After nearly two years, TNT finally premiered the second season of The Alienist, which is based off of Caleb Carr’s second novel in the Dr. Kreizler series, The Angel of Darkness. Rather than wait to read this novel, I decided to get the jump on the series and read the book first! This was no small feat by the way. Clocking in at over 600 pages, and with a divine amount of detail, this book took me longer than the average to crank out, but I managed to do so just a day before the second season premiere! As expected, the novel was fantastic. Everything depicted with such vivid detail and a fine amount of humor laced within the serious context of the story.
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Book Review: The Jetsetters by Amanda Ward
The Jetsetters is a pretty fun beach read. You get to live vicariously through the tumultuous and tattered lives of one family as they travel through various cities in Europe via cruise ship. Having been on a cruise myself in the past, I can at least relate to that aspect, but the rest of their messy lives I cannot.
Read moreBook Review: Never Have I Ever by Joshilyn Jackson
Yes, the title Never Have I Ever makes me think of that dumb game, but that’s the point. That, coupled with a fairly demure cover, had me seriously underestimating the twisted nature of this book! It was a serious thriller with lots of sharp turns that I never truly expected.
Read moreBook Review: Hillbilly Elegy by J.D. Vance
At the insistence of one of my friends, and the promise of a film adaptation, I finally decided to give J.D. Vance’s memoir, Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis, a chance. It was quite a thought-provoking and somewhat somber read. While he grew up in Ohio like me, there was a lot that I couldn’t relate to personally, but there were many things he described that I’ve at least witnessed in my lifetime.
Read moreBook Review: Two Can Keep a Secret by Karen McManus
I know the title sounds reminiscent of Pretty Little Liars, and I totally agree. It doesn’t help that Two Can Keep a Secret is a young adult novel, but I promise you, this mystery novel by Karen McManus is highly entertaining. Also, unlike the other two books I’ve reviewed from McManus, this one is totally unrelated to that world.
Read moreBook Review: One of Us is Next by Karen McManus
Lucky for me, Karen McManus is awesome, and published the sequel to One of Us is Lying back in January, so that means I just finished reading One of Us is Next! It was as entertaining as the first installment, and it makes me just want to read everything this woman puts out. The text is easy to read, and her characters are described in such a vivid way that I almost feel bonded to all of them.
Read moreBook Review: I’m Thinking of Ending Things by Iain Reid
I mean, straight off the bat the title, I’m Thinking of Ending Things, stood out to me, so it’s no surprise that I got my hands on Iain Reid’s debut novel. Again, title alone told me that this was going to be a thriller, and it definitely was!
Read moreBook Review: One of Us is Lying by Karen M. McManus
I picked another young adult novel to follow up Fangirl, but this was a solid choice, I promise you. While I moved back a little age-wise, One of Us is Lying follows a rag-tag group of high-schoolers navigating through a thought-provoking thriller.
Read moreBook Review – Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell
After that brutal reading of Shirley, I decided I need to pick something on the lighter side, so I went back into the young adult world to read Rainbow Rowell’s, Fangirl. As a self-proclaimed fangirl (seriously, ask almost anyone I know), I felt like this was a solid choice that I could relate to. Turns out I did a little bit!
Read moreBook Review: Shirley by Susan Scarf Merrell
Did I just choose another book that got adapted into a film? You bet. Is it going to be creepy? It better be! Does it star Elisabeth Moss? Of course. I respect horror on film and in writing, and yes, I’ve read a few Shirley Jackson works in my time, but I was drawn to this fictional novel, Shirley, because it was a more subtle thriller delivered from the perspective of an outsider looking into the Hyman/Jackson home.
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