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.

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J. K. Rowling

This is the second installment of the illustrated Harry Potter books. I love reading these books with my 7-year old son. They have just enough illustrations to keep him interested from page to page, especially since this is an unabridged version of the books. There are even a few extras, like this page:

Not only is it relevant to the story, but it offers a little bit of extra information for those who can't get enough of the wizarding world.

In this story, we meet new characters like Gilderoy Lockhart, the charming, narcisistic new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. We also get to know new places, like the whimsical Burrow, where the Weasleys call home. And there are new spells and potions to learn, central of which is the polyjuice potion, which can temporarily turn you into someone else. Of course, we also get more history into Hogwarts and the Dark Lord himself, which is so important for the books to follow.

I could read the Harry Potter books over and over, and I will definitely reach for these illustrated books for my re-reads. They are every bit as beautiful as the stories they depict, and a great addition to your library.

The Library Book by Susan Orlean

Susan Orlean, is a woman of many hats. She is a staff writer for the New Yorker and author of many books and articles, including The Orchid Thief. Apparently she is also a con artist, because she somehow convinced me to continue reading this book about libraries to the last page. In the same vein, The Library Book just might cross as many genres as hats worn by Susan.

First The Library Book is non-fiction. Orlean educates us about libraries in general - including their history and function in society. Then she focuses on the Los Angeles central library, which had a colorful history, to say the least.

In focusing on the Los Angeles Library, the book becomes part biography, as Orlean details the eccentric City Librarian, Charles Fletcher Lummis. Although Lummis headed the library for a relatively short time, his antics preceded him. Initially coming to Los Angeles to work for the Los Angeles Times, Lumis decided the best way to get there from his home in Cincinnati was to walk. Of course he had to inform the public of his "tramp across the continent" via weekly published letters of the same name. His world explorations included exploring Mayan ruins in Guatamala, which he claims led to a temporary bout of blindness. He also lived with Native Americans for several years, leading to a passion for these peoples and their well-being. Although he didn't have any experience working in a library, he was the Los Angeles City Librarian for a handful of years at the turn of the 20th century.

Also somewhere in this book is a bit of true crime, as Orlean describes the 1986 fire that took more than 350 firefighters over 7 hours to fight the 2,000 plus degree blaze. Hundreds of thousands of books were destroyed and the library remained closed for 7 years. As Orlean delves into the investigation - was it arson? Or accidental? she details the prime (and only) suspect, Harry Peak.

And if that weren't enough, The Library Book is also part study in sociology. I found her discussion of libraries as havens for people, particularly the homeless, interesting. I also liked how she detailed librarians as an early form of google search, where patrons would call in with their most pressing questions, you know, things like which was more evil, crickets or grasshoppers? And her descriptions of the various collections of things, not just books, that libraries hold, was eye opening.

This is one of those books that might not sound interesting, but if you're a generally curious person and like to learn the background stories behind things, it's great. It's one of those that you kinda have to trust based on a review, because who really would think a book about libraries would be interesting?

Magic Treehouse #1, #9, #10, and #17

These are short, easy to read fantasy novels for children about a brother and sister who can travel anywhere a book is set via their magic treehouse. There is a little bit of subplot connecting one book to another (specifically the first 28 - yes you read that correctly - involve the Morgan LeFay missions where the mystical Morgan tasks the siblings with various errands). But my 7-year old son and I skipped books and found them readable without much confusion. Here's a summary of the books we've read:

Book 1: Dinosaurs Before Dark
Jack and Annie find said tree house of magic filled with books. Jack picks up a book about dinosaurs and inadvertently utters the magic wishing words. They are promptly whisked away to dinosaur times and have a brief adventure. On a side note, Annie is a little annoying - even taking her age into consideration.

Book 9: Dolphins at Daybreak
Something about dolphins, the ocean, and being in one of those really small claustrophobia inducing underwater vehicles. Overall take home? Annie's borderline pathologically dangerous behavior surprisingly hasn't killed her or Jack.

Book 10: Ghost Town at Sundown
Jack and Annie are taken to the old west, where they meet a man who needs their help. I don't remember whose idea it was to go with him, but based on her track record for making reckless decisions, it was probably Annie's (girl wouldn't last a day on her own outside of fantasy lands). She's lucky the cowboy didn't have nefarious intentions.

Book 17: Tonight on the Titanic
I take my hat off to Mary for taking on the Titanic in a children's book right in the middle of it sinking. And to make matters worse, she throws a puppy in the mix. I was horrified reading this. Jack and Annie really shouldn't have made it out of that one.









I suppose these are good chapter books for young readers. I'd recommend them more for kids to read themselves, rather than being read to, as the simple dialogue and sentence structure (and Annie) can make for an annoying read. I'm not sure the top age group for these books, but it seems older kids beyond about 3rd grade would out grow them.