2019 book 118

Annalee Newitz's The Future of Another Timeline
Newitz's latest novel is a time travel story, which you know is my jam. The premise here is that at some point humans discovered weird machines embedded in the earth that allow time travel, and in the near future there are specialized fields of academia that study it. And amongst those academics are a secret group of feminists who are trying to fix the past from the meddling of a RIVAL group of male time travelers who are MISOGYNIST, and are rolling back the rights of women (I definitely wished for a little more subtlety from this novel, in general). But one of the feminists is also secretly visiting HER OWN PAST. I did like this a lot, there are some super interesting and some fun parts, but definitely wanted more from the ending. A-/B+.


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A review copy was provided by the publisher. This book is available now.

2019 book 117

Rainbow Rowell's Wayward Son
I don't want to spoil anything about this, so I will just say that the promised road trip is pretty awesome, Rowell totally zags where I thought she would zig, and there had BETTER be another book on the way. I was totally caught up while reading this but I don't know if it brought me as much JOY as its predecessor (few things do, though). I had better read it again so I can be sure. A/A-.

2019 book 116

Casey McQuiston's Red White and Royal Blue
I was rereading this for book club, and I think I liked it even more the second time! It’s got a super cute and compelling romance, characters you're invested in and rooting for, great secondary characters, interesting family relationships and friendships, politics, and more! Plus it is super funny and heartfelt. Just a book that fills your whole heart.

2019 book 115

Rainbow Rowell's Carry On
I HAAAAD to reread this, because the sequel comes out ON TUESDAY (pleeeeease let there be Justice For Lucy). I’ve read this several times and never stop being totally delighted and totally caught up in Rowell's take on Harry Potter/magical schools/chosen ones. Just great characters, a great romance, great friendships and families. And Agatha, the only sensible magical girl ever. I LOVE THIS BOOK and can’t wait to read the follow-up.

2019 book 114

Lisa Goldstein's Ivory Apples
Goldstein's latest centers on young Ivy, the oldest of four sisters, whose great aunt is the reclusive author of a famous fantasy novel. But maybe it’s not all fantasy? And maybe the young woman befriending the girls isn’t what she seems? I found the narrative voice and Ivy's journey compelling, but felt that her sisters were underserved by the story (especially Amaranth). The end also felt a bit abrupt. I did like the fantastical elements a lot; this is a strong entry into the mysterious magical book genre. A-/B+.

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A review copy was provided by the publisher. This book will be released tomorrow.

2019 book 113

Laura Weymouth's A Treason of Thorns
Weymouth's second novel, after A Light Between Worlds (which I liked a lot), is . . . fine. It's set in some historical version of England where magic is channeled through five Great Houses that keep the country healthy and prosperous. Our teen girl protagonist's father, a Caretaker of a House, was arrested for treason years ago; now she is returning to try to restore the house etc. There is also a teen boy at hand--her father's ward, with whom she grew up. The premise is interesting, I just thought the plot and characters were on the cliched side. I did appreciate the princess character and her relationship with the protagonist, and that a pair of minor characters are explicitly Jewish, but on the whole I felt kind of meh about this book. It's one of those ones that I was like, "hmm should I stop reading? But maybe it will be good?" and I didn't even have the enjoyment of hate-reading it just to write a scathing review. Just waiting for the inevitable conclusion. B.

2019 book 112

Agatha Christie’s A Pocket Full of Rye
I’m still periodically reading Christie's mysteries (this one manages not to be racist, thank god). The story here starts when a businessman is POISONED—and why are there a bunch of grains in his pocket?? It's an okay mystery —Miss Marple makes an appearance but there isn’t enough of her, and the solution is not too hard to figure out. Just not as compelling as some of her others. B.

2019 book 111

Margaret Atwood's The Testaments
Ooh y'all, the unexpected sequel to The Handmaid's Tale is here, and it lives up to the hype. It's set fifteen years after its predecessor, narrated by two young girls who've come of age in this new order--one a cherished daughter in Gilead, and one a regular girl up in Canada. There is also a third narrator--Aunt Lydia, from the first book. Eventually, their stories start to come together, and there are some really great women friendships and rivalries and some potent moments here. I will say that I kiiiiiiind of felt like this story cheapens the original book and its powerful ambiguity. It’s a great book, don’t get me wrong, but I am not sure it’s a /necessary/ one.

If you're wondering how this reads to someone who stopped watching the show after the third episode (too upsetting, and then I heard it went off the rails in season two): I kind of felt like I was maybe missing stuff, but nothing crucial. I did read an interview that implied this and the show share a continuity, or at least Atwood made sure the show didn't contradict the book. But it reads fine on its own. A/A-.

2019 book 110

Goldie Goldbloom's On Division
So this is a novel about a Chasidic woman in their enclave in Williamsburg, and how her life is upended when she discovers she is pregnant at the age of 57. Goldbloom is clearly a part of the Chasidic community so the details and characterizations are spot on. This is just a beautifully written and moving book about family and community, particularly a community that values homogeneity. I think a lot of reviews will be talking about “a look inside a community you never see” and exoticizing that aspect, but it wasn’t written for that purpose. It was written to be the story of a woman at a crossroad, and it’s wonderful. A/A-.

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A review copy was provided by the publisher. This book will be released on September 17th.

2019 book 109

Jacqueline Woodson’s Red At The Bone
Woodson's Another Brooklyn was one of my favorite books in recent years, so I was super excited for this one, her second novel for adults. It didn’t quite resonate with me as much, but I still thought it was great. It centers on the family of a teen girl, doing a coming of age ceremony, and flashes back and forth through time as various relatives narrate their stories. The story touches on class issues, race issues, family, education, and more. I did wish for a little more, especially of Iris. I’ve seen comparisons of Woodson's adult novels to Toni Morrison's and I don’t totally disagree, but a lot of Morrison's works feel meatier. Still, this is a very strong book and a quick and engrossing read. A/A-.

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A review copy was provided by the publisher. This book will be released on September 17th.

2019 book 108

Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale
I had to reread this because the sequel is out on Tuesday! I always forget how beautifully written and structured this is, and tend to only remember the grim reality of the world. And of course, really this is a story of the struggle to survive (mentally and otherwise) a horrible situation. This merits rereading for sure, not just to get all the details and things you've forgotten, but because once you know the framing device (or that there even is one), it does feel more optimistic. Anyway, great literature, fingers crossed that the sequel lives up to it.

2019 book 107

Becky Chambers' To Be Taught, If Fortunate
Chambers' latest is a stand-alone; I don't think it's set even in the same universe as her Wayfarers books (which is to say: you can read this even if you haven't read those--though you SHOULD read them). It's set in the semi-near future, and centers on a crew of four astronaut-scientists exploring some habitable exoplanets far, far away (thanks to exciting feats of bioengineering etc). I don't want to really describe the plot, such as it is--this is more of a sort of character study, and a study of the wonders of the universe, and connections between people, and the people left behind. I will be thinking about this one for a while, for sure. A/A-.

2019 book 106

Jasmine Guillory's Royal Holiday
Yesss, it’s another super cute Guillory romance! This one starts off when Maddie, the stylist from the previous books, has to go to England over Christmas to style THE DUCHESS, and brings her mom! Who immediately meets the Queen's dishy private secretary and an attraction blooms. I really enjoyed reading a romance with two fifty-something black people, and this also avoids a lot of the miscommunications that bothered me in Guillory's earlier books. Plus there are lots of scones and horses and formal invitations. Great stuff! A/A-.


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A review copy was provided by the publisher. This book will be released on October 1st.

2019 book 105

Alice Hoffman's The World That We Knew
Hoffman's books are hit or miss for me, but this one falls more on the hit side for sure. How could it not, when one of the main characters is a woman golem created by a rabbi's daughter and a mother desperate to protect her daughter in 1941 Berlin???? Like, talk about Alicia catnip! The other characters were slightly less enthralling to me—a girl being protected, two boys she meets in Paris, the rabbi's daughter, various members of the Resistance, etc. I did find some of the scenes very moving (particularly the interlude in a convent hiding Jewish girls, and most of the scenes involving the angel of death) but wish less of the story rested on a teen romance. Still, I loved the golem and her character arc, and really liked the end. More books with awesome Jewish folklore, please! A-.

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A review copy was provided by the publisher. This book will be released on September 24th.