⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Andrews and Wilson’s second entry in Clancy’s Jack Ryan series (following Act of Defiance) is a top-notch geopolitical thriller centered on rising tensions between China and the United States. When China’s new hardline president sets plans in motion for an invasion of Taiwan, U.S. President Jack Ryan must navigate diplomacy, military strategy, and international fallout—all while working to extract a high-ranking Chinese defector. Though technically a military thriller, this book focuses more on strategy and global maneuvering than nonstop action. There’s some danger and suspense, but it’s the behind-the-scenes planning and diplomatic brinkmanship that drive the story. I appreciated how current the storyline felt—it could’ve been lifted from today’s […]
Read more...Category Archives: Literature
A Dark and Twisty Honeymoon Gone Wrong
4.5 stars Talk about dysfunctional families! Everyone in Karin Slaughter’s This Is Why We Lied has secrets, but only one of them is a killer. From the first scream at McAlpine Lodge, the tension never lets up. This locked-room mystery—the 12th book in the Will Trent series—had me hooked from the start. Will Trent and Sara Linton just wanted a quiet honeymoon. Instead, they stumble upon a murder and a web of lies so tangled it’s hard to know who to trust. Mercy McAlpine, the lodge manager, dies whispering her last words to Will, and every family member and guest quickly becomes a suspect. Mercy’s abusive ex, her ice-cold parents, […]
Read more...
The Grand Design: Gilded Ambitions, Unrelatable Lives
⭐️⭐️⭐️ If you love your historical fiction with a side of luxury, The Grand Design by Joy Callaway might catch your eye. Set at the glamorous Greenbrier resort in West Virginia, the story is based on real-life interior designer Dorothy Draper, who carved out a career for herself in an era when women were expected to marry well and stay quiet. Callaway paints a vivid picture of high society in the early 20th century, from debutante balls to decor trends. The historical tidbits about Draper’s life and inner circle were genuinely interesting, and I enjoyed learning more about the Greenbrier itself—it’s the kind of place that’s fun to peek at from afar, […]
Read more...
When the Music Turns into Mayhem: The Dark Maestro Hits a Sour Note
⭐⭐⭐ (3 stars) I was really looking forward to The Dark Maestro. Brendan Slocumb’s first two books were fresh and original, blending music and mystery in a way that worked beautifully. But this one? It veers way off-key. The plot centers on Curtis Wilson, a classical music prodigy whose career gets derailed when his dad—who happens to be a drug dealer—ticks off a ruthless cartel. The family goes into witness protection, but when law enforcement fails to deliver, Curtis and crew decide to take down the cartel themselves. Sure, why not? The premise was already shaky, but then came the comic book storyline. It was supposed to be metaphorical or […]
Read more...
Edge-of-Your-Seat Espionage: The Beijing Betrayal Ends the Ryker Series with a Bang
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ If you love political thrillers that move fast and hit hard, Joel C. Rosenberg’s The Beijing Betrayal should be at the top of your list. This is the final installment in the Marcus Ryker series, and Rosenberg doesn’t just stick the landing—he lights the runway on fire. Ryker’s latest mission sends him to Pakistan to hunt down the world’s most dangerous terrorist. What he finds instead is a nightmare scenario: a cutting-edge lab, a deadly virus, and a sinister plan that could wipe out millions. Meanwhile, Washington is distracted by tense trade talks with Beijing—unaware that China is quietly prepping for a full-scale invasion of Taiwan. What follows is […]
Read more...
A Heroine with Ink on Her Fingers and Fire in Her Blood
⭐⭐⭐⭐ My Name is Emilia del Valle is vintage Isabel Allende—lush, sweeping, and utterly addictive. But it’s also refreshingly bold. Emilia is a whip-smart heroine who barrels through 19th-century expectations like a runaway press. Born illegitimately to an Irish nun and a Chilean aristocrat, Emilia grows up defying convention. Her journey from dime store novelist to war correspondent is gripping enough, but it’s the layers beneath—the fractured family ties, the search for identity, the slow-burning love story with fellow journalist Eric Whelan—that give the novel its heart. The battlefield scenes are vivid and unsparing, told through Emilia’s clear-eyed reporting. The horrors of war don’t overshadow the personal stakes, especially as […]
Read more...
Juicy Drama, Questionable Morals, and a Fast-Paced Plot
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (3.5 stars, rounded up) The Younger Wife by Sally Hepworth is the kind of book that pulls you in quickly and keeps the pages turning. I read (and listened to) it while under the weather, and it made the time fly—which says a lot. Hepworth’s writing style is smooth and engaging, with just enough snark to make the characters’ dysfunction bearable. The setup is pure domestic drama: an older man divorces his wife—who has dementia—to marry a much younger woman. That plot point alone left me horrified. The whole “in sickness and in health” part of the vows? Completely ignored. And what’s worse, no one in the story really […]
Read more...
Four Stars Across the Board! 🌟🌟🌟🌟
This might be a first. Every single book I read this month earned a solid 4 stars. No duds, no eye rolls, no DNFs—just a strong lineup of good reads featuring a wildly eclectic cast. I crossed paths with Judy Garland, shadowed an assassin, rode shotgun with a S.W.A.T. medic, and followed a Russian spy through enemy territory. I also eavesdropped on Bonhoeffer, argued with a socialite, admired an artist, and got oddly attached to a bookshop with a mind of its own. Oh, and there was an Egyptian scribe too—because why not? If you like your reading list varied and your characters unforgettable, Amy’s Picks and Pans, Issue 38 […]
Read more...
A Gritty Slice of Oregon History
⭐⭐⭐⭐ Kristina McMorris has a gift for blending history and heart, and her latest novel, The Girls of Good Fortune, digs deep. Set in 1888 Portland, the story opens in the city’s infamous Shanghai Tunnels, where Celia, a young woman of mixed heritage, awakens in a drugged haze, disguised and imprisoned. She’s about to be shipped off as forced labor—shanghaied into a nightmare that pulls no punches. Celia’s struggle to piece together how she ended up there takes readers on a twisting journey through corruption, injustice, and survival. As a half-Chinese woman passing as white in a time of deep anti-Chinese sentiment, her very existence is a balancing act. The […]
Read more...
Wanted to Love It — Settled for Liking It
⭐️⭐️⭐️ I recently read Neruda on the Park by Cleyvis Natera, and I’m a little bummed. This was one of those books where the premise reeled me in right away: a Dominican-American mother and daughter facing off over the gentrification of their neighborhood. Yes, please. But while it had all the ingredients for a knockout debut, it didn’t quite land for me. The story follows Eusebia, a neighborhood matriarch secretly sabotaging luxury condo development, and her daughter Luz, who falls for one of the developers. It’s a setup that promises rich drama and layered themes—but the execution never quite came together. I struggled with the disconnect between the two narrators and found […]
Read more...