have another drink

The Flight Attendant by Chris Bohjalian
Rating: 2.5 stars (out of 5)
Genre: thriller
Review: Cassie Bowden is not just an alcoholic, she's obsessed with being an alcoholic.  And with her own propensity to make bad decisions.  And with generally being a screw-up.  And, seriously, did I mention that Cassie drinks?  Because we're told that over and over and over again.  You know what, Cassie drinks.  She drinks a lot.  And she likes it.  Did I mention that Cassie drinks?

Fortunately for the reader, becase following along while a 30-something year-old woman consistently refuses to do anything sensible is just not a lot of fun, there are larger issues of geopolitics at play in this book.  It is those that lead to the dead man in the bed, and that actually drive the story forward as we wonder whether Cassie will live to take her next drink.

FTC Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher in exchange for this review.

you'll be rooting for Corinne

Family of the Fox by F.M. Isaacs
Rating: 4 stars (out of 5)
Genre: fantasy
Review: Corinne's family is keeping secrets from her, and she knows it.  Ordinarily, I hate books where everyone is keeping a secret from the main character, but Isaacs writes Corinne's frustrations so believably that I was able to focus on the story, rather than on my own frustrations with the characters.  Corinne doesn't just sit back and hope that all the answers will spontaneously be revealed to her.  Instead, the pages practically turn themselves as she struggles to find out her family's secrets.  Her perseverance pays off, and she is soon admitted into a world of time travel, shape shifting, and teleportation.  For the most part, her family treats their gifts as fun and games, but of course danger lurks, and soon Corinne and her family must fight for both their past and future.  This fast-paced novel will be perfect for any fan of fantasy, especially of fantasy involving a strong female protagonist.

the immortal Forrest Gump

How to Stop Time by Matt Haig
Rating: 3 stars (out of 5)
Genre: speculative fiction
Review: Tom has met William Shakespeare, F. Scott Fitzgerald, and Captain Cook.  He's over four centuries old (but looks like he's only in his 40s) but of course he can't tell anyone that.  As far as Tom is concerned, being practically immortal (he's not, but he should live well into his ninth century) isn't all it's cracked up to be.  He probably would have done himself in a long time ago, except he has to find his daughter, who's out there somewhere.  He thinks.  But since he hasn't even had a hint of where she might be in about 350 years, he's decided to go back to his roots, which dredge up a lot of memories.  Most of the book alternates between Tom's current life as a history teacher and his reminiscenses as he Forrest Gumps his way through history.

There's not so much plot for most of the book as there is deep, dark philosophical musing on life and time and history.  Until suddenly Haig realizes that he has to actually end the book in some way, and several very dramatic things happen, Tom comes to some startling realizations, and they all live happily ever after.  For a long time.

FTC Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher in exchange for this review.