Lois & Clark Forums Forums General Discussion Off Topic 50 Book Challenge 2023/What I've Read in 2023

#1 Verity by Colleen Hoover


Pretty good thriller. After all the hype, I was expecting a little more. Still, it was very entertaining.

#2 The Messy Lives of Book People by Phaedra Patrick


Mother of two college age boys who is a house cleaner for her favorite author has been asked to helped write her next book. Lighter books can be equally fun and entertaining but credibility was stretched well beyond reasonable limits for me. I can't believe this was a book club book - I have no idea what we'll talk about.

#3 The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid



While this was an engaging story, I wish the writer had gone into more depth with the characters.

#4 The Lies I tell by Julie Clark


Pretty good thriller. I'd read more from the author.

#5 Maxed Out: American Moms on the Brink by Katrina Alcorn

A working mom discusses the challenges of managing a career, a home and family.

#1 Kingdom Keepers 6 - Dark Passage by Ridley Pearson

The Keepers continue their efforts to battle the Overtakers aboard the Disney Dream cruise ship, including a desperate attempt to stop the OTs from waking Chernabog, the most evil villain Walt Disney ever created.

Still enjoying the series, but I'll admit I'm very over the cruise storyline. I miss seeing the Keepers running around the parks that I so dearly love.

#2 The Trials of Apollo - The Lost Oracle by Rick Riordan

The god Apollo is banished to Earth in the form of a gawky teenager. He meets a young street urchin named Meg and makes his way to Camp Half-Blood, where he is tasked with a quest to save the Oracles that have fallen into enemy hands since the war with the Titans.

I'll admit it - I love Rick Riordan books. I don't care that they are young adult books, the blending of mythology with the modern world is intoxicating and even Apollo's less than enjoyable nature is made palatable by the wonderful humor injected into his viewpoint. I can't wait to read more.

#3 Almost There by Farrah Rochon

What if Tiana had made a deal with Dr. Facilier in The Princess and the Frog? And what if it was now time to pay the price for that deal?

I enjoyed this one, I think mostly because of how true all of the characters rang. I also liked how it wasn't a random coincidence alternate dimension kind of thing, but that everything that happened was a direct result of a decision Tiana made in the original story.

#6 More than You'll ever Know by Katie's Gutierrez

Cassie, a young journalist with a dark past, sees an opportunity when she reads about Lore Rivera, a woman who had two husbands. One husband killed the one. People on Goodreads complained this wasn't really a thriller but it held my attention.

#7 Any Other Family by Eleanor Brown

In order to maintain a bond between biological siblings, three couples create an unusual family.

#8 The Chemistry of Love by Sariah Wilson

Anna, a makeup chemist, conspires with the company CEO, to attract the man of her dreams.

Very silly but a good distraction.

#9 If You Tell by Gregg Olsen

Disturbing true crime story about Shelly Knotek who grossly abused her children and killed several others. Gets you thinking more about what's going on in people's heads in those situations. The fear of being caught by their mother preventing them from speaking for so long. Heartbreaking story.

#10 Why Birds Sing by Nina Berkhout

After an opera singer has a very public lousy performance and she learns her husband is cheating on her, she must reinvent herself.

#11 Ask Yes Again by Mary Beth Keane


Story follows the lives of two Irish cops and their families through the years. Many tragedies occur. Likeable characters.

#12 Flight Risk by Joy Castro



This book was different that what I expected. I got annoyed with this character but I suppose the author provided sufficient foundation to account for her behavior.

#13 The Personal Librarian by Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray



Not a bad read. Got a little bogged down with too many details about old books.

#14 The Perfect Marriage by Geneva Rose

The fact that the subtitle of this book was: A Completely Gripping Psychological Suspense had me suspecting this wouldn't be a high quality read. When her husband is accused of murdering his mistress, only the wife can defend him. Lots of lousy people. I don't think this author understands how an unreliable narrator works.

#15 After I Do by Taylor Jenkins Reid

After six years of marriage, Lauren and Ryan can't stand each other. In an attempt to save their marriage, they decide to separate for a year. While I enjoyed the story, some of it didn't ring true to me.

#16 The Unraveling of Cassidy Holmes by Elissa Sloane

Cassidy Holmes, first runner up in an American Idol type contest, is asked to join a promising girl band that hits it big. Fifteen years later, she committed suicide. The book alternates between the past and current day, from the pov of the four girls in the group. Lots of emphasis on the darker side of fame. Some plot points could've been better fleshed out.

#17 It Ends with Us by Colleen Hoover

Girl meets guy. Guy is abusive. What should she do?

After seeing huge displays of this writer's work in airports and reading Verity, I was curious about this author's other work. While abusive relationships are a serious topuc, this story seemed aimed for more drama than reality. I wasn't overly impressed.

#18 Sparks like Stars by Nadia Hashimi

Fictional account of a young Afghan girl who witnessed the death of her family during a military coop.

#4 The Trials of Apollo - The Dark Prophecy by Rick Riordan

#5 The Trials of Apollo - The Burning Maze by Rick Riordan

#6 Kingdom Keepers #7 - The Insider by Ridley Pearson

#7 Medusa by Jessie Burton

Hated this one. It's A YA book I happened to see in the library and thought it might be cool to see the who Medusa had once been and how she was changed into a gorgon. This kinda told her story but in an AU kind of way - she has no idea she can turn people into stone and falls in love with Perseus when he washes ashore on her island. (They chat behind a screen of rocks.) Medusa winds up accidentally turning Perseus into stone instead of the real myth where he cuts off her head. Medusa gets 100% painted as a pathetic lovestruck fool.

#8 The Evil Dead 40th Anniversary Edition by Mark Verheiden and John Bolton

A graphic novel version of the beloved cult classic. I wanted to love it, but it was simply just "okay." I don't mind the retelling, but basic facts were overlooked/changed for no reason. Cheryl is Ash's sister in the movies (a VERY important fact), but here, she's simply a friend of Linda, Ash's girlfriend. And here Ash basrely tolerates Scotty, who is his best friend in the films. Overall, the changes annoyed the heck out of me. (I've been a "Deadite" for roughly 26 years now.) The art style was weird - a mix of comic booky and almost realistic. And the few moments where we see Ash and Linda in flashbacks were too few to really matter much.