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Author: ondbookshelf

Blogging my way through my extensive to be read pile of books.

About ondbookshelf

Blogging my way through my extensive to be read pile of books.

Published on Leave a comment on Best of 2025

It's that time of year! I'm usually a bit more prompt, my excuse being I was not in the same location as where I keep my finished books when the first of the year rolled around. I read/listened to a total of 270 books last year. As in previous years, my ratio of five star books to that total remains almost exactly the same at about 5%. Some would say that I am either very picky about giving out accolades, or I don't read very good books, if I can only have that few that were rated highly. My criteria for rating a book 5 stars is that it had to be all consuming (I couldn't wait to get back to it if I put it down) and have no flaws that I could assign it (or if there were slight flaws the rest of the book was so overwhelmingly good that it overrode them). *It also does sometimes bump up the rating if a book made me cry*

All that aside, here are my 14 five star books of 2025.

Now let's break it down to my top 5:

#5 Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid I've been a space junky from the moon landing back in 1969, so a book about a woman in the space program was one I could get on board with. Although this was more of a love story, I still loved the women in STEM aspect and the characters were ones I couldn't forget.

#4 Too Old For This by Samantha Downing This one might be a bit macabre for some (a retired serial killer comes out of retirement), but the way Lottie describes the process of trying to accomplish things at an older age had me cackling with laughter throughout the book!

#3 The Mad Wife by Meagan Church Considering I was born when this book takes place (making my Mom a wife and mother during this time), I found this look at women in that time so sad. The lack of mental health resources is a main theme and so appalling.

#2 My Friends by Fredrik Backman If you've followed my blog for any length of time, this one will come as no surprise. I absolutely adore this man's writing! The only thing keeping this from the top spot was that I wasn't quite as interested in the subject matter as some of his other books. Also, this book has the best last line I've ever read!

#1 The Favorites by Layne Fargo Another one of my interests (other than space) is figure skating. This fictional book, complete with excerpts from made up people in the profession and media, read like an actual biography of this ice dancing couple. With all the drama that went on both on and off the ice throughout their quest for a gold medal, I couldn't devour this one fast enough! Pick this up during the Olympics!

And there you have it, my best of 2025. On to this year............

Published on Leave a comment on Atmosphere
Atmosphere Book Cover Atmosphere
Taylor Jenkins Reid
Fiction
Random House
June 3, 2025
Hardcover/Audio
353
Purchased/Library

In the summer of 1980, astrophysics professor Joan Goodwin begins training to be an astronaut at Houston’s Johnson Space Center, alongside an exceptional group of fellow candidates: Top Gun pilots Hank Redmond and John Griffin; mission specialist Lydia Danes; warm-hearted Donna Fitzgerald; and Vanessa Ford, the magnetic and mysterious aeronautical engineer. As the new astronauts prepare for their first flights, Joan finds a passion and a love she never imagined and begins to question everything she believes about her place in the observable universe.

Then, in December of 1984, on mission STS-LR9, everything changes in an instant.

My review:

If the idea of a book about space travel is not appealing to you, do not be put off by that. While this book does have some of those elements, it's really a book about the people chosen from one class to travel in space. Having said that, I am a huge space junkie. I still remember my obsession with the moon landing back in 1969 (yes, I'm that old, I was 11 years old that summer). I devoured the book The Martian (highly recommend if you like fictional books about space). I could have used more about space in this one, but that is why I don't think you have to love that subject to be caught up in the characters in this one. The book starts in the present with a heart pounding disaster in the making, and then the story goes back seven years leading up to the present timeline. I loved watching Joan grow through the years. The few glimpses we get into life in the 80's was much appreciated as well. Even as we follow her love story, the book has a sense of foreboding about it since we all remember the past space disasters that happened during most of our lifetimes. The last few pages will have you riveted to find out what happens, and while predictable, I still enjoyed getting to the ending.

Go into this one expecting a sapphic love story, with a bit of astronaut thrown in. Even though I would have loved more space, I think it was the perfect amount to appeal to a broader audience.

Published on Leave a comment on My Friends
My Friends Book Cover My Friends
Fredrik Backman
Fiction
Simon and Schuster
May 6, 2025
Hardcover/Audio
448
Purchased/Library

Most people don’t even notice them—three tiny figures sitting at the end of a long pier in the corner of one of the most famous paintings in the world. Most people think it’s just a depiction of the sea. But Louisa, an aspiring artist herself, knows otherwise, and she is determined to find out the story of these three enigmatic figures.

Twenty-five years earlier, in a distant seaside town, a group of teenagers find refuge from their bruising home lives by spending long summer days on an abandoned pier, telling silly jokes, sharing secrets, and committing small acts of rebellion. These lost souls find in each other a reason to get up each morning, a reason to dream, a reason to love.

Out of that summer emerges a transcendent work of art, a painting that will unexpectedly be placed into eighteen-year-old Louisa’s care. She embarks on a surprise-filled cross-country journey to learn how the painting came to be and to decide what to do with it. The closer she gets to the painting’s birthplace, the more nervous she becomes about what she’ll find. Louisa is proof that happy endings don’t always take the form we expect in this stunning testament to the transformative, timeless power of friendship and art.

My review:

Oh Fredrik Backman, how I love your books! If you've never read a book of his before, you don't know what you are missing. He has such a unique writing style. I'm not sure that I can describe it, and I don't think I've seen anyone else do it either (other than to say it's unique, and if you've read him, you know). He has such a way of writing characters that you feel that they are real, and could walk out of the pages of the book. He can make you laugh in one paragraph and cry in the next. His books definitely have a message, but it's subtle and woven into the story, not hitting you over the head. In this book we follow a young girl who has been given a famous painting that she has a special affinity for. She then meets a man who has familiarity with the subjects in the painting, and he recounts a year in their life. There is a lot of messiness in their lives so be sure to check trigger warnings if you need to. I'm not usually one to enjoy stories of teenagers but this one worked for me, because as I've said, it's Backman. The last line of this book is probably my favorite last line ever (it made me tear up, and it's not even anything sad)! It brings the whole book together!

Ultimately this is a book about friendship, overcoming childhood trauma, about found family, and art and love. I suggest if you read and love this one, that you grab all his other titles (Beartown and A Man Called Ove are my personal favs), you will be hooked on his characters and writing!

Published on Leave a comment on Penitence
Penitence Book Cover Penitence
Kristin Koval
Fiction
Celadon
January 28, 2025
Hardcover/Audio
320
Purchased/Library

For readers of Ann Patchett and Celeste Ng, Penitence is a poignant exploration of love and forgiveness. It’s a suspenseful, addictive page-turner filled with literary insight that compels readers to consider whether each of us is more than the worst thing we’ve ever done.

When a shocking murder occurs in the home of Angie and David Sheehan, their lives are shattered. Desperate to defend their family, they turn to small-town lawyer Martine Dumont for help, but Martine isn’t just legal counsel—she’s also the mother of Angie’s first love, Julian, a now-successful New York City criminal defense attorney. As Julian and Angie confront their shared past and long-buried guilt from a tragic accident years ago, they must navigate their own culpability and the unresolved feelings between them.

Spanning decades, from the ski slopes of rural Colorado to the streets of post-9/11 New York City and back again, Kristin Koval’s debut novel Penitence is an examination of the complexities of familial loyalty, the journey of redemption, and the profound experience of true forgiveness.

My review:

First thing to point out is that this is a debut novel that to me did not read like one at all! As heartbreaking as this was, I was engaged throughout. It reminded me a lot of any early Jodi Picoult novel. Her novels, and this one, have a moral dilemma that has you questioning what you would do in certain situations. In the case of this novel, a young girl has shot her brother, and the parents are left trying to cope with loss and forgiveness over an unspeakable tragedy. You also follow the young daughter as she is incarcerated and on trial, all of which at a young age is a lot to undertake. The author handles the emotions and thoughts of these characters in such a manner that you can't help but feel empathy for them all. We also follow the two defense lawyers for the girl, and the early relationship between one of them and the mother. The only qualm I have is that I wanted a bit more from the ending. I'm not a reader who has to have everything tied up in a bow, but there was an aspect of this that I felt sure was going to be revealed in the end, and it wasn't. Maybe it's because my theory was wrong, but I never found out, so it left me wanting a bit more. This was so tragic, yet such a compelling read.

While one of the categories this falls into is thriller, I wouldn't go into it expecting that. To me this is literary fiction at its finest. The theme that runs through this and to me exemplifies the purpose of the novel is the following: Is each of us more than the worst thing we've ever done? I look forward to what this author has in store next.

Published on Leave a comment on The Women on Platform Two
The Women on Platform Two Book Cover The Women on Platform Two
Laura Anthony
Fiction
Simon and Schuster
March 11, 2025
Hardcover/Audiobook
336
Purchased/Library

In 1970s Dublin, all forms of contraception are strictly forbidden, but an intrepid group of women will risk everything to change that in this sweeping, timely novel inspired by a remarkable and little-known true story.

Dublin, 1969: Maura has just married Dr. Christy Davenport and they look forward to growing their family. But as her husband’s vicious temper emerges, Maura worries that her home might never be safe for a child. Meanwhile, her close friend Bernie, a mother of three, learns the devastating news that if she conceives again, her health complications could prove fatal.

Dublin, 2023: A close call makes Saoirse realize that she may never want to be a mother. Little does she know that only a few decades ago, a group of women made this option possible for her. And she’s about to meet one of them…

The Women on Platform Two is a haunting, powerful story of feminine resistance and resilience that reminds us all of where we started—and how far we still have to go.

My review:

What a timely and engaging novel! Based on a true story about the courageous women in Ireland in the early 1970's, who fought to legalize birth control. We follow three women, all of whom have interesting stories. Two of the women are in the earlier timeline, and one is in present day as she meets one of the older women on a train. The reason that woman is on that train has a special significance, and she begins to tell her story to this younger woman. The story goes back in time and we meet the two women who have very different circumstances and reasons they cannot be pregnant. They form a close friendship, and this carries over to meeting other like minded women desperate for birth control to be made legal. These women are harassed and ridiculed beyond measure as they work to help themselves and their countrymen (women). I was completely caught up in their stories, and feared for their safety and lives. This story is well written, and the pacing keeps the story moving as we move back and forth in timelines and characters. I love when a historical fiction novel can teach me about something I never was aware of, and this one does it in a heartbreaking and beautiful way!

With all that is happening right now with women's rights, this novel comes at the perfect time to remind us that female friendships and empowerment are most important for change to occur. Read if you like strong female characters, friendship, and bonding over a common cause.

Published on Leave a comment on The Favorites
The Favorites Book Cover The Favorites
Layne Fargo
Fiction
Random House
January 14, 2025
Hardcover/Audio
449
Purchased/Libro-fm

She might not have a famous name, funding, or her family’s support, but Katarina Shaw has always known that she was destined to become an Olympic skater. When she meets Heath Rocha, a lonely kid stuck in the foster care system, their instant connection makes them a formidable duo on the ice. Clinging to skating—and each other—to escape their turbulent lives, Kat and Heath go from childhood sweethearts to champion ice dancers, captivating the world with their scorching chemistry, rebellious style, and rollercoaster relationship. Until a shocking incident at the Olympic Games brings their partnership to a sudden end.

As the ten-year anniversary of their final skate approaches, an unauthorized documentary reignites the public obsession with Shaw and Rocha, claiming to uncover the "real story" through interviews with their closest friends and fiercest rivals. Kat wants nothing to do with the documentary. But she can't stand the thought of someone else defining her legacy either. So, after a decade of silence, she's telling her story: from the childhood tragedies that created her all-consuming bond with Heath to the clash of desires that tore them apart. Sensational rumors have haunted their every step for years, but the truth may be even more shocking than the headlines.

My review:

There was a lot of buzz about this author's last work, which I really liked but didn't love. This one I loved! I must start by saying I am an ice skating fan. For those who remember Torvil and Dean (a British ice dance pair), I traveled many hours to see them perform live back in the day. So this book already had me hooked with the ice dancing aspect. While I don't think you have to be a skating fan, I can't answer wether this will appeal to you if you don't have some interest in the sport. There have been so many stellar reviews of this I can't imagine they are all from skating fans. And of course this is definitely not just about skating. It's filled with relationship drama, not just romantic but familial, friendship, and coaching. One of my favorite parts is between the chapters there is commentary from different people involved in the documentary being made about Shaw and Rocha (sports writers, judges, coaches, etc.). The audio production was fantastic, as these were all narrated by separate voices (Jonny Weir was fantastic!). Emotions ran high, there were many edge of your seat moments during competitions, and it definitely focused on the determination needed to excel in a sport at the highest level. I loved that Kat was a kick butt female stopping at nothing to achieve her dream!

I think this will appeal to all readers because of the tense competitive nature of these characters, and the drama that ensues. Anyone who was hooked on watching the Tanya Harding/Nancy Kerrigan scandal play out is a sure bet to be a fan!

Published on Leave a comment on Three Days In June
Three Days in June Book Cover Three Days in June
Anne Tyler
Fiction
Random House
February 11, 2025
E-book
177
Publisher via NetGalley

Gail Baines is having a bad day. To start, she loses her job—or quits, depending on whom you ask. Tomorrow her daughter, Debbie, is getting married, and she hasn’t even been invited to the spa day organized by the mother of the groom. Then, Gail’s ex-husband, Max, arrives unannounced on her doorstep, carrying a cat, without a place to stay, and without even a suit.

But the true crisis lands when Debbie shares with her parents a secret she has just learned about her husband to be. It will not only throw the wedding into question but also stir up Gail and Max’s past.

Told with deep sensitivity and a tart sense of humor, full of the joys and heartbreaks of love and marriage and family life, Three Days in June is a triumph, and gives us the perennially bestselling, Pulitzer Prize–winning writer at the height of her powers

My review:

Let me start by saying that I would likely read the phone book if this lady wrote it (and yes, I'm dating myself saying that, but I digress)! Tyler is a master at immersing you into her characters lives, even if only for a brief time. In the case of this book, we follow Gail the day before, the day of, and the day after her daughter's wedding. As is usually the case with a wedding, there is a lot of drama surrounding the event, but in this case it's compounded by several factors. Her ex shows up with a cat (and no suit or place to stay), she has been shunned for a job promotion because she lacks "people skills", and her daughter drops some concerning news regarding her future son-in-law. What's a Mom to do? I just loved this character driven study into Gail's thoughts and actions for this short slice of her life (with some musings on her past included). Her ex husband was also a great character and I loved the way they interacted (him being laid back, her being the consummate worrier). And let's not forget how things play out just as you suspected with the cat! I loved the emotions this brought up, it was funny at times, but then melancholy, it felt like you were having a friend relate to you what was going on in her life. The fact that the protagonist was a sixty year old woman was icing on the cake, I love reading stories with women of my age!

As is the case with most of this author's work, you're not going to get a whole lot of plot with this story, but what you will get is a satisfying look into the thoughts and feelings of a mother, soon to be a mother-in-law. I will pick up anything this author writes, and I eagerly wait for what's next!

Published on Leave a comment on Beautiful Ugly
Beautiful Ugly Book Cover Beautiful Ugly
Alice Feeney
Fiction
Flatiron Books
January 14, 2025
Hardcover/Audio
320
Purchased/NetGalley

Author Grady Green is having the worst best day of his life.

Grady calls his wife to share some exciting news as she is driving home. He hears Abby slam on the brakes, get out of the car, then nothing. When he eventually finds her car by the cliff edge the headlights are on, the driver door is open, her phone is still there. . . but his wife has disappeared.

A year later, Grady is still overcome with grief and desperate to know what happened to Abby. He can’t sleep, and he can’t write, so he travels to a tiny Scottish island to try to get his life back on track. Then he sees the impossible – a woman who looks exactly like his missing wife.

My review:

This author does such a great job with creating atmosphere in her books. My all time favorite Rock Paper Scissors involved a desolate creepy cabin during a snowstorm. This book offers an isolated island off the Scottish coast that while beautiful, has this sense of foreboding doom. A writer whose wife disappeared one year ago, goes to this place to try to get his creative mojo back Once there, he thinks he is seeing his wife. Obviously this involves an unreliable narrator (is it really her?), but also the island people are strange. You can just feel that something is not right, but you would probably be remiss to try to figure out the twists and turns that Feeney is so well known for. I listened to this one on audio, and the experience highlighted the story even more for me. If you are an audiobook listener, I would suggest this as the media to consume this book, it gave it an even more tense atmosphere.

In true fashion for this author, she has created a tense, mood heavy story with odd characters and the constant sense that something sinister is coming. The ending was one of the strangest I have read in a thriller, but I was here for the creep factor. Another winner form Ms. Feeney.

2

Published on 2 Comments on Best Books of 2024

It's that time of year to wrap up my reading journey for 2024. I read 288 books this past year, and these were my books that received 5 stars! I then break it down to my top 5.

This is pretty close to my usual percentage of 5% of my reads are 5 stars (yes, I'm very stingy 🙂

Here are the top 5 out of the 16 above. The first four were easy to pick, the last one was a toss up between The Maiden and the one I chose ( in other words that one could have been number five on any given day).

#5 The Borrowed Live of Frederick Fife by Anna Johnston

I ultimately decided on this one because it is very uplifting and I think we're going to need that in the next few years. Plus it has an old man, and as you'll see going forward, I have certain subjects that I gravitate to often.

#4 The Family Experiment by John Marrs

This author made my 5 star reads in 2023 with The One, and I continue to be impressed with his speculative fiction (which is different than sci fi, which doesn't always hit for me). The subject in this one that grabbed me was reality tv and AI children.

#3 After Annie by Anna Quindlen

A character study of a family and close friend to a woman who dies unexpectedly. Don't expect much plot, and it's not as sad as it sounds, but it's a beautiful exploration of family bonds and found family.

#2 The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon

My historical fiction pick, this was so captivating! About a midwife back in the late 1700's (midwife would be the favorite subject here), who has to defend a woman who was abused. Not such an easy task back in that time. This book had one of the best husbands I've ever encountered!

And the #1 pick goes to............

Lula Dean's Little Library of Banned Books by Kirsten Miller

I love me some snarkiness and revenge in a book, and this one did not disappoint. After Lula gets books banned from the local library, the daughter of the librarian replaces the insides of all the books in Lula's little free library with banned books. What happens when the townspeople get more than what the cover title says, and how people's perceptions and preconceived notions can sometimes change. This book didn't get enough love in the book community, but I absolutely loved it! I know lots of my book club friends read my blog, we have to put this one on the list for next year. I think it will make for a good discussion.

And there you have it, another year in the books (pun intended). Did any of these catch your eye, or have you read them?

On to 2025, lots of great released coming out starting next week!

Published on Leave a comment on The Family Experiment
The Family Experiment Book Cover The Family Experiment
John Marrs
Fiction
Hanover Square Press
July 9, 2024
Hardcover/Audio
384
Purchased/Library

Some families are virtually perfect…

The world's population is soaring, creating overcrowded cities and an economic crisis. And in the UK, the breaking point has arrived. A growing number of people can no longer afford to start families, let alone raise them.

But for those desperate to experience parenthood, there is an alternative. For a monthly subscription fee, clients can create a virtual child from scratch who they can access via the metaverse and a VR headset. To launch this new initiative, the company behind Virtual Children has created a reality TV show called The Substitute. It will follow ten couples as they raise a Virtual Child from birth to the age of eighteen but in a condensed nine-month time period. The prize: the right to keep their virtual child, or risk it all for the chance of a real baby…

Set in the same universe as John Marrs's bestselling novel The One and The Marriage Act, The Family Experiment is a dark and twisted thriller about the ultimate Tamagotchi—a virtual baby.

My review:

I love a good speculative fiction story, and does this author ever deliver! His book The One made my favorite books list last year, and this one is set in the same universe (along with The Passengers and The Marriage Act, which I have yet to read). I'm not a fantasy reader because the world is just not something that I can relate to, but these stories are more believable to me. This one deals with AI generated babies that can be rented. When the parent puts on a virtual reality headset and a hepatic suit, they can have the full child experience without the prohibitive cost of raising an actual child. After this trend takes off, a reality tv show is created where five couples and a single dad raise their AI children within a condensed time frame (it takes nine months for the child to go from newborn to 18 years). Viewers vote with red and black hearts on how they feel the parents are doing and people are voted off. The winner gets to either keep their virtual child, or be given enough money to afford to raise a biological child. Doesn't that sound intriguing? It did take a while at the beginning to remember who was who since there are a lot of characters introduced, but I found as the story went on it was not an issue for me. Each couple was uniquely different, and so was their style of parenting. The book included news segments and forum remarks from the viewers, and these were such a great addition to the story! And of course what would reality tv be without a bit of manipulation behind the scenes? As always, lots of social commentary to discuss, and this keeps you thinking about it well after turning the last page.

Such a great social commentary combining parenting and reality television. I'm definitely on the Marrs hype train and look forward to not only what comes next, but his backlist titles.