I got through a lot more books than I thought I would in March. We’re working on moving house, so I listened to a lot of audio books which upped my numbers. Probably a lot more audio next month too.
The Ojja-Wojja, by Magdalene Visaggio, illustrated by Jenn St-Onge
A spooky middle grade graphic novel about two tweens who accidentally unleash a demon on their New England town. Lanie and Val love all things supernatural, so when they are working on a report about their town’s history with the supernatural, they inadvertently summon the demon that the town founders made a terrible pact with. Good storytelling, the usual kind of eighth grade tensions, and two well done main characters.
Siren Queen, Nghi Vo
A reread. I recommended this for my book club as I read it last year, loved it, and had no one to talk to about it. My group liked it as much as I did. Luli is one of those characters whose determination, will, and pride cause her most of their own problems and I love it. It was as fun the second read as it was the first.
Red Rabbit, by Alex Grecian
I really enjoyed listening to this tale of the Wild West with a horror twist. Witches, ghosts, body snatching demon, cannibals, this story combines all of these in a way that feels true to Western mythos while spinning a fun, freaky yarn. I’ll definitely be looking for more books by this author.
The Kamogawa Food Detectives, by Hisashi Kashiwai, translated by Jesse Kirkwood
A former police detective turned chef and his daughter run an unmarked restaurant in the back streets of Kyoto. People visit the restaurant to have recreated for them a memorable dish or meal that they want to revisit. The chef uses his skills to track down the ingredients, people, and feelings that would have made the meal memorable to their client. Each client’s story is told on its own making the feel of the story as comforting as their comfort food. There is little to no character development for the main characters and it feels like the daughter was added as an afterthought. Overall, though, a nice read.
The Dead Romantics, by Ashley Poston
A nice light romance. I was going to write a sum-up of the story, but there is too much going on to do it succinctly. So, we’ve got a ghostwriter who can see the dead, a hometown that hates her, a family mortuary, a dead father, her mean editor’s ghost, and lots of southern charm. Nothing mind-boggling, just a sweet person and a sweet romance.
The Gimlet Slip, by Fiona Davis and Greg Wands
This audio-only novella was a fun romp through early 1930s prohibition bootleggers. It follows three people: Jo, a young woman who made a name for herself as a driver; Lydia, the queen-pin of a bootlegging empire; and Sam, a square police detective who has revenge in his heart. Not a lot of substance but still a delightful listen.
The Reluctant Widow, by Georgette Heyer
A reread. I was stressed and needed a comfort read. It was my second read of this one and I liked it more on second reading. That seems to happen with frequency with Heyer novels. Maybe because I’ve lowered expectations? In this one, a young woman traveling to be a governess gets in the wrong carriage and before the night is through is married to a stranger and then widowed. Unknown to everyone though, is that the man had been working as a spy for the French and had information that some parties would do anything for. Not as serious as it sounds. Delightful.
The Haunting of Velkwood, by Gwendolyn Kiste
The Velkwood neighborhood was once a quiet suburban street with picture perfect houses and happy families…or so it looked. Underneath was layered family indifference and violence. One night the street became a ghost along with all the inhabitants inside. Except for three young women. Now twenty years later, Talitha must reunite with her two former friends to try to end the curse that lay over their families. Pretty good. The mystery of the haunting is well-done with just enough tension. I didn’t find any of the main characters all that sympathetic, but still a decent read.
Drowning in Light, by Taylor Steele
Poetry. An interesting collection, but only one or two poems that I liked all the way through. Themes of identity—queer, female, disabled—along with family ties and binds. There were some very lovely lines that I had to write down. QUOTE HERE.
The Busy Body, by Kemper Donovan
Another audio book. I’m conflicted on this one. There were things I liked and a lot that left me ‘meh.’ An unnamed ghostwriter is our MC and narrator. She gets her dream job to write the memoir for a failed female presidential candidate, Dorothy, just weeks after she lost. The two women become fast friends, but before long the death of a neighbor catches the attention of Dorothy who sets out to find her murderer with the help of her ghostwriter sidekick. The mystery, supposedly in the vein of Agatha Christie, was good as there were two twists I didn’t see coming. But the setting and the characters were both over-the-top and underdeveloped. And I don’t understand why the ghostwriter made the decision she did at the end. It was weird.
The Eyre Affair, by Jasper Fforde
This was a reread for my book club. It’s been probably close to twenty years since I first read it and enjoyed it. I enjoyed it again now because I had totally conflated it with the second book in the series (which I liked better). Another club member had done the same thing, so neither of us felt too bad about it. In the absurdity vein of Douglas Adams with a hefty dose of Terry Pratchett, Fforde’s world is crazy, imaginative fun.
The Ojja-Wojja, by Magdalene Visaggio, illustrated by Jenn St-Onge
A spooky middle grade graphic novel about two tweens who accidentally unleash a demon on their New England town. Lanie and Val love all things supernatural, so when they are working on a report about their town’s history with the supernatural, they inadvertently summon the demon that the town founders made a terrible pact with. Good storytelling, the usual kind of eighth grade tensions, and two well done main characters.
Siren Queen, Nghi Vo
A reread. I recommended this for my book club as I read it last year, loved it, and had no one to talk to about it. My group liked it as much as I did. Luli is one of those characters whose determination, will, and pride cause her most of their own problems and I love it. It was as fun the second read as it was the first.
Red Rabbit, by Alex Grecian
I really enjoyed listening to this tale of the Wild West with a horror twist. Witches, ghosts, body snatching demon, cannibals, this story combines all of these in a way that feels true to Western mythos while spinning a fun, freaky yarn. I’ll definitely be looking for more books by this author.
The Kamogawa Food Detectives, by Hisashi Kashiwai, translated by Jesse Kirkwood
A former police detective turned chef and his daughter run an unmarked restaurant in the back streets of Kyoto. People visit the restaurant to have recreated for them a memorable dish or meal that they want to revisit. The chef uses his skills to track down the ingredients, people, and feelings that would have made the meal memorable to their client. Each client’s story is told on its own making the feel of the story as comforting as their comfort food. There is little to no character development for the main characters and it feels like the daughter was added as an afterthought. Overall, though, a nice read.
The Dead Romantics, by Ashley Poston
A nice light romance. I was going to write a sum-up of the story, but there is too much going on to do it succinctly. So, we’ve got a ghostwriter who can see the dead, a hometown that hates her, a family mortuary, a dead father, her mean editor’s ghost, and lots of southern charm. Nothing mind-boggling, just a sweet person and a sweet romance.
The Gimlet Slip, by Fiona Davis and Greg Wands
This audio-only novella was a fun romp through early 1930s prohibition bootleggers. It follows three people: Jo, a young woman who made a name for herself as a driver; Lydia, the queen-pin of a bootlegging empire; and Sam, a square police detective who has revenge in his heart. Not a lot of substance but still a delightful listen.
The Reluctant Widow, by Georgette Heyer
A reread. I was stressed and needed a comfort read. It was my second read of this one and I liked it more on second reading. That seems to happen with frequency with Heyer novels. Maybe because I’ve lowered expectations? In this one, a young woman traveling to be a governess gets in the wrong carriage and before the night is through is married to a stranger and then widowed. Unknown to everyone though, is that the man had been working as a spy for the French and had information that some parties would do anything for. Not as serious as it sounds. Delightful.
The Haunting of Velkwood, by Gwendolyn Kiste
The Velkwood neighborhood was once a quiet suburban street with picture perfect houses and happy families…or so it looked. Underneath was layered family indifference and violence. One night the street became a ghost along with all the inhabitants inside. Except for three young women. Now twenty years later, Talitha must reunite with her two former friends to try to end the curse that lay over their families. Pretty good. The mystery of the haunting is well-done with just enough tension. I didn’t find any of the main characters all that sympathetic, but still a decent read.
Drowning in Light, by Taylor Steele
Poetry. An interesting collection, but only one or two poems that I liked all the way through. Themes of identity—queer, female, disabled—along with family ties and binds. There were some very lovely lines that I had to write down. QUOTE HERE.
The Busy Body, by Kemper Donovan
Another audio book. I’m conflicted on this one. There were things I liked and a lot that left me ‘meh.’ An unnamed ghostwriter is our MC and narrator. She gets her dream job to write the memoir for a failed female presidential candidate, Dorothy, just weeks after she lost. The two women become fast friends, but before long the death of a neighbor catches the attention of Dorothy who sets out to find her murderer with the help of her ghostwriter sidekick. The mystery, supposedly in the vein of Agatha Christie, was good as there were two twists I didn’t see coming. But the setting and the characters were both over-the-top and underdeveloped. And I don’t understand why the ghostwriter made the decision she did at the end. It was weird.
The Eyre Affair, by Jasper Fforde
This was a reread for my book club. It’s been probably close to twenty years since I first read it and enjoyed it. I enjoyed it again now because I had totally conflated it with the second book in the series (which I liked better). Another club member had done the same thing, so neither of us felt too bad about it. In the absurdity vein of Douglas Adams with a hefty dose of Terry Pratchett, Fforde’s world is crazy, imaginative fun.
