The People We Keep by Allison Larkin
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 Year of Yes – 164
I never reread books. I always think that there are so many new ones to read, why would I go back to one I read? I do sometimes rewatch movies but not very often. Little boy rereads all the time. He gets joy from the comfort and familiarity of a story he knows and loves. Like a cozy blanket. I used to get frustrated by that but I’m learning that there’s no one right way to be. Learning to release my ideas of right and wrong is a lifelong journey but the kids are definitely helping. Yes to embracing who we are and embracing who others are too. #yearofyes #karenikayearofyes  The 22 Murders of Madison May by Max Barry
Nicola Yoon does not disappoint. This story is lovely and sweet and also profound of course. I enjoy reading her books and this was no exception.  Year of Yes – 163
I finally managed to get through my other 13 items and it did feel good to get to cross off items from my list. But the best part of today was getting to sit outside all day. After my morning exercise, I setup my journals, computer and food outside and did not go back inside all day except for bathroom trips and food. It’s almost 8pm and I am still sitting here and it’s just the right temperature. Fresh air and sunshine are food for my soul. Yes to summer and warm sunshine and fresh air. #yearofyes #karenikayearofyes
What an absolute joy of a book to read. This is the story of April Sawicki who finally manages to run away from her hometown where she lives practically alone in a motorhome as her dad moves in with his new wife. She gets on the road with a car, a few trash bags of belongings and a little money. Her journey is hard, long, harrowing, uplifting, and joyous in parts. Each time she meets people and gets attached, she ends up feeling like she has to move on for one reason or another. She’s always on the run, always untrusting, never wanting to let her guard down. But along the way, she can’t help but collect some people who love her for exactly who she is. This is a wonderful story of friendship, the families we make and the people we keep. I’ve enjoyed every single minute I spent with it. with gratitude to edelweiss and Gallery books for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.
“Extraordinary joy and sadness can come out of the ordinary every day.” What an unusual book. This short book is about a soul that gets a second chance and is put into the body of Makoto who has recently killed himself. This soul doesn’t remember what he did in his previous life to end up here but he has to live in Makoto’s life for a year to remember this own past so he can get to reincarnate into another body. “Thinking about it, this didn’t just apply to Makoto. Maybe the world was actually filled to the brim with things it was simply too late for, things we couldn’t take back.” As he slowly starts getting to know Makoto’s family and friends and life, he moves through a lot of feelings and while some parts of the book feel awkward to read I couldn’t tell if that was the translation or the original writing. “The idea of the Kobayashi family I’d had in my head gradually began to change color. It wasn’t some simple change, like things that I thought were black were actually white. It was more like when I looked closely, things I thought were a single, uniform color were really made up of a bunch of different colors. That’s maybe the best way to describe it.” I really liked how each character in the story was complex and not what they seem at first. How each of them have layers and layers like an onion. Like real people. And how Makoto has to reconsider everything each time he uncovers another layer. “If in the world below, you do end up wanting to curl into yourself once more, please remember this time you spent on your do-over. Remember how it felt to move freely without trapping yourself in your own expectations. And remember the people who helped you up.” Even though I was able to guess the ending, I enjoyed every page of this unusual book and really loved the author’s note at the end. with gratitude to netgalley and Counterpoint Press for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.
I usually try to be generous and honest with my book reviews. I understand that writing a book is a huge commitment and often an effort that takes years and years. And I can tell many others loved this book. Alas, I did not. A book like this (where each of the three main characters is going through a journey where they realize what they think they want isn’t really what they truly want and what’s good for them) requires the reader to root for the main characters. It requires the reader to care about their dreams, to cheer for them when they win and want to hold their hand when they struggle. The characters in this book all made me cringe. One woman wants to date her good looking senior boss even though it’s super clear he’s a total jerk, but she can’t see beyond his looks. Another woman wants to lure the man she’s having an affair with by secretly getting pregnant. Even though this man is married and has a child. And yet a third woman hates her mother in law who was almost comically annoying in the book. All of these characters are petty, superficial and just annoying. Even though they each come to their senses in some ways, they behave abhorrently in most of the book and with the exception of a few select scenes (mostly with cher) I found myself getting more and more annoyed with them. This was not the book for me. with gratitude to netgalley and Bookouture for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.
I love Max Barry. I’ve loved reading his books since Jennifer Government and Lexicon and I think it will be hard for me not to enjoy a book by him because I really like his writing style and his clever mind. This book was no exception. I have read many books that contain the multiverse theory over the last few years so the parallel universes part of the book wasn’t novel to me. But the idea of a serial killer going through each universe and hunting down the same girl was definitely an interesting twist. This is a fast-paced novel as all of Barry’s other ones. It’s hard to put down once you start it and even though it contained more violence and less character development than I’d prefer, I really enjoyed my time with it. with gratitude to netgalley and PENGUIN GROUP Putnam for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.
3.5 stars. This book is a lot darker and drearier than the blurb would have you believe. Dry humor isn’t usually my thing which is maybe why I didn’t find it hilarious at all. For most of the story, Gilda is depressed and not feeling her feelings which makes it hard for the reader to feel any feelings. Despite all that, I read this book in one sitting and enjoyed each of the characters. I think this book was actually an accurate representation of what it might feel like if the main character is depressed. Most of the books make that feel like there are big negative feelings, even though it’s usually an absence of feelings. It’s just that reading a book with the main character in that state is hard to enjoy. with gratitude to netgalley and Artia books for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review. |
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