I'm not exactly sure what this was. A dystopian, sci-fi novel? A culinary novel? A lesbian love story? A story of redemption? In the end it was okay-Zhang can write, but a lot of the book tries to hard, for my taste. For such a short novel, it tried to be too many things at once. For me this lacked focus and a point.
A bittersweet read, with Anne Perry's passing earlier this year, this is the last Christmas story. Focusing on Charlotte Pitt's Grandmother, Mariah. Perry takes on a Christmas tale of cruelty and redemption. As with the other Christmas novels, we get to learn more about a minor character from one of the series that Perry is known for, this allows for a greater understanding of the characters within the Christmas novel as well as the series from whence they originally came. I'll miss the Christmas novels almost as much as I'll miss Anne Perry's presence and work in the world.
My Top Ten Books I've Read in 2023
10.) My Sister the Serial Killer By: Oyinkan Braithwaite
A delightfully funny look at a very complex relationship between two sisters; one who is always looking out for the other, and one who has a tendency to kill. I kid you not-it's very funny! The ending will throw you for a loop!!!
9.) Killers of a Certain Age By: Deanna Raybourn
A group of women are about to retire after 40 years in their business, only to find out that they've been marked for termination...did I mention that the business they are in is the assassination business. Join the fun as this group of women, all 60+, investigate who is trying to kill them, why and the ingenious ways in which they avoid being killed. A lot of fun!
8.) Nottingham By: Nathan Makaryk
A retelling of the popular Robin Hood myth with a contemporary take on language and characters. So much fun and absolutely fascinating. You won't look at Robin Hood the same way again!
7.) The Benevolent Society of Ill-Mannered Ladies By: Alison Goodman
A regency romance, without the romance. Lots of intrigue surround two sisters, who choose to go against the grain of society, time and gender expectations to help out others who aren't able to help themselves. Ingenious plotting and delightful characters, who always surprise. Brings new meaning to Girl Power!
6.) The Song of Achilles By: Madeline Miller
History likes it's never been written before. I adore Miller's writing and the way she can put the reader into the story. I never thought I'd be sobbing during a book about Achilles-but that's what I found myself doing. That's the power of good story telling and great writing!
5.) The Invisible Life of Addie Larue By: V. E. Schwab
A time traveling, love story, that does NOT go where you think it will. Think Dr. Faustus meets The Time Traveller's Wife with whiplash pot twists and ingenious characters.
4.) Age of Vice By: Deepti Kapoor
A very unlikely hero, some very horrible conditions and situations, a lot of characters and many subplots, in the hands of a lesser author could be a convoluted mess. This is not the case with Age of Vice! Gripping, engaging, moving, this novel has everything, and moves at a rapid pace, without losing the reader!
3.) A Disturbing Nature By: Brian Lebeau
One story-two perspectives. Each perspectives is told at its own pace to match the characters, sometimes rapid, sometimes languid. Both perspectives moving like two trains heading to to an inevitable conclusion...and yet it's not the conclusion you think. A thriller/mystery with enough red herrings to keep the best armchair sleuth guessing. An absolutely fantastic read!
2.) The Covenant of Water By: Abraham Verghese
With his usual gorgeous imagery and stunning words, Verghese takes the reader on a generational journey of a family and community tied together by a bizarre illness to water. Verghese's work is absolutely stunning and a must read for anyone who enjoys master storytelling!
It's amazing how Verne manages to include a crap load of science into his books without making it dry and boring. Using the journey within the book, to explain how such a journey could be possible, is ingenious! On top of that, it's just a really good adventure story!
I didn't have high hopes for this one, because it was a freebie and usually those aren't very good-but damned if I didn't get sucked into this one! A great story, really intriguing characters and great action.
A trio of in-between novellas from 3 popular cozy authors and their three popular series. My favorite is Barbara Ross'. She always manages to take an interesting and creative take on the topic of the collection, which always sets hers apart. If you aren't familiar with these series, these in between novellas are a perfect introduction.
