Bittersweet by Susan Cain

 

I liked this for the same reasons that I liked Quiet: she takes a topic usually approached from a self-help perspective and approaches it philosophically/sociologically, and she pushes against the conventional wisdom.

The Odyssey by Lara Williams

 

I . . . just didn't get this. Maybe it was too subtle for me, maybe it just doesn't work, but . . .

Review copy provided by publisher.

The World of Pondside by Mary Helen Stefaniak

 

This just didn't work for me. 

Review copy provided by publisher.

Wired for Love by Stephanie Cacioppo

 

This was fantastic -- a really good combination of memoir and narrative non-fiction.

Review copy provided by publisher.

The Darkest Place by Phillip Margolin

 

This tried to do way too much in such a short narrative. It didn't work well.

Review copy provided by publisher.

Portrait of a Thief by Grace D. Li

 

Decent.

All These Things I've Done by Gabrielle Zevin

 

Decent.

Bluebird by Rich Cochrane

 

meh

Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus

 

This was fun and different, and maybe the first time I didn't hate a touch of magical realism?

House on Fire by Bonnie Kistler

 

This started out intelligently, and then it got too convoluted.

The Recovery Agent by Janet Evanovich

 

This was just dumb.

The Queen by Andrew Dennison

 

 Of course I liked this.

Let's Not Do That Again by Grant Ginder

This was fun and funny.

Review copy provided by publisher.

The Diamond Eye by Kate Quinn

 

This was OK, not as strong as her others.

Brave New Home by Diana Lind

 

Very interesting.

What Happened to the Bennetts by Lisa Scottoline

 

Started out strong and then kind of jumped the shark.

Atlas of the Heart by Brene Brown

 

I mostly like Brene Brown and think she has interesting insights, except for when it becomes clear that, e.g., her definition of "love" is based on how a few hundred undergraduates classified a list of words.

Romania by Debbie Stowe

 

I enjoyed this, but I also wonder how much you can summarize a culture in one book.

The Resting Place by Camilla Sten

 

This was just dull. There are too many books like this, and this one wasn't particularly interesting.

Review copy provided by publisher.

The Temps by Andrew DeYoung

 

This was really fun -- a good dystopian piece, plus great social commentary.

Review copy provided by publisher.