One Day in December
Rating: 4/5 | I picked this book up because in case you haven't noticed, everybody and their mother read it this month. It was catchy and sweet and surprisingly relatable. I sandwiched it between a couple of heavier books. It was a great lightweight read for winter. (Click the post to read more.)
Our Dried Voices
Rating: 4/5 | This was a fast read, but it was really engaging. When he sent it to me, Greg compared it to The Giver. I was skeptical of that statement, but it was actually a pretty good comparison, at least in style and subject matter. (Click the post to read more.)
The Silence of the Girls
Rating: 5/5 | Full disclosure: Books like this were made for me. I love feminist fiction, and I really love retellings — especially Greek mythology. Madeline Miller is my jam. This book is also my jam. I loved every page. (Click the post to read more.)
Lord of Shadows (The Dark Artifices, #2)
Rating: 4.5/5 | This will be a quick review as it's a book two, and obviously I loved the first one and just can't wait to get to book three. And also I'm dying and was totally crushed by that ending and WHY JUST WHY. (Click the post to read more.)
Rice Girls
Rating: 3.5/5 | Thank you to the author, Emily Kim, for providing me with a copy of this book so that I could review it! Rice Girls was a really unique (for me) and engaging story, once I fell into the rhythm of the writing style. (Click the post to read more.)
Bonfire
Rating: 4/5 | This was an impressive debut novel for Krysten Ritter! I'm not always a fan of thrillers (they're such a rollercoaster ride), but this one was fun to read. She gives you just enough information to know that you have all the pieces of the puzzle, if only you could figure out how they fit together. I listened to the audiobook during my Thanksgiving car rides, and I really enjoyed it. (Click the post to read more.)
Lady Midnight (The Dark Artifices, #1)
Rating: 4.5/5 | Cassandra Clare has done it again. There's a reason she's sold so many books: She's really great at writing characters you absolutely love and putting them through adventures you can't ignore. (Click the post to read more.)
An Authentic Experience
Rating: 3/5 | Thank you to the author for the free e-copy in exchange for an honest review. (Click the post to read more.)
The President is Missing
Rating: 3.5/5 | This book was just plain fun. I think that's what you get with books in this mass-market thriller category in general: Not quite "literature" per se, but very exciting and entertaining quick reads. They are like sitcom television. (Click the post to read more.)
Limetown: The Prequel to the #1 Podcast
Rating: 4/5 | This book was a really fun read, especially for October. It's the perfect thriller mystery for a cozy night curled up on your couch with a nice drink. (Click the post to read more.)
What It Means When a Man Falls from the Sky
Rating: 4.5/5 | I first read the title short story from this collection ("What It Means When a Man Falls From the Sky") through The Season of Stories. I was immediately blown away, and I forwarded it to all my lit friends so I'd have someone to talk to about it. (Click the post to read more.)
Ruin and Rising (Shadow and Bone, #3)
Rating: 4/5 | This was the conclusion I knew would be excellent, the reason I read the first two books. This one flew by faster than the first or the second did; I read it in less than 36 hours. (Click the post to read more.)
An American Marriage
Rating: 4/5 | Wow. There is so, so much to unpack from this book. It was an incredibly poignant and purposefully uncomfortable look at so many things—marriage, love, parenting, friendship, race, manhood. I will be thinking about this one for a long time. (Click the post to read more.)
Siege and Storm (Shadow and Bone, #2)
Rating: 3.75/5 | Here's the summary of how I feel about these books so far: Alina is super dumb and makes me want to punch her, but the magic system is really unique, and the plot has drawn me in. (Click the post to read more.)
Shadow and Bone (Shadow and Bone, #1)
Rating: 3.75/5 | I entered the world of Leigh Bardugo via the Six of Crows duology, which I loved. Friends promised that the Shadow and Bone trilogy wouldn't disappoint. The first book started slowly, but once it took off, it really drew me in. (Click the post to read more.)
Call Me By Your Name
Rating: 4/5 | Call Me By Your Name was lyrical prose at its best. Aciman has written a masterpiece that rings with emotion, youth, and passion, both the good and the bad. (Click the post to read more.)
A Reaper at the Gates (Ember Quartet, #3)
Rating: 4.5/5 | At this point in the Ember series, I knew what I was getting into. I knew this book was going to grab me and not let go. And it didn't disappoint. (Click the post to read more.)
A Torch Against the Night (Ember Quartet, #2)
Rating: 5/5 | So often, the second book of a series is the most boring, or the most uncomfortable. It's the bridge between the excitement at the beginning and the end. I'm happy to say that this is not the case with A Torch Against the Night. It had some second-book elements, but it was done in a way that didn't make them feel tedious or painful. Instead, it's engaging, answers small questions while raising bigger ones, and draws you in so that you can't escape no matter what you do. (Click the post to read more.)
An Ember in the Ashes (Ember Quartet, #1)
Rating: 4/5 | This book was really, really good. There was a good amount of world-building to do, so the first few chapters were complex and slower than the rest. But for good reason: Once I hit a certain point, I took off and never looked back until I hit the end of book 3 (only because book 4 isn't out yet). (Click the post to read more.)