ADHD 2.0 : New Science and Essential Strategies for Thriving with Distraction—From Childhood Through Adulthood by Edward M. Hallowell and John J. Ratey, Fred Sanders (Narrator)

This ADHD book was short and felt like it focussed more on environmental and neuroplasticity. I related more to it as a result. I think environment and lifestyle coping strategies are how I’ve managed my ADHD symptoms since I was a child. Consequently, I can see why the environment has harmed my quality of life and affected ADHD symptoms. I liked the concise presentation and recommendations.

1.8x. June 30-July 3, 2025.

The Seven Year Slip by Ashley Poston, Brittany Pressley (Narrator)

Romance with magical realism in the form of time travel. I have found contemporary romance easier to consume if there are some fantastical elements. I liked this book more than the Emily Henry I have tried. This was actually a grief novel too. The protagonist Clementine was grieving all of the book from the sudden death of her Aunt. That aspect was realistic and well done.

Since I’ve been so busy this summer, I decided to try listening to romance on audio since they do not require as much concentration. I normally switch to print for fiction especially when I do not love the narrator. The narration was fine but I wanted a background audiobook for walks and chores. I will try more romances or lighter novels on audiobooks this summer since I will not have enough sitting reading time. I’ll switch back to more text reading and nonfiction audio when things get a bit calmer hopefully after summer is over.

1.8-2.0x. July 3-6, 2025.

Good Material by Dolly Alderton, Arthur Darvill and Vanessa Kirby (Narrators)

Audiobook 10%. I enjoyed Alderton’s memoir. I have found that if an author is good in nonfiction, I may not like them as much in fiction or vice versa. The main character Andy was going through a breakup and was quite unlikeable for most of this novel. I realized that it was a satire of a millennial dating early on which made it a tad easier to consume. The other characters were fine and somewhat amusing. I liked Jen’s perspective at the end and there was some good writing flipping how each character were in the relationship. I found Jen more interesting and wished we had more from her, but that would be a different kind of book. I preferred Alderton’s nonfiction and may consider reading more fiction from her in the future.

1.5x. June 26-28, 2025.

Thank You, Everything by Icinori

A really lovely children’s book about gratitude with fantastic art. Beautiful. I do gratitude journaling and this was inspiring.

June 29, 2025.

French Conversation with Paul Noble: Learn to Speak Everyday French Step-by-Step by Paul Noble

This was the most advanced of the Paul Noble French courses I could find. I listened to it slowly in the morning after waking up. It was good except there was an odd story about zombie attacks in the second half. I’ve found the second book in the series most useful for me because of the past tenses. This one had some good points, but I preferred the first half more.

1.25x. May 8-June 18, 2025.

Giovanni’s Room by James Baldwin

The protagonist David is so unlikable. He treated Giovanni, Hella, and his father so poorly and yet the prose is very compelling. It was written extremely well and reminded me of JD Salinger’s Catcher in the Rye, but better in every way. The prose was not excessive and immediately you got a sense of David’s closeted self-hatred. I did not like the character but I did not dislike him either since Baldwin really captured how messed up he was so well. This was a short novel but it packed so much in. Looking forward to reading more Baldwin in the future.

June 17-23, 2025 on Kobo Libra 2.

Wherever You Go, There You Are: Mindfulness Meditation in Everyday Life by Jon Kabat-Zinn

I began meditating for 20 mins a day in July 2023. After two months, I increased to 40 minutes a day by listening to two 20 min guided meditations. Some days I can only get one 20 minute meditation. I have only missed one day where I forgot to meditate completely. I learned about these meditations during CBT-I. I do think it has helped me sleep better. I have also become an occasional napper due to the meditations which was a revolution since I struggled to nap before even when I was a child. Before this, I meditated or did active chanting meditations as a uni student and meditated more after my mum passed away in 2021. The most consistent I have ever been is the last couple of years. I will continue this practice for life. Reading this book is preaching to the choir. I did not find anything too revelatory in it. I really enjoyed it because it was relaxing to listen to someone discuss meditation and its benefits. I liked the tone of the book and the wholesome vibe of it.

1.75-2.0x. June 17-25, 2025.

I was still going through my “reading ennui” where books were not so enjoyable due to life. I decided to read shorter novels and continue the audiobooks.

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Le monde de Maxime by Lucile de Pesloüan, Jacques Goldstyn (Illustrator)

I think this was my first full French book of the year. I saw this Quebecoise children’s book twice on Goodreads so I decided to get it from my library. It was a really cute, well illustrated, and good for my reading level. I understand oral French more easily than written so I got to practice.

June 1-8, 2025.

Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir, Ray Porter (Narrator)

After Artemis, I was not sure I would pick up another Andy Weir book. His character writing is very lacklustre. Ryland only seems to have the most basic features of a character. There was character development but it was very mediocre due to the amnesia and the lack of depth. The narrator who did such a great job that he made the character better. I listened to this exclusively on audiobook as I had read that the audiobook was great and would help with the plot. The audiobook was very well done and helped me finish the book. The plot was the strongest aspect but there was always too much science talk at times. The second timeline in the past was boring and had rote or cliched characters. At one point, someone slapped Ryland because he was crying as if this was a midcentury film. The ending was stronger though.

1.75-2.0x. June 2-8, 2025.

How to ADHD: An Insider’s Guide to Working with Your Brain (Not Against It) by Jessica McCabe

I have listened to a few ADHD books in the last year and DNFed a few as well. This one was even recommended to me by a therapist who mentioned that McCabe’s style is emotional and thoughtful. This was one of the most intersectional and considered of the books I’ve read so far. It was slightly more focussed on the emotional aspect and had a good empowering tone.

1.5-1.75x. May 20-26, 2025.

Glorious Exploits by Ferdia Lennon

My reading slump has caused me to read a lot more slowly. While I am not enjoying books as much recently, I am still appreciating how good they are. This was a debut novel which took the author seven years to write. It was about two unemployed potters in Syracuse who set up a play with Athenian prisoners of war. It was set during the Peloponnesian War which is not really covered in recent history. This was a novel about war, theatre, and being human. It was very well done. There were very few female characters, the protagonist was at times annoying, and the ending is rather sad. I can’t deny there was some really good writing here. It was a great debut because he really drew out the setting and characters.

May 21-30, 2025 on Kobo Clara BW.

The Girl Who Drank the Moon by Kelly Barnhill with Christina Moore (Narrator)

I listened to about about 45% on audiobook. The narrator was fantastic. She really captured all the voices and personalities. As much as I wanted to listen to it, I found my attention really waning due the length and had to finish it quickly on my hardcopy. This was longer than most Middle Grade novels. It was well written and had lots of human and magical characters. A good recommendation for an advanced young reader. Recommend the audiobook as well.

1.5-1.75x. May 27-June 1, 2025.

I feel I have a bit of a reading slump. None of the novels this month has resulted in more than 4.5 stars.

The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store by James McBride, Dominic Hoffman (Narrator)

I wish I had liked this one more. This book had some well written elements. It had a diverse cast of characters and interesting focus about African American and Jewish communities before World War II. The main characters were good when they were there but not enough characterization with them. The slow pacing, large cast, and parable aspect let it down. The two villains were caricatures; the second one was like a bogeyman. They get their comeuppance which made it feel like a morality play. I should have checked content warnings as the book had a couple of my doghouse items i.e. child endangerment and s*xual assault. It was a tad over the top even though these kind of things did happen in a historical setting but so much in one book felt excessive. I doubt I will read more from the writer as I did not like the style. The narrator was great though. I listened to 30% of it.

1.5x. May 16-21, 2025.

The Backyard Bird Chronicles by Amy Tan (Narrator)

This was my fourth bird book of the year. I have become a casual birder the last couple of years. Birds are relaxing. I read this in tandem with the audiobook as I prefer memoirs on audio. The print copy was necessary for the impressive bird illustrations.

2.0-2.7x. May 18-25, 2025.

National Dish: Around the World in Search of Food, History, and the Meaning of Home by Anya von Bremzen with Kathleen Gati (Narrator)

This a food and travel memoir. I am surprised I have not encountered the author before. Maybe I did read one of her essays in the American Travel Writing anthologies. I thought this would be a fairly easy and interesting listen since I love food and travel, but I was bored about half way through. Each chapter focussed on a different country: France, Italy, Japan, Spain, Mexico, and Turkey. The France one was one of the shortest and the one I knew about the most. There seemed to be a lot of research into each chapter but it also felt like too much information about each of these food cultures. It sorta of meandered with history, culture, and food. It did not help that I became less interested in the countries in the second half. It was not badly written but the writing was not to my taste.

1.5x-1.75x. May 4-7, 2025.

Lesser Known Monsters of the 21st Century by Kim Fu

A speculative fiction short story collection which I read slowly over the course of a month for a reading challenge. I do not like reading books slowly but since this was short stories, I would read one or two after other books. As usual, I did get very impatient and read the last four stories in one go. I am not a horror person and some of the stories were more in that genre. Other than that, I found Fu’s writing and style engaging. She really captured female characters in particular very well and in few worlds. As with any collection some were too my taste and others not so much. Overall, enjoyable albeit creepy at times.

Read April 1-May 9, 2025.

Greta & Valdin by Rebecca K. Reilly

This debut contemporary kiwi novel had good buzz last year. I liked most of it but there were caveats. Let’s start with the good stuff. There is diversity as the whole family is multi-ethnic Russian / Maori / Catalan, queer, and neurodivergent. While not much happens, the chapters are short and the pace was not slow. It had some dryly amusing moments. The audiobook had kiwi actors and I dipped 15% of the audio. I much preferred to read the dry style though. The setting of New Zealand was interesting as well.

Now for the stuff I found lacklustre. There were too many characters all related to each other and many of them had similar names. It was a bit strange and almost incestuous at times. The novel was narrated by the two sibling main characters and they have a very similar voice and perspective. Their neurodivergence may also have affected their ability to effectively communicate with other characters. The reader was presented info from this odd family but a lot of things are left unsaid or secretive. I was more interested in their parents especially Betty their Maori mother. Her distance from her background and her relationships with the men seemed more fascinating than Greta and Valdin. Overall, a nice debut.

1.5-2.0x. May 9-10, 2025.

Playing catch-up as reading so many books means I am perpetually behind schedule on reviewing them. It was a very audiobook focussed week as I spent more time running.

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This contains mild spoilers and implied one big spoiler.

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Ascendance of a Bookworm: Part 5 Volume 4 by Miya Kazuki, You Shiina (Illustrator), Quof (Translator)

This was more of a filler volume. I am not sure how this series will end. There are so many threads and characters. This volume had a lot of domestic duchy politics. Wilfred has gotten worse. I feel sorry for him except I prefer all the other people who are way more competent like his sister Charlotte. It was great to see more commoners again including a Gunther narrated side story. I did not miss Ferdinand and I almost rolled my eyes with Rozemyne’s obssession to try to get him to praise her. I really do not like this ship. It’ll take a lot at this point for the author to convince me of the romance.

April 5-6, 2025 on Kobo Library 2 and Clara BW.

Grief is for people by Sloane Crosley

This was a memoir primarily about the author losing her best friend and mentor. It’s a grief book with some side stories including an invasive home burglary and publishing industry drama. The tone of the book was reflective but also had dry humour discussing the events. The tone did not work for me even though I did relate to what Crosley wrote about grief. I had empathy and sympathy and some parts of it were written well. I did not really mesh with her writing style overall.

2.0x. April 6-7, 2025.

Monstress, Volume 9: The Possessed by Marjorie M. Liu (Writer), Sana Takeda (Illustrator)

Every time a new volume comes out, I completely forget what happened in this series. Yet I still find it engrossing and amazingly illustrated. I do hope that the books are approaching a finale soon. Maybe I will do a reread of the series when it’s done.

April 7, 2025.

Supercommunicators by Charles Duhigg, Narrated by the author

I should not have finished this. I need to be much more particular about these self-help science books. I have nothing against the genre and I do learn some things. I do not think Duhigg’s style works for me. This is my last of his books since I do not seem to retain much from it. His explanations were fine but I did not like a lot of the case studies used. It seemed I already knew most of the info from from real life and other books. I did not learn much nor did I find it enjoyable when compared to something like Everything is Tuberculosis. I felt I needed to rush through this audiobook.

1.6-1.75x. April 9-10, 2025.

The Wedding People by Alison Espach, Helen Laser (Narrator)

This felt a bit tricky to review. I did like aspects of this novel but I wish I liked it more considering its popularity. I liked the protagonist Phoebe. I related to her in some ways and I liked seeing how her journey unfold. There were some interesting and funny moments. There was a lot of dialogue and banter but it sometimes felt a bit too much and too quippy. The ending was nicely open ended. Not my favourite of the year. It landed better for many people so I do not think it is a bad book. I listened to about two chapters on audiobook. The narrator was not my favourite so I did not listen to much of it.

1.6x April 7-10, 2025.

Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys

For a long time, due to possible dyslexia, I thought this book was called “Wild Sargasso Sea”. I remember wanting to read this many years ago when I heard that it was about Bertha Mason from Jane Eyre who I always thought got a sad treatment in Charlotte Bronte’s novel. I really liked Jane Eyre but it was messy. This novel is messy too. It’s actually incoherent at times because a lot of things have to be inferred and there’s some stream of consciousness writing. Rochester is not remotely likable and Rhys wrote him more as an archetype of English colonial powers than an actual character. I did like how lush and atmospheric the writing was and how sadly she portrayed Antoinette. Even though she was white, Antoinette and her poor family were ostracized, used, and tormented by everyone around them. I found that sadly realistic. I can see why the book is considered a postcolonial and feminist classic even though the prose rattled at odd turns. I am glad I finally read it.

April 11-12, 2025.

A Pocket Guide to Pigeon Watching: Getting to Know the World’s Most Misunderstood Bird by Rosemary Mosco with Janet Metzger (Narrator)

This was a funny and easy going bird book. I needed something light after Supercommunicators and the last two novels. I have become really into ornithology in the last couple of years. I like reading about other bird watchers too. This one was funny and informative. Pigeons are maligned and even I was wary of them as a kid. Now I see them as vestiges of human carelessness and survivors of bad stewardship. The book gave good insight and advice on how we should treat them.

1.5x. April 11-13, 2025.