M. Suzanne Terry

This challenge is slowing down a bit due to its structure, as many of the books I read don’t fit into the spots that are still left. So it may not be long before I have to become a little more intentional about which of the many items on my TBR list and collection I read – particularly concerning the latter half of the alphabet, apparently – so that I end up finishing it. 

I’ve had quite a few days off (good for tucking up under a blanket with a good book) and long drives (great for audiobooks) this month, though, so we’re ready for a new update!

For the main list of book titles I’ve finished for this challenge, see this post. For reviews on specific books, see previous (1) review (2) posts (3).

A

With the Fire on High by Elizabeth Acevedo 

B

Bluebird, Bluebird by Attica Locke 

The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley

C

The Castlemaine Murders by Kerry Greenwood 

The Postmistress of Paris by Meg Waite Clayton 

D

Dear Bob and Sue by Matt and Karen Smith 

E

Excuse Me While I Disappear by Laurie Notaro 

F

Florence Adler Swims Forever by Rachel Beanland – I liked this book overall, but it took me forever to get through it. There wasn’t a lot of plot – just a whole lot of waiting around for something to happen. Which is what the characters were actually going through, so in that way I suppose it made it easy to empathize with them. I fell asleep reading it a lot, and I had decided last night that if I couldn’t manage to finish it before bedtime I would give up on doing so altogether, but I managed to push through. 

G

Good Omens by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman 

H

How To Be Perfect by Michael Schur 

The Other Black Girl by Zakiya Dalila Harris – I liked this one, but not as much as I expected to. The premise is intriguing and something I don’t think those in outgroups (i.e., me) understand a lot about, so I was excited to read it. I think most of my disappointment was just editing preferences. I would have preferred either a fuller prologue that handled all the past scenes or a more regular chapter-by-chapter exchange where the past relationships were flushed out a little more. Also…it feels like two different genres. The first two-thirds of the book is strict realism, but then something is revealed that I would have liked to see incorporated earlier in the story. 

I

The Iron Druid Chronicles by Kevin Hearne

J

Jayber Crow by Wendell Berry 

The Friend Zone and The Happy Ever After Playlist by Abby Jimenez – I used to say without qualifier that I am a sucker for a sappy romance with a happy ending (hence my membership in Nowhere’s Happy Endings book club). But this series has driven home for me that in order for them to be more than meh for me, I need certain things from my rom-coms. Especially with books like these where all the main characters – and even most of the secondary ones – are stereotypically attractive. I mean, come on. The main guys in the first book? Ex-Marine firefighters. And the first scene with the main guy (Hot Rock Star^TM) in the second book opens with the two thirsty ladies seated next to him on a plane ogling (perhaps even fondling? Ahem. MA’AM.) his biceps. Now I enjoy ex-Marine firefighters/hot rock stars as much as the next person (and maybe a little more than the next person re: the rock star or just musicians in general), but I prefer meet-cute stories featuring those who…well…aren’t. Acknowledge that good things can happen for people who don’t always get second glances with positive appraisals before they even open their mouths to speak, and the story is automatically more interesting for me.

I also need to see them struggle. That sounds rude, but hear me out. Life is hard in some way for most people, and it’s difficult for me to connect to characters who have nothing more than small hiccups along their way to alleged forever bliss. Physical or mental health issues, career overhaul or loss, major identity crisis, grief, systemic oppression, etc. Show me the big bad they’re up against and how they’re dealing with it (even – or sometimes especially – if they’re not dealing well), or I just don’t care.

All this is to say that, as Jimenez definitely leans ALL the way into the typical “oh god she’s so gorgeous and fit and he’s so chiseled and my, what a big penis he has” trope, I was pleasantly surprised that I really enjoyed these books. And it’s mostly because the author is excellent at showing her characters’ humanity. I don’t have a lot in common with any of them, but I felt like I understood where they were coming from, and thus I wanted them to be well and secure and loved and just have it all.

I liked The Happy Ever After Playlist more due mostly to personal preferences overall and also because some of the things that the female lead in the first one found hot about the main dude bordered on problematic for me. Also I hate the concept of the friend zone and all its implications, which is the reason it took me so long to pick the book up in the first place, but I begrudgingly admit that the title is a decent fit for the story. I’m looking forward to listening to the third one, Life’s Too Short, later this month.

K

Writers & Lovers by Lily King 

L

Lucky Turtle by Bill Roorbach 

M

Down Among the Sticks and Bones by Seanan McGuire

N

O

The Opposite of You by Rachel Higginson 

The Book of Form and Emptiness by Ruth Ozeki

P

Q

Queen of the Flowers by Kerry Greenwood – If you haven’t read or watched Phryne Fisher, you’re missing out (Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries is a gorgeous portrayal of Greenwood’s series). They’re quick reads, and if you like unlikely detectives or historical mystery fiction, you might get a kick out of them. This one was not one of my favorites of the series, but it was still enjoyable. 

R

A Rhythm of Prayer, edited by Sarah Bessey – I listened to these prayers on my way to and from work for about a week and a half, and it was so good. I love Sarah Bessey, and it’s no surprise that she was able to put together such a rich liturgy collection. I’m glad I have it on audio, but I think I’m also going to have to buy a print copy for use at home.

S

A Study in Scarlet by Arthur Conan Doyle 

T

U

V

W

A World of Curiosities by Louise Penny

X

Y

Z

Welcome Home: A Guide to Building a Home for Your Soul by Najwa Zebian