Review: Model Home

Model Home by Rivers Solomon
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Full Disclosure:  I received an Advanced Reader's Copy of Model Home by Rivers Solomon from Farrar, Straus, and Giroux/MCD via NetGalley.  It should be available to the public on October 1, 2024.  

Rivers Solomon was in the process of writing Model Home when they read a teeny excerpt at WisCon last year.  I wrote down the title and have been obsessively waiting for its release ever since.  I almost lost my mind when I received an Advanced Reader's Copy because I couldn't wait to read this before Halloween.  You see, Model Home is a ghost/haunted house story, and it will haunt the hell out of you.     When you have to deal with the death of close family members, like your parents, it brings up all sorts of skeletons from your past. How one deals with it varies greatly.  Rivers has a way of writing that really puts my senses through a workout.  I swear I could taste the late night diner pancakes.  I really wanted those pancakes.  Don't let the pancakes distract you! This is some deeply dark stuff we are dealing with, but wow, was it worth it. 

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Review: Raising Women

Raising Women by Shannon Waite
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Full Disclosure:  I received an Advanced Reader's Copy of Raising Women by Shannon Waite from the author via NetGalley. This book should be available to the public starting October 11, 2024.

When I read the description for Raising Women by Shannon Waite, I knew I needed to read it.  It is described as an interactive novel about growing into womanhood.  I LOVE LOVE LOVE a choose-your-own-adventure book, game, movie, whatever so this was a no-brainer.  I've also made it into womanhood successfully by many definitions, so how bad could I get it wrong?  Hint: I got it really wrong.  The good news is I could go back and try again.  Reading it on Kindle made it fairly easy to jump to the right section.  Going back was less easy.  This is not a sweet coming-of-age book. You are a teenage girl, but you have to deal with very adult situations and sometimes uncomfortable situations.  Keep that in mind if you decide to gift this book!  I still had a lot of fun ruining my life.

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Review: The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires

The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires by Grady Hendrix
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires by Grady Hendrix really had me steaming about the patriarchy.  As he says in the forward, this book is a tribute to the mothers who are the everyday, unsung heroes.  To all the people who dismay the "housewife" as someone without a job, you have no idea.  So, a group of housewives start a book club to help them escape the day-to-day for just a bit.  They like to read true crime.  As a fellow lover of true crime, I get the appeal.  Gruesome but fascinating!  Then things start happening in their neighborhood that they would be remiss to ignore.  While many people can overlook a lot, most can't overlook a potential threat to their children.  That's when the book gets uncomfortable.  It's also when the men in the book get so annoying, I wanted to get rid of all of them!  And yet, it didn't seem that over-the-top which makes me sad.  Even though it promises vampires, it reads more like true crime than straight horror.  When you finish reading it, don't forget to tell your mother you love her.

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Review: Murder Road

Murder Road by Simone St. James
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Murder Road by Simone St. James is a story in the tradition of urban legends about ghostly hitchhikers.  There's many a haunted road in the United States.  They are almost always some long, unlit deserted stretch in a rural part of the country. People who have heard the rumors tend to avoid it just in case.  But sometimes you are just passing through. You take a wrong turn.  And that turns your life upside down.  Lots of good suspense with plenty of secrets.  You might want to take this one for a ride.

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Review: The Book of Gems

The Book of Gems by Fran Wilde
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The Book of Gems is the third novella in the Gemworld series by Fran Wilde. I had been told you didn't need to read any of the other books to read this one, and that is true. I started here. This book was recommended to me because I like epistolary novels. It helps that it is short, so you don't have to worry about making a huge time investment into something you may or may not enjoy. In this case, I did enjoy it. There are definitely gems involved in new and unique ways. Don't upset them!

For a novella, there are a lot of interesting themes packed in here to chew on. You don't have to know anything about gemstones to appreciate the story even though they play a major role. It is more like a cautionary tale of colonialism and unethical archaeology. It made me think of early Egyptologists and the curses that supposedly plagued them.

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Review: I Did Something Bad

I Did Something Bad by Pyae Moe Thet War
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Full Disclosure: I received a copy of I Did Something Bad by Pyae Moe Thet War from St. Martin's Press via NetGalley.

Those who know me know I don't read much in the romance genre. Nothing against romance (I used to read it voraciously). I'm just in a different Era of my life now, and it hits different now. But, I Did Something Bad by Pyae Moe Thet War grabbed my attention for two reasons: 1) The book title is also a Taylor Swift song, and 2) it was billed as a mystery thriller with romance. I was ...ready for it! The title could have been a coincidence. After reading the book, I don't think it was.  I have reasons.  It definitely was a mystery thriller with romance.  That's the kind of romance I can read.  I also seem to have a thing for books about a journalist writing a piece on a celebrity, so there's that. I almost forgot I was reading a romance, and that is some of the highest praise I can give. 

Now here is the other reason you should read this book. It takes place in Myanmar!  Pyae Moe Thet War is from Myanmar.  This is not someone pretending they know what Myanmar is like. For me, it was fun to be taken somewhere new and given insight into a different culture.

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Review: Rage: On Being Queer, Black, Brilliant . . . and Completely Over It

Rage: On Being Queer, Black, Brilliant . . . and Completely Over It by Lester Fabian Brathwaite
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Full Disclosure: I received an Advanced Reader's Copy of Rage: On Being Queer, Black, Brilliant . . . and Completely Over It by Lester Fabian Brathwaite from Penguin Group Dutton/Tiny Reparations Books  via NetGalley.

Although I am not queer or Black, the title, Rage: On Being Queer, Black, Brilliant . . . and Completely Over It by Lester Fabian Brathwaite, captured my attention and made me want to read this book.  As a middle-aged perimenopausal woman, I am quite acquainted with rage. This book gave me a new and different perspective on rage. Lester has plenty of reasons to have rage.  It is kind of funny that the underlying source of much of his rage is similar to mine even though we have very different life experiences.  I found myself saying, "You are so right about that!" many times. You have to read the book to find out what that source is.  

This book doesn't mince words and deals with topics that may make some people feel uncomfortable. Personally, I think it is good to challenge your thinking and open yourself up to new perspectives. There are things I will never truly be able to understand because I am not Black or queer, but I can get a better idea of where people are coming from with their own rage.  Thanks, Lester!

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Review: The Saturday Night Ghost Club

The Saturday Night Ghost Club by Craig Davidson
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

The Saturday Night Ghost Club by Craig Davidson is an engrossing, fast read. It clocks in at about 222 pages. I burned through it on a flight. It falls under horror and mystery, but I found it to be really touching and appropriate for teenagers or adults. I would have loved to have had a family member who owned an occult store and took me on ghost hunts growing up.  I didn't quite have that, but my parents loved a ghost story, and my dad was a master at telling them. I think that added a layer to my enjoyment of this book.  Whether you believe in ghosts or not, people can be haunted in all different sorts of ways.  

In addition to the ghost stuff, I enjoyed the story of making friends when you are a bit weird and having that one friend that every adult thinks is a bad influence but that's just because they don't get why you are friends.  That was a really powerful side story.  This is great if you want some ghost stories but to still be able to sleep with the lights off.

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Review: Darkly

Darkly by Marisha Pessl
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Full Disclosure: I received an Advanced Reader's Copy of Darkly by Marisha Pessl from Random House Children's Delacorte Press via NetGalley.

Don't be fooled by the young adult categorization of Darkly by Marisha Pessl.  This book can certainly be enjoyed by adults because I loved it!  Maybe I am biased because I have read every one of Marisha's books and enjoyed them all. I was so excited to get this one because it promised to be what I love about her work: dark, spooky, and intellectually stimulating.  I love a good puzzle and a good board game.  Combine the two and I am in heaven. Escape rooms, murder mystery parties, all of that stuff, yes please.  When a group of teenagers are selected to solve a mystery related to a lost board game by their favorite game-maker, they find themselves in a real life version of the game.  It is fantastic!  It will have you guessing about whodunnit and who can be trusted.  You might be surprised.  Highly recommend it to anyone who wants a spooky puzzle to solve without a bunch of gore. 

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Review: The Masquerades of Spring

The Masquerades of Spring by Ben Aaronovitch
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Full Disclosure: I received an Advanced Reader's Copy of The Masquerades of Spring by Ben Aaronovitch from Subterranean Press via NetGalley.

The Masquerades of Spring is a novella in the Rivers of London series by Ben Aaronovitch.  I have only read the first book in the series, so I can safely tell you that you could read this as a standalone.  While maybe reading the first book would help set up some information for you, it is not really necessary.  

I enjoyed the setting of 1920s New York City and Harlem specifically.  It was an interesting time in the United States, and the Harlem Renaissance was in full bloom.  You will also get a taste of ball culture which sounds spectacular to witness in person. 

It may bother some people that the language used is accurate to the time period.  There are terms used regarding black and queer people that would never be acceptable today.  If that bothers you, I would move along to another book. 

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