It's the first day of March - spring is right around the corner {I saw some buds on a tree yesterday!} and it's book review day - what a great day, right?!
A Reaper at the Gates / A Sky Beyond the Storm by Sabaa Tahir - I finished the Ember in the Ashes series, and it ended FANTASTICALLY! This was a great series. I know YA fantasy isn't for everyone, but this was a top-notch series - great world building, great character development, an excellent plot - so great!
Being Mortal by Atul Gawande - Whew, this was a really tough book to read but so, so, so good and a really important book everyone should read. It's about end of life care and how the last century {changes in living conditions, healthcare, family dynamics, etc.} have changed how people are cared for at the end of their lives. It was really eye-opening and gave me a lot to think about as my parents age and for Brent and me. I teared up several times reading it, but I value what I learned so much. I also felt it was so well-written with some great {factual} story-telling, I was really invested in the people's stories Dr. Gawande shared. This could be a favorite of the year, it was that good.
Unfinished by Priyanka Chopra Jonas [audiobook] - Continuing my streak of celebrity memoirs read by the authors, ha. This one was good, not great. I didn't know much about Priyanka - she's beautiful and married to a Jonas brother - and it was interesting learning about her rise to celebrity status in India. There were lots of funny stories, heartbreaking stories, and I grew to respect her by the end of the book. I'm definitely a fan!
While We Were Dating by Jasmine Guillory - This is the 6th book Jasmine has written in this loosely-connected story, and it was good, like all the others. Something about her writing style I don't love {I feel like the conversations somehow don't come off totally natural}, but I like her characters, their development, and the stories. This was a fake dating trope, but it also addressed mental health {an unexpected theme this month} which I appreciate, and I enjoyed this love story.
Lease on Love by Falon Ballard - Ooooh this was good! This was exactly how I like a romcom - likeable characters, a fun scenario {roommates who fall in love}, excellent steamy scenes, perfection! My second book to address mental health, and it was done really well. Another one that could be a favorite!
Must Love Books by Shauna Robinson - This should have checked all my boxes...but it fell flat, boo. A woman who loves books works at a publishing house but due to low pay starts moonlighting at another publishing house and falls in love with an author being courted by both places. It was my 3rd book to focus on mental illness, but this one was much darker {Trigger warning: suicidal thoughts}. It just felt really heavy to get through this one, and while the resolution was a good one, it just took a lot of work to get there.
Under the Whispering Door by T.J. Klune - I absolutely LOVED The House in the Cerulean Sea. It was delightful in every way, so I was very excited for T.J. Klune's next adventure...and was sadly disappointed. Our main character, Wallace, was not a very nice person in life...but now he's dead. With the help of Mei {a reaper} and Hugo {a ferryman}, he is preparing to crossover. Along the way he learns about life, love, acceptance, forgiveness...should have been magical...but fell flat for me. Parts of it were great, and I really enjoyed the ending, it was just work for me to read.
I'm in the middle of 2 good audiobooks and reading a delightful rom-com, so I'm already excited for March!
2 comments:
After reading it myself, I bought "Being Mortal" for my mom. She loved it, too, and said she wanted to have all those conversations as they age (she just turned 60 so we've got some time). At some point I'll buy it for both my sisters so we are all on the same page. It was so good!
Must read the romcom book! I have fallen off the reading wagon..need to get back on!
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