We're in the process of packing up and moving, so lots more audio books than usual. I think that May will have few books than usual (though still more audio) as that's when we're actually moving. So much work to do, so little time to read.
The Fallen Angels Book Club, by R. Franklin James
Hollis is a convicted felon after her former husband set her up to take the fall for his insurance scams. Having done her sentence, she now is working as a law clerk, aspiring to be a lawyer, and trying to get a pardon. All of this is complicated when a member of her book club—for convicted felons—is murdered and signs point to one of the members having done it. With the clock ticking on her pardon hearing, Hollis investigates the murder herself. Nice mystery if rather basic. I liked Hollis and many of the supporting characters. While I kind of knew who the murderer was at the beginning, it was still well plotted and fun to read.
Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde, by Robert Louis Stevenson
Finally I got around to reading this classic. While the language used is … let’s say overly romanticized … it was still a lot of fun. I don’t think I need to give you a plot summary on this one. It ends abruptly and I think it would have been a more complete circle had the narrator come back after the last letter to tie things up. Definitely worth the read.
What Feasts at Night, T. Kingfisher
Second horror novella staring Alex Easton. The previous one used Poe’s House of Usher as a jumping off point. This one is based on a Eastern European folktale. Alex travels to visit her property in rural Gallacia and walks into a nightmare that steals your breath, literally. I’m really liking these snack-sized horror tales and Alex is a delightful character to follow through adventures.
Station Eternity, by Mur Lafferty
A relisten. Still love this book a year plus after listening to it and then reading it.
This Part is Silent: a life between cultures, by SJ Kim
An essay collection that is experimental, poetic, and literary while exploring what it means to be a struggling immigrant, an othered academic, and the yearning to express oneself. I enjoyed this a lot as it made my brain really think about the liminal space that Kim lives in, as a person untethered without a true home. Her use of experimental prose, essays told in second person, and rambling letters to a city were really unique and offered a new way for me to see her experiences. Not an easy read, but super interesting.
Arabella, by Georgette Heyer
Reread. Needed a chill book. Not my favorite, but it’s still one of the better ones.
The Sun Down Motel, by Simone St. James
Told from two characters living in the same place 35 years apart. In 1982, Viv finds herself stuck in Fell, New York after escaping her home. While working night shift at the local motel, she discovers that a serial killer is visiting frequently, and nothing will stop her from getting the evidence to catch him. In 2017, Carly comes to Fell to find out what happened to her aunt Viv, who disappeared long before she was born. As she investigates Viv’s disappearance, she takes on aspects of the life Viv lived while in Fell. Also, there are ghosts. Lots and lots of ghosts. Very good, very creepy and an ending that is truly surprising.
The Murder of Mr. Ma, by John Shen Yen Nee and S.J. Rozan
Another audio book. I really enjoyed this mystery set in 1920s London. It is definitely a playing off of Sherlock Holmes, with a famous Chinese judge and diplomat, Dee Ren Jie, and Chinese academic and immigrant, Lao She, standing in for the roles of Sherlock and Watson. Mystery was very good, well-plotted, and kept me guessing until the end. The clues were subtle (always the best). The characters and London as a backdrop were all well done. Looking forward to the next in the series.
Ready or Not, by Andi Porretta
A well-told story about the summer four friends spend together before the split apart for college. Told from the POV of Cassie, the only one not leaving home, we follow her as she fears what will happen when she and her friends are no longer close in proximity. What I liked best is that each friend has a fully distinct and fleshed-out personality and each are learning more about themselves as the summer goes on. Really good contemporary YA graphic novel.
Navigational Entanglements, Aliette de Bodard
This is a novella and it would take me almost as long as the story to try to describe the story. Suffice it to say, it’s about four misfits sent by their clans to thwart an other worldly monster or die trying. Told in alternating POVs—Việt Nhi, a quiet methodical thinker, and Hạc Cúc, a temperamental assassin—as they uncover a terrible plot while fighting their attraction for one another. Space Opera at its best.
Hollis is a convicted felon after her former husband set her up to take the fall for his insurance scams. Having done her sentence, she now is working as a law clerk, aspiring to be a lawyer, and trying to get a pardon. All of this is complicated when a member of her book club—for convicted felons—is murdered and signs point to one of the members having done it. With the clock ticking on her pardon hearing, Hollis investigates the murder herself. Nice mystery if rather basic. I liked Hollis and many of the supporting characters. While I kind of knew who the murderer was at the beginning, it was still well plotted and fun to read.
Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde, by Robert Louis Stevenson
Finally I got around to reading this classic. While the language used is … let’s say overly romanticized … it was still a lot of fun. I don’t think I need to give you a plot summary on this one. It ends abruptly and I think it would have been a more complete circle had the narrator come back after the last letter to tie things up. Definitely worth the read.
What Feasts at Night, T. Kingfisher
Second horror novella staring Alex Easton. The previous one used Poe’s House of Usher as a jumping off point. This one is based on a Eastern European folktale. Alex travels to visit her property in rural Gallacia and walks into a nightmare that steals your breath, literally. I’m really liking these snack-sized horror tales and Alex is a delightful character to follow through adventures.
Station Eternity, by Mur Lafferty
A relisten. Still love this book a year plus after listening to it and then reading it.
This Part is Silent: a life between cultures, by SJ Kim
An essay collection that is experimental, poetic, and literary while exploring what it means to be a struggling immigrant, an othered academic, and the yearning to express oneself. I enjoyed this a lot as it made my brain really think about the liminal space that Kim lives in, as a person untethered without a true home. Her use of experimental prose, essays told in second person, and rambling letters to a city were really unique and offered a new way for me to see her experiences. Not an easy read, but super interesting.
Arabella, by Georgette Heyer
Reread. Needed a chill book. Not my favorite, but it’s still one of the better ones.
The Sun Down Motel, by Simone St. James
Told from two characters living in the same place 35 years apart. In 1982, Viv finds herself stuck in Fell, New York after escaping her home. While working night shift at the local motel, she discovers that a serial killer is visiting frequently, and nothing will stop her from getting the evidence to catch him. In 2017, Carly comes to Fell to find out what happened to her aunt Viv, who disappeared long before she was born. As she investigates Viv’s disappearance, she takes on aspects of the life Viv lived while in Fell. Also, there are ghosts. Lots and lots of ghosts. Very good, very creepy and an ending that is truly surprising.
The Murder of Mr. Ma, by John Shen Yen Nee and S.J. Rozan
Another audio book. I really enjoyed this mystery set in 1920s London. It is definitely a playing off of Sherlock Holmes, with a famous Chinese judge and diplomat, Dee Ren Jie, and Chinese academic and immigrant, Lao She, standing in for the roles of Sherlock and Watson. Mystery was very good, well-plotted, and kept me guessing until the end. The clues were subtle (always the best). The characters and London as a backdrop were all well done. Looking forward to the next in the series.
Ready or Not, by Andi Porretta
A well-told story about the summer four friends spend together before the split apart for college. Told from the POV of Cassie, the only one not leaving home, we follow her as she fears what will happen when she and her friends are no longer close in proximity. What I liked best is that each friend has a fully distinct and fleshed-out personality and each are learning more about themselves as the summer goes on. Really good contemporary YA graphic novel.
Navigational Entanglements, Aliette de Bodard
This is a novella and it would take me almost as long as the story to try to describe the story. Suffice it to say, it’s about four misfits sent by their clans to thwart an other worldly monster or die trying. Told in alternating POVs—Việt Nhi, a quiet methodical thinker, and Hạc Cúc, a temperamental assassin—as they uncover a terrible plot while fighting their attraction for one another. Space Opera at its best.
