The Seasonal Reading Challenge discussion

Here is the Review Raffle thread for Winter 2024.

We will draw a random name from anyone who posts a review in this thread and they will be given the opportunity to create a task in the Spring 2025 season - the more reviews that you post, the more chance of being drawn!

Reviews must be for books read within the current challenge period. You may link to your review on Goodreads, or type the review in the thread. (Please do not link to a review on a site outside of Goodreads).

Your review does not have to be positive but it should be at least a couple of sentences long - "loved it" or "not for me" is not helpful to other readers!

Please remember to include your Readerboard name when posting your review.

A Midwinter's Tail, Lili Hayward
Reviewed by trishhartuk. 5*.

This was a perfect Christmas season book, set in the Isles of Scilly, albeit largely on an island made up for the story, so the author could play with Cornish mythology.

The main character was engaging - a fish out of water, finally coming to terms with the community on the island and her own past. The supporting cast were entertaining and the main antagonist was suitably skeevy. And then there's the cat, who ties it altogether.

The book has elements of mystery as well as magical realism - especially in the tales that the MC's godfather used to tell her as a child - and was a satisfying and gentle pre-Christmas read.

Owain Owain, translation by Emyr Wallace Humphreys
****

Sometimes, very small books have a lot to say. Clocking in at a mere 136 pages, The Last Day is nonetheless packed with meaning, and some timely reflections to boot.

Originally published in Welsh as Y Dydd Olaf back in 1976 and receiving its English translation in 2024, Owain Owain’s novella sits firmly in the classic era of spec sci-fi alongside such titles as A Scanner Darkly and Logan's Run. Told in two parts through a series of letters and diary entries, it follows the protagonist Marc from his days at university in the 1940s through to his last few months in 1999 – before the eponymous last day, in which people are assimilated to become nothing more than resources to fuel the machines that have largely replaced humanity, led by the terrifying and seemingly omnipresent Computer General. Not only their bodies are taken – all journals written by those who stay at Sunset House are fed to the Computer General too, creating a synthetic language that almost mimics natural speech, but not quite naturally enough to seem fully human. The only reason Marc’s records remain intact and unaltered is due to their having been written in Welsh, which the Computer General cannot process.

As is often the case with dystopian works, there is a sense of the author being slightly prophetic. Despite being written almost fifty years ago, there is no denying the uncanny resemblance to the rise of generative AI and way in which it is trained on unwilling participants’ works. On a slightly cheerier level, it also speaks to the endurance of the Welsh language, which survived concerted efforts to stamp it out and is now seeing a revival in the 21st century.

There is so much more to The Last Day, however, than merely being another warning about the dangers of technology. It’s about the nature of love, of what it is to live and be human. It’s about knowledge and ignorance, particularly wilful ignorance. It’s about sacrifices that people can and perhaps should make – and what happens when good people fail to act in time when faced with awful things.

The book isn’t without its flaws – being a product of the 70s, there’s some questionable depictions of women and ethnic minorities – and it’s hard to tell how much might have been lost in translation. It is, however, well worth the short time it would take to read – and if you’ve got a little longer to spare, perhaps a re-read too.

Readerboard name: Michelle in Alaska

Review of Black Woods, Blue Sky by Eowyn Ivey

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"Now are the woods all black, but still the sky is blue. May you always see a blue sky overhead..."

3.75 stars rounded up to 4.

Thank you to Netgalley, Random House, and Eowyn Ivey for providing me with an ARC copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I was stuck behind a 3-month-long book hangover, but the clouds have cleared, and I'm back to reading and reviewing! It feels great to be back.

Black Woods, Blue Sky is a tale of love, loss, redemption, and growth. It's a story of relationships. It is reminiscent of Beauty and the Beast, but don't let that give you any impressions about how the story will play out. This book tells the story of Birdie, a 26-year-old woman working in a diner in Alaska who can't seem to quite get her life together. A single mother to the endearing and precocious 6-year-old Emaleen, she has a lot of judgmental eyes on her in her small town, and she doesn't exactly give people a lot of positive things to talk about. Too wild, too reckless, a big spirit in a slim body. When she meets mysterious and soft-spoken Arthur, her slow-burn love for him transforms into the shape of freedom and something extraordinary, so away she and Emaleen go, off to his isolated cabin deep beyond the river. You won't be surprised to learn that things aren't exactly as they seem.

It took me a while to get through this book, and I think that's because there's no sense of urgency here. That's not a bad thing. Black Woods, Blue Sky is quiet and slow from start to finish. The beginning and end of this book almost seem to fade into and out of view, like watching a river. It is highly ambient and makes the reader oddly nostalgic for the Alaskan tundra, much like Where the Crawdads Sing does for the North Carolina marshland. When describing this book to my husband earlier today, he said, "I love when a book's locale is almost a character in the story", and I couldn't agree more. The main characters here are Birdie, Emaleen, Arthur, and Alaska itself.

This book ended up being a 3.75 star book for me. The writing is great, blending poetic imagery and accessibility in a respectable way. However, I found myself questioning the characters (especially Birdie) a little too often, a resounding "Who would agree to move there?" echoing on repeat in my head. I didn't always believe in her desire for something extraordinary and her fascination with a character who honestly could have used a little more fleshing out. In these ways, some disbelief must be suspended here, beyond even the magical elements found within. The other reason I didn't rate it higher was the ending. I don't think the plot itself needs to be changed because I appreciate the intention and overall execution of it, but I think I would have liked it to be fortified with a little more internal monologue. It's a beautiful book with a beautiful ending, but I think it would be nice to have just a little more time to sit with it.

Ultimately, I'm glad to have read this book, and I sense that it's one that will sit with me for a while.

Readerboard Name: Michelle in Alaska.

Review of Iron Flame by Rebecca Yarros

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Yeeeeeeehaw, that's a wild ride. I can't decide whether I like this one more than Fourth Wing. They're basically tied for me, with perhaps a slight lean toward Fourth Wing. I have what I'm dubbing "BeckyVision"(TM) because I have been able to predict the ending of both of these books so far. Confidently knowing how the book was going to end affected how I experienced the ending. While I was absolutely hysterical at the end of Fourth Wing, I finished this book pretty dry-eyed. I can't say the same for a different part in the book, but you know. O:)

The most common complaints I hear about this book are:
1) the pacing
2) the faulty, "angsty" communication

1) This book is 623 pages. I can think of two chapters off the top of my head where I was pretty darn bored. Do the math. I have read significantly worse paced 600+ books. (*side eyes Diana Gabaldon*)
2) These babies are BABIES. They are in their early 20s. Look, I've been "early 20s" years old, and it feels really accurate, at least to how I remember myself. This didn't feel angsty to me. It felt insecure and complicated. Can you blame either of them?

Things I loved:
1) the spice - doesn't need elaboration. Hot hot hot
2) character arcs - the ~thing~ I wanted to see happen happened O:)
3) complexity - Rebecca Yarros is a master at intrigue and perfectly placed hints. The shocks start coming and they don't stop coming. The fantasy aspect is so strong here that I cannot believe this is her first foray into fantasy writing.

Readerboard: Michelle in Alaska

Review of The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides

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Finally, a book to bring me back to life after the near catatonia of finishing I'm Thinking of Ending Things FIVE months ago.



My review contains some spoilers.

The Silent Patient was recommended to me by my dear friend Christine, so I had a great time sending her little insights and thoughts as I read. I love me a good ol' psychological thriller. Anything that gets me itching to pick up the notebook and start jotting down theories from Chapter 1 is a fun read indeed.

I had a HELL of a theory established by the first chapter. I have a mountain of evidence to support this theory. You can read it all in my increasingly unhinged notes/highlights. My Chapter 1 theory was wrong, which was really disappointing because it had so much potential.

Anyway, I did unravel this ending slowly, starting as early as 15%, and had it entirely worked out by 70%, but the journey of reading the book was still so, so very much fun. I adored the details that sent me down various rabbit holes, such as:

1) Lazarus Diomedes' name: Lazarus (resurrected) Diomedes (martyr)
2) The seemingly parallel childhoods of Alicia and Theo that had me convinced they were two personalities in the same mind
3) The painfully slow, observable descent into decay of Theo's character. The moment you realize he has violent tendencies. The moment you realize he is unhinged, unstable.

I was a bit disappointed by the ending, as I mentioned above. There were some neatly set up opportunities here that were not taken, and I kept waiting for the other shoe to drop after the big reveal, and it didn't come. I guess that's on me because I built up an entirely parallel, alternate ending in my head LOL

Happy to be alive once again. xo

Matthew Yeomans
****

There’s a wonderful phrase in the Welsh language, dod yn ôl at fy nghoed, which has the meaning of finding a balanced state of mind, coming to a state of internal harmony. Taken literally, it means return to my trees, hence the title of this book. Written in the wake of the Covid lockdowns – a time when just about everyone discovered how vital green spaces were to our wellbeing – author Matthew Yeomans took it upon himself to explore the ancient and modern forests of his home country, following the trail of the proposed National Forest for Wales.

The 300 miles of the hike aside, the book covers a lot of ground. Yeomans investigates the historical connections between Wales and the natural landscape, from the early times when the druids made use of heavy oak forests to ambush invading Romans, through the reckless deforestation that fuelled the Industrial Revolution, to the modern day rise in tiny forest planting and rewilding efforts. He touches on the complicated balance between preserving nature and preserving culture: why agricultural communities feel their way of life is threatened by the push for ‘green’ schemes, and how historically, the best of intentions by official bodies have led to disaster and distrust between those who work the land and those who seek to protect it. Of course, it’s impossible to talk about nature and Wales without reckoning with the legacies of coal and slate mining: how do we heal from those scars in the Earth, and how do we prevent a repeat of the societal and economic deprivation that came with the end of those industries as we seek to change the way we live in order to mitigate the effects of the climate crisis?

It’s not all history, politics and ecology though: there’s plenty of humour as Yeomans recounts his various meanderings (and mishaps) on his journeys. Aided by considerably more reliable companions than the unfortunate Bill Bryson had in A Walk in the Woods, there’s some lovely anecdotes from the trail, and some heartening glimpses of just how valuable good friends are, especially during tough times.

It’s not a long book, and perhaps it doesn’t go into quite as much detail as I would have liked. Some deeper exploration of some of the historical points would have been appreciated: there’s a few tangents that must have had relevance enough to warrant inclusion, but that meaning never quite gets fully unearthed. However, it’s full of warmth, insight and – crucially – hope for the future.

Brian Eno once said “the only way to save the world is to fall in love with it again”. Return to My Trees gives you plenty of reasons to do just that.

Readerboard: Kelly L

A Forty Year Kiss
*Thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebooks for an advanced copy of A Forty Year Kiss in exchange for an honest review.*

Charlie and Vivian were married too young, divorced by their mid 20s and reuniting forty years later after traveling separate paths. Their slow rekindling is a sweet and honest meditation on second chances, soulmates, addiction, the sacrifices one makes for those they love.

I inhaled this book in an afternoon - sighing and laughing out loud, tearing up at the tenderness and vulnerability that takes Charlie and Vivian so long to trust each other, and themselves, to reveal. What a lovely story.

Readerboard: Kelly L

The Favorites
For an almost 450 page book, this flew by! Packed with plot, The Favorites moves at a fast pace appropriate for the sport at the center of it all. Going into it knowing nothing about ice dance - I thought it was the same as pairs skating! - presented no problems, as the technical aspects of the sport mattered less (to me) than the passion and artistry. The plot had some well-executed twists (pun intended) and I enjoyed the cast of supporting characters. Garrett, Ellis Dean, and Kirk - what a bunch of good, loyal guys!

The influence of Taylor Jenkins Reid radiated off the page. By the time I reached the acknowledgments, they confirmed that TJR had impacted not just the oral history format, but Layne Fargo's research and approach to the story. This felt like a fun discovery for a longtime TJR fan.

I'm already looking forward to reading Fargo's next book!

Readerboard: Kelly L

Mutual Interest
What a fun book to kick off 2025! Mutual Interest is a delightfully queer historic novel about three outsiders whose entanglement builds a capitalist empire in the early 20th century. The unique third-person omniscient narrator was well-executed and brought a winking playfulness to the whole story. I thoroughly enjoyed following Vivian, Oscar and Squire from their first meetings to their incredible successes and greatest failures. I think fans of plucky heroines ahead of their time will love and cheer for Vivian, in all her complicated messiness.

Readerboard: Kelly L

All the Water in the World
Dystopian and post-apocalyptic books may seem like a strange genre to embrace as climate change ravages the planet, but I have found them to be more compelling because of their proximity to real crises. All the Water in the World makes Manhattan a storm-ravaged wasteland, home to few and dangerous to all. The tender relationships among the survivors of intense superstorms and the ensuing flooding were written with grace and incredible humanity. Encountering unique challenges and harnessing their individual gifts, the deeply bonded sisters at the heart of this story have especially stuck with me. On par with Emily St. John Mandel and Julia Phillips’ climate disaster novels, All the Water in the World is already a top book of 2025 for me.

Readerboard: Kelly L

A Sea of Unspoken Things
A Sea of Unspoken Things follows a woman’s return to her remote hometown following the sudden death of her twin brother. The two shared an almost supernatural connection, able to feel each others’ pain and intuit the other’s thoughts, but she discovers much about his life that causes her to question how well she really knew him.

I found the setting and supporting characters to be almost out-of-time, seeming so old fashioned for what was intended to be a contemporary story. The only WiFi in the town being available at the diner run by a single mom, made Instagram and texting feel anachronistic. It was all a bit twee for me.

I also didn’t love the twist of who was responsible for what ultimately became not one, but two, suspicious deaths. The groundwork for one killer in particular did not work for me.

Overall this was a fine, quick read. I am interested to read another of Adrienne Young’s books to see how similar or different it might be from A Sea of Unspoken Things.

Readerboard: Kelly L

Back After This
Having thoroughly enjoyed Linda Holmes' first and second books, I was excited to read Back After This and it lived up to my hopes. I found myself laughing out loud multiple times - I can't tell you how rare that is for me! I wished I could be friends with the main character, Cecily, and the supporting characters were all fleshed out, believable, and lovable folks. Knowing Linda is a radio/podcast host, I was not disappointed by the behind the scenes look at podcast production. I learned so much! (And enjoyed this book far more than another recent read - a thriller about a true crime podcast - that lacked firsthand experience and insights.)

Readerboard: Kelly L

Saltwater
After Katy Hays' debut novel, The Cloisters, captured me for a full afternoon on the beach last year, I was thrilled to see she had a sophomore novel releasing in 2025. The two stories are different but Hays' writing is consistent: unique settings that become characters themselves; characters with rich composition and sharp dialogue; and a darkness lurking around every seemingly-beautiful corner.

Saltwater is a rare thriller that kept me drawn in the whole way, still unfolding surprises into the final pages as I remained glued to the pages. For a summer escape to Capri, where the tensions is as thick as the humidity in the sea air, look no further.