None of This is True by Lisa Jewell

Book #5 in 2024
3.5 out of 5 (photo from Goodreads)

I debated whether to give this 3.5 or 4 stars but ended up landing on the lower rating. This is a quick read of a mystery / psychological thriller. Each thing that happens as the plot is revealed seems to leave you asking more questions than having them answered.

Josie and Alix are birthday twins that run into each other by chance at a restaurant as they celebrate their 45th birthdays. Later Josie discovers that Alix is a podcaster and suggests a series where she’s interviewed. Alix agrees but quickly begins to wonder if she has made a mistake. Yet she feels compelled to continue on so she can learn more about Josie’s story.

Stop here if you want to avoid spoilers!

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Go As a River by Shelley Read

Book #4 in 2024
5.0 out of 5 (photo from Goodreads)

I feel like parts of this book will stay with me for a while. And I hope that I’ll remember to “go as a river” in life. The plot meanders like a river but the plot still kept me interested. I felt like I was walking alongside Victoria through her tragedies and sadness as well as her resilience to be the best she can be in life.

The plot follows Victoria through four decades of her life. She endures a lot but at the same time learns how to continue to move forward. Her sadness also gives her strength even though she breaks down at times.

Stop here if you want to avoid spoilers!

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Hear & Beyond by Shari Eberts and Gael Hannan

Book #3 in 2024
4.0 out of 5 (photo from Goodreads)

I’ve been looking forward to reading this book since I saw it mentioned in a Facebook group I belong to. The authors have both experienced hearing loss so what they write about is really relatable.

There’s a lot of information on hearing loss that’s gradual or from birth vs being sudden like mine, but there are still tips throughout the book that are helpful.

I liked reading about the five stages of the hearing loss journey – Debating with yourself, Validating, Taking charge, Living skillfully, and Refreshing and restarting. I also liked reading about mindshifts, which are basically looking at things differently in order to help improvements.

The Bitter Past by Bruce Borgos

Book #2 in 2024
2.5 out of 5 (photo from Goodreads)

This wasn’t a bad mystery, although it wasn’t anything excellent or even edge of the seat for me. I even suspected the outcome before it was revealed.

Porter Beck is the sheriff in a small desert town in Nevada. An old retired FBI agent is found murdered. This sets off a chain of events where Beck tries to figure out who killed the man. There are spies. There’s some historical fiction surrounding nuclear bomb testing in Nevada in the 1950s.

The characters are likable overall and the plot kept me interested enough. There’s a second book coming out later this year I’ll likely pick up at some point.

Stop here if you want to avoid spoilers!

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The Locked Door by Freida McFadden

Book #1 in 2024
2.5 out of 5 (photo from Goodreads)

I didn’t mind reading this book and it went quickly but I didn’t find it necessarily “thrilling”. Much like the last book I read by this author (The Housemaid), it kept my attention but didn’t wow me in any way. I’ll still continue to read books by this author if I’m looking for an easy mystery/thriller read where I don’t have high expectations.

Nora is a surgeon with a past family history she wants to keep quiet. Her father is a serial killer who is locked up in jail for his crimes. One of her patients is killed in the same manner as her father killed his victims, which makes Nora nervous.

Stop here if you want to avoid spoilers!

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The Housemaid by Frieda McFadden

Book #41 in 2023
3.5 out of 5 (photo from Goodreads)

Although I figured out part of the plot before it was revealed, I still enjoyed this book. It was a good psychological thriller with a storyline that kept me interested with some twists and turns along the way.

Millie is hired as a housekeeper. Nina, the wife is friendly and helpful one minute and downright mean the next. Andrew, her husband tries to keep to himself and let Nina take care of the house and their daughter Cece.

Millie gets some weird feelings about the family, but she has secrets of her own and can’t afford to lose this job. So she doesn’t say anything and tries to stay on Nina’s good side.

Stop here if you want to avoid spoilers!

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The Wishing Game by Meg Shaffer

Book #40 in 2023
3.5 out of 5 (photo from Goodreads)

This isn’t the typical kind of book I pick up but I enjoyed it. It felt like a cozy read to me. I’ve read adaptetations of fairy tales and this is similar, only inspired by Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.

Lucy Hart is in her 30s. She’s working as a kindergarten aid. She also tutors Christopher after school. He’s a seven year old in foster care that she’d like to adopt. The two have bonded while reading the Clock Island book series.

Jack Masterson, the author of the series hasn’t written in over six years. Suddenly he comes up with a game where contestants could win a copy of the new book he has written. Can Lucy win? Will she and Christopher be able to become a family?

The first part of the book was slow for me but once the contest started I was more engaged. I liked the main characters in the book. There was enough mystery over what would happen as some backstories were also revealed to keep me reading.

Stop here if you want to avoid spoilers!

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Volume Control: Hearing in a Deafening World by David Owen

Book #39 in 2023
4.0 out of 5 (photo from Goodreads)

I found this book to be interesting, not just because I recently lost all hearing in one ear. This isn’t a book about how to necessarily deal with hearing loss, but it talks about how the ear works, what ways in which people lose hearing, and what things (like hearing aids and cochlear implants) can help those who have hearing deficiencies.

Pageboy by Elliot Page

Book #38 in 2023
1.0 out of 5 (photo from Goodreads)

I was not a fan of this book as I expected more. I was looking for introspection from the point of view of a transgender individual. I actually did not know Page was transgender and not exactly a fan of the actor (other than liking him when he was in June and Inception).

I found that the lack of linear writing to be distracting and confusing. And so many names where thrown out there I couldn’t keep up with who was who and ended up skimming parts searching for more details of the thought process or lessons learned so to speak. Instead the vast majority of this book details sexual situations and instances of backlash for being gay. I’d be fine with these things if there was more thought behind why the story was shared rather than just a mere this is what happened to me and I feel like sharing.

I support the LGTBQ community and was looking for a point of view about being transgender from someone who has experienced it. My one star review does not reflect upon my feelings toward this community. I don’t feel like I learned much if anything about the thought process behind Page’s decision or what it really has been like to transition.

Keeper of Enchanted Rooms by Charlie Holmberg

Book #37 in 2023
2.5 out of 5 (photo from Goodreads)

I don’t think this genre is my mojo. I’ve never been a big fan of fantasy and magic books, although I’ll read them from time to time (certainly more than romance books!). This reminded me of the fantasy version of a cozy mystery. It’s a cute story but there’s not a lot to it. There are two additional books in this series (at least so far) but I don’t think I’ll pick up the second book unless I’m in the mood for something *cozy*.

Merrit finds out he has inherited a house. It’s in a remote location, which he feels would be a great place to write his novels. Only this is no ordinary house. It’s enchanted. Hulda has been brought in to see what she can learn about the house and how Merrit can learn to live in and with it.