Keep Them Close by David Ellis
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
David Ellis knows how to weave a story. This one was both expected and unexpected in places, for me. It’s about the murder of Allison’s cheating husband. Or is it about a childhood story? or is it about a drug bust? Or is it about a girlfriend she doesn’t like? Or an awful car accident? Which one is it? Or is it all of them?
You’ll have to read to find out.
I read this one in a single sitting. Love David Ellis.
with gratitude to netgalley and G.P. Putnam’s Sons for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.
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The Wondrous Life and Loves of Nella Carter by Brionni Nwosu
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Great story in the vein of Addie LaRue but with more African American history. It was absolutely excellent on audio.
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Brawler by Lauren Groff
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
I’m not a short-story fan but I am a Groff fan so I had to read this collection and I am so glad I did. Even though every story wasn’t my favorite, there were several that I absolutely was awed by. I really hope her next one is a novel though!
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Land by Maggie O’Farrell
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Maggie O’Farrell has a way with words. And not just words but characters, settings, and so much more. The story begins with Tomas, the dad whose job is to survey the land in Ireland in 1865. He is doing his job with his son as an apprentice when something unexpected happens. And then the story goes both deeper and wider. The reader is thrust into The Great Hunger and Irish history.
But the best part of this book, of course, is Tomas’ family. The story of how he grew up and met his wife. The way they get and settle into the house and their four kids who are unique and unforgettable in their own magical ways. Each character leaps off the page and stays with you long. long after you’re done reading.
You heart is broken again and again and again and yet you can’t stop cheering for these characters and holding on to hope. What a complete gift O’Farrell is.
with gratitude to netgalley and Knopf for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review
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And Now, Back to You by B.K. Borison
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
3.5 stars
This was fun and joyful and entertaining even if predictable. It brought me joy.
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Heather by Caitlin Mullen
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
This book is compared to Moore’s The God of the Woods which I thought was an apt comparison. It’s about an event that unearths a mystery from years ago. It’s in a small town. It’s a quiet story which ends up not being about the mystery. All of these I think are reasonable parallels.
This is a slow burn but, for me, it was an excellent read from beginning to end. I loved Callie from the very beginning and was invested. The audio book was truly excellent. The narrators brought the story alive and made it so there wasn’t a moment of boredom in this slow moving story. I loved it from beginning to end.
with gratitude to netgalley and Macmillan Audio for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review
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Winter’s Redemption by Mary Stone
My rating: 2 of 5 stars
2.5 stars
For some reason even though this was indeed Winter’s Redemption, I didn’t enjoy this one as much as the others. It felt more stilted and I didn’t like the preacher so i hated having his POV.
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The Last Mandarin by Louise Penny
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Wow this was quite the political thriller. If political thrillers are your genre, you will absolutely love this rich and thoroughly intriguing story. It was fast-paced with really interesting characters. Layers of plot that kept you on your toes the whole time. I am confident that if you like this genre, you will love this book.
The audio was absolutely outstanding, making the story come to life and adding so much to the experience of reading this book!
with gratitude to netgalley and Macmillan Audio for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.
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Seek the Traitor’s Son by Veronica Roth
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
I’m a Veronica Roth fan. I loved the Divergent series and loved having more of her voice and storytelling in this novel. For me, this was a much bigger undertaking and took a lot longer to connect to. I loved the intricacies and creativity of the world-building. Loved the strong and smart main character and loved the love interest, too and especially loved that neither the story nor the love interest were there as a token. The story in of itself was interesting and the characters were, too!
I do assume there’s more coming and it’s a series. I am excited to read more of it!
with gratitude to netgalley and Macmillan Audio for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.
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This Book Made Me Think of You by Libby Page
My rating: 0 of 5 stars
Another one that didn’t keep my interest and I finally had to give up. This was fun for a while but also relatively formulaic 🙁
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To Kill a Cook by W.M. Akers
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Really enjoyed this one. I liked the narration, i liked the main character. It wasn’t as funny as Finlay Donovan but it was interesting and i loved all the food details.
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So Old, So Young by Grant Ginder
My rating: 0 of 5 stars
I am not rating this story because I had to walk away from it about halfway through. Maybe it’s because I am not a millennial and wasn’t the target audience. Either way, this one did not keep my interest. maybe at some point i can come back to it.
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projects for twenty twenty-two
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projects for twenty nineteen
projects for twenty eighteen
projects from twenty seventeen
monthly projects from previous years
some of my previous projects
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