Rick Kohut

I found this novel on a "best" list and I'm glad I picked up this fast paced story. The first-person narrator-Sophie- is 16 and being raised in a traditionalistic Catholic family and community. As the reader is learning about her repressed world, a pandemic begins to spread to Sophie's home in Wisconsin. In a remarkable twist, the virus causes the infected to become insanely sexually agressive before they perish. Things get intense as Sophie leaves her home to find her twin brother. She faces sexual violence and zombie-like infected people. There's a strong "American Gods" reference and I think the author uses this to point to a deeper theme which I appreciated. Religious terrorists enter the story 1/2 way through. This sets up a battle between the Vengeful Reaping god of the Old Testament and fundamentalistic Christianity against a loving community embodied by the found family Sophie gathers. An excellent book with great action - and many thoughts about the state of Christianity in America today.

Trust me on this - listen to the audiobook rather than reading the print version! I started to read the book and even after the long intro about the spelling, meaning and pronunciation of the ample Scottish in the text - I found it too hard to track and I gave up after a few chapters. Not long after, I picked up the audiobook and it was amazingly well read and fully engaging. Not only did I get the meanings of words, but the first-person narrator came alive for me. It's a clever premise which readers of the Iron Druid (who makes a clever cameo) will recognize and appreciate. It moves quickly with a good sense of humor. The characters are endearing and who knew that hobgoblins get loopy from ordinary salsa. I'm looking forward to listening to (not reading) the next titles in this series.

This book came up in my "Unlimited" list and the premise sounded interesting. The Greek gods live on earth and every so often each of the 12 main ones chooses a mortal to enter a "game" of quests as their proxy. The first person narrator is a woman is her early 20's who is chosen by Hades to play/fight for him so he can become the King of the Gods. So far so good. Turns out though that the book is way too long! The first quests are exciting, yet they soon get repetitive. I also found the competing characters hard to track and remember who was who. And then there's the unlikely romance between the narrator and Hades which did not feel authentic at all. I thought I was getting a thriller here. Turned out it was a romance novel with a long and often hard to follow group of supporting characters.

I discovered this novella on a list of "best short books." The writing is efficent and the author sets up the dystopia scenario with a brisk, yet mostly effective sketching of a universe in which humans have vacated Earth and now live on mining ships. Although there is an arc to the story, it feels more like an outline with shadows of potential rather than fully fleshed out art with characters who are more than stick figures. I'm not unhappy that I read it, yet am dispointed that there wasn't more to it.

I'd not seen the well-known movie based on this book and when I found it on a "best" list, I thought it was time to check it out. I listened to the audiobook for the first 3/4 of it before switching to the print version. As the reader was just adequate, my experience of the story wasn't too different across the modalities. The story moved quickly and the setting - on an island in a chain I've toured off Boston - added to the plot. The time period - soon after WWII also contibuted well to the story as it gave creedance to the psych treatment questions raised by the characters. The twists are engaging, although I'm mixed on how plausible they are. I'm glad I read it and am likely to now seek out the movie to watch soon.

I listened to the well done audiobook version read by Elijah "Frodo" Woods and know this contributed to my engagment in the story. I am extremely intrested in reading "James" as it seems to be on every "Best of 2024" list I've seen. And since it builds directly off "Huck," I thought it was time to finally read this famous (infamous?) novel which I skimmed when assigned it in high school decades ago. Although Woods did the voices well, I was not impressed with the story. It's a good "road" (river) tale with elements of the "buddy" genre, yet there's not much focus to the plot. It seems more like a series of vignettes rather than a plot with suspenseful development. There's some humor, but it gets lost in storylines which take much too long to unfold. And then there's the "n-word" issue. Dang - Twain/Huck uses it A LOT - likely at least 150 or 200 times. While it was so hard to hear to the point of numbness, it was a reminder of how this word was used as a categorical name of an entire group of human beings. I hope the value of "James" makes the difficulty of enduring "Huck" first worth the effort.

Late this past summer, soon after I finished listening to all 25 hours of the audiobooks of the first three Area X novels (I'd read them when they first came out) - imagine my surprise that Vandermeer was inspired to write a (final?) book in the Southern Reach series. With the narrative of the three "prequel" novelas in this 3th book, the universe is fuller, the lore (and gore) richer, but I dont know if the complete arc is better. I am glad that a 4th book didn't go foward from where "Acceptance" ended as the uncertainty of that world speaks for itself. If the goal of this 4th book is to explain what/who is behind Area X and/or where it came from, at best incomplete answers are gained. It does give much insight into Command and how it handled The Southern Reach from the earliest days of odd happenings. As one who digs the sheer creepy insanity of Area X, I got some of this - especially in the 3rd novella - but I also got too much, unnecessarily opaque story about the people and tatics of Command. There's surely some cause and effect between these two, but it mostly escapes me - even after so many mostly thrilling hours I've spent in this beautifully bizarre world of Area X.

This title intrigued me as I spent some meaningful time a few years ago in NM and the Navajo Nation - the settings for this novel. The first chapter is gory & disturbing. Skip to the end of it as it isn't vital to the plot. I liked the first person narrator and her ability to see the spirits who occupy the places she travels. I could have done less with her back story as her history occupied at least half of the book - alternating past and present by chapter. This shifting slowed dowe the plot - which already felt thin to begin with. The plot's "mystery" was cliched and held little suspense. I do like the main character and may consider reading future entries in a series as future titles will likely focus on her present as I presume (hope) her back story has been throughly told in "Shutter."

I listened to this second entry in the mind blowing Area X (now) quadrilogy last summer when the consequential US election was looming (see my review on "Authority" for more about this.) It's taken me months to write this review and now that the results are known, the theme of an unrecognizable, destructive force moving across the US landscape feels more apt than ever. The narration is excellent as it helps bring to life the more cloak and dagger, intrigue rich plot of the first 2/3's of the story. The story accelerates - getting creepier and wilder in the final third. The relatively dry, mysterious aspects of the start are worth navigating through to get to the ripping conclusion of this 2nd entry in what was initially a triology unlike any I'd ever read (ornlistemed to) Otherworldly, yet so very familiar as well.

I listened back to back to back through the three (then) Area X novels this past summer - see my reviews on "Annihilation" and "Authority" for my context. In many ways this is the richest of the initial trilogy as it alternates among three time lines within the same physical geography. Although the events - midway through the expeditions into Area X; before the border transforms the Coast; and after the catastrophe which ends "Authority" - happened years apart, this structure illuminates the interconnected people, themes, landscapes and intrigue. The audio narration is excellent and this helps to differentiate among the plot threads. When I arrived at the end of the 25+ hours of listening across the three books, I felt satisfied, yet longing to know more about the nature and origin of the force creating Area X. Imagine my excitement at learning Vandermeer felt compelled to write a fourth book "Absolution" which was released a month ago. I'm near the conclusion of that novel - gotta wrap this so I can finish that set of three novellas!

I listened to this audio book for two reasons. First, I heard the author speak at a book festival and they described how this novel fits well into a genre the author themselves coined - "hopepunk." And second, the plot was (accurately I'd say) described as similar to the show about queer pirates I enjoyed - "Our Flag Means Death." The reader of the audiobook was excellent in bringing the voices alive - especially Avra - the goofy, yet deeply loveable main character. The plot moves slowly at first and it took me a while to enter into the story-world. It's not a page turning thriller by any means, yet it kept me engaged through out. The constant bantering about sex was funny at first and then a bit tedious as the story continued. I did like the relationships at the center of this ultimately heartwarming adjacent story.

Although I've read many novels in the general "mystery" genre, I've only read a handful in the "cozy" sub-genre. If this funny and rather lightweight novel is a typical "cozy," I'm not sure if I'm up for more "cozies." It's a fun premise - an older, recently divorced women buys a pull behind trailer for camping - and discovers that it's haunted by a ghost who is seeking to get out of purgatory and into heaven by doing some sort of good tasks. I liked the dialogue between woman & ghost woman and the constant ghostly change of clothing plus persona based on the moment was clever. Yet, the writing was pedestrian, the plot predictable and the resolution too pat. Additional books in the series, some of which take place in national parks, do sound enticing. Yet, I think I'm going to pass and pick up a novel that is the opposite of cozy (edgy? pointed? rough?) instead.

I had high hopes for this recent novel by the author of a series - "The Last Policeman" - which I read through twice. See my review in this app for why I decided to re-read that series now. "Last Policeman" was all about the time left until the catastrophic end of the earth. As the title of this novel alludes to, here the idea is that time is a commodity that can be removed from one person and given to another. While I'm a fan of far-fetched main ideas of novels and I'm okay with concepts which aren't fully explained, this story had way too many aspects for my liking that just didn't make sense. Add characters who felt one dimensional, a cartoonish villian, plus a flat, predictable plot and you end with a disappointing outing from an author who has done better and hopefully will again soon - be back at the top of his creative game.

I've listened to all 3 of Stuart Turton's novels and the narrator (James Cameron Stewart) is excellent. Yet, I think this novel especially would be better experienced in print. I dig the intricatacy of his mysteries - "The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Harcastle" is amazing. Yet, the details of timelines, character actions and motives in his novels require careful attention for the reader to follow the plot to a satisfying conclusion. Taking this in via even the best narrator - while multitasking - was too much for my aging brain to follow. The universe of the story is an engaging one & the discovery of this would have surely been better for me in a print format - where I can easily go back to earlier in the story - as opposed to the challenge of moving backwards to re-listen to a passage in an audiobook. I admire the boldness of Turton's first forray into a fictional, dystopian, tech-heavy setting, yet I feel he's better at taking a historical place & time in which to create his impressive "puzzle box" mysteries.

I enjoyed the dystopian social commentary in Rob Hart's "The Warehouse," so I went in to this, his follow-up novel, with high hopes. I wasn't disappointed - even though it was a quite different genre. As one who has first-hand experience with Twelve Step recovery, I can attest that the titular program is authentically rendered - with little to no sense of parody or satire. Rather, it's the circle in which the age-old question - can a person really change - plays out. I liked the voice of the first person narrator and although most of the other characters are rather one dimensional, this didn't lessen my overall enjoyment. While not exactly a page turning thriller, it has an engaging plot with enough twists to keep it interesting and engaging. I'm looking forward to seeing what Hart comes up with next!

I chose this, the first book in a lengthy series as I'd hoped that I'd find a thrilling, DaVinci Code like series that I could get into and binge read through it. After slogging through the hackneyed writing, I will not be continuing the series. I did like the setting of New England as I spent a some time up there. And the "Divine Feminine" is cool (if not particularly earth-shatteringly original now.) Yet, the bad writing and overwhelming exposition about this or that site, person, bloodline, secret society became so heavy that forward movement in the plot almost collapsed. I did slog to the end and finish it - hoping that some clever twist of something might coax me to at least start to read the second book. Nope. No danger of this as, yep - unsatisfying conclusion and thus end of story and series for me.

For the reason why I'm re-reading this series, see my review on the first book in the trilogy - "The Last Policeman." This 2nd book, set as the astroid is weeks away from hitting earth, again has a plot that isn't what the trilogy is about for me. It's all about the question, "So, then how should we live?" Living has become tougher from when the first book concluded. The power is off, driving is rare and eventually running water also ceases. The mystery at the center wasn't super compelling for me, yet the journey through it was engaging and thought-provoking. I'd have liked to have spent more time with Henry and his sister Nico (still woefully underdeveloped) as they experienced the youth-led collective at the site of what once was UNH. It appears Nico will be the focus of the third book. I really like Henry and his voice of reason, kindness, commitment, decency and hopefulness. It's this last quality that I most want to gain from Henry. Not hope that a deus ex machina will stop the asteroid or the surely chaotic (and dangerous?) aftermath of the U.S. Election 2024. Rather the hope that good can be found in any moment by acting in goodness - regardless of what is hurtling at us.

I've been on a Ben H. Winters journey lately ("Underground Airlines" and "Golden State") I'm re-reading this trilogy to keep with the journey, but more significantly - to explore a story world where doom is on the horizon and the fundamental question all the characters must ask is "So, then how should we live?" The Nov 5th U.S. election isnt literally an asteroid rushing to hit earth. Yet it is a date when another time will begin - and one I'm not feeling hopeful about its arrival. For me, the plots in this trilogy are secondary to the first-person main character and how he chooses to, even as the police force is crumbling around him, continues to pursue the solution of a suspicious suicide. There's suspense, a few twists, a handful of endearing characters, but for me the book and series are a way to ask myself "How would I live in the story world of coming, existential calamity?" And far more essentially: "How will I choose to live in the just over three months until Nov 5th and its yet unknown aftermath?"

I am glad I listened to the audiobook as the reader felt PERFECT for the first person narration. He had a Nick Offerman vibe - exactly whom I'd have play the main character in a film version of the novel. Golden State is what remains of (at least) S. California at some point in a distant future. It has a utopian surface - achieved through erradicating all lying. How this is done is clever as it involves both high and low tech. The narrator is part of a special police force who use a physical gift (the origin of which is never explained) to detect when someone is deploying a mistruth. The mystery of the story while borderline elaborate, doesn't make full sense in the story-world. And the end has deus ex machina elements which leaves it unsatisfying. The most thoughtful aspect of the story, in light of the "post-truth" world we live in today, is the exploration of whether a society-wide commitment to total truth makes citizens happier and more free. Our nation feels unmoored and unsustainable b/c "true" for one cult-like group is quite different than what is actually, factually, real. Yet, would a world in which everything was recorded and documented and thus true, be better - or would it just be full of different problems?

I read this book, but I think listening to the audiobook may have given me a richer experience of the story. A podcast is at the heart of the novel and the perspective alternates between the first person narration of the protagonist and the podcast episodes which are being publicly released as the story progresses. It's an engaging mystery which hinges on lost memories and the protagonist not knowing whether she murdered her friend. While some elements of the story feel realistic, some characters and the town itself feel over the top and fantastical. Keeping this in mind, it's a quick read and compelling illustration of how trauma causes lost memories through disassociation - and how others may "gaslight" the traumatized for malevolent ends. Sounds heavy, yet the novel has a sense of humor and self-deprecating awareness which keeps it entertaining too.

I read this, somewhat out of character for me, thriller as it's summer - and it was "free" as part of my K-Unlimited subscription. It was not as good as I'd hoped. The main character - a former Delta soldier now freelancimg and doing the "wet work" of contracted killings - is a layered character with a teen daughter (in peril here) and a wife who perished on 9/11/01. The plot moves quickly with pedestrian writing full of technical details. The terror plot was boilerplate bio-weaponry and the bad guys stereotypical. Plus, there were a few plot holes not settled by the conclusion. An acceptable first book in a trilogy I'm not sure if I'll continue reading.

I'd read this book a while back and decided now was a good time to try the audiobook. The narrator captured the first person perspective of the story in a better than average way. The story-world is thought provoking. The U.S. never had the Civil War b/c four southern states were granted the ability to carry human slavery forward to the present day. The "underground airlines" of the title is a new metaphor for an old, our world reality - an organization to move escaped slaves to freedom. The world of the story was more compelling then the characters - with the exception of the narrator, Victor. He's a complex character and his journey is fascinating and well-earned. The other characters, especially the priest, felt like sketches with unclear motivations. 3/4th of the book felt like a world which could be real. Unfortunately, the ending disappointed me as it took a turn in a direction which hadn't been established as a possibility earlier in the story. So, 3.75 stars, rather than 4 or slightly higher.

It took me a long time to finally listen to this audiobook after seeing it on many "Best of..." lists. I'm glad I finally experienced this warm and perhaps alagorical story - and that I listened to the excellent audio version. Five unique, quirky, mysterious and ultimately endearing children are at the heart. The narrator captured each voice in such a way that the characters became vibrant and real for me far more than simply reading the words on the page would have done. The tale is a useful one in our times as our present realities of bigotry, scapegoating, fear of the other, shunning the unknown and more are central. These are countered by trust, empathy and love of others. The romance which blooms is emblematic of the growth the frumpy, yet remarkably courageous Linus achieves across the story arc. Well recommended - especially the audio version.

I've now listened to the first two audiobooks in The Thursday Murder Club series. These are engaging books for grown-ups as although I'm a couple decades short of the septuagenarian four members of the club, I don't think one much younger than I would appreciate the characters and the layers of story in the same way. I like the subtle, Britsh humor expressed in what I imagine is authentic language. This entry has numerous plotlines, which effectively converge in a satisfying, if a bit drawn out resolution. Although the story slows down sometimes with the mutiple plots, the characters are so endearing, I didn't mind spending more time with them. Especially b/c I listened to it over a 4000 mile epic roundtrip!

I listened to the audiobook - which was the right choice as the narrator felt nearly perfect for the first person telling of the story. He captured well in his voice the subtle, special nuance when a pivotal time in a young man's life is recalled when the same man is old. The story is enchanting as King creates a world of summertime and the fall which inevitably follows. There's a balanced blend of the great elements of story - promise, romance, loss, longing, nostalgia, change, and growth. Since it is a King novel, there's just enough of the supernatural to add a paranormal element. It's introduced early and then not revisited until the final third. And, I like that it's not over explained while still being a key part of the resolution. A highly recommended novel -especially for the time of year which will come as surely as July 4th (tomorrow) will sooner enough lead to Labor Day and beyond.