Whitewavedarling's TBR Year

2024 was a rough year, there's no two ways about it. Whether I'm looking at work, or the personal realm and some hard losses, or my feelings about the world in general, it's been a rough year. We lost my two elderly female cats, Ziva and Quinn, who you've seen so many pictures of--Quinn to cancer, and Ziva in July to what was technically longstanding kidney disease, but the losses came so close, I think it was the grief that finally allowed the kidney disease to get my dear Ziva. We'd adopted a new girl--Mercy, who I'll show you pictures of soon--who'd so closely bonded with Ziva, it was partly because of her that we hurried to add to the family, and the three new additions have, without doubt, have been the best part of 2024.

So, this year, my main goal is just to keep looking forward and appreciating what we've got, and using books as my healthy form of stress relief, and as I do, I'll also be doing my best to work away at Mount TBR through the challenges, which I do so enjoy.

In 2024, I mostly managed to meet my monthly goals. Ultimately, I think I'm going to finish the year being one-book-read *short* of completing all of the monthly reads when it comes to the RandomCat, the ScaredyKit, and the SFFFKit, but I did manage to finish all 12 books I set aside for the CalendarCat and all 24 of the books (barring one so far that I'll finish this month) for the AlphaKit. I also managed to read all 24 of the book club books I planned to (or, will as of this week). I didn't do as great on my general challenges... I meant to read 12 nonfiction works, 12 works by favorite authors, and 12 poetry collections. So far, I've got 5 nonfiction books completed, 6 poetry collections, and 10 by favorite authors (though this category might actually get done before the month ends). I also aimed to read 100 books, and I'm guessing I'll fall short by a few books (I'm at 91 now, and midway through four others...).

Alphabet-wise, I always try to read the alphabet via author and title--i.e. read a book whose title starts with A, another that starts with B, etc., and whose author's last name starts with A, and another that starts with B, etc. When 2024 finishes, I *think* I'll have read the whole alphabet through author names, but will be missing a 'J' and a 'V' when it comes to the titles. There's still time, so we'll see what happens, but as of now, I think that's where I am. But we'll see what happens.

So, to begin, I'll simply offer a picture of my home's newest additions. Our littlest, Kona, is the black kitten who we adopted in August. Luna, beside him, was adopted right around Halloween. She's younger than him, but already bigger...

I grew up with some tortoiseshells, but never any pure black cats. Now, we've got our tuxedo Mercy and our all black Kona. Nobody ever told me how difficult it would be to photograph them, but we're doing our best. This was our first decent shot of Mercy, shot soon after we adopted her in February (on a complete whim).



But much like trying to photograph black cats, the book challenges here are ones I can't ignore. So...

I'm going to do my best this year to keep up with my own book club in HOWLS, as well as the RandomCat, ColorCat, CoverCat, ScaredyKit, SFFKit, and AlphaKit. I'd initially been interested in the CultureCat and NatureKit, but those topics have ended up being so specific, I don't think I can meet a lot of the goals through my TBR, so I'm thinking that each month I'll try to make time to participate in just one of them. But I also know that's a *lot*, so I'm going to list them in order of priority and see how I do... Meanwhile, I also hope to keep reading nonfiction, poetry, and my favorite authors.

February: The Wild Trees (CoverCat and NatureKit)
April: Angel's Game (ColorCat)
June: Out of Eden: An Odyssey of Ecological Invasion (RandomCat),
July: All the White Spaces (ColorCat & 'W' AlphaKit), Eager: The Surprising, Secret Life of Beavers and Why They Matter (CultureCat/NatureKit)
September: Lost Dogs and Lonely Hearts (CoverCat), The Bazaar of Bad Dreams (ScaredyKit and 'B' AlphaKit)
October: Me of Little Faith (ColorCat), Pre-Approved for Haunting (CoverCat & 'P' AlphaKit), The House at Phantom Park (ScaredyKit), Deeplight (SFFKit)
November: Apprentice to the Villain (RandomCat), Peace in the Sky (CoverCat), The Tenth Girl (ScaredyKit--Psychological Thriller & Blue ColorCat), The Future Second by Second (SFFKit), 'Y' and 'H' AlphaKits, The Daily Coyote (CultureCat/NatureKit)
December: Tell Me an Ending (RandomCat), Wolf Tales (ColorCat), Incidents Around the House (CoverCat), House of Fear: An Anthology of Haunted House Stories (ScaredyKit--Favorite Scary Trope), The Battle for Roar (SFFKit), 'V' and 'R' AlphaKits, Your Body is Not Your Body (CultureCat)

Currently Reading: Abaddon's Gate, Out of Eden: An Odyssey of Ecological Invasion

Personally completing the alphabet through titles and authors...

Through Book Titles:

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y _

Through Book Authors:

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P _ R S T _ _ W _ _ _

The Giveaways I need to catch up with and get read:
Millard Salter's Last Day (LT)
The Crowns of Croswald (LT)
Learning to Cry (LT)
Acheron (GR)
Code Peking Duck (LT)
Non-Serviam (LT)

Letters not accounted for in plans right now:

Titles: Z
Authors: Q, U, V, X, Y

Ideas from near TBR:
Titles: A Zoo in my Luggage (Durrell)
Authors: book by Kate Quinn, book by John Updike, Viability by Sarah Vap, China Witness by Xinran, book by Rebecca York

The HOWL Society has become a huge part of my life, and so I try to participate in those book club reads twice a month. Here's our resident Howler in honor of the club, my dear big doofus Guinness, who knocked a screen out of the lanai yesterday while chasing a butterfly...because of course he did.



HOWL Reads:
1. Airframe by Michael Crichton (2*)
2. The Dead Hours of Night by Lisa Tuttle (2.5*)
3. Winterset Hollow by Jonathan Edward Durham (2.5*)
4. Our Share of Night by Mariana Enriquez (4.5*)
5. Devil House by John Darnielle (3*)
6. Monstrilio by Gerardo Samano Cordova (4*)
7. Hangsaman by Shirley Jackson (3.5*)
8. Pedro Paramo by Juan Rulfo (4*)
9. Black Sheep by Rachel Harrison (4.5*)
10. Bone Mother by David Demchuk (4*)
11. Lone Women by Victor LaValle (5*)
12. The Spite House by Johnny Compton (5*)
13. Slade House by David Mitchell (2.5*)
14. The Butchering Art by Lindsey Fitzharris (5*)
15. All Hallows by Christopher Golden (3.5*)
16. Ghost Eaters by Clay McLeod Champan (5*)
17. Woman, Eating by Claire Kohda (2.5*)
18. Bat Eater and Other Names for Cora Zeng by Kylie Lee Baker (4.5*)
19. Mapping the Interior by Stephen Graham Jones (3*)
20. PTSD Radio Omnibus Vol. 1 by Masaaki Nakayama (3*)
21. The Starving Saints by Caitlin Starling (3.5*)
22. Pinata by Leopoldo Gout (3*)
23. Ring by Koji Suzuki (2*)
24. Any Man by Amber Tamblyn (2*) (DNF)
25. Nestlings by Nat Cassidy (5*)
26. The September House by Carissa Orlando (5*)
27. Leech by Hiron Ennes (2*) (DNF)
28. Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn (1.5*)
29. My Favorite Thing is Monsters Book One by Emil Ferris (4*)
30. Winter People by Jennifer McMahon (2*)

We have so many pictures that were taken while focusing on one animal, and then, oh, there's another cat in the background! In honor of the RandomCat and our random cats, here's one of my favorite recent pictures, featuring Quinn, Guinness, and Mercy (their first time watching tv together).



RandomCat:
1. Sweet Tea and Spirts by Angie Fox (January)
2. Knight of Ghosts and Shadows by Mercedes Lackey and Ellen Guon (February)
3. Only Twice I've Wished for Heaven by Dawn Turner Trice (March)
4. One Stick Song by Sherman Alexie (April)
5. Damned, Delicious and Dangerous (May)
6. Blues People (July)
7. The Ghostwriter by Julie Clark (August)
8. Exit West by Mohsin Hamid (September)
9. Animal Orphans by Sharon M. Hart (October)
10.
11.
12.

Colors! I've built my own challenges around colors in past years, so I was excited to see this make the cut for 2025. And our pups love bright colors...especially pink, blue, and purple. Here's our Charlie with her pink octopus.



ColorCat:
1. Willful Creatures by Aimee Bender (3*) (January)
2. The Gold Persimmon by Lindsay Merbaum (3*) (February)
3. Three Days in the Pink Tower by EV Knight (5*) (March)
4. Damned, Delicious and Dangerous (anthology) (3*) (May)
5. Lycanthropy and Other Chronic Illnesses by Kristen O'Neal (5*) (June)
6. Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders (4*) (August)
7. The Silver Swan by Amo Jones (1.5*) (September)
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.

The CoverCat's another one I'm really excited for. Here's Hart, now our resident grumpy old man who's doing a marvelous job of putting up with kittens, posing for his close-up...



CoverCat:
1. Sweet Tea and Spirits by Angie Fox (January)
2. On Directing Film by David Mamet (January)
3. Damascus Nights by Rafik Schami (March)
4. A Psalm for the Wild-Built by Becky Chambers (April)
5. Aseptic and Faintly Sadistic (anthology) (May)
6. Soft Targets by Carson Winter (June)
7. Clover by Dori Sanders (July)
8. Woman, Eating by Claire Kohda (July)
9. Reef Life by Callum Roberts (August)
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.

I love the ScaredyKit. It's often the challenge where my plans change most over the course of the year because so many of the books on my TBR fit the many categories, and I just love scary reads! With that in mind, here's Kona and Mercy, with Mercy acting like she's seeing a ghost while Kona falls asleep beside her, the two of them together in the tip-top of a cat tree which, were I as small as them, I know I'd be far too scared to climb...



ScaredyKit:
1. The Woods All Black by Lee Mandelo (January) (5*)
2. The Militia House by John Milas (February) (4.5*)
3. Devil House by John Darnielle (March) (3*)
4. Chasing the Boogeyman by Richard Chizmar (March) (4*)
5. The Killing Kind by John Connolly (April) (4*)
6. Lamia by Tristan Travis (April) (4*)
7. Ice Hunt by James Rollins (May) (5*)
8. Where Black Stars Rise by Nadia Shammas and Marie Enger (June) (3.5*)
9. Ghost Eaters by Clay McLeod Chapman (July) (5*)
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.

And, there's the SFFKit. I still think a pic of Guinness going supernaturally long to enjoy our sectional is the best pic possible for this one, so here's an oldie but a goodie:



SFFKit:
1. Sweet Tea and Spirts by Angie Fox (January)
2. Candles by Lyndon White (February)
3. Follow Me to Ground by Sue Rainsford (March)
4. A Psalm for the Wild-Built by Becky Chambers (April)
5. Spirits Abroad by Zen Cho (May)
6. Sunvault edited by Phoebe Wagner and Bronte Christopher Wieland (June)
7. The Yiddish Policemen's Union by Michael Chabon (July)
8. High Fae Academy - Year One by Kaylin Peyerk (September)
9. Ardulum: First Don by J.S. Fields (August)
10.
11.
12.

The AlphaKit is fun simply because there's so much to choose from (normally!), and yet it still helps guide my year so that I don't wander TBR-land endlessly trying to figure out what to read next. In honor of the fun of this one: Two dogs watching a rabbit, and a much smaller Mercy attacking Guinness' leg for the fun of it! (He eventually looked around, said 'What the heck?', and sat on her to get her to leave him alone to watch rabbits.)



AlphaKit:
1. Sweet Tea and Spirits by Angie Fox (January 'S')
2. On Directing Film by David Mamet (January 'O')
3. Knight of Ghosts and Shadows by Mercedes Lackey and Ellen Guon (February 'L')
4. The Gold Persimmon by Lindsay Merbaum (February 'G')
5. The Unwelcome by Jacob Steven Mohr (March 'U')
6. Exposed Nerves by Lucy A. Snyder (April 'E')
7. Something in the Woods Loves You by Jarod K. Anderson (March 'A')
8. The Killing Kind by John Connolly (April 'K')
9. Damned, Delicious and Dangerous (May 'D')
10. Ice Hunt by James Rollins (May 'I')
11. Questionable Practices by Eileen Gunn (June 'Q')
12. The Sea Around Us by Rachel Carson (June 'C')
13. There's Always This Year by Hanif Abdurraqib (July 'T')
14. Mapping the Interior by Stephen Graham Jones (August 'J')
15. PTSD Radio Omnibus Vol. 1 by Masaaki Nakayama (August 'N')
16. Magical Negro by Morgan Parker (September 'M')
17. Self-Driving by Betsy Fagin (October 'F')
18.
19.
20.
21.
22.
23.
24.

And here's where I cheat a little, because I just can't stretch my TBR far enough to cover both the CultureCat and the NatureKit while also keeping me happy. So, this year, I'll aim to cover the year with one challenge between the two of them, reading a book from one challenge or the other every month. Here's the first (calm) picture we snapped of Mercy and Charlie getting along, despite their very different cultures and personalities...



CultureCat/NatureKit:
1. Joseph Anton by Salman Rushdie (culturecat for January) -- 5*
2. Something in the Woods Loves You by Jarod K. Anderson (NatureKit for March) -- 5*
3. The Birds of Heaven by Peter Matthiessen (NatureKit for April) -- 4*
4. The Mushroom at the End of the World by Anna Tsing (NatureKit for May) -- 4*
5. The Sea Around Us by Rachel Carson (NatureKit for June) -- 5*
6. Cloud Warriors: Deadly Storms, Climate Chaos--and the Pioneers Creating a Revolution in Weather Forecasting by Thomas E. Weber (NatureKit for August) -- 5*
7. The Hopes of Snakes by Lisa Couturier (NatureKit for September) -- 4*
8. Animal Orphans by Sharon M. Hart (NatureKit for October) -- 3*
9.
10.
11.
12.

Can you see the tiny black kitten snuggled up next to an 80-lb. hound's face? Not fiction...the two of them get along beautifully. And there's my proud, smiling husband in the back, who's much better at devouring nonfiction than I am. Here's to another try this year...



Nonfiction:
1. On Directing Film by David Mamet (3*)
2. Joseph Anton by Salman Rushdie (5*)
3. Something in the Woods Loves You by Jarod K. Anderson (5*)
4. Interficial Intelligence: The Moments That Met Me by Chuck D (5*)
5. Birds of Heaven by Peter Matthiessen (4*)
6. The Mushroom at the End of the World by Anna Tsing (4*)
7. The Butchering Art: Joseph Lister's Quest to Transform the Grisly World of Medicine by Lindsey Fitzharris (5*)
8. The Message by Ta-Nehisi Coates (5*)
9. Summer of Hamn by Chuck D. (4*)
10. Conversations with Amiri Baraka edited by Charlie Reilly (5*)
11. Blues People by LerRoi Jones/Amiri Baraka (5*)
12. Go Ahead in the Rain: Notes to a Tribe Called Quest by Hanif Abdurraqib (5*)
13. The Sea Around Us by Rachel Carson (5*)
14. There's Always This Year by Hanif Abdurraqib (5*)
15. The Mind Electric by Pria Anand (5*)
16. Cloud Warriors by Thomas E. Weber (5*)
17. Reef Life by Callum Roberts (4*)
18. The Hopes of Snakes by Lisa Couturier (4*)
19. The Lost City of the Monkey God by Douglas Preston (5*)
20. Vagabond: A Memoir by Tim Curry (5*)
21. Chasing Evil by Robert Hilland (5*)
22. Future Boy by Michael J. Fox (5*)

I love poetry, and it always feels poetic when two sweet fur-babies really start bonding. Here's the first time we spotted Kona and Mercy cuddling, about a week after he came home to join the family this past August. Just about as soon as Mercy met him, she adopted him for her own, just like he'd taken one look at me in a shelter's kitten room, and climbed onto my lap. After he did, he refused to leave/let go, making it very clear he was coming home with us even if we'd theoretically planned on adopting another girl (silly us).



Poetry:
1. Thieves of Paradise by Yusef Komunyakaa (4.5*)
2. Mountain Spells: Poems by Toussaint St. Negritude (3.5*)
3. Loose Woman by Sandra Cisneros (3.5*)
4. One Stick Song by Sherman Alexie (3*)
5. Exposed Nerves by Lucy A. Snyder (4*)
6. Some Things in This World by Joyce Thomas (3*)
7. You & Yours: Poems by Naomi Shihab Nye (4.5*)
8. Everyday Mojo Songs of Earth by Yusef Komunyakaa (4.5*)
9. Magical Negro by Morgan Parker (4*)
10. Make Me Rain: Poems & Prose by Nikki Giovanni (5*)
11. Self-Driving by Betsy Fagin (2*)
12. Woman, Eat Me Whole by Ama Asantewa Diaka (5*)

And, finally, a post to record time spent with my favorite authors. To bless it, here's what's currently my favorite picture of Luna. We've had her for about six weeks now. We hadn't realized it when we brought her home, but she'd been feral only three weeks before we adopted her. The first luxury she fell in love with was cat trees (though she's now graduated to belly rubs!).



Reads from Favorite Authors:
1. Thieves of Paradise by Yusef Komunyakaa (4.5*)
2. The Woods All Black by Lee Mandelo (5*)
3. Hangsaman by Shirley Jackson (3.5*)
4. A Prayer for the Crown-Shy by Becky Chambers (5*)
5. Ice Hunt by James Rollins (5*)
6. To the Bright Edge of the World by Eowyn Ivey (5*)
7. Wake Up and Open Your Eyes by Clay Chapman (4*)
8. To Be Taught if Fortunate by Becky Chambers (4.5*)
9. Ghost Eaters by Clay McLeod Chapman (5*)
10. Everyday Mojo Songs of Earth by Yusef Komunyakaa (4.5*)
11. Last to Leave the Room by Caitlin Starling (5*)
12. Make Me Rain: Poems & Prose by Nikki Giovanni (5*)
13. Carrie by Stephen King (5*)
14. Still Summer by Jacquelin Mitchard (3.5*)

And, one more post to start the year off right. Luna jumped up between Joel and I last night and made herself comfortable, demanding all of the belly rubs. Here's hoping all of your fur-babies are just so pleased and confident!



Happy Reading this year, everyone!

Thank you for sharing all the kitty pics and the stories.

Oh my, I'm in love with all your furry friends! The photo is AlphaKIT is just hilarious.
Looking forward to following your reading in 2025. I see some books in your list that I have had on my TBR for a while too, such as Winterset Hollow, The Sea Around Us, The Birds of Heaven and more.
And showing my ignorance here, what are HOWLS? :)

Thank you for all the wonderful pet pictures!! Good luck in your 2025 reading!

Happy reading in 2025 and good luck with your TBR! And thank you for the lovely pictures.

Lovely pet pics. Yeah, black furry friends are always hard to get good pictures of. Same with our black dog. Have to get that light just right.

Good luck and happy reading. I hope 2025 will be far better for you.

Great pics of your animals. We had a border collie and her face was all black which made it very hard to get a good picture of her. Hope you have a good reading year!

I love all the adorable photos! In >4 whitewavedarling:, Mercy seems to be really paying attention to the show!

Thank you for stopping by and enjoying my pet pics with me, everyone :) I swear, posting them here makes me do better about keeping my reviews/books updated since I never get tired of seeing them!

>22 Charon07:, Mercy LOVES television. I've seen Luna get interested in football a few times, and Guinness will pay attention if there's a dog on tv, but Mercy gets interested in all sorts of things and really enjoys it like no other cat I've ever had!

>17 JayneCM:, No worries! HOWLS is a giant, discord-based book/writing group revolving around horror, though a lot of people there read/write in different genres. (HOWLS stands for 'Horror-Obsessed Writing and Literature Society'.) It's just a great community of book lovers, and there's a great writing community there, as well. We have a book club that reads 3-4 books a month, though most of us only participate in one or two per month. Since I work from home, a lot of my socializing happens on there! For anyone interested, just look up Howl Society in a browser and you'll find us! (And I'm so excited to read Winterset Hollow--I'd planned on fitting it in late this year, though it looks like it might get voted in as a HOWLS read next month, so I may get to it sooner than later!)

>21 dudes22: and >22 Charon07:, I honestly don't know why it never occurred to me it would be so tough, but it really is a combination of luck and talent! Doesn't help that our black kitties prefer to sleep on black blankets...

Thank you for posting the pictures of your pups and kitties - they look like a fun group and they all deserve a little scritch under the chin!

What a menagerie! Good luck with your 2025 reading!

>23 whitewavedarling: Thanks for the info on HOWLS - sounds right up my alley! I may have to take a peek.

>26 JayneCM:, I hope you do! You'll see me there as wytwavedarling if you come by :) And we are indeed reading Winterset Hollow as one of our group reads in January, so it looks like I'm definitely getting to it sooner than later!

Thanks for coming by, >24 DeltaQueen50: and >25 Tess_W:! I don't comment on others' threads as much as I used to because I have to be more careful about resting my fingers/wrist when not working, but I'm lurking on yours and others! And I always love posting/sharing/seeing animal pics, of course :)

Looking forward to following your reading in 2025, and to seeing more pictures of your sweet pets.

These are so much fun. Wonderful family you and you husband have. I am 86 and love your attitude that keeps you going.

>29 RidgewayGirl:, Ditto!

>30 mnleona:, Thank you! Animals help so much during the rough times. Here's hoping it's a good year for both of us!

Your fur-babies are so sweet. Have a wonderful year of reading!

Happy new year! I'm looking forward to seeing what you read for ScaredyKIT and HOWLS this year.

>32 VivienneR:, Thank you! And, you too!

>33 sturlington:, You too! I'm looking forward to your reads, as well :)

And now that HOWLS reads have been voted in, I can officially lay out my January reading plans in full...

Airframe by Michael Crichton (HOWLS Read #1)
The Dead Hours of Night by Lisa Tuttle (HOWLS extra read if I have time)
Winterset Hollow by Jonathan Durham (HOWLS Read #2)
Willful Creatures by Aimee Bender (ColorCat)
On Directing Film by David Mamet (CoverCat & 'O' AlphaKit)
The Woods All Black by Lee Mandelo (ScaredyKit)
Sweet Tea and Spirits by Angie Fox (SFFKit & CoverCat #2 & 'S' AlphaKit & RandomCat!!!)
and... Joseph Anton by Salman Rushdie (CultureCat)

Most of these books are fairly short and/or fast reads, so I'm pretty optimistic I can make it through all of them. Joseph Anton is the only really thick one. That said, things could get thrown off... I've got a consultation on a project next week that would require me to pull in a few extra reads as background if I get the contract, so if that happens, something might have to give...

Love your pet pics, Jennifer, and wishing you a wonderful year of reading!

Happy New Year and good luck with your reading.

Hope you have a great year of reading! I love the pictured cats!

So glad to meet all your fur-babies. I'll be following along this year. Enjoy your reading!

Happy reading in 2025!

Really love your photos! I am sorry for your loss of both Ziva and Quinn - that must have been so hard losing them so close together. Here's hoping that 2025 in much kinder to you and full of good reading.

We also have a black and white cat named Mercy - she is just about to turn eleven. We found her when she was little - she was living in our crawlspace. We kept hearing meowing first in the closet then in different parts of the house, and we could not figure out where it was coming from. We kept checking all around the outside of the house and finding nothing, and it finally dawned on us that the meowing was coming from under the house. We brought her inside, and we have never been the same. So really, she adopted us, and we are very thankful.

>40 Crazymamie: I have heard more than one story of animals adopting the person.

Happy New Year, everyone!

>40 Crazymamie:, thank you for sharing that--how funny that both our Mercy girls are black-and-whites! She's laying on my desk now, and is such a sweet girl. I think it was as tough on her as it was on us, losing Quinn and Ziva so closely in time (I'd worried for years it would happen, they were so close, but you're never prepared), but our little Kona has been wonderful for her.

>41 mnleona:, It happens so often! Even our Kona very definitively chose us. We didn't really plan on bringing home a kitten, but we went into the kitten room at the shelter because we were waiting to get into another room with a cat who sounded like she might be a good fit. There were four kittens on a tree, and the shelter worker told us there was one more in the little cabin they had covered with a blanket. I lifted the blanket just to peer in and see what color the other kitten was (all of the others were either orange or black), and though I dropped the blanket down without touching him, our Kona came wandering out and crawled right into my lap and simply stayed there, even when my leg fell asleep and I had to shift. The shelter worker thought he must be their female black kitten, because she was the one they'd seen seek out laps at that point, and so they were shocked when they ran the microchip and realized who'd gotten into my lap and refused to leave! Even though we'd thought to bring home a slightly older girl, there was no question we had to bring him home. Sometimes they really do choose us. We had a few cats who wandered into our lives and never left when I was a kid!

And now, for the first book of the year... I feel a bit funny counting this one as my first read, but considering it's over 600 pages and I did finish it this year, I'm going to go ahead. (Plus, it was a fantastic read, and it's nice to record a high-star book as the first read of a new year!)

1. The Absolute Book by Elizabeth Knox

Knox's work is such a blend of genres, and such a patchwork quilt of stories, I can understand why it wouldn't be everyone's cup of tea, but I adored it. Ranging from demonic possession to the history of libraries, and from academic concerns to gunfights and murder attempts and climate concerns, right into the semantics of things like shape-shifting and criminal investigations, the characters in this book cover so much territory that it's impossible to know where the book will move next as it unfolds. There were moments where it felt like I was reading suspense and horror, and others where I felt as if I'd fallen into sword-and-sorcery or epic fantasy, but through it all, Knox's gorgeous prose and ever-so-real characters kept me anxious to continue.

On one hand, the length of the book and all of the genres are an Achilles heel--there are bound to be some slow spots because even if you love all of the genres represented here, there's a good chance you'll at some point come to the book at a moment when you're just not in the mood for what's in front of you, despite the connection to the larger quilting of the novel. And yet, it's rather impossible to imagine the book in any other shorter form because it feels so...well, absolute.

In the end, I loved this, though I feel as if I need to read it again (perhaps twice over) to feel comfortable thinking I've caught even half of the intricacies and details, particularly in relation to the more minor recurring characters. I'll certainly recommend it and read whatever else Knox writes.

>42 whitewavedarling: That is a sweet story.
Reminded me of when we were in Egypt and at the Temple of Hathor. I was sitting and a cat came and sat next to me. I was walking around and sat at another spot. The cat sat next to me again and curled up. My daughter got pictures. When when of my kids tried to pet it, it hissed but let me pet it.
My daughter has a rescue dog and he is so special. Always sits next to me so I can pet him.

I had not heard of HOWLS either so thanks for that information.

>42 whitewavedarling: I love Kona's story!

>44 mnleona: and >45 Crazymamie:, I'm glad you stopped by! I never tire of hearing others' anecdotes about cats or sharing stories of my own!

And meanwhile, far stranger than any cat I've met is my second read of the year...

2. Willful Creatures by Aimee Bender

What an odd assortment of stories this is. The cover blurb from the Los Angeles Times begins with saying that "Bender is Hemingway on an acid trip," and I have to say that feels pretty accurate, with the caveat that that blurb led me to think there'd be a lot more...well, *fun* involved in these stories. Instead, the overall mood is rather bleak if not outright depressing, though Bender's minimalist writing style allows the stories to read without too much heaviness overlaying the collection. For the most part, I felt myself to be more amused and curious as the collection unfolded, as opposed to fully engaged--I just wanted...more? There's plenty of curiosity here, and endless strangeness, but the stories themselves build on one another in putting forth Bender's style and universe, so that few of them felt like stories I could fully appreciate on their own, without having the full spectrum of strangeness in play. I think I would say that some of the stories in the third part of the book--especially "Job's Jobs," "The Case of the Salt and Pepper Shakers," and "The Leading Man"--felt like they had the best chance of standing on their own and also remaining with me long-term.

All told, however, I doubt I'll be seeking out more of Bender's work. This is an interesting collection, but feels more on the abstract art side of the spectrum of prose than what I normally go for, if that makes sense, and I simply wanted more.

3. Thieves of Paradise by Yusef Komunyakaa

"I love this body, this
solo & ragtime jubilee
behind the left nipple,
because I know I was born
to wear out at least
one hundred angels."

(from "Anodyne" by Komunyakaa, one of my favorites and included in this collection)

Yusef Komunyakaa has long been one of my favorite poets, and revisiting this collection brought me back to all of the reasons why. This isn't my favorite of his only because so many of the poems are entrenched in nuances and moments from history that I'm not all that familiar with, though perhaps I should be, but even in those poems, his language and description bring a power to every page turned. My favorites here are the poems built from blues music and jazz rhythms and blues and jazz history--all of which I am very familiar with--and the words in these poems in particular croon from the page like the best blues music.

For readers coming into this one, I'd just encourage you to keep going if at first you're put off by the historical elements. This collection gets better and better as it unfolds, but it's worth noting that the history is front-loaded as if the reader moves into a journey through time. It's a more than worthwhile journey to take.

4. Sweet Tea and Spirits by Angie Fox

There's something about this series that I'm absolutely in love with. The tone and the fun, the characters (including Lucy the skunk), and the whole concept are just so well done, and Fox's stories always seem to multiply complications and somehow wrap them up without feeling at all contrived. The books are just so well-imagined and fun, I adore them, and this one is no different. Each book in the series only seems to get better, and if you like cozy paranormal mysteries with plenty of humor, and southerners written in the fashion of someone who loves the South vs looking down on it, I think you'll love this.

Absolutely recommended.

>48 whitewavedarling: I have the first book in that series in the stacks, and I'm hoping to get to it this year.

>49 Crazymamie:, I hope you do! They're so much fun :)

And, now, the first dud of the year...

5. Airframe by Michael Crichton

This is a fast-reading book that was meticulously researched...but I fear that's where my praise ends. I've read and truly enjoyed Crichton works before, but in this case, I'm hard-pressed to call this a thriller, and I really can't say I enjoyed it. In fact, it honestly would have been a DNF if not for the fact that I was stuck under my oversized dog and undersized cat for a larger portion of the middle, and no other book was within reach. But, on to the details...

First of all, the primary stakes revolve around money. Nothing else is at stake when it comes to the investigation at the heart of the book and the supposedly ticking clock. Will the giant company keep making planes and making money hand over fist so it can keep making planes, or will it not? Sure, some characters' jobs may be on the line...but considering that those characters clearly care more about money than morals, and have more than enough money already in comparison to the average person, it's tough to take into account their futures when thinking about why a reader should actually care about the characters. And, truly, the characters are the biggest issue. I'll happily read a low-stakes book if the writing or the characters keep me engaged, but the characters here are built to be unlikeable--in fact, it sometimes felt like Crichton was actively trying to make us dislike them with every passing page. (Thinking here of when the protagonist starts daydreaming in a high-level meeting about a plane crash that cost lives because she's suddenly been promised a raise that will pay for Hawaiian vacations.)

And none of this takes into account the fact that the book and the writing are unabashedly anti-press, anti-union, and infuriatingly sexist.

So, no, I wouldn't recommend this one. If you pick it up and read it fast enough, you might just miss the fact that there's no substance to why the story matters and very little to care about as the pages keep turning, but you also might just become bored or annoyed out of your mind.

6. Mountain Spells: Poems by Toussaint St. Negritude

Not all poetry translates well from the air to the page, and it's clear that many of these poems are meant to be read aloud. Given the passion that's tangible in so many of them, I can only imagine that hearing the author read them in person, or even viewing recordings of him reading them, would be a powerful, life-full experience. Especially in the poems with a lot of sound-play, the line breaks and formatting can only do so much to translate that intention to a page-read. That said, some of these poems still manage to be incredibly powerful works, and the author's vibrant lines, images, and language play translate into a reading experience that is sometimes confusing or less than clear, but is just as often powerful, clever, and well worth the time. A few of the poems--including "Blues Jean Michel Basquiat" and "Why Hate Love?" and "If Columbus Stayed Home"--stopped me cold and demanded I slow down and read them again immediately upon finishing them, they were so striking.

All told, I'm glad this book found its way to my hands, and I hope to find some recordings of the author reading them so that I can experience them in what I believe was probably the intended fashion.

7. On Directing Film by David Mamet

This is a fast read, if a rather dry one. I picked it up on a recommendation from a friend who's much more in tune with film than I am, as one of a number of books recommended to help me start thinking about screenwriting. I do think that, in that specific aim, this book is useful for someone in the beginning stages of thinking about how to translate story onto film, and even from a more generic writing perspective, there are pearls of wisdom here worth real consideration. Is it something I'd recommend to any writer? No, probably not. But I am glad I read it and took the time to digest it in preparation for a first foray into screenwriting.

8. Loose Woman by Sandra Cisneros

I discovered this collection in high school, soon after it came out, and was enamored with it. The language, the style, the risque subjects, and the pure style of it...everything sucked me in, and the book was part of made me fall in love with poetry. Coming back to it as an adult, I think a lot of what I feel for the poems here is nostalgia-based, and many of the poems feel a little too easy or unfinished, but there are still poems which scream meaning from the page in the best way possible. Cisneros' images and clear, demanding voice hold the collection together in a way that works really well, and while I'd love to have more from some of the poems here--and part of me wonders if this collection could only have been published in the mid-90s--there are so many moments in this collection that make me smile. I enjoy the angst of it--moments I'd not want to live in, but which are well worth revisiting for the pure aliveness of them.

9. The Dead Hours of Night by Lisa Tuttle

I've been hearing Tuttle's name for a while, so I was excited to finally dig into one of her books, but unfortunately, this book was so underwhelming that I doubt I'll be giving her another try.

First, the theme of pregnancy/impregnation has to be mentioned--to read the back copy on the book, there's no indication that this theme will be so dominant as it is, but loosely half the stories in the book deal with pregnancy, the desire to be pregnant, or impregnation, to the point that at a certain point in the book, a good number of folks in my book club were complaining about how constantly the theme came up (me right along with them). It got to the point where when it came up even as a side note, my first thought was, 'Oh, of course she's pregant.' or 'Of course, there's a baby. There just has to be a baby...' And while the theme isn't so dominant in the second half of the book, there'd been enough of it to flavor the whole collection.

But beyond that theme, there are other problems here. Many of the longer stories ramble on needlessly, and feel far too long for what they ultimately are. Others feel more like quick explorations of a concept that end as soon as they're begun. And as much as I normally love authors' notes in short story collections, Tuttle or her publisher's decision to put them in front of the stories rather than at the end (or even at the end of the collection, as I've often seen done), did an injustice to many of the stories, communicating to readers that a certain thing/turn should be expected or simply praising the stories themselves in a fashion that felt more self-congratulatory than worthwhile for any reader. And when you add all that to the fact that Tuttle seems determined to include some sort of twist or big turn at the very end of every story, as if a simple ending could never be enough, the truth is that I was done with this collection far before I finished reading.

It isn't one I'd recommend, I'm afraid.

10. The Woods All Black by Lee Mandelo

Mandelo is a powerful writer, and although this book is totally different than his others, it's just as queer, just as thoughtful, just as beautifully written, and every bit as fantastic as his others, with so much nuance to the world and characters, there's no denying the reality of it, even at its most horrific.

Part historical fiction, part creature feature, part small-town religious cult (though there's not a cult here, per se), The Woods All Black starts off as a quiet, queer read that doesn't feel at all like horror (or, at least, not like non-real-life horror), but sucks in the reader through character and an incredibly nuanced job of world-building when it comes to 1929, Kentucky. (It's also worth noting here that Mandelo includes a list of resources he used as research in his acknowledgements within the book, and for anyone interested in queer history, they're worth looking into.) Yet, while I at first wondered whether this was going to be a horror novella after all, that quickly became clear, to the extent that I think any horror lover will be more than satisfied by what's within these pages.

I absolutely recommend this book, and you can count me in for anything Mandelo writes in the future.

>56 whitewavedarling: Taking a BB for this one!

>57 Charon07:, I'm glad! Mandelo deserves endless readers!

11. Winterset Hollow by Jonathan Edward Durham

First, I should say that I love the premise of this book, and there were moments that I absolutely adored. Once it got started, it felt like a Velveteen Rabbit story written for adults, and then taken in a dark direction. Even the omniscient POV, which sometimes got on my nerves, seemed somewhat explainable when taken in the context of children's story told for adults.

But, that said, I've been sitting with this book for a few days and am still struggling to know what to say about it. It's clear to me that a good copyedit could have done wonders for the book, first of all--it's just too over-written in so many ways, with more POVs than are remotely necessary, per book and per scene. The head-hopping and omniscient POV also make for a ton of filter language to keep us anchored in whatever head a new paragraph jumps into, and the book as a whole feels like it too often suffers from the characters' dialogue being written to sound clever and entertaining more than natural.

Then, take the plot. As I said, I love the concept. I'm thrilled to suspend disbelief and go to an island of talking animals alongside the author and characters, absolutely! But...once the action starts, it doesn't stop. And while that's not always a problem, the book starts to feel like a slasher, in that there are so many near-deaths (alongside actual deaths, of course) that the characters often feel unkillable--alive and trekking on mostly uninjured long after they should reasonably have been done for--in the fashion of slasher franchises' bad guys. And a slasher on paper can be tiresome at the best of times with just one killer--put together a whole group of them, and a whole group of characters constantly surviving almost-kills that seem to leave them mostly okay even when that shouldn't be the case, and it's flat-out tiresome.

Add in some unexplained plot points, some small contradictions that a decent editor would have caught, and the headaches start adding up.

The ending is also slow-going because, put simply, it feels as if it ends repeatedly and then picks back up again, and altogether just takes too long, as if the author was just spooling out story after story without thinking about actually stopping for some 50 pages or more. By the end, I was just so past ready to be done.

I'm also struggling with the fact that such a whimsical book is taken not just to such a dark place, but leaves readers in a rather melancholoy, unsatisfied state after everything. I feel like a reader who picks up this book is going to be drawn to it by the animals, not the humans, and I'm not sure the author was thinking about that when wrapping things up.

Will I read another book by the author? I'm not sure. The concept drew me to this one and I simply couldn't say no, even when I saw what an odd fit it seemed like for the publisher and suddenly felt red flags brewing. And, truly, I'm curious whether the omniscient, headhopping style was chosen just for this book or whether the author would use it for other books. I'm just not sure I'm curious enough to find out.

I'm still reading Joseph Anton by Salmon Rushdie and absolutely adoring it, but I'm not going to finish it today since I've still got about 200 pages to go. I'm also in the beginning of reading Abaddon's Gate, but again, it's not going to get finished today. So, that in mind, I'm going to go ahead and lay out my February plans... Wish me luck? Being in the midst of reading two semi-doorstoppers, I'm curious how the next month will go...

One's Company by Ashley Hutson (HOWLS Read #1)
Our Share of Night by Mariana Enriquez (HOWLS Read #2)
Knight of Ghosts and Shadows by Mercedes Lackey and Ellen Guon (RandomCat & 'L' AlphaKit)
The Gold Persimmon by Lindsay Merbaum (ColorCat & 'G' AlphaKit),
Militia House by John Milas (ScaredyKit),
Candles by Lyndon White (SFFKit), and...
The Wild Trees (CoverCat and NatureKit)

>60 whitewavedarling: I’ll be interested to hear what you think about Militia House. I’ve been on the fence about adding it to my TBR.

>59 whitewavedarling: Thanks for this long review because this is coming off my wishlist immediately. Although you had me when you said it needed a good copyedit. Nothing drives me battier.

>61 Charon07: Yes, I'm curious to see some opinions on this one as well. This one isn't at the library so I'd have to buy, and I've been waiting to see what others think first.

>62 sturlington:, yeah... unfortunately, as much as I'd looked forward to this one, I think it needed more work to really measure up to its potential, which is incredibly disappointing.

Meanwhile, I'm planning on starting The Militia House soon, so we'll see how it goes! I did read something else last night, though...

12. Candles by Lyndon White (touchstones don't work, but you can find it here: https://www.librarything.com/work/28093697/book/215721484)

First, I want to start by saying that the art in this book is absolutely wondrous. The cover and illustrations drew me in to buy the book to begin with, along with positive past experiences with Cast Iron Books, and the art throughout the book doesn't disappoint. In fact, if anything, the art becomes more and more powerful as the story unfolds.

That said...it does feel a bit as if the art not only took centerstage, but carried the weight of the book. While I loved the story, its pacing felt rushed at quite a few points--I could easily have seen this being a much longer graphic novel, or else even a couple of graphic novels. Organization/structure was also somewhat hard to follow, and on one hand, I like how the author chose to structure the work and that he left some ambiguity for the reader, but on the other hand, I think that ambiguity moved too far into confusion specifically because of how rushed the pacing sometimes was. Too often, I was taken out of the story because I was struggling to follow a jump or trying to figure out how the various storylines fit together. It may be that the ambiguity was fed into because the author worried that the ending might have been too predictable otherwise(?), but regardless, I think I would have enjoyed the book a lot more if it had just been a bit easier to follow in terms of timeline, at least.

Still, I'll certainly pick up more books from Cast Iron Books when given the chance, and also look for more work by the author here, which made the read incredibly enjoyable and worthwhile.

Meanwhile...I'm not counting it toward my goals since I'm deciding to DNF, but for anyone curious, I read about a third of One's Company by Ashley Hutson this past weekend, and I just can't bring myself to go any further.

Thoughts on it, from what I read:

What I will say is that the book is so soaked in grief, the back cover copy does the book and readers a disservice by making it sound as if they might be moving into a more surreal or absurdist, or even light-hearted (if they remember Three's Company anyway) read. Instead, the combination of debilitating grief (in terms of being a part of society, anyway) and a character who's not likeable end up leaving readers mired in the negativity, particularly since it's primarily a character-driven work.

I'm sure plenty of readers will really enjoy this, but I'm not one of them, and I doubt I'll be picking up another book by Hutson.

And... I finished Militia House!

13. Militia House by John Milas

Milas' pairing of a quiet war novel (i.e. this isn't a book where you'll find bloody battles) with a bad house novel makes for a compelling read, and I very nearly read it in two sittings. At moments, this book reminded me of writings by Tim O'Brien and Ernest Hemingway, and at other times, I felt as if I was falling again into Danielewski's House of Leaves or one of King's bad place novels all over again. (Certainly, it's got flavors of both House of Leaves and The Black House by King and Straub, though this work is far, far shorter than either.) Those comparisons should tell you how much of a punch this short novel manages, and what makes it all the more effective is how it sneaks up on you.

I began reading while wondering, even as I got more and more engaged, if the horror was perhaps just the horror of war and I'd been somewhat misled by the marketing. But then, when the horror does come in, it's clear that Milas has channeled the atmosphere of other 'bad-place' books, and made a perfect choice in pairing such a place with a deployment to the Middle East.

Whatever Milas writes next, I'll be reading it.

>65 whitewavedarling: On the TBR it goes!

>65 whitewavedarling: That does sound good! Thanks for the review.

>66 Charon07: and >67 sturlington:, I'll look forward to hearing your thoughts on it!

>65 whitewavedarling: This sounds great, adding it to my wishlist.

>69 RidgewayGirl:, I'm glad to hear it! I'm surprised I haven't heard more chatter about this one, honestly!

14. Knight of Ghosts and Shadows by Mercedes Lackey and Ellen Guon

I adored Mercedes Lackey when I was in high school, and this was one I never quite got around to. But since I had it on my shelf and had been meaning to revisit Lackey...well, here I found myself. And...it's fine? Amusing? I'm not familiar with Ellen Guon, but I have to think she may have had a heavier hand in this one, as it's nothing that would have driven me to pick up more work by the author. The plot is a bit too simple, and also too simply resolved. It actually feels like romantic angst takes up far too much space, and is somehow both overly casual and over-the-top, to the extent that it sometimes feels like all of the main characters are just horny teenagers. That sounds flippant, but then again, the book itself is rather flippant. There are also endless, endless italics. So much of this book is spent in italicized first-person thought! I wish an editor had pointed out that the authors could either have gotten the same content across without pages upon pages of italics or else changed to first person, and either option would have been better. I don't know. The whole thing felt rather sit-com-like in an odd way, and while it had its moments and I enjoyed the focus on music, it wasn't my cup of tea.

I'm anxious to try Lackey again, as I'd been meaning to do before picking this up. But I won't be continuing with this series or dipping into anything else Guon has written.

15. The Gold Persimmon by Lindsay Merbaum

Described as an experimental novel, The Gold Persimmon is an atmospheric blend of drama, horror, and surrealism. I loved the writing and was fascinated by the characters, but I also have to say that, in large part, this felt more like two novellas pulled together and into each other more than anything, and I was left wishing for more closure and/or connection. More than being experimental, it just felt a little unfinished--for both stories--and so I'm left not feeling sure about what I think. I'd certainly try another work by the author, but it's hard for me to know what to say about this one because it almost feels like I read two partial novels more so than one single experimental one.

16. Our Share of Night by Mariana Enriquez

I read both of Enriquez's short story collections, and while I loved them, they each left me desperately curious about what Enriquez would be able to do with a novel, so I was thrilled to see this one get its release. And, truly, there's no disappointment to be had here--in fact, I only hope there are many more long novels to come from her.

Our Share of Night is a carefully layered novel of history, trauma, horror, and family of all kinds. The characters and their struggles are painfully real, as are the horrors they face, and Enriquez's careful weaving in of real history and cultural struggle makes for a novel that's all the more powerful.

Truly, this one will haunt me, and I can only hope she'll write a sequel or others like it.

Absolutely recommended.

>73 whitewavedarling: I preferred her short story collections to Our Share of the Night, but I'll pick up her next book no matter what.

>73 whitewavedarling: >74 RidgewayGirl: I have her novel on my TBR. I’m always suspicious of short stories, but I imagine if I like her novel, I’ll give her stories a try, since I hear such good things about them.

Well, the beginning of March, and no surprise in that the one area where I'm lagging behind is nonfiction. But! I'm almost done with Joseph Anton, and still really enjoying it--if I hadn't caught a horrible head cold and been too foggy to read most of this past week, I'm sure it would already be done. I did complete all but one planned read for February (not getting around to The Wild Trees, though I hope to soon).

All that said, my plans for March are full with...
Devil House (HOWLS Read #1)
Monstrilio (HOWLS Read #2)
Only Twice I've Wished for Heaven (RandomCat)
Three Days in the Pink Tower (ColorCat)
Damascus Nights (CoverCat)
Chasing the Boogeyman (ScaredyKit)
Follow Me to Ground (SFFKit--magical realism)
The Unwelcome ('U' AlphaKit)
and Something in the Woods Loves You (CultureCat/NatureKit and 'A' alphakit)

Some of these are pretty short, but it's a long list, so we'll see how it goes.

>76 whitewavedarling: I’ve read Monstrilio and Follow Me to Ground—you’ve got some very strange reading ahead of you this month. I’ve got Devil House in my TBR list, so I’ll be interest to see how you like it.

>77 Charon07:, Here's hoping it's a good strange lol. I've been meaning to read Follow Me to Ground for ages. I'd never actually heard of Monstrilio until last month, but since my book club picked it and I was able to find it at the library, I figured I'd give it a try!

I have already started Only Twice I've Wished for Heaven and I'm really enjoying it. Something of a mix of Alice Walker and Gloria Naylor so far (I'm about a third of the way through), and as you'd guess from those comparisons, Trice's writing is lovely.

>76 whitewavedarling: Devil House is fantastic and Monstrilio is fantastically weird. Enjoy!

17. Joseph Anton by Salman Rushdie

Joseph Anton is, without doubt, one of the more powerful and far-reaching memoirs I've read, and it's also amazing how many of the cultural and political conversations feel especially timely now in this moment. "Joseph Anton" was the pseudonym Rushdie adopted when he was essentially forced into hiding by the Fatwa that was issued in response to the publication of his novel, The Satanic Verses. This memoir begins, essentially, with the issuing of that Fatwa, and follows Rushdie through the decade (and slightly more) that followed while he was under protection and considered under serious threat.

Alongside his adventures while in custody, from the amusing to the terrifying, Rushdie chronicles endless (in a good way) communications and visits with other writers and artists, as well as politicians and others, along with the turmoil he and his family went through in relation to everything from direct threats, logistical headaches, and airports refusing to carry him on to conversations that border on the absurd about just how safe he could be. There's an incredible amount of thought and smart writing here that revolves around censorship, identity, religion, the intersections of politics, religion, and extremism, as well as exile and community--not to mention writing/authorship. It's a book well worth taking the time to delve into and really think about, and reads surprisingly quickly, considering its length--Rushdie's artistry on direct exhibit, of course.

I'd absolutely recommend it to everyone as an important read that's both entertaining and thought-provoking.

18. Damascus Nights by Rafik Schami

There's a calm beauty to this novel of stories, storytelling, and fabulism; even in moments of shock or violence, Schami's style pushes the novel and its many stories in such a way that there's an almost calming effect, as if one has been transported back in time to sit in a living room and rest for a spell with some wonderful storytellers.

I'm not sure how I stumbled upon this book, but I'm so glad I did. I'd absolutely recommend it.

>81 whitewavedarling: It sounds lovely—I’m adding it to my TBR!

>82 Charon07:, I'm so glad to hear it!

19. Devil House by John Darnielle

I'm struggling with my thoughts on this one. I loved the first half of the book, the overall concept, and even the way we were pulled back and forth between stories and times, sucked into one story after another. But then...the book's tone shifted incredibly, and became much harder to follow at the same time, so that reading the second half felt sometimes like more work than it might be worth, and sometimes just frustrating because it so felt like what I'd loved early in the book had been entirely left behind.

It's an interesting book, and Darnielle is an incredible writer, but this one might just have been too experimental for me.

20. Only Twice I've Wished for Heaven by Dawn Turner Trice

This is a tough read because of the situations and subjects it covers (check content warnings if you're one to do so), but it's also such a beautiful work that I'm thankful to have stumbled on it. Something like a mix of Gloria Naylor, James Baldwin, and Alice Walker, the story revolves around a chance friendship between an older woman and a young girl. We learn of one's past while seeing the other's heartbreaking present unfold, and there are moments when, despite the uselessness, a reader can't help but be tempted to shout 'It's not fair' in the way of a child. And yet, there is so much joy and wonder, and so many beautifully drawn characters, and so much humor and gorgeous writing alongside the heartbreak and trauma detailed in this book. And there's hope, which makes it all the more powerful.

I'm not sure how this book ended up on my shelf, but I'm glad it did, and I'd absolutely recommend it to anyone interested. (But do check content warnings, particularly if certain content centered on/around children bothers you.)

21. Three Days in the Pink Tower by EV Knight

The author's note at the beginning of this book makes it clear that it will be a harrowing read, anchored in a true experience, which adds to the horror. At the same time, I have to pause here because the art of the author's note is its calm preparedness followed by a message of empowerment--and these emotions set the tone for the book as a whole in a fashion that couldn't be more perfect.

I'll be honest: I wasn't expecting this to be as dark or as graphic as it was. For a novella, it packs an incredible amount of detailed characterization in, and such a journey that I'll remember it for some time. Still, the book won't be for everyone, or even most; there are graphic passages detailing sexual assault and sexual violence and rape (which I separate out for a reason, though I don't want to say more, for fear of spoilers). It's also worth noting that these passages are all the more graphic because while Knight never goes overboard (in my opinion) or passes into gratuitous or shock territory as so many writers would, she also doesn't shy away from any dark detail, and the emotions of the characters are so true, so believable and pitch perfect in the writing, that the scenes feel that much more real.

So, no, this tale of tarot reading and kidnapping won't be for everyone, but for readers who can stand the journey, I think it's well worth the experience. I read it in two sittings, and would certainly recommend it, with the above caveats.

>86 whitewavedarling: Taking a BB for this one

>87 lowelibrary:, I hope you enjoy it!

22. Follow Me to Ground by Sue Rainsford

What a strange and calmly magical book this was. Rainsford's storytelling is gorgeous, and the novel floats along in such a way that the twists are all the more shocking. What comes to mind is that moving into the world of this novel is like drifting down a quiet river, where the lands on shore get darker and stranger with each bend.

Short, sweet, and wonderfully weird, with just the right amount of darkness. I wish there were a sequel to fall into, or that Rainsford had a whole library of writing for me to wander through.

Absolutely recommended.

>89 whitewavedarling: I read this a few years ago, and its strange, haunting atmosphere stay with me. I see she has another book, which I’ll have to add to my TBR.

>90 Charon07:, I saw that! I've already added it to my ever-lengthening list. I think I'm going to wait a few months to read it so that I can sit with this one a while longer, but it'll definitely be sooner than later!

23. Monstrilio by Gerardo Samano Cordova

The beginning of this book left me unsure of whether I'd continue--the atmosphere of grief was so heavy, so real, that it just wasn't what I needed in the moment, and I wondered if I'd gotten the wrong impression of the book. I mention this, though, because I'm so glad I read past that part. I can't say that I actually liked many of Cordova's characters, but he did a wonderful job of bringing them to life, and his writing is brilliant, with fantastic little gems of humor that surprised me at various turns. At one point, I was totally enraged with the humans in this work--more so than I think I've ever been angered by fictional characters in my life--and that's testament to Cordova's storytelling.

I'll certainly look forward to reading Cordova's work in the future, and I'll recommend this one. It's a blend of genres that's most reminiscent of the classic works of magical realism that I've read, and utterly entrancing. Even when I wanted or needed a break from some of the personalities in this book, I couldn't stop thinking of Monstrilio and wondering where we were going. For me, the book ends up being a 4-star read only because I did hate a number of the characters so very much that I didn't always enjoy the read, and that the ending left me feeling a little disappointed.

Still, absolutely recommended.

24. Chasing the Boogeyman by Richard Chizmar

I picked this work up after reading and adoring Chizmar's Widow's Point, and although this is an incredibly different book, his writing sucked me in once again. It's an interesting work--the back cover copy would have you believing it's true crime, whereas the label "a novel" and the author's note in the book itself make it clear that the book is largely fictional. And yet, reading it, the book absolutely feels true and leaves a reader wondering what, if anything, is made up.

In the end, I have a hard time knowing how I feel about this one. If I'd gone in knowing that 90% of it was made up, would I have felt differently about the book? Or, if I'd thought of it entirely as a fictional story in true crime form, would I have engaged differently? I'm not sure, and perhaps that's part of the book's very art, but I admit I was somewhat bewildered when I finally came to understand just what was true vs what was made up.

I'll certainly read more of Chizmar's work--this is the second book where I've really enjoyed his writing and storytelling--but if I were going to recommend his work, I'd probably recommend Widow's Point first unless the reader was specifically searching out fictional true crime.

>93 whitewavedarling: I am very interested in fictional true crime! Adding this one to the ever-expanding TBR, thanks!!

>94 GraceCollection:, You're welcome! I'll be curious to hear what you think of it. I've just seen he's also released a sequel recently, and I'm thinking about picking it up sooner than later...

25. Hangsaman by Shirley Jackson

Jackson's writing is intricate and haunting--prose to fall into and get lost in. I've loved everything I've read by her before this, and her The Haunting of Hill House is one of my favorite novels, period. And yet, while the prose in this one is as gorgeous as ever, I had trouble with this one.

It might have been me. My focus hasn't been great lately, and on top of that, I normally avoid books set in academia simply because I had more than enough of it studying and then working there. Another read could potentially make me fall in love with this one, but somehow I doubt it. To be honest, the characters are just so pretentious (or else, speaking of the minority, they're entirely without agency or will), it was tough to enjoy reading about them on any level but that of language.

Maybe I'll revisit it some day. Until then, I may just reread Hill House and Jackson's short stories again.

But meanwhile, on a personal note, the reason my focus hasn't been what it normally is... our kitten Kona was diagnosed with FIP about a week ago now. He was completely healthy until Feb. 26th, and then started to go downhill overnight, and quickly. For folks who don't know what FIP is: It's a mutation of feline coronavirus; most kittens that catch it are asymptomatic, but Kona's one of the unlucky few. He's got the neurological variety of the illness, so he went from being a normal kitten to, within two weeks, not being able to walk without falling down and not being able to really control his limbs.

The good news is that it's treatable--in fact, treatment just recently got approved in the U.S. (before which my doctor told me we would have had to go onto the black market!)--but it's also incredibly expensive, so we've set up a gofundme to try to help with costs.

I hope it won't be frowned upon for me to share it here, but even if you don't/can't donate, if you're reading this and are able to share it on social media, among your networks of pet lovers, etc., I'd be eternally grateful. I'll also be posting updates about how he's doing, and there are a bunch of cute pics on the gofundme site--so far, treatment is going well, and it's just a matter of us continuing to figure out how to pay for it.

https://gofund.me/5eb1d372

>97 whitewavedarling: I’m so sorry to hear about Kona. It’s so difficult when a pet has a treatable illness but the cost is so high. I hope Kona can continue to get treatment and is on the road to recovery.

>98 Charon07:, Thank you! It's been a shock, he's so young. His first birthday is coming up April 23rd.

>97 whitewavedarling: So sorry to hear about this! I'm so glad it's treatable. You and Kona are in my thoughts.

>100 GraceCollection:, Thank you!

26. The Unwelcome by Jacob Steven Mohr

I've been reading so many genre-blending works, it was kind of refreshing to sink into a book that was so unapologetically horror. This is also the first book that I think would qualify as a slasher which I also just really enjoyed on a level of language and imagery--Mohr's descriptions are fantastic, and the story overall is just a blast to fall into and ride along with. I will say that the one weakness, for me, was that even though Mohr went to pains to distinguish the characters from each other in description and interest, they all sounded so alike that it became something of a distraction and I wished it were easier to tell them apart based on their voices. Still, on the whole, this was a fun horror novel and I'd certainly read more of Mohr's work.

27. X's for Eyes by Laird Barron

I've read and enjoyed Barron's short stories, and this one sparked my curiosity almost as soon as I heard about. In the end, I wasn't disappointed, though this is certainly far from my normal reading. The mix of Lovecraftian mythos and strange adventure, corporate and otherwise, made for a fast, fun read. I don't think I would have enjoyed this if it had been a whole lot longer since it was a bit one-flavor for me, but as a read to fall into and enjoy mostly in one sitting, it made for an amusing night.

March has been a blur with all we're dealing with with Kona, but he's doing well. Funds are still very much needed if anyone's able to share on the gofundme posted above with their networks. But he's jumping around and playing some, which he hasn't done in months, so we're hopeful that if we can just keep up the current treatment plan, he'll make a full recovery.

Reading-wise, I actually finished those two books above last night, and I finished Something in the Woods Loves You this past week--it was absolutely wonderful and will be a forever favorite, but I'm still working on a review, so that's to come. Currently, my only in-progress read that I'm actively reading is One Stick Song since I finished those other books last night, but my plans for April include:

The Bone Mother (HOWLS Read #1)
Lone Women (HOWLS Read #2)
Pedro Paramo (Howls Read #3!)
One Stick Song (RandomCat) -- already in progress
Angel's Game (ColorCat)
A Psalm for the Wild-Built (CoverCat & SFFKit)
Lamia (ScaredyKit)
The Killing Kind (K AlphaKit)
Exposed Nerves ('E' AlphaKit)
The Birds of Heaven (NatureKit)

If I have time, I'm also going to try to fit in the other Howls read, Black Sheep by Rachel Harrison. March is the only month where we do four reads instead of three, and this is a month where they all interest me and are readily available (two through my TBR and two through my library--I've only splurged on one book this year so far, and my hope is to keep that streak going at least until we've got our finances with Kona more under control, if not through October and my thingaversary.

28. One Stick Song by Sherman Alexie

I adore Alexie's The Summer of Black Widows, but although this is a slightly more recent collection, it didn't come close to the level of that collection. Here, one of my favorite moments was actually more of an essay than a poem, and on baseball of all things (which I say in surprise since I have zero interest in the sport), whereas the poems felt preoccupied by sex and relationships often presented in the crudest way possible, and repetition often felt like more of a crutch than a tool. I did love the final poetry sequence in the book--one more focused on family and legacy than on sex/sexual relationships or race, unlike many of the others, but it was a rare standout for me. I should emphasize that these themes don't bother me and I've often fallen in love with collections that put them front and center, but here the theme just didn't work for me, or perhaps just felt too crude, with many of the poems feeling less poetic than I expected from Alexie. Not a lot of language play, not a lot of gorgeous moments worth rereading, and not a lot of moments that made me stop and catch my breath as I reread a stanza, as happens with the best collections.

I've so loved his other poems, I still look forward to reading more, but I have to admit this collection was a bit of a disappointment.

29. Exposed Nerves by Lucy A. Snyder

Although I strongly recommend skipping the introduction--which seems to undertake a mission of ruining the surprise of half the poems to be discovered in this lovely collection--I really enjoyed this work and am anxious to read more by Snyder.

Although I expected horror poetry--and there's definitely an element of that here in language, themes, and sometimes the subjects--the focus here is more on social commentary and social justice. Some of the poems with directly feminist directions left me breathless, as did a few of the poems about relationships. The poems are strongest where Snyder's voice is unapologetically critical and biting or introspective, and a bit less engrossing where there's a sort of ironic adoption of a less-critical voice (or, certainly, the poem that stood out to me as being the weakest and least interesting in the collection took this approach). On the whole, though, there are so many lines here which are worth revisiting, as well as some poems as a whole that I imagine I'll come back to, that I absolutely recommend it.

30. Pedro Paramo by Juan Rulfo

Rulfo's writing is haunting and atmospheric, and this story is so surreal and wandering (in a good way) that it's easy to see why it was such an inspirational work for Marquez, as he talks about in the foreword to this edition. I suspect this is one I'd have to read multiple times in order to feel entirely comfortable with, story-wise, but the nature of the work and the characters make it easy to wander through this one and absorb what one can before wandering back through, as I hope to do soon.

I'm glad to have discovered it and plan to read more of Rulfo's work.

31. Something in the Woods Loves You by Jarod K. Anderson

It's rare that I start reading a book and almost immediately know it will become a forever favorite, but that's the case here. In this powerful book full of wisdom--maybe more wisdom than I've ever seen in one book--Anderson's gorgeous writing and humor come together to offer a powerful mix of nature writing, self-help, memoir, and lessons we can all use on controlling what we can control and understanding our place in this huge, strange world. Here's a quick excerpt that spoke to me, and which I absolutely fell in love with:

"Something else, something with furry little hands, tapped at the backdoor of my thoughts.

Sometimes I need a heron to be my contemplative guide. Sometimes I need a deer, antler-crowned, or a bluebird like a living shard of cloudless summer sky. But that autumn when my newfound mental health was collapsing around me, bedraggled in sweatpants, hounded by barking worries like hunting dogs, I needed a raccoon, a trash-goblin, a clever little cutthroat with Dorito dust on his whiskers to stand among my dirty dishes and whisper, "It's not what you eat or how you eat, but that you eat.

Yes, nature is soaring eagles, hundred-foot pines, and leaping marlins glistening above the seafoam, but it's also raccoons armpit deep in a discarded peanut butter jar."

Anderson's stories are all the more powerful because they're talking about the nature that so many of us take for granted--raccoons, deer, backyard birds, and even flowers. They're anecdotes about being powerless, and yet discovering one's own agency to find power again, and about overcoming depression and helplessness step by step. And through it all, there is such wonderful humor and observation here.

If I could put a copy of this book in every person's hands, I would. If you're even remotely tempted--even if you avoid self-help, or avoid memoir, or avoid nature writing, or don't particularly care for raccoons!--I hope you'll read this book.

>108 whitewavedarling: You’ve convinced me! Onto the TBR it goes.

>109 Charon07:, I'm so glad! I hope I convince everyone who reads the review--the book really is that good!

>108 whitewavedarling: I am also taking a BB for this one.

>111 lowelibrary:, I'm so glad to hear it! I hope you both come back and tell me what you thought of it :)

32. Black Sheep by Rachel Harrison

This was my first Harrison read, but it won't be my last. The twists in this one are so much fun, and just when you think it's on the quieter side of horror, it packs a wonderfully gory punch. And yet, throughout, there's a solemnity to the themes and the commentary that works with the humor to make the read surprisingly powerful if you slow down to give it some thought, even if it's a roller-coaster of a page-turner in the moment of reading. All told, it's just fun, smart horror, and I had a blast reading it.

I loved this and I can't wait to read more of her work.

33. The Killing Kind by John Connolly

This is one of those thrillers that treads very close to horror territory, particularly when it comes to the descriptions of murders and deaths. And while I actually really like spiders, some of the scenes here left me jumping at shadows, and if I'd read this when young, I'm pretty sure I'd have grown up with some serious arachnophobia--in fact, this book might be so dark as to make me rethink my feeling that kids should be left to grab up whatever book they happen to want to read, at whatever age, just as I did. (Yes, it's that dark and gruesome. This isn't a book for the faint of heart or, perhaps, for those with a touch too much imagination who'll picture these scenes in quite such detail as I did.)

All that said, Connolly's a fantastic writer, and the only flaw here--aside from him making my skin crawl with some of these scenes--is that the book starts off on such a violent, high-emotion note with the prologue, the drop back into the protagonist's present day as the 'story' gets started actually feels incredibly slow. I think without the prologue I wouldn't have given much thought to the start being slow, but the book started off so violently, it was a big adjustment to slip into what would certainly be described by a lot of readers as a slower start that, if anything, might be accused of being over-written.

I do think I'll read more of Connolly's work, but I'm not sure I'd recommend this book to suspense readers who aren't also horror fans.

34. Some Things in This World by Joyce Thomas

The title poem in this collection, "Some Things in This World," begins: "Some things in this world would break your heart / if you let them." And the truth is, this would be a better caption on the back of the book than what's currently there, which suggests a very different collection than the one which has actually been published.

The description of the book suggests a focus on the natural world, it says that the collection is 'at times elegiac, at times playful...and uses the power and transcendent possibilities of the sympathetic imaginative and the transformative magic of language to hold a mirror to our world.' The description makes me think there'll be much reflection in the work, but also hope, or at least description which is not outright despairing. Instead, the collection itself reads as an elegy, seemingly without any hope for redemption or a future that can include Nature. Even where an occasional moment of magic in nature is honored, or where the beauty of nature comes through, Thomas' focus quickly turns the focus of the moment dark, to the extent that I'm not sure I could have made myself pick the book back up if I hadn't read it in one sitting where I didn't have anything else to read at hand. Simply put, while Thomas' language is lovely, the poems are nearly all so depressing, and so heavy with despair, dread, and/or death, that it's difficult to appreciate the collection. Much as I hate to say it, the cover would be more fitting if the frog on the cover were dead, and that would be fair warning to readers of what they'll find in the collection.

I can't say I'll read another poem by the author, though I might have appreciated some of these if I'd found them isolation within a journal or anthology; truth be told, this one's probably going to stick with me for all the wrong reasons, and I suspect I'll end up having a cynical eye for book descriptions coming from this publisher in the future, much as I hate to say that.

This isn't one I'd recommend unless you're specifically looking for a collection that focuses in on despair written onto nature and the way we've found ways to ruin our environment, without any hope for a future that might involve some respect for it.

35. Interficial Artelligence: The Moments That Met Me by Chuck D

Illustrated in Chuck D's distinctive style, Interficial Artelligence is a collection of anecdotes and connections that makes for a fascinating journey through moments with musicians, civil rights leaders, athletes, and actors. The sheer happenstance of some of the moments--along with the remembered comments, impressions, and impact they made--offer readers what amounts to a whirlwind collage that gives an intimate look into Chuck D's professional development and passions, especially for civil rights, community, and growth. There were moments when I stopped in awe and moments when I laughed out loud, as well as images I hovered over longer than others for a new look at some other celebrity/persona who I've long been inspired by.

This isn't just a book for fans of Chuck D; it's a book that I think any music fan/music lover can appreciate.

36. A Psalm for the Wild-Built by Becky Chambers

I admit the opening prologue/material had me wondering if this book would be for me, but within a few chapters, I was utterly hooked, and I ended up staying up late and finishing this wonderful little book in one sitting. There's a certain calm to the book, and so much cleverness and humor to love, that I just fell in love with this one. I think everyone should curl up with a tall cup of tea (or two) and enjoy it, as this cozy sci-fi story is just the sort of thing the world needs right now.

Absolutely recommended.

37. Bone Mother by David Demchuk

After falling in love with Demchuk's Red X, I was anxious to read this older work, and although I'm still not sure whether to call it a collection or a novel--even after finishing it--the sheer breadth and exploration of this work kept me engaged throughout, and I expect I'll read it again in order to pick up on the nuances that I'm sure I missed this time around. Through legend, inter-generational storytelling, photos, and something of a collage-built style, this work makes for a fascinating journey.

Absolutely recommended.

38. Fallout by Jordan Rosenfeld

This is a fast-moving read, and considering the heaviness of the themes of the subjects that come up, it's also deceptively light reading, which I think is what's thrown me off a bit and what keeps this from really being something that will stick with me. On one hand, if the author went into real depth on all of the more depressing subjects that come up here, the book would be impossibly depressing. On the other hand, I would have loved some more depth in a lot of spots rather than feeling like the author was cramming in as many twists and stake-raising moments as possible. In the end, I enjoyed the book, but what was most moving and memorable, and what was given the most depth, were the relationships in the book...and that's fine. I love character-driven work, so it's always characters that make or break a book for me, but I suppose with all of the action and all of the focus on decisions being made in relation to social justice topics, it felt like the actual eco element of the book was just a little light and fast--not at all what I expected, honestly, given the author's work as a journalist, which perhaps led me to have the wrong impression about how much depth talk of the environment would get. I also have to say that, for a book with so many twists and so much action, everything wrapped up a little too fast and easy--too neatly by half--and in some ways, it feels like that also doesn't quite do justice to the heavier conversations that the book brings up.

I'm glad to have discovered the press, and I did enjoy this, but I wish there'd been a bit more depth and that it had just been a bit longer, with more time spent on the eco element of the book rather than adding in more and more topics to be dealt with. I'm undecided on whether or not I'll pick up more of the author's work because this did read fast, but it felt more like women's fiction with lip-service to eco fiction and too many neatly tied bows on things that couldn't believably be wrapped up so easily.

Where did April go????

If that question didn't tell you where I am in my reading, here it is: The month definitely got away from me, challenge-wise! I'm almost done with two planned April reads, Lone Women by Victor Lavalle (which I'm loving) and The Birds of Heaven by Peter Matthiessen, which is a slow read, but I'm enjoying it. I'm only about halfway through my other final April read, Lamia by Tristan Travis--I'm enjoying it well enough, but it's a long one at over 500 pages and just doesn't read quickly. (I never got around to starting The Angel's Game, which I'd also planned for in April--my plans for the month were definitely over-optimistic, though I also read a bunch of short works I hadn't planned for!)

In May, I'm *hoping* to finish the above books I've already started, and I'm also theoretically planning for:

The Spite House by Johnny Compton (HOWLS Read #1)
Slade House by David Mitchell (HOWLS Read #2)
Damned, Delicious, and Dangerous (anthology) (ColorCat & 'D' AlphaKit & RandomCat) -- already started
Aseptic and Faintly Sadistic (anthology) (CoverCat)
Ice Hunt by James Rollins (ScaredyKit & 'I' Alphakit)
Spirits Abroad by Zen Cho (SFFKit)
Mushroom at the End of the World by Anna Tsing (NatureKit)

None of these are super-long--only two of them reach the 300-page mark, so we'll see how it goes...

39. Lone Women by Victor Lavalle

This was my first LaValle read, but it certainly won't be my last. Despite the fact that I wasn't sure I was in the mood for historical horror, and was just picking it up because of my book club, LaValle hooked me in immediately, and every time I picked up the book, I didn't want to stop reading. The reveals were fantastic, and despite the darkness of the story, LaValle's characters are created with such love and nuance, and there's such care given to the world-building, it never felt as dark as it might have, and the threads of hope made it a truly special book.

I can't read to read more from him, and I'd recommend this book to any horror reader.

40. Children of Chicago by Cynthia Pelayo

I tried. I really tried. But I'm DNF'ing at around 50%, and honestly, I'm surprised I got this far. Because I did, though, and because of what made me stop, I'm going to go ahead and write a review.

The first few chapters, I was sucked in. I was incredibly annoyed by copyediting issues and actual patterns of grammatical/punctuation errors, particularly around dialogue, but I was engaged enough to keep going. I took the book along with me to a doctor's office where I expected to have a long wait, and I suppose that was my mistake... (to be fair, I suspected the copyediting issues might cause me to DNF if I didn't put myself in a spot where I couldn't, so I asked for this, I guess.) If I hadn't been stuck there, without another book to read, I'm sure I would have DNF'd somewhere in that next section of reading. Because as much as the concept made me feel like this book was right up my alley--I read and enjoy procedurals, especially paranormal ones, and I love horror--this book reads like a first draft which, simply put, needed a lot more editing.

When I got home from that aforementioned doctor's visit, I glanced over some reviews to see if they might tell me something I was missing. Instead, I found a lot of the mid to negative reviews reflected what I'd already felt, and also told me that along with what I'd already seen, this book with its connection to Chicago was not only rife with errors about the city (seriously?) and what felt like info-dumped sections, but also took the name of a real shooting victim's name as the name of a victim in the book. Which...honestly, just...no. I can't even begin to imagine making such a choice, and I'm offended on behalf of the family/victim. I'd already felt as if the victims were being treated oddly in this book, like they were news stories more than people, and that made me wonder if there was even more I'd find if I kept looking for connections to real life. I didn't, because just hearing about the use of the very specific name from a recent shooting victim made me feel ill.

For some reason--perhaps because I've just heard such good things about Pelayo--I kept reading. But I mention those reviews for another reason: One of the writers said that she was fine with unlikable protagonists, but that this one was actually worthy of drawing hate. And that's exactly right. She's a detective who clearly isn't in the right mental state to be carrying a weapon and working the job--worse, she and everyone around her knows this--and she abuses her authority every chance she gets. That's not to mention the talk of anger issues, and the shootings that she says were reasonable but which we got every impression were not.

My breaking point should have come when a child was physically hurting himself, banging his head against a wall, and she made a choice to walk out of the room rather than try to stop him. I honestly have to think that most cops--even what we might call 'bad cops'--would make an effort to stop a child from physically hurting himself while he was in their custody, without any way to hurt them in return. The kid wasn't holding a weapon. He wasn't waving a gun while banging his head into a wall. He was in an interrogation room, and she knew what she was doing and asking, and she just...walked out? She called an ambulance, and for icing on the cake, the point is made that colleagues ask if *she* is okay, and she says that no, neither she nor the boy are.

Are you kidding me?

But at that point, I was on my couch and stuck beneath a cat without another book in reach, and I kept reading, reminding myself of what great things I'd heard about Pelayo, that I'd almost (almost) stopped noticing all of the copyediting issues, and that the concept was one I was really interested in.

And then, around the halfway point, I got the point when she was questioning a teenager in a totally inappropriate way (everyone around her enabling her, of course), and then to the point where a child psychologist was telling her things they had no business telling her, even while saying that she knew perfectly well this particular detective/protagonist used people and had no business knowing the information... and, yeah, I'm done.

I tried, but I am 100% fully just done.

I think the concept had a lot of promise. With a different sort of protagonist--or one who was at least not hatable--or from a different POV, or with a lot more editing, this could have been a fantastic book. Instead, it's one which has guaranteed I will never pick up another work by the author.

Again, I'm someone who reads procedurals. I don't mind a cop protagonist. I sometimes ghostwrite paranormal FBI procedurals, I always enjoy reading them, and if a book includes both fairy tale references and a contemporary setting with paranormal elements, I'm sold. This book should have been right up my alley.

Instead, I'm left feeling ill that I even got to the 50% mark, and would not ever recommend this book to another reader.

41. The Birds of Heaven by Peter Matthiessen

Matthiessen's nature writing is something special, combining the calm of nature with the majesty of the greatest creatures, comprehensive in detail and with as much attention to each moment of landscape and interaction as to the strangest sights. That ease, and the honor Matthiessen gives to even the quietest moments, is what makes his works so special.

I took some time to get through this one--birds aren't my first love in nature so much as many other animals, so I knew taking my time to try to absorb as much as I could would make sense. I'm glad I did, not only because it gave me more time to take in the details and enjoy the gorgeous paintings and drawings by Robert Bateman which are scattered through the book, but also because I think I grew a new appreciation for the gorgeous birds discussed in this work. In fact, since the book was written some twenty years ago, my first task upon finishing was to run to my computer and get updates on the state of cranes in our chaotic world.

I'd absolutely recommend this work to nature lovers. Although the numbers and some small things may be out of date, the behavior and wonder of these birds is honored in full through the work of Matthiessen and Bateman, and this is a work worth reading and passing on.

Absolutely recommended.

42. Damned, Delicious and Dangerous (three novellas by Delilah Devlin, Megan Kerans, and Lisa Renee Jones)

Despite how dark the blurbs on the back of this collection sound, the three novellas here are actually fairly light for paranormal romance--as soon as danger or disaster become a real prospect, the conflict is resolved almost immediately, so each of these end up feeling fairly light. I'm not sure the order does them any favors, though, as the first is by far the most balanced. As an erotic retelling of Beauty and the Beast, it balances the element of erotica with the storyline really well, and although I'd expected it to be a bit darker, I did enjoy it. The second novella here, on the other hand, tries to pack in so much world-building and action and story, it goes by in a blur; this novella in particular should have been a novel, though it's actually the shortest in the collection (and I admit it felt far too close to the tv show Lucifer in terms of character dialogue/traits and development, too, which was a distraction). The last novella in the collection feels like it had the most to offer in terms of originality, and I also think it could have been developed into a novel, but here the story felt like it got a lot less attention than it deserved and was overbalanced with constant erotic encounters. Despite it being a second retelling of Beauty and the Beast in only three novellas, though, I really enjoyed it for what it was.

Will I read more from these authors? Maybe... I did really enjoy the novellas from the first and last author, despite them being a bit lighter than expected. At the same time, I'm not in any hurry, as I tend to want a bit more story and development than was offered here.

43. The Spite House by Johnny Compton

I was excited for this book when I first heard about it at a StokerCon a few years back, long before publication, and it didn't disappoint. Compton's take on the bad house novel is fantastic, and I couldn't get enough of this book almost as soon as I picked it up. I only wish it had been a touch longer so that I could live in the creepiness and with the characters for longer, but it's pretty darn pitch-perfect as is. I'll buy anything Compton writes after reading this one.

Absolutely recommended to all horror lovers.

>125 whitewavedarling: Glad to hear you liked it! I have this as a potential read for the October ScaredyKIT, and it’s been in my TBR for a while.

>126 Charon07:, It was fantastic! I'm already looking to pick up his newest work, and I rarely go read an author's works so close together!

>122 whitewavedarling: I'm sorry you had to experience that book, but I did enjoy reading your review.

>128 RidgewayGirl:, lol, I'm glad! It's funny how the reviews are easiest with books I love or hate--it's always the ones that are in between where I struggle with what to say!

>129 whitewavedarling: I have the hardest time reviewing books I loved, it's hard to do more than gush incoherently. But reviewing a bad book is the reward for having slogged through it.

>130 RidgewayGirl:, I'm generally right there with you on that!

And meanwhile, here's a strange, surreal nightmare of a book that I just finished...

44. Lamia by Tristan Travis, Jr.

This is a strange genre mash-up of a book, but there's no doubt that it ultimately has to be called horror. As a collage of horrors, crimes, 'isms', fears, and desperate acts, it comes together in a sprawling supernatural procedural that takes readers into the minds of people committing horrible acts while also following a twisting investigating, a very odd romance and love story, and a long, twisting tale of revenge that feeds off of myth as well as bad acts.

If you're one who pays attention to content warnings, know that EVERY major content warning could be placed on this book. If for only a scene, trust me when I say that it shows up, and some of them become veritable themes at various points in the work.

Partly because of how dark some of the material is--particularly when it comes to entering victims'/villains' minds and seeing character backstory--this is sometimes a difficult book to read. There were times when I put it down for days and wasn't sure whether my curiosity would overcome the disgust I'd felt over reading a previous chapter. But I always came back to it, and to be honest, I'm glad I did.

Travis' writing is powerful, and what amounts to an epic procedural feels built of real lives and hatred here; a reader feels as if they're moving back into the late 1970s and, through the Black cop at the center of the book, dealing with hatred and racism on a daily basis. The sexism is just as blatant, but the nuance with which its shown through the protagonist on one hand and through the woman also at the center of the work speaks to the fact that Travis is translating a time period, and the sexism of the male POV in the book, vs channeling his own prejudices into the work. The cop, John Valjohn, is a product of his time as much as anyone. And if that name rings a bell and takes you to memories of Les Miserables, you're moving toward one of the other aspects of this work that makes it a bit different. The cultural references--to literature, to myth and legend, to art--are built into the story as well as the characters, adding another layer of strange nuance to the work.

Whether you should call this an epic procedural, a 1970s tragedy, a work of noir, a horror mash-up, or simply a collage of crime and pain and gore that happens to tell a powerfully disturbing story, I'm not sure. And there's no doubt that the book isn't for everyone. Still, somehow, it's such a strange and weirdly powerful beast, not to mention well-written, that I'm glad to have stumbled over it.

Recommended only for those horror lovers who won't be bothered by serious CWs and gore, as well as a lot of explicit...well, everything.

And now for a book as different as different can be...

45. A Prayer for the Crown-Shy by Becky Chambers

I said after reading the first book in the series that the world would probably be a better place if everyone read that book, and I feel the same after reading this one, if not more so. This is such a sweet, wise book, and I adored reading about the continued journey of 'Monk and Robot'. I can only hope there'll be more in the series, but I'd absolutely recommend it to anyone/everyone.

>132 whitewavedarling: I’ll read anything Becky Chambers writes. Her Wayfarers series is more space opera, but I feel that the last book, The Galaxy and the Ground Within, was her transitioning to the Monk & Robot books, so you might like that one as well.

46. Slade House by David Mitchell

I didn't make it through Cloud Atlas, which was the one other Mitchell novel I tried. Normally, that would be enough to keep me from picking up another work by him, but the concept of Slade House was so tempting that I just couldn't resist. And while I did finish this one, I can't say I enjoyed it. It had its moments, and the concept really was fantastic, but for the most part, I found myself reading just to read. The characters weren't easy to engage with, and were in and out of the story so quickly that there just wasn't much time; that had to do with the concept, and I think if Mitchell had stuck to the pattern of POVs that he created and worked to make the ending feel like more of an endpoint to the journey, vs something totally new that seems to intended to tie into his other works (and, really, seems like a totally different sort of book than the one the reader initially found themselves reading), it might have worked. As is, though, while I loved the concept and rather enjoyed the middle of the book, I found this read to be more frustrating/annoying than enjoyable, and it feels like Mitchell might have been too focused on being clever vs just telling a good story. And while I don't mind a book that has easter eggs from an author's other works, or even ties in with them, a book is either a stand-alone or its not. I get the impression you have to read the author's other works to really appreciate/enjoy all aspects of this one, and in my opinion, that means the books should be labeled as a series so that a reader understands that it's not *really* a standalone.

Either way, I don't see myself giving Mitchell another try, no matter how fascinating a concept seems.

47. Aseptic and Faintly Sadistic (anthology from Cosmic Horror Monthly, edited by Jolie Toomajan, with donations going to Chicago Abortion Fund)

Proceeds from Aseptic and Faintly Sadistic go to supporting the Chicago Abortion Fund, and I preordered this book back when it was still pre-publication for that reason. I've been meaning to read it ever since, and I'm glad I finally got around to it.

The variety of horror stories here is fantastic, and there's a real artfulness to the way they progress. The downside is that the beginning of the book has such a despairing tone, I admit I sometimes struggled with wanting to go forward, despite the power of the stories; once that despair begins to transform, though, it's incredibly difficult to put this book down. I'd also say there are probably horror stories here to fit any (horror) reader's tastes, though that also means there may well be some that are less engaging. For my part, there were a number of stories where I wished things were a bit clearer or less ambiguous, just in terms of what was going on, but I'm confident that some readers would fall in love with those stories for the very same reasons that they weren't the standouts for me personally.

All told, though, these are powerful stories that are beautifully written, and it's a really impressive collection that I'd certainly recommend.

48. The Mushroom at the End of the World by Anna Tsing

Tsing's The Mushroom at the End of the World is far-reaching and fascinating, bringing together incredibly different disciplines in order to bridge thought, politics, and everyday livelihoods with ecology, science, and the networks of fungi stretching beneath our earth's forests.

The work is both awe-inspiring and complicated, but Tsing's attention to the wonders of nature and mushrooms in particular, and the people who live by and with them, is engrossing, as is her attention to detail. I learned a great deal reading this, and I have to think there's something here for nearly every nonfiction reader.

Absolutely recommended.

49. Ice Hunt by James Rollins

I first read Ice Hunt back when it was originally published--it was one of the ones that made me a forever fan of Rollins' work--and reading it again twenty years later, I was equally enthralled--perhaps more so now, since I've tried my own hand at writing and know just how difficult it is to make such a complicated story come off as effortless. Rollins blends suspense and adventure with science, adventure, mystery, horror, and an ecological, forward-thinking sensibility that answers the question of what movies we might have seen if Indiana Jones had been more science teacher than history teacher, and I never get tired of it. And meanwhile, his talent for creating sympathetic, dynamic characters you want to root for comes through in every book.

If you like adventure books with good helpings of smart science and horror, Rollins is one to look up, and this book is no exception.

50. The Butchering Art: Joseph Lister's Quest to Transform the Grisly World of Victorian Medicine by Lindsey Fitzharris

Fitzharris's examination of Victorian medicine, doctors, and the life of Joseph Lister is a fascinating (and gory) trip back in time that will make any reader thankful they never needed treatment in a hospital in this age. To think back to a time when surgeons were prized for being fast above all else, and when the tools of the trade weren't even washed between operations on patients, is a mindtrip in itself, but to read about the process Lister went through in order to make a difference, and see the pushback he got, is truly something to make every reader take a step back in wonder.

This book won't be for everyone--Fitzharris doesn't spare grisly details and blood, and even as a seasoned horror reader, I was glad to take my time with this one and read it over a few weeks rather than in a few sittings. It reads beautifully--Fitzharris is a talented writer and historian--but the content itself is so dark, especially when one makes sure to remember that it's all nonfiction, that it's not an easy read.

Still, I absolutely recommend it if you're even remotely interested. We owe a great deal to Lister, and this is a fascinating work of history and biography.

Fifty books in, and it's only the end of May! I don't think there's any chance I'll finish another book this month, so I'm going to go ahead and look forward to June. Meanwhile, though, I have to admit I'm shocked that I'm already at 50 books, and more than that, I think I'm actually going to reach my nonfiction goal this year! For years, I've been aiming to read 12 nonfiction books per year and I don't think I've ever gotten past seven or eight. This year? Less than halfway through the year, and I've already read 7!!! And some of them have been absolutely fantastic, most notably the one I just finished (The Butchering Art) and Something in the Woods Loves You, though these books couldn't be more different.

Meanwhile, for right now, May came out pretty well. I have one book left to finish from the month's goals--I'm about 80 pages away from being done with the collection Spirits Abroad by Zen Cho, which I'm really enjoying. I'm also about halfway through the new book by David Demchuk, The Butcher's Daughter, which is the first epistolary novel I've read in I don't know how long, but again something I'm really enjoying.

On that note, if you have any recs for epistolary SFF or Horror, or even Suspense, please let me know! I think I'm going to finish this one and want more...

As to June, here are my plans:

All Hallows by Christopher Golden (HOWLS Read #1)
How High We Go In the Dark by Sequoia Nagamatsu (HOWLS Read #2)
Out of Eden: An Odyssey of Ecological Invasion by Alan Burdick (RandomCat)
Lycanthropy and Other Chronic Illnesses by Kristen O'Neal (ColorCat)
Soft Targets by Carson Winter (CoverCat)
Where Black Stars Rise by Nadia Shammas (ScaredyKit)
Sunvault (an anthology) (SFFKit)
Questionable Practices by Eileen Gunn ('Q' AlphaKit)
The Sea Around Us by Rachel Carson (NatureKit & 'C' alphakit)

Honestly, a number of these are pretty short, and I'd probably feel pretty good about my chances, but for one glaring problem: I've got a serious stack of library books here waiting to be read, and I really need to hurry up and get through them faster before I'm out of time. On my library stack and not already mentioned in the above notes:

1) Devils Kill Devils by Johnny Compton (trying to get to this before June 8th because HOWLS has a Q-and-A with the author coming up! -- DM me or ask here if you're a fan of his works and want info on how to join!)
2) The Message by Ta-Nehisi Coates
3) Black Woods Blue Sky by Eowyn Ivey
4) Summer of Hamn by Chuck D
5. To the Bright Edge of the World by Eowyn Ivey
6. Blues People by LeRoi Jones
7. Conversations with Amiri Baraka

And the utterly absurd thing--to my brain anyway, is that if I somehow make it through all of the nonfiction listed in this post, I'll have made my nonfiction goal for the year--that same goal I've never yet met since I've started making it. And it's only May!

Here's hoping everyone's reading year is going just as well as mine, goal-wise and enjoyment-wise. And wish me luck on all this!

And..I was wrong, after all! I sat down to read last night, and couldn't NOT finish this book! So...

51. The Butcher's Daughter by David Demchuk and Corinne Leigh Clark

I've long been a fan of Demchuk's, and so I've been looking forward to this book for quite some time. It didn't disappoint! I'm not sure when I last read an epistolary novel, but this book uses the form to perfection, and the deeper I got into the book, the more impossible it was to put down. From the historical detail to the pitch-perfect suspense and horror, Demchuk and Clark managed to pull together a glorious canvas of a story complete with a cast of characters who felt so real that it seemed as if I was reading about real people, written by people who knew them and experienced the events, which made it all the more shocking as the story progressed.

Absolutely recommended.

Congratulations on your reading, especially nonfiction, so far this year! I always find it hard to be engaged by a lot of nonfiction myself, so I admire your progress on that goal in particular.

As for epistolary horror, I have His Bloody Project: Documents Relating to the Case of Roderick Macrae on my TBR. I don’t think it’s horror, strictly, since it was shortlisted for the Booker prize, but it is about murder. I haven’t read it, but I see some other Category Challenge members have given it 4 stars.

> 141, Oh, thank you! That looks fascinating, and the last few reads have put me in the mood for more works set in 19th century (seriously, my sentences keep making me wonder who I am, as that is *not* like me lol), so I'll look it up!

I've admittedly been helped along by the challenges pushing me toward more nonfiction this year, but I'm enjoying it! And it's cool to finally be making progress on this goal I've so far always failed at! Here's wishing you luck if/when you set such a goal!

52. Spirits Abroad by Zen Cho

Zen Cho's Spirits Abroad brings together a gorgeously weird collection of speculative fiction that entrances, touches, and provokes. So many of these stories embrace the best of weird fiction while exploring characters and worlds who feel so real as to be worthy of whole novels, and yet Cho walks a perfect, nuanced line of offering their encapsulated stories in a manner that's simply inspiring. It's also worth noting that while some single-author collections can be one note in style or emotion or theme, this collection is anything but--every story brings new emotion, new themes, and new surprises...and where there are rare connections, they are wonderfully surprising and worthwhile.

Whether you're looking for the dark or the light, the weird or the wonderful, this collection offers so much to fans of speculative writing of any sort, and it's made me an absolute fan of the author's for life.

Absolutely recommended.

>143 whitewavedarling: Putting this on the TBR! I love weird fiction.

>144 GraceCollection:, You should definitely enjoy this one, then :) I imagine you're aware of Small Beer Press, Kelly Link's press? That's the press that put this book out, and they and Stelliform Press put out can't miss books for readers of weird fiction!

>145 whitewavedarling: Making note of Stelliform Press thank you!!!

>146 GraceCollection:, Definitely! They're new, but absolutely fantastic!

Meanwhile, I've finished...

53. All Hallows by Christopher Golden

I've got such mixed feelings on this book. I absolutely loved the way Golden portrayed friendships and made each of his characters distinct and real. And by the end, it was a really fun romp of a horror novel. On the other hand, there were just so many POVs--the desire to go through them all and try to give each one so much development and backstory made the first fourth of the book read so slowly for me, I suspect I would have DNF'd if I hadn't been reading it for a book club, and even later in the book, it felt like whole chapters/POVs would have been better off cut in order to speed up the pacing of the larger story and avoid needless drag--honestly, I feel like that would have made for a much stronger book.

I can understand why the conception of this book in particular would have led Golden to use so, so, so many character POVs, but I think the sheer number on top of the desire to give each one so much development was something of an Achilles' heel here; certainly, the number of POVs meant that I didn't get so attached to any one as I might have, and really affected the emotional engagement and impact of the book. Even at the end, what should have been emotional just read as a bit flat because I'd spent so little time with the characters in question.

I probably will give Golden another try because I've heard he doesn't always use this many POVs, but as much as I loved the concept and enjoyed aspects of this, it's probably not one I'll feel the need to recommend unless someone's specifically looking for a fun horror read to take on around Halloween. And even then, my recommendation would have to come with the caveat of it feeling like a bit of a slow-burn soap opera early on.

54. Devils Kill Devils by Johnny Compton

I fell in love with Compton's writing via his last book, The Spite House, and although this is an incredibly different book, it's still pretty fantastic. Compton's talent for bringing otherworldly characters and events to life is on full display here, as is his skill for creating characters who feel as real as anyone you know, and just as sympathetic.

I didn't love this book quite as much as The Spite House, but to be perfectly honest, that may just be a signal of how very much I absolutely adored the other book, vs a reflection on this one. I also have to admit that I was so fascinated by the surreal nature of the book's early events, I wanted more of that, and wasn't quite so engaged when the book moved into more big-action-scene territory and spent more time with other POVs beyond the one I'd already gotten so attached to.

Still, there's no question that I really enjoyed this book and will absolutely make a priority of reading anything else Johnny Compton puts out there.

I'd absolutely recommend this one, too.

55. Black Woods, Blue Sky by Eowyn Ivey

Black Woods, Blue Sky is a novel of magic, empathy, and curiosity--in fact, each of Ivey's characters here brim with such empathy and curiosity that, even in their most flawed or dangerous moments, it's impossible for a reader not to sympathize with them and home for good. With those characters carrying the story, and with Ivey's gorgeous writing of the Alaskan wilderness and a way of life that's foreign to most of us, the novel paints a world that feels as magical as it is real, and when the magic does come in...well, that feels very real as a result.

I suspected from the beginning that this work might break my heart open, and it did, but Ivey's storytelling is such that I can only smile at the experience through the tears, and be left in wonder at her storytelling and the way this book unfolds.

Absolutely recommended, whether you come for the writing, the magical realism, or the contemporary fairy tale or the Alaskan wilderness or anything else that might draw you in. This is a wonderous book.

56. The Message by Ta-Nehisi Coates

In the final section of the book, Coates writes: "Sometimes I would be riding past a checkpoint and look out and, to my shock, see a young soldier with his rifle pointed at the road, which is to say at me. As soon as I would see this, I would search for a good reason, a justification, but eventually I started to realize there never was one. Even as I listened to Avner talk, even as we sped easily and unimpeded down roads that Palestinians on the West Bank cannot use, part of me was still searching. I did this because the weight of evil is so great. I did this because if the worst was true, if I was forced to see it square, then I knew what must come next. I did this because 'a good reason' is also a way out. The weakness in me is always talking. But so were my ancestors."

This passage comes in the midst of Coates' reflections on what he's learned/learning about the history of Israel and Palestine, and the way Palestinians live, but the book as a whole keeps a careful, if sometimes indirect, focus on relearning, and on coming to grips with hard truths, while understanding the harsh reality of the fact that so many others see/feel a different truth or live in denial because that denial has been encouraged by the people in power around them. And the truth is, this section could also have been written about censorship and the rising authoritarianism in the U.S. with too few changes.

Like so many of us, Coates learned one history, and found himself relearning what had been hidden from him beneath the words of people in power. And this section also comes on the heels of a section on censorship, and thoughtful discussion of how and why the U.S. is currently where it is, mired in misinformation and efforts to ban knowledge, and even whole bodies of knowledge, even if the people in power and many people fighting for such bans won't say quite what the larger mission is, and how important it is that many people stay ignorant.

This is a difficult book to read, full of reflection and hard truths spoken plainly. It ranges across themes, times, and locations as it examines history, censorship, and the placating lies told to maintain the status quo.

Coates' plain language makes the beginning deceptively easy to wander through, to take in and acknowledge, which makes the leading in to what comes after all the more powerful.

I'll be sitting with this book for a while. I wish I could make everyone read it.

57. Summer of Hamn by Chuck D.

As a chronicle of a summer of violence and injustice, Chuck D's Summer of Hamn brims with horror, anger, and indignity, with his signature artwork and deceptively quiet sarcasm showcasing the horrors that have recently become all too common in America if not the world (though here, America is without doubt the focus). From gun violence to wrongful imprisonment and outright hatred, each page of art brings to life a new moment and/or victim.

I suspect that most readers who find their way into this book will be of the same way of thinking of Chuck D., and so he's ultimately preaching to the choir, but as an expression of rage and a showcase of his art, the book is powerful in its own right and worth exploring, despite the pain and the emotion involved in this collage-like exploration of one brief summer that carried far too much bloodshed and injustice.

58. Soft Targets by Carson Winter

This is unquestionably one of the darker books I've read, in mindset as well as action, and Winter's talent for bringing scenes and psychology to life makes it feel all the darker. Short as it is, I got a few chapters in and had to put it aside for a while, which rarely happens for me, but drifting into the mind of someone who'd commit gun violence of any sort--let alone like this--is a tough thing, and Winter does it horrifying justice.

This read won't be for everyone, and I hazard to say that it would be dangerous in some people's hands, if they were in a particular mental state already--which I don't say lightly--but it's a reminder of the power of art to bring every facet of thought and reality to vivid life through the written word, and I applaud the publisher and writer for donating some of the proceeds of the book to Sandy Hook Promise.

I'm not entirely sure this is a book I'm comfortable recommending to others, it's so dark, but it is the best I've read from Tenebrous Press, without a doubt.

59. Sunvault edited by Phoebe Wagner and Bronte Christopher Wieland

This is such a varied anthology, I have to think there'll be something here for nearly every reader of speculative fiction. Some of the stories--most notably those by A.C. Wise, T.X. Watson, Daniel Jose Older, and Lev Mirov--are ones which I believe I'll be thinking about well into the future, and re-reading. Others were less to my taste, but I think that's a given in a strong anthology; my hope for an anthology is always that I'll at least be engaged and glad to have read half the stories, and will also find a few stand-out favorites, which is certainly the case here. Truly, if I have one complaint, it's that with too many of the stories I loved here, I went searching afterward to see if I could hunt down more work by the authors in question, and there wasn't much to be found!

You might be wondering why this only got a four-star rating, and I admit that's because I didn't enjoy the poetry or the artwork in the anthology nearly as much as the short stories. I'm not sure if the poetry, in particular, just wasn't to my taste, or if the editors had less to choose from in comparison to the fiction, but as much as I love poetry, the poems here didn't really engage me. There was nothing wrong with the art, but it felt a little less inspired than I would have expected for an anthology that's otherwise brimming with incredibly creative work.

All told, I'd certainly read more works put together by these editors, and this anthology does a gorgeous job of showing the variation that can be found in solarpunk and what the subgenre is capable of even in its beginnings.

Definitely recommended.

60. The Keeper of Lonely Spirits by E.M. Anderson

Anderson's The Keeper of Lonely Spirits has made me a fan of her writing for life. The subtlety of the magic and the worldbuilding, the sweetness of the characters, the terrible clarity and realism of how grief is written...everything about this book was wonderful. I slipped into the story quickly, and could barely put it down as it unfolded, especially for the last half. It's just a wonderfully queer, smartly written, and thoughtful story, with just enough danger and fear to keep things interesting.

Absolutely recommended.

>154 whitewavedarling: With a review like that, I’m gonna have to take a BB.

>155 Charon07:, I'm glad! It was *so* good. I'm on a book-buying hiatus while finances are tight, but I'm so tempted to break it in order to get her first book (which my library doesn't have). For now, I've settled for filling out a card to request they buy a copy pretty-please!

>154 whitewavedarling: I am also taking a BB for this.

>154 whitewavedarling:, Yay! I'll look forward to hearing what you both think of it :)

61. To the Bright Edge of the World by Eowyn Ivey

The truth is, I was aware of this book even before it came out because I adored Ivey's first book so much. But because the premise of this one didn't sound particularly appealing--I'm super-picky about historical fiction and don't read it all that often--I just didn't pick it up. But then I read Ivey's most recent book, and decided I had to try this one.

I'm so, so glad I did. This may be my favorite of Ivey's works now, though I've loved all of them.

To the Bright Edge of the World uses the epistolary form to the absolute pinnacle of its potential, focusing on the diaries and letters kept by husband and wife as he explores Alaska and she waits at home for him and attempts to learn photography while also dealing with personal matters and the sexism of the mid to late 1800s. Meanwhile, though, Ivey also brings in news clippings (perhaps expectedly) and, more importantly, some few letters from others, which I won't say more about for fear of ruining the surprise--but they add to the story wonderfully. Meanwhile, though, Ivey's gorgeous writing allows us to get to know the characters through their letters and diaries, and the form makes for fast reading which is all the more powerful as a result.

I absolutely adored this book.

>159 whitewavedarling: That’s another BB for me!

>159 whitewavedarling: I think it's just about a perfect book. Glad you liked it, too.

>161 RidgewayGirl:, It really is!

And, I'm glad, >160 Charon07:!

I swear, this reading year has (so far, knock on wood) been the best reading year I've had in memory. It seems like every time I turn around, I'm reading something I'm just in love with.

>159 whitewavedarling: - I loved this book too..

>163 dudes22:, I just wish she had more books published!

>Me too!

And now for one I don't know how to feel about...

62. Where Black Stars Rise by Nadia Shammas and Marie Enger

On one hand, the art style and the colors of this book do a magical job of mirroring the fractured nature of the characters and their experiences, including with mental illness and separation. I also loved the characters and the concept. On the other hand...the pacing felt a bit all over the place, with some early sections feeling incredibly slow-paced, and much of the second half feeling rushed. I wish it had been longer, with more development of the journey at the center of the book, or else with more focus on that journey rather than on the build-up.

It also has to be mentioned that the coloring of the print was a serious issue for me. Graphic novels can strain my eyes at the best of times, but there were a lot of choices here that made it worse than usual--yellowish-orange print on top of yellow background, black print on ink that's so dark it would stand in for black in another book (super-dark violet/blue), and dark grayish-lavender print on top of that same super-dark shading. This isn't to mention the sections of dialogue that were glossed over in a way that made them look somewhat faded (clearly a design choice and not a printing issue). All told, there were just far too many pages where I was struggling to read, even in good light, to the extent that I was taken completely out of the story. If I could figure out who made that choice, exactly, I'd probably avoid future works by them, though I don't think there's any way of telling in this case.

All told, I'm not sure where to end up with it or whether to recommend it, much as I loved aspects of it. I think I'd certainly look into the writer's future works, but I'd probably glance through a print copy in the store before bringing it home. I think I'll do the same with future GNs from the publisher also, in case that's where the design issue stemmed from.

But now, for another utterly fantastic read...

63. Lycanthropy and Other Chronic Illnesses by Kristen O'Neal

Packed with heart, humor, and incredible friendships--not to mention horror and transformation--this book is one of those that just sings with the power of storytelling, and it proves that any amalgamation of topics can be magic in the right author's hands and with the right concept. With all the horror I read, who would have guessed that my favorite werewolf novel would end up being speculative YA? With everything I read, who would have guessed that this would be the smartest book I'd read which deals with chronic illness? And with how picky I am about YA, and how much I normally get annoyed by the repeated inclusion of chats/messages, who would have guessed that they'd be a highlight of this book? Nevertheless, here we are.

O'Neal deals with chronic illness in a fashion that is real. There's no shrinking away from the pain or the difficulties, either small or large, but there's also no giant surplus of pity, as seems to so often be the case with books based on characters like these. Are there moments of pity from others and self-pity? Sure. But that pity doesn't take over the book or define the characters--not even for a moment. That's part of the beauty of this book. Yes, the main characters mostly deal with chronic illness, but the heart of the book is about friendship, growth, and, yes, lycanthropy and the difficulties of dealing with and/or being a werewolf. Chronic illness (of various types) is important to the story because it affects the characters, but since neither the author nor the characters define someone (or their abilities) based on illness, what arises from the storytelling is a story that simply seems real, werewolfs notwithstanding.

There's also a real effort here to make the messages and chats meet a careful balance. They're not so entertaining and pointed as to feel written by unreal characters just to make a book more entertaining. They're also not included just for the heck of it. They're important to the characters and the story, so they're here. That might not sound like a big deal, but to make chats/messages both feel real to a story and the characters' voices, and also to make them matter to a reader and call to mind the reader's own chat/friendships, is pretty darn magical as far as I'm concerned. I've certainly never seen it done so well as it is here.

And really, all this isn't even getting into the fact that the characters are so real, flawed and yet sympathetic and entertaining, and the page to page so suspenseful that the book is hard to put down.

If O'Neal had written ten books since this one, I'd be ordering them all right now.

I absolutely recommend this one.

>167 whitewavedarling: You got me with the review. Taking a BB.

>168 lowelibrary:, I'm glad! This really has been a great reading year for me so far, so I'm excited for my reviews to put these books before new eyes here :)

>167 whitewavedarling: I'm so glad you liked this one! I think it was my favourite read last year. Great review.

>170 GraceCollection:, thank you! It's always good to hear a review I've written resonates with someone who's already read and loved a book!

And meanwhile...

64. Questionable Practices by Eileen Gunn

This is such an incredibly varied collection of weird and speculative fiction. Still, from stories that are more in weird fiction and literary territory on to steampunk, the collection is held together by Gunn's attention to detail and incredible concepts. The characters and world-building make a reader feel as if a whole world is being experienced within a few pages, and many of the stories have such humor that the collection stands out for that quality, as well.

I admit that a lot of these were more lighthearted and geared toward the humorous than what I normally enjoy--and, truthfully, I could have done entirely without the steampunk stories--but all the same, I'm thrilled to have read the collection because the stand-out stories were so very powerful. Among my favorites were: "Up the Fire Road", "Chop Wood, Carry Water", "Hive Mind Man", "Shed That Guilt! Double Your Productivity Overnight!", and "Phantom Pain". In general, I think I enjoyed the weird fiction and the more literary-leaning stories more so than the steampunk and more outright fantasy, but I'd still recommend the collection to all readers of weird fiction and SFF since I'd say it probably has something for everyone.

>171 whitewavedarling: I might have to check this one out!

>172 GraceCollection:, It's an interesting book, for sure! And honestly, those gems I found/listed are more than worth the price of admission, they're such great stories.

Well, I'm ahead of my numbers goal, but reading so many library books has been throwing me off of my challenges/plans. Still, I'm working on keeping up! I'm currently in the middle of Out of Eden: An Odyssey of Ecological Invasion, and more than halfway through both Green Teeth and Conversations with Amiri Baraka. I'm *barely* into The Sea Around us.

Theoretically, my plans for July include...

Ghost Eaters (HOWLS Read #1)
Woman, Eating (HOWLS Read #2)
Blues People (RandomCat)
All the White Spaces (ColorCat & 'W' AlphaKit)
Clover (CoverCat), Ghost Mine (ScaredyKit)
The Yiddish Policeman's Union (SFFKit)
There's Always This Year ('T' AlphaKit)
and Eager: The Surprising, Secret Life of Beavers and Why They Matter (CultureCat/NatureKit)

Meanwhile, the other library books demanding to be read sooner than later include Bat Eater and Other Names for Cora Zeng, A Palace Near the Wind, The Mind Electric, The House of Two Sisters, Coup de Grace, and Wake Up and Open Your Eyes.

Wish me luck!

65. Conversations with Amiri Baraka edited by Charlie Reilly

Compiled chronologically, the interviews here offer an evolving glimpse into Amiri Baraka himself, but also into topics ranging from race and race relations in America on to politics, American and global history, and--of course--music, poetry, and drama. Ever smart and thoughtful, Baraka's voice and style make for an enjoyable and sometimes humorous move through time, but it's the thinking and willingness to be in the process of rethinking that stand out here as much as anything. To see a powerful civil rights activist and writer evolve their thought through the course of decades is a special thing, and to learn from that learning and growth is a powerful experience for readers, whether in the midst of conversations on theater, poverty, or politics. I never doubted, coming into this work, that it would be full of learning on writing, poetry, politics, and civil rights, but there's also an undeniable power to the way in which Baraka describes situations as he sees them and offers understanding, even when confronted with less-than-understanding interviewers. To read these interviews decades later is also a bit mind-bending, it has to be admitted, as it feels like Baraka was seeing and predicting how society was working to move in this direction in America. Sadly, I doubt he'd be surprised at where we are today.

I'd absolutely recommend reading this work, and more than that, I'd recommend reading it from cover to cover. Be warned: You'll be amazed at how timely much of the material is timely.

66. Greenteeth by Molly O'Neill

Filled with lore, mystery, legend, adventure, and friendship--not to mention found family--Greenteeth is such a wonderful journey to fall into, I read it in just a few sittings. O'Neill's writing is nothing less than magical, and the settings and worlds she brings to life here make the fantasy of the world mesh with what we know to be reality in a really wonderful fashion.

I didn't expect half the twists here, and I loved every minute of the adventure. Absolutely recommended.

>176 whitewavedarling: That’s another BB for me. It’s dangerous for me to come around your thread!

>176 whitewavedarling: Taking a BB for this one.

>177 Charon07: and >178 lowelibrary:, I'm glad to hear it!

I swear, I don't know when I've had such a good reading year as I have this year.

67. Wake Up and Open Your Eyes by Clay Chapman

The style with which Chapman pulled this book off is incredible. The different voices, points of view, and overall project is a masterclass in bringing a variety of characters alive through voice and showing their characters progress on the page. In too many books, every POV character sounds the same, but Chapman managed to make the different characters utterly different while also making it feel effortless. I also don't want to imply there are too many POVs--honestly, there's just the right amount for exactly what he pulled off. So, again, writing-wise, this book is incredible.

But, all that said...I think a reader's response here is largely going to come down to concept. If you read about the concept--a form of possession taking hold of people as they fall down internet/mass media rabbit holes, and then tearing families apart--and feel like it's a fascinating one you want to fall into, you'll probably love this book. For me personally, I admit that the concept put me off, if anything--I love Chapman's work, so I wanted to read it, but if it had been written by anyone else, I probably would have passed. I read for escapism, and people being changed by internet rabbit holes--however drastically--just felt a little too close to reality right now. In any case, I think because of this, parts of the middle of the book dragged for me, even as I could appreciate what Chapman was doing it and the nuance of the story.

So, would I recommend this? If you're interested in the story concept, or if you're a writer wanting to get a masterclass in writing different characters in POV, this is a fantastic book to pick up. If you're just thinking about trying Chapman for the first time and less sure of the concept, then I might suggest starting with one of his other works...

68. Blues People by LeRoi Jones/Amiri Baraka

LeRoi Jones/Amiri Baraka's classic work on the history of the blues is a powerful look at not just blues music, but the history of music in relation to race, as a method of tracing the development of culture and people. By examining music in relation to the historical progression from slavery up to civil rights, the author argues that self-identification as an African-American and/or American (as opposed to a displaced/enslaved African)--and a feeling of connection and cultural grounding in America vs. Africa--is directly tied to the development of music over these last centuries. It's the sort of nuanced look at history and development which, to be blunt, isn't offered in schools but should be. Examining race, politics, music, identity, and psychology as they are all tied up together in a progression of time, Baraka paints a fascinating history that's well worth reading even now.

Readers who are less familiar with blues music and different performers may find the very last section a bit more detailed than they'd prefer (in relation to intricacies of music and the blues and specific performers), but up through that point, the book is incredibly accessible to any reader who cares to move through history with a talented writer and thinker.

Absolutely recommended.

69. A Palace Near the Wind by Ai Jiang

I adore Jiang's writing, and her Linghun is a book that I'll be thinking about and recommending to others for years to come. So, with that in mind, I was incredibly excited to sink into this new work. Yet, I'm left struggling with what to say here.

On one hand, I adored the concept, characters, and writing, and I can understand that the fairy-tale-like style adopted may have come from the author's original conception of the work as a 'Blue Beard-esque retelling'...but at the same time, I have to admit that all of the creativity, characters, themes, and story felt like far too much for such a slim package of a novel. Especially early on, I found myself wishing that the novel would just move more slowly and let me really sink into some of the scenes and get to know the world and characters with more depth. Instead, it often did feel more fairy-tale-ish, in the way that fairy tales are told to the reader (style-wise)...but such fairy tales tend to work in that style because they're relatively fast and simple, at least in terms of development and characterization. Here, though, there are so many fascinating characters, details, and worldbuilding details, and I too often felt like I was being rushed through them.

All in all, if this book had covered the same territory and been written to be twice the length it is, I think I'd be raving about it. Instead, I'm just not sure how I feel about it because it feels like a lot of the power it might have had for me was lost in a rushed forward momentum or a sort of detached style, and so as much as I loved the writing and the ideas here, and appreciate all of Jiang's work, I'm left wishing there'd been...well, more.

I'll be a forever fan of Jiang's work and continue picking up her books, but I haven't decided if I'll read the second book in this series, to be honest.

70. To be Taught If Fortunate by Becky Chambers

This is a thoughtful, engrossing work of science fiction, and on the whole, I adored it. It's on the quieter side of the genre, no doubt, but Chambers' attention to characterization, detail, and the worlds she builds make it an incredible journey, just the same. I will say that I wish the book had had some CWs--there are some truly upsetting moments, and so if you sometimes look for CWs, I'd recommend searching them out for this work. Otherwise, the one downfall here was the ending. Her characters are so clear throughout, so believable, and yet not knowing their motivation for a big decision at the end--or, rather, being told their motivation, but not given enough insight or lead-up to understand/believe in it--put a damper on the ending for me.

Overall, though, I'd absolutely recommend this little book to anyone interested in short sci-fi novels.

71. Ghost Eaters by Clay McLeod Chapman

Grief and Addiction. Each leads to the other so incredibly often, and I'm sure the relationship between them is cyclical in may people's lives. Yet, I'm not sure I've ever seen the two paired so carefully and smartly in fiction as I have here in Ghost Eaters.

Chapman's creation of believable flawed characters caught in a cycle of grief and addiction makes for a novel that is as powerful as it is horrible. With his talent for description and storytelling, there's no shying away from the dark pit that either grief or addiction can become, let alone together, and physical description grounds this horror novel in a fashion that makes it undeniably terrifying in concept and execution.

I also want to note that a focus on grief often leads me to either avoid novels or DNF them partially through, but Chapman's treatment of grief is both real and nuanced enough that he doesn't allow it to take over the story, and so the balance here makes for a compulsively readable novel that has just the right amount of real-life weight.

I'd absolutely recommend it to any/all horror readers.

>184 whitewavedarling: This is going on my TBR!

>185 GraceCollection:, I'm glad! My book club had some mixed feelings about it, but the more I think on it, the more impressed I am with it!

72. Go Ahead in the Rain: Notes to a Tribe Called Quest by Hanif Abdurraqib

I happened to read this almost directly after LeRoy Jones'/Amiri Baraka's Blues People, and the way the works speak to each other is itself fascinating enough that it has to be mentioned, despite having been published more than a half-century apart. If readers are able, I'd recommend reading both in this order, with or without an interest in blues and/or rap, but on to Abdurraqib's work here...

This book is so many things--cultural history, musical history, love letter, biography, and memoir. Abdurraqib's powerful prose and deep understanding of A Tribe Called Quest's lyrics and music makes for a moving tribute that balances the personal against larger history and identity, taking us through decades of time in which A Tribe Called Quest created music that would transcend its time. The style here is undeniable, and only adds to the work. Abdurraqib's personal letters to members of the group, interspersed throughout the narrative alongside personal anecdotes about growing up alongside A Tribe Called Quest's music, ground the book in a personal tribute which becomes all the more powerful as the book eventually comes to a close.

It's worth reading, and absolutely recommended.

73. The Sea Around Us by Rachel Carson

Although some of the material in Carson's classic work is undeniably dated, particularly around technology and what portions of the sea have yet to be explored, as well as climate change, her careful prose and descriptions still make for an incredibly worthwhile exploration of the oceans and their history. Where textbooks often make the subject of oceanography something of a static-feeling subject, Carson manages to treat the ocean as a near living, breathing organism that affects everyone on our planet, and the calmness of the exploration as a whole makes for a book I wouldn't hesitate to recommend.

74. There's Always This Year by Hanif Abdurraqib

Who'd have thought I'd end up reading, let alone truly enjoying, a book centered on basketball? Not me, friends, but here we are.

I was late to start enjoying sports, and early on, any interest I might have had in basketball was tainted twice-over. My brother loved the game, but wasn't put on teams because he was told he 'wasn't aggressive enough' even though he could make any free throw. Years later, I had a basketball player in my class who was, without question, the least motivated and most frustrating student to enter my classroom in over a decade of teaching; him being one of the stars of our school's high-profile team didn't exactly endear the sport to me, even as I was finally becoming interested in sports. The first tinge of interest I got came years later when I got roped into running the scoreboard for a basketball game at the summer camp where I taught creative writing and drama. Between that experience and knowing some of the kids on *that team*, who were in my drama and creative writing classes on a regular basis, I finally grew some interest (and kept on running that scoreboard or taking pictures for the team in years after that).

And so, somehow, when a friend in a server mentioned this book, my interest was piqued just enough.

Abdurraqib blends history, memoir, sports, and identity here to make a fantastically engaging work focused in on basketball and what it can mean to a community. Although I had only the vaguest knowledge of the players he talked about, the passion in his prose brings them to life in these pages, and the conversation stretches so far beyond a simple game in a gym that there's endless meaning and value in these pages. The book is a powerful statement on community and identity, worth reading for anyone.

Absolutely recommended.

75. Clover by Dori Sanders

There's a lot to admire about Sanders' writing, but I can't help being a bit underwhelmed by the book itself here. As slice-of-life fiction goes, the scenes are wonderfully written, and the characters brought to life on every page without fail. At the same time, while the ten-year-old Clover makes for an entertaining protagonist and narrator at many points, she's also one of the problems with the work as a whole, as there are so often moments when her thoughts/words so clearly feel like the author's own thoughts/words stepping in to shape the story vs those that would come from a child. Similarly, there's such focus on the girl's summer and memories, and on making her the strong young protagonist she's meant to be, there's a certain lack of emotion which makes the book somewhat one-note even when it's tackling its most serious territory.

So, I suppose in the end I have mixed feelings. I admire the author's writing, but the story as a whole feels like it's somewhat lackluster, more built of short stories pulled together into a novel than a fully developed story that's got all it needs to be. I feel like I'd love to read a short story collection from the author, but I'm not sure I'd pick up another novel from her.

76. Woman, Eating by Claire Kohda

I have to admit I chuckled when I saw 'a literary vampire novel' come up as the official subtitle of this work, specifically because I felt what really made it an up-and-down read for me was its attempt to balance so much between being literary and horror, and I too often felt like the author wanted to write a literary novel, but 'make it vampire!', whereas I think I would have been far more satisfied by either a literary novel OR a horror novel, despite the fact that I often like mixed-genre work.

I did appreciate some of the character-study aspects here. The way the author incorporated issues of mental health and essentially made vampirism an eating disorder for the protagonist worked really well. The problem was that it felt like the novel was always either in literary mode or horror moved, and for a short novel, it opened up too many threads and then attempted to resolve them far too neatly, so that the ending was incredibly unsatisfying and underwhelming, as far as I was concerned.

I guess I can see why there was some hype around this book, but I don't see myself picking up something else by the author or recommending this one.

77. Bat Eater and Other Names for Cora Zeng by Kylie Lee Baker

Powerful and disturbing, this is an incredibly timely work that deals in horror as much as mystery. Baker's descriptions and talent for writing atmosphere, as well as the supernatural, make for a dark book with incredible nuance when it comes to talking about culture, religion, racism, prejudice, and violence. As a protagonist, Cora Zeng is as reluctant to take center-stage as she is compelling, and it's incredibly difficult to put this book down once it's begun; at the same time, there are moments here which demand time to be absorbed.

There's no doubt that the level of gore and violence here will be more than some mystery readers are willing to take in, but it's worth noting that Baker doesn't go for shock value here. Instead, what's offered is a disturbing realism which, especially in the world today, can't and shouldn't be ignored. Parts of the book are difficult to read, as they should be, and I can't applaud Baker enough for being so unflinching in telling this story.

I'd absolutely recommend it, with the caveats above. I certainly look forward to reading more of the author's work.

78. The House of Two Sisters by Rachel Louise Driscoll

Driscoll's debut novel is a sprawling landscape of Egyptology, fascinating and believable characters, and gorgeous writing and storytelling. I moved somewhat slowly only because I feared something was going to happen to the cat who becomes a traveling companion (it doesn't, and that's the one spoiler I'll offer here since it's a super-minor point in the book, but an anxiety-producing one for me and plenty of other readers, I know), but I couldn't resist reading the second half of this book in one long sitting, I so desperately wanted to know what was coming.

The twists are fantastic, the writing is stellar, and honestly, there's nothing about this book that I didn't love. It's smart, powerful, and immersive.

Absolutely recommended.

79. Pushing Daisy by Chris O'Halloran

I admit I struggle with books where the main character isn't likeable, especially when they're downright unsympathetic, so this book wasn't exactly built for my tastes, but it is a fun, fast horror read that serves up a fantastically unique story. O'Halloran is a great storyteller--all the more obvious since I'm sure this same MC would have led me to DNF the book in some other writer's hands, given that sympathy element--and a talented writer, so I'll look forward to what comes next from him.

I will give one caveat; there really should be a CW on the book for animal death/mutilation, so read with caution if that's something which tends to bother you.

Recommended for horror lovers.

80. The Mind Electric: A Neurologist on the Strangeness and Wonder of Our Brains by Pria Anand

Anand's The Mind Electric is a fascinating dive into neurology, filled with anecdotes dealing with how various diseases of the mind have been tracked and discovered, the ways our minds work, and cases she's come across as a neurologist. The book as a whole blends medical history, scientific understanding, memoir, and case studies to offer a nonfiction work that transcends any one area of nonfiction and makes for a compelling read offered with respect, humor, gorgeous prose.

This is one of those rare nonfiction works which I think anyone could benefit from reading, and I'm thrilled to have stumbled upon it. I can only hope she writes more works delving into her field and her cases.

Absolutely recommended for anyone remotely interested.

81. Mapping the Interior by Stephen Graham Jones

This is a fast read, and there's some gorgeous prose, but the ending felt so out of the blue, I'm not sure how to feel. There's a sort of slow drift into horror territory, with a lot of emotional nuance, that's a wonderful draw into the book, so that the narrative feels like it gathers real power as the story grows darker. But then the end comes...and I don't know. It felt like a sudden fast-forward into an ending that the author had envisioned, but which we hadn't really moved toward naturally. I'm really not sure what to think of the book because the ending just felt so out of nowhere that it kind of lessened the impact of the whole for me.

82. The No-End House by Jeremy Bates

I read another Bates book quite a while ago that was enough to keep him on my radar and make me interested in more, but as soon as I saw this one, I couldn't wait to read it, and I'm so glad I went ahead and picked it up. Think House of Leaves + Escape Room in an all-out horror novel that's well-driven by both character and plot, and which flirts with romance but stays pretty firmly in horror territory. It was such an incredibly fun and compelling read, I was only sorry to see it end!

Absolutely recommended to horror readers.

83. Coup de Grace by Sofia Ajram

Ajram's prose is gorgeous, and I was immediately sucked into this slim work of dread and hopelessness. For most of the work, I was compelled to keep reading without stop, pulled along by the writing, the predicament, and the voice of the narrator. At the end of the book, though, the style changes, and while on some level I can see how it works with the book that's led to that point, and with the themes, I have to admit that the stylistic change threw me for a bit of a loop and left me less than engaged, to the point where I have to admit I was glad to finish.

I'd definitely pick up more of Ajram's work, and I think the lens used to examine depression here worked incredibly well. The more experimental aspect of the work and style just wasn't my cup of tea.

84. Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders

Saunders' debut novel defies conventions, offering a powerful work of supernatural historical fiction built of grief, character study, denial, hope, and humor. I admit Saunder's style hasn't always been my cup of tea--one of the main reasons that it took me so long to get around to reading this novel--but I'm shocked to report that I read it in a single day, devouring it in just two long sittings. The collection of voices and and research here makes for a fast and compelling ride, and although it took me some time to get completely sucked in, Saunders won me over in the end.

If you read fiction, you should read this. I suspect there's something here for nearly everyone.

85. Cloud Warriors: Deadly Storms, Climate Chaos--and the Pioneers Creating a Revolution in Weather Forecasting by Thomas E. Weber

Weber's powerful new book offers a combination of science, anecdote, and history, all of it clearly explained and expounded upon in a fashion that makes for compelling reading. And despite the cover and what the title might imply, the work is far-reaching in terms of climate, exploring all types of extreme weather, from tornadoes and wildfires on to extreme heat and hurricanes as well as drought and flood events, with other sections of the word dedicated to exploring the different types of forecasting and where they most excel, as well as the people pushing them forward.

For me, the most eye-opening sections were those on wildfire, extreme heat, and forecasting, but every chapter here is worth reading and reading again. It's a rare piece of nonfiction that demands not just to be read and passed on, but to be understood and acted upon. Unfortunately, what hangs over the reading experience like a deadly pall is the awareness of how much has changed in even the last six months, with Trump's Administration making deadly budget cuts to NOAA as well as other government agencies and scientific efforts in general. Part of me wishes that Weber could be called upon to add an addendum we could read to see where every person and agency described in the book--at least those in the U.S.--are now in August of 2025 after these cuts, and how the cuts have affected them, but I suspect it would be a terrifying and heart-wrenching read.

On the other hand, there is a great deal of hope in this work, both in the form of inspiring people and scientists as well as in the progress already made and where it seems to be heading. Perhaps even more hopeful, given the state of the national government right now, are the sections dedicated to looking at what individual cities and states in America are doing to forward climate concerns and help the most at-risk populations even before extreme weather comes calling.

In short, the book is fascinating, and Weber has put forward an incredible and timely work which I truly wish I could put into every person's hands.

Absolutely recommended--the sooner the better.

86. The Ghostwriter by Julie Clark

I wasn't sure how to feel about this book when I began--the writing style bothered me, with too many passages feeling overwritten, as if the author was intent on pulling every drop of potential suspense from every sentence, even where it was forced. But as I got further into the book, I got pulled into the characters and the story far more than I'd initially expected. By the end, I was actually left in tears, and I'm not even quite sure I can put the reason into words.

Clark has written a powerful novel with enough twists and surprises to keep things interesting throughout, and while I found a few aspects predictable, the results were ultimately delievered with enough tweaks to my expectations that I still felt some surprise and the read was ultimately incredibly satisfying. I'm not sure I'll rush to read more of Clark's work--there were certainly aspects of her style that I didn't love--but the storytelling was so powerful and interesting that I think I will be seeking out more of her work.

Recommended.

87. PTSD Radio Omnibus Vol. 1 by Masaaki Nakayama

PTSD Radio is filled with creepy images, made all the more powerful by moments of hyper-focus and shifts that bring us in closer and closer until the images themselves feel almost intrusive for the reader. The story in this omnibus, though, is fragmented and shifting, to the point that although I felt the power and creepiness of the images, I rarely got any sort of cohesive feeling of power or storytelling from the work as a whole. So, while I enjoyed it for the art, I doubt this is one I'll remember or that I'll feel the need to move forward with the author's work.

88. You & Yours: Poems by Naomi Shihab Nye

I read this collection twenty years ago when it first came out, and had at the time only the vaguest awareness of Gaza or the Palestinians' struggles under Israel's rule. I was more aware of the more publicized wars--those prior to and since 9/11--but even so, I didn't have the awareness of the rest of the world that I do now. And yet, this collection stuck with me and made me a forever fan of Nye's work.

To read this collection as a whole two decades later, and have the poems of violence and autonomy and struggle be just so timely (if not more so, somehow) than they were then is heartbreaking. The sheer powerlessness communicated in some of these poems, rife with quiet outrage, makes the genocide of Palestinians which is ongoing all the more terrible, even in Nye's moments of hope. Because, of course, the collection is not only built of these matters or of a rejection of violence. It is built of hope, of quiet moments, of a treasuring of the personal and the individual. For this reason, we can read Nye's words and poems and do more than suffer and cry--we can continue to hope, and treasure what is here as we continue to fight, gaining insight and smiles along with the tears offered here.

I absolutely recommend this collection. Many of the poems are not written in relation to the wars I've mentioned, despite that over-arching theme, and so there is something here for any poetry reader. And plenty of wisdom, as well as gorgeous lines and thoughts.

>203 whitewavedarling: Onto my TBR it goes!

>204 Charon07:, I'm glad!

And meanwhile, I know I need to start another thread soon, but before that, I just finished another 5* read that I hope many of you will pick up...

89. Wild Dark Shore by Charlotte McConaghy

Wild Dark Shore is breathtaking, and McConaghy has made me a fan of her work for life.

Details of setting and wildlife build such an atmosphere that the writing alone would stand out even without such a powerful story, but the storytelling itself is incredibly powerful. McConaghy's characters are flawed and yet sympathetic, even at their very worst, and so as the story and suspense build around them, there's simply no way to look away. I read the last third of the book in a single sitting, sometimes biting my nails and sometimes wiping away tears. When I put the book down, I had to catch my breath.

These characters, and this setting, are all ones to live with. I can't write a review that will do it justice. From the wild-haired Fen who'd prefer to live on the beach with the seals rather than her family, to her younger brother with his love of botany and her older brother with his fascination for whales, to her father, who is only ever doing his best, on to the mysterious woman who washes up on the shore, and is ultimately no more mysterious than the fractured family on the island...McConaghy has woven such a magical, powerful story here, I can't recommend it enough.

And it's worth noting: I'm not sure when I've read a novel that seemed so effortless in its (believable) writing of wildlife, let alone weaving it in with the story so powerfully.

I loved this book. When I recover, I may just pick it up again without pause.

>205 whitewavedarling: OK, you got me, I will take a BB for this.

>206 lowelibrary:, I'm glad!

Meanwhile...

90. Reef Life: An Underwater Memoir by Callum Roberts

Roberts' Reef Life is a gorgeously written account of his life spent working on and around and for coral reefs, moving from the early 1980s up to around 2017. His passion for marine life and corals is apparent on every page, and readers who've taken their own dives and snorkels to explore underwater landscapes will probably get the most out of this work and best relate to the encounters and stories shared here. That said, while the early chapters where Roberts was just getting his feet read as you might expect a memoir to, that 'memoir flavor' gets left behind for most of the book, to the extent that it feels a bit like we're reading something more akin to a localized biography of corals through one POV, or something like of an extrapolation of what a marine conservationist's career might look like. I adored reading the book because I do love marine life--it's why I picked the memoir up to begin with--but I was surprised at the balance of science to memoir, and I can see some memoir readers being more disappointed than I was.

For readers who are passionate about coral reefs or marine life or conservation, though, I'd absolutely recommend this work.

91. The Starving Saints by Caitlin Starling

This is a tough one to review. I adore Starling's writing, and this book sucked me in from page one. I fell in love with the characters from the beginning--all three of the POVs, which is rare for me--and the small, unsettling details and creatures that slipped into the text with every turn. For more than half the book, I was pulled along without being able to pause, enjoying every moment.

And then...well, I suppose it began to feel like more and more details and oddities were piling up, often unconnected to each other, and I started to feel some doubt about whether or not I'd get all of the answers I wanted, and whether everything would be tied up in a way that made sense of things. I was glad to coast without answers, but in the end, I wanted to know the 'how' of things--how things tied together, the logic behind the magic/horror, how all this came to be just as it ended up happening...

So, I don't know. I loved this book for a lot of it, and I'm sure many horror readers won't be bothered by the mysteries left in play, as it fit the book in some ways, but this one didn't quite live up to the expectations built up by the first 100 pages or so.

92. Assistant to the Villain by Hannah Nicole Maehrer

Within a chapter or two of starting, I fell in love with this book. The humor, the magic, the romance, the author's style, the wonderfully drawn characters...everything comes together so beautifully, the book is incredibly fun. Add in quite a few unexpected twists, characters who grow believably and whose flaws only add to the story, and a plot that unfolds gorgeously with the perfect amount of romance, and you have a breathtaking result.

I admit I hadn't expected (or wanted) quite such a cliffhanger of an ending, but in the end, there was never any question that I'd be picking up the sequel very soon, so it makes no difference either way.

I love this book and absolutely recommend it.

I am insanely behind on reading plans, mostly because I got way-overambitious on how much I could read from the library while also attempting a challenge I'd based on my TBR lol. But I haven't given up yet, so, uh, here are my theoretical plans for September...

Pinata (HOWLS Read #1)
Any Man (HOWLS Read #2)
Exit West (RandomCat)
The Silver Swan (ColorCat)
Lost Dogs and Lonely Hearts (CoverCat)
The Bazaar of Bad Dreams (ScaredyKit and 'B' AlphaKit)
High Fae Academy (SFFKit)
something for the 'M' AlphaKit
The Hopes of Snakes (CultureCat/NatureKit)

I'm already about a third of the way through Pinata. I'm also finishing up The Yiddish Policeman's Union, which has really stalled me out since I just haven't been enjoying it all that much.

93. Everyday Mojo Songs of Earth by Yusef Komunyakaa

It's been said that reading and writing poetry is itself an act of resistance in this world, and this collection of Komunyakaa's poems makes that saying felt more, perhaps, than any other I've read. Wise, far-reaching and aware, and yet hopeful, the poems in this collection are grounded in the world and history we know, but built of enough spirituality and hope to affect readers with what is possible.

I've long been a fan of Komunyakaa, but this collection of new poems featuring poems from older collections is a forceful collection worth reading and sharing again and again. Absolutely recommended.

>211 whitewavedarling: Added to my TBR!

>212 Charon07:, I'm glad!

I've been on a bit of a poetry kick...

94. Magical Negro by Morgan Parker

Morgan Parker's poems beg to be read aloud, and the hard-hitting rhythms and slips in language make for a powerful work focused on race, identity, womanhood, and culture. Although some of the more essay-like and prose-ish poems here felt like they might have been better suited to some other form, I found myself rereading many of the poems as soon as I finished them, reimmersiing myself in the power and language and nuance once again. My favorites were, without doubt, in the first third of this collection, but the whole was well worth reading, and I look forward to finding more of Parker's work.

Definitely recommend.

95. The Yiddish Policemen's Union by Michael Chabon

Despite not having enjoyed Chabon's short stories all that much, I'd been meaning to read this book for years...but it seems Chabon's writing just isn't for me.

I can appreciate particulars of his skill and ideas, but this was a tough slog for me to manage my way through. It felt over-written and over-complicated in so many ways, and though there were scenes and dynamics and details I enjoyed at various points, it generally just felt needlessly drawn out to the point that I was simply anxious to be done and see how it finally played out.

The concept is interesting and I can appreciate Chabon's skill as a writer, but I think his work just isn't for me.

96. Pinata by Leopoldo Gout

I was so excited to read this book, and early on, I couldn't put it down, but as the book kept moving and involving more layers and more characters, I have to admit it lost me a bit. Ultimately, I think the author simply tried to do too much here (or that the book simply needed to be longer in order to really affect all Gout wanted to make happen), and while all of the threads and characters were fascinating, it all just unraveled a bit and got messier as things unfolded. A few more rounds of editing probably would have made a world of difference here to really make sure everything got fully developed and filled out, but as is, I'm left somewhat underwhelmed, particularly because the book had so much potential and the take on possession was so interesting. I just wish it hadn't felt so rushed by the end.

97. Hemlock & Silver by T. Kingfisher

I'm not normally one to go for fantasies that have even the barest relationship to fairy tales, but the combination of my having liked another book of Kingfisher and then seeing this cover (with that wonderful snake) demanded I grab this one as soon as I could...and I'm so glad I did.

The wonderful humor and magic in this book make for a perfect journey of a story, and there's no way to avoid falling in love with the characters--even the smallest of them. I wish the cover flap of the book hadn't given quite so much away, but nevertheless, the reveals that come, when they come, are glorious, and I absolutely adored this book.

Also, make sure to do yourself a favor and read the acknowledgements!

Absolutely recommended. I'm a forever-fan of Kingfisher now.

98. The Silver Swan by Amo Jones

First, it's worth noting that although this book involves romance--of a sort--it's not a romance novel, dark or otherwise. It is a dark book, but genre-wise, I guess I'd say it's some odd mish-mash of suspense, YA, drama, and erotica, with a bit of a motorcycle club feel translated into YA territory. But while I love genre mash-ups, the more unpredictable the better, there are issues with this book that have nothing to do with the mis-labeling of genre, and it starts with a serious lack of editing. From small, nonconsequential issues--such as when students apply to college and believable human behavior--into random inconsistencies, such as the students at one point being said to wear uniforms and at another not, the book simply needed a lot more work. The biggest issue is simply a lack of believability in terms of how the characters act and react to each other, with the author doing everything possible to pile on suspense even when it doesn't particularly make sense.

All told, I wouldn't recommend the book and I won't be picking up anything else from the author. If they can't be bothered to think more about their characters or hire an editor, I'm not sure there's anything else to say beyond the fact that the book needed a lot more work, genre aside.

99. Ring by Koji Suzuki

At the core of this book are some fascinating ideas and turns, so I'm not surprised it was adapted to film, but I'm thoroughly underwhelmed by the book itself. So many odd, even offensive choices that feel to be included more for shock value or simply for the sake of being offensive, and so many tangents into territory that didn't add anything or get fully developed. Not to mention the sexism, the lack of sympathetic characters, and the lackluster pacing.

No, I would not recommend this book, whether you liked the movie or not. It's not worth your time, and I won't be reading more of the author's work.

100. Any Man by Amber Tamblyn

I'm ultimately DNFing after reading about two thirds of this. I can't make myself keep going despite it being a fast read.

Some of the language in the first third of the book is gorgeous, and Tamblyn certainly has a talent for bringing a variety of voices to life. However, there are parts of this which feel wholly gratuitous and experimental, which nearly bored me out of the book, and various other elements that feel included purely for shock value and to portray meanness, and while it all may be believable to a certain extent, there's enough outright cruelty and meanness in this world without my reading a book that seems built only to reproduce it. It feels, on the whole, like this is an experimental book written to get a pretty basic message across to readers, but I suspect anyone who picks this book up will already believe in that messaging and not need the book. Idea-wise, there's nothing here I haven't seen in Law & Order: SVU, and the whole of the work feels fragmented enough that as I DNF, I seriously doubt there'll be a final resolution to the plot, for what it is. And, reading it, I actually got to the point where I was reminded of stories about readers who went to Palahniuk's readings for a particular book and got physically sick. I wouldn't be surprised if that were this writer's goal here, but I've got no interest in it.

There's clearly some writing talent here, but I'm left more disgusted than impressed. I don't see myself picking up more of the author's works, no matter the genre or concept.

101. Exit West by Mohsin Hamid

There's something about Mohsin Hamid's prose which I find to carry such a calm, and this book is no different. The story of Saeed and Nadia's relationship, from its beginning on through their escape from their war-torn country and coming to settle into spaces elsewhere, is a languid and gorgeous exploration of what it means to grow together and grow apart against trauma, conflict, and the passage of time. And while Hamid doesn't often go into the details of the trauma, he presents their world in such a way that we understand its harshness through the prism of the news we see every day now, particularly in relation to Gaza, which brings additional depth without dwelling in the details that would refocus the book into something else entirely.

I've seen some reviews complaining about the element of magical realism, but I'll be honest: I see it as a touch of genius. It allows us to see the emotions and difficulties and uncertainties of a traumatized population and sudden migrations without getting bogged down in the details of border passages that would/could change from border to border, moment to moment. Readers can't argue, 'It's not like that, really' instead of allowing themselves to be adjust to the emotions and accept the difficulties. Because of how Hamid has styled the book, it's not the logistics that matter--it's the people, and the lives they're attempting to live.

I admit that the ending of the book, for me, felt somewhat rushed, but that doesn't take away from the gorgeous book Hamid has written or from the emotions and journeys depicted here. This is a book to dwell in emotionally and then share, translating what it means and portrays onto the world we're attempting to survive as a global community.

Absolutely recommended.

>220 whitewavedarling: Exit West is an extraordinary book and I should reread it.

>221 RidgewayGirl:, It was so lovely!

And meanwhile, I've just finished another very different but also very wonderful read...

102. Last to Leave the Room by Caitlin Starling

This is my third read by Starling, and I think this might be my favorite of hers. Her prose is crisply elegant, her characters are wonderfully flawed and believable, and the choices she makes in plotting sometimes leave me breathless, especially in how she translates our familiar world in a way that's just off-kilter enough to make it both familiar and terrifying. And this book in particular felt perfectly conceived. Very much in the sci-fi-horror realm, it starts out with kind of quiet/creepy sci-fi vibes, and then as it progresses, gets darker and darker. Two nights in a row, I had to put it down because I was so thoroughly creeped out and worried it would give me nightmares if I kept going. Through the last fifty pages, I couldn't stop turning pages, and yet was terrified of what I was moving toward. So, all told: definitely recommended!

Also, ignore the weird red and black cat cover on the paperback edition, which I find incredibly confusion. The hardback cover is more fitting. The red/black cover with the mad cat has nothing to do with the book as far as I can tell and is a super-weird choice. I mention it because it might well have scared me off if I'd seen that cover first! And yet, the author does such a lovely job of writing the cat in this book (who very much does NOT fit the cover picture!).

103. That Self-Same Metal by Brittany N. Williams

I happened to hear Williams speak on a panel about Black speculative fiction, and she was such a wise voice and joy to listen to, and so inspiring, I immediately requested this book from the library even though it might not have appealed otherwise since I don't read much historical fantasy. And yet, I'm so glad I did, and I can't wait to read the next in the series!

That Self-Same Metal does a wonderous job of bringing Shakespeare's time to life, with Joan Sands as a wonderfully envisioned heroine who a reader can't help but fall in love with. From the historical material to the scenes of play-acting, dancing, and magic, Williams' every scene here is perfection. Falling into this book felt like a step back in time to a more magical, wonderous pocket of life, and I loved every second.

I'd absolutely recommend this book to anyone who reads either YA or Fantasy. Without any doubt, it's a five-star read for me.

104. The Hopes of Snakes: & Other Tales from the Urban Landscape by Lisa Couturier

Couturier's essays are written with such care and interest in the natural world and animals, they're a sort of calming meditation on how we might hope to interact with and learn from nature, at our best. Whether she's writing of coyotes, snakes, or birds--many of the essays, it's worth noting, are bird-focused--her precise language and rhythms make for a calm and entrancing meditation on her experiences with animals and with nature. There are some moments which I wish would have gotten more follow-up and not become forgotten threads, but on the whole, I very much enjoyed this little book, and I'd certainly recommend it to other animal-lovers, particularly those who live on the borders between cities and nature and/or don't get to spend as much time in nature as they might like.

Recommended.

105. These Memories Do Not Belong To Us by Yiming Ma

The cynical part of me wonders if the agent and author of this book believed that a novel would sell better than a collection of short stories, and so they shoved his short stories into a novel framework and *called* the manuscript a novel. On one hand, I have no way of knowing if that's true. On the other hand, it could easily be true because that's how the book reads, and that's the problem.

The book advertises itself as a novel, and I suppose technically that's true, but the cover flap is simply misleading. The cover copy/blurb for the book tell prospective readers that it's a story about a man who inherits his mother's memories, many of which are banned and "so dangerous that even possessing them places his freedom in jeopardy.... Determined to release his mother's memories to the world before they are destroyed forever, the narrator will risk everything--even if the cost is his own life."

That sounds fantastic. It's a book I was excited to read. But saying it's true is the equivalent of saying that The Princess Bride is about a man telling his grandson a bedtime story. Is that true? Well, yeah, sure...but it's such an incredible minimalization of the story, and such a slanted truth, that anyone who loves that movie would laugh at the simplicity of the statement simply because the story of The Princess Bride isn't, for the most part, about a man and his grandson. It's simply not. And the same goes for this book.

What that description offered in the blurb describes is what amounts to a frame story that takes up what's probably less than 5% of the book, and which is given barely any development--nothing that the reader couldn't guess from the blurb, certainly. The other 95% (or more) of the book is a collection of stories which we're meant to believe are memories, which itself stretches the bounds of imagination since so much backstory is included, more along the lines of what you'd expect in a normal short story vs a solitary memory. Some of the 'memories' tell entire lives, and while others mention the technology of the Mindbank that's mentioned in the book's blurb, it's often mentioned in such a way that it simply doesn't affect the story and feels a bit shoehorned in. And because in this time memories can be bought/sold and collected by people other than those who experienced them, the memories are from such disparate peoples and times that they don't themselves tell a full novel-length story as might happen if all of the memories had been those of the narrator's mother. In fact, partially through the book, I was already wondering if some of the so-called memories had been written in isolation as separate stories and then dropped into the collection (because as far as I'm concerned, that is what this is, being closer to a collection of an interconnected collection of stories than a novel)--so I wasn't surprised to get to the end-matter of the book and discover in the author's bio that one of the so-called memories had won a short story prize.

Would I have loved this book if it were simply a collection of short stories? Probably not, to be honest. But at the very least, I would have gone into the book with the correct expectation that I'd be reading a collection of short stories and not a novel, which would have made a world of difference.

As is, I was thoroughly underwhelmed by the book, and disgusted that the marketing/blurbs were so incredibly misleading. I doubt I'd pick up another book by the author, fascinating as the overall concept (largely undeveloped) may have been, and much as I would have liked to read the book described in the blurb. If I do pick another one up and it's marked as a novel, I'll certainly read a number of reviews to ensure that's what it actually is before reading it.

106. Make Me Rain: Poems & Prose by Nikki Giovanni

Giovanni has written poems which stop my breath, drive emotion into my throat, and force me to reread or relisten to them immediately--more than once. She's written poems I've felt driven to teach and to share. Her words are often that powerful.

By that standard, which she set for herself, I'm not sure this particular collection will live on in my mind--in some ways, it's a memorial and commentary on our current world, including prose works, more so than what I'd normally expect when picking up a collection by her or any other poet. And yet, there are many, many poems here which ring with power and demand to be read and re-read.

I will always recommend Giovanni's work. This may not be my favorite collection from her, but I'm still thankful to have read it and lived with it for the breadth of the work.

107. Animal Orphans by Sharon M. Hart

When I was in first grade, I'd already been reading Trixie Belden and Hardy Boys books for about two years, first at bedtime with my mom and then on my own. Anything shorter or for a younger audience, I rolled my eyes at, but while I could read those mysteries during silent reading periods, I was told that I had to read more 'age-appropriate' books for book reports. That was a nightmare for me as well as my mom and grandmother, who had to help me find books that wouldn't bore me to tears. For the most part, it was torture, and then we found this little series about an animal rescue farm.

I picked up the series recently when I saw used copies, mostly on a whim, wondering what I'd think of them as an adult. And, admittedly...as soon as I began reading this one, I was both filled with nostalgia and also left remembering, clearly, that this was least favorite of the four because it is also the most adult of the four, if memory serves, dealing with grief and death far more directly than the others. It's one of those 'lesson' books, involving freedom and the wile, much like Benji the Hunted or Born Free, both of which I loved and cried over more times than I could ever count. This is the same sort of book, and with more heartbreak than I'd generally want to hand to a child, even one who loved wildcats.

I don't think I'd give this book to a child, to be honest, though even now, I'd say that it holds up as a children's book worthy of entertaining adults more than many others I've read (if being a bit dated, having been written/published nearly forty years ago now).

At some point, I'll reread the others in the series and probably enjoy them a bit more. If I remember right, they're less adventure-based, less lesson-based, and probably lighter in general.

108. High Fae Academy - Year One by Kaylin Peyerk

The simple truth is that this book simply wasn't ready to be published, and the worst part of that is the fact that the book's concept, plot, and characters have a lot of potential which is simply unrealized due to the book being rushed and left without real editing. Consistency issues about everywhere--from a main character who sometimes knows nothing about the fae and sometimes knows everything about them, as a particular scene demands, on to inconsistencies in character behavior and emotion, and worldbuilding. There are, put simply, a ton of issues with the book, and while a few rounds of developmental editing might have polished this into something worth falling into, this reads more as a first draft that was proofread/polished and thrown up for publication, and is ultimately a very good example of everything wrong/dangerous about self-publishing.

It also has to be noted that, as is, this isn't a paranormal romance. In fact, it reads more as young adult fantasy than anything, but for the fact that the main character is theoretically 21 (she never acts like it, to be clear), I assume because the author wanted to explore sexuality without having to worry about the plot she'd envisioned being focused on a teenager rather than adult. There's a lot of flirting and chemistry, with various men, but it's simply not a romance as the word is understood in terms of genre definitions.

Obviously, I won't be continuing with the series and I wouldn't recommend this book, but there was so much potential lost in this book, I do hope the author eventually hires a good editor and puts in more development/revision so that her work can really shine.

109. Nestlings by Nat Cassidy

This was my first work by Nat Cassidy, but it's made me a life-long fan. The storytelling on display here is fantastic, full of nuance and believability and flawed characters who still pull you forward with every breath. There's also real creepiness at so many points in the book, made all the more real by the setting Cassidy brings to life and the attention to details of horror within the everyday.

If you're a horror reader, you should be picking this one up. Absolutely recommended.

110. Self-Driving by Betsy Fagin

While there were some scattered lines and moments within these pages that really struck me, this collection as a whole just wasn't for me. Many of the poems here feel mostly like collages of images or movements, either stream of consciousness or without enough framing for the reader to be sure of what the author is thinking. Larger meaning is hard to come by unless a reader puts their own interpretation fully into play vs really trying to understand what the poet is going for.

There are obviously some readers who'll fall head over heels for this collection, considering it's one a major poetry prize, but I suspect the audience for this book is more academic in nature. I love poetry, but this just wasn't for me.

111. The Society of Reluctant Dreamers by Jose Eduardo Agualusa

A fever dream of a gorgeously written novel and maze, The Society of Reluctant Dreamers manages to balance the most believable of characters against revolution, dreams, and a twisting history that sometimes itself feels more like a dream. This is one that I sank into and lived in, and which I'm already ready to read again.

112. The Lost City of the Monkey God by Douglas Preston

This is a fascinating work bringing together history, archaeology, adventure, and science. Preston's detailing of the history of 'the White City,' and the scientific research and exploration that would eventually lead to the naming of what's now known as the City of the Jaguar, makes for an immersive and captivating journey into Honduras. The history of rumor, con men, and false promises behind this area of jungle is itself a story worth telling, but to see where all of the rumors and searches led, and the way in which different facets of science and research were brought together at various points to move forward, is really something to behold. Whether you come to the book for the adventure or the history or the science or the time in the jungle, I absolutely recommend it.

I'd also be remiss not to mention the NIH here. This book was written/published just about a decade ago, and a portion of it details the ways in which the National Institutes of Health were needed in order for the members of the expedition to get treatment for an illness contracted in the jungle. Without the NIH, there's no doubt that their illnesses would have been far less affordable to treat, if even treatable. And yet, in our current political climate, the NIH has been gutted by the current Administration. Reading this book should be a reminder of what an incredible resource the NIH has been and should continue to be if only we can make sure it survives these years.

But, politics aside, this is a fantastic book that takes a nuanced look at archaeology, science, and history--even where the history is difficult and/or complicated by unknowns as well as colonialism--and Preston has done incredible work in bringing all of this together.

Absolutely recommended.

>231 whitewavedarling: That’s a BB for me, although I still have to read The Living and the Rest first, since a friend lent it to me.

>233 Charon07:, Oh, that sounds like a calming read! I totally relate--I've got library due dates creeping up on me fast! I hope you enjoy The Society of Reluctant Dreamers when you do get to it. A friend recommended the author to me, and I'm really thankful to have discovered him now. I've got another of his books waiting close by already and plans to reread this one!

>234 whitewavedarling: Oops! I had a wrong touchstone! I meant Agualusa’s The Living and the Rest. I now have 4 of his books in my TBR.

>235 Charon07:, Not so calming, but it sounds really good! I'll be on the look-out for what you think of it!

113. Ardulum: First Don by J.S. Fields

This is a little more in the hard-sci-fi space-opera realm than I normally enjoy, but on the whole, I'm glad I picked this up and discovered the press. Fields is a fantastic writer, and although I was a bit less engaged in the second half where the reader is pulled between more POVs, and the head-hopping threw me off a bit in various spots, the characters here are easy to fall in love with, and the overall world-building is well worth the price of admission.

I hadn't previously been aware of this indie press, but they're definitely on my radar now, and I imagine I'll probably continue on with this series when I'm ready for more hard sci-fi.

Absolutely recommended for sci-fi readers intrigued by the concept.

114. The September House by Carissa Orlando

Smart, horrifying, gorgeously written, and exquisitely paced... honestly, I couldn't ask for much more out of a horror novel, and this take on the haunted house had me enraptured from the very beginning. Orlando's attention to psychological nuance and character development makes for a heartbreakingly real story of abuse, obsession, need, and home, and I loved nearly every minute. The twists were enough to keep me guessing, as well, and the story left off in an incredibly satisfying manner.

I absolutely recommend this one, and I'll read anything else Orlando writes.

>231 whitewavedarling: I read my first novel by Agualusa earlier this year and I am eager to read more by him.

>232 whitewavedarling: A fascinating book with far too many snakes, in my opinion.

>239 RidgewayGirl:, I'm anxious to read more Agualusa also! But as for snakes...well, I love snakes, so there can never be too many in anything I read lol!

I'm going to count this one simply because I did make it almost 200 pages, but I didn't ultimately decide to finish reading it.

115. Leech by Hiron Ennes

This was an odd read for me from the beginning, but I ultimately ended up DNF-ing at around the 60% point. The prose is gorgeous--that's what kept me going as long as I did--but almost from the beginning, I simply didn't feel compelled to read further because I couldn't figure out why we were supposed to care about the protagonist(s), or who in this world to find at all sympathetic. I think the concept is interesting, but ultimately, I just didn't find the book at all compelling, and it felt as if it kept getting more and more complicated without those complications really serving any focus. When my book club began talking about the third part of the book, I'd still been somewhat on the fence about continuing just because I'd gotten so far, but their reactions left me feeling like I'd only be more and more disappointed the further I went.

All that said, I loved the prose, so I'd probably try another book by Ennes, but this one simply wasn't for me. I think if this book had been more like a novella, the concept/plot would have been enough to carry me forward, but it ultimately just felt so drawn out, I couldn't make myself keep picking the book up.

Obviously not one I'd recommend unless you're super-fascinated by the concept and don't mind unsympathetic protagonists.

116. Vagabond by Tim Curry

My first experience seeing Tim Curry was in the musical Annie, and I found his character Rooster to be so terrifying that, ever after that, I'd always get a bit of a shock of fear when seeing Curry show up somewhere--no matter the character, no matter the show. Now, the mini-series It in which he played Pennywise and his Rocky Horror Picture Show are two of my all-time favorites, but there's no doubt that when I think of him, I first think of fear and Rooster. Fast forward to picking up his book this past month...and I believe the old fear may finally have given way, simply, to awe and respect.

Curry's memoir is a treasure--it's impossible not to hear his voice as you read the book, and the memories, anecdotes, and facts are an incredibly fun and touching roller coaster of entertainment and meaning.

You should read it, particularly if you're a long-time fan of even one of his works. I absolutely recommend it.

117. Mary: An Awakening of Terror by Nat Cassidy

Cassidy's talent is incredible, and fully on display in this work that, according to him, was decades in the making. I can understand readers raising an eyebrow at a man writing a book that's so centrally focused on menopause and a main character dealing with menopause, but all I can say is that he's clearly done his research, and I don't think anyone would know from the writing or story that a man without that experience had read the book. Cassidy's every characterization here is nuanced, credible, and gorgeously envisioned. The story itself has enough turns to keep a reader surprised, and although a few elements may have been predictable, there were enough twists and moments of complete surprise that that didn't remotely take away from the book.

Having read two of Cassidy's books now, and particularly because of the stellar writing and storytelling here, I can confidently say he's going to be on my must-read list from here on out.

Absolutely recommended for horror lovers.

118. Carrie by Stephen King

I read Carrie in middle school--it was probably my fourth Stephen King book, after It and Night Shift and Eyes of the Dragon--and although I enjoyed it, this second read made me realize that much of the nuance and impact went over my head. Back then, I didn't have a real understanding of extremist religion or the impact of bullying. Carrie herself was so naive that she as a character felt unbelievable because she was so outside my experience, and I didn't understand how sheltered an extremist parent *could* keep their child if they so desired. It was the same with the religion--it was so extreme, so outside my experience, it felt unbelievable. Thirty years later, reading this book as an adult who's well aware of all of these factors and how painfully believable the character and situation are, telekinesis aside, made for a very different read, even when I went in knowing what to expect. The sheer power of the everyday horror, of the bullying and extremism and lack of love even between family, has such an impact, and although I felt the hatred in the story as a child reading the book, it hits much differently now.

I think this is probably a book everyone should read, to be honest, horror lover or not. There's a power to the story and to the humanity of it that goes beyond the story, uncomfortable as it may be.

119. Woman, Eat Me Whole by Ama Asantewa Diaka

"I swallowed up all the red flags and / now they've become wounds that won't stop bleeding." - from Diaka's "Transmogrified dreamer and a God with a Wi-Fi connection"

This is just one of the lines that stopped me, and forced me to begin a poem anew to trace how we'd come to such an impact. And, from poem to poem, these lines loom large over the collection, anchoring Diaka's themes and riffs in fantastic fashion.

I can't actually remember what led me to want to read this collection--I requested it from the library months and months ago after it crossed my radar--but I'm so glad I kept waiting for it. Whether writing about identity, womanhood, religion/God, violence, or pain, Diaka's care with language, and her attention to language-play especially around definitions, is marvelous. The poems that stood out to me most were those dealing with pain--such a simple word used to signify so many different things, levels, hurts, and meanings, both abstract and as concrete and visceral as a word can be. Diaka's poems tackle 'pain' and the experience of it so clearly, so meaningfully, they stole my breath and forced me to reread whole poems over and over again.

I feel confident saying that many, many women--if not most--will see themselves and their experiences reflected within these pages, and see questions they've asked of themselves and the women around them explored with more nuance than such questions often receive.

I'd absolutely recommend this collection of poetry, and really to anyone. Although some of the poems may put off readers who don't often explore poetry, many of them are wholly accessible for even the most occasional poetry reader.

120. Still Summer by Jacquelin Mitchard

There's something about Jacqueline Mitchard's blend of women's fiction and suspense which I just adore. Her attention to nuances of character and setting immerses me in each world she creates, with characters who are so flawed and believable that they feel plucked from everyday life.

That said, I can see why the reviews on this particular one are somewhat mixed. The pacing felt incredibly strange. Action sequences moved by so quickly as to nearly be a blur, where at other times the pacing lagged and wandered, particularly in the first third of the book, where it felt like Mitchard was at pains to create a suspense novel when the genre just wasn't coming naturally in this particular book--not until a good portion of the way in, anyway, at which point things suddenly became rushed.

I'm glad this wasn't the first Mitchard I read--affecting as it was, I'm not sure it would have left me so anxious to pick up more of her work as I generally am, and I've truly loved some of her books. I'm glad to have read this one, and there are some aspects and characters that I do think may well stick with me, but it certainly be the one I'd recommend folks start with if just discovering her.

I'd recommend it most to readers who like blended genre work as well as women's fiction and suspense novels.

121. Chasing Evil: Shocking Crimes, Supernatural Forces, and an FBI Agent's Search for Hope and Justice by Robert Hilland

Although this book reads like fiction, it's compelling true crime that bridges a celebrated FBI agent's career with the psychic abilities of his friend and sometime-partner in solving crime, well-known psychic John Edward. And partly because it's difficult to understand how or why these two particular men would put their names to a book like this if it weren't true, along with the undeniable case results that came from psychic abilities...well, the book is just as hard to disbelieve as it is to believe, and it makes for a fascinating read.

There are some difficult-to-read chapters, including ones that detail Hilland's duties on the day of 9/11 and then in the aftermath of the investigation/clean-up, an investigation regarding the death of a child, and his work interview Michael Vick about dogfighting. There are potentially other chapters that could be more upsetting to other readers, but these are the ones that I found the most difficult to get through.

All that said, the book is far-ranging, compelling, and well worth the read. I'd recommend it to anyone who's at all interested, whether they're a true crime reader or not.

>245 whitewavedarling: Putting this on my TBR!

>248 GraceCollection:, I'm so glad!

And meanwhile, I finished another (very different) gem last night....

122. Future Boy by Michael J. Fox

This is a fascinating look back into Fox's growth as an actor and his time filming both Family Ties and Back to the Future, as well as the story of how Back to the Future managed to come together at all. For fans of Fox, fans of either Family Ties or Back to the Future, or even readers who want to read about a strange time in Hollywood/filming and the sheer enormity of how chance things can be, this is a wonderful book full of anecdotes that make it speed by. I'd absolutely recommend it--without doubt, it's my favorite of the memoirs I've read this year, and I've read some great ones.

And now, prepare for a rant...

123. Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn

After hearing so much about Gillian Flynn for years, I figured it was time I give her a try, and I started with this one since it was chosen by my book club. But I quickly realized this would be my first and only Flynn book.

I also realize this book has many, many fans. If you're a fan, you probably don't want to read the rest of my review, because I struggled with this one from the beginning.

Let's put aside the fact that the vast majority of characters here are flat and undeveloped to the extreme, ignore that the children waffle between acting/talking wildly younger than they are or quite a bit older, and forget about how totally rushed the pacing of the end is.

The plot itself is what I cannot get past. We're told our main character is a reporter at a major newspaper, in a big city where the job would be incredibly demanding and difficult to get to begin with, and yet there's not one moment in the book where the MC feels like she has a single reporter's instinct in her body. Worse, the way her job/newspaper operates is so far from being believable that it's laughable. A Chicago newspaper reporter wouldn't be paid her salary for journeying states away to follow one relatively minor story for weeks on end, no matter how lurid the story was, and only be expected to report in every few days and write one seems to be about a story a week. Newspapers would have gone out of business in a heartbeat, decades and decades ago, if they'd ever operated like that or paid reporters for so little work. Add in an editor who babies the reporter as though she's his own child (which would perhaps be more believable since he must be paying her for nothing out of pity, I suppose), and that very basic building block of the plot is just impossible to believe in.

By the end--when evidence is found and ignored by the detective until it feels convenient for the story to have him follow up on it with a search, and when all of the wrap-up/resolution depends on a note that shouldn't exist where it's found based on what we've learned about the situation surrounding the note--it becomes clear that Flynn is at her best when writing about a character's mental health (or lack thereof) and inner struggles, but the lazy plotting and the rushed ending make it impossible for me to understand how anyone can take this book seriously.

I don't know if developmental editors simply weren't involved, or if the author was given the freedom to ignore them, but what I find most frustrating is that I can think of a half-dozen ways this plot/story could have been made significantly more believable, and that's without trying and without doing anything that would require major rewrites.

I'm glad some people enjoyed this book--to each their own--but I'll be damned if I can understand how this got published in the state the plot is in.

>250 whitewavedarling: I’m not a fan of Gillian Flynn. I’ve only read Gone Girl, and I’m not likely to pick up anything else of hers. I happen to be listening to The Plot right now, and the eponymous plot is supposedly one that anyone could make into a bestseller, no matter how lousy a writer they are. At first I thought that was implausible, then I thought of Gone Girl and The DaVinci Code and decided that, in fact, some books do seem to do very well with just a clever plot twist despite otherwise glaring flaws. I suspect that their publishers now just need Gillian Flynn’s or Dan Brown’s name on the cover to rake in the profits, so why expend any further effort or expense to make it into a better book?

>250 whitewavedarling: - Like Charon07 above, I've only read Gone Girl and didn't like it and won't read another by her. So, you're not alone. I think I read it for a book club, coincidentally, probably when it was all the rage as it's not really a book I think I would have picked up on my own.

>251 Charon07: and >252 dudes22:, It's nice to know I'm not alone lol. I think you're definitely right that now they only need her name on a cover to sell copies. Sharp Objects was actually her first book, and I have to admit my radar went up when I read the acknowledgements and saw her thanking colleagues at Entertainment Weekly. I try not to be overly jaded, as I know most first book deals actually don't come from connections if we're talking about debut novelists, but I have to think this is one of those cases where she had connections that helped pave the way, or else that the folks at the publisher just realized her connection to Entertainment Weekly would be a huge step in the direction of profits. I honest6ly just don't know how else to justify this first book getting published in the state it was in.

124. My Favorite Thing is Monsters Volume 1 by Emil Ferris

This book sucked me in immediately with its art, concept, and wonderful main character. I love the blend of color and black-and-white art, and even though over-full pages in graphic novels sometimes drive me a little batty, it all works so well here, I loved it!

That said, the middle of the book diverges into the history of another character apart from our child narrator, and I have to admit I didn't enjoy that section as much--it felt like the book had changed focus completely and turned into a different book all of a sudden, and I'm not sure I ever completely fell back in love with the book after that, the story and focus felt torn in so many different directions.

I loved the art throughout, and the way we got to understand the adults in the story through a child's POV, which was accomplished in such nuanced fashion that I'll forever be impressed. I haven't quite decided whether I'll go onto the next volume. The end portion of the book felt scattered, and I'm just not sure how I feel about the ending, which felt a bit more cliff-hangery than resolute in any true sense.

For the art, and for the concept and presentation of the main character, I'd definitely recommend it. Lovers of literary graphic novels are probably the best audience.

125. The Dead House by Dawn Kurtagich

A mixture of epistolary and found-footage style writing makes for a fascinating structure here, and although it took some time for the story to suck me in, I ultimately ended up enthralled by the story and embracing the different turns. It's definitely on the horror side of the spectrum, and there were moments where I wished for more depth than the structure allowed, but at the same time, it was done so well that the frustration feels like a natural extension of the book, only drawing the reader further in to the world that Kurtagich has created.

Well, I think I may have a new author to add to my favorite lists with this weekend read I have to report...

126. Behind Frenemy Lines by Zen Cho

I wish there were one more chapter...or two...or three...or, well, the truth is that I just didn't want this book to end.

I'll be honest: I picked this book up solely because I'd discovered the author's short SFF fiction and fallen in love with it, so upon seeing Cho's name, I immediately requested this from the library even though I wasn't sure what to expect, it being such a totally different genre. But still, Cho's talent for storytelling and nuanced, believable characters sucked me in. I sat down on Saturday thinking I might read 30 pages...and I read 200, and hated to put it down to go to bed. I woke up Sunday thinking about nothing more than when I'd be able to pick it up and keep on going.

The book is, in short, a delight. It's smart, clever, lighthearted, and peppered with just the perfect amount of seriousness and real-life conflict/drama (outside the relationship, too) to make it believable. Even knowing it was a romance, this was the first romance I'd read in a while where I wondered if maybe it would balk convention and end up not-so-happily-ever-after, just because the writer did such a good job of sucking me into the story that genre conventions felt totally irrelevant to the story and these wonderful characters.

I don't care the genre. I'll read anything Zen Cho writes.

Absolutely recommended.

127. Winter People by Jennifer McMahon

I read another McMahon work (The Drowning Kind) a while back, and though I liked the concept, the skipping back and forth between past and present really didn't work for me. It destroyed the pacing and pulled from a given POV just about as soon as I really felt invested (or re-invested). After talking to some others, it sounded like this was just her style, so I didn't plan on reading another work by her...until my book club picked this book, and I figured I may as well give her one more shot. Unfortunately, this book has only cemented the fact that McMahon's work isn't for me.

I've read books where I enjoy the way an author shifts between past and present, and where I think it adds to a story. This is the second book I've read by McMahon where it just doesn't work for me, though. I do think there are more POVs than necessary in this book, which doesn't help, but on top of that, each time I felt invested (or re-invested) in a storyline, I'd get yanked back to the other one. Toward the end of the book, when the way things would play out had already become predictable, I found McMahon pulling the reader back and forth between timelines faster and more often, and it got all the more annoying. It just destroyed any real sense of pacing or investment for me, to be honest.

On top of that, I'm significantly bothered by the stereotypes in the book, especially 'Auntie' being the stereotype of a magical indigenous person who injects that element of knowledge into the book, and doesn't much exist beyond that. The fact that she's the only person of color in the novel, from what I can tell, also doesn't help with that stereotype or what amounts from it.

In the end, I just don't see myself recommending this author or reading another work by her.

128. The Most Unusual Haunting of Edgar Lovejoy by Roan Parrish

This is far more of a Halloween than a Christmas read, but it was also the perfect book to curl up with over the holiday. A wonderful romance with just enough paranormal activity to keep it both creepy and cozy, just enough gore/ghoulishness to make my horror-loving soul happy, and the perfect dose of romance. My one minor complaint? I will say that the sex scenes ran a little long--I don't mind explicit sex on the page, and often feel like it fits, but here...well, they just felt a little long. Not even too explicit! Just a bit too long. At the same time, this is such a wonderful book, with such fascinating, fun, and nuanced characters, that a reader can get into those and skim forward a bit if they want to without missing much (though I will say that the last scene especially really serves the characters' growth and narrative).

It looks like Parrish's other romance doesn't have a hint of the paranormal, and I'm a bit more picky when it comes to simply contemporary romance, but I have a feeling I'll still get around to it at some point, this was such cozy fun and sweetness.

Absolutely recommended if it remotely appeals.

129. Blood Cypress by Elizabeth Broadbent

Broadbent's Blood Cypress is a swamp-ridden fever dream of a novel, and the atmosphere and rot brought to life by her descriptions is simply wonderful. As someone who lived in the South for most of my life (including South Carolina), I felt the oppression of the humidity and the swamp seeping out of the book, and couldn't have been more impressed by her prose. The way she brings the South to life in this atmosphere-rich story offers a perfect single-sitting horror read for a dark night.

My only complaint is actually not with the story. I felt like the series-based intro to frame the novella as a paper, and then the afterword by Sonora Taylor, were both wholly unnecessary and somewhat lessened the novella itself. If I read another book in the series, I suspect I may just skip any other-authored intro and out-tro.

Still, I loved Broadbent's story itself, and would absolutely recommend it.

>256 whitewavedarling: Zen Cho wrote one of my favorite books in the "magical Regency" genre, Sorcerer to the Crown, if that appeals!

>260 christina_reads:, At this point, I think I want to read everything she's written, so it's already on my TBR :)