+1 More depth than I expected. Love that it was about more than just finding romance! (Not that finding romance is bad, of course. But I enjoyed that it was a bit more ambitious and thought-provoking.) Speaking of romances, I just finished Very Sincerely Yours, by Kerry Winfrey. Sweet and straight-forward, but not at all vapid. Though I didn't relate to the main character personally, I immediately felt so much empathy for her and her "journey". Good stuff in a simple story. |
On the other hand, reading this book made me feel like poking my eyes out. It was a slog, and I generally love long sagas. |
I did too, although it took a while to get into. |
I agree - I think this was Emma Straub's best yet. Touching story with good characters and I thought the time travel was well-done too. |
So I had no idea Emma Straub was Peter Straub’s daughter. He died earlier this month, which makes this (already great) novel even more touching! 😢 She wrote a beautiful essay about him/them this week. Contains a few spoilers about the book, but nothing that would ruin the experience IMHO. Lovely piece of writing: https://www.vulture.com/article/peter-straub-emma-straub-remembrance-father.html |
I read Guncle off this rec and really enjoyed it. Much more than I expected. Thank you! |
I hated this. So cliche. Wanted to understand the hype and did not get it at all. |
| Daisy Darker is a fun little murder mystery. |
|
Between Enzo and the Universe, by Chase Connor.
https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/48979616-between-enzo-and-the-universe We spend the evening/night with Enzo and a tourist he meets at a street market. I thought it was going to be a regular romance. It is a romance, but not typical of the genre. It's more an intimate study on hopelessness, hope, family, love, and life meaning. If you want your heart worked, this is a good one. It absolutely ends on a hopeful note, though! I found it so lovely and touching that I bought a physical copy after reading through KU. The author recently released a sequel, which is on my TBR. I don't think he originally planned to, but people fell in love with Enzo and wanted more. |
| Still Life by Sarah Winman. One of those books that I didn't want to end, and after I finished it I couldn't find anything to read for a while because I knew it wouldn't come close. |
|
I just started reading Killers of a Certain Age and am really enjoying it so far, a few chaps in.
This thread is what got me started with contemporary mysteries and thrillers - and these books are so fun! Thank you for the recs! |
When I saw this thread pop up again, I opened it to add Killers of a Certain Age. I’m listening and so far (in part 8 of 9) it’s a fun read. I was really disappointed by the recently published The Ink Black Heart, though I enjoyed the prior 4 books in the series. |
This recommendation came at just the right time! I’ve got the ebook from the library right now but was hesitant to dive in because I had complicated reactions to one of Ozeki’s other novels. |
| I really enjoyed A Place For Us, by Fatima Farheen Mirza (2018), about an Indian Muslim family living in the U.S. The youngest brother of three siblings is estranged from the family, and the novel goes through how that estrangement came to be, through flashbacks. I found it to be sensitively written and moving. An excellent debut by a promising new author. |
I also thought this was a beautiful book. |