March 23, 2023 · 7:56 pm

You’ll Never Believe What Happened to Lacey by Amber Ruffin and Lacey Lamar

You’ll Never Believe What Happened to Lacey by Amber Ruffin and Lacey Lamar

They aren’t kidding when they say the stories in You’ll Never Believe What Happened to Lacey are crazy. They are absolutely unbelievable (in the way that is completely believable but so crazy you say to yourself wow that is completely insane). Amber and Lacey have a way of writing that is utterly hilarious. They make these really not funny when you think about them stories sound so, so funny (if they didn’t you’d just spend the entire book crying). Ultimately it was a very enjoyable read. I recommend this book to everyone.

5 (out of 5) Stars
Books Read in 2023: 38
Pages Read in 2023: 12,516

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Filed under Humor, Reason: B&N Book Challenge, Reason: Flourish & Blotts Reading Challenge, Reason: Grim Readers

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March 22, 2023 · 1:53 pm

Twelfth by Janet Key

Twelfth by Janet Key

Twelfth is perfect for any theater nerd. There’s a mystery wrapped up in lines from a Shakespeare play set on the backdrop of a middle school theater summer camp. It’s a fun book with lots of representation. Sometimes it had my heart pumping fast with worry for the characters as they solved the clues and got into increasingly dangerous situations. I recommend this book to anyone who is a fan of working in the theater.

5 (out of 5) Stars
Books Read in 2023: 38
Pages Read in 2023: 12,516

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Filed under Middle Grades, Reason: B&N Book Challenge, Reason: Flourish & Blotts Reading Challenge, Reason: Grim Readers, Reason: Owlcrate

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March 20, 2023 · 7:49 pm

The Wedding Dress Sewing Circle by Jennifer Ryan

The Wedding Dress Sewing Circle by Jennifer Ryan

The Wedding Dress Sewing Circle is historical fiction done right. It really captures the feel of a small English town in the middle of World War II. The three intertwining stories are incredibly sweet. The main characters are incredibly likable and I found myself really rooting for them all to have a happily ever after. The chapters rotate between the three main characters’ stories making it hard to put the book down since I always wanted to find out what happens next. I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys historical fiction.

5 (out of 5) Stars
Books Read in 2023: 37
Pages Read in 2023: 12,168

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Filed under Historical Fiction, Reason: B&N Book Challenge, Reason: Book Club, Reason: Flourish & Blotts Reading Challenge

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March 20, 2023 · 7:37 pm

Blood, Bullets, and Bones by Bridget Heos

Blood, Bullets, and Bones by Bridget Heos

Blood, Bullets, and Bones is a fascinating trek through the history of forensic science. So many cases are described to show how forensic science was used to prove someone’s guilt or innocence including discussion of incorrect convictions and the limitations of various methods. The writing is incredibly engaging and had my 14 and 16 year olds and myself all absolutely enthralled. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in true crime and how crimes are solved.

5 (out of 5) Stars
Books Read in 2023: 36
Pages Read in 2023: 11,757

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Filed under Non-Fiction, Reason: Bedtime Story for the Boys, Reason: Flourish & Blotts Reading Challenge, Reason: Literati

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March 16, 2023 · 9:55 am

Queen of Shadows by Sarah J. Maas

Queen of Shadows by Sarah J. Maas

The fourth (or fifth if you include Assassin’s Blade) book in the Throne of Glass series, Queen of Shadows is quite a bit better than the previous books. The characters are settled and behave as expected and the pacing is good. I still like the witch chapters the least, but I see now why they are needed and how they tie in to the rest of the story. Some of those chapters were pretty good by the end of the book. I really liked that Kaltain was brought back in and was as awesome as she was. I always did like her. The Rowan/Aelin relationship is extremely Twilightish and as long as you can forget he’s several hundred years old and she’s a teenager, it’s fine, but once you remember the age difference (and it’s hard to forget since the book likes to remind you) it’s a bit creepy. The ending, as usual was excellent. The author certainly knows how to write a good book ending. Some things were tied up nicely and other things were opened up or continued for the next three books. I recommend Queen of Shadows to anyone who enjoys the Throne of Glass series.

4 (out of 5) Stars
Books Read in 2023: 35
Pages Read in 2023: 11,493

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Filed under Fantasy, Reason: B&N Book Challenge, Reason: Buddy Read, Reason: Flourish & Blotts Reading Challenge, Reason: Grim Readers, Young Adult

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March 8, 2023 · 6:23 pm

Live Wire by Kelly Ripa

Live Wire by Kelly Ripa

I watched All My Children when I was a teenager way back in the mid-90s. I loved the storyline with Kelly and Mark’s characters. I’ve seen her on Live! on occasion over the years and always find her to be hilarious and relatable. So of course when I found out she wrote a book (not a memoir exactly, just a collection of short essays about things that have happened in her life), I had to read it. It was so funny! I laughed literally out loud so much and often found myself reading bits I found too funny not to share to whomever happened to be available to listen to me. The tone of the book is like a friend just telling you little bits about their life. And, like she is on Live!, her writing is hilarious and relatable. I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves Kelly Ripa.

5 (out of 5) Stars
Books Read in 2023: 34
Pages Read in 2023: 10,840

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Filed under Memoir, Reason: Grim Readers, Reason: I Like the Author

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March 7, 2023 · 8:13 pm

Murder on the Hill by Kennedy Chase

Murder on the Hill by Kennedy Chase

Most cozy mysteries I’ve read have just been meh and Murder on the Hill is no exception. It was fine. Not very exciting and with characters I didn’t care that much about. Figuring out the culprit was a bit out of left field and written kind of boring. The “shocking” twist about one character was kind of… whatever. I just didn’t really care. While it’s not a complete waste of time, if you want to read a cozy mystery and have another option, pick the other one.

3 (out of 5) Stars
Books Read in 2023: 33
Pages Read in 2023: 10,545

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Filed under Cozy Mystery, Reason: B&N Book Challenge, Reason: Flourish & Blotts Reading Challenge

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March 5, 2023 · 9:32 pm

The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin

The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin

The first time I read The Westing Game I was in fourth grade. I absolutely loved, seeing myself as a bit like Turtle. I’ve reread the book a few times over the years and it’s always just as good, even knowing what the solution to the game is. The ending is just so incredibly satisfying. I very highly recommend this book to people of all ages. It makes a fun family read aloud.

5 (out of 5) Stars
Books Read in 2023: 32
Pages Read in 2023: 10,292

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Filed under Children, Mystery, Reason: B&N Book Challenge, Reason: Bedtime Story for the Boys, Reason: Flourish & Blotts Reading Challenge

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February 27, 2023 · 9:34 pm

Believe Me by Tahereh Mafi

Believe Me by Tahereh Mafi

Believe Me is the fifth novella (though it’s really more the length of a short novel) and the final book in the Shatter Me series. It’s a truly lovely conclusion and wrap-up to the whole series. It’s told from Warner’s point of view. It’s fun to see him interpret things so incredibly wrong and end up realizing he has real friends, especially Kenji (isn’t it always the extrovert who is just like hey, introvert, we’re friends now?). I miss the characters now that I’m done the series. They are just so well written and likable. I both wanted to finish this book and didn’t because I wasn’t quite ready to leave them behind. I highly recommend this book, and the whole Shatter Me series, to late teens and up who enjoy dystopian books.

5 (out of 5) Stars
Books Read in 2023: 30
Pages Read in 2023: 9366

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Filed under Dystopian, Reason: B&N Book Challenge, Reason: Buddy Read, Reason: Flourish & Blotts Reading Challenge, Reason: I Like the Series, Young Adult

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February 26, 2023 · 7:21 pm

Sisters of the Snake by Sarena & Sasha Nanua

Sisters of the Snake by Sarena & Sasha Nanua

Like the twins in Sisters of the Snake, the authors are twins born on Diwali ten minutes apart, though as far as I know they are not actually princesses. The book is set in an India-like land where some people are born with magic. The premise is similar to The Prince and the Pauper or The Parent Trap with one twin being a princess raised in the palace and the other a thief raised in an orphanage. The chapters alternate between the twins’ points of view. The book was a bit slow to get started, but really picked up in the last half or so. It’s about 500 pages long and still wasn’t long enough for me. The romances are very sweet. The epilogue is very short, but totally made me go buy the sequel right away. I recommend Sisters of the Snake to anyone who enjoys young adult fantasy.

4 (out of 5) Stars
Books Read in 2023: 29
Pages Read in 2023: 9143

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Filed under Fantasy, Reason: B&N Book Challenge, Reason: Flourish & Blotts Reading Challenge, Reason: Grim Readers, Reason: Owlcrate, Young Adult