On My Shelf: January 2025

Before I start discussing the books I’ve already read, let’s chat about one book I’m currently reading – The Blue Castle by Lucy Maud Montgomery, which just so happens to be the Cool Bloggers Book Club selection this winter. Hop on over to Engie’s blog to learn all the particulars; she does an incredible job of hosting a lively online discussion of every featured book. I’ve read the first 8 chapters and am officially hooked!

The books I read in January:

THE SHORT VERSION

• Meditations for Mortals – Oliver Burkeman ★★★☆☆
• The Berry Pickers – Amanda Peters ★★★★★
• A Well-Trained Wife – Tia Levings (Not rated)
• Run – Blake Crouch (Not rated)
• Here After – Amy Lin ★★★☆☆
• Disney High – Ashley Spencer ★★★★☆
• Thief River Falls – Brian Freeman ★★★★★
• Madwoman – Chelsea Bieker ★★★★★
• Ambition Monster – Jennifer Romolini ★★★☆☆

THE LONG VERSION

Meditations for Mortals – Oliver Burkeman (non-fiction; self-improvement). ★★★☆☆ (3.5 rounded down to 3.)

Maybe it was me? It must be me!

I didn’t love this book and really struggled to ever feel engaged with the material. I loved Four Thousand Weeks (a resounding 5/5 stars for me), so I expected more of the same. But this book felt stilted and boring and incohesive and an unnecessary companion text to Four Thousand Weeks. This book hit the mark for a lot of people and that’s fantastic, but it wasn’t a winner for me. I wrote down some interesting quotes, but a few weeks out from finishing it I can’t recall a single takeaway. Meh.

The Berry Pickers – Amanda Peters (fiction; character-driven). ★★★★★

The Berry Pickers has made the rounds on various booklists and seems to be a polarizing love/hate read. For me, it was love. The book was far more nuanced than I expected. I generally prefer reading non-fiction and start most fictional accounts with a bit of trepidation but I did not want to put this book down! I appreciated how easy the shifts between narrators were to follow (some authors make this obscure and confusing!). The story was heart-rending, while still feeling redemptive.

As someone who lives in the region of the Annapolis Valley Peters frequently describes in the book, I also enjoyed being able to relate so closely to the landscapes.

In short – a beautiful debut novel!

• Trigger warnings for violence, death, and child abduction.

A Well-Trained Wife – Tia Levings (non-fiction; memoir). Not rated.

I have conflicting feelings both about some of the conclusions drawn and the writing style. But the physical, emotional, and sexual abuse Levings endured was categorically wrong and wholly un-Biblical. I’m glad she managed to escape this devastating situation. Hopefully her story will help others seek help and break cycles of horrific abuse.

• Trigger warnings for domestic violence and religious cults.

Run – Blake Crouch (fiction; thriller). Not rated.

I skimmed some parts of this book so don’t feel like I can justifiably give it a star rating.

Run has all the makings of a dystopian movie. The story is compelling (seemingly normal people turn crazy and start killing people), but it is gruesome! I picked it up based on someone’s recommendation (can’t remember who?), but did not expect all the bloodshed… which started to feel very tiresome after a while. The premise was interesting and the ending felt Hallmark-esque (if you believe a book that centers on mass murder can end on a positive note).
Would I read it again? No. Would I recommend it? No. Do I see why some people really like it? Yes!

• Trigger warnings for profanity and pervasive violence.

Here After – Amy Lin (non-fiction, memoir). ★★★☆☆

I have read a lot of books about grief, but this one was a bit too lyrical and felt repetitive. I appreciate that writing this book was surely cathartic for the author and may have helped others in their healing journey, but it felt like the story arc was stopped abruptly and there were no real pieces of advice for the reader.

• Trigger warnings for unexpected spousal death/widowhood.

Disney High – Ashley Spencer (non-fiction). ★★★★☆ (3.5 stars rounded up to 4.)

This book would have been more relatable if I had grown up watching the Disney Channel shows discussed in the book, but it was interesting and yet another reminder that, almost always, fame does NOT bring happiness. I thought the writing was a bit dry and stilted in places. Even so, I did enjoy it since I’m a sucker for anything behind-the-scenes.

Thief River Falls – Brian Freeman (fiction; thriller). ★★★★★

Thanks to Gigi for this recommendation! (Here’s her review; I immediately put the book on hold after she suggested it and was not disappointed.)

Is this book going to win any awards? Probably not. Did it hook me in from the start to the end? Very much so. I read it in a single day which is always the best test for my true feelings about a book.
I really appreciated that it was an engaging thriller without graphic gore and I can’t remember a single instance of profanity. There was still an edge of grittiness, but with pleasantly softer edges.

Madwoman – Chelsea Bieker (fiction; character-driven; thriller-adjacent?). ★★★★★

Wow. This book was unexpected – thanks to Lisa for recommending it!

First up, the main trigger warning is huge. This book delves into the trauma of domestic violence and that topic is addressed throughout the book. I felt like it was handled carefully and with intention, but I can imagine it could be very difficult to read if this fiction mirrors a reader’s reality.
Second, there is a fair amount of swearing (gratuitous profanity bothers me, but I did feel this was moderate and had a place).
Third, this book was about so much more than abuse. It was an intimate look at motherhood – the challenges and realities and contrasting priorities. How much you love your kids and want to protect them while also acknowledging how isolating and exhausting the role can be. It was also a mystery of sorts. There are twists and turns in the novel and I wasn’t expecting many of them. This was another novel I couldn’t put down. Extremely well written, but the subject matter should be approached with caution.

• Trigger warnings for language and extensive – though not intensely descriptive – domestic violence and child abuse.

Ambition Monster – Jennifer Romolini (non-fiction; memoir). ★★★☆☆ (2.5 stars rounded up to 3.)

Reading this book made me feel icky. It wasn’t necessarily about the themes – though the author deals with difficult topics like childhood trauma, alcoholism, drug use, and rape – but it was what felt like a never-ending cascade of sordid and/or boring details that didn’t seem relevant to the book.
I suppose this is a memoir not a how-to book, but it made me feel sad for her as a child, as a teen, as a woman, and even now as a recovering workaholic (and, I think, an alcoholic). Perhaps the point IS to make me feel sad, but it felt like reading about a train wreck with a lot of collateral damage that was barely addressed. The redemptive resolution to the story (or, how she “got off the hamster wheel”) seemed like an after thought.
I don’t regret reading it, but wouldn’t recommend.

• Trigger warnings for child abuse, domestic violence, drug/alcohol use, and profanity.

Your turn.

• Have you read any of the books I read in January? Thoughts?
• Do you prefer character or plot-driven fiction?
• I’m on the lookout for more thrillers like Thief River Falls – engaging, but without excessive violence and with limited (to no!) profanity. Suggestions?
• Are you reading The Blue Castle for Engie’s CBBC?