The Ten Thousand Doors of January by Alix Harrow

 

FIRST OF ALL, what a cover!!!!  Six Stars for Cover Art!!!!

And, I loved this book.  Gorgeous writing, a truly original concept and so well set up.  We meet a young girl living in a mansion awaiting her travelling father's return while under the tutelage of his wealthy employer.  Life is boring, but fine.  January longs to travel with her father but he always refuses to let her come.  What is he really doing?  Then little gifts begin to show up in a special box she discovers in the attic, including, finally, a very special book, and she thinks her benefactor is helping her find adventure.  And find it she does!!!  Along with danger and her very own story, and her very own direction and maybe even purpose.  When she begins to wonder what really happened to her mother, she and two friends try to find out after she is forced to leave her home.  A fabulous fantasy read, you must have an open mind to other worlds and peoples, a little bit of magic, evil and possibility - and miracles.  Her journey away from and toward the most important things, and those she meets and travel with, were fascinating to me.  I could not put this one down.  I will make haste to grab Harrow's next book (not a sequel) because I just liked her style so much.  A very good read!

The Silent Sister by Diane Chamberlain

 

Three stars means I liked it, right?

This was a pretty good book.  Not super great, but enjoyable.  Kinda complicated, somewhat predictable, but some surprises towards the end.  Lots of characters to keep up with and a somewhat far fetched premise that slowly unfolds (discerning readers will figure it out quicker than I did probably!).  Riley goes home to NC after the death of her father to clear out his house, only to be hit with new and disturbing information about her family that was kept from her - and from her older brother as well - which will change her whole idea of who her family was and especially what really happened to their older sister Lisa, who died when Riley was two.  She finds out her dad had a girlfriend after the death of her mother, and that girlfriend swoops in with speed and a sense of entitlement that immediately puts Riley on edge.  As she delves further into the secrets her parents kept, she becomes more confused and upset.  Cue the switch of perspective halfway through the novel and we hear another side of the story, and all hell breaks loose and prison is threatened and a murder is mentioned and then BOOM everything sorta kinda sorts out - sorta.  I did not like how things ended with her brother, that was definitely not satisfactorily resolved for me, and where Riley ends up seems WAY far fetched.  Yes, I purposefully used that phrase again.

Still, this kept my attention and was a good mystery.  I have heard a lot about this author so thought I would try her out.  I would read another one; I see in some reviews that this is not her best effort.  I think there was enough good writing here that I would read another of her books.  So, there's that.  But I would not be rushing to push this one into other people's hands.  It was fine.  ;-)

The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune

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Let's start off by saying this fantasy book will not be for everyone - but it should be.  There is some debate about whether it is a children's story or written for adults.  Well, I'm an adult.  Usually.  Ha.

As I was reading, I wasn't sure I was going to like this one. The cover drew me in though - omgosh so gorgeous.  And there was a Department in Charge of Magical Youth (accio, HP).  And a sad, bumbling, lonely, downtrodden caseworker named Linus.  And a mysterious island of dangerous, magical kids (mostly)!

So, what's not to love?

Not much, honestly.  This story is magical in itself.  The prose is very much as if directed towards kids, and is told very much in almost a fairy tale like manner.  I was totally sucked in and quickly.  Linus' life is miserable and oh so rainy, but it is all he knows to do (and his neighbor is hilarious, poor Linus).  He is good at his job and doesn't get involved with the schools he investigates.   At the school where Linus is secretly sent by his evil boss to investigate whether the Department should continue funding it or cut its losses due to dangerous behavior, the kids are different even within Linus' experience - and maybe not even human.  But - bear with it because you WILL grow to love these crazy different characters, and maybe even build up some empathy which this world could really use!!!  This truly is a feel good story and I loved it.

The author self describes as "queer," and has vowed to bring positive representation of his community into literature.  Mr. Klune, all is well, and all is well.  Well done, that is.  This is a delightful book complete with a love story that is super sweet and has the reader pulling for a definition of family that is nothing but Right.   In full disclosure there is a passing reference to the fact that one character did not sleep in his own bed one night, but it is all very wink-wink.  And positive.  Can he save this school, even with the dangers faced by the nearby residents from these misunderstood magical children, one of whom may be the spawn of Lucifer?  Can the headmaster keep his own secret or will he lose everything by being who he really is??  I can totally see this being made into a super fun movie with Seussian colors and exaggerated facial expressions and special effects, with the office being grays and browns and the island popping like Oz.  Christmas 2021 will be filled with Chaunceys and Theodores and Talias and Sals and Phees and of course, Lucys.  

We can only hope.

Walk the Wire by David Baldacci

 

(Please click the link to visit my blog, read this review in its entirety, and browse other recent Rawles' Reads!)

This might be the best Amos Decker yet, excepting the first one! Wowza!!!!  So many plot twists and murders and connections and surprises in this classic Baldacci thriller.  Decker and Jamison are in North Dakota to investigate a strange murder/dead body, and we go along for the ride to learn all about fracking, small town politics, best friends who drift apart, jealousy, affairs, and a couple of surprise cameos by characters that will have discerning readers jumping with literary joy.

Ok, maybe not jumping, but I did pump my fist.  Once.

Keep it a surprise and don't read more reviews!  That is one that should not be spoiled.  

Baldacci's style is typical here - short sentences, very little bridging between scenes ("They drove to the house.  He thought about the case.  Decker left." (HA, I love it when Decker just ups and leaves the room in mid-sentence.))  But in this one the case itself is so complicated I almost needed a character list to keep track.  Definitely kept my attention!

I am also very intrigued at how Decker's abilities and conditions seem to be mutating.  In the last book or two he has had brief scenes of empathy and understanding, which are lacking because of his brain injury from football years ago.  Jamison notices and isn't sure what to think about her partner and dare I say bff.  I like that there is no romance between the two.  But she sure does look out for him, as he does for her.  Nice.

{One small complaint - I get annoyed that the author refers to everyone by their last names.  The victims, the main characters, and ok fine this is what really bugs me - the women!!!  The Southern girl in me gets tripped up by this.  Maybe it is a policeman lingo thing, so I guess I get it for his partner Jamison (who he sometimes calls Alex - pick one!). But for the victims?  Just call her Irene for goodness sake!  Or Ms. Cramer.  Or the Victim (although, too many victims here to warrant a singular).  A small thing in the overall, but still, wondering if anyone else thinks this way?}

This is a great story, I love The Memory Man, and won't say much more about the plot.  If you are  a Memory Man fan, you should definitely read this one.  I have read them all in order, but I am not sure you really need to do so.  Of course, the first one you need to read, and I prefer to read books like this in order personally.  But I think you could skip the fourth one, and just dive into the fifth and sixth.  Some similarities in the small town bust scenario, but worth it.  

Redemption by David Baldacci

 

Back on track, Decker!  (This is #5 in the series....#4 wasn't really my favorite.)

The fourth book in the Memory Man series is fabulously convoluted and twisty and I did not see everything coming.  And neither did Decker.  WHAT???  He notices and remembers EVERYTHING!

Some of this tangled web becomes obvious and Baldacci tries to slip in some overlooked clues which I caught.  But whoa Nelly, I did not see the overall result coming!!  

Decker goes back to his hometown annually to visit the grave of his daughter, murdered one night several years ago while he was staying late at work to try to solve another case.  His guilt is overwhelming and he channels his energies into tracking down other killers.  As he visits the graveside, an elderly man approaches him and declares his innocence.  Amos recognizes him as his first case - found guilty of four murders.  Could Amos have been mistaken in his work?  Infathomable!

But....yet, Amos begins to delve into what really happened all those years ago, and more questions than answers pile up, along with additional dead bodies.  Reunited with his former police partner while Alex Jamison heads back to FBI headquarters, Amos struggles with his own guilt, with whether the case was a set up, and who was involved and why.  Some simple language and syntax in this one keeps it from being a five star read.  This is not prose, but it is a very good mystery/crime drama!

The Fallen by David Baldacci

 

One of my favorite writers and series (The Memory Man/Amos Decker series), but this offering was not as strong as the first three.  A timely topic indeed with the emphasis on the epidemic of drug use in our country and the existence of bad cops, and I did like putting Alex front and center in this story, with some background and family life from her side.  Still definitely worth a read; I always hate giving three stars even though that does mean I LIKED it, because it seems like I am being critical.  But, there are better Baldaccis out there and this one was just not the best in the series.  I still like Amos and his uncanny abilities, and we are given a hint in this installment that his lack of empathy towards others may be softening, as may his ability to remember every single detail (both conditions stemming from a TBI on the NFL football field years ago).  Looking forward to seeing how that twist on the entire premise of why Amos is such a good investigator holds forth in future installments!!!

Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng

 

First of all, I gave this three stars on Goodreads, which means I liked it ok.  Not that I hated it.  If I hated it, I would not even be rating it (which I guess negates the whole star process if I never rate anything bad.....) 

This book is sad.  So sad, all the lost opportunities to show love and support and tell your truth.  We know from the get go that Lydia is dead (see one of the greatest first lines ever!!).  But we don't know how or why.  What we learn about Lydia and her family along the way of this brief but heartbreaking story is typical and devastating at the same time.  Themes of racism, bullying, parental transference, a frustrated housewife, an overlooked youngest child.... all come together to attempt to piece it all together.

But this puzzle is complicated, and some answers are never to be known.  I found it a struggle to get through this one.  Not much hope here and I worried all along about the long term affects on the kids mostly.  Still, I persisted.

And the last 10 pages made it worthwhile.  Beautiful introspective language and a tiny bit of hope if not redemption.  Those last ten pages were amazing, giving the reader a glimpse into what happens in future years.  I loved how the author did that.  Still, I did not really enjoy the read until the end, and then of course the title makes sense in more ways than one.  This probably would be a good book club selection because I do think there is a LOT to talk about, but if you are looking for a light entertaining read, I'd say this one is heavy and a bit gloomy, so just be aware.