Category: Book Recommendations

My Favorite Book of the Month, November 2024: Four Aunties and a Wedding by Jesse Q. Sutanto

“They’ve gone through so much for me, like covering up an actual murder. The least I can do is pretend to like their hideous outfits.”
― Jesse Q. Sutanto, Four Aunties and a Wedding

Goodreads Synopsis:

Meddy Chan has been to countless weddings, but she never imagined how her own would turn out. Now the day has arrived, and she can’t wait to marry her college sweetheart, Nathan. Instead of having Ma and the aunts cater to her wedding, Meddy wants them to enjoy the day as guests. As a compromise, they find the perfect wedding vendors: a Chinese-Indonesian family-run company just like theirs. Meddy is hesitant at first, but she hits it off right away with the wedding photographer, Staphanie, who reminds Meddy of herself, down to the unfortunately misspelled name.

Meddy realizes that is where their similarities end, however, when she overhears Staphanie talking about taking out a target. Horrified, Meddy can’t believe Staphanie and her family aren’t just like her own, they are The Family–actual mafia, and they’re using Meddy’s wedding as a chance to conduct shady business. Her aunties and mother won’t let Meddy’s wedding ceremony become a murder scene–over their dead bodies–and will do whatever it takes to save her special day, even if it means taking on the mafia.

My Thoughts

Every book I’ve read by Jesse Q. Sutanto ends up being my favorite book of the month. Her books are so hilarious, but still have heart. Meddy is nervous about the aunties meeting Nathan’s wealthy family. The aunties trying to emulate British lingo and wearing kaRmodo dragon head pieces would be embarrassing for anyone. But, Meddy also has to deal with a mafia family threatening them. This books always feel watching the best comedy. Note: this is book two in the series, and you really need to read the first book first or it won’t make sense.

My Comments on Dial “A” for Aunties

All My Favorite books of 2024

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My Favorite Read for July 2024: Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi

“Reality told us we would fail. But again and again, we fought. We perserved . We rose.”
― Tomi Adeyemi, Children of Blood and Bone

Title: Children of Blood and Bone

Author: Tomi Adeyemi

Publisher: Henry Holt Company

Publication Date: March 6, 2018

Goodreads Synopsis:

They killed my mother.
They took our magic.
They tried to bury us.

Now we rise.

Zélie Adebola remembers when the soil of Orïsha hummed with magic. Burners ignited flames, Tiders beckoned waves, and Zélie’s Reaper mother summoned forth souls.

But everything changed the night magic disappeared. Under the orders of a ruthless king, maji were killed, leaving Zélie without a mother and her people without hope.

Now Zélie has one chance to bring back magic and strike against the monarchy. With the help of a rogue princess, Zélie must outwit and outrun the crown prince, who is hell-bent on eradicating magic for good.

Danger lurks in Orïsha, where snow leoponaires prowl and vengeful spirits wait in the waters. Yet the greatest danger may be Zélie herself as she struggles to control her powers and her growing feelings for an enemy.

My Thoughts:

While listed as YA I would place this on the high end and would still recommend it to adults who don’t usually read YA. There are some heavy issues which require a certain level of maturity to digest. One of the things I love about fantasy is that you can highlight societal issues through a different world, which allows the reader to seperate personal feelings and see things clearer. There is so much symbolism releated to the black experience here that I’m sure I missed a lot. Most importantly it’s put together in an entertaining, action packed story with complex characters.

Rating: 4 out of 5.

My Favorite Read of May 2024

“For the sake of trust building, the third chapter will follow the second. But then we will jump directly to chapter five, do you understand? No chapter four. Why? Because sometimes things don’t go like they should.”
― Allie Brosh, Solutions and Other Problems

Title: Solutions and Other Problems

Author; Allie Brosh

Publisher: Gallery Books

Publication Date: September 22, 2020

Goodreads Synopsis:

Allie Brosh returns with a new collection of comedic, autobiographical, and illustrated essays.

Solutions and Other Problems includes humorous stories from Allie Brosh’s childhood; the adventures of her very bad animals; merciless dissection of her own character flaws; incisive essays on grief, loneliness, and powerlessness; as well as reflections on the absurdity of modern life.

My Thoughts:

This is a different pick for me. Most of my picks are novels or traditional memoirs. But, this was a fun read that dealt with heavy topics. The format made it a really quick read. I would recommend it for anyone who likes Jenny Lawson’s writng.

Rating: 4 out of 5.

My Favorite read of April 2024: The Women of Chateau Lafayette

“To ask why was only to demand justification.
To ask why not assumed endless possibility…”
― Stephanie Dray, The Women of Chateau Lafayette

Title: The Women of Chateau Lafayette

Author: Stephanie Dray

Publisher: Berkley

Publication Date: March 31, 2021

Goodreads Synopsis:

Most castles are protected by men. This one by women.

A founding mother…
1774 . Gently-bred noblewoman Adrienne Lafayette becomes her husband, the Marquis de Lafayette’s political partner in the fight for American independence. But when their idealism sparks revolution in France and the guillotine threatens everything she holds dear, Adrienne must renounce the complicated man she loves, or risk her life for a legacy that will inspire generations to come.

A daring visionary…
1914 . Glittering New York socialite Beatrice Chanler is a force of nature, daunted by nothing—not her humble beginnings, her crumbling marriage, or the outbreak of war. But after witnessing the devastation in France firsthand, Beatrice takes on the challenge of a convincing America to fight for what’s right.

A reluctant resistor…
1940 . French school-teacher and aspiring artist Marthe Simone has an orphan’s self-reliance and wants nothing to do with war. But as the realities of Nazi occupation transform her life in the isolated castle where she came of age, she makes a discovery that calls into question who she is, and more importantly, who she is willing to become.

Intricately woven and powerfully told, The Women of Chateau Lafayette is a sweeping novel about duty and hope, love and courage, and the strength we take from those who came before us.

My thoughts:

I love books with interwoven stories, but usually one is not as interesting. In the beginning, I was primarily interested in the story of Adrienne, wife of the the Marquis de Lafayette. But, as the story progressed, I found Beatrice and Marthe’s stories more fascinating. It’s a beautiful story of the strength of women and the power of their contributions throughout history.

Rating: 4 out of 5.

My Favorite Read of March 2024: Someone Else’s Shoes by Jojo Moyes

Title: Someone Else’s Shoes

Author: Jojo Moyes

Publisher: Pamela Dorman Books

Publication Date: February 2, 2023

Words of Wisdom:

“when we’re low, it can be easy to see everything through a prism of negativity. Human beings are remarkably bad at understanding other people’s motivations, even when they know them terribly well. We write all sorts of inaccurate stories in our heads.”

― Jojo Moyes, Someone Else’s Shoes

Goodreads:

Nisha Cantor lives the globetrotting life of the seriously wealthy, until her husband announces a divorce and cuts her off. Nisha is determined to hang onto her glamorous life. But in the meantime, she must scramble to cope–she doesn’t even have the shoes she was, until a moment ago, standing in.

That’s because Sam Kemp – in the bleakest point of her life – has accidentally taken Nisha’s gym bag. But Sam hardly has time to worry about a lost gym bag–she’s struggling to keep herself and her family afloat. When she tries on Nisha’s six-inch high Christian Louboutin red crocodile shoes, the resulting jolt of confidence that makes her realize something must change—and that thing is herself.

My Thoughts:

In typical Jojo Moyes fashion, Someone Else’s Shoes deals with serious issues while making you laugh. Nisha and Sam couldn’t be more different. But, getting a taste of each other’s words makes them reevaluate their own. A wonderful celebration of the power of female friendship.

March Catch-up Post: Favorite Read and Anticipated Book Releases

I had issues posting back in February, so I missed my favorite book of the month and new releases for March posts, then I just didn’t get back to it. So, I thought I would just do a combined, abbreviated post.

Favorite Read of February 2024

This novel tells the true story of a boat carrying children evacuated from Europe during WWII, that was hit by a torpedo. One lifeboat is left stranded in the ocean for days. The story follows the events on the lifeboat and the family members left behind who are fighting to continue the search. This is why I keep going back to WWII novels, there are so many different angles and stories that there’s always something new to learn.

Anticipated releases for March 2024

Click on books for the goodreads link

My Favorite Books of the Month 2024

Note: This list is a collection of my favorite books of each month in 2024. Please note that they are books I read in 2024, not books published in 2024. I’ll update each month and include the links to my review.

January: In the Lives of Puppets by TJ Klune

February: The Last Lifeboat by Hazel Gaynor

March: Someone Else’s Shoes by Jojo Moyes

April: The Women of Chateau Lafayette by Stephanie Dray

May: Solutions and Other Problems by Allie Brosh

June: A Witch’s Guide to Fake Dating a Demon by Sarah Hawley

July: Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi

August: Finlay Donovan is Killing It by Elle Cosimamo

September: The Paris Daughter by Kristin Harmel

October: Burning Sky by Sherry Thomas

Previous years:2021, 2022, 2023

My Favorite Read of January 2024

“Humanity is awful, angry, and violent. But we are also magical and musical. We dance. We sing. We create. We live and laugh and rage and cry and despair and hope. We are a bundle of contradictions without rhyme or reason. And there is no one like us in all the universe.”
― T.J. Klune, In the .

My reading for 2024 has started off with a bang. I read a variety of genres, so it was difficult to compare. I Untimately, TJ KLune’s writing style puts him above the rest.

Book facts:

Title: In the Lives of Puppets

Author: TJ Klune

Publisher: Tor Books

Publication Date: April 25, 2024

Goodreads Synopsis:

In a strange little home built into the branches of a grove of trees, live three robots–fatherly inventor android Giovanni Lawson, a pleasantly sadistic nurse machine, and a small vacuum desperate for love and attention. Victor Lawson, a human, lives there too. They’re a family, hidden and safe.

The day Vic salvages and repairs an unfamiliar android labelled “HAP,” he learns of a shared dark past between Hap and Gio-a past spent hunting humans.

When Hap unwittingly alerts robots from Gio’s former life to their whereabouts, the family is no longer hidden and safe. Gio is captured and taken back to his old laboratory in the City of Electric Dreams. So together, the rest of Vic’s assembled family must journey across an unforgiving and otherworldly country to rescue Gio from decommission, or worse, reprogramming.

Along the way to save Gio, amid conflicted feelings of betrayal and affection for Hap, Vic must decide for himself: Can he accept love with strings attached?

My Thoughts:

I held off on reading this for a while because I had seen a negative review. But, I realized within the first chapter, that Klune could write anything and I would love it. His writing style just speaks to me. I love the way he casually weaves humor into his stories and uses dialog to develop his characters. The bantor between Rambo (a needy vacuum) and Nurse Ratched (a psychotic health monitoring machine) was some of the best I’ve ever read.

At the end of the novel there was a note from Klune alluding to the fact that the novel was not what he had intended to right. As I looked into this I discovered that he had originally written Vic as autistic, but there was dispute among sensitivity readers, and it was ultimately changed. Obviously, I haven’t read the original version (which I’m sure was wonderful, because everything he writes is) I think it works better this way. Vic is the only human amongst robots, so I think it makes more sense to show characteristics, and let the reader draw their own conclusions.

Picture Book Review: A Garden Called Home by Jessica J. Lee

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with an ARC ebook of Agnes and the Hen in exchange for an honest review.

Title: A Garden Called Home

Author: Jessica J. Lee

Illustrator: Elaine Chen

Publisher:

Publication Date: February 13, 2023

Publisher: Penguin Random House, Canada, Tundra Books

Description:

What makes the place we live feel like home? This is a warm-hearted and lush picture book about family, the immigrant experience and how a simple garden can foster a connection to the larger natural world.

Mama was born in a country far away from here. I love her stories about warm rain in winter and green mountains. And now Mama’s taking me there!

When a young girl and her mother go to visit her family, the girl notices a change. At home, her mother mostly stays inside. Here, her mother likes to explore and go hiking. The girl has never seen her so happy! Her mother tells her about the trees, bushes, flowers and birds. Did you know that tree roots make mountains strong? And that ài hāo (mugwort) is used to make delicious, sweet dumplings?

But her mother’s smile goes away when they return home. It’s cold and she doesn’t want to go outside. She goes back to wearing her big quilted jackets and watering her houseplants.

How can the girl show her mother that nature here can be wondrous too?

Includes a glossary of plants with Mandarin/English words.

My Thoughts

This is a sweet story with beautiful illustrations. While the main point is the blending of cultures and how every place has it’s own beauty, that isn’t my favorite part. I love the compassion and effort the narrator shows to make her mother feel better. Insead of just using kind words, the narrator takes action and does research to find information about plants in their new home. I can see this story inspiring families to create their own gardens.

Rating: 5 out of 5.

My favorite read of 2023

I posted my top 23 books of 2023 last week, but I left out my overall favorite, so it could get it’s own post. The Very Secret Society of Witches was a perfect blend of heart and humor. Every single character in this book is delightful and intriquing in their own way. There’s a feeling of hope and the value of small changes.

You can see my original review here.

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