Beautiful Little Fools by Jillian Cantor (★★★★☆)
Audiobook • Library • Historical Fiction • 2022
Short synopsis: In the summer of 1922, Jay Gatsby is found dead in his swimming pool, seemingly the victim of a murder-suicide. But when a diamond hairpin is discovered nearby, three women—Daisy Buchanan, Jordan Baker, and Catherine McCoy—become entangled in the mystery.
I loved this fun reimagining of The Great Gatsby. Instead of focusing on Jay and his friend Nick Carraway, we’re drawn into the lives of three women with their own roles to play in Gatsby’s murder. The chapters alternate between each woman (with separate narrators for each, which was great!) and a detective trying to get to the bottom of what happened to Gatsby. I thought the story flowed so seamlessly. There are so many themes at play in this story: the realities of being a woman in the 1920s and the limited choices women had, the strength and resilience of women, and the sweetness of supportive female friendship. I love that this book focused on the women surrounding Jay Gatsby and not on the terrible men. It was an excellent story that I highly recommend!
The Uncommon Reader by Alan Bennett (★★☆☆☆)
Print • Library • Contemporary Fiction • 2007
Short synopsis: Led by her yapping corgis to the Westminster traveling library outside Buckingham Palace, the Queen finds herself taking out a novel. This awakens in Her Majesty a passion for reading so great that her public duties begin to suffer.
This was a quick read (120 pages!) and if it wasn’t such a short book, I would have definitely abandoned it. Mostly, this book made me sad. It’s about the love of reading but at every turn, the Queen is stymied by her quest to read more. The traveling library disappears, her books are misplaced, and people just do not want to hear about what she is reading. This isn’t a book about the love of reading. It’s about how weird our hobby might seem to people who don’t read. So… blah.
The Most Wonderful Crime of the Year by Ally Carter (★★★★★)
Print • Owned (Book of the Month) • Romance/Mystery • 2024
Short synopsis: Three days before Christmas, famed author Eleanor Ashley vanishes from a locked room during a snowbound house party. Cozy mystery writer Maggie Chase and thriller author Ethan Wyatt—rivals who can’t stand each other—must join forces to uncover the truth. As tensions rise and secrets unfold, they race to solve the mystery before the storm traps them with a killer—or drives them to kill each other first.
OH MY GOD YOU GUYS! This book was perfection from beginning to end. I could not get enough of this sweet love story—or the excellent mystery at the heart of this novel. Maggie is still healing from her bitter divorce a year ago and Ethan is the publishing world’s golden child who can do no wrong, but together they have to team up to figure out what happened Eleanor and to make sure they’re not next on the list. If you love enemies-to-lovers, you’re going to love this book because Ally Carter does a great job with this trope. I actually got butterflies in my stomach when the characters kissed for the first time; this is how invested I was in them! I did not want this book to end and I’m going to be shoving it into the hands of everyone I know. Read this book!
What are you reading?
I am missing something with Most Wonderful Crime of the Year! Everyone loves it but I went 2 stars – I did not like it and I can’t exactly put my finger on why because it has everything I like. That’s how it goes sometimes lol
I just finished Love in Bloom by Lucy Eden which was great!
Oh, no! I’m sorry that book didn’t work for you. 🙁 I found it to be a complete delight, but it’s a good reminder that not every book is for every reader!
I listened to The Most Wonderful Crime of the Year while doing chores earlier this month. It was fun, but I wanted to like it MORE. Have you read The Blonde Identity by the same author? For whatever reason, I liked that book a smidge more.
I haven’t read anything else by this author, but that book is quickly going on my TBR list! Thank you!
Sheesh. I’ve never even heard of these books. I am, once again, in AWE that you are reading seasonally appropriate books. You’re such a good planner.
I’m listening to the audiobook of The Berry Pickers (I have many thoughts – none real good) and am reading The Puzzle Master (just a few chapters in – so far it’s intriguing) and Planes, Trains, and all the Feels (many thoughts – most not great). I feel like I’m not in a great reading mood, but maybe the rush of new reads in the new year will turn things around.
That’s quite a list of books you’re not enjoying! 🙁 I wish the end of your 2024 reading year was going much better.
Did Currently Reading recommend The Uncommon Reader? It’s ringing the bell and I want to say Kaytee recommended it? Does not sound like it’s a good book to read!
I am currently reading “Pieces of You” but I have NO IDEA HOW IT GOT ON MY LIBBY HOLD LIST. I have searched my email to see if it was in a substack newsletter and it doesn’t appear to be. None of my goodreads friends have read it either. What in the world. I started a new system in Libby where I tag the book with the recommendation source so I can keep track of it better in 2025!
Yes – great memory! Kaytee recommended it. (I only know this because I have a kaytee-cr tag on Goodreads, haha.) Kaytee and I don’t normally have the same taste in books, so it’s not a surprise I didn’t love this book as much as she did.
I’ve gotten better about tagging recommendation sources – I have a few tags on Goodreads so I can keep track. But every now and then, one just slips by!
Beautiful Fools and Wonderful Crime sound so fun! I am going to add both to my TBR immediately.
I hope you enjoy them as much as I did!
Beautiful Little Fools sounds so creative and fun!
LOL, that second book. Cause everyone needs a reminder that everyone doesn’t share the same hobbies or love for them. WE KNOW THIS. This is why it’s so special when we do connect with people.
I can’t wait to read the last one! I think I will get it in a couple months on Libby 🙂
I finished Behind Every Good Man on audio today and am reading Mullane’s Guide to Learning to Fly: Deep Dives into Select Topics for Today’s Student Pilot.
It was such a bummer to read a book that was supposed to be about a love for reading, but it truly was not. I don’t think everyone needs to be a reader, but let the people who do enjoy their books!
I really enjoy The Great Gatsby, I think I’d like to read the book from the women’s point of view. Have you ever read Gone With the Wind? I really enjoyed the books that relate to that…The Wind Done Gone, told from the point of view of an enslaved person on Tara, who is Scarlett’s half sister; Rhett Butler’s People, which is of course the story from Rhett’s point of view. I even enjoyed the melodramatic sequel, Scarlett.
I’ve actually never read Gone With the Wind! I should give it a try sometime.
Woof, I am reading a ROUGH book. It’s brilliant. But grim. Why am I reading this at this time of year, I do not know, but it’s called Moon Road and it’s about a young woman who goes missing. 19 years later her parents embark on a cross-Canada road trip because bones have been found, and they want to do a DNA test. IT IS SO DEPRESSING. Lol, happy new year to me!
What a way to ring in the new year, haha. At least the writing is good, even if the subject matter is grim.
Reading has been slow (read not happening) in the past week. I am struggling with a Christmas classic I want(ed) to finish today. I have 3.45 hours left to do so.
It’s a weird time of year for reading! I think we’re either trying to get more books done for the year or life is just too busy to focus. <3