My Television fed me visions, but I never created my own until I became a reader.

— Barry Lane

There is something so satisfying about going back and looking at all of the books you’ve read over a year. I’m focusing in here on a set I read for the PopSugar Reading Challenge 2019. When reviewing these books, I’m still almost surprised at how many genres I read. If I look at my previous years of reading, it was all fantasy and mystery with perhaps a romance thrown in here or there (although a lot of those were fantasy novels too).

My love of books has done nothing but grow during this exploration. Even the books I liked less brought me something I didn’t even know I was missing. I hope you enjoy the mini-reviews below. I’d love to hear your thoughts and don’t forget to follow me on Instagram at booktreasures.15.

A book with pop, sugar, or challenge in the title: The Sugar Queen by Sarah Addison Allen

I almost always rate books based upon how strongly I connect to the characters. They don’t have to be like me for me to connect, I just want to feel what they’re feeling. I want to cheer for them and cry for them. That is why I would rate this at a 3 of 5 stars. This book is about an unhappy girl who loves her candy, a brash woman hiding in the unhappy girl’s closet, and the boy the unhappy girl falls for. There are family secrets, plenty of humor, and a touching coming of age story. The premise is interesting, and overall it was an entertaining book. There just wasn’t quite enough here for me to really sink my teeth into. I didn’t really connect strongly enough with the characters. But if you’re looking for a twist on an easy to read coming of age story and romance novel, this one will do the trick.

A book with a piece of clothing on the cover: Honest Illusions by Nora Roberts

This is one of just a handful of Nora Roberts books I have read, and as with the past books I would rate the book at 4 of 5 stars. In this novel, you follow the lives of two people who grew up together in a traveling magic show that sidelines as a high end thieving ring. As you might expect with Nora Roberts as the author, they fall in love and face challenges along the way. As I have found with other Nora Roberts books, the story itself is interesting, and the setting is innovative. However, the characters don’t strike me as quite realistic enough to truly fall in love with them, and there were entire sections of the book that could have been cut out and not affected the story a bit. Having said that, I still truly enjoyed the book.

A book inspired by myth, legend, or folklore: The City of Brass by S. A. Chakraborty

I rate this at 4.5 out of 5. I love a good myth-based story, and when I ran into a book based on djinn, I knew I had to read it. Also, what a beautiful cover (not that I judge a book by its cover…). While djinn have featured in supporting roles in some other books I have read, I have never read a book based entirely on this mythical creature. The book was long, and heartbreaking, and absolutely gorgeous in its descriptions. I was also fascinated by learning about the different legends surrounding the djinn. The descriptions of Egypt and Egyptian culture was also intriguing.

Overall, the only reason it isn’t rated at 5 stars is because I thought there was too much packed into the book. This is the first in a trilogy, but based on this first book, it should have been a longer series. The many winding characters and story lines made it more difficult to follow and invest in any one plot line. However, I highly recommend this book.

A book that was published posthumously: The Girl Who Played With Fire by Stieg Larsson

I read The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo a while back when it first took the world by storm. To be honest, I didn’t get why everyone loved it. I decided to give the series another chance with this one and it gets 3.5 of 5 stars. I did like The Girl Who Played With Fire better. The characters were a bit more compelling, and I really enjoyed the intrigue. However, I still just didn’t love it. The book is a bit abrupt and the amount of truly horrible things that happen to people is just a bit unbelievable and too heavy to carry through the entire book with no relief.

A book set in space: Nightchaser by Amanda Bouchet

This book starts with a bang and never really lets you go from there, earning 4 of 5 stars for me. The story follows a spaceship captain, who of course is unjustly classified as a criminal as she fights against the evil emperor of the universe. She and her crew get in deeper than they ever meant to, and she gathers an interesting group of people around her – including a love interest choc a block with reasons they shouldn’t be together. The more you learn of the universe and the characters, the more you get behind the main characters. There are a lot of cliche’s but they’re cliche’s for a reason. It was a fun and entertaining read, just the way I like my sci fi books.

A book by two female authors: The Wife Between Us by Greer Hendricks & Sarah Pekkanen

I know I’m in the minority here, but I thought this book was just ok and rate it at 3 of 5 stars. The story is about two women and their experiences with the same man. I won’t put spoilers here, but the hype on the book is mostly about the way that it is written to keep a plot twist coming to the reader. It really wasn’t very hard to figure out the plot twist. I just couldn’t drum up as much sympathy for the main characters as I wanted to. It wasn’t like I had to drag myself through the book, but there wasn’t anything that would make me recommend it or read it again.

A book that has salty, sweet, bitter, or spicy in the title: Sweet Little Lies by Caz Frear

I’d give this 3.5 of 5 stars. This is a debut novel in a police procedural, featuring Cat Kinsella. Cat has a complicated history with her family that comes to play a very large role in the case she finds herself embroiled in. this adds a layer of complicated personal issues to a complicated case.

I’m fairly picky about my police procedurals – some I absolutely love, some not so much. This one is somewhere in between. I can’t really say that I loved it. There were parts of the book that were very interesting, and it’s well written and descriptive. The first half of the book, though, ragged on. It felt like the same issues and thoughts were replayed too many times, and there was little actual investigating happening. However, the second half picked up and I can see glimmers of how this could be an interesting series – the case itself was riddled with twists and turns. Once the book gained momentum, it was a thoroughly interesting mystery.

A book set in Scandinavia: The Legacy by Yrsa Sigurdardottir

4 out of 5 stars. Freya helps children through psychological evaluation and support, and in this case she is helping to interview a child who was present when her mother was murdered in a particularly brutal (and inventive) way. The police are faced with a twisting and complicated case that turns out to be a serial killer with a puzzling motive. Oh, and the lead investigator and Freya have a history. Told through various characters, the mystery is compelling and innovative. It isn’t often that I can’t figure out the motive and killer way before the end of the book, but in this case it had me guessing until the end. The only thing I wish is that the investigating part was more prominent in the book, and it was less dependent on serendipity. Overall, a good start to a mystery series.

A book that takes place in a single day: Lillian Boxfish Takes a Walk by Kathleen Rooney

Reading the blurb on this book, I was really looking forward to a fascinating journey through many interesting moments and lives, and an introspective journey through Lillian Boxfish’s life. Unfortunately, it wasn’t quite what I was expecting, so I’d rate it at 3.5 of 5 stars. The book follows octogenarian Lillian Boxfish as she walks through New York City contemplating the years past and years to come. Essentially letting the wind blow her were it will, we get insight into her past. She does have a couple of unexpected adventures. I wanted to love the book. I didn’t.

I didn’t really find Lillian herself all that interesting – she just wasn’t a heroine I could get behind. She seemed selfish and her reflections on herself and her life seemed defensive rather than insightful. I found it difficult to finish this one.

That’s the part 2 of the list! If you missed part 1, check it out here. Stay tuned for the next part of the list, and don’t forget to follow the blog and drop me a line if you’ve read any of these books, want to read them, and what you think of them!

Some of the words that touched me during this journey are in the book treasures below.

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Nuggets of gold from the first 9 of the PopSugar Challenge 2019
1. Sometimes what’s inside will change your life but sometimes you don’t even have to read it. Sometimes it’s a comfort just to have a book around. – Sarah Addison Allen, The Sugar Queen

2. It was the best first kiss in the history of first kisses. It was as sweet as sugar. And it was warm. As warm as pie. The whole world opened up and I fell inside. I don’t know where I was, but I didn’t care. I didn’t care because the only person who mattered was there with me. – Sarah Addison Allen, The Sugar Queen

3. It feels like he’s taken your heart, doesn’t it?…Like he’s reached in and pulled it out from you. And I bet he smiles like he doesn’t know, like he doesn’t know he’s holding your heart in his hand and you’re dying from him. – Sarah Addison Allen, The Sugar Queen

4. Safe is just another word for scare. – Sarah Addison Allen, The Sugar Queen

5. People tell their children there are no monsters in the world. They tell them that because they believe it, or they want the child to feel safe. But there are monsters, Luke, all the more frightening because they look like people. – Nora Roberts, Honest Illusions

6. “Are you ready?” Nahri asked when she and Munthadir were alone. He laughed as he strapped a wicked-looking sword to his waist. “Not in the slightest. You?” “God no.” Nahri grabbed another needle-sharp dagger and flipped it into her sleeve. “Let’s go die.” – S. A. Chakraborty, The City of Brass

7. There are no innocents. There are, however, different degrees of responsibility. – Stieg Larsson, The Girl Who Played With Fire

8. But she wished she had had the guts to go up to him and say hello. Or possibly break his legs, she wasn’t sure which. – Stieg Larsson, The Girl Who Played With Fire

9. I didn’t want to get caught. But I also wouldn’t stop doing what I needed to do just because I feared the possible consequences. Fear was something I could accept. Abandoning the galaxy to a group of despots was not. – Amanda Boucchet, Nightchaser

10. I was happy, I think, but I wonder now if my memory is playing tricks on me. If it is giving me the gift of illusion. We all layer them over our remembrances; the filters through which we want to see our lives. – Greer Hendricks, The Wife Between Us

11. I thought at times that poetry might be an elegant way of screaming. – Kathleen Rooney, Lillian Boxfish Takes a Walk