It has been… brutally hot here in the Midwest. For weeks. Filling me with rage and no desire to go outside, so instead, we have been hibernating – and reading! I have SO many reviews to post, so let’s start with the first crop – off we go!
–Marissa
My Next Breath by Jeremy Renner HAD to be an audiobook listen, which he narrates himself! Jeremy recounts in tick-tock detail the snowcat accident that nearly killed him, his recovery, as well as family dynamics and stories. This was short and sharp and fascinating, and told (and read!) in his very distinct voice. I really enjoyed this one!
The Maid’s Secret by Nita Prose was another audiobook listen, and delves much more into Molly the maid’s backstory, as she and her fiancé take an heirloom to an Antiques Roadshow type program and discover a priceless artifact. This opens up the story into Molly’s grandmother’s early life and history, while still weaving in a good mystery, Molly’s upcoming wedding, and family history. Another sweet, cozy mystery in the series!
What Kind of Paradise by Janelle Brown had a catnip setup – a teenage girl living off-grid in Montana with her father, and begins to chafe against the constraints of her life and how small her universe is. When Jane discovers her father is a reckless criminal, she forges an escape and flees to San Francisco with little understanding of the world, a plan, or money. This wove in a lot of storylines and kept me flipping pages – a worthwhile read!
Change the Recipe by Jose Andres is a short work of nonfiction that I thoroughly enjoyed, as chef Andres details his rise as a chef, then his turn into founding and running World Central Kitchen, one of the most remarkable nonprofit organizations on the planet. Andres is humble, wise, witty, and worthy of every accolade for his humanitarian work. I gobbled this up!
Maggie; or, a Man and a Woman Walk into a Bar by Katie Yee was a delight from start to finish. This slight novel (only 208 pages!) starts with our unnamed narrator and her husband out to dinner, only to find out he’s having an affair with a woman named Maggie. Not long after, our narrator discovers she has breast cancer. While it sounds devastating, this novel is warm and funny and heartbreaking and bingeworthy, full of jostling, dancing, tumbling prose that I just adored!
So Far Gone by Jess Walter was a novel I just DEVOURED, and loved every page! Rhys is a former journalist and current recluse who hasn’t seen his grandchildren in seven years until they are dropped off, kicking off a wild ride of a novel filled with action, militias, god squads, precocious grandchildren, good friends, raccoons and just a fully madcap ride through the Pacific Northwest. I LOVED this novel and flew through it!
Death at the White Hart by Chris Chibnall was an automatic read for me, since Chibnall wrote Broadchurch, one of my favorite British shows. This is also a detective story in a coastal English village, but this time the crime is a man found dead, tied to a chair in the middle of a road at night, with antlers attached to his head. Our dead man is the owner of the White Hart pub, and our intrepid police force while have to figure it out before it happens again. Cozy and British and satisfying!
Everyone Is Lying to You by Jo Piazza has been *everywhere* this summer, taking on the tradwife trope in the guise of a murder mystery novel. Lizzie and Bex were besties in college but haven’t been close in years. When Bex – tradwife and Insta influencer – reaches out to journalist Lizzie with a story idea, they meet at a retreat… but then Bex disappears just as her husband is discovered murdered. I love an influencer, peek-behind-the-curtain story, especially the whole tradwife phenomenon, which I find fascinating. This was a fun one!
What If I Never Get Over You by Paige Toon was an audiobook listen, and it was… fine. Boy meets girl, they lose touch, they miraculously end up in the same place, yada yada. I amped up the speed setting on the audiobook to get through it – not my favorite, but fine.
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