Under the Falls by Richard Russo

As I have mentioned before, I have loved everything Richard Russo has written in the past.  I first learned about him when looking for a birthday present for a friend.  I saw Empire Falls in paperback in a Boston Barnes and Noble in like 2003 or so and it looked so good, I bought two copies - one for him and one for me.  (I think this was before it had won the Pulitzer Prize. ) I found it unputdownable.  His characters were so real and relatable, and the world was so perfectly drawn. My only complaint there was the time jump. 

I went back and started reading his entire back catalog and loved it all (though a few of his other books also used a time jump to skip past difficult parts). I was very excited to see that he had a new book out this summer and I eagerly requested an advanced reader copy from the publisher. I also shared the physical advanced reader copy that I got with my mother, who also has loved Richard Russo’s books in the past.

She returned the copy to me unfinished. She couldn’t get into it, and when I read it, I see why. In a huge contrast to most of Mr. Russo’s earlier work, the characters are flat and not believable.  Their motivations are weak and not fully explored and scenario is frankly ludicrous. There are a few kernels of good ideas in here and the way that Mr. Russo writes about men longing for the close friendship of their youth reminded me a bit of some of the parts of Bridge of Sighs (which I really should re read) but all in all this book was a huge disappointment. 

In the acknowledgments, Mr. Russo admits that this book started out as a TV pilot. That Genesis does, I think, explain many of my problems with this short novel. It seems like streaming TV these days often requires broader characters with more outlandish set ups and plots to entice a jaded viewer.  I can picture in my head, The 60 second ad for this show on Paramount +, and I would want to watch it just as much as I would want to recommend this book - not very much.  I may go back and reread one of Mr. Russo‘s older books to get the taste out of my mouth.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review. 

If We Cannot Go at the Speed of Light by Kim Choyeop

 

I really enjoyed this short story collection! I had never heard of this author before, but I have been trying to broaden my horizons and read more SFF in translation, so I was happy to get an eARC from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review. The stories in this book were fascinating and haunting - I find myself still thinking about the emotion-inducing collectibles and the one about the astronaut who learned a secret about her astronaut-predecessor relative. I highly recommend this collection. 

Fish and Water by Gengoroh Tagame

 

Even though I was introduced to anime in college (and eventually became VP of the Anime Club) I still never read a lot of manga. But a few years ago I saw an interesting looking book cover at my local library called My Brother’s Husband, which is about a Canadian man going to Japan to visit his deceased husband’s twin brother. It was a charming, bittersweet, wonderful book and I enjoyed it very much. So when I saw a book called Fish and Water on NetGalley with a cover with a similar art style, I checked and it was the same author both are by Gengoroh Tagame.  

This book is set in the early days of the pandemic between two guys who are lonely.  One of them likes to cook, and the other starts bringing over food he has but doesn’t know what to do with. They become friends and get very close, and then become something more. 

This is one of the most delightful, wholesome books I have read in along time. After finishing it, I then went back and reread My Brother’s Husband and found other books by this author at my local library. I can’t recommend this enough. 

Sea of Charms by Sarah Beth Durst

I know you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover, but I was first drawn to Sarah Beth Durst when I saw her book The Spellshop in a Barnes and Noble with those delightful purple sprayed edges! ( I absolutely despise deckled edges, and have refused to read books because they made the reading experience unbearable, but I really do enjoy the current trend of sprayed edges.) I was intrigued by the Spellshop’s description, bought the book for my wife, and ended up reading it before she did! It was light and fun and enjoyable, and the follow-up, The Enchanted Greenhouse, was equally delightful! So when I saw another book in the same world by the same author I immediately requested it from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. 

This book follows up on one of the side characters from the last book - the mysterious sea captain who takes on one of the talking plants as an apprentice. What’s her deal, I idly wondered as I read the Enchanted Greenhouse. This book answered that question, as well as fill in a lot of the world building that has been hinted at or dealt with tangentially in the other two books.

After reading this book, I’m beginning to think that I like romantasy. I enjoyed this a lot. 

The Faith of Beasts by James SA Corey

 

I still remember when I first read a book by James S. A. Corey - I remember sitting in a park in Brooklyn reading a copy of Leviathan Wakes I borrowed from the library. I already loved space opera and it hit me right in the right spot. I continued to enjoy the series, although I didn’t love the time jump and the final book feel flat to me. 

So I was really excited a few years ago when I got an eARC of the first book of their new space opera trilogy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. I thought it was good but grim and that grimness made it a slog to get through. I still wanted to read the next book, because I wanted to find out what happened in the story. 

Well, the next book is here. I also got an eARC of The Faith of Beasts from the publisher and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.  And I gotta say, this one was even more of a slog. The overall plot did not seem to move forward enough and it felt like the characters’ situations were just as grim as when the last book ended. I’m not sure if I’ll read the final volume, but this book sure has soured me on Corey. 

Villain by Natalie Zina Walschots

Finally! The sequel to one of the best superhero novels that I’ve read in the past ten years is here!

 I loved Hench. I first heard about it from following Seanan McGuire’s twitter feed, because I know she reads a lot of ARCs and I know she only writes about things she loved. So I knew that when Hench showed up on NetGalley I needed to request it. Thankfully, I got an eARC because it meant I got to read it early and I loved it. When I reviewed it i said that I I couldn’t wait to read the next book by Natalie Zina Walschots. And now all these years later I can confidently say that it was worth waiting for.(I also got an eARC of Villain from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.)

This book picks up where Hench left off. The Auditor (formerly known as Anna) is running things mostly as Leviathan sulks, upset at having to be rescued. As the book goes on, I as a reader really started to feel like the Auditor is taking on more and more aspects of a domestic violence victim - her relationship with Leviathan is super messed up and keeps getting more messed up as the book goes on. She makes a choice late in the book that makes me lose most of my respect for her as a person but she always remains a fascinating character. I found myself turning the pages in dread of what would happen next (in the best ways). This book clearly anticipates a follow up - let’s hope it’s a shorter wait til book 3!

Velveteen Vs. The Consequences of Her Actions by Seanan McGuire

 

I love Seanan McGuire’s body of work.  (Note: I review a bunch of her books so I am copying part of some of my other reviews here to save time.). She has quickly become my favorite living writer and I feel very lucky that she is so prolific. I was first introduced to her work when her book Parasite, written as Mira Grant, was nominated for a Hugo Award. I loved it and quickly devoured the Newsflesh series before I realized that Mira Grant and Seanan McGuire were the same person. 

I started reading her works under her own name, starting with Sparrow Hill Road, which is amazing, but I picked it because I was intimidated by her long running October Daye series. But the Velveteen Vs. series holds a very special place in my heart. 

When I was very sad - and I mean overwhelmed with grief - and in a very rough place, I needed a new audiobook to listen to, something to distract me from everything. And I found the first two Velveteen books on Audible. They were perfect. They were exactly what I needed at exactly the right time. I loved the world Ms. McGuire had created where superheroes were a mix between reality tv stars and child actors. These were wonderfully developed characters that came alive and the fact that they had powers and domino masks didn’t make them feel any less real. 

I was overjoyed when Subterranean Press and NetGalley awarded me an eARC of this second volume (I had already preordered my hardcover edition). I am thrilled that more people will get to read and enjoy Vel’s story. This book contains the already published 3rd volume and the never before collected final stories that would have been able to make a fourth book, if it hadn’t been combined with the stories from book 3. 

Velveteen gets closure. So does Tag and Jackie and all of the other main lingering plot threads. It’s not so much a happily ever after as a contented for now ending. I loved every page. I felt like weeping when it was over. I hope there is more Velveteen someday but if not I will be happy that the story is complete. I cannot recomend this enough.