"Project Hail Mary" by Andy Weir

I never actually read Andy Weir's breakout novel The Martian. I did really like the movie. His second novel Artemis was a huge disappointment. So when the Sci-Fi and Fantasy Book club I am a member of picked his newest release as our next read, I was cautiously optimistic. I really hoped this new book would be more like The Martian and redeem the author. 

I was not disappointed. I think Andy Weir's strength is writing science-y Sci-Fi about loners. We spend a lot of time in Ryland Grace's (our main character's) head, who wakes up in a spaceship many lightyears away from earth and is apparently humanity's the only hope for survival. Ryland meets an alien in this story - also the only survivor on his spaceship - who is on a very similar mission to save his own species. The two have to work together to come up with a solution, or at the very least, die together trying.

Even though the book is filled with stereotypes and minor inaccuracies, it is a very enjoyable ride. The self-deprecating humor is excellent, the story is moving at a nice clip, and Weir comes up with really fascinating and realistic scenarios for the story. His explanations never seem far-fetched and for a layperson, the science reads very realistic and true. It is by no means great literature, but it is highly entertaining and interesting. My understanding is a movie based on the novel is already in the making, and I think it definitely could be as successful as The Martian was. 4 out of 5 stars. Definitely recommend.

"My Contrary Mary" by Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton, and Jodi Meadows

I must say this book was a bit of a disappointment. I listened to it on audio (received an audio ARC from NetGalley.com). The story overall is an enjoyable reimagining of what happened to Mary, Queen of Scots. When thinking of how to describe it the best word that comes to mind is "cute". I am not sure I would have finished it, had I read it rather than listened. 

The book just reads a bit too young. Even though it is marketed as YA, I would say it is better suited for 12 to 14 year olds. I do hope that this and similar retellings inspire young readers to look into the actual historical events the book is based on and get them interested in doing a bit of research or perhaps even further reading. I gave this book 3 out of 5 stars. An enjoyable story for younger readers.

"The Maidens" by Alex Michaelides

I have not read Alex Michaelides' previous bestseller called The Silent Patient. But having finished The Maidens a few minutes ago, I must say I am a fan of his writing and will definitely read his previous novel. The Maidens will appeal to those who like dark academia settings in literature. Our main character Mariana is a psychotherapist who conducts group therapy sessions in London. One night she gets a call from her niece Zoe who is a student at Cambridge. Zoe's friend Tara has gone missing and now a body is found of a brutally murdered young girl. Zoe is sure it is Tara and is desperate for her aunt to come stay with her. 

I listened to this novel on audio, and it is a brilliant production. I am not sure what it is like to read this book on paper, but the audio narration was gripping. I found myself unable to stop listening and finished the audiobook in just a couple of sittings. The book is written as a mystery thriller. As more dead girls turn up, it becomes clear that there is a psychopath on the college campus. Mariana suspects an American professor who teaches Greek tragedy. Her suspicions are reinforced by the fact that all of the murdered girls had received a postcard with a verse in ancient Greek foretelling their deaths. Professor Fosca also has a select group of students, all female, whom he calls the maidens - and Mariana suspects that his relationship with those girls is not strictly that of a teacher. 

Overall, I highly enjoyed this novel, and definitely recommend it. It is a murder mystery but also an intense psychological thriller. The audiobook is a great way to read this for sure. 5 out of 5 stars.

An audio ARC was provided by NetGalley.com

"Malibu Rising" by Taylor Jenkins Reid

Taylor Jenkins Reid is a book bloggers' darling, and I am a bit disappointed I did not like this book as much as I thought I would. I have not read anything else by her but saw rave reviews of her previous two novels. The main timeline in "Malibu Rising" is set in the early 80s and is focused on the four children of a mega popular singer from the 50s and 60s Mick Riva. This main plot takes time over a period of a single day, the day of the annual Riva party where everyone who is anyone going to be. In parallel, we get flashback chapters following the story of Mick's first wife June and Mick's rise to fame. We also get a glimpse into the issues each of the Riva children is dealing with.

Overall, I would say I really liked the arc of the eldest daughter Nina's character. In some ways it is mostly her story. I also enjoyed following all of the Riva siblings and learning more about each of them. What I did not like about this book is the overall setting among the rich and the famous of Hollywood. I guess it's just not my cup of tea. The story was hinting at all of the hot topics of the day: objectification of women, toxic masculinity, even racism and police brutality. However, all these topics were I would say token mentions rather than underlying themes. The story just somehow lacked depth. I guess for me it is not that interesting to read about the struggles of children who have a super rich and super famous parents without exploring the underlying privilege and how it affected their lives. I am probably not the target audience for this book. 3 out of 5 stars.

An e-ARC was provided by NetGalley.com

"The Kingdoms" by Natasha Pulley

I love Natasha Pulley's writing. This is the fourth book that I've read by this author and she does not disappoint. I think her books will appeal to readers who like historical fiction and plots involving time-travel. Even though not all of her books involve time-travel per se, they all do include some aspect of time-bending in them. The Kingdoms specifically does have time-travel in it. The story is set in an alternative history London, and follows several timelines. We first meet our main character Joe Tournier in 1899. France had won the Napoleonic wars and England is under the French rule. Joe gets off the train in London and suddenly realizes that he cannot remember anything about himself. He is quickly taken to a hospital where he learns that it is a type of epilepsy that has affected large portions of the population. Three months later he receives a postcard in the mail which was held for him at the post office for 93 years...

It is really not necessary to know anything else about the book. We basically follow Joe as he is desperately trying to find out what happened to him. He has vague memories of a woman in green, a man waiting by the sea, he speaks several languages: he is utterly lost in time. As with her other novels, Natasha Pulley is amazing at describing the minute aspect of life in a certain time period - what technology was emerging at the time, how machinery worked, what it was like to be on a tall ship in the middle of a stormy sea... I absolutely love her writing. And of course, there is an epic love story. 5 out of 5 stars. Another favorite. I will definitely be re-reading this one soon.

An e-ARC was provided by NetGalley.com

"Piranesi" by Susanna Clarke

This was another read that we selected for the book club I attend. In addition, this was one of the books I got through my Book of the Month subscription. One of my reading goals for the year is to read the books I get in the subscription boxes in a timely manner so this was a perfect choice for that reason.

Piranesi is a portal fantasy novel. It is written from the perspective of a person (called Piranesi) who lives in a vast building with a countless number of rooms. Each room (or hall as he calls them) contains statues of varying sizes depicting people, mythical creatures and other lifeforms. This building is also so large that it has an entire ocean within its walls. Piranesi is aware of only one other live human being whom he calls the Other and meets twice a week at a pre-determined time.

One thing I must say is that for such a short novel, it certainly has a lot packed into it. First of all, we have the mystery of what this world is, who Piranesi is, and how he got there. As I began reading the novel, I got a distinct sense of "wrongness" - there was something not right with this character and the world. Things were not lining up nicely and Piranesi sounded distinctly like an unreliable narrator. Secondly, as we begin unraveling the mystery and as Piranesi begins to learn more details about the past, I was struck by the idea of adaption: the things people can adapt to, the defense mechanisms and survival instincts that kick in, and overall the idea of how much the environment really shapes who we are. 

Without spoiling anything, I would say this is a great pick for book clubs. I love when an author does not spell everything out, but instead lets the reader connect the dots and figure out possibilities. One complaint that I do have about the book is that it is too short. I would have loved a bit more world building beyond what we see in this novel. Overall, I really liked this book. 4 out of 5 stars and highly recommend it.

"The Midnight Library" by Matt Haig

I have been curious about Matt Haig's books for a while now. In fact, I own three novels by this author. So I was really excited when the book club I am a member of picked this novel as our next read. 

This book was equal parts surprising and heart-wrenching. I'll explain. The main character Nora is struggling with depression and on a particularly bad night, she resolves to end her life. She ends up in a sort of coma as her mind travels to a place called the Midnight Library. There, a librarian explains to her that each book on the shelf is a version of Nora's life and she can pick and choose them in order to glimpse what a different life could feel/look like. So for most of this book we follow our main character as she explores different versions of herself/her life story. This part was a bit unsettling because in these alternate lives, Nora just sort of takes over the consciousness of her other ego and her other personality is just sort of dormant for that period of time that Nora overtakes the body.

As Nora travels from lifetime to lifetime, she does learn a lot about herself and the people who surround her. She also gets to see how minute decisions not only could alter the course of a single day but have a much bigger impact on the entire course of one's life. The ending of this book is ultimately filled with hope. In fact, the novel felt almost therapeutic and at times read like a self-help book. I definitely think that folks with depression might need to be aware of the subject matter before picking up the novel. The beginning of the story is pretty bleak. But in the end, I found it hopeful and charged with positive energy. 5 out of 5 stars.