August: What I Read

Oh, August. I loved you in so many ways, but reading? Not one of them, despite my productivity in that space. I was underwhelmed by Jane Harper, Riley Sager, Kate Alice Marshall, Lisa Gardner, and Lisa Jewell this month.  But! I was proud of myself for scoring ALL OF THEM via the library! Sometimes on the DAY THEY CAME OUT EVEN. ALL ON LIBBY as either ebooks or audio reads. Talk about an old lady flex!

And. You guys. It pains me to say this, but I was also disappointed by my very favorite author in the entire world, Richard Russo. His new books was... not my favorite. I bought that one ahead of time so it would e on my Kindle the second it came into the world, and it just... was not the best.

(I have the new Liane Moriarty on my Kindle from Libby right now-- came to me ON PUB DAY you guys I am killing the library holds game.)

Here's the month in books from worst to best, with stats compiled at the end:

📱The Heartbreak Hotel by Ellen O'Clover: Why was I on the waitlist for this for so long?

📚🥳 Clutch by Emily Nemens: I wanted to like best friends dramZ book, but there was so much telling and so little showing. Or dialog. Many sentences that started with AND SO

🎧🥳Anatomy of an Alibi by Ashely Elston: I DNF'd this thriller on paper but then thought I'd try the audio book. It was... fine?

📱🥳The Unknown by Riley Sager: This is the second one of his scary books that I have NOT LIKED. 

🎧🥳The Girls Before by Kate Alice Marshall: Liked but did not love this thriller.

📱🥳The Last One Out by Jane Harper: She does such a good job of describing late stage capitalism and small scale social collapse and making the environment a sinister character. Lover her.

📚🥳Cleanup on Aisle Five: Essential Work, Poverty Wages, and the View from Behind the Supermarket Register by Ann Larson: Listen, she is no Barbara Ehrenreich, but I liked this one and liked talking about it with NGS even more.

📚🥳The Divorce by Freida McFadden: Yep. No notes.

📚🥳Transcription by Ben Lerner: I like a book that I have to read slowly and think about. SOMETIMES.

🎧🥳It Could Have Been Her by Lisa Jewell: I have not been a fan of her last 2 books, but this one was good.

📱🥳Look What You Made Me Do by John Lancaster: Ooooh, you should read this one.

📚🥳Arrivals and Departures by Amanda Eyre Ward: This was charming and delightful-- I really like this author.

📱🥳Famesick by Lena Dunham: I have mixed feelings about this book, but it made it to the top-ish of the list in a meh reading month.

📱🥳Under the Falls by Richard Russo: This book! It featured some of his perfectly flawed people and some snatches of the dialog I love so much, but it was a weird plot for him, and the emotional parts just did not land for me. I wanted to love it though.

📚🥳Ghost Town by Tom Perrotta: This was quick and fun but also sad-- recommend. 

📱🥳Into the Blue by Emma Brodie: This was extremely long. I liked it, but imagine if it were like 150 pages shorter.

🎧🥳 You'll Be Sorry by Lisa Gardner: I liked this better than the Frankie Elkin series but not as well as the DD Warren books. But! I do really like her. Gardner, Slaughter, and Cornwall are my thriller faves. Plus Louise Penny.

🎧🥳The Secrets We Hide by Karin Slaughter: YES I sure do love this Sara-Linton-free new series.

February: What I Read

Fourteen pretty good reads this month, you guys, listed from least favorite to the BOOK! OF! THE! MOOOOOOONTH!!!

 📱The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton: Love NG's book club and all the work she does to make our discussions happen. Hated this book. And! I am GLAD that I have a big bare sport where my knowledge of writers from this time should be because I do not like.

📗Other People's Fun by Harriet Lane: Liked but did not love this weird, spare little book. Lovely flawed characters, but it did not engage me fully. I would have DNF'd but it was very slim, so I stuck it out.

🥳📱Her Beautiful Life by Brianna Labuskes: This trad wife influencer thriller was an Amazon first read, and I loved the plot and only sort of liked the execution.

📗The Good Life: Lessons from the World's Longest Study on Happiness by Marc Shultz and Robert Waldniger: I had no idea that Harvard has been running a happiness study for decades (generations, even), and this book was totally fascinating.

📗 The Intruder by Freida McFadden: SO FUN YOU GUYS-- her twists are so silly. Also I say so fun, but it was actually a really harrowing story, so...

📗I'm That Girl: Living the Power of my Dreams by Jordan Stiles: This was a Lisa pick and a perfect one to read during Olympics month.

🎧The Widow by John Grisham: I was just sucked all the way in and hated the ending a bit but was still wildly entertained. I haven't gone down the Grisham road in decades, and this was fun.

📗I Hope This Finds You Well by Natalie Sue: I LOVED THIS-- very sweet and funny. I knew from Enige and Nicole's bad reviews that this one would land for me.

📗The Story of a Heart by Rachel Clarke: I tore through this Lisa pick and SOBBED. Then Cooper (who is toying with wanting to be a pediatric cardiologist) tore through it right after me-- so good!

🎧The Road to Tender Hearts by Annie Harnett: Oh boy did I love this book! So funny and sweet-- I definitely cried at the end.

🎧The Girls Who Grew Big by Leila Motley: THIS BOOK! Was beautiful and heartbreaking and triumphant-- loved it.

🥳📗 The Storm by Rachel Hawkins: I got this from the library the same week it came out. MAJOR OLD LADY COUPE. It started slow, but then I loved it, like I love all of her books.

🥳📱 Dear Debbie by Freida McFadden: If you loved Serial Mom (my fave 90s movie), then you will also love this.

🥳📱This Is Not About Us by Allegra Goodman: LOVED this one-- character driven, everyone is flawed, funny and also touching-- all the boxes I need to have checked. 

I wanted to read 20, and I only actually read 14. But still! Some really good ones, and, thank to setting a goal of reading a book a week on my Kindle, I am actually DOING IT!! Yay!

January: What I Read

 

SO MANY AUDIO BOOKS THIS MONTH YOU GUYS because I have been in Avonlea. I bought 6 of the Anne books in a bundle and then had to buy Anne of Windy Poplars a la carte and will be treating myself to Anne of Ingleside as soon as I am done with Anne's House of Dreams. Ingleside and Windy Poplars were written after the others, so they are not in the common domain and not usually included with Green Gables, Avonlea, The Island, Rainbow Valley, and Rilla of Ingleside. I didn't even count the 5.5 I have finished in my total this month, but I am happy to say that I eliminated about 80% of my doomscrolling and replaced it with Anne and Kids Baking Challenge.

Because! The world is fairly horrible to engage with right now. I mean-- if you think domestic politics are horrifying, just peek at foreign relations for a second, and you are going to need smelling salts. Besides Avolnea and the intense inward focus of a good yoga practice, the only thing that makes me feel better is my favorite protest chant which is my sort of rosary these days-- the people united can never be defeated.

(Also, if you are also bereft at the death of Catherine O'Hara, I suggest a little Waiting for Guffman and also THIS episode of Wiser Than Me, which is really a podcast you ought to listen to anyway.)

ANYWAY. MY JANUARY READS in order form least to most favorite. Also! I have moved to  Storygraph, and I only have like 3 friends, so plz join me.

All the Living and the Dead by Hayley Campbell: This was weird, and I liked it a lot-- a general overview of death and dying and our cultural rituals. **audio

Everyone in the Group Chat Dies by LM Chilton: I liked this well enough to finish it, but only just. **kindle

Bad Tourists by Caro Carver: A decent thriller. **audio

Greenwich by Kate Broad: A great, quick read. **kindle

The Wedding Witch by Erin Sterling: She is also Rachel Hawkins, and she smells as sweet by either name. **audio

A Long Game: Notes on Writing Fiction by Elizabeth McCracken: I love these kinds of books on the craft of writing, and this one is particularly good.

Aint't Nobody's Fool: The Life and Times of Dolly Parton by Martha Ackman: This was terrific, and the pictures in the middle were fabulous. Dolly Parton is our generation's Mozart.

Murder Takes a Vacation by Laura Lippman: YES. Read this. Charming and delightful.

This Land Is Your Land: A Road Trip Through US History by Beverly Gage: You had to figure a book about the US as told through our geography by a Pulitzer-Prize-winning Yale historian would be awesome-- and you would be right. **2026

The Last Session by Julia Bartz: This was weird and wild-- a great thriller to pass the time. **audio

Yearbook by Seth Rogan: We listened in the car on the way home from HH, and it was hilarious. **audio

A Marriage at Sea: A True Story of Love, Obsession, and Shipwreck by Sophie Elmhirst: THIS IS WILD. Ben and I would have died almost instantly. Def within the first 3 hours. **audio

 There Is no Place for Us: Working and Homelessness in America by Brian Goldstone: YES YOU SHOULD READ THIS RIGHT NOW. I think it is better than Evicted, and that book was great. Really hits home the lingering effects of the panny.

Fun for the Whole Family by Jennifer E Smith: Oh, please treat yourself to this family saga. Lauren Graham reads the audiobook, and I definitely cried. **audio

The Irish Goodbye by Heather Aimee O'Neill: LOVED THIS-- definitely for fans of Mary Beth Keene. **kindle

Dog Show by Billy Collins: My brother sent me this poetry collection, and I adored it so much I helped Jack cut it into an 8-minute program for poetry reading on his speech team. **2026

Inhale, Exhale by Nicole MacPherson: YOU GUYS. This book is every bit as wonderful as you have known it was going to be from the first second you heard it was coming into the world. **2026 **kindle

November: What I Read

 Spoiler: I read mostly blogs! And! I loved them. It was a delight to read about your lives, and I feel so grateful for this wonderful blogging community. I did not comment as much as I should have, but I read everything in my feedly every day-- what a joy. I will miss opening that tab and seeing so many unread posts.

When the Body Says No by Gabor Mate: The idea of this book is fascinating, but the book itself left a little to be desired. *Audio

Shred Sisters by Betsy Lerner: This was funny and sweet, and I think I meant to read it last year but have been on a Libby hold forever **Audio

The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan: I loved this although the CBBC had mixed reviews. *Kindle

Mother Daughter Murder Night by Nina Simon: This was adorable, and I loved it. *Audio

Happy Wife by Meredith Lavender: This was a rare Read with Jenna that disappointed. **2025

Mean Moms by Emma Rosenblum: Loved this. She is a fun read all the time-- so gossipy and clever. I still laugh a little when I think of Pippins Cottage Home and our visit to Hill House Home last summer *2025

Abundance by Ezra Klein and Derek Thompson: I really liked this. The tl;dr is WE NEED MORE HOUSES, but I loved the variety of historical examples and the smart but still approachable commentary. *kindle *2025

Count My Lies by Sophie Stava: This was a great twisty thriller with fun characters. *Audio

The Names by Florence Knapp: Suzanne mentioned that she was reading this, so I snagged it from the walk in section at my library and devoured it while the girls were at dance-- SO GOOD YOU GUYS. *2025

The Black Wolf by Louise Penny: Oh yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! I got into these books when Minnie was tiny and would only sleep in the Ergo and I walked and walked and walked around my neighborhood 3 times a day. I love this series more than any other. **2025 **Audible

BTM 10

Book books: 3

Kindle books: 2

Audio books: 5

2025 books: 6

BTY 167

Book books: 87

Kindle books: 15

Audio books: 71

2025 books: 109

October: What I Read

 Turns out that listening to scary audio books (even by fave authors) and jogging solo before the sun comes up DO NOT MIX for me, even in a spooky month (especially in a spooky month?). As you can see from the list below, though, I made it work

Skippable

The Bachelorette Party by Camilla Sten: Meh *2025

Such a Good Mom by Julia Spiro: A quick read while Minnie was at gymnastics. *2025

Meditations for Mortals by Oliver Burkeman: I liked him better in his other book and also on Before Breakfast.

The First Gentleman by Bill Clinton and James Patterson: Meh. But a quick and entertaining meh. *2025

Stop me if You've Heard This One by Kristen Arnett: This book needed a better editor. *2025 **Audio

Good Reads

Tranquility by Tuesday by Laura Vanderkam: SO MANY good tips and gentle reframing nudges-- loved this! *Audio

107 Days by Kamala Harris: Read by the author! *2025 **Audio

Don't Let Him In by Lisa Jewell: Her last couple have not satisfied me, but this one was TERRIFIC. Too creepy for early AM exercise listening, though *2025 **Audio

Sharp Force by Patricia Cornwell: This is the 29th Kay Scarpetta book, and I have read EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THEM, and I am TIRED of Cornwell making up characters from Kay's past to suddenly be prominent in her life. I have known Dr. Scarpetta for THIRTY YEARS and I would remember these GD people if they were really important. Still, it was creepy and well plotted, per usual. *2025 **Audio

Better Reads

Katabasis by RF Kuang: This is my least favorite of hers, but it was still really good. Academia is hell. Noted. **2025 **Kindle

The Impossible Fortune by Richard Osman: The gang is BACK! Loved it. *2025 **Audio

Vera, or Faith by Gary Shteyngart: THIS IS LOVELY and sad and funny-- a weird child narrator, and the author does a pitch perfect job of explaining the world through her eyes. **2025

BOTY Potential

Actress of a Certain Age by Jeff Hiller: Loved him in Somebody Somewhere; loved this book. He reads it, and it is hilarious. *2025 *Audio

Culpability by Bruce Holsinger: THIS IS SO GOOD!! **2025 *Kindle

Wreck by Catherine Newman: The most perfect book about middle age. (Read Sandwich first.) **2025 **Kindle 

The Correspondent by Virginia Evans: OH WOW. I THINK THIS IS THE BOOK OF THE YEAR. **2025 *Kindle

BTM 16

Book books: 5

Kindle books: 4

Audio books: 7

2025 books: 15

BTY 157

Book books: 84

Kindle books: 13

Audio books: 66

2025 books: 103

September: What I Read

I read some good books this month-- and some real stinkers (Elizabeth Gilbert I am looking at you. Seriously, I disliked this book so much I stopped following her on IG, even).

My top book this month is, perhaps, my BOOK OF THE YEAR (although there are some excellent reads still to be published this final quarter, and the Booker Prize longlist books are excellent)

Random snap of one week's ambitious TBR (and then I got Katabasis on my kindle and returned the hard copy-- I am getting the hang of my Libby Kindle requests!!)

Here's the list from worst to best:

BAD

All the Way to the River by Elizabeth Gilbert: No thank you. **2025

MEH

Tilda Is Visible by Jane Tara: A bit heavy-handed with the metaphor. **2025

The Life Cycle of the Common Octopus by Emma Knight: Liked this but did not love it. *Audio **2025

The Paradise Problem by Christina Lauren: Cute but very very very predictable. **KINDLE

My Friends by Fredrik Backman: I usually love him, but this was too Hallmark movie for me. **2025

The Guncle by Steven Rowley: Liked it so much, I snagged the sequel immediately. But then I listened to one million podcasts instead of it... *Audio

Home of the American Circus by Allison Larkin: I liked this, but I would have liked it 100 pages lighter, too. **2025

Original Sin: President Biden's Decline, Its Cover-Up, and His Disastrous Choice to Run Again by Jake Tapper and Alex Thompson: YIKES YOU GUYS. *Audio **2025

Sounds Like Love by Ashley Poston: This was sweet and sad and cute. I liked it! *2025

You should read these if you haven't already

Off the Clock: Feel Less Busy While Getting More Done by Laura Vanderkam: This was fascinating and made me want to read everything she's written. *Audio

I Know How She Does It: How Successful Women Make the Most of  Their Time by Laura Vanderkam: This was terrific-- I loved all of the advice and the reframe. I do have time to do the things that matter to me. If I don't have time, then maybe if was not a real priority. *Audio

I'll Follow You by Charlene Wang: DARK. LOVED IT. **2025 **KINDLE (Amazon First Read-- these are rarely awesome, but this one is).

Life and Art: Essays by Richard Russo: There is a whole essay where he talks about writing Straight Man (my favorite book ever written) and the character of Hank Devereaux (my favorite character in all of literature), and I was RIVETED. **2025

THESE ARE REALLY REALLY GOOD

Maggie; or a Man and a Woman Walk Into a Bar by Katie Yee: THIS IS WONDERFUL. A BOTY contender for sure-- great story, wonderful narrator, funny and sad-- loved it. *KINDLE **2025

Flashlight by Susan Choi: Booker Prize longlist book-- so good. Sad, harrowing funny-- thick. A delight. Not a pool book, though, but that's where I read it. **2025

I'll Come to You by Rebecca Kauffman: This is one of the best books I have read this year-- such a simple plot but such wonderful characters. I highly recommend it. (Also the cover was not appealing to me, so I checked it out and didn't read it and then re-requested it and did';t read it and then finally listened to it). *Audio **2025

Stats

BTM 16

Book books: 7

Kindle books: 3

Audio books 6

2025 books: 11

BTY 140

Book books: 79

Kindle books: 9

Audio books: 59

2025 books: 88

August: What I Read

Fine, but not my faves

16.  The Call To Serve: The Life of an American President, George Herbert Walker Bush: A Visual Biography by John Meacham: This was definitely a coffee table book that we listened to in the car (only 3 hours long!), but we liked it a lot. **Audio

15. The PLAN: Manage Your Time Like a Lazy Genius by Kendra Adachi: This was really helpful to read before my September planning date with Jack

14. The Tenant by Freida McFadden: Delightfully awful. **2025

13. We All Live Here by Jojo Moyes: This was adorable. **Audio **2025

12. Sunny Side Up by Katie Sturino: This is SO CUTE and a good antidote to the usual diet culture pablum. **2025

11. With a Vengeance by Riley Sager: This is my least favorite Sager book ever, but also, it is an interesting Murder on the Orient Express kind of clever little experiment. Liked it, eventually.

10. Run for the Hills by Kevin Wilson: Charming, but the plot was really far fetched. **2025

Getting Better

9. You Like it Darker by Stephen King: He is SO good at short stories. **Audio

8. How To Lose Your Mother by Erica Jong-Fast: This is terrific, and you should read it. **2025 

7. The Swimmers by Julie Otsuka: I loved this-- you should read it. **Audio

6.The Woman in Suite 11 by Ruth Ware: I didn't even know I had been waiting for this sequel, but I guess I WAS! **2025

BOTY maybes

5. Consider Yourself Kissed by Jessica Stanley: I loved this story about an unconventional marriage -- the pandemic is a huge part of this book, so avoid it if this bothers you in novels **2025

4. Heartwood by Amity Gaige: This is a great read-- some suspense, great characters-- loved it. **2025

3. Audition by Katie Kitamura: WOW-- this book is great/disconcerting. The narrative just changes mid way through in a way that made me question the idea of performance and the roles all of us play in our lives that are dictated by circumstance. And my reading comprehension for a hot second there. Liked it a lot. **Booker prize longlist **2025

2. We Are All Guilty Here by Karin Slaughter: A new Karin Slaughter SERIES!!! AND there's no Sara Linton! Kathleen Early reads the audio book-- love her, too! **2025 **audio

1. The Compound by Aisling Rawle: I could not pout this down. Reality TV meets Lord of the Flies-- so good-- perfect pool read. **2025

STATS

BTM 16

Book books: 9

Kindle books 0

Audio books 7

2025 books: 12

BTY 128

Book books: 72

Kindle books: 3

Audio books: 53

2025 books: 76

I am going to miss this reading view

June: What I Read

 

What was this doing on my holds list?

Two Sides to Every Murder by Danielle Valentine

Good-- not great-- reads

Parents Weekend by Alex Finlay: Some flaws, but largely super entertaining. **2025 **Audio

The Love Haters by Katherine Center: Very contrived. **2025

The Let Them Theory by Mel Robbins: Not rocket science but some solid advice here.

All That Life Can Afford by Emily Everett: I felt like I already knew this plot. **2025

Retreat by Krysten Ritter: A good poolside thriller. **2025

All the Other Mothers Hate Me by Sarah Harman: The terrible main character eventually gets un-terrible. I liked this one a lot, it turns out. **2025 **Audio

BOTY contenders:

The River Is Waiting by Wally Lamb: We listened to this on our way home from South Carolina, and it is SO SAD. We googled reviews, largely agreed with them, and liked the book anyway. **2025 **Audio

King of Ashes by S.A. Crosby: Loved this one. Thrilling! Well written! Great characters! Some Harry Crews vibes. LOVED. **2025

The Strange Case of Jane O. by Karen Thompson Walker: Oh this is so good. It made me think a ton about memory and the fever dream that Covid seems to be in the rearview mirror. **2025

Never Flinch by Stephen King: I love Holly Gibney. **2025 **Audio

Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid: Ahhhhhhh, yesssssss. **2025

STATS

BTM 12

Book books: 7

Kindle books 0

Audio books 5

2025 books: 10

BTY 99

Book books: 56

Kindle books: 3

Audio books: 40

2025 books: 54

September: What I Read

SO many GOOD BOOKS this month! I just LOVE a new Karin Slaughter. And! God of the Woods was as good as everyone said it would be. PLUS the new Rainbow Rowell is AMAZING and I loved every single word.

Here's the tl;dr:

You can skip these

Mad Love by Wendy Walker: NOPE. I was between library holds and out of Audible credits and all caught up on Pod Save America, so... **Audio 

The Summer Pact by Emily Giffin: ALSO NOPE. It’s a bummer because I used to LOVE her.**2024

Briefly, Perfectly Human by Alua Arthur: I wanted less memoir and more stories from being a death doula, honestly. **Audio **2024

Pretty good reads

Interesting Facts About Space by Emily Austin: Is it harsh to say this is an Eleanor Oliphant wannabe? Liked it, but not as much  as most people. **2024

Everyone in my Family Has Killed Someone by Benjamin Stevenson: I mean. I don’t know. This was a DNF for me on Kindle, but I thought I’d like it better as an audiobook. I did like it better, but I did not love it. I requested the next one ad the random bonus Christmas one, though. **Audio

The Rom-Commers by Katherine Center: Solid meh on this romance. **2024

 The List by Yomi Adegoke: I read this over a couple of lunches at my desk because I was in the office more than usual observing TAs teaching, and it was a quick, fun read.

Like Mother, Like Daughter by Kimberly McCreight: Meh. This thriller was ok and a quick read. I really like this author, so maybe my expectations were inflated.**2024

Now we’re getting somewhere

The Unwedding by Ally Condie: Suspenseful but also sweet and with characters I really liked. **2024 **Audio

Pete and Alice in Maine by Caitlin Shetterly: I really liked this and admired the writing so much, but WHAT FREAKING BUMMER. I was so bothered by the end. Nicole warned me, but I dug in anyway. **2024

Middle of the Night by Riley Sager: Serious Stephen King vibes — I liked this a lot. **2024

By Any Other Name by Jodi Picoult: I liked this a lot. I am a Picoult stan, though, and it's not as good as the elephant one. **2024

Yesssssssss

God of the Woods by Liz Moore: LOVED THIS SO MUCH. What a great story! What awesome characters! HOW SAD! Lisa recommended it, and she was right! **2024

This is Why We Lied by Karin Slaughter: I LOVE to listen to Kathleen Early read Karin Slaughter to me. This book was GREAT even though there was lots of Sara Linton over explaining everything and ruining Will’s good time. She's a useful plot device, but that doesn't mean I like her very much. **2024 **Audio

Slow Dance by Rainbow Rowell: I loved this one. The dialog! The characters! It was funny and devastatingly sweet. About potential versus reality/being versus becoming/ promise versus settling. I LOVED IT. **2024

This month: 15 books

Audio books: 3

Real books: 12

2024 books: 12

This year: 125

Audio: 56

With my eyes: 69

Books published in 2024: 72

August: What I Read

 I could not focus on reading this month, try as I might— AND I DID TRY. We haven’t been in any kind of steady routine all month, and this has taken its toll on my habits and my general sense of well being.I also drank a lot— wine with Ben almost every night he was home— and this is SO unlike me and makes me not want to read myself to sleep. We watched The Office for the millionth time instead.

I even missed a bunch of popular holds (the new Katherine Center, Sandwich, and the new EMily Giffin) because I just forgot to go get them)

On the plus side, I stopped reading 2 books I didn’t like— but I stalled first. Baby steps.

ANYWAY. Here’s the list from best to worst.

9. Hairpin Bridge by Taylor Adams: This is an author I usually like a lot, but this one was just OK for me. A nice twist, but it was hard to get into. **Audio

8. No One Can Know by Kate Alice Marshall: Meh. Sort of got good, but this was a bit of a slog for me. **Audio **2024

7. House of Glass by Sarah Pekkanen: I wanted to really like this one. It was a BOTM, though, and I love making a dent in my pile. **2024

6. The Women by Kristin Hannah: Listen, this was schlock. If you want to read about Vietnam War nurses, you gotta read the play A Piece of my Heart by Shirley Lauro — waaaaaay better.  But! This book was another BOTM to check off the list.**2024

5. Drop Dead by Lily Chu: I like this author, and this romance was touching and cute. **Audio**2024

4. The Last Chance Library by Freya Sampson: Stephany recommended this as a palate cleanser, and it was really really cute and sweet. **Audio

3. Margo’s Got Money Troubles by Rufi Thorpe: Funny and touching and smart- liked to a bunch. Another BOTM, which means I only have 2 more on my stack!! Woo-hoo! **2024

2. Long Island Compromise by Taffy Brodesser-Akner: HILARIOUS and wonderful and you must read it! **2024

1. The Cliffs by J. Courtney Sullivan: I LOVED THIS SO MUCH. One of the best of the year. **2024 **Audio

This month: 9 books

Audio books: 5

Real books: 4

2024 books: 8

This year: 110

Audio: 54

With my eyes: 57

Books published in 2024: 60

June: What I Read

 The only complaint I have about vacation was that I barely had any time to read. I read one Kindle book on the way there and another on the way home. AND THAT WAS IT. No audiobooks. And! I was running low ANYWAY because graduation was a lot, and I barely had time to come up for air. Bah humbug. 

ANYWAY.

Here’s my (really fun) June lists in order from worst to best, like usual.

Gigi Listening by Chantel Guertin: I adored Instamom, but this one was not awesome for me. You can skip it.

The Inheritance Games by Jennifer Lynne Barnes: It took me far too long to realize this was YA, and I liked it a lot— it’sthe first in a series, so I will for sure be black for more. **Audio

Crown of Midnight by Sarah J Maas: This is solid as a second book in a series, and I am definitely in for more. **Audio

Bride by Ali Hazelwood: I really love her, but I definitely like her academic romances better than this vampire/werewolf romp. **Audio **2024

Darling Girls by Sally Hepworth: This is excellent! I really like all of her books, so I was expecting a winner, and she delivered. **2024

Kill for Me, Kill for You by Steve Cavenaugh: This wears so twist and engaging. I loved it. **audio **2024

My Murder by Katie Williams: THIS IS SO GOOD. **audio

This Summer Will Be Different by Carly Fortune: YES THIS IS DARLING. Believe the buzz.**Audio **2024

Jackpot Summer by Elyssa Friedland: I love her, and this sibs-win-the-lotto story is a delight. **2024

Murder Road by Simone St. James: She is a favorite writer of mine, and this book was SCARY. **2024 **audio

Invisible Woman by Katia Lief: I looooooved this one, didn’t see it on any lists, and just randomly grabbed it at the library because it has a pretty jacket (shut up). **2024

THE STATS

This month: 11 books

Audio books: 7

Real books: 4

2024 books: 7

This year: 82

Audio: 42

With my eyes: 40

Books published in 2024: 39

April: What I Read

 I have the sneaking suspicion that I actually read more books that I am able to list here and just forgot to note them on Goodreads and then they evaporated from my mind. And yes, I am worried about a potentially accelerated cognitive decline-- WHY DO YOU ASK?

Anyway, onto the tl;dr:

Least favorites

13. Outlining Your Novel: Map Your Way to Success by KM Weiland: Maybe any book about this would be un-fun to read?

12. Never Lie by Frieda McFadden: These books are terrible, and yet I keep listening to them? **audio**

11. The Surrogate Mother by Frieda McFadden: **hangs head in shame** **audio**

Liked but did not love these

10. Private Equity by Carrie Sun: Very gossipy and compelling-- a solid memoir. **2024

9. Bad Summer People by Emma Rosenblum: A very entertaining listen **audio**

8. Rebecca, Not Becky by Christina Platt and Catherine Wigginton Greene: School drama, mom drama, stereotypes galore! This was so fun to listen to. **audio**

7. Anita DeMonte Laughs Last by Xochitl Gonzalez: One of those rare books where I like both stories/timelines equally. **2024

6. She's Not Sorry by Mary Kubicka: Was this twisty or just full of plot holes and missing key details? HARD TO SAY WITH THIS AUTHOR. **2024

A BUNCH OF REALLY GOOD BOOKS OMG

5. Babel by RF Kuang: Well, after reading this and Yellowface, the common theme emerges clearly: WHITE WOMEN ARE THE FREAKING WORST. **audio

4. Just for the Summer by Abby Jimenez: YES-- the cutest romance-- loved it **2024 **audio

3. Bye, Baby by Carola Lovering: OH I LOVED THIS SO MUCH. A little Ingrid Goes West and a lot of friend drama. **2024**

2. Who's Afraid of Gender by Judith Butler: THIS WAS SO GREAT. I love that they went with a popular press as opposed to an academic one because they were able to be more conversational and to make more sweeping arguments than an academic press might allow. This is a GREAT book and spends such a lot of careful time unpacking what's going on with TERF as well as broader conservative movements, LOVED IT. **2024**

1. Annie Bot by Sierra Greer: Oh this weird, scary, funny, devastating little book! You should read it, **2024**

The stats

This month: 13 books

Audio: 6

Print or digital: 7

This year: 57

Audio: 28

With my eyes: 29

February: What I Read or 5 on a Friday: Book Categories (9/52)

I wanted to read more actual books than audiobooks in February, but the way I accomplished this was to barely read or listen. I mean, I know this looks like a lot of books, but I have SO MANY on my TBR pile and waiting for me on my Kindle. AND! A brand new Sarah J Maas on Audible. MUST. READ. MORE. BOOOOOOKS.

Titles I do not recommend

Losing Hope by Colleen Hoover: You can skip this romance for sure.

It. Goes. So. Fast by Mary Louise Kelly: I wanted to love this memoir about life and motherhood and empty nesting, but I just didn't, quite. 

Back list great ones-- BOTY, except not from this year.

Throne of Glass by Sarah J Maas: This author! Is a genius! So many complex fantasy worlds living in her head and just tumbling out fully formed. I am a fan. **Audio 

Go As a River by Shelley Read: This is terrific. May be a little more telling than showing, but I loved the main character, and she was so weird in her internal life that when she had normal interactions with people and when I was reminded that she, like, ran her own business, etc, I LOVED that we were really just learning about part of her through her thoughts. **Audio

2024 good reads

The Clinic by Cate Quinn: This was told from multiple POV but everyone sounded the same, which bothers me. Still-- fast-paced and twisty. **2024

Twenty Seven Minutes by Ashley Tate: A good, quick thriller. **2024

Northwoods by Amy Pease: I bought this with my audible credit thinking it was a different book with a similar name, but you know what? I liked it anyway. **Audio **2024

All Rhodes Lead Here by Mariana Zapata: This was a really delightful romance. **Audio **2024

Hard by a Great Forest by Leo Vardiashvlli: This is so great! I LOVED the Hansel and Gretel playfulness set against such a starkly sad and violent story. **2024

The Guest by BA Paris: My favorite kind of quick and serviceable thriller **2024

BOTY contenders

First Lie Wins by Ashley Elston: Ok, probably not one of the best books of the year, but my favorite thriller that I have read so far. **2024 **Audio

Wandering Stars by Tommy Orange: I loved this generational family saga that was so sparely written. That's Orange's genius for me-- he can zoom out and tell the story of a person's whole life in just a few pages, giving the reader just enough detail to feel like we can imagine everything. Then, in the next sentence, he zooms waaaaaay in, and we get a granular look at someone. And both styles advance the plot/argument. Love it. **2024

Martyr! by Kaveh Akbar: This is an ideal book club book, and I wish my IRL book club were reading it because I WANT TO KNOW WHAT EVERYONE ELSE THINKS. I really liked what this book made me think about. If you read it, let's talk.

Come and Get It by Kiley Reid: I loved Such a Fun Age, and this book is even better. The dialog! The characters! The absolute skewering of the world we live in! **2024

**chef's kiss**

THE STATS

This month: 14 books

5 Audio

9 Print/Kindle

10 books published in 2024

This year: 29

14 Audio

15 With my eyes

11 books published in 2024

January: What I Read

Dorothy’s TBR— I am here for it

It’s been a slow start to my reading year, and even though I have a whole stack of 2024 titles (even one that hasn’t really hit the shelves yet), I mainly floundered in the backlist and didn’t read with my eyes. 

Here’s howJanuary’s books break down:

NOPE (1):

Better Living Through Birding: Notes from a Black Man in the Natural World by Christian Cooper

Random Audio Books I Checked Out Because None of My Holds Were In (5):

1. You Shouldn't Have Come Here by Jeneva Rose: THIS WAS AWFUL YOU GUYS. So bad it was actually art, I think. **Audio
2. The Long Weekend by Gilly Macmillan:: Meh, but also not bad. **Audio
3. Confessions on the 7:45 by Lisa Unger: A perfectly serviceable thriller. **Audio
4. Maybe in Another Life by Taylor Jenkins Reid: Disturbingly, Good reads says I have already read this, but I have no memory of that LOL LOL LOL. Which really sums up the book. **Audio
5. Love Marriage by Monica Ali: Ok, this one was really excellent. Med student. Family dramZ. Funny. Great characters. **Audio

 Romantasy I  Lurved (2):

1. The House of Earth and Blood by Sarah J Maas: I was intrigued enough to keep reading the series
2. The House of Breath and Sky by Sarah J Maas: I did not like this one enough to continue with the series-- UNTIL THE LAST PAGES and now I cannot even wait!!

(I pre-ordered the one that came out on 1/30 on Audible-- I read the first one as a book book and the second one on Kindle, so I thought it would be interesting to switch up the mode for book 3.)

A Book by a College Friend (1):

The Happy Life of Isadora Bentley by Courtney Walsh: Walsh usually writes Christian romance which is not my thing, but this mainstream romance is darling, and I loved it.

Great Ones From 2023 That I Am Just Now Reading (5):

1. Momfluenced: Inside the Maddening, Picture-Perfect World of Mommy Inlfuencer Culture by Sara Louise Petersen: This was FASCINATING. The author does not have the academic chops to tackle some of the theory she'd like to use, but the book is perhaps a little too esoteric for a popular read-- this is such an awkward spot for a book to be in. Still, the subject is fascinating enough to carry the whole thing. Reading about her rich East coast IG feed made me think about my middle class Midwest one-- SO INTERESTING. **Audio
2. The Last Love Note by Emma Grey: This was delightful. I loved the characters, and the story was predictable but so sweet. 
3. Stay True by Hua Hsu: This memoir is incredible, and anyone who went to college in the 90s needs to read it for nostalgia alone.
4. The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store by James McBride: I could not get into this one in print, so I quit it and requested an audio copy via Libby-- LOVED IT. **Audio
5. The Covenant of Water by Abraham Verghese: The author reads all 31 hours of this audio book, and he is a gem. I loved this 3-generation family story, melodrama and all, and I cannot stop thinking of Baby Mol and Big Ammachi. **Audio

2024 Books!!!

Family Family by Laurie Frankel: Warning— Libby did not have this one for kindle (WHAT), so I had to read it on the Libby app, which would have been awful on my phone but was OK on my iPad. LOVED it, BTW. I didn’t realize how much until I was crying at the sappy ending.

STATS

Total: 15

Audio: 9

WITH MY EYES: 6

December: What I Read

 Nothing I read in December made my best list, but a few things came really close!!

The bad:

The River We Remember by William Kent Krueger: This was too mojo dojo casa house for me. **2023

In A Single Moment by Imogen Clark: I mean, this kept my attention, but it was not great. **audio

The pretty good:

The Rosewood Hunt by Mackenzie Reed: This was YA, but I didn't notice that at first, and once I did, I liked it better *2023

Wreck the Halls by Tessa Bailey: This was just OK for me **2023

I Will Find You by Harlan Coben: Same **2023 **kindle

No One Will Miss Her by Kat Rosenfield: Meh, but engorssing. ** audio

The plain old good:

The Paper Wasp by Laura Acampora: This was weird and dark, and I liked it alot. Also, Minnie's teacher recommended it, which makes me feel better about the whole preschool teacher murder book thing. **kindle

Unnatural Death by Patricia Cornwell: The 27th Kay Scarpetta was the best one in YEARS. **2023

A Likely Story by Leigh McMullen Abramson: One of those literary inside baseball books where you sort of hate everyone but root for them anyway. **2023

Check and Mate by Ali Hazelwood: I adore her grown-up books, and I also liked this YA read. **2023

The very good

Something Wild by Hanna Halperin: BEAUTIFUL! SO sad! Wonderful characters-- loved this one. **Audio

The Christmas Orphans Club by Becca Freeman: This was a delightful holiday romance **2023 **audio

The Other Mothers by Katherine Faulkner: Yes yes yes! Murderous moms! School dramZ! Marriage problems-- my fave. **2023 

The EXCELLENT

I Could Live Here Forever by Hanna Halperin: Oh wow. This is a devastating look at opioid addiction, and it is set in Madison, and the characters are grad students. I loved it so much I immediately bought her first book on Audible for cash money even though it’s a few years old, which is very out-of-character for me. **audio **2023

Wellness by Nathan Hill: Loved it! I couldn't tell if the way he got closer and then farther away from his characters as the narrator was just white middle class dude privilege or a literary choice, but I loved it anyway. **2023

This Month:

15 books

11 books published in 2023

7 print, 2 Kindle, 6 audio

This Year:

210 books

120 books published in 2023

113 print, 15 Kindle, and 82 audio

April: What I Read

2017 Reading Challenge for April

I was reading, and then someone invaded my space in the cutes possible way.

It's getting really hard for me to read 10 books a month to meet my Goodreads goal.  The last 3 I read this month were all really skinny, and I picked them because they're really skinny, which is a bad way to choose a book.  So bad, in fact, that it's a CULTURAL TRUISM to not judge a book by its cover.  I think I am just, um, over extended.

But!  Read 10 books I did, and some of them were EXCELLENT.

10 Spring Reads for April:

(maybe you can skip this one)

10.  The Index Card: Why Personal Finance Doesn't Have to be Complicated by Helaine Olan and Harold Pollack:  Look, I need to get my budgeting shit together, but I can't guarantee that this is going to be the book that does it for me., KWIM?

(these were pretty good, and you should think about them)

9.  The Princess Diarist by Carrie Fisher:  Fisher was a delightful writer, but I think the sad, sad timing of this one is what makes it really stand out.  

8.  The Magnolia Story by Chip and Joanna Gaines: I was prepared to hate this because I am always afraid to peer too far under the surface of iFixer Upper because I know I am going to find ideology I can't live with and have to stop watching, but you guys!  This book is charming and delightful and completely on-brand.

7.  Night Ocean by Paul La Farge:  Listen, all of the reviews say this is magical, and maybe I was just not paying enough attention, but for me, it was just meh.

(I love these because I am a fan anyway)

6.  The King's Cage by Victoria Aveyard:  OH MY GOODNESS!  I have been waiting a YEAR for the next installment of the Red Queen series, so you bet your bottom dollar (I really wanted to say your ass and stopped myself because it sounded so vulgar, but there you have it), I was going to love this book, even though is dragged for, um, say like 300 pages.  But still, the end was fab, and this is a series that would be an excellent waste of your time and I mean that in the best possible way.

5. Right Behind You by Lisa Gardner:  Lisa Gardner thrillers (The Detective DD Warren series, specifically) saved my life when I had postpartum insomnia when Harry was 4 months old and I thought I would never sleep again.  As a rule, her books are smart and engaging and scary and really easy to read.  This one is not the very best of the bunch, but I am a sucker for a news Lisa Gardener, so.

4.  Bad Feminist by Roxanne Gay: YES.  THIS BOOK.  YES.  I pretty much love all of her stuff, so I knew I would like this, but I bet you will, too.  She talks about herself, about pop culture, and about what's wrong with contemporary feminism and how we fix it.  Loved it.

(get these RIGHT NOW)

3.  Another Brooklyn by Jacqueline Woodson:  This book is perfectly spare and lovely-- not one extra word in the whole thing.  And you can probably read it in one sitting, which is a huge bonus in my book.

2.  The Impossible Fortress by Jason Rekulak:  I am not usually a huge fan of male authors or protagonists, but this book is WONDERFUL.  It;s set in the 80s and is about 14 year-old kids who are video game designers-- it's a perfect little coming-of-age story.

1.  Our Short History by Lauren Grodstein:  I cannot describe this book to you without making you think it is maudlin, but it is NOT maudlin, so follow the link and then buy this book or get it from your library right now.  It's terrific.

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