bethreadsandnaps's reviews
2695 reviews

The Passengers by John Marrs

3.5

In this not-so-future world, self-driving cars are commonplace. A group gets together adjudicating self-driving car accidents, but only one of them is a citizen. The others are high-ranking, biased individuals. Libby is the citizen, and she’s very easy for the reader to empathize with. 

And then a hacker comes into the proceedings and takes over the cars and delivers an ultimatum to this group that will result in tragic consequences. 

I thought the reader would learn more about the characters in the hacked cars. In the first half, the reader does, but it feels that the reader spends more time with Libby in the back half. 

It took me a while to get into this one. The premise wasn’t terribly interesting to me, but I was definitely more interested in the second half. 

Three Days in June by Anne Tyler

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Loveable characters? Yes

4.5

 

4.5 stars

In THREE DAYS IN JUNE the reader is introduced to Gail Baines, a divorced woman whose daughter Debbie is getting married the following day. After being told by her boss she doesn’t have people skills, Gail abandons her job in the middle of the day. When she gets home, her ex-husband Max is on her doorstep with a cat, needing a place to stay since their daughter’s groom is allergic to cats. 

When their daughter Debbie tells her parents a secret, it puts the wedding in jeopardy and brings up unresolved feelings in Gail. 

I wholeheartedly enjoyed the character of Gail. She’s awkward, wanting to do the right thing even when she doesn’t know what that is, and is self-reliant. Her ex Max brings warmth and the right amount of bumbling behavior. While the reader doesn’t get to know Debbie as well as Gail and Max, you can see the various traits of her parents in her. 

Like many of Tyler’s novels, there are keen observations, particularly from narrators who have had time to take in the world. There isn’t much plot here, so if you’re one who needs plot, you’ll want to stay away from this one. This is more of a character study that takes place the day before the wedding, the wedding day, and the day after the wedding. There was one character that I had hoped would stay on until the third day, but didn’t. However, I really liked how the novel wrapped up.

THREE DAYS IN JUNE publishes February 11, 2025. 

 

Ordinary Time: Lessons Learned While Staying Put by Annie B. Jones

5.0

 

“Good stories are anywhere you are. Your ordinary life matters, and the place you’re living it matters, too.” - Annie B. Jones in ORDINARY TIME

I have never wanted to hug an essay collection so much! After feeling like I know Annie B. Jones through listening to her podcast From the Front Porch for the last five years, reading her first book is leveling up on how much I feel like I have in common with her. 

Growing up Catholic, “ordinary time” to me has meant those non-holiday times - that post-Easter to Thanksgiving trudge of not having anything extraordinary to look forward to in the liturgical calendar. So I loved that Annie chose that title for this essay collection because that is precisely when so much of our life happens. It’s not in the flashy holidays. It’s the day after day stick-to-it-ness that shows what all of us are made of. 

Annie shares her perspective on staying in one place even when others are choosing to spread their wings and going to big cities. There are so many thoughtful reflections that made me tear up: when people she loves leave, faith and changing churches and even religions, running a business and being a boss, what her given name means to her, family with a lovely essay devoted to her little brother, books, marriage, children. And pools and puppies.

My heart was filled by this collection.   

ORDINARY TIME publishes April 22, 2025.

 

Sycamore by Bryn Chancellor

4.5

4.5 stars

Teenager Jess Winters goes out on a walk in 1991, and she never comes home. I loved how this novel got into the hearts and minds of so many characters of small town Sycamore, Arizona. Jess is struggling as a newcomer, with her father leaving the family and starting a new family. Jess's mother Maude is depressed. The characters in this story are multi-dimensional and fascinating. 

Fast forward to many years later, and professor Laura stumbles upon what might be the remains of Jess. 

This novel gives me THE ROAD TO DALTON vibes but with more mystery. If you like character-driven mysteries, this one will likely scratch that itch for you. 

Good Dirt by Charmaine Wilkerson

4.0

 

In Charmaine Wilkerson’s GOOD DIRT the reader enters the world of Ebony (Ebby) Freeman. When she was 10 years old, Ebby’s older brother Baz was shot and killed during a home invasion. If Ebby hadn’t wanted just one more game of hide and seek, they wouldn’t have been home when the home invasion occurred. She carries a tremendous amount of guilt due to this. However, Ebby finds happiness with a successful banker named Henry until he leaves her at the altar, and this devastates her further. Ebby’s wounds are deep and, while she can’t bring her brother back, she runs into her ex-fiance while she is helping a friend out in France. 

During the home invasion that resulted in Ebby’s brother Baz’s death, a twenty-gallon clay jar was broken. This jar was emblematic of many generations of the Freeman family. Interspersed among Ebby’s chapters are her ancestors’ stories, including the story of Moses (the jar maker). I was riveted by the ancestors’ stories and how important the jar remained to each generation. I loved how it became the depository for messages. 

I thought the character of Ebony was extremely well-done. She has been through a lot so far in her life with her survivor’s guilt after her brother’s murder and feeling gutted by her ex-fiance, but there is a strength in her that persists. I rooted for her to find happiness. Her parents’ stories and how they reacted to Baz’s murder seemed very true to life and complicated. 

My attention started to lag a bit while reading. I think the author’s BLACK CAKE has a more captivating plot, but I thought this novel had more layered characters.    

GOOD DIRT publishes January 28, 2025.

 

Clever Little Thing by Helena Echlin

3.0

CLEVER LITTLE THING by Helena Echlin has an odd premise, so odd that it was hard for me to buy into the story. The story starts with Charlotte, a new mom to her second daughter, settling into a facility while her newborn is in NICU. As the story unfolds, Charlotte thinks her older daughter Stella has been possessed by her recently deceased nanny Blanka. Her daughter had been showing signs of being autistic, but, after Blanka dies, Stella becomes more social and exhibits far fewer sensory processing issues and also takes on Blanka’s preferences.

I found this novel to be unsettling but not in an intriguing way. I was confused by the different elements, like the “possession,” Charlotte’s munchausen by proxy toward her daughter Stella, Stella’s radical change in behavior, Charlotte not being a trustworthy narrator, and just not liking being in Charlotte’s perspective. I did enjoy THE PUSH tremendously, so I’m not opposed to novels with a nuanced look at motherhood. This one just didn’t land for me. 

CLEVER LITTLE THING publishes January 14, 2025. 

 

The Inheritance by Trisha Sakhlecha

3.75

 

3.75 ⭐️

THE INHERITANCE by Trisha Sakhlecha is an atmospheric dysfunctional family novel. I thought the author laid an excellent groundwork in the remote Scottish setting. The rich Indian family is retreating to daughter Myra's private island, ostensibly to figure out how the father's is leaving his inheritance to his three children. Daughter Myra needs a huge influx in cash to ready her posh resort to open. 

Son Aseem has most recently helped his father out with the company after his father had health problems, and due to that extra work thinks he should be promised more of the company. His influencer wife Zoe has tried her best to fit in with the family, but she feels like she will never fit in. 

And youngest daughter Aisha is the flighty one, and she arrives with a new beau that no one trusts. 

Told mostly from Myra’s and Zoe’s perspectives, I thought this brought a nice balance to the story, from both an “insider” family perspective and an “outsider” perspective.  

The guts were good here, but I felt the story wasn't that propulsive after the establishing groundwork was developed. There was a long lag before anything happened. However, the last 10%-15% was exactly what I was looking for in terms of gasping. It did not disappoint! So even though the pacing had some troubles in my mind, I thought it was an intriguing story. And I really enjoyed learning more about the Indian culture. 

 

The Answer is No by Fredrik Backman

2.0

If you liked Backman’s Anxious People, you’ll probably like this one. It’s described as “hilarious.” I didn’t laugh once.

Did I like this one? The answer is no. 

The Confessions of Frannie Langton by Sara Collins

3.5

3.5 stars

Frannie Langton’s story is horrifying, especially how she was being used for scientific experiments, but I’m sure the ignorance described in the 1800s was very realistic. This novel was very voicey, and for the most part I enjoyed it. At a few times, it was a little confusing. However, that may have been a “me” problem because I was listening to it on audio. 

The Book of Goose by Yiyun Li

3.0

Some reviewers say The Book of Goose is similar in style to My Brilliant Friend. I agree, and both novels didn’t really land for me. 

There were a few pockets that I found interesting. Agnes and Fabienne’s early friendship and then towards the end of the novel were the most engaging for me. The time at Woodsbury, which was in the middle, seemed to drag. It’s not often when I say I need more plot, but I think this one did.