Please Note:  I received an advance copy of this book from the publisher and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.  This did not influence the opinions in my review in any way.

Synopsis (from Goodreads):

Travis Wren has an unusual talent for locating missing people. Hired by families as a last resort, he requires only a single object to find the person who has vanished. When he takes on the case of Maggie St. James—a well-known author of dark, macabre children’s books—he’s led to a place many believed to be only a legend.

Called Pastoral, this reclusive community was founded in the 1970s by like-minded people searching for a simpler way of life. By all accounts, the commune shouldn’t exist anymore and soon after Travis stumbles upon it… he disappears. Just like Maggie St. James.

Years later, Theo, a lifelong member of Pastoral, discovers Travis’s abandoned truck beyond the border of the community. No one is allowed in or out, not when there’s a risk of bringing a disease—rot—into Pastoral. Unraveling the mystery of what happened reveals secrets that Theo, his wife, Calla, and her sister, Bee, keep from one another. Secrets that prove their perfect, isolated world isn’t as safe as they believed—and that darkness takes many forms.

Hauntingly beautiful, hypnotic, and bewitching, A History of Wild Places is a story about fairy tales, our fear of the dark, and losing yourself within the wilderness of your mind.

Review:

Shea Ernshaw is known for writing complex  characters in unusual settings.  I really enjoyed The Wicked Deep with it's supernatural elements, peopled with characters who had many dimensions.   I mostly enjoyed A History of Wild Places, the author's newest offering.  There were a few supernatural aspects to the story, but it wasn't strictly needed.  This is, at its heart, a novel about how people in power use fear to control others.  No matter how you feel about politics, it's obvious that leaders use this tactic effectively in real life.  This book just presents an extreme example.

What I Liked:

Characters:

I really liked the portrayal of Theo and Calla, and Calla's sister Bee.  These are three characters who love living in Pastoral, but keep secrets from each other that put strains on their relationships.

Although he loves Calla, Theo is restless and wishes he could leave Pastoral.  He starts has some risky behavior that could mean brutal punishment, if he is caught.  Plus he worries that Calla will think he doesn't want to be with her, anymore.

Calla loves the security of Pastoral, but also senses that something is wrong.  She knows that Theo is keeping secrets from her, and wonders:  can we ever really know our spouses?

Bee, Calla's sister, is blind, but freer than most of the people in the community,  People often forget she's there and they speak more freely around her. She then gives the leader, Levi, lots of juicy information that he uses as part of his control of the community.  Why would she do this?  Because Bee is in love with Levi.

Themes:

While the leader, Levi,  preaches that the community is based on creating a strong community, with everyone helping each other, he also peddles a healthy dose of fear to keep his flock in line.  He's even gone so far as to convince everyone that there is a terrible illness just beyond the perimeter of the settlement, and if you leave, even for a moment, you will catch it and die.  He has men monitoring the boundaries with guns.  But are they to keep people with the illness out of Pastoral, or to keep the residents in?

Levi uses fear of the outside, and community guilt, to control everyone.  How can you think of leaving Pastoral and put all your loved ones at risk?  When there is severe discipline for some who push back, Levi makes sure that the community feels that it's necessary, in order to keep everyone safe.  These are obvious parallels to issues we face today, with America's boarders, and even with the COVID pandemic.  

What I Didn't Like:

Use of the Supernatural:

One of the characters can touch an object and know things that happened to the people who touched it.  I've seen this device used well in books like The Diviners, by Libba Bray.  But in this story, the character's ability is rarely used.  It could just have easily been dropped from the story with no difference to the outcome of the plot.

Plot Twist:

While I will not give any spoilers away, I was not impressed with the plot twist in the last part of the book.  It didn't make sense to me.  At.  All.  There could have been many other explanations for the cult leader's hold on his flock.  But the reason given is ridiculous.  I was disappointed, because (again), this was an unnecessary stretch.  Given how strong the psychological manipulation was in the cult, several other, more realistic, reasons should have been given.  

Rating:  ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Release Date:  December 7th, 2021

Author:  Shea Ernshaw

Publisher:  Atria Books

Genre:  Mystery/Fantasy

Page Length: 368 Pages

Source:  NetGalley

Format:  E-Book

Recommendation:  Although some of the plot devices may try your reasonable suspension of disbelief, this is a solid thriller about fear among a isolated community.  

Please Note:  I received an advance copy of this novel from the publisher and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.  This did not influence the opinions in my review in any way.

Synopsis (from Goodreads):

From the #1 New York Times bestselling author comes a deeply moving novel about the resilience of the human spirit in a moment of crisis.

Diana O’Toole is perfectly on track. She will be married by thirty, done having kids by thirty-five, and move out to the New York City suburbs, all while climbing the professional ladder in the cutthroat art auction world. She’s not engaged just yet, but she knows her boyfriend, Finn, a surgical resident, is about to propose on their romantic getaway to the Galápagos—days before her thirtieth birthday. Right on time.

But then a virus that felt worlds away has appeared in the city, and on the eve of their departure, Finn breaks the news: It’s all hands on deck at the hospital. He has to stay behind. You should still go, he assures her, since it would be a shame for all of their nonrefundable trip to go to waste. And so, reluctantly, she goes.

Almost immediately, Diana’s dream vacation goes awry. The whole island is now under quarantine, and she is stranded until the borders reopen. Completely isolated, she must venture beyond her comfort zone. Slowly, she carves out a connection with a local family when a teenager with a secret opens up to Diana, despite her father’s suspicion of outsiders.

Diana finds herself examining her relationships, her choices, and herself—and wondering if when she goes home, she too will have evolved into someone completely different.

Review:

Jodi Picoult has written many books, but this is only the second of her novels that I have picked up.  Wish You Were Here, her latest novel, is about how the COVID Pandamic has affected everyone.  Her story centers around a couple, Diana and her boyfriend, Finn as they are about to leave on a dream vacation to the Galápagos Islands.  But, Finn is a doctor and he is told he needs to stay behind to deal with a new illness, CVOID-19.  Diana goes without him.  Neither of them realize that this will change their relationship forever.  As Finn battles to save patients in the hospital, Diana is stuck in paradise.  One would think that Diana got the better deal.  However, would you really want to be far away while your loved ones could be getting sick and dying?  

This was a really entertaining book that addresses the pandemic, head-on.  With wonderful characters and a huge plot twist, I could not stop reading this book.

What I Liked:

Addressing COVID Pandemic:

This is the first novel that really utilizes the COVID pandemic as a major part of the plot.  And, even though this began less than two years ago, it's a good reminder of how wild things were at the beginning.  Suddenly thousands of people in New York and Boston come down with COVID-19, but doctors don't know how to treat it. Hospitals are overrun, people are scrambling to find PPE, and everything is shut down.

In the novel, Diana's boyfriend, Finn, is a surgeon in New York, and needs to spend all his time at the hospital.  Diana, not realizing how this will affect the entire planet, goes on their dream vacation to the Galápagos Islands without Finn.  She is soon stranded on the Island, with no way to get a hold of Finn, and no way to get back to New York.

But, aside from all the inconveniences of the pandemic, the book really focuses on what it was like in the hospital for Doctors, Nurses, and Patients.  One of the characters in the story gets COVID and following their journey, from the brink of death to the recovery, is a stark reminder in just how terrible this illness it.

Characters:

After dealing with a childhood where her mother was unreliable, Diana wants to have a safe, predictable future.  So she passes on opportunities that are creative but not steady.  And although she loves her doctor boyfriend, he really only offer predictability, not excitement.  With her experiences during lockdown in the Galápagos Islands, Diana starts to rethink her life.  

She also must come to terms with her relationship with her often absent mother, a world famous war photographer.  Now that her mother has dementia, Diana tries to look past her childhood hurt, and see her mom as an adult, who had to make difficult choices.

I really liked that Diana used her experiences during the pandemic to take stock of her life.

Finn, Diana's boyfriend, is a doctor on the front lines of the pandemic.  The author does not make Finn out to be some kind of hero, but rather a man experiencing trauma.  No one goes into a career in medicine with the thought that they will treat hundreds of patients who won't make it.   We see Finn's frustration, exhaustion, and (not always positive) coping skills.  While his actions are understandable, he is also selfish in believing he's the only one having a tough time.

Plot Twist:

I will not give the plot twist away.  But I will say there is something that happens in the novel that was completely unexpected, and changes the narrative of the book completely.  Parts of the event were a little hard to buy into.  But, it certainly made me gasp!

Themes:

This book is really about how the Pandemic has forced each of us to assess what their priorities should be.  Are we willing to work at a job that doesn't fulfill us?  Are we willing to settle for predictable (and safe) relationships, or do we want to take more risks?  But most of all, this book make the reader think about keeping connections with our loved ones.  We just don't know what tomorrow will bring.

Rating:  ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Release Date:  November 30th, 2021

Author:  Jodi Picoult

Publisher:  Ballantine Books

Genre:  Contemporary Fiction

Page Length:  336 Pages

Source:  NetGalley

Format:  E-Book

Recommendation:  This is a highly thought-provoking, and entertaining novel.

Please Note:  I received an advance copy of this novel from the publisher and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.  This did not influence the opinions in my review in any way.

Synopsis (from Goodreads):

Tuscany, 1944: As Allied troops advance and bombs fall around deserted villages, a young English soldier, Ulysses Temper, finds himself in the wine cellar of a deserted villa. There, he has a chance encounter with Evelyn Skinner, a middle-aged art historian who has come to Italy to salvage paintings from the ruins and recall long-forgotten memories of her own youth. In each other, Ulysses and Evelyn find a kindred spirit amongst the rubble of war-torn Italy, and set off on a course of events that will shape Ulysses's life for the next four decades.

As Ulysses returns home to London, reimmersing himself in his crew at The Stoat and Parrot -- a motley mix of pub crawlers and eccentrics -- he carries his time in Italy with him. And when an unexpected inheritance brings him back to where it all began, Ulysses knows better than to tempt fate, and returns to the Tuscan hills.

With beautiful prose, extraordinary tenderness, and bursts of humor and light, Still Life is a sweeping portrait of unforgettable individuals who come together to make a family, and a richly drawn celebration of beauty and love in all its forms.

Review:

This is a novel that grows on you.  While the first chapter, taking place in Italy during WWII, is charming, the next few chapters have various characters who I didn't initially love.  But that's one of the joys of Still Life, by Sarah Winman.  As with a still life painting, the seemingly simple characters reveal hidden depths as the novel progresses.  This book covers a long time period, with characters growing up, aging, and (sometimes) dying. This gave me time to get to know the characters, and appreciate how they change and grow over the years.  

I also loved this book because of how several characters decide to move from their predictable hometowns to unknown Italy.  I loved this, as I have lived in three countries, and hope to add a few more to my list in the future.  The idea of searching for a new life is appealing, and shows how resilient people can be, even out of their comfort zone.

What I Liked:

Characters:

The story mostly follows Ulysses, a young British man who begins the story as a soldier in Italy during WWII.  Although the circumstances are horrific, with death all around, Ulysses sees the beauty of classic works of art and of kind people he meets along the way.  When he returns home to England, he tries to reunite with his wife, and find a way to live a more quiet existence.  Much of what happens in Italy is Ulysses trying to find a way to live that is true for himself.  

The character of Peg, Ulysses wife, was harder for me to like, as she seemed initially  very cruel to Ulysses.  Peg's character is complicated with parts of her I hated, and many parts of her I loved.  She is fiercely independent, yet yearns for a man to whisk her away and take care of her.  She loves her daughter (named Alys), but knows she will be terrible with the day to day care of her.  So she lets Ulysses raise Alys.  Again, you want to hate that decision, initially.  But the author shows that this is actually the right choice for these characters. 

I also loved Alys, Peg's daughter.  We see her grow from a precocious toddler, to a lonely child among all the grown ups, to a sulky teen, and finally into a strong young person.  I loved her story arc!  She loves creating art and music.  She also is attracted to females. Thinking of the time periods where the story takes place, this was challenging for Alys to find her place in the world.  Like Ulysses, she takes a while to find a life that works for her.

Side Characters & Found Family:

There are many characters we are introduced to at the pub where Ulysses works and they all have endearing personalities.  There's the pub owner, Col, who's fiercely protecting of his developmentally disabled daughter, Ginny.  Cress, an older patron of the pub, always seems to have great advice.  And Pete, a piano player at the pub, is full of surprises.

All of these characters make up a found family for Ulysses, and Alys.  Like a family, there are loud, opinionated members, people who get themselves into trouble. But, these people look out for one another and would (literally) be the ones to call to bury a body, if the occasion ever arrives.

Impactful meetings: 

Ulysses has one of those personalities that people are drawn to.  As a soldier, Ulysses meets Evelyn, an older fellow British woman, who briefly shows him the importance of art.  He shows her the beauty of life, even in times of terror.  This makes quite an impression on both of the characters.  Over the course of the novel, they try many times to reconnect, often just missing each other turning a street corner!

Story:

The story starts during WWII and ends in 1979!  It covers Ulysses quest (as in the Odyssey) to find a place to call home.  But what really makes a home?  Is it the geographic area, or the people?  There a little bit of both in this story.  Ulysses really enjoys Italy.  Over time, the people in his section of Florence, are as dear to him as the ones he grew up with back in England.  But he also maintains his ties to his oldest British friends.  I loved how he was able to take chances, in order to live a more interesting, fulfilling life.

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Release Date:  November 2nd, 2021

Author:  Sarah Winman

Publisher:  G.P. Putman's Sons

Genre:  Historical Fiction

Page Length:  464 Pages

Source:  NetGalley

Format:  E-Book

Recommendation:  This book grew on me.  Once you get to know the characters, you will love the little expat community they create.  A wonderful Historical Fiction novel.

Synopsis (from Goodreads):

Rich in its stories, characters, and imaginative range, The Book of Laughter and Forgetting is the novel that brought Milan Kundera his first big international success in the late 1970's. Like all his work, it is valuable for far more than just its historical implications. In seven wonderfully integrated parts, different aspects of human existence are magnified and reduced, reordered and emphasized, newly examined, analyzed and experienced.

Review:

The Book of Laughter and Forgetting, by Milan Kundera was on my list of "classic" book I have wanted to read.  Maybe I am not sophisticated enough to "get" him, but his narrow view of women, and sexual relationships made this challenging for me to read. This is a shame because there were many profound insights and passages.  But, some parts of the novel were so repugnant, I had to lower my rating from five to three stars.

What I Liked:

Format:

The book is presented as a series of short stories that eventually tie together.  Some of the stories are more like fantasy, with strange things happening to the characters.  In other stories, the author uses the names of famous poets in place of the actual character names.  I loved his reasoning.  Kundera wrote this book when he was still an exile in France, and didn't want to use actual names of people he knows.  Therefore, he says, it's his story, and he can name the characters anything he likes!

Themes of Forgetting:

I really thought the author's point that the various Czech governments change things (street names, for example),  so that its citizens will forget the past (and accept the future) really resonated with me.  The erasure of names, languages, and cultural traditions is how a people are subjugated, as is the case with indigenous peoples throughout the world.  

Kundera also uses forgetting to discuss his relationship with his father at the end of his life.  Although he never explicitly says this, it appears that Kundera's father had dementia.  As he nears the end of his life, he gradually loses the ability to speak.  So, by forgetting, Kundera shows that someone can lose the ability to communicate.  This loss of expression is a loss of power.

What I Didn't Like:

Themes of Laughter:

Kundera's other major theme is that laughter is evil.  He seems to equate laughter in the bedroom as an emasculation of men.  He has several situations where men and women laugh in sexual situations.  When this happens, it kills the moment (for the man) and therefore it's always a negative.  This is a very narrow view of sex between two people.  

Other stories have people laughing at inappropriate times, such as at a funeral. I think he sees laughter as something humiliating, instead of an acknowledgement of the absurdity of life. 

Sexual Abuse Excused:

One of the recurring themes in this book is that rape is an essential part of eroticism for men.  Sadly, this may be true for some men.  But I refuse to believe that this is just part of the male DNA.  Rape, and rape culture, is learned.  Kundera's insistence that men are just like this excuses mens's behavior.  He is basically saying that men can't help it.  

He also has a story where a woman is sexually abusing children.  He says that the children are initiating the contact, and makes no attempt to place blame on the woman.  Again, it is excusing her behavior.  I almost put the book down, at that point, but it was close to the end of the book, and I felt that I needed to finish it in order to really judge it.

After I finished the novel, I did some research on the author. It's really no surprise that he vocally defended the notorious Roman Polanski who raped a thirteen year-old child back in the 1970's.  I think he truly feels that men forcing themselves on women (and children) is natural and just how things are.  This book was written in the 1970's.  I really wonder if his thoughts on this has evolved since then.

Triggers for Sexual Assault and Abuse

Rating:  ⭐⭐⭐

Release Date: 1979

Author:  Milan Kundera

Publisher:  Harper Perennial Modern Classics

Page Length:  313 Pages

Source:  Public Library

Format:  Paperback Book

Recommendation:  This book had many parts that were thought-provoking.  But I had a hard time with the viewpoint that sexual behavior, of any type, is natural and doesn't have consequences.

Please Note:  I received an advance copy of this audiobook from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.  This did not influence the opinions in my review in any way.

Synopsis (from Goodreads):

The squad you love is out of time. Prepare for the thrilling finale in the epic, best-selling Aurora Cycle series about a band of unlikely heroes who just might be the galaxy's last hope for survival.

Is this the end?
What happens when you ask a bunch of losers, discipline cases, and misfits to save the galaxy from an ancient evil? The ancient evil wins, of course.
Wait. . . . Not. So. Fast.
When we last saw Squad 312, they working together seamlessly (aka, freaking out) as an intergalactic battle raged and an ancient superweapon threatened to obliterate Earth. Everything went horribly wrong, naturally.
But as it turns out, not all endings are endings, and the te4am has one last chance to rewrite thirs. Maybe two. It's complicated.
Cue Zila, Fin, and Scarlett (and MAGELLAN!): making friends, making enemies, and making history? Sure, no problem
Cue Tyler, Kal, and Auri: uniting with two of the galaxy’s most hated villains? Um, okay. That, too.
Actually saving the galaxy, though?
Now that will take a miracle.

Review:

The end of a book series comes with mixed feelings.  We want to finally have all the character's problems resolved, but we're also sorry to see them go.  I have really enjoyed the Aurora Chronicles, but Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff.  It has been a really fun series filled with diverse characters and lots of humor.  Listening to the audiobooks as been (mostly) delightful, as the voice actors who narrate are wonderfully expressive.  As I listened to the final book in the series, Aurora's End, I again loved the humor, the characters, and how it is wrapped up.  I was a little mixed about some of the sound quality of the audiobook.  Also, although this is an action series, the battle scenes go on for far too long.  This actually slowed the book down.  But, even with these caveats, I really enjoyed this book and found it to be a worthy finale to the series.

What I Liked:

Characters:

With six main characters, it would seem difficult to give each of them their due.  The book focused mostly on Tyler, Scarlett, Zila, and Fin.  I liked this because the other books were more centered on Aurora and Cal.  We learned so much more about how Zila thinks and why she is so reserved, in particular.  Zila is one of my favorite characters, and it was great to see her come out of her shell.  And there are major developments int the relationship between Scarlett and Fin!  Tyler shows a side of himself that is quite unexpected.  But as the story continues, one can see how this came to be.

Book Series Recap:

I so appreciate that then beginning of the book has a recap of what happened in the two previous books!  When you have book series, I often find that I need to re-read the previous books so I won't be lost when I read the next one.  But, the authors bring the reader up to date on what happened so you can jump into the action without thinking, "who was that person again", or "Why are they at that place"?  It makes the experience so much better.  I wish more authors would do this.

Story:

The story takes place over multiple timelines.  I think the authors did a wonderful job of keeping everything logical, so it was easy to follow.  Without giving too much away, the story shows some of the characters at different ages, and it's fun to see how they changed as they got older.

What I Was Mixed About:

Audiobook Quality:

While I enjoyed the overall quality of the audio narration, for some reason one of the voice actors sounded like they recorded their lines in a closet.  When Steve West (who plays Cal) spoke there were strange echos that were not part of the story.  Just the quality of the sounds made it clear to me that he recorded his part separately from the other actors.  Hearing Cal was something I was really look forward to.  But with the sound quality so off, it was all I could focus on.

What I Didn't Like:

Story: & Pacing:

The story meandered around with various battles, again and again and again.  Part of that was built into the structure of the book.  But beyond that, there were too many epic "Final" battles.  Some editing would have given the book a faster pace, which is what this novel needed. 

Rating:  ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Release Date:  November 9th, 2021

Authors:  Amie Kaufman & Jay Kristoff

Genre:  YA Science Fiction

Audiobook Publisher:  Listening Library

Audiobook Narrators:  Kim Mai Guest, Jonathan McClain, Lincoln Hoppe, Donnabella Mortel, Jonathan Todd Ross,  Erin Spencer, Steve West

Audiobook Length:  15 hours, 6 Minutes

Print Publisher:  Knopf Books for Young Readers

Book Length:  512 Pages

Source:  Penguin Audio

Format:  Audiobook

Recommendation:  Even though the novel meandered around, there was still the signature humor and humanity in each character.  A worthy end to the sereis.

Please Note:  I received an advance copy of this novel from Edelweiss and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.  This did not influence the opinions in my review in any way.

Synopsis (from Goodreads):

TESTING DAY IS COMING.

The Genetic Wars that turned most of the planet into a wasteland are over. The so-called “dregs” (DNA regulars) and superpowered Supergenics now live separately from each other—the Supergenics in the shiny towers of Jupitar City; the dregs across the river in the squat concrete buildings of the boroughs. But some dreg parents bear Supergenic children; under repressive laws, they must be sent to live with their own kind.

THEY ARE GEN M.

To find these special few, every teen faces Testing Day. When her turn comes, socially isolated Caitlin Feral is determined to Manifest powers like the heroes in the comic book propaganda she loves. If she fails, she faces a lifetime of loneliness and drudgery in the boroughs.

How much is Caitlin willing to sacrifice to be a supergirl?

When she uncovers dark secrets, does she dare start another war to reveal the truth?

And…who will pay the price?

Find out in Generation Manifestation

Review:

It's been a while since I've read a dystopian YA novel.  And the dystopian world of Generation Manifestation is pretty bleak!  Several books have explored the idea of what it would be like if super-heroes were real.  But, most don't go down such a dark road.  Would people with superpowers be selfless and work to protect others?  Or, would they simply pull a Loki and take over?

via GIPHY

This book encompasses many elements of The Hunger Games, Divergent, and the X-Men.  What ties it all together is the main character, Caitlin, and her two friends, Bradie and Normand.  I enjoyed the world-building, characters, and the story.  There were a lot of twisty surprises in the story that kept me guessing, and made this a page-turner. 

What I Liked:

World-Building:

Generation Manifestation is set in a world where there are Supergenic people with various supernatural powers, and Dregs who do not.  It's a bleak world where the supergenics, who should be heroes, are more like the oppressors.  While they do protect the Dregs from mutated animals, the price they set is too high.  Supergenics get to live in a utopian city, while the Dregs get, well, the dregs.  They live a life of subsistence and dream of one day manifesting into a supergenic.  The Dregs' society is organized by the Protectorate.  This is a police force made up of Dregs who are talented athletes.  They are superhuman, but without the superpowers.   They also seem to have a power trip and are feared among the Dregs.

The author put much thought into how the society of this world would function.  Once a child manifests, they are whisked away to Jupiter City to (presumably) have a wonderful life as a Supergenic.  If you don't manifest be age sixteen, you are considered a Dreg.  Dregs are then put on a career track for menial jobs such as farm worker, garbage collector, techie, etc.  Some Dregs who are very fit, are recruited into the Protectorate.  This is the only path where regular people get a  chance at a better life.

Characters:

Caitlin, the main character has desperately wanted to be a Supergenic all her life.  Kids are tested once a year, and if by the time they're sixteen, if they don't "manifest", they are considered dregs.  When she starts trying out vocational jobs, like farmer, and protector, she realizes just how much privilege the protectors have, and is instantly seduced.  This is so understandable, since she has lived in poverty and near starvation for most of her life.  And being a protector is as close to being a Supergenic as she'll ever get.  But there's also a big price to pay when you have to enforce brutal laws...

Bradie is another proctor recruit, and he and Caitilin  are instantly attracted to each other.  Bradie's older brother is already a protector, so it's natural for Bradie to walk in his brother's footsteps.  But Bradie also has a deep resentment for the Protectorate.  Can he start a revolution and still keep the love of his brother?

Normand is a boy at Caitlin's school how seems rather strange.  He mutters to himself, and is obsessed with technology.  Caitlin starts to hang out with him when he shows her a massive (and illegal) comic book collection. He understands Caitlins obsession with becoming a supergenic.  And he encourages her to use her artistic skills to help him write a comic book.  Normand is a very complicated character, with lots of secrets.  It was fun to find out there is so much more to his character beyond nerdy tech bro.

Story:

While the world-building reminded me a lot of the Hunger Games, I could also so influences of Divergent and the X-Men in the story.  I think the story is about finding your own way to be a super human.  Whether that is by being lucky enough to have superpowers, or just embracing each opportunity, the characters are living fast.  With such an authoritarian regime, it's no wonder.

The story itself is obviously the start of a multi-book series.  We get a lot of backstory about how the Protectorate came to be, and how their society is set up.  I liked that Caitlin is a morally complicated character.  She is not perfect, and has to own up to the fact that while Bradie is incredibly handsome, it Normand who actually gets her.  She fluctuated between using Normand, and actually becoming his friend.

I do wish that some of Caitlin's other relationships, such as with her mother and brother, could have been addressed.  Near the beginning of the story, the mom kicks Caitlin out.  And then we never hear from her family again.  Maybe this is something that will be part of the next book in the series?  I hope so.

Rating:  ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Release Date:  September 14th, 2021

Author:  Steven Bereznai

Publisher:  Jambor

Genre:  YA Dystopian Novel

Page Length:  248 Pages

Source:  Edelweiss

Format:  E-Book

Recommendation:  A fun, YA dystopian novel.  The twists and turns of the story made this a highly entertaining book. 

Please Note:  I received an advance copy of this audiobook from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.  This did not influence the opinions in my review in any way.

Synopsis (from Goodreads):

From the co-creators and co-hosts of the Peabody- and Pulitzer-nominated podcast comes this unflinching, illuminating view of prison life, as told by presently and formerly incarcerated people.

The United States locks up more people per capita than any other nation in the world--600,000 each year and 2.3 million in total. The acclaimed podcast Ear Hustle, named after the prison term for eavesdropping, gives voice to that ever-growing prison population.

Co-created for the Radiotopia podcast network from PRX by visual artist Nigel Poor and inmate Earlonne Woods, who was serving thirty-one years to life before his sentence was commuted in 2018, Ear Hustle was launched in the basement media lab of California's San Quentin State Prison. As the first podcast created and produced entirely within prison, it has since been globally lauded for the rare access and perspective it contributes to the conversation about incarceration.

Now, in their first book, Poor and Woods present unheard stories that delve deeper into the experiences of incarceration and share their personal paths to San Quentin as well as how they came to be co-creators. This unprecedented narrative, enhanced by forty original black-and-white illustrations, reveals the spectrum of humanity of those in prison and navigating post-incarceration. Bringing to the page the same insight, balance, and charismatic rapport that has distinguished their podcast, Poor and Woods illuminate the full--and often surprising--realities of prison life. With characteristic candor and humor, their portrayals include unexpected moments of self-discovery, unlikely alliances, and many ingenious work-arounds. One personal narrative at a time, framed by Poor's and Wood's distinct perspectives, This Is Ear Hustle tells the real lived experience of the criminal justice system.

Review:

I have listened to the podcast of Ear Hustle (prison slang for gossip) for several years, and really appreciate what the podcast is trying to accomplish.  The podcast is made inside San Quentin State Prison, in the San Francisco Bay Area.  With raw language and topics ranging from food and music, to lockdowns to prison sex, this is an authentic portrayal of prison life.  It is it challenging to listen to at times, but it certainly opened my eyes as to the very human lives of those paying for their misdeeds.

This is Ear Hustle is the story of how the podcast came into existence.  It chronicles the lives of the two main creators of the podcast, artist Nigel Poor, and now former inmate Earlonne Woods.  I liked this book because of the honestly of the creators.  These are not saints, and they work hard to make sure that this is not a story filled with complaints or asking for pity.  They are just showing us on the outside how prison affects not only the offender, but their families as well.  But be warned:  there is a lot of raw, explicit language and descriptions of violence in this book.  If you have been a victim of a violent crime, I would think this might be a trigger, and you should not read  it.  But for others, I highly recommend this book.  

What I Liked:

Audiobook Narrators:

I really think if you want to read this book you should listen to it as an audiobook.  This book is narrated by the two hosts of the Ear Hustle podcast.  Nigel Poor and Earlonne Woods have a wonderful rapport that I think would be tough to understand by just reading the words off the page.  Trusting others in prison is hard  and their easy banter masks years of work learning about each other, and understanding each other's motives. It's a really fascinating working relationship.

Impact of Prison on Families:

Regardless of how one feels about people in prison, one has to feel compassion towards the family members of the incarcerated.  While the children, partners, and parents of prisoners did nothing wrong, they are still paying the price of the prisoners poor life choices.  There's a lot of anger, guilt, and sadness playing out in these family dramas.  I was riveted by the stories of visiting loved ones in prison.  It's not a simple process, and families have to jump through a lot of hoops in order to spend any time with their people in prison.  It's especially hard on children.  I really felt for the mothers who have to bring their kids to a prison in order to see their fathers. 

Humanity of Prisoners:

Generally speaking, the hosts of the podcasts do not share how their interviewees got to prison.  While their goal is not to gloss over the crimes that were committed, they feel that divulging that information would cloud the interview.  I agree.  The podcast and book simply show what prison life is like.  It's up to the reader to identify with the prisoners humanity, or not.  I would say that prisoners do pay a heavy price for their crimes.  Loss of any control on their lives, restrictions on how they spend their day, and limited access to their families are just a few of the ways the prisoners lives have changed.  But prison can also bring order to the chaotic lives of the prisoners, which some find helpful so they can reevaluate their life choices.  

What I Was Mixed About:

While I liked the book very much, I felt like something was missing from the topics in the book.  There is only one section on the impact of crime victims.  Yes, I know that this book is focused on the prisoners.  But I would have appreciated some acknowledgment of how their crimes have impacted the victims of their criminal activity.  I know this is not the goal of the book, and that is why it was mostly left out.  But, if I am being honest with myself, it would have made it easier for me to connect with the prisoners if I knew they understood and had remorse for how they hurt their victims.  

Rating:  ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Release Date:  October 19th, 2021

Authors:  Nigel Poor & Earlonne Woods

Audio Publisher:  Random House Audio

Audio Length:  10 Hours, 18 Minutes

Narrators:  Nigel Poor, Earlonne Woods,  & Lt. Sam Robinson

Print Publisher:  Crown Publishing Group

Book Length:  304 Pages

Genre:  Non-Fiction

Recommendation:  This is a hard-hitting account of life in prison and gives valuable insights into the challenges that inmates face.  I highly recommend this book.

Please Note:  I received an advance copy of this novel from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.  This did not influence the opinions in my review in any way.

Synopsis (from Goodreads):

Earth, 2050. Pregnant, unemployed, and living back home with her father, climate scientist Quinn Buyers wonders how she got to this point in her life. Her famous scientist mother is mysteriously missing, the planet is at risk from a massive solar storm, the Transhumans want to take a colony to Titan, and her assisted living companion, a robotic meerkat, is showing clear signs of anxiety and depression. But her biggest challenge is her partner. How can she reconcile her long-distance relationship with this reserved, enigmatic cyborg?

The sequel to Sarah Lahey's debut novel and the second book in the Heartless Series, Nostalgia is Heartless delves into the world of the near future, exploring a society on the brink of climate catastrophe. This time, Quinn's adventures take her across the globe to Antarctica . . . where it rains all day, every day. Readers will delight in following Quinn's journey as she races to save her family, her planet, and — hopefully — her love life.

Review:

I was fortunate enough to read the first book in this series, Gravity is Heartless, last year.  I highly recommend that you read that book first.  Nostalgia is Heartless starts out several months after the first book ends.  Set about thirty years in the future, the world is in disarray.   The polar ice caps have mostly melted.  As a result, the atmosphere has changed, and there are food shortages, wars and environmental refugees.  In other words, the world is in chaos.

And the characters are also in chaos.  Quinn is facing lots of change.  Pregnant by a man she barely knows, she is suddenly unemployed and living with her father, a survivalist who Quinn finds to be super annoying.  Mori the AI meerkat is having an existential crisis.  Tig, the transhuman who impregnated Quinn, is hiding a big secret, and Quinn's mother is still missing.  Oh, and several Terminator-types are trying to kidnap Quinn and the meerkat.  

This book was so much fun to read.  The characters are written with much humor and humanity.  And the adventure and excitement kept me reading well beyond bedtime!  I highly recommend this book.

What I Liked:

Setting:

Although this is a science fiction novel, the setting shows a very realistic scenario for what Earth would look like if climate change remains unchecked.  The Earth is getting hotter and hotter.  The wealth inequities are stark.  There are cities for the wealthy where people live in climate-controlled comfort.  And other places where people are scraping by.  Food sources have changed.  Instead of eating potato chips, Quinn nibbles on dried insects, and other food grown in labs.  Humans have adapted by integrating technology into their bodies.  When they have more tech in them then flesh, they are known as transhumans.  It's a really stark picture of our future.

Characters:

Quinn is now heavily pregnant with Tig's baby.  And while the baby is well on its way, their relationship is still sputtering.  They barely know each other.  It doesn't help that Tig is so mysterious.  He is a transhuman who is hiding some significant secrets. And, strangely, he seems to know a lot of small things about Quinn (like what her favorite meal is) even though they are still new to the relationship...

I loved Matt, Quinn's hippy dad.  He is a former musician who has amassed a fortune over his career.  And what did he do with his money? He used it to build a glass house in a forest, complete with a doomsday bunker.  He has been prepping for Armageddon, which comes in handy when a bunch of transhumans decide to go after Quinn.

There are also some amazing side characters with a sister and brother named Anvil and Stratus.  They have certain abilities which come in handy in the story.  But they are also just wonderful people.  Anvil tries to look after her little brother, but he keeps getting kidnapped!  Stratus seems to have a very special blood type that others want to harvest.  But he still maintains a sense of wonder with all the gadgets he can find.  And Anvil has the ability to harness electricity and zap people.  But both of them are exhausted from the struggle of survival.  Quinn finds them and takes them under her wing (a little maternal practice, perhaps?).

Story:

As Quinn's due date nears, she has to cut back on how active she wants to be.  She is used to being independent, and it's hard for her to acknowledge that she might need help to stay safe.  Her need to be self-sufficient is put to the test when several transhumans affiliated with a shadowy organization try to abduct Quinn and Mori the meerkat.  What follows is a rollicking adventure as Quinn, Matt, and her friends have to navigate an underground labyrinth to get to a secure bunker.  This takes a large portion of the book.  But I loved it

Even when this part of the book is over, there are more adventures to come.  Tig and Quinn start to unravel the mystery of the Shun Mantra organization.  And Quinn is still looking for her mom.  Could she have time-travelled?  

Sarah Lahey has created a dystopian world that still has people with an intense desire to affect positive change.  This hope in the future is what makes this series so compelling.  There will be a final book in the series.  And I can't wait! 

Rating:  ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Release Date:  October 26th, 2021

Author:  Sarah Lahey

Publisher:  She Writes Press

Genre:  Science Fiction

Page Length:  314 pages

Source:  Publisher

Format:  E-book

Recommendation:  With a Science Fiction backdrop, this book is all about relationships.  It's fun, and full of adventure!  I loved it.

 I have tried to lighten my load on ARC's lately so I can focus on actually reading the many many books I already own, but never have time to read.  And, since it's October, I've picked up some wonderful books that fit the Halloween theme.  Here's my recommendation for three such books.  I hope you find them as entertaining as I did.

This novel was released in 2013 by the master storyteller, Holly Black.  It's set in a world where vampires are real, and people who have been "infected" are quarantined in "Coldtowns", so they won't infect others.  People have bars on their windows and the threat of being bitten is ever-present.  There's plenty of blood and creepy imagery to keep this scary story moving right along.  

This sweet homage to all thing Autumn is a lovely graphic novel by Rainbow Rowell.  I love all the nostalgia as the two main characters have one last night working at the local pumpkin patch.  You're going to want to runout and eat all the delicious Autumn treats lovingly described in this book.. There's also a sweet love story, and plenty of humor in this book.

I just finished this book that came out in 2020 about a trans boy who wants to prove to his Latinx family that he is deserving of being accepted for who he is, despite his family's traditional views.  This is, at turns, beautiful and heartbreaking.  Yadriel comes from a family of magical people who are separated into strict gender roles.  Girls are Brujas who use their powers to heal, while boys are  Brujos who patrol the cemetery and help spirits pass into the afterlife.  But where does Yadriel fit it?  As a trans boy, he knows he is a Brujo, but he desperately wants his family to accept this as well.  This is a book filled with Latinx traditions, food, and language.  There is also a wonderful romance that blossoms between two of the main characters.

Have you read any of these books?  Have any other recommendations?  Let me know in the comments.