The Road to Tender Hearts by Annie Hartnett (★★★★★)
Print • Library • Contemporary Fiction • 2025
Short synopsis: A darkly comic and warm-hearted novel about an old man on a cross-country mission to reunite with his high school crush—bringing together his adult daughter, two orphaned kids, and a cat who can predict death.
This novel was so much fun! I haven’t read anything by Annie Hartnett, but I’m a sucker for a road trip book and I kept hearing really good things about this one. I immediately fell in love with all of the characters in the novel, from the old man who is just trying his best to his adult daughter who needs her dad to be a better father to the precocious kids who are dealing with tragedy. Plus, there is PANCAKES. This cat is everything and I loved him so very much, even though I would never want to cross paths with him since he’s a predictor of death! The novel had so much heart and so much dark comedy. I loved the absurdity of it and the way everything came together in the end. It was one of my favorite reads this year! (Recommendation source: Sarah’s Book Shelves Live)
Bad City: Peril and Power in the City of Angels by Paul Pringle (★★★★★)
Audiobook • Hoopla • Nonfiction • 2022
Short synopsis: In 2016, investigative reporter Paul Pringle received a tip about a USC dean’s drug overdose, which led him to expose crimes, cover-ups, and corruption that reached all the way into his own newsroom.
This story was WILD! I don’t think I’ve ever said so many things out loud while listening to an audiobook. “That’s so fucked up!” “What the hell!” It was a very immersive experience. I love a great narrative nonfiction novel, and this one read almost like a crazy fiction novel. (It’s very similar to how I felt reading Bad Blood or Catch and Kill.) What shocked me most wasn’t just the corruption at a prestigious university, but also the corruption within Pringle’s own newsroom, where editors with USC ties tried to bury the story. I am constantly amazed at the lengths these investigative reporters go to uncover the truth, risking careers, safety, and sanity while tirelessly tracking down sources and evidence. This book pulled back the curtain on what it really takes to bring these stories to light, and I absolutely loved it. Highly recommend! (Recommendation source: Sarah’s Book Shelves Live)
The Bell in the Fog by Lev AC Rosen (★★★★☆)
Print • Library • Mystery/Historical • 2023
Short synopsis: In 1952 San Francisco, disgraced ex-cop turned private detective Andy Mills takes on a blackmail case from an old flame, pulling him back into the dangerous shadows of the Navy and the city’s queer underworld.
The Bell in the Fog, the second book in the Evander Mills series, was such a great read! What I love most about these books is a peek into what life was like for queer people in the 1950s. It was a dangerous time to be gay, and while there were clubs that functioned as sanctuaries for gay life, those were also the clubs that were regularly being raided by police. The mystery at the heart of this novel wasn’t all that exciting, but it was everything happening around the mystery that I loved. I loved the queer characters, the club where Andy works, and the deeper insight into Andy’s life before he became a cop. It’s not the kind of book that will change your life, but it’s a fun escape with a lot of heart and rich history.
What are you reading?
You had a great reading week! I have Road on hold and have heard great things about it, I adored Bad City, and Bell sounds right up my alley.
I’m reading Lion Women of Tehran for book club and I am sad to say that it is…just OK. I’m about 30% and nothing about the characters or the story is grabbing me. If it wasn’t for book club I think I would DNF and find something that’s a better fit.
OH NO! I’m sorry that Lion Women of Tehran isn’t working well for you. I have such high hopes for that novel!
I just DNF-ed my recent book club book. It was just so boring and I didn’t want to read it. I usually try to muscle through book club books, but I just couldn’t do it with this one.
I’ve heard of Bad City and Tender Hearts- they both sound really good! Glad your reading life picked up this week.
I just finished The Anomaly by Herve Le Tellier and WHOA. It was bizarre and amazing.
I’m so glad for a better reading week!
I have heard of The Anomaly. I feel like it’s not a book I would like, but I’m glad it worked for you!
I loved Tender Hearts, too! It was fun to read it at the same time so we could text about it! I also read Bad City and gave it 5 stars. It made my best books list the year I read it. I was also so appalled by all that happened and all of the cover-ups. Sheesh.
I DNF’d 2 books in a row – the new Em Hen and “Deep Cuts.” Now I’m reading my book club pick for September – Range. It’s ok so far but some of the chapters are a bit too long and drawn out. It’s about how it’s better to be a generalist early in life than a specialist. It’s interesting, but reading it feels like a chore at times so I’m trying to fit some fiction reading in to break it up a bit.
Bad City was such an insane story! I’m glad I finally read it – it’s been on my TBR for so long.
Your book club book sounds a bit dry! I just DNF-ed our September book club book, oof. I was really trying to get through it, but it was just so boring!
I’m in the very long queue for Tender Hearts – looking forward to it!
I’m reading Everything is Tuberculosis, which is fascinating, and also deeply upsetting. I would not recommend it to anyone who has any kind of health anxiety/ germaphobia/ etc. but I am loving it.
Ooh, I have been interested in reading Everything is Tuberculosis, but I am someone who has some health-related anxieties. I’ll wait for your review!
Thanks for the rec, I’m now on the 18 week waitlist for Tenderhearts.
Gosh, such long waits for that book! I got the physical copy immediately – probably would have had to wait longer for the e-book, though.
Bad City was so good! I was glad I listened to it as an audiobook. However, unlike you, I found almost all the newsroom scenes to be repetitive and slowed down the pace of the book (enough that I took off half a star). We’re book opposites even when we both like the same book!
It was so great as an audiobook – read like a super intriguing podcast!
WAIT THE FIRST BOOK HAS A CAT?! Named PANCAKES? *immediately leaves to go to Libby to request*
Bad City sounds so good but not like what I need to read about right now (corruption). It’s unbelievable how… immoral (seems like too light of a word???) some people are!
I am reading Atmosphere and listening to These Summer Storms.
Yes, please do yourself a favor and read The Road to Tender Hearts, specifically because of Pancakes. He was such a fun cat!
I’m excited to see what you think of Atmosphere!
Thats a great reading week you are having.
I am struggling a bit with my books – not because they are bad but because my mind is so busy and I am so tired lately. I don’t get much reading done.
The first of your books sounds kinda fun. I may pick it up.
I am currently (still) reading The Poppy Fields by Nikki Erlick.
I’m sorry you’re still not in your best reading space right now. <3 I hope things start getting better for you soon!