Mackenzie K. Writes

Good morning, cyberspace!

Goodness, gracious, it’s been a while since I’ve showed my face on this side of the internet… Kenzie’s posting again? Someone pinch me, I must be dreaming.

For the record, I’ve had a pretty decent reason for not blogging over the past *checks notes* three months. I–the great and powerful Oz–have started college. Yep. I’ve decided to learn myself an edumacation of sorts. My first semester is officially OVER–thus the reason I am able to spontaneously reappear on the blogsphere–and I have learned…a lot. I could do a whole other post discussing the highs and lows of being a full-time student/full-time librarian/full-time psycho, but I’ll leave that for another day. Today, to celebrate our freedom from the college life for ONE WHOLE MONTH, we are going to discuss books!

Because there is no better way to recap the year than by recapping what I have read–or didn’t read… since there was also a lot of that happening this year. (re: first semester of college).

(for reference, I tried to link all of the titles back to Storygraph, but I’ve never done this before and I’m not sure if it will work. if links are broken, feel free to let me know!)

KENZIE’S GUIDE TO STAR RATINGS

WARNING – there may be spoilers for the books mentioned below. proceed with caution.

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LESSONS IN CHEMISTRY by Bonnie Garmus

Full disclosure: I was not a huge fan of this book. And, if I’m being totally honest, this is not the last time you will hear me say that during this post. (I read some real doozies this year, folks). I believe I gave this one a 3 out of 5 stars, though now that I’m thinking about it, I might bump it down to a 2.5. I didn’t hate it. I didn’t love it. I didn’t truly enjoy it.

I did a lot of experimentation with my reading this year, so you’re going to notice a trend of me reading a lot of contemporary in the coming books… (I have learned that I do not enjoy contemporary lolololol)

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CORALINE by Neil Gaiman

This was the FIRST GOOD BOOK that I “read” this year. Technically I started it in 2023, but we are COUNTING IT. (also yes, it took me months to finish this tiny blip of a book. don’t you dare judge me, you little noodle, you.) The first book I ever read by Gaiman was The Graveyard Book, which, quite frankly, was a bit of a sludge in comparison. One thing I particularly like about Gaiman is his ability to condense a story into a pocket sized novel, and Coraline did this marvelously.

I think I’ll try rereading this one again at some point to see if it holds up on a second read through, but for right now, I’d definitely recommend this one to all my paranormal folks out there!

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THE CURIOUS INCIDENT OF THE DOG IN THE NIGHTTIME by Mark Haddon

Okay. OKAY. I understand what this story is supposed to be. I understand what it was shooting for. I was also recommended this book by a patron at the library, so even now there is a piece of me saying there is SOMETHING I’m missing in regards to this story. But…BUT.

BUT!!!!

I did not like this book. Not even a little bit. Not even slightly. (Okay, maybe that’s a bit harsh.) I think what really did it for me was the ending. Or, shall I say, the lack-thereof. I will always say that a book has a chance to redeem itself until the final page–nay, the final sentence. But this book did not redeem itself. In fact, I felt like it started off super strong for the ending we were given.

Alas. Disappointment abounds.

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THE MEASURE by Nikki Erlick

While The Curious Incident Of The Dog In The Nighttime potentially had a few redeeming qualities along the way, this book did not. It was a train wreck from start to finish. If I hadn’t been buddy reading it with a friend, I would have DNF’d it around the 15% mark. Unfortunately for both of us, we slogged through the whole thing believing there to be a redeeming factor at the end.

There was not.

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HE’S JUST NOT THAT INTO YOU by Greg Behrendt & Liz Tuccillo

…I regret the fact that this book is on my final reading wrap-up of the year. I originally logged it at a 3 star, and I’m going to keep it there because I honestly don’t know what my thought process was behind that rating. Personally, I would not recommend this book to people, though it did have some funny bits. (there were also a few chunks that I had to skip. fair warning to all.)

Overall, I feel pretty neutral about this book and don’t really feel like it added much value to my life this year…

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ALL SYSTEMS RED by Martha Wells

Once again, I don’t remember much about this book other than the fact that my friend recommended it to me, but I do remember enjoying it, so I guess there’s a reason for the 4 star rating? This is a book that I’d like to reread before continuing with the series. (especially since I remember NOTHING ABOUT THE BOOK ALKDJFSDLKFJDSF)

Moving on.

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THE DIARY OF A YOUNG GIRL by Anne Frank

Okay, so here’s the thing. This book’s rating is a little bit different. Would I classify this as a new favorite book of all time? — no. Would I say that for what it is, this book deserves 5 stars? — absolutely.

This book was a tough read. It’s not light, and it’s certainly not easy. But I think it’s one that everyone needs to read at some point in their life. Anne Frank had a way with words even at a young age, and the fact that she had the foresight to chronicle everything as it happened is a miracle.

Fair warning to all who read this book–it is not a happy one. Trust me when I say you may need some tissues beside you as you read.

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ELEANOR OLIPHANT IS COMPLETELY FINE by Gail Honeyman

Here we have yet another recommendation by a library patron, though this one was surprisingly more enjoyable than the last! Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine is one of those books that unexpectedly sweep you off on a fun adventure without much stake or risk. I definitely enjoyed it, but I can’t say that I’d recommend it to anyone. Of the contemporary books I read this year, however, I will say that this was by far my favorite. It also happens to be the last contemporary book that I tried this year. I suppose after Eleanor I gave up on the genre and started reading things that I knew I’d like…

Funny how reading the books that actually make you happy brings joy to your heart rather than disappointment…

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THE SILENT PATIENT by Alex Michaelides

Oh my goodness gracious. We have finally gotten to a book that I can actually RAVE about… The Silent Patient has its flaws–don’t get me wrong. There’s some skippable elements to this book that I would have much preferred they left out (and, let’s be real, the could have very easily left them out), but overall this book was brilliantly done. Brilliantly, I say! (although I’m just now looking closely at that cover, and??? can someone say CREEPY?)

I’m a little bit new to the world of psychological thrillers, to the point where I can honestly say that I don’t know if I got swept into this story because of my newbness, or because I’m just not acclimated to the genre yet, but I have talked to many people about this book, and each and every one has had the same overwhelmingly positive experience with reading it. The setup, the mystery, the conclusion, THAT ENDING…. If you’re a fan of a compelling plot and a masterfully rounded out story, I would highly recommend The Silent Patient.

CONTENT WARNING – this book is technically adult, as most psycho thrillers are, so please be wary of that before reading. the rest of the book makes up for its shortcomings, but shortcomings there are.

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FROG AND TOAD by Arnold Lobel

You can’t read something like Frog and Toad and NOT give it a five star rating… Frog and Toad was my childhood, though I don’t believe I’ve read all of the stories until this year. Back in August, my friend and I drove to Michigan’s Upper Peninsula for a weekend getaway, and we listened to the entire Frog and Toad collection during the 5+ hour drive. That experience, combined with the childhood memories and quirky nature of Frog and Toad in general, made this book a 5 star read for me. Highly, highly recommend! (the audio was actually phenomenal, too, and I’m not typically an audiobook listener!)

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THE PHANTOM TOLLBOOTH by Norton Juster

Oh, how I loved this little book! There’s something about a delightful little Middle Grade novel to get the brain gears turning, and this was precisely the book I needed to get me out of my reading slump. I borrowed this from a friend (same friend I went to the UP with–she’s got an excellent taste in books), and I’m so glad I did. Equal parts dry wit and innocence with a splash of comedy all throughout, this book was one you could easily slip into and fall in love with.

It was also a relatively quick read, which was a bonus for me. Gotta love them small books!

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HOBGOBLIN AND THE SEVEN STINKERS OF RANCIDIA by Kyle Sullivan

I had incredibly high hopes for this book, and while I can’t say it met my expectations, I can’t classify it as a disappointment, either. It’s a great book for what it is–a fairytale retelling of Snow White with a stinky twist. Instead of everything being beautiful, the point of the book is to make everything smelly and gross… And instead of the main character being “fair”, the main character was the stinkiest in the land.

It’s a cute premise, but I will admit that the potty humor did get to me after a while. (there are only so many fart jokes I can take before I start wrinkling my nose a bit) Overall, it’s a cute read, and I think it’d be a great book for introducing young boys into fairytale-esque books.

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THE HOUND by H.P. Lovecraft

This is the first of a few H.P. Lovecraft stories I read this year, and I’ve gotta say this one was creeepyyyyyyy. I decided to read this one right before bed one night, and I now say for anyone dumb enough to consider that…don’t.

Lovecraft’s style is definitely one I’d like to study some more. I think his family background plays a lot into the pieces he’s written, which I find rather curious. Makes me wonder how much of my own life plays into the stories I write…

…

Aha, moving on.

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THE THURSDAY MURDER CLUB by Richard Osman

This book sucked.

Okay. That feels a little quick-tempered.

….

….

This book really sucked.

Now, I’m not one to go hating on books, because I truly feel like every book deserves a chance. And typically I’m much more lenient on books outside of my usual genre. However, Thursday Murder Club was within my typical genre, and it also promised tropes that I personally love. A bunch of old people living in a retirement home, solving crimes? Yes, please, sign me up!

Unfortunately, the premise was a lot better than the plot on this one, and that was a huge bummer. I feel like we were given red herring after red herring, and the ending–if that’s even what you can call it–did nothing to satisfy my thirst for a conclusion. I would say this was just one lonely girl’s opinion on the internet, but the rest of my book club didn’t enjoy it, either. And we have a pretty diverse cast of readers in that group… (…dare I say even more diverse than the characters in The Thursday Murder Club?)

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ILLUMINAE by Jay Kristoff & Amie Kaufman

This is my favorite science fiction novel of all time. That being said, this was a reread, and I’m SO beyond glad I was able to read it again this year! The aforementioned book club chose this as our second pick of the year (what? don’t look at me like that. I definitely did not persuade the decision at ALL), and I plowed through it in about a week. (I’m still working full-time, mind you…)

Look, I could rave on and on and on about this book for a good hour if given the chance, so I’ll save my ramblings for another day when I can post a full review. But if you love science fiction and thrillers and a twinge of romance and rogue artificial intelligence and you haven’t read ILLUMINAE yet….? Go read it. Seriously. And then let me know what you think.

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THE LION, THE WITCH, AND THE WARDROBE by C.S. Lewis

Can you believe I’ve never read Narnia until now? I feel like The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe was a staple in all homeschool family homes back when I was growing up, but for some reason I’ve just never taken the bait… I also don’t typically listen to audiobooks, but I had a Saturday afternoon free and 4 hours of Narnia on my phone and some cookies I wanted to bake, so I bit the bullet and did it.

And wow. The book is, dare I say, better than the movie. (yes, yes, I know that’s typically how it goes.) I don’t know why I went into it expecting not to like it. Perhaps it’s because I grew up on the movie and expected there to be a million differences which would annoy me. Or maybe I was just so prejudiced against the audiobook that I didn’t think I’d enjoy it. But I truly loved every minute of this book, and especially the audio version! I think I’d like to get a physical copy to read later on, but for right now I think I’m going to go through the entire series via audio!

(it should also be noted that I am going through the series via publication order, not “book” order. I want to experience it through the lens of those who read them while they were published for my first read through!)

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And that, fellow fronds, concludes the books I’ve read thus far in 2024. I’m still determined to reach my goal of reading 30 books by the end of the year, but it will take nothing short of a miracle for that to happen, I’m afraid…

If you’d like to stay up to date on my reading journey, feel free to add me over on StoryGraph! I try to update it regularly with the books I’m currently reading, though don’t be frightened if you watch me read 10 books in 2 weeks and then nothing for the next two months. That’s just the way I roll, dear beans.

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TALK TO ME, PEASANTS

What books have you been reading lately? Any good Middle Grade recommendations (preferably short) for me to add to my tbr before the year is out? let’s talk about ALL OF THE BOOKISH THINGS in the comments below!

…until next time…

*flings cookies in the air and disappears*