Lollapalooza

 

Lollapalooza: The Uncensored Story of Alternative Rock's Wildest Festival by Richard Bienstock and Tom Beaujour, 432 pages 

The last music book of the summer for the Rhythm n' Books reading club before we move on to our round of books for the fall. We haven't read anything quite like this, an oral history. Some folks liked it for it's candid anecdotes, some did not feel it was "journalistic" enough to merit an entire book. The problem with trying to dive into the past and document the concert in it's earliest days is that there probably is little documentation to go on. All of this was the brainchild of Perry Ferrell, the charismatic front man for the band Jane's Addiction, who were a more popular band at the time than I ever realized. In Perry's mind, this was something akin to Woodstock, but a little more organized--something to bring together the alternative counter culture that was starting to coalesce after the radio death of hair metal. In it's earliest heyday, Lolla included a second stage which consisted of a group of California circus performers who were more sideshow than side acts. Perry accidently tapped into a huge market and the festival grew into a concert that spanned cities and genres. Though it kind of reads like the script for a VH1 Storytellers episode, if you're looking to relive some of the early 90s, this is a good start. 

Dungeon Crawler Carl

 

Dungeon Crawler Carl by Matt Dinniman, 464 pages

    I had started reading The Veiled Prophet by Devin O'Shea, the highly-researched, potentially last-word nonfiction text on the history of the long-time racist parade in St. Louis. But then the cover art of Dungeon Crawler Carl book caught my eye and the VP book sat on my nightstand unread. I felt so guilty. What would I say to O'Shea if I ran into him around town? "Sorry it's a great book, but I'm too into this book about a space alien "running man" style intergalactic game show with a talking cat." 

    This book has such a ridiculous premise but you really just have to go all in on it and never look back. I found myself having to read a few chapters every night just to see what the heck was going to happen to these characters. I'm not sure I'm in it for the long haul just yet, since there are eight books in this series, but I did pick up the second book. I have, however, recommitted myself to finishing the VP book before I start it. Hopefully. 

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

 Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J.K. Rowling, 592 pages

I am getting caught up on the series after *(checks watch)* twenty years. I now know what muggles and marauders maps are. I am floored that this published in 2000. Also this one had time travel, which was a neat twist. It seems like the more these go on, the more Rowling just keeps world building. On to the Goblet of Fire. 

Names Have Been Changed

 

Names Have Been Changed by Yu-Mei Balasingamchow, 272 pages.

The lockdowns were hard on everyone, and after a personal emotional shock Ophir (not her real name) desperately needs a way to process her life, so she starts a podcast. She began life under a different name, in Singapore, but after her involvement in a petty crime yields serious criminal consequences, she decides to go on the run instead of going to prison. That was 10 years and many identities ago, and trouble has followed her around the world, but this is finally her chance to tell her story, whatever the consequences may be.

I didn't dislike this book, but I do feel like it is a very different book than I was sold on. Most places seem to be classifying it as a crime novel (mostly just the initial petty crime, followed by a lot of variants on using forged papers and resisting arrest) or a thriller (definitely not), for what is mostly a leisurely confessional style. I listened to the audiobook, which I definitely think enhanced my experience, both for selling Ophir as a person and for making the podcast format pop. Selling Ophir as a flawed but real person with a voice you could hear emotion in really helped, because I have to admit that even with all that I found her a little insufferable. I think I would overall class this book as sort of interesting, but not particularly great.

Die: Loaded Vol. 1

 

Die: Loaded Vol. 1: Zero Sessions by Kieron Gillen and Stephanie Hans, 176 pages.

A year after they finally escape the world of Die (hopefully for the last time), the players gather for Chuck's wake in the midst of a pandemic. The reverberations of the group disappearing for a second time with no explanation has deeply shaken their loved ones, and healing will be a long process. A process that is abruptly interrupted when those who were left behind have to experience Die for themselves.

This is the start to a direct sequel series of the "goth Jumanji" comic DIE. Although it is a sequel with completely different characters, it was a little more direct than I was expecting, and I did find myself wishing I had reread the original series before diving into this one. That being said, this is a great continuation! We are already getting to see a lot of the world that we didn't in the first comic line, as our new protagonists know nothing about the world, and very little about the TTRPG logic that it runs on. This gives not only a really interesting perspective, but a chance to explore the same setting with completely different themes. Gillen and Hans continue to write stories that are both exciting and deeply emotionally resonate, and I'm excited to see where this story goes next!

Palaces of the Crow

Palaces of the Crow by Ray Nayler, 384 pages

As the Nazis and Red Army converge in eastern Europe, four children band together in their attempt to survive the frozen Lithuanian woods: a Jewish girl and aspiring biologist Neriya, who hopes that her doctor parents are still alive after being torn from her; underage Polish soldier Czeslaw, who didn't so much abandon the army as the army abandoned him, when the rest of his unit died; Roma daughter of horse traders Kezia; and a nameless and silent abandoned young boy. As they learn from and lean on one another, they befriend an insightful and intelligent murder of crows, who end up offering protections that none of the children could have dreamed.

Nayler has a knack for writing about intelligent animals and making it feel both real and surreal (see: The Mountain in the Sea and The Tusks of Extinction), and this book is no exception. While the others are firmly seated in science fiction, however, this one is much closer to historical fiction with just a hint of magical realism. But it's still full of intelligence, meticulous detail, and a sharp understanding of the world in which the book is set. I've read everything that Nayler has published, and I have yet to be disappointed. This was excellent, and I highly recommend it. I will also be much more reverent toward crows going forward.

Life on the Mississippi

 

Life on the Mississippi by Mark Twain, 450 pages.

That's a wrap on our 2026 Big Book Challenge! This book is part memoir, part travelogue, and all Mark Twain. His specific dry humor and tall tales permeate the book, and give it a very distinctive character. I really enjoyed the tall tales and historical look at the region I call home (I especially got a kick over his excitement of this hot new thing, Forest Park), although I did find the whole thing a little disjointed and meandering. I still think it is definitely a worthwhile book, and I am thrilled I got to talk about it with a great group of library patrons last night! 

Promise of Blood

 

Promise of Blood by Brian McClellan, 545 pages.

Revolution is a bloody business, but Field Marshal Tamas and his powder mages have no regrets about removing the foolish king and his cabal of Privileged sorcerers. But after the guillotine has fallen on the king and his nobles the nation is still tottering under the weight of debt, war, complex alliances, and betrayals. Beyond the political, the removal of the king had symbolic ramifications, and the people are seeing dark signs everywhere. Signs that may well be more than peasant superstition.

Brian McClellan was a student in Brandon Sanderson's writing classes, which makes a lot of sense to me, because this feels very reminiscent of his work. I really enjoyed the diverse character perspectives that give a very three-dimensional feel to a complex world. This book had a bit of a slow build, as a lot of it is very focused on the day-to-day of the aftermath of a revolution, but I was still very engaged the whole time. I'm very excited to read the next book, which given the end of this one, will have even more epic stakes.  

Where the Girls Were

Where the Girls Were by Kate Schatz (2026), 368 pages

It is late 1960s San Francisco and high schooler, soon to be Valedictorian, Elizabeth "Baker" finds herself pregnant. Obviously, this disrupts her whole future as she had planned to attend Stanford and then head to Paris. Against her will, she ends up in a home for pregnant women. There she explores the complicated situations that landed the other women there and what their futures might hold.

I am back and forth on this book. I think it covers some very important topics (such as women’s choice) that are still very prescient today. It delves into the limited options women had and the very real judgements they faced if they became "in the family way" - whether it was by choice or violence. It also touches upon the lack of knowledge women had about their bodies and the taboos older women had in sharing valuable information to younger women. That said, Baker's naiveté was almost to the point of unbelievableness. There were libraries back in the day. I wish more time had been spent with the interesting characters in the women's home and how the women's rights movement was progressing through San Francisco. The ending is pretty unbelievable, but, if you get a chance, I would still read it. 

Hungerstone

  

 

 

 Hungerstone by Kat Dunn, 336 pages

A retelling of the classic story Carmilla, but with a backdrop of the Industrial Revolution. Inside a  remote country manor in the Moors, Lenore must face an unhappy marriage, nightmares that leave her desiring more, and her past traumas. 

I really enjoyed this book! I have read Carmilla and enjoyed it, although given the time it was written it was hard to understand at times. This novel brought a fresh perspective to the classic, while still maintaining key themes. The ending did feel a bit rushed.