November 2.0

Dear Justyce (Dear Martin #2) by Nic Stone

I adored Dear Martin, five star read, but I’m pretty sure Dear Justyce has my heart. In this sequel, a young Black teen named Quan sits in jail, awaiting trial for allegedly killing a policeman. The same policeman who killed Justyce’s best friend and Quan’s cousin. Yeah, it’s complicated. As Justyce and Quan exchange letters, we see how Quan’s childhood led him to this prison cell. It will anger you, make you weep, and inspire you to see the people who give Quan the chances he needs. If I was still teaching high school, I would do ANYTHING, to use both Dear Martin and Dear Justyce in my classroom. These two books are eye opening, life changing, and vitally important to read as we all continue to open our eyes to the INjustice in our justice system.

The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab

“𝘐𝘧 𝘢 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘰𝘯 𝘤𝘢𝘯𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘢 𝘮𝘢𝘳𝘬, 𝘥𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘦𝘹𝘪𝘴𝘵?” This is an oft told tale, of selling one’s soul to the devil in exchange for eternal life, and then, of course, regretting it. But wait...VE Schwab has a few twists to that old cliche.What if the ‘victim’ hasn’t read the fine print? What if she’s a strong badass woman who won’t be pushed around by the devil? What if she tries to ‘work the system’?! And most tantalizing, what if the devil is fire hot?! While it took about fifty pages for this story to gel for me, once it did, I could not put it down. I loved the deep character development, the beautiful writing, and the unique plotting.  It should provide some provocative conversation in any book club.

The Cold Millions by Jess Walter

Let me preface this review with the fact that I am a huge Jess Walter fangirl; I've read three of his books and adored them. Yet this one fell a bit flat for me. The premise pulled me in as it takes place in the PNW (Spokane, WA in the early decades of the 20th century), two brothers, one actress, and a plethora of many, many other characters, and all these things woven together with union organization, racial and class inequality, and family ties. It is gorgeously written - I truly admired Walter's syntax and language. Yet often I was bored with the unending trials and tribulations of the union, even as it addresses legitimate and ongoing societal issues. Perhaps I was just tired of politics? Regardless, while I admired this book, I didn't really love it.

The Space Between Worlds by Micaiah Johnson

I have teased my family for years, that in a parallel universe, I have puppies not kids, or I'm a world-famous neuroscientist, or an astronaut, or a photo-journalist. You get my drift - other lives I think I'd like to experience. In this book, debut author Johnson brings us just this idea, with a few twists. In Earth Zero, a Steven Jobs-type of guy has invented the technology so we can go to these other worlds, with one caveat - only if our other self has already died. Yet Cara, our multiverse traveler, runs into a few problems. Big problems. World ending problems. Life ending problems. Within this book, there is love, family, society issues that will remind you of today, mystery, murder, power plays, yep, everything in life. I loved this book, and I am not normally a big sci-fi fan. Highly recommend if you want to get out of your box a little bit.

Goodnight Beautiful by Aimee Molloy

I'm confused by the love for this book honestly. It just seemed like a rip-off of Misery by Stephen King (he did it better) but maybe I am missing something? Annie, college professor who is willing to give up NYC and her home and her life just to follow her husband Sam to  a small town upstate (don't even get me started on the sexism in this book), is looking for her husband. The book goes back and forth amongst multiple viewpoints, narrated by at least one rather unlikeable voice in the audio. Bottom line, I've read better thrillers but I know some people who liked this one - I just wasn't one of them.

Heart Berries: A Memoir by Terese Marie Mailhot

A heart-wrenching memoir of a Native woman, battling past traumas, family issues, and mental illness herself, this was a rough book for me. Maybe it was the time in which I read it, but it just seemed like trauma overload. There was very little light and I just was depressed by the end. The audio is beautifully narrated, yet the stream of consciousness style of writing was challenging to follow the story line.