“There are moments in life so monumental and still that the memory can never be retrieved without a catch to the throat or an interruption to the beat of the heart. Can never be retrieved without the rumbling disquiet of how close that moment came to not having happened at all.”
✨
As with most books that I really adore, it’s difficult to articulate why. I will say that it took me about a hundred pages to really gel with the story, and then I became absolutely obsessed with this cast of misfit characters: a chosen family that includes trees that ‘talk’ and a parrot named Claude that, on the rare occasion, adds his two cents to the conversation (not mimicry). The tone is juuuuust whimsical enough, not overly so, with that touch of magical realism.
The real engine that propels this novel forward is the absolutely heartfelt and witty interactions between these unforgettable people that made me teary, laugh out loud, and gasp with delight. This book gave me MAJOR Gentleman in Moscow and The Hearts Invisible Furies vibes (two of my all time favorites) with such singular characters, wonderfully threaded missed connections, twists of fate, and satisfying conclusions.
Don’t sleep on this one! Like I apparently slept on her previous book, Tin Man, years ago - rectifying that ASAP.

Many thanks to Partners @bibliolifestyle @harperviabooks for a finished copy of Bright Burning Things by @hardlinglisa for review!
I knew almost nothing about this book going in, and at first I wasn’t sure if it was going to be the right book for me: a lot of internal monologue is usually a turnoff. But, I am also a sucker for excellent character and Sonya really drew me in as her fraught story unfolded. Calamitous and captivating, the writing is intimate in it’s tense and ominous tone.
“I can sense my joy as an external thing – a pink balloon with “LOVELY” scrawled on it – floating loose from my grip. I have to stop myself climbing on the table to draw it back down.”
I could not stop turning the pages to see how things would turn out for her and her little boy. If you have a hard time with young children in difficult circumstances, just make sure you come to this book at the right time. I felt stressed and worried from start to finish, and major trigger warnings for addiction and alcoholism. Though it is an honest and brutal look at addiction, it is an absolutely worthwhile and wonderfully written read.

I told myself that I wouldn’t cave to the onslaught of holiday themed books this year, as they usually end up being good… but not great reads - just filler and ambience. Which is great, but this year the many acclaimed books on my TBR are calling to me something FIERCE.
Alas, the chatter about this back list title, Ten Blind Dates, was too adorable to resist! Especially when it was available on my library’s shelves. And I’m glad I caved. Sure, the happy ending was entirely predictable from the jump and the plot was far fetched, but the big family dynamics and cute banter  won me over, as well as the Louisiana details that gave such a great sense of place.
If you are looking for a cozy, feel good book to read in a day, this definitely fit the bill for me!

This is everyone’s favorite in the Louise Penny series, right?? RIGHT!? I can’t imagine a better Gamache book than How the Light Gets In, but I have nine more to go, so…
I am so glad that I jumped right back in after the cliffhanger ending of the previous book, The Beautiful Mystery. I timed it perfectly with a Christmastime reading while being buried in snow here in Seattle. Returning to the atmosphere of Three Pines (during the holidays!), the beloved characters (some reappearing from many books back!), so much excellent relationship drama (Ruth an Jean-Guy! Gah!), the standalone mystery dovetailing so perfectly with the drama of the core characters (as per usual!), the most tension filled action sequences she has written, and the absolute perfect ending made this THE perfect book in the series for me. 
I am also in love with the title, the Leonard Cohen song, and her story about asking him for the rights to use it. Just everything about it is *chef’s kiss*👌
I am slightly afraid to keep going for fear of disappointment… I almost wonder if she thought about ending the books here because it really would’ve been perfect. But, I am itching to get back into them already, so I am obviously so glad I have more in store!
If you haven’t jumped on the Louise Penny train because, as many people will tell you, it takes a few books to get immersed / why bother with that kind of investment? It is so, so worth it. Similar to some fantasy series, there is a lot of world building and as you get more immersed they become that much more meaningful and well written.

Well, A History of Wild Places was indeed a wild ride! The description sounded so intriguing that I began reading immediately upon receiving it from Book of the Month, which I haven’t done in years.
It’s probably a good idea to go into this novel without knowing too much about the plot, especially the frequent comparisons to an old movie that I won’t mention.🤐 Although, some mysteries about Pastoral were pretty obvious to me early on, others were decidedly not. The book ended ways I thought it would, but the conclusion and epilogue had some surprising and thought provoking elements.
Highly, highly recommend this one - this is the kind of thriller I’m here for! If you have read it, would you categorize it as such? It doesn’t seem to fit neatly into a particular genre, which works in it’s favor IMO.
Ernshaw’s writing is spine-tingling, evocative and emotionally resonant. I can’t wait to read more of her work and have already put The Wicked Deep on hold at the library!

I picked up this back list Kate Morton because I always think of her mysterious literary fiction as excellent reading for the cool and rainy days. Somehow I missed what seems to be everybody’s favorite, the secret keeper. Just like all of her books I’ve read before, it was an engrossing read with great characters and family dynamics. But, I felt like I knew the twist very early on and I didn’t realize it was a World War II novel which feels kind of stale to me - but perhaps this is why it’s one of her most popular? If WWII historical fiction is your jam, it's a perfect entry point to Morton's excellent work.

Another romance novel that lived up to the hype! I thought Hoang's debut, The Kiss Quotient, was excellent and missed her second novel, but couldn't resist grabbing The Heart Principle from the lucky day shelf at the library. And, as I had read about in the million glowing reviews, Anna goes on a journey to hell and back, and the narrative is quite dark. It made me rife with anxiety for her and I wanted to scream at multiple characters and multiple occasions. And major forewarning about the realities of grief and family strife during hospice. But, damn, I applaud Hoang for tackling really difficult stuff that is close to her personally as a person on the autism spectrum and who has dealt with taking care of a loved one who is dying. It is still a great romance, quite steamy/open door in parts, with the absolutely requisite happy ending!