I read a lot and I want to share my book reviews with you guys! I am an avid reader and love sharing books with friends. I thought it would be fun to share the books I’ve read so far this year.
I figured that I could share my Goodreads reviews, and I’ll try to update with a little backstory of why I read it, and a short review of what I thought and if I recommend the book to other readers.
I have a broad taste when it comes to most forms of media. I would say, for books, I mostly gravitate towards general fiction, fantasy, sci-fy, horror, or memoirs. Sometimes I read and really love books because of the writing alone, which is something most people don’t like. If you see anything on the list that you’ve read or want to read, I’d love to hear from you in the comments or feel free to comment on my GR reviews/profile.
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Currently Reading
Born a Crime: Stories From a South African Childhood by Trevor NoahA Link to My Short List
This is a list of books that I want to read next.
A Link to my Currently Reading List
This is a list of books that I’ve started but might not have actually started reading yet.
2023
My 2023 Goodreads Reading Challenge Goals
One Little Mistake by Lucinda BerryMy rating: 3 of 5 stars
This is a novella, and audible exclusive audiobook. It was entertaining, but I didn’t think it was great. The book is about a woman who lost everything after finding herself in jail for a DUI. The ending is a confusing twist…. frankly it went too quickly and the explanation didn’t make much sense. (view spoiler) Interesting concept but fell flat at the end.
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Project Hail Mary by Andy WeirMy rating: 3 of 5 stars
A friend recommended this to me, and since I loved The Martian I knew I’d read this one at some point. I was disappointed in Artemis, hence the hesitation, but I thought it was good. It was still not as good as The Martian though (sorry Andy Weir you have to live up to this haha) but I enjoyed the ending.
(view spoiler)
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Unmask Alice: LSD, Satanic Panic, and the Imposter Behind the World’s Most Notorious Diaries by Rick EmersonMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
This book was interesting. I saw it in passing and noted it to read but got renewed interest when listening to the podcast “You’re Wrong About”. The author talked about Go Ask Alice and this book during the podcast and it renewed interest in the book for me. I really enjoyed the read. The way Emerson writes is like he’s telling you a story and not like he’s explaining facts (which is what he’s doing) and in any point where he cannot fully disclose facts or is concerned that he may not be correct, he let’s us know… which I get when you’re dealing with other peoples lives (especially before the way that the internet is now).
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Small Game by Blair BravermanMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
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Hunger: A Memoir of (My) Body by Roxane GayMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
4.5 stars
This book is great. RTC
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2022
My Goodreads 2022 Reading Challenge Goals
The Amityville Horror by Jay AnsonMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray BradburyMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
I read this for the first time when I was younger and have read so many books by Ray Bradbury since then. I loved it the first time, and would say it’s one of my favorite books.
Reread 2022
The reread for this book hit different, but still really enjoy this book. The dark themes appeal to me, but now being older and having friends with children, I can relate more closely to Charles and the adult characters, which is really interesting to me. I’m not in my 50s, but I can now understand the appeal of going forward in time as a kid, but also going back in time as an adult… which made this read feel really different. The characters and carnival have/has more depth, the metaphors read different to me, and I am really happy I decided to read this again.
I couldn’t figure out how to change the edition because the second time around I read a more recent edition… (just a note for myself)
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I’m Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdyMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
As a child who grew up with iCarly and seeing Jennette McCurdy on television, the fact that she was dealing with so much is upsetting, but I’m glad that she has a platform to share her story. I’m glad that she can find some identity after everything that has happened to her and gain some control over her life and her choices. Definitely will go searching for more writing by her.
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Insomnia by Stephen KingMy rating: 3 of 5 stars
3.5 Stars
This book is pretty similar to Stephen Kings other books, which is NOT A BAD THING, but I just think comparatively, it’s not as good as some of this other novels that I have read. I did enjoy the plot and how the story progressed, and it had the typical mystery of any of King’s novels. I honestly just find the book to be so creative. (view spoiler) To summarize, great read, but similar to other books I’ve read by King.
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How to Fall in Love with Anyone: A Memoir in Essays by Mandy Len CatronMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
How High We Go in the Dark by Sequoia NagamatsuMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
This is a book of short stories, but there is a connection throughout which I really enjoyed. The stories are all pretty different, and I definitely felt more connected and interested in some characters more than others. Overall I thought this book was good, and enjoyed reading it.
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My Evil Mother by Margaret AtwoodMy rating: 3 of 5 stars
Nice short story about moms.
Evidence of the Affair by Taylor Jenkins ReidMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
Crying in H Mart by Michelle ZaunerMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
4.5 Stars
I really loved this book. I love how Zauner compares her childhood and rebelliousness with her wanting to prove her love to her mother, instead of just sharing how the present makes her feel, she explains the complexity of her emotions. I enjoyed her use of food to remedy the disconnect she felt to her mother and family’s different culture, the descriptions of food throughout the book were excellent and really convey her feelings about Korean food. (view spoiler)
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The Lost World by Michael CrichtonMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
Riot Baby by Tochi OnyebuchiMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
Hidden Pictures by Jason RekulakMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
I really liked this book. This book wasn’t exactly scary to me, but it was a great thriller. I could not have seen the ending coming. It was entertaining the entire time, I stayed up late just to read it and would definitely read it again. Highly recommend.
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The Sunset Route: Freight Trains, Forgiveness, and Freedom on the Rails in the American West by Carrot QuinnMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
I really liked this book. I was a little confused about the ending.
Constellations of Scars by Melissa Eskue OusleyMy rating: 3 of 5 stars
2.5 Stars
This book was really weird. It’s an interesting story, and the writing wasn’t that great…
I also think a lot of questions were left unanswered.
(view spoiler)
I know this book is YA, I don’t usually read YA because I don’t usually care for the writing or themes, so I’m trying to keep that in mind with my review. But if you can stand the weirdness, and not great writing, it’s an entertaining book. I’m not sure if it’s great for young people though, it’s also got some weirdly adult things that happens to the character.
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Brotopia: Breaking Up the Boys’ Club of Silicon Valley by Emily ChangMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
I listened to this book on audio.I think that there are a lot of things I knew about the tech industry (while this book specifically talks about Silicon Valley) that were mentioned, but also a lot of info that I didn’t know. Overall I really liked this book, I think Chang did a lot of research and presented the topics in a way that built upon each other. I liked how she ends her books with a solution. It definitely reads like an academic paper but in a really interesting way because it is about culture within an industry.
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Jurassic Park by Michael CrichtonMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
4.5 Stars (rounded up for good measure)
This book was really good, which was expected. I could have done without a lot of the weird explanation about life, but I do believe that the character of Malcom was put there for a reason. Overall, pretty good, (view spoiler)
I guess I need to buy Lost World next.
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The Paris Apartment by Lucy FoleyMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
3.5 stars (rounded up)
I thought this book was good, but not great… it was definitely something where I was kind of wanting to find out what happens at the end, but I did feel it dragged on a little bit. I know it’s kind of the point, but the secrets weren’t revealed in a way that made for great pacing, in my opinion. It seemed so slow and drawn out, and the characters would do something JUST so Jess could find out about something else… I wouldn’t say anything was obvious, but it was a little too inauthentic if that makes sense. Overall good, and I liked how the author wrote in a lot of French words (and curses)… lol.
(view spoiler)
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Fly Away by Kristin HannahMy rating: 3 of 5 stars
A little slow (even though it is pretty short) and not as good as the first book. I did enjoy seeing the characters from Firefly Lane after the death of Katie.
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Invisible Women: Data Bias in a World Designed for Men by Caroline Criado PérezMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
Pearl by Josh MalermanMy rating: 2 of 5 stars
This book started out really strong. I liked other books I’ve read by Malerman and thought Pearl had a good premise. I’m rating it so poorly because after a while I just felt like it was dragging on and that there was a lot of repetition in the story. I think this book feels very King inspired, with the telepathy and the way there are little pieces thoughts in the writing. (view spoiler)
Also the ending really confused me, because everything happening was dragging along, I got to the end and felt like I had no clue what actually had happened. I just think the writing could have been stronger if the ending wasn’t so drawn out, and because of this, the fact that final two chapters were so abrupt just didn’t satisfy. In the end, I definitely like Malerman as a writer, and I think he has better books than this.
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The Glamourist by Luanne G. SmithMy rating: 3 of 5 stars
This book was a fun read. I don’t think it was as strong as he first book in this series, but I enjoyed exploring the other characters’ lives. I think the ending was a little rushed and maybe too convenient… (view spoiler)
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Dear Laura by Gemma AmorMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
What’s Eating Gilbert Grape by Peter HedgesMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
I’ve wanted to read this book since I saw the movie years ago. The book is about Gilbert Grape, and we are taken through his life leading up to his brother’s 18th birthday. He hates everything that’s changed about the town and we read through his inner thoughts regarding all the trauma he has endured in this small town. The story is about how Gilbert is trapped, and as we continue, find Gilbert learning more things about himself and his own family. (view spoiler)There’s more to this book than this, but still liked it overall… (view spoiler)
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Firefly Lane by Kristin HannahMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
This book was great. I watched the Netflix show first and then got interested in the book, but it was a definitely different and I was really surprised. (view spoiler)
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