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