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The Curse of Chalion by Lois McMaster Bujold My rating: 3 of 5 stars This is the third book my friend Jess gave me. It's 3.5 stars for me mostly because it was so long and I kept losing focus on and off but I loved the main character and just like her other two books the dialogue is exquisite! View all my reviews

Secrets of Adulthood: Simple Truths for Our Complex Lives by Gretchen Rubin My rating: 3 of 5 stars I have read and loved all of Rubin's books. I liked this one, too, but it was much more simplistic than I was expecting. Perhaps that's my fault for not reading the blurb closely but it's not super clear that this is mostly a book of single sentence truths from Rubin about different topics. There are some real gems in this book and some beautiful thoughts that will stay with you. Just don't expect it to be a big idea book like several of her other ones. with gratitude to Crown and netgalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review. View all my reviews

The Hush by Sara Foster My rating: 3 of 5 stars This book was an interesting read. It was gritty, scary and a little bit too real or too possible. View all my reviews

Shards of Honour by Lois McMaster Bujold My rating: 4 of 5 stars My good friend Jess gifted these books to me back in September but I somehow missed them until now so I wanted to make up for that by immediately reading them. And I am so glad I did! What an awesome writer Bujold is. I love her creativity, I love her characters and I love love love her witty dialogue. View all my reviews

Barrayar by Lois McMaster Bujold My rating: 4 of 5 stars I immediately moved on to this one after Shards of Honor and I am so glad I did! I love Cordelia so so much! She is smart, strong and has some of the best lines!! View all my reviews

Saltwater by Katy Hays My rating: 4 of 5 stars There are messed up families and then there are messed up families! The Lingates have survived the tragedy of losing Sarah Lingate twenty years ago in Capri. Because they want to prove that it was not a crime, they keep coming back to their house in Capri for a week every year just like they used to. Everyone's moved on. Or have they? Sarah's daughter, Helen, wants to uncover the truth. She also wants to get out from under their control. And then her mother's necklace is uncovered. The one she was wearing the night she died. The one they had thought was lost to the sea or stolen. And, of course, things start to unravel. They get twisted and twisted again. Some I saw coming, and some not at all. Despite the truly messed up family, I enjoyed reading this novel and swallowed it up in two days. with gratitude to netgalley and Ballantine Books for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review ...

This Book Will Bury Me by Ashley Winstead My rating: 3 of 5 stars This book took forever for me to read. The characters were mostly insufferable and I just couldn't get into the story even though I did want to know what happened. Several reviews say this is about a live case in Idaho and even though a bunch of other things happen in the book, and I am sure the twist ending is intended to move the story away from live events, it's a bit icky to take a current, unsolved live event and use it as a plot device. I guessed the twist before it came. In the end, this book was okay. Longer than it needed to be. I think if it were 100 pages shorter, I might have liked it more. with gratitude to netgalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review View all my reviews

Twist by Colum McCann My rating: 4 of 5 stars McCann finds the most interesting premises to write about. His tales are always interesting and his writing is always beautiful. But what i love the most is always his character development. His characters stick with you. They are so three-dimensional they jump off the page. This is the story of Fennell, a journalist who is sent to connect with Conway. Conway repairs the internet cables that lie in the ocean when they break. He is an engineer and a freediver. He's married to an artist who becomes famous during the time of the novel. The story is interesting in of itself. There are cables in the sea that carry the information we have at our fingertips. When the cables break, someone has to actually go fix them. Conway is one of those people. That is interesting, isn't it? But then there's so much more. And there's a mystery. In the solving of that mystery, more mysteries are unearthed and w...

I Cheerfully Refuse by Leif Enger My rating: 0 of 5 stars Ok officially DNF'ing this one at 47%. I don't know if it's me or the books I am choosing lately but I am almost halfway through this story and I still don't really know what's going on and I cannot read it anymore. View all my reviews

Loving What Is: Four Questions That Can Change Your Life by Byron Katie My rating: 5 of 5 stars People love Byron Katie or they hate her. I feel like self-help or systems like this only serve you as far as you're willing to go. And you should always take what works and leave the rest. These are not religions. I like that she has a process I can follow. And I also deeply agree that the truth is the truth is the truth so regardless of how I feel about it, it doesn't change being the truth. And messing with how others should feel, be, behave, etc. is a path to unhappiness since we have no control over what others do and why. So my business is all I get to choose and control. A good reminder. View all my reviews

The Perfect Son by Freida McFadden My rating: 3 of 5 stars It's interesting to read these earlier McFaddens before her stories became really twisted and her characters became even more deeply unlikeable. I sort of guessed this one though it was a fast read. View all my reviews

The Housemaid by Freida McFadden My rating: 3 of 5 stars Ok I buckled. I finally read this. It was ok. I have already read this plot before, albeit maybe it was stolen from McFadden but either way, it didn't come as a twist this time around of course. View all my reviews

A Sea of Unspoken Things by Adrienne Young My rating: 5 of 5 stars When her twin brother is accidentally shot dead, James goes back to her hometown to pack up his belongings. But her true motive is really to understand what happened. The uneasy feeling will not leave her alone and she's confident that things aren't what they seem. Add to that a small town where the love of her life, her brother's on again and off again girlfriend and all her childhood friends still live. A small town full of gossip. A small town she'd managed to escape. A small town where there are no secrets. A small town where she and her brother and her ex were keeping a secret they never told anyone. And James isn't sure her brother is as innocent as he seems. But she knows him and there's no way he could have hurt anyone. Or could he? Young's writing is haunting, claustrophobic and atmospheric. Her characters are memorable and three-dimensional. I lov...

The Third Rule of Time Travel by Philip Fracassi My rating: 4 of 5 stars What an unusual book this was. Beth and her husband have created a time machine. It comes with three rules. And you know what's going to happen next, right? As soon as there are rules, the story is about how those rules are not working anymore. Beth's husband passed away and she's trying to ensure their life's work is put to good use. She's working all the time, trying to understand the intricacies of the machine they invented. When their funding is about to dry out, she's put through test after test to see where her limit might be. And, of course, things start to unravel. I read this in one single sitting. with gratitude to netgalley and Orbit for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review View all my reviews

What Happened to the McCrays? by Tracey Lange My rating: 5 of 5 stars I've now read and loved every one of Lange's books. This is the story of Kyle McCray who has to return home to take care of his dad after he suffers from a debilitating stroke. Kyle left town over two years ago and had not been planning to come back. In fact, he's pretty sure he's not welcome back. Alas. This is the story of grief, loss, family, forgiveness, shame and so so much love. It's a reminder that things are rarely what they seem and a reminder of all the things we give up in the name of caring for someone else and managing to hurt them in the process. It's a reminder that suffering in silence is never better than suffering together and healing together. Some losses are too big but even those, especially those, need the company of grace and love. Lange's stories have so many of life's emotions at their center. And they always remind you what ...

Mink River by Brian Doyle My rating: 0 of 5 stars I am not going to rate this one because I didn't finish it. After picking up this book on five different occasions and getting past 54% and still not feeling it, I am finally calling it. It wasn't meant for me. View all my reviews

The Borrowed Life of Frederick Fife by Anna Johnston My rating: 4 of 5 stars This sweet, sweet story is definitely a heart-warmer. If you're a fan of up-lit, you will enjoy the story of Frederick Fife who accidentally ends up taking over the life of Bernard and then proceeds to change the lives of everyone around him, including his. It's never too late for forgiveness, family, and friendship. with gratitude to netgalley and William Morrow for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review View all my reviews

The Dream Hotel by Laila Lalami My rating: 4 of 5 stars I've read and loved Lalami's other books but this one was claustrophobic, scary, traumatizing and a little too real in parts. It's a bleak view on what the world could evolve to and of course like all good books, it's not impossible to see this type of future unfold. The amount of data that is collectively available on each of us is indeed eye opening and, if merged together, would be alarming in its ability to predict things. Lalami's story takes this to an extreme and paints a world in which the government in service of protecting us is creating measures that are draconian. Coupling all that with the concepts of presumptive-guilt and manipulation results in the kind of story that is both traumatizing and feels all together too possible and real in parts. Thankfully many other parts seem wild and too-far-fetched (at least for now) and help ground that this is still a novel a...

Witness 8 by Steve Cavanagh My rating: 4 of 5 stars I love the Eddy Flynn stories! What an awesome character to build and yet again he never ceases to amaze the reader with his creativity and ways of "bending" the law to ensure he can protect his client. I loved all the characters that worked with Eddy but I will admit that I really really hated Ruby for almost the whole book. It took until the very end for Cavanagh to redeem her for me and somehow I never actually saw the ending coming and of course the book ended up being not about what you thought it will be about. If you haven't read this series, you are truly missing out. These books are fast-paced, funny, interesting and always leave you with something extra. with gratitude to netgalley and Atria Books for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review View all my reviews

Adrift in Currents Clean and Clear by Seanan McGuire My rating: 4 of 5 stars A new year means another story with the Wayward Children and I have some to look forward to these so so much. McGuire's imagination and her ability to weave these incredible and sad and creative stories is unparalleled. This particular one wasn't my favorite one and it felt extra sad in the end but the world of water, like all the others, was fascinating. I also loved her story about her homeland and how it felt to be there. Her adoptive parents and how it was more important for her to be who their image of her was vs who she actually was. These girls are all so sad and yet they are also all so brave. I am grateful for every one of these stories and I hope she never stops writing them. They are also truly fantastic on audio, an immersive expeirence. with gratitude to netgalley and Macmillan Audio for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review View...

Beautiful Ugly by Alice Feeney My rating: 4 of 5 stars 3.5 stars rounded up. This book was fun and interesting to read all the way to the end when it gets weird and unbelievable and then the very end which is even weirder and hard to understand. But aside from that, it's super fast paced and all you're trying to understand the whole time is what happened, who took Grady's wife? What's up with the island he's visiting? Is that his wife? What do all the people seem to know besides the reader? It's creepy but not too much, it's intense but not too much, the characters are unlikeable but not too much (until the end) so you just keep turning those pages (or listening in my case) just to find out what is going on. The audio narration was excellent and kept me on my toes the whole time. I loved the sound effects too! with gratitude to netgalley and Macmillan Audio for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review ...

A Great Country by Shilpi Somaya Gowda My rating: 4 of 5 stars 4.5 stars for this interesting and visceral story that was well told and sad and scary and real. View all my reviews

You Are Here by David Nicholls My rating: 3 of 5 stars I liked this story but didn't seem to love it like many others seem to have. It was lovely. It was sweet, it was funny. It just didn't seem all that special to me. View all my reviews

Havoc by Christopher Bollen My rating: 4 of 5 stars wow ok this story is crazy. I feel like i have to give it 4 stars just because it's so crazy. I don't want to give away the plot more than the blurb does because i think it will take away from the visceral experience you will have with it. Thanks to my friend Lauren who told me to read it. View all my reviews

The Knitting Circle by Ann Hood My rating: 3 of 5 stars Sweet story about women connecting over their love of knitting and using knitting as a way to move through grief. Sad but also redemptive. View all my reviews