As a major fan of A Gentleman in Moscow and a respecter of The Lincoln Highway, which I found to be a mixed bag, I was really excited to check out where it all started with Rules of Civility. This time around, it's not a week in 50s
Upmarket fiction is generally my favorite. For those who don't know book category jargon, the simplest way to put it is: commercial is plot-focused, upmarket is character-focused, and literary is prose-focused. That's an oversimplification, but the point is, I didn't think Holly Jackson'
While it wasn't a 100% perfect novel for me, A Gentleman in Moscow was a wonderful masterwork that holistically inspired my next novel. That was a genuinely incredible book, so I consequently checked The Lincoln Highway out on Libby! Following multiple points of view as they wrestle with
Serial killer sister? Enabler sister? Set in the wonderful country of Nigeria? That's one heck of a combo. My Sister, the Serial Killer was recommended to me as an effective comp title for my in-progress novel, My Name Is Karen, and I was really happy at the end
As a mystery lover and a lover of Singlish linguistics, I was delighted to find this gem of a book on my most recent library visit! Food-related mysteries seem to be quite the trend as of late, but as a lifelong fan of the legendary TV show Just Add Magic,
As I've inevitably continued my search for the perfect comp titles for my novel, Lu Patrick Easley and the Groovy Penguin Avenue, a friend recommended Iron Widow to me as a good match for the character voice side of things. I was a little skeptical of the claim&
I started reading A Gentleman in Moscow much in part because my mom loves it. I'm one of those guys who doesn't have a favorite genre, unless that genre is "good books". The book I read before this was The Reappearance of Rachel Price
A Good Girl's Guide to Murder, from the mind of Holly Jackson, is a book that I've heard many good things about. I love amateur sleuth stories if they're done well, and I was pretty excited for this one! This book—now a Netflix
I was recommended Yellowface by a friend, who said its satirical, comedic portrayal of a white woman spiraling out of control and rationalizing terrible actions would make for a great comparable title for one of my current projects, My Name Is Karen. I looked up the novel and, as soon
I'm currently reading lots of books that seem like effective comp titles for my book-in-progress, Lu Patrick Easley and The Groovy Penguin Avenue. With a dark, cynical character-focused mystery following a teenager, The Reappearance of Rachel Price seemed like a good match. So, did the book live up
My grandma just moved in from out of state, and I've been helping her set up her new bookshelf. As I opened Banker's box after Banker's box, I spotted a really cute book I'd (somehow) never seen before: Remarkably Bright Creatures! And
Honestly, Project Hail Mary wasn’t a book I was racing to pull off the shelf. In fact, if you had shown me my reading wishlist at the start of the year, it probably wouldn’t have even cracked the top 100. But with how many people were hyped for
Reminders of Him
I love corny, sappy romances, but a lot of people close to me have said Colleen Hoover's books are an absolute meme. Obviously, I always defend authors and want to give them a real chance, not jump on some ridiculous bandwagon. While I wasn't a fan
Midwinter Break
Ever since the story first caught my attention, I was intrigued by Midwinter Break because I didn't really know what to expect beyond a long-married retired couple taking a vacation to Amsterdam. Going into Bernard MacLaverty’s novel relatively blind, I was quite curious to see how this
The Housemaid
Spoilers ahead for The Housemaid! I wasn't able to check out Freida McFadden's The Housemaid right around when it first started blowing up. Still, it was a novel I was incredibly excited for because of the glowing recommendations from some of my favorite critics (and because