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Review: The Hacienda by Isabel Cañas

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The Hacienda by Isabel Cañas is a gothic horror delight. Set in the time after the Mexican war for independence, we follow Beatriz as she moves into in her new husband’s pulque-producing hacienda. She is the second wife of the Rodolfo, who’s previous wife died under mysterious circumstances. Everyone seems to have a different story about how his first wife died. The war was hard on Beatriz and her family, but she sees this marriage as a way to change her and her family’s fortunes. It also follows Andres, a local priest who was raised on the Hacienda but for unknown reasons has been banished. Beatriz finds the house to be fine, if neglected at first, but increasingly sinister as the novel progresses. She finds Rodolfo’s sister, an unexpected addition to the property, to be unsettling at best and actively working to undermine her at worst. She must call on the help of Andres and solve the mystery of the house before she becomes another one of its victims.

I enjoyed the setting of this immensely. I know a little bit about Mexico’s history and I loved the idea and the execution of a story with the foreboding home, mysterious husband, a first wife, etc. set in this period of post-war turmoil. This is set in a period of Mexican history where there were a lot of different factions and uncertainties, which was perfect for setting up the characters. It gave the typical elements of gothic horror another layer where we were also looking at the horrors of colonialism. Cañas is a Mexican-American author and says in an author’s note that she picked this time period and wrote these characters in part to fill a gap that she had found in this genre. She had never read stories about women like her. In that same author’s note, she also recommends history readings, in case you are further interested in the time period. I very much appreciate that.

This was really good and if you like gothic horror/romance elements, then I recommend this! Another great find at my local library!

Review: Six Crimson Cranes by Elizabeth Lim (read by Emily Woo Zeller)

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I did not mean to start another series. But, I reached the top of the waiting list at my local library as I was finishing The Starless Sea and I don’t always remember what something is or why I put myself on the wait-list when it comes time to check things out. So, here we are.

Shiori’anma is a princess, the only princess, in the kingdom of Kiata and she does not want to get married. She wants to hang out with her bros and live her life. But, of course, that isn’t what she gets. Following a disastrous failure of a betrothal ceremony, Shiori ends up without an engagement and having to sew an apology tapestry under the watchful eye of her stepmother, Raikama. This turns out to be extra bad news because Shiori is hiding magic in a kingdom that has forbidden magic and Raikama has a secret; she is a sorceress. When Shiori discovers her stepmother’s secret, Raikama banishes her and transforms her six brothers into cranes. Shiori wakes on the other side of the kingdom unable to use her voice, with no money and no identity. She must find a way to survive, reunite with her brothers and return to the capital before something even more terrible than the King losing his heirs can happen. Shiori, of course, finds help along the way.

This was a fun read. I enjoyed Shiori’s arc and the supporting cast of characters are also very fun. There were some unexpected twists that I really enjoyed. I’m interested in what happens next so I’ve added myself to the wait list of the second book. If you like a mix of fairy tale elements, women coming into their power and kicking ass, and slow burn romance, this is for you.

Quick Review: The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern (read by Dominic Hoffman with Dion Graham, Bahni Turpin, Fiona Hardingham, Allan Corduner, and Jorjeana Marie)

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Zachary Ezra Rawlins is a grad student who studies video games. In between semesters, he takes some time to immerse himself in another thing he enjoys, reading books. Every day, he goes to the campus library, has a wander, picks up some books, and heads back to his room to read. One day he finds an unusual book that doesn’t seem to have an author or any of the usual things you find in a book, like a title page that has publisher information on it. It intrigues him, so he checks it out. He starts reading it immediately, but he is caught up short when he finds himself in the story. He is in the story. A section of the book is about him as a child. This sends Zachary into a tailspin and into full research mode. He has to find out who wrote the book and where it came from. His investigation takes him on an adventure with mysterious masquerades, secret societies, dangerous assassins, thieves, and, eventually, A Starless Sea. This vague description does not do this book justice. But I don’t want to tell you anything else because the book is an adventure you absolutely deserve to go on.

This book was recommended by my friend Cristin and I borrowed the audiobook from my local library. It was so good. It has a story within a story within a story structure and as you spiral down through the stories you meet so many interesting characters with flaws and goals that just made me want to keep reading. I loved Zachary. I loved Dorian, an enigmatic older man who tells Zachary a story and sets him on a path that takes him deep into a secret world. I loved Katrina Hawkins (her parts of the book read by Bahni Turpin, one of my favorite audiobook narrators), Zachary’s friend and chronicler of what happens in the real world after Zachary goes on his adventure. I was touched multiple times by the interactions between the characters and, I’m not going to lie, I definitely cried.

If you like books about stories, stories within stories, or magical realism, I recommend this book. If you like adventures with mystery and romance, I recommend this book. It was a truly good time. The audiobook in particular is fun. The book’s story-within-a-story-within-a-story structure lends itself to multiple different styles of narration and Random House Audio didn’t skimp on that. Dominic Hoffman reads Zachary’s story line. Dion Graham reads Sweet Sorrows, Bahni Turpin reads the excerpts of the secret diary of Katrina Hawkins, Fiona Hardingham reads the Ballad of Simon and Eleanor, Allan Corduner reads Fortunes and Fables, and Jorjeana Marie reads Another place, another time. I really liked that each new story was treated as its own stand alone entity. It really added to the whole production.

Review: Goodbye, Things by Fumio Sasaki, translated by Eriko Sugita and read by Keith Szarabajka

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Every now and then, usually in the Spring when I have that itch to Spring clean and try as many new things as I can cram into my waking hours, I want to pick up a book on minimalism. The idea that you should have only the possessions you need, or at least the fewest possessions you can get by with, is nothing new. And even though I don’t really want to live a minimalist life, I am always a little curious. Fumio Sasaki has so few possessions, it takes him thirty minutes to move apartments. I look around my apartment and get an overwhelming feeling of not even knowing where to start if I wanted to move. So, as appealing as it sounds to be able to pick up and go at the drop of a hat instead of spending a month to pack up my place, what I realized when I was reading this wasn’t that I want to be able just abandon all my things and live with a toothbrush, a bowl, a cup, a spoon, my cat, his bowls, and his litter box (until I teach him to use a toilet, of course). What I want is to have more emotional space in my life. I would like some room, metaphorical but also physical, to grow.

In the end, this is what I take from minimalism. The Marie Kondo idea that if it doesn’t spark joy, I don’t need to keep it. I don’t need to keep something I am not using and don’t love, even if it was a gift. I don’t need to keep a piece of clothing, even if it will be cute once I lose another ten pounds. I don’t need to keep yarn I no longer love. And, gasp, I don’t need to keep books I know I’ll never (re-)read. That, in itself, is a daunting project. But, it is also exciting. I could have shelf space. Shelf space for new books that I am excited to read. Or, shelf space for something else. Who knows what’s out there?

This book (essay?) was short and it was okay. It wasn’t overly groundbreaking. The writing was economical and there were no turns of phrase that caught me and had me thinking days later. I have been thinking about the concepts of minimalism, but there’s a good chance I would have been anyway since I made a massive Spring cleaning list. So, in the end, this book gets a 6/10. I wouldn’t necessarily recommend it, but I also wouldn’t not recommend it.

Review: Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng, narrated by Jennifer Lim

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Oh, my god, this was so good, y’all. Just, so so good. So, this is the story of two families whose lives collide with each other. Set in 1997, the Richardsons have four kids and live in a nice house in the lovely suburb of Cleveland, Shaker Heights. Mia Warren, a single mother and artist, moves to town with her daughter Pearl and rents an apartment from Mrs.Richardson. One of the Richardson children, Moody, rides his bike to the house because he is curious about the new tenants and that starts this story of friendship, growth, self-discovery, betrayal, and love. The main complication of the story comes when the Richardsons attend a party of a family friend celebrating the birthday of their child, whose adoption is about to be finalized. Lexie, the oldest Richardson child, mentions the baby to Mia, who has become the Richardson’s part-time housekeeper and cook. Mia realizes that this baby is the daughter of someone she met at a different part-time job. Bebe, the baby’s mother and a Chinese immigrant, surrendered the child to a fire station in the midst of post-partum depression and hopelessness. Since getting back on her feet, she’s been trying to find the little girl.

The resulting public revelation and custody trial sets fire to the community. Family members disagree, everything is heated, and Mrs. Richardson uncovers Mia’s involvement and takes it personally. She sets out to discover everything she can about Mia. The results are painful, beautiful, and deeply touching.

I was taken in by this novel. The characters felt real; you could see how their choices had led them to where they were and how they gloried and chafed against their results and consequences. I felt for all of them, even when what they did made me angry or deeply uncomfortable. The court case that ran through part of the story made clear how complex family situations can be. Issues of maternal support, child welfare, and race all interconnected in a way that made for no easy answers.

This book was so good and I can’t believe it took me so long to get to it. I know it is now also a TV show, so I might have to watch it and see how it compares. But the book on its own is enough. If you’ve not read it, get out there and give it a try. The audiobook was read by Jennifer Lim and she brought the characters to life. I can’t recommend this book enough.

Quick Review: Nona the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir

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Nona has only been in her body for six months. Well, it’s not really her body. She lives with her little family, Phyrra, Camilla, and Palamedes and they are trying to help her work out who she actually is. They go to work; she goes to school. A refugee crisis spurned on by decades and decades of war and a solar event make the city they live turbulent and tense. A monstrous blue sphere has appeared in the sky and threatens to kill them all. The story follows Nona and her little family while they solve the mystery of Nona and deal with the ongoing crises around them.

I liked this book, but perhaps not as much as the previous two books. Nona is childlike and sweet and she foreshadows terrible things to come in the next book. I enjoyed the relationships between the main cast of characters and was happy to see returns from previous books in the series. Meh. If this were a standalone, I might not recommend it. But as part of the series, it’s fine. Where the main character of Gideon the Ninth was full of bravado and humor and the main character of Harrow the Ninth was stubborn and (maybe?) insane, Nona is fierce and sweet and that was an interesting departure from previous novels.

This was a fine third installment, but I look forward to the next one.

Review: Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro

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Non-spoiler review: Brutal speculative fiction that unravels a mystery in a medically advanced future while following the lives and recollections of three boarding school students.

The rest of this review is full of spoilers.

So, the story is told by Kathy and is full of her recollections of being a Hailsham student along with Ruth and Tommy (whose lives we also follow). Kathy is a caretaker for donors. Caretakers themselves always become donors after they are caretakers for awhile. You spend the first however many pages hearing about Kathy driving from one recovery center to another, looking after her donors, and remembering what it was like being a Hailsham student, thinking to yourself, “What are they donating? They’re not donating what I think they’re donating, are they? And, they all went to the same school so… is this a book about raising people specifically so that they can be organ donors? What did I get myself into?” And, that is eventually what is revealed. It was a lot horrifying how relaxed and accepting and blasé everyone in the book was about this. It was mind-blowing, in fact. I realized, at some point, that this might be because the caretakers and donors seem to have almost no interaction with other people and they are raised knowing exactly what is going to happen. This is their trajectory, their lives. They have no reason to expect otherwise. This isn’t a love story about people from two different groups coming together to disrupt an unfair society. This is the story of two people from one group destined to die for the benefit of others who just want a little more time with each other.

Aside from the teachers at the school, one of whom are very adamant that the students aren’t be told enough about what will happen to them, there are no (from my recollection) named characters who aren’t themselves donors. Maybe the caretaker of the house that they lived in between school and becoming caretakers had a name. If he did, I don’t remember, though. The teachers at Hailsham spend a lot of time teaching the students humanities subjects and getting them to engage in art and creation because they have a broader outside goal of proving the humanity of the children to the outside world. (A world that has already decided that raising this children to be organ donors is worth the cost of their lives for the benefit of society.)

A large part of the book is Kathy and Tommy trying to get in touch with someone from their old school because they’ve heard that if you are in love, and can really prove you are in love, that you can get a deferral on donations to live a little of your lives together. It is so touching how pure and naive that is. The school has been closed, though, so there is some difficulty in finding their old headmaster.

There are some heartbreaking detours. Kathy, Tommy, and a couple of others, help Ruth find a woman who looks like her (and who may have been the source for her). This woman works in an office and that is Ruth’s dream job. There are other donors who were at other schools who hear that kids from Hailsham are special and I want to hear what it was like. So, horrifyingly, we’re only being told the best parts of this world. Some of the children raised to be donors get to live some of their lives as people. While we never are told stories from other schools, the implication is that many other places they’re treated like animals.

This was well-written. The prose was great. And, that made it even more horrifying to think about the subject matter. So, I would recommend it, but go into it knowing that is DARK and the ending will not make you feel better about humanity.

Quick Review: Lethal White by Robert Galbraith

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Lethal White is the fourth Cormoran Strike novel and it begins with Cormoran being visited by a mentally ill young man named Billy who tells him about a murder he believes he witnessed as a child. Before Strike can get into the specifics, Billy flees the office and sends Strike, and his partner Robin Ellacott, on a mission to satisfy his own need to make sure that Billy is okay and that no one is getting away with murder. The tale weaves in and out of London. It ends up at protests (it is set before the London Olympics) and in the Houses of Parliament. It reintroduces characters from Strike’s past. The mystery, in the end, felt a little forced. Or, maybe that Strike just can’t let some things go felt forces. I don’t know. I didn’t love this. In fact, now that it has tied up some story lines relating to Robin and her partner Matthew, I may be done with this book series. We’ll see. I do still very much like both Robin and Cormoran. If you really loved the previous books, I say give this one a go, but if you were only so-so on them, I’d say pick something up you are more interested in.