Even though I usually steer away from books described as thrillers, this came recommended by some of my more trusted sources, and even a favorite author: Elin Hilderbrand! When Reese Witherspoon chose it as one of her book club picks, I went ahead and grabbed it from the library before the avalanche of holds began. Mina's writing style was not at all what I was expecting and I found Anna's snarky and mysterious first person narrative to be delightfully engaging. Mina weaves in some astute observations about misogyny and the patriarchy without feeling forced. Conviction manages to be thrilling, dark, funny, melancholy and thought provoking in equal measure. Really glad I picked it up!
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As always, Hilderbrand writes such fun, frothy novels with the most amazing sense of place. I have been to the Virgin Islands and it's so transportive to read these books set on St. John, which she clearly holds very dear. As with the first book in this new series, I am definitely invested in the drama of the Steele family even more so - word of warning, this second book ends on quite a cliffhanger!
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Knisley's graphic memoirs are SO ABSORBING and I'm really sad that I'm going to be out of new material soon! This travelogue details her adventures through Europe on a book tour and her anxiety about love and life, which were all very reminiscent of my early 20s. Her vulnerability about her hopes and fears set her books apart. And I thought I had a pretty exciting life of love, travel and city dwelling, back in my younger days. But I feel as if I missed having a love affair with a Swedish dude whilst taking in Paris! Dang! This was an absolutely fun whirlwind of a book.
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I approached this follow up to Dark Matter with some hesitancy, since I really enjoyed his breakout hit. But I shouldn't have worried - I was captivated by Barry and Helena's story from the start. Crouch, again, writes with great cinematic prose. There HAS to be a movie option on this, as well as Dark Matter. There are many parallels to Dark Matter, in addition to it's vivid storytelling, which I love in novels: the idea of multiple lives, whether through time travel or a separate universe, and true love in spite of the these roadblocks.
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This was the YA-est YA novel I've read in a looooong time. Silly dialogue and high school hi jinks complete with jocks, nerds and cheerleaders. It was cute and fun, though, with a nice dose of diversity and one of those fun 'ties all the characters together in a cool way' endings. Definitely a good pick for a snow day brain candy fix you can read in 24 hours. I think I preferred My True Love Gave to Me, a collection of holiday stories also including John Green's work.
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RTC!

Another fantastic graphic memoir from an absolute go-to author. In Displacement, Knisley tells the story of chaperoning her very old and frail grandparents on a cruise. It's equal parts hilarious and bittersweet. She doesn't hold back on all the gritty details of life with the elderly. I especially loved her incorporating her grandfather's book about WWII into her writing. The complicated love she has for them and her family is beautifully evident through the pages.
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I can already say that this book is going on my favorites for the year. I thought The Unseen World was great, but Moore's latest was phenomenal. This story of two sisters, one a cop and the other befallen by addiction and crime, kept me on the edge of my seat with each page. Suspenseful, yes, but also a visceral and emotional look at humanity in all of it’s frailty. I cannot recommend it enough.
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This was a riveting and lushly told memoir of Cinelle's coming of age in her parent's opulent Manilla mansion, that goes from riches to terrible rags. It shed a light on the politics of the Philippines during the 90s that I had little knowledge about, while telling a captivating story of her resilience, strength and hope.
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“If you are alive - whether of blood or bark - you will be struck by pain, love, longing, fear, anger, and the particular ache of sadness. There will be joys that quiver your leaves and betrayals that will sever your roots, poisoning the water you pull. These are the varying notes in the music of living. Look up, to close your eyes is to stagnate. To rot and stop the song.”
I’ve seen Hollow Kingdom here and there on social media and it sounded so unique and intriguing. And this story of the apocalypse narrated by a domesticated crow was definitely that, hella hilarious (NSFW), and rather touching. I also appreciated that it felt like a love letter to the city of Seattle, and the inside jokes made me cackle even more.
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