This was great, although I was a bit disappointed it didn‘t have stronger supernatural overtones after all. Naomi is an interesting character, and the layered conclusions meant that what happened all those years ago actually did surprise me.

So, so good! Elizabeth Zott is a force to be reckoned with, and an immensely compelling lead. In fact, every single character is interesting in their own right, even the unlikeable ones. Note: despite the girly cover, this is not your mother‘s chick-lit, but something rather more complex and wonderful.

What a perfect little holiday read 💕 Bayliss delivers warmth, humor, and just the perfect measure of that little tug of sorrow we often feel around the holidays.

And the award for funniest quote of the year goes to “…I was spray-tanned by a woman who thought being the color of marmalade was the height of sophistication…”

A sweet lil‘ queer romance from #botm, Cochrun also manages to add depth and a discussion of failure/fear of failure that feels deeply relevant and provides interesting societal critique in a title that could otherwise feel lacking in plot and originality.

Quiet, meditative, bleak yet uplifting, Keenan‘s Christmas-time tale is simply a must read for all who love more modern literature rooted firmly in realism traditions. Perhaps best tonally described as the odd child of tone Raymond Carver‘s “Cathedral” and Faulkner‘s “A Rose for Emily,” this short title packs a big emotional and thematic punch.

✨I present to you: the 2022 Holiday reads lineup!✨

Not only is this a great magical adventure tale, it is also a really nice, lyrical explanation of sorrow, growth, and looking for what‘s been lost. While the pacing isn‘t particularly quick, the tone/style plays well with the content and gives the book a beautiful solemn undercurrent.

I loved Bovalino‘s take on the “demon in the book” trope, and the freshness she brought to it! The relationship between Tess and Truth is a bit like the diet version of Addie LaRue‘s affair with her demon, and could have been explored better. That said, though, this book treats the themes of need and longing intelligently and is probably more about those than just the plot itself.

This was so good, I am not even sure there are words to express it adequately! The central themes could so easily have been delivered in a too morally instructive manner, but Nethercott strikes just the right tone.

What a twist (if you know, you know).

Question just to gauge very preliminary interest: would anyone potentially be interested in a small business where you could put in your favorite books, hobbies, etc. and receive a box of 2-3 (either used, new, or mixed) books chosen just for you?

A really quick, very goofy, adult graphic novel that never takes itself too seriously but maintains a needed touch of maturity nonetheless.

This was pretty fun, and not too culturally out-of-reach for a non-American ‘90s kid with no field hockey experience!

After “Reverie” I was convinced I‘d never spend time on another La Sala title, but man am I (so far) glad I—admittedly accidentally—chose to!

I‘ve been fond of Blake since “Anna Dressed in Blood,” and while this one certainly wasn‘t bad—and just an easy afternoon‘s worth of reading—I do feel like it could have gone weirder, darker, and just all the Blake things. The ultimate explanation for how Marie got coated in blood is good, but not quite spooky enough. That said, I‘d still recommend this one for spooky season!

All the ⭐️‘s and then some! It took me a long time to recover from the absolute trauma-fest of “Siege and Storm,” but I‘m so glad I decided to return to the final outing of this trilogy! The whole thing is beautiful in its inherent bitterness and the ending line is simply perfection. Now…will it take me another year to begin “Six of Crows?!” Saints only know 😉

Pure heartbreak from good ol‘ Leigh.

I have politely warned my esteemed, exceedingly tolerant, spouse that I am embarking on the follow-up to the book that made me cry so hard it woke them up from 3 rooms away.

This was such an interesting exploration of how Franny and Jet came to be the Aunts we know in “Practical Magic.” Heartbreaking at every turn, yet still sweet and life-affirming. The inclusion of Dickenson‘s quote “unable are the loved to die, for love is immortality” feels especially poignant.

Despite being written by Lois Lowry, an American, “Number the Stars” does a near-perfect job of capturing Danish attitudes during WWII at least I (a very Danish person at heart) think so. While it‘s certainly not action-packed, it is a great lil‘ tale of bravery and just plain human decency, and I‘d recommend it far and wide!

This was alright. Not quite the page-turner I was hoping it would be, and eventually the “but wait…there‘s more!” aspects of the plot became a little tiresome. I did enjoy the characters, though, and will be interested to see whether more of Aisha‘s background is revealed in the sequel.

This was pretty much everything I wanted “Mexican Gothic” to be—dark, spooky, but not gratuitously gross/graphic. The inclusion of the Casta system and how it impacts Beatriz is also done very well, and Andres as a whole is a great character. My only qualm is that I would have liked more clarity regarding why the house chooses to focus on Beatriz given its ability to reach Juana in some of those same moments.

The interplay between image and word was really interesting, but I ultimately felt like the plot was a bit thin and would have liked a deeper exploration of qhy Olivia‘s family were chosen (cursed?). I think I‘m finding that V.E. Schwab generally does not solidif the rules of their worlds enough for me to really enjoy their works (see also my review of Addie LaRue)

Thanks to V.E. Schwab for getting me back into reading with my two new buddies! I really needed a good book after a pretty awful month where we lost not only two humans but also a furry family member.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ This was such a cool premise, and the way Shepherd plays with the redrawing of the lines of reality spoke to me a lot. I also enjoyed Nell, who is fairly relatable to me as a tiny, kind of quiet, librarian-lady but also someone who knows when to stand their ground. The final two pages are so good they gave me actual chills, and my only complaint is I want more Bear (the literal best side-character I‘ve read in years)!

This was so good and I‘m already excited for the 2nd one! I especially loved how the big twist wasn‘t something I foresaw and how the folk/magic were rooted in lore without feeling tired. I do hope they‘ll sing for fire in the sequel, though, being ever the completionist.

Sorry I‘ve been MIA for so long, friends—buying a house is CRAZY! But! This lil‘ graphic novel is so adorable, and the art is so neat (especially Tam‘s features are really carefully thought out) I absolutely had to make sure to recommend it. I especially enjoyed how the characters are diverse, but not as a plot-driver, and how seamlessly Nova‘s hearing loss is integrated into her magic.

If you know, you know.

83 books in 354 days…that‘ll do pig, that‘ll do.

Went to B&N for “Everyone Knows…,” saw the “50% off all hardcovers” sign, and was immediately overcome by the urge to spend all my holiday cash like a tiny book goblin. It‘s the little things in life.

This was so stinkin‘ cute, and I loved how—at least for a book where social media features so heavily—the drama wasn‘t overwhelming! I was concerned at the beginning though, that I might‘ve picked a book so hilarious it was functionally unreadable (who else cries when laughing real hard?!). Overall a 10/10 entry into the “we only read jolly YA(ish, at the least) for the holidays” mission.

I‘m really loving this little Helen Keller I came across in Lightfall today

I‘m not that keen on Peter Pan retellings, but this one‘s by Aiden Thomas so I HAD to read it! And I‘m so glad I did! This is a mostly fresh take on Peter Pan, but more importantly Wendy Darling, and the twist is virtually unforeseeable (great for mystery fans).

This one‘s a super quick, super cute read (for kids and adults alike)! There are definitely things that aren‘t perfect about it, like Walter‘s behavior and how it never really changes, but I think that‘s alright in a semi-autobiographical piece. The illustrations are also great, and the color palette is lovely.

Spooky reads roundup review‼️
THE EERIE BOOK: ⭐️⭐️⭐️ Pretty cool; somewhat archaic. THE EX HEX: 🧙‍♀️🧙‍♀️🧙‍♀️🧙‍♀️ Hilarious; not spooky.
HERE THERE ARE MONSTERS: 🤢 Nah, just nah. What a dumb twist. THE SOUTHERN BOOK CLUB‘S GUIDE TO SLAYING VAMPIRES: ⭐️⭐️ it‘s fiiiine…but so gross, and the sexual assault is just unnecessary. UNDER THE WHISPERING DOOR: 🫖🫖🫖🫖🫖 Yes! Read it! It‘s only the tiniest bit spooky, but gorgeous!

To be fair, who doesn‘t smile with their human mouth when watching sloth videos?

It‘s here! It‘s here! It‘s finally here!! After having read “Cerulean Sea,” this is easily my most anticipated new book of 2021, and I may have cried some happy little tears when the mailman dropped it off.

I know I‘m late to the Backman party, but I sure am glad I‘m here now! “A Man Called Ove” was really sweet, and pretty much what I expected in terms of tone (based on “Anxious People”). I also found a lot of the cultural idosyncracies pretty relatable to me—an originally Danish person—but I could see how some aspects would read less funnily to non-Scandinavian folks.

This was fantastic! Cath is so sweet, but not always soft, and—at least for me—her semi-recluse first semester of college is super easy to relate to. I also felt grateful that Rowell chose not to go a pathway of tearful family reunions, but still found ways to create emotion and interest for the entire book. In short: READ THIS ONE!

I‘m not the biggest romance reader, but this was quite fun and kept me going. I liked how the MC was self-aware of all the fake-dating tropes she engaged in, and how the author portrayed women in science generally. I didn‘t love the one chapter Tothat suddenly felt like erotica, but alas, the rest of the book made up for it tenfold.

🎉55th book of the year = reading goal met!🎉 This was a neat little survival story, with some thriller undertones, and a pretty quick read. The protagonist, Jess, garners sympathy from the beginning, and kept me invested even though the initial pace was a bit slow.

This was so cute, and a great, quick read! I liked the characters, and the humor was a great through line. I also thought the idea of having at least one chapter for each of the previous trips was cool, and worked way better than it would‘ve if they‘d just been casually mentioned in the present. The one thing I didn‘t love was the ever-present focus on Alex‘s physique, which I felt really tired of about halfway through (he‘s hot, we get it!).

“Whatcha readin‘, mom?!” - Webster

Hopefully this‘ll be the perfect read for my long weekend between my old job and my new youth services adventure!

🎉My 50th non-electronic book of the year! 🎉 “The Burning Girls” is definitely a good one for readers like me who enjoy supernatural stuff as well as mysteries, but I couldn‘t help but feel like the twist regarding Jack was a little bit too easy—even given the pretty clever misdirections employed by the Author. The other twist was fantastic, though, and I definitely didn‘t see it coming!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I loved “Shadow and Bone,” so I had high hopes—and I was not disappointed! Bardugo allows her universe to become significantly darker than in the first book, introduces a whole new, fantastic, crew of characters, and ends with a real tearjerker. If you didn‘t like the first book, this probably also won‘t be for you, but I found it thrilling from beginning to end.

This gets two stars exclusively for how interesting the concept is—history retold through a lens of magic, what‘s not to love?! Well, as it turns out: a lot. So much of the first 300 pages is just politicians talking, and the most interesting character—who is also the only woman that really gets any sort of voice—has the least space by far. I also find the (implicit) whitewashing of the slave rebellion problematic.

When you win a gift card from the Summer Reading program, what else is there to spend it on but another book?