Life

April was a good month for reading. I started a new series (I never read series) and even read a five-star book. I don’t give out five-star reviews regularly, so when I do, you know I mean it.

And I suppose this begs the question what makes a five-star book? So glad you asked! A five-star book (that’s a perfect Goodreads score FYI) is one that’s really well done for its genre. It’s also one that I think about for a good while after finishing it.

The Girl Before by J.P. Delaney • ⭐️⭐️⭐️

If you’re a fan of domestic thrillers, pick this book up. The Girl Before trades off between Emma and Jane, two women that rented a smart home at different times. Both women moved into the house after undergoing trauma and both seem to have a lot in common.

It was a speedy book that I got through in less than a week. And while I did find it compelling and wanted to find out what happened, it’s definitely not for the faint of heart. I’d say there are a lot of triggers here, so please tread carefully.

This being said, you might like The Girl Before if you enjoy books by B.A. Paris.

Get a Life, Chloe Brown by Talia Hibbert • ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Before last year, I never really read a lot of rom-com-ish books. But after picking up The City Baker’s Guide to Country Living last year, I found these reads (and listens) really satisfying, especially during stressful times. I mean, I love a good thriller, but sometimes you want something to soothe and uplift instead of terrify.

Anyways, Hibbert’s title Act Your Age, Eve Brown was what initially attracted me to the series. However, since Eve’s story is part three of three, I figured I’d start at the beginning with Chloe.

Chloe is the oldest of the Brown sisters and is not looking for love. Of course, though, she meets a handsome but slightly aggravating neighbor. This read was quick, breezy and cute.

Take a Hint, Dani Brown by Talia Hibbert • ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

So quick, breezy and cute, in fact, that I instantly downloaded the second book in this three-part series.

Dani is the middle Brown sister and is also not looking for love. She’s a Ph.D student who is serious about achieving her goals but not serious about relationships. By some fluke, she and a coworker attract a lot of positive social media attention and are labeled as #couplegoals. The two stick together to take advantage of the fame all the while trying not to catch feels.

It’s cute. And yes, I do have the third book already downloaded.

The Widow of Pale Harbor by Hester Fox • ⭐️⭐️

What can I say? The idea of Hester Fox novels always seems better than the books themselves. Just like The Witch of Willow Hall, I found this book to be slow-moving and disappointing.

A minister moves to a small town in Maine (promising!) and finds that pretty much everyone in the town hates the widow who lives on the outskirts of town (cliche but I’m interested). And some spooky things start happening. But they never seemed that spooky. And they all seem contrived. Ooh the murderer is taking tips from Poe!

The characters were so bland! And it wasn’t spine-tingling. Maybe it’s time I take the other Hester Fox books off my to-be-read list.

Yellow Wife by Sadeqa Johnson • ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

For me, a book is worthy of five stars if I can’t stop thinking about it after I’ve read it. That, to me, is the marker of a really well written, thoughtful book.

And that’s exactly what Yellow Wife was. This work of historical fiction is loosely based on the life of Mary Lumpkin, an enslaved woman who spent much of her life as the mistress of the jailer of Richmond Jail in Virginia.

In this book, Pheby Dolores Brown is born into slavery but with the promise of being educated and freed when she turns 18. Unfortunately (but predictably), this promise isn’t kept by the owners of the plantation where she lives. Instead, she is transferred to a jail in Richmond where enslaved people are punished and traded. There the jailer takes her as his favorite mistress or yellow wife. There she settles into an uncomfortable routine but manages to develop some warm relationships.

Yellow Wife is a challenging read because it doesn’t shy away from the heartbreaking and unsettling history of slavery. But it’s also a fantastic read because it’s wonderfully written and portrays Pheby’s really difficult story with compassion and understanding.

As always, you can follow along with my progress and see what I’ve read over on Goodreads!

March was a good month for reading. I feel like I got in a pretty good variety this month too (at least for me).

Russian Winter by Daphne Kalotay • ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Almost every winter I pick up a book like this one. I’m perpetually drawn to historical fiction set in Russia—particularly around the revolution.

This book was slow to start—a tale about a former Bolshoi ballerina auctioning off her collection of jewels—but gained speed about halfway through. I know that seems like a bit of a wait to really get into a book, but the payoff was beautiful.

If you enjoyed A Gentleman in Moscow or The Last Days of the Romanov Dancers, you’ll like this book.

Red, White & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston • ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This book came highly recommended by several friends, and it deserved every bit of the hype.

Red, White & Royal Blue was the perfect escapist book to read during the dullest months of the year. I think it might have hit even harder if I read it pre-2021, but it was still an absolute delight. Do I want to provide you with more details? Nope. I think this rom-com can stand on its own.

We Can Only Save Ourselves by Alison Wisdom • ⭐️⭐️

I don’t know about this one. I was tempted by We Can Only Save Ourselves after seeing a review on Bustle. A novel about a high-achieving high schooler that leaves her perfect life to follow a charming man and his house of followers. I mean, I love a good cult story (Wild, Wild Country anyone?).

But the book was disappointing. While I understand that, sure, a perfect student might want to rebel and leave her life behind, her motivations were incredibly vague. And the cult leader’s point of view was nonexistent. It just felt sort of toothless. Meh is my final review.

Bunny by Mona Awad • ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Where on earth do I begin? I have never ever read anything like Bunny. Nevertheless, I couldn’t put it down.

This story of intense female friendship gone totally awry had me reading into the wee hours and regularly thinking WTF. It was funny, creepy and inexplicable.

The Lost Apothecary by Sarah Penner • ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I waffled between three and four stars on this book but opted for the higher score because overall it was an enjoyable read.

This book is structured the way a lot of historical fiction seems to be now: with a dual timeline. Overall, I found the story about Nella and Eliza working in the apothecary in the 1790s more compelling (I mean, who am I to resist a story about a female apothecary that sells tinctures exclusively for the benefit of women and demise of evil men?), but the half of the story in the present day wasn’t too bad.

If you liked The Taxidermists’ Daughter, I think you’ll like this.

As always, you can follow along with my progress and see what I’ve read over on Goodreads!

Only a few books to report on this month, but I’ve got a few in the works right now that I’m really enjoying. Stay tuned!

The Lost History of Dreams by Kris Waldherr • ⭐️⭐️⭐️

This one-sentence synopsis was all I read before diving into this book: “A post-mortem photographer unearths dark secrets of the past that may hold the key to his future, in this captivating debut novel in the gothic tradition of Wuthering Heights and The Thirteenth Tale.”

Sounds good right?

The book was fine. Not enough photography for my taste! And I spent a lot of time asking myself, wait, why should I care about this?

The Deep by Alma Katsu • ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

OK, I think this book deserves exactly 3.5 stars—and that’s the general consensus on Goodreads as well.

The Deep is a satisfying retelling of the sinking of the Titanic. Can my ’90s kid brain ever get enough of it? It seems not!

But what I liked about this version was that it wasn’t just a straightforward fictional retelling focusing on the richest passengers (though, they do make appearances). Instead, The Deep follows a stewardess on the Titanic and the strange, occasionally spooky occurrences that seem to follow her on the ship (and later in life too).

The Sanatorium by Sarah Pearse • ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This February we got so much damn snow in Milwaukee. SO MUCH. So listening to this book about guests snowed in at a hotel in the Alps was a great match atmospherically.

I’ll tee you up and let you read the rest: An on-leave detective and her boyfriend takes a trip to visit her brother and his fiancée for an engagement party at this fancy new hotel. The luxury hotel once was a tuberculosis sanatorium, which gives it sort of an unsettling feel. And then there’s a murder. And then everyone gets snowed in. I don’t want to tell you any more!

I’ll say this: If you enjoyed The Hunting Party, you’ll really like The Sanatorium.

As always, you can follow along with my progress and see what I’ve read over on Goodreads!