Book Review: A Darkness Absolute (Rockton, #2) by Kelley Armstrong

Posted in Book Reviews by

Title: A Darkness Absolute
Series: Rockton, #2
Author: Kelley Armstrong
Publisher: Minotaur Books
Publication date: February 7, 2017
Length: 400 pages
Genre: Thriller/mystery
Source: Library
Rating:

Rating: 4 out of 5.

When experienced homicide detective Casey Duncan first moved to the secret town of Rockton, she expected a safe haven for people like her, people running from their past misdeeds and past lives. She knew living in Rockton meant living off-the-grid completely: no cell phones, no Internet, no mail, very little electricity, and no way of getting in or out without the town council’s approval. What she didn’t expect is that Rockton comes with its own set of secrets and dangers.

Now, in A Darkness Absolute, Casey and her fellow Rockton sheriff’s deputy Will chase a cabin-fevered resident into the woods, where they are stranded in a blizzard. Taking shelter in a cave, they discover a former resident who’s been held captive for over a year. When the bodies of two other women turn up, Casey and her colleagues must find out if it’s an outsider behind the killings or if the answer is more complicated than that…before another victim goes missing.

A Darkness Absolute is the 2nd book in Kelley Armstrong’s 7-book Rockton series, and it successfully delivers on the promise of City of the Lost, the first book in the series. To catch up those unfamiliar with the series, the basic premise is as follows: There’s a remote town — Rockton, population 200 — located in the wilds of Canada’s Yukon territory. It’s home to those fleeing danger who need complete isolation from the outside world, but it also offers shelter to some with questionable pasts who need a way to hide out and start over. There are no navigable roads in or out — new residents arrive by bush plane, and can only leave the same way. Relocating to Rockton is a serious commitment, requiring the approval of the elusive and morally questionable town council.

The main character is Casey Duncan (known in Rockton as Casey Butler) — a homicide detective who survived trauma as a teen, and has been living with a dark secret every since: After surviving the assault that left her with lasting physical and psychological scars, she confronted the ex-boyfriend who abandoned her to her attackers, and unintentionally shot and killed him. Now, in Rockton, she has a fresh start, which involves working round the clock to solve the surprisingly high number of crimes that seem to crop up in this small, isolated town.

As A Darkness Absolute opens, Casey has been living in Rockton for about four months. The longer she’s there, the more secrets come to light, including the dirty details about some of Rockton’s sketchier residents. Casey reports to Sheriff Eric Dalton, with whom she also has a romantic relationship. Their dynamics are intense, but it works.

When Casey and deputy Will Anders discover a woman held hostage in a cave for a year — someone who’d been assumed to have left Rockton of her own free will — it opens up a new set of dangers and discoveries. Who took her, and why? And how does this connect to the newly discovered bodies of women who’d disappeared years earlier?

The mystery here is convoluted and tricky, with plenty of clues, misdirections, suspects, and conflicting timelines. There’s plenty of danger, too. The forest around Rockton is full of threats — human, animal, and environmental — and each time Eric, Casey, or anyone else from the town ventures past Rockton’s borders, they’re at immense risk. No one comes out of this case unscathed, and even more disturbing secrets about the town, the town council, and the various residents come to light.

The set-up for the series is terrific, and Casey and Eric have a fascinating chemistry, both on and off the job. I loved seeing their relationship progress — they even get a dog! There’s danger around every corner, and any interaction with a Rockton resident needs to be examined for hidden agendas and threats.

The tension never lets up, and while the ultimate solution definitely works, it takes a mind-boggling effort at times to keep track of the players, the timelines, and the possible motives behind each person’s actions. No one is safe — and Casey in particular ends up in grave peril over and over again. The suspense of it all makes A Darkness Absolute a compelling page-turner, while the characters and their relationships and connections add emotional heft and a sense of deep stakes as the action unfolds.

When I picked up A Darkness Absolute, I realized a refresher on book #1, City of the Lost, might be helpful, so I reread that one as well. I’m glad I did: While A Darkness Absolute would have made sense anyway, it was good to become reacquainted with some of the supporting characters and their backstories.

I can’t wait to continue with the series! With five books still to go, plus a spin-off series, there’s plenty left to read. I don’t think I’ll binge straight through, but I do want to keep going while the details are fresh in my mind. So far, the Rockton series is just as great I’d expected, and I’m eager to see what’s ahead for Casey and Eric.

Next up:

Book #3, This Fallen Prey

The Monday Check-In ~ 7/21/2025

Posted in The Monday Check-In by

cooltext1850356879

My Monday tradition, including a look back and a look ahead — what I read last week, what new books came my way, and what books are keeping me busy right now. Plus a smattering of other stuff too.

Life.

I’m back! My husband and I just returned from a two-week, 2500-mile road trip — from home in San Francisco, through Oregon and Washington to Vancouver, Victoria, the Olympic Peninsula, and back home again. It was fantastic — I’ll aim to share more about it later in the week, once I have a chance to catch my breath.

Meanwhile… I’m home, catching up on laundry and household odds and ends, acclimating to being back in the fog, and getting ready to dive back into the usual workweek routines.

But hey! Let’s talk about the important stuff… like what I read and listened to while I was away.

What did I read during the last (two) weeks?

Sounds Like Love by Ashley Poston: This story of a songwriter and a former boy band bad-boy who somehow mind-meld and create a song together — while falling in love — just did not work for me. I liked the setting (a charming Outer Banks island) and the main character’s family dynamics, but the love story was a dud. The mind-to-mind connection was awkward, and I know we’re supposed to accept that it’s a special magical gift, but I didn’t buy it, and didn’t buy the two of them as a couple. I loved this author’s previous contemporary romances, but this one did not live up to expectations. Consider this my mini-review! I’d give it 2.5 stars.

Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid: Powerful historical fiction focused on women astronauts in the 1980s space shuttle era. Highly recommended! My review is here.

Rockton series by Kelley Armstrong: I was ready to get back to this series, but decided I needed a refresher before continuing, so… I re-read book #1, City of the Lost (here’s my review from last year) and then raced my way through book #2, A Darkness Absolute. Looks for my review of book #2 later this week — it was terrific!

In terms of audio…

My husband is not an audiobook listener, but he said he’d give it a try for the road trip. It was not a particularly successful experiment — he mainly dozed off every time we started listening! After a while, he told me to go ahead and listen as much as I wanted, and he read his own book on his Kindle, and we both ended up happy! Still, I kept it to a minimum (we mostly just chatted, enjoyed the scenery, and listened to random music). Here’s what I did listen to during our trip:

Mercy Thompson: Moon Called (Graphic Audio) by Patricia Briggs: I adore the Mercy Thompson series, and I’d been curious about the graphic audio version, which present the story with a full cast and sound effects. It’s abridged from the original, and some of the sound effects (panting whenever a character runs, lots of snarling from the werewolves) could be a bit over the top. Overall, it was a fun listen, although it could be hard to tell what was going on during action sequences. I enjoyed this as a way to revisit the story, but would absolute recommend reading the full book or listening to the unabridged audiobook if you’re checking out Moon Called for the first time. Listening to this book (the first in the Mercy Thompson series) made me want to keep going — but probably not with the graphic audio versions.

The Skydivers by Chris Bohjalian: This short story (1 hour, 16 minutes) is a tense, suspenseful tale that’s completely engaging, and it absolutely held my attention and kept me guessing. Which isn’t really a surprise — this author is a favorite, and his thrillers are always excellent.

Pop culture & TV:

Nothing! We never turned on a TV during our trip. I’ve only been back one day, and so far, the only viewing I’ve done is a re-watch of the pilot episode of Black Sails. I loved the series back when it aired (2014 – 2017). My son has decided to watch it, and I may join him, so I thought going back to the beginning would be a good idea.

I had to replace my iPhone last month, and the new phone came with an offer for three free months of AppleTV+… so I just signed up, and I’m getting my watching queue in order. So far, I know I want to check out Ted Lasso, Severance, Murderbot, and possibly Shrinking and The Buccaneers. Any other recommendations?

Blogging collaboration:

While I was away, Carol at Reading Ladies Book Club published her annual summer reading collaboration, which I was delighted to participate in. Check it out here!

Fresh Catch:

A few orders I’d placed earlier arrived this week. What fun to come home and get to enjoy a bit of unboxing!

While passing through Portland, I absolutely had to stop by Powell’s (fulfilling a bookish bucket list dream!), and treated myself to a paperback copy of Green Rider, which is the first book in a series I want to start this year.

What will I be reading during the coming week?

Currently in my hands:

The Enchanted Greenhouse by Sarah Beth Durst: I’m at about 35%. I really enjoyed the first book in this series (The Spellshop), but this book hasn’t quite grabbed me yet. I’m holding out hope that it’ll pick up in the 2nd half.

Now playing via audiobook:

Totally and Completely Fine by Elissa Sussman: This author’s previous two books were a lot of fun, and I’m happy to be starting this new one!

Ongoing reads:

My longer-term reading commitments:

  • The Fellowship of the Ring by J.R.R. Tolkien: My book group’s shared reading journey, two chapters per week. We’ll be finishing this week! Progress: 93%. This week’s chapters: Fellowship, Book 2, Chapters 9 and 10.
  • Villette by Charlotte Brontë: Group classic read, two chapters per week. Progress: 20%. Up next: Chapters 11 and 12.
  • My Family and Other Animals by Gerald Durrell: My new Classics Club spin book! I’m putting it here as a reminder to myself to make time for it this summer — the target date to finish this spin challenge is August 24th

What will you be reading this week?

So many books, so little time…

boy1

Book Review: Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid

Posted in Book Reviews by

Title: Atmosphere
Author: Taylor Jenkins Reid
Publisher: Ballantine Books
Publication date: June 3, 2025
Length: 352 pages
Genre: Historical fiction
Source: Purchased
Rating:

Rating: 4.5 out of 5.

From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo and Daisy Jones & The Six comes an epic new novel set against the backdrop of the 1980s Space Shuttle program about the extraordinary lengths we go to live and love beyond our limits.

Joan Goodwin has been obsessed with the stars for as long as she can remember. Thoughtful and reserved, Joan is content with her life as a professor of physics and astronomy at Rice University and as aunt to her precocious niece, Frances. That is, until she comes across an advertisement seeking the first women scientists to join NASA’s Space Shuttle program. Suddenly, Joan burns to be one of the few people to go to space.

Selected from a pool of thousands of applicants in the summer of 1980, Joan begins training at Houston’s Johnson Space Center, alongside an exceptional group of fellow candidates: Top Gun pilot Hank Redmond and scientist John Griffin, who are kind and easy-going even when the stakes are highest; mission specialist Lydia Danes, who has worked too hard to play nice; warm-hearted Donna Fitzgerald, who is navigating her own secrets; and Vanessa Ford, the magnetic and mysterious aeronautical engineer, who can fix any engine and fly any plane.

As the new astronauts become unlikely friends and prepare for their first flights, Joan finds a passion and a love she never imagined. In this new light, Joan begins to question everything she thinks she knows about her place in the observable universe.

Then, in December of 1984, on mission STS-LR9, everything changes in an instant.

Fast-paced, thrilling, and emotional, Atmosphere is Taylor Jenkins Reid at her best: transporting readers to iconic times and places, with complex protagonists, telling a passionate and soaring story about the transformative power of love, this time among the stars.

Taylor Jenkins Reid is one of my go-to authors; I know I’m in for an emotional, immersive reading experience when I pick up one of her books. And with Atmosphere, her terrific writing and character development are set within a topic that always fascinates me: NASA and the development of America’s space program — and especially, how women are (or are not) included within that program.

Atmosphere‘s main character is Joan Goodwin, an astronomer who looks to the stars for insights into life on Earth and humanity’s role within the universe. It’s the 1980s, and NASA is preparing to develop its new space shuttle program. In a huge departure, NASA is — for the first time — accepting applications for women to join its upcoming astronauts cohorts. Joan doesn’t hesitate: She applies immediately, and eventually, is accepted.

But women in the space program are still rarities, and each of them finds that they represent not just themselves, but all women. As one of Joan’s peers comments as they watch Sally Ride launch into space:

“If Sally so much as sneezes at the wrong time, everyone will blame it on the fact that she’s a woman. And then none of us will go up there for a very long time.”

Joan is very much aware:

There were four men on that shuttle. But every American woman was.

Joan has more in her life than the intense training and commitment required to qualify as an astronaut. She’s a devoted aunt, helping raise the young daughter that her selfish sister seems to resent. Joan’s sister Barbara takes Joan for granted, acting as though Joan’s career is a personal affront when it causes her to be less available for babysitting and school pick-ups.

The heart of Atmosphere is Joan’s romantic life, or rather, her growing understanding of why she’s never experienced true love and why shouldn’t couldn’t bring herself to accept a marriage proposal from her high school boyfriend, despite her family’s pressure. When Joan meets Vanessa Ford, another astronaut candidate in her training group, she’s immediately drawn to her. Joan and Vanessa’s friendship slowly develops into something more, and as the women fall deeply in love, they must balance their relationship with the realities of government service in that era. The need to hide is very real; any hint of their relationship would be enough to permanently end their dreams of making it into space.

Atmosphere is structured with a now/then split timeline: As the book opens, it’s December 1984, and Joan is serving a shift as CAPCOM — the voice of Mission Control — while a crew on the space shuttle prepares for what should be a relatively simple satellite launch. And then things go horribly wrong, and Joan is forced to remain calm and provide guidance while a crew of her close friends — and Vanessa — are at risk of never returning to Earth at all.

Interspersed with the “now” chapters focusing on the unfolding disaster, the “then” chapters go back seven years, and follow Joan from her initial application to acceptance into the astronaut program, through her years of training and up to her first space mission. We follow the incredibly rigorous requirements and grueling training she experiences, and witness the competition and comaraderie among the astronaut candidates, as well as the baked-in sexism that the woman astronauts face on a daily basis.

Beyond that, we see Joan and Vanessa’s love story unfold. It’s sweet and passionate and deeply sincere, yet tinged with the necessity of hiding and living very different lives behind closed doors and in public.

Joan studied the thin blue, hazy circle that surrounded the Earth. The atmosphere was so delicate, nearly inconsequential. But it was the very thing keeping everyone she loved alive.

Atmosphere is beautifully written, and evokes the excitement of the space program as well as the social pressures and prejudices of the era. The characters are sharply drawn and sympathetic, and the chapters showing the backstory leading up to the disaster that frames the book are engrossing and highly engaging.

The shuttle disaster is gut-wrenching to read about. From our modern-day perspective, we readers are naturally all too aware of the real-life Challenger and Columbia disasters; we know all too well that the events unfolding on the page are most likely to end in tragedy. It’s impossible to look away; I found myself holding my breath and on edge whenever this piece of the storyline resumed, and was surprised by how intensely emotional I became by the end.

Overall, Atmosphere is an uplifting, highly compelling read. Truly, my only quibble is that I wanted more at the very end, which I felt wrapped up a little bit too abruptly. I would have loved one more chapter, or perhaps an epilogue, to gain a sense of closure in terms of the characters I’d come to care about so deeply.

Still, that’s really a minor complaint. I loved the book as a whole, and highly recommend Atmosphere for anyone looking for a fascinating, emotional read with unforgettable characters and historical elements that resonate today.

Purchase links: Amazon – Bookshop.org – Libro.fm
Disclaimer: When you make a purchase through one of these affiliate links, I may earn a small commission, at no additional cost to you.

Happy 4th of July!

Posted in Family & Life by

Enjoy the fireworks, cookouts, beach day… or whatever you choose to do. How about a rewatch of 1776?

I’m hitting the road — my husband and I leave today for a long, meandering road trip! I’ll be popping in from time to time… perhaps… but don’t expect to hear much from me for the next two weeks!

We have the car packed — snacks and treats, hiking shoes, and of course, our trusty Kindles. Looking forward to time away, seeing new places, relaxing when we can, and reading good books!

Wishing all who are celebrating today a very happy 4th of July!

Book Review: Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil by V. E. Schwab

Posted in Book Reviews by

Title: Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil
Author: V. E. Schwab
Publisher: Tor
Publication date: June 10, 2025
Length: 544 pages
Genre: Fantasy/historical
Source: Purchased
Rating:

Rating: 5 out of 5.

From V. E. Schwab, the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue: a new genre-defying novel about immortality and hunger.

This is a story about hunger.
1532. Santo Domingo de la Calzada.
A young girl grows up wild and wily—her beauty is only outmatched by her dreams of escape. But María knows she can only ever be a prize, or a pawn, in the games played by men. When an alluring stranger offers an alternate path, María makes a desperate choice. She vows to have no regrets.

This is a story about love.
1827. London.
A young woman lives an idyllic but cloistered life on her family’s estate, until a moment of forbidden intimacy sees her shipped off to London. Charlotte’s tender heart and seemingly impossible wishes are swept away by an invitation from a beautiful widow—but the price of freedom is higher than she could have imagined.

This is a story about rage.
2019. Boston.
College was supposed to be her chance to be someone new. That’s why Alice moved halfway across the world, leaving her old life behind. But after an out-of-character one-night stand leaves her questioning her past, her present, and her future, Alice throws herself into the hunt for answers . . . and revenge.

This is a story about life—
how it ends, and how it starts.

Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil is the vampire book I didn’t know I needed. In this hefty, intricate book, author V. E. Schwab weaves together three characters’ voices and experiences, spanning centuries, to create an epic tale of love, need, hunger, and regret.

We open with Maria, a girl growing up in 16th century Spain, whose only possible future is getting married and having babies. As a young woman, she finds a way to ensure a promising marriage to a viscount, then realizes that her marriage is not the path to freedom that she’d anticipated. After meeting a mysterious, youthful widow with an apothecary shop near her husband’s estate, she’s given the key to a new life.

Charlotte, in 19th century England, is sent to her aunt’s home in London for the Season, mainly to learn how to be a proper, marriageable young woman after being caught kissing her best friend. Charlotte finds the etiquette and corsets equally restrictive, and none of the men she encounters at the endless balls interest her — but the beautiful widow Sabine is intriguing, and their friendship blooms into something much more.

Alice is a modern-day Harvard freshman, attending college in Boston far from her home in Scotland, hoping to reinvent herself after leaving behind painful family secrets. But Alice is still the shy, isolated girl she’s always been, even in her new setting, until she attends a party and decides to be bold — and ends up completely transformed in ways she neither anticipated nor consented to.

Never walk alone at night, they tell you, if you’re a girl.

And it isn’t fair.

Because the night is when the world is quiet.

The night is when the air is clear.

This is a vampire story, and it doesn’t take a huge leap of imagination on the reader’s part to understand how these characters’ stories connect. The beauty lies in seeing it all unfold. Each character’s past is carefully established, pieced out bit by bit in overlapping timelines and alternating chapters. There are elements kept hidden, only revealed as the story progresses, and these work especially well to explain events we may think we understand — but may not have the entire picture of.

Alice may be the most sympathetic of the main characters. She’s given no choice in what happens to her, and her rage and dismay are completely understandable. Of course, we could also consider Maria and Charlotte as not particularly having choices either: They make the decisions that propel them into their new lives — but each is so hemmed in by society’s restrictions that a radical departure is the only way to free themselves.

We may expect Sabine to be the villain of the piece, and she does many villainous things… but she’s not at all one-dimensional. No matter how terrible her later actions are, we never lose some sense of compassion for her. We know her backstory, and know what she’s experienced. There’s a reason (multiple reasons) she becomes who she becomes; we may hate what she does, but we know how she got there.

Without giving away any further plot points, I’ll just point out that the writing in Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil is lush and delicious, vivid enough to want to sink into, dreamy and evocative, yet also propulsive. This is a long book, but it never lags. I always wanted to know more, and hated to have to pause when real life pulled me away.

I read the author’s debut adult novel, The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue, several years ago, and loved it. Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil is another beautiful, imaginative story that’s a completely immersive reading experience. I haven’t read any of the author’s young adult novels or series, but I know I need to!

I enjoyed every moment of my reading journey through the world of Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil, and found myself fascinated by the characters, their lives, and their choices. Don’t miss this incredible book!

Purchase links: Amazon – Bookshop.org – Libro.fm
Disclaimer: When you make a purchase through one of these affiliate links, I may earn a small commission, at no additional cost to you.

Top Ten Tuesday: Backlist Books to Read (2025 update)

Posted in Top Ten Tuesday by

Top Ten Tuesday is a meme hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl, featuring a different top 10 theme each week. This week’s is a Freebie/Throwback, with the prompt: Come up with a topic you’d like to do or go back and do an old topic you missed or just want to do again! Looking back at earlier TTT topics, I thought I’d go back and provide an update on my freebie topic from spring 2024: Backlist Books To Read.

What you’ll see below is a duplicate of my 2024 list… but with notes on which books I’ve read, which I’m still interested in, and which I’m not planning to pursue. I’ve actually read a decent amount of these… yay, me!

Here’s my 2025 update on my 2024 backlist post:

1. Kristin Hannah – Backlist titles identified in 2024:

2025 update: I read The Nightingale earlier this year, and loved it! My review is here. I’d still like to get to the other two, and probably more beyond that.

2. TJ Klune: Backlist titles identified in 2024:

(Note: Same book; original cover on the left, new cover for the 2025 reissue on the right)

2025 update: Read it, loved it! My review is here. I do have a few other early books by TJ Klune marked as to-read:

I’m not necessarily rushing to pick these up — but please do let me know if you’ve read them and recommend them!

3. William Kent Krueger: Backlist title (series) identified in 2024:

2025 update: Probably going to pass. I’m not really looking to get involved in even more series at the moment, and mysteries aren’t my go-to genre in any case.

4. Dana Stabenow: Backlist titles identified in 2024:

2025 update: Again, probably not. I do love this author, but I think I’ll hold off on any backlist titles, and will look forward to her upcoming 2026 new release, The Harvey Girl.

5. Abby Jimenez: Backlist titles identified in 2024:

2025 update: Yes! Read them all! I didn’t love this trilogy quite as much as the Part of Your World trilogy… but I still enjoyed all of these (especially the 2nd book) and I’m glad I read them!

6. Rachel Harrison: Backlist titles identified in 2024:

2025 update: Yes! This book was so creepy and disturbing, and I loved it! My review is here. And now, I’m eagerly awaiting her 2025 new release, Play Nice, coming this fall.

7. Kelley Armstrong: Backlist titles identified in 2024 (two different series starters):

2025 update: I read City of the Lost, book #1 in the Rockton series, and I’m eager to continue! In fact, I’m hoping to start the 2nd book this month. As for the Cainsville series, this will remain a “maybe someday” read for me, but I don’t feel any urgency about it.

8. Jenny Colgan: Backlist titles identified in 2024:

2025 update: I did read Where Have All the Boys Gone (review)… and didn’t especially love it. I have a feeling that her earlier books may all feel a bit dated to me at this point, so I don’t think I’ll follow through with any others. (But who knows? Never say never, when it comes to favorite authors…)

9. Eva Ibbotson: Backlist titles identified in 2024:

2025 update: I didn’t get to any of these, but still want to!

10. Katherine Center: Backlist titles identified in 2024:

2025 update: I didn’t get to either of these… but I still intend to! And then I’ll have made it through all of her backlist books.

BONUS PICKS: Because why stop at 10? Here are a few more authors I’m adding to my 2025 list, whose backlists I need to explore:

  • Victoria Schwab: After loving both The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue (review) and Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil (watch for my review later this week!), I’m feeling like I really should try her YA fiction too. Any favorites? Suggestions on where to start?
  • Jennifer Weiner: I’ve read lots of her books, but there are plenty more that I’ve missed over the years. The two highest on my priority list are Mrs. Everything and Big Summer.
  • Colleen Oakley: I’ve read her more recent books, but still need to get to You Were There Too and Before I Go.

Have you read any of my backlist picks? Any you especially recommend?

If you wrote a freebie post this week, what topic did you choose? Please share your link!

The Monday Check-In ~ 6/30/2025

Posted in The Monday Check-In by

cooltext1850356879

My Monday tradition, including a look back and a look ahead — what I read last week, what new books came my way, and what books are keeping me busy right now. Plus a smattering of other stuff too.

Life.

After a great weekend — dancing, outdoor time, and getting to spend time with a book group friend visiting the area — I’m gearing up for a busy few days at work (yay for four-day workweeks!) and then a road trip. I’ll be mainly offline for the next two weeks while doing some family traveling, but the trip itself should be fairly low-key, so I may pop by here and there.

Still, after Friday, don’t expect to see many (or possibly, any) new posts from me for a while!

What did I read during the last week?

Great Big Beautiful Life by Emily Henry: The only book I reviewed this week! It’s a good one, with a story within a story. My review is here.

Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil by V. E. Schwab: Finished late Sunday, and loved it! Review to follow in the next few days.

Pop culture & TV:

I watched the final season of The Handmaid’s Tale this past week. Not every season of the series was great, but taken as a whole, I have to say that bringing Margaret Atwood’s vision to life and expanding the story in the way the Hulu version did is really an amazing achievement. Overall, the series was excellent and thought-provoking, and I thought this final season was incredibly well-done. I’m glad I came back to it and finished!

After that, I turned to the new season of The Bear, even though season 3 was not especially enjoyable. So far, season 4 seems better — I still have about half to go.

Fresh Catch:

No new books this week! I really haven’t bought physical books in a while… and my bookshelves are thanking me. I need to do a bit more culling and donating before I add any more new books to my shelves.

What will I be reading during the coming week?

Currently in my hands:

Sounds Like Love by Ashley Poston: I’m just getting started. This is my final ARC from June, and I’m trying to get as caught up as possible before diving into my stack of pending July books!

Next up: I’m trying to make a (very) loose plan for what I hope to read while on my trip for the next couple of weeks. Top choices at the moment are:

Totally subject to change, of course — we’ll see where my mood takes me in the moment, and also, how much reading time I actually end up with!

Now playing via audiobook:

Battle of the Bookstores by Ali Brady: I’ve loved everything by this author duo so far, but I’m not entirely sold on this audiobook yet. I’m racing the clock to finish — I’m trying to wrap it all up by Thursday, because after that I’ll be in the car with my husband every day, and I just don’t think he’ll be into my audiobooks!

Ongoing reads:

My longer-term reading commitments:

  • The Fellowship of the Ring by J.R.R. Tolkien: My book group’s shared reading journey, two chapters per week. Progress: 66%. Up next: Fellowship, Book 2, Chapters 3 and 4.
  • Villette by Charlotte Brontë: Group classic read, two chapters per week. Progress: 9%. Up next: Chapters 5 and 6.
  • My Family and Other Animals by Gerald Durrell: My new Classics Club spin book! I’m putting it here as a reminder to myself to make time for it this summer.

What will you be reading this week?

So many books, so little time…

boy1

Audiobook Review: Great Big Beautiful Life by Emily Henry

Posted in Book Reviews by

Title: Great Big Beautiful Life
Author: Emily Henry
Narrator: Julia Whelan
Publisher: Berkley
Publication date: April 22, 2025
Print length: 432 pages
Audio length: 12 hours, 2 minutes
Genre: Romance
Source: Purchased
Rating:

Rating: 4.5 out of 5.

Two writers compete for the chance to tell the larger-than-life story of a woman with more than a couple of plot twists up her sleeve in this dazzling and sweeping new novel from Emily Henry.

Alice Scott is an eternal optimist still dreaming of her big writing break. Hayden Anderson is a Pulitzer-prize winning human thundercloud. And they’re both on balmy Little Crescent Island for the same reason: To write the biography of a woman no one has seen in years–or at least to meet with the octogenarian who claims to be the Margaret Ives. Tragic heiress, former tabloid princess, and daughter of one of the most storied (and scandalous) families of the 20th Century.

When Margaret invites them both for a one-month trial period, after which she’ll choose the person who’ll tell her story, there are three things keeping Alice’s head in the game.

One: Alice genuinely likes people, which means people usually like Alice—and she has a whole month to win the legendary woman over.

Two: She’s ready for this job and the chance to impress her perennially unimpressed family with a Serious Publication

Three: Hayden Anderson, who should have no reason to be concerned about losing this book, is glowering at her in a shaken-to-the core way that suggests he sees her as competition.

But the problem is, Margaret is only giving each of them pieces of her story. Pieces they can’t swap to put together because of an ironclad NDA and an inconvenient yearning pulsing between them every time they’re in the same room.

And it’s becoming abundantly clear that their story—just like the tale Margaret’s spinning—could be a mystery, tragedy, or love ballad…depending on who’s telling it.

Emily Henry’s books are quintessential summer reads, and her newest, Great Big Beautiful Life, is no exception. In fact, this book features an historical element that her books typically do not, and at least for this reader, the result is a richer, deeper experience than I’d originally anticipated.

Margaret Ives, the descendant of the powerful, legendary House of Ives, is the last remaining heir to the Ives media empire, which grew from the success of Margaret’s great-grandfather in exploration and mining. By the time Margaret was born, her family controlled the media, had influence everywhere, and was known for its scandals as much as for their wealth and power. But as we’re told, Margaret disappeared from the public view decades earlier, and no one has heard from her since. Still, the public fascination with the Ives family has never truly faded, and speculation continues to bubble up over what really happened to Margaret and her late husband, the wildly popular singer Cosmo Sinclair (dubbed the “Poor Man’s Elvis”).

When writer Alice Scott follows an anonymous tip and locates Margaret, now in her 80s and living alone on a small island off the coast of Georgia, she submits a book proposal and Margaret agrees to hear her out. But when she arrives at Margaret’s door, she finds another author has been invited as well — Hayden Anderson, whose previous book just won a Pulitzer. Alice is dismayed, but Margaret is quick to inform them that they’re both in the running: She’ll meet with each of them, separately and for equal amounts of time, over the next 30 days, after which they’ll each get a chance to make their pitch, and she’ll choose one of them to write her story. Alice isn’t happy with the set-up, but this could be the opportunity of a lifetime, much too good to walk away from. After signing detailed NDAs, Alice and Hayden are in, and they begin their interviews with Margaret.

As the novel progresses, we get chapters focused on Margaret’s story, where we learn her family’s twisty, hidden past — where they started, how their fortune grew, and the fights, scandals, affairs, and mysteries that plagued them ever since.

Meanwhile, Alice and Hayden go from competitors to something like colleagues — unable to share the details of their interviews (those NDAs!!), but still giving one another encouragement and support through their mutual, bizarre process. As they spend time together, their professional respect turns into friendship and attraction, and while they initially resist, their feelings grow in a way that can’t be ignored.

The structure of Great Big Beautiful Life is a lovely balancing act, bringing interest and forward momentum to both Margaret’s story and the contemporary romance between Alice and Hayden. I must admit, however, that the further I got in the book, the more I wanted to stick with Margaret! She’s a fascinating character with a deeply engrossing family story — if only the book about her life were real, I’d absolutely want to read it!

The romance elements are nicely done, although at some point I lost a bit of patience for the will-they-won’t-they dynamic, as well as the somewhat odd insistence that they not sleep together until after the book proposals are done and Margaret makes her choice… because what this actually means is that they become very heavily sexually involved, but refrain from intercourse. Ummm… from my point of view, this is a very silly distinction. But okay…

Alice’s family life and her challenging relationship with her mother comes into play, as does Hayden’s own family background. They have hurdles to overcome if they want a future together, and meanwhile, while they can’t share the details of what Margaret has revealed to them, each has the feeling that she’s not being entirely honest with them. But why agree to a biography and then lie about key elements?

I listened to the audiobook version, narrated by the amazing Julia Whelan — and through her storytelling, the characters and events absolutely shine. She’s an incredibly gifted narrator, and has an uncanny knack for convincing me that I’m listening to individual people, not one person voicing multiple characters. Her depiction of Margaret is especially lovely and powerful.

I really enjoyed Great Big Beautiful Life, and highly recommend it. As I mentioned, I wasn’t quite as invested in Alice and Hayden’s contemporary storyline — it’s a good enough romance, and I enjoyed it, but some of the tension between them felt unnecessary. (However, I did appreciate that the obligatory 3rd act breakup actually made sense and felt like it was based on a realistic, unsolvable problem). For me, Margaret’s story is the true heart and soul of this book, and it’s wonderful. I would happily spend much more time exploring her secrets, her triumphs, and her heartbreaks.

To sum it all up… Great Big Beautiful Life is a wonderful reading and listening experience! Don’t miss it.

Read-alikes:

Great Big Beautiful Life has themes and story arcs that reminded me of a few other terrific books I’ve read — so if this book appeals to you, consider one of these as well:

  • If you like the poor-little-rich-girl aspect of the story, try… The Thirteenth Husband by Greer Macallister: Historical fiction about an heiress with an incredible life full of scandals and excitement.
  • If you like the idea of an elderly woman with a secretive past getting two people to vie to discover the truth, try… Drop Dead by Lily Chu: Lighthearted romance featuring writers competing to discover a famously reclusive woman’s secrets, following clues scattered throughout her outrageously lavish estate.
  • If you like a story about celebrities living in the public eye but hiding secrets, try… The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid: The secret stories behind a Hollywood star’s many marriages, finally revealed in the star’s late-in-life interview with a journalist.

Purchase links: Amazon – Bookshop.org – Libro.fm
Disclaimer: When you make a purchase through one of these affiliate links, I may earn a small commission, at no additional cost to you.

Top Ten Tuesday: Most Anticipated Books Releasing in the Second Half of 2025

Posted in Top Ten Tuesday by

Top Ten Tuesday is a meme hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl, featuring a different top 10 theme each week. This week’s topic is Most Anticipated Books Releasing in the Second Half of 2025.

All of a sudden it’s summer, and… whoosh!… time is flying by. It’s hard to think about the 2nd half of 2025 already, when I’ve barely kept up with my reading plans from the 1st half.

Here are ten books scheduled for release from July through December that I’m looking forward to:

  • A Witch’s Guide to Magical Innkeeping by Sangu Mandanna (7/15/2025)
  • The Last Wizards’ Ball (Gunnie Rose, #6) by Charlaine Harris (7/55/2025)
  • Hemlock & Silver by T. Kingfisher (8/19/2025)
  • Play Nice by Rachel Harrison (9/9/2025)
  • The Poisoned King (Impossible Creatures, #2) by Katherine Rundell (9/11/2025)
  • The Shattering Peace (Old Man’s War, #7) by John Scalzi (9/19/2025)
  • Silver and Lead (October Daye, #19) by Seanan McGuire (9/30/2025)
  • The Haunting of Payne’s Hollow by Kelley Armstrong (10/14/2025)
  • The Keeper of Magical Things by Julie Leong (10/14/2025)
  • Blind Date with a Werewolf by Patricia Briggs (10/21/2025)

What upcoming new releases are you most excited for? Please share your TTT links!

Save

Save

Save

Save

The Monday Check-In ~ 6/23/2025

Posted in The Monday Check-In by

cooltext1850356879

My Monday tradition, including a look back and a look ahead — what I read last week, what new books came my way, and what books are keeping me busy right now. Plus a smattering of other stuff too.

Life.

This past week felt a bit calmer, and also gave me more time to relax. My team at work had a “wellness day” outing that included a picnic and hanging out in a beautiful park, which we all really needed. Plus, a day off for Juneteenth and a weekend without too many plans both provided time to chill, read, walk, see a few friends, and just feel like the days had a bit less pressure.

Looking for suggestions!

My husband and I have a road trip coming up next month, and I’m looking for ideas for what we might enjoy listening to together. I’m an audiobook fanatic, but he is not. However, he’s enjoyed radio plays in the past, and is open to the idea of trying audiobooks for bits and pieces of the trip. I was thinking of possibilities like one of Stephen Fry’s Greek mythology books, or a BBC full-cast presentation. I think anything with multiple narrators, and preferably sound effects or music, might appeal to him. He doesn’t particularly enjoy sci-fi or fantasy, so that rules out a lot of what I’ve come across. If you have any brilliant ideas, please let me know!

What did I read during the last week?

What Kind of Paradise by Janelle Brown: Highly recommended! I finished reading it late last week — here’s my review.

Never Been Shipped by Alicia Thompson: This second-chance love story set at sea just wasn’t my cup of tea. My review is here.

The Griffin Sisters’ Greatest Hits by Jennifer Weiner: On the other hand, I adored this terrific story about former rock star sisters with a complicated relationship. Excellent audiobook! My review is here.

The Poppy Fields by Nikki Erlick: I did not read the synopsis carefully enough, and went into this book with incorrect expectations, which may at least partially explain why it felt like a letdown. My review is here.

Pop culture & TV:

I went to an actual movie theater (!!) and saw a terrific movie, The Life of Chuck, which is an adaptation of a Stephen King story from his If It Bleeds collection. I loved the story back when I read it, and I thought the movie version was excellent. (Reviews are very mixed — and I’ll echo the recommendation from several of the movie’s actors: This is a movie best seen knowing nothing at all about it!).

Still, no harm in checking out the trailer, which doesn’t actually give much away:

Fresh Catch:

No new books this week!

What will I be reading during the coming week?

Currently in my hands:

Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil by V. E. Schwab: I’m skipping right past a couple of ARCs on my to-read list to get to this book, because I just want to!

Now playing via audiobook:

Great Big Beautiful Life by Emily Henry: It’s always special when an author I enjoy has an audiobook narrated by one of my favorite audiobook narrators (Julia Whelan). I’m really liking this one so far. I’m at about 30%, and should finish by next weekend.

Ongoing reads:

My longer-term reading commitments:

  • The Fellowship of the Ring by J.R.R. Tolkien: My book group’s shared reading journey, two chapters per week. Progress: 54%. Up next: We’re starting book 2 of Fellowship, Chapters 1 and 2.
  • Villette by Charlotte Brontë: Group classic read, two chapters per week. Progress: 4%. Up next: Chapters 3 and 4.
  • My Family and Other Animals by Gerald Durrell: My new Classics Club spin book! I’m putting it here as a reminder to myself to make time for it this summer.

What will you be reading this week?

So many books, so little time…

boy1