Another murder mystery, of which I seem to have had a lot more this year than usual, there is a lot to like in this story.  Set in a remote location at the destination of a successful tv star and a magazine editor, the story is told from multiple pointsof view, which narrators being more and less reliable, revealing all the hidden motives and guarded secrets they have in small bits as the story unfolds.  These back stories set the stage for the conflicts that arise, but the biggest secrets are held back and keep you guessing as more and more people have reason to murder others at the party and you don't know until the end who is murdered, let alone who did it. I really liked the story and thought it was cleverly written and the unusual format which could have felt gimmicky actually flowed really well. I will say that there was one too many backstories and as the last one played out, my willingness suspension of disbelief was pushed a little too far. It just felt too unlikely that the person with the least connect to the main circle of people just happened to have had motive to kill one of the other guests because of a connection that neither was aware of and that unfolds with way too much coincidence.  It did add a layer of extra cleverness and it was woven into the story early on in a way that made it all make sense when it came together, but really it just seemed so unlikely to have been possible that it distracted from an otherwise really tightly plotted story. Even with that, I am giving it a soft recommendation.
Recommend
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This is a fabulous murder mystery that I can't stop thinking about.  It is so well written, the characters are so richly developed, and the plot is delightfully complicated that I am seriously contemplating reading it a second time.  Set across time from 1961 to 1975 as they investigate an old murder and a new disappearance, the complexity of interpersonal dynamics and histories just pulled me in, all the time being filled with red herrings and twists, as the investigation proceeds. The standout character is the young woman detective no one takes seriously and the ending just reinforced how much I loved her.  I found the portrayal of sexism and elitism to be well portrayed, ever present, without having it be the sole focus of the story--reminding me of how even during my younger years it was so pervasive we often accepted it without noticing at all. Did I mention the ending of this book was so good? So often these complex stories have predictable, unrealistic, or just stupid endings that don't hold together, but this one was right on point.
Highly recommend.

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I am so enthralled with the very concept of this book in which the author uses her obsession with sea creatures as the basis of these fabulous life stories that use the sea creatures as complex allegories for her life. Even the title, referring to the point in an ocean where the light can no longer penetrate, relates to moments in her life.  As a memoir, it is insightful and tells the story of a unique life of Queerness and mixed-race identity.

I particularly appreciated how the author's experience of trauma and sexual assault were presented in such an unusual and poignant way.  All of this was done in the midst of providing rich details about marine ecosystems and creatures, some of which (like the octopus), we often hear about in other contexts, but some  of which I knew nothing about and found fascinating.  This is just such an unusual set-up and read. 

I highly recommend it.

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This is the first Brian Sanderson book that I have read that I did not hate.  I was fully prepared not to like it, but it turns out that it was pretty clever.  The fantasy world was fascinating, with the ocean of something-not-water, the talking rat, and the hexes. The main character, a young woman, is constantly underestimated by everyone ,including herself, and my favorite plot twist was a brilliant strategy she came up with to out-maneuver another character and foil their evil plot.  I didn't see the twist coming and I was just so impressed with how she turned the situation on its head, all while realistically suffering from imposer syndrome and working her way up from the very lowest position on a boat of pirates.  Despite my traditional dislike of the Sanderson books, I am going to give this one a recommend.

Recommend.
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This is a quirky micro-history-science book about beavers that I did not anticipate I was going to like, but ended up being sneakily interesting and entertaining.  Who knew that a well-written book about a strangely unique creature could be just the right amount of not-political and not-depressing to make my list of recommendations?
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This was an incredibly painful book to read about the author's struggle with is son's addiction. 
How many rock bottoms can one family survive?  The writing is elegant and the author's love for his child permeates every word as he begins his decent into addiction, struggling with recovery and relapse. The book is a heartache from beginning to end, told from the perspective of a parent desperate to help, but powerless over their child's choices, but also over his own drive to provide comfort and protection for an addict caught in the narcissism and criminality of active addiction. Prepare to have your heart broken, over and over, and make sure you have the pace to reflect on everyone you ever loved who has known addiction. 

I also want to point out that this book also alludes to the unpopular and often ignored topic of how bad parenting plans impact the children who have to live them out--a very real reminder for separated parents and the professionals so write those plans for them.

Recommend.
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I somehow missed that there was not just one, but two new Hunger Games books and a new movie since I last visited this series.  What a treat it is to read a series where the books hold up on their own and don't invite a cliffhanger so you have to get the next book to feel a sense of closure.  Both of these books, which are prequels to the original trilogy, were really well down and worth reading.  I love that we aren't spoon fed the analogies to modern politics, but the complexity of the relevance is nevertheless there.  

Highly recommend both of these.

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This is a lovely short book that follows up on the author's wildly successful book, Braiding Sweetgrass.  I have heard the criticism that despite the
indigenousness of the author that the books are written for a white audience and this may be true, but as the white audience I have to say that I loved both of them.  This one in particular talks about an ecology economy and the meaningfulness of a gift economy and of investing in community.  Whether this is because you want the benefits that come from gifting, in terms of the emotional connections, the furthering of your values, or even indirect marketing of your business, an economy that incorporates gift giving and receiving should not be underestimated. 
There were a couple of themes that particularly resonated for me.  First, wealth is not what you have, but what you give away and, second, if there isn't enough of what you want, then want something else.  Aren’t those just lovely ideas that you want to file away and remember? 

Recommend.

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I didn't even know there was a genre of hockey romances and I certainly did not know that it was going to end up being a book genre that I would end up liking, but here we are.  This is, I think, the third book in the last few months that I am recommending in which there is a romance and there are hockey players.  And truly, who knew there was an entire genre of hockey romance in which consent and health reciprocal relationships was front and center?  This one also weaves in themes of the pull between traditional families with modern kids struggling to find a balance between the two, sexism in sports, and figuring out how to manage competing career tracks in relationships.  It was just a really unexpectedly fun, light romance.  Perfect bedtime or beach reading.

Recommend.
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​This is a ridiculously cute college romance.  For all the stereotypical forbidden lovers plotline, this jock frat boy meets ambitious, determined budding sports journalist whose brother is on the jock's rival team is actually remarkably fun--and a model of consent based romance, which I just love to see becoming more popular.  

Light. Sweet. Predictable for the most part.  It is a great choice for escape reading. It is slightly more steamy than a regular read, but has more of that YA feel to it.

Recommend.

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