June

This month I read 2 books and 1 audiobook from the Kingston Frontenac Public Library, plus 6 ebooks and 2 eaudiobooks from the Toronto Public Library, totaling to 11 books.

Tons of spoilers ahead!

Dishonourable Mentions

In at the Deep End by Kate Davies

Synopsis: Julia is a frustrated twenty-something living in London: frustrated that she's constantly third-wheeling her roommate and her roommate's boyfriend, but even more frustrated that her past relationships with men have been so unfulfilling.
My thoughts: I am too sex-negative to read this book. I physically had to put it down because I was too uncomfortable.

You may like this book if: you are a closeted queer but don't know it

And now...

The Real Reviews

The 22 Murders of Madison May by Max Barry

Synopsis: Felicity (a reporter) usually writes about politics, but one day she's tapped to write about Madison May, a 22-year-old real estate agent who was gruesomely murdered while showing a house. It's your typical horrific murder scene, but the killer drew a weird symbol on the wall (in his victim's blood). Determined to find out more, Felicity does some research and finds that it's the logo of the Soft Horizon Juice Company. When she goes to the company headquarters, she spots a man who was skulking around the murder scene, and decides to follow him onto the subway. When the man, aka Hugo Garrety, sees her, he gives her a mysterious stone object, and pushes her onto the tracks. Felicity manages to not get hit by a train and is physically unharmed. However, she might be going crazy. One of her cats is missing (not like he ran away, but like he never existed). Her boyfriend Gavin is suddenly a great cook when he used to get take-out 5 days a week. And Madison May is alive and well, but she's not a real estate agent. It turns out that Felicity has traveled to a parallel dimension, and if she doesn't do anything, Madison May will be killed again.

My thoughts: Because this book requires so much set-up, it took a long time for the plot to really get going. There were a few chapters from Madison's perspectives, including the very first chapter of the book when she was murdered, which added a lot of depth. The book had an in-depth plot summary on the inside flap; readers will know that I usually like a long summary, but this one spoiled the “twist” about Madison dying, which I think would have been more impactful as a surprise. I wasn’t super enamored by Felicity’s character, but I did really like that Madison ended up killing her stalker, instead of having to be rescued by someone else.

Rating: 3/5 bricks that are actually totems that help you travel between similar multiverses

The Dresden Files

This month I finished three books in the Dresden Files series, an urban fantasy about Harry Dresden, Chicago’s only wizard-for-hire. These were all audio books narrated by James Marsters, aka Spike from Buffy the Vampire Slayer. I was never a big fan of Spike, but Marsters is an excellent narrator and really captures the essence of Dresden (a grouchy wizard with a heart of gold). So far, at least 17 books in the series have been released since 2000; it was projected to be 20 books with an additional concluding trilogy, but allegedly the author is behind schedule, and may have to release extra books to fit in all of the content (The absolute opposite of George R. R. Martin). So, don’t expect me to finish this series! (But I can reveal that I’ve just started my fourth book, so look out for that in July). As a whole, the Dresden Files also give me a lot of TTRPG vibes: the main character travels from battle to battle (which are excruciatingly described in two-to-three chapters each), and also picks up lore, brews potions, and casts spells.

Storm Front (Dresden Files #1) by Jim Butcher

Synopsis: Harry Dresden is America’s only wizard for hire. His newest client is Monica Sells, whose husband Victor likes to dabble with magic and has recently gone missing. Unfortunately, private investigator work doesn’t pay the bills that well, so he mostly works as a consultant for the Chicago Police Department. Lt Karrin Murphy, head of Special Investigations, only calls him in for the really weird cases. Like this one, where a couple were killed in the middle of conjugal relations when their hearts literally exploded out of their chests. Only a dark wizard with incredible power could have accomplished that. Harry will have to investigate the black magic, stop the killer, and find Monica’s husband. This may require some illegal activity, so Harry will have to do all that while simultaneously proving his innocence to the White Council (the wizard governing body).

My thoughts: For an introduction to the series, I thought this was pretty good. Butcher fleshed out both Harry’s PI office, his home laboratory, and his relationship with the Chicago PD. Unfortunately, there were still a lot of lore references to things that had happened in the past, which frustrated me a little bit because this is the first book! Of course Harry is allowed to already have experience with his powers, but I wish that the author didn’t just gloss over really important bits of lore that had significant effects on the current plotlines. But over all, the story was well rounded and very exciting.

Rating: 3/5 Victor-cels (it’s probably actually Victor Sells, but the joy of audiobooks means that I can pick any spelling I want).

Fool Moon (Dresden Files #2) by Jim Butcher

Synopsis: Last month, 5 people were brutally ravaged by some wild animal over a three-day span. Last night, someone was killed in the exact same way. With no other choice, Lt. Karrin Murphy is forced to call on Harry Dresden (they’ve had somewhat of a falling out ever since Murphy was attacked by a giant scorpion hidden in Harry’s office). Harry is almost out of money, so he’s desperate for any kind of work. But when he arrives at the crime scene, he and Murphy face some violent resistance from FBI Agent Denton and his crew, who technically have jurisdiction. Instead, Harry and Murphy head to a different crime scene, where the body of Kim Delaney (a former student of Harry's) was discovered next to a broken summoning circle. Murphy immediately arrests Harry for Kim's death, and locks him in the back of her squad car. A mysterious woman named Tara West then approaches Harry and offers him a choice: stay safe with the police and let more people get killed from werewolf attacks, or betray Murphy and come with Tara to find the werewolf and save innocent lives.

My thoughts: I appreciated that the author didn’t just default to one type of werewolf: he actually incorporated at least four different kinds, all with different transformation mechanisms and motivations. At one point there were 5 different groups/types of werewolves that were all intricately involved in the plot. Something that I didn’t like, however, was Murphy’s and Harry’s professional relationship. Maybe I’ve been spoiled by reading Small Favour (review below), but I really don’t like that Murphy deeply mistrusts Harry, and is constantly suspecting that he committed the crimes in question. It’s giving rom-com third-act conflict where the main couple break up because of some dumb miscommunication. If Harry had gotten his shit together and actually been honest with Murphy from the beginning, he would have gotten way less injuries (truly, the amount of injuries that Harry gets in this book are staggering), and they could have actually worked together.

Rating: 3/5 Full Moon Garages, a business that is so obviously a front for werewolves

Small Favor (Dresden Files #10) by Jim Butcher

Synopsis: The three billy goats gruff may seem like a childish fairy tale, but if you saw a gruff in person, you wouldn’t be so dismissive. Harry Dresden is busy training his apprentice Molly Carpenter when two gruffs show up at the Carpenter’s home, very nearly killing Molly, her nine siblings, her mother Charity, and her father Michael. Soon after, Karrin Murphy calls in Dresden to investigate an apartment building that was so destroyed it was practically chopped in half. It turns out that Johnny Marcone, notorious Chicago mobster, was kidnapped from the apartment building. Marcone and Harry are frequently butting heads (Harry’s strict moral code preculdes him from ever working for Marcone, despite the many job offers, to which Marcone takes continual offense), and Harry might not have even tried to rescue him if it weren’t for Mab. Mab, Faerie Queen of the Winter Court, demands that Harry rescue Marcone, by cashing in one of three small favors that Harry owes to her. With no choice, Harry is forced to investigate Marcone’s disappearance, all while being pursued by the gruffs.

My thoughts: This is definitely my favorite book in the series so far. Readers will know that even though it's the 10th book in the series, and it’s actually the one that I listen to first (because it’s the audiobook that I first discovered). It’s what got me hooked on the series, and has compelled me to go back and listen to the first two. There was a great cast of interesting characters, and Harry had a large group of allies that he was able to team up with. Murphy herself saved Harry’s life at least once, and generally didn’t suspect that he had committed any of the crimes that she was investigating, which was a big W.

Rating: 4/5 blasting rods that you forgot about for some reason, almost as if someone had interfered with your mind (but surely you would have remembered if that had happened)

If We Were Villains by M. L. Rio

Synopsis: Oliver and six of his friends (Richard, Meredith, Wren, James, Alexander, and Filippa) make up the fourth-year theater class at Dellecher University, where they study and perform Shakespeare. In 1997, the seven are inseparable; having made it through the first three years of the grueling program. Their final year should be a cakewalk, but not everything is as it seems. 10 years later, Oliver has finally been released from prison, after allegedly committing a murder. But Detective Joseph Colborne, his initial arresting officer, never really believed that Oliver was telling the truth. Now that Colborne has retired from the force, he approaches Oliver one last time: desperate to know what really happened, if only to satisfy his own curiosity.

My thoughts: This book is definitely for Shakespeare nerds, and the more plays you know the more you will enjoy the book. The characters are constantly quoting Shakespeare at each other as a way to hold entire conversations, the same way that you and I might quote vines or memes (but more extreme). I am most familiar with Macbeth, so I was “DUDE”-pointing when I recognized lines from it. Unfortunately, the dynamics of the fourth-year class were kind of toxic; Oliver was involved in two separate love triangles, Richard was high-key physically abusive towards all of his friends, and despite supporting each other, they were also all kind of dicks to each other. Plus, they conspired to defend each other after the murder happened instead of just being honest with the police (readers will know that I consider covering up a murder to be very toxic behavior). I still don’t really understand why Oliver confessed to killing the victim when he absolutely didn’t have to. I also wish that Oliver and James’ relationship had been developed more, partially because the were cute together, and partially because it would have clarified more of Oliver’s actions.

Rating: 3/5 Christmas masques where everyone is secretly assigned a character from Romeo and Juliet, and they all just show up on the night of to perform it for the first time to entertain the rest of the school.

Aces Wild: A Heist by Amanda DeWitt

Synopsis: Jack Shannon is basically Vegas Royalty. His grandfather founded the Golden Age Hotel and Casino, which is currently run by his mother Aileen. For now, Jack is stuck running underground blackjack rings at his preppy private school, but he hopes to eventually take over the family business. But his world shatters when his mother is arrested for for illegal gambling or something. Jack is convinced that his mother has been falsely accused, by none other than her main rival hotelier, Peter Carlevano. Jack reaches out to his best friends for help; a group of perpetually online asexuals who have never actually met in person; to break into Carlevano’s casino and steal back the proof that will exonerate his mother. Will they be able to pull off this heist?

My thoughts: From the outset, this book appeared to be a venn diagram of two of my favorite things (heists and people who hate sex), so I had a lot of high hopes. Unfortunately, I was let down. Firstly, I wasn’t convinced that Aileen was actually falsely accused; Jack himself is aware that his mother and grandfather did a lot of shady things in order to build their casino empire, so I just figured that the police had finally caught up with her. Secondly, I thought the whole heist part was kind of juvenile. Peter Carlevano’s “little black book” with all of his secrets is definitely not actually a small black notebook, and it’s definitely not hidden in a statute at a secret high rollers club. Usually I gravitate towards heists because I find the plans very clever and intriguing, but I just wasn’t impressed. Finally, I was under the impression that this book wasn’t going to have any love storylines in it at all (partially because it’s about a group of asexuals, and partially because Jack begins the story by stating “this is not a love story), but that wasn’t really true either. I acknowledge that not all asexuals are aromantic, and that their stories deserve to be told too, but I really had my heart set on an aro/ace tale.

Rating: 2/5 money backpacks that burst open and spill your supply of poker chips all over the floor of your rival’s casino

The Atlas Paradox by Olivie Blake

Synopsis: Last year, 6 initiates were selected by the Alexandrian Society to become the most powerful medians of their generation. This year, only 5 remain. Libby Rhodes’ lifeless body was found in her bedroom, although not all of the initiates believe that she’s actually dead. But their searching yields no results. In reality, Libby has been trapped in a prison specifically designed to contain her, and must sacrifice everything if she ever wants to return home. Tristan, Nico, Parisa, Callum, and Reina all continue with their independent studies, and attempt to unlock the secrets of the Archive. Ezra works in tandem with the forum and a small group of allies to attempt to topple the Society by targeting the newest initiates. Will any of them succeed?

My thoughts: I didn’t like this book as much as the first one (see my April Reading Roundup). It felt like a lot of the characters weren’t really doing anything besides hanging around the big house, whereas the first book was a lot more action-packed. The only exceptions to that were Libby and Ezra. Ezra was busy trying to dismantle the Alexandrian Society by bringing the current class of initiates into the forum instead, but he wasn’t successful at all. He also seemed pretty weak and not really in control of anything, despite his own perception of himself. On the other hand, Libby was extremely busy trying to break out of Ezra’s prison (first a studio apartment, and then the year 1989), and I thought her storyline was very interesting. Most of the other initiates didn’t really accomplish anything with their independent studies, and few of them even kept their promise to work on rescuing Libby. Again, there was a lot of philosophical discussion about magic, energy, and time, but the characters didn’t really act on it. Finally, the paradox that the book is named after doesn’t really make any sense (essentially, the more powerful you accumulate, the more power you are able to accumulate, but until you actually get that power, “to gain power is to become increasingly powerless). Overall, I’ve become pretty disillusioned with the series, but I’ll still probably read the third book when it’s released.

Rating: 2/5 gays that finally admit their feelings for one another (one of the only high points in the book)

The Twist of a Knife by Anthony Horowitz

Synopsis: Anthony Horowitz is tired of working with Daniel Hawthorne. Hawthorne, a former detective with the Metropolitan Police in London, made an arrangement with Horowitz: follow along as Hawthorne solves crimes as a private investigator, and publish a book about it. After three books, Anthony is sick of Hawthorne, and declines his request to extend the series. He’s too busy for more of “Hawthorne Investigates;” his play Mindgame has just opened in London, and it’s a very big deal. Opening night goes according to script, but things fall apart at the cast parties later that evening. In fact, they go so badly that Anthony ends up being accused of murdering Harriet Throsby, a theater critic who brutally panned Mindgame. With no one else to turn to, Anthony begs Hawthorne to help him out. With only a few days until DI Cara Grunshaw (a previous enemy of Hawthorne and Anthony) can lock up Horowitz, the duo travel around London with their typical charm, talking to the suspects and solving the case.

My thoughts: This is the fourth book I've read in the series, and I'm definitely committed to finishing it as soon as the rest are published. Amusingly, this book has cemented my stance as being pro-Hawthorne and anti-Horowitz. Hawthorne is charming, smart, and a great detective, if a little mysterious. Anthony, on the other hand, comes off as kind of bumbling and foolish. He's constantly interrupting Hawthorne's interrogations with inane and/or personal questions, which I find annoying (let the good detective work!). He's also resentful that Hawthorne seems to like other people more than him, and that Hawthorne won't share info about his mysterious personal life. Honestly, I'm still not sure if this series is based on real life or not. He really did write a play called Mindgame, although it premiered in 1999, not 2018 when the book takes place. Of course it can't be true, but in the acknowledgements, he thanks his wife for being so patient when he was arrested, which happened in the book. His agent in the book is his agent in real life too, and she is also mentioned in the acknowledgements. So are the acknowledgements also fictionalized, or did the events of the book really happen? This is a truth that I don't think I'll ever know.

Rating: 4/5 self-insert idealized characters, except that the character actually has a ton of flaws and makes the author look bad

Paradise Café Series by Maureen Jennings

This is a series of mystery novels set in 1936. Toronto is still recovering from the after effects of the Great War and the Great Depression. Charlotte Frayne works as a private investigator for the firm T. Gilmore and Associates. Most of the work is not glamorous (missing pets, cheating spouses), but occasionally Charlotte is hired to solve some intriguing mysteries. In her off-hours, she spends time at the Paradise Café, a restaurant opened by a group of POWs after they came back from the war. This series takes place approximately 30 years after the Murdoch Mysteries novels, and features Detective Jack Murdoch, son of the famous William Murdoch. Readers will know that the hit CBC show is actually based on a series of novels by Maureen Jennings, although the show and the books have diverged significantly (eg. Jack Murdoch does not exist in the show). I actually tried reading one of the Murdoch novels, but found the characters cold and impersonal compared to their TV counterparts. Even though I don’t usually like private investigators, I am definitely enjoying the Charlotte Frayne adventures more.

Heat Wave (#1) by Maureen Jennings

Synopsis: It’s August of 1936, and Toronto is going through an unbearable heat wave. Charlotte Frayne arrives at the offices of T. Gilmore and Associates, only for her boss, Thaddeus Gilmore, to immediately leave. Apparently, someone broke into his home last night, and although he won’t call the police, he wants to go back home to check on his wife Ida. A few hours later, Ida Gilmore was brutally attacked in her home, and the police suspect her husband Thaddeus. Ida later dies in hospital, and her neighbors, the Kaufmans, were attacked that same day, further cementing Thaddeus as the murderer. Charlotte is immediately on the case, working side-by-side with Detective Jack Murdoch of the Toronto Constabulary, in order to find the real perpetrator. At the same time, Charlotte must balance the obligations of her newest case: Hilliard Taylor, former POW and owner of the Paradise Café, suspects that one of his business partners is embezzling money from the business, and requests that Charlotte work undercover at the café in order to uncover the culprit. Where is the missing money? And who really killed Ida Gilmore?

My thoughts: I liked this book, but I don’t like how secretive Thaddeus Gilmore is. I understand that he’s Jewish and a Communist, and in the eras of Hitler and the Red Scare, both of those groups are under unofficial persecution. Of course it would not be good for him to advertise his identities. However, he should have been upfront and honest with Charlotte so that she could actually help him, instead of lying to her, which only made him look more guilty. If he can’t trust Charlotte with the truth, then how could he trust her to exonerate him? Despite these challenges, Charlotte is an excellent investigator and a certified girlboss. It was also great to be introduced to the Paradise Café and it’s delightful staff, including love interest Hilliard.

Rating: 3/5 horses that are so thirsty they might die

November Rain (#2) by Maureen Jennings

Synopsis: It’s November of 1936, and Toronto is grey and rainy. After the death of his wife, Thaddeus Gilmore had taken some time away from the business, and is currently helping some extended family flee Germany. Charlotte is busy with two different cases. Firstly, she’s investigating the suicide of Gerald Jessop, a veteran of the Great War who came back horribly disfigured and completely changed. He was known to self medicate with morphia and alcohol, although is mother and wife insist that he would not have taken his own life by overdosing. The police have closed the case, so it’s up to Charlotte to figure out of Gerald’s death was indeed a suicide, or something more sinister. Her PI services have also been engaged by Sam Rosenthal, owner of Superior Ladies Clothing. He believes that there’s a commie agent at his factory who is stirring up trouble with talk of unions and better working conditions, and he wants Charlotte to identify the enemy agent. Charlotte herself is not a communist, but thinks that they are being unfairly persecuted. She reluctantly takes the case, if only to pay the bills. But on her first day undercover at the sweatshop, the factory manager Oscar Kline was found dead on the premises. Working in tandem with Detectives Murdoch and Arcady, Charlotte must find the killer, and investigate the suicide.

My thoughts: This was a pretty solid sequel, although I found the intricacies of the mysteries to be a bit convoluted (especially their tenuous connections to the Paradise Café). I was disappointed that Hilliard was completely absent from this book (he had to help out his ex-wife in child up in Sudbury), so there wasn’t really a chance to develop his relationship with Charlotte. (Most of that development seems to happen between books, violating the main rule of storytelling: show, don’t tell). I appreciated that the suicide really was just a suicide, instead of the result of a dastardly plot, thereby subverting expectations.

Rating: 3/5 performances of Eight Men Speaking, a communist propaganda play

Cold Snap (#3) by Maureen Jennings

Synopsis: It’s December of 1936, and Toronto is bitterly cold. Thaddeus Gilmore had to rush out of town on important business, and requested that his associate Charlotte Frayne stay with his friend Stephen Lucas, in order to protect Lucas from any harm. Charlotte is doubtful of the assignment but does as requested, keeping watch all night. Nothing happens during the night, but the next day, someone else staying at Lucas’ boarding house was shot and killed. It turns out that the victim was acting as some sort of secret agent; he apparently has multiple identities, and was also surveilling Lucas. Stephan Lucas himself is unaccounted for, and Charlotte teams up with Detectives Murdoch and Arcady to hunt down the killers. Back at home, Charlotte’s estranged mother Moira drops by. She’s not hear to make amends; instead she wants Charlotte to track down her long-lost son. Moira’s second husband has recently died, and a child of his would stand to inherit a lot of money, if only he could be tracked down. Reluctantly, Charlotte agrees to take that case too. Will she be able to find her half-brother? And will Stephen Lucas stay safe amid the attempts on his life?

My thoughts: This was actually the first book that I read of the series, because I didn’t realize it was a sequel. Fortunately, I was easily able to jump right in without missing too much. In this book, Stephen Lucas was essentially a stand-in for Thaddeus Gilmore in the first book: a man involved in a murder, who is secretly Jewish, and insists on lying instead of revealing the truth to Charlotte, thereby making him seem more guilty. I’m tired of this trope, but Lucas’ history as a political prisoner in Germany made his story more compelling. I also noticed a small Easter Egg: during his unaccounted time, Stephen Lucas claims that he was at the Library on Lombard Street, but there is no Toronto Public Library branch on Lombard Street! It turns out that he was actually visiting his family there at a small apartment. Unfortunately, I don’t think that the ending was as impactful as it could have been. The book ends with the reveal of secret documents that confirm the atrocities happening at German concentration camps, and that Edward VIII is a close friend of Hitler’s. Most readers are already aware of those things, and it wasn’t really a surprise to the book characters either, which undermined the impact that the documents should have had.

Rating: 4/5 secret agents that are spying on you but it was never really clarified who they were spying for

And finally...

The Bonus Bracelet of the Month

will be available on the café

i am, your most faithful blogger, elisa