January, 2025
January 5th, 2025, 2:38 p.m. - 2025 is off to a strong start, book-wise
1. The God of the Woods (Liz Moore)
Up next: My Good Bright Wolf (Sarah Moss)
January 11th, 2025, 5:59 p.m. - The body keeps the score
2. My Good Bright Wolf (Sarah Moss)
Up next: Home Is Where the Bodies Are (Jeneva Rose)
January 19th, 2025, 12:25 p.m. - And then someone writes a book with the same name as THIS book! How original!
3. Home Is Where the Bodies Are (Jeneva Rose)
Up next: A Product of Genetics (and Day Drinking) (Jess H. Gutierrez)
January 26th, 2025, 1:16 p.m. - Also, the title is dumb
4. A Product of Genetics (and Day Drinking) (Jess H. Gutierrez)
Up next: All the Colors of the Dark (Chris Whitaker)
My expectations were kind of low, since I wasn't as impressed with Moore's last book as everyone else was, and I figured all the hype about this one was overblown. Wrong! There were some slow parts, and the Judy/Sluiter stuff was a little too Silence of the Lambs, but overall, this was strong. I can see why it's gotten so much praise.
I want to find a time machine and go back in time and give little Moss a big hug. But I also want to find her now and give her a big hug. Her parents did a lifetime of damage, and I can't believe she's able to live with a voice in her head constantly telling her she's not worthy of something she needs to survive. This book is going to have me thinking for a while about the different expectations we have for boys vs. girls.
I was really looking forward to this because the plot sounded interesting, but it just fell so flat. Rose is a highly inconsistent writer. Some of her sentences are like poetry, while others read like the book never had an editor.
Gutierrez is funny, but I didn't feel like there was anything all that original in this book, despite her seeming to be unique. She needs more polish and editing.