Category Archives: Book Reviews

Audiobook Review: Impossible Creatures by Katherine Rundell

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Title: Impossible Creatures
Author: Katherine Rundell
Narrator: Samuel West
Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers
Publication date: September 10, 2024
Print length: 352 pages
Audio length: 8 hours 55 minutes
Genre: Middle grade fantasy
Source: Library (audiobook); purchased (hardcover)
Rating:

Rating: 5 out of 5.

The day Christopher saved a drowning baby griffin from a hidden lake would change his life forever. It’s the day he learned about the Archipelago, a cluster of unmapped islands where magical creatures of every kind have thrived for thousands of years—until now. And it’s the day he met Mal, a girl on the run who desperately needs his help.

Mal and Christopher embark on a wild adventure, racing from island to island, searching for someone who can explain why the magic is fading and why magical creatures are suddenly dying. They consult sphinxes, battle kraken, and negotiate with dragons. But the closer they get to the dark truth of what’s happening, the clearer it becomes: no one else can fix this. If the Archipelago is to be saved, Mal and Christopher will have to do it themselves.

Impossible Creatures generated a ton of buzz when it was released last year… and now that I’ve read it, I can happily confirm that all the praise is justified: This middle grade fantasy adventure is outstanding.

Christopher and Mal are two young heroes from two different worlds. Christopher lives in the world we know, a perfectly ordinary boy (other than his strange ability to attract animals wherever he goes). His life changes dramatically when he goes to spend a school holiday with his grandfather in Scotland. There, he discovers an opening to a secret, magical world, of which his grandfather is the guardian — a role Christopher is meant to inherit someday when he’s older.

Mal is a spunky, adventurous girl with a coat that gives her the gift of flight, outsized bravery, and an insatiable curiosity. When a stranger attacks her for seemingly no reason, she’s set on a path that leads her to Christopher. Christopher is immediately captivated by the magical world she represents, and pledges to help keep her safe, escape the bad buys, and figure out why Mal’s world (the Archipelago) seems to be losing the magic that infuses it.

As Christopher and Mal’s quest begins, they’re joined by her pet griffin, the last of its kind, as well as by a hardened sailor who’s more than what he seems and a scholar who also realizes the threat to their world. Together, they set out to save the magic and to understand Mal’s role and why dark forces seem to be aligned against her.

I’ll pause the story summary here to say that this book is glorious! The characters are wonderful — especially Christopher and Mal, who are everything we’d want in young heroes, but also the cast of humans and other creatures whom they encounter. Some are allies, some are obstacles, some are enemies, but all are created with careful detail and splendid heapings of imagination.

The quest itself follows what may feel like familiar beats, as the core group journeys from destination to destination within the Archipelago, solving riddles, finding missing objects, and carrying out difficult tasks along the route to confronting the ultimate big bad — yet the terrific writing makes it all feel fresh and fun. The quest is deliciously exciting and action-packed, but the action is never at the expense of character development. Mal and Christopher both get plenty of soul-searching and introspection along the way, as well as the opportunity to establish the deepest of friendships and to discover truths about themselves and their worlds.

I listened to the audiobook, narrated by actor Samuel West (currently starring in All Creatures Great and Small as Siegfried Farnon). His voice is wonderfully suited to this tale; he fully embodies a large cast of characters, and is especially delightful as Mal, Christopher, and their protector Nighthand. I occasionally had trouble making out pieces of dialogue for certain non-human characters due to the accent and pitch of the voices used, but that was only for a fraction of the audiobook experience, and didn’t detract from the overall enjoyment at all.

A reading note: While I loved the audiobook experience, I strongly encourage anyone going that route to also follow along with a print edition. The book is filled with beautiful black and white illustrations by artist Ashley Mackenzie that add so much to the story — see below for a few examples!

Impossible Creatures is a terrific, hopeful, emotional book, and I loved every moment. A sequel, The Poisoned King, will be published later in 2025. There’s no cover yet, but I’ll be keeping an eye out for it, and I absolutely plan to read the book as soon as it’s available.

I had the pleasure of reading an earlier book by Katherine Rundell — Rooftoppers — last year, and loved it as well. This is an author to watch! I look forward to exploring more of her books, and meanwhile, will be counting the days until The Poisoned King is released.

A selection of illustrations from Impossible Creatures:

Book Review: Three Days in June by Anne Tyler

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Title: Three Days in June
Author: Anne Tyler
Publisher: Knopf
Publication date: February 11, 2025
Length: 176 pages
Genre: Contemporary fiction
Source: Review copy courtesy of the publisher via NetGalley
Rating:

Rating: 4.5 out of 5.

A new Anne Tyler novel destined to be an instant classic: a socially awkward mother of the bride navigates the days before and after her daughter’s wedding.

Gail Baines is having a bad day. To start, she loses her job—or quits, depending on whom you ask. Tomorrow her daughter, Debbie, is getting married, and she hasn’t even been invited to the spa day organized by the mother of the groom. Then, Gail’s ex-husband, Max, arrives unannounced on her doorstep, carrying a cat, without a place to stay, and without even a suit.

But the true crisis lands when Debbie shares with her parents a secret she has just learned about her husband to be. It will not only throw the wedding into question but also stir up Gail and Max’s past.

Told with deep sensitivity and a tart sense of humor, full of the joys and heartbreaks of love and marriage and family life, Three Days in June is a triumph, and gives us the perennially bestselling, Pulitzer Prize–winning writer at the height of her powers

Three Days in June is a short, sharp tale of family and marriage. As the title promises, the story unfolds over three days — the days before, of, and after the main character’s daughter’s wedding. Really, all you need to know is that Three Days in June is prime Anne Tyler. If you’re a fan, you know already that you need to read this!

Gail is 61 years old, works in administration at a Baltimore private school, and has lived alone for over 20 years following her divorce. Her only child, daughter Debbie, is a 30-something lawyer about to get married. Gail is slightly befuddled by the wedding plans, which Debbie’s soon-to-be in-laws have taken charge of — combining their abundant money with copious Google searches on how to coordinate a wedding, to produce an event that’s simple yet by-the-book. Of course, it would have been nice if Gail had been invited to the Day of Beauty (not that she’d even known a Day of Beauty was a pre-wedding tradition)… but then again, would she really have wanted to be forced to socialize all day at the spa?

Sometimes when I find out what’s on other people’s minds I honestly wonder if we all live on totally separate planets.

Her work life is confusing as well. A successful staff member, or so she thought, Gail’s just learned that when her boss retires, someone else will get the job she expected to be promoted into — and what’s worse, that new person will be bringing her own staff, effectively replacing Gail entirely. When Gail’s boss tells her, as if it’s supposed to be obvious, that she lacks people skills, it throws her into a tizzy… which is compounded by the arrival of her ex-husband Max on her doorstep. Max has arrived with a foster cat and in need of a place to stay. What’s Gail to do? Determined to make the best of things for Debbie’s sake, she reluctantly lets Max into her home — and by doing so, reopens memories of their past together, and where their marriage went wrong.

Three Days in June is very much a slice of life narrative. The events portrayed are ordinary; they’re one family’s experience of a significant moment, but nothing that happens is terribly dramatic. The beauty of Three Days in June is, in fact, it’s ordinariness. Through Gail’s eyes, we see into the dynamics of a family, with its ups and downs, the relationships that change over time, the impact of divorce on a child, and the ways in which adult parents interact when they lead separate lives.

I loved the writing and the gentle storytelling in Three Days in June. Anne Tyler, as always, excels at showing the inner workings of a marriage, as the sad, complicated story of Gail and Max’s divorce unfolds, but also as we see the two of them reconnecting at this much different stage of their lives. Seeing the realizations that come with age and experience makes this book feel very relatable and real.

That’s something you forget when you’ve been on your own awhile: those married couple conversations that continue intermittently for weeks, sometimes, branching out and doubling back and looping into earlier strands like a piece of crochet work.

At a length of under 200 pages, Three Days in June is a short treat that can be read in one cozy, extended sitting. I felt that I really got to know the characters based on how they lived their lives over these three days. So many little moments ring true. It’s all quite human and lovely.

Over the course of my reading life, I’ve read many Anne Tyler books (this is her 25th novel!), although I don’t always stay on top of her new releases. (I was startled to realize that the last book I read by her, A Spool of Blue Thread, was published 7 years ago!). According to her biography, Anne Tyler is 83 years old. Clearly, she’s still going strong! Here’s to many more Anne Tyler novels yet to come!

For those who are fans, Three Days in June is obviously a must-read. For anyone new to this author, why not pick it up and give it a try? It’s a lovely example of her approach, and I’d imagine anyone reading this book as an intro to the author will be hungry for more by the time they’re done.

Book Review: The God of the Woods by Liz Moore

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Title: The God of the Woods
Author: Liz Moore
Publisher: Riverhead Books
Publication date: July 2, 2024
Length: 490 pages
Genre: Mystery/thriller
Source: Library
Rating:

Rating: 5 out of 5.

When a teenager vanishes from her Adirondack summer camp, two worlds collide.

Early morning, August 1975: a camp counselor discovers an empty bunk. Its occupant, Barbara Van Laar, has gone missing. Barbara isn’t just any thirteen-year-old: she’s the daughter of the family that owns the summer camp and employs most of the region’s residents. And this isn’t the first time a Van Laar child has disappeared. Barbara’s older brother similarly vanished fourteen years ago, never to be found.

As a panicked search begins, a thrilling drama unfolds. Chasing down the layered secrets of the Van Laar family and the blue-collar community working in its shadow, Moore’s multi-threaded story invites readers into a rich and gripping dynasty of secrets and second chances. It is Liz Moore’s most ambitious and wide-reaching novel yet.

In The God of the Woods, an intricate timeline and multiple points of view bring to vivid life the story of missing children, a privileged family, and its influence over the working class people who depend upon them for their livelihoods.

The story opens at Camp Emerson, a summer camp located on the grounds of the Van Laar Preserve. The Van Laar family bought this vast property in the Adirondacks from loggers several generations back, and have turned it into their mountain getaway. Their huge house, named Self-Reliance, dominates the hilltop overlooking the lake; down the hill, the staff of the camp tend to the children of wealthy families each summer.

In the summer of 1975, 13-year-old Barbara Van Laar attends camp for the first time. She’s an independent-minded, punk rock-loving teen who’s happy to be out from under her parents’ control for the eight weeks of camp, and she quickly bonds with one of the other new girls in her cabin. But in August, Barbara’s counselor wakes up to discover that Barbara’s bed is empty, and fears the worst.

Fourteen years earlier, the first Van Laar child — named Peter (Peter IV, to be exact) but known as Bear, also went missing from the Van Laar Preserve and was never found, despite a huge search. Now, fears run high that the same fate has befallen Barbara, and news that a notorious serial killer has escaped prison and is on the lam in the Adirondacks only adds to the searchers’ desperation.

But there is so much more to the story than a missing person’s case. As each chapter begins, a different date is highlighted, and the narrative jumps between the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s, as well as between different points in that fateful summer of 1975. The story is not told chronologically; confusing at first, but ultimately, adding to the depth of the character portrayals and giving readers plenty of clues and red herrings to chew over.

Beyond the dual mysteries surrounding Bear and Barbara, the book also is a portrait of the deep divide between haves and have-nots. The Van Laars are seemingly untouchable. They and their wealthy, powerful friends control the area, providing the only source of employment for the nearest small town since the paper factory shut down years earlier. No one can afford to get on the Van Laars’ bad side, even if it means looking away when bad things happen.

I was hesitant to pick up The God of the Woods, not sure that the genre and writing would appeal to me, based on comments I’d read here and there. I’m so glad I got past my concerns and gave it a try. After some initial struggles with the jumps between timelines, I became more comfortable with the book’s structure and ended up finding the chronology fascinating. As for the writing itself, it’s tense and illuminating, and doesn’t drag a bit — those 500 pages absolutely flew by.

With so many point-of-view characters, it may feel almost overwhelming at first to keep track of them all, but ultimately, having so many perspectives — some accurate, some not — on the events of 1975 as well as the earlier disappearance, only adds to the depth of the story. The depiction of the Van Laars and their guests, lounging about in satin pajamas even when a child goes missing, is a chilling portrait of cold power and indifference. And then there’s the setting itself, the beautiful, dangerous forests of the Adirondacks — where campers are taught to immediately sit down and start yelling if they realize they’re lost. The Van Laar home may seem luxurious and civilized, but it’s surrounded by wilderness, which ultimately holds more power than the people who come there.

My only quibble with this book is that the title seems like an odd choice to me. Yes, it’s somewhat clearer by the end, but generally speaking, it seems pretty disconnected from the overall story. On the other hand, the cover is brilliant. It’ll make more sense once you read the book!

I can’t say enough good things about The God of the Woods. By the time I passed the halfway mark, I couldn’t put it down and wanted nothing more than uninterrupted time to read straight through to the end. Don’t miss this well-written, thought-provoking, surprising, twisty book!

Audiobook Review: Close Enough to Touch by Colleen Oakley

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Title: Close Enough to Touch
Author: Colleen Oakley
Narrators: Candace Thaxton, Kirby Heyborne, Jonathan Todd Ross
Publisher: Gallery Books
Publication date: March 7, 2017
Print length: 352 pages
Audio length: 11 hours 38 minutes
Genre: Contemporary fiction
Source: Library
Rating:

Rating: 3.5 out of 5.

Can you miss something you never had?

Jubilee Jenkins is no ordinary librarian. With a rare allergy to human touch, any skin-to-skin contact could literally kill her. But after retreating into solitude for nearly ten years, Jubilee’s decided to brave the world again, despite the risks. Armed with a pair of gloves, long sleeves, and her trusty bicycle, she finally ventures out the front door—and into her future.

Eric Keegan has troubles of his own. With his daughter from a failed marriage no longer speaking to him, and his brilliant, if psychologically troubled, adopted son attempting telekinesis, Eric’s struggling to figure out how his life got so off course, and how to be the dad—and man—he wants so desperately to be. So when an encounter over the check-out desk at the local library entangles his life with that of a beautiful—albeit eccentric—woman, he finds himself wanting nothing more than to be near her.

Jubilee Jenkins achieved New York Times-level fame at age six, when her rare medical condition made her an object of wonder. After years of illness and endless tests, she’s finally diagnosed with an unusual form of contact dermatitis — she’s allergic to contact with human skin. And she doesn’t just break out in hives; inadvertent or even slight contact can literally kill her. A cruel prank in high school sent her into anaphylactic shock. For Jubilee, touching is a matter of life and death.

After her mother leaves her at age seventeen, Jubilee spends the next nine years secluded in her own home. She earns an online degree, attends interesting courses, reads a ton of books, and thanks to the internet, can get anything she needs without ever venturing past her front door. But when Jubilee receives word that her mother has died, she is also told that her stepfather will no longer support her and send her the monthly allowance she’s been relying on. She’s inherited her mother’s house, but has no income. If she wants to keep the electricity on and keep herself fed, she’ll have to do the unthinkable — step outside, rejoin the world, and find a job.

A fortuitous meeting with an old classmate leads Jubilee to an opening for a circulation assistant at the local library. Battling to overcome the agoraphobia she’s developed over the years, she bicycles to work each day, wears gloves and other protective clothing to stay safe from any threat of human contact, and slowly becomes acclimated to being around other people. When a dad and his young son come to story hour one day, a new connection is established, and Jubilee starts looking forward to seeing them again.

Meanwhile, in alternating chapters, we also spend time with Eric. The divorced father of a 14-year-old girl who refuses to speak to him (or even respond to his texts), Eric meanwhile has his hands full caring for the troubled boy he adopted — the son of Eric’s best friends, who died tragically and had named him as Aja’s guardian. Eric struggles to connect with Aja and help him with his grief, but makes little headway until a dramatic encounter with Jubilee changes all of their lives.

From there, we see how Jubilee and Eric start to know one another, how she forms a bond with Aja, and how she gradually opens herself to the idea that life can change for her. It’s a painful process for her to admit that being isolated and safe isn’t the same as being happy, and it takes a monumental amount of courage for Jubilee to allow herself to dream of something more with Eric.

Close Enough to Touch has a fascinating premise that’s impossible to stop thinking about. The author’s note at the end makes clear that Jubilee’s type of allergy doesn’t actually exist… but what if it did? What kind of life could someone have when the merest touch could kill them? I was completely absorbed by Jubilee’s medical condition, the way she’d adapted her life to protect herself, and then the cautious bravery she shows in trying to change her life for the better.

The chapters from Eric’s perspective are perhaps slightly less compelling, but I did appreciate his journey with Aja. Particularly moving is his attempt to reconnect with his daughter through books; when he finds her school reading journal, he starts reading the books she describes (Twilight, The Virgin Suicides, The Notebook), hoping to find common ground or at least understand what matters to her. At first, he’s completely stumped, but conversations with Jubilee help him start to see what a young teen might find moving or inspiring or relatable. Even when his daughter seems to ignore him, the books provide a way for him to communicate to her that he cares.

The audiobook narration is mostly strong. (I was baffled to see three narrators listed; it took me a bit to realize that one must be the person who reads the sections of the Times article interspersed throughout the book). The narrator for Jubilee does a great job conveying her self-doubt, her fear, and her courage. The narrator for Eric is mostly strong, although his voice tends to get screechy when voicing Aja’s more emotional moments.

Overall, I really enjoyed Close Enough to Touch. So why did I rate it 3.5 stars and not higher? It’s the epilogue. In Close Enough to Touch, the book really kept me going all the way through and had me invested in the characters and their lives. Without getting into spoilers, all I can say about the epilogue is that it ties up the book in a very pretty, sweet bow… but skips over so much time and so many occurrences, condensing everything into this neat little wrap-up that shortchanges the characters’ journeys. It baffled me, honestly. Why not tell more of the story that comes between the final chapter and the epilogue? Instead, the books ending feels tacked-on and rushed, and left me feeling let down.

Still… with a unique, engaging premise and characters we can really care about, Close Enough to Touch provides a warm, emotional reading or listening experience. Close Enough to Touch is one of Colleen Oakley’s earlier books, and while I’m glad to have read it, I’m also happy to note that her writing and storytelling have gotten stronger and stronger.

For more by Colleen Oakley, check out my reviews of:

The Invisible Husband of Frick Island
The Mostly True Story of Tanner and Louise

And stay tuned — her next book, Jane and Dan at the End of the World, will be released in March 2025, and I can’t wait to read it!

Book Review: The Life Impossible by Matt Haig

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Title: The Life Impossible
Author: Matt Haig
Publisher: Viking
Publication date: September 3, 2024
Length: 324 pages
Genre: Contemporary fiction
Source: Purchased
Rating:

Rating: 3.5 out of 5.

The remarkable next novel from Matt Haig, the author of #1 New York Times bestseller The Midnight Library, with more than nine million copies sold worldwide

“What looks like magic is simply a part of life we don’t understand yet…”

When retired math teacher Grace Winters is left a run-down house on a Mediterranean island by a long-lost friend, curiosity gets the better of her. She arrives in Ibiza with a one-way ticket, no guidebook and no plan.

Among the rugged hills and golden beaches of the island, Grace searches for answers about her friend’s life, and how it ended. What she uncovers is stranger than she could have dreamed. But to dive into this impossible truth, Grace must first come to terms with her past.

Filled with wonder and wild adventure, this is a story of hope and the life-changing power of a new beginning.

The Life Impossible was my book group’s selection this month, which suited me just fine — since I bought a copy when it first came out and hadn’t quite gotten around to reading it yet! I’ve loved several of Matt Haig’s books, especially The Midnight Library and How to Stop Time, so I felt perfectly primed to love this one too.

However, I can’t quite say that The Life Impossible worked for me as well as the author’s other books, and it’s a bit hard to say just why.

The Life Impossible is the story of Grace Winters, a 72-year-old widow who lives a quiet, isolated life in her small bungalow in England, still grieving and guilt-stricken over the death of her young son forty years earlier. Her story unfolds in response to a letter from a former student who remembers her kindness, and in a dark phase of his life, reaches out to connect with someone who’d once seemed to care. In response, she writes back to him and sends him a manuscript — her tale of what happened to her at a time when she thought life had nothing left to offer her.

The point of life is life. All life. We need to look after each other. And when it feels like we are truly, deeply alone, that is the moment when we most need to do something in order to remember how we connect.

Grace’s life changes when she’s notified that a former colleague has left her a house in Ibiza. Grace is shocked. She remembers Christina well — a teacher whom she invited home for Christmas many years earlier and offered support to when she most needed it — but after Christina moved away, they hadn’t kept in touch. And yet, apparently Grace’s kindness stuck with Christina. Grace hasn’t been able to truly feel happiness — or really, anything at all — for many years, but lacking a reason not to go to Ibiza, decides to see if maybe a change of scenery might be a good idea.

Once there, the mystery of why Christina chose to leave the house to Grace deepens. The house itself is shabby and run down. Upon arrival, Grace learns that Christina’s death is considered suspicious by local authorities, that Christina was very involved in protesting a major hotel development that would destroy natural resources, and that she often set up a stall in the hippie market telling people’s fortunes. Grace is skeptical, especially after finding a book on Christina’s shelves about ESP, but she’s curious enough to follow Christina’s clues and seek out a strange man named Alberto who promises that she’ll soon have the answers she needs.

You see, if you want to visit a new world, you don’t need a spacecraft. All you need to do is change your mind.

What follows is a tale of wonder, as Grace encounters something from beyond this world that opens her mind in new and unexpected ways. In contrast to her old life, where she felt nothing, she begins to feel everything, finding joy in the simplest of experiences and finding connection with everyone she meets. Grace realizes that she’s been given these gifts not just for her own sake, but to continue Christina’s mission, and sets out to finish the dangerous task of protecting Ibiza from the greedy, uncaring people who’d destroy it for their own gain.

The writing in The Life Impossible is often dreamy, as Grace gives voice to the strange and unexpected sensations and visions she experiences, and ruminates on the meaning of her own life, human life in general, loss and grief, and what being connected really means. What she conveys is odd, but the writing brings us into Grace’s world and lets us see through her eyes. We’re with Grace as things beyond her belief happen, and we see how her perception of the world is dramatically shifted in ways she could never have anticipated.

People say that love is rare. I am not so sure. What is rare is something even more desirable. Understanding. There is no point in being loved if you are not understood. They are simply loving an idea of you they have in their mind. They are in love with love. They are in love with their loving. To be understood. And not only that, but to be understood and appreciated once understood. That is what matters.

Grace herself is a lovely character, as are the various people she encounters on Ibiza. It’s inspiring to read about a woman of her age and stage of life finding new hope and engagement, after so many years believing that her life was essentially over and she was just waiting for the end.

And yet… I felt oddly unaffected through major sections of the books that should have been touching. Perhaps it’s the meandering storytelling style. This is a thoughtful, reflective book, and while there are scenes and incidents that have hints of excitement or action, much of the book is devoted to exploring Grace’s inner life. It’s often interesting, but still, there are more than a few interludes where the narrative bogs down in philosophizing and the entire forward momentum of the novel grinds to a halt.

By the end, I was ready to be done — hence my not-quite-stellar 3.5 star rating. Yes, I enjoyed this book as a whole, but didn’t fall in love with it… and despite it being a relatively short book, it still felt like more than what was needed to tell this particular story. If you enjoy Matt Haig’s writing, do check out The Life Impossible! There are enough lovely elements to make it a worthwhile reading experience.

End note: There are many wonderful passages about books and reading, and I simply can’t end this review without sharing a few:

I always think that the quickest way to understand someone is to look at what’s on their bookshelves.

I suppose that is one of the purposes of all reading. It helps you live lives beyond the one you are inside. It turns our single-room mental shack into a mansion.

All reading, in short, is telepathy and all reading is time travel. It connects us to everyone and everywhere and every time and every imagined dream.

Purchase links: Amazon – Bookshop.org
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Book Review: The Bones Beneath My Skin by TJ Klune

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Title: The Bones Beneath My Skin
Author: TJ Klune
Publisher: Tor
Publication date: Originally published 2018; reissued February 4, 2025
Length: 416 pages
Genre: Fantasy
Source: Purchased (Kindle); ARC (reissued edition)
Rating:

Rating: 5 out of 5.

A spine-tingling thriller by New York Times bestselling author TJ Klune, about a 10-year-old girl with an impossible power, her father, and an unlikely stranger, who come together to confront the dangerous forces that want her at all costs. A strange story of family, love, comets, and bacon. Perfect for fans of Stranger Things.

In the spring of 1995, Nate Cartwright has lost everything: his parents are dead, his older brother wants nothing to do with him, and he’s been fired from his job as a journalist in Washington DC. With nothing left to lose, he returns to his family’s summer cabin outside the small mountain town of Roseland, Oregon to try and find some sense of direction. The cabin should be empty. It’s not. Inside is a man named Alex. And with him is an extraordinary little girl who calls herself Artemis Darth Vader. Artemis, who isn’t exactly as she appears.

Soon it becomes clear that Nate must make a choice: let himself drown in the memories of his past, or fight for a future he never thought possible. Because the girl is special. And forces are descending upon them who want nothing more than to control her.

The Bones Beneath My Skin, originally published in 2018, is getting a gorgeous new hardcover edition this year for its re-release by Tor Publishing. Not only is it beautiful to look at, but it’s a terrific book, and I’m only sorry I didn’t read it earlier.

As the book opens, Nate Cartwright has been fired from his DC journalism job due to a pretty major indiscretion. Long estranged from his parents, he learns that they’ve left him their remote cabin by a lake in Oregon. With nowhere else to go and no one in his life, he heads to the cabin to recover, spend time in isolation, and figure out what options he has left.

To Nate’s surprise, the cabin is already occupied by a gruff ex-Marine and a 10-year-old girl who introduces herself with the unlikely name of Artemis Darth Vader. Alex is injured, quick to point a gun at Nate, and highly suspicious and protective. Artemis (Art), on the other hand, is full of sunshine and questions and precocity, and seems to be obsessed with the large collection of Western paperbacks lining the walls of the cabin.

“Besides, Nate will be sad if we leave. He likes us.”

“I don’t like either of you at all,” Nate said.

“You made us bacon.”

“That doesn’t mean I like you.”

“It certainly seemed that way,” she said. “If you give someone something that good, it has to mean something. You can’t just give a gift without having feelings behind it.”

“It was just breakfast.”

Nate is tempted to flee — but doesn’t. As he spends time with Alex and Art, he recognizes that something mysterious and beyond his understanding is going on, but also starts to feel a strange connection to these intruders. Even when dangerous outside forces arrive and force them to make a desperate attempt at escape, Nate finds himself firmly on Alex and Art’s side. As the three hit the road, danger follows — and yet, as they spend time together, the loveliest of found families is formed.

I’m being deliberately vague. There’s isn’t much to say outright about the details of this book that won’t be major plot spoilers. I have a feeling many reviews will reveal exactly what’s going on with Alex and Art — but I enjoyed seeing the pieces come together, and want to leave that sense of discovery for others to enjoy as well.

The plot includes action sequences, but also lovely scenes of personal connection, humor, sharing, and meditations on the intricacies of life and emotions. Nate, Alex, and Art are all terrific characters — I dare anyone to read this book and not fall completely under the spell of Artemis Darth Vader.

There are intense moments that seems pointed toward tragedy and heartbreak, and also moments of calm and quiet beauty. The ending is very satisfying, and made my heart happy.

It’s interesting to read the author’s notes from the Kindle edition (from the original publication in 2018), and then see the author’s notes from the reissue. They’re different, but both explain how he decided to self-publish this book, which was a thematic departure for him from his previous, traditionally published books, and how the self-publishing process worked out.

With the re-release coming in February, The Bones Beneath My Skin should reach a much wider audience, and that’s a very good thing indeed. I loved this book, and already know I’ll want to do a re-read.

Fans of the Green Creek series will love this book too. And hey, the town of Green Creek even gets a mention! If you love quirky, emotional stories about found family, with clever, quippy dialogue and unforgettable characters, don’t miss The Bones Beneath My Skin.

Audiobook Review: This Summer Will Be Different by Carley Fortune

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Title: This Summer Will Be Different
Author: Carley Fortune
Narrators: AJ Bridel
Publisher: Berkley
Publication date: May 7, 2024
Print length: 368 pages
Audio length: 10 hours 31 minutes
Genre: Contemporary romance
Source: Library
Rating:

Rating: 4 out of 5.

This summer they’ll keep their promise. This summer they won’t give into temptation. This summer will be different.

Lucy is the tourist vacationing at a beach house on Prince Edward Island. Felix is the local who shows her a very good time. The only problem: Lucy doesn’t know he’s her best friend’s younger brother. Lucy and Felix’s chemistry is unreal, but the list of reasons why they need to stay away from each other is long, and they vow to never repeat that electric night again.

It’s easier said than done.

Each year, Lucy escapes to PEI for a big breath of coastal air, fresh oysters and crisp vinho verde with her best friend, Bridget. Every visit begins with a long walk on the beach, beneath soaring red cliffs and a golden sun. And every visit, Lucy promises herself she won’t wind up in Felix’s bed. Again.

If Lucy can’t help being drawn to Felix, at least she’s always kept her heart out of it.

When Bridget suddenly flees Toronto a week before her wedding, Lucy drops everything to follow her to the island. Her mission is to help Bridget through her crisis and resist the one man she’s never been able to. But Felix’s sparkling eyes and flirty quips have been replaced with something new, and Lucy’s beginning to wonder just how safe her heart truly is.

Aaahhhhh. Carley Fortune’s books are summer and fresh air and sunshine and joy. I’m hooked! And now that I’ve read This Summer Will Be Different, I’m caught up!

In this 2024 release, the setting is slightly different from her previous books, set in small lakeside towns in rural Canada. In This Summer Will Be Different, the setting is Prince Edward Island — and be still, my heart! My Anne of Green Gables inner child squealed with delight when I realized I’d be spending this reading time on PEI.

So, the story: Lucy is a city dweller, running a flower shop in Toronto that formerly belonged to her beloved late aunt. Lucy’s best friend Bridget is a PEI native, and Lucy loves nothing more than their summer trips to the island and Bridget’s family’s lovely seaside home there. But five years earlier, on Lucy’s first trip, she met a magnetic, sexy man upon arrival and spent an intense, amazing night with him… only to discover the next morning that he was Bridget’s younger brother. Oops. Especially since one of Bridget’s cardinal rules for Lucy was not to fall in love with that very same brother.

Lucy never tells Bridget about her hookup with Felix, and they stay apart for the rest of her visit — but each year, as Lucy returns to the island, she and Felix reconnect, and discover that their bond keeps getting stronger and stronger.

In the “now” portions of the book (the chapters alternate between the past and present), Bridget’s wedding is only weeks ago when she suddenly bolts, running back to PEI and summoning Lucy to her side. And although Lucy is super stressed with work, as well as with prep for Bridget’s wedding, she drops everything to be there with her. Of course, Felix is there too, and Lucy is forced to recognize that it’s becoming impossible to deny her attraction to him… and the very real feelings that neither has quite admitted yet.

I love pretty much everything about This Summer Will Be Different. The setting is amazing, the storytelling, with its two timelines, works seamlessly, and the romance is believable, sweet, and sexy. Beyond the romance, though, the friendship between Lucy and Bridget really makes this book sing. Their connection, devotion, support, and love is beautifully portrayed, and the author captures so many of the small moments and nuances that show the depth of a real friendship.

On the light side, there are plenty of fun moments touring the island, visiting amazing landmarks (including the Green Gables heritage center), and even attending an oyster-shucking contest (complete with all sorts of amazing shucking puns…). There are plenty of sadder, more serious moments too, as the characters navigate grief, disappointments, and impossible choices. But overall, despite the emotionally difficult sections, the tone is upbeat and full of summer joy.

As with Carley Fortune’s previous two novels, the audiobook narration for This Summer Will Be Different is terrific. The narrator does wonderful voices for the characters, captures the spirit of Lucy and Bridget’s banter and more heartfelt moments, and gives Felix a lovely delivery of his best romantic lines.

Carley Fortune was a new-to-me author in 2024, and will be a must-read author for me from this point onward. Her next novel will be released this spring, and I can’t wait!

Coming soon! (release date May 6, 2025)

Book Review: We Love the Nightlife by Rachel Koller Croft

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Title: We Love the Nightlife
Author: Rachel Koller Croft
Publisher: Berkley
Publication date: August 20, 2024
Length: 378 pages
Genre: Horror/fantasy
Source: Library
Rating:

Rating: 5 out of 5.

Locked in a toxic female friendship, two vampires careen toward catastrophe in this dark and dazzling page-turner, set amidst London’s glittering disco scene.

London 1979. Two women with a deep love for disco meet one fateful night on the dance floor, changing the course of both their lives forever. Nicola, a beautiful and brooding vampire for nearly two centuries, can’t resist fun-loving and feisty Amber from America, ultimately offering an eternity together where the glamour of nightlife always takes center stage.

But not all is what it seems.

Nearly fifty years later, after an unexpected betrayal, Amber wants out from under Nicola’s thumb, but it won’t be so simple to break up this festering friendship when she learns others have done the same—and wound up dead. 

Sensing Amber’s restlessness and in one last play to keep her close, Nicola proposes they open a nightclub of their very own, hearkening back to their best days as dancing queens. Amber agrees but she’s secretly hatching a dangerous escape plan. And if she fails…the party is over for good.

Did I know I needed a book about disco-loving vampires? Well, no. But clearly, I did… because I totally fell for this book.

I should have known the party was over when she casually suggested killing my husband back in 1981.

Amber is the life of the party in London, 1979, living it up on the dance floors of the most exclusive discos — gorgeous, young, magnetic. She’s certainly caught Nicola’s attention. Nicola is lonely, loves disco, and needs a new companion, and Amber would be perfect… so long as the idea of fangs and drinking blood doesn’t scare her away.

God, was there anything more irresistible than a brand-new gal pal?

At first, Nicola and Amber’s life together is blissful. Nightly parties, dancing perfectly in sync, never too far from the glitter and the spotlight.

[…] we used to be the stars of each other’s shows. She was obsessed with me; I was obsessed with her. And we lived for the nightlife. For disco. For the sweetness of my fresh youth that she stole from me, when I didn’t yet understand the entirety of what she’d taken.

Eventually, though, the thrill wears off, especially once Amber starts to realize just how much and how often Nicola has betrayed her trust, as she isolates her, keeps her dependent, and keeps her distracted with shiny clothes, dance music, and endless luxuries.

Written with chapters alternating between now (told from Amber’s perspective) and the duo’s past (told from Nicola’s perspective), we see their tangled lives move from a fun-loving, live-in-the-moment ethos to a more desperate dynamic, still amazing on the surface, but brimming with scheming and manipulation behind every move.

Tonally, there are plenty of moments of silliness and pop culture fangirling, from the Donna Summers-inspired catchphrases Amber and Nicola use to show affection (“toot toot”, “beep beep”) to the Spice Girls soundtrack playing in the background of a memorable turning. And while Amber eventually gets serious and gets down to some deadly plotting of her own, she still manages to show her inner party girl:

When she smiles at me, I see her fangs have sprouted for the first time. They’re adorable!

I honestly loved this book from start to finish. This isn’t particularly deep or literary fiction… but it absolutely captured my attention and never let go. An unexpected twist toward the end simply stopped me in my tracks. Perhaps other, more astute readers might have seen it coming, but I was gobsmacked. And delighted — I’ve read enough books with twists that I think I’ve become a bit jaded and hard to surprise in some ways, but We Love the Nightlife nails it.

Besides being a terrific vampire story (with disco!! can’t stress the disco element enough!), you can also see We Love the Nightlife as a cautionary tale about codependent friends. Vampire element aside, the ways in which Nicola and Amber manipulate and subtly undermine one another while also holding tight and eliminating outside distractions, all in the name of being BFFs, could be true of non-supernatural friendships as well. The blood and fangs set them apart, but the ways they hurt one another are not to vampires.

The writing in We Love the Nightlife is delicious, dark when it needs to be dark, but also full of humor and lusciously described scenes of dancing and music and the 70s-era scene. It’s utterly engaging, and also bleak and scary when the tension ramps up and the big, explosive ending gets closer.

I enjoyed every bit of We Love the Nightlife, and now want to check out the author’s previous novel, Stone Cold Fox. Highly recommended, so long as you don’t mind blood splatters on your glittery disco ball.

Audiobook Review: The Truth According to Ember by Danica Nava

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Title: The Truth According to Ember
Author: Danica Nava
Narrators: Siena East
Publisher: Berkley
Publication date: August 6, 2024
Print length: 343 pages
Audio length: 9 hours 8 minutes
Genre: Contemporary romance
Source: Library
Rating:

Rating: 3 out of 5.

A Chickasaw woman who can’t catch a break serves up a little white lie that snowballs into much more in this witty and irresistible rom-com by debut author Danica Nava.

Ember Lee Cardinal has not always been a liar—well, not for anything that counted at least. But her job search is not going well and when her resumé is rejected for the thirty-seventh time, she takes matters into her own hands. She gets “creative” listing her qualifications and answers the ethnicity question on applications with a lie—a half-lie, technically. No one wanted Native American Ember, but white Ember has just landed her dream accounting job on Park Avenue (Oklahoma City, that is).

Accountant Ember thrives in corporate life—and her love life seems to be looking up too: Danuwoa Colson, the IT guy and fellow Native who caught her eye on her first day, seems to actually be interested in her too. Despite her unease over the no-dating policy at work, they start to see each other secretly, which somehow makes it even hotter? But when they’re caught in a compromising position on a work trip, a scheming colleague blackmails Ember, threatening to expose their relationship. As the manipulation continues to grow, so do Ember’s lies. She must make the hard decision to either stay silent or finally tell the truth, which could cost her everything.

The Truth According to Ember generated a lot of buzz in 2024, notably for being one of the lone examples of a rom-com written by a Native American author and with indigenous characters in the lead roles, rather than being relegated to secondary/supporting character status.

This story of a woman resorting lies to change her life has a lot of charm and a nice flow, but very questionable choices and actions drag it down and make it hard to truly root for the main character.

Ember works a dead end job at a bowling alley, lost the money she’d been saving toward her education when her brother skipped out on bail, and keeps getting rejected from every job she applies to. She’s taken accounting classes at the community college and dreams of becoming an accountant, but can’t seem to get her foot in the door. Fed up, she pads her resume with a degree she hasn’t earned and work experience that she doesn’t actually have, and ends up getting not just an interview, but a job.

Hired as an accounting assistant for a tech company, Ember is elated about finally breaking into the corporate world. Once she starts getting her paychecks, she fully intends to continue taking classes and getting the degree she claims to have. Meanwhile, she’s a quick learner — she doesn’t actually know how to do most of the work her job entails, but after quickly googling how to use QuickBooks, she’s on her way.

Complicating things at the office is the super hot IT guy — a gorgeous man named Danuwoa (who allows himself to be called Dan in the office, since no one seems capable of learning his actual name). Ember is smitten, and and the feeling seems to be mutual, but since the company has a strict no dating policy, he’s off-limits… or is he?

As Ember and Donuwoa begin secretly seeing each other and Ember gets a surprise promotion into an interim role as executive assistant to the CEO, the lies she’s told are a ticking timebomb. If the truth comes out, she’ll imperil not only her own job, but Donuwoa’s as well.

I should pause here to stay that because of my “day job” — I work in HR — this book made my brain hurt in so many ways. When she lies on her resume and lies about her job skills, I wanted to scream. But also, during her interview, the HR rep not only asks non-work questions but also basically comments on how hot Donuwoa is when he walks by. Just, no. No, no, no.

So clearly, I am not the best person to assess this book. There is quite a bit to enjoy, especially the observations on racism and sexism in the workplace, even when the worst offenders believe themselves (and declare themselves) to be “woke”. The vibe between Ember and Donuwoa is flirty and sexy, and they have great chemistry. Donuwoa is almost too perfect, kind, caring, understanding, and an amazing big brother to his sister Walela, who herself is all kinds of awesome.

I appreciated Ember finally coming to certain realizations about looking to community for support and not having to do everything on her own. Obviously, she also learns some major lessons about honesty, in her work life and in her relationships, once her lies catch up with her and blow up in her face.

Still, the workplace lies and poor judgement (like hooking up in a supply closet) made it hard for me to enjoy the book as a whole, and when Ember’s lies spread to not being up front with Donuwoa about what’s happening, I lost most of my sympathy for Ember.

I’m glad I gave The Truth According to Ember a try, and did appreciate many aspects of the setting, the challenges faced by the characters, and the dynamics between Ember and her friends and family, as well as her connection with Donuwoa. However, the problematic issues repeatedly took me out of the story and prevented me from fully feeling immersed.

[Note to self: Maybe HR professionals just shouldn’t read books about workplace romances… ]

Book Review: The Christmas You Found Me by Sarah Morgenthaler

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Title: The Christmas You Found Me
Author: Sarah Morgenthaler
Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca
Publication date: September 24, 2024
Length: 304 pages
Genre: Contemporary romance
Source: Library
Rating:

Rating: 3.5 out of 5.

Sarah Morgenthaler is back with a heart-mending contemporary romance featuring a single dad you’ll fall for; a satisfying slow burn love affair; found family you’ll root for; small town holiday magic; and all the quirky animals and snowy rustic scenes your heart desires.

Sienna Naples’s family has taken care of their wild Idaho land for generations and Sienna can’t imagine any other life. But at Christmastime, with her parents gone and her painful marriage finally over, it’s full of memories…and incredibly lonely. Until a tall, handsome stranger and a little girl walk into her life and suddenly the holidays are alive again.

When single father Guy Maple shows up as the result of an ad meant to be a joke, the handsome Montana construction worker isn’t joking. Money is tight this Christmas, and Guy’s four-year-old daughter Emma has stage-five chronic kidney disease. She needs a kidney transplant, but if Guy can’t prove that he can afford Emma’s anti-rejection medications, his daughter isn’t going to stay on the transplant list. Guy’s willing to do anything, including marrying a stranger, to keep her safe. It’s an impulsive marriage of convenience, and Sienna knows this isn’t real, no matter how much she adores Emma, how well Guy fits in to the ranching life—or how much light and laughter is coming into their lives as a result. But the more time she spends with her new family, the more she fears losing the fragile, feisty little girl and the kind, devoted, hard-working, incredibly attractive man who is her husband—but is it only in name?

When you pick up a holiday romance, certain things are for certain: Christmas spirit, lots of cookies and twinkling lights, and a happy ending. The Christmas You Found Me provides all of these ingredients… but adds in moments of near-tragedy and oodles of tears too. (But no fear! It’s not a spoiler — just look at that cover! — to promise that all will be well in the end.)

On the day Sienna’s divorce is final, her best friend Jess publishes an add in the local paper:

Wanted: Husband for Hire

Temp to full-time position, based on satisfactory job performance.

Eligibility requirements: Ability to lift, push, or pull 50 pounds. Willingness to perform ranch work in extreme weather without whining. Experience with livestock a plus. Broad shoulders preferred.

Benefits include medical, dental, 401(k) matching. Salary negotiable.

Current husbands need not apply. (Previous husbands of Sienna Naples are ineligible for the position.)

And sure, Jess means it to be a cute joke to lift Sienna’s spirits and get the entire (tiny) Idaho town to laugh along with Sienna… but the ad leads to a few random propositions, and one sincere applicant.

When Sienna reluctantly agrees to meet Guy Maple, she already feels bad. She’s not actually looking to hire a husband, after all. But then she gets a good look at Guy — a hot, attractive, polite, but apparently underfed man with a desperate air to him. He’s embarrassed but determined: if there’s any chance this job is a real thing, he wants it. Guy is a single dad with an adorable 4-year-old daughter who’s in end-stage kidney failure. Dialysis multiple times a week isn’t enough any more; she needs a new kidney, or she won’t survive.

Health insurance isn’t the problem, but money is. Because of their ongoing medical crisis, Guy is only able to work short-term gigs, and has no family to fall back on for assistance. Emma absolutely qualifies for a kidney donation based on her medical condition, but to stay on the transplant list, Guy has to be able to demonstrate the financial means to afford the ongoing anti-rejection medication that will be required… and he can’t.

Sienna’s heart breaks hearing him talk about his daughter, but she really isn’t looking to hire a husband. Except later that night, thinking about Guy and Emma, she realizes she really could help. Sure, she’s cash-poor at the moment, having lost most liquid assets in the divorce, but she’s kept her beautiful family ranch and some livestock. The value of the property would more than meet the financial requirements for Emma… so not quite believing what she’s doing, Sienna calls Guy and offers to marry him the next day.

What Sienna doesn’t count on is how lovable Emma is and how much of a sweetheart Guy turns out to be. When she realizes they’re living out of a seedy motel while he looks for local work, she insists they move in with her at the ranch. Et voila! Insta-family… and before long, insta-love as well.

Super cute scenes of family time at the ranch, Emma bonding with Sienna’s dog and mule, and Guy doing his workouts in the kitchen ensue. It’s all quite adorable, but Emma’s dire health looms large. When a medical crisis arrives right on Christmas Eve, well… even a curmudgeon like me had to fight to remain dry-eyed. (I lost that battle…)

The Christmas You Found Me is a sweet, romantic story — but extreme suspension of disbelief is required if you want to enjoy it. I was more than willing to go along with it all and let the love and holiday spirit float me along, but seriously, some story elements are a bit hard to swallow:

  • If an unattractive man had approached Sienna with the exact same circumstances, would she have considered marrying him?
  • It’s lucky for Sienna that the husband-for-hire turned out to be the sweetest, most respectful, most supportive man on the planet.
  • Absolutely no stepmother/stepdaughter adjustment phase — the insta-love aspect applies 100% to Sienna and Emma’s relationship.
  • As they enter the courthouse to get married, Sienna agrees to change her last name! Which she never did during her first (real) marriage! Because her family has a longstanding history in the region and the Naples name means something! But okay, she’ll change it for the guy she met less than 24 hours earlier.

Things work out much too perfectly… but that was okay with me, for the most part. Reading The Christmas You Found Me is like partaking in a Hallmark Christmas movie in book form. You can predict the plot beats all the way through, and you know more or less what some of the important elements will be — but it still feels like a nice holiday treat to sit back and enjoy.

I’d read Sarah Morgenthaler’s previous trilogy of books (the Moose Springs series, set in small-town Alaska). This author does a great job presenting heartwarming rural, rustic life, capturing the quirky traditions, hard-working locals, and a sense of a community that’s really there for one another. Reading her books makes me yearn for a cabin of my own, with cozy flannel, a warm fireplace, and fluffy socks.

Overall, I enjoyed The Christmas You Found Me. Realistic? Nope. A bit predictable? Yup. But also, romantic and sentimental and satisfying in a very cozy, wintery sort of way. I’d happily read more about these characters and their Idaho ranch.

Note: Goodreads lists The Christmas You Found Me as book #1 in the Heart of the Wilderness series. I’m curious to see where the series might go — more about Sienna’s friends and neighbors? Or unconnected wilderness-based Christmas romances? I guess we’ll have to wait and find out!