Whitewavedarling is back for 2021...

Some of you (hopefully?) remember me... I participated in the category challenges regularly up till last year, and decided that I'd take a break in 2020. Right now, I can't remember what prompted that decision, but I've come back for 2021.

I'm Jennifer, and it's been a crazy year--as I'm sure a lot of you can also say. My husband was sick and out of work for four months with covid, but we made it through and now he's fully recovered. It was probably the longest four months of my life--especially the first two months, when he was most ill and I constantly worried--but we managed to get through it. My own freelance work (I'm a full-time editor) somehow, magically, didn't disappear as it did for so many other freelancers, which was a major blessing, or I'm not sure what would have happened.

On the heels of him recovering, another crazy thing happened. Finally, after five years of working at it on and off... I signed with a literary agent at a respected New York literary agency. I'd been querying my manuscripts on and off for the last few years, piling up rejections. I'd spoken to a few other agents who either ended up ghosting me or were clearly going to be a bad fit. And then, suddenly... the dream came true. And, truly, he feels like a perfect fit, and is excited to represent me throughout my career as an author--working with him has already been a dream come true, which is weird to say since the rest of 2020 has been such a disaster. But I've already worked with him to revise the (speculative fiction) manuscript he responded to, he's planning on sending it out on submission to publishers in January, and he'll also be reading one of my other manuscripts in the new year so that we can start working on that one.

So, all told, it's been a roller coaster of a year, with horribly low lows and crazy-high highs.

Predictably, my reading really fell off. For years, I've read around a hundred books each year (not counting the works I edit), and this year it was more like half that. I don't know if that had anything to do with me not doing the category challenge (probably not, really), but I hope to get back on track this year.

Meanwhile, it's also worth saying here that I'm having to be a bit more careful about how much time I spend on the computer, as I'm dealing with early carpal tunnel issues. With that in mind, I probably won't be able to keep up with all of the threads I used to, but I'll try to be a presence on the category threads and pop in where I can--probably mostly lurking--and I hope you'll all feel free to jump in here and chime in at will!

I'm not going to try to detail out careful categories as I have in the past--my goal, really, is going to be to get back to where I'm reading more consistently and come close to that 100-count, and participate in a few of the Cats, at least. My plan will be to write a post at the beginning of each month, outlining my plans for the month, and then count through the year...

My planning thread!

As in past years, I'll work on reading through the alphabet--reading one book whose title begins with each letter of the alphabet, and reading one book whose author's last name matches up with each letter of the alphabet.

Alphabet by Title:

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P _ R S T U V W _ Y Z

Alphabet by Author:

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T _ V W X _ _

LASTLY... I'm curious about the years I'm reading--when books were first released. I'm planning/hoping to read more new releases this year, and thus support more authors as they begin their careers. With that in mind, I'm going to include the years here, in order:

1898 (1),
1972 (1),
1981 (2), 1986 (2),
1990 (1), 1993 (1), 1994 (1), 1995 (2), 1997 (2), 1999 (1)
2001 (2), 2003 (1), 2004 (1), 2005 (2), 2006 (3), 2007 (3), 2008 (1), 2009 (1)
2010 (2), 2011 (1), 2012 (3), 2013 (2), 2014 (1), 2015 (1), 2016 (3), 2017 (7), 2018 (1), 2019 (4)
2020 (11), 2021 (17)

Other books to be read in order to meet alpha challenges and book club plans: Animal Myths and Metaphors in South America (U author), A Spell for Chameleon (X title),

In January, I'm going to try to tackle all of the books that I MEANT to read in 2020, but didn't quite get around to, while at the same time measuring up to my CAT/KIT goals.

With that in mind, I plan to read:
The Doll's House by Neil Gaiman
Deader Homes and Gardens by Angie Fox
Just Another Soldier by Jason Christopher Hartley
Water Logic by Laurie J. Marks
The Colleen Colgan Chronicles Book 1 by Richard Phelan

The only one of these that hasn't already been sitting on the corner of my desk for a while is Deader Homes and Gardens, the fourth book in Angie Fox's Southern Ghosthunter series, which I've picked out for the RandomCat LOL read. I don't read much humor, but the books in this series never fail to make me laugh.

Hopefully, a few other books will sneak their way onto the January list, but at the very least, I plan to finish these!

Welcome back, Jennifer! Congratulations on getting an agent for your novel! I'm sorry to hear that your husband had covid but relieved that he has fully recovered. It has indeed been a roller coaster this year.

Good luck with your 2021 reading! How exciting about the agent!

It's good to see you back here! I hope things will go more smoothly now after such a topsy-turvy year. Congrats on finding an agent!

Good to see you back. Good luck with your reading in 2021

Glad to see you back, Jennifer. Hope you have a good reading year and good luck with your new agent.

Welcome back, and what brilliant news that you've snagged a great agent! Good luck with the submissions!

2020 really did bring you some terrible lows and wonderful highs! Best wishes for a consistently good year ahead!

So glad to see all of you, and thanks for the congrats, too! I can't wait to visit your threads :)

Glad to hear your husband is recovering! And wow, the agent. You go girl!

Welcome back! What wonderful news about the agent!

Great to see you back, Jennifer. I am looking forward to seeing the last of 2020 and have high hopes that 2021 will be a much better year for us all.

>12 majkia:, >13 LittleTaiko:, >14 DeltaQueen50:, Thanks! I'm glad to be back :)

Welcome back! Enjoy your reading this year.

Welcome back! And good luck with your manuscript and agent.

>16 thornton37814: & >17 hailelib:, Thanks!!!

Good to see you back and hopefully 2021 will include peace and good things for us all.

Welcome back, Jennifer and wishing you a Happy New Year! Congratulations on signing with a literary agent! That is wonderful news! wishing you a wonderful year of reading in 2021.

>19 LadyoftheLodge: and >20 lkernagh:, Thanks! And, you too!

Meanwhile, happy new year, everyone--2021 has started!

I'm already off and reading, into both Just Another Soldier by Deader Homes and Gardens!

1. Deader Homes and Gardens by Angie Fox (read now because of the RandomCat's LOL theme)

This installment in the series felt a little darker than the earlier books--the humor was still here, but it was rather as if there were two storylines, where one was serious and one was more humorous. The book was still really enjoyable, but that separation led to the book feeling a little less light than the series has up to this point, and there were some other small things that didn't sit well with me because it felt like they were taken TOO lightly by the characters. On the whole, I did enjoy this book--I love the characters, enjoy Angie Fox's writing, and the story kept me turning pages--but this fourth book in the series didn't quite feel like it stood up to the earlier books.

I'd absolutely still recommend this series, and only give the caveat that some of the humor of books 1-3 gets lost with this one.

2. The Colleen Colgan Chronicles Book 1: Flowers From Cannibals by Richard Phelan (Read now for Alphacat)

There's a lot to admire about this book, and that goes especially for the core concept and the storytelling. Yet, I also have to say that it was such a frustrating read, I sincerely doubt I'll be reading the next book in the series.

The issue at the center of the book's issues is editing--this is one of those self-published books that would have benefitted hugely from the traditional publication route specifically because a lack of editing is at the center of the book's issues. Bogged down from telling vs showing, needless head-hopping, and minor contradictions/inconsistencies in plot and character, there are a lot of distractions for the reader who'd like to be totally wrapped up in the story, but instead gets distracted by what amounts to a lack of editing. There's also a consistent falling back on the adult author coming through, at moments where the reader can clearly feel/sense the adult stepping in to use middle-school characters as a mouthpiece for a lesson. This isn't one of those books where it constantly feels as if an adult is writing the book that he/she thinks kids Should be reading... but there are enough moments where that happens, that it is an additional frustration.

I'd love to say that I love and can recommend this book, but the truth is that the unfinished quality of it really ruined it for me, constantly taking me out of the story. I'm not somebody who's against self-publishing--there's a ton of amazing self-published work out there--but it's abundantly clear that this book suffered from a lack of professional editing. I'd love to try another work by Phelan if he ends up publishing traditionally or if I discover he's hooked up with a professional editor, but until then, I'm afraid I can't see giving his work another shot, much as I hate to say it.

I suppose it's worth noting here that I am a critical reader--I'm a full-time editor, and a lot of my income comes from self-publishing authors. But more than anything, that helps me see the huge potential in this work, and what it could have been, which is why it ended up being such a frustrating read for me. I'm sure another reader would find a lot of enjoyment in it, but for me, it was just too unpolished to be what it should/could have been.

3. The Sandman #2: The Doll's House by Neil Gaiman (read now for ScaredyKit)

There was a point in the second half of the book where I felt the story lagging, but on the whole, I really enjoyed this installment in the series. I can't quite say it lived up to the first volume, which had me entranced from page one on through the duration, but where the story here held to the main characters it followed, I truly enjoyed it. As would be expected, the storytelling and the artwork were both stellar, and I look forward to moving into the next book in the series.

4. Just Another Soldier: A Year on the Ground in Iraq by Jason Christopher Hartley (read now for GenreCat)

I first became aware of this book right around the time it came out. I'd been teaching STS--Science and Technology in Society--for a few years by that point, and part of the course's goal was to look at how the development of new technology influenced society, and vice versa. Even before the book, I'd been aware of Hartley's blog and the censorship discussions it had prompted. In short, if you haven't heard about the controversy surrounding the blog, it comes down to this: A soldier started keeping a blog while he was deployed in Iraq, and even though his goal was to talk about the life of a soldier (going to pains to avoid giving up any information which could potentially compromise national security), his military superiors requested he take it down as soon as it was discovered. Later on, when he put it back up toward the end of his deployment, he was demoted and penalized for doing so. At the time of the blog's writing (2003-2004), the military wasn't yet prepared for soldiers' widespread use of the internet while overseas. Policy hadn't caught up to technology, so there was a loophole allowing for a soldier to, essentially, informally report his day-to-day life to whoever wanted to read it.

In the case of Hartley's blog (though his wasn't the only one), the blogs talk about everything from food to sex to fighting, with particular focus on average soldiers' positions and thoughts.

When we talked about it in my class, this was a real-world, current example of technology and the government being out of step when it came to capability and policy, and we had some amazing discussions in relation to some of the blog entries I shared. As a result, I always meant to get around to reading the whole book... and finally got around to it now.

I have to admit, it was hard to read at first. Not because of the war, but because of the unflinchingly sarcastic and non-PC comments that, on some level, I guess I've gotten used to not seeing (especially not coming from a voice that I'm already preconditioned to be sympathetic to). So, it took me some time to get used to Hartley's voice, and also to remember that all this was written nearly two decades ago, when what could pass for jokes--even if seen in bad taste--were still on some level seen as acceptable and not to be censored. Do I think that this, as it stands, would get printed today? Probably not without some of those non-PC jokes being removed. (And I don't say this lightly, but I admit I cringed at a number of moments, especially in the beginning when I wasn't quite prepared for some of what I was walking into, or had just perhaps forgotten some of the jokes I'd come across in reading original entries.) At the same time, there's something to be said for this being a snapshot backward in time, and providing a real look at soldiers on the ground, so in some ways I actually appreciate that none of it was toned down.

Can you tell I've got mixed feelings about the voice? Well, there you go.

That said, Hartley's writing is powerful, and the honesty that comes from the pages is more powerful because he doesn't go to pains to over-analyze what he's saying or censor himself. What's printed in the book is, in large part, simply a printing of the blog that he wrote while on the ground in Iraq, which he was writing even when he wasn't allowed to post online. I'm glad to have read it now, and I'm glad it got published in this form; ultimately, I'm also glad that Hartley kept writing, and pushed the boundaries of what he was "allowed" to have an opinion on as far as the army was concerned. The book is worth reading for all of those reasons.

Would I recommend it? Well, it depends on the reader. It is a snapshot backward in time. If you're looking for the thoughts of an average soldier in those days, or a look into the day-to-day stressors, mindsets, and difficulties, it's worth reading. Hartley's talent for bringing the people around him to life in few words, and for not censoring himself, make the book a powerful one that's got a lot of sincere thought, and no little amount of humor. It is, at times, hard to read, and it's not meant to be a full story of the war or politics in any way, so if you're looking for a full history in that dimension, this book isn't it.

Yet, I'm glad to have read it, and as jaded as some of its pages and reportings are, there's a lot of goodness to take from it, too.

5. Accra Noir edited by Nana-ama Danquah (prioritized in reading list as an LT early reviewer book)

Over the last few years, I've become a huge fan of the Akashic Noir series, and Accra Noir is no exception to the series' quality. Maybe more than any other collection I've read, it brings its focus city to life, so that Accra becomes a real place and character explored through the pages of the stories collected here. The voices are so varied, there's a lot to be admired here, and my only complaint is that many of the authors represented here seem to be new voices...which means I can't find more of their work so soon as I'd like! Truly, though, that speaks to the quality of this wonderful collection.

My favorites in the collection included works by: Kwame Dawes, Ernest Kwame Nkrumah Addo, Anne Sackey, Nana-Ama Danquah, Eibhlin Ni Chleirigh, and Anna Bossman.

Absolutely recommended.

6. A Short History of the Island Butterflies by Nicholas Christopher

Nicholas Christopher's poetry here offers stories and meditations which come across in such gorgeous, telling detail, and whether a given poem leans toward the surreal or the emotional, each poem is so crisp that a reader can't help being affected by the vision and the language. More than the other collection I read from him, many of these poems feel almost cinematic in their beginnings--otherworldly, detailed openings to something much larger--but they are always more than simple observations or depictions in the end.

I adore Christopher's poetry, and I'm sure I'll be revisiting this collection in the future.

7. Water Logic by Laurie J. Marks (read now for SFFKit & AlphaKit)

The third book in Laurie J. Marks' Elemental Logic series, Water Logic picks up where the earlier books leave off, and absolutely lives up to their magic. Partially made up of dual narratives that echo each other in a gorgeous line of symmetry, the book pulls together all of the magic and wonder from the earlier books, and only builds upon it all. As true-feeling as the characters are, the book's world is one that you can't help being sucked into.

I'd absolutely recommend this series, and I can't wait to read the fourth.

I've got one more book I hope to finish today--Sorrow's Anthem by Michael Koryta--and another one I already finished that's just waiting for a review, but meanwhile, looking forward...

In February, I plan on reading:
These Nameless Things by Shawn Smucker
Kill the Dead by Richard Kadrey
My Battery is Low and it is Getting Dark (anthology)
The Avocado Drive Zoo by Earl Hammer
and Skin Shows by Jack Halberstam

Attention: The below review is for one of those VERY rare books which I'll probably carry with me always in my head, and which I wish I could put into every reader's hands. It's worth reading. (Do read to end of review for some potential content warnings, though they're clear from the blurb for the book also.)

8. Depart, Depart by Sim Kern

In a work that sits at intersections of climate justice, prejudice, queerness, and social justice, Kern brings together a number of issues that would seem to be far too much for a slim work like this. Yet, Depart Depart is a powerful and beautifully told story, and as difficult as it is to read, the humor and empathy of the central character, Noah Mishner, make it all but impossible to put down and walk away from. Instead, Noah is a character who will carry readers through the journey told in the book, and then accompany them outside of the pages to demand that more thought be given to his story.

What makes this book work so well is that no one issue monopolizes either story or reader. What would probably be chaos in another book works here because it is all telescoped into the continuous, lived experience of a single trans man and his found family as they live through the aftermath of a an unprecedented hurricane. Is it overwhelming? Often--for the reader as well as Noah. And that's why it works--because the reader is brought so close to Noah that they cannot deny the way all of these issues are brought together in his life during these days after the storm.

As such, this is one of those books that I know will stick with me. It's a book that ought to be carried around and passed on and talked about--that's how timely and necessary it is, difficult as parts of it may be.

There's a lot here, and readers should be aware that the book doesn't flinch away from confronting lived experiences of transphobia, anti-Semitism, and trauma. But at the same time, this book has such an incredible amount of heart--packed into every page--that it is one I would absolutely recommend to every reader out there.

9. Sorrow's Anthem by Michael Koryta

This is a solid procedural with great, believable characters and a twisting story that keeps the pages turning. The one problem? Koryta is even better now than he was then. And that really is the one problem. I discovered Koryta through his more recent works, so I went into this book with incredibly high expectations. I've since discovered that he wrote this when he was only 22--TWENTY-TWO!--and the debut book before it when he was only 21, which is remarkable, and as a procedural or mystery, it really is a great book. The problem, though, is that Koryta has gotten better over time, and his more recent books are fantastic. Call this an 8 on the procedural scale, and call his more recent works 12 (on a 10-point-scale) of thrillers.

So, would I recommend this book? This series? Absolutely. But if you've discovered Koryta through his more recent works, know that the books in his Lincoln Perry series are more traditional procedurals, and written when he was a younger, still developing writer--albeit an incredibly talented one already. And if I'd discovered him through this book, I'm sure I still would have picked up more of his work, which is probably all that needs to be said.

10. These Nameless Things by Shawn Smucker (for AlphaKit T, and because this had been sitting & waiting from LT's Early Reviewer Program)

I received this book from LibraryThing's Early Reviewer Program for free, in return for an honest review.

First, I want to say two things. The first is that I think this book does itself and readers a disservice by holding back the author's inspiration from the blurb. I think it would be more likely to attract interested readers, and also be more engaging from the beginning, if that literary point of inspiration/connection were advertised. As it was, the early chapters feel more vague than satisfying--enough so that I paged to the back in search of some sort of author's note. This isn't something I normally do, but it seemed so certain that I was missing something, I didn't see what choice I had. Sure enough, I found an 'Author Note' that referenced a particular piece of classic literature as a reference. I won't mention it here since the blurb holds it back, and so I suppose it would have to be considered a spoiler, but considering how directly the author works from that point of reference, and that he says he hopes this book will be 'a mirror' to that one... well, again, I think it's a disservice to readers, to pretend that that isn't a crucial piece of information. I've read other books that used the same reference point beautifully, and I would have read this one, too--with even more excitement--if it had been advertised in that fashion.

The second thing I want to say is that, so far as I can tell, I'm the exact target audience for this book. I love mysterious, speculative works. I'm always glad to see literary allusions and reference points. And I love genre fiction as much as I love literary fiction.

So, on to the review. As you've probably guessed by now, just from that beginning, this book just didn't hit the right chord for me. There were some fantastic scenes where the writer's talent shown through, but so much of the first half (especially) was based more in atmosphere than story, it was incredibly hard to engage with the book. And I never got to a point where I felt any real momentum, or compulsion to keep reading. I think the central problem is that the author was working from such a direct reference point, but he was trying also to make this book its own book that could stand on its own. As a result, we ended up with a fairly drawn-out story that didn't have a particularly cohesive or clear plot--until you understood the reference, at least, and could get some better feel for what was happening. But, at that point, it just seemed belabored.

I think this probably could have been a fantastic novella. Or maybe it even would have been a great novel, if the writer had embraced his reference point a bit more and made it clearer from the beginning, really leaning into it. As it is, though, I kept reading simply because I'd started reading, and it's hard for me to imagine recommending this book except in a situation where readers wanted a work feeding off of that literary reference I mentioned.

11. My Battery Is Low and It Is Getting Dark edited by Joshua Palmataier (read now for SFFKit Sentient Things)

When I picked up this anthology, I somewhat feared that the stories would become repetitive even though the theme itself intrigued me. Instead, I found that the fourteen stories here are all utterly distinct and original, each one written by a talented author whose writing made a whole world come to life within only 10-15 pages. It's rare that I can say I truly enjoyed every story in an anthology, but in this case, it's true. Although there were two or three where I didn't love the writer's style, even those stories were so vibrant and original that the reading experience itself was more than worthwhile. An added bonus is that most of these authors were new to me, and now I'm looking forward to looking up the novels that they've written.

Some of my favorites in the collection were: "Ganbold and the Best Drone in Mongolia" by Dana Berube, "This Cold Red Dust" by Merc Fenn Wolfmoor, "Traveling Hopefully" by Jacey Bedford, "Brewing Insurrection" by Jose Pablo Iriarte, "Sassi's Last Ride" by Alethea Kontis, and "Beneath the Pall" by Edward Willett.

I would absolutely recommend this anthology to lovers of science fiction.

12. The Avocado Drive Zoo by Earl Hamner

There are some sweet and incredibly amusing anecdotes about animals in this book, and it was also interesting to get to know the voice/writer behind two of my mom's favorite old shows (The Waltons and The Man from Snowy River)--but, at the same time, I'm not sure I'm all that likely to recommend this book to anyone (let alone my mom, who I would have thought of first). On the animal front--because, truly, that's why I picked up the book to begin with--Hamner has such a practical attitude, and is so unsentimental, that there were times when I just wasn't sure I wanted to read further. Animals' deaths were, for the most part, related so casually and with so little affect in the beginning that I learned a 'bad ending' would often enough follow up an anecdote; or, if not bad, at least sad or not good. As a result, every time I put the book down, I had mixed feelings about picking it up again. And while my interest was truly in the animals--and that's what the book proclaims itself to be focused on, after all--it often felt like Hamner was a little more interested in talking about his feelings about different animals, versus the animals themselves. So, where I would have expected them to feel a bit more real and distinct, that didn't always happen.

I think this came from the realist's perspective, but it put me off a bit. For instance, I have five animals now--each one of them has a distinct personality and quirks, as has been the case with every other animal I've had over the years. Yet, we didn't really see those 'quirks'/'personalities' of the animals in this book. We saw how the humans interacted with them, and we saw what the humans felt was worth observing... but for the most part, the animals felt more like props in the story than the focus of the story, and with Hamner's ultra-practical and rather curmudgeonly attitude throughout the book, the sweetest of the moments in the book were harder to fall in love with not because they were so rare or so sweet, but because the voice they were coming from and what they were surrounded by.

Am I glad I read the book? I'm not sure, to be honest with you. There were some great anecdotes, and it was a fast read, but a lot of it struck me in a sort of off way, and the parts about animals were so fast, so without detail that would have brought the animals/scenes to life, that I'm unfortunately hard-pressed to say I enjoyed all that much of the book. I was amused, often enough, but I'm not sure I can say more than that.

13. Skin Shows: Gothic Horror and the Technology of Monsters by Judith Halberstam (read now for ScaredyKit)

Skin Shows is one of those books which landed on my shelves when I was in academia, but which I was so curious about that I kept it around to read (eventually) even after leaving that world behind me. And, truly, I'm glad I did. Although this book is undeniably academic in nature, it's also so accessible and readable that I found myself reading far more in one sitting than I ever would have expected. Halberstam's analysis and discussions of horror, as grouped around both classic literary texts (such as Frankenstein and Dracula) and more recent films (such as Silence of the Lambs and Texas Chainsaw Massacre), range from covering the ground of literary theory on to psychoanalysis, so that an incredible amount of thoughtful commentary is packed into the relatively short book. The ideas are offered with a depth and thoughtfulness that add weight to each discussion of the monstrous and what it entails.

For anyone interested, I'd certainly recommend the book.

14. Kill the Dead by Richard Kadrey (read now for AlphaKat K)

I absolutely adored the first Sandman Slim novel, but for some reason, I had a harder time getting into this one. The voice and characters were there, and Kadrey's writing swept me along pretty quickly, but somehow the story in this one just didn't catch me as being so compelling or engaging me in the same way. I'm not sure how much of it was me being distracted by the world and how much was the book, but this one somehow felt more chaotic than truly engaging, and I just didn't enjoy it nearly as much as I did the first in the series. There wasn't as much tension, certainly, and that sometimes made things drag. Still, I'm looking forward to reading the third one still, and hoping to be picked back up by the experience I remember having with the first one.

And, for March, here's what's up on deck....

Wounds: Six Stories from the Border of Hell (ScaredyKit--Short Stories),
Murmur by Will Eaves (Surprise RandomCat),
The Lie Tree (SFFKit--Indiana Jones in Space/Fairyland),
Sleep Donation by Karen Russell (R AlphaKit),
Utopia (GenreCat for Military/Spy/Thrillers & AlphaKit--U)

I'm anxious to read The Lie Tree, but even though it was on the list pulled up for that Kit, I'm not 100% sure how well it fits. So, I'll try to get into it sooner than later to see whether or not I should try to fit something else in. I'm already loosely halfway through Utopia, and I'm hoping to start Wounds: Six Stories from the Border of Hell today.

15. Utopia by Lincoln Child (read now for GenreCat and AlphaKit)

This is the most enjoyable thriller I've read in a while. With great writing, engaging characters, and a good, twisting story, it had everything I could have hoped for in a thriller. There was also a nice element of tech/science fiction that added the perfect amount of atmosphere without taking things over the top or to where I felt like I was reading science fiction rather than suspense, or where I felt lost in the details. Instead, it felt like it was used masterfully to up the ante and atmosphere, making the most of the setting of a high-tech amusement park.

Absolutely recommended for folks who enjoy fast-moving suspense with just a bit of tech.

16. Murmur by Will Eaves (read for Surprise RandomCat)

This is a tough one. The prose is gorgeous, and it often felt like I was reading poetry more than prose, but the dreamlike sections combined with the disjointedness of the narrative made for a tough read in terms of content, and if I hadn't known what the book was loosely about, I think I might have been mostly lost. As it is, I appreciated the language and the intent, and could even understand what it seemed the author was going for, but I didn't enjoy this as much as I would have liked and probably wouldn't recommend it.

17. The Lie Tree by Frances Hardinge (read now for the SFFKit)

With the feel of a fairy tale, this is one of those books that seems to straddle middle grade and YA territory, but be stronger for it. The protagonist, Faith, is someone who a reader can't help but fall in love with (particularly if they love natural science and snakes, like I do), and the writer's attention to historical detail, historical customs, and details of natural science and archaeology bring what is a sort of fantastical mystery to another level of intrigue and magic.

For animal lovers, I feel like I do have to mention that there's a quick scene related to the game of a dog catching rats, and as much as I'm not a fan of rats particularly, it was graphic enough that it was hard for me to read it. In fact, I'd planned on finishing a chapter and going to bed, but ended up deciding there was no way I could stop or go to sleep on that scene. I know that, if I'd read that as a child, it would have bothered me a lot more, which is why I mention it--if you're a parent considering this book for your child, and they're an animal lover, it's worth considering.

That said, this was a quick bad moment in a book that's otherwise smart, magical, and absolutely worth falling into. I'm sure I'll read more of Hardinge's work in the future.

18. Sleep Donation by Karen Russell (Read now for AlphaKit R)

This is a fast, fascinating read, and the Viking paperback I have has the most gorgeous illustrations which are themselves well worth sinking into. The concepts, ideas, and images here sucked me in almost immediately, and in the end, I read the book in only a few sittings. And... yet. And yet, I have to admit that I ended up wanting more. More from the characters, more from the plot, and more especially from the ending. In some ways, it felt like 90% of the book's energy went to world-building and imagery, leaving only 10% or so of the energy to go toward plot and character. In some ways, it may be that the world-building and concept were so vibrant that they were more than enough to hold up the experience of the book, so all else was deemed secondary, but especially by the time the book ended, I found myself simply wanting more.

So, would I recommend the book? Well, yes, but with some reservations, and with the caveat that this is a book to be read for the concepts and the world and the images playing it forward, vs for the primary story or any sort of conflict. I'm not sure if I'll read more of Russell's work, truly--if the sound of a story fascinates me, I probably will. If not... I probably won't.

19. Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro (read now because it came in the mail, and I couldn't resist it)

I knew I wanted to carve out a time when I could immerse myself in this book for a few hours to get started. Ishiguro has long been one of my favorite authors, and I'd been looking forward to this one for months. What I didn't expect was to be so enraptured, I'd read the book from beginning to end in one day, with only one break for dinner. It's very possible that one of the pages toward the beginning has a drop of coffee on it, and one of the pages toward the end has a drop of wine, with some of the pages in between having drops of tears. And here, more than a week later, it's still sitting at my desk and waiting for a review, swirling in my brain--because, for a somewhat simple story if you only look to the blurb or summary, it is so utterly weighted with meaning that I struggle to put words to it.

Told from the perspective of an Artificial Friend, Klara, the book is layered with meaning in the best of ways. As with some of Ishiguro's other works, Klara and the Sun tackles the biggest of questions with such nuance that they might almost be missed--coming of age, religion, progress and technology, and, of course, revolution and love. What's brilliant here, though, is that none of these conversations are at the forefront. At the forefront, of primary importance, is the story of a single Artificial Friend named Klara, and what she thinks of the world.

I don't think there's any way to describe this book in a way that will do it justice, but that's the power of Ishiguro's writing. The subtlety defies summary, and the beauty of his story-telling is itself something to witness. So, I'll finish this review by saying that, yes, you should read this book. You should pick it up for the humor, for the beauty, for the intelligence of it, and for the pure power in the pages.

20. Wounds: Six Stories from the Border of Hell by Nathan Ballingrud (read now for Scaredykit)

Although I've had Ballingrud's first book, North American Lake Monsters, on my radar for a long time, this collection was my entrance into his world, and I'm so glad I stumbled upon it. The horror here is written with such casual style and grace, it's difficult to compare it to other horror collections at all. Here, each story is such a completely realized world, with so much character and atmosphere, the reading experience doesn't actually feel like what you get from reading a collection at all. This doesn't just apply to the last two 'stories' in the book, which are closer to novella length. The first four stories, all at about the length you'd expect for a short story, feel like worlds unto themselves. And although the last, longer novella felt a little bit slower than I might have liked, I suspect that's only because it might have been trying to demand an even longer form, the concept was so deserving.

My favorites here are, without question, "The Atlas of Hell" and "The Visible Filth". Both are stories which I felt compelled to read in one sitting (though "The Visible Filth" is the other story in the collection that's closer to novella lenght), and which I imagine I'll end up reading again.

Certainly, I recommend this to all horror readers, and I can't wait to pick up Ballingrud's first book, as well as whatever he writes next.

With my official March reading done, I'm already looking on to April! I am still reading Brightness Reef by David Brin, and expect I'll finish that up right around when April hits. For April, I've got the following books up on deck:

The Demonologist by Andrew Pyper (ScaredyKit--Possessed)
The Turn of the Screw by Henry James (Librarything RandomCat)
Come On Up by Jordi Nopca (GenreCat--Literary Fiction) (also reading now since it's an LT Early Reviewer Book I got recently)
Leviathan Wakes by James S. A. Corey (SFFKit--Series)
Witch Fire by Anya Bast (AlphaKit--A & W)

21. Brightness Reef by David Brin (read now for no particular reason beyond whim/desire)

I admit I had some difficulty getting into this. I was fascinated by the characters and the world, but that's not quite the same thing as being engaged and understanding it all. Despite this being the first book in a new Uplift series--and perhaps my problem is that I hadn't read Brin's earlier Uplift books, though I'd been told I could enter into this one instead--it really felt like I was entering into the middle of a series. The learning curve was a big one, and although I could get wrapped up in scenes and characters' stories easily enough, the larger picture was never easy to grasp. And, truth be told, I'm sure I missed quite a bit. I'd like to say that I'll go and read the earlier Uplift books and then re-read this one, but that's a big ask for a 700 page book which left me wishing that there'd been a bit more clarity and story included, vs. all of the incredible world-building (because world-building and character-building alone don't make books).

I am going to try to move into the next book in the series at some point, though I need a break before then. I'd recommend readers not enter into the Uplift universe through this book, though--I was told I could, but I suspect that wasn't an ideal choice.

22. All Systems Red by Martha Wells (read now for no particular reason beyond whim/desire)

I'm late to trying the Murderbot books, but I enjoyed this entrance into the series. It did take me a little while to engage with the story, but with each chapter, I felt a little bit more connected to both character and story, so the momentum kept building throughout. The last few novellas I've read, I've wished they were longer, but this felt like the perfect size for what it was, and in some ways, it came off as a character introduction as much as anything, so I'm anxious to see what the second book has in store for readers.

23. The Haunting of Tram Car 015 by P. Djeli Clark (read now for no particular reason beyond whim/desire)

Clark's depiction of a fantastical Cairo at the beginning of the twentieth century offers such a gorgeous blend of magic, historical place, and chaos, it's hard not to fall in love with it. From the moment I started the book, the city and the characters felt so real, and so perfectly realized, that I couldn't put it down. Too easily, I could have believed that this djinn-full world was just another piece of history--that's how beautifully Clark brings it to life, and speaks to how well he melds historical detail and character with fantasy.

This is a short, fast read, but I'm excited to have discovered a new writer to follow, and I'll certainly be picking up the other works he's already published. Absolutely, I'd recommend this one.

>47 whitewavedarling: OK, OK, I'll take the BB hit! :)

>47 whitewavedarling: Welp, adding that one to my list - thanks for the great review!

>48 christina_reads:, >49 scaifea:, I'm glad I found the book and author some new readers :) The author also has a full-length novel coming out (in this same world/universe) in May!

24. Witch Fire by Anya Bast (Read now for AlphaCat)

This was a fast, enjoyable escape for fans of paranormal romance, and the world-building/magic system especially impressed me as being really well thought out for this genre. There were moments where the actual chemistry between the characters, as well as the explicit scenes, began to feel a little bit repetitive, but Bast's writing combined with the magic system and the believable characters made up for that to the extent that I'm planning on reading the next book in the series. There's nothing truly surprising here for fans of paranormal romance--it's exactly what you'd expect from the blurb--but the writing and the story are both so strong as to make the read a real escape and fully engaging, despite the lack of surprises around the plot. I will say that the ending and the final resolution felt a bit rushed, but all things considered, I enjoyed the book as a whole and wouldn't hesitate to recommend it to fans of the genre.

25. Come On Up by Jordi Nopca (Read now for GenreCat)

Described in the blurb as a 'group portrait of contemporary Barcelona, beaten by the economic crisis and divided by a secessionist movement', Come On Up is a collection of short stories that are, in every way, slice-of-life stories. Centered on believable characters with generally mundane lives and concerns, the book is weighted with a sort of apathetic trudging forward; the inertia of the stories is built from strong writing and realism, with only the sort of absurdity that feels true to life, but the stories blend together in a way that makes me think these might have been more successful separated out among journals vs all collected together in a single volume. Because, as it is, most of the stories held the same flavor and the same tone, with little to distinguish them beyond the particular lives at their center--the problem being that these lives/characters were, in many ways, themselves single-toned and interchangeable.

I'd be curious what a novel from the author would look like, but in general, this collection suffers from what too many single-author short story collections suffer from--a sort of repetitiveness of mood and lack of progression. And when that is added to the fact that the stories themselves are somewhat downtrodden and casual in focus, this ends up being a hard collection to recommend.

26. The Turn of the Screw by Henry James (Read now for RandomCat)

I've read The Turn of the Screw in the past, and though I don't often re-read books, the recent Netflix adaptation inspired me to come back to it. And, it was an interesting experience. Henry James is a master of the uncanny and the eerie, when he chooses to be, and even all these years after The Turn of the Screw was first published, the sense of ungroundedness in this book is still such a powerful thing. All through the book, it's difficult to know what's real and what's not, who to trust and who can't be believed. And yet, from moment to moment, the discomfort the reader feels is built from just how realistically this story is presented. All these years later, that style and power remain undiminished.

This is one of those reads that, I suspect, can only truly be experienced to its full potential once. What I mean by that is that the first read has such incredible power--so many twists, eerie moments, and surprises--there's no way to unremember what you've once read. Even though I hadn't read this book for more than a decade, coming back to it was both familiar and unfamiliar--but I couldn't revisit that first reading experience, and the horror and fascination I felt upon first discovering it. Was it still a powerful, worthwhile read? Absolutely. It just wasn't the same as it once was. Perhaps that can be said for most books, but because of the eerie, unfolding progression of this book, I suspect it's more true for this book than most others.

This book is so well-known, what more can be said? If you haven't yet read this book, you should.

I haven't been able to catch up on threads all year and just reading yours. So glad to see you back again and so sorry to hear about your husband being ill.

>53 whitewavedarling: I agree that The Turn of the Screw is probably one of those one-time reads. The surprise element is missing on a second read.

>54 VivienneR:, Thanks for coming around! Catching up on threads around here is a never-ending carousel :) Well-wishes appreciated, too!

I will say that re-reading The Turn of the Screw left me even more impressed with the Netflix adaptation and how they both honored and updated it, but as you said, the surprise element is such a big part of the book, losing it for a re-read takes a lot away from the book.

27. The Demonologist by Andrew Pyper (read now for the ScaredyKit)

The Demonologist is a horror novel that sneaks up on you and, before you've even realized you're a bit scared, has you awake and wondering in the middle of the night. That's the genius of this book--because as true to the book as the blurb is, it sounds a bit... pedestrian? familiar? expected? At least, that's how it was for me. I read the blurb over and over again, and kept thinking, 'This is either going to be very, very good, or fairly boring.' Well, on some level, I was right--it was very, very good.

It doesn't traffic in jump scares, but in the slow, oncoming train type of scare that you can feel vibrating the pages and edging into your mind... only to make you think you're seeing things in the dark, hours after you've put the book down.

Pyper's attention to detail and the believable crafting of characters, combined with his care for lore and suspense, make this a stand-out read that delivers far more than it promises. I'm rarely scared or creeped out enough by a book that I have to pay attention to when I'm reading it, for fear that it will keep me up, but that's what happened with this book. Though I do most of my pleasure-reading at night, I found myself carving out afternoon and early evening hours in which to finish the book. I don't know when that last happened, truthfully, but this book has stuck with me.

I'd absolutely recommend this one to any horror reader, and I'll be picking up everything else Pyper has written (and anything he writes in the future).

28. Through Wolf's Eyes by Jane Lindskold (read now because I was seeking fiction with wolves)

I had such high hopes for this book. As someone who loves both fantasy and wolves, this series seemed like a perfect fit for my tastes... but instead, I admit I was tempted to abandon it at various points, and for the first time I can remember, I decided to simply actively skim whole chapters devoted to particular characters. That is, obviously, not a good sign for how I felt about the book as a whole.

On its surface, the concept here is simple--and I think that's where its power lies. For me, the chapters that focused on Firekeeper, her wolf companion Blind Seer, and their immediate companions were the heart of the work, and although I would have liked a bit more attention to be paid to Blind Seer--rather than him sometimes seeming only like a human voice in wolf form vs an actual wolf--those chapters felt engaging and true to the concept that made me pick up the book. Unfortunately, I'd say that half of this book was devoted to exploring court lineage and intrigue, to the extent of including full chapters focused on characters who, truly, the reader didn't need to get to know at anywhere near such length. The book would have been so much stronger if the writer had forced herself to stick to telling the story through chapters focused on Firekeeper and her immediate companions. Instead, however, it felt as if Lindskold wanted to spend time explaining every bit of world-building she'd come up with and every character's family--even if, in the end, they'd have no real effect on the story.

I suspect that, had this book been around 300 pages instead of near 600, I would have raved about it and immediately ordered the rest of the series. As things stand, I doubt I'll read anything more from the author. I do already have the second book in the series--I got it together with the first, I was so sure I'd enjoy this--so I may look at the book jacket and see if it sounds like there's a stronger focal point in the second book, but it's just as possible that I'll simply give the book away. This was an incredibly disappointing read, and I suspect the author was more interested in writing about court intrigue than fantasy, but thought this would be an angle through which to sell court politics. Certainly, that's how it felt.

29. Leviathan Wakes by James S.A. Corey (read for the SFFKit)

It often takes me a while to engage with a new science fiction series, but this one sucked me in immediately. The dash of horror Corey built this book with, alongside stupendous characters who felt I could keep reading about forever, made the book one of the most engaging sci-fi works I think I've ever come across. If not for the size of the book tiring out my wrist, I suspect I would have finished it far sooner, but savoring it over the last few weeks was such a pleasure that I can't wait to dive into the next book. Corey's writing is fast, smart, and powerful, and the characters and world are fantastic. If you like space opera that's more character-based than universe-based, and sci-fi with just a bit of horror thrown in, you'll love this.

Absolutely recommended

Well, May is almost here! I've got some reading plans, but we'll see how they go. I get my second (moderna) vaccine shot today, and the first one basically put me to sleep for two days. I've made plans to take the beginning of next week off from work if necessary, though I'm hoping it won't be. I'm also going to try to fit in a read of The Fifth Season in the first few weeks of May, in order to attend a newly formed book group my writing group has put together. That's a long book and wasn't part of my planning, so we'll see how that and the vaccine affect other plans.

For now, though, beyond The Fifth Season, here's what I'm hoping to read this coming month:

The Scapegracers by Hannah Abigail Clarke (for the ScaredyKit--Witches & Magic)
Half-blood Blues by Esi Edugyan (for the RandomCat--Monopoly reads)
How to Dispatch a Human: Stories and Suggestions by Stephanie Andrea Allen (GenreCat--Short Stories/Essays)
Yesterday is History by Kosoko Jackson (for the SFFKit--Time Travel)
North American Lake Monsters by Nathan Ballingrud (for the N AlphaKit)
I'm Thinking of Ending Things by Iaian Reid (for the I AlphaKit)

These are more ambitious plans than from other months, but a few of these books are short, none of them ultra-long, and I've managed to go beyond my plans in every other month, so I'm hopeful. Assuming I have any vaccine effects at all, I'll probably start with the short story collections so that I won't have to worry about losing plot threads to fatigue.

>59 whitewavedarling: Planning to read short stories seems very sensible.

>59 whitewavedarling: Hurray for your second shot! Hoping the side effects are mild and that the books are good :)

>60 spiralsheep: and >61 rabbitprincess:, Thanks! Short stories were definitely the way to go--as it was, I was sometimes re-reading paragraphs a few times! I mostly slept through the weekend, though, and aside from a slight fever Saturday and some achiness, the weekend passed relatively smoothly. Today, I think I'm back to normal!!! Here's hoping all of you reading this are also getting access to the vaccine, too--I feel so relieved to have gotten it!

>62 whitewavedarling: Hurray for you feeling back to normal! \o/

I'm booked for my second dose at the beginning of June and will be stealing your idea of preparing some short stories and comics to read. :-)

>63 spiralsheep:, yes, do! And if you need a start, this book was perfect for snatched, easy and entertaining reads between naps...

30. How to Dispatch a Human: Stories and Suggestions by Stephanie Andrea Allen

From the first story in the collection, I was hooked on Allen's style and voice. The creativity and humor on display here are fantastic, and the interplay of serious themes with everyday concerns and humor made me want to simply sit and read the collection in one sitting--certainly, they've guaranteed I'll pick up anything else she writes. Some of the speculative fiction here is so original in its wonder and speculative elements, it left me practically breathless, and I'd absolutely recommend it not only to readers of short speculative work at large, but to writers who want to blend original speculative fiction with a more contemporary aesthetic.

The one caveat I feel like I have to mention is that this collection is absolutely front-loaded. The best of the stories are in the first two-thirds of the work, with the last few stories in the collection feeling a bit less polished and fully developed than earlier works in the collection. The ideas were still there, but the characters weren't quite so alive. Because of that front-loaded nature, I felt a bit let down with the last portion of the book, but at the same time, Allen set such a high bar for herself with the early stories, that 'let-down' is very much relative to the quality of the book. This is still, without doubt, a 4.5* read for me that I wouldn't hesitate to recommend, especially for readers who like short stories with a flare for humor.

31. North American Lake Monsters by Nathan Ballingrud (Read Now for 'N' AlphaKit)

Balanced on a ledge between dark fantasy and horror, this collection has some fantastic stories in it. For me personally, the collection felt a little less even than Ballingrud's more recent story collection, Wounds, but I suppose that's to be expected since these were earlier works. Even so, there are stories here which are simply breathtaking--I'd say "The Way Station" is my favorite, but "You Go Where It Takes You" and "Wild Acre" are also incredibly striking. And there are others which I'm still thinking on--"The Good Husband", for instance, is as strange and original as it is difficult to read, both for the gruesome nature of how it goes and the heart-deep emotion that carries it and makes it that much worse if you allow yourself to take it in.

I will say that animal lovers should beware the ending of "S.S." and the whole of the story "The Crevasse"--to be honest, "The Crevasse" will haunt me for a long time, and if I could go back in time to make myself skip over it, I would. In terms of quality, I'm actually not sure it lives up to many of the stories in the collection, but even aside from that, there's an animal death here that is masterfully written, but incredibly painful for a reader who loves animals. There's another hard-to-take animal death at the end of "S.S.", but it's over and done quickly--I suspect I'll forget about that one quickly, much as I didn't enjoy reading.

Regardless, it's clear that Ballingrud is a contemporary miracle-worker when it comes to dark short stories that bridge literary speculative fiction and horror. From here on out, I'll pick up anything he writes.

Absolutely recommended.

Life has been kind of rough lately, and so I treated myself to a book-buying spree. I'm still sticking with my May plans (until they're done anyway), but the following are the books I got in the mail today (YAY!). If anyone has any feelings about a favorite/stand-out you see on the list and think I should get to it ultra-fast, let me know! The House in the Cerulean Sea is already first on the list since that's the book I've got 'due' to read for book club next month!

From today's mail...
The House in the Cerulean Sea by T.J. Klune
Ghost Wall by Sarah Moss
The Seep by Chana Porter
Do Not Become Alarmed by Maile Meloy
Follow Me to the Ground by Sue Rainsford
The Luster of Lost Things by Sophie Chen Keller
The Tenth Girl by Sara Faring
Lycanthropy and Other Chronic Illnesses by Kristen O'Neal
The Lamplighters by Emma Stonex

>66 whitewavedarling: I have House in the Cerulean Sea on my Looks Interesting / Investigate Later list so I'll be interested to hear what you have to say.

>67 spiralsheep:, So, the book club I belong to now is actually an off-shoot of my writer's group--part of a plan for us to talk about books as writers (with that hat on, so to speak) and read relatively new books. Being aware of what's happening in the SFF world we're writing in today vs. spending too much time with 'classics', broadening each other's awareness of what's happening in publishing, etc. This is one that a few folks in the group have already read, and it was one of the first ones that got mentioned when we started planning for a book club (our first meeting is this week--we're talking about The Fifth Season)--so, that alone speaks pretty highly of it :)

I'll make sure to write a review, but I trust my fellow writers' taste, so I'm excited to get into it :)

(For anyone wondering, the other books we've already got on the schedule for our book club include: The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue, Aetherbound, Black Sun, and Remote Control. All SFF, obviously, since that's the space all of us are writing in. All of them were personally recommended by at least a few folks among the larger group of writers I belong to.)

32. The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemisin (read now because it was my book club's pick)

This work is masterfully written, and the writing is simply gorgeous. I was sucked in by the author's style and grace from page one, and with such incredible world-building, it's hard not to find the book fascinating. That is the caveat here, though--for, while I was pulled along consistently by the story, world-building, and writing, I struggled to connect with and care about the characters. As a result, some of the big reveals--and some of the moments which were powerful and visceral for other members of the book club I was reading the book with--were engaging on a level of plot, but didn't actually leave any emotional impact for me. On some level, I think part of this comes down to the fact that even though I loved the style of the work, and enjoyed the narrative voice which was so present, that overtook the characters for me in any many ways. I felt more connected to the narrator who was telling the story, vs the characters. So, while I was fascinated, I wasn't necessarily impacted.

In the end, I think this is a 'me thing' and not a 'book thing'--Jemisin's writing is utterly gorgeous, and although the style and the themes themselves left me at a disconnect in terms of emotion, I still enjoyed reading the book. I suspect I will pick up the next book in the trilogy after a while, to see where things go, and I'll absolutely be picking up more of Jemisin's work in the future.

33. Half-blood Blues by Esi Edugyan (Read now for the Randomcat)

Until now, with this book, I've never read a book that itself moves and works like a blues song. But that's changed with Half-Blood Blues. Edugyan's gorgeous novel is, in every way, a carefully crafted blues that is also an artfully told story and thoughtful examination of personal identity. In moving between 1939 and 1992--and at the same time between America, Germany, France, and Poland--it reveals the life of a jazz musician whose personal story is irrevocably tied to others' stories and identities as they were lived in 1939, and as they echo over him even fifty years later.

Edugyan's Half-Blood Blues might well display the most artful use of personal voice and dialect I've ever seen in a novel, and the way in which her rhythms and structure evoke a blues is something to behold. Even in the tone of the beginning and ending, this book is experienced like a blues, and it is masterful.

Absolutely, I recommend it.

>70 whitewavedarling: I loved Washington Black. It's good to see that her earlier work is also worth reading and I'll have to do so.

I'm going to have to look up all of her other work--this book really blew me away.

ANOTHER 5-star read in a row for me!!!....

34. Yesterday is History by Kosoko Jackson (for the SFF Time Travel Kit)

Yesterday is History is a contemporary love story, a novel of time travel, and a tale about a young gay black man at the center of a fairly unconventional love triangle. On paper, this isn't a book I should even have picked up simply because it doesn't sound like my kind of thing--but then again, some books just aren't done justice via a list of themes, subjects, or genres, and this is one of them.

Normally, I tend to avoid time travel. Normally, I don't read YA romance at all, and I avoid love triangles whenever possible. But when I stumbled across Kosoko Jackson on social media and saw him talking about the book, I couldn't help but get hooked on the idea. A teen who needs a liver transplant, and gets it, but accidentally gets the ability to time travel along with it? In the realm of time travel, that sounded both strange and weirdly obvious enough that, if time travel were to exist, that *would* be how it would show up in an unsuspecting teen's life. And as much as it seemed to fit into the real world, I couldn't remember ever seeing the concept being explored like this. When you add in the fact that I'm always on the lookout for speculative works with LGBTQ representation that I can pass on to teen readers, I decided I had to read the book even if it might not be quite up my alley.

And then, of course, it turned out that I loved the book, and it's made me a fan of Jackson's for life.

On top of the concept, and on top of a fantastic main character who's as believable and flawed as he is engaging, the strength of this book lies in how much it works to accomplish. It doesn't sugarcoat the difficulties of time travel as related to race, specifically, and it doesn't shy away from big questions. But at the same time that it tackles the otherworldly question of time travel and very real world issues of equality, it leaves room for the mundane. A teenager who's working on finding his way in life without disappointing his parents; a family struggling with a loved one's serious illness and recovery; a couple of boys who have no experience with romance and aren't necessarily looking for one...but then have one, whether they like it or not. This is a short book--I read it in three sittings--and it reads fast, even for contemporary YA. But it is so full, and so rich, it's worth twice its page count in story and heart.

If I could magically place a copy of this book in every teen's English classroom and in every library, all across America, I'd do it in a heartbeat. This is the kind of book that teens ought to be reading in book clubs and in classrooms, bridging divides of recent history and conversations about equality and socio-economic justice even as they tell a story that celebrates diversity without shying away from the hard questions.

This is a book worth reading, and worth passing on. Absolutely recommended.

35. I'm Thinking of Ending Things by Iain Reid (read now for the alphakit challenge)

This was a fast read, but I'm afraid it's probably not one I'd recommend. My overall impression was simply that the book was trying too hard to be suspenseful and tense--in every moment, on every page, it felt like the author was choosing every word to scream at the reader, 'This is Suspense! You should be Tense! See how eerie this is!!!' And, in the end, that rather ruined the book for me. The reading experience was a little too much like watching a horror movie that's full of main characters making bad choices that are going to get them killed, or eventually add up to proof that, 'oh, wow, that wasn't what I thought at all...' And, great, sometimes that works...but it works better in movies than in fiction, which this book made clearer than ever.

In general, the book has some interesting moments and well-written scenes and descriptions. But it is trying too hard to live up to the hype in its blurbs and on the cover, and trying to hard to hype itself up to higher and higher levels of suspense. If not for that element of trying too hard, and if it had been quite a bit shorter rather than working to draw itself out ever further, I think I might have enjoyed it. As is, I was curious where it was going, but only curious enough to keep going because it was such a short/fast read.

Not one I'd recommend.

Catching up on reviews, ever so slowly. This next one was a 5-star read in May, and I hope you'll look it up...

36. The Scapegracers by Hannah Abigail Clarke

It's been a while since I've fallen in love with a YA Horror, or even a YA work in general, but this queer, witchy, edgy, fast-paced, gorgeous cartwheel of a book caught me and held me in its thrall from almost the moment I began it. Clarke's characters--and in particular Sideways, that dark, lesbian witch of a main character, with all her flaws--took me back to high school and all of my insecurities and artsy-hopeful-cynical friends in a way that no other YA work has. Sideways' voice perfectly captured that impossible blend of cynicism and hope that defines so many teenagers--as it certainly did me and my friends--and the only thing I can say about it here is that it felt authentic. That voice, blended with the darkness of the witchcraft and the unflinching plot, made for such a vibrant read that I sped through the whole of the book, and immediately jumped online to order the next book.

On top of all of that, the cover is utterly gorgeous, and the book itself simply feels original. From here on out, I'll read anything Hannah Abigail Clarke writes.

Absolutely recommended.

37. The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune

The truth is, I almost didn't read this book--and yet, in the end, I'm so glad I did. So, let me back up.

The blurbs for this one kept scaring me off. I must have gotten pointed toward it, or come across it on my own, a dozen times--and then, each time, I got scared off from reading it. Why? Because the blurbs make it sound like a slightly magical Hallmark movie, albeit one with a gay couple at its center. And I'm not the Hallmark movie type. I love fantasy, but I tend to go for darker reads. Give me the choice between a horror novel and a romance, I'll take the horror novel. Give me the choice between a love story set against a war and a love story set in a magical wonderland, and I'll take the one set against the war. Call something 'feel good' (as more than one blurb here does), describe it as 'an enchanting love story' (as this book's back cover does), or talk about a found family or lessons learned in the pages of a book... well, generally speaking, you'll have done a great job of scaring me off. Chances are, anything someone is describing as 'nice' and 'sweet' and 'feel-good' isn't anything that's really going to draw me in. I'm happy for those who enjoy it, but it's not my cup of tea.

And then my book club chose this book to read for June, so I finally--albeit with a slightly raised eyebrow and a wince--picked up the book.

And I loved it.

Admittedly, I had a hard time getting into it--in the beginning, it felt a bit too much like a fairy tale for adults, or a sweet romance tied up in a fantasy bow to draw in spec fiction readers. But once Linus Baker and his cat got to their island destination and I got introduced to the fantastical inhabitants the book would center around... well, the book had me.

Klune's writing is fantastic, and he does a marvelous job of blending humor with magic, and real-world concerns with fantastical elements. There were also moments here that took me back to my favorite Disney musicals from the 1960s/1970s--the original Doctor DoLittle with Rex Harrison, the original Peter's Dragon, The Happiest Millionaire, etc.--in the way the book tackled the most serious topics imaginable while still holding onto the characters who pulled us into the work, and all of their innocence and magic and goodness. When it came to the serious stuff, there was no sugar-coating, and that's what I always fear with new family movies or when something is described as 'sweet' or 'feel-good'.

So, would I recommend this, even to those who go in for darker reads? Absolutely. Ignore the blurbs, and dive right in. I look forward to picking up more of Klune's work from here on out.

>76 whitewavedarling: As I said in >67 spiralsheep: The House in the Cerulean Sea was on my possible To Reads for next year so I'm very grateful for your thoughts, thank you. I'm glad you enjoyed it.

>75 whitewavedarling: Oh, The Scapegracers sounds excellent! Adding it to my list...

>77 spiralsheep: and >78 scaifea:, I'm glad to hear it! These were both such fantastic books, and from new authors, I'd love to see more people reading them! And word of mouth & reviews can be so important--especially with new authors writing LGBTQ works, one of which is from a small-ish publisher while the other has those blurbs which, well, at least almost scared this reader off!

Happy reading!

38. The Alice Network by Kate Quinn (read now for the genrecat)

Fast-paced, with the feel of authenticity and believably written characters, this is one of those pieces of historical fiction which feels so immediate that the characters become real, and the past seems far closer in time than it actually is. Although a rare phrase felt more contemporary, this book for the most part is everything I love about the genre, and Quinn's moves between past and present felt flawless--in fact, I'm not sure I've read another book which moved so consistently back and forth in time, but without any moments that were jarring or felt forced. Instead, the narrative was interwoven between time periods and stories so beautifully that I couldn't imagine the women's stories being told in any other fashion.

In short, I'd absolutely recommend this to readers of historical fiction and/or readers of WWII literature. I'm not sure I'd pick up a book of Quinn's if I weren't interested in the time period, as the story did pull me along far more than the characters, but this book really impressed me, nevertheless.

39. Sorrowland by Rivers Solomon (Read now for ScaredyKit)

This was an odd read for me, much as I enjoyed Solomon's writing style. Part of what threw me off, I think, is that the book seemed to swim between so many genres, and while I normally love cross-genre books that don't easily fit into one area, I think what put me off her is that the book seemed to sink so wholly into one genre for a while, and then jump entirely to another for a while, and so on and so forth. In other words, at any given point, it felt like it was living in one genre, but would soon jump to another--versus it being balanced in story and character against a number of them.

The book is split into three parts. The first part had me captivated--I couldn't put the book down, literally, and read it all in one sitting. And then the second part came, and while the character got a bit more fantastical, the situation and story became more pedestrian. It had been Solomon's story-telling and writing that had so entralled me in the first part, more than character, and so I admit this second part lost me a bit. It almost felt like I'd suddenly fallen into a bit of a soap opera with a flavor of magical realism, and the more I read, the less hooked I was. The third part was totally different--a flurry of action and resolution and change that made it feel like I'd slipped into an adventure novel. And, if I'm being honest, I have to say that I was just reading to read--the second part had lost me, and although I still appreciated the heart of the story and Solomon's writing in the third part, I could pretty much see where things were going and, in general, I simply wasn't engaged.

All that said, although the reading experience as a whole isn't what I'd hoped for, I utterly adored Solomon's writing, and I'm anxious to try some of her other works. I suspect that this book was just flitting between too many genres for me, and I needed it to live more in one space in order to really feel connected to either story or characters beyond the first part. I'm sure others will be blown away by what Solomon has done here, and I just wasn't the right reader.

My first DNF of the year--I'm not numbering it since I only got to the 25% mark, nowhere near done. This was meant to be my SFFKit read for the month, though I doubt I'll finish one now...

The Silver Ships by S.H. Jucha

DNF at 25%

I tried. I really tried. I almost never DNF a book this early--and I rarely DNF books at all--but this one was only getting more and more frustrating. Unfortunately, this book suffers from many first-novel mistakes, but to an Nth degree. The hero is flawless, and everybody loves him--though we can't quite tell why, because he's so perfectly heroic and flawless that, as readers, we want him to be knocked off his pedestal. There's a lack of action and conflict, the characters are unfailingly polite to each other, and clear questions related to plot/motivation go entirely ignored. As frustratingly, so much is told vs. shown, with the really interesting moments being summarized rather than explored, that it feels like we're getting the cliffnotes of what might have been an interesting story, vs. being allowed to engage with it.

Most of the issues here are common enough first-novel issues, but when piled together into one book that suffers some from some serious flaws in plotting and characterization, they make for an incredibly difficult read. I hope that the writer employed a developmental editor and worked on improving his craft in future books, but I'm afraid I won't be trying another book by the author.

40. Dance on Saturday by Elwin Cotman (D & C AlphaKit)

I always look forward to a new read from Small Beer Press, but I'm afraid this collection just didn't live up to my expectations. The title novella, Dance on Saturday, is without a doubt the jewel of the collection--it's smart, engaging, unique, and just a fascinating read in general. If I were writing a review of the novella alone, vs. the whole collection, it would probably be at least a 4* read from me, and likely would have made me a fan of the author who'd look forward to his future work. But, as it is, the work as a whole is barely a 3* read, and I admit that I had trouble making it through some of the stories.

Although the title novella is gorgeously crafted, the other stories suffer from fatal flaws--a few of them are, very simply, too long by half, and so drawn out that the interesting concepts at the heart of them end up fading simply because they're expected to carry so much weight. Others feel like they could actually be longer, or suffer from the story being so focused on exploring the concept--often in a way that seems directed by what can potentially have some shock value, more than anything else--that there's no real character or depth for a reader to engage with. What was frustrating for me as a reader was that I was fascinated by every single one of Cotman's concepts, but for one reason or another, the way he explored each one left me more disappointed than engaged. And while I'm not a reader who shies away from either erotic or gory content, the way Cotman also seemed inclined to celebrate the crude and go for a shock factor left me more annoyed than anything.

All told, this was a disappointing collection, and while I thought Cotman's concepts were fascinating, and enjoyed the novella at the heart of the collection, I can't say that I'll seek out this author in the future. I think this is the first book from Small Beer Press that hasn't been at least a 4* read from me, so I'll certainly keep seeking out their works, but I wasn't the right reader for this one.

Well, I've still got one more review to catch up on for June, but more than anything, my reading for July is already up and running! I am reading The Last Watch in a desperate attempt to get a SFFKit book in since I DNF'd my other one, but it's a long book, so that will likely go into July.

Right now, I'm also reading Pin by Andrew Neiderman for a book club that I've joined that focuses on Horror--it's the HOWL society book club. Anybody else in HOWL here? It's online, so it's an option--just search Howl Society if you like horror :) The club has group-reads of at least four books per month. I'm not sure how many I'll participate in during any given month, but the first two are short (this one and then, following it, Stepford Wives), so I'm going to see how it goes, and I'm enjoying the community of writers/readers focused on horror, so I'm going to aim for at least one or two per month going forward. My Sci-Fi/Fantasy book club has gone from one book per month to one every few months, so that leaves me some room.

For the book clubs, on top of those mentioned above, I'm planning on reading Affinity by Sarah Waters and Teatro Grottesco by Thomas Ligotti.

My other plans for the month include:

In the House of In Between by J.D. Buffington (ScaredyKit--Ghosts & Hautings)
Do Not Become Alarmed by Maile Meloy (RandomCat)
Eight Simple Rules for Dating a Dragon by Kerrelyn Sparks (GenreCat--Romance, SFFKit--Historical Fantasy, AlphaKit--S)
Remote Control by Nnedi Okorafor (AlphaCat O)

All that's a lot, so we'll see how it goes!

I really enjoy your reviews -- the voice you write in is worth reading, even for books I have no interest in.

>85 RidgewayGirl:, Oh, thank you!!!

41. The Stepford Wives by Ira Levin (read for horror book club)

I'd somehow gone all this time without reading this book or watching a film of the same, though I knew the premise. I'm glad to have finally read it--I will say that--and I can even see myself looking up more of Levin's work. This one dragged for me some, though the last fourth of it flew by and had my pulse going faster. In some ways, I think that speed-up at the end made it a more effective read; though earlier passages had dragged in spots for me, the very mundane nature of them and the read itself mirrored an immersion of the town, so I can see why Levin crafted the book as he did. The story itself could have been shorter, but I don't think the effect would have been so impressive.

So, would I recommend the book? I think so. All told, I understand why this was a classic and I'm looking forward to more of the author's work.

42. Pin by Andrew Neiderman

This is a strange, strange book. Gothic in nature, and told in a style similar to that of V.C. Andrews (certainly helping to explain why Neiderman became the ghostwriter for her later books), Pin is an eerie, strange read that revolves around a brother and sister who live with the life-size dummy which their father once used for his medical practice. For much of the work, the reader questions what's real and what's not, uncertain even if there's a supernatural element to the book, or if it's only a matter of psychosis. As the book goes further, there's more and more material that will, at least, make any reader raise an eyebrow and feel a bit of shock. The depravity pictured here is obscene in many spots, and hard to read in some, so the book is an unsettling one.

I found that the end dragged, although I was pulled along non-stop for the first half of the book. At around the halfway to two-thirds point, everything became clearer (to me, at least--I know other readers in my book club who felt differently), so that I found the ending fairly predictable, and a lot less interesting than I might have hoped. I think Neiderman implemented so much foreshadowing that the end being predictable was in some ways a foregone conclusion, and especially considering how eerie and atmospheric and unsettling the beginning and middle had been, I would have expected more from the end.

I'm not sure I'll read more Neiderman. If you're tempted by this book, I will say that you need to go into it expecting to read some disturbing material; the book requires content warnings for incestuous behavior and non-consensual sex. If you've read V.C. Andrews' library at large, I don't think anything here will outright shock you--it's much the same style and touches on some of the same types of questionable behavior, without doubt--though you might be surprised by how blatantly perverse some of the humor here is.

43. Lost in the Never Woods by Aiden Thomas (Read for RandomCat & Diverse Perspectives #2 in June)

Thomas' reimagining of Peter Pan and Wendy Darling brings such a sense of reality and danger into the childhood story, it's truly breathtaking. Almost from the moment I picked this book up, I felt as if I was holding my breath--I was entranced by the story and Thomas' dynamic take on the characters, while at the same time somewhat heartbroken for whatever might be coming, knowing that the characters' very identities and situations meant that any possible ending would be difficult for someone, on some level. Around two thirds of the way in, I found myself clutching the book with tears running down my face, though there was nothing so sad going on the page, and I had to make myself take a break--I wasn't ready to come to the end.

The odd thing about this book is that it almost demands too much of a reader in some ways--it asks that you open yourself back up to the wonder of the story of Peter Pan, and engage with a child's wonder, while at the same time seeing everything as an adult--with attendant adult realities and heartbreaks sitting in the wings, demanding attention. As such, there's a weight to this book that I haven't often encountered, and at times it felt almost unbearable, in the most powerful way possible.

Thomas is undoubtedly a talented storyteller, and I look forward to reading more of his works, powerful as this one was. Granted, I wish the editors had taken a heavier red pen in cutting out some adverbs/telling, but for the most part, I really enjoyed his writing and style--particularly once I was a few pages in and the story picked up. Especially since this one relied quite a bit on the original characters built into the Peter Pan story, I'm anxious to see what he'll do with characters that are 100% his own creation.

Meanwhile, I absolutely recommend this book.

>89 whitewavedarling: Wow, that one sounds amazing! Adding it to my list - thanks for the great review!

>90 scaifea:, I'm glad! It really was fantastic--one of those that I finished and needed some time to think about before I felt like I could write a review, and then I kept putting the review off, I was having such trouble putting it into words!

One I read earlier this month, but couldn't be bothered to review at the time. It's the first one-star book I've bothered to finish in a while, which speaks to how easy a read it was, but I obviously can't say I enjoyed it....

44. Do Not Become Alarmed by Maile Meloy (read now for July's randomcat)

This was a fast read which I was excited to get into--unfortunately, I'm afraid my praise stops there, and I don't see myself picking up another one of Meloy's works.

There are a lot of issues with this novel, although I thought the concept was great. The first big issue is the characters--aside from being privileged and selfish (especially the adults), it's almost as if they've been created with the intention of making them as unlikeable and similar as possible. Aside from having different distractions, they talk/sound/think in the same way, which makes reading their perspectives and worries all the more tedious. The children, similarly, all pretty much sound the same, to the extent that I think Meloy would have been better off if she'd just focused on giving us a few perspectives rather than so many, as the sheer number of voices only make it all the more obvious that all of these characters are basically the same person cast in slightly different situations. The children are also, for the most part, pretty unbelievable, although there are moments that shine through as being something only a child would do/think. Unfortunately, those moments are rare, and although the children are more sympathetic than the adults, that's not saying much.

Besides taking some unbelievable turns, the big problem with the plot is how predictable it is. Simply, I thought there'd be more to it, and there wasn't. In fact, everything played out exactly as I would have expected it to, as of a few chapters into the book, so while an engaging, surprising plot might have overcome the flaws instigated by unlikeable, unsympathetic, self-involved, and spoiled characters, we just didn't have that.

It's possible that part of the point of this book is to put forward a privileged bunch of characters who get in the way of their own survival and happiness, and I suppose the author succeeded if that's the case, but I simply didn't enjoy this book, and as fast a read as it was, I'm afraid I can't really imagine recommending it to anyone. The primary emotion it drew from me was annoyance with the characters, and that's never a good thing to have to report.

And, to balance out that above horrid read... a book that I fell head over heels for. Book 2 in the series comes out August 17th, and I can't wait...

45. The Last Watch by J.S. Dewes (read now just because)

This is one of those novels that sucked me in with the blurb, and never let me go, to the extent that I can't wait for the sequel to come out next month. The premise itself is fantastic, and Dewes crafted both the plot and characters masterfully, offering just the right tweaks to space opera tropes and expectations. The book drew up every imagination I could have hoped it would, and even when I was heartbroken or terrified for what was coming, I still wanted more at every page.

Undeniably, the characters are what kept me turning pages long past my eyes tiring out each night, and the way the friendships (both new and established) bled off the page is something I haven't seen accomplished nearly so well in most fast-moving science fiction. It was that prioritization of the human element, alongside a fascinating and fast-moving plot, that so impressed me, and even now that I sit down to attempt a review, the truth is that I'm mostly preoccupied by the moments which most struck me, and by the fact that I've got to wait another month for the next installment in the series.

I would, without hesitation, recommend this to any lover of sci-fi or space operas.

Just catching up on your thread. :)

Good to see you here, >94 VictoriaPL:! And meanwhile, with this post, I'm FINALLY caught up on reviews I'd been neglecting lol!

46. Teatro Grottesco by Thomas Ligotti (read now for my horror book club--for anyone wondering, the work is in English, regardless of the title)

I've heard Ligotti can be an acquired taste, and also that this isn't an ideal first work to read from him; based on this introduction, it's easy to see that being true, but I do plan to try another of his works.

This collection was rather hit-and-miss for me. There were a few stories that I loved, particularly in the first two sections of the work. There were others that felt almost nonsensical, and I'm honestly not sure if that had more to do with the story/writing, my own patience with the stories, or the fact that I was reading this book straight through for a book club even though I suspect it would be much more enjoyable if the stories were spaced out in time. And, admittedly, there was still a third category of story, where Ligotti had me entranced right up till the last few pages, at which point it felt like things would either simply stop, anticlimactic as the ending was, or rush into some form of chaos that felt like it brought the whole story down.

All that said, there were moments where I absolutely fell in love with Ligotti's language and scenarios, dismal as most all of them were. I'm looking forward to trying him again, though I'll take a break first since one of my issues with this collection really was that it felt too one-note, and a bit heavier on atmosphere than story in some spots, which grew wearing after a while. I would certainly recommend horror lovers try him at some point, to see if he's their cup of tea, but I'm not so sure this is the book to start with.

Now that I'm caught up on writing reviews, I think it's about time to catch everyone up on the latest development in our home--and ask you all to wish us luck! It's exciting, but you may not be seeing me around as much for a while as chaos unfolds....

For a while now, my husband and I have been talking about getting a second dog, and having a lost dog stay with us for about a day (before we found his owner) confirmed that our aging hound would be happier with another dog around. I mentioned this to the woman who runs the boarding facility we take him to--she's like family, and basically runs a cage-free doggie hotel--partly to confirm with her what dogs she is/isn't allowed to board for insurance reasons. A few weeks later, when I was picking him up after the July 4th weekend, she mentioned that she'd heard tell of TWO dogs needing a home.

The dogs are being rehomed after living together and bonding for the last four years. Their owner--who should never be allowed to have pets again--has gotten a new boyfriend and decided that having pets 'no longer fits her lifestyle'; as a result, her two cats are being rehomed to her adult son...and her two large dogs need a home. One is a pure-bred German Shepherd who she got from a puppy mill (according to the sister who's trying to rehome them on her behalf, as the owner wanted to just drop them at a shelter); the other is a great dane/hound mix who came from a shelter, and is HUGE. Cue adorable picture...



We had a meet-and-greet between them and our hound, on neutral ground, last week--it went really well. Things have been moving slow because my husband and I had already planned on going on vacation over a long weekend this past weekend, but now we're moving full speed ahead. We're going to drop our dog off at his boarding facility (cage-free; lots of room to play...) this Friday, and the woman rehoming these two dogs is going to drop them off, as well. So, they'll live together there on neutral ground for 24 hours, and then my husband and I will go pick all three dogs up on Saturday.

We're really hopeful this is going to work, so all good wishes/vibes/crossed fingers are appreciated. The big question is how our hound--who loves other dogs, but is sometimes nervous around male dogs who are bigger than him--will react to them once they're on his home turf. I'm not worried about the shepherd. She's about 25 lbs lighter than our hound, and really small for her breed; she's the smallest shepherd I've ever seen. The dane mix is a gentle giant who just wants love, and the shepherd is the energetic one, which I think is going to work in our favor. I'm not worried about our cats--they're all live-and-let-live, and fine with dogs, and these dogs have lived with cats all their lives. So, we just have to see how all of the dogs do together. It sounds like our home is their one chance for staying together, and we're going to do our absolute best to make it work.

So, if you don't see me around here as much over the next few weeks, you'll know why!!! I know many of you are pet lovers, so I hope you'll wish us luck and send good vibes our way. With any luck, there'll be plenty of pictures and shenanigans to report in the weeks/months/years to come after a few weeks of controlled chaos!

(And if anyone has advice on introducing adult dogs into a home with adult dogs, I'll take it! We've already been told to walk them together as much as possible, and we're going to get some of their bedding in here today so that their scent will be here for our animals to get more used to and to welcome them in.)

>96 whitewavedarling: oh, wow! Congratulations! It seems you are doing many things to help the process go smoothly, I don't have anything to add but to say my best wishes that everything goes well.

>96 whitewavedarling: What a wonderful thing to do! Thank you for sharing it with us. You're going to have an entire pack. I agree about the cats. Ours love our dog, but somehow also consider her outside their realm of interest. And adopting four year olds is brilliant -- the puppy issues and excess energy issues are behind them, and now it's all love and walks and frolics.

Thanks, >97 VictoriaPL: and >98 RidgewayGirl:--we're excited! But yeah, I feel very lucky that they're 4 years old. Past puppyhood, but still young. Most of our other animals are on the older side, and bringing in another older animal who might soon need extra vet care would have been much more difficult.

Oh what gorgeous dogs! I'd love a dog, but because of my husband's allergy to their fur it's a non-starter, so I just have to vicariously enjoy everyone else's dog pictures.

They really are, >100 Jackie_K:.

Unfortunately, I'm heartbroken to report to everyone that it's not going to work out for us with the dogs. Even though the initial socializing went smoothly, they were mostly live and let live at that point. Today, when our dog Arthur started really sniffing and wagging tails and making friends with the smaller dog, the german shepherd, her long-time sibling got violently jealous/protective even though both of the smaller dogs were friendly/happy. Everyone is okay, though the big dog attacked pretty violently and our dog needed a few staples. He'll have a cone on for a few days, but he'll be okay. Mostly, we're all just shaken up by the fight and heartbroken for the dogs.

If anything, we just blame the dogs' original owner for not socializing them or having them around other dogs at all, because now it's clear that the big one is too protective of the other for them to be around them at all. There are a lot of humans on their side looking for a home where they can be rehomed together, though, so they'll be okay--they just won't be part of our particular family. Meanwhile, we'll get our sweet Arthur healed up, and then go back to the original plan of finding him a single-dog sibling this fall.

Anyhow, I appreciate all of you listening. I was so excited to share the expansion of our family. If anything, I thought things would go bad with our dog getting aggressive with the big one when they all got onto his home turf, but nobody predicted the lack of socialization would have led to this, the dogs have otherwise been so easygoing.

I hope you're all having a better day than we are.

>101 whitewavedarling: oh my friend, I know you are just wiped out by that rollercoaster of emotion. I had a dog who survived another dog's attack and it is so scary. I am so glad they are working to place the pair in another home. Belly rubs for your dear fur baby and hugs for you.

>101 whitewavedarling: Oh how sad for you all! I hope that Arthur heals quickly, and the other two find a forever home soon.

Oh no! I'm sorry that didn't work out :( I hope Arthur's back to 100% soon and that the other dogs find a nice home with owners who will help them become better socialized.

Poor Arthur! I hope that he mends quickly and well. Fingers crossed that the search for a canine buddy goes better in the future.

Sending healing thoughts to Arthur and hope that he is soon back to full health and that a doggie friend for him is just around the corner.

How disappointing for you and for Arthur. But the right dog is out there waiting for you and there's a family who will be right for the two others.

Thanks for the thoughts, friends. They're really appreciated.

It's been a rough few days; I think we've been recovering from the shock and scare of Friday as well as trying to move on from all of the hopes/expectations we had. We'd even bought a few extra dogbeds and food stations, which says just how optimistic we were, but the most important thing is that our Arthur is doing MUCH BETTER. He's basically back to his normal self, aside from being annoyed with us having to still do some wound care (hot compresses and whatnot).

And yep, we'll keep looking for a new canine friend for him. Our original plan had been to start looking in September since I've got a business trip in a few weeks, and then my husband and I have a short vacation to see family over a long weekend at the end of the month, so I think that's the plan now. And, of course, we have to get Arthur better first--he definitely thinks he's better, but there's still some recovery left to do.

And here's our Arthur, by the way--I don't post pictures of this ridiculous, sweet dog often enough. Him happy at the beach, and him watching me as I eat a dinner that he rather wanted for himself...

That's a quite some stare you're getting in the second picture!
Get well, Arthur.

>108 whitewavedarling: Awwww what a happy face! That's a Very Good Boy right there :)

>109 Helenliz:, He can be incredibly stoic when he wants to be! We joke that those dog statues you see sometimes, of hounds in tuxes holding up a plate for keys or whatnot in a doorway, were based off of him.

>110 rabbitprincess:, He is a very good boy :)

Thanks for the well-wishes, all. He's doing so much better--other than the bandage, he's back to his old self.

Meanwhile, reading updates...

The book I was most excited for this month ended up being a DNF. As far as my book club goes--it seems like everyone either loves it or hates it (some to the point of DNFing), but it seems like everyone agrees this isn't the author's best. I probably won't give the author another shot after this one.

47. The Final Girl Support Group by Grady Hendrix (read for my horror book club)

I was so excited about this book, but I ended up giving up on it about 50% through--and to be honest, I probably would have given up and DNF'd at closer to the 25% mark if I hadn't been reading it for a book club. This is a book that I'd say is more clever than good--and if you're super-familiar with all or most of the slashers Hendrix uses as reference points, and don't mind a horror read being more campy fun and easter egg-hunt than anything else, you might love this. My husband enjoyed it, but he's seen most of the slashers over and over again, to where he got all of the references easily. I did not, and learned most of them through book club discussion...but I'm afraid that only made me think less of the book, as it felt like it had been more of a game/challenge on the author's part than a fully conceptualized and developed novel. So, to put it bluntly... I'm not impressed.

Part of the problem is POV. In the first section especially (of the 1.75 I read), the first-person narration happens at such breakneck speed, the whole story really has no emotional depth. If it's all the one same beat, with every moment constantly being driven by the mentality of 'I must survive'. It's exhausting, and maybe Hendrix was doing it to make a point, but it made for an exhausting read that didn't have any emotional depth. The second issue is character action; there are a lot of moments/decisions that are far more campy than believable. In a slasher, that might work really well. In a novel, at least for this reader, they only made for a more and more frustrating read. And, as I kept going, the main POV character not only got less believable, but less redeemable, with the surrounding characters' actions and decisions also becoming progressively less believable.

I'm afraid there's no way I could recommend this book, and it's probably going to be a hard sell for me to try another Hendrix read.

48. In the House of In Between by J.D. Buffington

Anyone who's attempted to study bad houses or sentient houses or haunted houses will tell you that it's a difficult undertaking, simply because blurbs and articles tend too often conflate the terms 'bad house' and 'haunted house'--and until reading this book, I'd have said that there was a firm line between 'bad houses' and 'haunted houses'... but Buffington has blurred it masterfully.

The concept at the heart of this book--which I can't give away, it would be such a spoiler--is not only original and smart, but one which makes for a fascinating read. Buffington's careful exploration of what 'the house if in between' offers and is pulls a reader into the mystery in a way that positions them with all of the characters explored here, and there soon reached a point in the book when I couldn't look away. If you're a fan of either haunted houses or bad houses, I have to recommend it.

That said, this wouldn't be a fair review if I didn't mention a few elements that make the read slightly difficult. One is structure--I think the structure is justified and worth working to understand, but because of the jumps it takes, it does make for a slower engagement. Buffington's writing is fast and smooth, though, so working to understand the structure isn't the undertaking it could be in a longer or more generally difficult work. I am sure it will throw off some reader, however, though I'd hope they'd push past it. The other thing I have to mention is, unfortunately, editing--or, rather, a lack thereof. The story is solid, but especially in the first fourth of the book, there were regular enough copy-editing mistakes that I couldn't help being distracted. In fact, I have to admit that they bothered me so much early on, I seriously considered DNFing the book and not bothering to finish. I'm glad I got past them and kept reading--and I'm honestly not sure if the mistakes came less often as I got further into the book or if I was just so wrapped up in the story that I didn't notice them so often--but this is another element that I simply have to mention since I know it makes a read all the more difficult and frustrating for some readers (including myself).

All told, though, I truly enjoyed this book, and although it was my first read from the author, it won't be the last. I look forward to seeking out more in the near future.

>108 whitewavedarling: What a gorgeous boy! He wants me to tell you that he clearly deserves more treats.

49. Eight Simple Rules for Dating a Dragon by Kerrelyn Sparks (Read for 'S' AlphaKit, GenreCat, and SFFKit)

Sparks' Embraced series is simply a lot of fun. The characters are engaging and likeable, the plots are fast-paced, the writing is pretty great, and there's plenty of humor and action to go along with the romance. This book was no exception, and I'm glad I saved it for the proverbial rainy day since it was an easy and enjoyable read to sink into.

I will say that I'm not so sure this book lived up to the earlier books in the series. Enjoyable as it was, and as great as the romance was, the characters felt a little bit less developed and interesting than those at the center of the last few books. The side characters also came off as stereotypes more so than in the earlier books, and made me more cognizant of the fact that so many of Sparks side characters in this series (women, especially) are painted as stereotypes that are exaggerated for the sake of humor more so than feeling real within the story. I'd have preferred if some of them were a bit more believable and less exaggerated/silly, even if that had lessened the humor in the book, but I should say that I haven't read enough of her other books to know if this is a trend that shows itself in her other series.

That said, I still really enjoyed this work. I couldn't read these all the time, but as an occasional Princess-Bride like jaunt into easy, fantastical romance and adventure, this was a great book to have on hand. For readers who want a light-hearted paranormal romance that's heavy on both romance and humor, with plenty of adventure to spare, I'd recommend this series.

50. Jagannath by Karin Tidbeck (read now for 'J' alphakit)

Collections can be hit and miss, but this collection of Tidbeck's speculative stories is everything a reader could want in such a collection--the tales are unique, fresh, and ripe with characters and concepts that will stick with a reader long past the book has been closed. Even the themes which come up repeatedly are treated in such unique and interesting ways that there's no repetition felt, and what's especially impressive is that the shorter stories in the collection are just as striking as the longer ones. Among the stand-outs in the collection for me were "Beatrice" and "Who is Arvid Pekon?", as well as "Rebecka"--and these are among some of the shorter stories in the collection, though I think I'll come back to read them repeatedly.

I'd absolutely recommend this collection to all lovers of speculative fiction, as these stories have the depth and freshness of the best high-concept novels out there in all of the best ways possible. I'm a fan of Tidbeck for life after reading Jagannath.

51. Remote Control by Nnedi Okorafor (read for 'O' alphakit in July, reviewing late)

Nearly from the first page on, I couldn't put down Okorafor's Remote Control. The poetry of Okorafor's prose, paired with the brilliant vision of character and plot, makes for a book which rings with all of the heart and breadth of a classic fairy tale, but through the offering of a fresh and ecologically aware tale built for today's world and reader. As short as the book is, there's a depth of thought that makes it feel far wider than it is in terms of the world it creates, and the main character is as otherworldly as she is important to be read.

I'd absolutely recommend this to any reader of speculative fiction or science fiction.

52. The Tribe by Bari Wood (read now for horror book club)

Bari Wood's The Tribe lives on a borderland between horror, cultural critique, and suspense novel, sharing spirit and concepts with novels of Jewish Magical Realism--in fact, it might belong there more than in horror, where the Paperbacks from Hell label places it--but I'm glad to have discovered it, regardless. Although there are moments in the writing itself that definitely come across as dated to the 70s/80s, especially in relation to stereotypes and, to a lesser extent, gender, the book's story and writing overall stand up well and offer a fascinating blend of genre. What's potentially most impressive about the writing is the way in which Wood blends Jewish culture, belief, and legend together without weighing the book down, whereas particularly poignant moments that feel all too real add to the realism she achieves here.

All told, this book has made me a big fan of the author's, and I hope the Paperbacks from Hell reprinting allows many more readers to discover it. It's not quite like anything else I've read... and I rather loved the journey of it. Absolutely recommended.

And, a rant to round out the reviews I needed to catch up on (because while those above books were 4-5* reads for me, this next one was a 1*...)

53. Aetherbound by E.K. Johnston

I should start out by saying that I did not finish this book. I called it quits around the 50% marker when I realized that the further on I read, the less I wanted to continue. I'd actually considered DNFing much earlier, but kept pressing on because I belong to a book club that's reading it. In the end, that wasn't enough to keep me going.

Beyond that, the first thing I want to mention is Content Warnings, though they didn't affect me discontinuing my read. I respect authors/publishers who include them, but where they're included, I expect them to be accurate--and I've never really had an issue with them until now. This book opens with the following content warning: "This book contains a scene of medical violence. Characters also obsess about food and count calories." So, fair enough... right? Not so much. The problem is, this content warning doesn't begin to touch on the material in the book which is actually questionable and potentially alarming for readers. Perhaps the author or publisher didn't want to give anything more away, but considering how early the other issues come up, I think that's a laughable excuse. And, in truth, I'd respect the author and publisher more if the content warning simply read: "This book contains potentially triggering material. Please consult a website such as Storygraph or warnings on so-and-so page if this concerns you." Because, at least to me, it's actually fairly insulting that the content warning for this book reads so specifically, but doesn't bother to mention, just as a for-instance, human trafficking, child abuse, forced insemination... ... and the list goes on. And these aren't just single-scene issues; these are outright themes within the book that directly affect the main characters and control their destinies. (For a full list of content warnings, by the way, you can check out Storygraph or read the reviews being put up on various sites that do a lot more to list them than the book itself.)

But as I said, that's not why I was inclined to stop reading. (Though, truly, I found some of the content to be handled so bluntly and without care that I was offended, and put the book down with a pit in my stomach--and very little offends me, I promise. But it takes nuance to handle some themes, and there's no nuance in this book.)

Much of the first half of the book is rife with info-dumps, where we get large passages devoted mostly to world-building. Perhaps they'll all turn out to be important, but they're included so clumsily and are so overbearing that much of the detail won't be remembered by the average reader who wants an actual story. In between the world-building, though, there's not a lot of story--and the truth is that what story we get has a lot of flaws. There are small contradictions in the world-building itself that translate into contradictions within the story (as a small point to give an example: How can the main character have no spare time, but also spend all of her spare time in a particular place? And how can she be said to have no education, when she's being educated by another character? Or have no worth when at the same time we hear about exactly what her worth is?). In other words, a lot of the smaller details just don't line up. In what I read of the book, there wasn't much plot, but I wasn't impressed by what I saw.

Either way, the first half of the book feels more like a mini-biography that's more focused on showing us abuse and world-building, and telling us how bad the main character has it, as opposed to actually telling us any sort of story with a clear trajectory. Once the story does take off, at about the halfway point, we get another large swath of world-building and then, as suddenly as possible, a slew of events that not only don't get developed with any depth, but don't really make sense if you stop for a few seconds to really consider either character or plot. Without going into spoiler-level detail, let's just say that the main character agrees to a deal that will accomplish EXACTLY what we were led to believe she was trying to get away from. And for a character whose whole early life was centered on abuse after abuse, she's awfully quick to trust, making her doubly unbelievable. It's hard for me to think that anyone with any understanding of abuse victims or psychology will actually believe in the characters here without having to suspend their disbelief over and over and over again, and considering that there isn't much plot, and the book depends on characters to draw a reader along... well, yeah, that's an issue.

I haven't read any of this author's other work, though I've heard good things about it and I also attended a talk from her that I really enjoyed. This book, though, has a lot of problems. The themes brought up here require far more nuance and depth in order to be discussed with any sense of respect or reality, whereas the presentation here is fairly messy. In a lot of ways, this read like an attempt to offer a YA Dystopian telling of the Handmaid's Tale, but with a messy sort of YA-Contemporary approach set in space. And, at least for this reader, it didn't work at all.

To be honest with you, I can't imagine either finishing the book or recommending it, though it was recommended to me. I'm honestly not sure if I'll give Johnston's work another shot or not--this book was a big miss for me.

54. Plot by Claudia Rankine (Read now for GenreCat)

A few years back, I was blown away by Rankine's collection, Don't Let Me Be Lonely. That book has lived in my head ever since I read it, and in some ways, it redefined how I thought about contemporary poetry collections. So, knowing that, you can imagine and take into account how high my hopes were for Plot...which didn't really live up to that other reading experience.

Another tightly themed and progressive collection, Plot centered on a journeyed discussion of pregnancy, childbirth, related individual choice/bodily autonomy, and artistic identity. Already, these isn't a theme that I'm able to connect to as much as I could connect with Don't Let Me Be Lonely, and it's possible I just wasn't the right reader for this book. Admittedly, I picked up the collection only because of the poet's name, not even bothering to read the blurb (if I had, I perhaps would have picked up one of her other collections). Rankine's poetics are as powerful and gorgeous as ever, but I found it more difficult to connect to this book than Don't Let Me Be Lonely. I suspect that's due to me as a reader vs. Rankine's work here, which is undeniably impressive.

In the end, this may well end up being a book I come back to or recommend, but I'm more anxious to explore more of her other work.

55. The Secret of Ventriloquism by Jon Padgett (read now for horror book club)

As a gently linked and themed collection of horrific short stories (and I use 'horrific' in the best, most applause-heavy sense possible), Padgett's The Secret of Ventriloquism gets progressively creepier and more powerful as it unfolds for a reader. I was hooked almost from the moment I dove into the first story, but when I got to the middle of the book, where I read "20 Simple Steps to Ventriloquism" and "The Infusorium", I became a fan of Padgett's for life.

Collections like this can fall or succeed on an author's deftness and nuance when it comes to walking that tightrope between offering too much repetition in theme/link, or not enough--because seeing that a link was attempted and fell short can be as awkward as one being pressed too heavily upon a reader--but Padgett was nothing short of masterful in allowing these stories all to stand on their own while also building and building to a progressively more powerful and uncanny premise and depiction of the world created here. Some of these stories are ones I'll come back to, both to enjoy and learn from as a writer--"Origami Dreams" certainly being among them--and I'm certain I'll find myself recommending this book over and over again in the future.

If you like your doses of creepy horror to leave you on edge and impressed with an author's deft moves and gorgeous prose, pick up this collection.

Absolutely recommended.

56. Whisper Down the Lane by Clay Chapman (read now for horror book club)

This book starts off with a creepy roar, and it never backs down after that. Chapman's writing hooked me right away, bringing to life a horrifyingly believable story based on the Satanic Panic and its effects. The parts of the book which are hardest to believe are the ones ultimately based in fact, too, which makes the book that much more terrifying. As a novel, though, the book demands to be read once it is begun--I found it almost impossible to put down, and the movement between timelines and characters was so smooth, with a surprising and satisfying end, that the whole reading experience was fantastic.

I absolutely recommend this book.

57. Black Sun by Rebecca Roanhorse (read now for RandomCat and SSFKit)

This is a sprawling, powerful read, and I'm glad to have discovered the author. Roanhorse's prose is gorgeous, and the blending of fantasy with concrete reality here is masterful in every detail, from textures and nature down to human nature and prejudices. It did take me some time to get into the book for the same reason that this ended up being a slightly uneven read for me--I found two of the POV characters' stories and voices incredibly compelling. The third, though, introduced the reader to so many different characters and cultural details, I found that that particular POV character's sections felt more like work and simply weren't as enjoyable. I suspect that if I'd been given more time to get to know that character, rather than learning so much through her, this would have been a five-star read for me, but as it was, those sections did make the read rather uneven for me. That said, I think I will probably pick up the next book in the series, and I'll certainly pick up more of Roanhorse's work.

58. Hummingbird Salamander by Jeff VanderMeer (read for 'V' alphakit)

A fast and twisty eco-thriller, Hummingbird Salamander packs a ton of story into a fast-paced read. I loved the blend of intrigue and climate/ecology-awareness, and the story kept me guessing. I'd say that reader of VanderMeer's Southern Reach trilogy will devour this, and I'm personally glad to have read it. I will say that something about the voice of this book put me off a bit--I'm not sure if it's that the voice was a little bit overdone for me, or if I just couldn't connect to the main character like I wanted to--but I still enjoyed the book and would recommend it. It's not my favorite of VanderMeer's, but since his earlier works have set a high bar for me, that only means so much.

Recommended as a great speculative thriller.

59. Shadowland by Meg Cabot (read now because of a non-LT recommendation)

I was so confident I'd enjoy this book, I bought the first two books in the series at once. I'm sorry to say I wasted my money, and absolutely would not recommend this series.

There are two big issues. The first and simplest is derogatory language. For a young adult book published in 2004 and reprinted multiple times sense, this book has a disturbing amount of casual homophobia/'gay jokes' and, to a lesser extent, fat-shaming and bullying. The fact that the jokes/comments are made casually as asides, are clearly meant to add humor, and come from characters who are supposed to be sympathetic... well, I don't have any patience for it. If I had read this when I was a teen, in the late 90s, I'm not sure I would have noticed the fat-shaming or bullying for what they are, vs. them just being elements that make the main character unlikeable for me, but I know the homophobic comments would have bothered me even then, when CWs and a lot of the more contemporary PC discussions re. literature were far off my radar. Now, reading the book in 2021, the casual comments made me both unable to like the main character, but outright annoyed that the comments and jokes slipped through as they did and haven't ever been corrected.

But beyond the offensive jokes, the book also has story problems, primarily around character consistency. What it comes down to is that all of the details simply don't add up. We're told that she's been a mediator since she was two and has a ton of experience...but, to be blunt, she doesn't act like it. This isn't just a matter of her boasting to others and the reader, and being a little bit full of herself--that makes her less likeable, certainly, but in making her choices and interacting with ghosts and others who can see them, she literally doesn't act like she has the experience which we're told she does, either in her decision-making or her language. To avoid giving away any spoilers, just one small for-instance of this is in the fact that she approaches ghosts herself, when she could just as easily ignore them and says that's what she'd prefer (repeatedly), and she also seems annoyed/frustrated/confused when a centuries-old ghost doesn't understand her use of contemporary idioms. Someone accustomed to talking to ghosts, as she'd professed, would know that and be used to avoiding them, especially when it comes to idioms that would be in common use for a conversation between her and a ghost (idioms centered on death & dying, in other words). Yet, she really acts like it's her first time talking to a ghost. And supposedly she's never been a popular girl...but she sure acts like she was/is and is used to it.

I'm not entirely sure how readers made this such a popular series or found ways to sympathize with the main character, honestly. For the most part, I wavered between finding her unlikeable and unbelievable, if not outright annoying and unrealistic. I actually thought about DNFing the book, but because I was curious about how one element would be wrapped up in the plot, I decided to read this one to the end. That sequel that I bought, however, will not be read, and I can't see myself wasting my time on this author's books again, much as I dislike saying that.

No, I would not recommend this book.

Slowly, slowly, slowly working to catch up on reviews...

60. The Drowning Kind by Jennifer McMahon

It shouldn't have taken me as long to read this book as it did, but the truth is that there just wasn't much holding me to the book. The first fifty pages and the concept sucked me in immediately, but then the tension fell away almost completely. The way McMahon structured the book, switching between two timelines, probably made for a more interesting read in some ways and brought more depth to what's a relatively simple story, but it also kept tension from building effectively. Just when I'd find myself invested in the creepiness offered in one timeline, I'd be brought back to a fairly mundane moment in the other timeline. With the book feeling somewhat predictable in trajectory, that lack of tension made it a tough read for me, despite engaging characters and smooth writing.

The last fifty pages or so read quickly and hooked me again, but most of the middle of the book left me underwhelmed, at best. I'm not sure if I'll be picking up another McMahon book or not after this one.

61. Ghost Girl by Ally Malinenko

Malinenko's Ghost Girl is a fun, dark romp of a book with fantastic characters and storytelling. It grabbed me immediately, and then it packed so much into this one story that I found myself feeling it was all the more real and unable to put it down. I loved that so many threads and themes were pulled together as they were, and the fact that Malinenko didn't shy away from tough conversations and themes made it all the better. I'd absolutely recommend this book to anyone who likes paranormal middle grades (for themselves or their kids!), and I'll be looking for more from this author.

Absolutely recommended. This was a five-star read for me.

62. The Roo by Alan Baxter

A fun romp of a horror book, this is a meeting of everything I love about JAWS, but in a violent meeting with Tarantino style. If you pick up this book about a killer kangaroo in the Outback, seeing that cover and looking for horror, you're bound to get exactly what you're looking for, and it's kind of fantastic. Short and fast-moving, this is absolutely something you can read in one sitting, and it has so many characters that it's probably better if you do. If this sounds interesting to you, pick it up--you won't regret it.

Recommended.

And, full reviews written (as I catch up) for...

63. The Memory Police by Yoko Ogawa (4.5* for me)

64. The Fortress by S.A. Jones (4* for me)

65. Zeke and Ned by Larry McMurtry and Diana Ossana (read now to complete personal alphabet challenge)

I admit I'm probably not the right audience for this book, so I'm sure that plays into my lackluster review... but at the same time, I was excited to give this a go, and on all counts, it fell pretty far short--most of all in the writing.

McMurtry is so well-known that I expected this to be a worthwhile foray into the genre even if it ended up not quite being for me, but instead, I couldn't help feeling the book was over-written. Rarely did a scene go by without there being needless repetitions, and it too often felt like backstory was being included simply because the author happened to think of including it--not for any purpose that moved plot or developed character/story. I suspect I would have found the book to be far more dynamic and enjoyable if it had been about 20% shorter, and that has nothing to do with the genre.

At the same time, while I have no problem with a simple story, I needed something more to compel me to come back to the book. Finishing it was more an act of will than an act of interest (for me) simply because I found the characters to be so unsympathetic in the way McMurtry and Ossana drew them. Even where I could understand them, I really couldn't appreciate or root for them, and that went for even the characters who should have been completely sympathetic (but weren't). The flatness of the characters was a big part of the problem, but it sometimes felt like McMurtry and Ossana were going out of their way to make the characters unlikeable, and while I'm guessing it may often have been in attempts to bring in humor, any such effect didn't work for me. Passages that I think were meant to be found funny just rang as either cruel or pathetic, over and over again, and I too often felt as if the writers were making fun of the characters or belittling them more than engaging readers or them.

So, all told, I wasn't impressed. I'll certainly give some more Westerns a try... but it won't be from these authors.

66. Perfume by Patrick Suskind (read now for horror book club)

Suskind's writing paints such a vivid story, and engages the senses so beautifully, that there's a great deal to admire in this book. Getting swept along by the language, it's easy to fall into the grip of Suskind's storytelling skills and read a hundred pages of this book at a stretch. For that, I truly admire it. At the same time, I admit I felt a bit of a disconnect from this one, and as much as I could get swept along by the writing once I picked it up, I never felt any particular pull to come back to the novel once I'd put it down--in fact, if I hadn't been reading this quickly for a book club, I imagine it might have lingered on my reading shelf for months rather than only a week.

The story here is simple, but the character is so unsympathetic that I think one almost has to be compelled to keep going by the language, the incredible world- and character-building, and simple inertia. There's also a great deal of humor to be found in the book, and in the end, I'm glad to have read it. On some level, it felt like what Flannery O'Connor might have written if told to write a horror novel or gothic set in 18th-century Paris, but with as flowery a style as she could force herself to adopt. And I love O'Connor, so that's a compliment... but this book did read as a bit overly long for me, and I wish I'd felt more connected or had a better understanding of the main character.

All told, I'm glad to have read it, but I'm not sure I'll pick up another of Suskind's works.

I've been way behind on posting, but I'm slowly starting to catch up on reviews! So, in that spirit, here are the books I've reviewed this morning (all November reads):

67. Drawing Blood by Poppy Z. Brite (5* read)
68. Moon Dance by J.R. Rain (2* read--won't continue with series, though it might be a better fit for other readers)
69. One for the Money by Janet Evanovich (3* read--might continue with series, not sure)

I'm still three books behind, and have too many books I'm halfway through, but I hope to catch up soon!

Still catching up:

70. Bite by Laurell K. Hamilton and other authors (collection of paranormal romance novellas) (3.5*)
71. Don't Look Now by Mary Burton (4*)
72. Vanishing Girls by Lisa Regan (4*)

(Reviews written for all!)

And, finished catching up! Review written for #73: Magical Midlife Madness by K.F. Breene (4*)

This veers more into humorous fiction territory than what I normally read, so it took me a while to get into the book. It wasn't quite paranormal romance or horror or humor or women's fiction, and was a lot sillier than I'd expected, and I really just wasn't sure what to make of it--so much so that I couldn't decide whether or not I'd read the sequel until weeks after finishing it! But, that said, this is a funny book with an entertaining story, characters that are easy to root for, and a great pace for escapist fiction. If there's a downfall, it's that it's trying to do so much so fast, and pulls from so many different genres that it sometimes feels like the book is trying to cover too much territory in terms of story and tone.

Still, I did enjoy it, and although I'm going to have to be in *just the right mood* for the sequel... I am going to pick it up. If you want a funny, smart, paranormal story that is, if anything, a bit fast, I recommend this one.

74. The Witch King by H.E. Edgmon

There's a lot packed into this book, and in ways that make it tough to review. Edgmon has worked hard to tackle tough conversations, celebrate diversity in all forms, introduce nuanced characters with real concerns over both identity and story, and also begin a uniquely positioned story that should satisfy readers of fantasy, whether YA or Adult. That's a lot, and it's also incredibly admirable. At the same time... at least for me, it was a bit too much for one book, and there were definitely times where it felt like Edgmon was trying to fit *everything* into this one book rather than allowing conversations and discussions the room to grow over a series.

That said, Edgmon is a fantastic writer, and when I could get lost in this world, I truly got lost--the magic, the description, and the characters themselves sucked me into the world and kept me there each time I picked the book up. I especially loved how there was a meshing of the everyday with the fantastical, and lived for the moments when the characters would run up against magic and/or otherworldly elements.

So, in terms of the story itself, I think it's fantastic, and the characters themselves are fascinating. The issue (for me) is that so much focus gets placed on identity and on one-to-one understanding of each other's identities in the book, whether in regard to use of correct pronouns or prejudice or identity struggles/transformation, those conversations often take over the story and begin to feel somewhat heavy-handed as a result. There is also some issue with the characters remaining who they are and only who they are. It is, on one hand, great to see a bunch of diverse characters who are accepting of each other and themselves for who they are. On the other hand... there wasn't a lot of character development here--it was more about particular characters seeing that they actually were accepted. On some level, I suppose that can be called growth, but with characters being prioritized over plot in this book (at least to my way of seeing it, since the story felt far simpler than the size of the book would suggest one might expect), I'd expect more. And when I think about what I loved about this book, the truth is that those things I loved didn't take up as much space as I wish they had because there was so much focus on identity politics/positioning.

So, on the whole, how do I feel about the book? I'm not sure. I respect what Edgmon was trying to do here, and there's nothing about the story, characters, or positioning that put me off. For me, it just kept coming back to the fact that the balance felt off--as if there was too much Contemporary focus inside what was meant to be a fantasy that could, at least to some extent, help me escape the real world. The magic and fantasy got a lot less attention than personal identity, and while I respect that choice/balance, it definitely brought the reading experience down for me, to the point that I'm really not sure if I care to pick up the second book.

If you're looking for YA Fantasy that celebrates diversity and LGBTQ+ identity in a positive, impactful way, then this book is a fantastic choice. Even better if you also like Contemporary YA.

>135 whitewavedarling: It is, on one hand, great to see a bunch of diverse characters who are accepting of each other and themselves for who they are. On the other hand... there wasn't a lot of character development here--it was more about particular characters seeing that they actually were accepted.

Thanks for this! I didn't love Becky Chambers's The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet for the same reason, but I couldn't put my finger on it until now. I seem to be in the minority with that opinion, though!

>136 christina_reads:, I've heard of that one, but haven't gotten around to it! But yeah, it took me some thinking to figure out what bothered me about the characters in this one, but when I hit on it, it was an oh-yeah moment for me, too.

75. Caliban's War by James S.A. Corey

A fantastic follow-up to the first book in the series, this was another that sucked me in and kept me turning pages. I did feel a lag with a few of the viewpoints, which I didn't feel in the first book, but the story and other POVs kept me tied in and engaged. On the whole, I'm looking forward to the third book in the series.

76. Behold the Void by Philip Fracassi

This was an up and down collection for me, though there's no denying that Fracassi is an incredibly talented writer. The stories are varied and interesting, with just enough thematic connections that the collection doesn't become boring--however, the longer stories that are closer to novella length dragged along for me, so that although I loved many of the shorter stories, the longer ones that required the most time/commitment just didn't live up to the standards of the shorter ones. I'd revisit the shorter ones in a heartbeat... but the longer ones, not so much. I should also note that while some of the story notes at the end were really interesting, there were others that made it feel like the author was trying to put words in his stories' mouths--making them more than they were, or telling the reader what they were meant to understand, which I didn't love.

All told, the collection ended up leaving me with mixed feelings only because of the two long stories, and I wish they'd had the same surprise and urgency developed in the shorter stories.

77. God in the Shed by J-F. Dubeau

I've got incredibly mixed feelings about this book. On one hand, Dubeau's writing and story engaged me right from the beginning, and the premise is so interesting that it kept me hooked ever at points where the book lagged a bit. On the other hand, part of the problem here was that the book was drastically in need of editing down--overwriting was a serious problem throughout the book, whether it came down to head-hopping offering more POVs of a scene than necessary or the author feeling the need to 'tell' what he was already showing, or scenes that simply could have been quite a bit shorter and had more power as a result. So much detail and overwriting went into nearly every scene, the story just didn't have the momentum it should have--and so, in the end, it felt like it had been far too long even though the conclusion and climax had themselves felt rushed and a little bit unsatisfying (more like the first book in a series vs. the stand-alone I thought it was when I began reading).

I don't know. I'd probably give the author another try, but not if it was another book through this publisher since I think editing was one of the big problems here, as the book could have been a lot stronger if the over-writing had been cut down on and the ending given more heft.

78. Thriller: Stories to Keep You Up All Night edited by James Patterson

The short truth is that this book was an incredible disappointment, and I can only assume that the publisher relied on the names themselves to sell the book. And there's no denying that the big names--more generally accustomed to writing novels vs short stories--are part of the problem.

Far too many of the stories make no attempt at all to offer real characterization, instead seeming to assume that readers will already be familiar with the characters from the authors' larger collection of work. This is made clear in story introduction after story introduction, and I have to say that the editor and publisher would likely have ended up with a far stronger collection if they'd asked authors to come up with stand-alone stories that didn't rely on already known characters for effect and character depth. I have to assume that the reliance was a too-easy crutch, but for readers like myself who were unfamiliar with most of the authors' work, it made for awfully flat reading. Additionally, the editing was incredibly lacking, as if not much more than a proofread was offered. Perhaps the authors were missing the hands of their normal editors, but either way, the stories were rife with cliched phrasings, comma errors, and over-writing; from being familiar with some of the authors' work, I can honestly say from those few stories that the quality of the writing itself in their stories wasn't up to the standard set by their novels.

All told, I found the stories fairly flat, predictable, and lacking when it came to depth of either character or story; in the cases where there was depth, the stories tended to be so cluttered with extra detail--going overboard in showing the authors had done their homework on terrorism, geography, or police procedures, often enough--that the story and character ended up getting lost.

I can't really find anything to recommend this collection, in all truth, and although I enjoyed a few of the stories, those were a rare few. I won't pick up another collection edited by Patterson, no doubt, and I'll leave this one with a bad taste in my mouth.

79. Red Mandarin Dress by Qiu Xiaolong

The beginning of this installment in the series started off a bit slowly for me, I suspect because of the time spent with characters other than Chen himself. I don't enjoy being attached to the other characters so much, especially when it comes to Yu and his wife, and for a while it felt as if they were actually going to be the focus here more so than Chen. By the midway point, though, the book evened out for me and felt more like earlier works in the series, so that I could get lost in Chen's investigation and other concerns. I wouldn't say this is the strongest in the series for me, but I still enjoyed it and look forward to reading more of the series.

80. Strange Candy by Laurell K. Hamilton

These stories are fun, vibrant escapes into territory that Hamilton fans will recognize. A number of the stories are stand-alones, unrelated to her novels, and those are probably my favorites here, full of magic and humor and clever turns. There are also stories connected to the worlds in her novels, and although I'm not sure how much those will resonate with readers not already familiar with the worlds, I certainly enjoyed them. One disappointment is that although the cover says the book boasts an 'all new Anita Blake Vampire Hunter Story', that story is actually the same one which was printed in the Bite anthology.

Still, a fun and worthwhile collection I'd recommend for fans of fantasy and urban fantasy and Hamilton alike.