A Well-Trained Wife / Tia Levings

 

3.5 out of 5 stars 

”A woman is like a teabag. You never know how strong she is until she gets in hot water.” ~ Eleanor Roosevelt

How do you rate a book like this? When the author's life in the church makes me volcanically angry? But when I also feel so relieved that she managed to escape from fundamentalist Christianity and fine peace and happiness?

Evangelical Christians do a lot of fulminating about sick society “grooming" children, but they have their version of it and it's so harmful for women and their children. Equating femininity with marriage and motherhood, nothing else. Mandating that the husband must make all the decisions and that he can expect his wife to do as she is told. To hell with that! There's a reason that they oppose sex education, abortion, and contraception—all those things give girls and women information on how to control their own lives and bodies. Why God wouldn't want that is less clear. What is clear is that these men want to be controlling assholes.

I grew up going to an evangelical church and had exactly the same mixed feelings about it that the author did. However, I had a supportive mother who expected me to educate myself and to grow up before choosing a husband. Turns out I loved education and never did find a guy that was worth marrying. I asked Mom at one point if she was disappointed with my choices and she said, “You're the happiest of my children. Don't change.” I'm so lucky to have had such a sensible mother.

I am glad that this woman is so committed to exposing the abusive nature of her first marriage and the religious milieu that she lived in. If this book speaks to you, I would also recommend Educated by Tara Westover or Beyond Belief: My Secret Life Inside Scientology and My Harrowing Escape by Jenna Miscavige Hill. Although Hill's book relates to Scientology, it explores similar themes.

The Ex Hex / Erin Sterling

 

2.75 out of 5 stars 

This month, the library goddess has been quite determined that I should read memoirs and romances. I have learned that I don't want a steady diet of either. So I may be a bit jaded by romance novels right now, but this one seemed awfully basic. I prefer a mystery and/or fantasy plot to take the lead and the romance to be a secondary characteristic. The Ex Hex has a very simple paranormal mystery running in the background. Things proceed far too easily, solving complex problems far too quickly for my taste.

This is a witchy second chance romance between Vivienne Jones and Rhys Penhallow, both descendants of the original settlers in Graves Glen. The Penhallow ancestor is remembered as the town founder and one of his line must periodically return to Graves Glen to recharge the ley lines that power the community. This year, it is Rhys' turn, bringing him back into Vivienne's life after a nine year absence. They both remember that long ago summer with fondness even though things didn't end well between them. In fact, Vivi may have consumed a bit too much vodka and her broken hearted curse on her ex seems to have acquired extra oomph from somewhere.

So, can Vivi change her mind? Can she somehow lift the curse, which has become tangled with the ley lines, disrupting magic all over town? Can she let Rhys go again? It was cute, but not very substantial. I'm unlikely to read farther in the series.

Burn Book / Kara Swisher

 

3 out of 5 stars 

When I picked up this book, I was completely unaware of Kara Swisher's work. Never heard of her. I'm not a Luddite, but I'm not enthusiastic about tech either. But last year I did read Survival of the Richest: Escape Fantasies of the Tech Billionaires (and A City on Mars: Can We Settle Space, Should We Settle Space, and Have We Really Thought This Through?) and became more aware of the billionaire class and their influence on our world. Then I heard Swisher interviewed on the radio, probably doing promotion for this memoir, and her mentioning regular contact with Musk, Bezos, and Zuckerberg intrigued me.

Honestly, I wish that I skipped this book and could continue to be naïve about how much giant amoral corporations run our lives. Especially now, it is mucho depressing. This is my take-away from Burn Book:
Tech bros are overwhelmingly white men who have never felt unsafe in their lives and can't put themselves in the place of others who are not so privileged. The algorithms of their creations exhibit this lack of empathy. They start out socially awkward and end up acting like spoiled toddlers in bubbles of comfort/money that insulate them from reality. The omission of women from the industry is quite deliberate and they are happy to keep their ranks very male and uber-white. Capitalism trumps community every time. These guys are thin skinned and deeply insecure. According to Swisher, “These tech moguls are so rarely disagreed with that they now interpret valid questions as attacks.” Alarmingly, they appear to be trying to eliminate news media just to avoid having to answer questions.

In my opinion, the worst offenders are desperately lonely and have no idea how to fix that. They thought that gobs of money would make them happy (it didn't) and keep pursuing more money because they are unwilling to accept that they are wrong. Somehow they have come to believe that obscene wealth qualifies them to be leaders of society. They missed the memo that caring about other people as more than potential customers or sources of data is necessary to be a real leader. Worryingly, politicians seem to be following in their footsteps. Ironically, social media has created a climate in which only the power hungry are willing to brave public office and those who would bring valuable perspective are driven out.

I was ever so thankful for the chapter about the decent people in the tech biz. They get overshadowed by the loudmouth shnooks, but I'm comforted just a little by knowing that a few tech leaders have a moral compass and some empathy. I find it heartening that Swisher remains optimistic about the future, but I think we have some rough years ahead. However, as she says, the cat videos are still fun.

Birding With Benefits / Sarah T. Dubb

 

4 out of 5 stars 

I went into this novel with hope but kind of expecting to be disappointed. Is the author a birder or is she someone who thinks that birding is a ridiculous pastime that will make a funny romance subject? At first I was worried because Celeste has never birded before and she has committed to participating in a contest with John without any knowledge of what such things are like. I mean there are always uber-serious competitors who treat these contests like matters of life and death. A complete beginner is an unlikely partner for someone like John.

I couldn't help liking Celeste because of her enthusiasm for trying new things, for plunging into activities, and for trying to find out who she is when she's not being a wife or mother. Her divorce has left her wondering what she has missed out on and she's exploring her options. John is a sweetheart, a quiet, intense guy who is kind and thoughtful. They agree to pretend to be a couple to get the other people in their lives to quit hassling them about their reluctance to date. We all know where things will end up, so the question becomes how will the author get them there?

I really liked that these are not people in their twenties. Celeste has a college age daughter and John has a bit of gray in his beard. After all, it's not just the young who are interested in relationships. Celeste struggles with her desire to be single and find out her own preferences without being influenced by a partner. John is unsure that he can handle a casual relationship as he needs real connections.

And, as for my initial fears, the author is an experienced birder. The book should please birders and romance readers alike. As she states in the note at the end, “I consume romance novels for the same reason I watch birds—for the sparks of joy, because I prefer to be happy when the world gives us so many reasons to be sad.” Both aspects made me happy. I recommend the book for other romantic birders.

The Book Swap / Tessa Bickers

 

3 out of 5 stars 

This is a book lover's second chance romance. I liked it, despite the lack of mystery or paranormal elements. I know, I'm surprised too.

James and Erin were friends with possibilities in high school. They have a mutual friend, Bonnie, who dies of cancer. They both have less than ideal home situations and an unfortunate event separates them. Now they are both in London, leading lives that don't make them happy—jobs they hate, partners who don't really fit, too far from family.

In a fit of determination to change her life, Erin clears her book shelf and takes a load of books down to a nearby Little Free Library. The next day, she discovers that her beloved, much annotated copy of To Kill a Mockingbird is missing. She haunts the library until it is returned and is delighted that this borrower has replied to her, also in the margins and has left a book for her to do the same.

Pretty obvious where it was headed, but it was a good journey. Lots of learning about themselves and their families. How to live a happier life. How to truly communicate. Good things to think about. Not my usual fare, but a worthwhile read.

The Vampire of Kings Street / Asha Greyling

 

4 out of 5 stars 

A combination of the paranormal and mystery, two of my favourite genres. As a result I enjoyed this novel quite a bit. Greyling turned the table on vampires in her writing, making them extremely dependent on human sufferance in her version of 19th century New York. Hunted nearly to extinction in the 1600s, vampires survive by employment to wealthy families. They own little and receive no wages.

Radhika Dhingra is an orphan of South Asian heritage and a newly minted lawyer. Life is difficult as she has no clients. Who would engage an inexperienced female lawyer? Especially one with a dark complexion? A desperate vampire, that's who. When Mr. Evelyn More arrives on her doorstep one evening, frantic with worry, desiring a will and predicting his immanent arrest and execution, Radhika is determined to treat him like any other client, with kindness and respect.

We learn more along with Radhika, meeting the Frost family who claim Evelyn More as theirs and hearing about the young woman who he is accused of killing. We also meet Jane, Radhika's reporter friend with street smarts and connections and Detective Hitch, a little person who has carved out a place for himself on the police force. Interesting characters, all with disadvantages that they are coping with, as we all do.

I picked this book specifically because the description recommended it for those who enjoy Deanna Raybourn, Rebecca Roanhorse, and Gail Carriger. I'm afraid I don't see any similarities. There is none of Carriger's exaggerated humour (which I love) and none of the witty banter that I expect of Raybourn. The setting and time period couldn't be more different from Roanhorse. I really don't know who wrote those comparisons, but I think they are misleading. Fortunately, I like the book very much on its own merits.

At this point, the novel seems to be a standalone, but the last few paragraphs leave an opening for future investigations for Ms. Dhingra. I hope Greyling has something in mind.

You Can Kill / Rebecca Zanetti

 

3 out of 5 stars 

The continued adventures of my favourite neurodivergent FBI agent, Laurel Snow. Too smart for her own good and struggling to understand the emotional subtext when communicating with others, Laurel is still trying to prove that her father and half-sister are criminals. Knowing is one thing, proving it is another. And they're both getting cranky about her persistence. But is one of them killing women just to make her life miserable? Or has escaped serial killer Jason Abbot changed his MO? How many murderers are hunting in the Genesis Valley?

Laurel is learning more about her own emotions, too. She methodically takes care of her FBI team and sends her mom on a long vacation to get her out of harm's way. She finds that she misses them and that she feels isolated. Except for Huck, who has become uber protective since Laurel revealed her pregnancy. Now one of her many enemies is trying to hang some or all of the current murders on Huck to complete her isolation. (Shades of book one, when Huck was also considered a suspect. I question the intellect of the management who keep believing this.)

Zanetti seems to have tied up most of the loose ends in this book and may be moving on to other things. If she writes more Laurel Snow I will likely read it. I find I’m choosy about which of her series that I'm willing to spend my reading time on, but some, like this one, are quite enjoyable.

The Serial Killer Guide to San Francisco / Michelle Chouinard

 

3.75 out of 5 stars 

This was a fast paced, complicated mystery. Capri Sanzio runs a tour company specializing in the killers of San Francisco. Perhaps a natural employment, as her grandfather died in jail following the deaths of several prostitutes. He claimed to be innocent, but nevertheless became known as Overkill Bill. Capri would like to know more, but her father is immovable on the subject—he will not discuss it under any circumstances. Overkill Bill is long dead, so it is a shock to Capri when two more women, one of whom is her ex-mother-in-law, are found dead, killed in Bill's signature way.

Capri may not have loved her MIL, but no one deserves to be brutally murdered. If Capri knows how to do anything, it's research, so she begins to dig. She has a daughter to protect and a police inspector to convince that neither she nor her girl are murderers, even if they are descended from one. There's a lot to do, as she must continue to run her tour business, provide emotional support to her father-in-law and ex-husband, and care for her daughter, in addition to investigating her grandfather's crimes and the current ones.

I enjoyed the book, although it does suffer from a usual cozy mystery trope: the main character not trusting the police to do their jobs. One of my least favourite plot devices. Despite this, I liked Capri and her daughter Morgan. I thought the basis of her company was funny and if it existed, I would go on a tour. The murderer was not who I expected but the other aspects of the book wrapped up in the ways that I predicted. That didn't detract from the fun of the journey so I will be on the lookout for the next novel in this series

The Pale Horse / Agatha Christie

 

3 out of 5 stars 

Agatha Christie is the mistress of bait & switch! She led me right up to the solution and then abruptly changed the question. As usual, I was bamboozled. I continue to be impressed with how much she could accomplish in so few pages.

Mark Easterbrook is an young man with imagination but a bit lacking in gumption. Ms. Christie supplies him with an investigative partner, namely Ginger, who is a bit bolder. Christie often gives the role of instigator to a plucky young woman. I did also enjoy the presence of Christie's alter-ego Ariadne Oliver. It must have been fun, writing Oliver as the absent minded and occasionally incoherent author of mysteries. Making fun of the public’s stereotype of the writer.

Of course the silliest part of the story concerns the inhabitants of the Pale Horse, the three witchy women who claim to eliminate people through magic. I wonder if Christie was aware of Gerald Gardner, the self-proclaimed restorer of witchcraft to the British Isles? He published a couple of books on the subject in the 1950s. He and his coven pranced about skyclad, i.e. naked, and practiced what is now known as Wicca. That was what these women put me in mind of.

It may have been silly, but the denizens of the Pale Horse played their part effectively. Christie fit the many pieces of her plot together neatly, letting DI Lejeune reveal all, rather like Poirot in other books. I enjoyed the goings on quite a bit, though I don't think it's one of her better outings.

A Winter Grave / Peter May

 

3 out of 5 stars 

This is a book I would never have chosen if left to my own devices, but my book club selected it. It's a very dark book, maybe what they call granite noir? It is very different from our usual fare, being set in a post-apocalyptic near future. In 2051 the climate has become all the things that we are being warned about right now: permanent flooding of coastal areas, viscious storms, desperate people looking for a new home, desperate politicians try to bar entrance to their countries.

Human dramas continue on, despite the worldwide chaos. Cameron Brodie is an old timer on the police force who has quit paying much attention to the news. He has personal issues to occupy his thoughts, namely a dead wife, an estranged daughter, and six months to live due to virulent cancer. So he lies to his superior and takes a case that will take him to the little town in Scotland where his daughter lives. In fact, she is the one who discovered the corpse of a journalist frozen in an ice tunnel at the top of a mountain.

I struggled to connect to any of the characters but finally, a third of the way through, I at least developed an interest in the plot. Who killed the journalist and what were they trying to cover up? How far will they go? [Spoiler alert: pretty far.] I alternated reading and housework in order to withstand the plot tension. Nothing like doing dishes to calm me down.

In my opinion, this book skews more toward the thriller end of the spectrum than the mystery end. Brodie manages to find things out, put things together and survive mishaps that are so severe that I found my belief being stretched very thin. I will be interested in hearing what other book club members think, particularly our retired crown attorney. I hope he's there!

The Village Library Demon-Hunting Society / C.M. Waggoner

 

3.5 out of 5 stars 

What an odd book! In some ways, it was a cozy mystery as our librarian main character, Sherry Pinkwhistle, solves the numerous murders that take place in her small town. To begin with, I was satisfied to go with the flow. After all, we often laugh about how many of these crimes happen in small fictional towns. Why should Winesap be any different? Even when the demon showed up, I didn't take it very seriously. After all, possessing a cat named Sir Thomas Cromwell isn't really very impressively evil, is it?

My opinion changed when Sherry's boyfriend Alan is killed. This is the point when Sherry realizes that she's been treating people's deaths as a game or entertainment, not as the tragedies that they are, and knowing that she has an influential supernatural audience doesn't let her off the hook. The demon tells her in no uncertain terms that she must investigate. Attempts to leave town are thwarted and assistance from outside is deflected.

Waggoner sets Sherry up as a Poirot figure, but she was closer to Jane Marple in my opinion. She's not nearly as nice as everyone around town seems to think. She's actually quite calculating when evaluating those around her. We eventually discover her secret past, however, differentiating her from either Christie detective.

Once the audience is aware that this is a serious matter, things move along briskly. As paranormal crime books go, this one didn't stir up any of my usual reluctance to read after dark. I didn't find it spooky or eerie, despite my tendency to be affected by such things. I took the murders seriously but not the supernatural aspect of the story, I guess. The last bit of the last chapter seems to leave room for another adventure for Sherry in the future and I'd be willing to take it for a spin.

The Many-Colored Land / Julian May

 

5 out of 5 stars 

2025 Re-Read

I decided on a reread of Julian May's work in 2025, beginning with this novel. This is my third go round with it and I'm still seeing new things. This series is an odd mix of fantasy and science fiction with psychic decoration. I find it delightful.

This time, I really took note of the Galactic Milieu which looms in the background of this tale, forming the framework for May's vision. It will become more relevant in the following trilogy, The Galactic Milieu. But that's for later this year. Originally, this was my least favoured aspect, being as focused on the Pliocene fauna as I am. It has grown on me.

I also noticed a theme of individualism vs community. The humans who chose the time portal tend to be of the “me first" mindset. Once in the Pliocene, they find they must stick together or hang apart. It suggests that individualism relies on civilization and technology. Since most of us don't make most of the things we use, that independence is largely a illusion. The Galactic Milieu is a more “all for one and one for all" situation (or seems to be, at any rate). The human situation is mirrored by the Tanu and Firvulag, with the Tanu coercing community and the Firvulag being only loosely committed to their group. Both systems have their advantages and disadvantages, but once again cooperation gives the feral humans an edge.

We get to view this in the microcosm as well, with the very community minded nun Amerie contrasted starkly with the self-involved sportswoman Felice. Amerie immediately becomes a valued member of the free humans, while everyone is careful of the ultra-focused Felice. Felice gets knocked unconscious on at least one occasion to keep her from ruining a plan that will benefit the group.

Nevertheless, the Green group who came through the portal together are more likely to stick together from their time training as a unit. Upon arrival, the Greens get split into two groups. In this first book we get more time with the individuals who were less favoured by the Tanu. If I recall correctly, the folks who were taken with the Tanu get more page time in volume two. I'll be able to confirm or deny next month when I reread The Golden Torc.

The Postscript Murders / Elly Griffiths

 

4 out of 5 stars 

It's becoming a habit to start and end each reading year with an Elly Griffiths book. I am currently hoarding the last few Ruth Galloway volumes, so I began 2025 with the second Harbinder Kaur book. I am coming to be almost as fond of Harbinder as I am of Ruth even though you couldn't get two characters more different from each other.

Harbinder is an Anglo-Indian police officer, in contrast to the Anglo archaeologist Ruth. Harbinder is a lesbian, but she lives with her parents so has very little purview to pursue a relationship. She suspects that her parents would be disappointed if they knew. She actually has a strong bond with her parents, once again unlike Ruth.

Also different is the looser focus on the main character. Yes, Harbinder ties all the various plotlines together, but the ancillary characters get a great deal of page time without her. Like Claire Cassidy in the first volume (who makes an incidental appearance in this one). Perhaps Edwin, Benedict, and Natalka will hang around too. That would be fun.

I also appreciated the method that Harbinder uses to be able to put up with her partner, Neil. She imagines him to be a shy forest creature—wiping his whiskers, twitching his tail, seizing a nut, nibbling, nibbling. I wish I had thought of this when I was still confined to an office! (Retirement really is the best decision I ever made.)

This was a very enjoyable part of the mystery binge that I seem to be indulging in at present. Ms. Griffiths is definitely one of my favoured authors.

Year End Round Up

 This has been a trying year. Our city spent many weeks under severe water restrictions because of a burst water main. We got used to short showers, fewer flushes, and dry gardens. Add to that some forest fire smoke, making the city look apocalyptic on some days. We finished up the fall with a cyber attack against our public library that closed it down for about a month. We have definitely had our patience tested. With any luck, 2025 will be a better year in the real world.

My reading year has been much easier, although the library closure put a crimp in my November reading plans. December has been spent trying to get caught up and to reschedule holds. I've done a ton of rereading rather than consistently tackling new titles, but I can't regret that pleasure.

Despite these circumstances, I read some awesome books during 2024. Here are some of my favourite titles.

Enchanted by Magical Realism: Midnight at the Blackbird Café by Heather Webber. A gorgeous cover and an enticing title attracted me first. The plot included hordes of birders descending on a small Southern town to view rare Blackbirds. How could I not love that? I'm also a sucker for dealing-with-grief books. This novel was perfect for me.

Most Re-Read Novel: Bride by Ali Hazelwood. I read a library copy, then bought myself one this summer. I keep picking it up when I need a pick-me-up and I would hate to say exactly how often that has been this year. I also convinced a friend to buddy read it with me which was fun. Yup, obsessed with this werewolf-vampire romance.

Favourite Historical Mystery: A Daughter of Fair Verona by Christina Dodd. Rosaline Montague tells us how Shakespeare got the story of her parents wrong. She is the eldest daughter of Romeo and Juliet, she is done with romance, and thus far, she has diverted three fiancés with more suitable women. But she has been engaged once more and her husband-to-be is murdered at their betrothal party. Can she clear her name? Wonderfully cheeky and funny.

Favourite Historical Novel: The Hazelbourne Ladies Motorcycle and Flying Club by Helen Simonson. A story of female friendship and ambition in the wake of WWI. A young woman comes to a small community as companion to an older woman and finds purpose and friendship there.

Favourite First Contact Novel: Remnant Population by Elizabeth Moon. Representative of the “old lady" fiction that I've come to appreciate as I age. An elder woman decides to stay behind when her village is pulled from their current planet by the megacorporation that basically owns them. When everyone else is gone, she revels in her freedom from the demands and expectations of society, at least until she meets the first indigenous inhabitant.

First Delightful Encounter with Cozy Fantasy: Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree. Forget the fantasy worlds rife with war. Viv, the orc who stars in this novel, is done with fighting and wants to run a coffee shop. First she must teach her neighbours the joys of coffee drinking, then she finds a community of supporters who make her business and her life better. Leave the struggle behind and enjoy this book with a big cup of coffee and a cinnamon treat.

Fabulous Farce: The Ornithologist's Field Guide to Love by India Holton. If you are both a birder and a romance reader, this is the book for you. Set in an alternate Victorian England, rival academics must team up to find a rare bird in the Birder of the Year competition. They struggle with their attraction to each other while the other competitors threaten their success. It gently pokes fun at academic rivalry and competitive birding.

Favourite Christmas Mystery: The Most Wonderful Crime of the Year by Ally Carter. The Christmas aspect of the mystery is negligible as the author concentrates on creating a locked room mystery with an enemies-to-lovers romance between two successful authors. Fun and funny.

My Shakespeare Project: I notched two more plays this year, namely A Midsummer Night’s Dream and The Comedy of Errors. My new total is 21 plays seen.

My Science Fiction and Fantasy Reading Project: My progress is 22 titles this year (not counting some rereads). I made a lot of headway on one of my favourite series, the Liaden Universe. I am still mourning the death of one of its coauthors, Steve Miller. Sharon Lee is continuing to write, for which I am thankful. This year also marks my finishing Lois McMaster Bujold's Vorkosigan saga. I hope to read some of her other fiction as well as rereading the Vorkosigan books. I also notched 3 more volumes in the Foreigner series by C.J. Cherryh. I look forward to more adventures with Bren Cameron during 2025.

I also participated in a challenge this year to read books that have been physically sitting on my own shelves, my book hoard. These books tend to get neglected while I concentrate on library books. It was a useful exercise, as I read 28 titles and was able to part with a fair number of them. This is a challenge that bears repeating in 2025. Probably my favourite title among them was Suddenly Psychic by Elizabeth Hunter, a very good impulse buy.

What am I looking forward to in 2025? The next installment of Mick Herron’s Slough House series, Clown Town. The 10th book in the Chronicles of the Black Company by Glen Cook, Lies Weeping. A new book by Guy Gavriel Kay, Written on the Dark. A yet untitled Alpha and Omega novel by Patricia Briggs. Catching up on some classics. Getting au courant with a ton of new releases. Whatever the outside world may throw my way (and there promises to be a fair bit of crap), I will have my books, my coffee, and my music. ☕📚🎶

Happy New Year, friends! 🍾🥂