like reading abstract art

This is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mokhtar and Max Gladstone
Rating: 1 star (out of 5)
Genre: science fiction
Review: Many time travel books are non-linear to some degree.  But this book charts a whole new path when it comes to non-linearity.  To be fair, the specifics of where are when are somewhat beside the point, but the places and times the characters go to have very few recognizable features, which leaves the reading without a hook on which to make sense of the narrative (if it can be called that).  It's kind of like reading abstract art.  Like abstract art, a very few things come into focus by the end if you stare at them long enough, but it requires way too much effort.  If you like that kind of thing, carry on, but it's really not for me.  And yes, I already know I'm a philistine when it comes to art.

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

what exactly is the point?

Wilder Girls by Rory Powers
Rating: 3 stars (out of 5)
Genre: science fiction/horror
Review: Raxter.  The name of the island, and the small girls' boarding school on it.  And now, the Raxter Phenonomen, or the Tox, which is turning the island, and everything on it wild in various ways.  Nearly all of the teachers, and many of the students are already dead, and those who remain are holed up on the school grounds, waiting for the Navy and the CDC which are supposedly working on a cure.  Or are they?  It's clear that everything is not as it seems, and you'll keep reading this book to try to figure out what the real story is.  What is the Tox?  Where did it come from?  And is everyone actually on the same side?

Not all of those questions come with clear answers, although they're all answered enough to be satisfying by the end of the book.  But the one big question I was left with was, what was the point of this book?  Was it supposed to be something like Lord of the Flies where we see what happens to a society of adolescents when they're left on their own in dangerous circumstances?  Or was it supposed to be more about the Tox itself?  I just couldn't figure out what I was supposed to be getting out of this book.  Like I said, though, you will keep reading right to the end just to see who, if anyone, makes it out alive and whether they have any answers with them if they do.

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

pieces of the puzzle

The Virtue of Sin by Shannon Schuren
Rating: 4 stars (out of 5)
Genre: fiction
Review:  Miriam was born and raised in New Jerusalem; her parents were among the first faithful.  She accepts her world at face value (strict male/female separation before marriage, weird rules of socializing after marriage, interpretation of dreams, etc.) but when the ordained Matrimony doesn't go like it's supposed to, she starts asking questions.  Interestingly, she's willing to accept the unexpected results, except that so many people, from charismatic autocrat Daniel on down, are clearly upset about the outcome.  Daniel even seems to think that what happened somehow puts the community in danger.  But once Miriam starts looking, she sees oddities everywhere.

"It's like a puzzle that's been jumbled.  Like someone tried to jam some pieces in where they don't belong," says Miriam.  I couldn't have described it better.  At first glance, this is yet another book about a religious cult, featuring a young woman who begins to question the garbage being fed to the faithful.  Except there's a lot to figure out in this book.  Like, who actually is a true believer, and to what lengths is Daniel willing to go to preserve his power?  To what lengths has he already gone?  And what in the world is Susanna up to?

There are definitely a lot of layers in this book.  In addition, I found Miriam to be a particularly good character, and her inner voice drew me in right away.  With elements of Vox, The Handmaid's Tale, and Educated, this book is an believable imagination of what the inside of a cult looks like to insiders.  I wouldn't mind if Schuren took the characters a step further and imagined how they adjust after the action in this part of the story ends.

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

The Best Books to Read at Every Age

I'm both ahead of and behind my times!
The best books to read at every age, from 1 to 100

oh, so lovely

Evvie Drake Starts Over by Linda Holmes
Rating: 4.5 stars (out 5)
Genre: fiction
Review: Evvie (pronounced eh-vee) is not a misanthrope.  She's not particularly socially awkward.  She just... doesn't really feel like it right now.  A young widow, her husband died literally as she was preparing to leave him (he deserved to be left).  Except that nobody knows that; they all think she's properly grieving for him.  So, you know: guilt.

Dean is a former Yankees pitcher who's got the yips.  He's tried everything to get his arm back, but nothing works.  His childhood best friend is also Evvie's best friend, and it just so happens that Evvie also has an apartment in her house that would be perfect for Dean while he tries to figure out what he wants to do with the rest of his life.

What follows is a fairly predictable boy-meets-girl story, with a few false notes.  But it is oh, so lovely.  Reading about Dean and Evvie made my heart happy.  Both characters leap off the page (seriously, I was tempted to look up and see if they were actually in my living room with me) and their trials and tribulations are both realistic and compassionately drawn.  Is this a perfect book?  No.  Do I think it's going to be very popular this summer?  Yes.  Do I highly recommend it?  Even more yes.

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

expect the unexpected

Time After Time by Lisa Grunwald
Rating: 4 stars (out of 5)
Genre: historical fiction
Review: Ok, I did not see that coming.  Usually, when a character does something unexpected near the end of a book, it means that the author has written herself into a corner that she can't get out of without someone having an epiphany or just acting way out of character or something.  But in this case, the behavior totally felt like something the character would do, even if I wasn't expecting it.  I won't even tell you which character does the unexpected thing, so read the book to find out.  It's worth it all the way through.

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

on the path

Professor Chandra Follows His Bliss by Rajeev Balasubramanyam
Rating: 4 stars (out of 5)
Genre: fiction
Review: I'm not sure what bliss Professor Chandra is following, or how he's following it, but he's an interesting guy to read about.  A distinguished professor of economics, has just been denied the Nobel Prize (again), he is hit by a bicycle and suffers a heart attack, forcing him to take a break, under doctor's orders.  And he does try.  He tries to reconnect with his children, and attends a mindfulness retreat.  He learns a lot about himself, and his children, but I didn't really see where the bliss comes in, since he's mostly just as conflicted at the end as he is in the beginning, if a bit gentler about it.

Bliss, not so much, but Chandra himself does come to understand and accept a lot about himself and his past mistakes.  His journey, with all its missteps and imperfections, is very believable, and you'll find yourself rooting for Chandra to find a way, not to bliss, but to more happiness.  Or maybe just contentment?  Or self-awareness?  Whatever he's on the path to, it's an enjoyable journey, for the reader, at least.

One thing that really stood out to me is the very subtle way that Balasubramanyam points out the ways in which Chandra was a terrible father.  His casual cruelties to his children are reported as straight facts; there is no extended narrative exposition explaining the effects of his words, allowing readers to make their own judgments without interference.  This is a mark of a good author, one who truly shows, rather than tells, and he does this with aplomb throughout the book.

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