Factfulness

Factfulness: Ten Reasons We're Wrong About the World -- And Why Things Are Better Than You Think by Hans Rosling, 288 pages.

The book starts with Hans Rosling, a professor of public health and medical researcher, gathering a whole lot of data. He surveyed people in all sort of specializations, at all sorts of income levels, in countries around the world; and found that people consistently did much WORSE than they would have guessing randomly when asked about global trends. His questions had to do with things like rates of childhood vaccination, global population trends, and extreme poverty. People worldwide consistently not only overwhelmingly got the questions wrong, but usually thought things were much worse than they were. 

This book is Rosling's attempt to get at the kinds of logical fallacies and thought traps that contribute to all of this incorrect information. Each of the ten chapters is dedicated to a different one of these "instincts" he has identified, such as the "gap instinct" or the "straight-line instinct" (respectively: the tendency to want to separate things into two distinct groups, and the tendency to think rates of change are constant). Each chapters uses both a plethora of examples and data to illustrate the point, then ends with easily actionable bullet points to help reform your own thought patterns. 

I think this is a pretty useful little book! It is both easy to read and fairly actionable, and I appreciate that the author is very excited to share where he gets his information from. This is also not written as an inflammatory book at all, but rather something that's intended to be both comforting and productive. There were times that I found his reasoning to be a little simplistic and occasionally lacking in nuance, but I would still consider this to be a book worth reading, especially with the vitality of media-literacy today. 

Humor Me

Humor Me by Cat Shook, 306 pages

From the outside, Presley Fry is on the ramp to her dream job. She's a producer's assistant on a late night TV show (the one she grew up watching), thanks to a leg up from a family friend's husband, who happened to be an executive at the network. But Presley is also dealing with lingering unresolved feelings from the death of her alcoholic mother 18 months earlier, and when she runs into her mom's old friend just before that friend's network exec husband gets named in the #metoo movement, her grief and the friend's stress become a bit too much to bear.

I feel like that's a fairly bad description of a nuanced look at life as a young female professional in New York during 2017. Because that's what this book is. It captures being a 20-something who is in the "putting in the work" part of a career that's eventually going to be amazing. It captures the complex emotions that accompany the death of a loved one that you sometimes didn't like all that much. It captures the confusing dating scene that exists in friends, hookups, and way too many apps. All in all, it's a pretty fantastic book.

American Rapture

American Rapture by CJ Leede, 370 pages

Sixteen-year-old Sophie has lived a very sheltered life, especially since her twin brother, Noah, was taken away at age 12. Her very religious parents forbid her to read the news, watch TV, own a cellphone, or basically do anything aside attending her Catholic all-girls high school. But when a rapidly moving virus sweeps into town, Sophie finds herself suddenly alone in a brand new world where infected people become hypersexual overly aggressive zombies. A young police officer helps her out, and soon the pair have gathered a small group of people (and one dog) that works together to flee both the virus and the religious fanatics who think that the virus is God's plan to rid the world of sin.

The idea behind this book is a solid one — sheltered teen is worried that her burgeoning sexuality is a sign of the devil's infection — and for readers who just want to read some horrific sexual zombie violence (like, the zombies raping victims while they also eat their faces), this certainly has it in spades. However, the execution is a bit off. I didn't really buy that Sophie was Catholic (Evangelical, sure, but Catholic? Nah.) and there were several things she could do that didn't really mesh with a super-sheltered life. However, if you want to read about a really gross trip to all of central Wisconsin's finest tourist traps, this is the book for you. (If you'd rather read something about sheltered people dealing with a pandemic though, pick up When the English Fall by David Williams — it's fantastic.)

The Field Guide

 The Field Guide by Tony DiTerlizzi and Holly Black, 114 pages.

The Grace children move with their mother to their great-aunt's strange and broken-down old mansion. The strange sounds in the walls quickly escalate to worse things at the hands of an invisible tormenter, who just might be a creature from the world of faerie.

I remember tearing through this series as a kid, and given that it's been a whole lot of years, I wanted to see how well it held up. I'm glad to report that it is still a pretty neat kid's book! The illustrations throughout really add to the feeling of the book, and there's a really interesting atmosphere. That being said, this book almost feels like a prologue to the series, as we are only really introduced to the world of faerie in the very last pages. The book reminds me just a little of A Series of Unfortunate Events for slightly younger readers. I would recommend it for middle schoolers or older elementary schoolers with an interest in mythology and unraveling mysteries. 

The Scorpio Races

 The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater, 409 pages.

Every November on the island of Thisby men ride in the deadly Scorpio Races. The mounts are not normal horses, but capaill uisce, carnivorous water horses who eat raw meat and long for the sea. Sean Kendrick is nineteen and a four-time champion who understands the water horses like nobody else. Puck Connolly is a girl who never expected to be the first woman to ride in the race, but she's willing to take extreme measures to get what she needs. 

This was an interesting take on the myth of the kelpie. Stiefvater built a really excellent sense of place into Thisby, and there is a very isolated feeling that suffuses the atmosphere of this book that I think is pretty effective. Although I'm not sure I liked this book quite as much as some of the people who recommended it to me, I did still definitely like it. That being said, I'm not totally sure what kind of reader I would recommend this strange, slow, young adult novel to. 

The Art of Asking

 The Art of Asking; or, How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Let People Help by Amanda Palmer, 339 pages.

This book, which is part memoir and part self improvement guide, is based on the TED Talk of the same title. I was a fan of Amanda Palmer's music, both with The Dresden Dolls and as a solo performer, as well as her blog writing, and both put together made me think that this book (read by the author) would be worth my time. 

It definitely was. In addition to being a very open look at Palmer's life, this is a book about vulnerability. It's a book that believes deeply in the goodness of people, and the power of community. It's the kind of book that encourages courage. I would recommend it widely, and especially the audiobook (which feels like an especially strong recommendation coming from me, who usually struggles with audiobooks). The thirteen minute TED Talk is a great place to start, and if you find yourself interested, consider treating yourself to this book. 

Here One Moment

Here One Moment by Liane Moriarty, 501 pages

On a flight from Hobart to Sydney, an unremarkable older woman stood up from her seat at the front of the plane and began walking toward the back, methodically prediction the age and cause of death of everyone on board. While everyone was shaken, nobody could agree if she was the real deal or just crazy, even after the first person died according to the "Death Lady's" prophecy.

This was an intriguing examination of fate, determinism, free will, and our own obsessive tendencies. At times it was hard to keep track of who was who (it's a LARGE cast of characters, after all) and I kind of wish we'd heard about a few more people at the end, but really, it was an excellent book. I can see why there's such a long wait for the book.

A New Lease on Death

A New Lease on Death by Olivia Blacke, 325 pages

Cordelia died a few months ago, but she hasn't left behind the tiny apartment she loved so much (she didn't leave it much when she was alive — why start now?). New tenant Ruby was grateful to get a fully furnished apartment, though she hasn't been able to keep the plants alive. When the guy across the hall turns up dead, ghostly Cordelia and Gen Z Ruby team up to solve his murder.

This was a surprisingly fun and funny mystery novel. The author clearly spelled out the rules of ghost/human interactions, which made the whole thing easier to believe and created some fun hurdles. I also appreciated that both Cordelia and Ruby brought their own skills and talents to the investigation. I loved it, and I'll happily read more in this series when it comes.

August Kitko and the Mechas from Space

August Kitko and the Mechas from Space by Alex White, 451 pages

I first read this "giant robots from space" book a couple years ago, and my blog post from then still stands. I think I liked it a bit better this time around, though that could be because I had a better idea of what was going on. I'm curious what the Orcs & Aliens say about it tonight!

It's Elementary

It's Elementary by Elise Bryant, 353 pages

Mavis' daughter is one of few Black students at her elementary school, so when pushy PTA president Trisha forces Mavis into chairing the PTA's DEI committee, she's pretty sure she knows the reason why. But her first PTA meeting reveals plenty of juicy gossip, including a bone-shaking feud between Trisha and the new principal. When the new principal doesn't show up for work the next day, Mavis is convinced that Trisha's behind it, and she and the dreamy new school counselor decide to team up to investigate.

I like the general idea of this book — an overworked single mom following her suspicions about an overbearing PTA president and dealing with the casual racism of the other parents while attempting to solve a disappearance — but the author and/or editor needed to pay a bit more attention to the details, as several things came up that distracted me from the story. But it's a decent cozy mystery, and I'll probably read more if there are any sequels.

The Hating Game

The Hating Game by Sally Thorne (2016) 363 pages

Two struggling publishing companies have merged, resulting in a two-boss leadership. Lucy is the uber-assistant to Helene, who is more book-oriented. Joshua is the capable assistant to Richard, who is more finance-oriented. Lucy and Joshua share an office where they face each other all day while they work on their projects. Lucy was ready to be friendly to Joshua, but he came across as cold to her. Their working relationship resembles an ongoing war, where at its calmest, they have staring games. At other times, they've gone to HR, where their problems are well-documented. When the bosses announce a new position of a chief operational officer, both Lucy and Joshua apply for the position.

It's a rom-com where we think we know the trajectory, but will the expected‒and unexpected‒bumps along the way bring this couple together or force one of them to quit their job? The novel was made into a movie, which seems true to the book. I enjoyed both. 

The Night Watchman

The Night Watchman by Louise Erdrich (2020) 451 pages

Louise Erdrich's novel is based on her grandfather's preparation to testify at a Congressional hearing in 1954. Names have been changed, except for that of Arthur Watkins, a Republican senator from Utah who held strong feelings against American Indian tribes. Thomas Wazhashk, a member of the Chippewa, was a night watchman at a jewel bearing plant. In the off-time, when he was not making his rounds, he read up on tribal issues. He knew that the congressional plan to emancipate tribes was a ploy to further strip the Chippewa and other tribes of the little land that they still had in North Dakota, which would force the people from their homes, where they were already living in deprivation. He helped spread the word about the bill, rallied tribesmen to collect signatures against it, and gathered a contingent to go to the hearing in Washington, DC.

A related storyline shows Patrice, a nineteen-year old woman who also worked at the jewel bearing plant, and how her wages were necessary for her family's subsistence. She has complicated feelings dealing with women her own age, as well toward young men who are interested in her. The relationship between Patrice and her mother show tribal customs related to health and death. We learn that each has had dreams which made them certain that Patrice's sister, who left the reservation to marry, is in trouble. We see strong loving relationships as well as abusive ones throughout the novel. It's easy to understand why the book won the 2021 Pulitzer Prize.

The Widow's Guide to Dead Bastards

The Widow's Guide to Dead Bastards, A Memoir (2024) by Jessica Waite 309 pages

Jessica Waite's memoir details her shock and grief at her husband Sean's sudden death at age 47. Her difficulties are compounded when she comes across information that shows he had been a consumer of pornography, and also had affairs. Her money situation looked scary, too, finding that his credit cards had large balances.

The memoir starts raw with Jessica learning of Sean's death in an airport in Denver, and wanting to break the news to their nine-year-old son gently. As Jessica's grief turns to anger, the memoir chronicles her emotional journey. She comes across as fully human, sometimes saying or doing cringy things, but also showing the many resources she used to find healing.

We Used to Live Here

We Used to Live Here by Marcus Kliewer, 312 pages

Eve is waiting for her wife to come home for dinner one night when a family knocks on the door, saying that the father grew up there and could they please take a look inside for a few minutes? What starts as a fairly innocuous request ends up turning into a horrifying tale of gaslighting, passages appearing and disappearing, and missing people. It's hard to tell what kind of horror this story is — a week after finishing this, I honestly don't know if it's a haunted house or eldritch horror or portals to another universe or mimics or what. It's definitely terrifying though, so it achieves what it set out to do.

The Night Guest

The Night Guest by Hildur Knútsdóttir, 194 pages

In this short Icelandic horror novel, Iðunn wakes up every morning more exhausted than she was when she went to bed. Several trips to various doctors show that nothing's wrong, though that certainly isn't stopping her exhaustion. Then she starts discovering mud on her feet and mysterious bruises...and the neighborhood cats keep going missing...

This is a quick, propulsive read that took me only a couple hours to zoom through. It's unsettling, and unclear, and while the ending was a bit more confusing than I'm used to, I have a feeling it's appropriate for Icelandic horror. Worth a read, if you have a free afternoon.

This Disaster Loves You

This Disaster Loves You by Richard Roper, 380 pages

After 20 years of marriage, Brian's wife Lily unexpectedly disappeared. She sent a postcard saying she'd be gone for a while, but seven years later, she still hasn't returned to the small inn and pub they ran, and both Brian and the pub are worse for wear. But when Brian stumbles across a series of Tripadvisor reviews that he thinks were written by Lily, he embarks on a trek that crisscrosses Britain, following her clues.

This was an OK book about a man dealing with his grief, though I had trouble fully buying into Brian and Lily's love story as it's presented and one reveal at the end had me doubting the structure of everything that led up to it. However, Brian's friend Tess, an Australian woman he meets on the road, is amazing, and I'd happily read a book about her. Unfortunately, this isn't that book.

The Townsend Family Recipe for Disaster

The Townsend Family Recipe for Disaster by Shauna Robinson, 337 pages

Mae Townsend is just weeks away from her wedding, but looking at her side of the aisle, she's reminded forcefully of her estrangement from her dad's side of the family. See, the marriage between Mae's white mom and Black dad was controversial for both families, and Mae hasn't seen any of her aunts, uncles, or cousins since she was 6. So when she learns of her paternal grandmother's death three weeks before her wedding day, Mae spontaneously decides to attend the funeral and get to know them, whether they like it or not.

This is an interesting examination of deep-seated conflict and the way it can play out in mixed-race relationships over the generations. Did it feel particularly realistic? Not really, especially considering all the stuff Mae takes on while juggling wedding plans and work. Was it enjoyable to read? You betcha.

Time's Agent

Time's Agent by Brenda Peynado, 207 pages

The discovery of pocket worlds means big things for researchers, including archaeologist Raquel and her botanist wife. But hopping between these worlds can cause big problems, especially when the timestream of some worlds runs much faster or slower than the world we're used to. Such is the case when Raquel accidentally misses 40 years of our world after a super short trip to a pocket universe. She returns to find that everything has changed, from the people she thought she knew, to the technology, to the new-to-her uses for pocket worlds.

This is a fascinating short book that examines capitalism's innate exploitative nature of anything new, as well as the ramifications of humans not protecting those things that need it. It's a bit heavy-handed at times, but overall worth reading.

Agnes Sharp and the Trip of a Lifetime

Agnes Sharp and the Trip of a Lifetime by Leonie Swann, 338 pages

When one of the batty residents of Sunset Hall receives a free trip to a fancy hotel and spa, all of her elderly roommates decide to go with her. However, mysterious things start happening almost as soon as they arrive — there's a presumably dead person floating in the pool with a curled up snake resting nearby; two hooded people go for a walk along the ridge, but only one returns; and why is there a random guy dropping onto the balcony of their room? The titular Agnes and her friends decide to investigate these various mysteries in a manner that is more than a bit chaotic.

I'm not sure what I thought about this as a mystery. Halfway through, it was hard to tell who or how many people were dead, and there were no real suspects, which felt a bit late to call this a mystery for real. Fans of the Thursday Murder Club, Marlow Murder Club, and Killers of a Certain Age might pick this one up, though it's not nearly as good as any of those mentioned earlier in this sentence.

Dad Camp

Dad Camp by Evan S. Porter, 353 pages

John has always had a good relationship with his daughter, Avery. He's coached her soccer and softball teams, and they've always had fun together, but now she's 11 and starting to pull away, and John's starting to worry that their relationship is disappearing. His solution to solidify that relationship: a week at a summer camp for dads and daughters. Of course, when Avery learns that the camp is during the week that she should be trying out for the elite soccer team, which is ALSO the last week before school starts (and thus her last chance to hang out with her friends for the summer), she's furious, and the camp becomes that much harder to handle. When they're put in a cabin with a workaholic dad, an "alpha bro" dad, and a former-chef-turned-stay-at-home dad and their respective daughters, "dad camp" seems like the worst idea ever.

So many books of this nature have focused on moms and daughters or fathers and sons, so it's refreshing to find such a fantastic funny, heartwarming book about father-daughter relationships. I love that it examines what it means to be a good dad — and it's not just one thing — while still keeping the plot moving and the laughs coming. And I loved seeing the growth of the characters in the book, especially as they learned to support each other. Highly recommended.

A Reason to See You Again

A Reason to See You Again by Jami Attenberg, 230 pages

After the death of family patriarch Rudy, the Cohen women are set adrift. Rudy's widow, Frieda, drowns her sorrows in alcohol, while daughters Shelly and Nancy run off to take the tech industry by storm and marry a shady traveling salesman, respectively. Over the course of 50+ years, their lives diverge and come together, creating a complex tapestry of strained relationships and unresolved grief. Told through vignettes set every few years between the late 1960s and today, it's a very realistic story of a very dysfunctional family.

So Thirsty

 So Thirsty by Rachel Harrison, 304 pages.

Sloane Parker is starting to grow old in a life she finds deeply mediocre, but at least it's safe. Her lukewarm husband buys her a trip to a luxury cabin with her best friend, and Naomi makes it her goal to shake Sloane out of the life that isn't making her happy and really live for once. The shake is perhaps a little harder than she intended, as the wild party she drags them to ends with death instead of life, and vampiric transformations for the two of them. Faced with mounting horror, Sloane has to decide if the price of change is too high for happiness. 

This book opens really strong. I liked the character voice for Sloane, and I liked how much fun the author was clearly having with little dramatic irony lines as the audience knows they are reading a vampire book but the characters don't know they are in one. Unfortunately, I found myself losing interest as we got to the actual vampire part of the book and Sloane's angst started drowning out anything else, which is a little unfortunate and unexpected given the genre. I did still find this book to be fun and easy to read, so while I wouldn't consider this an amazing book, I do think vampire enjoyers would have a good time with it. 

Iron Widow

Iron Widow by Xiran Jay Zhao (2021) 394 pages

This is the beginning of a relatively new series. I listened to the audiobook narrated by Rong Fu on Libby. Part Mighty Morphin Power Rangers kaiju adventure and part feminist revenge tale. The story is set in the future, but cultural values and some characters were pulled from Chinese history, according to the author. This leans more toward fantasy than science fiction with Chi energy powering soldiers' armor and the mecha Chrysalises like the vermilion bird pictured on the cover. Zetian is a powerful teen pilot who gains the nickname the Iron Widow. She is unstoppable in fighting the misogyny in her culture in addition to the alien insectoid "invaders" that the government sends the soldiers to eliminate.
 

Impossible City: Paris in the 21st Century

Impossible City by Simon Kuper (2024) 258 pp

Part memoir, part travelogue and part history, Impossible City takes the reader through an introduction to contemporary Paris and follows the author as he eventually becomes a French citizen. Kuper is a journalist for the Financial Times and the writing is brisk, but the organization is scattershot, perhaps appropriate for one of the world’s most complex cities. A reluctant emigre, Kuper uses detailed personal anecdotes to illustrate the unique character of 21^st Century Paris and his place in the metropolis. This is a dense book – a series of vignettes on various aspects of Paris including transportation, terrorism, politicians, culture and of course food.

Zero Stars, Do Not Recommend

Zero Stars, Do Not Recommend by MJ Wassmer, 371 pages

Dan's having a great time spending time with his girlfriend on the beach at an all-inclusive, adults-only tropical resort. Then the sun explodes. And because Dan happens to be the closest person to the microphone when all of the resort guests gather, he ends up becoming the de facto leader of one of the schisms that inevitably forms when the VIP guests start hoarding resources for their final days.

A blurb on the cover of this book calls it Lord of the Flies as written by Douglas Adams, and that's not too far from the truth. It was certainly one of the funnier books I've read about class warfare and the end of the world, and I heartily recommend it.

August Kitko and the Mechas from Space

 August Kitko and the Mechas from Space by Alex White, 451 pages. 

August Kitko had resigned himself to inevitable death by giant robot with the rest of the planet. Which makes it a big surprise when the doomsday robot is attacked by a second giant doomsday robot, who proceeds to kidnap him and make him an integral part to the forces trying to save humanity from certain destruction. This is a whole lot of pressure for a jazz pianist, and soon he's drawn into a series of questions whose answers will determine the fate of his species. 

I had such a great time with this book! I had a hard time putting it down, and managed to tear through the whole thing in a few days. I was impressed at the amount of thought put into making all of the mechas unique and interesting, and that thoughtfulness translated into some really fabulous giant robot fights. I thought this novel did a really good job balancing these fun and exciting elements with the seriousness of the extinction event in the premise. I also really liked both Gus Kitko and Ardent Violet, who is both Kitko's rockstar love interest and the second protagonist of this book. This is a space opera with an emphasis on the opera, which is a fun choice. This book definitely makes my recommendation list, and I'm very excited to discuss it with Orcs & Aliens next week!

October Totals

Time for cozy reading season!

Byron: 3 books, 1070 pages

Jan: 5 books, 1711 pages

John: 2 books, 834 pages

Kara: 9 books, 3239 pages

Karen: 9 books, 2750 pages

Kevin: 2 books, 557 pages

Regan: 8 books, 2156 pages

Totals: 38 books, 12,317 pages 

The Shadow of the Wind

 The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafón (trans. Lucia Graves), 506 pages.

Daniel Sempere's bookseller father takes him to a mysterious building called The Library of Lost Books, a safe haven for lost and forgotten books underneath Barcelona. Here Daniel is given guardianship of a novel called The Shadow of the Wind, but his search for the author spans decades and draws him into ever darker mysteries in a city recovering from civil war. 

This book was recommended to me more than a decade ago by one of my best friends, and I'm so glad I finally got around to it. Even better, I imagine I appreciated it more now than I would have as a teenager. This is a dark and moody mystery with a distinctly gothic tint. The novel takes its time and revels in its sense of atmosphere, and I found myself completely immersed in it, not dissimilarly from how Daniel felt about his precious book. It is easy to forget that this novel is historical fiction and not Ruiz Zafón writing from the 1940s. This historical Barcelona feels so comfortable and lived in that it's hard to believe that the author was born decades later. Although I'm very late to this party, I would definitely recommend this book to a whole wide range of readers. 

Behind the Lens

Behind the Lens: My Life by David Suchet 375 pp.

David Suchet is best known for playing Agatha Christie's most famous detective, Hercule Poirot which he did for 25 years. But Suchet has been a fixture of English drama for over fifty years, performing with the Royal Shakespeare Company and on other stages. During his long and successful career he is never without his camera, having learned photography from his grandfather, to keep a record of not just his acting, but his life. In this somewhat unusual memoir he relates tales about his upbringing, drama training, career, his ancestry, his beliefs, and his family. The photos he includes are of a wide variety of subjects. Some of his life details are surprising - living with his wife on canal boats that could be moved from town to town as he performed in different theatres. Other details were a surprise to him, such as his Jewish ancestry. This is a memoir with non of the sleazy parts, only a straightforward story of Suchet's life and career. He seems to be beyond any scandal and is well respected among his peers and especially his fans.

Magic Has No Borders

Magic Has No Borders by Samira Ahmed, Sona Charaipotra, Saba Tahir, Sayantani DasGupta, and eleven more authors  348 pp.

This collection of short stories takes stories of ancient Southern Asian gods, goddesses, and spirits and reimagines them for a modern audience. The stories are rich in detail and characterization. They include many of the lesser deities of the Indian, Pakistani, Bangladeshi, and other diaspora of the region. Each tale is of empowerment over some evil, though not all are tales with happy endings. The settings and situations are captivating, giving incite into some of the spiritual beliefs of the area. I am not a fan of short stories but this one is so richly done it was irresistible. I listened to the audiobook which was performed by several narrators. Most were excellent with a couple of them less so.  

Assume the Worst

 Assume the Worst: The Graduation Speech You'll Never Hear by Carl Hiaasen 39 pp.

This is not the commencement speech you expect to hear. Hiaasen takes all those charming platitudes espoused for a happy, successful life after graduation and turns them on their heads. In essence, those very platitudes that one hears, "Live each day as if it were your last," and "If you set your mind to it, you can be anything you want to be," sound nice but in reality are not realistic. Most of us do our best to plod through life in a job that just manages to support us in the mundane way we've become accustomed. But this book isn't just dream crushing scenarios. It does end with some solid advice on living your life.

The Midnight Feast

The Midnight Feast by Lucy Foley (2024) 354 pages

Francesca and her architect-husband Owen, have opened an ultra upscale resort at the top of a cliff by the sea in Dorset, England. The resort includes part of a huge forest. A moodiness prevails in the setting, with crows‒some humongous‒seeming to cast judgement. The locals in the area are resentful of the resort owners and their rich patrons, especially angry because the resort has cut them off from their ability to go through the forest and to access the sea easily.

It's opening weekend and Francesca is obsessed with having everything just right, to get good publicity from all the top raters. But what she hadn't counted on was Bella, a young woman who came to the resort alone. Bella had spent a summer in the area 15 years ago. Something very bad happened here that summer, when Bella met Frankie, the granddaughter of the people who owned the mansion at that time, but what?

The point of view changes with the chapters‒primarily Bella, Francesca, Owen, and Eddie, a farm boy who has taken a job washing dishes at the resort. The time also pivets back and forth.

The story is often dark, with a few characters that are somewhat caricatured. Riveting, in its dark way, the story grows more complex, with the characters more connected than they seemed at first glance.

MEM

MEM by Bethany C. Morrow (2018) 189 pages

Are you a fan of the Netflix series Black Mirror? You might like this. This short novel is set in the 1920s and doesn't feel as dystopian. A scientist has discovered a way for people to extract memories. The MEMs are zombie-like pale copies of the original person that just re-experience the emotional core of the memory until they expire. Except for Dolores Extract #1, who chooses the name Elsie to distinguish herself. She breaks all the rules by remembering all of her source's memories and has the unique ability to remember new experiences. Is she fully human? The mystery of her existence in a non-linear timeline with profound questions about identity, memory, and civil liberties are explored with much contemplation.
 

This Spells Disaster

 This Spells Disaster by Tori Anne Martin, 368 pages.

Morgan Greenwood is a disaster witch with a massive crush on Rory Sandler, who recently quit professional spellcasting to mix up magical cocktails in Morgan's hometown. Her family isn't thrilled about this decision, so Morgan agrees to be her fake girlfriend for the upcoming regional witch festival to convince Rory's family that she's happier with her life now. Unfortunately, the "disaster" part of "disaster witch" appears in the form of Morgan messing up a perfectly normal relaxation potion and potentially giving Rory a love potion instead, leaving her trying to break the effects of the spell with as little collateral damage as possible.

I really expected to like this book. The blurb really sold me, and I was ready for a light, funny book for Halloween. Unfortunately I found it very difficult to read because most of the plot could have been avoided if Morgan didn't constantly make the worst decisions physically possible for no obvious reason. There's an amount of suspension of disbelief usually inherent to fake dating (it's usually a larger-than-life kind of premise), but there was an amount of frustration involved with the choices of this book that made it very difficult for me to get invested in finishing it at all. I could clearly see all of the plot twists of the last fifty pages coming from before Morgan even suspected she gave Rory a love potion, and given that it's in first person it feels hard to believe that Morgan didn't even consider any of the many ways there may have actually been no problem. Although I'm sad to say it, I don't think I can recommend this one. 

The Lost Van Gogh

The Lost Van Gogh by Jonathan Santlofer  339 pp.

This novel starts out great but then slips in to a story of too much with too many characters. A young-ish couple, one a painter, the other an art historian find a nondescript painting in an antique shop. With closer examination they discover that under the painting of a woman, a Van Gogh self portrait is hidden. As they try to prove it is real, it is stolen from them. This leads the couple on an international search with private investigators, art galleries, INTERPOL, and Nazi looted art specialists. The introduction of more and more characters - good guys, bad guys, and ones who switch allegiances - make the story much more complicated and tedious. You really need a scorecard to keep track of who is on which side and who can be trusted. It's a nice premise but overblown. No fault to the audiobook narrator, Edoardo Ballerini who does an excellent job, as usual.

Holy City

Holy City by Henry Wise, 344 pages

For unknown reasons, deputy Will has returned to his small hometown in rural Virginia, despite the fact that his estranged family is long gone and he has a barely functional house to live in. After Will pulls the body of a local man from a fire, the corrupt sheriff immediately pins the murder on a Black man who was seen running away from the scene, though Will is sure that he's not the culprit. Will grudgingly partners with a private investigator to start looking into the murder outside of proper channels, and the pair uncovers all manner of seedy corruption in the small town.

This was suggested to me as a mystery, and while yes, there is an investigation into who killed the guy found in the fire, it's pretty obvious who did it and it gets solved WAY before the end of the book. I wasn't a big fan of this one, as it was really hard to find any redeeming qualities in any of the characters, or to really understand their motives. If you want morally questionable characters in a gritty, racially charged crime novel set in the South, pick up S.A. Cosby and leave this one on the shelf.

A Study in Emerald

 A Study in Emerald by Neil Gaiman, illus. Rafael Albuquerque, Rafael Scavone, and Dave Stewart, 88 pages.

This alternate history version of A Study in Scarlet takes readers to an alternate history version of London where eldritch monsters replaced all of the heads of state many generations past. Our brilliant detective is set with solving the murder of a visiting prince, and the search takes him and his new assistant through all sorts of twists in this strange London.

This comic definitely had some interesting ideas, I just wish it did a little more with them. That being said, the pace at which the story unfolded let some of the stranger elements dawn on the reader only very slowly, which I did find fairly effective. This is an interesting take on an old story, and my only real complaint is that it was so comfortable in its role as a retelling that it didn't feel the need to make the story stand on its own. But it is a quick read, and definitely interesting enough to be worth the little time I put into it. 

The Couple at the Table

The Couple at the Table by Sophie Hannah (2022) 358 pages

A murder takes place at an exclusive resort. All the employees have left the premises, except for Anita, the woman in charge. She is in a dining area with all the guests, except for a husband and wife who have returned to their quarters after an exhaustive series of verbal sparring between Jane (the wife) and practically all the other guests, including her husband, William. One couple, Simon and Charlie, are cops on a holiday, and they decide to check on the couple and find William is in a trance-like daze, sitting with his back to Jane, who is dead on the floor. But William is cleared in the murder, because blood splatters from the stabbing have soaked through the slats in his chair onto his clothing, showing that he had to have been in that chair while his wife was killed behind him.

The guests say they were all together while the cops were checking on William and Jane. The resort  has cameras that indicate that no one from the outside got in. Six months have passed by. Chapters indicating differing characters' points of view alternate between July (when the murder occurred) and January (when the case gets more attention again).

It's a classic mystery with an interesting array of characters, keeping this reader, at least, in the dark until the big reveal.

Good Girls Don't Die

Good Girls Don't Die by Christina Henry, 313 pages

Celia loves to read a good mystery, but — after waking up in a home that's not hers with a family that's also not hers and no idea how she got in this situation — she decidedly does NOT like living in a mystery. The same could be said of horror movie fanatic Allie, whose beach trip with her friends turns into a terrifying weekend at a remote cabin in the woods. And then there's Maggie, who loves reading YA dystopian novels, but is less than impressed to find herself forced into a Hunger Games-esque maze with several other women. Obviously, there's someone behind all of these situations, and if they can survive, they're all determined to make them pay.

Told as three separate stories, this book ended up feeling a bit repetitive and predictable by the time the three heroines came together at the end. Perhaps restructuring the story could've helped combat that and make the suspense hang on just a bit longer. I generally love Christina Henry's books, so I'm particularly disappointed in this one. 

Neuromancer

Neuromancer by William Gibson (1984) 288 pages

This originated the term Cyberpunk. It is a hard-boiled crime novel with a heist as the central plot device. It takes place in a futuristic world that would inspire the Blade Runner movies and The Matrix movies. Designer drugs, genetic manipulation, violence, and virtual reality are present everywhere. The main character Chase, while working to plant a computer virus as part of the heist, has to navigate three layers of virtual reality. The technobabble, made up terms for the future technology and the slang used in talking about it, is pretty dense. It was a struggle to find my bearings in the beginning. What is a noun and what is a verb in the sentence? From context, I'm pretty sure this is a noun. But is it a person, place, or thing? It is a bit shocking being dropped into this world, and each scene moves along very quickly. Eventually, I did become more accustomed to Gibson's use of language and went along for the fast-paced ride.
 

A Fine and Private Place

 

A Fine and Private Place by Peter S. Beagle 317 pp.

I first read this book sometime in the 1970s and for some reason it stuck with me so I decided to revisit it. It's the tale of a man, Jonathan Rebeck, a former pharmacist who has hidden himself from society by living in an old mausoleum in a Bronx cemetery. Rebeck doesn't leave, believing he cannot pass through the gates into the outside world. A crabby raven brings him food stolen from local venders. In his nineteen years there Rebeck has met ghosts of people interred in the cemetery. When the ghosts first arrive they are very "alive" but as time passes and they gradually forget their former lives, they fade away. The latest cemetery residents are a middle-aged man who was poisoned and a young woman. Improbably, the ghosts fall in love with each other. Rebeck, too, finds himself with a lady friend who visits the mausoleum of her late husband. When Mrs. Clapper learns that Rebeck lives in the cemetery she tries to convince him it's time for him to return to the "real world." This book was originally published in 1960 and has recently been reissued. I listened to the audiobook which has an introduction by Neil Gaiman.

A Wodehouse Bestiary

 A Wodehouse Bestiary by P.G. Wodehouse 329 pp.

This is a collection of short stories and random chapters from Wodehouse novels, some including Jeeves & Wooster, and all involving animals in some way. In one there is a house that seems to cause residents and visitors, even anti-hunting ones, to become rabid about hunting and killing game animals. Another has a potentially doomed engagement salvaged because of a dog and a cowardly suitor but with no help from a dog food salesman. In a third, a trip to the horse track helps a friend of Bertie Wooster's get rid of a troubling house guest who has endangered his marriage by forcing them into an extreme vegetarian diet. These are just a few of the classic Wodehouse tales collected in this volume. Some I read before in other collections but many were new to me. It's enjoyable, humorous, frequently silly, light reading.

The Teacher

The Teacher by Freida McFadden, 393 pages

Addie is headed back to school for her junior year under a cloud of scandal — she's notorious as the girl that got a much-beloved teacher fired for their inappropriate relationship (one she swears didn't actually happen) — and is the target of much bullying from the class mean girl. Also heading back to school are Addie's teachers Nate Bennett (a dreamy English teacher) and Eve Bennett (Nate's less-popular wife, who is a strict math teacher). There are problems in the Bennetts's marriage, and Eve's extramarital affair with a shoe salesman is *almost* as problematic as Nate's new relationship with Addie. It's a powder keg ready to blow up.

This was the first McFadden book I've read, and given her quick pacing and writing, I can see why she's so popular. The book is full of horrible people doing morally reprehensible things and has twists upon twists upon twists. During the read, it was propulsive...but afterward, I found myself questioning some of those bigger twists. It's a decent disturbing read though, if you don't look too closely. 

Evocation

Evocation by S.T. Gibson, 301 pages

David Aristarkhov is a powerful and persuasive attorney by day, a spirit medium by night. He comes from a long line of powerful magicians who, legend has it, come by their charisma thanks to an ancestor's deal with a demon. When he's performing a séance one night, David is forcibly taken over by an angry spirit, who continues to pester him for months afterward. Unable to fix the problem by himself, David is forced to seek help from his ex, Rhys, and Rhys's witch wife, Moira, who find that the help they provide is inextricably tangled up with their feelings for David.

This is the first book of a planned quadrilogy, and I enjoyed the characters and setting enough that I'll probably pick up more of them as they come out. However, I don't know that I'd offer this up as a solid fantasy recommendation, as the magical elements seem to be there only to further the relationship plot surrounding David, Rhys, and Moira. And the magic felt even more hand-wavy than usual. Not bad, just not my favorite ever. (This is, however, a GORGOUS book, with some super high-quality production in the physical book. Props to the publisher, Angry Robot, for that!)

The Expat :A Novel

The Expat :A Novel by Hansen Shi (2024) 236pp

Although the writing is a bit forced, the topic is cutting edge – international theft of intellectual property. Shi jumps right into the troubles facing ambitious, well-educated young people. His protagonist is Michael Wang, a young disaffected Chinese ivy league graduate working at General Motors. The friction point is Wang’s frustration over the lack of recognition for his brilliance at archetypically, staid GM. The story illuminates the conflicting loyalties of the expat, drawn to the cultural homeland of his parents, repelled by the micro-aggressions of daily life as a Chinese-American, but simultaneously attached to the “American dream” of opportunity. Wang falls victim to the intricacies of unrequited romance, the mysterious and beautiful love interest Vivian. Vivian introduces Wang to a Chinese businessman, actually a government agent, who convinces him to naively provide China with his GM research and his expertise. The situation collapses rapidly as Wang is arrested and detained by the FBI. He agrees to act as a counter-agent, charged with trapping his Chinese spy-master in compromising circumstances. With much hand-wringing angst the story zips along to a hackneyed conclusion, all mysteries resolved in the last twenty pages.

Hitler’s People: The Faces of the Third Reich

Hitler’s People by Richard J. Evans (2024) 598 pp
 Evans wrote a three-volume history of Hitler’s rise, reign and fall and in this new book he profiles a selection of the main villains associated with the Third Reich, providing biography and commentary on 20 Germans tangentially involved. A lot here is well-trod ground with the ruthless pre-war Hitler shown as a diminished figure after 1939 as the war progresses and he fades from public view (although his deleterious impact is omnipresent). Evans groups the individuals by their relation to Hitler and to the Third Reich. In addition to the Leader (Hitler) subjects are categorized into groups -- enabling Paladins, evil Enforcers and witting and unwitting Instruments. Evans’ depth of knowledge shines in the vivid and insightful commentary at the beginning of these sections. A few common denominators are the resentment of the German loss in World War I, the appeal of a strong leader, reaction to the dismal economics of the Great depression and antisemitism. Evans does not dwell on current affairs, but the parallels are obvious. This is a sobering read – few of the people included show contrition.

The Raven Boys

 The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater, 409 pages.

Blue Sargent comes from a family of psychics, but her own supernatural gifts have always been limited to making other people's gifts stronger. Until one St. Mark's Eve, when she sees the spirit of a boy who's destined to die in the next year, who she must either kill or love to see him. That boy is Gansey, a student at the local boarding school for rich and privileged boys who is on an obsessive quest for a long buried Welsh king he believes is buried along the leyline in Virginia. Soon Blue's path crosses with Gansey and his friends' search and things begin to move very quickly.

This young adult novel came very highly recommended, and I'm afraid I found it a little middling. There wasn't anything wrong with it, and I did genuinely really like all of the characters, but I found the pacing a little slow and it didn't really shine for me. This is book one of a quartet, and I'm intrigued enough by some of the open questions that I might pick up the next, but I'm not sure I'll finish the series. Fans of young adult literature and magical realism might like this book. 

The Caxton Private Lending Library and Book Depository

 

The Caxton Private Lending Library and Book Depository by John Connolly 78 pp.

Mr. Berger has taken an early retirement with the intention of spending his time immersed in reading. His quiet life is disrupted when he witnesses a young woman throw herself under a train. But incident reminiscent of Anna Karenina leaves no body or other evidence. Berger investigates further and finds the Caxton Private Lending Library in a old warehouse type building on a deserted street. The library is run by a curious man known as Mr. Gedeon who maintains a collection of first and special editions of classic literature as well as a cast of characters come to life who live in the library. Anna Karenina is one of those residents. Berger has given himself the task of making sure Anna doesn't try to harm herself again. This brief novella is a quick and light read that draws you into its world.

The Prison Healer

 

The Prison Healer by Lynette Noni  416 pp.

Kiva Meridan is the healer at the notorious Zalindov Prison. She inherited the position from her father who died during an epidemic when she was just a child. The prison is a gory place and Kiva does what she can for the injured and sick. When the Rebel Queen is captured and brought to the prison, Kiva is charged with keeping the seriously ill woman alive but only until she dies during the Trial by Ordeal, a four part challenge involving the elements of Air, Fire, Water, and Earth to which only the most dangerous criminals are sentenced. She receives a message from her family which reads "Don't let her die. We are coming." Kiva volunteers to take on the trials in the Rebel Queen's place (shades of Hunger Games). But she also has a fatal epidemic among the prison community to contend with along with the Rebel prisoners who are against her. This isn't a bad story but it drags on too long. There are two more books in the series and I have no desire to continue this story. I listened to the audiobook which probably is the only reason I finished it.

Ocean's Godori

Ocean's Godori by Elaine U. Cho, 341 pages

Ocean Yoon is the pilot of a low-level Alliance cargo ship, fully aware that this is the only ship she's still able to fly after being a bit too trigger-happy during a mission gone awry years earlier. But when her best friend, Teo, is framed for murdering his wealthy and influential family, Ocean is willing to risk everything (including a growing friendship with the ship's medic, who is also something of an outsider) to track down the people framing Teo, even if if means faking their own deaths and seeking the help of the solar system's most notorious raider.

This isn't the easiest book to describe, as it's packed with lots of action and ideological crises that somehow are always in play and somehow managed to stay balanced. The plot meanders a bit, and the cliffhanger ending make this one a bit hard to recommend without a publication date for a sequel (oh wait! It's coming next August!), but darn if it isn't a fun book. I loved the found-family feel of Ocean's crew and the nods to Korean culture, and I can't wait to read the second one.