Outlier alert! I was disappointed in Holly Gramazio’s “Husbands”. I thought the premise was interesting: a woman discovers she has a magic attic that Outlier alert! I was disappointed in Holly Gramazio’s “Husbands”. I thought the premise was interesting: a woman discovers she has a magic attic that replaces husbands. One husband goes up, looking for something, a different one comes down. So, if you don’t like your current husband, request that he goes up to the attack and retrieves something for you, and voila! New husband!
The protagonist, Lauren, finds this out accidentally. She also discovers that time keeps going, the only thing that changes is her history.
To me, Lauren was unlikable. A husband would start down the attic stairs, and if she didn’t like his socks, shoes, hair, apparel, she’d send him back. She would exchange men at a rate of 2-3 a day. Not only was she vacuous, but she was also petty. I think Gramazio intended this to be a madcap romp, but it became ridiculous. A couple of the alternative universes were interesting. However, Gramazio’s ability at world building was not as impressive as I would have liked.
Given the high reviews, I kept reading, thinking this was going to get deeper or more interesting. It didn’t for me. Lauren did question what she was looking for in a spouse. But it wasn’t fully fleshed out. There were a lot of what she did NOT want. She rarely ruminated about herself and if she was a good person in each of these scenarios
Again, outlier. I’m bummed because I’ll never get that reading time back…. ...more
Ok, I’m a John Scalzi fan. The man has great wit. His new entry into the world of scfi and fantasy “Starter Villain” is the whackiest of my Scalzi expOk, I’m a John Scalzi fan. The man has great wit. His new entry into the world of scfi and fantasy “Starter Villain” is the whackiest of my Scalzi experiences. The book cover, the cat in an executive suit, makes me chuckle. And the blurb, “Inheriting your uncle’s supervillain business is more complicated than you might think.” Now, add to this delightful temptation is Wil Wheaton narrating Scalzi’s words. Wheaton does snark well.
Charlie Fitzer, our seemingly hapless protagonist, starts the story informing us that he just wants to buy a pub. He’s living in his childhood home after his wife left him. His dad got sick, died, and Charlies has no job, and he wants that pub bad. To get it, he needs to put up the house as collateral for a business loan. He owns nothing but his cats.
Life changes when an unknown woman approaches Charlie and asks him to attend his uncle’s memorial service. There will be a big financial incentive if he agrees. The memorial service that Charlie attends is the best memorial service scene ever written. I wish I was there.
Of course, this is when Charlie discovers he inherited a holding corporation of villainy. It becomes sillier when the cats get their part in the story. Once Charlie begins to delve into his uncle’s business affairs, Scalzi channels Austin Power’s Dr. Evil.
There are dolphins, whales, unions, villain convocations all fodder for Scalzi’s tale. I enjoy snark when it’s done well. Wil Wheaton’s voice added to my listening pleasure. ...more
3.5 Stars: I was in the mood for a light-hearted audio that is clever, funny and amusing. After returning from a 5-day trip to Canada, “Girlfriend on M3.5 Stars: I was in the mood for a light-hearted audio that is clever, funny and amusing. After returning from a 5-day trip to Canada, “Girlfriend on Mars” published by Penguin Random House Canada caught my eye. Is it silly? You bet! It involves influencer wannabes and reality TV contestants, all competing to win a spot on a spaceship to Mars, to become “Mars-onauts”. And yes, it’s funded by a morally questionable billionaire, Geoff Task (no, not Jeff Bezos, Mark Zuckerberg nor shall we utter…Elon Musk… but Musk-like).
Canadian humor abounds….can you find an angry Canadian? The contestants are from around the world, but the girlfriend in question, Amber, lives in a Vancouver basement with her boyfriend of 14 years, Kevin. They are professional hydroponic weed growers (yes gags abound) as weed remains illegal in Canada. Furthermore, Amber cares about the environment and is appalled at the overbuilding and destruction of the planet. There’s plenty of shots taken at our culture which claims to care about the environment while simultaneously smoking/littering/burning fossil fuel.
The story is from Amber and Kevin’s point of view. Kevin is a bit whiny and very confused as to why his pro-environment girlfriend decides to compete in crazy “Survivor-like” challenges to be alone with a person she doesn’t know, for the rest of her eternity. Of course, these challenges are televised, and Kevin must watch Amber complete her physical competitions. Plus, he sees the very handsome Israeli soldier who is also on track to earn a spot on the spaceship.
Amber narrates her challenges. The listener learns of her conflicted feelings about her attraction to the handsome Israeli and the degrading earth, and her interest in being in a new world that humans have not ruined. We also learn of the other contestants who are imaginatively created as attractive, vain, and a bit scarce in the intelligence department.
Author Deborah Willis has loads of fun with this one. She pokes fun at our influencer culture, the environmentalists, the evangelicals, and of course the wealthy billionaires who willy-nilly buy countries, islands, and fund aeronautic programs. It’s a hoot. It met my needs.
Landon Doak and Venessa Matsui narrate. Penguin Random House did a fine job in structuring the audio, using two narrator voices for Kevin and Amber. I commend Audible for this original production.
“What Moves the Dead” is a really good gothic horror story penned by T. Kingfisher. It’s a retelling of Edgar Allen Poe’s “The Fall of the House of Us“What Moves the Dead” is a really good gothic horror story penned by T. Kingfisher. It’s a retelling of Edgar Allen Poe’s “The Fall of the House of Usher”. If you love Poe’s work, you will be amazed at T. Kingfisher’s skill at writing creepy stories.
Kingfisher uses our current social environment by making his narrator, Alex Easton, a non-binary retired lieutenant who hails from a fictitious country that possess a language and culture that allows for gender-neutrality. Other themes in the story are PTSD, trauma, issues of gender, the cost of war, and misogyny in health care.
Alex Easton is called to the house of Usher by their childhood friend Roderick Usher. Roderick’s twin sister, Madeline is dying. From the start, T. Kingfisher describes the gloomy and creepy state of the crumbling Gothic manor they live in. Easton is alarmed by the color of their nearby lake and the abundance of mushrooms and spores. Furthermore, Easton fears for the siblings as he sees their emaciated bodies.
As a side note, one will learn a lot about spores and mushrooms. Kingfisher did a fabulous job in describing the setting that I was finding my breath labored.
The story unfolds as Easton plus a visiting American doctor and local mycologist set out to discover why the siblings are dying, and why the manor is in the state that it’s in.
Because it’s a retelling of Poe’s work, I decided to listen to the audio. Poe’s work begs for aloud reading. And this one does as well. Avi Roque narrated wonderfully. It’s a bit over 5 hours, and every second left me creeped-out!
I am a huge Amor Towles fan. I will read anything he pens. Thus, I listened to the Audible “You Have Arrived at Your Destination” short story that he I am a huge Amor Towles fan. I will read anything he pens. Thus, I listened to the Audible “You Have Arrived at Your Destination” short story that he provided for their Forward Collection of short stories. This collection of six stories is what six authors envision possibilities in the near and far future.
Towles takes on designer babies, or the possibilities of designer babies. A new business, called Vitek, is a fertility Lab which allows their patrons to pick out the “nuances” for their baby. Vitek provides possible outcomes as choices to pick for their child. What could possibly go wrong?
David Harbour(of Stranger Things) is the narrator of this interesting gem. ...more
I’m a Blake Crouch fan; I really enjoyed “Recursion” and “Dark Matter”. When I saw this short story from Audible’s Forward collection, I had to get itI’m a Blake Crouch fan; I really enjoyed “Recursion” and “Dark Matter”. When I saw this short story from Audible’s Forward collection, I had to get it!
“Summer Frost” tells a story of Artificial Intelligence gone bad. Maxine is an AI character, built by video game developers. Riley is one of the developers, and she determines to see if she can code more human emotions in Maxine. What could possibly go wrong??
Narrator Rosa Salazar does a fantastic job narrating the creepy voice of Maxine.
I highly recommend this creepy short story!! ...more
Thank you, GR friend Margaret who is a passionate advocate of fantasy! She encourages us all to try the genre. The one I chose, to dip my toe into theThank you, GR friend Margaret who is a passionate advocate of fantasy! She encourages us all to try the genre. The one I chose, to dip my toe into the genre, is the Audible Original, “Impact Winter”. It’s tagged as being in the genres of paranormal, dystopian, post-apocalyptic. Yes, there are vampires…..I never ever thought I’d be interested in a vampire story, other than Anne Rice’s “Interview With a Vampire”. This was a sensational performance with a renown British cast. The sound effects were remarkable. The acting amazing. I found it to be an outstanding listen.
After a comet hits the earth and caused the earth to go dark, survivors find shelter in a castle. They fear leaving the castle, as there are evil vampires who are trying to take over the world. The only way to beat the evil vampires is to find an anointed one, a rare individual who can help in the battle of good versus evil. Only the anointed one can save humanity.
This is a “3D” audio, with full surround sound. I recommend using your ear buds to get the total experience. The surround sound is amazing. The acting is amazing. If I read this, I’m not sure I’d have gotten the enjoyment that I had listening to this short story. It’s just short of 5 hours in listening pleasure.
Thank you Margaret! I am now encouraged to try another fantasy audio, although I’m not sure if it will me a vampire one. I did like the fight of good versus evil. I also enjoyed the audio format. These stories are good ones to listen to. I highly recommend this Audible Original!! ...more
Sadly, I was incapable of seeing the magnificence of this novel. It’s short-listed for the Booker, and it was too far in the fantasy genre for me to uSadly, I was incapable of seeing the magnificence of this novel. It’s short-listed for the Booker, and it was too far in the fantasy genre for me to understand. Plus, the wording….too archaic or too much local vernacular which went beyond my head of comprehending.
I don’t even know what I read. I went past my usual 50 pages before giving up. I thought, “it’s short-listed! It must be relevant!” I guess I’m not relevant…..oh well…..I gave it the ‘ole college try.
Please someone tell me….who/what is the point of Thin Amren? I couldn’t even understand his comic books.
Anyway, although I finished the 152 page story (thank God it wasn’t longer), I cannot rate it because I didn’t “get” it. ...more
The Warmer Collection, only from audible, is a collection of seven visions of a conceivable tomorrow by some thought-provoking authors. “There’s No PlThe Warmer Collection, only from audible, is a collection of seven visions of a conceivable tomorrow by some thought-provoking authors. “There’s No Place Like Home” is written by Edan Lepucki, who has penned “California”; “People in Hell Want Ice Water”; and “Woman No 17”.
This is the third piece I’ve read/listened to about a future in which the author sees nothing but bleakness and a dystopian outcome. (Most recently “Anthem” by Noah Hawley comes to mind.) This little gem is 1 hour and 16 minutes. It’s genre categories include fantasy. I used to think of these dystopian stories as a bit farcical and a bit fantasy. Yet, it seems to plague the minds of some our more interesting authors. So, are these stories fantasy? Could it be our future? There are authors out there that are trying to wake-up the masses to the fact that if we don’t do something about our environment soon, and really soon, our planet will become uninhabitable for humans.
Saying that, this is NOT a diatribe on our current culture. It’s an idea. Author Lepucki uses a young girls voice to tell her story. Narrator Lauren Ezzo is the perfect sweet voice for this quick story. It’s also a coming-of-age story in that Vic, the protagonist, learns some shocking news about her father; he was not the man she thought he was.
I enjoyed this freebee. I would not have listened to it if it wasn’t free, which is a shame. This is a worthy listen, free or otherwise. Thank you GR friends Elyse and Tania for making me aware of this gem. ...more
Noah Hawley’s “Anthem” defies genres. This is a cautionary tale, a dystopian tale, a thriller of a tale, and a fantasy tale. Hawley created a world baNoah Hawley’s “Anthem” defies genres. This is a cautionary tale, a dystopian tale, a thriller of a tale, and a fantasy tale. Hawley created a world based on some historical facts to add some fright...could this happen? Hawley includes an opioid epidemic, a God King President, and Jeffrey Epstein-like character, climate change problems, the insurrection, political polarization, children committing group suicides, and a woman being confirmed as a Supreme Court Justice. Hawley shows how our country is broken. He wants us to examine our lives, our country, and our future.
There is so much of Hawley’s world that is like our current world, that I felt the bleakness he intended the reader to possess. The first half of the story is a true cautionary tale; if we don’t make some serious changes, future generations will fail. The second half became so over-the-top that it was akin to a Mad Max movie in a dystopian future.
As the story opens, children are killing themselves out of hopelessness of the state of our world. In addition, there is an opioid crisis, disappearing animal species, wildfires and fear. This world isn’t as far off as our current condition. We meet a group of kids in a mental health facility who decide to unite and save the world. This is when Mad Max comes in.
I see why Hawley did the silly Mad Max bit. This book is an indictment on the intended readers(adults): wake up and do something about our world. The humor is needed for the reader to keep reading; otherwise it’s one big ugly pontification. But the thing with Mad Max is that it is entirely possible outcome, and we know it.
Kerry Shale has made my “favored narrator” list. Listening to him perform Ruth Ozeki’s “The Book of Form and Emptiness” was pure joy. In fact, I finisKerry Shale has made my “favored narrator” list. Listening to him perform Ruth Ozeki’s “The Book of Form and Emptiness” was pure joy. In fact, I finished this 3 days ago, and I miss Shale’s voice and his characterizations of Benny Oh and his mother, Annabelle. I miss sweet and kind Annabelle, who is one of the most thoughtful and empathetic mothers in literary history. And Benny, one can’t help but root for him in his journey through adolescence. Let’s not forget the amazing Ruth Ozeki, who is a Zen Buddhist priest, a filmmaker, and a fabulous author. I absolutely loved her previous work, “A Tale for the Time Being”, and I love this one, although this one is a bit more “out there” in her magical realist fiction.
In this story, Benny Oh is a 14-year-old boy who, after his father, a jazz clarinetist, tragically dies when a truck carrying live chickens runs him over in the alley. His father enjoyed his cannabis, passes out right before he gets home. Both Benny and Annabelle grieve in different ways. Benny develops sensitive hearing and hears the voices of the objects in his home. For example, he knows the socks don’t like being apart and want to be together. His books want to be organized on his shelf. Unfortunately, all the things get loud, and the only place of somewhat peace for Benny is the library where all the things in their use their library voices and it’s quiet.
Meanwhile, Annabelle struggles with depression. She gains weight and loses interest in her appearance. As with all teen boys, Benny is embarrassed by his mother. Plus, Annabelle begins an unfortunate hobby of hoarding. Annabelle loves her junk, in particular snow globes. Author Ozeki has some fun dreaming up snow globes.
Ozeki adds an interesting narrator: The Book. Yes The Book narrates the story, has its own chapters, and tries to teach Benny to tell his own story, to be a hero of his own story. Benny interacts with The Book. When The Book provides the back history to Annabelle and Kenji’s partnership, Benny is particular that his mother’s sex life is OFF THE TABLE for discussion in The Book’s narration. It’s funny. Benny and The Book have some disagreements. But The Book is trying to help Benny find his place in life. It’s an interesting concept: having The Book as a character and as a narrator.
So, we have a boy who says objects talk to him and a grieving hapless mother. It gets worse when their landlady goes into the hospital and the evil son tries to evict them. Furthermore, Annabelle has work issues which don’t help with her hoarding problem. Benny hears the objects at school as well. Scissors are made for cutting and want to cut….you can see where this is going. Benny gets sent to a psychiatrist who, of course, numbs him with drugs and institutionalizes him. Guess what happens to Benny when he must return to school.
Benny seeks refuge in the local library where he meets a cadre of beguiling characters. As with many libraries, Benny’s library hosts the street people, providing more fodder for Ozeki. This is a fun story. Ozeki had even more fun with a “Marie Kondo” like character who Annabelle writes to, confessing her struggles.
I can highly recommend the audio of this novel because I feel strongly that Kerry Shale (the voice narrator) made this story. I’m not sure how I’d feel if I just read it. There is so much going on. It’s a hefty 548 pages, almost 19 hours long. Listening to it, I could picture what was going on, especially with Shale’s performances of all the characters (the Bottleman was one of my favorites). The audio is a joy.
3.5 stars: “Dare To Know” is a fun sci-fi thriller that has a narrator who I found similar to “Up in the Air” Ryan Bingham. It is silly and quirky. Th3.5 stars: “Dare To Know” is a fun sci-fi thriller that has a narrator who I found similar to “Up in the Air” Ryan Bingham. It is silly and quirky. This is a goofy story about a businessman who represents the company, Dare To Know. This company has an algorithm that can accurately pinpoint the moment of your death…to the very second.
We get to know the narrator as he reflects upon his life. He’s a science nerd, majoring in Physics and Philosophy. As a boy, he went to physics camp where he and his BFF, Renard, enjoyed many hijinks. Although Renard was not a main character in the narrator’s life, he became a significant character. Renard’s friendship significantly affects the narrator’s perceptions through life.
The story gets very interesting when the narrator has a snowy car wreck. As he’s waiting for the tow truck, he decides to calculate his own death. Oddly, his calculations show that he died twenty-three minutes ago. Shocked, he determines to find his old girlfriend who calculated his death date as well decades ago. In his journey to find her, he reminisces on his relationship with her and other relationships he’s had.
This is a fun premise. Who would want to know the exact time of their death? Certainly, insurance companies would, but the cost is prohibitive. In fact, our narrator finds many ethical issues on demanding payment for information that can be absolutely horrible (think mother finding out her baby will die of cancer in 2 years).
I listened to the audio, performed by Bradford Hastings. I LOVE his voice for this. He has the right amount of sarcasm that makes this a fun listen. I’m not sure if I’d enjoy it as much if I read it. Hastings’s performance definitely made this a romp of a listen....more
GR friend Elyse asked if I had read Lionel Shriver’s new novel, “Should We Stay or Should We Go”. This was after I confessed to Elyse that my husband GR friend Elyse asked if I had read Lionel Shriver’s new novel, “Should We Stay or Should We Go”. This was after I confessed to Elyse that my husband and I promised each other that if one of us suffered from severe dementia, we would find a way to allow that person to off themselves….like an overdose or something. We don’t want our loved ones remembering us as demented and not “ourselves”. Of course, my husband and I are in our 60’s, so it’s a ways off….or so we think.
Author Lionel Shriver explores this idea in her novel. In this novel, the couple are in their 50’s, and the wife, Kay, is dealing with her father’s decline. She sees the indignities that he is suffering and knows that her father would be mortified if he understood what was happening to him. Kay’s husband, Cyril, is a physician working in Britain’s National Health Service. Cyril is a strident socialist. He sees that after the age of 80, all members are a drag on the health care system. These elderly folks are responsible for large charges just to keep their frail bodies alive with poor quality of life. Cyril believes it’s his duty as a respectable socialist to not cost an unfair amount for the collective good of society. So, Cyril proposes that when Kay turns 80 (she’s younger than Cyril), they will take some sleeping pills and go peacefully.
It is here that Shriver has some fun. This reminded me of Paul Auster’s “4 3 2 1”. Shriver provides different scenarios of what could possibly happened to Kay and Cyril when that birthday occurs. Shriver includes real historical events in each scenario, like Auster. When Kay turns 80, it’s right after the Brexit vote and right when the COVID 19 pandemic occurs. Cyril has strong political opinions and is not a fan of Boris Johnson. Oh, and their three children, a daughter and two sons come in to play in each scenario. Hence, the “end date” occurs right when the pandemic begins, and quarantine begins.
What’s funny is how Kay and Cyril remain (or not) committed to the idea. In one instance, Cyril is frustrated with Kay because he’s living life with abandon…. he’s eating that extra piece of pie…he’s spending that money. Meanwhile, Kay maintains her self-control. “But you know how people worry about having a car accident in dirty knickers? I don’t want to be found on my death bed FAT.” Too funny. Shriver even gets in a plug in for her novel “The Mandibles” in a fun way.
The different scenarios are interesting and thought provoking. What I did enjoy was the character’s hesitancy when the time came. I realize that wanting to leave this life is easier than actually doing it. Shriver is honest with the characters changes of heart and commitment. In some plot lines, both Kay and Cyril were healthy and thriving at 80; who wouldn’t have second thoughts? In once situation, they chose cryonics and awake far into the future with strange ramifications.
There are twelve parallel universes in which twelve inventive futures play out. I enjoyed Shriver’s ideas of compromises, challenges, and quality of life. No one wants to endure a life ending in which you become a menace to your family or an unrecognizable version of yourself. Yet, committing to and executing an ending….well, that takes remarkable courage....more
I enjoyed “The Martian” by Andy Weir, although the science and math was a bit overwhelming. I learned to just gloss over information that my non-scienI enjoyed “The Martian” by Andy Weir, although the science and math was a bit overwhelming. I learned to just gloss over information that my non-scientific background did not compute. I followed some of the science and it was enough. Hence, I decided to give “Project Hail Mary” a chance.
After the book arrived and I realized it’s nearly 500 pages long, I was a bit intimidated. Goodreads friend Yun promised me that it didn’t seem that long, it didn’t read that long. So, I decided to take a crack. I’m adding this for those who feel that they don’t want to take on a 500 page sci-fi story with loads of math, quantum physics, and science. Yes, there is an abundance of it, more than I enjoyed (to be frank). But this is also an adventure story. It did read like a movie. I couldn’t visualize everything in the story, but I did enough to keep reading and be entertained.
Our hero, Dr. Ryland Grace is a middle school science teacher when he is recruited to save earth. It seems that the sun is losing its light; something is making the sun dimmer every day. I did enjoy reading the ramifications of losing the sun’s rays. One doesn’t ponder the necessity of the sun for everything, not just food, but for social order.
A globally endorsed scientific team is compiled and Grace is part of the scientific training. I liked author Weir’s ideas of what would happen if the earth was struck with global calamity. Hard decisions are made which makes for excellent philosophical fodder.
Grace is as fun as “The Martian” Mark Watney. He’s resourceful and funny to boot. Through flashbacks, we learn how Grace came to be one of the three astronauts on the mission.
There were times that this was a thriller and a suspenseful story. Other times, it was too scientific for this average reader. According to the internet (which is NEVER wrong LOL) it will be made into a movie starring Ryan Gosling. I look forward to seeing this. I bet the movie will be excellent! ...more
“Legends of the North Cascades” is a tragic story of a man who is disillusioned by society. Dave Cartwright served three tours in Iraq right after hig“Legends of the North Cascades” is a tragic story of a man who is disillusioned by society. Dave Cartwright served three tours in Iraq right after high school. He was an earnest and dutiful son and student. He excelled in football, feeling that football taught him necessary life skills. He was disappointed when he couldn’t get a football scholarship, so he signed up for the military.
Life hasn’t gone well with Dave. He has a beautiful eight-year-old daughter, Bella from a volatile marriage. As the novel opens, Dave’s wife, Bella’s Mom, just died. Both Dave and Bella are devastated. Dave becomes increasingly frustrated and angry at society. So, he decides to take his daughter and live in the North Cascade mountains, like survivalists.
The story is mostly Dave and Bella’s existence in the mountains. Author Johnathan Evison chose to add an almost time-warp addition by including a story of an ice age native woman who lived in the same area Dave and Bella are in the mountains. It’s odd, and for me distractive.
This is beautifully written. I felt Dave’s depression and Bella’s distance. A reader who loves to read about nature would enjoy this. I found it interesting, but not enough to recommend it.
I listened to the audio which is narrated by Edoardo Ballerini. ...more
What I found amazing about “The Dreamers” by Karen Thompson Walker is that she speculated what would occur if an air-born virus popped up out of nowheWhat I found amazing about “The Dreamers” by Karen Thompson Walker is that she speculated what would occur if an air-born virus popped up out of nowhere. In her imagination this air-born virus caused sleep. Her virus affected the population almost in the exact way that our current air-born virus, Covid-19, is doing now. Plus, how her fictitious government reacted is similar to what’s going on now. It’s like she had a crystal ball and foresaw our virus future. The big difference is her virus was contained to a town, after the government of her imagination fully quarantined the town and the town-folk.
In “The Dreamers”, this mysterious virus begins in a small university in Southern California. It begins in a woman’s dorm, but swiftly grows outside the university. At the beginning, a psychiatrist is involved, in that there are no physical symptoms that would indicate a physical problem causing continuous sleep. It is discovered that this young lady has very active brain waves, indicating heightened dreams. After it is decided that it’s viral, and airborne, mayhem ensues. Grocery stores are flocked; people lose all sense of civility. Helicopters, roadblocks, and police become mainstays.
But this isn’t a cautionary tale about a highly contagious virus. Walker writes of deep dreams. In her imagination, those sleeping enjoy very involved dreams. Some are of the future. Some dream of the past. She examines what emotions we entertain during dreams, and how dreams seem so real. To add dimension, some dreamers are sleepwalkers.
Walker writes her story in an almost dream-like way. It’s a “quiet” story, explaining what is transpiring in different places. There are the college kids from the dorm who have the virus. A janitor from the university is a single parent to two young girls gets infected. After he succumbs to the virus, the girls pillage on their own. There is a young professor who has an infant daughter, and his wife falls ill. There’s an immigrant family who fled Egypt under horrific conditions, and now they are dealing with their new reality in their new country. There is the Psychiatrist, who is no doing all medical things outside her specialty because most the doctors and nurses have fallen ill. There are salespeople, in town for a conference and kicked out of their hotel with nowhere to go. And the list goes on. In Walker’s imagination, her virus sweeps through the small town and affects everyone in different ways. Furthermore, she provides the reader with thought-provoking ideas of dreams and reality. She ponders whether there are people who prognosticates the future. But what she does, in hindsight, is prognosticate Covid-19 and the human reactions to the virus and the government’s attempts to contain it.
I listened to the audible production, narrated by the amazing Cassandra Campbell. Campbell reads the story perfectly. Her voice is melodic, almost dreamy. Her voice adds to the spirit of the story. ...more
Suffragists! Witches! Folklore! I’m in!! Author Alix Harrow is now one of my favored authors. She garnered my interest after her debut novel, “Ten ThoSuffragists! Witches! Folklore! I’m in!! Author Alix Harrow is now one of my favored authors. She garnered my interest after her debut novel, “Ten Thousand Doors of January”. I listened to that enjoyable tale and decided to listen to “The Once and Future Witches” as well.
As a child, it was a special treat to listen to a captivating story, being read to by an equally captivating reader. Alix Harrow writes stories for adults that bring you back to that comforting time in childhood, when magic was possible and spunky characters engaged your mind. Harrow cleverly takes a twist on fairytales and folklore. In “The Once and Future Witches”, she conceives the Grimm Sisters, creating twists to our beloved folktales and nursery rhymes. And, she adds magic!
Her story surrounds three estranged sisters who were raised by their grandmother. Their father was a tyrant; their mother died young. Through Mamma Mags (grandma) the girls learned of herbs, phrases, and healing ways. Witches were powerful once, but now 1893, witching is illegal. The eldest sister, Bella, inadvertently casts a spell that brings the sisters together. Bella had been outcast by her father, and Agnes ran away after becoming pregnant. The youngest and wildest, Juniper was abandoned to the harsh reality of her father. Although the girls had once loved each other, through subterfuge, they were pitted against each other. After the spell, the girls united and found their previous bond. Bella is a suffragist, Agnes is an abused factory worker, and Juniper is a murderess on the lam. Once the sisters reunite, their works for women’s right of vote along with improved working conditions become an alliance. Juniper wants witching rights as well, and so she conceives the Sisters of Avalon to bring together all the lost witching knowledge. Thus, the women’s rights movement includes the right to do witching.
What is special about Harrow’s story is that she shows how if women join forces, communicate, support, and work together, we can work toward achieving equality, independence, love, and peace.
If you are interested in giving audio a chance, I recommend starting with this one if you adored being read to as a child. I loved the magic. I loved the strong characters. I loved the imagined world that Harrow created, with good, evil and hope. I listened to the audible production, narrated by Gabra Zackman. Her voices were pitch perfect, and I adored her character accents. 5 glowing stars!!
“The Resisters” by Gish Jen is an interesting speculative/dystopian story about a spunky disenfranchised family who exist against the establishment. W“The Resisters” by Gish Jen is an interesting speculative/dystopian story about a spunky disenfranchised family who exist against the establishment. What’s different about this novel, is that it’s not a dark, stark, and doleful story as the genre generally implies. It is almost a futuristic cautionary tale of what could become of us if we allow technology, in the wrong hands, to take over our world.
America is now called “AutoAmerica” because most jobs are automated. Industrial pollution has taken over the world and there is very limited livable ground. American society has been divided into the “netted” who are favored (and lily-white folk), and “surplus” who are people of color who used to do the blue color work that is now automated. Netted people are professionals who have homes and eat the foods they want, and use the internet as they want. The Surplus live in pontoon houseboats and are fed food that seemed to be medicated for impassive behavior. For the Surplus people, their homes are controlled by the autonet (think Alexa and The Nest). The house talks to you and will make decisions for you. It’s a bit like Big Brother monitoring all your movements, although author Gish doesn’t make it clear if there are humans behind the decisions. The netted are educated while for surplus, education is illegal.
The story’s family is composed of: the father Grant, who previously worked as an IT guy and is black; Eleanor(white) who was an attorney and married Grant’ and Gwen, their daughter born with an amazing pitching arm. Because of Eleanor, their home is on land. Grant creates devices that allow privacy in their home and on their land. They survive in their own way, doing illegal activities such as gardening, knitting, reading/learning. Both Eleanor and Grant are a bit rebellious, and with that rebellious spirit, and in the interest of raising Gwen to be an independent adult, Eleanor and Grant begin an underground baseball league.
Much of the story is Author Gish’s ideas about what would happen if technology overtook our lives and ruled our lives, and if racism ruled. She uses Grant and Eleanor as parents who want to raise their daughter in the best way possible, given their restraints. Gwen is one of the very few surplus who is educated. And she enjoys throwing a ball, so Grant teaches her about baseball. Given that the Surplus have nothing to do, they have plenty of time to play baseball. With Grant’s IT help, they can go off the grid and find places to play their games.
Baseball becomes the main thread of the story. AutoAmerica wants to win the baseball Olympics, especially against their main rival “ChinRussia”. Gish is clever in her ideas of the future of the world, and the allegiances formed. Not just in America, but in the world. Gwen becomes a pawn in the AutoAmerican politics.
I enjoyed reading it mostly for Gish’s clever ideas of what could be. Plus, she pushes the ideas of “haves” and “have-nots” and each not understanding each other. Keeping the “have-nots” uneducated and repressed is a main idea. This was an interesting read, although I can’t say it would be for the mainstream....more
3.5 stars: I’m not sure how I feel about “Pew” by Catherine Lacey. I enjoyed the beginning; it was the end that left me in a jumbled mess of nothing.
T3.5 stars: I’m not sure how I feel about “Pew” by Catherine Lacey. I enjoyed the beginning; it was the end that left me in a jumbled mess of nothing.
The story illuminates our cultures need to categorize each other. Lacey shows how people find it difficult to interact with and communicate with a person if we do not know their gender, age, race, background, and circumstances. In this story, a person, our narrator who really narrates through thoughts, decides to nap in a church. A family finds him/her/they in “their” pew and decide to be “Christian” and take this individual home. Quickly, it becomes increasingly awkward because our mute narrator doesn’t talk or communicate its age or gender. The pastor of the church declares “its” name “pew” because that’s where “it” was found.
Being mute encourages whoever is with him/her to fill in the quiet space and talk nonstop. Lacey provides the reader with glimpses of other’s souls and feelings as they ramble away to Pew. It’s attractive to talk to someone who will never talk back…to anyone. Souls are borne.
Lacey pokes fun at the Christian people who think they are doing holy things and really are judgmental and not so “Christian”.
The small town where Pew was found has a “Forgiveness Festival” which Lacey builds up through suspense. There was great potential in this Festival, in my opinion, but she left the reader adrift.
I did enjoy how she examined our cultures need for identification and categorization. Pew questions why a person’s body is so important. Why is skin color, sex, age significant?
It’s an interesting concept, writing a novel with a mute narrator who has no identifying characteristics. I didn’t understand why Lacey included the “Forgiveness Festival”....more
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