I fell a bit short of my reading goal of 25 books for the year. Instead, I read 20. Not too shabby. I’ve never been able to motivate myself with a number goal and that’s probably a good thing. Here’s a list with teeny tiny reviews. Let me know if we read the same books this year and if our opinions match.
I went over my first six months in books here, but here’s a brief overview:
I really liked this one. It’s an immigrant take on Anna Karenina, set within the Bukharian Jewish community of Queens, NY. It’s a bit akin to an art movie.
All I found were a ton of cliches and literary tropes. Maybe you’ll like it better.
This isn’t something I usually read but it was heartwarming. An easy read with likable, relatable characters.
I liked it a lot. It was engaging and I did not see see the grand reveal coming.
I am partial to immigrant lit so I was really excited to read this book. Unfortunately, while it had a ton of fun and relatable anecdotes, it was so exhaustingly verbose, it was upsetting.
This was a collection of short stories. It took me a while to get through it but there were quite a few exquisite short stories in there.
I LOVED this book. Beautifully written, and beautifully narrated. Highly, highly recommend!
Entertaining but there were a few lost opportunities to develop some potentially interesting themes in there. Easy read.
I am obsessed with the Thursday Night Murder Club series!
This was engaging but more than that—it was educational. I love immigrant history and this taught me a lot.
Now on to July through December of 2024:
An incredibly thought provoking novel. So many expertly crafted parallels. Highly recommend.
For someone who claims not to read YA, I seem to like a lot of it. Wonderful story in the coming of age/immigrant lit realm. Highly recommend.
Much like The Lost Daughter, this is a painfully important read for mothers of daughters. Not an easy read.
Riley Sager is officially back! Loved it. Great thriller.
I’m fascinated by the concept of parallel universes and all things related. A bit long, and I hoped to be more engaged, but a wonderful read.
I’m yet to meet a Liane Moriarty’s book I don’t like. Brilliant! Very engaging.
I would’ve found this book brilliant in high school. In college, too. As a middle-aged adult, I found it mildly entertaining. A light, easy read.
FROM HERE TO THE GREAT UNKNOWN
I’m still thinking about this book and it’s been months since I read it. It’s particularly impactful as an audio book. Brilliantly produced. I think it changed me. Highly recommend if you like memoirs.
I love that it’s a new series from Richard Osmond. I don’t know if it was me or the story, however, but I wasn’t as engaged as I would’ve liked. I kept getting lost in all the character names. It was probably my own state of mind. I still recommend it to fans of the Thursday Murder Club.
A quirky little book with fabulous character exploration. Not my favorite this year but a worthy read.