One of the reasons why I love to read is the feeling of finishing a great book. For a few days, the book I finished reading is all I can think about. It could be the setting, the characters, or how the book turned out that stays with me. I finished reading The Guest List by Lucy Foley, and it’s hands down one of the best thrillers I have read. It’s a close contender to being one of my favorite books I read in 2022. That may be too early to say, but that’s how much I loved this book.

A wedding party flocks to a remote Irish island. The wedding is breathtaking until someone is murdered. As the story progresses, secrets are revealed, and it seems like everyone has an ulterior motive.

One reason I loved The Guest List is the setting. The wedding takes place on this remote Irish island, with a chapel, house, and lavish tents set up to house guests. There’s a small Celtic cemetery located nearby, giving this island a haunted feel to it. I took pauses while reading The Guest List to imagine the island in my mind. The setting helped solidify the story and made me want to continue reading.

The Guest List is told through the perspective of several key characters. Usually, I’m not a fan of this type of storytelling because it’s tough to keep everyone straight. However, Lucy Foley does a great job at balancing all of the characters. I felt drawn to Hannah and Olivia specifically. Hannah was the character I connected with the most because she’s a middle-class outsider to this rich lifestyle. Olivia is a character who is struggling mentally, and I just wanted to reach out to her and give her a hug. Olivia is someone I wanted to see succeed and overcome her struggles.

In The Guest List, there’s a big reveal that I predicted early on. In some cases, I become disappointed when I can predict the plot of the book, although, in The Guest List, I was more excited to see how everything came together, even if it was something I could see coming.

The Guest List was everything I wanted in a thriller: an intriguing setting, a sprinkling of characters to root for, and a few twists throughout. I don’t have anything bad to say about The Guest List. I have since added a few of Lucy Foley’s other books to my TBR on Goodreads as I’m curious to read more from her. I rated The Guest List five stars on Goodreads.

The Lost Apothecary by Sarah Penner was the first book I read in 2022. I originally had this on my Spooky TBR last year, but I ran out of time to read it. The Lost Apothecary has a fascinating premise centered around this apothecary offering poisons to women wronged by men. I enjoyed this book, although there were a few instances that stuck out to me about the story. The story wraps up quite conveniently, which I feel was a bit implausible.

A woman is scorned and seeks help from an apothecary. Poisons are easily dispensed, and women stay silent. Nella Clavinger, the woman running the apothecary, keeps track of everything prescribed and preserves the women who want more. Eliza Fanning is a young girl who was sent to Nella by her employer seeking a poison for her rotten husband. In the twenty-first century, Caroline Parcewell discovers her husband’s affair and finds a vial with a bear on it, leading her to look for this hidden apothecary. The three women are connected at various parts of history by a secret and enchanting place.

Out of all the stories, I found myself gravitating towards Nella and Eliza. I enjoyed reading Nella’s back story as it relates to why Nella started adding poisons to her shop. Eliza’s story is relatable as she’s a young girl who leaves her rural town to explore a brand new place. Caroline’s story was more realistic, yet the most implausible, as she seems to put together the existence of the apothecary despite not being a trained historian. I’m sure Caroline is incredibly smart, but I just found that she may not have been able to do it on her own. I would have loved a partnership between Caroline and Gaynor, a librarian whom Caroline met. I think it would have been great to see two women using their strengths to lead this investigation.

Another annoying part of the book to me was that no one wanted to tell Eliza about her period. There’s a scene where Eliza gets her period for the first time and leaves a chair with a blood stain. For whatever reason, NO ONE thought to sit down with Eliza and explain her period until the latter half of the book. Eliza thought her period was from a spirit, which, understandably, she’s 12. I thought that was so odd. I wouldn’t say this ruined the story by any means, but I found it rather questionable, especially because this book is built on women supporting women.

Overall, I’m glad I read The Lost Apothecary as I thought it was a solid book to start the year off with. I’d recommend this for anyone remotely interested in history, London, and fantasy. I rated The Lost Apothecary four stars on Goodreads.

I always look forward to writing my end-of-year posts. I typically write two posts: one summarizes the year as a whole, and the other focuses on what I read. I always use Perpetual Page Turner’s End of Year Survey. It always provides a great summary of what I read. Let’s dive into my reading year in 2021.

2021 Reading Stats

Number of Books Read: 35 (not counting all the single-issue comics I read)

Number of Re-Reads: 3

Genre You Read The Most From: I would say Thriller or Mysteries.

Best in Books

Best Book You Read in 2021?

The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood was such a lighthearted read. I liked the science and Olive’s tenacity for researching pancreatic cancer, and I thought the relationship between Olive and Adam was genuine. Ali Hazelwood is a new favorite author of mine.

Book You Were Excited About & Thought You Were Going to Love More But Didn’t?

I read The Maidens while waiting for a delayed flight at an airport. I remember finishing this book and being more disappointed in the book than in the fact that my flight was delayed. There was a big twist that didn’t work for me and, in my opinion, destroyed Mariana’s main arc. Additionally, I felt parts of this book were unrealistic. For example, several young women were following around an older college professor. Everyone would find this super creepy, yet Mariana had to convince everyone that this professor was trash.

Most Surprising (in a good way or bad way) Book You Read?

I selected Lock Every Door by Riley Sager for this because of what Jules had to go through. I genuinely thought nothing bad would happen to Jules until Riley Sager pulled the rug out from under me, and I realized that anything could happen. It was a nice surprise, and it made me root for Jules to survive.

Best Sequel?

A Beautiful Corpse by Christi Daugherty is the second book in the Harper McClain series. Harper is a crime reporter in Savannah, GA. In this sequel, Harper is investigating the death of a young law student. Throughout the series, Harper is trying to find out who murdered her mom when she was young. Towards the end of the book, Harper finds a tip that may help her solve her mom’s murder. I like the setting of Savannah, and I like Harper as a character.

Best Book from a Genre You Don’t Typically Read?

I read A League of Denial by Mark Fainaru-Wada and Steve Fainaru, which chronicles CTE (chronic traumatic encephalopathy) and how CTE was discovered. Once CTE is discovered, it’s clear the NFL doesn’t want this to come out and tries to bury the evidence. Several football players, including Mike Webster and Junior Seau are diagnosed with CTE after their deaths. Is it because I’m getting old that I’m starting to like non-fiction? I have a few non-fiction books on my TBR and re-read pile that I hope to read in 2022.

Favorite Cover of a Book You Read in 2021?

I read They Never Learn recently, and I have to say this cover is amazing. The first word I think of when I see this cover is gothic. The book takes place on a college campus, and I think this cover summarizes the book and setting.

Most Beautifully Written Book Read in 2021?

The House in the Cerulean Sea is such a lovely and beautifully written book about love and acceptance.

Most Thought-Provoking Book in 2021?

Devil’s Knot: The True Story of the West Memphis Three is a tragic story for many reasons. Three boys were wrongly convicted of murdering three younger boys. Part of this conviction was based on rumors that the three boys were into worshipping Satan, which was unfounded. Adding on to the tragedy, we probably won’t find out who killed those three little boys because of this town convicting innocent teens. It’s a dark book, but well worth reading.

OTP (One True Pairing)

Olive and Adam in The Love Hypothesis are couple goals. I love them together.

Best Book Read in 2021 That I Read Based Solely on a Recommendation (Bookstagram, Friend Recommendation, etc.)

Everyone was raving about A Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampires by Grady Hendrix. My local bookstore had this on display, and another booktuber I follow was discussing Grady Hendrix as an author. I felt compelled to read this myself. I’m glad I did! I loved this book. I’m excited to read more Grady Hendrix next year.

Your Blogging / Bookish Life

Favorite Post I Wrote in 2021?

My favorite post I wrote this year was Fangirl Revisited – 6 Years Later. I remember loving Fangirl; however, when I re-read it, it felt like I was reading a completely different book.

Best Bookish Event in 2021?

At C2E2 this year, I met Jason Muhr and Kami Garcia, who illustrate and write some of my favorite comics I have read. It was exciting to talk with them about their series.

Looking Ahead

One Book You Didn’t Get To in 2020 But Will Be Your Number #1 Priority in 2021?

I plan to go back to my Spooky TBR. I want to start with either The Guest List by Lucy Foley or The Lost Apothecary by Sarah Penner.

One Thing You Hope to Accomplish Or Do In Your Reading / Blogging Life in 2021?

I want to read more non-fiction. I think it’s a nice break from reading the same genres all the time.

As always, I linked the Perpetual Page-Turner End of Year Survey above. Happy Reading!

I always have a graphic novel backlog. I tend to purchase graphic novels at conventions or through crowdfunding campaigns on Kickstarter. Otherwise, whenever I travel, I like to stop at a local comic book store. As such, my pile has grown to the point that my kitty likes to sit on my pile, as she has claimed it as a mini throne for her. I wanted to share my backlog, and I hope to tackle it in 2022.

Teen Titans Beast Boy by Kami Garcia and Gabriel Picolo

I was so excited to meet Kami Garcia at C2E2 this year! She was so nice, and she commented on the Captain Marvel cosplay I was wearing. I read Teen Titans: Raven a year or two ago, and I loved it! I knew I had to purchase Beast Boy while I was at C2E2, and now I have a signed copy. Kami Garcia and Gabriel Picolo’s Teen Titans series is a young adult retelling of each member of the Teen Titans, with this one focusing on Beast Boy.

The Weatherman by Jody LeHeup, Nathan Fox, and Dave Stewart

I picked up the first volume of The Weatherman at Comix Experience in San Francisco. Nathan Bright is a TV reporter on Mars. He’s successful, he loves his job, and is supported by his girlfriend and dog. Unfortunately, his success doesn’t last long when Nathan is accused of a terrorist attack against planet Earth. Nathan cannot remember what happened, yet he’s being chased across the entire galaxy to be punished for a crime he couldn’t possibly commit.

Critical Role Vox Machina Origins by Matthew Mercer, Olivia Samson, Matthew Colville, and Chris Northrop.

It should be no surprise to anyone that I picked up a Critical Role graphic novel. I’m almost halfway through the Vox Machina campaign, and I’m fully invested in the lore of the campaign. I’m a sucker for anything Critical Role related, including graphic novels. I was waiting to finish campaign #1 first before reading this because that’s probably when I would want more Vox Machina content if I’m not ready to let campaign #1 go.

The Manhattan Projects by Jonathan Hickman and Nick Pitarra

The Manhattan Projects is such a weird series, yet I still find myself enjoying it. The Manhattan Projects is a science fiction retelling of the Manhattan Projects, the project that founded the Atomic Bombs used in WWII. To give an idea as to how quirky this series truly is, an A.I. Franklin Delano Roosevelt is guiding the scientists along with Harry Daghlian, a scientist whose skull is encased in green and black liquid. Harry Daghlian was a real scientist on the Manhattan Projects; unfortunately, he was killed in an experiment, hence his character is illustrated the way he is in the series. I like that this series is based on real-life events, along with how these events shaped the science fiction aspects of the series.

Plume by K. Lynn Smith

Plume originally started as a webcomic in 2011, written and illustrated by K. Lynn Smith. I was introduced to K. Lynn Smith through her Kickstarter series, For Goodness Sake. I met K. Lynn Smith at Planet Comic-Con, and she had her physical volumes of Plume on sale. From reading the back of Plume, this series takes place in the Wild West and has supernatural elements to it. I’m excited to read it!

For Goodness Sake Volumes #2 and #3 by K Lynn Smith

I read the first volume of For Goodness Sake last year and missed the Kickstarter campaign for book #2. I was bummed! Fortunately, K. Lynn Smith had the Kickstarter campaign for her third book, and I was able to pick up book #2 as an additional reward in the campaign. For Goodness Sake stars Rayne, a woman who renovated a bus and travels around the US with her canine companion, Copilot. Rayne meets Thatcher, a cursed individual who looks like a devil. Rayne has agreed to help Thatcher relieve his curse as they travel around together. As someone who’s a fan of road trips, this series hits everything I love reading about.

I have so much to read! It’s a great feeling, yet a bit overwhelming at the same time, especially because this doesn’t include any of the single-issue comics I have on my nightstand. 2022 will be a great reading year.

In 2015, my friend and I spent our spring break driving around to local bookstores in the Twin Cities. While visiting Once Upon a Crime, I met local author Jessie Chandler. She was so nice and convinced both my friend and me to buy her book. Operation Stop Hate was the first book in a series she was writing about a local federal agent. While I read Operation Stop Hate in 2016, I had this on my re-read pile for a while. I decided to bring it to my husband’s parents’ house and read it throughout the Thanksgiving Holiday.  I’m happy to say that I enjoyed this book just as much as when I first read it five years ago.

Cailin McKenna is a special agent focused on domestic terror threats. She’s called in to investigate two school shootings in the Minneapolis area. From her investigation, she realizes both shooters were listening to white power music, which involves Cailin going undercover in a hate group. There’s more at stake as the group is planning an attack on a liberal area in Minnesota. Can Cailin stop the event in time without blowing her cover?

I loved Cailin as a character. I liked her tomboyish nature, and I adored her relationship with Alex. At the heart of this book is a healthy lesbian relationship. Besides their relationship, I liked seeing the local places mentioned where their characters visited. I think Jessie Chandler, as an author, did a great job at listing various parts of Minneapolis that anyone could follow along, not just those who are from the area. The only thing I disliked about Cailin was how she put off confronting her ex. Other than that, I liked Cailin as a character.

Operation Stop Hate focused on hate groups and how hatred can lead to violence. I thought the hate groups were interesting to the plot and allowed Cailin to go undercover. While Minnesota is a liberal place to live, there are several pockets within the state where I wouldn’t be surprised if some of these groups are active today. It’s clear Jessie did research on hate groups while writing this book, and it showed.

Operation Stop Hate was an intriguing and fast-paced read. I’m excited to check out Jessie Chandler’s other series, which seems similar to this book. Unfortunately, I don’t think there’s a sequel to this, which is a shame because I would read it in a heartbeat.

CW: Sexual Assault, Suicide. (I do not discuss this in detail; this serves as a CW for the book itself)

Horror is a genre I want to read more of, but I haven’t found my go-to author in the genre. Stephen King is the only horror author I can name, which means I’m still on the periphery of horror books. I have seen Grady Hendrix’s name pop-up specifically The Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampires. I had this on my radar, so when October rolled around, I wanted to read this. I finished The Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampires last weekend, and it was a wild ride.

Patricia Campbell lives a mundane life as a stay-at-home mom. She cleans, cooks, and routinely discusses True Crime books at her book club. Patricia invites their new neighbor to her book club to help introduce him to their community. As Patricia gets to know her neighbor, strange events happen in their town. Patricia starts to suspect this neighbor of being a drug dealer, but maybe he’s something more. In a neighboring town, missing kids are dying in strange ways, which leads Patricia to conclude that this neighbor could be a vampire. How will Patricia convince her book club that Dracula is a few houses over?

I liked how The Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampires was filled with irony. At the women’s book club, they talk about why people don’t say anything when a strange man moves to town who seems a bit off, i.e., Ted Bundy, yet Patricia has to convince everyone that this man is no good. I feel for Patricia because she is often gaslit and told that she’s overthinking things. Patricia’s husband, Carter, doesn’t support her and makes horrible statements nonchalantly. Patricia, along with Mrs. Greene were two characters I thoroughly enjoyed reading about.

I want to be up-front, there were several horrific and grotesque scenes in this book. If it helps, I have attached my Goodreads review where I put these scenes under spoiler tags. Feel free to read them to determine if this book will work for you. These scenes involve rats, insects, and a disturbing sexual assault. I mentioned this in the content warning already to make this clear.

My main critique of the book was that all the women seemed to blend together. Patricia stood out to me, along with Mrs. Greene; otherwise, the other women seemed to sound the same. I wish there were something about each of the women that I could remember. I do think this was intentional by Hendrix, as these women were all stay-at-home moms.

The Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampires was a horrific Vampire-hunting book that fits perfectly into my Spooky TBR. I rated The Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampires four stars on Goodreads, although I was debating between a four or five star rating. I want to read more horror, so if anyone has any author suggestions, feel free to drop them in the comments section below.

I have been getting into reading more romance lately. When I think about my favorite romance books, they have to have great characters, a romance I genuinely root for, and keep me engaged throughout the whole book. The Love Hypothesis interested me because of academia and STEM, being the backdrop of the book. I graduated with a degree in science, and before switching my major to Exercise Science, I started with a degree in biology. The Love Hypothesis carried a lot of nostalgia for me because I felt myself reminiscing on my years in college, where science was my life. The Love Hypothesis was hands down one of my favorite romance books I have read to date, and might be the best book I read in 2021.

Olive Smith is a studious Ph.D. candidate focusing on pancreatic cancer research. In between her studies, Olive relies on her best friend, Ahn, to help keep her grounded. Ahn is dating Olive’s ex-boyfriend, Jeremy, although Ahn feels bad about this. For Olive to convince Ahn that she’s over Jeremy, Olive lies about dating Dr. Adam Carlsen, one of the most hated professors on campus. As Olive and Adam become close, Olive starts to realize that she’s truly fallen for him.

The characters in The Love Hypothesis were fun to follow. Starting with Olive, I found myself rooting for her from the beginning. As someone who’s also had a loved one die of pancreatic cancer, I could empathize with Olive and why she chose this particular area to study. Olive is a pumpkin spice latte-loving science nerd who wants to make a difference in the world, and I felt that. Ahn, as Olive’s best friend, was another character I loved reading about. There are passages mentioned where Ahn has created women’s STEM groups on campus to help women wanting to get into STEM. If there were ever a solo book featuring Ahn released by the author, Ali Hazelwood, I would be all over it. Besides Ahn, Malcolm is Olive’s other friend, who is in STEM. Malcolm becomes the voice of reason for Olive and helps her as she navigates her relationship with Adam.

Speaking of Adam, the romance between Olive and Adam was not only convincing, but they genuinely were made for each other. I enjoyed the sexier scenes between Olive and Adam as I felt they had great chemistry together. I also thought that there were real stakes in this relationship. In any romance book, a couple is tested by some big event, leading to them breaking up. In this book, I felt Olive had real stakes as to how she wanted to move forward with her relationship with Adam. As I read through this book, I was angry at what Olive had been through. I’m glad Olive and Adam got together, and the way everything concluded was satisfying.

The Love Hypothesis lived up to the hype. As I read the book, I found myself not wanting to stop reading. This is one of the romance books I will set as an example of what a five-star romance book looks like. Olive and Adam are my romance book OTP. (One True Pairing).

Happy Halloween! It’s funny how one day has so much anticipation that builds, and then it’s over. I decided to post a book review of a dark academia thriller I read recently, The Maidens by Alex Michaelides. This book wasn’t featured on my spooky TBR post I published this month. Whenever I travel, I like to bring along my Kindle as I don’t like the idea of physical books taking up precious packing space. My spooky TBR was all the physical books I wanted to read, and The Maidens was a book I purchased for my Kindle. Therefore, I ended up reading The Maidens and putting aside my physical spooky TBR pile for now.

Mariana Andros is a skilled psychotherapist who is grieving the loss of her partner, Sebastian. Mariana is alerted to a murder at her niece’s college campus, which also happens to be Mariana’s alma mater, Cambridge. Zoe, Mariana’s niece, teams up with Mariana to help investigate the murder. Intertwined with the murder case is a college professor, Edward Fosca, who has a special group of students called The Maidens. Mariana is determined to find evidence that Fosca was the one who killed the girls. As Mariana digs deeper, she realizes there’s a lot more at stake than just the murders.

As mentioned, I liked the mention of various Greek tragedies and mythology. Fosca is a professor specializing in this area of study, so it made sense that various Greek mythology tragedies were mentioned. I thought Michaelides did a great job illustrating the book’s setting. I could imagine Mariana in a fashionable trench coat wandering around a gloomy campus and interacting with the students as she went. Speaking of Mariana, I liked her as the main protagonist. I was rooting for her, and I could empathize with her grief.

The story and the ultimate twist didn’t work for me. I won’t discuss spoilers, but if you’re curious, I wrote about the spoiler in my Goodreads review hidden under spoiler tags. The twist, in my opinion, felt a bit out there. As I read other reviews on Goodreads, I can now envision the instances in the book that led to this twist. The reason the twist didn’t work for me was because of how heavily it impacted Mariana. I loved Mariana as a character, and I thought the twist cheapened her story. Besides the twist, I found it extremely hard to believe that Mariana was the only one who noticed Fosca’s creepy behavior. If this were real life, everyone would think Fosca was a huge creep, yet Mariana spent the majority of the book convincing others of this.

Overall, I’m glad I spent the time reading The Maidens; however, it ended up being a letdown for me. I thought this would easily be one of my favorite books I read in 2021, but this wasn’t the case. I rated The Maidens three stars, rounded up on Goodreads.

It’s Spooky Season! This is my favorite time of the year, and now that I’m done with wedding planning, I can dive into the season. I went to my local bookstore, Cream & Amber, to pick up a few books to read. I wanted to share what’s on my Spooky TBR!

The Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampires by Grady Hendrix

Patricia Campbell is a nurse turned housewife to her husband and two kids. In her free time, she and the other moms are a part of a true-crime book club, which allows them to discuss how evil some people can truly be. Patricia decides to welcome a stranger to their book club. As much as Patricia is captivated by the newcomer, she becomes suspicious as children are mysteriously disappearing from the next town over. Patricia realizes that this stranger may be the next Ted Bundy or maybe something a bit more.

This is the first book I started reading, and it’s really good! I find myself wanting to read this anytime I have free time. I went into this thinking it would be a typical vampire moves next door book; however, there’s a lot more horror involved. I just read a part about rats that still makes my skin crawl.

The Ex Hex by Erin Sterling

Vivienne Jones went through an awful breakup. She drank, she cried, and she decided to cast a curse on her ex because why not? Being a witch has its perks. Although Vivienne’s ex moves back to their hometown and Vivienne realizes her curse may have brought some unintended consequences.

This will be a nice break from horror, as I plan on reading this right after The Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampires.

The Guest List by Lucy Foley

A wedding party arrives in Ireland to begin the festivities. Champagne is popped, conversations are had, and someone turns up dead. Who is the culprit, and what secrets are revealed in the process?

I’m a sucker for a good thriller. I can’t help it; they draw me in as I want to know how everything unfolds. I think thrillers can fit into Spooky Season because human beings are capable of awful deeds.

The Lost Apothecary by Sarah Penner

An apothecary waits as women visit from across the globe. They purchase poisons to help free themselves of the men who have wronged them. Two women are bound together in different parts of history as they seek the apothecary.

I partially bought this book for the cover. The cover shows a mystical potion bottle surrounded by neon flowers. I figured I could fit this into my TBR because of the alchemy and magic associated with this book.

I can’t wait to read all these books! I have enough variety in my TBR to cover different genres. Once November and December hit, I like to read non-fiction, romance, or more thrillers. If you have any of these books, let me know what you think in the comments below, or feel free to suggest other Spooky books worth reading, too.