2024 Reading Challenge

Okay, so this is a year overdue, but I only realized now that I never posted a summary for my 2024 reading list, which I really enjoy doing. 

First, a few stats:  

Total books read in 2024:  50

70% were fiction

38% of the novels were middle-grade (the consequences of working at a library and seeing so many great books in the children's section)

Again, one of my biggest non-fiction categories was Grand Canyon books, followed closely by history/bio/memoir, animals, and language/writing.

Best/most memorable books: (And because I'm writing this in 2026, these book really stood out for me)

How Can I Help You? by Laura Sims.  Slow-burn thriller taking place mostly in a library.

The Last Human, by Lee Bacon.  Middle-grade science fiction with reluctant friendships.

It Happened at Grand Canyon, by Todd R Berger.  Interesting non-fiction accounts of specific events through history at the Grand Canyon.

The Last One, by Will Dean.  A cruise ship where everyone has disappeared.  A great survival thriller until it sort of went off the rails.  

Five Epic Disasters, by Lauren Tarshis.  Very readable non-fiction disaster tales for kids.

49 Miles Alone, by Natalie D. Richards.  A tense YA survival thriller.

The Secret Language of Birds, by Lynne Kelly.  A warm middle-grade contemporary novel...with birds.

Of a Feather, by Dayna Lorentz.  A warm middle-grade contemporary novel...with birds.  And no, that wasn't a mistake.  I for some reason read these back to back, and enjoyed both.

The Memory Palace, by Nate DiMeo.  Hands down the best book of the year:  short non-fiction accounts of strange historical people or happenings, based on the author's podcast.  

Stranded, by Melinda Braun

 

I enjoyed this.  I'm a sucker for man vs nature and working-together-to-survive books, and this delivered.

I did find a lot of things hard to believe.  [MINOR SPOILER ALERT]  One of the major ones was the issue with directions.  It's like day 8 or something.  They're intelligent, with some outdoorsmanship between them, and they've had several days with at least partial sun, and they're all like "I wish we had a compass to figure out which direction is which."  And I'm thinking, um…look at the sun!  No, it won't give you an exact direction, and a lot depends on the season, latitude, etc., but if all you want is—for example—to head eastward to eventually run into a road or something, the sun will give you a pretty good clue.  But none of them even think about that?  And the solution they eventually come up isn't hugely more accurate, so why on Earth does one character keep asking the makeshift compass holder if they are still going east, when I get the distinct impression the compass holder is actually leading them south?  Can't the others tell, more or less, if they're going generally in the right direction or not?  This was a major plot point, so it really bothered me.  [END SPOILERS]

A lot of other things stretched believability (the cliff thing, the wolves, etc), and the characterization could have been a little deeper, but it was a fun read, a good adventure, with the situation getting worse and worse. The writing was smooth.

[SEMI SPOILER ALERT]  And I liked the way it didn't go all fantasy but stayed grounded.  [END SPOILERS]

Recommended for people who don't mind a bit of unbelievability in their survival stories. 

Oh...and I like the author's name.  :)  

Four Stars

49 Miles Alone, by Natalie D. Richards

I really enjoyed this.  

The desert setting was awesome, and though a few too many dangerous things happened on their trip for it to really be believable, other aspects of the desert WERE believable and well drawn.

The backpacking details were interesting for me, giving it good pacing throughout, even before the creepy, suspenseful part really started.    

The backstory/underlying themes were strong, and I loved the exploration of the cousins’ currently strained relationship.

My only problem was the alternating first-person points of view.  They weren’t always distinct enough, so I kept forgetting whose head I was in.  However, it didn’t seriously affect my enjoyment.  

I will read more of Natalie D. Richards.  

4.5 stars

Indie Author Spotlight: Samantha Picaro

Join me today for an interview with Samantha Picaro, author of Limitless Roads Café:

Tell me a little about your journey as a writer.

I became an author through years of writing stories (cliché as that may sound), and finally having one I felt ready to share. Writing is the best, most comfortable way I have always communicated, as verbal communication has always been hard and even scary as an autistic woman with anxiety disorder.

How do you come up with your stories?

 I’d like to say it’s walks through nature but, alas, my inspiration is more modern and more indoors than outdoors. Haha. A movie or TV show with a really unique premise and/or theme could inspire me, and sometimes social media gives me ideas. Social media inspires me with information I didn’t know before, or whenever someone talks about a plot or type of character they don’t see enough of in fiction.

Tell me a little about the books you like to read and the book you've written.  

There are too many books and too many genres to name my favorites. I can tell you what I typically like in a plot: a main character with a specific goal, like winning a contest or reconnecting with a family member. My favorite genres are Young Adult Fiction (any subgenre) and Adult Fiction. Memoirs and nonfiction are also a great way to pass time, especially if they have social justice themes.

Now, on to what you really want to hear: the plot of my book, “Limitless Roads Café.” This Young Adult Contemporary takes place in summer in New Jersey. The main character, Kinsey Fontana, works at a café hiring teens with any type of disability, and Kinsey is autistic. This aspiring event planner plans a fundraiser to prevent the café from closing with help from her former best friend Melissa Castillo.

Thanks, Samantha.  Good luck with everything!

Find Samantha Picaro here:  www.samanthapicarowrites.com
Instagram: @author.samantha.picaro
Facebook: Author Samantha Picaro
TikTok: @authorsamanthap
Twitter: @Samwritesya

Buy her book here: https://www.amazon.com/Limitless-Roads-Cafe-Samantha-Picaro/dp/B0C52L1J81

The Darkness Outside Us, by Eliot Schrefer

I really enjoyed The Darkness Outside Us.

Minor issues out of the way first:

At times the romance felt a little forced (or maybe just hormonal teenagery), like “We’re in this major emergency, but…you know…I just want to kiss him,” and not in a “Our whole lives are an emergency, might as well enjoy our last moments” way, but more like a “We need to hurry and get this air lock open or we’ll miss harvesting that asteroid and might run out of oxygen in a few weeks, but let me pause to admire his lips” sort of way.  Just a minor thing that won’t bother many readers.

I also found several instances of what seemed to me to be plot holes or characters acting out of character…but they didn’t seriously affect my enjoyment.   

Minor issues over.

I LOVED the premise.  I LOVED the gray AI.  I LOVED the structure and tension and twists of the second half, and I kept wondering how on earth these characters were going to fix the situation.  Really well done.  The writing was good.  I liked the characters.

I would definitely read more by Eliot Schrefer.

A strong 4.5 stars. 

Any Sign of Life, by Rae Carson

I LOVED the first part of this book.  Waking up to a world where everyone is dead.  Post-apocalyptic survival.  So many things prompting me to ask, "What would I do?" 

SPOILER ALERT:  Then we found out the reason for the apocalypse and I was a little disappointed that it wasn't just going to be a man-against-nature survival story.  But…I ended up liking the second part too.  END SPOILERS

The writing was good, the stakes high, the pacing fast, the characters interesting.  Things just kept going wrong.  Great storytelling from a great writer.

I've only read one other book by Rae Carson, but I also liked it a lot.  I'll have to read more.

More accurate rating:  4.5.  But a high 4.5 

With the Fire on High, by Elizabeth Acevedo

 I enjoyed this a lot.

Most of the parts about race, identity, prejudice, etc. were eloquent and thought-provoking, especially when it came to Emoni's Puerto Rican background.

There wasn't a whole lot of plot conflict, and the solutions came a bit too easily, but that didn't bother me much because I was enjoying the good writing and the slice-of-life feel of the story.

Speaking of the writing itself, there were some very poetic and insightful lines here. I loved the Spanish and the words like "jawn," all woven in so well.  It was smooth, engaging writing that carried me happily along through the whole book.

I wish we'd seen more interaction with Emma, but I loved the interaction with 'Buela.  Malachi and Angelica seemed a bit too perfect, but sometimes I enjoy that.  Though Emoni could be judgy (did she ALWAYS have to call Leslie "pretty Leslie?"), I liked her, and enjoyed being in her head, hearing the way she thought about the world around her and her own self.  I also liked that she learned and grew. 

And I loved the cooking parts. 

Overall a nice, positive, multicultural YA book.

All-American Muslim Girl, by Nadine Jolie Courtney

Caveat: I can't speak much to this book's sensitivity or accuracy from the standpoint of a Muslim American. I have a feeling that it will feel spot-on and empowering to some people and inaccurate and possibly misleading to others.  But I think that's the nature of any complex cultural/social/religious/racial subject.

I enjoyed the book.  It felt very different to have a teen character who wants to explore religion and gets MORE religious as the book goes.  It explores some very interesting topics:  Islamophobia and prejudice from outsiders, internal discord—and prejudice—from insiders, doctrinal debates, families that straddle cultural and language divides, etc.  There were some really nice lines about what it's like being a Muslim who doesn't look it, which makes her a "safe" receptable for other people's bigotry. 

The blurb did make me think it was going to be more about Wells' conservative xenophobic father being a barrier to Allie and Wells' relationship, so it felt slightly bait-and-switchy, but I probably enjoyed the story presented more than I would have enjoyed the one promised.  However, I did find Wells' father a darkly interesting character that could have been milked more, and the relationship between Wells and Allie felt a bit too easy.

For someone who has been judged so much, I did find Allie a bit judgy sometimes.  Especially with the last interaction with Emilia.

The pacing might be a little slow for some readers, and I could have done without some of the repetition.  It kept me reading, but not at a must-see-what-happens-next-right-now! speed. 

I thought the book was interesting, and I learned things and saw other things through a different perspective, which is so important.

I would read more by Nadine Jolie Courtney. 

Four Stars!

Frostblood, by Elly Blake

I read part of this as an e-book and listened to the rest as an audiobook, and I thought the reader, Jennifer English, was really good.  Fiction audio books usually start annoying me quite quickly, but this didn't.  That's very high praise, since I'm clearly not the biggest audiobook fan.

As for the book itself, I quite liked it.  Many of the characters were noble but not perfect (which is my favorite mix).  And boy, that chemistry! 

The writing was good.  The dialogue was witty.  The pacing was fast.  The plot, though familiar, took a few nice turns.  

There was too much fighting for my personal tastes, and a bit too much magic.  But that's just me. 

I'd recommend it to fantasy fans, and I intend to read (or listen to) the next book. 

A very solid 4 stars, more like 4.5. 

Long May She Reign by Rhiannon Thomas

Long May She Reign by Rhiannon Thomas is one of the few books I've ever found of this rare and wonderful genre that I don't even have a name for:  a pseudo-medieval setting, an imaginative culture, royalty…and no magic!!!!  No magical creatures or time travel or vampires.  I love fantasy, but I also a good non-fantasy fantasy.  It allows great world-building without letting the characters depend on magic to save the day (or ruin the day).  To me, it's one beautiful permutation of how the child of fantasy and historical fiction would look.  

I love to read this non-fantasy fantasy genre, on the rare occasions when I find it, and I also love to write it.  The very first novel I wrote--my so-far-unpublished baby--is this genre.  One day maybe it will see the light of day.  

Anyway, enough gushing on the genre.

As for this particular novel, I really enjoyed it.  The queen was a scientist!  Awesome.  Throughout the whole novel I was wondering who our main character could trust.  Awesome.  The story wasn't very violent.  I mean, there was a mass murder by poisoning at the beginning, but the main characters tried—and often succeeded—in solving their problems without violence.  Awesome!  At the end, the queen had to decide what to do with a gray character:  show mercy and weakness or show strength and cause more bloodshed.  I find that what often happens in novels is that the problem character conveniently dies or something, so the main character doesn't have to be merciless OR weak.  Not so here.  Our MC actually made a decision.  Awesome. 

I did think some of the science and politics felt a big simplistic and easily solved.  Like, how did they manage never to fight in this kingdom?  Especially with bad leadership and unhappy people?  And what about other kingdoms who might take advantage of their defenselessness?  But these weren't big issues that affected my enjoyment.

Some readers might think it a tad slow, because there wasn't a ton of really actiony action.  But for readers like me, the pacing was perfect. 

The writing was good, the characters interesting.

I absolutely recommend it and will soon read Rhiannon Thomas' other books.

Rating:  4.5 stars out of 5

Opposite of Always by Justin A Reynolds

This is a book I found on a "Best of 2019 YA Literature" list.  I really enjoyed it.

It has a sort of Groundhog Day premise, with our hero reliving the same four months or so, over and over.  It's not repetitive in an annoying way, and it takes full advantage of the premise to investigate how things could go differently if you had a chance to try again.  Very good execution of an always-intriguing set-up.

The characters are interesting and sympathetic, the conversation witty.  The romantic interest isn't the only relationship important to the story.  

I did feel that the ending was a bit abrupt, but it was a great book. 

I will certainly read more by Justin A Reynolds.

My star rating:  4.5


Find it on Amazon: Opposite of Always

My Eclectic Reading List, 2019

 I was looking something up on my blog and found this old post from 2012 about my then-recent reading list, quite a random collection:  https://www.melindabrasher.com/2012/10/my-eclectic-reading-list.html

I'd just been thinking that my reading list so far this year is also pretty varied.  That's what you get from working at a library!  So here are some of my reads from the first half of 2019:

1)  Tales from the Inner City, by Shaun Tan.  A book of surreal short stories, poems, philosophy, and beautiful art.   

2)  City of Ghosts, a middle grade novel by Victoria Schwab about a girl who sees ghosts and who visits the rather haunted city of Edinburgh with her paranormal investigator parents.    

3)  Alaskan Holiday, by Debbie Macomber.  A badly written romance I read for the Alaska setting, but which didn't really give a good picture of said Alaska setting or the rigors of life in the bush.        
                       
4)  Spinglish: The Definitive Dictionary of Deliberately Deceptive Language  by Henry Beard and Christopher Cerf, a fascinating, depressing...and not entirely spin-free dictionary of business and political obfuscation, PC terms, etc.  

5)  The Other Side of Lost, by Jessi Kirby, a YA novel about a girl who takes a day hike to honor her dead cousin and ends up thru-hiking the John Muir trail.  Made me simultaneously want to try and not want to try a long-distance backpacking trip.

6)  Impeaching the President; Past, Present, and Future, by Alan Hirsch.  A fairly impartial explanation of the law and the precedents.   

7)  Dancing Home, by Alma Flor Ada, a middle grade novel about a US-born Mexican-American girl and her cousin, a recent immigrant, struggling with multicultural identity.  \

8)  Her Stories, by Virginia Hamilton, a beautifully illustrated collection of African-American folktales, fairy tales, and biographies.         

9)   The Simple Art of Flying, by Cory Leonardo, an absolutely beautiful story about an unhappy anthromorphic parrot trying to protect his sister.  Probably my favorite book of the year.  Another middle grade novel (yes, I've been reading a lot of them), but totally appropriate for adults.  

10)   Timmy Failure:  Mistakes were Made, by Stephan Pastis, a funny middle grade novel about a hilariously inept neighborhood detective kid.  I read this in my quest for other books to recommend to my library kids who love Diary of a Wimpy Kid.  It really fit the bill.

11) Vordak the Incomprehensible:  How to Grow Up and Rule the World, by Vordak the Incomprehensible (and Scott Seegert).  A very funny middle grade primer on how to be the bad guy and deal with pesky superheroes.  Very tongue-in-cheek.

12) The Year's Best Science Fiction and Fantasy 2018 , Ed Rich Horton, a massive collection of some fantastic stories, some really good stories, and some stories too experimental, pretentious, or complex for their own good.

13)  Little House in the Big Woods, by Laura Ingalls Wilder.  No real plot arc, but absolutely engrossing.  I loved learning about how they did daily tasks back then.

14)  The Surrogate, by Louise Jensen, a twisty thriller about a former best friend who volunteers to be a surrogate for our baby-obsessed main character and who may or may not be plotting something dark.  

15)  The Prophet Calls, by Melanie Sumrow, a middle grade novel about a girl in a strict, isolationist polygamist compound.

16)  The Ingenious Judge Dee, a play by Hock G Tjoa about an ancient Chinese judge and detective.

17)  The Great Alone, by Kristin Hannah, a darkly beautiful character-driven novel that takes place in Alaska and REALLY takes place there...unlike the Alaskan Holiday fiasco. 

18)  Cloven, by Kady Monroe, a horror novella with some seriously creepy bits in the middle, all set on a tiny little island.  

19)  Spaceman of Bohemia, by Jaroslav Kalfař, a literary sci-fi story set both on a solitary near-future space journey and in small-town Bohemia around the Velvet Revolution.  A really great book for someone interested in Czechia, as I am.  

20)  Denali's Howl, by Andy Hall, about the worst climbing disaster on America's highest peak.  I don't know if this really counts, since I listened to it as an audio book, but it's set off a quest for more mountaineering books/ audio books / documentaries.   

I've read others this year, but this is a good sampling (though it is rather heavy on Alaska...and I didn't even mention a fourth book set there).  I've been reading a lot of juvi fiction, both in the search for books to recommend to my young library customers and simply because I see all these beautiful new middle grade novels coming into the library, and I just have to have them  :)    

     

Scarlet by Marissa Meyer

Scarlet is the second book in the Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer.

I didn't think this was as good as Cinder, but it was still a fun read.  

Cinder's powers were too strong for my tastes, too easy for her to control.  I've also never been a fan of the falling-in-love-in-two-days trope, so Scarlett's story didn't hold me as much as it could have.  The wolf thing reminded me too much of Twilight and Vampire Diaries, but I still found his struggle compelling.  

What I love about these books is the way Meyer held true to the target fairy tale while still making it refreshing and new.  I enjoyed the actual writing and the few really cleverly funny places.  There was great conflict and excitement in parts.

I enjoyed it and will certainly read the next book.

Click for my review of Cinder.

Cinder by Marissa Meyer

I don't usually scarf down a whole series.  I usually spread the books out a bit.  I have a feeling I won't be doing that with this series.

I just finished Cinder, by Marissa Meyer, and loved it.

Yes there were issues.  I think it could have developed the world a little more fully, and wrung a little more from the big what-ifs of this future.  I found a few words that weren't used quite right, and had issues with little plot holes and inconsistencies, but I didn't really care because I was just enjoying it so much.  

The writing is very good, the romance nice, the characters interesting, the sci-fi setting cool.  I love this unusual take on the Cinderella story, and the way it stays true to the tale I know while somehow managing to twist it into something totally different.  It ends on a cliffhanger (not my favorite thing), but luckily my friend had the next book ready for me.  I finished Cinder today on my lunch break and I've already started Scarlet.  

Definitely the most fun read I've had in months.  

Rating:  4.5 stars  

Cabinet of Wonders, by Marie Rutkoski

In novels, I don’t generally like my fantasy mixed with history, because then I never know what’s real, and I don’t know if I’m actually learning anything.  I also have more problems suspending my disbelief.  This is true of urban fantasy, science fantasy, supernatural, etc.  If something’s set in the real world, I have a hard time believing in monsters and magic.  If it’s set in a fake world, I have no problem believing the same things.  Call me weird.

So, Cabinet of Wonders takes place in the Czech Republic during the Renaissance.  I LOVE the Czech setting and all the Czech names, the foods I’ve eaten and places I’ve actually walked.   But then there’s magic too, which for me dilutes the pleasure of the setting a little.  However, this is my personal issue, and if you don’t mind the mix, you’ll love The Cabinet of Wonders.  The author, in her “Author’s note” confesses:  “I’m a little worried that someone, somewhere is going to object to the way I’ve manhandled history.”  So she asks Astrophil, the tin spider in her novel, and he reminds her that she never made any promises to be historically accurate so she doesn’t need to worry.  “After all,” he says, “I am not historically accurate.  But I exist.”  So there you go.

The magic in the book is perhaps unrealistically powerful, but highly imaginative and interesting.  The pacing of the story is good, the events interesting, the writing smooth, the characters fun (I love the tin spider).  It’s a very enjoyable book.  And, of course, I love that it is set in the Czech Republic and that it takes the legend of Prague’s astronomical clock and twists it. 

I will certainly read the rest of the Kronos Chronicles.

4 Stars

Click here to buy The Cabinet of Wonders by Marie Rutkoski

Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1 Movie

I saw Mockingjay Pt 1 last week, and I really enjoyed it.  I've heard critics say that it didn't have enough action.  Don't we have plenty of action in Hollywood?  Don't we need more of what Mockingjay was all about?  A bigger game, subtle moves and counter-moves, twisted political ethics, repercussions that make the main characters question everything they're doing, an exploration of heroes' motives?

I really liked it.  I know it didn't capture everything in the book, but I think it did pretty well.  Good job, everyone!

Giveaway--Far-Knowing

Goodreads Book Giveaway

Far-Knowing

by Melinda Brasher

Giveaway ends July 22, 2014.

See the giveaway details at Goodreads.

Enter to win

The Girl of Fire and Thorns by Rae Carson

I

I really enjoyed The Girl of Fire and Thorns by Rae Carson

The writing is excellent (even though I don't like present tense).  The characters are likeable and interesting.  The world-building is unique.  It feels like a European culture in a Central American setting.  I also think the faith/religion aspect is really well done.  It's not preachy, yet it's integral to the plot.  There's adventure, love, politics, and—miracle of miracles—the correct use of comma splices (only 2 or 3 in the whole book, used for impact, with short sentences of similar structure).  Bravo, Carson!

I'm not sure I like the way the author deals with the self-proclaimed "fat girl" issues and changes, but that's very subjective.  I think the author misses some opportunities in one abrupt death scene.  Elisa, the main character, also overcomes her underconfidence perhaps a bit too quickly. 

Despite these minor, subjective issues, the book is rich and interesting and well written.  Plus, it actually ends.  I like a series to consist of stand-alone stories that build on each other, instead of having cliffhanger endings.  This fit the bill:  I'm satisfied, and don't HAVE to read more, but I WANT to.  The perfect balance. 

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Girl of Fire and Thorns on Amazon

Rae Carson's Website

Chaos Rises in 9tales Anthology

My story, "Chaos Rises" appears in the newest 9tales Anthology:  Tales from Elsewhere.

It's free right now on Amazon, so check it out.

Free book!

Goodreads Book Giveaway

Far-Knowing

by Melinda Brasher

Giveaway ends March 31, 2014.

See the giveaway details at Goodreads.

Enter to win