Vampires of el Norte by Isabel Canas

September 14, 2023

Vampires of el Norte by Isabel Canas

Growing up on Nena's father's ranch in Tejas (Texas), Nena and Nestor were inseparable as children. But when they were 13, Nestor flees from the ranch, believing that Nena is dead and that it is his fault. Nine years later, Nestor returns to find Nena alive and grown, working as a healer. But the peaceful life of the ranch is threatened by the whites from the north as well as a supernatural creature that steals souls as well as lives.

It's almost fall, so it's time for some seasonal reading, in this case Mexican gothic. Full of folktales, legends, and family stories with a romance thrown in. The vampires in the story aren't only the supernatural kind. If you like the novels of Silvia Moreno-Garcia, you'll enjoy Vampires of el Norte.

The chupacabra, which figures in Mexican folklore and may be the vampire in the story

The Square of Sevens by Laura Shepherd-Robinson

September 12, 2023

Red and her father are itinerant entertainers (don't call them gypsies), barely scraping by doing magic shows and telling fortunes. After her father's death, Red is taken in by a wealthy gentleman who lives in Bath and raised as a lady. She is skilled at fortune telling and entertains acquaintances by reading their cards. Many years later, Red finds a number of mysterious items in a trunk that belonged to her father, including an astrological chart and a legal document. She begins to suspect that her mother was part of an aristocratic family that disowned her when she married Red's father. Red sets out to learn the truth about her past.

DNF. I went into this book thinking that I would really enjoy it. But it was long, well over 500 pages, and SLOOOOW. The plot seemed clever but it took too long to get moving. I gave up about 1/3 of the way in and skipped to the ending and read the last two chapters, which filled in the previous 300 pages. Both plot and characters would have been better served by less minute detail and an editor whacking out about 100 pages. If you like long winding stories with loads of characters and a plot that doesn't move very fast and is loaded with minutiae, you will probably enjoy this historical novel.

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

Bath, England - the original wellness spa

The Jinn-bot of Shantiport by Samit Basu

September 11, 2023

The Jinn-bot of Shantiport by Samit Basu

Shantiport is a major city that is slowly crumbling into decay due to flooding and political factions. Everyone who lives in Shantiport is trying to find a way to get out, except Lina, who loves the city and wants to save it. When she and her brother Bador, a monkey bot, find a magic lamp complete with jinn who will grant their wishes, they decide to punish the man who killed their father while also saving Shantiport. What could possibly go wrong? Be careful what you wish for.

A retelling of the Aladdin story from 1001 Arabian Nights, which the author tried to marry to Murderbot but not successfully. The first half of the book is some amazing world building, but the second half dragged and I started skimming. The jinn is amusing since before he will grant a wish, he goes through the user agreement and other legalese that we are all familiar with. If you are a hardcore fantasy reader, you may enjoy this but it wasn't for me. I suggest reading Martha Wells' Murderbot series instead.

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

Dystopian city

Canary Girls by Jennifer Chiaverini

September 8, 2023

Canary Girls by Jennifer Chiaverini

At the outset of World War I, three women from different backgrounds all sign up for war work at a munitions plant just outside London. Two are assigned to shell assembly while the third carves out a place in administration as welfare supervisor. Shell assembly involves handling TNT which turns the women's skin yellow and their hair orange (hence the name canary girls). To keep up morale, the munitionettes form a football (soccer) team and compete against teams from other plants.

This has been described as Rosie the Riveter meets A League of Their Own, and I think that's a fair description. It's a look at the home front during World War I: doing war work, coping with rationing, trying to keep up morale while worrying about loved one serving at the front. The story was slow moving. I'm not really into sports (especially not soccer), so I skimmed over the parts of soccer matches and plays. Also, I think I could assemble an artillery shell from the repeated descriptions of the work. I think one of the reasons that I didn't love this more is that I'm tired of World War I and World War II fiction. Recommended for readers who enjoy historical fiction or fiction about women's lives.

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

Two canary girls

To Kingdom Come by Will Thomas

September 5, 2023

To Kingdom Come by Will Thomas

Cyrus Barker and Thomas Llewelyn are back for another adventure. After a radical Irish group bombs Scotland Yard and threatens to destroy half of London, Barker and Llewelyn agree to assist by posing as bombmakers and infiltrating the group.

Historical mystery, the second book in the Barker and Llewelyn series. Lots of colorul characters, including some from the first book:  Mac, Barker's Jewish butler; Llewelyn's Jewish friends Israel and Ira; and Harm the Pekinese. Set during the last decades of the 19th century, incorporating history with fiction. Recommended to readers of historical fiction.

Late Victorian London

The Covenant of Water by Abraham Verghese

September 3, 2023

The Covenant of Water by Abraham Verghese

At the age of 12, the unnamed main character is married off to a much older man who is part of their Christian community, and sent to live in Kerala. There is an odd affliction in the family: in every generation, someone dies by drowning. Her husband is so superstitious about it that he refuses to travel by boat, even though he spends twice as much time walking to get where he needs to go. Over the next 75 years, the family grows and endures, despite hardship and tragedy.

OMG, this is unbelievable! I read all 700 pages over the Labor Day weekend - I was emotionally exhausted when I finished. I loved Verghese's earlier novel Cutting for Stone so I was a little hesitant to start his new book. How could anything measure up? But it absolutely did. I loved every word. I feel sorry for the next few authors that I read since I'm going to be ruined for anything else for awhile. A family saga, a political and historical novel, a love story but not a romance. Outstanding, highly recommended for readers of literary fiction or family sagas.

Kerala, India

The Maid's Diary by Loreth Anne White

August 30, 2023

The Maid's Diary by Loreth Anne White

Vancouver BC, Halloween night, 2019. A couple engaged in an illicit affair park in a secluded spot near the river to have sex, but they are interrupted when two other cars pull into the area. Two people get out of the cars and haul something out of the backseat of one car and throw it in the river. Then they push one of the cars into the river, get back in the second car, and drive away. Near midnight in a wealthy Vancouver neighborhood, an elderly woman calls 911 to say she heard a woman screaming in the house next door. When police arrive, the house looks like a bloodbath but there are a lot of unknowns: who is the victim? where are the homeowners? is the maid seen earlier in the day involved? who were the couple seen visiting around dinner time? was it accident, suicide, or murder?

Very good psychological fiction with an unreliable narrator and plenty of unlikeable characters. Kit Darling is a maid with a snooping problem that is going to land her in trouble one day, serious trouble. There are some really unexpected twists. You think you have the story figured out, but then something else happens to make you wonder what is really going on. Highly recommended if you want a story that will mess with your mind.

Vancouver BC