The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐☆

Offred is a Handmaid in a disturbing, dystopian society that shuns interpersonal relationships. Margaret Atwood has a very unique writing style. It is somewhat disjointed, similar to a stream of consciousness. Subtle, yet raw and brutal at the same time. There was one quote in the book where Offred was talking about what their lives were like but I also felt it was a great description of Atwood's writing style: "We lived on the white spaces at the edges of print. It gave us more freedom. We lived in the gaps between the stories." This book is for you if you enjoyed Station Eleven.

Unputdownable-ness: Medium
LOL: Low

Ugly Cry Potential: Low
Steaminess: Low
Character Development: High
Originality: High
Quality of Writing: High
Intellectual Depth: High
Light Read: No

The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Now THAT was a thriller! This one kept me guessing and on the edge of my seat all the way up the final page. Aiden Bishop is stuck in a loop. He is told that Evelyn Hardcastle will be murdered at 11 PM and he has to relive the same day over and over again until he can answer the question of who murdered her. Each morning he will wake up in the body of a different guest so he has access to different stories and different view points. This is not one to read when you're tired, you'll need all of your wits about you to keep track of the pieces of the puzzle. It's The Clue Movie meets Groundhog Day, only darker. When I was close to the end of the book I sat down to read for a few minutes while I ate my breakfast. I quickly became so totally immersed in the story that I lost all track of time and of everything going on around me. By the time I read the last sentence and looked up, more than an hour had gone by. Now I want to sit down and read it all over again! Fantastically clever and the writing style was perfection - I particularly enjoyed his vivid descriptions and use of personification.  

Unputdownable-ness: Medium-High
LOL: Low

Ugly Cry Potential: Low
Steaminess: Low
Character Development: High
Originality: High
Quality of Writing: High
Intellectual Depth: Medium-High
Light Read: No

The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐✰

Alicia Berenson appears to be happily married until she comes home one night and kills her husband and then either refuses, or is unable to speak. The story is narrated largely by Theo Faber, her psychotherapist but we also get some glimpses into Alicia's mindset from her diary.

I love psychological thrillers but have a hard time with anything too gory or disturbing and this one fit the bill perfectly. It was perfectly paced so I was sucked in from page one, thoroughly engaged throughout and by the end I couldn't put it down.

Unputdownable-ness: HighLOL: LowUgly Cry Potential: LowSteaminess: LowCharacter Development: HighOriginality: Medium-HighQuality of Writing: HighIntellectual Depth: MediumLight Read: Medium

The Floating Feldmans by Elyssa Friedland

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐✰

Comical family drama on the high seas! Annette decides to take her family on a cruise for her 70th birthday and gets more than she bargained for. Secrets are revealed, blows are exchanged and bonds are somehow still mended over the course of one eventful week. A fun and heart-warming read with exceptional character development.

Unputdownable-ness: Medium-High
LOL: Medium-High

Ugly Cry Potential: Medium-Low
Steaminess: Low
Character Development: High
Originality: Medium-High
Quality of Writing: High
Intellectual Depth: Medium
Light Read: Yes

Nicholas: A New Hampshire Tale by Peter Arenstam

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐✰

The third book in the Nicholas tales chronicles the travels of Nicholas and his friends through New Hampshire in search of his cousin Francis who has the last copy of his family's journal. Lots of cute adventures interwoven with loads of history and facts about New Hampshire.

Enjoyable by kids and parents: Yes
Offensive Language: No
Violence: No
Adult Concepts: No
Age Range: 6 and up

From the Mixed-up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by E.L. Konigsburg

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐✰

An endearing story about Claire and her brother Jamie who decide to run away from home and hide out at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York and manage to solve a mystery along the way. 

Enjoyable by kids and parents: YesKids chose reading over extra screen time: SometimesOffensive Language: NoViolence: None

Age Range: 7 and up

Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐✰

I should preface this review by saying that this is not my typical genre. That being said, I still felt it deserved 4 out of 5 stars so that's saying something right there. A flu-pandemic has wiped out 99% of the population and the remaining 1% are struggling with creating a new normal. The writing style was fantastic. The author used a variety of different writing techniques (point of view, narrator-style, interview style, etc.) based on what best fit that part of the story. Rather than being distracting, I found this to be thoroughly engaging and keep my interest piqued. The only thing keeping this from being a 5-star book in my opinion is that I don't love reading books with a dark subject matter. 

Unputdownable-ness: Medium

Ugly Cry Potential: Medium
LOL: Low
Steaminess: Low
Character Development: High
Originality: Medium-High
Quality of Writing: High
Thought Provoking: High
Light Read: No