2024: Review in Books

I didn’t reach my goal of 40 books, but 30 (including rereads) isn’t bad.

Favorite Nonfiction

Maria Bamford’s Sure, I’ll Join Your Cult

If you enjoy Maria Bamford’s comedy, you’ll enjoy this book. It was a blast on audiobook. I got it first from the library, and then purchased in on Audible because I knew it would stand up to a second listen.

Favorite Weird Fiction

Melissa Lozada-Oliva’s Candelaria

I received this book as part of judging for the International Latino Book Awards, and boy did it stand out! It is a quirky, mid-apocalypse tale told in multiple perspective ultimately about the coming together of a mother and her daughters in the middle of the end of the world. It uses second person perspective, which I thought I would despise, but Lozada-Oliva ultimately won me over. This was my top rank from the set of books I received.

Favorite Small Press

Leah Rogin’s Burying Norma Jeane

This book incorporates some nonfiction history lesson about the famed woman called Marilyn Monroe, born Norma Jeane Mortenson. These short essays are interwoven throughout a narrative about a mother and daughter on a modern-day quest to heal from grief and reconnect via a road trip to visit Marilyn Monroe’s final resting place.

2023: Review in Books

I read quite a bit this year, mostly on audiobook.

Favorite Thriller/Mystery

Louise Penny’s Glass Houses

Louise Penny’s Three Pines series and her character Armand Gamache are familiar friends to me by now. I love how Penny approaches the nature of artifice. She builds a world, not unlike our own, but full of a gentle magic. Gamache and the community of Three Pines can be overcome by the dark things of the world and not be overwhelmed by them, at least not permanently overwhelmed. The answer to these dark, terrible acts is always the rise of something good - joining in community, forgiveness, and grappling with trauma through art and poetry.

Favorite Horror

Felix Blackwell’s Stolen Tongues

This is a scary one. There is a haunting and a monster, and it reads really well on audiobook. I highly suggest the audiobook version since the horror is so related to what can be heard.

Favorite Fantasy

Steven King’s Fairytale

This is a portal fantasy that theorizes about the nature of…stories? The hero’s journey? It’s quite a fun, easy listen (audiobook) for those who like to be a little disturbed. I’ll also say that King knows how to pull at a person’s heartstrings, but I think almost crying at certain parts is probably a requirement of most good books.

Favorite Odd One

Erin Sterling’s The Ex Hex

I don’t usually read romance or urban fantasy. That’s just not where I gravitate toward. However, this book is both. I was reading (audiobook) a lot of intense thrillers with world-ending consequences and suddenly felt I needed to read something with lower stakes. This fit the bill and was a truly enjoyable read/listen. It’s an enemies to lovers romance, and both parties grow to become better versions of themselves and deal with old sore spots and past personal issues.

PS. I also self-published another notebook. Check it out :)