Categories
Blog Fiction

Bliss Montage: Stories

by Ling Ma, Book 73 of 2022

Does anyone else find it hard to review collections of short stories? Some of the stories include magical realism and those I found to be the most engaging, while others fell a little flat. One about a dysfunctional childhood friendship carried into adulthood, was life affirming in a bizarre way. Others I’m still trying to wrap my head around. The tone is ominous and yet somehow playful? Overall, worth reading!

Thank you to the publisher, author, and NetGalley for this ALC!

Content Warnings: Drug Use, Domestic Violence, Racism, Abandonment, Body Horror (kind of??) involving Pregnancy

Categories: Fiction, Short Stories

Categories
Blog Fiction

In the Shadow Garden

by Liz Parker, book 72 of 2022

Gilmore Girls meets Charmed meets Once Upon a Time in this magical mystery story centered on a big matriarchal southern family. I won’t spoil it, but this is a great spooky season read for anyone who likes autumn more cozy than scary. Bonus: the audiobook narrators were lovely and added to the depth of the story.

Thank you to the publisher, author, and NetGalley for this ALC!

Content Warnings: Alcohol, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Murder

Categories: Fiction, Mystery, Multiple narrators 

Categories
Blog Nonfiction

The Gospel of Wellness

by Rina Raphael, book 69 of 2022

This is an entertaining investigation of the merits and limitations of the wellness industry. I’d recommend this to any woman who’s ever felt like there aren’t enough products in the world to solve the problems society has made for them. 

Thank you to the publisher, author and NetGalley for this ALC!

Content Warnings: Body Image, Medical Gaslighting

Categories
Blog Fiction

The Make-up Test

by Jenny L. Howe, book 65 of 2022

This second chance romance focuses on Allison Avery, a dedicated PhD Candidate in Medieval Literature who’s just begun studying under her academic hero. Her hard work is paying off and everything is falling into place… until she discovers that her ex-boyfriend and ex-rival from college is back and causing more trouble than ever. She doesn’t have time to deal with him, especially while managing a difficult relationship with her father and feeling estranged from her best friend. While I found it a bit difficult to really get invested in the plot there were some things I loved: a plus sized protagonist, so many lit references, and real talk about challenging familial issues. 

Thank you to the publisher, author and NetGalley for this ALC!

Content Warnings: Body shaming, Death of a parent, Grief, Emotional abuse

Categories: Fiction, Romance, Comedy

Categories
Blog Nonfiction Social Justice

What We Owe the Future

by William MacAskill, Book 62 of 2022,

William MacAskill asks a lot more questions than he answers in this lengthy read. This book describes some of the biggest threats to humankind’s long term future including AI, nuclear warfare, environmental catastrophe, and pandemics. It’s a tough journey with a lot of difficult subject matter that ultimately ends with a call to action to consider how our current societal choices will impact the many potential generations beyond the present. I wouldn’t say I enjoyed reading this but I will definitely be thinking about its subject matter for a long time to come. 

Thank you to the publisher, author and NetGalley for this ALC!

Content Warnings: Nuclear War, Pandemics, Extinction, Artificial Intelligence, Animal Cruelty 

Categories
Blog Nonfiction Social Justice

Heal Your Way Forward

by myisha t. hill, book 57 of 2022

A great read for any white person who wants to re-energize their anti-racist practice. During the “Great White Awakening of 2020” many folks recognized the need to act on social justice issues but fell out of practice as time has gone by. This book is for those of us who want to sustain a long term commitment to those values, especially in between episodes of public outcry. Hill’s words and story are inspiring, practical and timely. This is not the book for a person who’s just starting to learn about white privilege and supremacy but instead fulfills a need for those who are committed to a lifelong practice. 

Thank you to the publisher, author and NetGalley for this ALC!

Content Warnings:  Suicide, Racism  

Categories: Nonfiction, Anti-racism 

Categories
Blog Fiction

The Monsters We Defy

By Leslye Penelope, book 56 of 2022

This is a fun and spooky heist story set in the 1920’s. Clara Johnson, a young black woman with the power to commune with spirits, joins up with a group of talented friends to save their community from a mysterious force that causes folks to disappear. I don’t want to give away anything but I found the layers of this story to be really engaging and fun to uncover. It had high enough stakes to keep me interested but low enough not to be too stressful. A budding romance, feisty best friend, and a little magic, what’s not to like? 

Thank you to the publisher, author and NetGalley for this ALC!

Content Warnings:  Racism, Police Violence, Slavery, Classism, Colorism, Abduction

Categories
Blog Nonfiction

All the Living and the Dead

by Hayley Campbell, book 55 of 2022

I found this book almost impossible to put down despite its dark and graphic content. Campbell does a wonderful job taking the reader behind the scenes with folks in a variety of death related industries. From a crime scene cleaner to a death doula, Campbell’s writing treats every situation with honesty and care. Ultimately, I found this to be a hopeful book, and I’d recommend this investigative work to those who are interested and brave enough to uncover the secrets of what happens to us after we die. 

Thank you to the publisher, author and NetGalley for this ALC!

Content Warnings: DO NOT READ THIS IF YOU ARE GRIEVING, ANXIOUS, DEPRESSED OR SQUEAMISH. Death (all kinds, all ages), Gore, Violence, Grief, Miscarriage

Categories
Blog Fiction

The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy

by Megan Bannen, book 54 of 2022

This is an enemies to lovers romantic comedy focusing on death and featuring zombies. Hart is a lonely demigod warden tasked with overseeing the safety of humans facing a growing drudge problem (drudges are essentially zombies). Mercy is the oldest daughter in a long line of undertakers struggling to keep the family business intact despite growing problems both inside her family and from her competitors. Hart and Mercy hate each other… or do they? This book has a somewhat convoluted premise but a very sweet and spicy execution. Seriously there’s a lot going on here (multiple gods, demigods, magical creatures, souls, abstract geography, etc). Despite having to do more mental work than I desire for a light romantic comedy read, I loved so much of this book. I laughed, I cried, and I loved these characters. 

Thank you to the publisher, author and NetGalley for this ALC!

Content Warnings: Death, Violence, Something that’s basically a zombie, lots of death.

Categories: Fiction, LGBTQ, Multiple Narrators

Categories
Blog Nonfiction

The Viral Underclass

by Steven W. Thrasher, book 52 of 2022

Book Cover, tan colored background with black text reading The Viral Underclass. Center has a red virus symbol with a black silhouette of a human inside. Subtext says The human toll when inequality and disease collide.

Dr. Thrasher provides some extremely timely and insightful criticisms of how our society fails to protect the most vulnerable and suffers for it. He mixes personal stories with his analysis to discuss the factors that contribute to the sickness and death of the “viral underclass”, the people our society discriminates against, incarcerates, or otherwise neglects. This is an extremely relevant look into the modern concerns of public health policymakers and I’m eager to discuss it with other public health professionals. That being said, I’d recommend it to anyone interested in broadening their understanding of viruses and the social factors around health, the info shared here is relevant for all of us.

Thank you to the publisher, author and NetGalley for this ALC!

Content Warnings: Death (COVID/HIV), Drug use, Police Violence/Murder, Racism, Mental Health/HIV/LGBTQ Discrimination and Stigma, Suicide, Ableism, Ageism, etc.