Parisian Phoenix Publishing

This list does not include any books by Parisian Phoenix authors or books that I have worked on as editor. These are the books I read this year that I thought deserved top marks– which is only 12 out of the 76 books I finished in 2024.

• Act Like A Lady, Think Like A Lord by Celeste Connally: Well written. Rich in detail. But easy to read. Petra resembles a female Sherlock Holmes from the early 19th Century— but the ending is what is really incredible. (Published in November 2023)
• Five Patients by Michael Crichton: Maybe I’m too generous, but I’m a Crichton fan— I love that he blends his academic and medical training with his fiction. The first edition was published in 1970! Crichton’s observations serve as harbingers for what medicine has become.
• The Cloisters by Katy Hays: I didn’t write a review of this one, but I can still, almost one year later, remember the details in scene-setting and the use of the Tarot.
• Unstuck by Rachael Herron: I love Rachael Herron and her honesty, vulnerability and full transparency regarding her writing career is a gift and inspiration to any aspiring author. Rachael’s move to New Zealand of course is central to this memoir, but the true theme is how to get over ourselves and live no matter where we are. (Published in 2024)
• Tex by S.E. Hinton: I was super surprised by Hinton since I haven’t read this author since middle school. This book is almost as old as I am (literally) but the discussion of absent parents, drugs, alcohol, sex, violence, poverty and mischief hit home.
• Cujo and Pet Sematary by Stephen King: Amazing how King can take everyday events and everyday occurrences and turn people inside out and upside down.
• Ink by Jonathan Maberry: This book is thick and a heavy read, but the creepy, supernatural nature of the tale keeps the reader engaged. For fans of the previous Pine Deep novels, this standalone update provides a visit with old friends and introduces new characters.
• Twenty-Four Seconds from Now by Jason Reynolds: The non-linear progression of time and the quirky character details when matched with the realistic and humorous dialogue made this an impressive, easy-to-read book that covered some heavy topics: relationships, sex, love, and family are only some of them. Seeing Neon navigate his relationship with his high school sweetheart, the death of his grandfather, the influence of his peer group AND still maintain focus on preparing for his first sexual experience offered a rich, multi-layered young adult story. (Published in 2024)
• Manrattan by Hunter Shea: This was a ridiculous joy— just the right mix of lighthearted writing, character development, satire, Godzilla, COVID humor and inside jokes about New York City.
• The Boy Who Failed Show and Tell and The Boy Who Failed Dodgeball by Jordan Sonnenblick: I have always enjoyed Sonnenblick’s fiction but this memoir just amazed me. The humor and the poignancy and the detail with which Sonnenblick captures his fourth- and fifth-grade years convey his struggles with ADHD in an era when such a thing didn’t exist yet. Also brilliant is the use of the author using himself as a character writing memoir in a middle-grade voice.