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Category: Fiction

The Ghost Woods by C.J. Cooke

The Ghost Woods by C.J. Cooke

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I decided to read The Ghost Woods by C.J. Cooke because the reviews I read about it said things like “Gothic”, “creepy” and “terrifying”. The Ghost Woods definitely has a Gothic vibe to it, but is it creepy and terrifying? Unfortunately, no. There was maybe one scene in the entire novel that had my skin crawling just a little it. But I still think The Ghost Woods is a good read. It had me fighting off sleep so could read just a little bit more each night before I went to bed. I appreciate how it leans hard into the supernatural elements of the story.

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Daughters of Sparta by Claire Heywood

Daughters of Sparta by Claire Heywood

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If you have been following my blog this whole time, then you have probably noticed by now that I have a predilection for Greek mythology. Daughters of Sparta is about two sisters, Klytemnestra and her younger, more infamous sister, Helen. Helen is “the face that launched a thousand ships” and caused the Trojan War. Daughters of Sparta is presented as historical fiction, though; the Greek gods do not appear as characters in the novel. The gods are prayed to, and sacrifices are made to them, but they are otherwise useless and do not influence the outcome of the story. I read Daughters of Sparta because I was interested in reading about Klytemnestra and Helen from their own perspective, but I found this novel to be somewhat lacking.

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Our Missing Hearts by Celeste Ng

Our Missing Hearts by Celeste Ng

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I have read Celeste Ng’s Little Fires Everywhere and thought it was a good, interesting novel, but I was not blown away by it. So, when Our Missing Hearts was released recently, I did not initially feel the need to read it. But then Indigo named it the best book of the year, and I knew that I must read it. I am not completely sold on it being the best book of the year, but Our Missing Hearts is a great, timely novel that tells a compelling story that I devoured in one day.

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Crossroads by Jonathan Franzen

Crossroads by Jonathan Franzen

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Jonathan Franzen’s novels may not be for everyone as they are more character-driven then plot-driven. Crossroads is no exception as the main events take place on a single day, December 23, 1971, with introspective flashbacks that allow readers to get to the heart of each character. That is what I appreciate about Crossroads, by no means a joyous read, which is the opportunity to dive deep into the psyche of the richly imagined and authentic characters created by Franzen.

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Nothing to See Here by Kevin Wilson

Nothing to See Here by Kevin Wilson

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Nothing to See Here is a cute, funny book with a highly improbable premise involving two children that catch on fire when they get agitated. It had me laughing out loud, which does not happen every often when I read. It is an easy novel to read and perfect if you are looking for a bit of levity after some heavy reading.

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The Book Eaters by Sunyi Dean

The Book Eaters by Sunyi Dean

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I was a little worried that this one would end up being a dud, but I am pleased to report that The Book Eaters is a good novel. I think bibliophiles like me will really like this one. It is a bit on the nose with respect to its themes, but it’s characters and world-building are interesting enough to make you overlook the obviousness of the novel.

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The Daughters of Temperance Hobbs by Katherine Howe

The Daughters of Temperance Hobbs by Katherine Howe

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The Daughters of Temperance Hobbs is the sequel to Katherine Howe’s first novel, The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane, which I will admit I did not realize until I started reading it. I read Deliverance Dane over ten years ago, so I kind of wish I had re-read it before reading Temperance Hobbs, but there were enough details in Temperance Hobbs to remind me of what happened in Deliverance Dane. The Daughters of Temperance Hobbs is an okay book. It is not as interesting as The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane and I think I prefer Brunonia Barry’s Salem-set novels over Katherine Howe’s (as a side note, I have also read Howe’s The House of Velvet and Glass, which was an interesting novel, but it depressed the hell out of me and so I donated it because I never want to read it again).

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White Ivy by Susie Yang

White Ivy by Susie Yang

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If you were to reduce its plot to the simplest of terms, then White Ivy is not a very original novel. It is a story about a poor and unremarkable person who wants to belong to the wealthy and important crowd. It is a story that has been told repeatedly. White Ivy has been compared to Donna Tartt’s The Secret History, which I did not like. There are certainly parallels between the two novels, especially the fate of one of the characters in White Ivy which mirrors that of Bunny in The Secret History, but I like White Ivy because it tells its story from the perspective of a Chinese American protagonist, a complicated woman who you can empathize with (up to a certain point), and it is as much about the immigrant experience in America as it is about a social climber.

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