Sometimes I don’t feel like writing a full review for whatever reason, either because life is busy and I don’t have time, or because a book didn’t stir me enough. Sometimes, it’s because a book was so good that I just don’t have anything to say beyond that I loved it! Frequently, I’m just wayyy behind on reviews and am trying to catch up. For whatever reason, these are books that only have a few paragraphs of thoughts from me.
Chasing the Dead by Tim Weaver – 3.5*
//published 2010//
I’m not sure how this mystery series first appeared on my radar. The main character, David Raker, used to be an investigative reporter, but now works finding missing persons. In this first installment, he’s hired by a mother whose adult son disappeared. His body was found months later. But now, a year after that, she’s convinced that she saw him walking down the street and that he’s alive. David isn’t convinced, but agrees to at least try to find out where the son was between the time of his disappearance and the time that his body was found in a fiery car wreck.
There were a lot of things about this book that I like, especially David himself. I also love the concept of him using his old reporter contacts to work these types of cases. However, this one just went a little too over-the-top for me, especially the weird quasi-religious cult that just never actually seemed to be adequately explained in a way that genuinely justified everything that had happened. While I liked this one fine, I didn’t love it, and there were a couple of torture scenes that I skimmed because that kind of thing makes me really queasy. Still, I enjoyed it enough to pick up the second installment.
The Dead Tracks by Tim Weaver – 3.5*
//published 2011//
Oh look, here’s the second installment!! A 17-year-old girl disappears into thin air. With a genuinely happy home life, excellent grades, no boyfriend, and a solid future ahead of her, she seems like an unlikely candidate for a runaway. Convinced the police aren’t giving it all, her parents hire David to find out what really happened, and soon he’s sucked into a complicated plot involving a serial killer and the Russian mafia.
Once again, I really liked David himself, and the story wasn’t bad, it was just… over-the-top. Again. Not every missing person disappears into the clutches of insane psychopaths, but here’s the second book in a row where that’s exactly what happened. There were once again some a-little-too-gruesome-for-me scenes, and the killer/kidnapper was just… a little too bizarre. All in all, while these weren’t bad books, they just aren’t for me. They didn’t exactly feel like they could really happen, if that makes sense, and the fact that David keeps getting into these basically-should-be-dead situations and then getting out of them had me rolling my eyes a little. It’s also possible that I just wasn’t in the mood for these. Either way, I’ve checked the series off the TBR as I just don’t think it’s a great fit for me, despite not actually being bad reads.
Fangs by Sarah Anderson – 4*
//published 2020//
This is an absolutely adorable collection of comics about a vampire and a werewolf who are dating. While not groundbreaking, I enjoyed every page. The concept is done so well, and both characters come through as thoroughly likable. I also appreciate the effort that went in to making the physical book a joy to handle – clothbound, black page edges, wonderful paper quality, and the perfect size. Well worth a read if you enjoy the concept, and the book itself is fantastic.
Second Chance Summer by Jill Shalvis – 4*
//published 2015//
Sometimes I pick up a book and then realize it’s part of a series. Luckily, this was book one, so I went ahead and rolled with it. Lily has to return to her hometown in Colorado when her career in California goes bust. Of course, in typical chick lit style this means running into her old crush, Aidan. While this book wasn’t anything stunning, it was a really enjoyable romance, with a fairly balanced angst level. Lily is working through some other family history that made a lot of what was happening feel reasonable. Aidan wasn’t perfect, either, which I always like. There were were a few too many sexy times for this to get my wholehearted approval (just not my thing) but overall total brain candy, which was exactly what I wanted. There are two more books in the series, focused on two of Aidan’s siblings (who own a ski resort!! I love hospitality romance haha) so I have those on reserve at the library.
Anne’s House of Dreams by L.M. Montgomery – 5*
//published 1917//
My reread of the Anne series continues. In this book, Anne and Gilbert start their new life together on a different part of Prince Edward Island. They meet their new neighbors and settle into life. There are some wonderful side stories here, and one in particular really explores the importance of doing what is right even if it looks as though the results may not be what you want. This book is always a little bittersweet to me, as we leave behind so many friends from Avonlea, but I still love it so much. Also, I Gilbert and Anne were my first ship growing up, and I’m still here for it!
The Aroma of Books 