Sunday Skim

Week of 12/17 and 12/24/2023:

Finished:

Currently Reading:

Looking Forward To:

Almost towards the end of the ACOTAR published books but need a change of pace before I start the last one. 

Looking forward to 2024! Wishing you and yours a happy & healthy New Year! 

2023 List Swap Challenge: Wrap Up Post

As we read these books during the year, we both kept notes so that we could provide our thoughts in one post. 

What is great about this is it gets us out of our comfort zones and perhaps picking up novels we wouldn't have before. 

Alice's Thoughts on LSC:

To write that I am a bit rusty doing this is the understatement of 2023. It has been a while, roughly 10 years in fact. In that time, I got out of the reading habit. While knitting, I was more into podcasts than audiobooks. It has only been in the last couple years that a few books made their way onto my Kindle or Libby ap. When Julie suggested taking part in the challenge again, I was a bit scared. I wasn’t sure what to recommend since she reads a lot. I didn’t think I could come up with any suggestions for her. Thankfully there were a few books I knew could fit this reading challenge bill. I was really intrigued by her suggestions for me.  I had read Lost Apothecary by Sarah Penner so The London Séance Society was a no brainer. I was looking forward to that one. I had also read and enjoyed Jamie Brenner’s Blush. Gilt was right up my alley.  I went in completely blind with the other two choices. Julie always suggests great reads so I was really looking forward to diving into matchmaking and a proposal.  

Julie's Thoughts on LSC:

I love when I have a thought on doing something and then my friend agrees to it. I can't quite remember how I thought of doing this again, if it was going through old emails, old posts or seeing an old list on our shared google drive but I'm happy to have revived it even if it's just for this year. 

Book Together:

Julie's Thoughts:

I loved Ms. Penner's first novel The Lost Apothecary and The London Séance Society is a solid follow up. I always enjoy stories that give me multiple POVs especially when they are diabolically different. Lenna is a character that is torn between what she can see, which makes it easy to believe and what she can't see and can't understand. It wasn't too hard to figure out the villain of the story but I enjoyed the story and learning about some history I wasn't knowledgeable about. 

⭐⭐⭐⭐

Alice's Thoughts:

I absolutely loved the subject matter and the character of Lenna.  The ending completely surprised me. There were so many twists and turns, it kept me guessing to the very end.  I really enjoyed it.  

Julie's Choices for Alice:

Thoughts:

I really enjoyed this book. I especially loved Elodie’s transformation. She reminded me that sometimes things happen when you are ready, not when you want them to. I also loved Celeste. I related more to the older characters. As a Portuguese American, I loved how the author showcased the Portuguese community and their rich history on the Cape. It made me want to take a trip there to experience it myself.

This novel about a Jewish matchmaker was so lovely. I  loved the whimsical way people were linked by an invisible thread of light. I’m a romantic at heart, I simply adored that visual. This story contained lots of flashbacks and matches. It was very touching, funny and sweet. I highly recommend this one.

Jasmine Guillory knows how to bring the spice to a contemporary romance. This novel was *chef’s kiss* so good. There were a lot of laugh-out-loud moments plus a strong female lead. I also loved how we knew what was in our main characters’ hearts before they did.  

I’m really glad Julie suggested this for us. And if you can’t tell, I recommend reading all these novels.  I think you will enjoy them too.

Alice's Choices for Julie:

Thoughts:

This novel is one that focuses on many characters with many backstories. At times, no matter how great Marin Ireland was as a narrator, I had to stop to make sure I had them straight in my head. Mr. Backman does a great job of pulling the puzzle pieces together in the end because at times I'm wasn't sure if it would. What I took away from the novel is that everyone has problems, issues and some even have more pressing issues but it's compassion and trying to understand each other that will help us become a better society.

⭐⭐⭐⭐

I probably wouldn't have read this one if not for this challenge. It wasn't really on my list to read but I'm glad I did. Connell and Marianne are drawn to each other but not sure it was the healthiest of relationships. We follow their relationship/friendship through the years and experience their ups/downs in life. I liked how Ms. Rooney highlighted mental health issues in both characters but especially Connell. Overall, I found it a little depressing but hey life isn't all rainbows and butterflies!

⭐⭐⭐

I do love a good time travel novel but it really has to be done well so the science of it doesn't go over my head. Ms. Straub accomplished this with This Time Tomorrow. I wont go into the details of the book but this is a definitely love letter from a daughter to a father and I was here for it. Is it really a do-over if you can't fix the past in the one way you really want to? How does it change the future when you go back to the past? 

⭐⭐⭐⭐

I would say out of the 3 that Alice picked for me Normal People was probably the most out of my normal realm. Emma Straub never disappoints and This Time Tomorrow was excellent. 

Julie's 2023 Best of the Rest

You've seen my favorite picks of 2023 and then my favorite audiobooks. Here are the best of the rest according to me! 

Historical Fiction:

The House of Eve by Sadeqa Johnson

Perfumist of Paris by Alka Joshi

Don't Forget to Write by Sara Confino

Contemporary Fiction:

Georgie, All the Way by  Kate Clyborn

The Audrey Hepburn Estate by Brenda Janowitz

The Second Ending by Michelle Hoffman

The Burnout by Sophie Kinsella

Women are the Fiercest Creatures by Andrea Dunlop

Pineapple Street by Jenny Jackson

Summer of Songbirds by Kristy Woodson Harvey

Thriller:

Stone Cold Fox by Rachel Koller Croft

I Will Find You by Harlan Coben

Gone Tonight by Sarah Pekkanen

The Other Mothers by Katherine Faulkner

Magical Realism:

Minuscule Mansion of Myra Malone by Audrey Burges

Spells for Forgetting by Adrienne Young

At the Coffee Shop of Curiosities by Heather Webber

Romance:

Love Interest by Clare Gilmore

Same Time Next Summer by Annabel Monaghan

The Comeback Summer by Ali Brady

The Spanish Love Deception by Elena Aramas

The True Love Experiment by Christina Lauren

Kissing Kosher by Jean Meltzer

Yours Truly by Abby Jimenez

Hello Stranger by Katherine Center

Fantasy:

A Court of Thorns & Roses by Sarah J Maas

Iron Flame by Rebecca Yarros

A Court of Mist & Fury by Sarah J Maas

 

This has been a fun week of looking back on my favorites of 2023 and I certainly can't wait to see what 2024 has in store. 

Julie's Top 2023 Audiobooks

In 2023 I listened to 48 audiobooks (10 more than 2022) and enjoyed each one,  but the list below are the ones that stood out for me. With audiobooks I try to find books that have been on my shelf for a while but I also couldn't resist newer releases. 

What did you listen to in 2023? Anything I should add to my 2024 list?

Julie's 2023 Cream of the Crop

2023 was definitely a great year for books. I mean I did read/listen to 126, which is a personal record. Over the next couple days you will see my best of lists. I hope your 2023 reading year was as fantastic as mine. 

I read so many good books this year but these are the ones that rose to the top for me. What surprised me is that it is a great variety of genres and the biggest has been diving into fantasy. 

Sunday Skim

Week of 12/10/2023:

Finished:

Currently Reading:

Looking Forward To:

I'm not one to really read seasonal novels but occasionally I do enjoy them. The Holiday Swap has been on my shelf for a bit, so I pulled it off to read; maybe give myself a bit of holiday cheer. Hoping to finish Tom Lake this week since I'll have a week off and really don't listen to audiobooks besides at work. 

Sunday Skim

Week of 12/3/2023:

Finished:

Currently Reading:

Looking Forward To:

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Julie's Review: The Other Mothers

Author: Katherine Faulkner
Series: None
Publication Date:  December 5, 2023
Publisher: Gallery Books
Pages: 381
Obtained: publisher via NetGalley
Genre:  Psychological Thriller
Rating: 5/5
Bottom Line: I thought I had it all figured out, I didn't
Grab, Just get it at the library, or Remove from your TBR list? Grab

Summary: When a young nanny is found dead in mysterious circumstances, new mom, Tash, is intrigued. She has been searching for a story to launch her career as a freelance journalist. But she has also been searching for something else—new friends to help her navigate motherhood. She sees them at her son’s new playgroup. The other mothers. A group of sleek, sophisticated women who live in a neighborhood of tree-lined avenues and stunning houses. The sort of mothers Tash herself would like to be. When the mothers welcome her into their circle, Tash discovers the kind of life she has always dreamt of—their elegant London townhouses a far cry from her cramped basement flat and endless bills. She is quickly swept up into their wealthy world via coffees, cocktails, and playdates. But when another young woman is found dead, it’s clear there’s much more to the community than meets the eye. The more Tash investigates, the more she’s led uncomfortably close to the other mothers. Are these women really her friends? Or is there another, more dangerous reason why she has been so quickly accepted into their exclusive world? Who, exactly, is investigating who? ~amazon.com 

Review: I loved Greenwich Park by Ms. Faulkner and so I requested this one as soon as it was on my radar. I wasn't disappointed at all. If you are looking for a fast-paced thriller, then you might want to look elsewhere but this one is a slow build. It is layers upon layers and the pay-off is so worth it. Tash is looking for her next story and the death of a nanny falls in her lap. She's a bit lost too with not being at an office and then not having a lot of female friends to help her navigate being a mom to a needy toddler. Luckily the new daycare that Finn goes to has the group of mom's that she's looking for. Except the women may not be all that their appearances seem.

I liked Tash a lot and I think as a mom I related to her because you have to adjust how you see yourself now that you have a child. It's not a bad thing but it is an adjustment. Her best friend just got married and moved out of London to the burb and her husband is a doctor, so a lot falls to Tash. This group of women seem to be the answer but soon they leave her with more questions. 

I really did think I had it all solved but I should have known better, I mean I do read a lot of thrillers. lol There are some twists and turns throughout the book and it really had a Big Little Lies vibe at some parts. I will read anything that Ms. Faulkner writes.