One Year of Ugly

 One Year of Ugly by Caroline Mackenzie (2020) 325 pages

Yola Palacios is 24, living in Trinidad with her parents, brother, and sister. Her family, and that of an uncle and two aunts, fled Venezuela for Trinidad and lack documentation. It's tough enough for them to make a living under the radar, but it gets even more challenging when Aunt Celia dies and a mobster called Ugly shows up at a family gathering to announce that Celia owed him a large debt. He demands that the four households of family members all work off Celia's debt by taking in other undocumented citizens from Venezuela that he's moving to Trinidad. They don't really have a choice because of their undocumented status, plus Ugly's ruthlessness. When Ugly's strongman Román shows up, Yola finds her instant attraction to him reciprocated, but she tries to fight it for a time. Once started, their relationship must be kept secret for her family's safety and for Román's safety, as well. The stakes get even higher for the whole family when Aunt Milagros's mental health suffers from the stress and she starts acting bizarrely.

This debut novel is based on stories of real refugees that the author got to know when she worked as a legal translator in Trinidad. Splashes of humor and humanity made me unable to put down the book.

Little White Duck

 

Little White Duck: A Childhood in China by Na Liu, Andrés Vera Martínez, 108 pgs.

Prompted by the rapid change in China, the author decided to document her childhood in China since the new generations would not have a similar experience. For a long time, China was very closed to the outside world but that didn't stop the rapid change that took place in the 1970's after the death of Mao.  The Cultural Revolution ended and many old traditions had been rooted out.  The author's experience was one of transition...unlike her parent's, the new China was opening up to the world culturally and economically.  Here is a child's view of how things were transitioning. 

Taproot

 Taproot by Keezy Young, 127 pages.

Hamal sees ghosts. Which is particularly convenient for Blue, the ghost who is in love with him (and also has been haunting him for the last year or so). Unfortunately, something weird is happening to the ghosts in town, they keep seeing a spooky ghost forest, and Blue worries that it could be a danger to both the local ghosts and Hamal. Enter a Reaper, and it's up to both boys to fix the ghost forest problem.

This comic was a pleasure to look at cover-to-cover. The aesthetics for the Reaper in particular are awesome, and I was really happy any time she was on the page. The story was pretty cute, but I will say that it seemed like it wanted to be longer than it was. Most of what was going on here seemed like it would do better with a little more breathing room, and the final chapter or so felt like it would be more in place as part of a volume 2. Still, a sweet little read overall.

Ten Little Indians

 Ten Little Indians by Agatha Christie (1939) 183 pages

Ten strangers are summoned to a tiny island off the coast of England. For some, their invitations are vague enough that they are not even sure who sent it, but they know the island has a luxurious mansion that was built by a rich American, and the trip promises to be a restful vacation. For others, the invitation is for employment. They are dropped off by a boat which goes back to the mainland a mile away. Oddly, though, the host never shows. The cook and the butler have never met the host, either. They serve meals made with provisions that were already on the island when they arrived, just before the guests were due.

In each bedroom is a nursery rhyme. The first stanza goes thus: "Ten little Indian boys went out to dine; One choked on his little self and then there were nine." The stanzas continue until "there were none." After dinner on the first night, a record is played for them, per the instructions left to the butler. Instead of music, the recording names each one of them in turn, calling them murderers. Almost immediately, one of the guests took a large gulp of his drink and fell to the ground, dead. Thus started the progression of deaths. As the guests realize the gravity of the situation, they try to explore every possible hiding place and believe that the only people on the island are themselves. Will they be able to escape their death sentences? This mystery is still thrilling some 82 years after its first publication.

The Man Who Died Twice

The Man Who Died Twice by Richard Osman, 368 pages

The Thursday Murder Club is at it again! Elderly residents of an upscale British senior living facility, Elizabeth, Joyce, Ibrahim, and Ron have already managed to solve a slew of murders by pestering the local police detectives and digging through their friend's cold case files, so when retired spy Elizabeth's ex-husband, Douglas, moves in next door, they're ready for whatever he throws at her. Turns out, it's a lot, as he's still in the spy game and was caught on camera "exploring" the treasure-filled manor of a local insurance man for the international crime community ("insurance" in that he holds the money, jewels, stolen racehorses, etc that will change hands between criminal elements during a deal). Some diamonds went missing that same night, and convinced that Douglas stole them, the insurance man and the New York mafia are out to reclaim their diamonds and snuff out Douglas. So the Thursday Murder Club buckles down to track down the diamonds and solve a few other crimes while they're at it.

Osman created this wonderful group of characters in The Thursday Murder Club (which should definitely be read before this one) and this sequel allows them to expand their horizons and stretch their abilities so much. I particularly love Joyce's devilish kindness, which shines in her journal entry chapters as well as her adventures in social media. Once again, this is a phenomenal, fun, funny mystery with great characters. Highly recommend the series!

The last thing he told me

 The Last Thing He Told Me / Laura Dave, read by Rebecca Lowman, 306 pgs.

Hannah is late to marry but finds the perfect man in Owen.  They have been married only one year when Owen leaves for work and never comes home.  Hannah is left with her stepdaughter Bailey...a 16 year old who has not exactly accepted Hannah as a permanent fixture.  Bailey's mother (and Owen's wife) died in a horrible car accident when she was very little so Bailey has no real memory of her at all.

But now Owen is gone.  Soon, it is known that the company he works for is under fire and perhaps there will be executives going to jail.  Is Owen to blame? Where is he?  Hannah and Bailey go on fact finding mission and what they discover is that Owen is not who he says he is.  What next?  

As ridiculous as this plot and the actions of Hannah and Bailey are, the author has managed to make this a compelling story.  Even as I scoffed at their actions, I could not put his down.  Am I recommending?  Not really but you could do worse.

The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning

 The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning by Margareta Magnusson (2018) 117 pages

This is a charming little book by a Swedish author (and artist) who describes her age as "between 80 and 100." She speaks to the task of cleaning out a person's belongings after death and suggests that we do it for ourselves now, at least partially. That will save our children, who are really too busy, from having to handle it later. The book is actually a very condensed guide to streamlining our possessions and our lives. 

The author has lived all over the world and now lives in Stockholm. From time to time she uses Swedish words to add to her book's flavor. She speaks of an old Swedish children's game called gӧmma nyckeln, or "hide the key," to illustrate that as we get older, our clutter hides the key (or our sunglasses, wallet, etc.) from us, further gently suggesting that we clear away excess clutter to live better lives.

The Monogram Murders

 The Monogram Murders by Sophie Hannah (2014) 302 pages

Author Sophie Hannah was given the blessing to use Agatha Christie's character Hercule Poirot by  Agatha's family. What results is a very believable Poirot. Instead of Hastings as his sidekick and narrator, Hannah uses a young Scotland Yard policeman named Edward Catchpool. He comes off as rather green and sometimes rather prudish, but his narration is thorough, reminiscent of that of Hastings.

In this story, Poirot is retired and living in a London boarding house owned by Mrs. Blanche Unsworth. Catchpool lives there as well. Poirot has spoken to a nervous woman in a coffee shop who indicates that she believes she will be killed, that she deserves it, and that no one should try to look for her killer. Her final words before she runs away, "Oh please let no one open up their mouths!" are mystifying.

When Poirot and Catchpool meet at the boarding house that night, Catchpool is having a difficult time dealing with three murders that have occurred in the Bloxham Hotel. The weird thing is that the victims were found in separate hotel rooms, but were all laid out in a particular way, and they each had a monogrammed cufflink in their mouth. Poirot sees a connection immediately, thinking of the woman's plea, but Catchpool doesn't think it's likely. What follows is an investigation that feels very much like Christie's Poirot, as he uses his gray cells to assemble the facts that they learn.

My Brother's Husband, Vol. 1

 My Brother's Husband Vol. 1 by Gengoroh Tagame, 352 pages.

Yaichi is a stay-at-home single dad in Tokyo, raising his daughter Kana. The action of this book starts when Mike Flanagan, his estranged brother's Canadian husband, comes to stay with them after his husband Ryoji's death, hoping to see all of the places his late husband told him about. Yaichi isn't sure what to make of Mike, and had never met him before he showed up on their doorstep, but Kana instantly falls in love with her cool foreign uncle.

I was expecting a really cute little manga (just look at that cover), but this book was heavier than I expected. Which isn't to say that it's not also very cute at times (Kana is a treat), but a lot of the manga also focuses on Yaichi unpacking both hos own personal prejudices and the prejudices of modern Japanese society. Beyond that, the story is very interested in looking at what is passed on to future generations, and all of the many ways that process can go. It's a book with a lot of heart, even if it's not always fluffy, and I am definitely planning on reading the next volume.

The Past is Red

The Past is Red by Catherynne M. Valente, 150 pages

A couple hundred years in the future, Tetley Abednego is one of the few surviving humans on Earth. She lives in Candle Hole, a waxy, floral-scented neighborhood of Garbagetown, the large island of trash that floats around what used to be the Pacific Ocean (but is now just the flooded world). While her neighbors and fellow Garbagetown residents live in hope of one day discovering land and a chance at rebuilding humanity on solid ground, Tetley doesn't really think it's in the cards and feels like their best shot at survival is simply making the best of the trash-filled world they inherited from their predecessors (the name for which is unprintable here). This philosophical disagreement, and Tetley's actions to underscore her feelings, have led Tetley to be an outcast in Garbagetown, though she's unflaggingly optimistic.

Tetley is a post-apocalyptic Candide that's perfect for our modern world. She's funny (though I don't think she really tries to be) and perceptive, and human in the best possible way. I loved the world that Valente created on the very-real garbage patch. This short book is a wonderfully pointed criticism at our wastefulness and the worst bits of humanity while still being optimistic about our adaptability as a species. It's a wonderful book, and one I highly recommend.

Yearbook

 

Yearbook / Seth Rogen, 271 pgs.  Read by the author and a full cast

Seth Rogen talks about his childhood, his family and many things since then. Did you know he started his stand up career at age 12? Never one to turn down a hit of almost any drug, Seth takes us though his childhood, growing up Jewish in Canada where he assumed his grandparents liked his sister much more than him. Now a success in "the business," he has spent plenty of time getting high before meetings, after meetings, and working with many of the Hollywood elites. As you can imagine, these are pretty funny stories. Consider allowing them to be read for you by a full cast, mostly Seth, but along with many of the featured individuals reading their own parts. A must for Rogen fans. If you are on the fence about Rogen, this will probably put you in the "like" camp.

Big Time

 Big Time / Jen Spyra, 307 pgs. read by the author and others

I was looking forward to this book but it turned out to be a bit uneven. Some of the stories were really good but others were pedestrian. In some ways it doesn't seem like they could all be by the same author. I wanted this to be an awesome and sly girl power anthem and a few of the stories are, but most are not. Sadly, this won't go on my recommend list.

The Woman in the Purple Skirt

The Woman in the Purple Skirt by Natsuko Imamura, 216 pages

Every day, the Woman in the Purple Skirt sits at a specific bench in a specific park, eating a cream bun in a very specific way while the children in the park play a game that involves tagging her on the shoulder without her noticing. And every day, the Woman in the Yellow Cardigan watches her, keeping careful track of the Woman in the Purple Skirt's movements and activities and when she seems to be out of a job. In fact, the unobserved Woman in the Yellow Cardigan pays such close attention that she's eventually able to maneuver the Woman in the Purple Skirt into a job as a housekeeper at the same hotel where the Woman in the Yellow Cardigan works... where she's able to keep an eye on her even more than before.

Told in spare language and with an odd detachment, this is somehow still a compelling story of obsession and loneliness. It's a quick little book to read, so why not give it a whirl?

Upstream

 

Upstream : the quest to solve problems before they happen / Dan Heath, 317 pgs. read by the author

A nice look at what it takes to solve problems...first by truly understanding what the problem is. Not surprising to any reference librarian who often spends quite a bit of time figuring out what the question is from a patron.  If you step back and take a look at the bigger picture, you may be able to see the origin of the problem(s) you are trying to solve. That doesn't necessarily make the solution any easier but at least you can spend your time working on a real solution instead of spinning your wheels treating a symptom.

OMG WTF does the constitution actually say?

 

OMG WTF does the Constitution actually say? : a non-boring guide to how our democracy is supposed to work / Ben Sheehan,  218 pgs.

This is an ingenious guide to our foundational document.  Sheehan gives the actual text, a simple interpretation and some context. He adds a few opinions but all are clearly marked.  You can easily tell which parts no longer apply because they too are clearly marked.  If you have questions about the constitution and don't have time to become a constitutional scholar, this can get you up to speed a little quicker.  Maybe this should be required reading, especially for those who are constantly making statements about what is "in the constitution."

Rosaline Palmer Takes the Cake

Rosaline Palmer Takes the Cake by Alexis Hall, 435 pages

Single mom Rosaline Palmer has a dead-end career working in a shop, and her dwindling financial resources aren't enough to make the needed repairs to her house or fund her future education. So OF COURSE signing on for a baking reality TV show in the hopes of winning its grand prize money is the right financial choice. On the way to the first weekend of filming, Rosaline meets another contestant and promptly falls into a relationship with him. But the longer she's on the show, the less comfortable she gets with him, and the more comfortable she gets with her own abilities.

OK, so let's first address the elephant in the room: yes, this baking show in the book may be called Bake Expectations and be filmed in a ballroom, but it's actually the Great British Bake Off. The challenges are remarkably similar and so are the judges and hosts. And Rosaline's relationship with her parents is so similar to that of Lorelai and her parents in Gilmore Girls that one can almost picture Hall binging both GBBO and Gilmore Girls while writing this. However, that's not to say that this is a bad book. It's actually quite charming and enjoyable, and I really appreciated Rosaline's personal journey. Check it out if you're a fan of GBBO and quirky romance.

Good Eggs

Good Eggs by Rebecca Hardiman, 323 pages

The Gogarty family is having some issues. Former magazine editor Kevin is now an unemployed stay-at-home dad for his three younger kids while his wife, Grace, travels nearly constantly for work. In addition to trying to keep up with his brood's extracurricular activities, Kevin's daughter, Aideen, is going through a rebellious teenage streak that has pitted her against her prettier, more popular twin sister. Oh, and Kevin is also trying (and let's be honest, failing) to keep track of his elderly mother, Millie, who's had a few driving accidents and keeps getting caught shoplifting at the local pharmacy. 

Told in chapters switching between Kevin, Millie, and Aideen's actions, Good Eggs tells the story of a three generations dealing with growing pains from a changing world and their uncomfortable circumstances, and it does so impeccably. While a dotty grandma, a disaffected middle-aged man, and an angsty teen could totally come off as stereotypical cardboard characters, Hardiman imbues each one with complexity, relatability, and a dose of good humor. It's not easy to equally embody three generations, but Hardiman does it with aplomb. I can't wait to see what she comes up with next.

Once Broken Faith

 Once Broken Faith by Seanan McGuire, 420 pages.

This is the tenth book in the October Daye series, and a more direct continuation than many others in the series (which means spoilers ahead). After Toby doing diplomacy went so "well" in A Red Rose Chain, Toby is commanded by the High King of the Westlands to attend the conclave that is being called to decide whether the cure for elf-shot should be distributed or suppressed. Being in a room full of royalty is never a good time for Toby, but it gets distinctly worst after the first murder. 

This book felt like a bit of a stopgap in the series. Which isn't to say it wasn't good, I thoroughly enjoyed the action and getting to see Toby digging into detective work again. But the overall tone is that this book is gearing up for something. It had more recap than most of the previous books of what had happened in the series to date, and also broadened the scale of the world considerably. I'm not sure what comes next, but I'm pretty sure things are about to scale up.

Ties That Tether

 Ties That Tether by Jane Igharo (2020) 306 pages

Azere is a 25-year-old Nigerian-born woman living in Toronto. When she was 12 and still living in Nigeria, her father extracted a deathbed promise from her that she would marry a Nigerian. Her strong-willed mother is holding her to the promise, setting her up with Nigerian men with whom Azere finds no spark; some are male chauvinists who expect her to give up her career in advertising, which is not acceptable to her. After a particularly bad date, she goes into a hotel lounge and meets Rafael, a white man who is in town to apply for a job in Toronto, where he had lived in the past and wants to return. The chemistry is there, and they have a one-night stand.

They are both shocked a month later, when Raphael is introduced as a new employee at her company. It's awkward because Azere really wants to please her mother by finding a Nigerian man, but she finds herself unable to stop thinking about Raphael. Now she must take a stand one way or another, pitting herself against her mother by choosing to be with Raphael and possibly losing her culture, or by giving up the one man she has a strong connection to.

The story is reminiscent of some novels I've read where Asian-American parents try to choose mates for their adult children, but with a Nigerian backstory, in this case. And some secrets to shake things up.

Princess Academy

 Princess Academy by Shannon Hale, 314 pages.

Time for another childhood favorite that I got the sudden urge to reread. Miri lives on Mount Eskel, in a small village who's entire business is quarrying precious linder stone, just like they have been for generations. Miri is dealing with her usual problems: herding the goats, catching feelings for her childhood best friend, and trying to convince her father she's not too small and useless to work in the quarry. All of that changes when a big, important government man comes to the village and announces that the priests have ordained that the prince's bride will come from Mount Eskel, and that since there are no noble families there every girl aged 12-17 must spend a year at Princess Academy learning vital skills for being a princess, such as diplomacy, commerce, and dancing (also, how to read). At the end of the year the prince will come and carry off the girl he chooses to be his bride.

Something about this book has always felt extremely timeless to me. It feels like a classic children's book, even though it was only published in 2005. Miri's challenges are sometimes very big and sometimes very small, but they always feel important. The little song snippets at the beginning of each chapter are also a treat, and I was surprised at how many I remembered from years before. There is something very comforting in rereading this book, and it is definitely deserving of its Newbery Award.  I would definitely recommend it for anyone that hasn't read it yet, doubly so for children.

Empire of Pain

 

Empire of Pain: the Secret History of the Sackler Dynasty / Patrick Radden Keefe, 535 pp.

A great read, and a first-rate emetic.  That is, don't read if you don't want to feel disgusted to the point of extreme nausea.  

Radden Keefe is the author of the wonderful Say Nothing: a True Story of Murder and Memory in Northern Ireland.   In Empire his brilliant research and storytelling combine to shed light on the Sacklers, the extraordinarily secretive family behind Purdue Pharma, maker of Oxycontin.  The opioid epidemic in the U.S. is an enormous story which couldn't possibly be contained in one book.  Radden Keefe wisely focuses on the extended family at the crisis' heart.   The founding brothers are Arthur, Mortimer and Raymond, who came of age in Depression-era Brooklyn in an immigrant household, worked ferociously hard, and became medical doctors, pharmaceutical executives, and marketing geniuses.  It was Arthur Sackler who spearheaded the marketing campaign for Valium as a drug so safe that it should be used widely and often for any manner of emotional distress.  

The Sackler strategy of de-stigmatizing a powerful drug worked even better for Oxycontin. The genius, again, lay in convincing doctors, and the public, that a morphine product had uses well beyond the standard end-of-life cancer palliative.  Back pain? Oral surgery? Fear not!  The poppy makes us all feel better, and it's perfectly safe.  It would be funny if not for the dead, by many counts at least 500,000 and growing.  

Alas, the marketing is only the tip of the perfidy iceberg.  Read on, and keep that Pepto Bismol handy.  (speaking of pharmaceutical marketing...)

The Vapors

 

The vapors : a southern family, the New York mob, and the rise and fall of Hot Springs, America's forgotten capital of vice / David Hill. 394 pgs.

I recently visited Hot Springs and it is a town that gives you the impression that it has seen better days.  Then I found this book that tells the tale of the earlier action.  Hot Springs was once a bigger gambling destination than Las Vegas. Never mind that gambling was illegal, it was out in the open and known by everyone in the state and even federal government.  In a sweep to get rid of the mafia influence, the gambling was shut down in the 60's.  This book shows there was a little bit of mafia influence, but mostly the casinos were run by locals.  The money made was used to pay off people on the state level but mostly stayed local. 

I enjoyed this book that covers the time AFTER medicine came along enough that people stopped believing the hot springs could fix all ailments and how the town reinvented itself from America's spa to America's gambling HQ. An interesting look at a scrappy small city.

Arsenic and Adobo

Arsenic and Adobo by Mia Manansala, 316 pages

Lila recently moved back to her hometown of Shady Palms, Illinois, to help out in her family's traditional Filipino restaurant, which has been struggling from the combination of great food and poor budgeting. With a degree in restaurant management, Lila is sure to be helpful, but there's only so much she can do in the face of a series of bad reviews from her ex-boyfriend, Derek, in the local paper. His negative reviews don't stop Derek from coming into the restaurant and finishing his plate every day, though, which is exactly what he's doing when he keels over dead in his dessert. When the initial toxicology screening reveals a high level of arsenic in both his blood and the dessert, Lila and her family are at the top of the suspect list, and Lila must clear their name — and that of the restaurant — to save her family.

This series starter is a fun (and diverse!) entry into the cozy mystery genre, and holy cow, those recipes made my mouth water. I can't wait to see what else happens to Lila and her family and friends in Shady Palms.

A Psalm for the Wild-Built

 A Psalm for the Wild-Built by Becky Chambers, 160 pages.

(Opening Note: I love this cover)

This novella follows Sibling Dex, a devotee of the goddess of small comforts and tea monk who goes from village to village giving a listening ear, a place to rest, and a specially brewed cup of tea to anyone who needs it. However, Dex is feeling trapped and unhappy with their life, even as they believe they are doing good and worthwhile work. The same feeling that drove them from being a garden monk in the city to a tea monk in the first place.

On a whim they decide to go off the map into part of the 50% of the planet that is nature reserve, hoping to find crickets. What they find instead is Mosscap, a wild-built robot who was sent to be the first contact between robots and humans in centuries. They have been sent to check in on the world they left behind so long ago and ask the new question "what do people need?" 

The rest of the novella essentially sets out to explore that question. Strangely, this book and the last book I reviewed (Project Hail Mary, here) pretty much reversed my expectation of them. I expected Project Hail Mary to be interesting mostly for its world building and found instead that it was driven by emotionally rich explorations of personhood and interspecies contact. A Psalm for the Wild-Built which (with the presence of a tea monk as a concept) I expected to be carried by emotionally rich explorations of personhood and interspecies contact was instead primarily carried by the really phenomenal Solarpunk world building. The setting Chambers builds is extremely beautiful in a very hopeful way. It provides a really interesting meditation on the ways that people could live, if we all chose to, in a thousand little details. Definitely an interesting little book. If you want to here more about it, see Kara's post here.

Maigret and the Yellow Dog

 Maigret and the Yellow Dog by Georges Simenon (1936) 135 pages

I find that books in this old mystery series with Superintendent Maigret are a perfect way to leave the cares of the world behind for a little while. They tend to be somewhat short and not too gory. Mostly we see the events unfold as Maigret takes them in, sometimes quietly, sometimes with a touch of cantankerousness. 

In this story, Maigret comes on the scene after a man is shot in the stomach through a mailslot outside a vacant house, a big yellow dog coming to sniff at him as he lies on the ground. Others in the man's social circle are then attacked over the next few days: poisoned drink is found at their table in the local cafe. One man in their group disappears, his car found abandoned with bloodstains in it. Another man is petrified, staying in a hotel, afraid to go anywhere, thinking he'll be next. Emma, the waitress, seems to figure in the story, but it's not clear how. The people of the town begin to panic, and the mayor demands that Maigret explain how the incidents continue to occur even under his watch. When the wrap-up occurs, events are tied together in a most perfect package.

Maybe You Should Talk to Someone: A Therapist, Her Therapist, and Our Lives Revealed

 Maybe You Should Talk to Someone by Lori Gottlieb (2019) 415 pages

Psychotherapist Lori Gottlieb writes about her own life and career trajectory, as well as about her patients and her own time in therapy. She gives the reader a peak behind the curtain, showing what brought her to look for a therapist for herself and also what brings her patients to her. The storylines of several patients, as well as that of the therapist herself, are compellingly woven with just the right amounts of compassion and humor.

We see how the patient-therapist relationship evolves over time, and how even some of the most difficult patients, given time and space and a good therapist, can begin to heal. 

The Queer Principles of Kit Webb

The Queer Principles of Kit Webb by Cat Sebastian, 335 pages

Despite earning quite the reputation as a highway robber, an on-the-job injury and the loss of a friend led Kit Webb to hang up his pistol and settle down into life running a coffee house in London. But when Edward Percy, son of the Duke of Clare, comes waltzing into the coffee house with an offer for one last robbery — of Percy's father, whom both Percy and Kit hate with a passion — Kit cannot refuse. Nor can he deny the attraction between them, despite their different social standings and opinions of aristocracy. Before they know it, Kit is teaching Percy the finer points of fist-fighting, complete with a heavy dose of flirting. While the backstory for both Kit and Percy was a bit confusing, the romance between the men was sweet and wonderfully written. Definitely planning on picking up more Cat Sebastian books in the future!

Don't Make Me Turn This Life Around

Don't Make Me Turn This Life Around by Camille Pagan, 238 pages

Eternal optimist Libby Ross has just found out that she's officially 10 years cancer-free. She's had a rough year, with her father's death, followed closely by her daughter's diagnosis of Type 1 diabetes, and now a lackluster relationship with her husband, so some good news should make her jump for joy. So why can't she get excited about it? Perhaps a long-overdue visit to Puerto Rico, where she first met her husband, will help out. But as that trip devolves into an escalating series of disasters, Libby starts to question her optimistic outlook, as well as the choices she's made in the past.

I flat-out LOVED Pagan's 2020 novel, This Won't End Well, so I had pretty high hopes for this book. Unfortunately, it fell flat, with a protagonist who felt more whiny than anything, and a series of problems that could easily be solved by characters just talking to each other. Granted, part of the block to the talk-it-out solution is Libby's grief over her father's death, but holy cow it took her a long time to figure that out. Meh.

Kin: A memoir, by Shawna Kay Radenberg

“May you live in interesting times” is meant as a curse but seems to be a blessing too if you are thinking of writing a riveting memoir.  That and a remarkable memory for events long past.  Shawna’s upbringing was chaotic, peripatetic, and both loving and violent.  Her kin on both sides were from Appalachia, with all that that has come to signify in the popular perception.  In addition to growing up in eastern Kentucky, her family also spent some of her formative years far north in Minnesota along the shores of Lake Superior where her father, Roy, moved the family to live in a religious community that many would consider a cult.  A bright man, both his abusive upbringing and his tour of duty in Vietnam left him damaged emotionally.  Shawna, older than her sister Misti, is also bright, and rebellious as well, unlike her more docile sister.  That she and her father would be at war with each other throughout her entire growing up years was probably inevitable.  In addition, she suffered sexual abuse at a young age from an older member of The Body, the religious group her father has joined, and this seems to have led her to a promiscuous adolescence and a string of bad decisions.  The hills and mountains she loves have also been abused, by strip mining and environmental destruction, and their people by poverty and industry-induced diseases.  Perhaps a bit longer and more detailed than strictly necessary, but a story of perseverance and resilience in the face of great odds.  328 pp. 

Project Hail Mary

 Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir, 478 pages.

This wonderful novel has already been written about by Kara (here) and Christa (here), so feel free to look there for a plot summary and more thoughts. This was my first Andy Weir novel, and it wasn't quite what I had expected. For starters, even after hearing about how fun and accessible The Martian is for years (it's still on my list, but this book cut in line) but I don't know that I had ever really grasped how accessible and fun it would be until I read one of his books myself. Also, this book is much smaller scale and more personal than I had realized. I had seen this book described as a "first contact novel" which isn't inaccurate, but did have me picturing sort of grand scale explorations of alien civilizations. What it is instead is an intimate portrait of two different creatures meeting despite astronomical odds. 

Which is all to say that I ended up much more emotionally invested in this novel than I ever expected to. I had to work myself up to starting this book because I was expecting "hard sci-fi" to be a bit dense and hard to get through, even if it was very good. However, I never got that feeling reading this book. Instead I found the science interesting (and when it was too difficult for me to understand I found it was easy to gloss over it and still understand the story) and the plot kept me reading way too late at night. It was a beautiful experience that really got to me emotionally, and the pacing was very nearly perfect. I would definitely recommend this book to pretty much anyone, even those who aren't normally interested in Science Fiction.

How Lucky

How Lucky by Will Leitch, 290 pages

Daniel doesn't get out much. He works from home (responding to angry tweets from travelers on a regional airline), has a few friends who will swing by to visit him, and only really gets out for a weekly game of Azul (he always loses) and University of Georgia football games (Daniel loves tailgating). Probably doesn't help that he was diagnosed with spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) syndrome when he was a toddler, which has progressed to the point of physically confining him to a wheelchair (which he drives with his left hand and a joystick) and limiting his communication to occasional grunts and a text-to-speech program he uses with the iPad on his chair. But when a local graduate student goes missing, it turns out that Daniel was the only person to see her disappear, and he has to figure out how to share the information.

While this was originally suggested to me as a mystery, it's much more a straight-up story of an intelligent young man (Daniel's 26) making the most of his life, one that many of us would probably have trouble even imagining. But Daniel approaches everything with such a great sense of humor, and explains SMA so clearly that it's easy to understand his limitations while not feeling pity for him. Leitch walks a fine line there (and yes, occasionally the explanations of SMA can get a little repetitive and "teachy") and does so admirably. A very enjoyable read, and I highly recommend it.

The Guncle

 

The Guncle / Steven Rowley, read by the author, 326 pgs.

Patrick is semi-retired and mourning his partner. Now his sister-in-law dies...but she is so much more than that.  Sara was his best friend from college.  They were true compatriots, perhaps the perfect team but Patrick is gay.  Sara ended up marrying Patrick's brother Greg so they formally became family.  Now Sara has succumbed to cancer and Greg has some issues of his own.  Everyone's favorite gay uncle ends up taking Maisie and Grant (his niece and nephew) for the summer.  Visits have always been fun but being a true caregiver for an entire summer?  This seems like more than he can manage. And yet, if he doesn't take the kids, they end up with his pushy sister.  There is enough competition there that he agrees to this plan.  The result is an interesting summer with fun and grieving.  I know this doesn't sound all that great, but it is a sweet ride that will leave you with a desire to mix up a cocktail.  Rowley narrates this perfectly.

Early morning riser

 

Early Morning Riser / Katherine Heiny, read by Kate Rudd, 317 pgs.

Jane meets Duncan soon after she moves to town and she easily falls in love with him.  He is perhaps the most prolific dater in town.  He is friendly with so many women, mostly because they have a history.  Jane isn't put off by that but also eventually realizes he is SERIOUS that he isn't interested in marriage.  I mean, he was married once to Aggie whose sidewalks he still clears of snow even though she is married once again.  Jane eventually moves along to Luke but she cancels the wedding after a car accident the day before ends with the death of a guests.  She never gets around to rescheduling.  Eventually she ends up with Duncan again and they make a family filled with eccentric towns people and two daughters as well as Jimmy, the slightly developmentally disabled adult whose mom was the victim in the crash just prior to her first wedding.  This is a sweet story...but not TOO sweet.  I enjoyed Jane's way of handling of everything from her second grade class to her mother.  

Skin Folk

Skin Folk by Nalo Hopkinson, 204 pages

Nalo Hopkinson won a World Fantasy Award for this collection of short stories back in 2002, and nearly 20 years later, they are still boundary-pushing, ground-breaking, and immediate. The way she plays with gender and sexuality in "Fisherwoman" and "Ganger (Ball Lighting)" offers a stark contrast to the horror-tinged folklore of "Greedy Choke Puppy," "Tan-Tan and Dry Bone," and "Precious." The short-and-funny "Whose Upward Flight I Love" balances the provocative racial- and body-conscious "A Habit of Waste." And the Caribbean dialect of Hopkinson's native Jamaica imbues many of the stories with a richness that makes me wish I'd listened to the audiobook. While I felt that this was an excellent collection (it makes me wonder why I haven't read Hopkinson before now — I'll be putting many more of her books on my to-be-read list), the overt sexuality of some of the stories, combined with the gruesome horrific imagery, could be off-putting to some. Can't wait to see what the Orcs & Aliens thought of this one when we discuss it tonight!

Everyone Knows Your Mother Is a Witch

 Everyone Knows Your Mother Is a Witch, Rivka Galchen, read by Natasha Soudek, 275 pgs.

In 1618 there is a plague, a war and times are kind of tough.  Katharina is accused of being a witch.  The case is far from air tight...a lifetime of witnesses are called.  All of them are less than convincing but maybe there is more at play.  Katharina is illiterate but savvy, she is mostly concerned with keeping her cow safe and healthy. As the wheels of the justice system turn slowly, she recognizes the chance of being railroaded but won't change her behavior to try to save herself.  I can't say enough good about this book.  Absolutely charming and the narration is a treasure.

McGee & Stuckey's Bountiful Container: A Container Garden of Vegetables, Herbs, Fruits, and Edible Flowers

 McGee and Stuckey's Bountiful Container by Rose Marie Nichols McGee and Maggie Stuckey, 448 pages. 

I picked this book up in late spring with the intention of doing slightly less winging it in my gardening this year. This was especially nice because I grow exclusively in containers and mostly things that I can eat, so all of the books on making pretty floral arrangements in containers were not terrible helpful to me. 

Once I started reading this book, which I expected to use mostly as a reference manual, I proceeded to read the whole thing cover-to-cover. This is a really thorough guide, both for what you need to get started and sorted individually by plant. A really fun additional bonus are the projects and ideas for themed gardens, a couple of which I would definitely love to try. 

This book has a really good mix of the staples that people would want to grow in containers (basil, tomatoes, etc.) and more niche plants that I had never heard of, but am now definitely interested in trying my hand at. This guide, especially with the great attitude of the authors, makes me really excited to try new things. I am definitely looking forward to ordering my own copy of this book tp reference for years to come.

The Lady's Guide to Petticoats and Piracy

 The Lady's Guide to Petticoats and Piracy by Mackenzie Lee, 454 pages.

This is the sequel to The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue (see my post about that book here), and follows Monty's younger sister, Felicity, about a year later. Felicity has also chosen not to return home to their father's house after their adventures on the grand tour, choosing instead to try to pursue a career as a surgeon. Unfortunately for her, being a woman is a significant stop to her ambitions, and she has yet to find anyone willing to teach her. So when she gets the smallest hint that her medical hero might take her on, and is marrying her former best friend in Germany, she will do anything to make it there before the wedding. Including accepting help from a very sketchy sailor who's goals are unclear (who might just be a pirate). Adventure ensues, featuring sea monsters, pirate kingdoms, and natural science research. All ultimately centered on different ways to be a woman in the 18th century, and exploring how there is no one right way.

Overall this was a really fun book, although I didn't enjoy it quite as much as the first. All of the women who lead this book are extremely interesting, but the pacing was just a little wonky, and a fair number of pages are taken up by what is functionally soliloquy. This still definitely count as a fun summer read, and I'm excited for the final book coming out later this year.

Klara and the Sun

Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro, 303 pages

As a solar-powered, very human-like robot, Klara has a strong belief in what the Sun can do (and yes, Sun is capitalized when Klara refers to it). So when her owner, a sick teenage girl named Josie, begins having more and more desperate health problems, Klara is convinced that she can appeal to the Sun to intervene and provide some of its healing nutrients to Josie. But has Klara offered enough deference to the Sun? Is her plea a worthy one? Only time will tell.

Despite her amazing artificial intelligence and ability to pick up on Josie's emotions, Klara still has intellectual limitations. This book delves into that, as well as the nature of faith, love, and humanity. There are many things discussed in Josie and Klara's world that don't make much sense to the reader — What does it mean to be "lifted" as Josie is? When and where is this happening? — but given that this story is told from Klara's point of view, that is perhaps the point. An intriguing and thought-provoking tale.

Gathering Moss: A Natural and Cultural History of Mosses

 Gathering Moss by Robin Wall Kimmerer, 168 pages.

Gathering Moss largely follows the same path as Kimmerer's better known book, Braiding Sweetgrass (which is also phenomenal and I would recommend it). This book is essentially a collection of discrete chapters that straddle the line between personal essay and science education. What most carries this book is definitely how deeply Kimmerer obviously cares about the subject matter. This is clearly a personal matter for her, and it feels a lot like being invited into a world I never knew existed. These essays cover more moss-related topics than I ever knew existed, which probably also contributes to that impression. 

My one difficulty with this book is that it is sometimes a little technical for the casual reader. I really like moss, but I didn't know much about it, and I definitely found myself getting bogged down by the more technical elements in a book that feels like it's mostly for casual consumers. I did enjoy this book, but I would also definitely say that it's not as strong as Braiding Sweetgrass.

Highfire

 Highfire by Eoin Colfer, 379 pages.

Vern, previously Wyvern Lord Highfire of the Highfire Eyrie, is now a dragon living in the swamps of Louisiana. He's living a quiet life, drinking copious amounts of vodka and watching cable on his isolated island in the swamp, carefully avoiding detection. It's this kind of carefulness that has made him the last living dragon.

Of course this comfortable, if lonely, life is completely unseated when Everett "Squib" Moreau comes into it, accompanied by explosions. Squib is a Cajun kid who can't seem to stay out of trouble, despite his best intentions not to break his mother's heart. This time his mistakes are looking especially lethal, with both a dragon afraid of detection and Regence Hooke, crooked cop and professional bad dude, out to get him. Given those circumstances, being a dragon's lackey doesn't seem like such a bad deal.

Highfire is mostly a very sweet story about interspecies friendship in the weirdest of circumstances. It's a fun adventure carried by a soft emotional core and a villain you don't feel even a little bit bad about hating. This is Eoin Colfer's first adult novel, and I was really happy to see that this novel has the same charm and wit as his Artemis Fowl books. I would definitely recommend this as a fun summer read.

World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War

 World War Z by Max Brooks, 342 pages. Audiobook narrated by a full cast.

I am not usually one for zombie books or audiobooks, but this one is so phenomenal in both cases that I make an exception. This was actually a "re-read" for me, but it was my first time listening to the audiobook, which is fully cast with many serious voice actors (including Mark Hamill!) and engaging enough to keep me focused. It also definitely helps that the framing of this book as an "oral history" makes the transition completely natural. 

The frame for this novel is that Max Brooks (who is both the author and a character) conducted a series of interviews after the titular World War Z with people around the world who touched the conflict in any way, all as part of a report to the UN. This novel is the parts that were deemed, for whatever reason, inappropriate for the formal report. 

My favorite thing about this book is how thorough it is. The accounts aren't just from soldiers, refugees, or the people masterminding strategy. An apocalyptic event touches everyone, and this book covers a whole lot of them. The other remarkable thing about this book, and the thing that I think makes it the most disturbing, is how hauntingly plausible it is. Brooks is very good at acknowledging that people are not inherently good or bad, but are ultimately inherently just people. Some of the people we interview did terrible, selfish things that cost a lot of lives. Others are completely self-sacrificing, and plenty are more complex than either option. This is an extremely thorough book that is both too interesting and too slow to be true horror. But it is just so cool, and is a great treat to read.

Band of Sisters

Band of Sisters by Lauren Willig, 519 pages

During World War I, a group of 20 graduates of Smith College headed to France to help those who had been displaced by the war. Working out of Grecourt, they visited neighboring villages, providing medical care, much-needed supplies and food, education for children, and even social opportunities. Band of Sisters is the story of how these well-to-do women learned how to do everything from building and driving trucks to caring for livestock (including, hilariously, how to tell the difference between hens and roosters). While Willig combined a few of the actual women into a single character, and the women in the book are all fictional, everything that actually happens to them is true, from the snooty politics of running the unit to directing the evacuation of the region. It's a fascinating tale, and I'm so glad it's come to light in Willig's book.

The Dictionary of Lost Words

The Dictionary of Lost Words by Pip Williams, 376 pages

The first edition of the Oxford English Dictionary took 71 years to produce, with an ever-changing team of lexicographers and volunteers collecting, defining, and providing examples of words. This debut novel is set in that world, focusing on Esme, who grew up at the feet of her father, a lexicographer who worked in the Scriptorium. As a child, Esme stole slips of words and definitions that had fallen under the table and gotten pushed into corners. But as she grows older, Esme realizes that, given who collects the words and the stringent rules of inclusion (must be published in a book), there are hundreds, if not thousands, of words used by women in everyday vernacular that are being ignored. Against the backdrop of the OED's creation and the British fight for women's suffrage, Esme begins to create her own dictionary of lost words.

Not only is this a lovely historical fiction novel (I always wondered about the mechanics of creating a dictionary from scratch), but it's also a pointed criticism of the inherent bias of dictionaries and other reference works that have a homogeneous group of creators. The only thing that would have made this better is if Esme's dictionary had been based on an actual publication. But alas, we can't change history; we can only learn from it.

The Ex Talk

The Ex Talk by Rachel Lynn Solomon, 338 pages

After nearly a decade as a public radio producer, Shay Goldstein is desperate to host her own show. So when her boss suggests that she and Dominic, a new and annoyingly competent reporter, pose as exes to host a new show on modern relationships, Shay puts aside her ethical concerns and goes for it. The trouble is, the more time she and Dominic spend pretending to be exes, the more they're attracted to one another, which could cause problems for their show.

The relationship between Shay and Dominic is sparkling and wonderful, and I kinda love the idea of a workplace romance in the world of public radio. However, the boss's misogyny and lack of journalistic ethics — he's laying people off from the struggling station, but he can afford to send the co-hosts of a brand-new show on an all-expenses-paid weekend to "get to know one another" (which is also kinda creepy, IMO)? — really gave me pause on this one. However, lots of my colleagues seem to love this, so perhaps that's just my old journalistic tendencies showing through.

Mayor of the Universe

 Mayor of the Universe by Lorna Landvik (2012) 353 pages

Fletcher Weschel grows up without having friends or ever fitting in. He feels that even his parents didn't care that much for him, and when his father left, life was even harder. Some of his best times were when he would act out one of his alter egos in the farm fields near his home, becoming Vince Shark, a CIA secret commando; or Deke Drake, an international playboy and jewelry thief; or Hip Galloway, a Texan cowboy/stunt-rider. 

As an adult, one night he is visited by several aliens. These aliens belong to Lodge 1212, and according to Charmat, who is in charge, "our jobs are to be goof-offs."  They were drawn to him because of his alter egos. The day after this visit, Fletcher's first action is to quit his actuarial job. One alien, Tandala, takes human form as a Black woman, and she mentors Fletcher as he time-travels and lives as his alter egos, exploring himself.

Author Lorna Landvik never disappoints me as she deals with the intricacies of people's relationships in her novels. The difference here is that aliens become a huge part of Fletcher's life.

Shiver

Shiver by Allie Reynolds, 390 pages

A decade after a highly competitive season, a group of retired pro snowboarders have gathered off-season at an elite ski resort to catch up, hit the slopes, and remember their late friend (and super-competitive schemer), Saskia, who went missing at the end of that season 10 years ago, and has recently been legally declared dead. But from the moment they arrive at the mountaintop resort, things seem a bit off. No employees are to be found, their cell phones go missing, and an icebreaker activity ends up revealing secrets...but without telling *whose* secrets they are. Told in alternating chapters between now and a decade earlier, Shiver keeps the twists coming and the adrenaline pumping, and nobody is what they say they are.

Oh, this was a FANTASTIC thriller. Competitive elite athletes, a snowbound resort mystery, mind games, infidelity... this has it ALL. Absolutely loved this thriller, and tore through it faster than one of these snowboarders heading down the mountain. So good!

The Sanatorium

The Sanatorium by Sarah Pearse, 390 pages

UK police officer Elin has been on an extended leave of absence after her mother's long illness and death. She's still considering whether she wants to return to the force when she and her boyfriend travel to a remote resort in Switzerland to celebrate Elin's brother's engagement to her childhood friend, Laure. The recently opened hotel is home of an old tuberculosis sanatorium, which becomes particularly creepy after Laure goes missing and a hotel employee is found dead. With a snowstorm and avalanches cutting off access for the local police, Elin's detective skills are called into action, placing her in more danger than she's ready for.

There's nothing quite like a locked-room (or snowed-in resort) thriller to get the adrenaline pumping, and the mix of the hotel's history as a sanatorium adds a nice gothic element. That said, the reveal is a bit of a letdown, being completely unguessable by readers. For a much better snowy thriller, check out my next post.

The Passenger

 

The passenger / Lisa Lutz, read by Madeline Maby, 304 pages

Well, this is a tough one to describe without any spoilers.  Tonya's husband is dead at the bottom of the stairs, is she guilty of anything?  Doesn't matter, she takes her leave and is on the run.  The more we hear about her, the more we realize she is not even really Tonya and has BEEN on the run for something in the past that seems even more mysterious.  Full of twists and turns and the slightly unbelievable way of shedding identities and finding new ones, you can't get bogged down in those details when the story itself is so captivating.  Is the bartender Blue a friend or enemy?  Is she helping or hurting? Lutz keeps you guessing.

Maby does a fantastic job narrating this intricate plot.

Finlay Donovan is Killing It

 Finlay Donovan is Killing It / Elle Cosimano, read by Angela Dawe, 368 pgs.

Finlay is kind of a mess.  She is a single mom whose ex is engaged to her former real estate agent.  She is dealing with two young kids and trying to finish her next book.  When a discussion with her editor is overheard at Panera, she also gets a contract from a woman who wans Finlay to kill her husband.  Laughing off the idea of it, she decides to check the guy out.  Lots of unintended consequences later, she has a body to dispose of.  Luckily her nanny Vero is the type of person you would call in this situation and the two team up to get their lives back on track.  Highly entertaining but not all that likely.

Hidden Valley Road

 

Hidden Valley Road: Inside the mind of an American Family / Robert Kolker, read by Sean Pratt, 398 pgs.

The Galvin family was made up of Don and Mimi and their 12 kids.  They seemed to be living the American Dream. Don was well respected at work and accomplished, Mimi seemed to manage the house without issues.  But then their first born started showing signs of illness.  Mental illness.  In what seemed fairly rapid succession another of the brothers fell ill.  Before it was over six of the 10 Galvin brothers would be diagnosed with schizophrenia.  Nothing was ever easy.  The family didn't have the money for expensive private treatments so the brothers cycled in and out of public facilities.  Discovered by researchers, this family helped scientists understand the disease. Told from the family perspective with highlights from the science, this is a stunning tale that will leave you wondering how any of the Galvin's made it through.

Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers

 Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers by Mary Roach (2003) 303 pages

Stiff has been on my to-read list for years and years, and I finally delved into it. Mary Roach writes about several aspects of cadavers, including how practitioners in the medical field long ago had trouble getting bodies for research, back when there was no other way to learn about human anatomy than to take bodies apart. Roach also has chapters on other uses for cadavers, like safety research for automobiles and weaponry. Another chapter that I liked dealt with the soul, and the competing ideas for where it was located. Her special love of cadavers is reserved for those who donate their organs after death, which has its own chapter.

One might think the subject matter is difficult, but Roach approaches it with equal parts wonder, humor and respect. The book is fascinating. I will give Roach's other works, including Bonk, Grunt and Gulp attention, without waiting so long.