Review: Deity

Deity by Matt Wesolowski
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Deity is the fifth book in the Six Stories series by Matt Wesolowski.  You can start here although it does make some reference to previous books.  It won't inhibit your enjoyment of Deity if you've skipped ahead.  

I think you can safely say Deity is about the literal cult of celebrity.  I love the way we learn the story of the enigmatic Zach Crystal through the eyes of people who "knew" him.  Everyone has their truth, but is it true?

I'm going to make a bold statement.  The Six Stories series is one of my all-time favorite book series.  If you follow my reviews, you know I read a lot so that is really saying something.  Maybe it is the unusual format that always makes me feel like I'm listening to a true crime podcast even though I know I'm reading a book.  I have to remind myself that it is fiction.  Maybe it is that each book has some paranormal tie-in that makes it feel just a little bit creepy and bone-chilling. Or maybe, Matt Wesolowski is just a really amazing writer! I'm always on pins and needles for the next book!      

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Review: Last Stand in Lychford

Last Stand in Lychford by Paul Cornell
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Last Stand in Lychford is the fifth and final book in the Witches of Lychford series by Paul Cornell.  Do yourself a favor and start with book one if you haven't already.  The books build on one another.  They are fairly short, and you'll want to know all about these characters before you get to the last book.  

I have loved these books and wasn't ready for the series to end, so I held off reading this one for a very long time.  But it's Halloween and this seemed a great fit to celebrate.  I won't say much to avoid spoilers, but it did wrap up loose ends.  I also found it very touching.  I may have shed some tears.  If you are into books about witches, the paranormal, or just kick-ass women, treat yourself to the Witches of Lychford.

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Review: The Ghosts of Eden Park: The Bootleg King, the Women Who Pursued Him, and the Murder That Shocked Jazz-Age America

The Ghosts of Eden Park: The Bootleg King, the Women Who Pursued Him, and the Murder That Shocked Jazz-Age America by Karen Abbott
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The Ghosts of Eden Park: The Bootleg King, the Women Who Pursued Him, and the Murder That Shocked Jazz-Age America by Karen Abbott was not just another book about prohibition.  While it is primarily the story of George Remus, an interesting bootlegger in his own right, I was most intrigued by Mabel Walker Willebrandt, the prosecutor who went after him.  I didn't even know that the U.S. had (at least one) female prosecutors as far back as Prohibition, the role of women rarely mentioned in conventional history texts.  What an amazing woman!

Karen Abbott is one of my favorite history writers.  If you aren't a history buff, she has a way of making the factual account exciting and engaging.  Her books read more like fictional novels with their fast pacing and unique characters.  I appreciate her inclusion of actual dialogues and quotes.  You get the story straight from the participants.  I also love that women play a central role in the history she covers because we certainly don't get enough of that.  

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Review: Nothing Personal: My Secret Life in the Dating App Inferno

Nothing Personal: My Secret Life in the Dating App Inferno by Nancy Jo Sales
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Full Disclosure:  I received a copy Nothing Personal: My Secret Life in the Dating App Inferno by Nancy Jo Sales from Hachette Books via NetGalley.  

As a single woman in her late 40s, I do sometimes think about getting on the dating apps again. It has been almost 10 years since the last time I tried.  Nothing Personal seemed like the answer to all my questions.  I found it really interesting that Nancy Jo decided to set her age range for rather young men in their 20s.  I also appreciate that while she was learning the horrors of online dating from young people she was interviewing for her documentary, she was secretly going through them herself.  She was a lot more generous with some of the guys than I would have been.

If you are wondering if I will be getting on the apps after reading this book, the answer is a resounding HELL NO.  My forever gratitude to Nancy Jo Sales for going through this and sharing her story, so I don't have to.  In the midst of a global pandemic, the idea of serial hook-ups is rather terrifying.  Pandemic or not, this book confirms that if you are looking for more than a hook-up, the apps aren't going to get you there.  You are more likely to find a unicorn in the wild.  If you are thinking of putting yourself out there again to find a relationship, save yourself some trouble and just read this book.  

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Review: Even Greater Mistakes

Even Greater Mistakes by Charlie Jane Anders
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I would like to thank Tor Books for providing me an advance copy of Even Greater Mistakes by Charlie Jane Anders via NetGalley.  

If you had asked me a couple of years ago if I read short stories, I would have told you no.  If I was going to read, I wanted a meal (300+ pages) not a snack.  My best friend, who also happens to love short stories, kept trying to entice me.  Ultimately, I read Press Start to Play, a collection of short stories about gaming.  I LOVE gaming, and it was a good place to start with short stories.  I enjoyed those stories immensely.  In that collection was Rat Catcher's Yellows by Charlie Jane Anders.  I can't describe for you how that story made me feel other than to say I felt I found someone who could understand me.  I want to play The Divine Right of Cats so badly.  Someone needs to make that game!  I started collecting every short story I could find by Charlie Jane.  I don't read them right away.  I keep them in a folder.  I swear it is not as creepy as it sounds.  When I need a palate cleanser, to feel understood, or a boost of serotonin, I read one.  When times are very dark, I read Rat Catcher's Yellows again.

I wasn't quite sure what to expect from Even Greater Mistakes.  I knew I would want to read it, but I was so surprised to find it included all of my favorite stories from Charlie Jane, including the aforementioned Rat Catcher's Yellows.  Plus, there were stories I hadn't read yet that I now love so much and led me to find the related stories mentioned in the intros of each chapter.  I found myself pausing between stories because I wanted to draw out the book for as long as possible even though I was eager to read the next one.  

It is amazing to have one book that holds all the things you love together.  A place I can always go to escape the rest of the world.  I treasure this so much I even pre-ordered a hard copy to keep on my book shelf, rare in these days of digital books.  I hope I have convinced you to do the same.  

Bonus points for the inclusion of Clover which I read long before All the Birds in the Sky and loved even more this second time around.

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Review: The Bone Code

The Bone Code by Kathy Reichs
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Full Disclosure:  I received The Bone Code from Scribner via NetGalley in exchange for possibly writing a review.  I've been reading this series from the start, so there was a 100% chance that I would read this with or without the advanced copy.  The Bone Code is the 20th (!) book in the Temperance Brennan series by Kathy Reichs.  If you watched the TV show, Bones, you will be familiar with the name but that's about the extent of it.  The show and the books exist in the same world but are quite different.  If you've never read the series, you could pick it up here.

As I mentioned, I've been reading these books from the start, and I watched every episode of Bones.  I think that qualifies me as a fan.  And yet, I will say that I think the books have only gotten better over time.  In fact, The Bone Code might be my favorite book in the series so far.  While the subject matter remains serious, there is an almost lightness to the writing style now that really makes the book go by quickly.  The subject matter of this case actually tied in nicely to a book I recently read on genetics and heredity, not that you need to know anything about those to read this.  This may be fiction, but the science is real.

Bonus points for giving Birdie a significant plotline in this book.  I love animal characters, and Birdie has quite a personality!    

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Review: New Year, Same Trash: Resolutions I Absolutely Did Not Keep

New Year, Same Trash: Resolutions I Absolutely Did Not Keep by Samantha Irby
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

New Year, Same Trash is a short piece by Samantha Irby.  It is basically a list of the micro-resolutions she made and how she did not really keep them.  As usual, it is hilarious and relatable.  How many of us have made some promise to ourselves about improving some or multiple aspects of our lives only to fail miserably/spectacularly?  This book will commiserate with you.  It is also a good reminder that you don't need to beat yourself up over it.  

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