We are competitive library employees who are using this blog for our reading contest against each other and Missouri libraries up to the challenge.
Friday, January 31, 2025
Lost in Math: How Beauty Leads Physics Astray
Thursday, January 30, 2025
Adrift in Currents Clean and Clear
Adrift in Currents Clean and Clear by Seanan McGuire, 160 pages.
Although it can be a hard life, Nadya is content to stay in the Russian orphanage she has lived in since she was born. She's never been bothered by the arm she was born without, but it seems that the well-meaning American couple that adopts her is very concerned about it, and insists on getting her a prosthetic she does not want and didn't ask for. Leaving adopted parents who don't understand or listen to her, she falls through a portal in a turtle pond and into a drowned world of water. This new world, Belyyreka, is a fascinating place made up many layers of different kinds of water, all within a lake the size of a world. Ships dive deep beneath the rivers and giant turtles serve as companions to the people. Nadya is finally home.Wednesday, January 29, 2025
The Breach
The Breach: The Untold Story of the Investigation into January 6th by Denver Riggleman with Hunter Walker (2022) 268 pages
Denver Riggleman is a former military intelligence officer and former Republican member of the U.S. House of Representatives who was called to help investigate the January 6th Insurrection. He was senior technical advisor to the January 6th Select Committee.
This book goes into the nuts and bolts about using cellphone data to pinpoint locations and interactions between the White House and the rioters outside the Capitol. The Oath Keepers, the Proud Boys, and QAnon are mentioned in some detail. The book also has a large number of texts sent to and from Donald Trump's former chief of staff, Mark Meadows, in the weeks between the 2020 election and January 6th. We also get a sense about what was going on behind the scenes in some of the subcommittees of the Select Committee. And I learned new information about Ginni Thomas, the wife of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas.
Fast, fascinating read that I wish more people knew about prior to the 2024 election.
Red Side Story
Red Side Story by Jasper Fforde, 438 pages
Picking up immediately after the events of Shades of Grey, this book finds Eddie and Jane trying to navigate the tricky insane politics and regulations of East Carmine, and quickly, as they're both accused of murdering a high-ranking official-to-be. As they attempt to escape justice (they did kinda kill the guy, after all, though he had it coming), they're also investigating the unexplained (and getting themselves in more trouble, of course), and preparing for the upcoming Jollity Fair.
This is such a strange strange world that Fforde has created, and reading Shades of Grey first is a must. Even reading them back-to-back, however, doesn't really make anything make any more sense, though I suppose that's kinda the point of the books. They're fun and odd and if a third book comes out in 15 years (which is the timespan between these two), I'll happily read that one too.
Tuesday, January 28, 2025
Estate Planning Basics
Estate Planning Basics: What you need to know about wills, trusts, & avoiding probate (2024) 228 pages
This estate planning guide is from Nolo, the group that offers all kinds of legal help in books and software, as well as online. I found it clear, with thirteen chapters filled with good information and examples, along with a thorough index and helpful appendix. I found it a good prelude to a visit to an attorney's office, but the book can also be used to determine whether one can make one's own estate plans without using an attorney.
The Shaadi Set-Up
The Shaadi Set-Up by Lillie Vale (2024) 352 pages
Rita is a 26-year-old woman who's just getting by financially. She also has a boyfriend, Neil, who is a nice guy, but he is a bit prissy and he also has long phone calls with his mother every morning. Rita can't envision a future with him, but likes to have him around for now. Her parents don't know about him, even after three months dating, because she doesn't think they'll accept him. She considers the possibility of her and Neil matching up on Shaadi, an online Indian-matching site that's meant to find spouses. If they matched up on Shaadi, Rita thinks that maybe her parents would accept Neil as a boyfriend.
Meanwhile, Rita's mother tries to get her to help her old boyfriend Milan, who broke her heart 6 years ago, by decorating a house that Milan, a realtor, has not been able to sell. Rita makes her living buying furniture in thrift shops, then restoring and selling it. Rita reluctantly decides to work with Milan while she and Neil are tweaking their online profiles, trying to get a match with each other.
This novel brings together a mix of humor, cringy-ness and realism.
Thursday, January 23, 2025
Biography of X
Biography of X by Catherine Lacey, 416 pages.
X was a polarizing artist in varied mediums, a divisive critic and, above all else, a mystery. After she drops dead in her office, her widow CM throws herself wholly into writing her biography, despite her late wife's wishes. She is driven not only by the need to disprove an unauthorized biography that misunderstood her late wife, but by the need to finally understand the woman she deified after she was gone. Her research takes her through an alternate America that is recently reunified following the reabsorption of the Southern Territory, a fascist theocracy whose history CM finds herself deeply immersed in. Soon she finds, buried deep in a web of betrayals and lies, that her wife was both more and less than she ever could have believed.Get Me Through the Next Five Minutes
Get Me Through the Next Five Minutes: Odes to Being Alive by James Parker, 240 pages.
This book collects the "odes" which James Parker wrote for the Atlantic as their unofficial "gratitude correspondent." These odes are mostly for small and specific things, such as taking naps and running in movies, with the purpose of trying to appreciate the small things in life and (as the title suggests) get through the next five minutes.Wednesday, January 22, 2025
Musicophilia
Musicophilia: Tales of Music and the Brain by Oliver Sacks, c. 2007, 425 pgs.
Shades of Grey
Shades of Grey by Jasper Fforde, 390 pages
Eddie Russett lives in purposefully antiquated caste-based world where your position depends solely on which color (yes, singular) you can see, with Purples riding high and mighty at the top. As a Red, Eddie is just a step above the drudge-working Greys, and when his innovations in queuing dare to challenge the infallible Rules, he is given a humility inducing task (chair census) and is sent to the rural East Carmine as punishment. However, once he arrives, Eddie's natural curiosity starts getting him noticed (and not necessarily in a good way) by the local prefects, as he finds more and more things that make him question the Rules.
This is a ridiculously difficult book to explain, and the paragraph above only captures a tiny sliver of the absurdity of this novel. Eddie's world is also full of references to deadly swan attacks and ball lightning, a distinct lack of spoons, and regular Leapbacks, which are governmental mandates to destroy anything too modern or technological. Like all of Fforde's books, this one is silly, smart, and too creative to be believed. It's also one of my favorites, and I was well overdue for a reread, especially since the long-awaited sequel came out last year and I have yet to read it. But guess what's up next!
Friday, January 17, 2025
A selection of January graphic novels
Battlefields: The Night Witches by Garth Ennis with art by Russ Braun (2009) 79 pages
It is fascinating that Russia did have women pilots in their air force during WWII. Half the story is following a German squad pushing into Russian territory with one conscientious young man as our narrator. The other half focuses on just a couple of the women pilots who fly night missions dropping bombs. One in particular, Nadia Anna, achieves the rank of Captain and is a survivor despite a brief romance with heartbreak and her plane going down. The story succeeds in showing the horrific tragedy of war. The art work is a bit cartoon-y, but not far-off in portraying the gritty realism.
Hokusai: A Graphic Biography by Giuseppe Latanza and Francesco Matteuzzi (2021) 128 pages
I really enjoyed the art and the biographical story. Like Hokusai making woodblocks to stamp multiple prints of his art, some of the graphic novel's images are repeated. In between the story of his life there are full pages of text with historical background about Japanese art, or explaining terms and historical periods. Some of this felt repetitive, unfortunately, like a different author had lost track of what had previously been explained. However, this did not drastically lessen my enjoyment. I thought the book was aimed at teens at first, but it does mention and show a bit of the erotic art that Hokusai made during one part of his life.
The Secret to Superhuman Strength by Alison Bechdel (2021) 240 pages
I loved this even more than Fun Home. Bechdel is even more revealing about herself, and explores engrossing related topics. Exercise trends through the second half of the 20th century, Romantic poets, Transcendentalists, Kerouac, Zen Buddhism are all connected. She explores mountains as a symbol for human achievement. The aphorism "it is about the journey, not the destination" comes across.
Will Eisner's New York: Life in the Big City by Will Eisner (2006) 421 pages
I've read a couple of his other realistic graphic novels and highly recommend this one as well. "New York: The Big City" consists of short vignettes. "The Building" tells the backstory of four ghosts who hang around a particular intersection where a historic building has been torn down and a new one constructed in its place. These stories reveal the tragicomic world Eisner is drawn to portray. "City People" is filled with more observations in mostly one or two page vignettes. A longer tragic story is told in Collisions. "Invisible People" contains three longer stories. Sanctum tells the sad story of Pincus Pleatnik. The Power tells a symbolic story of a healer named Morris. Eisner says of Mortal Combat, "In relating the story of Herman, who became the unwilling prize in a clash of wills, I hoped to evoke the helplessness of a person caught in an intersection of the traffic of life."
Past Tense: Facing Family Secrets and Finding Myself in Therapy by Sacha Mardou (2024) 336 pages
A courageous memoir. I picked it up at my new comic shop because it is by a local St. Louis author. Her journey to overcome her anxiety and unpack her childhood trauma is fascinating. She specifically delves into a therapy model called Internal Family Systems (IFS) because she finds it helpful after some initial skepticism. Mardou's art style is a bit loose, but expressive. Freeing herself from generational trauma reveals truly healthy outcomes.
Thursday, January 16, 2025
The Stardust Grail
The Stardust Grail by Yume Kitasei, 311 pages
Now a graduate student, Maya Hoshimoto was once a successful cat burglar, stealing all manner of artifacts from both public and private collections. Now, she's trying her best to buckle down and finish her thesis, though the arrival of a long-lost book at the university library — one that may hold the key to finding a possibly mythical "stardust grail," capable of helping the Frenro alien race save itself from extinction — forces Maya to dust off those old skills as she attempts one final heist to help a friend.
This fast-moving heist novel has shades of Indiana Jones in space, though instead of stealing things for a museum, Maya's stealing them from a museum. I like the transportation and the aliens, and the Encyclopedium (a massive museum/library/archive thing) seems simultaneously like the most intriguing and scary place in the universe. Yeah, I had trouble buying the idea that Earth would be almost unchanged however many years in the future, and the plot got a little crazy toward the end, but that shouldn't stop you from reading this super fun book.
2024 Blogging Stats AND New Wild Cards for 2025!
- Feature a library at some point in the book (make sure you tag "library" in your blog post if you want those points!)
- Have a preposition in the title
Wednesday, January 15, 2025
Finder
Finder by Suzanne Palmer, 392 pages.
Kara just beat me to writing about this book! So I'm going to link her review here for the facts of the book and keep this review to my opinions.I almost put this book down when I found out the protagonist's name was Fergus Ferguson, but I'm really glad I didn't! This whole novel has a very pulp science fiction magazine feel, to the point where I could clearly picture several scenes in the 1940s comic book style. I don't consider this a bad thing! It gives the whole novel a really interesting flavor, which is reinforced by some clever problem solving that was delightful to follow. I am definitely interested in reading more books in this world, especially if they spend more time in less human-centric space. A fun sci-fi adventure!
The Turtle House
The Turtle House by Amanda Churchill, 296 pages
In 1999 Texas, architect Lia Cope has hit a wall with her career and moved back home, where she shares a room with her grandmother, Mineko. Mineko recently moved in with her son and daughter-in-law after her house burned down. The forced proximity of Lia and Mineko has led to bonding, as Lia records Mineko's stories from her youth in Japan through her immigration to the United States. But when Mineko is forced to live in a senior living facility, the pair plots a course to recreate the titular Turtle House, a long-lost beloved place for Mineko.
While the stories of Mineko's life in Japan, and as a WWII Japanese bride for an American soldier, are fascinating and engrossing, the more modern elements, particularly Lia's tale of college and the run-up to her return home, falls a little flat in comparison. I kind of wish it had simply been a historical fiction story of Mineko without Lia's involvement. Oh well.
Between Friends and Lovers
Between Friends and Lovers by Shirlene Obuobi, 357 pages
Dr. Josephine Boateng has thousands of social media followers who tune in for her humor and candid attitude toward health and self-love. While she's super-confident in front of the camera, her off-screen life is much more complicated, with a long unrequited crush on her rich playboy best friend, Ezra, keeping her from dating seriously. But when Ezra takes his new girlfriend's side when Jo calls her out as her high school bully, Jo has had it and decides to plunge into a new relationship with shy novelist, Mal. Mal's dealing with his own issues (among them: impostor syndrome when his debut novel gets picked up for screen adaptation and baggage from a long-term toxic relationship), but as a longtime Instagram follower of Jo, he's willing to give this a try, especially when he finds her as charming in real life as she is online. But will Jo be able to let go of Ezra's hold on her so that her relationship with Mal can flourish?
This is a winning romance with plenty of clear communication (what?? that never happens in romance novels!) and a distinct lack of guys fighting over the girl. Honestly, my one complaint about this book is that Mal is just too perfect a guy, though that's probably not a bad thing for a romance novel. Well worth a read.
Finder
Finder by Suzanne Palmer, 392 pages
Loner Fergus Ferguson calls himself a "finder," but for all intents and purposes is a a repo man, thief, and general con man for hire. A mission to reclaim a stolen ship takes Fergus to a backwater outpost where power is split between five kingpins (one of whom stole the ship) and mysterious Asiig alien ships routinely pass by, striking fear into the hearts of all the people who live out there. Of course, this mission cannot go as planned, and soon Fergus finds himself wrapped up in the local politics and actually caring about the lives of others.
I first read this book back in early 2020, and reread it for Orcs & Aliens. My thoughts then still hold up now: it's a fun, funny, well-created space heist. Now, however, it's also the first in a series of 4 (so far), which means I have some catching up to do!
The Prospects
The Prospects by KT Hoffman, 366 pages
In his third year playing for a minor league baseball team, Gene Ionescu is the first openly trans player in professional baseball. He's a well-regarded solid shortstop, so imagine his surprise when his team brings in Luis Estrada, a former teammate and now rival, to take over at short, shifting Gene over to second base. While the two initially can't stand to be around each other, eventually they realize that they're going to have to start communicating and working together if they're ever going to escape errors and finally turn a double play. But as they start working together, Gene and Luis realize that something more than friendship is developing between them.
This combo of enemies-to-lovers and second-chance romance works well between the two main characters, both of whom struggle with their place in baseball — Gene for the understandable challenges that come with being trans, Luis with a double whammy of debilitating anxiety and living as a closeted gay man. I love that they find solace in each other, no matter how awkwardly it plays out in the beginning stages. While the hyper-realistic baseball talk sometimes clashed in my head with the absolute fantasyland of an LGBTQ-friendly MLB, at the end of the day, it's nice to see a trans character thriving and finding love in fiction. Fans of Check, Please! will dig this one.
Tuesday, January 14, 2025
The Puzzle Box
The Puzzle Box by Danielle Trussoni, 320 pgs.
As the full moon rises over the imperial palace in Tokyo, Mike Brink prepares to face his greatest challenge yet: solving the unsolvable Dragon Box. He has confronted many puzzles like this before--solving each with ease, due to his savant-like ability to recognize patterns and photographic memory--but this puzzle box is unique in that every person who has attempted to solve it has died in the process. With Sakura, the Emperor's aide with mysterious motives, at his side and the imperial guards watching on, can Brink figure out how to open the murderous Dragon Box before the full moon sets? And, perhaps even more importantly, can he trust those around him?
My experience reading The Puzzle Box reminded me of watching an action movie. I was on the edge of my seat, wondering what would happen next. Each scene unfolded in my mind as if I were watching it onscreen. Dramatic reveals, strategically placed on the final pages of key chapters, felt primed for film transitions. I could almost hear the swells of music in the most action-packed scenes. Fans of the MCU, Bullet Train, or The DaVinci Code will enjoy this book.
Only Human
Only Human by Sylvain Neuvel, 336 pages.
After the events of Waking Gods, everyone who happened to be celebrating on Themis after the fight was over is transported to the robots homeworld, where they spend nearly a decade. When they finally return to Earth, they find that everything has really gone crazy in their absence. The same small team is again responsible for saving the world, this time from itself.The Last Days of New Paris
The Last Days of New Paris by China Mieville, 209 pages.
This book is difficult to categorize and even more difficult to describe, but I will do my best here. In 1941, while the Nazis were occupying Paris, a strange bomb went off. The so called S-Blast filled the city with physical and uncontrollable manifestations of Surrealist art. Between the so-called manifs and the demons the Nazis summon to attempt to maintain control, Paris is rendered strange and unstable, as well as being totally cut off from the rest of the world.Past Lying
Past Lying by Val McDermid, 452 pages
It's late March 2020, and DCI Karen Pirie and her team at the Historic Crimes Unit are bored to tears with nothing to do during COVID lockdown when a call comes in from the National Library with a possible lead in a cold case. Late thriller author Jake Stein donated his personal archives to the library upon his death, and as archivists started to go through his belongings, they discovered an unpublished manuscript that matches very closely the details of an unsolved case of a missing woman. Now Pirie and her team must figure out how to reopen the case under the tight restrictions of lockdown.
I love the premise for this book, the seventh in McDermid's Karen Pirie series, though I was a bit surprised by how mobile the HCU team was during Scotland's strict lockdown regulations — I seriously thought they'd be doing all of the interviews via Zoom, yet they were meeting people in the park and sitting 6 feet away instead. That said, this was a remarkably quick and engaging read for 450 pages, and even though I figured out several of the twists WAY early, I still enjoyed the book, particularly the relationship between Pirie and her two teammates. I haven't read the other books in this series, but I'll probably put them on my TBR to check out at some future date.
Sheine Lende
Sheine Lende by Darcie Little Badger, 391 pages.
Shane, like many of the women in her family before her, has the power to rouse ghosts from the world below. She and her mother use these powers, including the tracking power of their ghost dog, to find missing people (whether they can pay or not). Which is the right thing, but also hard, since money has been tight since they lost their home, community, and several family members in a flood many years ago. Things get even harder when her mother goes missing on a search and rescue mission for two siblings, and Shane has to go further than she ever thought possible to get her back.Diavola
Diavola by Jennifer Thorne, 291 pages
As the lone singleton on her family vacation to Tuscany, Anna is a bit of an outcast. She's useful because she speaks Italian, but otherwise, her parents and siblings pretty much treat her as an attention-hogging waste of space. When she starts noticing creepy stuff happening at the villa they've rented, Anna's observations just feed into her family's assumptions. But before long, even they can't ignore the unexplained events going on at their villa...
This horror novel was scary on multiple levels, from the uncannily real way Anna's family treats her to the supernatural spookiness that latches onto the main character. I loved that this book kept me guessing, and I really loved that my guesses were never right. A fantastic horror novel.
Shelterwood
Shelterwood by Lisa Wingate, 347 pages
In 1909 Oklahoma, precocious young girl Olive runs away from home to save her adopted sister, a Choctaw orphan named Nessa, from her stepfather's bad intentions. Eighty years later, park security officer Valerie is new to the fictitious Winding Stair National Park when she discovers that her coworkers are trying to sweep aside an investigation of old bones in a cave as she simultaneously searches for a missing teenager. As the story bounces back and forth between the two timelines, it become increasingly clear that the two stories are connected, though it's hard to say exactly how.
It's interesting, though not particularly surprising, to learn more about the many ways in which indigenous Americans were treated 100+ years ago, particularly in Oklahoma, and it's intriguing to think about the ways in which we as a society continue the oppression of this culture. That said, the presentation of these two stories is a bit stilted and uneven, and I kept getting frustrated with the odd pacing of both stories. That said, for those who read or watched Killers of the Flower Moon and wanted to learn more about the era through a novel, this is an OK option.
The Murder of Roger Ackroyd
I listened to the audiobook on Hoopla narrated by Charles Armstrong. Classic murder mystery with private detective Hercule Poirot. It plays with mystery tropes that were already recognized in the 1920s such as "the butler did it." Early on suspicion seems to fall on the butler, until each other family member or staff of the victim is forced to reveal their secrets. But who ultimately killed Roger Ackroyd?
Sunday, January 12, 2025
A Great Marriage
A Great Marriage by Frances Mayes (2024) 298 pages
Dara and Austin are set to be married in a short time. Dara and all of her family loves Austin—the Londoner is so much better for her than most of the guys Dara dated in her younger years, and her family and friends note the sparks between the couple are strong. Austin cannot believe his good fortune in his relationship with Dara, as well. When Austin gets unexpected news, it upends their relationship, and Dara won't tell her family and friends why.
The novel explores romantic relationships while showing us families with strong ties. The action is slow, but fitting for a story where the main characters, as well as some of the secondary characters, need to figure out what the way forward could be.
Sounds Like a Plan
Mackenzie Cunningham and Jackson Jones are both private detectives in Southern California. When they find themselves crossing paths several times, they have questions. And when they learn that there is a $50,000 reward for finding a missing woman, they are each determined to earn it. Did I mention that they are both young (although they have each had other careers), Black and quite independent? Mackenzie is short, very fit, and skilled in martial arts. Jackson is a former cop who lost his career when he turned in his partner for bad behavior. He also likes expensive suits.
The lightning fast action takes them back and forth over the LA area as they butt heads while also each noting that they might find the other quite appealing. Fast, entertaining read.
[I'll be awaiting another book featuring this duo expected to be released this summer.]
Wednesday, January 8, 2025
Voyage of the Damned
Voyage of the Damned by Frances White, 459 pages
In Concordia, each province has just one person who has a single magical blessing, an ability that is passed down genetically from one leader to the next, though one of them (the emperor) has untold powers that pass through his line. To celebrate the empire, its unity, and its magical powers, the 12 Blessed board a ship for a voyage to a sacred mountain. Unfortunately, one of the 12 people on board is Ganymedes (Dee, to his friends), the Blessed of the lowly Fish province, who has a BIG secret: he doesn't actually have a blessing, and it's most likely going to appear in one of his philandering father's illegitimate offspring. But before he can worry too much about that, the Blessed start dying off dramatically, and Dee has to figure out who's killing them before he becomes a victim and his lack of magical power is discovered.
This mix of mystery and fantasy is surprisingly light and fast to read, though there are some wild twists and turns that are both hard to see and not particularly necessary. However, White did an excellent job of creating compelling characters that are easy to love or hate — there's no in-between with this crowd. I'm intrigued to see what she'll come up with next.
Safe and Sound
Safe and Sound by Laura McHugh, 288 pages
Amelia and Kylee were safely asleep upstairs when their cousin Grace (who had been babysitting them) went missing several years ago. Other than a smear of blood in the kitchen, there's been no trace of her in their chunk of rural Missouri, nor anywhere else they can think of. Now, as teenagers, the sisters are torn between doing as Grace wished and leaving town to seek their future elsewhere, or staying in tiny Beaumont, where their aunt keeps hoping for some sign of Grace. When a body is discovered nearby, the sisters start their own investigation into Grace's disappearance in the hopes that they'll find some closure and be able to move on with their lives.
This is just about the slowest burning thriller I've come across, and it's a fairly depressing one. That said, the characters are well-realized, and the only thing that keeps me from fully recommending this one is the end, which gets a bit wonky, given the lead-up to it. Still, not a bad book, as long as you're OK with a stripped-bare version of rural Missouri.
What Waits in the Woods
What Waits in the Woods by Terri Parlato, 342 pages
Esme Foster left her hometown 11 years ago to follow her dreams to become a professional ballerina, and when she left, she also abandoned the relationships with her family and friends. But after an injury ends her dancing career, Esme decides to return home. However, as she pulls up at the home her dad and brother share, she learns that her high school friend Kara has been found murdered in the woods behind her house. Detective Rita Myers is in charge of the case, and doesn't seem to be making much headway, grasping at various theories, each of which is increasingly unlikely. There has to be a break in the case soon...
This is an odd mix of a mystery and a thriller, though I think in the end it lands on the thriller side of the line. It definitely has the hallmarks of secrecy, subterfuge, and smalltown gossip, as well as a sense of foreboding brought on by past and present crimes. All in all, however, I feel like it's just OK, though I'm not sure how much of that is based on the fact that the victim has my same name.
Masquerade
Masquerade by O.O. Sangoyomi, 340 pages
Òdòdó has followed in her mother's footsteps, becoming a blacksmith in Timbuktu, despite the social shunning and poor living conditions that come with the vocation. After the city is conquered by the king of Yorùbáland, Òdòdó is kidnapped and only realizes when she arrives in the capital city that she's been picked to be the king's wife. Her rapid escalation from the bottom to the top of society is not a popular change among many (including the king's mother and many of his advisors), but Òdòdó is determined to make the most of it without losing track of her past.
Very loosely based on the myth of Persphone, Masquerade is a fascinating tale that brings to life western Africa before the transatlantic slave trade. As with all books that take place so far in the past, and in a culture with which I'm not particularly familiar, I wonder how much of this is based on actual traditions and events, but really, it doesn't detract from the story at all. It's an excellent book, and I highly recommend it.
(Note: why this book was ever marketed as fantasy is beyond me. Is it just because it's non-Western and the names are hard to pronounce and spell for us? I hope not.)
A Sorceress Comes to Call
A Sorceress Comes to Call by T. Kingfisher, 325 pages
Regan did an EXCELLENT job of summarizing this book, so I'm not going to try to rewrite it here. Instead, I'll just send you straight to her blog post. I'm a diehard T. Kingfisher fan, and this one did not disappoint. I'm always impressed by the way in which she creates intelligent, caring, no-nonsense protagonists, particularly when they're older (like Hester in this book). Loved this book, despite the many horrors it includes.
The Twilight Garden
The Twilight Garden by Sara Nisha Adams, 391 pages
In a small London neighborhood, two of those neighbors are at odds, as neighbors sometimes are. But these two also have the quirky complication of a shared garden, one that once used to be a cheerful gathering spot for the community but in the intervening years has become overgrown and neglected. Bouncing back and forth between the early days of the garden and the modern struggle, the book illustrates how a bit of dirt and hard work can create a community. It's a heartwarming story, and one that will certainly resonate with many readers.
Moon of the Turning Leaves
Moon of the Turning Leaves by Waubgeshig Rice, 305 pages
A dozen years after the breakdown of society caused them to flee to northern Ontario, the an Anishinaabe community has come to the conclusion that declining resources mean they must venture back south. They send a group of scouts in search of their ancestral land, a journey that is dangerous enough that no one has ever returned from it. As the six travelers make their way toward the Great Lakes, they encounter hauntingly empty cities, crazed gun-toting cultists, and even a handful of potential allies. But will they reach their destination? And if they do, will it be safe for the remainder of their community to join them?
A slow and thoughtful book, this post-apocalyptic tale will appeal to fans of Station Eleven and When the English Fall, both of which involve communities learning to cope with their new dystopian normal. This one, however, includes elements of the Anishinaabe tribal customs, which adds to the impact of the novel. This is a sequel (to Moon of the Crusted Snow) though I didn't realize that until after I read it — it easily stands alone.
A Haunting in the Arctic
A Haunting in the Arctic by C.J. Cooke, 340 pages
A shipwreck on the northern coast of Iceland since a horrific incident in the 1970s, the Ormen is scheduled to be demolished soon. Travel Tiktoker Dominique has decided to make a midwinter trek to document the former whaling ship-turned-research vessel's history and last days. Not long after she arrives, three more influencers do too with the same idea, though none of them seem to be seeing or hearing any of the supernatural things Dominique does. Interspersed with Dominique's story is the tale of Nicky, the daughter of a whaling tycoon who wakes up aboard the Ormen in 1901, trapped on a boat full of men that only want one thing from her...
This book swings between horrific and eerie, depending on whose story is being told. It's chilling (literally — it's the Arctic, it's right there in the title — though there are definitely a few questionable elements as the twists at the end are revealed. Not a bad book to read, though I much prefer Cooke's The Lighthouse Witches.
Like Mother, Like Daughter
Like Mother, Like Daughter by Kimberly McCreight, 306 pages
Cleo's mom, Katrina, has been bugging her FOREVER to come home for dinner in the hopes of starting to repair their strained relationship. But when Cleo gets home and finds smears of blood instead of her mom, she starts learning more about her parents than she ever expected. Like the fact that they're getting divorced. And that her mom's boring "patent attorney" job is WAY more dangerous and complicated than Cleo ever expected. Oh, and there's something BAD in Katrina's past that has recently resurfaced.
This started out as a compelling thriller, but as it went on, it got a bit too crazy, with SO MANY different plots coming together and an ending that kinda came out of nowhere. Not horrible, but definitely not the best thriller I've read recently by any means.
Spitting Gold
Spitting Gold by Carmella Lowkis, 290 pages
Now that she's safely married to a baron, Sylvie believes that she has fully escaped the life she left behind, one in which she and her sister, Charlotte, conned grieving families by posing as spirit mediums. But when Charlotte comes calling asking for help with one more con that could help pay the medical bills for their dying father, Sylvie can't say no. However, once they start the con, Sylvie quickly realizes that not everything is as it seems. Either Charlotte's pulling something on her own, or there actually is a spirit in the house.
Set in Paris in the 1860s, this gothic story is full of atmosphere and nods to the French Revolution (as that's when the spirit they're supposed to be reaching died). It's also full of intriguing twists and a bit of commentary about the constraints placed on women at the time. A good gothic read, one in which I hesitate to mention anything else for fear of spoiling it.
The Spellshop
The Spellshop by Sarah Beth Durst, 376 pages
Librarian Kiela has always been an introvert, to the point that her sole friend is a sentient spider plant named Caz. So when a revolution in the capital city finally extends to the library of spellbooks where Kiela works (and lives, actually), she takes as many of the books as she can, packs up Caz, and leaves on the nearest boat to flee to her long-ago island home. Once she's there, she realizes that the magic that had once been maintained by imperial magicians has deteriorated, and with her stash of stolen spellbooks, she has the chance to help. But in order to do so, she's going to have to figure out a way to hide the magic from the nosy (let's face it, they're just friendly) neighbors.
Full of jam and fresh-baked muffins and merhorses and flying cats, this fantasy is the coziest of all cozy fantasies, and it's perfect for a cold winter day. Perfect for fans of Travis Baldree and Rebecca Thorne, or anyone hoping for a gentle escape.
The Puzzle Box
The Puzzle Box by Danielle Trussoni, 324 pages
Since an accident in his teens rewired his brain, Mike Brink has been nearly unstoppable at solving puzzles of all kinds. So when he is invited by the Japanese emperor to attempt solving the legendary Dragon Box (a possibly mythical puzzle box that has, legend has it, killed all previous potential solvers, and even those who have simply touched it), he can't back down from the challenge, no matter how potentially deadly it is. However, as complex as the puzzle box is, there are even more complications involved, as a rival group is doing everything it can to stop Brink's effort and steal the box.
It's been a long time since I've read a good puzzle-centric thriller, and this one definitely is a propulsive page-turner. Is it 100% believable? Not at all. But it's a fun read, one I'd recommend to anyone that misses the puzzly bits of The Da Vinci Code. This is the second book in the series (The Puzzle Master is book 1), and I enjoyed it even though I hadn't read the first one. I will definitely be going back to do that though.
Tuesday, January 7, 2025
The Cruelest Month
The Cruelest Month by Louise Penny, 320 pgs.
It is Easter in Three Pines, and the townspeople are having a seance. Inspector Gamache returns to this place and group of people he has come to know and care deeply for--this time to investigate the mysterious death of one of the seance attendees. While he is able to get away from the bustling city life, searching for answers in this idyllic village, he realizes that he cannot escape the past which rushes toward him, emanating destruction like a wintry storm in spring.
The questions that Penny raises in this novel about psychology and betrayal and kindness are at the heart of why this story works so well. Particularly the idea of the "near enemy" (compassion/pity, love/attachment, equanimity/indifference) changed my perspective on life. The Surete subplot with its devastatingly real connections to recent, real-life Canadian (and US) history steals the show and leaves a lasting impact on both the reader and the series. The narrative does have its faults, namely the final explanation sequence which feels a little clunky and out of place. Despite this issue, I would definitely recommend this book as a solid mystery which leaves you with some interesting ideas to ponder.
Waking Gods
Waking Gods by Sylvain Neuvel, 336 pages
As promised, book 2 of the Themis Files. This book begins about a decade after the first book. Our pilots are married and have been enjoying their time functioning as goodwill ambassadors for the planet. Unfortunately, it quickly becomes obvious why the Earth Defense Corps is technically a military organization when another giant robot appears in London and causes massive casualties. Even more so when giant alien robots appear in cities all over the world. A single outdated robot won't do much against an invasion, so it is absolutely vital to figure out what they want, which proves to be a difficult problem for Earth's greatest minds.Don't Be a Drag
Don't Be A Drag by Skye Quinlan, 368 pages.
After Briar Vincent's mental health takes a dangerously bad turn, her beloved older brother flies her out to spend the summer with him in New York, where he moved after graduation to escape their small Texas hometown and pursue his dreams of being a drag queen. New York is initially almost too much for Briar's anxiety to bear, especially after clashing with a drag king who is irritatingly full of herself (and also frustratingly hot). Which is how Briar ends up in a drag king of the year competition despite never having done drag in her life.