The Fellowship of Puzzlemakers – Samuel Burr: After the death of his adoptive mother, young man abandoned on the doorstep of an eclectic commune of puzzle makers (and solvers) embarks on his own puzzle-fueled journey to find his parentage. The point of view switches between Clayton on his present-day journey, and his adoptive mother Pippa in the past. This was a very cozy and heartwarming story but I don’t feel like we got enough of Pippa OR Clayton. If I weren’t so lazy I’d have worked the maze and the crossword puzzle.Three stars.
Long Island Compromise – Taffy Brodesser-Akner – One of my favorite subgenres of fiction is rich families with terrible secrets. And this one delivered on that. Was anyone likable? Nah. Did we have to go so deep into Beamer’s private life? I don’t think we did. Also, I figured out early on kidnapped Carl. I’m not very good at mysteries, so if *I* figured this out, the rest of you will definitely know. Brodesser-Akner spent so much time creating shock value early on that the real guts of the book were almost overshadowed. Three stars, not for the squeamish.
I also started reading I Will Teach You to Be Rich by Ramit Sethi but didn’t finish it because I mistimed the library loan. It did inspire me to open a high yield savings account and look into how I can revive an old IRA that hasn’t been working for me. His tone is pretty sarcastic and not for everyone but I thought it was funny. Although the second-best day to start caring about your money is today, this book is best read by people younger than 35.
Currently reading: The Let Them Theory by Mel Robbins. I’m a sucker for self-help.
I’m still on Goodreads and trying to adapt to Storygraph.
Previously: What I read in January 2025
