I am still overwhelmingly behind, the dread of catching up just pushing me to become even further behind. So here I am trying to remedy that. The plan is to do little else than write reviews for the next few days until I’m all caught up. I may as well start with one of my favorites of the last few months.
Synopsis
When Cassie Andrews’ favorite patron dies unexpectedly during her shift at a local New York City bookstore, she’s not only distraught but surprised to find that he’s left her a gift, a book with strange writing and a mysterious message left for her within the pages. Upon bringing the book home, she and her friend Izzy find that the book has the special power to open doors to anywhere in the world within their imagining. At first the two find the prospect thrilling and fascinating, but they soon find that the presence of the book in their lives brings unimaginable dangers to their doorstep. Their only hope of surviving the new threats they face is a stranger, Drummond Fox, the librarian of a very special library of magical books that bring various powers to the holder. Anyone they meet could be friend or foe, and some people will resort to anything to get their hands on such a valuable book.
Review
This book takes the spot as the most unique and magical work of fantasy I’ve encountered so far in 2025. I never found this book to be boring. To the contrary, just when I thought things were about to slow down and come to a close, Brown found a way to ramp up the action again. There were some highly endearing moments that made me smile, and then there were some backstories for certain characters that simply made me sad, even for those characters who seemed to be evil beyond deserving sympathy. The book poses some interesting questions about the effect of trauma on the psyche and the ethics of harnessing extreme power at the risk of causing irreparable consequences, whether one intends to use such power for good or evil. Such concepts are great discussion topics for book clubs, as well as fun questions like, “Which book would you choose if you could only have one?” I can safely say the Book of Doors is high up on my list. Vacation without the need to buy a plane ticket or a hotel? Yes, please!!
Each character in this novel is unique and so well-drawn by Brown that they felt real and substantial. There were several twists in the plot that really kept things interesting, some of which I absolutely did not see coming. I love it when books aren’t completely predictable. If they are, what’s the point besides reading it just to say I did? That’s no fun.
I don’t want to say too much about this one, because I don’t like spoilers of any kind. Suffice to say, if you are looking for a pleasant, thought provoking and unique fantasy, this is the book for you. It would be a great vacation read, but you’ll really be wishing you had a special book to take you instantly to your destination so you didn’t have to do that pesky expensive traveling.
Published February 13, 2024 by William Morrow. ISBN 9780063323988. 404 pages. Hardcover.
I have numerous other reads I finished before this one, but I just completed the audiobook and have a lot of thoughts I’m desperate to get out, so I’m skipping ahead a bit.
I have been very fortunate this year so far in that the book club books chosen by my fellow members just happen to slot into my Reading Challenge. This book, Parable of the Sower, the first book in the Earthseed series, fits into the Banned Books category, which is always a favorite of mine to explore. I wish banned books didn’t exist at all, but they do, and I love seeking them out. It doesn’t take too many pages to see why a certain sector of the population doesn’t want this book within reach of young people. Those young people might actually learn something and, worse, they might even begin to ask tough questions.
I stumbled across this lovely novel when meandering through the local library, which I can often be found doing. I was initially intrigued by the cover and the weighty title, so it wound up going home with me. The novel follows Georgie Bricker, a French professor at a small women’s college in Virginia. A victim of childhood trauma, Georgie’s intense agoraphobia hasn’t allowed her to leave her little cocoon of safety on campus in years. I should note here that this is actually a follow-up novel. The first book, Georgie Girl, takes place when Georgie is young and sets up a lot of what comes later. I picked this book up not knowing there was a first. Thankfully, Wafler does enough looking back to fill in the gaps of what readers may have missed by not reading the first. 
If you, like me, are a child of the 90’s or before, you are quite well-versed in the fact that some children’s programs meant to bring joy and comfort dredged up feelings less desirable, often inspiring regular nightmares and originating new deep-seeded fears. Even shows I adored when I was a kid I can watch today and there’s something unsettling about the characters, costumes, and plot points. Sometimes it’s not overt but just a vague sense that things aren’t quite right. Other times the nightmare fuel is quite in-your-face. 
Tonight both the husband and the boy child are away for the evening, and I have four 10-year old girls singing karaoke at the top of their lungs on the floor below me, so I figured it was a great time to catch up on some book reviews. I’ve had The Wedding People finished for more than a couple of months but haven’t come around to writing the review yet. *wrist slap*
I was first introduced to Liz Moore a few years ago when I devoured The Unseen World, which I noted in my goodreads review from 2017 as “quietly spectacular.” I remember it being a technologically-driven mystery for super smart people, and I often think about the book even today. This novel, The God of the Woods, is an incredibly different type of book. There’s still a mystery involved, but it’s a much more standard type of mystery. Their commonality exists in the fact that both books are extremely well executed by Moore, a human who is obviously very adept at her craft. 
Karen Marie Moning has a pretty big fan base, but I’m admittedly a newbie to her work. Simply from the title, I thought I was picking up a haunted house tale, but that’s not what this is. It is a tale in which a woman inherits a creepy old house from a relative she didn’t know existed, but that’s where the similarities with other novels in the Gothic house trope end. From there, this one becomes a tale of centuries old covens and magical beings. Oh, and it’s the first of a new trilogy. If I’m being completely realistic, I can see this one being one that falls off my radar and I never finish the trilogy. Let’s get into why… 
Any time Liane Moriarty releases a new title, it’s highly anticipated. While I can’t say any of her more recent books have quite blown me away like Big Little Lies which sparked a near obsession in me, I haven’t read any I didn’t like. This particular book has a slightly different tone. The mystery is a bit more understated. 
A Librarian and Her Books 