Below are the books I’ve successfully check off my to-be-read/listened-to list, with notes on whether I would recommend them or not.
Book Recommendations
I cannot recommend this book enough. It’s given me an entirely new outlook on housekeeping/meal planning/exercise. KC Davis teaches you how to be kind to yourself and to make your home work for you, not the other way around. I’ve taken quite a lot of the advice from this book and put it in action, and the amount of relief I’ve had from my anxiety and depression is immense because I’m no longer feeling guilty about not having a spotless home or getting to the gym every week.
Cover Design: Patrick Sullivan
While I have enjoyed other books in her “Nocturne Falls” and “Miss Frost” series, Kristen Painter lost me on this one. I’m tired of the hidden-town-in-the-American-South-filled-with-supernatural-characters trope. I will not be returning to Shadowvale, where the romantic leads fall in love and agree to marry in exactly one week after doing nothing more than passionately kissing in a kitchen.
Cover Copyright: Kristen Painter
If you love behind-the-scenes stories and trivia about making movies and famous actors, this is a great one. It’s not just all funny tales of child actor hi-jinx; Tom Felton openly recounts his experiences with addiction and rehab to help others not feel ashamed of seek help. It was all around a wonderful listen (I love it when authors narrate their own work).
Cover Copyright: Hachette Book Group, Inc. Cover Photograph: Joseph Sinclair, Camera Press London
This was fun little jaunt into a world where super villains (in a somewhat Austin-Powers-esque sense of the word “villain”) exist, hyper-intelligent cats and dolphins are genetically engineered, and an under-employed former financial journalist inherits his uncle’s seat at the super villain table. This one was an audiobook listen for me, narrated by Wil Wheaton, and I think about half of my enjoyment came from his performance. The book is clever and, as a cat owner, I enjoyed the conversations with the hyper-intelligent cats, but while I do recommend it, it’s a “if you’re into that kind of thing” recommendation. This is the kind of book you read at the airport and then hand off to a friend, because one read is all you need.
Cover Design: Tristan Elwell