reviews

Review: The Light Eaters by Zoe Schlanger

by Stefani

The Light Eaters by Zoe Schlanger

Published: May 7, 2024 by Harper

Buy this book at: Amazon / Barnes & Noble / Kobo

Synopsis:

Award-winning environment and science reporter Zoë Schlanger delivers a groundbreaking work of popular science that probes the hidden world of the plant kingdom and reveals the astonishing capabilities of the green life all around us. It takes tremendous biological creativity to be a plant. To survive and thrive while rooted in a single spot, plants have adapted ingenious methods of survival. In recent years, scientists have learned about their ability to communicate, recognize their kin and behave socially, hear sounds, morph their bodies to blend into their surroundings, store useful memories that inform their life cycle, and trick animals into behaving to their benefit, to name just a few remarkable talents.

The Light Eaters is a deep immersion into the drama of green life and the complexity of this wild and awe-inspiring world that challenges our very understanding of agency, consciousness, and intelligence. In looking closely, we see that plants, rather than imitate human intelligence, have perhaps formed a parallel system. What is intelligent life if not a vine that grows leaves to blend into the shrub on which it climbs, a flower that shapes its bloom to fit exactly the beak of its pollinator, a pea seedling that can hear water flowing and make its way toward it? Zoë Schlanger takes us across the globe, digging into her own memories and into the soil with the scientists who have spent their waking days studying these amazing entities up close.

What can we learn about life on Earth from the living things that thrive, adapt, consume, and accommodate simultaneously? More important, what do we owe these life forms once we come to understand their rich and varied abilities? Examining the latest epiphanies in botanical research, Schlanger spotlights the intellectual struggles among the researchers conceiving a wholly new view of their subject, offering a glimpse of a field in turmoil as plant scientists debate the tenets of ongoing discoveries and how they influence our understanding of what a plant is.

We need plants to survive. But what do they need us for—if at all? An eye-opening and informative look at the ecosystem we live in, this book challenges us to rethink the role of plants—and our own place—in the natural world.

Rating:

Review:

I simply cannot say enough good things about this book. It was thought provoking, compelling, evocative, and also easily digestible. The book centers on the author who has spent her career reporting on environmental science and climate change. She was depressed about it. It was causing her to feel an existential dread and pessimism abut the world. So, she started reading botany publications. And she uncovered that the world of botany is booming with amazing discoveries. The botany world is exploding with all the new things that they are learning about plants, and also coping with how (if at all) it should change our overall worldview. This book comes from that starting point.

When I went into this book I didn’t know quite what to expect. A few years ago I read a book about fungi and was astounded at how complex fungi are and how little I knew about them. I feel a similar way after this book about plants. We all know the basics of how plants came into existence. Millions of years ago when the world still existed as basic multicellular organisms floating in a vast ocean, the atmosphere was a toxic blend of chemical that would not support any kind of life. In that environment the first plants found themselves on shore and did the most amazing thing. They inhaled all of the toxic chemicals in the air and excreted oxygen. As more plants emerged from the ocean this slowly started making the air more breathable. By the time the first animal creature crawled out of the ocean, the plants had already been evolving, living, adapting, and reproducing for 125 million years. They were now so vastly different than anything that would evolve later. And animals were perfectly suited to breath the oxygen being excreted by plants and exhaled it as carbon dioxide…which plants could consume and the cycle of life would advance.

This author tried very hard to not use human terminology when referencing what plants could do, but at a certain point…..what’s the use in trying? Words have meaning. We use words to identify things in our environment. So while scientists bristle at using words like “intelligence” or “behavior” with regard to plants, how else do you describe the behaviors that they witness? The book covers in detail the amazing things we’ve learned about plants, and also details the scientific resistance along the way. As Zoe Schlanger says:

“But science’s biggest flaw and biggest virtue is that it almost always mistakes agreement for truth.”

Scientists agree that plants aren’t intelligent and can’t communicate, so that must be the truth. But what else do you call it? When you discover that plants communicate with other plants in the vicinity that a pest has arrived, and the other plants respond by turning on their pest defense systems. What else could that be called if not communication? When plants are growing next to genetically related plants they will grow in ways that share resources equally but when growing next to unrelated plants will compete for the resources. What else could you call that except intelligence?

I have a million things to say about this book and I couldn’t recommend it more. In the end, I came away with this realization: Intelligence and sentience are an inherent part of existing. Every single individual cell that makes up the world shows the ability to recognize itself and other, shows the ability to avoid things that injure them, shows the ability to seek out resources to preserve themselves. I am starting to believe that the entire world is sentient. The entire world is intelligent. All of us, down to a single cell, are connected in ways that have been evolving for hundreds of millions of years. None of us can survive without the others. It is just a fact that humans are very bad at recognizing any kind of intelligence that doesn’t mirror our own. But just because it doesn’t look like something we recognize doesn’t mean it’s not intelligence.

Audiobook review: Brave New World: A BBC Radio Dramatization

by Stefani

Brave New World by Aldous Huxley

Audiobook by BBC Radio 4

Published: October 11, 2016 by BBC Worldwide

Check this audiobook out at: Audible

Synopsis:

A gripping BBC Radio 4 full-cast dramatisation of Aldous Huxley’s classic dystopian novel.

It’s 2116, and Bernard Marx and Helmholtz Watson are token rebels in an irretrievably corrupted society where promiscuity is the norm, eugenics a respectable science, and morality turned upside down. There is no poverty, crime or sickness – but no creativity, art or culture either. Human beings are merely docile citizens: divided into castes, brainwashed and controlled by the state and dependent on the drug soma for superficial gratification.

Into this sterile society comes an outsider, John – a man born into squalor and suffering, but raised on The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, a book which has shaped his entire life. When he discovers that treasured ideals such as love mean nothing in this ‘brave new world’, where romance is ridiculous, marriage shocking and parenthood shameful, John’s world is shattered – and his reaction will show Bernard and Helmholtz what rebellion really means….

Based on Aldous Huxley’s 1932 masterpiece, widely considered one of the greatest novels of all time, this chilling dramatisation set in a futuristic totalitarian society stars Jonathan Coy, Justin Salinger, Milton Lopes and Anton Lesser. 

Rating:

Review:

I am a huge fan of Brave New World by Aldous Huxley. I have read the novel at least 10 times. I find it incredibly relevant to society today. I quote it more often than I should, I compare news stories to it far more often than I ever thought I would. It is truly a masterpiece of fiction. So, when I was contemplating having another listen to Brave New World, I stumbled across this audiobook. This was broadcast on BBC Radio 4 back in 2016. It features a full voice cast and is a dramatization of the novel.

Overall it was marvelous. They took all of the compelling and interesting pieces of the novel and displayed them in a new way. It was reminiscent of the days of Mystery Theater (although I know that radio dramas long preceded that particular program). I love listening to radio dramas. I find them interesting and compelling in ways that reading a book wouldn’t be, and you are forced to focus on the words much more than an in-person dramatic performance. It’s perfect for someone like me.

The voice actors did a masterful job. The story was told with passion and fire and it was everything I hoped it would be. Don’t listen to this if you aren’t familiar with the novel however. It is a dramatization, so it doesn’t tell you the full story. If I wasn’t so well acquainted with the story then I would have been confused on what was going on. I did have some mild confusion because several of the voice actors perform several different roles. Because the voices were similar, I sometimes would be confused on which character was speaking. At least for a minute until I recognized the line and recalled who said it.

If you love Brave New World then I highly recommend this piece. It’s only two hours in length, can be done in an afternoon. It is truly wonderful.

Audiobook review: The Return of Ellie Black by Emiko Jean

by Stefani

The Return of Ellie Black by Emiko Jean

Published: May 7, 2024 by Simon & Schuster Audio

Buy this book at: Audible / Barnes & Noble / AbeBooks

Synopsis:

Detective Chelsey Calhoun’s life is turned upside down when she gets the call Ellie Black, a girl who disappeared years earlier, has resurfaced in the woods of Washington state—but Ellie’s reappearance leaves Chelsey with more questions than answers.

It’s been twenty years since Detective Chelsey Calhoun’s sister vanished when they were teenagers, and ever since she’s been searching: for signs, for closure, for other missing girls. But happy endings are rare in Chelsey’s line of work.

Then a glimmer: local teenager Ellie Black, who disappeared without a trace two years earlier, has been found alive in the woods of Washington State.

But something is not right with Ellie. She won’t say where she’s been, or who she’s protecting, and it’s up to Chelsey to find the answers. She needs to get to the bottom of what happened to Ellie: for herself, and for the memory of her sister, but mostly for the next girl who could be taken—and who, unlike Ellie, might never return.

The debut thriller from New York Times bestselling author Emiko Jean, The Return of Ellie Black is both a feminist tour de force about the embers of hope that burn in the aftermath of tragedy and a twisty page-turner that will shock and surprise you right up until the final page.

Rating:

Review:

Overall this audiobook was quite good. I enjoyed having a full cast of narrators. All of them were well done and it allowed me to easily tell which perspective we were telling and who was voicing that section of the book. Though, I do think this book had a few too many narrators in general. We got perspective from Chelsey, Ellie in the present, Ellie in the past, and a friend of Ellie’s. While the audiobook narrators did a good job in helping me keep it straight, unfortunately it started to make the narrative feel fractured. It started to feel like we were telling too many stories at once and the compelling pieces of the book got lost in the mix.

Like I mentioned in the progress update, this story is trying to be much bigger than the story of one missing girl. It wanted to be a societal commentary on missing/kidnapped women in general. It didn’t work as well as the author hoped. She made some good points about our society and missing women, but sometimes the point felt forced.

The actual story of Ellie Black was a great story. The story of her captivity was riveting, horrifying and made me yearn for her freedom. I wanted her to escape and regain her life. But I also was saddened because of the lingering trauma I knew she would carry. An integral part of this story is, who took Ellie? And why? I had hoped that we were slowly building to those clues along the way, but I don’t think we ever get any clues in the end. The ending seemed to come out of nowhere. The author gave us no stepping stones to get to this ultimate conclusion. And that left me feeling disappointed when the book concluded. The story was so good for most of the book. I wanted to see Ellie get justice, I wanted to find out why and who. But those answers weren’t satisfying. A satisfying ending is an important piece of my overall feelings about a book, so I can only give this three stars. It’s a good book, but don’t be surprised if you’re left feeling disappointed.

Audiobook review: My Darling Girl by Jennifer McMahon

by Stefani

My Darling Girl by Jennifer McMahon

Narrated by: Hillary Huber and Kitty Hendrix

Published: October 3, 2023 by Simon & Schuster Audio

Buy this book at: Amazon / Barnes & Noble / AbeBooks

Synopsis:

Alison has never been a fan of Christmas. But with it right around the corner and her husband busily decorating their cozy Vermont home, she has no choice but to face it. Then she gets the call.

Mavis, Alison’s estranged mother, has been diagnosed with cancer and has only weeks to live. She wants to spend her remaining days with her daughter, son-in-law, and two granddaughters. But Alison grew up with her mother’s alcoholism and violent abuse and is reluctant to unearth these traumatic memories. Still, she eventually agrees to take in Mavis, hoping that she and her mother could finally heal and have the relationship she’s always dreamed of.

But when mysterious and otherworldly things start happening upon Mavis’s arrival, Alison begins to suspect her mother is not quite who she seems. And as the holiday festivities turn into a nightmare, she must confront just how far she is willing to go to protect her family.

Rating:

Review:

This book can be summarized in one sentence: It was so good! Now that I got that out of my system, I will expand a little so that this isn’t the shortest review in history. I have never read this author before but she knows how to set a scene. This entire novel creeped me out. It made my skin crawl. It made me uncomfortable. It made my want to shout at the protagonist “No, don’t do that!”. And then the ending was one that I never saw coming.

I have to give a lot of credit to the narrators of this book. Their pacing was superb! This book is a slow burn, gradually ramping up the creepy factor and I feel like the narrators perfectly matched that tone and pace. Their voice work was also impressive. The subtle differences in tone for Mavis were perfect. Depending on who Mavis was having the conversation with, her entire tone changed and it was eerie.

For the plot, I really identified with Alison. Her story spoke to my own trauma in a lot of profound ways. But she escaped, she survived. She had a husband that adored her and two beautiful girls who had escaped their mother’s trauma. I was so proud of her. And then she got hit with the emotional wrecking ball. Her mother had cancer and wanted to spend her remaining weeks of life in Alison’s home trying to “make amends.” Alison was skeptical, and that made me even more proud of her. Unfortunately, her husband seemed to think it was a good idea! Why not let your horrendously abusive mother move in with us for a few weeks? What harm could it do? The more we learn about Alison and the abuse she suffered, the more angry I became at her husband. How dare he coerce her into letting her mother into their home. He knew the horrors of her childhood. The permanent scars (both physical and mental) that still haunted her. And he was willing to re-traumatize her all over again. Because “it’s your mom.” No sir, no it is not. You do not owe your family anything when they have abused you so thoroughly. Not a single thing. Alright, enough ranting, he really made me angry. But I recognize that if Mavis had never moved in then we wouldn’t have a book, so let’s move on.

The creep factor on this book was at an all time high. From the recollections of the abuse that Alison suffered to the creepy happenings in the present it was all fantastic. I was terrified for Alison and her children. Especially when it seemed like no one believed her. The ending was also shocking and creepy. The author laid out her red herrings perfectly, so I never saw it coming. It wasn’t a twist ending, it made complete and total sense, it was just executed really well. This author will definitely visit my bookshelf again.

Review: Area 51 by Annie Jacobsen

by Stefani

Area 51 by Annie Jacobsen

Published: May 17, 2011 by Little, Brown & Company

Buy this book at: Amazon / Barnes & Noble / AbeBooks

Synopsis:

It is the most famous military installation in the world. And it doesn’t exist. Located a mere seventy-five miles outside of Las Vegas in Nevada’s desert, the base has never been acknowledged by the U.S. government-but Area 51 has captivated imaginations for decades.

Myths and hypotheses about Area 51 have long abounded, thanks to the intense secrecy enveloping it. Some claim it is home to aliens, underground tunnel systems, and nuclear facilities. Others believe that the lunar landing itself was filmed there. The prevalence of these rumors stems from the fact that no credible insider has ever divulged the truth about his time inside the base. Until now.

Annie Jacobsen had exclusive access to nineteen men who served the base proudly and secretly for decades and are now aged 75-92, and unprecedented access to fifty-five additional military and intelligence personnel, scientists, pilots, and engineers linked to the secret base, thirty-two of whom lived and worked there for extended periods. In Area 51, Jacobsen shows us what has really gone on in the Nevada desert, from testing nuclear weapons to building super-secret, supersonic jets to pursuing the War on Terror.

This is the first book based on interviews with eye witnesses to Area 51 history, which makes it the seminal work on the subject. Filled with formerly classified information that has never been accurately decoded for the public, Area 51 weaves the mysterious activities of the top-secret base into a gripping narrative, showing that facts are often more fantastic than fiction, especially when the distinction is almost impossible to make.

Rating:

Review:

Ask anyone who knows me and they’ll tell you that I am fascinated by conspiracy theories. I love reading about them. I love investigating why people believe these things. I look investigating instances where sometimes the conspiracy theory was actually the true story. So this book caught my attention for that reason right away. The first big batch of declassified documents relating to Area 51 were released in 2010-2011 and a lot of the information in this book is based off of that release. In addition to the interviews she conducted with people who worked there, it provided a very comprehensive review of the base’s history.

There was a ton of really interesting facts in here. Things that I never expected to find. For example, did you know that eventually the CIA decided that the unknown craft that crashed in Roswell was built by the Soviet Union? The Soviet’s had gotten in touch with some scientists that had been working in Germany while Hitler was in power and asked if they could make a flying disc. Then they put two kids (estimated to be 13 years old or so) into the craft so that people would believe they were aliens. The children were badly disfigured, and the CIA determined it was likely the work of Josef Mengele, also of Nazi origin. The idea was that the Soviets wanted the disc to crash and they hoped that Americans would see the corpses of the children and believe it was an alien craft. They wanted to start a panic. The secondary goal was to let the American President know that the Soviets weren’t intimidated by him and that they could violate US airspace if they wished. Now, that’s the story that the CIA tells and at least one interviewee told. Is that the truth? Maybe. Will we ever know if it is the truth or not? Unlikely.

I loved that this book laid out all the reasons why Area 51 has provided the perfect opportunity for UFO conspiracy theories. All through the 1930s, 40s, 50s, and 60s the US government was out there testing out advanced spy planes. They wanted something that flew faster than Soviet radar could detect and flew higher than their missles could reach. Naturally sometimes people saw these flights. And the citizens would see a plane flying faster and higher than any plane known to exist and naturally they found it extraterrestrial. The CIA tracked all of the UFO reports during these periods and found that most of the UFO sightings were of their spy plane flights. A smaller portion were conclusively identified as other things, weather balloons, other aircraft, natural phenomenon, etc. And a very small percentage of those reports couldn’t be identified. What were they? Well the US government say they don’t know. But all of these reports just further the hysteria and the conspiracy theories.

Before long, Area 51 because the best location for any nefarious government plot. From aliens to the moon landing, if there’s a conspiracy theory out there it probably gets tied to Area 51. But the real history is far more interesting. It’s a history of spy planes, nuclear bombs, testing of worst case scenarios, and place to hide government secrets. There’s a good reason that a large portion of Americans think there’s nefarious things going on at the base. The government has long used the base to do things that were not entirely ethical, not entirely moral, and sometimes not entirely legal either. All of it hidden in the shadows. Hidden from the people that the government says they’re protecting.

Overall, I found this book compelling and entrancing. I couldn’t put it down. Every single page was some new fascinating detail that had been hidden in the world of classified documents for half a century. My only complaint is that perhaps we waited too long for some of the interview details. I found myself wondering why that seemed like a side note, when it was perhaps the most eye opening part of the book. Despite this, the book was excellent and I have very few complaints.

Audiobook review: Small Town Horror by Ronald Malfi

by Stefani

Small Town Horror by Ronald Malfi

Narrated by: Joe Hempel

Released: June 4, 2024 by Tantor Media

Buy this audiobook at: Audible / Audiobooks.com / Kobo

Synopsis:

Five childhood friends are forced to confront their own dark past as well as the curse placed upon them in this horror masterpiece from the bestselling author of Come with Me.

Maybe this is a ghost story…

Andrew Larimer thought he left the past behind. But when he receives a late-night phone call from an old friend, he finds he has no choice but to return home, and to confront the memories—and the horror—of a night, years ago, that changed everything.

For Andrew and his friends, the past is not dead, and the curse that has befallen them now threatens to destroy all that they’ve become.

One dark secret…

One small-town horror…

Rating:

Review:

This ended up being a difficult book to rate. Initially after I finished it I was contemplating three stars. But the more I thought about it, the more disappointed I was in it. So ultimately this falls at a two star, maybe two and a half if I’m feeling generous. This book has also given me a case of “everyone loves it but me”. The book world is RAVING about this book right now. And I can’t quite figure out why?

The writing was good. I have never read Malfi before but his writing was good enough that I’d probably pick up one of his books again. He is very good at creating a creepy feel and an increasing sense of dread. Those are very desirable qualities in a horror author. I also enjoyed the narrator. He kept a good pace, he made the characters inflections and tone unique, and he told the story in a compelling. So, what was the problem then?

I think there were two problems here. First, I don’t believe this book is well suited to an audiobook. We jump around in time quite a lot, and there’s not much introduction to inform the listener about what year we’re in. As a result I felt jarred by the story. I couldn’t remember where in time we were. And so I ended up re-listening to entire chapters because I was thoroughly confused about what was going on. And the characters were also pretty dull people. It wasn’t just the main protagonist, it was all of them. The problem is that it’s very difficult for an audiobook narrator to tell a compelling story when the characters are not compelling. This was another thing that made me tune out of the audio and have to go back and listen again.

Down to the story itself. It was okay. The lead up to the reveal was quite good. The increasing sense of doom and dread was really fun. And I liked seeing how each of the characters came to their conclusion about what was going on, and why they got to that conclusion. It only started to fall apart near the end. It seemed at first like the ending was going to be a twist, it wasn’t actually a curse it was an entirely mundane answer. But then it wasn’t the mundane answer after all, it was the supernatural answer. Then it felt like we went into an infomercial because “wait, there’s more!” It wasn’t just supernatural, here’s the cunning plan, and the unwilling accomplice! “But wait, if you order now you’ll get a free gift!” And even the unwilling accomplice was deceived in this brilliant plan! It was convoluted. Sometimes it’s okay for the simple answer to the correct answer. Sometimes it’s okay for the ending not to have a twist. Instead, I feel like the author was trying so hard to do something unexpected that it just got weird and confusing.

In the end, there was enough redeeming qualities about the writing for me to give the author another chance. But this one wasn’t a hit for me. Or maybe it was, in the end, just me. Because everyone else in the book world seems to love it.

Review: A Letter to the Luminous Deep by Sylvie Cathrall

by Stefani

A Letter to the Luminous Deep by Sylvie Cathrall

Published: April 25, 2024 by Orbit

Buy this book at: Amazon / Barnes & Noble / AbeBooks

Synopsis:

Dive into the curious correspondence of Sylvie Cathrall’s delightful debut novel, A Letter to the Luminous Deep.

A beautiful discovery outside the window of her underwater home prompts the reclusive E. to begin a correspondence with renowned scholar Henerey Clel. The letters they share are filled with passion, at first for their mutual interests, and then, inevitably, for each other.

Together, they uncover a mystery from the unknown depths, destined to transform the underwater world they both equally fear and love. But by no mere coincidence, a seaquake destroys E.’s home, and she and Henerey vanish.

A year later, E.’s sister Sophy, and Henerey’s brother Vyerin, are left to solve the mystery of their siblings’ disappearances with the letters, sketches and field notes left behind. As they uncover the wondrous love their siblings shared, Sophy and Vyerin learn the key to their disappearance – and what it could mean for life as they know it.

Perfect for fans of A Marvellous Light and TJ Klune, A Letter to the Luminous Deep is a whimsical epistolary fantasy set in a mystical underwater world with mystery and heart-warming romance.

Rating:

Review:

As evidenced by how quickly I breezed through this book (only halfway done on Friday), it was a lovely read. This book quickly introduces us to our two main characters. The introverted, brilliant, troubled “E”. She lives in an underwater home known as the Deep House. One day she spots a creature through her porthole that she’s never seen before. Struck by its beauty she writes to a well known natural Scholar that she admires, Henerey. The two strike up a correspondence about these creatures and what they could be, and then it moves into more of a general conversation about their lives and interests. The interesting part is that we only learn about E and Henerey through their letters to each other, and to and from their siblings. Even when they meet in person, the only details we know about it are what E shared with her sister, Sophy, about the evening.

Later, when Sophy and Vyerin start to unravel the mystery of what happened to their missing siblings, we also only follow their correspondence with each other. The entire book is told in letters between the characters, occasional excerpts from Henerey’s journals, and a few transcriptions from other scholarly works within the world. It’s an inventive way to tell a story. I also imagine it was quite difficult to write.

Because of the writing style the characters are full of depth and personality. I learned intently who each of these individuals are, and I grew to adore each of them immensely. I also enjoyed that both of the main protagonists deal with mental health concerns or are otherwise neurodivergent. As a neurodivergent individual myself I found it very relatable and genuine. The character building in this novel was top notch. I can’t say enough good things about that aspect. However, the writing did present a challenge when it came to world building. There’s a lot of things that I feel were left out. At the end of the book I knew so little about E and Henerey’s world. And the main culprit to that is the writing style. If E is writing to Henerey, she doesn’t need to explain to him the history of their civilization, he already knows. But I would like it explained to me, because I don’t know. It’s a unique challenge. I feel like the author tried to overcome this with the excerpts from scholarly books in the book, but it wasn’t enough. I wanted to know more. I hope we get more in upcoming books.

The romance in the story was sweet and simple. E and Henerey flirted with each other through their individual interests. They each showed an enormous amount of restraint and respect for the other’s boundaries. For example, even after they agreed to meet in person Henerey told her “If you change your mind, even if I’m already on my way, just put a sign in your window that says NO HENEREY and I’ll leave and think none the worse for it.” It was so cute, and so romantic. Each of them met the other exactly where they were capable of existing, and both were content with it. Sigh. I think I might have fallen in love with these two also. They are just so adorable and relatable.

The mystery in the book was intriguing. I started putting the pieces together fairly early, but it didn’t make the journey any less enjoyable. Even though I knew where it was headed, I still enjoyed watching Sophy and Vyerin put those same pieces together. And at the end, we finished one piece of the adventure and looked to the horizon for the start of the next adventure. You can’t ask for a much better ending than that.

Advancer Reader Copies (ARC) Approved – June 13, 2024

by Stefani

Run by Blake Crouch

Expected publication: October 22, 2024 Ballantine Books

Check this book out at: Goodreads

Synopsis:

No time to think. No time to ask why. Only time to run.

Five days ago, the epidemic of rage began.

Four days ago, the rash of senseless murders swept the nation.

Three days ago, the president addressed the country and begged for peace—even as the murders increased tenfold.

Two days ago, the killers began to mobilize.

One day ago, the power went out.

And tonight, the killers are reading the names of those to be killed over the Emergency Broadcast System.

Jack Colclough is listening over the battery-powered radio on his kitchen table in Albuquerque, and he just heard his name. People are coming to his house to kill him, his wife, his daughter, and his son.

He has no idea what’s happening, or why, but the time for questions is long past. 

His only chance is to run.

Following an ordinary family on a desperate race through an America that’s destroying itself, Run is a terrifying, brutally stripped-down thriller from master storyteller Blake Crouch.

Why I requested it:

A few years ago I read another book by Blake Crouch. Recursion. You can find my review here. I enjoyed that book, even though I felt the ending was a bit disappointing. I really enjoyed the way Crouch writes. So when I saw this available for review I knew I needed to try it. The plot sounds exciting and horrifying, and Blake Crouch writes in a very compelling way. This should be a fun ride.

The Bitter Truth by Shanora Williams

Expected publication: June 25, 2024 by Dafina

Check this book out at: Goodreads

Synopsis:

An upstanding political candidate. A determined stalker. A shattering lost weekend. Now, when his worst secret comes calling, how far will one man’s elegant, all-too-devoted wife go to uncover the truth . . . or bury it?

For Jolene “Jo” Baker, the least she can do for her adoring husband, Dominic, is give unwavering support for his North Carolina gubernatorial run. He is not only the love of her life, he’s also helping her prove that she’s far more than just a pampered trophy wife. With huge crowds showing up at Dominic’s speeches and the polls consistently in his favor, she’s never been happier to stand proudly by his side . . .

Until she and Dominic start seeing the same, strangely ominous woman turning up all along the campaign trail. Until their tour starts becoming a nightmare of botched events, crucial missed information, and increasingly dangerous “accidents.” Suddenly Jo can’t get any answers from Dominic—or understand why he is acting so paranoid and terrified . . .

What Jo can do is start digging into his past—one she’s never really questioned beyond his perfect image and dazzling accomplishments. What results is an alarming series of events that leave her Good friends turn into enemies, truths are revealed to be lies, and all clues lead back to one secret, shattering weekend that changes Jo’s entire life. With her world splintering into pieces, can Jo risk trying to set things right? Or will hiding the bitter truth by any means necessary destroy her as well?

Why I requested it:

This sounds like a typical thriller plot. The politician and his adoring wife who have secrets. And those secrets are about to be exposed. But that’s a good thing. It’s an exciting premise. And there is nothing that a reader loves more than seeing the bad guy get what’s coming to them. I hope that happens in this one.

Thyme Travellers edited by Sonia Sulaiman

Expected publication: September 5, 2024 by Roseway Publishing

Check this book out at: Goodreads

Synopsis:

Thyme Travellers collects fourteen of the Palestinian diaspora’s best voices in speculative fiction. Speculative fiction as a genre invites a reconfiguring of reality, and here each story is a portal into realms of history, folklore and futures.

A man stands on the shore waiting to commune with those who live in the ocean. Pilgrims stretch into the distance, passing a stone cairn with a mysterious light streaming from it. Two Australian women fervently dig a tunnel to Jerusalem. Men from Gaza swim in the sea until they drown, still unconcerned. A father and son struggle to connect over the AI scripts prompting their conversation.

Building on the work of trailblazing anthologies such as Reworlding Ramallah and Palestine +100, this volume is the first of its kind in Canada. Editor Sonia Sulaiman brings together stories by speculative fiction veterans and emerging writers from Australia to Egypt, Lebanon to Canada.

Why I requested it:

I really love speculative fiction. I really love short story anthologies. And I also love new and interesting voices in fiction. This one is a win, win, win. Plus the one liners about some of the included stories sound fantastic.

Review: Behind the Red Door by Megan Collins

by Stefani

Behind the Red Door by Megan Collins

Published: August 4, 2020 by Atria Books

Buy this book at: Amazon / Barnes & Noble / AbeBooks

Synopsis:

When Fern Douglas sees the news about Astrid Sullivan, a thirty-four-year-old missing woman from Maine, she is positive that she knows her. Fern’s husband is sure it’s because of Astrid’s famous kidnapping—and equally famous return—twenty years ago, but Fern has no memory of that, even though it happened an hour outside her New Hampshire hometown. And when Astrid appears in Fern’s recurring nightmare, one in which a girl reaches out to her, pleading, Fern fears that it’s not a dream at all, but a memory.

Back home in New Hampshire, Fern purchases a copy of Astrid’s recently published memoir—which may have provoked her original kidnapper to abduct her again—and as she reads through its chapters and visits the people and places within it, she discovers more evidence that she has an unsettling connection to the missing woman. As Fern’s search becomes increasingly desperate, she hopes to remember her past so she can save Astrid in the present…before it’s too late.

Rating:

Review:

**Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Thank you NetGalley and Atria Books!**

This book was epically good! The premise of it drew me in immediately. We have all had recurring nightmares before. We have all had dreams that we are terrified of. But, what if you later found out that those recurring nightmares might actually be memories? Memories of a woman who was abducted for a second time and might be in peril from the same perpetrator all over again?

Fern is an anxious and fearful individual. Which makes complete sense given her history. Her mother is an artist who never really wanted to be a mother. As her mother puts it, she got pregnant and they decided to keep the baby and that was good enough. She was disinterested and detached. Fern’s father is a professor. He studies the psychology of fear. He viewed Fern’s childhood as the perfect vehicle for his “research”. For example, leaving her alone in a town that she isn’t familiar with and then waiting until she’s crying and terrified before coming back for her. The more I read about Fern’s family the more I understood her. Of course she’s an anxiety ridden, fearful individual. How could she end up any other way given the parenting she received?

As Fern searches for answers we meet more people from her past who all seemed to prey on her fearful nature. Like her best friend’s older brother. Who bullied them as kids and can’t seem to resist doing it, even as a middle aged adult man. I became rather convinced that Fern didn’t know anyone who wasn’t a completely twisted person, except perhaps her husband. He seemed to be a good quality individual that Fern could rely on. The book quickly turns to Fern’s search for answers about her dreams, and her conviction that they are actually memories. As we went along I developed a theory about who the kidnapper was. I was pleasantly surprised that my theory was correct. It was the right choice. Sometimes a predictable conclusion is the right one. This one was the choice that made the most sense considering everything we learned about the world and these characters.

Even though I guessed who the kidnapper was, the book still had a surprise for me at the end. I didn’t see it coming a mile away. But, it was also perfectly lined up with who these characters are. I always enjoy a story that can surprise me. This book was riveting from cover to cover. I read the last 60 pages in one sitting after spending 12 hours at a theme park. I just couldn’t put it down. So I sat in a dark hotel room and read to the end. It was worth it.

Audiobook Review: Good Girls Don’t Die by Christina Henry

by Stefani

Good Girls Don’t Die by Christina Henry

Narrated by: Lisa Flanagan

Published: November 14, 2023 by Penguin Audio

Buy this book at: Amazon / Kobo / AbeBooks

Synopsis:

Celia wakes up in a house that’s supposed to be hers. There’s a little girl who claims to be her daughter and a man who claims to be her husband, but Celia knows this family—and this life—is not hers…

Allie is supposed to be on a fun weekend trip—but then her friend’s boyfriend unexpectedly invites the group to a remote cabin in the woods. No one else believes Allie, but she is sure that something about this trip is very, very wrong…

Maggie just wants to be home with her daughter, but she’s in a dangerous situation and she doesn’t know who put her there or why. She’ll have to fight with everything she has to survive…

Three women. Three stories. Only one way out. This captivating novel will keep readers guessing until the very end.

Rating:

Review:

The premise of this book was exciting. Women who had been seemingly abducted into lives that weren’t their own, forced to find a way out. Who was responsible? What was the reason? Would they escape? I love a good mystery and I was enthusiastic to see where this book went. The narrator was fabulous, giving each of the women their own personality and inflection, it really made me connect with them individually.

This could have easily been a five star read, if not for the ended. Each of these individual women’s stories were compelling. The women themselves were interesting and unique, I enjoyed their narrative and following along with them. The scenarios played out in a riveting manner, I couldn’t wait to hear what happened next. I was entranced by the book. I developed a theory about what it was all about, who was responsible for the women’s plights.

Then I got to the ending. I was excited! We were finally going to see who the guilty party was! The women were going to get answers. I was going to see if my pet theory was correct. But it wasn’t. And the actual ending wasn’t good either. It was a completely stereotypical trope. It was far fetched. It came out of left field. It made very little sense. And so, I finished this fabulous book with a “huh….so, that was it?” And then I turned to a podcast because it was so disappointing. Overall I really loved this book, and I will likely read other books from this author because I enjoy how she writes, but this one fell flat in the end.