Welcome to the start of my third year of Reading Roundups! It's been such a journey to share everything that I read with you, and it's great being able to revisit some of the things I've read in the past two years with such detail.

New this year, I'm introducing another feature to my reviews: title grades! It really bothers me how some titles really do not reflect their books well at all, and I'm giving myself a platform to complain about it (or celebrate it). A, B, and C are passing grades, while D and F are failing grades, so keep an eye out for that! I'm also now on Storygraph, so if you're interested in my progress you can follow me, @elisakuhn . Hopefully I can also use some features from Storygraph to make my roundups a bit more interesting.

Cheers to three years!!!

January 2025

This month, I read 3 physical books and 4 ebooks from the Toronto Public Library, totaling to 7 books. My average star rating for the month was 3.79, dropping to 2.65 when you account for all of the DNFs. Since it's only January, my running total of books for 2025 is still just 7.

Honourable Mentions

Happy Place (reread) by Emily Henry

Synopsis: Harriet has wished for one thing all year: a week at her happy place with her best friends. Residency in San Francisco is draining and isolating, and all she really wants is a week with Sabrina and Cleo at Sabrina’s family’s cottage in Maine. But when she arrives, she received some bad news: Sabrina’s father is selling the cottage, so this will be their last summer there, ever. Even worse, her ex-boyfriend Wyn is there (except they haven’t actually told anyone that they broke up, so technically he’s still her boyfriend). Plus, there’s a tension between Sabrina and Cleo that neither wants to talk about. Is Harriet’s Happy Place gone forever?

My thoughts: I read this book in August of 2023, so I don’t think that rereading it should count as a new book for 2025. Thus, the Honourable Mention. Happy Place was actually better than I remembered. Readers will know that my top two Emily Henry books are Book Loves and Funny Story, and I had Happy Place ranked third overall but couldn’t really remember if it was that good or not. Reader, it is that good. It’s full of emotion, which is the quality that sets it apart from most of the standard romance books that I read. I highly recommend it. Now I’m wondering if People We Meet on Vacation and Beach Read are also just that good.

You would like this book if: you’re counting down the days to the next cottage weekend (and like the fake dating trope except it isn’t really fake dating).

Dishonourable Mentions

Under Lock & Skeleton Key by Gigi Pandian

Synopsis: Tempest has returned to her family home, after a humiliating accident destroyed her career as a stage magician in Las Vegas. She’s now back working for the family business, Secret Staircase Construction. But on their newest project, they discover something horrifying: Tempest’s stunt double and sworn enemy, dead. Even worse, she was discovered sealed up behind a wall that was build 50 years ago, even though Tempest saw her only weeks ago in Law Vegas. What is really going on here? Can Tempest solve the mystery and break her family’s curse?

My thoughts: I could not finish this book because I just found everything to be so silly, to the point of cringe. First of all, the main character’s birth name being Tempest is insane to me, and her stage name (Tempest of Destruction) is frankly ridiculous. She’s a magician, not a knight at a jousting tournament or something. Plus, the fact that there was a “real” curse on Tempest that she had to break somehow, especially considering that this isn’t a fantasy and all of her magic is just stage tricks.

You might like this book if: you’re sillier than I am, which I frankly find hard to believe

Ordinary Monsters by J.M. Miro

Synopsis: There is a mysterious old building in deep rural 1880s Scotland that is filled with many fantastical and horrible things, the most fascinating of which are the children. They each have their own powers: some can turn invisible, some can heal from any injury, some can manipulate dust and old skin cells, and one of them can glow. It is this last child that might be the secret to everything, but they’ll have to band together in order to keep him and themselves safe from the biggest threat they’ve ever faced: one of there own.

My thoughts: I enjoyed the first third of the book, which follows Charlie and Marlowe’s journey from America to the school in Scotland. However, I completely lost interest once it switched to Kamako’s storyline in Japan, and even once it returned back to Scotland with all four kids. I just wasn’t interested in the main conflict anymore.

You might like this book if: you enjoy being dreary and reading dreary stuff

The Stars Turned Inside Out by Nova Jacobs

Synopsis: The Large Hadron Collider at CERN has possibly the largest concentration of smart people in Europe. Unfortunately, one of their esteemed physicists has been found dead, in the bowels of the LHC itself. Dr Howard Anderby was found dead, and even worse, it seems as though he was killed by the radiation from the LHC, which wasn’t even supposed to have been operational that weekend. Private investigator Sabine Leroux has been brought in in order to figure out what exactly happened to cause such a tragedy, while fellow professor Dr Eve Marsh (who was romantically interested in Howard) launches her own investigation.

My thoughts: I thought that the combination of science and murder mystery would be a great mix, but unfortunately this book just did not hit for me. I found myself not wanting to read it, and there’s no point pushing through to read something that you don’t actually like (unless it’s for a bookclub). From the first few chapters, I got the feeling that this book was going to be primarily focused on the interpersonal relationships of all of the scientists, and none of the characters particularly endeared themselves towards me.

You might like this book if: you are an insufferable nerd

And now for...

The Real Reviews

Casket Case by Lauren Evans

Synopsis: There’s nothing left for Nora in Rabbittown, Alabama, and everyone says so. But she just can’t seem to leave after her parents death. After all, who would keep her Grandpa company, and who would run the family casket store in town? The only thing Rabbittown doesn’t have is any eligible bachelors, but who needs a boyfriend when you can watch endless tv reruns? That is, until a handsome stranger walks into her store asking for directions. His name is Garret Bishop and he works in logistics, and, amazingly, he seems interested in Nora despite all her awkwardness. He’s the perfect man, except when Nora finds out exactly what he does for a living (technically still logistics, but just for Death). How can she reconcile his job with all of the grief that she’s experienced?

My thoughts: This was a curious book in that the storyline and the concept were interesting, but the writing was incredibly boring. Everything was just too calm and plodding along, and you didn’t really get any emotion out of it until the very end. (This was kind of a reverse whiplash when compared to the really intense emotions of Happy Place). I also didn’t like how the third act developed into an Edward/Bella/Jacob style love triangle. She did choose Edward at the end, at least, but this is not something that we need in the year of our lord two thousand and twenty five.

Rating: 2.5/5 lifetime achievement awards that you have to accept on behalf of a dead person

Title Grade: C (a begrudging pass because it’s technically related to the contents of the book (Nora is a bit of a basket case, and she does run a casket store) but it’s not very good)

Blood: The Science, Medicine, and Mythology of Menstruation by Dr Jen Gunter

Synopsis: This is a very comprehensive book that covers basically everything you ever wanted to know about the menstrual cycle. It ranges from the biological mechanisms behind the menstrual cycle, birth control options and how they work, poly-cyctic ovarian syndrome and endometriosis, abortion, and much much more.

My thoughts: I think this is a great book. It’s perfect as a manual because it covers almost everything you’d want to know. It’s very comprehensive, but at the same time it’s very easy to read and understand, with the major points being helpfully summarized at the end of each chapter. The author also adds in a lot of her own personal commentary which is very relatable, and takes opportunities to refute myths going around on social media.

Rating: 5/5 mythical properties of menstrual blood that we surely would have noticed if it was real by now

Title Grade: A (Tells you exactly what the book was about, no notes)

The Examiner by Janice Hallett

Synopsis: 6 students have signed up for the new Masters of Multimedia Art at Royal Hastings University, and it’s standard procedure for an external examiner to review all of the assignments and student communications to make sure that there’s nothing hinky going on. But it turns out this master’s program is hiding a lot of secrets, and maybe even a death. Will the examiner be able to figure it all out? Or will the truth stay buried forever?

My thoughts: This book made me realize how much I miss reading epistolary novels, especially those that include other forms of media besides just letters. This book included chat messages, assignment excerpts, emails, and other things, and it was fun trying to put the pieces together. Readers will know that I am a former graduate student, and the characters hit a little bit too close to home (especially the contrast between Jem, who wanted to ace every assignment no matter the cost, and Ludya, who just wanted to finish up things with as minimal time and effort as possible). However, the characters and the plot itself was a little bit over the top. I definitely enjoyed the format more than the actual writing itself, so I’m not sure if I want to read another one of her books.

Rating: 3/5 phones that will freak out and call the police if they don’t get an accurate faceID every 5 minutes

Title Grade: B (liked how it framed the book to be about the examiner (and the reader) solving the crime, but not quite memorable enough)

Butter: A Novel of Food and Murder by Asako Yuzuki

Synopsis: Manako Kajii has captured the attention of all of Japan. She’s a notorious serial killer, or at least that’s what she’s accused of. All of her husbands have died under mysterious circumstances, leaving her to inherit thousands of dollars and attend luxury cooking classes. Every journalist, including Rika Machida, is desperate to interview Kajii before her trial starts, but she refuses to talk to anyone. That is, until Rika’s best friend suggests asking Kajii not about her alleged victims, but about the food that she cooked for them. This is the start of a cat and mouse relationship between Kajii and Rika, as Rika attempts to understand Kajii through food, and ultimately understand herself.

My thoughts: I thought this was a really well written book, although it did drag at some times. It was a lot deeper than most mystery books that I read (and it wasn’t even really a mystery), and, appropriately, I felt that it “fed” me more than others. It was very reflective, and it was interesting to watch how interacting with Kajii changed Rika’s perspectives on a lot of things (although she mainly came to her own conclusions, while Kajii became more and more obsessed with her). It’s definitely much more slow paced than any typical thriller, so don’t go into it expecting a psychological horror type vibe, but it definitely has a lot of its own merits.

Rating: 4/5 pathetic apartments that don’t even have an oven

Title Grade: A (This book is about food, but Kajii is obsessed the most with butter. She constantly tells Rika to make recipes that involve a lot of butter, and everything basically comes back to butter).

Death in the Air by Ram Murali

Synopsis: Ro Krishna has had a vexing few months. His cower (unaffectionately referred to as the Latrine) has been creating so many problems that things are impossible to ignore, and the company has instead chosen to fire him so that everything will go away. He has arranged for the Latrine to be dealt with, but in the meantime he needs something to do. His friends keep suggesting that he try Samsara, a luxurious spa for the global elite tucked away in the Indian Himalayas, and so he travels to India. He’s having an excellent time with excellent company, until one member of the group is found dead. Somehow, Ro becomes involved in the investigation, partly because everyone thinks that his background as a lawyer would be helpful, and partly because he just can’t keep himself out of trouble. As the death toll begins to climb, will Ro realize that he’s just in over his head?

My thoughts: I thought this was pretty different than most of the mysteries I’ve read lately. It was reflective, and the Samsara Spa made for a great setting (isolated, unique, and filled with characters). The writing was excellent, and it had some of the dry witty humour that readers will know I adore. There were also some cool details, like Pendy being able to guide Ro to exactly where he was meant to me, and the inclusion of two songs that played pivotal roles in the overall story, with a side-by-side of the lyrics and the action of the book. Definitely it was a breath of fresh air, and I look forward to reading anything else that Ram Murali writes.

Rating: 5/5 recurring nightmares about your car being sabotaged that are surely just nightmares and not anything to really worry about

Title Grade: B (not super related but it does evoke the Agatha Christie-esque nature of the book, which I do respect)

Girlfriend on Mars by Deborah Willis

Synopsis: Amber Kivinen is determined to be the first person on Mars. And she will, if she wins the MarsNow reality show competition. When she announces that she’s leaving, her boyfriend Kevin is completely stunned. Whatever happened to just staying in their basement apartment in Vancouver, growing cannabis plants and occasionally picking up gig work to pay the bills? What was so wrong with the life they built together? As Amber travels around the world for week after week of challenges, Kevin vows to stay in their apartment, and not leave until Amber comes back to him.

My thoughts: Readers will know that sometimes I just crave a book about spaceships, and while this didn’t really scratch that itch, I still did enjoy it. It was interesting to contrast the difference between Amber’s perspective about her challenges and pushing her own boundaries and finding new goals, and Kevin’s desire to never change anything, and to like things because they were the same as they’d always been, although I did find Kevin’s parts a bit hard to stomach. Things really came to a head at the ending, and it was surprisingly (unexpectedly) very emotional.

Rating: 3/5 staged drug busts that certainly felt real enough

Title Grade: B (it is indeed about the male main character's girlfriend on Mars, and how she gets there)

Etta and Otto and Russell and James by Emma Hooper

Synopsis: Etta has lived a long life in Gopherlands, Saskatchewan, with her husband Otto, and their neighbour and best friend Russell. But she’s never seen the ocean. So she simply decides that now is the time. And so she begins her 3200 kilometer walk towards the Atlantic Ocean, and there’s simply no one who can change their mind. The farther she walks, the more the lines between memory and reality begin to blur. Sometimes she’s in the prairies, the canadian shield, the maritimes. Other times, she’s back in Gopherlands 60 years ago, when she and Otto and Russell were so young and full of fears about the war. Otto waits patiently back at the farm, learning to follow Etta’s old recipes, and building beautiful sculptures out of papier mache, while Russell is determined to go after Etta (at least until he understands her). And James is happy to be a faithful companion, trailing after Etta.

My thoughts: This is the first of five Canada Reads nominees that I'll be reading this year, and as always, the first book I randomly choose tends to be one of the stronger ones. This was a really moving book. I enjoyed the past storyline (of Etta, Otto, and Russell growing up together in Gopherlands) more than the present storyline of Etta’s walk. But I found both of them to be very moving and emotional, especially with the ending. The author made a specific choice to not use any quotation marks, and it really added to the ambiance and flow of the book. I thought it was an especially good choice because it allowed James to speak without actually talking.

Rating: 4/5 packets of relish and ketchup that might be the difference between life and death

Title Grade: B (Etta and Otto and Russell and James are the four main characters, although it does make me think of a certain song (Chloe and Sam and Sophia and Marcus) that I've only ever listened to once)

i am, your most faithful blogger, elisa