Final October Reading

 Bewilderment by Richard Powers

“𝘓𝘪𝘧𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘸𝘦 𝘯𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘱 𝘤𝘰𝘳𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨. 𝘔𝘺 𝘣𝘰𝘺 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘢 𝘱𝘰𝘤𝘬𝘦𝘵 𝘶𝘯𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘦 𝘐 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘯𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘩𝘰𝘱𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘧𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘮. 𝘌𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘶𝘴 𝘪𝘴 𝘢𝘯 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘦 𝘥𝘰𝘯’𝘵 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨.” This book is unsettling in the best possible way. It left me with more questions, more perplexities, more wonderment than it did answers. Not because of plot holes because for me, it was perfection, but because it examines ideas that have no answers…What does a special child need from a parent, from a school, from society? Can the veil of death be pushed aside? Why do we accept the poisoning of our planet? Where in space does other life exist? Is outrage truly impotent against shamelessness?Can humanity and Earth survive? This one slapped me in the face, then shook me upside down, and still resonates inside my brain - one of the best books of the year for me.

There is Nothing For You Here: Finding Opportunity in the Twenty-First Century by Fiona Hill

You might know the author's name from her famously insightful testimony at Trump's first impeachment trial. Yet this book is so much more than a political-junkie book; in fact, very little existed about Trump's impeachment, relying on the fact that most of us already know her role in it. Instead, this is a memoir of a girl raised in the working poor of northern England, faced with social class prejudices and biases that worked against her at every step. It is about the helping hands she had from other humans as well as governments, and how Fiona Hill got to sit in the White House as a top adviser to three presidents. In the end, she gives us a historical perspective on how the democracies in both America and the UK have been crippled through income inequality and lack of opportunity. It is fascinating in every way. I highly recommend the audio because Hill's voice is simply sublime.

The Hidden Palace (The Golem and the Jinni #2) by Helene Wecker

This is a classic example of "Was a sequel needed?' I adored the first book, The Golem and the Jinni; it was highly creative, gorgeously written, and had a gripping plot with an evil villain who had to be vanquished. This time around, it still has the gorgeous writing and the two fantastic lead characters who are so complexly developed and compelling, yet it was missing a plot for me. It hinted at one, but did not really pick up until the final quarter of the book, and even then, meh. I did adore the setting in turn-of-the-century NYC but sadly, I think I could have been satisfied with a one-and-done. Rats.

The Ex Hex by Erin Sterling

Fun, silly, implausible, brain candy - and we all need that some time, right?! A college-age witchy couple have a mad summer affair, and when the young man spills that he's actually engaged to someone back in England, the young female witch says bye-bye. She also gets super drunk and hexes him. Fast forward eight years and these two hot witches are together again, trying to get rid of the curse that is causing some interesting issues around town. Like I said, silly but fun!

State of Terror by Louise Penny and Hillary Rodham Clinton

This is the best political thriller I have read in a looooong time - as in, I could not put it down and finished it in just 24 hours. And not just because Louise Penny is one of my favorite mystery writers. And not just because Hillary Rodham Clinton is a human being I admire immensely. It’s just a damn good book! These two writers have created a Secretary of State we all want in our lives - smart, loyal, sassy, tenacious. And her bestie, Betsy, could be my favorite sidekick ever (I mean, this quote “Those who underestimated teachers did so at their peril!”) - their word plays to check their identifies is just sheer genius. In the space of 400 pages, we see how a former incompetent president set the world up for total destruction - yeah, it could happen. And yeah, shades of #45. Admittedly, some of this was too close to home and made the hair on my neck stand to attention. I also chuckled out loud more than once. And the piece de resistance were the cameos by beloved figures from Penny’s fictional village of Three Pines. I anxiously await a sequel. 

The Man Who Died Twice by Richard Osman

This is a case where the sequel is even better than the first in the series! Each book revolves around four senior citizens who all live in the same retirement community in the English countryside; each one of them is delightfully wonderful, in their singularly unique way. My personal favorite is Elizabeth, the former MI5 secret agent who is pretty much a badass boss. This time around they've got a former husband, some stolen diamonds, a mugging, and of course a few murders all mixed in together that must not only be solved, but vengeance must be had. I laughed out loud more than once and turned pages voraciously. Can't wait for book three!