en-US Thu, 01 May 2025 07:33:17 -0700 60 144 41 /images/layout/goodreads_logo_144.jpg 215000013 From a blistering new voice in dark literary fiction, an unsettling portrait of loneliness, obsession, and identity which asks: if a stranger was left alone in your house, how well could they truly get to know you—enough to fall in love with you?

Alice and Tom are made for each other. Deeply connected, they share a flat in London, go to galleries together, enjoy the same books and wine. They even share a toothbrush. It’s all picture perfect.

Except Alice and Tom have never met.

Alice has been cleaning Tom’s apartment every Wednesday for a year. With every smudge wiped from his coffee cup, every multivitamin counted in the jar, Alice spirals deeper into infatuation, imagining a love so powerful it might erase a lifetime of self-hatred and loneliness.

But as Alice prepares for the moment when she and Tom will finally meet face-to-face, she discovers that love might not be the cure she thought it was. Instead, their coming together sets off a chain of events that shatters everything Alice thought she knew and burns her world to the ground.

Told in Alice’s compelling, deliciously acidic voice, Creep is a literary study of unreliability and unlikability. Exploring alienation and loneliness, class and race, it's a skilled debut with resonance in the way that we view women, mental health, and the lost in society.]]> 241 Emma van Straaten 0063411024 Kelly (and the Book Boar) 4
I don’t really have anything in the tank when it comes to reviewing lately, so you’ll have to read some others if you are the fence about this one. I can’t even remember where I heard of it, but clearly it was the title that grabbed me ‘cause y’all KNOW how I feel about face covers!

The story here is about Alice, who has been Tom’s cleaning lady once a week for a year. Despite having an actual day job, she’s managed to finagle the system via a fake “appointment�� in order to keep up this side job . . . because she loves him. And it’s only a matter of manifesting the perfect meet cute before he loves her as well.

This won’t be for everyone because it’s a very quiet, literary type of stalker story. But if you are like me and couldn’t get enough of Martha last year, maybe taking a walk around the brain of another character reminiscent of her might be right up your alley.


]]> 3.36 2025
author: Emma van Straaten
name: Kelly (and the Book Boar)
average rating: 3.36
book published: 2025
rating: 4
read at: 2025/05/01
date added: 2025/05/01
shelves: crunken-love, don-t-care-how-i-want-i-now, i-hate-face-covers, liburrrrrry-book, read-in-2025, shut-up-and-take-my-money
review:


I don’t really have anything in the tank when it comes to reviewing lately, so you’ll have to read some others if you are the fence about this one. I can’t even remember where I heard of it, but clearly it was the title that grabbed me ‘cause y’all KNOW how I feel about face covers!

The story here is about Alice, who has been Tom’s cleaning lady once a week for a year. Despite having an actual day job, she’s managed to finagle the system via a fake “appointment�� in order to keep up this side job . . . because she loves him. And it’s only a matter of manifesting the perfect meet cute before he loves her as well.

This won’t be for everyone because it’s a very quiet, literary type of stalker story. But if you are like me and couldn’t get enough of Martha last year, maybe taking a walk around the brain of another character reminiscent of her might be right up your alley.



]]> 195473395 0 Kevin Cook Kelly (and the Book Boar) 0 currently-reading 3.25 2023
author: Kevin Cook
name: Kelly (and the Book Boar)
average rating: 3.25
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/28
shelves: currently-reading
review:

]]> 214195355 Sharp Objects meets I Have Some Questions for You in this haunting novel—inspired by a true story—about a crime writer who risks everything as she investigates the mystery of two deaths, decades apart, at a crumbling Vermont orphanage.

On a blistering summer day in 1968, nine-year-old Tommy vanishes without a trace from Coram House, an orphanage on the shores of Lake Champlain. Some say a nun drowned him, others say he ran away. Or maybe he never existed. Fifty years later, his disappearance is still unsolved.

Struggling true crime writer Alex Kelley needs a fresh start. When she’s asked to ghostwrite a book about the orphanage—and the abuses that occurred there—she packs up her belongings and moves to wintry Burlington, Vermont.

As Alex tries to untangle the conflicting stories surrounding Tommy’s disappearance, her investigation takes a chilling turn when she discovers a woman’s body in the lake. Alex is convinced the death is connected to Coram House’s dark past, even if local police officer Russell Parker thinks she’s just desperate for a career-saving story. As the body count rises, Alex must prove that the key to finding the killer lies in Tommy’s murder, or risk becoming the next victim.

Drawing inspiration from the real-life stories of St. Joseph’s Orphanage, Coram House “reckons with both the long aftermath of violence and the hazards of writing true crime. It is an eerie, suspenseful mystery, sure to find readers among fans of Tana French�� (Flynn Berry, author of Northern Spy).]]> 319 Bailey Seybolt 1668057026 Kelly (and the Book Boar) 0 currently-reading 3.77 2025
author: Bailey Seybolt
name: Kelly (and the Book Boar)
average rating: 3.77
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/28
shelves: currently-reading
review:

]]> 60825621
A stay-at-home mom with a past.
A has-been rock star with a habit.
A reality TV producer with a debt.
Three disparate lives.
One deadly secret.

Twenty five years ago, Jenna, Donnie, and Nico were the best of friends, having forged a bond through the abuse and neglect they endured as residents of Savior House, a group home for parentless teens. When the home was shut down―after the disappearance of several kids―the three were split up.

Though the trauma of their childhood has never left them, each went on to live accomplished―if troubled―lives. They haven’t seen one another since they were teens but now are reunited for a single haunting reason: someone is trying to kill them.

To survive, the group will have to revisit the nightmares of their childhoods and confront their shared past―a past that holds the secret to why someone wants them dead.

It’s a reunion none of them asked for . . . or wanted. But it may be the only way to save all their lives.

What Have We Done is both an edge-of-your-seat thriller and a gut-wrenching coming-of-age story.]]> 320 Alex Finlay 1250863732 Kelly (and the Book Boar) 2
I looooooved The Night Shift, by Alex Finlay, but this one was pretty oof. At its heart, this is a very “I Know What You Did Last Summer�� where something went down at a group home where Jenna, Donnie and Nico all lived for a short time as teens that is now not only apparently coming back to haunt them 25 years later, but also has them targeted for death.

I kept listening simply to find out the who and why, but this was not great. You can tell Finlay is a fan of action films, though, because he “borrowed�� Tarantino’s reoccurring twins and was a total copycat when it came to weapon of choice . . .



I realize there may be no such thing as an original idea at this point, but those were pretty cheap ripoffs.

ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.]]> 3.84 2023
author: Alex Finlay
name: Kelly (and the Book Boar)
average rating: 3.84
book published: 2023
rating: 2
read at: 2025/04/17
date added: 2025/04/17
shelves: arcs, super-meh, read-in-2025, read-in-2023
review:
I actually received a reader copy of this, read it in 2023, never reviewed it and forgot anything that happened whatsoever. When I went to my embarrassing NetGalley backlog I noticed not only did I not review this, but I’ve since received another release by this author that I have yet to read so I decided to give this a listen and refresh my memory.

I looooooved The Night Shift, by Alex Finlay, but this one was pretty oof. At its heart, this is a very “I Know What You Did Last Summer�� where something went down at a group home where Jenna, Donnie and Nico all lived for a short time as teens that is now not only apparently coming back to haunt them 25 years later, but also has them targeted for death.

I kept listening simply to find out the who and why, but this was not great. You can tell Finlay is a fan of action films, though, because he “borrowed�� Tarantino’s reoccurring twins and was a total copycat when it came to weapon of choice . . .



I realize there may be no such thing as an original idea at this point, but those were pretty cheap ripoffs.

ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
]]> 13620898 Medium Raw marks the return of the inimitable Anthony Bourdain, author of the blockbuster bestseller Kitchen Confidential and three-time Emmy Award-nominated host of No Reservations on TV’s Travel Channel. Bourdain calls his book, “A Bloody Valentine to the World of Food and the People Who Cook,�� and he is at his entertaining best as he takes aim at some of the biggest names in the foodie world, including David Chang, Alice Waters, the Top Chef winners and losers, and many more. If Hunter S. Thompson had written a book about the restaurant business, it could have been Medium Raw.]]> Anthony Bourdain 0061988766 Kelly (and the Book Boar) 4


Bourdain’s “bloody valentine�� doesn’t have the cohesion which could be found in Kitchen Confidential, but it certainly was entertaining. Not everything aged well (Batali being a member of the "heroes" group when ranking heroes and villains specifically comes to mind �� to Bourdain’s credit, it was due to his charitable nature and his pu$$y grabbing/potentially drugging and raping women would not come out for years), I had zero clue about many of the chefs he either ranted or raved about (he did sing the praises of my raging nightmare dreamboat David Chang, though, so all is forgiven), and I could have maybe done with not hearing 12,000 hours on deboning various seafoods. That being said, if you are familiar with the way I rate audiobooks, it’s all about the mileage I log while listening. This was an 8 miler so it gets lots of Stars.]]> 3.75 2010
author: Anthony Bourdain
name: Kelly (and the Book Boar)
average rating: 3.75
book published: 2010
rating: 4
read at: 2025/04/13
date added: 2025/04/14
shelves: audio, walkin-and-talkin, read-in-2025, non-fiction, liburrrrrry-book
review:
Part food porn, part Mean Girls . . . .



Bourdain’s “bloody valentine�� doesn’t have the cohesion which could be found in Kitchen Confidential, but it certainly was entertaining. Not everything aged well (Batali being a member of the "heroes" group when ranking heroes and villains specifically comes to mind �� to Bourdain’s credit, it was due to his charitable nature and his pu$$y grabbing/potentially drugging and raping women would not come out for years), I had zero clue about many of the chefs he either ranted or raved about (he did sing the praises of my raging nightmare dreamboat David Chang, though, so all is forgiven), and I could have maybe done with not hearing 12,000 hours on deboning various seafoods. That being said, if you are familiar with the way I rate audiobooks, it’s all about the mileage I log while listening. This was an 8 miler so it gets lots of Stars.
]]> 210832825 A suspenseful dark comedy about a struggling writer who wakes up to find his date from the night before dead—and must then decide how far he’s willing to go to spin the event into his next big "Prepare to gasp out loud, cringe, cackle, and cry" (Jesse Q. Sutanto, bestselling author of Vera Wong's Unsolicited Advice for Murderers). A few years ago, David Alvarez had it a six-figure book deal, a loving boyfriend, and an exciting writing career. His debut novel was a resounding success, which made the publication of his second book—a total flop—all the more devastating. Now, David is single, lonely, and desperately trying to come up with the next great idea for his third manuscript, one that will redeem him in the eyes of readers, reviewers, the entire publishing world…and maybe even his ex-boyfriend. �� But good ideas are hard to come by, and the mounting pressure of a near-empty bank account isn’t helping. When David connects with a sexy stranger on a dating app, he figures a wild night out in New York City may be just what he needs to find inspiration. Lucky for him, his date turns out to be handsome, confident, and wealthy, not to mention the perfect distraction from yet another evening staring at a blank screen. �� After one of the best nights of his life, David wakes up hungover but giddy—only to find prince charming dead next to him in bed. Horrified, completely confused, and suddenly faced with the implausible-but-somehow-plausible idea that he may have actually killed his date, David calls the only person he can trust in a moment of his literary agent, Stacey. Together, David and Stacey must untangle the events of the previous night, cover their tracks, and spin the entire misadventure into David’s career-defining novel—if only they can figure out what to do with the body first.]]> 11 Daniel Aleman Kelly (and the Book Boar) 3


But then we got to Part II and it lost me. I’m all for over-the-top, slapstick sort of suspension of disbelief, but I was over it when dead dude’s husband was still sniffing around and trying to piece together a closed police case. Meh.
]]> 3.51 2024
author: Daniel Aleman
name: Kelly (and the Book Boar)
average rating: 3.51
book published: 2024
rating: 3
read at: 2025/04/12
date added: 2025/04/14
shelves: audio, cover-love, liburrrrrry-book, read-in-2025, walkin-and-talkin
review:
Despite my constant complaining that I don’t enjoy people on covers (in my defense, my gripes tend to be specifically FACE related), it was the cover/title that drew me to this one. I snagged it on audio and can tell you it would have made an excellent novella when our lead David woke up to find a dead body in his bed and then enlisted the help of his 60-something literary agent in order to Weekend at Bernie’s the corpse around town . . . .



But then we got to Part II and it lost me. I’m all for over-the-top, slapstick sort of suspension of disbelief, but I was over it when dead dude’s husband was still sniffing around and trying to piece together a closed police case. Meh.

]]> 214208282 A riveting literary page-turner that maps the extremes to which a family will go in order to protect their own.

No one appears more surprised than Hailey Gelman when she comes under suspicion for the murder of her soon-to-be ex-husband Jonah. Hailey—nicknamed Sunshine by her mother for her bright outlook and ever-present smile—has always tried to do what is expected of her and is regarded as the family peacemaker. But is anyone, including Hailey, who she has always seemed to be?

The months leading up to Jonah’s death have been fraught, including a bitter separation and a messy custody battle over their young daughter, Maya. When Hailey files a motion to relocate to Florida so she can be near her family, Jonah retaliates and the divorce begins to spiral dangerously out of control.

Sherry, Hailey’s mother, will stop at almost nothing to keep Jonah from getting what he wants. Nate, Hailey’s impetuous and protective older brother, has tried to keep his distance, but he can’t stand to see his little sister suffer. And then there’s Solomon, the patriarch, who is keeping a secret that threatens the stability and security Sherry has worked so hard to maintain. Soon, they are forced to reckon with who they are as individuals and as a family, and just how far they will go for each other.

Inspired by a true story, We Would Never is a gripping mystery, an intimate family drama, and a provocative exploration of loyalty, betrayal, and the blurred line between protecting and forsaking the ones we love most.]]> 364 Tova Mirvis 1668061643 Kelly (and the Book Boar) 2
This was absolutely a cover/title yes please sort of request, but the story was so basic that it could have been wrapped up in a few pages. The blurb also lies as this is neither literary nor a page turner. The family history seemed to be thrown in simply for page count because it just made things drag on forever and the side plot in Maine with the estranged brother was so pointless. This book slump is killing me!

ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you, NetGalley!]]> 3.69 2025
author: Tova Mirvis
name: Kelly (and the Book Boar)
average rating: 3.69
book published: 2025
rating: 2
read at: 2025/04/10
date added: 2025/04/10
shelves:
review:
I’m typing this real quick on my phone before I get even further behind in posting, so my apologies for lack of giffery and imagine whichever “oof�� or “eesh�� face meme is your favorite for my reaction upon finishing up my reading here.

This was absolutely a cover/title yes please sort of request, but the story was so basic that it could have been wrapped up in a few pages. The blurb also lies as this is neither literary nor a page turner. The family history seemed to be thrown in simply for page count because it just made things drag on forever and the side plot in Maine with the estranged brother was so pointless. This book slump is killing me!

ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you, NetGalley!
]]> 215805817 A rollicking ranking of the greatest golfers of all time, past and present, brimming with the intimate stories and perspective only a longtime golf writer like Michael Arkush can muster.

So, who’s the best of 'em all? Tiger Woods? Jack Nicklaus? Bobby Jones? Ben Hogan? Golf fans will disagree until the end of time, but one thing is For well over 100 years, the sport has provided its share of spectacular careers and indelible moments. And what about fan favorites such as Phil Mickelson, Nancy Lopez, and Lee Trevino? Where do they rank on the list? Or modern players like Scottie Scheffler, Rory McIlroy, Xander Schauffele, Jordan Spieth, Nelly Korda, and Justin Thomas. Did they make the final cut—and if so, where?

In a joyride through golf history itself, New York Times bestselling author Michael Arkush establishes a ranking system that places a heavy emphasis on the game’s major championships and profiles the most accomplished and impactful golfers ever—men and women, known and unknown. Arkush captures the flair, as well as the flaws, of athletes who are intensely competitive, funny, peculiar, or larger-than-life. Crafted from hundreds of interviews and longtime relationships developed over a quarter century, The Golf 100 is an immensely entertaining listen.]]> 384 Michael Arkush 0385549695 Kelly (and the Book Boar) 4
Seriously though, I did become an avid golf fan while on maternity leave and last year I decided to start using some vacation time in order to eat pimento cheese sandwiches and bask in the azaleas for the duration of The Masters.

What better accompaniment than this reader copy from @doubledaybooks? Are you a golfer or a watcher? Do you have a fave? I cheer for so many, but ever since Tom Kim took a little swim at the PGA Championship he’s had my heart. ]]> 4.33
author: Michael Arkush
name: Kelly (and the Book Boar)
average rating: 4.33
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2025/04/09
date added: 2025/04/09
shelves:
review:
Gather round children and allow me to tell you a tale of long long ago in a land called Basic Cable. Our princess Kelly had just birthed a child who never slept and there was no such thing as social media or podcasts or You Tube or even streaming services to pass the time while she endlessly rocked the baby. Desperate times called for desperate measures so she tuned in to the only thing that seemed to be on all day every day during the summer - golf. Then she fell in love with a Tiger and they all lived happily ever after ��. or something like that.

Seriously though, I did become an avid golf fan while on maternity leave and last year I decided to start using some vacation time in order to eat pimento cheese sandwiches and bask in the azaleas for the duration of The Masters.

What better accompaniment than this reader copy from @doubledaybooks? Are you a golfer or a watcher? Do you have a fave? I cheer for so many, but ever since Tom Kim took a little swim at the PGA Championship he’s had my heart.
]]> 60151826 I'm A Fan, a single speaker uses the story of their experience in a seemingly unequal, unfaithful relationship as a prism through which to examine the complicated hold we each have on one another. With a clear and unforgiving eye, the narrator unpicks the behaviour of all involved, herself included, and makes startling connections between the power struggles at the heart of human relationships and those of the wider world, in turn offering a devastating critique of access, social media, patriarchal hetero-normative relationships, and our cultural obsession with status and how that status is conveyed.

In this incredible debut, Sheena Patel announces herself as a vital new voice in literature, capable of rendering a range of emotions and visceral experiences on the page. Sex, violence, politics, tenderness, humour—Patel handles them all with both originality and dexterity of voice.]]> 207 Sheena Patel Kelly (and the Book Boar) 2 3.28 2022
author: Sheena Patel
name: Kelly (and the Book Boar)
average rating: 3.28
book published: 2022
rating: 2
read at: 2025/04/08
date added: 2025/04/08
shelves: liburrrrrry-book, read-in-2025, super-meh
review:
Maybe one day I’ll actually look at ratings before I decide to read a book I’ve never heard of, but somehow appeared on my “maybe you’ll like this�� offerings so of course I grabbed it immediately (the title had me thinking of a potential loveable scamp of a stabby stalker like Joe Goldberg). According to a quick Google, this was supposed to encourage readers to “wake the hell up,�� but what it really amounted to was some sort of indulgent MFA navel gaze told from the perspective of a woman who spends all of her time hyperfocused on both “The Man I Want To Be With�� (who makes it very clear throughout that he’s just not into her) as well as hatescrolling the Instagram of “The Woman I Am Obsessed With�� (the man’s long-time other woman). Nothing happens for 200 pages (which took me forever to read), and then it ends. Thank you, next.
]]> 123025972
Rupert's 30th birthday party is a black-tie dinner at the Kentish Town McDonald's—catered with cocaine and expensive champagne. The morning after, his girlfriend Clemmie is found murdered on Hampstead Heath, a single stiletto heel jutting from under a bush.

Who killed Clemmie? Was it the blithe, sociopathic boyfriend? His impossibly wealthy godmother? The gallery owner with whom Clemmie was having an affair? Or was it the result of something else entirely?

All the party-goers have alibis. Naturally. This investigation is going to be about aristocrats and Classics degrees, Instagram influencers and whose father knows who.

Or is it 'whom'? Detective Caius Beauchamp isn't sure. He's sharply dressed, smart, and thoroughly modern—he discovers Clemmie's body on his early morning jog. As he searches for the dark truth beneath the luxurious life of these London socialites, a wall of staggering wealth and privilege threatens to shut down his investigation before it's even begun. Can Caius peer through the tangled mess of connections in which the other half live—and die—before the case is wrenched from his hands? Bitingly funny, full of shocking twists, and all too familiar.]]> 368 Charlotte Vassell 0593685946 Kelly (and the Book Boar) 2
(I now see this is a series (part of me is terrified I may have an unread ARC of the second), but since it is a continuation with DI Beachamp, maybe it would be more successful for me if it does lean toward the procedural side of things???)

ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you, NetGalley!]]> 3.26 2023
author: Charlotte Vassell
name: Kelly (and the Book Boar)
average rating: 3.26
book published: 2023
rating: 2
read at: 2025/04/07
date added: 2025/04/07
shelves: arcs, fatal-friendships, mc-i-want-to-punch-in-the-throat, whodunit, snore, read-in-2025, cover-love
review:
The title and cover here were a total “you had me at hello�� moment for me, but unfortunately I found the content to be quite a slog. I’m all for reading about despicable one percenters and obviously I love a stabby. I was expecting this to be a fun way to spend a few hours over the weekend, but sadly that was not the case. The main issue was it needed to pick a lane. Either fully embrace the camp of snooty high society or be a police procedural. I even tried to switch things up and listen to some of it, but that didn’t help either so it took me days and days to finally get through this one.

(I now see this is a series (part of me is terrified I may have an unread ARC of the second), but since it is a continuation with DI Beachamp, maybe it would be more successful for me if it does lean toward the procedural side of things???)

ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you, NetGalley!
]]> 228379510 What happens when a career you love doesn’t love you back?

As Hannah Selinger will tell you, to be a good restaurant employee is to be invisible. At the height of her career as a server and then sommelier at some of New York’s most famed dining institutions, Selinger was the hand that folded your napkin while you were in the bathroom, the employee silently slipping into the night through a side door after serving meals worth more than her rent.

During her tenure, Selinger rubbed shoulders with David Chang, Bobby Flay, Johnny Iuzzini, and countless other food celebrities of the early 2000’s. Her position allowed her access to a life she never expected; the lavish parties, the tasting courses, the wildly expensive wines—the rare world we see romanticized in countless movies and television shows. But the thing about being invisible is that people forget you’re there, and most act differently when they think no one is looking.

In Cellar Rat, Selinger chronicles her rise and fall in the restaurant business, beginning with the gritty hometown pub where she fell in love with the industry and ending with her final post serving celebrities at the Hamptons classic Nick & Toni’s. In between, listeners will join Selinger on her emotional journey as she learns the joys of fine fine dining, the allure and danger of power, and what it takes to walk away from a career you love when it no longer serves you.]]> Hannah Selinger Kelly (and the Book Boar) 4
I was real scared when I started this and it kicked off with talk of Momofuko and Lucky Peach that my fave famous chef David Chang (I REALLY have a thing for Davids, I’m starting to realize) was going to be some sort of sex pest at best and sex criminal at worst, but thankfully it was a business partner who was the most vile and Chang is simply the expected brand of psychopathic kitchen dictator I have come to realize is fairly the norm when it comes to successful restaurateurs.

If you are like me and a little gossip mongering goblin who can’t get enough of kitchen secrets, this one might be a winner. Boy do I appreciate a tea spiller who will drop alllllllllllllllllllllllllll the names . . . .



And if you have any recs for me, drop a comment! Despite only ever dining out at a divey sort of Mexican joint where I can get a smothered and covered burrito the size of a three month old baby or . . . .



I’m super into foodie memoirs (no need to drop the aforementioned David Chang or Anthony Bourdain �� I snatched those as soon as I really started consuming audiobooks).

I actually received an ARC of this from NetGalley, but realized I wanted to listen so I waited for an audio copy from the library.]]> 3.67 2025
author: Hannah Selinger
name: Kelly (and the Book Boar)
average rating: 3.67
book published: 2025
rating: 4
read at: 2025/04/03
date added: 2025/04/03
shelves: arcs, audio, liburrrrrry-book, memoir, non-fiction, read-in-2025, walkin-and-talkin
review:
How does an Ivy League graduate (complete with MFA, no less) somehow take a detour from even beginning a career in either the writing or publishing world and end up re-educating herself as a sommelier at the hoity toity-iest of fine dining establishments? Well, that’s not super clear, but the good news is I don’t want to know everyone’s entire life story (more often than not, I am only interested in name dropping and trash talking, including here when I was reminded how utterly heartless I am as my attention was waning with the story of her dying dad. Sorry, but I’m really only interested in confirmation Bobby Flay is a real twat (sadly, she claims he is not . . . but I still have a feeling he is - just sooooo smarmy!) and for the olive loaf, ma’am, not to feel things.)

I was real scared when I started this and it kicked off with talk of Momofuko and Lucky Peach that my fave famous chef David Chang (I REALLY have a thing for Davids, I’m starting to realize) was going to be some sort of sex pest at best and sex criminal at worst, but thankfully it was a business partner who was the most vile and Chang is simply the expected brand of psychopathic kitchen dictator I have come to realize is fairly the norm when it comes to successful restaurateurs.

If you are like me and a little gossip mongering goblin who can’t get enough of kitchen secrets, this one might be a winner. Boy do I appreciate a tea spiller who will drop alllllllllllllllllllllllllll the names . . . .



And if you have any recs for me, drop a comment! Despite only ever dining out at a divey sort of Mexican joint where I can get a smothered and covered burrito the size of a three month old baby or . . . .



I’m super into foodie memoirs (no need to drop the aforementioned David Chang or Anthony Bourdain �� I snatched those as soon as I really started consuming audiobooks).

I actually received an ARC of this from NetGalley, but realized I wanted to listen so I waited for an audio copy from the library.
]]> 222361628 WITH OVER 1.5 MILLION COPIES SOLD . . .

Chevy Stevens has garnered acclaim from literary giants,
including Stephen King who called THOSE GIRLS “incredibly scary and suspenseful�� and Gillian Flynn who called STILL MISSING “utterly absorbing.��

With THE HITCHHIKERS, she forges new ground with a novel that will both terrify you and break your heart.

On the remote Canadian highways in 1976, Tom and Alice set out to heal their fractured marriage.
An RV, a new beginning, and the hope of recovery after a devastating tragedy.
Then they meet two young hitchhikers,
Ocean and Blue—a seemingly innocent couple who aren’t who they seem. . . .
They are Jenny and Simon.
And they have left a trail of blood, destruction, and madness behind them.
Now Tom and Alice are trapped—prisoners in a deadly game, with nowhere to turn.
But as the tension builds and the lines blur,
the question becomes, In whose heart does evil truly lie?

A chilling, twist-laden ride to the final page—THE HITCHHIKERS is a master class in suspense and shock.]]> Chevy Stevens 1250133661 Kelly (and the Book Boar) 2 arcs, read-in-2025, super-meh Still Missing. While not every new release has lived up to that one, they have all satisfied my taste for an occasional thrill and I really dug her last one Dark Roads. I also really dig that she’s an author who takes her time and doesn’t seem to just churn out one after another (looking at you, Freida!).

When this was offered as a 48 hour Read Now over on NetGalley I was all over it. I mean the cover, the title, the 70s, hitchhikers????? I was full on hoping for some natural born killers. Sadly, that was not the case . . .



This was not good.

ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you, NetGalley!
]]> 3.86 2025
author: Chevy Stevens
name: Kelly (and the Book Boar)
average rating: 3.86
book published: 2025
rating: 2
read at: 2025/04/03
date added: 2025/04/03
shelves: arcs, read-in-2025, super-meh
review:
Chevy Stevens really knocked my socks off nearly fifteen years ago with Still Missing. While not every new release has lived up to that one, they have all satisfied my taste for an occasional thrill and I really dug her last one Dark Roads. I also really dig that she’s an author who takes her time and doesn’t seem to just churn out one after another (looking at you, Freida!).

When this was offered as a 48 hour Read Now over on NetGalley I was all over it. I mean the cover, the title, the 70s, hitchhikers????? I was full on hoping for some natural born killers. Sadly, that was not the case . . .



This was not good.

ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you, NetGalley!

]]> 220152313 Shortlisted for the 2024 Booker Prize, a novel about forgiveness, grief, and what it means to be good, from the award-winning author of The Weekend.

Burnt out and in need of retreat, a middle-aged woman leaves Sydney to return to the place she grew up, taking refuge in a small religious community hidden away on the stark plains of rural Australia. She doesn't believe in God, or know what prayer is, and finds herself living this strange, reclusive existence almost by accident.

But disquiet interrupts this secluded life with three visitations. First comes a terrible mouse plague, each day signaling a new battle against the rising infestation. Second is the return of the skeletal remains of a sister who disappeared decades before, presumed murdered. And finally, a troubling visitor plunges the narrator further back into her past.

Meditative, moving, and finely observed, Stone Yard Devotional is a seminal novel from a writer of rare power, exploring what it means to retreat from the world, the true nature of forgiveness, and the sustained effect of grief on the human soul.]]> 302 Charlotte Wood Kelly (and the Book Boar) 0 currently-reading 4.07 2023
author: Charlotte Wood
name: Kelly (and the Book Boar)
average rating: 4.07
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/01
shelves: currently-reading
review:

]]> 218644981 368 Julie Clark 1464221294 Kelly (and the Book Boar) 0 currently-reading 3.97 2025
author: Julie Clark
name: Kelly (and the Book Boar)
average rating: 3.97
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/30
shelves: currently-reading
review:

]]> 59639688
A candid, compulsively readable, hilarious, and heartbreaking memoir of resilience and redemption by comedic genius Molly Shannon

At age four, Molly Shannon's world was shattered when she lost her mother, baby sister, and cousin in a car accident with her father at the wheel. Held together by her tender and complicated relationship with her grieving father, Molly was raised in a permissive household where her gift for improvising and role-playing blossomed alongside the fearlessness that would lead her to become a celebrated actress.

From there, Molly ventured into the wider world of New York and Los Angeles show business, where she created her own opportunities and developed her daring and empathetic comedy. Filled with behind-the-scenes stories involving everyone from Whitney Houston to Adam Sandler to Monica Lewinsky, many told for the first time here, Hello, Molly! spans Molly's time on Saturday Night Live—where she starred alongside Will Ferrell, Adam Sandler, Cheri Oteri, Tracy Morgan, and Jimmy Fallon, among many others. At the same time, it explores with humor and candor her struggle to come to terms with the legacy of her father, a man who both fostered her gifts and drive and was left with the impossible task of raising his kids alone after the loss of her mother.

Witty, winning, and told with tremendous energy and heart, Hello, Molly!, written with Sean Wilsey, sheds new and revelatory light on the life and work of one of our most talented and free-spirited performers.]]> 8 Molly Shannon 0063056267 Kelly (and the Book Boar) 5
She’s a SUPERSTAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!



(If you’re curious, this was the story that made me eat dirt �� specifically the part about how she kicked the (not a prop) tampon machine right off the wall. Every Star!)
]]> 4.02 2022
author: Molly Shannon
name: Kelly (and the Book Boar)
average rating: 4.02
book published: 2022
rating: 5
read at: 2025/03/25
date added: 2025/03/25
shelves: audio, liburrrrrry-book, memoir, non-fiction, read-in-2025, walkin-and-talkin
review:
While my heart will always remain true to my Darling David, and while I would still leave my husband in a New York minute for David Spade (don’t tell me about my internalized misogyny, I’m a GenXer so I’m well aware), this might actually be my favorite comedic memoir of all time. Like most celebrities whose books I have picked up in the past, I didn’t know anything about Molly Shannon’s life prior to reading this one. What an example of a triumph in the face of tragedy her story shares. The only way to go on this is audio �� her exuberance and frenetic energy make the entire experience so much richer. And she can go down as the only person who made me laugh so hard I tripped over my own two feet while walking.

She’s a SUPERSTAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!



(If you’re curious, this was the story that made me eat dirt �� specifically the part about how she kicked the (not a prop) tampon machine right off the wall. Every Star!)

]]> 56065147
In 2006, HarperCollins announced the publication of a book, titled If I Did It, in which O.J. Simpson told how he hypothetically would have committed the murders. In response to public outrage that Simpson stood to profit from these crimes, HarperCollins canceled the book. A Florida bankruptcy court awarded the rights to the Goldmans in August 2007 to partially satisfy the unpaid civil judgment, which has risen to over $38 million with interest.

The Goldman family views this book as his confession and has worked hard to ensure that the public will read this book and learn the truth. This is the original manuscript approved by O.J. Simpson, with a subtitle added by the Goldman family and up to 14,000 words of additional commentary.]]> 322 O.J. Simpson Kelly (and the Book Boar) 0 currently-reading 3.72 2006
author: O.J. Simpson
name: Kelly (and the Book Boar)
average rating: 3.72
book published: 2006
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/25
shelves: currently-reading
review:

]]> 156369286
HEY, SALES SISTERHOOD, SUPREMACY, AND THE OTHER LIES BEHIND MULTILEVEL MARKETING is the eye-opening, funny, and dangerous personal story of author Emily Lynn Paulson rising to the top of the pyramid in the multilevel marketing (MLM) world, only to recognize that its culture and business practices went beyond a trendy marketing scheme and into the heart of white supremacy in America.

A significant polemic on how MLMs operate, HEY, HUN expertly lays out their role in the cultural epidemic of isolation and the cult-like ideologies that course through their trainings, marketing, and one-on-one interactions.

Equally entertaining and smart, Paulson’s first-person accounts, acerbic wit, and biting commentary will leave you with a new perspective on those “Hey Hun�� messages flooding your inbox.

“This book is a must-read for all women, especially those struggling with the deep ache to belong, be successful, or feel their self-worth. HEY, HUN is at once a cautionary tale, an educational service, and a vulnerable memoir. It’s essential reading for anyone considering joining, trying to escape, or healing from the toxic, culty structure that is MLM.�� �� Sarah Edmondson, actress, host of A Little Bit Culty podcast, author of The True Story of How I Escaped NXIVM, the Cult That Bound My Life

“Emily’s experience is so raw, honest, and relatable that HEY, HUN should be required reading for anyone involved with MLM—past, present, or future.�� �� Roberta Blevins, anti-MLM adovcate, host of the Life After MLM podcast, and star of the LulaRich documentary]]> 384 Emily Lynn Paulson 1955905266 Kelly (and the Book Boar) 0


Needless to say, I need to start puking out some ratings/reviews. This was a listen and while it wasn’t bad and since I work in the legal field I understand why the author doesn’t disclose any details about the pyramid scheme of which she was a part, the nosey asshole that I am still kept saying throughout the entire book . . .



I just listened to Selling the Dream: The Billion-Dollar Industry Bankrupting Americans last week (good luck getting a review for that one within the next 14,000 years) and although it was full of more history of MLMs, facts and figures, it also didn’t shy away from naming the name of the stanky legging company or the Ranieri sex cult. Also, way to really stick up for what's right in the world while continuing to take the revenue from your "downstream," lady.

Now who wants to buy some pank drank from me???? Just kidding.
]]> 3.69 2023
author: Emily Lynn Paulson
name: Kelly (and the Book Boar)
average rating: 3.69
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at: 2025/03/24
date added: 2025/03/24
shelves: audio, walkin-and-talkin, read-in-2023, non-fiction
review:
I just looked at my “Currently Reading�� and it is now at 149 . . . .



Needless to say, I need to start puking out some ratings/reviews. This was a listen and while it wasn’t bad and since I work in the legal field I understand why the author doesn’t disclose any details about the pyramid scheme of which she was a part, the nosey asshole that I am still kept saying throughout the entire book . . .



I just listened to Selling the Dream: The Billion-Dollar Industry Bankrupting Americans last week (good luck getting a review for that one within the next 14,000 years) and although it was full of more history of MLMs, facts and figures, it also didn’t shy away from naming the name of the stanky legging company or the Ranieri sex cult. Also, way to really stick up for what's right in the world while continuing to take the revenue from your "downstream," lady.

Now who wants to buy some pank drank from me???? Just kidding.

]]> 195431722
The three Blue sisters are exceptional—and exceptionally different. Avery , the eldest and a recovering heroin addict turned strait-laced lawyer, lives with her wife in London; Bonnie , a former boxer, works as a bouncer in Los Angeles following a devastating defeat; and Lucky , the youngest, models in Paris while trying to outrun her hard-partying ways. They also had a fourth sister, Nicky, whose unexpected death left Avery, Bonnie, and Lucky reeling. A year later, as they each navigate grief, addiction, and ambition, they find they must return to New York to stop the sale of the apartment they were raised in.

But coming home is never as easy as it seems. As the sisters reckon with the disappointments of their childhood and the loss of the only person who held them together, they realize that the greatest secrets they've been keeping might not have been from each other, but from themselves.��

Imbued with Coco Mellors’s signature combination of humor and heart, Blue Sisters is a story of what it takes to keep living after loss—and, ultimately, to fall in love with life again.]]> 272 Coco Mellors 0593723775 Kelly (and the Book Boar) 4 Their family had always been good at hellos and goodbyes, moments ending even as they began. It was easy to love someone in the beginnings and endings; it was all the time in between that was so hard.

About once or twice a year Shelby and I don’t share a brain and have differing opinions about a book. I had actually removed this from my library holds at some point because we are so like-minded, but then it popped up as an “available now�� option, my FOMO kicked in, and immediately upon starting I was like . . . .



I just knew right away this was going to be for me. So take that as a message to any of you keyboard commandos out there that it is A-okay for there to be different strokes for different folks and not having the same reaction to a book is not cause to go scorched Earth on another reader (especially when the authors don’t even freaking know we exist most of the time and different ratings do not generally equate different amounts of dollars in their bank accounts).

Now, on to the book. As the title declares, this is the story of the Blue sisters. Once there were four: Avery, Bonnie, Nicky and Lucky . . . but sadly Nicky died a year ago. This book jumps in at the one year anniversary of her untimely passing while we navigate through each sister’s grieving process. I am a sucker for family stories and maybe you can go home agains, so if you too find that to be your wheelhouse, this may be a winner. Please note the theme of addiction is VERY prevalent here �� if that is a trigger for you, then maybe steer clear.]]> 4.02 2024
author: Coco Mellors
name: Kelly (and the Book Boar)
average rating: 4.02
book published: 2024
rating: 4
read at: 2025/03/24
date added: 2025/03/24
shelves: liburrrrrry-book, maybe-you-can-go-home-again, read-in-2025
review:
Their family had always been good at hellos and goodbyes, moments ending even as they began. It was easy to love someone in the beginnings and endings; it was all the time in between that was so hard.

About once or twice a year Shelby and I don’t share a brain and have differing opinions about a book. I had actually removed this from my library holds at some point because we are so like-minded, but then it popped up as an “available now�� option, my FOMO kicked in, and immediately upon starting I was like . . . .



I just knew right away this was going to be for me. So take that as a message to any of you keyboard commandos out there that it is A-okay for there to be different strokes for different folks and not having the same reaction to a book is not cause to go scorched Earth on another reader (especially when the authors don’t even freaking know we exist most of the time and different ratings do not generally equate different amounts of dollars in their bank accounts).

Now, on to the book. As the title declares, this is the story of the Blue sisters. Once there were four: Avery, Bonnie, Nicky and Lucky . . . but sadly Nicky died a year ago. This book jumps in at the one year anniversary of her untimely passing while we navigate through each sister’s grieving process. I am a sucker for family stories and maybe you can go home agains, so if you too find that to be your wheelhouse, this may be a winner. Please note the theme of addiction is VERY prevalent here �� if that is a trigger for you, then maybe steer clear.
]]> 39939599 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER

Featured as One of Summer’s most anticipated reads by the Los Angeles Times, Vogue, Vulture, Entertainment Weekly, ELLE, Buzzfeed, and Bitch Media.

From the author of I Don’t Want to Die Poor and in the style of New York Times bestsellers You Can��t Touch My Hair, Bad Feminist, and I��m Judging You, a timely collection of alternately hysterical and soul‑searching essays about what it is like to grow up as a creative, sensitive black man in a world that constantly tries to deride and diminish your humanity.

It hasn’t been easy being Michael Arceneaux.

Equality for LGBTQ people has come a long way and all, but voices of persons of color within the community are still often silenced, and being Black in America is…well, have you watched the news?

With the characteristic wit and candor that have made him one of today’s boldest writers on social issues, I Can’t Date Jesus is Michael Arceneaux’s impassioned, forthright, and refreshing look at minority life in today’s America. Leaving no bigoted or ignorant stone unturned, he describes his journey in learning to embrace his identity when the world told him to do the opposite.

He eloquently writes about coming out to his mother; growing up in Houston, Texas; being approached for the priesthood; his obstacles in embracing intimacy that occasionally led to unfortunate fights with fire ants and maybe fleas; and the persistent challenges of young people who feel marginalized and denied the chance to pursue their dreams.

Perfect for fans of David Sedaris, Samantha Irby, and Phoebe Robinson, I Can’t Date Jesus tells us—without apologies—what it’s like to be outspoken and brave in a divisive world.]]> 6 Michael Arceneaux 1508267707 Kelly (and the Book Boar) 2


He’s no David Sedaris or Augusten Burroughs.

2.5 Stars
]]> 3.68 2018
author: Michael Arceneaux
name: Kelly (and the Book Boar)
average rating: 3.68
book published: 2018
rating: 2
read at: 2025/03/24
date added: 2025/03/24
shelves: audio, liburrrrrry-book, memoir, non-fiction, read-in-2025, walkin-and-talkin
review:
As an old, married, cis white lady, maybe this simply was not meant for me. But in the current climate of defunding libraries and banning books my ass is still gonna read ALL the things. I’m also going to blame Libby for recommending this one to me when my other want to reads on audio had wait lists because this was not on my radar until the “algorithm�� selected it for me. Per usual when it comes to nonfamous people (but this dude really comes off as presenting himself (a blogger and a freelance writer) as someone everyone should be aware of) getting book deals and declaring them to be oh so hilarious, my reaction continues . . . .



He’s no David Sedaris or Augusten Burroughs.

2.5 Stars

]]> 22421055
Everyone's picture of a natural winner, Ted Bundy was a bright, charming, and handsome man with a promising future as an attorney. But on January 24, 1989, Bundy was executed for the murders of three young women - and had confessed to taking the lives of at least 35 more women from coast to coast. Ann Rule, who kept in constant contact with Bundy throughout the investigation, tells his story as no other person can, capturing the essence of his magnetic power, unholy compulsion, and demonic double life.

Available for the first time on audio, this shocking true story is an unforgettable listening experience. In an emotional reading, Rule tells us about Ted Bundy - the man she thought she really knew...the stranger beside her.

©1992 Ann Rule; (P)1992 Simon & Schuster]]> 3 Ann Rule Kelly (and the Book Boar) 0 currently-reading 3.42 1980
author: Ann Rule
name: Kelly (and the Book Boar)
average rating: 3.42
book published: 1980
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/23
shelves: currently-reading
review:

]]> 55713022
Lisa Taddeo illustrates one woman's exhilarating transformation from prey into predator in Animal, the “ferociously beautiful�� (Library Journal) debut novel from the author of the number-one New York Times best seller and international phenomenon Three Women, named to more than 30 best-of-the-year lists and hailed as “a dazzling achievement�� (Los Angeles Times) and “a heartbreaking, gripping, astonishing masterpiece�� (Esquire).

I am depraved. I hope you like me.

Joan has spent a lifetime enduring the cruelties of men. But when one of them commits a shocking act of violence in front of her, she flees New York City in search of Alice, the only person alive who can help her make sense of her past. In the sweltering hills above Los Angeles, Joan unravels the horrific event she witnessed as a child - that has haunted her every waking moment - while forging the power to finally strike back.

Animal is a depiction of female rage at its rawest, and a visceral exploration of the fallout from a male-dominated society.]]> Lisa Taddeo 1797105019 Kelly (and the Book Boar) 0 currently-reading 3.30 2021
author: Lisa Taddeo
name: Kelly (and the Book Boar)
average rating: 3.30
book published: 2021
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/22
shelves: currently-reading
review:

]]> 73433889 In a story which sees the comfortable rapidly turn into the unbearable Lara Pass offers in Rough Roads with Reckless Drivers an examination of a family torn apart by a mind gone astray.
So who is Luke, the adolescent with the sparkling green eyes and ruggedly handsome face, could he be the first love of Anna's life? Or would that be too much for a girl finding her first steps in life to bear? When Anna visits her friend Holly's house for Christmas she will soon find out.]]> 129 Lara Pass 178455510X Kelly (and the Book Boar) 0 spam-is-not-real-meat 0.0 2015
author: Lara Pass
name: Kelly (and the Book Boar)
average rating: 0.0
book published: 2015
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/21
shelves: spam-is-not-real-meat
review:

]]> 221146758 A retired serial killer’s quiet life is upended by an unexpected visitor. To protect her secret, there’s only one option left—what’s another murder? From bestselling author Samantha Downing.

Lottie Jones thought her crimes were behind her.

Decades earlier, she changed her identity and tucked herself away in a small town. Her most exciting nights are the weekly bingo games at the local church and gossiping with her friends.

When investigative journalist Plum Dixon shows up on her doorstep asking questions about Lottie’s past and specifically her involvement with numerous unsolved cases, well, Lottie just can’t have that.

But getting away with murder is hard enough when you’re young. And when Lottie receives another annoying knock on the door, she realizes this crime might just be the death of her…]]> Samantha Downing 0593101057 Kelly (and the Book Boar) 4


As the title states, Lottie Jones has simply been trying to leave her past behind and embrace her inner Captain Murtaugh. She realizes she’s getting too old for this shit and is prepared that the most exciting thing in her life might be facing judgment about her snack offerings at the local BINGO hall. That is, until a nosey rosey journalist shows up declaring she knows who Lottie REALLY is and Lottie has to come out of retirement . . . .

I am an OG Samantha Downing superfan, so take my opinion with several grains of salt because I am 100% biased. She’s freaking fantastic. All of her books have been winners for me and she’s one of the rare few authors I follow on The ‘Gram because I HAVE A MIGHTY NEEEEEEEED when it comes to knowing when/what she’s coming up with next. If you like the stabbies, she’s the most fun.

ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you, NetGalley!
]]> 4.50 2025
author: Samantha Downing
name: Kelly (and the Book Boar)
average rating: 4.50
book published: 2025
rating: 4
read at: 2025/03/19
date added: 2025/03/19
shelves: arcs, cover-love, don-t-care-how-i-want-i-now, like-this-or-we-cant-be-friends, people-let-me-tell-you-bout-my-bes, read-in-2025, shut-up-and-take-my-money, stabby-stabby, you-had-me-at-hello
review:
Actual footage of my reaction upon (FINALLY) receiving an advanced copy of this one . . .



As the title states, Lottie Jones has simply been trying to leave her past behind and embrace her inner Captain Murtaugh. She realizes she’s getting too old for this shit and is prepared that the most exciting thing in her life might be facing judgment about her snack offerings at the local BINGO hall. That is, until a nosey rosey journalist shows up declaring she knows who Lottie REALLY is and Lottie has to come out of retirement . . . .

I am an OG Samantha Downing superfan, so take my opinion with several grains of salt because I am 100% biased. She’s freaking fantastic. All of her books have been winners for me and she’s one of the rare few authors I follow on The ‘Gram because I HAVE A MIGHTY NEEEEEEEED when it comes to knowing when/what she’s coming up with next. If you like the stabbies, she’s the most fun.

ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you, NetGalley!

]]> 210338435
We’ve all heard of Amway, Mary Kay, Tupperware, and LuLaRoe, but few know the nefarious way they and countless other multilevel marketing (MLM) companies prey on desperate Americans struggling to make ends meet.

When factories close, stalwart industries shutter, and blue-collar opportunities evaporate, MLMs are there, ready to pounce on the crumbling American Dream. MLMs thrive in rural areas and on military bases, targeting women with promises of being their own boss and millions of dollars in easy income—even at the risk of their entire life savings. But the vast majority��99.7%—of those who join an MLM make no money or lose money, and wind up stuck with inventory they can’t sell to recoup their losses.

Featuring in-depth reporting and intimate research, Selling the Dream reveals how these companies—often owned by political and corporate elites, such as the Devos and the Van Andels families—have made a windfall in profit off of the desperation of the American working class.]]> 7 Jane Marie Kelly (and the Book Boar) 0 currently-reading 3.81 2024
author: Jane Marie
name: Kelly (and the Book Boar)
average rating: 3.81
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/18
shelves: currently-reading
review:

]]> 213628525
And that's exactly what Alex thinks she's found. Love. So she's floored when she arrives to her dinner with her boyfriend, expecting a ring in a little box, and instead finding her best friend sat at the table with him. They have news. They're together now. And apparently her birthday dinner is the best time to share the news.

Suddenly, Alex's world implodes. She has lost the two people in the world closest to her, her only support. She's utterly alone, her future in pieces. So when she unexpectedly bumps into a client, Rebecca, and Rebecca seems to want to be friends, it feels like a lifeline.

But then Alex's now ex turns up dead, then more people around her seem to be dropping like flies. And she can't help but wonder if this new friendship is a match made in hell.]]> 0 Tasha Coryell 1398716782 Kelly (and the Book Boar) 0 currently-reading 4.62
author: Tasha Coryell
name: Kelly (and the Book Boar)
average rating: 4.62
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/18
shelves: currently-reading
review:

]]> 204640265 From Vulture's "master of horror" Clay McLeod Chapman, a relentless and emotionally charged social horror novel about a family on the run from a demonic possession epidemic that spreads through media, for fans of The Last of Us and When Evil Lurks

Noah Fairchild has been losing his formerly polite Southern parents to far-right cable news for years, so when his mother leaves him a voicemail warning him that the “Great Reawakening�� is here, he assumes it’s related to one of the many conspiracy theories she believes in. But when his own phone calls go unanswered, Noah makes the long drive from Brooklyn to Richmond, Virginia. There, he discovers his childhood home in shambles, a fridge full of spoiled food, and his parents locked in a terrifying trance-like state in front of the TV. Panicked, Noah attempts to snap them out of it and get medical help.

Then Noah’s mother brutally attacks him.

But Noah isn’t the only person to be attacked by a loved one. Families across the country are tearing each other apart-–literally-–as people succumb to a form of possession that gets worse the more time they spend watching particular channels, using certain apps, or visiting certain websites. In Noah’s Richmond-based family, only he and his young nephew Marcus are unaffected. Together, they must race back to the safe haven of Brooklyn��-but can they make it before they fall prey to the violent hordes?

This ambitious, searing novel from "one of horror's modern masters" holds a mirror to our divided nation, and will shake readers to the core.]]> 384 Clay McLeod Chapman Kelly (and the Book Boar) 2 3.37 2025
author: Clay McLeod Chapman
name: Kelly (and the Book Boar)
average rating: 3.37
book published: 2025
rating: 2
read at: 2025/03/17
date added: 2025/03/17
shelves: end-of-the-world-as-we-know-it, liburrrrrry-book, read-in-2025
review:
This has received really high marks from my ŷ�������� friends, so chalk me up once again as a wrongreader. The intentions of this release are very clear �� piss off right wingers. Which is all fine and good aside from the fact that none of them will ever read this to begin with so the author is basically just yelling into the void and relying on his audience to be amused by the chronic masturbation which is (literally, in this case) the MAGA hive mind. I’m not a fan of kitschy and I’ve made that very clear so having said kitsch on repeat was a total flop for me.
]]> 211844067 A fake marriage at a writer's retreat goes awry when two people fall in love for real in Charlotte Stein's next sexy and laugh out loud novel!

Connie Evans has always distrusted nice guys. In her experience, they’re just waiting to reveal some horrible secret. And then she meets big, adorable, Henry Samuel Beckett—lover of bow ties, sweet as a superhero who wears his underpants over his tights, and so cheery she struggles to believe he’s real.

Until Henry Samuel Beckett—or Beck, as he’s known to most—tells her what truly lurks underneath his sunny surface. He’s been single all his life. But somehow seems to have told everyone he works with that he’s married. And when Connie can’t help defending him, she ends up being the wife he doesn’t have.

And now they’re on a writing retreat together, surrounded by people convinced this can’t be real, both of them sure that those people are right. Until they have to share their first kiss, their first touch, their first time in only one bed. Side by side, every night, as the simmering tension builds…something has to give.

The only question for Connie is—could it be her heart?]]> 296 Charlotte Stein 1250867983 Kelly (and the Book Boar) 1
Per the opening line above, this had a lot of potential. I love some good fake dating/marriage tropey yum yum. Unfortunately, nothing about this was good. From her who used a fake name for lame reasons. To him whose vocabulary consisted of a lot of “gee willickers!�� To the combo of both of them being so pitiful in their woe is me, no one could ever like me personalities. None of it worked. And then at the halfway mark there was no pretending there was going to be any more story or plot whatsoever, and it went to a nonstop teenage quality bangfest full of very NOT hot dirty talk and apparently a great need for some moisture wicking underpants for the both of them for the duration . . . .



Yuck. Bad bad.

EDIT: Because I forgot the fake relationship was THE EXACT SAME FUCKING TROPE USED IN THE AUTHOR'S LAST BOOK. Talk about having zero creativity. ]]> 3.92
author: Charlotte Stein
name: Kelly (and the Book Boar)
average rating: 3.92
book published:
rating: 1
read at: 2025/03/17
date added: 2025/03/17
shelves: cartoony-covers-are-my-kryptonite, liburrrrrry-book, read-in-2025
review:
As a chubster, you give me a plus size gal on a cartoony cover and combine all that with the promise of a fake relationship trope, I am absolutely requesting that from the library. Unfortunately, I didn’t pay any attention to the fact that I had previously failed with this author and should have stayed away. Will I remember I’m now a two-fer flop in the future? Probably not.

Per the opening line above, this had a lot of potential. I love some good fake dating/marriage tropey yum yum. Unfortunately, nothing about this was good. From her who used a fake name for lame reasons. To him whose vocabulary consisted of a lot of “gee willickers!�� To the combo of both of them being so pitiful in their woe is me, no one could ever like me personalities. None of it worked. And then at the halfway mark there was no pretending there was going to be any more story or plot whatsoever, and it went to a nonstop teenage quality bangfest full of very NOT hot dirty talk and apparently a great need for some moisture wicking underpants for the both of them for the duration . . . .



Yuck. Bad bad.

EDIT: Because I forgot the fake relationship was THE EXACT SAME FUCKING TROPE USED IN THE AUTHOR'S LAST BOOK. Talk about having zero creativity.
]]> 214175092 After the murder of her best friend, a librarian’s search for answers leads back to her own dark secrets in this sweeping novel about a woman transformed by war, family, vengeance, and love, from award-winning writer Allen Eskens.

Hana Babic is a quiet, middle-aged librarian in Minnesota who��wants nothing more than to be left alone. But when a detective arrives with the news that her best friend has been murdered, Hana knows that something evil has come for her, a dark remnant of the past she and her friend had shared.

Thirty years before, Hana was someone Nura Divjak, a teenager growing up in the mountains of war-torn Bosnia—until Serbian soldiers arrived to slaughter her entire family before her eyes. The events of that day thrust Nura into the war, leading her to join a band of militia fighters, where she became not only a fierce warrior but a legend—the deadly Night Mora. But a shattering final act forced Nura to flee to the United States with a bounty on her head.

Now, someone is hunting Hana, and her friend has paid the price, leaving her eight-year-old grandson in Hana’s care. To protect the child without revealing her secret, Hana must again become the Night Mora—and hope she can find the killer before the past comes for them, too.]]> 320 Allen Eskens 0316566314 Kelly (and the Book Boar) 0 currently-reading 4.19 2025
author: Allen Eskens
name: Kelly (and the Book Boar)
average rating: 4.19
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/16
shelves: currently-reading
review:

]]> 219323040 480 Wally Lamb Kelly (and the Book Boar) 1 I waited NINE YEARS for this?!?!?!?!?!



WTF? I seriously cannot believe Wally Lamb wrote this. Like many women of a certain age (perimenopausal age, to be exact), She’s Come Undone was a coming of age gamechanger of a novel for me and one that I would never dare to pick up again at the risk of it possibly not standing the test of time. I Know This Much Is True was a huge winner for me as well and I have no idea why I haven’t ever got around to The Hour I First Believed because I own it (perimenopausal brain, most likely), but this was just terrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrible.

WARNING THIS WILL CONTAIN A VERRRRRRY EASY TO SEE COMING SO STOP READING NOW OR STFU WHEN I "SPOIL" THINGS

The story here is about “Corby�� (that stupid effing nickname and the character’s insistence that everyone and their dog immediately call him that upon meeting him should have tipped me off this would be awful right away) who is a super exaggerated over the top permanent victim of a character who got fired from his job and rather than (a) enjoying the ability to be a stay at home dad for he and his wife’s young twins or (b) actively looking for gainful employment instead doubles down on day drinking and prescription meds for his “anxiety�� to the point where one morning he runs over and kills one of the kids with his car. (No I’m not spoiler tagging that, because if you are so dense you can’t see exactly what is being foreshadowed, then I feel real bad for you.) The rest of the book is supposed to be Corby’s redemption arc while in prison, but oh my word is this some painfully bad writing and storytelling. Like bad bad. Like ChatGPT could have wrote it bad.

A 4.68 rating??? No way. Do not recommend.

ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you, NetGalley!]]> 3.71 2025
author: Wally Lamb
name: Kelly (and the Book Boar)
average rating: 3.71
book published: 2025
rating: 1
read at: 2024/12/03
date added: 2025/03/15
shelves: arcs, don-t-care-how-i-want-i-now, mc-i-want-to-punch-in-the-throat, read-in-2024, super-meh, the-great-white-hype
review:

I waited NINE YEARS for this?!?!?!?!?!



WTF? I seriously cannot believe Wally Lamb wrote this. Like many women of a certain age (perimenopausal age, to be exact), She’s Come Undone was a coming of age gamechanger of a novel for me and one that I would never dare to pick up again at the risk of it possibly not standing the test of time. I Know This Much Is True was a huge winner for me as well and I have no idea why I haven’t ever got around to The Hour I First Believed because I own it (perimenopausal brain, most likely), but this was just terrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrible.

WARNING THIS WILL CONTAIN A VERRRRRRY EASY TO SEE COMING SO STOP READING NOW OR STFU WHEN I "SPOIL" THINGS

The story here is about “Corby�� (that stupid effing nickname and the character’s insistence that everyone and their dog immediately call him that upon meeting him should have tipped me off this would be awful right away) who is a super exaggerated over the top permanent victim of a character who got fired from his job and rather than (a) enjoying the ability to be a stay at home dad for he and his wife’s young twins or (b) actively looking for gainful employment instead doubles down on day drinking and prescription meds for his “anxiety�� to the point where one morning he runs over and kills one of the kids with his car. (No I’m not spoiler tagging that, because if you are so dense you can’t see exactly what is being foreshadowed, then I feel real bad for you.) The rest of the book is supposed to be Corby’s redemption arc while in prison, but oh my word is this some painfully bad writing and storytelling. Like bad bad. Like ChatGPT could have wrote it bad.

A 4.68 rating??? No way. Do not recommend.

ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you, NetGalley!
]]> 22857958 In the New York Times bestseller that the Washington Post called "Lean In for misfits," Sophia Amoruso shares how she went from dumpster diving to founding one of the fastest-growing retailers in the world.

Sophia Amoruso spent her teens hitchhiking, committing petty theft, and scrounging in dumpsters for leftover bagels. By age twenty-two she had dropped out of school, and was broke, directionless, and checking IDs in the lobby of an art school��
a job she’d taken for the health insurance. It was in that lobby that Sophia decided to start selling vintage clothes on eBay.

Flash forward ten years to today, and she’s the founder and executive chairman of Nasty Gal, a $250-million-plus fashion retailer with more than four hundred employees. Sophia was never a typical CEO, or a typical anything, and she’s written #GIRLBOSS for other girls like her: outsiders (and insiders) seeking a unique path to success, even when that path is windy as all hell and lined with naysayers.

#GIRLBOSS proves that being successful isn’t about where you went to college
or how popular you were in high school. It’s about trusting your instincts and following your gut; knowing which rules to follow and which to break; when to button up and when to let your freak flag fly.' to 'In the New York Times bestseller that the Washington Post called "Lean In for misfits," Sophia Amoruso shares how she went from dumpster diving to founding one of the fastest-growing retailers in the world Sophia Amoruso spent her teens hitchhiking, committing petty theft, and scrounging in dumpsters for leftover bagels. By age twenty-two she had dropped out of school, and was broke, directionless, and checking IDs in the lobby of an art school—a job she’d taken for the health insurance. It was in that lobby that Sophia decided to start selling vintage clothes on eBay. Flash forward ten years to today, and she’s the founder and executive chairman of Nasty Gal, a $250-million-plus fashion retailer with more than four hundred employees. Sophia was never a typical CEO, or a typical anything, and she’s written #GIRLBOSS for other girls like her: outsiders (and insiders) seeking a unique path to success, even when that path is windy as all hell and lined with naysayers. #GIRLBOSS proves that being successful isn’t about where you went to college or how popular you were in high school. It’s about trusting your instincts and following your gut; knowing which rules to follow and which to break; when to button up and when to let your freak flag fly.']]> Sophia Amoruso Kelly (and the Book Boar) 4


I’m always down to watch a trailer and as a complete thrift store ADDICT who has a real opinion about resellers and fast fashion, I decided to give the show a shot. And didn’t like it whatsoever. Buuuuuuuuut, I noticed it was first a book and I’m always needing something to listen to while I walk so I downloaded it.

You know what? This had some seriously GOOD advice for youngsters. Stuff like how forgetting about paying a $19 credit card bill can eff your credit up for near eternity. Or if you live with others DO NOT be the one who has every single utility in your name because what if they don’t give you their share of the money (also, don’t live with people who you think would potentially not give you their share of the money). It also has good resume, cover letter, interview advice and just general advice to be who you want/dress how you want �� FOR YOU not for others and to not let yourself be shamed into being inauthentic. While I would never shop at Nasty Gal (see fast fashion comment above), I was surprised by how much I liked this book.
]]> 3.25 2014
author: Sophia Amoruso
name: Kelly (and the Book Boar)
average rating: 3.25
book published: 2014
rating: 4
read at: 2025/03/13
date added: 2025/03/13
shelves: audio, walkin-and-talkin, read-in-2025, non-fiction, memoir, liburrrrrry-book
review:
RIP to the Netflix “recommended to you�� algorithm for having to deal with me. Things I recently can’t get enough of? Savior Complex, Tell Them You Love Me, Love Has Won: The Cult of Mother God, Escaping Twin Flames, 847 different documentaries about the FLDS . . . and Grace and Frankie. I don’t know why this was even thrown out there as an option other than as an intervention to stop me from watching cults and crimes. Despite having a pretty visceral reaction simply to the term ��#girlboss�� . . . .



I’m always down to watch a trailer and as a complete thrift store ADDICT who has a real opinion about resellers and fast fashion, I decided to give the show a shot. And didn’t like it whatsoever. Buuuuuuuuut, I noticed it was first a book and I’m always needing something to listen to while I walk so I downloaded it.

You know what? This had some seriously GOOD advice for youngsters. Stuff like how forgetting about paying a $19 credit card bill can eff your credit up for near eternity. Or if you live with others DO NOT be the one who has every single utility in your name because what if they don’t give you their share of the money (also, don’t live with people who you think would potentially not give you their share of the money). It also has good resume, cover letter, interview advice and just general advice to be who you want/dress how you want �� FOR YOU not for others and to not let yourself be shamed into being inauthentic. While I would never shop at Nasty Gal (see fast fashion comment above), I was surprised by how much I liked this book.

]]> 213391431 Toch zal er aan dit vluchtgedrag een einde moeten komen, en dan valt de realiteit van��haar leven als moeder, echtgenote en vrouw in de overgang niet meer te ontkennen.��

In All Fours besluit een 45-jarige vrouw zichzelf opnieuw uit te vinden. Ze heeft alleen��geen idee wat het gaat opleveren.]]> 385 Miranda July Kelly (and the Book Boar) 4
Maybe midlife crises were just poorly marketed, maybe each one was profound and unique and it was only a few silly men in red convertibles who gave them a bad name.

Ahhhhh perimenopause. What a delight it is! (said no one ever)

This is certainly going to be a love it or hate it type of read. If you enjoyed Big Swiss, then this one might be a winner for you as well. As for me, turns out this was a National Book Award finalist so it’s like one of three times a year where I get to pretend that . . . .



]]> 3.37 2024
author: Miranda July
name: Kelly (and the Book Boar)
average rating: 3.37
book published: 2024
rating: 4
read at: 2025/03/12
date added: 2025/03/12
shelves: liburrrrrry-book, read-in-2025, smort
review:


Maybe midlife crises were just poorly marketed, maybe each one was profound and unique and it was only a few silly men in red convertibles who gave them a bad name.

Ahhhhh perimenopause. What a delight it is! (said no one ever)

This is certainly going to be a love it or hate it type of read. If you enjoyed Big Swiss, then this one might be a winner for you as well. As for me, turns out this was a National Book Award finalist so it’s like one of three times a year where I get to pretend that . . . .




]]> 205363963
The three Maxwell siblings keep their distance from the lily-white gated enclave outside Dallas where they grew up. When their family moved there, they were the only Black family in the neighborhood. The neighbors acted nice enough, but right away bad things, scary things—the strange and the unexplainable—began to happen in their house. Maybe it was some cosmic trial, a demonic rite of passage into the upper-middle class. Whatever it was, the Maxwells, steered by their formidable mother, stayed put, unwilling to abandon their home, terrors and trauma be damned.

As adults, the siblings could finally get away from the horrors of home, leaving their parents all alone in the house. But when news of their parents' death arrives, Ezri is forced to return to Texas with their sisters, Eve and Emanuelle, to reckon with their family’s past and present, and to find out what happened while they were away. It was not a “natural�� death for their parents . . . but was it supernatural?

Rivers Solomon turns the haunted-house story on its head, unearthing the dark legacies of segregation and racism in the suburban American South. Unbridled, raw, and daring, Model Home is the story of secret histories uncovered, and of a queer family battling for their right to live, grieve, and heal amid the terrors of contemporary American life.]]> 304 Rivers Solomon 0374607133 Kelly (and the Book Boar) 4 “A fucked situation? A house killed our parents.��

“I guess we know why the Wicked Witch of the West was so pissed now.��

Y’all know I’m gonna read anything with a house on the cover, but unintentionally all of my library holds coming up recently have been about actual HOUSES �� or more particularly, the haunted variety. I actually read the blurb on this one and figured there was probably more to this “house�� than I figured and ended up picking it up thinking it would be a sort of social thriller that has become sort of my jam (ex: The Other Black Girl, Lakewood, When the Reckoning Comes, etc.). Obviously I can’t give away the goings on in the house/family/neighborhood, but I can say I had to try twice before succeeding in getting caught up in the story. The writing at the beginning is VERY dense (and Spring Forward does my brain absolutely ZERO favors), so I put this aside yesterday and waited until I had a solid thirty minutes of quiet so I could fully concentrate. And boy did it end up being good!

This might be a 3 because it was hard to sink into AND ACTUAL SPOILER AHEAD SO DO NOT READ IF YOU DON'T WANT TO KNOW THINGS [spoilers removed], but I'm giving it 4.]]> 3.72 2024
author: Rivers Solomon
name: Kelly (and the Book Boar)
average rating: 3.72
book published: 2024
rating: 4
read at: 2025/03/10
date added: 2025/03/10
shelves: dysfunction-junction, liburrrrrry-book, read-in-2025, black-as-mitchell-s-heart
review:
“A fucked situation? A house killed our parents.��

“I guess we know why the Wicked Witch of the West was so pissed now.��

Y’all know I’m gonna read anything with a house on the cover, but unintentionally all of my library holds coming up recently have been about actual HOUSES �� or more particularly, the haunted variety. I actually read the blurb on this one and figured there was probably more to this “house�� than I figured and ended up picking it up thinking it would be a sort of social thriller that has become sort of my jam (ex: The Other Black Girl, Lakewood, When the Reckoning Comes, etc.). Obviously I can’t give away the goings on in the house/family/neighborhood, but I can say I had to try twice before succeeding in getting caught up in the story. The writing at the beginning is VERY dense (and Spring Forward does my brain absolutely ZERO favors), so I put this aside yesterday and waited until I had a solid thirty minutes of quiet so I could fully concentrate. And boy did it end up being good!

This might be a 3 because it was hard to sink into AND ACTUAL SPOILER AHEAD SO DO NOT READ IF YOU DON'T WANT TO KNOW THINGS [spoilers removed], but I'm giving it 4.
]]> 198705223 From the New York Times bestselling author of Evvie Drake Starts Over and Flying Solo, a podcast producer agrees to host a new series about modern dating—but will the show jeopardize her chance at finding real love?

Cecily Foster loves to make podcasts. She fiercely protects her colleagues, dearly adores her friends, and never misses dinner with her sister. But after a disastrous relationship with a colleague who stole her heart and her ideas, she’s put romantic love on hold.

When the boss who’s disappointed her again and again finally offers her the chance to host her own show, she wants to be thrilled. But there’s a catch—actually, two catches. First, the show will be about Cecily’s dating life. And second, she has to follow the guidance of influencer and newly minted relationship coach Eliza Cassidy, whose relentlessly upbeat attitude seems ready-made for social media, not real life.

Cecily would rather do anything other than put her singledom on display (ugh) or take advice from the internet (UGH). But when her boss hints that doing the show is the only way to protect a friend’s job, she realizes she has no choice.

To make matters more complicated, once she’s committed to twenty blind dates of Eliza’s choosing, Cecily finds herself unable to stop thinking about Will, a photographer she helped to rescue a very big and very lovable lost dog. Even though there are sparks between the two, Will’s own path is uncertain, and Eliza’s skeptical comments about Cecily’s decision-making aren’t helping. On the one hand, Will seems great. But on the other hand . . . don’t they all?

As Cecily struggles to balance the life she truly desires and the one Eliza wants to create for her, she finds herself at a crossroads. Can Cecily sort through all the advice and find a way to do what she loves without losing herself in the process?]]> 308 Linda Holmes 0593599268 Kelly (and the Book Boar) 0 currently-reading 3.96 2025
author: Linda Holmes
name: Kelly (and the Book Boar)
average rating: 3.96
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/09
shelves: currently-reading
review:

]]> 55927518 In this propulsive locked-room thriller debut, a reunion weekend in the French Alps turns deadly when five friends discover that someone has deliberately stranded them at their remote mountaintop resort during a snowstorm.

When Milla accepts an off-season invitation to Le Rocher, a cozy ski resort in the French Alps, she’s expecting an intimate weekend of catching up with four old friends. It might have been a decade since she saw them last, but she’s never forgotten the bond they forged on this very mountain during a winter spent fiercely training for an elite snowboarding competition.

Yet no sooner do Milla and the others arrive for the reunion than they realize something is horribly wrong. The resort is deserted. The cable cars that delivered them to the mountaintop have stopped working. Their cell phones—missing. And inside the hotel, detailed instructions await them: an icebreaker game, designed to draw out their secrets. A game meant to remind them of Saskia, the enigmatic sixth member of their group, who vanished the morning of the competition years before and has long been presumed dead.

Stranded in the resort, Milla’s not sure what’s worse: the increasingly sinister things happening around her or the looming snowstorm that’s making escape even more impossible. All she knows is that there’s no one on the mountain she can trust. Because someone has gathered them there to find out the truth about Saskia…someone who will stop at nothing to get answers. And if Milla’s not careful, she could be the next to disappear…]]> 400 Allie Reynolds 0593187857 Kelly (and the Book Boar) 2


This time with Olympic hopeful snowboarders. Much like many other selections of this ilk, I spent the majority of my reading time finding other things to do so I wouldn’t have to waste my time on this and the remainder thinking . . . .



The problem here is twofold. There’s a lot of snowboard speak which would suck even more if the reader weren’t familiar with that sport and which sucks equally for everyone because READING about snowboarding rather than watching it is a real snoozefest. And second �� when dealing with a small cast such as this the most obvious suspect of the whodunnit is clearly a red herring, which leaves only one more person in a story as basic as this. Soooooo I knew immediately who the big reveal was going to be revealed to be and simply slogged through this over the weekend wishing it was 100+ pages shorter.

1.5 Stars]]> 3.84 2020
author: Allie Reynolds
name: Kelly (and the Book Boar)
average rating: 3.84
book published: 2020
rating: 2
read at: 2025/02/03
date added: 2025/03/07
shelves: everyone-loved-it-but-me, liburrrrrry-book, read-in-2025, super-meh, whodunit
review:
This closed door mystery is one of a bazillion takes on an old fave . . . .



This time with Olympic hopeful snowboarders. Much like many other selections of this ilk, I spent the majority of my reading time finding other things to do so I wouldn’t have to waste my time on this and the remainder thinking . . . .



The problem here is twofold. There’s a lot of snowboard speak which would suck even more if the reader weren’t familiar with that sport and which sucks equally for everyone because READING about snowboarding rather than watching it is a real snoozefest. And second �� when dealing with a small cast such as this the most obvious suspect of the whodunnit is clearly a red herring, which leaves only one more person in a story as basic as this. Soooooo I knew immediately who the big reveal was going to be revealed to be and simply slogged through this over the weekend wishing it was 100+ pages shorter.

1.5 Stars
]]> 198307964
From the New York Times bestselling author of The Nanny and What She Knew comes the terrifying story of what can happen after all your dreams come true

Be careful what you wish for...

Childhood sweethearts Nicole and Tom are a normal, loving couple—until a massive lottery win changes their lives overnight.

Soon they’ve moved into a custom-built state-of-the-art Glass Barn on the stunning grounds of Lancaut Manor in Gloucestershire. They have fancy cars, expensive hobbies, and an exclusive lifestyle they never could have imagined.

But this dream world quickly turns into a nightmare when Tom is found dead in the swimming pool.

Nicole is devastated. Tom is her rock. And their beautiful barn —with all its smart features that never seem to work for her—is beginning to feel very lonely. But she’s not entirely by herself out there in the country. There’s a nice young couple who live in the Manor itself along with their middle-aged housekeeper who has the Coach House. And an old friend of Tom’s from school has turned up to help her get through her grief.

But big money can bring big problems and big threats. Was Tom’s death a tragic accident or was it something worse? And is her life in danger as well?

Nicole’s beginning to feel like a little fish in a big glass fishbowl.

Surrounded by piranhas.]]> Gilly Macmillan Kelly (and the Book Boar) 3
This was a recommendation by my real-life friend who listens exclusively. We’re pretty easy to please when it comes to our audiobooks and look for simple plots to follow with pleasant voices narrating them. This one delivered. I’m always down for multiple readers to help me keep track of things and the various reveals spread throughout the story kept my interest. It definitely felt like it could have been whittled down a bit (which is not a great thing now that I’ve noticed it wasn’t even 350 pages in print) and I’m never a fan of epilogues, but it kept me walking so that’s a win.

]]> 3.65 2023
author: Gilly Macmillan
name: Kelly (and the Book Boar)
average rating: 3.65
book published: 2023
rating: 3
read at: 2025/03/07
date added: 2025/03/07
shelves: audio, walkin-and-talkin, whodunit, read-in-2025, lifetime-stabby-stabs-for-women, liburrrrrry-book
review:
Nicole and Tom got to experience how the other half live after hitting the mega lottery jackpot and moving in to a custom smart house. But now poor Tom has been found floating in the luxury pool and we’ve got to figure out just what happened to him . . . .

This was a recommendation by my real-life friend who listens exclusively. We’re pretty easy to please when it comes to our audiobooks and look for simple plots to follow with pleasant voices narrating them. This one delivered. I’m always down for multiple readers to help me keep track of things and the various reveals spread throughout the story kept my interest. It definitely felt like it could have been whittled down a bit (which is not a great thing now that I’ve noticed it wasn’t even 350 pages in print) and I’m never a fan of epilogues, but it kept me walking so that’s a win.


]]> 227778456
“Sharing food is one of the purest human acts.��

Food has always been an integral part of Stanley Tucci’s life: from stracciatella soup served in the shadow of the Pantheon, to marinara sauce cooked between scene rehearsals and costume fittings, to home-made pizza eaten with his children before bedtime.

Now, in What I Ate in One Year Tucci records twelve months of eating—in restaurants, kitchens, film sets, press junkets, at home and abroad, with friends, with family, with strangers, and occasionally just by himself.

Ranging from the mouth-wateringly memorable to the comfortingly domestic and to the infuriatingly inedible, the meals memorialised in this diary are a prism for him to reflect on the ways his life, and his family, are constantly evolving. Through food he marks—and mourns—the passing of time, the loss of loved ones, and steels himself for what is to come.

Whether it’s duck a l’orange eaten with fellow actors and cooked by singing Carmelite nuns, steaks barbequed at a gathering with friends, or meatballs made by his mother and son and shared at the table with three generations of his family, these meals give shape and add emotional richness to his days.

What I Ate in One Year is a funny, poignant, heartfelt, and deeply satisfying serving of memories and meals and an irresistible celebration of the profound role that food plays in all our lives.]]> 8 Stanley Tucci 1797185004 Kelly (and the Book Boar) 5
There are no words to express how much I adore Stanley Tucci. I’m an old lady, so my love for Tucci and his love for food goes way back to Big Night. There’s simply no argument that he excels at his craft (I mean did you guys see Conclave? Holy crap is he great.) But this newfound career as an eatie is simply chef’s kiss. Searching for Italy was a delight, as was his first food memoir Taste, but this one exceeded all of my expectations (and I was smart enough to get it on audio which is really the only way to go, in my opinion). How is it possible for someone to be so unapologetically bougie and yet completely relatable at the same time? This “year in the life�� has a little bit of everything. A glimpse into an A-List sort of lifestyle (presented by a true homebody at heart), Tucci’s signature dry wit, entries about friends and family that bring both the LOLz and the feelz. And pasta. So. Much. Pasta. Simply magical . . . .



Every Star.
]]> 3.57 2024
author: Stanley Tucci
name: Kelly (and the Book Boar)
average rating: 3.57
book published: 2024
rating: 5
read at: 2025/03/06
date added: 2025/03/06
shelves: audio, walkin-and-talkin, you-had-me-at-hello, shut-up-and-take-my-money, read-in-2025, people-let-me-tell-you-bout-my-bes, like-this-or-we-cant-be-friends, liburrrrrry-book, don-t-care-how-i-want-i-now
review:
I gained five pounds walking to this audiobook.

There are no words to express how much I adore Stanley Tucci. I’m an old lady, so my love for Tucci and his love for food goes way back to Big Night. There’s simply no argument that he excels at his craft (I mean did you guys see Conclave? Holy crap is he great.) But this newfound career as an eatie is simply chef’s kiss. Searching for Italy was a delight, as was his first food memoir Taste, but this one exceeded all of my expectations (and I was smart enough to get it on audio which is really the only way to go, in my opinion). How is it possible for someone to be so unapologetically bougie and yet completely relatable at the same time? This “year in the life�� has a little bit of everything. A glimpse into an A-List sort of lifestyle (presented by a true homebody at heart), Tucci’s signature dry wit, entries about friends and family that bring both the LOLz and the feelz. And pasta. So. Much. Pasta. Simply magical . . . .



Every Star.

]]> 214208381 A breathless, riveting novel about a young woman diagnosed with bipolar disorder who rejects the stability and approval found in a traditionally “normal�� life for a career in stand-up comedy.

Maddy Banks is just like any other stressed-out freshman at NYU. Between schoolwork, exams, navigating life in the city, and a recent breakup, it’s normal to be feeling overwhelmed. It doesn’t help that she’s always felt like the odd one out in her picture-perfect Connecticut family. But Maddy’s latest low is devastatingly low, and she goes on an antidepressant. She begins to feel good, dazzling in fact, and she soon spirals high into a wild and terrifying mania that culminates in a diagnosis of bipolar disorder.

As she struggles to find her way in this new reality, navigating the complex effects bipolar has on her identity, her relationships, and her life dreams, Maddy will have to figure out how to manage being both too much and not enough.

With her signature “deep empathy and insight�� (Booklist), Harvard-trained neuroscientist and New York Times bestselling author Lisa Genova has crafted another profoundly moving novel that makes complicated mental health issues accessible and human. More or Less Maddy is destined to become another classic like Still Alice.]]> 367 Lisa Genova Kelly (and the Book Boar) 2
I thought I would quite possibly dig this one, but it pretty much lost me right away at the somehow weirdly recently overused "main character who wants to be a comedian." Dear Authors: Stop making unfunny characters have comedic aspirations. How did that even become such an overused career goal in books recently? If you’re going to make these characters be aspiring comics, they have to be FUNNY. Comedy isn’t just writing jokes and memorizing them - it’s people who are naturally hilarious. No one would want to sit through this chick’s ranty Ted Talk comedy special. And if the bizarre zero dollar an hour career choice wasn't odd enough, then the additional manic episodes featuring Taylor Swift related imaginings just put it over the edge. Then there’s the problem of Maddy having little to no developed personality outside of her illness and what glimpses we did get being so unlikeable and first world with a great support system (and great insurance to boot). So unrelatable.

This was as easy read, but I didn't think it was very good.
]]> 4.32 2025
author: Lisa Genova
name: Kelly (and the Book Boar)
average rating: 4.32
book published: 2025
rating: 2
read at: 2025/03/06
date added: 2025/03/06
shelves: tragiporn, super-meh, read-in-2025, liburrrrrry-book
review:
I always thought I would be a one and done with Lisa Genova because she clearly gets off on writing tragiporn novels centered around terminal or chronic illnesses. Like billions of others I read Still Alice, but then The O’Briens was once again about some sad debilitating disease with no hope so I was officially out. Never say never, though, because maybe a story about a young woman being diagnosed with bipolar disease might be up my alley and I thought I'd give it a go.

I thought I would quite possibly dig this one, but it pretty much lost me right away at the somehow weirdly recently overused "main character who wants to be a comedian." Dear Authors: Stop making unfunny characters have comedic aspirations. How did that even become such an overused career goal in books recently? If you’re going to make these characters be aspiring comics, they have to be FUNNY. Comedy isn’t just writing jokes and memorizing them - it’s people who are naturally hilarious. No one would want to sit through this chick’s ranty Ted Talk comedy special. And if the bizarre zero dollar an hour career choice wasn't odd enough, then the additional manic episodes featuring Taylor Swift related imaginings just put it over the edge. Then there’s the problem of Maddy having little to no developed personality outside of her illness and what glimpses we did get being so unlikeable and first world with a great support system (and great insurance to boot). So unrelatable.

This was as easy read, but I didn't think it was very good.

]]> 220213946 An English professor’s deadly past comes back to haunt her in this chilling and sexy thriller from #1 New York Times bestselling author Vi Keeland.

As a college English professor, Elizabeth looks forward to the start of each new semester teaching her creative writing seminar. At least until she reads chapter one of The Reckoning, a tale about a high school senior who has an affair with her teacher. To anyone else it would be the beginning of a great page-turner, but to Elizabeth it is the beginning of the end.

She knows this story. It’s all familiar because she lived it. The girl in the story was her best friend Jocelyn, and Elizabeth knows exactly how the story will end—with the professor dead. Because she was the one who killed him.

Someone knows what Elizabeth did twenty years ago and her secret is about to be exposed, but who is the mystery student submitting the chapters? In an effort to find out, Elizabeth returns to her Louisiana hometown where it soon becomes clear that no matter how many years have gone by, she can’t escape her past.]]> Vi Keeland 1668047519 Kelly (and the Book Boar) 0 currently-reading 4.14 2025
author: Vi Keeland
name: Kelly (and the Book Boar)
average rating: 4.14
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/05
shelves: currently-reading
review:

]]> 207249717 A stylish and immersive new novel of ambition, legacy, and betrayal from the #1��New York Times��bestselling author of��The Girl on the Train.

An isolated Scottish island, accessible to the mainland only twelve hours a day. A famous (some might say infamous) artist whose notoriously unfaithful husband disappeared after visiting her twenty years ago. A present-day discovery that intimately connects three people and unveils a web of secrets and lies.

��A masterful and propulsive novel that asks searing questions of ambition, power, gender and perception, The Blue Hour recalls the very best of Shirley Jackson and Patricia Highsmith and cements Hawkins’s place among the very best of our most nuanced, powerful and stylish storytellers.]]> Paula Hawkins 0063396564 Kelly (and the Book Boar) 0 currently-reading 3.37 2024
author: Paula Hawkins
name: Kelly (and the Book Boar)
average rating: 3.37
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/05
shelves: currently-reading
review:

]]> 193544897
5 Signs You and Your Fiancé Might Be Secretly Incompatible…and #3 Will Shock You!

Ray Bruno and Kip Hayes are horrible on paper. Ray is a chaotic millennial ex-clickbait-writer who's been oversharing his every thought online since he was a teenager, and Kip is a pragmatic Gen X doctor who values privacy above all else.

But somehow it all manages to work…until Ray convinces Kip to join him for an early honeymoon at a famous lux resort in Ray's coastal New England hometown, eschewing the tradition of bachelor parties and hoping to recharge before their end-of-August wedding. When a surprising encounter with another couple at the resort leads to a series of escalating mishaps and miscommunications, Ray and Kip are forced to look at their many differences in a stark new light, turning the trip into less of a vacation and more of a test: will they be able to work through their issues in time for the big day? Or is this marriage over before it begins?]]> 368 Nicolas DiDomizio 1728270324 Kelly (and the Book Boar) 2 3.80
author: Nicolas DiDomizio
name: Kelly (and the Book Boar)
average rating: 3.80
book published:
rating: 2
read at: 2025/03/03
date added: 2025/03/03
shelves: cartoony-covers-are-my-kryptonite, everyone-loved-it-but-me, liburrrrrry-book
review:
Per usual I chose this book by the cover and title so I was expecting either a light-hearted romcom about soon-to-be betrotheds or a second-chancer about the one who got away. I’m a geezer so earlymoons and babymoons are all a bunch of newfangled getaways to my old ass, but I don’t have any sort of visceral reaction to the idea of either the experience or of reading about them. What I do react to instantly are stupid nicknames �� so the notion of these two guys using various Lilith Fair performers as their standard way of greeting each other was so gimmicky it made my eyes roll. And then there’s the idea of a couple two months away from marriage where one is practically still in the closet and neither appear to ever communicate about ANYTHING ending in anything other than either a break up or at least a postponement. Thank you, next.
]]> 199897203
One peaceful morning, in the small, Puget Sound town of Point Orchards, the lifeless body of Dr. Erin Landry is found hanging from a tree on the property of prodigal son and failed writer, Elijah Leith. Sheriff Jim Godbout’s initial investigation points to an obvious suicide, but upon closer inspection, there seem to be clues of foul play when he discovers that the circumstances of the beautiful doctor’s death were ripped straight from the pages of Elijah Leith’s own novel.

Out of money and motivation, thirty-three-year-old Elijah returns to his empty childhood home to lick the wounds of his futile writing career. Hungry for purpose, he throws himself into restoring the ramshackle cabin his father left behind and rekindling his relationship with Nakita, the extraordinary girl from the nearby reservation whom he betrayed but was never able to forget.

As the town of Point Orchards turns against him, Elijah must fight for his innocence against an unexpected foe who is close and cunning enough to flawlessly frame him for murder in this scintillating literary thriller that seeks to uncover a case of love, loss, and revenge.]]> 287 Sarah Crouch Kelly (and the Book Boar) 2
I know I didn’t read the blurb before taking the advanced reader opportunity here �� if I like a cover and it gets presented to me generically as “mystery�� or “thriller�� I’ll read the book. I also don’t know why my hopes were so high for this one, but they were. Maybe if I had lower expectations it would have worked better for me.

I thought the story here was about a young doctor whose body is found hanging in a remote area only accessible by water and the attempt to figure out if it was suicide or murder (and if murder, the whodunit). And it was about that, but it also timehopped right away to some teenage love story that I absolutely was not digging whatsoever. I’ll blame myself for not being aware of the “Crawdads�� comparison (a book which I loved, by the way, but either because right time/right place is everything for me or because it was “fresh�� enough that I got absorbed). This love story portion did not seem particularly fresh, nor did all the "homesteading" about a boy who returns to his small hometown after failing as a novelist who knows all about how to not only forage everything edible off the land as well as how to can veggies and make homemade jams and preserves, but somehow doesn't think about fishing until he has a real Homer Simpson "DOH!" moment and wishes he knew how to make a pancake. Srsly? Not to mention the real rush towards justice at the end with a nearly zero page trial thrown in complete with surprise exhibits and witnesses that 100% does not happen in real life. And don't even get me started the big “twist�� when it came to the reveal. Chrissy Teigen eesh face for sure.

ARC provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.]]> 3.54 2024
author: Sarah Crouch
name: Kelly (and the Book Boar)
average rating: 3.54
book published: 2024
rating: 2
read at: 2024/05/17
date added: 2025/03/02
shelves: arcs, whodunit, read-in-2024, pretty-on-the-outside, super-meh
review:


I know I didn’t read the blurb before taking the advanced reader opportunity here �� if I like a cover and it gets presented to me generically as “mystery�� or “thriller�� I’ll read the book. I also don’t know why my hopes were so high for this one, but they were. Maybe if I had lower expectations it would have worked better for me.

I thought the story here was about a young doctor whose body is found hanging in a remote area only accessible by water and the attempt to figure out if it was suicide or murder (and if murder, the whodunit). And it was about that, but it also timehopped right away to some teenage love story that I absolutely was not digging whatsoever. I’ll blame myself for not being aware of the “Crawdads�� comparison (a book which I loved, by the way, but either because right time/right place is everything for me or because it was “fresh�� enough that I got absorbed). This love story portion did not seem particularly fresh, nor did all the "homesteading" about a boy who returns to his small hometown after failing as a novelist who knows all about how to not only forage everything edible off the land as well as how to can veggies and make homemade jams and preserves, but somehow doesn't think about fishing until he has a real Homer Simpson "DOH!" moment and wishes he knew how to make a pancake. Srsly? Not to mention the real rush towards justice at the end with a nearly zero page trial thrown in complete with surprise exhibits and witnesses that 100% does not happen in real life. And don't even get me started the big “twist�� when it came to the reveal. Chrissy Teigen eesh face for sure.

ARC provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
]]> 208583869 From the award-winning author of Chemistry, a��sharp-witted, insightful novel about a marriage as seen through the lens of two family vacations

Keru and Nate first meet in college, brought together by a joke at a Halloween party (would a “great white�� costume mean dressing like a shark or a privileged Ivy League student?) and marrying a few years later. Misfits in their own families, they find in each other a feeling of home.

Keru is the only child of strict, well-educated Chinese immigrant parents who hold her to impossible standards even as an adult (“To use a dishwasher is to admit defeat,�� says her father). Nate is from a rural, white, working class family that has never trusted his intellectual ambitions or �� now �� the citizenship status of his “foreign�� wife. Nevertheless, some years into their marriage, Keru and Nate find themselves incorporating their families into two carefully planned vacations. The results are disastrous and revealing.

First in a cozy beach house on Cape Cod, and later in a luxury bungalow in the Catskills, the couple is forced to confront the hidden truths at the core of their relationship. Alongside their giant sheepdog Mantou, Keru and Nate navigate visits from in-laws, a sibling, and surprising new friends, all while trying to determine if they have what it takes to make themselves and each other happy. How do you cope when your spouse and your family of origin clash? How many people (and dogs) are needed to make a family?�� And when the pack starts to disintegrate, what does it take to shepherd everyone back together?

Told in wry, gimlet-eyed prose, Rental House is a concentrated gem of a novel about the seen and unforeseen forces like in-laws, careers, dreams, and fears, that shake up a marriage over time.]]> 218 Weike Wang 0593545567 Kelly (and the Book Boar) 0 currently-reading 3.41 2024
author: Weike Wang
name: Kelly (and the Book Boar)
average rating: 3.41
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/28
shelves: currently-reading
review:

]]> 224805580 SOON TO BE A FEATURE FILM STARRING MARGARET QUALLEY AND THOMASIN MCKENZIE

Named one of the Most Anticipated Books of 2025 by Oprah Daily, Reader's Digest, Polygon, and Paste

“Simmering with rage, propulsive and laugh out loud funny, Victorian Psycho speaks profoundly of horror both within and without us.”—Catriona Ward

From the acclaimed author of Mrs. March comes the riveting tale of a bloodthirsty governess who learns the true meaning of vengeance.

Virginia Feito’s Mrs. March was hailed as “a brilliant debut �� [by] a writer who keeps pace with the grandees she invokes�� (Sarah Ditum, Guardian)—from Daphne Du Maurier and Shirley Jackson to Patricia Highsmith. Now, Feito returns with her “silver-polish sentences and her eerie psychological acumen�� (Constance Grady, Vox) to unleash an entirely new antihero on us all.

Grim Wolds, England: Winifred Notty arrives at Ensor House prepared to play the perfect governess—she’ll dutifully tutor her charges, Drusilla and Andrew, tell them bedtime stories, and only joke about eating children. But long, listless days spent within the estate’s dreary confines come with an intimate knowledge of the perversions and pathetic preoccupations of the Pounds family—Mr. Pounds can’t keep his eyes off Winifred’s chest, and Mrs. Pounds takes a sickly pleasure in punishing Winifred for her husband’s wandering gaze. Compounded with her disdain for the entitled Pounds children, Winifred finds herself struggling at every turn to stifle the violent compulsions of her past. French tutoring and needlework are one way to pass the time, as is admiring the ugly portraits in the gallery �� and creeping across the moonlit lawns. ��

Patience. Winifred must have patience, for Christmas is coming, and she has very special gifts planned for the dear souls of Ensor House. Brimming with sardonic wit and culminating in a shocking conclusion, Victorian Psycho plunges listeners into the chilling mind of an iconic new literary psychopath.]]> 5 Virginia Feito Kelly (and the Book Boar) 4


Maybe it was because it was 65 degrees outside yesterday so I was able to go outside for a walk. Maybe it was because it was so short and I was able to listen it from start to finish in one go. Maybe it was because the descriptor of “Jane Eyre meets American Psycho�� was pretty spot on unlike most of these “if you like this, you’ll LOVE this�� types of blurbs. Maybe it was because the reader sounded SOOOOOOOO much like Helena Bonham Carter (in a character I could totally see her playing). Whatever the reason, this was a winner winner chicken dinner for me and it doesn’t surprise me at all why the film rights were acquired and a movie already in the works before publication day.
]]> 3.68 2025
author: Virginia Feito
name: Kelly (and the Book Boar)
average rating: 3.68
book published: 2025
rating: 4
read at: 2025/02/26
date added: 2025/02/26
shelves: audio, everything-old-is-new-again, liburrrrrry-book, walkin-and-talkin, this-is-nuckin-futs, stabby-stabby, read-in-2025, or-just-watch-the-movie
review:
This one has a real stank rating, but I’m telling you for me it was all . . . .



Maybe it was because it was 65 degrees outside yesterday so I was able to go outside for a walk. Maybe it was because it was so short and I was able to listen it from start to finish in one go. Maybe it was because the descriptor of “Jane Eyre meets American Psycho�� was pretty spot on unlike most of these “if you like this, you’ll LOVE this�� types of blurbs. Maybe it was because the reader sounded SOOOOOOOO much like Helena Bonham Carter (in a character I could totally see her playing). Whatever the reason, this was a winner winner chicken dinner for me and it doesn’t surprise me at all why the film rights were acquired and a movie already in the works before publication day.

]]> 211898451
Then she meets journalist Sam Hunter at the grief group one day, and he has a proposition for her: Thirteen-year-old Alice Webber claims a witch is haunting her. Living with her family in the remote village of Banathel, Alice finds her symptoms are getting increasingly disturbing. Taking this job will give Mina some experience and much-needed money; Sam will get the scoop of a lifetime; and Alice will get better—Mina is sure of it.

But instead of improving, Alice’s behavior becomes inexplicable and intense. The town of Banathel has a deep history of superstition and witchcraft. They believe there is evil in the world. They believe there are ways of…dealing with it. And they don’t expect outsiders to understand.]]> 304 Daisy Pearce 125033439X Kelly (and the Book Boar) 0 currently-reading 3.45 2025
author: Daisy Pearce
name: Kelly (and the Book Boar)
average rating: 3.45
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/25
shelves: currently-reading
review:

]]> 223438256
From eldest daughter Shari Franke, the shocking true story behind the viral 8 Passengers family vlog and the hidden abuse she suffered at the hands of her mother, and how, in the face of unimaginable pain, she found freedom and healing.

Shari Franke’s childhood was a constant battle for survival. Her mother, Ruby Franke, enforced a severe moral code while maintaining a façade of a picture-perfect family for their wildly popular YouTube channel 8 Passengers, which documented the day-to-day life of raising six children for a staggering 2.5 million subscribers. But a darker truth lurked beneath the surface—Ruby’s wholesome online persona masked a more tyrannical parenting style than anyone could have imagined.

As the family’s YouTube notoriety grew, so too did Ruby’s delusions of righteousness. Fueled by the sadistic influence of relationship coach Jodi Hildebrandt, together they implemented an inhumane and merciless disciplinary regime.

Ruby and Jodi were arrested in Utah in 2023 on multiple charges of aggravated child abuse. On that fateful day, Shari shared a photo online of a police car outside their home. Her caption had one word: “Finally.��

For the first time, Shari will reveal the disturbing truth behind 8 Passengers and her family’s devastating involvement with Jodi Hildebrandt’s cultish life coaching program, “ConneXions.�� No stone is left unturned as Shari exposes the perils of influencer culture and shares for the first time her battle for truth and survival in the face of her mother’s cruelty.]]> Shari Franke Kelly (and the Book Boar) 0 currently-reading 4.34 2025
author: Shari Franke
name: Kelly (and the Book Boar)
average rating: 4.34
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/23
shelves: currently-reading
review:

]]> 211400171 A vacation in the Hamptons goes terribly wrong for three friends with a complicated history.

“I absolutely loved The Note. Trust no one in this irresistible page-turner.�� —Ashley Elston, #1 New York Times best-selling author of First Lie Wins

It was meant to be a harmless prank.

Growing up, May Hanover was a good girl, always. Well-behaved, top of her class, a compulsive rule-follower. Raised by a first-generation Chinese single mother with high expectations, May didn’t have room to slip up, let alone fail. Her friends didn’t call her the Little Sheriff for nothing.

But even good girls have secrets. And regrets. When it comes to her friendship with Lauren and Kelsey, she's had her fair share of both. Their bond—forged when May was just twelve years old—has withstood a tragic accident, individual scandals, heartbreak and loss. Now the three friends have reunited for the first time in years for a few days of sun and fun in the Hamptons. But a chance encounter with a pair of strangers leads to a drunken prank that goes horribly awry.��

When she finds herself at the center of an urgent police investigation, May begins to wonder whether Lauren and Kelsey are keeping secrets from her, testing the limits of her loyalty to lifelong friends.

What had they gone and done?

The Note is a page-turner of the highest order��from one of our greatest contemporary suspense writers.]]> 450 Alafair Burke 0593537092 Kelly (and the Book Boar) 0 currently-reading 3.85 2025
author: Alafair Burke
name: Kelly (and the Book Boar)
average rating: 3.85
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/23
shelves: currently-reading
review:

]]> 50045075 A dazzling and darkly comic novel of love, violence, and friendship in the California suburbs

Bunny Lampert is the princess of North Shore⁠—beautiful, tall, blond, with a rich real-estate-developer father and a swimming pool in her backyard. Michael⁠⁠—with a ponytail down his back and a septum piercing⁠—lives with his aunt in the cramped stucco cottage next door. When Bunny catches Michael smoking in her yard, he discovers that her life is not as perfect as it seems. At six foot three, Bunny towers over their classmates. Even as she dreams of standing out and competing in the Olympics, she is desperate to fit in, to seem normal, and to get a boyfriend, all while hiding her father's escalating alcoholism. Michael has secrets of his own. At home and at school Michael pretends to be straight, but at night he tries to understand himself by meeting men online for anonymous encounters that both thrill and scare him. When Michael falls in love for the first time, a vicious strain of gossip circulates and a terrible, brutal act becomes the defining feature of both his and Bunny's futures⁠⁠—and of their friendship. With storytelling as intoxicating as it is intelligent, Rufi Thorpe has created a tragic and unflinching portrait of identity, a fascinating examination of our struggles to exist in our bodies, and an excruciatingly beautiful story of two humans aching for connection.]]> 288 Rufi Thorpe 0525656790 Kelly (and the Book Boar) 0 currently-reading 3.99 2020
author: Rufi Thorpe
name: Kelly (and the Book Boar)
average rating: 3.99
book published: 2020
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/22
shelves: currently-reading
review:

]]> 209330212 A novel of money and morality from the New York Times bestselling author of Leave the World Behind.

Brooke wants. She isn’t in need, but there are things she wants. A sense of purpose, for instance. She wants to make a difference in the world, to impress her mother along the way, to spend time with friends and secure her independence. Her job assisting an octogenarian billionaire in his quest to give away a vast fortune could help her achieve many of these goals. It may inspire new desires as well: proximity to wealth turns out to be nothing less than transformative. What is money, really, but a kind of belief?

Taut, unsettling, and alive to the seductive distortions of money, Entitlement is a riveting tale for our new gilded age, a story that confidently considers questions about need and worth, race and privilege, philanthropy and generosity, passion and obsession. It is a provocative, propulsive novel about the American imagination.]]> 284 Rumaan Alam 0593718488 Kelly (and the Book Boar) 0 currently-reading 3.09 2024
author: Rumaan Alam
name: Kelly (and the Book Boar)
average rating: 3.09
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/16
shelves: currently-reading
review:

]]> 208894884
Columnist Anna Appleby has left her love life behind after a painful divorce. Who needs a man when she has two kids, a cat, and uncontested control of the TV remote? Besides, she’d rather be single than subject herself to the hell of online dating. But her office rival is vying for her column, and no column means no stable source of income. In a desperate attempt to keep her job, Anna finds herself pitching a unique angle: seven dates, all found offline, chosen by her children.

From awkward encounters to unexpected connections, Anna gamely begins to put herself out there, asking out waiters, the mailman, and even her celebrity crush. But when a romantic connection appears where she least expected it, will she be brave enough to take another chance on love?]]> 368 Sophie Cousens 0593718909 Kelly (and the Book Boar) 4
Today I put away all the culty stabby stuff I have been gobbling up recently and blew the dust off my former Rom Com loving heart (while keeping my fingers and toes crossed for PG fade-to-black style sexuals instead of the gross-out variety filled with all sorts of overly descriptive encounters). Success! I’ll admit I knew going in that a Sophie Cousens would not be one to fail me, but this little baby was an absolute delight.

Anna and Will are co-workers who seem to be vying for the same assignments at the magazine they work for. When Anna is told she needs to freshen up her column or potentially find herself unemployed she goes along with a plan devised by her children �� go on a series of dates with people THEY choose for her. What could possibly go wrong?

I’m telling you I loved every second of this . . . .



We’re talking a little touch of May/December, getting her groove back, enemies to lovers reminiscent of The Hating Game, OH NO THERE’S ONLY ONE BED! �� even a grand romantic gesture . . .



Total winner.]]> 4.10 2024
author: Sophie Cousens
name: Kelly (and the Book Boar)
average rating: 4.10
book published: 2024
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2025/02/15
shelves: cartoony-covers-are-my-kryptonite, liburrrrrry-book, like-this-or-we-cant-be-friends, read-in-2025, romcom, smilings-my-favorite
review:
Happy Hallmark Holiday to all who celebrate!

Today I put away all the culty stabby stuff I have been gobbling up recently and blew the dust off my former Rom Com loving heart (while keeping my fingers and toes crossed for PG fade-to-black style sexuals instead of the gross-out variety filled with all sorts of overly descriptive encounters). Success! I’ll admit I knew going in that a Sophie Cousens would not be one to fail me, but this little baby was an absolute delight.

Anna and Will are co-workers who seem to be vying for the same assignments at the magazine they work for. When Anna is told she needs to freshen up her column or potentially find herself unemployed she goes along with a plan devised by her children �� go on a series of dates with people THEY choose for her. What could possibly go wrong?

I’m telling you I loved every second of this . . . .



We’re talking a little touch of May/December, getting her groove back, enemies to lovers reminiscent of The Hating Game, OH NO THERE’S ONLY ONE BED! �� even a grand romantic gesture . . .



Total winner.
]]> 111898653 A propulsive and twisty page-turner with razor-sharp sociopolitical insight, One of the Good Guys asks: if most men claim to be good, why are most women still afraid to walk home alone at night?

Newly separated from his wife and desperate to escape the ghosts of his failed marriage, Cole leaves London for a fresh start in the countryside. He accepts a job as a wildlife ranger and settles into his cozy seaside cottage, relishing the respite from the noise, drama, and relentless careerism that curdled his relationship along with his mental health. Then he meets Leonora, the reclusive artist living next door, and is instantly charmed by her warm and gentle spirit.

But as the two forge a connection on the cliff’s edge they call home, two young women activists raising awareness about gendered violence disappear while passing through. Cole and Leonora find themselves in the middle of a police investigation and resulting media firestorm as the world learns of what happened, and as the tension escalates, they quickly realize that they don’t know each other that well after all.

From the critically acclaimed author of Our Kind of Cruelty and Imperfect Women comes an urgent psychological thriller about gender, power, and how both are captured in contemporary media.]]> 293 Araminta Hall 1638930953 Kelly (and the Book Boar) 0 currently-reading 3.45 2024
author: Araminta Hall
name: Kelly (and the Book Boar)
average rating: 3.45
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/11
shelves: currently-reading
review:

]]> 210993995 The million-copy bestselling Queen of Twists Alice Feeney returns with a gripping and deliciously dark thriller about marriage. . .
. . . and revenge.

Author Grady Green is having the worst best day of his life.

Grady calls his wife to share some exciting news as she is driving home. He hears Abby slam on the brakes, get out of the car, then nothing. When he eventually finds her car by the cliff edge the headlights are on, the driver door is open, her phone is still there. . . but his wife has disappeared.

A year later, Grady is still overcome with grief and desperate to know what happened to Abby. He can’t sleep, and he can’t write, so he travels to a tiny Scottish island to try to get his life back on track. Then he sees the impossible �� a woman who looks exactly like his missing wife.

Wives think their husbands will change but they don’t.
Husbands think their wives won’t change but they do.]]> 320 Alice Feeney 1250337798 Kelly (and the Book Boar) 3 assuming (yeah, I know the saying about assuming) that her claim to fame is domestic thrillers about husbands and wives, but really that was the weak link of this one. I mean there were other things like the overused stolen manuscript subplot and all the redwood talk that wasn’t really necessary. But as a whole this would have been 4 Stars for me if it had simply been about an author who was offered a “resident writer�� position on this unique island. I loved all the people who inhabited it �� loved their backstories �� but the wife crap felt like it was just thrown in and didn’t mesh whatsoever.

To follow along with one of this book’s themes allow me to “borrow�� from my friend Kelli and agree with her assessment that this “wasn't beautiful, but it wasn't ugly either!��

3 Stars
]]> 3.75 2025
author: Alice Feeney
name: Kelly (and the Book Boar)
average rating: 3.75
book published: 2025
rating: 3
read at: 2025/02/07
date added: 2025/02/07
shelves: liburrrrrry-book, read-in-2025
review:
Here’s a quick question: Are all of Alice Feeney’s books about couples? Yes, I know I’m literally sitting at a computer with internet access and also my phone and Alexa are right here in the room with me, but I am lazy and unwilling to expend the energy to do the research. And really it’s sort of rhetorical. I’m assuming (yeah, I know the saying about assuming) that her claim to fame is domestic thrillers about husbands and wives, but really that was the weak link of this one. I mean there were other things like the overused stolen manuscript subplot and all the redwood talk that wasn’t really necessary. But as a whole this would have been 4 Stars for me if it had simply been about an author who was offered a “resident writer�� position on this unique island. I loved all the people who inhabited it �� loved their backstories �� but the wife crap felt like it was just thrown in and didn’t mesh whatsoever.

To follow along with one of this book’s themes allow me to “borrow�� from my friend Kelli and agree with her assessment that this “wasn't beautiful, but it wasn't ugly either!��

3 Stars

]]> 216351864
At thirty-six, Naomi Watts had just completed filming King Kong and was trying to start a family when she was told that she was on the brink of menopause. It is estimated that seventy-five million women in the United States are currently dealing with menopause symptoms (dry itchy skin, raging hormones, night sweats), and yet the very word “menopause�� continues to be associated with stigma and confusion. With so little information, many women feel unprepared, ashamed, and deeply alone when the time comes.

This is the book Naomi Watts wishes she had when she first started experiencing symptoms. Like sitting down over coffee and having an intimate chat with your girlfriend, Dare I Say It blends funny and poignant stories from Naomi and her friends with advice from doctors, hormone experts, and nutritionists to take the secrecy and shame out of menopause and aging. Answering questions such as: What’s hormone therapy and should I be on it? Will I ever sleep again? Will I get myself back? What happened to my libido? Do I need eighteen serums for my aging skin? Whose body is this anyway? Who am I now? Naomi Watts shares the most up-to-date research on how to manage menopause symptoms and tackle the physical and emotional challenges we encounter as we age.

Irreverent, bold, and reassuring, Dare I Say It is the companion every woman needs to embrace the best version of herself as she moves into what can be the most powerful and satisfying period of her life.]]> 256 Naomi Watts 059372903X Kelly (and the Book Boar) 0 currently-reading 3.97 2025
author: Naomi Watts
name: Kelly (and the Book Boar)
average rating: 3.97
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/07
shelves: currently-reading
review:

]]> 222501251
After more than seventy years of fighting to live her life on her own terms, Cher finally reveals her true story in intimate detail, in a two-part memoir.

Her remarkable career is unique and unparalleled. The only woman to top Billboard charts in seven consecutive decades, she is the winner of an Academy Award, an Emmy, a Grammy, and a Cannes Film Festival Award, and an inductee to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame who has been lauded by the Kennedy Center.

She is a lifelong activist and philanthropist.

As a dyslexic child who dreamed of becoming famous, Cher was raised in often-chaotic circumstances, surrounded by singers, actors, and a mother who inspired her in spite of their difficult relationship.

With her trademark honesty and humor, Cher: The Memoir traces how this diamond in the rough succeeded with no plan and little confidence to become the trailblazing superstar the world has been unable to ignore for more than half a century.

Cher: The Memoir, Part One follows her extraordinary beginnings through childhood to meeting and marrying Sonny Bono—and reveals the highly complicated relationship that made them world-famous, but eventually drove them apart.

Cher: The Memoir reveals the daughter, the sister, the wife, the lover, the mother, and the superstar.

It is a life too immense for only one book.]]> Cher 0008683727 Kelly (and the Book Boar) 5


But seriously, though, how long to I have to wait for the next one?????

If you aren’t a fan of Cher, well, then I probably don’t really want to know you because she’s fucking fantastic. This “Part 1�� takes you from childhood right up until the point where an encounter with Francis Ford Coppola after one of her shows at her Caesar’s residency in Vegas convinced her to revive her dream of becoming an actor. And you know what eventually happens??????



Complete with Oscar win!

I walked nine miles one day listening to this audiobook and if that isn’t praise I have no clue what is. Believe it or not, Cher was actually famous before I was even born, but I have been a fan as long as I can remember and loved hearing her story (I also didn’t realize how YOUNG she was back in the Sonny and Cher days). What a remarkable life. I can’t wait to listen to the second half of it.

And for those of you who might not realize how fabulous she is, check out her social media every once in awhile . . .



Really the only complaint I have here is that Cher narrates the beginnings of each chapter and then a long-time friend/business associate takes over the remainder until the next chapter. I think most of us can agree that when choosing a celebrity memoir, we want the celebrity to voice it, but it was so good I’m not deducting any Stars.
]]> 4.26 2024
author: Cher
name: Kelly (and the Book Boar)
average rating: 4.26
book published: 2024
rating: 5
read at: 2025/02/06
date added: 2025/02/06
shelves: audio, don-t-care-how-i-want-i-now, liburrrrrry-book, like-this-or-we-cant-be-friends, memoir, non-fiction, read-in-2025, walkin-and-talkin
review:
Actual footage of me the second this audiobook went to the credits . . . . .



But seriously, though, how long to I have to wait for the next one?????

If you aren’t a fan of Cher, well, then I probably don’t really want to know you because she’s fucking fantastic. This “Part 1�� takes you from childhood right up until the point where an encounter with Francis Ford Coppola after one of her shows at her Caesar’s residency in Vegas convinced her to revive her dream of becoming an actor. And you know what eventually happens??????



Complete with Oscar win!

I walked nine miles one day listening to this audiobook and if that isn’t praise I have no clue what is. Believe it or not, Cher was actually famous before I was even born, but I have been a fan as long as I can remember and loved hearing her story (I also didn’t realize how YOUNG she was back in the Sonny and Cher days). What a remarkable life. I can’t wait to listen to the second half of it.

And for those of you who might not realize how fabulous she is, check out her social media every once in awhile . . .



Really the only complaint I have here is that Cher narrates the beginnings of each chapter and then a long-time friend/business associate takes over the remainder until the next chapter. I think most of us can agree that when choosing a celebrity memoir, we want the celebrity to voice it, but it was so good I’m not deducting any Stars.

]]> 194848949 New York Times bestselling author Caroline Leavitt returns with a tantalizing, courageous story about mothers and daughters, guilt and innocence, and the lengths we go for love. As a teenager, for a moment, Ella Fitchburg found love—yearning, breathless love—that consumed both her and her boyfriend, Jude, as they wandered the streets of New York City together. But her life was unexpectedly upended when she was accused of trying to murder Jude’s father, an imperious superior court judge, and sentenced to twenty-five years in prison. When she learns she’s pregnant shortly after sentencing, she reluctantly decides to give up the child.��

Ella is released after serving only six years. While she is desperate to turn the page on a new life, she can’t seem to let go of her past. With only an address as a possible lead, she moves to Ann Arbor, Michigan, determined to get her daughter back. Forced to hide her identity and complicated past and live in a constant state of deception, she finds that what she’s been searching for all along is a way to uncover and live with the truth. Yet a central mystery neither Jude nor Ella can remember the events leading up to the attempted murder—that fateful night which led to Ella’s conviction.��

For fans of Miranda Cowley Heller’s The Paper Palace and Allegra Goodman’s Sam, Caroline Leavitt’s Days of Wonder is a gripping high-drama page-turner about the elusive nature of redemption and the profound reach of love.��]]> 312 Caroline Leavitt 1643755749 Kelly (and the Book Boar) 1

]]> 3.86
author: Caroline Leavitt
name: Kelly (and the Book Boar)
average rating: 3.86
book published:
rating: 1
read at: 2025/02/05
date added: 2025/02/05
shelves: curse-you-bookstagram, daddy-issues, everyone-loved-it-but-me, liburrrrrry-book, read-in-2025
review:
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 newspaper industry still apparently a booming business, but also that they are still hiring “Dear Abby�� 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 . . .



]]> 203956647 A brand new series. An iconic new detective duo. And a puzzling new murder to solve...

Steve Wheeler is enjoying retired life. He does the odd bit of investigation work, but he prefers his familiar habits and routines: the pub quiz, his favorite bench, his cat waiting for him when he comes home. His days of adventure are over: adrenaline is daughter-in-law Amy’s business now.

Amy Wheeler thinks adrenaline is good for the soul. As a private security officer, she doesn’t stay still long enough for habits or routines. She’s currently on a remote island keeping world-famous author Rosie D’Antonio alive. Which was meant to be an easy job...

Then a dead body, a bag of money, and a killer with their sights on Amy have her sending an SOS to the only person she trusts. A breakneck race around the world begins, but can Amy and Steve stay one step ahead of a lethal enemy?

Alternate cover edition of ISBN 059365322X.]]> 400 Richard Osman Kelly (and the Book Boar) 2
I’m willing to take partial blame for this because when I saw the name Richard Osman I just assumed this was going to be a reunion with my old friends at Cooper’s Chase . . . . but it wasn’t. Which leads to the question �� WHYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY? My dude, you done struck gold. Why the hell would you even think of embarking on another series when your first one still has so much left to give????

The story here is �� well, it’s sort of a mess as far as I’m concerned. Amy has a career as a bodyguard, basically by fluke rather than any sort of training or qualifications. Her father-in-law Steve is a lonely widower who runs a real small-time PI company where he mainly finds lost pets. Things get convoluted with dead influencers, hitmen, money laundering and about a billion and a half characters and location changes. I stuck around for the big reveal of who was behind the fake name conducting all these shenanigans, but boy was that real lackluster and so not worth the week I spent on this one : (
]]> 4.06 2024
author: Richard Osman
name: Kelly (and the Book Boar)
average rating: 4.06
book published: 2024
rating: 2
read at: 2025/01/31
date added: 2025/01/31
shelves: everyone-loved-it-but-me, i-suck-turtles, liburrrrrry-book, read-in-2025, whodunit, super-meh, the-great-white-hype
review:


I’m willing to take partial blame for this because when I saw the name Richard Osman I just assumed this was going to be a reunion with my old friends at Cooper’s Chase . . . . but it wasn’t. Which leads to the question �� WHYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY? My dude, you done struck gold. Why the hell would you even think of embarking on another series when your first one still has so much left to give????

The story here is �� well, it’s sort of a mess as far as I’m concerned. Amy has a career as a bodyguard, basically by fluke rather than any sort of training or qualifications. Her father-in-law Steve is a lonely widower who runs a real small-time PI company where he mainly finds lost pets. Things get convoluted with dead influencers, hitmen, money laundering and about a billion and a half characters and location changes. I stuck around for the big reveal of who was behind the fake name conducting all these shenanigans, but boy was that real lackluster and so not worth the week I spent on this one : (

]]> 74058709
��������Salma Khatun is hopeful about Blenheim, the safe suburban development into which she, her husband, and their son have just moved. The Bangladeshi family are in desperate need of a fresh start, and Blenheim feels like just the place.��
��������Soon after they move in, Salma spots her white neighbor, Tom Hutton, ripping out the anti-racist banner her son put in the front garden. Choosing not to confront Tom, Salma takes the banner inside and puts it in her window instead. But the next morning, she wakes up to find her window smeared with paint.��
��������This time she does confront Tom, and the battle lines between the two families are drawn. As racial and social tensions escalate and the stakes rise, it's clear that a reckoning is coming...
��������And someone is going to get hurt.]]> 384 Kia Abdullah 0593713826 Kelly (and the Book Boar) 3
If you like “Lifetimey�� drama (that for the most part is fairly easy to imagine happening) and a book to enjoy with a big bowl of popcorn, this might be for you.
]]> 3.78 2023
author: Kia Abdullah
name: Kelly (and the Book Boar)
average rating: 3.78
book published: 2023
rating: 3
read at: 2025/01/30
date added: 2025/01/30
shelves: liburrrrrry-book, lifetime-stabby-stabs-for-women, read-in-2025
review:
Due to a combination of over a foot and a half of snow followed by temperatures that remained well below zero for ages, my walking has been limited to in-office work days during my lunch break and the rest of my time exercising has been spent in the garage watching trash while sweating to death on the elliptical machine. Buuuuuuuut I continued to think about these two houses up around the corner that I go past when I am able to get outdoors now that the election cycle is over. There have been dueling flags and yard signs since I started this “get it moving, fatty�� routine a year and a half ago. One features Trump and Don’t Tread On Me and various other signage, and directly opposite there have been Biden (followed by Kamala) and rainbow flags. When I said eff it and bundled up despite it only being 20 degrees this weekend I discovered a NEW Trump flag and a “Dissent�� flag flying across the street. This book might be a fictitious version of the interactions between families like those.

If you like “Lifetimey�� drama (that for the most part is fairly easy to imagine happening) and a book to enjoy with a big bowl of popcorn, this might be for you.

]]> 216247081 A woman learns the incredible story of a real-life American Kingdom—and her family’s ties to it—in this enthralling novel from the New York Times bestselling, NAACP Image Award-winning author of Take My Hand.

As featured in The Washington Post �� People �� Harper's Bazaar �� NPR �� TODAY �� PopSugar �� Reader's Digest �� SheReads �� Woman’s World �� Real Simple �� BookBrowse �� and more!

Nikki hasn’t seen her grandmother in years. So when the elder calls out of the blue with an urgent request for Nikki to visit her in the hills of western North Carolina, Nikki hesitates only for a moment. After years of silence in her family, due to a mysterious estrangement between her mother and grandmother, she’s determined to learn the truth while she still can.

But instead of answers about the recent past, Mother Rita tells Nikki an incredible story of a kingdom on this very mountain, and of her great-great-great grandmother, Luella, who would become its queen.

It sounds like the makings of a fairy tale—royalty among a community of freed people. But the more Nikki learns about the Kingdom of the Happy Land, and the lives of those who dwelled in the ruins she discovers in the woods, the more she realizes how much of her identity and her family’s secrets are wrapped up in these hills. Because this land is their legacy, and it will be up to her to protect it before it, like so much else, is stolen away.

Inspired by true events, Happy Land is a transporting multi-generational novel about the stories that shape us and the dazzling courage it takes to dream.]]> 363 Dolen Perkins-Valdez 0593337735 Kelly (and the Book Boar) 3 Take My Hand. Sadly, I didn’t love this one. At the risk of spoiling things, [spoilers removed]

If anyone knows any interesting audiobooks on the subject of these intentional Black communities after slavery was abolished or stolen land (nonfiction selections about gentrification included) I would love to give them a listen.

ARC provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
]]> 4.43 2025
author: Dolen Perkins-Valdez
name: Kelly (and the Book Boar)
average rating: 4.43
book published: 2025
rating: 3
read at: 2025/01/30
date added: 2025/01/30
shelves: arcs, i-hate-face-covers, historical-fiction, read-in-2025
review:
I snatched this up after absolutely loving Take My Hand. Sadly, I didn’t love this one. At the risk of spoiling things, [spoilers removed]

If anyone knows any interesting audiobooks on the subject of these intentional Black communities after slavery was abolished or stolen land (nonfiction selections about gentrification included) I would love to give them a listen.

ARC provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

]]> 223227418
When journalist Pagan Kennedy went looking for this forgotten pioneer, she discovered that even Marty Goddard's closest friends had lost track of her. As Pagan followed a trail of clues to solve the mystery of Marty, she also delved into the problematic history of forensics in America. The Secret History of the Rape Kit chronicles one journalist's mission to understand a crucial innovation in forensics and the woman who championed it. As Pagan Kennedy hunts for answers, she reflects on her own experiences with sexual assault and her own desire for justice.]]> Pagan Kennedy Kelly (and the Book Boar) 4
Really, the only thing worth mentioning is a negative in that I felt the author’s personal history should have been left aside. I knew nothing of her before reading this, but she makes sure it is known she has written about / has published the details of her life prior to this so it was even more unnecessary to be included here. I equivocate those asides to being on a forum (such as this), where contributors take everything to a personal level with complete strangers who were not aware they were signing up for a trauma dump on a simple post/book review. It was jarring and out of place.

Still Four Stars for not only holding my interest, but getting me out of the garage “gym�� and walking outdoors despite it being 20 degrees outside. Oh and once again, I had zero awareness that a famous person was narrating this to me. I am oblivious! (But she did a good job LOL.)


ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you, NetGalley!]]> 4.02 2025
author: Pagan Kennedy
name: Kelly (and the Book Boar)
average rating: 4.02
book published: 2025
rating: 4
read at: 2025/01/30
date added: 2025/01/30
shelves: arcs, walkin-and-talkin, read-in-2025, non-fiction, audio
review:
I actually received an Kindle ARC of this, but I prefer listening to nonfiction rather than reading it so I held out for release day and made sure I was first in line at the library for an audio version. I don’t have many notes �� if this history interests you, then this book delivers by being well researched with regard to these “kits�� and rape forensics in general.

Really, the only thing worth mentioning is a negative in that I felt the author’s personal history should have been left aside. I knew nothing of her before reading this, but she makes sure it is known she has written about / has published the details of her life prior to this so it was even more unnecessary to be included here. I equivocate those asides to being on a forum (such as this), where contributors take everything to a personal level with complete strangers who were not aware they were signing up for a trauma dump on a simple post/book review. It was jarring and out of place.

Still Four Stars for not only holding my interest, but getting me out of the garage “gym�� and walking outdoors despite it being 20 degrees outside. Oh and once again, I had zero awareness that a famous person was narrating this to me. I am oblivious! (But she did a good job LOL.)


ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you, NetGalley!
]]> 220195713 Big Little Lies meets Tiger King in this fun and propulsive debut novel about three suburban women who, over the course of one summer, each use the growing hysteria around a big cat sighting to achieve their own agendas—some more sinister than others.

Former zoologist Coralie King now reigns over a different sort of animal kingdom as Queen Bee of Sevenoaks, a wealthy suburb of London. When her husband Adam spots a panther on the hood of his car at one of her exclusive dinner parties, Coralie is quick to reassure her guests that they’re in no real danger. She sees the sighting as the perfect opportunity to revive her career and promote her own ecological endeavors.

New neighbor Emma Brooks doesn’t believe for a second that there’s a big cat in their midst but is all too willing to use the concern as a distraction from her home remodel application that’s been facing scrutiny. Meanwhile, former punk musician Twig Dorsett doesn’t know what to believe. She never thought she’d return to Sevenoaks and be living in her childhood home, but after her daughter became sick, she and her wife traded their Bohemian life in Bali for the security of London suburbia.

As the summer heats up, the frenzy around the big cat sighting reaches a fever pitch when gnawed bones, pawprints, and scratches are discovered. But is the real predator a big cat on the prowl or is the true threat more of the domestic variety? Filled with gasp-worthy twists and turns, Cat Fight is a wickedly entertaining novel of suspense that examines the lengths to which some women will go when they feel caged.]]> 352 Kit Conway 166806636X Kelly (and the Book Boar) 2
I know I’m not the only one who saw ”Big Little Lies meets Tiger King�� and about peed their pants with anticipation. I was all over requesting an early copy of this puppy. Unfortunately, I’m here to tell you a lowering of expectations is probably going to be necessary. The reason???? NOTHING happens. Seriously if I were a DNF’er I would 100% have chucked this aside because absolutely nada occurs until the 60% mark. Well, aside from meeting all the people in the neighborhood who aren’t developed whatsoever in order for their big “a ha�� reveal sorts of moments to all get rushed through in the eleventh hour. The absolute endy end twist was pretty satisfying, but boy was it a struggle to get there.

ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you, NetGalley!
]]> 2.33 2025
author: Kit Conway
name: Kelly (and the Book Boar)
average rating: 2.33
book published: 2025
rating: 2
read at: 2025/01/27
date added: 2025/01/27
shelves: arcs, shut-up-and-take-my-money, read-in-2025, don-t-care-how-i-want-i-now
review:


I know I’m not the only one who saw ”Big Little Lies meets Tiger King�� and about peed their pants with anticipation. I was all over requesting an early copy of this puppy. Unfortunately, I’m here to tell you a lowering of expectations is probably going to be necessary. The reason???? NOTHING happens. Seriously if I were a DNF’er I would 100% have chucked this aside because absolutely nada occurs until the 60% mark. Well, aside from meeting all the people in the neighborhood who aren’t developed whatsoever in order for their big “a ha�� reveal sorts of moments to all get rushed through in the eleventh hour. The absolute endy end twist was pretty satisfying, but boy was it a struggle to get there.

ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you, NetGalley!

]]> 219864139
In her long-awaited memoir, Ina Garten—aka the Barefoot Contessa, author of thirteen bestselling cookbooks, beloved Food Network personality, Instagram sensation, and cultural icon—shares her personal story with readers hungry for a seat at her table.��

Here, for the first time, Ina Garten presents an intimate, entertaining, and inspiring account of her remarkable journey. Ina’s gift is to make everything look easy, yet all her accomplishments have been the result of hard work, audacious choices, and exquisite attention to detail. In her unmistakable voice (no one tells a story like Ina), she brings her past and her process to life in a high-spirited and no-holds-barred memoir that chronicles decades of personal challenges, adventures (and misadventures) and unexpected career twists, all delivered with her signature combination of playfulness and purpose.

From a difficult childhood to meeting the love of her life, Jeffrey, and marrying him while still in college, from a boring bureaucratic job in Washington, D.C., to answering an ad for a specialty food store in the Hamptons, from the owner of one Barefoot Contessa shop to author of bestselling cookbooks and celebrated television host, Ina has blazed her own trail and, in the meantime, taught millions of people how to cook and entertain. Now, she invites them to come closer to experience her story in vivid detail and to share the important life lessons she learned along the way: do what you love because if you love it you’ll be really good at it, swing for the fences, and always Be Ready When the Luck Happens.

* This audiobook edition includes a downloadable PDF of recipes and images from the book.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.]]> Ina Garten Kelly (and the Book Boar) 4
I knew nearly nothing about Ina Garten before starting this one. I knew she lived in Westhampton. I knew she always wears a chambray shirt (and I love that when someone pitched her an idea of a clothing line she realized it would be a flop since she does not deviate from her standard wardrobe). I “knew�� Jeffery from his guest appearances on her show. I knew she is my motivation on Thanksgiving morning when I wake up extra early to drink a cup of coffee by myself and watch her holiday meal episodes before beginning the process of making my own. And I knew the moment I fell in love with her was when she told me . . . .



Even though she is one of the bougiest mofos out there.

What I didn’t know was her job history as a budget analyst under Presidents Ford and Carter or that the Barefoot Contessa was a pre-existing store that she bought when she was burned out from crunching numbers and turned into an entire brand.

I love a good celebrity memoir and this was a good one. She even said the F word a couple of times! Who woulda thunk it?????

4.5 Stars]]> 4.25 2024
author: Ina Garten
name: Kelly (and the Book Boar)
average rating: 4.25
book published: 2024
rating: 4
read at: 2025/01/22
date added: 2025/01/22
shelves: audio, walkin-and-talkin, read-in-2025, non-fiction, memoir, like-this-or-we-cant-be-friends, people-let-me-tell-you-bout-my-bes, liburrrrrry-book
review:
Can I tell you how much it stinks that my library hold came around for this one right when we were getting ready to be in the middle of a literal blizzard? Mannnnnnnn, I would have LOVED to know how many miles I could have logged in one go if I had been able to be out on the trails listening to this one rather than hauling tail around the empty floor of the office during my lunch hour in order to humble brag about it on this #walkntalkwednesday.

I knew nearly nothing about Ina Garten before starting this one. I knew she lived in Westhampton. I knew she always wears a chambray shirt (and I love that when someone pitched her an idea of a clothing line she realized it would be a flop since she does not deviate from her standard wardrobe). I “knew�� Jeffery from his guest appearances on her show. I knew she is my motivation on Thanksgiving morning when I wake up extra early to drink a cup of coffee by myself and watch her holiday meal episodes before beginning the process of making my own. And I knew the moment I fell in love with her was when she told me . . . .



Even though she is one of the bougiest mofos out there.

What I didn’t know was her job history as a budget analyst under Presidents Ford and Carter or that the Barefoot Contessa was a pre-existing store that she bought when she was burned out from crunching numbers and turned into an entire brand.

I love a good celebrity memoir and this was a good one. She even said the F word a couple of times! Who woulda thunk it?????

4.5 Stars
]]> 216522751 “Abbi Waxman is both irreverent and thoughtful.”��#1 New York Times bestselling author Emily Giffin

A cranky former actress teams up with her Gen Z sobriety sponsor to solve the murder that threatens to send her back to prison in this dazzling new mystery novel from the USA Today bestselling author of The Bookish Life of Nina Hill.

When Julia Mann, a bad-tempered ex-actress and professional thorn in the side of authority, runs into Natasha Mason at an AA meeting, it’s anything but a meet-cute. Julia just found a dead body in her swimming pool, and the cops say she did it (she already went to jail for murder once, so now they think she’s making a habit of it). Mason is eager to clear Julia’s name and help keep her sober, but all Julia wants is for Mason to leave her alone.

As their investigation ranges from the Hollywood Hills to the world of burlesque to the country clubs of Palm Springs, this unconventional team realizes their shared love of sarcasm and poor life choices are proving to be a powerful combination. Will secrets from their past trip them up, or will their team of showgirls, cat burglars, and Hollywood agents help them stay one step ahead? Are dead piranhas, false noses, and a giant martini glass important clues or simply your typical day in Los Angeles? And will they manage to solve the crime before they kill each other, or worse, fall off the wagon? Trying to keep it simple and take it easy is one thing—trying to find a murderer before they kill again is a whole other program.]]> 400 Abbi Waxman 0593816676 Kelly (and the Book Boar) 2 Nina Hill, but also The Garden of Small Beginnings, Other People’s Houses and I Was Told This Would Get Easier so it was a no-brainer when it came to taking Berkley’s offer of an advanced freebie and I jumped right in without bothering to look at anything about this one. Waxman is one of the greats when it comes to the umbrella of “chick lit�� that contains very different characters and storylines. I had no idea this was REALLY going to be a murder mystery . . .



^That’s rhetorical. I get that cozies have somehow become all the rage, but ooof �� this was simply not good. I knew I was in for a rough road right off the bat with Mason, a real obnoxious loudmouth who won’t STFU during a damn AA meeting. Hated her instantly. Hated that she appointed herself as a sponsor to the other leading lady Julia in order to create a connection between the two that felt very inauthentic. Hated the convoluted plot of Julia being blackout drunk and accused of murder �� FOR THE SECOND TIME �� and also she’s an Oscar winning actress who went to prison for killing her husband, got her law degree and somehow she’s now taken seriously as a formidable barrister? Uh yeah, no. Hated that there were then MULTIPLE dead bodies. Hated that there were eleventy thousand characters that I was supposed to keep straight (lord help me if I had listened to this instead of read it). Hated that at least 100 pages could have been cut. Authors: Keep. It. Simple. ESPECIALLY if you are writing a “simple�� cozy. Good grief.

ARC provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.]]> 3.90 2025
author: Abbi Waxman
name: Kelly (and the Book Boar)
average rating: 3.90
book published: 2025
rating: 2
read at: 2025/01/22
date added: 2025/01/22
shelves: arcs, getting-cozy, read-in-2025, super-meh, whodunit
review:
When I saw Abbi Waxman had a new release coming soon I was all in. I am an O.G. fan who loved not only Nina Hill, but also The Garden of Small Beginnings, Other People’s Houses and I Was Told This Would Get Easier so it was a no-brainer when it came to taking Berkley’s offer of an advanced freebie and I jumped right in without bothering to look at anything about this one. Waxman is one of the greats when it comes to the umbrella of “chick lit�� that contains very different characters and storylines. I had no idea this was REALLY going to be a murder mystery . . .



^That’s rhetorical. I get that cozies have somehow become all the rage, but ooof �� this was simply not good. I knew I was in for a rough road right off the bat with Mason, a real obnoxious loudmouth who won’t STFU during a damn AA meeting. Hated her instantly. Hated that she appointed herself as a sponsor to the other leading lady Julia in order to create a connection between the two that felt very inauthentic. Hated the convoluted plot of Julia being blackout drunk and accused of murder �� FOR THE SECOND TIME �� and also she’s an Oscar winning actress who went to prison for killing her husband, got her law degree and somehow she’s now taken seriously as a formidable barrister? Uh yeah, no. Hated that there were then MULTIPLE dead bodies. Hated that there were eleventy thousand characters that I was supposed to keep straight (lord help me if I had listened to this instead of read it). Hated that at least 100 pages could have been cut. Authors: Keep. It. Simple. ESPECIALLY if you are writing a “simple�� cozy. Good grief.

ARC provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
]]> 216390667 A gripping historical mystery inspired by the life and diary of Martha Ballard, a renowned 18th-century midwife who defied the legal system and wrote herself into American history.

Maine, 1789: When the Kennebec River freezes, entombing a man in the ice, Martha Ballard is summoned to examine the body and determine cause of death. As a midwife and healer, she is privy to much of what goes on behind closed doors in Hallowell. Her diary is a record of every birth and death, crime and debacle that unfolds in the close-knit community. Months earlier, Martha documented the details of an alleged rape committed by two of the town’s most respected gentlemen—one of whom has now been found dead in the ice. But when a local physician undermines her conclusion, declaring the death to be an accident, Martha is forced to investigate the shocking murder on her own.

Over the course of one winter, as the trial nears, and whispers and prejudices mount, Martha doggedly pursues the truth. Her diary soon lands at the center of the scandal, implicating those she loves, and compelling Martha to decide where her own loyalties lie.

Clever, layered, and subversive, Ariel Lawhon’s newest offering introduces an unsung heroine who refused to accept anything less than justice at a time when women were considered best seen and not heard. The Frozen River is a thrilling, tense, and tender story about a remarkable woman who left an unparalleled legacy yet remains nearly forgotten to this day.]]> 432 Ariel Lawhon 0593312074 Kelly (and the Book Boar) 0 currently-reading 4.43 2023
author: Ariel Lawhon
name: Kelly (and the Book Boar)
average rating: 4.43
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/19
shelves: currently-reading
review:

]]> 216655567 The first novel in the all-new Golden Girls Cozy Mystery Series!

When Dorothy’s obnoxious date is found dead in a hotel freezer, it not only ruins a gorgeous cheesecake but threatens the elaborate St. Olaf–themed wedding Rose is hosting.

Things are heating up, and not just because of Blanche’s hot flashes. Rose’s cousin is eloping to Miami, and Rose is playing host. If she can't balance the groom’s family’s snobbery against the traditional St. Olaf wedding week guidelines, her hometown may never accept her cousin again!

Dorothy quickly realizes she needs a date with whom she can exchange wedding-related wisecracks. Turning to a newfangled VHS dating service, she believes she’s found the ideal conversationalist. Unfortunately, what looks good on TV can actually be a total jerk in real life. It seems she’ll just have to enjoy the company of Sophia, Blanche, and whomever Blanche has targeted for a hookup.

As the Girls all pitch in, Rose is thrilled that the tea-and-fish-themed kickoff event is perfect, not a herring out of place. That is until Dorothy’s date is found dead—face-planted in an otherwise scrumptious-looking cheesecake. With every guest a suspect (especially Dorothy) and a marriage on the line, the four besties must ID the real killer, get the should-be-happy couple down the aisle, and make sure nobody from St. Olaf gets lost in the wilds of Miami. It’s up to the Golden Girls to sleuth out a way for friendship and love to win the day!]]> 292 Rachel Ekstrom Courage 1368102972 Kelly (and the Book Boar) 2


Oof. This was rough so let’s talk about the positives for a second. Obviously GOLDEN GIRLS. I mean that is just a winner. And the idea of our favorite ladies from the ��80s Scooby Dooing about Miami? Talk about the chef’s kiss of a cozy. Title and cover art? Fantastic. Staying true to the girls�� personalities and banter? Perfection.

But then there was the story itself. Waaaaaay too much wedding and way too little what happened to the dead guy in the freezer. The St. Olaf traditions schtick got old super fast and unfortunately the author doubled down on things to the point where my beloved Rose was not so likeable. The key to a cozy is truly the K.I.S.S. method �� keep it simple, stupid. The wedding should have simply been a vessel to introduce the dead body in the freezer �� not overtaken the entire story.

That being said, there is zero chance I won’t be buying a copy of this for my bookshelves if only for the nostalgia it provided and I will absolutely read the next in the series with high hopes that it finds its groove.

ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you, NetGalley!
]]> 3.68 2025
author: Rachel Ekstrom Courage
name: Kelly (and the Book Boar)
average rating: 3.68
book published: 2025
rating: 2
read at: 2025/01/16
date added: 2025/01/16
shelves: arcs, don-t-care-how-i-want-i-now, getting-cozy, read-in-2025, shut-up-and-take-my-money
review:
Can I tell you about the speed with which I R.A.N. to NetGalley to beg for an early copy of this as soon as I saw it???? And then I read it . . . .



Oof. This was rough so let’s talk about the positives for a second. Obviously GOLDEN GIRLS. I mean that is just a winner. And the idea of our favorite ladies from the ��80s Scooby Dooing about Miami? Talk about the chef’s kiss of a cozy. Title and cover art? Fantastic. Staying true to the girls�� personalities and banter? Perfection.

But then there was the story itself. Waaaaaay too much wedding and way too little what happened to the dead guy in the freezer. The St. Olaf traditions schtick got old super fast and unfortunately the author doubled down on things to the point where my beloved Rose was not so likeable. The key to a cozy is truly the K.I.S.S. method �� keep it simple, stupid. The wedding should have simply been a vessel to introduce the dead body in the freezer �� not overtaken the entire story.

That being said, there is zero chance I won’t be buying a copy of this for my bookshelves if only for the nostalgia it provided and I will absolutely read the next in the series with high hopes that it finds its groove.

ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you, NetGalley!

]]> 58185874
Can you spot the difference?

Emma Caan is a fake.

She’s a forger, an artist who specializes in nineteenth-century paintings. But she isn’t a criminal; her copies are commissioned by museums and ultra-wealthy collectors protecting their investments. Emma’s more than mastered a Gauguin brushstroke and a van Gogh wheat field, but her work is sometimes a painful reminder of the artistic dreams she once chased for herself, when she was younger and before her family and her world fell apart.

When oligarch art collector Leonard Sobetsky unexpectedly appears with an invitation, Emma sees a way out—a new job, a new path for herself, and access to the kind of money she needs to support her unstable and recently widowed mother.

But every invitation incurs an obligation . . . and Emma isn’t prepared for what’s to come. As she’s pulled further into Leonard’s opulent scene, she will discover what’s lurking beneath the glitz and glamour. When she does, the past she’s worked hard to overcome will collide with the present, making her wonder how much of her carefully curated life is just as fake as her forgeries . . .]]> 384 Erica Katz 0063082608 Kelly (and the Book Boar) 4


The title says it all here - Fake is the story of Emma Caan who makes her living reproducing multimillion dollar works of art for museums and the super elite while the original is maintained safely in storage. Frequent client Lenny offers Emma a deal she can’t refuse �� a chance to work at an exclusive gallery and to cut out the middleman and make recreations directly for Lenny on the side. She’ll also get to travel via private plane, experience fine dining she could never have imagined, be invited to the most exclusive parties and watch her social media following go from 20 to hundreds of thousands. But is it all too good to be true????

Okay so there are absolutely no surprises with this one, but oh my word did I have some fun reading it. Many thankings to the local library for recommending it as part of the . . . .


]]> 3.85 2022
author: Erica Katz
name: Kelly (and the Book Boar)
average rating: 3.85
book published: 2022
rating: 4
read at: 2025/01/16
date added: 2025/01/16
shelves: liburrrrrry-book, read-in-2025, read-it-to-win-a-major-award
review:
This one is for all my fellow poors who like to escape into books about the one percenters while wailing . . . .



The title says it all here - Fake is the story of Emma Caan who makes her living reproducing multimillion dollar works of art for museums and the super elite while the original is maintained safely in storage. Frequent client Lenny offers Emma a deal she can’t refuse �� a chance to work at an exclusive gallery and to cut out the middleman and make recreations directly for Lenny on the side. She’ll also get to travel via private plane, experience fine dining she could never have imagined, be invited to the most exclusive parties and watch her social media following go from 20 to hundreds of thousands. But is it all too good to be true????

Okay so there are absolutely no surprises with this one, but oh my word did I have some fun reading it. Many thankings to the local library for recommending it as part of the . . . .



]]> 211025516 The extraordinary new novel by Jonathan Evison, about a married couple in their golden years, from when they met across big ups, deep downs, and survive-it-all, opposites-attract love

Abe Winter and Ruth Warneke were never meant to be together—at least if you ask Ruth. Yet their catastrophic blind date in college evolved into a seventy-year marriage and a life on a farm on Bainbridge Island with their hens and beloved Labrador, Megs. Through the years, the Winters have fallen in and out of lockstep, and from their haunting losses and guarded secrets, a dependable partnership has been forged.
��
But when Ruth’s loose tooth turns out to be something much more malicious, the beautiful, reliable life they’ve created together comes to a crisis. As Ruth struggles with her crumbling independence, Abe must learn how to take care of her while their three living children question his ability to look after his wife. And once again, the couple has to reconfigure how to be there for each other.
��
In this bighearted and profound portrait of a marriage, Jonathan Evison explores seventy years of big moments in subtle ways, elegantly braiding the Winters�� turbulent history with their present-day battles, showing us how the oddly paired college kids became parents, fell apart and back together, and grew into the Abe and Ruth of today. Endlessly heartwarming and moving, The Heart of Winter is a reminder that true love lives in small, everyday moments.]]> 367 Jonathan Evison 0593473566 Kelly (and the Book Boar) 2
Let’s talk a second about ratings. Mine come strictly from how much I enjoy a book. I don’t read a lot of “smart�� things, but when I do I don’t find them deserving of any more stars than a trashy popcorn thriller if I feel my time was wasted. That’s sort of how I feel about this one.

The story here is about a marriage and it jumps from the present back to significant moments of Abe and Ruth’s past. I failed to connect to the story instantly because if I’m on the cusp of 90 and get diagnosed with a cancer that will not only be hard to treat, but also leave me disfigured? Yeah, I’ll take the four to six months of quality life and not even consider the alternative. This also lost me when it came to the family. Only the (senior citizens themselves) children are a part of the story �� no grands or great-grands. I’m chalking this up to either lazy writing or an author who doesn’t understand how big families work. There’s no chance NONE of the kids of kids or kids of kids of kids wouldn’t eventually come visit. ESPECIALLY AT CHRISTMAS! What the actual eff? And then there’s Abe and Ruth. Ugh. They were both so selfish and unlikeable.

Your mileage may vary, but I wish I would have left this one at the library.


]]> 4.33 2025
author: Jonathan Evison
name: Kelly (and the Book Boar)
average rating: 4.33
book published: 2025
rating: 2
read at: 2025/01/15
date added: 2025/01/15
shelves: curse-you-bookstagram, everyone-loved-it-but-me, i-suck-turtles, liburrrrrry-book, mc-i-want-to-punch-in-the-throat, read-in-2025
review:
When I went to log this as a Currently Reading I started to freak out a bit about the high rating . . . but then I noticed only a couple hundred people have read it so maybe I won’t end up being such a wrongreader this time around after all.

Let’s talk a second about ratings. Mine come strictly from how much I enjoy a book. I don’t read a lot of “smart�� things, but when I do I don’t find them deserving of any more stars than a trashy popcorn thriller if I feel my time was wasted. That’s sort of how I feel about this one.

The story here is about a marriage and it jumps from the present back to significant moments of Abe and Ruth’s past. I failed to connect to the story instantly because if I’m on the cusp of 90 and get diagnosed with a cancer that will not only be hard to treat, but also leave me disfigured? Yeah, I’ll take the four to six months of quality life and not even consider the alternative. This also lost me when it came to the family. Only the (senior citizens themselves) children are a part of the story �� no grands or great-grands. I’m chalking this up to either lazy writing or an author who doesn’t understand how big families work. There’s no chance NONE of the kids of kids or kids of kids of kids wouldn’t eventually come visit. ESPECIALLY AT CHRISTMAS! What the actual eff? And then there’s Abe and Ruth. Ugh. They were both so selfish and unlikeable.

Your mileage may vary, but I wish I would have left this one at the library.



]]> 199124697 From the beloved author of We All Want Impossible Things, a moving, hilarious story of a family summer vacation full of secrets, lunch, and learning to let go.

For the past two decades, Rocky has looked forward to her family’s yearly escape to Cape Cod. Their humble beach-town rental has been the site of sweet memories, sunny days, great meals, and messes of all kinds: emotional, marital, and—thanks to the cottage’s ancient plumbing—septic too.

This year’s vacation, with Rocky sandwiched between her half-grown kids and fully aging parents, promises to be just as delightful as summers past—except, perhaps, for Rocky’s hormonal bouts of rage and melancholy. (Hello, menopause!) Her body is changing—her life is, too. And then a chain of events sends Rocky into the past, reliving both the tenderness and sorrow of a handful of long-ago summers.

It's one precious week: everything is in balance; everything is in flux. And when Rocky comes face to face with her family’s history and future, she is forced to accept that she can no longer hide her secrets from the people she loves.]]> 236 Catherine Newman 0063345188 Kelly (and the Book Boar) 5
ORIGINAL REVIEW:



I spend soooooo much time in my reviews declaring “while I wasn’t the target demographic for this one�� or “go read reviews by people who actually can relate to this plot/these characters�� but I’m here to tell you THIS. STORY. WAS. WRITTEN. FOR. MEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!

Rocky (Rachel, but everyone calls her Rocky), Nick, the kids Willa and James (and James�� long-time girlfriend Maya), and eventually Rocky’s parents Mort and Alice are spending their yearly week at a rental house on Cape Cod. This annual tradition has been going on since the kids were just wee little babies. They’ll eat lobster, get their suntan on while swimming in the Atlantic and looking for hermit crabs, they’ll attend the annual library sale, get ice cream in town �� you know, all the typical touristy type things. All while Rocky is in the throEs (edit because the grammar police have pointed out I'm an idiot who doesn't know how to spell) of menopause.

I am a true believer that everyone should read whatever book synopsis, title or even cover (I mean, look at that house!) strikes their fancy. And lord knows I got the FOMO real bad so I read tons of things that I really should have just left on the library shelves. But this might be a case where you end up with a “meh�� reaction at best or might actively dislike Rocky if you aren’t experiencing the “joys�� of what she’s going through . . . .

“there are still other manifestations that you have never gotten a single rotten whiff of until they’re happening specifically to you. Like the fact that your vagina sweats in the night. It perspires! This same vagina that so stubbornly refuses to produce any other type of moisture that when your gynecologist’s nurse asks if you’re sexually active, you laugh, shrug, make a so-so sign with your hand. “I’m going to put yes for that,�� she says, cheerfully. “Some active volcanoes haven’t erupted in fifty years!�� Your gums recede. You are covered in weird growths, as if a toddler has gotten a sheet of mole stickers and stuck them all over your breasts and armpits. Everything needs to be biopsied, except for the one under-boob skin tag that has actual tentacles, like an octopus; this is apparently so normal that the mammogram person barely looks when you show it to her—“That’s totally fine!”—but then she puts a festive little donut sticker over it so the radiologist won’t mistake it for a tumor. You have so many nipple hairs and most of them are white now. And your period does a kind of horror-movie swan song as if it is finally realizing its Freddie Krueger aspirations.

As a gal who is willing to practically slit my husband’s throat for daring to ask questions like “why do you have all that underboob sweat????�� when we’ve only taken a five minute car ride (in frigid air conditioning, no less) to go get cat litter and a rotisserie chicken from Sam’s Club, Rocky was my type of butthole and now she’s my new best friend.

Allllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll the Stars]]> 3.76 2024
author: Catherine Newman
name: Kelly (and the Book Boar)
average rating: 3.76
book published: 2024
rating: 5
read at: 2025/01/15
date added: 2025/01/15
shelves: cluck-cluck-mothafucka, house-cover-auto-request, i-read-it-right, liburrrrrry-book, like-this-or-we-cant-be-friends, people-let-me-tell-you-bout-my-bes, read-in-2024, shut-up-and-take-my-money, summertimesummertimesumsumsummertim, favorites
review:
Doubling down on everything I said originally having now listened to this as well as reading the Kindle version. Adding I cannot believe this book is only a couple of hundred pages long. Man is it good! And boy do I love sandwiches.

ORIGINAL REVIEW:



I spend soooooo much time in my reviews declaring “while I wasn’t the target demographic for this one�� or “go read reviews by people who actually can relate to this plot/these characters�� but I’m here to tell you THIS. STORY. WAS. WRITTEN. FOR. MEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!

Rocky (Rachel, but everyone calls her Rocky), Nick, the kids Willa and James (and James�� long-time girlfriend Maya), and eventually Rocky’s parents Mort and Alice are spending their yearly week at a rental house on Cape Cod. This annual tradition has been going on since the kids were just wee little babies. They’ll eat lobster, get their suntan on while swimming in the Atlantic and looking for hermit crabs, they’ll attend the annual library sale, get ice cream in town �� you know, all the typical touristy type things. All while Rocky is in the throEs (edit because the grammar police have pointed out I'm an idiot who doesn't know how to spell) of menopause.

I am a true believer that everyone should read whatever book synopsis, title or even cover (I mean, look at that house!) strikes their fancy. And lord knows I got the FOMO real bad so I read tons of things that I really should have just left on the library shelves. But this might be a case where you end up with a “meh�� reaction at best or might actively dislike Rocky if you aren’t experiencing the “joys�� of what she’s going through . . . .

“there are still other manifestations that you have never gotten a single rotten whiff of until they’re happening specifically to you. Like the fact that your vagina sweats in the night. It perspires! This same vagina that so stubbornly refuses to produce any other type of moisture that when your gynecologist’s nurse asks if you’re sexually active, you laugh, shrug, make a so-so sign with your hand. “I’m going to put yes for that,�� she says, cheerfully. “Some active volcanoes haven’t erupted in fifty years!�� Your gums recede. You are covered in weird growths, as if a toddler has gotten a sheet of mole stickers and stuck them all over your breasts and armpits. Everything needs to be biopsied, except for the one under-boob skin tag that has actual tentacles, like an octopus; this is apparently so normal that the mammogram person barely looks when you show it to her—“That’s totally fine!”—but then she puts a festive little donut sticker over it so the radiologist won’t mistake it for a tumor. You have so many nipple hairs and most of them are white now. And your period does a kind of horror-movie swan song as if it is finally realizing its Freddie Krueger aspirations.

As a gal who is willing to practically slit my husband’s throat for daring to ask questions like “why do you have all that underboob sweat????�� when we’ve only taken a five minute car ride (in frigid air conditioning, no less) to go get cat litter and a rotisserie chicken from Sam’s Club, Rocky was my type of butthole and now she’s my new best friend.

Allllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll the Stars
]]> 215806371 Two strangers find themselves stranded at sea together in this epic new love story by bestselling author Beth O’Leary.

What if you were lost at sea…with your one-night stand?

Zeke and Lexi thought it would just be a night of fun. They had no intentions of seeing each other again. Zeke is only in town for the weekend to buy back his late father’s houseboat. Lexi has no time for dating when she needs to help take care of her best friend's daughter.

Going back home with a stranger seems like a perfect escape from their problems. But a miscommunication in the dark, foggy night means no one tied the houseboat to the dock. The next morning, Zeke and Lexi realize all they can see is miles and miles of water.

With just a few provisions on the idle boat, Zeke and Lexi must figure out how to get back home. But aside from their survival, they’re facing another challenge. Because when you’re stuck together for days on end, it gives you a lot of time to get to know someone—and to fall in love with them.]]> 378 Beth O'Leary 0593640152 Kelly (and the Book Boar) 4 Well, it's not far down to paradise
At least it's not for me
And if the wind is right you can sail away
And find tranquility . . .



Did you just recently find yourself housebound in the middle of a blizzard with more snow in the forecast? Me too! If you too have spent the week being bored in the house in the house bored and fear you might kill your better half if you have to spend one more second interacting with each other, then perhaps something like a Beth O’Leary book is just what you need.

The story here is what was supposed to be a little May/December one-nighter where Lexi is going to attempt to get a bit of her groove back with Zeke. Things take a drastic turn, however, when the two discover the houseboat they’ve been shakin�� (alllll night lonnnnnnng) has become unmoored and they are now adrift at sea.

Loved it. Don’t care if you don’t I loved it enough for several of us. And look at that cover!!!! Oh. My. Gahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.

ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you, NetGalley!]]> 3.70 2025
author: Beth O'Leary
name: Kelly (and the Book Boar)
average rating: 3.70
book published: 2025
rating: 4
read at: 2024/12/24
date added: 2025/01/13
shelves: arcs, cartoony-covers-are-my-kryptonite, read-in-2024, romdramedy
review:
Well, it's not far down to paradise
At least it's not for me
And if the wind is right you can sail away
And find tranquility . . .



Did you just recently find yourself housebound in the middle of a blizzard with more snow in the forecast? Me too! If you too have spent the week being bored in the house in the house bored and fear you might kill your better half if you have to spend one more second interacting with each other, then perhaps something like a Beth O’Leary book is just what you need.

The story here is what was supposed to be a little May/December one-nighter where Lexi is going to attempt to get a bit of her groove back with Zeke. Things take a drastic turn, however, when the two discover the houseboat they’ve been shakin�� (alllll night lonnnnnnng) has become unmoored and they are now adrift at sea.

Loved it. Don’t care if you don’t I loved it enough for several of us. And look at that cover!!!! Oh. My. Gahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.

ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you, NetGalley!
]]> 213245287 A hopeless romantic meets a jaded radio host in this cozy, Sleepless in Seattle-inspired love story from beloved author B.K. Borison.

Aiden Valentine has a secret: he's fallen out of love with love. And as the host of Baltimore's romance hotline, that's a bit of a problem. But when a young girl calls in to the station asking for dating advice for her mom, the interview goes viral, thrusting Aiden and Heartstrings into the limelight.

Lucie Stone thought she was doing just fine. She has a good job; an incredible family; and a smart, slightly devious kid. But when all of Baltimore is suddenly scrutinizing her love life-or lack thereof—she begins to question if she's as happy as she thought. Maybe a little more romance wouldn't be such a bad thing.

Everyone wants Lucie to find her happy ending... even the handsome, temperamental man calling the shots. But when sparks start to fly behind the scenes, Lucie must make the final call between the radio-sponsored happily ever after or the man in the headphones next to her.]]> 446 B.K. Borison 0593641205 Kelly (and the Book Boar) 4
You had me at an inspired by Sleepless In Seattle sort of storyline. (100 pages too long and a real meh cover, but who gives an eff when you got those good feels???)

ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you, NetGalley!]]> 4.20 2025
author: B.K. Borison
name: Kelly (and the Book Boar)
average rating: 4.20
book published: 2025
rating: 4
read at: 2024/12/09
date added: 2025/01/13
shelves: arcs, everything-old-is-new-again, read-in-2024, romdramedy
review:


You had me at an inspired by Sleepless In Seattle sort of storyline. (100 pages too long and a real meh cover, but who gives an eff when you got those good feels???)

ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you, NetGalley!
]]> 40009848
Behind the locked doors of the Sistine Chapel, one hundred and eighteen cardinals from all over the globe will cast their votes in the world’s most secretive election.

They are holy men. But they have ambition. And they have rivals.

Over the next seventy-two hours one of them will become the most powerful spiritual figure on earth.]]> 305 Robert Harris Kelly (and the Book Boar) 5
And guess what? First Five Star read of the year, folks. Maybe you have to have been raised Catholic and already have had more than a bit of an obsession with the secrecy and rituals involved in the goings on behind selecting a new Pope in order to get sucked into this one like I did. Or maybe you don’t because there are several twists and reveals that will keep you guessing up until the last page.

Every Star.


]]> 4.43 2016
author: Robert Harris
name: Kelly (and the Book Boar)
average rating: 4.43
book published: 2016
rating: 5
read at: 2025/01/13
date added: 2025/01/13
shelves: liburrrrrry-book, or-just-watch-the-movie, read-in-2025
review:
Back around Thanksgiving my real life book friend said she had just gone to the movies and saw the most fabulous film �� and since she knows me well she also noted it was one that was adapted from novel form. Little did I know my library hold would come in after said film had already made it to one of the ten trillion apps we pay for each month or that my husband would be interested in watching this movie (he typically enjoys all the war and drug dealing and shoot ‘em ups that I don’t care about at all except for to scream “WOULD YOU TURN THAT DOWN!!!!�� repeatedly). Long story long, I needed to read this book ASAP so we could maybe watch Ralph Fiennes and Jon Lithgow and Stanley Tucci and Isabella Rossellini do their thing on my small screen.

And guess what? First Five Star read of the year, folks. Maybe you have to have been raised Catholic and already have had more than a bit of an obsession with the secrecy and rituals involved in the goings on behind selecting a new Pope in order to get sucked into this one like I did. Or maybe you don’t because there are several twists and reveals that will keep you guessing up until the last page.

Every Star.



]]> 59227943
Carlotta Mercedes has been misunderstood her entire life. When she was pulled into a robbery gone wrong, she still went by the name she’d grown up with in Fort Greene, Brooklyn—before it gentrified. But not long after her conviction, she took the name Carlotta and began to live as a woman, an embrace of selfhood that prison authorities rejected, keeping Carlotta trapped in an all-male cell block, abused by both inmates and guards, and often placed in solitary.

In her fifth appearance before the parole board, Carlotta is at last granted conditional freedom and returns to a much-changed New York City.��Over a whirlwind Fourth of July weekend, she struggles to reconcile with the son she left behind, to reunite with a family reluctant to accept her true identity, and to avoid any minor parole infraction that might get her consigned back to lockup.

Written with the same astonishing verve of�� Delicious Foods , which��dazzled critics and readers alike, Didn’t Nobody Give a Shit What Happened to Carlotta�� sweeps the reader through seemingly every street of Brooklyn, much as Joyce’s Ulysses does through Dublin. The novel sings with brio and ambition, delivering a fantastically entertaining read and a cast of unforgettable characters even as it challenges us to confront the glaring injustices of a prison system that continues to punish people long after their time has been served.]]> 352 James Hannaham 0316285277 Kelly (and the Book Boar) 4 Delicious Foods on hold at the library and the software was like “hey girl, maybe you’d like to read this book that is currently available�� . . . that I effing received a reader copy of!



Alright, so the story here is about Carlotta, a transwoman who has FINALLY been paroled from prison after going before the board five times. This is the story of Carlotta’s first weekend out, which just so happens to be over the Fourth of July holiday.

Ignore that ugly ass cover and just trust that this is FRESH and funny and sometimes a little sad and heartwarming and allllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll the feelings. I loved it and I’m sorry I did it such a disservice by failing to review it before now.

Thank you to the publisher for providing a review copy in exchange for my honest opinion.]]> 3.97 2022
author: James Hannaham
name: Kelly (and the Book Boar)
average rating: 3.97
book published: 2022
rating: 4
read at: 2023/01/16
date added: 2025/01/09
shelves: arcs, lgbtq, loveable-losers, like-this-or-we-cant-be-friends, maybe-you-can-go-home-again, read-in-2023
review:
I read this one an eternity ago and liked it so much that I did what I do best - never bothered to review it until I put Delicious Foods on hold at the library and the software was like “hey girl, maybe you’d like to read this book that is currently available�� . . . that I effing received a reader copy of!



Alright, so the story here is about Carlotta, a transwoman who has FINALLY been paroled from prison after going before the board five times. This is the story of Carlotta’s first weekend out, which just so happens to be over the Fourth of July holiday.

Ignore that ugly ass cover and just trust that this is FRESH and funny and sometimes a little sad and heartwarming and allllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll the feelings. I loved it and I’m sorry I did it such a disservice by failing to review it before now.

Thank you to the publisher for providing a review copy in exchange for my honest opinion.
]]> 202105141
Anna has a life to envy. An apartment in New York. A well-meaning (too well-meaning?) partner. And a high-flying job in beauty PR. Who wouldn't want all that? Anna—it turns out.

Turning a minor mid-life crisis into a major life event she packs it in, heads back to Ireland, and gets a PR job for a super-high-end coastal retreat.

Tougher than it sounds. Newsflash: the locals hate it. So much so, there have been threats—and violence.

Anna, however, worked in the beauty industry. There's no ugliness she hasn't seen. No wrinkle she can't smooth over. Anna's got this.

Until she discovers that leaving New York doesn't mean escaping her mistakes.

Once upon a time she'd had a best friend. Once upon a time she'd loved a man. Now she has neither. And now she has to face them.

We all make mistakes.
But when do we stop making the same one over and over again?]]> 599 Marian Keyes 1405945443 Kelly (and the Book Boar) 4


Don’t get it twisted. This is ENTIRELY too long and should have been 350 pages. But I have realized Keyes is an author who is going to take as many pages as she likes to get ‘er done and I have to live with that.

If you have time to spend turning pages and love the “maybe you can go home again�� sort of chick lit with a touch of a Hallmark holiday style plot of attempting to get a resort up and running while the locals are all opposed to it featuring a middle-aged main character then this might just be for you. Oh and don't worry at all about this being #7 - it works perfectly fine as a standalone (but I will absolutely seek out books about other members of the Walsh family if I'm in a slump and looking for a guaranteed winner).

3.5 Stars because, once again, WAAAAAY too long, but rounding up because I love her.

ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you, NetGalley!

]]> 3.93 2024
author: Marian Keyes
name: Kelly (and the Book Boar)
average rating: 3.93
book published: 2024
rating: 4
read at: 2024/05/27
date added: 2025/01/09
shelves: arcs, cartoony-covers-are-my-kryptonite, cluck-cluck-mothafucka, maybe-you-can-go-home-again, read-in-2024
review:
Oh look, it’s the queen of complaining about books being too long nomming down on this billion pager. I have zero excuses, simply . . . .



Don’t get it twisted. This is ENTIRELY too long and should have been 350 pages. But I have realized Keyes is an author who is going to take as many pages as she likes to get ‘er done and I have to live with that.

If you have time to spend turning pages and love the “maybe you can go home again�� sort of chick lit with a touch of a Hallmark holiday style plot of attempting to get a resort up and running while the locals are all opposed to it featuring a middle-aged main character then this might just be for you. Oh and don't worry at all about this being #7 - it works perfectly fine as a standalone (but I will absolutely seek out books about other members of the Walsh family if I'm in a slump and looking for a guaranteed winner).

3.5 Stars because, once again, WAAAAAY too long, but rounding up because I love her.

ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you, NetGalley!


]]> 56917531
In the shared and private spaces of Iowa City, a loose circle of lovers and friends encounter, confront, and provoke one another in a volatile year of self-discovery. At the group’s center are Ivan, a dancer turned aspiring banker who dabbles in amateur pornography; Fatima, whose independence and work ethic complicates her relationships with friends and a trusted mentor; and Noah, who “didn’t seek sex out so much as it came up to him like an anxious dog in need of affection.�� These three are buffeted by a cast of poets, artists, landlords, meat-packing workers, and mathematicians who populate the cafes, classrooms, and food-service kitchens of Iowa City, sometimes to violent and electrifying consequence. Finally, as each prepares for an uncertain future, the group heads to a cabin to bid goodbye to their former lives—a moment of reckoning that leaves each of them irrevocably altered.]]> 320 Brandon Taylor 0593332350 Kelly (and the Book Boar) 2


I love love love the push these challenges offer that get me off my duff to read things I already own or introduce me to new titles/authors. I didn’t bother looking at ŷ������ at all until I was finished with this one and went to add to my “Currently Reading�� so I wouldn’t forget to rate/review it eventually. And then I saw the rating. Eesh! Unfortunately I can understand it in this case because I think it’s going to be the rare reader who will find themselves able to connect and give it more than a 3.

In theory I should have loved this one. Some of my favorites are what I classify as the true “coming of age�� story �� those with characters on the cusp of adulthood �� navigating romance and verging on the precipice of starting a career/being required to become financially independent. The problem here is this was delivered in the form of a composite novel with a bounty of characters (with super unusual names which made them even harder to keep track of) all offering up little Polaroid sorts of moments without ever really getting to know them/any development/much cohesion whatsoever. The connection is that they are all grad students at the University of Iowa �� the reason it fell under the Winter Reading Challenge criteria is most are in an arts program (poetry/dancing). Some characters reappeared, some did not, some (the couple of female chapters) felt like they were thrown in just to check a box. If you are a prude, there’s a lot of sex. Even if you aren’t a prude, the sex all has a toxicity to it that just makes you feel bad for the characters and what they are missing out on.

I would be interested in picking up this author again because I definitely think he can write, but if you are interested in one of these sorts of short story cycle novels, check out Elizabeth Strout. She won the Pulitzer using this style.
]]> 3.38 2023
author: Brandon Taylor
name: Kelly (and the Book Boar)
average rating: 3.38
book published: 2023
rating: 2
read at: 2025/01/09
date added: 2025/01/09
shelves: becoming-groweds-up, crunken-love, read-in-2025, read-it-to-win-a-major-award
review:
This one probably would have never made it to the TBR had it not been a recommendation by the library for their . . . .



I love love love the push these challenges offer that get me off my duff to read things I already own or introduce me to new titles/authors. I didn’t bother looking at ŷ������ at all until I was finished with this one and went to add to my “Currently Reading�� so I wouldn’t forget to rate/review it eventually. And then I saw the rating. Eesh! Unfortunately I can understand it in this case because I think it’s going to be the rare reader who will find themselves able to connect and give it more than a 3.

In theory I should have loved this one. Some of my favorites are what I classify as the true “coming of age�� story �� those with characters on the cusp of adulthood �� navigating romance and verging on the precipice of starting a career/being required to become financially independent. The problem here is this was delivered in the form of a composite novel with a bounty of characters (with super unusual names which made them even harder to keep track of) all offering up little Polaroid sorts of moments without ever really getting to know them/any development/much cohesion whatsoever. The connection is that they are all grad students at the University of Iowa �� the reason it fell under the Winter Reading Challenge criteria is most are in an arts program (poetry/dancing). Some characters reappeared, some did not, some (the couple of female chapters) felt like they were thrown in just to check a box. If you are a prude, there’s a lot of sex. Even if you aren’t a prude, the sex all has a toxicity to it that just makes you feel bad for the characters and what they are missing out on.

I would be interested in picking up this author again because I definitely think he can write, but if you are interested in one of these sorts of short story cycle novels, check out Elizabeth Strout. She won the Pulitzer using this style.

]]> 60825556 From USA Today bestseller and Edgar-Award nominee Elle Cosimano, comes Finlay Donovan Jumps the Gun—the highly anticipated, hilarious, and heart-pounding next installment in the beloved Finlay Donovan ������������

Author and single mom Finlay Donovan has been in messes before―after all, she's a pro at removing bloodstains for various unexpected reasons―but none quite like this. When Finlay and her nanny/partner-in-crime Vero accidentally destroyed a luxury car that they had "borrowed" in the process of saving the life of Finlay's ex-husband, the Russian mob did her a favor and bought the car for her. And now Finlay owes them.

Mob boss Feliks is still running the show from behind bars, and he has a task for Finlay: find and identify a contract killer before the cops do. The problem is, the killer might be an officer themself.

Luckily, hot cop Nick has just been tasked with starting up a citizen's police academy, and combined pressure from Finlay's looming book deadline and Feliks is enough to convince Finlay and Vero to get involved. Through firearm training and forensic classes (and some hands-on research with a tempting detective), Finlay and Vero use their time in police academy to sleuth out the real contract killer to free themselves from the mob's clutches―all the while dodging spies, confronting Vero's past, and juggling the daily trials of parenthood.]]> 304 Elle Cosimano 1250846021 Kelly (and the Book Boar) 3


FOMO is my most toxic trait.

Okay, so these are a potentially fun option if you’re like me and need a little palate cleanser every once in awhile or just aren’t sure what you’re in the mood for. While the approach is similar to the Stephanie Plum books with a light-hearted humorous take on catching a bad guy, the problem I have with the Finlay books is they don’t really work as standalones. I literally jumped into the “In Death�� series at BOOK FIFTY when I received a copy for review and felt like I didn’t miss a beat. This one required you know exactly what went on in book two in order to understand the goings on in book three. And as a woman of a certain age, let me tell you that is an IMPOSSIBLE requirement. I can’t remember my own damn kids�� names at this point so if I tell you a book is good and you should read it, that’s all you get because I have no idea what it was about or why I liked it within 24 hours of turning that last page.

ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you, NetGalley!]]> 3.97 2023
author: Elle Cosimano
name: Kelly (and the Book Boar)
average rating: 3.97
book published: 2023
rating: 3
read at: 2024/12/30
date added: 2025/01/08
shelves: arcs, cartoony-covers-are-my-kryptonite, exception-to-the-rule, hallmark-murders-and-mysteries, read-in-2024
review:
I told myself I was done with the Finlay Donovan books, but then NetGalley offered ALL of them as Read Now for like 24 hours and despite having a 50% review ratio and not really reading past the first book in a series I went ahead and snagged them . . .



FOMO is my most toxic trait.

Okay, so these are a potentially fun option if you’re like me and need a little palate cleanser every once in awhile or just aren’t sure what you’re in the mood for. While the approach is similar to the Stephanie Plum books with a light-hearted humorous take on catching a bad guy, the problem I have with the Finlay books is they don’t really work as standalones. I literally jumped into the “In Death�� series at BOOK FIFTY when I received a copy for review and felt like I didn’t miss a beat. This one required you know exactly what went on in book two in order to understand the goings on in book three. And as a woman of a certain age, let me tell you that is an IMPOSSIBLE requirement. I can’t remember my own damn kids�� names at this point so if I tell you a book is good and you should read it, that’s all you get because I have no idea what it was about or why I liked it within 24 hours of turning that last page.

ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you, NetGalley!
]]> 220213961 Three women are connected by one man in this kaleidoscopic thriller.

Restauranteur Paddy Swann was the life of the party until the day a man pushed him in the path of an oncoming train, leaving his twenty-something daughter Ash and wife Nina devastated. Shortly after Paddy’s funeral, the two women receive a surprise in the mail: a note and package from Nick Ratcliffe, an old friend of Paddy’s, and a nondescript lighter that once belonged to him decades ago. This unexpected gift draws Nick and Nina closer together—much to Ash’s dismay.

Martha is a small-town florist with dreams of expansion. She lives with her second husband Al, her baby, and two sons from her prior marriage. But they never seem to have any money, and with his constant traveling for work, she feels like a single parent—especially when an emergency makes her realize something needs to change.

But Nick and Al may not be who they say they are, leading these three women on a shocking collision course, wishing they had heeded a warning: Don’t let him in.]]> 384 Lisa Jewell Kelly (and the Book Boar) 4


Take your “oh I can’t suspend disbelief THIS MUCH�� and other naysaying and shove it straight up your buttholes. This was fucking fantastic.

ARC provided by Net Galley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you, NetGalley!
]]> 3.82 2025
author: Lisa Jewell
name: Kelly (and the Book Boar)
average rating: 3.82
book published: 2025
rating: 4
read at: 2024/12/27
date added: 2025/01/08
shelves: arcs, crunken-love, don-t-care-how-i-want-i-now, like-this-or-we-cant-be-friends, read-in-2024, ripped-from-the-headlines, shut-up-and-take-my-money, you-had-me-at-hello
review:
If you follow me over on the ‘Gram you’ll see my nightly stories consist of what trashy documentary I’m currently imbibing. Lisa Jewell’s newest is for all of you out there who, like me, are obsessed with all things . . . .



Take your “oh I can’t suspend disbelief THIS MUCH�� and other naysaying and shove it straight up your buttholes. This was fucking fantastic.

ARC provided by Net Galley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you, NetGalley!

]]> 60550622
They’re opposites in every way. She overthinks everything; he is her twin brother’s wild and unpredictable friend. But over secret walks home and late-night phone calls, they become closer—destined to be one another’s great love story.

Until, one day, tragedy strikes, and their future together is shattered.

But as the years roll on, Will and Rosie can’t help but find their way back to each other. Time and again, they come close to rekindling what might have been.

What do you do when the one person you should forget is the one you just can’t let go?]]> 290 Claire Daverley 0593653491 Kelly (and the Book Boar) 4 Talking at Night. Oh be still my little angsty, melancholy, unrequited love lovin�� heart.


]]> 4.03 2023
author: Claire Daverley
name: Kelly (and the Book Boar)
average rating: 4.03
book published: 2023
rating: 4
read at: 2024/12/23
date added: 2025/01/08
shelves: tragiporn, sappy-suckers, read-in-2024, like-this-or-we-cant-be-friends, liburrrrrry-book
review:
If you are like me and were absolutely D.Y.I.N.G. with anticipation for the newest Sally Rooney release only to be severely disappointed, I’m telling you RUN DO NOT WALK and snag you a copy of Talking at Night. Oh be still my little angsty, melancholy, unrequited love lovin�� heart.



]]> 220600448 Date night goes off the rails when one unhappy couple find themselves taken hostage by a climate activist group

Jane and Dan have been married for nineteen years, but Jane isn't sure they're going to make it to twenty. The mother of two feels unneeded by her teenagers, and her writing career has screeched to an unsuccessful halt. Her one published novel sold under five hundred copies. Worse? She's pretty sure Dan is cheating on her. When the couple goes to the renowned upscale restaurant La Fin du Monde to celebrate their anniversary, Jane thinks it's as good a place as any to tell Dan she wants a divorce.

But before they even get to the second course, an underground climate activist group bursts into the dining room. Jane is shocked-and not just because she's in a hostage situation the likes of which she's only seen in the movies. Nearly everything the disorganized and bumbling activists say and do is right out of the pages of her failed book. Even Dan (who Jane wasn't sure even read her book) admits it's eerily familiar.

Which means Dan and Jane are the only ones who know what's going to happen next. And they're the only ones who can stop it. This wasn't what Jane was thinking of when she said 'til death do us part' all those years ago, but if they can survive this, maybe they can survive anything-even marriage.

Praise for Colleen

'Oakley is in a world of her own when it comes to creating lovable, quirky characters... An absolute blast' TAYLOR JENKINS REID

'You'll never be able to see what's coming in this wildly surprising, entertaining ride of a novel' JODI PICOULT

'Sweet, quirky, surprising, and altogether lovely... I fell in love with Oakley's sparkling prose, charming characters, and quaint island setting' EMILY HENRY]]> 369 Colleen Oakley 0349127654 Kelly (and the Book Boar) 4


Unfortunately for both of them, a group of activists really have something else in mind and it all seems soooooooo familiar to Jane. Are these climate change warriors really using the plot of her book that sold like 500 copies as their playbook?

Alright so this was just pure fun. I love Colleen Oakley. I was lucky enough to score an early copy and accidentally ended up reading it the day the Winter Reading Challenge began. I’m saying this falls under the umbrella of this year’s theme with a plot involving life imitating art.



ARC provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

]]> 3.60 2025
author: Colleen Oakley
name: Kelly (and the Book Boar)
average rating: 3.60
book published: 2025
rating: 4
read at: 2025/01/08
date added: 2025/01/08
shelves: arcs, cartoony-covers-are-my-kryptonite, read-in-2025, shut-up-and-take-my-money, don-t-care-how-i-want-i-now
review:
When Dan wins a reservation at the famed La Fin du Monde, he figures what better place to celebrate he and Jane’s wedding anniversary. While it might break the bank, it’s certain to be more memorable than their usual trip to the Macaroni Grill. Unfortunately for Dan, Jane has a little something else in mind . . . .



Unfortunately for both of them, a group of activists really have something else in mind and it all seems soooooooo familiar to Jane. Are these climate change warriors really using the plot of her book that sold like 500 copies as their playbook?

Alright so this was just pure fun. I love Colleen Oakley. I was lucky enough to score an early copy and accidentally ended up reading it the day the Winter Reading Challenge began. I’m saying this falls under the umbrella of this year’s theme with a plot involving life imitating art.



ARC provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.


]]> 209244097 A witty and poignant novel about marriage, middle age, tech-obsessed health culture and the bonds that keep people together

When Jack and Elizabeth meet as college students in the '90s, the two quickly join forces and hold on tight, each eager to claim a place in Chicago's thriving underground art scene with an appreciative kindred spirit.��Fast-forward twenty years to married life, and alongside the challenges of parenting, they encounter cults disguised as mindfulness support groups, polyamorous would-be suitors, Facebook wars, and something called Love Potion Number Nine. For the first time Jack and Elizabeth struggle to recognize one another, and the no-longer-youthful dreamers are forced to face their demons, from unfulfilled career ambitions to painful childhood memories of their own dysfunctional families. In the process Jack and Elizabeth must undertake separate, personal excavations, or risk losing the best thing in their lives: each other.��]]> 624 Nathan Hill 0593469836 Kelly (and the Book Boar) 4


And my obsession with obtaining a new free coffee mug every year. Per the image snipped above, this year’s recommendations all center around “art�� somehow �� in this case an artist being one of the main characters.

While my Roman Empire truly remains that nearly every book’s 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 �� I’m 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 �� yet it is a book that I can’t 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.

4.5 Stars]]> 4.05 2023
author: Nathan Hill
name: Kelly (and the Book Boar)
average rating: 4.05
book published: 2023
rating: 4
read at: 2025/01/06
date added: 2025/01/08
shelves: arcs, cover-love, i-read-it-right, like-this-or-we-cant-be-friends, mommy-issues, daddy-issues, oprah-told-me-to, read-in-2025, smort
review:
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) 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’s recommendations all center around “art�� somehow �� in this case an artist being one of the main characters.

While my Roman Empire truly remains that nearly every book’s 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 �� I’m 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 �� yet it is a book that I can’t 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.

4.5 Stars
]]> 199897848 The national bestselling author of #HorrorBookTok sensation The Troop returns with a heart-pounding novel of terror about a young woman searching for her missing friend and uncovering a shocking truth.

On a sunny morning in June, Margaret Carpenter wakes up to find a new iPhone on her doorstep. She switches it on to find a text from her best friend, Charity Atwater. The problem is, Charity’s been missing for over a month. Most people in town—even the police—think she’s dead.

Margaret and Charity have been lifelong friends. They share everything, know the most intimate details about one another…but Charity carries a secret that even she is unaware of. A secret engraved into her DNA helix. For Charity is also known Subject Six, the crown jewel of Project Athena—a clandestine and unorthodox gene manipulation experiment, the brainchild of tech titan Rudyard Crate. And when Charity’s gene sequencing actualizes during a traumatic event at a high school party, it sets in motion a chain of events that will end in tragedy, bloodshed, and death.

And now Charity wants Margaret to know her story—the real story. In a narrative that takes place over one feverish day, Margaret follows a series of increasingly dreadful breadcrumbs as she forges deeper into the mystery of her best friend—a person she never truly knew at all…]]> 381 Nick Cutter Kelly (and the Book Boar) 3


I didn’t loooooooooooooooove this and definitely felt like there were serious lulls in the flow of the story (per usual, I feel nearly every book could be shorter), the Rudy/Charity connection took way too long to get around to even though it was super obvious what is was, the “Cherr�� nickname for the character NOT named Charity was certainly a choice and the drawn out / gross-out climax is one that will certainly cost this book some Stars (but Cutter is KNOWN for being a gross-out king, so really WTF you reading this if you didn’t plan on packing a barf bag???). Yet somehow I couldn’t stop reading it.
]]> 3.71 2024
author: Nick Cutter
name: Kelly (and the Book Boar)
average rating: 3.71
book published: 2024
rating: 3
read at: 2025/01/02
date added: 2025/01/02
shelves: ewwwww, don-t-care-how-i-want-i-now, fatal-friendships, liburrrrrry-book, read-in-2025
review:
Jurassic Park meets Jennifer’s Body �� but make it buggy . . .



I didn’t loooooooooooooooove this and definitely felt like there were serious lulls in the flow of the story (per usual, I feel nearly every book could be shorter), the Rudy/Charity connection took way too long to get around to even though it was super obvious what is was, the “Cherr�� nickname for the character NOT named Charity was certainly a choice and the drawn out / gross-out climax is one that will certainly cost this book some Stars (but Cutter is KNOWN for being a gross-out king, so really WTF you reading this if you didn’t plan on packing a barf bag???). Yet somehow I couldn’t stop reading it.

]]> 217501819
From the best-selling author of The Dog Stars, a novel about two men—friends since boyhood—who emerge from the woods of rural Maine to a dystopian country racked by bewildering violence

Every year, Jess and Storey have made an annual pilgrimage to the most remote corners of the country, where they camp, hunt, and hike, leaving much from their long friendship unspoken. Although the state of Maine has convulsed all summer with secession mania—a mania that has simultaneously spread across other states—Jess and Storey figure it’s a fight reserved for legislators or, worst-case scenario, folks in the capital.

But after weeks hunting off the grid, the men reach a small town and are shocked by what they find: a bridge blown apart, buildings burned to the ground, and bombed-out cars abandoned on the road. Trying to make sense of the sudden destruction all around them, they set their sights on finding their way home, dragging a wagon across bumpy dirt roads, scavenging from boats left in lakes, and dodging armed men—secessionists or U.S. military, they cannot tell—as they seek a path to safety. Then, a startling discovery drastically alters their path and the stakes of their escape.

Drenched in the beauty of the natural world and attuned to the specific cadences of male friendship, even here at the edge of doom, Burn is both a blistering warning about a divided country’s political strife and an ode to the salvation found in our chosen families.]]> 9 Peter Heller 0593907051 Kelly (and the Book Boar) 4


Basically, my ratings for audiobooks have become based on how much I want to get back to my sofa (spoiler alert �� I ALWAYS want to get back to my sofa). I force myself to trudge five miles, but I did NINE AND A HALF MILES to this one. And it wasn’t due to the pleasant weather either, since it was 40, zero percent visibility and a sheen of mist for the first seven miles. I’ll give this a combo of (1) going in completely blind, just being familiar with the author’s previous books, (2) having this set in the wilderness and my newest path being a gorgeous one that goes through the middle of a nature preserve, and (3) the modern day Civil War seems more and more plausible all the time and the fictional version really fascinates me. I could nearly always due without a kid in my stories �� especially one that is clearly just going to be used for some big moment, but really serves no purpose/is not developed or even really more than said plot device. But unlike a lot of things I read, I actually did appreciate the reflections back on his life via timehop memories that Jess provided.
]]> 3.35 2024
author: Peter Heller
name: Kelly (and the Book Boar)
average rating: 3.35
book published: 2024
rating: 4
read at: 2024/12/30
date added: 2024/12/30
shelves: audio, end-of-the-world-as-we-know-it, liburrrrrry-book, read-in-2024
review:
Actual footage of me on my walks despite the fact that I’ve been doing them daily for well over a year now . . . .



Basically, my ratings for audiobooks have become based on how much I want to get back to my sofa (spoiler alert �� I ALWAYS want to get back to my sofa). I force myself to trudge five miles, but I did NINE AND A HALF MILES to this one. And it wasn’t due to the pleasant weather either, since it was 40, zero percent visibility and a sheen of mist for the first seven miles. I’ll give this a combo of (1) going in completely blind, just being familiar with the author’s previous books, (2) having this set in the wilderness and my newest path being a gorgeous one that goes through the middle of a nature preserve, and (3) the modern day Civil War seems more and more plausible all the time and the fictional version really fascinates me. I could nearly always due without a kid in my stories �� especially one that is clearly just going to be used for some big moment, but really serves no purpose/is not developed or even really more than said plot device. But unlike a lot of things I read, I actually did appreciate the reflections back on his life via timehop memories that Jess provided.

]]> 200344337 What if the murder you had to solve was your own?

Lou is a happily married mother of an adorable toddler. She's also the victim of a local serial killer. Recently brought back to life and returned to her grieving family by a government project, she is grateful for this second chance. But as the new Lou re-adapts to her old routines, and as she bonds with other female victims, she realizes that disturbing questions remain about what exactly preceded her death and how much she can really trust those around her.

Now it's not enough to care for her child, love her husband, and work the job she's always enjoyed--she must also figure out the circumstances of her death. Darkly comic, tautly paced, and full of surprises, My Murder is a devour-in-one-sitting, clever twist on the classic thriller.]]> 8 Katie Williams 0593682688 Kelly (and the Book Boar) 0 currently-reading 3.64 2023
author: Katie Williams
name: Kelly (and the Book Boar)
average rating: 3.64
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/12/29
shelves: currently-reading
review:

]]> 204834029
Zo Grey is reeling from the sudden death of her mother when she receives a surprising call from an attorney in Divinity, Louisiana, with the news she has been left an inheritance by a distant relative, the terms of which he will only discuss in person. Destitute and alone, with nothing left to lose, Zo heads to Divinity and discovers she is the sole beneficiary of a huge fortune and a monstrosity of a house that sits ominously at the peak of Watch Hill—but she must live in it, alone, for three years before the house, or the money, is hers.

Met with this irresistible opportunity to finally build a future for herself, Zo puts aside her misgivings about the foreboding Gothic mansion and the strange circumstances, and moves in, where she is quickly met by a red-eyed Stygian owl and an impossibly sexy Scottish groundskeeper.

Her new home is full of countless secrets and mystifying riddles, with doors that go nowhere, others that are impossible to open, and a turret into which there is no visible means of ingress. And the townspeople are odd��

What Zo doesn’t yet know is that her own roots lie in this very house and that in order to discover her true identity and awaken her dormant powers, she will have to face off against sinister forces she doesn’t quite comprehend—or risk being consumed by them.]]> 512 Karen Marie Moning 0063410567 Kelly (and the Book Boar) 2 Fever that everyone and their brother was crapping their drawers over back in the day. But I have can’t remember shit disease and when this was making the rounds over on The ‘Gram I literally convinced myself that I enjoyed this author and it wasn’t until Shelby asked what the fuck was I thinking and I looked up my previous experience and said WHOOOOOPS! But I was listening instead of physically reading so I carried on. And now I can confirm that until another 10 years go by and I conveniently forget BOTH of my regrettable run-ins with these snooze-a-rific ramblings, that I will not be reading OR listening to KMM again.

Talk about eleventy-twelve pages of absolutely nothing happening. Basically this was the “world building�� (for lack of a better term �� the “world�� is New Orleans �� the place is an inherited house and the people are witches and vampires . . . but it takes four hundred hours to ever get to that point). Thank you, next.
]]> 4.03 2024
author: Karen Marie Moning
name: Kelly (and the Book Boar)
average rating: 4.03
book published: 2024
rating: 2
read at: 2024/12/19
date added: 2024/12/19
shelves: audio, curse-you-bookstagram, erotic-friend-fiction, everyone-loved-it-but-me, liburrrrrry-book, read-in-2024, the-great-white-hype, walkin-and-talkin
review:
KMM reached “fool me once�� status as a one and done with Fever that everyone and their brother was crapping their drawers over back in the day. But I have can’t remember shit disease and when this was making the rounds over on The ‘Gram I literally convinced myself that I enjoyed this author and it wasn’t until Shelby asked what the fuck was I thinking and I looked up my previous experience and said WHOOOOOPS! But I was listening instead of physically reading so I carried on. And now I can confirm that until another 10 years go by and I conveniently forget BOTH of my regrettable run-ins with these snooze-a-rific ramblings, that I will not be reading OR listening to KMM again.

Talk about eleventy-twelve pages of absolutely nothing happening. Basically this was the “world building�� (for lack of a better term �� the “world�� is New Orleans �� the place is an inherited house and the people are witches and vampires . . . but it takes four hundred hours to ever get to that point). Thank you, next.

]]> 208609324 If you knew then what you know now, would you make the same choices? Imagine having a second chance with the one you never forgot.

From the author of the global breakout bestseller The Last Love Note comes the story of a young woman struggling to piece her life back together in the wake of a tragic accident, and the man who gives up everything to help her.

When Evie Hudson wakes in an unfamiliar hospital room, she thinks she’s fresh out of a teenage party with her best friend, Bree. Except, Bree isn’t around anymore and high school was years ago. Evie had just survived the crash that killed her husband, Oliver—whom she can't remember either. After suffering a traumatic loss of memory, she’s left to connect the dots. But how?

Drew, a promising photographer whose chance encounter with Evie unravels the elusive details of her marriage and her husband’s death. As Drew watches Evie stitch the story of her life together, secrets emerge that might shatter both of their worlds.

This tangled second-chance romance leads Evie to question every decision she ever made. This time around, she’s seeing all the things she missed–and the life she gets to choose...again.]]> Emma Grey 1958506486 Kelly (and the Book Boar) 2
Although the tides have recently turned from my seven plus year trolling about Colleen Hoover’s trauma porn trash when the herd mentality finally realized how problematic her stories are and the money grabbing schemes/tone deaf film release showed nothing is sacred above the dollar, we can go ahead and say I still was a little traumatized about going against the grain again and reopening a similar can of worms LOL.

Good news is this story came off simply emotionally manipulative rather than highly offensive, but since I’m a robot with no emotional capacity whatsoever it didn’t work and the extra reveals at the end nearly had me laughing . Yes, it did feature the abusive partner theme with a female main character who knew he was a real dildo while the two were dating, and yes she still ended up marrying him which was obviously a bad choice, but like I said above yay he was dead so I knew she wouldn’t repeat the pattern any more and I could keep reading. ]]> 4.14 2024
author: Emma Grey
name: Kelly (and the Book Boar)
average rating: 4.14
book published: 2024
rating: 2
read at: 2024/12/18
date added: 2024/12/18
shelves:
review:
Oh yay, another TikTok sensation about an abusive spouse! (Said no Kelly ever.) Good news is dickhole is dead in this one on page one and his widow has a traumatic brain injury that has given her the perfect case of amnesia to forget all about his dumb ass. Bad news is there’s a billion and twelve time hops to relive their relationship along with a present narrative where the leading lady will reconnect with the one who got away and everyone else she ostracized over the years which equals plenty pages of predictably.

Although the tides have recently turned from my seven plus year trolling about Colleen Hoover’s trauma porn trash when the herd mentality finally realized how problematic her stories are and the money grabbing schemes/tone deaf film release showed nothing is sacred above the dollar, we can go ahead and say I still was a little traumatized about going against the grain again and reopening a similar can of worms LOL.

Good news is this story came off simply emotionally manipulative rather than highly offensive, but since I’m a robot with no emotional capacity whatsoever it didn’t work and the extra reveals at the end nearly had me laughing . Yes, it did feature the abusive partner theme with a female main character who knew he was a real dildo while the two were dating, and yes she still ended up marrying him which was obviously a bad choice, but like I said above yay he was dead so I knew she wouldn’t repeat the pattern any more and I could keep reading.
]]> 52873094
Noemí is also an unlikely rescuer: She’s a glamorous debutante, and her chic gowns and perfect red lipstick are more suited for cocktail parties than amateur sleuthing. But she’s also tough and smart, with an indomitable will, and she is not afraid: Not of her cousin’s new husband, who is both menacing and alluring; not of his father, the ancient patriarch who seems to be fascinated by Noemí; and not even of the house itself, which begins to invade Noemi’s dreams with visions of blood and doom.

Her only ally in this inhospitable abode is the family’s youngest son. Shy and gentle, he seems to want to help Noemí, but might also be hiding dark knowledge of his family’s past. For there are many secrets behind the walls of High Place. The family’s once colossal wealth and faded mining empire kept them from prying eyes, but as Noemí digs deeper she unearths stories of violence and madness.

And Noemí, mesmerized by the terrifying yet seductive world of High Place, may soon find it impossible to ever leave this enigmatic house behind.]]> 304 Silvia Moreno-Garcia Kelly (and the Book Boar) 4
This place could drive anyone crazy.

Upon receipt of a disturbing letter from her cousin claiming she is being poisoned by her husband and trapped in a house full of rot and evil, Noemí is sent on a bit of a fact-finding mission in order to get Catalina any help she may need. Her arrival reveals a house on a hill a bit like . . . .



Ran by a woman with an iron fist and an entire laundry list of rules reminiscent of . . . .



Eventually followed by some pretty superb gross-out scenes I haven’t experienced since . . . .



Apparently this wasn’t a big hit for everyone. Color me surprised because I thought it was exactly as advertised - Lovecraft meets the Brontës. That cover alone is worth the price of admission. And yes I know I know I complain about face covers all the time, but these “ladies in pretty dresses�� covers are simply the bees knees. I will say this is a slow roller that builds itself up to a frantic pace for the climax, so if you aren’t sucked in by the atmosphere, you definitely aren’t going to have a great time. Also, I apparently wrongread even when I think I’m reading it right so take my rating with a grain of salt.

]]> 3.76 2020
author: Silvia Moreno-Garcia
name: Kelly (and the Book Boar)
average rating: 3.76
book published: 2020
rating: 4
read at: 2020/08/04
date added: 2024/12/18
shelves: book-of-the-month-selection, cover-love, dysfunction-junction, liburrrrrry-book, it-s-all-in-the-name, read-in-2020, creepy-books
review:
Find all of my reviews at:

This place could drive anyone crazy.

Upon receipt of a disturbing letter from her cousin claiming she is being poisoned by her husband and trapped in a house full of rot and evil, Noemí is sent on a bit of a fact-finding mission in order to get Catalina any help she may need. Her arrival reveals a house on a hill a bit like . . . .



Ran by a woman with an iron fist and an entire laundry list of rules reminiscent of . . . .



Eventually followed by some pretty superb gross-out scenes I haven’t experienced since . . . .



Apparently this wasn’t a big hit for everyone. Color me surprised because I thought it was exactly as advertised - Lovecraft meets the Brontës. That cover alone is worth the price of admission. And yes I know I know I complain about face covers all the time, but these “ladies in pretty dresses�� covers are simply the bees knees. I will say this is a slow roller that builds itself up to a frantic pace for the climax, so if you aren’t sucked in by the atmosphere, you definitely aren’t going to have a great time. Also, I apparently wrongread even when I think I’m reading it right so take my rating with a grain of salt.


]]> 128578717 An American art student in London is invited to join a classmate for the holidays at Starvewood Hall, her family's Cotswold manor house. But behind the holly and pine boughs, secrets are about to unravel, revealing this seemingly charming English village's grim history.

Ashley Smith, an American art student in London for her junior year, was planning on spending Christmas alone, but a last-minute invitation from fellow student Emma Chapman brings her to Starvewood Hall, country residence of the Chapman family. The Cotswold manor house, festooned in pine boughs and crammed with guests for Christmas week, is a dream come true for Ashley. She is mesmerized by the cozy, firelit house, the large family, and the charming village of Clevemoor, but also by Adam Chapman, Emma's aloof and handsome brother.

But Adam is being investigated by the local police over the recent brutal slaying of a girl from the village, and there is a mysterious stranger who haunts the woodland path between Starvewood Hall and the local pub. Ashley begins to wonder what kind of story she is actually inhabiting. Is she in a grand romance? A gothic tale? Or has she wandered into something far more sinister and terrifying than she'd ever imagined?

Over thirty years later the events of that horrific week are revisited, along with a diary from that time. What began in a small English village in 1989 reaches its ghostly conclusion in modern-day New York, many Christmas seasons later.]]> 104 Peter Swanson Kelly (and the Book Boar) 5
But I distribute stars based in my enjoyment and I enjoyed every second of this. The midway reveal and the explanation behind the goings on was chef’s kiss perfection as was the ending. This should be in the record books as to why I gripe about filler so much. At night even 100 pages this tiny novella featured not only a complete story, but one that contained fully fleshed out characters. And one that could be read without feeling guilty whatsoever for taking a little “me�� time during the stressful year-end/holiday season.

Every Star!!!!]]> 3.72 2023
author: Peter Swanson
name: Kelly (and the Book Boar)
average rating: 3.72
book published: 2023
rating: 5
read at: 2024/12/17
date added: 2024/12/17
shelves:
review:
If you follow my reviews you’ve probably taken notice that my most frequent complaint tends to be that, in my opinion, pages could have been left on the cutting room floor in the majority of books that I read. You may have also noticed that I am often a wrongreader who goes against the grain of popular opinion on the regular. Good news is I’m not a contrarian on purpose since I generally don’t look at ratings or reviews on most books I pick up. Also good that I don’t limit my wrong reading to disliking the things others love because this has a real meh rating and here I am giving it the full Monty.

But I distribute stars based in my enjoyment and I enjoyed every second of this. The midway reveal and the explanation behind the goings on was chef’s kiss perfection as was the ending. This should be in the record books as to why I gripe about filler so much. At night even 100 pages this tiny novella featured not only a complete story, but one that contained fully fleshed out characters. And one that could be read without feeling guilty whatsoever for taking a little “me�� time during the stressful year-end/holiday season.

Every Star!!!!
]]> 195860360 From the National Book Award–longlisted author of The Need comes an extraordinary novel about a wife and mother who—after losing her job to AI—undergoes a procedure that renders her undetectable to surveillance…but at what cost?

In a city addled by climate change and populated by intelligent robots called “hums,�� May loses her job to artificial intelligence. In a desperate bid to resolve her family’s debt and secure their future for another few months, she becomes a guinea pig in an experiment that alters her face so it cannot be recognized by surveillance.

Seeking some reprieve from her recent hardships and from her family’s addiction to their devices, she splurges on passes that allow them three nights�� respite inside the Botanical Garden: a rare green refuge where forests, streams, and animals flourish. But her insistence that her son, daughter, and husband leave their devices at home proves far more fraught than she anticipated, and the lush beauty of the Botanical Garden is not the balm she hoped it would be. When her children come under threat, May is forced to put her trust in a hum of uncertain motives as she works to restore the life of her family.

Written in taut, urgent prose, Hum is a work of speculative fiction that unflinchingly explores marriage, motherhood, and selfhood in a world compromised by global warming and dizzying technological advancement, a world of both dystopian and utopian possibilities. As New York Times bestselling author Jeff VanderMeer says, “Helen Phillips, in typical bravura fashion, has found a way to make visible uncomfortable truths about our present by interrogating the near-future.”]]> 272 Helen Phillips 1668008858 Kelly (and the Book Boar) 0 currently-reading 3.65 2024
author: Helen Phillips
name: Kelly (and the Book Boar)
average rating: 3.65
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/12/16
shelves: currently-reading
review:

]]> 211024882 Jordan Harper's "darkly irresistible" novel, a tragic, Hamlet-esque noir for readers of S.A. Cosby and Don Winslow, now available for the first time in the United States. (Megan Abbott)

This stirring and brutal bildungsroman tells the story of young Luke Crosswhite, who after years apart from his criminal family returns to their flock deep in the California desert. Luke’s father is serving time for a brutal murder that Luke himself witnessed; now, his uncle vies for power and rival biker gangs encroach on the family’s various criminal enterprises. A sensitive boy grown hard man, Luke navigates the vicious pressures of “home,�� and the loyalties to his old friend, Cassie, who has hatched a scheme with her boyfriend Pretty Baby to escape the control of the gang, the Combine. Hanging over these desperate, lonesome parties is the gang’s motto, tattooed indelibly across the heart: Blood is Love.

The Last King of California is a story of the West unlike any you will read.]]> 304 Jordan Harper 0316581402 Kelly (and the Book Boar) 0 currently-reading 3.80 2022
author: Jordan Harper
name: Kelly (and the Book Boar)
average rating: 3.80
book published: 2022
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/12/16
shelves: currently-reading
review:

]]> 214987817 A joyfully unhinged story of money, marriage, sex, and revenge unspools when a billionaire crashes his hot-air balloon into the middle of a post-pandemic first date.

Joannie hadn’t been on a date in seven years when Johnny invites Joannie and her daughter to dinner. His house is beautiful, his son is sweet, and their first kiss is, well, it’s not the best, but Joannie could convince herself it was nice enough. But when Joannie’s childhood crush, a summer-camp fling turned famous billionaire, crash-lands his hot-air balloon in Johnny’s swimming pool, Joannie dives in.��

Soon she finds herself alighting on a lost weekend with Johnny the bad kisser, Jonathan the billionaire, and Julia, his smart, stunning wife. Does Joannie want Jonathan? Does Julia want her husband? Or Joannie? Or Joannie’s beautiful little girl? Does Johnny want Julia? Does Jonathan want Joannie, or Julia, or maybe, his much younger personal assistant, Vivian, who is tasked to fix it all? A tale of lust and money and lust for money, Hot Air is as astonishing as it is blisteringly funny, a delirious, delicious story for our billionaire era.]]> 209 Marcy Dermansky 0593320913 Kelly (and the Book Boar) 0 currently-reading 3.35 2025
author: Marcy Dermansky
name: Kelly (and the Book Boar)
average rating: 3.35
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/12/12
shelves: currently-reading
review:

]]> 216580323 The untold story behind the hit true crime podcast The Clearing, this unforgettable memoir traces one daughter’s moving quest to understand her larger-than-life childhood as she searches for the truth about her father, the serial killer Edward Wayne Edwards. One evening in 2009, April Balascio was searching online, as she had been every night, for unsolved murders in the towns her family had lived growing up, when she stumbled across the latest investigations into the “Sweetheart Murders�� cold case. All at once, the buried memories of her father’s dark history were awakened, and she knew she had to take action. She picked up the phone to call a detective and the rest is infamous true crime history. In her unflinching memoir, Balascio bravely reveals an astonishing tale of a lifetime of manipulation, unexplained upheavals, and silent fear. Some part of her had always known what her father was capable of, but the full truth of how she came to these revelations is as riveting as it is quietly terrifying. Through searing storytelling, dedicated research, and intimate insight, Raised by a Serial Killer is a gripping, courageous memoir unlike any other.]]> 1 April Balascio 1797185292 Kelly (and the Book Boar) 0 currently-reading 3.63 2024
author: April Balascio
name: Kelly (and the Book Boar)
average rating: 3.63
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/12/12
shelves: currently-reading
review:

]]> 204982650 Knives Out gets a holiday rom-com twist in this rivals-to-lovers romance-mystery from��New York Times��bestselling author Ally Carter.

The bridge is out. The phones are down. And the most famous mystery writer in the world just disappeared out of a locked room three days before Christmas.

Meet Maggie Chase and Ethan

She’s the new Queen of the Cozy Mystery.

He’s Mr. Big-time Thriller Guy.

She hates his guts.

He thinks her name is Marcie (no matter how many times she’s told him otherwise.)

But when they both accept a cryptic invitation to attend a Christmas house party at the English estate of a reclusive fan, neither is expecting their host to be the most powerful author in the Eleanor Ashley, the Duchess of Death herself.

That night, the weather turns, and the next morning Eleanor is gone.

She vanished from a locked room, and Maggie has to Is Eleanor in danger? Or is it all some kind of test? Is Ethan the competition? Or is he the only person in that snowbound mansion she can trust?

As the snow gets deeper and the stakes get higher, every clue will bring Maggie and Ethan closer to the truth—and each other. Because, this Christmas, these two rivals are going to have to become allies (and maybe more) if they have any hope of saving Eleanor.

Assuming they don’t kill each other first.]]> 303 Ally Carter 0063276739 Kelly (and the Book Boar) 0 currently-reading 4.11 2024
author: Ally Carter
name: Kelly (and the Book Boar)
average rating: 4.11
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/12/11
shelves: currently-reading
review:

]]> 214539752 Jessica Goodman meets The Agathas in this taut, twisty YA thriller set in the glittering world of Mardi Gras in New Orleans, where secrets--and bodies--never stay buried.

For the New Orleans elite, the Les Masques Ball is sure to be the social event of the season—if they can avoid another dead Queen. When debutante Margot Landry was found dead the morning after her reign at last year’s ball, it was a tragedy, but not a shocking one. Margot was a wild child with a self-destructive streak, nothing like this year’s Queen, Lily LeBlanc. With a perfectly poised debutante on the throne, everything is going according to plan…until the ball is hijacked by a mysterious figure in a Jester costume. That night, Lily sends a text to three of the Maids on her royal court—her best friend, Vivian; her boyfriend's sister, Piper; and April, her former frenemy—asking them all to meet the next morning. But Lily never shows up.

On the surface, these three debutantes don’t have anything in common except their exclusive private school and their ties to Les Masques. But soon, they realize why Lily brought them something dark is lurking beneath the glamorous surface of the debutante world, and it might be the reason she disappeared. And the further the girls dig, the more they begin to suspect that Margot's death may not have been an accident—and that Lily may be next. When the Jester starts threatening to expose their own secrets, this unlikely trio must team up to uncover the monsters behind the Mardi Gras masks—before they’re left with another dead debutante.]]> 345 Olivia Worley 1250881455 Kelly (and the Book Boar) 3


Turns out this was a pretty straightforward whodunit involving some debutantes �� exactly like the actual synopsis would have informed me had I bothered reading it. Oops. I don’t pick up a lot of YA like I used to, but this was perfectly adequate. Great cover, though!
]]> 3.69 2024
author: Olivia Worley
name: Kelly (and the Book Boar)
average rating: 3.69
book published: 2024
rating: 3
read at: 2024/12/09
date added: 2024/12/09
shelves: fatal-friendships, liburrrrrry-book, read-in-2024, whodunit
review:
Somehow when I saw the blurb and its mention of a setting in New Orleans “where secrets--and bodies--never stay buried�� �� my mind went to this either involving zombies or a murder mystery involving a casket brought back to the surface via storm surge or something of the like . . .



Turns out this was a pretty straightforward whodunit involving some debutantes �� exactly like the actual synopsis would have informed me had I bothered reading it. Oops. I don’t pick up a lot of YA like I used to, but this was perfectly adequate. Great cover, though!

]]> 216580311 A deliciously witty and inspiring memoir by One Tree Hill star Bethany Joy Lenz about her decade in a cult and her quest to break free.

In the early 2000s, after years of hard work and determination to breakthrough as an actor, Bethany Joy Lenz was finally cast as one of the leads on the hit drama One Tree Hill. Her career was about to take off, but her personal life was slowly beginning to unravel. What none of the show’s millions of fans knew, hidden even from her costars, was her secret double life in a cult.

An only child who often had to fend for herself and always wanted a place to belong, Lenz found the safe haven she’d been searching for in a Bible study group with other Hollywood creatives. However, the group soon morphed into something more sinister—a slowly woven web of manipulation, abuse, and fear under the guise of a church covenant called The Big House Family. Piece by piece, Lenz began to give away her autonomy, ultimately relocating to the Family’s Pacific Northwest compound, overseen by a domineering minister who would convince Lenz to marry one of his sons and steadily drained millions of her TV income without her knowledge. Family “minders�� assigned to her on set, “Maoist struggle session”–inspired meetings in the basement of a filthy house, and regular counseling with “Leadership�� were just part of the tactics used to keep her loyal.

Only when she became a mother did Lenz find the courage to leave and spare her child from a similar fate. After nearly a decade (and with the unlikely help of a One Tree Hill superfan), she finally managed to escape the family’s grip and begin to heal from the deep trauma that forever altered her relationship with God and her understanding of faith. Written with powerful honesty and dark humor, Dinner for Vampires is an inspiring story about the importance of identity and understanding what you believe.]]> 1 Bethany Joy Lenz 1668113716 Kelly (and the Book Boar) 0 currently-reading 4.33 2024
author: Bethany Joy Lenz
name: Kelly (and the Book Boar)
average rating: 4.33
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/12/08
shelves: currently-reading
review:

]]> 214998722 From Emmy Award winner Jonathan Van Ness of Queer Eye and #1 New York Times bestselling author Julie Murphy comes a bighearted story about friendship, love—and discovering the secrets and beauty of your own hometown.��

Sully is ready to get out of Hearst, Pennsylvania. With a fashion internship secured, the gender-nonconforming eighteen-year-old is trading in their stifling small town for the big city. Sully even sells their beloved car, to Bread—er, Brad—the most boring (and maybe only other) gay kid in town.

When Sully’s internship goes up in smoke, they’re trapped in Hearst with no cash—and no car. Desperate, they go to the thrift store, their personal sanctuary. There, they discover a vintage bag—like "put this baby in an airtight case at the MET" vintage. If Sully can authenticate it, the resale value would be enough for a new life in the city.

But when they begin to investigate, Sully finds themself haunted. Literally. With the ghost of Rufus, a drag performer from the fifties with no memory of how he died standing—no, floating—in their bedroom, Sully’s summer has a new 1) help this ghostly honey unlock his past and move on and 2) make bank—after all, the Real Real doesn’t take poltergeist purses.

With Rufus in tow, and Brad—who’s looking pretty scrumptious these days—playing chauffeur, Sully delves into the history of the town they’re so desperate to escape. Only to discover that there might be more to Hearst than they ever knew.]]> 336 Jonathan Van Ness 0063346249 Kelly (and the Book Boar) 0 to-read 4.25
author: Jonathan Van Ness
name: Kelly (and the Book Boar)
average rating: 4.25
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/12/05
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 123927064 AN INSTANT NATIONAL BESTSELLER

"It Happened One Christmas is irresistibly Christmassy with all the sparkle of a Hallmark movie. So festive I could almost smell the scent of pine through the pages."��—Jenny Bayliss, author of Meet Me Under the Mistletoe

A charming and rollicking holiday rom-com about a big-city film director who must convince the dreamy, yet grumpy, mayor of a small town to give her the permit to shoot her Christmas movie in his idyllic hometown. Perfect for fans of Hallmark holiday movies, and readers of Maggie Knox's All I Want for Christmas and The Hating Game by Sally Thorne.

Will her Christmas wish come true?

Zoey Andrews lives and breathes Christmas. She loves everything about the season, and after years of directing countless holiday movies, she certainly knows her way around a festive tale. So, when she finally gets the chance to bring her own script to life, she isn't about to let anything, or anyone, stand in her way--not even the stupidly sexy, utterly frustrating plaid-clad tree farmer Benoît Deschamps. Moonlighting as mayor of Chelsea--the cozy Quebec hamlet at the center of Zoey's screenplay--Ben maddeningly refuses to grant her a film permit in his enchanting town.

With just four days left before Christmas, Zoey must change Ben's mind, but not before an unscripted ice storm leaves them stranded in the middle of nowhere, with nothing except . . . each other.

Will Ben's chilly resolve shatter Zoey's Christmas movie wish? Or will Zoey be able to melt his stubbornness--and maybe even his heart?]]> 336 Chantel Guertin 0385697996 Kelly (and the Book Boar) 0 currently-reading 3.61
author: Chantel Guertin
name: Kelly (and the Book Boar)
average rating: 3.61
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/12/05
shelves: currently-reading
review:

]]> 103454997
The neighborhoods we live in impact our lives in so many they determine who we know, what resources and opportunities we have access to, the quality of schools our kids go to, our sense of security and belonging, and even how long we live.
��
Yet too many of us live in neighborhoods plagued by��rising crime, school violence, family disintegration, addiction, alienation, and despair. Even the wealthiest neighborhoods are not immune; while poverty exacerbates these challenges, they exist in zip codes rich and poor, rural and urban, and everything in between.
��
In Fragile Neighborhoods , fragile states expert Seth D. Kaplan offers a bold new vision for addressing social decline in America, one zip code at a time. By revitalizing our local institutions—and the social ties that knit them together—we can all turn our neighborhoods into places where people and families can thrive. ����

Readers will meet the innovative individuals and organizations pioneering new approaches to everything from youth mentoring to affordable people like Dreama, a former lawyer whose organization works with local leaders and educators in rural Appalachia to equip young people with the social support they need to succeed in school; and Chris, whose Detroit-based non-profit turns vacant school buildings into community resource hubs.
��
Along the way, Kaplan offers a set of practical lessons to inspire similar work, reminding us that when change is hyperlocal, everyone has the opportunity to contribute.]]> 272 Seth D. Kaplan 0316521396 Kelly (and the Book Boar) 0 currently-reading 3.65
author: Seth D. Kaplan
name: Kelly (and the Book Boar)
average rating: 3.65
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/12/03
shelves: currently-reading
review:

]]> 123314421 A singular new novel from Betty Trask Prize-winner Samantha Harvey,��Orbital��is an eloquent meditation on space and life on our planet through the eyes of six astronauts circling the earth in 24 hours


"Ravishingly beautiful."��—��Joshua Ferris,��New York Times

A slender novel of epic power,��Orbital��deftly snapshots one day in the lives of six women and men traveling through space.��Selected for one of the last space station missions of its kind before the program is dismantled, these astronauts and cosmonauts—from America, Russia, Italy, Britain, and Japan—have left their lives behind to travel at a speed of over seventeen thousand miles an hour as the earth reels below. We glimpse moments of their earthly lives through brief communications with family, their photos and talismans; we watch them whip up dehydrated meals, float in gravity-free sleep, and exercise in regimented routines to prevent atrophying muscles; we witness them form bonds that will stand between them and utter solitude. Most of all, we are with them as they behold and record their silent blue planet. Their experiences of sixteen sunrises and sunsets and the bright, blinking constellations of the galaxy are at once breathtakingly awesome and surprisingly intimate.��

Profound and contemplative,��Orbital��is a moving elegy to our environment and planet.]]> 212 Samantha Harvey 0802161553 Kelly (and the Book Boar) 4


Ha! Y’all know that’s a bunch of crap and that I literally only read this because it won The Booker Prize in order to pretend like I don’t read 99% trash for the remainder of the year.

Good news is, you don’t have to be a smarty farty to understand this one and it’s surprisingly hypnotic. The story here is of six astronauts in the space station. Their one day will amount to Earth’s sixteen and while one crew member is mourning a personal loss, portions of the world below prepare for a natural disaster. Connections between persons on the blue planet and one in space are fleshed out and the writing is phenomenal . . . .

Our lives here are inexpressibly trivial and momentous at once . . . Both repetitive and unprecedented. We matter greatly and not at all. To reach some pinnacle of human achievement only to discover that your achievements are next to nothing and that to understand this is the greatest achievement of any life, which itself is nothing, and also much more than everything. Some metal separates us from the void; death is so close. Life is everywhere, everywhere.

This one was definitely made even more interesting with the current situation of the astronauts stranded in space. Recommended.
]]> 3.89 2023
author: Samantha Harvey
name: Kelly (and the Book Boar)
average rating: 3.89
book published: 2023
rating: 4
read at: 2024/12/03
date added: 2024/12/03
shelves: cover-love, liburrrrrry-book, read-in-2024, smort
review:
Oh look at me . . . .



Ha! Y’all know that’s a bunch of crap and that I literally only read this because it won The Booker Prize in order to pretend like I don’t read 99% trash for the remainder of the year.

Good news is, you don’t have to be a smarty farty to understand this one and it’s surprisingly hypnotic. The story here is of six astronauts in the space station. Their one day will amount to Earth’s sixteen and while one crew member is mourning a personal loss, portions of the world below prepare for a natural disaster. Connections between persons on the blue planet and one in space are fleshed out and the writing is phenomenal . . . .

Our lives here are inexpressibly trivial and momentous at once . . . Both repetitive and unprecedented. We matter greatly and not at all. To reach some pinnacle of human achievement only to discover that your achievements are next to nothing and that to understand this is the greatest achievement of any life, which itself is nothing, and also much more than everything. Some metal separates us from the void; death is so close. Life is everywhere, everywhere.

This one was definitely made even more interesting with the current situation of the astronauts stranded in space. Recommended.

]]> 207681036 Told in alternating timelines, The Lake of Lost Girls is a haunting novel that will thrill fans of All Good People Here and We Are All the Same in the Dark.

Using suspenseful podcast clips to weave a twisty tale of a missing student and her sister who is desperate for answers, The Lake of Lost Girls is perfect for fans of I Have Some Questions for You.

It's 1998, and female students are going missing at Southern State University in North Carolina. But freshman Jessica Fadley, once a bright and responsible student, is going through her own struggles. Just as her life seems to be careening dangerously out of control, she suddenly disappears.

Twenty-four years later, Jessica's sister Lindsey is desperately searching for answers and uses the momentum of a new chart-topping true crime podcast, Ten Seconds to Vanish, that focuses on the cold cases, to guide her own investigation. Soon, interest reaches fever pitch when the bodies of the long-missing women begin turning up at a local lake, which leads Lindsey down a disturbing road of discovery.

In the present, one sister seeks to untangle a complicated web of lies.
In the past, the other descends ever deeper into a darkness that will lead to her ultimate fate.

This propulsive and chilling suspense is a sharp examination of sisterhood and the culture of true crime.]]> 317 Katherine Greene 1639109099 Kelly (and the Book Boar) 4 this story is the beginning of a dark and twisted journey into the disappearance, and possible murder, of a girl at uni in the late 90s and its likely link to the disappearances of three other young women, all students at Southern State University in Mt. Randall, North Carolina



^^^Actual footage of me the entire time I was reading this one. (I have since toned down the bleachiness of my hair color, however.)

If you are like me and addicted to all things true crime and the Lifetime TV caliber of stabby stabbies involving missing women, then this should be HIGHLY satisfying for you.

I’m eight gazillion reviews behind, so just trust me on this. I liked the “mixed media�� snippets involving social media posts and the podcast �� and the writing, pacing and ending (although it’s not a super big shocker) made me fly through this in one sitting. I’ll definitely pick up The Woods Are Waiting.
]]> 3.94 2024
author: Katherine Greene
name: Kelly (and the Book Boar)
average rating: 3.94
book published: 2024
rating: 4
read at: 2024/12/03
date added: 2024/12/03
shelves: don-t-care-how-i-want-i-now, lifetime-stabby-stabs-for-women, liburrrrrry-book, read-in-2024, whodunit
review:
this story is the beginning of a dark and twisted journey into the disappearance, and possible murder, of a girl at uni in the late 90s and its likely link to the disappearances of three other young women, all students at Southern State University in Mt. Randall, North Carolina



^^^Actual footage of me the entire time I was reading this one. (I have since toned down the bleachiness of my hair color, however.)

If you are like me and addicted to all things true crime and the Lifetime TV caliber of stabby stabbies involving missing women, then this should be HIGHLY satisfying for you.

I’m eight gazillion reviews behind, so just trust me on this. I liked the “mixed media�� snippets involving social media posts and the podcast �� and the writing, pacing and ending (although it’s not a super big shocker) made me fly through this in one sitting. I’ll definitely pick up The Woods Are Waiting.

]]> 221098864
The New York Times bestselling author of The Next Mrs. Parrish delivers another spellbinding story of betrayal and deceit in this audiobook original, Everybody Is a Liar.

When Julie Buckley, a successful mystery writer, suspects her husband of cheating, she turns to her best friend, Darby, for advice. When Darby suggests couples therapy, Julie and Oliver find themselves discussing Oliver’s betrayal with their new therapist, Liza. Liza is competent and reassuring, and her advice and Oliver’s openness to change seem to be helping the couple rebuild their relationship.

But when murder strikes in this small Connecticut town, Liza begins to worry there is a connection between Oliver and another one of her patients and the confidences they have shared with her become the key to solving the murder. As Liza digs deeper, she comes to believe that everybody is a liar.]]> Liv Constantine Kelly (and the Book Boar) 2
If you are like me and have a hard time following a plot via audiobook, but absolutely CANNOT be left alone with only your own head while exercising/cooking/cleaning/working/whatever �� then this one might be for you. It’s 100% predictable and terribly written, but got me through my walk when it was nineteen degrees outside, so it did its job.
]]> 3.43
author: Liv Constantine
name: Kelly (and the Book Boar)
average rating: 3.43
book published:
rating: 2
read at: 2024/12/03
date added: 2024/12/03
shelves: audio, liburrrrrry-book, read-in-2024, walkin-and-talkin
review:


If you are like me and have a hard time following a plot via audiobook, but absolutely CANNOT be left alone with only your own head while exercising/cooking/cleaning/working/whatever �� then this one might be for you. It’s 100% predictable and terribly written, but got me through my walk when it was nineteen degrees outside, so it did its job.

]]> 196915235 Every serial killer needs a friend.
Every game must have a winner.

When a chance encounter sparks an unlikely bond between rival murderers Sloane and Rowan, the two find something elusive—the friendship of a like-minded, pitch-black soul. From small town West Virginia to upscale California, from downtown Boston to rural Texas, the two hunters collide in an annual game of blood and suffering, one that pits them against the most dangerous monsters in the country. But as their friendship develops into something more, the restless ghosts left in their wake are only a few steps behind, ready to claim more than just their newfound love. Can Rowan and Sloane dig themselves out of a game of graves? Or have they finally met their match?

Butcher & Blackbird is the first book in the Ruinous Love Dark Romance trilogy of interconnected stand-alone dark romantic comedies. This dual POV novel ends on a HEA.]]> 355 Brynne Weaver Kelly (and the Book Boar) 2


The premise, however, of two killers who hunt serial killers as a hobby was enough to get me intrigued so I decided to give it a whirl. It was fun and fresh for a bit, but once the smexies started I started skimming because clearly this was just an excuse for . . .



And an overuse of all the squicky “C�� words with an ending that hinted around about a brother and the best friend which will surely be featured in their own bang session in a future book.

Meh.]]> 4.13 2023
author: Brynne Weaver
name: Kelly (and the Book Boar)
average rating: 4.13
book published: 2023
rating: 2
read at: 2024/12/02
date added: 2024/12/03
shelves: crunken-love, curse-you-bookstagram, erotic-friend-fiction, everyone-loved-it-but-me, im-a-lemming, liburrrrrry-book, read-in-2024, super-meh, the-great-white-hype
review:
This one apparently was a BookTok viral sensation, so you know what that means . . . .



The premise, however, of two killers who hunt serial killers as a hobby was enough to get me intrigued so I decided to give it a whirl. It was fun and fresh for a bit, but once the smexies started I started skimming because clearly this was just an excuse for . . .



And an overuse of all the squicky “C�� words with an ending that hinted around about a brother and the best friend which will surely be featured in their own bang session in a future book.

Meh.
]]> 204316960 A witty, warmhearted novel about coming to terms with grief, taking a chance on unexpected connections, and finding family in time for the holidays.

For wedding singer Mel Hart, the holidays have always retained a certain magic. Her mother, Connie, always managed to pull off spectacular Santa hijinx that convinced Mel to keep believing in Santa way longer than other kids. Those moments meant everything to Mel because the rest of the year, life was unpredictable because of her mother’s alcohol use.

But two weeks before Christmas, Mel gets a call from the hospital: her mother has died.

Then a woman shows up on Mel's doorstep, claiming to be Connie's estranged best friend, promising to tell Mel a different narrative—one in which Connie was almost a famous country music star, if only a man hadn't gotten in the way. Instead of spending Christmas alone in her dead mother's house, Mel agrees to stay with Barb for the holidays, finding herself in the middle of Barb's complicated family and uncovering secrets while fighting an attraction to Barb’s in-the-middle-of-a-divorce son. As Christmas approaches, Mel reckons with how little she knew about her mother's past while reexamining her own future.

A Home for the Holidays is a moving exploration of complicated grief, mother-daughter relationships, loving someone with addiction, and the redemptive power of opening one's heart to love in all its forms.]]> 256 Taylor Hahn 0593470702 Kelly (and the Book Boar) 0 currently-reading 3.80 2024
author: Taylor Hahn
name: Kelly (and the Book Boar)
average rating: 3.80
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/12/01
shelves: currently-reading
review:

]]> 19101333
When a group of friends decided to spend a day at the world's largest Drive-In theater horror fest, they expected to see tons of bloody murders, rampaging madmen, and mayhem—but only on the screen. As a mysterious force traps all the patrons inside the Drive-In, the worst in humanity comes out. Filled with Lansdale's razor whit and black humor, The Drive-In is a darkly humorous masterpiece!]]> 494 Joe R. Lansdale Kelly (and the Book Boar) 0 3.67
author: Joe R. Lansdale
name: Kelly (and the Book Boar)
average rating: 3.67
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/11/29
shelves:
review:

]]>