Girl's Girl

 

Girl's Girl by Sonia Feldman, 241 pages

A suburban Midwest summer from the eyes of a 15 year-old girl and her two best friends. As girlhood fades away, Mina struggles with the boundaries and tensions in her friendships with Margaret and Eleanor, while also grappling with her sexuality and a complex relationship with her mother. 

This book paints a beautiful and painful picture of girlhood, reminiscent of how big every emotion can feel at 15. There is definitely a specific audience for this book, and those who grew up queer in the Midwest might find themselves in this audience, but it will not speak to every reader. 

Something We Said: Richard Pryor, a Notorious Word, and Me by Elizabeth Stordeur Pryor

Something We Said: Richard Pryor, a Notorious Word, and Me by Elizabeth Stordeur Pryor, 304 pages

Richard Pryor's daughter interweaves stories about her experiences as a professor of African American History, childhood memories, and historical information from her research. After repeated attempts to address the use of a slur in her classroom, she researches its history and finds that she cannot avoid acknowledging how her father profoundly changed its use and with it, American culture.

This was excellent! I didn't know much about Richard Pryor as a person before this, but loved that you feel like you really get to know him through her stories. Of course parts were difficult to read, but Stordeur Pryor is an outstanding writer. Beyond the interesting elements of her father's celebrity and her teacher stories, this has that ability of any great memoir to lead the reader to recall what it's like to be 5 years old (or 13, or 21, etc.) I couldn't put it down, I have found myself recommending it to just about everyone. It's easily one of my favorites for this year.

If you liked school, you'll love work

If you liked school, you'll love work by Irvine Welsh (2007) 391 pages

This gritty short story collection by Scottish author Welsh is perhaps too irreverent. Best known for Trainspotting, which was adapted to a movie, Welsh is not shy describing drugs, depravity, and dinginess. Here he sets out five stories which are very different from one and other, but are consistent in their bad taste. The first four are not remarkable – a few clever twists – but they feel like he is just writing to shock. The last story, largely written in Scottish dialect, is more nuanced. The tongue-in-cheek small-town saga (offensive to delicate readers) reveals the depth Welsh has for portraying the outrageous nature of the mundane and the interplay of Scottish nationalism and class conflict.

Poison for Breakfast

 

Poison for Breakfast by Lemony Snicket, 158 pages.

After finishing his carefully prepared breakfast, author Lemony Snicket finds a note telling him that he had poison for breakfast. What follows is an oddly leisurely investigation into his breakfast ingredients in an attempt to get to the bottom of his own murder, thinking thoughts all the while. 

This is a truly baffling book, which Snicket would take as a compliment. It is a thoughtful little book that I think is truly all-ages, which is a rarity. The ending ties the whole thing together in a way that is unexpected, and I can't say more without giving everything away. Classic Snicket, it was nice to go back to his characteristic voice as an adult. 

Murder at the Grand Alpine Hotel

Murder at the Grand Alpine Hotel by Lucy Foley, 304 pages

Miss Marple rides again in this murder mystery set at a remote Swiss lodge, full of the rich, the famous, and the notorious. When a man boards a gondola alive, well, and alone, but arrives at the other end dead and still alone, it's obvious that he's been murdered. As a blizzard has cut off police access to the titular hotel, Miss Marple must find the killer before they strike again.

This book was written with the full support of the Agatha Christie estate, and it's exactly what it says on the tin: a new Marple mystery. Which is great for those who loved all of Christie's original books. Does it break new ground? Nope. But it's fun!

When Lemons Give You Life

When Lemons Give You Life by Anna Johnston, 384 pages

Griff Barlow is ready to die. His husband has died, his career as a Michelin-starred chef is over, and he's stuck in a neglectful dementia care facility where the high prices do not match the lumpy goo the residents are forced to eat. Also, he does not have dementia, even though everyone thinks he does (including the sister that annoys him, but occasionally visits), so he's quickly going insane at the senior home. Death, he decides, is the only way out. But before he overdoses on the sleeping pills he's socked away, Griff is determined to eat one last lemon tart and sneaks into the kitchen to bake one. But when a fellow resident wanders into the kitchen, convinced that his long-dead mother has made the tarts he loved as a child, Griff realizes that he can maybe stick around a few more days.

During the first bit of this book, Griff is a really unlikeable character. We know he lied about having dementia, that his restaurant had a scandal, and that he doesn't like most people, not even his scatterbrained but still caring sister. But as we learn more and more about Griff's life, it becomes clear why he is the way he is, and why he is where he is. We also learn about why his sister is the way she is as they slowly work toward a better relationship. It's an excellent book that explores relationships, trauma, grief, and family in a way that is at times humorous and at others, pulling at our heartstrings. Highly recommend this one.

Seek the Traitor's Son

Seek the Traitor's Son by Veronica Roth, 432 pages

Elegy is a soldier in the rebellion against the Talusar, a powerful country that worships a Fever that kills everyone it touches...and then brings half of them back to life and blesses them with powerful gifts. However, both Elegy and her ruthless enemy are both given a prophecy that one of them will lead their people to victory over the other, and Elegy is told that a man she'll fall in love with is the linchpin to success. At the same time, Theren, a refugee from Talusar, is conscripted to be a servant to Elegy and her royal mother, a job at which he fails almost immediately, as Elegy's mom is killed and Theren kidnapped. When fate brings Theren back into service for Elegy, trust, loyalty, and potential love is all on the line as Elegy seeks victory.

This is definitely a compelling book with plenty of romance, action, and scheming, but it's honestly hard for me to say whether it's science fiction or fantasy. It's futuristic and has spaceships and space stations, but the prophecy and the Fever — especially the way it brings people back to life and gives them new powers — lean fantasy for me. But I'll definitely give the next book a read, as this one ends on a crazy cliffhanger.

Dreadful

 

Dreadful by Caitlin Rozakis, 344 pages.

I wrote about this book a couple of years ago, and rereading it I definitely stand by my original post. My only additional note is that on a reread I was very struck by how intentional the execution of the books themes on perception vs identity were. Still a delightful book, and it was a lot of fun to discuss with Orcs & Aliens last night!

Lady Eve's Last Con

 

Lady Eve's Last Con by Rebecca Fraimow, 368 pages.

Ruthi has been looking after her younger sister her whole life, taking them from cardsharking as kids to small-time cons on the interstellar cruise line circuit. Then Jules falls in love with a mark, who leaves her pregnant and heartbroken, and Ruthi swears revenge. She makes herself a debutante disguise and goes to glamorous New Monte, where the rich and privileged live it up to a degree only possible in this kind of glitzy sci-fi. But the mark has a sister, and Sol Mendez-Yuki is much sharper than her brother (also less self-absorbed, and much hotter), and it doesn't take long for Sol to sense something off. Ruthi will have to choose wealth and revenge or her heart, and the choice isn't nearly as easy as she would hope. 

There's a lot of character decisions in this book that weren't particularly plausible, but it was just so darn stylish. Anti-grav operas, Venetian-style fashion rebreathers, and a tiny beach satellite held together by gravity sell a very specific flavor of sci-fi that I find very fun, and I had a great time reading this book. Everything is over-the-top in a way that feels totally unselfconscious, and I think it really works. Definitely recommend for anyone looking for some fun, silly sci-fi.

Strangers: A Memoir of Marriage

 

Strangers: A Memoir of Marriage by Belle Burden, 237 pages

In this memoir, Belle Burden recounts the shock of her husband leaving her and her children at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, after 20 years of marriage. She revisits the early days of their marriage, their family dynamics, and warning signs she might've missed. She also writes about picking up the pieces after he leaves, dealing with lawyers and divorce court, financial troubles, depression and raising her kids during the pandemic. 

I will admit, as a young person who has never experienced marriage, I was probably not the target audience for this book, however I did enjoy reading it for the most part. Belle writes her story with grace and honesty. I particularly enjoyed her journey to finding her own voice as a single woman after being controlled for so many years by her husband. I think her privilege as a white woman with generational wealth makes this a hard read at times, especially when she is describing her financial and living situations, it can be hard to empathize for her.