May Reading

 The Hour of the Witch by Chris Bohjalian

Book #10 from this author for me - yes, I am a fan. After writing a pandemic-mystery (The Red Lotus), Bohjalian returns to historical fiction, setting his latest tale in Puritan Boston, where a young woman, Mary Deerfield, is suing her husband for divorce, using claims of abuse. And of course because it's the Puritans, we see accusations of adultery, heresy, and of course, witchcraft. Admittedly, this is not my favorite time period to read about, as let's face it, the Puritans were all-around fairly awful people. Judgmental, hypocritical, preaching about love yet acting with hate, it unfortunately reminded me of how people today use their religion as a cudgel instead of an invitation. Perhaps that was Bohjalian's point? It's a looooong book, with drawn-out courtroom scenes and too much repetition, ending with my feelings of slogging through to the somewhat-explosive ending. Ultimately, it was 400 pages of 'meh' for me.

Hail Mary Project by Andy Weir

Andy Weir has returned! Back to his ole geeky, science-y self, just like in his big hit 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘔𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘪𝘢𝘯. I adored this book from start to finish! The premise is pretty straight forward: middle school teacher Ryland Grace wakes up on a space ship light years away from Earth. His mission? Save the planet. Yep. That’s all. Just a simple lil mission to save all of humankind. That alone should keep you reading. But Weir’s ability to go back and forth in time, to show us how Ryland, and Earth, got to this place, is fascinating, mysterious, humorous, and just so darn engaging. And the friendship between Ryland and his buddy, Rocky - well, if it doesn’t melt your heart, your’s is made of concrete. And NO, you do not need to be a sci-fi lover to love this book. I just rolled with my scientific ignorance when the story got into the geeky weeds a bit and it was all good. This book is just rollicking good fun!

Rule of the Wolves (King of Scars, #2) by Leigh Bardugo

Grishaverse World - have you entered it yet? If not, what are you waiting for???? Seriously. Bardugo is a master of world-building, and she doesn’t do fairy porn like Maas. Her characters are smart, conflicted, sassy, brave, loyal, humorous, and even the ‘baddies’ are dynamic. This is her latest in multiple series (Shadow and Bone, Six of Crows, King of Scars), and it might be my favorite of the bunch. She brings all our believes characters back - think reunion show - and gave me everything I wanted (romance, adventure, thievery, spies, war, friendship). And no, don’t just watch the Netflix show and call it good - the books really ARE better!

Other Words for Home by Jasmine Warga

A middle reader?! I haven’t read one in waaaay too long. Sometimes it feels like cheating but this book reminded me why we should read these books...because a book like this is how we teach a new generation to honor our differences, to see beneath skin color or clothing choices, to know we can all be brave if given the chance. This kind of book teaches Empathy in spades! Written in poetic format, it is the story of Jude, her past in Syria and her present as a refugee in Ohio. It touched me deeply. Read it, trust me. 

Finlay Donovan is Killing It by Elle Cosimano

Looking for a fun audio to sweep you away from your mundane life and entertain the hell out of you?! This book is IT! Suburban mom Finlay Donovan is having a rough go - husband left her and is now engaged to their realtor, newest book she's working on isn't going well, her two preschoolers are a hand full, and oh yeah, a woman in a coffee shop dropped her a note, asking her to kill her husband for her, offering a large sum of money. Yeah, normal life. I could have cared a less about implausible plot points or silly twists - I just wanted to listen to this book every single second. Fantastic narrator, laugh out loud moments, a nice touch of romance, and just pure unadulterated entertainment:)

The Plot by Jean Hanff Korelitz 

One friend called this book 'clever;' another called it 'predictable." It's hard to disagree with either as this one was complicated for me to review. A story about writers - their egos, their habits, their eccentricities, and yes, the place they find their inspiration. But what if they stole that inspired idea? What then? This book took me on a page-turning ride, but sadly the destination was rather unsurprising. My mind wasn't blown by any plot twist, as promised by the fictional author, nor was I was surprised by the 'big reveal.' It was ultimately entertaining, but not that memorable.

Children of the Land by Marcelo Hernandez Castillo

I read this one as part of an online reading group. While it was not my favorite, and I might’ve DNFed it without the crew and their support, I did appreciate the diverse viewpoint the author shares with the world. Poet and college professor, this is Castillo’s memoir of his life: his undocumented status and how it warped and shaped his mental attitudes and behaviors, his parents’ journeys back and forth from Mexico, his relationship with his wife, and so much more. I appreciated the glimpse into the life of a person living with DACA and all the frailties of trust and belief DACA has imposed on its recipients. What I didn’t care for was the stream of consciousness style of writing, the abrupt time changes, the lack of plot line. Audio was impossible to follow; physical book was definitively better but ultimately not my favorite. However, if you like poetic writing this might be your jam. 

What Happens Next by JoAnne Tompkins

Beautiful writing but i had so many issues with this story line. One - dog abuse yet also great dog love - I think Rufus was the only character I truly liked. Two - unlikeable characters, which is fine but they need to be plausible for me. A single male teacher allowed to have a teenage girl live with him?? Never would happen, not in any school district I taught in. Ditto the principal and his multitude of rotten decisions. Three - Weird mix of magical realism or ghostly stuff or religion? So much religion. I’m not a huge fan of the ‘mysteries of the Divine’, so there’s that. Four -A lot of violence, some careless use of mental illness (imo), and some questionable discussion of ‘genes’ causing behavior?  Five -What was the genre? Drama? Magical realism? Mystery? Seemed like it couldn’t  make up its mind. I know some people loved this one; perhaps if I hadn’t been a teacher for decades, I could’ve let some of the plot choices go? Not my favorite.