Monday, November 18, 2024

The Bog Wife

The Bog Wife
By Kay Chronister
Counterpoint, 2024. 319 pages. Gothic Fiction.

Since time immemorial, the Haddesley family has tended the cranberry bog. In exchange, the bog sustains them. The staunch seasons of their lives are governed by a strict covenant that is renewed each generation with the ritual sacrifice of their patriarch, and in return, the bog produces a "bog-wife." Brought to life from vegetation, this woman is meant to carry on the family line. But when the bog fails--or refuses--to honor the bargain, the Haddesleys, a group of discordant siblings still grieving the mother who mysteriously disappeared years earlier, face an unknown future. Middle child Wenna, summoned back to the dilapidated family manor just as her marriage is collapsing, believes the Haddesleys must abandon their patrimony. Her siblings are not so easily persuaded. Eldest daughter Eda, de facto head of the household, seeks to salvage the compact by desecrating it. Younger son Percy retreats into the wilderness in a dangerous bid to summon his own bog-wife. And as youngest daughter Nora takes desperate measures to keep her warring siblings together, fledgling patriarch Charlie uncovers a disturbing secret that casts doubt over everything the family has ever believed about itself.


Told in the alternating voices of the Haddesley children, the true horror of this story is the fracturing of this family as their beliefs are challenged.  Although it was marketed as a gothic horror I would suggest this to anyone even if they don't usually like that genre.  It was more thought-provoking than scary with a gloomy Appalachian atmosphere. I do agree with the many reviews that called it "haunting" as the story seems to already be nestled firmly in my memory.  Definitely worth reading if you are interested in ecological reckonings or the complexity of siblings being mirrors that you both love and despise.


If you like The Bog Wife, you might also like: 


By Roshani Chokshi

William Morrow, 2023. 292 pages. Science Fiction.


Once upon a time, a man who believed in fairy tales married a beautiful, mysterious woman named Indigo Maxwell-Casteñada. He was a scholar of myths. She was heiress to a fortune. They exchanged gifts and stories and believed they would live happily ever after--and in exchange for her love, Indigo extracted a promise: that her bridegroom would never pry into her past. But when Indigo learns that her estranged aunt is dying and the couple is forced to return to her childhood home, the House of Dreams, the bridegroom will soon find himself unable to resist. For within the crumbling manor's extravagant rooms and musty halls, there lurks the shadow of another girl: Azure, Indigo's dearest childhood friend who suddenly disappeared. As the house slowly reveals his wife's secrets, the bridegroom will be forced to choose between reality and fantasy, even if doing so threatens to destroy their marriage or their lives.


The God of the Woods
By Liz Moore
Riverhead Books, 2024. 478 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.

By Andy Davidson
MCD, 2022. 434 pages. Fiction.

Nellie Gardner is looking for a way out of an abusive marriage when she learns that her long-lost grandfather, August Redfern, has willed her his turpentine estate. She throws everything she can think of in a bag and flees to Georgia with her eleven-year-old son, Max, in tow. It turns out that the "estate" is a decrepit farmhouse on a thousand acres of old pine forest, but Nellie is thrilled about the chance for a fresh start for her and Max, and a chance for the happy home she never had. So it takes her a while to notice the strange scratching in the walls, the faint whispering at night, how the forest is eerily quiet. But Max sees what his mother can't: They're no safer here than they had been in South Carolina. In fact, things might even be worse. There's something wrong with Redfern Hill. Something lurks beneath the soil, ancient and hungry, with the power to corrupt hearts and destroy souls. It is the true legacy of Redfern Hill: a kingdom of grief and death, to which Nellie's own blood has granted her the key.


KJ

Friday, November 15, 2024

One by One

One by One
By Ruth Ware
Scout Press, 2020. 372 pages. Fiction

Getting snowed in at a luxurious ski chalet high in the French Alps doesn't sound like the worst problem in the world. Especially when there's a breathtaking vista, a full-service chef and housekeeper, a cozy fire to keep you warm, and others to keep you company. Unless that company happens to be eight coworkers each with something to gain, something to lose, and something to hide. When the cofounder of Snoop, a trendy London-based tech start-up, organizes a weeklong trip for the team in the French Alps, it starts out as a corporate retreat like any other. But as soon as one shareholder upends the agenda by pushing a buyout offer, tensions simmer and loyalties are tested. The storm brewing inside the chalet is no match for the one outside, however, and a devastating avalanche leaves the group cut off from all access to the outside world. Even worse, one Snooper hasn't made it back from the slopes. As each hour passes without any sign of rescue, panic mounts, the chalet grows colder, and the group dwindles further...one by one.

As the weather turns cold and snow begins to fall, this is a perfect read for a winter's day in. Ruth Ware earns her title as a modern-day Agatha Christie with this claustrophobic and isolating mystery. The POV alternated between Erin, a chalet employee, and Liz, a minor shareholder of Snoop. Telling the story through the perspective of two outsiders puts the reader in the same spot as our narrators. We could relate to their confusion and suspicions of the other characters. Ware also excelled at creating an ambience that matched these characters’ personalities, beautiful yet cold. As more and more Snoopers went missing, the tension grew until the surprising twist ending. Overall, if you want to snuggle up with a good mystery on a cold day, One by One is for you!

If you liked One by One, you might also like:

By Heather Gudenkauf
Park Row Books, 2022. 332 pages. Fiction

True crime writer Wylie Lark, snowed in at an isolated farmhouse where she's retreated to write her new book, finds a small child in the snow outside and, bringing him inside for warmth and safety, learns that the farmhouse isn't as isolated as she thought.




By Lisa Jewell
Atria Books, 2021. 401 pages. Mystery

On a beautiful summer night in a charming English suburb, a young woman and her boyfriend disappear after partying at the massive country estate of a new college friend. One year later, a writer moves into a cottage on the edge of the woods that border the same estate. Known locally as the Dark Place, the dense forest is the writer's favorite area for long walks and it's on one such walk that she stumbles upon a mysterious note that simply reads, "DIG HERE." Could this be a clue towards what has happened to the missing young couple? And what exactly is buried in this haunted ground?

BW

A Sorceress Comes to Call

A Sorceress Comes to Call
by T. Kingfisher
Tor, 2024. 325 pages. Fantasy

Cordelia knows her mother Evangeline is overbearing. Their house doesn't have any doors between rooms—there are no secrets in this house—and her mother doesn't allow Cordelia to have a single friend. Unless you count Falada, her mother's beautiful white horse. The only time Cordelia feels truly free is on her daily rides with him. But more than simple eccentricity sets her mother apart. Other mothers don't force their daughters to be silent and motionless for hours, sometimes days, on end. Other mothers aren't evil sorcerers. When her mother unexpectedly moves them into the manor home of a wealthy older squire and his kind but keen-eyed sister, Hester, Cordelia knows this welcoming pair are to be her mother's next victims. With Hester's help, Cordelia must figure out a way to thwart her mother's plans before things go terribly wrong.

T. Kingfisher has written a fascinating fantasy novel set in Regency England. Although the sorceress Evangeline is a formidable foe, Cordelia finds solid allies in Hester and her friends. This means that while the book contains some dark themes and menacing elements, the story is sprinkled with moments of lightness and camaraderie as well. This book takes some inspiration from Brothers Grimm fairy tale The Goose Girl, but you don't need to know the fairy tale in order to enjoy this book. I highly recommend this novel!

If you like A Sorceress Comes to Call you might also like: 

Spinning Silver
by Naomi Novik
Del Rey, 2018. 466 pages. Fantasy

This retelling of Rumpelstiltskin focuses on Miryem, whose father is a moneylender. Free to lend and reluctant to collect, he has left his family on the edge of poverty—until Miryem intercedes. Hardening her heart, she sets out to retrieve what is owed, and soon gains a reputation for being able to turn silver into gold. But when an ill-advised boast brings her to the attention of the cold creatures who haunt the wood, nothing will be the same again.

The Familiar
by Leah Bardugo
Flatiron Books, 2024. 385 pages. Fantasy

In a shabby house, on a shabby street, in the new capital of Madrid, Luzia Cotado uses scraps of magic to get through her days of endless toil as a scullion. But when her scheming mistress discovers the servant in the kitchen is actually hiding a talent for little miracles, she demands Luzia use those gifts to better the family's social position. What begins as simple amusement for the bored nobility takes a perilous turn when Luzia garners the notice of Antonio Pérez, the disgraced secretary to Spain's king. Determined to seize this one chance to better her fortunes, Luzia plunges into a world of seers and alchemists, holy men and hucksters, where the lines between magic, science, and fraud are never certain.

MB

Thursday, November 14, 2024

Borrow My Heart

Borrow My Heart
by Kasie West
New York: Delacorte Press, 2023. 267 pages. YA Fiction

When Wren overhears Asher getting roasted by his friends for being catfished, she impulsively steps in to help by pretending to be his online crush. A self-proclaimed control freak who relies on strict rules to navigate life, Wren's world is upended when Asher, a charming guy, walks into her neighborhood coffee shop, and her rules go out the window. To save him from embarrassment, she agrees to fake-date Asher, even though they barely know each other, and finds herself unexpectedly thrilled by the situation. As Wren breaks more of her own rules, she starts wondering if she can keep up the lie—and when Asher eventually discovers the truth, she worries whether he’ll forgive her. After all, rules are meant to be followed… aren’t they?

Borrow My Heart is a delightful contemporary romance that grabbed my attention from the very first page and kept me hooked until the end. The characters are rich, relatable, and authentically written, making it easy to connect with them on an emotional level. With a perfect blend of humor, heart, and tension, this story will appeal not only to young romance fans but also to animal lovers, who will especially appreciate the charming and heartwarming role animals play in the plot. It's a feel-good read that’s sure to leave you with a smile!

If you liked Borrow My Heart you might also like…

I Hope This Doesn’t Find You
By Ann Liang
New York: Scholastic Press, 2024. 309 pages. YA Fiction

Channeling her frustrations into email drafts--ones that she'd never send--seemingly perfect Sadie Wen finds her carefully crafted, conflict-free life turned upside down when the email is sent out accidentally, and the only person growing to appreciate the 'real' Sadie is the only boy she's sworn to hate.

The Upside of Falling
by Alex Light
New York: Harper Teen, 2020. 281 pages. YA Fiction

It's been years since seventeen-year-old Becca Hart believed in true love. But when her former best friend teases her for not having had a boyfriend, Becca impulsively pretends she's been secretly seeing someone. Brett Wells has it all. As captain of the football team and one of the most popular guys in his school, he should have no problem finding someone to date, but he's always been more focused on his future than who to bring to prom. When he overhears Becca's lie, Brett decides to step in and be the mystery guy. It's the perfect solution: he gets people off his back for not having a meaningful relationship and she can keep up the ruse that she's got a boyfriend. Acting like the perfect couple isn't easy, though, especially when you barely know the other person. But with Becca still picking up the pieces from when her world was blown apart years ago and Brett just barely holding his together now, they begin to realize they have more in common than they ever could have imagined.

BWW

Please Be My Star

Please Be My Star
By Victoria Grace Elliott
Graphix, 2024. 221 pages. Young Adult Comic.

Erika knows that people find her weird and off-putting. Instead of making friends, she finds solace in talking to herself and obsessing over handsome actors and pop stars. When she starts attending a new school, her loneliness takes on a life of its own and she develops a new obsession: the cutest boy in her theater class, Christian. For some reason, Christian is kind to her and even agrees to star in the play that she wrote for him, and Erika starts to find a creative voice that might lead to new friendship and romance. But the more time Erika spends with Christian, the more she wonders what he sees in a creep like her. Can Erika somehow write her way into the center of her own heartfelt love story? Or does Christian have an ending of his own in mind?

Please Be My Star is a well-written coming of age story with full-color panels that bring Erika's anxieties to life.  Literally.  Like, Erika's anxiety takes life as a shadowy version of herself that vocalizes all of her doubts and fears.  Erika's friend group is diverse in skin color, background, and personality, bringing their own stories with them without overwhelming the main storyline.  And Erika's love interest (Christian) has secrets of his own that the reader finds out along with Erika.  Overall, this is a good book for teens who like Phantom of the Opera (which this story is loosely based on), high school theater, and ones looking for ways to confront their own social anxiety.
 
If you liked Please Be My Star, you may also like:
 
True Beauty
By Yaongyi
WEBTOON Unscrolled, 2022. 283 pages. Young Adult Comic.
 
Once bullied for being perceived as ugly, young Jugyeong Lim uses online tutorials to transform into a beautiful popular girl. Caught in a love triangle between a mystery man and a bad boy, Jugyeong navigates high school and her personal life while her self-esteem, romantic life, and school life are constantly in flux.

49 days
By Agnes Lee
Levine Querido, 2024. 341 pages. Young Adult Comic.
 
In Buddhist tradition, a person must travel for forty-nine days after they die, before they can fully cross over. Here in this book, readers travel with one Korean American girl, Kit, on her journey, while also spending time with her family and friends left behind.

Lunar New Year Love Story
By Gene Luen Yang
First Second, 2024. 343 pages. Young Adult Comic.
 
Val is ready to give up on love. It's led to nothing but secrets and heartbreak, and she's pretty sure she's cursed—no one in her family, for generations, has ever had any luck with love. But then a chance encounter with a pair of cute lion dancers sparks something in Val. Is it real love? Could this be her chance to break the family curse? Or is she destined to live with a broken heart forever?


ERB

Tuesday, November 12, 2024

Here One Moment

Here One Moment
by Liane Moriarty
Crown, 2024. 501 Pages. Fiction.
 
An ordinary flight becomes extraordinary when passengers learn of their predicted deaths from a mysterious woman known as "The Death Lady," leading to a race against time for some and a chance to redefine their time left for others. How would you live your life if you thought you knew how it would end? Would you love who you love or try to love someone else? Would you stay married? Would you stop drinking? Would you call up your ex-best friend you haven’t spoken to in years? Would you quit your job? Here One Moment looks at friends, lovers, and family and how we manage to hold onto them in our harried modern lives. 

Although I enjoyed this book, it is not my favorite title by author Liane Moriarty. Despite that, the book has charms and appeals and I recommend giving this book a chance. The chapters alternate perspectives between the large cast of likeable characters. Story lines weave together throughout the book but its clear and easy to keep track of who's who. At first glance, its a dark plot summary, a woman predicting deaths and her predictions beginning to come true. The tone of the book is not heavy though, and tends towards positivity. In the end, the novel wraps up in a neat, safe bow. It almost feels like this book was written for a TV miniseries. And as someone who enjoyed the other TV miniseries made from books by Moriarty, Big Little Lies and Apples Never Fall, this book is worth a read.

If you like Here One Moment you might also like:

by Anna Quindlen
Random House, 2024. 273 Pages. Fiction

When Annie Brown, a fun-loving woman, suddenly dies, her husband, best friend, and her children all struggle to find ways to go on after the loss of the woman who was the center of their lives, and who made life happy, fun, and secure. Her husband is overwhelmed with four children to raise, and turns to his teenage daughter for help, and to an old girlfriend for solace. Annie's best friend struggles again with opioid addiction, having depended on Annie for support through addiction and recovery. Annie's daughter discovers disturbing truths about life in a small town, including at her new best friend's house, where she stumbles upon a dangerous secret. These and other characters reconfigure their lives and learn how to go on, after Annie. 

by Mikki Brammer 
St. Martin's Press, 2023. 314 Pages. Fiction.

Feeling a stronger connection with the dying than to the living, Clover, a death doula in NYC, has no life of her own until the final wishes of a feisty old woman sends her across the country to uncover a forgotten love story--and perhaps, her own happy ending. 
 
 
 
JK

Saturday, November 9, 2024

Nothing to See Here

Nothing to See Here 
By Kevin Wilson
Ecco, 2019. 254 pages. Fiction. 

Lillian and Madison were the unlikeliest of roommates at their elite boarding school: Madison, the daughter of a prominent Atlanta family, being groomed for greatness; Lillian, a scholarship student, plucked out of nowhere based solely on her intellect and athletic prowess. The two were as tight as could be, reveling in their unique weirdnesses, until Lillian had to leave the school unexpectedly. Years later, the two have lost touch, but Madison writes and begs Lillian for help. Her husband's twin stepkids are moving in with them and she wants Lillian to be their caretaker. However, there's a catch: the twins can spontaneously combust when they get agitated, flames igniting from their skin in a disturbing but beautiful way. Disbelieving at first but ultimately too intrigued by these strange children, Lillian agrees. And as they hunker down in the pool house, Lillian and the twins learn to trust each other--and stay cool ... It all seems impossible to manage, but Lillian soon accepts that she and the children need each other, urgently and fiercely. 

This was a delightful little story about misfit, wild children who really just need some love and care in their lives. I rarely say this, but I wish this book was like 50 pages longer - it was short and sweet, but the day-to-day experiences with the children were so entertaining, I wish I could read more and more. I loved the dynamic between Lillian and Bessie and Roland. I tend to love stories of weird, magical, and misunderstood children and Kevin Wilson did a great job of incorporating the unexplained (i.e. children spontaneously combusting into flames) with the mundane (i.e. distant fathers in politics). This, for me, is my favorite kind of magical realism. 

If you like Nothing to See Here, you might also like: 

By T.J. Klune 
Tor, Tom Doherty Associates. 398 pages. Science Fiction. 

A magical island. A dangerous task. A burning secret. Linus Baker leads a quiet, solitary life. At forty, he lives in a tiny house with a devious cat and his old records. As a Case Worker at the Department in Charge Of Magical Youth, he spends his days overseeing the well-being of children in government-sanctioned orphanages. When Linus is unexpectedly summoned by Extremely Upper Management he's given a curious and highly classified assignment: travel to Marsyas Island Orphanage, where six dangerous children reside: a gnome, a sprite, a wyvern, an unidentifiable green blob, a were-Pomeranian, and the Antichrist. Linus must set aside his fears and determine whether or not they're likely to bring about the end of days. But the children aren't the only secret the island keeps. Their caretaker is the charming and enigmatic Arthur Parnassus, who will do anything to keep his wards safe. As Arthur and Linus grow closer, long-held secrets are exposed, and Linus must make a choice: destroy a home or watch the world burn. An enchanting story, masterfully told, The House in the Cerulean Sea is about the profound experience of discovering an unlikely family in an unexpected place--and realizing that family is yours. 

By Daryl Gregory 
Alfred A. Knopf, 2017. 399 pages. Fiction. 

The Telemachus family is known for performing inexplicable feats on talk shows and late-night television. Teddy, a master conman, heads up a clan who possess gifts he only fakes: there's Maureen, who can astral project; Irene, the human lie detector; Frankie, gifted with telekinesis; and Buddy, the clairvoyant. But when, one night, the magic fails to materialize, the family withdraws to Chicago where they live in shame for years. Until: As they find themselves facing a troika of threats (CIA, mafia, unrelenting skeptic), Matty, grandson of the family patriarch, discovers a bit of the old Telemachus magic in himself. Now, they must put past obstacles behind them and unite like never before. But will it be enough to bring The Amazing Telemachus Family back to its amazing life?

LA

Thursday, November 7, 2024

Cómo Tocar el Ukulele

Para prestar un ukelele o tocar un piano ¡haz clic aquí!

por Jason Randall
Lightbulb Publishing, 2020. 55 páginas. Música
 
"Dilo con un ukulele..." "... se queja un gramófono; Cristo, dime qué decirle a ella ¿Ahora que estoy acostumbrado a mi soledad?"

Este verso del poema "Niebla" de George Seferis, poeta griego ganador del Premio Nobel, refleja perfectamente la naturaleza del instrumento y las emociones que puede evocar. Introducido por primera vez por los inmigrantes portugueses de Madeira a Hawái, este instrumento musical tradicional tiene uno de los sonidos más distintivos e inmediatamente sumerge a todo el mundo en su fascinante melodía. El nombre ukulele significa "pulga saltarina" en dialecto hawaiano y se inspiró en la forma en que los dedos tienen que moverse para interpretar una canción.Así es como puedes aprender a tocar el ukulele, ¡incluso si no tienes nada de experiencia!

Con esta guía completa del ukulele hecha por Jason Randall podrás conocer a fondo la historia, los acordes y las melodías del ukulele e iniciar tu propio viaje musical. Al final de esta completa guía de ukulele, serás capaz de aprender los acordes, comprender las melodías y combinar ambos para tocar canciones. ¡Esta guía del ukulele para principiantes es todo lo que necesitas para tocar!

Bueno... casi todo, ¡porque definitivamente también necesitas un ukulele! ¡Eso es todo! Con tu instrumento musical y esta guía completa, podrás aprender a tocar el ukulele desde cero, tocar melodías famosas y embarcarte en una aventura musical a través de la tradición hawaiana y la música moderna.

Si le gusta «Cómo Tocar el Ukulele» le recomendamos:

por Miguel García Fajer
Miguel García Fajer, 2024 . 105 páginas. Música

Se dice que la música es el lenguaje perfecto! Gracias a los métodos más refinados de la actualidad, con este libro a mano, ¡tú también te convertirás en un nuevo artista musical del futuro! ¡Déjate guiar por el Maestro García Fajer y la música empezará a fluir con fluidez entre tus dedos! No solo partituras, sino también una muy amena lectura e introducción al instrumento.

La verdadera cara de la música: Tonos y semitonos, Bemol, Agudo y Rayo, Escalas, Tono menor y mayor, Círculo de quintas, Claves. La división del pentagrama: marcas de inicio, ruptura de compás, estribillo y final. Ejercicios de primera aproximación y calentamiento. Guía de postura, tacto y dinámica. ¡El enfoque correcto para verificar fácilmente la corona y la "falta o punto de valor"!

¡Cuanto más grande sea tu pasión, más música saldrá de las melodías que este libro te enseñará! ¡Feliz lectura y... feliz escucha!

Seeing Music Books, 2023. 74 páginas. Música

Este libro te enseña los fundamentos musicales y las habilidades con la guitarra para que comiences de manera correcta. Aprende la forma correcta de rasguear, formar acordes y encontrar ritmos diferentes e interesantes. Te guiará paso a paso desde tu primera nota hasta tus primeros acordes y tus primeras canciones. Y a lo largo del camino, aprenderás la valiosa base de la música y los términos musicales que acelerarán tu aprendizaje mucho después de que hayas terminado el libro.

Aprende los fundamentos de la música: acordes, escalas, nombres de notas y canciones básicas. Y aprenderás:
  • Cómo Leer Diagramas de Diapasón
  • Anotar los Nombres a Través de los Primeros 5 Trastes
  • Firmas de Tiempo y Valores de Nota (Corchea, Negra, Blanca)
  • Acordes Mayores y Menores
  • Muchos Ritmos de Rasgueo de Uso Común
  • Escalas de C Mayor y G Mayor
  • Canciones tradicionales, Blues y Rock and Roll
MEB

Etiquetas: Español, MEB, No Ficción, Música



Friday, November 1, 2024

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

Saturday, October 26, 2024

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: 

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. 





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

Friday, October 25, 2024

El Cementerio de los Cuentos Sin Contar

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

Wednesday, October 23, 2024

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

Tuesday, October 22, 2024

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:

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.

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