Book Club March 2024- Project Hail Mary

By: Andy Weir
Published Year: 2021
Publisher: Ballantine Books
Pages: 476

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Summary (Provided by Goodreads): Ryland Grace is the sole survivor on a desperate, last-chance mission—and if he fails, humanity and the earth itself will perish.

Except that right now, he doesn’t know that. He can’t even remember his own name, let alone the nature of his assignment or how to complete it.

All he knows is that he’s been asleep for a very, very long time. And he’s just been awakened to find himself millions of miles from home, with nothing but two corpses for company.

His crewmates dead, his memories fuzzily returning, Ryland realizes that an impossible task now confronts him. Hurtling through space on this tiny ship, it’s up to him to puzzle out an impossible scientific mystery—and conquer an extinction-level threat to our species.

And with the clock ticking down and the nearest human being light-years away, he’s got to do it all alone.

Or does he?

What I thought

I don’t normally consider myself a science-fiction person, but Weir makes me question that every time.

The world is in danger of coming to an end, when a microbe threatens to essentially eat the sun. Project Hail Mary is created as the last chance to save Earth, but it begins with Ryland Grace waking up in space with no memory of who he is or how he go there. His two crewmates are dead and he has to remember his mission, and then remember how to save the world.

I really enjoyed this story. I liked the mystery of remembering what happened on Earth with flashbacks rather than having the story told chronologically and then ending up on the Project Hail Mary. Grace is a very likable character too, which I guess he needs to be considering you’re stuck with only him as a reader.

There were two things that got on my nerves a little bit with this story. The first was how conveniently smart Grace is. Yes, he’s a scientist and obviously was chosen for the mission because of his intelligence, but he seems to have such a wide range it’s a little unbelievable. For example, he’s a microbiologist and a science teacher, yet when he needs language translating software he creates his writes his own computer program. It didn’t ruin the book for me, but every once in a while I wanted to see him come across a problem he couldn’t find a solution to.

The other minor issue I had was that Weir is a scientist and sometimes I think he gets a little too excited about that. I think he loves to explain processes and science and so occasionally, he gets carried away with the explanations. A lot of the time I liked the explanation because it did make it feel more real and believable, but occasionally it was a little too in depth and over my head so I would just skim past it.

For an end of the world sci-fi novel, the ending also was very good. I was worried about how the story would end, but was pleasantly surprised. I don’t know if it’s how I would’ve chosen to end the story, but I was very content with it.

I know my review is kind of vague, but I think a lot of what made this book enjoyable was not knowing much about it and learning the information along with Grace as the story went on. Even if you don’t find yourself to usually be a science fiction reader, I would say to give this one a chance. It was very interesting and I’m curious to see how this becomes a movie!

What Book Club Thought

Unfortunately, due to some library hold issues, I was the only one to finish the book in time for discussion. However, one of the other book club members finished it recently, so I was able to chat with her about it. We both loved it! She cried at the ending and enjoyed the adventure. She has a few more issues with some of the light speed/time travel stuff whereas I had more issues with Grace being all knowing, but both of us agree that neither of these issues were hugely impactful on our enjoyment of the story. I also found out that Ryan Gosling is slated to play Ryland Grace which I think will be a perfect fit! I definitely recommend reading this book along with someone because I do feel like there is a lot to talk about. Luckily, my dad had also previously read this book so I was able to talk to him about it as I read which I loved.

Killers of the Flower Moon

By: David Grann
Published Year: 2017
Publisher: Vintage
Pages: 416

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Summary (Provided by Goodreads): In the 1920s, the richest people per capita in the world were members of the Osage Nation in Oklahoma. After oil was discovered beneath their land, the Osage rode in chauffeured automobiles, built mansions, and sent their children to study in Europe.

Then, one by one, the Osage began to be killed off. The family of an Osage woman, Mollie Burkhart, became a prime target. One of her relatives was shot. Another was poisoned. And this was just the beginning, as more and more Osage were dying under mysterious circumstances, and many of those who dared to investigate the killings were themselves murdered.

As the death toll rose, the newly created FBI took up the case, and the young director, J. Edgar Hoover, turned to a former Texas Ranger named Tom White to try to unravel the mystery. White put together an undercover team, including a Native American agent who infiltrated the region, and together with the Osage began to expose one of the most chilling conspiracies in American history.

First Impressions

I heard about this book on TikTok. A Native man and his daughter were talking about some of his favorite books that he read in 2023 and this one was on that list. When he described it, it sounded like something my dad would enjoy, so I looked into it further. He had apparently read it a few years ago and loved it. Between that knowledge and finding out it was going to be made into a movie, I knew I wanted to read it.

What I thought

This book was so interesting!

Grann tells the story of the Osage murders of the early 1900s. The story starts with telling about the Osage tribe and how they made their money by negotiating for underground rights and then it moves forward with the murders. Finally, it gets to the development of what we now know as the FBI, with discussions about Hoover and the earliest big agents.

I was fascinated and horrified learning the history of the Osage. I’m so glad that a movie was made about this story so that more people would learn about this history. It’s unfair how much our history has been whitewashed. I had never even heard about the Osage history, let alone the tragedy that struck their people.

I thought that I was going to enjoy learning more about the development of the FBI, but I actually enjoyed the part of the story learning about the Osage more. Don’t get me wrong. Reading about how Agent White solved some of the murders and learning about his history was fascinating. But this story made me hate J. Edgar Hoover more and I still wasn’t exactly sure the direct connection of this story and trial to the birth of the FBI. I mean, it gave Hoover good press so that he could launch the bureau to federal levels, but I don’t know if I would classify it as the birth.

If you’ve been reading my blog for a while, you know I don’t usually read non-fiction unless it’s a celebrity memoir. Grann’s writing style really worked for me. It moved at the pace of a fiction story and wasn’t bogged down with pretense. The only other writer I find to be as compelling when it comes to stories such as these is Erik Larson.

This book was a solid 3.5 stars for me, but good enough to round up to a 4. I found the story educational and intriguing. I think it’s an important story to not forget and it inspires me to find more stories like these. If you want to learn more about native history, I recommend checking out this book. It does a nice job pointing out how the Osage were wronged and it doesn’t paint the FBI as perfect. It feels like a true unbiased account of the events and it was very interesting.

Tom Lake

By: Ann Patchett
Published Year: 2023
Publisher: Harper
Pages: 309

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Summary (Provided by Goodreads): In the spring of 2020, Lara’s three daughters return to the family's orchard in Northern Michigan. While picking cherries, they beg their mother to tell them the story of Peter Duke, a famous actor with whom she shared both a stage and a romance years before at a theater company called Tom Lake. As Lara recalls the past, her daughters examine their own lives and relationship with their mother, and are forced to reconsider the world and everything they thought they knew.

Tom Lake is a meditation on youthful love, married love, and the lives parents have led before their children were born. Both hopeful and elegiac, it explores what it means to be happy even when the world is falling apart. As in all of her novels, Ann Patchett combines compelling narrative artistry with piercing insights into family dynamics. The result is a rich and luminous story, told with profound intelligence and emotional subtlety, that demonstrates once again why she is one of the most revered and acclaimed literary talents working today.

First Impressions

This book is one of Reese’s book club picks, however, it wasn’t one that jumped out at me. I think I saw this cover and heard about this book multiple times before finally picking it up. So, not the strongest first impression. I just don’t think the color or the title does much to draw anyone in.

What I thought

I LOVED this book.

This story takes place during the shut down portion of 2020. Lara and her husband own a cherry farm in Northern Michigan and their three adult daughters are back living at home due to the pandemic. In order to pass the time, the girls ask their mother to tell the full story of the time that she dated a movie star. This story flips back and forth between the summer that Lara acted and dated Peter Duke and 2020 with her husband and daughters.

I don’t know if it’s because I didn’t expect much from this book but I absolutely loved it. The story moves so smoothly and I devoured it in a weekend. I needed to know Lara’s story and how she ended up where she was. There were twists and turns I didn’t expect and I enjoyed every minute of the journey.

Someone asked me if this was a character driven novel and I feel like sort of? It feels hard to pinpoint. Yes, it’s about Lara ad her journey as well as he daughters, but there is a plotline that pushes the story forward. I never felt like I was bored or just hearing Lara spew boring nonsense.

My family vacationed in Northern Michigan so I loved reading about that setting. One of my friends listened to the book on audiobook since it’s read by Meryl Streep. She pointed out, before I started reading, that the book sometimes jumps abruptly from the past to the present and it can take a second to reorient yourself to the story. Having read a physical copy, I found it pretty easy to keep track of who was talking and when we were in the story. However, I could see if you’re not fully focused or if you’re listening to it, how this could be a little jarring.

Interestingly, I’ve read one other book by Patchett and I don’t remember loving it. This book has changed my mind a little, so I’m curious to read some of her other books. I think what I loved most about this story was the simplicity. It feels like a very real story that could have happened to your mother or grandmother. I loved all of the characters in this story. The daughters were so unique and I loved the reveal of where their names came from as the story went on.

I should know never to doubt a Reese’s book club pick. If you enjoy family stories that don’t depend on familial infighting and drama, I highly recommend this book. It’s like a warm hug. I loved every minute of this story and wish I had read it with book club so I could have spent even more time talking about it.

Village in the Dark

By: Iris Yamashita
Published Year: 2024
Publisher: Berkley
Pages: 288

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I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. This in no way shape or form influenced my opinion of this novel.

Summary (Provided by Goodreads): Detective Cara Kennedy thought she’d lost her husband and son in an accident, but harrowing evidence has emerged that points to murder--and she will stop at nothing to find the truth in this riveting mystery from the author of City Under One Roof.

On a frigid February day, Anchorage Detective Cara Kennedy stands by the graves of her husband and son, watching as their caskets are raised from the earth. It feels sacrilegious, but she has no choice. Aaron and Dylan disappeared on a hike a year ago, their bones eventually found and buried. But shocking clues have emerged that foul play was involved, potentially connecting them to a string of other deaths and disappearances. 
 
Somehow tied to the mystery is Mia Upash, who grew up in an isolated village called Unity, a community of women and children in hiding from abusive men. Mia never imagined the trouble she would find herself in when she left home to live in Man’s World. Although she remains haunted by the tragedy of what happened to the man and the boy in the woods, she has her own reasons for keeping quiet.
 
Aided by police officer Joe Barkowski and other residents of Point Mettier, Cara’s investigation will lead them on a dangerous path that puts their lives and the lives of everyone around them in mortal jeopardy.

First Impressions

I haven’t been on a huge mystery kick to be honest. I find that I’ve been getting bored with them by about 50% and then I just skip to the end to find out what happened. However, when I saw the Northern Lights on the cover and saw that this one took place in Alaska, I knew I had to give it a shot.

What I thought

Cara is a detective with the Anchorage PD. In book one, she went to Point Mettier to solve a mystery. That small town is actually a town where everyone and everything is in one big condo building. In this book, she heads back there after finding a picture of her husband and son on the phone of a thug. Her husband and son were found dead a year ago, but now she’s not so sure about what happened.

I do want to preface this with the fact that I have not read book 1. So, I don’t know any of the history with Cara or what went down previously in Point Mettier. This book alternates between Cara’s point of view, Ellie’s point of view and Mia’s. Ellie is a long time resident of Point Mettier and is old and crotchety. Mia is a young woman who grew up in a small native town off the grid.

Even though I haven’t read the first book, I think this one does a nice job of letting you know some of the history without it feeling like you’re re-reading everything. I enjoyed Cara and her type of work. It didn’t seem like she fell into solving cases and she didn’t scare easily. Though to be fair, I don’t think she truly did much of the work in solving this mystery.

I’m a sucker for books that take place in Alaska because the culture just seems to different. I enjoyed all of the characters in this story and didn’t find it to be overly predictable. I think maybe it would’ve been more so if I had read the first book but, it was still enjoyable. I did get a little bit bored around the 50% mark but it did pick back up and I flew through the last 30%.

This is a solid 3.5 stars for me. The characters are strong and the plot was enjoyable and moved quickly. It was semi-predictable and, as you know, I do judge mysteries a little more harshly on that aspect. But I will say that it was nice that it wasn’t like some random solution just showed up in the end. I would be open to reading more of this series, especially given the set up for the characters at the end of the story. I would recommend this to you if you enjoy mysteries and don’t find that you need them to be overly complicated or surprise you too much.

Book Club February 2024- I Heart New York

By: Lindsey Kelk
Published Year: 2009
Publisher: Harper
Pages: 309

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Summary (Provided by Goodreads): Perfect for fans of Sophie Kinsella, get ready for the summer debut of the year...When you're running away from a broken heart, there's only one place to go...Adjusting tiaras at the foot of the aisle, Angela and her best friend prepare for the wedding of the year. But events don't go as planned. And when a girl is in possession of a crumpled bridesmaid dress - and can't go home - New York (for the very first time) seems like an excellent idea. Angela's new friend Jenny Lopez gives Angela a whirlwind tour of the city that never sleeps, and a makeover. Who hasn't dreamed of starting afresh with a sassy New York wardrobe, a new haircut and a trip to the make-up counter? Before she knows it, the new Angela is getting over her broken heart by having dinner with two different boys. And, best of all, she gets to write about it in her fabulous new blog. But it's one thing telling readers all about your romantic dilemmas. It's another trying to figure them out for yourself! Warm, funny and unputdownable, I Heart New York is an unforgettable debut.

What I thought

This book is probably one of the older books I’ve read in a while, so I was curious to see how it held up.

Angela finds out that her fiancé is cheating on her at her best friend’s wedding. She makes the impulsive decision to take everything that she has with her and flee to New York City from London. She has never been and has no plan except to be as far away from her ex as possible. While in New York, Angela meets Jenny who helps her with a makeover, both inside and out.

This book felt soooo 2009 in a good way. She goes on a shopping spree and she buys Mac makeup and Marc Jacobs clothing. I felt like I was watching an old YouTube video. Angela is a bit annoying at times. I think overall I liked her, but I also sometimes just wanted to slap her.

The issues I had were that she just magically falls on her feet this entire story. She hops into a cab with zero destination and ends up at a great hotel which happens to have a concierge who becomes her best friend. She then, within days of moving to New York and probably hours of a makeover, becomes the object of affection of not one but two super hot men. Nothing seems hard for her. I think the cheating issue is supposed to make us feel bad for her the entire time, but it got harder to feel bad for her when every step she took was successful.

I did like Angela and Jenny and that was probably my favorite relationship in the story. I had a little more difficulty liking either of the men she was with. I knew exactly who she was going to end up with, and felt that the way they made the decision happen felt a little cheap.

I think if I had read this book when it came out I would’ve fallen in love with it and wanted to read the rest of the 8 book series. I am intrigued enough that I read through the summaries of the rest of this series to find out what happened to Angela, but I don’t know if this is the type of book I’m currently into anymore.

What Book Club Thought

This one was not a hit. I seemed to like it the most compared to the rest of our members. It was interesting to talk about the issues that we had with the book and it did make me realize that parts of it annoyed me than I originally thought. We discussed how the writing felt immature and we couldn’t wrap our heads around how lucky Angela was in her first few days in New York City. I would say if you’re a younger reader, maybe still give this book a shot. But if you’re older than 21, maybe not.

Iron Flame

By: Rachel Yarros
Published Year: 2023
Publisher: Entangled: Red Tower Books
Pages: 658

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Summary (Provided by Goodreads): Everyone expected Violet Sorrengail to die during her first year at Basgiath War College—Violet included. But Threshing was only the first impossible test meant to weed out the weak-willed, the unworthy, and the unlucky.

Now the real training begins, and Violet’s already wondering how she’ll get through. It’s not just that it’s grueling and maliciously brutal, or even that it’s designed to stretch the riders’ capacity for pain beyond endurance. It’s the new vice commandant, who’s made it his personal mission to teach Violet exactly how powerless she is–unless she betrays the man she loves.

Although Violet’s body might be weaker and frailer than everyone else’s, she still has her wits—and a will of iron. And leadership is forgetting the most important lesson Basgiath has taught her: Dragon riders make their own rules.

But a determination to survive won’t be enough this year.

Because Violet knows the real secret hidden for centuries at Basgiath War College—and nothing, not even dragon fire, may be enough to save them in the end.

First Impressions

I put this book on hold before I even finished Fourth Wing. It is the second book in the Emperyan series and I was very excited to get my hands on it. I love the cover and I think it compliments the first book in the series very well.

What I thought

I was beyond excited to get my hands on this book and it didn’t disappoint. If you haven’t read Fourth Wing and are planning on it, you might want to skip this review as it will be hard to review this one without potential spoilers to the first one.

This book picks up where Fourth Wing leaves off. Violet wakes up in Aretia following the Venin attack. She is battling with being lied to by her mother as well as Xaden and also the betrayal of Dain. Now she has to return to Basgaith with all of this new knowledge and try to keep herself and her friends safe.

This book has two parts and honestly they feel like completely different books. I was kind of surprised by how quickly this story has moved. I expected a bit more of a slow burn in regards to the rebellion and the dragons and venin and wyvern.

Yarros does a fabulous job of holding your attention and keeping you on the edge of your seat by not knowing who is going to die next. Violet’s growth in the book is also very well done. She feels very much like a 21 year old to me which I think can be difficult in these types of books. This book is definitely spicier than the first one. I understand that a lot of people really enjoy that this series has a heavy romance aspect to it, but I kind of feel like I could do without the sex scenes. When I read romance novels they feel like they fit and I don’t mind them. In this fantasy series, I’m much more invested in the fantasy element and just skim over those scenes.

This book did take me a little longer to get into compared to the first one, but once I got into it I was just as invested as the first one. For the most part, I don’t find myself being able to predict what’s happening until the end of the book. Just like in the first one, about 50-100 pages before the end, I had a suspicion I knew what was going to happen. I wasn’t 100% right, but I was definitely on the right track.

There were so many twists and turns. I feel like I read two books at once and am not really sure why it wasn’t broken up in a different day.

This book continued the series in a strong and enjoyable way. I’m intrigued and also nervous to see where the series goes next and can’t wait to read the third book. I do hope the next one has slightly less sex scenes than this one, but I know the genre is romantasy, so I’m not banking on it. If you enjoyed the first book, please continue this series!

A Winter in New York

By: Josie Silver
Published Year: 2023
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Pages: 384

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Summary (Provided by Goodreads): A young chef stumbles on a secret family recipe that might lead her to the love—and life—she’s been looking for in this stunning novel.

When Iris decides to move to New York to restart her life, she realizes she underestimated how big the Big Apple really is—all the nostalgic movies set in New York she’d watched with her mom while eating their special secret-recipe gelato didn’t quite do it justice. 

But Bobby, Iris’s best friend, isn’t about to let her hide away. He drags her to a famous autumn street fair in Little Italy, and as they walk through the food stalls, a little family-run gelateria catches her eye—could it be the same shop that’s in an old photo of her mother’s?

Curious, Iris returns the next day and meets the handsome Gio, who tells her that the shop is in danger of closing. His uncle, sole keeper of their family’s gelato recipe, is in a coma, so they can’t make more. When Iris samples the last remaining batch, she realizes that their gelato and her gelato are one and the same. But how can she tell them she knows their secret recipe when she’s not sure why Gio’s uncle gave it to her mother in the first place?

Iris offers her services as a chef to help them re-create the flavor and finds herself falling for Gio and his family. But when Gio’s uncle finally wakes up, all of the secrets Iris has been keeping threaten to ruin the new life—and new love—she’s been building all winter long.

First Impressions

This was another book that was on a holiday reads Goodreads list. It wasn’t one that immediately jumped out at me because of the cover. Honestly, it was the title that made the best first impression since I had recently spent some time in New York this winter.

What I thought

This book is so much more than the cover and summary make it seem.

Iris has fled London for New York after falling into an emotionally abusive relationship. It’s been 3 years since her mother has passed and she always spoke highly of New York, so Iris knew it was where she needed to be. When she is at a food festival, she discovers a familiar door. This door turns out to be to a geleteria that her mother visited over 30 years ago. She also happens to have the secret recipe to their gelato that only two family members are supposed to have at a time. When she discovers that the recipe is recently unknown due to the owner having had a stroke, she decides she needs to secretly help Gio and the rest of the Belotti family.

I wish that the cartoon trend wasn’t a thing because I think it does a disservice to this book. The cover and even the description make this book seem like it’s a light romance that takes place in New York. But in reality, there is family secrets, drama, love, and growth. Iris becomes a completely different person from the start of the book to the end. It also takes place over the course of months which I love. I really enjoy books that you get to grow slowly with the characters.

Gio is a wonderful character as well. He is a good man who has his own things he’s working through and the instant chemistry between him and Iris is perfect for the romance side of this book. There is a lot that happens in this book and I don’t want to unravel it for you because that is part of what I enjoyed. Learning about the Belotti family and their secrets was satisfying.

Silver does a great job with developing all of the characters but also balancing them with light side characters that you immediately fall in love with. She also makes New York City its own character, and if I hadn’t already visited, I would want to go now. I read her debut, One Day in December, and remember thinking it was just ok. I haven’t picked up any of her other books since then, even though I know that people love them. This book makes me want to go back and look at her previous novels and give them a chance.

If you’re looking for a book to really dive into this winter, I highly recommend picking this one up. Even though the climax comes around Christmas and New Years, I wouldn’t say it’s a Christmas read. It’s a generational story that’s done in a wonderful way. I highly recommend picking this one up.

A Very Merry Bromance (Bromance Book Club #5)

By: Lyssa Kay Adams
Published Year: 2022
Publisher: Berkley
Pages: 359

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Summary (Provided by Goodreads): 'Tis the season for a Bromance Book Club matchmaking mission! This time, they're pulling out the mistletoe for everyone's favorite country music star, Colton, and his second chance at love.

Country music’s golden boy Colton Wheeler felt the most perfect harmony when he was with Gretchen Winthrop. But for her, it was a love him and leave him situation. A year later, Colton is struggling to push his music forward in a new direction. If it weren’t about to be the most magical time of year and the support of the Bromance Book Club, he’d be wallowing in self-pity.

It’s hard for immigration attorney Gretchen not to feel a little Scrooge-ish about the excess of Christmas when her clients are scrambling to afford their rent. So when her estranged, wealthy family reaches out with an offer that will allow her to better serve the community, she’s unable to say no. She just needs to convince Colton to be the new face of her family’s whiskey brand. No big deal…

Colton agrees to consider Gretchen’s offer in exchange for three dates before Christmas. With the help of the Bromance Book Club, Colton throws himself into the task of proving to her there’s a spark between them. But Gretchen and Colton will both need to overcome the ghosts of Christmas past to build a future together.

First Impressions

I have read the previous 4 Bromance Book Club books and I adore them. I love getting to know all of the guys (and some of the girls) in the previous books because it makes me cheer for them even more. I was excited when I saw the next one was a holiday romance.

What I thought

Colton wasn’t one of my favorite men in previous books. He’s a country star and came off a bit cocky and annoying in the previous books, but I liked him much more in his own story.

Colton just got news that his label doesn’t like his newest songs. Gretchen just got strong armed by her brother to try to get Clayton to be their family company’s next spokesperson. However, a year ago, Gretchen walked out on Clayton after a one night stand. Now they have to navigate their feelings with the rest of their lives.

This book is the grumpy/sunshine trope and it acknowledges it which I liked. Colton is all happiness until Gretchen rejects him. He then kind of spirals a little bit and struggles with his career. Gretchen on the other had is a very successful lawyer, but is grumpy and hates Christmas. Her family comes from a very prestigious whiskey company, but due to some neglect and other issues, Gretchen has pulled away from them until her brother calls her.

I liked Gretchen a lot. Even though she had her typical romance book issues that probably could’ve been handled a little differently, I felt like all of her actions were well explained. A lot of her past directly impacted her present actions and didn’t feel like she was overreacting. The romance between Colton and Gretchen had good chemistry but felt a little bit rushed. Colton fell head first after their one night stand, and I always struggle a little bit with love at first sight.

I don’t know if this was my favorite of the Bromance books, but it was definitely up there. The balance between fun and serious was perfect for me. I don’t think this series can do any wrong. I highly highly recommend checking it out and enjoying all of these characters.