The Iron King by Julie Kagawa

December 20, 2024

The Iron King by Julie Kagawa

Megan Chase lives on a pig farm in the Louisiana Bayou with her mother, stepfather and half-brother. She is an outcast but her best friend Robbie, another outcast, has always been there for her. On her 16th birthday, like a miracle, the quarterback of the football team asks her to lunch, only for Megan to become the victim of a vicious prank. Things only get worse when she arrives home to find that a changeling has taken the place of her half-brother who has been spirited off to the land of Faery. Megan is determined to go after him and bring him back, whatever the cost.

First book in the Iron Fey series. These faeries and elves aren't the Disney variety, more like the Eoin Colfer type (see the Artemis Fowl series). Many well known characters such as Puck and Oberon, and Grimalkin the faery cat is a great character. There are some fun and creative parts, like the road back to Faery through a dance club in Detroit. Many of the settings in the Iron King section have strong overtones of The Lord of the Rings. Note to fey folk: if you know that iron can kill you, maybe it's not the best idea to go into a land made of iron. Will appeal to readers of YA fantasy/romantasy.

The land of Faery

Flags on the Bayou by James Lee Burke

July 15, 2023

Flags on the Bayou by James Lee Burke

It's really hard to write a description of this book since there is so much going on. Set in 1863 in the Louisiana bayou country outside New Orleans, on the surface, this is a story about a group of people in the middle of the American Civil War and how they are affected by the war. Wade Lufkin is recuperating from his war wounds at his uncle's plantation; Hannah is one of his uncle's slaves, accused of murdering another plantation owner, but her only goal is to find her son, separated from her at the battle of Shiloh; Pierre is the local sheriff, drawn to a free woman of color named Darla; Darla wants to locate the treasure hidden by the murdered plantation owner so that she can escape to another country; Florence is a New England abolitionist determined to do whatever it takes to free slaves; the colonel is the head of a renegade Confederate unit, interested only in protecting his own people and land.

OMG, this is a fabulous book! This is a stand-alone historical novel by the author of the Dave Robicheaux mystery series. JLB considers it to be the best book he ever wrote and I agree. I read it in two days - my head hurt when I finished because there was so much to think about. Great characters, especially the three women in the story. Wonderful writing, beautiful language - I found myself going back to re-read certain passages because of the beauty of the words. A number of the characters are seeking redemption for past offenses. Although it's set during the American Civil War, the themes are as old as history: good vs. evil, greed, jealousy, revenge, honor, guilt, redemption. There is even some dark humor. Loved the ending. Highly recommended - I will remember this book for a long time - if you are a fan of historical or literary fiction, read this book.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an eARC for review.

Louisiana bayou country

American Prison by Shane Bauer

March 3, 2023

American Prison by Shane Bauer

Investigative journalist Shane Bauer goes undercover for Mother Jones magazine as a corrections officer at a privately run prison in Louisiana to find out about conditions for both prisoners and guards. He details the fear he experienced daily, the brutal and often stupid rules that officers were expected to enforce, the poor living conditions, and how prisoners were routinely humiliated and denied basic needs such as meals and medical care. After four months as a guard, Bauer resigned when his cover was unintentionally blown by a photographer trying to get photos for the article. Although he himself had been a prisoner for almost a year in Iran, Bauer actually excelled as a guard and was singled out for a promotion and advanced training, gaining insight into how guards in concentration camps become detached from their actions and are able to commit increasingly horrific acts, in the name of following orders. He found the whole experience dehumanizing for both guards and prisoners, and details how both groups become institutionalized.

Like many other readers, I had no idea that there were privately run prisons in the U.S. - I thought all prisons were run by government, either federal, state, county or municipal. The privatization of prisons is largely so that they are run for profit, and many of the "skills" that they teach prisoners have no transferable value outside prison (did you know that virtually all Braille books are produced by prisoners? If there is no company outside of prison that makes Braille books, this is a useless skill with no value outside of prison). Bauer also discusses recidivism in the epilogue, following up with some prisoners to see how they are managing after being released from prison, finding that most convicts who had been in prison for lengthy sentences were released back into society with no resources for making the transition, often falling back into criminal activities.

Winn Correctional Center in north central Louisiana

The Second Life of Mirielle West by Amanda Skenandore

November 30, 2021

The Second Life of Mirielle West by Amanda Skenandore

Mirielle West lives a glamorous Hollywood life as the wife of a silent film star. When she is diagnosed with leprosy, she is forcibly confined to the Carville Lepers Home in Louisiana. At first, she hopes her stay will be brief and that she will be able to return to her life in Hollywood soon. But there is no cure, and Mirielle attempts to escape, only to be captured and returned to Carville. She tries every experimental treatment that comes along, even one of her own devising. Eventually, if Mirielle is to save herself and her sanity, she has to redefine the meaning of her life and find a new purpose and sense of community.

I enjoyed this book very much since it is based on a little-known aspect of American history. Mirielle is a fictional character, but the Carville Lepers Home, the only leper colony in America, really existed. Leprosy has been around since biblical times, and was greatly feared since it was believed to be highly contagious. In the Middle Ages, lepers were forced to carry a bell to ring if anyone came close to them, while also covering themselves from head to foot to hide their disfigurement. Years later, leprosy was determined to be a bacterial infection. It is now treatable and curable, especially if diagnosed in the early stages. Very good historical fiction, well-researched and highly recommended.

Carville Lepers Home in Louisiana (no, I'm not showing you pictures of people disfigured by leprosy)

Highfire by Eoin Colfer

February 10, 2020

Highfire by Eoin Colfer

Vern (officially Wyvern, Lord Highfire of Highfire Eyrie) is the last of his kind.  He is the only dragon left after thousands of years of dragon supremacy.  Now he spends his days just wanting to be left alone, hiding out in a backwater in the Louisiana bayou, drinking vodka, chatting about the old days to his only friend Waxman, and watching QVC on cable TV.  That is, until a local Cajun boy named Squib who runs errands for Waxman stumbles into his territory and sees Vern in fiery action.  Vern knows humans are bad news:  you befriend one of them, and the next thing you know, there’s a mob outside with torches and pitchforks.  The last thing Vern wants is to get close to a human, but when Waxman is suddenly incapacitated, Vern finds he has no choice but to trust Squib.

Many fantasy novels tend to have either a quest story or are a retelling of a fairy or folk tale.  Highfire has a different plot structure since it is set in the 21^st century in our world (not an alternate universe) with a contemporary plot line.  A similar style of fantasy novel is Anonymous Rex by Andy Garcia, about a dinosaur who lives in Los Angeles and works as a noir-type private investigator.

Eoin Colfer wrote the Artemis Fowl series, a YA fantasy series about a teen named Artemis Fowl who decides he is going to trap a fairy and force her to do his bidding (boy, is he ever wrong).

Not a photo of Vern

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an e-ARC in exchange for a review.