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.

The Expectant Detectives

The Expectant Detectives by Kat Ailes (2023) 371 pages

Alice, her boyfriend Joe, and Helen, their unruly dog, have moved from London to a rural village about three hours away. Alice and Joe want a safer, less expensive place to raise the baby they are expecting in a month. Within a week of their arrival, while they are in a prenatal class above an herbal shop, Mr. Oliver, a co-owner of the shop, dies. There had been no end to the chaos during the class because one of the pregnant women had gone into labor. Alice and a few other women from the class are trying to figure out whether Mr. Oliver was murdered and who would have done it. All they could definitively say was that Hen, the woman who had just delivered her baby, was not a suspect.

Alice and her new friends—some of whom intimidate her a bit—think that the nearby commune where the shopkeeper had lived until 20 years before, figures into the story. There had been a death at the commune 10 years ago, which also might be related. Meanwhile, some of the couples are having relationship issues.

Alice is a funny, sympathetic character who is trying to stop saying the first thing that comes to mind at any given time. This novel is the first in a series, with another one, Dead Tired, recently released.

The Witches

 The Witches, by Roald Dahl, 224 pages

I am continuing to read Roald Dahl books as my family has dictated. I remember watching this movie when I a kid and the book is pretty close to the film, except for the ending. I'm noticing a running theme in a lot of Dahl's work: orphaned children and awful parents. There is definitely a grown-ups versus adults feel to a lot of them, which I think is one of the reasons whey they remain so popular with kids. I wonder if he lost his parents when he was young. They also make great intros to children's fantasy, since there's some magic and whimsy in each of them. I do remember the movie being at the end of the era of 80's kids movies that were also kind of scary. But the book also scared me! Some of Blake's illustrations are a little hideous, but they do the job. But this might one of my favorites so far. Kids being turned into something even smaller but still winning the day--you gotta love it. Great book to read around the Halloween season. Next up: James and the Giant Peach. Recommended for kids and adults. 

This Is Your Brain On Music

 This Is Your Brain On Music: The Science of a Human Obsession, by Daniel J. Levitin, 333 pages

I think I read this maybe a decade ago, but thought it would be a good intro to the science of music to our reading group. Now it's twenty years old and, while still a good introduction, the book could stand an updated re-issue. Other than being too clinical at times or not enough far-reaching, most folks appreciated the "nuggets" of interesting information. For example, the area of a violin players brain that is responsible for left hand coordination will be slightly larger than a non-player--due to their constant practice.  There was some debate as to music being more than just a series of sensory inputs interpreted by the brain--specifically how music also has far reaching effect on other systems in our body--but most of that is missing here. The first chapter is a quick tutorial on how music theory actually works. This is primarily how our brains process music and where in our brains we think it lives. I think some of the questions this book raises are probably answered now or at least we have some good theories about them. For example, the author mentions that they could take MRI's of a performers brain during a performance (because they have to move when they perform) but we can definitely do that now. But at the time, this was probably the best book on the subject designed for popular reading--musicians and non-musicians alike. We don't think about sounds hitting our ears as vibrating molecules but that's exactly what they are--vibrating to certain frequencies that our ears pick up and our brains interpret. Still, as a reader and musician, I was able to pick-up on concepts in this book that I missed out on the first time. Recommended for adults and science-savvy older teens. 

What Time the Sexton's Spade Doth Rust

 

What Time the Sexton's Spade Doth Rust by Alan Bradley  298 pp.

The indomitable Flavia de Luce returns in another murder mystery. This time an elderly former hangman is found dead by poisoned mushrooms and Buckshaw's housekeeper, Mrs. Mullet is blamed for the crime. However, that makes no sense since the dead man, Major Greyleigh was an old lover of hers and there was still an attraction there. Flavia begins to investigate while also dealing with her very annoying young cousin, Undine, who just won't leave her alone. Soon Flavia is sucked into intrigue involving the local military base run by the Americans who have been stationed there since the end of WWII. She sets out to find an unknown person known only as Asterion whom she believes to be responsible. This all has something to do with Flavia's late father. This is one of the better books in this series.

Lesbian Love Story

 Lesbian Love Story: A Memoir in Archives by Amelia Possanza, 288 pages.

Author Amelia Possanza often felt starved of a lesbian community, or of lesbian role models to help he build up her idea of herself. This book is an attempt to dig into the historical record to find both the records the lesbians through the 20th century left behind, and the places that they were scrubbed from the archives. Possanza makes no promises of a neutral history. Rather, the whole premise of this book is using these stories of the women who came before to help her construct herself. The scope is wide-reaching, organized by decades across the United States, but with a special focus on Possanza's home in New York City. It is at times philosophical, at times historical, but always very honest.

I was very impressed by this book. Possanza expertly managed to avoid doing the thing that annoys me in many nonfiction books about historically neglected topics do; she is always extremely clear what was fact and what is speculation. I was also touched by how personal this journey was for the author. It felt like being invited into something intimate, and by the end you can't help but feel you know her. I was also impressed by how neatly she connected the many threads of this book, bringing past and present together seamlessly, as well as fact and fancy. This is an impressive piece of nonfiction that feels longer than it is, and I would definitely recommend it to others. 

Dreadful

 Dreadful by Caitlin Rozakis, 347 pages. 

It's hard to imagine a much worse way to wake up than recently exploded, with no memory, in a dark wizard's lair. And yet Gav's day gets worse, because it turns out he himself is the dark wizard, and he has a whole lot of enemies who would LOVE to hear that he was vulnerable. The Dread Lord Gavrax had a whole lot of (inadvisable and evil) plates spinning, and now he has a kidnapped princess to manage, a garlic festival to oversee, a whole mess of goblins, and an evil wizard conspiracy he absolutely DOES NOT remember. In the mess of all of this he will have to understand if keeping Gavrax's life running is even a goal worth pursuing, or if Gav might be able to forge a new path that is all his own.

This book is extremely funny. T. Kingfisher is listed as a readalike, but I would also propose John Scalzi. The situations are absurd, and the characters are delightful. This is not a book that takes itself too seriously; however, it is a book that takes itself seriously enough to give it moments of startling sincerity and insight. Although this is a funny novel about characters that should be caricatures, this very point about perception and self is a major theme. This is a surprisingly serious meditation on correcting harm and building identity wrapped in a a silly package, and I would definitely recommend it to others. 

Apple and Knife

 Apple and Knife by Intan Paramaditha (trans. Stephen J. Epstein), 199 pages.

This Indonesian collection of horror short stories draws on European fairy tales, Indonesian folklore, and general horrifying experiences of existing as a woman into a very modern feeling book. Unfortunately, none of the stories managed to stir in me the type of emotion I would hope for in horror, nor do any of them particularly stick in my memory. 

While this collection didn't really work for me, it did remind me quite a lot of Mariana Enriquez's Things We Lost in the Fire, another collection of horror stories in translation. I think that people who enjoyed that book might very well enjoy this one as well. 

The Humanity Archive

The Humanity Archive: Recovering the Soul of Black History from a Whitewashed American Myth by Jermaine Fowler (2023) 416 pages

I listened to the audiobook on Hoopla narrated by the author. The book was recommended by a friend. I was unfamiliar with the author's podcast that is also called "The Humanity Archive." I love that the author loves libraries. Fowler has read much about history and picks out gems of stories featuring Black experience from across the breadth of history. In America, in particular, many of these examples have been forgotten or actively whitewashed. Fowler is an excellent storyteller. There are both traumatic stories and stories of excellence. Both injustices and uplift are important for building empathy with our fellow humans.
 

What Moves the Dead

What Moves the Dead by T. Kingfisher, 165 pages.

When Alex Easton receives a letter from childhood friend Madeline Usher that she is likely dying and their presence would be a comfort, they are prepared for all sorts of sadness. They are not prepared for the creeping sense of dread the emanates from the Usher house, or for the fact that Madeline's twin brother (who served under Alex in a past war) seems to be dying in nearly the same strange and horrible way that she is. Nor did they anticipate the more horrible and strange things that were yet to come. 

This was a truly unsettling book and, much like the central fungus, that atmosphere grew slowly and greatly as this short little book went on. While not my favorite Kingfisher (which is a very high bar to clear), I still found this novella masterfully executed, and I think I will be thinking about the climax of the story for a while yet. Even though I knew where this story and guessed most of the twists, it didn't feel like that impacted my enjoyment at all; which is to me a sign of a very well-written book. I also found the pronoun situation in our protagonists native language to be a fascinating little world building detail, although the strange conjugation choices were sometimes a little distracting. I will likely pick up the sequel (not a House of Usher retelling) before spooky season is out, and I would definitely recommend this book to others.

The Mulberry Tree

 The Mulberry Tree by Allison Rushby, 294 pages.

Imy and her family have just moved all the way from Australia to a small village in England as they pursue a fresh start after a tragedy. When her family is touring houses she is immediately obsessed with a beautiful cottage with a terrifying ancient mulberry tree. A tree which, according to legend, takes little girls living there the night before their eleventh birthday. Which is ridiculous of course, except for the strange song Imy starts hearing in her head in the weeks leading up to her own eleventh birthday...

This book starts so strong! It has a very spooky atmosphere in a very specific way that's hard to manage outside of middle grade horror. The rhyme is unsettling and the premise is interesting. Unfortunately, this falls apart fairly quickly by the middle of the book, as Imy decides she won't be afraid anymore (and pretty much succeeds). It also has one of the most disappointing endings I've ever read, which feels like it undermines the entire rest of the book and also doesn't make any sense. I unfortunately don't know that I can recommend this book, as much as I would like to. 

Flamer

 Flamer by Mike Curato, 366 pages.

I read this frequently banned graphic novel for banned books weeks, and have been extremely slow getting around to actually writing about it. Which wasn't a problem, because Byron wrote his review in a timely manner and I completely agree with pretty much everything he said! The graphic novel was sometimes a little crude for me (it seems boy scout camp has a very different atmosphere than girl scout camp), but I overall found it to be an extremely powerful story. I especially found Curato's use of bright pops of fiery color to be very effective. This is a powerful story of feeling othered in adolescence, and I definitely think it could do plenty of young people a lot of good.

Northwoods

Northwoods by Amy Pease, 288 pages

Eli North has been having a tough time of it for the last few years after returning from Afghanistan. His job as a Fish and Wildlife investigator was cut and is now a deputy for his mom in the four-person sheriff's office in Northwoods, Wisconsin. On top of that, he's suffering from PTSD, self-medicating with alcohol, and his wife has kicked him out. When he discovers the body of a dead teenage vacationer, Eli's many issues are further complicated, making him less than reliable as an investigator in the hunt for the boy's killer.

This short crime novel manages to combine PTSD, addiction, corruption, and the pharmaceutical industry into a tight and tense story. The characters are realistically flawed, and I can only hope that this is the first book in a series, as I can see Eli's sure-to-be-rocky path forward being a compelling vehicle for more stories set in Northwoods.

The Guests

The Guests by Margot Hunt, 303 pages

As a Category 5 hurricane makes its way ashore, wealth couple Marlowe and Lee are preparing to hunker down in their storm-ready mansion with their children, the kids' friends, and a couple of close employees. But just before the hurricane makes landfall, a trio of boaters ties up to their dock, seeking shelter from the storm. As Marlowe and Lee welcome their "guests," they soon discover that not everything is as it seems, and that it may be just as dangerous inside as it is outside.

This is a compelling, fast-paced novel filled with excellent twists and high stakes. Reading it in the aftermath of hurricanes Helene and Milton, however, put a bit of a different spin on it. Worth an afternoon read...but maybe wait until after hurricane season.

The Murders in Great Diddling

The Murders in Great Diddling by Katarina Bivald, 432 pages

The tiny Cornwall town of Great Diddling doesn't have much to its snicker-worthy name — though that's never stopped the residents from making plenty of wild claims to fame to try to drum up some tourism. So when a much-maligned man is killed in an explosion in the library of a local manor, the residents of Great Diddling decide to make the most of it and create a book-and-murder festival to capitalize on their 15 minutes of fame. However, local author Berit Gardner and DCI Ian Ahmed are more concerned with solving the mystery of the odious man's death, though for very different reasons — Inspector Ahmed wants to mete out justice, while Berit simply wants to end her spate of writer's block.

This book plays up the stereotype of murder-filled small English towns with a wink and a nod, while creating eccentric characters and a boatload of possible murder motives that kept me guessing until the very end. I really hope this becomes the start to a series, as I'd love to read more about the residents of Great Diddling!

Dancing on the Edge

Dancing on the Edge: A Journey of Living, Loving, and Tumbling through Hollywood by Russ Tamblyn  354 pp.

Beginning with his appearance in the 1948 film "The Boy with Green Hair," Russ Tamblyn has been part of Hollywood well into his 80s. He grew up in the studio system with other young actors like Elizabeth Taylor and Dean Stockwell, who would become his close friend. Tamblyn is most remembered for his acrobatic dancing roles as Gideon in "Seven Brides for Seven Brothers" and Riff the leader of the Jets in "West Side Story" (1961). He also featured in many westerns and other movies with an Oscar nomination for his role in "Peyton Place." In the 1960s, Tamblyn moved away from acting to try his hand at art which include collage, experimental short films, and other endeavors while living in an artsy stretch of Topanga canyon. When the money would run short, Tamblyn would get a role in another movie. He has an eclectic group of friends including poets, Avant Garde artists, actors, and musicians like Neil Young. Tamblyn also had a successful run as the Dr. Jacoby on "Twin Peaks" which he greatly enjoyed. His long life included three marriages and two daughters, one of whom is actor/director/producer Amber Tamblyn. This is a no nonsense memoir with all the difficulties, bumps, and bruises along with the successes. The audiobook is read by Tamblyn which is a bit of a mixed blessing as he has a slight lisp/speech impediment. 

The Ballad of Perilous Graves

The Ballad of Perilous Graves by Alex Jennings, 480 pages

Music = magic in this amazing book of dual New Orleanses. (Is that the plural of the city? I'm going with yes.) I first read and blogged about this creative debut novel last summer, and I just reread it for Orcs & Aliens next week. While I have a couple reservations about the timing of this read and discussion (the giant cosmic storm in the book seems a bit ill-timed with Helene and Milton hitting the southeast right now, but how was I to know that when I scheduled the discussion), my thoughts on the overall book haven't changed at all. In fact, discovering the existence of the book's companion Spotify playlist (thanks, Regan!), greatly enhanced my reading of it this time around. Can't wait to see what the Orcs & Aliens think of it on Monday.

So Shall You Reap

 

So Shall You Reap by Donna Leon 262 pp.

This is book #32 in the Commissrio Brunetti series, which means I only have one more to complete the series (until the author publishes a new one). On a November evening, Brunetti receives a late night call from Ispettore Vianello about a hand seen in one of the canals. Brunetti arrives and crews begin searching in the frigid water before finally finding the body of a man. The victim is a Sri Lankan immigrant that Brunetti met when inquiring about the possibility of a house being for sale. He discovers that the man worked for the owners of the house and was living in a small house in the garden there. Nobody seems to have much information about the man and what the police learn is mainly through the books and other ephemera found in the little house. With much research and memories from his college days he connects a scrapbook with an old political kidnapping. In this case Brunetti has a dog to thank for the final resolution of the crime(s).

We Solve Murders

We Solve Murders by Richard Osman (2024) 387 pages

Amy works for Maximum Impact Solutions, a company that provides protection services to clients. She is  protecting a famed writer, Rosie D'Antonio, whose life is in danger because she made the mistake of using an unflattering depiction of a real Russian oligarch as a character in her latest novel. But while Amy is watching over Rosie, she becomes aware of some strange stories in the news ‒ three media influencers have met grisly deaths. It seems that they may have a connection to her company. When Amy finds her own life in danger, she doesn't know whom to trust beyond her father-in-law, Steve, a retired police officer. As much as Steve loves his daughter-in-law, he is reluctant to leave his quiet village. But once he gets onto the scene with Amy, his astuteness and folksiness are invaluable assets, along with his taste in rock music.

Amy, Steve and Rosie hop all over the world to find out who killed these people and who is trying to kill Amy, while also attempting to evade the killers. The characters come to life with realistic dialogue and humor. I couldn't keep track of how many times I laughed out loud.

We Solve Murders is one of those rare exciting stories where I was kept guessing throughout and started to doubt all the characters. I wanted to see how it played out, yet I did not want the story to end. I didn't think Osman could create another series as good as The Thursday Murder Club mysteries, but I was wrong!

One Perfect Couple

One Perfect Couple by Ruth Ware (2024) 383 pages

Lyla and her boyfriend, Nico, go onto a reality tv show that is based on couples' relationships. Nico is an actor who hasn't had his breakout moment yet, and thinks that his exposure on this show can get his career going. They meet with the other contestants in Jakarta, where they board a boat for a remote island many hours from the mainland. There is a small crew of production people along with the 5 couples who are participating in the show.

The accommodations on the island aren't totally completed, but each couple has a nice hut to live in. Cameras are everywhere. Lyla wants to be voted off as soon as possible, but decides not to throw in the towel too soon, and actually does quite well on a quiz assessing how well she knows Nico.

On the second night on the island, a huge storm blows in, destroying a lot of the island's infrastructure and causing great injuries. None of the crew is there to help because they had left in the ship to bring the first voted-off contestant to meet a helicopter miles away. As the contestants wait for their return, with only a battery-powered radio (all their own electronics were confiscated for the show's duration), concern grows that there is not enough food and water to last until their rescue. The interactions between the contestants begin to get quite interesting... As usual, Ware has a few surprises up her sleeve.

A Star is Dead

A Star is Dead by Elaine Viets (2019) 212 pages

Angela Richman is a death investigator. She works with police, going to the scenes of deaths and documenting everything she can with notes and photographs: the position and condition of the body, the temperature, etc. Her profession differs from that of a medical examiner.

In this novel, the fourth in this series, Angela's friend Mario, owner of a salon, is hired to handle the hair styling needs of Jessica Gray, an aging actress who is making the rounds  in theaters, both spewing hateful comedy and attempting to sell her beauty products. When Jessica dies, Mario is charged with her murder, in spite of the fact that there is no shortage of suspects. Angela tries to maintain her professional career without seeming too vested in trying to gather evidence that her friend is not guilty of murder.

 Viets, a St. Louis native, sets the location of the series about 30 miles west of St. Louis, and adds a lot of St. Louis flavor to her writing. The dialogue is natural, with a good share of humor spliced in. The main characters are likeable (except for Detective Greiman, whose literary job is to remain a jerk), and I was kept guessing who the murderer was. I especially enjoy this series.

The Ballad of Perilous Graves

 

The Ballad of Perilous Graves by Alex Jennings  456 pp.

First I want to acknowledge Kara's review of this book. I listened to the audiobook version which is amazing with the narrator embracing the patois of New Orleans beautifully. Perilous "Perry" Graves, his sister, Brendy, and their friend Peaches live in a version of the city where there are sky trolleys, dead cabs, graffiti comes alive, and haints dance in the streets to the music of haint musicians. Doctor Professor, a haint piano player enlists Perry, Brendy, and Peaches with saving the city by saving the music that is rapidly disappearing along with other parts of the city. They find themselves up against some of the songs themselves, like Stagger Lee. If the music is lost, the city will die in a storm that is coming. Perry must learn to use music to combat the evil that is trying to destroy them. This book is confusing, amusing, a little scary, and I loved it. It is rare to read a book with so much life in it (even though a lot of the life is already dead). Now I want to visit New Orleans again. 

Talking to Strangers

Talking to Strangers by Fiona Barton, 388 pages

On Valentine's Day 2020, hairdresser Karen Simmons got a bit tipsy with her good friend, headed home, and then got a text from a mysterious someone and left her home to meet up. The next morning, she was discovered dead in the nearby woods. Karen had been a known user of dating apps, and led a singles group in their small town — given her intoxication, there are several people who seem to think she got what was coming to her. But police detective Elise King and journalist Kiki Nunn think otherwise, and each starts her own investigation into Karen's death. While Elise's path is more conventional and official, Kiki makes the bold decision to delve into the world of online dating herself to try to catch Karen's killer.

This book had a compelling plot, and enough subplots to keep the story interesting and keep me guessing. However, the three point-of-view characters are all women (Elise, Kiki, and Annie, whose son was murdered in the same woods 16 years earlier) and VERY hard to distinguish, voice-wise. It's a decent book, but not my favorite.

Freestyle

Freestyle by Gale Galligan 240 pp.

Freestyle is a juvenile graphic novel about middle school relationships, break dancing, parental conflicts, and yoyo-ing. The main character is an 8th grader named Cory who is part of a team of breakers who are practicing for an upcoming competition. Cory's grades have slipped and his parents hire one of his classmates as a tutor. Sunna, the tutor, and Cory got off to a bad start as lab partners at school. Their animosity leads to Cory getting grounded which means no dance rehearsals. Cory discovers Sunna's talent with the yoyo and persuades her to teach him. Cory finds himself in conflict with the "leader" of the dance group which almost destroys the group. Everything is ultimately resolved for the best. This book is one of the Mark Twain Award nominees for 2024-25.

Flamer

 Flamer by Mike Curato (2020) 366 pages

This past week was Banned Book Week. I read Flamer over the weekend. This graphic novel is one of the books most often challenged in recent years. It is fictional, set in the 1990s, but semi-autobiographical. I loved the art, which is mostly in black and white with yellow, orange, and red highlighting certain things. Aiden is on a camping trip with his scout troop in the summer between middle school and high school. He is anxious about switching from Catholic school to a Public school. The symbolism of flames from campfires to X-Men Jean Grey's Phoenix to passionate emotions are so layered and deeply textured. Boys of this age can be rude and crude. The story deals with homosexuality, bullying, Catholicism, and attempted suicide. It explores all this very sensitively and honestly. I give it 5 out of 5 stars, and it should definitely be read by more people rather than be restricted. Parents do have the responsibility to monitor what their children read and discuss issues with them. The problem is when one group of parents try to make choices for all other readers.

September totals

Byron: 3 books, 1006 pages

Jan: 6 books, 1899 pages

John: 1 book, 371 pages

Kara: 12 books, 4144 pages

Karen: 7 books, 2354 pages

Kevin: 5 books, 1005 pages

Regan: 11 books, 4530 pages

Total: 45 books, 15,309 pages