REVIEW – Little Women by Louisa May Alcott

Aimeeeliz

“Rich or poor, we will keep together and be happy in one another.”
I think it’s safe to say that everyone who enjoys this book desperately wishes they could be part of the March family (which makes Laurie so incredibly relatable at times). This is a great read for the Christmas season, but honestly holds up any time of year – it’s cozy, it’s funny, it has so much heart. I figured the best way to review it would be to break it down by character – particularly the March sisters and Marmee.

MEG
“Call yourself any names you like; but I am neither a rascal nor a minx, and I don’t choose to be called so.”
Meg’s story is incredibly important – she’s the only sister who dreams of what’s “expected” of her. And for Meg, she gets exactly what she wants and ends up thriving. Alcott outlines some marriage and parenthood struggles in Meg’s life, but they’re relatable – she and her husband grow closer as a couple because of them, and Meg ends up living a lovely life that she’s proud of.

JO
“I like good, strong words, that mean something,” replied Jo.
Many of us avid readers (and writers) identify with Jo – she’s technically the “main” character of the novel, and her story is the most interesting (arguably tied with Amy). Jo’s journey from bookworm tomboy to published writer has you rooting for her every step of the way. I will admit, i’m not really pleased with how her story ends (however, I am glad she doesn’t end up with Laurie) but I also understand why Alcott made the choices she did for Jo given the time period (and Little Women is loosely based on Alcott’s life).

BETH
“If Jo is a tom-boy, and Amy a goose, what am I, please?” asked Beth, ready to share the lecture. “You’re a dear, and nothing else,” answered Meg.
Dear, sweet Beth. The unfairness of her story has always been apparent to me. After contracting scarlet fever (that she was exposed to only because she was being kind and helping others), she spends the rest of the book sitting idly by, while her sisters grow up, travel and marry. Somehow, Beth’s faith and sweetness never change – she gladly welcomes death and worries most about how her loved ones will carry on once she’s gone.

AMY
“I want to be great, or nothing.”
I think Amy gets a lot of unfair criticism for being the “worst” March sister. Amy grows the most throughout the novel – she starts as a sometimes silly, often selfish 12-year-old girl, but she grows into a thoughtful, smart and determined young woman. Amy seems the most “real” to me, because she has the most to learn.

MARMEE
“Once upon a time there were four girls, who had enough to eat, and drink, and wear, a good many comforts and pleasures, kind friends and parents, who loved them dearly, and yet they were not contented.”
Marmee is, in my opinion, the best literary mother of all time. Although her character does take a bit of a backseat to the four sisters, her influence is evident. She has managed to raise four kind, intelligent, caring girls – the lessons she teaches them still (mostly) hold up today, and I always love coming across her nuggets of wisdom while reading.

At its core, Little Women is truly a feminist piece of literature (there are some antiquated thoughts and statements in the text, but they are merely a symptom of their time). There are timeless life lessons about growing up, family, friendship and individuality.

COZY MYSTERY REVIEW – Christmas Cocoa Murder

Aimeeeliz

Christmas Cocoa Murder is a cute collection of hot cocoa-themed cozy mysteries. Christmas Cocoa Murder, Christmas Cocoa and a Corpse, and Death by Hot Cocoa each feature a mysterious death that somehow involves hot chocolate.

Christmas Cocoa Murder was fine – set in Ireland with an absurd cast of characters (typical for a cozy!) I loved our main character Siobhan’s family. This was the most fleshed out story of the three.

Christmas Cocoa and a Corpse was a good story, but a bit dark and sad for a cozy. The writing was good, and the overall mystery was interesting, but it wasn’t as lighthearted as I had expected.

Death by Hot Cocoa is the shortest of the three stories, but is unique because it takes place over the span of a few short hours. I loved the angle of our cast of characters being stuck in a Christmas escape room. The overall mystery was tough for the reader to solve, but a solid short Christmas-y story nonetheless.

Overall this is a decent collection of stories – great for readers looking for a quick, easy Christmas read.

Thank you Kensington Books for the ARC!

REVIEW – The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller

Aimeeeliz

“I will never leave him. It will be this, always, for as long as he will let me.”

Circe was one of the best books I read this year, and I knew I had to pick up The Song of Achilles. Miller is an incredible writer – she has a way of turning words into something beautiful and heartbreaking and hopeful at the same time.

Patroclus is a wonderful narrator. I felt bad from him from the beginning – a disappointment to his father, his involvement in a fatal accident results in his banishment. He meets Achilles and the two become fast friends.

This is easily one of the most romantic, most beautiful books I’ve ever read. I cannot wait to see what Miller writes next.

REVIEW – How Quickly She Disappears by Raymond Fleischmann

Aimeeeliz

How Quickly She Disappears is an interesting debut with promise – but ultimately falls a bit flat. The overall plot is interesting and eerie. Elisabeth’s character starts off strong but I found myself growing more and more frustrated with her as the book went on (this may have been intentional!) The villain does have an underlying creepiness but I thought he could have been a bit more fleshed out.

I did find it tough to determine if the flashbacks were memories or dreams at the beginning (again, this may have been intentional, it’s not necessarily a negative). I did think that through the flashbacks, Elisabeth and Jacqueline seemed older than 11 (Jacqueline especially) so sometimes it was hard to buy that it was the dialogue, thoughts and actions of children.

Elisabeth’s daughter was interesting but there’s a shift in her personality that isn’t much accounted for or explained and seems very abrupt.

It doesn’t seem like setting the book in WWII was really necessary to the story. It did provide challenges that wouldn’t exist if set in modern-day, but the background of the war starting wasn’t important enough of a detail to make a difference.

However, there’s a lot of good bits of writing in this book and I think that with more time and experience, Fleischmann could produce a very compelling thriller. (Also, I cannot give half stars but I would put this solidly as a 2.5.)

Thank you Berkley for the NetGalley ARC.

TRUE CRIME REVIEW – Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI by David Grann

Aimeeeliz

“The world’s richest people per capita were becoming the world’s most murdered.”

This might sound odd, but Killers of the Flower Moon reads almost like a true crime podcast. Grann includes enough detail that you know you’re getting a comprehensive story, but not so much that you get lost in unnecessary facts or unrelated side stories.

The book is split into three parts – the first focuses mostly on Mollie Burkhart and her family, the second on Tom White (and the FBI) and the third is Grann’s own account, taking place only a few years ago.

COZY MYSTERY REVIEW – An Ale of Two Cities by Sarah Fox

Aimeeeliz

An Ale of Two Cities is a book for book lovers. The Shady Creek Winter Carnival is off to a great start – until a competitor in the ice carving competition is found dead.

This book has just the right amount of coziness and fun, mixed with more serious parts and investigative details.

I do have one complaint – the Inkwell is a fictional pub! It sounds amazing – featuring a menu full of literary food puns and yummy cocktails.

Thank you Kensington Books for the ARC!

REVIEW – Anyone by Charles Soule

Aimeeeliz

Be anyone with Anyone. Sounds kind of neat, right? NOPE. I’m glad this is purely fiction and this technology doesn’t exist.

This book is incredible – it moves at a breakneck pace and never slows down. The reader is treated to two timelines – present day, and 25 years into the future.

The story is visceral. It’s gory and gritty. I exclaimed “omg!” and “holy sh*t!” out loud a few times while reading. The stakes are incredibly high, and I was shocked by quite a few plot points throughout the book.

All in all, an insane entry into the sci-fi thriller genre – amazing for those who are looking for something dark and uncomfortable, but maybe not so great for the faint of heart.

Thank you Harper Perennial for sending me an ARC of this book!

REVIEW – The Story of Arthur Truluv by Elizabeth Berg

Aimeeeliz

“Who cares what happens before we’re born and after we die? The question that has become increasingly important to me is, what do we do in the meantime?”

This is a sweet little book with memorable characters. I absolutely love Arthur and Lucille (and Gordon, of course!) Maddy is a little unbelievable for an 18 year old but I still liked her.

“No love is ever foolish. Or unnecessary.”

There are some great lessons about love and growing older in this book, but it did lack some depth (honestly this was just based on my own expectations, I didn’t think it was going to be quite as light and fluffy as it ended up being).

TRUE CRIME REVIEW – The Killer Across the Table by John E. Douglas

Aimeeeliz

“The aim is not to be a friend. The aim is not to be a foe. The aim is to get to the truth.”

The Killer Across the Table is an incredible entry into the true crime genre. Douglas is the OG profiler and his insight and experience is fascinating. His writing is educational but not without emotion or humanity.

“Lesson learned: everyone is a potential suspect, and don’t let looks or behavior fool you.”

Douglas recounts conversations he’s had with some of the most sadistic and prolific killers in our history. His ability to analyze their responses without inserting his own emotions is incredible. I loved getting a little backstory about the origin and evolution of behavioral profiling (as a fan of crime shows and Mindhunter, I knew a lot going in to this book, but it doesn’t make the reading experience any less interesting).

I have so much respect for Douglas and the other pioneers of the field – they faced the worst of humanity to help understand and evaluate why some people are so compelled to harm others.

REVIEW – Before She Knew Him by Peter Swanson

Aimeeeliz

This is the definition of a fun, popcorn thriller. It’s a quick read with a good twist (one that’s hinted at throughout but I could see how some readers could be fooled!)

It’s dark, but I thought it was going to be much deeper and less cinematic than it ended up being (this isn’t a negative, I was just surprised at how fast-paced the story was, and that it didn’t involve too much investigative work).