I purchased Everett‘s novel The Trees at Ann Patchett‘s bookstore in Nashville, and I loved it. Last year I went to Patchett‘s book signing for Tom Lake, and she told the audience that they had to watch out for Everett‘s next book, James. I preordered a copy from her bookstore, and I believe this novel will be at the top of my best books of 2024 list. Everett‘s retelling of Huckleberry Finn from the perspective of James is a modern classic.

I first read Dune in high school. I remember that I enjoyed the strong female characters, the world building, and the sand worms;however, I was bored with the political and religious elements. Reading it over 40 years later, I am struck by how relevant the political and religious elements are today. I plan to read at least the next two or three in the series.

This book shifts between two time periods: Malaya is 1935 and in 1945. The story follows a family living through the Japanese occupation of Malaya. The brutal horrors of war on civilian populations are fully described, so this is not a book for sensitive readers. I was somewhat disappointed in the writing. At times I would have preferred more nuance and subtlety.

After reading many reviews, I borrowed this book from the library twice and returned it unread. I bought the ebook and tried again. I am so glad I did! This story of a house and its owners through the years surprised me. It was much darker and stranger than I had expected. The reviews praised the excellent writing, so I didn‘t expect much plot. Not only is the writing brilliant, but the plot, characters and setting are fascinating and compelling.

This is a touching love story of Gaunt and Elwood, two young men who leave school to join the army during WWI. The battle scenes are heartbreaking, vivid and horrific. Some of the scenes reminded me of WWI poetry, and in the author‘s note Winn gives credit to all of the poems and books that she used when writing the novel. I did feel that the story turned a bit melodramatic at times, but overall the book is wonderful.

Real Tigers is the third in the Slough House series, and it does not disappoint. I love these characters, and I enjoy spending time with them. The TV series is excellent, and I can watch the third season now that I have read the third book! I listened to the audiobook, and the narrator is superb.

I read this because it won the Booker Prize, and I had been expecting The Bee Sting, which I loved, to win. I also love this. It deserves the award. Prophet Song is devastating, heart-wrenching, and terrifying. The language conveys the relentless claustrophobia of the situation. In a near-future Ireland an autocratic regime is challenged, and civil war erupts. A woman with four children and an elderly father has to survive the violence. Brilliant.

This horror novel about a haunted house that goes into overdrive every September is one of the best haunted house books I have ever read. Orlando doesn‘t just provide tension and dread, but she frames it in a larger observation of abuse and relationships. The story was riveting, and the characters were well-developed. I listened to the audio, and looked around for things to do so I could have an excuse to listen. Warning for violence, gore, abuse.

I haven‘t read a book by Harlan Coben in a long time. I raced through this fast-paced thriller and remembered what I loved and what I didn‘t love about Coben‘s books. This story is a superb example of plot and suspense. Even though the plot is far-fetched, it is compelling. This is not a book for character development, grand themes, or exquisite language. It is sheer escapist entertainment, and it is excellent in that that regard.

A woman hides a Russian soldier in her train compartment so that he can avoid military service. This is a novella focused on language more than plot. The descriptions were interesting, but I struggled to understand why the book has garnered so much acclaim. Perhaps I need to read it again.

When Sally Diamond‘s father tells her to throw him out with the trash after he dies, she does exactly that. We learn that Sally was adopted after she suffered a childhood trauma, and that she has no memories before the age of seven. Her behavior and understanding of the world has been altered by this trauma. This thriller is compelling, but also substantial in its topics of trauma, grief, friendship, and forgiveness. Excellent.

I love Emma Donoghue‘s prose, and picked this up because it is based on the life of Anne Lister. While the writing is lovely, and the characters well-drawn, I was a bit disappointed. Donoghue focuses her novel almost entirely on the teenage years of the characters. While this will appeal to many, the novel reads as a YA romance. I rarely enjoy YA books, and romance is not one of my favorite genres. It‘s a well-written book, just not for me.

This is an excellent account of a man who escaped from Auschwitz, and his determination to warn the world of the genocide. He was positive that once the world was aware, they would put an end to the death camps. He did not account for people‘s unwillingness to believe the unthinkable, or for political maneuvering. This is an important book about the atrocities committed by the Nazis, and the heroism of those who fought them.

I have a tenuous relationship with Lauren Groff‘s work. I found Fates and Furies to be pretentious and unbelievable, but I loved Matrix. The Vaster Wilds falls somewhere in between. I enjoyed the writing and the story of a girl struggling to survive in the wilderness of colonial America. I didn‘t find anything new or eye-opening thematically. It reminded me of The Island of the Blue Dolphins, which I loved as a child. I will try Groff‘s next work.

When I was a kid, I watched Godzilla movies on Saturday afternoons. I have always had a fondness for these films. I am so excited to read the original novels translated by Shigeru Kayama!

I thought this would be a science fiction/ horror novel, and because Alien is one of my favorite horror films, I thought I would love this. The Luminous Dead is not a horror novel, and the science fiction elements are light. The book is a claustrophobic psychological suspense novel that takes place in tunnels on another planet. Conversations between a caver and her guide on the surface make up most of the book. It‘s not what I expected.

About ten years ago I read Leviathan Wakes, the first in this series. I did not keep up with the subsequent books, but I kept thinking about the characters from the first book. This year the hosts of the podcast Book Reviews Kill decided to read the series. I decided it was time to tackle it as well. Nine books, all of them over 500 pages, and I finished! I loved each book, and I will miss the Rocinate crew!

Paul Harding‘s previous novel, Tinkers, was exquisite. This book has Harding‘s same attention to language and interior life. A group of mixed raced families are forced to leave their homes on an island off the coast of Maine in the early 1900s. This is a fictional account based on the history of Malaga Island. I had no knowledge of this island or it‘s history before picking up this book. The novel explores racism, poverty, family, and education.

I had to run to the bookstore to pick this up! Kate Atkinson is an auto-buy author!

This is an excellent horror story that features a black lone woman staking a claim in 1915 Montana. She carries with her a mysterious burden. The characters, setting, and writing is riveting. It has much to say about women, racism, and relationships. I read most of this book on an airplane, and absolutely enjoyed the ride!

Returned home from vacation yesterday to find this waiting for me in the mail!

Two college acquaintances run into each other at an airport, and one decides to tell the other of how he saved a man‘s life. This reminded me of Patricia Highsmith‘s books and Alfred Hitchcock‘s films. The writing is excellent, and the characters are well-developed. I loved it!

This was one of my highly anticipated summer reads. A young man while diving is swallowed by a whale. Chapters describing his struggle to get free are interspersed with flashback chapters that describe his relationship with his father. The structure, premise, and pacing were fabulous. I had trouble with the characters and prose. The narrator of the audiobook was quite intense, which may have contributed to my problems. Still, a compelling book.

I had the pleasure of attending Ann Patchett‘s event and book signing! She is a delightful speaker and a gracious author. I loved the book with its connection to Our Town and its setting in my home state. The novel explores the relationships between parents and children, the challenges of becoming an adult, and friendship.

This is a compelling thriller told from three viewpoints. A victim, a family member, and a potential love interest narrate their relationships with a violent criminal. Although the three narrators sometimes made frustrating choices, they were not unbelievable choices. If you are sensitive to reading about murder or violence this book may not be for you.

Great day at the library!

Connie Willis is one of the great science fiction writers of our time. This book is a light-hearted road trip with a found family and a bit of romance. I loved it. Francine goes to Roswell to be the maid of honor at her friend‘s wedding. She is hoping to talk her friend out of marrying a UFO conspiracy theorist. Alas, she is abducted by an alien. Road-trip and shenanigans ensue. It was silly, but adorable and compelling!

I taught high school for over twenty years, so I avoid YA unless the book is incredibly popular. I don‘t dislike YA, I just have spent enough time with teens, and I want to read about grownups. I also love Stephen King‘s novels, so when I saw this retelling of Carrie, I had to give it a try. This is an excellent retelling that brings in the topics of race, exclusion, parenting, and bullying. The audiobook is fabulous!

My first Samantha Irby! I enjoyed her humor, and I was stunned by her openness. She candidly talks about her medical issues, body fluids, and worries. Her voice made her story of hard work and success fresh and engaging. The audiobook was read by the author, which showcased her storytelling abilities.

S.A. Cosby does not sacrifice character development for plot. In both Razorblade Tears and his latest novel, he keeps the action and mystery bubbling, yet at the same time creates well- rounded, fascinating characters. This book is a mystery rather than an action adventure like Razorblade Tears, and it contains even more disturbing elements. If you are sensitive to any type of violence or death on the page, this book is not for you.

I attended a reading by Urrea a number of years ago, and I found him a compelling, delightful speaker. I loved this novel about the American Red Cross “Doughnut Dollies” during WWII. The story is inspired by the experiences of Urrea‘s mother. My dad served in the army in WWII, and Urrea gets the snappy dialogue just right. He also captures the “We can do it” tone of that generation. The writing is beautiful as always. Loved it.

I went on a short road trip to celebrate the end of the school year, and stopped at four independent bookstores! I‘m not sure where to start with this stack!

I love book mail!

I had a great Independent Bookstore Day! I visited three stores, and purchased five books! Two of the stores were giving away ARCs, so I picked up another two books!

At first I resisted this book because the description made the book sound like a fluffy romance, and that‘s not my genre. The audiobook came available at the library, so I thought I would give it a try. I am glad I did. At it‘s heart, it is a romance, but it is a complicated story with complex characters. It deals with trauma, race, homophobia, sexism, and the messiness of relationships. The narration is superb.

A man walks from New York to Arizona after a bad break-up and moves into a castle-like house. Next door is a house with glass walls, and he becomes friends with the couple and their children who live there. I was worried that the story would turn creepy, but instead it focused on relationships with neighbors, partners, and grief. This is an excellent book that I still think about.

This mystery weaves the murder of a wealthy man with the history of the Bosnian War. I am sorry to say that I know little of the war, so I was grateful for the history in the novel. I‘m not sure the mystery element worked. The characters were not as fleshed out as I would have liked, and the two detectives were frustrating. All in all, I liked that this book had me reading other sources for more information on the war.

This thriller begins at the end. Geo has agreed to testify against her boyfriend in the murder of her best friend 14 ago in exchange for a 5 year sentence as an accomplice. She has admitted to helping him hide the body, and for remaining silent. The story goes back and forth in time, and shifts in perspectives. This is a dark book that borders on horror. I wasn‘t interested in all of the parts, but together they paint a stunning portrait of evil.

I loved T Kingfisher‘s What Moves the Dead, so I was happy to pick this up for the Sword and Laser‘s February book club. Nettle & Bone is a much different book in tone and subject. This is a fairy tale. Although it includes dark and horrific subjects, the overall tone is light. I am impressed that Kingfisher managed to maintain a lighthearted tone without dismissing the darkness and horror.

I visited two of my favorite independent bookstores today!

I love Jane Harper‘s novels, starting with her debut, The Dry. Exiles continues the story of Aaron Falk as he is drawn in to solving two mysteries. One involves a woman who went missing a year ago, and the other involves a man killed by a hit and run driver six years ago. This is not a fast-paced thriller, but a thoughtful look at friendships and family. The audiobook is superb! Listening to an Australian narrator put me right in the setting.

This novel is told from the perspectives of the five generations of women preceding the main character, Dorothy, who is living in Seattle in the 2040s. The audiobook has a different narrator for each perspective. The book looks at generational trauma, misogyny, and racism. The characters are well developed, and each setting is detailed and immersive. The ending was a bit too neat for me, but I enjoyed my time with this book.

I love Prince, and I like Dickens, so I picked this up in the store to read the first few pages. Hornby began by recalling a story that circulated when he was growing up that listed all the uncanny similarities between Abraham Lincoln and JFK. I yelped in the bookstore because I had been slightly obsessed with that story when I was a kid. Prince and Dickens did not share a long list of similarities, but both were gifted and prolific. Enchanting!

I expected this story of a Nazi war criminal hiding in London in 1965 to be a fast-paced thriller. Instead the book is more of a slow psychological study. I kept expecting the protagonist to be overcome by guilt, but he was a case book of rationalization and self preservation. The author lost his mother and other relatives at Auschwitz. I am amazed that he could bring himself to write from this perspective.

Fascinating book that explores consciousness, language, oppression, corporations, and the environment. Although the short chapters are told from alternating points of view, the book is not fast-paced. This book requires some reflection. In the near-future Dr. Ha is investigating the possibility of sentient octopuses. This novel is about other minds and cultures, not an action-packed first contact story. Once I settled into the pace, I enjoyed it.

I spent last weekend in NYC! I had a fabulous time visiting The Strand and Book Culture, where I picked up these lovely books! I also visited the NYPL on 5th Ave., and attended the Virginia Woolf exhibit and the Treasures exhibit! Lovely literary trip!

I am not a big romance reader. I understand that many readers find comfort in the predictability of the romance plot, but I just get restless. I decided to try this book because I loved the author‘s previous work, The Death of Vivek Oji. Reader, I loved it! The setting is beautiful, and the language is fabulous. The characters are well-drawn and interesting. The plot is somewhat predictable but the other elements made the whole story lovely.

Book mail! I used my gift certificate to order this one! Small Things Like These was one of my favorites in 2022, so I am looking forward to this book!

I finished my first book of 2023 yesterday! I enjoyed Ferrante‘s My Brilliant Friend, but I was not compelled to continue the series. I read Days of Abandonment and loved it. She is excellent at writing brief, incisive, insular novels that convey the intense emotions of the protagonist. The protagonist in this novel is a middle-aged woman who is grappling with the decisions she made when parenting her now grown children. Tense and brutal.