Hamnet (& Judith) by Maggie O’Farrell, Daisy Donovan (Narrator)

Audiobook for first 20%. This has been in my library pile on and off for a year. Finally, a couple of book club friends read it recently so it got me to move it up in the queue. It still too me longer than usual to read this book because of the content concerning the death of a child and child abuse. There was a lot of tension in the first third of the book anticipating this death and the early toxic family dynamics. The book was very well written in terms of setting and characters. The protagonist was actually Agnes, Shakespeare’s wife who was described as having otherworldly abilities including possibly foresight. I found the character portrayals and the romance very well done. The use of Shakespeare as a character was just right too. I really liked Agnes’s brother Bartholomew and their wholesome relationship too. Lovely novel albeit with some sadness. This was my first O’Farrell and I look forward to reading more from her.

1.25-1.5x. Sept 21-29, 2025.

Your Letter by Hyeon A Cho

I saw this young adult Korean manhwa and webtoon recommended on Instagram. I had no to low expectations. The start of it was sad due to bullying. It got better and the ending was so sweet and lovely. It gave me that warm feeling since it was about bravery, lasting connections, and friendship. It also hinted at romance at the end but not at the expense of the beautiful friendships. Art was nice too. Enjoyable!

Sept 30, 2025.

Memorial Days by Geraldine Brooks (narrator)

I have been on a real memoir kick this year and it is not abating. This recently published grief memoir is about the sudden passing of Brooks’s husband Anthony Horowitz. Brooks narrated movingly narrated the upsetting and frustrating aftermath. She recounted the immediate days and months after and reflected on it a couple years later on Flinders Island, Tasmania. Even though I had read a couple of Brooks’ novels, I did not know she was married to Horowitz whose book Blue Latitudes I had read many years ago. As someone who has experienced sudden death of a loved one, I had a lot of sympathy for the author. I hope people come away from it having to reflect not only the fragility of life and also the mundane administrative tasks that can help you in advance of any death.

1.25-1.75x. Sept 15-22, 2025

Autumn Chills by Agatha Christie, Narrated by Isla Blair, Hugh Fraser, Nigel Hawthorne, Christopher Lee, Juliet Stevenson and David Suchet

After the experience with the Blue train, my husband expressed an interest in more Christie audiobooks and I found this collection of twelve novellas and short stories which overlapped with a print copy of Murder in the Mews that I had. Having listened and read so much Christie recently, I noticed some of repetitive tendencies such as using feline metaphors for characters. I still really like her as an author. This was the first time I heard a Harley Quinn story. I still prefer Marple and Poirot. I also really liked how short and satisfying these stories were. I have put the spring collection in my TBR.

1.1x. Sept 16-28, 2025.

Murder in the Mews by Agatha Christie, Nigel Hawthorne (Narrator)

Three of the four stories in this collection were in Autumn Chills. I did read and listen in tandem to Dead Man’s Mirror after Autumn Chills. I really like the Poirot short stories.

1.1x-1.25x. Sept 23-28, 2025.

Water Moon by Samantha Sotto Yambao

DNF 125 pages or 33%. So disappointing. I tried to read this about three times and each time that I picked it up, I was really bored. It is really rare for me to dump a fiction, but there were so many warning signs that I had to stop. The two leads were very flat. Hana had potential but I did not really feel her inner world or motivations. Keishin was a physicist with mother issues. They instantly fell in love and there was very little explanation on how or why their connection was so deep. The writing was stilted and the timeline kept jumping around so the pacing was all over the place. It was not done well and made the character development rather limited since it was abrupt every chapter. The world building was really odd as well because it was all style and no substance. This book had hype and it has good reviews. I read some critical reviews which shared my opinions of the romance and the world building. I am not Japanese so I cannot explain the accuracy of the ideas but there was something very off about the Japanese cultural appropriation. Each part started with Japanese kanji and there were Japanese idioms. I read one review criticizing the authenticity of the idioms. The author is Filipino and I am uncertain if this novel passed this through a Japanese editor or reviewer. The book was trying very hard to be a Ghibli film including random other world characters and Hana literally using the word “isekai” to explain things. That was unnecessarily meta and felt like bad fan fiction. As someone who does not mind a lot of books where there are just vibes, this book tried to have it all with the deep, rushed romance and the Japanese cozy fantasy setting.

Sept 16-19, 2025.

The Lorax by Dr Seuss

I do not think I read this as a kid. Since I learned English mostly at age 6-7, I did not have the experience of being read these more kindergarten age Dr Seuss books. This had good themes about capitalism, environmentalism, and greed. The best part was the word play. I read this out loud.

Sept 21, 2025.

The Mystery of the Blue Train (Hercule Poirot #5) by Agatha Christie, Hugh Fraser (Narrator)

My husband flipped through the first few pages after I started it and was interested in especially with the train setting. We listened to the rest of it on audiobook which was well done. As this is an early Christie, it was better than The Mysterious Affair at Styles (#1) which I read earlier this year, but not as well done as The Murder of Roger Ackroyd (#3). The use of rich thievery was contrived but oddly less so than the spy stuff in Tuppence and Tommy mystery. It was fun to listen to it with my partner and he picked the murderer early on.

1.25x. September 6-10, 2025.

Mina’s Matchbox by Yoko Ogawa

As I loved The Housekeeper and the Professor last year, I was looking forward to this novel. I had no idea what it was about before starting. While it is longer than Housekeeper, it had even less plot. It was a slow paced and nostalgic novel about a girl who lived with her more wealthy relatives in 1972. She has an asthmatic cousin named Mina and there is a pygmy hippopotamus as a pet. Other than that, the book is not really unusual. I was surprised with how emotional I got during the only eventful moment in the book. I really like Ogawa’s prose and she is starting to become one of my favourite Japanese writers. I will have to go read The Memory Police next.

September 7-13, 2025. Read partially on Kobo Clara BW.

The Magic School Bus Explores Human Evolution (The Magic School Bus #13), by Joanna Cole with Bruce Degen (Illustrator)

This was the last book in the series written by Cole in 2019 before she passed away in 2020. I really liked the animated TV show as a kid and I do think I read a couple of the books back then. These books were great because they are were informative. As someone who likes to read nonfiction now, no wonder I loved how this fictional series delivered science. Ms Frizzle and the kids was fantastic. I wish there were kinds of books like this.

September 1, 2025.

Girl, Woman, Other by Bernardine Evaristo, Anna-Marie Nabirye (Narrator)

Audiobook for about 15%. I got this novel from a Little Free Library in Sydney a couple years ago. I had been putting off reading due to some of the content warnings. A friend started it so we did it as a Buddy Read.

Overall, mixed feelings, but there was a lot of good writing. As I knew the content warnings, I was pleasantly surprised with how it was darkly funny at the beginning. The narrator did a great job with that. I felt for most of the characters. Evaristo had this serious and sometimes deadpan tone about them. The writing was very observant and most of the characters were interesting and even likable.

After the sixth character and their hundredth experiences of misogyny, abuse or aggression, it dragged. It was a tad repetitive. This was a feminist book and while the men are not the only abusive or hypocritical characters in the book, it became very wearisome. It did not need that many characters or that much trauma. The ending was really strong though and I wish there had been more emotional focus on the relationships between each character. It was written well though.

1.5x. Sept 1-6, 2025.

A more productive reading week as my husband was away.

Women’s Work: The First 20,000 Years: Women, Cloth, and Society in Early Times by Elizabeth Wayland Barber, Donna Postel (Narrator)

I learned about this book from the Unraveling by Peggy Ornestein memoir which I listened to early in the year. It was a very interesting nonfiction book mostly focussed on the lives of Bronze Age women and fabric craft. It primarily focussed on weaving in the Mediterranean civilizations such as Mesopotamia, Egypt, Minoans, and Greece. It was not exhaustive but I really liked how Barber used folklore and stories from these societies to elucidate women’s role in the societies. I am trying valiantly not add more hobbies which is why I have resisted getting a loom. This book made weaving history fascinating. I wish there were more feminist histories like this. I listened to the end of this one mostly while winding yarn into hanks.

1.5x. Aug 13-19. 2025.

In Love: A Memoir of Love and Loss by Amy Bloom (Narrator)

Audiobook first 20%. While I usually listen to memoirs on audiobook especially when narrated by the author, this powerful book was too much for me and had to continue on print. This was a moving story about a couple and their journey through an Alzeheimer’s diagnosis, right to die laws, and finally, assisted dying. I believe in the right to die and am grateful that I live in a country where there is Assisted Dying. Reading about Bloom and her husband’s Brian trying to navigate through the US laws and towards Dignitas in Switzerland was stressful. A powerful story about two people who love each other. Very moving.

1.25x. Aug 20-24, 2025.

On Animals by Susan Orlean (Narrator)

I really enjoyed The Library Book by Susan Orlean. She has a very good narrative non-fiction style. I heard this mentioned briefly on one of my favourite podcasts. It’s a collection of Orlean’s essays on animals. It had fascinating stories about the people involved with animal lives and also some memoirs about her own relationships with animals such as her farm life. It was informative and easy to listen to.

1.5x. August 8-12, 2025.

I Must Say: My Life as a Humble Comedy Legend by Martin Short (Narrator)

My husband and I are fans of Martin Short. We like “Only Murders in the Building”. I watched and liked him “Captain Ron” growing up. We listened to this audiobook together. Short narrated it and does various impressions and characters throughout the book. As a result, I listened to this at 1.0x speed which I would not do with any other audiobook. It also took a long time since I could only listen to it when my husband there, mostly while making lunch. I got very impatient to finish it which proved again how I like to finish books in short amount of time. It was great fun and touching too.

1.0x. July 22-Aug 16, 2025.

Big Swiss by Jen Beagin, Narrated by cast

Audiobook for first 21%. Literary, queer, contemporary novel about an affair. I went into this with few expectations and quite enjoyed myself. I think it’s because I like litfic with realistic women at the centre and I think I enjoy reading messy affairs. Affairs are similar to mysteries because I wonder while reading how they will end. They always end and what will be the climatic and often violent catalyst? There’s usually a lot of psychological tension in affairs not being discovered but due to the characters. Everyone knows it is wrong and are driven to it by many factors. Lust is usually involved but that’s banal and simplistic. It’s often rooted in self-destruction or self-discovery. Character development was good in that they were realistically chaotic but no one radically changed by the end of it. Well written. As with most litfic, not for everyone.

1.5x. Aug 13-17, 2025.

Skipshock by Caroline O’Donoghue

The Rachel Incident was one of my favourite novels from last year. I knew going in that this was a sci-fi novel but I did not know that it was Young Adult. As I get older, I find myself less inclined to YA series for a variety of reasons. I am starting to relate more to characters closer to my age. I was not really invested in the two leads early on, but the protagonist Margo matured quite quickly due to the time bending. Interesting world building. I think I’ll read the next one and hope this is a duology.

July 28-August 4, 2025.

24 Hours in Ancient Egypt: A Day in the Life of the People Who Lived There by Donald P. Ryan, Jonathan Beville (Narrator)

The writing for this part of the series was not as good as the Rome one. I did like it more as I went through it and it became more entertaining with the ancient characters. I like how these books humanize people in ancient times. This 24 Hours history series has been great for walks.

1.5x-1.75x. August 2-3, 2025.

Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone by Benjamin Stevenson, Barton Welch (Narrator)

Audiobook about 60%. This contemporary mystery novel was written in a meta style with a dark tone. I think people will either like it or not like it. I did not like it. While the ending and some of the twists were fine, I did not care for any of the characters. It was set in an Australian ski lodge and referenced Golden Age tropes. There were too many characters and twists since each of them “killed” someone. The book tried to be more literary with the character development, but it did not work for me since I did not get invested in their stories. The narration was fine.

I was disappointed since this is such a popular mystery series. Modern mystery is becoming like modern romance for me; I need something like fantasy or sci-fi to them to make them more engaging.

1.4-1.6x. August 4-10, 2025.

Ascendance of a Bookworm (Manga) Part 3 Volume 3 – by Ryo Namino, Miya Kazuki, Quof (translator)

Even though finishing the main light novel series has scratched the itch, I do like to read the manga editions when they come out.

July 23, 2025.

A Song For You And I by K. O’Neill

Gentle fantasy graphic novel. My favourite from O’Neill is still the Tea Dragon series in art style. I liked the storyline and art of this more than The Moth Keeper though.

July 29, 2025.

A Novel Love Story by Ashley Poston, Dorothy Dillingham Blue (Narrator)

My second Ashley Poston of the month. This one had a better narrator but the story was more lacklustre. It was not fantastical enough for me. The magical realism aspect was barely there.

1.8x. July 13-16, 2025.

Evergreen Chase by Juneau Black

Started this during an insomnia night (can’t drink coke!). This was a short story and prequel to the series. The mystery was very simple to the point of being a storybook. It was fine though because it was cozy.

Read July 17, 2025 on Kobo Libra 2.

Onyx Storm (Parts 1 & 2) [Dramatized Adaptation] by Rebecca Yarros, Graphic Audio full cast

I really do not care about the main couple anymore. I only like the dragons. I still find that aspect interesting. I actually found some of the voice acting by the supportive cast better than the leads or maybe I was tired of listening to Violet. I was quite bored for most of this book except for the dragon stuff. There were too many characters. The ending was confusing.

1.75x. July 16-21, 2025.

The Teller of Small Fortunes by Julie Leong

I started this before a very hectic week and did not really read have time to read most of it. Once I got into it, I gobbled it up. I knew I would like it from the start. I ended up loving it because it hit my particular wheelhouses of found family, immigrant story, and lonely daughter. All things which resonated deeply with me. It’s very similar to Legends & Lattes with the found family crew, adventuring, and baking.

June 29-July 8, 2025. Read a bit on Kobo Libra 2.

The Stand-In by Lily Chu with Phillipa Soo (Narrator)

Continuing on with the romance on audiobooks. This was a Canadian romance novel set in Toronto and featured a half-Chinese protagonist. The writing in it is not bad per se. Gracie was likeable and relatable. The way it dealt with caretaking for a parent with dementia, anxiety, and depression seemed good. The sexual harassment storyline was a bit over the top and the end of it was predictable. I did not like that it had a misunderstanding trope in the last third which results in the usual third act breakup. Boring romance tropes. There was another soap opera element as well which I was fine with but not the bad romance tropes. The best thing was listening to Phillipa Son’s narration. I would have been bored without it and she made the characters. I am almost tempted to listen to more books by this author since Soo is the narrator, but I doubt I will find the writing better. Most of these modern contemporary romance novels are not for me.

1.75-2.5x. July 6-8, 2025.

Sheets by Brenna Thummler

This is a popular graphic novel which I have been meaning to read for years. Maybe it was my fatigue or recent stress, but I only thought this was okay. The mood was more somber than I imagined. The teenage protagonist Marjorie was grieving from the sudden death of her mother, dealing with her depressed father, being bullied at school, and working their family business while being harassed by a charlatan. While there is a lighthearted tone with Wendell and the ghosts, the human dynamics were a bit depressing until the very end. It gets wrapped up too neatly and quickly. The art was nice. I do not think I will pick up the rest in the series.

July 10, 2025.

Mirror Lake by Juneau Black, Cassandra Campbell (Narrator)

Revisiting this cozy fantasy mystery series during this busy summer. The mysteries are really easy to solve including their twists and the vibe is cozy. It’s easy going. Vera was still too risky but not stupid. Narrator did a good job as before.

1.5x. July 9-12, 2025.