Favorite Reads of 2017

On this last day of 2017, I would like to look back at the books I read and loved in the past 12 months. According to Goodreads, I read 38,874 pages across 128 books. This is officially the most I've ever read in my life in a single year. This was also the year I got into audio books in a much more serious way and got through several non-fiction books. In addition, I did read many wonderful books of fiction and here are just a few that stood out:

1. Arcadia by Iain Pears

For whatever reason, I did not give this book 5 stars when I originally read it. It has however stuck with me throughout the year, and I am already considering re-reading it. It is a mix of time/parallel world travel, dystopian, historical fiction, sci-fi, and fantasy. It has an interesting and unexpected plot and a cast of likable characters.

2. The Fate of the Tearling by Erika Johansen

This book was the perfect conclusion of The Queen of the Tearling trilogy. This is now officially one of my favorite fantasy series, and one I would like to re-read soon. This is also a dystopian/parallel world travel fantasy featuring a strong female protagonist. I highly recommend this trilogy to everyone who likes fantasy and dystopian fiction.

3. The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden

This is another fantasy, but one that is based on Russian folklore and fairy tales. Specifically, it is a re-telling of the Russian folk story about Morozko (the Frost King). This book also features a strong female lead who challenges the established role of women in society and embraces all the ways in which the world considers her to be different and flawed.

4. Anything by Narine Abgaryan

This year I discovered and fell in love with books by Narine Abgaryan. She is an Armenian who writes in Russian and her books are filled with warmth, love and childhood wonder. So far I've read 3 of her books and I am very glad that I have a few more on my shelves to dive into.

5. The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath

This book was personally very helpful to me. Late in 2016, a friend of mine lost a young beautiful intelligent daughter who committed suicide. The Bell Jar allowed me a glimpse into the mind of someone who gradually falls apart and succumbs to a mental illness. It helped understand, heal and generally be more aware of issues surrounding mental illness and suicide.

Checking in on my 2017 reading goals

2017 Reading Goals	End of 2017 Status
Read 85 books in 2017	Achieved. In fact, I exceeded this goal by a wide margin. As of today, I’ve read 127 books in 2017. I will probably read one more by December 31.
Read 5 non-fiction books	This year was the first time I did really well in terms of reading non-fiction: 10 books were completed towards this goal.
Finish off 5 series that I already started	I completed 7 series which I had started prior to 2017 and two more were started and completed in 2017.
Read 10 classics	This is the goal I did not complete. I only read 2 classics this year.
Review 10 ARCs	Completed. I read and reviewed 13 ARCs.
Specific books to read in 2017 Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier The Time Traveler’s Wife by Audrey Niffenegger Anne of Green Gables by LM Montgomery The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood	Failed miserably. I did not read any of these.
Specific authors to read in 2017 Vladimir Nabokov Fyodor Dostoyevsky Charles Dickens Truman Capote John Steinbeck	Failed as well. I only read A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens.

Out of 127 books, 63 were from my local library. In addition, I only read 6 books in Russian, the rest were all in English. Overall, I am very happy with the number and the quality of books I read this past year. Since, I started this blog and became active on Goodreads, my reading has definitely increased. Here is a simple chart to illustrate this point:

"The Bear and the Nightingale" by Katherine Arden

This is a fantasy novel based on the Russian folklore and reads very much like a fairy tale. If you liked Uprooted by Naomi Novik, you will probably enjoy this one as well. I personally was very impressed with the author's knowledge of various Russian pagan beliefs, mythical creatures and household spirits. She is also very familiar with Russian fairy tales, history and language.

What I liked the most about this book is that it combines the familiar fairy tale tropes with the modern themes of feminism and freedom of choice. Vasilisa (or Vasya) is the youngest child of a wealthy boyar whose mother dies in childbirth. The child, as predicted by her mother, has unusual abilities which she inherited from her maternal grandmother: she can see the household spirits and can talk to them. Thus, we have the familiar trope of an orphan girl with unusual abilities. Her father eventually re-marries, i.e. enter the evil stepmother. But luckily, Vasya has a kind and wise nurse Dunya to love her and mother her. Vasya is never described as beautiful. In fact, the author several times emphasizes that Vasya was an ugly child resembling a frog. She is as unconventional in looks as she is in her behavior. She looks men and strangers straight in the eye, laughs loudly and runs and rides horses with abandon. There is nothing timid or submissive about her the way a proper Russian maiden should be.

I also loved the way Vasya reconciles the pagan beliefs with Christianity. She knows true spirituality cannot be based on fear. She goes to church with her family and thinks that the church is about the next life. However, in her everyday life, household spirits and various magical creatures are very much alive and protect the people as their go about their mortal business now. She is thus at peace with honoring both. Her stepmother on the other hand, who is the only other person who sees household spirits, does not understand their purpose and fears them. To her, they are devils to be banished, and the dread she feels toward them pushes her further into religious fervor and fanaticism.

Without spoiling the plot, I should say there is a big fight brewing between order and chaos (or good and evil) represented by the Frost king and the Bear, and Vasya finds herself smack in the middle of it. This was a beautiful and entertaining read. I will be picking up book 2 very soon. 5 out of 5 stars.

"The Secret History of Jane Eyre: How Charlotte Brontë Wrote Her Masterpiece" by John Pfordresher

Jane Eyre has always been one of my favorite novels and I was excited to see a new non-fiction title about the writing of it. The book was written by a Georgetown professor of English and as such, it is very well researched with plenty of source material cited in the end-notes. I did see some negative reviews of the book, which mostly focused on the way it is structured and on numerous alleged inaccuracies. I myself do not have detailed knowledge of Charlotte Bronte's biography. I, therefore, could not relate to the latter criticisms. As for the former, I quite liked the structure of the book. It basically closely follows the narrative of Bronte's novel, and the author draws parallels between the novel and circumstances of Bronte's life, thus establishing that all the inspiration was born out of Bronte's real life experiences, relationships, dreams and disappointments.

I found this book very informative and easy to follow. I would highly recommend it to all Jane Eyre fans. You do need to know the plot quite well in order to be able to follow the book. 4 out of 5 stars. I quite enjoyed it.

"Three Daughters of Eve" by Elif Shafak

Three Daughters of Eve is a new novel by Elif Shafak, an acclaimed Turkish author whose writing is very poetic and who is not afraid to tackle difficult issues. The novel alternates between two timelines: Istanbul in 2016 and Oxford in 2000-2002. The main character is Peri, a thirty-six year-old Turkish housewife and a mother of three. She and her teenage daughter are in the car on their way to a lavish party at a seaside mansion, when her purse is snatched from the backseat by a pair of street kids. Peri impulsively leaves the car and gives chase to the kids, ending up in a dark alley where she almost gets raped. I must mention that she acts very out of character – she is normally very timid and reserved. Somehow, at that moment she snaps and what follows makes her think back to her years at Oxford, when young and impressionable, she became infatuated with a college professor.

Overall, the storyline was ok. Shafak does a great job building up tension with foreshadowing and expectation of a big reveal. However, the reveal itself was a bit disappointing. It did not go the way I had expected and I thought it was unreasonable to blame Peri for Professor Azur’s demise when she clearly had nothing to do with it. She did not testify against him, she just never showed up for the hearing. She was also very fragile and mentally unstable at that point, so equating failure to show up with admittance of inappropriate relationship is quite a leap here.

The pacing of the novel was also uneven. We spend a lot of time in Peri’s head, with her musings about God, and detailed accounts of childhood memories. The narrative for 90% of the book is from her point of view. Then quite unexpectedly the perspective shifts at the very end to Professor Azur, and the floodgates burst open with a torrent of information about him and his personal life.

Finally, I was not sure about the title. It sort of leads one to believe that it is about three women, whereas in reality it is all about Peri. Shirin and Mona (especially the latter) do not have much of a role in the novel. They just represent the polar opposites of what a modern Muslim woman is like. Shirin is ultra liberal and anti-religious while Mona is a practicing Muslim. Peri falls somewhere in between. She is cautiously agnostic, but chooses to call herself confused. She never really comes to terms with being agnostic. When we meet her in 2016, she is just as uncomfortable in her skin as she was in her early 20s. And perhaps, Shafak gives us a glimpse of how a Muslim woman feels nowadays: guilty about not practicing her religion and yet always striving to be modern and free.

This leads me to the one thing that I really liked about this book. I thought the discussion of religion, its role in the modern-day Turkey as well as the overall perspective of Turks on the EU, democracy, gender roles and Islam were excellent. This was the strongest aspect of the novel in my opinion. Overall, I gave this book 3 out of 5 stars. I liked it, but it could have been better.

I received an e-ARC from Netgalley. The book is officially out in the US tomorrow, December 5, 2017.

Top 5 Wednesday: Books I am Grateful for

With the end of the year is almost upon us, I have started taking stock of what I read throughout 2017. Unfortunately, I have to admit that I read a lot of mediocre stuff this year. However, there were several that made a lasting impression, and those are the books and authors I am particularly grateful for.

Top 5 Wednesday is a Goodreads group, all topics and information can be found here.

1. The Tsar of Love and Techno: Stories by Anthony Marra - I am grateful to this book for reminding me of where I come from and of who I am, and teaching me not to be ashamed of my heritage and personal history, but own it. This book is so complex and multifaceted, it reminded me of unpacking the Russian classics in a literature class. I could talk about and analyze these stories for hours, and I did just that in two separate book club meetings.

2. Narine Abgaryan - this year was the year I discovered the magic of Narine Abgaryan's books. So far I read three, but I purchased three more and cannot wait to read them. She is the author I will undoubtedly be reading and rereading for years to come. I am grateful for the love and warmth that her books bring into my heart. Reading her books feels like coming home: entering a warm house on a cold winter night where someone is always waiting for you with a hot cup of tea and a good story.

3. The Female of the Species by Mindy McGinnis - I am grateful that this book exists. It exposes the rape culture, the "boys will be boys" attitude in our society, and the stark reality of how prevalent sexual harassment and assault are in our world. It reminded me of my middle school and high school: all the lewd jokes, gestures, unwelcome groping and the terror to walk down the block past a group of guys. I have a detailed review of this book and cannot recommend it enough.

4. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen - I am grateful that I can always re-read this book or re-watch the BBC mini-series and immediately feel happy. A must read for everyone. Unforgettable characters, beautiful settings and lots of humor. I absolutely love this book and read it almost every year..

5. The Queen of the Tearling trilogy by Erika Johansen - this is a great fantasy/sci-fi/dystopian trilogy. I was not overly impressed with the first book. However, having read all three, one has to read the entire trilogy to really appreciate it. It was unexpected, unpredictable, a breath of fresh air. I already cannot wait to re-read it.

"What We Lose" by Zinzi Clemmons

I read What We Lose in one afternoon. For a slow reader like myself who gets distracted a lot and has to take multiple breaks while reading, this is a testament to how good this book truly is. What We Lose is deeply autobiographical with the central theme of grief. Thandi lost her mother to cancer and this is the story of how she coped, stayed sane and learned to press on.

Along the way, Clemmons tackles other issues in her novel. A big one is her inability to fit in with any racial/ethnic group. Born to a light-skinned South African mother and a light-skinned African-American father, she has trouble fitting in both in the US and in South Africa. Clemmons also candidly - sometimes too candidly it seems - writes about her sex life. Her book includes her thoughts on crime in South Africa, on fear of flying, on the controversy surrounding Winnie Mandela and on wives and girlfriends of serial killers. She quotes poetry and books by Barack Obama and Nelson Mandela. The novel includes photos, drawings and graphs. It reads like a diary without a linear timeline. The narrative jumps around from the present, to her childhood, to college years, to high school and back to present. But it is not difficult to keep up and I never got lost in the narrative. She also has heartbreakingly lyrical passages about the loss of her mother that are more poetry than prose.

My mother is dead. But I still see her. But I still feel her. I can still hear her voice, even right now as I am speaking to you.
But she is dead.
When I look at this picture of her on the beach, I can feel sun on my skin. I can hear the way she spoke to me.
But she is gone (p. 121).

A nice surprise for me was the fact that part of the book is set in the college town where I live and work. Even though she never names the place, it is easy to recognize the location and the school.

When I finish a novel, I either immediately get rid of it or keep it for re-reading. This one is definitely staying. I will have to revisit it and mine it for more nuggets of wisdom. Despite the fact that this is a sad story about learning to live with loss, the overall message is one of hope. She copes, she makes mistakes, she does whatever is necessary to stay sane and survive. But she presses on, she lives with the hole left by her mother's absence and writes this beautiful book.

I've amazed myself with how well I've learned to live around her absence. This void is my constant companion no matter what I do. Nothing will fill it, and it will never go away (p. 206).

5 out of 5 stars. Trigger warnings: grief/loss and candid portrayal of sex.

"Dawn" by Octavia Butler

Dawn is the first installment in Octavia Butler’s trilogy called Lilith's Brood or Xenogenesis.  I loved Butler’s Kindred which I read earlier this year so I was excited to read another book by this author.  Dawn takes place on an alien ship that is orbiting the earth. Humans had almost completely wiped themselves out in a nuclear war and made the planet unlivable. Human survivors were picked up by an alien species called Oankali whose own continued existence depends on genetic renewal accomplished through mixing with other species. Oankali have kept humans in a state of suspended animation for hundreds of years while they learned about them and let the earth restore itself after the nuclear disaster. Lilith is chosen to be the one to lead human resettlement of the earth and is awakened to bond with the Oankali and to learn from them.

Octavia Butler is an amazingly talented writer. She is the master of character building. Even though the novel is fairly short at 250 pages, I really felt like I got to know Lilith.  I felt her fear, insecurities and hopes. However, the story itself turned out to be not quite my cup of tea. Even though it was clear from the very beginning that the Oankali wanted to somehow mix with the humans, the whole angle with the way the Ooloi sensual arms were used on human couples just made me want to gag. I really had no sympathy for the aliens and felt like they took advantage of the few remaining humans and methodically worked towards their own end. Needless to say, I will not be continuing with the trilogy simply because I find descriptions of the interbreeding process too unsettling and the story not compelling enough at this point. I gave it 2 out of 5 stars. What started out with a bang ended with a grimace of disgust.

"Origin" by Dan Brown

Dan Brown’s Origin is the newest installment in the adventures of Harvard Professor of Symbology and Religion Iconography Robert Langdon. Dan Brown’s books are not my favorite. His writing style is a bit cheesy and he tends to make his art descriptions overly dramatic.  What I do like about Dan Brown is his ability to get me interested in certain historical facts, sights, scientific discoveries or pieces of art. Origin was no exception. I do now desperately want to visit Barcelona and already started a non-fiction book about quantum physics.

In terms of the overall story line, Origin was a pleasant surprise. I liked the plot and found the resolution to be more than satisfying. It is not possible to give a description of this book without spoiling the entire plot. Just be prepared to read about a sensational scientific breakthrough, a religious fanatic, a series of assassinations and there is a royal family thrown in the mix.  Sounds like Brown’s standard fare, doesn’t it? Some portions of the novel were predictable, some descriptions were too drawn out, and I lost count of how many times references were made to Langdon’s “eidetic” memory. Nonetheless, it is an entertaining and fast-paced novel, which did spark my curiosity about some famous sights in Spain and got me thinking about reading more non-fiction focused on latest scientific discoveries.  4 out of 5 stars.

"Stories of Your Life and Others" by Ted Chiang

I have been interested in Ted Chiang’s science fiction stories ever since I watched the movie “Arrival” that is based on his “Story of Your Life”. The movie and the original story examine the human concept of time. Chiang uses Fermat’s principle from physics to posit that time can be perceived in non-linear manner. Read the story – it’ll definitely mess with your mind.

Overall, I am very glad I finally picked up this collection. There are eight stories total, and at around 270 pages, it is a pretty short book. However, all stories are meticulously researched and have intricately developed worlds and characters. It is hard for me to pick a favorite. They were all really good. I did enjoy the three that had biblical/mythological undertones slightly more. There is a story about the tower of Babel, a story inspired by the Book of Job and a story based on the Jewish folklore about golems. If you like sci-fi and want to read something intellectually stimulating, this is a great book to pick up. I also appreciated the author’s notes in the back where he explained how he got ideas for each of the stories or what prompted him to structure them a certain way.

A very enjoyable and thought-provoking book. 5 out of 5 stars.

"The Rules of Magic" by Alice Hoffman

The Rules of Magic is a prequel to Practical Magic, which I reviewed in my previous post a short time ago. The Rules of Magic just came out yesterday, and it being an Alice Hoffman novel, it did take me a bit longer to get through it. As I mentioned before, her writing is quite descriptive and tends to have few dialogues. She is, however, a master of creating very vivid and atmospheric settings.

In The Rules of Magic we learn the backstory of the Owens aunts, Jet and Franny, whom the girls in Practical Magic come to live with in Massachusetts. We get to see Jet, Franny and their bother Vincent since the time they were little kids growing up in Manhattan and up to the point when the story of Practical Magic begins.

One thing I noted immediately especially since I read Practical Magic right before the prequel is that The Rules of Magic does not have the same dreamlike and mystical atmosphere. In addition, unlike the heroines of Practical Magic, the three Owens siblings in this book recognize their magic abilities early on and start experimenting with them. We also get a more detailed backstory on their ancestor Maria Owens who built the house on Magnolia Street and in many ways began the family legacy. Moreover, Hoffman finally places Maria in Salem. She still does not mention the town, but she does name the judge – Hathorne and there are numerous references to his famous literary descendant Nathaniel Hawthorne.

The overall theme of being true to oneself is strongly present in this novel. In addition, the Ownes children struggle with the curse which was supposedly put on all family members by Maria Ownes, and according to which something terrible will happen to the person they fall in love with.  Franny, Jet and Vincent are all scared of being in love for this reason. But slowly they do find the cure. The novel ends with: “Know that the only remedy for love is to love more” – I just love this idea. Loving more could mean taking chances, being brave and not being afraid to look like a fool. It can also mean loving someone enough to let them go and be happy with someone else, i.e. loving selflessly. It is a powerful idea.

Another quote that I underlined in my e-version of the book warns against knowing one’s fate. It reads: “Life is a mystery, and it should be so, for the sorrow that accompanies being human and the choices one will have to make are a burden, too heavy for most to know before their time comes.”

5 out of 5 stars. I received an e-ARC of this novel from Netgalley.

"Practical Magic" by Alice Hoffman

I read Practical Magic in preparation for Alice Hoffman’s newest release called The Rules of Magic, which is said to be a prequel to the original story. Practical Magic was published in 1995, and having now read two of Hoffman’s newest novels I can definitely see the difference in her writing. Practical Magic is very atmospheric, slow-paced, more character- rather than plot-driven. The story begins in a small town in Massachusetts where two orphan sisters have come to live with their strange aunts. The girls can tell that their family is not like everyone else in town. For one, the aunts wear black all the time. They also grow herbs that they use for healing and warding off all sorts of evil. Finally, the townsfolk visit the aunts late at night and seek remedies for issues of the heart. The aunts can bring wayward husbands home and turn an unrequited love interest into a passionate lover.

The girls Gillian and Sally do not show any particular interest in following in the aunts’ footsteps. They certainly understand that their aunts deal with the supernatural, but both in their own way try to distance themselves from that way of life and do everything possible to be “normal”. Hoffman almost never uses the word “witch” in this novel, she also does not mention Salem or spend a lot of time focusing on the witch trials. She skillfully hints at things or mentions things in passing. The readers are left to make their own conclusions and guesses. The novel is fairly short – 244 pages, but it is quite dense. There is almost no dialogue and plenty of long descriptive paragraphs. Still, I was surprised that it took me almost 5 days or read such a short book.

Overall, I liked the story and its message of being true to who you are. Even though Gillian and Sally run away from Massachusetts and distance themselves from their “witchy” relatives, in the end they realize that magic is in their blood. Only by accepting their heritage and coming to terms with it, they start finding peace and lasting happiness. 4 out of 5 stars. A great read for October.

Books to Read in Autumn

Since today is the first day of autumn, I thought I would put together a list of what I call "fall reads". Any day now, the air will feel crisper, bright yellow, orange and red leaves will start crunching underfoot, the days will be getting shorter, the weather rainier and what can be better than curling up with a nice book under a fuzzy blanket while drinking a cup of hot chocolate or tea?

Fall reads to me are atmospheric, mystical, perhaps supernatural - books that make one think of Halloween, colder weather and spooky places. Here is a list of books/series that will definitely create such an ambiance for you:

1. The Cainsville Series by Kelley Armstrong is a five book series set in and around Chicago in modern day. It combines Welsh fae lore with mysticism (omens, visions and other unexplained phenomena). It is extremely atmospheric, fast-paced and addictive. I have a review of the first book here.

2. Uprooted by Naomi Novik is another great fall read. It is based on Slavic fairy tales/mythology and is set in a magical forest. The narrative is slow and very poetic, and the story is gripping and unpredictable. I also really enjoyed the magic in this book. The main character Agnieszka relies on her own intuition rather than formulaic spells. She is deeply attached to her homeland and draws on the power of nature rather than complex incantations.

3. The Wayward Children Series by Seanan McGuire. I just finished reading the first two books that are currently out in this series. If you like stories about children finding doors into other worlds (similar to Narnia and Alice in Wonderland), look no further. Book 2 in particular is very atmospheric, dark and spooky.

4. If you are looking for a more twisted or macabre tale, I would recommend Deathless by Catheryne Vallente. The novel features Koschei the Deathless and Baba Yaga from Russian fairy tales and is set in the Soviet Russia right before and during World War II. There is an endless war between life and death, or good and evil. But the opposites blur and it is hard to distinguish who is truly evil and what is life if there no death.

5. Finally, I would highly recommend Arcadia by Iain Pearce. It is a stand alone novel so you do not need to commit to a long series. It is partially set in Oxford, and a school setting is always great for fall. The narrative switches back and forth between three different worlds/time periods. We start out in 1962 in Oxford where Professor Henry Lytten starts writing a novel about a world, completely different from ours. A few pages after that, the reader realizes that the world he has invented is real. And a few more pages later, we find ourselves in a distant dystopian future.

Happy Fall, everyone!

"Wayward Children 1 & 2" by Seanan McGuire

Every Heart a Doorway is the first novel in an adult fantasy series by Seanan McGuire called Wayward Children. It is based on the premise that some kids are able to find hidden doors into other worlds and disappear for a while. Think Narnia or Alice in Wonderland. Characters in McGuire’s book also found hidden doors and disappeared. For some of them, years went by before they returned home. Whereas for their parents, it was just a matter of days or months. The novel explains that these kids are able to find doors to other worlds because something in them calls to that particular world on a deeper level. Some ended up in whimsical settings, others in an underground world filled with ghosts, yet others in a horror story populated with vampires and werewolves.

There is a special boarding school for these children where they learn to adjust to being back in their own world. We learn a bit about several of the characters and the worlds they traveled to. But then unexpectedly, a gruesome murder occurs on the school grounds. Someone out there is hunting for the children.

I must say that this book is way over-hyped on Goodreads and booktube. I had extremely high expectations going into it. In reality, I struggled through it and was mostly bored. The only thing that kept my interest was the murder mystery. I then quickly picked up book two, called Down Among the Sticks and Bones, and I liked this second installment much-much more.

Book 2 is a prequel story about the twins Jack and Jill whom we’d met in the first book. We get a closer look at their story: their parents, the kind of house they grew up in, the events that led to their finding a hidden door, the actual journey to another world and their return back. I really enjoyed the fact that this book is set in another world. It felt like a fantasy or a fairy tale. The first book was just too short for the number of characters that were introduced. As a result, we don’t really get to know anyone closely or understand what is happening in their minds. Down Among the Sticks and Bones focuses on just two sisters and their identity struggles and we get a closer look at the world they travel to. I rated the first book 3 out of 5 stars and the second book 5 out 5. Both books are fairly short (under 200 pages), and would make great Halloween reads.

"Funny Girl" by Nick Hornby

Funny Girl is set in the 1960s in England, and follows the life of a young girl named Barbara (who later takes on the stage name of Sophie Straw) as she wins a local beauty pageant in Blackpool, but refuses to accept the title because she decides to move to London in the hopes of becoming a comic actress. Sophie's inspiration comes from the only female comedienne she's seen on TV - Lucille Ball. For a time, Sophie works in a department store and goes to a lot of auditions before finally catching the eye of two television writers who are in the process of creating a new situational comedy for BBC. In fact, during the audition, she impresses them so much that they offer her a starring role on the spot and proceed to write the series specifically for her.

This book is laugh-out-loud funny. It is filled with likable albeit flawed characters who find themselves in a multitude of comic situations and conversations. I listened to it on audio and the narrator does a superb job making the characters that much more real by employing distinctive accents, intonations and mannerisms. The novel offers us a way to look into the minds of these very human characters and the choices they make as they become inextricably connected through the TV series. This is a very enjoyable and entertaining read. 5 out of 5 stars.

"The Last Magician" by Lisa Maxwell

I read Unhooked by Lisa Maxwell last year and really enjoyed her writing. So when I saw her newest novel at my local library, I was immediately interested. This is a YA fantasy novel that includes time travel, several heists, lots of characters with questionable morals, and various cons and deceptions.

Our main character Esta is a thief who lives in modern day New York and has the magical ability (or "affinity") to slow down time around her such that to a casual observer she can simply vanish out of sight or move through space very quickly. With the help of a magical cuff, she is also able to travel through time. I should mention that Manhattan is surrounded by a magical force of sorts called the Brink which people with magical abilities (called Mageus) cannot cross without irrevocable damage to their powers or even death. The Brink had been created by a powerful underground Order whose sole purpose appears to be hunting and eliminating all Mageus and harnessing magical powers through alchemy and other pseudo-scientific methods. Esta's latest and most important task is to travel to 1902 and steal a book that contains the secrets to bringing the Brink down and thus liberating the Mageus trapped in New York.

The narrative (especially in the beginning) shifts between various time periods and is presented from several different points of view. For the first 50 to 70 pages or so, it was quite confusing. However, once Esta arrives in 1902, the novel is much easier to follow and the number of POVs also becomes limited at that point. Overall, the plot is quite interesting, the characters are complex, and the book is filled with intricate plot twists. I also quite enjoyed the relationship between Harte and Esta. I just wish we got to see more of them together.

My only complaint about the book (and the reason for a 4 star rating) is that the Order and the Brink are not very well explained. If Manhattan is surrounded by the Brink and keeps the Mageus trapped inside, why does it only work one way since Mageus seem to be able to arrive in Manhattan just fine? What is the order doing with the Mageus that they kidnap? Nothing is explained about the experiments that are performed in the Mysterium. At 500 pages, the novel is quite chunky and instead of piling up layer upon layer of cons and deceptions, I think she should have spent a bit more time developing the world and explaining the magic system.

I understand this might not be a stand-alone. The ending is certainly very open and begs for a sequel. However, I am not sure I will be able to retain a lot of detail from this book to jump into a sequel a year from now. So this is likely going to be the only novel I read in this series. 4 out of 5 stars.

"Pompeii" by Robert Harris

I have always been fascinated by the story of Pompeii. Even though the city was abandoned as a result of a catastrophic volcano eruption, this natural disaster is also the reason this is a well-preserved historic site which lets us see first-hand what life was like in ancient Rome.

In Pompeii we follow Marcus Attilius, an engineer for the Aqua Augusta, the aqueduct that supplies water to Misenum, Neapolis, Herculaneum, Pompeii and the surrounding area. His predecessor mysteriously disappeared two weeks before, and now in Misenum inexplicably the water fountains are dry. Somewhere the line of the enormous aqueduct is damaged. The engineer sets out to investigate the incident and make urgent repairs. He finds himself very close to Vesuvius and observes first-hand as the dormant volcano begins to slowly come to life...

In addition, to the detailed account of the days and hours leading up to the eruption, we get a glimpse into the life and politics of the cities around the Bay of Naples. Attilius is a very likable protagonist to follow. He is honorable, brave and smart. There is also a mystery surrounding the disappearance of his predecessor and even a bit of romance. Despite the fact that we know how the story ends, I couldn't help but root for Attilius. This was an interesting and fast-paced historic novel. I rated it 4 out of 5 stars.  

Mask of Shadows by Linsey Miller

I received an e-ARC of this book from Netgalley. It is a YA fantasy novel with a gender fluid protagonist named Sal. Sal is a thief and a former street fighter, who is the only surviving representative of a nation called Nacea. His home country was wiped out during a brutal war in which magically created shadows were killing humans until they were stopped by a powerful mage turned queen of the entire land. In defeating the shadows, the Queen also banished magic from her land.

The Queen has a team of four assassins who are collectively called the Left Hand, and one of the positions on the team is open to all willing and deemed fit to compete for it. Sal decides to enter the competition, and the story takes off from there.

One thing that surprised me about this book was how violent and bloody it was. In that aspect it did not feel like a YA novel. I also had some issues with the plot. The main story line was centered around the competition for the assassin job. The author also did a fairly good job introducing the world, the history and the politics. However, the ending was very abrupt and confusing. I did not understand if it was left open-ended for a possible sequel or it was an actual ending. The story also was unevenly paced. Some portions seemed dragged out and I really had to push myself to power through those. Overall 3 out of 5 stars. A solid, interesting premise, a unique world, and a likable main character. But the plot and pacing could be improved. 

"Love & Gelato" by Jenna Evans Welch

Love & Gelato reminded me a lot of Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins. So if you liked Anna, you will definitely enjoy Love & Gelato. Our main character Lina recently lost her mother to cancer and on her deathbed, her mother makes Lina promise that she would go to Italy and live with her old friend Howard. Lina had never heard of this person before and is understandably very hesitant to go through with these plans, when her grandmother drops a bombshell: Howard is Lina’s estranged father and it is time to reconnect with him. I know the premise seems a bit strange and far-fetched but things do get cleared up as the story moves along.

I really enjoyed this book. It is fun and fluffy, and includes wonderful descriptions of the Italian country side (it is set in Tuscany around Florence). Lina makes new friends and learns her mother’s deepest secrets. The book also emphasizes that parents and family are not necessarily people we share DNA with, but those who, love, nurture and support us.

The only thing I had a bit of an issue with in this book is that all the events are crammed into a 5-day period. I think if they were stretched over a longer period of time and not rushed with such a lightning speed, everything would feel more natural, especially as far as relationships go. Nonetheless, I really liked this book and gave it 5 out of 5 stars, a super cute story and a great book to relax with.

"The Tsar of Love and Techno" by Anthony Marra

The Tsar of Love and Techno is a compilation of intertwined short stories that begin in Stalin's pre-WWII Soviet Russia and end in outer space. I must admit that I enjoyed the first 2 or 3 stories much more than subsequent ones. Perhaps it is because they grew progressively more violent and surreal. By the end of the book, when I was on the last story but one, I could not help but draw parallels between Marra's work and Quentin Tarantino's movies.

Just like Tarantino's films, Marra assembles a cast of wholly unlikable characters - specimen of bottom dwellers: murderers, snitches, drug dealers and the like. I honestly could not relate to any of them. However, I could definitely sympathize and feel for their plight. Again, as in Tarantino's films, there is prevalence of violence, moral deprivation, and a sense of complete and utter hopelessness and despair.

His book cannot be read as historical fiction. Even though the stories are deeply rooted in Russia's turbulent history of Stalin's purges, gulags, the devastation of the post-Soviet period and the horrors of the war in Chechnya, they give impressions of what life for a single individuals might feel like in a given snippet of time. It is not a historically accurate account. It is more of an impressionist's snapshot of what reality could be like for someone at a given point in time. His characters and his portrayal of Russian life are not representative of what an average Soviet or Russian citizen experienced.

I also can't help but note the lopsidedness of his portrayal of the conflict in Chechnya: Russian soldiers are depicted as wholly rent-seeking, dishonest and violent, yet there is a telling absence of brutality on the part of rebels, who nonetheless hold two Russian soldiers as domestic slaves at one point in the narrative.

Overall, I enjoyed seeing the interconnectedness of the stories and tracing the lives of various characters as times and regimes changed. I think the book is masterfully written, definitely reminiscent of Cloud Atlas, and if you are a Tarantino fan, you will enjoy the unsavory cast of characters and the neo-noir atmosphere. I just got sick and tired of despair and depravity, and had to intersperse my reading with happier books in between the stories. I also did not really like the ending. Although the loneliness of an afterlife in a space capsule coupled with weird bodily (or spiritual) sensations is a fitting end for a heart-broken murderer.

"Geekerella" by Ashley Poston

I don't know about you, but I love reading and watching movie adaptation of Cinderella retellings. Come to think of it, a lot of classics and modern fiction that I enjoy are? at the heart of it, Cinderella type-stories. Just think of Jane Eyre and Price and Prejudice - two of my all time favorite classics - both include stories of poor girls getting their proverbial prince charming.

Getting back to the point of this review, Geekerella is a fun modern take on the age-old story. The plot revolves around a fandom (rather than a kingdom), and our main character Danielle, or simply Elle, is a blogger and a life-long fan of the Starfield TV series. She is an orphan living with her stepmother and twin stepsisters in Charleston, NC. On the prince charming side, we have Darien, a teen TV star, who has just been cast for the lead male role in a new movie adaption of Starfield - a choice die-hard fan like Elle do not support from the get go.

And so their story begins: an unlikely friendship growing into more between two lonely souls, unexpected friendships and hateful enemies, and through it all, an underlying ode of love to fandoms and everything that comes with being a fan. I greatly enjoyed this book. 5 out of 5 stars.

"The List" by Patricia Forde

I did not have high expectations going into this book based on some reviews I saw. But I ended up really enjoying it. It is a dystopian YA story set in a post-apocalyptic world where only a handful of people survived (or so they think) and the dictator in charge thinks that language is the root of all human problems. He thus limits the vocabulary that people can use to only a few useful words. The main protagonist Letta is a wordsmith's apprentice and unlike others in this society has access to a large vocabulary and can read and write. One day something happens that makes her re-think her loyalty to their way of life. She begins doubting, searching and uncovers some dark secrets, which sets her life on a completely different path.

The book is fast-paced, I liked the main character and overall enjoyed the story. 4 out of 5 stars.

I read an e-ARC of this novel provided by Netgalley.com.

"Goodbye, Vitamin" by Rachel Khong

This book is written in the form of journal entries, a year worth of entries to be exact. The main protagonist is a 30-year old woman named Ruth. Her fiance recently left her for another woman, and now she is faced with the fact that her father is suffering from the onset of memory loss. Ruth's mother asks her to stay with them for a year and help take care of her dad. Ruth quits her job in San Francisco, gets rid of her possessions and moves in with her parents in Los Angeles. Her dad was a history professor and adored Ruth when she was a baby. At different times throughout the book, he shares his own journal entries with Ruth that recount adorable things she did or said when she was little. Love is palpable in every entry.

Despite the fact that Ruth has great childhood memories of her father, not everyone in the family shares the rosy picture of her dad. Once Ruth moved away to go to college, her father took up drinking and had an affair with a colleague at the university. Ruth's brother Linus feels resentful towards their dad and her mother is still reeling from betrayal and pain that her husband had caused her.

This novel is about coming to terms with the past, forgiving and coming together as a family to support each other through a difficult time. For Ruth, it also means coming the full circle: now she like her father did when she was little, writes down details about their days together. Some days he is amazingly lucid, enough so to be able to teach history lessons. On other days, he seems disoriented and lost. Ruth is there right beside him no matter what. Her love is patient and selfless, and truly unconditional. The book is heartbreaking and heartwarming at the same time. 4 out of 5 stars.

"The Princess Diarist" by Carrie Fisher

This last memoir/reminiscences by Carrie Fisher was both surprising and heartbreaking. I loved Carrie Fisher's humor. She laughs at herself as well as at and with her fans. She makes fun of the way she and the rest of the Star Wars cast stumbled into fame of intergalactic proportions. It was a low-budget film, and Carrie's, at the age of 19, first unsure attempt at trying a hand at show business. Sure, she appeared in Shampoo prior to that, but this was her first big female lead role. Neither she nor anybody else on the set of the first Star Wars film had any idea what an iconic character Princess Leia will end up being.

Going into this book, I knew that Carrie Fisher drew her inspirations from the journals she kept while filming the first Star Wars movie. I also knew that in this book she finally confirmed that she and Harrison Ford had a three-month affair during the filming. What I was not prepared for is how much of the book was about her relationship with Ford and how much it truly affected and traumatized her for the rest of her life.

In 1976, Harrison Ford was 15 years her senior, married with two children. Carrie Fisher was a young inexperienced girl with a penchant for unavailable men, ready to hand her heart over to the first guy remotely interested in spending time with her. Fisher remembers feeling insecure around Ford, wanting to please him and being afraid of making a fool of herself at the same time. Like any naive teenage girl, she immediately began fantasizing about marrying him and growing old together. Despite the fact that she claims to have never really loved him, the poetry she wrote at 19 tells a different story. She also at one point states: “While there’s still time for Carrison to grow old together, that gateway is steadily closing. If we’re going to get back together we’re going to have to do it soon.” I don't think Carrie ever entirely got over that 3-month affair with Harrison. After all, if it meant nothing, why would you keep silent about it for 40 years, unless that wound was still bleeding? This was heartbreaking, particularly in light of the fact that she tragically died at the age of 60 very soon after the book came out. 5 out of 5 stars, and I highly recommend the audio version, read by Carrie Fisher herself.

With him love was easier done than said
Instead of taking you to heart he would take you to bed
And you take what he has to offer lying down
You’re getting more involved while he’s still getting around
It’s all a matter of touch and go
Cause he’s one for all and all for show
But after all was said and almost done
I was playing for keeps and he was playing for fun
Carrie Fisher

"Given to the Sea" by Mindy McGinnis

Earlier this year I read and loved Mindy McGinnis' YA contemporary called The Female of the Species. So I was very happy to see that she came out with a new fantasy novel Given to the Sea. Unfortunately, this newest book by the author did not live up to my expectations.

The premise of the book revolves around a nation called Stille located by the sea. A long time ago a large wave swept away most of the city. The Stillean lore has it that the sea was appeased when three young women gave their lives to the sea (i.e. drowned). The main character Khosa is destined to be given to the sea, just like her mother before her, and countless generations of females prior to that.

The world-building is quite confusing and vague in this novel. We seem to have four distinct nations: Stille, Pietra, Feenen and Indiri. Pietra are by far the most brutal. They obliterated the Indiri to the point that only two children survived (and were raised by the queen of Stille). They also put their elderly and sick into boats and send them off to be eaten by sea monsters. The Stilleans as I already mentioned appease the sea by drowning a young girl (but not before she gives birth to a baby girl who is to be the next Given). Feenen are the outcasts, the rejects of both Pietra and Stille, and most of them have physical deformities, mental disorders, or some other ailments. Finally, the Indiri are fearless warriors who also possess some sort of magic. They also appear to look different from the other races (they are described as having spots on their skin).

A lot of the story line appears to revolve around the sea, however, this is also the part that is the most confusing. First of all, the three nations (let's ignore the Indiri since there are only two left and they live in Stille), live close to the sea. Yet, none of their people can swim. They all seem to be afraid of the sea for different reasons. The Stilleans fear the wave whereas the Pietra seem to be dealing with sea monsters. Yet, all of them are located relatively close to each other since the Pietra pretty much walk to Stille.

There were also various plot lines that were simply dropped and never picked up. For example, the two Indiris find a sea monster roaming the woods. Everyone agrees that this is odd and should be further investigated. Yet, we literally never come back to this and do not learn anything more about this oddity. All the cultures/nations in the book seem to be very comfortable with casual sex. Servants engage in dalliances freely, and even parents are not above arranging for their daughters to bed men from noble families. Yet, the queen is "hurt" by infidelities of her husband, and Vincent is rejected by Dara because she wants more from him than a physical relationship. This just seems illogical and inconsistent to me. What is this double standard where against the backdrop of general loose behavior in society, the few main characters exhibit high moral principles that are so uncharacteristic of their culture? And what is backing those morals up?

I really struggled with this book. Apart from the weak world building, I did not feel attached to any of the characters. Moreover, the plot itself did not seem to have any direction that I could see. At several points the narrative seemed to be building up to something, but then disappointingly, nothing happened. There were so many loose ends at the close of the novel that I was not surprised to discover that this is book 1 in a duet.... I am not sure I will be reading book 2. I gave this book 3 out of 5 stars originally, but now that I had time to think about it a bit more, I think I will downgrade it to 2 out of 5. A very disappointing read.

“The Houseguest: A Pride and Prejudice Vagary” by Elizabeth Adams

Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice is my all-time favorite classic. This is the novel I regularly re-read and re-watch its film adaptions, my favorite being the BBC mini-series with Colin Firth and Jennifer Ehle. At some point, I’ve tried reading various books that attempt to come up with continuations to Darcy and Lizzy’s story or re-imagine the same story in a different setting. For example, I recently read (and liked) Pamela Aidan’s Fitzwilliam Darcy, Gentleman trilogy which is basically Austen’s novel but from Darcy’s perspective with some additional plot lines added in, especially in book 2. Most other re-tellings I've tried tended to be X-rated versions of the book focused on Darcy/Lizzy sex scenes. So I’ve become very careful when it comes to P&P-inspired fiction.

The Houseguest is a very tasteful and well-written re-telling with no sex scenes or any other kind of material that Austen would never dream of including in her work. It is a Pride and Prejudice reimagining where events do not develop along the same trajectory as in the original novel. Elizabeth Adams basically has Georgiana Darcy enter the stage much earlier in the novel. Georgiana comes to see her brother and the Bingleys while they are staying in Hertfordshire. She quickly becomes good friends with Lizzy Bennet and invites her to stay at their house in London at the same time as Lizzy’s eldest sister Jane is visiting their uncle and aunt in Cheapside.

This turn of events allows for much more interaction between Mr. Darcy and Lizzy. She gradually learns the truth about Wickham and begins to understand Darcy’s true character. Mr. Darcy and Lizzy slowly become friends, and he is able to correct his behavior towards Jane and Bingley and apologize for his arrogant remarks about Lizzy and her family before he ever proposes to her. Granted, this sequence of events is less dramatic than in the original novel.  There is no shock of rejection and gradual mending of a relationship. Some other dramatic events of the original novel never take place in Adams’ version. But for an Austen fan, this is a fun re-imagining and a way to spend more time with beloved characters in a slightly different setting. I enjoyed this book very much and gave it four out of five stars.

"Dream Me" by Kathryn Berla

I received an e-ARC of this book for review from Netgalley. The book is officially coming out tomorrow July 11, 2017. This is a young adult sci-fi novel, but it reads more like a summery contemporary. The narrative is mostly from the point of view of the main female character named Babe. Her dad is a golf pro who moves around a lot as he gets jobs at various country clubs around the US. We meet Babe at the beginning of the summer before she starts her senior year in high school. The family just moved to Sugar Dunes, Florida and Babe is hoping she'll be able to finish high school without any more moving.

At the same time another point of view is introduced. This one is that of the main male lead Zat who lives in the distant future. In Zat's time, the sun is dying, the earth is a desolate place and humans (or what is left of them) are desperately searching for ways to escape the planet. Most people choose to seek shelter on distant planets. But Zat decides to go with a more unconventional and barely tested way to preserve his existence. He "re-locates" into the distant past (Babe's present) and exists only in her dreams.

I have to admit this premise is really interesting and not anything I've seen before. I was fascinated by the concept of a dream partner. I ended up really enjoying this book. Not so much for its sci-fi themes but rather I liked following Babe's real life drama of making friends and getting adjusted to her life in the new place. Her friendship with Mai and Alonso was very well crafted. However, her friendship with LeGrand was a bit unexpected, and almost accidental. I wish there was more of a story to their becoming friends. In addition, the character of Mattie Lynn was not developed at all. It felt as though the author was thinking of going in one direction but then completely abandoned the idea, so there was no real point of Mattie Lynn's presence in the narrative. Zat's character and the future he came from could also be a bit better fleshed out.

Notwithstanding these multiple weaknesses, the novel overall was entertaining. I had fun reading it and was really surprised by how much I enjoyed it. I gave it 4 out of 5 stars purely for the enjoyment factor.

"Ensnared" by Rita Stradling

This is a futuristic Beauty and the Beast re-telling where automatons and AI robots are a normal part of life and have taken over many service jobs such as security guards, nurses, gas station attendants, etc. The Beauty in the story is a twenty-something girl named Alainn Murphy whose father is a brilliant inventor of AI robots. Alainn works on a search and rescue team at a ski resort and spends most of her time on the mountain away from her techie father and brother.

The Beast is a wealthy recluse who lives in an AI-run fortress but dreams of forging a relationship with another human being. He orders an advanced AI robot from Alainn's father in the hopes to learn some human interaction. The robot her father creates is the spitting image of Alainn. Since she believes he is not quite finished with the work and might be thrown into jail if he does not deliver on time, she takes the place of the AI robot and goes to Lorccan's tower as a stand-in to provide the needed delay for completing the AI model.

Overall, I thought this book was on point with the Beauty and the Beast re-telling. I liked the household characters, the friendship that Lorccan and Alainn gradually forged and the romance that slowly blossomed. Alainn is a very likable character. She is strong, independent and not afraid to take risks and stand up for what she believes.

In this novel, Stradling utlized the new adult genre trope of a troubled past, and while this is completely appropriate for the Beast, it was not as clear-cut to me why she chose to give such a painful past experience to Alainn aside from falling into the genre trap. The entire backstory of what happened to Alainn was a little fuzzy. Details slowly started to emerge as the story progressed, but I was hoping for a bit more background. The experience also to me did not seem to have left Alainn as scarred as one would think given what happened to her. She kept referring to it as having happened a long time ago. But since she is in her early 20s and she was kidnapped at 17 or 18, I would not call it "a long time ago."

Another thing that I found unbelievable was the fact that Lorccan did not realize that she was human. Alainn's brother at some point in the book explains that most likely Lorccan did know this subconsciously but did not accept it consciously. This seems like a weak explanation to me. Lorccan supposedly knows a lot about AI technology. He is in fact the biggest investor in this area and constantly reviews new proposals and makes funding decisions. So the fact that he cannot recognize a human when he sees one is to me the weakest point in the plot.

Finally, the ending felt a bit rushed and the entire finale during the trial was confusing and not well explained.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book and gave it four stars. I liked the AI idea, the discussion of what makes us human, and the characters were very likable. I love Beauty and the Beast and I think this book will definitely appeal to a lot of fans of the original story.

I read an e-ARC of this book provided by NetGalley.com.

"The Nordic Theory of Everything: In Search of a Better Life" by Anu Partanen

This non-fiction title caught my eye as soon as I saw the cover. I have always thought of Scandinavian countries as places that naturally moved beyond capitalism in the American sense of the word and have successfully implemented social protection policies. Anu Partanen is originally from Finland but is now an American. She’s had the opportunity to observe both systems first-hand. In Finland, as in other Scandinavian countries, people enjoy free public education from early childhood daycare through university, generous maternity/paternity leave policies, long vacations, free health care, guaranteed pensions, and other benefits. All of them I must say are financed through taxes and are run by the government.

To an outsider, like myself, living in the United States, this resembles socialism, or at the very least some sort of wealth distribution system. I am also very skeptical of a government agency’s ability to run anything efficiently (just think of your most recent visit to a local DMV). However, I do see problems with the US system, and Ms. Partanen does a great job pointing them out. I agree that sky rocketing health care costs and the absence of any kind of social net for young parents or the elderly who need end of life care make the United States look like the Wild West compared to the structured and generous social policies of some other developed nations such as Finland. So I read this book in the hopes of glimpsing some way that the US could move forward in both preserving the healthy competition of the market place while also making life for its citizens a little better protected by creating a reliable social net that could help them bounce back after childbirth, or a serious illness, help them get old gracefully, and ensure that youth has adequate access to education.

Unfortunately, this little book, as one would guess, does not provide solutions to these complex issues that scholars, politicians and social policy experts have been debating for decades. What Partanen does well in her book is describing the social protection benefits available to all in Finland and pointing out where the US falls short in corresponding areas. It is by no means an in-depth analysis of both systems. You will also not find any recommendations for how the US could, for instance, provide maternity leave to all. Partanen simply states that other developed countries do it, why can’t the US. What she does not go into is what practical steps the US could take towards implementing such a huge in scope social protection policy change. Finland is a lot different from the US in terms of population size, economy, geo-politics, etc. So what works in Finland might not be necessarily transferrable to the US. She cites sweeping policy changes that were implemented in Finland shortly after World War II. Such drastic revamping would not be easy in this country.

To sum up, it was good to get an overview of the advantages that citizens of Scandinavian countries enjoy. But I did feel that the author was bashing the US too harshly. I was also getting tired of seeing the author overuse the phrase “the Nordic theory of love.” I think we all would like to live in a better world free of disease and hunger, and it is always healthy for any country to aspire to a better quality of life for its citizens. Partanen’s book does just that – paints an image of what the US could aspire to or set up as a goal. She does not however have any suggestions to how to get there. And that is the crux of the issue. 4 out of 5 stars.

"Golden Hill" by Francis Spufford

Golden Hill is a historical fiction novel set in New York in 1746. A stranger arrives from London and shows up on the doorstep of a counting house with an order for one thousand pounds, a huge amount of money for such a small place as colonial New York. Mr. Lovell the owner of the counting house is rightfully suspicious and makes the stranger (Mr. Smith) wait a few months until his order can be confirmed. Thus, Smith finds himself temporarily stuck in town without any ability to transact his business and travel along. His precarious position is further exacerbated by the fact that most of his cash is stolen on his first walk through town. Now he has no choice but lodge and board on credit and hope that his order will be confirmed and paid as planned.

Through the eyes of Mr. Smith, the reader gets acquainted with the local society, their customs, gossip and intrigues. Mr. Smith gradually albeit unwillingly gets embroiled in the local politics and goes through a series of crazy ups and downs from being thrown into a local jail to being celebrated as someone whose influence and means could sway the power balance in New York.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. The beginning was a bit slow, but then about midway through the novel, the events start moving at a rollercoaster speed with a seemingly unending succession of unexpected twists and turn along the way. For a while, the reader along with the citizens of New York, keeps wondering whether Mr. Smith is a fraud. Once that question is answered, we are still kept in the dark as to his true purpose in town. He does not reveal it to anyone until the very end of the novel. And even after the big reveal, the reader has another surprise awaiting them in the very last chapter of the book.

I definitely liked all the unexpected events and surprising reveals that happen in the story. I also really enjoyed learning about the colonial New York of 1746. The book is filled with references to the city’s Dutch roots and provides interesting insights into the religious, social and administrative customs and arrangements of the day.

I rated this book 4 out of 5 stars. I read an advanced reader’s copy provided by Netgalley.

"The Girl on the Train" by Paula Hawkins

The Girl on the Train was immensely popular when it first came out two years ago. The concept of utilizing an unreliable narrator seemed intriguing and new at the time, and readers ate this book up. I waited for all the hype to die down and only recently decided to give this a go in an audio book format. I did enjoy the audio book and do highly recommend it. The book is written from the perspective of three different women and three different narrators read their parts. I thought the actresses did a great job through voice and inflection, portraying the three distinct characters:

1. Rachel: a heart-broken alcoholic who tends to drink herself into oblivion most days and who most likely "saw something" that could help solve the case of a missing woman but unfortunately can't remember much,
2. Megan: a troubled and impulsively promiscuous young woman who's gone missing, and finally
3. Anna: a self-righteous and supercilious "other woman" and now the wife of Rachel's ex-husband, who is partially the reason why Rachel is on the path of self-destruction.

Overall, I rated this book 3 our of 5 stars. I enjoyed all the characters, and the author kept me guessing. The suspense was also good. But I did not think it was as great as everyone made it out to be. It was a decent murder mystery/thriller, quite entertaining and fast-paced. There is a lot of heavy drinking in this book as the key narrator is an alcoholic. The author did a great job getting into the mind of someone struggling with addiction and showing the misery and utter horror of losing oneself to drink. But the overall murder mystery plot was nothing to write home about. I would recommend it to everyone who likes the mystery/thriller genre. I for one am planning to read Paula Hawkins' next book and see how she does there.

"The Ship Beyond Time" by Heidi Heilig

The Ship Beyond Time is the sequel to The Girl from Everywhere, a time traveling adventure which I read and loved last year. In this second installment Nix and her crew go on another wild adventure after she discovers that she is destined to lose at sea the one she loves. Nix desperately tries to change the future by meddling with the past, and in the process meets another navigator who is determined to change the course of history.

As with the previous book, Heilig draws her inspiration from both myths and historical events and weaves everything into a fast-paced and original story of her own. I cannot say much about the plot without spoiling book 1. Let me just say that if you like time travel, adventures, tall ships, and mythical places, look no further. I also do really like the characters in this book. Nix is a great character: strong, stubborn, but also fiercely loyal and kind. Her father is damaged by personal loss and despair, but is a loving parent and an inspiring leader. Kashmir is a quintessential honest thief. He reminds me of Disney's Aladdin. And Blake combines in himself a 19th century gentleman and a hopeless romantic, ready to lay down his life for the cause he believes in no matter the outcome. This book was a lot of fun. 5 out of 5 stars. 

"The Idea of You" by Amanda Prowse

I received an ARC of this book from Netgalley. It is a quintessential chick lit. I am not a big fan of this genre as a whole, and am more likely to occasionally pick up a chick lit novel with a bit of self-deprecating humor a la Sophie Kinsella or Helen Fielding. The Idea of You is more of a "pull at your heart strings, but everything is honky dory in the end" kind of book. Our main character Lucy Carpenter is a successful 40 or 41 year old career woman, who meets and marries the love of her life and now desperately wants to have a baby. Getting pregnant is not an issue, however, she ends up having several miscarriages in the early stages of her pregnancy. I thought Prowse did a great job describing Lucy's feelings, her longing to be a mother, and the devastation she suffers with every failed pregnancy. I was a bit apprehensive in the beginning of the story that the entire book would center on miscarriages and Lucy's suffering in connection to that. However, the plot did develop a bit more. Her husband's teenage daughter from his previous marriage comes to stay with the Carpenters and from that point on I did enjoy the book a little more. I did like the twist about Lucy's past, and the development of her relationship with the stepdaughter. The novel does get a bit too sugary in places, but overall it is a solid 3-star read. I am glad I read it. It was definitely not boring, and if chick lit is your thing, do check it out.

"The Bedlam Stacks" by Natasha Pulley

The Bedlam Stacks is the second novel by Natasha Pulley that I’ve read and really enjoyed (the first one being The Watchmaker of Filigree Street). The novel is based in the late 1800s and our main protagonist Merrick Tremayne is a former smuggler for the East India Trade company who got injured and had to retire from service.  In the beginning of the novel, we find him in his parents’ run down estate (now owned by his older brother), spending most of his time in the greenhouse, the life of excitement and adventure seemingly behind him. There, he is visited by his old Navy friend who talks him into joining him on an expedition to a remote region of Peru to fetch cinchona tree cuttings. The reason for the expedition is that quinine – an essential ingredient in treating of malaria – can only be found in the bark of these trees which grow only in Peru. They embark on an impossible task of smuggling out the cuttings from the region tightly monitored by the quinine monopoly while doing it fast enough for the cuttings to survive a journey to Ceylon, where they will be planted.

This book, just as the first one by Pulley, is a historical fiction that incorporates elements of fantasy, steampunk and myth. She does an excellent job weaving in Inca history and beliefs into the story. I really enjoyed this book. This one in particular reminds me of Jules Verne’s travel and adventure novels. It is filled with wonder, mystery and magic. It also made me really curious about the Inca civilization. In addition, I was pleased see a cameo appearance by Keita, the watchmaker from her previous novel. I do think you can read this book with no issues even if you have not read the previous novel. But it was nice to see that “Easter egg” in the story. 5 out of 5 stars. A truly enjoyable read.

I read an ARC e-copy of this novel provided by NetGalley. The novel officially comes out in the US on August 1, 2017.

"The Husband's Secret" by Liane Moriarty

Liane Moriarty’s The Husband’s Secret is another great book by this author. I had read and reviewed The Three Wishes by her earlier this year, and now also listened to this one on audio. This novel is a murder mystery, but not in a traditional sense. A fifteen year old girl had been murdered almost 30 years prior to the events of the novel and the murder has remained unsolved with no leads, witnesses or DNA evidence. The mother of the victim has a suspect in mind, but has no evidence against him other than her gut is telling her that it was him.

As is the case with other Moriarty’s novels, The Husband's Secret is written from several different points of view. The reader thus gets to observe the lives of several families that are dealing with their own dramas but that are also in one way or another connected to the overall murder plot.

I highly enjoyed this novel. It is filled with self-deprecating humor, but is also very uplifting and unexpectedly sagacious. I am definitely going to continue reading Moriarty’s books. I also highly recommend the audio version. The narrator is excellent. 5 out of 5 stars.

"The Ocean at the End of the Lane" by Neil Gaiman

One of the authors I would like to read more from is Neil Gaiman. A lot of people love his books, and earlier this month I listened to The Ocean at the End of the Lane, an audio book read by the author. The book has the same eerie atmosphere as Coraline – not quite a dream and not quite reality. In Gaiman’s world, a thing of nightmares suddenly invades the life of a seven-year old protagonist: a vile creature enters his house in the guise of a pretty nanny/housekeeper Ursula. And only the boy knows of her true nature. She beguiles his parents and sister, and almost drives his father to drowning his own son. But luckily, the boy is friendly with the Hempstocks who live at the end of the lane, a family of not-quite humans, who see the evil creature for what it is and are able to get rid of it.

Gaiman’s story even though it reads as a fairy tale, has some underlying terrifying truth to it. Some children do encounter evil and misery which can come looking as a pretty housekeeper who will end up breaking up the marital bliss; or worse: a father who in a fit of violence can hurt or even kill his own child. The book also gave me a sense that life according to Gaiman is more than just a string of mortal years. There is magic, love, and purity that transcend the daily grind of human existence. I really enjoyed this novel, and look forward to reading more of Gaiman's work.