July

This month, I read 5 ebooks, 1 e-audiobook, and 2 physical books from the Toronto Public Library, plus 1 digital book from Mangadex, for a total of 9 books.

Dishonourable Mentions

The Woman with No Name by Audrey Blake

Synopsis: Yvonne is desparate to help with the British war effort in World War II, but as a woman in her forties, she’s constantly being overlooked and underestimated. When she is finally recruited to help, it’s to become a British spy in France. But will she have what it takes?

My thoughts: I unfortunately found this book to just be boring. I think that starting out with Yvonne’s spy work and then flashing back to her spy training was definitely the wrong way to do it. We already know that she passed spy school, which appeared to be the main conflict of that storyline. Overall the book just didn’t grab me.

You may like this book if: You have a think for WWII and also for MILFs

Honourable Mentions

Small Favor (Dresden Files #10) by Jim Butcher

I already read this in July 2023, so I'm not counting it as a book. See my thoughts on it below.

And now for the Real Reviews

Educated by Tara Westover

Synopsis: Tara Westover had an unusual childhood, to say the least. She grew up off the grid in the rural mountains of Idaho, in a family that belonged to an extremist morman sect. Instead of going to school, she learned how to sort scrap metal in her father’s junk yard, or harvest medicinal herbs with her mother. Tara reflects on her childhood, and the experiences of going to university, being cut off from her family, and eventually earning a PhD.

My thoughts: I’ve been a bit reluctant to read this book because I’ve heard a lot of hype about it over the years, and worried that it might be overhyped. Reader, it is not. Recently, I was discussing memoirs with a friend. We agreed that a lot of celebrity memoirs are not it, because the majority of them seem to be made becuause the author is a celebrity, not becuase the have anything interesting to say. Memoirs by regular people tend to be a lot better, because generally they have had some sort of interesting life experience that warrants a memoir, besides just being famous. Educated definitely falls into the later category. It was so well written that I had a hard time believing that it was in fact a true story. The fact that Tara went from a girl who never attended school and barely got her GED to someone with a PhD was almost unbelievable (not saying that I don’t believe her, but that that I’m even more shocked that she was able to pull it off). I also thought the arc of Tara’s mom was really facinating and tragic, how she at first was in opposition to Tara’s dad and his abuse (and seemed relatively normal), but then how she got deeper and deeper into homeopathic remedies (making her seem less sane), and then how she literally girlbossed a homeopathy empire for herself and the whole family (becoming the largest employer in the area). I’m really glad that Tara was able to grow up (more or less) whole, and reflect on the insane and abusive experiences that she survived.

Rating: 5/5 nickels that you’d have for every time that you left the Sun Belt at night in order to drive back to Idaho during a storm, in a car that was speeding severly over the limit and had no seat belts, ultimately resulting in a serious car crash

White Night (Dresden Files #9) by Jim Butcher

Synopsis: A serial killer in a grey cloak is killing women in Chicago, and it’s Harry Dresden’s worst nightmare (partially because he is too chivalrous to allow anything bad happening to women without doing anything about it, and partially because HE wears a grey cloak and lives in Chicago, so it directly implicates him). And it's especially bad because these women are all magic practitioners; not powerful enough to be wizards, but definitely powerful enough to be targets. Fortunately, it’s not too difficult to prove that he’s innocent. Unfortunately, it seems to implicate his half-brother Thomas, notable vampire in the White Court. Will Harry be able to save the women, vindicate his brother, and win back the trust of his ex-girlfriend and rival PI Elaine?

My thoughts: It’s been a bit of a slog, but it’s kind of vindicating to have read so many Dresden Files books that I understand the way the series works. For example, one year ago I was reading Grave Peril (see my July 2023 roundup), and was annoyed that the author kept referencing an incident before the start of the book. If it was so important, why didn’t it deserve its own novel? Turns out that Gravel Peril actually was that novel. Now, when reading about the New Mexico incident that was continually referenced in this book, I just patiently waited for all to be revealed (and it was). This book also marked the end of Lasciel’s arc (Lasciel is a fallen angel and a member of the Order of the Blackened Denarius. Since Death Masks (see my October 2023 roundup), She’s been trying to tempt Harry to accept enormous power in exchange for becoming evil, but Harry has stubbornly resisted her advances for three years. It was really cool to see how Lasciel changed over several books, and their final interactions were a great capstone to end off the arc.

Rating: 4/5 french hair salons that are addictively good

Small Favor (Dresden Files #10) by Jim Butcher

This was the first Dresden Files novel that I ever read (see my June 2023 roundup), and it represents a big “full circle” moment for me. It means that I’ve now completed the first 10 novels (17 are currently published, and I believe that 22-25 are expected in total). I kind of feel like I’ve graduated from unconscious incompetence (I don’t know what I don’t know) into conscious incompetence (where I now know how much I don’t know). The first time I read this book I lacked a lot of context and had so many questions, but now that I have all of the context, my questions are more about the future implications for the rest of the series. I do plan on reading as many Dresden files as possible, although we’ll have to see if Jim Butcher ever finishes it. It’s also funny to think that this series has been released across my whole life (the first was released when I was only a year old, and more books are expected in the future), and that hopefully it will continue to be released as I get even older.

Turn Coat (Dresden Files #11) by Jim Butcher

Synopsis: Donald Morgan, a member of the White Council of Wizards, has hated Harry Dresden for close to a decade. So it’s a huge surprise when he shows up at Harry’s door, gravely injured and wanted for the murder of a member of the wizard Senior Council. The evidence against Morgan is pretty strong; he was found holding a knife over the body, and had recieved some mysterious payments. On the other hand, he’s the most staunchly lawful person Harry has ever met (part of the reason why Morgan despises Harry’s unorthodox ways). And Harry kind of believes him. So now, he has to harbour a wanted criminal on the verge of death, solve the crime he’s being accused of, and also fight off a naagloshi. What’s a naagloshi, you ask? Only an extremely powerful Diné creature that literally eats magic and is the most terrifying thing that Harry has ever witnessed with his wizard’s Sight. Plus, this investigation will require him to get tangled up with the White Court of Vampires again. What could possibly go wrong?

My thoughts: The best thing about slogging through 11 Dresden File novels is seeing how the overarching pieces are starting to work. This book definitely advanced that overall plot forward, and even if I don’t quite get everything, I’m excited to read more about the new Grey Council, and Deamonreach island. I also liked how the relationship between Harry and Luccio was set up in the previous book, and became a really major plot point in this book. I will definitely soldier on with the series.

Rating: 4/5 Private Investigator tasks that you subcontracted out to a different private investigator (which may or may not have been further subcontracted out to even more private investigators).

Champions of the Fox (Thieves of Shadow #3) by Kevin Sands

Synopsis: After their adventures in Children of the Fox and Seekers of the Fox, the gang is back for their ultimate adventure with this third book. Our crew consists of: Cal, the defacto leader who grew up as a gaffer running cons with his mentor, the Old Man; Meriel, a girl from the neighbouring kingdom of Torgal, who has at least 8 knives hidden in her dress at all times; Lachlan, a street urchin that has many contacts within the Breakers (the collective name for members of the criminal underworld); Gareth, very shy but incredibly smart and knowledgeable; and Foxtail, a mysterious girl who is an expert at acrobatics but wears a steel plate covering her whole face and does not speak. Together, they’ve travelled across the Empire of Areyth, stealing the Dragon’s Eye (an amber monocle that has attached itself to Cal’s face, granting him epic powers of perception but often demanding much from him), and the Dragon’s Teeth (a pair of swords with the power to transfer life energy between them). Cal is tired of doing the Eye’s bidding, and worried that he’s getting himself and his friends into trouble. But now, the Eye has commanded Cal to find the Hollow Man (who is currently being kept in the most secure prison in the Empire). Breaking the Hollow Man out of prison will require their biggest gaff yet. But what will the costs really be?

My thoughts: This series of books is absolutely kid kino, bordering on real kino. I (readers will know that I am a grown woman) have thoroughly enjoyed the entire series without reservation. (I read books 1 and 2 in the Fall of 2022, prior to starting my Reading Roundups) It’s full of excellent heists (readers will know that I love a heist) with a really engaging and dynamic cast of characters. Callan in particular made for an excellent narrator and overall group leader. The mythology and lore of Areyth was very interesting and connected to the plot without being overly complicated or detracting from the story. I generally like books that have a Dickensian/England in the 1800s asthetic with a little bit of magic thrown in, and this series definitely delivered. If you’re trying to get back into reading, I definitely recommend this series!

Rating: 5/5 enchanted rings that make the wearer look like they have the weeping sickness

The Parliament by Aimee Pokwatka

Synopsis: Maddie isn’t happy to be back at her hometown. She has a lot of bad memories, and is really only there as a favour to her friend Farrah, a librarian. All she has to do is teach a bath-bomb making workshop to a group of teenagers, and then she can go home. But the small town West Virginia library is surrounded by owls. At first it’s just odd, but it quickly becomes dangerous. The owls begin to attack the windows, and devour anyone who dares to step outside. Trapped in the library, with dwindling hope of rescue, and few supplies (except for a copy of Maddie’s favourite childhood book, the Silent Queen), will Maddie and the others have what it takes to make it out alive?

The Silent Queen synopsis: Every year the 8-year-old girls of the Kingdom get their Enrichment, a power that will help them and their communities. Surely a finger, or a hand, or a leg is a small sacrifice to keep the Monster satiated and the community safe. Alala knows this. Even she, the Silent Queen, had to undergo an Enrichment, although she has never told anyone what power she recieved. But the Monster is growing hungrier. When Desperia, a princess of a rival kingdom, kidnaps Alala out of desperation that she could fix everything, Will Alala have what it takes to defeat the Monster and save the next generation of girls?

My thoughts: This book had an element of meta-fiction in it, where each chapter alternated between the universe of Maddie stuck in the library, and the universe of The Silent Queen (which Maddie was reading to the kids). I personally think it was overkill to swap each chapter. I was way more interested in the library universe, and I found The Silent Queen storyline overall to have been kind of boring. Every 2nd or 3rd chapter probably would have been fine. I also didn’t really like the ending. I understand that the point was “the only thing to fear is fear itself” but in The Silent Queen, I didn’t really feel satisfied when Alala was just able to use her voice for the first time, because it didn’t really feel like she had earned it. Yes, her journey was challenging, but did she really experience enough personal growth to “deserve” getting her voice back (in the context of the structure of the story)? I was way more interested in the library storyline. I thought that the fear of the incompetent small town government was kind of unusual and really hit the spot (ie, that Maddie could not rely on police or emergency services to rescue them) and ramped up the tension. Things kind of went off the rails a bit towards the last third of the story, but overall it was not bad.

Rating: 2/5 antique chairs that have historical value and should be preserved at all costs

A Novel Love Story by Ashley Poston

Synopsis: The year that no one in the book club can attend their annual cottage trip is of course the year that Elsy needs it the most. She’s still trying to get over her broken heart, and is struggling to cope with the endless grind of her job as an English professor. So when each member of their romance book club cancels, one after the other, Elsy refuses to quit. Even if it means having to spend a week in their usual cabin totally alone, it’s still worth it. After the rough year she’s had, the one thing she needs the most is her favourite romance series: the Quixotic Falls series by Rachel Flowers. Set in the picturesque small town of Eloraton, each of the four books captures the love story of a different couple. But the series was never finished, after Rachel Flower’s tragic death, and Elsy is so disappointed that she’ll never learn how it ends. But on the way to the book club cabin, Elsy’s car breaks down, and she’s forced to pull over in a small New England town that feels oddly familiar. She had stumbled into Eloraton. Could she really be inside her favourite romance novels? Everything is exactly the same as described, except for a mysterious grouchy bookstore owner. Can Elsy help conclude the Quixotic Falls series? Will she ever get her own happily ever after?

My thoughts: This book definitely wasn’t bad, but after absolutely devouring Ashley Poston’s other books, it just wasn’t as good (which was a devastating blow for me). I didn’t really like how the book-come-to-life plot was executed. It wasn’t like Elsy was trapped in a groundhog day-style time loop (although the author didn’t make it that clear); she could have left at any time as soon as her car was repaired. I think the stakes could have been higher, especially because Elsy was about to mess with the cannon without repurcussions (despite her own worries about it). I also think “Quixotic Falls” is a pretentious name for a book series. The stakes being low also meant that this book didn’t stand out to me among the other small town romances I’ve read (particularly When in Rome and Practice Makes Perfect, reviewed in my January 2024 and November 2023 roundups, respectively).

Rating: 3/5 bags of honey taffy (even though you don't like sweet things)

This Summer Will Be Different by Carely Fortune

Synopsis: Lucy and Bridget have been best friends for years, and Lucy is so glad that she’s been folded into Bridget’s family in PEI so easily. The first summer they went back, Bridget missed her flight, so Lucy had some time to kill. She hooked up with a handsome stranger, only to realize the next morning that he was actually Bridget’s brother Felix. This is a huge problem, because Bridget’s last best friend dated Felix and broke his heart so that she could “find herself”. So Lucy has careful instructions: don’t fall in love with Felix. Except that every year when she goes back to PEI, they always end up hooking up. But this summer is too important to mess up. Bridget is getting married, and Lucy (a florist) is doing the flowers for the wedding. And when Bridget unexpectedly flees back to PEI just days before her wedding, it’s up to Lucy to follow her, figure out just what the heck is going on, and make sure to NOT hook up with Felix.

My thoughts: This was a very steamy romance (so much so that I struggled to listen to it in public), but it was also very sweet and heartwarming. Overall I did like it, especially because a lot of the action revolved around Lucy and her best friend, instead of Lucy and her boyfriend. (A similar technique is used in my favourite Emily Henry novel Book Lovers, reviewed in my March 2023 roundup). The major issue that I had was in the climax of the book. Lucy and Felix are about to make their relationship official, but she accuses him of only seeing her as a hookup; in order to prove that he really loves her, Felix declares his love for her, and they proceed to hook up. Personally, I think that is completely missing the point. I would much rather have seen Felix prove his love in a non-physical way, like by making a big sacrifice or doing some kind of act of service for her. I never doubted that he loved her, but it’s about the principle of the matter. But other than that, Carely Fortune has produced another winning romance novel, and I’m excited for whatever she publishes next.

Rating: 4/5 Cow's Creamery cows named Wowee that live in the Charlottetown airport

Fifty-Four Pigs by Phillip Schott

Synopsis: Peter Bannerman is a veterinarian in New Selfoss, Manitoba (just north of Gimli). Despite growing up in town, he’s always been a bit of an outsider, preferring logic and objective thoughts over emotions and irrationality. He and his wife Laura and their dog Pippin live a quiet life together. Although Peter has started to gain a reputation as someone with a knack for solving small crimes, largely thanks to Pippin’s superior sense of smell (one of the best in Canada). Early one morning, Peter witnesses a large explosion in Tom Pearson’s barn. The structure is level, but thankfully the only victims are 54 pigs. That is, until RCMP officer (and Laura’s brother) Kevin discovers the remains of one human in the rubble. Who blew up Tom’s barn? Peter decides that perhaps he and Pippin should do a bit of unofficial investigating, just in case the RCMP miss something. But what is Peter really getting himself into?

My thoughts: I did have high hopes for this book based on my previous love of the Rockton and Haven’s Rock series (see my April and May 2024 roundups), because of the similar rural Canadian setting. Plus, this book was touted as a Canadian version of the Thursday Murder Club series (see my July, August, and October 2023 roundups), and I thought it might have a similar dry wit. However, I was pretty disappointed. The setting of rural small town Manitoba was interesting, but it wasn’t really enough to carry the rest of the story. Instead of witty and charming, Peter Bannerman came off as manipulative, because he kept lying to his wife that he wasn’t investigating the crime even after the RCMP told him to stop. (Readers will know two of my major pet peeves: people that don’t respect their wives, and people that try to solve crimes even after the police have told them to stop.) Even when he wasn’t annoying me, Peter was not an exceptionally interesting protagonist. I was disappointed that Pippin didn’t have a larger presence of character throughout the overall book. I also thought that the lightbulb moment kind of missed the mark, because the connection that Peter made was both too direct and too obscure. A great lightbulb moment that solves the crime should ideally be something that the audience can put together at the same time. In this case, the eureka was a very obvious connection to a very obscure thing: Peter was discussing polar bear gall bladders with someone else when he realized that the killers had probably been smuggling polar bear gall bladders. In this instance, the leap of logic was very easy to make but the fact it was based on was obscure (how am I supposed to know that polar bear gall bladders are extremely valuable on the black market??) In my opinion, this moment would have been more satisfying if the fact that it was based on was more accessible to the audience, but the leap of logic was more complex, because then it’s up to the reader to use their own critical thinking skills to solve the case, instead of relying on trivia. I have to admit, this normally wouldn’t really bother me. Readers will know that generally for mystery novels I am just happy to be along for the ride, and don’t necessarily try to solve it myself before the detectives. I just found this specific mystery solve to be unsatisfying. When added to all of the other notes I have about this book, I will likely not finish the series (which I have to admit surprised even myself).

Rating: 2/5 subnationalists who believe that the division of the Prairies into three separate provinces was arbitrary and inefficient

Dungeon Meshi by Ryoko Kui

Synopsis: After his sister Faylin is eaten by a dragon, Laios must rally the remaining members of his adventuring party to go back into the dungeon with only meager supplies. They’ll have just enough money to make it through, but his plan requires doing the unthinkable: eating monsters!

My thoughts: Even though this manga was published in 14 volumes, I’m only going to count it as 1 book (to do otherwise would feel like artificially inflating my stats for the year). It’s actually the first manga I’ve ever read, and I liked this manga a lot more than I was expecting to. My favourite parts were the monster-of-the-week format at the beginning. As the plot and lore became more complicated in the middle, it wasn’t really to my taste. But I really liked how the ending revolved a lot around the themes of eating and desire. I definitely related to Marcille the most, even her flaws! which I think is a sign of a good character. Plus she’s a blonde, Italian magic user, and readers will know that’s literally me. I was also disappointed that chilchuk and itzizumi didn’t really get much character development (yes, they both were given official backstories, but it didn’t feel like they go to do much in the present timeline of the story, which was definitely a shame). In the translation that I read, I really enjoyed the glossaries at the end, which helped English readers understand more of the Japanese cultural context as well as references to previous chapters.

Rating: 3/5 servings of spirit-cooled holy water sorbet

i am, your most faithful blogger, elisa

June

This month I read 5 ebooks and 2 physical books from the Toronto Public Library, plus 1 audiobook podcast, totalling to 8 books.

The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires by Grady Hendrix

Synopsis: James Harris is charming and new to Mount Pleasant, South Carolina. He’s here to take care of his aunt, Mrs. Ann Savage. When he meets Patricia Campbell (a long suffering housewife with an absent husband, rebellious children, and a mother-in-law (Ms. Mary) with dementia), she invites him into her home willingly. Big mistake. James Harris may look charming, but strange things are happening all around Mount Pleasant. Children in the local Black neighborhood are going missing, claiming that a strange white man is meeting them in the forest. Ann Savage viciously attacks Patricia and bites off her ear. And a floor of rats invades the Campbell home, swarming Ms. Mary and her caretaker Ms. Greene. But worst of all: Ms. Mary knows James Harris. He used to be a friend of her father’s 60 years ago, when his name was Hoyt Pickens. He bankrupted the family and blamed a local Black man when children went missing. And he hasn’t aged a day since then. Patricia is convinced: James Harris is some kind of creature, and he needs to leave Mount Pleasant. But will she be able to stand up for her children and do the right thing? Will she be able to even convince anyone else (including her husband and her book club) that something is wrong at all? Or will James Harris take everything that matters.

My thoughts: I was expecting this to be a quirky adventure, but this was truly one of the scariest books I’ve ever read. Partially because the vampire attacks (as well as other crazy things) freaked me out. There were rat attacks, spider/centipede/cockroach encounters, and more. But it was mostly scary because this book took place in the 1990s, and rights for women felt more like the 1940s and 50s. Everyone gave up their jobs when they got married. Everyone was a housewife, dedicated to cooking and cleaning and raising the kids, with almost zero support from their husbands. Patricia appeal to her husband and her friends husbands for help multiples times, and they never believed her because they trusted James Harris (a wealthy, charismatic man who invested with them) over their own wives. That was the part that really freaked me out the most, especially because Patricia kept trying and failing. Eventually she and her book club succeeded, but I wasn’t sure that they would.

Rating: 3/5 women who have not read Cry, the Beloved Country, even thought it was assigned for the book club that month

Good Talk: A Memoir in Conversations by Mira Jacob

Synopsis: This is a graphic memoir about growing up as a child of Indian Immigrants in the United States, as well as Mira's experience being Brown in New York in 2001 and 2016. It also covers many conversations that Mira has with her Jewish husband, and uncomfortable questions from their mixed-race son, Z.

My thoughts: This book had a really unusual art style for a graphic novel. It felt very mixed media: there was usually a background photo, and then illustrations of each character speaking and then the speech bubbles on top. Each character only had one illustration of them at each age, and the effect was kind of disconcerting: it felt very static, because the characters poses or facial expressions never changed in reaction to what they were saying or hearing. On the plus side, I did find it much easier to recognize each character (readers will know that's a struggle of mine when reading certain kinds of graphic novels) because they generally looked exactly the same.

In terms of the contents of the book, I was not super impressed, although a large part of that was due to some faulty advertising (I was told that the book was about growing up religious, but the author only very briefly mentioned her family's Christian roots in India, and that her partner was Jewish). Instead (not a bad thing, just different), the book mainly delt with race and racism. I thought it was fine, but the references felt very much like a time capsule in a bad way. Additionally, for a book that claims to be “a memoir in conversations” it could have leaned in to its own theme a bit more. I would have made more distinction between each conversation, or down the exposition in a way that felt more distinct from the conversations themselves.

Rating: 2/5 children that want to be Michael Jackson when they grow up

The Cure for Drowning by Loghan Paylor

Synopsis: After they drowned in the frozen creek and were nursed back to health by their mother’s celtic magic, Kathleen McNair, now known as Kit, was never the same. Kit hated any time that they were forced to look or act feminine, and wanted to be treated just like their brothers Landon and Jep. Rebekah, daughter of a German-Canadian doctor, similarly feels like an outcast. The growing tensions of the 1930s mean that it’s difficult for Rebekah’s father to get a job anywhere except for Kit’s southern Ontario town (too desperate for a doctor to be able to turn down anyone). Rebekah and Kit are drawn to each other, spending more and more time together, although Landon’s feelings for Rebekah complicate things. But after a fateful night, Rebekah’s family is forced to flee back to Montreal, forcing her to say goodbye to Kit forever. Years later, during World War II, Rebekah will encounter the McNairs again, changing her life forever.

My thoughts: Even though it wasn’t particularly plot heavy, I enjoyed this book. It was a lot more about the characters, primarily Kit and Rebekah, although it definitely painted several pictures of the settings (ranging from the McNairs Farm to a Halifax air force base). It reminded me of Great or Nothing by Joy McCullough et al (see my May 2023 roundup); a story set in and around World War II, involving several siblings and other characters that orbit around each other. But overall it was pretty good.

Rating: 3/5 jazz clubs that are in desperate need of a good seamstress

Dune Messiah by Frank Herbert

See my May 2024 review of Dune.

Dirt Creek by Hayley Scrivenor

Synopsis: In Durton, Australia, twelve-year-old Esther Bianchi has gone missing. She was last seen by her best friend Ronnie by the creek, when they split off from each other on the way home from school. Detective Sergeant Sarah Michaels and her assistant have been called in to solve the case, but a set of twin girls went missing the day before in the city, so their resources are very limited. Sarah goes around town, interviewing folks and trying to figure out what happened. Perspectives are also shown from Ronnie, Esther’s mum Constance, Esther’s friend Lewis, and others.

My thoughts: This book was good, but I don’t think it really landed for me as well as it could have. Usually I’m a big fan of rural settings, but instead of an ode to a small town it was more of an elegy. The vibe was pretty depressing, especially how the children insisted on calling it Dirt Town instead of Durton. This was especially apparent in the “we” chapters, where the author used the first person plural to write from the perspective of the children of Durton as a whole. I thought this was unusual, although it had a kind of haunting quality to it. The mystery itself was interesting and well done. I was really worried when everyone kept referring to a future regrettable incident involving Ronnie that she would be falsely accused of murdering Esther, but the reality turned out to be completely different, which was a relief. This book won a Lambda Literary Award for best queer mystery, which did confuse me a little. There were two queer relationships depicted. One was between Lewis and Campbell (two boys in Esther's class discovering what it’s like to have a first crush), and I thought that its place in the story made sense. (It was related to the plot of the mystery, but it wasn’t a huge aspect and it wasn’t trying to be.) The other was Sarah reflecting on her relationship with her ex-girlfriend Amira, and I feel like that was where the author may have missed the mark. Her relationship with Amira felt like a very minor point in the whole book, and was laden with conflict. Sarah was often reminiscing about Amira and trying to get over the pain of their breakup, but the big reveal (that Sarah accidentally shoved Amira and injured her) didn’t hit very hard within the overall context of the book, and didn’t really seem to impact significantly on Sarah’s actions. I think the fact that their relationship only appeared in flashbacks was a disservice to their storyline, because it separated their storyline from the bulk of the plot. I guess I just assumed that a book that won a queer literary award would feature its queerness in a way that was more integral to the overall story.

Rating: 3/5 dogs that really do deserved to be locked up

The Tainted Cup by Robert Jackson Bennett

Synopsis: Dinios Kol is an Engraver, a Sublime that has taken a magical suffusion that makes him remember everything he’s ever seen or heard. After struggling mightily with his exams and applying to all of the Imperial Iyalets (Legion, which defends the Empire; Engineers, who build the walls that keep out the Leviathans; Apothetikal, which grows and manages the exotic plants with their unusual abilities; and more), he was finally accepted by the Iudex, the branch of the Empire that manages the courts and delivers justice. His first posting is as assistant to Anagosa Dolabra, a revered Iudex Investigator. Ana was recently reassigned to Daretana, a Canton in the outer ring of the Empire (an undesirable place to live), and rumours abound that she was sent there as a punishment. It’s easy to believe, considering that Ana is very smart, very irritating, and very eccentric (even though she is sighted, she constantly wears a blindfold to reduce her sensory input). So far, all of Ana and Din’s cases have been simple fraud. But all that changes when they receive a report of a peculiar dead body at the Haza (a prominent gentry family) estate in Daretana. Din is sent to examine the scene and engrave everything in his memory, and report back to Ana. Although the case is simple enough, one dead body starts leading to more, and soon enough Din and Ana find themselves in the middle of a conspiracy that just might destroy the Empire.

My thoughts: I found this book super addictive and hard to put down, which is one of the signs of an excellent book. It’s giving Pacific Rim, but from the perspective of everyone else that lives in the world (Readers will know that I hate gratuitous violence, so this was perfect for me) Usually I have trouble when fantasy books overwhelm the reader with the new elements of the world, but I found this book pretty approachable. (The fact that it was ultimately a murder mystery probably helped a lot, because I was more easily able to scaffold the new elements onto a framework that I’m very familiar with). I thought it was really interesting how much the Empire seemed to revolve around plants (as opposed to animals). There was a character that had the powers of a speedster, and I really appreciated that the book treated speedsters with the reverence they deserve, classifying them as highly dangerous and nearly impossible to kill. I also thought Ana made for an excellent lead detective; very Sherlockian and eccentric. She was probably written to be autistic, but I thought it was refreshing that the bulk of her autistic traits revolved around her being very easily overstimulated (to the point that she often blindfolded herself to remove any visual stimuli), and having special interest hyper fixations, instead of just being bad at social interactions. I also thought the budding romance between Din and his future boyfriend was super cute, and fingers crossed that it’s able to continue into the next book in the series.

Rating: 5/5 shoots of dapplegrass, the perfect murder weapon

Close to Death by Anthony Horowitz

Synopsis: Anthony Horowitz is back with another Horowitz/Hawthorne adventure. The first four books have done quite well, and his agent is pushing him to start on the fifth in the series. The only problem? Hawthorne hasn’t had any cases lately, so there’s nothing for Anthony to write about. Anthony has a brainwave: if he can’t shadow Hawthorne solving a case in real time, he can at least write about a case that he solved previously. He remembers Hawthorne mentioning a case that he worked several years ago, a murder in Riverview Close, and is determined to write about that. Unfortunately, Hawthorne has even more reservations than usual, and is especially reluctant to give out any details. Eventually, Anthony convinces Hawthorne to work on the project with him, and he can finally make some progress (although Hawthorne insists on only giving him a handful of details at a time, and won’t reveal who the killer was). At the same time, Anthony is still incensed that Hawthorne won’t share any details about his personal life, and decides to start investigating both Hawthorne, and the Riverview Close murder, on his own time. But will he like what he finds out?

My thoughts: I’ve generally been pretty satisfied with this series, and this book was no exception. I really like that Horowitz (the author) decided to push the boundaries more into metafiction with this one, which really helped to keep things fresh and exciting. It was fun to read chapters about the murder interspersed with Anthony (the character)’s own actions. The murder at Riverview Close was fun to read about, with lots of clues and moving parts. Anthony’s own investigation was still interesting, if less satisfying (mainly because I still don’t see any reason why he just can’t leave Hawthorne alone?). However, I still find it incredibly funny that Anthony seethes so much that he comes off as unhinged, and Hawthorne as completely normal.

Rating: 4/5 segments of paper straw that are too short to snort cocaine with

Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Fairies by Heather Fawcett

Synopsis: Emily Wilde, PhD, is one of the world’s leading dryadologists (experts on fairies (also known as Faie or Folk)). Since she earned her doctorate at Cambridge University in 1900, she’s spent the past nine years working on an encyclopaedia. When completed, it will be the world’s first and most complete compendium of knowledge about the Folk. As of now, it’s almost complete; she just needs to finish the final chapter about the Folk of Ljosland (in northern Scandinavia). Unfortunately, these species of Folk have long been understudied, so it’s up to her to travel to the village of Hrafnsvik and do the research herself (an exciting prospect). Unfortunately, her stay in Hrafnsvik is looking to be more difficult than she expected. The climate is hostile, and she seems to have offended her hosts (why must it be so difficult to talk to people), and her cabin is constantly overrun by unruly sheep. But worst of all, fellow professor Wendell Bambleby has taken it upon himself to join her expedition, uninvited. Bambleby is charismatic, lazy, and taken to falsifying his research (everything that the curmudgeonly Emily is not), and immediately charms the entire village, much to her chagrin. But Bambleby has a proposition for Emily: if she will let him co-author a paper about the Ljosland Folk with her, they can present it together at the International Conference of Dryadology and Experimental Folklore. The ICODEF is incredibly prestigious, and Emily has never once been invited. Will she be able to work with the infernal Bambleby? Or will the Folk of Ljosland prove too much for either of them to handle?

My thoughts: Kaitlyn (readers will know of my friend Kaitlyn) recommended this book to me, saying it was a cozy fantasy, so of course I had to try it. I thought it was nice enough, and I really appreciated being able to see the world through Emily journal entries (especially since I think she was written to be autistic). I also liked the footnotes, especially the ones that referenced the life of dryadologist Danielle de Gray, who is interesting enough that she could easily support her own spin-off. However, it had some issues. I still don’t understand why Emily released the Fairie King from the tree. I know some reasons were given in the books, but they felt especially weak, considering that Emily cut off her own finger (which no one made a big deal about??) to get rid of the enchantment that compelled her to free the King, but then went and freed him anyway? I also found the use of the Word of Power here to be sort of anti-climactic, and made it feel like there were pacing issues. I also didn’t love that Emily got herself into a big mess and had absolutely no agency to get herself out of it (even though she had enough agency to adjust the enchantment to allow her to cut off her own finger? Emily, you are smarter than this!). The romance between Bambleby and Emily was also a bit too subtle for it to have ended with a marriage proposal, although I acknowledge that this book was set in the early 20th century, and that Emily didn’t accept it.

Rating: 3/5 hearts filled with the dust of a thousand library stacks

i am, your most faithful blogger, elisa

May

This month I read 3 books, 9 ebooks from the Toronto Public Library, and 1 podcast, totaling to 13 books.

Hotline by Dimitri Nasrallah

Synopsis: It’s Montreal, 1986, and Muna Heddad is desperate for a job. Her savings will only last her and her 8-year-old son Omar one more month. When Muna and her husband Halim initially applied to immigrate to Canada, civil war had just broken out in Lebanon. But then Halim was kidnapped, and Muna was left to raise an infant Omar by herself. Now, Muna is struggling to support the two of them in Canada; nobody wants to hire her as a French teacher, despite the immigration agency assuring her that French teachers were in high demand in Canada. Now, Muna is desperately applying to every job ad in the paper, including one for Nutri-Fort’s (a diet food company) call center. Miraculously, Muna gets a call back, and is soon hired in the call center, where she calls her clients and helps them develop meal plans. This novel chronicles Muna’s experiences as a single mom and worker in Montreal, as she finds her footing in the community and finally comes to terms with her husband’s death.

My thoughts: This book was the 2024 One Read/Un Livrel Canada, a nation-wide digital book club. This year, electronic copies of Hotline were available without holds or waitlists at libraries across Canada during the month of April, so that people could all read together (in English or French) and discuss the book together. (Readers will know that I am a librarian, so I figured that I should probably join in, even though I didn’t actually finish the book until May). I was unsure about this book when I started it, but I actually really liked it. I think my trepidation was due to the marketing: most of the descriptions of this book focused entirely on Muna’s work as a faceless hotline operator, and the connections she learned about her clients. Even though Muna’s job at Nutri-Fort was a central aspect of the book, the story was more about her life as a whole in Montreal, which I thought was much more complex and interesting.

Rating: 4/5 wooden horses carved from the leg of your marriage bed and buried in a jar of sand for you to find

Company Town by Madeline Ashby

Synopsis: Hwa lives on New Arcadia, an oil rig off the coast of Newfoundland that is basically a small city. She does security for the Canadian Union of Sex Workers, making sure that they aren’t abused or taken advantage of during their appointments. But then Hwa is recruited by the Lynch family. After a recent takeover, the Lynches now own New Arcadia, and they want Hwa to guard the youngest member (and eventual heir of the family). Hwa has a lot of security experience, but she’s also the only person on the whole rig who doesn’t have any technological implants or biological enhancements, so she can’t be hacked. Hwa accepts, but gets unwittingly dragged into the Lynches intrigue and conspiracy. To make matters worse, someone is going around killing the prostitutes that Hwa used to guard (and who were her friends). Will Hwa survive this deadly contract, or will she be its next victim?

My thoughts: I thought this book was interesting but not my favourite. I’m still not really sure why Hwa was the only person with no implants on New Arcadia; the author described it as Hwa’s mother not wanting to pay for anything, but there were so many people much poorer than Hwa, so I don’t get it. She didn’t seem to have a strong ideological opposition either. I didn’t really take a shine to the Jack the Ripper storyline (readers will know that he’s never been one of my favourite serial killers). This book also seemed to just go from fight to fight, with Hwa continually getting more and more injured. I think the setting was interesting, but it could have been explored more. Overall, I found a lot was lacking, even though I wouldn’t say that this book was bad. The character I liked the most was Daniel Siofra, Hwa’s boss and aid to the Lynches; he had a wit that I really liked, and was very kind and sensitive while still being cool and effective.

Rating: 2/5 library sims of Jack the Ripper documentaries that unfortunately aren’t great for helping you solve irl crimes

The Celebrants by Steven Rowley

Synopsis: After their friend Alec died of a drug overdose in their senior year at Berkely, college friends Naomi, Craig, Marielle, and the Jordans (Jordy & Jordan) are devastated by his funeral. All funerals are tragic, but it truly devastated the friends that they weren’t able to express how much they loved and appreciated Alec until after he had died. Thus, the pact was born: once in their life, each member of the group can call on the others to host a funeral for them while they are still living. It’s a chance for them to honour and celebrate a friend who is going through a tough time (divorce, prison time, cancer diagnoses, etc). This book chronicles each funeral, starting with Alec’s and then for the rest of the Celebrants.

My thoughts: I thought this book was a more mature twist on a trope that I see in a lot of YA/New Adult fiction: the friend who died mysteriously in college. (Here, I’m specifically thinking of If We Were Villains by ML Rio, which I reviewed in my June 2023 reading round up, but the trope has occurred many other times.) I don’t particularly like this trope; I find it to be too “dark and twisty,” everyone is obsessed with catching the killer or piecing together what happened that fateful night. So, I thought it was really interesting that Steven Rowley ended up flipping this trope on its head by having Alec’s death as a difficult but catalytic event, and centering the lens of his book on characters in their 40s and 50s instead of teens and 20s. I also really liked how the characters ended up thriving after each of their funerals, even if it did take them a few years afterwards to really find their footing.

Rating: 4/5 rare straight men in a world full of women and gay men

Off the Map by Trish Doller

Synopsis: Carla Black was a van-life girlie before there were van-life girlies. She and her dad Biggie spent every summer growing up traveling around North America while living out of their bright red jeep Valentina. And after Biggie was diagnosed with dementia, he pleaded for Carla to keep traveling and live her life, instead of staying home and watching him lose his memories piece by piece. They FaceTime most days, but Carla hasn’t really seen her dad in almost six years. When she travels to Ireland for her best friend’s wedding, she meets Eamon. He’s the brother of the groom, and has wanted to travel around the country for years, but has never really gotten around to it. So, Carla hatches a plan to tour around some of the most beautiful parts of Ireland while they head to the wedding in Eamon’s home town. Their connection is instant and obvious, but they live completely different lives. Will this just be a summer fling, or can Carla and Eamon make it work?

My thoughts: I read two romance novels back to back (Off the Map and That Summer Feeling, reviewed below), and I liked this one much better. The characters were interesting, the romance was compelling, and the relationship between Carla and Eamon wasn’t toxic. I really liked the juxtaposition of Carla, who traveled a lot but now wanted to spend more time with her family, vs Eamon, who felt tied down by relationships and wanted to spend more time adventuring. I’m also glad that Carla was able to see her family when it mattered most, but didn’t have to give up her traveling lifestyle that clearly brought her so much joy. The only complaint that I had was that the bulk of the plot took place over 2 weeks, and did feel a bit rushed to me.

Rating: 4/5 bulls that are blocking your Land Rover’s only way out

That Summer Feeling by Bridget Morrissey

Synopsis: Garland Moore met her soulmate at the airport. She was rushing to catch her flight when she dropped her bracelet, and a tall blond man chased after her in order to give it back to her. When they touched hands, Garland had a vision of her and the blond man sitting together in a beautiful hunting lodge, surrounded by friends and family and love. The only problem? Garland was in the airport with her new husband, trying to catch a flight to their honeymoon, so she ignored the vision. A few years later, Garland is divorced, living with her older sister Dara, and moonlighting as a rideshare driver. She’s still hung up on her ex, and doesn’t have a lot going on in her life, when she gets an invite to a sleepaway summer camp for adults. Dara and Garland are eager to go, in order to live out the classic childhood experience they never had. But when they get there, Garland discovers something even more exciting: the man from her vision is here at camp (along with his gorgeous sister). Will Garland finally heal her broken heart and end up in a love worth keeping?

My thoughts: I read this just after Off the Map (reviewed above), and although they were somewhat similar, I thought that this book was much worse. It may have been due to the overall setting and concept, but I found this book to be very childish and Pollyanna-equse, especially because the entire story took place over only 5 days. Honestly, I think the short timeline was what disappointed me the most. I wish that the novel had covered a year of Garland and Stevie’s lives together as they traveled around the country in a van and found themselves, and had included their camp meet-cute as a flashback, instead of the other way around. Including scenes of the characters drinking and clubbing may make something PG-13, but definitely doesn’t make it “mature”, in my opinion. There were a handful of scenes about Garland’s divorce and a few other topics that partially scratched my itch for more complexity, but it wasn’t really enough. I also didn’t like whole “vision” storyline. At first, I’ll admit that I thought it was cute, but as the story went on I was less and less impressed, particularly because the characters were really focused on setting up Garland with the blond man in her vision, despite the fact that they had no chemistry and obviously weren’t a great match. Personally, I think the author invented it just to create obstacles between Garland and Stevie, which I despise. If your book has to have conflict in it, there are other ways to achieve it than by interfering with the main couple’s unproblematic relationship. Separately, I was also a bit disappointed that Dara’s C-plotline about wanting to dramatically cut her hair wasn’t a way for her to experiment with gender and femininity. I guess sometimes a haircut is just about cutting your hair. If you’re looking for a fluffy, cutesy romance, this book is for you, but unfortunately for me I felt it was a flop.

Rating: 2/5 crowds that chant “hee-haw” whenever you walk into the room, because of something that you said once when you were drunk

Kissing Kosher by Jean Meltzer

Synopsis: Avital Cohen is incredibly busy trying to run Best Babka in Brooklyn, her family’s kosher bakery that was started by her grandfather, Chayim Cohen. Their famous pumpkin spice babka is flying off of the shelves, and they don’t have enough staff to keep up with all of their customer’s demands. Best Babka was founded decades ago by Chayim and his business partner Moishe Lippmann, but they had a huge falling out and Moishe left to start his own company. Lippmann’s is a household name when it comes to mass produced kosher treats, but sales are falling and Moishe is desperate. He sends his grandson Ethan to Best Babka with instructions to go undercover, get hired, steal their famous pumpkin spice babka recipe, and get revenge on Chayim, or else. Ethan is not sold on the idea, but failure is not an option when it comes to Moishe. So, Ethan (who majored in business and has never had to lift a finger thanks to his grandfather’s household staff and estate) puts together a fake resume (where he claims to be a graduate of the best french pastry schools) and gets himself hired by Avital, and of course sparks start to fly between them. But will Ethan be able to keep his secret forever? And how can Avital start a relationship with anyone when she’s constantly sidelined by her interstitial cystitis and debilitating chronic pelvic pain?

My thoughts: I thought this was a pretty cute romance book, with a good overall story. I really liked getting a window into the Jewish traditions, culture, and lifestyle of the characters and their families. The only part I didn’t love was the extended lecture on how Jewish theology informs intimacy, because it felt a little bit preachy and a lot of “telling” instead of “showing”. I also really liked the portrait of Avital’s struggle with her chronic illness, especially an “incurable” one like IC, because she went on a journey of learning how to live with the pain instead of focusing on trying to cure herself. Ethan gets points for being a very supportive partner, although I am pretty suspicious of how quickly he went from not knowing how to cook to being a master baker that was experimenting off the cuff (about 3-6 months). To me, the whole book felt a little too goofy and over the top, but if you’re looking for a happy romance with no toxic relationships, I would definitely recommend it.

Rating: 3/5 flutes of organic, fresh squeezed pear juice (instead of champagne)

Dune by Frank Herbert

My thoughts on Dune have been made clear already.

Murder at Haven’s Rock by Kelley Armstrong

Synopsis: After the collapse of the old Rockton, Casey and Eric are finally putting their plan B into motion: a new invisible town that they get to run. It’s no small undertaking, but to them, it’s worth it. Construction has gone on for the past 18 months, and the new Haven’s Rock is only weeks away from opening when the construction crew’s architect goes missing in the forest. Casey and Eric are called in to pose as heads of security (not the town owners) and find her. But will they like what they find?

My thoughts: So blessed and excited that the Rockton series is continuing in a new form! This series is so good that it’s literally addictive, I love it so much and can’t stop reading it. I thought this book in particular was interesting because it finally had a gold-mining plotline (very appropriate considering that everything is set in the Yukon). I love the descriptions of rural and outdoor living, plus all of the wildlife encounters. I also love Casey and Eric as a couple; extremely respectful, non-toxic, loving, and competent. I even love to hate on the annoying townspeople (in this case, construction crew members) that are lying in order to protect their own interests regardless of the murder investigation.

Rating: 5/5 beautifully camouflage cabins hidden in the woods, with little painted rabbits and deer

The Boy Who Cried Bear

Synopsis: Haven’s Rock is finally open for residents, and for the first time, it will house couples, children, and families. One of these children, Max, has been coming back from hikes with troubling reports: some kind of wild creature, with the fur of an animal but the eyes of a man, is in the forest around Haven’s Rock. Wild people wouldn’t be unusual back in Rockton, as there were several settlements and even more individuals living in the surrounding woods. As of yet, there’s no such thing at Haven’s Rock, and it’s a little concerning for Detective Casey Butler and Sheriff Eric Dalton, but nothing too concerning. But when Max is spotted going into the forest and not coming out, that is extremely concerning. They stop everything to go on Max’s trail. Is there really a wild man? Or has Max’s families past found them in Haven’s Rock?

My thoughts: This book was just as good as any of the Rockton series, with a few small exceptions. For one, I’m still getting used to how the new town runs itself. To be honest, I think some of the changes were made just to make a distinction from Rockton, like having dormitories instead of apartments. I think the inclusion of families and children will definitely create new and interesting dynamics, and it opens the way for Casey’s pregnancy. I also think the distinction between staff and residents is kind of weird; logically I know it’s so that people can stay on as staff even if they aren’t running from something, but in my opinion it creates a weird hierarchy. While these are all differences, they’re not detracting from my enjoyment of this book. The actual issue I had was with the plot: the ending was a bit ambiguous and we relied on Casey’s deductions and ideas for what was really going on, instead of getting confirmation of the truth from the suspects themselves. But I’m still very glad I read this book, and look forward to the next one being released.

Rating: 4/5 perches where you can spy on people as they go in and out of the forest

Funny Story by Emily Henry

Synopsis: Daphne and Peter made a cute couple.. They had a real-life meet cute, and Daphne moved back to Wanning Bay, Michigan so that they could built a life together. But 6 weeks before their wedding, Peter cheated on her with his “platonic” straight best friend Petra. And now he’s kicking her out of their house (okay, only bought in Peter’s name, technically). So Daphne is forced to move in with Petra’s exboyfriend, Miles. All Daphne wants is to do is get out of this town, and as soon as her library’s Read-A-Thon is over at the end of the summer, she can finally escape. But then Miles offers to be the tour guide to Wanning Bay that she never had. And Daphne starts to make friends at work, is it possible that she’s starting to have reasons to stay?

My Rating: I absolutely LOVED the first three-quarters of this book. The characters were cute and relatable (Readers will know that Daphne, a children’s librarian who read Dune in order to impress her boyfriend’s friends, is LITERALLY me). Miles was an all-around good guy, and treated Daphne really well. She was flourishing more over this summer than she was in the past 3 years that she had lived here with Peter. A true Emily Henry classic. Unfortunately, the book kind of fell apart around the 3rd act conflict. I was really disappointed because it seemed as though Daphne hadn’t actually made any changes: she was still attaching herself to her boyfriend instead of really living her own life. She totally ghosted her friend Ashleigh after swearing that she would never treat people the way her absent father treated her. (And she tried to buy Asheighs’ forgiveness in the exact same way that she always criticized her dad for). And she didn’t communicate properly with Miles (my own pet peeve). Daphne and Miles did eventually make up, but then the author fast-forwarded to the following year and completely skipped when all of the character development happened. I just want to see people being happy, okay? So sue me if I’m upset that the book completely skipped the part where the characters were living their best lives. On a positive note, I felt that the portrayal of library work was reasonable accurate! I was ready to crack down so hard over inaccuracies, but everything felt mostly true to form (except when Daphne called in sick to work on day that her co-worker had already taken off because “nothing much would be happening that day” I could never. They would be so busy for being so short-staffed). I also wish that Emily Henry had gone into more detail about the Read-a-Thon, but I guess it wasn’t totally necessary.

Rating: 4/5 senior proms (ie. proms for senior citizens)

Secluded Cabin Sleeps Six by Lisa Unger

Synopsis: This year, Hannah and Bruce had a baby girl named Gigi, and like any new parents, they could really use a vacation. When Hannah’s brother (and Bruce’s supervisor) Mako invites them on a luxury weekend, along with his own wife Liza, and family friend Cricket and her boyfriend Joshua. Mako, a wealthy CEO of a video-game company, has rented a secluded cabin that sleeps six in the Blue Ridge Mountains. He’s determined to have a perfect weekend, but there are tensions bubbling beneath the surface. Hannah in particular is worried: it’s the first time that she’s been away from Gigi, but Mako has also been acting weird as of late, and her marriage to Bruce has been full of tension. It doesn’t help that years ago, the cabin they’re renting was the site of a tragic murder-suicide. And when the power goes out (surely caused by the huge storm), will Hannah and the other survive their vacation?

My thoughts: This was a pretty standard thriller novel, not excellent but not the worst. I thought the villain’s overall plotline and motivations were truly insane, but I appreciated the plot twists that were not related to this. For example, that the creepy landlord was in fact creepy but overall harmless, or Henry’s identity (he actually was just Henry, not the secret identity of a different character).

Rating: 3/5 family history DNA tests that Santa brought for everyone’s Christmas gifts

The Hundred Lives of Juliet by Evelyn Skye

Synopsis: Helene Janssen is trying to bounce back from what is shaping up to be an ugly divorce. After constantly pushing aside her career in favour of her soon-to-be-ex-husband’s, enough is enough. And when she spots cheap plane tickets to a small town in Alaska, it’s a sign for her to take the next two months and finally write a book. Her whole life, Helene has written romance short stories that take place in different times throughout history. The heterosexual couples always look and act different, but they always have the same souls (especially the male character). So when she meets fishing boat captain Sebastien, she’s shocked: it’s the male character from all of her stories, her eternal literary crush come to life. Sebastien is also shocked to see her, but for a very different reason. Sebastien is actually Romeo Montague, and Helene is his Juliet. Ever since the original tragedy of Romeo and Juliet, where Romeo accidentally killed is true love (Shakespeare did take a few liberties with his version), Romeo has been unable to die. He drifts through history, aging 1 year for every 50 that pass, waiting and waiting. Juliet is always reincarnated, and in each of her lives they always meet and fall in love, just like in Helene’s stories. But (and the stories don’t capture this) Juliet always dies anyway, whether by accident or illness or political uprising, and Romeo can’t do anything about it. Sebastien is convinced that they are cursed, but Helene wants to try. Will their love be the greatest of an age, or will it again end in tragedy?

My thoughts: I feel like this concept had really good potential, but it flopped because Helene didn’t have any agency. She always had to be rescued by Sebastien (and yes, he’s the one who’s amassed a great fortune over hundreds of years, but seriously this girl cannot do anything for herself). The only thing she actually did by herself was change a plane ticket (but only so that she could fly to Sebastien’s lawyers offices, not so that she could do anything really by herself). It didn’t help that the climax of the book was actually Sebastien’s lawyers digging up blackmail material for Helene’s ex so that he’d leave them alone. Sebastien at least accumulated all of the resources to make this possible; the only thing Helene did was occasionally make suggestions and be pregnant. It also really bothered me that the curse seemed to resolve itself. This was definitely not a “they learned to have a healthy love and do the right thing so the curse was resolved” type of situation; the curse literally just ended. The only tangible differences were that Helene vaguely remembered Sebastein through her short stories, and that she got pregnant (and being pregnant should NOT be the reason that the curse is lifted, because many of the previous Juliets were either trying to get pregnant or died during their pregnancies). Helene didn’t survive or avoid any kind of freak accident or near death experience, so she didn’t do anything to make her pregnancy more viable. Overall the romance part was cute, but the above reasons really bothered me so much that I’m rating this book low.

Rating: 2/5 girlfriends who perpetually cannot cook across many many lifetimes

The Atlas Complex by Olivie Blake

Synopsis: By the time of Libby Rhodes’ explosive return from the past, the 6 newest recruits to the Alexandrian Society know that things will never be the same. They’ve failed to satisfy one of the archives’ only rules: if they plan on taking all that knowledge, there must be a blood sacrifice. When Atlas Blakely was a recruit himself, his cohort tried to fight the rule, and paid the price dearly. With agents of the Forum hunting their every move, will the original Atlas Six do what is right, or what is just?

My thoughts: I was already cooling down on this series by the second book, so I’m not surprised that I didn’t really like this book (the third) either. In the acknowledgements, the author stated that she intended to write a book without a plot that would be totally driven by the character’s relationships, and also that she wrote the series as a reaction to the 2016 elections and events thereafter. Personally, I thought that was insane. This book is definitely short on plot, but the relationships weren’t really doing it for me either. By the end, it feels as though the six students have almost formed a loose polycule (which is great), but most of them seem to act completely independently and selfishly. Especially in the previous two books, they didn’t seem to be forming meaningful relationships with anyone. Something else I disliked was the author’s writing style; it’s giving pretentious and fake academia, and she seems to hide behind buzzwords instead of actually explaining what the characters are trying to achieve. (For example, in the climactic experiment, it was super unclear what was going on, and why/how a core character died). In addition, everything felt like it was coated in a veneer of dullness. Nothing was really interesting or exciting, even combat scenes or the climax. The only thing this book had going for it was some parts that used non-traditional/epistolary storytelling (like book club discussion questions or the results of 600 possible futures), but that was just not enough for me.

Rating: 2/5 dream convertibles that transform into dream bulldozers to crush everything in your dream path

i am, your most faithful blogger, elisa

April

This month I read 4 books and 4 ebooks from the Toronto Public Library, totalling to 8 books.

Hana Khan Carries On by Uzma Jalaluddin

Synopsis: Hana Khan works part time at her family’s restaurant, Three Sisters Biriyani Poutine. It’s the only halal restaurant in the Golden Crescent neighborhood of Toronto and a beloved family-run institution. Unfortunately, sales are slowing, and they rarely have any customers. What Hana really wants to do is become a Radio host and share stories from her community (South Asian Muslims) with the world. She already has a mini podcast (Ana’s Brown Girl Rambles) and at least one devoted fan (stanleyp). Right now she’s struggling in her radio internship, and she’s about to have way more problems than just her annoying coworker and her ignorant boss: another halal restaurant is opening up in the Golden Crescent, and the owner has declared that he’s trying to put Three Sisters out of business. Can Hana save her family’s restaurant?

My thoughts: This book was touted as a Muslim “You’ve Got Mail” (which annoyed me a bit because it completely gave away the whole plot, but whatever). Overall I thought it was generally good. I really liked the plotlines surrounding Hana’s Auntie who was visiting from India (because she was a really good character), and the themes of families who immigrated vs those who chose to stay. I did not like when Hana started spreading online rumours about the rival restaurant, because it felt like a cheap move, and I’m glad she regretted it. I also wasn’t really sold on the storylines surrounding Hana’s work at the Radio Station. Personally, I view radio and journalism as a profession where you share information with others, not really where you tell stories, so the final podcast that she produced (Secret Family Histories) didn’t really land with me.

Rating: 3/5 background star-crossed lovers who flee to northern Ontario in order to be together

Rockton Series by Kelley Armstrong

City of the Lost (Book 1)

Synopsis: 10 years ago, Casey had the world’s worst boyfriend. When he got caught selling drugs on someone else’s territory, he escaped by himself, leaving Casey behind to be brutally assaulted. Weeks later, when she was finally out of the hospital, Casey confronted him; when he refused to apologize, she killed him. No one ever tied his death to her, and since then Casey has kept her head down and worked her way through the ranks to become a homicide detective in the local police force. She has a good life; her best friend, Diana, and occasional companionship from guys if she wants it. But all that changes when her current beau gets shot by a hired gun; only luck prevented the hitman from killing Casey too, and it means that her time is up. Her ex-boyfriend was the grandson of a notorious Quebecois mobster; he must suspect that Casey killed his grandson, and will stop at nothing to get his revenge. Casey needs to get out of town immediately. At the same time, Diana’s abusive ex is back in town, and she also needs a safe haven to go to. Diana’s heard a rumor about a mysterious off-the-grid town; the kind of place where no one can find you. Casey is reluctant to go, but the town’s council will only admit Diana if Casey comes along, because they’re in desperate need of a homicide detective. So, Casey and Diana arrive in Rockton, a settlement deep in the Yukon woods, hidden from civilization. Rockton isn’t like any other place; there’s no cell service, minimal electricity, and everything has something to hide. Once you arrive, you can’t leave until your term is over. And now, there’s a string of unsolved murders that the town’s Sheriff, Eric Dalton, has been unable to handle by himself. Will Casey be able to solve the murders? Or has she just committed herself to the worst two years of her life.

Ranking: 5/5 Rockton labour credits (the only currency worth anything up here)

A Darkness Absolute (Book 2)

Synopsis: It’s been a few months since Casey arrived in Rockton, and surprisingly she’s adapted quite well. She’s dating the Sheriff, Eric Dalton, and is best friends with his Deputy, Will Anders. When Casey and Will are out exploring the woods, a blizzard forces them to take shelter in an isolated cave. There, they find something truly horrifying: a woman who went missing from Rockton over a year ago. But the worst part: she’s still alive. Her name is Nicole, and she’s been trapped in that cave for months by a mysterious captor that returns frequently to assault her. She’s in desperate need of medical attention, and Casey and Will are determined to do everything in their power to get her back to Rockton safely. Once they return, Casey must figure out who Nicole’s captor is, before he can strike again.

Rating: 5/5 Newfoundland dogs named after the X-woman Storm

This Fallen Prey (Book 3)

Synopsis: Rockton isn’t just a safe haven for victims with nowhere else to go. When it was initially founded in the 1960s, it was, but the town’s council has changed overtime. Now, they treat it as an investment, and they’re determined to get their money's worth. A town like Rockton isn’t cheap to run, especially when most people (like Casey and Diana) only paid about $5000 to stay for two years. Even an influx of white collar criminals, whose financial crimes mean that they can afford to pay significantly more than the average resident, isn’t enough for investors. So, they’ve decided that Rockton needs more streams of revenue. Sheriff Eric Dalton has suspected that many of the alleged white collar criminals are actually on the run because they’ve committed violent crimes, and that the council is wilfully turning a blind eye as long as they get paid. But things come to a head when a small plane lands in Rockton. It’s only passenger: an alleged serial killer named Olive Brady, whose parents are paying Rockton a small fortune to keep him imprisoned in the Yukon where no one will find him. Eric and Casey are furious; the small settlement doesn’t have the resources to keep anyone prisoner, and even if it did, the townspeople will understandably riot if they find out that there’s a dangerous criminal being kept in Rockton (and they do). But the most worrying issue: Brady quickly manages to escape, something that only could have been accomplished with outside help. Does Brady have an accomplice in town? Is he even guilty of his alleged crimes? It’s up to Casey and Eric to find Brady and figure out the truth, before even more people get killed.

Rating: 3/5 loving stepfathers with no ulterior motives.

(A note on the rating: Readers may wonder why this is the only book in the series with a rating of less than 5/5. This book had everything that I love about the Rockton series, but I was so upset about the ending that I docked it two points. Brady and his stepfather were both killed without figuring out if either (or both) of them were actually guilty. Multiple female characters had plot twists that felt extremely out of character and had very little explanation. Overall, I think that the author had too much going on and rushed the ending instead of taking the time to resolve things. But the first 75% of the book was great, and I still really wanted to keep reading.)

Watcher in the Woods (Book 4)

Synopsis: Detective Casey Butler has had to face fearsome challenges while living in Rockton, but she might be facing her biggest one yet: talking to her sister. April is a world-renowned neurosurgeon in Vancouver, but her and Casey’s relationship has always been frosty at best. But Casey has no other choice; their carpenter Kenny was shot in the back and might be paralyzed, and the town has no doctor or nurse to speak of besides Will Anders, current head of militia and former Army medic. April reluctantly agrees to spend one weekend in Rockton, so Casey and Dalton plan to quietly smuggle her in and out without the rest of the townspeople finding out. The only problem? That same weekend, a man claiming to be a US Marshal arrives in Rockton, and he’s looking for someone. He refuses to say who, much to Casey and Dalton’s frustrations, never mind that a US Marshall shouldn’t even have jurisdiction in the Yukon. And when the marshall ends up dead, April (a convenient new arrival) becomes the biggest suspect. Will Casey be able to clear her sister’s name and figure out what’s really going on?

Rating: 5/5 rent-controlled properties partially owned and operated by your ex-friend’s grandmother

Alone in the Wild (Book 5)

Synopsis: Casey and Eric are on a much needed vacation (although when you live in rural Yukon, it usually means going to a different part of the woods). But on the way back, they discover something more than just the typical dead body: a dead body and a live baby. Rockton is a strictly for single adults, so there’s no way the baby came from there. When it’s discovered that the dead woman isn’t the baby girl’s birth mother, Casey must figure out who she really belongs to. But a lot of people seem to think that the baby would be better off away from her true family. If that’s true, Casey must wrestle with the possibility of adopting the baby and becoming a mother. And since severe injuries have left her infertile, this might be her only chance at motherhood. Will Casey be able to figure out the truth, and make the right decision?

Rating: 5/5 bracelets made by your wife’s lesbian lover

A Stranger in Town (Book 6)

Synopsis: Detective Casey Butler and her boyfriend Sheriff Eric Dalton are out for a walk in the Yukon forests surrounding Rockton. It’s a nice day, about to be made much worse by an unpleasant discovery: a female hiker who was brutally attacked by someone or something. Casey brings her back to Rockton for treatment; the hiker is in a state of mental confusion and doesn’t understand English, but luckily a new Rockton resident, Jay, speaks Dutch and agrees to translate. Casey and Dalton are worried; after finding the hiker’s presumed campsite, it seems as though she was attacked by the hostiles; a group of former Rockton residents that fled into the forest and somehow became savages. The hostiles can’t be reasoned with, and will attack anything that they perceive as a threat. Casey has always been worried about the hostiles, but this incident has her even more concerned; will she be able to find out what’s really going on?

Rating: 5/5 boots with your lover’s severed foot in them

The Deepest of Secrets (Book 7)

Synopsis: After finally discovering the secret history of the hostiles (wild people that live savagely in the woods around Rockton), and that the council was responsible, Detective Casey Butler is satisfied. But it seems as though she’ll be punished for solving this mystery: the council is shutting Rockton down. No ones extensions are getting approved, and no new villagers are being accepted. The council doesn’t want to completely give up on their investment, but they want to start fresh with a new settlement that has a less inquisitive police department. Of course, Sheriff Eric Dalton and Casey are both invited to come along, but it’s the last thing that they want. They’ve both had issues with the way the council has run Rockton for years, and this is the last straw. But the townspeople are restless; someone is going around revealing residents secrets (a major sin in a town designed to shelter people running away from their pasts) and fomenting discontent. And of course, a body is soon discovered. Will Casey be able to solve this final mystery, or will it die along with Rockton?

Rating: 5/5 outdoor movie screens with a startling accusation pinned to them

My Overall Thoughts: I am obsessed with this series, I love it (and it’s sequel series that I’ll discuss next month) so much. Casey and Eric are great main characters, and have a really loving, supportive, and unproblematic relationship. I like how unique the setting of Rockton is, and the author makes sure to describe a lot of the wilderness surroundings (including dangerous encounters with wildlife), and how life in Rockton is so different from what it’s like to live down south. Truly, I don’t think my synopses have done the series justice, so I’ll just say that I’m addicted to it, and cannot wait for the next book to be released. (Editor’s note: looking back on my review of this series, I feel like I’m not really doing it justice because I’m unable to fully articulate what I really like about it. It’s partially that I read the books back to back to back so quickly, partially that I’m doing this review after the fact, and partially because this is the kind of book where I go into a fugue state while reading it. I just get so entranced that I can’t wait to see what happens next. I suppose this isn’t the sign of a book written particularly well, but I’m choosing to focus on how much joy this series has brought me. Hopefully you are able to pick up what I’m putting down.)

i am, your most faithful blogger, elisa

March

This month I read 1 book and 6 ebooks from the Toronto Public Library, totalling to 7 books.

Before we begin:

Dishonourable Mentions

Gideon the 9th by Tamsyn Muir

Synopsis: Gideon is planning to escape the hellish dungeon where she was raised, but her childhood nemesis won’t let her go without one last service to the Ninth House.

My thoughts: This book pretty famous for being described as “lesbian necromancers in space” online, so I figured I’d give it a shot. But I found it uninteresting and too much of a fantasy for my taste.

You may like this book if: you won’t be disappointed to find out that “lesbian necromancers in space” isn’t really a great description of the book.

Golden Age Locked Room Mysteries, Edited by Otto Penzler

Synopsis: This is a collection of short stories from the 1920s, 30s, and 40s, written by classic American mystery writers. They all feature the locked room trope, where a body is discovered in a place where the killer could not have possibly accessed (ie. a room with no windows locked from the inside).

My thoughts: I read the first few short stories and really liked them, but I never finished this book before I had to return it to the library, and didn’t feel compelled to put the book on hold in order to finish it.

You may like this book if: you’re a sucker for mysteries, the Golden Age, and transatlantic accents.

And now for the real reviews:

The Future by Catherine Leroux

Synopsis: Gloria’s daughter Judith died of a drug overdose, and no one has seen her daughters since. So, Gloria packs up her life and moves to Fort Detroit in order to get there. When she arrives, conditions are even worse than she could imagine: Fort Detroit (a francophone city that is a Canadian territory) has been utterly abandoned by all levels of government. The only people she can count on are her neighbors. As Gloria learns to live in Fort Detroit, she slowly discovers the gang of children that have set up their own society on the banks of the Rouge River. Could that be where her grand-daughters are?

My thoughts: This was one of the least enjoyable Canada Reads books, so I was kind of disappointed to hear that it actually won (allegedly, it’s the best book to “carry us forward,” I guess because the last few pages slip in something about the children being our future? I just didn’t really care for this book. The premise (alternate history Detroit that has suffered massive urban decay) was pretty interesting, and I thought Gloria’s interactions with her friends and neighbors trying to make a life for themselves in Fort Detroit. However, I was not at all impressed by the sections that centered on the wild children/ There were way too many children introduced, and they had very few distinguishing characteristics besides their crazy nicknames (Adidas, TickTock, etc), so I was forever mixing up the children with one another. I was disappointed when Gloria’s grand-daughters were revealed at the very end, because they had just been hidden away by the wild children for the whole time. Why did the author choose to spend all her time focusing on children that were not the grand-daughters (who, if you’ll recall, are the entire reason Gloria moved to Fort Detroit at all, and therefore feel like they should have a more central role in the plot). I wish that the story had featured the grand-daughters thriving (or struggling) as part of the wild child society.

Rating: 2/5 Urban Decay bus tours that ran over you’re neighbour’s elderly father without a second thought

The Crow Valley Karaoke Championships

Synopsis: Tonight is the night: it’s the Karaoke Championships for Crow Valley, Alberta. This year, after being ravaged by forest fires and mourning the loss of Dale Jepson (pillar of the community, guard at the local prison, and Karaoke Champion), the winner of the Crow Valley qualifiers will get fast-tracked straight to nationals. Everyone in town wants to win: Brett, who wants to dedicate his song in memory of his best friend Dale; Molly, who wants to dedicate her song to Dale because he stopped to rescue her during the forest fire that ultimately killed him; and many others. This novel follows Brett, Molly, and three other characters [Val, who worked with Dale at the prison and is unhappily married to Brett; Marcel, a convict that escapes from the prison; and Roxanne, guest karaoke judge and Dale’s widow] over one fateful night.

My thoughts: This book was not exceptional, but I thought it was quirky and enjoyable all the same. I appreciated the cancon, and there were several running jokes throughout the book that kept popping up subtly, and I thought those were quite funny. I also appreciated how each of the 5 character perspectives were intertwined with each other to create a full picture of the day (I feel like this is usually reserved for mysteries, since every second has to be accounted for in order to solve the crime). However, a lot of the storylines were dragging and uninteresting, which made the book a bit of a slog to get through.

My rating: 3/5 signs to beware of a bear? porcupine? zombie? it’s really not quite clear

The Words We Keep by Erin Stewart

Synopsis: Lily Larkin is trying her best to keep it together. Ever since she discovered her sister Alice attempting suicide, Lily’s been having panic attacks. She’s unable to focus at school, and she’s about to be kicked off of the track team for poor performance, but she can’t say anything because everyone is supposed to be keeping it together to support Alice in her recovery. It doesn’t help that she’s paired up with Micah for a school poetry project. Micah has a reputation at school for being crazy and manic, but the part that really stresses Lily out is that he spent time at the same treatment home as Alice; Lily cannot let anyone at school find out the truth about Alice. To make matters worse, the group with the best project will be entered into a contest, and the prize is a scholarship big enough that Lily could attend her dream college debt-free. Will Lily be able to move through her anxiety, or will it end up drowning her?

My thoughts: Readers will know that I’m 25, and thus out of my angsty high school era, which is when I would have most enjoyed this book. It isn’t something I would have picked up by myself, but I actually read it for work to see if it would make a good addition to the IBBY Collection for Young People With Disabilities, which collects children’s and YA books that feature disability (including mental illness) representation. I thought it was a fair representation of Lily and Alice’s mental illnesses, although it definitely could have done more. In particular, I wished it spent more time depicting Lily and Alice’s recoveries, and clarified if Lily was or wasn’t suffering from OCD and PTSD, instead of just generalized anxiety.

Rating: 3/5 random acts of guerilla poetry

Everyone on this Train is a Suspect by Benjamin Stevenson

Synopsis: About a year after the events of his true-crime memoir about finding the Black Tongue serial killer (see my August 2023 round-up), Ernest Cunningham is back. He’s been invited to be a panelist for the Australian Mystery Writers Festival. In celebration of it’s 50th Anniversary, the AMWF will take place this year on the Ghan, a cross-country train trip that traverses Australia from Darwin in the north to Adelaide in the south. Other panel guests include Lisa Fulton (who wrote one award-winning novel 20 years ago and is finally publishing a second), S. F. Majors (who writes psychological thrillers), Alan Royce (who writes forensic thrillers), Wolfgang (who writes literary fiction and believes that all other kinds are beneath him), and the guest of honour Henry McTavish (a Scottish author best known for his iconic Detective Moribund series). But when Henry McTavish drops dead during a panel, Ernest will risk life, limb, and his relationship in order to find out who killed his idol.

My thoughts: In both of Benjamin Stevenson’s books that I’ve read, the mysteries themselves were just okay; the real thing that knocks it out of the part is how Ernest cheekily breaks the fourth wall. I liked how Ernest added in a few emails to his publisher discussing the very book that you are reading. In this book, the mystery itself was quite convoluted, and I found it upsetting that Ernest and Juliette almost broke up because he was obsessed with solving it (#JusticeforJuliette). However, the final act of the book was really dramatic, and it was worth it to see the reveal and finally tie up all of the loose ends (and some of those ends were extremely loose!). Also, this is the first book that I’ve read to feature AI-generated fiction as a major plot point, and I think that one was enough. So if all authors could take my advice and not feature or even mention “Chat GTP” in any of their books ever, I’d appreciate it.

Rating: 4/5 men who were awarded the Justice in Fiction Award, Women’s Prize through special exemption.

Precious Cargo: My Year Driving the Kids on School Bus 3077 by Craig Davidson

Synopsis: It’s the summer of 2008, and Craig Davidson needs a job. After struggling as an author, he now needs something (anything) just to make ends meet. So, he signs up to drive a school bus in Calgary. This book is a true account of the year that Craig spent driving the bus, and the 5 passengers that he drove every day.

My thoughts: After reading The Words We Keep through a critical disability lens, I ended up using the same lens for this book, and found it to be a bit lacking. The main problem was that Craig made the book too much about himself, and how he related to and perceived the disabled passengers on his school bus. That feels like a weird complaint for a book that Craig himself wrote about his own personal experiences, and maybe I’m not really justified with that criticism. However, Craig didn’t really discuss any other aspects of his life outside of driving the kids around (especially why he stopped driving the bus and what he moved on to, which really bothered me). It felt like they were just along for the ride (literally), and didn’t seem to have much agency, or even really do much at all. Craig is an author, and he also included some chapters from the novel that was working on at the time, which was an X-men style book about a group of children with super powers. Eventually I could tell that it was obviously based on the children who rode his bus, but I don’t really know why he included it at all. It wasn’t a short story with its own narrative through line, it was literally just a few chapters sprinkled throughout the memoir.

Rating: 2/5 Code Blues (a non-specific serious emergency)

Much Ado About Nada by Uzma Jalaluddin

Synopsis: Nada Syed feels stuck. She’s almost 30 and still living at home. Her work as a software engineer is draining, and her big idea (a muslim-specific search engine called Ask Apa [Ask your Older Sister] that would give tailored advice and search results for young South Asian muslims) is dead in the water. Nada is still bitter that Haneef, son of Sister Rusul (friend to the Syed’s and Nada’s primary investor) launched his own app with the same concept only six months before Ask Apa would have premiered. The absolute last thing she wants to do is attend a Muslim convention, but her best friend Haleema’s new fiance is one of the organizers, and she promised Haleema that they would go together. But the conference goes badly for Nada. She gets into an embarrassing argument with Sister Rusul, and their fight goes viral. Even worse, she finally meets Haleema’s fiance Zayn, and Zayn’s brother Baz. Nada and Baz have a long history, much of it bad. Will Nada ever be able to move forward, or will she stay stuck in the past?

My thoughts: This book is not based on the Shakespeare play. It is supposed to be loosely based on Persuasion by Jane Austen, but I’ve never read or watched it, so I can’t really comment on it as an adaptation. However, I really think that it’s still a good novel by itself, which is the mark of a good adaptation. I really liked how the author flashed back to different points in Baz and Nada’s relationship, and how she slowly uncovered everything that happened over the course of the book. I also liked how the flashbacks included more history about Ask Apa, and how Nada was able to get justice and let go of her resentment. Even the plotline between Haleema and Zayn (while a bit overly dramatic) came to a mature and sensible resolution, which I really appreciated.

Rating: 4/5 dates at EJ Pratt Library on the University of Toronto campus, where I myself studied many times.

Ayesha at Last by Uzma Jalaluddin

Synopsis: Ayesha is a teacher in the Golden Crescent, a majority Muslim neighborhood in Toronto. She’s finally started her first ever teaching job since graduating with her degree, but it’s stressful and unfulfilling; in short, nothing like what she expected. What she really wants to be is a poet, but it’s not a career choice that her traditional family would approve of (and it won’t pay back her family’s debts to her uncle Sulaiman, which she’s determined to do). Even worse, she’s single at 27, while her younger cousin and best friend Hafsa is practically drowning in rishtas (arranged marriage proposals). Khalid has been working for a Toronto tech company for years, and he’s never really had any problems (but he hasn’t made any friends either). But he’s about to have a huge problem: the new HR manager, Shelia, hates that Khalid dresses and acts according to very old-fashioned Muslim beliefs (including always wearing a white robe and skullcap, not shaving his beard, and refusing to shake hands with any women who aren’t related to him). She’s determined to get Khalid to quit by sabotaging his projects. Khalid and Ayesha meet while organizing a Muslims in Action conference for the Toronto Muslim Assembly, and sparks fly between them. Organizing a conference is never easy, but the stakes couldn’t be higher: their initial consultant Tarek might be scamming them, and the conference is TMA’s last chance to avoid going bankrupt). Will Khalid and Ayesha be able to save the conference, even when Khalid gets engaged to Hafsa?

My thoughts: This is apparently supposed to be a Muslim retelling of Pride and Prejudice, but readers will know that I’ve never seen the movies or read the book, so this part is totally lost on me. I generally enjoyed it, but I think it’s the weakest of Uzma Jalauddin’s three books (perhaps a sophomore slump?) All of the plotlines relating to Hafsa (the mistaken identity, the alleged kidnapping, etc) were confusing and not entertaining, and I hated how immature she was, and how much she took advantage of Ayesha’s kindness. Overall I didn’t really vibe with this book, but I think that most romance fans probably would like it more than I did.

Rating: 2/5 coffee mugs left on the roof of your car as you drove away in a hurry

i am, your most faithful blogger, elisa

February 2024

This month I read 5 e-books and 1 e-audiobook from the Toronto Public Library, totaling to 6 books.

As there were no Dishonourable Mentions this month, let's get started!

Denison Avenue by Christina Wong and Daniel Innes

Synopsis: After her husband Henry is killed in a car accident, Wong Cho Sum slowly becomes unmoored from the world around her. She and Henry have lived in Toronto’s Chinatown neighborhood for years, but Henry spoke the most English and was the most sociable. Without him, Cho Sum is forced to exist in her own world with few friends, in a city that doesn’t care about its Chinese residents. This book is a poetic account of Cho Sum’s life in the years following Henry’s death, and how she is able to move forward.

My thoughts: This book definitely felt like a prose poem. It wasn’t written in verse, but there was a lot of lyrical observations about the world, as well as unusual sentence structures. It also definitely paid homage to Toronto’s Chinatown, (Readers will know that shortly after reading this book I co-incidentally visited Chinatown 3 times in 8 days, which really deepened my appreciation of the book) with descriptions and illustrations of many local landmarks. (The illustrations themselves were lovely, but I feel like they would have had a lot more impact if they were scattered throughout the story as direct references and illustrations of the plot, not just all stacked together at the end.) Cho Sum talks primarily in Cantonese, and the book does a great job of getting all the meaning across by having the Cantonese words spelled out phonetically, and then the English translations in brackets afterwards. A good friend of mine also noticed that the font used for the Cantonese transliterations was larger than all the others, ostensibly to make it more prominent to English-speaking readers. Although this book was not my favourite Canada Reads nomination, I think it should have won. It was a stark commentary on gentrification, ageism, racism, and social isolation within communities, and I thought it was quite good even though it wasn’t super enjoyable or entertaining for me to read.

3/5 cupboards covered in grocery store fruit stickers

Island Queen by Vanessa Riley

Synopsis: Island Queen is a novelization of the real-life historical figure Dorothy Kirwan Thomas. Dorothy was born into slavery on Monserrat, a British Overseas Territory in the Caribbean. Her father (an Irish plantation owner) owned her mother (a Black slave). In addition to doing the work required of her enslavement, Dolly began selling goods and picking up extra work in order to buy the freedom of herself and her family. She was a lifelong entrepreneur, and opened up housekeeping businesses and hotels across the Caribbean, all while raising (and fighting for) her 10 children. Although the book itself is fiction, and the details of many of her relationships, thoughts, and motivations are speculative, it's grounded in a lot of facts about Dolly's life, and was a very engaging and powerful read.

My thoughts: Considering that Dolly Kirwan Thomas was such a successful entrepreneur, I was pretty disappointed that the book focused so little on her professional activities. It mainly made vague references to her businesses, and all the action happened off-screen. I have to assume this is because the author didn’t know enough about it, but considering all the research she did I find this hard to believe. Instead, the book focused a lot more on her personal relationships with various boyfriends, which to me felt pretty sensationalist. The main message that I took away from it was how much Dolly could have benefitted from reliable birth control. This isn’t because she had 10 children, especially since she was never shown to be struggling to provide for them. Instead, I think that birth control would have allowed Dolly more freedom in deciding who she wanted to conceive children with, considering she constantly lived in fear that some of her children’s fathers would (and did) use the children to hurt or manipulate her. The book was told in a series of flashbacks while Dolly is trying to organize an important meeting, but I didn’t find the present-day plotline to be compelling (in fact I thought it was a lot less interesting than the other parts of the book). Overall this book was very long and wasn’t super enjoyable to read, and it almost put me into a reading slump.

2/5 white silk turbans

Within These Wicked Walls by Lauren Blackwood

Synopsis: Andromeda is a debtera, someone trained to exorcize curses from the Evil Eye. Unfortunately, she's a debtera without a license, since her mentor kicked her out for refusing to enter an arranged marriage, and she's been living on the streets ever since. But when she hears about Magnus Rochester, it's the opportunity she's been waiting for. If she can successfully cleanse Magnus' house then he'll become her patron, and it won't matter that she never was officially licensed. Unfortunately, Magnus has already hired and fired 10 other debtera; none of them were able to cleanse the house, because it's the strongest Evil Eye manifestation that they've ever seen. Will Andi be able to overcome the impossible and cleanse the house? Or will she become just another victim?

My thoughts: This was a really interesting read, with a lot of engaging world building and lore. I particularly liked how the books was obviously set in an unnamed African country, and any characters and perspective from the UK were viewed as foreign, considering a lot of what I read has the inverse perspective. However, the strong beginning gave way to a weaker second half, and eventually left me a bit disappointed with the whole thing.

3/5 piles of long, pale things with a red sauce smothering them (pasta)

Shut Up You’re Pretty by Tea Mutonji

Synopsis: This is a book of short stories, each a snapshot of the life of Loli, who immigrated from Central Africa to Eastern Toronto as a young child, and who eventually grows into a young woman. Normally I would review each story in a collection, but because they were all about different moments in Loli’s life, it definitely felt more like one larger novel, so I won’t do that.

My thoughts: This book has a lot of references to and depictions of sex, but in a decidedly non-erotic way (actions are described very clinically and without much enjoyment, the way one might brush their teeth or do other chores), and it was pretty jarring and overwhelming. However, there was a specific quote that really stuck with me: “I don’t know why he was so kind to me. I couldn’t tell if it was genuine or sexual. I tried not to make everything about sex, every act of kindness, every well-wish, every hello. But you go through life being touched, you go through life being looked at, you go through life with an uncle commenting on your breasts, or your brother’s friend giving you a condom for your birthday then denying it, you go through life being called a cunt on public transportation, you go through life being followed at midnight, you go through life being told you’re pretty, you’re pretty, you’re so fucking pretty — it gets complicated.” And she’s so right. It’s very much giving All-American Bitch by Olivia Rodrigo. This book was also a portrait of Scarborough, and covered themes like racism, classism, poverty, and mental illness quite well (almost hauntingly). It wasn’t necessarily an enjoyable book for me to read, but that doesn’t mean it wasn’t worth reading.

2/5 diy concoctions for waxing body hair that really should have been left to the professionals

The Mystery Guest by Nita Prose

Synopsis: One year after the events of The Maid (see my January 2023 review), Molly Gray is doing well. She’s been promoted to head maid at the Regency Grand Hotel, and she has a small but mighty group of friends to boot, including Lily, the painfully shy but astoundingly efficient new Maid-in-Training. The Regency Grand has finally recovered from the unfortunately death of a guest last year, and to celebrate they are hosting the legendary mystery author J. D. Grimthorpe at a luncheon in his honour, where he will make a special announcement. But unfortunately, J. D. Grimthrope dies at the luncheon, before he can make his announcement. The police are on scene, and they think it’s murder. Thankfully, Molly is not the prime suspect again. Unluckily, Lily is, and so Molly will have to do whatever she can in order to prove Lily’s innocence.

My thoughts: I do like the dramatic irony that is interspersed throughout this books narration, where the audience understands more about the social cues going on than the narrator (Molly) herself does. And overall, it was a good read. However, I really don’t want Molly to join the police force as the ending implies. She only ever solves mysteries because her (or her friends) freedom depends on it, not really because she enjoys it all that much. I know that leaving her maid job for something else is supposed to be a sign of character development and moving up in the world, but frankly I would much rather that happen while Molly is still a maid (ie quitting the hotel in order to start her own cleaning company). Otherwise it gives the impression that cleaning is a much worse profession than being in the police department. I also don’t want Molly to be the “token autistic person” (like the token queer or token BIPOC person) that the allistic police staff will use to “educate themselves” about autism.

3/5 (fake?) fabergé eggs that simply must be cleaned even if the patina makes it more valuable

Ark Angel by Anthony Horowitz

Synopsis: Alex Rider has been through a lot lately, including dismantling the operations of SCORPIA (a global crime syndicate) and getting shot by an assassin. It’s only right that he get some time to rest and recuperate in London’s best private hospital. But when Alex encounters a group of kidnappers trying to capture Paul Drevin, his teenaged neighbor at the hospital, Alex has no choice but to involve himself in order to save Paul’s life. Unfortunately, that results in Alex getting captured by the kidnappers, who are representatives of a new eco-terrorist organization known as FORCE THREE (named after Earth being the third planet from the sun). FORCE THREE is determined to take down Paul’s father, Russian billionaire Nikolai Drevin, for his crimes against the environment committed while building his businesses, especially Ark Angel, a hotel in space that Drevin is building in partnership with the British government. Fortunately, Alex survives his encounter with FORCE THREE. As a reward, Nikolai insists on treating Alex to a vacation, partially so that he can become better friends with Paul. But Alex has no idea what he’s about to get himself into.

My thoughts: The entire Alex Rider series is kid kino, and Ark Angel is no exception. This was one of my favorites of the series as a kid, and it definitely holds up when being re-read in adulthood (even if the villains have questionable ideas and motives). Readers will know that I have never been a fan of the James Bond franchise, so I was pretty surprised (and actually a little disappointed) to learn exactly how James Bond-esque these books are (A reliable source has informed me they are absolutely filled with tons of Bond tropes, including female minor characters having puny names and villain lairs in the Caribbean). But all-in-all the books are a lot of fun, and I look forward to reading the next one.

4/5 diamond-edged shoelaces that would have been a lot better if they were actually exploding earrings instead

i am, your most faithful blogger, elisa

January 2024

We are officially back with the first Reading Roundup of 2024! I had such a good time doing these in 2023, so of course I couldn't leave you, my readers, in the dark about all the books I'll be reading this year. Thanks for joining me on this journey! I'm very excited to see where the year will take us.

This month I read 10 ebooks from the Toronto Public Library.

Before we begin:

Dishonourable Mentions

An American Immigrant by Johanna Rojas Vann

Synopsis: Melanie Carvajal is a journalist working at a Miami newspaper, and it’s her dream job ever since she started last year. But after some lack-luster articles, her career is at risk. It seems the only way for Melanie to save it is by taking an assignment in Colombia, where her mother is originally from. Will Melanie be able to relax enough in order to reconnect with her culture and her family?

My thoughts: Melanie was such an insane workaholic that it really turned me off of the book. Readers will know that I recently graduated with a master’s degree, and now that I’m working a 9-5 job I’m finally in my work-life balance era. Reading is a hobby that I do for fun, so I definitely am not going to read things that give me second-hand stress.

You make like this book if: you are really on that hustle-grindset and need someone to tell you to take a break and reconnect with your roots.

And now,

The Real Reviews

Love Buzz by Neely Tubati Alexander

Synopsis: Serena Khan has made her dead mother proud: she has a stable, high-paying (yet boring) job at an esteemed accounting firm, she’s in a long-term relationship with a reliable (yet boring) boyfriend that her mom met before she passed. But in 6 weeks, Serena is going to be interviewed by her Alma Mater for a popular “Where are they now?” column that focuses on graduates sharing their successes. And she’s not happy with her life. While attending her cousin’s bachelorette party in New Orleans, she meets a tall, handsome stranger, who is from Seattle (like her). His name is Julian, he works in tech, and he likes Nirvana. Serena is instantly in love, but that’s all the information she knows about him by the time she’s forced to go back to Seattle. Impulsively, she breaks up with her boyfriend and quits her job, hoping to find Julian, but also hoping to change up her life. Will she be able to pull her life together in time for the interview, or will she be forced to reveal to the world just how much of a mistake she made?

My thoughts: At first glance, this book definitely seems like a romance, but I’m really glad that the author focused very little on the actual romance between Serena and Julian. Instead, it was mostly about Serena going through a mid-life crisis, and then actually making the changes she needed to in order to be actually satisfied with her life. I also really liked that she experienced a lot of bumps along the way, including a massive failure at her new job that she was still able to overcome.

Rating: 4/5 tops that can feature or flatter the parts of your body in a way that works for YOU

Four Aunties and a Wedding by Jesse Q. Sutanto

Synopsis: Meddy Chan has planned and photographed many weddings, but now it’s finally time for her own wedding! A few years ago she reconnected with her college sweetheart Nathan, but that’s a whole other story (see my November 2023 Reading Roundup for more details). It’s been hard for Meddy to find vendors that work well with her eccentric Chinese-Indonesian family, so she’s grateful to finally meet Staphanie and her family, who are also Chinese-Indonesian. Meddy can rest assured knowing that her dream wedding is safe in Staphanie’s hands. Or can she? During her bachelorette party (the night before her wedding), Meddy overhears Staphanie making plans to “take out a target” the next day; Staphanie and her family must work for the mafia, and are planning to kill someone at her wedding! Meddy cannot let that happen, and enlists the help of her aunties. Will they save a life and still save the wedding?

My thoughts: I really enjoyed the first book in this series, but this book definitely took it a little too far with the silliness. Meddy and her aunts got into a lot of shenanigans, to the point where Meddy kept having to leave her wedding events in order to deal with everything. It actually started to create a wedge between her and Nathan, much to my sadness, but everything did resolve itself in the end. I also liked how the book showcased the variety of families within the Asian Diaspora, and especially the awkward tension between Meddy’s family (new money Chinese immigrants to the US via Indonesia) vs Nathan’s family (his mom is white, his dad is Singaporean but spent most of his time in international schools and the UK).

Rating: 3/5 fancy hats with dragons wearing purple cheetah-print suits

When in Rome by Sarah Adams

Synopsis: Rae Rose is one of the world’s biggest pop stars, two weeks away from embarking on her global tour. She has talent, fame, and fortune, and she should be the happiest person in the world. But Rae Rose (real name Amelia) isn’t happy with life, and desperately needs a break. She loves all of Audrey Hepburn’s movies, especially Roman Holiday, but Rome, Italy is just too far for her to escape to unnoticed. However, Rome, Kentucky is only a two-hour drive from her house in Nashville. It’s the perfect small town to escape to. Unfortunately, Amelia only makes it 90% of the way there before her car completely breaks down on someone’s lawn. That someone is Noah, a grumpy older brother to three sisters, and owner of a small pie shop in Rome. Sparks fly between Amelia and Noah, especially when they learn it will take days for her car to be repaired. But can this big city pop star really make things work with such a small town boy?

My thoughts: This was a classic fluffy romance novel, nothing more and nothing less. I actually read it because I read the sequel (again, see my November 2023 roundup), which deals with Noah’s sister Annie and Amelia’s bodyguard Will. I loved the adorable small-town vibe of Rome, and I definitely got more of that with this book. I also really liked how Noah’s sisters became such good friends with Amelia (readers will know that my boyfriend and his friends are basically brothers, so their girlfriends (including me) are basically sisters-in-law). The only thing I wasn’t really a fan of was Amelia’s obsession with Audrey Hepburn; it felt super forced, like the author was trying to shoe-horn in their special interest.

Rating: 3/5 thermostats that were mysteriously turned down to 60 degrees fahrenheit, so you have no choice but to wrap your girl up in a blanket burrito

Dead Beat by Jim Butcher

Synopsis: It’s almost Halloween, and Harry Dresden has suddenly become very busy. One of his many mortal enemies (Mavra, Queen of the Black Court Vampires and suspected wizard) has demanded that he find and procure the Word of Kemmler, a notebook filled with the works of a notorious Nazi necromancer. If he doesn’t, Mavra will release photos of Sgt Karrin Murphy killing what appear to be innocent civilians (but what were actually Renfields, former humans whose minds have been shattered and will kill anyone who stands in front of them). Murphy was only doing that as a favour to help Harry out, so the least he can do is make sure that she doesn’t get fired from the Chicago Police Department in disgrace. Even more troubling, Harry isn’t the only one searching for the Word of Kemmler; there are at least three other necromancers in town. Plus, a few books ago Harry inadvertently picked up the coin of Lasciel, a fallen angel who could grant him tremendous power if he agrees to be her vassal.

My thoughts: I definitely liked this Dresden Files installment more than some of the earlier ones that I’ve read, and I’m almost struggling to put my finger on why. I think part of it is because there was more complexity in the characters and their relationships. At the same time, I think that Butcher changed up his normal formula. Typically, he gives Harry 3-4 distinct plot threads; they are all connected in some way but the relationships are usually not realized until the very end. This time, at least some of the plot threads were more connected (there were three different necromancer factions that Harry was battling, but they were all after the same prize). Regardless of what is causing it, this is the high that I’ve been chasing since I read book #10 (the first book that I listened too, and the one that really got me hooked on the series), so I’m definitely here for it.

Rating: 4/5 one-man polka bands

The Dead Romantics by Ashley Poston

Synopsis: Florence Day has a secret: people know that she edits books for a famous romance author, but in reality she’s actually the ghostwriter. Florence has a second secret: she can talk to ghosts. She’s not resentful of this ability, but it’s definitely put strain on a lot of the relationships in her life, especially with her family and her hometown. And she also has a third secret: ever since she broke up with her boyfriend (who didn’t believe that she could talk to ghosts), she’s been unable to believe in love, which is a huge problem for a romance writer. All of these things come to a head when her new editor Benji says that she has 24 hours to submit a manuscript that she’s been unable to finish for a year. That night, Florence’s dad dies, and she is forced to go back to her hometown and see her family and neighbors for the first time in years. And on top of all that, her new editor Benji appears in her hometown as a ghost, after he was hit by a car the same night that Florence’s dad died. Will Florence be able to reconnect with her family, oblige her dad’s wacky funeral requests, finish her manuscript, and help Benji come to terms with his newfound ghost status?

My thoughts: If I had a nickel for every time I read a romance novel by Ashley Poston where the female main character worked in the publishing industry in New York, fell in love with a man who would be a great boyfriend but is metaphysically unavailable, and knew an older woman who recently died in a way that profoundly impacted her, I’d have two nickels (which isn’t a lot, but it’s weird that it happened twice). I read the Seven Year Slip, which is also by Asley Poston (again, see my November 2023 round-up), and I really enjoyed it, so it’s not so surprising that I also really enjoyed The Dead Romantics. Perhaps it’s a bit formulaic, but it’s definitely a formula that is working for me, so I’m definitely not mad about it.

Rating: 5/5 rabid possums that were released into a police station (even though possums don’t usually get rabies)

Bad Cree by Jessica Johns

Synopsis: Mackenzie has been having bad dreams. But considering that she keeps waking up holding objects that were in her dreams (including twigs, pinecones, and the head of a crow), she’s starting to think that they might be more than just dreams (especially when her sister Sabrina keeps appearing in them). After three weeks (and several threatening text messages from someone claiming to be Sabrina), she reluctantly consults an auntie, who says that she needs to come back to her hometown of High Prairie, Alberta in order to get some help from the family. She hasn’t been back home in three years, not even returning when Sabrina died of an aneurysm last year, so her reunion with her mother, sister, and cousins is strained to say the least. Worryingly, the dreams actually get worse once Mackenzie arrives home, and even worse. Will Mackenzie and her family figure out what is causing the dreams, and defeat it? Or will she become the next victim?

My thoughts: This is one of the 2024 Canada Reads selections, and I’m really glad that it was, because I otherwise may not have ever heard of this book. It was definitely one of the strongest candidates, personally I hope that it wins. I thought it was a really interesting look into Mackenzie’s family, and an insightful portrait of how many Indigenous people (and also rural Canadians) are living in Canada today. I also thought the plot was very horrifying and very compelling at the same time, since I was gripped until the very end.

Rating: 4/5 High Prairie minutes (the distance between two branches of the trail through the local forest).

Grave Expectations by Alice Bell

Synopsis: Claire and Sophie have been best friends since high school, and still go everywhere together even 10 years later. The only caveat is that Sophie died in high school, and reappeared as a ghost that only Claire can see and talk to. Together, Claire is able to eek out a living as a medium performing seances. A college friend hires Claire (and Sophie) to be the entertainment for her grandmother’s birthday at an estate in the English countryside. The next day, Nana passes away in her sleep (100% natural causes, there’s truly nothing fishy going on), and her final request is that Claire solve the mystery of the other spirit that lives in the estate. This spirit is clearly tormented and suffering, but has only been dead for about a year. Claire (and Sophie) decide that they must fulfill Nana’s last request, and set out to investigate with the help of ex-policeman Sebastian and cool nonbinary teen Alex (Nana’s grandson and great-grandchild, respectively). Will this rag-tag team be able to solve the mystery and put the spirit to rest?

My thoughts: This was a pretty fine novel. I liked reading it, but nothing really stands out as being particularly good or bad. I wasn’t in love with the writing style, which was a little too British for my liking, but that’s my own fault for reading a very British book. I was a bit disappointed that they didn’t end up solving the mystery surrounding Sophie’s death, so I guess that that plot line may have been saved for a sequel.

Rating: 3/5 grandfathers who don’t care what the Wokerati say, they won’t stop putting mayonnaise in their Welsh Rarebits

Proven Guilty by Jim Butcher

Synopsis: After Harry Dresden was reluctantly recruited to be a Warden of the White Council of Wizards, he hasn’t really had a lot of time. First, he had to attend the execution of a teenage Warlock (an out-of-control apprentice wizard that has been performing black magic). Even though the warlock had been committing terrible crimes and was unquestionably guilty, Harry was still crushed that he couldn’t be saved. After the meeting, a member of the Senior Council asks him to look into Black Magic that has been loose in Chicago. At the same time, Molly Carpenter comes to Harry for help. Harry is too chivalrous to say no to any woman, child, or friend, so he’s forced to help Molly (daughter of Michael Carpenter, who is best known for being a Knight of the Cross and one of Harry’s few friends). Molly and her friends have organized a horror movie convention that keeps being attacked by real-life horror movie villains (with a lot of real-life consequences). After investigation, it turns out that the convention is under attack by phobophages (monsters that feed on fear). Harry devises a clever plan to dispatch the phobophages, but when it has unintended consequences, he must do the unthinkable: invade the very heart of the Kingdom of Winter.

My thoughts: This book has the same je ne sais quoi that Dead Beat had, and really should have earned a 4/5 rating. It was really cool to witness the battle in Arcutus Tor, which was referenced several times in Small Favour (the first book I ever read in the Dresden Files). However, there was such an egregious romance scene that I was forced to knock it down a full point to 3/5. I refuse to believe that any other sane writer (or any female writer at all) would have orchestrated a romance scene between Harry Dresden (who is about 33 years old, according to my calculations) and Molly Carpenter (who is probably 17, and basically Harry’s niece). Even though nothing actually happened between the two of them, and Harry didn’t do anything wrong, the scene definitely went way too far with sexualizing Molly and generally feeling like pandering to the male gaze in a way that made me feel gross. If I wasn’t already 8 books deep, I probably would have stopped reading the whole series here. But fortunately (or unfortunately, depending how you look at it), the rest of the book was actually pretty good, and I’m excited to see what new developments will happen in future books.

Rating: 3/5 guest passes to the first annual Splattercon!!

Meet Me at the Lake by Carley Fortune

Synopsis: Fern Brookbanks hates the family business. Her mother, Maggie, was always focused on running the Brookbanks Resort just outside of Huntsville, Ontario. But Fern hates living in a small town. As soon as she could, she moved to Toronto for university, and stayed there to work in a variety of coffee shops. Now, she’s a manager of a small chain of shops in the west end of the city, although the hipster Scandanavian vibe is the complete opposite of the simple, cozy coffee shop she’s always dreamed of opening. But after Maggie was killed in a car accident, Fern is forced to come back to the struggling resort and take over as the owner. Being back up there, surrounded by memories of her mother (as well as her unfortunately teenaged rebellious phase) is difficult. But nothing is quite as difficult as seeing Will Baxter check in to Brookbanks for 6 weeks, as a business consultant hired by her mother to help the hotel. 10 years ago, Fern and Will spent a single day together, but it was a day that neither of them ever forgot. And 9 years ago, Fern and Will pledged to meet each other at the lake, but it never happened. Will Fern be able to overcome her grief and her feelings to pull her life together and save Brookbanks?

My thoughts: This is another Canada Reads nominee for 2024, and it was definitely a good one. Overall, I did really like this book, although it didn’t quite have enough for me to rate it a 5/5. 10 years is a really, really long time to hold a torch for someone you’ve only ever spent one day with. And I wasn’t seeing the evidence that that single day “changed Fern’s life.” But I’m glad that Fern and Will’s relationship was the main focus, instead of a love triangle between Will, Fern, and Jaime. (Will is also an A+ love interest; complex but completely unproblematic). I also thought it was definitely a choice for the author to not actually focus very much on running (and saving) the actual resort; it was merely the backdrop for Fern’s relationships and inner struggles, and I’m not mad about it. Readers will know that I am a woman in my 20s just starting to figure my life out, so I resonated with Fern’s struggle to decide how she wanted her life to play out, especially in the face of her youthful (and someone arrogant) decisions.

Rating: 4/5 pencil drawings of you, with a big floppy sun hat and a bag full of books, waiting all alone on the dock

Fire Starters by Jen Storm and Scott B. Henderson

Synopsis: Ron and Ben are two Indigenous teens living on a reserve in Northwestern Ontario. After finding their uncle’s old flare gun, the two meet up with Mike and Jason, two white teenagers, to hang out at the town dump and practice shooting the flare gun. After Ron and Ben head home, Jason (and Mike, somewhat) end up burning down a convenience store to erase any evidence of Jason stealing a pack of cigarettes. When the town investigates the crime, old prejudices come to light. Will the real perpetrator be identified, or will someone else take the fall?

My thoughts: To preface any review that I make, I need to remind myself that this book is for a middle grade audience. Most of the issues I had with this book was that the story was extremely short and simple, which is idea for a book aimed at middle schoolers, so I won’t let that colour my rating. This book is a graphic novel, and some frames had an interesting 3D effect, where key objects (like blood spatters or flare gun shells) appeared 3D, as though they were scattered on top of the page. Some were even used to cover up swearing, which I thought was creative. But because it was a graphic novel, I had a lot of trouble (even more than usual) figuring out which teenagers were which, and that really hampered my understanding of the story. But readers will know that I am notoriously bad at identifying faces, so this is just me problem.

Rating: 3/5 hockey brawls that are a metaphor for strained relationships between the Indigenous and White populations

That's all 10 books I read in January, and my yearly total is now 10 books. See you next month!

i am, your most faithful blogger, elisa

Reading Roundup: My Crowning Achievement of 2023

December

Welcome to the final Reading Roundup of the year! This month I read 7 e-books from the Toronto Public Library, and 1 free podcast, totaling to 8 books.

Before we begin...

Dishonourable Mentions:

In the Lives of Puppets by TJ Klune

Synopsis: Giovanni Lawson, an inventor android, has built a fairy-tale haven of tree houses deep in the forest. His only companions are a sadistic nurse android, an overly anxious roomba, and his human son Victor. Together they live a live of peace and engineering. But one day while Victor is scavenging at the scrap heaps for spare parts, he encounters a new android, HAL. Will this newcomer force Giovanni to reckon with his hidden past?

My thoughts: I was completely spoiled by The House in the Cerulean Sea (also by TJ Klune), because I set really high expectations for this book that weren't met in the first third. In retrospect, that is my own fault. There was nothing wrong with this book, and if I had kept reading it I think (hope?) that I would have enjoyed it. But unfortunately I just lost track of my copy at work (Readers will know that I my workplace has thousands of books, so forgive me for losing track of a single one now and then, okay), and right now I have too many books on my shelf that I can't spare the time to go and look for it/get back into it.

You May Like this Book if: you don't go in with overly high expectations that can only lead to disappointment

And now...

The Real Reviews

Little Women by Louisa May Alcott

Synopsis: This classic novel follows the March family: sisters Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy, as well as their Mother, Father, and servant Hannah, as they live their lives in poverty in Civil War-Era America.

My thoughts: I initially started reading this book back in May while I was reading Great or Nothing, which is a Little Women retelling, because I wanted to compare it to the original text. Unfortunately, the original text is so long (and also not that compelling) that three weeks (the loan period for library ebooks) was definitely not long enough to read it. So, I put it aside with the intentions of finishing it. I finally picked it back up in November, but three weeks was still not enough time to finish it, so I started looking around for an audiobook. Unfortunately, all of the audiobooks I found were either not available to check out, or were abridged versions (and if I had listened to an abridged version, I would have had to classify it as an honourable mention instead of a read). So, I actually managed to find a podcast (Phoebe Reads a Mystery) where somebody read the entire book (totally unabridged, no commentary), and that was a lot better for me (especially since I didn’t have a time limit). In terms of the actual book, I’ve actually read it before, so I think reading it a second time meant that most of the emotional impact was dulled for me. I maintain my status as a Beth stan and an Amy hater, although I’m more accepting of Laurie and Amy’s relationship this time around. It was also (and I cannot stress this enough) WAY too long. The podcast I listened to needed 52 episodes and nearly 21 hours in order to cover the whole thing (although I only started listening where I left off with the regular ebooks).

Rating: 2/5 copies of Pilgrim’s Progress that are surely the best Christmas gifts ever

The Sentence by Christina Dalcher

Synopsis: In an alternate reality America, the death penalty has been completely outlawed, barring one major exception: the Remedies Act. The Act states that if a lead prosecutor is so sure of their case that they want to pursue the death penalty, then they themselves will be executed if the defendant was put to death but later found not guilty. It’s supposed to be a deterrent from using the death penalty in all but the most certain, vile cases (in order to minimize it, but also to minimize any wrongful convictions that lead to execution). Justine Callaghan helped to draft the Remedies Act as a law student, and now works as a lead prosecutor in Virginia. She’s only ever sought the death penalty in one case: Jake Milford, for the torture and murder of Caleb Church, a 7-year-old boy. But days after Jake is executed, his widow Emily approaches Justine with a piece of new evidence that could have exonerated Jake. If Emily submits this evidence to the courts or the media, Justine will be executed under the Remedies Act (for asking an innocent person to be executed). Justine must now re-investigate the crime, and come to terms with her own wrongdoing.

My thoughts: I thought this book was pretty interesting and made you think (although I feel like someone much more intellectual than I would probably rip it to shreds). It heavily focused on abolishing the death penalty (not necessarily because killing someone is bad, but because death is the one thing that can never be reversed, and there have already been too many people wrongfully convicted and then executed). I liked the contrast between Justine and Emily, especially because they were both widowed single mothers with sons the same age. I also liked that the end of the book was left as ambiguous; the reader never finds out if Justine will or will not be executed under the remedies act. I think it’s a bold choice by the author, but it didn’t feel unsatisfying (possibly because the book concludes with Justine having played out both scenarios in her head, so we know how her story would have ended).

Rating: 4/5 sets of Star Wars china that you swore you would never, ever buy

The Obsession by Jesse Q. Sutanto

Synopsis: To everyone, Delilah and Logan have a perfect relationship. Even Delilah’s mother and her best friend Aisha agree. But the truth is that they barely know each other. When Logan met Delilah on the first day of school, he instantly fell in love with her (read: became obsessed with her), and started stalking her. Delilah has been struggling with the recent death of her father and her mom’s new abusive boyfriend Brandon (who just happens to be a police officer). After physically, mentally, and financially abusing her mother, Delilah snaps and kills Brandon in a tragic accident. But unbeknownst to her, Logan has been spying on her and has video evidence of her crime. Delilah is now faced with an impossible decision: enter a relationship with her stalker, or go to prison for life. Has she just traded one abuser for another? And when the police investigation into Brandon’s death (as well as into drug activity at Logan and Delilah’s school) starts probing a little too close, will Delilah be able to survive the walls closing in on her?

My thoughts: This book was pretty average: not the worst thriller I’ve ever read, but definitely not the best. I was actually shocked when Delilah killed Brandon; I was so sure that it was going to be a dream/imaginary sequence that I initially skipped past it because I didn’t think it was going to be very important (turns out it was, oops). I also thought the death scene at the end was kind of rushed, because it ended up being the climax and it definitely caught me off guard (and I wasn’t even sure that the death scene ended in a death instead of just injury). I am glad that Delilah was able to figure everything out, although I wouldn’t call her a girlboss (the vibes just were not there). Finally, there was a key moment when Delilah realized that her neighbor also had footage of her killing Brandon, but it never came up again. What was the point of that? And doesn’t it mean that Delilah is still at risk of being arrested, regardless of what happened between her and Logan?

Rating: 3/5 homemade cookies that may or may not be laced with high amounts of MDMA

Herc by Phoenicia Rogerson

Synopsis: We all know the story of Hercules: a famous Greek demigod with legendary strength that completed 12 labors that no other mortal could ever have done. But is that the truth? Phoenicia Rogerson explores Herc’s life from the perspectives of those around him, including his family (stepfather Amphitryon, brother Iphicles, nephew Iolaus), wives (Megara, Omphale, Deianira), lovers (Hylas, Iphitus), and many other acquaintances. There are also a few epistolary chapters that include letters, wills, invitations, and other kinds of paperwork.

My thoughts: The best part of this book is easily the contrast between all of the different POVs. Rogerson does a really good job of capturing different tones as well as different perspectives on Herc himself, which helps to differentiate most (if not all) of the different POVs. My favourite chapter was easily “Eurystheus/Augeas Letters,” which was letters exchanged between King Eurystheus of Tiryns and King Augeas of Elis. Eurystheus was in charge of finding 12 different labours for Herc to complete, and he’s writing to ask if Herc can clean Augeas stables (famously polluted with a 3-foot-tall layer of horse manure). They clearly hate each other and the banter is hilarious. Some choice quotes: “Dear Augeas, King of a region so pointless I’ve already forgotten its name.” and “I suppose I await your response with breath. It is not bated.” However, it was kind of a slog to get through this book, so I can’t give it 5 stars.

Rating: 4/5 faces your mum makes like when you try to eat seven handfuls of olives all at the same time and you don’t know how to keep them in your mouth but you can’t spit them out because then you’d look like a loser who can only eat six handfuls of olives, which anyone can do

The Miniscule Mansion of Myra Malone by Audrey Burges

Synopsis: Myra Malone never moved out of her parents house. After a traumatic car accident at age five that killed her step-grandmother Trixie and gravely injured Myra herself, she’s been unwilling to leave the house. Most of her attention is captured by Trixie’s mansion, a miniature house (not a dollhouse for dolls) with exquisitely designed furniture and furnishings. Now at age 34, she blogs about the mansion and has become a viral sensation. Across the country, Rutherford Alexander Rakes III (aka Alex) has been recalled from China in order to help out with the family furniture business. He moves back into the family home (the estate that his father has always hated for some reason), and starts working at the store, only to run into customers that are obsessed with the furniture in the Miniscule Mansion, and are desperate to buy some life-sized versions for their own homes. To Alex’s shock, the mansion is an exact replica of his family’s home.

My thoughts: Readers will know that I LOVE miniatures, so I had high hopes coming into this book. However, I was left pretty disappointed. It had very little to do with miniatures, and the parts that did mainly focused on interior design, which I am also not particularly interested in. As a whole, it was more about magic, trauma, and family. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but I just didn’t find it to be especially compelling. There were times that Trixie’s storyline was the only thing keeping me going, even though I didn’t find that to be particularly interesting either.

Rating: 2/5 rooms that magically appear and disappear

You Should Smile More by Anastasia Ryan

Synopsis: Vanessa Blair hates her telemarketing job. Telemarketing itself isn’t really the issue, it’s more that her boss Xavier is crazy. As in, talks to himself (and his cat that he stole from his ex-wife) and walks barefoot around the office, crazy. She especially hates all of the after-hours events that Xavier forces them to organize and attend in the name of company unity. But when she gets fired, it still stings a little. Especially because she wasn’t fired for incompetence; Vanessa was actually great at her job. She was fired because Xavier “didn’t like her face”. To cope, Vanessa and her friends Jane Delaney (was also fired) and Trisha Lam (not fired but put on humiliating probation) get plastered, but wake up to find that Trisha has begun to execute their drunken 12-step plan to get revenge on Xavier. With no other choice, Vanessa and her friends (and her mom and her mom’s friends) begin their ad-hoc investigation into Xavier and the company. Will they be ready for what they find?

My Thoughts: I think this is a case where the title of the book doesn’t really match the contents. For a book called “You Should Smile More” about someone who got fired because of her resting bitch face, I thought I’d be reading about feminism in the 21st century and the hidden expectations of emotional labour in the workforce. Instead, I got something that was incredibly goofy and lacking substance. I cannot understate how goofy this book was. Readers will know that I am a very silly person and I love silly things, but this book felt immature. A lot of the characters felt like caricatures, and any depth that they did have was revealed too late to make a real difference in my perception of them. I think Anastasia Ryan is a debut author, so I hope that she is able to strike a better balance between silly and substance in her next book (Not Bad for a Girl) due to be released in 2024.

Rating: 3/5 foster kittens named unum, duo, tria, quattuor, and quinque

Dear Child by Romy Hausmann

Synopsis: 13 years ago, Lena Beck, a 23-year old German college student, went missing. Now, her parents have been called to a hospital near the Austrian border; there’s a woman there who matches Lena’s description, found after a car accident in a remote forest. But when Matthais and Karin arrive, they are devastated to find that the woman in the hospital is not Lena (although the two bear a striking resemblance). However, a 13-year-old child named Hannah recovered at the scene looks EXACTLY like Lena did, and appears to be Lena’s daughter. What really happened to Lena? What does Hannah know that she’s not telling? Where is Hannah’s father? And how will Jasmin (the woman in the hospital bed) cope with her ordeal?

My thoughts: this felt like a pretty standard German thriller novel (I’ve read a couple in my day). I initially put it on hold because I saw that Netflix was making a show based on the novel, although I have no intention of watching it because the book was just okay and the mini-series completely changes the ending, so I don’t want to subject myself to that. I don’t really have any specific complaints about the book, just that I didn’t like it that much. The only major issue I had was Hannah. I had a really hard time meshing her character’s thoughts and actions with a 13-year-old (I had initially guessed she was about 7 or 8). I also didn’t like that the author used Hannah’s Asperger’s as a gotcha (ie she’s just autistic, she’s not a psychopath (or is she)). I also didn’t really get Hannah and the real Lena’s travels: did they actually go to her grandfather’s garden and meet her grandfather? Because if they had it would have been a huge plot hole (why didn’t her grandfather rescue them).

Rating: 2/5 snowglobes missing exactly one shard of glass

Those Who Run in the Sky by Aviaq Johnston

Synopsis: Pitu is only a teenager in his Inuit tribe, but already he’s been nicknamed the Great Hunter. He is good at hunting, but his destiny is much greater than that: a tribal elder believes that Pitu will be the next shaman. It’s a position that comes with a lot of power, but also a price. After Pitu becomes lost and isolated while on a hunting trip, completely separated from his tools and sled dogs, he will face many challenges. Will he live to embrace his destiny?

My thoughts: This was definitely giving Inuit Percy Jackson, in that it was a middle grade adventure novel grounded in folklore, about a teenage boy that goes on a great journey in order to ultimately embrace his destiny. So I thought it was a pretty solid novel, and a really cool look into Inuit culture and folklore. There is a sequel, but unfortunately the characters just didn’t grab me enough to want to go out of my way to read it, so I will probably just leave it.

Rating: 3/5 childhood sweethearts that married someone else because everyone thought that you were dead

And finally...

The Bonus Bracelet of the Month

... will be on the cafe

i am, your most faithful blogger, elisa

November

This month I read 3 books and 6 ebooks from the Toronto Public Library, totaling to 9 books.

Before we begin,

Dishonorable Mentions

The Cloisters by Katy Hays

Synopsis: Ann Stilwell has an internship lined up at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Given that she’s just a grad student (studying renaissance-era tarot cards) from a small liberal arts college in Washington state, it’s the best that she could hope for. But when she arrives in New York, the Met has cancelled her contract. Her only hope is to take an internship at the mysterious Cloisters department at the Met. But will it be worth it?

My thoughts: This book was giving a cross between If We Were Villans by M L Rio and the Atlas Series by Olivie Blake. It’s not necessarily a bad thing, but I didn’t really want to read it.

You may like this book if: you’re a dark academia and astrology girly

And now,

The Real Reviews

Just Last Night by Mhairi McFarlane

Synopsis: Eve, Susie, Ed, and Justin have been best friends since high school. Now in their 30s, their bonds are closer than ever, even though life has worked out better for some than for others. But after a night out, Eve finds out that Susie was struck by a car and killed, shattering her world. Eve, Ed, and Justin must band together in order to survive the grief that threatens to consume them. Unfortunately, Eve must also cope with discovering some of Susie’s secrets. And how will the gang manage when Finn, Susie’s estranged brother, whom she had no lover for, comes to town for the funeral?

My thoughts: My main issue with this book is with the central conflict: Eve is mad at Susie for sleeping with Ed, because Eve has had a crush on Ed for many years. Truly, I have never really understood this style of conflict where Friend A is mad at Friend B for asking out Friend A’s Crush. To me, I think that it infantilizes the Crush and takes away their autonomy. If Crush doesn’t like Friend A back, then they were never going to be in a relationship! And if Crush likes Friend B (presuming that Friend B likes them back), why shouldn’t Friend B be allowed to date Crush? I understand that in a situation like this, Friend A is probably all emotions and no logic, but still. If Crush was actually Friend A’s ex, then I would feel differently (especially if things ended badly or Crush was toxic, problematic, or abusive), but I feel like that is rarely the situation. In the book, Ed and Eve admitted they had feelings for each other at the end of high school but by the time it was revealed, Ed was already dating someone else, so Ed and Eve’s “relationship” never actually existed. Plus, Eve was actually dating someone else at the time that Susie slept with Ed, so she has even less “right” to Ed than usual. However, I kind of liked the rest of the book. I thought it was a really moving picture of what grief feels like. I also really liked that Eve and Finn’s relationship didn’t develop until the very end of the book; I was worried that Eve was going to immediately start dating Finn and start hating the rest of her friends. Instead, Finn acted more as a therapist (his job), and helped Eve to process her emotions and her grief; plus she was able to do all fo the climactic confrontations without his help, which I also appreciated.

Rating: 4/5 journalists that exclusively cover funky little events happening in your local area (Readers will know that I LIVE for those events)

The First Bright Thing by J. R. Dawson

Synopsis: During the battles of World War I, the first Sparks were discovered: ordinary people that had been gifted with extraordinary powers (like healing, teleportation, and precognition). Edward and Ruth used their sparks to escape the perils of war and live freely. For a while. Years later, Ruth is now the Ringmaster (aka Rin) of Windy van Hooten’s Circus of the Fantasticals. It’s a safe space for outsiders of all kind, including many Sparks. And while Rin enjoys running the circus, she feels compelled to do more with her powers; specifically trying to end WWII before it even begins. It’s an impossible task, but Rin is killing herself trying to achieve it. Her wife Odette and best friend Mauve are begging her to let go of her fears for the future and live with them in the present. But when her past catches up to her, will Rin be able to protect what matters most?

My thoughts: This was an extremely touching and accurate depiction of what it’s like to be in an abusive relationship. I thought that Edward’s spark to coerce people was a great metaphor for a charismatic abuser. Unfortunately, the downside of portraying an abusive relationship and its lasting effects is that it’s that you as the reader end up taking some psychic damage, which made the whole thing a lot less enjoyable for me (especially because I binge-read the whole thing in one night). I also didn’t really like the ending, where Jo was fixated on showing the circus’s audience the future atomic bomb drops on Japan, and I feel like I didn’t really get it. So it was not my favorite.

Rating: 2/5 contracts that satisfy child labour laws that have not yet been invented

The Seven Year Slip by Ashley Poston

Synopsis: The world has been grey for Clementine ever since her aunt Analea passed away 6 months ago. To cope, she’s thrown herself even more into her work as a book publicist than usual, only making time for her married lesbian friends Drew and Fiona (who both work at Strauss & Adder with her, so most of their hang-outs still revolve around work). After breaking up with a lack-luster boyfriend and being kicked out of her apartment due to rising rent, she’s forced to move in alone into her aunt’s old apartment, which is filled with too many happy-turned-painful memories of her and her aunt. But the apartment still has some magic left in it: when you really need it, the apartment will take you back exactly 7 years into the past, in order to meet the person who was living there 7 years ago. 7 years ago, Clementine and Analea were backpacking across Europe, and a young man named Iwan was subletting the apartment for the summer. Clementine falls fast and hard for the Iwan of 7 years ago, a dishwasher with dreams of becoming and chef and opening his own restaurant. But Analea’s one rule was to never fall in love at the apartment; back in the day the apartment took her back 7 years to meet Vera, and although their love was intense, they were never able to work in the present day. Will Clementine be able to protect her heart, or is she doomed to a once-in-a-lifetime romance that she’ll never be able to get over.

My thoughts: This book was giving “Book Lovers” by Emily Henry in the best way, with a bit more contemplation and a bit less romance. It was clear that Clementine idolized her aunt, and although Analea may not have been right about every single thing, Clementine was still able to reflect on all the best parts of their relationship. Too often, I find that books go too far in the other direction and demonize the treasured friend/family member, or force a falling out (consider Nora and Libby’s falling out in Book Lovers). I also liked that the real enemy was capitalism; Clementine was able to quit her workaholic job and get back in to her hobbies (mainly painting pictures on the pages of travel guides, which I thought was pretty unique). Iwan also became a bit less of a workaholic, although ideally he would have taken it a bit farther to actually relax for once. Although this book was great, it did have a few small issues that would warrant a 4/5 rating. I felt that the author didn’t really commit to the obstacle preventing Clementine and Iwan from being together in the present day (magic vs professional boundaries in the workplace). I also thought it was a bit unbalanced that Clementine was struggling to reconcile the past Iwan vs the present Iwan, but both Iwans only interacted with present Clementine, so he didn’t have the same issue. (But upon reflection, I think this was probably for the best). However, the absolute devastation I felt after finishing the book, knowing that I could no longer read it, was crushing, so it’s been bumped up to a 5/5.

Rating: 5/5 couples of pigeons that will fly into your living room if you ever open the window, lovingly named Mother and Fucker

Gender Queer: A Memoir by Maia Kobabe

Synopsis: This graphic memoir chronicles Maia’s childhood and young adulthood as e discover eir identity as a non-binary and asexual.

My thoughts: I thought this book was an interesting and easy read, so I would definitely recommend it to someone who wants to read more about about gender identity. I also think that a graphic novel was a great choice for the content, not just because Maia is a noted cartoonist. To me, it felt like the graphics gave it a more whimsical feeling, and allowed them to express eir thoughts more dynamically through diagrams, cutaways, and fantastical scenarios. The only drawback about this format was that it illustrated every single scene in the book (including scenes about genitalia, sexual attraction, and masturbation). I want to stress to readers that none of these illustrations were actually graphic (pun intended), and that I would give the majority of the book a PG rating. Readers will know that I have hypophantasia, and never visualize things in my head as I read them, so I think the difference between a novel and a graphic novel was probably more shocking to me. In terms of the content of the book itself, the thing that struck me the most was that Maia seemed to really struggle to understand the world around em, including but not limited to gender norms, sexual desire, and romantic relationships. I wonder how much of this can be attributed to Maia’s gender identity and sexuality compared to other possible factors like being homeschooled, and (hypothetically) autism. It’s worth noting that Maia’s younger sister Phoebe (a cis lesbian) seemed to have a much better understanding of the world around her, and primarily gave guidance to Maia instead of the other way around.

Rating: 3/5 homemade “Johnny Weir, professional figure skater” halloween costumes

Practice Makes Perfect by Sarah Adams

Synopsis: Annie Walker is living her parent’s dream: she owns her own flower shop in her home town of Rome, Kentucky; she gets along with all of her siblings; and the whole town views her as a sweet (if naive) younger sister. The only thing she doesn’t have is a husband. So, Annie decides to go on her first date in years with the cute bank teller. Except, it ends disaster when her date thinks she’s so boring that he fakes and emergency just to leave early. Will Griffin is everything that Annie is not: exciting, adventurous, tattooed, and dangerous. He’s working as a bodyguard (sorry, Executive Protection Agent) in order to protect Annie’s future sister-in-law Amelia (aka famous pop star Rae Rose). After growing up witnessing his parents toxic and loveless marriage, Will has deep commitment issues, and even freaks out when he hears that his brother Ethan is about to get engaged. Amelia decides that what Annie and Will most need is each other: she arranges for Will to give Annie “dating lessons.” As the sparks fly, will two opposite strangers learn to fall for each other?

My thoughts: This was a good book, but it was undeniably a romance book. And by that, I mean that the romantic subplot was basically the entire plot, and almost every scene or interaction was viewed through the lens of a romance novel. I’m not saying that this book was a Harlequin-tier pulp romance (because it wasn’t), but I bring it up because it was such a drastic difference from the book I read right before this: The Seven Year Slip. While Annie did have a bit of a journey of self confidence, The Seven Year Slip had a lot more depth, and Clementine’s life was the central focus, instead of her romance with Iwan.

Rating: 3/5 pieces of siding that you ripped off the side of house just to create a distraction

Vera Wong’s Unsolicited Advice for Murderers by Jesse Q. Sutanto

Synopsis: Vera Wang’s World Famous Tea Shoppe is Vera Wong’s pride and joy (she named it after Vera Wang in the hopes of drumming up more publicity). But business has slowed down over the years, and now Vera only gets one customer a day. Her husband passed years ago, and her son Tillbert barely even talks to her. Then one day, Vera comes downstairs to find a dead man lying on the floor of her tea shop. How exciting! The police don’t seem to care all that much, so Vera takes it upon herself to investigate the crime, assisted by Rikki (allegedly a Buzzfeed journalist), Sana (allegedly a podcaster), Julia, the dead man’s wife, and Oliver, the dead man’s twin brother. What could go wrong?

My thoughts: Initially I was a bit weary of this book because the tone that was being used to describe Vera was a bit too mocking. Yes I understand that this is supposed to be a critique about Asian mothers and how overbearing they are, but I went in to this book expecting to like them and I thought it was a bit mean-spirited. However, I was able to push through and I’m really glad I did. Vera really did come through and put together her own found family, which was so heartwarming. Honestly the actual murder investigation was more a silly little thing that they were doing as a way to pass the time, instead of being the driving force of the book, which I appreciated. I also thought that the other characters (Rikki, Sana, Oliver, and Julia) in the family were compelling, and it was so nice watching them all pick up the pieces of their lives and start over happily (tbh it was almost too easy, but it was really nice to see all the same). I also appreciated that the dead guy was awful, so it was kind of good that he died.

Rating: 4/5 fresh lunches that Vera spent all morning cooking, so it would be incredibly rude to not let her in and answer her questions about your dead husband.

The Taming of the Shrew by William Shakespeare

Synopsis: Baptista Minola, a wealthy Italian, has two daughters: the youngest is lovely Bianca, courted by many, but the oldest is bitter Katherine, who hates everyone. Eligible bachelors across Padua are disappointed, for Baptista will not allow Bianca to marry until Katherine is married. Until one day, when Petruchio comes to town, and declares that he will make Katherine his wife. While he attempts to tame the eponymous shrew, the other men are still trying to secretly woo Bianca. But none go as far as Lucentio, who takes up a false identity as Bianca’s tutor Cambio, while having his servant Tranio pretending to be him (Lucentio) in order to keep up appearances.

My Thoughts: I had low expectations going into this. I would say that I’m pretty neutral on Shakespeare, I don’t hate him but I don’t love him. Most of the plays that I’ve read by him were the ones we studied in school, and were either histories or dramas (MacBeth, Julius Caesar, Hamlet, etc). I think this is the first Shakespearean comedy that I read, and low key it kinda slapped? There was a lot of banter, plus a lot of gaslighting and gatekeeping, but tragically no girlbossing, and that soured it for me. Katherine was basically forced into an abusive marriage in order to make her more palatable to men, which was not cool. I also was disappointed that Petruchio forced Katherine to marry him about halfway into the play; I assumed that most of the play would focus on Petruchio winning over Katherine by getting her to fall in love with him.

Rating: 3/5 wild Kates, conformable Kates, and household Kates

The Chandler Legacies by Abdi Nazemian

Synopsis: Chander Academy is one of the most exclusive private schools in the United States; it’s full of the children of politicians, CEOs, and celebrities. There are a lot of extracurriculars for students, but the most sought-after one is called The Circle. Every year, Professor Douglas picks a handful of students to join her exclusive writing seminar, and this year she’s picked five. Beth Kramer, who resents her status as a “townie” and just desperately wants to fit in. Sarah Brunson, who is tired of taking care of her mother and raising her younger sister. Amanda Priya Spencer, aka Spence, who is the privileged daughter of a model and a legendary alumni, but is being mentored by the shadiest teacher on campus. Freddie Bello, a champion pole vaulter who isn’t sure if he wants to continue with the sport he used to love. And Ramin Golafshar, who fled Iran because he was gay. Will these five students bond? Or will their secrets sink them?

My Thoughts: Don’t hate me, but I just didn’t really like this book. I’m not saying that it was a bad book, but it just wasn’t for me. (Yes, I am an adult, and yes, this book is about highschoolers, but it is so highly recommended that I just thought I was going to like it anyway). I definitely think that this book was written by the author for his own catharsis (especially considering it was semi-autobiographical, had a self-insert character, and focused a lot on the act of writing), which is totally fine, but it probably why I didn’t really get into it. I also felt like the pacing of the book was kind of rushed, especially towards the climax at the end. (It didn’t help that the ebook had no demarcators, so different scenes in the same chapter weren’t separated in any way, making them run together). Plus, I was kind of disappointed that the author spent so much time on the straight-passing relationship that fizzled out at the end, instead of the queer relationship that were married by the time of the epilogue.

Rating: 2/5 quotes from “Being for the Benefit of Mr Kite” by The Beatles that the characters saying to each other and I don’t understand why

Dial A for Aunties by Jesse Q Sutanto

Synopsis: Meddy is the last remaining daughter in the Chan family (her cousins aren’t dead, but they’ve all moved far away from Southern California in order to get away from their overbearing mothers/aunts). But Meddy isn’t brave enough to leave, so she’s stuck with her family: Big Aunt, Second Aunt, Third Aunt (aka her mother), and Fourth Aunt. Together, they have a wedding business, meaning that they spend even more of their time together. It’s not a bad life, but Meddy is getting a bit claustrophobic (not to mention her inability to leave ruined her best relationship with her college boyfriend Nathan, one that she hasn’t been able to get over even years later). Her mother is determined to set her up with someone else, and creates a fake tinder profile for Meddy. But her date ends disastrously, and Meddy is left with a dead body, and no one to turn to except for her mother and aunties. Will the Chans be able to cover up Meddy’s crime and cater the biggest wedding of the year?

My thoughts: This book was a kooky dark comedy (more emphasis on comedy than on dark) and was pretty delightful to read. I really liked how the author portrayed her own ethnic background (Chinese immigrants that came to the United States after initially settling in Indonesia), and I thought it was a wonderful backdrop for a very interesting (and comedic) family dynamic between Meddy’s aunts and mother. I also really appreciated that Nathan (the main love interest) was never ever problematic, loved Meddy exactly for who she was, and took her back with open arms and zero resentment. Other male love interests: take notes.

Rating: 4/5 business slogans that just tickle me (Don’t leave your wedding to chance! Leave it to the Chans!)

And finally,

The Bonus Bracelet of the Month

... will be posted to the cafe.

i am, your most faithful blogger, elisa

October

This month I read 2 audiobooks, 2 ebooks, and 2 print books from the Toronto Public Library, totaling to 6 books.

Before we begin,

Dishonourable Mentions

Marriage, A History by Stephanie Coontz

Synopsis: The author discusses the history of marriage (and the idea of marrying for love) from the beginning of human civilization, all the way to the 20th century.

My thoughts: This book is pretty long, and since I got it on ebook from the library, I was going to have to read an entire chapter per day if I wanted to finish it. So I just didn’t. In my defense, I did read the first quarter, and the entire thesis across several chapters was that marriage unions were usually made to build relationships between different family groups, not for love. You need community in order to survive, and marrying your daughter to their son will grow your community. I get it. So I don’t feel that bad about not finishing it.

You may like this book if: you want to do me a solid and tell me if I was right about this book.

The Body Below by Daniel Hecht

Synopsis: Conn Whitman’s only remaining vice is his long swims in various bodies of water all around Vermont. It’s the only way he can really clear his head. During one of his swims, he crashes into a large object partially submerged in the water, and although it spooks him, he doesn’t report it to the police. It turns out that object was the body of Conn’s estranged sister Trudy, who went missing days ago. As the police investigation into Trudy’s death continues, Conn (a journalist by trade) starts his own parallel investigation, determined to get to the bottom of what really happened.

My thoughts: Readers will know that I often hate it when people who are not the police try to solve mysteries, especially when they do it badly or there are no other endearing characteristics. Generally I didn’t find this book to be interesting, and because it’s 500 pages long, I wasn’t about to sit through it just for the sake of finishing it. The eponymous body on the front cover also looks like one of those 3-D ultrasound pictures people get of their developing fetuses, which certainly doesn’t help the book be endearing.

You may like this book if: you like true crime but in a boring way

And now,

The Real Reviews

Nine Perfect Strangers by Liane Moriarty

Synopsis: Frances is a romance writer who was recently defrauded by an internet romance scam. Carmel is a newly divorced mum of four little girls. Tony is a retired Aussie Rules Football star who doesn’t see his adult children much. Ben and Jessica are a young married couple who recently won the lottery, and are now struggling in their marriage. The Marconi family (Parents Napoleon and Heather, and daughter Zoe) are still struggling three years after their son Zach committed suicide. And Lars is just a family lawyer that enjoys health retreats. These nine perfect strangers have congregated at Tranquillim House, a historic house in the Australian bush country, in order to be refreshed, rejuvenated, and transformed. Tranquillum House owner Masha takes the business of personal transformation very seriously. Secretly, she’s a huge advocate of psychedelic therapy and microdosing LSD, although none of the guests know that. Will the nine strangers come out the other side of their experience with a new lease on life? WIll they come out at all?

My thoughts: This book is possibly the greatest piece of meta-fiction ever, in that the first half was completely boring, but once the characters started taking LSD, it became way more compelling. The actual trips themselves were fun, and then the plot sped way up, and the events that took place after the trips were a lot more interesting. It was also more interesting to watch Masha’s descent into obsession, and to see the characters make a lot of breakthroughs, instead of just listen to everyone complain about their lives all the time. I think the beginning of the book also felt more boring because I used an audiobook for the first three quarters, and the narrator was good but very slow and plodding. Thankfully, the audiobook glitched and refused to play certain chapters (I’ve never had that before??) and a paper copy of the book was delivered basically into my arms, so the last quarter that I read only took me 45 minutes, instead of a projected 3 hours.

Rating: 3/5 human pyramids that you really should have formed instead of trying to execute a ridiculous jump straight out of Aussie Rules Football

The Last Devil to Die (Thursday Murder Club #4) by Richard Osman

Synopsis: The Thursday Murder Club have another mystery to solve, but this one hits a bit closer to home than usual. Kuldesh Singh, noted antiques dealer and beloved friend of Stephen and Elizabeth’s has been found shot dead in his car. The one thing not found at the scene was a small box containing $100,000 of cocaine. This has greatly upset some of the local cocaine dealers, as well as members of the National Crime Agency, who have come all the way from London to take over the case, forcing Chris and Donna to investigate some local horse thefts. On a more somber note, Stephen’s struggles with dementia continue to worsen, leaving Elizabeth in a hellish private situation, while Joyce, Ron, and Ibrahim attempt to step up. Will they find the cocaine and avenge Kudesh’s death?

My thoughts: Again, Osman absolutely knocks it out of the part with another fantastic book. I really liked that the book’s own synopsis mentioned that the club would have to make their way through heartbreak, because the aforementioned heartbreak was actually grief and not just a break-up or something. It’s not fully divested from romantic love, but it’s another kind of emotion that should get explored more. I will warn potential readers that I had tears streaming down my face during my lunch break, so don’t read this while at work. Honestly, every part of this book was good. The characters are all iconic, the writing style is chef’s kiss. I would actually consider paying $40 (the price for a new copy at Indigo) for it, which should tell you all you need to know. Osman has said that he’s taking a break from the Thursday Murder Club in order to write about a Father-in-Law/Daughter-in-Law detective team, hopefully to be released sometime next year, which I will be forced to read out of loyalty.

Rating: 5/5 little orange foxes with white tips on their ears named Snowy

Just Another Missing Person by Gillian McAllister

Synopsis: 1 year ago, Detective Julia Day failed at her job. A young woman, Sadie, went missing and Julia failed to find her because she was too wrapped up with her own daughter, Genevieve. A local criminal attempted to rob Genevieve at gunpoint, and she accidentally stabbed him in self defense, leading to his death. Julia has been so occupied with covering up the crime and protecting her daughter that it has affected her marriage and her job. 1 year later, things are finally starting to get back to normal when a different young woman, Olivia, is also reported missing. But when Julia starts investigating the case, a stranger threatens her: plant evidence and convict a local boy of Olivia’s murder, or else he’ll reveal Genevive’s crime to the public. Will Julia be able to stay true to her convictions and redeem herself?

My thoughts: I think this book made really good use of the second person, by using it to mix up different timelines and obscure who the narrator was actually talking to. The characters were not particularly noteworthy, but the plot was fine up until the last few twists. I thought it was tired and overdone, and although there was technically some foreshadowing I found it to be a bit abrupt (as if the author just gave up and used a trope to assign the final killer). I also thought it was strange that the main character completely missed the book’s climax; she only briefly confronted the killer before she was locked in the trunk of her car, and the killer ended up being defeated by a minor character. That minor character also immediately released the protagonist, so it wasn’t like there was a dramatic search for her or anything.

Rating: 3/5 work husbands who can’t say no to a side hustle

The Dresden Files

Death Masks (Dresden Files #5) by Jim Butcher

Synopsis: Harry Dresden has been hired to do his most important task ever: find the missing Shroud of Turin. Yes, the Shroud of Turin that Jesus himself used. It was stolen from Italy by a group of European Thieves known as the Church Mice, and is thought to be in Chicago. Unfortunately this has come at a very busy time. The War between the Red Court of Vampires and the White Council of Wizards is still ongoing, and the wizards are taking heavy losses. Paolo Ortega, a Duke of the Red Court and a very powerful vampire, has challenged Harry to a duel: if Harry wins, the Red Court will surrender and end the war, but it’s a duel to the death, and if Harry loses he will die. Ortega has also causally mentioned that he’ll kill all of Harry’s friends if he doesn’t agree to participate in the duel. Plus, Karrin Murphy of the Chicago PD needs Harry’s help with an unusual corpse: a man who apparently died from every disease all at once. And, Susan (Harry’s ex-girlfriend turned vampire) is back in town. Will Harry be able to save his friends, recover the shroud, end the war, and save his girlfriend? (No.)

3/5 epic battles at Wrigley Field

Blood Rites (Dresden Files #6) by Jim Butcher

Synopsis: Harry Dresden doesn’t have a lot of friends, and the few he has have done him many favours over the years. So when Thomas Raith, a White Court vampire who has helped out Harry a few times, asks for a favour, Harry of course agrees to help him out. Thomas’s friend Arturo Genosa is a film producer whose production assistants keep being killed in mysterious and unlikely ways (Eg. getting hit by a car while waterskiiing). Thomas is worried that someone is trying to kill Arturo, and Harry agrees to go undercover on the set in order to find the killer and protect Arturo. At the same time, Harry is being hunted by Black Court Vampires, whose superior strength, speed, and power make them formidable enemies. In order to protect himself, Harry is forced to go on the offense and put together a strike team that will destroy the vampires, their leader Mavra, and rescue a group of children that they have taken hostage.

3/5 Renfields: humans who have been so deeply mind controlled by Black Court Vampires that their psyches have been broken, turning them into insane killing machines

My thoughts: The saga of me trying to read through all of the Dresden Files continues. To be honest, the books are starting to blend together at this point, especially because each book has so many different plot threads that are going on at the same time. I didn’t even fit all of them into my synopses because it would have been too confusing. Jim Butcher is also still extremely horny, to the point where it is making me uncomfortable. In Death Masks, Harry attends a party undercover with Susan. Even though they aren’t together, Harry is deeply in love with and attracted to her. So why, when they are literally holding hands, does he oogle another woman at the party (who is literally working as a bodyguard for one of Harry’s enemies)?? And in Blood Rites, Arturo Genosa turns out to be an erotic film producer, so Harry is constantly on set with (and oogling) a bunch of porn stars. Are men okay??

Baseballissimo: My Summer in the Italian Minor Leagues by Dave Bidini

Synopsis: This is the true account of how Dave Bidini spent the summer of 2002: living in Italy and reporting on the Nettuno Peones, a minor league Italian baseball team. Nettuno is a small town in the Lazio region of central Italy, just south of Rome. In WWII, it was an important HQ for the Allied operations in the Italian theater. The American soldiers played baseball with each other during their time off, and introduced it to the local Nettunesi, making Nettuno the birthplace of Italian baseball. Dave, born in Toronto to Italian-Canadian parents, grew up a staunch Blue Jays fan. He later became a newspaper columnist and musician in two bands (the Rheostatics and the Bidiniband). In the book, Dave chronicles the Peone’s 2002 season, detailing each game and most practices, interspersed with his own memories of watching baseball.

My thoughts: This book rates 3/5 for content, but 5/5 for pure vibes. A Canadian born in Toronto with Italian heritage that likes the Blue Jays? Readers will know that’s literally me! Apparently, he’s the only person to have ever been nominated for (what I consider to be) the Canadian EGOT (Gemini (TV), Juno (Music), Genie (Film), and Canada Reads (Books)), which is hilarious if true. Dave clearly cares A LOT about baseball, which is nice to see, but as a more casual and recent fan most of it went over my head. However, the wacky stories of him and his young family living in Italy for the summer and hanging out with all the players were so perfect. I think the choice to follow the Peones instead of Nettuno’s major league team was a great one: they didn’t have a lot of money or a ton of skill, but they had A LOT of heart. He was also able to focus more on the people and the culture instead of getting caught up in statistics and jargon. He gave every Peone’s player a nickname (including The Emperor, Solid Gold, Fab Julie, and Skunk Bravo, to name a few), attended every practice and game, and practically lived with the head coach Pietro. I also really appreciated that many of his conversations were sprinkled with Italian words (the vibes! impeccable).

Rating: 4/5 Italian-Canadians living the dream

And finally,

The bracelet of the month will be posted to the cafe.

i am, your most faithful blogger, elisa