Grace & Henry's Holiday Movie Marathon by Matthew Norman

Grace & Henry's Holiday Movie Marathon by Matthew Norman (NetGalley ARC, pub 10/14) ⭐⭐⭐⭐💫 This was an interesting take on grief and the holidays and I stayed up late to finish the second half of the book in one go. I found the timeline confusing and unbelievable and I was annoyed with some of the repetitive and crude references to old holiday movies, but otherwise I appreciated the storytelling and character development. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

The Menu of Happiness (Kamogawa Food Detectives, #3) by Hisashi Kashiwai

The Menu of Happiness (Kamogawa Food Detectives, #3) by Hisashi Kashiwai ⭐⭐⭐⭐ I enjoyed the first two books in the Kamogawa Food Detectives Novel series, so was excited to see this third one. This book stays true to form, but in this case it keeps it from progressing. In the first two novels there was a little more development of the Komogawas, but this book did not advance there stories and began to feel repetitive. I still enjoyed the lush food descriptions and the poignancy of food and memories and complex human emotions. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

Joyride by Susan Orlean

Joyride by Susan Orlean - I've only read one of Orlean's books in addition to seeing the film Adaptation (based on her novel The Orchid Thief) so I wasn't sure if I was the right audience for this book, but once things got moving I really enjoyed it. There were some beautifully written lines that I bookmarked and will add to my commonplace book. The memoir really highlighted a theme she described in her own writing of finding topics or people that seem ordinary ("hiding in plain sight") and then really getting into them and finding something fascinating. As she writes: "My task, always, is to override your misgivings, to keep you t pinned to the page long enough that you fall in fully, and then you become as captivated as I am in this unlikely story..." I appreciated what she shared about storytelling and writing and the evolution of the literary world over the course of her career. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

A Murderous Business by Cathy Pegau

A Murderous Business by Cathy Pegau ⭐⭐⭐⭐ I enjoyed the characters and the storyline for this historical fiction mystery and I think it will evolve into a nice series. I questioned the historical accuracy of some elements of this story but appreciated how they set up the characters' backstories and the experiences of women, and particularly queer women, at this moment in history. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.