#finlay donovan is killing it

[abookishidentity]

Books finished in December 2024

-Finlay Donovan is Killing It by Elle Cosimano started November 30, 2024 and finished December 2, 2024- 3/5 stars. Occasionally I need to read something different. This was a murder mystery. It was fine. The plot was quite interesting. Being overheard at a Panera talking about your murder mystery novel and being assumed to be an assassin is quite interesting. I just wish that protagonists realized that getting cozy with a cop while dealing with possibly being a murderer isn’t a good idea. 

-Womb City by Tlotlo Tsamaase started December 3, 2024 and finished December 6, 2024- 4/5 stars. This book was quite insane and fucked. I thought it was going to be entirely one thing but then a killer ghost came in and the book became two different things. It had good ideas. It was busy. The ending was interesting. At some point you start to think “The main character may have done some morally questionable things but they don’t deserve this much pain and suffering” 

-All the Birds in the Sky by Charlie Jane Anders  started December 6, 2024 and finished December 8, 2024- 4/5 stars. I thought this book was neat. It was cute for the book to start with the two protagonists as young kids. Coming of age like. I like their interactions. The girl becomes a witch and has powers, the boy is a tech genius of some kind. It was a cute book. 

-Machine by Elizabeth Bear started December 9, 2024 and finished December 12,2024- 4/5 stars. This book was much more interesting than Ancestral Night. I like doctors and emergency workers in space. What was happening on the ships they found was quite interesting. The book had a conspiracy mystery element to it. The inclusion of different alien species were cool too. 

-Hollow Kingdom by Kira Jane Buxton started December 13, 2024 and finished December 15, 2024- 3/5 stars. I thought it was pretty unique to have a protagonist being a crow and seeing their perspective. It was intriguing until you start to realize just how limited crows can be. I like his interactions with other birds and animals. Some kind of zombie apocalypse has happened and the animals are running on their own.  

-Service Model by Adrian Tchaikovsky started December 16, 2024 and finished December 18, 2024- 4/5 stars. This book was highly entertaining when Charles/Uncharles was talking to other robots. Robots are a certain way and that made things quite entertaining when things were trying to get solved. The Wonk was definitely a great character. She was awesome. 

-Kill the Farm Boy by Delilah S. Dawson and Kevin Hearne started December 19, 2024 and finished December 21, 2024- 3/5 stars. This book took the chosen one/fairy tale story and turned it around. It was quite entertaining. It didn’t need as many characters as it did. Two of them were killed so that helped. 

-The Other Valley by Scott Alexander Howard started December 22, 2024 and finished December 23, 2024- 4/5 stars. I liked the concepts in this book. Depending on where you are, time is different. Past, present and future depending on where you are. I like it when the protagonist does what they can to save their past self and other people. The only thing I didn’t like was when the main character saved the boy she liked when she was a teenager and kissed him. He was like 16 and she was way older. She did save him from drowning so I guess she had already put her lips on him but still. The ending was sweet other than that. 

-Children of Ruin by Adrian Tchaikovsky started December 24, 2024 and finished December 29, 2024- 5/5 stars- Adrian Tchaikovsky crafts a story very well. I’m glad it didn’t have the main character waking up to bull shit each time they woke up. I like the inclusion of sentient octopuses. I like that the humans and spiders are working together. I liked the sentient alien virus that takes people over. Made the book more interesting. The epilogue intrigues me a lot so I am looking forward to eventually reading the third one.

[stephthebookslayer]

Just started this and I’m already enjoying it a lot! It is reminding me a little of the show Dead to Me.

[agameofbooksblog]

Some of my 5 star reads this year!

[wiproaringreading]

My March TBR for the JOMPBPC, clearing out my shelves.

Books featured

The Switch by Beth O'Leary

Finlay Donovan is Killing It by Elle Cosimano

Soldiers Unknown by Chag Lowry and Rahsan Ekedal

All The Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr

L.A. Weather by María Amparo Escandón

The Patron Saint of Liars by Ann Patchett

Word by Word by Kory Stamper

Husband Material by Alexis Hall

[potterandpromises]

Finlay needs to give into her true nature (hitwoman)

[bargainsleuthbooks]

🎧📚Finlay Donovan Digs Her Own Grave #BookReview #AudiobookReview #MinotaurBooks #MacMillanAudio #ARCReview #CozyMystery

Finlay Donovan may have skeletons in her closet, but not a body in her backyard, unlike her neighbor. Love this cozy mystery series! #Bookthreads #Booksky #BookBlogger #FinlayDonovanDigsHerOwnGrave #MinotaurBooks #MacMillanAudio #ARCReview #NetGalley

From New York Times bestseller and Edgar-Award nominee Elle Cosimano, comes Finlay Donovan Digs Her Own Grave—the hugely anticipated next installment in the fan-favorite Finlay Donovan series. Most books mentioned in my reviews can be found at the affiliate links below. (Amazon US) (Kindle Unlimited) (Amazon CA) (Amazon…

[mandyraine]

Book Review: This Girl’s a Killer by Emma C. Wells

If you love reading stories that make bad things happen to bad guys as much as I do, you will LOVE this one. Get it now at https://amzn.to/3Dzv1az! (paid link)

[literaryhypewoman]

Book Review: "Finlay Donovan Rolls the Dice" by Elle Cosimano

As I continue to clear my review drafts from 2024, here's a look at the current book in one of my favorite series, Finlay Donovan. In book four, we find Finlay taking a road trip with the whole squad and dead bodies abound. Read the full review:

If you haven’t read any of the first three books in the Finlay Donovan series by Elle Cosimano, this is your fair warning to bookmark this page and come back when you’re caught up. Elle loves to pick up books directly following the chaotic end of the one before, so this will include some spoilers. You have been warned. Finlay Donovan Rolls the Dice [Buy Bookshop Amazon LibroFM] finds Finlay and…

[isabelreads7]

Finlay Donovan is Killing It

🌟🌟🌟

3/5 stars

[rachel-sylvan-author]

"Finlay Donovan is Killing It" by Elle Cosimano book recommendation by Rachel Sylvan

[beckysbook5]

Finlay Donovan is Killing it by Elle Cosimano - Book Review!

Today on my blog I have a review for #FinlayDonovanisKillingIt by Elle Cosimano. I can't believe I've slept on this series for so long, it's hilarious, heartbreaking and filled with hi jinks... I'll be picking up book two asap! #BookReview

Finlay Donovan is killing it…except, she’s really not. A stressed-out single mom of two and struggling novelist, Finlay’s life is in chaos: The new book she promised her literary agent isn’t written; her ex-husband fired the nanny without telling her; and this morning she had to send her four-year-old to school with hair duct-taped to her head after an incident with scissors. When Finlay is…

[seeinganewlight]

2024 books read

2024 goal: 150 books

january: 1 - heartstopper vol. 1 → alice oseman (reread) 2 - heartstopper vol. 2 → alice oseman (reread) 3 - heartstopper vol. 3 → alice oseman (reread) 4 - heartstopper vol. 4 → alice oseman (reread) 5 - heartstopper vol. 5 → alice oseman 6 - a fragile enchantment → allison saft 7 - some shall break → ellie marney (audiobook) 8 - only if you're lucky → stacy willingham (arc) 9 - over my dead body: a witchy graphic novel → sweeney boo 10 - notes on an execution → danya kukafka (physical & audiobook) 11 - murder on the orient express → agatha christie (reread) 12 - our wives under the sea → julia armfield (physical & audiobook) 13 - the invocations → krystal sutherland (arc) 14 - red string theory → lauren kung jessen 15 - the breakup tour → emily wibberley & austin siegemund-broka (arc) 16 - the name drop → susan lee 17 - the secret of the old clock → carolyn keene (reread) 18 - bright young women → jessica knoll (audiobook) 19 - last call at the local → sarah grunder ruiz (audiobook) 20 - no one can know → kate alice marshall

february: 21 - worst wingman ever → abby jimenez 22 - drop, cover, and hold on → jasmine guillory 23 - with any luck → ashley poston 24 - the atlas six → olivie blake (reread, audiobook) 25 - that's not my name → megan lally 26 - not here to stay friends → kaitlyn hill 27 - this golden state → marit weisenberg 28 - today tonight tomorrow → rachel lynn solomon (reread, annotation) 29 - past present future → rachel lynn solomon (arc, annotation) 30 - the atlas paradox → olivie blake (reread, audiobook) 31 - the guest list → lucy foley (audiobook) 32 - in the market for murder → t.e. kinsey (audiobook) 33 - the neighbor favor → kristina forest 34 - in the mix → mandy gonzalez 35 - everyone in my family has killed someone → benjamin stevenson 36 - the seven year slip → ashley poston 37 - veronica ruiz breaks the bank → elle cosimano (audiobook) 38 - finlay donovan rolls the dice → elle cosimano (audiobook) 39 - the simmonds house kills → meaghan dwyer (arc)

march: 40 - the mysterious case of the alperton angels → janice hallett 41 - the book of cold cases → simone st. james 42 - what the river knows → isabel ibañez (audiobook) 43 - cut loose! → ali stroker & stacy davidowitz 44 - how i'll kill you → ren destefano 45 - the reappearance of rachel price → holly jackson (arc) 46 - when no one is watching → alyssa cole (audiobook) 47 - outofshapeworthlessloser: a memoir of figure skating, f*cking up, and figuring it out → gracie gold (audiobook) 48 - julius caesar → william shakespeare (rerad, audiobook) 49 - the family plot → megan collins (audiobook) 50 - if we were villains → m.l. rio (reread) 51 - alone with you in the ether → olivie blake (physical & audiobook) 52 - disappearance at devil's rock → paul tremblay (audiobook)

april: 53 - shakespeare: romeo and juliet graphic novel → martin powell & eva cabrera 54 - shakespeare: macbeth graphic novel → martin powell & f. daniel perez 55 - shakespeare: julius caesar graphic novel → carl bown & eduardo garcia 56 - shakespeare: a midsummer night's dream graphic novel → nel yomtov & berenice muniz 57 - twelfth knight → alexene farol follmuth (arc) 58 - kill for me, kill for you → steve cavanagh 59 - murder road → simone st. james 60 - everyone on this train is a suspect → benjamin stevenson 61 - listen for the lie → amy tintera 62 - king cheer → molly horton booth, stephanie kate strohm, jamie green 63 - twelfth night (musical adaptation) → kwame kwei-armah & shaina taub 64 - in juliet's garden → judy elliot mcdonald 65 - fat ham → james ijames 66 - death by shakespeare → philip l. nicholas, jr 67 - a good girl's guide to murder → holly jackson (reread) 68 - good girl, bad blood → holly jackson (reread) 69 - as good as dead → holly jackson (reread) 70 - dark corners → megan goldin (audiobook) 71 - the one that got away with murder → trish lundy (audiobook) 72 - funny story → emily henry 73 - imogen says nothing → aditi brennan kapil 74 - people we meet on vacation → emily henry (audiobook, reread)

may: 75 - episode thirteen → craig dilouie 76 - the girls i've been → tess sharpe (reread) 77 - the girl in question → tess sharpe (arc) 78 - wild about you → kaitlyn hill (arc) 79 - just for the summer → abby jimenez 80 - my best friend's exorcism → grady hendrix 81 - second first date → rachel lynn solomon 82 - the ballad of darcy & russell → morgan matson 83 - the good, the bad, and the aunties → jesse q. sutanto (audiobook) 84 - truly, madly, deeply → alexandria bellefleur 85 - your blood, my bones → kelly andrew 86 - amy & roger's epic detour → morgan matson (reread) 87 - romancing mister bridgerton → julia quinn (reread) 88 - the viscount who loved me → julia quinn (reread) 89 - bittersweet in the hollow → kate pearsall 90 - to sir phillip, with love → julia quinn (reread) 91 - when he was wicked → julia quinn (reread) 92 - it's in his kiss → julia quinn (reread) 93 - on the way to the wedding → julia quinn (audiobook, reread) 94 - emma → jane austen (audiobook, reread)

june: 95 - first lie wins → ashley elston 96 - we got the beat → jenna miller 97 - firekeeper's daughter → angeline boulley 98 - chlorine → jade song (audiobook) 99 - what stalks among us → sarah hollowell 100 - hollow fires → samira ahmed (audiobook) 101 - part of your world → abby jimenez 102 - the road trip → beth o'leary 103 - yours truly → abby jimenez 104 - finally fitz → marisa kanter 105 - the last love song → kalie holford

july: 106 - dead girls walking → sami ellis (audiobook) 107 - home is where the bodies are → jeneva rose 108 - we used to live here → marcus kliewer 109 - the children on the hill → jennifer mcmahon (audiobook) 110 - what moves the dead → t. kingfisher 111 - my throat an open grave → tori bovalino 112 - dashed → amanda quain (arc) 113 - asking for a friend → kara h.l. chen (arc) 114 - beach read → emily henry (reread, audiobook) 115 - book lovers → emily henry (reread, audiobook) 116 - happy place → emily henry (reread, audiobook) 117 - you have a match → emma lord (reread, annotation) 118 - bonnie & clyde musical script → ivan menchell (reread) 119 - such charming liars → karen m. mcmanus (arc) 120 - she left → stacie grey (audiobook) 121 - let the games begin → rufaro faith mazarura (audiobook) 122 - death at morning house → maureen johnson (arc)

august: 123 - cleat cute → meryl wilsner (audiobook) 124 - i wish you would → eva des lauriers 125 - the break-up pact → emma lord (arc) 126 - water for elephants → sara gruen 127 - when you get the chance → emma lord (reread, annotation) 128 - come out, come out → natalie c. parker (arc) 129 - my lady jane → cynthia hand, brodi ashton, jodi meadows 130 - the lies of alma blackwell → amanda glaze (arc)

september: 131 - the spare room → andra bartz 132 - late bloomer → mazey eddings (audiobook) 133 - savor it → tarah dewitt (audiobook) 134 - triple sec → t.j. alexander (audiobook) 135 - the skeleton key → erin kelly 136 - the examiner → janice hallett (arc) 137 - the dark we know → wen-yi lee (audiobook) 138 - pretty girls → karin slaughter 139 - a good girl's guide to murder → holly jackson (reread, annotation) 140 - lady macbeth → ava reid 141 - the pumpkin spice café → laurie gilmore 142 - the main character → jaclyn goldis (audiobook) 143 - queen macbeth → val mcdermid (arc) 144 - the cinnamon bun bookstore → laurie gilmore (audiobook)

october: 145 - midnight on beacon street → emily ruth verona (audiobook) 146 - make me a mixtape → jennifer whiteford (arc) 147 - haunt sweet home → sarah pinsker 148 - graveyard shift → m.l. rio 149 - the bitter end → alexa donne (arc) 150 - morbidly yours → ivy fairbanks 151 - someone in the attic → andrea mara 152 - a new lease on death → olivia blacke (arc) 153 - the christmas tree farm → laurie gilmore 154 - staged → elle cosimano 155 - the reunion dinner → jesse q. sutanto 156 - a crime of fashion → emma rosenblum 157 - the nosy neighbor → nita prose 158 - one lucky subscriber → kellye garrett 159 - a classic case → alicia thompson 160 - interview with the vampire → anne rice (audiobook) 161 - horror movie → paul tremblay (audiobook) 162 - everything is poison → joy mccullough (arc) 163 - romeo and juliet → william shakespeare (reread) 164 - no place left to hide → megan lally (arc) 165 - macbeth → william shakespeare (reread)

november: 166 - dinner for vampires → bethany joy lenz (audiobook) 167 - make the season bright → ashley herring blake 168 - a bánh mì for two → trinity nguyen (audiobook) 169 - merriment and mayhem → alexandria bellefleur 170 - a novel love story → ashley poston 171 - guilt and ginataan → mia p. manansala

december: 172 - looking for smoke → k.a. cobell (audiobook) 173 - seven lively suspects → katy watson 174 - the rival → emma lord (arc) 175 - a lively midwinder murder → katy watson 176 - the cheerleaders → kara thomas (rerad, audiobook) 177 - the champions → kara thomas (audiobook) 178 - a guide to the dark → meriam metou (audiobook)

[agameofbooksblog]

Finlay Donovan lives that author life.

[inawickedlittletown]

So yesterday, because of your mention of it in chapter 9 of “don’t make a shadow of yourself” I bought TJ Klune’s wolfsong.

Finished it today. So good.

I’m going to keep reading the series but do you have other book recommendations?

It's such a good series! I'm so glad you picked it up.

TJ Klune is one of my favorites so I would definitely recommend his other books. I recently re-read a couple of them and I still just love them so much. The House in The Cerulean Sea and Under The Whispering Door are amazing.

I have soooo many book recs. I read a lot and I read widely so I'll just throw you a mix of things that come to mind right now as books I've really enjoyed:

Becoming Ted by Matt Cain

A Marvellous Light By Freya Marske (the series as a whole is wonderful)

Boyfriend Material by Alexis Hall

10 Things That Never Happened by Alexis Hall

Finlay Donovan is Killing It by Elle Cosimano

Spell Bound by F.T. Lukens (this author actually has a lot of really great books, I would recommend all of them)

Renegades by Marissa Meyer

Bride by Ali Hazelwood

A Rip Through Time by Kelley Armstrong

Legends and Lattes by Travis Baldree

Conventionally Yours by Annabeth Albert

An Unexpected Kind Of Love by Haden Stone

I Hope This Finds You Well by Natalie Sue

Currently I'm reading The Spells We Cast by Jason June which has been really quite good so far.

[liesmyth]

I have been in a terrible reading slump and am looking for books to pull me out. Do you have any recommendations?

FRANCES HARDINGE. cool heroines, middle grade level that adults will love, cool fantasy premises, perfect balance of quality & light read. my faves are deeplight + cuckoo song.

If you don't like fantasy then my beloved herotic stories for punjabi widows by Balli Kaur Jaswal. everyone should read it I'm not kidding I love it to bits.

more ideas:

beach reads!! these are all fun engaging types of books:

fantasy: a deadly education by naomi novik

thriller: the it girl by ruth ware

thriller but comedy: Finlay Donovan Is Killing It by Elle Cosimano

horror: My Best Friend's Exorcism by Grady Hendrix. the coldest girl in cooldown by Holly Black

litfic: Such a Fun Age by Kiley Reid

romance (F/F): Hotshot byClare Lydon

romance (het): Last Tang Standing by Lauren Ho (contemporary). Bringing Down the Duke by Evie Dunmore (historical). Check & Mate by Ali Hazelwood (YA)

prose so good you want to eat it. (words are pretty but the book is a bit heavier to stomach! depends on your tastes)

matrix by lauren groff. into the woods by tana french. my dark vanessa by kate elizabeth russell. The Cherry Robbers by Sarai Walker.

engaging nonfiction

humble pi by matt parker. the code book by simon sigh. if you wanna go heavier, I really loved Black AF History by Michael Harriot

shorter stuff

short stories! I've loved everything I've read that was short by Tamsyn Muir, but the collection Heiresses of Rust (2016) she's featured in also has an incredible mix of short stories by various authors. the theme is lesbian fiction. another sff author I love for short stories is James Tiptree

tiny books! chaptered but on the shorter side. Wylding Hall by Elizabeth Hand. Houston, Houston, Do You Read? by James Tiptree Jr. One Day All This Will Be Yours by Adrian Tchaikovsky. Princess Floralinda and the Forty-Flight Tower by Tamsyn Muir. The Murders of Molly Southbourne by Tade Thompson

[ink-stained-clouds]

Read in August ↴

favorites: ★

Books

Jackal by Erin E. Adams

Only Survivors by Megan Miranda

Four Found Dead by Natalie D. Richards

Finlay Donovan Jumps the Gun by Elle Cosimano

The Villa by Rachel Hawkins

Natural Beauty by Ling Ling Huang ★

One of Us Is Back by Karen M. McManus

The Cloisters by Katy Hays

Articles

Infant deaths surge in Texas after abortion ban

People from all over the world are sending emails to Melbourne’s trees

‘Everything you’ve been told is a lie!’ Inside the wellness-to-fascism pipeline

The ‘Flu Shot Cheerleader’ is back – with a warning about the anti-vaccine movement ★

Even Conspiracy Theorists Are Alarmed by What They’ve Seen

‘You’re not God’: Doctors and patient families say HCA hospitals push hospice care

Richard Hanna, Rising Right-Wing Star, Wrote for White Supremacist Sites Under Pseudonym

Inside the online world of people who think they can change their race

A Basement Housing Bill Killed by Conspiracists ★

Oregon’s Greater Idaho movement echoes a long history of racism in the region ★

‘Essentially witchcraft’: A former naturopath takes on her colleagues

Maybe It’s Lyme: What happens when illness becomes an identity? ★

Everyone at West Virginia University Knew Something Was Up. I Hate That We Were Right.

Listened (not technically reading, I know)

The Retrievals podcast from Serial Productions and The New York Times ★

Did two honesty researchers fabricate their data? podcast episode from NPR’s Planet Money

Scamanda podcast from Lionsgate Sound