January 2.0

American Dirt by Jeanine Cummins
This is the 'buzziest' book of 2020 and rightfully so. It tells the story of Lydia, a middle class woman living in Acapulco with her eight year old son and journalist husband. When the violence of the drug cartels destroys her life, Lydia must make the impossible choice: stay and be killed, or save her son and escape to the north. This black and white choice is blunt against the brutality of the migrant trail as author Cummins painstakingly lays out all the heartrending choices Lydia must make for survival. Wrapped in beautiful prose, we see the the cast of characters that these two meet on their epic journey: the asthmatic boy running for his future, the two sisters trapped in violent Guadalajara, the priest who must weigh his own safety against those in need, the coyote who feels compelled to help but also to profit, her friend who loves book but brings death, and those left behind. The mantras of "build the wall," "do it legally," "send them back," "kids in cages," all of these are held up in start contrast to the reality of a mother's love and what one would do for their child. It is that simple. Do. Not. Miss. This. Book.

A Pilgrimage to Eternity: From Canterbury to Rome in Search of Faith by Timothy Egan

"We do not have all the answers. We are in a spiritual journey." These are the words at one of the first churches Egan comes to on his pilgrimage from Canterbury to Rome, known as the Via Francigena as Egan traveled by foot, car, train for over a thousand miles, searching for some spiritual answers. As a solid agnostic myself, I was curious about this book; Egan, a Northwest resident and writer, is one of my favorite authors but a book on Christianity? A religion that many friends adhere to but which has pushed me away for over a decade due to what I perceive to be hypocrisy and hyper-judgmentalism? Hmmm...this was definitely a journey for me, and one that was ultimately well worth it. Egan weaves together the story of this path with thousands of years of history of the Catholic church and Christianity, and it is a bloody, violent, chaotic history, one that is hard to endorse. Yet Egan also forces his readers to do what he does - stop, contemplate, question, wonder. Ultimately, he doesn't force any faith on his readers, but does force us to be a pilgrim as we search, or are content to embrace what I call 'the great unknown.' I am glad I read this book.

The Sun Down Motel by Simone St. James
Do you like a good ghost story? As in one that you really shouldn't read at night because it will give you chills up the back of your neck? Simone St. James is a master of the spectral story, seriously. The Sun Down Motel is a creepy lil old motel in a creepy lil town where decades ago Carly's Aunt Viv disappeared. The story is told from a dual perspective, Viv and her time working at the motel and Carly as she investigates her aunt's life as a way of putting her own life into perspective. All kinds of creepy characters emerge as both Viv and Carly's stories are told. I turned pages voraciously and found the ending to satisfy every want, need, desire. It is not easy to follow up a bit hit like The Broken Girls, but St. James continues to be creative and thoughtful as she creeps us out with each successive book.

After the Flood by Kassandra Montag
This book called my name as soon as I heard "dystopia, mother, journey" - I mean really, who can't get on board with an epic journey?! Thanks to climate change, the world pretty much flooded, and I don't mean a little bit, I mean the Andes Mountains are even under water. Borders and governments are a thing of the past; it is every human for themselves and whatever boat they can find. In this case, Myra and her seven-year-old daughter Pearl set off to find her oldest daughter Rowena, long ago kidnapped by Myra's husband as the Floods began. As the journey progresses, Myra must decide who to trust as the cast of characters unfold. This story is a terrifying look at a possible future, an odyssey where one must change and adapt in order to complete their quest, and a hard look at what makes a family and who do we love. It is a beautifully written, creative story - hard to believe it is Montag's debut novel.

Such a Fun Age by Kiley Reid
Trust me, the title is dripping with irony. One's twenties are supposed to be awesome, right?! But what if you've graduated from college, aren't that motivated for a career and money and prestige, and just want to be happy? Is that valued? Is that okay? And what if you're a black woman engulfed in a white woman's world? A world that doesn't quite fit? That is Emira's life as she babysits three-year-old Brier. The entire story begins with an incident in an upscale grocery store when a security guard and another customer accuses Emira of kidnapping little Brier because...she's a black woman with a white child, late at night. The man who records the entire incident becomes integral to the story, as does Alix, the mother and 'influencer,' as well as Alix's snarky group of privileged New York friends. The audio of this one is truly priceless, as Emira is smart, sassy, and takes no crap; she loves Brier with a loyalty that is admirable, but also wants to own who they both are in their unique personalities. This book will frustrate you, entertain you, and make you think about life in some very different ways. Think about the book like the novel The Help, but updated to 2015 with a subtle yet pointed look at race and money and class. Loved this one:)

Eight Perfect Murders by Peter Swanson
A favorite mystery writer (The Kind Worth Killing - soooo good), this new one fell a bit short for me. The premise: a bookstore owner, Mal, who years ago wrote a blog post that highlighted the eight perfect literary murders according to him, gets interviewed by an FBI agent about some similar murders that have popped up in Boston. Mal is an unreliable narrator of the story, never knowing quite what to believe from him. He's a quirky loner, book lover so I kinda liked him at first. However, as the book devolved into predictability as well as some implausibility, Mal became less likable and just rather pathetic. On the plus side, I did keep turning pages. On the minus side, the ending was unsatisfying to me.

The Flood (Fredrike Bergman & Alex Recht, #6) by Kristina Ohlsson
Are you missing the dark Scandinavian mystery series like Girl with a Dragon Tattoo? Go check out Ohlsson's series that involves both police investigators, national security experts, and psychologists all on one investigatory team. It is one of my favorite series; each mystery is a page turner, the characters are complex and fascinating, women are used as strong leads not as weak and naive tropes, and the endings always satisfy. You don't have to read all the books, or in order, to enjoy each one separately either, which is a plus. This one involves a home murder, a kidnapping, and a funeral director that are somehow all tied together. Great beach read if you like a good mystery:)