3/5 stars The Tattooist of Auschwitz, by Heather Morris (2018) This is a work of historical fiction, based on interviews Morris did with Lale Sokolov, a Slovakian Jew who spent two and a half years in the WWII concentration camps of Auschwitz-Birkenau. An educated man, Lale spoke many languages and was able to use this to his advantage in the camps, where becoming "useful" to the guards could save your life. Lale was assigned the task of tattooing the numbers on prisoners' ar

3/5 stars Shark Heart: A Love Story, by Emily Habeck (2023) Wren and Lewis have a sweet meet-cute in a restaurant, marry, and plan to live happily ever after... only, a few months into their marriage, Lewis is diagnosed with a rare form of mutation which means he will gradually morph into a great white shark. He's not alone - transforming into other animals seems to be a fairly common occurrence (in whatever version of reality Shark Heart is set in). It's just that turning in

3/5 stars The House of My Mother: A Daughter's Quest for Freedom, by Shari Franke (2025) TW: Child abuse (physical, emotional & psychological), sexual assault (adult/minor relationship), toxic relationships, religious trauma, cult-like authoritarianism. If you don't know, Shari Franke is the eldest daughter of Ruby Franke, former mommy-vlogger turned cult-like Mormon child abuser. Ruby ran a popular YouTube channel called "8 Passengers," referring to herself, her husband Kevi

5/5 stars - Yes, Please, by Amy Poehler (2014) - re-read 3/5 stars - Bossypants, by Tina Fey (2011) I read Yes, Please in 2017, and really loved it. This year, after I read Bossypants, I thought it might be interesting to re-read Amy Poehler's book and compare/contrast. And it was; It was interesting! All in all, Yes, Please was better (for me). Poehler's personality is a bit more fun, a bit more eager-to-please, and her approach to memoir is vulnerable and revealing. Fey's p

3/5 stars Rogues: True Stories of Grifters, Killers, Rebels and Crooks, by Patrick Radden Keefe (2022) I read Keefe's Say Nothing: A True Story of Murder & Memory in Northern Ireland in 2020 for my book club, and really enjoyed his long-form journalism. Coming from someone who, at the time anyway, had read very little non-fiction, Keefe combines insightful and well-researched story-telling with a writing style that is compelling and narrative. In Rogues, Keefe has curated 12

3/5 stars The Blue Hour , by Paula Hawkins (2024) TW: Domestic violence When I picked up this book I couldn't remember what else Paula Hawkins had written, but thought I remembered liking her. As it turns out, I was half right. Hawkins wrote Girl on the Train , which I loved, but also Into the Water , which I was pretty luke-warm on. My biggest complaint with that book is that while I enjoyed the mystery while reading it, it was utterly forgettable. With Blue Hour I feel si

3/5 Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murder & the Birth of the FBI , by David Grann (2017) TW: Hate crimes, systemic racism and dehumanization, violence/murder, alcoholism, forced institutionalization, forced removal This is just one of many, many stories about the ways in which the U.S. government screwed over Native populations. One of many stories the history books gloss over. It's definitely depressing, but, in my view, incredibly important to learn about. The Osage

3/5 stars The Everlasting , by Alix Harrow (2025) If you like the Arthurian legend then you'll either love this, because it's an homage, or you'll hate this, because it's derivative. The Everlasting is a time travel fantasy novel. Owen Mallory is a historian living in the nation of Dominion. His field of study is the legend of Una Everlasting, the Lady Knight (or the Red Knight), whose valiant stories of conquest in the name of the Queen form the very bedrock of the nation.

3/5 stars Play Nice , by Rachel Harrison (2025) I think I really like books about haunted houses - but I don't mean, like, a house that is haunted by a ghost. I mean like the house is haunted. The house wants things and does things and may hurt you. Play Nice is horror-lite, with a haunting and, even more so, a very dysfunctional family. Clio is a social media influencer living in NYC. Her two older sisters, Leda and Daphne, are also off living their lives, and they all h

3/5 stars I Who Have Never Known Men , by Jacqueline Harpman (1995) Translated by Ros Schwartz I finished this a while back and it's been tough to get myself to write about it... because I know a lot of people love it, and I think it's because they feel it's really thoughtful and deep, in that Handmaid's Tale kind of way that says something about our misogynistic culture. And I'm not saying they're wrong. It just didn't speak to me in that way. But I really liked it for the

3/5 stars Things Don't Break on Their Own , by Sarah Easter Collins (2024) TW: Domestic & child abuse Friends Willa and Robyn meet in boarding school, not long after Willa's younger sister Laika disappears. Throughout the year at school, they slowly develop a strong friendship, which develops into a romantic relationship. But the relationship fizzles when Willa learns that her father may be responsible for Laika's death, and leaves school to return home. As time passes, Will

3/5 stars Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil , by V.E. Schwab (2025) This is a story about three women. In 1532 in Spain, Maria, a young tomboy who has begun to blossom into a beautiful young woman, is forced to marry an older man who cares nothing for her. She dreams of escape, and finds that dream realized when she meets a mysterious, seemingly immortal widow, Sabine, who shows her a way out. Maria accepts, and, in so doing, takes more from Sabine than was on offer. In 18

3/5 stars My Best Friend's Exorcism , by Grady Hendrix (2016) TW: The one part I actually had to skip was the torture of a dog. You can fully skip over those pages and not miss anything. The second there's a dog in a bathroom - flip forward a few pages! "Like Beaches meets The Exorcist , only it's set in the Eighties." This book was recommended to me by a local librarian, and I had a lot of fun reading it. It's a quick read. Kind of spoofy and silly with a dark sense of hum

3/5 stars Model Home , by Rivers Solomon (2024) TW: Racism, homophobia & transphobia, child sexual abuse, emotional abuse, parent death,...

3/5 stars How to Solve Your Own Murder and How to Seal Your Own Fate , by Kristen Perrin (2024 & 2025) How to Solve Your Own Murder ...

3/5 stars Strange Pictures , by Uketsu (2022) Translated by Jim Rion This is an unconventional little murder mystery that has the feel...

3/5 stars The Last Murder at the End of the World , by Stuart Turton (2024) "Solve the murder to save what's left of the world..." It's...

3/5 stars Magic for Liars , by Sarah Gailey (2019) Private investigator Ivy Gamble's meat-and-potatoes work is mostly following cheating...

3/5 stars The Antique Hunter's Death on the Red Sea , by C.L. Miller (2025) Not quite as fun the first book, An Antique Hunter's Guide to...

3/5 stars The Only One Left , by Riley Sager (2023) Kit McDeere is a home health aide, currently living at home with her father after...