“The Case of the Terrified Typist” by Erle Stanley Gardner (Perry Mason Mystery)

 This was another fun read in the series. The social norms of the day are hilarious to behold. Women have come a long way.

“The Valley of Lost Children” by David Barbur (Tye Caine Wilderness Mystery # 1)

 The book was riveting and even included a librarian. I enjoyed it but the characters were too cleanly drawn, and there was too much shooting and individual justice dispensation in the great wide wilderness. All that to say that I won’t be continuing the series.

“The Beautiful Ones” by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

 I absolutely hated the plot and the sappy reader’s voice in this audio book. I found it so unbearable, that I had to fast forward through a big chunk of it. The love triangle was very unpleasant, and people who compared the book to Jane Austen were totally off base. It lacked her ironic humour and intelligence. Moreno-Garcia should stick to more supernaturally focussed novels. This book has put me off of her for quite a while.

“H is for Hawk” by Helen Macdonald

 I really didn’t see the appeal of this book. It was interesting learning about TH White and his hawk, but the author’s dedication to hawking just made her seem like a weirdo to me. There was too much description for sure, though I did enjoy some of her philosophizing… she was dealing with the death of her father. And I must admit, the author was bravely very honest about her thoughts and feelings.

“The Sanatorium” by Sarah Pearse (audio book)

This book (audio) was riveting, but I did not like it. I did not like the “damaged” female protagonist", the overly convoluted plot with its inevitable holes, and the epilogue with the protagonist/detective being stalked by a vicious killer. Nor did I like the woman reading the book… I found her fragile voice to be irritating. One good thing… The setting of a sanatorium converted to a hotel in the Swiss mountains was a nice Gothic touch.

This is the second book I’ve tried from Reese’s book club, and it will be the last. She seems to have a fondness for plot twists, and values them more than good writing.

“The Case of the Fenced-In Woman” by Erle Stanley Gardner (Perry Mason)

 I enjoyed the book, but it had too many court procedural technicalities for my taste. And I’m getting tired of all the smart, sexy women who are in fact subservient to men. I think I’ll take a break from Perry Mason for awhile.

“The Case of the Postponed Murder” by Erle Stanley Gardner (Perry Mason #2)

 The plot was a bit too convoluted but still enjoyable.

“The Case of the Crimson Kiss” by Erle Stanley Gardner (Perry Mason)

 I enjoyed this short novella. It was sweet and to the point.

“Hawaii” by James A. Michener

 I quite enjoyed this book and found it to be only slightly dated. Michener surprised me with his broad-mindedness. I expected less from a book written in 1959.

From this book, I now have a much better understanding of Hawaii. I guess it falls into the category of historical fiction, but it is very well researched and is so closely based on real people that it reads like non-fiction. Unti, I read this book, I had never had trouble separating the 2 genres.

“The Last Devil to Die” by Richard Osman

 As usual with Osman, his latest Thursday Murder Club book was enjoyable escapist reading. I like the depth of the backstories he develops for the characters.  They are constantly evolving, which is nice to see. Admittedly, the books do become repetitive, but the characters keep your interest up, I think.

“Silver Nitrate” by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

 I enjoy reading her books. They are not great literature, but I always learn something, and they have happy endings. This book was a bit drier than her other title, but I learned about the history of silver nitrate film, and the magic of movie making. I also learned that tens of thousands swooned when Rudolph Valentino died, I also heard hi mentioned on the radio recently. I love synchronicity.

“Africa Risen”

 I read less than half this book of speculative fiction stories from Africa. The reason is that it is a very long book and I did not enjoy a single story I read. The stories were strongly dystopian and heavily focussed on ancestors and spirits. After awhile, nearly all the stories seemed identical.

“Percy Jackson: The Sea of Monsters” by Rick Riordan (volume 2)

 OK read. Enjoy the Greek mythology info. YA cliches can be a bit tiresome. Overall a decent read.

“Dead Lions” by Mick Herron

 This was an enjoyable audio book even though I knew the plot from the tv show. Herron has a great talent for vividly amusing descriptions.

“Percy Jackson: The Lightning Thief” by Rick Riordan

The book was a bit repetitive and of course the characters are the usual teenage types, but I quite enjoyed it. I have always liked Greek mythology, and the descriptions of the gods and locations are very well done. I’m glad Morgan and Lochlan had me red it.

“The Case of the Velvet Claws” by Erle Stanley Gardner (Perry Mason)

 I quite enjoyed this first book in the Perry Mason series. The mystery was interesting and more complicated than I initially expected. It was also fun from a historical perspective. It’s quite amazing how much society has changed in 90 years.

“Demon Copperhead” by Barbara Kingsolver

 I bought this book because I enjoyed Kingsolver’s “The Poisonwood Bible” and because I liked the novel “David Copperfield, of which this is an updated rendering. It takes place in Appalachia, and I’ve liked Sharon McCrumb’s books about this region. 

This is a very long novel, and sadly it lacked Dickens’ light touch and ironic sense of humour. Reading it was, for the most part, a slog. It read like a documentary on human misery. I did enjoy the last 200 pages or so, because they were actually finally hopeful, and as expected, Demon got the girl, Angus.

“Lesser Known Monsters of the 21st Century” by Kim Fu

 I would have to say that this mostly unpleasant set of bizarre short stories was right up my alley.

“Snow Road Station” by Elizabeth Hay

 I was hoping I would enjoy this book because it’s written by an older woman, it is about an older woman, and it takes place in Lanark, Ottawa and Montreal. But I found it to be a rather pedestrian experience. I’m not into reliving my past or having regrets over things you can’t change, or having recreational sex. Lulu, the aging actress, found peace and happiness in the beauty of nature, in her family home, surrounded by loving friends and family. Big deal. Tell me something I don’t know. Lulu was a total bore.

“The Daughter of Dr Moreau” by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

 I have read this author before and I like the way she combines weird subject matter with Mexican history and culture. Dr Moreau’s daughter, Carolita, was a compelling character who had to come to terms with the discovery that she was part cheetah. I liked the characters of Montgomery and Lupe as well.  The love between Montgomery, Carolita and the other hybrids was very touching.

“Dark Places” by Gillian Flynn

The murders of the protagonist's family took place years ago, when she was a child being raised by a mostly single mother who was barely scraping by on a farm.  As an adult, Libby is very short, and surviving partially on the notoriety of being present during those murders. The book is well written, but it is filled with so much unpleasantness that I had to start skimming it. Figuring out whether family members were murdered by the brother, Ben, the overall ugliness of the people involved, the hysteria over little girls saying (lying) they were sexually molested, hints of satanism etc etc, was definitely not my cup of tea. At least Libby grew a lot emotionally as the book progressed, obviously beginning to overcome the trauma of her childhood. I'm glad her brother was exonerated.

“The Island of Doctor Moreau” by H.G. Wells (audio book)

 I listened to this audio book to prepare myself for the book “The Daughter of Doctor Moreau”. It was an interesting enough book, and you can clearly see its influence on modern tales of the fantastic. Man vs beast. How human are we really?

“The Ink Black Heart” by Robert Galbraith

 This book in the Strike series was much too long and too intricate and filled with too many re herrings. And yet, I couldn’t put it down because the characters were all so well drawn. I also found the exploration of online fandom to be quite interesting.

“The Marrow Thieves” by Cherie Dimaline (audio book)

Considering its popularity, this YA novel was not what I expected. It contained quite a bit about the miseries of the indigenous population, and much less SF story telling than I thought it would. The SF aspect seemed just a veneer for exploring the loss of culture, the dehumanization etc etc.

“When We Lost our Heads” by Heather O’Neill

 Much of the book was not a pleasant read. Sadie and Marie were quite callous antiheroes and it contained a lot of sexual violence and inequality, and poverty. Women were used as a disposable commodity. If they died in childbirth or getting an abortion, so be it. Their factory boss or husband or jilted lover moved on to someone else.

And yet, O’Neill tied everything together so nicely that by the end, I actually had to admit that I had enjoyed the book. Additionally, I love the whimsy of O’Neill’s similes. They give her books a magical air. And I always enjoy reading about Montreal.

“Slow Horses” by Mick Herron (audio book)

 This was my first audio book. It was quite an enjoyable read, and very close to the tv series.

“The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo” by Taylor Jenkins Reid

 I cannot say that this book is beautifully written. I found the writing style to be a bit harsh for my taste. And yet, it is the most compelling book I’ve read in ages. I honestly couldn’t put it down. Initially it seemed to be a mundane Hollywood tell all. But it quickly evolved into a story about the complexities of how and who we love, and about the morally gray area of motivation. And at its very heart, it is a beautiful love story. 

Of course, the Hollywood press usually gets it wrong in the book, because they are so cleverly manipulated by their subjects. It’s quite amazing, the wide gulf between truth and “press” and what we tell ourselves. I admired the ruthless honesty of Evelyn Hugo.

“Lessons in Chemistry” by Bonnie Garmus

 I enjoyed this book quite a bit and it was an easy read. Elizabeth Zott is an interesting and very independent heroine from the 1950’s and 60’s, at a time when women were horribly downtrodden. There was more sadness and less satire than I expected, but the ending was nice. I guess this was a bit of a fairytale, but the world needs more of those.