I think the first (and maybe only) thing to note is in order for this story to be successful for you, you have to believe that not only is the newspapI think the first (and maybe only) thing to note is in order for this story to be successful for you, you have to believe that not only is the newspaper industry still apparently a booming business, but also that they are still hiring 鈥淒ear Abby鈥� types of columnists (but ones that have zero work history or any sort of credentials whatsoever). Add to that an attempted murder charge, convicted (but obviously not guilty) felon, multiple whoopsie babies, rape, child abuse, domestic violence and you get an entirely unpalatable stew for this everything but the kitchen sink tragiporn . . .
If you would have told me one of my first reads of 2025 would be a 600 pager, I would have probably thought you were on crack. I mean not even (a) theIf you would have told me one of my first reads of 2025 would be a 600 pager, I would have probably thought you were on crack. I mean not even (a) the power of Oprah or (b) receiving a free paperback copy for review had convinced me to so far. Behold the influence of . . . .
And my obsession with obtaining a new free coffee mug every year. Per the image snipped above, this year鈥檚 recommendations all center around 鈥渁rt鈥� somehow 鈥� in this case an artist being one of the main characters.
While my Roman Empire truly remains that nearly every book鈥檚 tale to be told can be done so within 350 pages (still true here, even though eventually all the little blippy timehops did come together to make sense and complete the big picture), I still was able to gobble this sucker up in two days. Good news for the Oprah Book Club haters is this is a smarty and not nearly as tragiporn as most of her offerings (Oprah Book Club lovers, back off 鈥� I鈥檓 one of you and drink that tragic Kool-Aid mix down by the gallon).
At its heart Wellness is the story of a marriage. However, it is also about oligarchs and algorithms and conspiracy theories and manifesting and gray rocks and hot button topics that makes it so very NOW . . . in the best way possible 鈥� yet it is a book that I can鈥檛 imagine not standing the test of time and being just as memorable 20 or 50 years from now.
Simply put, it is brilliant. Thank you library for helping me finally remove this from my overflowing book cart of TBR options. I have really been missing out.
I don鈥檛 know about the rest of you, but every once in a while . . . .
And let me tell you, the Irish authors have it fucking down when it cI don鈥檛 know about the rest of you, but every once in a while . . . .
And let me tell you, the Irish authors have it fucking down when it comes to delivering my desired melancholy. The story here is about 鈥� you guessed it, Juno and Legs. It鈥檚 the 1980s and these two impoverished outsiders growing up in estate housing befriend each other and we follow along until they are adults. It is bleak. There are no happy endings. It was just what I wanted. Even the face cover which I usually can't stand is an exception to the rule here. And the audio? Brilliant. ...more
When Isabelle鈥檚 mother passes away and leaves a gift that only she is supposed to be privy to, the aspiring author (whose father is a national treasurWhen Isabelle鈥檚 mother passes away and leaves a gift that only she is supposed to be privy to, the aspiring author (whose father is a national treasure of literary fiction) has some decisions to make . . . .
Okay so I鈥檓 really not trying to spoil this, but you might want to just click out of here if you don鈥檛 want to ruin your time if this is on your to-read pile. The whole 鈥済ift鈥� seemed super obvi to me, but maybe it won鈥檛 be to others????? Having that hunch didn鈥檛 really ruin anything for me, though, it鈥檚 just a storyline that has become extremely popular the last few years and unfortunately no one is ever going to do it better than John Boyne. This also got lost in the weeds a bit with a totally unnecessary timehop/narrative by the decease mother (seriously a letter accompanying the gift would have sufficed and saved my eyeballs from reading all those extra pages). Also, the superbadawful thing that happened to Isabelle when she was a child that was hinted around about for eternity before finally being divulged wasn鈥檛 needed either.
TLDR: Basically, not terrible, but it didn鈥檛 knock my socks off either. Read A Ladder to the Sky or Yellowface if you want to be blown away. 3.5 Stars
ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you, NetGalley!
In homage to 鈥淒arkly Dreaming Dexter鈥� I have lovingly been referring to Augusten Burroughs as 鈥淒arkly Delightful David鈥� for years since I have enjoyedIn homage to 鈥淒arkly Dreaming Dexter鈥� I have lovingly been referring to Augusten Burroughs as 鈥淒arkly Delightful David鈥� for years since I have enjoyed his memoirs nearly as much as my one true love, David Sedaris. While Burroughs has always leaned waaaaaay more into the macabre memories of his coming of age and adulthood than Sedaris, he has done so often in a laugh out loud way that makes you feel like (even more of) a terrible person.
This time around he tackles his childhood 鈥� back when his parents were still together, in a VERY dysfunctional marriage, and before he went to live with his mother鈥檚 shrink. Much like Sedaris鈥� Happy Go Lucky this one delves into true darkness 鈥� including alcoholism, untreated mental illness(es), and domestic violence to name a few. And then there鈥檚 this hinting around nearly at the end that maybe his father was, if not a serial killer, potentially at least a murderer of one person that has become a reoccurring dream for Augusten.
I was really ready to pan this one . . . but then at the end Burroughs explained it was sort of a 鈥渕odern art project鈥� for him so take my rating with a grain of salt. I鈥檓 giving this 2.5 Stars and rounding down for the audio version because I absolutely HATED all of the interludes of sound and music that, unfortunately, were 100% Burroughs鈥� own idea. He also includes four songs at the end and I really didn鈥檛 like the Patty Smith one . . .
(But how absolutely kick-ass is it that he could just call PATTY SMITH up and say, 鈥渉ey, wanna write me a song for this audiobook thing I鈥檓 doing?鈥�)...more
When I tell you I was willing to shove people out of the way to get my hands on an early copy of Abbi Waxman鈥檚 latest release 鈥� I鈥檓 probably not exaggWhen I tell you I was willing to shove people out of the way to get my hands on an early copy of Abbi Waxman鈥檚 latest release 鈥� I鈥檓 probably not exaggerating much. That鈥檚 why it sucks so bad that I didn鈥檛 really love it.
I thought this was going to be a 鈥渕aybe you can go home again鈥� sort of story with an obvious addition of an unrequited love who now gets to be 鈥渜uited鈥� (I know that鈥檚 not a word). And the storyline of an 鈥淎melia Earheart鈥� or 鈥淒.B. Cooper鈥� sort of long-thought dead dad returning from the wild had my attention. Sadly, nothing much even happened with the dad stuff until nearly 70% and I didn鈥檛 know I was signing up for a porny so that wasn鈥檛 really my idea of a great time either.
Buuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuut I still HIGHLY recommend Nina Hill or The Garden of Small Beginnings or Other People鈥檚 Houses or I Was Told It Would Get Easier. They all just made my chick lit loving heart go cluck cluck cluck.
2.5 Stars
ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you, NetGalley! ...more
Yesterday I reviewed a 5 Star thriller and commented that most are a dime a dozen and don鈥檛 earn more than 3-3.5 Stars from me. This is one of those cYesterday I reviewed a 5 Star thriller and commented that most are a dime a dozen and don鈥檛 earn more than 3-3.5 Stars from me. This is one of those countless many. The story here is about a woman who returns to the family home where her parents were murdered when she was a teen . . . murders for which she was the main suspect. In addition to sister #1, Emma, two more sisters (鈥淛J鈥� and Daphne) are also thrown into the mix after being estranged for well over a decade. It鈥檚 a long way to get to the final destination of the whodunit with plenty of red herring suspects (even though the actual culprit is pretty obvious) and I kept having to check if this was a Reese鈥檚 Book Club selection because it seemed right up her alley. Basically? Meh. Great house cover, though!
If you are someone who feels like they are 鈥渇ailing鈥� when 欧宝娱乐 continually reminds you throughout the year you are behind in your reading challenIf you are someone who feels like they are 鈥渇ailing鈥� when 欧宝娱乐 continually reminds you throughout the year you are behind in your reading challenge, I highly encourage you to follow my lead and 鈥渃hallenge鈥� yourself to only one book. And if you do so, maybe you kind of guaranty yourself the first thing you pick up in the new year is going to be a winner as well ; )
I really dug Shiner by Amy Jo Burns so when I saw someone I follow on The 鈥楪ram post about this release I immediately went to the library to put a copy on hold. But typical me, my holds were at max capacity. I took a gamble and headed to NetGalley thinking I had a snowball鈥檚 chance, but turns out this was still a Read Now so I snatched it up quick without needing to know anything about it first. I figured if I liked Burns once, there was a good chance I鈥檇 like her again.
Turns out I didn鈥檛 just like this one 鈥� I looooooooved it. At its heart Mercury is a story about the Joseph family (and y鈥檃ll know how much I dig family stories 鈥� truly they are my #1 genre). To make things even better . . .
鈥淭hey found a body up in the church attic.鈥�
Family drama with a side of murder? Ummmmm, yes please. This came out yesterday and if you like the stuff I like and know how stingy I am with ratings, you should get you a copy. You don鈥檛 need to know much more than what I鈥檝e already told you regarding the plot so I鈥檒l let the book itself tell you the rest . . .
Two young women arrived in this town, twenty years apart. The first was named Elise, the second named Marley. They lived in the same house. They loved the same men. They raised their children.
Every Star.
ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you, NetGalley! ...more
Man, it sucks to write that, but I鈥檓 nothing if not honest in my opinion. I鈥檝e read offerings by Nick Cutter, Patrick Lestewka and Craig Da
Man, it sucks to write that, but I鈥檓 nothing if not honest in my opinion. I鈥檝e read offerings by Nick Cutter, Patrick Lestewka and Craig Davidson and none have been a mess like this. The story here is about a husband, wife and their young son who are moving into a new build in what is promised to be an up-and-coming subdivision. Immediately upon arrival they find they may have purchased a lemon, but hey no problem!
Okay, this had some potential. I mean as soon as you give me a father who has been put on some sort of administrative leave who moves out to the middle of nowhere vibes with the fam it calls to mind a certain other horror story with a real Father of the Year nominee . . . .
Throw in a little side of Monster House and it could have been #nomnomnomnomnom. But Cutter blows his load SUPER early and gives away what should have been a twisty twist at the end. Not to mention the narrative should have strictly been Trent鈥檚 up to that point for this to truly work because absolutely no time was spent trying to develop the wife or son characters. Cutter is still Cutter and doesn鈥檛 hold back on the gross-out moments whatsoever, but the storytelling itself is pretty thin. This either needed to be cut down to a super shorty short or sent back for a complete re-write and another hundred pages added to fix all the problems.
1.5 Stars and rounding up because I have been a fan in the past (just maybe don't do any more collabs)...more
In a sea (*hyuck hyuck*) of modernizations and reimaginings and dime a dozen stories, Whalefall is one that is completely unique. Part Jonah and the WIn a sea (*hyuck hyuck*) of modernizations and reimaginings and dime a dozen stories, Whalefall is one that is completely unique. Part Jonah and the Whale, part lesson on where and who you came from, part making it through the grieving process 鈥� it鈥檚 a story unlike any other I鈥檝e read.
The premise is that Jay鈥檚 father committed suicide via the sea after being diagnosed with an incurable cash of mesothelioma. The two had a very contentious relationship and Jay鈥檚 choices in the final years of his father鈥檚 life have led to a strain on his ties with the remaining members of the family and the diving community his father was such a part of. Jay decides his shot at redemption is to find Mitt鈥檚 skeletal remains in order to give him a proper burial . . . . and then he gets swallowed by a whale . . . .
I noticed on 欧宝娱乐 this is classified first as a horror and . . . no. I鈥檇 call it The Martian for the marine lover. It will blind you with science, but it is written beautifully. It certainly won鈥檛 be for everyone, but I鈥檓 so glad Shelby put this on my TBR during our weekly phone chat.
And I didn't even know MTV Books was a thing, but I'm here for it....more
The husband was out of town last week so I was perusing the 50,000,000 streaming services we subscribe to for something brainless and fun and cutesie The husband was out of town last week so I was perusing the 50,000,000 streaming services we subscribe to for something brainless and fun and cutesie to maybe watch. I ran across this title and was almost positive it was a book first and turns out I was right. So then I do what I do and I didn鈥檛 watch the movie, but instead immediately went to the library to download a copy to read instead.
Now that I鈥檓 finished I鈥檓 seeing the 欧宝娱乐鈥� rating sits at 2.85?!?!?!?
I鈥檓 wondering if maybe Grant Ginder was simply ahead of his time because stories about dysfunction junction starring not the nicest people in the world have become sort of the rage. And these people weren鈥檛 even that bad once you got to know them a little. (Except for Mark. He was a real twat.) After being trolled incessantly for daring to not love all the things about Remarkably Bright Creatures - Cameron in particular 鈥� it was nice to read a story where the attitudes/behaviors/choices of each character were explained and everyone ended up with a believable redemption arc.
I liked this one enough for several of you who didn鈥檛 ; ) I hope the film version is just as good. ...more
My friends gave this high marks . . . which is why I keep my friendCurrently at a 3.37 欧宝娱乐鈥� rating?????
Seriously though. Haters, man.
My friends gave this high marks . . . which is why I keep my friend count next to nothing. I鈥檓 assuming everyone who disliked this is still busy creaming their jeans over the new Riley Sager. And the shout-out to Todd is intentional here. While I have developed an appreciation for his ability to make a mint writing knockoffs, Megan Abbott鈥檚 newest (although probably not inspired by it at all) gave me all of the creepy Rosemary鈥檚 Baby vibulations. You know from the start that something is up with Jacy鈥檚 father-in-law . . . it just takes a long time to get there. This one is all about the ominous feeling you get while turning the pages. It is a slow roller, but one that confirms why I pick up every single new thing Megan Abbott puts out. She鈥檚 amazing.
ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you, NetGalley! ...more
I don鈥檛 know about you, but when I see a cartoony cover like this my mind goes exactly where the people are 鈥� relaxing on a beach (or in my case out oI don鈥檛 know about you, but when I see a cartoony cover like this my mind goes exactly where the people are 鈥� relaxing on a beach (or in my case out on the deck) and losing myself for a couple of hours in an easy reader sort of light romcom. I鈥檓 not usually a blurb reader so I 100% judge a book by its cover the majority of the time. This was an exception to the rule, however, since it was an Amazon First Read. The blurb sounded super light and just what I was trying to stack the TBR up with for once the weather started cooperating.
Girl gets dream job, girl has blow-up/breakdown that gets not only caught on film but posted online, girl gets mandatory leave of absence that takes her back to her deceased brother鈥檚 beach house where she will have a forced cohabitation trope with his best pal that you know will lead to schmexing, a break up of sorts and then a happily for now.
I was all in. Until it was also about child abuse (both physical and neglect) and PTSD and never-ending grief and alcohol abuse and on and on and on. Don鈥檛 put all this sort of trauma in my beach read. I don鈥檛 avoid heavy books, but I sure as shit don鈥檛 put a cartoon cover on the front of them.
Never yearn for the light that some men will shine on you for the briefest of moments. Snuff it out instead.
Oh my. It鈥檚 super disappointing to be Never yearn for the light that some men will shine on you for the briefest of moments. Snuff it out instead.
Oh my. It鈥檚 super disappointing to be ponying up a mediocre rating on a book with a title as perfect as this one. But alas, throughout the majority of the tale I found myself . . . .
The problem here was simply getting mired in the mundane details. Sooooooo many boring details and irrelevant backstories of characters that were 鈥� per the title 鈥� family who were about to die. What really stinks is the plot was great. Grace was raised by a poor single mother who had a dalliance with a rich bastard she expected more from, but who was not interested in leaving his actual family for his side piece. Now Grace is in the pen . . . for a murder she didn鈥檛 even commit. How to Kill Your Family is Grace鈥檚 journaling of her life story to pass the time while awaiting the decision on her appeal hearing.
I hope this is a better fit for most people than it was for me. While revenge fantasies haven't typically been my jam, I had high hopes upon starting this one. Good news is the stabbin鈥� was quality stabbin鈥� and Grace鈥檚 voice and dry humor made me laughsnort a time or two . . .
Some people have fathers who beat them, some have fathers who wear Crocs. We all have our crosses to bear.
And that ending???? That ending was great. But still I set this aside multiple times for other books and I NEVER do that.
2.5 Stars, but I鈥檒l round up so Grace doesn鈥檛 come kill me too....more
Every summer the McLean family spends two weeks in Louisa鈥檚 family鈥檚 home on the coast of Maine, in a little hamlet called Owls Head.
I picked up Every summer the McLean family spends two weeks in Louisa鈥檚 family鈥檚 home on the coast of Maine, in a little hamlet called Owls Head.
I picked up a handful of books this summer with real 鈥渂eachy鈥� covers expecting to . . .
Strangely, several ended up being family dramas rather than the trash I was expecting. Vacationland was one of them. The story here is just as the quote above states. Louisa has come to vacation at her family home, but this time it鈥檚 for the summer rather than just a couple of weeks. She鈥檚 brought along her children Matty, Abigail and Claire, while her husband has remained in the city in order to focus on making his start-up a success. Her father is battling Alzheimer鈥檚 鈥� her mother is at a crossroads regarding his care 鈥� and a stranger named Kristie is making her way toward the familial home as well.
If you鈥檝e ever watched any sort of Lifetime/Hallmark movie ever you鈥檒l know where the 鈥渟tranger鈥� aspect is heading immediately. Luckily I love family stories and most things Lifetime/Hallmark so I wasn鈥檛 too upset with this one. In an attempt not to spoil things I鈥檒l leave it as I thought Louisa, Annie and Kristie were all pretty much turds when it came to their viewpoint on the situation, but surprisingly little Claire brought much delight to my children hating heart.
Notes on an Execution is another 鈥淏lame It On Bookstagram鈥� selection, but one that ended up being a great rShe was just a girl. You were only you.
Notes on an Execution is another 鈥淏lame It On Bookstagram鈥� selection, but one that ended up being a great read so all those book pictures really paid off ha-ha. To be honest, despite this recent release being featured in photos all across the 鈥楪ram, I was able to restrain myself for a change for quite a while before adding my name to the library request list. The cover didn鈥檛 really appeal to me and the title had me thinking this was going to be some sort of tragiporn death row tale that I simply wasn鈥檛 in the mood for. When I finally decided to look it up over here on 欧宝娱乐 I noticed a BUNCH of my pals had read it and nearly all with high marks (and we鈥檙e some picky so-and-sos).
This one is billed as a literary thriller and I would say that鈥檚 a fitting description. The story begins with the countdown to suspected serial killer Ansel Packer鈥檚 execution. With 12 hours to go, you hear Ansel鈥檚 tale (and his firm belief that he absolutely will not be dying today) told via Ansel himself, as well as his mother鈥檚 story, his wife鈥檚 (through his ex-sister-in-law) and the detective who has put her own career in jeopardy in order to bring justice to these victims.
I don鈥檛 have much to say aside from everybody else was right. This was a great book. The content is not for those easily triggered, but gory details are for the most part spared for the rest of you who can deal with dark content. If you know me, you know I鈥檓 A-okay with stories that are all about chills and thrills without a lot of depth. This was a nice twist on the classic serial killer story that contained many layers to the onion. One that really makes you think about nature vs. nurture and will make the reader sympathetic to every one of the characters involved.
Stacey Stacey Stacey Graves Born to put you in your grave You see her in the dark of night And once you do you鈥檙e lost from sight Look for water, look Stacey Stacey Stacey Graves Born to put you in your grave You see her in the dark of night And once you do you鈥檙e lost from sight Look for water, look for blood Look for footprints in the mud You never see her walk on grass Don鈥檛 slow down, she鈥檒l get your -
In yet another offering of the 鈥渇inal girl鈥� movement of late, Stephen Graham Jones offers his own more nuanced version of the now familiar tale. Like others, his is a love letter to the slasher flick and much like Riley Sager and Grady Hendrix he doesn鈥檛 fail to drop all the pertinent names. The difference this time around is Jones' more verbose, literary style of horror storytelling which also features a darker twist than the norm. You鈥檒l know right away if his style is for you. I鈥檝e had this on my Kindle since months before its release date when I got an early copy, but never picked it up because I feared this author would not be for me. I even had it recommended by my real life book buddy and still continued to avoid it. But then it became time for the library Winter Reading Challenge and, well you know how it goes 鈥�.
While this certainly could have been whittled down, a quiet Sunday where I could really lose myself in the story worked in this one鈥檚 favor so it gets a generous helping of stars.
Another selection for the Winter Reading Challenge. One more step closer to free crap!
Waaaaaaay past due ARC review of an advanced copy provided by NetGalley way longer ago than I should feel comfortable admitting. Thank you, NetGalley! ...more
So this is the latest 鈥渕ust read鈥� selection according to the 鈥楪ram????
I mean to each his own, but I don鈥檛 get it. I was all about picking uSo this is the latest 鈥渕ust read鈥� selection according to the 鈥楪ram????
I mean to each his own, but I don鈥檛 get it. I was all about picking up a story about a serial killer鈥檚 daughter, but could she maybe not be some pill popping alky clich茅 in this supposedly 鈥渇resh鈥� debut????
Talk about been there/done that a time or twelve.
Not to mention the suspension of disbelief that has to occur in order for (i) this chick who is clearly not right in the head to be able to not only hide the above, but somehow become a highly successful psychologist, who (ii) apparently has not ever Googled anyone ever and (iii) remained completely oblivious of the whodunit despite the fact that it was . . . .
If you are new to mysteries or are a person who can simply enjoy super farfetched storylines and/or have no interest in playing couch detective and spoiling things for your own dang self immediately only to be annoyed you wasted two days to discover your first thought was 100% spot on then maybe this will be a winner for you??????
But seriously though, people really and truly didn鈥檛 know who the bad guy was right away????
Really really?
ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you, NetGalley!
In honor of the holiday season, allow me to channel my inner Kevin McAlister and simply offer up this for my reaction . . . .
I looooooooooIn honor of the holiday season, allow me to channel my inner Kevin McAlister and simply offer up this for my reaction . . . .
I looooooooooove Lisa Unger, but holy mackerel talk about a swing and a miss.
鈥淕hosting鈥� stories seem to be on trend lately and I have to admit that I am here for it. And the first 30% of this was so strong and really had my tail wagging. And then???? Well, I鈥檓 just going to do a flat out copy and paste of one of my pal鈥檚 reviews . . . .
I鈥檓 already put off by every single book written in the last year somehow revolving around COVID when most of us are reading books to escape thinking about fucking COVID, but this train really flew off the tracks with super coincidental co-inky-dinks and ripped from the headlines blasts from the past and looking for love in all the wrong places and shit the bed endings and . . . .
Yeah. That totally sums it up.
My real-life friend recommended this to me and I hate that I kind of hated it : (...more
It鈥檚 amazing how much you can miss people you only got to be with for one tiny little perfect bit of time; how a place where you barely got to liveIt鈥檚 amazing how much you can miss people you only got to be with for one tiny little perfect bit of time; how a place where you barely got to live can be the closest thing you鈥檝e ever had to home.
I was completely prepared to come here and say I didn鈥檛 love this as much as all my friends did. And while that may be sorta true since I鈥檓 giving it 4 Stars and they gave it 5, it still made me well up like a big fat baby at the end. I鈥檓 going to go ahead and blame it on this, though . . . .
This is the story of sixteen year old April whose mother left when she was just a wee one and whose daddy left her pretty much to fend for herself in a broke down motorhome while he went chasing after some strange. When April and dear old dad have a knock down drag out, she packs her things, steals future stepmommy鈥檚 car and hits the road. Over the course of the next few years April lives a bit of a vagabond lifestyle, always attempting to keep at arms鈥� length and never getting too close to others 鈥� all the while discovering the people she will keep.
This one wasn鈥檛 perfect for me but boy oh boy did I love the 1994 jumping off point. The first 鈥渇ancy鈥� coffee shops, flannel, grunge music 鈥� oh the memories! The timehop threw me for a loop and I鈥檓 not a big fan of jumps strategically placed to gloss over fairly important details like was the case here (sorry, it comes off a bit lazy), but by the time things wrapped up I was getting Where the Heart Is nostalgia and that is never a bad thing. ...more
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