Artifice

 Artifice
by Sharon Cameron
Scholastic Press, 2023. 387 pages. Young Adult Fiction

In 1943 Amsterdam, Isa de Smit navigates the dangers of Nazi occupation while protecting her family's art gallery, which houses a hidden Vermeer. With her friends targeted by the regime—some executed and others in hiding—Isa's resistance grows when she sells a fake Rembrandt to fund the cause. She forms an uneasy alliance with Michel Lange, a young Nazi soldier seeking escape, as they work together to smuggle Jewish babies to safety and navigate the art world filled with forgers and collaborators. This historical thriller blends Isa's fictional journey with real events and figures, featuring rich artistic descriptions and complex plotting, making it a compelling read for young audiences interested in history and art.

Artifice is a thrilling historical novel that captivated me from the first page. Cameron’s vivid imagery created a moving narrative. While this was an intricately plotted narrative that’s fast-paced and suspenseful, my favorite piece was the idea that paintings can contain significant flaws yet still be transformed into something beautiful. This metaphor is linked to the experience during the Nazi occupation, illustrating how amidst the overwhelming ugliness of that time, the main character, Isa de Smit, finds ways to create beauty and hope. This novel is not just a tale of survival; it’s a testament to the power of art and the human spirit in the face of adversity. I highly recommend Artifice to anyone looking for a historical thriller that offers poignant and thought-provoking messages.

If you liked Artifice, you may also like:

28 Days: a novel of resistance in Warsaw Ghetto

by David Safier

Feiwel and Friends, 2020. 404 pages. Young Adult Fiction

Warsaw, 1942. Sixteen-year old Mira smuggles food into the Ghetto to keep herself and her family alive. When she discovers that the entire Ghetto is to be "liquidated"―killed or "resettled" to concentration camps―she desperately tries to find a way to save her family.

She meets a group of young people who are planning the unthinkable: an uprising against the occupying forces. Mira joins the resistance fighters who, with minimal supplies and weapons, end up holding out for twenty-eight days, longer than anyone had thought possible.

Stolen by Night
by Steve Watkins

Scholastic Press, 2023. 292 pages. Young Adult Fiction

On May 10, 1940, the Nazis begin their march across Europe, and within weeks, France has fallen. At first, Nicolette’s world seems more or less the same despite the occupation. But as the months pass, the Third Reich tightens its hold on France and it becomes clear just what is at stake.

Nicolette is drawn into a growing resistance movement, determined to do her part to fight back. It’s a deadly secret she’ll have to keep from everyone, including her family. Nicolette’s own father works for local law enforcement, which is now under Nazi control, and who knows what might happen if anyone found out she joined the Resistance. But as Hitler’s empire grows, no one can escape the horrors of war. Including Nicolette.

One night, she vanishes without a trace, taken from the street by Nazi soldiers and declared an enemy of the state. Soon, Nicolette finds herself confronting the very heart of Hitler’s plans, bearing witness not just to the atrocities, but also to the courage, bravery, and hope that can emerge in even the darkest times. And it is in these small but powerful moments that Nicolette realizes her greatest weapon against the Nazis: to live, so she can tell the world the truth of what happened. But can one girl survive what was designed to destroy so many?

BWW

There's Always This Year: On Basketball and Ascension

There’s Always This Year: On Basketball and Ascension 

By Hanif Abdurraqib 

Random House, 2024. 334 pages. Nonfiction. 

While Hanif Abdurraqib is an acclaimed author, a gifted poet, and one of our culture's most insightful music critics, he is most of all, at heart, an Ohioan. Growing up in Columbus in the '90s, Abdurraqib witnessed a golden era of basketball, one in which legends like LeBron were forged, and countless others weren't. His lifelong love of the game leads Abdurraqib into a lyrical, historical, and emotionally rich exploration of what it means to make it, who we think deserves success, the tensions between excellence and expectation, and the very notion of role-models, all of which he expertly weaves together with memoir: 'Here is where I would like to tell you about the form on my father's jumpshot," Abdurraqib writes. "The truth, though, is that I saw my father shoot a basketball only one time.' 

This is the second essay collection I have read from Hanif Abdurraqib and it has convinced me to read everything else he publishes (see my review for A Little Devil in America if you want to learn more about his other collection I have read). Abdurraqib is both a poet and an essayist, and you can tell because his essays are as lyrical as poems, and his poems are meaningful enough to be full essays. I would highly recommend listening to the audiobook version, especially because this collection is narrated by the author himself. I’ll admit that I’m not a huge fan of sports, but I am a huge fan of talented writing and insightful cultural analyses. 

If you like There’s Always This Year, you might also like: 

Punch Me Up to the Gods 

By Brian Broome 

Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2021. 250 pages. Biography. 

A coming-of-age memoir about Blackness, masculinity and addiction follows the author, a poet and screenwriter, as he recounts his experiences, revealing a perpetual outsider awkwardly squirming to find his way in. 

How to Say Babylon 

By Safiya Sinclair 

Simon & Schuster, 2023. 335 pages. Biography. 

How to Say Babylon is Sinclair's reckoning with the culture that initially nourished but ultimately sought to silence her; it is her reckoning with patriarchy and tradition, and the legacy of colonialism in Jamaica. Rich in lyricism and language only a poet could evoke, How to Say Babylon is both a universal story of a woman finding her own power and a unique glimpse into a rarefied world we may know how to name, Rastafari, but one we know little about.

LA

El Cementerio de los Cuentos Sin Contar

El Cementerio de los Cuentos Sin Contar
Por Julia Alvarez

HarperCollins Español, 2024. 294 páginas. Ficción

Alma Cruz ha decidido ponerle punto final a su carrera de escritora, pero teme acabar como su amiga, una exitosa novelista arrastrada a la locura por un libro que jamás terminó de escribir. Por eso, cuando hereda un modesto terreno en República Dominicana, se le ocurre sepultar allí sus decenas de manuscritos inconclusos. Quiere que descansen en paz en la misma tierra donde yacen sus raíces.

Pero a diferencia de Alma, los protagonistas de sus relatos aún tienen mucho por decir, y encuentran en Filomena, la reservada cuidadora del cementerio, una interlocutora empática y atenta. Al compartir sus historiasBienvenida, la exesposa olvidada del dictador Rafael Trujillo; Manuel Cruz, un médico exiliado durante el régimen, y la misma Filomena convertirán el cementerio en un lugar mágico.Un santuario donde quienes han sido silenciados hallarán el sentido que anhelan en la vitalidad imperecedera de los cuentos que aún quedan por contar.

Y colorín colorado...

Si le gusta «El cementerio de los cuentos sin contar» le recomendamos:

Piñata
Por Leopoldo Gout
Harpercollins Espanol, 2023. 363 páginas. Ficción

Carmen Sánchez está de regreso en su país de origen, México, supervisando la renovación de una antigua catedral en un hotel boutique. Sus hijas adolescentes, Izel y Luna, están con ella durante el verano y se fueron a pasar las tardes sin supervisión en una ciudad extranjera.

Los lugareños tratan a las mujeres Sánchez como forasteras, mientras que los contratistas de Carmen desafían y sabotean abiertamente su trabajo. Después de un accidente desastroso en el sitio de construcción que casi hiere a Luna, Carmen ya tuvo suficiente.

Se ven de vuelta en Nueva York, Luna comienza a actuar de manera extraña, y solo Izel nota los escalofriantes cambios que le ocurren a su hermana menor. Pero podría ser demasiado tarde para que la familia Sánchez escape de lo que ha despertado...

Piñata es una historia escalofriante sobre cómo las siniestras repercusiones de nuestro pasado pueden volver a atormentarnos.

Historias Perturbadoras
Por Luisito Comunica
Penguin Random House Grupo Editorial, 2022. 244 páginas. Ficción

Historias terroríficas basadas en hechos reales. 

Aquel que lea este libro será transportado a realidades tan siniestras que podrían parecer ficción, pero son mucho más comunes de lo que algunos podrían pensar. Desde traumas personales hasta la maldad que encarna el ser humano, duras verdades son retratadas en tres historias que espero nunca llegues a experimentar.

MEB

Labels: Español, MEB, Ficción

I'll Be Waiting

I'll Be Waiting
by Kelley Armstrong
St. Martin's Press, 2024. 324 pages. Horror

A year ago, Nicola Laughton's life turned upside down when her husband Anton died in a car crash. Images of the crash, featuring a light hovering over Nicola as she cradled Anton's body, went viral when bystanders swore they heard Anton's voice saying "I'll be waiting for you" after he died. Convinced to put the rumors to bed and move on with her life, Nicola and her nearest friends rent a cottage on the shore of Lake Erie. They hope to create the ideal conditions to hold a seance to see if Anton really has any last words for Nicola. But what starts out as a fairly normal seance turns into something more dangerous.

This ghost story/haunted house novel has just the right spooky vibes for some Halloween pleasure reading. While the main story focuses on Nicola's attempts to contact Anton, other elements also add to the atmosphere, including the very strange behavior of the local bugs, Nicola's reflections on a teen prank gone wrong, and a neighbor searching for her missing son. All of these elements combine to slowly ramp up the tension to a truly terrifying, somewhat gruesome, fully satisfying finale.

If you like I'll Be Waiting you might also like:

The Return
by Rachel Harrison
Berkley, 2020. 296 pages. Horror

Two years to the day that Julie went missing, she reappears with no memory of where she's been or what happened to her. Happy to have her back, Julie's friends arrange a reunion at the eccentric, remote Red Honey Inn. But the second her friends see Julie, they know something is wrong—she's emaciated, with sallow skin, chipped teeth and odd appetites. When bad weather traps them inside the hotel, tensions flare. And as the weekend unfurls, it becomes impossible to deny that the Julie who vanished two years ago is not the same Julie who came back.

Home Before Dark
by Riley Sager
Dutton, 2020. 384 pages. Horror

Twenty-five years after her father published a wildly popular non-fiction book based on her family's rushed exit from a haunted Victorian estate, naysayer Maggie inherits the house and begins renovations only to make a number of disturbing discoveries.

MB

Carrie

Carrie
By Stephen King

Anchor Books, 2002. 305 pages. Fiction. 

A repressed teenager uses her telekinetic powers to avenge the cruel jokes of her classmates.

Fast paced and disturbing, King's debut novel starts with blood (menarche) and ends with blood (pigs and otherwise). It is told from multiple points of view, giving insight into the minds and motivations of its' characters not easily deduced in its' many movie adaptations. As a bonus if you listen to the fiftieth anniversary audiobook as I did with the foreward by Margaret Atwood and King himself, you'll be able to grasp even more societal nuance and get a peek into his motivations for writing this tragic story.  

If you like Carrie, you might also like:

Flowers in the Attic

By V.C. Andrews

Pocket Books, 1979. 411 pages. Fiction.

Chris, Cathy, and the twins are to be kept hidden until their grandfather dies so that their mother will receive a sizeable inheritance, however, years pass and terrifying things occur as the four children grow up in their one room prison.

House of Reckoning

By John Saul

Ballantine Books, 2009. 291 pages. Fiction.

Outcast by an injury sustained from her father, foster child Sara Crane befriends a former mental patient and her art teacher and soon creates paintings of long-ago violent crimes committed by the inmates of a local asylum, a situation that is complicated by brutal attacks on two of Sarah's enemies.

RBL

The Ghostkeeper

The Ghostkeeper
By Johanna Taylor
G.P. Putnam's Sons, 2024. 272 pages. Young Adult Comic.

Dorian Leith can see ghosts. Not only that, he listens to their problems and tries to help them move on to the afterlife. It's a gift that's made him an outcast to everyone in town. That is except for his dearly departed grandmother, who he's partnered with to turn this paranormal ability into an honest living, and the local bookshop owner, who seems to be the only non-deceased person willing to give him a chance. But it's all worth it to Dorian, who feels like he's been given a bigger purpose. A chance to save those who cannot save themselves. Then one day, the key to Death's Door is stolen, trapping all the ghosts in the land of the living. Since he's only one who can see them, the spirits rely on Dorian to retrieve the key before it is too late. If they can't move on, they'll soon be consumed by a ghostly rot that has begun to plague them. As it continues to fester and spread, and the ghosts become desperate for relief, Dorian must do whatever it takes to find a way to bring peace to the restless dead—even if that peace comes at the cost of his own...

I'm not normally one for stories about the supernatural, but I found Ghostkeeper very engaging!  The idea of a ghost therapist was intriguing and the world-building behind why ghosts would need a therapist was done very well.  With full color illustration, and a blue and pale green color palate for the ghosts with warmer browns and greens reserved for the living world, this book is a very lovely read.  Themes of found family, setting boundaries, and letting go are creatively explored.
 
If you liked The Ghostkeeper, you may also like:
 

Confetti Realms
By Nadia Shammas
Mad Cave Studios, Inc., 2023. 196 pages. Young Adult Comic.
 
On Halloween night, when the moon is full, teenagers get up to mischief. But when an encounter with a giant, sentient puppet in a graveyard sends five teens to a mysterious dimension called the Confetti Realms, they must overcome obstacles in their own friendships-and collect the debted teeth owed to the puppet-in order to make their way home. But the allure of staying in a fantasy world is a hard one to beat, and going home to their normal lives is starting to sound less and less appealing for some. Will these friends return home?

The Glass Scientists
By S. H. Cotugno
Razorbill, 2023. 240 pages. Young Adult Comic.
 
Dr. Henry Jekyll believes mad scientists would do well to fix their public image, so he starts the Society for Arcane Sciences, but when a mysterious stranger aims to take the Society in a radical new direction, Jekyll's life starts to spiral out of control, threatening to expose his darkest secret.

ERB

Cursed Bunny

Cursed Bunny

By Bora Chung

Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill, 2022. 247 pages. Fiction. 

Cursed Bunny is unique and imaginative, blending horror, sci-fi, fairy tales, and speculative fiction into stories that defy categorization. By turns thought-provoking and stomach-turning, here monsters take the shapes of furry woodland creatures and danger lurks in unexpected corners of everyday apartment buildings. But in this unforgettable collection, translated by the acclaimed Anton Hur, Chung’s absurd, haunting universe could be our own. 

If there’s one thing that can be said about Bora Chung it’s that she’s a one-of-a-kind original. I’ve never read a horror anthology quite like this. Each story is endlessly imaginative, twisted, and yet grounded by the tissues of society’s woes. You will find anything from body horror to fables that ruminate on feminism and capitalism. All of that said, this is not for those squeamish or faint of heart, but if you love dark, thought-provoking horror, Cursed Bunny is for you. 

If you like Cursed Bunny, you might also like:

Our Wives Under the Sea

By Julia Armfield

Flatiron Books, 2022. 228 pages. Fiction.

Leah is changed. Months earlier, she left for a routine expedition, only this time her submarine sank to the sea floor. When she finally surfaces and returns home, her wife Miri knows that something is wrong. Barely eating and lost in her thoughts, Leah rotates between rooms in their apartment, running the taps morning and night. As Miri searches for answers, desperate to understand what happened below the water, she must face the possibility that the woman she loves is slipping from her grasp. By turns elegiac and furious, wry and heartbreaking, Our Wives Under the Sea is a genre-bending exploration of the depths of love and grief at the heart of a marriage.

Her Body and Other Parties: Stories

By Carmen Maria Machado

Graywolf Press, 2017. 245 pages. Fiction.

In this electric and provocative debut, Machado bends genre to shape startling narratives that map the realities of women's lives, and the violence visited upon their bodies. A wife refuses her husband's entreaties to remove the green ribbon from around her neck. A woman recounts her sexual encounters as a plague slowly consumes humanity. A salesclerk in a mall makes a horrifying discovery within the seams of the store's prom dresses. One woman's surgery-induced weight loss results in an unwanted houseguest. And in the bravura novella 'Especially Heinous, ' Machado reimagines every episode of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. Her Body and Other Parties swings from horrific violence to the most exquisite sentiment. In their explosive originality, these stories enlarge the possibilities of contemporary fiction.

BW

The God and the Gumiho

The God and the Gumiho
By Sophie Kim
Books on Tape, 2024. 13 hours. Fantasy.

Kim Hani has retired from a life of devouring souls. She is, simply put, too full. Once known as the infamous Scarlet Fox, she now spends her days working in a coffee shop and annoying a particularly irritating, if unfairly handsome, trickster god as often as she can. That god is Seokga the Fallen. Exiled from the heavenly kingdom of Okhwang, he now begrudgingly resides in the mortal realm, working toward his redemption and suffering through his interactions with the particularly infuriating, if sneakily charming, gumiho barista at his favorite café. But when a powerful demon escapes from the underworld and threatens to end all of humanity, Okhwang’s emperor offers Seokga an enticing bargain: Kill this rogue creature, as well as the legendary and elusive Scarlet Fox, and he will be reinstated as a god. Hani, however, has no intention of being caught. Seokga might be a trickster god, but she has a trick of her own that he’ll never see coming: teaming up. 

This book masterfully combined high-stakes fantasy with a lighthearted, and at times comedic, atmosphere. This is definitely an instance when we can judge a book by its cover.  Instead of being dark and gritty, colored all in black and white, this story is filled with bright colors even when our protagonists are facing terrifying villains. The audiobook narration was wonderful, with male and female voice actors to represent the switching povs. I have found that when reading books that incorporate different languages and cultures, I enjoy listening to someone else pronounce the new words instead of struggling along myself. I also thought the narration style provided additional insights into the characters personalities.  Overall, this story is a brilliant mix of Korean mythology, K-drama shenanigans, and a classic enemies-to-lovers plot.    

If you like The God and the Gumiho, you might also like: 

Shanghai Immortal

By A.Y. Chao

Tantor Media, Inc, 2024. 11 hours. Fantasy.

This richly told adult fantasy debut teems with Chinese deities and demons cavorting in jazz age Shanghai. Half vampire. Half fox-spirit. All trouble. Pawned by her mother to the King of Hell as a child, Lady Jing is half-vampire, half-hulijing fox-spirit, and all sasshole. As the King's ward, she has spent the past ninety years running errands, dodging the taunts of the spiteful hulijing courtiers, and trying to control her explosive temper-with varying levels of success. So when Jing overhears the courtiers plotting to steal a priceless dragon pearl from the King, she seizes her chance to expose them, once and for all. With the help of a gentle mortal tasked with setting up the Central Bank of Hell, Jing embarks on a wild chase for intel, first through Hell and then mortal Shanghai. But when her hijinks put the mortal in danger, she must decide which is more important: avenging her loss of face, or letting go of her half-empty approach to life for a chance to experience tenderness-and maybe even love.

The Wren in the Holly Library

By K.A. Linde

Recorded Books, 2024. 15 hours. Fantasy.

Thirteen years ago, monsters emerged from the shadows and plunged Kierse's world into a cataclysmic war of near-total destruction. The New York City she knew so well collapsed practically overnight. In the wake of that carnage, the Monster Treaty was created. A truce . . . of sorts. But tonight, Kierse—a gifted and fearless thief—will break that treaty. She'll enter the Holly Library not knowing it's the home of a monster. He's charming. Quietly alluring. Terrifying. But he knows talent when he sees it; it's just a matter of finding her price. Now she's locked into a dangerous bargain with a creature unlike any other. She'll sacrifice her freedom. She'll offer her skills. Together, they'll put their own futures at risk. But he's been playing a game across centuries—and once she joins in, there will be no escape.

Daughter of the Moon Goddess

By Sue Lynn Tan
HarperAudio, 2022. 15 hours. Fantasy.

Growing up on the moon, Xingyin is accustomed to solitude, unaware that she is being hidden from the feared Celestial Emperor who exiled her mother for stealing his elixir of immortality. But when Xingyin's magic flares and her existence is discovered, she is forced to flee her home, leaving her mother behind. Alone, powerless, and afraid, she makes her way to the Celestial Kingdom, a land of wonder and secrets. Disguising her identity, she seizes an opportunity to learn alongside the emperor's son, mastering archery and magic, even as passion flames between her and the prince. To save her mother, Xingyin embarks on a perilous quest, confronting legendary creatures and vicious enemies. But when treachery looms and forbidden magic threatens the kingdom, she must challenge the ruthless Celestial Emperor for her dream—striking a dangerous bargain in which she is torn between losing all she loves or plunging the realm into chaos. 

KJ

Into the Sunken City

Into the Sunken City
By Dinesh Thiru
HarperTeen, 2024. 347 pages. Young Adult Fiction

This YA fantasy adventure features a unique twist on Treasure Island, a magnetic second-chance romance, and a thrilling heist where the reward is great--but the risks are even greater. Five hundred years in the future, in a slowly sinking city in coastal Arizona, the days are long, the money is tight, and the rain never stops. For eighteen-year-old Jin, this is nothing new--ever since her father died in a diving accident, she's barely made ends meet for her and her younger sister, Thara. Enter a mysterious stranger claiming to know of a massive stash of gold hidden in the Treasure Island Casino in the sunken ruins of Las Vegas. Jin knows it's too dangerous, but a ragtag crew is assembled--including Jin's annoyingly hot ex-boyfriend. From there, a high-stakes heist ensues that's beyond even Jin's wildest fears. Crumbling ruins, sea beasts, pirates, and a mysterious figure named Silva all lie in wait. To survive, Jin will have to do what she promised herself she'd never do again: dive.

I was drawn to this novel by the cover art and the promise of Las Vegas being turned into a Lost City of Atlantis fantasy. I really connected with Jin's character; as the eldest daughter, she desperately wants to protect her family, but also wants to break away and live her own life. The storyline feels cinematic, the writing is fast-paced and clever, and the excitement on the high seas does not disappoint!  

If you like Into the Sunken City, you might also like: 

They're Watching You
By Chelsea Ichaso
Sourcebooks Fire, 2023. 370 pages. Young Adult Fiction

When high school junior Maren's best friend goes missing after receiving an invitation from their private school's most enigmatic club, the Gamemaster's Society, Maren sets out to find out what happened.  The police and her friend's parents believe the note she left behind and consider her to be a runaway. Maren has heard rumors about this secret club, and she seeks out members to help her find her missing friend. The cat-and-mouse game intensifies Maren's race against the Gamemaster's clock to find Polly, with the trials exploiting the initiates' worst fears along the way. As the stakes increase, Maren must decide if the truth is worth her life. This plot-driven thriller has excellent pacing that escalates along with the action.

Stars and Smoke
By Marie Lu
Roaring Brook Press, 2023. 328 pages. Young Adult Fiction

To the world, Winter Young has everything. He's a Chinese American international pop superstar with the voice - and face - of an angel. Winter summons legions of fans wherever he goes. But, his mother has grown distant since Winter's eldest brother died, and a string of romantic encounters with different men and women never fills the void. Enter the Panacea Group, a freelance intelligence agency. They're hunting a criminal mastermind and drug lord and his nineteen-year-old daughter is a big Winter Young fan. The Panacea Group recruits Winter to help them get close by performing a private concert for her birthday. He is forced to work with Sydney Cossette, who was raised by Panacea, and she's up for a coveted promotion. This novel is equal parts spy-against-spy and slow-burn romance. 

Thieves' Gambit
By Kayvion Lewis
Nancy Paulsen Books, 2023. 364 pages. Young Adult Fiction

A young woman looking for a new and peaceful life finds herself forced to play a game where cons and trickery are rewarded. Black Bahamian seventeen-year-old Ross Quest comes from a family of thieves; with her mother, she competes in daring heists around the globe. Though her thrilling life has afforded her close family ties, Ross has always been desperate for friends, and intends to sneak away to gymnastics camp. On the night she plans to leave her life of crime, the job her mother is on goes sideways, resulting in her capture by mysterious assailants, who hold her for a random of one billion dollars. To save her mother's life, Ross enters the Thieves' Gambit, a legendary, potentially fatal tournament in which the world's top teen thieves must complete a series of heists, competing to be granted their heart's desire. 

LKA

The God of the Woods

The God of the Woods

by Liz Moore

Riverhead Books, 2024. 487 pages. Fiction. 

When Barbara Van Laar is discovered missing from her summer camp bunk one morning in August 1975, it triggers a panicked, terrified search. Losing a camper is a horrific tragedy under any circumstances, but Barbara isn't just any camper, she's the daughter of the wealthy family who owns the camp--as well as the opulent nearby estate, and most of the land in sight. And this isn't the first time a Van Laar child has disappeared in this region: Barbara's older brother also went missing 14 years earlier, never to be found. How could this have happened yet again? Out of this gripping beginning, Liz Moore weaves a richly textured drama, both emotionally nuanced and propelled by a double-barreled mystery. Chasing down the layered secrets of the Van Laar family and the community working in its shadow, Moore's multi-threaded drama brings readers into the hearts of characters whose lives are forever changed by this eventful summer.

If you follow new book releases at all, I’m sure you’re aware of Liz Moore’s new book The God of the Woods. This book has been hyped all summer and I finally got the chance to read it and can concur it is worth the hype. Moore seamlessly weaves timelines, develops characters and builds suspense creating a book that was hard to put down and oh so satisfying in the last few pages. My perception of characters shifted as the story unfolded and I enjoyed seeing women defy their 1970’s gender roles and be strong capable characters in the story.

If you liked The God of the Woods you might also like:

All Good People Here

By Ashley Flowers 

Bantam, 2022. 312 pages. Fiction.

Everyone from Wakarusa, Indiana, remembers the infamous case of January Jacobs, who was discovered in a ditch hours after her family awoke to find her gone. Margot Davies was six at the time, the same age as January--and they were next-door neighbors. In the twenty years since, Margot has grown up, moved away, become a big-city journalist. But she's always been haunted by the fear that it could've been her. And the worst part is, January's killer has never been brought to justice. When Margot returns home to help care for her uncle after a diagnosis of early-onset dementia, it all feels like walking into a time capsule. Wakarusa is exactly how she remembered--genial, stifled, secretive. Then news breaks about five-year-old Natalie Clark from the next town over, who's gone missing under eerily similar circumstances. With all the old feelings rushing back, Margot vows to find Natalie and solve January's murder once and for all. But the police, the family, the townspeople--they all seem to be hiding something. And the deeper Margot digs into Natalie's disappearance, the more resistance she encounters, and the colder January's case feels. 

All the Colors of the Dark

by Chris Whitaker 

Crown, 2024. 595 pages. Fiction.

1975 is a time of change in America. The Vietnam War is ending. Mohammed Ali is fighting Joe Frazier. And in the small town of Monta Clare, Missouri, girls are disappearing. When the daughter of a wealthy family is targeted, the most unlikely hero emerges—Patch, a local boy with one eye, who saves the girl, and, in doing so, leaves heartache in his wake. Patch and those who love him soon discover that the line between triumph and tragedy has never been finer. And that their search for answers will lead them to truths that could mean losing one another. A missing person mystery, a serial killer thriller, a love story, a unique twist on each, Chris Whitaker has written a novel about what lurks in the shadows of obsession, and the blinding light of hope.

JK

Bittersweet in the Hollow

Bittersweet in the Hollow
by Kate Pearsall
New York: Putnam’s Sons, 2023. 373 pages. YA Fiction

When a girl goes missing in her secluded Appalachian town, seventeen-year-old Linden, who can taste other people's emotions, recovers haunting memories of her own disappearance and explores the legend of the Moth-Winged Man, leading her to wonder if there are some secrets best left buried.

I loved listening to Bittersweet in the Hollow; the audiobook narrator’s clear and emotional voice truly enhanced my connection to the story. The relationships between the main character, Linden, and her sisters were engaging and fun, while the sweet romance added to the book’s charm. The mystery and suspense kept me engaged, balancing the lighter moments with intrigue. The writing is beautifully descriptive, immersing me in the vivid imagery of the setting. Additionally, Linden’s unique gift to feel others’ emotions through the sense of taste adds a compelling layer to the narrative, making the exploration of its bittersweet themes all the more intriguing.

If you liked Bittersweet in the Hollow you might also like:

The Depths
by Nicole Lesperance
Penguin Random House, 2022. 356 pages. YA Fiction

After suffering a near-fatal freediving accident, seventeen-year-old Addie Spencer tags along on her mother's honeymoon to a private island where she unearths dark secrets--a child ghost, moody flowers, and a deep pool where no one feels pain--before realizing the island might not be willing to let her go.

Delicious Monsters
by Liselle Sambury
New York: Margaret K. McElderry Books, 2023. 504 pages. YA Fiction

Told in alternating timelines, seventeen-year-old Daisy and her mother move into her deceased uncle's mansion, only to find horrors waiting inside, and ten years later, Brittney investigates the mystery behind the Miracle Mansion that turned her mother's life around.

BWW

When Women Were Dragons

When Women Were Dragons 

By Kelly Barnhill 

Doubleday, 2022. 340 pages. Sci-Fi 

After the Mass Dragoning of 1955, when thousands of women, including her beloved Aunt Marla, transformed into dragons, left a trail fiery destruction and took to the skies, young Alex Green must face the consequences of this event as she learns to accept people as they really are. 

This allegorical tale tells the story of a family of women and how the Mass Dragoning affects each one, as they either accept it or reject it in their lives. It also weaves in fictitious scholarly research surrounding the event, rounding out Alex’s hazy childhood memories. This is a great read for anyone who enjoys the often dual role of Magical Realism, as it can not only present an engaging story about dragons, but also reveal insight on societal problems.

If you like When Women Were Dragons, you might also like: 

Shark Heart 

By Emily Habeck 

Marysue Rucci Books, 2023. 408 pages. 

When her husband Lewis, a few weeks after their wedding, receives a rare diagnosis that his physical body will gradually turn into a great white shark, Wren, struggling with his fate, finds his developing carnivorous nature activating long-repressed memories which forces her to make an impossible choice. 

The Power 

By Naomi Alderman 

Little Brown and Company, 2017. 386 pages. Sci-Fi 

When a new force takes hold of the world, people from different areas of life are forced to cross paths in an alternate reality that gives women and teenage girls immense physical power that can cause pain and death. 

AB

Better Living Through Birding: notes from a Black man in the natural world

 Better living through birding : notes from a Black man in the natural world
by Christian Cooper

Random House, 2021. 282 pages. Non-fiction

When birdwatching in the park one morning in May 2020, Cooper was engaged in the ritual that had been a part of his life since he was ten years old. But when a routine encounter with a dog-walker escalates age old racial tensions, Cooper's viral video of the incident would send shockwaves through the nation. In Better Living Through Birding, Cooper tells the story of his extraordinary life leading up to the now-infamous encounter in Central Park and shows how a life spent looking up at the birds prepared him, in the most uncanny of ways, to be a gay, Black man in American today.

“Better Living Through Birding” isn't just for bird lovers; it's primarily a reflection on Christian Cooper's life. You might know him from the incident in Central Park in 2020 but book explores much more of his life, including his upbringing in New York, his relationships with his parents, his identity as a black gay man, his career at Marvel, his travels, and his involvement in civil rights movements. It offers an honest and vulnerable look at his experiences, with the 2020 Central Park incident being a minor part of the narrative. The audiobook, narrated by Cooper himself, conveys deep passion and is enhanced by bird sounds during poignant moments. I think this heartfelt story offers a unique perspective that Americans can connect with in one way or another.

If you liked Better living through birding, you may also like…

The Backyard Bird Chronicles
by Amy Tan
Alfred A. Knopf, 2024. 288 pages. Non-fiction

In 2016, author Amy Tan grew overwhelmed by the state of the world: Hatred and misinformation became a daily presence on social media, and the country felt more divisive than ever. In search of peace, Tan turned toward the natural world just beyond her window and, specifically, the birds flocking to the feeders in her yard. But what began as an attempt to find solace turned into something far greater--an opportunity to savor quiet moments during a volatile time, connect to nature in a meaningful way, and imagine the intricate lives of the birds she admired. Tracking the natural beauty that surrounds us, The Backyard Bird Chronicles maps the passage of time--from before the pandemic to the days of quarantine--through daily entries, thoughtful questions, and beautiful original sketches. With boundless charm and wit, Amy Tan charts her foray into birding and the natural wonders of the world.

The Comfort of Crows: A Backyard Year

by Margaret Renki
Spiegel & Grau, 2024. Audiobook. Non-fiction

In The Comfort of Crows, Margaret Renkl presents a literary devotional: fifty-two chapters that follow the creatures and plants in her backyard over the course of a year. As we move through the seasons—from a crow spied on New Year's Day, its resourcefulness and sense of community setting a theme for the year, to the lingering bluebirds of December, revisiting the nest box they used in spring—what develops is a portrait of joy and grief: joy in the ongoing pleasures of the natural world, and grief over winters that end too soon and songbirds that grow fewer and fewer. Renkl writes, "radiant things are bursting forth in the darkest places, in the smallest nooks and deepest cracks of the hidden world."