I have no idea where I got the idea to read this. Sometimes I pick books by their covers (prob not in this case), or #bookstagram (not as far as I remember), or just because they are available at the time (thinking that’s the case this time).

If you like to read autobiographies, this one was pretty fun. If you are dealing with your own aging (50 is a lot harder than 40), this is an inspirational book to read. If you are looking for great writing and politically correct stories, this might not be the book for you.

I remember Dick Van Dyke from his show from its reruns in my childhood, I loved him in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and Mary Poppins as a child. I rediscovered him as an adult in the tv show Diagnosis Murder and in the Night at the Museum movies. He tells stories about these favorites throughout the book, which makes it nostalgic and endearing.

Overall, this was an enjoyable book. I sometimes found his language cringy (like when someone says “sweetheart” or refers to someone as a “waitress” or “stewardess”) but my grandpa used those same terms and it’s a generational thing, not a sign of intentional disrespect. If you don’t think you can handle the generational language, you should skip this one. It wan’t awful, but it was there.

I loved learning more about this amazing actor and what drives him. Read this one when you need a “filler” (as in, “I’m not sure what to read next”) book.

Have you read this one yet? I loved it!

A mismatched pair of detectives hunting a serial killer? YES PLEASE! This book has everything. Creepy factor, twisty turns, complicated characters, and a hella good plot.

I found the translation a little choppy at times, but overall this was a fabulous book start to finish.

Put this one at the top of your TBR!

For the most part, I love Reese Witherspoon’s book club picks. This one just didn’t do it for me, though.

There is nothing wrong with the story or the characters. Have you ever had a book that you wanted to love and then weren’t sure why you didn’t love it? That’s this book for me.

If you’ve read it, I’m interested to hear your thoughts.

I am a huge Lisa Genova fan. If you haven’t read her books, now is the time. My absolute favorite of hers is Inside the O’Briens, with Still Alice a close second. 

Lisa Genova writes about hard topics; ALS, Alzheimers, Huntington’s disease…. She’s a scientist and a writer, but she’s not heavy handed on the science. It’s there. It explains what’s happening to the characters in the story, but you are not reading a textbook at all. 

Every note played is a perfect combination of science, and story. The pain of seeing someone that you loved and also hated being brought down by ALS is so perfectly depicted in this book… I cried (multiple times). But it also talks about forgiving others, forgiving yourself, family dynamics, how families fall apart, and what it takes to make a marriage work. All of these things combined to make this fabulous story. 

I love Lisa Genova. Highly recommend Every Note Played. Read this one now.

The story of a crime that didn’t happen, Anxious People is somewhat of a departure in style from the other Backman books I’ve read. Told through a combination of a fun, twisty narrative and police interviews, this format was occasionally challenging but overall a winner.

Like many other Backman books, this one has a full cast of characters that bring their stories and personalities to the table.

Like in all of his other books, Backman’s insight into relationships, feelings, and life make this book utterly quotable and absolutely lovable.

A 5-star winner! Read it now!

I am a huge Simon Sinek fan. I discovered him back at the end of 2019 and have loved every one of his books.

Start With Why focuses on organizations finding their purpose and working within that focus in order to better serve their customers and employees. Find Your Why brings that idea into a more narrow focus; individual purpose and the purpose of teams within an organization.

The book contains exercises and examples that are thought-provoking and very worthwhile.

Highly recommend.

I grabbed this one, because I loved Northern Spy so much that I couldn’t wait to read another one by Flynn Berry

This was good but it didn’t live up to my expectations based on how much I loved Northern Spy. This was an easy-to-read mystery that kept me guessing throughout and I enjoyed it.

I have no problem recommending this one, I just wish I had read it before Northern Spy so my expectations wouldn’t have been so high.

If you read The Perfect Mother, you know that Aimee Malloy can write, and she can write a good suspense thriller. This one does not disappoint. 

Although you know almost from the outset of the book what is happening and what is going to happen, you still can’t help but stick to the pages to see for sure what is going to happen. I loved the book-within-a-book concept and want to reread Misery because she did such a great job. 

The characters were red herrings and main characters in their own right and the story was fun and twisty. 

This was an easy read, even with all the twists and turns. Grab this one for the beach; for when you need something that you don’t have to pour your whole brain into to fully enjoy. 

Put this one on your TBR, Especially if you’re a suspense/thriller reader.

The One by John Mars was twisty book based on a very novel premise that kept me guessing and involved until the very last page.

If you could know who your DNA had predestined you to marry and spend the rest of your life with, would you take the test to find The One? This book follows the stories of different characters as they traverse the roads of finding out who their predestined mates are and the consequences of taking the test.

This book was twisty and t was heartbreaking at times. It really made you think about what you would do in their situations

I love a twisty book that makes me think so even though it might not be the best suspense/thriller. I’ve read lately, I definitely recommend it!

While I will agree that I loved the ideas and message in the book, I found it painful to read. The scenario was so far-fetched even I couldn’t suspend belief and the dialogue was terrible. I really wish the author would have just written a personal development book and left the storytelling to others.

It’s hard for me to recommend this because I found it so hard to read, but I really want to recommend it because of the ideas and information it contains. I guess I would recommend it to fans of totally cheesy stories and true PD junkies (because the ideas in the book make stomaching the story worth it).

At first glance, it seemed like This Close to Okay was going to be a typical ChickLit. Two strangers meet under harrowing circumstances and then spend a cathartic weekend together. ChickLit at its finest.

However, the themes in the book take it beyond typical ChicLit: addiction and recovery, racism, mental health awareness, family… It’s emotional and honest and very moving at times, yet these themes don’t weigh it down. It’s a quick, fun read.

The two main characters, Tallie and Emmett, were relatable in their flaws. Sometimes, when books try and put two flawed characters together they’re just so far out of the realm of reality that you spent half the book, smacking your head and rolling your eyes. But not these two. I was rooting for them the entire time.

My only negative comment is that he dialogue felt forced and very perfunctory. Rather than flowing naturally, the conversations between Tallie and Emmett were just a way to bring in their backstories. Other than that, this was a perfectly enjoyable read!

When you need a little bit more than ChickLit, but you’re not ready to spend the next two days in bed crying because of your book, this is the perfect book for you!

Northern spy by Flynn Berry is Reese’s Book Club’s April pick, and I absolutely loved it.

This is a story about loyalty; what happens when loyalty to an ideology threatens family loyalty and the consequences of blind loyalty to either. Sisters Tessa and Marian were raised to oppose the IRA, so when Marian is seen on tv participating in an IRA raid, it rocks their family to its core.

Full of twists and turns, Berry seamlessly weaves the family drama with the suspense of the sisters’ involvement with the IRA. Best of all, she is able to bring the suspense to a satisfying ending. There isn’t a big happy bow where everything wraps up perfectly, but it was a good ending and I really enjoyed it.

Highly recommend this one!!!

I love reading autobiographies and No Dream Is Too High was a good behind-the-scenes look at our early space program.

Before I read his book, I didn’t really know much about Buzz Aldrin. I knew he was the second man to walk on the moon. And that was it.

He addresses his role as “second” and the book is full of interesting stories. Aldrin is an accomplished engineer, pilot, and astronaut who has a lot of stories to tell. I struggled with the book at times, though, because I felt it was extremely self-congratulatory. While this may be common in autobiographies, there were times I swear my eyes hit the back of my head they rolled so far.

If you like autobiographies, and you’re interested in our space program, this is a good book to read. Overall though it’s not one of the best autobiographies I’ve ever read, and I definitely would not tell you to bump it to the top of your TBR.

Maybe I’m just at a point in my life where I don’t have the patience for critically-acclaimed literature.

The Road won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 2007 and is on just about every “best books” list imaginable. I thought it was a good book, but I have read so many other books that have moved me and kept me glued to the pages. The Road didn’t do that for me.

I know I’m in the minority on this one, but I didn’t love it. Have you read it? What did you think?

I’m on the record as saying that I like Lisa Jewell’s thrillers more than her family dramas. The Truth About Melody Brown is the best of both worlds. While not technically a thriller, the mystery about Melody’s past drives the book.

This one was fun to read, although I would not bump it up to the top of your TBR.

“An achingly beautiful story of female friendships, betrayal, and a mysterious disappearance…”. Well, sort of.

There were parts of this book that were achingly relatable. Who doesn’t remember the beauty of those first, real, ride-or-die friends, the fickleness that comes with middle-school, and the utter devastation of finding yourself outside of your circle of besties? Just me? I think Vendela Vita nailed the roller-coaster of being a girl in middle school.

The rest of the book? It was good, but not great. Enough of the story (certain scenes and dialogues) felt contrived and I was not satisfied by the ending. Was it a bad ending? No. Nothing in the book was bad. It just felt like it could have been better.

This was a book club pick and it definitely lends itself to conversation and questions.

When someone I respect recommends a book to me, I generally just accept it at face value and don’t do any research into what the book is about.

If I had known a little more about the book, I would not have read it right after I read My Dark Vanessa. I would still have read it, just not back to back with another book that dealt with child abuse/pedophilia.

I cannot say I “enjoyed” the book because of the themes, but it is a well-written book that tackles some really heavy topics.

Also, the story felt real – it is frightening in its plausibility.

If you are looking for a fun, light-hearted read, this isn’t the book for you. When you are ready to read something on the dark(er) side, this is a good one to pick up!

So many complicated feelings about this one. Have you read it? What did you think?

At its heart, this book is about relationships and choice and it is a powerful, compelling read.

My Dark Vanessa raises serious and complex questions but doesn’t attempt to answer them. You read the story and feel the feels (not always pleasant), and it leaves you to try to answer the questions yourself. Can a teenage girl make informed decisions about sex? In any situation? Does it matter how old her partner is? When a person in a position of power engages in any kind of sexual or intimate relationship, can that relationship ever be consensual? What responsibility do “victims” have to speak up, especially if they do not see themselves as victims? How should institutions that turn a blind eye to known predators be punished? Should accusers always be taken at their word? Are men who have been accused of sexual misconduct automatically guilty? I could go on….

This was not an easy read, but it was really hard to put down. I do not recommend this if you cannot stomach the idea of a teacher and student in a relationship.

I didn’t love this book (creepy teacher much?), so I didn’t give it 5 stars. But I can’t stop thinking about it, so maybe I should have….

Another winner from the amazing writing team of Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen.

I loved The Wife Between Us and An Anonymous Girl. This one has a little bit of a different feel…

Still twisty, still compelling.

Grab this one when you are looking for a book that draws you in and makes you doubt your instincts about right and wrong.