Book Review

The Last Green Valley

Casey

It’s remarkable how many stories from World War II still slip under the radar—stories about human resilience and resolve that deserve to be told. The Last Green Valley by Mark Sullivan feels like one of those stories. I’ve always been drawn to WWII narratives, particularly those set on the European front, but many focus primarily on the Holocaust and people fleeing Nazi persecution. While this novel does reference those atrocities, it tells a story I had never encountered before: a family attempting to find salvation with the Allied forces while fleeing Stalin’s army through Nazi-occupied Europe.

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Book Review

The Maidens

Casey

After reading The Silent Patient, I was eager to see what else Alex Michaelides had in store. The Maidens offers a good, strong female lead and, true to form, plenty of Greek mythology. In fact, I think this is where it surpasses The Silent Patient: the mythology ties more closely into the story and feels purposeful rather than ornamental.

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Book Review

The Last House on Needless Street

Casey

I’d heard a lot about this book before picking it up. It’s often billed as horror, and with that cover art and creepy house vibes, I expected to be spooked. But for me, this read far more like a mystery – dark, unsettling, and full of psychological suspense, yes – but not horror. That said, what it is turned out to be far more compelling.

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Book Review

Project Hail Mary

Casey

Andy Weir definitely has a specific writing style and preferred method of telling a story. And that is a first-person narrative from the perspective of a human not on Earth, alone in some fashion, who is snarky/sarcastic, in a high tension situation with seemingly no way out, using copious amounts of humor to lighten the mood. And I’m here for it!

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