Susan Scribner
It took me two weeks to read Alexis Hall's latest, and during that time I finished seven (7) other books. Yes, Confounding Oaths is funny, and I liked this story's MCs more than the ones in [b:Mortal Follies 62984592 Mortal Follies Alexis Hall https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1671214280l/62984592.SY75.jpg 98814418]. But Puck's unreliable, snarky first person narration again kept me at arm's length emotionally, and I couldn't find a good enough reason to pick up the book when there were so many others calling out to me.
Quick, enjoyable read about how notable baseball movies, from The Pride of the Yankees to 42, reflected American culture. Props to Noah Gittell for calling out pervasive racism and sexism in the selected films. But he ignores homophobia; the queer but sadly short-lived A League of Their Own TV series gets a brief mention in the final chapter, while the original 1992 movie's lesbian erasure is completely glossed over. Gittell notes that many of baseball movies' best scenes take place in between the action, and recent MLB attempts to speed up the game to win back younger fans reduce the chances of inspiring memorable scenes like the pitcher's mound conversation in Bull Durham. We may have seen the last of great baseball movies, but at least we'll always have “You're killing me, Smalls!”
Solid entry in the seemingly endless In Death series. The victim meets her grisly end at her own bachelorette party, and the suspects are mostly members of the would-be brides' friendship group. This gives Eve Dallas a chance to muse about the many friends she has made whilst solving various murders (yes, even Trina the predatory hairstylist). The strange coincidence that the killing takes place in the same room where Dallas took down a Bad Guy the night before her own wedding to gazillionaire Roarke is an opportunity to marvel at her fortune in marrying a man who cares enough to feed her omelets that contain plenty of cheese to cover up the taste of healthy but yucky spinach. Plus he just bought her an entire building to turn into a cop bar. Note: According to the In Death timeline, Eve met Roarke in February 2058 ([b:Naked in Death 479309 Naked in Death (In Death, #1) J.D. Robb https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1333326143l/479309.SY75.jpg 1097497]). This book takes place in August 2061. So in a little more than three years, Eve has solved 59 major cases, or almost 20 per year. Pretty impressive, although not as remarkable as the fact that when #60 [b:Bonded in Death 211004040 Bonded in Death (In Death, #60) J.D. Robb https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1715100468l/211004040.SY75.jpg 217233227] is published in early 2025, Nora Roberts will have sustained the series for a mind-boggling 30 years.
This has to be the most YA book I have ever encountered. Every emotion is magnified x100, every action is significant, every scene pulses with the possibility of either wonder or terror. Objectively speaking, the main characters get a little lost in all of the backstory. But that flaw isn't hard to overlook given the captivating plot that spans generations of everlasting love and tragic death. We first meet precocious, annoying Dizzy Fall, 12, who experiences smells as colors and sees ghosts in her house. Reeling from a humiliating recess incident and recent “divorce” from her best friend, she is rescued from a near fatal car accident by an angel with rainbow colored curls. Her brother Miles, 17, is handsome, popular and well-behaved, but he's cracking under the combined weight of trying to be perfect and hiding his sexuality. His synesthesia links words with colors, and he can see the souls of dogs. He meets Dizzy's angel, who is drawn to Miles because she can tell that they share the same feeling of “inconsolable longing.” Oldest brother Wynton (yes, they're all named after jazz trumpeters) is a fuckup whose womanizing, drinking, drug use, and stealing have led to incarceration and eviction from his own home. He doesn't encounter rainbow angel until an event that was supposed to turn his life around only proves his worthlessness again. I have to admit that Miles is my favorite character. In a YA book of extreme emotions, Miles exudes rampant horniness in a hilarious, sweet way. [Redacted]'s shades were up again and his absolutely gorgeous eyes – let's just be honest – were gazing down at Miles sympathetically, causing the blood in Miles's body to switch directions.“No way,” Dizzy said. “Miles's face is perfect, if you haven't noticed.” “I've noticed,” [Redacted] said, and Miles briefly lost consciousness. For the briefest, boldest moment, Miles rested his trembling hand on [Redacted]'s, which was still on his shoulder, and when their eyes locked, he was certain all the doors in the all the world blew open. It's not an accident that one of the characters is reading Steinbeck's [b:East of Eden 4406 East of Eden John Steinbeck https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1639969375l/4406.SY75.jpg 2574991]. Wynton and Miles's enmity, and brother-against-brother dynamics throughout the Fall family history, give the story its narrative force. Alice Hoffman's brand of magical realism also feels a like major influence, especially the insta-love experienced by several major characters. I've barely scratched the surface of the plot, and getting to the HEA is a long and sometimes confusing process. The story includes stark examples of abandonment, domestic violence and neglect that are all healed by the magical happy ending. When the World Tips Over may be doing a disservice to younger readers who are waiting for their own “love is all you need” resolution. On the other hand, it's an earnest fantasy that offers hope, forgiveness, and the knowledge that it's never too late to start over again.ARC received from Net Galley and publisher in exchange for objective review. Excerpts quoted from the book may be different in the final, published version.
I'd say this book was profound, but after a promising beginning, it becomes wearingly repetitive. I'd say it's funny, but the author's shtick quickly gets tiresome.I'd say he's a self-hating (formerly Orthodox) Jew, but he's not very kindly disposed towards Christians either. If you want to skip 350 pages of Auslander's kvetching (complaining), here's the premise: the Bible stories we're told as children and the information we continue to consume as adults teach us that humanity is feh (i.e., we suck). The cure for this indoctrinated misery? Tell each other better stories. Considering that Auslander's earlier memoir is called [b:Foreskin's Lament 50902 Foreskin's Lament Shalom Auslander https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1442421923l/50902.SY75.jpg 610736], I'm not sure his stories are the ones I want as my #lifegoals. I'd say if you're looking for Philip Roth without the misogyny, or Woody Allen without the creepy pedo stuff, you might appreciate Feh, but do we really need another neurotic New York Jewish male voice right now?
3 stars for the first half of the book, 5 stars for the second. Mild spoilers ahead. I hate when an established couple whose relationship is strong after the first two books of a trilogy have a Dark Moment in the third that erases almost everything they've built together. I especially hate it when this Dark Moment occurs because one of the MCs acts completely out of character. In this case, Arthur shockingly throws his chief wizard/girlfriend Emry under the bus and breaks her heart. Okay, he has Reasons (as if being a 19 year old boy isn't enough), and he more than makes up for his betrayal in the book's second half. Still, it was hard to read 200 pages of Arthur and Emry estranged, unable to snark at, playfully insult, or kiss each other. But once that huge error is rectified, the couple is stronger than ever, and the book hurtles towards the inevitable conflict between Good and Evil. The climax got me in the feelz even though I was pretty sure that Schneider wouldn't pull a [a:David Nicholls 46118 David Nicholls https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1283277096p2/46118.jpg] on me (IYKYK). Everyone in this delightful Beverly Hills 90210 crossed with [b:The Mists of Avalon 40605251 The Mists of Avalon (Avalon, #1) Marion Zimmer Bradley https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1529610467l/40605251.SX50.jpg 806813]* gang of friends gets a perfect ending - loyal Lancelot, himbo Emmett, butter-wouldn't-melt-in-her-mouth Guinevere, and charming scoundrel Gawain. Arthur, who has struggled with his royal responsibilities and Emry, who has chafed against traditional feminine roles, find a way to be true to themselves and their kingdom. Please note that The New Camelot follows [b:The Other Merlin 56631877 The Other Merlin (Emry Merlin, #1) Robyn Schneider https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1622045573l/56631877.SY75.jpg 86681465] and [b:The Future King 60524226 The Future King (Emry Merlin, #2) Robyn Schneider https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1678307200l/60524226.SY75.jpg 93377449], and doesn't work as a standalone. The trilogy is YA with fade-to-black sex, numerous queer characters, irreverent humor, and cinema-ready action. I'm gradually weaning myself off YA novels (because Reasons) but I'm glad I saw this series through to its satisfying end.*Yes, I know the author is problematic
Does a decent job of stating the facts about Fredericka Mandelbaum's control over an extensive, lucrative network of pickpockets, shoplifters, and bank robbers in the mid to late 19th century, which netted her the modern equivalent of millions of dollars in stolen goods. But I wanted more than a Wikipedia entry. The epilogue devotes only a few pages to exploring how a woman, especially a Jewish one, came to occupy such a unique position at that precise time. And there is no attempt at all to elucidate Mandelbaum's inner life or personality, which I guess is what happens when your sources are limited to newspapers, police reports, and legal proceedings. For obvious reasons, Mandelbaum never kept a diary or journal, but without her perspective she remains an unknowable historical anomaly.
CW: Intimate partner gaslighting and violence
Ho hum, another woman with a secret past who finds herself in danger when she investigates a murder. Yay for the FMC's gutsiness in making a new start in the Big Apple, and yay for her growing friendship with two middle-aged regulars at the corner diner, but boo for the plot resolution (FMC needs to be rescued not once, not twice, but THREE TIMES when her life is in danger).
I have to note that the FMC is hired to write a weekly advice column at a NYC newspaper, and offered an annual salary of $125,000 (plus benefits). Didn't realize this was a comedy as well as a mystery. And of course there is a banker who would rather be a novelist! Is this every current author's way of convincing their readers that their high powered corporate executive MMCs are really Good Guys?
3.5 stars. I'm a sucker for novels about musicians, and The Lightning Bottles offers an engaging Gen X version of the genre whose tropes include the power of music, the perils of fame, and the sexism of the music industry. Using a mix of real and fictional musicians (Courtney Love and Michael Stipe are name dropped, but for some reason Sinead O'Connor and Kurt Cobain are represented by thinly veiled versions of themselves), Stapley captures that confusing time in 1990s Seattle when musicians wanted to be well known enough to be appreciated for their art, but not so famous that they could be accused of selling out. The arcs of talented, naive musician Jane and the charismatic but emotionally fragile Elijah are largely predictable, down to Elijah's jealous best friend and the Yoko Onofication of Jane. But the involvement of Hen, a lonely teenaged German fan, who encounters Jane five years after the Lightning Bottles' disastrous breakup, provides an interesting, fresh note. And the mystery of Elijah's fate is less obvious; I'm still not sure how I feel about the resolution. The Lightning Bottles may not be striking enough to be adapted into a star-studded TV series like [b:Daisy Jones & The Six 40597810 Daisy Jones & The Six Taylor Jenkins Reid https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1580255154l/40597810.SY75.jpg 61127102]. But it's enjoyable on its own, less flashy terms. And the song lyrics are only slightly cringe. ARC received from Net Galley and publisher in exchange for objective review.
Someone described Barbara Dee as Generation Alpha's version of [a:Judy Blume 12942 Judy Blume https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1430843076p2/12942.jpg] so I thought I would check out her work. Violets are Blue is a well-written middle grade novel that sees 12-year-old Wren tackling tough issues while pursuing an intriguing hobby (special effects makeup). It didn't give me the same “this book will change your life feeling” as when I discovered [b:Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret 37419 Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret Judy Blume https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1307284071l/37419.SY75.jpg 4121]. But then, I'm more than 50 years too old to be a member of Dee's target audience.
If you like your heroes white, male, and full of so-called Midwestern family values, you will probably appreciate The Lincoln Highway more than I did. Towles is a beautiful writer and he knows how to tell a ripping yarn. But his interesting, complex secondary characters deserve better; their primary function is to help our hero (and his little brother sidekick) learn valuable lessons, and to serve as counterpoints to his pure goodness. Don't even get me started on the “magical Negro,” the saintly hometown girl, and the prostitutes with hearts of gold.
The book takes place in 1954, and it feels like it was written then as well.
Pairs well with readers who like:Exes whose OTP romance ended abruptly because of poor communication, one bonehead error, and a LOT of mistaken assumptionsSex scenes between the MCs and other people as part of a fcking (literally) contestA “poor little rich girl” MC who refuses any and all help from her wealthy, famous family members*Detailed descriptions of Western European food, wine, scenery, and artUnfortunately, I don't like any of these things. I'm glad to see Casey McQuiston getting mainstream attention for their fourth novel (write-up in New York Times, reviews on trendy pop culture sites), but they have alienated some of the earliest ride-or-die fans who made [b:Red, White & Royal Blue 41150487 Red, White & Royal Blue Casey McQuiston https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1566742512l/41150487.SY75.jpg 61657690] a surprise bestseller. I will approach their next release with caution.
3.5 stars. Affectionate history of American bookstores and the peculiar characters who inhabit them. Loses half a star for being so New York/Eastern Coast-centric in its chapters on notable indie stalwarts (with the exception of Ann Patchett's Parnassus Bookstore in Nashville). And Friss is not half as angry at Amazon as he should be; I'd suggest he read [b:The Everything War: Amazon's Ruthless Quest to Own the World and Remake Corporate Power 60468244 The Everything War Amazon's Ruthless Quest to Own the World and Remake Corporate Power Dana Mattioli https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1697466501l/60468244.SY75.jpg 95291868] or [b:Fulfillment: Winning and Losing in One-Click America 53317467 Fulfillment Winning and Losing in One-Click America Alec MacGillis https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1589833019l/53317467.SX50.jpg 81650739] to fully understand what brick-and-mortar bookstores (or any businesses not owned by billionaires) are up against.
If a YA author sets her first novel for adult readers in the town where the FMC and MMC both grew up, and 95% of the secondary characters are their high school friends, is it really an adult novel? Sorry, but adding sex scenes to what is basically an arrested development YA book does not automatically make it attractive to your new target audience.
Fake dating, viral social media fame, a high-powered hedge fund manager who really just wants to write (starting with the epic fantasy stories he drafted as a teen)...I can't even. YMMV if you've been secretly in love with your cross-country teammate since forever AND your little brother is marrying the guy who had a crush on him in high school.
Underachieving, snarky white guy with inexplicably smart, caring, financially stable and of course hot girlfriend try to survive dystopian hell on a luxury island resort when the sun explodes. Not surprisingly, the white guy realizes that what he wanted to do all along is to become a writer.
The story features intermittent humor, broad social satire, and a high body count. Plus a denouement twist that I should have seen coming. Three stars, do recommend but with some reservations.
Marian Keyes has been a popular author for so many decades that she has started writing books that check in with some of her early characters to see how the young adults of the 1990s and 2000s are faring now that they are firmly middle aged. She has focused these updates on the five sisters of the lovable but certifiable Walsh Family. I couldn't read the first one, [b:Again, Rachel 58691596 Again, Rachel (Walsh Family, #6) Marian Keyes https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1629196807l/58691596.SY75.jpg 92346216] (follow up to [b:Rachel's Holiday 9301 Rachel's Holiday (Walsh Family, #2) Marian Keyes https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1407709261l/9301.SY75.jpg 23728] because the subject matter was too upsetting (Rachel's pregnancy ends with a stillbirth). But I thoroughly enjoyed revisiting Anna Walsh, who was last seen in [b:Anybody Out There? 165030 Anybody Out There? (Walsh Family, #4) Marian Keyes https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1358594290l/165030.SY75.jpg 1568693] taking small but hopeful steps towards a full life after a traumatic loss (her husband's sudden death in a car crash).In My Favorite Mistake (or Favourite if you're British), Anna is a successful public relations manager for a cosmetics company, living the dream in New York City. But after the COVID lockdown, she takes stock of her life and makes several drastic changes, breaking up with her perfectly nice boyfriend, quitting her job, and moving back to Ireland. After a surprisingly difficult job search, her sister's friend Brigit asks her to provide PR for a high-end retreat she and her husband are opening in their small town. The locals are not happy that they have been overlooked for much of the construction work, and someone has sabotaged the job site. Anna is the perfect person to swoop in, unruffle a few feathers, and basically spread good vibes about the project. Piece of cake, until Anna learns that the broker who recruited investors is Joey Armstrong, aka “Narky Joey” and “Go Boy.” Joey and Anna have a complicated history that featured bad behavior on both of their parts (but mostly Joey's). But they need to work as a team to help Brigit and her husband, who have mortgaged their house and land to pay for their seriously ill daughter's healthcare.Like most Keyes books, this is a lengthy one, but it's worth the high page count to spend time with old friends and meet new ones amongst the Real Men and the Beardy Gazers. You don't have to be familiar with the previous books in the series, although the scenes with Anna's sisters are more entertaining if you know your Walsh family tree. Anna herself is great - a perimenopausal, highly competent professional who can work a room like nobody's business. She's a fan of cosmetic procedures (“I'm seventy percent Botox and twenty-two percent HRT”), but she isn't judgy about other women's choices. A major part of her journey is finding a new home where she can be close to her family, fulfilled professionally, and engaged socially. The romance with Joey is important but not paramount. Frankly, Joey is the weak link in the story. Keyes doesn't quite convince me that the broody, shag anything that moves and don't worry about pleasing the woman fuckboy of Anna's youth has transformed into a sober, well-off, suit-wearing, celibate, devoted father who claims to have fallen for Anna back in their school days (which he demonstrated by sleeping with her sister Helen, who recalls “it was less than two minutes from initial penetration to the hotel door closing behind him”). I love a good redemption story, but Past Joey feels like a completely different character from New Joey. [b:Watermelon 9300 Watermelon (Walsh Family, #1) Marian Keyes https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1345767584l/9300.SY75.jpg 912230], the first Walsh Family book, is almost 30 years old now and as per the author, its FMC Claire has proven sequel-resistant. While Keyes tries to convince her recalcitrant character otherwise, she still has two more Walsh sisters waiting for their second turn in the spotlight. It's a pleasure to be able to read about these singular women, their full middle-aged lives, and their capacity to keep evolving.
This book has a built-in bias in favor of Lee Bouvier Radziwill, as the authors were able to interview her in person before her 2019 death. Meanwhile, Jackie Bouvier Kennedy Onassis is only seen through historic documents and other people's recollections. And yet the younger sister comes off much worse - jealous, materialistic, spendthrift, and bitter. Jackie is not without her own flaws, but at least she didn't bankrupt her ultra wealthy husbands, and she had an actual job for a while, working for several major publishing houses until her health deteriorated.
My rating isn't solely related to my distaste for its subjects. The book is boring too, unless you like long descriptions of interior decor and couture dresses. Even the thousand days of JFK's doomed presidency are presented without much impact. I blame the recent “Feud: Capote vs. The Swans” miniseries on Hulu American television (also Calista Flockhart, who played Lee) for giving me the false impression that snooty WASPy ladies who lunch might be vaguely interesting. Ugh, what was I thinking?
I didn't love this as much as Yardley's [b:Role Playing 63843397 Role Playing Cathy Yardley https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1669435553l/63843397.SY75.jpg 98457044], but that 2023 release contained all of my favorite tropes (nerds in love, epistolary passages, beta MMC), so it was a tough act to follow. Do Me a Favor is perfectly fine, with some gentle lessons about not harshly judging the choices made by parents and their kids. There were a few too many wacky hijinks, and I didn't love the MMC earning unreasonably high praise for basically not treating women like sh*t. The FMC's personal arc is arguably more compelling than the romance, but the flip side is that there is very little angst. Read via KU.
After reading a LOT of mediocre suspense thrillers, I am so relieved to finally find one that not only meets the genre's requirements, but also exceeds them. Simone St. James's latest is atmospheric, unpredictable and character-rich. The highlight is the love story between April and Eddie, recent newlyweds who know almost nothing about each other. Their relationship deepens as they work together to solve the mysteries of “Murder Road,” but these two lonely, wounded people have dark secrets. I was rooting for them and wary of them at the same time.
I stopped reading Simone St. James's books when she moved from historical to more-or-less contemporary settings (the 1990s are NOT history!), but I may have to reconsider that decision.
Not my favorite T. Kingfisher - one of the two FMCs was too passive (understandably so, but painful to read so much from her pitiful POV), and the book felt longer than it needed to be. But I'm always in favor of a middle-aged FMC with bad knees who takes on the Big Bad armed with nothing but her wits and a really good library. Her two besties of similar age are awesome too. Plus let's hear it for a valiant flock of geese! A Sorceress would have been better if it were shorter and a bit leaner, which was underlined for me by a blink-and-you'll-miss-it reference to the note-perfect [b:Nettle & Bone 56179377 Nettle & Bone T. Kingfisher https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1645110008l/56179377.SY75.jpg 87513158]. But I will never regret spending time with T. Kingfisher characters and their wonderful sense of humor. [Hester] was almost ready to set the book aside out of sheer exhaustion when the author launched into a lament about so few of his countrymen believing in the “Great Flood of Devilreys that now Surround us” and how “such as was Common Knowledge in days past is not Treated as the Base Ramblings of Superstitione and Rumore.” (Where is he getting all of these e's? Hester wondered. Did they simply have more of them lying around back then?)
CW: attempted suicide, infertility, death of petThis book dances on a razor's edge of cynical, world-weary lit-fic and playful romance novel. Some readers may be offended by its unusual premise: a woman checks into a hotel planning to kill herself but instead somehow ends up as an integral part of a weeklong wedding party, complete with self-centered bridezilla, her surprising groom, and problematic family dynamics. Alison Espach skewers 21st century wedding convention while at the same time creating a sympathetic, complex character in Phoebe Stone, whose personal and professional lives have reached a nadir which she cannot see herself climbing out of. Her unexpected involvement with the wedding party and an ill-advised attraction help her to see a way out of the darkness.As much as I love a good romance, I disliked Espach's use of genre tropes that didn't match the rest of the book's tone , including the ex-husband begging for a second chance. She also takes the easy way out with an ending that is a little too sentimental. Overall, however, this weird cross between [a:Emily Henry 13905555 Emily Henry https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1573928938p2/13905555.jpg] and [a:Jennifer Egan 49625 Jennifer Egan https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1676045682p2/49625.jpg] is one of the best books I've read this year, and one of the rare times that I actually enjoyed one of the critics' (e.g., New York Times) darlings.