Well this was a rather melancholy read. I burned through it in nearly a day, as the main character's stint of staying alone in her dorm over Christmas break is a simultaneously alluring adventure and terrifyingly isolated situation. Why she isn't actually able to go home is vaguely laid out, but not entirely clear - she had no other family after her grandfather died. At first, it kept me turning the pages. Then it became kind of frustrating that there is CLEARLY something keeping this poor girl from returning home, even with her closest friend to stay with her family. It should have been revealed much earlier, and honestly, I didn't think it made a lot of sense to be that level of distraught over THE BIG SECRET SHE IS KEEPING. Alas, YA novels are about big melodramatic moments, and overall I thought it was a sweet and well written book.
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Even though I purchased the book and got to shake Hillary's hand as I picked up my signed copy (!!!), I listened to this one on audio, which was enjoyable. Well, as much as re-living the 2016 election can be enjoyable. It adds more to the text, I think, when read by the author. Most of the accounts and facts are things I remember reading in the news (by actual journalists) so it felt slightly rehashed. I am glad I took it all in, and listening to her read what would have been her acceptance speech was so lovely and gut wrenching at the same time. Which, pretty much sums it up.
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I was a bit hesitant to read this one, as it smacked of Eat Pray Love and I really can't stand that book. I don't relate to the whole self-indulgent idea of ditching it all and eating, meditating and hanging out because of man trouble: woe is me. BUT, I felt for Cheryl Strayed and the things she had to overcome in her life. She seems a much more relatable person (on a MUCH more limited budget) and her story is action packed. I felt like I was with her on this adventure along the Pacific Crest Trail, and was holding my breath in fear or excitement a number of times throughout the book. I also nearly shed a tear at the end; she pulled it together nicely. Plus, we do our fair share of day hiking here in the Pacific Northwest, so I could somewhat picture her on the latter parts of the trail and I thought that was cool.

First, I must say that I was pleasantly surprised to see this as a Book of the Month pick for February, as it's a little different and a lot of fun! I was on a streak of books that were dark in tone recently, and the description of this story sounded like the perfect reprieve.
Robert's character quickly wormed his way into my heart and is an underdog worth rooting for - in a world of magic dominated by women, this sole male prodigy is humble and quite obviously in a situation that would apply mainly to women or minorities in the real world. Miller holds a mirror to many familiar situations and really made me think about how things might be different if it were a 'woman's world.' Much of the book reads like a campus novel, where Robert has to manage ridicule, derision and perform twice as well as the women to get half the credit. Imagine!
I was also won over by the world building and the amount of detail that the author imbues into this story. The way society is impacted by 'empirical philosophers' affects how we approach medicine, war, travel, the economy, and of course, politics: there is a thinly veiled comparison to white nationalists in the so called 'trenchers' who are radically against this practice dominated by women. And although it touches on many layered and heavy subjects (sexism, racism, class, civil rights), the tone is very light and it's a quick read with something for everyone: humor, action and adventure, family and friendship, and romance.
If I had one complaint, I think that Miller tried to pack in a bit too much. There are so many sub plots and I would have liked him to pay closer attention to one, rather than a little bit to several. Since it's the beginning of a series, however, I think it sets the stage nicely for more in depth narratives.
I've seen this novel compared to The Magicians, which I didn't love - so, if that's holding you back, I'd still give this novel a try. I think they are similar in that it's a year at a magical school, mainly setting the stage for future stories. Yet the tone of The Philosopher's Flight is so much brighter and it also appeals to those who enjoy historical fiction.
Many thanks to Netgalley and Simon & Schuster for an advance copy in exchange for my honest review!

This was a charming story about love, music, friendship, and being open to change, to the many twists and turns our lives can take. Frank (owner of the music shop who lives for his records and doesn't need love in is life) is an underdog worth rooting for, and his supporting cast of characters are a delight. It felt like a mash up of Empire Records and Four Weddings and a Funeral. At first I was worried it was going to be a little snobbish on the music front, with lots of obscure artists I've never heard of - yet, I knew most of the works Joyce chose to write about and her descriptions of the music was just so spot on. It's a wistful, slightly melancholy, and a little cheesy - well, the ending is A LOT cheesy. But, I'll forgive that slightly ridiculous denouement for the mostly awesome remaining 95% of the book.
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This was the National Book Award winner for YA last year and it is so deserving of all of the accolades! This story of three separately adopted siblings, that find each other in their teens is a smart and powerful story about family. There is so much to unpack: nature vs nurture, fostering and adoption, teen pregnancy, and racial bias to name a few. Like much YA, it was a little heavy on teen melodrama (especially in Maya's case with regards to fighting with her girlfriend) which felt odd at times against the backdrop of the terribly sad and difficult path these three children were on. I do have a vague recollection of a little melodrama at that age, and it probably appeals to the teens reading it! Though, I think Benway did an exceptional job of fully fleshing out the parents in the story, making it appealing for older audiences. It's great food for thought on raising kids and the kind of parents we want to be.
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This book was INSANELY fascinating, and good on audio - thanks for the rec Tara! You would think that the discovery of someone who had been living in the woods for nearly three decades, who only had one brush with human contact, deserved to be major headline news. Alas, since I live on the opposite side of the country, I do not remember hearing anything about this man and it is so unbelievable the confluence of several unique situations that made his hermit life, so close and yet so removed from civilization, possible. The author also deftly weaves in themes on human nature and solitude that had me thinking about how much solitude I lack in my life, but also how much humans need social bonds.
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Absolutely stunning. You know those books that you’re not sure if you love it, and then you look up and realize you completely forgot the world around you (and were slightly peeved to not find yourself in a sleepy Italian village)? The writing in this coming of age story is just sublime, and although I felt it a little too slow and verbose with the pretty words in the beginning, it completely stole my heart in the final pages. Fair warning, it can get rather sexually explicit and almost cringe-worthy with the feeling of being invasive on the character's intimacy. But the ride is worth it. Life is messy and painful, but we only get one and we should live it truthfully.
"How you live your life is your business. But remember, our hearts and our bodies are given to us only once. Most of us can’t help but live as though we’ve got two lives to live, one is the mockup, the other the finished version, and then there are all those versions in between. But there’s only one, and before you know it, your heart is worn out, and, as for your body, there comes a point when no one looks at it, much less wants to come near it. Right now there’s sorrow. I don’t envy the pain. But I envy you the pain."
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I had put off this book for awhile, since it often is compared to A Man Called Ove, and I was in the minority in not loving that book. But, I came around after so many glowing reviews and I'm glad I did. As with Ove, it's certainly a "curmudgeon that sees the light" kind of story. Yet I found Honeyman's take much more compelling and humorous, even though it is tempered with great sadness. Perhaps it's because the specifics of Eleanor's unfathomable circumstances are not really revealed until, literally, the last three pages of the book. It's a gut punch, and I have a thing for gut punch endings. Some of her idiosyncrasies didn't necessarily make sense (surely she'd learn about some of the basic ways of the world after going to university?) and could turn a reader off of her character, but I was completely Team Eleanor.
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3.5 stars
The Last Equation of Isaac Severy is an entertaining read, especially if you are a fan of plot driven mysteries and piecing together a puzzle of a book. It took awhile for me to get my bearings in this novel, as there are a few meandering plot lines and a LOT of characters to get to know in the Severy orbit - maybe a tad too many. (I still had to take a moment to place the name of one of the characters while reading the last pages of the book!) But, of the characters that stood out, I quickly became engrossed in their (somewhat terrible and shocking) secrets and their fates.
The story might have appealed to my family drama loving heart, and been better served overall by fleshing out these standout characters more, and earlier in the book. Just as I was getting to really figure them out, the story was wrapping up. There was a lot to uncover about familial bonds, blended families, infidelity, abuse and how it affected these people who felt very real. I definitely see this potential in Jacobs' writing and look forward to her future work.
As for the mystery, I loved the geeky science espionage in the last third of the book and BURNED through the pages to find out what the secret of Isaac's Equation was - nothing I ever would have guessed, and it was thoroughly thought provoking.
Many thanks to Touchstone and NetGalley for an advance copy in exchange for my honest review!
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