The Indian in the Cupboard by Lynne Reid Banks

This was a book that my third grade teacher read to our class every day after we got in from lunch. I remember how we listened to my teacher's every word about Omri, a boy who is gifted a magical medicine cabinet that brings plastic toys to life. We couldn't wait until the next day to realize the resolution of each chapter's cliffhanger.

So it seemed a great choice to read to my 7 year old son. But would a second reading, more than 30 years later, hold up to the test of time?  I had my doubts, which began with the title of the book. Could this foreshadow greater problems to come? Against my better judgment, I decided to find out.

While my son seemed interested in the story, there were some cringey moments that maybe I was sensitive to, but hopefully were lost on him.  There were references to injuns and talk of scalpings and firewater, stereotypical stuff. And the way Little Bear spoke in broken English didn't help either. And besides all of that, Omri's friend Patrick was a terrible person. I quietly seethed through most parts of the book involving him.

So are we going to read the second book in the series? I don't think so. And while I don't think my 3rd grade psyche was damaged in any way by the first reading, I feel the book, like those memories, belongs back in the 80's.

Lock Every Door by Riley Sager

It's been a year since I've completed a book (not including ones I've read with my 7-year old). An embarassingly adult book-free year. I've started a few, but either wasn't interested enough to finish them (I'm looking at you Crazy Rich Asians), or, really, just not interested enough to start any new ones either.

But I'm happy to announce my dry spell is over and Lock Every Door is the book to quench my thirst. This is the third book by Author Riley Sager, which is a pseudonym for journalist Todd Ritter.

On a side note, while not an entirely new phenomenon (as it's not uncommon with romance novelists apparently), in an article for the Atlantic, Sophie Gilbert explores the relatively increasing number of men using female or androgynous pseudonyms in the thriller novel genre. The Guardian also has an article about this for the curious, which also delves into the apparent phenomenon of the appeal of violent books to women.

But it makes me wonder if I would have even noticed if the book said Todd Ritter instead of Riley Sager, or if Gone Girl would have been just as popular if it had a male author attached to it? Would a reading of Lock Every Door be different for me if I scrutinized the female protagonist's perspective, knowing it's written by a man?

In all honestly, though, I didn't notice. Which I guess is what Sager wants, right? At least I didn't have any of those eye-rolling moments like I did while reading Michael Bussi's book. That man is seriously obsessed with boobs.

But back to Lock Every Door, which was an easy and quick read. And, while I'm not sure it's going to be the best book I read this year, I'm intrigued enough that I'd check out his other books. 

His story is a modern mystery about Jules who is down on her luck and looking for something to jump start her stalled life. When a paid apartment sitter job in a historic, posh, New York building opens up, it seems too good to be true. But newly jobless, boyfriendless, and basically homeless, Jules makes the obvious choice. What follows is part mystery, part thriller, and part suspense as we follow Jules' journey to understand if the Barthalomew is truly infamous or unfairly suffers from a bad reputation.

While I guessed one twist, the book ended up turning well beyond that. Ultimately, I was satisfied with the ending, as well as the book's execution. It was a good choice to pull me out of my shell and get me reading again.

If you like the book, Paramount TV has put Lock Every Door into development. I could see this going either way, we'll have to see.