Sourcebooks Landmark Archives

Book Review:: All the Perfect Days | Michael Thompson

Every choice we make effects innumerable other choices in our lives. Some of them can change our trajectories entirely. It might not even feel like a big decision at the time – looking back it is sometimes the smallest things that trigger the biggest changes. For Charlie, a small-town doctor, it’s a lesson learned the hard way in All the Perfect Days, a new novel by Michael Thompson.

All the Perfect Days by Michael Thompson Book Cover

See, one day Charlie has an episode when he’s helping a patient. There’s nothing medically wrong with him, but it keeps happening. When one of his patients dies unexpectedly, he realizes what is happening to him. Though he isn’t sure yet if it is a blessing or a curse, he sees how many days a person has left to live.

It is one of the age-old questions, isn’t it? If you could find out when you were to die, would you want to know? The same idea is explored in another book I read this year by another Australian author, Here One Moment, by Liane Moriarty. As you can imagine, it’s not a straightforward answer. As Charlie struggles with this new ability, he’s forced to confront questions of morality, chance, trust, and honesty. When you know when it ends, will it change the decisions you make along the way?

I absolutely loved this novel. It is thoughtful and well-executed, showing all the sides of the cube. There are many implications and permutations of this phenomenon, each of them interesting and meaningful not just to the characters, but the way we think about our lives, all in a highly readable story.

Note:: I received an early copy of this book from the publisher through netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Details

Title:: All the Perfect Days
Author:: Michael Thompson
Genre:: Contemporary Fiction
Publisher:: SOURCEBOOKS Landmark
Length:: 352 pages
Audio Length:: 9h 48m
Audiobook Narrator:: Ryan Ennis
Published:: May 21st, 2025
The Litertarian Rating:: 5-Stars

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Book Review:: Babylonia | Costanza Casati

Ancient history fascinates me. Getting to read such vibrant and extensively-researched fictional interpretations like this one is such a treat.

Babylonia by Costanza Casati Hardcover Book Cover

Babylonia is the story of a girl who came from nothing. Less than nothing, some might argue. Semiramus was born into shame, but by mercy of the gods, she survived. She became a young woman beaten down by hardship with only her own wits to rely upon. They serve her well as she navigates her fate in the ancient Assyrian Empire.

Because of her hard upbringing, Semiramus never takes anything for granted. She knows what it is to suffer and to live in squalor, so when she comes to the greatest city in the Empire and gets to live in a palace, she doesn’t get complacent. She also has no fear. She befriends slaves and wild leopards. She does not let the King’s mother or the court’s spy master intimidate her. She trains with weapons like a soldier with her husband, and then by herself.

Babylonia by Costanza Casati Paperback Book Cover

When the army comes home from their siege at Balkh begging for more troops, Semiramus volunteers to come as one of the climbers. She does not take no for an answer, her husband and her King need help, and she is not one to sit idly by. Then, when there, she sees an opportunity the King’s advisors did not, and it leads them to great success. This clever act of bravery is yet another turn in her story that leads her down a more complicated and treacherous path she could never have anticipated.

This novel is beautifully immersive and speckled with immaculate detail. The names, the rituals, the exhibitions, battles, the dramas…I loved every minute of it. She is an example of making lemonade out of a few raggedy lemons and the importance of taking control of your own destiny. She is a strong woman in a time of strong women, and an absolute pleasure to read about.

I am so grateful to the publisher and netgalley for granting me an early review copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Details

Title:: Babylonia: A Novel
Author:: Costanza Casati
Genre:: Mythological Fiction
Publisher:: Sourcebooks Landmark
Length:: 448 pages
Audio Length:: 16h 21m
Audiobook Narrator:: Ayesha Antoine
Audiobook Publisher:: Recorded Books
Published:: January 14th, 2025
The Litertarian Rating:: 5-Stars

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Book Review:: Libby Lost and Found | Stephanie Booth

Libby Lost and Found is an absolute treasure. The originality crackles on the first page. The themes resound toward our deepest fears and offer hope through profound pain. The prose stuns in both its beauty and wisdom. The whole thing is a parallelogram that had me wondering for a while if everything I was reading was a jaunt into madness or relatively reliable which left me nearly speechless. But not completely, lucky for you.

Libby Lost and Found Stephanie Booth Book Cover.

Libby is a writer. But not just any writer. She writes The Falling Children series-the most popular franchise in all of history (bigger even than HP). She’s struggling to write the next book so much she sees a doctor and gets an early diagnosis of dementia. It leaves her already anxiety prone personality in shambles. She’s missed so many deadlines the fans are feral. She’s desperate for some way to Save the Children (who she’s written into a forest from which there is no escape), so she reaches out to her ‘biggest fan’ for help finishing the book. The thing is, no one knows she is F.T. Goldhero, and it’s vital she keeps her real identity a secret.

Maybe my favorite part of the book are the voices. Libby and her biggest fan Peanut are our two narrators, and each one of them has such a strong and pigeon-holed voice. Peanut is a series obsessed child with unique family circumstances, and Libby is quickly losing trust in her own mind. Their voices covered everything in an almost otherworldly sheen that was so interesting and beautiful.

Then we can talk about world of The Falling Children. Wow! The creativity it takes to come up with a secondary world like that for the sake of telling another story is incredible. The concept, the personalities, the ‘magic’…I was blown away.

So don’t be a bone grocer – go get this book!

Note:: I received this title as an advanced readers copy from netgalley and the publisher. Then I pre-ordered a copy for myself 🙂

Details

Title:: Libby Lost and Found
Author:: Stephanie Booth
Genre:: Women’s Fiction
Publisher:: Sourcebooks Landmark
Length:: 400 pages
Audio Length:: 10h 58m
Audiobook Narrator:: Mia Barron
Audiobook Publisher:: Recorded Books
Published:: October 15, 2024
The Litertarian Rating:: 5-Stars