A Deadly Endeavor

A Deadly Endeavor by Jenny Adams, 341 pages

Edie Shippen has just returned to Philadelphia from California, where she was recovering from her bout with the Spanish flu. What should be a happy homecoming is marred, however, by the fact that her former beau is now engaged to Edie's twin sister. In the midst of the engagement celebrations, Edie connects with a new crowd of artistic women, hoping they'll help bring her spirits up. Unfortunately, they keep disappearing, right around the same time some horribly desecrated corpses show up along the river. Soon Edie and a handsome city morgue doctor are teaming up to track down the killer.

I read this book about a week ago, and already, the details are sliding away from me — likely overshadowed by the absolutely bonkers ending. Overall the book was OK, nothing great, though I did enjoy Edie as a character. So there's that?

Thistlefoot

Thistlefoot by GennaRose Nethercott, 435 pages

So I first read this book in 2022, and loved it and blogged about it then, particulary noting that I could see using this Baba Yaga story of generational trauma and magical powers for Orcs & Aliens. And whaddaya know, that's just what we did this month! It was a great book discussion, and one of the more even-keeled Baba Yaga tales around.

(Also, I would LOVE to see this author live, as she apparently brings puppets, which is a vital part of the story, to all of her author visits.)

Still Life

Still Life by Louise Penny (2005), 352 pgs.

A quaint town in the Quebecois forest. A group of close, somewhat codependent locals. A murder. What fun!
Chief Inspector Armand Gamache is called to Three Pines, a place not easily found on most maps, to investigate the homicide of Jane Neal, a beloved long-time resident and friend in the community. Her killing shocks those closest to her, but it quickly becomes clear that one of their own is the perpetrator. On the quest to uncover the motive behind this murder, Gamache and his colleagues must leave no stone unturned until more than just one deep secret is out in the open. 

With this mystery, somehow Louise Penny makes literary murder feel so cozy and inviting. Each new character introduced is given a backstory and a quirk. The town itself has its own comforting, maternal characterization. I come back to this series again and again for Inspector Gamache himself--his kindness, the lessons he teaches, the way he observes everything so thoughtfully. The legend he is. I love that Penny has such a clear view of where the series was going, even with this first novel. I highly recommend this book, and its successors, to anyone who likes a good mystery and wants to escape into the forest.

The Mercy of Gods

The Mercy of Gods by James S.A. Corey, 422 pages

On a faraway planet that humans settled generations earlier, a team of biologists is working on ways for the carbon-based cellular life we know to safely evolve with the crystallized life native to the planet. And then aliens attack, killing 1/8 of the human population and herding the rest into transport ships like livestock. Once they reach their destination, the team is forcibly reassembled and given a task of making food out of one type of alien life to nourish a second type, with the now-ruling species threatening extermination if they do not prove themselves useful. But not all is as it seems. The team is threatened by other alien species, and unbeknownst to them, a swarm of alien life is living amongst them, gathering intelligence on the ruling species.

This is a horrible explanation of a fantastic and thought-provoking book. It's not particularly pleasant to read, particularly in the first third or so, but it certainly subverts many "traditional" science fiction tales featuring human intelligence, power, and dominance, and forces the reader to rethink everything we think we know. It's fascinating, and I'm anxious to read what's next in this series. (Also, as someone who's been curious about Corey, but not curious enough to pick up one of the doorstopper books of The Expanse, I'm thrilled that this one is a relatively short 400 pages!)

Family Family

Family Family by Laurie Frankel, 386 pages

India Allwood has always wanted to be a professional actress, and at 32, she's achieved the dream, having starred on Broadway, on a hit TV show, and now, in a new film drama. But when she makes an offhand remark in an interview about how the film's focus on the trauma of adoption isn't good, she suddenly has everyone from studio execs to the social media masses calling for her to be canceled. What those people don't know, however, is that India not only adopted her two children, but she was also a teen mom who chose to place her baby with an adoptive family. As these facts start to become public, India's trying to save her career, protect her complicated family, and be true to her beliefs about the positivity of adoption.

It's so rare to find a book that focuses on the joyful elements of adoption and teen pregnancy, so this one is a breath of fresh air. Yes, there are times that stretch believability, but overall, this is a wonderful book about all the many ways that functional families can be formed. Usually, I'm a fan of dysfunctional family stories, but this one is fully a functional family book, and I'm all in. Highly recommended.

November Totals

I've started my Christmas reading!

 

We're welcoming a new blogger this month!

Annie: 2 books, 685 pages (Welcome Annie!)

Byron: 3 books, 887 pages

Jan: 6 books, 2080 pages

John: 4 books, 2269 pages

Kara: 24 books, 8002 pages

Karen: 4 books, 1101 pages

Regan: 9 books, 2879 pages

Total: 52 books, 17903 pages

The In Crowd

The In Crowd by Charlotte Vassell, 424 pages

DI Caius Beauchamp was just trying to enjoy a bad play after his date stood him up when the next thing he knows, he's sitting next to a dead guy covered in vomit. As he looks into who this guy was and what he was even doing at this horrible drunken production of The Importance of Being Earnest, Caius learns that the dead man was in London looking into a cold case, the disappearance of a teen girl from a remote boarding school. Soon, Caius has taken up the banner and is simultaneously investigating this 15-year-old case as he also looks into the death of a woman pulled out of the Thames.

I feel like that was a horrible description of a book that ties together both of these cases, as well as the snooty upper crust of British society (that bit hinges on a surprisingly likeable milliner) in a compelling way. The twists were good and Vassell hit the sweet spot of letting the reader figure it out just barely before the characters did. This is the second in a series, and stood well on its own, even though I haven't read the first one yet. But I definitely will!

Dark Space

Dark Space by Rob Hart & Alex Segura, 290 pages

Mosaic, the first space ship to leave the solar system, is on its way to a planet where humans can settle, giving space to our ever-growing population as settlements on the moon and Mars are overflowing. However, when something catastrophic goes wrong on the Mosaic, pilot Jose Carriles must try some fairly difficult maneuvers to save the mission. Meanwhile, Jose's estranged friend, former spy Corin Timony, learns of the Mosaic's troubles when a report comes in through the long-range communication she's monitoring. But before she can do anything, the distress signal is wiped clean, indicating that something foul is afoot. Soon, both Jose and Corin are conducting independent investigations to figure out what happened and how to bring everyone home safely.

I have never hate-read a book before, but now I think I can say I have. The best thing about this book is that it's not too long and it reads quickly. Aside from that, there are lots of anachronisms (detailed baseball references and phones with apps) and contradictory details (scarcity of lumber and wood, yet lots of paperwork piled up in offices and people still drinking out of disposable paper cups) and women that were obviously written by men. Perhaps the worst bit is the fact that nepo baby Jose fails up throughout the book, as his female superior officers stand by waiting for him to fix all their problems (including speaking on behalf of all humanity!). The only thing that makes it *slightly* redeemable is that he's a Latino guy failing up, so points to Hart & Segura for that bit of diversity.

Dearest

Dearest by Jacquie Walters, 304 pages

Flora just had a baby and while her dad and stepmom stayed for a few weeks, she's now on her own for a few more weeks until her husband returns from his overseas deployment. But now that she's on her own, the sleep deprivation, nursing challenges, and general feeling that she's woefully unprepared for motherhood have Flora second-guessing everything, including her sanity. In a weak moment, she emails her estranged mother for help, and she's shocked to find her mom on the doorstep offering assistance. But not all is quite as it seems...

The first part of this book — where Flora's sleep deprived and hasn't showered in days and is having trouble getting the hang of the nursing thing and keeps getting surprised by noisy toys — is so horrifyingly real. Then it takes a turn into a different kind of horror, before a final turn to a perplexing conclusion. Somewhere in there, it goes from being scary and sympathetic toward new moms and those with postpartum depression to almost vilifying them, which is uncomfortable in the worst possible way. It icked me out, and not in a way that's horror-novel appropriate. So read at your own risk.

Just Some Stupid Love Story

Just Some Stupid Love Story by Katelyn Doyle (2024) 325 pages

Molly Marks has had some success as a screenwriter for romantic comedies, but she has no trust in love‒it just sells well. Her friends drag her to their 15th high school class reunion, where she encounters Seth Rubenstein, her boyfriend all through high school, until she broke up with him pre-emptively, so that he couldn't break up with her. Seth, meanwhile, although a divorce attorney, still has a belief in true love and "happily ever after."

Molly and Seth place bets on five couples whom they see at the class reunion, wagering on whether the couples will still be together at the 20th reunion. If Seth wins the bet, Molly has to admit that true love is real. The kicker is that one of the couples‒added to the mix by Seth‒is themselves.

Over the next few years, they take turns interacting and avoiding each other. If this book is a rom-com, they'll have to find a way to be together, but it's just not looking good. Their feelings and their dialogue are realistic and nuanced. Interactions with their friends and family add well to the mix. Couldn't put the book down.