The Astonishing Color of After

The Astonishing Color of After

By: Emily X. R. Pan
Narrated by Stephanie Hsu
Release date: 20 March 2018
Listening length: 11 hours, 52 minutes
My review: five out of 5 stars

"Emily X.R. Pan's brilliantly crafted, harrowing first novel portrays the vast spectrum of love and grief with heart-wrenching beauty and candor. This is a very special book." (John Green, best-selling author of The Fault in Our Stars and Turtles All the Way Down)

A stunning, heartbreaking debut novel about grief, love, and family, perfect for fans of Jandy Nelson and Celeste Ng.

Leigh Chen Sanders is absolutely certain about one thing: When her mother died by suicide, she turned into a bird.

Leigh, who is half Asian and half white, travels to Taiwan to meet her maternal grandparents for the first time. There, she is determined to find her mother, the bird. In her search, she winds up chasing after ghosts, uncovering family secrets, and forging a new relationship with her grandparents. And as she grieves, she must try to reconcile the fact that on the same day she kissed her best friend and longtime secret crush, Axel, her mother was taking her own life.

Alternating between real and magic, past and present, friendship and romance, hope and despair, The Astonishing Color of After is a stunning and heartbreaking novel about finding oneself through family history, art, grief, and love.

This book was so powerful for me. Most of my life, I've suffered with depression and though it isn't as severe as Leigh's mother's, suicide is something that is a concern. I loved that Leigh imagined her mother had changed into a bird. The fact that the bird was red is something that connected me to the story even more. My mom's favorite color was red and so anytime I see things in that vibrant shade, I am reminded of her. Leigh is just looking for answers. In Taiwan, she gets to meet her maternal grandparents. Due to the language gap, it is hard for her to communicate. 

I loved this story. Its beautiful imagery had me picturing even more in my head when reading. The way that all the little things tied together, just icing on the cake. 

Where Are The Children Now

Where Are The Children Now

By Mary Higgins Clark & Alafair Burke

284 pages 

Release date: April 18, 2023 

My review: five out of five stars

The legacy of the “Queen of Suspense” continues with the highly anticipated follow-up to Mary Higgins Clark’s iconic novel Where Are The Children?, featuring the children of Nancy Harmon, facing peril once again as adults.

Of the fifty-six bestsellers the “Queen of Suspense” Mary Higgins Clark published in her lifetime, Where Are the Children? was her biggest, selling millions of copies and forever transforming the genre of suspense fiction. In that story, a young California mother named Nancy Harmon was convicted of murdering her two children. Though released on a technicality, she was abandoned by her husband and became such a pariah in the media that she was forced to move across the country to Cape Cod, change her identity and appearance, and start a new life. Years later her two children from a second marriage, Mike and Melissa, would go missing, and Nancy yet again became the prime suspect—but this time, Nancy was able to confront the secrets buried in her past and rescue her kids from a dangerous predator.

Now, more than four decades since readers first met Nancy and her children, comes the thrilling sequel to the groundbreaking book that set the stage for future generations of psychological suspense novels. A lawyer turned successful podcaster, Melissa has recently married a man whose first wife died tragically, leaving him and their young daughter, Riley, behind. While Melissa and her brother, Mike, help their mom, Nancy, relocate from Cape Cod to the equally idyllic Hamptons, Melissa’s new stepdaughter goes missing. Drawing on the experience of their own abduction, Melissa and Mike race to find Riley to save her from the trauma they still struggle with—or worse.

Just like the original, Where Are the Children Now? keeps readers guessing and holding their breath until the very last page.


While I received a copy of this ebook in exchange for my review, all opinions remain my own. Thank you NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for the opportunity to read this book.

I have loved Mary Higgins-Clark for as long as I can remember. Her mysteries were some of the first "grown up" books that I started reading. When I saw this one available as an ARC, I put my name on the list and kept my fingers crossed. When I noticed that she had help writing this book, my hopes were a little lowered. I've been burned by "ghost writers" filling in for amazing writers before (VC Andrews anyone??) But this book stayed so true to the MHC style of writing, I would have never known that she didn't write the whole thing herself. It was a beautiful follow-up to one of her best selling books. Usually I don't love the "continuation" stories like these, but this one was so well done. The coincidences were written into the story and made it part of the mystery. I simply loved it.

Five stars for this amazing book for sure. If you loved "Where are the Children" you will love "where are the children now" =)

The Book Thief

The Book Thief

By Markus Zusak

Narrated by Allan Corduner 

Published September 14, 2006

Listening length: 13 hours, 56 minutes 

My review: 5 out of 5 stars 

Don’t miss Bridge of Clay, Markus Zusak’s first novel since The Book Thief.

The extraordinary number-one New York Times best seller that is now a major motion picture, Markus Zusak's unforgettable story is about the ability of books to feed the soul. Nominated as one of America's best-loved novels by PBS’s The Great American Read.

When Death has a story to tell, you listen. It is 1939. Nazi Germany. The country is holding its breath. Death has never been busier, and will become busier still. Liesel Meminger is a foster girl living outside of Munich, who scratches out a meager existence for herself by stealing when she encounters something she can’t resist - books. With the help of her accordion-playing foster father, she learns to read and shares her stolen books with her neighbors during bombing raids as well as with the Jewish man hidden in her basement.

In superbly crafted writing that burns with intensity, award-winning author Markus Zusak, author of I Am the Messenger, has given us one of the most enduring stories of our time.

“The kind of book that can be life-changing.” (The New York Times)

“Deserves a place on the same shelf with The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank.” (USA Today)




I don't know why it took me so long to read this book. It is a historical fiction book about a German girl during World War 2. She is in Nazi Germany living with her foster parents. Told in alternating perspectives of her and death, it is simply beautiful. Stories of this time period are always intriguing to me, and this one especially got to me because it is told from the "other side" and shows just how much grey there was. Even in Germany, people didn't know what was going on. Or they feared not going along with it. They saw what was happening and were scared. I wonder what would happen if we were put in the same situation...

Stars & Smoke

Stars and Smoke 

By Marie Lu 

Narrated by Becca Q. Co

Listening length: 11 hours, 57 minutes 

Release date March 28, 2023 

My review: five stars out of five stars

The Hating Game meets Mission: Impossible in this smoldering new novel from #1 New York Times bestselling author Marie Lu about a superstar tapped to become a secret agent and the reluctant young spy assigned to be his partner.

Meet Winter Young–rookie backup dancer turned global pop phenomenon. His star power has smashed records, selling out stadiums from LA to London. Now he’s bringing his swoonworthy assets to a whole new arena...

Infamous criminal tycoon Eli Morrison has just one weakness–his daughter, Penelope. And Penelope has just one wish for her nineteenth birthday–a private concert with Winter Young. When covert ops organization The Panacea Group approaches Winter with this once-in-a-lifetime chance to infiltrate Morrison’s inner circle, Winter must use his fame, cunning, and charisma to pull it off–only he won’t be on his own.

Posing as Winter’s bodyguard is the fiery Sydney Cossette, Panacea’s youngest spy. Sydney may be the only person alive impervious to Winter's charms, but as the mission brings them closer, she's forced to admit there's more to this A-lister than slick dance moves and a handsome face. Panacea's unlikeliest partners just might become its biggest heroes–and maybe even more–if they can survive each other first.

Although I received a copy of this audiobook from NetGalley in exchange for a review, all opinions remain my own. Thank you NetGalley and Macmillian Audio for the opportunity to listen to this novel! 

When a young spy is forced to team up with a global pop superstar to take down an infamous criminal, all bets are off on if this duo can pull it off. Both of them have a vial of "death" in their pockets, "just in case" it goes wrong, they can't be caught alive after all. Will they be able to pull it off against the odds and keep a new biological weapon off the market? 

This book was so fun! Interesting characters, the story just kept you going, left me wondering what the heck was going to happen. I also LOVE that there is the opportunity for a sequel, but it wasn't left with a totally open ending. I'm ready to re-listen to this book all over again, just to see what details I might have missed. Seriously a great read!

Remarkably Bright Creatures

Remarkably Bright Creatures

By: Shelby Van Pelt

362 pages

Published May 3, 2022 

My review: 5 stars out of 5 stars!

“Remarkably Bright Creatures is a beautiful examination of how loneliness can be transformed, cracked open, with the slightest touch from another living thing.” -- Kevin Wilson, author of Nothing to See Here

For fans of A Man Called Ove, a charming, witty and compulsively readable exploration of friendship, reckoning, and hope that traces a widow's unlikely connection with a giant Pacific octopus

After Tova Sullivan’s husband died, she began working the night shift at the Sowell Bay Aquarium, mopping floors and tidying up. Keeping busy has always helped her cope, which she’s been doing since her eighteen-year-old son, Erik, mysteriously vanished on a boat in Puget Sound over thirty years ago.

Tova becomes acquainted with curmudgeonly Marcellus, a giant Pacific octopus living at the aquarium. Marcellus knows more than anyone can imagine but wouldn’t dream of lifting one of his eight arms for his human captors—until he forms a remarkable friendship with Tova.

Ever the detective, Marcellus deduces what happened the night Tova’s son disappeared. And now Marcellus must use every trick his old invertebrate body can muster to unearth the truth for her before it’s too late.

Shelby Van Pelt’s debut novel is a gentle reminder that sometimes taking a hard look at the past can help uncover a future that once felt impossible.

Love, love, love this book. My book-hangover this morning was well worth it. I stayed up hours past my bedtime finishing this amazing story. I also couldn't stop telling people about it, every time I had the chance. The idea of a book with part of the story from the octopus' point of view, just brilliant. Every word added to the tale and I was just living for these characters, wondering how they were going to get together, how their stories would become one tale. Now this book is sitting on my "to buy" list because I am going to want to read this again. When can I have an octopus friend?!

Bear

Bear

By Been Queen

Illustrated by Joe Todd-Stanton

Published September 2, 2020 

My rating 5 out of 5 stars 

Bear is a guide dog for the blind, and he would do anything for his best friend and owner, Patrick. But when Bear suddenly loses his own vision, he worries that he has lost his purpose! Determined to protect Patrick at all costs, Bear sets out on a quest to regain his eyesight. Along the way Bear will learn to tap into his other senses and begin to see the world from a new perspective that is at times more rich and colorful than the world he's always known. 

Writer Ben Queen (Disney/Pixar's Cars 2 and Cars 3) draws inspiration from real life stories of how memory can influence how we recall our own surroundings, and artist Joe Todd-Stanton (A Mouse Called Julian) lovingly renders an unforgettable story of one dog's grand adventure from the wooded countryside to the heart of Manhattan where he encounters new friends and discovers his true calling.

This is an illustrated story of a guide dog for a blind man. All his life, Bear (the dog) has known that he's going to have a job, he's been trained specifically to help his best friend and owner. 

One day, he wakes up without his own vision and is afraid he's lost not only his job, but his purpose in life. In this book, we follow Bear through his amazing adventure as he learns to use his other senses and "see" the world around him from a different view-point. 

The author and illustrator work together just beautifully. Bear "sees" the world around him in his mind, like the bear den he stumbles into is a den with an armchair and fireplace. It is simply a book you will have to read and see to understand. 

I was able to borrow this book from my local library using the Hoopla service, but it is for sale, available on Kindle or hardcover.

Under the Whispering Door

Under the Whispering Door

By: TJ Klune
Narrated by: Kit Graves
Listening length: 14 hours, 54 minutes
publication date: September 21, 2021

My review: 5 out of 5 stars 

"Narrator Kirt Groves provides an excellently distinct cast of voices."- Locus

A Man Called Ove meets The Good Place in Under the Whispering Door, a delightful queer love story from TJ Klune, author of the New York Times and USA Today bestseller The House in the Cerulean Sea.

Welcome to Charon's Crossing.

The tea is hot, the scones are fresh, and the dead are just passing through.

When a reaper comes to collect Wallace from his own funeral, Wallace begins to suspect he might be dead.

And when Hugo, the owner of a peculiar tea shop, promises to help him cross over, Wallace decides he’s definitely dead.

But even in death he’s not ready to abandon the life he barely lived, so when Wallace is given one week to cross over, he sets about living a lifetime in seven days.

Hilarious, haunting, and kind, Under the Whispering Door is an uplifting story about a life spent at the office and a death spent building a home.

"Graves matches his narrative pace to the measured unwinding of the story's layers, focused but unhurried, in the same way that Hugo brews his therapeutic cups of tea." —AudioFile

A Macmillan Audio production from Tor Books

What can I even say about this book? First of all, the narrator of this audiobook is top notch. I loved listening to every word. He has a way of making each character's voice sound different without using weird voices. His voice is so soothing to listen to, the book just flowed right off his tongue. I listened at 1.5 speed and it wasn't so fast that he was a chipmunk talking, but it was just right for my ears.

This book! I'm not sure how Klune does it, but he had me laughing in one chapter, then crying in the next. His writing seems to capture the human emotions so well. This is the second book of his that I've listened to and both are now on my Audible "must buy" list because I know i will be listening again. Wallace's story in Whispers is all about his after life. His life was not much to read about, but when he shows up at his own funeral, a not very well attended one, he is greeted by a reaper, but instead of taking him to the afterlife, he is taken to a "small village."

In the odd teahouse, he finds more than tea. This book was simply beautiful. Every character had their charm, even the ghost dog (how could you go wrong with a ghost dog!?) Seriously until the last minute I loved this book. I could listen to fifteen more adventures about Wallace, Hugo and the antics in the teashop.

Immortality: A Love Story

Immortality: A Love Story

by Dana Schwartz
Narrated by Mhairi Morrison and Tim Campbell
Listening Length 12 hours and 2 minutes
Published date February 28, 2023

My rating: 5 out of 5 stars

"The Scottish accents of narrators Tim Campbell and Mhairi Morrison introduce YA listeners to this historical romance/mystery set in nineteenth-century Edinburgh." —AudioFile

Immortality: A Love Story is the eagerly anticipated sequel to Dana Schwartz's #1 bestselling gothic romance, Anatomy: A Love Story.

Hazel Sinnett is alone and half-convinced the events of the year before—the immortality, Beecham’s vial—were a figment of her imagination. She doesn’t even know if Jack is alive or dead. All she can really do now is treat patients and maintain Hawthornden Castle as it starts to decay around her.

When saving a life leads to her arrest, Hazel seems doomed to rot in prison until a message intervenes: Hazel has been specifically requested to be the personal physician of Princess Charlotte, the sickly granddaughter of King George III. Soon Hazel is dragged into the glamor and romance of a court where everyone has something to hide, especially the enigmatic, brilliant members of a social club known as the Companions to the Death.

As Hazel’s work entangles her more and more with the British court, she realizes that her own future as a surgeon isn't the only thing at stake for her. Malicious forces are at work in the monarchy, and Hazel may be the only one capable of setting things right.

A Macmillan Audio production from Wednesday Books.

Although I received a copy of this audiobook in exchange for a review, all opinions remain my own.

This was simply a beautiful conclusion to the Anatomy duology. I loved the first book and loved the second one just as much. This duology is going into my personal collection. It has romance, it has suspense, it has medical mystery and murder. What else can you really ask for. I just love the main character, Hazel, being a doctor. Well, she doesn't have all the certifications because you couldn't as a woman back then, but she's done all the training. This time she is called upon to treat the princess Charlotte. - will she be able to help the princess under the eye of the Royal court with all the other goings-on? It really is a wonderful story and so beautifully written. I couldn't wait to see what would happen with Hazel.

Graphic Novels

My local library has this great program called Hoopla where you can borrow digital entertainment. You can learn more about it here. Have I mentioned how much I love my local library?? Anyway, I started borrowing graphic novels with this service a few months ago. These are just a few of the titles I have borrowed recently. 

Cryptid  Club

By Sarah Andersen

112 pages 

Published September 20, 2022

My review five out of five stars 

The latest from New York Times bestselling, Goodread's Choice Award-winning, Eisner Award-nominated and Ringo award-winning author Sarah Andersen is a delightful peek into the secret social lives of some of the world's most fascinating, monstrous, and mysterious creatures.

Do you hate social gatherings? Dodge cameras? Enjoy staying up just a little too late at night? You might have more in common with your local cryptid than you think! Enter the world of Cryptid Club, a look inside the adventures of elusive creatures ranging from Mothman to the Loch Ness Monster. This humorous new series celebrates the unique qualities that make cryptids so desperately sought after by mankind (to no avail). After all, it's what makes us different that also makes us beautiful.

This book had me laughing out loud. Makes the Cryptids feel so relatable. Definitely will be buying this one for my coffee table.

The Secret Garden: A Graphic Novel 

By Mariah Marsden (adapter)

Illustrated by Hanna Luechtefeld

192 pages

Published June 15, 2021

My review five out of five stars (LOVED it!)

Green-growing secrets and powerful magic await you at Misselthwaite Manor, now reimagined in this bewitching graphic novel adaptation of Frances Hodgson Burnett's beloved tale. From Mariah Marsden, author of the critically acclaimed Anne of Green Gables: A Graphic Novel, comes the second installment in this series of retold children's classics.

Ten-year-old Mary Lennox arrives at a secluded estate on the Yorkshire moors with a scowl and a chip on her shoulder. First, there's Martha Sowerby: the too-cheery maid with bothersome questions who seems out of place in the dreary manor. Then there's the elusive Uncle Craven, Mary's only remaining family--whom she's not permitted to see. And finally, there are the mysteries that seem to haunt the run-down place: rumors of a lost garden with a tragic past, and a midnight wail that echoes across the moors at night.

As Mary begins to explore this new world alongside her ragtag companions--a cocky robin redbreast, a sour-faced gardener, and a boy who can talk to animals--she learns that even the loneliest of hearts can grow roots in rocky soil.

Given new life as a graphic novel in illustrator Hanna Luechtefeld's whimsical style, The Secret Garden is more enchanting and relevant than ever before.

Just a beautiful little book. It is a graphic novel retelling of The Secret Garden. I loved the book as a child and love this graphic novel. The pictures are simple, colorful and stunning. Planning on purchasing this book to keep on my shelf just to flip through and look at occasionally. It makes me happy just looking at the pictures and reading the beautiful story.

The Gilded Duology

Gilded

497 pages

Originally published 11/2/21

My review: 5 out of 5 stars

In Gilded, Marissa Meyer, #1 New York Times bestselling author, returns to the fairytale world with this haunting retelling of Rumpelstiltskin. Long ago cursed by the god of lies, a poor miller's daughter has developed a talent for spinning stories that are fantastical and spellbinding and entirely untrue. Or so everyone believes. 

When one of Serilda's outlandish tales draws the attention of the sinister Erlking and his undead hunters, she finds herself swept away into a grim world where ghouls and phantoms prowl the earth and hollow-eyed ravens track her every move. The king orders Serilda to complete the impossible task of spinning straw into gold, or be killed for telling falsehoods. In her desperation, Serilda unwittingly summons a mysterious boy to her aid. He agrees to help her… for a price. Love isn't meant to be part of the bargain. Soon Serilda realizes that there is more than one secret hidden in the castle walls, including an ancient curse that must be broken if she hopes to end the tyranny of the king and his wild hunt forever.

This is the first book in the Gilded Duology by Marissa Meyers. I already know I love her books (see my reviews on the Lunar Chronicles). She just has a gift with taking a fairy tale and making it her own story. I listened to this in audiobook form and loved it. Couldn't wait to get my hands on the second book. Unfortunately, I had to wait almost a year for that one to be published! Oh the woes of finding a new release book you love. This story is a loose retelling of Rumpelstiltskin. Serilda was cursed by the God of lies with the ability to spin stories that are "spellbinding and entirely untrue." Or so everyone believes. Then she gets the wrong kind of attention and ends up into a haunted castle surrounded by the creepiest of company. 

I just loved following Serilda through this story, seeing what was going to happen next. Listening to her stories myself and wondering how she could be so creative (oh yeah, God blessed, that's right!) Love, love, loved this book. Definitely will be giving it another read (or listen!) 

Cursed 

478 pages

published 11/8/22

My review: 5 out of 5 stars

Serilda and Gild attempt to break the curses that tether their spirits to Adalheid's haunted castle before the Endless Moon, when the Erlking means to capture one of the seven gods and make a wish to return his lover, Perchta, from the underworld. But as the story progresses, it becomes clear he doesn't want just one god—he wants to capture all seven, and force them to bring down the veil that keeps the Dark Ones separate from the land of the mortals. Serilda and Gild must try to thwart his plans, all while solving the mystery of Gild's forgotten name, freeing his younger sister who is trapped inside Gravenstone Castle, and trying to protect their unborn child.

Romance, adventure, and Serilda's journey to finding her power as a woman, a mother, and a partner make this a retelling that Meyer fans—old and new—will treasure.

I freaking LOVE Marissa Meyer! I will read every single one of her fairy tale re-tellings. I have re-read the Lunar chronicles three times now and I am sure this will be on my list to re-read again soon. This duology is written so well. You fall in love with the storyteller and even fall in love with the "bad guys." This story takes you on such a wild ride. You can vaguely see the framework of the "old" fairy tales in there, but she doesn't force herself into the box that was created by the original writer, she makes that story her own and I freaking love it. Keep at it Meyers! I will keep on reading everything you write! This is not only getting five stars from me, but I plan on buying the duology for myself (instead of just borrowing it over and over from the library). The narrator of the audiobook is amazing too. I don't think I would even know how to say half the names in this book and she did an amazing job putting the voice to these characters for me.

The Measure

The Measure 

Nikki Erlick 
Published June 28, 2022

My rating: 5 stars out of 5 stars

I read this book to complete the prompt in my Boise Public library Ultimate Book Nerd challenge: Read a book on a book list (NYT Best sellers ect). 

"A story of love and hope as interweaving characters display: how all moments, big and small, can measure a life. If you want joy, love, romance, and hope—read with us." —Jenna Bush Hager

A luminous, spirit-lifting blockbuster for readers of The Midnight Library.

Eight ordinary people. One extraordinary choice.

It seems like any other day. You wake up, pour a cup of coffee, and head out.

But today, when you open your front door, waiting for you is a small wooden box. This box holds your fate inside: the answer to the exact number of years you will live.

From suburban doorsteps to desert tents, every person on every continent receives the same box. In an instant, the world is thrust into a collective frenzy. Where did these boxes come from? What do they mean? Is there truth to what they promise?

As society comes together and pulls apart, everyone faces the same shocking choice: Do they wish to know how long they’ll live? And, if so, what will they do with that knowledge?

The Measure charts the dawn of this new world through an unforgettable cast of characters whose decisions and fates interweave with one another: best friends whose dreams are forever entwined, pen pals finding refuge in the unknown, a couple who thought they didn’t have to rush, a doctor who cannot save himself, and a politician whose box becomes the powder keg that ultimately changes everything.

Enchanting and deeply uplifting, The Measure is a sweeping, ambitious, and invigorating story about family, friendship, hope, and destiny that encourages us to live life to the fullest.

I thought this book was simply amazing. Listened to this as an audiobook and the way the characters are laid out is just perfect, seeing them come together, each separate person in this huge city, somehow weaving together into one beautiful story. Plus the concept is just something that makes you think about all the social issues that go on any day. What would you do if the length of your life could be known to you. Do you open your box? Just a crazy concept and I loved it!