2016 book 29

Tamora Pierce's First Test
I needed a bit of a mental palate cleanser after that last book, so was glad to see the library had added a Tamora Pierce series I'd never read! I was a little put off at first--basically the first thing that happens is that a giant spider monster EATS A KITTEN--but by the end I was super into it. It focuses on Kelandry, the first girl who wants to train to be a night after the famous Alanna--but everyone is a super sexist jerk and they put her on probation and make her prove herself! But of course she wins everyone over with her skill and niceness, and beats the crap out of the dudes who are jerks. Yeah!!! Girl power!! I did wish Pierce had been a little more creative with her world cultures, because there are weird stereotypes re: East Asia and the Middle East, but nothing /too/ awful. And there are some really nice warrior women (including the protagonist's mom!) AND an amazingly adorable flock of sparrows. Good, fun stuff. A-.

2016 book 28

Alexander Chee's The Queen of the Night
This book has gotten so much positive buzz, but I . . . did not love it. Maybe the article on the theory of adaptation has ruined books for me? The protagonist and her love interest are certainly guilty of insta-love; also, she definitely describes the breasts of other women on more than one occasion. MALE AUTHORS, amirite? It's also that, although I found her story interesting, I never actually CARED about her or anything that happened to her. ANYWAY, this is the story of an opera singer, inspired by a real historical singer, rising to fame as the Second Empire of France is falling, and what happens when she is approached about starring in a brand new opera--which happens to be the exact story of her secret past! The first 2/3rds flash back and forth in time, to varying effect; things move along better toward the end, but like I said, I never really cared about anything that happened. Maybe it was all of the specific discussion of many, many operas--I am not at all interested in opera and this book would have been a lot shorter without all that (and I do think it could have been shorter). The writing and plotting are all very operatic, too. In retrospect, I was not the ideal reader for this book.  B.


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

2016 book 27

Anna Richland's His Road Home
This was a pretty cute and not-too-cheesy contemporary romance about an Army medic in Afghanistan who has to invent a fiancee for Reasons, and choose a random woman from his hometown--and then when he's badly wounded rescuing a little boy, she gets the call. I love the fake engagement/marriage trope, so this was right up my alley, and I thought their relationship built realistically. I also liked that both characters are minorities and he's a disabled vet, but it feels really natural--no one is beating me over the head and screaming "diversity!!" like they're all proud of themselves. Everyone in this book is super sweet and charming. And it's just 99 cents! B/B+.

2016 book 26

T. Kingfisher's The Raven and the Reindeer
Ursula Vernon's latest book under the T. Kingfisher moniker (for books intended for older audiences) is her take on the Snow Queen fairy tale--and no surprise, I liked it way better than Frozen! Vernon has a distinct gift for creating animal companions--seriously, so many GREAT animals in this one. Some good people too; I particularly liked the plot development that happened about halfway through involving a mysterious young woman. And of course the main character is likable. But the animals! Ha. A-.

2016 book 25

Mary Balogh's Lady with a Black Umbrella
A few of Balogh's out of print books have been reissued as e-books this week, and this one looked like it might be delightfully silly. And it WAS. There's a rich dude, and he's robbed and getting beat up by hooligans, when he is rescued by a tiny woman with a large umbrella! Who then pays all his debts! Which is humiliating for him, and he dislikes her, but they're thrown together b/c she wants help in introducing her younger sister around for the Season. It is honestly really funny in general--it's an older book, so there are a few off notes (a villain threatening rape, the hero jokingly threatening to beat the heroine, etc), but on the whole everyone in this book is likable and nice and it's a pleasant read. Seriously, I loved this heroine so much, she was all about rescuing gentleman, puppies, and prostitute--and nothing was gonna stand in her way. Heh. B+.

2016 book 24

Jeannette Winterston's The Gap of Time
So, this publisher Hogarth has commissioned a bunch of great writers to do "cover" versions of Shakespeare plays--upcoming ones are by Howard Jacobson, Anne Tyler, and Margaret Atwood. I'm not super familiar with Winter's Tale, so came into this book pretty fresh and unbiased. It's set in modern times, with various kings and queens of the play being transposed into big banking business guys, video game designers, chanson singers, etc. Unfortunately, the writing just doesn't feel polished enough--the black characters' POV sections feel really false/flat, and the use of conversational Yiddish from the Jewish character is completely over-the-top. None of the dialogue feels natural (maybe that's b/c . . . Shakespeare?). One character's name is occasionally misspelled (Zeno instead of Xeno). Like, this is a high profile project from a prominent author, how did it not receive the utmost attention to detail? Also, and this is not Winterston's fault, but it is just so hard to sympathize with Shakespeare's mad kings. I really liked her author's notes on the text, but this was just not super compelling to me. That may be an issue with the source material, though. B.

2016 book 23

Kaitlyn Greenidge's We Love You, Charlie Freeman
Well, this book was kind of crazy. I actually had to put it down for a couple of days because I was so stressed out about things that MIGHT happen to the characters. But let me back up: this is the story of an African-American family, chosen to live with/raise a chimpanzee at a research institute--chosen because they know sign language. But the institute has a troubling past, and flashbacks to their early studies reveal some distressing things. It's also has a coming of age element regarding the two daughters who are supposed to treat this chimp like their brother, but who have a lot of other stuff going on. There is a really interesting examination of racism in America here, along with family issues, sexuality, and scientific ethics. I definitely wished there was a little bit MORE here--I think the last third could have used a little more padding--but on the whole, this was a very strong debut. A-/B+.

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

2016 book 22

Gavriel Savit's Anna and the Swallow Man
The first thing I'm going to say is addressed to publisher marketing teams: don't compare a book to a really great and well-loved bestseller like The Book Thief, because the new book will not benefit from such heightened expectations. The second thing I'm going to say is that I definitely judge books set during WWII with a more jaundiced eye, because there are so many of them and they all want to be Important. So, I guess, take this review with several grains of salt. It's the story of a little girl in Poland in 1939, and what happens when her linguist father is taken away (they don't seem to be Jewish, so apparently for political reasons) and she encounters the mysterious Swallow Man and winds up accompanying him on his journeys. I feel like this is going for a dreamy fairy tale-ish vibe, but it also doesn't really shy away from the horrors of war, and particularly the horrors faced by a growing girl during war, so that didn't always mesh well for me. (Don't worry, the Swallow Man isn't rapey, but plenty of other men in this book are predatory, so warnings there.) I also kind of felt like the book just STOPPED, as opposed to ending. Seriously, what happened at the end? I was just left hanging. Ugh. Why was this book so over-hyped? It's not really satisfying at all. I mean, it's ok, but really. B.

2016 book 21

Jacey Bedford's Winterwood
There is kind of a lot going on in this book, but it's all my jam, so let me bust into caps for a moment: MAGICAL HISTORICAL STORY ABOUT A WOMAN WHO IS A CROSS-DRESSING PIRATE CAPTAIN AND ALSO A SECRET WITCH! Like whaaaaaaat, that is amaaaaazing. Oh, ALSO, she is being haunted by the ghost of her beloved husband. And then she comes into possession of a magical mysterious box of a macguffin, not to mention a half-brother who's also half rowankind (sort of a magical person-like thing who is sort of enslaved?), and they're being pursued, and there's all sorts of magical stuff going on. Honestly, I liked this a lot, but I've already sort of forgotten half the things that happened b/c it's a bit meandering--like, this could have been a lot tighter and more effective. But there's some fun stuff going on, even if the heroine is a dope a lot of the time. She's still really cool and sympathetic, and the world-building here is really interesting. It looks like this is the start of a series, though this works perfectly well as a stand-alone. I'll definitely be checking out the next one. B+.

2016 book 20

Tessa Hadley's The Past
Hadley's latest is one of those stories about a mildly dysfunctional British family--the four siblings, now grown, have reunited at their grandparents' house to decide what to do with it, and there are various relatives and hangers-on about the place. I /did/ wish that there wasn't so much involving a dead dog--like, I just could not deal with it, at all--and some of Hadley's writing is a little bit showy (plus she multiple times has people overhearing voices but not making out the words, it's a little repetitive). But the characters and their relationships are all compelling enough, and things improve when Hadley flashes back to the (titular?) past in the second half. This was interesting and enjoyable enough, it just feels like a lot of other books I've read before. B.

2016 book 19

Libby Cudmore's The Big Rewind
I finished this book a little while ago, and still can't decide what I think about it. It's the story of Jett, a 20-something in Brooklyn, temping instead of following her dream career as a music journalist, part of an extremely hipster-y community--when one of her friends/neighbors is MURDERED! But like, it's not a straight up mystery; it could just as easily be a sort of New Adult/women's fiction story, because so much of it is Jett thinking about old relationships, and music, and mix tapes (this book VERY MUCH nails young romance, music, and the connections therein). So it's sort of both of those kinds of stories, but also neither? Which is cool? But confusing? I definitely wished this actually had been more of a mystery. I want to see a series where Jett sets up as a hipster PI. I would read the hell out of that. B/B+.


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A review copy was provided by the publisher. This book will be released on February 2nd.

2016 book 18

Jeffe Kennedy's The Talon of the Hawk
Before I even START writing about the story here, I want to say that the cover is like one thousand percent offensive. Ursula is a bad-ass, competent warrior princess and she would not be wearing a strapless top! Come on! Anyway. This is a disappointing follow-up to the first two--I hadn't mentioned this, but the characters have a religion with three sister goddesses, each an analogue for the three sisters of the story, and that is all pretty interesting. There's also a theme with each sister gradually losing her loyalty to their father, and I was interested to see how that would play out with Ursula, his heir. But the romance here actually kind of put a damper on the plot--it doesn't feel as natural as the other two, just the love interest constantly cajoling her about being into him (and it's not like she's not attracted to him, but like, after the first ten times she expresses her disinterest, maybe leave her alone a little). (I also admit to kind of hoping she'd be into the helpful librarian lady who's been hanging out for all these books, but heteronormativity carries the day.) Their mostly-bickering romance just takes up too much room in the story, especially compared to the previous books. And it turns out there is also a lot of troubling abuse in Ursula's past, and of course only the love and touch and reassurance of a man can cure the princess of her sadness and make her see her worth. It's like this fun series suddenly got super dark and I am not into it. And then all the political stuff I thought this series was building to is addressed in like five pages--very anti-climactic. Sigh. B/B-.

2016 book 17

Jeffe Kennedy's The Tears of the Rose
The second book in the Twelve Kingdoms trilogy takes on the story of the youngest princess--the famous beauty--and picks up where the first left off, with that princess mired in grief and pregnant. At first, she's not as interesting as her sisters, but she's still fairly compelling. I liked that the story is sort of how she learns to wield political power, though wish that wasn't spurred on by a dude being kind of mean to her--and of course he's her love interest. Like the first book, I actually liked the romance here--I think these books are billed as romances but the romances aren't the main thing--there's so much else going on!--and so it's nice when things sort of work out. This one ends on a doozy of a cliffhanger and so of course I'm going to immediately read the third one (I admit to also being curious about the romance intended for the warrior sister). Side note, these books have a fairly silly narrative voice that is trying to meld "old fashioned" sort of writing with modern slang. I'm not sure how on purpose any of that is, but it does sometimes knock me out of the story, and it was especially egregious in this one. Still, it's a FUN read, so that goes a long way. B/B+.

2016 book 16

Jeffe Kennedy's The Mark of the Tala
The first book in Kennedy's Twelve Kingdoms series is your typical epic fantasy--three princesses, each more beautiful than the last, the oldest is a strong warrior, the youngest beloved, and the middle one feels invisible. At least until she meets a mysterious man and finds out there are a bunch of family secrets to uncover, not to mention a lot of political intrigue and romance at hand. I did like the romance here, actually, though the sex scenes have some laughably bad terminology (the stuff we all like to make fun of in torrid romance novels). Oh, and there are shapeshifters! It's all just on this side of goofy but I liked it a lot anyway. And it's just $2.51 for Kindle right now!  B/B+.

2016 book 15

Jacqueline Winspear's Journey to Munich
I've been thinking a lot about the last book in the Maisie Dobbs series, and I almost wish Winspear hadn't burdened Maisie with so much personal tragedy--it would have been interesting to see her try to balance her crime-solving abilities with a more traditional/happy life. Instead, this book finds her traveling to Munich in 1938 to try and get a British industrialist out of Dachau (on behalf of the British secret service, no less), which of course gets complicated. I found a lot of this to be implausible, wish Maisie would give fewer monologues, and was surprised by where Maisie is when the book ends--but I'll probably keep reading. B.

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

2016 book 14

Jacqueline Winspear's A Dangerous Place
The eleventh Maisie Dobbs book features s bit of a time jump, as we find Maisie in Gibraltar during the Spanish Civil War, trying to recover from a plethora of personal tragedies. (This book is definitely on the downer side--not recommended if you're looking for a fun cozy.) And of course, she has almost literally stumbled on a dead body--a young Sephardic Jewish man, a photographer. Did he see something he shouldn't have? And are things ever that simple for Maisie? All of this needs to be taken with like twelve grains of salt, but it's pretty entertaining and I definitely still enjoy the characters. B/B+.

2016 book 13

Susan Dennard's Truthwitch
I feel like this book has gotten a ton of positive buzz, but I was not super into it? It's the start of a four-book series and there is a LOT going on: there's interesting world-building, where people are different kinds of witches/have different kinds of powers (over wind, water, iron, and more esoteric things), and the main character is the titular rare and valuable truthwitch, who can sense when people lie. There's also a lot of political stuff going on, some magical prophecy stuff, some GREAT friendship stuff (the protagonist's best friend is very interesting and I especially liked their partnership), some romance/burgeoning romance, family stuff, etc etc etc. It felt a lot longer than it was, somehow, and the writing was a little awkward (definitely needed one more pass with a proofreader--a few comma errors, and, more egregiously, confusing "elicit" with "illicit"). I was a little more into it by the end but maybe that was just pop culture Stockholm Syndrome (as per Alan Sepinwall). B.

2016 book 12

Jessica Chiarella's And Again
Well, this was a excellent and entertaining novel about four people in Chicago, members of an experimental medical study wherein terminally ill patients are provided cloned--and cured--versions of their bodies, and their memories are implanted in those new bodies. But fresh starts aren't easy, and the four--a young painter, a congressman, a woman who's been paraplegic for eight years, and an actress with HIV--all have complicated lives made more complicated by their situation. This was a really fun and interesting read, very well-written--I mean, the publisher compares it to Never Let Me Go which may be on point thematically, but I don't think this story is trying to be a literary tour de force or anything. Anyway, I liked it. A/A-.


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

2016 book 11

Jenny Downham's Unbecoming
Downham's latest (after Before I Die, among others) centers on three generations of women in a complicated family in England, and what happens when teenage Katie's estranged grandmother is diagnosed with dementia and comes to live with Katie's family. And I mean, Katie has a lot going on--she has recently kissed her best friend, and while she's trying to figure out if she's gay, she's being ostracized at school, plus her newly-divorced mother is majorly stressed out, and her brother has an undiagnosed disorder. It's mainly the story of Katie and her grandmother, their burgeoning relationship, and how Katie is helping record her grandmother's memories--which in turn reveals the life of Katie's mother. It's all pretty beautifully written and moving, and if the end is a little bit too neat, well, these characters deserve it. A/A-.

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

2016 book 10

Deanna Raybourn's The Dark Enquiry
The latest book in Raybourn's Lady Julia Grey series finds Julia and Brisbane and the usual crew on a case that involves her oldest brother--and a murdered medium. I really, really wish that by this point, Brisbane and Julia could just be badass partners solving crime together, and not fighting about it every five minutes, but I still liked this one better than the last one. Lots of fun twists and turns. B+.

2016 book 9

Deanna Raybourn's Dark Road to Darjeeling
It hadn't come up in my little reviews of the previous books in this series, but one of the things I liked about it was the main character's relationship with her favorite sister, who happened to be a lesbian. Anyway, her partner has decided she wants to be a mother and live a conventional life, and gone to India to get married--and then her husband dies and she's worried it's murder, and she and her unborn child are in danger! So the whole motley crew heads to India to figure out what's up, and there are suspects and period-appropriate Orientalism galore. I do wish that the main couple would work together a little better at this point, and stop bickering--sometimes it felt like it was there just to pad out the plot. And I am a little leery of Raybourn's treatment of her gay characters between this one and the first one. There's only one book left in the series, so of course I'll read it, but this one was a little disappointing. B/B+.

2016 book 8

Deanna Raybourn's Silent on the Moor
The third Lady Julia Grey mystery is just as delightful as the first two (I mean, if you can call a series delightful that deals so much with murder and the seedy underbelly of society), as our cast of characters finds themselves at a crumbling manor on the moor in Yorkshire--it seems our love interest now owns the place, but the previous occupants are still there, and everyone has a whole lot of secrets. And mummies. I have been rooting hard for the romance here, so this was a little bit heart-in-my-throat, but lots of action, intrigue, Bronte references, etc. Good stuff! A-.

2016 book 7

Deanna Raybourn's Silent in the Sanctuary
I was in the middle of a book I was quite enjoying when I read the first book in the Lady Julia Grey series, and I was feeling it so hard that I immediately bought the second, which was just as enjoyable! In this one, Julia and many relatives and friends are all together at her father's converted abbey for a house party and for Christmas when there is a MURDER. I like that Raybourn takes her time setting the scene and introducing the characters and their dynamics before then, though. It makes things much more engaging. I am really into this series and glad my mom recommended it to me! And I'm sure I'll get back to that other book . . . when I've read all of these. A-.

2016 book 6

Deanna Raybourn's Silent in the Grave
This was a Kindle daily deal a couple of days ago, and my mom thought I would like it. And I did! It's a mystery set in Victorian England, first in a series, centering on a young woman whose sickly husband has died, and she assumes it's his heart ailment--at least until a private detective hired by her husband tells her he thinks it may be murder. I really liked the writing here, and only correctly guessed some of what was going on, which was all pretty interesting. I also really loved the protagonist's large and eccentric family, and found the romantic tension between the protagonist and the detective to be well-handled. I am definitely going to read more of this series. A-.

2016 book 5

Charlie N. Holmberg's The Glass Magician
One of my number one pet peeves in YA lit is when kids run off to do something dangerous when adults are RIGHT THERE, waiting to help them. It turns out I also hate that when it's adults who are untrained magicians. In the first book, circumstances worked so that it all made sense; in this one, the protagonist is just dumb. On the other hand, my main complaint about the first one was that the relationship (teacher/apprentice and otherwise) between the two main characters needed more build-up, and we do get some of that here, plus she gets properly yelled at for being dumb. Thumbs-up! But it kind of has a majorly bummer ending, thumbs-down. I'm not sure if I care enough to read the third one--have any of you read this series? Is it worth finishing? B.

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The Amazon Affiliates program is legal in NC again, so I'll be linking to books from now on, and will get a small percentage if you purchase one. Just FYI!

2016 book 4

Charlie N. Holmberg's The Paper Magician
This was a pretty cute, though occasionally gory, historical fantasy, centered on a young woman who's just graduated at the top of her class at magic school, and she wants to work with metal (each magician can only work with one man-made material), but is instead assigned to work with PAPER, ugh, so boring. Except of course it's not, and her mentor is a handsome young guy, who unfortunately is being targeted by BAD MAGICIANS so she obviously has to save the day. I obviously was super into her dog, A+ adorable animal writing here. B+ otherwise. All three books in the series are 2 bucks each right now for Kindle.

2016 book 3

Alissa Johnson's A Talent for Trickery
Smart Bitches, Trashy Books was raving about this the other day, and it pretty much lived up to the hype! It's a Victorian romance-cum-mystery (well, more of the former than the latter), centered on the daughter of a famous thief and con-man, who after his death took her younger siblings and set up as a respectable family under an assumed name, and the police detective she used to work with, now a viscount, who needs her help solving a murder. Of course they are super into each other and it's all very cute, though it DOES interfere with the detecting a bit. Anyway, I liked them and their relationship, both romantically and in terms of crime-solving, and it looks like the next book in this series will be about her sister and one of the guys he works with, and that looks like a lot of fun too. B+.

2016 book 2

Sara Pennypacker's Pax
Y'all, purchase a box of Kleenex before you read this book, because the VERY FIRST THING that happens is that a boy is forced to give up his pet fox, whom he's raised since he was a little orphaned baby fox. Sob city. The story proceeds from there, as the boy and his fox--A BOY AND HIS FOX!!!!!--try to find one another (yes, the fox is a POV character!) as dangers come at them from all sides--mainly due to war creeping closer and closer. My only complaint about this story is that I wanted there to be MORE, because I was super invested in the characters. Definitely one for the pantheon of child-and-animal stories, PLUS Jon Klassen illustrations! Heartbreaking and somehow sweet. A/A-.

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

2016 book 1

Katarina Bivald's The Readers of Broken Wheel Recommend
I was hoping to start my year's reading with something cute, but this was a little more on the meh side. It centers on a young Swedish woman who's been corresponding with a woman in a small town in Iowa (the eponymous Broken Wheel), exchanging books back and forth. Finally the Swedish woman is coming for an extended visit (the bookstore she worked at has closed and she's at loose ends), only to discover that her friend Amy has died. I liked all of the talk about books a lot, and the depiction of a small-town community, but the romance is way more tell than show, and the writing in general doesn't have a lot of life to it. I'm bummed because it could have been super cute but instead was sort of boring. B.


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

2015 book 306

Fiona Wood's Cloudwish
This is set in the same world as Wood's first two novels, featuring some of those main characters as secondary characters, which is always nice. I like feeling like there's a solid world to a book. And the main character here is great--she's Vietnamese-Austrialian, at a fancy school on a scholarship, and so there are some interesting racial/cultural/class things going on. The problem is that the entirety of the book is about her having a crush on some popular dude, and she wishes he would like her, and suddenly he is super into her, and is it b/c of magic or is it real? And like, he is not at all a fully fleshed out character and I kept hoping she would meet some other, better boy to like! And it ends on a note that doesn't really wrap anything up except for the relationship, which I guess is realistic but like, I cared about everything else so much more. B.

2015 book 305

Eloise McGraw's The Moorchild
I liked McGraw's Greensleeves a lot, so decided to check out something else by her. This was a very different sort of story, but no less compelling. And it's a Newbery Honor Book! It centers on a young girl growing up in a small town--who is actually a fairy changeling, cast out from her former home. It has a timeless sort of quality that I really appreciated. I wish more of McGraw's books were available as e-books, I'd really like to read them. A/A-.

2015 book 304

Sarah MacLean's The Rogue Not Taken
Well, this was a little disappointing, after I enjoyed Maclean's last series so much. It just feels really rote and formulaic, and I guess I expect more from her. It centers on the youngest of a set of noveau riche sisters whose coal miner father has recently been made an Earl, and society gossips about the girls like crazy. So after an incident at a garden party, Sophie decides to escape society, mainly b/c circumstances don't go her way b/c she's kind of dumb. Meanwhile, she gets tangled up with a famous rogue of a Marquess and the usual blahdy-blah commences. Obviously he's not even REALLY a rogue, and he has a sad past and daddy issues, and none of it is super compelling, it's just a waiting game till they inevitably get their sh*t together. I was honestly kind of bored and infuriated at the same time while reading this. It's also weirdly repetitive, like it needed one more pass with an editor with a thesaurus (the word "crass" is used like 40 times). Meh. B.

2015 book 303

Carola Dunn's Miss Jacobson's Journey
On the one hand, hooray for Regency romances with Jewish characters! On the other, nothing much happens in this one, even though a plot summary makes it sound exciting: a young British Jewish woman meets her intended, takes one look, says NOPE, and decides to accompany her uncle to Europe to assist him with his medical research. Now it's like nine years later and her uncle has died, buttttt she can't just go home b/c there's a war with Napoleon! Somehow the Rothschild brothers convince her to accompany two British dudes who are smuggling gold to Wellington (she has good language skills)--one a handsome young anti-Semitic lord, and the other . . . her former intended, who is now hot. But then they just like ride around in a carriage for a while and have conversations, it's kind of dull. The depictions of Jews are also a little weird to this Jewish reader--I am one hundred percent certain that the author is not Jewish. I mean, they're positive depictions, which is nice, but it's all a little . . . romanticized? I believe this series predates Dunn's Daisy Dalrymple books, or at least, those are slightly more entertaining. Still, yay Jewish characters. B.

2015 book 302

Stephanie Burgis' Courting Magic
I really liked this latest story in the Kat Incorrigible series--we've fast-forwarded a few years into the future, which means Kat is more interesting and more capable--and also is being pressured by her family to find a husband. I did wish this had been a full-length novel--there's good material here, with Kat teaming up with some eligible bachelors to find a thief using magic, plus various romantic entanglements, and it all would have been better if there was MORE of it! Still a fun read though. B+.

2015 book 301

Stephanie Burgis' Stolen Magic
The third book in the Kat Incorrigible series is more of the same, but there's nothing wrong with that when the same is super cute! In this one, Kat has to deal with a whole bunch of her sister's disapproving in-laws, a possible murderer, stolen magical portals, and a mysterious woman who knows a lot about Kat's family.  It's all very action-packed and fun.

2015 book 300

Stephanie Burgis' Renegade Magic
The second book in Burgis' Kat Incorrigible series is more of the charming same, with more serious magical shenanigans this time around, as her family takes a trip to Bath for the healing waters (and to find some society husbands). Heh.

2015 book 299

Stephanie Burgis' Kat Incorrigible
I'm closing out the year by rereading some nice cute fun books to give my brain a little break. Plus, there's now a fourth book in this Georgian-era England magic YA fantasy series so obviously I have to refresh my memory! Anyway, this book is about a 12 year old girl in old timey England only there's MAGIC and cool stuff happens. Great sister relationships here, too.

2015 book 298

Jaclyn Moriarty's A Tangle of Gold
OH man, I think I need to take a breather to digest everything that happened here and how awesome it was. Moriarty manages to wrap up her story in a satisfying--and unexpected way--and still throws a bunch of twists, actions, romance, political intrigue, etc. I mean, good stuff. I want to start reading it again immediately so I can fully absorb everything and just sit with it for a while and enjoy it. Actually, what I want MOST is for more books set in this universe! Anyway, this is highly recommend and totally awesome. A/A-.

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

2015 book 297

Jaclyn Moriarty's The Cracks in the Kingdom
The second book in Moriarty's Colors of Madeleine series does a great job building on the first two, with more dramatic reveals, budding romances, adventure, danger, friendships, and sheer super awesome world-building. I mean, just all around excellent storytelling.

2015 book 296

Jaclyn Moriarty's A Corner of White
I'm rereading this because the third volume comes out pretty soon, and also because it's great, and also because I've forgotten a lot of the details since the last time I read it! It was almost like reading it for the first time again (though I did remember the big end reveal). I love that Moriarty has created two connected worlds here, populated with vibrant and funny and interesting characters, and even managed to throw in a couple of little mystery elements. Totally, totally holds up.

2015 book 295

Rose Lerner's Listen to the Moon
Lerner's latest--the third in her Lively St Lemelston series, set in a small town in Regency England--focuses on the valet and maid of the characters from the first book. Lerner is really one of the only authors of historical romances whose books aren't always about Dukes and Earls and other fancy people, which is really nice! Anyway, they enter into a marriage of convenience for job purposes, which is perfect, because they're totally into each other! Seriously, they are very . . . enthusiastic about each other. I really liked all the characters in this and enjoyed watching the relationship develop. My only complaint is a couple of longish speeches toward the end that struck me as mildly unrealistic, but that was super minor. Lerner's stories are as engaging as always. A-.

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

2015 book 294

Susan Barker's The Incarnations
Sooooo this is the story of a taxi driver in modern China who begins receiving letters from a mysterious person claiming that they have known each other, and been tied together, for multiple past lives. Parts of this are relentlessly grim and there was a lot of sexual violence, but on the whole this was a fascinating look at parts of China's history, and at one interesting and flawed family. I definitely liked how this wrapped up, too--though I did guess part of the ending, I was surprised by the rest of it. Strong writing.  B+.

2015 book 293

Cindy Pon's Serpentine
This is one of those books that just has a few too many things going on, so it starts to feel a little bit clumsy. Our protagonist is the handmaid to a well-off girl in ancient China, and oh yeah, she's also a serpent demon. And her mistress is a lesbian. And her love interest can see ghosts and was raised by monks. And a demon dude keeps showing up to offer exposition and hit on her. And a bunch of demons/zombies are roaming around. Plus other stuff. It's all pretty interesting but the writing is definitely overly dramatic most of the time, and it just didn't quite work for me. I might check out the inevitable sequel? B.

2015 book 292

Elizabeth Hand's Wylding Hall
AHHHHH this book was so creepy and cool! I think if I had read it a week earlier, I'd have considered it for my favorites-of-the-year list, even though it gave me major willies. It's centered on a British folk revival band in the 70s--well, really it's the current day and everyone is telling the story (a la a rock doc) about the band recording an album at a crazy old manor house in the 70s--at least until their lead singer mysteriously vanished. AHHHH and it's so creepy and good!!! But seriously, I am gonna have nightmares. I am so glad I live in a house that was built in like 2005. A/A-.

2015 book 291

Claudia Gray's Lost Stars
Technically, the title of this seems to be Journey to Star Wars: The Force Awakens: Lost Stars, but that is ENTIRELY RIDICULOUS. Anyway, a bunch of Star Wars-related books have come out in the leadup to the new movie, and I tried to read a couple of the others but they were not great, Bob. This one, however, IS pretty great. It's set during--and a little bit after--the events of the original three movies, and it's centered on a pair of kids on one of the far-out planets, who grow up together, and train together, dreaming of being Imperial pilots. And eventually, one IS an Imperial pilot--and one ends up flying for the Rebellion. Star-crossed sci-fi lovers, y'all! The writing here is great (and reminds me to catch up on Gray's Firebird trilogy, since I liked that first one a lot), the story is compelling, almost everyone from the movies makes an appearance, and it's nice for the world to feel more fleshed out. I would have honestly liked this even if it wasn't Star Wars related. A/A-.

2015 book 290

D.E. Stevenson's The Four Graces
I am just so immensely grateful to the publishers who reissue charming and mild old British books for my reading pleasure (and also to Amazon for putting this one as a daily deal). It's just nice to read something light and NICE. This one is set in a small town in England on the tail end of WWII (so there is some flinging around of the word "Japs," be forewarned), and centers on the village parson and his four daughters (their last name is Grace, hence the title) and how their happy lives become chaotic when various visitors come to town. This is billed as the fourth in a series, but it looks only tangentially related to the others and thus works as a standalone. I do wish it had a sequel, though--I want to know more about Tilly! A-.

Favorite Books of 2015!

Without further ado, I present my most beloved books of 2015!

Zen Cho's Sorcerer to the Crown
Rachel Hartman's Shadow Scale
Erika Johansen's The Invasion of the Tearling
Patrice Kindl's A School for Brides
Naomi Novik's Uprooted
Rainbow Rowell's Carry On
Laura Ruby's Bone Gap
Jane Smiley's Langdon Family Trilogy (Early Warning and The Golden Age both came out in 2015)
Melanie Sumner's How To Write a Novel
Ursula Vernon's Castle Hangnail
Hanya Yanagihara's A Little Life

2015 book 289

Jennine Capo Crucet's Make Your Home Among Strangers
Crucet's first novel focuses on a young woman, a Cuban-American first-generation college student, very much out of her element at an elite liberal arts school in New York, dealing with that culture clash AND with a mother back in Miami who has gotten involved with a thinly-veiled version of the Elian Gonzalez case. I think the college parts were stronger, or maybe it's that I just relate to those more since I was actually a college student in 1999-2000. :) She does really nail those ALMOST moments of young adulthood. Parts of this were alternately frustrating and heartbreaking, but it all felt really REAL. The end was a little more wrappy-uppy than it needed to be, but otherwise I thought this was a really strong debut. A-.

2015 book 288

Courtney Milan's Once Upon a Marquess

1) Why did I think starting the new Courtney Milan book at 11:30 pm was a good idea???
2) WHY isn't the sequel--hell, the whole series!--available RIGHT THIS MINUTE. If it was, I would honestly stay up all night reading them all.

Anyway, this is the first book in a new 7-book series; this one is centered on a young woman whose family has fallen from grace--her father, an Earl, and her older brother were convicted of treason! AND it was the young man she loved whose testimony put them away!!! But now, eight years later, she needs his help, and he is all too happy to assist. As always, Milan has populated this world with lovely characters, great friendships and families, a little bit of mystery, and a couple you want to root for (he has night terrors and a very silly sense of humor, she has an awesome secret talent and two troublesome younger siblings). Swoon city. A/A-.

2015 book 287

Sarah Ward's In Bitter Chill
I dunno, this was a perfectly fine mystery set in a small town in England, with all that entails. It centers on a recent death (actually, two deaths) that may be tied to a long-ago kidnapping, where one girl came home, but her friend never did. It's pretty entertaining, though I picked up a few things way earlier than the detectives did, and the melodrama ramps way up toward the end. Also, the main detective is romantically interested in THREE different women involved with the case, and one of the other detective's antipathy toward his upcoming wedding is mentioned a lot but never really delved into--unless this is the start of a series where that will be addressed? I mean, these characters were interesting enough that I might read a sequel. B.

2015 book 286

Christine Heppermann's Poisoned Apples
I'm not a huge fan of poetry--you have to pay so much more ATTENTION to it!--but these poems are not subtle. They just about beat you over the head with their themes and messages. So in that sense, it was an easy read! I liked the use of fairy tales and there was some humor, which was nice. And the messages (re; body image/eating disorders, expectations of femininity, friendship, relationships, sex, etc) would maybe be helpful for a teenage girl? I'm not sure how well the accompanying photos worked, though--some of them are a little on the nose. It's not really thought-provoking to have it all spelled out. And some of them feel dramatic for the sake of drama. Which is all perfect for a teenage girl! Luckily, I'm not a teenage girl any more, and don't need empowering poetry. (Also, for something trying to break down gender stereotypes, it's very heteronormative.) B.

2015 book 285

Martine Leavitt's Calvin
Soooo this is a book about a schizophrenic teenager who becomes convinced he's Calvin from Calvin and Hobbes, and oh yeah, he sees/hears Hobbes, and the solution to this problem is to hike across Lake Erie to Bill Watterson's home in Cleveland. It kind of works, except for the romance-with-childhood-friend-Susie angle. B/B+.

2015 book 284

Chinelo Okparanta's Under the Udala Trees
Sometimes when a book ends up on a ton of best-of-the-year lists, it's kind of pretentious and dense, but this one was extremely readable and compelling. It's the coming of age story of a young woman in Nigeria, starting during their brief civil war, when her mother sends her away--and she falls in love with another refugee, who's not only from the enemy side, but is also a girl. Yup, just when you think you're getting a harrowing war story, you are instead getting a lesbian coming of age story! (Not that parts of it aren't harrowing--Nigeria isn't exactly gay-friendly, and most of this book takes place in the 70s.) Protagonist Ijeoma is great, she feels really REAL and I honestly just loved her. I found her relationship with her mother--and particularly both of their relationships with Christianity--to be fascinating.  Deservedly on many best of the year lists. My list is more FAVORITES than "best," but this is definitely one of the best-crafted and best-told books I have read this year. A.

2015 book 283

D.L. Carter's Obstreperous (Book One)
The sequel to Ridiculous is apparently being released in three parts due to formatting issues--I do hope they work harder on parts two and three, because this one had some major comma issues (my pet peeve). Anyway, the main plots involve a claim on the recent inheritance of the ladies from the last book, as well as romances for the two younger sisters of that couple (seemingly with a pair of identical twins, which means some inevitable/annoying mistaken identities). For some reason this one stressed me out a little more than the last one, and since it's not complete, I'm not sure how to grade it. I think I'll wait until all three parts are out before coming back to this.

2015 book 282

D.L. Carter's Ridiculous
Never has a book had a more appropriate title than this one, in which an impoverished relation poses as her (dead) (male) cousin to provide for her mother and sisters, which is all well and good till she meets a super hot guy and promptly falls for him. Not to mention all the excitement of surviving a LONDON SEASON! Seriously, the characters here are charming and cute, and this book is hilarious in every way. I could make some minor quibbles, but why, when this is so adorable. A-.

2015 book 281

Merrie Haskell's The Princess Curse
I'm a sucker for books reworking the story of the twelve dancing princesses--this one is set in a small Eastern European kingdom in medieval times, and centers on a young herbalist's apprentice, who's determined to break the curse to win the prize that will allow her to buy herself a place in a convent to continue her education. All sorts of excitement ensues, and I like that things went in a slightly unexpected direction. This book begs for a sequel, but I'm not sure if one will ever come out. Alas. A-.

2015 book 280

Faith Sullivan's Good Night, Mr. Wodehouse
I've never heard of Sullivan before, but this book is apparently the latest of several set in a small town in Minnesota, and I liked it enough to investigate the others. It centers on a woman and her life, across most of the 1900s. She has ups and downs, but through it all is consoled by literature--particularly the books of P.G. Wodehouse. I will say that the first, say, 2/3rds are much stronger than the end third--things just start to feel a little stilted and false. But I really enjoyed it, for the most part. A-/B+.

2015 book 279

Susin Neilsen's We Are All Made of Molecules
Neilsen is a former writer for Degrassi, and it seems like she still has her figner on the pulse of young people, because this novel rang really true to me. It's the usual popular girl-nerd boy blended family sort of thing, but the characters all feel real (minus the girl's constant malapropisms) and it made me cry more than once. Maybe the end is a bit too pat, but I didn't care, I thought this was a really nice book. Warnings for some rapiness. B+/A-.

2015 book 278

Lucy Parker's Act Like It
Smart Bitches, Trashy Books gave this one a rave the other day, and since it was about a fake relationship, I decided to check it out--fake relationships are one of my favorite tropes. This one involves two actors in a play in London--she's stuck playing opposite her ex every night, and he plays the villain of the piece, and is also a major tabloid bad boy. So of course the behind-the-scenes folks decide they should act like a couple to bring more attention to the show, and help his reputation. I liked both these characters a lot and found this book really enjoyable, minus the very unbelievable late obstacle they have to overcome for their happy ending. Otherwise, pretty cute. B/B+.

2015 book 277

Becky Albertalli's Simon vs the Homo Sapiens Agenda
I have read a lot of positive reviews of this book, so I don't know why I only just got around to reading it now (maybe FYA book club has me burned out on contemporary YA). It is a super cute book about Simon, a gay high school sophomore, who has been anonymously emailing with a classmate who is ALSO gay--when their correspondence is discovered by a guy who decides to casually blackmail Simon into helping him get with one of his girl friends. Like Simon doesn't have enough to deal with with trying to come out, trying to figure out who he's falling for over email, and dealing with other high school stuff (like the school play) and family stuff. Like I said, it is all pretty cute, and if it wraps up a little too neatly, well, the world could do with a few more nice gay romance books. A-.

2015 book 276

Ann Leckie's Ancillary Mercy
So this was a pretty great conclusion to Leckie's Imperial Radch series--it's been a long time since I was this interested and invested in a sci-fi series. I do wish these books didn't have a bunch of extras at the end--it means the end of the story comes before I'm ready for it! That's obviously a minor quibble though. I really especially loved all the AIs here. Good stuff. A/A-.

2015 book 275

Ann Leckie's Ancillary Sword
The second book in Leckie's Imperial Radh series manages not to feel too middle-chapter-ish, being chock full of outer space political action and intrigue, and a few little moments that made me tear up. I really am pretty engrossed in this world Leckie created, and find her protagonist to be entirely compelling. A/A-.

2015 book 274

Ann Leckie's Ancillary Justice
I'm not even gonna TRY to explain what's going on in this book, b/c it's kind of complicated and I don't read enough sci-fi to be able to articulate it clearly. I will just say that I liked it much more than I expected to, thought the gender stuff was interesting, and liked the main character and found her mission compelling. Now I'm off to see what happens next. A-.

2015 book 273

Pam Munoz Ryan's Echo
I'm an adult, so sometimes middle-grade books don't work for me, and this was one of those times. The concept was cool--there's a magical harmonica and it passes through the hands of three young people during the turbulent 1930s and 40s, with a very fairy tale framing device--and most of it was fine, but it was just TOO on the nose/moralizing/educational/cheesy/ SOMETHING. Not subtle, anyway. B.

2015 book 272

Julia Claiborne Johnson's Be Frank With Me
Well, this was a super cute/satisfying/engaging first novel, centering on a young woman who's dispatched out to LA to assist a famous reclusive novel with her long-awaited second novel--and ends up being in charge of the woman's eccentric (but charming) young son. I really feel like this book could be a big hit with a lot of audiences--it's VERY pleasant but not cheesy or anything, just really a delight to read, and with a few nice little surprises. Totally enjoyable. A/A-.


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

2015 book 271

Lois McMaster Bujold's Paladin of Souls
The second book in the Chalion series is a solid follow-up to the first, and I especially liked it because it centered on a middle-aged woman, which I rarely see in fantasy fiction. I also love the way the religion is used in this series, though I won't go into specifics because of spoilers. There's a nice, satisfying romance, lots of action, and just really strong characterization. Great vacation reading. A/A-.

2015 book 270

Robin Stevens' First Class Murder
The third book in Stevens' Wells and Wong series (about two fourteen year olds solving mysteries in the 1930s) is a straight up homage to Murder on the Orient Express, as Hazel's father comes from Hong Kong to take the girls on a tour of Europe on the famous train--and of course there's a murder. BUT there are also several other amateur sleuths on board getting in their way! And it's hilarious. I really appreciate Stevens' take on the racism of the day (and how Hazel reacts to it), as well as the period-appropriate anti-Semitism. And the friendship between the girls is very well-done. These books are just DELIGHTFUL. A-.

2015 book 269

Robin Steven's Arsenic for Tea
The second book in Stevens' Wells and Wong mystery series (after A Murder Most Unladylike) is just as charming as the first, but ramps up the tension with its plot--Hazel accompanies Daisy to Daisy's family home (manor? fancy house, anyway) for the holidays/Daisy's birthday, and when a most unpleasant guest is murdered, a bunch of relatives are suspects. This series reminds me of what I liked about the earlier Flavia de Luce books, but already is willing to expand its horizons much more than that series ever was. Plus the characters are a lot more fun and slightly more realistic. It's not too hard to guess the end, but Stevens lays it all out nicely and does keep some red herrings in the mix--and anyway, this IS aimed at a younger audience, but manages to entertain this adult as well. A-.

2015 book 268

Heidi Heilig's The Girl from Everywhere
The concept of this book is GREAT--a girl has been raised on a ship where her father is the captain, and he has the power to navigate anywhere, anytime, even fantasy worlds, as long as they have a relevant map. Unfortunately, her father is also a heroin addict, obsessed with returning to a time before her mother died in childbirth, hoping to prevent that sad end--but will it also erase his daughter from existence? This book gets super bogged down in Hawaiian politics (interesting, but there's too much of it) and a love triangle that is a total waste of space, but the way it ends makes me intrigued to see where the series is going next--it looks like all the stuff I found annoying might be done with! B.


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

2015 book 267

Eloise Jarvis McGraw's Greensleeves
I'd never heard of this book or this author before (though she apparently wrote some of the later Oz books), but it's one of the ones Nancy Pearl had reissued, which was enough of a reason to check it out (another reason: it's $1.99 for Kindle right now). Originally published in 1968, it's the story of an eighteen year old girl completely at loose ends--she's the child of divorced celebrity parents who have raised her all over Europe, and she has no idea who she is, where she belongs, or what she wants to do with her life. So when a family friend enlists her help in determining if an elderly woman's will--with a number of odd bequests--was tricked out of her, she's happy to go undercover as a beehived waitress in Portland, Oregon, and get to know the locals. And it's all super sweet and funny and a little bit sad and endlessly charming. It's also an interesting look at 60s culture, particularly regarding relationships. Really, just wonderful. A/A-.

2015 book 266

Marissa Meyer's Winter
The conclusion to Meyer's Lunar Chronicles series is action-packed and fairly gripping, as the characters from the first three books band together with the Snow White character to start a revolution to topple the evil queen (the rebellion has more than a few shades of Mockingjay). Despite being OVER EIGHT HUNDRED PAGES LONG, this book did leave me with a lot of unanswered questions. Like, the first 815 pages are all action and whatever (which starts to get a little exhausting at page like 700), and then the last ten are wrap-up. The balance is just a little bit off. Maybe if someone had edited out some of the awkward romance scene between the four couples (yes, there are four couples!), things would have been a bit more streamlined. I mean, I found this as engrossing as the first three, but these books are pretty goofy. B/B+.

2015 book 265

Mindy Kaling's Why Not Me?
My sister picked this for Thanksgiving Sister Book Club, and I was pleased b/c I like Mindy Kaling and her first book was pretty good. This one is also pretty good--more personal stories, lots of pics, etc. I mean, if you like Mindy Kaling, you'll like this book, presumably? Actually, my favorite part was the chapter where she imagined her life as a high school Latin teacher, and it was a very sweet romantic comedy! I was all like, I wish she would write a novel! And then realized I should probably just give her tv show another chance, haha. I did think it was interesting that she mentions a lot of men she works with or has worked with--but only once mentioned a woman coworker by name. Give your lady writers some props, Mindy! B+.

2015 book 264

Elsa Hart's Jade Dragon Mountain
Here's something a little unusual, at least in America--a mystery set in China during the early days of the Qing Dynasty. It features an exiled librarian, who finds himself at the edge of the kingdom--just days before the Emperor is supposed to visit. And THEN he finds himself trying to solve the murder of an elderly Jesuit priest. Really interesting stuff here on culture, religion, astronomy, storytelling, etc, and there are a few good red herrings. Although the author is a white lady, things don't seem to veer too much into Orientalism (though I am not an expert and may just not have noticed). Definitely an enjoyable and entertaining read. A-.

2015 book 263

Ursula Vernon's Hamster Princess: Harriet the Invincible
Vernon's latest is in the model of her Dragonbreath books--mixing comics/illustrations with text, aimed at like the 8-10 year old crowd. It is also a super cute and funny take on the Sleeping Beauty story, with hamsters! Hamster princess Harriet is cursed to prick her paw on a hamster wheel on her 12th birthday--but she realizes that means she has to REACH her 12th birthday, and is thus INVINCIBLE, and thus can go on all sorts of crazy adventures. Of course, the curse does catch up with her eventually, and it's all full of Vernon's trademark wit. Great stuff. A-.

2015 book 262

Sarah Vowell's Lafayette in the Somewhat United States
It seems like Vowell has been working on this book for a few years, but I'm sure that she's happy it was published during Hamilton-mania, when everyone is extra interested in America's Favorite Fighting Frenchman! Of course, this book isn't really a biography of Lafayette; being a Sarah Vowell book, it's also about the Revolutionary War, French-American relations, and the fact that the United States have never really been "united," per se. It jumps around a lot. I wonder if this would work better as an audiobook, since it reads like having a very long conversation with a very chatty friend who is prone to digressions (I liked the one on the Touro synagogue!). With an audiobook, though, you'd be missing the adorable illustrations (I am particularly partial to the one of Franklin in a fur hat). B/B+.

2015 book 261

Rebecca Podos' The Mystery of Hollow Places
I love a good YA mystery, and this was a pretty good one! It centers on a teenage girl who looooves mysteries (her favorite book is Rebecca and her father writes medical mysteries), and she gets a doozy to solve. Her mother left when she was small, and she's been raised by her father (and lately a stepmother)--but now her father has vanished, leaving behind only a stone that's part of her favorite bedtime story--the story of how her parents met. So she's off to solve both disappearances, with the help of her best (only) friend and her friend's cute older brother (no worries, the romance here is both realistic and not at all a focus, so refreshing in a YA book!).  The ending is maybe a little bit too cheesy, but I liked the characters and pacing here a lot, and there's nothing wrong with a solid wrap-up. B+.

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

2015 book 260

Ilana C. Myer's Last Song Before Night
Look, this book has a lot going on and I'm too tired to even BEGIN to explain it, so I will just say there is magic, music, action, romance, evil dudes, good dudes, and some pretty okay ladies. I think things would have been a lot stronger had things focused specifically on the young woman who's fled her home and longs to be a poet (a bard sort of role, highly honored in this world, but only men are trained), especially considering the way things progress. There are like 7 characters here splitting things up, which is fine, because they're mostly interesting, but it kind of diffuses the story for me. I ended up not really being invested in any of them. The writing here is strong, otherwise--this is a first novel, and I am curious to see what Myer does next. B.

2015 book 259

Patrick Ness' The Rest of Us Just Live Here
Patrick Ness' books are sometimes hit or miss for me, but this one was pretty aces. It centers on the normal kids in a town where crazy things are always happening--the kids who AREN'T the chosen ones, having to deal with the disaster, the kids who are just trying to make it till high school graduation. The protagonist has some complicated stuff going on--severe OCD, a lifelong crush on a girl friend, a politician mother, a recovering anorexic sister, an alcoholic dad, etc--and he just wants to make it out. But because all of his (and his friends') stuff is intermixed with some frankly hilarious summaries of what the "indie kids" are getting up to in their battle against the Immortals, it never feels too cliched (and I have read a LOT of cliched YA books lately). Most of the characters are pretty well drawn--I particularly loved his best friend for a variety of reasons, which you will understand immediately if you read this, as well as the relationship between the protagonist and his sisters--and the pacing is good.  Even the horny teen boy stuff was at a minimum, for which I am extremely grateful. Entertaining stuff. A-/B+.

2015 book 258

Elizabeth Strout's My Name is Lucy Barton
Strout's latest (after, most recently, The Burgess Boys and the Pulitzer-winning Olive Kitteridge) feels like a smaller book than her earlier ones, but it still manages to touch on motherhood (and complicated mother-daughter relationships), the AIDS crisis, marriage, poverty (the class stuff here is VERY strong), and writing itself, as the writer protagonist reflects back on her time in a hospital after an appendectomy. The writing here feels really incisive, to me, and Strout says a lot in a slight space. A/A-.


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

2015 book 257

Gail Carriger's Manners and Mutiny
The final book in Carriger's Finishing School series--a prequel series to her Parasol Protectorate books--is a great finish, full of action, romance, spying, social justice, secrets, great friendships between women, and a lovable mechanical dog. What more could you want from a book, really? Seriously, this was great, just super fun. A/A-.

2015 book 256

Lisa Lutz's The Passenger
Lutz has really been breaking away from her Spellmans mystery series (my beloved!) with her last couple of books, and although this one does have some mystery elements, it's really more in the thriller vein. It centers on a woman whose husband is laying dead at the bottom of the stairs, and though she seems to be innocent, she goes on the run, adopting different names and identities as she crosses the country. It's all very exciting and interesting, but a lot of it rings kind of false--the character Blue, as fun as she would be in a movie, does not at all feel like an actual human, and the big reveal at the end was pretty easy to see coming. Still, it moves quickly and has Lutz's trademark wit, so it's entertaining throughout. B/B+.

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

2015 book 255

Sarah Avery's Tales from Rugosa Coven
This was an unexpectedly delightful series of three stories/novellas all involving some of the members of a coven in New Jersey--one, a lawyer dealing with being married to a Methodist, not to mention being haunted by his recently deceased parents; another, a woman crippled by OCD; and the third, well, let's just say there's a mysterious dude with gills involved. Not to mention coven politics, tarot readings, inflatable art installations, and a lot of tattoos and piercings. I loved all the matter-of-factness of their lives and their relationships and their day jobs. Really just funny and charming and magical. I hope Avery writes another book soon. A/A-.

2015 book 254

Stephanie Kennedy's Hey Did Darling
Look, if you discovered one of your favorite childhood books--about a bunch of 8th grade girls who form a band and then pretend to be boys because SEXISM, hey, the 80s were a somewhat different time!--was available as an e-book on Open Library, you too would stay up late reading it and delighting in every hilarious moment.

2015 book 253

Kate Elliott's Cold Magic
I'm not even going to try to explain the setting/world-building in this book, because it's totally bonkers (an afterword reveals that Elliott created the world with the input of her three teenage children and two of their friends, which explains EVERYTHING): there's magic, there's steampunk, there's a spirit world, there's dragons, and all sorts of ancient civilizations (Romans, Celts, Phoenicians, etc) are all still around and ruling Europe in the 1800s. Like, whaaaaat. The characters and the plotting kept me interested, though--the protagonist is a young Canaanite/Phoenician girl (can I admit that half the reason I kept reading at first was b/c I was hoping some Judeans would pop up?) who finds herself suddenly in an arranged marriage with a powerful magical dude, and all sorts of political things are going on, and also FAMILY SECRETS. I really loved her relationship with her best friend/cousin, and even found the way the romance built to be mildly interesting. I mean, there is a lot going on here--a LOT--but it moves pretty quickly and it's all really compelling. B+.

2015 book 252

Kate Morton's The Lake House
I have loved most of Morton's past books, with one exception, and this is sort of somewhere in between. It's the usual people-in-the-present-uncovering-past-secrets thing, centering on a young police detective who's been forced to go visit her grandfather in Cornwall after leaking information to the press, and then she gets interested in a long-unsolved case from 1933 involving a missing boy. Meanwhile, one of that boy's sisters is now an elderly best-selling crime novelist who knows more than she said at the time. Things flash back and forth between decades and characters, mostly to good effect--I was not super interested in the detective's personal life, which was too on the nose related to the past case. And then the end made me roll my eyes a little bit. Morton just takes it one step too far. Otherwise this was enjoyable, but that end was so ridiculous as to sour things a bit. B/B+.

2015 book 251

Dana Chamblee Carpenter's Bohemian Gospel
Sooooo I am way too boggled by the ending of this book to think about the beginning! I will do my best to summarize. This novel is set in 13th-century Bohemia, and focuses on a young girl--with some very uncanny abilities--who's been raised in a convent. But now she's saved the life of young King Ottakar (a real historical dude!) and is whisked away to Prague to make sure he stays healthy--and also because they're totally into each other. I admit to being way more interested in her powers and her religion-related activities than in her obviously ill-fated romance with a king, but things generally move along at a good pace and I liked both characters. The religion nerd in me really appreciated where her journey led, and the epilogue left me wanting more. There should have been more!! B/B+.

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

2015 book 250

Han Kang's The Vegetarian
Publisher's Weekly is touting this as "the first must-read book of 2016," but I think that's overstating things a bit. It centers on a woman who, after an unsettling dream, becomes a vegetarian, and it's narrated in turns by her husband, her brother-in-law, and her sister--so the central figure is always something of an enigma. As a vegetarian, I found it a little weird that vegetarianism comes hand-in-hand with a mental breakdown (the depiction of vegetarianism here is not very flattering), and as a human, I didn't really enjoy all the scenes of marital rape. There's an interesting dreamy sort of atmosphere that fits thematically, but on the whole, this didn't really thrill me. It just left me with a lot more questions than answers. B.

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

2015 book 249

Lily King's Euphoria
King's latest (after Father of the Rain and others) is very, very heavily inspired by the life of famed anthropologist Margaret Mead, and particularly an interlude in her life where she and her second husband encountered the man who would become her third husband--in real life, anyway. A lot of the agency is taken away from the Mead character here, since it's all narrated by the man who falls for her as they all investigate various tribes in New Guinea, and we only get a few brief diary entries from her perspective. Or maybe the way King changed the story just pissed me off and that has colored my perspective on the earlier sections. I did quite like this until the end--the love triangle is interesting, as is the husband's jealousy of her professional success--but I really don't see why King made the narrative choices she did when the real story is so much more colorful and satisfying. She does spent a bit of time opining on the nature of tragedy, which actually makes me madder about how this ended, since it doesn't rise to that level. UGH. B/B+?

2015 book 248

Heather Demetrios' I'll Meet You There
Well, this sure was an FYA book club book, in the same mold as most of the others we've read recently. Let me list the elements:

--dead dad
--drunk, depressed mom
--girl determined to get out of her podunk town and get to college! She is an ARTIST and likes to quote famous lines about art and make collages, which are METAPHORICAL.
--boy just back from Afghanistan, newly sans a leg
--best friends with limited character development
--quirky older mentor/friend/boss
--sappy ending with too much focus on the romance and not on the girl's life goals

I would have liked this book better if I hadn't recently read twelve just like it. The love interest, the wounded Marine, is actually a great character, but everything else just feels like a super big YA cliche. B.

2015 book 247

Mette Ivie Harrison's His Right Hand
The sequel to Harrison's first book, The Bishop's Wife, is more of the same--a Mormon woman, wrestling with her own issues, finds herself involved in a murder investigation--though the case here is a bit different, as her husband's friend and fellow bishop is murdered, only it turns out he was biologically female. (According to an author's note, this book was apparently written after a friend's child came out as trans, and there is some feeling here of trying to help people accept others' sexualities and genders, or of making Mormon seem less un-accepting, or something.) The mystery itself was a bit all over the place, but I enjoy the protagonist and her family, and Harrison has pretty good timing. I would definitely read another of these if this does turn into an ongoing series, but I do hope the author works on building an actual /mystery/ a little bit more. (Not that I don't enjoy the in-depth look into the Mormon community, just the mystery feels sort of slapped-on.) B+.

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

2015 book 246

Angela Slatter's Of Sorrow and Such
I've never read anything by Slatter before, but this novella makes me want to read more! It centers on a witch in a small village, and her knowledge that trouble could come knocking on her door at any moment. Which, of course, it does. The small town has a very unpleasant dark underbelly--they always do, though, don't they--which complicates things. The protagonist is one of my favorite types of characters, a practical witch with a secretly soft heart. I also really liked the relationships between various women in this book, and seeing how they helped each other (or didn't). It's all kind of creepy and cool. A-.


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

2015 book 245

Robert Galbraith's Career of Evil
The third book in JK Rowling's pseudonymous series falls into the grim/gritty/grisly side of things even more so than the earlier ones, as a serial killer is obsessed with Cormoran and Robin and is stalking them with some pretty awful things in mind. Besides the serial killing, there are also mentions of rape, pedophilia, and other gross stuff, so be forewarned. As always, the pacing here is great--I read the whole thing pretty much in one sitting and could barely put it down for bathroom breaks. I still HATE Robin's fiance in a big way, which does inform some of my feelings on this book, but Robin is great, Cormoran is great, all of the suspects are viable and suitably creepy, etc. Solid stuff. A-.

2015 book 244

Lois McMaster Bujold's The Curse of Chalion
This is one of those books that's been on my to-read list for forever, but it got bumped up when a friend told me it had a really interested religious system that I'd be into reading about (also, it's $3.99 for Kindle right now). And she was right! The story centers on a man, previously a high-ranking army officer/landed gentry type, who was purposely sold into slavery instead of ransomed after a battle went badly. Now he's made his way back into his home country, where he gets assigned to the task of tutoring the princess, and they get caught up in some crazy political (and religious!) stuff. Now, I did have some complaints: his love interest could have used some personality, and the bad guy is pretty rapey. But the author has a good sense of pacing, the princess is pretty cool, and I liked how it all came together. Lots of fun action and intrigue and gods and goddesses! A-/B+.

2015 book 243

Patricia C. Wrede's Talking to Dragons
The fourth book in Wrede's Enchanted Forest Chronicles is actually the first she wrote, so it's impressive how she managed to get everything to fit together. This one has a little too much schlepping randomly around the forest, but I do like how everything wraps up.

2015 book 242

Patricia C. Wrede's Calling on Dragons
The third book in the Enchanted Forest Chronicles is great mainly b/c it focuses on witch Morwen and her cats. Lots of the usual fun magical wizard-fighting intrigue and adventure, though I could have done with slightly less of the accidentally transformed rabbit. I love all these characters, though!

2015 book 241

Patricia C. Wrede's Searching for Dragons
Still sick, still reading books about dragons and princesses and kings and magic.

2015 book 240

Patricia C. Wrede's Dealing with Dragons
I am feeling super sick and puny this weekend, which means the Enchanted Forest Chronicles are the perfect thing to reread. I love sensible Cimorene and her friendship with dragon Kazul, the pacing here is excellent, there are lots of funny parts, etc etc. I'm so glad these are available for the Kindle now.

2015 book 239

Hester Young's The Gates of Evangeline
This is one of those books that I only kept reading to see if I was right about the mystery. I was. There is just WAY too much going on here. The protagonist is a woman whose young son recently died of a brain aneurysm, and now she's been assigned a job to go to Louisiana and write a book about a long-unsolved cold case involving a missing little boy from a prominent/wealthy family. Also, she is now having visions of dead children (including the missing boy). Also, there is a love interest whose family may be tied to the cold case. ALSO, every Southern character is a horrible stereotype; seriously, it's almost offensive. The way she writes their speech! Except for the super rich characters, who are stereotypes in a different way. There is some okay stuff here on grieving, and some interesting closeted characters, but this book was SO CRAZY and so all-over-the-place that I couldn't really take it seriously. B-.

2015 book 238

Ursula K. Le Guin's The Tombs of Atuan
Recently, a friend recommended the Earthsea books to me, but I got more than halfway through A Wizard of Earthsea and complained that Ged was kind of lame, so was advised to read this one first instead. The problem with reading these classics now is that I've read SO many books that were influenced by them, not to mention their mildly dated attitudes (I kind of wished wizard Ged was less influential on teenage priestess Tenar--it's like his inspirational speeches give her meaning. Find your own meaning, girl! I get that they sort of rescue each other, but he's the driving force). Anyway, I enjoyed this one much more than the first, and am kind of interested in Tenar's journey, but still don't give a crap about Ged, and won't be revisiting his whole coming-of-age story. I think the moral here is to be wary of recommendations, because I feel obliged to read and like them, and it starts to feel like homework. B+.

2015 book 237

Courtney Alameda's Shutter
Sometimes I am not really into the books we read for book club, and this was one of those times. It has an ok concept--it's basically our world, but with ghosts and undead creatures, and there's a big organization that handles them, led by the descendants of some of the great fictional monster-hunters (mainly people from Dracula). Our protagonist is a Van Helsing with a taagic backstory and a father with absolutely no redeeming qualities, a love interest whose skin color is once compared to a hazelnut and once to a five-shot latte, and a couple of other sidekicks who don't really have much in the way of personality (one is a nerd, one is a ladies' man). Everyone is super stupid, like, if you talk all the time about how Dracula might be a danger, you should maybe read the book and notice the VERY OBVIOUS clues around you, and also don't keep secrets, my god. Anyway, she and her three dude compatriots are all attacked by a powerful ghost and will die unless they exorcise it (oh, the book is called "Shutter" b/c she catches ghosts using an old-school film camera). There is a lot of action here, so things move along quickly, and I had no issues with the way things wrapped up, but the writing is pretty overly dramatic. I also personally am not into horror, but this was more on the gross/gory side than the creepy side. It's super gross at parts though. Not for me. B/B-.