Fantasy

The Bright Sword by Lev Grossman
Lev Grossman is a very successful writer (The Magicians), and it's easy to see why with the compelling The Bright Sword. Add this to the pantheon of works about King Arthur and the Round Table, but with a few twists: right from the onset, we learn that the battle for the Holy Grail has failed, and King Arthur is dead. When Collum, a young man from the northern outskirts of the kingdom journeys to Camelot in the hopes of glory, he finds that the knights who remain are strictly second string. Nevertheless, he joins their ranks as they take up their weapons in a valiant effort to restore Camelot to its former luster and retain the kingdom of Britannia.
Very compelling back stories for all the knights are woven in -unfortunately, Grossman couldn't resist adding some 21st century elements and they don't ring true. But I guess that's on par with all other Arthurian authors, who have added their unique flourishes over the years. If you didn't know, the legend of Arthur emerged in the 6th century, long before armor or knights or jousting, but most of what we call Arthurian legend descends from Le Morte D'Arthur, published in the late 13th century. In any case, if you like: fantasy, magic, knights, fairies, etc, you will absolutely enjoy the immersive experience of The Bright Sword!

The Hunger of the Gods by John Gwynne
This Norse-like saga is one of the best fantasy series I've read, and I anxiously await book 3 in October!! A northern kingdom lies fractured by petty jarldoms and in-fighting. Although there were a plethora of gods, they ended up all dying hundreds of years ago in a battle called the Gudsfalla. Anyone 'tainted' by god blood is enthralled as slave labor. Each of the Tainted carries certain characteristics of their ancestor's power. For example, Ulfrir is the wolf god, and his tainted descendents look human, but have wolf senses and teeth that are let loose on the field of battle.
The story is dominated by three bands of warriors: the Bloodsworn, the Battle-Grim, and the Raven-Feeders. One of these bands is cruel and evil, and will stop at nothing to gain power -including resurrecting Lik-Rifa, the dragon god.
The action and adventure compel the story forward, but the characters and their relationships are also well drawn out. And as the author, John Gwynne, is a Viking re-enactor, expect very realistic descriptions of weapons (and their impact on the human body), ships, battles, and even every day life.

The Left-Handed Booksellers of London by Garth Nix
Garth Nix cleverly takes us back to London, circa 1983, and allows us to focus on magic, mystery, and flirtatious romance without even a hint of technology. Susan is newly 18 and spending the few months before she starts art school on a quest to find her father -whoever he might be.
Vivien and Merlin are siblings, booksellers, and imbued with different gifts as one is a right-handed bookseller (the intellectual type) and one is a left-handed bookseller (the fighting type). Susan will need both of them, as malevolent forces try to keep her from discovering her heritage, and she will need all the help she can get just to stay alive and in one piece. Great story!

If you pick this up, be sure to enjoy the poems that head every chapter, they are relevant to the story and interesting in their own right. From chapter 13:
A shadow creeps along the wall
More shadows sweep across the hall
Many shadows leap and dance and fall
But shadows need both dark and light
No shadows crawl in blackest night

Just Like Home by Sarah Gailey
I don't understand what Gailey was thinking of when they wrote this book. It starts with an excellent premise: Vera is the grown daughter of a serial killer and an icy, abusive mother, and she's come home for the first time in 17 years (at her dying mother's request) to clean up and empty the house, and make her peace with the past. Myriad obstacles stand in Vera's way, including the creepy entitled artist who is staying in the garden shed so he can capture some of the bad vibes of the house in his paintings.
All these potential villains, and she goes in another (slightly silly) direction altogether. So I sped right through the first 3/4 of the book, anticipating all the threads of malevolence to come together, and then the last 1/4 was underwhelming and had me rolling my eyes. Not even well-thought out enought to be considered metaphorical.

All of Us Villains by Amanda Foody
Combine the dark love story of Twilight, the magic of Harry Potter, and the battle to the death of Hunger Games and you have a pretty good idea of what to expect with All of Us Villains. This isn't a rehash, though, but a clever blending of trending themes in YA lit and the authors have done themselves proud. Seven families have maintained a hold on access to a source of powerful magic for a thousand years. The caveat is that each new generation must put forth a champion from each family, and the last one alive grants their family exclusive use of the magic for 20 years. There is no opting out as a powerful curse dictates that every family produce a champion, and that every champion participates or automatically forfeits their life. For these seven diverse young adults, they will come to the realization that there is nothing heroic in what they are about to do -the question is: how villanous are they each prepared to be? Can't wait for the sequel to come out next summer!

D: A Tale of Two Worlds by Michel Faber
This delightful book is somewhat reminiscent of the Oz tales by L. Frank Baum (I'm thinking in particular of Ozma of Oz), with a plucky heroine named Dhikila whose adventures rival Dorothy's. Dhikila is a British schoolgirl who notices one day that the letter D is starting to go missing-from speech, from signs, and indeed, even objects that begin with D are starting to isappear.
With help arriving from unusual sources, Dhikila plunges in to save the world, even as no one else seems to notice there's a problem. A fun read that should hold up over time!


The Last Pow-Wow by That Native Thomas
Fantasy that only an indigenous writer could produce, an intriguing confluence of Indian spiritual figures (Deer Woman, Coyote the Trickster), Christian figures (Lucifer becomes Son of the Morning Star), and what it means to be Indian. Is it the color of the skin, the blood quantum, or is it the shape of the spirit?
I would have given this 4 stars, but there were so many characters that sometimes they were ill-defined, or disappeared for a hundred pages, only to become central to the storyline. Thomas could have written entire novels about several of his characters (the girl who talks ghost butterflies, for example).

Piranesi by Susanna Clarke
This is about a man, whose name is not Piranesi, but that's what he answers to. This is about the world, entirely comprised of the House (which stretches out almost infinitely), the Tides (which periodically fill the vestibules and hallways of the House), thousands upon thousands of statues, and Piranesi. There are 15 people in the world: Piranesi, the Other, 12 sets of enigmatic skeletal remains, and You. This might be fantasy, and it might be science fiction, or maybe it's realistic and the world is more magical than we know.
This is about something terrible that happens to the man. Or, this book is about something miraculous that happens to the man. Only You can decide as the story unfolds. Real genius from Susanna Clarke; I'm definitely putting Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell on my reread list after this!

The Only Good Indians by Stephen Graham Jones
This is a book I liked despite the fact it was horror, a genre which I really abhore. If that's not a testament to Stephen Graham Jones' superior writing, I don't know what is. Brace for maybe 4-5 pages of explicit gore and the sense of dread that will permeate your entire being and pulse like a heartbeat every time you turn a page. This is a compelling story of guilt and retribution for an unlikely reason, a young elk that was slain unjustly (out of season, too young, pregnant -so off limits) and is written as only an Indigenous storyteller could.
Four friends from the Blackfeet reservation indulge in some elk poaching and figure they've paid the price for their crime when the game warden catches them and they lose their hunting privileges for ten years. But as the decade comes to a close....well. There are a few lessons you'll learn if you read stories that spring from Indian culture: memories die hard, the world contains so much more than mankind, and respect for tradition must be paid. In this particular case, the young men's carelessness manifests as something older and more powerful than they can imagine. Beware Po'noka, and read this book with the lights on.

 The Dragon's Path by Daniel Abraham
I picked this up because Daniel Abraham is one half of the writing team of J.A. Corey, authors of the incomparable series "The Expanse", so of course it didn't disappoint. Although I wouldn't call it as incandescent as Expanse, Abraham chooses to focus on solid plot development and non-trope characters rather than unnecessary titillation and brutality, which seems to be the rule of the day (a la "Game of Thrones"). He also introduces thirteen different races of humanity, which is a little hard to keep track of, but a fascinating concept and intrinsic to the story line. Great first novel in a fantasy series, and definitely feels like it's building up to something great in the second book.

The Ten Thousand Doors of January by Alix E. Harrow
I was really looking forward to reading this book because of its intriguing premise -a young woman named January finds that there are hidden doors tucked away in every corner of the earth and, should you find one, you can enter into another world full of curiosities and possibly danger. In fact, these portals have brought myriad magical things into our world that are the basis for myths, fairy tales, and legends. Although the author alludes to many mysterious and wonderful things, she doesn't take the time to describe them as she focuses on the foibles and trials of January. In fact, most of the book is caught up with a lot of mundanity (how many times do we need to read that she loves her dog? How many times will the dog leap to her aid and bite someone?), and when January finally explores another world, it's pretty tame. Ultimately, not as satisfying a read as some, but of course the bar has been set very high for young heroines in the past -see Sara Crewe, Jane Eyre, Alice, Dorothy, etc. The difference is, I think, the quality of writing.

 We Hunt the Flame by Hafsah Faizal
This was a fantasy with a different twist for the Western world as it takes place in ancient Arabia, which means a story filled with slightly familiar yet exotic details about clothing, vocabulary, food, and magical beings. I loved that!
Zafira is a girl (masquerading as a man) who hunts in a forbidden, cursed forest to get enough food for the starving people in her village. In her caliphate, women are not allowed such flagrant behavior and so she must take care not to be discovered. But she is the only one who can exit the forest alive as the entire kingdom has fallen under an evil spell that is only getting worse.
Nasir is the Sultan's son, the crown prince of the kingdom. Yet, none of that matters as the king despises him and forces him to work as an Hashashin (that's 'assassin' in English. Did you even know assassins originated in Arabia?) The tender hearted girl and the cold-blooded murderer are about to cross paths because they have both been recruited by a mysterious Silver Witch who is either very good or very bad -who can say-to end the curse.
This is the first book in a duology, and it's sweet and compelling. I can definitely tell that Hafsah is a fan of LOTR, but then so am I, so it's fine. And here's something you don't always get in fantasy novels: some pretty steamy interactions between a few of the characters that are tasteful but sure do leave a lot to the imagination.


 Call Down the Hawk by Maggie Stiefvater
When Maggie Stiefvater writes, the story is almost secondary to the robust characters she creates and the cheeky turn of phrase that she employs, "Everything about (Ronan Lynch) suggested he might take your wallet or drop your baby. He was proud of the family name, and it suited him. His mouth was always shaped like he'd just finished saying it. The Lynch brothers had many secrets." So, if you've ever read one of her books before, rush to grab this one, the first in her new The Dreamers Trilogy. If you've never read her, what are you waiting for? This is young adult fantasy at its best, featuring 3 mysterious brothers, one of whom can dream things into being, one of whom is the protector of the family secrets, and the youngest one who is enchanting and possibly enchanted. Oh, and the world is about to end. Can't wait to read book #2!

 The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires by Grady Hendrix
I don't usually go for horror, but the first few pages of this book were so captivating and funny, I couldn't put it down. The humor fades fairly quickly, replaced by a gruesome tableau of wayward children, inattentive husbands, and predation. Picture a book group of southern women in the late 1980s. They're fairly prim and proper but when it comes right down to it, they crave something more exciting than the classics -true crime. Patricia, our main gal, is horribly attacked by an elderly neighbor one night after book club, but she fails to see the sign for what it is: a harbinger of evil in their bucolic town.
Fortunately, when you read true crime you know that nobody ever expects anything until it's too late, and this finally jars Patricia into action. Though not as graphic as some horror novels, The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires is highly unsettling and very original from start to bloody, bloody finish.


A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab
A compelling story of parallel worlds with varying degrees of magic, from Grey to White to Red to Black. Our world is Grey London, drab because it's devoid of magic. Black London is closed to the other worlds forever -the magic has taken a malignant turn and overpowered everyone and everything there -a very dangerous place. White London is forever in the throes of a coup. Magic is viewed as the ultimate power and many will stop at nothing to get their hands on more, more, more. We only find true balance in Red London, where the air is redolent of flowers and magic is used to make life a more pleasurable experience. Red London is also where Kel hails from. He is one of the last of his kind, those who can travel between the worlds. At first this makes him an invaluable ambassador, but when he inadvertently blurs the lines between worlds, chaos and destruction erupt. A great first novel in the Shades of Magic trilogy! 

A Curse So Dark and Lonely by Brigid Kemmerer

This retelling of Beauty and the Beast contains a few brilliant twists. First of all, this Beauty is from Washington, D.C. (a parallel universe), and secondly, her bravery and compassion are more important than the fact that she has cerebral palsy. Also, Beauty has family problems of her own that she needs to attend to -and fast. The Beast is, indeed, a cursed prince, but the magic under which he is held captive is complex. Added to that, his kingdom is under siege, and he only has one guardsman left -a very competent, very powerful, very lonely man named Grey. The door is open for a sequel here, and I'm really hoping to read more about the intertwined lives of Harper, Rhen, and Grey!



Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders
This is a tricky book to describe, but let me start with bardo. The bardo is a Tibetan Buddhist term for the state the soul enters after death, before rebirth. In Western cultures we might be more familiar with the idea of 'purgatory'. The death in question is that of Willie Lincoln, who tragically died of Typhoid Fever when he was 11 and his father was President of the United States. There are a plenitude of stories that talk about Lincoln's presidency, and others that touch on the effect his child's untimely death had on him -this is not one of those stories (not exactly). First we are introduced to the souls currently residing at the cemetery where Willie is laid to rest -conflicted beings who don't understand that they are, in fact, dead. Their stories are interspersed with chapters that contain snippets from books and historical documents -some of which are real, some of which were concocted by the author. Put everything together and you get a multiverse of the events surrounding Willie's death: his bewilderment at his new situation, his father's grief, the purgatorial remnants who try to assist Willie on his journey, and a nation caught in a bloodbath of a war that is sure to fill the bardo to the brim. This story reminded me of The Great Divorce. George Saunders has a unique voice, humorous and kind to his characters, even when they are very flawed. An intriguing look at how Lincoln might have been influenced in some of the choices he made. 


Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman
Neverwhere is about a man named Richard Mayhew, who lives in the London we know -London Above. As it turns out, there is another London, London Below, that Richard gains unwanted admission to through an act of compassion. Curiously, it doesn't seem like a particularly palatable place, so why would he end up there after his kindness? Criss-crossed with sewers (and the accompanying malodorousness), filled with dark hidey-holes and the slithery, malevolent characters who are attracted to such settings, Richard finds himself tagging along with a girl on a life or death mission. Will he be an impediment, or will Richard end up being the person we all wish that we could be?
Neil Gaiman excels at world building, but he also has a talent for making us wish we were the protagonist in his novels. The trials that his characters go through, the moral dilemmas that can seem black and white, but are actually quite convoluted (ah, like real life!) can make even a dank tunnel seem like a desirable place to be. If you enjoy this book, be sure to pick up "The Ocean at the End of the Lane". 


Wolf by Wolf by Ryan Graudin
This exceptional young adult novel gives us a 1956 in which Hitler and Hirohito won World War II (a war that America declined to participate in), and have divided up Europe, Asia, and parts of Africa.  Most of the world's population is living under draconian law. Yael is a girl who was experimented on as a Jewish child in a concentration camp, with drastic results -she's a shape shifter and can take on the visage of any other woman. The resistance has found a unique way to use her talents to kill Hitler, who, after 49 assassination attempts, is very difficult to get close to.  Yael enters the Axis Tour, an intercontinental motorcycle race, by impersonating Adele Wolfe, the winner of the last race.  The assignment is much trickier than Yael anticipated, and she will have to keep her eyes on the prize if she hopes to accomplish her mission. An intriguing look at what might have been by a fantastic author.

The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman
I'm not sure what to call the genre that Neil Gaiman often writes in -fairy tales for adults?  Magical realism with a twist? Graphic novels without the graphics (although his graphic novels are pretty spectacular, too)?  All I know is, he touches on something deep within any reader, which is the desire to believe that there are still things in this world that are beyond our understanding, and they thrill us, horrify us, and give us hope that we might someday fall down a rabbit hole and connect with the magic.
In "The Ocean at the End of the Lane", Gaiman tells the story of a small, odd boy, whose life can be summed up with, "I was not happy as a child, although from time to time I was content.  I lived in books more than I lived anywhere else."  Me, too. Neil's style of writing is very intimate, and the reader is drawn into the beautiful English countryside where this boy lives an idyllic existence -except for the deaths, malevolent otherworldly beings, loneliness, evolving distrust in the infallibility of his parents, and the improbable ocean at the end of the lane.

After an unfortunate event strikes the boy's household, he is comforted by the mysterious Hempstock family at the end of the lane.  Eleven year old Lettie incongruously claims that the pond behind their farm is an entire ocean, and she freely discusses things that just cannot be.  When she takes the boy with her to calm a disturbance, they unwittingly open the door for a supernatural being to enter the world.  Is it evil to only give people what they want?  Read the book and see if you don't answer that question differently at the end.

"The Ocean at the End of the Lane" gives us a story in which strength of character is not dependent on age or life circumstances, it is the thing inside us that remains when we are beaten down and without hope.  It is about the 7 year old inside each of us, and how that part of us reconciles the adult, outside world with our hopes, dreams, and nightmares.

The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss
It's so difficult to find a fantasy novel that's not derivative of some other, more fantastic novel that's come before it (most especially, Lord of the Rings, and now, the Harry Potter series). With the Kingkiller series, you can feel the careful consideration Rothfuss invests in every character, every creature, every place and event. So, it was with some delight that I sank into The Name of the Wind, buoyed by knowing I wouldn't be able to foresee what was going to happen.
This is the story about Kvothe, an innkeeper hidden away in the North Country, who tells an incredible story about an intelligent, quick-witted boy who overcomes hard times to study at the Arcanum, a special place at University devoted to knowledge that drifts dangerously close to magic and dark arts. The boy does this in a desperate bid to defeat the things that killed his parents. (This sounds like Harry Potter, but it is not.) Kvothe is actually recounting his own story, but it seems as if he gave up before he won the fight. Now, the dark forces are back -will Kvothe, who possesses the raw material to become a hero, rise to the challenge? Rothfuss shows that the very best protagonist is someone who is rather like ourselves, but does great things anyway.

Biography & Nonfiction

Eight Bears: Mythic Past and Imperiled Future by Gloria Dickie
I had high expectations for this book, but the science was very weak. Some interesting anecdotes about bears (Paddington is a spectaculed bear!), and some fun facts (for example, there are 35 kinds of canines and 41 felines, compared to 8 species of bear). However, I could have found those things out through random googling. The author vacillated between scolding humanity for not doing more to protect bears and wanting to enchant us with how gosh darn lovable bears are. I found Fuzz: When Nature Breaks the Law to be much more edifying and engaging.

Fuzz: When Nature Breaks the Law by Mary Roach
Not quite as captivating as Gulp, but Mary Roach's writing (including footnotes!) continues to be funny and enlightening. Between bears, birds, deer, and big cats (not to mention rodents of all kinds!), it's interesting to hear about how humans have tried to reconcile our lives with animals who don't want to follow our rules. Especially when we read about how often Nature Finds a Way. Adjacent to that: don't think you're ever going to eradicate a species that has a foothold somewhere, it's just not possible.  

Elon Musk by Walter Isaacson
Phew, 600 pages is a lot to take in about one person. But when that one person is Elon Musk, the verbiage is justified. Truly, Musk is the innovative genius of our time -and he's not done yet. Additionally, his personal life and proclivities add details that are enthralling (although I'm not sure they're particularly enlightening). Abrasive, abrupt, domineering, exacting, and inexhaustible, he leaves a trail of bodies in his wake. Is Musk a nice guy? No. Is he a not-nice guy? Sometimes, but that doesn't equate to him being the villain that he is often made out to be.
However, only by reading in depth his list of (ever growing) accomplishments can one truly appreciate the impact Musk has had on the world. And, again -he's not done yet.
Walter Isaacson, a prestigious academic and former CEO of CNN, seems to feel equal parts disdain and grudging admiration for Musk. Should we be able to detect the author's personal feelings for the subject while reading a biography? I guess objectivity, like travel to Mars, remains elusive in 2024.

Impossible Escape: A True Story of Survival and Heroism in Nazi Europe by Steve Sheinkin
This nonfiction Holocaust survival story follows two courageous Slovakian teens through heinous tribulations during WWII. Rudy is a young Jewish man who attempts to slip through the Slovakia border into Hungary in 1942, in the hopes of making his way to the West and joining the British military to fight Nazis. Unfortunately, he has several setbacks before eventually ending up in Auschwitz. But in a stunning display of wiliness and guts, he formulates a plan to escape from the veritably inescapable camp. His mission isn't personal freedom, but a quest to share the full knowledge of the campaign to exterminate the Jews with the Allied forces. Astonishingly, the Vrba-Wetzler Report, one of the earliest descriptions of the gas chambers and concentration camps, comes from the testimony of Rudy and a fellow prisoner-two men barely out of their childhood.
Gerta is a schoolmate of Rudy's, and while she doesn't end up imprisoned, it's an amazing combination of luck, stealth, and wits that allows her to maintain her freedom, and also join up with the resistance.
Fans of Prisoner B-3087 and Alan Gratz's other historical fiction will find this book engrossing, with the added punch that Rudy and Gerta's story is all true. For more information on what they accomplished, see: The Vrba-Wetzler Report (Auschwitz Protocols).


Natural Born Heroes: How a Daring Band of Misfits Mastered the Lost Secrets of Strength and Endurance by Christopher McDougall
Although this was in many ways an astounding story, I could only give it 3/5 stars as it meandered here and there, interspered with anecdotes about distance runners, dieticians, fitness gurus, Teddy Roosevelt, Natural Movement, etc. Mr. McDougall had the right idea, linking the fabulously fit and resilient Cretan freedom fighters with our modern efforts to attain peak conditioning, but -wow. Fragmented and hard to get back into the initial story of British intelligence officers and Cretan freedom fighters kidnapping a Nazi general and crippling the German pivot point needed to reinforce the war effort in the Soviet Union.
I was gratified by the nuggets of information I picked up about strength and endurance training, but I felt like he was trying to cobble together a book-length historical recounting of something that he really only had enough information about to write a generous article.

Strangers to Ourselves: Unsettled Minds and the Stories That Make Us by Rachel Aviv
 Although Rachel Aviv has found a fascinating assortment of case studies illustrating the pitfalls of modern psychiatry/pharmacology, this is one of those books where the line between fact and opinion is heavily blurred. She starts us with the jaw-dropping account of her psychiatric stay at the age of 7, diagnosed with anorexia. She goes on to include some fascinating statistics (one in 8 Americans is on some kind of psychiatric medication), but the book often feels like a really long article in a pop culture magazine ("Naomi self-identified as a curious person").
The most salient points seemed to be that, despite what might be trending in psychiatric treatment, be it analysis, counseling, or medication, there is not nor has there ever been a cure for mental illness, only a treatment of symptoms. More importantly, what does a 'cure' even look like? Are we all aiming to be shiny, happy people despite what our personality or life circumstances might dictate? Her descriptions of being on Lexapro sound a lot like the rationalizations that alcoholics give for their dependency, too.
Her most important observations seems to be that it's easy, after diagnosis, to become a 'career patient', someone who, even if they were troubled because of a temporary life setback, might see themselves through the lense of a DSM definition in perpetuity.

Running with Sherman by Christopher McDougall
Delightful memoir about a man, a neglected donkey, and an improbable race -and everyone and everything it took to get them there. Chris's narrative calmly sails along, incorporating lessons about the importance of a well-balanced life, appreciating nature and the unique contributions animals give us, and pushing our limits as a way to achieve a healthy and fulfilling life. There are some nuggets in here about Amish life, the Iceman (you'll want to google this guy!), and the beauty of reaching out to those who are struggling with mental or physical challenges. Makes me yearn for trail running, although I think I'll forego the donkey partner!

Stolen Focus: Why You Can't Pay Attention- and How to Think Deeply Again
by Johann Hari
The first half of this book was excellent as it outlined the factors leading to our present inattentive state, such as device addiction, surveillance capitalism and screen inferiority, and how they have effectively led our society (heck, the world) to a place where the average person doesn't have enough focus to sit down and read a book. The antidote comes in the form of Dr. Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, a psychologist who introduces us to the focus state and why that's so important for life satisfaction (and diametrically opposed to social media.) Intriguingly, Hari imagines a future where the wealthier, more educated populace will find the ways and means to regain their focus, leading to a new definition of the haves and have-nots.
Unfortunately, Hari seems to have lost focus, himself, by the second half of the book and meandered into a treatise on socialism that wasn't particularly connected to the points made in the first half. Still, worth the read.

The Reason You Walk by Wab Kinew
Wab Kinew's touching memoir isn't really about him, it's about his father, an eloquent eulogy to the man who shaped his life and purpose. Tobasonakwut was an Anishinaabe child who grew up in an era when that meant he would be separated from his family and banished to residential school ('kill the Indian, save the child'). Horrific abuse resulted in Tobasonakwut becoming a very angry and violent young man. Beautifully, Wab doesn't focus on the damage done but on the journey to wellness and forgiveness that Tobasonakwut took for the rest of his life. Tobasonakwut was a very spiritual man and there are detailed passages about how they practice their religion, such as participating in sundances and sweat lodges, as well as their commitment to the Creator. The tremendous power of forgiveness allows Tobasonakwut to grow close enough to a Catholic archbishop to hold an adoption ceremony for him, a sacred Anishinaabe practice.
Wab explains that the title of his book comes from a ceremonial song, and it's one of the loveliest passages I've ever read about our relationship with God:
"Ndede had explained that there are four layers of meaning to these words. They are from the perspective of the Creator, as though God himself were singing to you. the first meaning of "I am the reason you walk" is "I have created you and therefore you walk." The second meaning is "I am your motivation." The third meaning is "I am that spark inside you call love, which animates you and allows you to live by the Anishinaabe values of kiizhewaatiziwin." The fourth and final meaning is "I am the destination at the end of your life that you are walking toward." On that day, the Creator spoke to us all, Indigenous and non-Indigenous alike, and reminded us of the reasons we walk."

The Ghost Garden: Inside the Lives of Schizophrenia's Feared and Forgotten
by Susan Doherty 

Doherty juxtaposes a running narrative on the life of a schizophrenic woman (Caroline is someone she grew up with) with small vignettes of other schizophrenic people she has come to know as a volunteer with the mentally ill community. A few things stand in the way of this flowing well. For one, it feels prurient to be reading the intimate details about someone's unsavory personal habits or violent actions, especially when they're so ill (this might have felt different if Doherty had more of a medical background). For another, it's impossible to make this an intimate look at a schizophrenic's life because, details aside, they are so far removed from the normal spectrum of life that there's a natural disconnect in trying to get inside their heads and understand them. I think the author tries to do too much here, and made the book a little disjointed. Points for obviously being a deeply caring person who gives much time and love to those inflicted with schizophrenia.

This Strange Wilderness: The Life and Art of John James Audubon by Nancy Plain

Don't you love it when a historical figure ends up being more interesting and quirky than you would have suspected? I chose this book because I have an enduring interest in the natural world, particularly birds, and also artistic depictions of the natural world. John James Audobon's seminal book "The Birds of America" has always perfectly represented that intersection, but I never knew much about Audobon himself. I was delighted to read about this self-taught artist, a paradox of cultured, handsome gentleman and buckskin wearing, rifle toting loner. This quick read highlights his revolutionary approach to cataloguing the birds of America (he managed to paint and describe 489 species) as well as his herculian efforts to be recognized as an expert in the scientific and international communities and share his knowledge and art with the world.

Hidden Valley Road: Inside the Mind of an American Family by Robert Kolker

This narrative introduces us to the Galvins, a large family of ten boys and two girls in which schizophrenia unveils itself in six of the siblings. Simultaneously, it also chronicles the progress (or lack of progress) made towards identifying, treating, or curing this illness, certainly one of the most damaging diseases inflicting mankind. Kolker does a great job of presenting the family's saga without laying blame or erring on the side of the maudlin. The facts speak for themselves: schizophrenia and other family issues (including some abuse) can arouse nothing but a sense of empathy in the reader, while Kolker also lays out how science has been fluxxoed by the causation and treatment of this devastating mental illness. Although some of the Galvin boys have committed heinous acts, they are also victims. Certainly, we can see that incurable mental illness shreds everything and everyone in its path, from patients to family members to friends and acquaintances. Well written and engrossing account, including the passages outlining the neuroscience of schizophrenia.

The Library Book by Susan Orlean

In this fantastic narrative nonfiction about the 1986 L.A. Public Library conflagration, Susan Orleans also weaves in the background of the library and all of its head librarians, as well as the pursuit of the supposed arsonist, Harry Peak. Jam packed with details about the epic burning of the building, history of the library, history of Los Angeles, and modern issues that the public library system must grapple with, my only gripe is that Orleans puts librarians into this quaint, quirky mold (aren't we precious?) instead of presenting us as educated professionals who work hard to be well-informed, organize herculean amounts of print and non-print materials on a daily basis, and manage a broad and often querulous customer base with unparalleled service.
Nevertheless, Orleans is on par with Erik Larson when it comes to telling fascinating, true stories that blend disparate times and events into an entertaining and seamless whole. If you read and enjoy The Library Book, be sure to pick up The Orchid Thief: A True Story of Beauty and Obsession

Women of the Dawn by Bunny McBride

A must-read if you reside in or visit Maine, this chronicle of four Wabanaki women draws a detailed picture of the lives of the people we usurped when colonialism hit the state of Maine. McBride is excellent at focusing the reader on the humanity beneath the stereotypes and broader societal misconceptions of American Indian culture. She also carefully reveals the unique role of the women in Wabanaki life, and particularly the effect of their loss of family, lifestyle, and land. If anything, seeing that someone quite different from myself (and the average Mainer) in terms of ethnicity and era, still feels the same urges for love and family, nature and connection, fame and success, as anyone else on the planet is a hopeful connection. And the strength of will and body exhibited by the 4 Mollys (Molly Mathilde, Molly Ockett, Molly Molasses, and Molly Dellis) is awe-inspiring. I was left with one question, however, and that is: how is the Maine educational system fulfilling the 2001 legislature requiring the incorporation of Wabanaki history into the k-12 curriculum?
Consider viewing the documentary Dawnland, addressing the removal of Wabanaki children from their homes by child welfare workers. 


The Collected Schizophrenias: Essays by Esme Weijun Wang

I would stress to anyone picking up this book that 1)it is a collection of essays about Ms. Wang's experiences with schizoaffective disorder, not a memoir and 2)this is one person's perspective about life with mental illness, not the definitive guide to schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder. As such, it is a fascinating, although somewhat fragmented accounting of how mental illness has impacted her life, and her successful efforts to lead a life filled with love and creativity despite her disease.
There were times when the essays seemed to sort of peter out without really going anywhere, and lots of sidelines about her battle with other illnesses, such as Lyme disease. Also, a pretty strong tangent about the occult, which she wasn't sure she believed in, but found the rituals to be somewhat soothing. The possibility that her delusions and hallucinations were the result of being thin-skinned and therefore receptive to the spiritual realm is a tentative stab at hoping there is a reason for the collected schizophrenias.
The biggest thing I will take away from reading Ms. Wang's account is that, should you be afflicted with a mental illness, it is better to be wealthy and intelligent with a large safety net than to be (as many poor souls experience) poor, homeless, and intellectually challenged.

Between the World and Me by Ta Nahisi Coates

I'm still not sure how I feel about this book. At times, I thought it was brilliant, a passionate discourse on what it's like to be black in America in the 21st century-not an easy road. Some of Coates' observations are revelatory, "Race is the child of racism, not the father" and some were originally attributed to Baldwin, “people who think they’re white", which fits in perfectly with what Coates is saying. Although race is a meaningless construct, when you have an entire segment of the population whose roots are slavery and oppression because someone deemed them property based on the color of their skin, that's not a wound that heals without thick scars. Whether you believe that there are different races or not, the horror of institutionalized murder, torture, and rape remains. As a Northerner who "believes she is white", neither I nor my family have history with slavery (although there are some abolitionists and Civil War soldiers in the family tree). I never worry about my 18 year old son being the victim of police brutality. But for us, the urban culture is as distant as the rise from slavery; I find my gratitude for our peaceful lives is juxtaposed with guilt and anxiety for all the mothers out there who MUST worry about their sons. And, after reading this book, I find myself feeling defensive: all white culture, it seems, must be cut down to size before the black culture can move past the fear and anger toward a more equal, less violent society. After absorbing Mr. Coates' intense rage at the Dreamers (i.e., the whites), I have no hope of this ever happening. Is this the point he intended to make?

Vincent and Theo by Deborah Heiligman

Although this is billed as young adult nonfiction (and, indeed, it reads as a simplified version of the very complex relationship between Vincent and Theo), I would encourage you not to let that deter you from picking this up. It's almost as if Deborah Heiligman has boiled their brotherly interactions down to essentials, in much the same way that Vincent chose not to paint in a realistic fashion, but by emphasizing color and perspective to heighten the emotion within a scene or portrait. Vincent and Theo were united in their struggle to make the world a more beautiful place, whether through Vincent's artwork or by Theo promoting him and trying to bring the recognition that he thought was his brother's due. Interspersed in their journey are vignettes highlighting Vincent's keen intelligence coupled with mental instability, and Theo's fierce loyalty that was undercut by grim financial reality and burgeoning health problems of his own. Much as yellow was used continually by Vincent (it was his favorite color) to add vitality and freshness to his paintings, Heiligman again and again comes back to the selfless love and support that the brothers shared for one another. After you read this enchanting book, be sure to watch Loving Vincent, an animated film about the year after Vincent's death in which all 65,000 frames are painted in oils imitative of Van Gogh's style. Two beautiful odes to two beautiful souls!

Deep Dark Blue by Polo Tate

Polo Tate recounts her journey from idealistic high school athlete to U.S. Air Force Academy recruit, to traumatized assault survivor. Polo had dreamed from a very young age of joining the Air Force, so it's with excitement and anticipation that she heads to the Academy for basic training and to become a member of their elite volleyball team. She's someone who is used to succeeding, both as a student and as an athlete, so when things start to go wrong, she assumes if she works harder, than things will be better. Unfortunately, harassment and abuse escalate to an assault. Compounding the injury, Polo is not believed by her peers, and a very large upperclassman works hard to break her spirit and prevent her from pursuing justice.
This is a great story of resilience and overcoming adversity. Since this is a book aimed at a younger audience, I wish that Polo had emphasized more how important it is to have people who support you, as nobody makes it through something like this on their own. However, this story will certainly resonate with high school girls, particularly athletes.

You Don't Have to Say You Love Me by Sherman Alexie

For 20-odd years, I have been a big Sherman Alexie fan. His particular formula, combining magical realism and humor with stark truths, produced contemplative, entertaining books. His themes of poverty and familial unrest transcend race (more so than I think he realizes) and I was somewhat undeterred by the current controversy surrounding his treatment of women because I think if we only valued artists with unblemished lives, it would be slim pickings, indeed.
Therefore, I was disappointed to read this book and find that Mr. Alexie, in his grief, comes across as a narcissistic grudge-holder, willing to publicly vilify his family for his own ends. Nobody in the book receives more than a crude outlining of their character or personality -except himself. He's angry at the white race who have destroyed his culture, and the Indian culture, which he seems to only reluctantly consider himself a part of. I understand that being relentlessly bullied must have been difficult. If anything, he might use those emotions to understand some of the feelings that his female accusers have expressed. Here's the saddest part: Sherman Alexie reveals himself to be a very unforgiving person, and in that portrait, shows us the value of being able to reconcile and move past old pains; for that we should thank him.

The Stranger in the Woods by Michael Finkel

My attraction to this book wasn't limited to the fact that I'm from western Maine and therefore familiar with the area in which Christopher Knight lived in isolation for 27 years. As an introvert (extreme introvert), I was struck by the concept of withdrawing from society. How does one do that? And what might be the tipping point where one progresses from simply being a quiet homebody to walking away from everything and everyone -including creature comforts. Christopher certainly didn't make an easy decision, and while professionals toy with the idea that he might have some sort of mental disorder, perhaps he just wanted to be alone.
It's fascinating to read how Christopher eluded discovery for so long, despite committing 1000 burglaries. More interesting, still, is the conflict he felt knowing that stealing was wrong, but knew he needed supplies in order to survive. A moral man who is also a notorious felon.
Michael Finkel does a fine job of portraying Knight as he is: not a mystic or sage, but someone finding happiness outside the normal spectrum of social behaviors. I get the feeling that Finkel dances very close to that edge himself-a kindred spirit to Knight and also to me. 

Realistic Fiction

I'm Starting to Worry About This Black Box of Doom by Jason Pargin
I loved this book because I'm a real fan of Jason Pargin's New Weird SciFi (such as Futuristic Violence and Fancy Suits. It's not only the storyline, although that's very good. He also has a lovely sense of the absurd, and a flare with dialogue. Abbott, a twitch streamer/uber driver, is offered $200k by a mysterious girl to drive her and eponymous 'black box of doom' cross country to the DC area by July 4th. Abbott is not allowed to bring his phone or computer, and doesn't even have time to refill his anxiety prescription (uh-oh!) before they set out -with a tattooed goon in full pursuit. Abbott streams one final message before he leaves, but doesn't know that it has gone viral. Thousands of online users repost, conspiracy theorize (what's in the box? nuclear bomb, dead body, the next pandemic?), and decide it's time to get involved IRL to hilarious results.

What really sends this novel over the top is the spot-on commentary about how we live in an online society that is slowly driving humans further and further apart, while simultaneously driving us all mad.
Pargin writes, "After several minutes of searching, Tanisha found what seemed like a good place to ask about the fugitive couple: a secion of Angry Nerd Internet specifically devoted to cracking the case. She had to create a Reddit account to post the photo she'd secretly snapped of the pair, adding a second pic she'd taken just moments ago of their fancy SUV. She waited, refreshed, then was flattened by the ferocity of the response. The commmenters acted like she'd captured the second coming of Jesus Christ on film. She was inundated with questions, accusations of having faked it, and criticism that she hadn't taken some kind of action to keep the couple from leaving the store. Within 6 minutes of the post, a reply told her that if a bomb detonated in Washington, every drop of blood would be on her hands."

The Secrets We Keep by Cassie Gustafson
 I don't often find YA books that are really well written these days, so I was pleasantly surprised to be totally engrossed in the story of Emma Clark, a high school freshman who is desperately grasping at the fraying edges of her life, all while attempting to hold in a big, ugly secret.
Emma, an excellent student and attentive big sister to 6 year old Kyle, abruptly is told that her father has been arrested -because of an accusation from her best friend, Hannah. Although the attentive reader can immediately guess where this is going, Ms. Gustafson fills in the details slowly and without sensationalism. Emma's relationship to her father and mother, as well as Hannah and Kyle, rings true. Mom is an angry, hostile woman with a disappointing marriage, dad is glib, charming(until he isn't anymore), and untrustworthy. The friendship between the two intellectually gifted teens is sweet and lacking in pretension, even as they navigate the schism that has erupted between them. Realistic, dark, yet hopeful. I would highly recommend!

Libby Lost and Found by Stephanie Booth
 This is an intriguing premise -wildly successful and reclusive children's author Libby Weeks (a la J.K. Rowling) suffers writer's block and memory issues as she tries to finish the last book in her hit series, "The Falling Children". She desperately reaches out to a superfan for help, but what possible aid could a confused and socially awkward 11 year old offer? Also, a million dollar prize is offered to whomever can reveal Libby's secret identity and her huge fan base is impatient for the book to finally get published, so the pressure is building.
There's a lot going on, but the pieces eventually come together (more or less). I guess my reservations with the book are that while the characters are supposed to be odd but lovable, they're more odd and less lovable. Too many complex problems, too few believable solutions.

The Wedding People by Alison Espach
Phoebe and Lila are about to become best friends, but they don't know each other yet. Lila has booked the Cornwall Inn for the wedding week to end all wedding weeks, and Phoebe is the lone guest at the inn who isn't one of the wedding people. When she gets pulled into Lila's (bridal) wake, it proves to be a life-changing event for all kinds of people. This book is dense with so many genuinely charming characters, but I particularly was rooting for Phoebe to overcome her hurdles. The Wedding People is an intriguing commentary about how we are possibly most ourselves when we have nothing left to lose, and how devastating loss doesn't have to mean the end of happiness in our lives.

Pet by Catherine Chidgey
Extraordinary story from Catherine Chidgey- I highly recommend for anyone who likes psychological twists and an unexpected ending!! Justine is a 12 year old girl navigating her last year of school before hitting high school. As if it weren't difficult enough to puzzle your way through puberty and first crushes, Justine must do so without her mother, who died of cancer less than a year before.
Now, add a new element to the story. Mrs. Price, her teacher, is beautiful and charismatic and all the students (including Justine) are constantly vying to be her favorite. But..is Mrs. Price a savior or a manipulative demon, casting her net of persuasion and division over Justine and her classmates? Put it this way: when items are stolen from the classroom, Mrs. Price gives each student a slip of paper and encourages them to write the name of the student who they think is responsible so she can out them. Diabolical! And not, by far, the worst thing that Mrs. Price will do. Did I mention that Justine's father was an eligible widower????

Gather by Kenneth M. Cadow
Ian's family has fallen on tough times, and he and his mother struggle with getting by. Things are about to get much worse for them, but what should enter into Ian's life but a gigantic stray dog? Why is this pertinent to the situation, or even to this book? Gather, the eponymous dog, is the one thing Ian can rely on, and Gather is also totally reliant on Ian. Their friendship provides a warm center to a tragic story, one that will, unfortunately, resonate with many young adult readers. Other points that will sound familiar to rural kids (this story takes place in Vermont) are family farms, hunting, solace in nature, and (I hope) finding a compassionate adult at school to provide assistance. I very much look forward to recommending this coming of age story to reluctant readers in my school!


Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt
I must admit, I haven't been reading many challenging books this fall. Instead, I've been going for the cozy, warm read. Remarkably Bright Creatures certainly fits that description as it features a tidy little woman in a tidy story with a very neat ending. Tova is an elderly woman, alone after the death of her husband from cancer, and mourning the disappearance of her son 30 years ago. She fills her extra time with a group of friends who call themselves the Knit-Wits, and a job cleaning the local aquarium. Interspersed with Tova's story is a narrative by the aquarium's aging octopus, Marcellus. Marcellus is, of course, much cleverer than the humans give him credit for, and he is able to connect the dots on events unfolding around him much better than the oblivious and self-absorbed humans. The magical realism of Marcellus' voice is sweet and really helps pull Tova's story together. However, as I said, don't go looking for any revelatory concepts about life here, just be satisfied with getting to know some very endearing characters.

The Dog of the North by Elizabeth Mckenzie
Don't let Elizabeth McKenzie's whimsical writing style and superb wordsmithery distract you from the poignancy of the deeper issues she addresses. Although this highly recommended read was laugh-out-loud funny, it also dealt with deeper issues of loss, divorce, isolation, childhood trauma, and illness. Does that sound incompatible? Meet Penny, our heroine (for whom the bizarre is also quotidian), "..I took careful hold of the bloated milk carton and chucked it into the dumpster, wherein it exploded like a stink bomb. Peering over the side, I observed a spray of curds in a halo around the ruptured vessel. What a relief that it hadn't erupted in the van during the night! That I had avoided being covered with sour curds surely counted as the day's first success."
Penny needs all the help she can get as she navigates her divorce, her parents' disappearance, a new friend who might or might not resemble a hedgehog, and a grandmother who is suspected of sociopathic activity. 5 Stars all the way!!


The Rabbit Hutch by Tess Gunty
Phenomenal story about a girl named Tiffany (self-named Blandine, after a Catholic female mystic) who is struggling to make sense of her life, especially a toxic encounter that has derailed her future and unmade her. Blandine lives in a decrepit apartment complex called La Lapiniere -the Rabbit Hutch. And, much like a real hutch, the building is packed with a host of mindless individuals in various stages of life and various states of apathy, depression, and violence. There are definitely shades of Watership Down here, as well as Ian McEwan.
Aside from the artistry required to entertwine so many different stories and metaphors into one cohesive whole, Tess Gunty couldn't have written about more timely themes, as seen in this fabulous article from Iain McGilchrist: Left-brain thinking will destroy civilisation. At the heart of it, though, Gunty writes beautifully about intentions, actions, misgivings, and transcendence. She definitely earned the Nat'l Book Award!

Night of the Living Rez by Morgan Talty
It's nice to have an Indigenous writer from the Northeast join the pantheon of celebrated Native voices currently out there: (Louise Erdrich, Sherman Alexie, Stephen Graham Jones, Joy Harjo. In this series of short stories, we see life in a Maine Indigenous family through the eyes of a boy and a young man. It's not perfectly clear that these are the same person, but I think we can assume they are.
In any case, we are introduced to a community that not many are privy to -in fact, most readers will not have heard of the Wabanaki before. Some of the issues will have a familiar ring to them, such as substance abuse and poverty. But Talty liberally sprinkles in the details of what makes his character's experience unique to a Penobscot. Language, family dynamics, and customs are fleshed out with the vivid descriptions of life on Indian Island. An excellent companion piece would be Women of the Dawn, particularly the chapter on Molly Dellis.
*Talty won the National Book Critic Circle Award for John Leonard Prize, 2022

Beneficence by Meredith Hall
 Eloquently written story about a Maine farm family in the 1950s who experience a divisive, tragic event and their arduous efforts to get back to their previously good and happy life. Tup and Doris run the family farm and have three children; the narration swings between the two of them and their daughter, Dodie. Each individual blames themselves for the incident, and each navigates a very different pathway to recovery. Tup struggles to think of himself as a 'good man'. Doris cannot seem to connect with the world anymore and drifts through, mired in the past. Dodie's determination to experience a good life again, 'beneficence', is heroic. Essentially, a prototype of how different perspective colors our memories of the past, our hopes for the future, and our ability to fully engage in the present.
It's a rarity to come across an author who writes so poignantly and whose words become so translatable into the reader's daily life. I'm grateful to have never gone through an ordeal like the Senter family's, yet I find Meredith Hall's observances and descriptions to be fully applicable to my own setbacks and struggles. I would liken her style to Amor Towles, another fabulous author who encapsulates his characters' thoughts and feelings in a universal way. As Ms Hall writes, "We will ourselves to live this day grateful and unguarded. We decide. We make ourselves ready to participate in beneficence and goodness. There is no peace outside that."

Don't Know Tough by Eli Cranor
 A surprisingly complex YA book that tackles child abuse, addiction, accountability, and the pull and power of high school athletics in small town America. Billy is a very talented running back on the local football team -but can he keep his rage and violent tendencies in check? Trent is the coach, and while he truly does his best to live a Christian life, will he be able to when it counts the most? These questions will both beg for answers when a life is snuffed out, either by accident, negligence, or murder. Very, very suspenseful, and enough sports references to keep the athletically minded fully engaged. 

Other People's Clothes by Calla Henkel
Another book exploring the vacuity and self-serving behavior of the morally hollow, narcissistic young? Well, kinda. But also an examination of the dangers of being impressionable and directionless, which is Zoe's achilles' heel. Zoe, a college student who has just lost her best friend to murder, is adrift for several reasons. One of which is that she was so attached to Ivy that she often imitated her style of hair and dress -and even ends up dating Ivy's ex-boyfriend. Not the most psychologically stable person, Zoe's escape from reality via exchange year as art student in Berlin morphs into her forming other unnatural attachments, and when unstability meets unstability meets unstability, it's an explosive combination of carnage that results. Ostensibly a tale of two girls immersed in a hedonistic year abroad, this is also very much a murder mystery and the last third of the book draws many elements together for a surprising ending. Excellent!

Now Is Not the Time to Panic by Kevin Wilson
This is a really intriguing coming-of-age story, mostly because it presents the events that happened one summer to 16 year old Frankie in a completely nonjudgmental, unbiased way. Sort of, here, this happened, then that happened, and we're not going to decide whether it's good or bad. The jist is that Frankie and her new friend, Zeke, decide to make a poster with a curious and meaningless phrase layered over an equally curious and meaningless drawing. They then surreptitiously paper the town with hundreds and hundreds of photocopies of this image, and it takes off like wildfire. No one can figure out who did it, and it leaps into the national press. Is it the work of a cult? A political movement? What does it mean? Unfortunately, the fever drives some people to bad choices, and there are consequences, including the irrevocable rending of Frankie and Zeke's fledgling friendship.
Flash forward 2o years, and the secret is finally about to be exposed. Is this a good thing for Frankie, or will it spell disaster? A great YA novel about keeping your perspective in life when all about you are losing theirs.

Winter in Sokcho by Elisa Shua Dusapin
Delicate, descriptive, and metaphorical, Winter in Sokcho speaks volumes about loneliness, desolation, and suffering.
A young Korean-French girl works at a tatty guesthouse in Sokcho, right on the border with North Korea. The winter setting, her absentee and vacuous boyfriend, and the yearning she feels when a French artist comes to the guesthouse for a stay are a melancholic feast of words. Beautifully done. 

Unlikely Animals by Annie Hartnett
Annie Hartnett has cemented her place on my list of favorite authors with this humorous and poignant novel about a New Hampshire family dealing with brain disease, failed potential, missing persons, and the opioid crisis. Doesn't sound very funny, does it? Annie's light touch and whimsical take on serious issues is her magic touch. Speaking of which, let's talk about the story. Emma heads for home to help take care of her dad, afflicted with hallucinations and memory issues, which seems like a natural fit, since as far as her family knows, Emma is in med school. Also, Emma was born with 'the charm', the ability to heal with her touch, albeit only minor illnesses. What her family is about to discover is that Emma never went to med school, she's lost the charm, and she doesn't particularly want to come home as she's nursing a grudge against her father and doesn't want to deal with her brother -a recovering addict.
Add to the mix that her dad is obsessed with finding Emma's missing ex-best friend, another opioid addict. Her mother has had it with her dad's shenanigans, Emma's status as golden girl is tarnished, her brother is resentful, and yet..it all comes together with a beautiful mix of wryness, loveliness to each other, and the surprise life-changing event of Emma subbing for a 5th grade class. Absolutely 5 stars!

Building Stories by Chris Ware
I had this on my to-read list for years, so I was very excited when I finally picked it up.  If you're not familiar, this is a box full of graphic stories that are interrelated, the common denominator being residence by several protagonists in a particular Chicago apartment building.
Cool concept, but absolute maelstrom of material, in no discernable order. I would donate it to my library, but random inappropriate drawings, not particularly apropos to the story lines, abound. I feel like I tried to read this while on the teacup ride at Disney!

The Other Mother by Matthew Dicks
There is a logical explanation for why Michael Parsons believes his mother has been replaced by an identical imposter -but is it the correct one? This marvelous novel really captures the voice of Michael, an extremely likeable (albeit troubled) 14 year old boy, and explores this very issue. Michael obviously has some deep-seated emotional issues stemming from the early death of his father,his mother's subsequent quick remarriage, the grind of adolescence, and a lot of responsibility for his younger siblings. When Michael finds one day that he no longer believes that his mother is his real mother, he sets off on a quest to find some answers -and ends up affecting some of the lives around him in unexpected ways. A very enjoyable read.

 

Girl A by Abigail Dean
Loosely based on (I'm assuming) the nauseating case of the Turgeon Family , Girl A is the story of Lex, a survivor of horrendous abuse and neglect. In a family ruled by an insane, violent father and a traumatized and passive mother, seven siblings are reduced to starving near-corpses, wallowing in filth, until Lex at 15 years of age somehow makes a break for it and goes for help. After rescue, the children are all referred by pseudonyms to protect their anonymity, and thus Lex becomes Girl A.

Flashing back and forth between her nightmare of a childhood and the current day, Lex tries to act as the executor of their parents' estate after her mother dies in prison-while also grappling with memories she doesn't want to relive, and contact with siblings she would just as soon forget.

This isn't a true crime recounting, but a perching inside the headspace of someone so traumatized that it's hard to know when details are exaggerated or perhaps even glossed over. Really excellent writing that leaves lots of unanswered questions about whether one could ever truly recover from something like this.

Raft of Stars by Andrew J. Graff
This book is an emotional investment in two ten year old boys, Fish (Fischer) and Bread (Dale), caught up in the grip of a situation that is bigger than they are. Bread is the victim of abuse at the hand of his father, but things come to a head when Fish steps in and takes action. A shot rings out, and events inexorably cascade until the boys find themselves on the run in 90 miles of Wisconsin wilderness. Graff effectively brings these boys to life without either making them precious or wise and capable beyond their years.
Equally compelling are the adults who spring into action to rescue the boys. Fish's mother and grandfather are joined by Cal, the sheriff, and Tiff, whose connections to the others is vague but plausible. They are flawed but ferocious in their determination to find these boys before it's too late. No kidding, a real page turner!

The Queen's Gambit by Walter Tevis
A captivating story about a young orphan, Beth Harmon, who turns out to be a chess prodigy. Told in a starkly clear style, Beth moves through a somewhat troubled life with one focus: becoming a grandmaster. I don't play chess myself, so I didn't make much of an effort to understand the passages that detailed the games she played. Nevertheless, this was an insightful glimpse into the mind of a savant, and so therefore fascinating.

 

The Boy in the Field by Margot Livesey
Excellent novel about the repercussions that result after a trio of siblings find the victim of an attack lying in a field. Naturally we would expect that anyone who has been assaulted would have their life upended, but what about those on the periphery? For Duncan (13 yrs old), Zoe (16), and Matthew (17), their perspective on the world around them shifts slightly when they spot an injured and bleeding boy on their way home from school one day. In the aftermath, they each begin questioning their views on love, the future, and family. One thing that remains solid is the affectionate and respectful relationship that the three share with each other -it's a beautiful thing to read. Themes of mother/child bonding, beauty, and passion thread through the story, lending a warm patina.

Dear Edward by Ann Napolitano
Reading a book depicting a plane crash with 191 fatalities and 1 survivor is probably not the best way to begin the bleak month of March. I couldn't tell if Napolitano's writing was compulsively easy to glide through or if I was just deperate to make the sadness end. In either case, a well-done, albeit grief-filled story about 12-year old Edward picking up the pieces of his life after his family is killed in the accident and he incomprehensively survives. Juxtoposing Edward's passage toward emotional and physical healing in the aftermath with an hour by hour narrative of the flight through different passengers' eyes, the reader gets a full sense of the tragedy that has occurred. Your heart will be heavy, but all hope is not lost. A testament to our ability to mend, rebuild, and continue on, even when the future seems insurmountable.

A Children's Bible by Lydia Millet
 There's something so haunting about children who are older than their years, who are forced by circumstance to become parents to themselves, their siblings, or perhaps even their own parents. In this book, we meet a large coalition of such children, narrated through the voice of Evie, a precocious teenager whose world-weariness is earned honestly from parents who are profligate in their indulgences. The situation at first seems idyllic: a group of old friends rent out a magnificent mansion on the coast for a summerlong, hedonistic reunion. Dubbed a 'multi-family vacation', the dozen or so children are quickly relegated to the periphery whilst the parents party down. The kids resort to their own devices, but are still clearly far more mature in their antics than any of the older generation.
And then: the world falls apart. A horrific hurricane, fueled by the unstable climate, leads the kids to make a life-changing decision to flee their neglectful parents and strike out for parts unknown, all in the interest of finding safety and relieving themelves of the burdensome adults. Evie focuses on saving her little brother, Jack, whose copy of A Children's Bible(fraught with its own series of apocalyptic events) provides solace of a kind.
There are some interesting parallels that form between the kids' circumstances and events in the Bible, if you are familiar enough to pick them out. Really, I believe that Millet, an ardent environmentalist, is trying to point out that whether you believe God placed us here on Earth or not, we have but one home and our self-centeredness is breaking the world as we know it. Highly recommended!!
 

Everywhere You Don't Belong by Gabriel Bump

A frank and sincere portrayal of an African-American boy named Claude, growing up on the South Side of Chicago. Claude is not: a gang member, drug user, victim of unspeakable crime, superior athlete, or chess protege. He is, in fact, just a guy trying to live his life. Sometimes that means parents leaving, sometimes that means narrowly escaping a riot, sometimes it means falling in love or leaving for college. Always, it means that, black or white, kids deserve the opportunity to find out who they are and what they're made of. There's a lot of humor and sorrow in Claude's well-written tale, underscored by this stark truth:
"Of course, I knew. I understood the difference between how society treats misbehaving white teenagers and misbehaving black teenagers. Those parties on frat row-just turn it down, bring it inside; those black kids arrested for smoking weed in a parking lot. Those cashiers in the campus grocery store looking at me walking down the candy aisle; those white students pocketing beer cans without hesitation." Highly recommended for high school readers. 

 

Such a Fun Age by Kiley Reid
Reid relies so heavily on stereotypes that it was hard to think of her characters as having real lives. Her somewhat wooden descriptions about their pasts didn't help, "Kelley Copeland was born in Allentown, Pennsylvania. He had an older sister who had one child, and two younger brothers who worked in the same post office (as) his father. Kelley made a huge effort to avoid screens after ten p.m."
Nevertheless, she does a great job of showcasing that we can make such assumptions about the motives, emotions, and desires of the people we know that it makes it very hard to discern who we're really dealing with. Although this has been marketed as a book that addresses the racial divide, it also confronts differences in social classes, upbringings, and Millennial mindset, and how our own experiences color the interactions we have with others.

Trust Exercise by Susan Choi
Taking place in the '8o's at a performing arts high school, this is the story of a group of teenagers dealing with love, passion, and adolescence, exacerbated by the high drama of their involvement in the theatre program. Or is it?
While the first half of the book depicts a tumultuous romance between sophomores Sarah and David (with some pretty tawdry and unnecessary sex scenes), An abrupt shift midway reveals that the first half was a novel written by the now adult Sarah, and her frienemy "Karen", as she is named in the novel, has a bone or two to pick with her about the veracity of the tale. Namely, Karen feels that the story somehow glosses over a few devastating events that shift the tone from young love to victimhood, narcissism, and tragic aftermath.
Honestly, I thought the first half of the book was fine as it was, but didn't necessarily see the story's worth as a National Book Award winner until the voice changed to Karen's, and we start to understand all that we didn't previously comprehend. This book leaves a lot up to the reader's interpretation and would yield a fantastic discussion for a book group.

My Dark Vanessa by Kate Elizabeth Russell
The starkest contrast between this book and Lolita is the point of view. Although there is still a predatory man and a vulnerable girl, it is an entirely different scenario when witnessed through her eyes instead of his. I never could make it through Lolita without tasting bile in my mouth, but Vanessa conjures up a different feeling, one of sadness and pity instead of pure revulsion.
Vanessa is a girl/woman with a joyless, loveless life.  As an awkward, angry 15 year old, she had trouble feeling love for herself, and that made her ripe for the plucking by Strane.  Strane's claims of loving her and being pulled into a relationship by her are utter B.S.  He carefully gleans her from the other students in order to get what he wants-innocence, trust,dependence, malleability.  He didn't love her, he loved that he had absolutely control over her -body and mind.  He brainwashed her into protecting him at all costs, and she thought that was what love felt like, because her understanding of love was so sparse.  Ah, that's heart-wrenching. Mostly, these are two people who don't like or love themselves very much and are seeking validation from outside sources, which never ends well. Vanessa at 32 is a shadow of who she might have become, frozen in time and unable to come to grips with what she has anesthetized herself into believing was her first romance.
Reading this has helped me to understand more why this story replays itself over and over again between adolescent girls or boys and pedophiles all over the world.  This story is so well written, you would swear it was autobiographical, although Russell takes pains in the foreword to assure us that it is not.

Unclaimed Baggage by Jen Doll
This is a sweet story about three kids: Doris, Nell, and Grant. They work together at a store called Unclaimed Baggage, which sells the contents of lost luggage that the airlines auction off when it goes unclaimed for too long. The deeper story is that all three of the teens have their own baggage: Doris has unexpectedly lost a beloved aunt, and she is also dealing with an issue that occurred when she was twelve. Nell was forced to move to Alabama from Chicago after her mother takes a new job, and has left behind a boyfriend she loves and misses greatly. Grant's story is the one that ties it all together; he is a star football player who is grappling with the fact that he's probably an alcoholic. Although sometimes it feels like the girls are a little too good to be true, and the loose ends tie up maybe a little too easily, this is a beautiful story of the power of friendship and understanding.
 

Forward Me Back to You by Mitali Perkings
This is a heartwarming story about a group of high school kids going to Kolkata, India for 10 weeks over their summer break to work with a group who helps victims of human trafficking. Handled very delicately, the scenario highlights not only the tragedy of sex slavery that is pervasive worldwide, but also the issues each of the students brings with them. Robin 'Ravi' Thornton was adopted by white American parents after being abandoned in Kolkata. This is his first time back, and he's hoping to find his birth mother. Katina, a jiu jitsu student, is struggling in the aftermath of an assault that makes her very leery of any males. Gracie is looking for a change from her life of often being the caregiver to her younger siblings. They all find a deeper understanding of their place in the world, even if they don't always find what they were looking for. Nicely done.



Ask Again, Yes by Mary Beth Keane
Pick a family and you'll find a set of incidences that have shaken it to its core: illness, poverty, substance abuse, violence, loss. And a truism that follows family dysfunction is, as Keane writes, "We repeat what we don't repair". In this soulful novel, two neighboring families are linked initially because the husbands are both NYC cops, then because two of their children become inseparable friends. A long simmering problem erupts in a spasm of violence that leaves both families shattered and estranged. Until...Kate and Peter, the aforementioned friends, find their way back to each other in young adulthood, drawn together by a love that each refused to give up on.
This isn't a simple love story by any means. This novel beautifully demonstrates the way love, forgiveness, and perspective provide the tools to overcome almost anything. I particularly enjoyed the way different characters were able to grow beyond the adversity of the past, not because of any spectacular insight or awakening, but simply because (as in real life) they endured and came out of their hardships stronger, and more cognizant of the frailty of those around them. Truly an inspiring read. 

The Overstory by Richard Powers
I wanted to love this book: Trees! Environmental Warriors! The Pulitzer! Forgive the pun, but this is a book I can only describe as 'wooden'. The first half introduces us to no less than nine separate protagonists, and if that's not enough, the nine different trees that profoundly affected them and led them on their inevitable path to activism. The stories are as slow growing as a white cedar. By the way, the white cedar is the slowest growing tree, and that's just the kind of scintillating fact that's sprinkled throughout the tales of the humans. I get it, the point is that we are all intrinsically intertwined and dependent on each other for the health and future of our planet.
The pace continues to decelerate in the second half of the novel -just as the characters are coming together and the action, such as it is, starts to happen. If long, drawn-out futility sounds like a fun read to you, by all means dive in. If you're interested in a story that uses magical realism to more effectively underscore the way all of nature is related and connected, maybe try Sweet Lamb of Heaven



Aftermath by Kelley Armstrong
Skye's life fell apart after her brother was killed in a school shooting. But Luka wasn't a victim, he was a shooter, and one of the students gunned down was the brother of her best friend/crush, Jesse. Flash forward three years and Skye is moving back to the town that her family fled in the aftermath of the tragedy. Her Dad is gone, Mom is clinically depressed, her grandmother is very ill, and she hasn't seen or spoken to Jesse since the incident-but she's still convinced that her brother was innocent.
Skye is shocked to find that Jesse -previously a straight A student-is troubled and struggling. When she finds herself the victim of a series of cruel pranks and bullying at school, she and Jesse team up to find out what really happened that day, but it seems that someone will do anything to keep the past buried.
This is a timely subject for a mystery, and highlights how an act of violence victimizes many people, including the family of the shooter.

Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng
The Richardsons are a family living in Shaker Heights, OH in the '90s.  The suburb was originally built in the early 1900s to attain a black and white kind of perfectionism, based on rigid rules.  Although life is fairly good here, it is also pedantic and predictable.  Elena Richardson, the matriarch, is the living embodiment of everything that Shaker Heights stands for, which works out okay with her first three kids, but sets her at odds with her youngest, the impetuous and fiery Izzy.
A catalyst enters the picture when Elena rents an apartment to an artist named Mia, a tumbleweed of a person who brings with her a teenaged daughter, Pearl, and a past loaded with secrets.  Pearl finds the Richardsons'  lifestyle intoxicating after the ragtag existence she's accustomed to.  Lexie, Moody, and Trip Richardson all become entangled with Pearl, Izzy is fascinated with Mia, Elena struggles to control everyone and everything, and the swirling mass of churned up emotion will result in huge life changes for all of them.
Desire, envy, and jealousy are well-expressed in this story, but there is very little true warmth or love between characters.  A side story about a white couple attempting to adopt a Chinese baby who was abandoned by her mother is difficult to empathize with because the adoptive mother is cold and entitled and the biological mother seems unable to take care of herself, let alone an infant. 
The point of the book seems to be to highlight the difficulties experienced in the mother-daughter relationship, and how sometimes those we are closest to are the ones we know the least. Perhaps a little of 'love conquers all' thrown in there, too.  However, the story left me despairing for women everywhere, because if these are typical relationships for females, then we have a lot of work to do.

Sing, Unburied, Sing by Jesmyn Ward
Jojo is a 13 year old boy in Mississippi who's trying diligently to figure out how to grow into a man of substance.   His elderly black grandfather, whom he lives with, is working hard to make ends meet while taking care of his cancer-stricken wife. Pop is a good man, but he struggles with the accidental death of his own son, and chaotic life of his meth-addicted daughter Leonie, Jojo's mother.
His white grandfather despises him for his color and has never acknowledged his existence. Jojo's father, who is also white, is currently serving time in a state penitentiary for drugs. Things come to a head when Michael is released from the pen and Leonie decides that the family (she, Jojo, and his younger sister, Kayla) will go upstate and pick him up -a happy reunion that will turn out to be anything but.  The story gets a little complicated when a ghost enters the picture.  This 13 year old boy was actually imprisoned with Pop, back when they were kids.  Their only crime, a ugly reality of life in the South, was being black.  This magical twist blends well with Jojo's awakening sense of who he is, and who he wants to be.



Almost Perfect by Brian Katcher
Since a benefit of reading fiction books is gaining empathy and understanding of others' lives, this would certainly help someone who is confused about what it means to be transgender.  Handled sensitively, but not with any pat answers, Brian Katcher gives us a snippet of the life of a teen who feels she is a girl despite having been born male.  A precarious situation occasionally tips to a dangerous place when a straight male friend falls for Sage before learning that she is still anatomically male.  I'm not sure that many straight teen guys would be as open to the relationship that takes place between these two star-crossed kids, but perhaps.

Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk by Ben Fountain

Better than anticipated...Billy Lynn is an war hero, one of the few to survive a brutal assault on his unit when it's stationed in Iraq. Their 'reward' is a media-blitz Victory Tour that ends at the Dallas Cowboys' stadium. There is a gaping contrast between what civilians at home celebrate as 'heroic' and what soldiers in the field have experienced. Excellent book!







Dumplin' by Julie Murphy
This book was very cute, and I don't mean that in a derogatory way. Lots of young adult fiction tries to be cutting edge, writing about the issues, using 'teen' language, and it often turns into a bit of a sludge, and feels false. Dumpling addresses some real life concerns (body image, loss, relationships) and it feels authentic.  Willowdean, is a happy girl who is trying to figure out why a cute, popular boy has a crush on her when she is self-described as fat. She decides the way to break through her self-doubt is to enter the beauty pageant (run by her mother, a former beauty queen who's obsessed with looking 'perfect'). Read this book only if you're prepared to smile to yourself while doing so.
Soon to hit the movie theatre: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4878482/

Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman
Eleanor might be a social misfit, but her wry observations about manners, conventions, and the inexplicable ways people relate to each other all bear the seeds of truth. Her isolated and damaged childhood has left her a stranger in a strange land, until a friendship springs up between herself and Raymond, the IT guy at her office. This is a vast oversimplification, because I don't really want to recount the plot (although it was marvelous), but I want to focus on Honeyman's wit and beautiful use of language. You will see words used in this book (tagine, numerate, epistolary) that have disappeared from the common vernacular, and gems of wisdom ("weak people fear solitude") as well as pithy descriptions (people dancing at a party appear to Eleanor to be "free-form jigging") that will result in laughing out loud. I would compare Honeyman to another favorite author, Karen Joy Fowler. If you enjoyed "Eleanor Oliphant", be sure to pick up We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves. Kudos for all the Sense and Sensibility allusions!


Maybe I Will by Laurie Gray
Very quick read, about a student who is violently victimized and doesn't know where to seek help. I'm not sure the rapidity with which the victim sank into alcohol abuse was plausible, but very, very, very clever twist by not letting the reader know if the main character was male or female. Especially in light of the fact that s/he is the victim of a sexual assault. This unique feature has quickly becoming a talking point between me and the several students I have recommended the book to -provocative!