Ten years 😳

Incredibly I've been posting reviews here somewhat consistently for 10 years as of today. 

Source: Meme

Slough House: A Masterpost (so far)

I thought I'd do a masterpost on the Slough House series by Mick Herron (at least at the point I've gotten to which is to the 4th book). If you're a fan of the spy thriller genre then this is a real fun time. (Thanks to the patron who recommended it to me!) Full transparency: I read the first two books a couple of months ago so I'm copying over my reviews from other sites. 😁

Source: StoryGraph

In Slow Horses we are introduced to the characters of Slough House (basically MI5 rejects for a variety of reasons) who have been relegated to paperwork and other drudgery under the watchful eye of their supervisor Jackson Lamb (a unique character for sure). While all of the inhabitants of Slough House (called slow horses by their erstwhile colleagues in Regent's Park) are featured at different points in the story we mainly follow the newest arrival, Robin Cartwright, as he tries to come to terms with his new situation. [A/N: Because this is the first in a series, there's a lot of information about how The Service operates as well as introductions on all of the main characters (some more fleshed out than others to keep up the mystique).] Robin begins to suspect that something is afoot when he is sent on his first assignment outside since his transfer more than 6 months before. The story builds and builds upon itself adding layer upon layer of mystery with many moving parts. But because it's so compelling and fast-paced readers should be able to follow the threads easily (and finish super quickly). If you like fast-paced spy thrillers with a host of complicated characters (not all likable) then this book will definitely fit the bill.

Source: StoryGraph

Dead Lions finds us once again among the slow horses of Slough House as they complete their day-to-day meaningless tasks. But then a spy who has been out of the game for years turns up dead and Jackson Lamb is on the case...if there is one. While Lamb, Ho, Cartwright, and Standish try to unravel the mystery of this death Harper and Guy are tasked with babysitting a visiting Russian who could prove to be an asset. [A/N: I personally found the dead man's death much more interesting than the Russian diplomat (it felt forced).] It wasn't quite as electrifying as the first in the series but I really liked that it picks up right after the conclusion of the previous book (even if there are still loose threads).

Source: StoryGraph

The List is a novella length story which revisits our friends in Slough House but focuses primarily on some new recruits to the team as well as the fallout from the bombshell that occurred in the previous book (don't worry no spoilers here). The best bits were inevitably those revolving around Jackson Lamb, the fearless leader of this ragtag gang of misfits. When a spy/informant from the old days dies, it is discovered that he had been playing shadow games and keeping secrets from his handler. Can this mistake be hushed up and rectified or are they all in greater danger than they originally feared? Lots of talk about the 'craft' of being a spy in this one which was interesting but I think its short length hampered the storyline.

Source: StoryGraph

This book started out really strong with the kidnapping of maybe my favorite character (can you guess who this is?). All hands are on deck to try and recover their erstwhile colleague but it's Cartwright that really goes above and beyond by making his way through the defenses of Regent's Park to get classified information for the kidnappers. This one gave me the same feeling as the first in the series like a proper 'spy thriller' with all of the intrigue and suspense. Super high stakes that had me gritting my teeth at the ending so of course I immediately ordered Spook Street. 😬

What I'm currently reading: Mansfield Park by Jane Austen (reread) and Solutions and Other Problems by Allie Brosh

**If you're interested in buying any of these books or any books really, you can click here. This will re-direct you to AbeBooks which is a site I use all of the time to find used books at an excellent price. A lot of the time I don't even pay for shipping! Full disclosure: I will receive a commission on all sales made through this link. You will not be charged anything additional for my commission. I wouldn't recommend a site that I didn't use and you are under no obligation to purchase anything. :-) **

Phenomenal fantasy series

In my quest to read books that feature LGBTQIA characters, the Wayward Children series came to my attention. [A/N: It's a Hugo and Nebula Award-winning series so it's not as if I accidentally stumbled across it.] Not all of the novellas in this series feature LGBTQIA characters but they do explore gender identity and nonconformity in general. Fantasy and sci-fi have historically been used as a vehicle to explore these ideas and McGuire does it with particular skill especially considering these books are all novella length. (I truly marvel at how much she packs into such small books without it seeming rushed or awkward.) After reading the first in the series, Every Heart a Doorway, I bought the rest of the set and have taken my time to really savor her writing. The 4th book in the series, In An Absent Dream, follows Lundy who travels to the world of the Goblin Market where everything is ruled by logic and reason. Back in the "real" world, Lundy is known as Katherine and up until the point she walks through her magical doorway she is a solitary figure who flies below the notice of most people. But her time in the Goblin Market changes her and the way that others (especially her family) perceives her. One of the themes that McGuire explores through her books is the feeling of 'otherness' that most kids experience at one time or another but she uses the framework of fantasy to illustrate this point beautifully. (I'd love to tell you how she does it in this book but it's a major part of the storyline and ya'll know I don't abide by spoilers.) Suffice to say, this book and the series in general is a delightful way to spend an afternoon (or several). 10/10

Source: Macmillan Publishers

What I'm currently reading: Persuasion by Jane Austen (reread)

**If you're interested in buying any of these books or any books really, you can click here. This will re-direct you to AbeBooks which is a site I use all of the time to find used books at an excellent price. A lot of the time I don't even pay for shipping! Full disclosure: I will receive a commission on all sales made through this link. You will not be charged anything additional for my commission. I wouldn't recommend a site that I didn't use and you are under no obligation to purchase anything. :-) **

Should I have quit reading?

I became conflicted while reading How to Avoid a Climate Disaster by Bill Gates about halfway through because the news broke about his less than stellar behavior (i.e. scummy) towards his wife and female colleagues. (Don't even get me started on his friendship with Jeffrey Epstein.) I even contemplated marking it as DNF and moving on with my life. Additionally, I didn't feel like I was gaining any new information on the topic of climate change and what we can do to mitigate its effects and continuance. This is more the kind of book that newbies to the topic of environmental sciences and climate change would read to get a handle on the situation. It's full of good data (can't fault the man for thorough research) and is written in a straightforward manner that makes it very readable. He offers solutions both achievable and out-of-the-box to turn the tide so that future generations will not be hit with a deluge of irreversible problems. I was particularly interested in Direct Air Capture which is technology engineered to literally suck carbon dioxide out of the air and store it so that it can be used to generate energy and/or goods that would have required carbon anyway. The goal is to move towards zero fossil fuel emissions but we are a long way from that at this point. Practically, our best bet at this time is to pour money into research and development of technologies which will move us towards products and services that are carbon neutral. (I tell you something I didn't know until reading this book: Cement is not carbon neutral and there doesn't yet exist a cement that can be manufactured without carbon. #themoreyouknow) Conclusion: This is a well-researched book on a topic that more people need to educate themselves about but it doesn't lend a particularly new angle to the discussion. 6/10

Source: Penguin Random House

What I'm currently reading: Beauty Sick: How the Cultural Obsession with Appearance Hurts Girls and Women by Renee Engeln, PhD

**If you're interested in buying any of these books or any books really, you can click here. This will re-direct you to AbeBooks which is a site I use all of the time to find used books at an excellent price. A lot of the time I don't even pay for shipping! Full disclosure: I will receive a commission on all sales made through this link. You will not be charged anything additional for my commission. I wouldn't recommend a site that I didn't use and you are under no obligation to purchase anything. :-) **

The Odd Couple but with the power of miracles

Good Omens by Neil Gaiman & Terry Pratchett has been around for quite some time but for some reason I never picked it up which considering my enjoyment in other Gaiman works is a real surprise. But I watched the TV series and had to immediately grab a copy of the book from the library. The copy that I had included information about how Gaiman and Pratchett collaborated with one another to create this book as well as the two of them talking about each other. [A/N: I will say that I think if you haven't embarked on either of these journeys it would be better to read the book and then watch the series because they align pretty darn closely with one another.]

The basic premise is that the world is coming to an end because the Antichrist is coming into his powers. The inhabitants of Heaven and Hell are pretty stoked about this because The Great War will determine the ultimate winner. There are only 2 beings that aren't quite so thrilled and that's Aziraphale (Angel) and Crowley (Demon) because they know that the Apocalypse spells the end of the earth and all of the wonders therein. The real charm of this book are these two principal characters and their Odd Couple friendship (some really excellent dialogue which is super funny). I used to count fantasy as my favorite genre and reading books like this reminds me why I used to almost exclusively read from this genre. It's so much fun! 10/10

Bonus: amazing footnotes which reminded me of my reading experience with Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell.

Source: ebay.com

What I'm currently reading: Scarlet Witch: Volume 1 by James Robinson

**If you're interested in buying any of these books or any books really, you can click here. This will re-direct you to AbeBooks which is a site I use all of the time to find used books at an excellent price. A lot of the time I don't even pay for shipping! Full disclosure: I will receive a commission on all sales made through this link. You will not be charged anything additional for my commission. I wouldn't recommend a site that I didn't use and you are under no obligation to purchase anything. :-) **

This is just part one

I think most people can agree Barack Obama is an excellent orator so it should come as no surprise that his writing is just as eloquent, insightful, and personal. It's also THOROUGH. There's a reason that that book is super long and there's still another volume. For every decision that he made during his presidency, he gives detailed context, counterarguments, and reflections on the results. This book is biographical in that we learn about his childhood, schooling, family, and his thoughts and feelings on what it was like campaigning and ultimately serving as President. But it's much more than that because he gives the reader an in-depth view of life in the White House as well as the inner workings (and conflicts) in government. This is the first Presidential biography that I've ever read so I have no basis of comparison but he laid out the political environment in clear-cut and understandable language that somehow didn't read like a textbook or party propaganda. Quite a feat I think.

Some of my favorite parts of this book are the same things that endeared him to me when he held the highest office in the land. His idealism, forthright manner, and ability to not take himself so seriously really shine through when he talks about his meetings with his staff, discussions with foreign officials, and struggles to push through legislation against party opposition. While I felt a bit bamboozled by this only being the first volume (at 768 pages no less!), I had a fantastic time reading this book. It is lengthy (there's no getting around that) but it moves along at a good pace which had me picking it up again and again. Now I'll just have to wait for the announcement of the release date for the second book.  

Source: Amazon

What I'm currently reading: Good Omens by Neil Gaiman & Terry Pratchett

**If you're interested in buying any of these books or any books really, you can click here. This will re-direct you to AbeBooks which is a site I use all of the time to find used books at an excellent price. A lot of the time I don't even pay for shipping! Full disclosure: I will receive a commission on all sales made through this link. You will not be charged anything additional for my commission. I wouldn't recommend a site that I didn't use and you are under no obligation to purchase anything. :-) **

Psychological suspense in a single setting

Yikes, I just realized it's been a month since I last posted. I've been ripping through books so quickly (I'm sure some of you can relate) there has never seemed to be enough time to sit down and post a review. But I'm here today to do just that!

Longtime readers of the blog will know that I'm a huge fan of Swedish authors. In fact, some of my favorite books from the last couple of years come from that beautiful country. So when I saw Camilla Sten's The Lost Village on LibraryReads it was a no-brainer. This is a psychological suspense thriller where our main character is trying to uncover what happened in the past while simultaneously trying to unravel the very real danger of what is happening to them in the present. Alice has grown up hearing stories from her grandmother about her hometown where the inhabitants (all 900 of them including Alice's great grandparents and great aunt) vanished without a trace in the 1950s. Well, almost all of the inhabitants vanished. A murdered woman (tied to a pole and stoned to death) and a crying baby were all that was found when the police arrived on the scene. Alice has always been interested (read: obsessed) in her grandmother's story and now that she's got a film degree she's determined to make a documentary to uncover the truth of what happened there. So the reader is bounced between Now where Alice and her small crew are scouting the location and Then with Elsa (Alice's great grandmother) as the tale of what really happened slowly unfolds. 

The beginning did drag a bit but around the halfway point it picked up significantly and by the last third of the novel the action is basically nonstop. [A/N: I preferred the Then sections somewhat more than the Now as the characters were more likable. 😬] She has another psychological suspense thriller slated for 2022 (this is the English translation if I'm not mistaken) and is also working on a YA series (labeled as dark and atmospheric). If you're in the mood for a suspenseful book that takes place in a single setting then I think this is a great option. 7/10

Source: Amazon

What I'm currently reading: A Fatal Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum: Murder in Ancient Rome by Emma Southon

**If you're interested in buying any of these books or any books really, you can click here. This will re-direct you to AbeBooks which is a site I use all of the time to find used books at an excellent price. A lot of the time I don't even pay for shipping! Full disclosure: I will receive a commission on all sales made through this link. You will not be charged anything additional for my commission. I wouldn't recommend a site that I didn't use and you are under no obligation to purchase anything. :-) **