Kate Atkinson’s Big Sky
The fifth Jackson Brodie book finds Jackson . . . oh who cares about that, REGGIE IS BACK! And it’s ten years later and she's a police detective!! I mean, Jackson is also there, doing the private eye thing with his teen son in tow, and there's a human trafficking ring and ALSO a ring of pedophiles, so that is all pretty grim. I’m not sure this was a mystery, per se, but it’s interesting to watch all the pieces come together. And all of the POV characters are interesting, especially Reggie and the trophy wife of a local bigwig. (Give Reggie a spin-off series!) The framing sections felt a bit shoehorned in but I liked them just the same. I do hope to see more with these characters. A-.
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A review copy was provided by the publisher. This book will be released in June.
Monday, April 29, 2019
Saturday, April 27, 2019
2019 book 56
Kate Atkinson's Started Early, Took My Dog
The fourth Jackson Brodie book is rough going—neglected children, gruesome crime scenes, lots of talk of serial killers, etc—but there is a very good DOG in it (Atkinson writes great dogs!). I actually am not sure what I want to say about this one, it leaves me feeling all in a muddle.
The fourth Jackson Brodie book is rough going—neglected children, gruesome crime scenes, lots of talk of serial killers, etc—but there is a very good DOG in it (Atkinson writes great dogs!). I actually am not sure what I want to say about this one, it leaves me feeling all in a muddle.
Friday, April 26, 2019
2019 book 55
Kate Atkinson's When Will There Be Good News
One of the things I'm noticing on these rereads is the way Atkinson starts these books and how the initial scenes just draw you right in. And I love how the story comes together here—I had a friend say recently that all the coincidences in these books bother her, but I think it works better here than in the second one. Anyway, all of that is overpowered by my love for REGGIE, who a wonderfully determined and funny girl. I would watch hours of a Jackson-Reggie buddy cop series (featuring the actors from the actual BBC show, of course).
One of the things I'm noticing on these rereads is the way Atkinson starts these books and how the initial scenes just draw you right in. And I love how the story comes together here—I had a friend say recently that all the coincidences in these books bother her, but I think it works better here than in the second one. Anyway, all of that is overpowered by my love for REGGIE, who a wonderfully determined and funny girl. I would watch hours of a Jackson-Reggie buddy cop series (featuring the actors from the actual BBC show, of course).
Wednesday, April 24, 2019
2019 book 54
Kate Atkinson's One Good Turn
The second Jackson Brodie book revolves around events and people at the Edinburge Fringe Festival--a sad-sack crime novelist, the wife of a crooked businessman (she's my favorite), a terrible comedian, a policewoman dealing with a teenage son, a mysterious road rage incident, a dead girl lost beneath the waves, etc etc--and Jackson finds himself caught up in the middle of things. And it’s all very chaotic and sometimes even funny before it comes to a wild and satisfying conclusion!
The second Jackson Brodie book revolves around events and people at the Edinburge Fringe Festival--a sad-sack crime novelist, the wife of a crooked businessman (she's my favorite), a terrible comedian, a policewoman dealing with a teenage son, a mysterious road rage incident, a dead girl lost beneath the waves, etc etc--and Jackson finds himself caught up in the middle of things. And it’s all very chaotic and sometimes even funny before it comes to a wild and satisfying conclusion!
Monday, April 22, 2019
2019 book 53
Kate Atkinson's Case Histories
Atkinson has a NEW JACKSON BRODIE BOOK coming out this summer, the first in eight years, which means I have to reread the first four to get ready! Not that I'm complaining; this is a compellingly-written and moving series of well-plotted mysteries. In this first one, private detective (and former cop) Jackson Brodie deals with a series of cases involving murdered or missing women and girls—and is tormented by one from his own past. The stories are all resolved in a satisfying way to the reader, and leaves one eager to see what Brodie will get up to next.
Atkinson has a NEW JACKSON BRODIE BOOK coming out this summer, the first in eight years, which means I have to reread the first four to get ready! Not that I'm complaining; this is a compellingly-written and moving series of well-plotted mysteries. In this first one, private detective (and former cop) Jackson Brodie deals with a series of cases involving murdered or missing women and girls—and is tormented by one from his own past. The stories are all resolved in a satisfying way to the reader, and leaves one eager to see what Brodie will get up to next.
Friday, April 19, 2019
2019 book 52
Laila Lalami's The Other Americans
If I have any complaints about Lalami's earlier novels, it's that they were sometimes a little bit dense, but this one was getting great reviews so I wanted to give it a chance--and I found it VERY readable, with great writing, while still touching on serious themes. It centers on the death of an immigrant from Morocco in a hit-and-run; was it an accident or not? And it's narrated by a really interesting cast of characters--primarily the man's daughter and wife; a childhood friend of his daughter, a war vet who is now a sheriff's deputy; and an illegal immigrant who witnessed the death; but there are others as well (including the man himself, as flashbacks). I did find the antagonists somewhat clumsily written (or maybe I just don’t spend time with openly racist white people and so it just seemed that way), but otherwise this was a beautiful book. A/A-.
If I have any complaints about Lalami's earlier novels, it's that they were sometimes a little bit dense, but this one was getting great reviews so I wanted to give it a chance--and I found it VERY readable, with great writing, while still touching on serious themes. It centers on the death of an immigrant from Morocco in a hit-and-run; was it an accident or not? And it's narrated by a really interesting cast of characters--primarily the man's daughter and wife; a childhood friend of his daughter, a war vet who is now a sheriff's deputy; and an illegal immigrant who witnessed the death; but there are others as well (including the man himself, as flashbacks). I did find the antagonists somewhat clumsily written (or maybe I just don’t spend time with openly racist white people and so it just seemed that way), but otherwise this was a beautiful book. A/A-.
Monday, April 15, 2019
2019 book 51
Melina Marchetta's The Place on Dalhousie
Don’t mind me, I’m just over here blubbering about the latest novel from Marchetta! This is the third of her books set in the world of Saving Francesca and The Piper's Son; the kids are now in their mid-twenties, so I guess we're out of the YA realm now. Jimmy is the focus of this one—along with the girl he's impregnated, and her stepmother, who are feuding over the house her father built. As usual, the plot is interesting (and has a couple of surprises), but it's the characters that really shine. I just love all these kids and their friendships and love for one another, and now they support each other. I don’t see that enough in books. Anyway, I loved this, of course. A.
Don’t mind me, I’m just over here blubbering about the latest novel from Marchetta! This is the third of her books set in the world of Saving Francesca and The Piper's Son; the kids are now in their mid-twenties, so I guess we're out of the YA realm now. Jimmy is the focus of this one—along with the girl he's impregnated, and her stepmother, who are feuding over the house her father built. As usual, the plot is interesting (and has a couple of surprises), but it's the characters that really shine. I just love all these kids and their friendships and love for one another, and now they support each other. I don’t see that enough in books. Anyway, I loved this, of course. A.
2019 book 50
Melina Marchetta's The Piper's Son
God, I love Marchetta's characters and this world she's built. This takes place I think five years after Saving Francesca, and focuses on Francesca's friend Tom and his family--which fell apart after a tragic loss, and is struggling to come back together. Just gorgeous writing and compassion here, and a lot of humor as well. SO GOOD.
God, I love Marchetta's characters and this world she's built. This takes place I think five years after Saving Francesca, and focuses on Francesca's friend Tom and his family--which fell apart after a tragic loss, and is struggling to come back together. Just gorgeous writing and compassion here, and a lot of humor as well. SO GOOD.
Sunday, April 14, 2019
2019 book 49
Jessica Day George's The Queen's Secret
The second book in the Rose Legacy series is more fun magical horse girl adventures, though things are serious this time around, as the horse brigade tries to stop a deadly disease from spreading. I think the plot here could have been a bit better developed, and the villain's villainy is WAY over the top, but I liked the lady scientists and of course still love all the horses and their riders! Cute series for sure, I look forward to seeing how the next one turns out. B+.
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A review copy was provided by the publisher. This book will be released in May.
The second book in the Rose Legacy series is more fun magical horse girl adventures, though things are serious this time around, as the horse brigade tries to stop a deadly disease from spreading. I think the plot here could have been a bit better developed, and the villain's villainy is WAY over the top, but I liked the lady scientists and of course still love all the horses and their riders! Cute series for sure, I look forward to seeing how the next one turns out. B+.
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A review copy was provided by the publisher. This book will be released in May.
Saturday, April 13, 2019
2019 book 48
Melina Marchetta's Saving Francesca
I'm rereading this old favorite because Marchetta wrote a THIRD book featuring these characters, currently winging its way to me from Australia, and I need to brush up before it arrives! Anyway, I straight up LOVE this book and these characters dealing with their messy teenage lives (and a mother dealing with serious depression). Just funny and sweet and sad and really moving. Great stuff.
I'm rereading this old favorite because Marchetta wrote a THIRD book featuring these characters, currently winging its way to me from Australia, and I need to brush up before it arrives! Anyway, I straight up LOVE this book and these characters dealing with their messy teenage lives (and a mother dealing with serious depression). Just funny and sweet and sad and really moving. Great stuff.
Friday, April 12, 2019
2019 book 47
Nell Freudenberger's Lost and Wanted
As of the time of this writing, this book is the "#1 best seller in ghost fiction" on Amazon, which I didn't even know was a category, but ok. I think Freudenberger is an underrated author, but this book may do something to change that, because it's great! It's narrated by a physicist who is receiving communications from the phone and email accounts of a recently deceased friend. It's also about being a woman in a male-dominated academic field, about the friendship between the women, about grief, about sexism and racism, about motherhood, and about physics. I found the narrative voice here really engaging and really did think this was GREAT. A.
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A review copy was provided by the publisher. This book is available now.
As of the time of this writing, this book is the "#1 best seller in ghost fiction" on Amazon, which I didn't even know was a category, but ok. I think Freudenberger is an underrated author, but this book may do something to change that, because it's great! It's narrated by a physicist who is receiving communications from the phone and email accounts of a recently deceased friend. It's also about being a woman in a male-dominated academic field, about the friendship between the women, about grief, about sexism and racism, about motherhood, and about physics. I found the narrative voice here really engaging and really did think this was GREAT. A.
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A review copy was provided by the publisher. This book is available now.
Wednesday, April 03, 2019
2019 book 46
K. Chess' Famous Men Who Never Lived
Literary novels about things like multiverses are my catnip, y'all. This one centers on Hel, a woman whose version of America was beset by terrorism and nuclear war, so when a portal to our version was created, 156,000 people made it through before the world apparently ended on the other side. Now Hel is obsessed with why the timelines split, and with starting a museum to preserve her world's lost culture. Meanwhile, her partner is more interested in assimilation. I thought this was a really interesting book--great concept and world-building--but it kind of went off the rails for me a little bit. Like I needed it either to settle on being an action-packed sort of story or a psychological one. I did like it a lot--I found the end to be satisfying--but parts of the middle felt a bit muddled. Still, a cool take on multiverses, if you are into that sort of thing! B/B+.
Literary novels about things like multiverses are my catnip, y'all. This one centers on Hel, a woman whose version of America was beset by terrorism and nuclear war, so when a portal to our version was created, 156,000 people made it through before the world apparently ended on the other side. Now Hel is obsessed with why the timelines split, and with starting a museum to preserve her world's lost culture. Meanwhile, her partner is more interested in assimilation. I thought this was a really interesting book--great concept and world-building--but it kind of went off the rails for me a little bit. Like I needed it either to settle on being an action-packed sort of story or a psychological one. I did like it a lot--I found the end to be satisfying--but parts of the middle felt a bit muddled. Still, a cool take on multiverses, if you are into that sort of thing! B/B+.