Month: September 2024

Not Just Books: September 2024

While we do love us some books, believe it not, we do have a life outside of reading. So to highlight our other pop culture interests, on the last Monday of each month, we each will highlight three other “happenings” from the last month. Big events on favorite TV shows, new movies we’ve watched, old movies we’ve “discovered,” etc. Pretty much whatever we found of particular interest outside of the book world during the last month. Share your own favorite things in the comments!

Serena’s Picks

TV Show: “Slow Horses” Season 4

More often than not, bookclub often devolves to me and my friend Aimee ranting about the trend of streamers releasing their seasons week-to-week and hence undercutting one of the primary appeals of streaming in the first place: binge watching. In protest (probably protest that hurts no one but myself, but alas), I often wait to watch a show until the entire season has been released. However, for shows that I watch with my husband, our combined impatience often gets the best of this strategy, and such has been the case with this most recent season. All of my favorite characters are back in their full ridiculous and incompetent glory, and Gary Oldman is back to rudely dismiss them all. The writing on this show is excellent, and I highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys spy/thriller shows!

Movie: “Hacksaw Ridge”

This is one of those movies that has been on my list to watch for quite sometime. But it’s also the kind of movie where you really need to be in the right mood to handle the grim subject matter. The story itself is uplifting and incredible, but the actual horror that was the battle on Hacksaw Ridge cannot be undersold. The movie does a great job of balancing both this horror as well as the incredibly heroism of Desmond Doss, brilliantly portrayed by Andrew Garfield. We also see a lot of focus on the European side of WWII (for good reason), but I think it’s often largely forgotten how much of a focal point the Pacific War was through these years, particularly for the U.S. public at the time. Obviously, this movie was well received in pretty much every way, so a recommendation from me many years later is rather silly. But, well, it’s good and you should watch it!

Netflix Series: “The Perfect Couple”

Yes, you got me Netflix, I am one of those viewers who will often check out your new show/movie/what-gave-you if you cast a major star I enjoy as a lead. And I’ve always liked Nichole Kidman. She always seems to bring complicated layers to her performances, leaving viewers often befuddled as to how they are meant to feel about the character. Such is the case here as well, as the story follows a murder that occurs at a wealthy family’s wedding. Most of the cast shine, though I will say, the other lead actress, Eve Hewson, was a bit of a struggle at times. It’s hard to know whether this was due to the writing or her performance. But the strength of the rest of the cast and the intriguing murder mystery still left me enjoying it overall.

Kate’s Picks

Podcast: “Tooth & Claw”

This past month “Last Podcast on the Left” did a series on SeaWorld and the orca Tilikum, the notorious whale that was responsible for the deaths of three people while in captivity. It was a fantastic and devastating series, and while reading on the Reddit boards what other people thought I kept seeing reference to another podcast called “Tooth & Claw”. I decided to give it a go, and I was really happy with what I found! “Tooth & Claw” is a podcast run by a conservationist/wildlife biologist named Wes, his brother Jeff, and their friend Mike, where they talk about incidents and cases of animal attacks. They’ve covered stories like The Night of the Grizzlies, The Jersey Shore Shark Attacks, other famous cases, and numerous stories that perhaps went viral but aren’t as well known. But it’s not just sensationalism, as Wes always has great information about ecology, biology, and zoology for each episode, and does a great job of contextualizing the animal behavior (I never imagined I would be so enthralled by percentages of types of food sources for grizzly bears in Yellowstone National Park, but lo and behold I was!), while also giving tips on how to safely interact with wildlife . I’m learning a lot while also getting to hear harrowing tales of animal attacks, it’s win win.

TV Show: “The West Wing”

This has been on the Not Just Books list before from both Serena and myself, but my husband and I are doing another re-watch and it’s been taking up a lot of my non book down time. And it’s still a great show that MOSTLY holds up (there are some moments that make me go ‘well we know better now’, but for a twenty five year old show and having not too many is impressive). I’ve been pretty nervous (perhaps terrified) about the state of politics in the U.S. this year given that it’s once again a Presidential Election cycle and things just continue to escalate, but I’m enjoying the Bartlett White House and all of the people who work there. Josh Lyman continues to be super relatable (there is a reason I was once described as the Josh Lyman of book club), and more than ever I am yelling “LISTEN TO TOBY, TOBY IS RIGHT!!” on this rewatch. Which you can take as you will. I don’t know how the election is going to shake out in November, but I’m living vicariously through this show and crossing my fingers.

Netflix Docuseries: “Mr. McMahon”

As I’ve mentioned before, my husband was a huge WWF/WWE fan when he was a kid and a teenager, and he still likes to dip in to watch pro-wrestling for the big events like Wrestlemania, the Royal Rumble, and Summer Slam. I watch with him too because it’s fun to watch him be so nostalgic and entertained, but also because I find pro-wrestling to be SO fascinating as it’s a bunch of super athletic theater kids. But I have always HATED Vince McMahon, the absolute monster who is responsible for making WWE what it is today…. but also for a slew of depraved and horrifying behaviors and crimes. So obviously we were both very excited to watch “Mr. McMahon”, the docuseries that kind of peels back the image of Vince and his company and compiles and exposes him for the trash heap psychopath that he actually is. It wasn’t really news to me and my husband, as we’ve been well aware of his bullshit and horrible behavior for years now. But man, having it all in one place? It’s jarring. But what’s even more disturbing is that I didn’t even feel that the series went as hard as it could have! It’s also a little unnerving to see so many people involved with the company STILL being unable to call him out for what he is. But maybe not surprising. Good riddance, Vince, you slimeball.

Kate’s Review: “Nightmare of a Trip”

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Book: “Nightmare of a Trip” by Maureen Kilmer

Publishing Info: G.P. Putnam’s Sons, September 2024

Where Did I Get This Book: I received an eARC from NetGalley.

Where You Can Get This Book: WorldCat.org | Amazon | Indiebound

Book Description: A horror-tinged National Lampoon’s This is one family getaway they’ll never forget… Leigh Somerset wants to spend some quality time with her kids before they grow up, and her husband has always fancied himself sort of a Clark Griswold figure. So the Somersets will be spending their family vacation on the road, driving from suburban Milwaukee to Orlando, Florida. Already off to a rocky start, when they stumble upon an abandoned, half-burned farmhouse in Indiana, the Somersets inadvertently unleash an eerie past that will follow them the rest of their trip. From creepy indoor waterparks to paranormal-activity plagued Cracker Barrels, it’s one thing after another in the pursuit of the great American summer road trip. Will the Somersets be able to shake these bad vibes and get on with family bonding, or will the road less traveled become the highway to hell?

Review: Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an eARC of this novel!

My family never did a huge cross country road trip when I was a kid, though we did take four-five hour trips to visit relatives in Iowa or drive to the Apostle Islands on occasion. I think that my parents knew that none of us had the wherewithal to do the long drives across multiple states, and since we could afford plane tickets, that’s what we did. But even with the smaller road trips I was compelled to pick up “Nightmare of a Trip” by Maureen Kilmer. I had enjoyed another of her books, and the promise of a haunting story mixed with “National Lampoon’s Vacation” is hard to resist. Unfortunately, my high hopes were a bit dashed this time.

First what I did like. The entire concept of a stereotypical American family road trip being waylaid by supernatural hijinks is a pretty fun idea. Given that I found Kilmer’s book “Suburban Hell” to be a fun satire on American suburbia I was hoping that “Nightmare of a Trip” would have a similar execution and also be a fun satire. And there were definitely some fun things about this book. The idea of a Cracker Barrel being thrown into chaos due to poltergeist activity is hilarious, and I also enjoyed the stress and exhaustion of Leigh and Nick as they are trying to take their kids on a memorable family vacation while also keeping their shit together. Because there were a couple nights at Disney World this past Spring where once the kid was in bed my husband and I just collapsed in a puddle of burn out, and Kilmer nails the feel. It’s also the kind of spooky story that I would be more than confident to recommend to people who want something a little scary to read for Halloween, but not TOO scary. I definitely think it’s important to have varying degrees of horror stories for readers, and “Nightmare of a Trip” would be a pretty safe choice that still gets the reader in a scary story mood.

On the flip side, however, “Nightmare of a Trip” didn’t have the same oomph that “Suburban Hell” did, as I wasn’t nearly as invested in the characters this time around. Sure I found some of them realistic, as mentioned above, but Leigh as our narrator was pretty bland. I appreciate a harried mother character, but I was hoping that we would get a bit more exploration beyond a harried mother, especially since I find the greater strengths in books like this to be the characters when the horror is muted a bit. Along with this, the humorous/satirical elements of this book, which should have been the biggest narrative strength, just didn’t land as well as I had hoped it would. It isn’t BAD. It just isn’t very interesting. Pretty middle of the road. And that’s fine! I had just hoped for more.

“Nightmare of a Trip” is a quick read that is light on scares but still entertains. I had hoped it would be as enjoyable as “Suburban Hell”, but even if it didn’t live up to my expectations I still found it mostly fun.

Rating 6: It’s fun and frothy and probably a good choice for someone looking for some lighter horror this Halloween season, but it was pretty middle of the road.

Reader’s Advisory:

“Nightmare of a Trip” is included on the Goodreads list “All the New Horror, Romantasy, and Other SFF Crossover Books Arriving in September 2024”.

Serena’s Review: “Januaries: Stories of Love, Magic, and Betrayal”

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Book: “Januaries: Stories of Love, Magic, and Betrayal” by Olivie Blake

Publishing Info: Tordotcom, October 2024

Where Did I Get this Book: ARC from the publisher!

Where Can You Get this Book: WorldCat.org | Amazon | IndieBound

Book Description: Once upon a time in a land far, far away, the tutelary spirit to a magical bridge rapidly approaches burnout. Meanwhile, congress enacts a complex auditing system designed to un-waste your youth, a banished fairy answers a Craigslist ad, a Victorian orphan gains literacy for her occult situationship, and a multiverse assassin contemplates the one who got away. Escape the slow trudge of mortality with these magical ruminations on life, death, and the love (or revenge) that outlasts both, featuring modified fairytales, contemporary heists, absurdist poetry, and at least one set of actual wedding vows.

Review: As promised, we’re back with round two of my foray into short story collections this week! My first few experiences with this author were incredibly positive, but as I’ve read more and more, I’ve found myself struggling to connect with her writing style and becoming frustrated with what feels like a lack of substance in service of style. That being the case, I was curious to see what a short story collection by this author would look like. Would be more of the former or the latter?

Unfortunately, I have to report that this one fell largely in the latter category. However, one of the benefits of short story collections is that there are multiple options of stories with which to connect. So while the novel as a whole fell flat, I did have a few favorites that I’d like to dive into before getting into the rest of it. One of my favorite stories was one that showed up early in the collection. It told of a magical bridge and its watcher who was obligated to offer and grant certain types of wishes to any who found it. Over the course of the story, we see the young woman who is this guardian slowly become disillusioned to the sorts of wishes many people are asking for (there’s a recurring group of people who get into a lot of trouble with contradictory wishes). She also slowly begins to fall in love with a young man who, against all odds, continues to find the bridge over and over again, even though it always changes locations. It’s a sweet story and it played well with the tried and true fairytale concept of “wishes gone bad.”

However, even here, this story illustrated one of my recurring frustrations with this collection. By the end, it just sort of…well…ends. More over, the way the ending for this one is written, it comes across as ambiguous with the intent to be “deep,” which, instead, just leaves it actually feeling frustrating and pretentious. Over and over, throughout this book, there were stories that had interesting worlds and characters, but there was something about either A.) the style of writing or B.) the way the themes were presented (often in this ambiguous, quasi-intellectual manner) that made them read as, again, pretentious. And too often, the stories would end abruptly, and I was left wondering what the point of it all was.

Writing short stories is incredibly hard. Not only is it such a short length within which to work, but I do think there is this false idea floating around out there that these sorts of tales must be “artsy” and “deep” and “say things.” Here, we see this author fall into this trap. Instead of simply telling good stories, she seems to get bogged down in these secondary concerns. There would be small nuggets within most of the stories, but too often these were lost in the mess of everything else. There was another interesting one early in the book that dealt with a character essentially getting paid their entire life’s earnings early in life, and then be obligated to “work it off” from age 30 on. This was such an interesting concept, especially as it played out by increasing the main character’s anxiety rather than offering the promised freedom. But then, again, there were a bunch of other themes jammed in there, added characters who felt like they should be more important than they were, and an ending where it felt like the entire exercise was rather meaningless and a waste of a good concept. It’s hard to really describe, but these were the sorts of problems that plagued most of the book.

Overall, I think this collection was solidly just ok. None of the stories were outright bad, and a few of them I enjoyed for the most part. However, I think the author’s writing and approach to story-telling left something to be desired, with “vibes” and “style” too often taking precedent over simply writing a good story. If you’re a big fan of this author’s work, this still might be worth checking out. But if you’re only mildly interested in short story collections (like me), than this one may end up feeling lackluster.

Rating 7: Too heavy on the quasi-intellectual vibes to be a truly enjoyable read. Though there were still a few gems hidden away within.

Reader’s Advisory:

“Januaries: Stories of Love, Magic, and Betrayal” can be found on this Goodreads list: 52 Book Club 2024: Summer Mini Challenge – 100m Sprint: A Short Story Collection

Ripley’s Reviews: “Ripley Under Ground”

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“Ripley’s Reviews” is an ongoing series where I will review every book in Patricia Highsmith’s “Ripley” Series, as well as multiple screen adaptations of the novels. I will post my reviews on the first Thursday of the month, and delve into the twisted mind of one Tom Ripley and all the various interpretations that he has come to life within. Up next is the second book in the series, “Ripley Under Ground”.

Book: “Ripley Under Ground” by Patricia Highsmith

Publishing Info: Doubleday, June 1970

Where Did I Get This Book: The library!

Where You Can Get This Book: WorldCat.org | Amazon | Indiebound

Book Description: It’s been six years since Ripley murdered Dickie Greenleaf and inherited his money. Now, in Ripley Under Ground (1970), he lives in a beautiful French villa, surrounded by a world-class art collection and married to a pharmaceutical heiress. All seems serene in Ripley’s world until a phone call from London shatters his peace. An art forgery scheme he set up a few years ago is threatening to unravel: a nosy American is asking questions and Ripley must go to London to put a stop to it. In this second Ripley novel, Patricia Highsmith offers a mesmerizing and disturbing tale in which Ripley will stop at nothing to preserve his tangle of lies.

Review: My next installment of my “Ripley’s Reviews” series is, admittedly, a little earlier than it would normally be, as this is the end of the month instead of the beginning of the month. But with Horrorpalooza starting next week I wanted to take on my thoughts on “Ripley Under Ground” now instead of waiting until November. Let’s keep this review series at a steady clip, shall we?

Set a few years after the events of “The Talented Mr. Ripley”, we rejoin Tom Ripley as he is basking in his affluent life that he has built with his inheritance from the Greenleaf family (whose heir apparent Dickie he murdered and stole his identity for a bit), as well as his marriage to pharmaceutical heiress Heloise. He’s been pulling an art forgery scheme to line his pockets as well, and it’s interesting seeing how he is still up to his old tricks and still benefitting from them. Highsmith took a different approach this this one, however, in that instead of climbing his social ladder through misdeeds, we now see Ripley trying to maintain his position at the top. He’s still smarmy and creepy, and it’s so interesting seeing many of those around him just not get that every aspect of his persona is fabricated (and those who DO kind of get it are just as culpable in their own ways). If you enjoyed the first book, there is a lot to like here, though I would argue that it’s not as compelling because we aren’t really getting anything new in terms of his character or his plot line. In this book Tom seems to be perfectly content living his life in rural France with the spoiled Heloise, but once one card from his house is pulled (when an art enthusiast correctly spots the forgeries), Tom can’t help but try and solidify his scheme, but manages only to make it worse. Soon he has a body, a paranoid accomplice, a simpering wife (who returns from her Greek vacation early) AND Dickie Greenleaf’s cousin Chris on his plate.

So this is once again a story about whether or not Tom will be able to get away with it, especially since he now has the paranoid and mentally unstable Bernard Tufts (forgerer turned body disposal buddy) acting incredibly unpredictable in the wake of the cover ups (he is a chimp with a gun, as my friend group likes to say). And once again Highsmith makes the reader actually wait to bated breath to see if Tom can pull it off, and the reader kind of WANTS him to pull it off. I will say this, the plot may have been a little more ho hum this time around, but in terms of his character Ripley is still Ripley and that is a very good thing. Even if his trajectory is well worn territory.

From murder and identity theft to art forgery and more murder, “Ripley Under Ground” was a continuation I had expected more from, but still found a nasty and enjoyable character in Tom Ripley. Next up is “Ripley’s Game”. Whatever shall he get into next?

Rating 7: Not as compelling as the first in the series, but “Ripley Under Ground” is a solid continuation of Tom Ripley, his fraudulent schemes, and his penchant for murdering to keep his lifestyle afloat.

Reader’s Advisory:

“Ripley Under Ground” is included on the Goodreads list “The Vilest Man in Fiction”.


Serena’s Review: “Buried Deep and Other Stories”

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Book: “Buried Deep and Other Stories” by Naomi Novik

Publishing Info: Del Rey, September 2024

Where Did I Get this Book: NetGalley!

Where Can You Get this Book: WorldCat.org | Amazon | IndieBound

Book Description: From the dragon-filled Temeraire series and the gothic, magical halls of the Scholomance trilogy to the fairy tale worlds of Spinning Silver and Uprooted, this stunning collection takes us from fairy tale to fantasy, myth to history, and mystery to science fiction as we travel through Naomi Novik’s most beloved stories.

In Buried Deep, we move from ancient Greece and Rome, through the Middle Ages and the Black Death, and into the modern era. We meet Mark Antony, Sherlock Holmes, and Elizabeth Bennet, in ways we have never seen them before. We visit exotic fantasy cities and alien civilizations among the stars.

Though the stories are vastly different, there is a unifying theme: the act of finding and seizing one’s destiny, and the lengths one will go to achieve that—be it turning pirate, captaining a fighting dragon, or shifting from marriage to seek your destiny with a sword.

And in the two tales original to this collection, we first reenter the remade Scholomance in the wake of El’s revolution and see what life is like for the new crop of students. Then, we get a glimpse at the world of Novik’s upcoming series, a deserted land, populated only by silent and enigmatic architectural behemoths whose secrets are yet to be unlocked.

Review: I don’t typically read short story collections because, with all honesty, I very rarely enjoy them. I’m the sort of reader who really wants to sink into a world and (ideally) follow a single POV character who I become wholly invested in over the course of the story. It’s all quite focused in to detailed character work and epic storytelling and worldbuilding, all of which are difficult to convey in the much smaller wordcount allowed to short stories. Beyond this, most of the collections I’ve read in the past were assortments of authors all contributing to one work, which left a lot of variability in quality throughout the entire read. All of this long winded intro to say, this week I’ll be reviewing not only one short story collection, but two! And they are each wildly different experiences.

Today, we’re going to start on the high note! It probably shouldn’t have been so surprising that I ended up loving this book, given the fact that I don’t think I’ve ever rated a Naomi Novik below an 8 (the vast majority of them have been 9s and 10s, even!). But as we’ve just discussed, I struggle with these sorts of collections. But, if anything, with this book Novik has convinced me that in the right hands, I can enjoy a short story collection just as much as the next person!

In fact, in many ways, it felt like this collection of stories was written just for me. Not only was I rewarded for being a reader of all of Novik’s previous series (we have two Temeraire stories, a “Spinning Silver” story, and a “Scholomance” story), but the other tales she tackled were also of peak interest for me. It was almost freakish! There was a Greek re-telling, a “Pride and Prejudice” re-telling, and a “Sherlock Homes” story that focused on Irene Adler! Can it get more perfect than that? Honestly, if I had sat down and picked out series/stories that I would have wanted to read short stories of, these would have been at the top of my list! And they were all done so well!

I don’t want to cover every single story in this collection (though I enjoyed them all, even if I had favorites), but I’ll talk about a few of my favorites. I really loved the aforementioned “Pride and Prejudice” story. Novik managed to not only re-tell the entire novel in an impressively thorough manner, but also adjusted it to fit within her Temeraire world. This version’s Elisabeth Bennet was a dragon rider and much of the tension with Mr. Darcy was derived from the fact that she’s a military member. It was both incredibly unique but also fit perfectly within the boundaries of the original story.

I also really loved returning to the “Scholomance” world. This story takes place after the events of the trilogy, giving readers a look into how the school operates now that El and Orion have done their work. Of course, it was great seeing some familiar faces (though, sadly, not El herself), but the new character to this story was also fantastic! Through her eyes, we see how other magical communities have dealt with the dangers of this world. There was also an added twist to certain aspects of the magic itself, which I felt was both very creative but also felt natural to this pre-existing world.

I also really enjoyed the Greek re-telling of the story of the Minotaur. Told from the perspective of the Minotaur’s sister, Novik infused the story with a whole new level of tragedy, but also beauty. The Irene Adler story was also good, though here I did feel that by the end of the story, I had been hoping for a bit more…I don’t know, point to it all. So, too, the “Spinning Silver” story was also good. It was a shortened version (I believe this was the first attempt at the story that was later expanded into the full length novel), but essentially hit the same beats, though had a different ending. While I enjoyed reading this one, it did hit home how much I loved the novel version. This one just didn’t pack the same punch, and I enjoyed the ending of the original novel better.

While none of the stories were misses, I did want a bit more from a few of them. The collection begins with a pirate story which I think is the weakest of the bunch (a bit unfortunate that it’s first). There’s nothing inherently wrong with it, but it also didn’t seem to have a lot new to say or offer. Likewise, there’s a story about fairy wishes gone wrong which I really liked, but then it felt like it ended abruptly, almost feeling as if it was the first chapter to an entire book. I was mostly just mad that I couldn’t keep reading it! And lastly, I also enjoyed the look into the new world that her next series will take place within, but this story itself also felt a bit listless. I wasn’t clear whether these were the characters we would be following in the next book or not, but as it stands, by the time the story ends, I wasn’t quite sure what to do with it as a story on its own.

Overall, this was an excellent collection! I think I can even say that it’s my favorite short story collection of all time (take from that what you will, given my general lack of interest/familiarity with the genre). I think most any fantasy fan would find something to like from this book. Though I will say that it’s one of those collections that greatly rewards readers familiar with Novik’s entire catalogue of work; it’s practically a must for fans of her books!

Rating 9: Absolutely fantastic, introducing readers to entire new worlds while also re-warding fans with a return to beloved worlds and characters.

Reader’s Advisory:

“Buried Deep and Other Stories” can be found on these Goodreads lists: Collections of Short Stories and Books I’m Dying to Get My Hands On.

Kate’s Review: “Tiny Threads”

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Book: “Tiny Threads” by Lilliam Rivera

Publishing Info: Del Rey, September 2024

Where Did I Get This Book: I received an ARC from the publisher at ALAAC24.

Where You Can Get This Book: WorldCat.org | Amazon | Indiebound

Book Description: A young woman gets her dream job working for a famous designer—and discovers the dark side of the glamorous world of fashion—in this gorgeously sinister novel of supernatural suspense.

Fashion-obsessed Samara finally has the life she’s always dreamed of: a high-powered job with legendary designer Antonio Mota. A new home in sunny California, far away from those drab Jersey winters. And an intriguing love interest, Brandon, a wealthy investor in Mota’s fashion line.

But it’s not long before Samara’s dream life begins to turn into a living nightmare, as Mota’s big fashion show approaches and the pressure on Samara turns crushing. Perhaps that’s why Samara begins hearing voices in the dark in her room at night—and seeing strange things that can’t be explained away by stress and anxiety, or by the number of drinks she consumes every night.

And it may not only be Samara’s unraveling psyche, because she soon discovers hints that her new city—and the house of Mota—may have been built on a foundation of secrets and lies. Now Samara must uncover what hideous truths lurk in the shadows of this illusory world of glamor and beauty, before those shadows claim her…

Review: Thank you to Del Rey for providing me with an ARC of this novel!

Whenever we go to ALAAC I always come with a list of titles that I am looking for. I resign myself to the fact that my desired titles aren’t always going to overlap with what is available, but this past year I had a pretty good ven diagram of things I wanted and things that were available. One of the books I was on the hunt for was “Tiny Threads” by Lilliam Rivera, partially because Cynthia Pelayo had been singing its praises (and I really enjoy her books), and partially because I LOVE a dramatic interpretation of the fashion industry. If it has horror elements, I’m even more sold. So when it was available I was very, very pleased. I went into it expecting a full on horror story. I found something a little different, but in a positive way.

This wasn’t as scary as I had hoped that it would be, but what it lacked in obvious scares it made up for in a good old fashioned feminine rage story and a psychological spiral of our main character, who keeps hearing ‘rats’ in her new aparment’s walls at 2am. We follow Samara, who has moved from New Jersey to California after she is hired by the iconic (but recently struggling) fashion designer Antonio Mota to work as a fashion promoter in his fashion house. What should be a dream job and an amazing opportunity is not so much, as Samara soon realizes that Mota is an abusive narcissist, there are many divisions in the company, and her new home in Vernon, California, is being disrupted by a hostile work environment and strange noises that keep her awake at night. The pressure and the lack of sleep make Samara more inclined to turn towards a bottle as she desperately tries to help throw together a make or break fashion show, and she has started seeing strange and disturbing images of a woman, as well as the name ‘Piedad’ everywhere. It’s pretty clear to this seasoned horror reader what Rivera was setting up, but the execution of watching Samara spiral into deeper and deeper madness (or is it a horrifying enlightenment?) was intense and nerve wracking. Rivera also examines through Samara, as well as other Latine women characters, a hostile racism and misogyny that is seeping at every turn, whether it’s Antonio’s abuses, or the history of the town and how it has used brown skinned women as worker bodies that are expendable, or how powerful white people take advantage of them in all kinds of ways.

I am also a huge sucker for drama filled stories that take on the fashion industry. I am by no means a fashionista, as you can usually find me wearing jeans, band tees, hoodies, and pajama pants, but I am very fascinated by fashion and beauty and the industries that promote those concepts up (and profit off of them). I enjoyed the way that Rivera portrayed Mota fashion house as a place that creates gorgeous and decadent clothing that is envied and coveted by many, but how how it also rings their employees dry, and how at the end of the day it is a capitalistic machine that is out to make money and to convince the masses that they should be spending their money on their designs. Even the setting of Vernon, California, is the perfect vehicle for this, as it’s a small town that was built on corporate need and greed, and sustains itself through this while also reeking of it (literally; there is a meat processing plant that stinks the community up and is hard to ignore). “Tiny Threads” does a great job of juxtaposing the beauty ideals that the fashion industry pushes forth with the mass production corporate greed that ultimately brings harm to many who work within that system, and how they aren’t so dissimilar be it fashion or meat packing and slaughterhouses. I found it compelling and haunting.

“Tiny Threads” is a great adult debut for Lilliam Rivera, and an incredibly psychological horror tale that has just as many real world scares as it does supernatural ones. Highly recommended!

Rating 8: Intense and angry, “Tiny Threads” is a psychological ghost story that takes on misogyny, violence, racism, and the fashion industry.

Reader’s Advisory:

“Tiny Threads” is included on the Goodreads list “2024 Mystery Thrillers Crime to Be Excited For”.

Diving Into Sub-Genres: Sherlock/Watson Mysteries

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We each have our own preferred genres of choice. Kate loves horrors and thrillers, really anything that will keep her up at night! And Serena enjoys escaping through hidden doors into realms of magic and adventure. We also read mysteries, historical fiction, graphic novels, etc. etc. And that’s not even counting the multitude of sub-genres contained within each greater genre. In this series, one of us will present a list of our favorites from within a given sub-genre of one of our greater preferred genres.

There is an entirely different subgenre of mystery fiction that is focused on detectives more broadly and then gets more nuanced from there (hardboiled, noir, etc.). But I’m an unabashed Sherlock Holmes fan, so I’m just skipping over all of those (to potentially be covered later) and just going straight to my favorite version of the genre: Sherlock/Watson re-tellings or re-imagings.

At a certain point, Holmes has become such the quintessential mold of what a mystery book detectives look like that all clever detectives start to look like him. But while Holmes himself is an excellent character, I think the true appeal of the original stories was the dynamic created between both Holmes and Watson. That being the case, I’m going to focus on stories that more directly re-tell or recreate this relationship. There are tons of examples out there, but I’m going to draw from a few of my personal favorites, as well as some of the more creative takes on this famous duo!

Book: “The Beekeeper’s Apprentice” by Laurie R. King

I believe this was my first exposure to a re-telling of Sherlock Holmes! It’s also one of those crazily impressive series where I remember picking up the first book when I was in high school and yet there are still new books coming out today! Admittedly, I’m very behind on the series as a whole, but this still remains high on my list of recommendations for readers looking for a new version of the classic duo. It is also one of the more-closely-tied series to to the original, serving more as a sequel to the classics than as a re-imagining overall with the story starting out on a Sherlock Holmes who has been long retired. He goes on to meet the main character of the story, Mary Russell, who becomes his apprentice and, fairly early in the series, his wife. However, the romantic relationship is very, very far down the list of focal points of the series, with the stories more often centering around the partnership of equals that forms between Russell and Holmes. As it is a long running series, there are definite highs and lows to be found, but the first 8-10 books were all solid entries from my memory!

Book: “Shadows Over Baker Street” edited by Micahel Reaves and John Pelan

While I haven’t read this entire collection, the short story version of “A Study in Emerald” (which we read for bookclub a few months ago) is included within. Like that story, the collection mashes together classic Sherlock characters and plots alongside aspects of H.P. Lovecraft’s horror worlds. It’s such a strange concept, but sometimes the more odd the mash-up, the more exciting the creative result is in the end! If you’re looking for a more wild take on the classic detective, than this might be a collection worth checking out!

Book: “A Study in Charlotte” by Brittany Cavallaro

This YA book plays around with several aspects of the original. Instead of following the original characters, the story jumps forward several generations, taking place in a contemporary setting and following Jamie Watson as he is thrown into the path of Charlotte Holmes, the great-great-great granddaughter of the original Holmes. Of course, it must contain a mystery at its heart, and this time the duo must not only solve a murder, but also clear their own names, for they are the primary suspects! This is a great introduction to the world of Sherlock Holmes, especially for younger readers who may feel more comfortable picking up a story set in the modern era.

Book: “Jackaby” by William Ritter

This is probably the furthest removed from the original story as any of the books. I could probably create an entirely separate list that is just mystery novels with duos who read as Sherlock and Watson without being directly tied to that series in any way. This is one of those examples. The story takes place in a fantasy world, and the famous detective in this version is a man named Jackaby. However, the book follows the “Watson-like” character, a young woman named Abigail Rook who becomes his assistant as they investigate the supernatural. There are several books in this series, and I very much enjoyed the ones I read. This is definitely a good read for those looking for “Sherlock” vibes, but who are willing to follow the story into brand new territory!

Book: “A Study in Scarlet Women” by Sherry Thomas

No one who reads this blog will be surprised to see this one here! I’ve read a bunch of Sherlock Holmes stories (including everything on this list), and this one is definitely my favorite! Thomas masterfully captures the tone, setting, and style of mysteries that is found in the originals. But she also manages to re-imagine many of the characters into gender-swapped versions of themselves, all while remaining true to the core concepts of their identities. Charlotte Holmes is very much her own character, but at the same time, she is also immediately identifiable as much like the original Holmes. Similarly, the gender-swapped Watson is also fantastic. I can’t say enough good things about this series. And if any readers have been delaying reading it for fear of how much the gender-swapping would impact the characters, do yourself a favor and check it out immediately! I think it will surprise you!

Book: “Dust and Shadow: An Account of the Ripper Killings by Dr. John H. Watson” by Lyndsay Faye

To now go full circle, we will round off the list with a book that follows the original characters largely written as they were first introduced. The twist, of course, is that they are now solving the Jack the Ripper killings. There is much to like about this book, but one of my favorite aspects it the way that Faye returned to the style of Watson recounting the events of the plot itself. This book is also great for how much attention and detail went into the historical aspects of the story. It’s a great read for both fans of Sherlock Holmes as well as those who enjoy Jack the Ripper stories, with an emphasis on historical accuracy.

What are some of your favorite Sherlock/Watson stories ? Let us know in the comments!

Serena’s Review: “The Gods Below”

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Book: “The Gods Below” by Andrea Stewart

Publishing Info: Orbit, September 2024

Where Did I Get this Book: ARC from the publisher!

Where Can You Get this Book: WorldCat.org | Amazon | IndieBound

Book Description: The series is set in a world ravaged by ancient magic, where precious gemstones bestow magical abilities on the few individuals able to harness their power. Full of clandestine power struggles and the battles between gods, the story follows Hakara, a young woman searching for her missing sister and who will do anything to find her — even lead a rebellion against the gods themselves.

Review: While I haven’t reviewed them all on the blog, I have read the previous trilogy put out by this author and very much enjoyed it. It’s been a bit, but from what I remember, her biggest strength was in the creativity of her world-building, a crucial skill for a fantasy author. On top of my previous experience with her books to recommend her, we all know I’m a sucker for stories about sisters, so this was an obvious choice to pick up this fall!

While I did have a few quibbles here and there, I largely enjoyed this read. Like the author’s previous trilogy, the world and lore of this world were creative and interesting. Further, everything was introduced in a very organic way, with limited info-dumping passages or awkward exposition-y dialogue. I also very much enjoyed the beginning of the story itself, as we set up the scenario with the two sisters who have become separated and working to re-unite throughout the story.

There were also some interesting themes explored over the course of the book. Specifically, the author offers up a commentary on climate change in a unique manner. Notably, she didn’t bash readers over the head with this metaphor either, but allowed the story to naturally progress through this theme, with readers taking as much (or little, I guess) from it as they would like.

I also generally liked our main characters. The cast slowly expands as the story continues, and none of them were big misses. Rather, my problems came in a bit with my expectations. For one thing, all of the characters felt fairly simplistic, with familiar motivations and arcs to ones we’ve seen in other similar fantasy stories. And then, at the odd moment, they would make decisions that wouldn’t seem to line up with these previously established factors about their characters. I guess I expected a bit more, especially from a seasoned fantasy author who already has a completed trilogy under her belt. And, judging by this book alone (which perhaps isn’t fair, as we have three books’ worth of time with the other characters), I do feel like the character work presented in the previous series was better. Though, now that I’m writing that, I do remember I had at least one set of POV characters who I really struggled with there. So perhaps this is simply still not a strong point for this author’s writing currently.

That said, I was mostly pleased with this story. While it wasn’t breaking any new barriers as far as fantasy fiction goes, it was servable and enjoyable. The writing was steady and engaging, and I particularly appreciated the detailed effort that went into the world-building and the history. The characters could have perhaps been deeper, but they also weren’t unlikable, which goes far for me.

Rating 8: An interesting new world to explore, though hopefully the characters will gain more depth as the series continues.

Reader’s Advisory:

“The Gods Below” can be found on this Goodreads list: 2024 SFF Books with Female Leads or Co-Leads

Serena’s Review: “The Scarlet Throne”

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Book: “The Scarlet Throne” by Amy Leow

Publishing Info: Orbit, September 2024

Where Did I Get this Book: ARC from the publisher!

Where Can You Get this Book: WorldCat.org | Amazon | IndieBound

Book Description: Binsa is a “living goddess,” chosen by the gods to dispense both mercy and punishment from her place on the Scarlet Throne. But her reign hides a deadly secret. Rather than channeling the wisdom of an immortal deity, she harbors a demon.

But now her priests are growing suspicious. When a new girl, Medha, is selected to take over her position, Binsa and her demon strike a To magnify his power and help her wrest control from the priests, she will sacrifice human lives. She’ll do anything not to end up back on the streets, forgotten and alone. But how much of her humanity is she willing to trade in her quest for power? Deals with demons are rarely so simple.

Review: Would it be shallow to admit that I initially picked this one up to check it out further because of the cool black panther on the cover? Yes? Well, I definitely didn’t do that then…That aside, I also was intrigued by the themes hinted at it in the summary. The lengths one will go to to hold on to power, always an interesting topic!

This was a strange read. On one hand, I very much appreciated the character work that went into it. This is a dark look at the lengths to which people will go not only to survive but to cling to the power they have on hand. Much of the plot (such as it was) is caught up in this character study and much page time is devoted to the exploration of these topics. So on one hand, I appreciate the fact that the author didn’t shy away from the realities of the sorts of characters she was writing. The characters were allowed to go down dark paths and commit vile actions.

That said, however, it didn’t make for a very enjoyable reading experience. Not only were many of the characters incredibly unlikable, but there were also aspects of the decision making that were very frustrating. I get the idea, that those who are operating in survival mode are just looking to get through the present in whatever way works. However, very early on it became obvious that these tactics would never work in the long run, so it was frustrating seeing characters make decisions again and again that would only lead to discovery and disaster. Again, yes, this is a very true-to-life mode of behavior, but it made for an aggravating reading experience.

I also was a bit disappointed to discover that this was the first book in a series (a trilogy, I believe). The ending to this book is tragic, as one would expect given the nature of the story. And I think there would have been something more powerful about allowing the story to end there. As it stands, the promise of more to come almost works against what this story was trying to do on its own. I feel like the author could have easily cut it off a few pages earlier, and then just tacked on the ending of this book to the beginning of the next. This way, this book could have read as a stand-alone OR as the first in a series.

In the end, this was an odd reading experience for me. Quality-wise, I think this book is fairly high. The author set out to tell a story about a morally dark character and succeeded in thoroughly committing to that theme. However, for a character-driven book, I had a hard time enjoying it simply because I disliked so many of the characters so much. Readers who enjoy dark fantasy should probably still give this one a go, even if it wasn’t really for me.

Rating 7: The story tackles a dark character and explores themes of power and survival, but given the nature of these topics, I struggled to truly enjoy this read.

Reader’s Advisory:

“The Scarlet Throne” isn’t currently on any Goodreads lists, but it should be on Main Characters Who Aren’t Afraid To Get Their Hands Dirty.

Kate’s Review: “The Lightning Bottles”

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Book: “The Lightning Bottles” by Marissa Stapley

Publishing Info: Simon & Schuster, September 2024

Where Did I Get This Book: I received an ARC at ALAAC24.

Where You Can Get This Book: WorldCat.org | Amazon | Indiebound

Book Description: The author of New York Times bestseller and Reese’s Book Club pick Lucky returns with a love letter to rock ‘n’ roll and star-crossed love, following Jane Pyre’s road trip around Europe as she attempts to find out what really happened to her partner in love and music, who disappeared without a trace years earlier, leaving Jane to pick up the pieces.

Jane Pyre was once one half of one of the most famous rock ‘n’ roll duos in the world, The Lightning Bottles. Years later, she’s perhaps the most hated (and least understood) woman in music. She was never as popular with fans as her bandmate (and soulmate) Elijah—even if Jane was the one who wrote the songs that catapulted The Lightning Bottles to instant, dizzying fame, first in the Seattle grunge scene, and then around the world.

But then Elijah disappeared and everything came crashing down. Even now, years after Elijah vanished, Jane is universally blamed and reviled by the public. In an attempt to get some peace and quiet, Jane rents a house in a remote part of Germany where she knows she won’t be disturbed. But on the day she arrives, she’s confronted by her new next-door neighbor, a sullen teenaged girl named Hen who just so happens to be a Lightning Bottles superfan—and who claims to have a piece of information that might solve the mystery of what happened to Elijah, and whether he is, in fact, still alive and leaving messages for Jane after all these years.

A cross-continent road trip about two misunderstood outsiders brought together by their shared love of music, interwoven with flashbacks to the beginnings of Jane and Elijah’s love story and meteoric rise, The Lightning Bottles is a love story, a celebration of rock ‘n’ roll, and a searing portrait of the cost of fame.

Review: Thank you to Simon & Schuster for providing me with an ARC of this novel!

I was a bit young to really get into the grunge era of music, but I do remember some of my elementary school classmates listening to Nirvana, and some of my tween friends worshiping Kurt Cobain in middle school a few years after his death. But by high school I was very much aware of Kurt Cobain and Courtney Love and their short lived, dramatic, but ultimately true romance, in part due to the fact I was hyperfocusing on The Sex Pistols and there were lots of comparisons between Sid and Nancy and Kurt and Courtney. So I was very familiar with the pop culture zeitgeist around that when I heard a description of “The Lightning Bottles” by Marissa Stapley at the Simon & Schuster Fall Preview panel at ALAAC24. I loved the idea of a road trip mystery as a former rock star goes on a journey to perhaps find her husband and musical partner who disappeared, and to come to terms with the way that fame shaped and in some ways destroyed them both. Especially since it sounded like it was going to perhaps do some unpacking of Kurt and Courtney through the characters of Elijah and Jane.

I had been expecting more of a mystery, but what I got was basically “Eddie and the Cruisers” meets Kurt and Courtney. And that’s not too much of a complaint! I do enjoy the idea of a mystery of a beloved rockstar disappearing, and his controversial wife/bandmate going on a journey to try and see if he is still alive (with scrappy teenager in tow), and “The Lightning Bottles” does deliver an interesting plot with lots of twists and turns. But this book is more about artistry, the price of fame, and how sometimes love isn’t enough to keep two damaged people from causing more damage towards each other. Stapley definitely takes inspiration from Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain and his marriage to Hole frontwoman (and perhaps one of the most hated women in music) Courtney Love, but Elijah and Jane, Jane especially, stand on their own two feet. I liked learning their love story through the flashbacks and the transcripts of their chat room conversations, and while I don’t think I got to know Elijah as much as I did Jane (which is to be expected given it’s really her story at its heart), I REALLY got to know Jane, and I really loved Jane by the end. I do wish that there was a little bit more mystery at the forefront though. Even “Eddie and the Cruisers” had some tense moments in regards to what happend to Eddie, even if it was ultimately about Tom Berenger rediscovering himself.

And that may be my one complaint in this book; Stapley may be a little TOO forgiving of Jane, and in turn perhaps her inspiration (an author’s note makes it fairly clear that Stapley really wanted to champion Courtney Love). Please don’t misunderstand me, I absolutely believe that a lot of the animosity towards Love, especially when it comes to Kurt Cobain, is unfair, unfounded, and steeped in misogyny, especially since we’ve seen this kind of thing before in rock and roll narratives of a horrible woman ruining a band when that’s just not founded at the end of the day (Yoko Ono comes to mind). I love that Stapley wanted to be sure to show that Jane was so wholly misunderstood, and that it was very unfair that Elijah’s problems were never laid upon Elijah and only on Jane. Especially when those problems were causing JANE problems in her own right. But that also makes Jane a little less interesting by making her flaws easily explained away, when her real life counterpart is VERY flawed for reasons that go waaaay beyond the bullshit she had to endure in regards Cobain. And I felt that by denying Jane some flaws that had some bite, it denied her some more complexity that she probably could have used.

As a whole I enjoyed “The Lightning Bottles”. It’s a love letter to a musical era, it’s an enjoyable love story, and it has some emotional beats that caught me off guard.

Rating 7: I was expecting more of a mystery but instead found a compelling love story about fame, music, and the highs and lows of being in love as an artist on the verge of greatness, or tragedy.

Reader’s Advisory:

“The Lightning Bottles” isn’t on many Goodreads lists yet, but it would fit in on “Best Rock and Roll Novels”.