nomadreader

In a year when I often wanted to tune out reality and current events, I found myself reading a lot of mysteries and thrillers. Although arguably depressing in their own right, mysteries have a way of transporting me when I read. Even when I end up rating a book 4 stars or less, I often quite enjoy the time I spend reading the book, even moreso than some books that end awesomely but are somewhat slow to get through. I find when I read mysteries, I find more minutes in the day to read. As I made this list and ranked it, I realized rankings these books by my ratings (4, 4.5, or 5 stars) wasn't the right way to go. Ratings are highly subjective and imperfect, but I recommend all of these, for a variety of reasons. Here are my seven favorites,with a three-way tie for first place!) (As always, clicking the book covers will take you to Amazon.) 7. Final Girls  by Riley Sager The premise of this one is bleak but fascinating. It centers on Quincy Carpenter, a young woman who ten years ...

I don't read a lot of nonfiction. This year, I read 22, which made up roughly 20% of my total reading. Here are my five favorites. (As always, clicking the book covers will take you to Amazon.) 5. We're Going to Need More Wine  by Gabrielle Union I first heard about this book at the Harper Collins fall book buzz panel the American Library Association conference last June, and after hearing it wasn't a typical celebrity memoir, I knew I wanted to read it. I opted for the audiobook, which is read by Union, and I'm so glad I did. This book is a memoir in the form of essays, and Union lays her life bare, from childhood to the present. It is both serious (she deals with racism, sexism, recounts her rape, her fertility struggles, and much more) and funny. It's loosely chronological, but it's also thematic, and the last essay provides a fitting end for this collection. Since I read it, I started binge-watching Union's current tv show, Being Mary Jane,  which I h...

Today I begin a series sharing my favorites reads of 2017 with you. It's especially fun (for me) this year because I've reviewed so few of them here, and while I don't always want to write a review, I do love to write (and talk) about the books I love! I'm starting with comics, then tomorrow I'll share nonfiction. On Wednesday, I'll share my mystery picks, and on Thursday, I'll share my fiction picks, which are almost always my favorite. Favorite Comics series Paper Girls  is one of the many books I picked up this year because of Litsy . The story begins with four suburban teenage girls who deliver newspapers in the 1980s. The first volume does a lot of world and character-building, and I really enjoyed it (4.5 stars). The second volume , however, changes the game immensely . It was a 5-star read, and as I read it, I kept urging Mr. Nomadreader to start this series. He did, and he's a big fan too. The third volume was so good, I immediately check...

I always follow the announcement of the National Book Award 's 5 Under 35 honorees each year. The award is given to work that "promises to leave an indelible mark on the literary landscape." This year I was thrilled to see all five are women , and three of the selections are novels. One of the things I most love about the 5 Under 35 is that each honoree is selected by a past National Book Award participant. A novel I might not otherwise pick up (or know about) may rise to the top of the list when I see an author whose work I've enjoyed thinks it shows immense promise. Chemistry  by Weike Wang  I'm drawn to fiction written by writers who are also scientists. While this novel is definitely about a chemist, but it's so much more. It's a refreshing take on a coming of age novel that challenges the genre's conventional tropes. I desperately want the narrator to have a name so I can talk about her, because I learned so much from her perspective ...

Remember last month, when I said I thought the great reading slump of 2017 might (finally) be going away? It did. I finished a whopping sixteen (16!) books. How did I manage such a feat? Well, part of my strategy to break out of the reading slump of the last several months was to keep starting new books if I didn't feel like reading the one I was in the middle of, so I spent some time finishing all of those books. I also made more time for reading. I took vacation the week of Thanksgiving. I've been going to bed earlier to read in bed more. And I also focused on reading what I was in the mood for, which apparently only include mysteries and nonfiction. Whatever it is, I'll take it. Here's what I read in November: Books read: 16 Fiction: 10 Memoir: 4 Nonfiction: 6 Comics: 1 Young Adult: 1 Audio: 2 Mysteries/Thrillers: 7 New-to-me-authors: 4 Re-read: 1 My favorite November book: The Wife  by Alafair Burke (it comesout January 23rd, 2018--look for my review ...

The backstory: Last summer, I read and enjoyed Wendy Walker's first psychological thriller All Is Not Forgotten  ( my review ). ( Walker has also published several novels that aren't thrillers.) The basics: One night, two sisters, ages 15 and 17, go missing. Three years later, one of them comes back, and she's desperate to find her sister, whom she left behind in order to escape. My thoughts: When I read All Is Not Forgotten , I was enraptured. In my review, I wrote "ll Is Not Forgotten is an utterly gripping thriller. I read it compulsively. As I reached its conclusion, however, I realized the thrills were likely gone. In this sense, the novel is authentic and realistic--it's characters feel like real people. While I appreciate the novel's conclusion in this sense, for such a twisty ride, I was mildly disappointed there wasn't one more twist." In many ways, Emma in the Night  has the opposite problem. The premise is such an intriguing one, but I...

The basics: When Reconsidered, a podcast examining the murder of Charles Buhrman, becomes a huge hit, it sends many lives into chaos, including his daughter, Josie, who has done all she can to distance herself from the family after his murder. My thoughts: Although I didn't love it as much as some people, I was caught up in the podcast Serial several years ago. That podcast inspired the fictional podcast in this novel. Josie narrates this novel, but her narration is intermixed with podcast transcripts, Reddit forums, and Tweets. As a narrator, Josie is frustrating at times. She's not necessarily unreliable, but she doesn't share all she knows (and to do so would ruin much of the suspense.) As a reader, I know I see situations differently when I'm reading a book and looking for clues than I would if it were my life, but it can still be a frustrating experience. I knew very little about this novel going into it, and I think that's best. As we learn more about Jos...