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Showing posts from August, 2024

Review: All Fours

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All Fours by Miranda July My rating: 4 of 5 stars Ok giving this book 4 stars if for nothing else, for staying in my head for so long. I started this book a long time ago but then I had to put it down because I wasn't sure I liked it. There's so little of this book that feels relatable to me. I don't usually like books that make a point by being really out there and I think this one absolutely does that and it was just a turn off for me. But I thought it got better as it went on (even though also more out there) and I found myself thinking about it long after I was done. View all my reviews

Review: The Best Lies

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The Best Lies by David Ellis My rating: 4 of 5 stars I love David Ellis' stories. I like the pacing, I like the twists in his stories, I like the mystery. If you like mysteries, he will not disappoint. View all my reviews

Review: Welcome to the Hyunam-dong Bookshop

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Welcome to the Hyunam-dong Bookshop by Hwang Bo-Reum My rating: 4 of 5 stars One of the reviews I read says this is known as "healing fiction" in Korea and what a wonderful name for a category of fiction. It is meant to be read slowly and deliberately. I loved every moment I spent with it. I loved the main character and I loved all the books it mentioned and I loved the coffee details too. Wonderful. View all my reviews

Review: Sweet Filthy Boy

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Sweet Filthy Boy by Christina Lauren My rating: 3 of 5 stars I really enjoy Christina Lauren and this one was fun but one of the lighter ones for them. Looks like it's 10 years old, that might be why. View all my reviews

Review: Evenings and Weekends

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Evenings and Weekends by Oisín McKenna My rating: 4 of 5 stars 3.75 stars on this one for me. It's one really hot weekend and several characters who each have to come to terms with their secrets coming to the surface and their lives changing significantly as a result. It's well written and the characters are very real. I enjoyed reading this one. View all my reviews

Review: Sweet Vidalia

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Sweet Vidalia by Lisa Sandlin My rating: 3 of 5 stars This book was not the best read for me. It's about a woman who suddenly finds herself alone after the unexpected death of her husband and as secrets and unfortunate events unfold, she finds a way to ground herself and slowly find ways to move on. It's a story of perseverance. There isn't much that happens in this story and the writing isn't as strong as I wish it were. It wasn't the best fit for me. with gratitude to netgalley and Little, Brown and Company for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review. View all my reviews

Review: Like Mother, Like Mother

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Like Mother, Like Mother by Susan Rieger My rating: 5 of 5 stars I absolutely adored this book. Which is weird today because this book could have easily been called "Generations of Bad Mothers." This book is about three generations of women: Lila, her daughter Grace, and Lila's mother who died when she was little. Each part of the book dives deeper into each woman. My favorite part by far was Lila's but I loved each part. I loved the characters. Even all the side characters like the amazing Joe who might be the best dad of all time. Joe's wonderful mother. The "twins," Grace's best friend and the man who runs the paper with Lila. They are all wonderful and written so well that they jump out of the page. I savored this book so much and tried to read a little each day which is incredibly rare for me. There's so much at the heart of this book about motherhood and family and siblings and marriage and money and cho...

Review: The God of the Woods

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The God of the Woods by Liz Moore My rating: 4 of 5 stars Liz Moore is an excellent writer and i love mysteries that are more about character building than plot. This one had interesting characters, good plot and also good atmosphere. It was a great read. View all my reviews

Review: Home Before Dark

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Home Before Dark by Riley Sager My rating: 3 of 5 stars Interesting thriller with some interesting underlying story. Don't want to give away spoilers but i liked this one if you're into mysteries. Not much horror even if it's a bit eerie at times. View all my reviews

Review: Liars

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Liars by Sarah Manguso My rating: 4 of 5 stars Hmmm. So this book was pitched as "searing" but, to me, it read like a tale as old as time. Woman and man are both flourishing. They get married, have a family, woman makes sacrifices and becomes small and not flourishing in the process. Man continues to make more money but the woman is actually more well-known and famous and then leaves woman for another woman. I mean what part of this is surprising at this point? Doesn't this happen again and again? I feel like from the outside these stories might seem crazy and so obvious, but from the inside it's a lot more common than it seems. And maybe that's the point here? I liked it but I also wasn't wow'ed by it like many seem to have. View all my reviews

Review: Her Golden Coast

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Her Golden Coast by Anat Deracine My rating: 5 of 5 stars I know Anat in real-life and I had read her previous book and loved it so when I saw this was available, I knew I wanted to read it. And I am so glad I did. This book takes place over the 2000s in Silicon Valley. The main characters work at a start-up. As the years unfold, so does a lot of moments that end up impacting their work and lives: the housing bust, and tech recession, the election of Obama and the conversations around marriage equality, the insanity of the VCs and tech companies buying each other and of course the toxic bro culture are all the background in which this story takes place. And it's a strong and honest depiction of the industry and the time. And our main characters come from two very different worlds, do two different jobs in a similar environment, showing the reader the dichotomy of roles and the respect they each have in these companies. The book doesn't shy aw...

Review: The Paris Widow

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The Paris Widow by Kimberly Belle My rating: 3 of 5 stars Meh another fast and interesting thriller but not as good as many I read this summer. It was okay just not excellent. View all my reviews

Review: The Last Letter: A Novel

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The Last Letter: A Novel by Rebecca Yarros My rating: 4 of 5 stars ok this was a complete and total tear jerker. It was pretty much written to mess with your emotions. View all my reviews

Review: All Good People Here

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All Good People Here by Ashley Flowers My rating: 4 of 5 stars fast, interesting thriller. good for a summer read. View all my reviews

Review: Kill for Me, Kill for You

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Kill for Me, Kill for You by Steve Cavanagh My rating: 4 of 5 stars 4.5 stars because I love Steve Cavanagh, his books are so eminently readable for me! I love his writing, I love the pacing. I enjoy his crazy stories. View all my reviews

Review: Business Casual

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Business Casual by B.K. Borison My rating: 4 of 5 stars I really enjoy BK Borrison's books and characters and the sweet, lovely Lovelight farms. This one was no exception. It's hard not to wish you had this little town nearby with all these charming and wonderful characters. View all my reviews

Review: Hidden Pictures

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Hidden Pictures by Jason Rekulak My rating: 4 of 5 stars Slightly creepy, quite interesting and enjoyable. I liked this one and a month later I still remember it which means it was one of the better ones :) View all my reviews

Review: The Day He Never Came Home

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The Day He Never Came Home by Andrew DeYoung My rating: 3 of 5 stars This was a fun but forgettable mystery for me. I enjoyed it. It was a fast and interesting read. If mysteries are your thing, I recommend it. View all my reviews

Review: Tell Me Everything

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Tell Me Everything by Elizabeth Strout My rating: 5 of 5 stars There's something magical about Elizabeth Strout's writing, for me. It's quiet, tender, and real. I love reading about her characters. I love the way they interact and I love the way they live their lives. This book has a mystery in its heart. But even that, of course, is really about the human condition. About family, love, loyalty, marriage, friendship. You can't help but love each character a bit and feel so much love for them. They are quiet, broken, lovable. I hope Strout continues to write these wonderful stories that I love. with gratitude to Random House and netgalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review. View all my reviews

Review: James

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James by Percival Everett My rating: 5 of 5 stars I am not really sure why I haven't read Percival Everett before but I am so glad I've started. What an excellent excellent book. View all my reviews