It felt right to read Cody’s memoir after having just finished The Woman in Me, as he is a Britney super fan. If you take his peloton rides, much of the book details stories he tells in class - definitely with new, thoughtful, sometimes heartbreaking, but always hilarious insights. It was like sitting down for coffee with a friend. Super enjoyable!

Ghosts by Dolly Alderton was an absolute delight! To be sure, there are themes that are heavy: aging parents, Alzheimer’s, strained relationships with friends as we age, and the obviously maddening act of ‘ghosting’ which gives the novel its title. Yet the tone is cheeky and optimistic, reminding me of reading Helen Fielding’s Bridget Jones, Jojo Moyes contemporary novels, Marian Keyes, and most recently Caroline O’Donaghue’s The Rachel Incident.
I feel as if a lot of contemporary “coming of age” books about young millennial women get lumped into reviews that make them sound cumbersome and introspective. That is absolutely not the case. If you are hesitant about this book because (like me) you are not millennial, not on the dating scene, not at all versed in online dating, or think it is a bunch of navel gazing, think again. Ghosts is thought provoking, heartwarming, funny, and filled with characters that leap off the page. Recommend!

“But underneath this diamond of solitude was a sharp point that I occasionally caught with my bare hands, making it feel like a perilous asset rather than a precious one. Perhaps this jagged underside was essential—what made the surface of my aloneness shine so bright. But loneliness, once just sad, had recently started to feel frightening.”

Tom Lake was an enchanting and cozy story about a family that comes together during the pandemic, like many did, and the matriarch reflects on her life while entertaining her grown children with stories of her past.
A novel that takes place during Covid might not appeal to some, but I really enjoyed this premise as a vehicle for the storytelling. It’s not pervasive as it sets the scene, and the atmosphere and sense of place in summertime northern Michigan was so beautifully rendered. I kind of wish I had read this during the summer, rather than in the middle of autumn. Perhaps I will do a reread, and give the audiobook a try, because it is read by the one and only Meryl Streep.
I do feel as though I was missing out on additional context, since I have no familiarity with the play Our Town. I think that might have given me some further insight into Lara’s character who came across as a bit of an enigma. Overall, I love reading Patchett’s work and the way this story comes together - especially how it relates back to the cover (how Ann chose the art is a great story worth googling!)

“There is no explaining this simple truth about life: you will forget much of it. The painful things you were certain you’d never be able to let go? Now you’re not entirely sure when they happened, while the thrilling parts, the heart-stopping joys, splintered and scattered and became something else. Memories are then replaced by different joys and larger sorrows, and unbelievably, those things get knocked aside as well.”

In the weeks since I finished this book, I’ve kind of forgotten much about it and honestly don’t have much to say - other than it was a sweet and angst-y romance with an inconsistent time travel device employed. Perfectly serviceable fluff.

After reading everyone’s rave reviews and seeing top all of the yearly book lists, I FINALLY read James. High expectations can keep me from picking something up because I am afraid I’m going to be disappointed, and clearly this was not the case. It was just so so clever and sharply articulated. There is nothing much more that I can add to the discourse on this excellent work. Although, if (like me) you are afraid that a hazy recollection of reading Huckleberry Finn would detract from enjoying the story - don’t be, it was a nonissue!

Thank you to Netgalley and Grand Central Publishing for the complimentary ebook. I hate to say that this was a disappointment for me, but it was not what I was expecting from Kira Jane Buxton. It was all fluff, overly long (and overly florid) descriptive prose,  and no real bite. The characters were caricatures, and it all just felt silly. Quixotic books are NOT my jam, though. So if you like cozy, flowery, you know what you’re getting into at every turn and recognize the archetypes of comfort reads, this might be a great pick! It was absolutely not what I was expecting or endeavoring to read.😁

This book started very strong with excellent world building, sense of place, and an intriguing premise: the idea of a world being broken up into 10 year increments, where in one direction (beyond a heavily armed border) is 10 years into the future, and in the other direction it is 10 years into the past - sort of like time zones but much smaller in scale. It was thoughtful and felt reminiscent of some of my favorite works like The City of Ember and The Ferryman. But it became bogged down as the mechanics of this world fell apart. The main character becomes reclusive and lives a very stagnant life for much of the middle of the book, and it made the reading experience feel stagnant as well. Lots of interesting stuff to chew on, but it didn’t hold my interest or surprise me in any way.

What a disappointment. Obviously, it was too long, that is the one thing all the reviews seem to agree on. But I could overlook that if it really wowed me in other ways. Alas, nothing impressed me about this book with the exception of Yarros’ vivid scenes and sense of place - hence two stars instead of one.

Pumpkin Heads was like the old Gen X favorite movie - Better Off Dead, where it is clear that the friend trying to help the guy get the girl is really the love interest, but set at a pumpkin farm in October. Kind of a boring trope but still a cute and fun seasonal read.

A super cozy, original, but easy to follow magical premise.  It was romantic and sweet, with some good life lessons about being true to ourselves.