Enjoyed this more than I expected to! I wasn‘t sure for the first couple of chapters, but then he starts talking about craft, and risk, and it‘s SO GOOD. Took so many notes. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I‘m in that “short audiobook” stage of my reading challenge for the year 🙃 I‘ve been wanting to read this for a while - it was great. Really good book on the challenges of creativity. I took a lot of notes. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Another great installment in the new kid series. This time the gang goes to Paris. It‘s funny and really smart, examining not just race but class and how they intersect, and also bullying and how we treat one another. Jerry Craft is a legend. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Trying to get through a bunch of novellas to catch up on my yearly reading goal 😅 I enjoyed this. I felt really sorry for the main character, being abandoned by her family and those who knew her. ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Honestly I‘m not sure what I think of this 🤣 I spent half the book feeling very inspired and motivated, and half the book completely confused and convinced the author is bonkers. lol.

This was a great story. I‘ve been in a T kingfisher mood lately and are loving reading through their works, a lot of which are a nice short length. This one is a sleeping beauty retelling with a twist. Very fun 😻

This will be one of my top 10 of 2024.
I do think the love of this book is heightened if you‘ve read the other 4 books in this world, which are set roughly 20 years before this plot starts.
The pacing and how it weaves between different points of view, then brings them together in a way I did NOT see coming, is so clever. The content, as with the previous books, is bleak, violent and grim - but the characters are incredibly loveable. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I didn‘t think this book was all that creepy until it REALLY WAS 🙀 Such a great listen! I started this on a long road trip and it was a brilliant choice. Beware if you like bunnies. 🐰💀 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This was… fine? Some good stories from his life. Not the most compelling Christian book I‘ve ever read by a long shot. But I finished it, and I don‘t finish books I don‘t like.

Okay. These books are my whole personality now. I‘ve loved all the Rick Riordan books I‘ve read. But Apollo as a narrator just hits right for me - SO funny. The weird thing is, my 14 year old son does not like them. He‘s too much of a Gilderoy Lockhart type, for him. But my 11 year old daughter and I are ALL ABOUT them. Loving how favorite characters from other books are included. Brilliant! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I confess, I picked this up because I wanted to read the sequel- ironically called the sequel. This was written before Yellowface but if you‘ve read that, then maybe you‘ll be like me and be just thinking about Yellowface a lot while reading it? Still an excellent book thst kept me listening in one hit and helped distract me from my work day! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This one is more literary and poetic than my usual choices but definitely glad I read it. It touches on race and class in New Zealand culture through the lives of 3 young women, and is a concise book with every word well chosen and deliberate.

Another fun installment in this series. I listened on audio and really enjoyed it again. I love stories set in big, interesting hotels. 😍

I really appreciated this deep dive into the sermon on the mount. I have often been a bit confused or put off by all the scriptures about the narrow way, path or gate - I appreciate how the author frames this as a way of life that is bigger on the inside than it appears on the outside. Not something designed to keep people out but something counter cultural instead.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the digital ARC 😍😍😍

Love these books. Rick is such a master of getting immediately into the action and keeping you invested. My kids and I have loved this series. Great to read aloud or alone. Happy that my year has included so much Rick Riordan! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Get the audiobook! Narrated by the author and his 2 daughters, it‘s awesome (and adorable!)

This book is a lot - That‘s not a negative. There is a lot of content to chew on and it‘ll be one I refer back to and reread. Highlights = The inclusion of hormonal challenges specific to women, the acknowledgment of how many darn hats we all wear compared to the dudes, and the way she has made an effort to provide alternative P.L.A.N‘s for when you‘re just, not holding it all together, struggling, grieving, etc, is just really kind and helpful.

These books are SO GOOD 💀 So many traumatic experiences in this one but yeesh, so good. Rick is a master storyteller. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Wowwwwwww. Glad I finally picked this up! What a great book. And the first to make me cry in a long long while. Not because of sad bits necessarily just the way the meaning hits you. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This was just a fun, silly, lighthearted book. I can‘t even remember where or why I picked it up. But it was hilarious and a nice fun read. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This book is gutting and yet full of hope. The awful story of Levi Lusko‘s daughter dying just before Christmas is just so heartbreaking. Seeing how her family coped, what they chose to do, is incredible - I don‘t know that I could do it. A very inspiring story for any of us who have experienced the worst news ever. Great on audio ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I got myself right in the mood for some Lucy Foley recently, after hearing an excellent interview with her on the What should I read next podcast. I prefer her books on audio, the multiple narrators work great, and I just get too scared on paper. I‘ve been partway through The Paris Apartment for a long long time. This one was definitely her usual standard. I didn‘t know who it was as everyone was a suspect. Highly enjoyable. 🤓

I was in a bit of an audiobook slump recently and this one got me right out of it. I really liked it. Fast paced and I wanted to know what was happening. Great on audio because of the Icelandic pronunciation.

It took me a little bit more time to get into this one than I expected, but once I was in I was really in. I can‘t wait to hear it on audio. I am a hard core Han Solo fan so, it was written for me, basically. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I do really like Flavia De Luce. I was just in the mood for her lately and I like that I‘m at the beginning ish end of a long list of books to enjoy. Probably my favorite part of this one is the terrible relationship between her and her sisters and how they torture each other (sometimes literally!) ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

WHAT. A. GOOD. BOOK.🤯
You need to read book one first. WOW- I love a satisfying sequel.
The action picks up right on the back of the cliffhanger situation we are left with from book one, and the pace doesn‘t let up. I got through this in less than 48 hours and I‘m not sad about it. .
Lots of twists I didn‘t see coming. If you like myth and legend AND urban fantasy, this is a great mash up.
Thank to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc!

This was a gripping book, for sure. I‘m not a huge fan of love triangles. There‘s a lot we don‘t know as the main character has lost her memory, and as she gets in deep with different people we are kind of left not knowing who we can trust. 🤷🏼‍♀️ thank you NetGalley for the digital ARC.

An interesting read on the 23rd psalm. Some memorable moments here. I like that Louie giglio is open about his struggles with anxiety.

Another recommendation from Veronica Roth‘s best books end of year email. This one has a fascinating premise: a bunch of women sent into space responsible for saving humanity, complete with sperm bank so they can get pregnant and start repopulating 😅 this is a whodunnit, when part of their ship is compromised and someone loses their life and our narrator is charged with figuring out who did it. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I love this series. I‘m looking forward to reading them with my youngest. Short, gripping chapters. Loveable characters. Lots of action, humor and tension. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I love Emma Lord‘s books, she‘s definitely an auto read for me. And the fun thing is now my 16 year old loves them too, so we can share. This one was an also set in New York City, poignant and meaningful and a mixture of happy and sad. Probably not my most favorite of hers but still a really great read. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

A really fun, fast space adventure that I enjoyed thoroughly. Our narrator is spunky, funny and independent and is definitely hiding something. It‘s fun trying to work out what and then how it‘s all going to play out. I loved the cast of side characters also and the banter with our main man.
Fantastic novella. Looking forward to the rest of the series.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the digital arc!

I was familiar with this author via the annie f downs podcast, but hadn‘t followed him before on socials. I have read a few Christian books about unplugging and slowing down but I loved that Carlos took himself out of his own life at such great personal sacrifice in order to write this one. The tone is really conversational and has a lot of heart and humor. I found this book quite gripping and was keen to know what was happening next. Recommended!

I enjoyed this but possibly not as much as Cultish, which I can remember a lot of and I think about often. I‘m struggling to recall a lot about this book as I read it a few months ago, but I know I love her writing and her perspective. Some good relationship wisdom in here too actually. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

There are a few different covers so I hope I‘ve got the right book here. I actually really enjoyed this. It‘s very much a motivational book, but I did bookmark a lot of points where I wanted to go back and write things down. I went through a phase of achievement type books and this hit the spot. I admire bear grylls a lot, the way he lives and his character, so yeah… it was for me, might not be for you, worth a try?! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This was my first Lauren Groff. Literary fiction isn‘t my genre of choice, but I keep hearing her books described and thinking I‘ll like them. This was definitely an interesting story, I listened to the audiobook and it was well narrated. A fascinating view of a bunch of nuns in France around the time of the crusades. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I loved Robin Ha, I had been hanging out for another graphic novel from her since Almost American Girl (one of my faves). This is totally different but still just as good. A Korean folklore queer retelling, it‘s a decent length and just really beautifully done. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Ooo I loved this novella. Based on polish folklore, it was just the right length, easy to get into, and kept mr guessing. I love this author! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

SO exciting to see a New Zealand author writing for Rick Riordan‘s series! This book was great on audio. Short snappy chapters and lots of action, loveable characters based on Korean folklore. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Another great installment in the fangirl mangas. I love these. Made me go back to the original book for a reread too. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This book had SO MUCH gold. Each chapter was relevant to where I‘m at and I copied down huge passages. How the story of the woman who broke the oil over Jesus‘ feet and wiped them with her hair could be expanded to fill a whole book is really impressive. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This will be one of my top books of the year. War stories aren‘t my favorite, nor is historical fiction. I also don‘t like books where kids are hurt. But this one had such an immense wait list on my Libby app that when it finally came up after about 3 years, I knew I had to listen to it as I might not get another chance! The audio was amazing. It was sad in some ways but very lovely, hopeful and even humourous. Fantastic narration. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I got this big beautiful graphic novel for Christmas last year and it was so great to finally read it. It‘s a sobering memoir full of sexism and a kind of tense unsettling undercurrent of violence. But still a very raw look at the authors stage of life, trying to make money and the lengths she does to in order to do that, and the cost the oil industry has on not just the environment but the workers. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

So fun to find a new favorite middle grade series! I‘d actually got this out of the library a couple of times based on the cool cover, but never ended up reading it so I went with the audiobook which was a great choice. I LOVE the narrator and the story is excellent. I really enjoy books set in big old hotels. This has puzzles and a mystery to solve and lots of cool hotel-at-Christmas type elements to it as well. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Continuing my John Mark Comer obsession … this one is amazing. So many insights on the character of God based on his name Yahweh and how he/they introduces himself to Moses in exodus. I learned a lot. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Magnolia Wu, I love you! Chanel miller (author of know my name) is one of my favorite people and personal heroes. This is an adorable middle grade set in NYC, where 2 friends set out to solve the mystery of all the missing single socks in Magnolia Wu‘s parents laundromat. It‘s clever and cute and poignant. And I‘m just so happy Chanel has been able to do this 🥹 living the dream. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

SO GRIPPY 😱😱😱 I have no idea why it took me so long to read another Blake crouch when I loved dark matter so much. anyway. This one is still sciencey but with a messing-with-time element, and gives a seriously disturbing look at what worldwide nuclear war looks like in real life 🫣 a great read. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Yeah, I liked this. I think it picked up in the last half more than the first but still, a cool world and concept and I‘m interested in the next book for sure. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

A pretty good book about the importance of balance and rest in the Christian life. Not the most groundbreaking I‘d ever read, but I appreciate the authors honesty and there were some significant insights from scripture that I noted down and hadn‘t heard before. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I listened to the audiobook and it was FANTASTIC. I‘m really annoyed actually as my library has book 4 on audio but not book 3, and these books are whoppers so require a certain amount of commitment to read on paper. Loved the new characters that were introduced here and the way the plot from book 1 continues but also morphs into more. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️