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A running ranking of the year's best books


City in Ruins
★★★☆☆ The Danny Ryan trilogy coasts to a conclusion, wrapping up open plot points but mostly just checking the box in this mailed-in effort.

Greg Barlin
Mar 8, 20242 min read


The Extraordinary Life of Sam Hell
★★★★☆ A book club darling of a novel about a boy born with ocular albinism (red eyes), whose life I found less extraordinary than expected.

Greg Barlin
Mar 2, 20242 min read


The True Love Experiment
★★★★☆ A funny and heartwarming romance novel in the style of Emily Henry about a woman who is cast as the lead on a reality dating show.

Greg Barlin
Feb 20, 20243 min read


Fifty Beasts To Break Your Heart: And Other Stories
★☆☆☆☆ By the author of the excellent Thistlefoot, a collection of short stories written six years ago that should have remained unpublished.

Greg Barlin
Feb 16, 20244 min read


Bright Young Women
★★★★☆ A reimagining of the events leading up to and surrounding the crimes of Ted Bundy, with a focus on the victims rather than the killer.

Greg Barlin
Feb 14, 20244 min read


First Lie Wins
★★★★★ A twisty plot-driven novel about a woman who manufactures a relationship, only to find she might be the one being played.

Greg Barlin
Jan 29, 20244 min read


Womb City
★★☆☆☆ An unfocused debut that combines elements of Minority Report with a grisly ghost story, an all-powerful being, and more. It's a mess.

Greg Barlin
Jan 14, 20244 min read
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