book reviews Archives - Elizabeth Maria Naranjo

Photo by César Viteri on Unsplash

Once again, thanks to Jamie over at the Perpetual Page Turner for hosting another end-of-year book survey! Go check out her terrific blog—it’s where I get many of my book recommendations throughout the year.

In 2018 I read more books than I ever have and discovered many new authors along the way. I also re-read over a dozen favorites, but figured I’d stick with only new reads for filling in my answers below.

2018 Reading Stats

Number Of Books You Read: 72
Number of Re-Reads: 14
Genre You Read The Most From: Thrillers/Mysteries

Best in Books

1. Best Book You Read In 2018?

Adult: The Broken Girls by Simone St. James

I found The Broken Girls on one of those fall lists of ‘Gothic books to get you in the spirit of Halloween’ or something like that. It’s fantastic—skillfully written and super creepy. Picture an old abandoned boarding school in rural Vermont, toss in an unsolved murder from half a century ago, and follow along as a whip-smart journalist slowly uncovers the secrets of Idlewild Hall. This chilling, atmospheric thriller had me on the edge of my seat, and so scared that at times I was literally jumping at shadows.

YA: Sadie by Courtney Summers

What a perfectly executed, brutal, beautiful book—I cannot recommend it enough. The plot involves an 18-year-old girl (Sadie) searching for her little sister’s killer. We get Sadie’s story in past tense (from the year before) alternating with a present tense podcast of the radio personality who’s investigating her disappearance. So Sadie’s story unfolds in two ways, and it’s just so brilliantly done. Trust me, you don’t want to miss this one.

MG: The Night Diary by Veera Hiranandani

A powerful book told in diary entries from 12-year-old Nisha to the mother she never knew. Nisha lives in India in 1947, but when India gains independence and is separated into two countries, her family finds themselves in the wrong one. Nisha’s father is Hindu, which means they can no longer live in what has overnight become Pakistan. Her family is forced to flee and embark on a harrowing journey to new India before they are slaughtered for simply being the wrong religion. A middle grade novel that can tackle genocide is pretty impressive.

2. Book You Were Excited About & Thought You Were Going To Love More But Didn’t?

Lethal White by Robert Galbraith

I’m sure it’s not an easy job being J.K. Rowling’s editor, but I wish someone would rein her in a bit. This fourth book in the Cormoran Strike series was seriously bloated. The plot was so convoluted and unnecessarily confusing I honestly can’t remember much about it. Also, the series is leaning more toward romance at this point, which is disappointing.

3. Most surprising (in a good way or bad way) book you read?

The Witch Elm by Tana French

In a good way. I thought I knew who did it, and then I didn’t, and then I did, and then … let’s just say The Witch Elm keeps you guessing. This book is a slow burn and spends a significant amount of time on character development. I personally loved that aspect, but just know that the discovery that spurs the criminal investigation/police procedural portion of the book doesn’t even occur until a third of the way in.

4. Book You “Pushed” The Most People To Read (And They Did)?

Sadie

I’ve been telling everyone about Sadie, not only because it’s incredible but because I appreciate the fact that the author worked hard to make it perfect. There is no sentence wasted, no awkward phrase to be found, no tangled subplots, no cardboard characters, no filler. That takes a lot of effort, and I’m thrilled for Courtney Summers because her dedication paid off. Sadie is her sixth novel and the first to hit the New York Times Best Seller list. Not to mention it made pretty much every other best of list for 2018. You should definitely read it.

5. Best series you started in 2018? Best Sequel of 2018? Best Series Ender of 2018?

The Shades of Magic series for all three.

I’ve heard so many great things about V.E. Schwab but until 2018 I’d never read one of her books. It takes a certain kind of mood for me to pick up a high fantasy, and the mood doesn’t strike often. One day when I was browsing through titles on Overdrive I came across an audiobook version of A Darker Shade of Magic, and the timing felt right. Within a month I’d listened to the entire series, and while the second and third volumes are not as strong as the first, I can now see what all the hype is about when it comes to this wonderfully imaginative and prolific author.

6. Favorite new author you discovered in 2018?

Simone St. James

I loved The Broken Girls so much I promptly read another of Simone St. James’ novels, Lost Among the Living. Loved that one too, so I read another, The Haunting of Maddy Clare. This year, I plan to keep tearing through her backlist because not one of her books has let me down. Hands down my favorite author of 2018.

7. Best book from a genre you don’t typically read/was out of your comfort zone?

What Alice Forgot

Pure chick-lit, and I loved it.

8. Most action-packed/thrilling/unputdownable book of the year?

Sadie

Completely unputdownable.

9. Book You Read In 2018 That You Would Be MOST Likely To Re-Read Next Year?

Sadie

I read Sadie on an ereader but have heard that the audiobook is a whole other experience.

10. Favorite cover of a book you read in 2018?

Snow & Rose

You probably know by now how much I adore middle grade covers.

11. Most memorable character of 2018?

Living: Alucard Emery

The charismatic and mysterious pirate captain of the Night Spire was my favorite character in V.E. Schwab’s Shades of Magic series.

Dead: Mary Hand

It was hard to choose between the terrifying ghosts that Simone St. James so deftly creates in her Gothic thrillers, but Mary Hand wins top honors (I hope Maddy Clare doesn’t come after me now).

12. Most beautifully written book read in 2018?

Adult: The Weight of Him

An incredibly sad but unmistakably beautiful portrait of grief and healing. Told from the point of view of a father who lost his teenage son to suicide.

YA: The Astonishing Color of After

Really it’s a tie between this gorgeous debut from Emily X.R. Pan and Joanna Ruth Meyer’s Echo North, but I chose the latter for other categories, so fair’s fair. The Astonishing Color of After is lyrical and lovely and will make you want to visit Taiwan.

MG: Snow & Rose

A gentle and dreamy fairy-tale retelling of Snow White and Rose-Red, exquisitely illustrated.

13. Most Thought-Provoking/ Life-Changing Book of 2018?

Becoming by Michelle Obama

What I loved best about the former First Lady’s memoir was learning about her childhood growing up on the South Side of Chicago with her memorable and close-knit family. Mrs. Obama narrates the audio version and it was a joy to listen to her tell her story with elegance, compassion, humor, and warmth.

14. Book you can’t believe you waited UNTIL 2018 to finally read?

Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier

“Last night I dreamt I went to Manderley again.”

Why did I wait so long to dive into Daphne du Maurier’s haunting masterpiece? No idea, but it’s fitting that I read it in 2018, which seemed to be my year for Gothic ghost stories.

15. Favorite Passage/Quote From A Book You Read In 2018?

When you’ve lived in a cage, you can’t bear not to run, even if what you’re running toward is an illusion. —Nicodemus from Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH

16. Shortest & Longest Book You Read In 2018?

Shortest: Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing by Judy Blume

I just had to revisit one of Ms. Blume’s delightful middle grade books, and this did not disappoint. What a treasure she is. Somehow I’d completely forgotten about the turtle!

Longest: The Stand by Stephen King

I love this book so much I bet I’ve read it a dozen times. That’s 13,000 pages, which leads me to wonder how many hours of my life I’ve spent with Stu and Frannie and Larry and Harold and … ah well. Worth it every time.

17. Book That Shocked You The Most

Where the Red Fern Grows by Wilson Rawls

If you, like me, somehow missed reading this beloved classic as a child, be warned: there is a gruesome and horrifying scene involving a double-bladed hatchet that will haunt you forever. Oh, and I should also warn you about the graphic disembowelment. Different scene.

18. OTP OF THE YEAR (you will go down with this ship!)

Michelle and Barack, of course!

19. Favorite Non-Romantic Relationship Of The Year

Jonathan Franzen and Uncle Walt

Unpopular opinion: I adore Jonathan Franzen. Why he remains such a pilloried figure on social media is baffling to me, but whatever. In Franzen’s essay “The End of the End of the Earth” (in his collection by the same name) he writes with characteristic intelligence and wit about a trip to Antarctica, which includes a lot of breathtaking scenery and one very charming Emperor Penguin. Franzen also writes here about the loss of his father, his mother, and his subsequent relationship with Uncle Walt. I was so touched by their father-son bond that it brought me to tears. How can you not love this guy?

20. Favorite Book You Read in 2018 From An Author You’ve Read Previously

Waltzing the Cat by Pam Houston

Pam Houston’s short stories, which are pretty much essays in disguise, are always action-packed adventures with plenty of adrenaline, witty dialogue, and hilariously awful men.

21. Best Book You Read In 2018 That You Read Based SOLELY On A Recommendation From Somebody Else/Peer Pressure/Bookstagram, Etc.:

Where the Red Fern Grows

Recommended to me by my son Gabriel. His teacher read the book aloud to her fifth-grade class and, according to Gabe, there was not a dry eye in the classroom when the last chapters were read. The book had a profound affect on him, which made me love it even before he persuaded me to get a copy and read it too. I’m actually glad I didn’t read this one until now; I’ve shared so many of my own childhood favorites with my kids, and this time I got to be on the receiving end.

22. Newest fictional crush from a book you read in 2018?

Jamie, the rough-around-the-edges love interest and cop from The Broken Girls. I don’t usually go for blondes, but the guy’s got something.

23. Best 2018 debut you read?

History of Wolves by Emily Fridlund

The subplot involving the teacher, the current-day story that’s weaved in, and the title itself are all perplexing choices, but the main story and the prose are so accomplished it’s easy to overlook the book’s flaws. I can’t wait to read this author’s next novel.

24. Best Worldbuilding/Most Vivid Setting You Read This Year?

Echo North by Joanna Ruth Meyer

Which coincidentally published TODAY! I had the privilege of reading an ARC of this absolutely gorgeous fairy tale in October. If you’re looking for something woodsy and wintry, with a house made of magic and living libraries, do check this one out.

25. Book That Put A Smile On Your Face/Was The Most FUN To Read?

A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab

26. Book That Made You Cry Or Nearly Cry in 2018?

The Lighthouse Keeper’s Daughter by Hazel Gaynor

There is a scene early on in this sweeping historical novel that is so devastating, I nearly stopped reading. It’s not because it wasn’t fair, it was just wholly unexpected and took my breath away. I recovered obviously, and finished the story, but it came closest to making me weep out of any other book in 2018.

27. Hidden Gem Of The Year?

The Bookshop of Yesterdays by Amy Meyerson

You’ll have the “mystery” solved about 15% in, but that won’t take away from the sheer pleasure of reading The Bookshop of Yesterdays. Why, you ask? Well, it has a bookshop for one thing. Also a literary scavenger hunt, the why of the mystery if not the who, and a great big ol’ heart. Oh, and this cover:

28. Book That Crushed Your Soul?

History of Wolves

It’s not a spoiler to tell you that the kid dies. The narrator reveals this literally on page four. But the relationship between the narrator and the child, and the reason for his death, are definitely soul-crushing.

29. Most Unique Book You Read In 2018?

Sadie

Courtney Summers brilliantly incorporated a podcast for her critically acclaimed sixth novel, and *SPOILER ALERT* it works.

30. Book That Made You The Most Mad (doesn’t necessarily mean you didn’t like it)?

The Friend by Sigrid Nunez

You may have heard of this book recently—it won the National Book Award for fiction in November. You may have heard it’s a book about a writer living in New York whose friend commits suicide and leaves her his dog—a massive Great Dane who is as depressed as the narrator over the friend’s death. What you probably didn’t hear is that there’s a twist at the end which casts doubt over everything that came before. At first I interpreted this one way and didn’t at all mind, but after reading other reviews it seems I may have interpreted wrong. And if that’s the case, yes, the twist makes me Most Mad.

Blogging/Bookish Life

I’m only posting a few of these here, since I’m not much of a book blogger. The following questions did apply though, so …

Best bookish event that you participated in (author signings, festivals, virtual events, etc.)?

Fellow Phoenician Joanna Ruth Meyer, who I connected with several years ago on Twitter, launched her debut novel at Changing Hands Bookstore in Tempe in January 2018. I was so happy to see her celebrate her first book’s publication, especially since I knew her before she’d even landed an agent and know what a long road it’s been.

Did you complete any reading challenges or goals that you had set for yourself at the beginning of this year?

Yes! I completed my reading goal of 52 books and surpassed it by 20 (15 of them audiobooks). I also completed my goal to re-read the Harry Potter series, something I’ve wanted to do for years. I have a whole other blog post to write about that experience.

Looking Ahead

1. One Book You Didn’t Get To In 2018 But Will Be Your Number 1 Priority in 2019?

There are five—the Song of Ice and Fire series, which I’ve been meaning to get to for several years. No, I have not seen Game of Thrones. For Christmas I asked for and received a beautiful leather-bound set, and I’ve been eyeing it wearily atop my bookshelf in the weeks since. It’s intimidating, but I am resolved.

2. Book You Are Most Anticipating For 2019 (non-debut)?

Mouthful of Birds by Samanta Schweblin

Perhaps you missed me singing the praises of Schweblin’s astonishing novel Fever Dream last year? It was hands down my favorite book of 2017, and I was thrilled to see a book of short stories forthcoming from the Argentine author this month. By the time this blog post is published I will probably already have swallowed it whole.

3. 2019 Debut You Are Most Anticipating?

The Winter Sister by Megan Collins

I’m really, really, REALLY into mysteries lately, and mysteries with DARK FAMILY SECRETS are even better. This one sounds promising.

4. Series Ending/A Sequel You Are Most Anticipating in 2019?

Not that I can think of.

5. One Thing You Hope To Accomplish Or Do In Your Reading/Blogging Life In 2019?

Read 52 books. Same goal every year.

6. A 2019 Release You’ve Already Read & Recommend To Everyone (if applicable):

Echo North

Did I mention this is OUT TODAY?! Go grab a copy, and if you’re in my area, I’ll see you on Thursday at Changing Hands Bookstore in Tempe. Joanna isn’t just a lovely writer, she is a lovely person too, and I’m so excited to cheer her on as she celebrates the launch of this utterly enchanting fairy tale.

Image from Flickr by See-ming Lee

I used to be reluctant about posting reviews to Amazon and Goodreads, but I got over it because book reviews serve the entire reading community: readers, writers, bookstores, publishers, librarians–anyone who cares about books wants them discussed.

Authors need book reviews, particularly on Amazon, because the more reviews they have, the higher they rank in Amazon’s search engine. In other words, the book becomes more visible. Like a brick-and-mortar bookstore, the more “buzz” a book has the more likely it is to be shelved in a prominent place where people actually see it.

So why was I once resistant to posting reviews? Several reasons.

PRIVACY: Not that long ago, I was an unpublished writer. Although I wanted my name out there as a byline, I didn’t like the idea of it being public in any other way. The only social media site I really used was Facebook, because I thought, back then, I could guard my privacy on it. Go ahead. Laugh.

Then, at a writer’s conference, a social media expert asked us if we’d ever Googled ourselves. It had never occurred to me, but I do remember thinking with total confidence that nothing would show up in a Google search of my name. Because I so fiercely protected my privacy and all. Later, I did the search and was shocked and utterly horrified to see, plain as day, a comment I’d made on Facebook show up. MY comment. On the INTERNET. Go ahead. Laugh.

I’ve finally gotten over commenting in public forums. In fact, I love Twitter, and I enjoy blogging. But this was unimaginable to me even a year ago.

How I got over it: By getting over myself. The world isn’t watching and waiting to pick apart my Facebook comments. It’s not going to be scrutinizing my book reviews either.

CONFUSION: The system of rating books confused me. I thought: how can I give a 5-star rating to Pride and Prejudice and also to Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince? I love them both, but can I place J.K. Rowling at the same level as Jane Austen?

How I got over it: I stopped over-thinking it. Really, the rating system is quite simple: Five stars means you loved it. Four stars means you really liked it. Three stars means you thought it was okay. I love Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince and I love Pride and Prejudice; therefore, they both get 5-star ratings.

ETHICS: Because I’m a writer and I know a lot of authors, I worried about getting caught in this tangled web of ethics. If I read a Stephen King book and I think the plotting is slow and the characters are made of cardboard, I can give it a 3-star rating and explain why. I’m not worried about hurting Stephen King’s feelings. He’s not going to read my review.

But what about authors I know? Of course they’re going to read my reviews. What if I’m not planning on reading an author’s book but then he reads my book and gives it a glowing review and 5-star rating? What if I then read his book out of obligation but feel it’s only worthy of a 3-star rating? This sounds easy–you owe it to the readers to be honest. But, believe me, it’s harder than it sounds.

How I got over it: I honestly haven’t yet. The compromise I’ve come up with is this: If I liked or loved a book, I’ll rate it and (one day when I’m caught up) review it. I’ll be honest about what I liked and didn’t like.

If I hate a book I’m not finishing it, so that’s my out when it comes to 1- or 2-star reviews. It’s the 3-star reviews that still throw me. But if an author I know gave me a 3-star review and explained why (didn’t like the main character, plotting was slow), I can’t imagine holding it against her.

In fact, all I want are honest reviews and ratings. I’m not going to hound you for them—if you’ve read The Fourth Wall, I’m already very grateful for your time. 🙂 But if you would be willing to post a review, here’s a link, and hopefully this post explains a bit why they’re so important.

Remember, you don’t have to be a professional book critic to tell people why you liked, or loved, a book. You just have to be a reader with an opinion that you’re willing to share.

P.S. Why, no, the photo has NOTHING to do with the post. But isn’t it CUTE?!