Great storyline. Multiple narrators on the audio that were all really easy to follow. I appreciate how Baldacci‘s characters are so clear and separate from one another. While this is the third in the series, he gives you enough backstory to catch on without so much that you get bored. This character, Travis Devine, is one of our favorites. Flawed, realistic, and driven.

Not my favorite Patchett. Interesting premise, great ending, but a lot of meandering in the middle. Became a slog. But the ending was a worthy payoff. Recommended if you love Patchett‘s writing style already.

A substitute teacher dies in the faculty lounge. The plot holds together a series of character studies about the people at a high school. Interesting characters and a fun set of circumstances. A little preachy with a few too many excursions into liberal opinions about the state of the education system. But an overall sense of teaching as an honorable and rewarding profession, an opinion we don‘t get to share much these days.

Incredible writing. Author says much is based in factual accounts of China during WWII. Fantasy elements added to the story. Tone started light and descended into horrific. Recommended for those that can handle gruesome scenes. If you‘ve read this, did you read the other parts of the trilogy? How do they compare?

Well written. The main character spoke like a teenager but was supposed to be 30. Other than that, fun characters, classic hero‘s journey adventure. Inspired me to try more fantasy.

A beautiful character study of how normal people navigate war. Heart wrenching yet hopeful.

A fun romp through a female pirate's life. I thoroughly enjoyed the setting and the struggles of the main characters. The fight scenes were gory and compelling. The first half of the book felt realistic, but the second half leaned heavily on the "fiction" part of historical fiction. It's an interesting idea of what life could have been like though, and well worth the read. As all good readers do, suspend disbelief!

This morning I had 627 books on my StoryGraph TBR. A ridiculous number. I now have ONLY 239. 🤣. That‘s a reasonable number right?
Right?
I also have only 28 marked with a 2025 tag. And 6 tagged “seriously”. Those that have been on my TBR for way too long and are the best of their genres. So…
Progress. Anyone else do a beginning of year purge?

For you audiobook experts, I like to collect quotes as I‘m reading. But pausing the audiobook and trying to capture the quote is so hard. Any great ideas to make that easier?

A fictionalized account of the Donner tragedy. Interesting, well written. Not sure the fictionalization was any better than the actual story. A 3.5 stars at best.

A toy store full of magical toys that‘s only open in the winter, a love story, and a bitter sibling rivalry, all wrapped up in a story about war and peace and memories. A great Christmas read!

“A magical realm beckons two friends to confront their traumatic past and rescue a missing sister, blurring the lines between reality and fantasy.”

Such a great fantasy world, with interesting characters, sisterly love, and a sweet romance. Highly recommended for people who love the idea of falling into an alternate world of magic.

Struggling through this one. A female Hannibal Lecter sounds like such a great premise but the writing is so pretentious I‘m not sure I can stomach it. (Pun intended.)

A quick corporate comedy with some romance on the side. The trials and tribulations of a cubicle-bound woman trying to just exist. When she‘s accidentally given access to the whole offices emails and chats, things go from bad to worse. Highly recommended to anyone who‘s ever felt trapped by their jobs.

So many office situations show no regard for people with anxiety, yet we‘re the bad guys if we can‘t cope.

A fun road trip mystery adventure with a young woman and an old woman. I liked watching their relationship and how they helped each other along the way. Not a very complicated story but the plot was interesting and the writing was solid.

An amazing well crafted coming of age memoir. A half filipino young girl desperately hides her embarrassment of her mother and her culture while growing up in Ft Myers. But in adulthood, she comes to understand more. A touching story of how a girl interprets her mother‘s mental struggles, and how family overcomes even the worst episodes to strengthen future generations. Highly recommended for mothers and daughter.

I‘m so excited! I read this book when it was new, early 1990s. After a long search, I finally found a copy to purchase and it arrived today. With a bit of Toy Story, a touch of hero‘s journey, it‘s a story I‘ve long remembered. When a toy maker dies before he can inform his replacement, his toys have to trek across town to tell her. But the evil toys from the former toy maker locked in the basement for decades have sent for an evil toy maker.

A slowly unfolding mystery with a strong female lead character. A sprinkle of romance, some interesting bad guys, with wolves and dogs and a touch of the supernatural. Enjoyable read, although the first 1/3 of the book feels like Koontz swallowed a thesaurus. The MC lives remotely and I believe he was trying to set that scene, but it was more distracting than helpful. Still recommended, and know the last 2/3s is more normal.

Audiobook. Good narration and interesting story. A bit slow at times and somewhat predictable. Follows a young sailor from the naval academy through Pearl Harbor. Recommended for history buffs.

A solid mystery and characters we already love. Not her best, and a cliffhanger ending which was a bit frustrating. But still a solid Gamache story.

Almost didn‘t make it through this one. The first half was so slow and too closely followed Huck. Felt like the author was more interested in being clever than writing something interesting. But once Huck was out of the picture and even when he came back, I saw what so many critics and others became enamored with.

Through 80% I thought, yeah, this is okay. Reasonable interesting, likable characters, well plotted. But then the last 20% was more creative, faster paced, and really filled out the character arcs. Great and highly recommended read.

A good start to October. A simple start, solid suspenseful build up, and a knockout ending. The ending was a bit unsatisfying and a lot unsettling. Recommended for a suspenseful light and creepy mystery.

Amazing account of two girls in 1500s China from different classes who grow up as best friends. One becomes a doctor, the other a midwife. Incredibly detailed accounts of life as a woman in this era. Wonderfully researched and artfully written. The doctor published a book of cases on which the author based the fictional, but historically inspired stories. High recommend.

Just… no. I get it. The publishing industry sucks. But this story, which had so much promise and so many interesting ideas, felt too much like a whoa-is-me semi-autobiographical editorial that I‘m frustrated I spent time finishing it. And the ending was just not what it could have been. Sad waste of good publishing space.

Book focuses on prevention of disease and building the capabilities to live longer and more healthy. Sections on exercise (cardio, strength, stability), nutrition, sleep, and emotional health include a ton of science, balanced with common sense and stories from the author's life. A very readable, usable, summary of what we believe about how to live a longer, healthier life. Strong recommend for middle aged folks starting to feel old. Fix it now!

I loved the characters & how their stories unfolded & intertwined. I hate the authors irritating habit of starting each chapter with a bunch of people you don‘t know, there only to provide backstory to a character eventually revealed deep in the chapter. It did round out the characters well, but it was exhausting to keep up with who was important and who was just a vignette of background. Still, highly recommended for the deep rich characters.

A highly fictionalized account of Madame Tussaud‘s life including an interesting take on the French Revolution. The writing style was interesting. It felt like reading a fable. The author is a playwright and YA author so that‘s likely why. Interesting characters, including some villains and a lot of people that are neither good nor bad. I recommend for anyone interested in wax figures, the French Revolution or just looking for something quirky.

Scary with a bit of humor. A family on vacation at a haunted villa in Italy. There could have been more character development but I appreciate that th faster pace kept the tension high. And the end wasn‘t as predictable as I expected. Recommended for a quick creepy read.

Rosemarys baby meets salems lot. Mostly tense leading up to the moment we finally know what‘s happening. Creepy and a little scary but nothing too gory. Easy scary read.

An interesting set of character development pieces that combine to reveal a side of the 1950s that isn‘t normally explored. McCarthyism, the birth control pill, and the presence of the nuclear bomb are examined from the impact to a set of women in DC. Not a typical action packed Kate Quinn book so rated lower for the lack of movement and action. But still an interesting and worthwhile read.

Fantastically written account of a shipwreck and the ensuing development of different factions on the island, plus the eventual return to England with competing stories. Very readable adventure story. Highly recommended.

The writing was plain and a bit simplistic. The characters were interesting but flat. The narration was also flat. Very much a male coming of age story and a good representation of the struggle for Vietnam vets. But nothing original or interesting. There are too many other more interesting Vietnam vet and coming of age books to recommend this one. Maybe for a Father‘s Day present.

Exciting story about two women from the French resistance in WWII who are sent to a concentration camp. Years later, they fight to find some of the Nazis that had escaped prosecution. Interesting story based on true event research. The actual WWII events could have been longer but still very interesting. Audiobook.

I am one of the few people I know who never made it through Little Women. But I couldn‘t stop reading this homage to it. Deeply woven characters with complicated choices and outcomes. Clear motives that lead to all the wrong places. Tremendous love, friendship, and heartbreak. Recommended to those with loving sisters or those who wish they had such relationships in their lives.

I‘m a long time Koontz fan. I find his stories creepy, although unrealistic obviously, and a bit predictable. But they are like comfort reading for me. You get what you expect dressed differently for the occasion. But this one. This felt like Koontz stretching out, as if his retirement was nigh and he wanted to have a bit of fun for his last hurrah. I appreciate how he injected his own voice in parts and collaborated with us to tell a cute story.

A funny little novel about a mayor trying to save his town against all odds. Highly recommended as a beach read or an uplifting moment in your life!

Great characters, interesting mystery, a lot of race relations lecturing but plot generated and on point so not off putting. Recommended for anyone looking for a well paced and plotted legal mystery.

The pace of this was incredibly slow. But I love when a slow burn story reads with an underlying intensity that makes the time pass quickly. Recommended to those who appreciate historical fiction from the female perspective

Stay away. The advice is trite. But more importantly, the way the female is represented is insulting. Two people marry and leave corporate to start a speaking company together. After the woman has 3 kids in 2 years, they decide she should stay home. Ok so far. But then “Terri stayed home to manage the company while the HEAVY LIFTING FOR THE BUSINESS FELL ON JUDS SHOULDERS”?!? 3 kids under 3 and managing a biz but he‘s got the tough job? From 2008!

A solid quick mystery read. Seemed to drag in many places, most of the twists were predictable but aligned well. Not sure I‘d recommend to anyone unless they are a fan of the author or needed a simple beach read.

This has been on my TBR forever. Finally picked it up and am so glad I did. The drawings are incredible. They convey a sense of emotion with no words. The way they show time passing is unique. The story is touching and shows how immigrants have to feel their way through all new situations. I highly recommend for the strong emotional imagery.

Wow! What an amazing ride. Steady pace but relaxed for a haunted house book. Good characters, gripping scenes. Not your typical ending. A strong recommend.

Awesome read. Something about his style is so comfortable, like reading on a blanket under a big oak tree in the middle of summer with a pitcher of iced tea. The plot unfolds steadily and ends with a big finale. Characters you want to spend time with and meet again. Highly recommended.

Audiobook. A story about the women of the Vietnam war, at a time when women weren‘t know to go to war. About 2/3 was dedicated to the war, and yes they were as near to the front lines as possible without actually doing the shooting. The other third was about how difficult the reentry was for these women. Incredibly sad and yet somehow too compelling to stop reading. Binged it in three days.

Fun and crazy ride about an heir to a super villain and his exploits with sentient cats and dolphins. Plenty of gunfire and adventure, with a heavy does of humor. Loved it!

Always a fun ride, Koontz novels are simple and quick to read. No monsters in this one which is unusual, but enough suspense to make it a good story.

It‘s unusual that I think the second half of a book is better than the first. This book opens calmly and comfortably. The second half turns into a more dramatic mystery although still a bit of a cozy mystery. I appreciated the feel of the novel as much as the plot. The plot got a bit confusing at points but all made sense at the end. Would recommend for someone looking for a warm family mystery.

Fantastic listen! Great characters, fast moving intricate plot, great writing and a good narrator.