The Witches of Moonshyne Manor by Bianca Marais
4 stars
I love The Shit No One Tells You About Writing podcast, on which Marais is a cohost, so I was eager to read her work. When a mob of angry townspeople arrives outside Moonshyne Manor eager to demolish it and evict the coven of aging witches, the coven's leader, Queenie, reveals that they have fallen behind on their mortgage payments. It turns out, however, that their financial woes are just the tip of the iceberg and the witches must overcome old grudges, superstitions, and evil to save their home and protect their chosen family. This book is billed as Practical Magic meets The Golden Girls and that is exactly accurate. I likely read this book in the least logical season, but it would be the perfect spooky season read.
In the Woods by Tana French
4 stars
Sometimes the winter months just call for a big juicy mystery, you know? I read the second book in this series first, so I was excited to explore the origin of the Dublin Murder Squad series. When a 12-year-old girl shows up murdered in a small town, Detective Rob Ryan finds himself brought back to the scene of his childhood mystery that left him alone in the same woods with blood-filled sneakers and no memory of what happened to his two friends who were with him. With only flashes of memory from his own case, Rob and his partner Casey Maddox must unravel the mystery of what happened to the current victim and what transpired decades earlier. If you enjoy a mystery with lots of twists and turns and unreliable characters, this would be a great series to sink into.
The Other Side of the Bridge by Mary Lawson
5 stars
After loving A Town Called Solace last year, I picked this book up at a used bookstore and I'm so glad I did. Told in two timelines, the story follows Arthur and Jake Dunn, two brothers who are polar opposites, from the 1930s, through the Depression, World War II, and into the 1950s when their lives intersect with the next generation. Arthur is steady, dependable, and committed to their family's farm; Jake is mercurial, selfish, and often prone to violence. When a young woman comes to town, the brothers' differences flare and tensions rise. Later, long after Jake leaves home, another generation of the town's inhabitants intersect with the Dunn family and old hurts rise to the surface. This book is poignantly and beautifully written and I loved every moment. If you enjoy Kent Haruf's novels, this would be a great fit for you. I wouldn't be surprised if it ended up on my top books for the year.
The Hating Game by Sally Thorne
3.75 stars
This book is just light and fluffy fun. Lucy Hutton and Joshua Templeman loathe each other, professionally and personally. During their long hours working across the room from each other, each an assistant to one of the co-CEOs of a publishing company, they have developed a series of passive-aggressive games to show their dislike of one another and foil their successes. When they're both put up for the same job, the tensions reach a boiling point and it turns out that hate is dangerously close to other powerful emotions neither of them wants to deal with. While this isn't my all-time favorite romantic comedy, it was a fun read after many heavy books in a row and would be a great option if you're looking for something lighthearted.
The Man Who Died Twice by Richard Osman
3.75 stars
This is the second installment of the Thursday Murder Club series and, like the first, I enjoyed the characters and their quirks more than I loved the plot itself. The story opens when Elizabeth receives a letter from a former colleague asking for her help. He's made a big mistake and is now tied up in a story involving stolen diamonds, a dangerous mobster, and a credible threat to his life. As more people begin to turn up dead, Elizabeth enlists the help of Joyce, Ibrahim, and Ron to hunt down the murderer and recover the diamonds. Equally as fast-paced as the first book, I enjoyed being along for the ride with the off-beat members of the Thursday Murder Club and I look forward to reading the next installment as well.
The Editor by Steven Rowley
4.5 stars
It's 1990s New York City and aspiring author James Smale has been trying to get published for years and is thrilled when he gets an offer on his book at a major publishing house. When he arrives to meet with the acquiring editor, he's shocked to discover that the editor is none other than former first lady Jackie Kennedy Onassis. While editing his book, James and Jackie build an unlikely friendship as James wrestles with the potential relational damage his clearly autobiographical novel could cause. It's a book centering on a fascinating historical fact (that Jackie O. spent her final years working as an editor), but it's also a book about fame, family, love, and the weight of the past. I loved this book and it solidified my plan to read everything Rowley has written or will write.
Future Home of the Living God by Louise Erdrich
3.5 stars
While not my favorite of Erdrich's books, the writing was predictably wonderful and the characters were fully realized, so it was still an enjoyable reading experience in my opinion. Set in a dystopian future, pregnant women are required to turn themselves in for observation, but most don't leave with a baby at the end and some don't leave at all. In this alarming reality, 26-year-old Cedar Hawk Songmaker finds herself pregnant. As she attempts to stay hidden to protect her baby, she embarks on a journey to find her biological mother, an Ojibwe woman, to understand her own family history. This book is excellently written, but the potential world Erdrich paints is one I don't want to spend too much time in.
When in Rome by Sarah Adams
4 stars
Look, is this book going to surprise you? Probably not, but it's adorable and you'll have a good time, so it's worth it. When pop star Amelia Rose decides she needs a break from her fame, she decides to take a page out of Roman Holiday and escape to Rome. The problem is that she needs an escape within driving distance. And so, that's how she finds herself with a broken down car, stranded on the front lawn of Rome, Kentucky's curmudgeonly baker, Noah Walker. If you've seen Roman Holiday, you know what's coming next, and if you've seen any Hallmark movies, you know how things will end. If you need a light and happy romance, give this one a go.
The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon
5 stars
Set in Maine in the winter of 1789, the story opens with the Kennebec River frozen solid. On a freezing night, a group of men discover a dead man frozen in the river and they call upon the community midwife and healer, Martha Ballard, to examine the body and determine his cause of death. Martha, a meticulous record keeper in his daily diary, immediately recognizes the body as a man implicated in a rape case months earlier. Martha then sets out to solve the mystery and find justice for the women in the community. Yes, this novel is set in the 1700s, but the characters leaped off the page and the setting is so vividly Maine in the winter. It was the perfect midwinter read.
Hannah Coulter by Wendell Berry
5 stars
I first read this beautiful little book in 2020 and this is now my third rereading. It's one of my favorite books of all time. I cry every time I read it. If you want to read my review, you can find it in this blog post.
Tom Lake by Ann Patchett
5 stars
I didn't intend to reread this as quickly as I did, but the audiobook (narrated by Maryl Streep) was available from the library so I jumped on it. It was excellent and I loved it just as much as last time. You can read my full review in my top 10 reads of 2023 post.
Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller
4.5 stars
After absolutely loving Circe when I read it last year, I was excited to get my hands on Miller's lauded debut. Culminating in the Trojan War as told in Homer's Iliad, this story is narrated by Patroclus, a young prince exiled and forced to be the companion of the young Achilles. As the boys grow up, they become more and more entwined, reliant on each other to help navigate their world and fates. When Achilles is called upon to go to war, Patroclus doesn't hesitate to go with him, knowing the prophecy that if Achilles kills Hector, he will die himself. Of course, that's not the whole prophecy and the fates will have their way, regardless of Patroclus' best efforts to protect the person he loves most. Though this book took me a little longer to get into, I'm so glad I gave it the time. Even knowing where it was going, the ending was devastating.
