I bought this book because it seemed right up my alley: strong female lead, eerie setting in the unforgiving yet beautiful Icelandic landscape, and a creepy and mysterious plot.

The plot is simple: A woman leaves her village to marry a wealthy widower who sends food to her sick mother but has some dark secrets to hide. But like most incredible novels, this story is so much more than what it seems. The "villains" are as multi-dimensional as the main character and the book took some turns that were unexpected but made for a deep and engrossing read. I couldn't put it down.

This book reminded me so much of The Mercies by Kiran Millwood Hargrave. Turns out Iceland in the 1700s is as brutal as Norway in the 1600s as both cultures struggle between the old gods and sagas and Christianity while trying to survive in brutal environments that sometimes demand desperate acts of survival.

The last thing I will say is the writing is absolutely superb. This book was completely immersive and I attribute that to Caroline Lea's incredible storytelling. It was 400 pages of straight-up poetry. I'm so glad I bought this book because I intend to read it again just for the prose.

This one wasn't my cup of tea. It felt...rambling. There isn't much plot or character development, just a lot of abstract world-building. The writing style was sharp and witty, which I appreciated, but I just couldn't get into the story. I'm not into high fantasy, so this one was a gamble anyway.

Mexican Gothic is delightfully wicked and incredibly creepy. The premise seems so simple and yet the reader has no idea what kind of horror story they're really in for. All Noemí had to do was bring her sick cousin home...but it was easier said than done.

Of all the horror novels I've read this year (this is my third one!), Mexican Gothic is by far the most disturbing. And I loved it. The vivid writing bleeds from dreams and back again so seamlessly that you find yourself getting lost between reality and fantasy, just like Noemí. 💀 Speaking of our heroine, I loved her sharp wit and her growth throughout the book (ooh that's a bit of a pun you'll get if you've read the book!) She definitely changed from being a selfish, vapid girl to a strong woman who was willing to put her life on the line for others. 

REVIEW: A must-read for anyone who is child-free by choice. I have never felt so seen. 5/⭐️

Olive, written by @emmagannonuk, centers on a young woman recovering from a breakup with her long-term boyfriend (he wanted kids, she didn't) and her three best friends who all settled down to become mothers.

While the central theme is around choice and finding the life you want most, this book is also about change, specifically how friendships evolve over time. Once her friends became busy mothers, Olive felt more and more isolated, like her problems weren't important when compared to the motherhood struggles her friends were facing. It was a little triggering because one of my greatest fears is becoming an island when my closest girl friends start families of their own.

But this book proves that TRUE friendships are more than what you have in common. Olive gave voice to everything I have been feeling while also putting me at ease. I can be different and still maintain lasting friendships with women who choose to be mothers.

I would encourage any and all individuals who identify as women to read this book. While it spoke to me as a child-free woman, it also showed the beauty and very real challenges of motherhood too. It's so important for us all to understand and accept each other and our choices, even if they are different. 

In the immortal words of Cat Stevens "there's a million ways to be, you know that there are." There's no wrong answer as long as you choose what's right for you.

Haunting, beautiful, complex, and a little too real right now. 

Guys, don't read this right now. Just don't. I picked it up without really thinking about what it would be like to read a book about an apocalypse brought about by a pandemic. Too real. Too too real. 

Just a reminder that 2.47 MILLION people have died from coronavirus. We're nearing 500k in the US. In Minnesota, we've lost 6,500 people. This is real. 

In a way, Station Eleven was a scary wake-up call for what could have happened if this thing got even worse and people got sick and died (regardless of age) in as little as 2 days. This book lays it out in plain terms what that world would look like from Year One and beyond.

Beyond the subject matter, I thought that the story structure and actual writing itself was just stunning. St. John Mandel effortlessly wove together the stories of four different people sharing perspectives from before, during, and after the world collapsed. For such a small book, it holds a lot.