September Reading

One by One by Ruth Ware

I think you can call me a Ruth Ware junkie; I have read all six of her adult mystery books, and have yet to be able to put one down. Her latest feels very Agatha Christie-ish, with murder victims, red herrings, and abundant theories littering the story. At a company retreat in a Swiss chalet, the plot is laid out through two narrators: Liz, a former employee of this tech company, she is awkward, anxious, and has a lot of backstory to tell; Erin, a hostess at the chalet, is the fly-on-the-wall observer of this eclectic group, and has a mysterious past of her own. As a blizzard hits, avalanches ensue, and dead bodies turn up occasionally, I dare you to figure out not only whodunnit, but WHY. Another satisfying Ruth Ware mystery:)

Anxious People by Frederik Backman

This book is about a bank robber. And some hostages. And a bridge. And subprime mortgages. And the worldwide economic meltdown of 2007. And aging. And relationships. And suicide. And mental illness. And about idiots and anxiety and assumptions we make. And...get my drift? Can you tell it is a hard one to describe? On the surface, it begins with two policemen, a father and son, who are attempting to interview the hostages of a bank robber. But talk about water skiing across a subject! This book, as always with Backman, is about so much more. This book is witty, propulsive, addictive, heartfelt, provocative, aggravating, eye-opening, and ultimately so satisfying. If you begin and you're wondering "what the heck?', just keep going, trust me - you will arrive at an amazing destination. Another hit from a favorite author!

The Lost Kingdom by Signe Pike

In the beginning, in The Lost Queen, twins Languoreth and Lailoken, are young; their childhood is privileged, children of a lord, taught by a druid, loved and protected by their servants. They are in turn, passionate, emotional, impulsive. In this sequel, L and L come into their own. Languoreth becomes the queen she has always been meant to be. As she mourns her many losses, she also weaves her web, using her intellect to deal with her enemies and grow her ally's loyalties, and ultimately discovers the strength she always had but now knows how to wield. Lailoken, through horrific battle, heartbreaking loss, and poignant exile, uses his skills as a Wisdom Keeper to hold the Old Gods close, and to empower those who still believe in them. This second book is full of battles and court intrigue, but also dives deep into the story of Languoreth's daughter and her training as a priestess of the Old Way; this was the most intriguing story line to me. As much as I loved the first book, this book appears to act as a bridge to book three, setting up the court of Artur (ie. King Arthur mythology), his relationship with the druid priestess, and Laioloken as he transitions into Myrrdin, the 'madman,' or as we know him, Merlin. This was another epic read.

The Kitchen God's Wife by Amy Tan

I feel like there were a couple decades where I missed great books (maybe I was grading essays or driving kids across the state for soccer tournaments??) In any case, now that I've got a Buddy Read group doing modern day classics, I am finally catching up! I have read Amy Tan before (The Joy Luck Club, The Bonesetter's Daughter), and she did not disappoint in this one from 2006. Once again, she looks deeply at mother/daughter relationships, as we first see Winnie as the stereotypical Chinese mother, with her daughter Pearl who avoids her, holds secrets, doesn't understand who her mother is. Winnie has secrets of her own...a LOT of them. The majority of the book tells of her life in China both pre WWII, during, and after. For the record, the next time I complain about the small inconveniences of anything, tell me to shut up - this woman struggled, survived, endured. At times it got a bit wordy for me, but then Tan would bring me back to the women and grab my attention once again. And the Kitchen God story - wow, what a metaphor for the shit women have to put up with in this patriarchal construct of a world. This should give any book club a lot to discuss!

Surrender Your Sons by Adam Sass

A group of gay teens are kidnapped and taken to an island off of Costa Rica where a conversion therapy 'program' is run. Yeah, pretty horrendous - as in torture and abuse, weird and weirder assignments to convince these kids they aren't gay, and a deep dive into the history of the pastor who runs it. Solid topic to explore in this YA book, yet I am torn in my opinions. On one hand, I appreciated how the author dealt with parental issues surrounding their kids coming out, how religion is twisted into a way that truly damages kids irreparably, and how difficult life can be made for gay teens who are struggling with their sexual identity. However, I struggled with the length of this book (almost 400 pages was waaaay too long, in my opinion), the jumping around through time periods, the implausibility and improbability of much of the plot line (especially on the island!), and the tone of the narrator's voice. I read the author's note at the beginning of the use of awkward humor and why he does it, but it just felt off for me.