Book #60:
Slow Horses by Mick Herron (Length: 336 pages). This is book 1 of 8 in a series and this first book has already been adapted into a TV series on Apple TV. I started that series and quickly grew confused so I decided to switch to the book instead as I had heard it’s very well-written. This is a bit of a backlist book, with a 2010 publication date, so it’s easily available at the library. The premise is that washed up M15 spies in Britain are relegated to the Slough House in hopes that they’ll grow so bored they will quit (in lieu of being fired). They all do boring, tedious work, and bits and pieces of some of their individual back stories are slowly revealed throughout this first novel. The character development here is excellent, and I enjoyed the spy “slang” and terms of art. I found (just as with the TV show) it’s a bit tricky to tell all of them apart at first, but it gets easier as it progresses. The central plot point (a Pakistani young man’s impending beheading is throwing all the spies into a tizzy) is very clever and an excellent through line for the novel. Five stars from me!
Book #61:
All the Colors of the Dark by Chris Whitaker (Length: 586 pages). This long novel is blowing up several Best of 2024 book lists so far and I agree! This fantastic novel will absolutely be in my top 3 of this year. The main characters here are Patch and Saint, two kids who live in a small town in Missouri in the 1970s when girls are going missing. One girl is snatched, Patch intervenes and then goes missing himself. His best friend Saint becomes obsessed with trying to find him. This is a sweeping saga of these two characters and their families and the inhabitants of this small town. There are definitely a few triggers here (abduction details are minimal however as these happen off the page) but nothing is exploitative and this novel is beautifully written. The middle section of this novel is about 200 pages too long in my opinion, so it’s 4.5 stars for that reason only. I will always remember this book!
Book #62:
Shark Heart by Emily Habeck (Length: 415 pages). I finally have read this book that’s been EVERYWHERE in the book universe. It’s magic realism, set in our modern world, and I am a fan of magic realism and quirky novels–you need to be a fan of both to enjoy this one. The premise here is that the husband of a newlywed couple is diagnosed with a great white shark mutation, which causes him to transform into a shark the first year or so of their marriage. I enjoyed the unique writing style here (random lines of verse and essays are sprinkled throughout), the interesting premise, the fast pace of the plot and there’s just a lot of heart and deeper meaning here. I adore this book! 5 stars from me.
Book #63:
The Invisible Husband of Frick Island by Colleen Oakley (Length: 362 pages). I wish I enjoyed this sweet novel more. The premise is a young woman, Piper, loses her husband, Tom, at sea during a storm, very early in their marriage, but still “sees” him and the islanders go along with it. Anders, a podcaster who is looking to make his podcaster “Serial” big, is sent to the island by his small newspaper to write an unrelated story and latches on to this Tom phenomenon for his newest batch of podcasts. This conflicts with Anders’ growing feelings for Piper as the islanders are not aware of the subject matter of his podcasts and are understandably protective of her. The first half of this is VERY slow, but I kept going because I was curious how this storyline was going to resolve. The second half is better but then it almost felt a bit rushed. This could have used a better editor. 3.5 stars.
Book #64:
Margo’s Got Money Troubles by Rufi Thorpe (Length: 302 pages). This is one of the “it” novels of the summer so I was excited to get it from the library. Margo is a 20 year old community college student and she’s impregnated by her married English professor. With no familial support and no way to pay for childcare and work her waitressing job, Margo decides to start an OnlyFans account. Margo’s father, Jinx, a retired pro wrestler shows back up in her life and moves in to her apartment, ultimately helping Margo with the baby, and sharing the parallels on how to create a story in wrestling translates to making her OnlyFans account a viable business. This is very funny, well-written, fast-paced and truly hard to put down. It’s one of those rare novels that you think about when you aren’t reading it. (Obviously if you find Only Fans and its ilk offensive, skip this one. I think it really works here, and I enjoyed this entire novel.)
Lora Terrill 