The last few thrillers I’ve read have been 🥱😴 so I’ll admit I was a little hesitant to start The Wife Upstairs by Rachel Hawkins. I like my thrillers to be fast, thoughtless page-turners that keep me entertained, but are quick to get through. I don’t want to think about who might have done what, or for the twist to be super obvious; I just want to power read and be satisfied at the end of it. And friends, that’s exactly how I felt with this one 🙌
Earlier this month I finished The Cousins by Karen M. McManus, and wowow, what a ride! This was the first book I read by this author and I’m excited to check out more in the future. Continue reading
I finished reading Grown by Tiffany D. Jackson last weekend, but needed some time to process the story before writing a review. This book had me reeling, and I had to collect myself and my thoughts after finishing it.
I’ve seen How a Woman Becomes a Lake by Marjorie Celona listed as a thriller in a few different places, and went into this book expecting a wild ride. However, what I read wasn’t what I was prepared for at all. Instead of a story full of twists and turns, I found a beautifully written mystery about how the lives of a handful of characters unfortunately crossed.
Last week, after posting my list of Top 5 Books to Read if You Love Reality TV, I told friends I’d curate other book lists for them on specific topics or genres they were interested in. I had quite a few requests, so it’s my new quarantine goal to put together one list per week! This week we’re looking at five books to read if you love Victorian England. This request came from Caitlin at My Tech Wardrobe.
“An alarm sounds on her phone, letting her know that life doesn’t stop, even when it’s on the brink of ending. She turns to walk back, knowing that she’s running out of places to hide. The ends of the Earth. That’s how far she ran this time. Not far enough.”
When I first read the synopsis for The Split by Sharon Bolton, I was hooked: a young glaciologist takes a job in Antarctica to escape a troubled past that is maybe, somehow, finally catching up with her? Yes please! The setting alone was enough to make me want to read this one, not to mention the glowing reviews already online for this title. While I guessed part of the plot twist early on, I was still invested enough in the story as a whole to see it through to the end.
“Usually when people tell me these kinds of tales, they never turn out to be as interesting to me as they are to the teller, much less potential material for a book. But this case was different . . . This was no ordinary murder. The perpetrator had scrupulously planned the whole ghastly deed. What’s more, it was worthy of the label ‘Locked Room Murder Mystery.'”
The Honjin Murders by Seishi Yokomizo was first published in 1946, and is the first of many Kosuke Kindaichi novels. Now, it’s being translated into English for the first time (by Louise Heal Kawai), and fans of Golden Age mystery and detective novels should get their hands on a copy.
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Are you in the mood for a slow-burn mystery centered around a small-town murder, with a hint of witchcraft? Then look no further, because you should get your hands on a copy of Trace of Evil by Alice Blanchard, stat!
Over the past few years, speculative fiction has become one of my favourite genres, and for a good reason. It blends elements of science-fiction with futuristic, super-natural themes; it can also include elements from dystopian, fanasty, and horror. What’s not to love?
If you’re looking for a new speculative fiction book to try out, I highly recommend Foe by Iain Reid, which is set to hit shelves this August.
I’ve read more psychological thrillers this year than ever before. I used to think of this genre as “all those weird books my mom reads,” but now they’ve become books I read, too! I’d like to officially apologize for all my past judgement towards thrillers, because honestly, who doesn’t love trying to solve a good mystery? My most recent jaunt through this genre was with Ruth Ware’s In A Dark, Dark Wood, and it did not disappoint.
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