25: Spawn 2: More Weird Horror Tales About Pregnancy, Birth and Babies

By Deborah Sheldon, ed. (306 pp, ebook)

I bought this because one of my Clarion West classmates Carol Ryles has a story in it called: In War with Time for Love of You. It is worth buying this anthology just for her story. It's set in space and it manages to balance science-y stuff, creepy body horror, and heartbreak. Like any story collection, some are fantastic and some didn't work for me at all. They all have scary baby things but Carol's is the only sci fi. People have great imagination for creepy pregnancy stories.

24. The Hawthorne Legacy

By Jennifer Lynn Barnes (380 pp ebook)

I had to wait 4-5 weeks to get Book 1 from the library so I ordered this one ahead of time anticipating that I would want to continue with the series. This follows the pattern of the first book with new questions to answer about why Avery Grambs is connected to this family. The character relationships continue to develop. It also felt choppy and the characters felt thin and I wasn't sold on the romance. I think these are aimed at a younger reader than I -- they are very popular but I don't expect to continue with the series.

23. The Inheritance Games

By Jennifer Lynn Barnes (386 pp ebook)

I listened to an interview with the author who studies why people connect with stories and I wanted to read her fiction. This book is about a young woman, Avery Grambs, who learns she has been chosen to inherit billions from complete stranger, Tobias Hawthorne, who has chosen her over his own family. She is swooped up and taken to the family mansion where she has to live for 1 year to collect the fortune. The family is in the mansion, too. They need to solve riddles and puzzles to figure out why Avery was chosen and Avery needs to adapt to her new circumstances and the danger that comes with it. It's a fast read. I know the technique of short chapters ending on a question keeps readers going but after awhile it felt choppy and I thought the characters were a little thin. Still fun.

22. The Shards

By Bret Easton Ellis (608 pp ebook)

I haven't read Ellis in decades and I'm going to guess I bought this book because I read a review that said it was great nostalgia for people who grew up in S. California in the 80s.

Ellis is the same age as I am and the descriptions in this book: the clothes; driving around naming all the roads: Valley Vista, Mullholland, Beveryly Glen; the music; the movies; the clubs; the kinds of things we did when we were teenagers, were all heavy duty nostalgia. The only difference is I wasn't rich and didn't do drugs. The story is about a fictional Ellis in rich people high school with a close group of friends and dealing with rich people problems, drinking, drugs, dysfunctional families. It's dark and suspenseful. I'm going a terrible job of describing it. It did get long for me but it's a page turner.

21. Deep End

By Ali Hazelwood (464 pp ebook)

Another romance! My friend told me I had to read this so I learned how to use the Libby App and waited until it was my turn.

I love Ali Hazelwood's writing and enjoyed this book a lot. She writes a good steamy scene that doesn't sound like every other steamy scene. The main character Scarlett is a college student and competitive diver. She meets Lukas who is also a college student and champion swimmer. There's a lot going on that's too much for a capsule review. I liked these main characters and the swimming/diving world. There were other characters that didn't quite work for me but overall -- do recommend.

20. Lady for A Duke

By Alexis Hall

I read some craft books and didn't finish anything for a bit but my brain is unhappy when I'm not reading so I picked up this historical romance.

I love everything I've read by Alexis Hall and recently learned he has a book coming out next year: Hell's Heart: Sapphic Moby Dick. In space.

Put it on your list.

This one is about Viola Carroll who pretends to die at Waterloo so she can live as her true self even though she has to give up her title and old life. For story reasons she reconnects with the family of the best friend she left behind at Waterloo and who is suffering from his experience as a soldier. Feelings happen. So romantic. Love it.

19. Mexican Gothic

By Sylvia Moreno-Garcia

This is a terrific atmospheric novel about a young woman who goes to her cousin who has married and moved to a mysterious house in the Mexican forest. The house is rundown, her cousin's new family is creepy and controlling, and the whole place is foggy and moldy and falling into ruin. As the story opens, the main character Noemi is a party girl and maybe kind of shallow but as the story develops she is fearless and dogged against dangerous forces. Recommend.

Okay! I am back in writing mode and my reading is probably going to dwindle to almost nothing for awhile. More info to come.

18. The Arctic Fury

By Greer MacAllister (408 pp, ebook)

A friend reviewed this book just as I finished The Terror. This book is also a fictional tale related to the Franklin Expedition. In this story, an all woman expedition has been hired to find out what happened to the men and hopefully rescue them and bring them back. The story is divided between a murder trial for the woman who led the expedition and the story of the expedition and how it unfolded. It's really good. I wished for a little more time on the ice and a little less court room and a little more characterization. But it's a clever alternate history. If you have never read it, check out this short story by Ursula LeGuin, Sur about an all woman expedition to the South Pole. That story was published in 1982 and made a big impression on me as I was first thinking about being a writer.

17. Legends and Lattes

By Travis Baldtree (296 pp, ebook)

I loved this book. An orc from fantasy adventures is tired of battles so she settles down in a city and invents a coffee shop. "Bean water" the characters call it. Coffee exists but is not common in this place. They add frothy milk. They find a friend who has invented cinnamon rolls. A bard comes along who wants to sing and play music. You can't imagine how satisfying this all is. Sure, there are problems, but there's always an old loyal friend or a brand new friend who wants to help. Recommend.

16. The Terror

By Dan Simmons (769 pp, ebook)

I do not know what to say about this book. Anyone who follows these notes will not be surprised that I thought this was long. It's a fictional account of John Franklin's failed expedition to find the NW passage in 1845. The story is already horrific with the endless winter darkness, freezing temperatures, being trapped in the ice, and scurvey, but the author has added an extra horror element. Long as it was, I enjoyed it and found it page-turning. Great characters and great depiction of this unforgiving environment. Until the end. The end turns into one of the white men from the expedition going Native--not even just going Native but turning into some sort of revered spirit-governors--and some cultural appropriation of Inuit stories and I was completely turned off. Although, I admit, I am now watching the TV series.

15. Theory of Bastards

By Audrey Schulman (397 pp)

This book is set in a vaguely futuristic setting where people rely on implants for information rather than smart phones -- but otherwise the world is one we recognize. The main character is Francine who vists an ape sanctuary to study bonobos to investigate her theories about reproduction. There is a lot going on in this story that I can't summarize in a couple of sentences. She makes connections with the staff and the bonobos and then something terrible happens and they have to try to survive. It's hard to categorize but if you like animal behavior with some dystopian tossed in with complex characters - this is for you. I will add that the book cover completely fails this book. Even the back copy and the summary on Goodreads do not capture how smart and captivating this story is.

14. The Cold Millions

By Jess Walter (337 pp, ebook)

Jess Walter is always great! This book is about two brothers in Spokane, Wa in the early 1900's. The brothers have few resources and live amongst others who are struggling for work, decent pay, and some respect. They get involved with the labor movement and variety of characters: cops, vaudville performers, wealthy jerks. A great portrayal of a certain moment in history.