Welcome to the very last My Month is Booked linkup of 2024! :] I finished reading 7 books this month, bringing my total this year to 69!
This is the last MMIB of 2024 since we’ll be going over December’s reads at the beginning of the new year. Thanks for hanging out with me + please link up and check out others bloggers’ posts for more reading inspiration!
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Bookshops & Bonedust, by Travis Baldree
I borrowed this from my local library ages ago but finally finished reading it! I first heard about it because one of my online friends reviewed Legends & Lattes, so I figured I’d read the prequel first! This is about an orc named Viv who gets injured and ends up holed up in a tiny forgotten town while she heals.
There’s a little action + romance packed into this cozy fantasy and it makes you want to curl up with a warm mug of tea at your local independent/secondhand bookstore. :]
The Spellshop, by Sarah Beth Durst
When a war reaches the capitol and the library goes up into flames, Kiela (a librarian) and her assistant Caz (a magical sentient spider plant) flee with as many spellbooks as they can rescue and head back to take refuge in her childhood home on a remote island. They get to know the townspeople + to make ends meet, they use a bit of illegal magic to start up a jam business that eventually morphs into a spellshop.
I listened to this one as an audiobook as well! I guess when the weather gets colder, I’m all about the cozy reads — you could probably tell that this would be one from the gorgeous cover alone. This is a very light read and great for if you just need the book equivalent of a Hallmark rom-com movie but with fantasy.
Every Time I Go on Vacation, Some Dies, by Catherine Mack
This was a pick from a virtual book club and is about a famous author who is on a book tour in Italy and wants to kill off her main character, Connor Smith, in her next book. Unfortunately for her, his character is based off of her ex, who is on the tour with her, and when an attempt is made on the real Connor’s life, the waters get a bit muddied.
I listened to this as an audiobook and the narrator does a great job narrating out the different characters + blending in the footnotes written in the story. It’s also written so that the author is directly addressing the reader. Overall, it was a fun, light-hearted read + I think this would fall into the “cozy mystery’ category.
Local Woman Missing, by Mary Kubica
A woman goes missing, and not long afterward, so does another woman and her 6-year-old daughter. Despite a long search, no real answers are found and the case goes cold. 11 years later, the daughter escapes her captors and returns, causing some long-held secrets to be revealed.
This is a domestic/family secrets thriller — I listened to this as an audiobook and it was an interesting listen, but I definitely hoped for better. I felt the premise had way more potential and the “reveals” were just…very, very implausible. That being said, I also still couldn’t stop listening and really wanted to know what happened at the end, so here we are!
Remarkably Bright Creatures, by Shelby von Pelt
I’ve wanted to read this one since the beginning of the year, but kinda wanted the book club I run to read it with me, so it ended up being our last book of the year! :] This is a heartwarming story about the friendship that forms between an elderly lady whose life has been wrought with tragedy + loss and a highly intelligent Giant Pacific Octopus.
Although the premise sounds vaguely bizarre, the author managed to make it work! My favorite chapters were the ones narrated by Marcellus — I loved his sass the most. I listened to this as an audiobook since it took longer than expected for the physical book to get to us + I’m glad I did, because the narration (particularly for Marcellus, the octopus) was fantastic! Without giving anything away, there were several parts where I was horrified/super worried about what was going to happen/what did actually happen, but I’m definitely glad I kept listening.
I fundamentally disliked Cameron and felt he was an insufferable, self-victimizing manchild who has a lottttttttttttttt of maturing to do. (I have literally met teenagers more mature than him, but, you win some, you lose some.) I don’t feel it’s fair to rate a book poorly just because I hate one character though, so all my stars are going to Marcellus, Tova, and the writing. Looking forward to future books from this author!
Grover Wilcox Goes to the Circus, by Martin Lastrapes
Grover Wilcox is a down-on-his-luck adjunct English professor who’s barely making ends meet. After he mistakenly discovering that he is fireproof due to an unfortunate mishap in the kitchen while also learning that his father has fallen into a mysterious coma, he is enticed by the ringmaster to join the circus in exchange for his father’s medical bills being paid + a very generous salary. Grover is swept up into the excitement and befriends the other performers, “specials” (with powers different from his own) and other “traditional” performers (e.g. clowns) alike. As his days performing with the circus and traveling all over the country progress though, he finds that there may be something more sinister lurking within the circus.
One of my pipe dreams was to be a Cirque du Soleil performer so this was an thoroughly entertaining read. Although there was more telling than showing in his novel (e.g. don’t expect flowery prose), it really worked well for this novel and I enjoyed the main character’s conversations with the other characters + the way we got to learn more about each of them through his eyes. Grover is a likeable and fun (often unintentionally comical) narrator and there were parts of this where I laughed out loud.
Educated, by Tara Westover
This was recommended to me by a friend + was a book I couldn’t stop listening to (picked it up as an audiobook). A coming-of-age memoir about a girl who is brought up by a religious extremist/doomsday prepper who doesn’t believe in modern medicine or standardized education. Although she does not even set foot into a classroom until she is 17, she manages to teach herself enough to get admitted into Brigham Young University, and her thirst for knowledge even gets her to Cambridge as a Gates Scolar.
I don’t usually read memoirs, but this was stunningly well-written, but horrifying to say the least to hear about the abuse she suffered that was completely ignored and actually blamed for. (Reading about how severe burns from explosions + skull fractures being treated with herbalism was also disturbing.) It hurt my heart to read how she would rationalize/normalize how she was being treated. I hope she continues to heal and also hope to read more books from her in the future, if she chooses to write more!
Got any book reviews from this month? Link em’ up below and make sure you visit others in the linkup too for reading inspiration! :]
- What did you read this month?
- Got anything on your list for this upcoming month? I’m currently in the middle of Messy Minimalism and Braiding Sweetgrass!
