The Immortalists by Chloe Benjamin

If you knew the day you would die, how would that change the way you live? Chloe Benjamin explores this idea in her second novel about four siblings who, in New York in 1969, learn just that. Simon, Klara, Daniel, and Varya sneak off to see a fortune teller whose gift is knowing your death date. After they each learn how long they'll live, we hear about their separate stories.

At 17, Simon leaves New York for San Francisco with his sister Klara, who is 19. Klara has dreams of becoming a magician, following in the footsteps of her grandmother. Simon doesn't realize his dreams until he moves to San Francisco, where he can live more openly as a gay man. He begins dancing at a club, and then takes ballet in order to improve his dancing. There he meets Robert, and they live as a couple in the height of the AIDS epidemic in the 1980's.

Klara, also in San Francisco, pursues her dream of performing magic shows. She starts from the ground up, with simple card tricks and illusions and works her way up to performing at the Mirage in Las Vegas. 

Daniel becomes a doctor, and meets an FBI agent who is asking questions about the woman Daniel and his siblings met so many years ago. 

Varya works in research, trying to find out the key to a long life. But her research is interrupted when she meets someone asking questions about her past. 

Although their lives diverge and seem to separate pretty quickly after their childhood, they still deal with the same issues - like their mother - Who will stay home to care for her? Who deserves her love the most? Will they break free of the superstitions and rituals they see her carry out? They also each have a dream that is sidelined in some way - whether it's mental illness, disease, revenge, or their own self. And together they deal with the knowledge of their fate and the question of whether knowing this directed their life choices, or if their life choices brought them closer to their fate. 

I listened to the audio book, so I'm not sure I can separate how much was the writing versus the narrator, but this book had a lyrical quality to it that was transcendent. I loved reading about each sibling and was disappointed when one person's section ended, but then found myself equally enraptured with the next. Each person's story was interesting in and of itself, but the bigger questions raised about things like fate and legacy took it to another level. 

Or Else by Joe Hart

I've read a few of Hart's books and enjoyed them enough to see what else was at my library. Or Else came up, so I gave it a go. 

This mystery/thriller is about Andy, who is having an affair with his neighbor and childhood friend, Rachel. But then Andy receives a threatening note to stop the affair...Or Else. See how that works?

Then Rachel's husband is murdered and she and her kids disappear. Because there wouldn't be much of a book otherwise, Andy decides he is the best person to solve these mysteries and doesn't cooperate with the police. 

What I liked most about Hart's other books is what I felt was lacking in this one. In And the Sea Called Her Name and The Exorcism of Sara May, Hart creates sinister moods that pervade throughout the story. And there was a supernatural element to each that give the story just a little nudge into the fantastical and unique.

Or Else is much more grounded and realistic and probably my least favorite of the three. But it's fine if you like mysteries or thrillers. There wasn't anything that overtly turned me off to the book, so I'll probably check out Hart's other reads - but it didn't have the dark undercurrent in his other books that left me delightfully unsettled. 

Word by Word by Kory Stamper

 

Who would have thought a book about someone who edits dictionaries would be so delightfully engaging? Even better? I listened to the audio book, narrated by Stamper, and her personality and wit shone through the airwaves. Despite her self-deprecating descriptions of lexicographers as solitary, introverted shut-ins who would rather sit in a dark room alone than talk to another human, being in the room with her for this book was a great reading experience. 

Stamper regaled me with her stories of how she tackled the word, "took." In what might otherwise be painstaking detail, I was in non-ironic awe of Stamper's description of the system of index cards and makeshift piles she created in her cubicle in order to properly sort and define the many meanings and uses of the word - one of the many troublesome short and ubiquitous words in our language.

I reveled in how naive I was about the dictionary, always seeing it as an authority on what was or was not a word and what its *actual* meaning was. But Stamper taught me that words are in circulation, first verbally, then informally in writings like letters and notes, and finally more formally in publication. By the time a word is entered in a dictionary, it has been circulating for some time. And the definition is written by lexicographers who catalog a word's various uses and then try their best to parse out the sometimes myriad ways it is used. If anything, dictionaries are an authority on the common uses of words, recording English's evolution through time. 

I listened with rapt attention as Stamper explained how dictionaries are formatted and should be used. She also talks about the social and political backlash that occurs based on things like changing a definition (like marriage) or not changing a definition (like nude).

And throughout each lesson, she gives tidbits of the etymology of various words that are damn near as interesting as her discussion on the use of swear words in dictionaries. 

Stamper's book will make you think differently about words, and maybe the English language in general. If anyone is an "expert" in the English language, it is all of us, and lexicographers only reflect how words are used by its speakers. This book gives you a lot more confidence to shout out non-words like "irregardless" with wanton disregard for the so-called rules,. You'll feel free of the restraints of the English language and shout to the hills, "damned be the legalists!" You might even be tempted to pick up a dictionary for some light reading.

Whatever thoughts or actions this book inspire in you, you'll be better for it.  

The Silent Wife by A. S. A. Harrison

Reasons why this book grated on me (mild spoilers but I don't care, you shouldn't read it anyway):

Copious boob descriptions. Behold:

• The twin peaks that strain against the middle buttons of her blouse
• Her soaked T-shirt leaving her as good as naked from the waist up.  But even though her breasts were resplendent - small but perfect, with nipples standing up like finials in the pelting rain...
• The nipples inert in the heat of the day
• The way she let it all hang out - breasts rising from their moorings
• Breasts bobbing
• And her breasts - nipples foremost - assert themselves against the soft weave. This is while she's wearing a sweater!
• Pretty pair of molehills

Misogynistic behaviors and expectations:

• Jodi lays out pajamas for her husband. I don't even do this for my 8 year old.
• In the first day we know him, Todd wakes up, is pampered by his wife, ogles his secretary, lights a joint, harasses his mistress, finds it hard to not order a beer at lunch, takes a nap at work, then goes to the gym after work.
• Todd and his best friend lose their virginity together while on a double date in an RV. It's meaningful to them that they shared this "seminal" experience, that one overhead the other's vocal passage into manhood. GAWD!
• How hearing someone's voice wakes up Todd's gonads
• How Todd and Jodi meet after having a car accident. He is a total dick to her and yells at her. Her response is to have dinner with him.
• When Todd is talking to Jodi about his affair and impending fatherhood with his mistress, he says "don't make it hard for me. It's not like I planned this. It's just the roll of the dice. We don't decide everything that happens to us. You know that."
• Mention of Todd's friends being "forced" to take refuge in the adults-only section of the classifieds as a way of not cheating on their wives because, marriage, amirite?

Other reasons this book seemed off:

• Strange and out of date terminology like calling someone a blockhead, reading the classifieds, and talking about Todd's gonads
• Strange responses, like when Dean finds out Todd is sleeping with Dean's daughter, Dean says "I'll rip your head off, you stinking turd." Is he 12?
• Also, a friend responding "oh dear" when Jodi says her boyfriend of 21 years has gotten someone else pregnant. Spoiler alert, they're not 80 year old women.
• The fact that not one, but two women in the book, wear pantyhose (this book was written in 2013). In fact, Jodi loves them SO much, she even wears them under her jeans. I'm sorry, what?
• When Todd basically accuses Jodi of having an affair with the 15 year old in their building. The point of his jealousy would have been made using literally any other person, but Harrison thinks we need to talk about Jodi having an affair with a 15 year old.
• Also, whenever there are descriptions of the food Jodi makes, it just doesn't sound appetizing. She goes to so much trouble to make hors d'oeuvres and meals that just sound...beige.
• The baby names that are thrown out are just blah.
• This description of a woman that Todd is attracted to: "gaunt with lank hair and hollow cheeks - makes him think of an undernourished child. She has a long torso with a flat chest, jutting hip bones, and a concave belly. Feet like planks but narrow. Eyebrows unplucked." There's also a bit about how Jodi goes limp when they're having sex and it arouses Todd. 
• A conversation Todd has with a waitress he's trying to impress where he just starts talking about how his father breaks his mother's arm. This is supposed to show that Todd is sensitive and vulnerable. As expected, the waitress just walks away and then Todd goes into this really cringey shtick: "I'm sure you hear sob stories all day long, and you deserve so much better - a man who can forget about himself and focus on you. Pamper you. Bring you flowers and gifts. Massage your feet when you get off work. Min froken, you iss all day oon da foots and now iss rilly sore." And THIS WORKS!! Just ew.
• Jodi wears a halter dress and sandals to a professional conference.
• The lawyer. Who talks. Like. This. URGH!!!!

I was shocked. SHOCKED, when I realized this book was written by a woman. I was also shocked to learn this book was not written in the 80's. I was additionally shocked to learn that this book had a good reception. 

And if you've read it, I get it. We aren't supposed to like Todd. Fine. In that way this book succeeded. Harrison managed to write a disgusting human. But if it was truly just about making Todd look bad, why does she then have the waitress, for example, show interest in his perplexing effort? It takes me out of the story, because I think, no normal woman would respond to that. 

The fact that Jodi tries to win Todd back is infuriating as well. Like, why? Not only has he cheated on her, he's going to be a father with his mistress - who's 21 years his junior, and his best friend's daughter. And he's a total dick on a good day. I thought it was a joke or ploy. But no, she wants him back because she is also a terrible human being.

Then there's the whole side story about Jodi going to therapy which surfaces an important childhood memory. How this has any bearing on the story at hand, I don't know or care.

I felt that the writing of the book was a distraction from the story. It was grating and out of touch and made me want to gouge out my eyes with spoons.

I just can't. Please don't read this book.

Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI by David Grann

I came away from this one seeing the forest more than the trees. The overall story is interesting, but I wasn't really interested in the details along the way. At the end of the day, I'm glad I read the book, because this seems like an important story in terms of American history. But I often found my mind wandering while going through it.

Did you know that the Osage Native Americans in Oklahoma were among the (if not THE) richest people in the world in the early 1900's? The Osage were assigned land by the U.S. Government that later was found to be rich in oil. In response to this, the United States passed a law that anyone with 50% or more Osage ancestry had to be assigned a guardian (code for a white man) who was appointed by the court and basically in charge of their finances.

This legal racism and exploitation, problematic on its own, also bred all kinds of illegal activity - murders, kickbacks, bribes, corruption, conspiracy. And in the 1920's begin what is known as the Reign of Terror for the Osage, when dozens were murdered for their oil headrights.

The book is told in three parts, the first part focusing on the Osage themselves, then moving to the FBI investigation, and finally ending with additional research and theories that David Grann unearthed. This might be one of those books where the movie is more interesting than the book, but you if really want to get facts and details about the actual events, then the book is key. While I'm not going to insist that the book is superior (and it very well might be, as I have yet to see the movie) I'd suggest one or the other, as the story itself is one that should be heard.

Here's an article from PBS (written by David Grann) about the Osage murders, it has some great pictures. Now that I'm thinking about it, these very well might have been in the book, but I did the audiobook so...

If you're interested in the upcoming movie, directed by Martin Scorsese, here is the trailer.

The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna

I must have felt like I needed a book hug, since I chose this one, which was described as a cozy read. I've heard of cozy mysteries and have been curious about the quaint worlds they inhabit. To be clear this is not a cozy mystery, it's a cozy story - a gateway drug of sorts into cozy mysteries. 

 

This is a story about Mika, a witch who lives in England. Mike meets with other witches, in a sort of bi-monthly support group, but members are discouraged against regularly interacting with other witches, as their power might draw attention. 

You can see how this might be an issue when Mika is contacted by someone who lives in a house with three young witches, interested in a magical nanny. Apparently her Instagram posts, where she "pretends" to be a witch, haven't fooled everyone. 

Mika knows having so many witches together could go wrong in a myriad of ways. But without her help, things could be worse. And Mika is intrigued by this strange family - three young adopted girls, a mysterious and famous head of household, and four adults who run things in her usual absence.  

As advertised, the story isn't offensive, or overly stressful (although Nart brings up an important point about how I really glossed over a problematic plot line). There is some drama, but nothing that's too high stakes or heart clenching. So as you might expect, it isn't terribly exciting either. The story was unique enough that it wasn't boring, but I'm not sure I'm a full convert to the genre. I will say, however, that if I feel like I want to read something for the sake of reading, I might turn to these types of books as sort of literary fidget spinners. I could see how the familiarity might turn to investment for a particular series.

Stay with Me by Ayobami Adebayo

This is one of those books about what could very well be about normal life. But it's told in such an engaging and intriguing way. Adebayo is able to take the things that we all deal with - longing, loss, infidelity, belief - and show us how extraordinary we all really are. In a lot of ways, Stay With Me is a mirror reflecting our own desires, shortcomings, and struggles.

We learn this by experiencing the lives of Yejide and Akin, who live in Nigeria in the 1980's. Yejide, and her mother-in-law, want nothing more than for Yejide to have a baby. But Yejide and Akin struggle to conceive. What follows is their story through 3 pregnancies (4, if you include a hysterical pregnancy) told against an almost casual backdrop of a government coup, polite extortion, a visit to a healer to conceive, polygymy, sickle-cell disease, and even possibly murder.

But to be clear, the book isn't a murder mystery, or a story of how magic can cause miracles, or a tale of what a polygymous marriage is like. It's about two people who met in college, fell in love, got married, and now want a baby. It's about how tradition competes with modernity. How fatherhood isn't necessarily about biology. It's a cautionary tale, much like the folktales Adebayo deliciously weaves in about how people will do almost anything to get what they want, including ruining their own lives. It's also about how the one thing you think you want, might be the one thing that causes you the most pain.

It's a hearthbreaking, beautifully told narrative that was enhanced by listening to the audiobook, narrated by Adjoa Andoh.

The House Across the Lake by Riley Sager

If you haven't tired of The Girl on the Train, or Gone Girl, or The Woman in the Window (which, to be fair, I haven't read), and even Ghost 19, then this is your book! Female narrator? check. Possibly unreliable? Check check. Voyeurism? Triple check. Timeframe shifts from chapter to chapter? checkity check check check. Twists and turns? Hopefully you'll think so like I did - but I'm not one to try too hard to figure things out. I'm just along for the ride.

This one takes place at...wait for it...a lake. The cast of characters was mercifully small enough that I was able to keep track of everyone pretty well. There's the supermodel wife, the aloof husband, the spiraling widow, the dead husband, the hot guy, the helpful neighbor, the cop, the supportive best friend, and the annoying mother. While I feel, for many reasons, this book is formulaic, this is the second book by Riley Sager that I've read that has managed to completely surprise me. Again, not so difficult to do. 

What I liked about this book is that I didn't want to put it down. I liked the characters and the setting. I actually appreciated the detail Sager went into regarding his main character's alcoholism. While I can't speak from experience, so I'm not sure how accurate the depiction is, Sager's descriptions of her physical and, really more emotional cravings and how consuming they were were eye opening to me. Hell, I probably should have listed bourbon as an additional character in this book, given its prominence.

While this might not be the most realistic tale at the end of the day, it's a fun, quick read.

Whoever Fights Monsters by Robert K. Ressler & Tom Shachtman

Criminal profiling is a hot topic with maybe the most unglamorous of foundations. Built on the commission of violent sexual homicides and the insights gained from the study of such offenders, the FBI's Behavioral Analysis Unit (formerly the Behavioral Science Unit) was formed nearly 40 years ago.

Robert Ressler is an FBI agent who studied these crimes and criminals and was instrumental in the formation of the BSU, which has inspired countless TV shows and movies like The Profiler, Mindhunter, Criminal Minds, The Silence of the Lambs, The Prodigal Son...and the list goes on.

Ressler gives history on the unit, which includes the creation of VICAP and the NCAVC. The NCAVC, or National Center for the Analysis of Violent Crime is a department of the FBI that aids law enforcement agencies in the prevention, understanding, and investigation of violent crime. VICAP, or the Violent Criminal Apprehension Program, is a national database available to law enforcement to log and query information about violent crimes. These are resources available to law enforcement that didn't exist when Ressler was first involved in the FBI. Ressler details his career and how these programs were created in part through his work and efforts.

Ressler's career with the FBI was in the 1970s and 1980s. Little was known about serial killers or serial sexual homicide. Ressler was good enough at his job that he could ask forgiveness rather than permission and accomplish things that would likely get him fired today. This includes backdating memos and interviewing serial killers in prison without official authorization. 

But his efforts paid off. By interviewing offenders like Jeffrey Dahmer, Charlie Manson, and Ed Kemper, Ressler was able to gain insight into what made them, and people like them, tick. His expertise allowed him involvement in aiding numerous cases with his spot on profiles and he was a consultant for various projects, notably with Thomas Harris, author of The Silence of the Lambs. 

Ressler lived in a different time than we are in now, but the BAU endures today. I wonder how it has evolved over the decades and if the analysis of serial killers is as relevant as it is today or if other types of killers, like terrorists and school shooters, have come into prominence in the unit's study. But there's no denying the groundwork Ressler laid and the sheer fascination this book provides in his tales of serial killers from this time.

Poison Study by Maria V. Snyder

This review is a bit reflective of my experience with this book - fragmented and maybe incomplete. I started Poison Study years ago on audio book and for whatever reason, didn't finish until just a few days ago. Excuses aside, the story didn't invest me enough to overcome them.

So what follows will be a really bare-bones review of what this book is about. Poison study is a fantasy novel (and the author's first!) that takes place in Ixia - a society that seems like it's from days past, but might actually be a vision of a future possibility. Yelena is sentenced to death for killing someone, which is illegal regardless of the reason. And I'm sure Yelena had a good reason, I just don't remember what it was.

But after being imprisoned for a year, Yelena is offered a choice: she can be executed or become the Commander's food taster. From what I can surmise, the Commander is like a governor (or mayor? king? dictator?) of a region that is basically under martial law. Yelena accepts the offer and gets to work learning how to detect the slightest trace of poison in food. In order to keep her from trying to escape, she is administered butterfly's dust, a poison that will kill her in a day if she isn't given the antidote regularly.

Because Yelena works for the highest official of Ixia, she lives in the...palace?...and hears all the good gossip and is involved in any intrigue to be had. This involves learning to fight, nearly dying, killing people, and falling in love, oh, and there's a bit of magic too.

I don't know why I didn't strongly identify with this book. Maybe it was the audio book itself. I really didn't care for the music between chapters and I didn't like a few voices the narrator used for some of the characters. I wonder if I would have had a different feeling reading it the good old fashioned way.

So I'm just meh about this one. All the other reviews I've read on it are glowing, and there are a lot of other books in this series. It might be worth a look if you're a fantasy novel junkee. I'm not, to be fair. But this didn't bring me any closer to being one either. 

The Witch Must Burn (Dorothy Must Die prequel #2)

 

Well color me surprised. I thought this book was about Glinda but it's mostly about Jellia - although she and Glinda spend the book together. So I guess it's a two-fer.

So far, this is the shortest of the Dorothy Must Die series and two prequel novellas at 67 pages. And to be fair, not a lot happens in this book. Jellia is working in Dorothy's palace...I realize "working" might be a misnomer, as she really doesn't have much of a choice at this point, but isn't that how many of us feel in our jobs? And let's be real, some of us have bosses who may resemble Dorothy, if not in a fun, fashion sense, then in an evil, heart of darkness way.

And Glinda, running a close second in the race for Worst Boss Ever decides to borrow Jellia from Dorothy for a few months for torture sessions and manicures.

At Glinda's palace, Jellia feels under utilized as a basic servant but as a result meets brooding bad boy Nox and is introduced to the idea of his stormy expressions and the Order. She gets just a small taste of the Order too, at the end of the book.

And...that's it. On to the next one.

No Place Like Oz by Danielle Paige (Dorothy Must Die Prequel #1)

This is the backstory on Dorothy after she spent her first time in Oz wanting nothing more than to return to Kansas and then spent her time back in Kansas wanting nothing more than to return to Oz. We begin with Dorothy's infamous (at least to her) 16th birthday party, and are reminded how terrible teenagers are, no matter what universe or timeline you are in. Then Dorothy mysteriously returns to Oz and unfortunately brings Toto, her Aunt Em, and uncle Henry with her. I say unfortunately because not only are Aunt Em and uncle Henry buzzkills for Dorothy, they're buzzkills for me too. I get that they're from a different time and simple, down to earth people, but they were unrealistically annoying. But we don't have to deal with them for too long, if you know what I mean *murderous wink*.

I think it's unfortunate for Toto because he turns into an evil diva and that seems unfair to poor Toto.

Paige provides insight into Dorothy's relationship with Ozma that leads to the unfortunate mind mush incident. And while the mechanics aren't as fleshed out as they are with Amy in the Dorothy Must Die series, we see Dorothy's transition from magical virgin to becoming accidentally more powerful than Oz's rightful ruler - even though Ozma has access to the oldest, strongest power in Oz. I feel like there is a parallel with people who end up in the emergency room after "accidentally" slipping on the Mrs. Buttersworth bottle, but I could be wrong. 

While I had to push the "I want to believe button" for more than once in this book, I'm already balls deep in this series and will pretty much keep reading even if Mrs. Buttersworth herself flies in a declares she's the Queen of Oz.

Yellow Brick War by Danielle Paige (Dorothy Must Die Series, book 3)

I gotta tell you, this book seems more like a vehicle to get from book 2 to book 4. I don't really remember much about it except that Amy has returned to Flat Hill Kansas and is looking for the first pair of Dorothy's magic shoes (apparently the ruby slippers were her second pair that Glinda used to bring her back to Kansas after returning home). 

Amy has returned to her mother, who seems to be doing better without her, but is eager to make up for lost time. She also returns to high school, with Madison, now a mother, and no longer queen bee at the school. Together with Madison and Madison's baby daddy Dustin, they search the high school for Dorothy's first pair of magic shoes. 

I think this book isn't as memorable because half of it takes place in Kansas, where Amy cannot use her magic. A lot of the world-building from the first two books is missing in book 3. And while we get glimpses of characters in Oz, it's really just that. Brief glimpses.

The second half is a return to Oz and another battle between the good and the wicked. I think it all starts to run together by this point.

Having said that, I'm invested in the story and was eager to read it each time I picked it up. It just didn't have the surprises of book 1 or the adventures of book 2. Amy had a very focused task in Kansas and returned to another great battle, both of which set up the story for book 4.

The End of Oz by Danielle Paige (Dorothy Must Die Series, book 4)

This is the fourth and final installment of the Dorothy Must Die series. The first three books are dark in their own right, but this book feels a little more so. In book 4, we travel to Ev, land of the Nome King. I'm not familiar with the original Oz books, but if you are familiar with the difference between The Wizard of Oz movie and the sequel Return to Oz, that is the change of pace to which I'm referring. Remember the wheelers? Yeah, I tried to forget them too. And the queen who wore different heads? Uh huh. Although I actually could have used more heads than were actually offered.

Most of this book takes place in Ev, beyond the land of Oz, where Amy, Madison, and Nox find themselves after escaping the Nome King. They travel to...well...are carried by wheelers against their will to Langwidere's castle.

"Oh my god...I hated this movie." -Madison upon seeing the wheelers

So we learn more about Langwidere and her head collection and get some of her backstory. There is some hiding in tunnels and caves, and then...a wedding. 

One big difference in this book is that the chapters alternate between what is going on with Amy and what is going on with the Nome King's newest prisoner. Of course, there's a big battle at the end, can't not have one of those. And the book resolves, but leaves the door open for more to come.

Overall, I like these books. Look, I'm not doing any heavy thinking about life or myself because of these books, but they're short, entertaining, and fun to read. Paige also has even more novellas giving backstory on other main characters - Dorothy, the Scarecrow, the Lion, and Tin Man, Glinda, the Wizard, Polychrome, Ozma, and the Order of the Wicked. Will my life change by reading these books? No. Will I read them anyway? Of course!

The Wicked Will Rise by Danielle Paige (Dorothy Must Die Series, book 2)

This is an example of where the second installment is better than the first. If you aren't familiar with the Dorothy Must Die series of books, you can read my review of book 1 here. 

Basically, this is the second book in the Dorothy Must Die series, which tells the story of Amy Gumm, a teenager from Flat Hills Kansas, who finds herself whisked away to Oz. Amy discovers Dorothy is real, and has transformed Oz into a magical wasteland and ruled with an iron fist. Amy has joined forces with other witches to try to stop Dorothy and her entourage consisting of Glinda, the Scarecrow, the Lion, and the Tin Man.

Book two picks up right where book 1 left off. But unlike book 1, I feel like the pace was better, and we get to see more of Oz - the jungle where Lulu, the monkey queen rules, and Rainbow Falls, home to Polychrome and her fake (but mayby real?) panther/unicorn Heathcliff.

Amy also settles into her magical powers more and evolves as a witch. Or maybe she's devolving, as we start to see hints of, well, wickedness creeping into her craft. And as Dorothy begins to tap into the evil of Oz's magic, we travel with her to the shadowlands and see her transformation into a literal magical monster.

And Paige doesn't pull punches. There are a lot of characters we say goodbye to in this book, some we like and others we don't. Paige even killed a few characters I was really sad to see go. And I have to hand it to her, she wrote in a few really good battles. I tried reading them as if I was watching a movie and she had some great visuals and moments of flair that were pretty satisfying. I'm actually amazed these books haven't been turned into a miniseries or movie yet (I read on wikipedia the CW was in negotiations, but that was 10 years ago!). Her characters are sassy, colorful, and fun. She has truly evil villains and wicked heroes. And while there were times I rolled my eyes (generally anything to do with the love story arc) overall, I was here for it.

How to Sell a Haunted House by Grady Hendrix

So I wasn't a fan of Horrorstor and had no interest in reading more of Hendrix's books, but I couldn't help grabbing How to Sell a Haunted House. I'm not even sure why. Honestly, I think it was just the cover. I mean, maybe we just got off on the wrong foot with Horrorstor and needed a second date to figure out if the chemistry really worked or not.

This may come as a surprise, but this story is about a haunted house. But even worse, it involves puppets and dolls...I think FlimFlamingo's description of "puppet gore" is appropriate. And it doesn't matter if they meant it ironically or not, the effect really is the same, which is to say it's horribly funny. 

What I liked about this book is that it kept me reading and wanting to go back to it when I put it down with the added bonus of ticking a lot of classic haunted house buttons for me. And it had the right amount of campiness - an issue I had with Horrorstor. One of the best chapters involved a funeral with overly zealous puppeteer attendees. And Hendrix knew the genius of this scene, as he reprises the funeral at the end of the book in a fun way that was reminiscent of Michael Rogalski's Horrostor illustrations - one of the best things about that book.

So I'm on the fence about Hendrix, I didn't really care for Horrorstor, but I liked How to Sell a Haunted House. I wonder if the issue is that I didn't quite get Hendrix's humor. Maybe he's an acquired taste...? I guess I'll have to pick up another one by Hendrix to break the tie and decide if we'll keep dating or not.

The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck

"Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord, he is trampling out the vintage where the grapes of wrath have stored..."

Were you oblivious like me that these were the words in the first line of the Battle Hymn of the Republic? I'm not sure if these are the same grapes Steinbeck is referring to, but there is enough wrath in the world to go around, whether it's the wrath of the Union army during the Civil War or the wrath of the promise of a better life out west.

Strangely and coincidentally, my mom mentioned she was reading a book about the Dust Bowl just as I was starting Grapes of Wrath. I didn't really know what the Dust Bowl was before I read this book, but when my mom mentioned that her father came to California from Oklahoma in the 1930's and even joked about being an, "Okie," I was a lot more interested in knowing more. She was loving her book so much, she didn't want to get to the end. I, on the other hand, was trudging through Grapes of Wrath one chapter at a time.

Steinbeck writes about the Joad family, who travel from Oklahoma to northern California, like so many families did in the 1930's, when dust storms destroyed their crops and livelihoods. Promises of work in the fruit orchards lured families west, hoping to start new lives. We take this journey with Tom Joad, his siblings, parents, grandparents, and other stragglers they meet along the way. Their journey is rife with car troubles, death, more car troubles, more death, and camping. So much camping. If you're averse to camping like me, the fact that the Joads rarely bathe and take a mattress from their car to the ground back to their car is only part of the horrors Steinbeck presents.

Steinbeck intersperses chapters about the Joad family with narrative chapters about the next topic to be broached. For instance, the first chapter is about the dust storms. He writes extensively about how dusty things are, how the dust formed, how the dust darkened the sky, how the dust muffled sound, how the dust settled on everything, how the dust covered the ground. Do you get the idea? You don't, trust me. I remember thinking, "he just spent an entire chapter on dust storms, this is going to be a looooooong book." Then the next chapter was about Tom Joad beginning his adventure. The another narrative chapter, this one about a turtle on the road. It took some getting used to. The narrative chapters were a more general approach to what the Joads were experiencing specifically. I appreciate Steinbeck's ability to paint a picture using these narrative chapters, but it felt more like an academic exercise getting through them, rather than an enjoyable relaxing read. Hence my aforementioned "trudging" comment.

Overall, I enjoyed reading about the Joads - what ma was going to make for the next meal, where they would camp next, what their next (mis)adventure would be, when they'd get to bathe...And I definitely got a feel for a way of life and a time period I have no knowledge about. While I've read online many things about the book people find offensive, the only thing I picked up on were a few uses of offensive language referring to specific groups of people. While issues surrounding religion, communism, and unions still have the ability to turn people into crazy nitwits today, I think there was a lot less tolerance for what Steinbeck wrote about then than there is now.    

While I don't regret reading the book, would I recommend it? Nah. I think I'll try the one my mom was raving about and see if it's less of a chore to read. 

Pachinko by Min Jin Lee

This historic drama has all the elements I love about a book - great characters and a compelling story that we follow through several generations of the same family, from Korea to Japan and beyond. In the background of Pachinko is Japan's occupation of Korea and the experience of Koreans in Japan before, during, and after this occupation. 

We begin in the 1880s in Korea. Hoonie is the son of parents who run a boardinghouse for fisherman. Their lives are meager, but stable. Hoonie eventually meets his wife, Yangjin, through a matchmaker and she joins him and his parents at the boardinghouse. Hoonie and Yangjin have a daughter, Sunja who manages the boarding house with her mother after Hoonie's death. Eventually, Sunja's path intersects with two men and she is presented with different choices that will have far-reaching effects on her and her family's future. She marries and immigrates to Osaka with her husband, living with him, and her brother and sister-in-law.

Sunja has two sons, raising them in Japan with her husband and his family. During World War II, the majority of the family is relocated to a farm in the country until they can be reunified again in Osaka. Unable to return to Korea, Sunja's son's aren't able to fully realize their heritage and culture. And as Koreans in Japan, they aren't accepted as Japanese. In fact, they must hide their true lineage in order to avoid the pervasive racism experienced against Koreans. 

The book ends in the 1980's with the stories of Sunja's two sons and one grandson and how, despite following very different paths in their lives, they all end up in in the pachinko business - one embracing it wholeheartedly, another reluctantly, and the third, inevitably.

This book is about a family living their life and how seemingly simple decisions can have life altering affects. But, unlike some books where the circumstances are unique or exceptional, in Pachinko, this family is a picture of probably millions of families across the world, making the seemingly simple decisions people make make every day - should I give this person the time of day? Should I marry this person? Should I try to reconnect with an estranged family member? Should I accept someone's charity? 

In Pachinko, we have the benefit of hindsight to evaluate these decisions and question whether or not they were the right ones. But I suppose we can do that in our lives and the lives of those before us. It's just easier (and let's be honest, more fun) to do with someone else. 

What makes Sunja's family unique for me is their place in Japan, as Koreans. And while they are a seemingly ordinary family, they lived through extraordinary times. But what makes this story the same as my (and everyone else's) own is the family's desire for wholeness. It's a timeless narrative that we all can relate to.

City of Nightmares by Rebecca Schaeffer

I have to admit, this book gave me at least one nightmare. It wasn't the worst I'd ever had, but it involved dead puppies, so it was pretty bad.

It's not that I found the book to be scary, per se, but the premise is a great one for a horror movie: For reasons unknown, if people have a nightmare, they will wake up and become their nightmare. This could mean a variety of things. Some people just disappear, so no one really knows what their nightmare was. Some people turn into things like giant man-eating spiders and cockroaches that must be killed, so they also die. But some people live as nightmares, like the mayor's pet pterodactyl or Vanessa Near's boss, who is a lizard. This also means that we are in a world where there are vampires, and there are at least a dozen varieties, based on the person's idea of what a vampire is with variations from aversions to garlic, sunlight, or silver, the inability to show a reflection, or the ability to turn other people into vampires (the only strain people are concerned with eradicating). 

There is a way to combat this from happening, besides already having a nightmare, which seems to prevent future transitions, there are nightmare-prevention drugs and even a water-additive in more populous areas. But of course, there are issues with these measures, first of which I am personally prone to - forgetting to take your meds. But also there is the fact that alcohol inhibits the effects of these drugs, so I'm sure you can guess how well that goes over.

Besides all of this, our setting is basically Gotham. Not literally, but Newham (which I think might be in England somewhere) is rife with dirty politicians, an over-active underground, and even pseudo-superheroes. It's basically an anything-goes kind of place. 

So I mentioned Vanessa Near. This is her story. She is living and working with a group (cult?) that helps people with PTSD from nightmares. Vanessa's sister became a nightmare and was killed and Vanessa has not been able to move past the fear and anxiety this has caused her. So she works to help others and lives in a small, isolated room where she feels safe. Her life is uncomfortable, but stable. 

Vanessa ends up surviving a bombing and making friends with a living nightmare, which challenges a lot of her beliefs. As she tries to figure out why the bombing occurred, she has to navigate the underworld of Newham and overcome a lot of her own issues. 

And this is where the book loses me a little. I started to get annoyed with Vanessa, or Ness, about half-way through. She makes a big deal about what a coward she is, so much so, it's kind of a running joke throughout the book. Fine, I get it. But some of her reactions to things are so over the top, I started making notes, like "really?!" "still?" and "these reactions are dumb." 

I also probably should have realized sooner that the book is a bit tongue in cheek. So when some of the more over-the-top things were happening, I was more annoyed than amused. I think if I had caught on a little sooner, I might have had a different reaction. I don't know if it was me not getting it, or if there was something about the writing that was keeping me from getting it.

I also felt that some of the conversations were lacking. Like when Ness is psychoanalyzing one of the villains and telling them why people get jealous - which is because they're afraid of their partner leaving them and being lonely and because they're insecure. Truth. I don't disagree with this. But it came across as some ingenious monologue that disarms the villain. I don't know, I wasn't blown away. I felt like there were several exchanges like this. But this is a YA book, so I'll give Schaeffer some forgiveness for that.

And just as I was getting annoyed about half way, two thirds in, Schaeffer redeemed herself. I felt the ending was satisfying. And while Ness was lackluster and captain obvious, she has an encounter that provides some explanation for the nightmare world that came through for me. Schaeffer ends on a bit of a cliff-hanger and I think I'll hang on for the next one - maybe a little better prepared now that I understand her writing style.

Upgrade by Blake Crouch

GENE EDITING IS A FEDERAL CRIME #GPA

ONE MISTAKE CAUSED THE GREAT STARVATION #GPA #NEVERFORGET

These are billboards you would pass if you lived in Denver Colorado in the far enough future that gene editing technology is much further advanced, but not so far that hashtags aren't still a thing.

The benefits to this technology include clothes made with spider silk and improvements in medicine and agriculture. But there is also a darker side, where dolls can be wrapped in human muscle and skin and wasps can be modified to target people based on their genetic fingerprints. And even the best of intentions can take a turn for the worse, which is what happened when Logan Ramsey's mother genetically modified locusts in an effort to improve crops against blight. But mutations started knocking out genes essential for seed production which caused the death of 200 million people. Ramsey's mother commit suicide and Ramsey himself went to prison, but eventually won a pardon with the help of the ACLU. 

Upgrade begins after all of this. Ramsey is out of prison and reluctantly working for the GPA, or Gene Protection Agency, which looks for scientists engaging in gene modification, which is now outlawed. His job consists of looking for plasmids on the pages of books, raiding gene labs, and arresting brilliant scientists who, once in the running for nobel prizes, are now traitorous villains. He was The Man, working for an agency with questionable tactics.

While raiding a suspected lab, Ramsey is struck by a bio bomb. After the incident, he begins to notice...improvements. They are subtle at first, like when Ramsey finds he is able to beat his daughter in chess. Then he notices he can recall books with photo clarity and remembers conversations from years ago. He has improved focus, concentration, intuition, and can multi-task without defaulting to autopilot.  Physically, his body improves as well - his bones get denser, his muscles leaner and larger, he has higher pain tolerance and resistance against various diseases. But, while the upgrade Ramsey has received seems good, he doesn't know who is responsible or why. And when he finds himself held in a black sight by his employer and later broken out by a mysterious, and seemingly equally upgraded fighter, Ramsey knows he is involved in a much deeper endeavor. 

Crouch writes an easy read that tackles questions like climate change and the dark side of technology. Existential questions like how much damage can be done to help the greater good underlie his futuristic thrill. He also has an interesting take on how isolated Ramsey becomes as the result of his enhancements. The story moves along at a good pace, but is a bit over the top with some of the abilities Ramsey develops. It's a interesting premise and kept me reading, but you may have to push the "I want to believe" button a time or two.    

The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger

This is a book that I feel like I should have read years ago, but somehow I missed that lesson in school. It's one of those books that is referenced a lot in pop culture so I felt it was time for me to familiarize myself with the source material. 

It's funny, after the first page, I thought, "I like this guy! He's entertaining to listen to." That lasted maybe...10 pages? If that? I gotta tell you, Holden Caulfield got old REAL fast. I realized he was one of those weirdos you give a wide berth after he walked through a playground, saw some kids on a see-saw, and decided to just help out by pushing the lighter end of the seesaw. No "hey buddy, let me help you" or anything like that. Just weird, random dude, walking around a playground "helping" the kids. Creepy.

I thought it was strange too that he would go to clubs or ride in taxi cabs and invite the singer or driver to come have a drink. He reeked of desperation. He's also one of those people that's too cool for school and doesn't have interest in the things kids his age have interest in. Football games? Nah. Fraternities? Lame. Conversation? Only if it's something of interest to him. Something of substance in his opinion. 

Which would be fine, but his conversations are awful. In one, he calls up a girlfriend and takes her out and tells her that she's a royal pain in the ass when she says she doesn't want to just up and run away with him. Then he calls up an old friend and pesters him about his sex life multiple times even after the poor guy repeatedly tells him to stop. And Holden literally begs, "Have just one more drink...please. I'm lonesome as hell. No kidding." And in a conversation with the one person that actually likes him, his little sister, she keeps asking him to stop swearing and he ignores her. And at least two different people complained he was talking too loud and he just ignores them. He is the worst. 

And the way he talks is like an 80 year old curmudgeonly woman. He sounds like my grandmother, God rest her soul. But her complaints were tolerated because she was old and had bad knees and lived a sucky, hard life. He complains about the piano player at a bar who plays the piano stinking and an old classmate who was one of the biggest bores he ever met, and a phony movie he saw. and the lousy light from the street lamp, and his stupid aunt, and the phony party, and the bartender who is a big snob and doesn't talk to people, but when he does talk to people he's even more nauseating. I just can't.

And he constantly repeats himself. For example, "He adapts himself very well to things. He really does. I mean he really knows how to adapt himself." Or "I thought maybe I might give old Jane another buzz and see if she was home yet. I mean I had the whole evening free, and I thought I'd give her a buzz and, if she was home yet..." Or this gem, "What would he do to me? I mean what would he do to me?"

I have to admit, I didn't get what the book was about. I read it and thought, "nothing really happened." I just know what Holden did for 2 days in New York after being kicked out of school because he was too afraid to face his parents. But g'dam, it was like I was stuck in a room with him for days when one minute would have been more than enough. Sure, there's a lot of imagery you could analyze about the loss of innocence and youth, but Holden stinks. So I don't want to linger on the finer details. It seems like a book that could be fun to discuss in a class, but absent that, it's just an annoying 2 days with a guy with a grating personality.

The Taking of Jake Livingston by Ryan Douglass

There is nothing in this book that I relate to. I am not a 16-year old, gay, black, male. And I definitely don't see ghosts or ghouls. But Jake is and does. And as extraordinary as he is, he still deals with all the other ordinary things a teenager deals with. So Jake's life is...complicated...to say the least.

Jake's ordinary life concerns living in the shadow of his big brother, growing apart from friends, and getting to know the cute new student at his school (now the second black student besides himself). But his daily life is interrupted when he sees ghosts stuck in loops - the last seconds before a person's demise that autoplay for only Jake to see. It's repeating scenes like these that cause Jake to make seemingly trivial decisions, as Jake explains, "I wanted classes only on the second floor to avoid proximity to roads. And the third floor is too high, because the ghosts up there jump out of windows." 

Jake has a theory about death loops, that "the people who end up trapped just didn't see it coming, so their minds got stuck in a glitch. As opposed to some people who did see it coming, because they brought it on themselves. Maybe ghosts who killed themselves get more autonomy when they cross over."

Jake's theory is tested when he becomes haunted by a ghost that can seemingly reach into the living world. As more students begin dying, Jake has to figure out how to stop this new ghost before Jake becomes his next victim.  

What follows is a story involving ecto-mist, astral projection, and possession, told from two points of view. There are a lot of triggers in this book, like suicide, school shootings, abuse, racism, and sex videos - a lot to unpack in a relatively short story. But while the subject matter is heavy, Douglass manages to tell it in Jake's easy-going voice. 

While I'm not the primary audience for this book and am ready to move on to another author, I appreciate the appeal it may have for those ready to unpack its many messages.

Ghost 19 by Simone St. James

If The Woman in the Window and the Exorcism of Sara May had a baby, it might be something like Ghost 19...something like. I haven't actually read the Woman in the Window, but I saw the movie with Amy Adams and then I saw the even better The Woman in the House Across the Street from the Girl in the Window with Kristen Bell, so I know what I'm talking about.

Hear me out. We have a woman...who is afraid to leave her house...who watches the neighbors from her window...and maybe there's ghosts...and it's a period piece...all packaged in a novella (those last three are Sara May resemblances, fyi). 

What I liked was the story as a whole and how it came in a quick read. What I didn't like was the era the story was written in. The story takes place in 1959 and it's obvious. I suppose if you're going to go out of your way to set a tale in 1959, you'd want details that make the clear, but I just found things like the name Trixie, or references to taking "bennies" distracting. And the dialogue seemed old-timey and dated. Take this exchange, for instance, "You think you're an artist? Goddamn you, Ginette, You're fooling yourself! You're no goddamned artist, and you never have been - you're a hack."  And then there was this, "My diagnosis is that you've had some over excitement of the hysterical kind. It happens sometimes with unmarried women." 

It reminds me of an old movie that's overly dramatic, so much so it's not realistic. I don't know, maybe it's a noir thing and that's what St. James was going for. I'd be curious to know if there was a particular reason she chose that year.  

While I found the setting more distracting than anything, I'll admit that overall, it was a story that kept my interest, extra points for being short and sweet.

Dorothy Must Die by Danielle Paige (Dorothy Must Die Series, book 1)

"[My mother] told me that, whatever anyone at school said, a trailer was where I lived, not who I was. She told me that it was the best home in the world because it could go anywhere."

And what better place to go than the colorful, magical land of Oz? But we learn quickly that this ain't your mama's Oz. 

Dorothy Must Die is the first of a series of novellas about Amy, from...(I'll give you one guess). She's in high school with a mother who suffers from addiction and needs more care than she gives her daughter. Amy doesn't get much relief at school either, where she is mercilessly teased by the uber popular, glitter encrusted, and soon to be teen-mom Madison. Madison is of those people you love to hate, and although her appearance in this book is short, she's full of character and wit.

One day, a storm brews and Amy finds herself at home hunkered down for an incoming tornado. Her mother has left her to party with friends and Amy's only company left is Star, her mom's pet rat.

I'm sure you know where this is headed, but this is no family-friendly jaunt to the Emerald City. There is no room for singing and merriment in a world that has basically been turned into a barren wasteland ruled by the unmerciful, ambitious, and devastatingly stylish Dorothy. Her friends are there too - The Scarecrow has gone from dopey and curious to a downright sadistic war criminal. The tin man? Sure, he has heart...and knives and swords that he wields with blind devotion for Dorothy. And the lion is basically a soul-sucking dementor. We also have appearances from the Wizard and Ozma and a lot of new and memorable characters.

Which brings me to a separate point, if you're into books about magical worlds like Harry Potter, this is a fun one. Oz is, of course, a magical place, and author Danielle Paige really focuses on this - the mechanics of how the magic in Oz works and how it can be used and harnessed. She adds a new chapter to the familiar family friendly story we all know with a bit of horror, dark comedy, and tongue in cheek irreverance. 

The Last House on Needless Street by Catriona Ward

This was a quick, fulfilling read and based on it, it makes me want to read Catriona Ward’s other novels. The House on Needless Street is her most recent, published in 2021. It’s one of those books that you're better off going into blind, which kinda makes for a tough review, but I'll do my best. Suffice to say, there's a murder and the story revolves around it. It's a story told from multiple viewpoints, including a cat's. And I have to tell you, when it comes to the cat, I am here for it.

The story centers around Ted Bannerman, a man haunted by his past, his mother, and little green men in the attic. Ted lives with his Cat, Olivia, and their daily monotony is broken up by occasional visits from Ted's daughter, Lauren. There is clearly a dysfunctional dynamic between Ted and Lauren, who have a love/hate relationship with each other. And while I'm not sure dysfunctional is the first word I'd use to describe Ted's relationship with Olivia, the fact that she talks (at least to us) and quotes the Bible isn't normal. And when Lauren isn't visiting and Olivia isn't doting in Ted, there are occasional visits from Ted's deceased mother. 

Ward's tale is a cross between horror, mystery, thriller, and ghost story. Her characters aren't particularly likeable (except maybe the cat), but I found myself wanting to keep reading to figure out what the hell was going on. It's an exploration of how horrors like abuse and murder damage our psyche and invade our mind - how the ghosts of the past continue to haunt and manifest themselves well after the dust settles. At its heart, it's a story of how people deal with pain and trauma, and Ward does it in a captivating way.