The Wind Knows My Name

 

The Wind Knows My Name by Isabel Allende  260 pp.

In 1938 Vienna, Austria young Samuel Adler has his life torn apart on Kristallnacht. His father is injured and disappears after the Nazi's destroy his medical office and their home. With the help of a neighbor and the pharmacist Dr. Adler did business with five year old Samuel is sent alone on a Kindertransport train alone with only a change of clothes and his precious violin. He never sees his parents again. Evenutally he makes his way to the U.S. finally making his home in California. In 2019, seven year old Anita Diaz and her mother escape from violence in El Salvador and make their way on the roof of a train to the U.S. Border. They arrive to become victims of the separation policy where refugee children were removed from their parents. Anita's mother disappears and Anita, who is blind is stuck in a system that shuffles her from one bad situation to another. Her best coping skill is her imagination. A young social worker and an up and coming lawyer are trying to find Anita's mother and make sure Anita can stay in the U.S. Although the ending isn't completely happy, there is a satisfactory resolution to all that happens. Isabel Allende is one of my favorite authors and although this book is not my favorite of hers, it is well worth reading. I listened to the audiobook edition.

The Lady of the Lake

 

The Lady of the Lake- by Andrzej Sapokowski (1999) 531 Pages 

Continuing on the Witcher's saga, Ciri has discovered she can travel across time and other universes. The problem is, she is trapped somewhere she believe's she cannot leave, and has no idea how to control her gift yet. In this world, there are elves but they are not the same as the ones from her world. She is told she must birth a son with this elf king, in order to return to her own world. She eventually finds out there are more sinister things afoot, when the unicorn that once saved her life in the desert shows up again and shows her how to escape. Together, Ciri, Kelpie and Ihuarraquax (unicorn) begin to magically jump from world to world, running from those chasing her for her power. We observe multiple universes and times from different points of view from other characters, including a universe which is some distance in the future and of Arthurian legends. Nimuae knows the tales of the Witcher girl and has devoted her life to studying these legends of days past. Most people consider them fairy tales. One day, Nimuae and her apprentice are near the lake when a girl, a magestic black mare seemingly appear out amongst the fog. Nimuae had been preparing for this day and knows the witcher girl is lost amongst time. Her and her apprentice open a portal which is the correct time and place for Ciri to return home in order to save Yennefer and Geralt. She jumps through portal and arrives at the castle where Yennefer is imprisoned and Geralt has arrived for the two. Many of the companions of Geralt, including Angouleme, Regis the Vampire, Cahir and Milva all are killed while protecting Ciri or saving Yen and Geralt. The scene ends with Vilgefortz finally being killed. The climax following, however, is Emhyr var Emreis, the White Flame of Nilfgaard and his army arriving just as the clan is leaving the castle. Geralt and Emhyr talk in private where Geralt reveals he know the true identiy of the Emperor. He is Duny, Ciri's father, who was once saved by Geralt and paved the way for him to marry Pavetta, and the child surprise. It is all connected, most sinisterly, as Emhyr has planned everything in order to create the savior of the world, using Ciri's blood. He never loved Pavetta but used her as an incubator in order to create Ciri. He now plans to incestuously impregnate his daughter in order to create yet another life, who would also have Ciri's power, but much more. Geralt somehow, maybe, changes his mind as while him and Yennefer are locked away, Ciri announces that the army, Emhyr, everyone has marched off and they are free. 

More happens, and it is mostly a happy ending with Ciri saving Geralt's life once more, although she must travel across worlds once more and never return. Geralt and Yennefer marry. 

This series absolutely rivals my favorite fantasy series. I would rank it under Lord of the Rings and Game of Thrones. I'm so sad it has ended and am so glad I read them! This author was an incredible storyteller. 

The Man in the Picture

 

The Man in the Picture by Susan Hill (2007) 145 Pages

LOVED this quick but effective ghost story. Genuinely spooked me while reading before bed.

Oliver, an academic, is visiting with an old professor at Cambridge before school is back in session. Dr Theo Parmitter begins to share with Oliver a story about one of his framed paintings, specifically of a Venetian carnival scene. The painting catches Theo's eye at an auction and he soon cannot stop thinking about it. However he soon learns that the painting has some sort of capture on him and everyone who has owned it in the past. He comes in contact with the painting's previous owner, who sends a mysterious message that she must speak to Theo at once. An old countess, the woman begins to tell Theo everything that has happened in her life because of the painting. The man in the center of the painting, who has a horrible look of dread and fear, almost like trying to escape the scene, is an exact resemblence to the countesses' late husband. She believe the painting is cursed and traps men. As the story within the story unfolds, Oliver himself beigns experiencing nightmares about the painting and other strange occurances. 

The story ends after the full curse is revealed, Theo tragically passes away (maybe due to the painting's curse?) and leaves the painting bequeathed to Oliver. The story ends with Oliver's newly wedded wife continuing his writings as a plea to figure out where her husband disappeared to..........

Boneshaker

 Boneshaker (The Clockwork Century #1) by Cherie Priest (2009) 416 pages

This was a fun steampunk adventure, but I'm not so thrilled with the characters and setting to necessarily continue the series. It is a world where the American Civil War has stretched on for several additional years because the author imagines the South had the train routes and manufacturing that in reality gave the North the advantage. That is an uncomfortable premise, giving the South more power, but it is background to a story that takes place in Seattle before any of the west coast has been divided into states. The alternate history that really affects the story is that the Klondike gold rush happened earlier than in reality, so the population of Seattle has boomed, and a mad scientist loosely inspired by Edison built the Boneshaker machine to drill for gold, but unintentionally released a poisonous yellow gas called Blight. Blight turns people into zombies and a giant wall was built around Seattle to stop the gas from spreading. Some rough and ready folks still live in the city in sealed up underground passages where gas masks and zombie fighting weapons are always at hand. Sixteen years later, Ezekiel, the son of this mad scientist, has only known life in the Outskirts outside the wall. He sets out to learn what really happened with his father inside the walls. His mother Briar chases after him to get him safely out of the city, but it is not easy for her to locate her son. The action is pretty steady and characters are fearful of not only the zombies, but a mad scientist who is in charge of the unfinished train station within the walls. Are the rumors true about who this mad scientist is?

Amplified: A Design History of the Electric Guitar

 Amplified: A Design History of the Electric Guitar by Paul Atkinson, 272 pgs. 

This book looks at the guitar as an object through the lens of design. Paul Atkinson, a professor of Design and Design History at Sheffield Hallam University, takes the reader on a thorough deep-dive into one of the most popular and culturally significant instruments of the last century. You may think that the state of the inventor of the guitar is a settled matter, but the truth is far more complex than that. "The emergence of the electric guitar was, like many other inventions, the result of a series of parallel developments." Several groups interested in the development of the guitar were simultaneously experimenting with similar designs and effects at nearly the same time. From there, it was just a rush to the market to get them into musicians' hands. The most popular guitar models in history are knows as the "Holy Trinity"--the Stratocaster, the Les Paul and the Telecaster. These were the models that have outlasted all others in terms of cultural influence, sound and style. Although many luthiers and instrument companies have tried to break this hold on the market, those three models have survived mostly unchanged for the last 50 years, which is likely a testament to how well-designed they were the first time around. Atkinson starts off in the early 1900s, covering Gibson's wide-body archtops (made wide in order to sound louder on big-band stages), to the implementation of electric pick-ups to increase volume, all the way to the 1980s when synthesizers began merging with guitars. While Fender and Gibson loom large in this book (as they should), Atkinson spends ample time reviewing more interesting models that stood-out but never really captured the public imagination. The author is not interested in promoting one brand or style over the other; this is purely a book for the love of the instrument in its many forms. Recommended for adults and teens. 

To Have and to Hoax

To Have and to Hoax by Martha Waters, 360 pages

Despite a forced wedding to preserve her reputation, Lady Violet Grey and Lord James Audley were madly in love for the first year of their marriage. And then they had a HUGE argument that led to four years of an icy, loveless marriage. But when Violet receives news that her estranged husband has been gravely injured, she rushes to his side...only to discover that he's just fine and her worry was unnecessary. To get back at this, she devises a plot to convince him she's ill, convinced that it will prove to them both that he still cares about her. As you can probably guess, things don't go quite as planned.

Second-chance romance is a genre trope that I've always had trouble with, in large part because all of the conflict upon which the plot depends could usually get solved with a single honest conversation between the two main characters. And that's definitely the case here. Yes, each of them has their own issues to sort out, but those aren't the sort of things that can be solved by love (even in the world of a romance novel), and those issues would be monumentally easier to deal with if they sat down, chatted, and worked on them with the support of a loving spouse...which is exactly what happens 300 pages later than necessary. There are some other books in this series that I'm interested in reading (which is the main reason I picked up this series-starter) — I can only hope that they center on a different trope.

Making It So

Making It So: A Memoir by Sir Patrick Stewart  469 pp.

In his own words, Stewart tells his life story from his early days in Mirfield, West Yorkshire, England to the present. Born just after the start of World War II, he was raised by his mother while his father served in the army. The family struggled financially and suffered domestic abuse at the hands of his father. He caught the acting bug while quite young, playing in local amateur theatres and eventually attended the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School on a grant with his friend, actor Brian Blessed. He played small parts in different repertory theatres before becoming a member of the Royal Shakespeare Company in 1966. From there his career grew to performing onstage and in minor film roles internationally. While in Los Angeles he received a request to audition for his most famous role, that of Captain Jean-Luc Picard on the reboot of Star Trek. Since then he has returned to his first love, the stage in a number of productions as well as playing Professor Charles Xavier in the X-men franchise with his good friend Ian McKellan. Stewart has done a majority of his work after age 60 and now at 83 he does not plan on slowing down. I was surprised that he doesn't say much about his activism in the cause of domestic violence. I listened to the audiobook narrated by Stewart and his familiar voice was like listening to an old friend. 

Finlay Donovan Jumps the Gun

Finlay Donovan Jumps the Gun by Elle Cosimano, 297 pages

The third book in the Finlay Donovan series finds the titular character and her nanny/accountant/accomplice Vero yet again scrambling to get out of trouble with both some Atlantic City loan sharks and a jailed mob boss named Feliks. The sharks are coming to collect from Vero, while Feliks has tasked Finlay with discovering the identity of (and subsequently turning over to his goons) a gun-for-hire known only by their online handle: EasyClean. While these not-at-all-legal tasks are difficult enough, Finlay's close relationship with the local cops (her sister is one, and so is the guy that she's trying hard not to hook up with) has made it infinitely harder, especially when she gets roped into attending a sleepaway-camp-esque citizens police academy. Oh, and there's a dead guy and a stolen Aston Martin they have to deal with too. No biggie.

At this point in the series, it's nearly impossible to figure out what's going on without reading the previous books fairly recently...and I'll admit that it's been a while since I read the second book. Once I cottoned on to the plot, the book went quickly enough, though as the series progresses, I'm having more and more difficulty forgiving Finlay and Vero's antics, or caring about them as characters. Will I continue reading? I dunno... but if you dig madcap mysteries with mistaken identities and mafia galore, you'll probably enjoy this series.

Gabi, a Girl in Pieces

 Gabi, a Girl in Pieces by Isabel Quintero  294 pp.

Gabi Hernandez is a food loving, overweight, Mexican-American high school senior. In this book she chronicles her life during her senior year with all its joys, difficulties, and tragedies. Her best friends have their own crises, one getting pregnant and the other coming out as gay and getting kicked out by his parents. Through it all Gabi deals with her problems with a restrictive mother and a drug addicted father and her struggles with weight. Her one real joy is the poetry group one of the teachers starts. Through that she finds a real boyfriend and gets accepted to college at UC-Berkeley, her dream school. This story is very well written and really makes you care for the characters and their lives. This is one of the selections for my high school book club and I'm looking forward to discussing it with them.

Strange Practice

 Strange Practice by Vivian Shaw, 320 pages.

Dr. Greta Helsing runs a very specialized medical practice, caring for London's undead like her family before her. Although not lucrative, Greta takes great satisfaction in her work. An order on monstrous monks hunting London's undead and human communities both is not what she signed up for, but that's not going to stop her from doing her best to get to the bottom of it.

This was a fun little mystery. I really enjoyed the characters and the world that Shaw set up. I will however say that it is a very good thing that solving mysteries isn't actually Greta's job, because she and her friends are frustratingly bad at it. Still, I enjoyed this book enough that I expect I will pick up it's sequel.

(Also, this cover is SUPER cool)

The Renaissance of Gwen Hathaway

 The Renaissance of Gwen Hathaway by Amy Schumacher, 320 pages. 

Madeline Hathaway hasn't been doing very well since her mom died. The renaissance festival circuit she grew up on hasn't been the same, she and her dad aren't really communicating, and she is compulsively tracking almost every aspect of her life as part of her grieving process. She's been nervous to arrive at her mom's favorite festival, and when she get there she hardly recognizes it. The festival is under new management, and the new owners' son is determined to pull her into the action. He also won't stop calling her Gwen. 

Arthur is determined to be her friend, which includes roping her into playing the princess and going on road trip adventures during the week. And despite the fact that Madeline is determined not to let herself care about anyone else she could one day lose, she finds herself caring about him anyway. 

This was a pretty cute young adult novel. Both Madeline and Arthur are determined that nobody could actually find them attractive, and I found that added an interesting dynamic to their relationship. It also fed into the biggest problem I had with the book, which is that a lot of characters made a lot of wildly unfounded assumptions, usually based on nothing, and acted as if they were inarguable fact. It was sweet however, and a pretty good portrayal of grief for younger audiences.

Horrorstör

Horrorstör by Grady Hendrix (2014) 243 pages

What if a large store with a huge winding showroom - say a store that's similar to an Ikea - was haunted? What if the store manager, whose store keeps having incidents of damage over the night hours, wants to find out what's going on, and tasks the deputy store manager to carry out a quiet investigation before the head honchos from corporate headquarters come to find out why this location has such high losses? Well, that's what Horrorstör is all about.

The book itself looks like an Ikea catalog, with the beginning of each chapter advertising a piece of furniture, dimensions included. The store is called Orsk.

Basil, the deputy store manager meets with two employees to ask them to stay with him and patrol the store from 10 pm that night until 7 am, to see if they can figure out what's going on, since security cameras have not recorded any of the vandalism. Ruth Anne is 47 years old, a longtime cashier who treats everyone well. Amy is 24 and somewhat miserable; life is not turning out as she'd hoped. She despises Basil, who is the embodiment of the Orsk culture, and she is afraid that he is close to firing her. The story is told from Amy's point of view.

Amy and Ruth Anne agree to stay for the night shift, especially when enticed with double pay. By the time 11:30 pm rolls around, some strange things are starting to happen. A couple other employees have snuck in with cameras and electronic equipment to track ghosts. Need to stop here to avoid being a spoiler, but both the front and the back covers show this horror story is encased in a framework of dark humor.

 

A Pirate's Life for Tea

A Pirate's Life for Tea by Rebecca Thorne (2023) 440 pages

The story of Kianthe and Reyna from the Cozy Fantasy Can't Spell Treason Without Tea continues in this series of adventures that includes a quest for dragons' eggs. Kianthe is the Arcandor, the Mage of Ages, and she has the magic to prove it. Reyna is a strong and skillful fighter, a former guard to the awful queen. In the first book, Kianthe convinced dragons to stop destroying the town where the women had opened a bookstore/tea shop and made friends. But in return, she agreed to look for some dragons' eggs which had been stolen. As the women, newly engaged to each other, work to make good on this task, they encounter pirates, constables, alchemy, and Diarn Arlon, who is a lord of the region where they have reason to believe the dragons' eggs are. The Diarn has been bleeding the people in his area of food, opting to sell it to others while his people were suffering. Hence the activity of Serina, a pirate who is more akin to Robin Hood, stealing food and shipping it to others who are hungry.

It's a love story and an ethical adventure that has our heroes match-making, as well as getting into trouble, despite their best instincts. Meanwhile, Reyna's baby griffon, Ponder is starting to become trained... Not my usual genre, but I'm finding these books to be a treat.

A Strange and Stubborn Endurance

A Strange and Stubborn Endurance by Foz Meadows, 528 pages

Velasin has left his home country of Ralia as part of an arranged marriage to Cae, the son of the ruler of Tithena. Vel was originally intended for Cae's sister, but when the Tithenian envoy learned of Vel's preference for men, they offered up Cae's hand instead. Neither man expected this match, particularly because such pairings are forbidden in Vel's homeland, but they're determined to be friends if nothing else. Trouble is, someone in Tithena isn't a fan of the marriage, and they're going out of their way to try to break it up.

This is an interesting twist on the courtly intrigue brand of fantasy novels, with the vastly different attitudes toward LGBTQIA people and relationships in Ralia and Tithena adding a dimension that isn't often present in this sort of book. The mystery at the center of the book, the slow-building trust and love between Cae and Vel, and Vel's growth and healing over the course of the book make this a compelling read (though it should be noted that there are depictions of rape and suicidal ideation in this book, so head in with open eyes). A sequel comes out this winter, and you can bet I'll be reading it.

Endpapers

Endpapers by Jennifer Savran Kelly (2023) 336 pages

I loved this novel by a trans author with a nonbinary protagonist. The synopsis on the book jacket inside the front cover sums it up perfectly. "A queer book conservator finds a mysterious old love letter, setting off a search for the author who wrote it and for a meaningful life beyond the binary in early-2000s New York City." The background setting just shortly after 9/11 works so well. I'm totally into the mystery of the hidden love letter from Gertrude to Marta and the research involved for Dawn to find them. The author explores Dawn's close friendships at home and at work. We follow Dawn's creative process and self doubt as she creates a "Project" for a group exhibition about imagined cities at an emerging art gallery. We learn about the Lavender Scare in NYC targeting queer people, which happened concurrently with the Red Scare. Dawn tentatively looks for inspiration from her Jewish roots at an especially low point, and ultimately finds courage through this and what she learns from Gertrude. Books featuring queer characters that were passed secretly back in the 1950s always ended tragically. Readers from oppressed groups crave stories of hope and joy. This book sees both the hate directed at queer people back in history and in recent years, but ends with feelings of hope that Dawn's life and self expression are supported by those who matter most to them.

 

This is How You Lose the Time War

This is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone (2019) 209 pages

I listened to the audiobook on Libby narrated by Cynthia Farrell and Emily Woo Zeller. Amal answers a reader's question on Goodreads about how the two authors divided the writing with "In brief, Max wrote all of Red and I wrote all of Blue." I struggled to follow the story and understand what was really happening in the early chapters of the book. It is a very abstract book with lots of poetic language and mind-bending multi-verse time jumps. The two main characters named Red and Blue are female time agents from two warring factions. If you are a fan of espionage stories, I wouldn't recommend this because the spy work of these two time agents is left pretty vague, or, at least, it is difficult to follow the thread of the consequences of their actions forward and backward through time. There are letters that Blue and Red send to each other in this short book, which start as taunts between competitors and turn into proclamations of love. Red's world includes many more references to human civilizations throughout history and has a sci-fi bent. Blue's world has many references to plants and animals and has a fantasy angle. Ultimately, I think this is really talking about the competition between humanity and nature through the millennia, and a star-crossed couple representing these two things begins to see value in each other.

 

Grave Expectations

Grave Expectations by Alice Bell, 340 pages

Claire has been able to see and communicate with ghosts for 20 years, ever since her best friend Sophie mysteriously disappeared and then turned up in ghostly form at a vigil being held in her honor. In the two decades since, Claire and spirit Sophie have been constant companions, leading Claire to become a medium for hire...though she'll be the first to admit that she's not particularly good at it. That doesn't stop Claire's acquaintance from college hiring her as the entertainment at a family event. Unfortunately, while she's there, Claire and Sophie encounter a ghost that is obviously a victim who was killed during the previous year's party. Soon Claire and Sophie have teamed up with family oddballs Alex and Basher to figure out who got killed, why, and who did it.

A blurb on the back of this delightful book describes it as having "Knives Out vibes with added ghosts," and really, that's an excellent description. There's a dysfunctional family with clashing possible motives, a giant manor in the country, and some excellent humor. I love Sophie, who will forever be wearing the teal velour tracksuit she died in at 17, and the relationship between her and Claire is surprisingly realistic, given their differing alive/dead status. The mystery is good, the characters are fantastic, and I really hope Bell writes more of Claire and Sophie's adventures, hopefully with Alex and Basher in tow. This was SO FUN.

The Waters of Eternal Youth

 The Waters of Eternal Youth by Donna Leon  292 pp.

Commissario Guido Brunetti is asked by a wealthy aristocrat and friend of his mother-in-law, the Contessa, to investigate a fifteen year old crime. The woman is the grandmother of a young woman who was attacked and thrown into a canal while a young teen. The girl was rescued from drowning by a local drunk but not before she suffered serious brain damage from lack of oxygen. The man was too drunk to remember anything when questioned the next day. The crime was never solved and the grandmother wants closure even though the girl's mother is uninterested. With the assistance of Commissario Claudia Griffoni who befriends the girl through their shared love of horses, they managed to track down the man who assaulted her. 

Medicare for You

Medicare for You: A Smart Person's Guide by Diane J. Omdahl, RN, MS (2023) 252 pages

For those of us who are approaching the age for signing up for Medicare, this is a valuable guide. The author describes the differences between traditional Medicare (along with Medicare Supplements/Medigap coverage) and the numerous Medicare Advantage plans, and the important information one needs to know before signing up. One of the critical things I learned was that if one first opts for traditional Medicare along with a Supplement/Medigap policy, one is accepted without regard to previous medical conditions. However, if one first chooses a Medicare Advantage Plan, and then later wants to switch to traditional Medicare, the companies who provide supplemental plans for traditional Medicare will submit your health information to underwriting and can reject coverage for you.

Some other items included:

• Description of what traditional Medicare covers
• Advice to look closely at the networks for the various Medicare Advantage plans. Often these is no coverage when out-of-network providers are used.
• Charts comparing Medicare Supplement plans
• Prescription drug coverage
• Computer link to find doctors who will accept Medicare assignment
• Helpful information on the costs of Medicare, including extra costs if one's income is beyond a certain threshold. 
• Information on how to find updated information

This book has a clear table of contents and index for quick look-up. Additionally, it does not assume the reader is already familiar with Medicare, which makes it a very useful guide.

The Art Thief

The Art Thief by Michael Finkel, 221 pages

Kevin, Regan, and Karen have all previously blogged about this fascinating nonfiction tale of the most prolific art thief in history, so I won't rewrite what they so wonderfully summed up. Suffice it to say that readers of this book will be awestruck at the audacity of Stephane Breitweiser, and impressed by Finkel's research. (Also, I listened to the audiobook, which was excellent.) If you enjoy this one (which you probably will), I highly recommend Finkel's previous book, The Stranger in the Woods, which profiles a very different but equally fascinating man.

Enlighten Me

 

Enlighten Me by Minh Lê  140 pp.

Binh fights back against a bully who made fun of his Vietnamese heritage but then is punished for his actions. His parents decide to take the whole family on a silent Buddhist retreat for a week. Binh finds it all very frustrating until one of the monks shares stories of the Buddha with the children at the retreat. Those stories invade Binh's dreams and he discovers a new way to approach life. This short graphic novel is enlightening and entertaning.

Starter Villain

 Starter Villain by John Scalzi, 264 pages

Kara wrote about this delightful little book here and I completely agree with everything she said.

This book is so FUN. I really enjoyed all of the characters, but Charlie is particular was a delight. He reminded me a little of Andy Weir's protagonists, and I suspect fans of one would really enjoy the other. This book is silly and funny, but it also has enough action that I found myself both engaged and unwilling to set it down. It feels like a novel that is precisely what it set out to be, and I admire that immensely.
 

My Roommate is a Vampire

 My Roommate is a Vampire by Jenna Levine, 341 pages.

Cassie Greenberg is really struggling to make ends meet living in Chicago with an MA in art. She's on the cusp of eviction (again) when she sees a roommate wanted ad for a ludicrously low price in a suspiciously nice neighborhood. Then she meets her new roommate, one Frederick J. Fitzwilliam, who is both very attractive and astoundingly weird (I'm sure we can all guess why). Turns out Frederick needs a guide for life in the 21st century (he's been asleep awhile), and Cassie really needs the cheap rent. Plus, he's not so bad once you get to know him.

This book was exactly as cute as the cover promised (and that's a really cute cover). It was also hilarious, up there with the funniest romantic comedies I've read. This was a really delightful book to break up some of the darker Halloween-themed books I tend to read in October. There were a few plot hooks that felt like they sort of came out of nowhere and went nowhere, but I wouldn't say that that really detracted from my enjoyment at all.

Chronicles of a Radical Hag (With Recipes)

Chronicles of a Radical Hag (With Recipes) by Lorna Landvik (2019) 301 pages

Haze (short for Hazel) has written a newspaper column for over 50 years, when she has a major stroke. As she lies in a coma in her hospital bed, Susan McGrath, the newspaper's publisher, decides to re-run Haze's old columns while Haze is out, and brings in her own teenage son Sam to choose which columns to run as part of his summer job. Sam has been out of sorts with his parents' separation, and has other issues to contend with, but he soon gets drawn into reading Haze's columns. As others read the columns (and sometimes the letters to the editor that came in response to those early columns), they get drawn in as well. Haze had a chatty, empathetic way of looking at the world and its events, on both a large scale and a micro scale. She had her detractors as well. Old neighbors, co-workers, her nurse, classes of high school students, friends, and friends of friends all seem to find something to talk about in these old musings of Haze. And in some special ways, many of these people are changed.

That's the Lorna Landvik I have always appreciated. I thought it was a great story.

A Lady's Guide to Scandal

A Lady's Guide to Scandal by Sophie Irwin, 359 pages

Ten years ago, Sophie fell in love with Oliver Somerset, but because of her duty her family, she instead married his uncle, the Earl of Somerset, who is 25 years her senior and not nearly as kind as his nephew. Now that the earl has died, Sophie is, for the first time ever, a free woman, even though she's a young widow still trapped in the conventions of mourning. And it's possible that after her mourning period is over, she and Oliver (who inherited his uncle's title) may finally have a chance at their happily-ever-after — as long as Oliver's judgy sister and the rakish author Lord Melville don't get in the way.

I think this is technically billed as a romance novel, but it feels much more like the story of a woman learning to assert herself and forge her own path (and yeah, there's a bit of swooning). I liked Sophie's journey from shy and obedient to brave and assertive, and I positively loved the supporting characters of Margaret (Sophie's cousin) and Caroline (Melville's sister), whose snarky observations make them the people you want to sit next to at a boring party. A lovely light read.

At First Spite

At First Spite by Olivia Dade, 400 pages

Before their wedding was called off, Athena used up her savings and bought her husband-to-be Johnny the 10-foot-wide "spite house" next to his home, with plans of combining the row houses into a larger place for the newlyweds. But then Johnny's older brother Matthew convinced him to call off the engagement just days after Athena closed on the house. With her old condo sold and no more job, Athena has no choice to live in the spite house, which shares a wall with her ex-fiancé and is a narrow alleyway across from the jerk who convinced him to jilt her. With windows facing Matthew's, Athena decides she may as well make the spite house live up to its name and torment the guy who made his brother dump her...even if said guy is nicer than she initially suspected.

This is the fourth romance I've read by Dade, and perhaps it's because this isn't part of the Spoiler Alert series (which is steamy AND full of geek culture), but this one wasn't quite as good as the others. Athena is a great heroine and I appreciate her growth, and the secondary characters are fantastic (especially the fantasy/erotica book club, which is hilarious), but the brothers are a bit unbelievable to me. That said, it's still a fun read, and I'll definitely check out more of Dade's books in the world of Harlot's Bay (yes, that's the name of the town where all this takes place).

This book will be published Feb. 13, 2024.

The 22 Murders of Madison May

The 22 Murders of Madison May by Max Barry, 322 pages

Madison May is a beautiful young real estate agent when a showing goes awry and she ends up murdered in the house she's trying to sell. She's also an aspiring actress who gets murdered in the alley outside her house on the way home from an audition. New York Daily News reporter Felicity Staples is researching the first of Madison's murders when she accidentally slips into a parallel universe and learns about the second murder. Soon Felicity is on a parallel universe-hopping race to keep Madison's obsessed killer from murdering her yet again.

This sci-fi-tinged thriller is gripping and fast-paced, particularly because you're never exactly sure what's going to be different in each world. Sure, the science of the movement between universes is very hand-wavy, but it's still an intriguing premise for a thriller, and a very quick read.

Interview with the Vampire

 

Interview with the Vampire by Anne Rice (1976) 346 Pages

This novel is a narration by Louis, to an interviewer in near modern-day, as he tells the story of his life as a vampire. He was once a plantation owner in 1791 in Louisiana. He managed a large swath of land until he stumbled home drunk one night and was turned into a vampire by Lestat, a much older, ruthless, cold vampire. Most of the story goes into Louis' struggle with his morality and how in being a vampire, its difficult for him to continue to take a life. Louis and Lestat often fight and argue, because Lestat takes pleasure in hunting human victims for sport and Louis is often disgusted by this. They are living in New Orleans when Louis happens upon a little girl cowering next to her deceased mother. After arguing with Lestat once again about the taking of human life, Louis happens upon the girl and is overcome with a sense of need, and ends up taking her blood and almost killing her. Lestat finds them and manically starts laughing, proving his point that vampires are inherently killers. Later the next week, Lestat takes the girl from her sick bed and wants Louis to finish the job. Instead of killing her, Lestat ends up turning her into a vampire, a forever child. Claudia "grows up" with Louis as her father and partner. She is forever a small child but after many years she is mature enough to begin questioning her origin. Claudia poisons Lestat and although he doesn't fully die and comes back for them, they set fire to the house and escape to leave on a boat for Europe. Claudia and Louis travel across Europe in search for other vampires. What they find is a primitive form of vampire-like monster, which cannot be reasoned with and they kill it. Once they get to Paris, they finally find a host of other vampires. Led by Armand, the Theatre des Vampires is a group of vampires who live in a theater and put on plays which they pretend to be actors playing vampires. Armand is infatuated with Louis and Claudia becomes convinced he is trying to pry them apart. Claudia finds a woman who she wants Louis to turn, in order to be her caretaker if Louis is to leave her for Armand. Louis agrees to turn her, and when he does they are immediately captured by Armand's cohort. It is a grave crime to attempt or commit murder of another vampire, and they have caught on that Lestat was allegedly murdered by Claudia. Claudia and her new vampire caregiver are burned alive. This forever changes Louis and he completely loses his joy in life. He wanders the globe with Armand, with little happiness.

The Tower of Swallows

 The Tower of Swallows by Andrzej Sapkowski (1997) 525 Pages

In The Tower of Swallows, we pick back up where the previous book left off. Ciri is missing, and while the entire world is at war Geralt is once again searching for her. Linked by destiny, they share dreams of what the other is going through, battles, hardships, and fear. Ciri is being hunted by not only Geralt, but seemingly every enemy. She is the child of the Elder Blood, the prophetic savior of the world, and everyone wants to capture her for themselves and their own agenda. Emhyr, the emperor of Nilfgaard was given a Ciri impersonator, which cause many of his enemies to believe she was already captured. Other rumors circulate that tell of Ciri's death. Geralt and Yennefer alike do not have contact with each other, although the share the same goal. Most of this book, however does not cover Geralt but focuses more on other character's struggles. Ciri is pretending to be a bandit "Falka" which hides her identity for some time. Eventually she runs into trouble, is gravely wounded, and is chased and hunted through a forest. Ciri's face is horribly disfigured by a sword and she wakes up in the care of a hermit. Her horse, Kelpie brought her to safety. The hermit does not know her identity, as she nearly dies from her injuries and is unconscious for a very long time. When she gets well, a lot of time is spent at the hermit's house, telling each other stories of how they ended up there, in order to gain each other's trust. After several months, Ciri finally understands how the transported from the last tower, and she must reach the other tower, the Tower of Swallows, in order to teleport. Everything is connected! We are discovering, finally what it means for Ciri to be of the Elder Blood. A bombshell drops at the very end when we discover that to have the elder blood means that Ciri can not only time travel, but travel across dimensions.

Bookshops & Bonedust

Bookshops & Bonedust by Travis Baldree, 352 pages

Orc Viv is just starting out in her mercenary career when she receives a brutal leg wound that takes her out of the action for a significant recovery period. She's laid up in Murk, a seaside town that is way too boring for someone who'd much rather be hunting necromancers and the like. But as she slowly heals, Viv ventures out and discovers a shabby overstuffed bookshop owned by Fern, as well as a mouthwatering bakery owned by supercute Maylee, and starts to find a home in Murk, albeit a temporary one.

This is a prequel to Legends & Lattes, and is just as cozy and heartwarming as that book (which is set at the end of Viv's marauding career). It's a love letter to the power of books and community and friendship without getting overly twee. I loved it, and I can't wait to read more books by Baldree.

The Ghost That Ate Us

 The Ghost that Ate Us: The Tragic True Story of the Burger City Poltergeist by Daniel Kraus, 302 pages.

"On June 1, 2017, six people were killed at a Burger City franchise off I-80 near Jonny, Iowa. It was the bizarre and gruesome conclusion to nine months of alleged paranormal activity at the fast-food joint—events popularly known as 'the Burger City Poltergeist.'" Author Daniel Kraus compiles interviews with every living survivor, new evidence, and other sources from "the most exhaustively documented haunting in history" into a complete account of the tragedy.

At this point I need to clarify that this is a completely fictional novel. The former paragraph is a selection from the actual, standard description of the book. This novel commits harder to passing itself off as nonfiction than any other book I've seen with a similar premise, and I honestly really respect it. Kraus dedicates the book to characters that died in the fictional tragedy, includes numerous footnotes to articles that don't exist, and even adds photos with fictional image credits (the real image credits on the very last page are actually the only time in the entire printed text that it admits to being fictional). Max Brooks' Devolution had a similar concept, but Kraus both commits to it harder and nails the tone of pop-nonfiction better. I'm a real fan of horror passing itself off as nonfiction, so I enjoyed all of that thoroughly. 

Beyond the gimmick, I found this to be a very compelling horror novel overall. The book tells you from the beginning how it is going to end, and still kept me desperate to know what was going to happen next. Even more impressively, it manages to pull off some pretty haunting twists (if you'll forgive the pun). It was also way less gross than I was afraid it would be, given how horror set in restaurants tends to go. This book has a very different tone than the average horror novel, but I would definitely recommend that people give it a shot. 

Thornhedge

 Thornhedge by T. Kingfisher, 116 pages.

Kara wrote about this wonderful Sleeping Beauty retelling here a few months ago, and I entirely agree with everything she had to say. I find myself especially infatuated with the characters. Toadling is not much of a fairytale hero (like at all), but she is extremely compelling, as is the knight who drives the story. 

This is an incredibly gentle little novella, and reading it feels very cozy. Unsurprisingly, it reminds me quite a bit of Kingfisher's Nettle and Bone, which was an Orcs & Aliens selection recently. The books feel like they could exist in the same world, although this one has more of a character focus than a plot focus. I would also recommend it for fans of Alix E. Harrow's A Spindle Splintered, which has the same formula of a fairytale with a very different configuration combined with a lot of introspection. Overall, a really phenomenal novella.

Six Feet Below Zero

Six Feet Below Zero by Ena Jones 288 pp.

Rosie and Baker are orphaned siblings living with their great-grandmother until their great-grandmother is no longer living. Unfortunately she died just a little too soon after making almost all the preparations to keep the kids safe from their grandmother, Grim Hesper who only wants her mother's money and to send the kids off to boarding schools. Rosie and Baker follow their great-grandmother's instructions, which includes hiding her in a basement freezer but things begin to go wrong and the kids must stop Grim Hesper from taking everything. This is a Mark Twain Award nominee book, but it didn't grab me enough to want to include in my Treehouse Book Club suggestions.

Can't Spell Treason Without Tea

Can't Spell Treason Without Tea by Rebecca Thorne (2022) 439 pages

Reyna is one of Queen Tilane's private guards, always on the alert for assassins who want to kill the horrible queen. A skillful fighter, Reyna was born into the profession, following after her mother. After killing yet another would-be assassin at a large event, she was seriously injured by a comrade of the man, and realized that she was done living like this. In spite of the fact that she couldn't walk away from her security duties without the risk of being imprisoned or killed, she makes her escape by horseback that night. Meanwhile, her sweetheart, Kianthe, the Arcandor, the Mage of Ages, is alerted to Reyna's injury by a moonstone necklace that Kianthe had made for that purpose. Kianthe meets up with Reyna and they decide to make a life together.

The story follows their journey to a land that they hope is far enough away from the Queendom that no one will find Reyna. Their goal is to have a shop that sells tea (something that Reyna especially loves) and books (which Kianthe adores). They meet quite a variety of characters when they arrive in the Village of Tawney. The story has its share of dragons and griffons, too. The women have a loving and ardent relationship and their different strengths make them equally compelling as they put their plans into action.

I Am Alfonso Jones

 

I Am Alfonso Jones by Tony Medina  167 pp.

In a fictional story that could have been ripped right from the evening news, a black teenager is gunned down by an off-duty policeman while shopping for a suit because someone thought the hanger in his hand was a gun. Alfonso Jones is a gifted teenager, a musician, an honor student at an exclusive school, and a bike messenger who has been saving up his money. In one inexplicable moment he is shot dead and finds himself boarding a train full of other victims of police violence. The train takes Alfonso on a tour of other killings as well as seeing the aftermath of his own death. The black and white illustrations of this graphic novel convey the darkness, heartbreak, anger, and injustice of the repeated killings. 

Starter Villain

Starter Villain by John Scalzi, 264 pages

Charlie has had a rough few years. He got laid off from his journalism job, got a divorce, and lost his dad after moving back in to care for his sick parent. All he has now is a substitute teaching gig that barely pays the bills, a house that his three siblings are leaning on him to sell (so they can split the proceeds), and his beloved cat, Hera. When Charlie's long-absent billionaire uncle Jake dies, he doesn't expect much (anything, really), yet he's suddenly thrown into the midst of Jake's not-so-legal business as a *checks notes* supervillain. Yes, complete with spy cats and space lasers.

Before reading this, I knew nothing about this book except the title, the author, and the cover — not my general approach to books, but in this case, it absolutely worked. Starter Villain is fantastic fun from start to finish. Scalzi has a knack for taking a generic guy and throwing him into an insane situation that stretches the bounds of believability for the character but makes perfect sense for the story (see: The Kaiju Preservation Society). Throw in some super-intelligent animals and a few well-aimed jabs at one-percenters and mega-corporations, and you have one of the my favorite books of the year.

The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store

The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store by James McBride  385 pp.

This is the latest book by the author of The Good Lord Bird which I think is an excellent historical fiction novel. This one is also historical fiction which begins in 1972 with the finding of a skeleton and a mezuzah in an abandoned well on Chicken Hill in Pottstown, Pennsylvania. The story of the body and mezuzah are then explained by a flash back to earlier in the century and the residents of Chicken Hill which were mostly hard working Jewish immigrants and African-Americans who weren't wanted in the white town. Moshe and Chona Ludlow are the main characters. Moshe runs a theater in town where popular vaudeville and musical acts perform. Chona grew up on Chicken Hill and runs the grocery store on the hill, a store which makes no profit because she makes sure to provide for those who cannot buy. She frequently angers the people in town with her left of center political activity. Nate, the African-American janitor at the Moshe's theater asks the Ludlows for help protecting his deaf nephew, Dodo, who the state wants to institutionalize. But when Chona is attacked by the town's evil doctor and Dodo defends her, he ends up in the horrible state home for the insane. The residents of Chicken Hill join together with the friends and family of the Ludlows to rescue Dodo. The mystery of the body in the well is explained at the end. In addition to the main characters there are many other residents of the hill with small but important parts to the story and interesting names like Fatty, Big Soap, Paper, Son of Man, Monkey Pants, Miggy, and more. All serve to flesh out the story and the plot which is far from linear.   

The Last Devil to Die

The Last Devil to Die by Richard Osman, 353 pages

In this fourth installment of the Thursday Murder Club books, the quartet of elderly amateur detectives are out to find the murderer of their friend, an antiques dealer from a nearby community. Kuldesh was killed the same day that an ugly box containing £100,000 of heroin was dropped off at his shop but before someone else could come pick it up, and somehow, between the dropoff and Kuldesh's murder, the heroin has disappeared. So Elizabeth, Joyce, Ron, and Ibrahim must find the murderer, and to do so, they also need to track down the heroin.

While this book has a lot going on with a lot of characters and motives in play, Osman manages to keep a tight rein on the plot, making for a much easier-to-read book than its immediate predecessor, The Bullet that Missed. I liked the way that the investigation unfolded, interspersed with revelations about the characters' lives. And a heads up that there's a subplot about dementia that is heart wrenching, yet wonderfully presented. An excellent addition to this series. 

Our America: A Photographic History

Our America: A Photographic History by Ken Burns (2022) 334 pages

What skills Ken Burns brought to documentaries, he also brought to paper. Our America is a coffee-table book that moves one in ways that only excellent photography can. This curated collection of black and white photos are from 1839 to 2019 (although very few are recent). The later part of the book shows the same photos in thumbnail size, with some history of the photographs included. We see slices of life from earlier times in our country's history. Also included are natural and architectural gems, as well as photos from the Civil War. Many photos also reflect the injustices done to Blacks, Native Americans, immigrants, and those in poverty. I found the book to be powerful, best looked through slowly. 

Red, White and Royal Blue

Red, White and Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston (2019) 418 pages

Alex is twenty-one and plans to run for Congress someday. He's also the son of the first woman President in the U.S., who's running for her second term. Henry is the grandson of the British queen. Both of these high-profile young men have little privacy. Alex hasn't minded that up to this point; he revels in the spotlight, having helped campaign for his parents and others. Henry seems rather more reserved. Alex hasn't gotten along with him when they've been together, thinking Henry is too snooty. After an unfortunate incident at Henry's older brother's wedding, their handlers go into damage control. Alex and Henry are directed to behave as friends in front of the media, to help showcase the good relations between their countries. When they find out that they are actually attracted to each other, that's when reality hits them: a gay relationship is sure to turn off voters in the U.S. and to strain the reputation of the monarchy in Britain.

Real politicians are mentioned by name, which makes the book more fun. We see the White House staff working hard behind the scenes. The dialog is fun, especially when the young men interact with Alex's sister, June, the Vice President's granddaughter, Nora, and Henry's sister, Bea. Watching them attempt to have a real life while watched over by security feels realistic. A lot of their conversations are carried on via text and email, which are particularly well-done. There's also some election intrigue that keeps one wondering. But my overall concern was how Alex and Henry could hope to have a continuing relationship, while they were so scrutinized by the public and the media, and the unfairness of their situation. I loved this book. (Kara and Regan have posted about it, too.)

September totals

Happy fall, y'all! Here are September's totals:

Byron: 2 books/657 pages

Jan: 7 books/2358 pages

Kara: 8 books/2613 pages

Karen: 8 books/2418 pages

Kathleen: 2 books/415 pages

Kevin: 1 book/499 pages

Regan: 6 books/1886 pages

TOTAL: 34 books/10,846 pages

The Long Game

The Long Game by Elena Armas, 376 pages

Adalyn Reyes is a career-driven woman who is set on succeeding her father as owner of the Miami Flames MLS team. But when a video of her beheading the Flames mascot goes viral, she's on damage control. Or she thinks she is, until her dad banishes her to a dinky town in North Carolina with shepherding a youth soccer team as her new job. When she arrives she finds just-retired MLS goalkeeper Cam Caldani coaching the ragtag team of 9-year-old girls and while the two immediately get on each other's nerves, there's definitely something more between them.

There's a degree of willful suspension of disbelief required in reading any romance novel, and this one really pushes that boundary to the brink. However, if you can get past the MASSIVE COINCIDENCE of a famous soccer player hiding in the same tiny town as an exiled MLS executive (and some other stuff that I won't reveal here), it's an excellent example of an enemies-to-lovers romance novel. Gotta say that the supporting characters (especially the kids on the team and their goats) are what make this book particularly charming. Recommended for those who are waiting for Hallmark Christmas movies with bated breath.

The Art Thief

The Art Thief: A True Story of Love, Crime, and a Dangerous Obsession by Michael Finkel  221 pp.

This is the fascinating and unusual story of French art thief Stéphane Breitwieser who stole over 200 artworks worth $2 billion. Breitwieser made his thefts from museums, galleries, and cathedrals all over Europe with the aid of his girlfriend who acted as lookout. The stolen items totaled a fortune but they were not stolen to be resold. Breitwieser kept all the items in his small room where he could admire them daily and eventually had more than the room could hold. He also believed he was rescuing the artworks from the museums he called "prisons for art". His thieving became an obsession/addiction and even though his girlfriend pleaded with him and ultimately left him over it he just couldn't stop. The tension in the story increases with each theft until he is ultimately caught. It's an unusual and intriguing story. See Kevin's blog about it.

Herring on the Nile

 

Herring on the Nile: An Ethelred and Elsie Mystery by L.C. Tyler  240 pp.

In this tribute? spoof? of Agatha Christie author Ethelred Tressider and his agent, Elsie Thirkettle set off on an Egyptian cruise. Ethelred is trying to rejuvenate his mystery writing career by setting his next book in Egypt and plans to do research. However, as soon as their trip embarks threats begin. It seems that a number of the passengers on the boat are not what they seem including a couple of undercover policemen / terrorists. Everything is complicated by an actual murder and then the kidnapping of Ethelred by the police/terrorists. Ethelred is one of the suspects in the murder although he believes he was the intended target with his ex-fiancée the killer. The story is very convoluted and the ending is possibly a non-ending. This mystery series is mediocre at best. 

Manga Classics: Anne of Green Gables

 Manga Classics: Anne of Green Gables by Crystal S. Chan (adapted from the original by L.M. Montgomery), 319 pages.

This manga is a very faithful adaptation of beloved children's book Anne of Green Gables, the 1908 classic about an orphan who (after a miscommunication) goes to live with elderly brother and sister Matthew and Marilla Cuthbert on Prince Edward Island. Anne proceeds to get into all sorts of fairly hilarious trouble as she grows up in the wonderful little town. 

Anne of Green Gables has always been a book that is very rich with visual descriptors, and I feel like illustrations really help this story to breath. I feel that the manga style in particular really helps emphasize Anne's love for beauty and tendency towards the romantic. As I mentioned before, this is an extremely faithful adaptation. Much of the text is taken directly from the book, and I noticed to major changes to the story. My only criticism is that the middle of the book felt like it was rushing, touching on a whole lot of incidents very briefly in quick succession for time. While I understand that not everything can fit in the comic, I find myself wishing she had cut some incidences entirely rather than the perfunctory treatment they got. I would still call this a really stellar new treatment of a stellar book, and I'm really glad I happened upon it on the shelf. I would recommend it for young readers and fans of the original alike.

Yellow Brick War and The End of Oz

Yellow Brick War and The End of Oz (Dorothy Must Die #3 & #4) by Danielle Paige (2016 & 2017) 270 & 277 pages

I listened to the audiobooks on Hoopla narrated by Devon Sorvari. It was back in 2020 when I listened to part two of this YA series. This year I've been continuing many series I read years ago. I remember the main cast of characters and generalities, but find that I have forgotten many specifics. I wasn't acclimated for several chapters of Yellow Brick War. Ultimately I thought #3 was a weaker entry in the series. Even though I needed reminders of certain things, I thought this one became repetitive by going over plot points from books #1 and #2 too many times. The objective for Amy Gumm is the same as it has been through the first two books. She is working with the Order of the Wicked, who are the "good guys," to kill the tyrant Dorothy. Amy spends a good portion of the story back in Kansas reconnecting with her mom and getting to know her "reformed" bully. The Nome King, who appears several times in Baum's adventures and in the movie Return to Oz, is introduced, but his impact on the plot here is hazy. When Amy returns to Oz there is a bit of strategizing for the upcoming battle amidst her blossoming love for Nox. This epic war was not very exciting despite Amy turning herself into a dragon-like monster at one point. It was long and pointless. I don't mean in the sense of the futility of war. I mean that the battles have very few consequences on the plot and central characters. 

Book four was better. Dorothy is still not dead. Amy has a supernatural meeting with Lurline the past fairy queen of Oz, and that is a deep cut for Oz fans. About half the chapters are from the point of view of Dorothy as she is saved, imprisoned, and engaged to the Nome King. The threat of Dorothy's power combined with the Nome King's is more consequential. There are so many plans at cross-purposes. The other half involves Amy, Nox, and Amy's former bully Madison travelling from Oz to Ev, where the Nome King rules. Characters are introduced that people would recognize from the movie Return to Oz, but of course Ms. Paige adds a twist. The romance between Amy and Nox is taken to the next level. Amy and Madison clear the lingering tension between them further. The showdown and resolution between Amy and Dorothy is creative. The epilogue is fun too.