Christian Reader - Book lists, discussion, writing

A bit late this month, as I haven't really been online much lately. But here we go...

Chef's Kiss - T.J. Alexander, 4/5, 308 pages
Really sweet book. It came highly recommended by a friend whose tastes I trust, so I was already inclined to love it and it did not disappoint.

I really enjoyed seeing how Simone and Ray's friendship evolved, and how Ray got Simone to open up in other areas of her life as well. I loved the cooking aspect and only wish it had taken up a bigger part of the book than it had.

The transphobia annoyed me - but it was supposed to. I just wish we had seen more of a comeuppance to the people involved, but I guess it's more realistic this way. I thought Simone's reactions to both Luna and Ray seemed realistic - not perfect, sometimes making it more about her than it needed to be, but she tried her best, and worked on improving herself when she failed.

I'll definitely check out more of this author!


Kys din kæreste på rejsen - Pia Konstantin Berg, 4.5/5, Audiobook ~5hrs
Set in the time of the first Copenhagen corona lock-down it really captures the feeling of "this is nothing... huh, a press conference... crap! It's definitely NOT nothing!"

Not that this is primarily a story about corona though. It's a story about a new romance... about getting yourself out of an increasingly toxic relationship... about overbearing parents... about unusual friendships in the most random places.

It made me laugh out loud more times than I can count (I LOVED Caroline's and Casper's initial messages to each other), and was sweetly poignant in places too. Everybody ought to have a 94-year-old friend when times get tough. I want to be John when I get old!

The third-act breakup was unnecessary and made me subtract half a star... but it was realistic and also realistically resolved, so I've rounded up rather than down here on Goodreads. There was a lot to love in this book, and I'd like to add it to my library at some point.


The First to Die at the End - Adam Silvera, 4/5, Audiobook ~10hrs
Better than the first one (or the second one, I guess... since this is a prequel). I just liked Orion and Valentino a lot more than I did Mateo and Rufus, and enjoyed the plot more too. Loved how it took us through a lot of New York and reminded me of places I'd been myself. And the relationship between Orion and Valentino really worked for me - it seemed believable and natural.

I still wish we'd gotten to hear more about how Death Cast works - including what was in that secret vault, and how the kinks got worked out. I do understand why Adam Silvera decided to gloss over that though - it would have made for a completely different story! - but a story I would love to read, eventually.


Stray - Andrea K. Höst*, 4.5/5, 273 pages
Lab Rat One - Andrea K. Höst*, 4/5, 232 pages
Caszandra - Andrea K. Höst*, 4.5/5, 357 pages
Gratuitous Epilogue - Andrea K. Höst*, 5/5, 128 pages
Apparently I reread this series every second year :-P It's one of my comfort series, and I just wish it had become more popular than it has. I would LOVE to see a movie adaption of it at some point.


Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - J.K. Rowling*, 4/5, 607 pages
I can't believe it's been FIFTEEN YEARS(!) since I read this last. I wanted to reread the end to see how closely the "Dumbledore's Army" fanfic matched the canon events (very, very close as it turned out!), and the writing did once again draw me in and made me want to read other bits and pieces as well. I didn't read the entire thing... JKR writes dialogue and relationships well - action scenes not so much - but I did enjoy being reminded of elements I had forgotten.

Crumbs - Danie Stirling, 5/5, 384 pages
Ridiculously cute. I NEED this for my own library. The last few chapters made me tear up, but so, so, SO worth it!
An instant favourite!


Love at First Psych - Cara Barstone, 5/5, Audiobook ~5hrs
Okay, this was super cute! I loved it almost as much as "Call Me Maybe". The cast recording worked well for me, and I enjoyed seeing the friendship grow between Robbie and Marigold.

The interviews were interesting to listen to, as were the follow-up conversations of whether or not something counted as "love at first sight" and how even small things showed devotion... or lack of same.

Such a cute book. I loved it!


The Last Man at the Inn - R. William Bennett, 4/5, Audiobook ~5hrs
Really interesting take on Jesus' life. Kinda simplistic in places, but told from an unusual POV which I appreciated.

Books Read: 82
Pages Read: 16,864
Hours Listened to: 254

Slow month, but I've also read a bunch of novel length 9-1-1 and Ted Lasso fanfics which haven't made it on to this list.

The Cornish Midwife - Jo Bartlett, 4/5, Audiobook ~8hrs
Sweet story, set in a very charming village close to an area of UK that I'm familiar with, so I recognized many of the place names ;-)

The plot in itself wasn't really anything special, but it was charmingly written (and narrated) and definitely turned out to be a feel-good novel. I was slightly worried about how the third act conflict would shape out, but it fortunately turned out to have a quicker resolution than I had feared.


Identity - Nora Roberts, 4/5, Audiobook ~15hrs
Pretty stereotypical Nora Roberts. But I like stereotypical Nora Roberts, so that suited me just fine :-) I really like that with the obvious exception of the "bad guy", people are generally just genuinely nice in Nora Roberts novels. It makes for pleasant reading.

I really enjoyed reading about Morgan's job at the resort. I always find it fascinating to read when people are passionate about their work, and this really shone through here. I don't know if Nora Roberts has bartended herself, or if it's all made up for the book, but it worked for me regardless.

Not sure how realistic the bad guy was here, but it worked in the context of its own universe, so that's fine by me.


About a Boy - Nick Hornby, 3/5, 278 pages
I've never seen the movie, so I went into this read completely blind. It was very different from what I had expected, but well-written and poignant. I actually really appreciated that the main relationship wasn't romantic, but the relationship between Will and Marcus. I also liked Ellie a lot, and was happy to see how that friendship turned out.

It's not a book I'm likely to reread - and I don't know that it made me want to watch the movie either - but I'm glad to have read it.


The Name Curse - Brooke Burroughs, 3/5, 333 pages
Can't quite make up my mind what I thought of this book. It had a strong start, but then sagged at around the mid-way point, and never fully gained traction again. Thus it took me MUCH longer to finish that it ought to have done.

I think one of my issues was that I had expected the Denali hike to take up a much larger part of the book than it actually did - this is NOT a "book about a hike" it's a "book about the people you meet on a hike"... which is well and good, but wasn't what I was looking for.

I did like the characters though, so never considered giving up on the book. It was just a more run-of-the-mill chick-lit than I had hoped for when I set out.


Zero at the Bone - Jane Seville*, 4/5, 293 pages
Hadn't read this in ages, and had forgotten most of the plot - I just remembered the basic premise, so it was fun to rediscover it. The plot is fast-moving and captivating - kept me intrigued from the first page, and I found the concept interesting - reading about the ins and outs of the life of a hitman and a person heading towards witsec.

Still the real strength of the novel lies in the characterizations and the dynamics between Jack and D. I loved seeing how Jack slowly but surely was allowed to see through D's facade and got under his skin enough to see him without his mask.

I LOVED Jack in court. Let our a loud "HA!" when he got the better of the other lawyer :-D I did think there were a few things there that weren't completely followed up on afterwards, but nothing important, and I can see how the details of the aftermath of the court case could get lost in the details of Jack and D's relationship.

Books Read: 63
Book of the Month: Identity
Biggest Disappointment: None this month.

The Forgotten Room - Lincoln Child, 3/5, 290 pages
Fairly boilerplate suspense novel, but enjoyable enough. It's listed as the fourth book in a series, but absolutely works as a stand-alone novel as well. I never even noticed it wasn't a stand-alone novel until I came to goodreads to register it, and saw how it was listed.

It'll probably turn out to be one of those books that you read and then forget all about, as there's nothing that really stands out about it, but I enjoyed it while I was reading it, and found the plot engaging and the suspense believable, so a good read - even if possibly not one I'm likely to read again.


In the Lives of Puppets - T.J. Klune, 3.5/5, Audiobook ~12hrs
I'd probably categorize this as "good, but not great", and as I'm used to T.J. Klune being great, it was a bit of a let-down. I liked it, but it never blew me away like some of his other books did. I liked Victor and Nurse Ratched and Rambo was cute with his definite shades of Wall*E. But I never really took to HAP. I think there was too much telling and not enough showing when it came to him, so he just never really grew on me.

The plot itself didn't do much for me either, but I didn't really realize that until after finishing the book. T.J. Klune's strength has always been his characters, and many of his books are far more character-driven than plot-driven, which has never really been an issue for me.


You'll Be the Death of Me - Karen M. McManus, 4/5, 326 pages
Most of the plot of this book took place over the course of a day, which I thought was an interesting change from the other books I've read by Karen M. McManus. I did find it highly unrealistic in places, but it stayed reasonably true to its own universe, so it didn't bother me as much as it would have otherwise.

I liked how the relationships between Ivy, Mateo and Cal evolved and changed through the day, and appreciated how realistic they felt. Sometimes people do rotten things - sometimes those things can be forgiven.


Slaget om Kejserstaden - Claus Holm, 3.5/5, 455 pages
Last book in Claus Holm's trilogy. It's not quite as good as the two others, although I cannot say exactly why. Perhaps just because there are so many threads to tie together?

I still enjoyed reading it though, so rounded up to 4 stars on Goodreads.


The Single Mums' Book Club - Victoria Cooke, 3.5/5, 304 pages
Chick-lit for an older audience. It doesn't have anything I haven't seen done before in other books, but I appreciated that it focused just as much on making friends as an adult, handling co-parenting in a sensible way and handling how to introduce children to a new partner as on the romantic aspect... in fact, in some ways the romance seemed almost like an afterthought!

I did occasionally put down the book in frustration over some of Stephanie's less intelligent decisions, but they were always made with the best intentions at heart, and she did quickly get over herself, so in the end it did actually come across more as a realistic depiction of dating with kids than Angst!(TM), and even the "third act breakup" was handled a lot better than I often see.

It never turned into a page-turner, which is why I rounded down rather than up on goodreads, but it was an enjoyable read all the same.


Project Hail Mary - Andy Weir, 5/5, 476 pages
Just as good the second time around :-D I loved "The Martian" but actually think this one is even better.

It's best not to know too much about the story going into it, so I'll just leave it at that I loved Grace, I loved Rocky and I wish the book had been much, much longer than it was. I couldn't put it down, but didn't want to see it end.

Awesome book!


Interworlds - Neil Gaiman & Michael Reaves, 2.5/5, 239 pages
Quick read, but very easily forgettable. It was an interesting concept, but I don't think they got quite as much out of it as they could have. There was a LOT more to explore, and while I do know that that may happen in the next books in the series, there wasn't enough in this one to make me interested enough to continue on with the others.

Books Read: 47
Book of the Month: You'll Be the Death of Me (since I don't count rereads)

I only managed 5 books (+ 1 novel-length fanfic) in February!! But I have been obsessed with a new TV show, so would watch that while knitting, rather than reading. I did manage two complete books while off on vacation though!

Spare - Prince Harry, 4.5/5, Audiobook ~16hrs
There are always three sides to any story - his, theirs and the truth. As this is probably the only version we'll ever hear, I have no clue how close this is to the others. With regards to the UK news media? Probably very. With regards to the rest of the royal family? Who can say.

I will say that it was very engagingly written though. I don't know if Prince Harry had a ghostwriter or if he just happens to be a good writer, but I found the book really interesting, and appreciated this look behind the scenes. But those two boys had no chance of being normal, growing up the way they did. With that kind of trauma at a young age and absolutely no follow-up in terms of being sent to therapy and learning how to deal with it - it's a wonder they managed as well as they did!

Prince Harry has had an interesting life so far, and I enjoyed reading about his education, his travels (Africa especially), his time in the army and his vain attempts at having a 'normal' life. I loved reading about his relationship with Meghan - he is so obviously crazy in love with her, and that's always wonderful to read.

The book did not come across as sensationalistic to me. In fact, the back blurb is a lot more drama-filled than the book itself is. Prince Harry didn't downplay the things he did wrong, and he didn't go out of his way to paint others in a bad light either. It seemed a very sober take on things, and didn't seem like he tried to take advantage of the fact that he's probably going to be the only one to put out his side of the story. The way the press treated him and Meghan was awful, but everybody knew that ahead of time - it's not like they were being subtle about it.

I read this as an audiobook, narrated by Prince Harry himself, which was a nice touch. I always love it when memoirs/autobiographies are narrated by the authors themselves, as I think it adds a dimension that wouldn't have been present otherwise.


Quarantine Comix - Rachael Smith*, 4/5, 224 pages
A graphic novel about 2020 - I basically bought it as a time-capsule type thing, and it captures the atmosphere quite accurately. But I'm almost surprised by how far away it seems, just these few years later.


Elder - Audrey Faye*, 4/5, 336 pages
Sentinel - Audrey Faye*, 4/5, 208 pages
Finishing up my reread now that the next book in the series has been published :-D


Tir-Nâzrals arving - Mads Schack-Lindhardt, 3.5/5, 340 pages
(The Heir to Tir-Nâzral)
The first book in a new fantasy series, sent to me by the publisher for review :-) I like the universe the author creates - a universe where books become reality could not be more appealing to a bookwork like myself, and I'm just sad we only got to explore one of the portals this time around. But hopefully more will follow in later books.

The author did sometimes try to do too much, too quickly, and it seemed obvious that it was his first book, as it would have benefitted from being tightened up a bit more. But I still really enjoyed it, and am looking forward to reading the rest of the series.


Books Read: 18

Book of the Month: None stood out. I really enjoyed Spare but it's not the kind of book that will be a regular reread.

The last books of 2022. I'll do a stats/wrap-up post one of these days, but a total of 132 books and 30,895 pages isn't too shabby :-D

Class: Welcome to the Little School by the Sea - Jane Beaton, 3/5, 336 pages
This was sold to me as "Malory Towers, but for grown-ups", and while I can definitely see the similarities, unfortunately, it just didn't have the same charm, so I haven't quite decided if I want to continue on with the series or not.

I think my main problem was that though the book introduced several different points of view along the way, at the end of the day it was one of the teachers who came across as the main character - and apparently teaching at a boarding school isn't as much fun to read about, as actually attending one? That's my theory anyway. Especially since Maggie seriously let down some of her students, which got frustrating to read about.

At the end of the day, I think Fliss was my favourite. She started out as a brat, but was certainly the one who improved the most along the course of the book.


Whisked Away at Christmas - Mahi Cheshire, 3.5/5, Audiobook ~7hrs
This book came free with my Audible subscription, so I figured, why not. And why not indeed :) It was exactly as twee and predictable as I had expected, but with a setting of a cooking competition in Vienna I greatly enjoyed it all the same. I loved reading about the different heats and how they turned out (even if most of it was given ahead of time).

The "3rd act breakup" still annoyed me, as it could so easily have been avoided with better communication, but fortunately it was fixed a lot quicker than I had feared.


The Holiday Swap - Maggie Knox, 3.5/5, 351 pages
Slightly too twee for me in places, but as a whole, I really enjoyed it. I'm not generally a fan of plots involving mistaken identities, but since Cass and Charlie totally did it on purpose here, it bothered me less than it would usually.

I kept changing my mind on which story line I liked best, but think I would have to choose Charlie's - simply because Austin was too annoying for words, and karma was waaaaay too slow in coming his way.

Mostly I loved reading about all the baking that went on. I'm not a huge fan of baking myself, but apparently I love reading about it in my books... at least the Christmas ones.

I'd seen the ending coming from a mile away, and did occasionally roll my eyes at some of it, but all in all it was a cute story. Not quite as Christmassy as I had hoped -- but pretty close.


The Christmas Bookshop - Jenny Colgan, 4.5/5, 328 pages
A lovely Christmas story that hits all the right notes for me.
- Detailing Christmas preparations? Check.
- Cute nieblings? Check.
- Spending time with (found) family? Check.
- Christmas in a (book)shop? Check.
- Grumpy person being convinced to come out of their shell? Check.
And added to that is the gorgeous setting of Edinburgh - a place that I've recently visited myself and absolutely adore.

All in all, a totally charming book that I think will be a regular reread.


Something Wilder - Christina Lauren, 4/5, Audiobook ~9hrs
A fun read, even though it turned out to have much more of a western feel to it than I had expected. I enjoyed all the puzzles though, and was very gratified that I twice figured out the code that was being used before the characters did :-D

I did find it a lot less realistic than many of their other books, but still enjoyed it greatly. I'd originally feared it would be a bit like "The Roadtrip" in style, but fortunately that turned out not to be the case, with their past being quickly and easily talked about and explained. So kudos for that!

Total
Books Read: 132
Pages Read: 30,895

I've read surprisingly many books this month, so will put my list behind a cut for once!

( 21 Books Read :-O )

Yet another very slow reading month. However, I'm slightly excused as one of the things I did read was a 1200+ page fanfic! So page-wise, I'm doing fine :-D

Gummi-Tarzan / Orla Frøsnapper - Ole Lund Kirkegaard*, 3/5, 246 pages total
Reading Albert last month made me realize that I wanted to reacquaint myself with more of Ole Lund Kirkegaard's books. I remembered these two as being his best, and they were quick reads, so it was a fun revisit.


No Roses in June - Essie Summers, 4/5, 300 pages
A bit too 'twee' for me to give it the final star, but all in all I loved it :-D "The Sound of Music" (the first half, anyway) set in New Zealand with shades of "Pride and Prejudice" thrown in? What's not to like??

Well, perhaps some of the prideful part - a lot of the issues could have been sorted earlier if Fiona and Edward had just TALKED earlier, but it worked out, and apart from a minor eye-roll whenever it came out, it wasn't a big deal in the greater scope of things. I loved reading about how Fiona interacted with the kids, and how she slowly got used to life in the middle of nowhere, New Zealand.

I think it was originally published as a Harlequin romance? But definitely find the quality is better than many of those. Will definitely be checking out more novels by this author.


The Valley of Horses - Jean M. Auel*, 4.5/5, 546 pages
No longer my favourite in the series - I actually liked the first one a tad more. I found that I didn't care all that much about the chapters focusing on Jondalar and his brother, and kept looking forward to the ones that focused on Ayla instead.

I still really enjoyed it though, and finished it in just a few days.


Manacled - senlinyu, 4/5, 1235 pages
The aforementioned fanfic. It's not every week I finish a 1000+ page chunkster in just one week, but this one captivated my attention completely and didn't let it go again. It's dark AU HP fanfic, and one of the best HP fanfics I've read in a long time. Incredibly well written and well edited.

I didn't find it quite as emotionally devastating as most other readers seem to, but my guess is that this is precisely because it was AU. I kept thinking, "Well, that's not the way it actually happened, so XYZ didn't really die."... which of course makes no sense whatsoever when we're talking about fictional characters anyway X-D

I couldn't put it down, and read it at any chance I got. The flashback chapters bothered me a bit at first (I wanted to get back to the 'main' plot), until I realized what the author was actually doing - after which I enjoyed them just as much as the original story line.

This fanfic is definitely going to be added to my list of regular rereads... although perhaps not too regular, considering its length ;-P


Where There's a Will - Beth Corby, 4/5, 336 pages
A light and funny read. Not very realistic, but charming enough that I found myself not really minding, as it stayed true to its own universe. It's nothing special, but exactly what I needed, and I finished it in two days.

I wish Hannah and Alex could have communicated better, but they managed after awhile, and I loved Jane, Donald and Mrs. C.!

Lighthearted escapism that kept me nicely distracted :-)


Books Read: 76

Legacy - Nora Roberts, 4/5, ~15hrs
Nora Roberts writes ridiculously readable books. They're very formulaic, but I know that going into them, so it doesn't really bother me, and they pretty much always turn out to be proper page turners (or whatever the audible equivalent would be).

This was no exception and I breezed through it, enjoying every minute. It's not her best work, but definitely not her worst either, and I liked all the characters. I loved reading about Adrian's life in Traveler's Creek and that Nora Roberts subscribes to the theory that generally speaking - people are nice! (with a few blatant exceptions, obviously). It makes for a very comfortable read.


The Ex-Husband - Karen Hamilton, 3/5, 352 pages
Basically I'll read anything that takes place on a cruise ship ;-) Fortunately, that wasn't all it had going for it, and I did end up really enjoying it, and read the second half in just one day! The beginning is told in two timelines (past and present) which seldom works for me, as I by far preferred the "present" to the "past", so I was glad when the "past" caught up with the beginning of the book, and the rest could just be told in real-time.

It's definitely NOT realistic, but I knew that going into the story, so didn't have any problems suspending my disbelief for it, and I did love reading about life onboard the yacht. The ending came a bit too easy for me, but worked with the characters, so it didn't bother me too much.

All in all I understand the fairly average rating - it's a fairly average book. An enjoyable read, but nothing out of the ordinary.


The Damning Stone - T.J. Klune, 4/5, ~17hrs
Okay, I'll state my bias right away - I'm simply just more fond of Sam that I am of Justin, and that alone made me adore this slightly less than the other books in the series.

But that said, it was still really, really good! I loved having all the characters back, I loved Dylan and can't wait to meet Digger (because the end definitely paved the way for another book - which I'm all for!). The humour was the same as always, the friendships were as awesome as always (I loved the kids!!! So sweet :-D ), and it had some interesting twists along the way that I hadn't seen coming.

I read this as an audiobook, and as always Michael Lesley did an amazing job :-D


Amorangi and Millie's Trip Through Time - Lauren Keenan, 3.5/5, 260 pages
A fun children's book involving time travel and just a tad of a history lesson - but so subtly delivered that the kids will never realize it ;-) I really enjoyed reading about how Taranaki changed throughout the years, and was once again saddened to be reminded just how badly colonizers tend to treat the original people :-( This one was extra poignant as I have been to Parihaka Marae, and it therefore seemed less abstract than such reminders often do (which is bad enough in and of itself...)

But I digress. Please don't get me wrong - the book is not depressing at all! This is the take-away my adult self took from it. Kids will focus more on the time travelling aspect and the siblings' adventure through time.


Midlife Magic - Victoria Danann, 4.5/5, 500 pages
This has got to be the shortest 500 page book I've ever read.

it didn't take me long to fall in love with Rita and the inhabitants of Hallow Hill. Sure, Rita is a huge Mary Sue, but that seldom bothers me much, and it certainly didn't in this case. I loved reading about her introduction to her job and to the other villagers, and how she found her footing in the community.

There's hardly any plot in the book, but the characters are so engaging and enjoyable to read about that I didn't mind at all. I felt like part of the village - getting to know them at the same speed as Rita did. That said, I was VERY keen to read about the first trials by the time I got to the end, and immediately went to amazon to purchase the next book in the series.


Midlife Blues - Victoria Danann, 4/5, 260 pages
A lot shorter than the first book in the series (about half the length in fact) which was quite the surprise, but still very enjoyable. This book covers the first trials Rita presides over - some in a LOT of detail, others less so. Again the Mary Sue aspect is strong in this one, but the outcomes of the trials are so very satisfying that I don't even care :-P

I don't quite buy the relationship between Rita and Keir - the friendship is obvious, the romance seems to be more tell than show. I love seeing John David coming a bit further out of his shell though!

Quick read that was easily devoured in a day.


Dragonsinger - Anne McCaffrey*, 5/5, 240 pages
One of my all-time favourite books. I've read this more times than I can count.


Heartstopper Vol 1-4, 4/5, 1366 pages
I wanted to read these before I watched the Netflix series. I liked the books, I LOVED the series! One of the few times the adaption is better than the source material, but it isn't really a fair comparison, as the plot is basically a 1:1 transformation from the book (layout, lines and everything), and the actors are just PERFECT as the characters. You would not believe the number of times I swooned while watching it. ♥

A bit late this time around, but I finally got around to finishing it :-D

Across the Green Grass Fields - Seanan McGuire, 4/5, 174 pages
While I've (so far) enjoyed all the books in this series, this is definitely one of my favourites. It is very much a companion novel, as we don't get to meet the other Wayward Children at all, but I'm certain that we'll hear more about Regan in future books. She's adorable, and I loved her way of showing trust to and making friends of pretty much everybody she met.

As always, it ended very abruptly, but that seems to be par for the course in this series.


On the Island - Tracey Garvis Graves, 4.5/5, 328 pages
It's been a long time since I dove into a book and got so thoroughly hooked that I finished it in a day! But though I can see its flaws, this book just worked for me, and I couldn't put it down.

The writing style took a bit of getting used to. It seemed almost diary-like in style, and occasionally glossed over things, without going into depth with them. But to be fair, that was necessary for this kind of book! The plot took place over the course of 4-5 YEARS, and it would have been way, way too long (not to mention tedious) to be detailed about everything. Some parts were somewhat unbelievable, but they worked within the scope of the book, so I'll allow it ;)

The relationship really worked for me. I know some people will have reservations about the age difference going into the book, but trust me - it works. It's tastefully done, and faced head on.

I tend to love Robinson Crusoe-type stories, and this was no exception. That it also had shades of two of my other favourite books (a Danish one, and one that is still unpublished) only improved my reading experience.

This might just have to go on my wish list for books to add to my physical library.


Still Life - Louise Penny, 3/5, Audiobook ~11hrs
Not my usual fare (I tend to stay away from detective novels), but it came highly recommended and I liked it. It was such a relief to read a crime novel where the emphasis was on solving the case, and not on how much blood and gore was encountered along the way.

I liked inspector Gamache and the citizens of Three Pines. There was a thread or two left hanging, but they might be picked up in a later book.


Stay Close - Harlan Coben, 2.5/5, 399 pages
The third book I've read by Harlan Coben and unfortunately the weakest. Can't put my finger on why exactly, but part of it is definitely that it came across as a lot less realistic than the others... especially when it came to 'Ken' and 'Barbie'.

I'm glad this isn't the first book I've read by him, or I probably wouldn't have continued with any of the others. Now I'm more inclined to give him another chance.


Lock Every Door - Riley Sager, 2.5/5, 381 pages
Very readable, but I ended up being less than impressed with the plot. It was just.... WAY too far-fetched. I walked away from the grand reveal thinking, "What? Really?"


Tell Me It's Real - T.J. Klune*, 4/5, 350 pages
The Queen & the Homo Jock King - T.J. Klune*, 4/5, 350 pages
Seeing "Kinky Boots" on stage made me want to reread this series. I could definitely see Sandy/Helena Handbasket as Simon/Lola :-D


Just One Damned Thing After Another - Jodi Taylor*, 4/5, Audiobook ~11hrs
Just as good as the first time around - and the foreshadowing is just as annoying as the first time around :-P I really loved it otherwise though. The book had great characters, twists and turns galore, lots of lovely snark and a visit to the Cretaceous Period to boot - what's not to like?



Books Read Total: 36

A slow month, so I'll skip the lj-cut this time.

The Library of the Unwritten - A.J. Hackwith, 3/5, 440 pages
VERY different from what I had expected from reading the back blurb and the first chapter. There was a lot less focus on the library and a lot more focus on the 'quest' Claire and her companions went on. Which unfortunately meant I was less enamored by the book than I had expected to be. It was still good, but as a general rule I don't really enjoy reading about demons and angels. I had hoped this would be the exception that proved the rule, but unfortunately that didn't turn out to be the case.

For the same reason I have no desire to continue on with the series, but will leave it behind here. Fortunately it works pretty well as a stand-alone novel.


Beach Read - Emily Henry, 4/5, 361 pages
I was a bit hesitant to start this one, as I hadn't been too impressed by Emily Henry's other book ("People You Meet On Vacation"), but I needn't have worried - this one is SO much better! It's the old enemies-to-lovers trope, but it works, and I really, really, really appreciated that Emily Henry didn't feel the need to add an additional crisis for more conflict. For once I didn't actually feel like yelling at the characters to just communicate already, because more often than not they did so by themselves at a realistic pace.

Really sweet book that I'll probably have to add to my physical library at some point... and I really want to read the two books they wrote!


Later - Stephen King, 3/5, 264 pages
Honestly, I don't really know... It was one of those "it was good, but..." books. I never really got what Stephen King was trying to do. At the same time, I had a really hard time putting it down, so at the end of the day I'm glad I've read it, but it's probably not a book I'll reread.


The Teacher's Funeral - Richard Peck, 3/5, 224 pages
A charming book with definite shades of "Farmer Boy" - if Almanzo Wilder had been slightly more prone to pranks ;-) I would probably have enjoyed it a lot more if I'd been younger when I first read it, as I cannot pinpoint anything 'wrong' with it - it just didn't blow me away.

It did make me want to reread the Little House series though :-D


People We Meet on Vacation - Emily Henry, 2.5/5, Audiobook ~11hrs
This book suffered from many of the same issues as "The Road Trip" by Beth O'Leary. I just don't appreciate reading about people who used to be close (whether as friends, lovers or family) having a falling out and becoming estranged. This was slightly better than "The Road Trip" as they generally handled it more maturely, but still. I hate the trope of having a couple split up before they can get back together again. Surely a book's conflict can be something other than that - even in a chick-lit.

*Ahrem*... alright, getting off my soap-box now.

I liked reading about Poppy and Alex' friendship, and just wish the book hadn't succumbed to the old "two people of opposite sexes can never just be friends" - but I knew that was going to happen going into the book, so it didn't bother me as much as it could have.