★★★☆☆ In Madeline Miller’s retelling of the Iliad, we see the story of the great Greek warrior, Achilles through the eyes of his friend Patroclus. After being exiled from his homeland, a young Patroclus meets Achilles. We follow Patroclus and Achilles as they grow up, train together, and ultimately, join the quest to capture Troy in honor of the kidnapped Helen of Sparta.
Tag: Reading Community
Angel Killer by Andrew Mayne
★★★★☆ Angel Killer has a highly original premise, which is hard to find these days in the crime thriller genre. Just when it seemed like everything has been done and overdone in fiction books about the FBI investigating a serial killer, Andrew Mayne pulls a rabbit out of his hat with this fantastic read.
The Naturalist by Andrew Mayne
★★★☆☆ Theo Cray, a socially awkward computational biologist, is a suspect in the murder of a former student found dead in the Montana woods. Cray is released once local authorities find evidence that she was mauled by a bear, but he keeps inserting himself into the case and starts making connections to other disappearances.
Nine Lives by Peter Swanson
★★★☆☆ In this thriller, nine strangers receive a list in the mail with their names and those of eight others. One of the individuals named on the list is a detective and starts becoming concerned the list is a hit list of some sort. And, then these seemingly unconnected people on the list start dying in random ways.
The Writing Retreat by Julia Bartz
★★★☆☆ I’m a sucker for fiction books that involve writers and their processes. There’s something inherently interesting about an author writing about a writer. Based on the description, this book fits the bill while adding an eccentric mentor, a creepy locale, and some ex-bestie dram
The Day After Never by Nathan Van Coops
★★★☆☆ The Day After Never is book three in Nathan Van Coops' time-traveling series. I loved In Times Like These, the first book in the series and, while I didn’t like The Chronothon (Book 2) quite as much, its Amazing Race-style plot and pacing held my attention.
Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson
★★★★☆ Melinda Sordino calls the cops at a late summer party, a move that gets her ostracized during her freshman year at Merryweather High School. The loss of her friends and the isolation begin to get to her, and she starts to withdraw, speaking as little as possible with art class as her only refuge.
Unwinding Anxiety by Judson Brewer
★★★★☆ Unwinding Anxiety was one of the more insightful resources I’ve come across on the subject of anxiety. I can sometimes get bogged down by listening to scientific explanations, but Brewer’s explanations of how our brains function were clear, easy to follow, and gave me a better understanding of how anxiety works.
Music in the Mirrors by Greg Kuznetsov
★★★☆☆ Music in the Mirrors takes place in a colorful fantasy kingdom of snow globes and mirrors - one that features a blowfish, 5,857 worlds, and intoxicating purple lemonade. The language is heavily metaphorical. There were times I read and enjoyed the observational, almost lyrical flow of this collection of connecting acts and short stories.
Run Rose Run by Dolly Parton and James Patterson
★★★☆☆ I read Run Rose Run solely because of my love for the smart, savvy, Country music queen and philanthropist. I was thrilled that from the first pages, I could immediately detect Dolly’s influences in the book.