Book Review: Belong to Me by Marisa de los Santos (Love Walked In #2)

Belong to Me by Marisa de los Santos
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I absolutely love the fact that my final book of 2023 is another 5-star book!  This is the second book in Marisa de los Santos' "Love Walked In" series; I read the first one a couple of years ago.

Some of the same characters are included in this book, plus several new ones.  The plot revolves around Cornelia, who has moved to suburban Philadelphia with her husband, Teo.  After a few false starts, she makes friends with her neighbor, Piper.  She also meets Lake in the grocery and they immediately connect.  Not everything is going smoothly for these women; they are each having a challenging year for a variety of reasons.  I laughed, I cried, and I couldn't stop reading the book.  

De los Santos' writing is incredible -- sharp, witty dialog; elaborate descriptions; wonderful language.  I'm definitely looking forward to reading more by this talented author!

Read more of my reviews at https://thegoodreader13.blogspot.com/.

View all my reviews

Book Review: Cross Down by James Patterson (Alex Cross #31)

Cross Down by James Patterson
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This book is marketed as an Alex Cross novel, but in reality it focuses almost exclusively on John Sampson.  Alex and John are working together on an inter-agency group initiated by the president in hopes of halting the myriad terrorist attacks across the U.S.  Early the book Alex is sidelined after an ambush and is recuperating in the ICU after surgery.  Alex and the rest of the Cross gang are all present in the book, but are really just tertiary characters. 

The tone is very different from the typical Alex Cross novels, and I would label it more as a military thriller.  John Sampson goes rogue along with FBI buddy Ned Mahoney.  And I was a little surprised by the level of violence; the body count is almost as high as a John Wick movie.  In the end, John and Ned save the day...the president...and the country.

It's a quick read, includes Patterson's trademark short chapters, and held my interest.  However, it definitely feels like the beginning of a spinoff series for John Sampson, as is evidenced by the fact that Patterson has a co-author on this book (one thing he hasn't had for any of the other Alex Cross books).  

Read more of my reviews at https://thegoodreader13.blogspot.com/.

View all my reviews

Book Review: Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin

Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

An incredible book about friendship, partnership, love, and most of all video games.  Sam and Sadie meet in a hospital game room when they are 12 years old.  Sam has been in a car accident, was seriously injured, and hasn't spoken to anyone since.  They bond through playing video games together.  Fast forward 10 years and they meet on a subway platform in Boston, where they are both in college.  Together they develop an incredibly successful video game and form a company with Sam's roommate, Marx.  It follows the three of them over the next decade of their careers.

The deep dive into the video game industry was fascinating for me.  However, the book is about so much more than just video games.  It's about the volatile friendship between Sam and Sadie, and their ongoing relationship ups and downs.  It's a character-driven novel that shows life isn't always predictable and pretty and successful.

I'm still thinking about this book more than a week after I've finished it, which is a sure sign that it has made an impact and will be one of my 2023 favorites!

Read more of my reviews at https://thegoodreader13.blogspot.com/. 

View all my reviews

Book Review: Cook It Up: Bold Moves for Family Foods: A Cookbook by Alex Guarnaschelli and Ava Clark

Cook It Up: Bold Moves for Family Foods: A Cookbook by Alex Guarnaschelli
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

If you watch Food Network at all, you are probably familiar with Alex Guarnaschelli. I have enjoyed watching her cook for years. Now she and her 15-year old daughter, Ava, have collaborated on a cookbook with their favorite foods. It's fun to read their introductions to the recipes; you get the chef/mother point of view, along with the Tik Tok daughter recipe enhancements! I particularly enjoyed the Pasta and Meats chapters.

Read more of my reviews at https://thegoodreader13.blogspot.com/.

View all my reviews

Book Review: Days at the Morisaki Bookshop by Satoshi Yagisawa; Translated by Eric Ozawa

Days at the Morisaki Bookshop by Satoshi Yagisawa
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This novella was written by the Japanese author Satoshi Yagisawa, and translated to English.  It follows young Takako who is suddenly jilted by her boyfriend and falls into a deep depression.  Her uncle owns a used bookstore in the Tokyo book district and encourages her to come and live above the bookstore in exchange for working in the shop every morning.  After a few weeks, Takako starts reading some of the books.  She also explores the neighborhood and develops some friendships.

This is a quiet character study which delves deep into family, relationships and friendships.  It was written in 2010 and the movie was released later that same year.  It's definitely in my wheelhouse -- books, the joy of reading, and bookstores.  At under 150 pages, it can be read in one sitting.  Pour yourself a cup of tea and enjoy!  

Read more of my reviews at https://thegoodreader13.blogspot.com/.

View all my reviews

Book Review: This Year It Will Be Different, and other stories by Maeve Binchy

This Year It Will Be Different, and other stories by Maeve Binchy
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Maeve Binchy is an international treasure; I have loved every single one of her books that I've read.  This one is no exception!  I always like to read a Christmas novel in December, and this one was perfect -- a collection of short stories.   Highly recommended for anyone who wants to get into the Christmas spirit; snuggle up with a cuppa tea and read this book.

Read more of my reviews at https://thegoodreader13.blogspot.com/.

View all my reviews

Book Review: Familia: 125 Foolproof Mexican Recipes to Feed Your People by Marcela Valladolid

Familia: 125 Foolproof Mexican Recipes to Feed Your People by Marcela Valladolid
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A beautifully photographed book of traditional Mexican recipes.  Marcela and her sister Carina developed a live Instagram cooking show and demonstration at the beginning of the pandemic, and this wonderful cookbook evolved out of that. 

Read more of my reviews at https://thegoodreader13.blogspot.com/.

View all my reviews

Book Review: The Ensemble by Aja Gabel

The Ensemble by Aja Gabel
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is a very compelling debut novel about the members of the Van Ness string quartet, set over a period of 16 years:  Jana (violin), Brit (2nd violin), Henry (viola), and Daniel (cello).  There are actually five main characters in this novel, the fifth being the string quartet itself and the book relates how the four musicians come together to play as a cohesive group.  The story is alternately told from the various points of view of the  musicians, and delves deep into their personal lives, their relationships with others in the quartet, and their lives outside the quartet.  Over the years there are ups and downs, joys and sadness, successes and failures.  I thoroughly enjoyed this book and will be looking forward to more by this author.

This novel is definitely for the music lover.  The various pieces of music are listed in the beginning of each section.  There is also a Spotify playlist for the pieces discussed in this book.

Read more of my reviews at https://thegoodreader13.blogspot.com/.

View all my reviews

Book Review: The Home Edit Life: The No-Guilt Guide to Owning What You Want and Organizing Everything by Clea Shearer

The Home Edit Life: The No-Guilt Guide to Owning What You Want and Organizing Everything by Clea Shearer
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Oh no!  It happened again...I got pulled into another home organization porn book!  I just couldn't turn away; I had to look at all the glossy photos of people's shoe closets, bathroom storage, refrigerators, party closets, pet supplies and many more.  All arranged in matching bins or canisters, all arranged by color.  There are a few more organizational tips in this book than there were in the first, but there isn't a whole lot of substance; they rely on the photographs to tell the story.  I do like their 80/20 rule:  keep your home no more than 80% full and reserve at least 20% for breathing room.  However, I simply cannot keep by tea organized by package color.  And I certainly don't understand the concept of organizing your phone apps by color!!  Perhaps it's the librarian in me, but I tend to organize everything by logical groupings.

Recommended for anyone who wants to look at Instagram photos in a book.  

Read more of my reviews at https://thegoodreader13.blogspot.com/.

View all my reviews