my brilliant friend by elena ferrante. the first book in ferrante’s famed neapolitan series, my brilliant friend begins the story of the friendship of elena and lila. narrated by elena, we follow the girls through their childhood and early adolescent years as they navigate family, school, and neighborhood life. it’s a long read, and there were a few moments where i lost the thread for a few pages, but overall it is a wonderful story. ferrante has a beautiful way with words, and she has an incredible way of describing the ups-and-downs of female friendship. i have purchased the other three books in the series and am looking forward to reading them next year // 3.5 out of 5

the house between tides by sarah maine. between the cover and the blurb on the back, i had really high hopes for the house between tides, but i have to say i was rather disappointed with the majority of it. it was an interesting story, but it took too long to get going, and at times i wondered how maine would wrap up the story. i liked the back-and-forth between 1910 and 2010 and the random overlaps, but i wanted the house to be a stronger character in the story and i wanted the mystery to have a sharper edge to it. the last 50 pages were great, and maine is a really strong writer, but i feel like it took her too long to get where she wanted to go // 3 out of 5

currently reading: madeleine l’engle’s a wrinkle in time, a childhood staple that i somehow missed the first time around.

have you read anything good lately? what books are on your christmas wish list?

xx