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  2 0 2 2   BOOK REVIEWS
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A discussion thread for you Book Snails who like to share your good, bad, and ugly book reviews with us!

Please share reviews of books you finish reading in 2022 here, or feel free to review one you haven't shared with the group before.

You can type a short review right here, and/or provide a link to a review you already posted on ŷ������, your blog, etc.

Finished Activities of Daily Living: A Novel by Lisa Hsiao Chen. Okay overall but a lot of issues so I ended up rating this 3 stars. Here’s my review: /review/show...

Finished Beartown by Fredrik Backman. I’ve actually had this on my TBR for a long time by didn’t get around to reading it until now (I’m reading it with one of my book clubs). I loved it and with be starting the sequel right away as well! Rated it 5 stars. Here’s my review: /review/show...

Thus far I've read and reviewed:

The Lost Man a contemporary mystery set in the Australian Outback. I gave it four stars. My review is here-
/review/show...

The Wager Disaster: Mayhem, Mutiny and Murder in the South Seas a non-fiction account of one of the craziest shipwrecks I've ever heard of. My review is here-
/review/show...

Miss Smilla's Feeling for Snow is the 90s crime classic set in Denmark. My review is here-
/review/show...

Controversial! My view of Such a Fun Age
Such a Fun Age by Kiley Reid

My rating: 1 of 5 stars



View all my reviews

Finished Us Against You by Fredrik Backman. This is the sequel to Beartown. It was excellent! 5 stars! Here’s my review: /review/show...

Finished Black Cake by Charmaine Wilkerson. I enjoyed his debut and look forward to reading more from this author. Rated this one 4 stars. Here’s my review: /review/show...

Finished Red Thread of Fate by Lyn Liao Butler. Liked this one overall and rated it 3.5 stars. Here’s my review: /review/show...

The Maid by Nita Prose
~ 4 stars. Cozy hotel murder(?) mystery starring a young woman who is neurologically different. A bit on the cutesy side, but also has some twists.
Short review: /review/show...

Broadchurch by Erin Kelly.
Novelization of BBC TV miniseries.
~ 3 stars. Small town murder, many suspects. Two detectives who don't seem to like each other--and one has a checkered past.
Review: /review/show...

Finished The Unseen World by Liz Moore. I wasn’t sure about this one at first, but I ended up loving it! Rated it 5 stars. Here’s my review: /review/show...

Bkwmlee wrote: "Finished The Unseen World by Liz Moore. ... I ended up loving it! Rated it 5 stars..."

Glad you loved it, and thanks for reviewing it. I gave it 5 stars as well (rare for me, < 4% of books I read), and I might even re-read it one day (also rare for me).

Coincidentally, I originally read it because I asked the BookSnails to choose a book for me in a poll.

Finished Phantoms by Christian Kiefer. This was a book club read that I probably would not have known about otherwise but definitely glad I read. I rated it 4 stars. Here’s my review: /review/show...

New Micro: Exceptionally Short Fiction by Robert Scotellaro
3+ stars, bumped to 4 because of novelty. Over 100 stories of < 300 words each. Good variety, mostly contemporary. Review at: /review/show...

The Light Brigade by Kameron Hurley
4 stars (rounded up from 3.67). Not enough science, but an imaginative SciFi tale of the military variety, where everything goes wrong. Review: /review/show...

Maybe You Should Talk to Someone: A Therapist, Her Therapist, and Our Lives Revealed
Non-fiction. A therapist experiences a breakup with Boyfriend, and sees another therapist. 3 stars for me, maybe 4+ if you dig patient stories. Review: /review/show...

Finished Elsewhere by Alexis Schaitkin. I really liked this author’s debut and while her sophomore novel was good too, it didn’t really work for me. I rated it 3.5 stars. Here’s my review: /review/show...

Finished The Golden Couple by Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen. Overall, this was a good addition to their body of work. ended up rating this one 4 stars. Here’s my review: /review/show...

Finished Under the Golden Sun by Jenny Ashcroft. Another solid historical novel by Ashcroft. Definitely enjoyed it! Rated it 4 stars. Here’s my review: /review/show...

4 to 5 stars for this true history book, set in 1860 Australia:

The Dig Tree: The Story of Bravery, Insanity, and the Race to Discover Australia's Wild Frontier by Sarah Murgatroyd

Review: /review/show...

Finished The Next Thing You Know by Jessica Strawser. I’ve read all of Strawser’s books so far and all have been enjoyable reads. I rated this one 4 stars. Here’s my review: /review/show...

Finished The Diamond Eye by Kate Quinn. Another magnificent book by one of my favorite authors! I rated this one 4.5 stars. Here’s my review: /review/show...

Finished Peach Blossom Spring by Melissa Fu. This one fell a tad short of expectation for me, but overall there were many aspects I enjoyed. Rated it 3.5 stars. Here's my review: /review/show...

My review of Sisterland by Curtis Sittenfeld: /review/show...

Finished The Younger Wife by Sally Hepworth. I wasn’t too keen on this one to be honest �� I explain why in my review. I ended up rating this one 3 stars. Here’s my review: /review/show...

Finished The Winners by Fredrik Backman. This is the third and final book in the Beartown series and it was SO GOOD!!! I loved being reunited with these characters again and also loved the new characters as well. This series will always hold a special place in my heart! Definitely worth more than 5 stars! Here’s my review: /review/show...

This is my first proper book review ever ! Tender is the flesh by Agustina Bazterrica. I rated this a 3/5.
Full review here

/review/show...

Finished Forbidden City by Vanessa Hua. Good story, but I liked Hua’s first novel more. I rated this one 3.5 stars. Here’s my review: /review/show...

Jennifer wrote: "This is my first proper book review ever ! Tender is the flesh by Agustina Bazterrica. I rated this a 3/5.
Full review here

/review/show..."

Welcome to Book Snails and ŷ������. The book sounds along the lines of American Psycho. If you're after a good horror The Birds is my personal fave for suspense. I remember really liking The Forest of Hands and Teeth for a YA horror, and for traditional, although it might be classed as ya too, The Girl with All the Gifts.

Hench by Natalie Zina Walschots

4 stars. Pretty darn good for the superhero/villain genre. Starts slow, gets more serious--and more funny & snarky--as it goes. Recommended if you like fantasy or superpowers fare.
Review: /review/show...

Finished Bloomsbury Girls by Natalie Jenner. This is the follow up to Jenner’s debut novel The Jane Austen Society. I found this one to be just as delightful (even though this time around, the story had nothing to do with Jane Austen). I rated this one 4 stars. Here’s my review: /review/show...

Here is my review of ‘Act your age, Eve Brown�� by Talia Hibbert

/book/show/5...

Rating
4.5/5

Finished Wonder by R.J. Palacio. Powerful and poignant, this middle grade novel is actually a must-read for all ages. Rated it 5 stars. Here’s my review: /review/show...

Finished The Latecomer by Jean Hanff Korelitz. I devoured Korelitz’s literary mystery The Plot last year, so I jumped at the chance to get an advance copy of her newest work. While I can’t say I was disappointed, this ended up being very different from what I expected. Rated it 3.5 stars. Here’s my review: /review/show...

Finished Our Last Days in Barcelona by Chanel Cleeton. This is Cleeton’s third book directly about the Perez sisters and it was really good. I will always still like Next Year in Havana the best, but this one is still a favorite. I rated it 4.5 stars. Here’s my review: /review/show...

Finished Daughters of the Flower Fragrant Garden: Two Sisters Separated by China's Civil War by Zhuqing Li. This was poignant and insightful…a difficult but also worthwhile read. I rated it 4 stars. Here’s my review: /review/show...

Finished Counterfeit by Kirstin Chen. Definitely enjoyed this one �� I like that there was depth to the story, even though the overall tone was lighthearted. I rated this 4.5 stars. Here’s my review: /review/show...

Finished Bomb Shelter: Love, Time, and Other Explosives, a memoir in essays by Mary Laura Philpott. This was a book club read for me and I enjoyed it overall, though some of the essays didn’t really appeal to me. I rated this one 3.5 stars. Here’s my review: /review/show...

Thank you so much for sharing your thoughtful, well articulated reviews Lee! 📚 💕

Finished The Many Daughters of Afong Moy by Jamie Ford. A fantastic novel by one of my favorite authors! I rated this one 4.5 stars. Here’s my review: /review/show...

Erin wrote: "Thank you so much for sharing your thoughtful, well articulated reviews Lee! 📚 💕"

You’re welcome! 😊

Finished The Wedding Dress Sewing Circle by Jennifer Ryan. This is the third book of this author’s that I’ve read and I enjoyed it as much I did her previous works. I rated this one 4 stars. Here’s my review: /review/show...

Finished Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin. This is the newest work by the author of one my favorite books: The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry. Loved the story, the characters, and the gaming references (even though I’m not an avid gamer). I rated this 4 stars. Here’s my review: /review/show...

Finished It All Comes Down to This by Therese Anne Fowler. This one didn’t work for me at all. Unfortunately, I couldn’t rate this more than 2 stars. Here’s my review: /review/show...

Finished Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus. Loved this one so much! Easily one of my favorite books this year! Rated it 5 stars. Here’s my review: /review/show...

Finished Kaleidoscope by Cecily Wong. This was an interesting and nuanced story that was very well done. I rated it 4 stars. Here’s my review: /review/show...

Death in Her Hands: One of the best books I've ever read. My review: /review/show...

Finished Daisy Darker by Alice Feeney. This is the newest twisty thriller from an author whose works are pretty much “auto-reads�� for me at this point. This wasn’t one of my favorites of hers, but I still enjoyed it well enough. I rated it 4 stars. Here’s my review: /review/show...

Finished Mika in Real Life by Emiko Jean. I really liked this one �� it was emotionally resonant and also had a good balance between being funny and serious. Definitely recommend! I rated this one 4.5 stars. Here’s my review: /review/show...

How High We Go in the Dark by Sequoia Nagamatsu

A well-written book that readers who don't normally read future fiction may enjoy. Connected tales involving plague and climate change/disaster, focusing on the human drama.

~4 stars. Review: /review/show...

Finished Carrie Soto Is Back by Taylor Jenkins Reid. I actually enjoyed this one way more than TJR’s previous book Malibu Rising. I ended up rating it 4 stars. Here’s my review: /review/show...

Bkwmlee wrote: "Finished Carrie Soto Is Back by Taylor Jenkins Reid. I actually enjoyed this one way more than TJR’s previous book Malibu Rising. I ended up rating it 4 stars. Here..."

Ooh! I’m reading Malibu Rising right now. I’ll have to add this one to my list!

Finished A Map for the Missing by Belinda Huijuan Tang. Emotional and resonant, this is a book I definitely recommend. Rated it 4.5 stars. Here’s my review: /review/show...