I had every intention to finish reading a nonfiction book last month – that’s my goal for the year. However, the nonfiction book I picked up to read is not as interesting as I wanted it to be. So, it’s taking me a little longer to get through. Fingers crossed that next month will be better for me with my nonfiction reads. Let’s talk about what I read in January.
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THE PARIS APARTMENT BY LUCY FOLEY
This book had been on my TBR list for a while. Since I read her last book, Lucy Foley is becoming one of my go to mystery authors. Jess needs a fresh start. She’s broke and alone, and she’s just left her job under less than ideal circumstances. Her half-brother Ben didn’t sound thrilled when she asked if she could crash with him for a bit, but he didn’t say no, and surely everything will look better from Paris. Only when she shows up – to find a very nice apartment – he’s not there.
The longer Ben stays missing, the more Jess starts to dig into her brother’s situation, and the more questions she has. Ben’s neighbors are an eclectic bunch, and not particularly friendly. Jess may have come to Paris to escape her past, but it’s starting to look like it’s Ben’s future that’s in question. The socialite – The nice guy – The alcoholic – The girl on the verge – The concierge. Everyone’s a neighbor. Everyone’s a suspect. And everyone knows something they’re not telling.
I was so excited about the premise of this book. Howeever, the synopsis versus what actually happens was disappointing. This book started extremely slow. I was shocked that it took so longer to get to the meat and potatoes. I also didn’t love how Jess handled the disappearance of her half-brother. If my brother were missing, I would have more urgency to figure out where he is. About midway through the book when Jess started putting things together, is when the book finally picked up speed. While I guessed most of the mystery before it got there, a few things surprised me.
My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️☆
THE LIBRARY OF LOST AND FOUND BY PHAEDRA PATRICK
As a child, the library and librarians always had a special place in my heart. It was the place of refuge for me to escape to other worlds and to be anywhere but dealing with the folks who bullied me. So, whenever I stumble across a book that features one of the two, I will always pick it up to read.
Librarian Martha Storm has always found it easier to connect with books than people – though not for lack of trying. She keeps careful lists of how to help others in her superhero-themed notebook. And yet, sometimes it feels like she’s invisible. All of that changes when a book of fairy tales arrives on her doorstep. Inside, Martha finds a dedication written to her by her best friend – her grandmother Zelda – who died under mysterious circumstances years earlier. When Martha discovers a clue within the book that her grandmother may still be alive, she becomes determined to discover the truth. As she delves deeper into Zelda’s past, she unwittingly reveals a family secret that will change her life forever.
The best way to describe this book is about a woman a people pleaser’s journey to finding her no. It was so easy to root for Martha on this journey, especially seeing how everyone took advantage of her willingness to be helpful. What we find on this journey is an adventure of self-discovery both about who she is and what she wants to be. I breezed through this book in a day and thoroughly enjoyed it.
My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
HENCH BY NATALIE ZINA WALSCHOTS
When I read the snposis, I didn’t realize that this was a superhero versus villain story. I honestly thought it was about someone who found herself in the world of contract killing – honestly, I have no idea what I read or how I got that so wrong. Boy am I glad I misread it because I was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed this book.
Anna does boring things for terrible people because even criminals need office help and she needs a job. Working for a monster lurking beneath the surface of the world isn’t glamorous. But is it really worse than working for an oil conglomerate or an insurance company? As a temp, she’s just a cog in the machine. But when she finally gets a promising assignment, everything goes very wrong, and an encounter with the so-called “hero” leaves her badly injured. And, to her horror, compared to the other bodies strewn about, she’s the lucky one. With no money and no mobility, with only her anger and internet research acumen, she discovers her suffering at the hands of a hero is far from unique. When people start listening to the story that her data tells, she realizes she might not be as powerless as she thinks.
Because the key to everything is data: knowing how to collate it, how to manipulate it, and how to weaponize it. By tallying up the human cost these caped forces of nature wreak upon the world, she discovers that the line between good and evil is mostly marketing. And with social media and viral videos, she can control that appearance. It’s not long before she’s employed again, this time by one of the worst villains on earth. As she becomes an increasingly valuable lieutenant, she might just save the world.
This is the anti-superhero book I didn’t know I needed. In addition to being entertaining, it also reminded me of the thought that always lingers in the back of my mind whenever I watch superhero movies – who gonna pay for all that damage?! But this takes it a step further and adds data about the physical damage and how it affects human life. I never thought I’d be rooting for villains. The author humanizes villains in a way I haven’t seen in a while. Apparently, there’s a book two coming out this year and I honestly can’t wait to read how they torment more heroes.
My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
