Book #56:
The Astral Library by Kate Quinn (304 pages). I’m a big fan of this author’s historical fiction novels (including The Huntress and The Diamond Eye) so I was excited to pick up her first foray into magical realism. This novel features Alix, a young adult who’s aged out of foster care and is barely making ends meet. She has multiple part-time jobs, including one with the Boston Public Library. Attached to this library is the Astral Library, a magical realm where people seeking refuge from their own lives can literally escape into a book. Alix stumbles into the Astral Library one day and discovers it’s under attack, and Alix may just be the heroine to save it. This is such a fun ride, it’s well-written (and I would expect nothing less from Kate Quinn) and I hope there’s a sequel coming. 5 stars.
Book #57:
One Way by S.J. Morden (Length: 358 pages). This book entered my orbit as a great read for people who enjoyed The Martian but want less discourse on the science behind surviving on Mars and more about how a base can actually be constructed on Maras, so of course I snapped this up. The greedy, money-hungry XO Corp (think: SpaceX) is a corrupt space technology company that convinces the federal government to bankroll their excursion to Mars and also convinces 8 convicts to travel to Mars on a one-way ticket to build the first base for NASA to follow and then populate. One of these convicts is Frank Kittridge, a former architect who shot and killed his son’s drug dealer. The convicts receive training on how to construct the base, are put in a deep sleep, and wake up on Mars. Murder and mayhem quickly ensue, all whilst the building of the base continues. This is a fascinating novel as the author does get into the technology and science required to build a base (again, low-level so it’s not confusing to the average reader) and it’s a lot of fun to follow the construction. The writing is excellent and the plot is very propulsive. It does end on a cliffhanger, but the sequel is also out, in this 2-book series and I immediately downloaded it from my library after I finished this. 5 stars.
Book #58:
Iona Iverson’s Rules for Commuting by Clare Pooley (Length: 352 pages). I hugged this book (my Kindle) after I finished it. I LOVED it! This is a cute novel where the protagonist is a 57-year-old magazine therapist (think: modern-day advice columnist) who commutes via train in London. Iona meets a varied cast of characters during her daily commute, and this novel is about their interactions as well as their own lives and problems. The writing here is clever, with occasional commentary that links a few of the characters’ behaviors, like literary Easter eggs, as well as some lines that made me chuckle out loud. I loved learning about every character, especially Iona, and I wish this novel was even longer as I’d like to spend more time with all of them. This memorable novel is the perfect beach or vacation read. Five stars!
Book #59:
No Way by S.J. Morden (Length: 345 pages). This is Book 2 in the Frank Kittridge series, a sequel to One Way, reviewed above. WOW. This is such a satisfying wrap-up of the events that transpired in Book 1. The character development, the action, the setting are all top-notch here. This would make a fantastic TV series or movie and is especially timely given the ascendancy of Elon Musk’s Space-X. The warnings shouted here by this author should be heeded by our government, as what happened in these books may happen someday in the future. 5 stars!
Lora Terrill 