I usually wait until the month is officially over before posting about my reads, but with remote learning taking up a ton of time, I think it’s highly unlikely that I’ll finish another book before the end of the day.

If nothing else, quarantining has allowed me to really catch up on my reading, even if some of those books were insanely easy reads! The books are many, so let’s jump right in.

The Starless Sea, by Erin Morganstern

I was very excited when I found out there was a new Erin Morganstern book out. I read The Night Circus years ago and loved it. I wish I could say the same about The Starless Sea. Don’t get me wrong, I liked it. I was intrigued by it but ultimately it did not live up to its predecessor.

The story revolves around a strange book found in a library. The main character, Zachary Ezra Rowlins, discovers that he is somehow part of this story, one that spans through different parts of time and involves an underground alternate world. See? All an interesting premise, but I did find myself confused by the various parts and (at least for me), I was not particularly satisfied by the ending.

All the Flowers in Paris, by Sarah Jio

When I first discovered Sarah Jio books, I devoured them one after another. I cannot say this was the case with All the Flowers in Paris, despite it having the usual elements that make a story capture my interest – Paris, World War II (I don’t know why but I am always captivated by books that take place during WWII), an author I have read and liked. However, though I did find the story somewhat interesting, I didn’t feel particularly invested in it. Perhaps this is because a lot of Jio’s books have a surprising little twist at the end, and this one really didn’t. There were some things that were twist adjacent but nothing really very surprising.

The Holdout, by Graham Moore

This book was one of my Book of the Month selections, free because it was my birthday month! Always on the lookout for a new thriller, I chose this one for that reason only. This one revolved around an old mystery and a new one that ultimately connect by the end of the book. This one held a few surprises and a few “yeah I knew that by the end of the first chapter” revelations. I think I’m really following the Dwight Schrute model of mysteries when I read them now: “It’s never the person you most suspect. It’s also never the person you least suspect, since anyone with half a brain would suspect them the most. Therefore I know the killer to be Phyllis, AKA Beatrix Bourbon, the person I most medium suspect.” This was definitely one of those times!

The Dead Girl in 2A, by Carter Wilson

I literally cannot go into any sort of book sale without leaving with a new book. This is exactly what happened with The Dead Girl in 2A, by Carter Wilson. I purchased the book at work at our library’s book fair. There’s always a small section of books for adults and that is where I happened upon this thriller.

I then proceeded to read the whole thing in one day. And it was interesting… and weird. The narrators have memory issues so right off the bat this makes for an unreliable narrator. The story all starts when he meets a woman on an airplane who is inexplicably familiar. When she tells him as they are leaving the flight that she is headed to Colorado to kill herself, he can’t get her out of his mind, and remains convinced that they know each other somehow. The author weaves an interesting story of how these two strangers are connected, and how their past brings them all together.

As strange as the book was, it was interesting enough to make me get one of the author’s other books.

Regretting You, by Colleen Hoover

I found Regretting You via Instagram, recommended by someone that I follow. I was then happy to find that it was available on Kindle Unlimited, so I was able to read it for free.

The story revolves around Morgan and Clara, mother and daughter who are struggling to connect after the tragic death of Chris, their husband and father respectively. Along with the death, painful family secrets also rise to the surface, making them question everything they ever knew. Overall it was an engaging, fast read.

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, by J.K. Rowling

Every year I tend to reread the Harry Potter series. It’s a comfort thing for me, and this month I needed the comfort and so I pulled out the first book again. Being as I have read this books multiple times, my high opinion of them should be obvious. It’s always nice to revisit old favorites.

Speaking of old favorites, I also (as you know from last Friday’s post) have been rereading the Baby-Sitter’s Club series. I got through the first five in the series in March, along with all this other reading! I’m not going to reiterate what I discuss in that post, so if you missed it and want to know my thoughts, click here!

With more weeks of quarantine ahead, who knows how many books I can get into!