Review: El Dorado Drive

El Dorado Drive by Megan Abbott
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Full Disclosure: I received an Advance Reader's Copy of El Dorado Drive by Megan Abbott from Penguin Group Putnam via NetGalley.  It will be published around June 24, 2025.  

El Dorado Drive by Megan Abbott is about three sisters, struggling to make ends meet, who get swept up in a pyramid scheme.  There can be a lot of money earned for those who get in early. It can solve some problems and create plenty of others.  The interplay among the sisters felt realistic.  I kept thinking that this is why my mother said never to have three children.  There are also plenty of secrets that keep you guessing up until the end.  

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Review: The Refrigerator Monologues

The Refrigerator Monologues by Catherynne M. Valente
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

The Refrigerator Monologues by Catherynne M. Valente is a fantastic tribute to all the women in comic books.  With few exceptions, these are usually the girlfriends or love interests of the superhero.  They are always put in peril.  They are often seen as the damsel in distress.  The archnemesis usually kills them.  It's awful.  The Refrigerator Monologues gives them their own voice to tell their own stories.  The truth behind the superhero fantasy.  You won't see any of these characters in a Marvel or DC comic, but I bet you will recognize an echo of them.  That was kind of fun.  I could read an entire series of these.  In fact, can we have more please?  I feel like there are plenty of characters in Deadtown to discover.

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Review: New York 2140

New York 2140 by Kim Stanley Robinson
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

New York 2140 by Kim Stanley Robinson isn't going to be for everyone.  This is definitely for someone who believes climate change is real and is an issue that must be addressed (because that's true).  As I was reading, I wondered how it would be different if it were to be written right now in this political climate.  The story switches narrative points of view as the characters navigate life in a New York City that is mostly under water.  It isn't that far-fetched when you look at the global climate disasters that have been happening.  New York is an interesting and perfect setting for a lot of reasons.  Primarily, I agree that a lot of New Yorkers would be too stubborn to leave the city even if their home was completely flooded.  They would figure out how to adapt.  This is the second book I've read about a flooded New York, so there might be something to it.  For the most part, I really liked the characters.  There were two that I did not like, and I don't think you are necessarily meant to but they serve a purpose.  I'm also pretty sure that in a world like this, I would want to fly around in a blimp saving animals like Amelia.  

This is a very long book, but don't be put off by the page count.  I found it moved along at a quick pace and didn't feel like a tome.  I'm pretty sure this book was also the inspiration for Neil Stephenson to work on Termination Shock, another climate and flooding book.  If you like Neil Stephenson, New York 2140 should be on your list of books to read.  

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Review: Other Minds: The Octopus, the Sea, and the Deep Origins of Consciousness

Other Minds: The Octopus, the Sea, and the Deep Origins of Consciousness by Peter Godfrey-Smith
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Other Minds: The Octopus, the Sea, and the Deep Origins of Consciousness by Peter Godfrey-Smith is about the philosophy of consciousness but accessible to the novice.  The best part is you learn a lot about the octopus and how it may think and how that differs from the way humans think and why.  It does get deep (pun intended) in some places, but I still found I could follow the major concepts.  Without them actually telling us, we can still only guess at what it all means, but Godfrey-Smith lays out very good evidence for his theories.  It helps that he has first-hand experience with a number of octopodes in their natural habitat.  So even if you aren't into philosophy, come for the stories.

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Review: Cut and Thirst

Cut and Thirst by Margaret Atwood
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Cut and Thirst is an Amazon Original Story by Margaret Atwood.  This was a fun story.  Of course, it is well-written.  It's Margaret Atwood!  I can get behind a story where the main characters delight in cheese and revenge.  These are a few of my favorite things.  You can also finish it in one sitting.  Perfect!  Pairs nicely with cheese.

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Review: Talking to Strangers

Talking to Strangers by Fiona Barton
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Talking to Strangers is the second book in the Elise King series by Fiona Barton.  You don't have to read book one to be able to jump into this one.  You also don't have to read them in order.  

Talking to Strangers is about a lot of things but mainly the perils of online dating.  This was a topic I could sink my teeth into, and I honestly wasn't even sure I was ready to read this right now, but I did.  Uff.  If you didn't know, online dating, especially for straight women, can be a perilous endeavor.  It isn't just meet cutes and funny stories about dates gone awry.  This book puts all that front and center.  While that is tough to read, I appreciate that Barton keeps sending the right message.  The women who are preyed upon are not the problem, and people need to stop treating them as if they are.  Nobody deserves to be raped or stalked or murdered because they wanted to go out and have a good time or wore a skirt or a low-cut blouse.  It is sad that it is still a thing.  Enjoy might not be the right word to describe how I felt about this book.  It was compelling, and I read it pretty quickly.  Also, I can't say I want to try the dating pool anytime soon.  Ugh.

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Review: Episode Thirteen

Episode Thirteen by Craig DiLouie
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Episode Thirteen by Craig DiLouie has so many elements of storytelling that I just love.  There is the epistolary and found footage aspect.  It has a "haunted" house.  It is essentially following a Ghost Hunter-type show as it films its 13th episode.  The difference with this show is one of the experts is a physicist and rigorously debunks phenomena they encounter.  The story is told through journal entries, text messages, show recaps and film transcripts.  It was really engaging.  This was the type of book I had trouble putting down because I really wanted to find out what would happen next.  It also made me want to watch every episode of every ghost hunting show made.  So much fun!

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Review: Lost Films

Lost Films by Max Booth III
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Lost Films is an anthology of short stories (and one novella) about horror films.  It was edited by Max Booth III and Lori Michelle.  I've been on a horror kick lately, and this really scratched an itch.  I love a horror story that is about a film, tv show, or book.  This was perfect!  The variety of interpretations of "film" was fun.   The good thing about an anthology is that if you spook yourself, you can put it down and come back to it later without wondering what will happen next.  Many of the writers were new to me, so it gave me a list of new writing to explore.  

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Review: The Only One Left

The Only One Left by Riley Sager
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The Only One Left by Riley Sager is two mysteries in one.  A woman accused of killing her mother is hired as the caregiver for a woman accused of killing her family. What are the chances???? Well, they are pretty high when you live in a smallish town.  The story has a sort of Rebecca feel set in a crumbling mansion on a cliffside with a cast of slightly odd characters.  As the story moves along the mysteries of both women unfold.  There's a lot going on in this sleepy town.  But also, police forces probably need to hire more than one detective.  

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Review: Eleven Numbers

Eleven Numbers by Lee Child
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Eleven Numbers is an Amazon Original Story by Lee Child. It is about 50 pages so easy to read in one sitting. I was drawn to it because of the math angle. Even though I don't understand complex math, I find it quite fascinating to read about. Having worked for the State Department for a very long time, I am always amused to see how diplomacy and Consular services are portrayed in fiction. It does spoil some things for me, but I won't spoil them for you!

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