Fond of Fonts

   It's been quite a while since I've posted a book review, but I couldn't refrain myself from discussing this series by Holly Jackson. I snagged a copy from my sister-in-laws' bookshelf and have been hooked since the first chapters of Book 1. I've seen the book on multiple different bookstagram platforms in the past, browsed within the bookstore and noticed it on the shelf. I never took the plunge but brought myself to do so this time. I regret to say, it should've happened sooner.  The series follows the close-knit life of Pippa Fitz-Amobi, a Fairview high school senior who decides to tackle the five-year-old murder-suicide case that took the lives of locals Andie Bell and Sal Singh. Pip dives into the case, straight up detective style--even starts her own podcast to keep followers in the loop all around the world in hopes to uncover what truly happened to the hometown high school sweetheart couple. More than just the true circumstances of the murder-suicide ...

     Second thriller/suspense novel of choice for the year and Ruth Ware doesn't disappoint! I actually nominated this novel for January's choice for a book club at my work and I'm looking forward to hearing everyone's thoughts on this storyline. One By One  is a 2020 publication depicting a group of current and former coworkers taking a frigid getaway trip to the French Alps. With two ski chalet employees accompanying them during their stay, a weather-predicted avalanche causes the party to end with a serious note of survival . Ware develops the storyline through two POVs, that of Erin (one of the two chalet employees with extensive medical background) and Liz (a former employee of the start-up group staying in the chalet). Erin and Liz are portrayed as slight opposites, but they both take time throughout the storyline to sit back and watch what's occurring among the guests, which happens to be murder .     As each character is picked off one-by-one, (of c...

Another unexpected young adult novel in the works, lo and behold it's from none other than Jenna Evans Welch herself! Spells for Lost Things  follows an interweaving story between Willow, who's mother is within reach but metaphorically a million miles apart, and Mason, who's mother is anywhere else in the world besides right next to him. Evans Welch does a spectacular job introducing a hodophile, Willow - a young woman before her senior year of high school who finds herself in the throws of deciding she'd rather be anywhere else deemed "home" than next to her mother in their California abode created after a divorce from Willow's father. Her mother receives an unexpected notification that her twin sister has passed away and needs her affairs tidied up in none other than Salem, Massachusetts. It was the utterance of a twin sister that caught Willow off guard from her mother's admission, but the prospect of traveling to Salem was something Willow yearned...

 Adrienne Young delivers once again with her stand-alone novel, SAINT . The cover, similar to Fable & Namesake , catches the eye with a vivid profile of Fable's father, Elias. Accompanying Fable's father is his lifelong friend, Clove, who was also introduced in Young's other two novels. Better yet, it's the first look at Fable's mother and Saint's true love, Isolde, that brings a heart-wrenching jerk to readers when picking up the book and delving in for the first time. The two narratives coincide with each other, jumping from Isolde's and Saint's POVs throughout the novel. Readers get an inside scoop as to what it was like for Isolde to escape the unloving clutches of her mother, Holland. Whereas Isolde knew only kindness from her father, she knew treachery and deceitfulness from her mother. It wasn't until she found Saint that she was able to dive deep into the waters of trust and love. The same could be said for Saint when he first laid eyes ...

     Fredrik Backman's Anxious People  is a 2019 publication, translated into English in 2021. This novel was nothing I had expected it to be based on the synopsis of a desperate individual who turned to robbing a bank in order to overcome current life circumstances. The novel follows a number of characters and their current livelihoods; individuals "held up" as hostages in the middle of an apartment showing which took place before the New Year holiday. I was impressed with the attention to detail Backman was able to portray, not necessarily in backdrops of locations but between the different characters' thoughts/lifestyles throughout the piece. What I expected of an individual in the beginning was not relatable to what was uncovered/divulged to the reader towards the middle/end of the novel.     This novel did follow the actions of a woman (not identified gender-wise until late into the novel) who chose to rob a bank in order to retrieve financial means t...

 Diane Chamberlain's suspense novel, The SIlent Sister , follows a story told by Riley MacPherson - a school counselor returning to her childhood home to tie up loose ends of her deceased father's estate. Riley is presented as a young woman accustomed to the strained relationship w/ her brother, Danny, and reminiscing about her younger years with her pre-deceased mother. A major tid-bit to the storyline would be Riley's old sister, Lisa, who committed suicide when Riley was around two-years-old. A mere figment in her memory. Riley dives deep into her father's affairs, moving through estate sale items, years of paperwork and photographs of a once put together family when Riley was a mere blip on their radar. Among the cluttered chaos, Riley is met with a disturbed thought based on her father's collection of bluegrass CDs and band posters in his abandoned RV in the trailer park -- could Lisa be... alive ? Riley spends countless time throughout the days of tying togeth...

  Megan Miranda's novel, "All The Missing Girls", was a thriller/suspense novel I was happy to inhale from my TBR pile - literally (two days of reading straight through). The storyline follows Nicolette Farrell's life, from ten years prior to drastically moving out of her hometown and present day. I believe anyone can relate when Nic's character spends time reminiscing about how things were during high school vs how much things can change when becoming adults. But, what happens when something you did ten years ago starts to repeat itself - almost too much? It makes you wonder, are we really any different than how we used to be? Or have we just gotten better at masking it? Miranda does an awesome job, in my opinion, by introducing this story in backwards timeline sectioning. Nic's return is broken up into two/three weeks worth of a story (with longer portions towards the end of the novel) but Miranda works backwards in showing the jump between past and present...

  Helen Cooper's suspense novel, "The Downstairs Neighbor", takes a new spin on a missing person's tale. The novel follows three floors worth of tenants: a set of "over-attentive" parents and their teenage daughter, a woman on the brink of breaking down when her roommate departs, and a married driving instructor wishing for more than his day-to-day responsibilities.  Cooper introduces an array of characters who all undergo further development throughout the piece. It isn't a standard novel in which a daughter goes missing, the parents lose their minds and she's miraculously found after being abducted from the bad man who might've been seen as good. Initially, the novel ALSO covers a character's life which takes place twenty-five years earlier. It takes a bit to discover whom the twenty-five-years-ago character is, but once the puzzles pieces fall into place, as a reader, I was left wanting more. 5/5 stars!

  Another thriller crossed off the TBR pile and it didn't disappoint! Heidi Perks' novel, "Her One MIstake", centers around the lives of two women - Charlotte and Harriet. Charlotte is introduced as a woman who has it all, husband w/ a fantastic job, three children she has the day-to-day responsibility of keeping in line, a one-of-a-kind home kept up to date with cleaning and meals. Charlotte was everything Harriet supposedly aspired to be, considering she was a tip-top mother in watching her daughter, Alice. A single day in which Harriet decided to hand over the reins to Charlotte, with blatantly obvious reluctance, was not without fail - considering Charlotte lost Harriet's daughter in a matter of mere hours but had her children well in mind and sight. Perks' novel is NOT what meets the eye within the first fifty pages. I plucked this novel out of the TBR pile in hopes of recognizing a simple snatched-child storyline, but OH NO. Perks unravels a storyline so...

  It was the cover that caught my eye when I selected Alexandra Bracken's stand alone novel, "Lore", from the bookstore shelf. The synopsis being tailored around Greek mythology was another implication to purchase the novel and all around - I was glad to have read and finished it in a mere few days. The story is centered around a young woman, Lore, who is the last standing survivor of her bloodline, trailing back to the original days of the Greek gods. Following her current day-to-day life schedule shows readers she's in the process of escaping the seven-day every seven-years hunt in which Greek gods are either fighting to keep themselves immortal or mere humans gaining mythological status upon hunting those said gods. There are a tremendous amount of names/family lineages to follow throughout this novel and that factor alone made it slightly difficult to keep up with the plot - however, recognizing the good vs evil characters was apparent and easy to keep up with. He...

Despite my hands down obsession with Batman, I haven't always been an avid comic book reader. I've watched countless films featuring Batman and his DC Justice League members, along with animated series. To be honest, graphic novels in general haven't really been my cup of tea to read. However, i was glad the book read pick from my day job decided on this Christmas version of a Batman graphic novel. A mixture of my favorite time of year with my favorite superhero couldn't be better - and it's true! The story of Scrooge and his three ghosts are the basis for this graphic novel. Turns out, Batman was Scrooge - visited by Catwoman, Superman and the notorious Joker. The storyline follows a down-in-the-dumps desperate father looking for a fast dash for cash in order to celebrate Christmas appropriately with his son. He turns to the Joker in hopes to gain the money, then has a run in with Batman - who comes off more vicious than the Clown Prince of Crime himself. Batman...

I will always and forever say this - Lisa Jewell is the QUEEN of the suspense/thriller genre. I'm sure most who read her would agree with me in comparing her and/or referencing her written ability in crafting a phenomenal read to that of the infamous Agatha Christie in her time. Jewell's 2019 debut novel centers around a young woman by the name of Libby Jones, a competent individual with a safe, bright future ahead. Until, she receives a letter shortly after her 25th birthday informing her of a family inheritance worth a fairly decent price and then some . Jones is introduced to readers as the main character to follow, but other characters soon take stage in a plot-twisting novel where family ties don't always hold true with faith, love, and blood. Jewell has this astonishing ability to craft the perfect chapter, whether it be mere attention to detail, length of pages or strategic craftsmanship of paragraph and dialogue portions leaving the reader wanting more - causing th...

 Camille DeAngelis' modern romance is anything but traditional. The phrase "gut-wrenching, butterfly swirling love" is anything but what a typical romance devourer would consume. The main character, Maren Yearly, is a young woman abandoned by her mother who admittedly couldn't handle her daughter's unique circumstances and pursuing the whereabouts of her father who might have more in common with her than her mother originally let on. Maren travels consistently throughout the country, based in the United States, allotting herself the opportunities of gaining an identity and forging ahead in realizing who she is as a woman, while also keeping her deepest secret under wraps. Until, an older gentleman goes out of his way to make her feel welcome and a younger man's eye lingers longer than expected, recognizing they hold more in common than just a few years of age. DeAngelis' story began with Maren's first months as a child, but when Maren's mother made...

  Grady Hendrix has composed a story with southern charm, riveting suspense and extensive character development. This novel spans over 11 years, centered around the antics and pandemonium of a house wives' book club. The main character, Patricia Campbell, has two children and a husband who works full time outside of the home. She handles day-to-day schedules within the home, along with participating in community events. Patricia does have a past working full time as a nurse with extensive schooling, however, she chose to be a stay at home mother to better tend to her children and keep her family afloat comfortably. Participating in the neighborhood book club allows Patricia the opportunity to bond with her fellow stay-at-home mothers, all ranging with a variety of personalities and family sizes. With normal growing mundane, the neighborhood gains a single gentleman who reaches out to Patricia after a nontraditional meeting and inquires about assistance with fitting in. The tasks se...

  All The Things I Never Said Written by: Jennie Louise Illustrated by: Gina Stavrou Delving into this collection of poetry is comparable to delving into old journal entries from a younger version of one's self. Readers return to thoughts and emotions in which one would've hoped to share with those who'd have been impacted most. Louise separates this collection into four sections: To Family, To Lovers, To Strangers, and To Myself. Despite Louise's disclosure of having worked with the poetic word for years, I find it detrimental that the publication occurred in the year of 2020 -- a year in which most individuals questioned how they left things in the past, how they'd participate in events, or what they hoped to achieve in their future -- something left completely up to chance at one time for many. Louise's writing is riveting, pulling at emotions through descriptions and constant use of sensory details. Sensuality between lovers compared to addictive cups of cof...

  Another one off the shelf to start 2022 off w/ a reading bonanza bang! I'd highly recommend this Adult Comedic Romance novel, where main characters Don & Rosie find each other in the least expected way--Rosie being considered for Don's "experimental, research-based study" in which he'd be able to find the perfect candidate to be his wife .  Rosie was everything Don hadn't been looking for, but she was mighty intrigued by his capabilities throughout the laboratory in which he'd be able to assist in a different "researched-based study"--distinguishing and locating who Rosie's father was. Both characters throughout the novel are looking for the other to benefit them in their own personal goals, never taking into consideration the fact that what they really needed from each other was, in fact, EACH OTHER. There are a number of instances in which Don's mannerisms and/or outlook on individuals in general (and singularly), is seen as comi...

 Another suspense-thriller adventure with an exuberant trusting woman and overly obsessed man. Nina's lost her husband, Glen,  due to a tragic accident and is left to fend for herself, two teenage children,  and family companion, Daisy. A man, Simon, wanders into their lives one day shortly after the tragic accident that swept Nina's husband clear and far from their lives... Or did it? Simon seems to be the perfect man for Nina. Understanding, romantic, supportive, intelligent--everything she would've wanted in another companion after Glen, even someone remotely dedicated to her and her alone . Secrets were revealed at delicate moments throughout the novel insuring readers were made aware the marriage was not all cookie-cutter before Glen's appearance. Glan had things to hide, but so did Nina. Thoughts harborded, feelings of resentment apparent, and general questionings of what might've happened between her and Glen before he even disappeared. Children always seem ...

No better way to end the year than with a series BANG! Victoria Aveyard's "Red Queen" series has been calling my bookshelves home for quiet some time and I finally decided to dive in and take a peek. I can honestly say, I wasn't disappointed in the slightest. Readers are introduced to Mare Barrow -- a teenage girl surviving in the throws of a small town by utilizing the talents of a well-worn thief. Between smuggling and selling items, Mare takes a lead role in making sure her family survives in the small town by whatever means necessary. She gets by in her day-to-day tactics with an accompaniment of her dear friend, Kilorn. Both of the teens are surviving in the best ways they can while avoiding conscription--going off to the front lines of a never ending war between kingdoms--something far greater than their lives in which they're merely moving through one day at a time. Until Mare meets a mysterious man one night and everything changes. Through twists of fate,...

      Another adventurous and invigorating YA fantasy novel! Based in the City of Basitian, Bryn Roth returns to her family's original home with some semi-recognizable faces. Upon reading Young's newest novella, Tides, we as readers are introduced to the Roth family, full of trickster, gangster men led by Henrik Roth--the deadliest of all. Trade secrets, bribery, assault and even death are obvious tactics used in the family, however, its Bryn's introduction to betrayal, sacrifice, deception and manipulation that shows the true background to the Roth family. Bryn is to participate and show her true self, what she's able to achieve for the family overall. She learns quickly how to play the game and become her own person. Love comes along the way as well, which is tested and overcome with a price--to risk it all, even life, for a chance at freedom and happiness.     The amount of detail interwoven within this novel is intricate and well thought out. Character dev...

    A YA novella detrimental to understanding the love affair between Young's Fable duology characters, Auster & Paj. Although not a print publication, the writing stands true to Young's unique style of straightforward details, bold characters & easy to follow timeline/story arcs.     It's imperative, in my opinion, to read this novella to better understand the duology's characters, but also to prepare one's self to read Young's additional novel (in relation to the duology), The Last Legacy . This next novel is centered around the infamous, and sinister, Roth family. They are merely mentioned in Fable's duology, examined closely in Tides in relation to them being Paj's family members. However, this new installment centers around them entirely, especially with the introduction of the long- awaited niece, Bryn Roth, who will ultimately take the family's namesake to an entirely new level.     Highly recommend the novella! A short 112 pages, but ...