Colton Gentry's Third Act

Colton Gentry's Third Act by Jeff Zentner, 389 pages

Colton Gentry is a country music singer whose recent hit, "Honeysuckle Summer," has given him a second chance at stardom. But he's also grieving the loss of a good friend who was killed in a mass shooting at a music festival. So when he drunkenly goes off on America's gun culture while onstage, Colton swiftly finds himself kicked out of country music. And since his pop star wife has left him for a hockey player, Colton has nothing to do but go home to the tiny town of Venice, Kentucky, after finishing rehab. Imagine his surprise when he finds out that the single fine-dining restaurant in town is run by his high school sweetheart, Luann — AKA the woman who inspired "Honeysuckle Summer" — and that she's willing to give him a job in her restaurant's kitchen to help him get back on his feet.

While there are pieces of this that seem unlikely (mainly the two main characters being good at literally everything they do, from sports to singing to architecture to cooking fancy meals), I really appreciate the realism of Colton's struggle with alcoholism and his uncomfortable return home. This story is full of heart, humor, and coming to terms with who you are when you think you have nothing left. An excellent book (even if, like me, you can't stand country music).

My Darling Dreadful Thing

My Darling Dreadful Thing by Johanna Van Veen, 375 pages

For most of her young life, Roos has been the star of Mama's séances, using her spirit companion Ruth to pretend to commune the passed-on loved ones of paying séance guests. On top of feeling bad about ripping off these grieving people, Mama is actively abusive to Roos in any manner of ways, making her days even more miserable. So when widow Agnes attends a séance and offers up money to Mama to whisk Roos away to her stately home, Roos jumps at the chance, despite Agnes' creepy sister-in-law, the falling-apart house, and Roos' sneaking suspicion that her purpose at the estate is to help bring Agnes' late husband back as a spirit.

Told in alternating chapters between Roos' experiences and the transcript from visits with a psychologist, this gothic tale spins out in a way that's full of creeping dread and unease about what's real and what's not. A wonderfully creepy story, and perfect for spooky season. Recommended for fans of Shirley Jackson.

Dear Edna Sloane

Dear Edna Sloane by Amy Shearn (2024) 242 pages

Edna Sloane wrote a book which quickly became a classic after it was published some thirty years ago. When she was supposed to be meeting her agent to discuss her next novel, she never made it to her appointment, seemingly disappearing from the scene. Now, thirty years later, Seth, a few years out of college, is yearning to write something significant himself, but feels stuck in his mediocre job with a digital publication. His editor wants to do a series on great women writers of the 1980s, and suggests Seth look for Edna Sloane. Seth knows and loves her book and fixates on trying to find out what happened to her, contacting every group of writers he can think of, including those in chat rooms, hoping to get a lead on Enda's whereabouts. This story is told mostly via the emails and posts he sends, and later, through the letters he sends and receives. 

Seth has two goals: to find Edna and see if she is willing to be interviewed for their publication's feature story, hoping that such an interview would help his career which is floundering, and he also wants to see if Edna would be able to share with him writing strategies: how to create works which have meaning and will endure, and other concerns of the writer.

The letters which make up the story tell us much about the people, particularly Seth and Edna. We learn a lot about Edna's background, too: Her father came of age at Auschwitz, losing his entire family during the Holocaust. Her father's horrible experiences affected not just his own life, but they also had a significant, although indirect, effect on Edna's life as well. We also learn of Edna's life in college and as an adult. I found a lot of philosophical meat in this novel. While there is not a lot of action, the unfolding of Edna's story is fascinating to me.

Divine Rival and Ruthless Vows

 Divine Rival and Ruthless Vows by Rebecca Ross, 777 pages.

Iris Winnow and Roman Kitt are from two different worlds, even though they grew up in the same city. To Iris the newspaper columnist position they are competing for would mean everything for her ability to take care of her struggling family. For Roman it's a matter of desperately trying to earn his rich father's approval. But when they start magically exchanging magical letters they soon begin to fall in love with the person on the other sides of the letters, with whom they can be more genuinely themselves than with anyone else.

But long-buried gods have woken and the country is plunged into war, a war that they can't stay away from even as the city of Oath tries its best to pretend it doesn't effect them. The two get pulled deeper into the heartbreak and terror of the divine war as they desperately hope for some sort of peaceful future together. 

These books flowed so easily into one another that it felt best to give them a single review. I was really impressed by the prose of these books. It's always a bit of a danger telling the reader that your characters are excellent writers, especially when you let the audience read examples, but in this case I absolutely felt the love of language throughout. I also found books ones and two to be delightfully mirrored in a way that added depth to both (in a rare case where I like the sequel slightly better than the original. On a more personal note, rivals-to-lovers is one of my preferred relationship dynamics, and I found myself very bought into the central romance of the series, and I was cheering for them the whole time. I was a little surprised with just how much I enjoyed these books, and with how quickly I devoured them. 

Brave New World

 Brave New World by Aldous Huxley, 268 pages.

The titular brave new world comes at the end of industrialization. Society has been totally restructured to remove pain, suffering, and instability; as well as art, religion, and scientific exploration. The population is happy and, above all else, stable. The novel follows the rare few who are unsatisfied with their easy and totally challengeless life, as well as an even rarer outsider who finds this new society profoundly empty when introduced to it.

I had never read this classic novel before, and I'm really glad I finally got around to it. The book gives you a lot to think about, but very few clear answers. It feels in many ways more conversational than many classic novels. Although there is fairly little plot to speak of, I still found this an engaging little book. 

The Chamber

The Chamber by Will Dean, 332 pages

Six divers have just entered a hyperbaric chamber that will keep them at depth pressure for the next month as they do ocean floor maintenance work in the North Sea. It's dangerous work, and there's no exiting their tiny space until the work is done and they have gone through several days of slow decompression to avoid the bends. But just a day into their mission, one of the divers doesn't wake up, and he certainly didn't die of natural causes. Even with the rest of the mission cancelled, they have four days of being locked together in a tiny chamber before they can get out.

The premise of this book has the potential to be a claustrophobic and terrifying thriller. Unfortunately, the execution doesn't live up to the potential, as the readers are told about the panic the characters were feeling rather than feeling it through the writing. It's not a horrible book, and I feel like I learned a lot about deep-sea work (which was fascinating — I once had a neighbor who was an underwater welder, and this book shed light on what his work was like). But I was disappointed that such a great premise went to waste on such meh writing.

The Boyfriend Subscription

The Boyfriend Subscription by Steven Salvatore (2024) 288 pages

Two gay men's viewpoints alternate in this story: Cole has built up a company in LA that provides a positive spin for sex workers. Teddy is known for being the "Plant Daddy," having built up a his business selling plants online and later in a brick and mortar store in New York. At least until his divorce, when his ex-husband's rich family sues him and takes away the building his shop is located in, alleging that he cooked his financial records. Teddy is broke and planning to move back to Louisiana in a few days, when his best friend/roommate Kit takes him out for a drink and Teddy meets Cole, who is in New York for his sister's wedding. There is an instant connection between the two men, although Teddy's frayed Target clothing is no match for Cole's Armani suits.

The two men, while attracted, are also each nursing emotional wounds. Because Cole's sister worries about him being without a partner, Cole suggests a win-win situation: he will pay Teddy to be his partner and go with him to his sister's wedding. This includes a clothing allowance to fit the occasion. A strong Pretty Woman vibe is going on here, which includes a measure of conflict that I'm not exactly sure makes sense. And lots of sex. The best thing was these men (and their friends) demonstrate gay relationships‒whether as partners or friends‒in a perfectly likeable way.

Give Unto Others

 

Give Unto Others by Donna Leon  295 pp.

This is the 31st book in the Guido Brunetti series. Guido is approached by a neighbor from his childhood, Elisabetta Foscarini, who is worried that her daughter is in danger from her son-in-law, Enrico's business activities. Commissario Brunetti begins to investigate the woman's claims unofficially. When the daughter's veterinary office is vandalized it seems Elisabetta's suspicions were correct. But the police blame the break-in on the roving young gangs in the city. Even though his is not a Questura sanctioned investigation, Brunetti enlists the assistance of a few trusted colleagues and the things they uncover lead to a shady international charity started by Elisabetta's husband and a retired Vice Admiral now suffering from dementia. Soon the investigation shifts to an official one looking into the charity and the possibility that the Vice Admiral was coerced into involvement while not understanding what was happening. Another major twist in the story leads to a resolution of the mysteries. 

Somewhere Beyond the Sea

 Somewhere Beyond the Sea by TJ Klune, 416 pages.

Linus Baker as found a home and a family with Arthur Parnassus and the weird and wonderful children of Marsyas Island. He hasn't looked back since he left DICOMY, but the organization isn't done with them yet. Arthur is summoned to testify about his experiences of abuse in a DICOMY orphanage, where he learns that the new head of the organization is a polite, respectable woman who also happens to be a bigot very dedicated to destroying the home he has so painstakingly built for himself. 

It was a real pleasure to get back to these wonderful characters. That being said, I didn't like this book quite as well as the first. It feels like while the first was very focused on character interactions, this one was more speeches than anything else. This makes an amount of sense, as the first book was about finding a home, and the sequel is more about fighting for it. Overall I would say this book is still very good, and important, but the reading of it is a very different experience than the first book in the series. 

The House in the Cerulean Sea

 The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune, 394 pages.

Linus Baker works for the Department in Charge of Magical Youth (DICOMY for short) and spends his rainy, grey life in a rainy, grey city evaluating government orphanages that house magical youth and filling out paperwork. His long and steady record leads Extremely Upper Management to send him to evaluate an extremely secret orphanage that houses children that are considered especially dangerous or unusual. The monthlong visit with the weird and wonderful children of Marsyas Island Orphanage floods him with all of the color his life was missing, and soon he's wondering how he will ever live without the children and their caring and enigmatic caretaker. 

This was a reread for me, and it was just as wonderful the second time (although perhaps not as desperately needed as December of 2020 when I read it the first time). I love all of the characters, Linus included, and the whole novel reads like a warm hug. At a recent author event I attended Klune mentioned that this was the first book of what he informally thought of as the "Kindness trilogy" (along with Beneath the Whispering Door  and In the Lives of Puppets) and I can't get over how completely apt that is. This is a book about compassion, finding love and community, and confronting biases (both internalized and towards others). A truly lovely book, highly recommended to anyone who hasn't already read and also people who have. 

A Little Devil in America

A Little Devil in America: Notes in Praise of Black Performance by Hanif Abdurraqib (2021) 301 pages

I listened to the audiobook through Libby narrated by JD Jackson. I listened to it ahead of Kevin's Rhythm & Books bookclub, so I don't want to give too many details. Each essay on different types of black performance (not necessarily related to music) is deeply felt. The author's prose are sometimes a rap of his reflections and feelings. Abdurraqib intricately examines American culture and the Black experience.
 

Sophie's World

Sophie's World: A Novel About the History of Philosophy by Jostein Gaardner (1991) 523 pages

This novel is about a high schooler in Norway, named Sophie, who begins receiving mysterious letters offering a course on Philosophy. I've had it on my reading list since before I used Goodreads. It was a nice review of the Intro to Philosophy course I took in college. About half way through you find out an officer working for the United Nations in Lebanon has written this work of fiction and has sent it home to his daughter Hilde, who is the same age as the fictional Sophie, for her birthday. By this point, I had become invested in the story of Sophie and her Philosophy teacher, so it was a bit frustrating that Sophie's story becomes more and more fantastic, and Hilde's story is about her reading what we have just read. My college course ended with Kant, so I was interested in an overview beyond that period of philosophic thought. The Philosophy teacher in the story begins pulling in other sciences with discussion of Darwin and Freud. More and more mythical and fairy-tale characters strangely pop up in Sophie's world as well. It really leans in to the dual worlds of grounded reality and mysterious fantasy, but I don't think the author mixes them particularly well.
 

The Fellowship of Puzzlemakers

The Fellowship of Puzzlemakers by Samuel Burr, 361 pages

In the late 1970s, crossword puzzle maker Pippa Allsbrook hosted the first meeting of the Fellowship of Puzzlemakers, an organization that, over the course of the next 40+ years, would become a safe haven and almost a commune for puzzlemakers of all sorts. Jigsaw artists, hedge-maze creators, riddle writers, math puzzle makers,  trivia book authors and pub quiz emcees, even guys who make those ingenious wooden puzzle boxes. All were welcomed in the Fellowship. Even Clayton Stumper, a baby who was left in a hatbox on the front step of the Fellowship's communal home in 1991 and raised by the older residents. However, when Pippa dies, she leaves 25-year-old Clayton a series of puzzles that will help him discover who he really is.

Told in alternating chapters between Clayton's current quest for the truth and the early days of the Fellowship (and sprinkled with the puzzles Pippa leaves behind), this book is a love letter to family of all sorts, to puzzles, and to self-discovery. It was a lovely read, and I highly recommend it.

Horror Movie

Horror Movie by Paul Tremblay, 275 pages

Thirty years ago, Valentina, Cleo, Karson, and the book's narrator (known only as Weird Guy) started making a low-budget horror movie. Valentina directed, Cleo wrote the screenplay, and Karson did the makeup, and all three also acted in the lead roles. Weird Guy only acted, in a mostly silent role called "Thin Kid." They filmed the whole movie, but it was never released, for reasons we're not quite sure of. Now, however, Hollywood is interested in recreating the movie, using Cleo's original script, and with Weird Guy being the only surviving member of the original filmmaking crew, he's now involved in the remake.

Told in alternating chapters of then, now, and the screenplay, this book unfolds in an increasingly uncomfortable manner, and I mean that in the best possible way. Tremblay is a master of keeping his readers unsure of what will happen next, with slowly ratcheting dread. Weird Guy's narration keeps us on our toes, as we honestly don't know how much we can believe or trust about what he's telling us. It's an excellent short horror novel, and perfect for spooky season.

The Secret Life of Albert Entwhistle

The Secret Life of Albert Entwistle by Matt Cain  394 pp.

Albert Entwistle is a 64 year old postman in England. He lives a solitary life in the family home, alone since his mother died. Albert lives with his cat and only real friend, Gracie. His coworkers see him as quiet and rather standoffish. Unknown to them are the nights when, after dinner alone, Albert closes the drapes, puts on his favorite music, and dances with abandon where no one can see him. When Albert receives a notice about his mandatory retirement he is not happy. He wonders what he will do with the rest of his life. With the help of a young mother on his mail route and her toddler daughter, Albert begins to open up to the world around him. Soon he is surprising everyone he knows with the changes in him. Then he makes a decision to locate his lost love from his school days and things change even more. The story starts a bit slow and I'll be honest, I almost abandoned it. I'm glad I stuck with it to the end. 

Nickel and Dimed

 Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America, by Barbara Eherenreich, 2001, 228 pages

I remember seeing this book on the shelf when it first hit bookstores in 2001. This book has been on my reading list that long! Never give up on your dreams. Unfortunately Ehrenreich doesn't hold much hope for other people's dreams-- especially the working poor. In a social experiment for the deft writer, Ehrenreich abandoned her cushy middle class lifestyle to understand one thing--exactly how do the poor get by in America? She set herself some ground rules, and started working some of the lowest wage jobs she could find. A waitress in Florida. A maid in Maine. And finally at a Wal-mart in Minnesota. What she discovered was what is probably obvious to any rational person reading this right now: no amount of low-wage, full-time labor can get a person above the poverty line. She crimped and saved on the wages she earned, bouncing from trailer park to cheaper motels, tracking every penny she earned and finding that even those times--twenty years ago!--rent prices took up nearly half of a person's pay. And this was just her--no kids, no other responsibilities. She also tracked her life and how she felt, how hard and physically draining and personally defeating this work could be. She rightly concluded that there is no such thing as unskilled labor. "What you don't necessarily realize when you start selling your time by the hour is that what you're actually selling is your life." You wouldn't think a book that's nearly a quarter century old could still be so timely. But the success of this book paved the way for books like Maid, by Stephanie Land and The Working Poor by David Shipler. They don't call it a classic in social justice literature for nothing. Recommended for adults. 

Phantom Orbit

Phantom Orbit by David Ignatius (2024) 371 pp

David Ignatius has a storied career in journalism and has written a dozen spy/thriller novels over the years. I was lured into this tome by the recognition of the author as journalist and by the orbit plot device. And indeed, the novel goes into satisfying detail on the role of satellites in modern warfare and the problems generated by public-private collaboration in space exploration. Ignatius has a fine grasp of technical details and also a believable sense of the operations of intelligence services, i.e., CIA, FSB and the Ministry of State Security. The yarn follows characters from China, Russia and the United States as they interact over 25 years, but the author fails in character development – I found the characters one-dimensional, simplistic and fraught with stereotypes. I slogged through but was left wanting – even after the final “reveal”.

GuRu

 

GuRu by RuPaul 191pp.

RuPaul enters the world of self-help books with this collection of ways to eliminate your self-imposed limitations alternating with photos of RuPaul in fabulous drag glory. The advice is as simple as waking up and praying, meditation, and ways to stop self-sabotage in your career, monetarily, and in your daily life. There's nothing new or earth-shaking here but the photos of RuPaul are wonderful. 

The Herring-Seller's Apprentice

The Herring-Seller's Apprentice (Ethelred & Elsie #1) by L.C. Tyler 207 pp.

Ethelred Tressider is a hack mystery writer. He authors three different series, none of which sell very well. His agent, Elsie Thirkettle is his busybody, nagging, chocoholic, literary agent who has no interest in Ethelred's novels. The story is told from both points of view with (mostly) alternating chapters. When Ethelred's ex-wife, Geraldine, is murdered not too far from where he is currently living, Elsie jumps on the chance investigate. In spite of her prodding, Ethelred is not interested in pursuing the investigation since he's also been saddled with the job of executor of Geraldine's estate. Soon the police decide she was "done in" by a local serial killer and the case seems closed. The ending twist is unexpected and leaves the story open for the next book.

The Door-to-Door Bookstore

 The Door-to-Door Bookstore by Carsten Henn, trans. Melody Shaw, 320 pages.

Carl Kollhoff has a very predictable life, which is just the way he likes it. Everyday he delivers books to a list of regular patrons (to whom he has given his own literary names) and then he goes home to read. He has no need to leave his little neighborhood, or to vary his routine in the slightest. Until a little girl named Schascha decides that she's going to be his assistant, and there's nothing he can do to stop her. Soon she begins to shake him out of his day-to-day. Which is vital, because even the most stable life can't last forever.

This was an EXTREMELY wholesome book. It could perhaps be accused of being a little sentimental, but I always like a gentle book about community. Schascha and Carl's relationship was very sweet and surprisingly interesting. I also found the voice of the novel to be very engaging. This was clearly a book written by someone who loves books, and I always think it's fun when something like that shines through so clearly. 

A Dangerous Collaboration

A Dangerous Collaboration by Deanna Raybourn (2019) 323 pages

The year is 1888 and Veronica Speedwell, a 26-year old woman with a scientific bent, is trying to find time away from Stoker, her usual partner in solving crimes, because she's conflicted about their friendship perhaps turning into a romantic relationship. She's not sure what she wants, although she's quite vocal about never getting married. When Stoker's brother, Lord Tiberius Templeton-Vane, asks Veronica to join him on a journey to a small island where a longtime friend resides in order to bring some rare butterflies back to London, Veronica can't help herself. Veronica fends off advances from Tiberius in the train, and is annoyed when she finds out that their host, Malcolm Romilly, has been told that she and Tiberius are engaged.

Stoker appears after the train drops them off and they are about to take a boat to St. Maddern's Isle, where Malcolm resides in a castle. There's quite a bit of tension between the brothers, but as it turns out, Tiberius wanted Stoker to join them at the island, which is why he had forbidden him to come. The butterflies are forgotten for awhile as the visitors learn that Malcolm's bride, Rosamund, disappeared on their wedding day three years ago, and Malcolm really needs closure. He wants them to find out what happened to her. Is she dead or did she run away? The castle has secret passageways and priest's holes, which were hiding places for priests when Catholicism was taboo, but they were all checked at the time of Rosamund's disappearance.

The suspects include Malcolm's sister Mertensia (who cultivates plants, including poisonous herbs), Malcolm's sister-in-law Helen (a dabbler in seances) and her son Caspian. And perhaps even Tiberius, who wasn't present on the wedding day, but who was clearly in love with Rosamund.

Even though I had not read the first three books in the series, I didn't feel lost, although this book whetted my appetite for the earlier installments. I've been finding out that books like this one, written recently but set back long ago, are not the fuddy-duddy stories I expect them to be, especially when given a feisty heroine like Veronica!

The Ministry of Time

The Ministry of Time by Kaliane Bradley, 339 pages

After several prodding interviews, our unnamed narrator is hired to a secretive job within the Ministry — she's to be a "bridge", a 24-hour assistant and monitor for a person who has been yanked out of the past and is now trying to assimilate into the 21st Century. Her "expat" is British naval officer Graham Gore, who was snatched from a doomed Arctic exploration in 1847. However, as they spend time together and the civil servant files her reports, it becomes apparent that something or someone is trying to undermine the whole time travel experiment.

This was a much more serious book than I'd anticipated, full of musing about the impacts of people from different eras merging lives and ways of thinking. It's also the least time-travelly book about time travel I've ever read — no hopping around in time or random popping up in odd spaces. However, that's not to say that it's bad... I actually really enjoyed this book, and would recommend it to people who are looking for a more literary and thought-provoking science fiction title.

I think the coolest thing about this book, however, is found in the author's note at the end: Graham is based on a real person who actually died in the expedition discussed in the book. I appreciated Bradley's dedication to research and bringing this fairly minor historical figure back to life in a big way.

Matilda

 

Matilda by Roald Dahl, 240 pgs.

What a fun book. My daughter started reading this one night, finished it in a day, and declared it as her favorite book of all time. I've seen most of the early movie versions of of Dahl's books but I'm just starting to read them now and really wished I'd experienced them as a kid. Matilda is one of those kids who is born to neglectful, awful parents and who don't encourage her natural abilities so she develops them herself. I love that this is basically a kid experience some massive trauma and ends up developing a superpower as a result to counteract all the bad people in her life. Books that feature kids who develop a power over grown-ups is always a good read, it's nice to see mean adults get their comeuppance at the hands of someone so small. Kids and adults. 

The Best Minds

The Best Minds: A Story of Friendship, Madness, and the Tragedy of Good Intentions by Jonathan Rosen  562 pp.

In 1973 the Rosen family moved into a house in New Rochelle, NY, across the street from the Laudor family. Young Jonathan Rosen and Michael Laudor soon were best friends and inseparable through high school and into college. Both young men were highly intelligent and ambitious. Michael completed college in three years as Summa Cum Laude. He soon went to work for a high power consulting firm. Before long Michael is hospitalized after a psychotic break and is diagnosed with schizophrenia. Johnathan does his best to be supportive while living in California earning Masters and Doctorate degrees. Michael spends time in a halfway house before using his deferred acceptance to Yale Law School. The administration and faculty are very supportive and accommodate Michael's difficulties which includes daily hallucinations of his room engulfed in flames and his parents being Nazi imposters. In spite of that he received his law degree. Soon he was in talks with Ron Howard's production company about making a film of Laudor's life. However, mental illness is unpredictable and things soon went sideways. Michael and his fiancée, Caroline Costello, shared an apartment until the day in 1998 when he brutally stabs her to death. He was captured that night after assaulting police officers It took six weeks before he realized she was dead after not understanding why she hadn't come to see him. Because of the vagaries of the legal system in such cases it took awhile before Michael was incarcerated in an institution in New York. He remains there and his illness is reevaluated for the possibility of release every two years . Much of this book is an examination of the treatment of the mentally ill by both the medical and professions. Because mental illness is so unpredictable it is impossible to find a black & white solution. In spite of his closeness to Laudor and his family, Rosen presents a balanced, informative, and compassionate story of a tragic situation.

Ron Howard never produced a film about Michael Laudor but made "A Beautiful Mind" about schizophrenic mathematician, John Nash a few years after the murder of Costello.

Our Dining Table

 Our Dining Table by Mita Ori, 236 pages.

Yutaka is a great cook, but his own poor childhood has left him too nervous to eat around other people, so he mostly ends up eating convenience food. A chance encounter with brothers Minoru and Tane leaves him somehow promising to come to their house and teach them how he makes Onigiri. The brothers recently lost their mother, and despite his best efforts older brother Minoru is a terrible cook, and taking care of his much younger brother has been proving a real challenge. Soon Yutaka is coming over to cook often, and that is exactly how a better family is built (especially once he and Minoru start falling in love). 

This was an extremely wholesome comic. The characters were all very sweet, and the story felt the same kind of wholesome as a good meal. My only real complaint is that the fact that the whole story is in a single volume means there are a lot of things that are mentioned but are never really explored. I feel like if this was a four volume series it might have more depth, but as is it's a warm, single setting story. I would recommend it as a light read and a good option for trying manga. 

All the Murmuring Bones

 All the Murmuring Bones by A.G. Slatter, 367 pages.

In times long enough ago that they have fallen into family legend, the O'Malley family made a deal with the Mer, trading one child in each generation for wealth, power, and protection from the sea. But the O'Malley family isn't what it once was and Miren O'Malley is the last true descendent, bearing the heavy burden of her family's dark history.

I really enjoyed this dark fairy tale, and I enjoyed even more discussing it with Orcs & Aliens this week! I found the characters compelling, even if it wouldn't be strictly accurate to call them good. I also liked how full and rich the world felt, and I definitely plan to read more books set in this same universe (luckily there are several). This book reminded me in many places of T. Kingfisher's Nettle and Bone, which I would consider high praise. I would definitely recommend this for people looking for a gothic novel (with a happier ending than is standard in the genre) or for people who enjoy a dark twist on fairy tales (with a sadder ending than is standard in the genre). 

The Break-Up Pact

The Break-Up Pact by Emma Lord, 310 pages

June and Levi grew up as best friends, but have barely spoken since high school. When both of them retreat to their hometown following high-profile breakups that went viral, they decide that a fake romance might help change the public narrative and win back Levi's ex-girlfriend, while also helping June's teashop become solvent. But as fake dating tropes ALWAYS do, what's pretend becomes real and they soon must grapple with what it means for their goals and their long yet strained friendship.

While there was nothing *wrong* with this book exactly, it also didn't feel quite right. The decade of silence between June and Levi could've been fixed with any one of several conversations (between them or with June's late sister), and while I get that small towns have a vibe all their own, the fact that what seems like their entire high school is still in town and super-involved in town events (despite being just a stone's throw from New York City) felt just a little too insular. The scones that June made sounded fun and, for the most part, tasty though, so there is that.

The Irish Goodbye

The Irish Goodbye by Amy Ewing, 327 pages

Desperate to get out of the personal and professional funk she's been in since her father died two years earlier, Cordelia takes a gig housesitting a cozy cottage on the Irish islands of Inishmore for a summer. Soon after arriving, she butts heads with Niall, a recently brokenhearted chef who's come home to help his parents run their pub in the busy season. With a tiny close-knit community, Cordelia and Niall find themselves thrown together much more than anticipated, and soon discover that they actually enjoy each other's company.

While both main characters had relatable and realistic backstories, the setup of the book and the speed at which things developed felt a bit quick and forced. However, I loved the setting and the secondary characters, so all in all it was a nice way to spend an afternoon, even if the book won't win any awards.

All the Murmuring Bones

All the Murmuring Bones by A.G. Slatter, 367 pages

I first read this Irish-tinged gothic fantasy back in 2021 and, at the time, found it thought-provoking, lived-in, and atmospheric (see my initial blog post here). That has not changed. I'm happy to say that the Orcs & Aliens book group agreed with me when we discussed it on Monday night, though we also agreed that it's a bit light on mermaids for a book with a giant tail on the cover. But the wealth of other creatures from Irish folklore more than made up for that. Glad I gave this one a second read-through, and I'll definitely be looking into more of Slatter's books in this world.

Transient Desires

 Transient Desires by Donna Leon 272 pp.

This is the thirtieth book in the Commissario Guido Brunetti Series. I will start by saying this book has the most unsatisfying ending of all the ones in the series that I've read. Two young women go on a boat ride with two young men they met at a popular night spot. A boating accident leaves the women injured and to disguise their crime, the young men leave the women outside a hospital and leave before they are seen. One woman is seriously injured and ends up in a coma while the other has a broken arm. Brunetti's investigation locates the young men, one of whom is also injured. The injured suspect's uncle owns a transport business and the accident occurred in one of his uncle's boats. Further investigation into the uncle uncovers illegal trafficking of goods and people, mostly women. With the assistance of the Guardia costiera (coast guard) Brunetti sets up a sting operation. I won't give away the ending but it seems to stop short. While this author doesn't go into the aftermath of arrests, trials, etc. in her books, this one stops short of any kind of closure and leaves the reader hanging with too many unanswered questions.

The Paradise Problem

The Paradise Problem by Christina Lauren (2024) 340 pages

Anna Green is barely getting by, working two jobs to support herself and her father's medical bills, when her husband drops by ‒ Liam is the brother of a friend whom she married in college so that he (and she) could get into family housing at UCLA. (She got to keep the couch when he graduated and went on his way.) She thought the paperwork she'd signed almost 3 years ago meant that they were now divorced. But he admits to her that they are still married, and well, he needs to bring a wife to an extravagant wedding in Indonesia in order to preserve a large inheritance from his grandfather. Anna and Liam had hardly interacted while sharing the apartment for those two years, but she's willing to play along as his wife when she realizes that he'll pay her well for her time over this 12 day extravaganza on a secluded island.

What happens next is kind of a mash up of Pygmalion and Crazy Rich Asians, with an especially toxic family member thrown in for good measure. And although sex hadn't been part of their original agreement back in college, sexual tension plays its own large role in this new situation.

Oathbringer

 Oathbringer by Brandon Sanderson, 1220 pages.

In book three of the Stormlight Archives, the world is ending. The voidbringers have awakened and are going about shattering societies in a whole array of different ways as the newly reformed Radiants attempt to fight the plots of Odium. Unfortunately, it is only becoming more obvious just how many of them are hiding things themselves (in some cases from themselves). Can Dalinar's coalition of nations withstand threats from within and without? Can it withstand the truth?

I am rereading the Stormlight Archives in preparation for the release of book five later this year, and I was continuously shocked at how many little details I didn't catch on my first read through. These books are masterfully crafted with a fine eye for detail. The characters are also extremely compelling. This book shows many of our heroes at their most broken, and that gives them a humanness that makes their future triumphs feel especially wonderful. I would strongly suggest this series for anyone who likes high fantasy with strong characters, though maybe don't start on book three. 

August Totals

 This update brought to you by a blogger who stayed
 up reading several hours past their bedtime last night

Byron: 4 books, 1584 pages

Jan: 3 books, 1025 pages

John: 1 book, 292 pages

Kara: 9 books, 2825 pages

Karen: 10 books, 3016 pages

Kevin: 3 books, 1116 pages

Regan: 2 books, 625 pages

Total: 32 books, 10483 pages

A Sorceress Comes to Call

 A Sorceress Comes to Call by T. Kingfisher, 336 pages. 

Cordelia has always been frightened of her mother's violent moods and punishments. Years of total isolation under her mother's absolute control have made her timid and afraid to speak to other people. She has no idea how afraid she should be until she finds out her mother has decided to move on to greater ambitions. Soon she learns that her particular torments are unusual because her mother is a sorceress, and she has her eyes set on a bachelor nobleman. They are soon living the house of the man called the Squire and his intelligent unmarried sister, and Cordelia finds herself desperate to protect not only them, but also herself.

This was a truly disturbing book. Kingfisher did a masterful job blending supernatural horror with tragically human horrors, and in doing so elevated the dread from both. This is also, perhaps strangely, a really beautiful found family story. Kingfisher has always excelled at making deeply compelling and interesting ensemble casts, and that skill really shines in this book. That being said, I think the two primary protagonists (Cordelia and the squire's sister Hester) could also have carried this book on their own. My only note is that this book is marketed as a Goose Girl retelling, and I would say that it has very little of the original myth in it. Overall all I can wholeheartedly recommend this book as an emotionally gripping story that takes care of it's reader. 

No Longer at Ease

 No Longer at Ease by Chinua Achebe, 196 pages.

This book follows Okonkwo's grandson Obi as he tries to find his place in a new Nigeria decades later. Obi was once the smartest boy in his village, which is why he was given the privilege to go to England to get his degree and uplift his people. But bit-by-bit the corruption of the colonial civil service in Nigeria sinks his hooks into him, as all of his cultural touchstones slowly disintegrate. 

This book, second in publication order but last chronologically, wrapped up our Big Book Challenge for the year! It was fascinating to see how quickly the world changed around this one family, as many things were both similar and completely unrecognizable when compared to Things Fall Apart. I personally found this novel more engaging than the first. I found Obi's character struggles very compelling. I do think that this book had some of the same pacing issues I complained about in Things Fall Apart, but I did find them less extreme. I would certainly recommend this book if you liked the first one, and perhaps even if you didn't. 

The Summer Pact

The Summer Pact by Emily Giffin, 336 pages

Tyson, Summer, Lainey, and Hannah were about as different as could be when they met in college, but soon formed an unbreakable bond. But when promising athlete Summer tragically dies just before graduation, the remaining three make a pact to be there for one another any time and anywhere the other two ask. And when Hannah catches her fiancé cheating on her, she activates that pact, leading her, Tyson, and Lainey on a literal trip of self-discovery.

This was a quick read, I'll give it that. Otherwise, the book was pretty blah, as it was difficult telling which of the three main characters was narrating at any given point (should've been easy, given their differences) and nothing really dipped below surface level. There are better books out there.

Trouble in Queenstown

Trouble in Queenstown by Delia Pitts, 314 pages

Private investigator Vandy Myrick has been back in Queenstown for about 8 months when she gets a visit from Leo Hannah, who asks her to shadow his wife, Ivy, who he fears has a stalker. But just before Vandy's ready to hand over her report from the week, Leo calls her to his home where Ivy and an unknown man are dead. Leo says that he killed the man who was in the process of killing Ivy, and while that's what the police department officially writes up (at the behest of Leo's aunt, who is the mayor of Queenstown), Vandy has a sneaking suspicion that there's more to the story.

A modern-day noir mystery with a troubled Black woman protagonist, this is an intriguing and fun read. I had a few quibbles with the way things wrapped up — it felt a bit unlikely and convenient — but I'll happily read more in this world, assuming this is a series starter. I hope it is.

On Turpentine Lane

On Turpentine Lane by Elinor Lipman (2017) 305 pages

Faith Frankel is thirty two. She's returned to her hometown after time in NY and now works for a private school, writing thank you notes to donors. Her fiance, Stuart, is attempting to cross the country on foot, financed by her and by his parents, but he spends more time posting photos with himself and women he meets, than returning Faith's calls. In addition to dealing with Stuart, she is trying to buy a house that may have a history of people dying in it, is trying to intercede between her parents (her father has moved away to become an oil painter), and she is trying to save her job, which is suddenly in jeopardy because she is so good at it. Luckily, her brother Joel and her office mate, Nick, are there to listen.

All these rather separate issues take on life. Even the stable guys in Faith's life have their own drama. As the camera rolls, all the action keeps the reader laughing (or catching one's breath). Most of Lipman's books are the kind I reach for when I want a fast, fun escape. This one fit the bill.

Leaving Time

Leaving Time by Jodi Picoult (2014) 405 pages

Jenna Metcalf, 13, has lived with her grandmother since she was three, when her mother disappeared from the elephant sanctuary that her parents ran after a dead body was found. Her father had a breakdown and has been living in a mental facility all these years. Jenna has never fit in anywhere, and spends her life reading her mother's journals, while keeping her eye on missing persons reports online, hoping that her mother is still alive and will be found someday.

After earning enough money babysitting, she reaches out to a detective (Vic Stanhope) whose name strongly resembles the name of the police investigator who came to the elephant sanctuary the night of the murder/disappearance. He spends most of his time drinking now. Not one to hedge her bets, Jenna also finds the name of a psychic (Serenity Jones) who used to be famous for finding missing people until she provided dramatically bad information for a senator and his wife, whose baby had been kidnapped. Serenity now makes a living giving ten-dollar readings. The three of them begin to work together, after several fits and starts. The pieces begin to come together in chapters delineated by the various characters' points of view. The results were not at all what I was expecting. Tremendously good read. And fascinating facts about elephants provide a superb framework for the story.

The Echo of Old Books

The Echo of Old Books by Barbara Davis 433 pp.

Ashlyn Greer owns a rare book shop and has the ability to sense the previous owners of books. When she receives some boxes of books from a local estate she finds two beautifully bound volumes that apparently were not published. The books are the story of a doomed romance during the days leading up to WWII. Belle is the younger daughter of a wealthy family who is in an arranged engagement to a wealthy young man whose father wants to do business with her father. Belle's father is an evil man who is part of the America First Committee, an anti-Semitic, pro-fascist, isolationist organization. At the engagement party Belle meets Hemi, a British journalist, and they soon begin a clandestine affair. The two books are written by each of them, giving their own side of what went wrong. Ashlyn contacts the man who brought the books to her store and together they search for the real identities of Belle and Hemi in his family. The story is well written but I was hoping to see more of Ashlyn's telemetry skills used in the story.

How to Become the Dark Lord and Die Trying

How to Become the Dark Lord and Die Trying by Django Wexler, 419 pages

For reasons unknown, Davi is stuck in a time loop wherein she is tasked with defending humankind against the Dark Lord, and after more than 200 unsuccessful tries (read: she literally died trying), Davi has had enough. On try 238, she decides to become the Dark Lord instead of fighting him/her/them, and while it takes her a few short lives to get the hang of it, Davi learns that she has a knack for leading a horde of orcs and other wild beings.

This is a fun, raunchy, irreverent fantasy novel, full of pop culture references and snarky humor. It may throw off those new to the genre (as there isn't really a great explanation for the Earth-centric pop culture references other than Davi musing that she "must've come from Earth at some point"), but for others, this is will be a welcome goofy adventure. Read it if you liked Dreadful, Soon I Will Be Invincible, Hench, or other novels with a fantasy antihero. 

Fantastic Mr. Fox

 Fantastic Mr. Fox, by Roald Dahl, 81 pgs                                                                                                                                                  

My daughter is reading Roald Dahl books and is loving them so much that she's demanding that I read them too. So here we are! I brought Matilda home for her to read and she loved it so much, she said it was one of the best books she's ever read. I miss reading the illustrated kids books now, since she's getting older but I'm learning to love some of the chapter books she's reading. 

    I've never actually read any of Dahl's books but this was a great one to start with. Mr. Fox outwits three mean, ugly farmers and saves not only his wife and family but the families of other animals living underground in the hill. I loved that he gets his tail shot off--so violent. They don't put violence in kids stories like they used to. Just when you think the three mean farmers will capture Mr. Fox, he comes up with an even better plan to rob the farmers of all of their supplies. This is an easy read and the illustrations by Quentin Blake are fun and whimsical. 

Nightwood

Nightwood by Djuna Barnes (1936) 182 pages

I listened to the audiobook on Hoopla narrated by Gemma Dawson. The Atlantic published a list of The Great American Novels earlier this year. There was a lot more diversity amongst the authors on this list compared to others I've seen, so I added several books to my reading list. I had also recently seen a review of a graphic biography about Djuna Barnes that will be published later this year. I jumped into this novel, which is Modernist, without knowing much about the Modernist movement. T.S. Eliot wrote an introduction praising the novel as an example of this artistic movement. He suggested that people who like poetry would appreciate her use of language. It certainly is florid in its literary stream-of-consciousness. Eliot also prepared me not to expect much plot, but I really like a strong plot. Audiobooks are "real" reading, but it is more passive. By the end, I had forgotten how the two characters, who converse about a woman's love for another woman, connect to the characters introduced at the beginning. I struggled to fully understand this book. It was not for me.
 

A Scout is Brave

A Scout is Brave by Will Lugwigsen, 158 pgs. 

This is a quirky, coming-of-age book about a young, 1960's-era boy scout, Bud, who moves to a strange New England coastal town with his family and stumbles upon a cult of townsfolk who are intent on releasing ancient sea creatures to enslave humanity. 

The story reminds me of other short stories by Bradbury or Stephen King, with a dash of Lovecraft just for good measure--to wit, the name of the seaside town is Innsmouth! 

Bud makes friends with the only other boy in town and they decide to start their own scout troop, but as they start exploring the dark secrets of the area, the residents' nefarious plot rises to the surface and Bud has to figure out a way to save his parents and himself. 

DELIVER ME FROM NOWHERE

 Deliver Me from Nowhere: The Making of Bruce Springsteen's Nebraska by Warren Zanes, 298 pgs. 

The story of how this seminal work came to be is one for the ages. Fresh off The River tour in 1981, which garnered his first top ten hit for the song "Hungry Heart," Springsteen had a slew of new material to work out for his next record. He wasn't quite sure what it was going to sound like, but he knew he had something he wanted to say. 

At the time, he was working his way through a deep depression, reviewing the trauma of his childhood and taking interest in stories about the darker side of Reagan's America, who had been newly elected President in 1981. Nebraska would become Springsteen's response to Reagan's optimist "Morning in America" messaging. The rocker took some cultural clues and blended them with his own influences: chiefly, the film Badlands by Terrence Malick and the short stories of Flannery O'Conner. 

To record his demos, Springsteen rented an hold farmhouse in New Jersey and set-up a new TEAC 144 Portastudio--the first portable, multi-track mixer to use a standard cassette tape. Springsteen recorded his songs alone and sent the tape to his manager. The songs were dark, far darker than anything the artist had written at the time. When Springsteen got the band together to record the new material, the sound wasn't working--"nothing seemed to capture the spirit of the cassette recordings." 

The artist tried to re-record them solo, in a nice studio with good equipment, but even then, the characters in the songs were getting lost. It wasn't until his manager suggested that, maybe he should just release the demo tape as is. Then the book pivots to the struggle to get the best possible sound signal from the cassette tape onto the vinyl record, which was another major headache and almost never happened. Ultimately, the critically acclaimed Nebraska would become one of Springsteen's most revered albums and cement his legacy as a true artist--to this day, he still cites it as the best thing he's ever done.