recent reads #1 of 2025
Some quick thoughts from some recent reads!
Truly, Madly, Magically
By Hazel Beck
3.5⭐️
I really enjoyed the centering of Ellowyn, whose half-human, cursed to truth, mothering backstory somehow made so much sense to me? The magic plot really worked for me here with ghosts and votes and all that - but I wish Zander had been more fleshed out. He is probably the most complex male counterpart - wracked with grief, navigating being a Guardian with avoiding toxic masculinity - but his evolution felt mechanic instead of organic.
Leave the Grave Green
3.75⭐️
By Deborah Crombie
Opera and snobs and art and wild chemistry - I feel like this is the book where Crombie started cooking with gas. Almost 30 years since it was written, I have to admit there were some oof Kincaid moments in his reaction to Julia and treatment of Gemma - but how telling to have a mid-90s man in power (who I love, love, love as a protagonist) being so careless with consequences.
The Seagull
by Ann Cleeves
4⭐️
A piece that pokes at Vera’s past, this entry into the series really dives into group dynamics. Vera’s team coming into their own (who knew, Charlie?!) as Joe navigates confidence vs attention and Holly tries to see where she fits in this puzzle and the mystery itself touches Vera’s dad and his crew and who did what when - but never in a way that the story feels lost in the past. Nostalgia, overwhelm, manipulation - almost every character ties into the larger themes.
The Postscript Murders
By Elly Griffiths
3.5⭐️
Sophomore entries into series are challenging and this one made more so by Kuar not being the draw in the initial novel. I missed Clare and Henry and Georgie and this harsh turn into a new mystery and group made this one harder for me to get into - even if I agree with the heightened focus on Harbinder and appreciated the deepening of her character and her world. A lesser novel in some ways - but worth sticking with even with the twists and turns.
Mourn Not Your Dead
By Deborah Crombie
4⭐️
I was incredibly thankful there was no time jump between the awkward personal dynamics ending of the prior book and this one. Talk about firing on all cylinders - the mystery was twisty and personal and sad, Kincaid and Gemma were spiky and attractive and messy, and there were real consequences to all of that mixing up together. For being 20 years old, these books don’t feel as dated as one would think. I’m really enjoying the series.
The Wisteria Society of Lady Scoundrels
By India Holton
4⭐️
I DNFed a different lady pirate book earlier in the year so I came to this book with baggage. Instead, it was everything I wanted in a palate-cleansing read: sharp sarcasm and wordplay, magic with rules and logic and propriety, a romance balanced with a feminist spine, and just plain fun… I thought it would get twee, but it didn’t. From the Cecilias to Ned, etc. to a cast ranging from royalty to ghosts to pirates aplenty, they all carried this rollicking read.
Dreaming of the Bones
3.5⭐️
By Deborah Crombie
This was a bit disjointed for me. At first, I thought that was evocative of Kincaid’s relationship with his ex-wife, but even with some space from it, I think this one starts off in a weird dynamic and then rights itself midway through once the true focus becomes clear. That being said, still a good entry into the series. I appreciate Gemma’s vocalization of the feminine experience both in her relationship and work and appreciate the expansion of their world.
The Darkest Evening
3.25⭐️
By Ann Cleeves
I struggled with this one. I feel bad that I’m not enjoying the books diving deeper into Vera’s past than I did the ones where she just drove the action of the mystery. This did build into something interesting - but the parts didn’t sum into a whole for me; Holly’s control and spiraling thoughts held up to the anorexia storyline, Joe being no more than a sketch, Vera being consistently inconsistent. The end made sense, but the journey didn’t quite do it for me.
The League of Gentlewomen Witches
By India Holton
3.75⭐️
What a fun next book in this series! I quite enjoyed being brought into a different culture and its peculiarities, as well as still seeing characters and storylines from the first book. Charlotte built for me as a protagonist - which might have been the point as she found herself beyond the polite structure she was trapped in - which made for a slow start. But, her blossoming with Alex and his emotional journey and swashbuckling flair made for a fun read.
I’m trying out consistently tracking on a spreadsheet and a few different apps this year (StoryGraph, Fable, and Goodreads) to see how I can balance my love of reading data with my recent meh around platforms.
Do you track on an app, spreadsheet, handwritten log, or a mix?
I need to read more Deborah Crombie! I'm making a note of it. I keep track of my reading in a handwritten log, and also keep my TBR that way. I also want to read more Ann Cleeves- I really enjoyed the first two in the series.
ReplyDeleteI track on a spreadsheet and I have a monthly log on my blog. And that is it for me! I should do better about updating Goodreads for all my non-blog reading friends, but it's so much work to go to yet another place to document that I read a bad romance novel, you know?
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