What Makes Olga Run? by Bruce Grierson

 

A fantastic blend of biography and science. Highly recommended.

The Matrix by Lauren Groff

 

Lame.

Apples Never Fall by Liane Moriarty

 

I was just completely charmed by this.

Odd Numbers by J.J. Marsh

 

This was just too . . . unlikely. Way too many contrived plot points to work.

Review copy provided by publisher.

The F*ck It Diet by Caroline Dooner

This was interesting and entertaining.

The Last Bookshop in London by Madeline Martin

 

This was predictable and dumb.

Hawking Hawking by Charles Seife

 

Interesting material, but the reverse chronological order was annoying.

Civilizations by Laurent Binet

 

Despite the fact that it got a bit into the weeds near the end, this was fantastic and great fun.

Review copy provided by publisher.

Golden State by Michelle Richmond

 

Lots of potential, but it tried to do too much and ended up dropping it all.

The Girlfriend by Michelle Frances

 

This was clever.

Finding Mrs. Ford by Deborah Royce

 

Decent.

We, The Jury by Robert Rotstein

 

This was enjoyable. It was also one of the rare cases where I appreciated having >1 narrator in the audio book.

Into the Lake by LK Chapman

 

This was just not that good. Too over the top, poorly executed characters, weird.

Review copy provided by publisher.

The Huntress by Kate Quinn

 

I really like Kate Quinn.

A Slow Fire Burning by Paula Hawkins

 

meh

Over the Falls by Rebecca Hodge

 

A great story -- unlike many similar books, not over the top.

Review copy provided by publisher.

Late City by Robert Olen Butler

 

All the emotions . . . I just loved this. Part of me felt like I shouldn't, like it was too stereotypical, but I just did.

Review copy provided by publisher.

Snobs by Julian Fellowes

 

Decent.

My Year of Running Dangerously by Tom Foreman

 

This was hilarious.

Agatha of Little Neon by Claire Luchette

 

This was just funny and charming, with a serious undercurrent. I liked it.

No One Ever Asked by Katie Ganshert

 

Important topics, but she tried to do too much and none of it worked.

Leaving Time by Jodi Picoult

 

Very good -- with a twist I didn't anticipate. Recommended.

The Kitchen Front by Jennifer Ryan

Part of me recognizes that this was shallow and formulaic, and the other part of me really liked it.

My Ex-Life by Stephen McCauley

 

I really liked this. Funny, and ultimately fulfilling.

The Wonder Test by Michelle Richmond

 

I was kind of hoping for more social commentary and less James Bond stuff.

Royal by Danielle Steel

 

This was objectively ridiculous, but I thoroughly enjoyed it.

The White Rose by Jean Hanff Korelitz

 

meh

The Woman in Cabin 10 by Ruth Ware

 

A bit over-the-top.

The Noise by James Patterson

 

Very odd, but engaging.

The Program by Charlie Lovett

 

This was dumb.

The WEIRDest People in the World by Joseph Henrich

 

This book presents a fundamental challenge to the basic consensus in history, psychology, and economics. For that reason alone it is worth reading.

One by One by Ruth Ware

 

meh

The Push by Ashley Audrain

 

I felt like this was right on the edge between ham-fisted and well done.

The Invisible Life of Addie Larue by V. E. Schwab

 

I'm not sure why everyone is raving about this. I thought it was kind of lame.

The Fabric of Civilization by Virginia Postrel

 

I loved this -- such a unique perspective into history.

Review copy provided by publisher.

1957 by Eric Burns

 

This . . . just was not that good.

The Female Persuasion by Meg Wolitzer

 

This was just kind of blah. I would not recommend it.

Exercised by Daniel Liberman

 

I loved this. Super-interesting, very motivating, and funny to boot.

A World without Work by Daniel Susskind

 This is a topic I am very interested in, so I really liked this. I didn't agree with the author about everything, but it was well worth thinking about.

Confessions on the 7:45 by Lisa Unger

 

Honestly, this was kind of dumb.

The Quiet Zone by Stephen Kurczy

 

Really interesting -- lots about technology and society, but also an unexpected foray into rural culture and white supremacy.

The Gifted School by Bruce Holsinger

 

This was a great read, despite one kind of lame plot point.

The Psychology of Advertising by Bob Fennis and Wolfgang Stroebe

 

Very interesting (for a textbook). Lots of fascinating research studies here.

You Should Have Known by Jean Hanff Korelitz

 

Very good.

You Can Never Tell by Sarah Warburton

 

This started off strong and was very engaging, but by the end, it seemed that most of the main characters were acting out of character.

Review copy provided by publisher.

Maiden Voyages by Sian Evans

 

This was super-fun -- a very interesting slice of history.

Review copy provided by publisher.

Admission by Jean Hanff Korelitz

 

I really liked this. I didn't realize until later that it was the same author as The Plot, so now I need to track down their other books.

The Pull of the Stars by Emma Donaghue

 

I just didn't like this.

Our Mothers' War by Emily Yellin

 

Really interesting -- I appreciated the perspectives on different groups of women.

Escaping Dreamland by Charlie Lovett

 

Super fun, but not as good as the holy grail book.

The Perfect Medicine by Brodie Ramin

 

This was great fun to read -- very motivating and informative.

Review copy provided by publisher.