The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning by Margareta Magnusson
4/5 Stars
I love that Magnusson says she is aged “between 80 and 100” and that this is her first book. I thought this would be more about decluttering (like The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up) but I feel that this book would most benefit someone over 50. It is geared towards those thinking of gradually really paring down and getting rid of things to the comfortable necessities so when they pass their relatives have less to go through. Magnusson shares tips on how to get rid of special items and also how to approach death cleaning with older relatives.

Based on a True Story by Delphine de Vigan 3/5 Stars
This book is described as a sophisticated psychological meta-fictional thriller and those are really the words that describe it best. It is creepy and might even make you question your own sanity. The middle of the book gets repetitive as Delphine builds up L.’s story but it all pays off in the end. I’m generally not a fan of thrillers but this one was “based on a true story” enough that I found it interesting.

Midnight at the Bright Ideas Bookstore by Matthew J. Sullivan 4/5 Stars
There is a lot going on in this book and it is done in a way that keeps things moving and interesting. As Lydia is closing the bookstore one night, she finds that one of her regular customers has killed himself in one of the upstairs rooms. Getting to the bottom of why he leaves her his belongings sets her on a path to find out a lot more than just that. I really enjoyed this book.

Tunnel of Bones by Victoria Schwab 5/5 Stars
I really love the Cassidy Blake series! The first book, City of Bones, takes place in Edinburgh and Schwab does such a brilliant job of capturing the feel of the city (even though I have never been, she lives there and I can tell) and she does the same for Tunnel of Bones, which is set in Paris.
That is a city I know a thing or two about.
Cassidy is traveling with her parents while they film a ghost/history tv show and she’s brought along her best friend, Jacob, a ghost, and her cat, Grim. While filming in the Catacombs she somehow wakes a poltergeist and must find out how to send him on before he causes too much trouble for the city of Paris. This is a middle grade book, but if you love a good story with ghosts then you should read this book no matter your age.

Guts by Raina Telgemeier 5/5 Stars
I read Guts in one sitting after 9pm the night before it came out due to West Coasters being able to download kindle books at midnight EST. As someone who has dealt with emetophobia almost my whole life, I found this graphic novel to be very relatable (some scenes are too familiar for comfort) and it may benefit kids and adults who have anxiety or emetophobia.

The Ten Thousand Doors of January by Alix E. Harrow 5/5 Stars
This is one of those books that is almost impossible to review because all the words in all the languages in this world fall short of what this book is. It has female explorers and doors that lead to other worlds and explanations for fairy tales. It makes you feel love and loss and wonder. So far it is my favorite book read this year.
I thought this book was going to be my perfect soul-mirroring book and it came so close. I did give it a five-star review because I love it so much but one aspect of it really tarnished it for me and made it impossible to be a timeless classic. There are a few points throughout the book that mention how horrible rich white men are. I really feel that this could have been conveyed without using trendy jargon. There are a couple of other mentions of hot topics and it makes me sad to think of a political agenda sullying an otherwise perfect book.

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