A primer on coping in the workplace. Sarah Cooper, who has gone on to massive internet fame published this book in 2018 after working in the tech industry for years. I think she gives a great overview of what you can expect in a male dominated field. This is funny and sometimes spot-on. The illustrations add a lot so you can really get some of the recommended facial expressions right.
An alien's view of human behavior, which will serve to get you to question a lot of your behavior. Or maybe just everyone else's behavior if you are super uncomfortable with things that hit a little to close to home. The drawings may seem a little simple at first but then you realize they are fabulous. I'm also very attracted to the color scheme of this book. Haven't convinced you yet? At 144 pages, the commitment isn't huge so go ahead and place you hold now.
This is a tough book to read. I ended up only being able to handle a chapter at a time, then had to take a break because my reactions were so strong. It made me wonder how incredibly difficult it was for the author to research and write. Wilkerson is an amazing author...I still think frequently about her previous book and the lasting impression it made on me and how often I think about it. This one has even more impact. It has the life-changing potential of the greatest works of the written word. This will stay with me forever.
Three siblings find an injured boy while walking home from school. He has been stabbed and left to die, which would have likely been the result had they not found him. Now the three have different ideas. Matthew is tied up in trying to find the assailant. Zoe has a new life view and grows up quickly. Duncan starts to question his own origin story, he is adopted and becomes interested in finding his birth mother. The family at the center of this story is solid and admirable but everyone has their own things going on and a few secrets. I really enjoyed watching the kids grow and change after saving a life. Maybe all of their progress would have happened anyway but the event is surely a starting point for their change. On top of the interesting story and insights is the wonderful writing. Livesey says a lot in a few words. You really get the feeling like you know these people.
Hope Rides Again by Andrew Shaffer (2019) 285 pages
This story finds Biden in Chicago to see Obama and to meet Caruso, a former rapper who's now a social justice activist, a man whose endorsement would be useful if Biden decides to go ahead with another bid for president. Along the way, Obama's Blackberry is stolen, leading Biden on a mission to track it down, bringing him to a crime scene at the railyards. Shaun, a teenager in Obama's Rising Stars Program which fosters the next generation of community leaders, has been shot. Over the course of the long day, Biden hops all around Chicago to find out who shot him, sometimes alone and sometimes with Obama (and Obama's long-suffering secret service detail, Steve).
One never knows which pol's name will be dropped next. Sometimes the former partners keep secrets from the other, and sometimes they think they can read each other's minds, with almost disastrous results. Whatever, this mystery/bromance is a quick, entertaining read.
The Trouble with Goats and Sheep by Joanna Cannon (2015) 353 pages
Two ten-year-old girls—Gracie and Tilly—often pretend not to listen so that adults will talk more freely when they're around. They decide to spend the summer, which is an especially sweltering one, trying to figure out what happened to Mrs. Creasy. When they ask the vicar how to stop a person from disappearing, he says they need to find God. The girls decide to look for God, working their way through the neighborhood, asking everyone, even going to the house at #11 The Avenue, where they've been told not to go.
Through periodic flashbacks from ten years ago, a picture starts forming of a village mob mentality, what happened, and how it affected the villagers for the next ten years. Sad but sweet, troubling but uplifting.
Like Emma Donoghue’s most recent book, “The pull of the stars,” which is set in 1918 during the influenza epidemic, Maggie O’Farrell happened to be writing about a pandemic, the Black Death in Shakespeare’s England , at the same time one was happening. However, I do rather wonder if the subtitle of O’Farrell’s book might have been added because the 2020 situation developed as it was going to print. Yes, the plague is a central character in the book, one that carries off Shakespeare’s only son, Hamnet, leaving behind Hamnet’s twin sister, Judith, his older sister Susanna, and his devastated father and mother, Will and Agnes. But it could really have been almost anything that caused Hamnet’s death in those perilous times when death was a familiar in many households. The strength of the book is in the fictionalized depiction of Shakespeare’s marriage to his wife, here called “Agnes” rather than Anne. And indeed, that may well have been her name, just as Hamnet is an alternative spelling of Hamlet, the title of Shakespeare’s most famous play, written four years after the death of his beloved only son. It is a novel of a marriage, a reimagining of Agnes/Anne as a woman who dealt in herbs and potions, kept bees and gardens, and hawked with a kestrel on her wrist. A novel of the bonds between families – what strengthens and what breaks them – and the almost mystical bond between some twins. Beautifully imagined, obviously grounded in much research and thought, and highly recommended. There is a good reason Shakespeare left his “second-best bed” to his wife in his will. 305 pp.
Regan is your average 10-year-old girl with a tight group of friends and an undying love of horses. But when a fight with a friend sends Regan running home through the woods, she stumbles upon a door, and into the Hooflands, a world filled with hoofed animals including centaurs, unicorns, satyrs, hippogriffs, and more. As out-of-place as she feels there, she's also able to find a loving home among a centaur herd, despite their insistence that she go to meet the reclusive queen eventually.
As the sixth installment of McGuire's amazing Wayward Children novella series, you'd expect this to be difficult to describe because of ongoing events. In fact, this book would serve as an excellent standalone novella, ripe with a tale of love and acceptance, both of others and of self. I absolutely loved this, and I'm constantly amazed by McGuire's prolific talents.
Every 15 years, a fleet of ships returns to a rural farming planet to gather goods for the rest of humankind, which is spread through a handful of space stations and city-planets. As the ships use wormholes to travel, the trip takes place every eight months for Nia, captain of one of the ships, who sees people age rapidly between visits. When a boy mysteriously appears on the planet, one genius woman sees him not as an oddity, but as the potential key to instantaneous travel. She enlists Nia and her crew to keep the boy safe until such time as her theories prove true.
Told in episodic lovely prose, this story ties together regret, longing, loneliness, love, family, and suffering across time and space. I'd recommend this for fans of literary science fiction rather than diehard fans of the genre, as Jimenez's language deserves to be mulled over rather than torn through. It leaves a lot to consider, well after the last page.
25 years is a silver anniversary. Coverly's cartoons do not disappoint. They are all single panel works that have appeared in a variety of places. Coverly has, perhaps, created my favorite cartoon of all time as seen below. This collection is very good.
The Friend by Sigrid Nunez (2018) 212 pages
What follows is an adjustment period for both the dog and the woman, who are both in mourning. It's hard to hide a Great Dane, even when he's a quiet dog, and the apartment manager sees her with the dog and eventually reports the infraction to the owners. This prompts a series of notices from the owners for the woman to remove the dog or to vacate the building.
Meanwhile, the woman continues to consider the life of her friend and conversations they'd had; it's apparent that she had strong feelings for him. Once upon a time, the man had been her professor. He became a well-known writer, a Romeo type who married three times and had a large number of girlfriends and lovers over the years. As the woman battles depression and the apartment owners, her relationship with the dog deepens. It's a good story, although it's not at all clear to me if the title refers to the woman, the man, or the dog. Perhaps all three.
So many of my favorite things all in one gorgeous graphic novel. The setting is the Louvre where we find an interesting night watchman, a guide looking for something more, a collection of cats, and a bit of a mystery. What goes on outside of the public view? Lots! The night watchman grew up in the museum and lost his sister there. The cats have come from different places but have made a life hiding away from the public. Cecile is now a tour guide at the museum but started out as a gifted student of art restoration. This job doesn't really hold her interest but when the mystery of a missing girl comes to light, she looks to the paintings to find an answer. A beautifully done work by Matsumoto.
Many good novels (and a lot of bad ones) turn on the idea of separated twins. Stella and Desiree Vignes were raised in the tiny community of Mallard in rural Louisiana. So small that it doesn’t even appear on a map, the community was founded a freed slave in 1848 and over the years this all-Black community has defined itself by each succeeding generation becoming more similar the white slaveowner who fathered the founder. The residents sought out light-skinned mates and denigrated those who married someone darker. The twins, born in mid-century America, could well have been considered white outside of the highly segregated South. The story turns around the fact that after they ran away to New Orleans at sixteen, one of them did decide to pass as white, while the other seemingly sought out the darkest man she could find to marry. Both have daughters, one blond and blue-eyed, the other dark eyed and blue-black in skin color. Stella, living in a gated community in Los Angeles, is the twin living in fear of being found out, while Desiree returns to her birthplace after leaving her abusive husband. When circumstances throw the two daughters into proximity, years of living lives that are not what they seem will come to light. There is a secondary theme of transgender in this thoughtful and thought-provoking book. 343 pp.
If you have read any of Winspear’s mystery series featuring Maisie Dobbs, you may have wondered where she got her deep knowledge of many of the things featured in her novels – the affects of war, hop-picking in Kent England, travellers (gypsies, Roma), living in poverty in the country, difficult family relationships. Well, she lived most of them, and heard lots and lots of family stories, a few of dubious veracity. She was born in the mid-1950s. Her parents were free spirits and her large extended family included older members maimed by one or both of the World Wars. She was over 16 before the house she grew up in had indoor plumbing or a proper kitchen. Her relationship with her mother was both loving and fraught with conflict. Trained as a teacher, she ended up traveling around the world for a couple of years after college and never actually taught. She worked as a journalist for some years and was in her mid-thirties before she began writing the books which have won her much acclaim and wide-readership. A well-written memoir that I thoroughly enjoyed. 304 pp.
I seem to have come in in the second in a three-part mystery
series, but one doesn’t need to have read the first one to enjoy both the book
and the interesting main character. Oxford
Private investigator Zoe Boehm has some violence and loss in her past and is
more or less just pegging out her life.
When asked to investigate what might have happened to a friend’s
personal assistant, who fell to her death in the subway, she is, of course,
somewhat suspicious of the boyfriend the spinsterish woman had recently begun
seeing. This case will eventually
overlap with the suicide of a 12-year-old she came across when he was eight and
a budding juvenile delinquent, and the death of a cop-killer who has escaped
justice. But more ominously, she may be
being stalked herself by the mysterious boyfriend. Be warned that you may have several old
Motown hits permanently lodged in your head if you read this novel. And this may be the only mystery you read
with ostriches in it. 285 pp.
One of my favorite authors, Kate Atkinson, best described this debut novel in the blurb on the cover: “A little beacon of pleasure in the midst of the gloom. . . SUCH FUN!” (Which, now that I think of it, was pretty much my reaction to Atkinson’s very first book in 1995, Behind the scenes in the museum.) If you need a lift, put this book on reserve right now. Set in a posh retirement home (think The Gatesworth), the retirees there are far from doddering old folks pegging out their sunset years. Led by Elizabeth, who may have had a shadowy career in espionage, the other three members of the Thursday Murder Club are Joyce, a retired nurse; Ron, a rough-edged former Labor leader; and Ibrahim, a cultured psychologist. Joyce has replaced Penny, who suffered a stroke, and whose old files (which she surreptitiously copied when she retired from the police force) they peruse seeking the answers to the unsolved mysteries. Soon, however, actual dead bodies will start piling up and the quartet has real investigating to do. Full of rich characters, psychological depth, and wry British humor, this book is just what we need right now. Hope Mr. Osman has some more ideas for future books! 368 pp.
I’ll be trying the “Fresh raspberry mini corn muffins,” but
otherwise found this cookbook a bit pedestrian and wasn’t crazy about the
product placement. 246 pp.
Jordan Banks is starting at a new school. It is not exactly his choice. He wants to go to an school specializing in art, his folks get him into a high end private school in an effort to get him on a different path. The new school is WAY different from his old school. He gets lost, he meets all new kids - some good, some bad. This book takes you through Jordan's seventh grade year, his first at Riverdale Academy Day School. I think Jerry Craft is brilliant, which was confirmed when I listen to this interview. This is a great book and almost anyone can find a character here or a situation to relate to.
The week of her wedding, the bride is ensconced at the venue trying to get things together. She returns to her room and is confronted by her dead grandmother in the form of a bird. Grandma tells her to find and reconnect with her estranged brother and then shits all over he wedding dress. With a start that like that, you can guess this is not your average story. There are others parts that are a little surreal but plenty that seems like it could be real. Maybe I was having a little trouble telling them apart? Everything you learn about the bride and her family is interesting and will keep you reading. When the book veers off in other directions, it isn't as good. Luckily, the bride is mostly the focus.
There is so much to love about this memoir from Buford. He is in France with his family to cook and learn about French food. He does a stage at a Michelin starred restaurant that sounds like an abusive relationship. Do chefs have a more demanding training than doctors? The book bounces around from his cooking, what he learns about how people live in France, history of French food. I was particularly struck by a story about bread in France and talking to the baker who used LOCAL flour that is milled just days before used in his bread. I couldn't get enough of it. It is one of those books that I sped up just a tiny bit but then went back to normal speed because Buford just has this interesting voice and energy that is better at real speed. I found the whole thing very fascinating and if you are interested in any of these topics, you might find it so too.
Like girls scouts but MUCH better, the lumberjanes are at camp being friends and finding adventure. Each character is a little quirky and the story isn't exactly pulled from the headlines but the good times are rolling and this group can depend on each other. I loved the art and can see why this is such a popular series.
A 20-something become disillusioned with life and drops out of school. He is trying to figure out where he fits in and takes up tossing a ball. He befriends the kid next door (little kid). He is struggling with finding a direction and is obsessed with list making. His brother is on business in New York City so he goes to visit for a week. It is an eye opening adventure...he sees his brother in a new "adult" light and learns a lot about himself on the trip. I enjoyed listening to this short novel. I don't think it helped me find myself but I was entertained by some of the events depicted and the relationships we see.
Actor Marcus Caster-Rupp is one of the stars of Gods of the Gates, the hottest, biggest TV show on the planet (think Game of Thrones mixed with The Aenid). The series is wrapping up its sixth and final season, which has taken some unpopular twists since the show ran out of novels for source material. Marcus isn't too keen on the misogynistic twists, and is secretly turning to writing fan fiction under an anonymous screen name to work out his frustrations. Meanwhile, one of his closest fanfic friends, April, is working on coming out of her shell, letting her real life acquaintances know about her fandom. When her plus-size take on Gods of the Gates' Lavinia starts attracting Twitter trolls, Marcus steps up to defend her, unknowingly asking his internet friend out on an IRL date. When it becomes clear that the chemistry between them is very real, Marcus has to figure out how to let her know that he's known her for much longer than she realizes, hopefully without losing her.
While the premise of a fanfic writer snagging the hot lead actor of her fandom is not particularly believable, the way in which their relationship is treated is very real and very refreshing. Marcus struggles with being seen as more than just a pretty (and pretty dumb) actor, while April struggles with being seen as more than just a fat woman, and the way they support each other as partners is absolutely fantastic. This is sweet, funny, and steamy — just perfect for the genre.
Solutions and Other Problems by Allie Brosh (2020) 518 pages
The animals she draws, along with her descriptions of them, are especially realistic and sweet, rather different from the strange portrayals she makes of herself. Very effective use of drawings and words—you can't help but feel like you know her after reading this book.
Five hundred years in the future, humankind has disappeared. But that's because the Erta, a human-like species created by human scientists to fix Earth's multitude of problems, determined that the only way to return the planet to environmental stability was to wipe out the species and start over. After so many years, their job is finally done, and the Erta are unsure whether they want to reintroduce a species that previously decimated the environment. The solution is an experiment: data-driven atmospheric scientist Ima will raise a single human child to see if it's worth it to resurrect the species. But as she takes on child-rearing, Ima learns that there's more to raising a child than providing food and shelter, and there's more to the Erta's story than she ever realized.
I'll admit that there's something hilarious in the idea of a non-human raising a human child, particularly in the beginning of the book (One exchange between Ima and her sister when the child is a week old: "Just because you have successfully engineered a human infant, does not mean you have succeeded." "I know I must care for it, keep it alive. But the hard part is over, I am certain.") But the book isn't hilarious throughout. Instead, it's thoughtful and evokes plenty of introspection about the role of nature versus nurture, the purpose of the arts and religion, and even the goal of a species. I was very intrigued by this one, much more so than I thought I would be.
After a gunman interrupts the dedication of a wetland she's helped save, biologist Alex Carter jumps at the chance to leave Boston for a remote assignment tracking wolverines on a newly established wildlife preserve in northwestern Montana. But when she arrives, she finds that the locals aren't too excited about her presence and that there may be something illegal happening in the wilds of the preserve.
This is a debut thriller by a wildlife biologist and as such, the animal facts are what really shine here. In between plot twists and action sequences (some of which I had trouble believing), I learned a TON about wolverines — did you know that the dads come back after a couple of years to help train the kits on survival and hunting skills? — which made the book worth the read. Had it not been for those, and my love of animal facts, I probably would've given up on this one.
Caseworker Linus Baker toes the line in his job at the Department in Charge of Magical Youth and has no life to speak of outside of the office, which is why Extremely Upper Management chooses him for a top-secret, classified mission to visit a distant orphanage. This orphanage is situated on a remote island, has an unorthodox headmaster, and is home to some of the most peculiar magical children in England. Linus is expected to stay for a month, which might as well be a century when Linus learns about his fellow island residents. But in addition to being very by-the-book, Linus is also kind and compassionate and truly cares about the children he visits, and as he spends more time on the island, the odd residents bring out these qualities in him.
This is a sweet, caring story of facing prejudice, of finding a home, and of creating a loving environment. It's wonderful, and I can't recommend it heartily enough.
On October 23, 1915, thousands of women gathered in New York City for a parade down Fifth Avenue to fight for women's right to vote in New York and across the country. Released in honor of the centennial of the 19th Amendment, which gave women the right to vote, this collection of short stories centers on that momentous autumn day, telling the stories of the young, old, rich, and poor women that came together that day, as well as the stories of the men who supported them. It's an inspiring collection, full of the hopes and dreams of those women, as well as the fears and problems that seeped into the event (including everything from concerns about angry husbands to the segregated nature of the movement). Well worth reading, especially for those needing a boost for modern protests. (Though a warning that you'll probably get the Bowie song stuck in your head, if you're anything like me.)
Ten years after leaving his home on the Blackfeet reservation in northern Montana, Lewis has settled into his life as a postal worker in Great Falls. He has a wife, a dog, a motorcycle that he's constantly rebuilding, and a decent life. But it seems that his life on the reservation doesn't want to let him go, particularly an illegal elk hunt with his friends that still haunts Lewis. When odd things start happening, Lewis becomes convinced that the spirits he offended a decade earlier is coming back to mete out its revenge, and it's unlikely to stop at him.
This is a beautifully told story of harsh life on the reservation and in rural central Montana, interwoven with a truly disturbing horror story. Absolutely amazing.
After 20 years of peace, a serial killer with a particularly disturbing m.o. has returned to Vitoria, picking up precisely where he left off, terrorizing the residents and visitors to the historic city. Naturally, the police are ready to throw their best man at the job: Inspector Unai Lopez de Ayala, better known as "Kraken," an expert in criminology and criminal profiling. But the inspector's biggest hurdle is the fact that someone was already arrested for the previous crimes, and is still in prison. As bodies pile up, Kraken must race against the clock before he becomes a target for the murderer.
While it takes a bit to get into this translated book (some of the phrases are a bit odd, and I'll admit ignorance over the various Basque festivals and traditions that are discussed), once the plot gets rolling, this mystery is a twisty one, with plenty of red herrings. Recommended for fans of other overseas mysteries, particularly those who are fine with a bit of disturbing gore.
At 31 years old, Casey feels like she should be more solid in life. She's been working on her novel for six painstaking years in between shifts as a waitress, slowly attempting to pay off massive student loan debts while paying rent at the only place she can afford (a potting shed behind her brother's friend's massive house). Compounding those problems, she's also dealing with the unexpected death of her mother several months earlier and a love life that just keep turning up duds. Though the novel is set in 1997, so many of these issues echo through to the present day. While the writers Casey interacts with can be a bit hipstery, the story of a woman working her way through grief, panic, health scares, and a confusing love life are classic and wonderfully told.
What Are You Going Through by Sigrid Nunez (2020) 210 pages
The narrator is a writer who says you can usually find a story that's worth relating in the lives of people you meet, if you are willing to sit and listen. She has listened to many people and shares their stories, giving a window into their lives.
When an old college friend, around age 60, learns that her cancer treatments are not successful, she asks the narrator to be with her at the time she decides to end her life: "Cancer can't get me if I get me first." We learn much about the narrator and her dying friend, who has somewhat of a gallows humor. The women find themselves growing much closer as they spend time together, almost reading each other's minds at times. Loved this book.
The Sword of Summer is the first book in Riordan's Norse mythos series, Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard. I really, really enjoyed this book. I am a huge fan of Norse mythology, and found the way that Riordan melded modern society and mythology together. A thing I find I really enjoyed with this book is how Riordan treats writing characters who are deaf. There is a character who communicates through ASL, and the character being deaf is not treated as a character flaw/crippling problem. When there are communication failures because he is deaf, it is shown as an external problem with how our society is not as accessible to individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing. Though he is not the main character, he is a central character, and the interactions between him and the protagonist are really well written. The plot is fun and engaging, and even the parsing out of terms and names from Norse mythology are helped by having a glossary in the back to help explain them. For the intended audience, pre-teens and young adults, this has a great balance between familiar words/language constructs and introducing new words/language constructs. I'm excited to read the rest in this triliogy, as well as starting to dive into other books written by him and under his "Rick Riordan Presents" series.
How can you not adore someone whose self portrait is seen on the cover of this book? I mean, even if the stories contained in this book were mediocre (and they are NOT), the drawings would be worth the time of the reader. There is so much to love here. The story of young Allie "hanging out" with her neighbor, then also her little kid neighbor when she is an adult. Do yourself a favor, check this out.
Daisy Cooper is a young woman just starting out adult life on her own. She's just out of college and is living in London with her best friend, working an underpaying job and saving for a dream trip to New York City, and looking forward to a long life ahead of her. One winter evening, she heads out for a quick trip to the store to grab some milk, trips on the icy sidewalk, and dies. In a lot of books, that's where Daisy's involvement in the plot would end, but not in this one. After her death, Daisy meets Death, who informs her of the mixup that led to her entrance to afterlife administration (not the actual afterlife, mind you) and hires her as his assistant. Over the next several months, Daisy helps shepherd other souls to the actual afterlife and pines for the friends and family she left behind.
This is a somewhat odd premise for a book, and in my opinion, it could've been handled a bit more gracefully. Daisy, her family, and her friends all deal with the grief of her passing in various ways, some more healthily than others, and the chapters are all led by a brief philosophical interlude from Death (who is not as scary as you might imagine). It has some good messages, but it's a bit heavy-handed in its treatment of them. It's OK, but not great.
Patricia Campbell seems like your average suburban housewife: she lives on a cul-de-sac with her husband, two kids, and a dog. She enjoys a glass of white wine at her monthly book club. But the book club doesn't get their reading selections from Oprah — instead, they're reading true crime books, from Helter Skelter to In Cold Blood to Ann Rule. So when a new neighbor strikes Patricia as a bit odd, her husband blames the gruesome books for planting ideas in her head. But Patricia can't shake the idea that something about the neighbor's avoidance of daylight and the disappearance of kids from a poor neighborhood are more than just an ominous coincidence and she enlists her book club to help her solve the mystery.
I have loved every one of Grady Hendrix's novels, and this is definitely no exception. It's clever, creepy, funny, and such a wonderful love letter to the unsung heroes that are stay at home moms. I can see why this appeared on so many Best of 2020 lists. Recommended for fans of horror and humor.
In the midst of the 1918 influenza pandemic, nurse Julia Power finds herself working almost entirely alone in a small maternity ward for in a severely understaffed hospital. Desperate for assistance, she accepts the help of an uneducated young woman named Bridie Sweeney. Set over the course of four stressful days, The Pull of the Stars delves into Julia's world, from her skills as a nurse to her naivete when it comes to the women in her ward. The book is powerful, full of heart and historical detail, and timely. A fantastic novel that I highly recommend.
Stephen was a fearless soldier whose god literally guided him into battle. Or at least that's what the god did until the god died one day. Three years later, Stephen and his fellow paladins are sheltering with and serving for a different religious order (one whose god doesn't call to warriors) when he rescues, in hilarious fashion, Grace, a woman who turns out to be a sought-after perfumer. Amid a spate of beheadings in the slums and attempted assassinations of a visiting prince, Stephen and Grace fall in love.
That's a fairly horrible description of a truly delightful book. Kingfisher (AKA Ursula Vernon) offers up a sweet tale of a constantly knitting warrior and a perfumer with a difficult past, sprinkled liberally with some truly disgusting passages, including discussions of disembodied heads, flooding cemeteries, and the physical effects of poisons. It's fun, it's funny, it's sweet... really, there's nothing I didn't absolutely love about this book.
FBI agent Sayer Altair specializes in psychopaths and serial killers, so when the body of a teenage girl shows up just off the National Mall, surrounded by brass baboons and holding an axe, Sayer is called in to catch the killer. But what begins as a run-of-the-mill murder investigation quickly balloons to race against time to rescue a group of kidnapped girls and prevent them from becoming murdered in similar fashion. This is a thrilling procedural, reminiscent of Dan Brown's books, but with a better protagonist, cooler side characters, and a plot with a bit more heart. I'll happily read more of Cooper's books any day.
A desert construction site is probably the last place anyone would expect to fall in love, yet that's exactly what happens when wildlife biologist Mari is assigned to protect local wildlife at Jack Wyatt's site. The foreman yells a lot when he sees anyone making a mistake, which is a bit problematic for Mari, who's still sorting through the PTSD of leaving her abusive ex-husband a few years earlier. But when Mari starts paying attention to Jack's shouts, she realizes that he's masking his own fears and issues, and sees the kind soul behind the gruff exterior.
This is a sweet story of two mistreated people coming together and helping each other realize their worth and their abilities. It's nice to see them support one another, though it's definitely a bit difficult to read at times (and some of the romantic bits seemed a bit... odd). That said, I loved learning about nomadic desert biologists, which include the author.
Sailors in the 1600s were a suspicious lot, so when strange symbols appear on an eight-month voyage to Amsterdam, the crew and passengers of the Saardam begin to suspect that the ship is cursed and that a demon walks among them. Thankfully, they have one of the world's greatest detectives, Samuel Pipps, on board — unfortunately, however, he's a prisoner confined to a dark, uncomfortable cell. Nevertheless, Pipps' loyal bodyguard Arent Hayes begins investigating the symbols, aided by Sara Wessel, disgruntled wife of the governor general. But a few "unholy miracles" later, and they're fighting storms, mutiny, and possible murder. Will they be able to solve the mystery and arrive in Amsterdam safely?
This is a fun historical fiction novel, perfect for fans of swash-buckling adventure stories. But the flap copy and cover descriptions can't be said to be correct. "A murder on the high seas" is splashed across the back cover, though such a murder doesn't appear until well past the book's halfway point, so don't put this book in the "murder mystery" pile. That quibble aside, it's a fun story and worth a read.
Sarah Broom is at the tail end of a large family...11 kids. Her father died months after she was born so she looks to her siblings to figure out a lot of unanswered questions. I was expecting this to be more focused on Hurricane Katrina and its aftermath but this is a multi-generational family story with Katrina mentioned. The focus on the house and its inhabitants is done so well with a lovely writing and memories. Broom certainly has a talent for a memorable turn of a phrase and several lines from this book have stayed with me. I always love a good dysfunctional family but this doesn't really describe this group. Despite some ups and downs they seem remarkably functional. It is a little hard to keep all the siblings straight but the real story is how a strong woman raised and launched them. Sarah's mom is a true American hero.
What a fabulous book this is! I made some frosting and it was perfect. There are so many other interesting looking things, I think I gained weight just looking at the photos. Best part is the information that would allow you to make almost any of these things gluten-free, dairy-free and/or vegan. The authors has extensive recommendations for substitutions and how to use them. I personally don't have dietary restrictions but sometimes make things for people who do. The idea that these are all tested and well used at the bakery in Lincoln, NE gives confidence to us who don't make things regularly with anything but traditional ingredients.
Twins Mokoya and Akeha are sold from their ruling mother to the Grand Monastery when they are born, destined for a studious life learning to manipulate the magical Slack that connects all elements in their world. But when Mokoya turns out to have the rare gift of prophecy, their mother claims them back, making Mokoya a key part of her brutal reign of power. As the twins reach adulthood, Akeha becomes fed up with their position in the background and heads out on their own, becoming aware of the conflict between the Protectorate and the Machinist faction, and eventually choosing sides.
This is a fantastic novella, with a well-developed creative world that immediately sucks the reader in. There are many things to consider even after the book has ended, and I look forward to discussing it with the Orcs & Aliens next week.
Weather by Jenny Offill (2020) 201 pages
Offill's descriptions of people tell much with few words. The book is lyrical, symbolic, and kind of sad, while at the same time, oddly soothing.
Two years ago, Elise's best friend, Julie, went missing during a hike. While Julie's husband and other friends seemed to accept that Julie was dead, Elise never gave up hope. So when Julie suddenly returns, Elise feels shocked yet vindicated. Elise, Julie, and their friends Mae and Molly embark on a girls' trip to a remote hotel that is meant to celebrate their reunion, but when the arrive, the hotel is more creepy than charming, and Julie...well, Julie's not at all like she was before.
This horror novel is a bit Ruth Ware, a bit The Shining, and more than a bit creepy, what with the constant rain and fractured relationships between friends. I wouldn't call it my favorite horror novel, but I would say that it's a page-turner, and one that you definitely shouldn't read right before bed.
In the early 20th Century, labor unions were struggling to gain a foothold in the American West, where mining barons owned every element of many towns. Spokane, Washington, was a booming city at that time, with several rail lines converging on the city, bringing plenty of transient workers to work the mines, crops, and other industries, but with little pay for their hard labor. In 1909 and 1910, the widening gap between the upper class and working class came to a head, with the IWW union staging a series of protests, which quickly became riots once the Spokane police force got involved. The Cold Millions offers a fictionalized version of those riots, telling the story of the Wobblies who fought and were arrested, as well as the union leaders who came in afterward to continue the fight. While it took a bit to get the story rolling, once it started moving, this was an engrossing and enlightening story, bringing to life several real-life leaders, including the formidable Elizabeth Gurley Flynn, who took on the fight while 19 and pregnant. Highly recommended for those who want to know more about the history of the IWW.
On her Instagram page, Selena's marriage looks great — lovely house, two beautiful children, loving husband, perfect nanny. But in real life, she recently found out that her husband's cheating on her with the nanny. Unsure of what to do, Selena confides in a friendly stranger on her commuter train (the stranger has just shared her own secret, so it's natural, right?)...and then things start to unravel. The nanny goes missing, the police are interviewing Selena's husband, and the stranger from the train is suddenly texting Selena, despite Selena not sharing her number. Selena must get control of her life again, but how?
This thriller definitely lives up to the genre name, particularly as the perspective shifts between Selena, a young girl named Pearl, another woman named Anna, and even a semi-retired FBI agent named Ross. Unger keeps us the reader on their toes, despite telegraphing some twists. The un-trustworthiness of every character in the book makes it a page-turner.
In the desert land of Becar, one of the most popular annual events is a series of races on kehoks, a variety of deadly beasts that are only created when an irredeemably evil person is murdered. Tamra is a former rider and current trainer, though she's had enough riders under her care massacred by their kehoks that she's considered cursed by many in the racing community. When her patron gives her one last chance to find a rider and kehok that can win the grand championship, Tamra has no choice but to take on a killer lion kehok and a runaway teenage girl named Raia as her training duo, whether she thinks they can win or not. On a larger scale, Becar is in a pickle, as its recent emperor has died and because of the prevalent belief in reincarnation, his younger brother cannot take the throne until the late emperor's new vessel is found. But it's been three months without any sign of his soul, and until it's found, Becar's government has ground to a halt — something that neighboring enemies are planning on exploiting.
Durst has created some interesting characters and ideas in a thrilling book. It honestly didn't feel like 500+ pages. That said, there were a few twists that I could definitely see coming (as well as a few that I totally didn't expect). A fun book, and I'd love to see more of these characters in the future.
A book editor has traveled internationally to meet the reclusive author and mathematician who long ago published a collection of seven short stories that mathematically explain all murder mystery novels. The editor would like to republish the collection with some new insights, but over the course of their conversations, she starts to develop some suspicions that not everything is as it seems with the author.
Presented as the collection of stories interspersed with the conversations between the author and editor, Pavesi presents a nesting doll of overlapping mysteries, many of which hearken back to the golden age of mysteries. It's clever, it's hard to put down, and it keeps the reader guessing. Recommended for amateur sleuths and fans of older mysteries.
Jan 2/730
Josh 2/662
Kara 22/7655
Karen 1/281
Linda 5/1632
Lindsay 2/618
TOTAL: 51/17,147
And check out the 2020 totals 👉
What a wonderful start to a new year of reading. The first chapter of Livesey’s novel is just about perfect. In a few deft strokes, she delineates the character of each of the three young people at the center of the book. Walking home from school are Matthew, soon to enter university, his younger sister Zoe, the middle child, and thirteen-year-old Duncan, who we learn is adopted. Zoe, who notices things, spots a flash of red in the field behind the hedgerow. On further investigation, they discover that the red which looks like stockings is actually blood from the wounds suffered by the still, supine boy, about Zoe’s age, lying among the haybales. Help is summoned. Although this opening suggests that this will be a detective story set in a bucolic village outside Oxford, England, it is a psychological study of the three siblings as they grow into maturity, of their seemingly ideal but actually quite complicated family, and of good, evil, and the random consequences that make up life. Exquisitely written without a wasted word, and highly recommended. 245 pp.
The second in the series abut the Kopp sisters. Constance was one of the first female sheriff deputies and in this book she finds herself under attack for being a woman. She is downgraded to prison matron while Sherriff Heath tries to navigate the political fallout from hiring a woman. In the meantime, a prisoner Constance as guarding escapes. She knows the only solution to her problems is to capture the man on the lam. How can she find him when nobody else seems to be able to? She starts her own investigation and rousts his brother who is accused of harboring the fugitive...at least it is start. It is a lot of fun to read about Constance and I love that the author gives us some insight into her research. Constance was a real person but these books are fictional accounts of her activities. The real Constance was involved in a man hunt but there is no evidence she was to blame for his escape. Secondary characters are a look of fun too. Constance meets a woman lawyer and a woman reporter during her search. They are handy to have around to boost her confidence and reinforce her goals.
I love the back story, a musician who fills up time on the road by drawing comics. Now the fans are requesting comics via social media, now the musician is a comic guy. By challenging himself to come up with a comic every day for 500 days, he honed his art and his humor. This book is the best of the 500. The author has achieved social media fame and was picked up by John Oliver who featured his Pringles guy. I'm not sure how I discovered him but was happy to see his book available in Hoopla. Fun reading.
