The God of the Woods (Liz Moore)

Why I have this book: I borrowed it from the ebook library after seeing a lot of good reviews of it.

I was surprised to see that the author wrote another book I loved (Long Bright River). In fact, after reading this one and realizing I was going to give it five stars on Goodreads, I think I probably should have given Long Bright River five stars, as well. I read it back when I was reserving my five stars for the books that were the most inspiring. Now I'm more about how good they are for their genre. Long Bright River did get a glowing review from me here on this blog, so maybe it deserved five stars, too. I think it probably did.

Anyway, I gave this one five stars. Wow. So good. So much going on, so much detail. (And also so many commas. That was the only thing that made me question the five stars, but I'm just ignoring it because the story and the writing were very good.) 

I need to check and see if the author has written any other books, because if she has, I'm reading them.

The story deals with a couple of missing children. There are some non-descriptive suggestive scenes of various kinds. There is some profanity (I'm no longer going to specify which words. The reality is that unless you are only reading books that are published by religious/churchy organizations, there's going to be profanity. And if there's profanity, it's going to probably include the F-word.)

Finlay Donovan Rolls the Dice (Elle Cosimano)

Why I have this book: I borrowed it from the ebook library. It's the fourth in a series that I've enjoyed.

This one earned four stars on Goodreads from me! The ending was *insert shocked face*, and I can't wait to read the next one. I think the next one (#5) is the last of the series. It doesn't come out until March, but I'm on the "Notify Me" list at the ebook library, so hopefully I won't have to wait too long once it's released to get my hands on it.

Like some of her other books, there was a bit of editing that needed to be cleaned up.

These books involve murder, but they are also comedic and fun, so it takes the edge off what could be a more scary or creepy vibe.

There's some profanity, including the F-word if I'm remembering correctly. There are some sexual moments (unmarried) that are very mildly descriptive. The stories involve murder and dead bodies and such, and sometimes the descriptions are a bit yucky... but that's coming from someone who doesn't do well with that kind of thing. It's probably pretty mild compared to other books. 

One Foggy Christmas (Kortney Keisel)

Why I have this book. It's the very last book I've borrowed from KU before it cancels. I only borrowed it because my friend recommended it, and since it was "Christmas" themed, it seemed like a good idea.

I only gave it two stars on Goodreads. I think I'm just jaded about love stories these days. This one had a good premise, but it felt pretty implausible medically and a little too "Hallmark" in how it all worked out. If one is suspending disbelief and in the mood for a super cutesy Hallmark-styled story, then this one would fit the bill.

Pretty clean. I don't remember if it had swearing or not. There is a somewhat lustful moment on a ferris wheel, but it's not descriptive.

The Boyfriend (Freida McFadden)

Why I have this book: I borrowed it from Kindle Unlimited. (And it really has been canceled, I promise. It's just good through the 23rd!)

I gave this one a solid four stars. It was a jaw-dropper! Creepy, too. The creepiness isn't why it got four stars... I generally don't even like creepy. But this one just had so much "waaaaaaatttt?" to it. 

Anyway, I liked it a lot. I will keep my eyes out for more of her books even though I won't be able to get to them as easily without KU.

It's a psychological thriller, so it's got all the things that go along with that. The language includes the F-word. There is sex outside of marriage, but it's not descriptive. 

Hidden Pictures (Jason Rekulak)

Why I have this book: I kept seeing it recommended online, and since it was available on KU, I borrowed it. I kind of went back and forth because it seemed maybe too creepy, but I finally just went for it.

Okay, this is going to sound crazy, but I gave it five stars on Goodreads. I admit that it's not my usual five-star book. I usually reserve those for the books that are amazing in the sense of humanity and are life- or perspective-changing for me.

This book falls under the "horror" genre (according to Goodreads where it won the 2022 Choice Awards Winner in that category), and I'm not sure I've even read a "horror" book for decades. I read a few of them back when I was a kid (not sure how that was allowed) because my grandma had a few of those types of books on her bookshelf.

Anyway, I would probably categorize this as less "horror" and more "thriller," but regardless, it was a pretty awesome read. Yes, there were creepy moments. I had no idea where the story was going to go, and even though it dealt with the paranormal, it still felt like a satisfying and realistic conclusion for me.

I loved the way the author implemented the pictures into the book itself. Also, the author is male, but the story is told from the female protagonist's perspective. He did such a good job of writing her thoughts and words that I completely forgot that the author was a man. In my opinion, he's an excellent writer. He has another book out, and I'm going to see if it's available to borrow.

There were a handful of swear words, including the F-word. The story is scary and creepy in parts and deals with murder. Nothing sexual is described.

The Surrogate Mother (Freida McFadden)

Why I have this book: It's another KU book I borrowed before my membership expires.

I've enjoyed other books by this author, but this was probably my least favorite. I gave it three stars on Goodreads. It did have a nice twist toward the end, but overall, it seemed a little too implausible. 

Still... I don't hate that I read it. I'll still read more of her books.

There is profanity, murderous stuff... um, nothing sexual that I can remember. (I've read another book since I finished this one, so things can get blurry in my memory.)

Silenced in the Name of God (Stephanie Taylor)

Why I have this book: Amazon recommended it to me, I think, and it was available to borrow on KU.

Okay, as far as writing, this book would only earn about two stars from me. It needed serious editing. The funny thing was that the author named somebody in the acknowledgements who edited the book more than once. I'm not sure what she edited because there were writing mistakes throughout the entire book.

Having said that, I still gave the book four stars on Goodreads. The story itself was courageously told. It's the memoir of a woman who was abused throughout childhood and kept convincing herself that she could "fix" her family (if only in the eternities) by being faithful and forgiving.

It's so hard for me to know that people really live like this family did. It's especially difficult to know that children experience abuse and neglect of this nature without anyone noticing or doing anything about it. It's also interesting how children sometimes don't realize how abnormal their lives are until they grow up and experience life elsewhere.

The book reminded me a bit of Educated by Tara Westover. Tara's book was way more polished, but their stories were similar in some ways, especially in how religious beliefs can make a family justify their own harmful lifestyles and choices.

There are some descriptions of the sexual abuse and other neglect/abuse the author experienced. I don't recall any swearing or anything else some might find objectionable.

My tears were for nothing...

Apparently my new job does not prevent me from reading as much as I want to. I've read ten books since I started working at the end of October. Two of those were short stories, but still. 

Like I mentioned in a recent post, maybe it's because I'm using books as an escape when I get home. 

Maybe it's because I put a screensaver on my home screen on my phone that reminds me that "Reading > Scrolling."

Maybe it's because I know KU is leaving soon, so I'm trying to read a bunch of "free" books before it ends.

Regardless, I am no longer whining about not having time to read just because I'm working. I do still whine about not having time to do a lot of other things I'd like to do. I have definitely not figured out the work/life balance. 

Carry on.

Such a Good Family (Caitlin Weaver)

Why I have this book: I borrowed it from KU. (My membership expires later this month... for real this time. Unless I ask for a year's membership for Christmas.)

I gave this book four stars, as well. I feel like I'm giving a lot of books four stars lately. Maybe that's because they are all providing the escape I've been looking for. Maybe my standards aren't really high right now because I'm not looking for intellectual stimulation. I don't know... but I'm glad I'm enjoying the books I've been reading.

I have some mixed feelings about this one. I feel like the author could have left out some descriptive details regarding a sexual encounter and a clip from a porn site. So not needed. I'm not sure that part of the storyline was necessary at all, and in some ways it didn't feel like it fit in with the rest of the flow.

However, I was pretty invested in the story and totally uncertain about how it would play out. I think the subject matter is important, especially while parenting teenagers or if the reader were a teenager him/herself. There's just a lot to consider when you choose to begin a sexual relationship (regardless of age) in a casual way.

Some parts definitely gave off a yucky vibe, but I do think it told a valuable story.

Profanity, some descriptions of a sexual nature, SA and accusations of SA, adultery. The book has a fairly heavy storyline.

Hello, Stranger (Katherine Center)

Why I have this book: I borrowed it from KU because I've been reading other books by this author.

This book had an interesting premise. The protagonist had an injury-induced "face-blindness." I mean, the storyline was pretty predictable, but I enjoyed it. It was good light reading.

I feel like I need to mention that not all my "four star" books are equally "four stars." Sometimes I rate them according to the genre... comparing one rom-com to others, for example. There are some four stars that are much better than others. It's just difficult to always quantify why I gave a certain number of stars to a book compared to other books.

Anyway, I did give this four stars because as far as rom-coms go, I thought it was a four-star read.

There was definitely swearing, including the F-word. I don't think there was any sex... nothing described, for sure. There were some lustful thoughts about a shirtless guy, and a misunderstood conversation that was taken to mean sexual things (but was not the case).