Book Bullets

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.

Book Bullets

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Because I had to pay so much attention recently to getting our community theatre production of Dreamgirls on stage, I’ve had little time to write blog posts! I’ve still found time to read though, and I can at least post a few book bullets.

Here are reviews of the last six books I read in 2023 to round out my annual reading challenge. I’m pleased to say these books pushed me over the top of my annual goal of 45 books to finish the year with a final tally of 48.

The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams – I’ve lost track of how many times I’ve read this book, but it never gets old. That said, having Stephen Fry read it to me this time added a whole new layer of funny!

Is it the greatest book of all time? No… but it tickles my funny bone to no end!

Plus, I was way overdue for a re-read of this entire series.

The Right Sort of Man by Allison Montclair – I found this book to be somewhat over-written and under-plotted, if that makes sense.

It’s over-written in the sense that there’s a lot of needless detail that doesn’t lead the reader anywhere interesting, and doesn’t disguise the fact that the characters are all fairly one-dimensional.

By under-plotted, I mean that it feels like every element of conflict is too quickly and conveniently resolved.

Look, it was entertaining enough that I made it through. I even laughed at some of the quippy dialogue. But “I made it through” is hardly a ringing endorsement. In the end, it’s forgettable. I won’t be continuing with this series.

Abaddon’s Gate by James S. E. Corey – I’m still a fan of the series, but this one didn’t feel quite on par with the earlier books. There was a lot of scene setting for a larger story to come.

Even the pacing for the self-contained portions of the story felt off. The first third involved all main POV characters traveling to where the action would eventually take place, and once they got there, It felt like there were two distinct stories: what happens in the ring and THEN what happens on the ship. It made it feel like the novel was nearing conclusion after that first ending but it kept going with a lot more action sequences.

It doesn’t help that I don’t particularly enjoy long descriptions of military battles and gun fights. I see the benefit to adding action and excitement to the story, but prefer to read about the political intrigue and social constructs that drive these characters more than I enjoy pages of military tactics. That stuff makes my mind wander.

There was still a lot to enjoy, and I’m always happy to revisit these characters and find out how the overarching story is progressing. I really loved the character of Anna. I was moved by how concisely and eloquently she delivered her message of love in one short question: What value is there in holding onto hate? The authors did a great job of showing how Anna’s world view informs the actions of so many characters.

The Churn by James S. A. Corey – This was an entertaining enough short story, but I don’t think I will remember much about it in a few months.

It’s pretty good for the world-building aspect it provides for the Expanse universe – an interesting telling of what life on Earth is like at that point in the future.

It doesn’t tell me much, however, that I hadn’t already figured out about one of the series regulars.

Yellowface by R.F. Kuang – I enjoyed how fast-paced this novel felt, despite the fact that its narrative arc delves into increasingly dark territory. It explores ideas about who gets to tell specific stories, the ins and outs of the publishing world, the nasty side of social media and popularity campaigns, and how loneliness and guilt can ruin someone’s life.

But while that may sound heavy, Kuang delivers it in a breezy, even humorous way that belies the narrator’s journey. There’s lots to explore here!

Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut – I really wanted to like this novel, but honestly, I found it a challenge to even finish it. And it’s short!

I was put off by how disjointed it is – not so much the time travel aspects, but the fact that I found no solid narrative built up in any of the time periods our protagonist visited. Disconnected snippets was all I could glean from it. The short vignettes about specific events and interactions never coalesced for me into a comprehensible overarching story. Like an abstract painting, it left me more with a mood than any sense of a story that I could summarize.

I do think that was intentional – that the author’s aim was to reflect the way that a returning soldiers might experience the memories of their wartime experience. And for that, I recognize this would be an interesting novel for study and discussion. There’s lots of interesting experimentation in terms of how the story is told. But a novel that’s worthy of study does not necessarily translate into a novel that’s good for a casual, entertaining read.

Ultimately, I did not enjoy this book, but I can’t bring myself to give it a one-star rating because I think it does have value – just not as entertainment. I’ll give it two stars, more in recognition that it’s trying something different – but I am not likely to return to other Vonnegut in the future.

Book Bullets

A Beautifully Foolish Endeavour – This is a great follow up to the first novel in the Carls dualogy, providing a satisfying conclusion to the mysteries left unanswered after that page-turner of a book. It starts and ends strong, but I would caution there were a few chapters about a quarter of the way in where I felt the story was losing focus and I worried the tale might have been losing its way.

Happy I stuck with it, because it did pick up again before too long.

I’m also glad there doesn’t seem to be any intent to turn this into a trilogy. While the author explores questions about why we continue to give so much control of our lives to corporations, and to partake in the social media spaces that seem to divide us more than bring us together as a species, the novel does leave me with an overall sense of hope. That outlook makes this novel much less dystopian than it could have been.

Maybe that’s not realistic – who’s to say? – but for me, it at least makes for a more enjoyable read.

I’m Glad my Mom Died By Jennette McCurdy – I picked this one up because it seemed like everyone on Goodreads was giving it glowing reviews. It certainly merits praise.

The author has done a great job using short episodes from her life to convey, sometimes with great humour, the truly horrific parenting choices her mom made in raising her. I’m not a big fan of stories told through vignettes, but there’s enough of a through line to paint a very vivid picture of the messed up childhood she spent as a child actor in television.

That said, I did find the short chapters made the book feel choppy and uneven at times, so I am taking away one star – but it’s still a very interesting and engaging book.

East of Eden by John Steinbeck – Hands down, this is one of the greatest novels I have ever read. Why did I wait 50+ years to read it?!

Because I read a lot, it’s generally easy to compare novels for quality. I mean, beyond telling the difference between a novel with a well constructed plot and one that’s written by a lesser hand. It becomes easier to when a good novel has been elevated by the care that a novelist has put into their prose. But frankly, this one was just SO far beyond anything I’ve rated five stars in the past.

The language is staggeringly beautiful, but the fact it’s coupled with a riveting, multi-generational story and fully fleshed out characters means it’s beyond me to even write any sort of review other than “It was incredible.” My review will just have to be: I need to read more Steinbeck and I need to re-read this genius piece of literature.

Can I give it 6 stars?

The Bad Muslim Discount by Syed M. Masood – Beyond this being a witty and engaging story, I think it would be a great candidate for a book club discussion about how the reader might react in similar circumstances.

With multiple first-person narrators, there’s a lot to enjoy here about character motivations – exploring events from the points of view of people of the same religion who have different lived experiences and varying depth of faith. That only works because the author has taken the time to establish well-rounded backstories for the main characters. It ensures plenty of room to convey the personal reflection that guides his characters’ decisions, and the reader always understands motivation.

I’ll read more by Masood!

The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms by N.K. Jemisin – I really loved the world building in this book. The first quarter was fascinating as the author establishes the universe her story will inhabit. Jemisin has, as with her later books, created another set of memorable and engaging characters. And she’s proven herself immensely talented at moving her stories forward in ways that keep the reader excited to learn what happens next.

I did listen to this in audiobook format, however, and as a result, I struggled sometimes to understand finer plot details – not enough to derail me though; the major plot points were all well delivered. Names often come at the reader fast and furious, and I found my mind would often get distracted pondering some interesting aspect of the magic or the politics in this world at the expense of me missing an important plot point or character’s action.

That’s likely more my fault than the authors – I just wasn’t paying close enough attention. Happily, the internet helped clear up any confusion and I’m excited to start the second novel in this trilogy.

Home Work by Julie Andrews – I wanted to like this one better than I did, but in the end it was just okay. The chapters on Mary Poppins, Sound of Music and Victor/Victoria were the most interesting for me, with lots of juicy behind-the-scenes stories. But I found it got bogged down in the middle with too many diary entries, remembrances about her extended family, and…well, to be honest, what amounts to a short biography of her late husband, film director Blake Edwards.

It’s not that I regret reading it, but I guess I just wanted more industry gossip!

I will say that I was particularly impressed with how the opening pages recounted, so efficiently, her younger years. That was evidently covered in Andrews’s first autobiography. The summary was well told and I like that she doesn’t presume her readers read that first book. Also, I award extra stars for the audiobook version that features Julie’s beautiful voice.

The Drawing of the Three by Stephen King – I’m so pleased that my friend convinced me to continue on with this series.

Thanks, Chris!

After being disappointed by book one, I was hesitant to keep going, but this second installment is much more of a page-turner.

Much more typical King, at least in form if not content.

I’m keen to keep going.

God is Not Great by Cristopher Hitchens – Generally, people accept that alchemy was wrong as they have come to understand chemistry. Generally, people accept that astrology is wrong as they have come to understand astronomy. And yet, belief in a higher power still persists despite the fact that the world’s religions were invented in our species’s infancy, before we developed a fuller understanding of how the universe came to be and why it functions as it does.

Thank you to Hitchens for setting down, in a clear and easily digestible text, how odd it is that so many people still have this unshakeable faith in a demonstrably fabricated higher power. And further, for proclaiming with such eloquence the evil that has come and continues to come from organized religion.

Sadly, no one who is not already open to the notion of atheism is going to even crack the spine on this one, but for those who have already shrugged off the notion that some all-powerful bearded being is watching over us, read this. It will help clarify how religion only serves to hold us back as a species.

The Waste Lands by Stephen King – This novel is broken into two books – and I really enjoyed the first half. I found it riveting, page-turney stuff! It takes him half the novel, but I love how skillfully King navigates a sort of reversal of something that happened in the series opener to bring a great character back into the tale.

The second book is also enjoyable, just a little slow to get going. Plus, it feels somewhat like an add-on adventure that doesn’t really advance the overall plot of the series. Or maybe it’s more important than I know – I haven’t yet finished the series. It was an entertaining story – it just didn’t feel as monumental as the first half.

Whatever you say about it, the second half ends with a cliffhanger that makes me want to grab the next novel in the series and keep going!

A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson – This was a good holiday read.

It was a well paced mystery that did a good job covering off any questions and doubts I might have had that would have otherwise made the plot implausible.

Not sure I’m interested in continuing the series but as a one-off I found it very enjoyable.

A solid 3.75 stars.

The Long Dark Teatime of the Soul by Douglas Adams – I’ve read this book before.

I love Douglas Adams’s work, but I had always remembered this one as being lesser Adams. Rereading it, I was reminded of just how incredibly funny he was, and while I will always rank Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective agency among my favorite books of all time, this follow up novel deserves more credit than I had given it in the past.

It made me laugh continuously throughout, even if I find the story to be less complex than the first in the series.

Annihilation by Jeff Vandermeer – I’m not sure I understood everything here but I’m intrigued and trust that I will find more answers as I pursue the remaining two parts of this trilogy.

The plot is interesting enough, and builds suspense delivered with a healthy sense of existential dread, but more than the plot, I really enjoyed some of the concepts the narrator delves into as she tries to find meaning and reason in the events she observes.

I hope the series provides some more concrete answers to the questions I still have, but I’m keen to find out!

Salmon of Doubt by Douglas Adams – I didn’t want to rush reading this selection of Douglas Adams’s writings, but my library loan ran out, so I had to finish faster than I would’ve liked.

The people who edited this selection together, did a very good job organizing these pieces into a logical order. And while some might be more interesting than others, there are a few I could easily read over and over – especially those that go into his views on atheism.

And having access to the last, unfinished Dirk Gently novel is a joy, even if it makes me sad to know that I’ll never get another Douglas Adams book. Salmon had wonderful promise.

Dry by Neal Shusterman – While there was enough story to keep me interested here, I was put off by the one-dimensional characters and unnatural dialogue.

I did find the speed of the social decline a bit extreme for an emergency that was limited to the state level. I found it hard to believe society would disintegrate to that extent when people probably could have just gone out of state.

This also MIGHT have worked better with older adults as the leads. In my experience, teenagers don’t have the level of insight and self reflection that the main characters all demonstrate in their internal monologues. It didn’t ring true.

Roots: The Saga of an American Family by Alex Haley – What an incredible achievement of a novel. While it’s an utterly riveting, engaging story in itself, the fact that it is actually a true-to-life dramatization of the lives of the author’s real ancestors – based on years of archival research – blows me away.

The sheer thoroughness of that research is incredible, and I was happy the final chapters take some time to chronicle the process of how Haley came to uncover his family history. What I’m most jealous of, however, is Haley’s skill in turning that study not only into a straight-up account of his own family, but also into a story that would have a much wider reach.

The story reflects the histories of so many millions of American families whose ancestors were stolen from their homes into lives of slavery – even if those families can’t trace their ancestral lines back as far as Haley does.

How could I rate this any less than 5 stars?!

East coast Reunions Part 3: Prince Edward Island

Last stop (for me at least) involved a road trip to Charlottetown. We left Moncton on Friday after lunch at Deluxe Fish and Chips and were at our hotel on the Charlottetown waterfront by 3 pm.

It was a sunny afternoon, so Mom, Sis and I dropped our bags in our room and set off to find a patio on Richmond Street where we could enjoy a few cocktails on a warm summer day.

We killed a few hours there before heading to Peake’s Quay restaurant for dinner.

They have a huge upstairs patio overlooking the harbour, and a lovely selection of wine to go with dinner.

Great views, great food and great company!

We followed up dinner with dessert at Cows Ice Cream.

That’s just what you do when you’re in PEI!

FYI, their NanaiMoo Bar ice cream is to die for!

Now, I know what you’re thinking. The post title says “reunions” and yet there are no reunions on to speak of so far. Well, hold your horses!

We also spent all day Saturday in Charlottetown. Sis had a wedding to attend with her university chums – so, BAM! Reunion #1.

But for me, the more heartfelt reunion was with an old family friend: L.

Sometimes there are people in your life that you feel you’ve known forever… people with whom you just click.

L is one of those people for me.

Roughly the same age as my Mom, L has been part of our lives since Sis and I were kids. L also knew my grandmother well, and she and I bonded over food and drink after I became an adult, in the years I lived with my Nana. But it had been ages since ANY of us had seen L – we’re all too far away from PEI and L doesn’t travel like she used to either.

So I was excited when Mom was able to get hold of L and made plans for us all to visit her at her home, about 10 minutes drive from our hotel!

It was wonderful and we all just picked back up into easy conversation, as if we had just seen one another the day before. It was hard to believe that it has probably been close to two decades since we’ve actually seen one another in person! It was so lovely to see her and to reconnect.

I knew she had battled cancer and, while she got the all clear, I wasn’t sure how hale and hardy she would be. I was overjoyed to see how active and vibrant she still is – as evidenced by the great job she has done of maintaining her large property and keeping her landscaping looking on point!

I shouldn’t be surprised. She has always been a force of nature.

L hosted the three of us and fed us all a delicious lunch before we had to get back for the wedding.

Sis left Mom and I to fend for ourselves from late afternoon, and the two of us spent the day moseying around Charlottetown.

We gossiped and enjoying drinks followed by a light dinner at a series of patios.

We even found a rooftop pub patio where they were serving fresh buck-a-shuck oysters! What a lovely way to end a trip.

After one last night at the hotel, I took my leave on Sunday morning.

Mom and Sis dropped me at Charlottetown Airport to catch my flight back home.

It’s such a tiny airport they don’t even have bridges to get you to the planes. They just send you out on to the tarmac.

Sad that I couldn’t have joined Mom and Sis for their drive back to Halifax where they would spend a bit more time together before going their separate ways, but so happy that I got to share most of this trip with them.

When are we going again, guys?

Fried Clams? At Deluxe?!

Deluxe fish and chips is a maritime fast food chain that serves fish and chips, and other deep fried seafood platters.

Deluxe looks pretty much the same as it did in the ‘70s. Same run-down building with a blue roof and big yellow letters. It’s a throwback for sure. It’s certainly not gonna win any prizes for the best deep-fried fish, if that’s what you’re thinking. It’s just okay.

But my sister considers it comfort food. She’s always been a big fan of their fried clams.

As for me, I could not eat there when I was growing up because I had tested positive for a seafood allergy. So I have no fond memories as I rarely even set foot inside Deluxe as a youngster. I’m no longer allergic, though, so I’m also happy for any opportunity to eat a delicious plate of fish and chips, even if I don’t share my sister’s fondness for the place.

From what we heard, I’m not alone. MOST people do NOT share that same fondness…at least, not for their clams.

In the 24 hours we were in Moncton before we finally made it to Deluxe at noon Friday, we were eyed suspiciously about our upcoming fast-food excursion not once, but twice! In both instances, that suspicion was delivered in exactly the same way: Sis told the listener excitedly that we were going to grab fried clams at Deluxe before heading to PEI, and the listener raised their eyebrows, paused and said, “Fried clams? At Deluxe?!” – as if it were the most surprising thing in the world.

I get that Deluxe is a bit of a joke for people who can get fresh-caught seafood a few minutes drive from their front door. But for those of us who live farther inland, any excuse for fried clams is a good one!

That said, I still stuck with the fish and chips.

East coast Reunions Part 2: New Brunswick

After a free hotel breakfast at the airport, we grabbed a coffee to go and hit the road for New Brunswick. Alternating between breezy conversation and singing along to a playlist of ‘70s country songs Sis had put together as a testament to the music we were raised on, it felt like we were in Moncton in no time! We dropped Mom at her friend’s place and headed off to visit with our Dad and Stepmom.

Nothing much to report on that front. We shared a great meal together at a local brew pub and then spent a sunny Thursday afternoon conversing in the backyard gazebo over a few drinks. We would do the same again the next morning (sans drinks) before leaving for PEI around noon on Friday.

You might have noticed I didn’t report on the period between Thursday afternoon and Friday at Noon. Thursday evening involved yet another reunion – this time with Sis’s friends from high school, K and A.

Sis, K and A – reunited!

Both still live in our hometown, and K led the charge, organizing an evening out for dinner and drinks. Aside from A, we were also joined by A’s sister, S, and K’s husband, T. That’s a lot of alphabet, but you get it – we were a sextet.

That’s a good size for conversation, and dinner was a raucous affair as the high school friends got caught up. I was seated right across from T and the two of us had connected over talk of world travel and delicious beer, among other things.

A and S had to leave us after dinner, but the remaining quartet headed over to Holy Whale Brewery – which is in the building that used to house our hometown fire department. They have a great patio overlooking the Petitcodiac River where conversation continued until sundown.

At that point, the mosquitoes attacked, and we had to abandon any hope of remaining outdoors…but not before T snapped a sunset photo of Sis, K and me.

Super happy to reconnect with K and to meet T – lovely people. And of course, I’m always grateful to get to spend time with Dad and his wonderful wife.

All in all a successful 24 hours in Greater Moncton!

East coast Reunions Part 1: Nova Scotia

First photo of the trio, just after we first hopped into our Jeep.

I’ve been terrible at chronicling life events these past few years. I’m thinking that maybe I just need to be less ambitious about trying to capture every little detail when I’m writing. So for this event – a four-night whirlwind visit to Canada’s east coast – I’ve decided to lump everything into just three posts: one for each maritime province.

I try to make it to New Brunswick to see my Dad and Step mom at least once a year, but not usually in the summer. So it was strange to plan a visit in June. But then again, it wasn’t only to visit Dad this time.

No, this trip was more about connecting with my sister, who lives in Texas. Flights to Texas can be both time consuming and costly, so when Sis made plans to visit the east coast to attend a friend’s wedding, I wanted to take advantage of the opportunity to join her for a few days. Flights back east from Ottawa are fast and cheap!

Our plan was for Mom and I to fly to Halifax airport, arriving around 8 pm, at roughly the same time as Sis. We’d then stay overnight near the airport, despite the challenge of trying to find a nearby restaurant that would still be open around 9 pm. We’d then use a rental vehicle to drive to NB and PEI.

Our timing was spot on. Sis arrived in just enough time to collect the rental Jeep before Mom and I met her near the baggage carousel. We were able to head straight to our hotel before the quest would begin in earnest to find SOMEwhere to eat.

Look, I’m not gonna lie, there are very few reasonable dinner options in the area – but that said, the quest did not take as long as anticipated. In fact, we didn’t even need the car! The hotel where we were saying was located right beside a hotel that had a restaurant… and it would be open until 10! That gave us less than an hour though, so we high-tailed it over to see if we could get a meal and a drink.

We were met with bad news on both fronts. The restaurant was only doing takeout as they were trying to close their dining room – which was fine. We could all find something on the menu and were happy to take it back to our hotel room. More devastatingly, however, the timing was such that they were not permitted to serve us alcohol!

The hostess was sympathetic, thankfully, and she recognized her fellow wine lovers.

Brown bagging it: Our bottle and three glasses was not cheap, but it was money well spent.

She subtly indicated that, while she couldn’t serve us an open beer or cocktail, she COULD sell us an unopened bottle of wine. We jumped at the chance – especially since, even if there HAD been a liquor store nearby, it would have already been closed for business!

She packed a bottle of red and three wine glasses of varying sizes into a brown paper back and, winking, told us that she had bagged up our “coffees” to go. It wasn’t long before we had our food and were headed back to enjoy our meal in our own hotel’s morning breakfast space.

A great evening of catching up followed and then, belly’s full, we all tottered off to our room to get ready for bed before heading to New Brunswick.

That will be the next post, but just to be clear, I titled this post “Nova Scotia” even though I was technically only in the province for less than 24 hours. After our overnight, we promptly left NS before noon and, sadly, I would not return to the province on this trip. I would have liked to return to Halifax with Sis and Mom later in the trip. I had work to get back to, though, and eventually I would part ways with my family in Charlottetown before they headed back to Halifax on their own.

Book Bullets

Another batch of book reviews. On the plus side, while I haven’t been very good at writing posts for this blog lately, I HAVE started work once again on my travel blog, to chronicle our Winter 2023 trip to Southeast Asia.

The Outside Boy by Jeanine Cummins
What an engaging story. Cummins has a gift for gradually (but not too gradually) unveiling this story of a long-hidden family secret. That tale eventually became a real page turner as we delved into the answers and resolution. but I think what makes it so effective is how much time she takes to establish her main character’s understanding of his world.

The novel is set among a family of Irish Travelers, and that’s not a culture I generally get much exposure to. I’m sure I’m not alone. Cummins takes the time to familiarize the reader as she sets up the novel’s central mystery. She builds empathy for her characters by giving the reader both a sense of the abuse that Travelers face while also celebrating their culture.

The characters are so well written and feel real – especially Christy but also his Dad. And I also commend the authors skill at writing dialogue. I just really enjoyed this one.

Pachinko by Min Jin Lee
What this book does well is to deliver a patchwork quilt of events that help define a sense of life and culture about Koreans and Japanese – and especially about the interaction between those two cultures – over the course of the 20th century. Given the scorn the Japanese seem to hold for the immigrant Korean community, there might even be an interesting comparison to make with the United States of today and its relationship with immigrants arriving from the south.

My biggest problem with the novel, though, is that there is no overarching plot. It’s an admirable achievement to impart that cultural information, but I don’t think that needs to happen at the expense of a more refined narrative. It’s a fiction, after all, and for me, that’s where this book falls down.

I think it’s why I struggled not to set it aside. Look, you could say it follows the life of one woman – Sunja – but it doesn’t even! It flits to chapters about her immediate family, or her extended family, or the wife of her son’s friend, or her business associates. And because there are so many characters, I never felt I got to know any of them in any meaningful way. The novel never settles on a single protagonist and I felt like the book could have ended at any given moment without changing how I felt about it.

Perhaps it’s unrealistic to impose a narrative on the life events of one person, but it’s a novel, and when that doesn’t happen, I get frustrated. IMO, this is a novel for people who generally prefer for non-fiction.

Husband Material by Alexis Hall
Based on the lower GoodReads rating, I worried that I wouldn’t enjoy this one as much as I had the first in the series. Thankfully, it didn’t take me very many pages to remember that one of the things I really liked about the first novel was the wordplay and humour. That very British sense of humour is the same reason I have always generally preferred UK sitcoms over their American counterparts.

This installment had me laughing throughout, both at the dialogue and at the protagonist’s internal monologue. I credit the author of course, for writing the words, but I love that Joe Jameson has returned to perform the audiobook. He’s incredibly talented and his narration likely contributed a lot to how much I enjoyed this follow up.

I also liked that there was no real effort to split up the couple from their book-one happily ever after so that the pair could eventually and predictably find their way back together. Instead, and much more refreshingly, we revisit these characters a year into their relationship. So instead of watching them fall in love we get to watch their affection deepen and we get to see how they navigate the perils of a modern-day gay relationship.

The story structure will be familiar to those who enjoyed Four Weddings and a Funeral, but while those beats might familiar, the events are different enough that this one felt fresh to me. Is it world changing? no. But I really liked it, so, 4 stars!

Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim by David Sedaris
I’ve read quite a few of Sedaris’s books at this point and I’m never disappointed by his writing.

(Well, aside from Squirrel Seeks Chipmunk, but that was a different beast altogether).

No, mostly I would find it difficult to pick one that’s better than the others – which is a good thing I suppose. It speaks to his consistency. I think I could say I have enjoyed his later works a bit more than his earlier ones, simply because I find he delves a bit more into emotional territory in his stories, balancing the heartfelt nicely with the funny. But I will remember Dress Your Family, while two decades old, just as fondly as I do Calypso or Happy Go Lucky.

Looking forward to his next one, whatever it may be.

A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess
I had put off reading A Clockwork Orange for years because I wasn’t sure how challenging I would find it to grasp the lingo that the author had developed to tell his story.

Turns out it wasn’t that tricky to grasp – which makes sense, given how many people have read it. And the nice thing about it is that it gives the book a bit of a timeless feel because it’s not rooted in the language of the time the novel was written.

I’ve never watched the film, but maybe I found this read easier because the audiobook was read to me by Tom Hollander, and he delivered the book’s slang with such ease that I never found it confusing.

I understand why this novel has carved out it’s place in the literary canon. It offers lots of food for thought about the balance between personal freedoms versus a person’s responsibility to society, delivered in a well paced 21 chapters. The last two chapters do wrap things up pretty quickly (and conveniently), but not so much that I found it detracted from the book as a whole.

Crow Lake by Mary Lawson
I’m grateful to several people for turning me on to Lawson’s novels. They’re all so beautifully written, with well-rounded characters and imaginative plots that never lead me where I think they’re heading.

Crow Lake, her first novel, is no exception. It’s not my favourite of her works – that title rests with A Town Called Solace – but it’s an excellent read that offers a well-paced story, entertaining dialogue, and realistic depictions of family relationships. As always, that’s coupled with evocative descriptions of a part of my country that I rarely get to visit.

I only wish Lawson were more prolific, but there’s now only one of her novels I haven’t been able to find on audiobook in my library. I might have to splurge and buy a copy.

An Absolutely Remarkable Thing by Hank Green
I can’t remember who suggested this one to me but I’m glad they did. It was difficult to set it down. The pacing was pitch perfect, with plenty of hints about the overall mystery doled out in a way that made me want to know what happened next.

I also love that it deals with the issue of polarization in social media, and that it delves into ideas around communications and branding that I’m familiar with because of my work.

I won’t rate it 5-stars because I found the ending a bit vague – not unsatisfying, just not crystal clear.

Thankfully there is a sequel and I’m hopeful that will provide some clarity.

Monstrilio by Gerardo Sàmano Còrdova
When I first read the description, I worried this might be simple a rehash of Stephen King’s Pet Sematery – but that’s not what it is at all. It’s much more of an exploration of a family that was born from grief. It’s rich and rewarding and, while it’s listed as a horror novel, it feels more like dark magical realism than full-on horror. It deserves its 4+ star rating.

Given the book’s queer themes, I can’t shake the notion that this could be read as a fable about coming out – about the ways our families react to that news and how those reactions impact and shape the young queer person as they mature.

I’m not saying that was definitely the author’s intention but there’s plenty here to support such a reading – that coming out can be seen sort of as the death of a child and a rebirth into something else unfamiliar.

Book Bullets – Harry Potter Edition

Okay, one more post about books then I’ll take a break. I just finished re-reading the Harry Potter series and thought I’d group all my short reviews in one post.

Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone
This is a re-read for me. I felt like starting again from scratch in the audiobook format to remind me why it was I liked the series so well the first time.

Knowing how the series ends, I’m really impressed by the foundations that Rowling establishes in this first novel. While it’s a short read and somewhat surface (it’s aimed at younger readers), all the elements are there for the rich, magical world to be revealed in the forthcoming books.

There’s nothing particularly extraneous here – it’s all relevant and it all comes back and gets dealt with.

Excited for my library hold on book two to come in!

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
This had been the installment I was least looking forward to re-reading. My recollection was that this novel always felt a little under cooked and more like a rehash of the first in the series.

I no longer feel that way!

This one definitely moves the overarching story along, it’s just that I didn’t know what that story was when I read it the first time. I think it’s quite skillful in the way it pulls Voldemort back into the narrative while also quietly setting up the foundations for attempts to defeat him as the main villain of the series.

It also starts Harry on the path to looking more introspectively at his character and how he was changed by the attack that gave him his scar. More broadly, it also continues to build the magical world, introducing elves and also setting up the conflict between the magical and non-magical worlds.

This one does a lot of heavy lifting while still delivering an entertaining adventure.

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
For me, this is where the series really starts to take off, becoming much more than a light children’s adventure about magic users at a school.

Rowling is aiming for a somewhat older audience than with the first two novels, and reflecting that, the adults in the novel finally start to treat Harry as more than just a kid. We get real emotional character development around Harry’s feelings over the loss of his parents, and the descriptions of the dementors and of Azkaban also start to show a darker tone to the universe.

Clearly the wizarding world has more nefarious things going on than the chocolate frogs and games of quidditch of the first two books would lead one to believe.

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
The first time I read the HP series, this was my favourite novel of the bunch. I was always incredibly impressed with the tonal shift that Rowling accomplished at the end of the tournament, and the sense of urgency it left we with to continue right into next book.

On this series re-read, I was concerned that knowing how the series turns out might diminish my enjoyment of book four. It did not!

In fact knowing what’s still to come made me enjoy this one even more because I could identify more of the hints around Voldemort’s secrets and appreciate the elements of world building she included to set up the next few novels.

I also love how much more richly detailed the series becomes starting with this novel. I know the book is longer by far than those that came before, but it doesn’t drag. It just allows Rowling even more space to write about her fascinatingly well imagined world and the grand plot yet to be revealed.

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
This book felt longer than I remembered – there’s just so much prologue before the school-based adventure even kicks off!

Not that I’m complaining. As with the others, the storytelling is engaging throughout, and there are plenty of bits that prove just how well developed this tale was from the very first book. I love seeing those hints, even though they’re only things that one would pick up on a second reading.

I just didn’t anticipate that reading would take as long as it did – more than a month! (In fairness, it’s been a busy month.)

Is it my favourite of the series? No, but the Umbridge character is infinitely memorable and there is some real focus on driving forward the overarching story and on developing the characters we’ve come to know and love. It’s nice to witness these kids maturing into adulthood and to watch Harry struggle with a loss.

I did find the climactic excursion to the Ministry of Magic left me a bit wanting. I don’t like how vague it is on detail about some of the secrets in the department of mysteries, even though I’m sure it was intentional to mirror the confusion of Harry and his friends. But that bit is over quickly enough and after that, in the winding down, you get a lot of secret-telling from Dumbledore.

It’s a big payoff to receive that glut of exposition after committing to five books! The stage is now set for the last two books and I’m keen to continue.

Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince
I always recalled this as one of my favourites in the series and that assessment held up on this re-read.

I think what I like about it is how efficient it is at delivering its story.

The previous two books, while enjoyable, felt a little bloated if I’m being honest – especially Order of the Phoenix – but I think Rowling had a really good editor for this one. It feels very economical in its storytelling, even if it’s still a sprawling narrative.

And the emotional kick towards the end of this one also elevates it, for me, above many of the other books. I’m excited to dive into the final volume of this series.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
I am so impressed by how many threads Rowling brings together with this novel to draw this seven-part series to such a satisfying conclusion.

That’s an incredible feat of writing.

Little things that seemed like throwaway bits from earlier novels get pulled right back into the mix and everything makes so much more sense upon finishing this series.

I’m so happy I re-read this one because the novels have so much more to them than the film adaptations – which are also great but not nearly as fulfilling.

Book Bullets

My blog has basically just become a dumping ground for my little book reviews. I need to do a better job of posting on non-book-related events in my life, but I do like to keep these for the record.

Legends and Lattes by Travis Baldree
This is a clever take on well worn fantasy genre tropes, featuring an adventuring orc who sets aside her sword to open a coffee shop. It’s a cute premise, as coffee is not a well known commodity in their world but one the reader knows intimately. And in the end, I really enjoyed hearing about the personal relationships the orc develops along the way as she navigates her path towards operating a successful cafe.

I had some mixed feelings in the first half as it seemed to be more a series of lessons on how to open and run a successful small business – told in story form of course – but ultimately it became clear that what was important were the friendships that were being developed. The novel is short, so even in places where I found the story to be less interesting, the pacing meant the author could not dwell and that we would soon move on to more entertaining bits. Ultimately, the author invests a great deal in developing a large cast of supporting character – and that pays off, leading to a very touching conclusion about the importance of friendships and the power of self confidence.

A nice, cozy read of a book. 3.5 stars.

The Two Michaels by Mike Blanchfield and Fen Osler Hampson
I don’t often read non-fiction, preferring instead the narrative arc of fiction. This book, however, does a really wonderful job of employing simple storytelling techniques – engaging quotes, anecdotes about political gaffes, and first hand accounts from many of the players involved – to deliver a compelling narrative about two innocent Canadians who were imprisoned by China for nearly three years as pawns in a larger cold war over technology and cyber security.

I now have a much greater understanding about WHY this entire nightmarish situation played out the way it did – not that knowing makes it any easier to forgive China, let alone Canada or the US for their roles in the affair. None of the political players in the saga come out completely untarnished.

The authors break down the facets of the case with each well-researched chapter diving into a different aspect – some directly related to the prisoners’ situations, some tangentially so, like an exploration about why Huawei’s efforts to develop 5G WiFi were so relevant, and still others only obliquely related, like the overview of several decades of Canada-China relations. Taken together, these pieces deliver, in a very conversational way, a well-defined story about what exactly led to the incident and how it was eventually resolved.

I don’t promise that reading this will spur me to read more non-fiction in the future, but it certainly won’t dissuade me either. This is a solid four stars, maybe even 4.5.

Recursion by Blake Crouch
Crouch put a lot of thought into this cautionary tale about just how badly things can go when a powerful new technology is developed.

There’s a lot of complexity to unpack here, modeling various potential outcomes inherent with the tech in question. For the most part, the author delivers clearly articulated explanations about why certain things can happen and why others are impossible. And while there are some passages where he gets a bit too in the weeds with technobabble, mostly I found the pacing to be quite breezy.

He’s balanced the need to maintain some mystery while giving you enough answers to keep turning pages. If I recall correctly, I felt the same about his novel Dark Matter.

Crouch’s work might not be the height of speculative fiction but it’s both thoughtful and entertaining – and that’s a combination that will keep me coming back for more.

De Niro’s Game by Rawe Hage
I get why people might enjoy this, but I found it really hard to connect with – probably in part because I read this on a travel holiday and didn’t give it the appropriate amount of attention.

There were moments that were riveting but those were followed by long passages where I couldn’t even keep the characters straight. More importantly, I didn’t LIKE any of the main characters, finding them all too self interested.

The language was also too poetic for my taste – in a way that got in the way of authentic-sounding dialogue. People don’t talk that way, and that, to my ear, makes the writing sound more pretentious than pretty.

I feel like, under different circumstances I might have enjoyed this more. I won’t rate it as I didn’t finish it, but at 50% of the way through, I could go as high as 3 stars because I would not want to discourage anyone from giving this a try.

Café con Lychee by Emery Lee
It’s just a gay romance novel but CcL was a nice little diversion of a holiday read.

I’ll admit that one of the main characters was a bit of a dick in the first half and I was worried he would be unlikeable throughout, but ultimately you’re provided a good rationale for his bring an arse. In fact, the author does a great job of slowly but believably developing his characters, making clear connections for how the two enemies gradually come together.

And yes, it all wraps up way too conveniently with a lovely fairy tale ending but isn’t that what romance novels are for?

The Inheritance Games by Jennifer Lynn Barnes
I can’t say I’m a huge fan of this book. It was entertaining enough that I finished it, and it was a fun concept about a rich old man that sets out a big puzzle for his heirs (and one stranger) to solve. But in the end I had to suspend disbelief waaay too much.

There are just too many variables in how the people involved might react that I don’t think the puzzle would ever be solved without serious help from the author steering their hands. No one can manipulate people to such a degree from beyond the grave.

I was entertained at times but not enough overall to score this higher than 2 – especially since I didn’t particularly like the way this author writes dialogue either! If you can suspend disbelief, it’s an okay light holiday read, but not quite my thing. Maybe good for a young teen. I won’t be reading the follow up novel.

Caliban’s War by James S.A. Corey
Having watched the Expanse, I more or less knew what to expect from this second novel in the series – which did not make me enjoy it any less. I feel that, as always, with novels you get a lot more explanation about what’s going on than you get with a TV show. And while sometimes TV might allow for more tension as the story unfolds, ultimately, I do want to have an understanding of WHY characters do what they do.

The authors here are very good at delivering rationale by working it into conversation – always preferable to an exposition dump.

Nicer still was the chance to finally see Christen Avasarala and Bobbie Draper make their appearances. Having such great female leads adds enormously to how much more rounded this novel feels in comparison to the first in the series, which pretty much tells its tale from the POV of two straight white dudes.

Rules of Civility by Amor Towles
Ultimately I found this an uneven novel.

There were multiple plot threads – some that I wanted more of and others I would have cut altogether. There were sections that were positively page-turney and others that left me feeling bogged down in precious descriptions of a setting or, worse, philosophizing on topics that felt tangential to the plot.

At times, I found the over-intricate language off-putting, then I’d read another chapter that left me in awe of the writer’s skill. I can’t score it in the 4+ range that the general consensus seems to give it, but it held my interest enough that I can give it three stars.

I trust the author has honed his craft and I’m hopeful that, in his follow-up novels, he has worked out the issues I had with his writing style. I’m certainly willing to give him another try.

Finlay Donovan is Killing it by Elle Cosimano
I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys the Netflix series, Dead to Me.

It has a similar darkly comedic take on a murder involving a case of mistaken identity, and the back and forth between the main character and her babysitter/friend has a similar vibe to the two leads of that show. Very much enjoyed this one.

I found the audiobook narrator particularly skilled as well – I’ll need to find more of her work. She had me laughing out loud throughout.

Happy to know there are other books in this series.

Gods of Risk by James S.A. Corey
Between each major novel of the expanse, the authors have also written novellas with stories that are adjacent to the main characters in the series. I wasn’t sure I wanted to read them, but they’re short and they do help to deepen a reader’s understanding of the universe of the Expanse.

It’s already such a rich world they’ve built, but it’s nice to learn about other aspects of it that don’t get fleshed out in the novels. And by keeping the content related to the main action of the novels means I’m already engaged and knowledgeable about what’s happening elsewhere in this timeline.

Gods of Risk takes place on Mars and involves the family of one of my favourite series regulars, Bobbie Draper. So I was on board from the jump.

Look, it’s really just a short story (or maybe a long story) and not particularly high stakes, but it was a nice afternoon read. Also, it’s clear that the TV show writers did draw on elements from the novellas (at least in this case) to help round out the story they were telling, so it holds interest in that way too. I’ll definitely keep reading these between the primary installments.

A Town Called Solace by Mary Lawson
This is an outstanding little Canadian novel.

While the story deals with the particular, interconnected circumstances of just three main characters, Lawson uses those stories to effectively explore ideas about parenting and the importance of love and trust between parents and children. She also touches on what it means to be connected to a place – and how important making social connections is to our sense of contentment.

I particularly enjoyed the chapters told from the POV of an elderly widow in hospital talking to the memory of her husband. I could read those passages over and over – they’re so engaging and it feels like the author truly understood that character’s voice.

I also feel like there’s a good opportunity to turn this novel into a play, if that hasn’t already been done!

A Restless Truth by Freya Marske
I’m torn on whether I will finish this series. I loved the first novel, and felt the author did a great job of building a world that was both familiar and magical, built within the time-period constraints of Edwardian England. But the second in the series, while pleasant enough, didn’t feel like it was breaking any new ground.

That might have been due in part to the fact the entire novel was set aboard an ocean liner, which made it feel a bit like a stuffy Agatha Christie whodunnit, just with magic. The setting made it feel much smaller than the first novel, just when I wanted more world building.

Given everything was talking place in a limited space, the setting also made the plot feel a bit more drawn out… like the protagonists should have been able to get their answers much more quickly.

Anyway, the next book is likely a couple of years away so I’ll decide later, but right now I’m feeling kind of finished with this series.

If the Shoe Fits by Julie Murphy
As I’ve become more familiar with romance novels, I’ve started to see the patterns to their (generally) fairly formulaic plots. While they remain entertaining for their dialogue and situation-specific humour, plot-wise, I can usually predict well in advance where these plots are heading. Given that this one is based on the story of Cinderella, I assumed my predictions would be even more accurate!

I was wrong.

The plot did not go entirely as anticipated, and that down to the approach the author took of spending time reveling in the joy and positivity of a new relationship instead of throwing up roadblocks at every opportunity. Maybe that means less conflict, but it was kind of a refreshing take on a romance.

Don’t get me wrong – there is still conflict, it’s just that it doesn’t necessarily exist where I anticipated it would. In part, that’s all down to the fact the author didn’t limit herself by sticking too strictly to the Cinderella story. The step mother and step sisters were not evil, for instance, and Cindy’s not a servant but an aspiring shoe designer. The author simply borrows elements of the fairy tale to create a story that’s familiar but that has the freedom to be its own thing.

In the end, it might still be just a romance novel, but it’s a good one.

The Road by Cormac McCarthy
I started an abridged audiobook recording of this novel and got about a quarter of the way in before realizing it was abridged. I don’t generally read abridged books, but in this case, it probably saved me from giving up and shelving this one.

I would not have enjoyed this book if it had been any longer – and as it is, it’s a challenge for me to rate it much higher than a 2 (it was okay). It’s just too damn depressing to watch this father and child meander through a post-environmental-catastrophe world just trying to survive cold, hunger and danger from others. All I could think was, if this was me, I’d put the gun to my head and call it a day. And yet, while that never seemed to be much of an option for the protagonists, the author never really delved into a good reason why anyone would persist in such a world.

I don’t want to diminish the beauty of the prose – McCarthy’s writing is, as always, poetic and evocative – but for me, it was too much atmosphere and not enough exploration of the will to survive.

I don’t want to put anyone off reading it – I’m sure there’s a wide audience that would be riveted – but I need more plot than a slow meander across country with dismal descriptions of how awful humanity can be. It’s just not my thing.

Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan
I feel like I would have appreciated this more if it had been longer.

Not that there’s anything missing that would have added any clarity, I just feel like I would have liked to spend more time with these characters and learning more about the town and how its residents behave in relation to the church and to the women working in the laundry.

That said, a short novella brings its own form of satisfaction, and the author does a lovely job of revealing enough of the protagonist’s back story to help the reader understand the rationale for his making the decision that draws this story to a close.  

Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt
It brings me so much joy when I find a book like this that just seems to resonate with me. Five stars!

It has only a small cast of characters, but each of them is incredibly well written and I felt an immediate connection to them all – even Cam who is often unlikable.

I enjoyed that Remarkably Bright Creatures does have a dramatic arc, and while the author moves that forward at a good pace, she also doesn’t shy away from wrestling with bigger ideas about aging and death, and about connections with family and friends. It’s just such a well balanced novel, and one that’s told with great humour to boot.

I’m not saying you don’t need to suspend belief a little around a few coincidences that let the plot resolve, but I was happy to do so for the immense satisfaction that ending delivered!