Jumpstart my kaleidoscope heart
2024 is starting off just as hectic as 2023
So far, 2024 is looking a lot like 2023: busy. It started with the birth of my niece, Charlie Rose, on January 3rd, and was very quickly followed by a lot of travel, 2 weddings, my 35th birthday, and what I thought was just going to be a quick toe-dip into house hunting but in reality turned into signing a lease on a new house 3 months earlier than anticipated.
To put it mildly, I am exhausted. The fact that I somehow managed to read 4 books in January is legitimately surprising to me - even this late into February. This month was promising to be relatively quiet, but so far it’s been spent packing things up in Burlington as my boyfriend and I prepare to move into our new house in Pennsylvania. So, yeah, “busy” is still a bit of an understatement when it comes to my life these days.
I could elaborate on just how chaotic life currently is, but, like I said, I’ve got a lot going on. So, for now, let’s see what I got into in the first few weeks of 2024: here are some of the things I’ve read and loved lately.
Moorewood Family Rules by Helenkay Dimon
This book was so much fun! The synopsis describes it as “Knives Out meets Ocean’s 8 meets The Nest”, which is pretty accurate, though I might also throw White Collar into the mix. Regardless, it’s the perfect blend of funny and thrilling with great writing and was a great pick for my first read of 2024.
Jillian Moorewood is the oldest daughter in a family of con artists. Her father, uncle, great aunt, cousins… all of them skilled cons using Jillian’s late mother’s fortune as a springboard for increasingly elaborate schemes and high-value targets. But Jillian has had enough of it: after taking the fall to protect her family from the FBI and spending 3 years in prison, she’s finally home and enforcing new rules. Anyone who doesn’t give up their grifting ways will be thrown out of the family home and cut off.
The deeper into Jillian’s story I got, the more I found myself laughing out loud at her family’s ridiculous antics. It’s clear throughout the book that as much as they drive her crazy and know how to push her buttons, she still loves them despite their greed and materialism. If you’re looking for an easy read with some laughs and a little bit of mystery, look no further.
The Enigma of Room 622 by Joël Dicker
Some of you may recognize Dicker’s name from the 2014 bestseller, The Truth About the Harry Quebert Affair, which I loved so much that I read it thrice. Needless to say, I was very excited to dive into this and was not disappointed in the slightest.
In a move out of Anthony Horowitz’s playbook, Dicker makes himself a character in this convoluted mystery that seems to have as many possible outcomes as a game of Clue. Following the death of his longtime editor and a failed relationship, a Swiss writer named Joël decides he needs a break from his life in Geneva and checks into a luxury hotel where he soon discovers that the rooms on the 6th floor are numbered 621, 621A, and 623. Wondering why there is no room 622, the writer becomes enthralled by the unsolved murder of a banker that took place in the hotel several years earlier.
Moving between the past and present, with multiple points of view, this book, at times, feels a bit like a jigsaw puzzle that doesn’t quite come together until only a few pieces remain. Once the whole picture is complete, though, you’re left feeling entirely satisfied with the finished product. Enigma certainly requires more focus than Moorewood Family Rules, so if you’re in the mood for a mystery that will completely captivate you and pull you out of your normal life, I suggest diving into this ASAP.
The Villa by Rachel Hawkins
If you love Fleetwood Mac, are fascinated by the Manson murders, or know anything about the history behind Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, then this is for you. You might be scratching your head at that statement, but those were the inspirations for this creepy gem of a novel. What can I say? Writers find influences in the strangest of places.
Two successful authors, Emily and Chess, friends since childhood who now find themselves on very different paths, decide to spend the summer in Italy at a luxury villa with a dark past. Fifty years earlier, in 1974, Mari, along with her partner Pierce and stepsister Lara, are invited to the same villa by famous rock star Noel Gordon. By the end of that summer, Mari has written what will become a bestselling and classic horror story, Lara has penned a platinum album, and Pierce is dead. Emily, suffering from writer’s block and an upcoming deadline, becomes immersed in the house’s history and finds herself caught up in the events of the summer of 1974, which unexpectedly carry over into her own life with extreme consequences.
If you haven’t noticed yet, all 3 of my recommendations this month are mysteries ranging from cozy to gothic. The Villa is definitely the darkest of the trio and admittedly had me feeling a bit creeped out at times. It was just as engrossing as the others but in a way that has you waiting for the next twist without having to use all of your brain power to make connections. Plus it will make you fantasize about spending the summer in the Italian countryside with an unending supply of ice cold limoncello, which sounds pretty nice compared to the 20 degree weather I’m currently experiencing.
That’s it for now. If you need me, you can find me scouring various websites and antique stores for furniture. I’m really digging the whole “eclectic grandpa” aesthetic - it’s slightly more masculine than grand millennial but cozier than mid-century modern. This is shaping up to be a very fun, creative project for me, but perhaps not so much for my wallet.
As a friendly reminder: don’t forget to subscribe, share, and shop local (all of the titles here are linked to Bookshop.org, which helps to support independent bookstores across the country). To find a brick-and-mortar store near you, IndieBound.org has a very helpful bookstore finder tool, or you can support some of the places I like to shop by popping in or checking out their websites. Main Point Books in Wayne, PA, is a favorite, as is Phoenix Books in Vermont, and my old stomping grounds in La Jolla, CA, Warwicks, is also a great option. And until next time,
Happy reading,
Sam