Alice Isn't Dead

Christa summarized the plot very well in her review of the book last week. Click this link to read her review. This book is based on a podcast by the same name. It follows the same plot but changes certain aspects to work better within a novel format. I am an avid fan of the podcast (and subsequent novels) Welcome to Night Vale and so was instantly hooked when the authors released the Alice Isn't Dead podcast.

I don't even know how to convey how much I adored this book. Its exploration of human nature, mental health, and the nature of relationships made me examine on my own experiences. It is a book that I am going to reflect upon for a long time.

Meddling Kids

Meddling Kids by Edgar Cantero, 322 pages

So, I started out excited for this book. I grew up watching old Scooby Doo episodes and enjoyed the absurdity. I was expecting the same here and didn't quite get what I was hoping for. The characters had their own emotional turmoil and there was excellent character development throughout the book - that part I loved. But the ending did not really make sense to me, both in the problem and solution. This is probably better suited for someone who likes extreme levels of absurdity and books that end at a whiplash speed. It could just be that it wasn't my cup of tea but I would say 7/10 on my scale.  Good but not great.

Lair of Dreams

Lair of Dreams by Libba Bray, 613 pages

I finished The Diviners in November and quickly picked up the sequel. The book picks up a short while after the end of The Diviners. Evie O'Neill is living it up, jumping from party to party and enjoying the fame that her skill has brought her. Sam Lloyd's search for his mother is make that much more complicated when he is pulled into the limelight, posing as Evie's fiance. Henry DuBois, who is able to enter and influence other people's dreams, hopes that he can combine his power with fellow dream walker, Ling Chan, to find his lost love. Meanwhile, Theta is struggling to keep her own powers under control and secret.

In the background of all this, a sickness is reaching epidemic levels in China Town. People are falling into a coma-like sleep in which they develop blisters all over their bodies and eventually die. A supernatural force is feeding off them and it falls to Henry and Ling to find out what is happening and how to stop it.

While I think the book could have been made shorter, I thoroughly enjoyed it and have started the next book already.

Dread Nation

Dread Nation by Justina Ireland, 455 pages

I finished this book a few days ago and have already recommended it to most of my friends and
family. Th book takes place in an alternate 19th century. Zombies rose from the battlefields of the Civil War and changed American history forever. The Civil War reached a tenuous conclusion when the living were forced to band together to fight the zombie hordes that could turn entire towns within hours. Slavery was ended but that does not mean that black people were free. The Native and Negro Reeducation Act was put into place. This forced black and native people into combat schools where they were trained to fight the zombies.

Jane McKeene attends one such school where she and other black girls are trained to be attendants to white women - part servant, part guard. She is strong-willed, opportunistic, and impulsive. I instantly loved her character. When she stumbles upon a mystery, she can't help but to investigate and quickly finds that things are not all as they seem at Miss Preston's School of Combat. I listened to the audiobook, which was read by the author. Ireland has a lovely voice and is able to give so much personality to the characters through her reading. I listened to it constantly - when I got ready in the morning, on my commute to work, and while doing my chores. My only regret is that the release date for the sequel has not been announced.

This book is perfect for anyone who loves conspiracies, zombies, or characters who could not be more different coming together to overcome the difficult situations they find themselves in.

The Diviners

The Diviners by Libba Bray, 578 pages.

This is by far one of the best books I have read this year - which is a pretty big statement considering how much I loved It Devours by Joseph Fink and Universal Harvester by John Darnielle.

The book follows Evie O'Neill as she explores 1920s New York City after being exiled from her small town in Ohio. She had used divination to uncover the town golden boy's secret affair and the stain to the family's reputation was too great. Why her parents thought New York City is the best place to send a 17-year-old flapper who loves drinking and partying as much as Evie, I will never understand. However, it sets the book up for an interesting cast of characters.

I was impressed with Libba Bray's ability to give voice to such a diverse cast of characters ranging from a Black teen in Harlem who dreams of being the next Langston Hughes to a pickpocket ashamed of his Polish heritage. Each character has their own motivations, past, relationships, and secrets that are slowly developed throughout the book. Add in the hunt for a serial killer and I am hooked. There are two more books in the series and one more on the way. I am so excited to see how this story develops.

I suggest this to anyone who loves the paranormal, a good mystery, or a motley cast of characters who find themselves brought together through seemingly random happenstance.

The Hollow Ground

The Hollow Ground by Natalie S. Harnett, 336 pages

This book took me a long time to get through. It is based on the real-life coal mine fires that devastated Pennsylvania in the 1960's. Brigid Howley is an 11 year-old girl whose life is in shambles after the coal mine has destroyed the town's local economy and made the area inhabitable. On top of that, she faces social rejection for being Irish, lives with a family curse, and has a troubled home life. I would read a chapter and then have to put to down for a day or so. However, Brigid perseveres and maintains a strong spirit despite all of the hardship she experiences. This is a great book for anyone who loves a coming-of-age story.

Breverton's Complete Herbal: A book of remarkable plants and their uses

This book caught my eye when I saw that it is inspired by The Compleat Herball and The English Physitian by Culpeper, an 18th century botanist. The use of herbs in medicine, decoration, perfumes, and recipes has always been interesting to me. This is a perfect coffee table book. You will find some interesting tidbit every time you pick it up. The book is organized alphabetically by herb name. Each section includes the herb's name(s), physical description, properties and uses, and other tidbits. For instance, I didn't know that cinnamon is high in antioxidants or that ivy was once used as a cure for jaundice. I would not use this book for any medicinal purposes but it certainly is interesting!

Strange the Dreamer

Strange the Dreamer by Laini Taylor, 544 pages

Lazlo Strange never fit in. His obsession with the mythical city Weep and dreamy demeanor leads to ridicule from children and adult alike. He  grew up an orphan in a brutal and abusive monastery and found sanctuary in the library. Through a twist of fate, he is able to become a librarian and expects a quiet life of books and research on the city he is convinced is real. His world is flipped on its head when warriors claiming to be from Weep arrive and say they are recruiting people to join them on a quest to save their city.

This book hits so many of my buttons - a person who overcomes a difficult childhood, a reverence for books, and a high fantasy quest. It also won the 2018 Michael L. Printz Award so my expectations were rather high. I perhaps should have read the reviews bit closer because around page 400, it promptly shifts from a high fantasy epic quest to a Romeo and Juliet story. The repetitive descriptions of clumsy, teenage romance and physical intimacy was... awkward to say the least. While a lot of people love the awkwardness of first love, it is not for me. While longer than it needs to be, it is a pretty good example of YA romance high fantasy.

It Devours! A Welcome to Night Vale Novel

It Devours! A Welcome to Night Vale Novel By Joseph Fink, 368 pages

I have been listening to the podcast Welcome to Night Vale for over four years so I was so excited to find out they had released a second novel set in the "friendly desert community where the sun is hot, the moon is beautiful, and mysterious lights pass overhead while we all pretend to sleep." Think of the Night Vale universe as if Prairie Home Companion was set in the Twilight Zone. While knowing the podcast gives context to the story, it is perfectly enjoyable without any background knowledge.

Nilajana Sikdar is a scientist working under Carlos, known throughout Night Vale for his perfect hair and relationship with Cecil, the radio DJ who is the main character in the podcast. Disaster strikes as giant holes open up all over town, swallowing entire buildings and the citizens within them. Carlos is convinced that the city council is involved but Nilanjana's investigation leads her to the mysterious Joyous Congregation of the Smiling God. The investigation is then further complicated by Darryl, a devout member of the congregation who she finds strangely irresistible.

This book had everything I expect from a Night Vale novel - bizarre situations, clever turns of phrase, and an interesting premise. I would recommend this to anyone who likes the uncanny and slightly disturbing.

Universal Harvester

Universal Harvester by John Darnielle, 214 pages

Universal Harvester brings us back to late 90s in small town Iowa where VHS was the standard format and very few people had cell phones. Jeremy lives a simple life. He is 22 years old, works at a locally owned video rental store, lives with his father, and is in no hurry to do anything else. His life was put on hold when his mother dies in a car accident six years prior. His comfortable, though limited, life is disrupted when a customer complains that a violent scene has been spliced into a film. He and his manager find themselves pulled into a decades-old mystery as they find more movies with scenes spliced in.

This is not my typical genre. I probably wouldn’t have given it a second glance if it was written by any other author. But I am a die-hard fan of his band, The Mountain Goats, and would read the ingredients list on a shampoo bottle if he wrote it. I am glad I did!  

For those who like audiobooks, it is read by the author. I have read the book and listened to the audio and preferred the audio. 

In the Shadow of Blackbirds

In the Shadow of Blackbirds by Cat Winters, 404 pages

16-year-old Mary Shelly Black’s life is falling apart. The year is 1918 and between WWI and the Spanish flu, death breathes down everyone’s neck. Furthermore, her father has been arrested under the Sedition Act and she is forced to move to a new city to live with her overprotective aunt. The one silver lining to this is that she will once again be close to her childhood best friend, Stephen. It is only once she arrives in town that she finds out he has enlisted and will be leaving within the week. A telegram arrives shortly thereafter announcing that he has died a hero’s death on the battlefield. When Stephen appears to her and she herself has a near death experience, she is forced to re-think her entire worldview. She now must help him understand what has happened - and solve her own mysteries - in order for him to rest.

Winters brings this book to life through archival photos and descriptions so evocative, you can practically smell it (I will never look at an onion the same way again). I recommend this for anyone who likes strong female protagonists, historical fiction, or books about resiliency in the face of disaster.

House of Echoes

The House of Echoes by Brenden Duffy, 384 pages

Caroline and Ben Tierney need a change. Ben is struggling to write his next novel, Caroline is trying to cope with her recent diagnosis of bipolar disorder, and Charlie is being bullied at school. They think they’ve found the perfect opportunity when Ben’s grandmother leaves them an estate in Swannhaven, a village in upper state New York, in her will. However, they discover that Swannhaven is not the idyllic small town they had envisioned.

Duffy provides a fresh take on a classic trope by exploring local history rather than limiting the scope of the novel to the house itself. This is quite a feat as the community dates to 1776, when a famine strikes that sets in motion consequences that would be felt for generations to come. This history is brought to life through the use of letters and newspaper articles. I highly recommend this to anyone looking for a good gothic horror novel.