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The Dragon Behind the Glass: A True Story of Power, Obsession, and the World's Most Coveted Fish by Emily Voigt My rating: 5 of 5 stars I was having dinner with my workmates a week ago and as I always do, I asked folks to tell me their favorite books. I love reading other people's favorite books. This time, there was mostly silence except for my colleague, Jeff, who told me to read this book. Narrative non-fiction is a genre I love so I was excited to read it, and then when he said his wife wrote it, I decided I had to read it. I am so glad I did! Before this book, the only time I had heard of Arowana was because of Animal Crossing. A fish worth a lot of bells. As it turns out, it's worth a lot in the real world, too! In this journey that takes the author to unexpected destinations and heights of adventure, Emily Voigt explores the bizarre realm of ornamental fish hobbyists and those who journey far and wide to discover new fish species. ...

The Teacher by Freida McFadden My rating: 1 of 5 stars Nope I am sorry I am going to have to stop reading McFadden. Yes her books are a fast read and yes you're always wanting to know what happens next. But her characters are vile. The material is always triggering. And I am just done reading these. View all my reviews

Interesting Facts about Space by Emily R. Austin My rating: 3 of 5 stars I enjoyed this book in the beginning but somewhere in the middle it lost me. For some reason I didn't find myself wanting to come back to it. But I stuck it out and was grateful to have done so by the end. Many many others loved this much more than I did so I would urge you to read their reviews :) View all my reviews

Middletide by Sarah Crouch My rating: 4 of 5 stars This slow-burn novel is about a mystery. A woman is found dead. Is it a suicide or is it a murder? If it's a murder, who did it? How come the details seem to match a novel that was written a long time ago? But really, at its heart, it's not about the mystery. Sure there's some of that. What there's much more of is the story of coming back home, the story of regret and trying to make amends. The story of loss and grief and deep sadness. The story of small towns vs big cities. The story of how we can lose ourselves and how we can find ourselves. And the story of what it means to be believed. If you come into this story for the mystery, you will not like it. It's a slow slow slow burn. But if you come into it to enjoy the characters, the beautiful setting and the humanity, you will love it. with gratitude to Atria and netgalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review ...

In Universes by Emet North My rating: 4 of 5 stars "But the truth is that time is neither a river nor an arrow. It is a dimension, and our lives stretch across it, each of us a four-dimensional shape, taking up some small space in the universe. All moments existing at once and forever." The poetic exploration of kaleidoscopic parallel universes in this book makes it hard for the literal reader to weave a single thread through the plot. You are not meant to read this story, you're meant to fall into the worlds the author puts together and follow the journey with your heart. "I loved him like my left hand, without which it would be difficult to tie my shoes or chop an onion. But I would still be able to make circles around stars. The days I woke to find myself weightless" There's so much beauty, so much grief, so much joy, so much self-exploration in this story. Just when you think you know what's going on, things shift....

Instructions for Traveling West: Poems by Joy Sullivan My rating: 5 of 5 stars "The last time I felt lucky was in fifth grade and my teacher was giving away a goldfish. She put all our names in a hat and miraculously drew mine. I was so excited, I cried. The fish only lived two weeks but, I loved him. It was years before I realized my teacher likely rigged the draw. Moments before, she had, in fact, whispered rather conspiratorially, that it just might be my lucky day. I was such a lonely kid and having a hell of a time adapting to the U.S. after living abroad and I think Mrs. Edelstein figured I could use a win. Of course the universe is full of deep magic, but I think most miracles can be traced back to someone’s profound and quiet kindness." This collection of poems beautiful, thought-provoking, deeply emotional and full of joy. It was honest and raw. Each time I read something that makes me feel less alone in the world, I am grateful fo...

One by Eve Smith My rating: 3 of 5 stars I read this fast-paced thriller in one sitting. It has the pacing and setting of the YA dystopian thrillers from a few years ago that were so popular. This book tackles many serious themes around climate change, infertility, government overreach, motherhood, and more. Sadly, many of the themes explored are not very far from today's reality. with gratitude to Independent Publishers Group, Orenda Books and netgalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review View all my reviews

Mercury by Amy Jo Burns My rating: 3 of 5 stars This was more like a 3.5 and almost 4 but for me it went on a little longer than I wanted. I loved every single one of the characters and I loved how real and 3-dimensional they were. I loved that by the end of the book, I could relate to each and every one of them and my heart broken for almost each of their stories. So many themes explored here around family, marriage, sibling relationships, marriage, single-motherhood, young-motherhood, small towns and more. Beautiful story. View all my reviews

Your Wish Is My Command by Deena Mohamed My rating: 5 of 5 stars Absolutely excellent. Especially the first wish. But i loved all of this book and the worldbuilding and the idea behind it. I can't recommend it enough! View all my reviews

Bright Side by Kim Holden My rating: 3 of 5 stars A fun book with dramatic and over the top moments. I think I am likely too old for these types of books at this point. View all my reviews

Pink Whales by Sara Shukla My rating: 4 of 5 stars I had a lot of fun with this light read about a family that moves to a beach town where many rich folks summer and while the mom, Charlie, gets to know all the wealthy women and their secrets and gossip, her husband who works at a local medical center is struggling and they are talking to each other less and less. There are a lot of funny moments in this book, and a lot of not-so-funny moments too. It is told with humor and doesn't take itself too seriously but there are some serious topics tackled in this book. Some of the characters are over the top and not as three-dimensional as they could have been. But I still found this book to be very enjoyable and read it all in one sitting. I think it will be a lovely and fun beach read! with gratitude to netgalley and Little A for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review View all my reviews

The Gathering by C.J. Tudor My rating: 4 of 5 stars Ok this book was creepy. I had no idea it was going to have vampires or I might not have requested it but I had read C.J. Tudor's books before and I knew they were slow burn mystery that I liked and this one was no exception. A kid is dead. Everyone assumes it must be the vampires because, come on, they are vampires! Right? Well, of course not right because if it was that obvious, it wouldn't be a novel. At least not a good one, and she writes good novels. This is creepy, and fun, and interesting. I wasn't crazy about the vampire bits but I loved the book. with gratitude to netgalley and Ballantine Books for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review View all my reviews

This Strange Eventful History by Claire Messud My rating: 0 of 5 stars It is very rare for me not to finish a book. In fact in the last three years, I've probably DNF'ed 2 books. And I've loved Messud's other novels. But this one was just not what I expected and even at the 40% mark I was still struggling to focus. At that point, I decided to call it and not continue with reading the book. I am confident there will be others who love it and her writing, as always, is beautiful but this was just not the right book for me. Since I didn't finish I will not rate it. Please read other reviews and I will absolutely look forward to and read Messud's next book. with gratitude to W. W. Norton & Company and netgalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review. View all my reviews

Watercolor Textures for Artists: Explore Simple Techniques to Create Amazing Works of Art by Ana Victoria Calderón My rating: 4 of 5 stars What an awesome idea for a book! This book works for anyone who's a beginner or intermediate who would like to have some fun with patterns. Even though it's simple, she has some lovely ideas of how to combine all the simple patterns she teaches to make some really beautiful pages. I loved reading these and am really looking forward to practicing them. with gratitude to edelweiss and Quarto Group for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review View all my reviews

Worry Lines: You're Doing Really Well Given the Circumstances by Worry Lines My rating: 4 of 5 stars Even though I've never followed this account on any social platform, I really loved reading these comics. It's amazing how some relatively simple drawings can have such profound messages/impact. This, to me, is the real power of art: to be able to say so much with so little. I highly recommend these. with gratitude to edelweiss and Simon & Schuster for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review. View all my reviews

The 30-Day Embroidery Challenge: A Day-by-Day Guide to Learn New Stitches and Create Beautiful Designs by Jessica Anderson My rating: 4 of 5 stars If you want a gentle and really beautiful book on how to learn embroidery and commit to practicing regularly, this book is a fun way to learn and make a project out of it so you can learn all the different stitches and create some simple and beautiful patters. I loved it. with gratitude to Quarry Books, Quarto and edelweiss for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review View all my reviews