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The Knave and the Moon by Rachel Gillig My rating: 3 of 5 stars i read both of these back to back which was likely a mistake. View all my reviews

The Knight and the Moth by Rachel Gillig My rating: 3 of 5 stars Not sure why I decided to read this. it was good but I never fully got into it. which begs the question on why i then continued to read #2. View all my reviews

The Song of Stork and Dromedary by Anjet Daanje My rating: 5 of 5 stars It's been a long time since I read a 700+ page book with my eyes. I couldn't wait to get my hands on this book the moment it came out because I had read so much about it and I wanted to read it so badly. And it so so did not disappoint. I will say that I think the descriptions I've read, for me, didn't really do it the kind of justice that connected with me. Yes this book starts as being about two writer sisters (likely modeled after the Brontes) and there's a lot about them in the beginning. But the structure is really like a collection of short stories with super short chapters weaved in and the we progress in time with every story. As we get closer to modern day, the connection to the original characters gets more tenuous. In fact, I think that's one of the reasons the last story was my least favorite. While most of the stories are about sisters, some a...

Passengers by Alexander Maksik My rating: 4 of 5 stars I really liked this book even though I ended up reading it very slowly. For people who are very plot-focused, this will not be a rewarding experience. But if you're into books that are a-moment-in-time and character-based, you might enjoy this as much as I did. It's about a woman and her dad, stuck at the airport while their flight gets delayed again and again. It's about connection, loss, family, hope, despair and so much more. I truly enjoyed it. with gratitude to netgalley and Europa Editions for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review View all my reviews

Tear Me Apart by J.T. Ellison My rating: 3 of 5 stars Fast read but only mildly interesting and I have already completely forgotten about it... eh! View all my reviews

Bodies of Magic by Freya Marske My rating: 2 of 5 stars I don't really know if it was the particular audio reading or my mood or some other aspect but I picked up and put down this book several times. I didn't feel like I connected with any of the characters and didn't find myself rooting for anything. At some point I wasn't even curious about what happened. Even though I loved the idea of this book something lacked in the execution for me. I am very sad that this was a miss for me. with gratitude to netgalley and Macmillan Audio for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review. View all my reviews

The Truth About the Harry Quebert Affair by Joël Dicker My rating: 4 of 5 stars I loved this book more than I thought I would. I had it checked out and returned it to the library many many times, and finally it was time apparently. I am so glad it was. This book was fun and clever and twisty and enjoyable. I loved it. View all my reviews

The Secrets We Hide by Karin Slaughter My rating: 3 of 5 stars I enjoyed this story. I like Slaughter's series while I listen to it but these don't really seem to stay with me. But that's perfectly ok. View all my reviews

Luna, Phoenix, Queen by Julie Orringer My rating: 5 of 5 stars This book is absolutely fantastic. Very likely to be one of my very favorites from this year. I loved the way it was structured: this read to me like connected stories but each story has a different character's POV and goes forward in time. It was just absolutely perfectly written with each character telling you more about the other characters and peeling another layer of the onion for you so that you could easily fall in love with them bit by bit. It's absolutely magnificent. with gratitude to netgalley and Knopf for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review. View all my reviews

Legs Hearts Minds: Loss and Its Remedies by Chris Jones My rating: 4 of 5 stars I read about this book in the Atlantic. I am glad I read the book. It was well-written and you rarely see these events from the male's perspective. I appreciated that he shared both his learnings and his mistakes. This is a long journey and none of us are perfect. What matters is that we try. And I appreciate that. View all my reviews

Switzy by Emma Cline My rating: 3 of 5 stars It appears I am always in the minority when it comes to Cline. It might be that her style just doesn't speak to me. Even though this was interesting as a concept, I just didn't really care for it. Eh. View all my reviews

As Far as She Knew by Diana Awad My rating: 3 of 5 stars This was perfectly interesting and kept my attention throughout. I didn't think it was wildly different than many other mysteries I read but it was well done for the most part. View all my reviews

I Know the Ants by Lang Leav My rating: 4 of 5 stars This book was so sad. In the beginning I wasn't sure if I was going to be able to get into the story of Mei whose childhood friend comes back into her life when she publishes a book about a terrible tragedy that happened to her as a child. Mei is already having such a hard life with her parents' insurmountable debt and her on again and off again boyfriend who won't propose and now she feels like she owes it to Mei to solve what happened and it spirals her life even more out of control. There are some heavy topics and really sad moments in this poignant story. Once I was half an hour into it, I could not stop, I thought about the characters while I wasn't listening and kept wanting to go back and see what happened to make their life go so off course. with gratitude to netgalley and HarperAudio Adult for an advanced audio in exchange for an honest review. View all my revi...

The Wish List Trip by Kerry Lonsdale My rating: 4 of 5 stars I really enjoyed this story about a friend's last wish which is that her two estranged best friends travel to several places around the world to spread her ashes as a plot to get them to reconnect. It was funny and fun and joyful and emotional while reminding us why friendships matter and how they change your life forever and how some friends will be with you even if you haven't spoken in years. with gratitude to Bookouture Audio and netgalley for an advanced audio in exchange for an honest review. View all my reviews

The Lockup Period by Vince Thompson My rating: 4 of 5 stars This was a very unusual book, not like anything I've read before. It takes place in Silicon Valley and focuses on toxic startup culture but then there's a crime and then there's Mario who helped them before they were somebody and how he needs to wait the lockup period before he can get the money he so needs. And you're rooting for him and then you're not and then you are again. And crazy things are happening. I felt like it lulled in the middle for me a bit but I really enjoyed it in the end. It was a fun ride. with gratitude to netgalley and Dubious Ventures Press for a great audio and for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review. View all my reviews

It's Not What You Think by Clare Mackintosh My rating: 4 of 5 stars Wow what a rollercoaster this one was. I was like he's bad, oh no he's good, no wait is he bad? No no i was right all along. or was i? I found myself doubting myself the whole time. Even though it was a disturbing subject matter, this book was a fast and furious read. And it really isn't what you think! :) the audio was fantastic and completely kept me hooked. with gratitude to netgalley and Sourcebooks Audio for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review. View all my reviews

Mother Daughter Sister Stranger by Hank Phillippi Ryan My rating: 4 of 5 stars This one was full of twists and turns and just when you thought you had it figured out, another twist came. I felt that it was a little repetitive and melodramatic at parts but I didn't see most of the twists coming, and I didn't want to stop reading it from the first page onward. with gratitude to Macmillan Audio and netgalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review. This one was best read on audio!! View all my reviews

Murmuration by T.J. Klune My rating: 3 of 5 stars 3.5 stars. This was both different from and similar to Klune's other books. It was more serious and I think also a bit more science fiction but also it was still full of heart and deeply felt like this stories are. It made me think a lot and feel a lot. and those books are always great. View all my reviews

Diaspora by Greg Egan My rating: 4 of 5 stars Ok so I read this book with my son as it's his favorite book. But his favorite part is the beginning so he wanted to make sure we read that part together. It was hard and crazy and deeply interesting. View all my reviews

The Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov My rating: 4 of 5 stars So many feelings about this book! This was a slow read with my friend Evelyn who thankfully knew so much about Russian history and literature and her husband Tom who knew about Christianity. Both of these are really helpful in reading the book. The experience of reading this book was quite the journey and I am really glad I read it slowly. The beginning was a drag for me, there was so much going on and I understood so little of it. The middle was the best since I managed to let go and truly enjoy the absurdity and the plot was settling a bit by then. And then the ending went to the next level. Net net, I am still not convinced that this book can stand on its own. That it can be uncoupled from the time and location it was written in. Because in of itself, it is more nonsensical than not. But when coupled with all the texture and politics and history of Russia and Faust and Bulgakov h...