I Have Some Questions for You by Rebecca Makkai

May 8, 2025

I Have Some Questions for You by Rebecca Makkai

Almost 25 years after graduating, Bodie Kane (successful podcaster and some-time college professor) returns to the Granby School in New Hampshire where she spent four fairly awful high school years, to teach a seminar on podcasting. One of the things that made her time there so bad was when her roommate Thalia was found dead in the school swimming pool. A culprit was quickly arrested and convicted, receiving a sentence of life in prison, but one of Bodie's student isn't so sure and decides to do her podcast project about the crime, which dredges up all sorts of memories for Bodie.

It took me a while to get through this, I kept picking it up and then putting it down to read something else that was more interesting, so the story and the characters obviously weren't pulling me in. A literary fiction cold-case mystery, combining themes of murder, sexual predation/Me Too, the popularity of true crime podcasts, and the effect of social media on all of it. Many of these themes have been worked over at length already, and in books that did a better job of exploring them. The writing and the language are really good but the story drags, and then there is no real resolution, too much is left hanging. Made me remember how awful high school was at times. I don't recommend it unless you are a die-hard fan of the author. I think I may be finished with Makkai.

Boarding school in winter

The Hitchcock Hotel by Stephanie Wrobel

September 30, 2024

The Hitchcock Hotel by Stephanie Wrobel

Alfred invites his five closest college friends to spend the weekend at his Alfred Hitchcock themed hotel, free of charge. Alfred has always been a huge Hitchcock fan and collects Hitchcock memorabilia. But something bad happened during their senior year of college (maybe more than one something), and Alfred has waited 16 years to exact his revenge.

This had a good creepy vibe, great for the season: an old house in a college town, converted to a boutique hotel and filled with movie memorabilia, a creepy housekeeper who is always lurking about, plus an aviary full of crows behind the house. All the characters have secrets in addition to being morally bankrupt. There are a couple of good twists that I didn't see coming. I read the author's previous book (Darling Rose Gold, based on the Blanchard case), which had its own squirm factor. Fans of Alfred Hitchcock and psychological suspense will enjoy Wrobel's latest novel.

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

Alfred Hitchcock with a Thanksgiving turkey - this photo is referenced several times in the book

Set for Life by Andrew Ewell

December 4, 2023

Set for Life by Andrew Ewell

A nameless creative writing professor who is on a deadline to get something (anything, really) published has major writer's block. He is a failure at writing, at teaching, at being a husband, at life in general. His wife is a successful novelist and she encourages him at every turn. In typical male midlife crisis fashion, he begins an affair with one of his wife's friends, thinking that this is the answer to all of his problems. When his now-estranged wife publishes another novel with a character based on him, his envy knows no bounds and he feels he is entitled to some kind of compensation. After he manages to implode his entire life, he retreats to Florida where his parents (who he has always looked down on as failures) own a small beachside hotel.

All of the characters in this novel are unlikeable, with the exception of Carlos, the visiting writer. The main character is immature and a complete snob - everyone and everything is beneath him, and he feels that success should be just handed to him rather than having to work for it. It's always someone else's fault. Also, the main character drinks WAY too much, in fact many of the characters drink almost constantly. It's fairly obvious that he is depressed and everyone knows it but him, and several of the characters try to throw him a lifeline (including the department chair, who he despises, who not only doesn't press charges after the main character almost burns down his office, but he tries to help him find a new job). The writing is good, there is some dark humor, and it's a quick read - like a train wreck, you can't look away. I sincerely hope this novel isn't autobiographical.

Is it just me or does anyone else think this is a really boring cover?

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

The Rachel Incident by Caroline O'Donoghue

July 6, 2023

The Rachel Incident by Caroline O'Donoghue

When she was a 20 year old university student, Rachel met the two most important men in her life, her BFF James and her English professor Dr. Byrne. Hoping to start a fling with Dr. Byrne, Rachel concocts a scheme to get Dr. Byrne to the bookstore where she works, with an eye toward some one-on-one time in the storeroom. But things backfire when she introduces him to her housemate James, and the two men are instantly attracted to each other.

Contemporary fiction set in 21st century Cork in Ireland. I forgot how awful being in your 20s could be: trying to find a job, convinced you're never going to find love, trying to save money so you can move to a decent apartment, avoiding your family while still needing them, convinced everyone else has it all sorted out. Funny and touching; I genuinely cared about the characters. Highly recommended and entertaining.

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

Cork, Ireland - quite a picturesque small city

The Cloisters by Katy Hays

November 15, 2022

The Cloisters by Katy Hays

Ann Stilwell is a Renaissance art graduate student who is offered a summer internship at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, but when she arrives, the only position available is at The Cloisters, a branch of MOMA that specializes in medieval art. At The Cloisters, Ann works with the stunning Rachel and Patrick, the equally stunning curator who is obsessed with finding an original tarot deck from the 15th century. When one of her co-workers is murdered, Ann realizes that she is part of a dangerous game.

I love all things medieval and I've always wanted to visit The Cloisters in New York. Medieval literature was one of my concentrations in grad school, so I was looking forward to reading Hays' novel. I loved the setting, and the descriptions of the museum and the gardens were wonderful. But the plot really dragged, and the characters were irritating. Ann was incredibly naive, Rachel vacillated between brilliant, manipulative, and extremely childish, and Patrick's only real interests were tarot and Rachel. There is also a lot about the cutthroat world of academia. I guess publishing houses don't have editors anymore?

Many thanks to Edeweiss and the publisher for providing an eARC. Wish I had liked it more.

The Cloisters museum in New York