2017 has been an amazing year for me in terms of books. At the beginning of the year, I made a commitment to myself to spend more time reading. I set a sizable but still reachable goal for myself in January. As the year went by, the more I read, the more I wanted to read. By the end of the year, I've surpassed my original goal by a lot. I ended the year with 75 books. Of all those, here’s the list of my absolute favorites from this year.

Non-fiction:

Biographies:

• The Boys in the Boat – Inspirational account of the UW rowing team that eventually went on to win the 1936 Berlin Olympics. Rowing is a punishing sport, and these boys from humble backgrounds possessed incredible mental and physical fortitude to accomplish what they did, when all odds were against them. Brown is an amazing author, and he really brought the story to life.
• Endurance – Memoir from Scott Kelly, the astronaut who spent a year in space aboard the International Space Station. He writes with the clear-eyed and straightforward voice of a scientist, and I thought everything in this book was just fascinating.

Investigative Journalism:

• Evicted – A raw and powerful look at eight families in Milwaukee as they face eviction. This book shows how eviction begets eviction, and the cycle of poverty and eviction makes it impossible for the people caught in that cycle to ever climb out. 
• The Radium Girls – When radium is mixed with paint, it had this glow-in-the-dark quality. Back when this was first discovered, hundreds of girls were employed to paint watch dials and instrument panels with this luminescent paint. The girls took no precautions and were instructed by their employers to lick the paint brushes to bring the bristles to a sharp point in order to do their jobs. Soon they started falling sick with gruesome and mysterious symptoms that no doctors could diagnose. Moore doesn’t just tell these awful tales, but also brings the girls to life in her portrayal.
• Killers of the Flower Moon – In the 1920s, countless wealthy Osage Indians started dying in suspicious circumstances. The murders detailed in the book are chilling in their ruthlessness and greed, targeting not just the Osage but also people brought in to investigate their murders.

Neuroscience/Science:

• The Unpersuadable – Why do people believe what they believe, even when faced with overwhelming evidence to the contrary? There are a lot of neuroscience books out there trying to answer this question, but I particularly enjoyed this book because the author builds his case with interesting stories and examples. He shows how the brain builds its model of the world and how that model ultimately deceives us about reality. 
• Weapons of Math Destruction – The book provides a detailed look at how algorithms based on big data doesn’t always tell the truth or lead to a more fair world, as they are purported to do. Rather, they contribute to a system that is opaque and hard to challenge, increasing the divide between the privileged and all others. Often, the outcome of the algorithms create a negative feedback loop, directly influencing the outcome they are objectively trying to determine. It’s timely and relevant, especially in our field.

Politics/Rise of Populism:

• Strangers in their Own Land – This book has gone further than any other in helping me understand the motivations and feelings of the conservative white working class. The author presents their viewpoints with empathy and kindness, and tries to work through the paradox of why it seems that they are voting against their own self-interest. 

Fiction:

• Homegoing – Stunning saga spanning eight generations, starting with two half-sisters in Ghana, one who lives a life of relative ease in Cape Coast Castle, while the other is imprisoned in the same castle and sold off as a slave. At its heart, this book shows that slavery and colonialism impacts everyone for generations, not just those who are slaves.
• Big Little Lies – There sure are a lot of mysteries in the small beach town that friends Jane, Madeline, and Celeste live in. On the surface everything seems great, but as you go deeper into the story, you realize that a lot of things are not quite what they seem. It’s dark, funny, and intriguing. HBO made a miniseries on this, but definitely better to read the book before you watch the show.
• Magpie Murders – It’s set up as a mystery within a mystery, full of twists and turns, red herrings, and long lists of suspects. It’s brilliant how the book interweaves both a throwback to the golden age of crime and a more modern take on the same genre. 
• Dark Matter – The main character is out for a walk and is knocked out by a ruffian. When he comes to, he’s surrounded by strangers who all seem to know him. He finds out the life as he knows it is gone, along with his wife and child. He goes on a pretty crazy ride as he tries to figure out what’s going on and how to get his life back.

I’m always looking for great books, so if you have suggestions, please let me know! And if you want to join me on Goodreads (you can track the books you read, set goals, rate and review books, see what your friends are reading and their reviews), you can add me.

Crooked House kept me guessing till the very end. It's got all the characteristics of a great murder mystery: twists and turns, abundance of clues, red herrings, and an interesting set of suspects. This book also has a sinister atmosphere, which was deliciously fun. And true to Agatha Christie style, once the solution is revealed to the reader, it feels amazingly simple and straightforward.

Readaroo Rating: 4 stars

A Study in Scarlet Women is the first book in the Lady Sherlock series. I had previously read the second book in the series, and really enjoyed its unique twist on the Sherlock Holmes adventures. Now I get to go back to the beginning and see how Charlotte Holmes came to open a business under the assumed identity of Sherlock Holmes in a Victorian era when women were not encouraged to be anything other than a wife and mother.

What had so charmed me about the second book in the series is also present in this first book. I love the character of Charlotte, strong and independent, casting aside society's expectations and trying to make her own way in the world. It's wonderful to come across such an astute and feisty female character who doesn't whimper in the face of adversity, but rather meets it with resolve and intelligence.

The resolutions of the mysteries themselves are a bit of a weakness in this series, and this book is no different. While it's fun to see the murder take place and meet all the suspects, once the solution is supposed to be explained to the reader, I feel it doesn't quite come together. The solution is too complex, so it leaves me confused and having to go back to reread parts multiple times. It's partly because there are so many characters that it's hard to keep them straight in my mind, especially when they all have unusual ties to each other.

However, even with the weakness of the resolutions, I will continue reading this series, so I hope Thomas writes more books! Charlotte Holmes is such a fun and interesting character, and I enjoy cheering her on as she finds her success in a male-dominated society.

Readaroo Rating: 3 stars

White Rage is a meticulously-researched chronicle of the push-backs and barriers to progress that African Americans have faced on their journey from emancipation to present-day America. The contents of this book are powerful and eye-opening. It surprised me that there was so much history in this book that I didn't know and was never taught in school.

This book is well-written and easy to follow, though for me personally, it was very difficult to get through. It feels like every page contains yet another outrage that has been perpetrated against African Americans. It makes me frustrated and sick to my stomach to learn the injustices detailed in this book, and to see how even when progress was supposedly made against racism, what's really going on in the background was often steps back.

I urge everyone to read this book. It contains vitally important information that we all need to know, so that we may join together to have open dialogs about racism and figure out how to stop its insidious progress and reverse its harmful effects.

Readaroo Rating: 5 stars!

The Mothers follows the lives of three teenagers, Nadia, Luke, and Aubrey, as they go through their last years of high school and their subsequent lives as young adults. I'm conflicted on how I feel about this book. On the one hand, it's beautifully written and contains some incredibly poignant passages on love, loss, loneliness, and longing.

However, a few things detracted from this book for me. One, I just don't buy Nadia's hangup over her old boyfriend and vice versa, and their inability to let each other go. Not only that, but then they proceed to deny this truth to themselves, which sets off a chain of unfortunate events. It's hard for me to relate to them at all on this.

Second, I don't see why there is a focus on "the mothers", both as the title of this book and as a cast of characters. They don't add anything to this story. They are just peripheral characters and giving them such prominence seems forced and unnatural, as if the book is trying to be deeper than it really is.

In addition, the writing sometimes contains ambiguous pronouns and is unclear when it switches from reminiscing about the past to talking about the present. This takes me out of the story when I have to go back and reread parts to figure out who it's about and when things are taking place.

Still, even with the shortcomings, I enjoyed reading this book. It has deeply moving passages and evokes such strong emotions. And it deftly tackles some difficult subjects with nuance and understanding.

Readaroo Rating: 3 stars

When radium was first discovered, no one really knew for sure what it did. Soon, however, companies latched onto its lucrative potential when it became known that radium mixed in paint had a glow-in-the-dark quality. Hundreds of girls were employed to paint watch dials and instrument panels with this magical, luminescent paint.

The girls took no precautions. They were instructed to lick the paint brushes to bring the bristles to a sharp point in order to do their jobs effectively and to prevent waste. It wasn't long before the women started falling sick with mysterious symptoms that no doctor could correctly diagnose. The symptoms were extremely painful and gruesome, and often irreversible.

Yet when their employers were told of this, they dismissed the girls' illnesses as nothing more than fear-mongering. The companies concealed data on the effects of radium and lied with impunity to the girls and the public. What followed was a long and arduous journey for the girls to bring recognition and justice to their plight.

What makes The Radium Girls so fascinating is that Moore brings these girls to life with her meticulously-researched details. She shows that they aren't just tragic figures but also deeply sympathetic souls. They lost so much of their life to this terrible poison and it was made even more unbearable by the companies' callous reactions to their sufferings. The accounts are vivid and gut-wrenching, often leaving me in tears.

I'm glad Moore chose to tell this necessary story, so that the memories of these girls who gave so much to science and to their fight for worker's rights will live on.

Readaroo Rating: 5 stars!

Murder for Christmas is a quintessential old-fashioned English murder mystery, set during the holidays, complete with an old manor, shifty figures, secrets, and all the holiday trimmings. The story itself has a slow and delicious pace, perfect for reading while snuggling up with a blanket and a hot cup of tea. As the story went on, I started to see parts of what was going on, but it was still fun to read to the end and see how everything ties together. It's my first introduction to amateur detective Mordecai Tremaine, and I look forward to reading more from the series.

Readaroo Rating: 3 stars

In Behold the Dreamers, Jende is an immigrant from Cameroon who has come to America seeking asylum so that he can make a better life for himself, his wife Neni, and their son. Jende finds a job in 2007 as a chauffeur for a Lehman Brothers executive. At first, things seem to be looking up for Jende and his family. His boss Clark is nice and pays him a good wage, which enables his family to live comfortably and allows him to pay his wife's school tuition. But soon Lehman Brothers is on the verge of collapse and Jende's job is no longer secure.

This is a book of hopes and dreams, and also of the importance of family. It's beautifully written and offers an uncompromising view of the tough struggles of an immigrant's life. And yet for all that, I feel the story didn't pull together enough to catapult it from good to great.

One of the shortcomings of this book is that I found each of the adult characters to be unlikable. Jende refuses to hear his wife disagree with him on anything, and resorts to raging at her whenever that happens instead of having a conversation like a normal adult. His wife Neni schemes behind his back and seems immune to reason. The two of them both act like spoiled children, each thinking only of themselves and what they want, instead of trying to understand the other's views and sufferings.

Jende's boss Clark is a coward, hiding things from his wife instead of just coming clean. And his wife is neurotic and needy, unable to let her grown son spread his wings. It seems she has no hobbies or interests other than constantly thinking her life is miserable even though she is wealthy. I don't see what the author is trying to say with these characters other than that everyone is a terrible person, whether they are wealthy or poor.

The book is also a bit long for its content and would definitely have benefited from a tightening of its pacing. The end feels long and drawn out, even though it's clear where it's going. Often, it's better to leave the reader wanting more than to spell out everything for them, which is how the ending felt. And yet, the end of the book left me unsatisfied, like I was waiting for something but nothing happened, or I was waiting for the author to get to the point, but no point was made.

This is probably a case where I expected so much from this book based on its topic and its strong reviews, and it just didn't live up to my expectations.

Readaroo Rating: 3 stars

A Conspiracy in Belgravia is the second of the Lady Sherlock series, and my first exposure to it. Lady Sherlock is an interesting take on the Sherlock Holmes adventures. Charlotte Holmes, a disgraced lady of the Victorian era, opens a business under the assumed name of Sherlock Holmes, who she pretends is her brother at a time when women are not encouraged to have jobs or taxing mental stimulation.

To me, this bears a lot of similarities with the original Sherlock Holmes and is a good homage to it. Just like the original Sherlock Holmes, this mystery doesn't unfold due to following the clues so much as Charlotte's ability to jump to a conclusion that no one else would have. To be honest, now that I've read the ending, I'm not really sure Charlotte deduced the solution so much as she correctly guessed on a random idea, which is one reason I never found the original Sherlock Holmes to be that great either.

Speaking of the ending, I do feel that's a weakness of this book. It isn't clearly explained how Charlotte arrives at her solution, and I feel the ending doesn't tie up everything. I went away from it with a few questions still not answered, which is not ideal when reading a whodunnit.

Another thing I noticed is that this book has a lot of characters and subplots, which may or may not all tie back to the main storyline. It was a little hard for me to initially remember who all the people were. As a result, it feels often like I'm just jumping from one story to another instead of reading a cohesive narrative.

Yet for all that, I still enjoyed this book. I found the setting to be charming, with its prudishness and Victorian reticence. Recently, it feels like all the books I've been reading about a female facing adversity either portrays the heroine as a lush who needs to drink in order to find her wits or an emotional wreck who can barely keep it together. It's refreshing to have such a strong female lead, who when faced with adversity, is able to use her intelligence to find a solution. Just for that, I'm looking forward to reading more from the series.

Readaroo Rating: 4 stars

When I was a kid, I wanted to be an astronaut (like pretty much every other kid out there). To hear that Scott Kelly volunteered to spend a year in space to advance science and to further the mission to Mars completely thrilled the kid still in me. This book of his experiences during that year spent in the International Space Station, along with his journey to get there, is absolutely fascinating and inspirational.

Kelly writes with the clear-eyed and straightforward voice of a scientist. Yet his story is never boring; in fact, it's quite the opposite. No matter what he's talking about, he makes it interesting, such as the superstitious steps taken before launch, what it's like to capture the SpaceX Dragon with a robotic arm, how it feels when multiple rockets holding much needed supplies burned or never made it to ISS, the logistics of everyday life in zero gravity, what it's like to do spacewalks, and so much more.

It's not often a book comes along that captures my imagination and makes me want to reach for the stars. I'm so glad Kelly wrote this book of his extraordinary experiences. It's an absolute joy to read and will go down as one of my all-time favorites!

Readaroo Rating: 5 stars!

In Lie to Me, Ethan wakes up one day to a note from his wife saying she has run away and not to look for her. Then he proceeds to think and act like a guilty crazed person, so that the police are forced to consider him as their prime suspect. Through flashbacks, we learn more about the couple, such as they are both incredibly unlikable people who treated each other horribly.

Part of the problem with this book is that it over promises and under delivers. A lot of the "lies" advertised by the title are really just things the couple didn't tell each other, which surely would have come to light in a real relationship. Character development also comes across as lacking realism, with people just changing all of a sudden instead of slowly becoming a better person. And in the end, the motivations and what really happened are pretty far-fetched.

I did find the book to be a page-turner, designed to misdirect you until the big reveal. Though it lacks realism, it's a fun read none-the-less, so it's worth checking out if you're looking for a domestic mystery/thriller.

Readaroo Rating: 3 stars

Lucy and Owen, who have been married for a long time, decide to try an open marriage for six months and see what happens. The book starts out sort of silly and frivolous, with a seemingly unconnected cast of not particularly likable characters. But then as the story went on, I found myself starting to cheer on Lucy and her relationship on the side. Her husband Owen pretty much leaves her with the lion's share of running the household, doing the chores, and raising their special needs child, all the while ignoring her as a person. Sorry to say this, but good for her for finding someone to pay attention to her and make her feel good! She deserves it, ha! I probably got the wrong message out of this story, but it was a fun and easy read about an unconventional arrangement in a relationship.

Readaroo Rating: 3 stars

This book starts out so strong. The first third of it had me completely hooked, turning the pages as I fast as I could, trying to figure out what's going on. The main character Melanie is a compelling protagonist, and we get dragged along with her as she tries to piece together what makes her so different from other people and why the adults treat her and the other children the way they do.

Then we hit the middle third of the book, and it becomes a complete snooze-fest. The story slows and the action crawls along. What made the book so interesting in the beginning is mostly gone, and it's replaced by what I think of as the classic zombie genre of people running and hiding from "brains... brains...". I found myself often flipping ahead a few chapters just to see something going on, then catching myself and coming back to read what I had skimmed through.

Another thing I didn't like is that the main scientist trying to find a cure for this infection is extremely unlikable. And through her narrative, the author spends a good amount of time trying to convince the reader on how this infection came to be with lots of scientific jargon. I just don't find that I need to be so thoroughly convinced with such boring lectures. Part of reading this genre is being able to suspend my beliefs.

Thankfully, the last third of this book picks up the pace a bit, and it ends on an interesting note. While reading through the majority of this tale, I found myself thinking how I didn't see where it was headed. And it really is that way until pretty much the last page of the book. I enjoyed the ending and thought it was an unexpected and clever way to wrap up the story.

Throughout the story, I found its the treatment of Melanie and the question of ethics to be thoughtful and multifaceted. What does it mean to be human and sentient? At what point do we consider a creature to have rights? The book shows us many different answers to these question through the various characters' perspectives. To me, this is the core takeaway from the book, and it's handled with nuance and intelligence.

Readaroo Rating: 3 stars

Being human means yearning for more than subsistence. As much as food or shelter, we require hope.

For many years now, a growing population of Americans have been forced to live in mobile homes and vehicles due to their inability to make mortgages or rent. These Americans, made up mostly of the elderly, have limited choices when it comes to jobs, but cannot afford to retire. So they drive across the country looking for seasonal work to make ends meet and to supplement their meager social security incomes. Nomadland is their story.

In order to do research for this book, Jessica Bruder spent three years on the road and for a time lived out of a van that she purchased. Her detailed research really shines a light on this often-overlooked segment of the population. Her writing style is approachable, and I was swept up in the narrative of these people who aren't able to make ends meet in the traditional sense, but have carved out a nomadic lifestyle for themselves on the fringes of American society.

The seasonal work they find generally pays poorly and has terrible working conditions. It was honestly shocking to read about their experiences with some of the biggest employers of temp workers, including Amazon. They would have 10 to 12 hour shifts in sweltering temperatures, lifting, scanning, and loading packages, and squatting and running on concrete through Amazon's vast warehouses, the size equivalent of 19 football fields. They often have to take pain medication before and after their shifts just to get through it. And they come away with repetitive stress injuries that last much longer than their seasonal employment, all the while being paid at or near minimum wage.

The book also discusses the difficulty and logistics of parking a mobile home or vehicle. Most camping grounds have a time limit of two weeks. After that, you must leave and find a new place to camp that is at least 25 miles away. Police and neighborhoods also don't look kindly upon people sleeping in their cars. As a result, there is fear among these folks of being caught or harassed, and of not being accepted by their family and friends.

Yet, there is a hopefulness that permeates these people. They remain optimistic against all odds, trying to view their nomadic lifestyle as a late-life chance at adventure and freedom. They subscribe to the notion that you don't need material goods in order to live a full and happy life. They form online communities and often meet regularly in person around the country to share their knowledge of this lifestyle and to bolster each other up, often forming lasting friendships.

What an eye-opening read this turned out to be. It was heartbreaking to learn how the social safety net completely failed for this vulnerable group of Americans. And it makes me thankful for all that I have, in particular a home where I am safe and secure.

Readaroo Rating: 4 stars

This is a decent crime procedural overall. The story immediately starts off with the crime, which turns out to be darker and more gruesome than I expected. Then the main character Lieutenant Dallas spends the rest of the story making slow and steady progress towards solving the crime and capturing the killer with her team. Once I had gone about half-way into the book, I started to see where it's going. I figured out by then who was the most likely suspect, though it was still interesting to read to the end and see the crime wrapped up.

While I've previously read Nora Roberts novels, this is my first time reading the author under her pseudonym J. D. Robb. I was curious to see how Roberts would write under her suspense/crime pen name, and the story definitely retains some of that Nora Roberts feel. If you've read any of the author's romance novels published under her real name, you know that her characters can be a bit hokey, so it's no surprise that this carries over to her suspense pen name. Lieutenant Dallas is portrayed as a broken woman who has suffered tremendously in her life, but she's lucky to have married a billionaire who adores her and buys her whatever she wants, though she protests of course. Some of the dialog in there is correspondingly hokey too, though it doesn't take away from the fun, fast read that this is.

One thing that distracted from the book is that it sometimes reads like it hasn't been properly edited yet. Some sentences are awkward and hard to understand. And sometimes when a bunch of characters are introduced at once, they just refer to them by name in the future without subtly reminding the readers again who they are. This means the reader has to go back and re-read parts just to understand everything. They're minor things that a good editor should have caught and corrected, but for some reason they made it into the finished version.

Readaroo Rating: 3 stars

This story starts out strong. A baby is kidnapped while the parents are next door at a party. Who could have taken her? Everyone involved has secrets, so many secrets. A competent detective is assigned to the case, and he immediately starts to suspect the parents.

Then as secrets are revealed, twists and turns appear, more and more of them, until they are so convoluted and twisting onto themselves that all sense of realism and believability is lost. Towards the end, it's hard to relate to any of the characters anymore or understand anyone's motivations or actions.

I did enjoy the author's writing style. It's sparse and action-driven, so it feels like the suspense level is high throughout, at least stylistically if not content-wise. And it contributes to a speedy pace.

And then we come to the gobsmacked ending. See, the story had already finished and everything was wrapped up. And then for some inexplicable reason, the author decided to keep going for an additional chapter, just to throw something shocking in at the end, except that it makes no sense and is completely ridiculous! Yikes... the author should have stopped while she was ahead.

Readaroo Rating: 2 stars

Forest of a Thousand Lanterns is an East Asian retelling of the story of the Evil Queen from Snow White. Xifeng is a beautiful 18-year-old who, through the urging of her abusive aunt, schemes her way onto the Imperial Court. Her aunt has always told her that greatness is in her destiny and if she grasps it, she will become Empress of Feng Lu. But greatness comes at a steep price, which Xifeng learns as she gets closer to her destiny.

It was a little hard for me to settle on the rating for this book. It starts out really slowly, with Xifeng obsessing over her own beauty and being jealous of other women's looks. She also seems confused about what she wants from Wei, the boy who has loved her since they were kids. She's constantly pushing him away while being hurt if he doesn't pay attention to her. That was pretty much the first 100 pages, and I almost gave up on the book at that point.

But then the story started moving along, and before I knew it, I was immersed in the tale. It's great fun to cheer for the evil heroine, wondering what wicked thing she will do next. And she does so much wickedness, all the while justifying it to herself. The world in the book is beautifully portrayed with lush vibrant colors and landscapes, reminding me of a Zhang Yimou movie. It's not a deep book at all, but it's enjoyable and a bit shocking, and before I knew it, I had finished the book!

After the initial slow start, I thoroughly enjoyed the rest of the book, so I'm giving it 4 stars. This is the first in a series, and I can't wait for more. I hope Dao doesn't take too long to write the next one!

Readaroo Rating: 4 stars

In Just Mercy, author Stevenson details his founding and subsequent work with the Equal Justice Initiate, which helps defend the poor and the wrongly convicted from death row and life sentences. The book alternates between the lengthy work Stevenson does to get an innocent man, Walter McMillian, off of death row, and shorter stories on dozens of other people he helps.

The book makes a compelling case that our justice system is not justice for all. In many cases, the poor, minorities, and the disabled get an unfair shot because they do not have the money to hire a real lawyer or don't know what to do to get the legal help they deserve or are racially profiled to be a hardened criminal without justification. This means they often end up in jail for life or on death row when they should have been cleared or gotten reduced sentences for non-violent or non-homicide crimes.

In Walter's case, prosecutors and sheriffs conspired to keep evidence that would have exonerated him from his lawyers and then during the appeals process, maliciously refused to listen to reason and facts. The craziest evidence that the State refused to consider is that Walter was at a party at the time of the crime and had dozens of eye witnesses to his innocence.

Stevenson also touches upon work he has done to try to get women off of death row for being found guilty of murder after giving birth to stillborn babies. Or in one woman's case, of being on death row for the death of her baby when she hadn't even been pregnant. Stevenson also helped juveniles and mentally disabled people, among many others. It's hard to read all this and not despair for these people.

While the book talks about ending capital punishment for all and ending life sentences for juveniles, the author mainly uses examples where people are innocent or grossly over-sentenced to make his point. He doesn't address the case of repeated murders or other repeated heinous violent offenses. In those cases, do the perpetrators deserve leniency and mercy? If so, why? This is the one shortcoming of the book, and it would have been interesting to see more discussion on that.

Overall, this is a powerful, insightful, and emotionally-fraught book, one I would recommend to anyone wanting to learn more about our criminal justice system.

Readaroo Rating: 4 stars

Murder on the Orient Express is arguably Agatha Christie's most famous Poirot story, and for good reason.

Our Belgian detective is aboard the fabled Orient Express when a snowstorm stops the train on its tracks. When morning comes, it is discovered that a passenger has been stabbed to death in his locked compartment. With the snow outside, it becomes clear that the murderer must still be on the train, and it is up to Poirot to figure out who it is.

This is my favorite type of murder mystery—a locked room. The suspects have nowhere to go and the guilty party must be one of them. What follows is a brilliantly twisty whodunnit with red herrings and interesting characters who all have something to hide. And when the solution is revealed, I'm blown away by the cleverness and how the clues were there all along.

The only quibble I have is that Poirot goes and interviews each person one by one, which is then recorded in detail. This format is pretty common in quite a few Poirot books, but it isn't my preferred style. It can get boring and repetitive to hear each person describe the same event with just a slightly different spin. But that's usually over soon enough, and then we can get back to the exciting parts.

I first started reading Agatha Christie in 8th grade, partly to learn English and partly because my younger self found murders fascinating. Thus began my love affair with Agatha Christie and she remains one of my favorite authors of all time. Often books we enjoy in our childhood do not hold up to rereadings as an adult, but this one sure does.

Readaroo Rating: 4 stars

Before the Fall centers around the crash of a private plane, and how a painter and a little boy survive while all the others perish. There's no denying that the mystery behind a plane crash is compelling, and the story definitely benefits from that. In the end, the mystery is satisfactorily solved, and we find out what transpires to crash the plane.

That said, this book is held back by a few things. The pacing is terribly uneven. At times, it feels like it's being written by two different authors, one who is focused on advancing the story, keeping everything tightly and expertly paced; while the other is prone to random philosophical ramblings and completely unrelated side stories of each passenger's past. I very much enjoyed the former author's writing, and wish there was less of the latter's in the book.

As a reader, I have a problem with random ramblings equating to deepness, as if some nonsensical sentences that sound good put together with crudeness is necessary to propel a story from average to great, from artificial to genuine. And I feel this story suffered from this. Most of the characters in this book are either strangely foul-mouthed narcissists or incoherent long-winded ramblers (or both!) who come across as exaggerated caricatures. And it took away from what should have been a fast-paced book and slowed the forward momentum at crucial points.

Readaroo Rating: 3 stars

The Good Widow is another one of those books that begins with so much promise. Jacks finds out that her husband died on a trip to Maui with his mistress, and she, along with the mistress's fiancee Nick, goes there to find answers and closure. It sounds interesting enough, especially because this book is marketed as a thriller, with a mystery that they are solving together.

But no, the book was pretty much 95% drama, and a bad one at that. None of the characters are likable, including the dead people. Jacks' husband had all sorts of issues, from anger management to arrogance to emotional immaturity. His mistress sounds delusional about their future prospects and was terribly clingy. And it's hard to have sympathy for Jacks and Nick for loving these people and inexplicably traveling to their death location just to have a look-see.

The "mystery" does finally come together at the end, but it's pretty far-fetched, and the way everything is wrapped up is outlandish and depressing.

I'm giving this book an extra star because it does have a few well-written and emotionally-wrenching passages about love and death. Otherwise, I would have given this book just one star.

Readaroo Rating: 2 stars

I'm a data person. I pride myself on being logical and looking at the numbers before making decisions. And for quite a few years, I worked at a data visualization company and was a self-professed data geek. But can more data actually lead to worse results? That is what Weapons of Math Destruction tries to understand.

Insightful and timely, this book provides a detailed look at how algorithms based on big data don't always tell the truth or lead to a more fair world as they are purported to do. Rather, they contribute to a system that is opaque and hard to challenge, increasing the divide between the privileged and everyone else.

Each chapter provides a thoughtful exploration of an area where big data is supposed to be helping, such as college rankings, recidivism of convicts, applying for jobs, and getting loans. Algorithms in each area help define which are the best colleges, which convicts are most likely to reoffend, what personality types are best suited for a job, and who should get the best interest rates. That sounds useful, right?

But unfortunately, ideal data is not always available, so bad or irrelevant data is often used instead. And the resulting predictions are treated as gospel, increasing efficiency of the system, but harming those caught on the wrong side. It hurts a segment of the population while providing the rest of us with the false belief that fairness and justice has being done. In many cases, the algorithms' predictions create a negative feedback loop, directly influencing the outcome they were objectively trying to determine.

I found this book to be interesting and relevant. It really goes to show that your predictions are only as good as the data you've got. Whether you're a data geek like me or you just want to learn a little more about big data's potentially harmful effects, this is a worthwhile book to check out.

Readaroo Rating: 4 stars

Little Fires Everywhere is an intriguing look at what happens when unexpected views and happenings are thrown into a well-regulated and well-planned upper-middle class community. The story centers around a mother and daughter who arrive from out of town and rents from the Richardson family.

Even though the teaser for the book makes it seem like there is some mystery surrounding the mother and daughter, I would say the mystery plays only a small part of importance in the book. Rather, it is more a slow and steady character study of all the personalities in this drama. And Ng does a great job drawing the readers in, taking them on this journey with plenty of astute observations about life and relationships.

However, for all the positives and how much I enjoyed this book, I also thought it was just unrealistic. Whenever an issue is brought up in this story, however nuanced, every character immediately picks a side and stubbornly sticks to it, while jumping to vilify the other side. People did not reach out to understand the other viewpoint, and there is no attempt at a dialogue to even try. The fact that everyone in this story is like this makes it feel contrived and hard to believe. And with so many one-dimensional characters, the book ultimately ends up feeling like a caricature of the story it's trying to tell.

Readaroo Rating: 3 stars

Local Girl Missing starts out with so much promise. Frankie's best friend, Sophie, died 20 years ago, and her body was never recovered. When Frankie receives a call from Sophie's brother saying that Sophie's remains have been found and begging her to return to her old hometown to help him identify her and track down her killer, she agrees and goes. That sounds pretty interesting, right? Unfortunately, the story pretty much devolves into a giant mess from then on.

A large part of the problem is that everyone acts silly in the story. The narrative alternates between present-day Frankie's and 20 years ago Sophie's point of view. Once Frankie gets to her hometown, she immediately starts receiving threatening notes and feels like she's being watched. She constantly tells herself she should leave, but then she just stays. This cycle repeats for days. Even though she is 40 years old, she thinks and acts like an immature baby, constantly angling for attention. In the story, supposedly everyone likes her, but I find that seriously hard to believe.

Sophie doesn't do any better, keeping secrets left and right, even when it's not necessary. The whole mystery wouldn't have happened if she hadn't kept everything from everyone close to her, guarding her secrets like they are great treasures.

About half way through the book, you can kind of see where it's going. From then on, the story crawls along, like a soap opera trying to draw out each moment without anything new happening. The mystery doesn't really progress. The suspense is the fake kind, where nothing is happening. We the readers find out more, not because some new clue is discovered or deduced, but because the narrators finally decide it's time to drop us little nuggets of info.

And when we finally reach the merciful end, the twist is just laughable.

Readaroo Rating: 1 star

My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She's Sorry is a heartwarming and magical story that blurs the line between real life and fairy tales, told from the eyes of a seven-year-old girl. Elsa's grandmother has always regaled her with fairy tales from the Land-of-Almost-Awake, and when her grandmother dies, she leaves behind a treasure hunt for Elsa. As Elsa proceeds on her adventure, she starts to realize that her grandmother's fairy tales and their real lives are much closer than anyone would have guessed.

There are so many amazing things about this book. The world that is the Land-of-Almost-Awake is complex and well-thought-out. The blending of that make-believe world with the real world is seamless and masterful. We meet lots of interesting characters who evolve as the story progresses. And the story is touching and uplifting without being cheesy.

As with other books I've read by Backman (A Man Called Ove and Britt-Marie Was Here), it takes a while for the story to pick up, so the first few chapters seem a bit slow. And there's a lot of information to take in about all the fairy tales. But don't let that discourage you. All the relevant info you need will be repeated later. If you press on, you will be richly rewarded.

Readaroo Rating: 4 stars

The Gatekeepers is a well-researched look at the White House chiefs of staff under Nixon, Ford, Carter, Reagan, Bush Sr., Clinton, Bush Jr., and Obama; and their styles, abilities, accomplishments and failures in that role. The book explores the relationship between a chief's effectiveness and his president's ability to get things done during that time.

It talks about how the role has evolved into its modern reincarnation, what each president wants from their chiefs, and the consequences of that seminal choice. It's full of interesting details and tidbits, offering a backstage look at the defining moments in each president's tenure from the chief of staff's perspective.

I've long-held a fascination with the role ever since John Spencer played chief of staff Leo McGarry on The West Wing, and it's heartening to read that just like on the show, most chiefs are there working tirelessly to do the best they can for the country and for their president.

One note here: there is a quote in the book that completely gives away the ending of Agatha Christie's Murder on the Orient Express. I was in shock when I read it, just in the middle of the book without any spoiler warnings. It's not ok to give away another book's ending, and I'm very disappointed it was included in the book. So be warned.

Readaroo Rating: 3 stars

Homegoing is a stunning saga spanning eight generations, starting with two half-sisters in Ghana, one who lives a life of relative ease in Cape Coast Castle, while the other is imprisoned in the same castle and sold off as a slave. The book is structured so that each chapter is in essence a short story focused on one person, alternating between the two sisters and their descendants through the generations.

Even though each chapter is about a different character, Gyasi deftly weaves together a complete and cohesive story, building each generation on the generations before. At the hands of a less capable author, the story could start to lose momentum as we switch from one character to another, but not here. I finished this book in just three days, unable to put it down or think about anything else.

At its heart, this book is trying to show the impact of slavery and colonialism on everyone. And that impact is felt for many generations, robbing families of spouses, parents, siblings, children, their dignity and often a fair shot at a good future. The stories in here are heartbreaking, made even more emotionally griping because they are a distillation of the true experiences of so many.

I've read a lot of books this year, and most will pass into and out of my memory with barely a backwards glance. But this book, with its rich and haunting narratives, I know will be seared into my memory as one of my favorite books this year.

Readaroo Rating: 5 stars!

Not much happens in this book. The plot of this story is so thin it's hard to say it even qualifies as a plot. For such a short story, it really drags on. I kept reading and hoping that something (anything!) was going to happen. It doesn't help that most of the book is just the self-important ramblings of an old man disguised as some sort of philosophical epiphany. He, his friends, and his girlfriend all sound like insufferable snobs who can't just say what they mean and have to go around having airs with each other. And when the big reveal finally happens in the last pages of the book, I'm just like *shrug* "is this what all the fuss is about?"

Readaroo Rating: 1 star

The Owl Always Hunts at Night is a Scandinavian crime fiction, the second in the Munch & Kruger series and my first introduction to it. It's dark, gruesome, suspenseful, and incredibly twisty. The beginning will instantly grab you, the premise of the crime is intriguing, and there were no lack of characters to suspect. It pretty much had me turning the pages until I reached the very end. That said, I feel like this book has some flaws that prevented me from thoroughly enjoying it.

With so many characters in this book, it's a little hard to keep up sometimes. It almost feels like there are too many, thrown in simply to up the suspect-count. It starts to feel a bit contrived, how everyone just happens to have connections to each other. Also, a lot of the characters have similar names--Marianne, Miriam, Marion--just to add to the confusion.

Speaking of characters, neither of the two main characters plus all the additional detectives on the team are particularly competent. Kruger is perpetually drunk and often on pills, sometimes while talking to suspects. In the course of an evening, she would go through like 10 or more drinks. It's a wonder she didn't keel over. I know she's a flawed character, but it's hard to be sympathetic to her when she can't be bothered to make any sensible decisions. She even interrupts suspects while they are answering her questions during interrogation. Munch seems confused and not sure how to lead the investigation, often ignoring relevant pieces of information as it comes in because he's too tired to care.

Really, all the detectives on the team are fairly scatterbrained, having to ask for clarification multiple times in each conversation, as if they don't even know what they are talking about. Every time new information comes in, even if it's information that they themselves requested, they still have to be reminded before they can remember. It's very odd and makes for really frustrating dialog.

This book is fairly suspenseful, but at times it feels like the author is trying to contrive even more suspense into it. For example, at one point, all the detectives watch a video and there is a part in there that shocks them! But then the book immediately switches to other characters' stories and we the readers don't see what that is until many chapters later. There's no reason for this. The book would be just as good if we find out discoveries at the same time as the detectives.

So all in all, while the plot of this book was enjoyable, the way it was written and the unlikable characters did take away from that.

Readaroo Rating: 3 stars

Quakeland is a journey across America, examining earthquakes both naturally-occurring as well as man-made. It takes a hard look at what we humans are doing to contribute to the frequency and severity of them, as well as what we are doing to prepare and recover from them.

The conclusion is that earthquakes can happen pretty much anywhere. And we are contributing to their frequency and severity. And we know so little about them that we don't have a way of predicting them. And because big ones happen so rarely and people's memories are so short, most governments do not find it worthwhile to spend the money so that we are prepared. It's a pretty scary conclusion.

A good chunk of this book (Part 2) is focused on earthquakes with man-made causes. This includes dams, drilling, mines, injection wells, geothermal energy, fracking, etc. Since there are so many of these topics, at times this part of the book feels thinly stretched, with fact-after-fact thrown in, but not enough depth or an overarching story that the reader can really remember it all. In the end, I'm not sure I retained much details from the topics in this part.

I went into this book wanting to understand more about the well-known earthquake zones, such as the Cascadia subduction zone and Ring of Fire, but the book didn't spent much time covering those, just a chapter here and there. It would have been nice to see more coverage about their histories, what we know about the lead-up to their tremors, and how communities rebuilt afterwards.

Part 3 of the book is the most interesting to me. It talks about urban planning with respect to earthquakes, mental health effects of those who have experienced a traumatic earthquake, tsunamis, earthquake predictions, and early warning systems. I really enjoyed this part of the book and thought it was well-written and engaging.

Readaroo Rating: 3 stars

Stay with Me is an evocative and heartbreaking look at what happens when love isn't enough. Yejide and Akin met and fell in love at university. Even though they married for love, they are still bound by old traditions and values where a woman's worth is tied solely to her ability to bear children. Akin is the eldest son, and when no child materializes after years of marriage, external and internal forces proceed to exert tremendous stress on their relationship.

Adebayo writes with remarkable emotional intensity. She conveys the complexity of the characters, and shows why each is driven, through the most trying circumstances, into doing things that they are not proud of. She explores themes like love, death, and forgiveness with the deft understanding of the intricacies of human nature.

At times, the pacing of the book felt a little uneven. And when the narration switches back and forth between Yejide and Akin, sometimes it takes me a few sentences before I pick that up. But these are pretty minor gripes. Overall, Adebayo's book hits all the right notes. I have a feeling this is a story that will stay with me long after I've finished reading.

Readaroo Rating: 4 stars

This is my first time reading Sophie Hannah's interpretation of Agatha Christie's famous Belgian detective Hercule Poirot. These are big shoes for Hannah to fill, and I think she does a fairly good job in Closed Casket. I very much enjoyed the murder, the clues, the eccentric cast of characters and the way the story develops.

The one weakness is the actual solution of the murder mystery. It feels somewhat unbelievable at times, both in the explanation of some of the more outrageous details and in the motivations for murder. Also, while Hannah sticks to Christie's format of having Poirot gather all the characters in a room to explain and unveil whodunnit, Hannah takes more than 50 pages to do this (about 1/6th of the book), making that part drag on unnecessarily.

In the end, while this book falls short of its lofty goal in the inevitable comparisons with the queen of mystery, I feel it is an enjoyable book in its own right, and I look forward to reading more from the author.

Readaroo Rating: 3 stars

The Simplicity of Cider starts slowly, with so much description of every setting that it really bogged down the initial pages and made it hard to get into. It doesn't help that the characters are pretty dull, with their only real distinguishing feature being that they're all tall. With such dull characters, it was hard for me to get into the romance, because quite frankly I found it hard to believe anyone would fall for them.

But even all that aside, the biggest drawback of this book is that most of the characters have secrets that they don't need to have. The secrets seem to serve no purpose other than to act as dramatic plot points, which make it hard to believe in the story and the people. In most cases, holding these secrets went against their best interests and they would have been found out eventually anyways, so it makes no sense from a motivational standpoint.

While there are cute moments in this book, such as the ending hitting all the right emotional highs and eliciting the feel-good feeling that stories like this aim for, I feel its shortcomings ultimately outweigh the positive.

Readaroo Rating: 2 stars

Idiot Brain is a delve into the messy ways the brain works and how it can sometimes go awry. It touches upon a variety of interesting topics, including what is intelligence, how does memory work, what determines personality, and what happens when the brain isn't working correctly.

My favorite section is Chapter 7's discussion about the brain's tendency to favor a "just and fair world", so if we see bad things happen to others, we tend to blame them, especially if the victim is someone we strongly identify with. The brain sees it as, if that someone is just like us and bad things are happening to them, then it must be due to their own fault... otherwise, the world is random and bad things may happen to us too, which is very unpleasant for the brain to contemplate.

A weakness of this book is that instead of leading the reader on a journey of understanding, everything is just told to the reader, one fact after another. This makes it hard to retain much information, as it's too dense. I would've liked to have seen more examples of the interesting psychology experiments that the author alludes to and that give rise to some of the findings, but those are quickly glossed over in a lot of places. Also, a lot of time is spent on giving proper scientific terms to everything, which I don't think is really necessary for better understanding of the content.

Another weakness is that at times the book reads like a stream of consciousness that hasn't seen an editor. This is most evident in Chapter 8, where a section comes off as the author ranting against anyone who doesn't understand that depression isn't a result of selfishness. While I agree with that, the section contains very little scientific evidence to back up that claim... it was mostly just the author going on.

In conclusion, while the topics covered in this book are interesting and it has a few illuminating moments within its pages, I think the way it's presented makes it hard to retain and take a lot out of the book. Also, the quality of the sections in the book are uneven, with some being very well-researched and insightful, and others much less so.

Readaroo Rating: 3 stars

The Snowman is my first foray into Scandinavian crime fiction. The backdrop is gloomy and dark, and the story itself is intense, creepy, and gruesome. Harry is an appropriately flawed detective, battling substance abuse and demons of the past as he tries to solve the mystery and catch the serial killer. It's satisfyingly twisty, with Harry following multiple false leads until he finally arrives at the answers he seeks.

This is my first time reading the Harry Hole series, and I had no trouble jumping straight into the 7th book without having read the previous ones. While there were a few unfamiliar names of the supporting characters at the beginning, it didn't take me long to get the hang of all of them. If I had read the previous books, I probably would know more of the back stories, but reading out of order doesn't seem to have taken away any of my enjoyment of this book.

I'm looking forward to reading more from this series!

Readaroo Rating: 4 stars

This moment slips past unnoticed.

The end of everything I know, everything I love.

If there ever was a science fiction story that could appeal to everyone, this is it.

Jason Dessen was living the normal happy life with his wife and son when one night, a stranger abducts him and knocks him out. When he comes to, everything has changed. How will he survive and get back to the life and the people he loves?

Ok, that's a pretty measly teaser, but it's all I can say without giving anything away.

This book blew my mind when I originally read it. But to be fair, I went into it almost completely blind. Not only did I not know the story, but I somehow didn't even realize what genre it was. So when strange things started happening, I was really REALLY surprised.

Even though this book is science fiction, it reads like a thriller. It's fast-paced and relentless in its drive to propel the plot forward. The action never stops, and the intensity just builds and builds. Every time I think I've got a grip on what's going on and where the story is headed, something happens that I didn't see coming.

This book is the rare one that's got something for everyone. It mixes together a variety of genres—science fiction, thriller, suspense, mystery, and romance—and it does so seamlessly. Even if you're not normally a sci-fi reader, it's worth considering this book. The concepts in here are accessible to everyone, and it's really the perfect introduction to the genre.

At the core of this story are questions that everyone can relate to. What happens if we made different choices in life? What about the road not traveled? And how much would we sacrifice to be with the ones we love?

I can't think of another story quite like this. It's worth the journey to discover it for yourself.

Readaroo Rating: 5 stars!

Knowing this is a much-loved modern classic, let me tread carefully here.

Going into All the Light We Cannot See, I had heard nothing but great things about it. How enchanting the story is, how the writing will sweep me off my feet, how I will come away changed as a person. And I admit, it does have beautiful prose everywhere. But that isn't enough to save it from being a complete dud.

Essentially, a book with more than 500 pages can't just be made up of nothing but beautiful, flowery, descriptive prose. Things need to happen, plots need to advance, characters need to grow. But so little of that actually happens in this long book. And when something exciting does happen, there is flowery descriptions and random musings embedded right in the middle of it, slowing down what little forward progress there is.

It reminds me of school assignments back in the day, when I'm told to expand on what I've written. But I had no more content, nothing more to say, so I just found different ways to write the same thing over and over, hoping the teacher wouldn't notice. In this way, I would achieve writing alchemy, turning one sentence into four sentences. And that's what happened here.

The book has a dual timeline, alternating between 1944 and the years leading up to it. But that didn't really work for me. The story would have been the same told in chronological order, so the switcharoo back and forth, instead of adding tension or suspense, only led to confusion. The odd thing is that 1944 is supposed to be the climax of the novel, but those sections are so slow and boring, filled with almost no progression of the storyline, merely descriptions of streets, walking, digging, sitting, hiding...

So many people love this book, but it just isn't for me. I fell asleep multiple times while reading it and almost gave up. It's the sort of book where you can pick out any page and be impressed by its descriptive beauty, but when you read the whole book it ultimately is tedious and uninteresting.

Readaroo Rating: 2 stars

Killers of the Flower Moon is a meticulously researched and shocking tale of the murder spree that killed countless wealthy Osage Indians during the 1920s. The murders detailed in the book are chilling in their ruthlessness and greed, targeting not just the Osage but also people brought in to investigate their murders. Prior to reading this book, I hadn't heard anything about this, and it's sad that such a dark time in the nation's history has been glossed over and mostly forgotten.

The author has done a superb job of weaving a narrative through all this bloodshed, helping the readers step through the murders and then the ensuing investigations, evidences, setbacks, and breakthroughs. Part of what really troubles me about this story is that justice has come too late or never for so many of the Osage. If you want to know more about this horrific period in the nation's history, this is a must-read.

Readaroo Rating: 4 stars

This book got such great reviews from so many people that I'm wondering, are we all reading the same book?

The book is structured so that it's told in past and present times in alternative chapters. That works in the first half of the book, but once the "past" in later parts of the book become later than "present" in earlier parts of the book, it doesn't work anymore. It feels like the author pretty much did it as a superficial means of increasing the suspense in the book. Speaking of suspense, the book's not really suspenseful or a thriller. And it's not really a mystery because you can guess what the book is about just by reading the book jacket.

*** Minor spoilers below (aka what you can guess just by reading the book jacket) ***

The two main characters in this book are just ridiculous caricatures of their roles in this plot. Grace is incredibly submissive even though she has gone toe-to-toe with her parents about her sister and has built up a fabulous career that involves her flying around everywhere. Jack is the most over-the-top villain, to the point where he never comes across as menacing but more as cartoonish. I'm surprised he didn't reveal his real name as Jafar and bust out his serpent staff.

Everything about their relationship is just silly. At one point, Jafar--I mean Jack-- pretty much said "I don't love you and I'm going to abuse you mwahaha" and Grace's response is along the lines of "I must have heard wrong. You don't mean that". It's hard to care about characters like that. I did enjoy some of the minor characters, including Millie and Esther, as they seem to have their wits about them.

The first two-thirds of the book feels really dull and slow to me as not much happens other than what you can already guess from the book jacket. I was glad to reach the climax of the story, partly to see what happens after all that setup and also to finally reach the merciful end to this unrealistic story.

Readaroo Rating: 1 star

I first read Brave New World many years (decades) ago in high school, and I remember thinking it was really interesting at the time. Well, I must have been a doofus back then because this reread just didn't live up to expectations. To be honest, my impression now is that it's all a bit of a mess.

First, who exactly are the main characters here? We start following a few people, but end up focusing on someone else entirely. None of the characters are particularly sympathetic, not even the supposedly enlightened "savage" man from outside this world. And this savage man, even though he had a bit of homeschooling in the middle of nowhere, can converse on a superior level with the Controller of Western Europe upon meeting him. (Cue eye-rolling.)

The story relies heavily on Shakespeare quotes to make its point, often devolving into random ramblings for pages at a time. In a whole chapter devoted to discussions on religion, it clearly implies that turning one's back on religion causes a society to melt down into dystopia. (More eye-rolling.)

And on top of that, the part that annoys me the most is its treatment of the female main character. The "savage" calls her a whore every time he feels attracted to her and goes so far as to physically attack her, since it's obviously her fault for tempting him. I know this was written in the 1930s, so maybe this sort of rape-culture thinking was the norm back then, but it doesn't make reading it now any less offensive.

I'll be generous and give it 3 stars for being a classic with some interesting ideas about dystopian society. But if I were to rank it against books out there today, it's not worth more than 2 stars. Womp womp.

Readaroo Rating: 3 stars

A sweet, lighthearted story with lots of lovable characters all looking for their happily ever after. It's meant to be a feel-good story, and it perfectly achieves that goal. I did find the ending to be a little cheesy and everything wrapping up a bit too neatly, with just about everyone finding their soul mates and pairing off. Still, it's an enjoyable read when you just want something light and fun.

Readaroo Rating: 3 stars

It took me a while to pick this book up because I don't know anything about rowing, and I thought I wouldn't find this book particularly interesting as a result. Boy, was I wrong! Riveting and uplifting, this book has surpassed all my expectations. For a book in which you know the outcome (it says so in the subtitle), it is suspenseful, gripping, and full of raw emotions.

I appreciate that it's meticulously researched, and even though it's full of personal details about the boys and historical details about what's going on at the time in the US and the world, it never feels bogged down. It's well-written so that all the characters pop off the page, along with their hopes and dreams. As I'm reading it, I can't help but cheer for these boys who come from such humble backgrounds, and through determination and perseverance in the face of extreme obstacles, finally achieve their dreams. This is surely one of the best books I've ever read!

Readaroo Rating: 5 stars!

I thought I'd seen it all when it comes to murder mysteries. But then Magpie Murders comes along and completely blows me away!

Author Alan Conway is well known for his famous Atticus Pünd detective series, so when editor Susan Ryeland receives his latest manuscript, she's excited to dig in. But it soon becomes clear that Conway enjoys hiding clues of real people inside his stories. And when she gets word that he has unexpectedly passed away, she starts to wonder. What secrets does Conway's latest manuscript hold, and could they have led to his death?

This story is set up as a mystery within a mystery. We get to enjoy the Atticus Pünd manuscript in its entirety, and its style is reminiscent of Agatha Christie. And we get the whole mystery of Conway's death, as well as how the two of them tie together. It's absolutely brilliant how the book interweaves both a throwback to the golden age of crime and a more modern take on the same genre.

The two mysteries are full of the things I love in a whodunnit: twists and turns, red herrings, and suspects that all have something to hide. The whole thing is riveting and so unapologetically fun. And when we get to the resolution, it is utterly satisfying and rewards the reader for having paid attention.

When I come across a truly clever murder mystery, I both binge read it and consciously try to slow myself down to savor each delicious detail as it comes up. Looking back on mysteries I've read in recent years, I don't think I've enjoyed any other contemporary author's take on this genre as much as Anthony Horowitz's. If there ever was a book I wish I could scrub from my memory just to have the joy of reading it again, it would have to be this one.

Readaroo Rating: 5 stars!

Backman has a knack for writing quirky, eccentric, grumpy characters that in other authors' hands would have turned into completely unlikable and unrelatable people, but in his hands turn into sympathetic souls we understand and love. Britt-Marie is just like this. While at first glance she may seem to be awkward and unkind, there is so much more to her than meets the eye. Backman slowly draws her out as the story progresses, until she works her way into the readers' hearts.

This story is about changing for the better, that it's never too late to be the person you want to be and to make your dreams a reality. It's about making connections with the people around you and letting others in. It was a real joy to read this sweet and uplifting book!

Readaroo Rating: 4 stars

Let me pose a question so you'll understand my low rating: Say you were fleeing for your life, running nonstop, no food or water for days, seeing people around you drop from exhaustion, being bombed, and surrounded by blood and the stench of death. Would you then, as the first thing you do after arriving at shelter with potential food, kiss a stranger with burning desire and profess your love?

That is just one example of why this book is not my cup of tea. Everything is overly dramatic to the point of being silly, making me feel like I'm reading a soap opera instead of a serious historical novel about WWII. The main characters (the two sisters) aren't particularly likable or interesting. They come across as one-dimensional cliched versions of their personality types: one afraid of everything, the other reckless and impetuous.

Also, how can a book set in WWII about two brave female protagonists be so dull and uninteresting? Most of this book drags on and on (not helped by its long length), offering up developments tidbit by tidbit, seemingly without going anywhere. Thankfully, things do speed up to a brisk rate in the last few chapters of the book, bringing everything to a merciful conclusion.

If you're wondering whether to read this book, I would say read it if you're looking for a cheesy historical drama; otherwise, skip it... there are better WWII novels out there.

Readaroo Rating: 2 stars

I remember what a momentous day it was in 2015 when the Supreme Court legalized same-sex marriage. Now this book Love Wins traces through all the details and the people who fought so hard through decades of legal battles that finally made same-sex marriage the law of the land. It's a wonderful, emotional, inspirational story of probably the biggest civil rights decision of my lifetime. I like that this book focuses on personal stories of the plaintiffs and their families, in addition to containing loads of legal details on the wins and losses that happened along the way. Really, it's a great book if you want to learn more about what went into making same-sex marriage a reality in this country.

Readaroo Rating: 4 stars

Lilac Girls follows the intersecting lives of three women, one in New York, one in Poland, and one in Germany, as one of them is sent to the notorious all-women concentration camp Ravensbrück. It's a harrowing tale, but one that needs to be told so it's never forgotten. Not only is this a page-turning narrative, but it also imparts a lot of carefully researched details about the atrocities of World War II. Even though the story tells of dark times, it's uplifting as well because it shows that the human spirit is full of courage and bravery. It's amazing that this is the author's debut novel; I look forward to reading more from her.

Readaroo Rating: 4 stars