The Giant: Orson Welles, the Artist and the Shadow

 The Giant: Orson Welles, the Artist and the Shadow by Youssef Daoudi (2025) 272 pages 

Yes, Orson Welles was a voice actor on "The Shadow" radio program, and that is touched on in this book, but it is more his looming figure with drifting smoke from an ever-present cigar that is the shadow of the title. A thread that carries through this biography is Welles working to finish the film The Other Side of the Wind, a film that was only completed posthumously in 2018. The author/artist hits all the major events of his life and career, but the visual invention allowed by the graphic medium is the real strength of this book. I loved the alien ships of The War of the Worlds, which Welles adapted for radio, being depicted as massive '30s radio microphones. Welles was evidently a fan of bullfighting, so another clever visual is having his shadow play matador to a charging bull with a movie camera head. Behind the scenes anecdotes and Welles' appetite and his wicked humor fill the pages to bursting. Welles appeared in many TV commercials and recognized he acted in many bad movies. "The only thing I want written on my tombstone: 'He never did Love Boat.'" "[His career has] been two percent moviemaking and ninety-eight percent HUSTLING." So much care has been put into the black and white art with yellow highlights.

A Day in the Life of Abed Salama

 A Day in the Life of Abed Salama: Anatomy of a Jerusalem Tragedy by Nathan Thrall, 272 pages.

In 2012 a school bus carrying Palestinian kindergarteners was in an accident on a crowded highway, after which it caught fire. A car accident tends to be the kind of tragedy with only personal levels of blame, but journalist Nathan Thrall explores how the entire history of decades of Palestinian oppression was responsible for this tragedy, and the resulting deaths. Thrall follows the stories of many people to paint a very complete picture, but is most focused on Abed Salama. Abed's entire life was deeply impacted by Israeli occupation, from the denial of his visa to attend college, to becoming one of the 40% of men and boys from the West Bank to spend time in an Israeli jail (the result of a very telling 99.7% conviction rate and a court that wouldn't allow him to even speak in his own defense). All of which is lead-up to his desperate search for his soon after the crash, hindered by military checkpoints and the restricted freedom of movement of all Palestinians. 

This book does an excellent job making the political personal. The people's whose lives who are described are rendered in such vivid detail that it is sometimes hard to remember that this book is not fiction, and that these are real events. Thrall is a talented journalist, and does a good job connecting a large history into a fairly short book. It is also a hard book to read, heartbreaking and infuriating. I had only general knowledge of the history of Palestine, and was completely ignorant of many of things in the mountain of injustices that a people living under occupation were subject to. It also seems important to note that this book was published in October 3rd, 2023, a few days before the region was brought to the forefront of global consciousness, and so does not include any of the devastation of the last few years. I am definitely interested in reading more by this author, and more on Palestine. 

How to Solve Your Own Murder

 

How to Solve Your Own Murder by Kristen Perrin (2024) 358 pages

Annie Adams has a great aunt Frances whom she has never met, but the aunt is helping support her and her mother in a house in Chelsea that she owns, while the aunt lives on her large estate in the English village of Castle Knoll. When Annie is summoned to Frances' home for a meeting, along with Frances' attorney and her late husband's nephew Saxon, no one expects to find Frances dead. She has a sizable estate and her will stipulates that it will all go to either Annie or Saxon if either of them can solves Frances' murder within a week. If that does not happen, the estate will be sold off and the proceeds given to the government. The job of selling the property goes to the attorney's grandson Oliver, who will presumably reap commissions from the sales. If the village detective solves the murder first, the estate still goes to the government.

Yes, Frances was so sure that she would be murdered that this information was in her will. And the evidence shows that she was indeed murdered—by an megadose injection of iron. When she was a teen, Frances had been told by a fortune teller that she would be murdered, and Frances was a believer. She kept a room in her house filled with information about everyone she came into contact with who might possibly become her murderer. There was even one of those murder boards that are seen in police shows, with photos and strings.

The race is on, to see if one of the possible heirs can solve the murder in time. The story dips back into Frances' younger life, via her diary, which Annie found. The diary was immensely helpful in following Frances' thoughts. There are lots of characters to consider, and some surprises, as well as danger. Recommended.

Star Shipped

Star Shipped by Cat Sebastian, 384 pages

For seven years, straitlaced Simon has been one of the leads on a popular science fiction TV show, opposite Charlie, a handsome and chaotic former reality star. After the season ends, Simon's planning on leaving for a serious acting job on Broadway, though he hasn't shared that info with anyone. However, given his standoffishness, Simon's concerned that it will look like he's leaving because he was difficult to work with, so when Charlie offers to help his image with some chummy social media posts, Simon reluctantly says yes. Despite Charlie being everything Simon detests.

This enemies-to-lovers, grumpy/sunshine romance is classic Cat Sebastian, in that it's fantastic, with fully realized characters and a thoughtful consideration of emotional and psychological baggage. Really, my only complaints with this book are that the excuse for the road trip seems a bit flimsy, and the cover makes this look like it takes place in the 1960s (which it most certainly does not). Otherwise, it's fantastic, and I highly recommend it.

Red Memory

Red Memory by Tania Branigan (2023) 283 pages

A stylized history of the Chinese Cultural Revolution as recounted by Guardian newspaper journalist Tania Branigan. This is a harrowing read based on historical facts and the collective and individual traumas of the approximately ten-year reign of terror known as the Cultural Revolution. This is not a retelling of the period, but a series of vignettes exploring the wide variety of horrors inflicted during this time. Branigan attempts to interview a wide swath of participants and victims with mixed results. Obfuscation, lies, mis-remembered incidents and fear of the authorities litter the pages. In addition, the revolving nature of the bureaucratic state frustrates the author. However, in the process she outlines the changing definitions of the Cultural Revolution, the preceding era and the aftermath, i.e., the most recent regime. The horrid nature of the crimes during the Cultural Revolution is astounding – and the attempt to clarify the chaos is an admirable, albeit nearly impossible task. 

Everyone In This Bank Is a Thief

Everyone In This Bank Is a Thief by Benjamin Stevenson, 368 pages

Author-who-unexpectedly-solves-murders Ernest Cunningham has traveled to a tiny Australian town with his fiancée in a last-ditch effort to get a loan to kickstart his private detective business. But while they're there, a bank robbery ensues, and Ernest soon discovers that all ten hostages (himself included) are guilty of some sort of theft, whether it's gold or simply a pen, though he can't quite figure out why or how they've all come together. As Ernest recounts the tale from the small safe in which he's trapped, he lays out all the elements as a way of getting the reader to solve the mystery.

I've read a previous Ernest Cunningham book in the past, and found it incredibly annoying, in large part because of the footnotes scattered through that one (with very few exceptions, footnotes in fiction are the WORST). I picked this one up because I hoped that the heist of it would make it better. This one thankfully doesn't have the footnotes, but Ernest's "I'm smarter than you" vibes are still in full force. I stuck with it until the end because I really did want to know what the deal was, but that was in spite of, and not because of, the first-person narration. Don't think I'll be trying another one of these.

The 7½ Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle

The 7½ Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton (2018, 432 pages)

Aiden Bishop is set to wake up in a different body, in the same mansion, experiencing the same day over and over. And every night, he must watch the murder of Evelyn Hardcastle at exactly 11pm. The loop will continue until he can solve it. Within the other people of the castle, he'll find friends, enemies, and clues.

What I liked:
✨ True mystery, I couldn't see a lot of what was coming!

What I didn't like:
💤 The mechanics just don't really make sense 
💤 The world was too hard for me to buy, I feel like I couldn't overlook the setting
💤 Felt like it went on a little long

⭐⭐⭐ 

Sorcery and Small Magics

Sorcery and Small Magics (The Wildersongs Trilogy, #1) by Maiga Doocy (2024, 416 pages)

Grumpy/sunshine magicians, destined to embark on a quest to break a curse? Sign me up!

Leo and Sebastian find themselves closer than they ever wanted to be after a spell mix up. In order to conduct magic, you need a writer and a caster. Leo can change the color of someone's eyes, which seems grand to us, but is not impressive at the school. Sebastian is set to climb the ladder. He takes his magic casting seriously and doesn't want to bother with Leo's silliness and lackadaisical manner. They've thus gained a reputation as rivals at their magic school. Of course, when they're paired up randomly for an assignment, they must work together to then... undo the accident of the assignment.

What I liked:
✨ Charming (pun intended) story
✨ Always love a grumpy/sunshine pair. Well maybe more serious than grumpy but still
✨ Leo makes his own form of magic
✨ He's also hilarious!

What I didn't like:
💤 I do actually think it was well done, but some ambiguity in the end left me wanting more of an answer
💤Some scenes were a bit over the top for me
💤Would really like to see some parts of the world flushed out more in future books! But I don't think it took away from the story

Favorite quote: "After that, I decided to amuse myself by the only means available: the sound of my own voice." 

⭐⭐⭐⭐

All You Knead Is Love

 All You Knead Is Love by Tanya Guerrero, 384 pages.

Alba doesn't want to move to Barcelona with her estranged grandmother, and she feels deeply unwanted. But getting away from her abusive father and distant mother help her bloom in ways she never could have imagined. Alba makes new friends, gets close to her grandmother, and meets an old friend of her mom's, who describes a carefree version of her mother she's never met and ignites in her a passion for bread baking. But things don't stop changing when she gets to Barcelona. As the bakery she's come to love struggles against financial ruin, is this new life truly sturdy enough to build on?

This was a pretty solid middle grade coming-of-age novel. I'm not sure there's a lot here to recommend it to adults, but I do think I would definitely recommend it to middle schoolers. I really liked Alba, and I thought all of the characters were really interesting, even if this may not be the most nuanced book. 

The Vanishing Half

 The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett, 343 pages.

Mallard, Louisiana is a black town obsessed with light skin. The Vignes twins feel crushed by the town, but after they run away from home the identical twins separate and begin leading lives that would be unrecognizable to each other. Desiree goes ends up in Washington DC, where she marries an abusive husband. She eventually runs back to Mallard with her extremely dark-skinned daughter, and learns to survive the life she once fled from. Stella takes a path that is simultaneously safer and more dangerous, passing as white to completely that her own husband and daughter don't know her secret. Many years later, the cousins come back together, and everyone has to reckon with the strange shapes their lives took. 

This book was very interesting, and I can see why it got so much attention when it came out a few years ago. The four perspectives across 40 years allows for a very nuanced examination of race in America. That being said, I do think the first half of this book is stronger than the second. It starts very strong, but then feels as if it just sort of fades out until the book ends. Still, I do think this is worth reading.