Beth's bookshelf: read en-US Sat, 03 May 2025 05:47:40 -0700 60 Beth's bookshelf: read 144 41 /images/layout/goodreads_logo_144.jpg The Kitchen Front 54873823
Two years into WW2, Britain is feeling her losses; the Nazis have won battles, the Blitz has destroyed cities, and U-boats have cut off the supply of food. In an effort to help housewives with food rationing, a BBC radio program called The Kitchen Front is putting on a cooking contest--and the grand prize is a job as the program's first-ever female co-host. For four very different women, winning the contest presents a crucial chance to change their lives.

For a young widow, it's a chance to pay off her husband's debts and keep a roof over her children's heads. For a kitchen maid, it's a chance to leave servitude and find freedom. For the lady of the manor, it's a chance to escape her wealthy husband's increasingly hostile behavior. And for a trained chef, it's a chance to challenge the men at the top of her profession.

These four women are giving the competition their all--even if that sometimes means bending the rules. But with so much at stake, will the contest that aims to bring the community together serve only to break it apart?]]> 408 Jennifer Ryan 0593158806 Beth 4
This book is essentially the Great British Bake Off against the tumultuous backdrop of World War II. Despite the deaths and darkness lurking just off scene, this is an incredibly heartwarming, affirming read (not unlike GBBO as a show) about the bonds of sisterhood and found-families. I blazed through in a little over a day. Yes, the book is corny in some ways. Yes, the ending is so perfect it feels contrived. But you know what? The end of 2020 calls for fuzzy, cozy books like this.

The Kitchen Front follows four very different women: a widowed mother trying to scrape by with her gardening and pies; her estranged sister, a 'Lady' by marriage whose snobbery masks painful secrets; an orphaned young woman with a terrible stammer and bright dreams; and a Cordon Bleu-trained chef hiding her pregnancy but not her bitterness toward a cruel man's world.

These four women become competitors in a cooking contest to become co-host of a BBC radio programme to help housewives use their rations and support the war effort. The characterizations are fun--it's an expected ensemble cast--and the author's research in the setting is incredible. As a foodie and passionate home baker, I loved finding out more about how rations worked (and didn't work) during the war. The author has included authentic recipes throughout as well, though I don't think I'm daring enough to try them--though it is quite something to discover the ins and outs of cooking with whale steak!

Really, this book is corny, fun, and enlightening, a read I highly recommend for lovers of historical fiction and food history.]]> 3.94 2021 The Kitchen Front
author: Jennifer Ryan
name: Beth
average rating: 3.94
book published: 2021
rating: 4
read at: 2020/12/23
date added: 2025/05/03
shelves: historical, literary, netgalley, currently-reading, 2025, 2020
review:
I received an advance copy via NetGalley.

This book is essentially the Great British Bake Off against the tumultuous backdrop of World War II. Despite the deaths and darkness lurking just off scene, this is an incredibly heartwarming, affirming read (not unlike GBBO as a show) about the bonds of sisterhood and found-families. I blazed through in a little over a day. Yes, the book is corny in some ways. Yes, the ending is so perfect it feels contrived. But you know what? The end of 2020 calls for fuzzy, cozy books like this.

The Kitchen Front follows four very different women: a widowed mother trying to scrape by with her gardening and pies; her estranged sister, a 'Lady' by marriage whose snobbery masks painful secrets; an orphaned young woman with a terrible stammer and bright dreams; and a Cordon Bleu-trained chef hiding her pregnancy but not her bitterness toward a cruel man's world.

These four women become competitors in a cooking contest to become co-host of a BBC radio programme to help housewives use their rations and support the war effort. The characterizations are fun--it's an expected ensemble cast--and the author's research in the setting is incredible. As a foodie and passionate home baker, I loved finding out more about how rations worked (and didn't work) during the war. The author has included authentic recipes throughout as well, though I don't think I'm daring enough to try them--though it is quite something to discover the ins and outs of cooking with whale steak!

Really, this book is corny, fun, and enlightening, a read I highly recommend for lovers of historical fiction and food history.
]]> <![CDATA[Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants]]> 17465709 Braiding Sweetgrass, Kimmerer brings these lenses of knowledge together to show that the awakening of a wider ecological consciousness requires the acknowledgment and celebration of our reciprocal relationship with the rest of the living world. For only when we can hear the languages of other beings are we capable of understanding the generosity of the earth, and learning to give our own gifts in return.]]> 408 Robin Wall Kimmerer 1571313354 Beth 0 currently-reading 4.52 2013 Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants
author: Robin Wall Kimmerer
name: Beth
average rating: 4.52
book published: 2013
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/29
shelves: currently-reading
review:

]]> <![CDATA[A Fellowship of Bakers & Magic (Adenashire, #1)]]> 195213451
In the heart of Adenashire, where elvish enchantments and dwarven delights rule, human baker Arleta Starstone works twice as hard at perfecting her unique blend of baking with apothecary herbs. So, when her orc neighbor (and biggest fan) secretly enters her creations into the prestigious Langheim Baking Battle, Arleta faces a dilemma. Being magicless, her participation in the competition could draw more scowls than smiles. And if Arleta wants to prove her talent and establish her culinary reputation, she'll need more than just her pastry craft to sweeten the odds.

Though Arleta may not yet believe in herself, she makes her way to Langheim―with the help of a very attractive woodland elf―and competes. While on a journey of mouthwatering pastries, self-discovery, heartwarming friendships, and potential romance, Arleta will have to decide whether winning the Baking Battle is the true prize after all. But win or lose, her adventure is only beginning�

Although this book is part of a series it can only be read as a standalone. Escape to Adenashire for a delightful cozy fantasy where every twist is a treat and every turn a step closer to home.]]> 313 J. Penner Beth 4 2025, fantasy, netgalley
This is my kind of cozy fantasy: a secondary world tribute to the Great British Bake Off, wherein beings like elves, dwarves, and humans are competing for the prize. Lead character Arleta is a human struggling to sell her amazing baked goods, and often facing bigotry because of her magicless nature. She has no confidence whatsoever, and this is one of the book's main flaws: she can't commit to anything and is outright exasperating. She's almost too realistic, and that drags out the plots (especially the romance subplot) in a way that feels forced instead of organic. But when her ADORABLE surrogate dads--the two gay orcs who live next door--submit her as a candidate for the baking bout, she makes the cut, and then has to practically be kidnapped into participating by the super-hot elf Theodmon who works on behalf of the tournament.

The book has an awesome vibe. The descriptions of food are amazing--and the book has several recipes at the back! The sense of found family is wonderful, too. Arleta makes two close friends out of fellow contestants, and they have great banter. This isn't a book where you want to think too hard about the worldbuilding because it won't hold up at all, though this book deals with that better than some other cozy fantasies because it completely ignores the issue of ingredient origins. I just wish Arleta hadn't been quite so aggravating, that she had more external conflicts that gave her pause.]]> 3.89 2023 A Fellowship of Bakers & Magic (Adenashire, #1)
author: J. Penner
name: Beth
average rating: 3.89
book published: 2023
rating: 4
read at: 2025/04/28
date added: 2025/04/28
shelves: 2025, fantasy, netgalley
review:
I received an advance copy via NetGalley.

This is my kind of cozy fantasy: a secondary world tribute to the Great British Bake Off, wherein beings like elves, dwarves, and humans are competing for the prize. Lead character Arleta is a human struggling to sell her amazing baked goods, and often facing bigotry because of her magicless nature. She has no confidence whatsoever, and this is one of the book's main flaws: she can't commit to anything and is outright exasperating. She's almost too realistic, and that drags out the plots (especially the romance subplot) in a way that feels forced instead of organic. But when her ADORABLE surrogate dads--the two gay orcs who live next door--submit her as a candidate for the baking bout, she makes the cut, and then has to practically be kidnapped into participating by the super-hot elf Theodmon who works on behalf of the tournament.

The book has an awesome vibe. The descriptions of food are amazing--and the book has several recipes at the back! The sense of found family is wonderful, too. Arleta makes two close friends out of fellow contestants, and they have great banter. This isn't a book where you want to think too hard about the worldbuilding because it won't hold up at all, though this book deals with that better than some other cozy fantasies because it completely ignores the issue of ingredient origins. I just wish Arleta hadn't been quite so aggravating, that she had more external conflicts that gave her pause.
]]> The Amalfi Curse 218674082 Powerful witchcraft. A hunt for sunken treasure. Forbidden love on the high seas. Beware the Amalfi Curse�

Haven Ambrose, a trailblazing nautical archaeologist, has come to the sun-soaked village of Positano to investigate the mysterious shipwrecks along the Amalfi Coast. But Haven is hoping to find more than old artifacts beneath the azure waters; she is secretly on a quest to locate a trove of priceless gemstones her late father spotted on his final dive. Upon Haven’s arrival, strange maelstroms and misfortunes start plaguing the town. Is it nature or something more sinister at work?

As Haven searches for her father’s sunken treasure, she begins to unearth a centuries-old tale of ancient sorcery and one woman’s quest to save her lover and her village by using the legendary art of stregheria, a magical ability to harness the ocean. Could this magic be behind Positano’s latest calamities? Haven must unravel the Amalfi Curse before the region is destroyed forever�

Against the dazzling backdrop of the Amalfi Coast, this bewitching novel shimmers with mystery, romance and the untamed magic of the sea.
Ěý±Ő±Ő> 336 Sarah Penner 0778308006 Beth 4
The Amalfi Curse is a breezy, fascinating work that feels perfect for book clubs. In the present, nautical archaelogist Haven Ambrose is preparing to stay for a year on the Amalfi Coast of Italy, working the biggest project of her career alongside her team. The nearby sea is littered with wrecks, and area has long been referred to as "cursed." Meanwhile, a parallel plot thread in the 1820s follows the women who made the curse real: red-haired witches with a strong connection to the sea. Their secret is about to be revealed in the worst way, changing their lives forever.

This is a book that feels light but has some heavy research to give it structure. The characters in the past and present are incredibly relatable, and the tension really ramps up. There are nice romances in both plots as well.]]> 4.06 2025 The Amalfi Curse
author: Sarah Penner
name: Beth
average rating: 4.06
book published: 2025
rating: 4
read at: 2025/04/26
date added: 2025/04/26
shelves: 2025, historical, literary, netgalley
review:
I received an advance copy via NetGalley.

The Amalfi Curse is a breezy, fascinating work that feels perfect for book clubs. In the present, nautical archaelogist Haven Ambrose is preparing to stay for a year on the Amalfi Coast of Italy, working the biggest project of her career alongside her team. The nearby sea is littered with wrecks, and area has long been referred to as "cursed." Meanwhile, a parallel plot thread in the 1820s follows the women who made the curse real: red-haired witches with a strong connection to the sea. Their secret is about to be revealed in the worst way, changing their lives forever.

This is a book that feels light but has some heavy research to give it structure. The characters in the past and present are incredibly relatable, and the tension really ramps up. There are nice romances in both plots as well.
]]> Asunder 195791081 We choose our own gods here.

Karys Eska is a deathspeaker, locked into an irrevocable compact with Sabaster, a terrifying eldritch entity—three-faced, hundred-winged, unforgiving—who has granted her the ability to communicate with the newly departed. She pays the rent by using her abilities to investigate suspicious deaths around the troubled city she calls home. When a job goes sideways and connects her to a dying stranger with dangerous secrets, her entire world is upended.

Ferain is willing to pay a ludicrous sum of money for her help. To save him, Karys inadvertently binds him to her shadow, an act that may doom them both. If they want to survive, they will need to learn to trust one another. Together, they journey to the heart of a faded empire, all the while haunted by arcane horrors and the unquiet ghosts of their pasts.

And all too soon, Karys knows her debts will come due.]]> 432 Kerstin Hall 1250625432 Beth 0 2025, fantasy, nebula, dnf 4.14 2024 Asunder
author: Kerstin Hall
name: Beth
average rating: 4.14
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/23
shelves: 2025, fantasy, nebula, dnf
review:

]]> Daydreamer 201751274
Charles� life is split between two worlds: one real and one fantasy. In the real world, he is a lonely, bullied kid who can’t keep up with school when the letters refuse to stay still on the page, and is constantly in trouble for getting distracted. He lives with his mom in an apartment building, where Glory, the grumpy old superintendent, fills his head with stories about the Dream Folk.

In his fantasy world, the Sanctuary, Charles adventures with faeries and sprites and his two imaginary best friends. There, Charles's bullies become ogres, and Glory opens his arms wide to transform into a dragon. But when trolls move into Charles� apartment building and bring with them a terrible secret, the stories he has been told and the ones he brings to life grow more complicated. To protect everyone he cares about, Charles must harness his imagination in ways he never dreamed, in this unique story of the spaces and narratives we create for ourselves, and the ways in which fantasy and reality collide and blur.]]> 400 Rob Cameron 0593572459 Beth 0 2025, middle, nebula, dnf 4.24 2024 Daydreamer
author: Rob Cameron
name: Beth
average rating: 4.24
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/21
shelves: 2025, middle, nebula, dnf
review:

]]> The Dragonfly Gambit 210056729 A.D. Sui Beth 3 2025, novella, science
This is an interesting take on the vengeance against evil space empires, something of a theme across finalists this year. The narrator is so intense and twisted by her goals, though, that I had a hard time being invested in her character, even as I was compelled to read onward because I wanted to see if/how she pulled it off.]]> 4.17 The Dragonfly Gambit
author: A.D. Sui
name: Beth
average rating: 4.17
book published:
rating: 3
read at: 2025/04/19
date added: 2025/04/19
shelves: 2025, novella, science
review:
I read this as part of the Nebula novella finalist packet.

This is an interesting take on the vengeance against evil space empires, something of a theme across finalists this year. The narrator is so intense and twisted by her goals, though, that I had a hard time being invested in her character, even as I was compelled to read onward because I wanted to see if/how she pulled it off.
]]> People of the Book 1379961 The New Yorker) novel by Pulitzer Prize winner Geraldine Brooks follows a rare manuscript through centuries of exile and war.
Inspired by a true story, "People of the Book" is a novel of sweeping historical grandeur and intimate emotional intensity by an acclaimed and beloved author.
Called "a tour de force" by the San Francisco Chronicle, this ambitious, electrifying work traces the harrowing journey of the famed Sarajevo Haggadah, a beautifully illuminated Hebrew manuscript created in fifteenth-century Spain.

When it falls to Australian rare book expert Hanna Heath to conserve this priceless work, the tiny artifacts she discovers in its ancient binding—a butterfly wing fragment, wine stains, salt crystals, a white hair—only begin to unlock the book’s deep mysteries and unexpectedly plunges Hanna into the intrigues of fine art forgers and ultra-nationalist fanatics.
]]> 372 Geraldine Brooks 067001821X Beth 4 2025, historical, borrowed People of the Book is beautifully written, deeply researched, and a hard read, as it relates the horrors that the Jewish people have endured over a 500 year span in relation to the Sarajevo Haggadah, a rare medieval illustrated Jewish work. While the book is real, the events described are largely fictionalized. It is, nevertheless, a harrowing and hard read at times, even as it is fascinating because of the unique historical vantage points.]]> 4.02 2008 People of the Book
author: Geraldine Brooks
name: Beth
average rating: 4.02
book published: 2008
rating: 4
read at: 2025/04/16
date added: 2025/04/17
shelves: 2025, historical, borrowed
review:
I read this for an April book club. People of the Book is beautifully written, deeply researched, and a hard read, as it relates the horrors that the Jewish people have endured over a 500 year span in relation to the Sarajevo Haggadah, a rare medieval illustrated Jewish work. While the book is real, the events described are largely fictionalized. It is, nevertheless, a harrowing and hard read at times, even as it is fascinating because of the unique historical vantage points.
]]> Ink Blood Sister Scribe 62854842 In this spellbinding debut novel, two estranged half-sisters tasked with guarding their family's library of magical books must work together to unravel a deadly secret at the heart of their collection--a tale of familial loyalty and betrayal, and the pursuit of magic and power.

For generations, the Kalotay family has guarded a collection of ancient and rare books. Books that let a person walk through walls or manipulate the elements--books of magic that half-sisters Joanna and Esther have been raised to revere and protect.

All magic comes with a price, though, and for years the sisters have been separated. Esther has fled to a remote base in Antarctica to escape the fate that killed her own mother, and Joanna's isolated herself in their family home in Vermont, devoting her life to the study of these cherished volumes. But after their father dies suddenly while reading a book Joanna has never seen before, the sisters must reunite to preserve their family legacy. In the process, they'll uncover a world of magic far bigger and more dangerous than they ever imagined, and all the secrets their parents kept hidden; secrets that span centuries, continents, and even other libraries . . .]]> 416 Emma Törzs 0063253461 Beth 5 2025, borrowed, fantasy 3.98 2023 Ink Blood Sister Scribe
author: Emma Törzs
name: Beth
average rating: 3.98
book published: 2023
rating: 5
read at: 2025/04/11
date added: 2025/04/11
shelves: 2025, borrowed, fantasy
review:
This is a book club read for April 2025. I found it a fantastic read--lush prose, deep characterizations, and a plot that delivers surprise after surprise as everything fits together in the end.
]]> <![CDATA[Benny RamĂ­rez and the Nearly Departed]]> 195430694 A hilarious and heartwarming story about a boy who can suddenly see the ghost of his famous musician grandfather!

After moving cross-country into his late grandfather’s Miami mansion, Benny discovers that the ghost of his famous trumpet-playing abuelo, the great Ignacio Ramírez, is still there . . . and isn’t too thrilled about it. He’s been barred from the afterlife, and no one can even see him except his grandson. But Benny’s got problems of his own. He’s enrolled in a performing arts school with his siblings, despite having no obvious talent.
Luckily, Abuelo believes they can help each other. Abuelo has until New Year’s Eve to right his many wrongs and thinks that teaching Benny to play the trumpet and how to become a school celebrity might be his ticket into heaven. Having no better ideas, Benny finds himself taking Abuelo's advice—to disastrous and hilarious results.
Benny and Abuelo will find that there’s more than one way to be great in this unforgettable, laugh-out-loud tale of family, music, and self-discovery.]]> 272 José Pablo Iriarte 0593703715 Beth 5
I love a middle grade books, and this one is a treasure. Benny barely knew his famous, recently-deceased grandpa, Ignacio RamĂ­rez, but now he's living in the man's Miami mansion. He, his parents, and his brother and sister are fresh transplants from Los Angeles. His older sister is a fantastic dancer, while his little brother goes so deeply into his acting roles that he barely breaks character for weeks. Benny feels like the untalented one in the family, a veritable imposter at the creative arts magnet school his parents now teach at. But now Benny is the only one who can see and speak with the ghost of his Abuelo. His grandfather was booted out of the afterlife, told he has unfinished business on Earth, and he's now certain that business is to make Benny a trumpet-playing star. Benny, in awe of his arrogant and domineering Abuelo, now has to navigate a new school, a new talent (kind of), and a family in turmoil.

This is such a sweet book. It's a bit cringey at times, as Benny does things that make you go, 'Oh no!' but fortunately those bits don't go on for long, as the book takes some nice, surprising turns. I really love the loving nature of his family--the depictions of the relationships feel complicated and real.]]> 4.50 Benny RamĂ­rez and the Nearly Departed
author: José Pablo Iriarte
name: Beth
average rating: 4.50
book published:
rating: 5
read at: 2025/04/07
date added: 2025/04/07
shelves: 2025, middle, nebula, paranormal
review:
I read this book as part of the Norton finalist packet.

I love a middle grade books, and this one is a treasure. Benny barely knew his famous, recently-deceased grandpa, Ignacio RamĂ­rez, but now he's living in the man's Miami mansion. He, his parents, and his brother and sister are fresh transplants from Los Angeles. His older sister is a fantastic dancer, while his little brother goes so deeply into his acting roles that he barely breaks character for weeks. Benny feels like the untalented one in the family, a veritable imposter at the creative arts magnet school his parents now teach at. But now Benny is the only one who can see and speak with the ghost of his Abuelo. His grandfather was booted out of the afterlife, told he has unfinished business on Earth, and he's now certain that business is to make Benny a trumpet-playing star. Benny, in awe of his arrogant and domineering Abuelo, now has to navigate a new school, a new talent (kind of), and a family in turmoil.

This is such a sweet book. It's a bit cringey at times, as Benny does things that make you go, 'Oh no!' but fortunately those bits don't go on for long, as the book takes some nice, surprising turns. I really love the loving nature of his family--the depictions of the relationships feel complicated and real.
]]> <![CDATA[Off the Spectrum: Why the Science of Autism Has Failed Women and Girls]]> 217182393 A cognitive neuroscientist reveals how autistic women have been overlooked by biased research—and makes a passionate case for their inclusion.

Who comes to mind when you think of an autistic person? It might be yourself, a relative or friend, a public figure, a fictional character, or a stereotyped image. Regardless, for most of us it’s likely to be someone male. Medical and social systems systematically under-diagnose, under-research, and under-serve autistic women—to devastating effect.

In Off the Spectrum cognitive neuroscientist Gina Rippon sheds light on how old ideas about autism leave women behind and how the scientific community must catch up. Generations of researchers, convinced autism was a male problem, simply didn’t bother looking for it in women, creating a snowball effect of biased research.

To correct this “male spotlight� problem Rippon outlines how autism presents differently in girls and women—such as how they tend to camouflage autistic traits, or how their intense interests may take a form considered more socially acceptable. When autism studies don’t recruit female subjects, Rippon argues, it’s not only autistic women who are failed; it’s the entire scientific community. Correcting a major scientific bias, Off the Spectrum provides a much-needed exploration of autism in women to parents, clinicians, and autistic women themselves.]]> 352 Gina Rippon 1541605020 Beth 0 to-read 3.97 2025 Off the Spectrum: Why the Science of Autism Has Failed Women and Girls
author: Gina Rippon
name: Beth
average rating: 3.97
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/02
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> The Tusks of Extinction 127284214 When you bring back a long-extinct species, there’s more to success than the DNA.

Moscow has resurrected the mammoth, but someone must teach them how to be mammoths, or they are doomed to die out, again.
The late Dr. Damira Khismatullina, the world’s foremost expert in elephant behavior, is called in to help.
While she was murdered a year ago, her digitized consciousness is uploaded into the brain of a mammoth.
Can she help the magnificent creatures fend off poachers long enough for their species to take hold? And will she ever discover the real reason they were brought back?

A tense eco-thriller from a new master of the genre.

At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.]]> 192 Ray Nayler 1250855535 Beth 5
This is a fascinating, deeply-researched work about the return of mammoths, mammoth poachers, and ultimately, humanity, awful and redemptive in turns. The first chapter disoriented me a bit because I had no grasp of what was gong on, but I soon found the groove.]]> 3.77 2024 The Tusks of Extinction
author: Ray Nayler
name: Beth
average rating: 3.77
book published: 2024
rating: 5
read at: 2025/04/02
date added: 2025/04/02
shelves: 2025, nebula, novella, science
review:
I read this novella as part of the Nebula finalist packet.

This is a fascinating, deeply-researched work about the return of mammoths, mammoth poachers, and ultimately, humanity, awful and redemptive in turns. The first chapter disoriented me a bit because I had no grasp of what was gong on, but I soon found the groove.
]]> The Book of Love 157981682 The Book of Love showcases Kelly Link at the height of her powers, channeling potent magic and attuned to all varieties of love—from friendship to romance to abiding family ties—with her trademark compassion, wit, and literary derring-do. Readers will find joy (and a little terror) and an affirmation that love goes on, even when we cannot.

Late one night, Laura, Daniel, and Mo find themselves beneath the fluorescent lights of a high school classroom, almost a year after disappearing from their hometown, the small seaside community of Lovesend, Massachusetts, having long been presumed dead. Which, in fact, they are.

With them in the room is their previously unremarkable high school music teacher, who seems to know something about their disappearance—and what has brought them back again. Desperate to reclaim their lives, the three agree to the terms of the bargain their music teacher proposes. They will be given a series of magical tasks; while they undertake them, they may return to their families and friends, but they can tell no one where they’ve been. In the end, there will be winners and there will be losers.

But their resurrection has attracted the notice of other supernatural figures, all with their own agendas. As Laura, Daniel, and Mo grapple with the pieces of the lives they left behind, and Laura’s sister, Susannah, attempts to reconcile what she remembers with what she fears, these mysterious others begin to arrive, engulfing their community in danger and chaos, and it becomes imperative that the teens solve the mystery of their deaths to avert a looming disaster.]]> 628 Kelly Link 0812996585 Beth 0 dnf 3.44 2024 The Book of Love
author: Kelly Link
name: Beth
average rating: 3.44
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/31
shelves: dnf
review:

]]> A Sorceress Comes to Call 195790847 A dark retelling of the Brothers Grimm's Goose Girl, rife with secrets, murder, and forbidden magic

Cordelia knows her mother is unusual. Their house doesn’t have any doors between rooms, and her mother doesn't allow Cordelia to have a single friend—unless you count Falada, her mother's beautiful white horse. The only time Cordelia feels truly free is on her daily rides with him. But more than simple eccentricity sets her mother apart. Other mothers don’t force their daughters to be silent and motionless for hours, sometimes days, on end. Other mothers aren’t sorcerers.

After a suspicious death in their small town, Cordelia’s mother insists they leave in the middle of the night, riding away on Falada’s sturdy back, leaving behind all Cordelia has ever known. They arrive at the remote country manor of a wealthy older man, the Squire, and his unwed sister, Hester. Cordelia’s mother intends to lure the Squire into marriage, and Cordelia knows this can only be bad news for the bumbling gentleman and his kind, intelligent sister.

Hester sees the way Cordelia shrinks away from her mother, how the young girl sits eerily still at dinner every night. Hester knows that to save her brother from bewitchment and to rescue the terrified Cordelia, she will have to face down a wicked witch of the worst kind.]]> 327 T. Kingfisher 1250244072 Beth 5 2025, fantasy, nebula
First of all, major trigger warnings on this book for child abuse throughout, as well as a hefty warning on animal abuse (though that is justified, within the context of the book). That said, this book is extremely well written, impenetrably dark, and often heartwarming in turns. Fourteen-year-old Cordelia has long been subject to her mother's whims--not simply abusive behavior, but being controlled like a puppet through magic. When her mother sets her sights on marrying into wealth that will better place Cordelia for her own future marriage, Cordelia finds an incredible new ally: Hester, the landowner's disabled sister. Hester has a sense of the evil around her brother's new beau, who she calls Doom, and deep sympathy for the obviously terrified, sheltered Cordelia.

I'm familiar with the "Goose Girl" story this is inspired by, but beyond a few elements, the plots are nothing alike. This book shocked me with its dark turns. There's a deep level of both psychological and body horror to be found here, but it's not all grim and dark. There is a beautiful found family aspect as well. ]]> 4.06 2024 A Sorceress Comes to Call
author: T. Kingfisher
name: Beth
average rating: 4.06
book published: 2024
rating: 5
read at: 2025/03/31
date added: 2025/03/31
shelves: 2025, fantasy, nebula
review:
I read this as part of the Nebula finalist packet.

First of all, major trigger warnings on this book for child abuse throughout, as well as a hefty warning on animal abuse (though that is justified, within the context of the book). That said, this book is extremely well written, impenetrably dark, and often heartwarming in turns. Fourteen-year-old Cordelia has long been subject to her mother's whims--not simply abusive behavior, but being controlled like a puppet through magic. When her mother sets her sights on marrying into wealth that will better place Cordelia for her own future marriage, Cordelia finds an incredible new ally: Hester, the landowner's disabled sister. Hester has a sense of the evil around her brother's new beau, who she calls Doom, and deep sympathy for the obviously terrified, sheltered Cordelia.

I'm familiar with the "Goose Girl" story this is inspired by, but beyond a few elements, the plots are nothing alike. This book shocked me with its dark turns. There's a deep level of both psychological and body horror to be found here, but it's not all grim and dark. There is a beautiful found family aspect as well.
]]> Anxious People 49127718 A poignant, charming novel about a crime that never took place, a would-be bank robber who disappears into thin air, and eight extremely anxious strangers who find they have more in common than they ever imagined

Looking at real estate isn't usually a life-or-death situation, but an apartment open house becomes just that when a failed bank robber bursts in and takes a group of strangers hostage. The captives include a recently retired couple who relentlessly hunt down fixer-uppers to avoid the painful truth that they can't fix up their own marriage. There's a wealthy banker who has been too busy making money to care about anyone else and a young couple who are about to have their first child but can't seem to agree on anything, from where they want to live to how they met in the first place. Add to the mix an eighty-seven-year-old woman who has lived long enough not to be afraid of someone waving a gun in her face, a flustered but still-ready-to-make-a-deal real estate agent, and a mystery man who has locked himself in the apartment's only bathroom, and you've got the worst group of hostages in the world.

Each of them carries a lifetime of grievances, hurts, secrets, and passions that are ready to boil over. None of them is entirely who they appear to be. And all of them—the bank robber included—desperately crave some sort of rescue. As the authorities and the media surround the premises, these reluctant allies will reveal surprising truths about themselves and set in a motion a chain of events so unexpected that even they can hardly explain what happens next.

Humorous, compassionate, and wise, Anxious People is an ingeniously constructed story about the enduring power of friendship, forgiveness, and hope—the things that save us, even in the most anxious of times.

Includes short story - The Last Round of Golf]]> 336 Fredrik Backman 198216963X Beth 0 dnf, borrowed, literary 4.17 2019 Anxious People
author: Fredrik Backman
name: Beth
average rating: 4.17
book published: 2019
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/29
shelves: dnf, borrowed, literary
review:

]]> Moonstorm (Moonstorm #1) 198688449 In a society where conformity is valued above all else, a teen girl training to become an Imperial pilot is forced to return to her rebel roots to save her world in this adrenaline-fueled sci-fi adventure—perfect for fans of Iron Widow and Skyward!

Hwa Young was just ten years old when imperial forces destroyed her rebel moon home. Now, six years later, she is a citizen of the very empire that made her an orphan.

Desperate to shake her rebel past, Hwa Young dreams of one day becoming a lancer pilot, an elite group of warriors who fly into battle using the empire’s most advanced tech—giant martial robots. Lancers are powerful, and Hwa Young would do anything to be the strong one for once in her life.

When an attack on their boarding school leaves Hwa Young and her classmates stranded on an imperial space fleet, her dreams quickly become a reality. As it turns out, the fleet is in dire need of pilot candidates, and Hwa Young—along with her brainy best friend Geum, rival Bae, and class clown Seong Su—are quick to volunteer.

But training is nothing like what they expected, and secrets—like the fate of the fleet’s previous lancer squad and hidden truths about the rebellion itself—are stacking up. And when Hwa Young uncovers a conspiracy that puts their entire world at risk, she’s forced to make a choice between her rebel past and an empire she’s no longer sure she can trust.]]> 352 Yoon Ha Lee 0593488334 Beth 3
A gripping start, fascinating far-future Korean-inspired civilization, and awesome giant robots make this a quick read, but I was left frustrated by a predictable plot and a main character who became increasingly foolishly brash as the book continued. I enjoyed the first half much more than the last half. ]]> 3.42 2024 Moonstorm (Moonstorm #1)
author: Yoon Ha Lee
name: Beth
average rating: 3.42
book published: 2024
rating: 3
read at: 2025/03/26
date added: 2025/03/26
shelves: 2025, young-adult, science, nebula, borrowed
review:
I borrowed this book from my local library. It's currently a Norton Award finalist.

A gripping start, fascinating far-future Korean-inspired civilization, and awesome giant robots make this a quick read, but I was left frustrated by a predictable plot and a main character who became increasingly foolishly brash as the book continued. I enjoyed the first half much more than the last half.
]]> Countess 211428041
A queer, Caribbean, anti-colonial sci-fi novella, inspired by the Count of Monte Cristo, in which a betrayed captain seeks revenge on the interplanetary empire that subjugated her people for generations.

Virika Sameroo lives in colonized space under the Æerbot Empire, much like her ancestors before her in the British West Indies. After years of working hard to rise through the ranks of the empire’s merchant marine, she’s finally become first lieutenant on an interstellar cargo vessel.

When her captain dies under suspicious circumstances, Virika is arrested for murder and charged with treason despite her lifelong loyalty to the empire. Her conviction and subsequent imprisonment set her on a path to justice, determined to take down the evil empire that wronged her, all while the fate of her people hangs in the balance.]]> 168 Suzan Palumbo 1770417575 Beth 4
This sci-fi queer rewrite of the classic Count of Monte Cristo is fantastically written, dark, and thought-provoking. It's also infuriating, as horrendous racism fuels the profound injustices suffered by Virika Sameroo. Honestly, it didn't take long for me to cheer for her just burning the whole universe DOWN. I can readily see why this made the finalists.]]> 3.57 2024 Countess
author: Suzan Palumbo
name: Beth
average rating: 3.57
book published: 2024
rating: 4
read at: 2025/03/24
date added: 2025/03/25
shelves: 2025, nebula, novella, science
review:
I read this novella as part of the Nebula finalist packet.

This sci-fi queer rewrite of the classic Count of Monte Cristo is fantastically written, dark, and thought-provoking. It's also infuriating, as horrendous racism fuels the profound injustices suffered by Virika Sameroo. Honestly, it didn't take long for me to cheer for her just burning the whole universe DOWN. I can readily see why this made the finalists.
]]> <![CDATA[Braided (Sisters Ever After #5)]]> 198688432
Princess Cinna has grown up longing for her older sister, Rapunzel, who was kidnapped before Cinna was born. Now that Rapunzel has returned home, Cinna couldn’t be happier. She can’t wait to help Rapunzel take her rightful place as heir to the throne.

But Rapunzel is not what anyone—including Cinna—expected. And whoever took her might still be lurking in the castle. When magical creatures begin attacking both princesses, Cinna finds herself with no one to trust…except, maybe, Rapunzel herself.

Will she risk everything for a sister with whom she may have nothing in common except their long, magical hair?]]> 304 Leah Cypess 0593481372 Beth 4
I've loved Cypess's other creative reinventions of fairy tales, and this one is also a delight. The tale retells in Rapunzel in a fresh way through the viewpoint of Rapunzel's younger sister, Cinna. She has never known Rapunzel, as her big sister was spirited away by evil fairies before she was born. Even so, she frequently writes letters to Rapunzel and hides them in her room; Cinna is cosseted and friendless these days, her mother the queen often cold and callous as she prepares her daughter to someday assume the throne of the Borderlands. That includes lessons on just about everything, including how to utilize their family's magical hair. When Rapunzel is abruptly rescued and returns home, Cinna is thrilled--mostly. But her sister is nothing like she expected, and Rapunzel has only been given three days of grace to visit the human world.

This was such a fun book, with many surprises along the way. The narrative explores issues like sisterhood and changing expectations and neurodiversity (because Rapunzel does cue that way) without being heavy-handed. ]]> 4.15 2024 Braided (Sisters Ever After #5)
author: Leah Cypess
name: Beth
average rating: 4.15
book published: 2024
rating: 4
read at: 2025/03/22
date added: 2025/03/22
shelves: 2025, children-s, borrowed, nebula
review:
I borrowed this book from my local library. It's a current finalist for the Norton Award.

I've loved Cypess's other creative reinventions of fairy tales, and this one is also a delight. The tale retells in Rapunzel in a fresh way through the viewpoint of Rapunzel's younger sister, Cinna. She has never known Rapunzel, as her big sister was spirited away by evil fairies before she was born. Even so, she frequently writes letters to Rapunzel and hides them in her room; Cinna is cosseted and friendless these days, her mother the queen often cold and callous as she prepares her daughter to someday assume the throne of the Borderlands. That includes lessons on just about everything, including how to utilize their family's magical hair. When Rapunzel is abruptly rescued and returns home, Cinna is thrilled--mostly. But her sister is nothing like she expected, and Rapunzel has only been given three days of grace to visit the human world.

This was such a fun book, with many surprises along the way. The narrative explores issues like sisterhood and changing expectations and neurodiversity (because Rapunzel does cue that way) without being heavy-handed.
]]> <![CDATA[Fudge and Marriage (Candy-Coated, #13)]]> 215808185 Only two things might ruin fudge maker Allie McMurphy’s murder—and her mother . . .

June is always beautiful on Mackinac Island, which is why Allie chose this month for her wedding to police officer Rex Manning—definitely Mackinac Island’s finest in more ways than one. But if her mother has her way, that’s the last choice Allie will get to make. Allie’s the furthest thing from a Bridezilla—but it looks like she has a Momzilla on her hands. Why else have her mother and extended family shown up a full two weeks before the nuptials to drive Allie to dizzying distraction?

Honestly, a murder investigation is far less stressful—and as it happens, Allie just found Velma French dead on the ground beside the rock that killed her, with her rival Myrtle sobbing nearby. Things don’t look good for Myrtle, but all may not be what it seems. Allie vows to solve the crime before she walks down the aisle. But a killer has other ideas—and they seem to be focused on Allie herself . . .

Praise for Nancy Coco and the Candy-Coated Mysteries

“An enjoyable character-driven whodunit that mixes murder with a touch of romance and the requisite sweet treats.� �Kirkus Reviews

“Exciting, compelling . . . intriguing . . . one of my favorite places to visit, especially when Allie makes fudge!� �Open Book Society

Includes mouth-watering recipes!

Help support pet adoption—see details inside.
Ěý±Ő±Ő> 336 Nancy CoCo 1496743725 Beth 5 2025, netgalley, mystery
I've enjoyed CoCo's other work, but this is my first time delving into this series. It says a lot about the high quality of the writing that I had no problem at all getting immersed in the mystery and characters even though this was #13 in the series.

Allie runs a fudge shop on Mackinac Island. She's preparing to wed Rex, a local police officer, in a wedding that involves a public picnic and her dogs and everyone they know on the island. Complicating matters: Allie finds a local woman dead outside of the library, her long-time rival sobbing nearby with a blood-soaked rock on the ground. Complicating matters even more: Allie's elitist socialite mother shows up 2 weeks before the wedding, with other snobbish family in tow, determined that her only child will have a "proper wedding," meaning designer everything, a fancy venue, and family only. Allie needs to balance her own precarious mental health with a tricky murder investigation as the clock ticks down to her big day.

This book was such incredible fun. I've wanted to go to Mackinac Island since I was a teenager, thanks to the old movie Somewhere in Time, and I really want to try their famous fudge. This book, and this series, is probably providing the island with a tourism boost, as I want to go there even more now. Allie is a great, sympathetic character, and I love Rex and so many other cast members--but not her mother. Good grief, but the scenes with her mother gave me the kind of anxiety that most readers probably get from a horror novel. That helped contribute to a fast and breezy escapist read, which is just what I needed this week!]]> 4.29 Fudge and Marriage (Candy-Coated, #13)
author: Nancy CoCo
name: Beth
average rating: 4.29
book published:
rating: 5
read at: 2025/03/18
date added: 2025/03/19
shelves: 2025, netgalley, mystery
review:
I received an advance copy via NetGalley.

I've enjoyed CoCo's other work, but this is my first time delving into this series. It says a lot about the high quality of the writing that I had no problem at all getting immersed in the mystery and characters even though this was #13 in the series.

Allie runs a fudge shop on Mackinac Island. She's preparing to wed Rex, a local police officer, in a wedding that involves a public picnic and her dogs and everyone they know on the island. Complicating matters: Allie finds a local woman dead outside of the library, her long-time rival sobbing nearby with a blood-soaked rock on the ground. Complicating matters even more: Allie's elitist socialite mother shows up 2 weeks before the wedding, with other snobbish family in tow, determined that her only child will have a "proper wedding," meaning designer everything, a fancy venue, and family only. Allie needs to balance her own precarious mental health with a tricky murder investigation as the clock ticks down to her big day.

This book was such incredible fun. I've wanted to go to Mackinac Island since I was a teenager, thanks to the old movie Somewhere in Time, and I really want to try their famous fudge. This book, and this series, is probably providing the island with a tourism boost, as I want to go there even more now. Allie is a great, sympathetic character, and I love Rex and so many other cast members--but not her mother. Good grief, but the scenes with her mother gave me the kind of anxiety that most readers probably get from a horror novel. That helped contribute to a fast and breezy escapist read, which is just what I needed this week!
]]> <![CDATA[The Young Necromancer's Guide to Ghosts]]> 210683162
Uncle’s connections to powerful wizards make him far more dangerous than Lusi initially realized. But Lusi isn’t crazy or a freak for talking to ghosts: she’s a necromancer! Marsi is worried—they’ve always been told that necromancers are monsters. Lusi needs to learn more to set both their minds at ease. She must enlist the help of a ghost girl, a dragon, and a strange wizard from the other side of the world if she wants to control her unusual talents and keep her family safe.]]> 178 Vanessa Ricci-Thode 1738392910 Beth 4
In this cute, breezy secondary fantasy, Lusi can see and talk with ghosts. Only her big sister Marsi believes her--everyone else in her family and town thinks she's lying. When their manipulative Uncle threatens to marry off Marsi, the two sisters run away--and find a dragon, more ghosts, and whole new lives.

This was an enjoyable read with an inclusive, diverse cast and an innovative take on necromancy that works well for middle grade.]]> 4.00 2024 The Young Necromancer's Guide to Ghosts
author: Vanessa Ricci-Thode
name: Beth
average rating: 4.00
book published: 2024
rating: 4
read at: 2025/03/15
date added: 2025/03/16
shelves: 2025, middle, children-s, nebula
review:
I read this book because it's a Norton Award finalist.

In this cute, breezy secondary fantasy, Lusi can see and talk with ghosts. Only her big sister Marsi believes her--everyone else in her family and town thinks she's lying. When their manipulative Uncle threatens to marry off Marsi, the two sisters run away--and find a dragon, more ghosts, and whole new lives.

This was an enjoyable read with an inclusive, diverse cast and an innovative take on necromancy that works well for middle grade.
]]> Lost Ark Dreaming 195790767
Off the coast of West Africa, decades after the dangerous rise of the Atlantic Ocean, the region’s survivors live inside five partially submerged, kilometers-high towers originally created as a playground for the wealthy. Now the towers� most affluent rule from their lofty perch at the top while the rest are crammed into the dark, fetid floors below sea level.

There are also those who were left for dead in the Atlantic, only to be reawakened by an ancient power, and who seek vengeance on those who offered them up to the waves.

Three lives within the towers are pulled to the fore of this Yekini, an earnest, mid-level rookie analyst; Tuoyo, an undersea mechanic mourning a tremendous loss; and Ngozi, an egotistical bureaucrat from the highest levels of governance. They will need to work together if there is to be any hope of a future that is worth living―for everyone.]]> 179 Suyi Davies Okungbowa 1250890756 Beth 4
Lost Ark Dreaming is a fascinating piece of near-future scifi set after a climate disaster floods Africa. Refugees survive in five reinforced towers strictly demarcated by class. An alert on a below-water level brings together three administrators, forcing them to confront their society, their faith, and their future. The writing is masterful, the characters incredibly deep. The very ending, however, felt abrupt and unsatisfying for me.]]> 3.63 2024 Lost Ark Dreaming
author: Suyi Davies Okungbowa
name: Beth
average rating: 3.63
book published: 2024
rating: 4
read at: 2025/03/13
date added: 2025/03/14
shelves: 2025, africa, nebula, novella, science
review:
I read this as part of the Nebula finalist readings.

Lost Ark Dreaming is a fascinating piece of near-future scifi set after a climate disaster floods Africa. Refugees survive in five reinforced towers strictly demarcated by class. An alert on a below-water level brings together three administrators, forcing them to confront their society, their faith, and their future. The writing is masterful, the characters incredibly deep. The very ending, however, felt abrupt and unsatisfying for me.
]]> When the Moon Hits Your Eye 211004190
It's a whole new moooooon.

One day soon, suddenly and without explanation, the moon as we know it is replaced with an orb of cheese with the exact same mass. Through the length of an entire lunar cycle, from new moon to a spectacular and possibly final solar eclipse, we follow multiple characters -- schoolkids and scientists, billionaires and workers, preachers and politicians -- as they confront the strange new world they live in, and the absurd, impossible moon that now hangs above all their lives.]]> 326 John Scalzi 0765389096 Beth 4
This book takes an absolutely bonkers premise, "What if the moon abruptly turned into cheese?" and runs with it. Chapters hop to different characters, most in America, but some beyond (WAY beyond) as they take in the scope of the disaster. Perspectives include astronauts who'd been preparing for a lunar mission, retirees at an Oklahoma diner, rival cheese shop employees in Wisconsin, and a very memorable bit with a down-on-her-luck real estate agent in Las Vegas (not the Brie--no, not the Brie!). Actual science is given some heed, but don't expect a firm explanation for the inciting incident or how things wrap up; this isn't a book to give deep thought. Go with the flow (like a good queso), be ready for frequent cheese puns and humor, and enjoy.]]> 3.84 2025 When the Moon Hits Your Eye
author: John Scalzi
name: Beth
average rating: 3.84
book published: 2025
rating: 4
read at: 2025/03/12
date added: 2025/03/13
shelves: 2025, cheese, science, netgalley
review:
I received an advance copy via NetGalley.

This book takes an absolutely bonkers premise, "What if the moon abruptly turned into cheese?" and runs with it. Chapters hop to different characters, most in America, but some beyond (WAY beyond) as they take in the scope of the disaster. Perspectives include astronauts who'd been preparing for a lunar mission, retirees at an Oklahoma diner, rival cheese shop employees in Wisconsin, and a very memorable bit with a down-on-her-luck real estate agent in Las Vegas (not the Brie--no, not the Brie!). Actual science is given some heed, but don't expect a firm explanation for the inciting incident or how things wrap up; this isn't a book to give deep thought. Go with the flow (like a good queso), be ready for frequent cheese puns and humor, and enjoy.
]]> The Wedding Planner 62035721 In this captivating novel from #1 New York Times bestselling author Danielle Steel, a wildly successful, unmarried wedding planner leads her clients to happily ever after.

Faith Ferguson is New York's most in-demand wedding planner, an arbiter of taste for elegant affairs, lavish ceremonies, and exclusive f�tes. She appreciates a simple celebration as much as a dazzling event, for she knows that a dream wedding is not necessarily the most expensive one.

As much as Faith enjoys her work, her two failed engagements leave her with no desire to get married herself. She finds fulfillment in her close relationship with her twin sister, Hope, her role as a mentor for her assistant, Violet, and her career.

This year, new clients have flocked to her, and she signs up an extravagant reception, a mid-sized gathering, and an intimate soir�e, in addition to her mother's next marriage and Violet's modest ceremony. Faith finds herself forming bonds with her new clients and their loved ones--mostnotably the handsome brother of one of her grooms.

But weddings are not always all champagne and roses, and in no time, Faith is grappling with private quarrels, unplanned pregnancies, family scandals, dark secrets, and the possibility of cancelled ceremonies. Through her own journey, Faith will prove once and for all that that there is not just one path to happily ever after.

In The Wedding Planner, Danielle Steel presents an enchanting story about the winding road to love and the many ways to find joy while staying true to oneself.]]> 288 Danielle Steel 1984821784 Beth 1 2025, borrowed, romance
I have never read Danielle Steel before, and I'm left wondering if this book is like her others, and if so, why has she seen such wild success? A science fiction book featuring aliens to more relatable to me than this tale of an in-demand New York City wedding planner and her ridiculously wealthy clients. The book is poorly edited. Descriptions are redundant, the same lines repeated in a baffling way. The viewpoint floats from character to character without warning and is confusing at times. There wasn't even much romance, the sex not showing up on the page until the end, and there was little of it, with sparse descriptions. The prose itself is simple and lacks rhythm.

The one positive I can say is that it's a fast read. Thank goodness. ]]> 3.89 2023 The Wedding Planner
author: Danielle Steel
name: Beth
average rating: 3.89
book published: 2023
rating: 1
read at: 2025/03/09
date added: 2025/03/10
shelves: 2025, borrowed, romance
review:
I borrowed this book from the library. It's a book club read for March.

I have never read Danielle Steel before, and I'm left wondering if this book is like her others, and if so, why has she seen such wild success? A science fiction book featuring aliens to more relatable to me than this tale of an in-demand New York City wedding planner and her ridiculously wealthy clients. The book is poorly edited. Descriptions are redundant, the same lines repeated in a baffling way. The viewpoint floats from character to character without warning and is confusing at times. There wasn't even much romance, the sex not showing up on the page until the end, and there was little of it, with sparse descriptions. The prose itself is simple and lacks rhythm.

The one positive I can say is that it's a fast read. Thank goodness.
]]> Years of the Forest 3221118
It is a book of wilderness adventure, it is an education in the ingenuities of wilderness housekeeping, filled with practical details about making do, building and rebuilding, gardening for fun and for food, even advice about getting away from getting-away-from-it-all.]]> 318 Helen Hoover 0394475380 Beth 4
This is an intimate portrait of a time and place and two people trying to find peace in a turbulent world.]]> 4.33 1973 Years of the Forest
author: Helen Hoover
name: Beth
average rating: 4.33
book published: 1973
rating: 4
read at: 2025/03/08
date added: 2025/03/08
shelves: 2025, classic, minnesota, nonfiction
review:
This is the kind of gentle, soothing read needed these days. Writer Helen Hoover and her artist husband, Ade, moved to the far-remote Minnesota woods across a lake from Canada. This book covers over a decade of their time there in the 1950s and 1960s, where they dealt with severe poverty to start, making-do without a car and even getting scurvy due to malnutrition. They are there to live in harmony with nature, as much as they can; the mice in the cabin are named and fed, and the deer and groundhogs are regular companions. They resist electricity and indoor plumbing, but the ways of man encroach on them, with deer hunting season an especially dangerous time for the two of them and the deer they love.

This is an intimate portrait of a time and place and two people trying to find peace in a turbulent world.
]]> The Sirens 210411871 A story of sisters separated by hundreds of years but bound together in more ways than they can imagine

2019: Lucy awakens in her ex-lover’s room in the middle of the night with her hands around his throat. Horrified, she flees to her sister’s house on the coast of New South Wales hoping Jess can help explain the vivid dreams that preceded the attack—but her sister is missing. As Lucy waits for her return, she starts to unearth strange rumours about Jess’s town—tales of numerous missing men, spread over decades. A baby abandoned in a sea-swept cave. Whispers of women’s voices on the waves. All the while, her dreams start to feel closer than ever.

1800: Mary and Eliza are torn from their loving home in Ireland and forced onto a convict ship heading for Australia. As the boat takes them farther and farther away from all they know, they begin to notice unexplainable changes in their bodies.

A breathtaking tale of female resilience, The Sirens is an extraordinary novel that captures the sheer power of sisterhood and the indefinable magic of the sea.]]> 337 Emilia Hart 1250280826 Beth 3
Three storylines featuring resilient women are the focus of this unique book. In 2019, a young Australian woman, Lucy, awakens, choking the ex-boyfriend who recently betrayed her. She flees to a remote coastal town where her older sister lives, to find her missing. Meanwhile, Lucy is plagued by intense dreams about two sisters from Ireland in 1800 who are unjustly loaded onto a prison ship destined for Australia--and judging by the art in the household, her sister has been having the same dreams for years. Lucy struggles to understand herself, and begins reading through her sister's diary, discovering deep family secrets.

This is an engaging book, but a frustrating one in some regards, as the ending doesn't deliver much in the way of surprises. The title alone is a big giveaway about what is going on, and Lucy's big revelations are transparent incredibly early, though it takes her a long time to put pieces together. The diary format didn't work well, either, as the entries were nothing like believable diary entries.

There was a lot to like, though. The characters are very well done, and the deep insights into Australia's colonial history were disturbing and enlightening. I can see this being a major book club read in the coming years.]]> 3.79 2025 The Sirens
author: Emilia Hart
name: Beth
average rating: 3.79
book published: 2025
rating: 3
read at: 2025/03/04
date added: 2025/03/05
shelves: 2025, fantasy, netgalley, literary
review:
I received an advance copy via NetGalley.

Three storylines featuring resilient women are the focus of this unique book. In 2019, a young Australian woman, Lucy, awakens, choking the ex-boyfriend who recently betrayed her. She flees to a remote coastal town where her older sister lives, to find her missing. Meanwhile, Lucy is plagued by intense dreams about two sisters from Ireland in 1800 who are unjustly loaded onto a prison ship destined for Australia--and judging by the art in the household, her sister has been having the same dreams for years. Lucy struggles to understand herself, and begins reading through her sister's diary, discovering deep family secrets.

This is an engaging book, but a frustrating one in some regards, as the ending doesn't deliver much in the way of surprises. The title alone is a big giveaway about what is going on, and Lucy's big revelations are transparent incredibly early, though it takes her a long time to put pieces together. The diary format didn't work well, either, as the entries were nothing like believable diary entries.

There was a lot to like, though. The characters are very well done, and the deep insights into Australia's colonial history were disturbing and enlightening. I can see this being a major book club read in the coming years.
]]> <![CDATA[The Lighthouse at the Edge of the World]]> 217388285 The Lighthouse at the Edge of the World by J. R. Dawson is a powerful and poignant contemporary queer fantasy. Perfect for fans of Hadestown and Under the Whispering Door by TJ Klune.

Love doesn’t die, people do . . .

At the edge of Chicago, nestled on the shores of Lake Michigan, there is a waystation for the dead. Every night, the newly-departed travel through the city to the Station, guided by its lighthouse. There, they reckon with their lives, before stepping aboard a boat to go beyond.

Nera has spent decades watching her father � the ferryman of the dead � sail across the lake, each night just like the last.

But tonight, something is wrong.

The Station's lighthouse has started to flicker out. The terrifying, ghostly Haunts have multiplied in the city. And now a person � a living person has found her way onto the boat.

Her name is Charlie. She followed a song. And she is searching for someone she lost.

From the author of The First Bright Thing, The Lighthouse at the Edge of the World is a moving and emotional story of magic, family and those who leave us alone - but who might not remain lost.]]> 336 J.R. Dawson 1250805589 Beth 5 2025, fantasy, netgalley
A haunting study of grief, death, and the complexities of "moving on," Dawson posits an incredible lighthouse on the brink of Chicago and Lake Michigan. There, a station master on guard for over one hundred years, since the Fire, helps spirits make it to the nearby Veil each night. Nera is his daughter, raised among the dead, but never fully alive--not until a living woman named Charlie stumbled into the liminal space as she searches for her dead sister. A dark threat looms in the city beyond and the lighthouse itself seems to be failing, raising the stakes as the two women gradually fall in love.

This is a beautiful book. Some moments and lines are especially heart-wrenching. While the general themes resemble T.J. Klune's Under the Whispering Door, this is a very different book, and powerful in its own right.]]> 4.41 2025 The Lighthouse at the Edge of the World
author: J.R. Dawson
name: Beth
average rating: 4.41
book published: 2025
rating: 5
read at: 2025/02/28
date added: 2025/03/01
shelves: 2025, fantasy, netgalley
review:
I received an advance copy via NetGalley. Also, the author is a friend, and I've highly anticipated this book!

A haunting study of grief, death, and the complexities of "moving on," Dawson posits an incredible lighthouse on the brink of Chicago and Lake Michigan. There, a station master on guard for over one hundred years, since the Fire, helps spirits make it to the nearby Veil each night. Nera is his daughter, raised among the dead, but never fully alive--not until a living woman named Charlie stumbled into the liminal space as she searches for her dead sister. A dark threat looms in the city beyond and the lighthouse itself seems to be failing, raising the stakes as the two women gradually fall in love.

This is a beautiful book. Some moments and lines are especially heart-wrenching. While the general themes resemble T.J. Klune's Under the Whispering Door, this is a very different book, and powerful in its own right.
]]> Barrabas 21527443 Barabbas is a man condemned to have no god. "Christos Iesus" is carved on the disk suspended from his neck, but he cannot affirm his faith. He cannot pray. He can only say, "I want to believe."]]> Pär Lagerkvist Beth 2
Oh boy. Where to begin? Par Lagerkvist apparently won the Nobel Prize for other work. Based on this book, quite frankly, I am baffled. This story is only 148 pages long (thank goodness), but very little actually happens, though Barabbas--the man whose life was spared when Jesus Christ was crucified instead--wrestles with deep spiritual questions based on what he has seen and experienced. The psychological study is well done, but drags at this length. My copy is the "movie version," advertising for the epic with Anthony Quinn as the lead; I can only imagine it has a radically different plot.

This book also reminds of me other 1950s historical fiction books I read years ago that are very male-centered. In the case of this book, only Barabbas and a few other men have names. The women are mere tokens for sexual pleasure ("the fat lady") and martyrdom ("the hare-lipped girl"). Barabbas's own mother was gang-raped and then given to a brothel, and then birthed Barabbas in the street (how he knows that much of his dark history is unclear).

All this criticism stated, though, I think this will be an interesting book to discuss in the club. I'm especially interested in what the elderly pastor who suggested this book will say, because he always brings some thought-provoking insights. I don't have to like a book to learn something from it, and I'm hopeful for that outcome.]]> 3.88 1946 Barrabas
author: Pär Lagerkvist
name: Beth
average rating: 3.88
book published: 1946
rating: 2
read at: 2025/02/25
date added: 2025/02/25
shelves: 2025, classic, borrowed, christian
review:
I read this borrowed out-of-print novel for a book club read.

Oh boy. Where to begin? Par Lagerkvist apparently won the Nobel Prize for other work. Based on this book, quite frankly, I am baffled. This story is only 148 pages long (thank goodness), but very little actually happens, though Barabbas--the man whose life was spared when Jesus Christ was crucified instead--wrestles with deep spiritual questions based on what he has seen and experienced. The psychological study is well done, but drags at this length. My copy is the "movie version," advertising for the epic with Anthony Quinn as the lead; I can only imagine it has a radically different plot.

This book also reminds of me other 1950s historical fiction books I read years ago that are very male-centered. In the case of this book, only Barabbas and a few other men have names. The women are mere tokens for sexual pleasure ("the fat lady") and martyrdom ("the hare-lipped girl"). Barabbas's own mother was gang-raped and then given to a brothel, and then birthed Barabbas in the street (how he knows that much of his dark history is unclear).

All this criticism stated, though, I think this will be an interesting book to discuss in the club. I'm especially interested in what the elderly pastor who suggested this book will say, because he always brings some thought-provoking insights. I don't have to like a book to learn something from it, and I'm hopeful for that outcome.
]]> Hauntings and Hoarfrost 220204402
In the dark depths of winter, it is frighteningly simple to become isolated as snow obscures landmarks and drifts create claustrophobic conditions that leave you huddled in your house, struggling to keep warm . . . and, perhaps, to ignore the message scrawled in the frost on the window.

Within these pages, you’ll discover eerie tales of long ago ghosts stretching frost-bitten fingers into the present, unexplained footprints in the snow, screaming madness, and icy cold sanity.]]> Rhonda Parrish Beth 0 4.64 Hauntings and Hoarfrost
author: Rhonda Parrish
name: Beth
average rating: 4.64
book published:
rating: 0
read at: 2025/02/22
date added: 2025/02/22
shelves: 2025, anthology, fantasy, horror, my-publications, poetry
review:
Not a review. Includes my poem, "What the Old-Timers Say."
]]> Barabbas 5470659 Bandito e assassino, condannato a morte per sedizione e omicidio, scelto dalla folla al posto di Gesù, graziato e rilasciato da Pilato: è tutto quello che sappiamo di Barabba dai Vangeli. Che ne sia stato, poi, di quel primo uomo oggettivamente salvato dalla morte in croce di Cristo, nessuno lo dice. E su quel silenzio che Lagerkvist costruisce il romanzo. Dieci scene scandiscono le tappe fondamentali della sua vita: l'estraneità all'esistenza passata, l'incontro con Lazzaro, con Pietro, dolorosamente pentito di aver rinnegato il Maestro, con la donna pronta a farsi sua testimone, con il compagno Sahak, sono quasi stazioni della sua personale via crucis che lo porta dal Golgota fino alla prigione a Roma da cui uscirà per subire lo stesso destino.]]> 149 Pär Lagerkvist 0191411965 Beth 0 to-read 3.55 1946 Barabbas
author: Pär Lagerkvist
name: Beth
average rating: 3.55
book published: 1946
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/22
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[A Drop of Corruption (Shadow of the Leviathan, #2)]]> 213618143 The brilliant detective Ana Dolabra may have finally met her match in the gripping sequel to The Tainted Cup—from the bestselling author of The Founders Trilogy.

In the canton of Yarrowdale, at the very edge of the Empire’s reach, an impossible crime has occurred. A Treasury officer has disappeared into thin air—abducted from his quarters while the door and windows remained locked from the inside, in a building whose entrances and exits are all under constant guard.

To solve the case, the Empire calls on its most brilliant and mercurial investigator, the great Ana Dolabra. At her side, as always, is her bemused assistant Dinios Kol.

Before long, Ana’s discovered that they’re not investigating a disappearance, but a murder—and that the killing was just the first chess move by an adversary who seems to be able to pass through warded doors like a ghost, and who can predict every one of Ana’s moves as though they can see the future.

Worse still, the killer seems to be targeting the high-security compound known as the Shroud. Here, the Empire's greatest minds dissect fallen Titans to harness the volatile magic found in their blood. Should it fall, the destruction would be terrible indeed—and the Empire itself will grind to a halt, robbed of the magic that allows its wheels of power to turn.

Din has seen Ana solve impossible cases before. But this time, with the stakes higher than ever and Ana seemingly a step behind their adversary at every turn, he fears that his superior has finally met an enemy she can’t defeat.]]> 465 Robert Jackson Bennett 0593723821 Beth 5
This second book in the Shadow of the Leviathan series is somehow more gripping than the first. These books are brilliant: fantasy murder mysteries with a whiff of ancient Rome, overlaid with a veneer of weird horror. Bizarre as the combination is, it works in Bennett's masterful hands.

This mystery is set in an outpost that presents a peculiar mystery: a treasury official vanishes from a locked hotel room, pieces of his body later found in a remote swamp. On the case is Din, a magically-enhanced engraver, meaning he can commit to memory whatever he experiences by aligning it with scent cues. He works for Ana, a Holmesian reclusive genius who is blind, perhaps a lunatic, sometimes driven by bizarre, insatiable hungers and obsessions. She can see patterns no one else can.

This book is an incredibly fast read. I had trouble putting it down. I really hope Bennett continues this series for many more books, as I am in awe of the world and characters he has created.]]> 4.54 2025 A Drop of Corruption (Shadow of the Leviathan, #2)
author: Robert Jackson Bennett
name: Beth
average rating: 4.54
book published: 2025
rating: 5
read at: 2025/02/18
date added: 2025/02/19
shelves: 2025, fantasy, mystery, netgalley
review:
I received an early copy via NetGalley.

This second book in the Shadow of the Leviathan series is somehow more gripping than the first. These books are brilliant: fantasy murder mysteries with a whiff of ancient Rome, overlaid with a veneer of weird horror. Bizarre as the combination is, it works in Bennett's masterful hands.

This mystery is set in an outpost that presents a peculiar mystery: a treasury official vanishes from a locked hotel room, pieces of his body later found in a remote swamp. On the case is Din, a magically-enhanced engraver, meaning he can commit to memory whatever he experiences by aligning it with scent cues. He works for Ana, a Holmesian reclusive genius who is blind, perhaps a lunatic, sometimes driven by bizarre, insatiable hungers and obsessions. She can see patterns no one else can.

This book is an incredibly fast read. I had trouble putting it down. I really hope Bennett continues this series for many more books, as I am in awe of the world and characters he has created.
]]> The Great Alone 34912895 Unpredictable. Unforgiving. Untamed.
For a family in crisis, the ultimate test of survival.

Ernt Allbright, a former POW, comes home from the Vietnam war a changed and volatile man. When he loses yet another job, he makes an impulsive decision: he will move his family north, to Alaska, where they will live off the grid in America’s last true frontier.

Thirteen-year-old Leni, a girl coming of age in a tumultuous time, caught in the riptide of her parents� passionate, stormy relationship, dares to hope that a new land will lead to a better future for her family. She is desperate for a place to belong. Her mother, Cora, will do anything and go anywhere for the man she loves, even if it means following him into the unknown.

At first, Alaska seems to be the answer to their prayers. In a wild, remote corner of the state, they find a fiercely independent community of strong men and even stronger women. The long, sunlit days and the generosity of the locals make up for the Allbrights� lack of preparation and dwindling resources.

But as winter approaches and darkness descends on Alaska, Ernt’s fragile mental state deteriorates and the family begins to fracture. Soon the perils outside pale in comparison to threats from within. In their small cabin, covered in snow, blanketed in eighteen hours of night, Leni and her mother learn the terrible truth: they are on their own. In the wild, there is no one to save them but themselves.

In this unforgettable portrait of human frailty and resilience, Kristin Hannah reveals the indomitable character of the modern American pioneer and the spirit of a vanishing Alaska―a place of incomparable beauty and danger. The Great Alone is a daring, beautiful, stay-up-all-night story about love and loss, the fight for survival, and the wildness that lives in both man and nature.]]> 435 Kristin Hannah Beth 5 4.44 2018 The Great Alone
author: Kristin Hannah
name: Beth
average rating: 4.44
book published: 2018
rating: 5
read at: 2025/02/14
date added: 2025/02/14
shelves: 2025, borrowed, historical, literary
review:
I read this for a book club. Literary fiction isn't usually my thing, but this book hooked me from page 1 and I could barely put it down. I've never read Hannah before, and now I want to read more of her work.
]]> The New American Cheese 841701 280 Laura Werlin 1556709900 Beth 3 2025, cheese, cookbook
First of all, it's a beautiful book, quite solid and well made, with full color photographs throughout of the recipe results, cheese labels, and the makers. An "All About Cheese" intro leads into the major body of the work, progressing from snacks to various meal elements to end with desserts and classics. Of course, the maker profiles are very out of date (I am not letting that impact my rating, as I knew the book's age when I bought it!) and several of the cheese companies are now out of business. My biggest disappointment, though, was that not a single recipe appealed to me.]]> 3.63 2000 The New American Cheese
author: Laura Werlin
name: Beth
average rating: 3.63
book published: 2000
rating: 3
read at: 2025/02/10
date added: 2025/02/10
shelves: 2025, cheese, cookbook
review:
A coffee table book released in 2000, it features profiles of American makers and a wide range of recipes. I'm very familiar with Werlin as an online cheese influencer, so I've long been interested in reading this earlier work by her.

First of all, it's a beautiful book, quite solid and well made, with full color photographs throughout of the recipe results, cheese labels, and the makers. An "All About Cheese" intro leads into the major body of the work, progressing from snacks to various meal elements to end with desserts and classics. Of course, the maker profiles are very out of date (I am not letting that impact my rating, as I knew the book's age when I bought it!) and several of the cheese companies are now out of business. My biggest disappointment, though, was that not a single recipe appealed to me.
]]> The Cost of Discipleship 174834
What can the call to discipleship, the adherence to the word of Jesus, mean today to the businessman, the soldier, the laborer, or the aristocrat? What did Jesus mean to say to us? What is his will for us today? Drawing on the Sermon on the Mount, Dietrich Bonhoeffer answers these timeless questions by providing a seminal reading of the dichotomy between "cheap grace" and "costly grace." "Cheap grace," Bonhoeffer wrote, "is the grace we bestow on ourselves...grace without discipleship....Costly grace is the gospel which must be sought again and again, the girl which must be asked for, the door at which a man must know....It is costly because it costs a man his life, and it is grace because it gives a man the only true life."

The Cost of Discipleship is a compelling statement of the demands of sacrifice and ethical consistency from a man whose life and thought were exemplary articulations of a new type of leadership inspired by the Gospel, and imbued with the spirit of Christian humanism and a creative sense of civic duty.]]> 320 Dietrich Bonhoeffer 0684815001 Beth 4
]]> 4.29 1937 The Cost of Discipleship
author: Dietrich Bonhoeffer
name: Beth
average rating: 4.29
book published: 1937
rating: 4
read at: 2025/02/08
date added: 2025/02/08
shelves: 2025, christian, nonfiction, borrowed
review:
A deep theological work, authored by a Lutheran pastor who was imprisoned and killed for bring part of a plot to assassinate Hitler. This is not a fuzzy, light work about being a Christian, but in many ways, a blunt challenge: being a Christian takes effort and sacrifice. The first part of this book addresses a matter of cheap grace and costly grace, and from there, he examines the Beatitudes in detail and then moves on to discuss other elements of discipleship. I'll be pondering this book for a long while.


]]> Once A Hero 1108092 416 Elizabeth Moon 0671878719 Beth 4 4.01 1997 Once A Hero
author: Elizabeth Moon
name: Beth
average rating: 4.01
book published: 1997
rating: 4
read at: 2010/07/15
date added: 2025/02/03
shelves: in, 2010, science, fiction, serrano, series
review:
After a break, I'm continuing with the Serrano Legacy series by Elizabeth Moon. The first three books on Heris Serrano--though good--were a bit of a disappointment. I was pleased to find this book, continuing the series with a bit character from WINNING COLORS, was much better and more scifi opera in the style of her later Vatta's War series.[return][return]Esmay Suiza didn't intend to be a hero. But when her spaceship was captained by a traitor, she and others rose in mutiny. Esmay ended up as captain, making a decisive victory against incredible odds. However, in the aftermath, no one knows how the no-ambition ensign did it; Esmay herself is befuddled. When reassigned to a new ship, trouble finds her yet again, and this time Esmay must confront her deepest fears in order to stay alive--and mentally sound.[return][return]Elizabeth Moon writes great science fiction. Esmay is a complicated character. Like Heris Serrano, she's extremely stoic, but Esmay has her reasons--and it's interesting how the reader discovers those reasons along with her. At times, the psychological aspects did seem to drag on too long, but the rest of the book relied on constant action and suspense. I'm looking forward to reading the next book in the series.
]]> <![CDATA[The Framed Women of Ardemore House]]> 127975990 A sharp, savvy mystery about an autistic editor who inherits a crumbling English estate, only to find herself at the center of a murder investigation when a family portrait vanishes and a dead body turns up.

Jo Jones has always had a little trouble fitting in. As a neurodivergent, hyperlexic book editor and divorced New Yorker transplanted into the English countryside, Jo doesn’t know what stands out more: her Americanisms or her autism.

After losing her job, her mother, and her marriage all in one year, she couldn’t be happier to take possession of a possibly haunted (and clearly unwanted) family estate in North Yorkshire. But when the body of the moody town groundskeeper turns up on her rug with three bullets in his back, Jo finds herself in potential danger—and she’s also a potential suspect. At the same time, a peculiar family portrait vanishes from a secret room in the manor, bearing a strange connection to both the dead body and Jo’s mysterious family history.

With the aid of a Welsh antiques dealer, the morose local detective, and the Irish innkeeper’s wife, Jo embarks on a mission to clear herself of blame and find the missing painting, unearthing a slew of secrets about the town—and herself—along the way. And she’ll have to do it all before the killer strikes again…]]> 336 Brandy Schillace 1335014039 Beth 4
I think my only regret is that I wanted more from the POV of Jo; as a fellow autistic, book-obsessed woman, I bonded with her right away, and I wanted more time with her. That said, I also enjoyed the deep-dive into the investigation by MacAdams, which had the familiar feel of so many other current and dark-and-gritty mysteries. I zoomed through this book.]]> 3.57 2024 The Framed Women of Ardemore House
author: Brandy Schillace
name: Beth
average rating: 3.57
book published: 2024
rating: 4
read at: 2025/02/03
date added: 2025/02/03
shelves: 2025, autism, borrowed, mystery
review:
A tense, highly enjoyable dark-tinged mystery. An autistic American book editor inherits a crumbling British estate. When the jerk of a caretaker is found dead, she catches initial suspicion--but the investigation soon spans the community and to the people of Ardemore House a century before.

I think my only regret is that I wanted more from the POV of Jo; as a fellow autistic, book-obsessed woman, I bonded with her right away, and I wanted more time with her. That said, I also enjoyed the deep-dive into the investigation by MacAdams, which had the familiar feel of so many other current and dark-and-gritty mysteries. I zoomed through this book.
]]> Brighty of the Grand Canyon 123196 Brighty's adventures have delighted generations of readers, and he has become the symbol of a joyous way of life. Some people say that you can even see his spirit roving the canyon on moonlit nights-forever wild, forever free.]]> 224 Marguerite Henry 0689845227 Beth 2
Brighty is loosely based on a real wild burro who lived in the Grand Canyon at the start of the 20th century. Henry's descriptions of the canyon are especially well-researched and vivid, but as a horse story, it's incredibly dark. Brighty endures persistent abuse from men (and there are only men). The bad guy is an archetype without any nuance. The cameos by President Teddy Roosevelt are interesting. Native Americans only get mentioned once, as capturing wild burros. The plot just feels... forced into circularity to make Brighty endure his nemesis again. It's not a light, fun book, by any means. I can see why I didn't want to own this as a kid; I won't continue to own it now, either.]]> 4.08 1953 Brighty of the Grand Canyon
author: Marguerite Henry
name: Beth
average rating: 4.08
book published: 1953
rating: 2
read at: 2025/01/29
date added: 2025/01/30
shelves: 2025, arizona, horse, children-s, classic
review:
I read Brighty a couple times when I was a kid, the last time being when I was in 7th grade. I remembered that it wasn't my favorite, but I didn't remember why.

Brighty is loosely based on a real wild burro who lived in the Grand Canyon at the start of the 20th century. Henry's descriptions of the canyon are especially well-researched and vivid, but as a horse story, it's incredibly dark. Brighty endures persistent abuse from men (and there are only men). The bad guy is an archetype without any nuance. The cameos by President Teddy Roosevelt are interesting. Native Americans only get mentioned once, as capturing wild burros. The plot just feels... forced into circularity to make Brighty endure his nemesis again. It's not a light, fun book, by any means. I can see why I didn't want to own this as a kid; I won't continue to own it now, either.
]]> <![CDATA[God with Us: Bible Stories on the Road to Emmaus]]> 215805926 Follow God’s story of love, hope, and rescue from Genesis to the Gospels in this captivating graphic novel—through stories told by Jesus himself.

The long walk home after celebrating Passover in Jerusalem should be a joyful journey, but this year the travelers are sad and afraid. Then a mysterious stranger shows up and starts telling stories—from many years ago all the way up to the recent death of Yeshua (Jesus) on the cross—and the friends can’t wait to hear more.

This intriguing, funny, and heartfelt journey explores Scripture from Creation to the Resurrection through the eyes of curious children (and grown-ups!) walking with Yeshua on the Road to Emmaus.]]> 256 Matt Mikalatos 0593578104 Beth 0 to-read 4.53 2025 God with Us: Bible Stories on the Road to Emmaus
author: Matt Mikalatos
name: Beth
average rating: 4.53
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/30
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> The Puppets of Spelhorst 128125963
Shut up in a trunk by a taciturn old sea captain with a secret, five friends—a king, a wolf, a girl, a boy, and an owl—bicker, boast, and comfort one another in the dark. Individually, they dream of song and light, freedom and flight, purpose and glory, but they all agree they are part of a larger story, bound each to each by chance, bonded by the heart’s mysteries. When at last their shared fate arrives, landing them on a mantel in a blue room in the home of two little girls, the truth is more astonishing than any of them could have imagined. A beloved author of modern classics draws on her most moving themes with humor, heart, and wisdom in the first of the Norendy Tales, a projected trio of novellas linked by place and mood, each illustrated in black and white by a different virtuoso illustrator. A magical and beautifully packaged gift volume designed to be read aloud and shared, The Puppets of Spelhorst is a tale that soothes and strengthens us on our journey, leading us through whatever dark forest we find ourselves in.]]> 149 Kate DiCamillo Beth 5 4.16 2023 The Puppets of Spelhorst
author: Kate DiCamillo
name: Beth
average rating: 4.16
book published: 2023
rating: 5
read at: 2025/01/26
date added: 2025/01/27
shelves: 2025, borrowed, children-s, fantasy
review:
What a gorgeous treasure of a book! The voice delivers a perfect fairy tale vibe, readily capturing the distinct characters of the five puppets. The black and white illustrations are reminiscent of classic works, too, and add immensely to the narrative.
]]> <![CDATA[Murder by Cheesecake (Golden Girls, #1)]]> 216524168 The first novel in the all-new Golden Girls Cozy Mystery Series!

When Dorothy’s obnoxious date is found dead in a hotel freezer, it not only ruins a gorgeous cheesecake but threatens the elaborate St. Olaf–themed wedding Rose is hosting.

Things are heating up, and not just because of Blanche’s hot flashes. Rose’s cousin is eloping to Miami, and Rose is playing host. If she can't balance the groom’s family’s snobbery against the traditional St. Olaf wedding week guidelines, her hometown may never accept her cousin again!

Dorothy quickly realizes she needs a date with whom she can exchange wedding-related wisecracks. Turning to a newfangled VHS dating service, she believes she’s found the ideal conversationalist. Unfortunately, what looks good on TV can actually be a total jerk in real life. It seems she’ll just have to enjoy the company of Sophia, Blanche, and whomever Blanche has targeted for a hookup.

As the Girls all pitch in, Rose is thrilled that the tea-and-fish-themed kickoff event is perfect, not a herring out of place. That is until Dorothy’s date is found dead—face-planted in an otherwise scrumptious-looking cheesecake. With every guest a suspect (especially Dorothy) and a marriage on the line, the four besties must ID the real killer, get the should-be-happy couple down the aisle, and make sure nobody from St. Olaf gets lost in the wilds of Miami. It’s up to the Golden Girls to sleuth out a way for friendship and love to win the day!]]> 336 Rachel Ekstrom Courage 1368102980 Beth 4 2025, mystery, netgalley
Murder by Cheesecake is the first entry in a brand new and official Golden Girls cozy mystery series. Let me tell you, these four ladies and their goofy antics are perfect for this genre. The set-up is fantastic: Rose's young relation can't get married in St. Olaf because the town venue burned down, so the whole affair moves to Miami, meaning Rose needs to pull out all of the required St. Olaf traditions (including a donkey, clown, and fish galore) to make it right. But when Dorothy's recent disastrous date is found dead in the fridge of the groom's family hotel, Dorothy becomes suspect number 1 and the whole wedding is on even shakier ground. It's up to the ladies to find the real murderer and pull off the best-ever Norwegian-by-Minnesota-in-Miami wedding.

This truly reads like a sweeps-month arc in book form. There are several call-outs to things from the show, too, like Sophia in a doggie door. The humor is very much on point, too, very 1980s style, and that may not be for everyone. It can be ageist at times (a good way to show who the bad guys are, really). I liked how Rose and the other St. Olaf residents were handled, though--they weren't treated like idiots to be mocked, but really, more like innocents. Rose is shown as chafing under the perceptions that some hold about her, and it works. There is a really cute bit where they end up in a gay club and Rose worries that the St. Olafians will take offense, but her concerns are brushed off because of course, St. Olaf already has such a club and all is well.

Expect lots of witty banter and sitcom-style antics. Truly, expect to giggle at times, even if you're extremely stressed in a hospital waiting room, as I was for the first half of the book. This really was the right book at the right time for me.]]> 3.68 2025 Murder by Cheesecake (Golden Girls, #1)
author: Rachel Ekstrom Courage
name: Beth
average rating: 3.68
book published: 2025
rating: 4
read at: 2025/01/24
date added: 2025/01/25
shelves: 2025, mystery, netgalley
review:
I received an advance copy via NetGalley.

Murder by Cheesecake is the first entry in a brand new and official Golden Girls cozy mystery series. Let me tell you, these four ladies and their goofy antics are perfect for this genre. The set-up is fantastic: Rose's young relation can't get married in St. Olaf because the town venue burned down, so the whole affair moves to Miami, meaning Rose needs to pull out all of the required St. Olaf traditions (including a donkey, clown, and fish galore) to make it right. But when Dorothy's recent disastrous date is found dead in the fridge of the groom's family hotel, Dorothy becomes suspect number 1 and the whole wedding is on even shakier ground. It's up to the ladies to find the real murderer and pull off the best-ever Norwegian-by-Minnesota-in-Miami wedding.

This truly reads like a sweeps-month arc in book form. There are several call-outs to things from the show, too, like Sophia in a doggie door. The humor is very much on point, too, very 1980s style, and that may not be for everyone. It can be ageist at times (a good way to show who the bad guys are, really). I liked how Rose and the other St. Olaf residents were handled, though--they weren't treated like idiots to be mocked, but really, more like innocents. Rose is shown as chafing under the perceptions that some hold about her, and it works. There is a really cute bit where they end up in a gay club and Rose worries that the St. Olafians will take offense, but her concerns are brushed off because of course, St. Olaf already has such a club and all is well.

Expect lots of witty banter and sitcom-style antics. Truly, expect to giggle at times, even if you're extremely stressed in a hospital waiting room, as I was for the first half of the book. This really was the right book at the right time for me.
]]> <![CDATA[Murder by Memory (Dorothy Gentleman, #1)]]> 211004175
A mind is a terrible thing to erase...

Welcome to the HMS Fairweather, Her Majesty’s most luxurious interstellar passenger liner! Room and board are included, new bodies are graciously provided upon request, and should you desire a rest between lifetimes, your mind shall be most carefully preserved in glass in the Library, shielded from every danger.

Near the topmost deck of an interstellar generation ship, Dorothy Gentleman wakes up in a body that isn’t hers—just as someone else is found murdered. As one of the ship’s detectives, Dorothy usually delights in unraveling the schemes on board the Fairweather, but when she finds that someone is not only killing bodies but purposefully deleting minds from the Library, she realizes something even more sinister is afoot.

Dorothy suspects her misfortune is partly the fault of her feckless nephew Ruthie who, despite his brilliance as a programmer, leaves chaos in his cheerful wake. Or perhaps the sultry yarn store proprietor—and ex-girlfriend of the body Dorothy is currently inhabiting—knows more than she’s letting on. Whatever it is, Dorothy intends to solve this case. Because someone has done the impossible and found a way to make murder on the Fairweather a very permanent state indeed. A mastermind may be at work—and if so, they’ve had three hundred years to perfect their schemes…]]> 112 Olivia Waite 1250342244 Beth 4
Murder by Memory is a staunchly science fiction mystery; by that, I mean this is definitely for SF readers, as it has a twisty-turny plot that might lose trad mystery readers.

The HMS Fairweather is ship on a thousand-year journey to a new world. People’s essences are stored in a Library, and when their bodies wear out, they can be restored� usually. So when ship detective Dorothy Gentleman awakens in someone else’s body, she knows something went very wrong.

The mystery is fascinating and fast to read, the technology unique and fascinating. The end delivers twists I never would have seen coming. That said, I was left wondering about a significant aspect of humanity: faith, either in familiar Earth forms or in something new aligning with a shifted view on souls and eternity.
]]> 3.72 2025 Murder by Memory (Dorothy Gentleman, #1)
author: Olivia Waite
name: Beth
average rating: 3.72
book published: 2025
rating: 4
read at: 2025/01/21
date added: 2025/01/23
shelves:
review:
I received an advance copy of this novella via NetGalley.

Murder by Memory is a staunchly science fiction mystery; by that, I mean this is definitely for SF readers, as it has a twisty-turny plot that might lose trad mystery readers.

The HMS Fairweather is ship on a thousand-year journey to a new world. People’s essences are stored in a Library, and when their bodies wear out, they can be restored� usually. So when ship detective Dorothy Gentleman awakens in someone else’s body, she knows something went very wrong.

The mystery is fascinating and fast to read, the technology unique and fascinating. The end delivers twists I never would have seen coming. That said, I was left wondering about a significant aspect of humanity: faith, either in familiar Earth forms or in something new aligning with a shifted view on souls and eternity.

]]> <![CDATA[The Curious Kitten at the Chibineko Kitchen (Meals to Remember at the Chibineko Kitchen, #1)]]> 212807260 Your table awaits at the Chibineko Kitchen, where a soul-nourishing meal in the company of the resident kitten will transport you back in time to reunite with departed loved ones—for fans of Before the Coffee Gets Cold and The Midnight Library.

In a remote seaside town outside of Tokyo, Kotoko makes her way along a seashell path, lured by whispers of an enigmatic restaurant whose kagezen, or traditional meals offered in remembrance of loved ones, promise a reunion with the departed. When a gust of wind lifts off her hat, she sees running after it a young man who looks like her recently deceased brother. But it’s not her brother; it’s Kai, the restaurant’s young chef, who returns her hat and brings her to the tiny establishment, where he introduces her to Chibi, the resident kitten, and serves her steaming bowls of simmered fish, rice, and miso soup—the exact meal her brother used to cook for her. As she takes her first delicious bite, the gulls outside fall silent, the air grows hazy, and Kotoko begins a magical journey of last chances and new beginnings.]]> 192 Yuta Takahashi 0143138618 Beth 3
This book is much like others in this sub-genre; translated from Japanese, it features interwoven short stories that draw together grieving people, food memories, and closure. There is no surprise to the plot, and that’s fine. It’s a purely formulaic comfort read.

This book focuses on the titular restaurant. They serve normal food, but also remembrance meals that are so profound that some loved ones return to feed on the fragrant steam and partake in a final conversation with a loved one. The stories are sweet without being saccharine.
]]> 4.04 2020 The Curious Kitten at the Chibineko Kitchen (Meals to Remember at the Chibineko Kitchen, #1)
author: Yuta Takahashi
name: Beth
average rating: 4.04
book published: 2020
rating: 3
read at: 2025/01/21
date added: 2025/01/23
shelves: 2025, fantasy, japanese, netgalley
review:
I received an advanced copy from NetGalley.

This book is much like others in this sub-genre; translated from Japanese, it features interwoven short stories that draw together grieving people, food memories, and closure. There is no surprise to the plot, and that’s fine. It’s a purely formulaic comfort read.

This book focuses on the titular restaurant. They serve normal food, but also remembrance meals that are so profound that some loved ones return to feed on the fragrant steam and partake in a final conversation with a loved one. The stories are sweet without being saccharine.

]]> <![CDATA[The Crime Brûlée Bake Off (A Claire Walker Mystery, #1)]]> 208174924 An unexpected romance. A haunting mystery. Pastries to die for. The Great British Baking Show meets a cozy mystery with a contemporary romance and a Regency-era twist.

Amateur baker Claire Walker is thrilled to be a contestant on Britain’s Battle of the Bakers. She can almost smell the fresh pastries wafting through the air. If she can win the grand prize, she can ditch her teaching job and launch her baking career.

The Viscount of Colburn, Jonathan Ainsley, is the custodian of Blackfirth Park and an eligible bachelor. He reluctantly agrees to allow the cooking competition show to film on his estate, but when a contestant is found dead soon after filming begins, Jonathan is forced to get involved. To make matters worse, the baker’s death stirs up rumors of the legendary death of the tenth Viscountess of Colburn two hundred and fifty years earlier.

Even as suspicion falls on some of the bakers, a decidedly different kind of heat begins to simmer between Claire and Jonathan. If they are to have any hope of a future romance, they must first solve the mystery before the show gets canceled or someone else falls prey to what some believe is the Blackfirth Park ghost.]]> 320 Rebecca Connolly 1639933042 Beth 4 2025, mystery, netgalley
The Great British Bake Off is my very favorite show. I’ve watched every available season in the US. I also love cozy mysteries. The very premise of this book made it a must-read.

Claire is a teacher who loves baking. When she makes the cut to be on Britain’s Battle of the Bakers, she sees the opportunity to fund her own bakery at long last. She settles into the filming schedule on historic Blackfirth Park, a place notorious for a murder centuries ago. She soon meets the grumpy viscount, Jonny, and sparks begin to fly� and then another contestant is found dead. The local inspector agrees with them that the situation looks suspicious, but his superiors want everything quiet. It’s up to Claire and Jonny to find the murderer.

This book hit the cozy vibe I needed at a stressful time. The Bake Off elements were right, the historical bakes fun (and there are several recipes at the end), and I adored the sweet romance. My only complaint is the suspect is clear early on and the mystery stays pretty linear. That didn’t dim my enjoyment, though. This read is a lot of fun!
]]> 3.66 2025 The Crime Brûlée Bake Off (A Claire Walker Mystery, #1)
author: Rebecca Connolly
name: Beth
average rating: 3.66
book published: 2025
rating: 4
read at: 2025/01/21
date added: 2025/01/23
shelves: 2025, mystery, netgalley
review:
I received an advance copy of this book via NetGalley.

The Great British Bake Off is my very favorite show. I’ve watched every available season in the US. I also love cozy mysteries. The very premise of this book made it a must-read.

Claire is a teacher who loves baking. When she makes the cut to be on Britain’s Battle of the Bakers, she sees the opportunity to fund her own bakery at long last. She settles into the filming schedule on historic Blackfirth Park, a place notorious for a murder centuries ago. She soon meets the grumpy viscount, Jonny, and sparks begin to fly� and then another contestant is found dead. The local inspector agrees with them that the situation looks suspicious, but his superiors want everything quiet. It’s up to Claire and Jonny to find the murderer.

This book hit the cozy vibe I needed at a stressful time. The Bake Off elements were right, the historical bakes fun (and there are several recipes at the end), and I adored the sweet romance. My only complaint is the suspect is clear early on and the mystery stays pretty linear. That didn’t dim my enjoyment, though. This read is a lot of fun!

]]> Flight Behavior 13438524 Flight Behavior takes on one of the most contentious subjects of our time: climate change. With a deft and versatile empathy Kingsolver dissects the motives that drive denial and belief in a precarious world.

Flight Behavior transfixes from its opening scene, when a young woman's narrow experience of life is thrown wide with the force of a raging fire. In the lyrical language of her native Appalachia, Barbara Kingsolver bares the rich, tarnished humanity of her novel's inhabitants and unearths the modern complexities of rural existence. Characters and reader alike are quickly carried beyond familiar territory here, into the unsettled ground of science, faith, and everyday truces between reason and conviction.

Dellarobia Turnbow is a restless farm wife who gave up her own plans when she accidentally became pregnant at seventeen. Now, after a decade of domestic disharmony on a failing farm, she has settled for permanent disappointment but seeks momentary escape through an obsessive flirtation with a younger man. As she hikes up a mountain road behind her house to a secret tryst, she encounters a shocking sight: a silent, forested valley filled with what looks like a lake of fire. She can only understand it as a cautionary miracle, but it sparks a raft of other explanations from scientists, religious leaders, and the media. The bewildering emergency draws rural farmers into unexpected acquaintance with urbane journalists, opportunists, sightseers, and a striking biologist with his own stake in the outcome. As the community lines up to judge the woman and her miracle, Dellarobia confronts her family, her church, her town, and a larger world, in a flight toward truth that could undo all she has ever believed.

Flight Behavior takes on one of the most contentious subjects of our time: climate change. With a deft and versatile empathy Kingsolver dissects the motives that drive denial and belief in a precarious world.]]> 436 Barbara Kingsolver 0062124269 Beth 2 2025, literary 3.79 2012 Flight Behavior
author: Barbara Kingsolver
name: Beth
average rating: 3.79
book published: 2012
rating: 2
read at: 2025/01/18
date added: 2025/01/18
shelves: 2025, literary
review:
I read this for a book club. The book approaches the subject of climate change from an interesting viewpoint: that of Dellarobia, a disillusioned wife and mother of two young children who stumbles across an incredible gathering of monarch butterfly on her Appalachian Tennessee farm. Really, this is an insightful, dead-on representation of what it's like to live in a small southern town where college is a snob's dream, high school sports determine life success, and everything is filtered through the Bible. I found it to be a frustratingly slow read. The first 75 pages were the worst, but there were several other other boggy bits that felt like they needed editing. The end, however, is quite satisfying.
]]> <![CDATA[Soul Weavings: A Gathering of Women's Prayers]]> 1659707 160 Lyn Klug 0806628499 Beth 4 2025, christian 4.20 1996 Soul Weavings: A Gathering of Women's Prayers
author: Lyn Klug
name: Beth
average rating: 4.20
book published: 1996
rating: 4
read at: 2025/01/12
date added: 2025/01/12
shelves: 2025, christian
review:
Such a soothing and positive book. It was the perfect thing to read in brief bursts over the period of a week.
]]> <![CDATA[A Conventional Boy (Laundry Files, #13; New Management, #4)]]> 208291908
Decades later Derek, now middle-aged and institutionalized, is a long-term inmate at Camp Sunshine, a center for deprogramming captured Elder God cultists. He’s considered safe enough to edit the camp newsletter, and he even has postal privileges � which he uses to run a play-by-mail game. After 25 years, Derek finally has reason to escape: a nearby D&D convention. While Derek’s D&D games were full of fictional elder gods and world-ending threats, a LARP game at the con is a dread ritual designed to summon a great evil into our world, and it’s up to Derek and his players to stop them.

The fate of the world may depend on the contents of Derek’s magic dice bag.]]> 384 Charles Stross 0356524647 Beth 4
To my chagrin, I haven't read any of the previous Laundry Files books. As a testament to Stross's writing, I was able to immerse myself in the world right away and greatly enjoyed the ride. This book consists of a novella, "A Conventional Boy," which follows a forty-something autistic man who was wrongly imprisoned by the Laundry during the 1980s Satanic Panic. They thought his AD&D ways indicated the use of real magic, and by the time they realized their error, he was essentially lost in the system. But he now has a reason to escape: a nearby gaming convention. A convention that, unfortunately, hosts some nefarious folks who ARE delving into some nasty real magic.

I requested this book on NetGalley in part because, as a late-diagnosed autistic person, I wanted to see how Stross handled things. The representation was fantastic--not cliched at all, full of delightful nuance.

The book is rounded out by two short stories. "Overtime" is set at Christmas and is laugh out loud funny at times. The Laundry is such a brilliant lampoon of a particularly British bureaucracy. "Down on the Farm" delves into a mental institution for employees damaged by exposure to magic. The end had some fantastic twists.

Really, this book makes me want to read more in the series. ]]> 4.09 2025 A Conventional Boy (Laundry Files, #13; New Management, #4)
author: Charles Stross
name: Beth
average rating: 4.09
book published: 2025
rating: 4
read at: 2025/01/11
date added: 2025/01/12
shelves: 2025, fantasy, netgalley, novella
review:
I received a gratis copy from the publisher via NetGalley.

To my chagrin, I haven't read any of the previous Laundry Files books. As a testament to Stross's writing, I was able to immerse myself in the world right away and greatly enjoyed the ride. This book consists of a novella, "A Conventional Boy," which follows a forty-something autistic man who was wrongly imprisoned by the Laundry during the 1980s Satanic Panic. They thought his AD&D ways indicated the use of real magic, and by the time they realized their error, he was essentially lost in the system. But he now has a reason to escape: a nearby gaming convention. A convention that, unfortunately, hosts some nefarious folks who ARE delving into some nasty real magic.

I requested this book on NetGalley in part because, as a late-diagnosed autistic person, I wanted to see how Stross handled things. The representation was fantastic--not cliched at all, full of delightful nuance.

The book is rounded out by two short stories. "Overtime" is set at Christmas and is laugh out loud funny at times. The Laundry is such a brilliant lampoon of a particularly British bureaucracy. "Down on the Farm" delves into a mental institution for employees damaged by exposure to magic. The end had some fantastic twists.

Really, this book makes me want to read more in the series.
]]> Transcendent Kingdom 48570454 Homegoing is a powerful, raw, intimate, deeply layered novel about a Ghanaian family in Alabama.

Gifty is a fifth-year candidate in neuroscience at Stanford School of Medicine studying reward-seeking behavior in mice and the neural circuits of depression and addiction. Her brother, Nana, was a gifted high school athlete who died of a heroin overdose after a knee injury left him hooked on OxyContin. Her suicidal mother is living in her bed. Gifty is determined to discover the scientific basis for the suffering she sees all around her.

But even as she turns to the hard sciences to unlock the mystery of her family's loss, she finds herself hungering for her childhood faith and grappling with the evangelical church in which she was raised, whose promise of salvation remains as tantalizing as it is elusive. Transcendent Kingdom is a deeply moving portrait of a family of Ghanaian immigrants ravaged by depression and addiction and grief--a novel about faith, science, religion, love. Exquisitely written, emotionally searing, this is an exceptionally powerful follow-up to Gyasi's phenomenal debut.]]> 264 Yaa Gyasi Beth 3 4.10 2020 Transcendent Kingdom
author: Yaa Gyasi
name: Beth
average rating: 4.10
book published: 2020
rating: 3
read at: 2025/01/09
date added: 2025/01/09
shelves: 2025, africa, borrowed, literary
review:
A meditation on grief, addiction, and the personal meaning of religion, from the perspective of an American woman whose parents immigrated from Ghana soon before she was born. Plot is not central; this is about people.
]]> <![CDATA[Killers of a Certain Age (Killers of a Certain Age, #1)]]> 60149532 Older women often feel invisible, but sometimes that's their secret weapon.

They've spent their lives as the deadliest assassins in a clandestine international organization, but now that they're sixty years old, four women friends can't just retire - it's kill or be killed in this action-packed thriller.

Billie, Mary Alice, Helen, and Natalie have worked for the Museum, an elite network of assassins, for forty years. Now their talents are considered old-school and no one appreciates what they have to offer in an age that relies more on technology than people skills.

When the foursome is sent on an all-expenses paid vacation to mark their retirement, they are targeted by one of their own. Only the Board, the top-level members of the Museum, can order the termination of field agents, and the women realize they've been marked for death.

Now to get out alive they have to turn against their own organization, relying on experience and each other to get the job done, knowing that working together is the secret to their survival. They're about to teach the Board what it really means to be a woman--and a killer--of a certain age.]]> 368 Deanna Raybourn Beth 4
The book abounds in wit and what I like to call "competence porn"--witnessing experts doing their job to the highest level. In this case, killing people. The methods they use are ingenious. The realistic ways that they have to cope with their age and their aches and pains is wonderful, too. ]]> 3.82 2022 Killers of a Certain Age (Killers of a Certain Age, #1)
author: Deanna Raybourn
name: Beth
average rating: 3.82
book published: 2022
rating: 4
read at: 2025/01/07
date added: 2025/01/08
shelves: 2025, borrowed, mystery, thriller
review:
What an absolute romp! Billie, Mary Alice, Helen, and Natalie have worked for the Museum for 40 years. The organization began by hunting Nazis, but by the time they joined in the late 1970s, the group specialized in pirates, predators, and others who abused their power. However, when the women discover that their all-expenses paid retirement cruise is supposed to end with them dead, they go on the hunt, determined to take out the Board that issued their death decree.

The book abounds in wit and what I like to call "competence porn"--witnessing experts doing their job to the highest level. In this case, killing people. The methods they use are ingenious. The realistic ways that they have to cope with their age and their aches and pains is wonderful, too.
]]> Pony Confidential 207611550 In this one-of-a-kind mystery with heart and humor, a hilariously grumpy pony must save the only human he’s ever loved after discovering she stands accused of a murder he knows she didn’t commit.

Pony has been passed from owner to owner for longer than he can remember. Fed up, he busts out and goes on a cross-country mission to reunite with the only little girl he ever loved, Penny, who he was separated from and hasn’t seen in years.

Penny, now an adult, is living an ordinary life when she gets a knock on her door and finds herself in handcuffs, accused of murder and whisked back to the place she grew up. Her only comfort when the past comes back to haunt her are the memories of her precious, rebellious pony.

Hearing of Penny’s fate, Pony knows that Penny is no murderer. So, as smart and devious as he is cute, the pony must use his hard-won knowledge of human weakness and cruelty to try to clear Penny’s name and find the real killer.

This acutely observant feel-good mystery reveals the humanity of animals and beastliness of humans in a rollicking escapade of epic proportions.]]> 384 Christina Lynch 0593640365 Beth 5
Embittered Pony has spent years nursing a grudge against Penny, the girl he absolutely loved and who had him sold without even saying good-bye. But the event that tore them apart happened very differently than Pony had ever guessed, and now Penny is an adult, arrested on murder charges arising from a death on that long-ago night. As Pony relies on wit, charm, and a broadening network of animal friends (FYI don't piss off sparrows) to find out what happened on that night and track down Penny, Penny trudges through the ridiculous US legal system and tries to figure out what really happened, too.

Some people will hate this book because it is unquestionably far-fetched and not grounded in reality. Well, reality is overrated. I adored this thing, and I found it so suspenseful that it was hard to put down. ]]> 3.93 2024 Pony Confidential
author: Christina Lynch
name: Beth
average rating: 3.93
book published: 2024
rating: 5
read at: 2025/01/04
date added: 2025/01/05
shelves: 2025, borrowed, mystery, horse
review:
This book is ludicrous and I love it with my entire being.

Embittered Pony has spent years nursing a grudge against Penny, the girl he absolutely loved and who had him sold without even saying good-bye. But the event that tore them apart happened very differently than Pony had ever guessed, and now Penny is an adult, arrested on murder charges arising from a death on that long-ago night. As Pony relies on wit, charm, and a broadening network of animal friends (FYI don't piss off sparrows) to find out what happened on that night and track down Penny, Penny trudges through the ridiculous US legal system and tries to figure out what really happened, too.

Some people will hate this book because it is unquestionably far-fetched and not grounded in reality. Well, reality is overrated. I adored this thing, and I found it so suspenseful that it was hard to put down.
]]> Orbital 123136728
A team of astronauts in the International Space Station collect meteorological data, conduct scientific experiments and test the limits of the human body. But mostly they observe. Together they watch their silent blue planet, circling it sixteen times, spinning past continents and cycling through seasons, taking in glaciers and deserts, the peaks of mountains and the swells of oceans. Endless shows of spectacular beauty witnessed in a single day.

Yet although separated from the world they cannot escape its constant pull. News reaches them of the death of a mother, and with it comes thoughts of returning home. They look on as a typhoon gathers over an island and people they love, in awe of its magnificence and fearful of its destruction.

The fragility of human life fills their conversations, their fears, their dreams. So far from earth, they have never felt more part - or protective - of it. They begin to ask, what is life without earth? What is earth without humanity?]]> 207 Samantha Harvey 0802161545 Beth 5 2025, science, borrowed 3.55 2023 Orbital
author: Samantha Harvey
name: Beth
average rating: 3.55
book published: 2023
rating: 5
read at: 2025/01/02
date added: 2025/01/02
shelves: 2025, science, borrowed
review:
I can see why this won the Book Prize. More of a long vignette than a plot-driven novel, this is a work of profound poetic eloquence. A meditation on what it means to be a human in orbit around home. The lyricism is breathtaking.
]]> Dwarf Stars 2024 217560133 30 Brittany Hause Beth 5 2024, poetry 4.86 2024 Dwarf Stars 2024
author: Brittany Hause
name: Beth
average rating: 4.86
book published: 2024
rating: 5
read at: 2024/07/20
date added: 2024/12/30
shelves: 2024, poetry
review:
Read to vote for the year's best short spec fic poem.
]]> <![CDATA[The Long Winter (Little House, #6)]]> 1376828
The fledgling town of De Smet in the Dakota Territory is hit hard by the brutal winter of 1880-1881. Laura, Pa, Ma, Mary, Carrie, and little Grace face the winter as best they can, but soon, blizzards have covered the town in snow that piles up to the rooftops, cutting the town off from supplies and trade. Food stores begin to run dangerously low. To save the town from starvation, young Almanzo Wilder and a friend brave the conditions, set off across the prairie in search of wheat, and return victorious. The town is saved, and the townspeople share in an unusual, but joyful, Christmas celebration.

The nine books in the timeless Little House series tell the story of Laura’s real childhood as an American pioneer, and are cherished by readers of all generations. They offer a unique glimpse into life on the American frontier, and tell the heartwarming, unforgettable story of a loving family.]]> 334 Laura Ingalls Wilder 0060264616 Beth 0 4.19 1940 The Long Winter (Little House, #6)
author: Laura Ingalls Wilder
name: Beth
average rating: 4.19
book published: 1940
rating: 0
read at: 2024/12/29
date added: 2024/12/29
shelves: 2024, classic, children-s, historical
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Beautiful Snow: The Ingalls Family, the Railroads, and the Hard Winter of 1880-81]]> 51754315 358 Cindy Wilson 1643439057 Beth 4
The Long Winter has been my favorite Wilder book since I was a child. It's an intense read: the family and the rest of the young pioneer town of De Smet buried in sequential heavy snow storms that prevent trains from coming through with supplies. This nonfiction book isn't intended to fact check Wilder's fictional-autobiographical work, but what it does do to great success is place genuine historical context around the events of that winter. In particular, it would be of interest to fans of trains; I found it incredibly educational about locomotives, and I now have a new vocabulary term: snow bucking.

I'm going to lead a library book club discussion on The Long Winter in a few weeks, and this book is definitely coming with me to be passed around.]]> 3.85 2020 The Beautiful Snow: The Ingalls Family, the Railroads, and the Hard Winter of 1880-81
author: Cindy Wilson
name: Beth
average rating: 3.85
book published: 2020
rating: 4
read at: 2024/12/26
date added: 2024/12/27
shelves: 2024, classic, history, nonfiction
review:
I bought this book at the gift shop of the Laura Ingalls Wilder Museum in Burr Oak, Iowa, earlier this year.

The Long Winter has been my favorite Wilder book since I was a child. It's an intense read: the family and the rest of the young pioneer town of De Smet buried in sequential heavy snow storms that prevent trains from coming through with supplies. This nonfiction book isn't intended to fact check Wilder's fictional-autobiographical work, but what it does do to great success is place genuine historical context around the events of that winter. In particular, it would be of interest to fans of trains; I found it incredibly educational about locomotives, and I now have a new vocabulary term: snow bucking.

I'm going to lead a library book club discussion on The Long Winter in a few weeks, and this book is definitely coming with me to be passed around.
]]> <![CDATA[Hot Date!: Sweet & Savory Recipes Celebrating the Date, from Party Food to Everyday Feasts]]> 218111365
The first comprehensive cookbook on an ancient superfood and the cultures that revere it. Mesmerizing and art-packed, Hot Date! features 99 mouthwatering, date-centered recipes that are the perfect mix of traditional favorites and inspired new creations. This is not simply a cookbook about dates. It is a love song, a celebration of food and culture from a global perspective. Every page is a surprise in this highly colorful volume, with recipes ranging from Brooklyn to Babylon.

Author Rawaan Alkhatib draws inspiration from her Middle Eastern and Indian cooking background to bring a unique perspective to her topic. As a global citizen who has lived and traveled worldwide, she explores both the significance of the fruit and its chameleon-like characteristics in cooking—divided into six chapters, Hot Date! features recipes that are big on flavor and low on fuss, ranging from Party Food (stuffed dates of all kinds!) to Breakfast; Mains; Soups, Salads & Sides; Sweets; and Drinks & Condiments (the Date Chili Crisp is a life changer). Informative sidebars that read like a scrapbook, how-to content, timelines, and historical snippets feature Rawaan's watercolor illustrations, patterns, and elegant hand-lettering, exploring such topics as: Date-growing cultures, history, and visits to date farms in Palm Springs, the United Arab Emirates, and Egypt The evolution of the classic Palm Springs date shake How date palms are pollinated (entirely by hand, to this day—millions of them!) How to stuff dates Dates at different stages of ripeness Shopping and sourcing suggestions Extensive suggestions for more reading to enter the world of the date Hot Date! is doing away with the Western practice of viewing dates as a sugar-free substitute and instead gives the fruit the platform and profile it deserves: an entire book filled to the brim with praise, knowledge, and delicious recipes for date novices and connoisseurs alike.

UNIQUE COOKBOOK: The first of its kind published in the United States, this beautiful book centers on a global food known for its versatility, flavor, and nutritional heft. There are no other definitive cookbooks or guides to dates published in English that share recipes, explore the fruit’s history, and feature 3,000 (and counting) varieties of dates.

INTERWOVEN STORYTELLING: Hot Date! is rich with stories, poems, and imagery from the Arab world, including visits to date-rich oases throughout the Middle East and Africa, as well as Palm Springs, California.

BEAUTIFULLY PRODUCED GIFT BOOK: Much more than a typical recipe book, this volume brims with photos, illustrations, and irresistible details like its fuchsia-dyed page edges, which make you feel like you’re entering a fantasy world. It is as much a cookbook as an artistic object and makes a perfect gift for home cooks, readers interested in the fruit, anyone with an interest in or ties to the Middle East, and those drawn to the colorful art.

CANDY BAR DATES & SO MUCH MORE: Dates date back 7,000 years and are at the core of many cultures' cuisines. This fruit has spanned generations, from the centuries-old love of their nutritional superpowers to the viral sensation of Date “Snickers� bars with over 1.3 billion views on TikTok. Hot Date! is for everyone from established date lovers to those looking to experiment with big flavors and textures, and anyone who savors stunning coffee table books featuring rich art and vivid details. Perfect for: Date lovers Home cooks of all ages Anyone interested in Middle Eastern-inspired cooking Whole food-oriented cooks seeking flavor-rich recipes Anyone looking to switch up the menu for an Iftar gathering Gift-giving to food lovers, cookbook enthusiasts, and art book collectors]]> 273 Rawaan Alkhatib 1797226452 Beth 4 2024, cookbook, netgalley
Dates have been a source of sustenance and delight for centuries, and this cookbook celebrates them with a multitude of recipes and gorgeous full-color journaling spreads. The recipes are incredibly diverse, most Middle Eastern in influence. Dates are utilized in various forms, from plain pitted to date sugar to date butter and more. A guide to different major varieties begins the book, including an explanation of varying stages of ripeness. All kinds of dishes are described, including appetizers, sides, main dishes, drinks, and desserts. I loved the tone of the book. It’s not formal at all, but friendly and conversational.

Then there is the graphic design. Now, I read this as an ebook, but I can imagine it would be even prettier in printed form. Illustrations dance from page to page, vivid, packed with handwritten verses and old recipes. This would make for a beautiful coffee table book.
]]> 4.00 Hot Date!: Sweet & Savory Recipes Celebrating the Date, from Party Food to Everyday Feasts
author: Rawaan Alkhatib
name: Beth
average rating: 4.00
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2024/09/28
date added: 2024/12/22
shelves: 2024, cookbook, netgalley
review:
I received an advance ebook from NetGalley.

Dates have been a source of sustenance and delight for centuries, and this cookbook celebrates them with a multitude of recipes and gorgeous full-color journaling spreads. The recipes are incredibly diverse, most Middle Eastern in influence. Dates are utilized in various forms, from plain pitted to date sugar to date butter and more. A guide to different major varieties begins the book, including an explanation of varying stages of ripeness. All kinds of dishes are described, including appetizers, sides, main dishes, drinks, and desserts. I loved the tone of the book. It’s not formal at all, but friendly and conversational.

Then there is the graphic design. Now, I read this as an ebook, but I can imagine it would be even prettier in printed form. Illustrations dance from page to page, vivid, packed with handwritten verses and old recipes. This would make for a beautiful coffee table book.

]]> <![CDATA[Breath of the Dragon (Breathmarked, #1)]]> 211003924 The first novel in a sweeping YA fantasy duology based on characters and teachings created by Bruce Lee!

Sixteen-year-old Jun dreams of proving his worth as a warrior in the elite Guardian’s Tournament, held every six years to entrust the magical Scroll of Earth to a new protector. Eager to prove his skills, Jun hopes that a win will restore his father’s honor—righting a horrible mistake that caused their banishment from his home, mother, and twin brother.

But Jun’s father strictly forbids him from participating. There is no future in honing his skills as a warrior, especially considering Jun is not breathmarked, born with a patch of dragon scales and blessed with special abilities like his twin. Determined to be the next Guardian, Jun stows away in the wagon of Chang and his daughter, Ren, performers on their way to the capital where the tournament will take place.

As Jun competes, he quickly realizes he may be fighting for not just a better life, but the fate of the country itself.]]> 341 Shannon Lee 1250902673 Beth 4 2024, fantasy, netgalley
I greatly enjoyed this collaboration between Shannon Lee, daughter of Bruce Lee, and Fonda Lee, one of my favorite authors. This secondary-world setting, inspired by ancient China, draws on Bruce Lee's teachings.

Jun made a terrible, boastful mistake when he was a child, one that forced him and his father into exile, while his mother and his incredibly blessed twin went on to a life of privilege. A war and wall soon create a permanent divide. Jun is now sixteen, an arrogant young martial artist who is determined to compete in the brutal championship to become the Guardian of the realm. After his sickly father forbids Jun entry, Jun stows away in a flutist's wagon, determined to enter the bout on his own. Nothing goes as he expects.

In many ways, this book is a celebration of the martial arts and the ways in which discipline can help a person. To be blunt, Jun is an insufferable jerk at first, but if you're reading reviews and wondering if you should keep reading, I say, please do. Jun's character arc and maturation are incredibly satisfying, so stick with it!

There are many major twists and turns in the story. The end in particular went places I never anticipated. I am already eager to read the second book in this duology, and I hate that I probably have a long wait!]]> 3.97 2025 Breath of the Dragon (Breathmarked, #1)
author: Shannon Lee
name: Beth
average rating: 3.97
book published: 2025
rating: 4
read at: 2024/12/21
date added: 2024/12/22
shelves: 2024, fantasy, netgalley
review:
I received an advance copy via NetGalley.

I greatly enjoyed this collaboration between Shannon Lee, daughter of Bruce Lee, and Fonda Lee, one of my favorite authors. This secondary-world setting, inspired by ancient China, draws on Bruce Lee's teachings.

Jun made a terrible, boastful mistake when he was a child, one that forced him and his father into exile, while his mother and his incredibly blessed twin went on to a life of privilege. A war and wall soon create a permanent divide. Jun is now sixteen, an arrogant young martial artist who is determined to compete in the brutal championship to become the Guardian of the realm. After his sickly father forbids Jun entry, Jun stows away in a flutist's wagon, determined to enter the bout on his own. Nothing goes as he expects.

In many ways, this book is a celebration of the martial arts and the ways in which discipline can help a person. To be blunt, Jun is an insufferable jerk at first, but if you're reading reviews and wondering if you should keep reading, I say, please do. Jun's character arc and maturation are incredibly satisfying, so stick with it!

There are many major twists and turns in the story. The end in particular went places I never anticipated. I am already eager to read the second book in this duology, and I hate that I probably have a long wait!
]]> <![CDATA[Oathbreakers: The War of Brothers That Shattered an Empire and Made Medieval Europe]]> 210116217
The Carolingian Civil War would rage for years as kings fought kings, brother faced off against brother, and sons challenged fathers. Oathbreakers is the dramatic history of this brutal, turbulent time. Medieval historians David M. Perry and Matthew Gabriele illuminate what happens when a once unshakeable political and cultural order breaks down and long suppressed tensions flare into deadly violence. Drawn from rich primary sources, featuring a wide cast of characters, packed with dramatic twists and turns, this is history that rivals the greatest fictional epics—with consequences that continue to shape our own world.]]> 304 Matthew Gabriele 0063336677 Beth 0 to-read 3.88 2024 Oathbreakers: The War of Brothers That Shattered an Empire and Made Medieval Europe
author: Matthew Gabriele
name: Beth
average rating: 3.88
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/12/06
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Adrift in Currents Clean and Clear (Wayward Children, #10)]]> 57185878 Giant turtles, impossible ships, and tidal rivers ridden by a Drowned girl in search of a family in the latest in the bestselling Hugo and Nebula Award-Winning Wayward Children series from Seanan McGuire.

Nadya had three mothers: the one who bore her, the country that poisoned her, and the one who adopted her.

Nadya never considered herself less than whole, not until her adoptive parents fitted her with a prosthetic arm against her will, seeking to replace the one she'd been missing from birth.

It was cumbersome; it was uncomfortable; it was wrong.

It wasn't her.

Frustrated and unable to express why, Nadya began to wander, until the day she fell through a door into Belyyreka, the Land Beneath the Lake--and found herself in a world of water, filled with child-eating amphibians, majestic giant turtles, and impossible ships that sailed as happily beneath the surface as on top. In Belyyreka, she found herself understood for who she was: a Drowned Girl, who had made her way to her real home, accepted by the river and its people.

But even in Belyyreka, there are dangers, and trials, and Nadya would soon find herself fighting to keep hold of everything she had come to treasure.]]> 160 Seanan McGuire Beth 3
The Wayward Children series, now in its 10th iteration, follows children who venture into portals to far distant realms. Sometimes the stories are about the aftermath, the often tragic return of the children to an Earth that they no longer consider home, or about how they came to cross in the first place. A few of them, I regard to be among the best novellas I have ever read; others fall flat. This one falls in the middle.

Nadya, born without an arm, doesn't miss the limb as she grows up in a Russian orphanage. Strong willed and pleasant, she has no expectation of am adopted home of her own, but is glad to help others find families. But when a Christian adoption agency comes, Nadya gains their attention because of her one arm. She is soon in Colorado, living awkwardly with people she must call Mom and Dad, missing the tortoise she raised to health back in Russia. Her one sanctuary is a nearby pond with turtles. After her parents force her to don a prosthetic arm--never asking her what she wants--she falls through a portal in the pond, landing in a world where water is strange and massive turtles form special bonds with their people.

One of the problems with the series conceit, really, is that all too often, the end must be tragic. I won't go beyond that, just in case this book is someone's first foray into the series. Here, however, the end is not only disturbing, but painfully abrupt. I was left feeling almost as if pages were missing, but there weren't.

Something I loved about this book was how it depicted disability and how it shows how different people regard disability. There is a powerful message here about agency, empowerment, and the importance of choice.]]> 4.03 2025 Adrift in Currents Clean and Clear (Wayward Children, #10)
author: Seanan McGuire
name: Beth
average rating: 4.03
book published: 2025
rating: 3
read at: 2024/12/04
date added: 2024/12/05
shelves: 2024, fantasy, novella, netgalley
review:
I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.

The Wayward Children series, now in its 10th iteration, follows children who venture into portals to far distant realms. Sometimes the stories are about the aftermath, the often tragic return of the children to an Earth that they no longer consider home, or about how they came to cross in the first place. A few of them, I regard to be among the best novellas I have ever read; others fall flat. This one falls in the middle.

Nadya, born without an arm, doesn't miss the limb as she grows up in a Russian orphanage. Strong willed and pleasant, she has no expectation of am adopted home of her own, but is glad to help others find families. But when a Christian adoption agency comes, Nadya gains their attention because of her one arm. She is soon in Colorado, living awkwardly with people she must call Mom and Dad, missing the tortoise she raised to health back in Russia. Her one sanctuary is a nearby pond with turtles. After her parents force her to don a prosthetic arm--never asking her what she wants--she falls through a portal in the pond, landing in a world where water is strange and massive turtles form special bonds with their people.

One of the problems with the series conceit, really, is that all too often, the end must be tragic. I won't go beyond that, just in case this book is someone's first foray into the series. Here, however, the end is not only disturbing, but painfully abrupt. I was left feeling almost as if pages were missing, but there weren't.

Something I loved about this book was how it depicted disability and how it shows how different people regard disability. There is a powerful message here about agency, empowerment, and the importance of choice.
]]> 'Tis the Season! 2786044
As Caro tentatively begins atoning for past misdeeds, she reaches out to two wonderful people who years ago brought meaning to her her former nanny, Astrid Brevald, now living in Norway and Arizona dude ranch owner, Cyril Dale. While Astrid fondly remembers Caro as a special, sweet little girl left in her charge, Cyril recalls how he and his late wife were quite taken with the quick-witted teenager Caro had become when she spent a difficult period in her life at the ranch as her father was dying.

In a series of e-mail exchanges, Caro reveals the depth of her pain and the lengths she went to hide it. In turn, Astrid and Cyril share their own stories of challenging times and offer the unconditional support this young woman has never known. The correspondence leads to the promise of a reunion, just in time for Christmas. But the holiday brings unexpected revelations that change the way everyone sees themselves and one another.

At once heartfelt and witty, ’Tis the Season bears good tidings of great joy about the human condition–that down and out doesn’t mean over and done, that the things we need most are closer than we know, and that the true measure of one’s worth rests in the boundless depths of the soul.]]> 226 Lorna Landvik 0345499751 Beth 2 2024, borrowed, literary
This novella-length holiday read is light and fluffy, told in modern-style epistolatory format through emails, letters, and gossip columns. The main subject is one Caroline Dixon, an heiress in the press constantly for her drunken, exuberant ways. When she hits bottom and enters treatment, people she once knew come together in surprising ways.

Well, kind of surprising. This is the kind of cozy read that is mostly predictable early on. I'm not into modern women's fiction or reality TV, and I found this pretty hard to get into, especially since the different points of view in the letters really didn't form a cohesive story until nearer the end (the nursing home letters left me especially confused). About halfway through, however, more of the story made sense, with everything culminating at Christmas. It's a cute read, nothing I would have picked up on my own or would again, but pleasant enough. It'll make for a nice discussion at the book club.]]> 3.20 2008 'Tis the Season!
author: Lorna Landvik
name: Beth
average rating: 3.20
book published: 2008
rating: 2
read at: 2024/12/02
date added: 2024/12/03
shelves: 2024, borrowed, literary
review:
I read this for a December book club. I checked out my copy from the local library.

This novella-length holiday read is light and fluffy, told in modern-style epistolatory format through emails, letters, and gossip columns. The main subject is one Caroline Dixon, an heiress in the press constantly for her drunken, exuberant ways. When she hits bottom and enters treatment, people she once knew come together in surprising ways.

Well, kind of surprising. This is the kind of cozy read that is mostly predictable early on. I'm not into modern women's fiction or reality TV, and I found this pretty hard to get into, especially since the different points of view in the letters really didn't form a cohesive story until nearer the end (the nursing home letters left me especially confused). About halfway through, however, more of the story made sense, with everything culminating at Christmas. It's a cute read, nothing I would have picked up on my own or would again, but pleasant enough. It'll make for a nice discussion at the book club.
]]> Carpe Noctem 214003961
The twenty-two authors featured within the pages of Carpe Noctem descended into these midnight waters to explore the deepest horrors and wildest wonders which darkness cloaks. This anthology is not for the faint of heart.

Carpe Noctem offers an exclusive solo-roleplaying game by Maxwell Lander to serve as your guide to this collection of nighttime tales. Or you can journey alone. What’s the worst that could happen?

Featuring works by Teresa Aguinaldo; Tyler Battaglia; Stewart C Baker; Beth Cato; Barry Charman; Tommy Cheis; Jonathan Chibuik; Derek Des Anges; Richard DiPirro; David J. Fortier; David Jón Fuller; Chadwick Ginther; Joseph Halden; Richard Lau; Jennifer Lesh Fleck; Avra Margariti; Thomas C. Mavroudis; Cat McDonald; Paul McQuade; Ville Meriläinen; Tais Teng; and Laura VanArendonk Baugh.]]> 284 Megan Fennell Beth 0 5.00 Carpe Noctem
author: Megan Fennell
name: Beth
average rating: 5.00
book published:
rating: 0
read at: 2024/11/30
date added: 2024/11/30
shelves: 2024, anthology, fantasy, poetry, my-publications
review:
Not a review. Includes my poem "Red on White."
]]> The Red Badge of Courage 35513835
Faced with charging rebels, he flees. With his ideals shattered and his heart burdened by shame, Henry seeks an opportunity to redeem himself, even hoping for a wound - a “red badge of courage� - to prove his bravery.

Focusing on the inner psychological struggles and sensory perceptions of an individual soldier, Stephen Crane introduced a new kind of war novel to American literature. With heightened impressionism, he captured the emotional reality of war as no novelist before him had.

AmazonClassics brings you timeless works from the masters of storytelling. Ideal for anyone who wants to read a great work for the first time or rediscover an old favorite, these new editions open the door to literature’s most unforgettable characters and beloved worlds.

Revised edition: Previously published as The Red Badge of Courage, this edition of The Red Badge of Courage (AmazonClassics Edition) includes editorial revisions.]]> 157 Stephen Crane 1542099099 Beth 4 2022, classic, borrowed, 2024 3.91 1895 The Red Badge of Courage
author: Stephen Crane
name: Beth
average rating: 3.91
book published: 1895
rating: 4
read at: 2024/11/26
date added: 2024/11/26
shelves: 2022, classic, borrowed, 2024
review:
I read this as a teen and didn’t like it. I remember that the main character struck me as immature and frustrating. He is still that way, but thirty years make a big difference in my perspective. The writing is lush and gorgeous, and the technical choices wowed me. The way that no one is named, yet their names are known, creates such a subtle this-could-be-anyone dynamic. I can now respect this book as a psychological study of a soldier at war.
]]> <![CDATA[Dog on It (A Chet and Bernie Mystery, #1)]]> 5600151
In this, their first adventure, Chet and Bernie investigate the disappearance of Madison, a teenage girl who may or may not have been kidnapped, but who has definitely gotten mixed up with some very unsavory characters. A well-behaved, gifted student, she didn't arrive home after school and her divorced mother is frantic. Bernie is quick to take the case � something about a cash flow problem that Chet's not all that clear about � and he's relieved, if vaguely suspicious, when Madison turns up unharmed with a story that doesn't add up. But when she disappears for a second time in a week, Bernie and Chet aren't taking any chances; they launch a full-blown investigation. Without a ransom demand, they're not convinced it's a kidnapping, but they are sure of one thing: something smells funny.

Their search for clues takes them into the desert to biker bars and other exotic locals, with Chet's highly trained nose leading the way. Both Chet and Bernie bring their own special skills to the hunt, one that puts each of them in peril. But even as the bad guys try to turn the tables, this duo is nothing if not resourceful, and the result is an uncommonly satisfying adventure.

With his doggy ways and his endearingly hardboiled voice, Chet is full of heart and occasionally prone to mischief. He is intensely loyal to Bernie, who, though distracted by issues that Chet has difficulty understanding � like divorce, child custody, and other peculiar human concerns � is enormously likable himself, in his flawed, all-too-human way.]]> 305 Spencer Quinn 1416585834 Beth 3 2024, mystery, borrowed
Dog On It is a cute cozy mystery from the perspective of a dog, Chet. Chet is a police academy drop-out with a fairly good awareness of the human world, an understanding that's helped by constant dialogue from his beloved human, Bernie. Together they run a detective agency. The case starts off as a dud--a missing teenage girl who quickly shows up, unharmed. But when she truly vanishes that same week, details just don't line up. Chet and Bernie are on the case!

This was an unusual mystery, and not really because of the dog POV. That aspect was fine. First odd thing: Chet figures things out fairly early on, but has no way to communicate that to Bernie. Second, the setting of Tucson doesn't feel quite realized. I lived in Phoenix for a long time, and visited Tucson many times. The places have unique vibes. The setting in the book felt more like generic desert. The plot felt forced at times, too, especially at a time when Chet is in major peril after escaping the bad guys; his save is a miracle.

There are a lot of positive aspects as well. Bernie has a very noir detective aura to him, which is fun in a contemporary setting. He is divorced, with a kid, is interested in a woman but is getting mixed messages about her interest in him, he craves cigarettes but tries to avoid them, is barely keeping his business (and his car) going, etc. I loved how he fully accepted Chet was his partner, and how that feeling is reciprocated; as someone who talks to cats all day, I get it.

This will make for a great book club discussion in a few weeks!]]> 3.85 2009 Dog on It (A Chet and Bernie Mystery, #1)
author: Spencer Quinn
name: Beth
average rating: 3.85
book published: 2009
rating: 3
read at: 2024/11/23
date added: 2024/11/24
shelves: 2024, mystery, borrowed
review:
I read this for a book club.

Dog On It is a cute cozy mystery from the perspective of a dog, Chet. Chet is a police academy drop-out with a fairly good awareness of the human world, an understanding that's helped by constant dialogue from his beloved human, Bernie. Together they run a detective agency. The case starts off as a dud--a missing teenage girl who quickly shows up, unharmed. But when she truly vanishes that same week, details just don't line up. Chet and Bernie are on the case!

This was an unusual mystery, and not really because of the dog POV. That aspect was fine. First odd thing: Chet figures things out fairly early on, but has no way to communicate that to Bernie. Second, the setting of Tucson doesn't feel quite realized. I lived in Phoenix for a long time, and visited Tucson many times. The places have unique vibes. The setting in the book felt more like generic desert. The plot felt forced at times, too, especially at a time when Chet is in major peril after escaping the bad guys; his save is a miracle.

There are a lot of positive aspects as well. Bernie has a very noir detective aura to him, which is fun in a contemporary setting. He is divorced, with a kid, is interested in a woman but is getting mixed messages about her interest in him, he craves cigarettes but tries to avoid them, is barely keeping his business (and his car) going, etc. I loved how he fully accepted Chet was his partner, and how that feeling is reciprocated; as someone who talks to cats all day, I get it.

This will make for a great book club discussion in a few weeks!
]]> <![CDATA[Cosmic Muse: Best of NewMyths Anthology Volume IV]]> 201087616 Where on Earth � or outside of Earth � does inspiration come from?
NewMyths contributors explore the unknowable Muse in the fantastic and the future. This anthology of 43 short stories and poems features winners and nominees for Writers of the Future, Rhysling, Baen Fantasy Adventure, Dwarf Star, and Nebula awards. About half the anthology is a "best of" NewMyths magazine, while the other half is first published here.]]> 0 Scott T. Barnes 1939354196 Beth 0 5.00 Cosmic Muse: Best of NewMyths Anthology Volume IV
author: Scott T. Barnes
name: Beth
average rating: 5.00
book published:
rating: 0
read at: 2024/11/20
date added: 2024/11/20
shelves: 2024, anthology, fantasy, my-publications, science, poetry
review:
Not a review. Includes three of my poems.
]]> The Boxcar Librarian 214325867
A brand-new 2025 release from an author whose writing “historical fiction fans will adore� (New York Times bestselling author Madeline Martin): The stories of three women converge in 1936 Montana when editor Millie Lang arrives from DC to work on a series of travel books � only to find a town riddled with mystery, corruption, and secrets.


Inspired by true events, a thrilling Depression-era novel from the author of The Librarian of Burned Books about a woman’s quest to uncover a mystery surrounding a local librarian and the Boxcar Library—a converted mining train that brought books to isolated rural towns in Montana.

When Works Progress Administration (WPA) editor Millie Lang finds herself on the wrong end of a potential political scandal, she’s shipped off to Montana to work on the state’s American Guide Series—travel books intended to put the nation’s destitute writers to work.

Millie arrives to an eclectic staff claiming their missed deadlines are due to sabotage, possibly from the state’s powerful Copper Kings who don’t want their long and bloody history with union organizers aired for the rest of the country to read. But Millie begins to suspect that the answer might instead lie with the town’s mysterious librarian, Alice Monroe.

More than a decade earlier, Alice Monroe created the Boxcar Library in order to deliver books to isolated mining towns where men longed for entertainment and connection. Alice thought she found the perfect librarian to staff the train car in Colette Durand, a miner’s daughter with a shotgun and too many secrets behind her eyes.

Now, no one in Missoula will tell Millie why both Alice and Colette went out on the inaugural journey of the Boxcar Library, but only Alice returned.

The three women’s stories dramatically converge in the search to uncover what someone is so desperately trying to what happened to Colette Durand.

Inspired by the fascinating, true history of Missoula’s Boxcar Library, the novel blends the story of the strong, courageous women who survived and thrived in the rough and rowdy West with that of the power of standing together to fight for workers� lives. And through it all shines the capacity of books to provide connection and light to those who need it most.]]> 464 Brianna Labuskes 006337630X Beth 0 to-read 4.04 2025 The Boxcar Librarian
author: Brianna Labuskes
name: Beth
average rating: 4.04
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/11/19
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Smoky, the Cow Horse 55114652
When Smoky is eventually captured, his violent and aggressive demeanor prompts his use as a bucking bronco at a rodeo under the moniker of “The Cougar�. Years of performing take their toll on his body and spirit. He is renamed “Cloudy� and used as a riding horse and sold to an abusive man who starves him. During this time, he is reunited with his original owner and taken home. With careful treatment, Smoky recovers his former health and personality.

Illustrated by the author and adapted to the screen three times as Smoky. Will James narrates the 1933 version.]]> 225 Will James Beth 3 2021, horse, classic, middle Smoky, that I probably haven't read since I was 9 or 10. Before I bought this discard copy, even. I needed to read a classic book for my goal this month, so I decided to read this one for the first time in decades.

Oooooh boy. How to sum this up.

First of all, there's no way this would be a kid book these days. All the major human characters are adults. There is rampant animal abuse, even by the 'good guy.' And wow, is this book racist. Jaw-droppingly so. The major villain is described as "being a breed of Mexican and other blood that's darker" and is often just named as "the breed," and is so abusive to the titular character that the horse straight-out tries to kill every man with dark skin for years afterward.

Yeah.

The thing is, the first 2/3 of the book is actually a decent horse book, complete with beautiful action-packed illustrations by the author. James is an incredibly descriptive writer, and the chapters on Smoky's colthood on the range and his training (which is cringe-worthy in some ways) and growing relationship with Clint is fascinating in its deep detail. But then Smoky is stolen, and the book decides to go "Black Beauty on a western-grimdark" route.

The good news is, I feel like I can now donate-away this hardcover book that I've been hauling around for over twenty years. I definitely won't be reading it again, nor do I feel much inclined to pick up Will James's other books.]]> 4.27 1926 Smoky, the Cow Horse
author: Will James
name: Beth
average rating: 4.27
book published: 1926
rating: 3
read at: 2021/09/08
date added: 2024/11/16
shelves: 2021, horse, classic, middle
review:
I was on a convention panel talking about horse books last weekend, and author Will James came up. I remembered that I owned a library discard of his classic book Smoky, that I probably haven't read since I was 9 or 10. Before I bought this discard copy, even. I needed to read a classic book for my goal this month, so I decided to read this one for the first time in decades.

Oooooh boy. How to sum this up.

First of all, there's no way this would be a kid book these days. All the major human characters are adults. There is rampant animal abuse, even by the 'good guy.' And wow, is this book racist. Jaw-droppingly so. The major villain is described as "being a breed of Mexican and other blood that's darker" and is often just named as "the breed," and is so abusive to the titular character that the horse straight-out tries to kill every man with dark skin for years afterward.

Yeah.

The thing is, the first 2/3 of the book is actually a decent horse book, complete with beautiful action-packed illustrations by the author. James is an incredibly descriptive writer, and the chapters on Smoky's colthood on the range and his training (which is cringe-worthy in some ways) and growing relationship with Clint is fascinating in its deep detail. But then Smoky is stolen, and the book decides to go "Black Beauty on a western-grimdark" route.

The good news is, I feel like I can now donate-away this hardcover book that I've been hauling around for over twenty years. I definitely won't be reading it again, nor do I feel much inclined to pick up Will James's other books.
]]> Best of the Bundt 24102650 84 Nordicware 0974460567 Beth 4 2024, cookbook
The one thing that annoyed me about the book, though, is that they sometimes featured pictures that were wildly different than the accompanying recipe--like, they use a special mini cake pan (but don't include an adapted baking time for that pan) or do a totally different topping. I like seeing the options available with some of the more unique pans, but come on, show me how the recipe will look as it is described! Multiple photos would've been ideal.

Griping done. There is a great variety in this book. I found seven recipes I want to try, and I might get to some of them quite soon because the holidays are nigh. ]]> 4.33 2012 Best of the Bundt
author: Nordicware
name: Beth
average rating: 4.33
book published: 2012
rating: 4
read at: 2024/11/16
date added: 2024/11/16
shelves: 2024, cookbook
review:
I scored this find at the local library book sale. I love bundt cakes, and I trusted the trendsetter behind the pan to share good recipes, and by golly they did. The cookbook is 84 pages and has full-color pictures alongside each recipe.

The one thing that annoyed me about the book, though, is that they sometimes featured pictures that were wildly different than the accompanying recipe--like, they use a special mini cake pan (but don't include an adapted baking time for that pan) or do a totally different topping. I like seeing the options available with some of the more unique pans, but come on, show me how the recipe will look as it is described! Multiple photos would've been ideal.

Griping done. There is a great variety in this book. I found seven recipes I want to try, and I might get to some of them quite soon because the holidays are nigh.
]]> <![CDATA[The Long Quiche Goodbye (A Cheese Shop Mystery, #1)]]> 7094598 piece de resistance. Right outside the shop Charlotte finds a body, the victim stabbed to death with one of her prized olive-wood handled knives.]]> 314 Avery Aames 0425235521 Beth 4 2022, cheese, mystery 3.63 2010 The Long Quiche Goodbye (A Cheese Shop Mystery, #1)
author: Avery Aames
name: Beth
average rating: 3.63
book published: 2010
rating: 4
read at: 2022/07/21
date added: 2024/11/15
shelves: 2022, cheese, mystery
review:

]]> Someone Always Nearby 153435070 280 Susan Wittig Albert 1952558204 Beth 2 2024, literary
The amount of research that Albert put into this book is certainly exhaustive. In many ways, it read more like a nonfiction biography than a novel, which is likely why the author begins with an explanatory forward. I, however, found the book frustrating. There is no plot, and the subject, Georgia O'Keeffe, is incredibly temperamental and unlikeable. I was quickly tired of her antics; I don't know how anyone tolerated her in real life, especially Maria Chabot, who largely tells the tale. Often, the book feels like a list of chores that Maria completes on the estates that she manages.

I have visited New Mexico several times in my life, and Albert certainly did a wonderful job of describing the unique setting with all the senses. ]]> 3.40 Someone Always Nearby
author: Susan Wittig Albert
name: Beth
average rating: 3.40
book published:
rating: 2
read at: 2024/11/15
date added: 2024/11/15
shelves: 2024, literary
review:
I read this for a library book club.

The amount of research that Albert put into this book is certainly exhaustive. In many ways, it read more like a nonfiction biography than a novel, which is likely why the author begins with an explanatory forward. I, however, found the book frustrating. There is no plot, and the subject, Georgia O'Keeffe, is incredibly temperamental and unlikeable. I was quickly tired of her antics; I don't know how anyone tolerated her in real life, especially Maria Chabot, who largely tells the tale. Often, the book feels like a list of chores that Maria completes on the estates that she manages.

I have visited New Mexico several times in my life, and Albert certainly did a wonderful job of describing the unique setting with all the senses.
]]> The Count of Monte Cristo 522110
Set against the turbulent years of the Napoleonic  era, Alexandre Dumas's thrilling adventure story  is one of the most widely read romantic novels of  all time. In it the dashing young hero, Edmond  Dantès, is betrayed by his enemies and thrown  into a secret dungeon in the Chateau d'If -- doomed  to spend his life in a dank prison cell. The story  of his long, intolerable years in captivity, his  miraculous escape, and his carefully wrought  revenge creates a dramatic tale of mystery and intrigue  and paints a vision of France -- a dazzling,  dueling, exuberant France -- that has become immortal. Ěý±Ő±Ő> 531 Alexandre Dumas 0553213504 Beth 4 The Three Musketeers last month, and I enjoyed The Count of Monte Cristo even more. Dumas created an action-packed tale of betrayal and calculated revenge; this is a classic that well deserves to be read and enjoyed, almost two centuries on. I do wish the women characters had been as strong and nuanced as in Musketeers (Haydee never had an opportunity to develop, and she had so much potential) and I had some issues keeping characters straight because the cast was so huge. Still, great fun. I hope I can read more Dumas this year!]]> 4.36 1846 The Count of Monte Cristo
author: Alexandre Dumas
name: Beth
average rating: 4.36
book published: 1846
rating: 4
read at: 2020/01/14
date added: 2024/11/14
shelves: 2020, classic, historical, france
review:
I read and enjoyed The Three Musketeers last month, and I enjoyed The Count of Monte Cristo even more. Dumas created an action-packed tale of betrayal and calculated revenge; this is a classic that well deserves to be read and enjoyed, almost two centuries on. I do wish the women characters had been as strong and nuanced as in Musketeers (Haydee never had an opportunity to develop, and she had so much potential) and I had some issues keeping characters straight because the cast was so huge. Still, great fun. I hope I can read more Dumas this year!
]]> A Poetry Handbook 71652 Poetry Handbook was written with writers of poetry most vividly in my mind; their needs and problems and increase have most directly been my concerns. But I am hopeful that readers of poetry will feel welcome here, too, and will gain from these chapters an insight into the thoughtful machinery of the poem, as well as some possibly useful ideas about its history, and, if you please, some ideas also of the long work and intense effort that goes into the making of a poem. The final three chapters are especially directed towards issues important to the writer of poems, but here too the reader of poems is heartily welcome. (...)"

[Text taken from the final part of the Introduction written by Mary Oliver]]]> 130 Mary Oliver 0156724006 Beth 3 2024, writing, poetry 4.23 1994 A Poetry Handbook
author: Mary Oliver
name: Beth
average rating: 4.23
book published: 1994
rating: 3
read at: 2024/11/07
date added: 2024/11/07
shelves: 2024, writing, poetry
review:
This slim volume is by one of my favorite poets, Mary Oliver. I suppose I had high expectations for this book for that reason, but I found it was oriented toward beginners and was fairly dry but for the poems. I didn't get anything new or revelatory out of it.
]]> The Teller of Small Fortunes 207610813 A wandering fortune teller finds an unexpected family in this warm and wonderful debut fantasy, perfect for readers of Travis Baldree and Sangu Mandanna.

Tao is an immigrant fortune teller, traveling between villages with just her trusty mule for company. She only tells "small" fortunes: whether it will hail next week; which boy the barmaid will kiss; when the cow will calve. She knows from bitter experience that big fortunes come with big consequences�

Even if it’s a lonely life, it’s better than the one she left behind. But a small fortune unexpectedly becomes something more when a (semi) reformed thief and an ex-mercenary recruit her into their desperate search for a lost child. Soon, they’re joined by a baker with a knead for adventure, and—of course—a slightly magical cat.

Tao sets down a new path with companions as big-hearted as her fortunes are small. But as she lowers her walls, the shadows of her past are closing in—and she’ll have to decide whether to risk everything to preserve the family she never thought she could have.]]> 336 Julie Leong 0593815904 Beth 0 to-read 4.08 2024 The Teller of Small Fortunes
author: Julie Leong
name: Beth
average rating: 4.08
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/11/05
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> The Teller of Small Fortunes 207611551 A wandering fortune teller finds an unexpected family in this warm and wonderful debut fantasy, perfect for readers of Travis Baldree and Sangu Mandanna.

Tao is an immigrant fortune teller, traveling between villages with just her trusty mule for company. She only tells "small" fortunes: whether it will hail next week; which boy the barmaid will kiss; when the cow will calve. She knows from bitter experience that big fortunes come with big consequences�

Even if it’s a lonely life, it’s better than the one she left behind. But a small fortune unexpectedly becomes something more when a (semi) reformed thief and an ex-mercenary recruit her into their desperate search for a lost child. Soon, they’re joined by a baker with a knead for adventure, and—of course—a slightly magical cat.

Tao sets down a new path with companions as big-hearted as her fortunes are small. But as she lowers her walls, the shadows of her past are closing in—and she’ll have to decide whether to risk everything to preserve the family she never thought she could have.]]> 336 Julie Leong 0593815912 Beth 0 to-read 3.81 2024 The Teller of Small Fortunes
author: Julie Leong
name: Beth
average rating: 3.81
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/11/05
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Somewhere Beyond the Sea (Cerulean Chronicles, #2)]]> 199347538 Somewhere Beyond the Sea is the hugely anticipated sequel to TJ Klune’s The House in the Cerulean Sea, one of the best-loved and best-selling fantasy novels of the past decade. Featuring gorgeous orange sprayed edges!

A magical house. A secret past. A summons that could change everything.

Arthur Parnassus lives a good life built on the ashes of a bad one.

He’s the master of a strange orphanage on a distant and peculiar island, and he hopes to soon be the adoptive father to the six dangerous and magical children who live there.

Arthur works hard and loves with his whole heart so none of the children ever feel the neglect and pain that he once felt as an orphan on that very same island so long ago. He is not alone: joining him is the love of his life, Linus Baker, a former caseworker in the Department In Charge of Magical Youth. And there’s the island’s sprite, Zoe Chapelwhite, and her girlfriend, Mayor Helen Webb. Together, they will do anything to protect the children.

But when Arthur is summoned to make a public statement about his dark past, he finds himself at the helm of a fight for the future that his family, and all magical people, deserve.

And when a new magical child hopes to join them on their island home—one who finds power in calling himself monster, a name that Arthur worked so hard to protect his children from—Arthur knows they’re at a breaking point: their family will either grow stronger than ever or fall apart.

Welcome back to Marsyas Island. This is Arthur’s story.

Somewhere Beyond the Sea is a story of resistance, lovingly told, about the daunting experience of fighting for the life you want to live and doing the work to keep it.]]> 416 T.J. Klune 125088120X Beth 4 2024, borrowed, fantasy The House in the Cerulean Sea last week before reading the sequel, and I'm glad I did. Somewhere Beyond the Sea resumes soon after the first book, in Arthur's point-of-view. I found that I missed Linus's quirky voice. Arthur isn't as engaging, and to my surprise, the book was a slow read for me.

I won't go into specifics and spoilers, but the book is centered on the escalating battle against DICOMY to keep the children together and safe. A new child is added to the brood, too--David, a yeti. The kids are such vivid characters. I laughed out loud a few times.

The book delves into heady issues about child abuse and agency, but the overall message is of fierce love and hope. It's beautiful. Love is love, and family can be found wherever you are. Even though I found the book to not be as strong as the first one, it still has incredibly important things to say and it was a joy to visit the house on the Cerulean Sea again.]]> 4.16 2024 Somewhere Beyond the Sea (Cerulean Chronicles, #2)
author: T.J. Klune
name: Beth
average rating: 4.16
book published: 2024
rating: 4
read at: 2024/11/03
date added: 2024/11/03
shelves: 2024, borrowed, fantasy
review:
I reread The House in the Cerulean Sea last week before reading the sequel, and I'm glad I did. Somewhere Beyond the Sea resumes soon after the first book, in Arthur's point-of-view. I found that I missed Linus's quirky voice. Arthur isn't as engaging, and to my surprise, the book was a slow read for me.

I won't go into specifics and spoilers, but the book is centered on the escalating battle against DICOMY to keep the children together and safe. A new child is added to the brood, too--David, a yeti. The kids are such vivid characters. I laughed out loud a few times.

The book delves into heady issues about child abuse and agency, but the overall message is of fierce love and hope. It's beautiful. Love is love, and family can be found wherever you are. Even though I found the book to not be as strong as the first one, it still has incredibly important things to say and it was a joy to visit the house on the Cerulean Sea again.
]]> <![CDATA[We Solve Murders (We Solve Murders, #1)]]> 219449299 A brand new series. An iconic new detective duo. And a puzzling new murder to solve...

Steve Wheeler is enjoying retired life. He does the odd bit of investigation work, but he prefers his familiar habits and routines: the pub quiz, his favorite bench, his cat waiting for him when he comes home. His days of adventure are over: adrenaline is daughter-in-law Amy’s business now.

Amy Wheeler thinks adrenaline is good for the soul. As a private security officer, she doesn’t stay still long enough for habits or routines. She’s currently on a remote island keeping world-famous author Rosie D’Antonio alive. Which was meant to be an easy job...

Then a dead body, a bag of money, and a killer with their sights on Amy have her sending an SOS to the only person she trusts. A breakneck race around the world begins, but can Amy and Steve stay one step ahead of a lethal enemy?]]> 387 Richard Osman 059365322X Beth 0 to-read 4.06 2024 We Solve Murders (We Solve Murders, #1)
author: Richard Osman
name: Beth
average rating: 4.06
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/11/01
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Hound of the Baskervilles (Sherlock Holmes, #5)]]> 8921 256 Arthur Conan Doyle Beth 4 2024, classic, mystery 4.16 1902 The Hound of the Baskervilles (Sherlock Holmes, #5)
author: Arthur Conan Doyle
name: Beth
average rating: 4.16
book published: 1902
rating: 4
read at: 2024/10/27
date added: 2024/10/27
shelves: 2024, classic, mystery
review:
Still an enthralling mystery after all of this time! I hadn't seen the TV episodes of this story for years, so I approached the book with an open mind. The suspense builds wonderfully. Of course, there is some very Victorian racial commentary that induces eye-rolling, but fortunately those mentions were few. I wouldn't mind reading more Holmes mysteries in the future.
]]> <![CDATA[The House in the Cerulean Sea (Cerulean Chronicles, #1)]]> 57312022 A magical island. A dangerous task. A burning secret.

Linus Baker leads a quiet, solitary life. At forty, he lives in a tiny house with a devious cat and his old records. As a Case Worker at the Department in Charge Of Magical Youth, he spends his days overseeing the well-being of children in government-sanctioned orphanages.

When Linus is unexpectedly summoned by Extremely Upper Management he's given a curious and highly classified assignment: travel to Marsyas Island Orphanage, where six dangerous children reside: a gnome, a sprite, a wyvern, an unidentifiable green blob, a were-Pomeranian, and the Antichrist. Linus must set aside his fears and determine whether or not they’re likely to bring about the end of days.

But the children aren’t the only secret the island keeps. Their caretaker is the charming and enigmatic Arthur Parnassus, who will do anything to keep his wards safe. As Arthur and Linus grow closer, long-held secrets are exposed, and Linus must make a choice: destroy a home or watch the world burn.

An enchanting story, masterfully told, The House in the Cerulean Sea is about the profound experience of discovering an unlikely family in an unexpected place—and realizing that family is yours.]]> 393 T.J. Klune Beth 4 2022, fantasy, borrowed, 2024 Under the Whispering Door. Perhaps my expectations were too high.

Linus is a bureaucratic minion who checks on the welfare of magical children in orphanages. When his dispassionate service has him sent to a top-secret facility, he discovers children with fantastical abilities that defy imagination, and cause him to question his work and his life.

I found this to be surprisingly slow to start. There's a lot of set-up, and Linus can be frustrating in his obliviousness. The book only really gets going as he gets to know the children, who are the genuine stars of the book. After a while, the book goes deep into a cozy vibe--you know what will happen, roughly, but it's an enjoyable journey, though the message of the book feels like a repeated bludgeoning, not subtle in the least. Klune writes wonderful romance--gradual, realistic, very affirming in its queer rep. By the end, I was ready to move into the house in the cerulean sea, too.

In all, it's a sweet book, if slow and heavy-handed, and I still found it well worth the wait.]]> 4.46 2020 The House in the Cerulean Sea (Cerulean Chronicles, #1)
author: T.J. Klune
name: Beth
average rating: 4.46
book published: 2020
rating: 4
read at: 2024/10/23
date added: 2024/10/23
shelves: 2022, fantasy, borrowed, 2024
review:
I've been waiting since last summer for this ebook to be free to check out from my local library! I've been checking on a regular basis, and it finally became available. Needless to say, this was a highly anticipated read for me. I also loved Klune's newer release, Under the Whispering Door. Perhaps my expectations were too high.

Linus is a bureaucratic minion who checks on the welfare of magical children in orphanages. When his dispassionate service has him sent to a top-secret facility, he discovers children with fantastical abilities that defy imagination, and cause him to question his work and his life.

I found this to be surprisingly slow to start. There's a lot of set-up, and Linus can be frustrating in his obliviousness. The book only really gets going as he gets to know the children, who are the genuine stars of the book. After a while, the book goes deep into a cozy vibe--you know what will happen, roughly, but it's an enjoyable journey, though the message of the book feels like a repeated bludgeoning, not subtle in the least. Klune writes wonderful romance--gradual, realistic, very affirming in its queer rep. By the end, I was ready to move into the house in the cerulean sea, too.

In all, it's a sweet book, if slow and heavy-handed, and I still found it well worth the wait.
]]> Furiously Happy 28220896 #1 New York Times Bestseller

In Furiously Happy, a humor memoir tinged with just enough tragedy and pathos to make it worthwhile, Jenny Lawson examines her own experience with severe depression and a host of other conditions, and explains how it has led her to live life to the fullest:

"I've often thought that people with severe depression have developed such a well for experiencing extreme emotion that they might be able to experience extreme joy in a way that â€normal people' also might never understand. And that's what Furiously Happy is all about."

Jenny’s readings are standing room only, with fans lining up to have Jenny sign their bottles of Xanax or Prozac as often as they are to have her sign their books. Furiously Happy appeals to Jenny's core fan base but also transcends it. There are so many people out there struggling with depression and mental illness, either themselves or someone in their family—and in Furiously Happy they will find a member of their tribe offering up an uplifting message (via a taxidermied roadkill raccoon). Let's Pretend This Never Happened ostensibly was about embracing your own weirdness, but deep down it was about family. Furiously Happy is about depression and mental illness, but deep down it's about joy—and who doesn't want a bit more of that?]]> 329 Jenny Lawson 1250077028 Beth 4 2018, humor, nonfiction Even though it's cheese."

A particular bit about a taxidermy bear for her 18th anniversary caused me to hand the book over to my husband, as our own 18th anniversary is coming up. He immediately started laughing then looked up. "Wow, she gets attacked by inanimate objects just like you!" To which I said, "Yeah, um, I might I have some things in common with the author." I will be encouraging him to read the full book next.]]> 4.08 2015 Furiously Happy
author: Jenny Lawson
name: Beth
average rating: 4.08
book published: 2015
rating: 4
read at: 2018/05/09
date added: 2024/10/22
shelves: 2018, humor, nonfiction
review:
Wacky, funny, and blunt, Jenny Lawson (aka The Bloggess) discusses everything from her Australia trip to her passion for unusual taxidermy in this book. I deeply appreciate how she lays everything out there about mental illness. Her definition of depression is one of the best I have ever encountered: "Depression is like . . . when you don't want to eat cheese anymore. Even though it's cheese."

A particular bit about a taxidermy bear for her 18th anniversary caused me to hand the book over to my husband, as our own 18th anniversary is coming up. He immediately started laughing then looked up. "Wow, she gets attacked by inanimate objects just like you!" To which I said, "Yeah, um, I might I have some things in common with the author." I will be encouraging him to read the full book next.
]]> Remarkably Bright Creatures 58733693 Remarkably Bright Creatures, an exploration of friendship, reckoning, and hope, tracing a widow's unlikely connection with a giant Pacific octopus.

After Tova Sullivan's husband died, she began working the night shift at the Sowell Bay Aquarium, mopping floors and tidying up. Keeping busy has always helped her cope, which she's been doing since her eighteen-year-old son, Erik, mysteriously vanished on a boat in Puget Sound over thirty years ago.

Tova becomes acquainted with curmudgeonly Marcellus, a giant Pacific octopus living at the aquarium. Marcellus knows more than anyone can imagine but wouldn't dream of lifting one of his eight arms for his human captors--until he forms a remarkable friendship with Tova.

Ever the detective, Marcellus deduces what happened the night Tova's son disappeared. And now Marcellus must use every trick his old invertebrate body can muster to unearth the truth for her before it's too late.

Shelby Van Pelt's debut novel is a gentle reminder that sometimes taking a hard look at the past can help uncover a future that once felt impossible.]]> 368 Shelby Van Pelt 0063204150 Beth 5 2024, literary, borrowed
What a beautiful book. Great, nuanced characters (including Cameron, though his affable loser ways drove me nuts more than once). At the center of the book is a deep, realistic friendship between an elderly cleaning lady, deep in grief, and a giant Pacific octopus entrapped in an aquarium. The way the threads tie together in the end is sheer artwork. ]]> 4.35 2022 Remarkably Bright Creatures
author: Shelby Van Pelt
name: Beth
average rating: 4.35
book published: 2022
rating: 5
read at: 2024/10/16
date added: 2024/10/16
shelves: 2024, literary, borrowed
review:
I read this for a book club for October 2024. I borrowed it from my local library.

What a beautiful book. Great, nuanced characters (including Cameron, though his affable loser ways drove me nuts more than once). At the center of the book is a deep, realistic friendship between an elderly cleaning lady, deep in grief, and a giant Pacific octopus entrapped in an aquarium. The way the threads tie together in the end is sheer artwork.
]]> Cat's People 215805897 A stray cat brings together five strangers over the course of one fateful summer in this heartwarming novel about love, found family, and the power of connection.

Núria, a single-by-choice barista with a resentment for the “crazy cat lady� label, is a member of The Meow-Yorkers, a group in Brooklyn who takes care of the neighborhood’s stray cats. On one of her volunteering days, she starts finding Post-It notes from a secret admirer at the spot where her favorite stray lives—a black cat named Cat. Like most cats, he is rather curious and sly, so of course he knows who the notes are from. Núria, however, is clueless.

Are the notes from Collin, a bestselling author and self-professed hermit with a weakness for good coffee? Are they from Lily, a fresh-out-of-high school Georgia native searching for her long-lost half-sister? Are they from Omar, the beloved neighborhood mailman going through an early mid-life crisis? Or are they from Bong, the grieving widower who owns her favorite bodega? When Cat suddenly falls ill, these five strangers find themselves connected in their desire to care for him and discover that chance encounters can lead to the meaningful connections they've been searching for.]]> 304 Tanya Guerrero 059387384X Beth 5
I want to live in this world with these characters. Disparate neighbors in Brooklyn form a found family revolving around a stray black cat in this incredibly sweet and tender contemporary novel. Really, this is ideal for book clubs! NĂşria is content as a barista and cat rescue volunteer; Colin is a grumpy reclusive bestselling author; Omar is the gay mailman who has befriended many people on his route; Lily is a recent transplant from Georgia, gathering up nerve to approach the sister she has never known; Bong is devastated from the sudden death of his wife, and struggles to keep his bodega going. And, of course, there is Cat, a streetwise fixed male who understands much.

In some books, one perspective or another stands out as a favorite. I loved all of these people, and Cat as well. Their portrayals are realistic and nuanced, never delving into saccharine.

I think I would've loved this book whenever I read it, but I happened to have started this galley on a day of plane travel, and I ended up having a 2 hour layover turn into a 5 hour one and I was panicked that the last flight may be canceled completely. This book was my solace and truly helped me to survive hours of high anxiety and exhaustion. Sometimes, the right book is there right when you need it.]]> 4.23 2025 Cat's People
author: Tanya Guerrero
name: Beth
average rating: 4.23
book published: 2025
rating: 5
read at: 2024/10/13
date added: 2024/10/13
shelves: 2024, cats, literary, netgalley
review:
I received an advance copy vi NetGalley.

I want to live in this world with these characters. Disparate neighbors in Brooklyn form a found family revolving around a stray black cat in this incredibly sweet and tender contemporary novel. Really, this is ideal for book clubs! NĂşria is content as a barista and cat rescue volunteer; Colin is a grumpy reclusive bestselling author; Omar is the gay mailman who has befriended many people on his route; Lily is a recent transplant from Georgia, gathering up nerve to approach the sister she has never known; Bong is devastated from the sudden death of his wife, and struggles to keep his bodega going. And, of course, there is Cat, a streetwise fixed male who understands much.

In some books, one perspective or another stands out as a favorite. I loved all of these people, and Cat as well. Their portrayals are realistic and nuanced, never delving into saccharine.

I think I would've loved this book whenever I read it, but I happened to have started this galley on a day of plane travel, and I ended up having a 2 hour layover turn into a 5 hour one and I was panicked that the last flight may be canceled completely. This book was my solace and truly helped me to survive hours of high anxiety and exhaustion. Sometimes, the right book is there right when you need it.
]]> The Queens of Crime 211003830 The Mystery of Mrs. Christie returns with a thrilling story of Christie’s legendary rival Dorothy Sayers, the race to solve a murder, and the power of friendship among women.

London, 1930. The five greatest women crime writers have banded together to form a secret society with a single goal: to show they are no longer willing to be treated as second-class citizens by their male counterparts in the legendary Detection Club. Led by the formidable Dorothy L. Sayers, the group includes Agatha Christie, Ngaio Marsh, Margery Allingham and Baroness Emma Orczy. They call themselves the Queens of Crime. Their plan? Solve an actual murder, that of a young woman found strangled in a park in France who may have connections leading to the highest levels of the British establishment.

May Daniels, a young English nurse on an excursion to France with her friend, seemed to vanish into thin air as they prepared to board a ferry home. Months later, her body is found in the nearby woods. The murder has all the hallmarks of a locked room mystery for which these authors are famous: how did her killer manage to sneak her body out of a crowded train station without anyone noticing? If, as the police believe, the cause of death is manual strangulation, why is there is an extraordinary amount of blood at the crime scene? What is the meaning of a heartbreaking secret letter seeming to implicate an unnamed paramour? Determined to solve the highly publicized murder, the Queens of Crime embark on their own investigation, discovering they’re stronger together. But soon the killer targets Dorothy Sayers herself, threatening to expose a dark secret in her past that she would do anything to keep hidden.

Inspired by a true story in Sayers� own life, New York Times bestselling author Marie Benedict brings to life the lengths to which five talented women writers will go to be taken seriously in the male-dominated world of letters as they unpuzzle a mystery torn from the pages of their own novels.]]> 310 Marie Benedict 1250280753 Beth 3
This new work from repeated bestseller Benedict brings together five early 1930s mavens of mystery, headed up by Dorothy Sayers: Agatha Christie, Ngaio Marsh, Margery Allingham and Baroness Emma Orczy. When they join a detective writer society dominated by men, they are dismissed and ignored even by those they deemed allies. Riled, they set upon a method of proving themselves: by solving the genuine locked door mystery of a British nurse, May Daniels, who recently vanished in France, her body just discovered.

As they uncover details about the young woman’s life and death, her case becomes personal, not a means to an end. The women use their ingenuity to talk to the woman’s family, friends, and police, drawing uncomfortable attention upon themselves as they seek to right a wrong.

I read one of the author’s previous books, The Mystery of Mrs. Christie, and liked it well enough, especially as it aided my research needs. It was interesting to see her take on Agatha as a character again, years later. I hope regular genre readers will understand what I mean when I say this very much reads like literary fiction, not a cozy mystery. It is more about the women and their growing friendships; the mystery feels largely solved early on, with lack of proof a main issue through an ending that lacked the significant twists one expects in a full-on mystery. That said, it’s still a fun read, and I imagine it will spur others (as it did me) to see out books by the other women authors (beyond Christie) in the cadre.

]]> 3.81 2025 The Queens of Crime
author: Marie Benedict
name: Beth
average rating: 3.81
book published: 2025
rating: 3
read at: 2024/10/12
date added: 2024/10/13
shelves: 2024, mystery, netgalley, literary, historical
review:
I received an advance copy via NetGalley.

This new work from repeated bestseller Benedict brings together five early 1930s mavens of mystery, headed up by Dorothy Sayers: Agatha Christie, Ngaio Marsh, Margery Allingham and Baroness Emma Orczy. When they join a detective writer society dominated by men, they are dismissed and ignored even by those they deemed allies. Riled, they set upon a method of proving themselves: by solving the genuine locked door mystery of a British nurse, May Daniels, who recently vanished in France, her body just discovered.

As they uncover details about the young woman’s life and death, her case becomes personal, not a means to an end. The women use their ingenuity to talk to the woman’s family, friends, and police, drawing uncomfortable attention upon themselves as they seek to right a wrong.

I read one of the author’s previous books, The Mystery of Mrs. Christie, and liked it well enough, especially as it aided my research needs. It was interesting to see her take on Agatha as a character again, years later. I hope regular genre readers will understand what I mean when I say this very much reads like literary fiction, not a cozy mystery. It is more about the women and their growing friendships; the mystery feels largely solved early on, with lack of proof a main issue through an ending that lacked the significant twists one expects in a full-on mystery. That said, it’s still a fun read, and I imagine it will spur others (as it did me) to see out books by the other women authors (beyond Christie) in the cadre.


]]> Brightly Shining 208580627 192 Ingvild H. Rishøi 0802163491 Beth 2
This Norwegian novella, written by Ingvild H. Rishøi and translated into English by Caroline Waight, was a major bestseller in Norway. Young Ronja is largely cared for by her older sister, Melissa. Their father dotes on them, but he's an alcoholic. His new job at a Christmas tree farm is paying well, and then he succumbs to addiction again. Melissa pleads to take over his job, trying to balance both work and school, while Ronja begins to hang around the tree lot, too. Soon, she takes up sales at the lot as well as part of a scheme run by Melissa's compassionate boss--a ploy that the big boss doesn't agree with one bit.

The description of the book misled me into thinking this was a story that touched on darkness but was ultimately a hopeful holiday tale. Uh, nope. This is dark, dark, dark. There's a reference early on to the classic story "The Little Matchgirl," and that imagery circulates again in a magical realism ending that is profoundly unsatisfying. That said, there are many wonderful aspects to the book. Ronja's voice is imaginative and bright, and the descriptions of her emotions around her father and his addiction are heartbreaking. Technically, the writing is great, but I really hoped for something different of the story.]]> 3.67 2021 Brightly Shining
author: Ingvild H. Rishøi
name: Beth
average rating: 3.67
book published: 2021
rating: 2
read at: 2024/10/07
date added: 2024/10/07
shelves: 2024, literary, netgalley, novella
review:
I received an advance copy via NetGalley.

This Norwegian novella, written by Ingvild H. Rishøi and translated into English by Caroline Waight, was a major bestseller in Norway. Young Ronja is largely cared for by her older sister, Melissa. Their father dotes on them, but he's an alcoholic. His new job at a Christmas tree farm is paying well, and then he succumbs to addiction again. Melissa pleads to take over his job, trying to balance both work and school, while Ronja begins to hang around the tree lot, too. Soon, she takes up sales at the lot as well as part of a scheme run by Melissa's compassionate boss--a ploy that the big boss doesn't agree with one bit.

The description of the book misled me into thinking this was a story that touched on darkness but was ultimately a hopeful holiday tale. Uh, nope. This is dark, dark, dark. There's a reference early on to the classic story "The Little Matchgirl," and that imagery circulates again in a magical realism ending that is profoundly unsatisfying. That said, there are many wonderful aspects to the book. Ronja's voice is imaginative and bright, and the descriptions of her emotions around her father and his addiction are heartbreaking. Technically, the writing is great, but I really hoped for something different of the story.
]]> <![CDATA[Honor in the Dust: Theodore Roosevelt, War in the Philippines, and the Rise and Fall of America's Imperial Dream]]> 7917083 464 Gregg Jones 0451229045 Beth 4
Jones is a Pulitzer-Prize finalist journalist with years of firsthand experience in the Philippines. The events in his book took place over a hundred years ago but remain incredibly relevant today as the United States engages in war, holds prisoners, and confronts issues of confessions arising from torture. America entered the Philippines in 1898, boasting that it would save the benighted people from Spanish abuses... and within years, ended up doing many of the same things as the Spanish. The American takeover was fairly straightforward, but when the Americans allowed the Filipinos no representation (not even in the peace talks with Spain) and treated citizens as subhuman, a brutal guerilla war began. American soldiers and marines engaged in terrible acts, including "water cure" torture. War trials took place and the media and public were appalled by what happened, but the only soldier to really be punished was a whistleblower.

Roosevelt's role in everything was complicated, as he was a very complicated man. His pushed for an American empire abroad, one with high ideals, and his administration did whatever it could to cover up what really happened in the Far East. He didn't approve of brutal tactics but also excused what happened as part of war. At the same time, he was still a progressive who wanted to see American blacks treated as full citizens; he called out his critics who railed against him about actions in the Philippines, even as the United States dealt with horrible lynchings of blacks across the South.

I found this to be a fantastic book for my research, and one I think more people should read. It's part of American history that is almost entirely ignored due to its shameful nature, and as a country, we should face what happened and actively seek to do better.]]> 3.91 2012 Honor in the Dust: Theodore Roosevelt, War in the Philippines, and the Rise and Fall of America's Imperial Dream
author: Gregg Jones
name: Beth
average rating: 3.91
book published: 2012
rating: 4
read at: 2016/04/01
date added: 2024/10/07
shelves: 2016, nonfiction, research, history
review:
This easy-to-read and intelligent nonfiction work focuses on the Spanish-American War with an emphasis on American behavior and abuses in the Philippines. I have read many books on Theodore Roosevelt, and while works on his early presidency mention the public relations disaster out of the Philippines, none went into detail. This one does. It's disturbing and thought-provoking.

Jones is a Pulitzer-Prize finalist journalist with years of firsthand experience in the Philippines. The events in his book took place over a hundred years ago but remain incredibly relevant today as the United States engages in war, holds prisoners, and confronts issues of confessions arising from torture. America entered the Philippines in 1898, boasting that it would save the benighted people from Spanish abuses... and within years, ended up doing many of the same things as the Spanish. The American takeover was fairly straightforward, but when the Americans allowed the Filipinos no representation (not even in the peace talks with Spain) and treated citizens as subhuman, a brutal guerilla war began. American soldiers and marines engaged in terrible acts, including "water cure" torture. War trials took place and the media and public were appalled by what happened, but the only soldier to really be punished was a whistleblower.

Roosevelt's role in everything was complicated, as he was a very complicated man. His pushed for an American empire abroad, one with high ideals, and his administration did whatever it could to cover up what really happened in the Far East. He didn't approve of brutal tactics but also excused what happened as part of war. At the same time, he was still a progressive who wanted to see American blacks treated as full citizens; he called out his critics who railed against him about actions in the Philippines, even as the United States dealt with horrible lynchings of blacks across the South.

I found this to be a fantastic book for my research, and one I think more people should read. It's part of American history that is almost entirely ignored due to its shameful nature, and as a country, we should face what happened and actively seek to do better.
]]> Water Moon 211479192 A woman inherits a pawnshop where you can sell your regrets, and then embarks on a magical journey when a charming young physicist wanders into the shop, in this dreamlike and enchanting fantasy novel.

On a backstreet in Tokyo lies a pawnshop, but not everyone can find it. Most will see a cozy ramen restaurant. And only the chosen ones—those who are lost—will find a place to pawn their life choices and deepest regrets.

Hana Ishikawa wakes on her first morning as the pawnshop’s new owner to find it ransacked, the shop’s most precious acquisition stolen, and her father missing. And then into the shop stumbles a charming stranger, quite unlike its other customers, for he offers help instead of seeking it.

Together, they must journey through a mystical world to find Hana’s father and the stolen choice—by way of rain puddles, rides on paper cranes, the bridge between midnight and morning, and a night market in the clouds.

But as they get closer to the truth, Hana must reveal a secret of her own—and risk making a choice that she will never be able to take back.]]> 384 Samantha Sotto Yambao 0593724992 Beth 3 2024, japanese, fantasy
In Tokyo, some people think they are entering a restaurant only to find a pawn shop instead. Little do they know, they've crossed to another world where they can trade a regret--a choice--for peace as they move onward. This is the place where Hana has grown up, trained by her father to take over the shop someday, forever weighed down by the knowledge that her mother stole a client's choice and was killed because of it.

On the day after her father's retirement, she awakens to find the shop ransacked, her father gone. A strange man enters--a physicist from Earth, and someone who hasn't come to trade a choice. He insists on helping her--and continues to do so as they begin a fantastical quest to find her father and answers.

This is a mind-bending trippy book that put me in mind of the movie What Dreams May Come. Hana's parallel world to Earth doesn't operate as ours does. Something akin to magic imbues everything, and the plot unveils constant surprises. I'm a frequent fantasy reader and I struggled to track what was happening at times--I can imagine some people would be utterly lost. I found it to be a worthwhile journey, however, with a sweet romance and a satisfying finale.]]> 3.78 2025 Water Moon
author: Samantha Sotto Yambao
name: Beth
average rating: 3.78
book published: 2025
rating: 3
read at: 2024/10/05
date added: 2024/10/05
shelves: 2024, japanese, fantasy
review:
I received an advance copy from NetGalley.

In Tokyo, some people think they are entering a restaurant only to find a pawn shop instead. Little do they know, they've crossed to another world where they can trade a regret--a choice--for peace as they move onward. This is the place where Hana has grown up, trained by her father to take over the shop someday, forever weighed down by the knowledge that her mother stole a client's choice and was killed because of it.

On the day after her father's retirement, she awakens to find the shop ransacked, her father gone. A strange man enters--a physicist from Earth, and someone who hasn't come to trade a choice. He insists on helping her--and continues to do so as they begin a fantastical quest to find her father and answers.

This is a mind-bending trippy book that put me in mind of the movie What Dreams May Come. Hana's parallel world to Earth doesn't operate as ours does. Something akin to magic imbues everything, and the plot unveils constant surprises. I'm a frequent fantasy reader and I struggled to track what was happening at times--I can imagine some people would be utterly lost. I found it to be a worthwhile journey, however, with a sweet romance and a satisfying finale.
]]> Outlawed 50997696 In the year of our Lord 1894, I became an outlaw.

The day of her wedding, 17 year old Ada's life looks good; she loves her husband, and she loves working as an apprentice to her mother, a respected midwife. But after a year of marriage and no pregnancy, in a town where barren women are routinely hanged as witches, her survival depends on leaving behind everything she knows.

She joins up with the notorious Hole in the Wall Gang, a band of outlaws led by a preacher-turned-robber known to all as the Kid. Charismatic, grandiose, and mercurial, the Kid is determined to create a safe haven for outcast women. But to make this dream a reality, the Gang hatches a treacherous plan that may get them all killed. And Ada must decide whether she's willing to risk her life for the possibility of a new kind of future for them all.

Featuring an irresistibly no-nonsense, courageous, and determined heroine, Outlawed dusts off the myth of the old West and reignites the glimmering promise of the frontier with an entirely new set of feminist stakes. Anna North has crafted a pulse-racing, page-turning saga about the search for hope in the wake of death, and for truth in a climate of small-mindedness and fear.]]> 261 Anna North Beth 3 2024, borrowed, western
Outlawed is like Handmaid's Tale in an alt history Old West. In this take on 1894, much of humanity was killed off decades before in a major influenza epidemic. In the aftermath of the calamity, what remains of western America is ruled by a perverted fundamentalist Christianity; a woman's full value is in her ability to have children. If she can't have children, or even if she does but has other points against her because of spite or infirmity, she can be accused of witchcraft and killed.

This is the world in which Ada grows up, the daughter of a midwife. She's a dutiful daughter, wife, and citizen, but when she doesn't get pregnant after months of marriage, other people turn on her. Before she can be jailed, though, her mother slips her away to a convent for other exiled women--but Ada doesn't fit there, either, as she yearns to be a midwife like her mother. As the title makes clear, she ends up an outlaw.

This is the kind of book I only finished for the sake of book club discussion. For one, it's a dark world to delve into. A second and bigger issue, though, is that Ada frustrated me as a lead character. While I don't like characters who are perfect in every way, Ada is the opposite--she fumbles everything. After a while, it strained my belief that she was still alive.

The ending ended up bugging me, too. While Ada's conclusion feels right, the death of another character struck me as annoyingly cliche and unnecessary. ]]> 3.47 2021 Outlawed
author: Anna North
name: Beth
average rating: 3.47
book published: 2021
rating: 3
read at: 2024/10/01
date added: 2024/10/01
shelves: 2024, borrowed, western
review:
I borrowed this from my library. It's a book club read for me in November.

Outlawed is like Handmaid's Tale in an alt history Old West. In this take on 1894, much of humanity was killed off decades before in a major influenza epidemic. In the aftermath of the calamity, what remains of western America is ruled by a perverted fundamentalist Christianity; a woman's full value is in her ability to have children. If she can't have children, or even if she does but has other points against her because of spite or infirmity, she can be accused of witchcraft and killed.

This is the world in which Ada grows up, the daughter of a midwife. She's a dutiful daughter, wife, and citizen, but when she doesn't get pregnant after months of marriage, other people turn on her. Before she can be jailed, though, her mother slips her away to a convent for other exiled women--but Ada doesn't fit there, either, as she yearns to be a midwife like her mother. As the title makes clear, she ends up an outlaw.

This is the kind of book I only finished for the sake of book club discussion. For one, it's a dark world to delve into. A second and bigger issue, though, is that Ada frustrated me as a lead character. While I don't like characters who are perfect in every way, Ada is the opposite--she fumbles everything. After a while, it strained my belief that she was still alive.

The ending ended up bugging me, too. While Ada's conclusion feels right, the death of another character struck me as annoyingly cliche and unnecessary.
]]> <![CDATA[Regeneration (Echo Hunter 367 #2)]]> 30655774
The Church has stood for hundreds of years, preserving the sole surviving city in a desert wasteland. When Echo Hunter 367 is sent out past the Church's farthest outposts, she's sure it's a suicide mission. But just when she's about to give up hope, she finds the impossible - another thriving community, lush and green, with a counsel of leaders who take her in.

Wary of this new society, with ways so different from the only life she's ever known, Echo is determined to complete her mission and bring hope back to the Church. She's unsure who she can trust, and must be strong and not be seduced by their clean, fresh water, and plentiful energy sources. If she plays her cards right, she may even still have a chance to save the woman she loves.]]> 384 Stacey Berg 0062466143 Beth 0 4.05 Regeneration (Echo Hunter 367 #2)
author: Stacey Berg
name: Beth
average rating: 4.05
book published:
rating: 0
read at: 2017/01/20
date added: 2024/10/01
shelves: 2017, blurbed, post-apocalyptic
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Bianco: Pizza, Pasta, and Other Food I Like]]> 34522289
"The road to pizza Nirvana goes through Phoenix...it just might be the best pizza in America." -Ed Levine, New York Times

When Chris Bianco started Pizzeria Bianco inside the back corner of a neighborhood grocery store in 1988, he had no idea that he would be a driving force in the artisanal pizza movement. All he knew was that his food would be the result of his relationships with farmers, local producers, customers, and staff, reflecting the respect and sincere intention that he brings to each of his recipes.

Now the owner of a legendary pizza mecca and a James Beard award-winning chef, Chris Bianco brings us a full-color, fully illustrated cookbook illuminating the fundamentals of pizza making, from the basics of flour and water to the philosophy behind Bianco’s cooking. The book features recipes for his signature pies as well as strategies and techniques for translating chef’s methods to the home kitchen.

Bianco celebrates both the simple and the nuanced, revealing the methods that lead to the perfect crust, the sweetest tomato sauce, the creamiest mozzarella, and the most expertly balanced flavor combinations. It also features recipes for market salads, tasting plates, and dessert options, as well as the staff meals that are cooked behind the scenes and a new array of main courses showcased at Chris’s wildly popular restaurants. With its attention to detail and tips for making unforgettable, flavorful pies, Bianco is an essential companion for any serious pizza maker.]]> 222 Chris Bianco 0062224387 Beth 3 2019, cookbook, borrowed Bianco turned me off from the start after he recommended the reader make friends with their local wheat grower to get access to fresh-made flour. That's nice. Nice, and not the slightest bit realistic. I feel like I'm splurging when I get King Arthur Bread Flour.

Reading through, there's a strong sense that Chris Bianco is an excellent cook who loves food. I'd eat in his restaurants for sure. But I found very few of these recipes were ones I'd want to attempt at home. It didn't help that many recipes did not have a photograph, which is a must to me; I read the ebook so I don't know if this is a problem with the print edition as well. The existing photographs are lovely, though. It just needs more, which is the feeling I was left with overall: I wanted more, and the book didn't deliver.

Merged review:

A good cookbook should inspire a person to cook. Perhaps the very attitude of Bianco turned me off from the start after he recommended the reader make friends with their local wheat grower to get access to fresh-made flour. That's nice. Nice, and not the slightest bit realistic. I feel like I'm splurging when I get King Arthur Bread Flour.

Reading through, there's a strong sense that Chris Bianco is an excellent cook who loves food. I'd eat in his restaurants for sure. But I found very few of these recipes were ones I'd want to attempt at home. It didn't help that many recipes did not have a photograph, which is a must to me; I read the ebook so I don't know if this is a problem with the print edition as well. The existing photographs are lovely, though. It just needs more, which is the feeling I was left with overall: I wanted more, and the book didn't deliver.]]> 4.11 Bianco: Pizza, Pasta, and Other Food I Like
author: Chris Bianco
name: Beth
average rating: 4.11
book published:
rating: 3
read at: 2019/07/12
date added: 2024/09/26
shelves: 2019, cookbook, borrowed
review:
A good cookbook should inspire a person to cook. Perhaps the very attitude of Bianco turned me off from the start after he recommended the reader make friends with their local wheat grower to get access to fresh-made flour. That's nice. Nice, and not the slightest bit realistic. I feel like I'm splurging when I get King Arthur Bread Flour.

Reading through, there's a strong sense that Chris Bianco is an excellent cook who loves food. I'd eat in his restaurants for sure. But I found very few of these recipes were ones I'd want to attempt at home. It didn't help that many recipes did not have a photograph, which is a must to me; I read the ebook so I don't know if this is a problem with the print edition as well. The existing photographs are lovely, though. It just needs more, which is the feeling I was left with overall: I wanted more, and the book didn't deliver.

Merged review:

A good cookbook should inspire a person to cook. Perhaps the very attitude of Bianco turned me off from the start after he recommended the reader make friends with their local wheat grower to get access to fresh-made flour. That's nice. Nice, and not the slightest bit realistic. I feel like I'm splurging when I get King Arthur Bread Flour.

Reading through, there's a strong sense that Chris Bianco is an excellent cook who loves food. I'd eat in his restaurants for sure. But I found very few of these recipes were ones I'd want to attempt at home. It didn't help that many recipes did not have a photograph, which is a must to me; I read the ebook so I don't know if this is a problem with the print edition as well. The existing photographs are lovely, though. It just needs more, which is the feeling I was left with overall: I wanted more, and the book didn't deliver.
]]> <![CDATA[That Librarian: The Fight Against Book Banning in America]]> 203579067 Part memoir, part manifesto, the inspiring story of a Louisiana librarian advocating for inclusivity on the front lines of our vicious culture wars. One of the things small town librarian Amanda Jones values most about books is how they can affirm a young person's sense of self. So in 2022, when she caught wind of a local public hearing that would discuss “book content,� she knew what was at stake. Schools and libraries nationwide have been bombarded by demands for books with LGTBQ+ references, discussions of racism, and more to be purged from the shelves. Amanda would be damned if her community were to ban stories representing minority groups. She spoke out that night at the meeting. Days later, she woke up to a nightmare that is still ongoing. Amanda Jones has been called a groomer, a pedo, and a porn-pusher; she has faced death threats and attacks from strangers and friends alike. Her decision to support a collection of books with diverse perspectives made her a target for extremists using book banning campaigns-funded by dark money organizations and advanced by hard right politicians-in a crusade to make America more white, straight, and Christian. But Amanda Jones wouldn't give up without a she sued her harassers for defamation and urged others to join her in the resistance. Mapping the book banning crisis occurring all across the nation, That Librarian draws the battle lines in the war against equity and inclusion, calling book lovers everywhere to rise in defense of our readers.]]> 288 Amanda Jones 1639733531 Beth 4 2024, nonfiction, borrowed
That Librarian reveals the disturbing, personal nature of the current attacks on LGBTQ and BOPOC books in libraries. It's about censorship, and the importance of books, and the emotional toll this kind of fight takes. This is a necessary book for librarians, Friends of the Libraries, teachers, and book lovers. I will note that it begins to feel repetitive through the middle; it would have been stronger with a lower word count, I think, but it's well worth muddling through for the hopeful ending and advice for other people and organizations amid similar fights.]]> 3.81 2024 That Librarian: The Fight Against Book Banning in America
author: Amanda Jones
name: Beth
average rating: 3.81
book published: 2024
rating: 4
read at: 2024/09/26
date added: 2024/09/26
shelves: 2024, nonfiction, borrowed
review:
I, quite appropriately, borrowed this from my local library.

That Librarian reveals the disturbing, personal nature of the current attacks on LGBTQ and BOPOC books in libraries. It's about censorship, and the importance of books, and the emotional toll this kind of fight takes. This is a necessary book for librarians, Friends of the Libraries, teachers, and book lovers. I will note that it begins to feel repetitive through the middle; it would have been stronger with a lower word count, I think, but it's well worth muddling through for the hopeful ending and advice for other people and organizations amid similar fights.
]]> <![CDATA[Creatures of Light (Woodwalker, #3)]]> 35008550
Queen Gemma—although she isn’t sure she still has claim to that title—is in prison.

To her people, it’s simply called “The Retreat,� but in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by guards and unable to speak to her husband, King Celeno, there’s no other word for it. The only comfort she has is knowing she might not be there long—the Prelate has let her know in no uncertain terms the council is, even now, deciding her ultimate fate.

And Gemma would resign herself to that if it wasn’t for a mysterious stranger breaking her free and setting her on a course that could change the world. With precious information—and a skeptical travel companion� Gemma must undertake a journey to find answers to the questions that have defined her life for years…and her country for centuries.

If she can make this desperate scheme work, she might not just forge peace between Alcoro and their neighbors, but win some peace of heart as well. And, perhaps, she’ll learn the same lessons Mae and Mona that being Queen doesn’t mean having to do everything alone.

Creatures of Light—the eponymous third and final book in Emily B. Martin’s series—is a novel filled with adventure, betrayal, and a queen’s lifelong struggle to love and trust herself.]]> 549 Emily B. Martin 0062688839 Beth 5 2020, fantasy Creatures of Light wraps up the delightfully cozy Woodwalker trilogy. This book follows the point of view of the queen of the "bad guys," Gemma, as she confronts the nature of her country's deeds, her marriage, and her future, all against a backdrop of rebellions and court politics. I won't delve into details, as I don't want to spoil anything, but Martin has created a satisfying conclusion for the trilogy. As always, I love the natural details that are integral to this original world--Martin's work as a park ranger really brings the setting to life.

I'm excited to start reading Sunshield next, the brand-new book set in this same world.

Merged review:

Creatures of Light wraps up the delightfully cozy Woodwalker trilogy. This book follows the point of view of the queen of the "bad guys," Gemma, as she confronts the nature of her country's deeds, her marriage, and her future, all against a backdrop of rebellions and court politics. I won't delve into details, as I don't want to spoil anything, but Martin has created a satisfying conclusion for the trilogy. As always, I love the natural details that are integral to this original world--Martin's work as a park ranger really brings the setting to life.

I'm excited to start reading Sunshield next, the brand-new book set in this same world.]]> 4.37 2018 Creatures of Light (Woodwalker, #3)
author: Emily B. Martin
name: Beth
average rating: 4.37
book published: 2018
rating: 5
read at: 2020/05/16
date added: 2024/09/24
shelves: 2020, fantasy
review:
Creatures of Light wraps up the delightfully cozy Woodwalker trilogy. This book follows the point of view of the queen of the "bad guys," Gemma, as she confronts the nature of her country's deeds, her marriage, and her future, all against a backdrop of rebellions and court politics. I won't delve into details, as I don't want to spoil anything, but Martin has created a satisfying conclusion for the trilogy. As always, I love the natural details that are integral to this original world--Martin's work as a park ranger really brings the setting to life.

I'm excited to start reading Sunshield next, the brand-new book set in this same world.

Merged review:

Creatures of Light wraps up the delightfully cozy Woodwalker trilogy. This book follows the point of view of the queen of the "bad guys," Gemma, as she confronts the nature of her country's deeds, her marriage, and her future, all against a backdrop of rebellions and court politics. I won't delve into details, as I don't want to spoil anything, but Martin has created a satisfying conclusion for the trilogy. As always, I love the natural details that are integral to this original world--Martin's work as a park ranger really brings the setting to life.

I'm excited to start reading Sunshield next, the brand-new book set in this same world.
]]> <![CDATA[Fondue or Die (Cheese Shop Mystery, #5)]]> 210171990
The small town of Yarrow Glen’s neighbor, Lockwood, hosts an annual Labor Day weekend bash: Dairy Days. And Willa Bauer and her cheese shop, Curds & Whey, refuse to miss out on the fun. Willa is thrilled to celebrate her favorite thing—she is a cheesemonger after all—and this festival goes all out: butter sculptures, goat races, cheese wheel relays, even a Miss Dairy pageant. Too bad the pageant runner, Nadine, is treating Dairy Days prep like it’s fondue or die and is putting everyone around her on edge. When Willa finds Nadine’s dead body under years� worth of ceramic milk jugs, the police aren’t sure whether the death was an accident. But fingers are pointing at Willa’s employee, Mrs. Schultz, who steps in to help the pageant after Nadine’s death. Someone wanted Nadine out of the whey, and Willa is going to find out who.]]> 304 Korina Moss 1250893917 Beth 5
Moss's Cheese Mystery series is one of my favorites, and this newest release is a solid addition to the series. This book stands well on its own, too, so don't be dissuaded from picking it up just because you haven't read the previous books! (But do so eventually. They are fun!)

Willa Bauer and the rest of "Team Cheese" are working at Dairy Days, an annual festival in a nearby Sonoma Valley town. Drama is swirling around the Dairy Pageant event, where teenage girls compete for a $15,000 scholarship. The pageant head, Nadine, is in a motorized wheelchair after an accident on stage, but continues to rule with an iron fist as mothers squabble and tension builds. When Willa finds Nadine dead under suspicious circumstances, she's appalled that the local law enforcement wants to temporarily squelch the investigation for the sake of the festival. Willa feels compelled to investigate--and she manages to rope in her off-and-on-again beau Heath as well.

I love when a mystery keeps me guessing until the end, and this one did just that. So many twists and turns! A festival makes such a good backdrop for a murder mystery. Of course, cheese is mentioned often throughout the book, and Moss highlighted some excellent ones.]]> 4.08 2024 Fondue or Die (Cheese Shop Mystery, #5)
author: Korina Moss
name: Beth
average rating: 4.08
book published: 2024
rating: 5
read at: 2024/09/24
date added: 2024/09/24
shelves: 2024, cheese, mystery, netgalley
review:
I received an advance copy via NetGalley.

Moss's Cheese Mystery series is one of my favorites, and this newest release is a solid addition to the series. This book stands well on its own, too, so don't be dissuaded from picking it up just because you haven't read the previous books! (But do so eventually. They are fun!)

Willa Bauer and the rest of "Team Cheese" are working at Dairy Days, an annual festival in a nearby Sonoma Valley town. Drama is swirling around the Dairy Pageant event, where teenage girls compete for a $15,000 scholarship. The pageant head, Nadine, is in a motorized wheelchair after an accident on stage, but continues to rule with an iron fist as mothers squabble and tension builds. When Willa finds Nadine dead under suspicious circumstances, she's appalled that the local law enforcement wants to temporarily squelch the investigation for the sake of the festival. Willa feels compelled to investigate--and she manages to rope in her off-and-on-again beau Heath as well.

I love when a mystery keeps me guessing until the end, and this one did just that. So many twists and turns! A festival makes such a good backdrop for a murder mystery. Of course, cheese is mentioned often throughout the book, and Moss highlighted some excellent ones.
]]> <![CDATA[Gulp: Adventures on the Alimentary Canal]]> 18377999 Washington Post) takes us down the hatch on an unforgettable tour. The alimentary canal is classic Mary Roach terrain: the questions explored in Gulp are as taboo, in their way, as the cadavers in Stiff and every bit as surreal as the universe of zero gravity explored in Packing for Mars. Why is crunchy food so appealing? Why is it so hard to find words for flavors and smells? Why doesn’t the stomach digest itself? How much can you eat before your stomach bursts? Can constipation kill you? Did it kill Elvis? In Gulp we meet scientists who tackle the questions no one else thinks of—or has the courage to ask. We go on location to a pet-food taste-test lab, a fecal transplant, and into a live stomach to observe the fate of a meal. With Roach at our side, we travel the world, meeting murderers and mad scientists, Eskimos and exorcists (who have occasionally administered holy water rectally), rabbis and terrorists—who, it turns out, for practical reasons do not conceal bombs in their digestive tracts.
Like all of Roach’s books, Gulp is as much about human beings as it is about human bodies.]]> 348 Mary Roach 0393348741 Beth 4 2024, medical, nonfiction Gulp is gross, irreverent, and utterly delightful. I learned about the mouth and on down, with emphasis on the down--I never expected the subject of rectal smuggling to be so fascinating.]]> 3.91 2013 Gulp: Adventures on the Alimentary Canal
author: Mary Roach
name: Beth
average rating: 3.91
book published: 2013
rating: 4
read at: 2024/09/23
date added: 2024/09/23
shelves: 2024, medical, nonfiction
review:
Mary Roach in fine form! Gulp is gross, irreverent, and utterly delightful. I learned about the mouth and on down, with emphasis on the down--I never expected the subject of rectal smuggling to be so fascinating.
]]> <![CDATA[Prairie Up: An Introduction to Natural Garden Design]]> 60557761 208 Benjamin Vogt 0252086775 Beth 4 Prairie Up is a thoughtful book about the importance of reverting standards lawns to native prairie grasses, legumes, and plants, and how to go about it. We recently moved to Minnesota and have about an acre of property in a small town. A few things I really appreciated about Vogt's approach: he's clear that the change to prairie plants is a process, not an instant thing, and that is not only because of time investment and cost, but because of entities like HOAs that may still insist a "wild lawn" is a violation; the beautiful photographs throughout include small spaces and large, and aren't all mansions and obviously-wealthy settings, which makes the shift feels approachable; he emphasizes the science and the kinds of seeds mixes needed and how to go about things, which is why I'll have my husband read this book as well as he'll be handling that technical side. I have a feeling I'll be referencing this book many times over in the coming years!]]> 4.48 Prairie Up: An Introduction to Natural Garden Design
author: Benjamin Vogt
name: Beth
average rating: 4.48
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2023/07/21
date added: 2024/09/23
shelves: 2023, nonfiction, minnesota, garden
review:
Prairie Up is a thoughtful book about the importance of reverting standards lawns to native prairie grasses, legumes, and plants, and how to go about it. We recently moved to Minnesota and have about an acre of property in a small town. A few things I really appreciated about Vogt's approach: he's clear that the change to prairie plants is a process, not an instant thing, and that is not only because of time investment and cost, but because of entities like HOAs that may still insist a "wild lawn" is a violation; the beautiful photographs throughout include small spaces and large, and aren't all mansions and obviously-wealthy settings, which makes the shift feels approachable; he emphasizes the science and the kinds of seeds mixes needed and how to go about things, which is why I'll have my husband read this book as well as he'll be handling that technical side. I have a feeling I'll be referencing this book many times over in the coming years!
]]> <![CDATA[Burning Girls and Other Stories]]> 53444868 When we came to America, we brought anger and socialism and hunger. We also brought our demons.

In Burning Girls and Other Stories, Veronica Schanoes crosses borders and genres with stories of fierce women at the margins of society burning their way toward the center. This debut collection introduces readers to a fantasist in the vein of Karen Russell and Kelly Link, with a voice all her own.

Emma Goldman—yes, that Emma Goldman—takes tea with the Baba Yaga and truths unfold inside of exquisitely crafted lies. In "Among the Thorns," a young woman in seventeenth century Germany is intent on avenging the brutal murder of her peddler father, but discovers that vengeance may consume all that it touches. In the showstopping, awards finalist title story, "Burning Girls," Schanoes invests the immigrant narrative with a fearsome fairytale quality that tells a story about America we may not want—but need—to hear.

Dreamy, dangerous, and precise, with the weight of the very oldest tales we tell, Burning Girls and Other Stories introduces a writer pushing the boundaries of both fantasy and contemporary fiction.

With a foreword by Jane Yolen]]> 224 Veronica Schanoes 1250781515 Beth 4
Veronica Schanoes's new collection from Tor includes an incredible breadth of work across a span of time and fantasy. The voices that she evokes are mesmerizing, intense, and memorable. I had read two of the included works before: "Phosphorous" and "Burning Girls," both being historical fantasy with resilient female immigrants and an exploration of socialism and corporate injustice. Those two stories alone are well worth the price of this book.

Every story in the collection is taut and well-written, but the historical fiction works are the ones I really enjoyed. "Among the Thorns" is just plain devastating. "Emma Goldman Takes Tea with the Baba Yaga" is an intriguing twist on the Baba Yaga mythology. "Phosphorous" and "Burning Girls" I'll mention again, because wow. They epitomize what I feel historical fantasy should be: deep and educational, and enjoyable, too. The other stories in the book were just a bit weird for my personal taste, but that's okay. I loved the book nevertheless because when Schanoes's stories resonated with me, they resonated hard.

This book will be released in March 2021.]]> 3.77 2021 Burning Girls and Other Stories
author: Veronica Schanoes
name: Beth
average rating: 3.77
book published: 2021
rating: 4
read at: 2020/11/18
date added: 2024/09/23
shelves: 2020, anthology, fantasy, historical, netgalley
review:
I received an advanced copy of this book through NetGalley.

Veronica Schanoes's new collection from Tor includes an incredible breadth of work across a span of time and fantasy. The voices that she evokes are mesmerizing, intense, and memorable. I had read two of the included works before: "Phosphorous" and "Burning Girls," both being historical fantasy with resilient female immigrants and an exploration of socialism and corporate injustice. Those two stories alone are well worth the price of this book.

Every story in the collection is taut and well-written, but the historical fiction works are the ones I really enjoyed. "Among the Thorns" is just plain devastating. "Emma Goldman Takes Tea with the Baba Yaga" is an intriguing twist on the Baba Yaga mythology. "Phosphorous" and "Burning Girls" I'll mention again, because wow. They epitomize what I feel historical fantasy should be: deep and educational, and enjoyable, too. The other stories in the book were just a bit weird for my personal taste, but that's okay. I loved the book nevertheless because when Schanoes's stories resonated with me, they resonated hard.

This book will be released in March 2021.
]]> <![CDATA[Carved from Stone and Dream (Los Nefilim #2)]]> 49430803 In this sequel to Where Oblivion Lives, the first entry in the Los Nefilim series set during the Spanish Civil War, a coded notebook containing the identities of Los Nefilim’s spies falls into enemy hands, and Diago is faced with an impossible betray Los Nefilim or save his family.

February 1939

Catalonia has fallen. Los Nefilim is in retreat.

With the Nationalist forces hard on their heels, the members of Los Nefilim—Spanish Nephilim that possess the power to harness music and light in the supernatural war between the angels and daimons—make a desperate run for the French border.

Diago Alvarez, a singular being of angelic and daimonic descent, follows Guillermo and a small group of nefilim through the Pyrenees, where the ice is as treacherous as postwar loyalties—both can kill with a single slip. When a notebook of Los Nefilim’s undercover operatives falls into a traitor’s hands, Diago and Guillermo risk their lives to track it down. As they uncover a pocket realm deep within the Pyrenees, Diago discovers his family is held hostage.

Faced with an impossible betray Los Nefilim, or watch his family die, Diago must nurture the daimonic song he has so long denied in order to save those he loves.]]> 368 T. Frohock 0062825763 Beth 5
Merged review:

A beautiful, intense dark fantasy novel that reads like a thriller with characters of incredible depth and nuance. The setting is 1939 in Spain and France. The earthly realm is in turmoil, and the supernatural war is escalating as well. This is historical fantasy at its finest, with realistic and heartfelt queer rep.]]> 4.32 2020 Carved from Stone and Dream (Los Nefilim #2)
author: T. Frohock
name: Beth
average rating: 4.32
book published: 2020
rating: 5
read at: 2020/07/04
date added: 2024/09/23
shelves: 2020, fantasy, ebook, historical
review:
A beautiful, intense dark fantasy novel that reads like a thriller with characters of incredible depth and nuance. The setting is 1939 in Spain and France. The earthly realm is in turmoil, and the supernatural war is escalating as well. This is historical fantasy at its finest, with realistic and heartfelt queer rep.

Merged review:

A beautiful, intense dark fantasy novel that reads like a thriller with characters of incredible depth and nuance. The setting is 1939 in Spain and France. The earthly realm is in turmoil, and the supernatural war is escalating as well. This is historical fantasy at its finest, with realistic and heartfelt queer rep.
]]> <![CDATA[Stormdancer (The Lotus War, #1)]]> 13628244 The Shima Imperium verges on the brink of environmental collapse; an island nation once rich in tradition and myth, now decimated by clockwork industrialization and the machine-worshipers of the Lotus Guild. The skies are red as blood, the land is choked with toxic pollution, and the great spirit animals that once roamed its wilds have departed forever.

AN IMPOSSIBLE QUEST
The hunters of Shima’s imperial court are charged by their Shōgun to capture a thunder tiger � a legendary creature, half-eagle, half-tiger. But any fool knows the beasts have been extinct for more than a century, and the price of failing the Shōgun is death.

A HIDDEN GIFT
Yukiko is a child of the Fox clan, possessed of a talent that if discovered, would see her executed by the Lotus Guild. Accompanying her father on the Shōgun’s hunt, she finds herself a young woman alone in Shima’s last wilderness, with only a furious, crippled thunder tiger for company. Even though she can hear his thoughts, even though she saved his life, all she knows for certain is he’d rather see her dead than help her.

But together, the pair will form an indomitable friendship, and rise to challenge the might of an empire.]]> 359 Jay Kristoff 1250017912 Beth 4
Buruu. I LOVE Buruu. I also enjoyed Kristoff's take on kitsune and their powers. The Emperor makes for the perfect villain. Sadly, the end was so predictable I'm not sure if I want to continue with the next book. But there is Buruu... and a lot of other unresolved plot issues, too.]]> 3.85 2012 Stormdancer (The Lotus War, #1)
author: Jay Kristoff
name: Beth
average rating: 3.85
book published: 2012
rating: 4
read at: 2015/06/14
date added: 2024/09/23
shelves: 2015, young-adult, steampunk, fantasy, japanese
review:
I think the best way to sum this up is Japanese-inspired steampunk YA crossed with the Hunger Games. The latter tells you that the plot is fairly predictable, but what really shines here is the world-building. This is a fresh secondary fantasy world heavily based on Japan. Industrialization has turned the skies red, the land barren, and the air unbreathable. It's fantastic. It could translate to an anime so well. I could see a reader who was unfamiliar with Japanese terms and mythology becoming lost early on, but I had no such problems. It was a little slow to start but once Yukiko met Buruu, it was very fast.

Buruu. I LOVE Buruu. I also enjoyed Kristoff's take on kitsune and their powers. The Emperor makes for the perfect villain. Sadly, the end was so predictable I'm not sure if I want to continue with the next book. But there is Buruu... and a lot of other unresolved plot issues, too.
]]> <![CDATA[The Deepest Poison (Clockwork Dagger, #0.5)]]> 25117185
Fans of Beth Cato's debut, The Clockwork Dagger, will love this journey into Octavia's past—as well as an exclusive excerpt from the sequel, The Clockwork Crown!]]> 48 Beth Cato 0062411241 Beth 0 3.57 2015 The Deepest Poison (Clockwork Dagger, #0.5)
author: Beth Cato
name: Beth
average rating: 3.57
book published: 2015
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/09/20
shelves: to-read, 2015, my-publications, steampunk, fantasy
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Thousand Names (The Shadow Campaigns, #1)]]> 15810910
Captain Marcus d’Ivoire, commander of one of the Vordanai empire’s colonial garrisons, was resigned to serving out his days in a sleepy, remote outpost. But that was before a rebellion upended his life. And once the powder smoke settled, he was left in charge of a demoralized force clinging tenuously to a small fortress at the edge of the desert.

To flee from her past, Winter Ihernglass masqueraded as a man and enlisted as a ranker in the Vordanai Colonials, hoping only to avoid notice. But when chance sees her promoted to command, she must win the hearts of her men and lead them into battle against impossible odds.

The fates of both these soldiers and all the men they lead depend on the newly arrived Colonel Janus bet Vhalnich, who has been sent by the ailing king to restore order. His military genius seems to know no bounds, and under his command, Marcus and Winter can feel the tide turning. But their allegiance will be tested as they begin to suspect that the enigmatic Janus’s ambitions extend beyond the battlefield and into the realm of the supernatural—a realm with the power to ignite a meteoric rise, reshape the known world, and change the lives of everyone in its path.]]> 513 Django Wexler 0451465105 Beth 5 2014, fantasy
Wexler creates a fantasy world with Napoleonic influences. It's a military with bayonets and muskets, where magic is regarded as a lost or demonic art. The military strategy is sound. The characters are complex, and the governments are not portrayed in clear black or white. What really made this book for me is the character of Winter. I adored her. I've always deeply admired women who bind their breasts and live as men to fight for their country.

I will definitely continue with this series, hopefully under more pleasant reading conditions.]]> 4.03 2013 The Thousand Names (The Shadow Campaigns, #1)
author: Django Wexler
name: Beth
average rating: 4.03
book published: 2013
rating: 5
read at: 2014/10/31
date added: 2024/09/17
shelves: 2014, fantasy
review:
A really good book is one that, even when you're in abject misery, allows you to completely escape. That's what this one did as I had dental work done this week. I was actually happy to sit there and have a full excuse to read for a prolonged period.

Wexler creates a fantasy world with Napoleonic influences. It's a military with bayonets and muskets, where magic is regarded as a lost or demonic art. The military strategy is sound. The characters are complex, and the governments are not portrayed in clear black or white. What really made this book for me is the character of Winter. I adored her. I've always deeply admired women who bind their breasts and live as men to fight for their country.

I will definitely continue with this series, hopefully under more pleasant reading conditions.
]]> Warrior Girl Unearthed 61675933
Thankfully she has the other outcasts of the summer program, Team Misfit Toys, and even her twin sister Pauline. Together they ace obstacle courses, plan vigils for missing women in the community, and make sure summer doesn’t feel so lost after all.

But when she attends a meeting at a local university, Perry learns about the “Warrior Girl�, an ancestor whose bones and knife are stored in the museum archives, and everything changes. Perry has to return Warrior Girl to her tribe. Determined to help, she learns all she can about NAGPRA, the federal law that allows tribes to request the return of ancestral remains and sacred items. The university has been using legal loopholes to hold onto Warrior Girl and twelve other Anishinaabe ancestors� remains, and Perry and the Misfits won’t let it go on any longer.

Using all of their skills and resources, the Misfits realize a heist is the only way to bring back the stolen artifacts and remains for good. But there is more to this repatriation than meets the eye as more women disappear and Pauline’s perfectionism takes a turn for the worse. As secrets and mysteries unfurl, Perry and the Misfits must fight to find a way to make things right � for the ancestors and for their community.]]> 396 Angeline Boulley 1250766583 Beth 4
As a club, we read Firekeeper's Daughter earlier this year, and we were blown away by the intensity of the narrative and the knowledge it imparted. I was thrilled when a librarian pointed out that there were enough of the sequel in the system for the club to read it when meetings resumed in the fall.

I wish I could give this 4 1/2 stars, but Ĺ·±¦ÓéŔÖ doesn't allow for halves. I found this to be a slower start than the first book, largely because Perry's impetuous attitude didn't engage me as much as Daunis's did. Once it got going, though, wow.

This book picks up about a decade after the first one and follows Perry, who along with her twin Pauline, was just 6 in the previous work. She is now a teenager with a full attitude, ready to spend her summer slacking off by fishing--until has an accident while speeding and dings the Jeep she shares with Pauline. She is forced to pay off the repairs by joining a tribal internship program.

Perry soon discovers the full disgrace of the United States government's program to repatriate stolen and looted dead Native Americans and their property, and gets deeper into that dilemma even as other women she knows go missing. The twin plots--the tragedies of the past twined with the present grief--make for a gripping narrative that I wish was just confined to horror fiction. That's why this isn't a book that I can say I enjoyed, because that feels like it trivializes the atrocities that this work addresses with passion and eloquence. Rather, I'm left more educated, and embarrassed for my country, and angry at continued injustices.

The end of this book, as with the first in the series, is brilliant and breathless. Boulley is an extraordinary writer.]]> 4.31 2023 Warrior Girl Unearthed
author: Angeline Boulley
name: Beth
average rating: 4.31
book published: 2023
rating: 4
read at: 2024/09/16
date added: 2024/09/16
shelves: 2024, young-adult, literary, borrowed
review:
I checked this out from my local library. It is a September book club read for me.

As a club, we read Firekeeper's Daughter earlier this year, and we were blown away by the intensity of the narrative and the knowledge it imparted. I was thrilled when a librarian pointed out that there were enough of the sequel in the system for the club to read it when meetings resumed in the fall.

I wish I could give this 4 1/2 stars, but Ĺ·±¦ÓéŔÖ doesn't allow for halves. I found this to be a slower start than the first book, largely because Perry's impetuous attitude didn't engage me as much as Daunis's did. Once it got going, though, wow.

This book picks up about a decade after the first one and follows Perry, who along with her twin Pauline, was just 6 in the previous work. She is now a teenager with a full attitude, ready to spend her summer slacking off by fishing--until has an accident while speeding and dings the Jeep she shares with Pauline. She is forced to pay off the repairs by joining a tribal internship program.

Perry soon discovers the full disgrace of the United States government's program to repatriate stolen and looted dead Native Americans and their property, and gets deeper into that dilemma even as other women she knows go missing. The twin plots--the tragedies of the past twined with the present grief--make for a gripping narrative that I wish was just confined to horror fiction. That's why this isn't a book that I can say I enjoyed, because that feels like it trivializes the atrocities that this work addresses with passion and eloquence. Rather, I'm left more educated, and embarrassed for my country, and angry at continued injustices.

The end of this book, as with the first in the series, is brilliant and breathless. Boulley is an extraordinary writer.
]]> The Gardener's Plot 203578860
After life threw Maggie Walker a few curveballs, she’s happy to be back in the small, Berkshires town where she spent so much time as a child. Marlowe holds many memories for her, and now it also offers a fresh start. Maggie has always loved gardening, so it’s only natural to sign on to help Violet Bloom set up a community garden.

When opening day arrives, Violet is nowhere to be found, and the gardeners are restless. Things go from bad to worse when Maggie finds a boot buried in one of the plots� and there’s a body attached to it. Suddenly, the police are looking for a killer and they keep asking questions about Violet. Maggie doesn’t believe her friend could do this, and she’s going to dig up the dirt needed to prove it.

The Gardener’s Plot takes readers to the heart of the Berkshires and introduces amateur sleuth Maggie Walker in Deborah J. Benoit’s Minotaur Books/Mystery Writers of America First Crime Novel Award-winning debut.]]> 321 Deborah J. Benoit 1250334977 Beth 3 2024, mystery, netgalley
Maggie has moved back to her small hometown, into her late grandmother's old house, soon after the death of her about-to-be ex. Gardening is her passion, and she's been looking forward to opening a new community garden with her friend Violet. However, when the garden opens up and boots--and a whole male body--are in a tilled bed and Violet is missing in action, Maggie sets out to find her friend her defiance of the authorities.

The small town setting and garden theme add fun to this cozy. I found the pace to be slow, though, and the cast didn't fully come to life. The murderer was someone I didn't expect, which is a nice surprise.

]]> 3.53 The Gardener's Plot
author: Deborah J. Benoit
name: Beth
average rating: 3.53
book published:
rating: 3
read at: 2024/09/12
date added: 2024/09/12
shelves: 2024, mystery, netgalley
review:
I received an advance galley through NetGalley.

Maggie has moved back to her small hometown, into her late grandmother's old house, soon after the death of her about-to-be ex. Gardening is her passion, and she's been looking forward to opening a new community garden with her friend Violet. However, when the garden opens up and boots--and a whole male body--are in a tilled bed and Violet is missing in action, Maggie sets out to find her friend her defiance of the authorities.

The small town setting and garden theme add fun to this cozy. I found the pace to be slow, though, and the cast didn't fully come to life. The murderer was someone I didn't expect, which is a nice surprise.


]]> The Sign of the Dragon 53256045 *** 2021 Elgin Award winner! ***Drawing on Chinese and Mongolian elements, award-winning poet Mary Soon Lee has penned an epic tale of politics, intrigue, and dragons perfect for fans of Game of Thrones and Beowulf.As the fourth-born prince of Meqing, Xau was never supposed to be king. But when his three older brothers are all deemed unfit to rule and eaten by a dragon, as is the custom, Xau suddenly finds himself on the Meqinese throne. The early years of his reign are marred by brutal earthquakes and floods, and the long-simmering tension with the neighboring country of Innis finally erupts into war. Worst of all, demons rise out of legend to walk the realm again, leaving death and destruction in their wake. In a desperate gamble, Xau must broker an uneasy peace with his former enemies and hope their combined strength is enough to vanquish the demons before it's too late.THE SIGN OF THE DRAGON is comprised of over 300 individual poems, including the Rhysling-winning "Interregnum." The first 60 poems appeared in the 2015 Dark Renaissance Books publication Crowned, which won the 2016 Elgin Award, and many individual poems have appeared in award-winning literary magazines such as Fantasy & Science Fiction, Spillway, and Strange Horizons. Collected together in its entirety for the very first time, with over 200 never-before-published poems, readers can finally enjoy King Xau's story of sacrifice and war and dragons from beginning to end.Mary Soon Lee is a poet and storyteller who has won the Elgin and the Rhysling awards. Her work has appeared in Analog, Asimov's, Daily Science Fiction, F&SF, Fireside, Science, and American Scholar. She is also the author of Elemental Poems to honor the periodic table three lines at a time. Born and raised in London, she now lives in Pennsylvania with her family.]]> 362 Mary Soon Lee Beth 5 2020, fantasy, poetry
The central character is King Xau, a fourth son never intended to be king. He never wanted to be king. Xau is a good human being, and that is one of the intense joys of this book. Even though it often deals honestly, graphically, with war and depravity, the verses are embodied with an overall positive message that good things happen when people strive to do good. We take that in through various viewpoints--Xau's, and those of dozens around him, from commoners in awe of a brief meeting to his avowed enemies to his beloved guards to the palace cat.

As a poetry book, it is entirely accessible. The verses flow, and emotions with them. This is a book that will make you FEEL. I can't even say how many verses brought tears to my eyes, and I had to fight sobs at the end.

I had read the first 60 poems in Mary Soon Lee's previous book Crowned (which I provided a blurb for), plus individual poems in a smattering of other publications. The Sign of the Dragon added 200 never-before-published poems to Xau's tale.

If you don't normally read poetry books, please, read this one. If you do read poetry, you'll be blown away at the beauty and flow of this novel told in verse. I already know this will be one of my favorites for the year. A favorite book, period.

Merged review:

I love this book. It's as close to perfect as a book can get, which is saying a lot, especially when I add that this is a novel-sized volume of fantasy poetry that truly reads like a novel.

The central character is King Xau, a fourth son never intended to be king. He never wanted to be king. Xau is a good human being, and that is one of the intense joys of this book. Even though it often deals honestly, graphically, with war and depravity, the verses are embodied with an overall positive message that good things happen when people strive to do good. We take that in through various viewpoints--Xau's, and those of dozens around him, from commoners in awe of a brief meeting to his avowed enemies to his beloved guards to the palace cat.

As a poetry book, it is entirely accessible. The verses flow, and emotions with them. This is a book that will make you FEEL. I can't even say how many verses brought tears to my eyes, and I had to fight sobs at the end.

I had read the first 60 poems in Mary Soon Lee's previous book Crowned (which I provided a blurb for), plus individual poems in a smattering of other publications. The Sign of the Dragon added 200 never-before-published poems to Xau's tale.

If you don't normally read poetry books, please, read this one. If you do read poetry, you'll be blown away at the beauty and flow of this novel told in verse. I already know this will be one of my favorites for the year. A favorite book, period.]]> 4.63 2020 The Sign of the Dragon
author: Mary Soon Lee
name: Beth
average rating: 4.63
book published: 2020
rating: 5
read at: 2020/06/03
date added: 2024/09/11
shelves: 2020, fantasy, poetry
review:
I love this book. It's as close to perfect as a book can get, which is saying a lot, especially when I add that this is a novel-sized volume of fantasy poetry that truly reads like a novel.

The central character is King Xau, a fourth son never intended to be king. He never wanted to be king. Xau is a good human being, and that is one of the intense joys of this book. Even though it often deals honestly, graphically, with war and depravity, the verses are embodied with an overall positive message that good things happen when people strive to do good. We take that in through various viewpoints--Xau's, and those of dozens around him, from commoners in awe of a brief meeting to his avowed enemies to his beloved guards to the palace cat.

As a poetry book, it is entirely accessible. The verses flow, and emotions with them. This is a book that will make you FEEL. I can't even say how many verses brought tears to my eyes, and I had to fight sobs at the end.

I had read the first 60 poems in Mary Soon Lee's previous book Crowned (which I provided a blurb for), plus individual poems in a smattering of other publications. The Sign of the Dragon added 200 never-before-published poems to Xau's tale.

If you don't normally read poetry books, please, read this one. If you do read poetry, you'll be blown away at the beauty and flow of this novel told in verse. I already know this will be one of my favorites for the year. A favorite book, period.

Merged review:

I love this book. It's as close to perfect as a book can get, which is saying a lot, especially when I add that this is a novel-sized volume of fantasy poetry that truly reads like a novel.

The central character is King Xau, a fourth son never intended to be king. He never wanted to be king. Xau is a good human being, and that is one of the intense joys of this book. Even though it often deals honestly, graphically, with war and depravity, the verses are embodied with an overall positive message that good things happen when people strive to do good. We take that in through various viewpoints--Xau's, and those of dozens around him, from commoners in awe of a brief meeting to his avowed enemies to his beloved guards to the palace cat.

As a poetry book, it is entirely accessible. The verses flow, and emotions with them. This is a book that will make you FEEL. I can't even say how many verses brought tears to my eyes, and I had to fight sobs at the end.

I had read the first 60 poems in Mary Soon Lee's previous book Crowned (which I provided a blurb for), plus individual poems in a smattering of other publications. The Sign of the Dragon added 200 never-before-published poems to Xau's tale.

If you don't normally read poetry books, please, read this one. If you do read poetry, you'll be blown away at the beauty and flow of this novel told in verse. I already know this will be one of my favorites for the year. A favorite book, period.
]]> <![CDATA[Parable of the Sower: A Graphic Novel Adaptation]]> 43908991 The follow-up to #1 New York Times µţ±đ˛őłŮ˛ő±đ±ô±ô±đ°ůĚýKindred: A Graphic Novel Adaptation, comes Octavia E. Butler’s groundbreaking dystopian novel

In this graphic novel adaptation of Octavia E. Butler’s Parable of the Sower by Damian Duffy and John Jennings, the award-winning team behind Kindred: A Graphic Novel Adaptation, the author portrays a searing vision of America’s future. In the year 2024, the country is marred by unattended environmental and economic crises that lead to social chaos. Lauren Olamina, a preacher’s daughter living in Los Angeles, is protected from danger by the walls of her gated community. However, in a night of fire and death, what begins as a fight for survival soon leads to something much more: a startling vision of human destiny . . . and the birth of a new faith.]]> 266 Damian Duffy 1419731335 Beth 4 3.98 2020 Parable of the Sower: A Graphic Novel Adaptation
author: Damian Duffy
name: Beth
average rating: 3.98
book published: 2020
rating: 4
read at: 2024/09/07
date added: 2024/09/08
shelves: 2024, classic, graphic-novel, science, ebook
review:
I had not read this full work by Octavia Butler, and decided to do so now as part of Banned Book Week. This post-apocalyptic tale follows a teenage girl raised in the ravaged remains of Southern California who has her mind on the nature of God and the ultimate survival of humanity. It is DARK. Incredibly dark. Darker than I would've liked right now, to be honest, and the graphic novel presentation with full gore and bared bodies added to the grim feel. The writing is eloquent, however, and I can see why the full work remains a classic.
]]> The Cheesemaker's Daughter 214304947 When Marina’s father summons her to their Croatian island from New York—and away from her evaporating marriage—to help him save his failing cheese factory, she must face her rocky past and an uncertain future.

How do you begin again when the past threatens to drown you?

In the throes of an unraveling marriage, New Yorker Marina Maržić returns to her native Croatian island where she helps her father with his struggling cheese factory, Sirana. Forced to confront her divided Croatian-American identity and her past as a refugee from the former Yugoslavia, Marina moves in with her parents on Pag and starts a new life working at Sirana. As she gradually settles back into a place that was once home, her life becomes inextricably intertwined with their island’s cheese. When her past with the son of a rival cheesemaker stokes further unrest on their divided island, she must find a way to save Sirana—and in the process, learn to belong on her own terms.

Exploring underlying cultural and ethnic tensions in a complex region mired in centuries of war and turmoil, The Cheesemaker’s Daughter takes us through the year before Croatia joins the European Union. On the dramatic moonscape island of Pag, we are transported to strikingly barren vistas, medieval towns, and the mesmerizing Adriatic Sea, providing a rare window into a tight-knit community with strong family ties in a corner of the world where divisions are both real and imagined. Asking questions central to identity and the meaning of home, this richly drawn story reckons with how we survive inherited and personal traumas, and what it means to heal and reinvent oneself in the face of life’s challenges.]]> 291 Kristin Vukovic Beth 3
I checked out this book after seeing a review in the Minnesota Star-Tribune. Cheese is my special interest, and I have only found a few cheeses from Croatia. I was interested in learning more about the area and its cheese. Of course, this was a literary fiction piece with a lot of interpersonal drama, so the cheese wasn't at the forefront. The set-up is that Marina returns to her hometown on Pag Island after living her adulthood in America, having come over for college right as her homeland's war ended in the 1990s. While she's returned home for holidays over the years, this time, things are different. Her marriage is fractured, and her family's cheese factory is struggling. She stays on, unsure of her direction in life, but well aware that her family needs her.

Some of the relationship stuff made me roll my eyes. I was afraid Marina was going to make some really stupid mistakes. However things annoyed me, I stuck with it out of concern for the cheese factory. Really, the book was fascinating in several regards. I learned a lot about the history of the area through a more intimate viewpoint. The way Pag is described is incredible, too--it made me want to see the island for myself. In the end, I was pleased that the plot wasn't fully predictable, but delivered a few surprises. ]]> 4.06 The Cheesemaker's Daughter
author: Kristin Vukovic
name: Beth
average rating: 4.06
book published:
rating: 3
read at: 2024/09/04
date added: 2024/09/05
shelves: 2024, cheese, literary, borrowed
review:
I borrowed this book from my local library.

I checked out this book after seeing a review in the Minnesota Star-Tribune. Cheese is my special interest, and I have only found a few cheeses from Croatia. I was interested in learning more about the area and its cheese. Of course, this was a literary fiction piece with a lot of interpersonal drama, so the cheese wasn't at the forefront. The set-up is that Marina returns to her hometown on Pag Island after living her adulthood in America, having come over for college right as her homeland's war ended in the 1990s. While she's returned home for holidays over the years, this time, things are different. Her marriage is fractured, and her family's cheese factory is struggling. She stays on, unsure of her direction in life, but well aware that her family needs her.

Some of the relationship stuff made me roll my eyes. I was afraid Marina was going to make some really stupid mistakes. However things annoyed me, I stuck with it out of concern for the cheese factory. Really, the book was fascinating in several regards. I learned a lot about the history of the area through a more intimate viewpoint. The way Pag is described is incredible, too--it made me want to see the island for myself. In the end, I was pleased that the plot wasn't fully predictable, but delivered a few surprises.
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