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.