Book #34:
Look Closer by David Ellis (Length: 459 pages). This is a mystery/thriller that is very well-written and plotted, and a pleasant surprise. Without giving spoilers, the main premise involves a law professor, Simon, his current partner Vicky and his former crush Lauren, who ends up dead on Halloween night. At first I almost set this one aside because the beginning reads like so many other mystery/thrillers I’ve read over the years, but I kept going, and I’m so glad I did. I figured out where the author was going pretty early on, so I just hung on for the ride and enjoyed the heck out of it. Fair warning that no one is likable and there is no one to root for her, but honestly, as fun as this one is, who really cares? 4 stars from me!
Book #35:
The Littlest Library by Poppy Alexander (Length: 336 pages). I found this sweet novel at the Tucson Festival of Books and literally picked it up due to its darling cover. Set in England, this is about a young woman, Jess, who loses her grandmother who raised her and her librarian job within a short time period. So when Jess stumbles across a tiny derelict cottage for sale hours away during a drive in the country, she impulsively puts in an offer, not expecting it would be accepted. But it is and Jess finds herself without a job, in the middle of a quaint village with a cottage that needs a ton of work, plus an accompanying historic red phonebooth that she’s also responsible for caretaking. She turns it into a tiny lending library with her grandmother’s books, ultimately bringing together her new community. This is well-written, fun to read and very cute. 3.5 stars.
Book #36:
Sorrow and Bliss by Meg Mason (Length: 352 pages). If you don’t enjoy angsty novels about depressed main characters, skip this one. I truly don’t but the writing sucked me in, and I am glad I stuck with it. This is truly an unusual novel in its organization with sections that seem almost stream of consciousness, but they all come together in the end. This is mostly about a woman’s journey through mental illness (depression-adjacent?) from 17 years of age to 41. Two marriages, at least one suicide attempt and a miscarriage–triggers abound here–but if you push through, it’s worth it. At first I found Martha entirely too whiny and very unlikeable and several chapters are entirely too navel-gazing for my liking, but on balance, I believe that’s the point. The narrator is incredibly self-aware, even if she often hides the truth from herself, and I thought the various laugh-out-loud funny lines (mostly dialogue and texts between Martha and her sister Ingrid) and several moments of charm (between Martha and husband #2) and ultimately the resolution of the novel made this worth reading. The writing quality is stellar and the plot is memorable. 4 stars from me.
Book #37:
Fugitive Telemetry by Martha Wells (Length: 172 pages). This is book 6 in the series, but chronologically it takes place between Exit Strategy and Network Effect, which I really wish I knew before listening to this one. Back on Preservation Station with Dr. Mensah, in this standalone novella, Murderbot discovers a dead human body and gets roped into an entire investigation. This one is more dialogue and less action than the other parts of this series and wasn’t my favorite. But it’s Murderbot and of course I’m glad I read it. The last book is the last of the series and I almost don’t want to start it yet because then it will mean this whole ride is over.
Lora Terrill 