Bury Your Dead

 Bury Your Dead by Louise Penny, 371 pgs. 

Unable to resolve terrible events in his own recent history, Chief Inspector Armand Gamache turns to historical mysteries for comfort. He spends his days in the Literary and Historical Society, an enclave of English literature in the midst of Francophone Quebec, distracting himself with research on incidents that occurred many years ago. Inspector Gamache soon realizes he is not the only one ruminating on the past, as an obsessive historian turns up dead in this safe haven of research. While Inspector Gamache works with Canadian history, Inspector Beauvoir returns to Three Pines for comfort and clarity on the team's most recent case there. The two soon realize that the past, like the present, is never quite as it may have once seemed.

This story has a lot of plot lines to follow--the mystery of Quebec's founder, the mystery of the historian's murder, the case in Three Pines, and the recent case which left Gamache and Beauvoir so wounded--so many that I think the impact of each is dulled. As you move through the book, you learn a little about each plot line at a time, meaning that at times it does not even feel like you are progressing, rather taking four steps to the side before moving forward. I do, however, love how unabashedly Canadian this book is. I loved learning about the tense situation between languages spoken in Quebec, and I loved getting a glimpse of Canadian history (the good, the bad, and the ugly) through the Louise Penny's lens. This is an interesting story; it is just a lot. 

The View From Mount Joy

The View From Mount Joy by Lorna Landvik (2007) 349 pages

Joe is ready to start his senior year of high school when he and his mother move because they can't make it on her income in a small town after his father dies. They share a house with his mother's sister in Minneapolis. Joe gets a job at the local grocery store and gets to be great friends with the owner. Joe is considering a career as a journalist. He wishes that Kristi, the head cheerleader at school, would go out with him. Well, that is not exactly what happens. Meanwhile, his best friend is Darva, a young woman who is not afraid to follow her own dream, up to a point.

This novel follows these mostly realistic people into adulthood and shows how life doesn't always turn out the way we plan. Except that Kristi's path is rather strange, and reminds me somewhat of our own society almost 20 years later. Slice-of-life with some weirdness built in. Nice book.

A House with Good Bones

 A House with Good Bones by T. Kingfisher, 247 pages.

Although she's upset about her archeological dig being delayed indefinitely, archaeoentomologist Sam isn't upset to spend some time visiting her mom. Even if that does mean going back to the house she grew up in, which previously belonged to her late grandmother (a real piece-of-work) and is in a middle-of-nowhere suburb with no cell service. However, it soon becomes obvious something is wrong. Her kind and generous mother seems terrified of something she won't talk about, all of the walls have been painted beige, and there's not a single insect in the her grandmother's prized rose garden. As the ominous events keep adding up, Sam may have to start believing in things she can't imagine. 

This was a pretty neat little horror novel. The tension kept building slowly, in a way that was almost palpable by the climax. One of my only complaints was that it felt like the tension broke almost as soon as I was really starting to feel it. T. Kingfisher's characters are, as always, great. I would definitely recommend this for someone looking for a haunted house book that isn't too scary. 

Carl's Doomsday Scenario

 Carl's Doomsday Scenario by Matt Dinniman, 384 pages.

Carl and Princess Donut have reached the third floor of the giant dungeon themed game-show that used to be their planet, and the tutorial levels are over. The billions of people who died so far were just the start, and things only get more dangerous as they reach the Over City, the first of the urban dungeon levels. 

This book is a strong follow-up to Dungeon Crawler Carl, the first book in the series. I am really enjoying watching the seeds being planted that I don't expect to come to fruition for several books yet. This is the kind of series that feels like it has its road-map from the start, and I think it's going to be very satisfying to follow along and see everything come together. This book continues to balance humor and emotional depth in a way I find impressive, and all of the things I loved in the first book are still present in this one. I find these books addictive, and I learned from my last mistake and put the next two on hold at once. 

Dear Edward

Dear Edward by Ann Napolitano (2020) 340 pages

Edward Adler and his family are moving from New York City to Los Angeles. The twelve-year old and his 15-year old brother are homeschooled by their father, while their mother makes a living as a screenwriter. The action begins with check-in at the airport before their flight to LA, where the reader is introduced to this family and to several other people who will be boarding. However, we learn early on that the plane crashes in Colorado. Edward is the only survivor.

Two timelines are intertwined from this point: Edward in the hospital (and later at his aunt and uncle's home) recovering from his physical and emotional injuries, and descriptions of things that occurred on the flight, both with the other people and the plane itself. I think the author did a great job dealing with the physical and emotional issues that Edward dealt with and how he eventually is able to move forward again. Napolitano has also researched airplane mechanisms and describes in detail the fateful series of things going wrong that resulted in the crash.

Yes, a bit tear-jerking, but uplifting, too.

Gaytheist: Coming Out of My Orthodox Childhood

 

Gaytheist: Coming Out of My Orthodox Childhood by Lonnie Mann (2024) 256 pages

Lonnie recounts growing up in a strict Orthodox family. He's the youngest of three brothers, and he tries to be everything his parents want because of the turmoil that his older brothers put his parents through in their teenage years. But later, when when Lonnie realizes he is gay, he's torn between religion and his own autonomy: in Orthodox Judaism, being gay is not acceptable.

This graphic lit memoir is well-drawn and a fast read. Lonnie, his family, and his friends are realistically depicted. I learned a bit more about Orthodox Jewish traditions through this insider's view.

The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry

The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin (2014) 258 pages

A.J. Fikry is a 39-year-old bookseller who was widowed a couple years ago and remains in a grumpy—sometimes drunken—funk. His bookstore is on Alice Island off of Boston, and in spite of an influx of summer visitors, his business is not doing that well. A couple people enter his life – Amelia, a young book representative who's not afraid to mix clothing styles, and Maya, a baby. 

Each chapter in the book is preceded by one of A.J.'s book reviews. It's a sweet book with a great cast of characters.

A selection of March graphic novels

 Alice Guy: First Lady of Film by Jose-Louis Bocquet with art by Catel Muller (2021) 400 pages

I have read several graphic biographies. They are often fairly slim and only highlight a few moments from the person's life. This one has over 300 pages to graphically tell the story of Alice Guy's life. Her childhood was fascinating and international. The episodes showing her early positions as stenographer/secretary does not ignore the sexism of the male workforce. Her work relationship with Gaumont who takes a photography shop in Paris into the emerging, innovative motion picture industry was stern, but supportive. Rather than documenting events or making magic trick films, Alice had ideas for fictional films and directed many, many herself, though only a few still survive. In the early days of film people were already experimenting with synchronized sound. Alice directed several early "music videos" too. She meets and works with Herbert Blaché who would become her husband. They go to America. They have two kids. He is unfaithful. They found their own film studio. She continues directing, but then fortunes turn. It is brief, but still fairly detailed in tracing her later life. The writer then provides 75 pages of a timeline and biographical notes. Overall an excellent book.

Guardian of Fukushima by Fabien Grolleau with art by Ewen Blain (2021) 144 pages

I also read the free comic book day preview a couple years ago and it stuck in my mind. I enjoyed reading the full graphic novel. The mythological elements mixed with the true story works well. The writing and the art complement each other so well. As the bonus material at the end sums up, it was a triple tragedy of earthquake, tsunami, and nuclear disaster at Fukushima in 2011. Naoto Matsumura caring for all the pets and farm animals left behind in the irradiated zone is so heartwarming. Based on the preview, I expected more of the story to be about the day to day life of caring for these living creatures that share our home. The final chapter actually involves Naoto being a spokesperson campaigning for less reliance on dangerous nuclear power.

The Library Mule of Cordoba by Wilfred Lupano with art by Leonard Chemineau (2021) 263 pages

Since I work in a library, you might expect this is right up my alley. You'd be right. I loved this comic adventure. I mean comic as in funny haha. Historical fiction with well-drawn characters. The twists and turns that the three heroes and the mule encounter on their journey/escape kept surprising me. Zealots in Cordoba in the late 900s begin burning books that do not fit their interpretation of religious texts. A librarian and two assistant copyists escape with about 100 books overloaded on a stubborn mule, the worst mule in the world. Cunning misadventures boosted by knowledge from these books helps the escapees survive and narrowly avoid capture or death. The storytelling is complex with multiple flashbacks and details about the time period. I think this was planned as a complete work, not separate issues/chapters that were later bound together. The art is incredibly emotive and humorous. The writer and artist obviously love books, and knowledge, and libraries. There is a fantastic afterword with a bit more history too.

The Outside Circle: A Graphic Novel by Patti Laboucane-Benson with art by Kelly Mellings (2015) 128 pages

The art work took awhile to grow on me. The Outside Circle is about indigenous/aboriginal men from broken homes in Canada. Once the main character Pete is in the prison infirmary and the In Search of Your Warrior program is offered as rehabilitation the story really takes off. The writer is a researcher of native counselling services in Alberta, so this is a real service she wants to share with the world. The men, many with gang affiliation, learn about their roots and learn to break generational trauma from residential schools and families being torn apart. There is a symbolic use of masks throughout. Pete imagines a mask covering his face when he uses violence. Later, the Warrior program has the men make plaster masks of their faces to contemplate their true inner person as they near graduation. Pete finds the strength to stop his gang involvement and reconnects with his younger brother, an uncle he never knew, and a daughter he had rejected. It is uplifting and inspirational.

Flirting with Disaster

Flirting with Disaster by Naina Kumar, 320 pages

Seven years ago, Meena and Nikhil spontaneously (AKA drunkenly) got married on a trip to Las Vegas, and while it was a bit of a shock to them both, they decided to give this marriage thing a go anyway. But now, Meena lives in DC, Nikhil lives in Houston, and it's been six years since they've spoken when Meena travels to Texas to make Nikhil sign the divorce papers she sent him. See, she has political ambitions, as well as a guy who wants to marry her, in DC, and all that's standing in the way is a signature. But just hours after she arrives in Houston, so does a hurricane that traps her with her estranged husband through the storm and subsequent flooding, and the forced proximity also forces some latent feelings back to the surface.

I'm always up for a good second-chance romance trope, but something about this one just didn't work for me. I don't know if it's the fact that Meena (a very capable and intelligent woman) was completely unaware of the hurricane that was heading toward Houston until well after she got there (wouldn't it have been on the news or talked about in the political circles she's part of, at least in passing?) or the fact that the whole problem could've been resolved if Meena and Nikhil had a single conversation at some point over the course of those 6 years apart or the fact that somehow Meena kept her marriage a secret from EVERYONE for that long... maybe it was all three. There are better romances out there.

The Road to Heaven

The Road to Heaven by Alexis Stefanovich-Thomson (2024) 328pp

Set in 1960s Toronto, this mystery from Canada follows the standard Chandleresque formula. A burned-out private eye, femme fatales, a missing person. and of course, murder. Aspiring PI Patrick Bird works for a crusty old-school detective agency and is glad to be assigned a missing person case, a chance to move on from divorce work, photographing illicit trysts. Trent Linklater, Bird’s high-end client, is concerned that his teenage daughter Abbie has gone missing. Bird uses practically every gumshoe trick in the book looking for the daughter. Red herrings abound and seediness is the rule as Bird takes the reader across the city uprooting rocks and uncovering sleaze. He is run over, finds a body, is dragged to the police station and interrogated, and eventually faces down the murderer. And that is the abbreviated version. Stefanovich-Thomson was just short-listed for an Edgar and has certainly earned it. Readers will be glad that there is no tariff on maple noir – yet.