2016 book 100

Claire Legrand's Some Kind of Happiness
So this is a pretty good MG book dealing with depression/anxiety, centering on a young girl whose parents' marriage is hitting a rough spot, so she's being shipped off to spend the summer with the grandparents--and aunts and cousins--she's never met. And there are forbidden neighbor boys, and Family Secrets, and her own made up fantasy Everwood all colliding. And parts of this made me cry, and I liked the fantasy/storytelling elements, but a lot of this felt like a lesson book. Like, let me explain how depression feels and how you can deal with it. And, actually, maybe I needed a book like this when I was a kid! But I'm a grownup now. B+.

2016 book 99

Rainbow Rowell's Carry On
I wanted to reread this for book club so it would be fresh in my mind--and I think I liked it even /better/ this time! I didn't think about Harry Potter while reading it at all--and it was so interesting to see how the pieces came together, knowing where the story was leading. I still ended it kind of saying, "oh, poor Lucy," though. That plotline is honestly tragic. Ranbow Rowell knows how to get you right in the guts, man. So good.

2016 book 98

Daniel O'Malley's Stiletto
I am hesitant to say /anything/ about this book, because I don't want to spoil the first one for friends who haven't read it yet, so I will just say that there are two new POV characters--interesting and likable and badass, just like in the first book! And things are action-packed and exciting and occasionally slightly gory. I liked this so much, though the very end is mildly silly. I have no idea if there will be more books in this series, but if there are, I will be eagerly awaiting them. A/A-.

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A review copy was provided by the publisher. This book will be released on June 14th.

2016 book 97

Daniel O'Malley's The Rook
It has been several years since I first read this, but the long-awaited sequel is coming out in just a couple of weeks, so it was time to revisit (since pretty much all I remembered was the protagonist's first name). Said protagonist works for a secret organization in England that deals with paranormal stuff--she's one of the weirdly powered higher ups there. Or at least she was, until a traitor in their midst caused her to lose her memories. Now she has to impersonate her former self, figure out who the traitor is, deal with paranormal emergencies, and help run this entire operation. It's a ton of fun. I was worried it wouldn't hold up, but it really does. I cannot wait to see where the story goes next. A/A-.

2016 book 96

Dorothy Sayer's Busman's Honeymoon
So Peter and Harriet are finally married, and go right away to the new house they've purchased in Harriet's hometown--only nothing is ready, and the previous owner is missing, and obviously foul play is afoot. I loved the descriptions of the wedding and the way their marriage was depicted, and also appreciated the looks at the psychological toll being a detective might actually take, but once again found the casual anti-Semitism off-putting (I know it was written in the 1930s, but STILL).  I like the Peter Wimsey mysteries a lot, but find that they sometimes drag a little, and this one was no exception. Still an entertaining enough read though. A-/B+.

2016 book 95

Claudia Gray's Bloodline
I really enjoyed Gray's first novel set in the Star Wars universe, so was eager to see her take on Leia--and see her take on those crucial events between The Return of the Jedi and The Force Awakens. But this kind of mires down in politics--which is, I mean, the point! It's showing how the First Order and the Resistance formed from the New Republic! But I felt like the pacing was a little bit off. I really liked (some of) the new characters, but I doubt they'll show up in the movies, so then I'm sort of wondering . . . what is the point? Obviously I loved seeing Leia doing her Leia thing (with Han featured), and it's nice to have some of those questions answered, but but but. It just didn't really hit home for me. Not bad at all, just not the dazzler I hoped for. B/B+.

2016 book 94

Alethea Kontis' Trix and the Faerie Queen
The second book in Kontis' Trixter series finds Trix and his friends on another magical quest, but at least this time they run into a few of his sisters to liven things up. Like its predecessor, this one felt a little bit underbaked--I just wanted things to be a little deeper. I mean, it's all fun and exciting, but there's not a lot beyond that.  I'm not emotionally invested in these characters, at all. But it /is/ pretty fun and exciting, so there's that. B/B+.

2016 book 93

Alethea Kontis' Trixter
This is the first book in a sort of companion series to Kontis' Woodcutter Sisters series (which seems not to have been picked up for any more books, which is a major shame), focusing on their adopted brother, who can talk to animals. He's run away from home after receiving a vision from his birth mother, sending him straight into a bunch of fairy-tale adventures. I liked this a lot, but it didn't feel like a /whole/ story to me--more the first half of one. Luckily the second book is out already! B+.

2016 book 92

Elly Griffiths' The Woman in Blue
In the latest Ruth Galloway mystery, Ruth's friend Cathbad (I love that guy) is housesitting when he thinks he has a vision of the Virgin Mary--only it turns out he actually saw a young model, about to be murdered. Ruth gets pulled into the case when an old friend of hers, a woman priest, begins to receive threatening letters that may be related to the crime. I'm honestly more interested in the ever-growing cast of characters here than in the mystery in a lot of these books, but this one balances both nicely and is a quick and entertaining read. I also like that so much of the story here involves people talking about religion, always a topic of interest to me. Definitely one of the stronger outings in the series. A-.


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

2016 book 91

Jeffrey Toobin's American Heiress: The Wild Saga of the Kidnapping, Crimes, and Trial of Patty Hearst
Look, if Jeffrey Toobin--who mainly writes books about legal stuff, including the one The People vs OJ Simpson was based on--is gonna write a book on Patty Hearst, I am THERE, ok? And this was freaking RIVETING. Hearst apparently did not cooperate with the book, but it is still fairly sympathetic toward her--I mean, I have no idea how accurate this portrayal is--it seems well-researched but who knows how it's spun--but it /feels/ accurate. And like I said, totally riveting presentation. I thought the depiction of how COMPLETELY INSANE the 1970s were, especially in California, was very well-done (this was a great followup to the Charles Manson's Hollywood eps of You Must Remember This, not to mention Emma Cline's excellent The Girls). And Toobin really TRIES not to let being a white man interfere with his story--my main quibble here is that he offhandedly mentions Nancy Ling's boyfriend forcing her to turn tricks, and several times thereafter Toobin calls her "the sex worker"--which maybe she was? But he never really says so otherwise? And it's not really a flattering characterization the way he presents it? That lack of information on a lot of the players was where this struck me as weak--I could have used a lot more backstory on Hearst and her sisters, for instance--though I guess that is not really the story Toobin is trying to tell. Still, I sometimes struggle with nonfiction and had no problem sitting down and plowing right through this, so it's definitely entertaining. And insane. I love it. A-.


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

2016 book 90

Mary Balogh's Only Beloved
The final book in the Survivor's Club series focuses on father figure George, and it's kind of boring--basically on page one he's like, "hmm, all my friends are married, I want to get married too" and goes and proposes to the sister of the love interest from book 4, and they get married, and then vaguely resolve their past issues while smiling at each other a whole bunch. OK, great. I did appreciate that this romance features older-than-usual characters--she's 39, and he's 48 (his age was never mentioned before, but I really felt that he had been aged down here with a ridiculously early marriage and fatherhood to make the timeline work and have him still be relatively sprightly). I mean, you never see middle-aged people in a romance novel like this, so that was kind of cool, but aside from like one very silly and melodramatic scene, the story was pretty dull. Pleasant, but dull. Also, for some reason the total heteronormativity/presentation of gender roles kind of rubbed me the wrong way in this one--I'm really not sure why. Maybe because the heroine was perfectly happy with her life, maybe because the survivors ending up with SEVENTEEN children between them is the happy ending. I mean, they also have better mental health, which is why I found this series interesting in the first place (the main characters all have PTSD), but this was a little bit of a bland way to wrap up the series. B.

2016 book 89

Peter S. Beagle's The Last Unicorn
So basically this is one of my all time top five favorite books, though I was spurred to reread it this time after using it this weekend in a game of Bring Your Own Book. I'm super psyched that it's on Kindle now, and the Deluxe Edition comes with the sequel novella, Two Hearts (which makes me straight up weep), so I definitely recommend that version! It's funny to read this now, at the age Molly Grue is in the novel--is that why I now think she is by far the best character? Especially considering this was written in the 1960s! It's totally timeless.

2016 book 88

Elizabeth Hand's Generation Loss
I loved Hand's Wylding Hall, and have been eager to read more books by her, so I decided to start with the first in her Cass Neary mystery series--which, no surprise, is not really a conventional mystery. Cass is a washed up, messed up photographer, who is sent by a friend to interview a less washed-up reclusive photographer on an Island in Maine, where everyone is a little bit weird, there are all sorts of missing teenagers, and things are growing increasingly creepy. Cass is a great character, even if you sometimes want to give her a shake--or a kick in the shins. There isn't much to the mystery, per se, but the story itself is satisfying and I'm looking forward to seeing where Cass heads next--though maybe I'll read something else as a palate cleanser first. TW for Cass being a rape survivor, though this is not discussed in great detail. B+.

2016 book 87

Meg Rosoff's Jonathan Unleashed
Rosoff's books are often a little bit off-kilter, and her first novel for adults is no exception. It centers on Jonathan, a young man in New York City working at a dumb job and in a mildly unfulfilling relationship. He also is the recent caretaker of his brother's two dogs, and kind of jokingly thinks they're running his life? This book was compulsively readable, but Jonathan is a certain kind of Nice Guy--he one hundred percent feels entitled to attention and affection from random women--and so I was never sure if I wanted to be rooting for him or not. I did like that there was a genderqueer character, though am not one hundred percent sure how I feel about the presentation of said character (magical genderqueer friend?). I guess I liked how it ended? GREAT dogs though, I was into these fictional dogs. B.

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

2016 book 86

Dorothy Sayers' Gaudy Night
I think this may be Sayers' most famous work, and for good reason. It's also an interesting one to read as a modern feminist. It may have been written 80 years ago--but the more things change, the more they stay the same, and whatnot. Anyway, this one is primarily from Harriet's perspective (yay!) and finds her back at her old Oxford women's college trying to track down a poison pen/vandal plaguing the campus--and it might just be one of the professors. The mystery here is interesting, and I was proud of myself for figuring it out (though it does raise some interesting issues), but let's be real: the romantic in me was busy cheering for Harriet and Peter and the rest was kind of secondary. :) A/A-.

2016 book 85

Jennifer Haigh's Heat and Light
Haigh's latest--after News From Heaven--is also set her in fictional Western Pennsylvania coal mining town, Bakerton--but now the town is overrun by fracking. This one didn't work as well as its predecessor, for me--it's a novel, but parts read like short stories, and there is just a little too much going on. I felt like the characters were all given short shrift--there just wasn't enough to them, even with the occasional random flashback chapter. I mean, I would have read a whole book JUST about possible-trans farmer Mack and their partner. And one late reveal is pretty obvious to anyone who's ever seen The Sixth Sense (or read the internet). It's a really great and interesting look at the fracking industry, though (environmentalists don't come off too well, either), not to mention small towns, families, etc. And Haigh's descriptions, particularly of the Pennsylvania landscape and general atmosphere, really struck home for me. She's a very evocative writer. This one just didn't quite land for me. B/B+.

2016 book 84

Sarah Maas's Throne of Glass
I really feel like quitting the FYA book club is gonna be great for me--or at least will mean I'll be reading fewer crappy books. This is the usual cliched model of YA fantasy: a teenage girl, the BEST and MOST FAMOUS and also of course BEAUTIFUL assassin (she has "a brilliant ring of gold around her pupils" which is somewhat better than violet-eyed, I suppose), with a mysterious past, brought out of prison to work for the king and earn her freedom--IF she can defeat a bunch of warriors and win a competition to get the job. Very Hunger Games. Plus, there is a hot crown prince, not to mention a hot captain of the guard, leading to an overwrought love triangle. It's all very predictable. Even characters bonding over books and a sassy foreign princess friend couldn't make me like this. As for the writing--I will describe it as "workmanlike." So many adverbs, so much clumsy exposition!  It does get a little better as it goes on--but it's not particularly GOOD. Meh. At least no one gets raped? B-/C+.

2016 book 83

Dorothy Sayers' The Nine Tailors
This Peter Wimsey spins a tale of a death that relates to a long-ago jewel theft, with all sorts of twists and tangles along the way. Not to mention a lot of discussion of bell-ringing (surprisingly interesting!). Not too much else to say, except that it was definitely satisfying, and I hope we'll see Hilary Thorpe again. A-.

2016 book 82

Claire North's The Sudden Appearance of Hope
North's latest novel (after The Fifteen Lives of Harry August, among others) is another book with an interesting concept and a somewhat muddled execution. It centers on a woman--the titular Hope--who, for some reason, no one remembers. Like as soon as they turn away, they completely forget she exists. Even her parents have forgotten her. So of course she has to become a talented thief to survive--and when she's planning a major jewel theft, an acquaintance commits suicide, leading Hope to investigate a mysterious new app called Perfection. For a while, things take on a sci-fi mystery/thriller tone that I was pretty into, but by the end I felt like the whole book was more of a thought experiment than a story.  It just kind of fizzled out. But like I said, really an intriguing concept. B/B+.

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

2016 book 81

Gwenda Bond's Double Down
The second book in Bond's Lois Lane series is more of the same--teenage Lois and her compatriots solving crimes, getting stories, having crushes, dealing with parents and sisters, etc--and it's all super fun. This one involves more weird super science, a mob boss, and a disgraced former mayor. I really hope more books in this series--and along these lines in general--are forthcoming, because they're pretty much the only superhero-related thing I care about these days! A-.

2016 book 80

Gwenda Bond's Lois Lane: Fallout
The first book in Bond's YA series on Lois Lane (the sequel is out today) finds teenage Lois settling with her family in Metropolis after a lifetime of changing schools because of her father's Army job--and she's determined to make friends and not get into trouble. At least until she gets sees a girl being bullied by a bunch of creepy gamers--and gets recruited to write for the Daily Planet's new teen-oriented website. I mean, there are no real surprises to the story here, but I found the narrative voice really engaging, liked that they threw Superman in as a character in a viable way (he's her internet friend), liked the general world-building, etc. I was mildly confused that the villainous stuff was called Project Hydra--SURELY you could have picked a name that isn't crucial to the Marvel universe?--but otherwise had no major complaints. Super fun. A-.

2016 book 79

Roshani Chokshi's The Star-Touched Queen
This was a really interesting mixture of Indian folklore and Western fairy tales, centering on a young woman, daughter of the Raja, who's fated to marry death and destruction, and so is kind of an outcast. She's hoping to be a scholarly spinster, but her plans are upended when her father announces a plan to marry her off, and then things go a little haywire. I really liked how magical elements functioned in the story, and I mostly liked the depiction of marriage, and if the protagonist is occasionally really stupid--well, she's stupid in the way that girls in fairy tales are often stupid, and I can't fault her for that. I found the wrap-up satisfying and found myself wishing there was more to the story. B+.


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

2016 book 78

Dorothy Sayers' Murder Must Advertise
In this outing in the Peter Wimsey series, Peter is undercover as a copywriter at an advertising agency--apparently Sayers once worked at a similar agency, so there are tons of details (I liked the details of the ads--it was all very Mad Men--but could have done with less detail on a crucial cricket match). Sayers actually starts the book in media res and it's not officially revealed that the copywriter is Wimsey until like chapter four, which entertained me. (I would complain about the lack of Harriet, but she is mentioned briefly, and I know she'll be back in the series soon--this one worked just fine without her.) The usual caveats for casual use of racist slurs applies--even Peter uses them in this book, to my chagrin. And if I ever forget to explicitly mention the racist slurs in one of my reviews, rest assured--they are still there. Only downside to reading this great series from the 1920s. B+.

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For some reason, this one is $1.99 for the Kindle right now, click the link above to check it out!

2016 book 77

Maggie Stiefvater's The Raven King
It's hard to know what to say about this without being spoiler-y. And it's hard to know how to feel about this book after so much build-up. I meant to reread all the others beforehand but never got around to it--I guess my enthusiasm for this series waned a little. It was mostly pretty good but parts felt like a cop-out and there were like twelve dei ex machina and not enough psychics and one fun new addition and I feel like I still have a lot of questions, particularly about the adult characters? But it was easy enough to devour it. I liked it. It just didn't hit the heights I expected. B+.

2016 book 76

Laura Lippman's Wilde Lake
Lippman's latest is a standalone centering on a recently elected state's attorney in Columbia, Maryland--a position her father famously held years earlier. Now she's working on a kind of weird murder case, and the story is also flashing back to a crucial summer in the 1970s and a couple cases of her father's (shades of To Kill a Mockingbird are intentional). Eventually, of course, these two stories start to converge, but not before Lippman touches on family, motherhood, romance, loss, race and class tensions, and more. I did have some minor problems with half the book being in first person and half in third, and wished this was a little more substantial, but it moves quickly and is pretty entertaining. B+.


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A review copy was provided by the publisher. This book will be released on May 3rd.

2016 book 75

David Levithan and Nina LaCour's You Know Me Well
I wasn't sure how this book was going to go for me--I LOVE Nina LaCour, but am not really into David Levithan. But maybe he's better when he's working with someone else, a la Will Grayson, Will Grayson? This actually has a Will Grayson-esque vibe: it centers on two queer teens--a sixteen year old boy, in love with his best friend/sort of boyfriend, and the girl from his calc class he encounters at a Pride event in San Francisco, who's afraid to meet the girl she's in love with, and also consumed with a lot of anxiety, and they become really nice, supportive friends during Pride Week. I liked/related to her sections more--his veer into the cheesy/dramatic and have some unrealistic dialogue--but both are pretty compelling, and I pretty much downed this in one sitting. I also just like that books like this exist. More cute little books for queer teens! B+/A-.


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

2016 book 74

Karen Cushman's Grayling's Song
Newbery medalist Cushman's latest focuses on a young girl who has to go on a journey to save her mother, a local hedgewitch under an evil spell that's turning her into a tree. I think this is one of those books that a kid in the intended audience/age range would love, but that doesn't have enough depth to really enchant an adult reader. There is an EXTREMELY awesome mouse though. I love charming animal friends. B.

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

2016 book 73

Lydia Millet's Sweet Lamb of Heaven
Millet's latest (after the stellar Mermaids in Paradise) is another slightly off-kilter but enjoyable story. This one feels much more like a thriller--it centers on a woman and her daughter who are on the run from her sociopathic husband, who has no interest in them--but now that he's launching a political career, needs them back in his life.  There is also a sort of mystical overlay, which I found really interesting. The tension ramps up nicely, but I found the end kind of anti-climactic after all the build-up. I did like the sense of paranoia that imbues everything, I think I just wanted the end to feel a little bit bigger. Still a great book and obviously great writing. B+.

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A review copy was provided by the publisher. This book will be released on May 3rd.

2016 book 72

Dorothy Sayers' Have His Carcase
The eighth Peter Wimsey mystery brings Harriet Vane back into the mix, as she encounters a recently dead body and the two get themselves involved in trying to solve the convoluted crime. This definitely would have benefited from some editing--it drags quite a bit, and there's an overly lengthy description of solving a cipher (and I say that as someone who likes that sort of thing!). It also just sort of ends as soon as they figure it out. I was losing steam by that point anyway, so was kind of relieved. I realize all of this sounds negative when, for the most part, this was entertaining. I really like Peter and Harriet. B.

2016 book 71

Maggie Nelson's The Red Parts: Autobiography of a Trial
I've never read any of Nelson's other books (though The Argonauts was a majorly critically acclaimed work last year), but Graywolf recently reissued this 2005 memoir and it sounded so compelling that I went for it! It centers on what happens when Nelson is about to publish a work of poetry about the long-ago murder of her aunt, presumably by a serial killer--and then finds out that the cold case has been reactivated, and a new suspect is about to be arrested. It's not a true crime book, but instead centers on Nelson and her family, their inter-relationships, and their grief, loss, and confusion as they face the murder trial. Nelson imbues her story with some really resonant themes, making this a quick, but moving, read. Very well-done. A.

2016 book 70

Cynthia D'Aprix Sweeney's The Nest
The Nest of the title refers to a trust fund four siblings are going to inherit when the youngest turns forty, and a couple of them have been counting on it to get them out of some financial jams--too bad troubled oldest brother Leo has caused it to almost disappear. I found the siblings (and their relationships) to be realistic and sympathetic to varying degrees, but there are a lot of other characters being juggled here, too, and I wished we could have had more attention paid across the board. I did like how some pieces of the end came together, but the epilogue felt a little bit pat. Still, the story here is compelling and the writing has some really striking moments. Normally I think novels about rich New Yorkers are annoying, but this was pretty well-done. B+.

2016 book 69

Lois Duncan's Down a Dark Hall
This month, our branch of the FYA book club decided to go rogue, and instead of reading the most recent Sarah Dessen book (too rapey), we went for a slightly trashy classic YA book. Lois Duncan is one of those authors who was ubiquitous during my formative years--though I only owned one book by her (Stranger With My Face!!! Long-lost twin sister astral projection dramarama!!!), I read it many, many times. This one was pretty amazing: a girl is forced to go to a mysteeeeerious boarding school so her mom and new stepdad can go on a four month long honeymoon (????), and the school is even more weird and creepy than she initially thought! The version I read had been updated from its original 1970s version (ie, cell phones exist), but I'm pretty sure the bones of the story remain the same. I also appreciated that almost every character was a woman. Anyway, I mean, this was a Lois Duncan book, so it was super entertaining but not like a literary masterpiece. What's that merit, a B+?

2016 book 68

Dorothy Sayers' The Five Red Herrings
So this entry in the Peter Wimsey series is, frankly, kind of dull. A guy is murdered at some combo artist/fishing resort in Scotland, and there are six suspects, and everyone runs around talking about train timetables and bicycles and it just DRAGS. None of these characters are fleshed out and even Peter doesn't have much to do, so I wasn't really invested in whodunnit. I also found the end mildly disappointing. I'm glad that Harriet Vane comes back into the picture in the next one--that should liven things up. B-.

2016 book 67

Lyndsay Faye's Jane Steele
Despite enjoying Faye's previous books, I wasn't sure how to feel about this one--a retelling of Jane Eyre, only this Jane is a serial killer. Like, what. But I should not have doubted Ms Faye, who has a way with a turn of phrase and with a plot, and who is all to eager to make her Jane Eyre fandom--and her titular character's--clear. This book is definitely compelling and entertaining, and makes me wish actual Jane Eyre had occasionally taken a shiv to someone. OK, things bog down a little in the middle and the end is mildly goofy, but this was surprisingly fun, and I appreciated the looks at Sikhism and the Sikh Wars. B/B+.

2016 book 66

Anne Tyler's Vinegar Girl
This is the latest in the Hogarth Shakespeare series--where modern writers rework classic Shakespeare plays. I was pretty excited to see Tyler's take on Taming of the Shrew, since it's a play I'm more familiar with. Of course, can any modern adaptation be better than 10 Things I Hate About You? And the answer is no, but this was pretty good anyway. Tyler cleverly modernizes things by making heroine Kate's father try to pressure her into a green card marriage so he can keep his research assistant, though Kate comes off less as prickly and more as maybe on the spectrum. I also wish Tyler hadn't chosen to kind of drop the younger sister's story entirely--I wanted a lot more from the sister relationship here, and disliked everyone constantly talking about how dumb and pretty the younger girl was (she's only fifteen!). But if you take it as it is, it's kind of a sweet book a la the movie Green Card (which is fine, but not nearly as good as 10 Things I Hate About You). I definitely liked this more than the Winter's Tale one. B+.

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

2016 book 65

Rufi Thorpe's Dear Fang, With Love
Thorpe's second novel, after The Girls of Corona Del Mar, felt like a bit step up to me--and I liked her first one! This one centers on a semi-estranged father and daughter--he was a teen when she was born and not really part of her life until she was twelve, and she's recently been diagnosed as bipolar, so of course taking her on a tour of Vilnius (to visit his grandmother's roots) is a GREAT idea. I found both characters really compelling and believable, and Thorpe has a deft touch with foreshadowing that had me going "oh s--t" a couple of times. I also appreciated the look at family stories and the things we tell ourselves, and particularly enjoyed all the Jewish characters and the way they were exploring their own stories. But of course, it's primarily a story and family and love. Great stuff. A/A-.

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

2016 book 64

Rick Riordan's Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard: The Sword of Summer
Hooray: the library was finally able to get this as an e-book! Boo: I think I am definitely over Rick Riordan. I mean, look, this book is FINE. It's cute that the main character is the cousin of Annabeth from the Percy books. But the whole thing feels like a MAJOR Percy Jackson retread. Great, there's a Muslim girl in it, and she has some good action scenes. A dwarf who's into fashion and an elf who wants to learn magic, fun! But no one has any real character development. I was never invested in any of them.  I also for once wish things would hinge on the child of a goddess, not a god, but I guess beggars can't be choosers after a couple thousand years of patriarchal societies. Anyway, I'm not going to be reading any more of this series--I am beyond uninterested in the same story beats or in Loki's shenanigans. B.

2016 book 63

Dorothy Sayers' Strong Poison
In the 6th Peter Wimsey book--the one which was most strongly recommended to me--Peter is determined to prove a young woman--a mystery writer!!--innocent of killing her ex. And then he's determined to marry her. I will say this mystery was way easier to solve for the reader than the previous ones, but it was still super satisfying, and I am very excited to see how things progress from here. A/A-.

2016 book 62

Dorothy Sayers' The Unpleasantness at the Bellona Club
I skipped the fourth Peter Wimsey book because it was a bunch of short stories (though I plan to go back to it later), so on to the fifth! This one finds Peter dealing with an elderly man who died at the club--but did he die before his sister, or after? It matters quite a bit, will-wise, and so his lawyer friend has asked Peter to investigate the matter--and of course quite a few odd things and red herrings emerge and it is super entertaining as always. I love this series so much. I really especially love watching Peter interact with women. A/A-.

2016 book 61

Mariko Tamaki's Saving Montgomery Sole
Tamaki is the co-author of two graphic novels I really like, Skim and This One Summer, so I was excited to read a YA novel from her. And for sure, while it deals with some of the usual themes of YA lit--outcast/non-conformist teens dealing with high school jerks--it never felt formulaic. Protagonist Montgomery, daughter of a lesbian couple, runs the school Mystery Club--which investigates ESP and the like--but things get complicated when an ultra-conservative preacher comes to town, and his son enrolls at their school. And then, of course, there is a maybe-magical amulet obtained from the internet. I will say that this book suffers from one of my pet peeves--if the main character had an honest conversation, there would be no plot, but of course it is realistic for teens to be secretive and dumb. I really liked all the characters here, I just wished there was more to the story--it was entertaining and funny, but somewhat insubstantial. B/B+.

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A review copy was provided by the publisher. This book will be released on April 19th.

2016 book 60

Emma Cline's The Girls
I'll start by saying: this book is way better than it needs to be. I mean, people are gonna read a fictionalized version of the Manson Murders no matter what--so that this book is a literary stunner is a major bonus. It's from the point of view of fourteen year old Evie--granddaughter of a major Hollywood celebrity*--who starts hanging out at the infamous ranch because she's intrigued by one of the older girls there. But it is kind of really about girlhood, about coming of age, about rape culture, about GIRLS, in a way that really resonated with me. Just a beautiful book. I'm not sure how I feel about the framing device--a much older Evie, at loose ends, encountering some beautiful young people at a friend's house--but it definitely works thematically. I think I just wished we'd seen more of adult Evie. Those are minor complaints, really--I think I'll still give this one an A.


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

*I recently listened to the Manson episodes of the You Must Remember This podcast and I SWEAR I remember one of the people who hung out with them briefly was the grandchild of someone famous--does anyone know who I'm talking about? Am I making this up?

2016 book 59

Dorothy Sayers' Unnatural Death
The third Peter Wimsey mystery is more of the charming same, as we find Peter investigating a cold case--an elderly woman who apparently died of cancer a few years earlier, but her doctor thinks she should have lived several more months. And of course things quickly get kind of crazy, with all sorts of entertaining twists and turns. This was written in the 1920s, so some characters are pretty racist--the n-word is used several times--but none of our heroes seem to be. And Peter has taken on an associate to do some investigating--an aging spinster, who is absolutely hilarious. I love this series so much. A-.

2016 book 58

Dorothy Sayers' Clouds of Witness
The second Lord Peter Wimsey finds his older brother, the Duke, arrested for murder! And the dead man is their younger sister's fiance! And she's definitely keeping some secrets too. Sayers definitely kept me guessing with this one--there are soooo many clues and red herrings--but it totally all makes sense in the end and is abundantly satisfying. I did wish the lawyer's speech at the end was slightly less lengthy, but that's a minor complaint. I really find these books so calming, though maybe that is weird to say about a murder mystery. A-.

2016 book 57

Mo Daviau's Every Anxious Wave
Daviau's debut novel may have been written JUST FOR ME--it centers on TIME TRAVEL and INDIE ROCK! Cat's Cradle even gets a shoutout! Anyway, it's the story of a guy, an aging indie rocker, who owns a bar and discovers a time travel portal thing in his closet (don't question it) and he and his buddy set up a business sending people back in time to awesome rock shows. I mean, that is genius. But then things go awry, and his friend ends up trapped in Manhattan in the year 980. And the bartender has to call in a cool young astrophysicist (a lady!) to save the day. I didn't find their inevitable romance entirely compelling--I wished she had been slightly better developed, or at least not seen only through his eyes, and I could have done w/o mentions of rape--but really enjoyed all the time travel shenanigans. This book was super fun. B+.

2016 book 56

Dorothy Sayers' Whose Body
Sayers' Lord Peter Wimsey mysteries have been recommended to me a few times, and I honestly wanted to read something on the lighter side after my past few books (isn't it sad that murder mysteries are considered light reading?). And this was definitely light, and pretty funny, and a little bit clever. It involves Peter (the usual upper class goofball who's secretly sharp as a knife) getting called in when an acquaintance finds a dead body in his bathtub. There is also the case of the missing rich Jewish man (many of the characters here are casually anti-Semitic, which is certainly appropriate for upper-class British people in the 1920s, but I didn't feel like /Sayers/ was being anti-Semitic). Are these cases connected, and can Peter fit all the pieces together? I mean, it's pretty obvious who the murderer is, but I liked seeing the process of figuring it out, and really enjoyed the characters here. Very entertaining and just what my brain needed. A-. (BTW, the first three books in this series are available in a Kindle bundle for just $7.99, click the link above to check it out!)

2016 book 55

Louise Erdrich's LaRose
Louise Erdrich is one of my all time favorite authors, so I've been savoring this one the past few days--though I think I could easily have read it in one sitting. It centers on two families, neighbors and friends; one day, while out hunting, the father of one family shoots the little boy of the other family--and decides he should give them his own little boy to make amends, impacting both families in expected and unexpected ways. It's also a portrait of the community--lots of characters drifting in and out of the narrative, which makes it feel a little busy at times, but also makes it feel more alive. And there are some teenage girls in this book who are just amazing. I would give this book an A based on their scenes alone (the titular LaRose is pretty great too). Erdrich tackles so many things--grief, loss, love, coming of age, sexual assault, bitterness, revenge, storytelling, family, war, etc--and then just sticks the landing in a way that made me want to high five someone. I read the last page like three times. It just really resonated with me. A for sure.


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

2016 book 54

Elizabeth Poliner's As Close to Us as Breathing
Well, this book was the perfect palate cleanser to the last book I read--maybe the beach setting helped wash all those horrible images away? The funny thing is, this book also deals with a tragedy--from the very first page, we know the narrator's little brother is going to die, hit by a car--but it's handled so much BETTER here. Part of that is the narrative voice--the protagonist, now an older woman, is looking back on the summer she was 12, in 1948, when her large and complicated family visits their beach house in the Jewish section of Connecticut--but partially it's just the way the story is crafted. (It's very well-crafted.) I really felt like I KNEW all of these people--and not just because they reminded me of my family, because only a few of them did--Poliner just breathes life into all of them, and all of their experiences, big tragedies and small ones, and little moments of grace. Just lovely. A.

2016 book 53

Ashley Hope Perez's Out of the Darkness
So this is being described as a novel about a major disaster--an explosion at a school in Texas in 1937--as a backdrop for a story about love, family, segregation, racism, etc. Which is accurate. But is also a novel about a young girl being molested by her stepfather. This is why trigger warnings are a thing! I don't want to read books about young girls being molested, I find it upsetting (I think understandably). I am especially tired of picking up YA books that I think are going to be literary and moving, and having them be super rapey. I mean, half the town thinks she should marry her stepfather, so gross! I cannot deal with this sort of thing anymore--and that's not even getting STARTED on the extremely crazy and bummerific ending--which I live-chatted in a Slack channel b/c I was so horrified (and bemused). One friend said it sounded like misery porn and I honestly have to agree. Ugh. Publishers, can't you use words like "harrowing" for stories like these, so we know?  B-.

2016 book 52

Corinne Duyvis' On the Edge of Gone
I keep accidentally reading sci-fi books this week, but it's ok, because they've all been pretty good ones. I had high expectations for this one, because I really enjoyed the author's last book, and this mostly met them! It's set in near-future Amsterdam, where the planet is dealing with a variety of natural disasters, and things are looking pretty bleak--when teenage Denise (biracial and autistic) discovers a generation ship about to take off, and is determined to win places for her family on board. The autism is handled really well and I think realistically, and I really enjoyed reading about Denise's experiences on the ship. I also appreciated that any and all romance was totally on the backburner, b/c it's a freaking apocalypse, after all! However, this book stressed me the eff out! It turns out I have a really hard time with characters breaking rules during an apocalypse. I think this really says a lot about me as a person, and not necessarily good things, heh. But it was weirdly upsetting to me. The end is also a little bit all over the place. But, all in all, pretty good. B/B+.

2016 book 51

Jenny T. Colgan's Resistance is Futile
This book was VERY silly, but also VERY fun. It's about a young woman, a mathematician,  who finds herself part of a group of elite colleagues working on a mysterious government project. At first I was like, is this gonna be like The Rosie Project meets Popco? But it goes somewhere entirely different (and slightly goofier). Parts of this are predictable, but I was super into the romance and liked the sense of humor a lot. And I really didn't see the end coming. I'll definitely be looking for more from Colgan. A-/B+.

2016 book 50

Kathi Appelt and Alison McGhee's Maybe a Fox
OK, there is officially a trend of emotionally compromising middle grade books featuring foxes this year (cf: Pax). This one features two sisters who lost their mother when they were five and six, and now the older one has disappeared, leaving the younger bereft. There is also a little fox that feels a connection to the girl (for reasons that are obvious to an adult reader, but maybe not to the intended audience? Either way, I had no issues with it). Great book on families and grief and rock collecting, and the end had me bawling my eyes out. I could have done without a throwaway reference to spirit animals, which isn't necessary to understand the story and might be offensive to Native American readers. Other than that, great stuff. A/A-.

2016 book 49

Becky Chambers' A Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet
Several of my friends have raved about this recently and so I was curious about it, even though I don't read a lot of sci-fi--and it totally lives up to the hype! It's about the people--not all human!--on a spaceship that punches black holes into space to allow for faster travel--but really, it's about the people. Great characters here, ones I was rooting for the whole time. I was even into the various romances. There's lots of action and adventure too, and dare I say--it was all kind of adorable? Plus, the book itself has a great underdog sort of story--originally funded on Kickstarter, and now a nominee for the Orange Prize (oh, I guess it's called the Baileys Prize now). Anyway, really a fun read, the kind that makes me want to seek out more sci-fi. Luckily for me, Chambers is working on a companion novel! Yay. A/A-.

2016 book 48

Emma Straub's Modern Lovers
Just when I think I never ever want to read a book about well-off New Yorkers again, Emma Straub goes and writes one so good that I have no problem admitting how wrong I was. It's the story of two intertwined families in Brooklyn, and marriages working and not working, and teens falling in love and in friendship, and nostalgia, and real estate, and music, and everything awesome. It's gonna be perfect summer reading for those of us who want something a little substantial but completely enjoyable. I think it's the first book all year that I really LOVED and was eager to get back to whenever I put it down. A.


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

2016 book 47

Sabaa Tahir's An Ember in the Ashes
The major downside of running the local branch of the FYA book club is not being able to put down a book that isn't working for me. And boy, did this one not work for me. It's the same sort of dramatic, formulaic mishegas that seems to be driving a lot of YA these days-- a girl, a boy, opposite sides of an evil empire, dramatic backstories, monsters from Middle Eastern folklore, a love quandrangle, etc. You get the picture. It's also very rapey (the evil empire is all about rape, torture, and slavery) and there is an Excessive Use of Capitalization. So basically, a lot of things I am not into in a book I wish I didn't have to read. I mean, the pacing is good, and the characters are interesting enough in that generic way, but this was just too unpleasant for me. I mean, the CONSTANT rape threats and general violence. Just too much for me. B-.

2016 book 46

C.S. Harris' When Falcons Fall
The Sebastian St Cyr series is one that really works for me, because Harris allows the characters to grow and change--they aren't stuck in the same formulaic rut all the time. That, and St Cyr has a badass and intelligent wife whose input he values! Anyway, in this one, they're visiting a small village to try and find out more about his past--when a young widow is found dead, and St Cyr is asked to assist with the investigation. Things quickly get crazier from there, as multiple villains, red herrings, and Bonapartes come into play (also, trigger warning for mentions of rape). Another solid entry in the series. A/A-.

2016 book 45

Seanan McGuire's Every Heart a Doorway
When I started this, I was so excited--it's a GREAT concept, and McGuire's writing felt so much more PURPOSEFUL than a lot of her recent work. It's about a special school--a school for children who have returned from various fantasy lands, to help them come to terms with the end of their magical adventures, all through the eyes of new student Nancy, who's just been sent away from an Underworld. But then McGuire decides to cram a murder mystery into this moving story, and there's just not enough THERE to support a mystery! Like, it is IMMEDIATELY obvious who the killer is, because there are only so many characters, and this whole book is only 176 pages. So that takes things in a bit of a downward direction--like, there are so many interesting avenues to explore, and that's where the story goes? And then the end is fairly anti-climactic. Sigh. This needed to be like fifty pages longer. B.


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

2016 book 44

Jessica Day George's Friday with the Wizards
The fourth book in the Castle Glower series is pretty much as delightful as the first few, as the gang has to raise some griffins, battle an evil wizard, and grow closer as a family. Protagonist Celia is mildly bratty for part of the book, but works her crap out, and I really appreciated that we finally get to know more about her mother (who is very cool). Nice action, cute animals, and I'll be waiting for the next one. A-.

2016 book 43

Deanna Raybourn's A Curious Beginning
Raybourn's latest is the start of a new series, featuring a lady lepidopterist with very modern ideas, and a man who's a natural historian with a mysterious past and a fetching eyepatch. When the woman's aunt dies, she is suddenly whisked away to London by a Baron who claims her life is in danger--and it's apparent to the reader that he's right, though she's pretty much in denial about it. Soon murder is afoot and she has to figure out what the heck is going on (though it takes a little while to get there--a lengthy interlude at a traveling carnival is maybe not entirely necessary, but it does add some interesting color). Raybourn does a good job with the romantic tension--I was one hundred percent screaming "make out already!!!" in my head--but the big reveal is is preposterous that I could not EVEN with it. But I like lady adventurers getting things done, so I look forward to seeing what's next with this series. B+.

2016 book 42

Stephanie Burgis' Masks and Shadows
Don't let the general description of "historical fantasy" fool you--Burgis' latest is a major departure from her adorable Kat Incorrigible series--which is not at all a bad thing. In her first novel for adults, Burgis explores the political scene of the 18th century--the story is set at the palace of Prince Esterhazy in Hungary, where some nefarious elements are plotting against the Hapsburg dynasty. It's also a kind of sweet, occasionally overwrought love story between a young widowed Baroness who loves music and the castrato who's come to visit and entertain (I will say that some of the descriptions of the castrato felt a little bit weird/othering). There also some interesting debate about class, not to mention some creepy supernatural elements! And Haydn is there, composing an opera! Things move along quickly and in general this is an entertaining sort of story--and one that feels different than a lot of the other books I've read lately. I especially appreciated the historical details and atmosphere--that was definitely very well done. I maybe wanted a little bit more character development though? B+.

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

2016 book 41

Judith Flanders' A Bed of Scorpions
The second book in Flanders' mystery series (after A Murder of Magpies), about an editor at a publishing house, is more of the delightful same! The death here involves the owner of an art gallery, whose co-owner is an old friend (and long-ago ex) of the heroine. And of course the cop she's dating is the one in charge of the investigation! Things quickly go haywire, there are a ton of plausible red herrings, plus more inside scoop on the publishing world--it's all super fun and a great read, just the kind of mystery I like. Flanders is building up a cool little world here, and I definitely hope to see more of it. A/A-.


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

2016 book 40

Mona Awad's 13 Ways of Looking at a Fat Girl
TOO REAL. This book was excellent, but it was too real. A/A-.

2016 book 39

Brittany Cavallaro's A Study in Charlotte
This book was SO FUN!!! It's all about what happens when the great-great-great grandson of Dr Watson is shipped off to boarding school (on a rugby scholarship!)--the very same boarding school attended by Sherlock Holmes' great-great-great granddaughter, who is just as talented and troubled as her famous progenitor. Obviously a murder ensues--and it's the murder of a complete jerk who they both hate! And they have to band together and solve it--only things quickly get more complicated. And not just because they're teenagers! I really found the writing here super compelling and fun--I can think of a couple of weak spots but nothing major really--I honestly hope this is the start of a series because I want to read more of these ridiculous and awesome kids. A-.

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TW for mentions of a past rape.

2016 book 38

Patricia McKillip's Kingfisher
This book starts out simply--and interestingly--enough, with a young man, the son of a sorceress (who now runs a restaurant), going off on a quest to find his heretofore unknown father and brother. He soon runs across a small town with TWO magical restaurants and a girl who is desperate to flee. And just when you're like, oh, /that's/ what sort of book this is, we suddenly head to the capitol, where lots of political (and religious!) things are brewing. So the world-building here is kind of complicated--it's a world of magic, shapeshifters, cell phones, and Geo Metros--and there is a LOT going on. Being me, I was very interested in the various gods/goddesses and their worshipers, the way McKillip plays with mythology, and the hint of a matriarchal society coming into play, but I definitely wished things had been a little more straightforward. She seems to really enjoy being convoluted! Anyway, eventually all these crazy plotlines come together for some magic and mayhem and a generally satisfying end.  B+.

2016 book 37

Joshilyn Jackson's The Opposite of Everyone
Sometimes Jackson's books are a little hit or miss for me--but this one was definitely a HIT. It centers on a woman, a high-powered attorney in Atlanta with a rough past, who has a lot to deal with when some family secrets start to emerge. I was one hundred percent rooting for her the whole time (and also one hundred percent rooting for her to get with her love interest). There's also a great, and wholly satisfying, ending. If you need a book about a badass lady getting stuff done, and also some emotional catharsis and crying, pick this one up ASAP. A/A-.


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

2016 book 36

Janet B. Taylor's Into the Dim
You guys know I LOVE time travel books, and I really WANTED to love this one. But I didn't. It centers on a teenage girl--kinda sickly and frail, but smart, with a photographic memory--whose mother died in an earthquake a year earlier--but she's convinced that her mother DIDN'T die, and in fact, she's right, because her mother is TRAPPED IN THE PAST and only she can save her!!!! Also there are EVIL time travelers, too! And all that actually makes sense, as far as these things go, and so she goes trekking off to the Middle Ages and chills with Eleanor of Aquitane, and meets a helpful Jewish girl (I appreciated the accurate historical look at anti-Jewish sentiment during this period) and all sorts of other things happen, it's all very exciting (it's also all VERY rapey, which is probably also historically accurate, but like, I could have done with less of it). Too bad things bog down with STUPID ROMANCE and the hints of A STUPID LOVE TRIANGLE. YA books, why you gotta do me like that. Who has time for romance when you're running for your lives in the freaking PAST? Plus it feels like every other YA romance/possible love triangle that's ever been written. I am way past over it. Anyway, this is the start of a series, and if you're into that sort of thing, it's pretty well-written. I am, clearly, not really into that sort of thing. B/B-.

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

2016 book 35

Heather Cocks and Jessica Morgan's The Royal We
At first, I was worried about rereading this for FYA book club--would it be as good as I remembered? etc--but as soon as I started, I got completely sucked back in again and would have read the whole thing in one sitting if I hadn't had other plans! Anyway, the Fug Girls' take on Kate Middleton is super entertaining, only occasionally cheesy, and surprisingly action-packed! Good stuff!

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I see that there is an edition with "a new bonus chapter"--anyone have the details on that?

2016 book 34

Theresa Rebeck's I'm Glad About You
I was mainly interested in reading this because I loved Rebeck's previous novel, though I admit there was sort of a morbid interest in Rebeck's take on an actress, after all the drama she had working on Smash. And although there is plenty of Hollywood dirt stuff going on, primarily this is the story of a young actress in New York and the guy she left behind in Cincinnati--who's just gotten married (there is a third POV character, a somewhat douchey journalist, but he's pretty minor). Anyway, it's all very readable and entertaining and even a little bit more solid, writing-wise, than it has to be. I did wish there was no rapiness, but maybe that is too much to ask for sometimes. I did like it a lot! A-/B+.


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

2016 book 33

Tanita S. Davis' Peas and Carrots
The latest from Davis, a Coretta Scott King honor award winner, is a really sweet, simple, and realistic look at a complicated family, the foster care system, sibling and friend relationships, and more. I also really appreciated the depiction of minorities, particularly the middle-class family at the center of the story. I wished there had been a little more at the end, but it did leave me with a nice, hopeful feeling. Really good stuff. A/A-.

2016 book 32

Tamora Pierce's Lady Knight
The final book in Pierce's Protector of the Small series is a satisfying conclusion--though it is super grim at times. I really appreciate that Pierce keeps romance on the backburner for the series--it's all very realistic for what Keladry is going through, and I liked the way her feelings on the matter were depicted. It's just so rare in a series of this kind. High five, Tamora Pierce. A/A-.

2016 book 31

Tamora Pierce's Squire
The third book in Pierce's Protector of the Small series is great, just great! I was totally crying from sheer joy (and a little bit of sappiness) at the end. Pierce doesn't shy away from the horror and darkness of war, particularly now that protagonist Keladry is a young adult, but there is also still plenty of the girl-power awesomeness of the first two. I am so grateful that the library added this series, as I had no idea it existed and it's really fun and satisfying. A/A-.

2016 book 30

Tamora Pierce's Page
I am just rip roaring through this series! This second one centers on Kel as she works her way through the page system, still dealing with sexist morons, but with more friends--and more ANIMAL FRIENDS!!!! She learns and grows a lot, and I really appreciated the focus on her adolescence. Great, great. A/A-.

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.