10 stars if I could! I loved every word of this book, which is the debut novel of Megan Cummins. I was immediately drawn in to the world of 16-year-ol10 stars if I could! I loved every word of this book, which is the debut novel of Megan Cummins. I was immediately drawn in to the world of 16-year-old Gertie and her best friend Cindy, both of whom have fathers who are drug addicts. In fact, their fathers are best friends, and the reason Gertie and Cindy became acquainted. It’s an unusual angle for a friendship story, but one which delighted me.
Neither Gertie nor Cindy lives with their father. Both live with their mothers (in Michigan), although Gertie is ostensibly on her own this summer since her mother is off in Florida on a boat trip with a suitor. When an accident involving a fire and an aerosol can put Gertie in the hospital, and Gertie somewhat accidentally sleeps with Cindy’s boyfriend, it makes for a good time for Gertie to spend the summer with her father (clean at the moment) in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. The summer will bring its own problems, with Gertie’s father largely absent and Gertie making friends with a big messy group of kids her age.
The book is made especially interesting by its being told in two timelines, the “past� of Gertie’s summer in Sioux Falls and the “future�, 15 or so years later in New York City. The past as Gertie remembers it comes back to haunt her in the future, and she is forced to take an honest look back at the summer that changed her life. Though it’s not a thriller, the book has a twist that shocks in its final pages.
Atomic Hearts has that intangible “magic� that only my favorite reads have. It was an absolute joy to read, and I wholeheartedly recommend it to all readers.
Much thanks to NetGalley and Ballentine Books for giving me access to this e-ARC, which will publish in August 2025....more
I read this for book club. It’s been around a while and has garnered pretty high praise. So my expectations going in were also pretty high. The verdicI read this for book club. It’s been around a while and has garnered pretty high praise. So my expectations going in were also pretty high. The verdict?…while definitely different from most thrillers in its focus on executives in high finance, and a page-turner, I was disappointed on the whole. As I find with most thrillers, there were too many jumps in assumptions and I could pick it apart at the detail level. I want to give this 3 stars for the entertainment value and the novel approach, but I just can’t. 2.5 is as high as I can go....more
(4.5 stars) This is my favorite from Liz Moore and that’s saying something, as I’ve liked everything I’ve read by her so far. I didn’t know what to ex(4.5 stars) This is my favorite from Liz Moore and that’s saying something, as I’ve liked everything I’ve read by her so far. I didn’t know what to expect going in. I only knew that this has been a popular book since it was published last year. What I found was a very compelling double mystery about the disappearances of two children from the same household 14 years apart, both going missing in the woods surrounding their Adirondack home. I love a good, complex story with easy-to-follow time jumps, one that offers plenty of red herrings and is thrilling to the finish. This is not a faced-paced novel…more of a slow burn of a story. But it’s satisfying in all ways. I just finished watching the excellent serial adaptation of Moore’s Long, Bright River and can imagine The God of the Woods handled in much the same way. It would make a terrific series and I bet someone is already on it. Recommended. ...more
Rachel Joyce is one of my go-to authors and this new novel, about a world-famous artist and his four grown children, is a worthy addition to her colleRachel Joyce is one of my go-to authors and this new novel, about a world-famous artist and his four grown children, is a worthy addition to her collection. When 76-year-old Vic Kemp asks his children to gather for an announcement, they are sure it is in regard to the masterpiece that he is reportedly working on. Instead, he announces his upcoming marriage…to 27-year-old (!) Bella Mae. When little can be found out about their step-mother-to-be � she avoids meeting with the siblings and their father becomes more and more secretive � suspicion grows as to her intent. (mild spoiler) When Vic is found dead by an apparent accident at his lake home in Italy, his children come together to confront Bella Mae and find out what exactly happened.
This book is written in an unusual style. Chapters end on apparent cliff-hangers but resolve within a paragraph or two in the next chapter. At times, I was convinced I was reading a thriller, only for the prose to settle back time and again to literary fiction. The characters were well-written and the relationships between them well drawn out. The setting � a somewhat crumbling house on Lake Orta in Italy � was immersive and added character to the story. I flew through the pages, anxious to see how things would be resolved. It was a satisfying trip, and the book is recommended to Joyce fans and all other readers of literary fiction. (NetGalley labels the book Women’s Fiction, but I feel its appeal is broader than that.)
Much thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Random House for providing me with this e-ARC....more
(3.5 stars) I knew going in that this book was going to be different � how can you get away from that title? What I was surprised by was that it was s(3.5 stars) I knew going in that this book was going to be different � how can you get away from that title? What I was surprised by was that it was such a detailed story, one that required the reader to hang in there through a lot of complexity. I appreciated the book for what it was, a satire on the extinction realm set in the near future among scientists. The venomous lumpsucker is defined as an “intelligent� lifeform which is nearing extinction. This means that it is eligible for an “extinction credit� and a space is opened up for a sample of its DNA in one of the world’s biobanks.
The focus of the book moves beyond the venomous lumpsucker when all of the biobanks across the world are sabotaged and the potential for bringing back extinct animals is lost. When an important (i.e. mega-rich) figure is found to be doing his own “work� on extinct animals, the race is on to find out what his efforts entail. It’s a complex story, but not impossible to follow. The characters were well thought out and their often strange behavior made sense for them individually. I would recommend this to readers who are into science and the extinction curve. There is some basic information given about the titular venomous lumpsucker, but the focus is not just on the weirdly-named fish. ...more
This book reminded me of the Booker-Prize-winning book, Orbital, in its makeup and beautiful writing. Like Orbital, Flights is less a novel and more aThis book reminded me of the Booker-Prize-winning book, Orbital, in its makeup and beautiful writing. Like Orbital, Flights is less a novel and more a collection of stories loosely based on travel. Flights� stories range from a couple of sentences to 20 pages or more. I enjoyed all of the tangential paths Tokarczuk takes the reader down, but I particularly liked the larger stories, the best of which is about a man whose wife and young child disappear after taking a short walk towards a beach. As first one day, then two and three, slip by, the man descends into madness, so that when his family reappears as mysteriously as they disappeared, he finds he can’t deal with the provided explanation.
I find I appreciate short stories more after reading George Saunders� excellent book, A Swim in the Pond in the Rain, in which he presents and analyzes a number of short stories written by classic Russian authors. I feel more relaxed and able to appreciate stories now that I once would have thought incomplete. Tokarczuk’s writing, which was translated from the original Polish, reminded me of the stories of the Russian authors that Saunders included in his “class�. Tokarczuk’s myriad thoughts on travel and the human experience in general are stimulating and flow by easily over the book’s 400 pages. I enjoyed my time reading this, a more intellectual book than I am used to reading on a daily basis. Recommended to anyone who appreciates good writing and likes a challenge.
Excerpt: EVEN Driving, I pass billboards that announce in black and white, in English, “Jesus loves even you.� I feel uplifted by the unexpected encouragement; I’m only slightly alarmed by that “even.� ...more
This is a difficult book to summarize succinctly. The official blurb gives an appropriate overall description: “A rollicking feminist tale set in 1950This is a difficult book to summarize succinctly. The official blurb gives an appropriate overall description: “A rollicking feminist tale set in 1950s America where thousands of women have spontaneously transformed into dragons, exploding notions of a woman’s place in the world and expanding minds about accepting others for who they really are.�
This is the story of Alex Green, a young girl when the world is first made aware of “dragoning�, a reference to the literal transformation of women into taloned, scaled, fire-breathing dragons. Although Alex’s mother doesn’t “change�, her feminist aunt does, leaving Alex’s family to take in her aunt’s young daughter, Beatrice. Alex is instructed to call her cousin “sister�, in keeping with the overall suppression of the knowledge of dragons. It will be this sister, Beatrice, who will most challenge Alex’s denial of dragons and lead her to acceptance of a new “liberated� world.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book, which was very well done on audio. The stifling of women and their lesser “defined� positions in society in the 50s made me angry enough to “dragon� myself. When Alex’s father sends Alex (15) and Beatrice away to live on their own in a tiny apartment, he utters what became my favorite/least favorite line from the book � “How hard could it be?� (to run a household…cook, clean, raise a child, get both of you to school, etc.). Grrrrrrr....more
This book should get wider readership than it is (apparently) getting. It is a solid piece of historical fiction which is both well-written and informThis book should get wider readership than it is (apparently) getting. It is a solid piece of historical fiction which is both well-written and informative. My book club is hosting an author talk (the author is the daughter-in-law of one of our members), or I would probably have never read it. And that would have been a shame, because I really enjoyed it.
The Disappeared tells the story of approximately 30,000 people of Buenos Aires, Argentina in the 1970s, who, because of their actions came to be thought of as enemies of the dictatorship in place at the time. The main character, Lorena Ledesma, was torn from her home in the middle of the night, along with her husband Jose. The couple left behind a two-year-old son with his grandmother. There is never any record of the arrests. The grandmother, Esme, is at a loss of what to do, until she comes across an underground group of mothers who are investigating the similar disappearances of their children. The group eventually comes to realize, after many months pass with their children not being freed, that some of the female captives (up to 500) gave birth in captivity, and their babies whisked away. The group of women adjusts its search to include their missing grandchildren. This tireless group will not rest until they discover what happened to the babies. (mild spoiler alert:) In The Disappeared, one such baby, Rachel, is found in New York City 30 years later and brought back into the fold of Lorena’s family.
I enjoyed this book and would recommend it to anyone who appreciates good historical fiction. The Disappeared surprised me with its quality. It is a well-researched and powerfully written book. ...more
(4.5 stars) This is my first Christopher Moore. I have been tempted to read his books many times, especially Lamb, but I have never followed through u(4.5 stars) This is my first Christopher Moore. I have been tempted to read his books many times, especially Lamb, but I have never followed through until now. This book � Anima Rising � was available on NetGalley and I requested it because it promised to deliver a story featuring Gustave Klimt, Sigmund Freud and Carl Jung. I was interested to learn that these three, among several others, were prominent names in Vienna, Austria at the same time in the early 20th century. Absurdist that he is, Moore weaves a crazy tale of an almost drowned girl (wait until you find out who SHE is) found in a Danube canal by Klimt and taken back to his studio. Judith (so named because she reminds Klimt of Judith from mythology who cut off Holofernes� head) joins Klmit’s other muses/models living and lounging half-dressed in his studio. As part of Judith’s search to “find herself�, she is put under hypnosis by both Freud and Jung. What she comes to find out about her background can’t be true, the dates are impossible…or ARE they? I won’t try to summarize this other plotline because it’s so fun to realize it as it comes to be explained. Suffice it to say that Judith’s identity and her background story will be familiar to most readers, as a classic wild and crazy tale first introduced in the early 19th century.
This book was a lot of fun and, based as it is on actual famous figures of the time, imparts a lot of learning into its 400 pages. Klimt has long been one of my favorite artists. He comes off in Moore’s book, not very favorably, as a man possessed with art and young women (which Moore claims to be true to life). As far as Freud and Jung are concerned, their famous feud is hinted at, but is more off-screen than on. This is one book I’m happy to recommend to readers curious about Klimt and/or into absurdist literature. This was my first Christopher Moore, but it won’t be my last. I had a ball in the time I spent in his fictitious world of Austria in the 1910s.
Much thanks to NetGalley and William Morrow Books for giving me access to this e-ARC. This book publishes in May. ...more
This is a fun look into the life of a shopgirl set in San Francisco in the 1980s. Zippy (her real name) works at upscale department store I. Magnin inThis is a fun look into the life of a shopgirl set in San Francisco in the 1980s. Zippy (her real name) works at upscale department store I. Magnin in the Petite Dresses department. She loves her job, even though some of her co-workers are downers and she has begun to get negative customer comments. When her stepdad comes out on the wrong end of a power saw, Zippy has to consider changing jobs in order to make more money to be able to help her mother and stepdad with their medical expenses. At the same time, Zippy’s biological father has (finally!) reached out to her, wanting to meet up. Her experiences on this end hold a big surprise.
Zippy is an adorable character and I loved how the book was set in the 80s, with appropriate pop culture and fashion references. One reviewer criticized the book for not taking seriously enough some of the issues of the day, like AIDS, and I get her point, but I didn’t feel the lack in what was included. What this book is is a mostly lighthearted look into someone’s life who is happy with her job and whose ambition it is to someday make buyer for a department store, not to rule the world. It’s not a book that hits hard. To me, it succeeds in being what it purports to be, an upbeat story of a sweet young girl who is trying to make the most of the hand she has been dealt. I will recommend it to all of my friends as a “cute� story that is well worth the read.
Much thanks to NetGalley and Mariner Books for allowing me early access to this e-ARC....more
This is a beautifully written story of a broken family, one that was split by an event that has to remain a mystery because of spoilers. Korean-born SThis is a beautifully written story of a broken family, one that was split by an event that has to remain a mystery because of spoilers. Korean-born Serk and his 10-year-old daughter, Louisa, go for a walk along the beach in Japan after dinner one evening, leaving Anna, their American wife/mother, sitting on the porch of their modest Japanese home. Hours later, when neither has returned, Anna alerts the authorities and a search gets underway. Louisa is found later, half drowned, with no memory of what happened. Serk is never found.
The first half of this book went by a little slowly for me. In it, the reader is introduced to Serk and Anna and told of their childhoods in Japan and America, respectively. Serk’s story includes his Korean family’s flight from Korea to Japan, and their subsequent return to Korea later, without Serk. Anna’s story includes estrangement from her family following the birth of an illegitimate son.
The second half of the book redeems itself for the slow start. Serk’s disappearance that fateful night changes everything for Anna and Louisa, and even Tobias, the illegitimate son, and makes the final chapters fly by. This is a well-written story filled with nuanced characters. It’s full of history and humanity, and its characters face many challenges, both physical and mental. The characters really became real to me in the second half of the book, and the story ended on a poignant note. I have not read the author’s award-winning “Trust Exercise� yet, but my reaction to this book makes me want to. Recommended.
Much thanks to NetGalley and Farrar, Straus and Giroux for providing me with this e-ARC. This title will publish in early June....more
(3.5 stars) I’ll never learn. Thrillers draw me in with interesting premises and have me binge-reading to find out how everything is going to turn out(3.5 stars) I’ll never learn. Thrillers draw me in with interesting premises and have me binge-reading to find out how everything is going to turn out. I get obsessed. But the outcomes are never all I want them to be. Usually, the reveal goes a little too far and/or the assumptions are a little too unbelievable. Famous Last Words comes close to presenting a good case. It certainly has an attractive premise. One that made me think “what would I do if this happened to me?�. Like the main character, Camilla (Cam), I have a ”nice� husband who no one would expect would become involved in a major crime. See, Cam wakes up one morning to find that her husband, Luke, doting father to their 9-month-old baby girl, has taken three individuals hostage in a warehouse. Nobody knows why, and, as the hostage negotiator is brought in and Cam considers the last note Luke left her, Cam struggles to come to terms with the situation and its effect on her happy little family.
I liked how this book made me think at each step, what I would have done if I were Cam. Unlike many thrillers, it takes its time in introducing Cam and presenting the case for Luke. This is not a “propulsive� read as some thrillers are, proceeding at breakneck speed. I’m not sure if most readers won’t be a little disappointed in the slower pacing. I was fine with it, as I enjoy more character-driven novels. My main disappointments were some of the specifics of the crime and some of the assumptions that were made at the end in resolving the case. I had a good experience overall, though. The audiobook was well-done and I liked guessing how things were going to “turn out�. The ending, too, was not overly twee, and I appreciated the in-depth characterizations of Cam and Luke. In the end, I can’t say I learned my lesson and will never read a thriller again. I’m already attracted to another book by this author � Wrong Place, Wrong Time � which has an interesting premise. Hope springs eternal�. :) ...more
This is a complex, intricate comic more in line with the author’s A League of Extraordinary Gentlemen than his more famous Watchmen. While I wasn’t abThis is a complex, intricate comic more in line with the author’s A League of Extraordinary Gentlemen than his more famous Watchmen. While I wasn’t able to 100% follow the frenetic story as it jumps from one crazyass policeman/policewoman to another, I loved the detailed illustrations and the world that Moore built. There’s a hell of a lot of things going on on each page…a lot there to entertain the reader. ...more
(4.5 stars) This is a beautifully illustrated and written love story centered around Lunar New Year celebrations. It’s essentially YA, but somehow man(4.5 stars) This is a beautifully illustrated and written love story centered around Lunar New Year celebrations. It’s essentially YA, but somehow manages to move even a stony old heart like mine. And it’s perfect for the Lunar New Year mini prompts for my reading challenge. You know what you’re going to get from this, but it’s a fun and meaningful path to get there. A gorgeous book. Recommended....more
(3.75 stars) This is nowhere near my favorite genre, so keep that in mind while you read what I have to say. I was drawn to this book by a review from(3.75 stars) This is nowhere near my favorite genre, so keep that in mind while you read what I have to say. I was drawn to this book by a review from my online book club. The book promised to fill a reading prompt for “Non-Human Antagonist� in a way that would entertain. The reviewer claimed that the genre wasn’t her usual either, so off I went to borrow the book. The verdict? A pretty darn entertaining human-vs-alien science fiction novel, with a little something for everyone.
Alex is one of 150 survivors of an alien invasion eight years ago on a colonized planet not far from Earth. The humans live underground while the aliens roam above. Alex works with dogs who are able to detect the presence of aliens; these dogs are useful in the supply runs that the colony undertakes to find food, batteries, etc. that may still exist on the planet. On one such foray, which starts this book, the aliens detect and pursue the colonists, and they have to scamper back to and defend their underground home. It is during this fight that a rescue comes for the colony and a new life starts for Alex.
I enjoyed this book even though I’m not likely to read more of the series or its genre. Alex is a fun protagonist. Her job, especially as it relates to the dogs, puts her on the forward edge of the action. And, she is a smart young woman, which makes her an interesting character to follow. If I was a sci-fi fan, I think I would want to read deeper into this series. ...more
I knew little about Che Guevara before reading this book other than that he was a famous revolutionary leader from South America. Through this beautifI knew little about Che Guevara before reading this book other than that he was a famous revolutionary leader from South America. Through this beautifully written and illustrated graphic novel, I have a much better feel for the man and what he stood for. Among other things, I now know:
(1) Che’s real name was Ernesto Guevara and he was educated and trained as a medical doctor. (2) Although he was born in Argentina, he never fought there. (3) Che’s first revolutionary action was in Cuba, where he fought alongside Fidel and Raul Castro (4) Che fought in a failed revolution in Congo, Africa (5) Che had a number of children by 2 wives, but he very seldom saw his family. (6) He could easily disguise himself by shaving his beard and wearing glasses. (7) Che met his end in Bolivia at the age of 39; he was buried in a mass grave so that his followers could not easily mourn him
The illustrations in this book are dark in fitting with Che’s short, violent life. Highly recommended for anyone wanting to know more about this enigmatic, driven man. ...more
This is a cute book, delivering on its promise to “save� curmudgeonly 86-year-old Veronica from a lonely old age. I liked the parts about the penguinsThis is a cute book, delivering on its promise to “save� curmudgeonly 86-year-old Veronica from a lonely old age. I liked the parts about the penguins and would have been happy if there had been more. The rest of the story was pretty predictable. ...more
Now THIS is how you adapt a beloved book in graphic form. I could feel the despair and desolation on every page. Gorgeous black & white illustrations Now THIS is how you adapt a beloved book in graphic form. I could feel the despair and desolation on every page. Gorgeous black & white illustrations tell the story in a way that even goes beyond the written word. I loved it and highly recommend. ...more
I loved the parts of this book that were about elephants. I know how Picoult likes to weave a lesson into her stories and I was here for this one. WhaI loved the parts of this book that were about elephants. I know how Picoult likes to weave a lesson into her stories and I was here for this one. What I didn’t like was the story itself. I agree with the reviewer who called it a hot mess. By the time I got to the twist, I was so confused with all the story lines (like what the actual hell happened with Grace?) that I wasn’t even surprised. Just wanting to be done with the whole mess. I had only read one Jodi Picoult book before this one (Wish You Were Here) � both were for book club � and now I’m not likely to read another. It’s a shame. She’s a good writer and I love getting an interesting lesson with my novel. 3 stars for the elephants, less 1 for the disappointing story. ...more
I flat out did not enjoy this book. I’m a rare dissenting opinion, but I just can’t convince myself that I liked this, no matter what others say. MaybI flat out did not enjoy this book. I’m a rare dissenting opinion, but I just can’t convince myself that I liked this, no matter what others say. Maybe if I had read the book instead of listening to it� The story was ok, but the spell-making and labor-and-delivery descriptions were overly wrought and cringe-worthy. We even get a snip-by-snip description of an episiotomy � was that really needed? I read and liked My Best Friend’s Exorcism a few years ago, so it’s not the devil or Hendrix’s writing that turns me off. Like I said, I liked the story and maybe if I had used my eyeballs instead of my ears�
Witchcraft for Wayward Girls tells the story of Fern, a 15-year-old girl who gets pregnant and whose parents send her to a home (for wayward girls) in Florida to live until she has her baby. She meets, and becomes good friends with, other girls in similar condition. When the girls are not treated to their satisfaction, they hook up with a coven of witches living in the woods behind the house and attempt to get revenge. The parts of the story that I liked were those about the girls, their friendships and discussions and, ultimately, their lives after they left the home. I was uncomfortable with the chanting during the spellmaking, the fact that the witches and girls always had to be naked to create the spells (Is this a thing?) and everything about Miss Parcea, the 91-year-old librarian and head witch. And I was super uncomfortable with the descriptions of the labor and delivery. I know it hurts, I’ve been through it twice, I just feel that could have been conveyed without all the description and cringey screaming and moaning. Maybe, if the book was being written to discourage teenagers from having sex and getting pregnant in the first place� I don’t know. For me, it’s a miss. ...more
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