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Christine wrote: "


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Good reads Christine! I recently finished The Inmate and rated it 5 stars. It was crazy good and intense. How did you rate it?
I am also a huge Robyn Harding fan as well!

I've finally reviewed my Lost Story review.

I thought it was a wonderful reimagining of Narnia, but with a pretty abrupt ending.

I’m reading a book called The Mother's Fault by Nicole Trope

I’m reading a book called The Night She Disappeared by April Henry

The Serpent and the Wings of Night by Carissa Broadbent

I’m reading a book called The Inmate by Freida McFadden

I’m reading a book called The Teacher by Freida McFadden

tldr version of my review below:



Over 100 years since its publication, The Age of Innocence remains timeless in its acute and elegantly written insights on oppression reinforced by often arbritrary, pointless social rules, the power imbalance found within gender and social class dynamics, love, and the painful sacrifices that one must make in pursuit of freedom. Is living dutifully and honorably mutually exclusive with living for oneself? Wharton takes a pessimistic view on the question, as most her novels end with the characters conforming with and defeated by social pressure.

Wharton depicts people confined in a cage of their own making, whether it be remaining complacent in one's situation or choosing "right" over "good". The last two chapters perfectly summarize the central themes and motifs of the book, a pervading sense of wistfulness and what if's, a missed connection. The most romantic parts of the book are also the saddest, a hidden gaze held across the room, restrained yet revelatory fireside conversations, and OH MY GOD the gaze across the shore, the longing!! the yearning!! the pining!! give me more!!!

full review here: /review/show...

The writing is fine, it's the plot I have an issue with. It's just so...bland. The mystery is not scary or intriguing, because the stranger writing in the diary is barely mentioned. The rotating POVs don't enhance the story much, with plenty of repetition of the same scenes just with slightly differing perspectives. The identity reveal of the villain is so incredibly underwhelming, i read it and was like...them? that's who the killer is? the red herring characters also aren't scary either. The stakes of this story is low, and for how much I like murder mysteries, this was so boring.

my full review here: /review/show...

I finished two books so far this month.

Maeve Fly was not great. I knew it was going to be weird and gory, but there were parts that were too much. The ending was really dumb too. Do not recommend.

Angels & Demons. I knew the plot and the bad guy going in because of the movie, but I still really liked it. A bit dated, but oh well. Hopefully the series holds up.

I'm currently reading The Weaver and the Witch Queen, For the Throne, and Guards! Guards!.

I’m reading a book called First Lie Wins by Ashley Elston

This is not the most plot-heavy book, but it makes up for it with expert characterization and tension-filled atmospheric writing. The visceral fear I felt reading this, OMG! It would've been even more immersive if I read this during a snowstorm to match the book's setting. I'm very impressed with how elegantly and poetically Sierra conveyed the nasty, ugly, frightful stink of fear and rage, and the uniquely female experience of navigating motherhood and womanhood in the face of society's judgement.

full review here: /review/show...

I’m reading a book called The Perfect Family by Robyn Harding

I just started reading In the Lives of Puppets by T.J. Klune

I’m reading a book called Her Pretty Face by Robyn Harding

I finished two more reviews:

- my Darling Girls review I really enjoyed this one. It was very engaging and kept me reading. 5�

- my Every Time I Go on Vacation review Too many repetitive footnotes. I feel like I was generous giving this one 3�.

I'm currently reading The Scent of Rain and Lightning. Very good so far.

Listening to Gideon the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir

I’m reading a book called The Drowning Woman by Robyn Harding

I’m reading a book called On a Quiet Street by Seraphina Nova Glass

I’m reading a book called Home Before Dark by Riley Sager

I'm reading October Screams: A Halloween Anthology

I just finished Symphony of Secrets by Brendan Slocumb and it can be used for a few different prompts.

There is a Self-Insert by the Author where the main character is listening to music and one of the songs he is listening to is by a band that the author is in IRL.

It also fulfills the Academic Thriller prompt. The main character is a PhD professor who takes a leave of absence from teaching to authenticate and arrange a piece of lost music from the 1920s-1930s by a genius composer. The thriller part is unearthing why this music was lost and how it was found...among other things.

Finally, you could use it for Women in STEM as one of the main female characters is a cybersecurity and coding expert.

By the way, a GREAT book by a wonderful author. I loved his first book too. Here's my review on Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ of Symphony of Secrets: /review/show...

I’m reading a book called The Stranger in Her House by John Marrs

I've been reading Again The Magic by the incomparable Lisa Kleypas!

I have finishedInto the Water by Paula Hawkins.
I usually read books with lighter topics but thought I would give this one a go. The setting was atmospheric with a northern town and river where many women had drowned, including, historically, women expected of being witches. The stories of the women intertwined and the book was written from the perspective of several different men and women.
I did find it hard remembering who everyone was but this was helped by a page at the front of the book listing the main characters. The mystery centred around how Nel, and previously Katie and before that, Lauren had died. As the story progressed the sense of threat increased with it being unclear who was capable of killing who. I was kept guessing right until the end.
Looking back on it, I am not sure whether I liked this book or not although I rated it as 4 stars. It was hard work and I had to take it in small doses at times but it certainly caught my interest from half way through and by the end it was a page turner. I think I will read more books in this genre.

I just finished Dead Center and I think it was one of my favorite books in the series. Lots of funny moments.

Dark, theatrical, atmospheric, classic Gothic horror done right. It is deceivingly hard to write in the tone of a different period and describe the setting of a bygone era, but the Victorian era is Purcell's playground, you can tell she feels comfortable in it and writes beautifully without it being too flowery. The horror elements are gradually introduced, a shadow that grows darker and encompasses more as you read on, spinechilling.

my full review here: /review/show...



Ron Chernow wrote the definitive biography of, in my humble opinion, the de facto first president of The United States. From the exotic and scandalous circumstances of Alexander Hamilton's birth to his sudden ascension to the ranks of the exclusive, venerable group now known as the Founding Fathers, to his dogged perseverance in creating the foundational institutions that were to secure the new country's place in the world, Chernow tells not just a timeline, but also of Hamilton's psyche during each pivotal event, which is one of resoluteness and stubbornness that propelled him to achieve great feats and also lead to his premature death.

my full review here: /review/show...

I’m reading a book called Room for Rent: A Thriller by Noelle W. Ihli

I've recently finished

A Lady's Guide to Fortune-Hunting
and I loved it. I've discovered that regency romances really work for me because I can forgive the lack of communication more easily for that time period. I really enjoyed the two main characters and how their relationship developed throughout the book.

I then listened to Daughter of No Worlds and also really enjoyed it. I've been curious to try more romantasy and I saw someone talk about how much they liked this one. I thought the audio was really well done and I quickly got swept up in the story. I loved the relationship that developed between the two main characters. Max was a great love interest, loved his support of Tisaanah. The politics and world building were not that well developed but the romance and character development will keep me reading this series.

I just finished The Survivors and really enjoyed it. Jane Harper is definitely one of my favorite mystery writers and she always does a great job with characters and place in her books. I liked that she explored toxic masculinity and how harmful it can be for males and females.

I'm currently reading
Beach Read and loving it.

Best Served Cold I was eye ball reading this one for the first 50% and although I wanted to see what would happen, it was taking me forever to get through and putting me in a bit of a reading slump. I'm not sure what it is about Joe Abercrombie's writing because I enjoy his stories and characters but I find that I struggle to pick his books up/stay engaged when I do. I recently switched to audio and I'm enjoying it a lot more. The audio narrator is great and the humor is coming through a lot better for me in this form.

I’m reading a book called Just the Nicest Couple by Mary Kubica

I'm reading a contemporary romance Marriage for One by Ella Maise

I’m reading a book called She's Not Sorry by Mary Kubica

I finished these two:

- my If Something Happens review
- my Rom-Commers review

Currently reading Hidden Valley Road, finishing Check & Mate, and about to start Starter Villain.

I’m reading A Fatal Winter by G.M Malliet.

I’m reading a book called Listen for the Lie by Amy Tintera

I have started reading The Pumpkin Spice Café

I’m reading a book called Liar's Point by Laura Griffin

I'm trying to finish Late Bloomer and How to Say Babylon. M. Eddings is very intentional about neurodivergent characters, and that was refreshing. S. Sinclair just blows me away with her phrasing and artistry on every page; the details of Rastafari aren't well-known, and she explains them in detail. I have nothing to compare it to, though, besides what I research online.

I finished listening to The Atrocity Archives by Charles Stross

I’m reading a book called The Perfect Child by Lucinda Berry

I’m reading a book called Funny Story by Emily Henry

I agree with you Vicki Willis and oh that’s cool Vickie Willis and I rated 5 stars too Vickie Willis and me too Vickie Willis