I mostly liked this mystery/suspense audiobook but there was one twist that I didn't think really fit the story.

Flavia is always a pick. I've been slowly re-reading this series over the last few years, but I need to speed up so that I'm ready for the new book coming out this fall.

Middle grade fiction. So much of this book was so good, but the resolution was not strong enough. Aniana's mother has major trauma that she needs to deal with and did serious harm because of that trauma and her religious beliefs and this needed to be resolved in a more thorough manner.

OK teen thriller/mystery. The ending dragged on too long.

I don't know ... I liked the plot in general but some things were just too much for me. The ending was kind of rushed.

Very good. Difficult to read at times because of the subject matter. I liked the complexity of the story: difficult family lives, other men besides the serial killer who did bad things, all the ways these women were were put down and held back.

Interesting setting (1400s, what is now Korea), but I just never really got caught up in the story. The main character was supposed to be good at detecting but kind of just blundered around accusing everyone.

I can relate to this 😂

Some of this is the author venting about what was wrong in her marriage that led to divorce, but it's also making a case for options other than marriage and the need for actual equality in marriage. There is also a parallel disillusionment with her evangelical upbringing.

I don't really like mystery/thriller plots based on amnesia but it wasn't so bad in this book. I really liked the main character and her dark, sarcastic sense of humor. I liked that she was sharp, strong, and straightforward, but somehow also unreliable, and in spite of her amnesia, she was not portrayed as being vague and confused.

Book 9 in Veronica Speedwell series. Love this series! This one was perfect: intriguing mystery, fast pace, fun banter.

Jasper the cat rarely sits on my lap, but he joined me while I finished this book.

Very good. I enjoyed how the separate threads came together near the end.

This is the 3rd time I've read this, and it's still good but I found myself being pickier about it this time. I especially kept noticing how clothing was an important detail in many scenes but the descriptions were inadequate, seemingly anachronistic, or actually anachronistic (like pantyhose). I probably don't need to read it again.

Book 3 in series. The first book remains the best.

Roz goes on a mission to save her island from the poison tide. Although she met me friends along the way, I enjoy her interactions with her island friends most.

In the afterword the author claims to not want this book to be preachy/moralistic but it is a smidge.

#botm arrived yesterday!

Terrible book about terrible people.

Good mystery/thriller about retired CIA spies whose past comes back to haunt them.

I would have skipped this month, but I really wanted the 2 add-ons (and couldn't wait until next month of course 😁). Listen for the Lie sounds really good, but is the kind of book I would probably check out from the library. I already have the only 2 BOTY finalists that interest me, but can't turn down a free book, right? #botm

There were some slow parts, especially in the beginning, but otherwise I liked this.

Beautiful story about family secrets, generational trauma, sexuality, and identity. The story of Moud, an American teenager in 2019, his father as a young man in Iran in 1978 , and his grandfather as a teenager in L.A. in 1939.

I liked this. It takes an unexpected turn (that I won't spoil), but I liked how it portrayed a woman living life on her own, her way.

Important information about the most disadvantaged places in the U.S. Possible solutions seemed a little simplistic and naive, and I was especially irked at the suggestion that public libraries in these areas should be doing more without any acknowledgement that they are surely underfunded, their employees are likely underpaid, and these are areas where there is active hostility against libraries as well as censorship of diverse books.

Cute teen romcom

There's not a lot of action in this; it's mostly the main character playing mind games and manipulating people. I mostly liked it, but then it kind of fell apart at the end.

I mostly liked this until the end. The ending was not satisfying and I particularly disliked one aspect of the resolution.

My knowledge of this time period is minimal so I really can't judge the merits of this book except that I found it interesting and informative.

Beautifully illustrated book about women who did terrible things (although some probably did not commit the crimes that legend attributes to them).

Disappointing. Good setup that became too convoluted and then completely fizzled out.

Good. Set in Appalachia in the 1930s-40s. Coming of age story. Sad in parts, but not overwhelmingly depressing. Ends on a hopeful note (which makes sense because there is a series).

Love this middle grade mystery series! This is book 5 and I hope there will be more.

#botm arrived quickly!

Disappointing. Slower-paced than I was expecting, and I didn't find the characters interesting. There was no resolution in the end because the story will continue in the next book, which I probably won't read.

Middle grade historical fiction about a mixed race 6th grader growing up in 1970s California. New kid at school, bullies, parents' marital problems, racism, the Black Panthers, feminism.

Some fun trivia: the author, Karyn Parsons, is the actor who played Hilary Banks on The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. She also reads the audiobook.

Architectural history of the rise and fall of the shopping mall. Also offers some insight into what could be the future of malls. Sometimes dry, but otherwise interesting for readers who grew up when shopping malls were a big deal.

This was very interesting and informative. Even though this is very far removed from my lived experience, it is relevant, recent U.S. history that has had an influence on our culture, laws, policing, and more.

Middle grade fiction. Excellent characters. Several difficult and/or very tragic events were a little too much for me. Very good audio narration.

Book 3 in Jane Wunderly mystery series.

Easy read, interesting mystery, a little romance.

Some of this was interesting, but I wanted more analysis about why this show and lifestyle are harmful and stronger denouncement of the religion and the Duggar parents.

This is sort of a rom com, but the romance is not center stage.

Maggie is running her friend's bookstore while the friend is on maternity leave. She has good intentions of trying to be helpful by implementing new ideas that are against the co-owner's rules, but she ends up creating a fiasco.

Read this for book club. The first half was pretty slow and boring. Once the party started, things got more interesting but there was still a lot of filler that just didn't seem to matter to the plot. It all was just kind of flat.

Important history, but upsetting to read. Generally about the resurgence of the Klan in the 1920s in Indiana, with mentions of other parts of the U.S. More specifically about the rise to power of one of the leaders and his murder conviction following his sadistic assault and rape of a young woman.

Good teen mystery. The true crime podcast trope is getting a little old, though.

This was good. Set in Fiji in 1914. The setting was interesting because I didn't know anything about it, especially Indian people who were indentured servants on the plantations there.

First read of the year!

Decent thriller set in Malibu in the world of high-priced real estate. Five Realtors in the same form are each trying to find a buyer for an expensive beach-front house. A body is found in the pool during the open house. Each Realtor has secrets and motives.

Good mystery. Set in Philadelphia in 1875. Good historical detail. Main character is a doctor and the dead woman was her patient. A lot of time is spent describing her work with patients, which doesn't directly relate to the mystery. There are numerous clinical but graphic descriptions of injuries, blood, autopsy, etc.

Fun historical mystery set in 1920s. Lady Adelaide, a young widow, throws a weekend house party at the country estate she inherited from her husband. Two people are murdered, and Addie is being haunted by her husband's very annoying ghost who helps her solve the mystery.

Enjoyable story, but not the strongest mystery - Phryne doesn't investigate the murder until well over halfway through the book; in the meantime she and her adopted family investigate some smaller, unrelated crimes.

So good! Follow-up to Firekeeper's Daughter, set several years later and stands on its own.

Another enjoyable mystery in this series that will make you laugh and cry.

Book 4 in Lily Adler series.

A snowstorm during a Christmas ball strands the partygoers for several days at their hostess's home. A murder occurs the first night, and motives, secrets, and nefarious deeds abound.