The Maritime Reader

Ok, ok, it’s not QUITE fall yet…I know. I’m actually not one of those people who likes to say goodbye to summer on August 31 but this year I am definitely feeling all the fall vibes with our weather in September. There’s something so great about this month too – I love the start of school and the leaves changing and ALL THE GREAT BOOKS!! Happy to be linking up with Steph & Jana today to share what I’ve read lately! A few series so not quite as much to recommend, unless you want to start at the beginning! 🙂

EXCELLENT BOOKS:

The Madness of Crowds by Louise Penny
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This book was just as excellent as I expected. It’s always good to be back in Three Pines, and this time in the week between Christmas and New Years! Fun!! This book is set in the present day while the pandemic is still happening, which is not what I expected but was so well written and relevant. I’ll never ever ever tire of these characters so I hope there are about 50 more Gamache books to come in my lifetime 😉

The Riviera House by Natasha Lester
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

4.5 stars. I enjoyed Natasha Lester’s 2020 book The Paris Secret and I think I liked this one even more. It takes a LOT these days for me to absorb historical fiction in print (not audio), and this did exactly that. I REALLY enjoyed the art theft storyline and my heartstrings were tugged almost constantly while reading this both for the present-day characters and those living in Nazi-occupied Paris. Phew. An excellent book with a satisfying conclusion.

Crown of Feathers by Nicki Pau Preto
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

4.5 Cannot WAIT to continue this series. It’s unlike anything I’ve really ever read before but then it’s also kind of similar (it feels like?!) to A Curse So Dark and Lonely with maybe a touch of a few other YA fantasy series. Excellent on audio and a Canadian author! Phoenixes are so cool.

With You Forever by Chloe Liese
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I’d anticipated this instalment in the series since starting it because the two main characters, Axel and Rooney, have some past chemistry in previous books. This book did not disappoint! I loved the setting, the side characters (axel’s friends were hilarious) and the depth at which Bergman makes her characters so realistic with real world problems. She also represents neurodiversity and chronic illness in a sensitive and (to me, at least!) accurate and respectful way.

I fell in love with these characters and I still can’t quite pick a favourite in this series… They are all so good and I’m so grateful to my friend Megan for putting them on my radar. Contemporary romance fans definitely need to take the time to read these books.

Thank you to the author and Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review 🙂

Better Than the Movies by Lynn Painter
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

100% one of the best YA romances I’ve read in years. So enjoyable from start to finish and THAT ENDING woooow.

PERFECTLY FINE:

A Talisman of Home by Annie M. Ballard
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Thank you kindly to the author for sending me an e-ARC of this novel. A Talisman of Home grabbed my attention immediately and I found it to be highly readable. Part of this is because I so rarely come across books set in the Maritimes and it delights me to read about the culture and community of “home” (though this is set in rural New Brunswick, not NS).
A few elements of this story that I enjoyed:

1) descriptions of kitchen parties and fiddle tunes I know and love (such as the beautiful Ashokan Farewell)
2) Fun characters who were nosy but caring, and had a deep, deep sense of community
3) Aspects of found family and character growth and development
4) Excerpts of the main character’s inner voice which made it deeply personal

If you enjoy Canadian novels, this one falls firmly in the domestic fiction category with a smattering of romance as well.

The Heart Principle by Helen Hoang
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I went into this book fully knowing and expecting it to be a bit less contemporary-romance based than her previous two books. I kept my expectations in check. I did REALLY like these characters and enjoyed the representation of Anna discovering her autism spectrum disorder and what that meant for her past and future. What didn’t really work for me in this book is that I sometimes felt a little TINY bit like it was trying to be two different books. I know the author intended it that way and I appreciate the depth of what she was trying to convey (which was A LOT), but it felt just a bit like whiplash here and there. However, it was still good and I liked it. Thank you to Dreamscape & Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. This book isn’t *really* part of a series that needs to be read in order but I think my favourite of the three was probably the first.

NOT TOO BAD OVERALL:

The Highland Fling by Meghan Quinn
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Meghan Quinn books are a bit hit or miss for me and overall this one was a hit and I’m glad I read it. The setting was AWESOME, the characters were beyond fun, and I’d like to take a plane to Scotland tomorrow. I don’t think I’ll ever reread it but it’s by no means a bad book and fans of the genre will appreciate the character development and HEA in this contemporary romance. Thank you to Netgalley for offering this as a read now book for download for review!

The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I’m pretty sure I am the last person on the planet to read this book & I am amazed that I’ve never encountered any spoilers about it, honestly. I went into this with pretty high expectations because I’ve heard it is many readers’ favourite thriller and I can see that, honestly, but for me it just wasn’t as thrilling as I was hoping for. I did NOT guess any of the twists so that was good but I also wasn’t EXTREMELY interested while reading it and it took me weeks instead of days to finish, so there’s that.

I also continued the Keeper of the Lost Cities series by reading book 2 and 3 on audio, listened to Badass Habits, and read the 4th Bromantic series book (it was fine). Currently reading the new Lisa Jewell book with a bunch of bookstagram friends, The Reading List on audio, and Defy the Night (Brigid Kemmerer’s newest, out today!!)

What are you reading?!