Happy holidays and welcome to the last month of 2022 - we made it! Hope you all had a fantastic end to your year, and hopefully lots of great reads!
Maggie O'Farrell jumped to my top authors list this year, and I have made little headway into her backlist before the end of the year!
Daniel has a complicated past and an even messier future. When he meets Claudette, his messy future begins but Daniel still cannot let go of his past. A certain revelation comes to Daniel and this revelation is posed to ruin his whole future. O'Farrell's literary voice is so perfect and lovely. She writes with such a complexity and insight that you can't help but be swept away by it!
This book is about family, love, loss, identity, marriage, and much more! 4 out of 5 stars from me!
It's hard to accurately express my views on this book. The content was enrapturing but the storytelling and writing was definitely not.
A Colorado family has 12 children, of which, 6 of the young male children have schizophrenia. These males are abusive (physically and sexually), and their parents never, ever intercede to help or get assistance. Kolker's writing is very disjointed and told in a very confusing way. This is a looooooong book that could have been synthesized down to the critical info.
This book is extremely hard to read - so much violence, abuse, mental illness. I strongly disliked and couldn't understand why the author wanted to focus so much on the mother of this family because she essentially encouraged the abuse and refused to seek help for her own children - super difficult to condone and listen to.
This to tough to rate because I love the characters but the pacing was very slow in the beginning! 4 out of 5 stars!
Vasya picks up her story quickly after the ending of The Bear and the Nightingale. Vasya won't resign herself to marriage or convent, so she disguised herself as a boy and goes to her sister Olga in Moscow. Lies, betrayal, chyerti, and more ensue. Arden's writing is just as strong and lyrical as her first in this trilogy, however, I found the pace slow.
14th century Russian history blended with dual faiths, political strife, familial dynamics, haunting spirits, and much more. If you loved the first book, you'll love this sequel!
End of The Winternight Trilogy - and the perfect series to read in these winter months!
Vasya's journey comes to a culmination in this final book. War, strife, sibling love, fantastical beings, snow and summer, and so much more! The author's note at the end of the book made clear the point of this series and I wish I had read it before I read the book. Arden's writing is eccentric and lyrical and flowing. I found this writing enjoyable.
The ending is bittersweet and I could empathize with such a strong main character. I felt the ending fitting though I didn't want the story to end that way, if that makes sense? 4 out of 5 stars - enjoyable trilogy as a whole!
One of my absolute favorite authors ever ever EVER! So happy to have finally read this icon's biography!
This book starts from Daphne du Maurier's first moments of childhood and end at her death, and this story provides exquisite insight into her inner world and writing techniques. Listening to this story on audiobook was amazing and really made the French come alive for me! Highly recommend this medium for the full biography experience!
Daphne's riveting and haunting stories make much more sense when you learn about the author herself. This book is written more like a novel rather than the nonfiction book it is!
This book is a terrifying, trippy fever dream of a book! 5 out of 5 stars though!
I don't want to tell you too much about this book because I went in blind and was absolutely riveted by the story, but I will say this. Samantha is a MFA graduate student at Warren where she encounters a group of girls who only address each other as "Bunny".
Awad's writing is exquisite in every way - completely enrapturing, quotable thoughts, exacting diction, makes you laugh and scream with terror within the same sentence. I literally could not put this book down.
The female experience is written in such a wondrous and terrifying narrative that you can't tear your eyes away from it.
This autobiography is absolutely fantastic and I could not stop listening to it!
Incredibly accomplished Viola Davis writes in exquisite, horrific detail about her journey through life up to the current times. This book is an important, but by no mean easy or light, read. Davis's voice and writing style is clear, strong, and exacting. Reading about her growth as a person and writer, and how she learned to love herself, was awe inspiring.
The immense respect and inspiration I felt reading this book is hard to put into words. This book left me emotionally wrung out but feeling so full of hope. One of the best reads of my 2022 year!
I saw this book everywhere months ago and waited to read it now that there is snow outside!
Amelia and Adam are trying to salvage their deteriorating marriage by escaping to a refurbished chapel in the Scottish highlands for a weekend of solace. They believe a weekend alone will fix all their issues...but they aren't really alone. Feeney's voice in this book is as clear as always. I love her slow build of tension, suspense, and darkness. Her atmospheric writing really propelled the book forward.
The plot shocked me and it was definitely a case of "right book right time". I think this book would make an excellent movie!
I am obsessed with Dolly Alderton so I knew I needed to read her new release ASAP!
Nina is in her 30s and she is trying to find a partner, whilst dealing with family dynamics and a father suffering from post-stroke symptoms. Max comes into her life as unexpectedly as he leaves...what will she do now? Alderton's voice is just as quirky and witty as her memoir, and I laughed out loud at multiple points! Her perspective and insight into the trials and tribulations of womanhood and young love is keen and hilarious!
Based in London (my favorite place ever) and written by Dolly Alderton was bound to be a 5 star read for me! Dolly gives the reader an insiders look with a no-holds-barred approach to living in your 30s as a single woman who gets ghosted while dating on an app, although ghosting can be seen in many more aspects of life - through flatmates, friends, parents, etc. Loved this book!