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A near future world where a classroom of adult students learn empathy by studying Schrodinger's cat in a one way mirrored box. The point of view is from this wonderfully witty calico cat who has been catnapped from her beloved owner "the mustache" and stuck in this box. I adored the cat's perspective on how odd humans are from within the box but the oddball parallel universe/orange area physics were way over my head. It reminded me of a John Paul Sarte book where you aren't ever really sure if the ground beneath your feet is solid or real. Part of this is a study in how weird the future could be and part of it just showed how cruel mankind is over the animal world. 3 1/2 stars 
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Evie is a hardworking land witch but her employer has put her in a tough spot. She wants to adopt the young girl she has been teaching but must find a safer job before the authorities will let the adoption go through. Luckily Evie finds a job as a caretaker to a house on the move - literally. Magic must be used to heal the house but first the house and the villagers must accept Evie and Ruby. Evie and Ruby charm the villagers but the house is keeping a secret and someone is preventing her from helping the house. A sweet, cozy fantasy that speaks to friendship, putting yourself out there and creating family that will leave you with a smile. Fans of Travis Baldree, VIOLET THISTLEWAITE IS NOT A VILLAIN ANYMORE and FIELD GUIDE FOR THE FORMERLY VILLAINOUS. 4 stars  Cozy fantasy about second chances even for villains. Oaklin runs from an evil cult and the destruction that they were an unwilling part of. Swimming in guilt they buy a rundown farm in a quaint little village and try to lie low. Vowing to keep to themselves however proves to be a challenge as the townspeople (a librarian in particular) are so friendly and share everything. Even the resident ghost is no match for the positive vibes of the village which makes Oaklin realize just how much is at stake. Fans of VIOLET THISTLEWAITE IS NOT A VILLAIN ANYMORE and Travis Baldree will find this read to be a big hug from a friend when you need it most. 3 1/2 - 4 stars  Guinevere and her older brother Ennis grew up in the wilds of Vermont a second thought to their parents who were busy pursuing their own creative dreams. Their mother wrote a beloved children's fantasy series using her own children as characters but the siblings' lives were anything but storybook. After a catastrophic fire claimed their parents the siblings were separated until decades later when Guin is trying to capitalize on her famous mother with a memoir and Ennis secretly announces an art installation called "Mother". Guin must confront all the carefully contained memories she has hidden from herself and the world and is pulled back into their childhood and what really happened. Memory is a tricky thing and as children we choose to remember things differently than adults. A eerie adult debut that is dark and cautionary like every Grimm fairy tale, tragic in the pain of remembering and insightful into the manic creative process. Unlike a soothing bedtime story this one packs a gut punch and will appeal to readers of dark retellings of fairy tales and tragic coming of age stories alike. 4 1/2 stars  Jo is a marine biologist specializing in jellyfish. Haunted by the death of her best friend , and her part in it , she eagerly accepts an invitation from an old friend to an island to investigate a reclusive giant jellyfish. When she arrives almost everyone pushes her away and her friend is missing but after getting a look at Clementine she is committed to help. Magical realism and that indescribable connection (both attraction and fear) of the animal world hooks you and reels you in from the start. Yang's beautiful writing of the ocean's wonders and myths along with the fun facts about jellyfish made me feel as if I was on the island with them. Fans of Adrienne Young and THE LAST MIGRATION will love this. 4 stars  Wilbur gets one last voyage in this life. On the special midnight train he will revisit all his best memories one last time before eternity. He has one problem and that is his regrets that he did not spend more time with the one he loved the most - Maggie. His guide (and former bookstore owner) warns him against altering anything but Wilbur finds a way by interacting with his dreaming self. This action could change things or derail it all. Matt Haig again takes us on a deep spiritual journey back in time rethinking life choices. His many fans will enjoy this midnight journey and new fans will understand his popularity. Readers of Fredrik Backman, Emma Straub's THIS TIME TOMORROW and IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE will relish this. 4 -4 1/2 stars  Johanna Van Veen excels in historical horror blending myth, and the very real violence of war and diseases that were largely fatal. This story takes us to Germany during the Thirty Years War where a peasant girl and nun become unlikely companions on a pilgrimage of sorts to return a saint's skull to her body. As if fleeing gang rape or death from soldiers they must also deal with the undead controlled by a necromancer bent on getting his stolen skull back. The women cling to each other to find whatever intimacy and joy they can. Authentic in every detail this is a story historical fiction readers (if they can get past the gore) will enjoy as much as horror readers. 4 stars  With clever wit and a bit of the absurd Steven Rowley takes us inside a marriage and family drama between Jesse, his missing husband and sister. A beam of light and Norman is gone just like that leaving Jesse feeling abandoned, angry and depressed. Add to that Norman's sister who has decided that if the boys don't want the frozen eggs she gave them to start their family, she wants them back and she is worried when she can't get a straight answer as to where Norman is. Jesse must learn what is next in his life through advice from his eccentric neighbor, voices in the night, sound bathing and his college students. It is a love story/mid life crisis that operates on many levels and will have all of us thinking what we would do if faced with that beam of light in the night. Fans of Kevin Wilson's quirky characters and Steven Rowley's fans will delight in this. 4 stars  Once again Amina al-Sirafi ,Terror of the Seas, must abandon her daughter at home and head to the sea. Tasked with retrieving a magic spindle Amina and loyal crew face warring pirates to rescue a grumpy poison master and a storm that will leave their ship destroyed and shipwrecked on the island of their prey. This could work to Amina's advantage except things seem a little too quiet and their queen seems a little too nice and accommodating. And of course there is still the matter of her lusty demon husband showing up. Getting home in one piece will not be easy. Witty and exciting this fully developed fantasy features a multi-dimensional woman who yearns for the danger at sea as much as she longs for the quiet life at home with her family. She must deal with a husband who she reluctantly cares for but is the worst match for her, she is as loyal to her friends and crew as she is ruthless to anyone who poses a threat to them. A clever mix of the adventure of Indiana Jones or the pirate Anne Bonny and the intelligence of Mata Hari and Scheherazade this second book is as much a treat as the first. Anyone who wants high adventure, intelligent characters and great wit will love this fantasy series. 5 stars  The end of the world is almost upon Earth as a giant black hole swallows up the universe. What seems like a month or more of time to find a solution quickly flies by as people everywhere tidy up their lives. Rodney and Don have been together forever and have lived a full life but they have one more trip to make and a promise to keep before the end. They embark on a cross country road trip in an ancient but sufficient RV spending their last days avoiding trouble and the chaos around them. The strangers they meet fall into both scary and sweet categories as everyone tries to process what is about to happen in a different way. It is a beautiful love story and asks an emotional question of the reader - how would you spend your last days on Earth if you had a choice? The audiobook felt both scary and sweet as well and narrated to perfection. 4 bittersweet stars  |
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