Category Archives: 2018

Do Not Become Alarmed, by Maile Meloy

Posted on August 6, 2018 by Thistle

Cousins Liv and Nora decide to take their families on a joint cruise vacation. Everything is lovely until a misadventure occurs while they’re on shore in Central America. Suddenly the kids are missing. I’m not going to say more than … Continue reading →

Posted in 2018, Adult, Prose | Tagged , , , | 5 Comments

The Invisible Girls, by Sarah Thebarge (audio)

Posted on August 3, 2018 by Thistle

Sarah Thebarge grew up in a fundamentalist household, which later caused her severe anxiety issues, and a personal crisis of faith when she was diagnosed with aggressive breast cancer in her late 20s. After several years of cancer treatments and … Continue reading →

Posted in 2018, Adult, Prose | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

The Poppy War, by RF Kuang

Posted on July 23, 2018 by Thistle

Rin is a war orphan who does everything she can to escape the life of an opium-smuggler’s errand girl and become one of Nikara’s elite trained soldiers. With the country drifting once again toward war, Rin discovers that learning to … Continue reading →

Posted in 2018, Adult, Prose | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

First Comes Love, by Emily Giffin (audio)

Posted on July 9, 2018 by Thistle

Family, torn apart by death, trying to cling together while all the resentments, regrets, and grief stuff every corner of every interaction. This is one of those books that I have a hard time evaluating. On the one hand, the … Continue reading →

Posted in 2018, Adult, Prose | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Close to Home, by Cara Hunter (audio)

Posted on May 25, 2018 by Thistle

GoodReads summary available here. The hunt for police procedurals, take 1: Nope. I’m not going to spend long on this one. The book was well-written. I really enjoyed most of it. For awhile, I thought perhaps it would be the … Continue reading →

Posted in 2018, Adult, Prose | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Readathon: Since We Fell, by Dennis Lehane

Posted on May 7, 2018 by Thistle

Years ago, Rachel was a globe-traveling journalist with a hot career and her life put together. After a PTSD-related mental collapse, she’s become agoraphobic and has lost most of the people she was once friends with. The big exception is … Continue reading →

Posted in 2018, Adult, Prose | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

Callback: Elantris

Posted on May 4, 2018 by Thistle

I first read Elantris by Brandon Sanderson back in 2012, and I’ll direct you to that link for a synopsis and/or my original review. It’s been nearly six years, and it was time to revisit the story and this world. … Continue reading →

Posted in 2018, Adult, Prose | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

I’ll Be Your Blue Sky, by Marisa de los Santos

Posted on April 23, 2018 by Thistle

It’s the last few days before Clare’s wedding, and her misgivings about the whole thing have reached a crisis point. As she struggles through a panic attack, she’s comforted by an elderly stranger named Edith. Edith gives Clare the courage … Continue reading →

Posted in 2018, Adult, Prose | Tagged , | 1 Comment

White Sand Volume 2, by Brandon Sanderson and Rik Hoskin

Posted on April 20, 2018 by Thistle

Since this is a continuation of a series, I’m not going to say more about the story, but instead direct you to my review of White Sand Volume 1. Most of what I have to say about this book is … Continue reading →

Posted in 2018, Adult, Visual | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

A Quiet Kind of Thunder by Sara Barnard

Posted on April 13, 2018 by Thistle

Steffi suffers from a lot of mental health disorders, including severe anxiety, panic disorder, and selective mutism. She cannot talk except in rare circumstances or in the few locations/with the few people she’s most comfortable. Rhys is new at school, … Continue reading →

Posted in 2018, Prose, Young Adult | Tagged | 2 Comments