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August 5, 2025
  • Bart Yates
  • August 5, 2025

The Very Long, Very Strange Life of Isaac Dahl

4
READ VIA: Spotify audio ABOUT: Nolan, one of the ghosts of Christmas past, finds himself assigned to haunt Harriet. A bubbly, eclectic Christmas lover. As they dig into her past and her complex relationship with her family, they find themselves drawn towards each other and on a strict timeline to untangle their pasts before Christmas Eve. While both struggle to understand their connection, it is clear they both hope for more than the month of December together. MY THOUGHTS: I really enjoyed this one and loved the mix of warmth, spice, and character journeys. Borison manages to create a ghost who yearns delicously and I loved seeing Harriet also try to reason out her feelings. In particular, I enjoyed Harriet’s reckoning with her family. I loved that Nolan helped give her the confidence to ask for what she wanted, and that was just charming as heck. This was steamy, but like in a spiked cider on a cold day type of way, and I loved the way they cared for each other. There were little elements of magic throughout the book that made the charm feel elevated and brought about just a hint of paranormal vibe I really enjoyed. If I have one gripe, this did not feel particularly Christmasy to me, like other than some mistletoe, this could have been set at any time of year, not a bad thing, but just unexpected. AUDIO: Karissa Vacker & Will Watt are delightful. His accent and her range complement each other, and this book is a true delight for the years! SIMILAR VIBE: A bit of Spirited (with Ryan Reynolds and Will Ferrell) with B.K. Borison’s signature charm and heat à la First Time Caller SHOULD YOU READ: If you want a little paranormal Christmas vibe with a little bit of spice!
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ISBN: 9781496750471
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Spotify audio

ABOUT:
Nolan, one of the ghosts of Christmas past, finds himself assigned to haunt Harriet. A bubbly, eclectic Christmas lover. As they dig into her past and her complex relationship with her family, they find themselves drawn towards each other and on a strict timeline to untangle their pasts before Christmas Eve. While both struggle to understand their connection, it is clear they both hope for more than the month of December together.

MY THOUGHTS:
I really enjoyed this one and loved the mix of warmth, spice, and character journeys. Borison manages to create a ghost who yearns delicously and I loved seeing Harriet also try to reason out her feelings.

In particular, I enjoyed Harriet’s reckoning with her family. I loved that Nolan helped give her the confidence to ask for what she wanted, and that was just charming as heck.

This was steamy, but like in a spiked cider on a cold day type of way, and I loved the way they cared for each other.

There were little elements of magic throughout the book that made the charm feel elevated and brought about just a hint of paranormal vibe I really enjoyed.

If I have one gripe, this did not feel particularly Christmasy to me, like other than some mistletoe, this could have been set at any time of year, not a bad thing, but just unexpected.

AUDIO:
Karissa Vacker & Will Watt are delightful. His accent and her range complement each other, and this book is a true delight for the years!

SIMILAR VIBE:
A bit of Spirited (with Ryan Reynolds and Will Ferrell) with B.K. Borison’s signature charm and heat à la First Time Caller

SHOULD YOU READ:
If you want a little paranormal Christmas vibe with a little bit of spice!

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107 Days

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READ VIA: Spotify audio and library borrow. Read as part of Sharon McMahon Book Club. ABOUT: With only 107 days remaining until the general election, Kamala Harris was informed that President Biden was dropping out of the Democratic race, making her the de facto nominee. What follows is a hard-fought yet ultimately unsuccessful run for president of the United States. MY THOUGHTS: This is an exceedingly difficult review to write because while I loved how frank Kamala was in this book, her honesty left me feeling disappointed in both the leaders of the Democratic Party, the political machine, and the American people. Harris provides the reader with essentially a day-by-day description of the craziness required to run a campaign and the toll it took on her. I appreciated her discussing the amount of money, stress, and scheduling difficulties required to acquire endorsements, meet with constituents, and prep for a debate, all of which help to point out how crazy US politics are. What I loved: every moment with Tim Walz, and the love she has for her team and family. The way it was clear she never wavered on who and what she represents. What I disliked: her tiptoeing around her relationship with Biden, her assertion that her term would have been different from Biden but never saying how. Also, the lack of self-reflection (yes, media sucks, yes, you were given a short time frame, but come on). I was hoping this would leave me feeling hopeful, but it mostly left me feeling overwhelmed by the amount of work it will take whoever runs for the Democratic nomination in 2028. AUDIO: Harris does a wonderful job voicing her memoir, and intonation adds an emotional element. SIMILAR BOOKS: This is similar in tone to A Promised Land by Barack Obama. SHOULD YOU READ: I think this humanized Kamala in a way many will appreciate, and it helped me see that politics is so much more than the candidate. I am attending a zoom book club meeting with the author(!!!) later this month so will report if my feelings change!
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