Haiwen and Suchi meet as children in Shanghai and we see their lives going forward, though Haiwen‘s story is told in reverse. Their lives allow us to see the backdrop of life during Japanese occupation as well as the politics of Hong Kong and Taiwan. I enjoyed this.

When the #TOBlonglist came out, this one looked right up my alley. A man gets a new blood test that tells him he has a tendency for criminality and will kill someone, but it‘s funny. Problem is, it‘s not so funny (but thinks it is), then takes a wild turn away from the premise halfway through and doesn‘t hold together. I wish I had bailed.

In his latest, Hendrix travels back to 1970 to a place where pregnant teen girls are stashed to have their babies (and have them taken away) so their families can pretend it isn‘t happening. I loved this book. Some of the body horror had me cringing away from the page. And this book is so female in the best way that I kept forgetting it was written by a man (other male authors should take note).

I thought I posted this yesterday, but apparently not! 🤪 Once again in January, I didn‘t read any of the picked books. But later this month, I do expect to get to one or more of these as my physical book library is packed away.

I think the length of this one had intimidated me a bit, so I‘m so glad #Roll100 (January) got me to pick it up, because I loved it! From the first page, it yanked me into the story and I wanted to learn as much as possible about the extraordinary Belle.

I‘m surprised that 1984 is the Orwell book that‘s had so much recent traction when this allegory of authoritarianism and the corruption of power is just incredibly timely. I‘m so glad I finally read this and appreciate the reminder that none of this is new.

I decided to give this a try after seeing good reviews and while I enjoyed it, I didn‘t love it. I found the early part of the story engaging, but starting around the middle of the book, my interest started to flag a bit, as there a sections that I felt dragged. A low pick for me.

This book follows 2 women, one a hunter who gets into trouble on a hunt, and the other part of the search and rescue team. Their stories alternate and we learn more about each of them as the tension steadily builds toward the outcome. I found this wholly riveting.

I did pretty well with my first month of #Roll100 in January—2 books completed and I‘m 2/3 through the third book. Hopefully that bodes well for February! Here are my books corresponding to the numbers.

This book follows the lives of four female physicists in Germany, first as they battle sexism to work in their field, then as they try to escape the Nazis and thus survive. It‘s terrific and gives good context for what was happening and how they were impacted. One of them discovered nuclear fission, so we‘re talking some serious science! There are also too many echoes to what we currently see in the US today for my comfort.

I‘m not entirely sure what I think of this one. It follows the main character during high school then again in her late 20s. We come to understand she had some horrific experiences when younger and they‘ve impacted who she has become. But I feel like it almost glamorizes disordered eating and there‘s a hole at the end I didn‘t like. Overall, I enjoyed listening and didn‘t want to stop, so l‘ll give it a hesitant pick.

The night of July 27-28, 2022, Troublesome Creek in Hindman, KY went from a trickle to a 20 foot flood, killing 17 in the county and wiping away many homes. This anthology showcases writers associated with the area telling of their experience with the flood in prose, poetry, and photos. It‘s a valuable chronicle, but of course a tough read. @Megabooks , I think you‘ll want to read this one.

Megarich family scion Teddy is running for senator while sister Clara just tries to keep it together after a traumatic experience and addiction issues. Then something rattles the family and the campaign, steadily growing more sinister. I really enjoyed this, told from the POVs of Clara and Teddy‘s wife Jess.

This thriller is a fun one. The author injects enough question marks to make it believable without veering into silliness. I thought I saw where it was initially going and was glad to be proven wrong. It does have a bit too much of women fawning over wedding dresses for my taste (I‘ve never understood that), but that‘s a small thing.

Using the framing device of first love and the thoughtful loss of virginity, this book delves into the life of 17 year old Neon, a good kid in a supportive family. We get a bit of his relationship with Aria, some of his friend group, and some family dynamics. I thought this was sweet, but not in a bad way.

In this fascinating approach to true crime, Winkler Dawson looks at the 1832 death of Sarah Cornell and the subsequent murder trial coverage done by Catharine Williams. She looks at the evidence from a modern lens to critique both the trial findings and Williams‘ work as well as showing the deplorable victim shaming the occurred in the case. This book is terrific.

I‘ve read and liked this author before, but this one isn‘t at good. There are too many clunky attempts at tension-building early on and the end gets so twisted up it‘s just silly. I did keep turning the pages, though.

Kang‘s most recently translated work explores survival and death amidst hardship and violence, whether man made or natural. Overall I quite liked this, including the multiple potential interpretations of events in the second half. I was bothered by the description of a medical procedure that would never actually be used and would in fact be counterproductive, as things like that always take me out of a story.

A group of disparate, sort-of friends come together for a weekend tennis party and things end up blowing up rather spectacularly. Basically, the foibles of rich people and those adjacent. I enjoyed this as a nice palette cleanser and even learned about the Lloyd‘s Name situation back in the 80s/90s.

It had been a while since I had read book 1 of this series, so it took me a little time to settle in. But once I did, I enjoyed this further exploration into Cainsville with a new mystery attached and some interesting visions for Olivia. Armstrong seems to know exactly how much paranormal to add to balance the story well.

This fascinating and engaging narrative nonfiction explores the creation of Chinese telecom giant Huawei and its story up to the current moment. I was glued to it in a way I didn‘t expect and Nancy Wu is unsurprisingly fantastic as the audio narrator. While it never mentioned TikTok, it gave me some insight into why some are concerned about Chinese governmental involvement in that app (though I still don‘t know if it‘s a concern or not).

Another day, another bail! This one looked so interesting, and I love the cover, but I‘m bailing at the 12% mark. It‘s repetitive and very YA (in a bad way). Plus, if New Zealand is underwater from sea level rise, why is Manhattan only partially submerged? In the age of Google it‘s really easy to figure out there‘s an altitude problem there.

I gave this one 50 pages, but it isn‘t working for me at all. I find the writing stilted and it‘s holding me at arm‘s length. I feel like there‘s both nothing happening and no character development.

I suspected this would not be for me and indeed it was not. It occasionally felt like it was going to veer close to an understandable metaphor, but instead of getting there would then throw in a deliberately provocative sexual statement and I‘m never a fan of that, as I don‘t think it informs the story. #TOBlonglist

This is one I skipped over last year and I‘m so glad I circled back to it. I thought it was absolutely brilliant. It‘s such a good exploration of patriarchy and incels (without ever using that word). I loved it.

This book follows a football team from a deaf high school in California as they reach for the state championship. It looks at the stories of some of the players and coaches along the way. Amazon picked this as their 2024 book of the year and while I would not give it that status, it‘s definitely worth reading.

Wanting to increase his income enough that his cattle ranch could continue to survive, a Montana man contracted with a wind company to establish a small wind farm on his property. This book shows how moneyed interests worked to put every blockade in his path. It is outstanding narrative nonfiction and contains warning bells for the way the US appears to be going.

I really like that Richard Powers focuses on the sciences in his books, but the science here is computer programming/graphic design, and it is just not for me. I really tried but it isn‘t working and I‘m out.

A man washes up on the Scottish island of Harris with no memory of who he is. Meanwhile, another man is found murdered on the remote Flannan Isles. Our amnesiac main character is concerned he may be the killer and tries to put his memory together to figure out the mystery. I really enjoyed this. Riveting story and stunning setting.

Described by the author as a children‘s book for adults, these stories are the daydreams of a creative child. Not my usual fare, but it‘s charming with a bit of an edge, which I appreciate.

Following Volume I, where Tara found herself stuck reliving November 18 over and over, she now enters her second year of reliving the day. Most of this is riveting, though she does go off on a tangent at one point I found less interesting. The ending makes me crazy to read the next volume, which isn‘t out in English yet! Arg!

I received a B&N gift card for Christmas (thanks Mom!) and succumbed to their 50% off hardbacks sale. I ordered these a few days after Christmas and they have finally arrived! Plus I included a copy of The Book Censor‘s Library, as I LOVED it and wanted a copy to keep. #bookhaul

In Watershed, Everett draws parallels between the current and historic treatment of both Black and Native Americans in the US. And, of course, he still infuses the book with his trademark humor. This was terrific, and I‘m not surprised—the man is a marvel.
#Roll100

I‘m being honest with myself—I‘m never going to read this book. I started it months ago and was immediately stymied, as it read to me like a book one needs to have some knowledge of Indian history going in to understand and I just don‘t. Since, it has just sat, and today is the day I admit it isn‘t going to happen.

This book looks at domestic violence and, in particular, intimate partner homicide, from all angles. It takes a deep dive into a few particular real life stories in an incredibly readable narrative nonfiction fashion. It also shows the efforts to combat the violence and support victims. It is of course emotionally challenging to read but is absolutely superb.

The latest in the series finds Tempe in DC, asked to assist with the aftermath of a fire. It‘s a good addition to the series, with a fun wink at Bones. I didn‘t love the audio, though, which I thought was read a bit dry. I will warn potential readers that there is a brief but very frank description of what happens to human bodies in fire, which might be too much for some right now.

This book looks at a series of men who have evidence showing they are undoubtedly innocent yet were nonetheless found guilty and locked up at Sing Sing. Their stories are important, but the author‘s involvement in tv production comes out too strongly here, making the stories a bit more surface and lacking in more angles. A low pick for me.

I keep seeing this book so when it popped up as a skip the line loan, I thought I‘d give it a go. I wish I hadn‘t bothered. It‘s billed as a mystery/thriller, but at the 43% mark, there‘s only the barest hint of a mystery and no thriller whatsoever. It reminds me of Riley Sager, who I can‘t stand. And the characters are actively uninteresting. I get annoyed that books like this get elevated when those that are far better do not.

This is a poorly done, clunky mystery in which the cops are clueless and fail to investigate obvious options, the red herrings are incredibly obvious and the main cop character has an odd quirk that verges on inappropriate. I definitely won‘t read this author again. Cool cover, though.

This #TOBlonglist book actually looks like snarky fun that I would enjoy. But it‘s just not working for me right now. So back to the library it goes!

This book looks at the tiny, remote culture of St Kilda, an outer Hebridean island group evacuated of its human population in the 1930s. It‘s a very interesting read told in an engaging fashion with little bits of humor here and there. I really enjoyed it and would love to visit there someday.

I really don‘t know what to say about this one. The writing is good and there‘s some genuinely good humor in it, but for some reason Greathead clearly believed we needed a book about a mediocre white guy skating through life believing far more of himself than he should. We can see that all around us, why do we need to read it? #TOB25

A woman and her baby were found killed in a burned house in 1843 and almost immediately her SIL was charged with the murders despite a complete lack of physical evidence. This book tells the story of her trials, loaded with misogyny. It‘s not quite as good as the most excellent narrative nonfiction, but it‘s interesting and the audio is well done.

A multilingual Albanian woman is living in NYC, working as a translator and interpreter. Her marriage is in a rocky spot and she‘s such a passive person—she largely just lets things happen to her. There‘s a noirish plot line threaded through but otherwise not much really happens. I‘m not sure what I think of it, though I did enjoy reading it. I‘ll give it a low pick.

This book follows 3 people who meet in girlhood, then sees how their adult lives unfurl. But at its heart, it‘s an evaluation and critique of capitalism and the path it may well have us on for the future. It‘s not pretty and it feels all too likely. Grim but good. #TOBlonglist

In the wake of the Boston marathon bombing, kids in various high schools around the country are dealing with all the things teens have to deal with these days. Only there‘s an online forum where something terrible is being planned. Well done and thoughtful, but definitely some content warnings here (under spoiler tag below).

My first #Roll100 read!

Disabled author and disability activist Hevda presents a series of essays about her experiences to help illustrate and reframe disability and ableism. A lot of food for thought, though there were things that made me raise an eyebrow (she calls astrology a “language” to poo-poo those [like me] who do not believe in it; I remain unconvinced).

Lt Taylor Jackson is back at work after having shot and killed someone attacking her in her home…who turned out to be a fellow, dirty cop. Now she‘s faced with a young woman found dead and posed with herbs on her. Turns out this is actually the kickoff of a series and I‘m eager to read more. The story is propulsive, the writing engaging, and I really liked the characters.

O‘Neill spent 20 years digging up documents and interviewing people involved in the Manson murders and trial and presents here his “proof” that the motives presented at trial aren‘t correct. The problem is, he is relying on memories of 30+ year old events and failing to contextualize his findings. There‘s some intriguing possibilities here, but that‘s it, not the smoking gun he wants to believe it is.

Many moons ago I did an environmental studies minor in college and this book was mentioned repeatedly. I‘m glad Leopold exists for having influenced so many in thinking about the natural world, but much as I‘ve tried for several years now, this book is not for me. It just doesn‘t hold my interest.