Mother, Neighbor, Russian Spy

 

I don't usually do podcasts, but this was gripping.

Absolution by Alice McDermott

 

I really enjoyed this. It took on a relatively unusual topic and setting, It's one of those books that feels well worth the read, but also that it isn't obvious how/why that is the case.

Review copy provided by publisher.

Christmas Presents by Lisa Unger

 

I usually like Unger, but I didn't like the sort of Christmas/horror mash-up. It just felt unnecessary, and not clever.

Review copy provided by publisher.

I Used to Be Fun by Melanie Summers

 

Super funny (maybe especially for women of a certain age), and interesting to think about.

Review copy provided by publisher.

The Last One by Will Dean

Well, I didn't see that twist coming.

The Last Close Call by Laura Griffin

 

I loved the local color (I mean, a serial killer from Round Rock?!?), but it was a bit cheesy, especially the romance angle.

The Body at Rookery Barn by Kate Hardy

 

I don't usually go in for cozy mysteries, but I thought that this one was really well done.

Review copy provided by publisher.

Death Valley by Melissa Broder

 

Very weird, but I think I liked it.

Instant Mom by Nia Vardalos

 

This was super funny and a really interesting perspective.

The Exchange by John Grisham

 

Kind of a departure for Grisham. It was decent.

Going Zero by Anthony McCarten

 

I loved this so, so much.

The Nix by Nathan Hill

 

I really liked this. I wish there were more Nathan Hill books.

Holly by Stephen King

 

This was fun.

Bright Young Women by Jessica Knoll

 Started strong; did not stick the landing.

The Armor of Light by Ken Follett

 

As usual, I'm embarrassed by how much I enjoy Follett.

Rachel to the Rescue by Elinor Lipman

 

meh

Termination Shock by Neal Stephenson

 

Solid.

A Traitor in Whitehall

 

This was right on the line between "great story, great setting" and "ohdeargod not another regular English caught up in WWII-era spying."

Review copy provided by publisher.

Beware the Woman by Megan Abbott

 

Solid

Wellness by Nathan Hill

 

I was completely blown away by this -- it was just amazing in so many different ways. Highly recommended.

More Than You'll Ever Know by Katie Gutierrez

 

This was fantastic -- unique, clever, great local color as well as explorations about feminism.

Prom Mom by Laura Lippman

 

Way too disjointed.

The Last Devil to Die by Richard Osman

 

Solid mystery, excellent wry humor, and a few genuinely moving scenes.

All the Dangerous Things by Stacey Willingham

 

 This felt weak during most of the book, but then stuck the landing.

A Good Marriage by Kimberly McCreight

 

Decent.

The Endless Vessel by Charles Soule

 

Most of this was excellent and unique, but the ending was a bit weak.

Self-Care by Leigh Stein

 

Fun.

The Plinko Bounce by Martin Clark

 

Very clever plot with a nice twist. The narrator was not create, especially with the child's voice, but the book was solid.

Review copy provided by publisher.

The Dispatcher by John Scalzi

 

Good set up, decent novella.

Murder by Other Means by John Scalzi

 

Interesting premise, but the first one was more interesting.

Counting the Cost by Jill Duggar

 

I've always been vaguely embarrassed by my interest in the Duggars.

Mother-Daughter Murder Night by Nina Simon

 

meh

Professor Chandra Follows His Bliss by Rajeev Balasubramanyam

 meh

How I Won a Nobel Prize by Julius Taranto

 

What if everyone who had been cancelled moved to an island where an eccentric billionaire ran a libertarian college?

What if a not-cancelled, not-libertarian woman physicist moved there because her colleague did?

This book was great fun, with a fantastic twist. 

Review copy provided by publisher.

None of This Is True by Lisa Jewell

 

meh

The Breakaway by Jennifer Weiner

 

Fun.

Happiness Falls by Angie Kim

 

I loved, loved, loved this.

Enchantment by Orson Scott Card

 

In some ways, this hasn't aged well. In some ways, it's quite clever.

We All Want Impossible Things by Catherine Newman

 

This was amazing.

The Rift by Walter Jon Williams

 

The was very long and, I guess, decent.

The Sunset Years of Agnes Sharp by Leonie Swann

 

It almost seems like "quirky old people solving a mystery" is becoming its own genre. I have certainly read some very funny, very engaging books in that niche. This one definitely qualifies. Recommended.

Review copy provided by publisher.

Hope: A Novel by Andrew Ridker

 

This was really good. And a bit weird.

Grey Mountain by John Grisham

 

meh

Broken Ice by Matt Goldman

 

Solid.

Atomic Habits by James Clear

 

I'm torn between thinking this was really insightful and really pedestrian.

Far from the Tree by Robin Benway

 

Decent.

Ms. Demeanor by Elinor Lipman

This was really funny.

The Index of Self-Destructive Acts by Christopher Beha

 

I virtually never read (as opposed to listen to) books, but I am developing a preference for paper books on vacation, so . . . I picked this up at a little store in Winter Park, Colorado. It was really good.

Gone to Dust by Matt Goldman

 

While the plot suffered from some of the same weird extremeness as other mysteries, the protagonist's voice made it worthwhile. I'll probably continue with the series.

Dark Corners by Megan Goldin

 

In general, this was solid -- the brief sections from the killer's perspective were handled well. However, the scorn for influencer culture felt a bit over the top. I mean, we get it: they are shallow.

Review copy provided by publisher.

The Ninth Metal by Benjamin Percy

 

This was really fun.

Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone by Benjamin Stevenson

 

So this was fun.

Bad Summer People by Emma Rosenblum

 

I don't know why everyone is raving about this.