The Once and Future Witches by Alix E. Harrow

 genre: historical fantasy

Witching no longer exists in New Salem, at least that's how it appears.  And if some women know a few of the words or their mother's told them some of the ways, their magic can't do much and it's certainly not done out in the open.  Not since the witches burned in Salem and women have been firmly planted in their second place role.  Except there is a suffrage movement happening.  And the three Eastwood sisters, despite their own complicated triangle of love and hurt, they know what women need to start carving out space for their what they deserve - and having a voice is the place to start. 

This is such an Octobery, witchy story.  And as much as it is about magic and the power of words, it is also about the power of, not just blood sisters, but the actual sisterhood of women.  The world building here is so good and I really enjoyed the historical fantasy setting.  The sisters are distinct with their own obvious strengths and weaknesses and as someone who has spent time studying goddess spirituality, I did really enjoy how it is woven within the magic.  There really is so much to love about this story, it just moved too slow for me.  I found myself a bit distracted for the middle third but the last fourth definitely had improved pacing for my attention span. 

Exit Party by Emily St. John Mandel (audiobook)

 genre: science fiction/dystopia

Ari has been released from prison.  The world she left behind is gone and California is now an independent republic.  When the fighting has died down and the curfew is lifted, Ari joins her roommate at a party to celebrate.  This party, though, is a hinge moment where what always felt real is suddenly in question.  Something beyond bizarre takes place that will change Ari's life and make the reality of our timeline feel more expansive and yet more precarious.  

I'm so anti spoiler that I honestly don't want to say anything else because for me, the power of St John Mandel's writing is to discover it along the way.  I am SO glad that I listened to The Singer's Gun first because there are so many little threads here that tickled my brain.  There are so many contrasts, both macro and micro, that make you really think about where our choices take us and how the circumstances we are surrounded by can have such a huge impact on the choices we make and then how we end up.  I also loved her ideas about how many DIFFERENT lives we have, as relationships and neighborhoods and jobs come and go, and how each of these unique lives will make us a distinctly new person that starts the next one.  

If you already like her writing, I think you'll like this.  I for sure did.  Her characters aren't what get me - I don't find anyone particularly lovable and I'm not super invested in individuals as I am in the WORLD and all the pieces that weave in and out.  It makes me want to go back and read the couple other books of hers I haven't read yet. Her speculative way of twining what COULD be with what IS just really works for me. 

The Singer's Gun by Emily St. John Mandel (audiobook)

genre: contemporary fiction

Anton Waker's likes being in a corporate job.  He likes getting dressed up in a suit every day and going to the office to do his work. So when things at his job start to feel off, he takes his time questioning it.  When his secretary has disappeared, he has some real questions.  Behind all of this is a tangled web partly of Anton's making - but partly the result of the family he was raised in.  How do you ever untangle yourself from a mess that wasn't only your making?

I chose to listen to this one because I really like this author's writing and I heard that her brand new book has several Easter eggs from this one and I wanted to read them back to back so it was fresh in my mind.  I didn't want to spoil the plot of this because I honestly had NO IDEA where it was going.  I actually did find it plausible, in a sad sort of way.  There aren't any stand out characters who have some kind of real moral backbone or who really make great choices.  Everyone is just looking out for themselves and trying to feel like they have someone that cares about them.  I don't know why the corruption here didn't depress me or make me want to give up - but it didn't.  I listened to this book over two days because I was interested in where it was going, even if it sometimes felt a little hazy when I got there. 

Good People by Patmeena Sabit (audiobook)

genre: contemporary fiction

When the Sharaf family arrived in the US as refugees from Afghanistan, they never could’ve predicted that they’d end up living in an expensive suburb of Washington DC. With financial security achieved and a vibrant social community, the Sharafs seem to have everything. But from the beginning of this book, we know that something has gone horribly wrong. And in this documentary style format, we slowly learn not only what happened, but we have to figure out who is responsible.

What an engaging book! For sure I am glad I did the audiobook because all the different voices definitely helped me keep things straight. I really was intrigued by this fly-on-the-wall look into a complex and beautiful culture that is so unfamiliar to me. Yes, sometimes it is also upsetting, the way that women and girls are put on a pedestal of modesty that is wrapped up so tightly in their intrinsic value that I can see how it could feel suffocating, even if it was how you were raised. It’s a mystery and a character study and hard look at the way racism and intolerance can still burn so toxically in American society. I went back and forth, sometimes within the same half an hour, KNOWING what happened, only then to decide I was wrong and that something ELSE happened.  I definitely recommend.

Little Wonder by Sophie Chen Keller

genre: contemporary fiction

When Song decides to make the journey from her hometown to Beijing, it is because she knows that her son River has a gift. His way with the piano is so unique and almost magical that she knows their way out of desperate poverty is for him to make it as a performer. But on the day the arrive at the train station, Song and River become separated and in a city with millions of people, finding each other again will take a miracle.

I genuinely enjoyed this novel of found family and the love between mothers and their children. This book absolutely immersed me in Chinese life, both in rural, poverty stricken areas, and in the slums and bougie private compounds of big cities. I loved how much of it was about the power of music and it is clear from the writing that the author is a musician. The back and forth in time at the beginning never bothered me because I appreciated the backstory and the ending felt just right, even if it wasn’t a “happily ever after.”  

One Italian Summer by Rebecca Serle (audiobook)

genre: time slip fiction

When Katy's mother Carol passes away, the grief is enough to ground her. Carol was Katy's confidant and partner and without her, Katy's not even sure who she is anymore. Adrift and desperately sad, Katy decides to still take the trip to Italy that she and her mom had so looked forward to. When she arrives on the Amalfi Coast, the sun and the ocean immediately begin their magic. When she meets an incredibly familiar stranger, Katie's understanding of her mom and herself are forever changed.

I wanted to like this. I tried because they are making a movie with an actress I really like so I powered through but man. I had to work SO HARD to suspend my disbelief. And in a timeslip novel, you have to be able to just GO with it and I couldn't. Katie made choices that the author never explained to us as readers so I kept having so many questions.  The writing didn't amaze me, our main character has very few redeeming qualities and in the end, the best part of the novel was the setting, which, honestly, sounds incredible. I think I'll still watch the movie but I wish I'd just done that in the first place.

Habits of the Sea by Shea Ernshaw (audiobook)

 genre: time slip

Ellie's childhood spent along the coast of Nova Scotia is one grounded in the love of the grandmother's steady presence.  When she sees something unnatural along the coast and swims to explore it, Ellie finds an island inhabited by only one man whose grief has broken his world.  When she returns to shore, far more time has passed with her grandmother than she'd expected.  And while this couldn't possibly have happened - an island that exists out of time and travels with the tides cannot possibly be real - Ellie doesn't know how to convince herself she was making it up.  Decades later, though, when a rumor of a floating island reaches her ears, Ellie doesn't know how to ignore her own lived experience anymore.

What a mixed bag.  It is atmospheric, YES.  I love a love story and a survival story and a time slip story.  I actually was all in with the ingredients to this novel.  But MAN I wish it had been edited better!  If I heard the narrator say the word "flesh" or "chest" ONE MORE TIME I would've lost it!  It's repetitive to a fault and it made this great story into a "meh" book for me, which is a bummer.  Ellie's inner monologue is literally a loop of thoughts that after I while made me want to scream "I KNOW" into the void at her.    BUT, again, the plot itself really interested me and I'm not sorry I finished because even though the ending was predictable, I like that kind of predictable.  

The Good Sister by Sally Hepworth (audiobook)

 enre: psychological thriller (sorta)

As twins go, Rose and Fern are fairly different.  Fern's sensitivities makes it hard to just show up in the world sometimes and Rose has done her best to cushion Fern so she can feel safe.  By the time they are adults, they truly depend on each other.  When Fern realizes that Rose wants desperately to be a mother, she hatches a plan that will require a LOT of discomfort.  But she'd do anything for Rose.

Book club to the rescue for stretching me out of my comfort zone again!  This isn't a "thriller" per say, but it definitely is a psychological study of relationships and personalities.  The story is told from both Rose and Fern's point of view and our neurospicy Fern's way of viewing and experiencing the world is really well done.  It got vaguely predictable near the end but this was still an interesting listen.

Hollow Bones by Jodi Picoult (audiobook)

 genre: contemporary fiction

Molly has no memories of her mother.  That's because when she was an infant, Molly's mother was killed on September 11th - one of countless unlucky victims who were in the wrong place at the wrong time.  And even though she grew up with a father and step-mother who adored her, that gaping loss left Molly with a deep desire to control what can be controlled.  With a career in emergency management, Molly is ready for anything - except those things life throws at you that no one can expect.

This is good like all Jodi Picoult books are good.  It's timely, it digs into deep ethical issues and the pacing is good.  The back and forth in time worked well and I liked having multiple narrators, although Molly's reader was not one of my favorites.  Overall, this is a four star read for me because of the things it made me think about and for the way it brings dignity to people who haven't always received a compassionate portrayal.  Do I feel like she writes the most literary books?  No.  In my opinion, Barbara Kingsolver turns a story like this into something a little more "beautifully" written, but that's personal preference.  There's trigger warnings here for abuse and suicide and other heartbreaking topics (no spoilers from me!) but if you're in a good headspace for tough topics, I'd recommend it.

Maisie Dobbs by Jacqueline Winspear

 genre: historical fiction

When Maisie Dobbs' arrives in London to begin her own private investigation service, she has far more will and ambition than she does cases to solve.  But soon, she has an opportunity to use her wit and her keen eye to start solving problems.  And when Maisie starts pulling a string, she fill follow it wherever it leads.  In the aftermath of World War I, so many are suffering - both physically and mentally - that digging deep requires a patience and true empathy.  And Maisie's got both.

My mother in law recommended this to me almost 15 years ago.  Maybe more?  So it's been sitting on my TBR for so very long.  But once I picked it up, I could see what she enjoyed.  The historical setting, Maisie's puckishness, it does have appeal.  The narrative structure is interesting, with a big chunk of backstory plunked into the middle - but it worked for me.  Are the characters all a bit characters?  Yeah, but again, if I just leaned into my love of Downton Abbey, I just went ahead and enjoyed the ride.   It didn't ever grip me in a mystery way but three stars for me never considering giving it up