I Read a Book Once

We return to Willow Creek with the third installment of Jen DeLuca's Renaissance Faire romance series with Well Matched. In this book April agrees to fake date Mitch but as feelings start to emerge, they run into some issues with her desire to move and insecurity about being 10 years older than him. I introduce a new segment called Characterization Check In, talk through my initial skepticism and how I was won over, and quickly complain about the back of the book summary.

My book club finally picked a book I've been interested in: Circe by Madeline Miller. This retelling of the Greek myth of Circe spans a thousand years and some of the most famous figures and stories in Greek mythology. I discuss my ongoing issues and interactions with my book club, share my feelings about the ending, and question whether there are any good characters in the book.

After months of hesitation, I finally picked up People We Meet on Vacation by Emily Henry. In this friends to lovers romance, best friends Poppy and Alex go on vacation together to try and pick up the pieces after a falling out two years ago. I talk through my hesitation, discuss the importance of the dual timeline, and dissect my favorite parts about Poppy and Alex's relationship.

This week I talk about a book that mysterious appeared in my bedroom with no warning. The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion is an unusual romance novel following a genetics professor trying to find the perfect wife and a Rosie a wholly unsuitable match looking for her birth father. I express my dislike of Gene, talk about my hesitation going into this book, and discuss the joy this book brought me after a string of heavy reads. 

After almost DNFing, I finally finished The Keeper of Night by Kylie Lee Baker a debut YA fantasy novel. Our main character Ren, who is half British Reaper and half Japanese Shinigami, must travel to Japan to try and serve the Goddess of Death and escape her past. I talk about my mixed feelings and why I almost DNFed this book, discuss the importance of having a biracial main character, and wonder what will happen in the second (and final) book.

Before moving forward into 2022, I needed to first look back at my reading year in 2021. In this episode I go over my reading stats for 2021 included the total number of books read as well as genre breakdowns. I also discuss my favorite and least favorite books of the year as well as some potential reading goals going into 2022.

Happy Holidays everybody! I try yet again to be a seasonal reader with the clean romance novel The Holiday Swap by Maggie Knox, which follows two identical twins who switch lives. Cass pretends to be Charlie and films a baking show and Charlie tries to keep the family bakery from going under. I marvel at the fact that I finally read a clean romance novel, discuss which sister and which romantic relationship I like better, and bring up some of the questionable parts of the plot.

Taking a break from the more serious books I've been reading, this week's episode is on one of my favorite YA novels. Tell Me Three Things by Julie Buxbaum tells the story of Jessie, who has recently moved across the country following her dad remarrying, and her friendship with the anonymous SN. I joke about inviting my own SN to email me, rant about the dad's poor decisions, and breakdown my thoughts regarding SN's identity.

I stepped outside my comfort zone again with my book club's November pick The Power by Naomi Alderman. This science fiction dystopian novel asks the question what would happen if teenage girls gained the power of electricity? The answer is chaos. I talk about my surprise at how graphic and intense this book was, recap the conversations I had at book club, and discuss the interesting framing of the book.

This week was a hefty 580+ historical fiction novel that could potentially be the next great American novel. The Lincoln Highway by Amor Towles follows four boys on a trip to New York City in 1954 and the ensuing hero's journey. I put on my English major hat and analyze themes, contemplate what comes after the ending, and compare and contrast my favorite and least favorite character.