This memoir is as poignant, eye-opening, wrenching, and hopeful as everyone who has read it said it would be. I applaud Jaouad’s honesty about navigating her relationships with her family and her partner, which is not a side of cancer, or severe illness, that people really talk about.
Though, I must admit that I feel as if I have hit my limit on memoirs centered around cancer. And I don’t say that lightly or glibly, as (like many people) I have had an immediate family member go through the nightmare that is cancer - twice. Maybe it just hit too close to home? I just feel as if there are so many books on this topic out there. If that is your bag, this is one to add to the list. But, if you feel a little tender around the topic like me, tread lightly.
If you are interested in an accessible book about the effects of trauma, I HIGHLY recommend Oprah’s ‘What Happened to You?’ I never got around who reviewing it, but it is phenomenal and explains so much in a very easy to absorb way.

This was such a sweet and compelling story! I flew through the book, about a woman joining her father (with whom she has a tenuous relationship) on a cruise after the death of her mother.
Smith delves into topics of grief, family expectations, self determination and fate with such heart. It was pretty easy to see how things would end, but I enjoyed the journey in getting there. I also thought the characters were wonderfully fleshed out, and I really felt for Greta and her father in their grief and hope.
The tone of the story has a slight YA feel (which makes sense, as this is Smith’s first ‘adult’ novel) and is very similar to her other book I have read, This is What Happy Looks Like - which also features a famous person thrown into the mundane, and would be a great read alike. This novel would also be great for fans of The Happy Ever After Playlist or The Simple Wild, with similar themes on family, grief, and star crossed romance.
Lastly, I couldn’t help but be reminded of Lucy Knisley’s excellent graphic memoir, Displacement, wherein she is the unwitting family member that is deemed the appropriate escort for her frail and aging grandparents on a cruise. I would highly recommend it as a complementary read to this book. The tone is completely different and it’s pretty emotionally raw, but it also explores fate, family, the idea of seeing our elders for who they are, and not just how they affect our lives (also while stuck on a ship).

Many thanks to @randomhouse and @netgalley for the digital ARC of Black Cake! This book hit shelves last week and is EVERYWHERE, for good reason.

If I were to sum up this novel in one word it would be: SPRAWLING. Wilkerson casts out so many different characters and storylines, layers upon layers of family drama, and then manages to reel each one in with tantalizing perfection. For some readers, it might feel scattered. But I love when an author goes on tangents and, when the characters and settings are so vividly drawn, takes the reader on a journey - in more ways than one. I felt in really good hands with Wilkerson, trusting she would bring the story to a satisfying conclusion.

If you love family drama, and books with bon bon sized chapters (more of this please), Black Cake is a must read. So good, and deserving the hype!

The Phone Booth at the Edge of the World was our my evergreen readers book club pick for February and it was such a lovely read.
The story centers around two characters who meet while grieving at a real phone booth set in a garden in Japan: a disconnected “wind phone” where people go to speak to loved ones they have lost. One would think that this sounds rather depressing. To be sure, there were a few parts that really hit me in the gut, but overall the tone was uplifting. It felt like reading a fairytale or a fable about love, loss, resilience and, ultimately, joy.
I flew through it in two days and loved the short interim chapter breaks that varied widely and included things like: a list of chocolates the characters eat on a trip to visit the phone, 10 things (plus one!) Hana enjoyed doing with her mother, etc. They seemed like small irrelevant snippets, but were so poignant and intimate, helping to reveal so much about the characters (and the little things in life that mean so much).
I also read this just before the anniversary of the Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami, which plays a large role in the story and I think it was good to remember, learn about it, and think about the people rather than a nuclear plant.
Also, this would tick off the box for a novel in translation for anyone doing a reading challenge.

I think I'm an outlier on this one, as I thought it was good, but not great. The story did not feel terribly complex, though it tried hard to be - so many different conflicts to resolve! The resolution to each of Laksmhi's many problems seemed patently obvious, and I skimmed through the last 100 or so pages knowing exactly how things would play out. Her relationship with her sister Radha wasn't fleshed out in a meaningful way, like the characters were steamrolled by a too fast moving plot. I did however enjoy the wonderful atmosphere and glimpse into 1950's society in Jaipur.

This was such a surprising book! I thought I was getting into something Hygge inspired, and May does mention the concept at one point, it's more of a memoir and contemplation of the different seasons of life - focusing on those times of grief or healing. Some sections felt mundane, and others I found fascinating. But on the whole, the audiobook felt like listening to a lovely meditation.

Somewhere along the way I missed the boat on being a Brandi Carlile fan. The songs I am aware of are lovely, but I've never delved into her catalog. So when I saw so many folks reading her book, I didn't necessarily thing it was for me, since I'm not a "fan." A friend convinced me to give the audiobook a whirl and it was a perfect rags to riches (not just the monetary variety) story. It was specifically compelling to hear about her local (Seattle area) roots, hear her songs in the audiobook, and all the stories of the many different musicians she's worked with - her relationship with Elton John is very sweet, and there are some Dolly stories, which I'm always happy to read!

Finally caved to see what this sci-fi that I've seen SO MANY different types of book reviewers rave about! And, yep, I get it - Murderbot is an excellent character: irreverent, slightly clueless, badass, hilarious, and easy to identify with their introverted tendencies. I can't wait to gobble up some more of these novellas and hopefully get into more of the cast. Novellas aren't something I usually pick up, feeling like I'd be unsatisfied with such a short tome. But with the promise of many more to come in such tasty little morsels? Sign me up!

Razorblade Tears was definitely an exercise in solidifying my particular preferences in books. Although I am so glad to have read this (deservedly) hyped novel, it just wasn’t my jam.
Crime noir includes the same aspects of mystery and thrillers I have a difficult time with: they inherently rely heavily on plot and suspension of disbelief (there are some major ‘strokes of luck’ in this one), and oftentimes feel as if they drag on to create tension. Crime novels have the added negative aspect of a lot of action scenes that, for my brain, are best experienced in a visual format. I LOVE shows like Sons of Anarchy, Breaking Bad, etc. But if there are pages dedicated to right hooks and zinging bullets in a book, I completely zone out and gloss over them.
I think Razorblade Tears was a standout because of the unique way in which Cosby tackles bigotry around race and LGBTQ+, even though it felt didactic at times.
I hope this is a helpful review for folks who might have similar literary taste, or opposite tastes when it comes to crime/mystery/thriller. If you are the latter, this is a MUST READ, especially if you would like to add more POC authors to your bookshelves!

As per my usual with thrillers, I thought it was fine, but not anything I was SO EXCITED to keep reading. I keep trying different titles that trusted reviewers love, hoping I'll really enjoy a thriller. Alas, there's something about most of the books in the genre that feel drawn out and repetitive to me.
The atmosphere and creep factor were engaging, but I kept getting the various victims and suspects mixed up, especially since the two timelines mirror each other (which also lent itself to the repetitive nature of the plot being laid out in the past and rehashed in the present day).
There were also some super detailed bits that went nowhere. Who were some of these ghosts besides Betty?? What was with the red herring of Nick's traumatic past - SO much page count dedicated to this, WHY? And why do we have to slap together a romance? And a random antagonist out of nowhere at the end? 
Not my cuppa, obviously.