I really enjoyed THE ARRANGEMENT by Robyn Harding when I received it in a book box, so her newest book THE SWAP went right onto my TBR. I’m overdue onI really enjoyed THE ARRANGEMENT by Robyn Harding when I received it in a book box, so her newest book THE SWAP went right onto my TBR. I’m overdue on my review for this one (I actually read it back in March) because it was a tough one to wrap my thoughts around!
THE SWAP follows Low Morrison, a teen girl who has a lot of freedom but doesn’t really find a place to belong. When she meets Freya, a woman who was once a social media darling, Low is instantly intrigued. Freya now creates beautiful pottery and Low joins her for to learn pottery making herself. Freya uses Low as a confidant which only encourages Low’s obsession more.
When Freya makes a new friend, Low feels left out in the cold. When Freya and her new friend Jamie have a drunken dinner party with their partners, the idea of partner swapping comes up. This leads to a lot of questions of did they or didn’t they with Low, the unknown witness outside.
This book was easy to get hooked into, though there really weren’t any particularly likeable characters. They are characters that it is fun to read about, but not people you would want to actually know in real life. Low’s obsession is somewhat understandable because Freya seems to be the first person to really show signs of friendship and affection for her. Still, from the outside looking in, it is clear that Freya is using Low for engagement because she’s there.
Harding did a fantastic job of keeping the questions coming with twists that I sometimes saw coming, but still kept me hooked to see how they would play out. This is a highly bingeable read!
If you enjoy a good book about adults behaving very badly, this might be the read for you!...more
I added A HOUSE AT THE BOTTOM OF A LAKE by Josh Malerman to my February TBR, then immediately proceeded to read it in January because I’m contrary likI added A HOUSE AT THE BOTTOM OF A LAKE by Josh Malerman to my February TBR, then immediately proceeded to read it in January because I’m contrary like that! This has been on my shelves for quite a long while.
A HOUSE AT THE BOTTOM OF A LAKE centers on two teens, James and Amelia, just entering into a new relationship. Their first date is spent borrowing a boat from James’ uncle and exploring the local lakes. James knows about a second less popular lake and Amelia is suitably impressed, but when the pair notice a mostly hidden route to get to a third completely unknown lake things take a turn.
This third lake is a bit odd and a bit smelly, but the most strange part is that they suddenly realize they are paddling right over the top the roof of a house. Knowing nothing about the house or the lake, they decide to free dive down to explore. Soon their days are spent exploring the house and its not entirely natural nature.
This is one of those stories that you finish and wonder… wait, what did I just read? This is not one of those stories that I think will be for everyone. That said, I did enjoy the reading experience. I had a lot of questions while reading this one. I questioned the teens’ sanity in just diving down to the bottom of a lake and entering a house without oxygen or anyone knowing where they were. I also questioned how their obsession with the house didn’t leave their families or their jobs to wonder what they were doing with themselves! I also had a lot of questions about the nature of the house and its origins. This isn’t a book that is going to answer all of your questions.
I saw a lot of reviews that said that this isn’t horror. I would disagree with that. It definitely is more slow burn creepy horror and I suppose it depends on what you’re looking for in your horror. To me, the idea of being inside a dark house, under water and isolated brought enough of a creepy factor that I don’t think the “horror” label was misapplied.
This was a quick, creepy read, but one that definitely still left me wondering!...more
When I pulled a prompt for a book set on an island, I asked for suggestions from my booksta friends. THE WICKED DEEP by Shea Ernshaw was one of the suWhen I pulled a prompt for a book set on an island, I asked for suggestions from my booksta friends. THE WICKED DEEP by Shea Ernshaw was one of the suggestions I received and I already had it on my shelves, so it was perfect!
THE WICKED DEEP is set in the town of Sparrow, a town that was cursed after three women were sentenced to death as witches. Because they were killed by drowning, once a year the sisters return by taking control of three young women and lure young men to their deaths in the water.
Penny Carter is a young woman who knows the truth of the sisters, but she meets Bo, a stranger to Sparrow who doesn’t believe the local legends. She takes him in and gives him work at the island she calls home where her family is responsible for maintaining the lighthouse. As young men begin to die, the locals begin to throw accusations at each other and it is Penny who sees the real truth.
I really enjoyed this read and flew through it in no time! The author does a good job of building up the atmospheric, haunting setting. In addition to what is going on in the present day, we get flashbacks to when the sisters were human to see how they became the bitter, murdering spirits who haunt Sparrow. We also see how ugly humans can be as well as they make accusations at each other when they have no real way of knowing who is inhabited by the three spirits.
I thought the author did a great job of depicting the teens who have grown up under the threat of this legend. While some (like Penny) worried about the potential of being cursed or killed, you also have a lot of teens who want to tempt fate. They throw parties which involve submerging themselves in the water and putting themselves at risk of being taken over or drowned. Even when bodies start turning up, there is a sense of being invincible.
This book managed to delivery a few crafty surprises and I really enjoyed it. I’d recommend it as a good, fast fantasy read! ...more
I had seen a few great reviews for THE OFFICE OF HISTORICAL CORRECTIONS by Danielle Evans. When I pulled a reading challenge prompt which gave a colleI had seen a few great reviews for THE OFFICE OF HISTORICAL CORRECTIONS by Danielle Evans. When I pulled a reading challenge prompt which gave a collection of short stories as an option, I immediately added it to my January Book of the Month box.
THE OFFICE OF HISTORICAL CORRECTIONS is a book comprised of a short novella and a collection of short stories which address issues of race, relationships, history, grief, and more. Each story provides a snapshot into the lives of new characters , while delving into bigger and more universal issues.
After starting this collection, I immediately noticed how easy it was to settle in to each of the author’s stories. It is always tough to pack in fully developed characters, plot and messages into the short form, but I think Danielle Evans did a wonderful job of that. The stories bring a lot of variety, addressing things like social media, historical monuments, parenthood and romance.
I think one of the things that impressed me the most was the way the author conveys relationships. With limited pages to develop things for the reader’s understanding, I was impressed with the amount of feeling that came through the pages.
With any collection, some stories were favored over others, but I really enjoyed all of them. This is a collection I would recommend to anyone who enjoys a well crafted short story!
I asked for suggestions on Bookstagram for my Around the Year in 52 Books reading challenge prompt for a female villains. I got a lot of good suggestiI asked for suggestions on Bookstagram for my Around the Year in 52 Books reading challenge prompt for a female villains. I got a lot of good suggestions, but THEY NEVER LEARN by Layne Fargo was the only one suggested multiple times. With a few trusted sources suggesting it, I made this my first read of 2021!
THEY NEVER LEARN follows two stories. Scarlett Clark is an English professor at Gorman University. More importantly she is a serial killer, on the look out for the worst men to target for a punishment of death. She seems to specialize in bringing justice to those men who are destined to get away with their grisly crimes against the female population of the university. When the university is more concerned with its reputation than protecting women, there are many victims to choose from!
Carly Schiller is a new freshman on campus, eager to explore her newfound freedom after living with an ultra controlling and abusive father. Her roommate has been around Gorman for a while and is determined to break Carly out of her shell. When her roommate is sexually assaulted, Carly is determined to find justice as well.
I am so glad that I trusted my booksta friends with this recommendation as it was a fantastic start to the reading year! The author wove the two main characters’ stories together so well with short chapters switching between POVs in a way that kept the pace fast and the pages flipping! I finished the book before we were even a full day into the new year!
This is one I definitely recommend going into pretty blind. There were quite a few twists and turns that I absolutely did not see coming and I think going in without a lot of knowledge about the book aided with that!
I 100% recommend this one to the thriller fans out there!...more
I picked up MALICE by Keigo Higashino, Alexander O. Smith (Translator) at my local used bookstore after seeing it listed on multiple ‘best of’ lists fI picked up MALICE by Keigo Higashino, Alexander O. Smith (Translator) at my local used bookstore after seeing it listed on multiple ‘best of’ lists for translated thrillers. When I saw it on the Are You Well Read in World Literature list, I selected it for my reading challenge prompt! It was supposed to be a February read, but I was in the mood for a thriller and I moved it up my TBR!
MALICE centers on the murder of popular novelist Kunihiko Hidaka just as he’s about to leave Japan and move to Vancouver. He is found in his vacated house where he was meant to be writing the final installment in his serialized novel before meeting up with his wife. His wife and his best friend Osamu Nonoguchi find the bodies.
Kyoichiro Kaga is the detective on the case and in a surprise twist he actually knows Nonoguchi from a time when they were both teachers. Kaga left to join the police and Nonoguchi is a writer, though less well known than his murdered friend. Nonoguchi presents not only a solid alibi, but some extra insights about Hidaka which help Kaga to realize that things may not be as they at first appear.
This book takes a very different approach to most crime novels in that we know very early on in the story who Kaga has determined the killer to be. What he doesn’t know is what the motive was and how the murder was carried out. With alternating points of view and a narrator that Kaga quickly realizes is unreliable, the story takes some fantastic twists. I really liked how unique this was!
I really appreciated that the reader is given everything that Kaga has at his disposal to uncover the truth. We’re hearing from his star witness directly and we also get flashbacks to Kaga’s past experiences that help drive his suspicions. I thought that the clues and the slowly emerging details of the case were very well done!
This author has quite a few well rated novels, but so far I believe only two have been translated to English. I will definitely be keeping an eye out for more in the future!...more
WORDSLUT takes a look at the English language and the way words have evolved over time. While a word like “bitch” is considered a distinctly feminine WORDSLUT takes a look at the English language and the way words have evolved over time. While a word like “bitch” is considered a distinctly feminine insult and most know it as originating as a term for a female dog, it was actually first a word for any genitalia of any gender. The author takes a close look at gendered and non-gendered words and why some stick around and others don’t. She looks at speech patterns and filler words and how the world perceives women’s speech.
I had picked up a copy of this book when it first came out as I had heard a few reviews that really intrigued me. I am glad that I finally picked this one up as it was really fascinating. As someone who really doesn’t have a wide vocabulary when it comes to my own swearing (“crap” is about as far as my day to day language goes), this book definitely threw a lot more language at me than I hear in a typical month. That said, the audiobook is narrated by the author and it was really well done (though it is one I wouldn’t play at top volume around sensitive ears). Having the print copy in addition to listening to the audio did add a few extras as there are some cartoons and other illustrations peppered in throughout the text.
The author goes about her analysis in a professional but also personal and humorous approach which I really enjoyed. She is not promising a feminist take back of the English language or a path to ultimate success in removing gendering of our speech. She does however give some insights into the reasons why things are as they are and ways to reconsider our own word choices.
If you are looking to add some nonfiction to your reading that is a little bit different, I would recommend WORDSLUT.
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