Fifth Tuesday Report – December, 2024

A Special Report for Book Lovers

Greetings to new and returning subscribers! I post slice-of-life blogs on the 2^nd and 4^th Tuesday of each month. If there is a 5^th Tuesday, I post a Special Report for Book Lovers. This is it!

My usual routine is to share the five books I’ve enjoyed most in the last several months. And I will do that! But since December is the time of year when all the major book reviewers release their top books of the year, I will share information on that as well.

In the old days, it seemed like the same books made it on all lists. Those book titles were very well known. But that is no longer the case. The New York Times, Washington Post, and Amazon all have vastly different lists, and often, I haven’t heard of the books at all! More on that below…

Just a reminder that I am now an Affiliate Marketer on Amazon. This means my book reviews will include a link to the book on Amazon. If you purchase the book using my link, I will earn a small commission. This is at no additional cost to you.

But here is a crazy (and wonderful) fact – if you use my book link to get to Amazon and then buy anything, I still earn a small commission even if you don’t buy the book. More details here. Thank you for supporting my Book Blog in this manner.

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Here are my five favorite books this quarter:

• What Does it Feel Like? by Sophie Kinsella
• The Sequel by Jean Hanff Korelitz
• Shred Sisters by Betsy Lerner
• The Bright Years by Sarah Damoff
• Table for Two by Amor Towles

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NOTE: Click the “Book Title” to get my review.

Book Title: What Does it Feel Like? by Sophie Kinsella

Brief synopsis: The fictional tale of a famous author with five children who virtually goes from the red carpet on the night her book premiers as a movie to the hospital where she is diagnosed with a brain tumor – a glioblastoma. Though fictional, all of this actually happened to Sophie Kinsella in 2022. This “novel” about it came out in 2024. Amazing!

One more thing to say: Sophie Kinsella is amazing in 3 ways: she’s a prolific writer who has recently struggled with a brain tumor, while being positivity personified.

Learn more about What Does it Feel Like on Amazon.

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Book Title: The Sequel by Jean Hanff Korelitz

Brief synopsis: First there was The Plot and now, The Sequel. Both are hard to discuss without spoilers. So, let’s talk about the sequel-ness of The Sequel!

One more thing to say: Jean Hanff Korelitz has a lot of fun with the sequel-ness of The Sequel. For instance, in the novel, the author and her agent discuss the viability of sequels. The agent says, “Sequels can be very enticing when the initial book has done well. Readers want to know what happens to a character they’ve connected with.” While the author replies, “But they are never as good as the first book, are they?” Readers of these two books will need to answer this question.

Learn more about The Sequel on Amazon.

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Book Title: Shred Sisters by Betsy Lerner

Brief synopsis: See how a family of four is impacted when one of the children has a diagnosis of bipolar disorder. Trust me, it dis-orders the entire family.

One more thing to say: I felt in the early pages of the book that perhaps I was reading nonfiction, but nope, right on the cover we are told it is a novel. Still, it felt like a report of things actually going on instead of a fictional tale. After researching the author a bit – and sharing the info in the book review – I learned why that was the case.

Learn more about Shred Sisters on Amazon.

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Book Title: The Bright Years by Sarah Damoff

Brief synopsis: The Bright Years is about the sway of alcoholism across generations. And it is also the story of what it’s like to love an alcoholic. 

One more thing to say: Since I am a sucker for books about addiction and about how women handle themselves in abusive relationships, I was pretty sure this book would interest me; thus I accepted a review copy of the book from the author’s publicist. The book will be released in April.

Learn more about The Bright Years on Amazon – and pre-order now.

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Book Title: Table for Two by Amor Towles

Brief synopsis: Six short stories + one novella from the author of A Gentleman in Moscow. I listened to the audiobook, and loved the narrator, Edoardo Ballerini.

One more thing to say: I learned this while discussing the book with my book club, which was after writing the review, but each short story – and even the novella – find major things happening as people sit together at a table for two. Interesting!

Learn more about Table for Two on Amazon.

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Here are some of the major book reviewers and their lists for 2024. Where their lists overlapped with my reading, I have included my review.

New York Times –

Here is the link to their 10 Best Books of 2024

Here is my review of the only book I read of their ten:

• All Fours by Miranda July

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Washington Post –

Here is the link to their 10 Best Books of 2024

I am shocked to report that I read none of them.

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Amazon –

Here is the link to their Best Books of 2024. They list 20.

Here are my reviews of the three books on their list that I have read:

• The God of the Woods by Liz Moore
• The Women by Kristin Hannah
• The Wedding People by Alison Espach

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 Since that is such a short list of books, and since I like to include lots of reviews in my Book Lovers Newsletters, here is a list from the New York Public Library of the Top 10 Checkouts of 2024. It is perhaps comical to note that all of these books were published prior to 2024.

Here it the link to the NYPL list.

Here are my reviews of the five books on their list that I have read:

• Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin
• The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store by James McBride
• Hello Beautiful by Ann Napolitano
• Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus
• Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver 

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And as always, please tell a friend about my book reviews, blogs, and newsletters, and suggest they join my mailing list.

Thank you!

Lorie