The first part of this book was pretty fascinating learning so many new facts about water that I feel as if I should have learned at some point in my life, and it’s glaring how we take the availability of water for granted. Then the author goes into detail about a number of different water projects, to what end I am not sure. No pun intended, but this was a bit dry, and didn’t follow a cohesive outline - and like any books about environmental issues, it’s kind of depressing. I did personally enjoy learning more about Las Vegas, because that city hold a special place in my heart, and how they are actually doing extraordinarily well with water conservation compared to other city/states. 

What can I say about Ina that hasn’t already been said? this was delightful on audiobook and made me hungry and want to visit Paris again. It was interesting to get some of the behind the scenes on how her store, cookbooks, and television shows came to be. I will say that I think her story is probably similar to many people of her age, being the child of parents in the silent generation who only had kids because society expected them to, and ended up being emotionally abusive. I got very similar vibes from my grandmother towards my mother growing up and I think that that’s something Ina might have brought to light about her generation’s upbringing.

I picked up this classic from Marilynne Robinson because it was suggested as a read alike to Elizabeth Strout, and I would love to get into another series of books with a similar vibe. Alas, I can see the parallels between the two authors, but this was just not for me. I think I prefer novels that pack more of an emotional punch, rather than a simmer, and maybe something more contemporary. I could see why people love it, though. The point of view of the father writing to his son was very vivid and heartfelt.

Like with many books that are five star favorites, it’s hard to articulate why I adored this novel. It has many elements in common with books I love: intricately connected storylines, decades long family drama, multiple narrators, and a dash of the mystical or philosophical. It also happens to be another book wherein death is a central theme, in a year that it has been heavy on my mind. I am not sure if it’s the Baader-Meinhoff phenomenon, because I am not intentionally picking out books about death, but they just keep popping up and end up being the right book at the right time.
I voraciously devoured Shapiro’s words. The tone is quietly urgent, and my heart was in my throat for almost the entirety of this book. I ached for these characters and I was so moved by the author’s prose.
For read alike books, I kept feeling like this was a mash up of Ask Again, Yes by Mary Beth Keane and The One in a Million Boy by Monica Wood.❤️

absolutely absorbing and unflinching. It’s as much a record of the holocaust, as it is a story about a father and son. A must read.

a fun audiobook, especially at the holidays and many stories about food traditions. Not all sunshine and light, fair warning for food triggers.

I can’t believe it’s been a whole year since I read How the Light Gets In. I think was hesitant to pick up the next book in the series, The Long Way Home, because HTLGI was such a phenomenal book and didn’t want to feel disappointed. I can say that I am definitely not disappointed, even if every book can’t live up to my favorite!
As always, I am so drawn in by these fantastic characters and I will not wait so long to visit them again. I am also in awe of how Penny weaves such fascinating material into her stories, from googling the Garden of Cosmic Speculation in Scotland (recommend), to pondering philosophical themes on how artists draw inspiration. These books, and Louise Penny, are such treasures. Love love love. ❤️🌲🌲🌲
“Again he looked at Three Pines, the little village lost in the valley, and felt the familiar lifting of his heart. But would it lift if there was no load? Was the final fear that, in losing his fears, he would also lose his joy?“

this reminded me so much of Zorrie. A slim volume that’s reserved, nuanced and impactful. 

It seems there’s at least one book that squeaks on to my yearly favorites in December! (Hence why I make my list in January😁) The Light Pirate was so incredibly absorbing and moving, I just loved it so much.
I don’t reach for much cli-fi, as it seems so eminent and scary. The irony that I am sitting in a city crippled by yet another snow event, where they used to be rare, is not lost on me.
The story begins in an ominous and action packed way, as the climate crisis really kicks off and the main character is born in the waters of hurricane Wanda, which becomes her namesake. And, of course, there is so much heartache that befalls her as the world rapidly shifts. It is absolutely intense and visceral, but not in a bleak Cormac McCarthy ‘The Road’ kind of way.
I love an element of magical realism - as the book posits, what is magic but science that has not been explained yet? It serves the plot well, is clearly not thrown in as a gimmick. And the relationships she forges (with her brother in childhood, the survivalist spinster as she comes of age, and an unexpected friend in the end) are so warmly depicted.
Brooks-Dalton weaves a tale of such hopefulness and beauty out of darkness. In my review for her first novel, Good Morning Midnight, I wrote that it was ‘gripping and poetic.’ That definitely holds true, and perhaps surpasses the bar in The Light Pirate.
“Hadn’t humans lived this way for thousands of years? They must learn to live this way once more - she was certain of it. The structures they built would bend and break, and they would make new ones. They’ll be nothing so precious that they couldn’t begin again. And again.”

a sweet, quick read, but it felt unwieldy and I had a hard time really connecting with the characters. I much preferred Garden Spells.