Ooh, misbehaving children and technology! Are ya scared yet? No? Me neither.

Rowan comes across an ad looking for a live-in nanny at a remote country estate. When she applies and nabs the job, she is thrilled. But it seems the opportunity is too good to be true, and there are malevolent forces at work inside the idyllic house. The story is told with the reveal first, as a child is dead and Rowan is sitting in prison writing to her lawyer pleading that she did not kill the child. She then proceeds to tell him the story of what really happened.

And here is my first issue with this story: Rowan spends a good amount of time in the initial chapters telling her lawyer (and us readers) how important it is that he hears the whole story, every little detail, in order to understand her side. But the truth isn't that complicated and can be summed up in a few sentences. Yet she goes on and on about how he can't possibly understand if she left anything out. Honestly, this style of foreshadowing drives me crazy. If the only way to achieve suspense is to tell your readers repeatedly that the good part is coming, maybe your story isn't that suspenseful?

It doesn't help that Rowan isn't particularly likable or relatable. She exercises poor judgement over and over. Who would jump into a job that four people had previously vacated in just one year? To a regular person, this would raise red flags and they would proceed with caution, but she didn't even ask any questions. And then as odd things start to happen, she didn't reach out to the parents or another adult. She comes across as very melodramatic and silly, and it's hard to feel for her as she works herself into bad situations.

The majority of this story is Rowan trying to get the nanny job (100 pages), and then watching misbehaving children while smart technology around the house also misbehaves (another 170 pages). It wasn't until the last 60 pages that the book got somewhere. I just don't find reading page after page of bratty children acting out to be that interesting nor malfunctioning smart technology to be that scary. When we finally get to the unraveling of the mystery, the twists are pretty unimaginative and straightforward. And the ending was rushed and incomplete, and it left a whole bunch of things unexplained.

This is my third Ruth Ware book, and they've all been fairly disappointing. The premise always seems intriguing, and the mysteries themselves have a lot of potential. But the way they are written, and in particular how stupid and self-defeating the female characters are, make the stories real downers. I keep hanging on, hoping the author would mature and work out some of these story-telling tics, but it hasn't happened yet.

Readaroo Rating: 2 stars

Crisis in the Red Zone tells of the horrific 2013-2014 Ebola epidemic that engulfed Guinea, Sierra Leone, and Liberia, and eventually infected almost 30,000 people. While the virus stretched the financial and medical infrastructure of these three countries, the book focuses geographically on the Makona Triangle, where the virus first grabbed hold and exploded, and on Kenema Government Hospital as it quickly became overwhelmed beyond its limits as the only hospital in Sierra Leone with a functional infectious disease unit that could handle Ebola.

What is so riveting about this book is that the virus's effects on humans and its vicious propagation are more horrifying than any fiction epidemic book I've ever read. During the initial outbreak, the international community was not taking this very seriously, and so very little aid arrived from outside. These three countries are relatively poor and have fragile medical infrastructures, which quickly became swamped by the deluge of sick people.

The author takes something happening on a large scale, and brings humanity to it by telling the story through the eyes of the people on the ground: the doctors, nurses, and scientists fighting on the front lines. Their courage is awe-inspiring and their terror is visceral as they battle against this virus that is spreading faster than they can contain and could possibly kill them in the process.

The book delves into the epidemiological roots of the virus, its current mutations, and where it can go from here if we are not careful. It also explores the ethical implications around who to treat if there are limited resources available or if the only potential medicine is unproven and untested against humans.

I found this book to be captivating and informative. It is as gripping as a thriller, but more real and horrifying because it isn't fiction. Whenever I hear of something bad happening in another part of the world, it's easy to feel a sense of distance, as if that could never touch me. The author was masterful in drawing the reader into the minds and emotions of the medical professionals battling Ebola, and making their fight come alive. Those people are the real heroes, and I'm glad their story is being told.

Readaroo Rating: 5 stars!

Even among Agatha Christie's amazing murder mysteries, The Murder of Roger Ackroyd stands out as one of the most extraordinary.

I first read this more than 20 years ago in high school, and was so stunned by the ending that I remembered it through all these years. Recently, I wanted to reread it and see if I still love it just as much, even though I already know the ending going in. And sure enough, it's just as brilliant as I remembered.

This story has all the characteristics that make an Agatha Christie whodunnit remarkable—a confounding murder, a small but seemingly unlikely list of suspects, an abundance of clues and red herrings everywhere, and an ending that will leave you amazed. It was really fun to revisit this story that has stood out in my memory for so long.

In many ways, Agatha Christie was a pioneer in her genre, and this story is one example where you can see her influence in the books that have come since then. For me, she remains the undisputed queen of mystery. I only wish I can scrub my memory so I can enjoy this story over and over again.

Readaroo Rating: 5 stars!

In The Last Anniversary, Sophie inherits a house on Scribbly Gum Island, the site of a mystery, when her ex-boyfriend's aunt passes away. She moves there and is soon swept along in the drama of everyone who lives on the island. There promises to be intrigue everywhere, as it seems each person is hiding something.

Honestly, the secrets were over-hyped. There wasn't much to them even though the book seems to make a big deal out of them. This is definitely more of a family drama, and I found the first half of the book to be a bit dull. It took quite a while for Sophie to even move into the house, and then once there, the same part of the plot is told repeatedly from different people's perspectives, making it feel repetitive and slow. I also had trouble keeping track of the relations between family members, and had to draw myself a family tree to keep it all straight.

Thankfully, the second half of the book picks up, and the last 100 pages positively flew by. The ending was fun and wrapped everything up with satisfaction, even adding in a little twist I didn't see coming.

While the first half of this book was a little boring, the second half made up for it, turning this into a fun and enjoyable read overall. And I continue to appreciate Moriarty's writing style. She sprinkles her typical wit and sharp observations throughout, which never fails to get a few good chuckles out of me.

Readaroo Rating: 3 stars

Wow, this book made me uncomfortable on so many levels. I'm going to try to unpack it all here, and put my thoughts into words.

The Friend Zone starts off likable enough. Kristen is your all-around cool girl with a medical condition that will make it hard for her to have children. She meets Josh in the midst of planning her best friend's wedding, and they hit it off instantly. But the problem is that Josh wants at least five biological children, but really nine is the ideal number (yep, you read that correctly).

First of all... nine?! I double-checked, just to be sure I wasn't reading a book from the 1800s written by a sexist dude. Josh's attitude seems to be that the only thing he values in a mate is how many children she will give him. But he's not the only one. Multiple characters in here put extreme value on having biological children over any other alternatives, and look down on females who either can't or won't have them.

But Kristen isn't blameless either. In fact, the main issue of the book is that Kristen keeps her medical condition from Josh. Instead of just telling him and having a conversation about it like adults, she jerks him around while using him for sex. Ah yes, the age-old trick of deceiving someone into falling for you by pretending to be someone you're not. Obviously, these two idiots deserve each other.

I think the book is trying to be feminist by saying that you can be a strong female and love yourself even if you struggle with infertility or don't have children. But it somehow came across as completely the opposite. And the ending (which I won't spoil) completely undoes everything the book is trying to accomplish anyways.

In addition to the unlikable characters with questionable views, there were a lot of little oddities that gave me weird vibes. Like at one point, Josh goes on a rant about how people who live in cities call 911 for anything, whereas in the small town he comes from, people know to only use 911 for legit emergencies because "small-town people had pride."

Also, the way Josh compliments Kristen is extremely off-putting. He praises her for being a cool girl who drinks beer (not wine) with the guys, doesn't need to wear makeup to be beautiful, and just wants to eat burgers and pizza, while putting down other women who aren't like that as "nuts." How this book managed to insult like 100% of the female population in one fell swoop is a headscratcher, for sure.

In the end, there were so many things in this book that were, quite frankly, offensive. It seems like the author is trying to say one thing, but everything in the book ends up saying the exact opposite. Just... no.

Readaroo Rating: 1 star

Phantom is my third exposure to Harry Hole (after The Snowman and The Leopard), and it continues to impress. This time, the crime hits close to home because someone Harry cares about is being accused of murder, and Harry is their last chance at freedom.

Harry is as flawed a detective as ever, trying to stay sober and escape the ghosts of his past, while being as sharp and clever as he's ever been. There are so many twists and turns in this book, and it's fun to follow Harry as he comes to his conclusions and susses out the truth. It's also entertaining to follow Harry as he sustains one injury after another, which would slow down a normal person, but not someone as badass as him.

I was a little taken aback by the ending, which didn't wrap everything up as usual, but left a few strings dangling. I assume the next book will pick up right where this one left off. I prefer my crime fiction to be self contained because my long-term memory for book details isn't great. But I suppose this just means I'll have to pick up the next book in this series sooner rather than later.

Readaroo Rating: 4 stars

In The Truth About Animals, Cooke takes us on a tour of the animal kingdom and peels back the layers of mystery surrounding all of these animals. She explores the history of our understanding (or misunderstanding) of each animal, along with the latest science on how they really are. Thirteen animals are covered in here, and every one gets its own chapter, so each is fairly short and snappy. My favorite chapters are the ones on hyena, hippo, and panda, but I enjoyed almost every one.

This reads a lot like the Planet Earth documentaries, but with more focus on the historical misconceptions of the animals and how those myths were propagated. It's a fun book filled with lots of interesting tidbits. If you ever wondered about why sloths are so slow, how pandas became sex-shy, and whether bats really drink blood (and so many other questions!), this would be a good book to check out.

Readaroo Rating: 4 stars

As part of my reading challenge this year, I wanted to read at least one or two classics, and Anna Karenina was high on my list. It's considered by many to be one of the best novels ever written, and I've never read any Tolstoy. So even though it's a monster at more than 800 pages, I decided it's time I conquered it.

The story starts out so strong, with what seems to be an insightful treatise into the family and romantic life of several characters, including title character Anna. The domestic strife, misunderstandings, affairs, and life in general of the Russian elite, when boiled down to its essentials, are not so different from what occupy people's attentions today. I found the initial chapters to be interesting, and was drawn towards the circle of people who would make up the main cast of the book.

Then as the story progressed, things started to reach their natural conclusions, until about halfway through the book. At that point, I wish Tolstoy would have stopped because I found the second half to be more or less unnecessary. Everything had been resolved by then. But Tolstoy continued, and for me, the story just fell apart after that.

The main characters, in particular Anna, having gotten what they wished for, started acting loony, for lack of a better word. The more their wishes came true, the unhappier they became. A good portion of the second half was devoted to Anna lamenting how her partner does not love her. Every time he goes somewhere, she would pounce on him as soon as he comes home, saying crazy things about how he must be thinking of other women and no longer of her. He would reassure her constantly of his love and unending devotion. She wouldn't listen, so when he inevitably would get frustrated, she took that as confirmation that he doesn't love her. She would leave messages for him not to bother her, and when he doesn't, she would take that as a sign that she is right. This went on for like 200 pages. I wanted to stab myself every time Anna showed up in a scene. It's hard to tolerate a book when you dislike the main character that much.

I'm also a little uncomfortable that Tolstoy seems to portray women in his story as weak and mentally unstable, while the men are portrayed as high-thinking orators. The women would fly into tears and rages at the drop of a hat, stirring up domestic trouble while their men are out doing their jobs or hanging out with their buddies. The women also blushed uncontrollably when talking to any man who isn't their husband. Maybe this is just the way it was during Tolstoy's time and this book would have been seen as progressive, but as a modern woman reading it now, it makes me cringe so hard.

Tolstoy also seems to have treated this book as a vehicle to get out whatever he wanted to say on a variety of topics, including farming techniques, local governments and elections, the meaning of life, religion, snipe shooting, duty and rights of citizens, etc. This book is full of philosophical musings on these topics and more. I don't mind when authors want to present interesting and tangential thoughts, but Tolstoy did it constantly and without filter. His ramblings would go on for many chapters, and were so unedited that it's essentially a stream of consciousness. I'm sure there are some good points in there, but it's so buried under pages of unreadable and irrelevant prattle that I couldn't find them. While these technical and philosophical ruminations are all throughout the book, they were much worse in the second half, taking up a significant portion of it.

Reading this 800+ page tome has been an odyssey. I didn't find any of the characters to be particularly likable or charming. They were all rather silly, unstable, or full of themselves. To me, this is far from one of the best books I've ever read, though it's possible that back then, when there wasn't much to read or do for fun, this would have fulfilled that role. Now I can say I have read Anna Karenina, but that's about as much as I got out of it.

Readaroo Rating: 2 stars