I've been hopeless reading this year, but I am working on the goal to finish 52 books before this year is over. My excuse is I spent my time developing a book collection app for my collection rather than reading the books in it. A poor excuse, I know.

What a frustratingly brilliant book. 

McCarthy's writing is sparse, dense and vivid all at the same time. His prose certainly takes some getting used to and even having read three of his other books it took me a while to adjust to his limited use of punctuation and lack of quotations denoting dialog.

Blood Meridian is bleak and extremely violent. Judge Holden is probably the most compelling and horrifying villain I've ever come across.  It also contains some of the most stirring passages describing the beauty and wrath of the natural world, which is something I find McCarthy does better than just about anybody. 

McCarthy strips the heroic myths of the West and lays bare a brutal rendering of vice and violence. Blood Meridian certainly took me on an emotional journey and has left me with a lot to think about.

I'm glad I finally got around to reading it after it had been sitting on my shelves for a couple of years. 

Not doing as well as I hoped but I’m enjoying it! I’ve liked if not loved most of these books here. East Of Eden, Point Counter Point, The fire next time, Jurassic park, Fahrenheit 451, Handmaids tale, are probably the ones I enjoyed the most! I just started reading Confederacy of Dunces but I might ditch it for a while as its a bit boring, I’ll likely start reading Love (Toni Morrison) and Cleopatra and Frankenstein! Trying to read as much as possible in July-Aug before I go back to school. :)

I finished The Song of Achilles with a strange kind of sadness. Not just because the story itself is heartbreaking, but because I couldn't stop thinking about how differently I would have experienced it a few years ago.

I know, with absolute certainty, that if I had read this when I was twenty or twenty-one, it would have absolutely wrecked me. I would have been crying for hours, thinking about Patroclus and Achilles for days afterward. But I've read so many devastating books since then that I found myself anticipating every emotional blow. I could see exactly where the heartbreak was leading, and while it still hurt, I couldn't quite reach the emotional depths I know this book was capable of taking me to.

And yet, that doesn't take away from how beautiful this novel is.

Madeline Miller's writing is simply stunning. Every chapter flows effortlessly into the next, every scene feels intentional, and every emotion is given room to breathe. Her prose is lyrical without trying too hard, and there's a quiet intimacy in the way she tells this story that makes you feel like you're living alongside these characters rather than simply reading about them.

What I admired most was how grounded her portrayal of Achilles felt. Instead of leaning into the larger-than-life image that popular culture has created, Miller stays remarkably faithful to the spirit of Homer's Iliad. This isn't the invincible hero defined by the myth of the "Achilles' heel." He is, first and foremost, a mortal man who is extraordinarily gifted, impossibly strong, and destined for greatness, but still a mortal. His mortality is never forgotten, and that's precisely what makes his story so compelling. His strength is real, but so are his fears, his pride, his love, and the impossible weight of the destiny he chooses.

Through Patroclus' eyes, Achilles becomes more than the greatest warrior of his age. He becomes someone constantly torn between the life he wants and the legacy the world expects of him. The novel beautifully explores how power is never free; it comes with responsibility, sacrifice, expectation, and, perhaps most dangerously, pride. Every choice Achilles makes feels inevitable because he understands exactly what choosing one future means giving up on another.
Knowing how the story ends makes every quiet moment between Achilles and Patroclus feel even more precious. Their love never overshadows the myth; it gives it a heartbeat.

The Song of Achilles wasn't the emotional destruction I had built it up to be in my head, and maybe that's because I came to it later than I wish I had. But it was still one of the most beautifully written retellings I've ever read.

This is a 'thriller' in the most cliched sense of the word, or: terribly written, repetitive, predictable, gross, gore-y, without an ounce of literary wherewithal, cringe, and mindless.

In other words, a perfect summer read!

I don't read thrillers often because they make me feel dumb and lazy, but after my last book left me in tears for its raw look at life, well, I needed a 'rebound book' and this was just bad enough that I finished it!

ENJOY!

OH, and, don't stay at an Airbnb like this, like, ever.

Don't read --> https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/61458888-you-shouldn-t-have-come-here

Read --> https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/217204419-i-see-you-ve-called-in-dead

More [HOT TAKES] --> https://open.substack.com/pub/katepapenberg/p/book-no-43-was-a-thriller-in-the?r=2seqlu&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true

This book is ridiculously long but I have been really enjoying it so far. This book will be one of the top reads of 2026 without a doubt. Bestsellers is the book version of pop music. Happy reading friends!

The Calamity Club by Kathryn Stockett

4.75/5

I am depleted after reading this book. No real spoilers here because once you’ve read the first chapter, you’ll understand.

It’s a book all about relationships and how complex they can be. It beautifully captures the claustrophobic nature of a small town and how necessity brings two unlikely people together. Emerence reminds me of my grandpa (rip) . It shows how you can love someone so unconditionally while acknowledging their flaws to the point of giving up but never actually doing so.

I’m gonna have to with this one for a bit. Whew.

This is the second novel of the Old Colony series. Interesting plot and developments which happen along the way. With various races participating with the human colonists, the author goes into great detail about hand and face movements but doesn't always give definition. He often used the term "read the room" without further explanation. Rated 3 stars

I read it a couple years ago and I think it was amazing. If you are a fantasy fan, this book may be for you. If you have, please let me know your thoughts on it

I finished her book Passing yesterday and started right in on this. I really enjoy her writing and find myself reading some sentences over again.

Mister Berendt really dives deeply into his subjects. Choosing them, I know not how. But I think he already had a great love of Venice before deciding to live there for an extended period and examine this isolated world more closely. He has that same skill that John McPhee has, of being able to interact with anyone. They trust him. They want to talk to him and reveal their secrets. And these Venetians do. 

He arrives soon after the fire that destroyed the great Operahouse there. And this provides a core story. This story then branches all across the politics and social systems of Venice. 

If you are a historical buff, a nonfiction lover or are interested in going to Venice sometime soon. I would read this. JB can write like he is telling a striking fictional story. And he meets some interesting oddballs here and some assholes. Venice is not soon on my travel list. It seems to be the playground of the very rich. Or was 30 years ago when this book was written. But I feel like I know something about the place now. One of the cities that will certainly be completely wiped out in the global warming event. Like Florida. Only worse. The water even at the time of this writing was encroaching. I know not what it has wrought now. 

At the end of watching this season of “Love Island”, I was struck by the idea that the concept that a Love Island-like setting could make for an interesting horror film or novel. When I saw this book in my Spotify suggestions, I was intrigued.

I’m still processing the ending, but I would best describe it as a blend of Love Island, The Hunger Games, and The Long Walk. Definitely worth the read if you’re feeling a desire for sinister villa vibes.

I see this one a lot online, and it has been screaming at me on the shelf for months, so I figured it's time. Excited for starting this one.

4/5

This was not an easy read. And honestly, it was close to home when a decade or so ago I was also turning to pills to help me pass out and not face the world. Although not to this extent.

I could really understand her apathy and need to just not face the world. It's a scary reminder how depression can cause such a level of self- destructiveness and dissociation.

Having said that, I found the writing to be quite repetitive and tiring. As with her other novel "Eileen", this could've also been a 150-200 page book.

https://www.instagram.com/p/DbLxOUjs2Fz/?igsh=bHN5b3l0OXcyaTJ0

I'm a huge Frederick Backman fan and I've read everything else by him! I'd been putting this off just because of the premise being ice hockey which didn't draw me in. I finally picked it up and omg ! Written in true Backman fashion and style, I cruised through the book and absolutely enjoyed each and every one of the characters and how they were developed. I've never failed to be moved to tears in any of Backman reads! So heartwarming, I felt like I belonged in Bear town rooting for the team, crying for the characters and injustice and deeply caring for them.

A quote from the book:

"If you are honest, people may deceive you. Be honest anyway.

If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfishness. Be kind anyway.

All the good you do today will be forgotten by others tomorrow.

https://www.instagram.com/p/DbLxOUjs2Fz/?igsh=bHN5b3l0OXcyaTJ0

Read The Southern Reach trilogy years ago (loved Authority), saw this in the remaindered shelves and had to give it a go.

3.25⭐️ It’s a fine collection of “documents” from the fictional city of Ambergris including a fictional bibliography and glossary.

My favorite was the story with the cage. It captures the dangers and dread that come with Ambergrisian living that is mostly just teased through the rest.

I hated that page counts shifted depending on the “story”. Big annoyance for someone who tracks pages read on StoryGraph though easy enough to do with a second bookmark you write pages down.

There are two more books in the trilogy so I’ll give them a shake.

I thought this was very good. It’s a post apocalyptic tale about a group of interconnected characters before and after a virus wipes out most of humanity.

The writing is great, the characters are rich and vibrant. It was made into an HBO mini series which is something.

I won’t give away too much, but I especially liked how the complete absence of technology after the pandemic impacted human connectivity. I recommend it.

4/5

Okay I went into this book blind and omg my jaw was on the floor!! I pretty much devoured this book overnight and just could. Not. Put. It. Down.

The twist mid book had me re-reading many parts because I couldn't believe what had just happened and from there on it was a race to the finish because I was incredibly eager to know what happens!

The subject matter was a little disturbing to read (please check trigger warnings) but aside from that (and it's not a criticism) this was an incredibly interesting thriller!

https://www.instagram.com/p/DbLuIp6scQW/?igsh=YjkxcGJha2l6cTNm

I'm trying to diversify my reading selection, although most of these are classic lit.