The Boatman’s Daughter by Andy Davidson 4/5 StarsI’ve never before read a dark Southern magical realism book but that’s what this is and I like it. It takes place within a small area in a bayou which gives it a Gothic feel as well. The synopsis didn’t completely appeal to me but the plot is just a means to explore human nature in a handful of very different, messed-up-in-their-own-way people. This is one of the more unique books I’ve read…
The Cerulean Queen (The Nine Realms #4) by Sarah Kozloff 5/5 StarsWhat a great ending to the Nine Realms series! After I found the first book, A Queen in Hiding, and thought it sounded like a great book, I was so excited to find out that there would be only four books in the series and that they would be coming out in consecutive months. This makes for such a great reading experience; you don’t have a whole year in…
Beneath a Ruthless Sun: A True Story of Violence, Race, and Justice Lost and Found by Gilbert King 3/5 StarsThe description of this book led me to believe that it was largely about one woman’s rape, but it seemed to be about everything but that. That crime was used to kick the book off, but then we learned about everyone and their cousin’s family history. Black, white, lawyers, out-of-town military, law enforcement: no one’s history was spared. There is an…
Discount Armageddon by Seanan McGuire 4/5 StarsDiscount Armageddon is the first book in McGuire’s Urban Fantasy InCryptid series. Verity Price comes from a long line of cryptozoologists; she is continuing the family tradition in New York City while also pursuing a career as a professional ballroom dancer and waiting tables at a strip club. There’s a lot going on with Verity and sometimes it feels like the author just thought up a bunch of random qualities someone could have and…
The Light We Lost by Jill Santopolo 5/5 StarsI have been on a serious roll this year with great Reese’s Book Club picks. I listened to the audiobook of The Light We Lost and it was both moving and devastating. I feel like this story could be yours, your sibling’s, or a friend-of-a-friend’s. The situation is so relatable and, most importantly, I feel that Lucy’s choices are too. In many books we like to read stories of the lives of…
A Murderous Relation is the fifth book in the Veronica Speedwell series. From the first book this has been one of my favorite series of all time but this installment proves that it is not immune to the mid-single-digit slump. For me, most series around book 5 or 6 take on a repetitive feel. I get not wanting to change what drew readers to the books in the first place, but no one wants to read the same book seven…
Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens 5/5This book was certainly a strong start to the year. It made the running list of my favorite books and I’m toying with the idea of rereading it already, less than two weeks after finishing it.I wouldn’t say that this is a completely believable book but it is moving and engrossing. Kya Clark is as poor as you can imagine. She lives in a shack in a marsh on the North Carolina coast…
The Cactus by Sarah Haywood 4/5 StarsI was attracted to The Cactus because of the cover blurb claiming that “fans of Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine will love” this book. I did really like this book and it does have very similar parallels to Eleanor Oliphant but Susan Green is not quite on the Eleanor Oliphant level. Susan is 45, single, and finds herself unexpectedly pregnant. Everything about her life is very practical and efficient, which I completely appreciate and…
A Few Pecans Short of a Pie by Molly Harper 5/5 StarsI loved this short story just as I love all of the other Southern Eclectic books. Unfortunately I read it out of order so was a bit out of touch with Margot’s story but it was easy to jump back in. It follows Margot as she tries to plan her wedding, wrap her mind around being pregnant, and hone her skills as a soon-to-be new step-mom to two girls….
This took me a long time to read because it gets pretty dense in the middle. The beginning is super interesting because we learn about Sequana, the pagan river goddess the Seine is named after and an archeological site at Bercy in Paris where hundreds of artifacts were found. Sciolino starts at the source of the Seine and follows it to the sea, stopping along the way in notable towns and cities. It really is a great story of the…