Brilliantly creative and wholly delightful! This is just the dark and refreshing fairytale I didn’t know I needed.  

 

A quest to kill an abusive, evil prince.  A (3rd string) princess that never expected to be a heroine. 

 

This is a spellbinding journey to a macabre and fantastical kingdom with a motley band of unlikely warriors:

 

Marra: The demure princess, who up until now has been hidden away at a nunnery

BoneDog:  Marra’s fiercely loyal companion made of resurrected bone and dust

Dust Wife:  Sharp witted and full of vigor! Her lines are some of the best in the book!

Demon Chicken:  *no description needed*  

Disgraced Knight:  Kind and endearing… with no shining armor or savior complex!

Fairy Godmother: Quirky and sweet… but is she all good???

 

These characters!  Complex and fully fleshed out.  They are some of my favorite that I’ve read all year.  Don’t let their names or descriptors give you pause.  I adored each one individually, but they really shine in community.  

 

From the very first scenes in the bone graveyard, I was fully immersed in this gothic tale.  And while certain aspects (that puppet!) are the haunts of nightmares, it’s not all darkness.  Kingfisher weaves in humor and heart, creating hope in the midst of mayhem. 

 

This was an easy book to devour! I don’t know how I haven’t read any of Kingfisher’s works before, but I will be rectifying that misstep very soon.  

 

One of my booksta besties, @bookmarked.by.becky, claimed this audiobook to be her favorite narrations of 2022.  And it’s easy to see why.  Amara Jasper’s narration is excellently executed, giving a distinct voice to each character and creating the perfect fairytale vibe.  

 

*I listened to this on audio, but I loved it so much I quickly grabbed a hardcover copy for my shelves! 

 

Many thanks to @macmillan.audio for a #gifted copy of this audiobook.  

Much like the gorgeous cover, Bloomsbury Girls envelopes you in post-war London nostalgia.  

 

Bloomsbury Girls is a story of an old fashioned bookstore dictated by rules and the three women bound to break them.

 

Vivien, Grace, and Evie.  Three ambitious women struggling through societal expectations and the multitude of obstacles bound to hold them back.  Each character is distinct, with a fresh voice.  Yet the struggles each face are nothing unique.  As the women learn to lean on one another, they also see possibilities for a brighter future.  

 

I enjoyed how the Jenner blended the fictional cast with real, trailblazing women (Daphne de Maurier, Peggy Guggenheim, and Ellen Doubelday).  I found myself googling these historic women and allured by the idea that their combined efforts could’ve spearheaded such momentum. 

 

The pace of this book is very similar to how I like to meander through my favorite bookstore… slow and steady.  While not a riveting page turner, the cozy and leisurely vibe felt apropos. 

 

I found myself primarily turning to the audiobook narration, expertly read by Juliet Stevenson.  

 

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and MacMillan Audio for the #gifted copies of this book.  

It’s funny how one day a book is relevant, and then the very next day, that same book becomes an anthem call.  

 

Rage.  Forced to fit into a mold and drowning in societal expectations.  Have you ever wondered what could happen when the pressure gets too much?

 

In Barnhill’s reimagining, the perfect blend of magic and anger allows an untold number of women to spontaneously transform into dragons rather than live under increasing patriarchal demands.  Our narrator, Alex, is young when the Mass Dragoning takes place, setting her on a path to discovery, of both society and herself.  

 

Barnhill dedicated this book to Christine Blasey Ford, “whose testimony triggered this narrative.” And as I read about women breaking free (and sometimes devouring their abusers), I understood.  It vividly reminded me of the immense frustration I felt listening to Blasey-Ford, yet another victim, testify only to be ignored.  

 

Yet in the end, the novel moves from rage to joy… rather than dragoning to overcome, women dragon out of beauty and joy.  And while I agree that there is great beauty in the boldness and bravery in my fellow womankind, I do not think we have arrived in a place where rage is not the primary motivator.  Maybe that is to come.  I hope that is our future.  

 

Until it is… much like the early dragons, we continue to fight against a patriarchy that continues to push us down.  

“Humans. For the most part, you are dull and blundering. But occasionally, you can be remarkably bright creatures.” -Marcellus, Giant Pacific Octopus

 

Endearing, clever, and utterly addictive.  This book filled my weary heart to overflowing and left me with the biggest, most satisfying smile as I turned the last page.  This is the kind of book I devour, yet hate to see end.  

 

Tova knows loss.  She’s had more than her share.  But her trick is to stay busy.  Little does she know that the job she’s taken as a diversion from grief will be the thing that leads her to answers she’s been seeking for more than 30 years…and it will produce one of the loveliest of friendships from the most unlikely source, a giant pacific octopus named Marcellus.   

 

Dear Tova!!!  I was fully besotted with her.  I wanted to go through the book and adopt her as my grandma. 

 

But as much as I adored Tova, Marcellus was the star of this book.  He’s snarky and brilliant and has the biggest heart.  (Well, technically he has three.)  His determination and sense of adventure endeared me to him, and his quick witted one liners made me laugh.  His point of view was so unique, and it I couldn’t have loved him more.  

 

I partnered the physical book with the audiobook, which gave me the *full* experience.  Both are exceptionally well done and can easily stand alone, but I found such joy in the combination.  Narrated by Marin Ireland and Michael Urie (both favorites of mine), the audio depiction of the characters was extraordinary.   

 

This REMARKABLY uplifting book is a phenomenal debut and has been chosen as the @readwithjenna pick for May.   

 

Thank you @ecco @harperaudio and @bibliolifestyle for this #gifted copy

 

A masterfully layered family drama with deeply complex characters.  

 

Much like the beautiful roses on the front cover, the Oppenheimer family is both alluring and thorny.  With the family bedrock being a combination of privilege and tragedy, you’ll find the parents and triplets equal parts mystifying and unlikeable.  Yet even the thorniest of roses produce beauty, and when the bonus child… the latecomer… enters the picture, so does a modicum of hope.  

 

Dense in detail, the first half of the book was an investment.  While the prose was intricate and beautiful, I found myself longing for brevity. 

 

But the slow build of these meticulously crafted characters paid off in the second half.  Suddenly, the ambitious character study unfolded into drama and cultural commentary that kept me turning page after page, speeding towards the end.   Patience in the first half was highly rewarded in the second half.  The Latecomer section was my favorite, and I would’ve loved even more from Phoebe.  

 

Korelitz use of art as a vehicle to understand the family, both past and present, was incredibly unique and created an emotional connection to these highly unlikeable characters in a manner that couldn’t have been executed otherwise.  

 

Cultural commentary on wealth, religion, education, and birth order was also expertly woven into the storyline in a distinct and compelling manner.  Korelitz’ magnifying glass look into this flawed family conspicuously symbolizes flaws within society as a whole.  

 

Completely differing from Korelitz prior mystery/thriller works, The Latecomer is a slow build family drama worth your time. 

 

Thank you to @celadonbooks for this #gifted copy.   

Do you feel constantly overwhelmed and stressed? Always busy? Does the pressure of day to day life feel incapacitating at times? The constant inundation of life seems to be the most common and persistent plague in our society. But is it a necessary one? 

To be honest, I wasn’t sure what the idea of “natural leadership” and leaning into the “herd ideology” would look like or how it would be applicable to me. But as much as my natural instincts might stay buried in the disease of busyness, they were easily awakened as I reconnected to the ideas of awareness and community in this book. 

In The Human Herd, Anstandig points out the degree to which we have numbed our senses in order to “press on.” In this fast paced society, our base instincts have been dulled to the point that we don’t recognize the harm of stress until we’re in a fight or flight situation. Not only is this unhealthy, it’s also not the way we were designed. This is most evident in looking at the animal kingdom, particularly fellow mammals, surrounding us. 

While this ideology could, in itself, seem lofty and overwhelming, Anstead utilizes personal anecdotes and lessons from nature to create a guide book that is both easy to understand and easy to implement. I found the connections she draws between to nature and stress fully unique and wholly different from other books I’ve read in this category. 

Thank you to @getredprbooks @thecircleupexperience and @morganjamespub for this #gifted copy.

With a deep sense of foreboding, Greenwich Park weaves a plot of shock and deceit. 

After immeasurable loss, Helen’s life is looking up as she counts down until her baby boy is due. This should be a deliriously happy time after so much past heartbreak, but both her husband and pregnant sister-in-law have bailed on her, leaving her to attend prenatal classes solo. 

Rachel, too, is independently attending prenatal classes. This chance meeting thrusts Helen into an unwanted and awkward friendship with Rachel, one that just might unravel all of the duplicity and secrets that have remained buried since college. 

As the storyline unfurls, Falkner creates a weird and ominous vibe in what should be a prestigious and charming area of London. The sense of foreboding starts right from the beginning and the feeling of being watched never lets up. 

The premise revolving around these quirky and unlikeable characters is compelling. And the writing kept me drawn in even as the storyline progressed quite slowly. I enjoyed the changing points of view, but often times I found they shifted the focus too abruptly and took away from the tension that had been building. 

While I enjoyed the story as a whole, its biggest downfall was the ending. The author could have placed details necessary to create that perfect ah-ha moment meticulously throughout the storyline. Instead, the ending rehashes much of the plot while exposing those missing details. 

That said, this was an impressive debut, and I will be looking forward to seeing what Faulkner does next. 

Thank you Katherine Faulkner, Gallery Books, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review an advanced copy of this book. 

Crossroads is the first installment of three in Franzen’s A Key to All Mythologies trilogy.  His deep analysis of a Midwest family flailing through the 70s felt both dense and fresh at the same time.  

 

At 580 pages, Franzen is not at a loss for words.  His loquacious need to penetrate to the soul of these characters puts the family’s messy dynamics on full display.  With none of the characters being particularly likable, it’s their flaws that captivate.  Pride plays a key role in hampering the transformations I anticipated, even as the characters themselves long for inner goodness while battling imperfection and temptation.  But full redemption seems to be just out of reach to both the family unit and the characters singularly.  Even so, Franzen manages to stick the ending, leaving me with the perfect mix of hope and skepticism. 

 

With peak messaging, Franzen adeptly portrays the crossroads of good and evil while utilizing secondary themes of religion, morality, sex, drugs, infidelity, and politics.  Through these explorations, the backdrop of the 70s with its cultural revolution and political turmoil becomes vivid in detail. 

 

At times the work felt overwhelmed by its own ambition.  But the flawlessness of the writing held me tight until the final page.  

 

This book begged for conversation, and my enjoyment of this novel was greatly heightened by my buddy read with @shobizreads @myinfinitetbr @bigskybooks and gang!

 

 

A country song in the form of a novel.

 

Patterson’s light and breezy writing style isn’t usually my cup of tea.  But for Dolly, I was determined to try. 

 

Dolly definitely added her quintessential queen of country style in this contemporary fiction (with a side of light mystery).  But it just wasn’t enough to make the writing style work for me.  I’ll stick to her music instead.  

 

The audiobook is narrated by a full cast, to include Dolly.  I’d recommend that version if interested in this book.  

Thank you to Hachette Audio and LibroFM for this #gifted copy.  

 

This book sat so deeply in my soul upon finishing that it was impossible to sit and put any coherent thoughts on paper.  And thus this book still sits unreviewed 2 months later.  Maybe that in and of itself is the review.  

 

This novel completely captivated me to my very core, fully and wholly immersing within the beautiful prose and the haunting, soul crushing story.  It’s impossible to determine whether I was more given to the story of Franny and her suffering or to the Arctic terns and their plight.  

 

And while the details aren’t as crisp as they were 2 months ago, the emotion I felt as I closed the last page still persists.