5. Father of the Rain

By Lily King (354pp, ebook) I recently discovered this writer via a gift from a friend and I love her writing. This is my second one of hers I've read and is hard to describe without making it sound terrible and it does have its emotionally harrowing moments but it's really good. It's about a girl's relationship with her charming but alcoholic father. The story opens when she's 11 and has 3 main sections ending when she's an adult with her own family. He's a troubled person and creates a troubled family. She finds a way to love him. Really good.

4. The 7 1/2 Lives of Evelyn Hardcastle

By Stuart Turton (458 pp)(ebook) This is a Groundhog's Day meets Agatha Christie -- a guy who needs to solve a mystery while re-living the same day in different hosts. It's set at this creepy, crumbling estate in the woods and everybody has a secret to hide or discover. Plus murder. It's definitely a page turner but I found myself getting taken out of the story wondering about the internal rules of the world.

3. The Eternal Machine

By Carol Ryles (478 pp) (ebook) Carol is one of my Clarion West classmates and she self-published her novel and it is terrific. It is steampunk -- it's set in a world where there are different kinds of magic and magic is a form of energy that can be bought and sold or stolen. Em is struggling to make a living selling her magic and gets involved with rebels fighting evil industrialists. There are shapeshifters, automatons and demons. Fun book.