The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune
goodreads blurb: A magical island. A dangerous task. A burning secret. Linus Baker leads a quiet, solitary life. At forty, he lives in a tiny house with a devious cat and his old records. As a Case Worker at the Department in Charge Of Magical Youth, he spends his days overseeing the well-being of children in government-sanctioned orphanages.
When Linus is unexpectedly summoned by Extremely Upper Management he’s given a curious and highly classified assignment: travel to Marsyas Island Orphanage, where six dangerous children reside: a gnome, a sprite, a wyvern, an unidentifiable green blob, a were-Pomeranian, and the Antichrist. Linus must set aside his fears and determine whether or not they’re likely to bring about the end of days.But the children aren’t the only secret the island keeps. Their caretaker is the charming and enigmatic Arthur Parnassus, who will do anything to keep his wards safe. As Arthur and Linus grow closer, long-held secrets are exposed, and Linus must make a choice: destroy a home or watch the world burn. An enchanting story, masterfully told, The House in the Cerulean Sea is about the profound experience of discovering an unlikely family in an unexpected place—and realizing that family is yours.
My take: 4.5 out of 5. This was a weird book at its start, and I was confused and worried that it was going to be terrible. It had so many good reviews that I ventured on and boy was I glad I did. It’s a sweet, adorable book on what truly makes a family. What is right and wrong, and how society should handle its outcasts. You will not regret picking up this book and might actually shed a couple of tears throughout like I did. I read this book in audiobook and the narration is wonderful. This will definitely make a wonderful movie, its has so much imagery that I cant wait to see someone’s interpretation on the screen.
The lions of fifth Avenue by Fiona Davis
goodreads blurb: In Fiona Davis’s latest historical novel, a series of book thefts roils the iconic New York Public Library, leaving two generations of strong-willed women to pick up the pieces.
It’s 1913, and on the surface, Laura Lyons couldn’t ask for more out of life–her husband is the superintendent of the New York Public Library, allowing their family to live in an apartment within the grand building, and they are blessed with two children. But headstrong, passionate Laura wants more, and when she takes a leap of faith and applies to the Columbia Journalism School, her world is cracked wide open. As her studies take her all over the city, she finds herself drawn to Greenwich Village’s new bohemia, where she discovers the Heterodoxy Club–a radical, all-female group in which women are encouraged to loudly share their opinions on suffrage, birth control, and women’s rights. Soon, Laura finds herself questioning her traditional role as wife and mother. But when valuable books are stolen back at the library, threatening the home and institution she loves, she’s forced to confront her shifting priorities head on . . . and may just lose everything in the process. Eighty years later, in 1993, Sadie Donovan struggles with the legacy of her grandmother, the famous essayist Laura Lyons, especially after she’s wrangled her dream job as a curator at the New York Public Library. But the job quickly becomes a nightmare when rare manuscripts, notes, and books for the exhibit Sadie’s running begin disappearing from the library’s famous Berg Collection. Determined to save both the exhibit and her career, the typically risk-adverse Sadie teams up with a private security expert to uncover the culprit. However, things unexpectedly become personal when the investigation leads Sadie to some unwelcome truths about her own family heritage–truths that shed new light on the biggest tragedy in the library’s history.
My take: 4 out of 5. I love a good historical novel and especially this includes two timelines which is also a favorite of mine. I really enjoyed the book, although i kind of wish I had more Laura Lyons in the book, i think we get a lot of her at her least interesting and it would have been great to hear more about her in her later years. It’s great when a book makes a building a n actual character and it was vivid here. I wanted to be in NY and take a walk through the public library after reading this, as I felt like i was seeing it in my head.
Falling by TJ Newman
goodreads blurb: You just boarded a flight to New York. There are one hundred and forty-three other passengers onboard. What you don’t know is that thirty minutes before the flight your pilot’s family was kidnapped. For his family to live, everyone on your plane must die. The only way the family will survive is if the pilot follows his orders and crashes the plane. Enjoy the flight.
My take: 3 out of 5. I liked it I just didn’t think it was as amazing as some of the hype had described it as. Its a good FBI episode, TV suspense storyline type of book, but i really think if it was going for the psychological impact of how to make these types of decisions, it could have done so much better. Its a quick and enjoyable read, just don’t expect your mind to be blow, just mildly moved.
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