My kids say my thorough enjoyment of this book means I‘m officially old. Pictured: the owl that used to hang out in our yard.

A younger woman and an older man have a love affair that turns dark amid the dying days of East Germany.

I bailed less than 100 pages from the end. Somehow this book made an overpopulated sprawling mess of a most excellent concept.

This fish out of water romance will give lots of people cosy good feels. I found it a bit lukewarm despite liking the two MCs.

Seeing such mixed reviews, I slept on this one for a long time. But I‘m glad I finally went for it because I completely loved it. The plot is ‘things were bad and then they got worse‘ told through a fanatical prior and two monks in 600s Kerry.

Could not put this work of historical fiction down! Loved the setting (rural Norway during a witch hunt) and the characters. Parts of it reminded me of The Miniaturist - high praise indeed.

A debut novelist has trouble finding a publisher for her YA zombie novel until she attributes her work to a masculine pseudonym. Daphne hires someone to play the author on the book tour and they fall for each other. I really had a good time with this one - both Daphne and Chris were sweet and good together. Loved the Canadian settings too! #netgalley

How did I sleep on this one for so long? It‘s a thoroughly entertaining read about two unlikely comrades on an even unlikelier quest set against the backdrop of WWII Russia.

I loved the narration in the audiobook. The first half was excellent. Journalist Rika seeks an interview with a famous female serial killer / gourmand. Like Clarice Starling before her the killer gets deep into Rika‘s head. The initial promise of the novel is squandered as it drags on too long (and sometimes inexplicably).

An absorbing family story that takes us to several continents and different tumultuous times. All the characters felt like real people.

A young refugee‘s reality is coloured by fantastic stories her aunt tells her. A dreamy dark read.

Grenville fictionalizes her grandmother‘s story as a way of examining mother‘s mother‘s life so she can understand who she was besides a cold parent. Empathetic and healing.

This audiobook did not let up! When a teen girl is found injured and with amnesia, her father comes to the police station to claim her, but is he who he says he is?

An exaggerated portrait of the dark side of new motherhood. It had an archetypal feel to it that didn‘t always resonate with me - a soft pick.

A kind of low stakes Fleishman is in Trouble. The pages turn themselves.

Thoroughly enjoyable collection of short fiction dealing with climate anxiety, technology, indigeneity and more.

I was curious about this #manbookerinternational longlister but not expecting to like it as much as I did. A mixed race polyamorous woman comes to terms with who she is, the structures and relationships that helped form her, and who she‘d like to be.

Loved 90s music and still do. (Hi Evan!) This fond look back was a bit too scattered to be a full pick.

Two awkward teens create a piece of art that takes on a life of its own. Really fun and interesting listen narrated by Ginnifer Goodwin.

Darkly hopeful and unputdownable novel about an adopted young woman trying to find out the circumstances around her biological brother‘s death by drowning

Finally finished this one after three weeks. It was well done and I feel like I should have really liked it (Hoffman, forgotten woman of history, art, family saga) but I didnt connect with it in any meaningful way so it felt a bit like a slog by the end.

While I enjoyed how story driven this book was, and liked the time period and subject matter, I didn‘t really care about any of the characters too much. The audiobook narration was excellent and the time flew by, but in the end I was lukewarm on the experience.

A brief, heartbreaking, hopeful book about a twin left behind in grief when her brother dies by suicide. The first of my Man Booker International shortlist reads. #manbooker

Unputdownable journalistic memoir with loads of insight into the tech industry and a very low tolerance for bro culture and BS

Some of the most unflinching writing I‘ve ever read. And that last line is a gut punch. (Pictured my old метро stop)

I try hard to live with curiosity and compassion and it‘s rare to read a true crime book so full of both. I hope this book brings more attention to conservation efforts in the Florida Everglades in a way that effects positive change for the residents (human, plant, and animal) there.

A Holmesian mystery set in a vivid fantasy world. I was more invested in the mystery than the characters, and still didn‘t guess whodunit.

Sri Lankan slow burning supernatural horror featuring a good dose of feminine rage. Pairs well with Easter treats.

Dion Graham narrates the heck out of this true tale of shipwreck and mutiny. It reminded me of my perennial fav The Terror but truer and less supernatural.

Once again I was up all night reading. I think this character driven novel might work better as a tv show. Every character makes terrible choices at every turn, it keeps the pages turning. Not sure the pay off at the end was impactful enough for me.

The lifelong love story of two Madeiran refugees in the US. I really loved reading about the divergent paths their lives took and treasures the moments they reconnected. A little slow moving, but beautiful.

Having someone read you a Kate DiCamillo book is one of life‘s gentle pleasures.

I devoured this haunted historical fiction / fantasy in one sleepless night. Beautiful, devastating, hopeful. Highly recommended.

Im guessing Jamison‘s favourite Taylor Swift song is Mirrorball.

Food and memory are uniquely entwined. This is a sweet story of a father-daughter owned restaurant / food detective agency.

A most excellent dark sci fi technothriller. Highly recommended.

Ooof not great

5 undulating towers of rats out of 5

Deeply traumatic family saga meets dark occult horror.

A gorgeous meditation on community, grief, belonging, aging in place, gentrification. I think this one will go far in the Canada Reads debates this week.

Podcaster Bodie returns to her former boarding school and wades deep into the murder of her former roommate.

An Indigenous hockey player, journalist who has written a survival memoir, and an unfaithful university professor‘s lives Intersect in interesting ways in this horror / police procedural

I have a lifelong love of both artists‘ work so this was a dream read.

The girl from a propaganda poster grows up and is tasked with finding a missing girl. I was hooked.

I‘m not mad on faeries and saw every twist coming; still really enjoyed this one.

A one sitting whiplash inducer. There were all the twists and turns and I was there for some of them, but not all.

11 hours flew by #audiostitching to this unputdownable tale of an orphan poet obsessed with having a meaningful death after losing his mother in a planet crash when he was an infant.

Weird vibes for a lunch break read. Was ALL in until the ambiguous ending.

This is my second Michaelides and my second so so.
My journey with both was the same: sucked in, frantically turning pages, too convoluted, disinterest and sped read to the end.

I appreciate Land‘s giving public voice to single mothers living in poverty. Each family has its own story to tell, and I didn‘t find this chapter of Land‘s story as interesting as the last. A soft pick.