Clever Girl: Jurassic Park / Hannah McGregor

 

R

4.5 out of 5 stars 

A sharp and insightful critique of the movie Jurassic Park through a queer feminist lens. Obviously, JP is a fantasy—we have no way to clone dinosaurs. But the bigger fantasy is that people can control nature. You can see it in our economic system, which requires ever expanding growth on a planet of finite resources. Also in the reluctance to acknowledge the need to change course in order to slow climate change and the mistaken faith that humanity can somehow remedy the climate problem through technology.

I personally believe this cockeyed belief in human supremacy comes from having so many people living exclusively in cities now, whose only contact with animals is pets or the plastic-wrapped portions on sale in the grocery store. We have forgotten that we are part of nature/this world. One good natural disaster can remind us of our lowly place with the rest of the animals, in need of food, water, and shelter. It's hard to feel like masters of the universe under those conditions. The poorest members of our society could be the wisest: they know exactly how little control they have in life.

McGregor points out something that I had forgotten, that all the dinosaurs in the original movie are female, an attempt to prevent them from reproducing uncontrolled. The hubris of men who consider their input necessary? The state of the art technology isn't enough to keep these wild animals contained, as the Park creators have also underestimated the intelligence and persistence of these female creatures (just as women are currently underestimated in our society).

I had never considered the colonial overtones of the movie before. The island is taken over with no regard for its natural ecosystem and new organisms conjured from the lab and deep time are imposed on it. Problems in this “paradise“ are revealed with the sick triceratops, which has eaten a plant that its system can't cope with.

Well worth a read, as it is well written, entertaining, and bite-size. Just imagine your self as a T. rex and happily devour it!

Unleashed / Emily Kimelman

 

3.7 out of 5 stars 

What inspired me to pick up this book? Believe it or not, it was the author's video on Facebook. She described her books as “feminist action fiction" where “a woman and her dog fuck shit up.” Plus, she gave a political rant that impressed me with her unbridled anger. Female rage is something I get.

Now, I am not usually a thriller reader because I mostly find them to be ridiculous male fantasy, imagining themselves as the badass main character. But what, I thought to myself, if the main character was a woman badass? Would I like that? Turns out I do like it. Joy Humboldt is exactly what you need in a thriller—impulsive, stupidly brave, confident in her ability to do what needs to be done, sexually adventurous. This book is her origin story, as she starts by taking on a new dog walking business. Then her clients start turning up dead and Joy is understandably interested in who killed them and why. One thing leads to another and Joy decides that she will get to the bottom of things and seek her own kind of justice.

The plot is action packed and highly unlikely, but it was fun. It was fun to watch a woman beating the bad guys at their own game, wreaking her revenge and getting away with it. Not until the very last pages does she assume her new identity, Sydney Rye, to return to the Big Apple as a private investigator. I can hardly wait to read the next book!

A Death in Diamonds / S.J. Bennett

 

4 out of 5 stars 

Four books in and I'm still enamoured with this series. I love how Bennett treats her main character, Queen Elizabeth II. I think when we only see someone on the news or in the fan press, it's easy to forget that they are human beings just like you and me. We saw the professional Queen but didn't get to peek behind that armor to acknowledge her doubts about her role, her insecurities concerning her appearance, or her desire to believe that her husband is hers alone.

Bennett gives us a monarch who is trying to find her way, revise her role. She is surrounded by her father's courtiers, the “men with mustaches,” who frustrate her with their assumptions that they always know better and that she's not strong enough to deal with unpleasant realities. She is learning how to get stern with them, make sure she gets the information she wants, and make sure they know who's boss. It was a struggle that many women identify with—being dismissed and underestimated by the men around them. The Queen does what so many of us do: she finds herself a female ally in Joan McGraw and the two of them deftly stick handle around the mustaches.

I love how Bennett also addresses the juicy rumours that everyone has heard. The herd of snappish corgis. The predilection of Prince Philip for tall blondes. The toughness of Princess Anne. The sensitivity of the young Prince Charles. She weaves it all into her novel convincingly but also interprets the facts to give a slightly different picture than the popular press did. She sees them as real people with strengths and weaknesses that are understandable, not as actors in a Royal soap opera.

Going back in time to write about a young Queen was an inspired impulse. The first three books alluded to her previous investigation experience and Bennett can supply us with those details now. I am already anticipating book 5.

Kills Well With Others / Deanna Raybourn

 

4 out of 5 stars 

Billie, Helen, Mary Alice, and Natalie are supposed to be retired assassins, but they are once again in someone's crosshairs and realizing that assassination is a difficult career to retire from. They are in their sixties and, although older and wiser, have physical limitations that make the gig harder. So they are understandably cranky and a bit snappish with each other. However, they are still a team, they know each other well, and are capable of quick and inspired planning.

Most of my pleasure in reading this novel was based on Raybourn's authorial voice. She lets us oldies sympathize with the women's aches, pains, reluctance and reservations while also smiling at our recognition of our identification with those same things. No matter what you are retired from, when forced back into the traces, we balk like old horses when they see a cart. She references recent pop culture just enough (Would Marie Kondo approve? Does this murder spark joy?)

I find it interesting how many books I've run across recently that feature female assassins. My library delivered both this book and Louisiana Longshot within a very short time and I purchased Katya Noskov's Last Shot by a local author too, not so long ago. It feels like a safe way to channel some of the anger that modern life kindles in my soul.

Louisiana Longshot / Jana DeLeon

 

4 out of 5 stars 

Well, that was Fun with a capital F. Not the slightest bit serious, but written straight as a ruler. Fortune Redding is a CIA sniper on the run from a vindictive arms dealer. Her boss decides to stash her in a small town in Louisiana in the place of his niece, who is supposed to be cleaning out a deceased aunt's house. Fortune is nothing like Sandy Sue, but she has little choice in the matter. Sandy Sue has been a beauty contest participant, a model, and an actress. Fortune has a talent for wrecking high heels, couldn't care less about fashion, and displays eye-hand coordination unusual in a Southern belle.

Jana DeLeon knows a thing or two about life in Louisiana and in a very small town. This is because she grew up under those exact conditions, making her my kind of expert. Like Charlaine Harris, she keeps the town feeling real. They both know the truth—that strange and wonderful things can lurk beneath a sleepy small town appearance.

I loved the town's name: Sinful. DeLeon named it deliberately and uses it to her advantage humorously. She keeps the smiles coming relentlessly. Her sense of humour meshes with mine nicely. As I indicated above, she treats the ridiculous perfectly seriously, making it even funnier. I love the older ladies who team up with Fortune, imparting their wisdom while roping her into their shenanigans. They'll make you want to cheer for Woman Power. If I'm disappointed in anything, it's that the author may be setting up a romance for Fortune. Nothing good can come from that!

The Incident of the Book in the Nighttime / Vicki Delany

 

4 out of 5 stars 

I cannot believe that I have just completed the tenth book in this series. I wondered after the ninth book, where it seemed that Delany had reverted to writing Gemma Doyle as an unbearable know-it-all. This time out, she does notice more than other people, but she isn't so obnoxious about it. I much prefer non-obnoxious Gemma.

Once again, Gemma and her posse are in London, this time for her sister Pippa's wedding. Gemma's luggage doesn't join her and she must shop before the event while everyone else gets their beauty sleep. As a result, Gemma leaves the reception early and runs into her ex-husband who appears to be waiting for her to appear. She eventually agrees to meet him the following day to discuss a book, but when she shows up at his bookshop, he is found dead in his office.

Of course Gemma is unable to simply let things be. She wants to know why Paul was killed, especially since he was obviously down on his luck. Things escalate (as usual) and once again we get to observe the sibling rivalry between Gemma and Pippa. There is also a very satisfying bar room brawl. I was completely diverted by those pleasures, and failed to figure things out. Not that I mind. It far better than being bored.

The Lies That Bind / Kate Carlisle

 

4 out of 5 stars 

I find this series absolutely delightful. There's enough mystery and action to balance the romance aspect. I'm a firm believer in slow burn romance, and Carlisle has managed to keep Brooklyn and Derek in the unsure romance dance for three books. Well done!

At an early stage in the book, I was shocked, thinking that the author had killed off Brooklyn's nemesis, Minka LaBoef. What would we do without her malign influence? Thankfully she was merely injured and horrified to realize that Brooklyn rescued her. She lives to torment our bookbinder again. Carlisle also excels at producing murder victims who seem to deserve their fates. Layla Fontaine is an obnoxious bully who gets what she wants with money, so I was unsurprised when Brooklyn discovered her body. Carlisle makes a bit of a joke about Brooklyn's talent for tripping over corpses, but even though it's highly unlikely, it fit with the other facets of the plot.

As usual, Brooklyn's family and Guru Bob fill meaningful roles in the story. I love how Guru Bob seems to know everything and to have been everywhere. His sponsorship of the mysterious Gabriel is also intriguing.

Looking forward to the next book!