[7] Sea of Tranquility by Emily St. John Mandel
Fiction / Literary, heard about somewhere and had to read because I love her work, Kindle version

Synopsis: (I feel like synopses of St. John Mandel’s books often give way too much away, so I am purposefully saying very little. I went in to this having NO idea what it was about and enjoyed it much more for that. And was surprised it had some of the characters that were in The Glass Hotel!)

While walking in a forest in Canada in 1912, a man blacks out for a moment and hears violin music and a strange whooshing noise and is utterly confused and shaken by it. Throughout the centuries, this anomaly – the forest, the music, and whooshing noise – shows up across pop culture. This book is about the people who experience this anomaly and try to figure out what it is.

Review: I absolutely loved how this story was woven together through different timelines and perspectives, and it contained a lot of topics that I find interesting – living in space, time travel, pandemics. It’s one of those books where you’re kind of confused about how all the stories relate, then it all clicks toward the end. It’s a really rewarding read.

Recommend? Yes (but I will read anything she writes so take that recommendation with a grain of salt!)

[8] The Cat Who Saved Books by Sōsuke Natsukawa, Louise Heal Kawai (Translator)
Fiction / Animals, heard about from an Instagram friend @kate_and_caesar, Kindle version

Synopsis: When Rintaro Natsuki’s grandfather (and caretaker) passes away, he has to close up the secondhand bookstore his grandpa owned, and move in with his aunt. While he’s working on closing it up, a talking cat shows up and demands Rintaro go with him through a labyrinth to help him save books.

Review: Journey books are just not for me. This book had a lot of great messages and sentiment about reading and being true to yourself, but every time I picked it up to read it, I was bored. It felt a bit juvenile, and that may be the translation, or the actual intention of the book, or… that there was a talking cat.

Recommend? No

[9] The Hotel Nantucket by Elin Hilderbrand
Fiction / Family Life / Marriage & Divorce, saw in “available now” in Libby (and I like this author), Kindle version

Synopsis: The Hotel Nantucket has had a rough past – after a tragic fire in 1922, it’s gone through many hands, and no one has been able to make it successful. Now it’s 2022 and billionaire Xavier Darling is going to try again –  he’s purchased the hotel and hired a local Nantucket woman, Lizbet, to be the general manager. Lizbet is getting over a horrible breakup and is throwing herself completely into her new job, but is challenged by the motley crew of a staff and a ghost from the 1922 fire.

Review: This is a total beach read (like most of Hilderbrand’s books) and enjoyable and engaging if that’s what you’re in the mood for. We get so many perspectives in this book – the island’s, Lizbet’s, all the staff, the ghost – and it seems like it could be overwhelming but Hilderbrand does a great job of introducing them in a way that helps you keep them straight in your head. It was juicy and fun, and I enjoyed it!

Recommend? Yes