Under the Whispering Door

Under the Whispering Door by T.J. Klune, 376 pages

Wallace is a horrible man and then he dies. Only a handful of people come to his funeral and none of them have anything good to say about him. So when a reaper comes to collect him as he's fuming about his poorly attended funeral, Wallace is angry, confused, and ready to speak to the manager (whoever that may be). His attitude doesn't improve when he arrives at an eclectic tea house where he's supposed to get comfortable with passing to the great beyond. But little by little, the tea shop's owner, the reaper, and the no-longer-alive dog that hangs out there grow on him.

Oh, T.J. Klune... you write such lovely books. This was an absolute joy to read, and I'm happy to recommend it to everyone. Keep writing, Mr. Klune, and I'll keep reading.

Moonflower Murders

Moonflower Murders by Anthony Horowitz, 224 & 357 pages

Several years ago, a flamboyant advertising executive was murdered while staying at a posh hotel in the English countryside, and an immigrant maintenance man was sentenced to prison for the crime. But nearly eight years later, Cecily, the daughter of the hotel owners, believes that the man was wrongly imprisoned. Her proof? The book Atticus Pund Takes the Case, written by the late author Alan Conway and based loosely on the murder and hotel staff. But when Cicely goes missing, her parents track down Conway's editor, Susan Ryeland, to review the book and search for clues that may help them find their daughter — and find out if the right man is in prison for the initial crime.

Much like the initial Alan Conway/Susan Ryeland book (Magpie Murders), Moonflower Murders is a book-within-a-book. While it's a clever puzzle mystery, I felt like this gimmick was a bit played out — why couldn't there be a different way for this book to work? Had I not read Magpie, I think I would've enjoyed this one more.

The Jigsaw Man

The Jigsaw Man by Nadine Matheson, 488 pages

A few years after catching a brutal serial killer who dismembered his victims, Serial Crimes Detective Inspector Anjelica Henley is called to a very similar murder scene. Either the narcissistic killer she put away a few years back has a long-hidden partner, or he has a copycat; no matter what, though, she has to dive back into that horrendous case to solve this one, including visiting the killer in prison.

This was a gory police procedural, as you might imagine from the description above. So don't read it while eating, OK? That said, it's also an intriguing look at PTSD and the pressure we put on ourselves, as well as the close-knit relationships of special police operations. Not my favorite mystery novel, but it wasn't bad either.

The Last House on Needless Street

The Last House on Needless Street by Catriona Ward, 341 pages

At the end of a quiet street near the woods, a man lives with his cat and his daughter. They're reclusive, to say the least: he keeps the windows boarded up and he doesn't let his daughter out of the house too often (and never unsupervised), given her penchant for trying to run away. Certainly, there is something not at all right in the titular house. Told in chapters alternating between the man, the cat, and the daughter's points of view, this story slowly spools out in increasing horror. I'm a bit hesitant to fully call it "horror," though many publications have listed it as one of the best horror novels of 2021. What I will say is that this book is incredibly well-written and captivating and truly impossible to put down. 

Daughters of Sparta

Daughters of Sparta by Claire Heywood, 370 pages

We're all familiar with the basic story of the Trojan War: gorgeous Helen is kidnapped from Sparta, launching a years-long war that ended when the Spartans smuggled themselves into the walled city of Troy in the belly of a huge wooden horse. That's the basic arc, sure, but Daughters of Sparta goes deeper, delving into the lives of Helen and her sister Klymenestra, who were married off when they were barely teens and forced to live away from their family, with much older men who ruled every element of their lives. 

This is a fascinating view of the Trojan War and the actions that led to it, told from the point of view of the women — Klymenestra, who had no chance to save her sister, her daughter, or herself from her fate, and Helen, whose guilt over inadvertently launching the war eats away at her while her paramour Paris sees her only as another possession. I'll readily admit that I'm not usually much a fan of stories from this era, but Heywood brings it all to life and illustrates Klymenestra and Helen's lives so powerfully that I absolutely loved this book.

The Inheritance of Orquidea Divina

The Inheritance of Orquidea Divina by Zoraida Cordova, 324 pages

Orquidea Divina is an old woman with an expansive family and some serious roots in her western U.S. homestead. An immigrant from Ecuador, she was also an outcast from her mother's family who found solace in a traveling circus. Told in alternating chapters, this book tells of Orquidea's youth and the lives of three of her grandchildren, all of whom are bequeathed with flowers growing out of their bodies upon Orquidea's death.

This is a lovely magical tale of family, generational trauma, the immigrant experience, and transcendent love. Fans of magical realism and old circus stories will dig this.

Bullet Train

Bullet Train by Kotaro Isaka, translated by Sam Malissa, 415 pages

A bullet train is traveling between Tokyo and Morioka, and an unlucky hitman has been hired to steal a suitcase before the first stop. Unfortunately, a couple of other hitmen have been hired to take the same suitcase, as well as the son of a dangerous kingpin, all the way to Morioka. As the train travels, more assassins appear on the train, each with their own agendas, most of which are in direct conflict with one another.

This was originally published in Japan in 2010 and only last year got an English translation. We have been missing out. This was hilarious, full of quirky characters (I particularly liked the assassin duo of Tangerine and Lemon, who were diehard fans of classic literature and Thomas the Tank Engine, respectively), and a fantastic, propulsive plot. This has already been optioned for a movie (though unfortunately one with mostly white actors), and I'll be first in line to watch it. An awesome book that's been horribly overlooked.

The Library of the Dead

The Library of the Dead by T.L. Huchu, 330 pages

Let me say straight out that you cannot judge this book by the title. There is a library that's accessed through a crypt, but it plays a much smaller role in the book than you'd expect. Instead, this book is about Ropa, a teen girl who has dropped out of school to serve as a messenger for ghosts in an effort to support her family in a post-apocalyptic Cardiff (No idea what caused the apocalypse, honestly, and I'd love to know). Along the way, she learns of children that have gone missing, and against her better judgment, decides to start investigating. Soon she finds herself pulled into the titular library, as well as a house that operates as a magical Venus flytrap and a madcap fight against a drug-dealing golem.

This was fun, and Ropa was a fantastic character, but something about this felt very young-adult to me. That said, I'll happily read more about Ropa and her quirky skills as ghost messenger.

The Velocity of Revolution

The Velocity of Revolution by Marshall Ryan Maresca, 352 pages

In a highly regulated caste-based city-state, roving motorcycle gangs have been disrupting the flow of gasoline, food, and other supplies to the higher-caste neighborhoods. A city patrol officer is sent on an undercover mission to root out the leaders of the resistance, and as he spends more time with those he's investigating, he learns more and more about the inequity of the political system.

I'll be honest: I read this a while ago in the midst of a mad rush of reading, and not a whole lot stuck with me. What did, however, was the weird combination of motorcycle speed and magic mushrooms, as well as the descriptions of mouthwatering food from taco trucks. Do not read while hungry, but otherwise, it's an intriguing world.

What the Devil Knows

What the Devil Knows by C.S. Harris, 321 pages

It's 1814, and men being brutally murdered in London. What's particularly disturbing about these murders is their similarity to murders several years earlier, though that killer was convicted and executed. Private investigator Sebastian St. Cyr takes on the case, delving into the initial crimes as well as its links to the new murders. Including references to actual historical murders and events, this 16th book in the Sebastian St. Cyr mysteries stands quite well on its own, and is an excellent example of historical mysteries. I'll have to check out the rest of the series now.

Sorrow and Bliss

Sorrow and Bliss by Meg Mason, 337 pages

Martha Friel was once a promising writer married to an absolute gem of a husband, a man that everyone loves. But now at 40, Martha's lifelong struggle with mental illness is making her push away that lovely husband and stalling her career. There aren't a lot of great ways to describe this book, but it's a wonderful examination of the toll of mental illness and misdiagnoses and living up to family expectations. Martha is a prickly and dryly funny character, and this book was great.

Never Saw Me Coming

Never Saw Me Coming by Vera Kurian, 389 pages

When Chloe enters college, she wants to get an education, yes, but she also has very specific plans to kill Will Bachman, a friend from childhood who horribly mistreated her. She's also one of seven anonymous diagnosed psychopaths in a peculiar study at her university, which becomes problematic when others in the study begin dying off in a series of brutal murders. Now Chloe must figure out who's trying to kill her without it interfering with her own plans of murder.

There's something very "Spy vs. Spy" about this book, which keeps you on your toes the whole time. I loved how Kurian turned the psychopathic thriller trope on its head by making the psychos the victims, which also served to humanize and explain them better than most thrillers. A fantastic edge-of-your-seat book.

One Day All This Will Be Yours

One Day All This Will Be Yours by Adrian Tchaikovsky, 138 pages

Once time travel was discovered and harnessed, it was weaponized. Nobody's sure who started it (what with all the messing-about with time and everything), but the Causality War ended up screwing up everything. The unnamed narrator of this short book was one agent of the war and managed to find a small chunk of time to call his own, creating a self-sustaining farm out of all of his favorite elements of the past. So what if he has to kill any stray time travelers that accidentally show up in his utopia? It's a small price to pay for peace.

There's something charming about the cynical curmudgeon at the center of this novella, particularly when an equally cynical traveler lands in his chunk of time. This is a lovely little story of hubris and futility and pet velociraptors. Look past the horrendous cover and check it out.

Chilling Effect

Chilling Effect by Valerie Valdes, 434 pages

This was our January Orcs & Aliens read, and it featured a fantastic found family on a space ship, an intergalactic mafia, ancient tech that nobody can explain, some possibly psychic cats, a guy that just CANNOT take no for an answer, and alien planets that featured everything from mind-controlling alcohol-brewing monks to dinosaurs that need their own soap opera. In other words, this book was a ton of fun to read, and a ton of fun to discuss!

The Burning Girls

The Burning Girls by C.J. Tudor, 333 pages

When single mom Jack Brooks moves to Chapel Croft to take over the vicarage, she fully expects to find a small town with conservative ideals where everyone knows each other's business. What she doesn't expect is 500-year-old legacy of protestant martyrs who were burned at the stake, a mysteriously delivered exorcism kit on her front door, and the surprise news that her predecessor killed himself. On top of that, 30 years ago, two girls mysteriously disappeared, and things are still strange and mysterious.

While billed as a mystery, this book definitely has some thriller, and almost horror, vibes too. There are teenaged bullies, a decades-old buried mystery, and even Jack has plenty of secrets. A good creepy thriller.

Defying Doomsday

 Defying Doomsday edited by Tsana Dolichva and Holly Kench, 432 pages.

This anthology, by mostly Australian authors, is all about disabled and chronically ill protagonists facing the end of the world (or sometimes coping with a world that has already ended). The specific apocalypses run the gamut from disease to aliens (a whole lot of aliens) and the protagonists are just as varied, representing a wide range of human experience.

I found this anthology very alright. Most anthologies have stories that are, in my experience, wildly varying in quality. Normally there are at least two or three authors that impress me enough that I seek out a longer work by them, and a few stories that I find very difficult to get through. This book was filled entirely with stories in between. Many of them had very interesting concepts, but the stories didn't quite come together into something I was impressed by. This was a very good concept with sort of meh execution.

She Who Became the Sun

She Who Became the Sun by Shelley Parker-Chan, 414 pages

In 1300s China, Zhu Chongba has escaped a life of starvation on the high plains to become a powerful monk and military strategist. Yet Zhu has a secret: to avoid her own predicted fate of nothingness, she has stolen her dead brother's identity and his predicted fate of greatness and renown. As she moves up in the world and becomes more powerful, she must balance her secret with her ambition.

This is listed as fantasy in our catalog and on our shelves, but I don't know that that's necessarily a great place for it. Yes, there is a bit of glowing for anyone who is deemed to have the mandate of the gods (a common enough trope in anything imperial), but really this is a fascinating historical fiction of a woman trying to function in a man's world without being found out. Definitely a good book, but don't go into it expecting great workings of magic.

Unity

Unity by Elly Bangs, 289 pages

Danae is desperate to leave the underwater Bloom City, as a malicious crime syndicate is after her, and she has a secret connection to a collective consciousness to protect. As she and her lover escape to dry land, the truth of her pursuer becomes clearer, and more clearly dangerous.

I'll be honest: this was a confusing book to read, given the gestalt consciousness situation. That said, it was certainly intriguing and will stick with me for quite some time. I'm curious to see what Bangs comes out with next.

The Sweetness of Water

The Sweetness of Water by Nathan Harris, 363 pages

In the waning days of the Civil War, an awkward and isolated Georgia couple is disturbed to hear that their only son has been killed while fighting for the South. Despondent, the father begins farming his land with the help of two recently emancipated brothers, one of whom is mute. When the dead son returns (apparently there was some miscommunication), the family must reckon with their standing in the community, as well as their son's experiences in war.

This was a surprising and beautifully written story of very different people being brought together by odd circumstances, and the ways that we survive the toughest of situations. Well worth a read.

Finlay Donovan Is Killing It

Finlay Donovan Is Killing It by Elle Cosimano, 359 pages

Single mom and struggling author Finlay Donovan is doing her best to hold it together. But when a conversation with her editor about the complicated plot of her latest murder mystery is overheard at a cafe, Finlay finds herself being offered a job to kill a woman's husband. Normally, Finlay wouldn't consider the offer, but, well, she could really use the cash...

Yes, the premise of this novel is HIGHLY implausible, but wow, if it isn't a fantastic tale. Finlay's situation is fraught, her nanny is dark and devious and deliciously funny, and her ex-husband should be buried under the sod he farms. I absolutely loved this book, and can't wait to read more about Finlay!

Gender Queer

Gender Queer, a Memoir by Maia Kobabe (2019) 240 pages

Maia was born as a female and lived with free-spirited parents and a sister on a large remote property in Northern California, with one neighbor family who was similar. There wasn't a real need for Maia to consider being any particular gender, until starting first grade, when it seemed jarring to Maia to be left out of an activity because Maia was female. That was just the start. As Maia matured, Maia was constantly searching for and trying on different gender identities, first as gay, then bi, then trans. Nothing seemed to fit.

This graphic lit memoir shows the reader just what some people go through as they try to figure out who they are. Later on, Maia is steered by a friend to read Touching a Nerve: The Self as Brain by Patricia S. Churchland, which gets into the biology which could explain why for some people there is a disconnect between one's gonads and their gender identity. Reading Churchland's book provided great relief to Maia: "I was born this way."

There is also some discussion about the use of pronouns that some people choose, whether to use male or female pronouns, plural pronouns, or Spivak pronouns (e, em, and eir).

Good book, both for those who are searching for their gender identity and also for those who want to understand them and support their choices.

Peril

 

Peril by Bob Woodward and Robert Costa (2021) 482 pages

My husband and I waited months for our library request for this book to be fulfilled; there were more than 70 other readers ahead of us. Once it came into our hands, we realized how worth the wait it was. 

Bob Woodward and Robert Costa interviewed 200 people for this work, meticulously crafting it, bringing us into the heads of so many players involved in the 2020 Presidential election and its aftermath. The events of the book include the horrific events on January 6th, 2021, and continue to Joe Biden's Inauguration and well into the months that follow.

The chapters draw one in quickly and the pages fly by. The most important takeaway, in my mind, is the fragility of our democracy when put into the hands of those who don't treasure it.

Radiant Black

 Radiant Black Vol 1/ Kyle Higgins, 192 pgs.

Nathan Burnett isn't exactly successful.  He is 30, working two crap jobs and has to move back in with his parents.  When an unexplained cosmic radiant is gifted to him by aliens,  he finds himself with super powers.  Now what?  He is still trying to navigate a tough relationship with his dad. Oh, and there is a red radiant who seems to want to kill him.  What is the deal with that? I guess we will find out a lot more in the next volume, this one is just setting the stage.

Where The Drowned Girls Go

 Where the Drowned Girls Go by Seanan McGuire, 150 pages. 

It's January, which means it's time for another Wayward Children book! Because Seanan McGuire is an angel who publishes like clockwork. (This is the seventh book in the series, and there have been many posts on this blog about others, but here's Kara's post about the first).

Ever since she came back from The Moors the Drowned Gods have been haunting Cora's dreams, leaving her unable to sleep or find peace in the water where she has always felt at home. In her desperation Cora asks Eleanor West to transfer her to the other school they are told about, the school for people who want to forget everything that happened to them.

The Whitethorn Institute isn't as kind as Eleanor West's School for Wayward Children. Here everything is about order and control. Children are taught that the doors are poisonous delusions and that they must learn to deny the things they know to be true. Soon Cora is forced to question how a school full of heroes allows this place full of monsters to continue.

This book is stunning, which is hardly surprising given that this may well be my favorite series ever. That being said, this book is a little harder to read than many of the others in this series, because it's pretty heartbreaking throughout. These children are put in an environment designed to destroy them, and next to the kindness and camaraderie that suffuses so much of this series it's especially painful to read. But this book is also powerful and defiant. It is about Cora (and many besides her) refusing to be destroyed or made small. I loved if, and if you haven't read these book you should start immediately. 

The Girl with Stars in Her Eyes

The Girl with Stars in Her Eyes by Xio Axelrod, 457 pages

Despite a difficult childhood bouncing between back rooms and bars with her musician mom and rough barkeep dad, Toni Bennette (yes, you can roll your eyes about her name) has made a name for herself in Philadelphia as a go-to guitarist for recording sessions. But when she gets a chance to audition for a temporary spot in an up-and-coming indie rock band, she's confronted with another piece of her past: Sebastian Quick, the guy who was her best friend and sole music companion in her teens who abandoned her as soon as he turned 18. As they reconnect, Toni and Seb must reconcile their pasts and work toward the future, for the sake of the band and their own sanity.

For how long this book is, it read INCREDIBLY fast. This isn't your average romance novel setup, and it's particularly awesome in how it treats the main characters' complex history. I was swept away by Toni's story, and I will absolutely read the rest of Axelrod's books about the band, which I hope will be coming soon.

People We Meet on Vacation

People We Meet on Vacation by Emily Henry, 364 pages

Poppy and Alex are complete opposites. He's tall and proper and straight-laced, she's short and fiery and full-on silly. For more than a decade, they shared their summer vacation from questionable campsites to Croatia and all points in between. But then something happened to tear these two best friends apart and after two years apart, Poppy's determined to mend their friendship with another trip culminating in Alex's brother's wedding. When the trip turns into a disaster, imagine their surprise to find that the long friendship is turning into something more, despite the broken air conditioner, horrible Airbnb, and ridiculously bad rental car.

Why couldn't they see what was staring them in the face for so long??? We'll never know, but it sure is fun to watch them figure it out! It's great to see a friends-to-lovers romance novel, and this one delivers perfectly.

Day Zero

Day Zero by C. Robert Cargill, 287 pages

In the near future, everyone has a host of household intelligent robots to run errands, do chores, and even be nannies. That's what Pounce is — a fluffy tiger nanny bot who takes care of sweet 8-year-old Ezra. But when some rogue robots figure out how to delete the code that forces all robots to obey Asimov's laws (don't harm humans), the robot apocalypse comes to town and Pounce must figure out if he loves and wants to protect Ezra because he chooses to or because he was programmed to.

I read a review of this that described it as "Tigger: First Blood," and honestly, that's about the best three-word description I can come up with for this gruesome, cinematic Western of a sci-fi novel. It's a rip-roaring thrill ride that starts up and doesn't let go (I read it in about 3 hours), so if you want a shoot-'em-up movie in book form, give this one a whirl.

The Chicken Sisters

The Chicken Sisters by KJ Dell'Antonia, 344 pages

For generations, two fried chicken restaurants have vied for the hearts of the residents in tiny Merinac, Kansas. Not a particularly surprising premise, except that these two eateries were founded by warring sisters, and their descendants have kept up the fight for more than a century. Now, in a bid to bring more attention to their charming small town, Amanda, the girl who crossed the line (read: married a son from the other family), has reached out to a reality show, which agrees to pit Amanda and her in-laws against Amanda's sister and mother in a fight for the fried chicken crown. This was a silly premise, and I'm not sure how much I really cared about the characters, but darn if it didn't pull me in and make me crave fried chicken as I read it.

Herland

 Herland by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, 147 pages.

Three men set out on an adventure after they hear rumors about a country populated entirely by women. The utopian society they find hidden away in the mountains then causes them to carefully think about their own society in many ways they never had and question many of the things they had considered to be inherent parts of society.

It's always really interesting to read historical social criticism. This book is especially interesting because many of the things that Gilman examines are still very relevant today, while others are obvious references to specific societal problems in 1915, when the book was published. She also did a very clever thing by making our three men hold a wide range of the prevailing social views about women. "The Yellow Wallpaper" was one of my favorite short stories I read in school, so I don't know why it never occurred to me to look for other works by the author until a coworker here at the library recommended this book to me (he doesn't seem to have written a post about it, but you can see Jan's here). Gilman's writing in this book is very intelligent, and she manages to write a book that feels like a story instead of just a social treatise, while also definitely being that.

Piranesi

 Piranesi by Susanna Clarke, 245 pages.

Our protagonist lives in The House, which is endless and provides all he needs. He has in all his life never reached the end of it's labyrinthine halls filled with unique statues, and indeed has no reason to believe it ever ends. The lower halls are a great ocean whose tides he tracks carefully, and whose fish and seaweed feed him and fuel his fire. The upper halls are full of clouds which provide fresh water. There have been at least fifteen people in the history of the world, 13 dead and 2 living. The other living person he calls "The Other." The Other is in search of a great secret knowledge that our protagonist (who he calls Piranesi, despite the fact that he is pretty sure that is not his name) goes far into the halls to help him research. But soon Piranesi begins seeing strange things, and remembering strange things, that cause him to begin to question all of the things he thought he knew about his little world. 

I'm not entirely sure how to feel about this book. On the one hand there are many things in it that don't make a lot of sense. Our protagonist is alternately presented as extremely intelligent and scientifically minded, while also essentially never asking what feel like very obvious questions or drawing very obvious conclusions, which is both frustrating and pretty hard to believe. On the other hand this book is extremely richly atmospheric, the prose is lovely, and the setting is deeply intriguing. The House actually reminds me quite a lot of the setting of The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern, which is one of my favorite books and which I've had a very hard time finding anything that even remotely matches. There are definitely frustrating elements of this book, but ultimately it is very short and definitely worth the read.
 

The Love Con

 The Love Con by Seressia Glass, 320 pages.

Kenya Davenport has just made it to the final round of the reality TV cosplay competition show Cosplay or No Way when the judges throw a complication for her into play. Their last challenge is a couples cosplay, and with Kenya extremely single. When the snootiest judge makes some comments about her competitor having an advantage because he's competing with his husband she impulsively claims that her best friend and roommate, Cameron Lassiter, is her boyfriend, and that they'll be competing together. Now they have to convince the film crew (and by extension the people in their lives) that they're dating for four weeks while they try desperately to complete two very complex costumes for the chance at $100,000 and the opportunity to help costume a major Hollywood production (not to mention the chance to make Kenya's parents take her dream career seriously and stop pushing her to use her engineering degree). 

So first off I feel like I need to address how completely unnecessary the fake dating is. They absolutely didn't have to do that. But it is clear from the first few chapters that they're both very into each other, so mostly it just ends up feeling like an extremely elaborate excuse to act on those feelings. Which is so completely stupid it is both hilarious and endearing. Is this a good book? I'm honestly not sure. Did I enjoy it? Absolutely.

Dark One, Vol. 1

 Dark One, Vol. 1, by Brandon Sanderson, illustrated by Nathan C. Gooden and Kurt Michael Russel, 224 pages.

Visions of a dark world haunt Paul Tanasin, as do visions of himself doing violence to the people around him. It turns out this other world is not just a long term hallucination, but rather glimpses of a world called Mirandus. This world is ruled by a force called "The Narrative" which essentially dictates that the same story must play out over and over again. The Dark One must rise up, rally the native population of the planet, and try to destroy everything. Then a destined hero chosen by the narrative will rise up to stop them. Paul is destined to be this Dark One.

I really like this author, and thought there was a chance he would do something very unique with the fated destroyer trope (James Kennedy's The Order of Odd Fish does, and I thought it was brilliant). But unfortunately there just wasn't a whole lot of originality here. It was fine overall, but I didn't take much away from it.

Elatsoe

Elatsoe by Darcie Little Badger, 362 pages.

Elatsoe is a rare example of a book set in a world that is both recognizably modern and openly shaped by magic. It is most shaped by the Lipan Apache beliefs of both the protagonist and the author, but also more broadly by other belief systems (I was a big fan of the concept of invasive species monsters). The story itself follows the titular Elatsoe (Ellie for short), a teenage girl who raises the ghosts of dead animals, using a family secret that has been passed down for many generations. The action starts when her cousin Travis' spirit visits her in a dream and asks her to solve his murder. Ellie and her mother go to stay with Travis' newborn son and grieving widow, both to help them with their grief and to unravel the dark mysteries at the heart of this small Texas town.

This was a phenomenal book. The mystery is spooky and engaging, and all of the characters are really wonderful. I found Ellie especially very believably a person. She is both indigenous and asexual, but neither of those things are treated as he defining characteristic. I also really appreciated the story's focus on family, and it's examination of the history of race in America, all while being overall a very exciting and fun book. I would definitely recommend this book, and I really hope that Little Badger decides to write the sequel that the ending teased.
 

The bomber mafia

 

The bomber mafia / Malcolm Gladwell, read by the author, 256 pgs.

Like many of Gladwell's books, this one can knock your socks off if you are a war buff, a history buff, an airplane buff, or a strategy buff.  Or maybe you just like having a book take you on a trip.  Gladwell uses clips of actual historic interviews with his main subjects and talks to present day historians in his research.  It makes the audio version a superior way to read this book. 

My Man Jeeves

My Man Jeeves / P.G. Wodehouse read by Jonathan Cecil, 256 pgs.

An early collection from Wodehouse that features Jeeves although not in every story. We are still set on finding Jeeves able to solve problems and police Bertie's choice of attire.  It has been a long time since I've read something by Wodehouse and I'm glad I checked back in with him. 

Going There

Going There by Katie Couric (2021) 510 pages

Katie Couric's new book seems to cover everything notable that has happened in her life, from growing up in Virginia to the present day. In her acknowledgements section, she notes that her husband told her if she wasn't ready to be honest, then don't write a book. And she tells it all, her honesty including mistakes she made and interviews that she wishes she had approached differently, something that I respect.

She covers her time at several networks, including her 15 years on NBC's Today Show. One memorable event during this time was her decision to be filmed getting a colonoscopy in 2000, part of her efforts to encourage people to get screened for colon cancer, which had killed her first husband at age 42.

Even more interesting to me were her experiences navigating a news world dominated by men and her feelings about the various networks, including which networks and programs were best to work for and which were more unwelcoming. With the "MeToo" movement gaining traction, she has her views on that, as well. Good book.

The chosen and the beautiful

 

The chosen and the beautiful / Nghi Vo, read by Natalie Naudus, 254 pgs.

It had been so long since reading "The Great Gatsby" that I had to go and look up a summary.  Oh yea, now I remember these people.  This is a retelling of the story told from Jordan Baker's perspective.  Totally different yet so much the same.  Vo's writing is superb and it turns out this is a much more interesting version.  I could not stop reading.

Everyone in this room will someday be dead

 

Everyone in this room will someday be dead / Emily Austin, read by Emily Tremaine 243 pgs. 

Gilda is a 20 something lesbian who is fixated on death.  She has a hard time living day-to-day and gets fired from her job.  Obviously she needs some help with this issue but is sometimes too sad to see it.  She answers an ad and gets hired at a Catholic church...oh yea, she is also an atheist so that is a great match.  She is replacing a woman who died.  When questions come up about the circumstances of the death, Gilda is now a depressed, atheist, lesbian who is investigating the death of her predecessor.  Does this all sound depressing to you?  Oddly, it really isn't. It turns out to be kind of fun. The audio was very well done by Emily Tremaine.

Gentrifier: a memoir

 

Gentrifier: a memoir / Anne Elizabeth Moore 254 pgs.

Virginia Woolf knew that to write, you need a space.  Anne Elizabeth Moore accepts a space in the form of a house in Detroit that is given to her.  The organization has good intentions of giving houses to writers. Moore befriends her mostly Bengali neighbors and starts a garden.  She does research on the problems in Detroit with housing and neglect.  She ends up spending quite a bit of money on her free house teaching us to be wary of accepting "free" things.  Very interesting stuff. 

Dare to Know

 Dare to Know by James Kennedy, 304 pages.

A breakthrough in particle physics allows mathematicians to predict the exact moment of a person's death with 100% accuracy. Which makes it a pretty big deal when our protagonist breaks taboo and calculates his own time of death, only to find that he was supposed to die 23 minutes ago. This speculative thriller takes the reader back and forth through the narrator's life as he journeys west to California to confirm his math with an ex-girlfriend and figure out it this break down in physics means apocalypse. 

I really loved this author's first book, which was one of the funniest books I've ever read. Which made it very disappointing that I didn't care for this book much at all. There was a whole lot of plot here that was hard to follow and/or didn't make a lot of sense. I also found pretty much every character pretty sad and insufferable, so that didn't really help my overall reading enjoyment. There were some very cool descriptive scenes, and some genuinely frightening moments, which are probably the strongest moments in the book. I will also say that anyone who enjoyed Rabbits will probably like this one as well.

Chilling Effect

 Chilling Effect by Valerie Valdez, 448 pages.

Captain Eva Innocente is working very hard to keep her crew afloat doing strictly legal jobs (which pay much worse than the illegal kind). This resolve is severely tested when her sister is kidnapped by a sprawling criminal organization called "The Fridge," who have a habit of putting their victims in cryostasis. Now Eva has to do a series of dangerous jobs to pay her sister's ransom with the complications multiplying by the day, so it's only a matter of time until something gives.

This book is pretty much unbridled fun. It reminds me of an old serialized adventure story. It's not a book that takes itself to seriously, and asks the reader not to take it too seriously either (this is really hammered home by the time you hit a live T-Rex soap opera). If you're willing to suspend pretty much all disbelief and go along for the ride it's a lot of fun, and I'm really looking forward to talking about it at Orcs & Aliens next week. (Although the psychic cats feature less than I had hoped)

Razorblade Tears

Razorblade Tears by S.A. Cosby, 319 pages

After their married sons were brutally murdered by unknown assailants, Ike Randolph and Buddy Lee don't have much in common but their grief. But when someone vandalizes their shared headstone with racist and homophobic graffiti, the two fathers team up to track down their sons' killers, forcing them to delve into their own homophobic and prejudiced tendencies as they try to find out who killed their boys.

This was raw and violent, much like Cosby's previous novel, Blacktop Wasteland. But while that was a southern heist, this one is a sharp, insightful examination of bigotry, hatred, love, and grief. An excellent novel, from an excellent author.

The Narrowboat Summer

The Narrowboat Summer by Anne Youngson, 319 pages

When walking alongside a canal in England, recently fired executive Eve meets recently separated Sally and, on a whim, decide to take over the transport of recently diagnosed Anastasia's narrowboat, which needs to be 150 miles away down the canal a few weeks time. Somehow, this all works for them, and as Anastasia gets the help she needs at the hospital, Eve and Sally learn about who they really are.

I'll be honest: this book didn't really do it for me. The characters were kind of boring (aside from Noah, Anastasia's boisterous dog, that is) and the plot just kind of drifted along. I will say, however, that this has definitely piqued my interest in floating the canals of England.

December totals!

We all know that New Year's resolutions are fairly laughable...but that won't keep me from suggesting "blog for UCPL" as a resolution (and consequently hounding you about it)! You know you wanna!!!

Christa  13/3358

Jan  4/1162

Kara  12/4144

Regan  6/1161

Total:  35/10,325