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Wild Dark Shore
by Charlotte McConaghy
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Wild Dark Shore is a climate fiction novel that intertwines the themes of climate change with personal and emotional journeys. It is a very “heavy” novel with both environmental issues, and emotional issues. Lots of triggers in this one. It is set on remote completely isolated frozen, Shearwater Island. The Island was set up, with labs and homes, (in addition to the lighthouse that serves as home to the Salt family) to save seeds so that in case of a catastrophe they can be planted to provide food to the world. The Island is being overtaken by the ocean, the facility is decaying and no longer viable. The scientists have all left. Only the Salt family, dad and three children remain on the Island to pack these seeds to relocate them. The story explores the dynamics of the family left on the Island and Rowan, a mysterious woman who washes up on the shores. The novel explores ethical actions in the face of climate change. It also explores themes of life, death, grief, love, suicide, sacrifice and mental illness. Wild Dark Shore examines the interconnectedness of life and death, hoping, I think, to encourage readers to consider the moral responsibilities humans have towards the environment and each other.
The Tenant
by Frieda McFadden
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Loved this book. Great story line. So many twists and turns and surprises!!! Told from a male point of view which is a first for this author.
Six Of Crows
by Leigh Bardugo
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This is a young adult fantasy book that revolves around a group of six “friends” that go on a heist. I loved this book! Five out of five stars! It was so good. It is a little confusing because the book is written assuming the reader knows background of the world, however I did not read the Shadow and Bone trilogy before this. However, it is not difficult to catch on with the help of google and reading on. The author did a really good job, in my opinion, writing the characters and showing their growth and development. It’s also very nice how the author writes the friendships and relationships. I love the characters and feel the emotion. Beautifully written! Definitely recommend to fantasy fanatics.
I See You've Called In Dead
by John Kenney
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I have to be in the right mood for literary fiction, but the audiobook narrator hit this one out of the park. He captured both the dry humor Kenney is known for as well as Bud's emotional growth so fantastically. The book flew by for me with no boring spots, which is a high compliment for literary fiction.
The Kind Worth Killing
by Peter Swanson
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Two strangers meet in a London airport, but are they really strangers? She has secrets. He is unhappy. It all leads to murder. The book was ok, but not great.
After Happily Ever
by Jennifer Safrey
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I enjoyed this book, which tells the story of 4 well known fairy tale characters when they are around 50 years old. I figured out who 2 of the characters were right away, but took longer to be sure of the other 2. This book takes a strong stand for women's rights. Although I like strong female characters, I felt it was out of place for time period to have so many women fighting for their rights. This is the reason I gave it 4 stars instead of 5.
Restore Me
by Tahereh Mafi
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This is the fourth installment in the Shatter Me series, and it marks the beginning of a new chapter in Juliette’s journey. It’s fascinating to witness how much Juliette has evolved since the first book. Her character development is one of the strongest elements of the series, and in this book, we see her step into a leadership role in a way that feels both powerful and deeply vulnerable. There were more revelations in this book, pieces that were left out in the first three books begin to unravel here, surrounding Aaron Warner and Juliette’s past. The way these storylines are expanded adds layers of depth and kept me turning the pages. We meet so many new characters and we get to explore them as people as well, which I really like. Tahereh Mafi’s writing continues to shine in this book. Her lyrical, emotional style captures the internal struggles of the characters so vividly that you can’t help but feel their pain and inner turmoil. Overall, I highly recommend this book, especially to readers who’ve been following Juliette’s story from the beginning.
The Blue Hour
by Paula Hawkins
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The glamorous , talented and beautiful Vanessa Chapman sequestered herself on n isolated Scottish tidal island called Eris. She did her art work and besides her philandering, mooch of a husband who vanished decades ago, also had a long-time association with retired doctor Grace Haswell. Although she had several stormy relationships she produced art work of note. Art historian James Becker who is obsessed with Vanessa is the curator of the Fairburn Foundation and after her death loaned some of her works to the Tate Modern. That's where a forensic anthropologist sees one of her sculptures made of objects one of which he believes is a human bone. It is up to Grace to figure out how to mislead these people.
The First Family: Abigail and John
by Joseph J. Ellis
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This is a nice non-fiction book about Abigail and John Adams. Telling the story of their lives, getting some information from letters and journals.
Eight Perfect Murders
by Peter Swanson
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This book was really well written and was very interesting. A lot of the book was fun since it mentioned a lot of literary classics. The first 3/4 of the book are great. Once you get to the end and they start revealing the twists is when things go off the rails. I am all for twists, red herrings and suspending belief for the sake of the story, but the biggest reveal felt so arbitrary, it really felt tacked on. I wish the author worked harder on the reasoning for that instead of adding so many reveals.
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