The God of the Woods by Liz Moore (audiobook)

genre: historical mystery

Barbara Van Laar has gone missing from her bunk at a camp in the Adirondack mountains, but Barbara isn't just any camper. She's the daughter of the owners of the camp - and she isn't the first Van Laar child to go missing.  As investigators descend up on the camp, the list of suspects lengthens until it feels like every single person is hiding something.  Where is Barbara and who will lead searchers to her?  

The present day in this book is 1975 but it goes back and forth in time a LOT.  Every chapter heading grounds us as readers in a time period to help us keep it straight, and for the most part, I had no problem.  So many characters, though, to keep track of - that was almost harder but by the end, I stood on firm ground.  There aren't many lovable characters but I did care about Barbara and her younger brother and really wanted to know what the heck happened. The truth is that this book grabbed me and did not let go.  I didn't guess any of the plot twists, actually, which is always such a pleasure.  The time period made the investigating interesting - the limited technology was still better than no technology but also, so much guesswork.  The camp/woodsy setting was atmospheric and hearing from both teen and adult points of view worked well for me.

If you like mysteries that aren't super gruesome or upsetting, but with lots of different character arcs, I would recommend this!  4.5 stars!

Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl by Harriet Jacobs

 genre: memoir, non-fiction

When Harriet begins the story of her life, we are immediately made aware that she intends to share all the base details of slavery and those who uphold this abhorrent practice.  She is not writing about her time as a slave and all that came after just to record her memories, though.  She is also clear that her purpose in writing down what happened to her is to help convince the readers of her narrative of why slavery must be abolished.  She speaks directly to those white women who maybe don't know the depths of depravity that exist in slavery as well as to those women who actually support slavery and shows, over and over again, how slavery dehumanizes everyone involved.  Her tone is so earnest and as quick to show gratitude for those who helped her as she is to call a Devil a Devil.  She brooks no fools and while some of this is so upsetting to read, I feel like it is absolutely necessary for us to do so.  

This book was published in 1861!  And still the pictures she paints with her words are as clear to me now, as a woman in 2025, as they would've been back then.  It is hard to think about how her story could be retold countless times by countless other women who were abused and torn from their families and forced to live in constant fear.  Stories like this need to be read and shared, over and over, so we never forget the filth of our forefathers in this country.   I want to choose to emulate the women like Harriet who were courageous enough to tell their stories and for all those who risked their lives to escape slavery, help others escape or to use their voices and actions to help end it.

All the Birds in the Sky by Charlie Jane Anders

genre: science fiction

Patricia has know since she was a little girl that magic exists.  Her lonely existence was buoyed by this fact, even without her being able to access that magic.  Patricia's friendship with her classmate, the enigmatic super genius Laurence, will not just lead her to the magic she so desperately wants, but it will put both of them on a trajectory that will pit two warring factions against each other in the possibly disastrous scramble to save the world.

I grabbed this from the thrift store because it 1. had birds on the cover and 2. had won the Nebula Award.  It is a genre-defying story, in some ways, with crazy science fiction pitted against witches and spells.  Our two main characters are complicated and often not genuinely likable but they are interesting in ways that intrigued me.  There were some interesting ethical ideas here about WHO gets to decide how to save our dying earth and what losses are a cost worth paying.  It went so much slower than I'd have thought - by the end it felt cohesive enough but for some reason, until the last maybe 15% of the book, it felt like a slog despite my curiosity and enjoyment.  My twelves year old son asked me about it just now and when I described my feelings he said to me, "So it was high-key mid?"  And I think he might be right.

Eleanore of Avignon by Elizabeth DeLozier (audiobook)

 genre: historical fiction

Eleanore wants to spend her life healing people. She knows she can't be a physician, because as a woman in Provence in 1347, this path is forbidden to her. But she is already an experienced herbalist and midwife and she's seen her share of suffering. When an opportunity arises that will allow her to have more training, it's like a dream come true until the murmurs of plague become more than rumors. When the Black Death arrives, Eleanore will be on the front lines.

Why do I love a plague story so much? Especially now, post-Covid, you'd think I'd be sick to death of plague but I am for sure not. The medieval setting, Eleanore's capability and compassion, the political landscape with both the Pope and the Queen in Avingnon along with some Black Death in there just made for a really captivating story. Between the anti-Semitism and witch hunts and quarantines, I found several disquieting parallels to the modern day. I genuinely loved learning about the body and treating ailments along with Eleanore, this is one of the plot's most interesting bits.  The only thing I didn't love about this book was the romantic storyline - the Eleanore of this thread didn't mesh well with the Eleanore of the rest of the story, but it wasn't horrible.  I'm glad it was there, I just think it could've been done a little better.  

The housemaid by Freida McFadden

genre: thriller

When Millie finally lands a job as the housekeeper for the Winchester family, it feels like an incredible piece of luck.  With her own (tiny) room and a stable income, she can start to get back on her feet.  Within a few days, though, Millie can tell that something is just not right.  While Andy, the husband, is super friendly and welcoming, Nina, the wife, is the actual worst. Millie is gaslit and overworked but she's tough and she needs this job - but there is so much she doesn't know.

I'm sorry.  I hate to be to blunt but I felt like the writing in this book is genuinely horrible.  Literarily, it's like something a high schooler might write.  It's repetitive and clunky without a single character worthy of investing in.  I'll give it two stars for one plot twist that was pretty good.  I cannot recommend.

The Wedding People by Alison Espach (audiobook)

genre: contemporary fiction

When Phoebe arrives at the huge and beautiful hotel in coastal Rhode Island, her goal is solitude.  Unfortunately, she quickly learns that she has unexpectedly intruded on a wedding that has taken over the hotel for the week and the bride will suffer no wild cards.  And so Phoebe is strangely woven into this group of strangers and the more she gets to know them, the more Phoebe gets to know herself.

I came into this story completely blind and it quickly engaged me.  I liked that Phoebe is an older woman who has lived and loved and yet still has so much to learn.  I found the Wedding People themselves to be both quirky and irritating in ways that felt very realistic.  There is actually a lot of important ideas about the beauty of living life on your own terms and allowing yourself to see the kind of future that lies on the edges of your consciousness.  It's empowering, in a way, to watch Phoebe's journey.   4. 5 stars for the way I had to walk around listening to it at the end, I wanted so much to see how Phoebe would work things out.

content; this is an adult book with adult language and topics, no graphic sex but lots of talking about sex and language

The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion: Vol. 8 by Beth Brower

 genre: epistolary historical fiction

The tone is a little different in this one.  Emma is learning things about herself and her three beloved friends and it wasn't as farcical or slapstickish, which doesn't make it good or bad, just a ramble down an alternate path.  I loved the new settings we get in this installment and I have finished this volume as obsessed as ever with knowing what will come next for our beloved Emma.  I want to remember: a pugilistic afternoon, an instrument played in the morning and a brightly colored carpet. 

The Electric State by Simon Stålenhag

genre: graphic novel

In this spare yet chilling graphic novel, America as we know it has collapsed under the weight of giant machines and virtual reality headsets that first addict you and then slurp your brainpower.  Or, something like that.  The text leaves a lot of room for interpretation, so much so that along with the illustrations, our brains get to fill in the gaps in the story ourselves and the story is a sad one.  The illustrations are so gripping and I love the images of the little robot who is journeying with our main character, Michelle, as she tries to get somewhere. We aren't sure why she's going where she's going until much later in the book and when we do, I was sincerely surprised in the best of ways.  

I got this from the library because I saw that a new Netflix movie was coming out based on it.  This book gave me so much to think about and my twelve year old son, that also read it, had SO many thoughts about it.  It is a bit harsh and maybe he was a tiny bit too young for it (a few explicit sentences and several possibly upsetting illustrations) but I'm glad I let him give it a try.  For kids growing up in a world of iphones and VR headsets, allowing your brain to go down the slippery slope of what might happen in a world were "virtual" becomes more important than "reality"can be a really important exercise.

The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion: Vol. 7 by Beth Brower

 genre: epistolary historical fiction

Once again, I read this one in a day.  I am obsessed.  I love that there are a few new mysteries, a few solved mysteries and even more of a slow burn romance.  I laughed HARD, more than once.  I feel so tender about these characters, this book gets five glowing stars for keeping my attention so beautifully and for making every main character even MORE endearing, if that was even possible.  I will remember a lamp post, a servant's corridor, a father's note and an unexpected duel.

The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion: Vol. 6 by Beth Brower

 genre: epistolary historical fiction

I am just as love as ever with this series.  This read super quickly but maybe wasn't as memorable as others. However, when I finished this novel, late past my bedtime, I lay on my bed and HUGGED it because the ending is glorious and now I need more.  I am Emma's champion.  I shall remember a shattered urn, a fountain full of coins, and a visit from an opinionated aunt.