This is the first batch of ten books that I read in 2024. Aiming to complete 45 again this year.
In The Lives of Puppets by T.J. Klune – I was disappointed with Klune’s latest. Maybe it’s just because it’s essentially a take on Pinocchio – a story I’ve never really cared for – but for me this fell well short of the high bar that the author set with both his last two novels.
Those stories both proved that Klune can write complex characters, but this was essentially a straightforward rescue adventure. I never really felt that invested in the character motivations with this novel, and so it feels like a misstep of a book. I enjoyed the dialogue and the humour of the protagonist’s robot companions, but the story was barely interesting enough to get me to the end.
I wouldn’t recommend this one, but would point people instead to Under the Whispering Door. Hopefully Klune will return to form with his next novel.
Hench by Natalie Zina Walschots – The only thing I found slightly disappointing was that this novel ends by clearly setting up stakes for book two. That’s not a huge criticism – I’m very excited to dive into book two when it’s published – but it does mean the ending is not as satisfying as it might have been were this a 100% standalone novel.
Otherwise, I loved this. Such an interesting take on the superhero genre.
I loved the main character. Despite the fact she’s a villain, her choices are always informed by data that rationalize her evil deeds. It makes her a likeable antihero but when you see some of the results of her choices, it can still be hard to root for her. And yet she’s utterly charming.
This is some great, fast-paced storytelling, well-written dialogue, and lots of great supporting characters. I did find it difficult sometimes to keep the names of the many heroes and villains straight in my head, but that’s a minor quibble and probably only relevant to the audiobook format. That said, the audiobook reader was excellent.
The Restaurant at the End of the Universe by Douglas Adams – I was surprised by how much of this book I had forgotten.
The plots of the other books in the Hitchhiker’s series seem to stick in my head better than this one.
Not that it’s not funny. Adams is always to my taste, but this one does feel a little disjointed.
It’s not my favorite of the series, but I love it still regardless.
The Unbreakable Heart of Olivia Denaro by Viola Ardone – This is a translation, so I am hesitant to judge it too harshly. That said, I did find that, aside from the main character, none of the other characters really showed any growth throughout the novel. And even that character only grows in terms of confidence. Her opinions never really change, just her ability to express them.
I also found it jarring that the author introduces a second narrator for the last quarter of the book. That made it feel a bit disjointed to me.
It was enjoyable enough read, but I think there are better novels about women finding their voice after being attacked. Given it is based on true life events, maybe it has more value as a springboard for discussion as a standalone story.
Poison Lilies by Katie Tallo – This mystery is set in my hometown, but as much as I was entertained by reading a story that name checks so many familiar locations, this one fell short for me. In fact, I found the setting was often given too much prominence and that the author was too willing to introduce irrelevant tangents to shoehorn in as many local place names as possible. An editor should have helped rein that in.
The narrative also seemed too implausible and convoluted. I had a hard time suspending disbelief – not only at the central mystery situation but also at the protagonists choices. Gus seemed so woefully ill-prepared any time she had to deal with the “baddies” she was investigating.
I found myself constantly shaking my head at her choices and frustrated that she kept putting herself needlessly in harm’s way.
The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas – I loved this novel – from the fast-paced opening to the satisfying conclusion.
I loved it for its beautifully well-developed protagonist, who grows and changes as she questions her understanding of the world, the people in her life and those she loses. I loved it for giving me what feels like an authentic glimpse into a life that – as close as it might be to my own – is also remarkably different. I loved that it made me feel joy for the happiness that Star finds in her family and her community while also making my heart ache for our differences and how it keeps us apart and at odds with one another. I loved it for the well-paced narrative that uses realistic dialogue and easy-to-understand situations to show how race informs the different ways we all experience the same world.
It made me question and re-examine my own past behaviour around issues of race, and any book that can do all these things and also be just a wildly entertaining read deserves a five-star rating.
The World We Make by N.K. Jemisin – I knew I was enjoying this novel, but it wasn’t until I realized I was deferring finishing the last few chapters that I understood just how MUCH I love it.
Jemisin’s concept about cities coming to life in the form of human avatars gets fleshed out so much more in this second novel. But while a lesser author might get bogged down in expository explanations about how city magic works, Jemisin somehow conveys complex ideas in a way that makes them easy to understand , but in a style that is also playful, sassy and irreverent. I could listen to her dialogue all day.
I love how this novel brings in current and relevant themes around the politics of division and issues of race relations, and how that informs the magic of this universe. Her main characters are all so well developed and the fact that this novel shifts so much more focus on Padmini makes me happy too. Plus the relationship stuff between NYC and Manhattan is just hot.
I was not ready to put this one down, especially knowing that it will likely be a few years before I get another book from Jemisin. Grateful that I haven’t finished her entire back catalogue yet, so at least there’s that. Still, I really hope she continues this series. The novel does a good job tying off loose ends but it does leave a door open for at least one more story set in this universe.
The Double Life of Benson Yu by Kevin Chong – I enjoyed the first half of this book, but once I hit the second half, it fell apart for me.
I recognize the author was trying to do something experimental and different, but I just found it confusing. The narrator became completely unreliable in part two and I found I could trust nothing that happened as being true. As a result, the book just became a confusing mess.
If I’m being honest, it was a challenge to finish it, despite it being a short book. It was just too difficult for me to parse. Maybe the book warrants further academic study, but as a casual read, it fell short for me.
Death Valley by Melissa Broder – More than conveying a straightforward narrative, the author uses a lot of dream imagery to explore themes around the process of grieving a terminally ill loved one. While I did find the dreamier sections of the book to be a little too confusing for my liking, I think the book is effective when those sections give way to some clearer reflection about love and loss.
There was enough of a narrative thread to keep me interested throughout, but I don’t know that this will stick with me.
I would, however, commend the author’s prose. Her creativity in writing internal monologue in a way that is quirky and engaging. It often made me laugh out loud. For that reason, I would consider picking up another book by this author, but only if I was assured it had a more standard narrative arc.
The House of the Seven Gables by Nathaniel Hawthorne – I had a hard time finishing this one. There’s only about enough plot for a short story, and the bulk of the novel is taken up with trying to convey some sense of ominous foreboding about a house that’s old (cue creepy music), and about the price that individuals must pay for the sins of their ancestors (cue eye roll).
What’s worse is how it employs such needlessly frilly language to tell the tale. Not that I dislike frilly language, but this is a bit overdone. I feel that Hawthorne’s basically challenged himself to find the most obscure and arcane way to phrase his text. And even if there’s some sort of poetic value in that approach for exposition, I don’t think it should be carried through into the dialogue. I have a hard time believing that’s how people used to speak!
If this book was respected in its day, there’s not much of value left to the casual, modern-day reader. I cannot recommend spending time on this one.