Coptown by Karin Slaughter. This is one of her standalone novels (I most recently read The Good Daughter and really liked it) and I got the audiobook for my drive to Syracuse for the holidays. Not a huge fan. It just didn’t grip me the way her other books have. I want to start her Will Trent series soon.

The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster. This is a book I LOVED as a kid and I was reminded of it when a photo of the cover made an appearance in the movie Wonder. It’s a quick read and, while I was impressed that I liked it so much as a kid, I think it seems kind of silly to read as an adult. So give it as a gift to the nerdy kid in your life.

Wonder by R.J. Palacio. After I went to see the movie, I wanted to read the book again. Really if you haven’t read this yet you should. Yes, it’s YA and yes, you’ll probably be #1687 on the holds list at your library. But it’s just good for the soul! Plus I read it in less than a day (#brokenlegperks).

The Lying Game by Ruth Ware. Same author as The Woman in Cabin 10 and In a Dark, Dark Wood, both of which I really enjoyed. This was pretty good! I thought the ending was kind of bizarre but it really held my attention so I would recommend it. And I’ll keep reading her books!

Winter Solstice by Elin Hilderbrand. This is the 4th book in her Winter Street series. I like Elin’s books because she interweaves characters from all of her books. In this one, one of the main characters from The Rumor is featured pretty heavily. This was probably my least favorite in the series. It was just kind of slow. But I think it’s the last one? So maybe she was just trying to tie up all the story lines.

Turtles All the Way Down by John Green. I still feel strongly that Looking for Alaska was one of the books that has stuck with me most, and most people know John Green for The Fault in Our Stars. My point being, he’s written some good stuff. I listened to 50% of this book before calling it quits because it was just stupid. And my friend Kate who is the queen of YA confirmed that she didn’t like it so I gave up. Pass on this one and also Will Grayson, Will Grayson which is also terrible.

The Racketeer by John Grisham. It took me a while to get into this but ultimately I was glad I finished it. It’s basically just a winding story of a con artist but it’s SO detailed and crazy and you have no idea where it’s going. The only thing I really didn’t like (aside from the slow start) was that 0% of the characters were likable. They’re all awful people.

The Arrangement by Sarah Dunn. I read and posted about how much I loved this book last summer, but Sheila just listened to it recently so I got jealous and decided to listen to the audiobook. Loved it all over again. It’s one of my most recommended books, along with Eligible and the Crazy Rich Asians series.

Coreyography: A Memoir by Corey Feldman. If you’re thinking “that name sounds familiar…” I had the same reaction. He was a child actor back in the 80s, best known for Gremlins, The Goonies, Stand by Me, and The Lost Boys. His memoir is pretty tragic and depressing and also reason number 5,409 not to let your kid become a child actor. I think I would have gotten more out of it if I had seen him in a lot of stuff (i.e. anything other than The Goonies. Maybe I should catch up on my 80s cinema).

Bonfire by Krysten Ritter. She’s an actress turned author! I listened to this and I guess the narrator was really doing her job because the entire time it’s like you’re on the verge of something major- definite air of suspense throughout the entire book. Unfortunately the plot doesn’t back it up. It’s a weird mix of ‘small town with lead in the water’ plus ‘high school mean girls who take it too far.’ Spoiler alert: it doesn’t work.

A Piece of the World by Christina Baker Kline. This is the same author who wrote The Orphan Train, which I enjoyed. This one was just wayyyy too slow, though. As you can imagine my tolerance for boring books is pretty low right now so when I wasn’t invested at 30%, I quit.

Let’s not pretend I’ve only been reading in my solitude. If you’re wondering what I’ve been watching on Netflix, I’m loving Happy Valley, Broadchurch, Somebody Feed Phil, The Good Place, and Black Mirror. If you’ve ever watched Black Mirror you know it can be really hit or miss. I recommend “Nosedive” and “San Junipero” from Season 3, and “Hang the DJ” and “Arkangel” from Season 4.

And now more than ever, I’m open to suggestions/recommendations! I have another 4 weeks before I can walk again so please help me make the most of my time on the couch.