Wonderland by Jennifer Hillier

Book #36 in 2023
3.5 out of 5 (photo from Goodreads)

I enjoyed this book, although I’m not sure I’d put it in the horror genre. It’s more of a mystery. I wish it would have been more creepy considering the cover. It was a quick read with the plot keeping my interest, although none of the characters were deeply developed.

Vanessa has recently moved to Seaside, Washington with her two kids. She’s carrying some baggage. She’s the new deputy police chief in an environment that’s not welcoming. The town exists mainly because of Wonderland, an amusement park that also supports local restaurants and hotels.

A teenage boy who works at Wonderland takes a selfie after he climbs the ferris wheel. He then goes missing at the same time a body is discovered in the park. The park has secrets that go back decades. Vanessa sets out to figure out these two cases. As she digs deeper the more mysterious the amusement park gets.

Stop here if you want to avoid spoilers!

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Snap by Belinda Bauer

Book #35 in 2023
1.0 out of 5 (photo from Goodreads)

I was not a fan of this book at all. I probably should have just stopped reading but I thought at some point it would get better. For me, it didn’t.

I didn’t care about the storylines or the characters. I found the plot to be boring and slow moving. In reading Goodreads reviews there are a lot of people who liked this book but I wasn’t intrigued at all.

Whalefall by Daniel Kraus

Book #34 in 2023
2.5 out of 5 (photo from Goodreads)

This book was a bit hard for me to rate. The story was interesting but at times a felt the writing style of the author was too choppy. And for there being a time crunch for the main character, the plot often felt slow. I’m not sure if that’s the author’s typical style or one adopted for this book. I also like the cover of this book.

Jay decided to dive to try and locate his father’s remains. While searching, he is swallowed by a sperm whale. His oxygen is limited. He has dived on his own and no one knows that he is out there. Can he figure out a way to to escape before time runs out?

This is also the story of a father and son. There are flashbacks to Jay’s past that he presumably contemplates as he is trapped. In addition to a story about being trapped inside a whale, it’s also about Jay’s relationship with his dad and how he’s processing the grief of his loss.

The Quiet Tenant by Clémence Michallon

Book #33 in 2023
3.0 out of 5 (photo from Goodreads)

I didn’t think this was bad for a debut novel. But while it is a psychological thriller and somewhat suspenseful, it’s not the type of book with twists and turns. Still the plot and characters kept me interested and it was a pretty fast read.

Aidan is a normal guy to most. His wife recently died and he and his daughter have to move to a new house. What people don’t know about him is that he’s a serial killer. The woman he currently has held captive in a shed must move with them. She’s introduced Aidan’s daughter, Cecilia as someone who is renting a room in the house.

Enter, Emily, the bartender at a local restaurant Aidan frequents. She becomes infactuated with Aidan. As she tries to get closer to him, she gets closer to his secrets.

The book is told from the point of view of Rachel, the person who is being held captive, Cecilia, and Emily. It’s interesting to learn about Aidan from the women around him.

Stop reading here if you want to avoid spoilers!

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The Museum of Ordinary People by Mike Gayle

Book #32 in 2023
2.5 out of 5 (photo from Goodreads)

I liked the concept of this book but in the end thought the book was just okay. I don’t think the genre is a good fit for me. It was too much chick lit in feel and usually I don’t pick up contemporary books.

The book flips between the now and then of Jess. In the then portions you see her going through the loss of her mom a year ago. In the now sections she’s working at making a Museum of Ordinary People a reality.

This museum houses items that may otherwise have been thrown away or donated when someone passes away. It’s open to the public so that others can come and view what was once important to someone and remains important enough for the museum to hold on to it.

The book makes you think about items that you remember from your past that belonged to people who have passed away. What would you put into a museum like this and why? It also makes you think about why some tangible things are important to you or others.

Stop reading if you want to avoid spoilers!

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I felt like things were wrapped up in the book too neatly in a bow. Jess is able to open a permanent museum. She finds out that Dougie is her dad (and her best friend Luce is her half sister). She also ends up with Alex. I figured she’d end up with Alex, although for some reason I kept picturing him as being much older than she was. You find out Alex was in a fire when he was six. His parents died. And Mr. Barkly was the fireman who saved him. But he was also drunk during the call and felt guilty, therefore leaving all of his belongings to Alex when he passed away.

I felt like the plot kind of dragged along. It took a while for things to develop and go anywhere.

The Puzzle Master by Danielle Trussoni

Book #31 in 2023
3.5 out of 5 (photo from Goodreads)

There is a lot to unpack with this book! It’s part mystery, part sci-fi, and even some horror and fantasy. I was a bit torn between a 3.5 and a 4.0 rating. I decided to go with the lower rating because at times I felt like all of the stuff going on and being put out there was a bit too much. And this may have been done on purpose by the author to show off a bunch of complexities. I also found that while I liked the characters, at times they felt one dimensional.

If you’re a fan of Dan Brown’s series with Robert Langdon you might like this as well. I’m guessing there will be another book because this novel starts with “Puzzle One” at the beginning, however, there aren’t any additional puzzles in this book.

Mike Brinks has acquired savant syndrome after a football injury in high school. This gives him the ability to be able to quickly solve puzzles. He is called upon to visit a women’s prison when one of the inmates draws a puzzle. Her psychiatrist calls upon Mike to help solve the puzzle.

Brinks is drawn in by Jess, the inmate who has not spoken since she has been in jail for murdering her boyfriend. Brinks is led down various trails as he tries to solve the puzzle. Mysteries are unlocked. He realizes deeper things are going on than he first thought.

Stop here if you want to avoid spoilers!

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Daughters of Victory by Gabriella Saab

Book #30 in 2023
4.0 out of 5 (photo from Goodreads)

I read this book in one day! And this being my 30th book of the year completes my goal of reading 30 books in 2023. And I’ve got another six weeks left in the year to exceed the goal.

This book read like a movie to me in many ways. The plot kept me interested and the characters engaging, even though to some extent I didn’t *feel* for them. There was adventure, difficult decisions, and a part of history I wasn’t familiar with until now.

I enjoyed reading the information from the author on the history behind what was in the novel. Like The Last Checkmate by this author, I felt like she did a great job researching the history behind what she was writing about so it felt more real and authentic.

The book is broken into two parts. One part centers around Svetlana in Russia in 1917. She joins a revolution in hopes of gaining freedom. It doesn’t come without a price. The other point of view is from Mila, Svetlana’s granddaughter who is faced with some of the same challenges.

I enjoyed reading about these two strong women and their plight.

Smart Hearing by Katherine Bouton

Book #29 in 2023
2.5 out of 5 (photo from Goodreads)

This book was first published in 2018. I found that I didn’t learn anything new from reading it vs what I’ve read online. I also wondered how some of the data presented in the book has changed in the last five years.

I was hoping more for tips and tricks on how to deal with hearing loss.

The Measure by Nikki Erlick

Book #28 in 2023
3.5 out of 5 (photo from Goodreads)

I thought this was an interesting concept for a book. What would you do if you received a box with a string in it that indicated how long you had to live? Would you open it? Would you choose to not know? And how would you live what life you have with what decision you made? And how would the world react and change as everyone made the same decisions?

There are lots of questions to be asked when reading this book. There are several characters the author follows as they make their decisions and live with them. There are a lot of undertones of politics, labeling groups (and treating them differently), etc. that are seen currently in the world.

I didn’t necessarily connect a great deal with any of the characters. None of them were horrible but I didn’t really *feel* them so to speak, though this didn’t distract me. I thought that some of the plotlines were predictable as well.

Stop here if you want to avoid spoilers!!

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All the Sinners Bleed by S.A. Cosby

Book #27 in 2023
4.0 out of 5 (photo from Goodreads)

I’ve enjoyed all three of the books I’ve read by this author. In this novel, Titus is an African-American sheriff faced with looking into solving a serial murder case.

For some reason I kept picturing the sheriff from Resident Alien as Titus! Titus has some personal demons he deals with as he digs deeper into the case. He tries to be fair yet also hates that people see and treat him differently because of the color of his skin.

I liked the pacing of the book as the plot kept me interested. I enjoyed getting to know Titus as well.