strange and random happenstance

The Hacienda by Isabel Cañas
Published by: Berkley
Publication Date: May 3rd, 2022
Format: Hardcover, 352 Pages
Rating: ★★★★★
To Buy

Beatriz lost everything with the death of her father. Branded a traitor he was executed and she and her mother moved in with relatives who treated them worse than slaves. When Beatriz catches the eye of Don Rodolfo Solórzano she jumps at the chance of a new beginning and a home of her own. He's well off and has a position of power in the new Provisional Government and is wealthy enough to support two residences, a house in the city and his family pulque plantation in the county. Her mother's dislike of him can be overcome in time, and as for the rumors of what happened to his first wife? She thinks little of it, which might be just what her new husband wants, someone desperate enough to not ask questions. His job keeps him in town while Beatriz will primarily reside at the Hacienda San Isidro, an arrangement that suits him perfectly. Of course Beatriz had pictured San Isidro as her husband romanticized it in stories of his childhood. She did not expect the rundown house with the verdant growth gone to rot. She also didn't expect to be dumped there. Surely a newly wedded man would want to spend time with his wife? But she is soon left alone in a hostile environment. Her sister-in-law Juana wants nothing to do with her or the house and the staff keep themselves apart. Beatriz got what she thought she wanted and is more alone than she's ever been. If she can restore San Isidro, bring the house and the gardens back to life, she can lure her mother to live with her and perhaps then she will feel less alone. But the house doesn't want this. She hears voices and sees things that cannot possibly be real. She looks to Juana for confirmation but gets none. Yet why does Juana only enter the house when she has to and only during daylight? Beatriz has nowhere to turn but the church. Padre Andrés is a newly ordained priest and he is the only one who will listen to Beatriz. He grew up at San Isidro and as soon as he returns he can tell that something is horribly wrong. This isn't the home he knew and Beatriz is right, there's danger here. Thankfully Andrés is willing to help the young bride, but as they battle San Isidro they have to battle their growing attraction and victory is not assured. Not in the least.

This book was lauded as Rebecca meets Mexican Gothic. Now I, for one, will admit that PR for a book has to always go for the biggest names, the one haunted house book with true name recognition to compare to the haunted house book they're trying to get you to pick up. It's all designed to grab our attention, and I totally fall for it. Every. Single. Time. You liked this? Well you'll love this, it's the same but better! No, it never is. Except once in a great while. Whenever I see a book compared to my beloved Rebecca I read the book and wonder if the author or the PR department had actually ever read Du Maurier's classic. And as for the Mexican Gothic comparison, after that book became a surprise hit every Gothic book coming out had to somehow be "like" it. Here's the thing though, Mexican Gothic wasn't that good, whereas this book is. Oh my, they really delivered on the "same but better." I should find those PR people and apologize for how I've always trashed them for their cunning deceptions. It's their job after all... I've even been known to do it! The reason The Hacienda beats Mexican Gothic hands down is Isabel Cañas didn't complicate this story with mushrooms and what have you. She went for the standard tropes of the Gothic genre, dead first wife, hostile family, lonely outsider newlywed, recalcitrant servants, haunted house, conflicted priest, forbidden romance, and wrote these tropes to the highest standard. There isn't much original here, but it is so well crafted, so well drawn out, that you will love it completely. The story of Beatriz is propulsive. How will she survive? I kept turning the pages late into the night. I could see it all before me and yet somehow it maintained my interest. The Hacienda has all the goodness of a true Gothic haunted house story paired with what it means to belong and want a home. And that's where it set itself above the tropes, that's where it was unique, in Beatriz's desire for a place of her own. Her family had been cast out and degraded and she took the first opportunity she had to break free. Yes, it was a dangerous decision in the end, but who wouldn't risk it all to find their place in the world? To finally feel safe? I know I would, wouldn't you?

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments  

Labels: A Place to Call Home, Daphne Du Maurier, For the Love of Book Clubs, Ghosts, Gothic, Haunted House, Isabel Cañas, Mexican Gothic, Mexico, Priests, Pulque Plantation, Rebecca, The Hacienda, Tropes

The Day of the Locust by Nathanael West
Published by: EFE Books
Publication Date: 1939
Format: Kindle, 206 Pages
Rating: ★
To Buy (different edition than one reviewed)

Tod Hackett is looking for inspiration. He wants to do a great painting, it's what his Ivy League education demands, but moving west to Hollywood means his skills are only useful in scenic work on films. Not exactly work that has depth and meaning, which is what could be said for the town and it's denizens. The more people he meets the more he realizes that Hollywood is full of frauds and wannabes with eyes full of hatred. He wants to capture this in his great work, "The Burning of Los Angeles." He wants to watch the town burn and immortalize the conflagration. In his apartment complex there is the full array of the Hollywood unwashed, the failed dreamers, the bookmakers, the screenwriters, and the failed actresses. Faye Greener is a failed actress, though she'd never admit as much. She's just doing what she needs to to get by until her big break. Tod becomes obsessed with Faye. He wants Faye but she always keeps him at a distance which results in him fantasizing of taking her by force. It's Tod's obsession with Faye that keeps him constantly in her orbit. He is stuck in a twilight world of hangers-on. Faye plays her men off each other. She seems to get far more enjoyment from their anger than their attentions. There's Earle, an ersatz cowboy, Miguel, a fake Native American, and most importantly, Homer Simpson. Homer came west for his health, one of those who come to California to die, and has ended up supporting Faye. It's unclear what he gets from the relationship other than pain and heartbreak. All these people scrap and fight in Homer's house in the valley. There's brawls and violence and cockfights and pornography. This group of people is endemic of what is happening in Hollywood and one night it all boils over. Homer tries to leave, there's an incident with a precocious child actor who has been taunting him and Los Angeles burns. Just as Tod envisioned.

A book needs to have something going for it, a compelling plot, compelling characters, or a compelling message. If you have all these things, all the better, if you have none of them, you have The Day of the Locust. I know, you could argue with me that it does have several messages, the deevolution of man to animals instincts, that California is where the American Dream goes to die, that it was a clarion call to take heed of the rise of fascism, but guess what? I don't care. This isn't an introduction to literature class where we sit around and justify this book as a Classic with a capital "C." This is nothing more nor less than a study in entropy with such violence against women that it is triggering to read. Tod again and again has rape fantasies. He plainly states that "[n]othing less violent than rape would do" in his pursuit of Faye. That isn't love, that is violent obsession. And I'm sorry, but that doesn't make him a quicky character, that makes him a sexual predator. I can't get past this. Tod is the epitome of all the characters in this book, horrible people living lurid lives. These are not people I want to read about because these are not people I want to spend time with. Have you ever been at a party you didn't want to go to and you don't really know anyone at and then all of a sudden the atmosphere shifts and you realize not only do you really not want to be there but that it could be dangerous? Well that's The Day of the Locust. I mean, maybe if it was eloquently written there could have been some redeeming factor. I think you can gather already that there was not. Nathanael West can write descriptions but when it comes to action? Oh, the cockfight and the riot are such a mess that they literally did not make sense. There was one section of the book where Tod goes to a party and for a second I was confused, the writing was assured, the story made sense, and then I realized that it was completely lifted from The Great Gatsby, female tennis pro and all, but with a lurid pornography twist. In an interesting aside, West was good friends with F. Scott Fitzgerald, and the day after F. Scott died of a heart attack Nathanael West ran a stop sign that killed both him and his wife. A cruel person would say that perhaps West had no more reason to live because he had no more work to rip-off... But I'm not quite that cruel, unlike the other reviewers who said that The Day of the Locust was overly praised because of West's death before he was even forty. I will just say this book was not for me and no matter how people praise Miss Lonelyhearts there's not a chance in hell I'm ever reading it.

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments  

Labels: American Dream, Classics, Entropy, F. Scott Fitzgerald, For the Love of Book Clubs, Hollywood, Homer Simpson, Miss Lonelyhearts, Nathanael West, Rape, The Day of the Locust, The Great Gatsby, Triggering

How to Solve Your Own Murder by Kristen Perrin
Published by: Dutton
Publication Date: March 26th, 2024
Format: Hardcover, 368 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"For fans of Knives Out and The Thursday Murder Club, an enormously fun mystery about a woman who spends her entire life trying to prevent her foretold murder only to be proven right sixty years later, when she is found dead in her sprawling country estate.... Now it's up to her great-niece to catch the killer.

It's 1965 and teenage Frances Adams is at an English country fair with her two best friends. But Frances's night takes a hairpin turn when a fortune-teller makes a bone-chilling prediction: One day, Frances will be murdered. Frances spends a lifetime trying to solve a crime that hasn't happened yet, compiling dirt on every person who crosses her path in an effort to prevent her own demise. For decades, no one takes Frances seriously, until nearly sixty years later, when Frances is found murdered, like she always said she would be.

In the present day, Annie Adams has been summoned to a meeting at the sprawling country estate of her wealthy and reclusive great-aunt Frances. But by the time Annie arrives in the quaint English village of Castle Knoll, Frances is already dead. Annie is determined to catch the killer, but thanks to Frances's lifelong habit of digging up secrets and lies, it seems every endearing and eccentric villager might just have a motive for her murder. Can Annie safely unravel the dark mystery at the heart of Castle Knoll, or will dredging up the past throw her into the path of a killer?

As Annie gets closer to the truth, and closer to the danger, she starts to fear she might inherit her aunt's fate instead of her fortune."

Just putting it out there, but perhaps in trying to prevent her murder she caused it to happen...

Beneath the Stairs by Jennifer Fawcett
Published by: Atria Books
Publication Date: March 26th, 2024
Format: Paperback, 352 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"In this spine-tingling, atmospheric "nail-biter of a novel" (Shelf Awareness), a woman returns to her hometown after her childhood friend attempts suicide at an alleged haunted house - the same place where a traumatic incident shattered their lives twenty years ago. Few in sleepy Sumner's Mills have stumbled across the Octagon House hidden deep in the woods. Even fewer are brave enough to trespass. A man had killed his wife and two young daughters there, a shocking, gruesome crime that the sleepy upstate New York town tried to bury. One summer night, an emboldened fourteen-year-old Clare and her best friend, Abby, ventured into the Octagon House. Clare came out, but a piece of Abby never did. Twenty years later, Clare receives word that Abby has attempted suicide at the Octagon House and now lies in a coma. With little to lose, Clare returns to her roots to uncover the darkness responsible for ruining their lives. A "spellbinding horror story, where the terror comes not from ghosts, but from the haunted places we find within ourselves" (Elizabeth Brundage, author of The Vanishing Point), Beneath the Stairs is perfect for fans of Jennifer McMahon, Simone St. James, and Chris Bohjalian."

I mean, I get tingles up and down my spine just at the name of the house, Octagon House!

A Trace of Hares by Sarah Yarwood-Lovett
Published by: Embla Books
Publication Date: March 26th, 2024
Format: Kindle, 352 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"A family wedding. An unsolved murder. Til death us do part?

Dr. Nell Ward is in the lush, emerald-green hills of Ireland to attend the wedding of two dear friends at a picture-perfect farmhouse.

But family tensions are running high in the days before the happy couple tie the knot. And when Nell hears a fox kill a hare in the early morning, the bad omen sends shivers down her spine. Almost like it is a sign of something to come...

Then one of the locals makes a gruesome discovery in a nearby peat bog. The habitats are famous for the ancient bodies they can preserve for thousands of years. This woman, however, died much more recently and was clearly a victim of foul play.

Nell and her friends are suddenly in the middle of another murder case. Can they trace the truth to unmask a long-hidden killer and save the wedding, before it's too late?

An absolutely gripping and page-turning cozy mystery to curl up with. Perfect for fans of Richard Osman, Robert Thorogood and Janice Hallett."

I mean, bodies in peat bogs is a thing with me. A thing I love.

Rhythm and Clues by Olivia Blacke
Published by: St. Martin's Press
Publication Date: March 26th, 2024
Format: Paperback, 304 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"The rhythm is gonna get you.

It's been five whole months since the last murder in Cedar River, Texas, and Juni Jessup and her sisters Tansy and Maggie have been humming along when disaster strikes again.

Their struggling vinyl records shop/coffee nook, Sip and Spin Records, is under pressure from predatory investors, though the Jessup sisters aren't ready to face the music and admit defeat. But the night after their meeting, the sketchy financier is killed outside their shop during a torrential Texas thunderstorm that washes out all the roads in and out of town. Now the sisters find themselves trapped in Cedar River with a killer, and Juni is determined to solve the case.

When the river spits out an unexpected surprise, Detective Beau Russell asks for Juni's help, never predicting her investigation will spin her into danger. Up until now, the Jessup sisters have been playing it by ear, but with the whole town watching, can they catch a killer before he strikes again?"

Plus, rain tends to wash away evidence, making it even trickier to catch a killer!

Off the Air by Christina Estes
Published by: Minotaur Books
Publication Date: March 26th, 2024
Format: Hardcover, 320 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Equal parts thought-provoking and entertaining, Off the Air introduces Jolene Garcia in Emmy Award-winning reporter Christina Estes's Tony Hillerman Prize-winning debut.

Jolene Garcia is a local TV reporter in Phoenix, Arizona, splitting her time between covering general assignments - anything from a monsoon storm to a newborn giraffe at the zoo - and special projects. Stories that take more time to research and produce. Stories that Jolene wants to tell.

When word gets out about a death at a radio station, Jolene and other journalists swarm the scene, intent on reporting the facts first. The body is soon identified as Larry Lemmon, a controversial talk show host, who died under suspicious circumstances. Jolene conducted his final interview, giving her and her station an advantage. But not for long.

As the story heats up, so does the competition. Jolene is determined to solve this murder. It's an investigation that could make or break her career - if it doesn't break her first."

Get a murderous inside scoop from an author who knows what's what.

You'd Look Better as a Ghost by Joanna Wallace
Published by: Penguin Books
Publication Date: March 26th, 2024
Format: Paperback, 4336 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"A comic thriller following the trials and tribulations of Claire, a part-time serial killer, who is keen to keep her favorite hobby a secret - despite the efforts of a determined blackmailer.

The night after her father's funeral, Claire meets Lucas in a bar. Lucas doesn't know it, but it's not a chance meeting. One thoughtless mistyped email has put him in the crosshairs of an extremely put-out serial killer. But before they make eye contact, before Claire lets him buy her a drink - even before she takes him home and carves him up into little pieces - something about that night is very wrong. Because someone is watching Claire. Someone who is about to discover her murderous little hobby.

The thing is, it's not sensible to tangle with a part-time serial killer, even one who is distracted by attending a weekly bereavement support group and trying to get her art career off the ground. Will Claire finish off her blackmailer before her pursuer reveals all? Let the games begin..."

How can you not be enchanted by that cover?

Secrets of a Scottish Isle by Erica Ruth Neubauer
Published by: Kensington Publishing Corporation
Publication Date: March 26th, 2024
Format: Hardcover, 272 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Spirited American Jane Wunderly must investigate a secret society on an isolated isle off the western coast of Scotland where esoteric rituals blur the line between what's real, what's illusion, and what's deadly...

Isle of Iona, 1927 Cast away on a remote locale, Jane's latest assignment depends on concealing her identity and blending in at an occult gathering. Not even her fiancé, Redvers, can be too close as she uncovers the truth about Robert Nightingale, enigmatic leader of the Order of the Golden Dawn - a group made up of supernatural ceremonies, influential people, and an undefinable darkness. When a woman tries to escape to the mainland only to be found murdered in the moors, the shocking scene reveals it's easier to join the Golden Dawn than it is to leave.

Jane, set on solving the crime and catching the next ferry with Redvers, realizes she may be among the few still grasping reality. One high-ranking member searches for the killer by attempting to access otherworldly planes of existence, while others become immersed in a strange solstice ritual. Then there's Nightingale and the rivals who discarded him to start a new temple. As a second death brings fresh clues into focus, Jane needs to navigate a frightening dilemma - playing along won't help her crack the mystery, but revealing too much could be a fatal mistake..."

I mean, I'm always here for local author Erica Neubauer, but this volume? Scotland? An occult gathering? Sign me up!

Forgetting to Remember by M.J. Rose
Published by: Blue Box Press
Publication Date: March 26th, 2024
Format: Hardcover, 226 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Discover a spellbinding love story in this dazzling time-travel adventure from the NYT bestselling author of The Last Tiara, M.J. Rose.

Setting aside grief from the fallout of the second World War and putting her energy into curating an upcoming show critical to her career as the Keeper of the Metalworks at London's renowned Victoria and Albert Museum, Jeannine Maycroft stumbles upon a unique collection of jewel-framed miniature eye portraits-a brilliant romantic device and clandestine love token of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries.

One piece among the assembly intrigues her more than all the others: a twilight-blue man's eye framed by opals shimmering with enchanting flashes of fiery color. But the beauty is just the beginning. Not only is the painting a self-portrait of one of her favorite Pre-Raphaelite artists, Ashe Lloyd Lewis, but the brooch itself is a portal eight decades into the past.

Despite being cast into an era she was never meant to be in, Jeannine and Ashe develop an immediate and passionate bond, complicated by the undeniable fact that she does not belong in 1867, and the disaster about to destroy her family and reputation in her time.

Striving to live a dual life and dangerously straddling two time periods, Jeannine fights to protect her career and her father from scandal in the present while desperately trying to save her lover's life in the past.

Forgetting to Remember - richly embroidered with historical detail and heartbreaking conflict - is another luscious and thrilling masterpiece by M.J. Rose. A beautiful and compelling story of art, war, magic, and survival, wrapped in a love that defies time."

Somewhere in Time with Pre-Raphaelites! 

The Duchess: The Scandalous Ladies of London by Sophie Jordan
Published by: Avon Books
Publication Date: March 26th, 2024
Format: Paperback, 304 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"The thrilling second book in New York Times bestselling author Sophie Jordan's amazing new high concept series, The Scandalous Ladies of London, which chronicles the lives of a group of affluent ladies reigning over glittering, Regency-era London, vying for position in the hierarchy of the ton. They are the young wives, widows, and daughters of London's wealthiest families. The drama is big, the money runs deep, and the shade is real. Life is different in the ton.

"I liked my husband well enough...but I like him even better dead."

It's been a year since her wretched cad of a husband died and Valencia, the Dowager Duchess of Dedham, is finally her own woman. Flitting from party to party, freedom is sweet and life should be perfect. Until the new duke surfaces.

Nothing like the haughty noblemen who populate the ton, Rhain, the newly minted Duke of Dedham, is a big brawny Welshman with an accent that makes Valencia's knees go weak as he boldly moves into her home with his six wild unwed sisters. The rude and humorless usurper thinks her vain and spoiled. But with a pittance to her name, Valencia needs his support to remain in London and enjoy all the pleasures her new position as a merry widow has to offer.

So a bargain is struck. Valencia will usher his sisters into Good Society and see them happily betrothed. In return, he'll give her the financial security and independence she craves. But the more time they spend beneath the same roof, the more she realizes it's not safety she wants but the dangerously seductive Rhain. Valencia has vowed never to risk marriage again. And yet how can she resist the tempting man when he might be the greatest adventure of her life?"

Ah, to be a merry widow when a Welshman calls.

Diavola by Jennifer Thorne
Published by: Tor Nightfire
Publication Date: March 26th, 2024
Format: Hardcover, 304 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Jennifer Thorne skewers all-too-familiar family dynamics in this sly, wickedly funny vacation-Gothic. Beautifully unhinged and deeply satisfying, Diavola is a sharp twist on the classic haunted house story, exploring loneliness, belonging, and the seemingly inescapable bonds of family mythology.

Anna has two rules for the annual Pace family destination vacations: Tread lightly and survive.

It isn't easy when she's the only one in the family who doesn't quite fit in. Her twin brother, Benny, goes with the flow so much he's practically dissolved, and her older sister, Nicole, is so used to everyone - including her blandly docile husband and two kids - falling in line that Anna often ends up in trouble for simply asking a question. Mom seizes every opportunity to question her life choices, and Dad, when not reminding everyone who paid for this vacation, just wants some peace and quiet.

The gorgeous, remote villa in tiny Monteperso seems like a perfect place to endure so much family togetherness, until things start going off the rails - the strange noises at night, the unsettling warnings from the local villagers, and the dark, violent past of the villa itself.

(Warning: May invoke feelings of irritation, dread, and despair that come with large family gatherings.)"

Damn, I love the "Warning!"

The Godd, the Bad, and the Aunties by Jesse Q. Sutanto
Published by: Berkley Books
Publication Date: March 26th, 2024
Format: Hardcover, 304 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"What should have been a family celebration of Chinese New Year descends into chaos when longtime foes crash the party in this hilariously entertaining novel by Jesse Q. Sutanto, bestselling author of Dial A for Aunties.

After an ultra-romantic honeymoon across Europe, Meddy Chan and her husband Nathan have landed in Jakarta to spend Chinese New Year with her entire extended family. Chinese New Year, already the biggest celebration of the Lunar calendar, gets even more festive when a former beau of Second Aunt's shows up at the Chan residence bearing extravagant gifts - he's determined to rekindle his romance with Second Aunt and the gifts are his way of announcing his courtship.

His grand gesture goes awry however, when it's discovered that not all the gifts were meant for Second Aunt and the Chans - one particular gift was intended for a business rival to cement their alliance and included by accident. Of course the Aunties agree that it's only right to return the gift - after all, anyone would forgive an honest mistake, right? But what should have been a simple retrieval turns disastrous and suddenly Meddy and the Aunties are helpless pawns in a decades-long war between Jakarta's most powerful business factions. The fighting turns personal, however, when Nathan and the Aunties are endangered and it's up to Meddy to come up with a plan to save them all. Determined to rescue her loved ones, Meddy embarks on an impossible mission - but with the Aunties by her side, nothing is truly impossible..."

Nothing more awkward then recovering a "gift." Moreso when things get dangerous.

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments  

Labels: Christina Estes, Erica Ruth Neubauer, Jennifer Fawcett, Jennifer Thorne, Jesse Q. Sutanto, Joanna Wallace, Knives Out, Kristen Perrin, M.J. Rose, Olivia Blacke, Pre-Raphaelite, Sarah Yarwood-Lovett, Sophie Jordan

Nona the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir
Published by: Tordotcom
Publication Date: September 13th, 2022
Format: Hardcover, 480 Pages
Rating: ★★★
To Buy

Six months ago Nona was born into a body not her own. But it's hers for now. And for that time she fantasizes about her birthday party. All the dogs, especially Noodle, could come, as could the kids from school; Hot Sauce and her gang, Honesty, Born in the Morning, Beautiful Ruby, and Kevin. But if The Angel could come, that would be the best gift ever. But this assumes that Nona and the planet New Rho still exist in the coming days. A Resurrection Beast hangs in the sky, trapped between reality and the River, ready to devour the planet at a moments notice once it fully materializes. The insurgents, Blood of Eden, have surrounded the remaining Cohort barracks. It is in the Emperor's best interest to destroy New Rho and it's inhabitants so that the Resurrection Beast doesn't become more powerful. This is unacceptable to Blood of Eden. Some of the insurgents think the Emperor will arrive to do what needs to be done, which means that Blood of Eden will have a chance to eliminate their enemy. But the problem is the Emperor Undying is literally undying. The only way to destroy him is to open the Locked Tomb, where Alecto's body lies sleeping. Which is why Nona is important. She is the weapon they have been waiting for. Or at least they think she is. Whoever is piloting the body is up for debate, but the body is that of Harrowhark Nonagesimus. And Harrow could do it. Years earlier Harrow worked her way into the Locked Tomb and fell in love with the still body of Alecto. If Harrow could do that then, think what she could do now? But Nona cannot. Nona lives a happy life with Pyrrha, Cam, and Palamedes. They are a family. Sure, they help Blood of Eden, and try to get Nona to use Harrow's powers, but most days Nona goes to school as a teacher's assistant and walks Noodle for The Angel. If she's lucky they go swimming. Each and every day she's happy to be alive. And when she sleeps she has odd dreams. Dreams that Cam and Palamedes want to hear about before she can forget them. Dreams that might signal time is running out. Because the body Nona is in is failing. The foreign soul is being rejected. The time to open to tomb is now. But can they succeed?

When you pick up each book in this series you have no idea what you're going to get. There is no through line in style, other than they could all loosely be classified as "space operas." We start with a haunted house, move on to a haunted human on a space station, the closest to an actual space opera we've gotten so far, and here, with Nona the Ninth, we go full on dystopia. And my guess is this dystopian book, which expanded the trilogy into a tetralogy, was a direct results of Covid. There's just too much isolation, masking, temperatures taken, questions about schooling, to be a coincidence. And much like the pandemic, it's something we could have done without in our lives. This book literally adds nothing to the series, unless Tamsyn Muir's goal was to make the weirdest post-apocalyptic version of Freaky Friday ever, well then, mission accomplished! Two thumbs way up. Because this entire book is a body swap bottle episode of a TV show stretched beyond endurance. It's not just who's in whose body, it's how many are in there and do we even know who they are? We have cavalier Pyrrha in the Lyctor Gideon's body, we have Cam and Palamedes sharing Camilla's body, and as for Nona? Well, it's Harrow's body but as for who is inhabiting it? It's not Harrow. Or Gideon. Despite what Cam or Palamedes think. So the majority of this book is marveling in Nona's innocence while trying to figure out who she really is. Yes, we get a fuller understanding of why the Emperor isn't liked by the people he saved. Yes, we see another side to the universe. But did we need to? No. Did we need hundreds of pages in a war zone that could be destroyed at any instant just so I don't know, we could feel what the common person feels instead of those enshrined within the Nine Houses? No we did not. Also, hell no to dream interpretations. I guess, what I'm trying to say is I feel cheated. I didn't like Gideon the Ninth when I started to read it and I fell in love with it. I gave it a chance and it paid off. Since then I've given the next two volumes a chance and they haven't paid off. It feels like this series is spiraling out of control and Tamysn Muir is more interested in trying out other genres and styles than in actually bothering to do what is right by her story. Tell the story. Tell it simply. Or, as simply as can be done. But don't try your readers patience because maybe they won't give Alecto the Ninth a chance.

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments  

Labels: Alecto the Ninth, Blood of Eden, Camilla Hect, Covid, For the Love of Book Clubs, Freaky Friday, Harrowhark Nonagesimus, Locked Tomb, Nona the Ninth, Palamedes Sextus, Post-Apocalyptic, Pyrrha Dve, Tamsyn Muir

Harrow the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir
Published by: Tor.com
Publication Date: August 4th, 2020
Format: Hardcover, 512 Pages
Rating: ★★★
To Buy

Something isn't quite right. Harrow the Ninth journeyed to Canaan House to become a Lyctor. She completed the trials. She ascended to Lyctorhood at great personal cost and is now serving the Emperor alongside Ianthe Tridentarius. It was traumatic. Harrow's cavalier Gideon Nav died. Ianthe's cavalier Naberius Tern died. Naberius's death doesn't bother Ianthe. She has access to all her powers. Harrow does not. This is a problem. Something is wrong with Harrow. Something that happened after she left Canaan House. God, the Emperor, otherwise known as John, needed new Lyctors in his battle against the Resurrection Beasts. They were spawned when he saved mankind, and he has been waging a war against them ever since. A war lasting millennia. He has lost most of his Lyctors to this battle. Only Mercymorn, Augustine, and "Ortus" remain. And they aren't exactly happy campers. In order to fight the Resurrection Beasts they have to enter the River, a realm where the Beasts can be astrally destroyed. Only because of her "failed" ascension Harrow is unable to enter the River. Therefore she is next to useless when the Resurrection Beasts attack the Mithraeum. Not only can she not help, she needs to be protected, because is she fighting an enemy outside the walls but she fears there is an enemy within the walls of the Mithraeum as well. Someone is trying to kill her but she doesn't know who or why. Something isn't quite right with her. She keeps dwelling on her time at Canaan House. When Ortus died so that she could become a Lyctor. But that isn't right is it? She's reliving her time at Canaan House but it doesn't feel right, it doesn't feel true. Is this how things happened? Who died? Who survived? Did she even survive? How can she even be sure that John is telling her the truth? There are secrets in the Mithraeum, there are secrets amongst the Lyctors, secrets that are worth dying for. What if the man viewed as God is actually fallible? What if his enemies aren't just the Resurrection Beasts? What if his enemies, like Harrow's, are inside the Mithraeum? When the battle starts, who will survive and who will die? But most importantly, at who's hand?

If there's one thing that will make me quickly hate a book it's writing it in second person narration. I just can't. I literally can't. Why would anyone write that way let alone expect people to read it? It doesn't make me connect with the narrative in a new and unique way it makes the book connect with my wall in a new and unique way. I literally didn't think that I would be able to read Harrow the Ninth. But I remembered my experience with Gideon the Ninth and was willing to give Tamsyn Muir the benefit of the doubt, or, you know, enough rope to hang herself like Harrow's parents. So I girded my loins and set forth to see if other reviewers were right and that I would actually get accustomed to the writing style. Well, they were right, I adjusted. Not to the point of enjoyment, but to the point of toleration. I don't even know if I'd allow this book an exemption from my hate, that is reserved for the little reveries in The Night Circus alone. But here's the thing that still irks me. This is one of those times in which the second person narration is actually someone talking to someone else that they refer to as "you." It's "The Joe Goldberg Second Person Narration Variation," TM pending. Which means it technically isn't a second person narrative but more importantly that it didn't need to be written this way. There was another way to write this book and that would have been to have Gideon's voice coming through loud and clear. Because it's obvious that the narrator is Gideon from the very first "you." But instead Tamsyn Muir holds back this "reveal" for over four hundred pages. We could have had a book with the same wonderful voice as the first volume and instead we have this. This is fine. This is acceptable. This isn't much else. I mean, there are probable "reasons" as to why the reveal was held back, maybe Tamsyn Muir wanted to lean into the mental instability of Harrow. To make us, the readers, think that our assumptions were wrong. That Gideon really was gone and that Harrow was insane. I mean, Harrow was rewriting her time at Canaan House in her mind with Ortus as her cavalier so we know she's unbalanced. Her broken mind was literally writing an epic poem, The Noniad, and attributing it to Ortus. But think, instead of playing with her readers Tamsyn Muir could have instead written a better book. Instead there's this. Which will forever be a stumbling block to rereading this series.

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments  

Labels: Canaan House, For the Love of Book Clubs, Gideon Nav, Gideon the Ninth, Harrow the Ninth, Harrowhark Nonagesimus, Joe Goldberg, Lyctor, Resurrection Beasts, Second Person Narration, Tamsyn Muir, The Night Circus

Where Sleeping Girls Lie by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé
Published by: Feiwel and Friends
Publication Date: March 19th, 2024
Format: Hardcover, 416 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"In Where Sleeping Girls Lie - a YA contemporary mystery by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé, the New York Times-bestselling author of Ace of Spades - a girl new to boarding school discovers dark secrets and coverups after her roommate disappears.

It's like I keep stumbling into a dark room, searching for the switch to make things bright again...

Sade Hussein is starting her third year of high school, this time at the prestigious Alfred Nobel Academy boarding school after being home-schooled all her life. Misfortune has been a constant companion all her life, but even Sade doesn't expect her new roommate, Elizabeth, to disappear after Sade's first night. Or for people to think she had something to do with it.

With rumors swirling around her, Sade catches the attention of the girls collectively known as the 'Unholy Trinity' and they bring her into their fold. Between learning more about them - especially Persephone, who Sade is inexplicably drawn to - and playing catchup in class, Sade already has so much on her plate. But when it seems people don't care enough about what happened to Elizabeth to really investigate, it's up to she and Elizabeth's best friend to solve it.

And then a student is found dead.

As they keep trying to figure out what's going on, Sade realizes there's more to Alfred Nobel Academy and its students than she thought. Secrets lurk around every corner and beneath every surface...secrets that rival even her own."

Technically not dark academia, but technically yes...

The Mystery Writer by Sulari Gentill
Published by: Poisoned Pen Press
Publication Date: March 19th, 2024
Format: Paperback, 400 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"From 2023 Edgar Award nominee and bestselling author Sulari Gentill comes a literary thriller about an aspiring writer who meets and falls in love with her literary idol - only to find him murdered the day after she gave him her manuscript to read.

There's nothing easier to dismiss than a conspiracy theory - until it turns out to be true.

When Theodosia Benton abandons her career path as an attorney and shows up on her brother's doorstep with two suitcases and an unfinished novel, she expects to face a few challenges. Will her brother support her ambition or send her back to finish her degree? What will her parents say when they learn of her decision? Does she even have what it takes to be a successful writer?

What Theo never expects is to be drawn into a hidden literary world in which identity is something that can be lost and remade for the sake of an audience. When her mentor, a highly successful author, is brutally murdered, Theo wants the killer to be found and justice to be served. Then the police begin looking at her brother, Gus, as their prime suspect, and Theo does the unthinkable in order to protect him. But the writer has left a trail, a thread out of the labyrinth in the form of a story. Gus finds that thread and follows it, and in his attempt to save his sister he inadvertently threatens the foundations of the labyrinth itself. To protect the carefully constructed narrative, Theo Benton, and everyone looking for her, will have to die."

The dark world of the literati! 

The Stranger at Black Lake by Christina McDonald
Published by: Intrigue Ink Publishing
Publication Date: March 19th, 2024
Format: Kindle, 125 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Secrets, murder and revenge converge in this gripping prequel to Amazon charts bestselling thriller, These Still Black Waters, about a young Jess Lambert drawn into a deadly cat-and-mouse game. Because old ghosts often have old scores to settle.

Jess Lambert and her husband, Mac, have just moved to Black Lake, looking for a quieter, more peaceful life. Until one morning Jess befriends a stranger - beautiful and glamorous Annie Parker - who's also just moved to town.

Only a few hours later, Jess finds Annie wandering naked and in shock along the lake. And at Annie's house she encounters a gruesome scene that shows a violent attack. But then Annie disappears.

As Jess is pulled deeper into the mystery of what happened to Annie, she learns about the house's chilling past. And she begins to wonder: who was Annie really? Is she a witness, murderer, victim?

But it's dangerous hunting down old ghosts. And Jess becomes increasingly unsure if she's the hunter, or the prey. Who is the stranger at Black Lake?"

Can't wait to read, but I think the cover needs a redo. Hint, don't use the same stock photography associated with another book. It's How to Sell a Haunted House by Grady Hendrix if you were wondering.

A Midnight Puzzle by Gigi Pandian
Published by: Minotaur Books
Publication Date: March 19th, 2024
Format: Hardcover, 352 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"In heroine Tempest Raj, modern-day queen of the locked room mystery Gigi Pandian has created a brilliant homage to the greats of classic detective fiction.

Secret Staircase Construction is under attack, and Tempest Raj feels helpless. After former client Julian Rhodes tried to kill his wife, he blamed her "accident" on the home renovation company's craftsmanship. Now the family business - known for bringing magic into homes through hidden doors, floating staircases, and architectural puzzle walls - is at a breaking point. No amount of Scottish and Indian meals from her grandfather can distract Tempest from the truth: they're being framed.

When Tempest receives an urgent midnight phone call from Julian, she decides to meet him at the historic Whispering Creek Theater - only to find his dead body, a sword through his chest. After a blade appears from thin air to claim another victim, Tempest is certain they're dealing with a booby trap... something Secret Staircase Construction could easily build. Tempest refuses to wait for the investigation to turn to her or her loved ones. She knows the pieces of the puzzle are right in front of her, she just has to put them together correctly before more disaster strikes.

Multiple award-winning author Gigi Pandian and her sleuth Tempest Raj return in A Midnight Puzzle, where an old theater reveals a deadly booby trap, secrets, and one puzzle of a mystery."

THIS is the series that true mystery aficionados love.

Murder in Moscow by Kelly Oliver
Published by: Boldwood Books
Publication Date: March 19th, 2024
Format: Hardcover, 243 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Journey into the heart of 20th Century Russia in this fun and funny historical mystery, perfect for fans of Verity Bright and Helena Dixon.

1918 Moscow

Will following her heart mean losing her head? It could mean losing her job.

Fiona Figg trails her nemesis Fredrick Fredricks to Moscow. But when she arrives at the grand Metropol Hotel, the bounder has vanished.

After Fiona doesn't show up for work at the War Office, Kitty Lane raises a red flag and tracks her to Russia. Seeking haven at the British Embassy, Kitty and Fiona become embroiled in a plot to overthrow the Bolshevik government.

But the plot turns deadly when Fiona goes undercover as a governess in the household of Iron Viktor, the Bolsheviks' Head of Secret Police. And when Viktor turns up dead in his study, Fiona finds herself wanted for murder and on the lam.

Can Fiona and Kitty find the real killer and escape the Kremlin before it's too late? Or will this dangerous game of Russian roulette be their last?"

Don't mess with the Secret Police!

The Woods All Black by Lee Mandelo
Published by: Tordotcom
Publication Date: March 19th, 2024
Format: Hardcover, 160 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"The Woods All Black is equal parts historical horror, trans romance, and blood-soaked revenge, all set in 1920s Appalachia.

Leslie Bruin is assigned to the backwoods township of Spar Creek by the Frontier Nursing Service, under its usual mandate: vaccinate the flock, birth babies, and weather the judgements of churchy locals who look at him and see a failed woman. Forged in the fires of the Western Front and reborn in the cafes of Paris, Leslie believes he can handle whatever is thrown at him - but Spar Creek holds a darkness beyond his nightmares.

Something ugly festers within the local congregation, and its malice has focused on a young person they insist is an unruly tomboy who must be brought to heel. Violence is bubbling when Leslie arrives, ready to spill over, and he'll have to act fast if he intends to be of use. But the hills enfolding Spar Creek have a mind of their own, and the woods are haunted in ways Leslie does not understand.

The Woods All Black is a story of passion, prejudice, and power - an Appalachian period piece that explores reproductive justice and bodily autonomy, the terrors of small-town religiosity, and the necessity of fighting tooth and claw to live as who you truly are."

Our battles have been fought before and will be fought again.

Finding Margaret Fuller by Allison Pataki
Published by: Ballantine Books
Publication Date: March 19th, 2024
Format: Hardcover, 416 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Young, brazen, beautiful, and unapologetically brilliant, Margaret Fuller accepts an invitation from Ralph Waldo Emerson, the celebrated Sage of Concord, to meet his coterie of enlightened friends. There she becomes "the radiant genius and fiery heart" of the Transcendentalists, a role model to a young Louisa May Alcott, an inspiration for Nathaniel Hawthorne's Hester Prynne and the scandalous Scarlet Letter, a friend to Henry David Thoreau as he ventures out to Walden Pond...and a muse to Emerson. But Margaret craves more than poetry and interpersonal drama, and her restless soul needs new challenges and adventures.

And so she charts a singular course against a backdrop of dizzying historical drama: From Boston, where she hosts a salon for students like Elizabeth Cady Stanton; to the editorial meetings of The Dial magazine, where she hones her pen as its co-founder; to Harvard's library, where she is the first woman permitted entry; to the gritty New York streets where she spars with Edgar Allan Poe and reports on Frederick Douglass. Margaret defies conventions time and again as an activist for women and an advocate for humanity, earning admirers and critics alike.

When the legendary editor Horace Greeley offers her an assignment in Europe, Margaret again makes history as the first female foreign news correspondent, mingling with luminaries like Frédéric Chopin, William Wordsworth, George Sand and more. But it is in Rome that she finds a world of passion, romance, and revolution, taking a Roman count as a lover - and sparking an international scandal. Evolving yet again into the roles of mother and countess, Margaret enters the fight for Italy's unification.

With a star-studded cast and sweeping, epic historical events, this is a story of an inspiring trailblazer, a woman who loved big and lived even bigger - a fierce adventurer who transcended the rigid roles ascribed to women and changed history, all on her own terms."

The day I spent in Concord was magical. I want to go back. Luckily I can go back there and back in time with this book.

Barbie: The World Tour by Margot Robbie and Andrew Mukamal
Published by: Rizzoli International Publications
Publication Date: March 19th, 2024
Format: Hardcover, 160 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"For the press tour following the record-breaking release of Greta Gerwig's award-winning, acclaimed Barbie movie, producer and star Margot Robbie and her stylist Andrew Mukamal immersed themselves in some of Barbie's most iconic outfits and curated vintage pieces, then approached designers, from Giorgio Armani to Donatella Versace, to create looks inspired by the doll-size originals. Many of these looks were not seen as the official Barbie press tour was cut short - so Margot and Andrew worked with renowned fashion photographer Craig McDean to shoot her in the looks exactly as they were curated: Schiaparelli in Los Angeles, Vivienne Westwood in London, vintage Chanel with matching Streamline luggage at the airport, and beyond.

Accompanying McDean's sumptuous photography are original Barbie dolls from the period, a treasure trove of rare materials from Mattel's Barbie fashion archives, and the designers' sketches and Polaroids from fittings, layered into evocative collage by art director Fabien Baron. With text by Margot Robbie and Andrew Mukamal, as well as handwritten contributions from the designers behind the looks (from Olivier Rousteing and Michelle Ochs to Manolo Blahnik and Jeremy Scott), this unique book blends the serious chic of high fashion with the serious fun of Barbie world - the dolls, the history, and the style that have captured imaginations for 65 years."

Just Margot Robbie's dedication is so inspiring.

The Mars House by Natasha Pulley
Published by: Bloomsbury Publishing
Publication Date: March 19th, 2024
Format: Hardcover, 480 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"A compulsively readable queer sci-fi novel about a marriage of convenience between a Mars politician and an Earth refugee.

In the wake of an environmental catastrophe, January, once a principal in London's Royal Ballet, has become a refugee in Tharsis, the terraformed colony on Mars. There, January's life is dictated by his status as an Earthstronger-a person whose body is not adjusted to lower gravity and so poses a danger to those born on, or naturalized to, Mars. January's job choices, housing, and even transportation are dictated by this second-class status, and now a xenophobic politician named Aubrey Gale is running on a platform that would make it all worse: Gale wants all Earthstrongers to naturalize, a process that is always disabling and sometimes deadly.

When Gale chooses January for an on-the-spot press junket interview that goes horribly awry, January's life is thrown into chaos, but Gale's political fortunes are damaged, too. Gale proposes a solution to both their problems: a five year made-for-the-press marriage that would secure January's future without naturalization and ensure Gale's political success. But when January accepts the offer, he discovers that Gale is not at all like they appear in the press. They're kind, compassionate, and much more difficult to hate than January would prefer. As their romantic relationship develops, the political situation worsens, and January discovers Gale has an enemy, someone willing to destroy all of Tharsis to make them pay-and January may be the only person standing in the way.

Un-put-downably immersive and utterly timely, Natasha Pulley's new novel is a gripping story about privilege, strength, and life across class divisions, perfect for readers of Sarah Gailey and Tamsyn Muir."

It's also perfect for readers of Natasha Pulley. Seriously, everyone should be a fan of hers.

Tove Jansson: Life, Art, Words by Boel Westin
Published by: University of Minnesota Press
Publication Date: March 19th, 2024
Format: Hardcover, 576 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"An in-depth, perceptive account of the unconventional life of the Moomins' beloved creator, now available in the United States.

Tove Jansson achieved fame as the creator of the Moomins, beloved by generations of readers around the world. Remarkably, the Moomins were only part of the prodigious creative output of this Finnish-Swedish writer and artist. Jansson's work also includes short stories and five novels for adults, as well as paintings, murals, and book illustrations. In this acclaimed biography, Boel Westin relies on numerous conversations with Jansson and unprecedented access to her journals, letters, and personal archives to present an engrossing and comprehensive review of the life and world of Scandinavia's best-loved author.

As Westin's meticulous research makes clear, Jansson's artistic and literary works reflected what was most important to her: the love of family and nature and the desire to pursue her art. Guided by her personal motto, "Love and work," Jansson seized both with uncompromising joy. And while her romantic relationships with men proved unfulfilling, she found those with women--especially with her longtime partner, the artist Tuulikki Pietilä--both grounding and inspiring.

Westin weaves together the many threads of Jansson's rich, complex life: an education interrupted to help her family; the bleak war years and her emergence as a painter; the decades of Moominmania across books, newspaper comic strips, merchandise, and adaptations; her later fictions, including her popular The Summer Book; and her time with Pietilä on the solitary island of Klovharu. Tove Jansson: Life, Art, Words offers fans and admirers around the world the most complete portrait of the writer Philip Pullman described as "a genius, a woman of profound wisdom and great artistry.""

Moomins! Oddly enough my book club just read a book that referenced the Moomins. Moomins are life.

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments  

Labels: Allison Pataki, Barbie, Christina McDonald, Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé, Gigi Pandian, Grady Hendrix, Kelly Oliver, Lee Mandelo, Margaret Fuller, Moomin, Natasha Pulley, Sulari Gentill, Tove Jansson

Gideon the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir
Published by: Tor.com
Publication Date: September 9th, 2019
Format: Hardcover, 448 Pages
Rating: ★★★★★
To Buy

Gideon wants nothing to do with the Ninth. The house is nothing more than a creepy death cult guarding a locked tomb that is quickly dying out. She wants off the planet and out of the life she's begrudgingly lived. But her countless escape plans have never worked and this newest one is no different, even if it's the closest she's ever come. She is once again stopped by her nemesis, Harrowhark Nonagesimus. Harrowhark is the scion of the Ninth. A wickedly powerful necromancer who has been puppeteering her parents corpses for years in an effort to make it look like the Ninth is still functional and not on it's last legs. This appearance is more important than ever as the Emperor has called all nine houses to his abandoned palace, Canaan House, to compete for the honor to become Lyctors, eternals who serve at his side. The problem is that each house has to have a cavalier, a warrior, indefatigable and unbeatable, who protects the necromancer. And Harrowhark's actual cavalier is more interested in poetry. Therefore the only real contender for Harrowhark's cavalier is Gideon. The problem is Gideon wasn't trained for this role and more importantly she'd rather see Harrowhark dead than be the one having to save her. So Harrowhark makes a deal. They go to Canaan House, they put on the show of a lifetime, Harrowhark wins and becomes a Lyctor and Gideon gets to ride off into the sunset. Gideon doesn't like this plan. Gideon doesn't think it will work. I mean, how can she pass herself off with frilly fencing when she fights with a two-hander? Gideon better be a fast learner because Gideon doesn't have a choice. When they arrive at Canaan House Gideon is quickly abandoned by Harrowhark who plays up the mystique of the the Ninth House by being wreathed in shrouds and totally unavailable to Gideon. Gideon sees quite quickly that the reputation of the Ninth makes all the other houses wary of her, and yet, slowly, she starts to befriend them. That's when they start dying. This Lyctor test was set up in a way that makes the suspicious houses unable to win, but amply able to die. Will Gideon even live to cash in on Harrowhark's promise or will she die screaming in agony on a distant planet? At least she won't die near the benighted locked tomb...

Me and much lauded books rarely get along. My tastes are rarely the tastes of the masses. Yet again and again I feel drawn to read them. That's how I picked up Gideon the Ninth. I mean, lesbian necromancers in space sounds awesome, but there was that voice saying, but is it for you? Turns out it was. But it wasn't love at first sight. This is a book that improves on reread because, just like Jane Eyre, there's all this dark exposition that takes place before the book actually gets good. But thankfully, just like Jane Eyre, the second time you read it you fly through the dark bits knowing the good stuff is coming soon. And that good stuff? Well, it's the Gothic space thriller of my dreams! Teams of two pitted against each other in order to find keys to literally unlock secrets in the biggest most haunted space palace you could imagine. There were elements of The Haunting of Hill House and The Hunger Games and Rose Red! But the joy in a reread is that knowing the twists and turns to come I was watching the magnificent setup that Tamsyn Muir was orchestrating with awe. I wasn't furiously reading to figure out what was going on, I was luxuriating in the twists and turns. Though what I found interesting this time is that I was reading this book with friends, so all those theories I had about the book being the victim of hype to it just being very polarizing came into play in another way, in that it really divided my book club. And the thing is, I can see where they're coming from because for awhile that's where I was when I first read it. Opinions ranged from complete love to those who wanted to love it but just didn't to those who claimed it ruined their holidays. So, the complete gamut of emotions and responses on display. The one thing I found fascinating though is apparently this book is just crammed with meme references and cultural jokes deriving mainly from The Office. There are literally websites and Reddit forums dedicated to this. Personally I only caught a few so I thought it was like a funny Easter Egg, there so that if you know you know but not infringing on the text. But the thing is I've never really watched the US version of The Office, and two members of my book club said there were so many jokes just from that show they couldn't take the book seriously and it sullied it. So my advice is don't watch The Office? Seriously, I never "got" the US version anyway.

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments  

Labels: Canaan House, For the Love of Book Clubs, Gideon Nav, Gideon the Ninth, Gothic, Harrowhark Nonagesimus, Jane Eyre, Lyctor, Memes, Polarizing, Rose Red, The Haunting of Hill House, The Hunger Games, The Office

Leech by Hiron Ennes
Published by: Tordotcom
Publication Date: September 27th, 2022
Format: Hardcover, 336 Pages
Rating: ★★★
To Buy

Before the inhabitants of the chateau can send word to Inultus and the Institute that the Baron's doctor has died a new doctor has arrived, unexpectedly stepping down from the train in Verdira. The mystery though isn't how the Institute knew to send a new doctor the mystery is how the previous doctor died. The Institute's body is one, spread out all over the world. Their knowledge is shared, their knowledge is sole, therefore to not know something that happened to one of their own is truly a mystery. And they do not know how the doctor died at the chateau in the far north. They should have remembered the cause of death not just the death. The new doctor arrives and immediately starts to investigate. Trying to fill in the gaps in their memory. What could have killed this host? And there it is. The answer, waiting in their corpse for discovery; a competitor. Another parasite trying to take root. A parasite capable of killing. Because the Institute keeps their secrets to themselves the residents of the chateau do not realize they are dealing with someone who has walked their corridors for years. The Baron's son Didier, Didier's pregnant wife Helene, excluding their twins all believe that the doctor is a new entity and therefore are spending needless time introducing them to how life works at the chateau. While the doctor views this all as an inconvenience. The competition must be found, examined, studied, and then eliminated. Luckily dinner is the only time when the household assembles and no one has ever made it to dessert under the Baron's gimlet glare therefore there is plenty of time for hunting the parasite. But where could the previous body have encountered it? In a flash it comes to them, the mine. The chateau gets it's money from a wheatrock mine and there was a collapse. Something in the dark. They must return to the mine. They get the houseboy Émile to help, risking the wintry weather to find their enemy. But what if that is exactly what the enemy wants? What if returning to the mine brings the parasite back to the chateau? What if it is all happening again and there's no stopping another death and another? The Institute has bodies to spare, but does the Baron's doctor?

To have a gestalt entity be your narrator is a ballsy move. But Hiron Ennes makes it work because they have such a strong authorial voice. I often found myself questioning if someone capable of such confident worldbuilding was truly a first time author and then, when the book completely fell apart at the end, I found myself no longer asking that question. The problem is this book is dealing with big issues from bodily autonomy to class warfare to climate change on a more intimate scale. Yes we see the macro, but only filtered through the eyes of one part of the whole. And it's the continual narrowing of the vision which in the end is Leech's downfall. When the gestalt entity loses connection to the greater whole at first it's interesting. How can someone used to being something more thrive? The answer is they can't. Of course what's really happening is that the original personality is coming through. The parasitic infection is losing it's hold. And the original personality coming through is where everything falls apart. That and the fact that there really is no ending. But more on that later. Once the original personality is back in control there's a disconnect. You have forged such a connection to the gestalt entity that even though you are revolted by everything they stand for you're also somehow rooting for them. And the hints and flashes of the original personality coming through actually doesn't connect you to that character but seems to be used more to understand the world they are living in and how this entity got a foothold. The original personality should be who we are rooting for, but instead they are flat and lifeless. And that's why the last quarter of this book is such a disappointment. This world and the characters that people it are so interesting and unnerving. You feel restless and ill at ease reading Leech but at the same time you don't want to leave the Swiss Chateaux with all it's Gothic goodness and Frankensteinian vibes. But Hiron Ennes's "burn it all down" vibe that takes over the last quarter of the book while logical in the Mary Shelley sense just feels rushed. And our two protagonists riding a train off into the sunset? It somehow discounts all that came before. What is the message? That escaping from trauma is a victory even if your continued survival is questionable? And while that might be true in life this is fiction. There could have been more solidity and less ambiguity and it's only subpar Gothic literature that doesn't understand this imperative.

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments  

Labels: Chateau, Dystopian, Émile, For the Love of Book Clubs, Frankenstein, Gestalt, Gothic, Hiron Ennes, Inultus, Leech, Mary Shelley, Narrator, Parasite, Switzerland, The Baron, The Institute, Verdira, Wheatrock, Winter

Blessed Water by Margot Douaihy
Published by: Gillian Flynn Books
Publication Date: March 12th, 2024
Format: Hardcover, 288 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Sister Holiday is back with a newly minted PI apprentice certificate, a twisty mystery to solve, and something to prove in this fast-paced, blistering follow-up to Scorched Grace.

Tattooed from her neck to her toes and sporting a gold tooth as sharp as her wisecracks, Sister Holiday struggles to stay on the righteous path. Never one to make things easy for herself, she's committed to taking her permanent vows with the Sisters of the Sublime Blood and joining former fire inspector Magnolia Riveaux's latest venture, Redemption Detective Agency - both in service of satisfying her eternal quest for answers.

When Sister Holiday and Riveaux set out to bust a philandering husband, they instead find the body of a priest floating in the swollen Mississippi River, and with it, Redemption's next case. It's significantly more gruesome than their original mission, but Sister Holiday feels called on by God to hunt down the murderer and keep her community safe.

As a torrential rainstorm drowns New Orleans for three harrowing days over Easter weekend, Sister Holiday and Riveaux follow the clues. With the stakes rising alongside the relentless floodwaters, our favorite punk nun-sleuth throws herself into the deep end yet again.

A lacerating and lyrical plunge into obsession, deception, and the questions that hold us captive, Blessed Water is a lights-out mystery that will leave you breathless."

Called by God to hunt down the murderer! Preach it!

The Mermaid Murder by Maggie Shayne
Published by: Oliver Heber books
Publication Date: March 12th, 2024
Format: Kindle, 248 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Hey, I'm Rachel de Luca, a self-help guru with a potty mouth and a penchant for crime-solving. My partner, soon to be husband if I can get over my paralyzing fear, is Mason Brown, a detective with the Binghamton PD.

Ten years ago, professional mermaid Eva Quaid disappeared without a trace from The Sapphire Club. Now, my niece Misty is working at the same club, doing the same job. Coincidentally, (not) Misty's college roommate is in the thick of her self-produced true crime podcast about the same cold case. Misty has kept every bit of this from our way-too-close-for-privacy family.

None of this would be a big deal, except that I've been having nightmares. It's my wedding day, and I look from my adoring groom to my twin nieces, face down in the shallows of the reservoir behind the altar.

I dreamt, too, of a dying mermaid who's been trying to get my attention ever since.

When my sister Sandra says she's worried about her twin daughters, Mason and I agree to do a little snooping - only to find Misty has been keeping some big secrets, and is not where she's supposed to be. Nobody knows where she is.

I'm pretty sure that Misty's gone off the grid with her podcasting partner Zig to surveil their favorite suspects in the ten-year-old case of the missing mermaid.

I'm even more sure the mermaid is dead, and that her killer is determined to keep their oldest, deadliest secret, even if it means taking another young woman's life.

I have to find my beloved niece before my visions come true - the way they always do."

There's something seedy and mysterious about people who make their living as a mermaid. It's a whole world riff with dark possibilities. 

A Grave Robbery by Deanna Raybourn
Published by: Berkley Books
Publication Date: March 12th, 2024
Format: Hardcover, 336 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Veronica and Stoker discover that not all fairy tales have happy endings, and some end in murder, in this latest historical mystery from New York Times bestselling and Edgar Award-nominated author Deanna Raybourn.

Lord Rosemorran has purchased a wax figure of a beautiful reclining woman and asks Stoker to incorporate a clockwork mechanism to give the Rosemorran Collection its own Sleeping Beauty in the style of Madame Tussaud's. But when Stoker goes to cut the mannequin open to insert the mechanism, he makes a gruesome discovery: this is no wax figure. The mannequin is the beautifully preserved body of a young woman who was once very much alive. But who would do such a dreadful thing, and why?

Sleuthing out the answer to this question sets Veronica and Stoker on their wildest adventure yet. From the underground laboratories of scientists experimenting with electricity to resurrect the dead in the vein of Frankenstein to the traveling show where Stoker once toured as an attraction, the gaslit atmosphere of London in October is the perfect setting for this investigation into the unknown. Through it all, the intrepid pair is always one step behind the latest villain - a man who has killed once and will stop at nothing to recover the body of the woman he loved. Will they unmask him in time to save his next victim? Or will they become the latest figures to be immortalized in his collection of horrors?"

I mean, the killer is Vincent Price right?

The Hedgewitch of Foxgall by Anna Bright
Published by: Harperteen
Publication Date: March 12th, 2024
Format: Hardcover, 400 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"In this gorgeous stand-alone fantasy romance perfect for fans of Margaret Rogerson and Allison Saft, a rebellious witch undertakes a last-ditch quest to restore magic to medieval Wales - as two princes vie for her heart.

Magic is fading from Wales - choked off by King Offa's Dyke, the enemy earthworks that spans the entire border. Even the dragons have disappeared. And now an attack is imminent.

Prince Taliesin would love to watch magic die. Prince Dafydd fears it, and the throne. But when their father promises the crown to whichever son can destroy the dyke and restore magic to Wales, the brothers are forced into an uneasy rivalry.

Ffion works hedgewitch magic for poor folk, not princes. Unlike the power-hungry Foxhall coven, she uses only what nature can spare. But when the coven's greed costs Ffion everything, she will need power beyond her wildest dreams to get back what she's lost.

So when Prince Taliesin arrives, begrudgingly seeking a witch's aid, Ffion agrees to help him - even if it means walking from one end of Wales to the other with the most useless peacock she's ever clapped eyes on. Even if it means striking a bargain with Dafydd behind Tal's back. The fate of Wales depends on their quest...and so might the fate of Ffion's heart."

Love me a good hedgewitch.

The Phoenix Bride by Natasha Siegel
Published by: Dell
Publication Date: March 12th, 2024
Format: Paperback, 336 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"A passionate tale of plague, fire, and forbidden love in seventeenth-century London from the acclaimed author of Solomon's Crown.

It is 1666, one year after plague has devastated England. Young widow Cecilia Thorowgood is a prisoner, trapped and isolated within her older sister's cavernous London townhouse. At the mercy of a legion of doctors trying to cure her grief with their impatient scalpels, Cecilia shows no sign of improvement. Soon, her sister makes a decision born of desperation: She hires a new physician, someone known for more unusual methods. But he is a foreigner. A Jew. And despite his attempts to save Cecilia, he knows he cannot quell the storm of sorrow that rages inside her. There is no easy cure for melancholy.

David Mendes fled Portugal to seek a new life in London, where he could practice his faith openly and leave the past behind. Still reeling from the loss of his beloved friend and struggling with his religion and his past, David is free and safe in this foreign land but incapable of happiness. The security he has found in London threatens to disappear when he meets Cecilia, and he finds himself torn between his duty to medicine and the beating of his own heart. He is the only one who can see her pain; the glimmers of light she emits, even in her gloom, are enough to make him believe once more in love.

Facing seemingly insurmountable challenges, David and Cecilia must endure prejudice, heartbreak, and calamity before they can be together. The Great Fire is coming - and with the city in flames around them, love has never felt so impossible."

And not to spoil anything, but history shows us that England isn't that religiously tolerant as one might hope...

The Swan's Nest by Laura McNeal
Published by: Algonquin Books
Publication Date: March 12th, 2024
Format: Hardcover, 320 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"A tender and engrossing historical novel about the unlikely love affair between two great 19th-century poets, Robert Browning and Elizabeth Barrett.

On a bleak January day in 1845, a poet who had been confined to her room for four years by recurrent illness received a letter from a writer she secretly idolized but had never seen. "I love your verses with all my heart, dear Miss Barrett," Robert Browning wrote, "and I love you too."

Elizabeth Barrett was ecstatic. She was famous for her poetry but completely cut off from the kind of international travel that Browning used to fuel his obscure, unsuccessful, innovative poems, one of which was written from a murderer's point of view. They began an affectionate correspondence, but Elizabeth kept delaying a visit. What would happen when he saw her in person? What was Robert really like? Could she persuade her father and brothers that he was honorable, even though she had never met his family? And what would happen if she gave in to Robert's wild proposal that they go to Italy and see if the sun could cure her?

McNeal brilliantly tells the story of how Robert and Elizabeth fell in love with each other's words and shocked her conservative, close-knit family and the literary world. Sensitively and lyrically written, as rich as the lovers' own poetry, The Swan's Nest will sweep up readers in the triumphant story of two people forced to choose between a safe, stable life and the love they felt for each other."

When I was clearing off my shelves I had a set of poetry books, the only ones I decided to keep where Robert Browning and Elizabeth Barrett's.

At the Stroke of Midnight by Jenni Keer
Published by: Boldwood Books
Publication Date: March 12th, 2024
Format: Kindle, 352 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"It's 1923 and in a decade that promises excitement and liberation, Pearl Glenham and her father are invited to a mysterious country house party on the Dorset coast, by a total stranger.

Her father claims not to have any prior association with Highcliffe House, but upon arrival, it is apparent that he has a shared history with several of the guests, although he won't admit it. Belatedly discovering that her father was blackmailed into attending, Pearl's worries are compounded when their host fails to arrive...

Intimidated by everyone at the party, she escapes to the nearby cove and stumbles upon a mysterious mercury clock hidden in a cave. This strange encounter sets in motion a series of events that will culminate in an horrific house fire, claiming the lives of all the guests, including Pearl herself.

But then Pearl wakes up back in the cave, seemingly destined never to live past midnight. She can repeat the day. But can she change its outcome?"

Time loop at a country house party? My catnip!

In the Shadow of the Greenbrier by Emily Matchar
Published by: G. P. Putnam's Sons
Publication Date: March 12th, 2024
Format: Paperback, 400 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Four generations. One remarkable hotel. Countless secrets.

Nestled in the hills of West Virginia lies White Sulphur Springs, home to the Greenbrier Resort. Long a playground for presidents and film stars, the Greenbrier has its own gravitational pull. Over ten decades, four generations of the Zelner family must grapple with their place in its shadow...and within their own family.

In 1942, young mother Sylvia is desperate to escape her stifling marriage, especially when it means co-running Zelner's general store with her husband. When the Greenbrier is commandeered for use as a luxury prison, Sylvia finds her fidelity strained and her heart on the line.

Seventeen years later, Sylvia's daughter, Doree, struggles to fit in, eagerly awaiting the day she'll leave for college and meet a nice Jewish boy. But when a handsome stranger comes to town and her brother Alan's curiosity puts him and Sylvia at risk, Doree is torn between loyalty and desire.

An immersive family saga rich with historical detail, In the Shadow of the Greenbrier explores the inevitable clash between past and future and the extraordinary moments in ordinary lives."

I want to stay at Greenbrier.

The Funeral Ladies of Ellerie County by Claire Swinarski
Published by: Avon Books
Publication Date: March 12th, 2024
Format: Hardcover, 272 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Armed with a Crock-Pot and a pile of recipes, a grandmother, her granddaughter, and a mysterious young man work to bring a community together in this uplifting novel for readers of The Chicken Sisters.

Esther Larson has been cooking for funerals in the Northwoods of Wisconsin for seventy years. Known locally as the "funeral ladies," she and her cohort have worked hard to keep the mourners of Ellerie County fed - it is her firm belief that there is very little a warm casserole and a piece of cherry pie can't fix. But, after falling for an internet scam that puts her home at risk, the proud Larson family matriarch is the one in need of help these days.

Iris, Esther's whip-smart Gen Z granddaughter, would do anything for her family and her community. As she watches her friends and family move out of their lakeside town onto bigger and better things, Iris wonders why she feels so left behind in the place she is desperate to make her home. But when Cooper Welsh shows up, she finally starts to feel like she's found the missing piece of her puzzle.

Cooper is dealing with becoming a legal guardian to his younger half-sister after his beloved stepmother dies. While their celebrity-chef father is focused on his booming career and top-ranked television show, Cooper is still hurting from a public tragedy he witnessed last year as a paramedic and finding it hard to cope. With Iris in the gorgeous Ellerie County, though, he hopes he might finally find the home he's been looking for.

It doesn't seem like a community cookbook could possibly solve their problems, especially one where casseroles have their own section and cream of chicken soup mix is the most frequently used ingredient. But when you mix the can-do spirit of Midwestern grandmothers with the stubborn hope of a boy raised by food plus a dash of long-awaited forgiveness - things might just turn out okay."

I will read anything set in Wisconsin. Anything.

The Other Lola by Ripley Jones
Published by: Wednesday Books
Publication Date: March 12th, 2024
Format: Hardcover, 320 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"The sequel to Ripley Jones's unforgettable YA thriller Missing Clarissa, The Other Lola is about what happens when the people you love the most are the people you can trust the least.

In the months after Cam and Blair broke their small hometown's legendary missing-girl story and catapulted to accidental fame, they vowed never to do it again. No more mysteries, no more podcasts, and no more sticking their heads where they don't belong.

Until Mattie Brosillard, a freshman at their high school, shows up on their doorstep, begging Cam and Blair for help. Mattie's sister Lola disappeared mysteriously five years ago. No trace of her was ever found. Now, she's back - but Mattie is convinced the girl who returned is an impostor. Nobody believes Mattie's wild story - not Mattie's brother, not Mattie's mother, and not even Cam and Blair. But something is definitely wrong in the Brosillard family. And Blair has her own reasons for wanting to know what really happened to Lola while she was gone.

With Cam and Blair still struggling with the aftermath of their first mystery - and with new secrets swirling between them - the stakes are higher than ever in this can't-miss sequel to Missing Clarissa."

I'm always fascinated by stories where people might not be who they say they are...

Chrysalis and Requiem by Quinton Li
Published by: Quinton Li Editorial
Publication Date: March 12th, 2024
Format: Paperback, 310 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"At Adraredon Academy, fervent passion, contemporary companionship, and forbidden desires intertwine with tall gothic spires, ancient halls, and centuries of history. Veaer Rosell can't imagine a better place to satiate her craving for beauty, knowledge, and art.

Yet senior year shatters her illusion of tranquillity and civil intellect when she witnesses the headmaster's daughter murder another student and is confronted by an unthinkable choice: avenging her fallen peer or taking this secret to the grave, one way or another.

But fate laughs at Veaer's expense when the headmaster's daughter requests her aid. Driven by an all-consuming thirst for answers, Veaer becomes an untimely partner in solving a murder they both know the answer to, unaware of the intricacies that come with learning the bigger picture and playing with death.

Chrysalis & Requiem is a haunting thriller of tragic obsession and relentless grief, weaving two young, queer women in a spiral of clandestine violence and illicit love."

What would you do if a killer asked you to solve a murder they committed?

Moon Soul by Nathaniel Luscombe
Published by: Dragon Bone Publishing
Publication Date: March 12th, 2024
Format: Hardcover, 184 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
""I don't think I can justify it any longer. I'm going to quit my job."

August has never been good with change and isn't sure who she is beyond her job of reading memories in the sand. When she comes to the conclusion that she has to quit her job, she's left with an overwhelming sense of emptiness. What follows is the quiet chaos of a girl regaining control over her life on a small desert moon.

Deciding to take a job in the hanging gardens of the Spire, August discovers more to life as she meets new friends, forms a different connection with her home, and faces an unexpected visitor from her past.

Rich in relatable emotions and experiences, inspiring in message, and written in prose that will hook you from page one, Moon Soul is a science fantasy novella unlike any you've read before. It will leave you feeling seen and understood."

Strong Little Prince vibes.

Sunbringer by Hannah Kaner
Published by: Harper Voyager
Publication Date: March 12th, 2024
Format: Paperback, 384 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Return to the world of Godkiller in this thrilling sequel to the #1 internationally bestselling fantasy debut.

When Middren falls to the gods, your kind will be the first to die.

Gods are forbidden in the kingdom of Middren - but now they are stirring, whispering of war. Godkiller Kissen sacrificed herself to vanquish the fire god Hseth, who murdered her family and endangered her friends. But gods cannot be destroyed so easily, and Hseth's power threatens to reform with even greater strength and a thirst for vengeance. As tensions rise throughout the land, the kingdom needs its Godkiller more than ever.

Still reeling from the loss of Kissen, young noble Inara and her little god of white lies, Skedi, have set out to discover more about the true nature of their bond. As the divide between gods and humans widens, Inara and Skedi will uncover secrets that could determine the fate of the war to come.

Meanwhile, Elogast, no longer a loyal knight of King Arren, has been tasked with killing the man he once called friend. The king vowed to eradicate all gods throughout the land, but has now entered into an unholy pact with the most dangerous of them all. And where his heart once beat, a god now burns..."

Seriously, I have such cover lust for this series.

Funny Boy: The Richard Hunt Biography by Jessica Max Stein
Published by: Rutgers University Press
Publication Date: March 12th, 2024
Format: Hardcover, 346 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Funny Boy: The Richard Hunt Biography tells the life story of a gifted performer whose gleeful irreverence, sharp wit and generous spirit inspired millions. Richard Hunt was one of the original main five performers in the Muppet troupe. He brought to life an impressive range of characters on The Muppet Show, Sesame Street, Fraggle Rock and various Muppet movies, everyone from eager gofer Scooter to elderly heckler Statler, groovy girl Janice to freaked-out lab helper Beaker, even early versions of Miss Piggy and Elmo. Hunt also acted, directed and mentored the next generation of performers. His accomplishments are all the more remarkable in that he crammed them all into only 40 years.

Richard Hunt was just 18 years old when he joined Jim Henson's company, where his edgy humor quickly helped launch the Muppets into international stardom. Hunt lived large, savoring life's delights, amassing a vivid, disparate community of friends. Even when the AIDS epidemic wrought its devastation, claiming the love of Hunt's life and threatening his own life, he showed an extraordinary sense of resilience, openness and joy. Hunt's story exemplifies how to follow your passion, foster your talents, adapt to life's surprises, genuinely connect with everyone from glitzy celebrities to gruff cab drivers - and have a hell of a lot of fun along the way."

It's hard for me to pick a favorite Muppeteer, but Richard Hunt is definitely the one who died the youngest and that breaks my heart.

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments  

Labels: Anna Bright, Claire Swinarski, Deanna Raybourn, Emily Matchar, Hannah Kaner, Jenni Keer, Laura McNeal, Maggie Shayne, Margot Douaihy, Natasha Siegel, Nathaniel Luscombe, Quinton Li, Richard Hunt, Ripley Jones