New Feature: Recommending Adult Books - Mysteries

Now don't get me wrong, I think the publishing world's arbitrary categorization of books as Middle Grade, Young Adult, New Adult, and Adult are silly. As a preteen I was reading Jurassic Park and as an adult I read The Giver. You can get enjoyment from a book regardless of the age it is geared towards. But I also think that there are a lot of people who don't read books because they are geared towards a certain audience. So I decided to start a new feature on the blog where I recommend books that have similarities in their genre, tone, and themes. So... let's break some barriers!

I know No One Else Can Have You is a controversial book and pretty polarizing, but I really enjoyed it (check out my review). When I was reading it I couldn't help but find similarities to one of my favorite mystery series, The Stephanie Plum series by Janet Evanovich.

Like Kippy the main character in One for the Money, Stephanie Plum, unexpectedly tumbles into the position of amateur sleuth and is not very good at it. Hilarity ensues as she learns how to search for clues, question suspects, and track down bail jumpers in her new job as a Bounty Hunter. And like the cast of characters in No One Else Can Have You, the Trenton, New Jersey of Stephanie Plum is inhabited with fun and quirky characters. My personal favorites are Lula a prostitute prone to wearing bright colored spandex clothes that don't fit her, and Grandma Mazur. Plus in One for the Money (which I referenced in my Top Ten Tuesday post yesterday) there are the totally swoonworthy characters of Ranger and Joe Morelli. The romance is fantastic with a surprisingly realistic love triangle and Stephanie's inability to decide make a lot of sense. The tone of the books are similar with both books being murder mysteries full of comedic moments. The comedy in One for the Money is not as dark and more lighthearted so if that was one of the things you didn't like about No One Else Can Have You, don't let that prevent you from reading One for the Money. But the best part of One for the Money is the mystery. It is incredibly interesting and difficult to solve with a great pay off.

If you liked No One Else Can Have, are looking for a lighthearted murder mystery, or like books with quirky and interesting characters then check out One for the Money by Janet Evanovich and then the rest of the Stephanie Plum books (there are over twenty).

I hope you enjoy this new feature and let me know if you want to see more of them. And if you have any suggestions for books to recommend let me know. HAPPY READING!

January Wrap Up

Well that was unexpected! I grossly underestimated the amount of books I was going to read in January! I planned for five books and I actually read eleven and finished ten. I blame the fact that some of the longer ones were really engaging, audiobooks, and the fact that the more time I spend in the book blogoshphere the more I want to read! My theme this month was High

Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo
Series: Grisha Trilogy Book 1
Full Review
My Thoughts: A roller coaster ride of a fantasy novel with interesting and complex characters, a very cool world, lots of mystery, and enough action to keep everyone engaged if you are a fan of fantasy or not.
Rating: 9 out of 10

A Feast for Crows by George R. R. Martin
Series: A Song of Ice and Fire Book 4
Full Review
My Thoughts: An amazing High Fantasy series but not the best book in the bunch. The political intrigue and characters with redemptive arcs were there but very little magic, some of my favorite characters were not featured at all, and the perspectives are a little unbalanced. It got better as the book went on though and was very enjoyable.
Rating: 8 out of 10



Siege and Storm by Leigh Bardugo
Series: Grisha Trilogy Book 2
Full Review
My Thoughts: Even better than the first book. The characters are growing and developing and the plot wasn't so much of a roller coaster. This one was much more character driving and left me with a book hangover desperately wanting the final book in the series.
Rating:  9.5 out of 10




A Dance with Dragons by George R.R. Martin
Series: A Song of Ice and Fire Book 5
Full Review
My Thoughts: A Song of Ice and Fire like it should be. The missing favorites are back but so is the magic, the political intrigue, and characters with redemptive arcs. This book is full of so much mystery and theorizing that I can't help but plot the series conclusion. The cliffhangers left me with all the feels desperately longing for the next book.
Rating: 9 out of 10


Stardust by Neil Gaiman
Full Review
My Thoughts: A lighthearted and funny story that was a nonstop parade of odd and interesting characters that were only in the story for a brief period. Most of the story was odd and confusing but it all came together for an interesting and compelling ending. Could have used more world-building and action but pretty good.





Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell
Full Review
My Thoughts: Effortless. A beautiful and engaging young adult contemporary romance with realistic characters you can relate to, and a plot that flows and develops in such a beautiful way that when it's over you can't believe you finished it and you're so overwhelmed with feelings because not only are you upset it's over but it made you feel things deeply buried in your soul.
Rating: 10 out of 10



Manor of Secrets by Katherine Longshore
Full Review
My Thoughts: A good historical fiction book that does a good job of setting the scene of the Edwardian era. The characters are interesting, a great slow-burning romance, but the plot is muddled, and the secrets are not very surprising.
Rating 7.5 out of 10






The Burning Sky by Sherry Thomas
Series: The Elemental Trilogy Book 1 
Full Review
My Thoughts: A good start to a new young adult fantasy series with engaging and complex characters and a really cool world with tons of action. However it took awhile to become invested in the story, the constant change of perspectives was annoyinging, and the world-building was a bit confusing.
Rating: 7 out of 10



No One Else Can Have You by Kathleen Hale
Full Review
My Thoughts: A really interesting young adult mystery with quirky characters that appealed to my dry sense of humor but was a surprising exploration of friendship and overcoming grief. The mystery aspect wasn't that difficult to solve and there were some weird plot details but thoroughly enjoyable.
Rating: 8 out of 10


 


Percy Jackson and the Last Olympian by Rick Riordan
Series: Percy Jackson and the Olympians Book 5
Series Review to Come
My Thoughts: A fantastic ending to a really engaging series. This book in
particular was full of action, surprises, and tears.
Rating: 8.5 out of 10






What did you read this month? Leave me a comment and don't forget to check out my full reviews for all of these books and of course.. HAPPY READING!