, cough).* I was expecting the plot of the town, but that is later in the series – oops. This novel is a series of stories reminding me I would have died in five minutes traveling West. And, while it shows my age and stage of life, I would love the POV from Ma. SERIOUSLY. HAS ANYONE CHECKED ON MA.

The Quit List

21% It was another bait-and-switch! Don’t tell me this is an Ashley-Poston-like-time-loop-murder-mystery and then bore me with pages and pages and pages of angst. “Am I going to get back together with my ex??” Your awkward date is not important when there was a murder and a two-year time loop!?!!! NEXT!

17% It turns out I didn’t really care where she went. D’oh. NEXT!

I’m ready for a comfort-read-fun-filled-April!! Go team and happy reading!

Yowsa, I wish I could stop posting my disclaimers about current events and the need for distractions and empathy by reading BUT HERE WE STILL ARE. But I’m going to control what I can control, which means putting out my book blog at the end of the month. I kept pace this month purely thanks to audio books, as my physical reads were the big books this time around!

Total Books: 9
Audio: 7
Physical: 1
Mix: 1
DNF: 4

Genre: Thriller/Murder Mystery
Format: Audio
Rating: 3/5

Summary: People keep getting murdered. The detective and the journalist are both connected to the victims. And they are connected to each other! dun dun DUUUUUUUUN!

This was an uncomfy tale with graphic crime scenes and plenty of need for trigger warnings (infant death, dementia, parental loss, bullying, assault/abuse, and more!), but it was a very engaging audio book with plenty of twists to question. I did guess the main ending, but I was glad that other questions were resolved in the epilogue. Were the answers pretty far-fetched? Sure. But that’s what you get for reading a quick thriller!

Genre: Fantasy (Gods/Goddesses, Romance)
Format: Mix of Audio/Physical
Rating: 4.75/5

Summary: A goddess figures out her purpose and falls in love. People get stabbed. There’s magic!

This was built in the same universe as one of my favorite series: Divine Rivals. However, it focused on the mythology of the book instead of the original characters. Matilda is a goddess who falls in love with a mortal, all while figuring out the issues of having an Underling mother and a Skyward father. It is everything I wanted to be, but it didn’t get the perfect five because: they call it her “adult debut” because it had two pages of doin’ it out of 527 pages of adventures and political god-fighting. Now I can’t recommend it to more people. Because of the doin’ it. (It’s honestly not that explicit, but STILL.) Also, this fits the “Doorstopper” (500+page book) category of the library, and it definitely didn’t need to be that long. Anyway, I loved it and thought about the characters when I wasn’t reading it – the highest of praise when that happens.

Genre: Non-fiction (Pop-Culture)
Format: Audio
Rating: 3.25/5

Summary: Taran Armstrong details the history of Big Brother.

A couple of lovely friends always talked about Big Brother, but I just didn’t “get” it. However, thanks to my love of Survivor and finding the RHAP podcasts, I discovered Taran Armstrong. And there is something special about listening to people nerd-out about special interests. Every now and then, I would tune in and then I started appreciating the show. I was only twenty years late to the party. This book struggled to find its main point, as it was an overall history, tutorial, personal reflection, and deep dive into a few seasons. However, it was an easy and interesting audio book for reality TV nerds.

Genre: Romance (Regency w/2 pages of Pearl-Clutching)
Format: Audio
Rating: 4/5

Summary: A marriage of convenience evolves into a love match.

I almost gave up on The Regency Vows series after the second one didn’t live up to the first, but I’m glad I came back around for the third. This one was all the charm and humor without all the miscommunication and trickery. It was tamer than the others and made for fluffy-fun-and-fast audio book. It’s a good “Bridgerton-Light”.

Genre: Non-Fiction (Memoir)
Format: Audio
Rating: 5/5

Summary: Zarna Garg’s memoir of coming to America and eventually winding up in comedy.

This audio book was how memoirs should be done. Great pacing, interesting, funny, and produced well (sound effects, etc.). Zarna Garg was not on my radar at all until I saw her for 45 seconds on a reel from Amy Poehler’s podcast. Her book immediately went on my Libby holds. Her storytelling is fantastic – and it was icing on the cake to hear from her family on the audio version as well. Great insights into her experience as an immigrant, Indian vs. American culture, and making it in comedy.

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

Summary: Three POVs document a fictional reality show as it goes too far.

For the second time this month, I was influenced by Rob Has a Podcast (RHAP). I’ve been listening to Rob and Stephen’s Survivor “Know It Alls” recap show for several years, and I was pretty excited about this book coming out. Stephen takes his experience from writing and covering reality TV for the past two decades and spins this tale. It’s a slow start, but it picks up nicely. It’s a little darker and sometimes more crude than I expected from what I know of the author, but it was an engaging and twisty tale of reality TV manipulation.

Genre: Mystery (Checked off “Locked-Room Mystery” on the Bingo card!)
Format: Audio
Rating: 3/5

Summary: People go to a mysterious island and the murders start.

My first Agatha Christie novel! I will give her another shot, but this one didn’t do it for me. At least they updated it to be less racist!? I mean, it’s still…..not great, but I’m going to overlook the 1939 of it all. The thing I have learned about “locked room mysteries” is that when everyone has to be a suspect, everyone kind of has to suck. So I didn’t really care who died or who did it. The epilogue explains the whole thing. It was fine.

Genre: Romance (Regency & a Lot a Bit Raunchy for a Little Bit of Time)
Format: Audio
Rating: 3.25/5

Summary: A lady gets kidnapped and falls in love with a hot spy who also just happens to be a distant friend of the family?

I wasn’t in great haste to return to Bridgerton, Dear Reader, but then the DMPL announced that Julia Quinn will be one of the guest speakers this year! And returning to the 1800s would check off a Bingo square! This prequel contained some of the least problematic of her characters, but they were a couple of the most boring. It’s an easy listen and as charming as always but not quite as epic as Quinn’s other tales.

Genre: Middle Grade Fantasy/Adventure
Format: Audio
Rating: 1.75/5

Summary: Siblings go on many quests while the grownups keep secrets.

This series came highly recommended, but I obviously missed something. I had a multi-paragraph rant about it, but I’ll delete that and summarize: It’s like Dr. Seuss and Gregor the Underlander shuffled together, but not in a good way. It was too much and yet not enough at the same time. (Heidi ducks.)

The Quit List

37% This was a Lent thing. The author gave a lot of generic advice. Some good takeaways, but I really think he just needs a vacation. Next!

20%ish This was like a grown-up The Giver. NEXT!

20%ish This was like an updated The Giver. NEXT!

60+% I was determined to finish the series, as they are dumb fun. However, this one gave me the ick in a relationship that went from zero to 50000000 in one page. I threw up a little in my mouth. Next!

Time to start March reading. Go team!

Happy New Year!? This month is a great reminder that not every book is for every person. I rated some real stinkers to start the new year, but maybe you will love them! May you find *your* awesome books in 2026.

Below you will find a WIDE range of genres. There’s some escapism (for….*gestures to all current events*) and some books to flex the ‘ole empathy muscle (for….*gestures to all current events*).

Total Books: 12
Audio: 8
Physical: 4
Mix: 0
DNF: 3

Genre: Fantasy (Fairy Tale Retelling)
Format: Audio
Rating: 2.75/5

Summary: Lady falls into a portal after being summoned by the king to heal his ailing child.

I absolutely loved this concept – a Snow White retelling through the eyes of a villager summoned to help fix the poison problem – but the execution was all over the place. It felt more like Alice in Wonderland at times, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing.
Things to like:
-a Cheshire Cat-like character who is snarky and fun
-portals through mirrors!
-potions!
Things to be annoyed by:
-the main character won’t stop talking about her size and fat-splains throughout the book
-the “romance” subplot is completely unnecessary and does nothing except make an otherwise interesting main character come off as an insecure gal
-the king is introduced as a person of interest and then disappears

Overall, it’s a good audio book, but I was left a wee bit confused and disappointed.

Genre: Fantasy (Holiday, Romance – Raunchy)
Format: Physical
Rating: 2.25/5

Summary: What if the ghost of Christmas Past was HOT??

For the second time in a row, I was in love with the hook and concept, but the plot was a big “what just happened” with a side of “how long is this going to take”. The ghost visits a woman to find out where she went wrong in life, but she seems totally good. Things go haywire when they wind up in his past instead of hers. Then they are hot for each other.
Things to like:
-a spin on A Christmas Carol
-the banter is fun
-there’s a cute cat
-I was curious the whole time about how the ridiculousness would resolve
Things to be annoyed by:
-the 100+ year age gap. It’s fine if he’s been in limbo for a century first, right?
-the magic/twists are cool, but you have to ignore a LOT of plot holes
-the….ahem….intimate scenes…..ahem…..gave me the serious ick. I don’t mind an occasionally raunchy book, but certain authors use phrases that immediately shut it down for me. I won’t yuck your yum, but the phrase “licking into my mouth” made me put the book down and stare at the wall uncomfortably for a solid three minutes.

It’s an ambitious book that almost hits the mark. I didn’t hate it, but I can’t recommend it.

Genre: Speculative (dystopian nightmare fuel)
Format: Audio
Rating: 1.25/5

Summary: Bad things happen and then worse things happen.

Another popular book (400,000+ ratings on Goodreads with a 4.1 average) destined to enrage me. OOF. Look, I know I’m supposed to love and/or appreciate philosophical-speculative-bummer fiction, but how can an author create SUCH an amazing concept and then let all the air out of the tires?? I don’t mind speculating in speculative fiction, but this was ridiculous. I don’t get ANY answers after being absolutely sucked into this story? Boo. Hiss. Moving on. At least it was short and covered the “translated” category for the library’s bingo challenge!

Genre: Romance (Holiday, Briefly Raunchy)
Format: Audio
Rating: 2.75/5

Summary: An artist hates Christmas and is shocked that a man can do the bare minimum in a relationship.

Does an author I like + a narrator I like + a holiday I like = a book I like? Apparently not. These characters were exhausting. They should not be together. It almost made me hate Christmas. Overall, it was fine.

Genre: Non-fiction (Memoir)
Format: Physical
Rating: 4.5/5

Summary: A joyful and heartbreaking remembrance of the author’s mother, blending stories with her mom’s book reviews.

My husband recommended this! He read it because he recognized the author from Mystery Science Theater 3000. Now, forget that sentence. This is a beautiful reflection on mother-daughter relationships – especially if you have a Catholic Midwestern mother. The author unpacks her grief of her mother’s death in the most brilliant, heartfelt way. Short stories shared between her mother’s sassy book reviews. It oozed love. Between this book and watching the fifth episode of the Eras Tour documentary, it was a good day to invest in Kleenex.

Genre: General Fiction (Women’s, unexpectedly-a-little-bit explicit)
Format: Physical
Rating: 3.75/5

Summary: A woman pretends to be younger to get a job and overcome a midlife crisis.

A friend recommended the 2015 TV show “Younger”, and I really enjoyed season one! I thought I’d take the book from 2005 for a spin and – gasp – the show was better? But what if I only liked the show better because it was younger!? Bwahahahaha. But seriously, the tweaks in the show made all the minor characters even more interesting. I don’t know if I’ll get around to the second season or the book’s sequel, but it was a solid story and a lot of fun.

Genre: Fantasy (of the very dense Sanderson variety)
Format: Audio
Rating: 3.25/5

Summary: A dragon in human form and a lonesome trapper have separate quests until they eventually run into each other.

Oh, Sanderson. I want to love you, but we mostly just get along. The narrators were amazing, which helped me get through a LOT of Cosmere characters and vocabulary. Everything is interesting. A lot of things are frustrating. The super power birds were cool.

Genre: Romance (of the explicit variety)
Format: Audio
Rating: 2.75/5

Summary: Best friends hook up and then are stupid about it.

I almost quit this book, and I probably should have, but the banter was fun, the overall concept was cute, and the narrators were decent. However, the 29-year-old main character acted like a 14-year-old at best. It was hard for me to root for the couple to get together when the red flags were flying like New Year’s Eve confetti.

Genre: It was set in the 1980s….so…..gulp……historical fiction?
Format: Physical
Rating: 3.75/5

Summary: A lady figures out family, love, and space.

I. Have. Mixed. Feelings. First, I adore the writing of Taylor Jenkins Reid, as it’s like reading a movie. She was one of the authors that got me back into reading in 2023. However, I dread books with space death/emergencies. Knowing that, it’s a miracle this book rounded to a “4”. The writing was extremely engaging, but it felt like three books shuffled together. There was a balance issue between the romance, the space emergency, and her own character growth (family issues). The book had huge build ups – only to yada-yada the most important parts. Anyway, I’m glad I scratched the itch and got this off my TBR list.

Genre: YA Dystopian Nightmare Fuel
Format: Audio
Rating: 3.75/5

Summary: Southern California suddenly runs out of water. It’s bad.

In a quest to check off the box of “Climate Fiction” for library bingo, I picked out an author that I really enjoyed in the past (the Scythe series). However, it reminded me how I never want to meet Neal Shusterman in real life. His writing is incredibly engaging, but the dude is not afraid of going to dark places. This audio book has six narrators, which really adds to the tale of teens banding together to survive when people go nuts in apocalyptic conditions. (This is more like humans changing the environment and not direct climate change, but I’m going to count it. Or do you need me to be MORE depressed, public library!?)

Genre: Speculative Fiction
Format: Audio
Rating: 3/5

Summary: DNA tests can match you to your perfect life partner.

I’ll admit, I was influenced by a person I don’t know on Instagram describing this as, like, the *totally* best audio book. There were times when I thought this would be rated a 5, but the last 20% of the book made the rating plummet. Overall, the twists kept coming in the best way and I was totally invested. However, traumatic childbirth (automatic full point deduction) and too many twists/fake-outs at the end left a bad taste in my mouth. If you like Freida McFadden books, you would like this one.

Genre: Non-fiction (Memoir)
Format: Audio
Rating: 3.75/5

Summary: Read by the author, she describes her elementary-age years as an undocumented immigrant in NYC in the 90s.

SERIOUSLY, THE LIBRARY CHALLENGE + THE NEWS DO NOT MIX. I needed to complete the immigration/displacement category, and I picked an available audio book with the “Read By Jenna” endorsement. This was a very tough read and horribly relevant. If there’s anything we need more of right now, it’s seeing the humanity of impossible situations and hearing individual stories. My only criticism is that the timeline was a bit confusing and the story ended abruptly. There was so much detail about her childhood – but the next 20 years were summarized in just a couple of minutes. I have so many questions! But I’m so glad this author shared her story. I’ll be thinking about it for a while.

The Quit List

45% (painful but necessary call)
I loved The Bromance Book Club. This follow-up had the slowest start and woke-splained a million issues. I like it when you include the woke, but don’t pander and talk to me like I’m in a kindergarten social-emotional learning lesson, thankyouverymuch. NEXT!

47%
I could not suspend my disbelief any longer. This is supposed to be a fun pirate romp, but romanticizing piracy is difficult to write. The main character seemed almost ditsy and aloof while describing her father’s abuse, murdering like it’s no big deal, and dodging assault. Girl, you need to get off this boat and deal with some trauma. NEXT!

31/324
It’s not you, it’s me. And maybe a little you. I’ve DNF’d this author’s YA material. Her adult debut had a much better opening and was quite interesting – but it does chapter breaks in the second person POV and I was annoyed. NEXT!

I’ve started my “door-stopper” book for the reading challenge, so we’ll see what my book count will be in February, haha. Happy reading to all!

Wrapping up the year with a solid 125 books! Don’t ask me about the latest pop culture shows (other than CBS reality television), but I can hook you up with reading recommendations. I started this new habit as a doom-scroll replacement, so if you are also looking for escapism, come with me to worlds of cheesy romance, fun adventure, or dystopian worlds where the politicians are put in their place within 250-600 pages!

Here’s the wrap-up. First, the data. Then, the books!

Reminder/Disclaimer: These lists are based on my reading EXPERIENCE and all-out favoritism.

Favorite Reading Experience of the Year: It earns this award, because it’s rare that I get a read-aloud that works for my aging boys. We all laughed out loud. Then we watched the movie. Then we went to the play.

Best General/Misc. Fiction:

1.) Jane and Dan at the End of the World by Colleen Oakley
2.) The Favorites by Layne Fargo
3.) A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens
4.) Run for the Hills by Kevin Wilson
5.) The Big Fix by Holly James

Best Romance:

1.) Tangled Up In You by Christina Lauren
2.) Worth Fighting For by Jesse Q. Sutanto
3.) The Bromance Book Club by Lyssa Kay Adams
4.) Because of Miss Bridgerton by Julia Quinn
5.) Say You’ll Remember Me by Abby Jimenez

Best YA:

1.) My Lady Jane by Cyntia Hand, Brodi Ashton, Jodi Meadows
2.) Boy Band of the Apocalypse by Tom Nicoll
3-4.) The Hunger Games (reread) & Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne Collins
5-6.) Ruthless Vows & Divine Rivals (rereads) by Rebecca Ross

Best Children’s:

1.) The Millicent Quibb School of Etiquette for Young Ladies of Mad Science by Kate McKinnon
2.) Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH by Robert C. O’Brien
3.) Good Different by Meg Eden Kuyatt
4.) The Last Cuentista by Donna Barba Higuera
5.) Katie the Catsitter by Colleen Venable

Sci-Fiction/Fantasy:

1.) Onyx Storm by Rebecca Yarros
2.) The Martian by Andy Weir
3.) Tress of the Emerald Sea (reread) by Brandon Sanderson
4.) Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton
5.) Frankenstein by Mary Shelley

Non-Fiction/Memoir:

1.) Destiny of the Republic by Candice Miller
2.) Everything is Tuberculosis by John Green
3.) Big Dumb Eyes by Nate Bargatze
4.) In Gad We Trust by Josh Gad
5.) Your Story Matters by Richard Scrimger

Best Thriller/Mystery:

1.) Finlay Donovan Digs Her Own Grave by Elle Cosimano
2.) The Most Wonderful Crime of the Year by Ally Carter
3.) Happy Wife by Lavender/Shores
4.) The Woman in the Cabin by Becca Day
5.) Ghostwriter by Julie Clark

2026 TBR List

Okay, seriously, THIS year I’ll read it (maybe):

Coming-soon books that might distract me from the above list:

Are there any must-reads I’m missing? Send them my way. May all your 2026 reading goals come true.

It was a busy month where audio books kept this reading habit moving!

Total Books: 7
Audio: 5
Physical: 1
Mix: 2
DNF: 3

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

Summary: Arthur Dent experiences a series of ridiculous events when Earth is destroyed.

I finally read it! And it was very British (more so with the audio book narrated by Stephen Fry). My husband warned me that it was a “set up” book for the overall series, and I’m glad I was warned. I had to battle my brain to figure out what to focus on (there are a LOT of names and new words thrown in there), but if you just buckle up and go along for the ride through the galaxy, you will experience some good chuckles.

Genre: Cozy (very cozy) fantasy
Format: Audio
Rating: 2.5/5

Summary: An insecure librarian finds a hot dude on an island, and she sells jam.

I wanted to like this book so much. I tried. In fact, after previously quitting it at 37%, I picked it up months later to try again. It is sooooo popular and sooooo loved, and I tried. This book was incredibly frustrating because of the massive potential. It was a cool world with a sentient spider plant as a sidekick. There were winged cats! She had blue hair! But good gracious, I was bored out of my gourd with this whiny librarian and descriptions of everything. There. Were. Winged. Cats. And. No. Point. To. Them. Anyway, it was a cool world with many lost opportunities to do cooler stuff with it. The only reason this got a three was because she used the word defenestration correctly multiple times. Did she show the emperor being thrown out the window and dive into political unrest? Not really. Oh well. (I should also dock it for a mer-horse birthing scene, but I have some holiday generosity in me I guess. No one needs a mer-horse birthing scene. Thank you very much.)

Genre: Thriller/Mystery
Format: Physical
Rating: 4.25/5

Summary: A young outsider marries into a bonkers rich neighborhood and everyone is a suspect when her husband disappears.

I picked this one up at a thrift store and really enjoyed it! I’m usually very distracted by choppy writing and “gotcha” moments in thrillers, but this novel flowed well and had an equal-opportunity suspect list. The end fell a little flat but I enjoyed the mystery and (literally) rich characters.

Genre: Thriller/Mystery
Format: Audio
Rating: 2/5

Summary: A caretaker moves into a spooky house full of secrets and creepy people.

This was my second chance for a Riley Sager book, and it will likely be my last. He has joined the exclusive group of “good-for-you-but-not-for-me” authors. It started out with such a strong premise and just the right amount of mystery. However, it spiraled from there, needing to be three hours shorter with 87 fewer twists. It felt like the brainstorming meeting for twists ended with: “Yes! Let’s just do ALL of it!” It was exhausting and unsatisfying.

Genre: Fiction
Format: Audio
Rating: 4/5

Summary: Ghosts visit Scrooge and he’s all like, “WHAT!?”

You guys. This book was JUST like Mickey’s Christmas Carol. Almost word for word. It was amazing.

Genre: No-Fun Fiction
Format: Mix of Audio/Physical
Rating: 3/5

Summary: Strangers trauma-dump for an entire week.

I read this book, because I was sick of seeing it on every list ever. What was the hype? It was driving me crazy, and I was sure I would hate it – since my least favorite genres include popular literary fiction with sad main characters. The good news? I didn’t hate it! The bad news? It was just fine. If you like whiny people with baggage complaining for 367 pages, this is the book for you! Trigger warnings: pet death, parental death, infertility/IVF, miscarriage, adultery, toxic workplace environments, post-Covid settings, toxic parental relationship, spousal death, suicidal thoughts – ARE WE HAVING FUN YET WITH THIS CRITICS’ DARLING!? Goodness. Also, it was crass and annoying. I guess the fact that I’m still rating it a “3” is high praise and worthy of getting on some lists.

Genre: YA Fiction
Format: Audio
Rating: 3.25/5

Summary: Nerds fake-date until they real-date.

Overall, this is a solid YA novel. It’s refreshing that this romcom stays in its lane – tension and angst without sex or language (YA can mean ANYTHING these days). The main character is self-absorbed and the dude is oblivious: a match made in high school rom-com heaven. It was obnoxiously sweet, built for theater/gamer kids. I could be picky and go on tangents, but it was cute and appropriate for a general audience.

The Quit List

22% I was lukewarm about this author’s other book, but it was mostly because of the twist. I gave her another chance, and there were many things I liked about this book. However, a character was introduced that seemed like a “checking of the box” situation, and I was annoyed. Next!

15% I honestly enjoyed the start of this book. It would be great for fans of The Borrowed Life of Frederick Fife. It was purely a mood thing – old-people-adventures are a gamble for me. Next!

10% Again, not bad. But I wasn’t in the mood for the orphans-save-the-world-but-you-better-remember-they’re-orphans story.

Gotta wrap this up – it’s time for the End of the Year Review!

It’s baffling that we only have one more month to sneak in 2025 reading. Go team!
Here’s the November round up!

Total Books: 8
Audio: 4
Physical: 3
Mix: 1
DNF: 5

Genre: Contemporary Romance (of the raunchy variety)
Format: Audio
Rating: 4.5/5 (on the audio book reread)

Summary: When their exes run off to marry each other, a bartender and librarian share an apartment AND EVENTUALLY THEIR HEARTS.

When this book first came out, I devoured the physical copy in two days. Revisiting it on audio book reminded me how much emotional baggage these characters had, but it was still a lovely romcom. Emily Henry’s characters and banter are hard to beat.

Genre: Children’s Fiction
Format: Physical (read out loud to boys)
Rating: 5/5

Summary: The neighborhood rascals crash the annual Christmas show, and we all learn lessons on judgement and kindness.

Look, some of this writing is going to feel 1972 dated (fat-shaming, Dad can’t eat because Mom didn’t make dinner), but this classic is a gem. BOTH of my boys laughed out loud, which is an event I will cherish (our read aloud times are shrinking). After reading it, we got to see the Des Moines Playhouse production, and it was just as sweet and lovely.

Genre: YA Romantasy (more graphic than I remember but still YA)
Format: Audio *Reread
Rating: 4.75/5

Summary: Picking up shortly after Divine Rivals, Roman and Iris must overcome allllll the things.

It was lovely to revisit this duology, a lyrical escape into a fantasy world. It ties up the loose ends from the first book and leaves just enough questions to wonder about the characters.

Genre: Thriller/Fantasy
Format: Physical

Summary: Four friends grieve the loss of another, and their quest for closure leads them on a time-bending adventure to a spooky house.

Full disclosure: The author is my cousin! I was honored to get a sneak peek copy and push myself into a genre I rarely enter: descriptive time travel! The dialogue and vivid characters are the strength here, as the banter was very funny and the friendship was easy to picture. This ambitious story is the start of a nine-book series, so be prepared to just enjoy the ride and have a lot of questions along the way. Then become super jealous that I got to have those questions answered in a phone call after I finished the book. Ha! His passion about this story is infectious, and he obviously pulls from years of songwriting to create this descriptive book.

Genre: Fiction
Format: Audio
Rating: 2.75/5

Summary: A woman is arrested for murder and only her childhood pony can fix the problem.

I adored the first half of this book, and it had some serious Remarkably Bright Creatures vibes. However, the second half got dark and preachy and weird and choppy. The storytelling was clever (for fans of Homeward Bound), but it really jumped the shark a few times. We needed Tim Gunn to yell, “Edit, Designers!!!” A good read for animal rights and horse lovers – as long as they can handle merging timelines and random adventures.

Genre: Romance (of the briefly explicit variety)
Format: Physical
Rating: 4.75/5

Summary: A husband aims to repair marriage with the assist of a bunch of dudes reading romance novels.

I must offer a quick shout out to the romance bookstore in Des Moines: Shelf Love. After it appeared in my social media algorithm, I gave it a chance. It was adorable. As the only shopper, I decided to walk right up to the staff and have the following conversation:
“I DON’T WANT CANCER OR DEMENTIA SUBPLOTS. GIVE ME A NICE LOVE STORY WHERE I ROOT FOR PEOPLE AND THEY ONLY NEED A LITTLE THERAPY.”
“Got it.”
“AND FUNNY.”
“Okay.”
(points out the different genres and narrows down authors I like/dislike)
“And how do you feel about basic criticism of patriarchy?”
“ACCEPTABLE.”
“Great. Okay, here we go!”
And – while this book still covered parental abandonment issues and slipped in a speech impediment subplot – this story fit the requirements. Nice job, local book store!
If you have ever read regency romances, this is a sweet book combining romance genres. The sidekick friends are funny, the conflict feels real but not depressing, the loose ends are tied up. I took off some points for a few cringe words/phrases, but I’m being picky. I enjoyed it and will check out others in the series.

Genre: Thriller
Format: Audio
Rating: 4.25/5

Summary: A wife in the woods must escape and YIKES.

This book should have had a million trigger warnings for assault/domestic violence (the summary did not do it justice). Throw in a pregnancy story line and that should have called it for me. However, the audio book was so captivating that I HAD to finish it – and quickly. This author remains my “a better Frieda McFadden book for people that don’t like Frieda McFadden books”.

Genre: Non-Fiction
Format: Audio/Physical Mix
Rating: 3.75/5

Summary: A rapid-fire whirlwind of fast facts and anecdotes about science and the human body.

What just happened. Wowsers. This was a fascinating read about what we know (AND DON’T KNOW) about the human body and what science has discovered (AND THE GROSS/DISTURBING WAYS THEY DISCOVERED STUFF). My husband recommended Bill Bryson as an author, and now I get to recommend this book back to him. I didn’t rank it higher, as it was seemingly random on what was discussed and the pacing was all over the place. However, it was a great non-fiction read and it peaked curiosity about many topics.

The Ode to Quitting
(Honestly, I barely gave these a chance…so don’t be mad at me.)

There is a very popular male narrator and I absolutely can’t stand his voice. I forgot to check if it was him, and I had to turn it off immediately when he started speaking. D’oh! Next!

It seemed to be going in the name-dropping direction of the Stamos book. Next!

Started out with a cat sensing death. It seemed like this was going to be a long road trip, and I was not in the mood. Next!

This author was recommended to me. It’s a not-for-now, as I was not in the mood to read the script from a fake fantasy TV show mixed into the plot. Next!

I was so excited for this one, but it quickly morphed into a chore. It felt like I should have been almost done, but I was on page 43. OOPS. Next!

The first snow dropped this weekend, so I’m ready to curl up by the fireplace and get cozy with some great books to wrap up the year. Happy Reading to All!

It was another semi-slow reading month, but with cooler weather comes some bookish snuggles by the fireplace. I hope. Also, CAN THE WORLD CHILL OUT SO THAT I DON’T FEEL THE NEED TO CONSTANTLY ESCAPE INTO FICTION. Goodness.

Total Books: 7
Audio: 4
Physical: 2
Mix: 1
DNF: 3

Genre: Contemporary Romance (A comfort reread!)
Format: Audio
Rating: 4/5

Summary: A fan of romance novels gets lost and winds up in her favorite fictional city.

I was in need of a guaranteed comfort read, so I picked up this Ashley Poston gem. It didn’t translate as well in audio-only (if I had to hear about his “minty eyes” one more time….), but it’s still a solid dose of magical realism and a tale of yummy escape.

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

Summary: The most fierce assassin of all the land has period cramps for multiple paragraphs.

After being the near-only person in my demographic that did not fall in love with A Court of Thorns and Roses, I decided to give the Maas universe another chance with her YA series. While it was FAR better, it still left me with zero desire to pick up the next book. The pacing was all over the place. They yada-yada-ed multiple murders in the castle, but then wallowed in a (boring) love triangle? They introduced a ghost queen (A GHOST QUEEN) but then the main character just hung out in the library? She’s described as the fiercest assassin in the land, but she didn’t notice when things were left on her pillow and was kind of bad at the champions’ “tests”? Pass on this one, go reread Hunger Games.

Genre: Thriller/Mystery
Format: Audio
Rating: 4/5

Summary: A rich lady is murdered and everyone has a motive.

A book cover like this always makes me intrigued but wary. Too many thrillers turn into a “gotcha” game with choppy writing. However, this one kept me interested and the audio book was engaging. I figured out half of the twist, which gave me the satisfaction of playing along while still getting the entertainment of the other half. I wouldn’t necessarily recommend it, but I will return to this author if I get the itch for another thriller/mystery. So that’s high praise! This is another copy-the-true-crime-podcast-vibe kind of book if you’re into that kind of thing.

Genre: Old-Timey Horror *I was too distracted by the language to be scared while reading, but I admit it was creepy looking back on it.*
Format: Audio
Rating: 4/5

Summary: An eccentric scientist makes a creature that’s wicked ugly.

Speaking of large men with minty eyes……
After a significant learning curve to keep up with 1800s English, I honestly had a good time with this one. I didn’t really know what to expect, but I was fascinated by this psychological thriller full of weirdo characters. Frankenstein is pretty messed up, dude, and I was intrigued by the creature – who is hilariously wordy. The language alone was an adventure, and I had fun translating it into a modern version in my head. (This was part of my quest to keep up with my niece’s AP Lit reading list. I’m not sure if I will finish this task, but I checked off this beast!)

Genre: Fiction
Format: Physical
Rating: 3/5

Summary: A series of life events through the eyes of a neurodivergent young girl.

I appreciated this unique novel, but it wasn’t fun. It’s very hard to understand the story through a character who has difficulty processing her own world. I have so many unanswered questions. However, the feelings and confusion were honest. You will realize as you flip through the pages that it’s all told in second person, and you kind of hate that as your brain rebels against the POV.

Genre: YA Romantasy
Format: Audio (Reread)
Rating: 4.5/5

Summary: A magical typewriter connects coworkers in the middle of a war between gods.

I mean, isn’t the summary enough!? I wanted to revisit this story before diving into the newest release in this universe, and it was interesting to see what scenes I vividly remembered and what memories were lost. This book reads like a movie (which I love), but oof, I forgot how much it punched you right in the heart. It’s WWI meets The Daily Planet meets magical gods. If you read it, plan on picking up the sequel immediately.

Genre: Memoir
Format: Physical
Rating: 3/5

Summary: Jen Hatmaker talks about recovery after divorce and general trauma.

This was my first Jen Hatmaker book, but I’ve followed her on social media for years. I knew this would be a tough read (Covid, infidelity, religious trauma), and it was – for many reasons. The writing was crisp and funny in spite of the topics, but it jumped all over the place. The storytelling was great, but it was a bit tone-deaf when discussing healing. I am not minimizing her trauma at all, but the vast amount of resources she had to cope with (community, huge supportive family, money, therapy, vacations, advisors, etc.) would make it a challenge to relate to the average person going through something similar.

The Quit List

I listened to 26% of the audio book, and it was a chore to press play. There was a lot of potential, but I felt nothing toward the characters. It was not fun.

I wanted a quick read and fun rom-com, but 4% was enough to let me know that it was going to be way too sweet and cheesy for me. And that’s saying something.

What started as a seasonal and charming rom-com gave me the ick quickly. I held on for 28%, but the whiplash between rated-g Hallmark movie and explicit raunchy phrases gave this book an identity crisis.

Happy Halloween! I have some interesting and fun books queued up for November. Stay tuned!!