A deep dive into the CIA using American citizens to conduct testing on them using psychological and/or chemical warfare and how it was covered up and then exposed. A few other controversies involving Sidney Gottlieb and the CIA are also discussed. Unfortunately not surprising but hopefully making it more visible will help prevent similar things in the future.

⭐️⭐️⭐️

#arc

I wanted to read this to see what all the previous hype was about. I thought it started off strong, but there were a few things I didn‘t enjoy as the story went on. Definitely need to suspend disbelief throughout the story but overall it was a fun read.

⭐️⭐️⭐️

A twisty suspense novel that could get over the top at times but was a fun ride to go on. Caitlin‘s sister, Olivia, was kidnapped but then returns home 16 years later. Although Caitlin has questions and doubts about her sister, no one else seems to. It unravels from there.

The writing was compulsive and I was drawn in from the first chapter. I loved questioning everything with Caitlin and figuring out the truth.

#arc

As the subtitle suggests, this is a love story. But not just a romantic one. It‘s a love story between two women, between an aunt and her niece, between a woman and the stars, between friends. I loved all the different relationship dynamics we got and how each was so fleshed out.

There is one thing I wish was done differently and is perhaps controversial about the ending (and a major spoiler) that I‘ll put in the comments as a spoiler.

For fans of foodie books. I found it hard to rate this book as I just couldn‘t connect with Cassie or her journey.

After Cassie‘s bf unexpectedly dies, she finds out he was secretly an online food critic and takes off to Europe on a food tour he was supposed to join. I was hoping for more depth, more reconciling with the grief of her boyfriend‘s passing, & more introspection about her life, but this comes across as largely surface level.

#arc

I enjoyed this but it felt really long.

#ReadtheWorld2025 #Jamaica

Loved seeing Anne and Gilbert as a married couple and with new friends but missed the people of Green Gables

I was hesitant about picking up this book as I‘m not a fan of books where a podcast is a main plot point, but I ended up really enjoying this and found it hard to put down at times!

#botm

All of my 4 & 5 ⭐️ reads (pictured) were non-fiction this month except for one!

Books Read: 18
Pages Read: 5,786
Total Countries: 11
New Countries: 6
#bookchain2025 : 6
#52bookub25 : 6
#mounttbr : 4

#julyrecap

I could guess where the plot was going most of the time and most of the twists, but that didn‘t diminish the enjoyment I got from watching it unravel. However, the ending is completely bonkers, and I honestly expected the author to have some sort of “gotcha” moment where the final twist was undone but she stood by it and for that, it made for a very interesting last few pages.

#arc

A great mix of memoir, journalism, and politics. A son investigates the murder of his mother, a Maltese journalist who reported on their government and exposed corruption. Well-written, full of depth, emotion, history, and the pursuit of justice.

#ReadtheWorld2025 #Malta

Taking place on a female only island most of who are escaping bad situations. On the island they‘re free &safe. They learn ancient knowledge &magic which helps when events occur that threaten their peace on the island.

Mostly middle grade, but there are scenes near the end that are more mature.

This is written by a Finnish author & I found it serendipitous that there was a woman‘s only island (SuperShe) around the same time in Finland.

A powerful graphic novel based on true events that takes place in 2013 Maryland & 1982 Guatemala focusing on 2 brothers wishing 2 know more about their mom‘s past only to learn of the tragedies of the Guatemalan Civil War & Genocide.

Almost everything written here was unknown to me &it was harrowing &heartbreaking to learn yet so important. The author grew up in Guatemala & I appreciated both the historical research &personal insight he provided.

3.5 Stars: Rating based on introduction and not actual manifesto. 80%+ is commentary on the (surprising to me) short manifesto by Marx. I found the introduction informative and it gave good backstory to what lead up to Marx‘s writing.

Short but heartbreaking. I can‘t imagine the loss Deraniyagala endured.

#ReadtheWorld2025 #SriLanka

A good mix of romance and historical events. The second in a series best read in order.

⭐️⭐️⭐️

#arc

After Amelia writes about the Catfish Killer, a copycat appears &takes a girl from Amelia‘s daughter‘s school. She teams up w/the detective on the Catfish Killer case to try &stop the copycat.

I think this started off strong but as the story went along, it devolved. I caught small discrepancies in the story &all the POVs sounded the same. The worst were the decisions by Gabby, Amelia‘s daughter.

However, this debut was both quick &entertaining.

An astounding amount of research that was put together well. Informative and interesting.

A mix of coming-of-age and family drama, this take place primarily in Singapore with a portions also being in New Zealand. Genevieve is not a particularly likable character (honestly I didn‘t really like any of the characters), but I thought there was a lot of depth and nuance to each of them. The sister dynamic between Genevieve and Arin is complex and I think many will love delving into this.

#Singapore #ReadtheWorld2025

Focused mostly on Det. Field as she races to find a killer who‘s struck twice, I loved getting multiple other POVs of those linked to the victims &possibly the crime.

A plot point surrounding the characters is an OCD trial completed years ago. It was interesting to glimpse into the characters‘ world &also have the disorder not define their full character.

The mystery kept me guessing & I loved trying to solve it alongside Det. Field.

I heard the author speak on a panel this year & she piqued my interest in her debut novel.

At first I was unsure of the structure & story but as I read I became more immersed in the lives of Cate Kay & those who played a part in it. I also think the unique structure (multiple POV, non-chronological timeline) worked really well and enhanced the story. I loved unraveling each piece of the puzzle as to who this dynamic woman was & what shaped her.

Compact but informative. An important read.

One word review: inspiring.

Born in Nepal, Gurung experienced trauma w/his dad, bullying, &sexual assault. But he had the love &acceptance of his mom & a determination &courage that allowed him to stay true to himself.

He went to NYC to pursue his dream of being a fashion designer, facing challenges by being a POC in a predominately white field. His grit &authenticity was so inspiring & moving. I celebrated each dream achieved w/ him.

#botm

I didn‘t fully understand it. But I‘d recommend for anyone who loves sci-fi and time travel.

Parts of this were similar to books I‘ve read before, and other parts were fun and twisty. I liked how this book had sort of a mise en abyme technique as Grady was an author himself (see spoiler below).

⭐️⭐️⭐️

#botm

If I didn‘t have an ARC of this book, I probably would have DNF‘d it. I had difficulty w/ the writing &the characters. Between the abundance of elipses & italicized words and the only tonal difference between characters being curse words, I struggled to stay engaged in the story. I liked that Cillian seems to grow throughout the novel, but wish we could have seen more development w/Rory & more interaction w/ & personalities of the side characters.

I‘m not the right person for this book that takes place in a small Italian town, but I can see others loving it. A teacher goes into the forest after a student commits suicide. I expected a quiet, introspective novel that drew on human connection, emotions, &relationships. While it‘s certainly quiet &a little introspective, there are so many characters (in under 300 pgs), that I feel we didn‘t get the depth, emotion or connection we could have.

A well-written, informative, & interesting coming-of-age memoir about a Somali girl, spanning from her childhood with her nomadic grandmother, life in the city with her family, escaping during the civil war to Kenya & then Canada, & finally growing into a young adult who honored her culture & ancestry while also choosing to embrace parts of her new home. It‘s part heartbreaking, part educational, & all inspiring.

#ReadtheWorld2025 #Somalia

While overall I enjoyed this book, I did struggle with it a little as well. I just didn‘t connect to the story or characters like I have with other O‘Leary books.

⭐️⭐️💫

#arc

What did I just read? I think this is about hair-made balls, tennis (or a game similar?), sex, and the colonization of Mexico by Cortés. But honestly there was so much going on and switching of stories that (I think) were supposed to be interconnected. I would have DNF‘d but I was using this for multiple reading challenges and was also trying to keep an open mind.

#ReadtheWorld2025 #Mexico #sortof

Another fun rom-com with a touch of serious subject matter.

There‘s something about cancelling plans and escaping into a rom-com after weeks of being busy and running around. The perfect escapism and another Hazelwood winner.

I‘m surprised I never heard of Dean Corll, aka the “Candy Man,” before given how prolific of a serial killer he was. This book blends both the gruesome murders of dozens of boys in the 1970s along with the scientific and anthropologic work of forensic anthropologist Sharon Derrick, who decades later tirelessly worked to bring justice for the Lost Boys and peace to their families. Well researched and well written.

#arc

Talk about a book w/feels. Gracie is navigating life a yr after her husband unexpectedly died when she meets Josh, the man working on renovating her vacation home.
It‘s a slow burn romance but I‘d argue it‘s more a coming-of-(middle) age about Gracie growing into a new version of herself. I loved the amazing support group she had: friends, coworkers &even her kids. I enjoyed how Josh was w/her, becoming great friends &letting Gracie set the pace.

Interesting and informative although a bit dense at times (it read like a text book). Recommend for any history lovers.

A twisty and twisted novel that keeps you guessing. Told mostly in the POV of our main character, Ethan, we get glimpses into a few other side characters thought and actions that allow us a fuller picture of what happened to Callie 10 years ago and how it could possibly connect to the alleged serial killer who murdered Ethan‘s father. There were few times one needs to suspend disbelief, but I enjoyed the ride it took me on.

Wonderfully written novel that reads like a coming of age memoir.

#ReadtheWorld2025 #spain

This must be my year of reading books where everyone in it is batshit crazy. Everyone seems slightly unhinged and people just accepted it. This novel was fun, but I wish not every character so off kilter.

⭐️⭐️⭐️

Book 3: When a woman is found dead w/a connection to Van, she &Harry soon uncover past deaths that look to be linked. Van also begins looking into her own past, trying to put pieces together &causing her personal life to unravel. Between the eeriness of “the laughing dead” crimes &the raw &vivid “nightmares” Van has, I was tense the whole time. I did find the main mystery predictable, but it was the nuances &the atmosphere that kept me on my toes.

PRK is an amazing writer. So much I didn‘t know in this one.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

There is honestly nothing happy about this novel. It‘s a well-written novel steeped in sadness and depressing characters. I liked it overall but wish Frank would have been less of a doormat and that Beth would have showed more remorse for her actions.

#botm

I‘m not going to lie and say I understood everything this book was trying to say, but it‘s interesting how relevant this book still is. I could see how 1984 and other dystopian novels pulled from it.

I loved so much about this book! The writing was great, the characters diverse & relatable, the relationship a fun friends-to-lovers, and the friendships phenomenal. It‘s the perfect beach read (even the setting— Summer in Miami). It did exactly what a rom-com should do: I swooned at the romance and laughed at the comedy. I also enjoyed the parts that had more gravity. It added depth to the story and allowed for character growth.

When I was in high school, I happened to see part of a court case tried by Murphy. It struck me even then how passionate and invested he was as a prosecutor.

I enjoyed how Murphy primarily focused on the cases but also gave us snippets of his personal life as it made him more relatable.

I liked learning more about the prosecutorial process and found the writing engrossing. A great read for any true crime reader.

#arc

A mix of multiple genres, I found it entertaining and fun.

3.25⭐️

I found this such an interesting premise & the mystery surrounding why Jen‘s son commits murder at the beginning is quickly put on the back burner to the mystery around why Jen is going backwards in time. I think this could be considered more speculative sci-fi than mystery. It was fun figuring out why each day was chosen & while much of the unknown is guessable, it was still entertaining. I truly enjoy McAllister‘s writing.

So, why aren‘t we learning this stuff in school?? It‘s embarrassing how much I did not know, and for that I am glad I read this.

Unfortunately, while there were parts I enjoyed there was a lot that fell short for me. Abigail‘s personality grated on me & often felt like her character was trying too hard to be quirky instead of it being natural. I‘d have liked to see the relationship be longer as I didn‘t feel Abigail‘s & Luke‘s had good chemistry & that‘s largely the buy-in I need in order to ignore insta-love plots where they go to pieces after they break up a week in. ⭐️⭐️

#haikuaday
#haikuhive

@dabbe
@TheBookHippie
@TheSpineView
@JenlovesJT47
@lil1inblue
@debinhawaii
@bellabella
@julieclair
@anncrystal
@booksandcoffee4me
@reggie
@eggs
@vivastory
@mimi28
@jdiehr
@CBee

Jake, a disgraced lawyer, an alcoholic, & a man whose life is falling apart, is a suspect in his friend‘s murder. To clear his name, he must investigate &see how it‘s related to other recent events. I enjoyed figuring out the connections &finding the truth.

The side characters paired well w/Jake &each had distinct voices.

There are similarities The Lincoln Lawyer series which made it difficult not to compare the two.