YA, urban (and small town rural) fantasy. Briseis Greene runs a flower shop in Brooklyn with her moms, and hides a secret: she has a magical ability with plants that she can only partially control. One day she receives news that her birth family has left her with a mysterious garden estate in the country, and she begins to uncover more than she ever could have known about her background; as she comes into her true power, threats coalesce around her. I found the pacing uneven and the events somewhat unrealistic, but I loved Briseis’ narrative voice and her relationship with her mothers (and the constant references to Get Out). Cliffhanger ending into the next book.
Someone in Time: Tales of Time Crossed Romance, ed. Jonathan Strahan
Short story collection, all about time traveling and falling in love. Some authors took the assignment literally (Theodora Goss’s A Letter to Merlin, in which time-traveling agents, sent to influence the behavior of historical figures, try to communicate with one another); others take a more roundabout route (Zen Cho’s The Past Life Reconstruction Service, in which people get to relive their past lives in search of answers for their present lives). Other standouts were Sam J. Miller’s Unabashed, or: Jackson, Whose Cowardice Tore a Hole in the Chronoverse, a poignant and unforgettable wail of pain; and Time Gypsy by Ellen Klages, which creates one of those beautiful perfect cause-and-effect time-travel loops while also pulling in themes of feminism, gay rights, and found family. Really great collection overall.
Empire of Pain: the Secret History of the Sackler Dynasty, by Patrick Radden Keefe
This book follows three generations of the Sackler family as they make their fortune, spread their wealth around via conspicuous philanthropy, and then find themselves defending their name from the fallout of their actions. Keefe creates in-depth profiles of each of the Sacklers, using their own words as well as firsthand accounts from their friends, associates, and employees, to trace their evolution as people as well as pharmaceutical advertisers. The writing is compelling and increasingly enraging, especially as the account moves into the OxyContin years; with an avalanche of damning facts, the book lays bare the Sacklers’ singleminded pursuit of profit even as their culpability in the nation’s opioid crisis becomes impossible to ignore.
A Man Called Ove, by Fredrik Backman
I wasn’t aware that this was being made into a movie, but that explains why the hold list for it was so long. I was initially predisposed to roll my eyes at this book, since the “curmudgeon learns to love life because of his wacky neighbors” premise was so obvious right off the bat… but the execution was phenomenal, revelations and subtle growth and character background dropped gracefully into the text, until a whole picture is painted around you and you find yourself rooting hard for the characters in their fight against unfairness and an uncaring bureaucracy. Very sweet read.
Plum Duff, by Victoria Goddard
This book (6th in the Greenwing and Dart series) takes place during the leadup to Winterturn, which is obviously a Christmas analogue; it’s all snow and gifts and wild magic, driving back the dark, and getting ready for the turning of the year. It honestly felt quite a bit like Susan Cooper’s Dark is Rising. Goddard’s universe, which already involved old and new gods and religions, suddenly expands to include fairies, which took me a bit aback; however, it’s of a piece with the general theme of “weird stuff happens around Jemis Greenwing” so it’s easy to roll with.
The Trials of Nina McCall, by Scott W. Stern
Nonfiction, a deeply detailed and infuriating delve into the American Plan, a little-known and widespread government program, which for decades empowered authorities to detain women on the flimsiest of premises, perform invasive procedures on them without consent, imprison them without trial or hope of appeal, and force them to undergo dangerous and ineffective treatments if (highly unreliable) tests found them to have venereal diseases. This program ensnared and abused tens of thousands, possibly hundreds of thousands, of American women, including the titular Nina McCall; when the program finally faded, it was buried from history. The book was clearly well-researched and the subject is horrifying, but unfortunately the writing drowned the reader in mind-numbing detail; it if weren’t for the urgent subject matter (and the fact that I had a book club deadline), I likely would not have forced myself through to the end.
Two Witches and a Whiskey, by Annette Marie, read by Cris Dukehart
Another of Marie’s Guild Codex books; in this one, human bartender Tori tries to stay out of trouble with the magical police, who are investigating fallout from her earlier adventures. Being Tori, of course she fails utterly at lying low, and finds herself not only getting entangled with powerful fae and dark magic guilds, but pulling her friends into the mess as well. Entertaining and amusing as usual. Dukehart’s Tori, sassy and pouty by turns, helps the character’s choices seem more believable in the moment.
Legends & Lattes: A Novel of High Fantasy and Low Stakes, by Travis Baldree
This book reads, and feels, like a warm and reassuring hug. Nothing demanding in the plot or the writing: tired of fighting, an orc barbarian named Viv decides to retire and open the town’s first coffee shop, with the help of a lucky-charm artifact she gained in her final job. With the help of a motley crew of found friends, she eventually creates every writer’s dream coffee shop. Although she faces difficulties from the local mob, bitter ex-crewmates, and a populace suspicious of a barista with her build and species, the tone of the book is so friendly that you never feel like her adorable enterprise is under serious threat.
Warrior, by Marie Brennan
This book has two narrators: bounty hunter Mirage, tough and fast; and witch-in-training Miryo, earnest and sheltered. Miryo learns that she has to kill her doppelganger, which she’s never met, to come into her full power; obviously, Mirage has something to say about that. Good worldbuilding with an interesting premise, but both Miryo and Mirage feel a little flat as characters; they’re incomplete halves of a whole and don’t really have a lot of character growth to do. First in a series.
All the Murmuring Bones, by A.G. Slatter
Miren O’Malley was raised with stories of merpeople and magic, debts and revenge, knowing that each story could have some truth at its core: after all, her own family’s fortune came from a bargain with the sea. However, with her generation, the bargain has fallen into decline, and against the wishes of her family she digs into the reasons and history behind her family’s situation. I loved the interstitial stories, told by and to Miren; the writing was dark and atmospheric, but the characters felt alive.