Matt

The School for Good Mothers by Jessamine Chan is a dystopian story about parenting, mothering, and the ways in which society judges. The story begins with Frida having a very bad day in which she left her baby alone while she went into the office. Though no harm came to baby Harriet, Frida gets caught and there her troubles begin. Frida is sent to a residential education program to learn to be a better parent, but the place is totally off-the-rails and each outrage is surpassed by the next. This is a really thought provoking book. Although what Frida did was dangerous and irresponsible, Chan does an excellent job highlighting how society (including its non-parent members) judges parents in general and mothers in particular. Several of Frida's classmates were there for things that either weren't actually abuse or weren't their fault. It was clear that in the world of the novel poverty, bad luck, or simply different parenting styles could be perceived as crimes equal to actual abuse. The expectation that women's dreams, needs, and identities will be wholly subsumed into raising their child was cast in stark relief as well as the ways in which society privileges some over others, and tries to quantify things that are, at least somewhat, subjective. The book seemed all too reflective of real attitudes toward parenting combined with a light sci-fi element to present an all to plausible dystopia. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Kaiju Preservation Society is an excellent new novel by John Scalzi. After losing his job, Jamie discovers a new opportunity that is out of this world. Literally. Now employed by an organization that seeks to preserve giant monsters known as Kaiju, Jamie discovers friends, adventure, and terrifying danger along the way. This book is a lot of fun. It's great for sci-fi fans and those who have enjoyed Scalzi's previous works such as Agent to the Stars, etc. The audiobook is read by Wil Wheaton who is excellent as always. Highly recommended ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Freefall by Craig Alanson is a great follow-up in the Mavericks spin-off series of the Expeditionary Force universe. The Mavericks and Alien Legion get involved in trying to aid a disgraced band of lizard assassins take over a planet controlled by the squids (one of the effects of listening to audiobooks is that I have no idea how to spell any of the unique proper nouns in this series

In space no one can hear you scream...from frustration and subpar audiobook narration. Dead Space by S.A. Barnes was billed as The Shining meets The Titanic in space, and I had very high hopes for this story. Claire is a space ship team lead on a mission that accidentally discovers a luxury (space) cruise ship that has been missing for decades. Motivated by the lucrative claim they can make by recovering the vessel Claire and her crew board the ship, but soon creepy stuff starts happening. The reader is left to wonder: is the ship haunted? Has the crew gone insane? Is something else at work?

Cool concept, but ultimately I didn't love how it turned out. This was a fun book (especially for the first 2/3rds of so), but I just found it a bit disappointing overall. Some elements seemed unbelievable or just kinda lame. Additionally the audiobook is marred by a performance that at times borders on melodrama, and features some character voices I didn't care for.

Overall I think this book was just ok. If you really like space horror you might be into it, but there's probably better books out there. This might be one that's better to read visually than to listen to though.

⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Book of the Most Precious Substance by Sara Gran is an exciting new supernatural erotic thriller, marking the debut of Gran's new publishing label Dreamland Books. I think it's important to provide a content advisory at this point, this book is appropriate for adult readers only, age 18 or older. Though I had previously read Gran's book Come Closer, this novel represented a departure from my typical reading fare. It was a very sexual story detailing the adventures of an author-turned-book-dealer named Lily, on her quest for a very rare occult volume. Lily's husband Able has some form of early on-set dementia, and the sale of this desired yet elusive Book of the Most Precious Substance could provide much needed life changing money. Thus Lily goes on a globe trotting adventure chasing rumors of the book. Even though I don't normally read erotica, I was really drawn in by the thriller and supernatural/horror elements of this story. I wanted to know if Lily and her associates would find the book, if the magic was real, and ultimately where this volume was going. I enjoyed the ride for the most part. I did think the plot got a bit thin at a few points, and perhaps the page count was a bit long (over 100 pages longer than Come Closer). There were a few places where I think the book could have been tightened up. Yet, overall I did find the mysteries and suspenseful elements compelling and Gran's prose to be well written. The ending was a mixed bag for me, I felt lots of conflicting emotions, but overall I enjoyed this story. I look forward to seeing what's next from Dreamland Books and Sara Gran ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

All's Well by Mona Awad is a wonderfully bizarre, mysterious, magical, and horrifying novel from the author of Bunny exploring topics of chronic pain and theatre. Miranda is a theatre professor who lives with chronic pain in her leg and hip. Doctors and therapists either don't believe her or offer unhelpful advice. Her colleagues don't believe her, or have grown fatigued with caring. Her acting career derailed, now teaching in a small and underfunded theatre studies program, Miranda is fighting to direct her chosen play this semester, Shakespeare's All's Well That Ends Well...but everything changes when she meets three mysterious strangers. With frequent references to both All's Well and Macbeth, Awad weaves a story about pain, healing, temptation, magic, sacrifice, and mystery. Though at times esoteric, Awad presents both illusion and reality, reflecting the truth in artifice experienced in the theatre, as Miranda finds herself in a Shakespeare-esque “problem play” in her own life. This novel asks the reader to consider what they would do to heal themselves, and also perhaps to consider if happy endings are possible? As an actor and director I really enjoyed all the theatre references throughout the book. I also appreciated the hallucinatory vertigo Awad created for the reader as the novel progressed. In some ways I found this book less esoteric than Bunny, but still definitely in the same mind-bending style. I would recommend this book to fans of Shakespeare, fans of Bunny, and anyone who's interested in genre-defying speculative fiction about chronic pain.

The Apollo Murders by Chris Hadfield and read by Ray Porter is a really great Cold War thriller. A true SCIENCE fiction novel, Hadfield brings his real-life astronaut expertise to the book to tell a fascinating story on Earth and in space. The book tells the story of an Apollo 18 mission to the moon, and has lots of twists and complications along the way that kept me on the edge of my seat. I also started this book before Russia invaded Ukraine, and it was kind of surreal to listen to a Cold War story right as Russia and Ukraine become prominent in the news. I found the plot and world extremely compelling, although the character development did seem a bit uneven at times. Despite some elements not seeming as fleshed out as others, I still really enjoyed this book. Porter was excellent as always.

The Verifiers by Jane Pek is a great mystery novel combining a whodunnit with themes of immigration, family drama, and technology. Claudia, a Chinese-American woman who loves reading detective novels, gets a job at Veracity, a firm which investigates matches on online dating website to verify the claims made on their profiles and conversations for their clients. But when one investigation leads to a potential murder Claudia finds herself on the case, and perhaps in for more then she bargained for.

Overall this was a really fun book. I loved the protagonist and I was really into all her asides and the references she made to the detective novels she loves. I thought there were a lot of interesting and quirky characters, as well as really compelling family dynamics. It was cool to see some really serious topics be represented in this narrative too. The plot was interesting, even if slightly confusing, and I liked how the book ended.

I did think a few characters and themes were under developed, but overall I really loved Claudia and was enthralled by her efforts to discover the truth. The audiobook narrator, Eunice Wong, did a great job too. I hope to read more from this author and perhaps about these characters too! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

There are many advantages to reading with a book club, including: getting to discuss books with a group, discovering books I might have otherwise been unaware of, and of course friendship and fellowship. One downside though is feeling self-imposed pressure not to DNF a book I'm not enjoying because I don't want to let the group down by not reading it. Sadly this situation was the case with The Space Between Worlds by Micaiah Johnson. Imagine a world where the technology needed to travel the multiverse has been invented, the catch being that traveling to world in which the other version of yourself is still alive will kill you. Enter Cara, a traverser who came from impoverished Ash Town, who has died in a huge number of the other worlds making her extremely valuable to Eldridge Institute located in affluent Wiley City. The book has a lot going for it: a queer romance, representation and inclusion of different kinds of people, an inventive take on the multiverse, and relevant dystopian themes about equity. At its absolute best some sections reminded me a bit Butler's The Parable of the Sower, but unfortunately on the whole this book just didn't work for me. It was loaded with exposition and yet still managed to be confusing in its world building for far too long. I also found the fact that people sometimes had different names in the different worlds to be very confusing. Finally, I expected this to be a sci-fi adventure but it's really more of a character driven story with some sci-fi elements. Overall I was bored and confused and found listening to this book to be a bit of a chore. It did pick up a bit eventually, but it simply wasn't to my taste overall. ⭐️⭐️

Catherine House by Elisabeth Thomas is a mesmerizing work of dark academia that is sure haunt the reader long after turning the final page. Ines is admitted to prestigious and secretive Catherine House, a enigmatic post-secondary institution, and hopes to escape her troubled past and begin a new life. Yet what will she discover in the house, and will it ever let her go? With notes of gothic horror, art history, and strange science this new adult coming-of-age dark academia novel presents a story that will likely appeal to fans of Bardugo's Ninth House and Morgan and Paige's The Ravens. Yet Catherine House is uniquely crafted with an esoteric sense of mystery, relationship to time, and observation of the seemingly mundane that creates an almost dream-like quality throughout the book. The atmosphere of the story and way in which the prose and narrative are composed takes primacy over plot at times, yet there is no denying the haunting quality which permeates the book. In critique, I will say that a few aspects of the story strained my suspension of disbelief at times, the plot did meander a bit, and I was left with some unanswered questions. However, upon my second read through of this book I found these complaints bothered me less than on my initial listen to the audiobook. I was struck by how effectively Thomas captures the moment to moment experience of going to college, of how the parts that stand out in memory might not always be the “big moments” but sometimes the parts in-between. This is a book that hints at a lot of big ideas, but perhaps never exactly fully explains them. Initially I was put off by this, thinking that the book just didn't exactly gel, but now...I'm wondering if that might not be the point? The contrast between the world of the ivory tower and the world without, the creative ideal and the object reality of art, the dream of a better life and the grit and emotion that comes with living. The mysteries of Catherine House are, perhaps, just that. My initial rating for this book was ⭐️⭐️⭐️, but I'm am now revising that rating to ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Man Who Died Twice is the charming sequel to Richard Osman's The Thursday Murder Club. The delightful cast of seniors, police officers, and others are back. This time delving into Elizabeth's past and more. I found this book to be strongly character driven, but with a bit more focus on plot than the first book. While still given to meditations on life, aging, etc. this book meandered a bit less than the first and was paced a bit better in my opinion. Overall a great mystery book, but do read The Thursday Murder Club first! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Valkyrie by Craig Alanson is another great installment in the Expeditionary Force series. In some ways the plot was less satisfying than in some of the previous books, but there are also some fantastic sections and major revelations in this book. I have no idea what's going to happen in the next book, but I really...REALLY...want to find out! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

March by John Lewis, Andrew Aydin, and Nate Powell is one of the greatest graphic novels I've ever read. March is a trilogy of three volumes that tell the story of John Lewis and his involvement in the Civil Rights Movement in the United States. The book is moving, horrifying, inspiring, educational, and really profoundly important. I, of course, learned about the Civil Rights Movement in school, but in this book I learned so much about both history and Lewis I had either never known or had forgotten. I found this comic to not only be an amazing history lesson, but to sadly resonate with current events today. The insight this book provides about racial attitudes and actions in America, as well as the dynamics within the Movement itself, really contextualizes and illuminates the protests and conversations that have occurred in years since. It is painful and tragic to reflect on the fact that the hate and systemic racism of the 60s (and before) still haunts us today, and to see it so plainly and undeniably illustrated in this book just takes one's breath away. I urge everyone to read March! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Storyteller: How to be an Audiobook Narrator by Lorelei King and Ali Muirden is pretty much exactly what the title says, a guide to narrating audiobooks. I purchased this audiobook (and I do want to commend these authors on creating an audiobook, it's a bit ironic to see other guidebooks about audiobook narration only available in non-audio formats...) because I'm interested in trying to combine my interests (reading and performance) to use my acting skills in another medium. In the age of COVID when theatres and film sets have been closed, slowed, or subject to increased risk it seems like a perfect pivot...or at least another opportunity to perform and perhaps earn a bit of cash. I wasn't familiar with King (who is a narrator) or Muirden (who is a producer) before listening, but they both seemed to be experts in the field and to be warm and encouraging for the listener. They describe the demands and challenges of this career and then go into some detail about a variety of subjects such as preparation, character voices, recording in studio, troubleshooting, etc. I really enjoyed the section on character voices and King's breakdown of the different layers or elements she uses to build a character voice. I also thought it was really cool to hear from both the performer and the producer on all these topics. There were a couple of weaknesses in the book. For one, they don't really discuss setting up a home studio in detail. I thought that was kind of a shame since I think a lot of folks get their start by recording themselves at home and auditioning on sites like ACX. I'm sure that some people, especially those who have voice/other acting experience and possibly an agent, are able to get their start with audiobooks recording in studio, but I do wonder if it's more of the norm for less established narrators to begin as performers/producers recording, editing, and mastering all at home on their own? So I think the lack of a chapter really going into detail about that is a weakness in this title. Additionally, though King spent some time talking about creating character voices and research/prep, she spent less time discussing how she decides on a delivery or what kind of acting techniques she applies to her work as a narrator. As a trained actor I have a variety of tools I can use, and normally I don't even like to think in terms of how I want a line to sound, instead focusing on my objective (what I want) or the intention (why I'm saying these words) behind the line. King sometimes used language that suggested she gives some thought to where to place the emphasis or otherwise “how” to read the text, and I might have enjoyed more discussion about her at-home rehearsal process. These quibbles not withstanding, I think this is an excellent introduction to narrating audiobooks. Hopefully you will be able to hear me put some of this information into practice soon! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I received a complimentary eARC of Howls from the Dark Ages edited by P.L. McMillian and Solomon Forse from HOWL Society Press, and provided feedback on formatting and typos. I am also a member of the HOWL Society, but I am not published in this anthology of medieval horror and am not personally profiting from its sale. All opinions are my own.

Howls from the Dark Ages is the second anthology of short horror fiction from HOWL Society Press, following their debut anthology Howls from Hell in 2021. This book, like the prior volume, is largely an effort of emerging horror authors from the writers channel in the HOWL Society Discord, an online book club which clawed its way into existence out of the /r/horrorlit subreddit in the early months of the COVID pandemic. Unlike the prior book, which featured a variety of different stories spanning sub-genres, this collection features stories specifically set in the medieval period from both HOWLS members and other authors.

HftDA begins with an introduction from Christopher Buehlman, who lends insight from the process of writing his own novel of medieval horror (Between Two Fires) to illuminate the challenge of writing period horror and contextualize the tales that follow.

The book begins with a short note from a “curator,” establishing a recurring framework in which the reader is cast in the role of a visitor to a mysterious museum. Before each story the reader reads a short note about and views an object (created by a litany of artists) which features prominently in the story that follows. This was a fascinating idea, even if this concept did seem slightly confusing as I read the first curatorial note.

The stories are all set during the medieval period, most in Europe though the Americas and China are also represented. The protagonists come from a variety of backgrounds, though as might be expected a great many are monks, nuns, knights, etc. One of the strengths of a common time period setting is the ability to explore similar themes, tropes, and other elements across multiple authors, styles, and points of view. Yet this also resulted in a lot of repetition in themes, character types, etc. This isn't a bad thing, just know going in that you're going to read a lot of stories exploring some common ground. For example, a lot of the stories dealt with medieval Christianity (and attitudes about it ranged from critical to creative!)

Overall I found the stories to range from “good” to “great.” While a few left me with unanswered questions or a bit confused, many were totally immersive in the medieval world and combined excellent storytelling with horrifying and engaging plots and imagery. My favorite stories in the anthologies included Angelus by Philippa Evans, Brother Cornelius by Peter Ong Cook, Deus Vult by Ethan Yoder, The Final Book of Sainte Foy's Miracles by M.E. Bronstein, The Fourth Scene by Brian Evenson, White Owl Stevie Edwards, A Dark Quadrivium by David Worn, and the story-in-verse The Lai of the Danse Macabre by Jessica Peter.

I enjoyed HftDA. Fans of medieval horror (or just medieval stories) will likely love it too. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I received a free eARC of The Violence by Delilah S. Dawson from the publisher through NetGalley. I began reading the ARC and then switched over to a purchased audiobook edition (narrated by Hillary Huber). All opinions are my own. Imagine a post-COVID world in which people begin blacking out and suddenly and inexplicably commit acts of physical violence. For some, this strange pandemic of mindless violence may mirror ordinary life. For others it may present an opportunity. The Violence is fundamentally a story about surviving domestic abuse. Following three generations of women, Dawson explores how living with violence and generational trauma impact life and the family dynamic while also offering a rousing good story loaded with elements of speculative fiction, political and economic critique, horror, and feminism. The book, especially at the beginning is terrifying and potentially very triggering. As the novel progresses it begins to widen its scope a bit, lightens it's intensity in some ways, and incorporate elements ranging from humorous to almost whimsical...all while still remaining true to its themes. Counterbalancing the extreme discomfort and darkness I perceived in the beginning are moments of hope and transformation woven into various parts of the book. Dawson has skillfully written both a compelling plot but also some really incredible character arcs. Thematically this book brings a topic to light that is rarely discussed, let alone in such an honest way. The characters are wonderful and compelling and I was drawn in from the very first page. With all of that said, there were a few parts where I thought the plot strained reality a bit, especially in the second half of the book. I also found it a bit weird to be reading a book about a pandemic (The Violence) in which the narrative of the book (frequently) acknowledged COVID but was set post-COVID. Since COVID is still going on, albeit many parts of the world (very much including Florida, where this book is set) are acting as if it is not, it just seemed a bit surreal in some ways. I found myself wondering if The Violence was, in some ways, also about the COVID pandemic? Perhaps the world of the novel represents an alternative present? If so, I found it a bit odd that Dawson established and then critiqued elements in the book about the Violence pandemic response that did not actually happen in the real world (at least not in this country). There were also certain elements and themes that just seemed less developed or important than I wanted them to be. Nevertheless, the book ranged from chilling to heartwarming and was consistently engaging. I highly recommend this book to anyone and everyone (except perhaps those who might be triggered by domestic abuse and patriarchal oppression). ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Things We Lost in the Fire is a haunting literary short story collection by Mariana Enriquez and translated by Megan McDowell. These stories range from dark social critiques to others that feature overt horror elements. Each is populated by dynamic complex characters who are both totally believable and fascinating. Ranging from haunted houses to body horror to cosmic, this is diverse collection of tales set in the author's country of Argentina. Themes of poverty, mental health, queerness, and patriarchy were prevalent in this volume, making it highly relevant for readers of all backgrounds. I loved how these stories explored multiple sub-genres and also all seemed to have something to say. This is definitely a more complex and literary collection than what I typically read, and I'm not ashamed to say that there are several stories here that I think I need to reread before I'll have a chance of really understanding them. I did notice that some of the stories seemed to just end, or otherwise lack a conclusion or overall story arc that I found completely satisfying, but this may be an issue more with my understanding than with the writing. Although the audiobook narrator, Tanya Eby, did a great job...I think I might have gotten more out of this by reading visually. My favorite stories in this collection were The Inn, Adela's House, Under the Black Water, and Things We Lost in the Fire. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Such a Pretty Smile by Kristi DeMeester is a genuinely horrifying novel about the myriad ways women must fight to be seen and accepted for who they are. Caroline, an artist, worries for the safety of her daughter Lila as girls begin to go missing or show up dead. Could an serial kill have returned? Soon strange things start to happen as past and present collide. Will the men in Caroline and Lila's lives believe them? Overall DeMeester has written a really sharp novel critiquing many ways women are disbelieved, dismissed, belittled, objectified, and otherwise marginalized in society. The book explores the impact of patriarchy, generational trauma, and systemic inequality (with particular attention to gender and sexual orientation). DeMeester's themes are crystal clear and she has composed so many scenes that had me squirming, cringing and really just absolutely horrified. The power of this book is in the truth it reveals. With that said, I think it could be argued that the plot was secondary to the themes at times. It seemed like it took awhile for the plot to really get going, and there were times where it seemed like a lot of information or time was explained to the reader. Finally, I found the narrative nature of the antagonist to be slightly opaque. This character seemed more firmly rooted in symbolism than in the world building of the story. Still, DeMeester did such an amazing job writing about the marginalization of women and did so through some really viscerally impactful scenes. The events of the plot are compelling, even if the book wasn't as clear and as consistently action oriented as I might have wished. I would definitely recommend this book. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Bloodlines by Alex Wolfgang, Antony Frost, Chris O'Halloran, and Carson Winter is an outstanding short anthology of family horror. Four authors each contribute a horror novelette exploring a different aspect of family. Each story is strong, thematically relevant, and distinct from the other three. Almost like different faces on a cut and polished gem stone, each story feels like a special window giving a different vantage point into the same topic. The unity and arc of this anthology is absolutely incredible. Though I had a couple of small quibbles with two of the stories (one contained some details which I thought were primarily used as shock value, and another was a bit confusing) overall all four stories are all well written and emotionally impactful. The forward by Solomon Forse is also a fantastic introduction to the volume. Each of the following stories was chilling, disturbing, and thought-provoking. I'm lucky to be internet friends with some of these folks and I'm incredibly impressed with both their writing and the initiative and creativity needed to create an anthology together. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Family Solstice by Kate Maruyama is a challenging book about inequality, privilege, sacrifice, and the relative comforts and horrors of benefitting from systemic injustice...with some cosmic horror thrown in. It's hard to give a synopsis of this short volume without spoiling it. Every Solstice one member of Shae's family must go into the basement of the family home to fight...something. I enjoyed this book. I was really intrigued by trying to figure out what was going on throughout the book. This is a very challenging book on many levels. I think most of us can probably identify with one or more characters in this story as we recognize the ways in which our world is unjust and how we personally, directly or indirectly, intersect with that inequality and what we do or do not do about it. Although fantastical and horrific, this book raises serious questions about how society may be engineered to benefit some rather than all, and how it always has been. What sacrifices are we willing to make to either perpetuate or dismantle systemic inequality? Is it even possible to overcome injustice? That's a lot of very deep questions for such a short book to tackle. While I would maintain that Maruyama does not provide us with clear cut answers, her ability to make me think, even to the point of discomfort, about these questions is commendable. While I would have liked to have known more about...what was in the basement...I nevertheless admire this book for how much it packed into such a short page count. 4.5 stars.

Pet Sematary is probably one of Stephen King's best known works. It has been adapted for film twice, as recently as 2019, and I have encountered references to this book in other more contemporary examples of horror fiction. It is a significantly influential story about grief, humanity's age old conflict against death, and perhaps also humanity's place in a dark and mysterious world. The book stands on the shoulders of antecedents such as The Monkey's Paw by W.W. Jacobs. The audiobook was read by Michael C. Hall (Dexter) who did a fantastic job. Despite the hype surrounding this classic and the enduring popularity of the novel, overall I was disappointed in Pet Sematary. I had seen the 2019 movie prior to reading, and I don't know if that experience spoiled reading the book for me, but I just found the pacing of the novel incredibly slow and the length far too long. One of the people in the HOWL Society book club commented that they thought King over foreshadowed, and I agree. Between that and knowing more or less what was going to happen I got so bored waiting for the actual action and scary bits to occur. There were certainly some frightening sections and moments of excellence in storytelling throughout, but sadly I would describe such sections as islands of engagement in a sea of tedium. I also had some questions about the plot and world building, and thought some of the supernatural elements were underdeveloped. To make matters worse, this book was written in the 1980s and features characters imbued with casual racism, sexism, and ableism which were (probably) prevalent at the time. This makes the book a somewhat uncomfortable read for a contemporary reader in addition to being boring. While Pet Sematary has some interesting insights to offer, I simply didn't enjoy it as much as I hoped I would. As the book says, sometimes dead is better. I might add that sometimes unread is better too. I think my idea of this book was better than the actual reading experience proved to be. Maybe someday I'll give this book another chance, and maybe I'll like it better. I hope so. But for now ⭐️⭐️

I received a digital ARC of this title from the publisher through NetGalley. The Paradox Hotel is the second book I've read by Rob Hart, author of The Warehouse, and based on how much I enjoyed Hart's last book I was thrilled to receive an uncorrected ebook proof to read in advance of publication. The Paradox Hotel is a hotel located near the Einstein Intercentury Timeport, a federally run time travel hub. January is an agent with the TEA, working at the Paradox to ensure no one violates the strict laws prohibiting changing the past. But on the eve of a summit to sell the hotel and timeport to a private owner a lot of weird stuff starts happening. Part science fiction, part mystery, and part thriller this book is unlike any else I've read. I really enjoyed how Hart explored the concept of time travel and how American consumers might interact with such technology. I also found the book heartwarming and beautiful at times. With the said, there were times when I found the book to be confusing as different times collided and Hart abruptly transitioned from one to another, just as January experienced, without a lot of explanation. Additionally, as with The Warehouse, I thought the ending felt a bit rushed and lacked sufficient detail and information for me to feel like I fully understood what happened. Finally the chapters felt a bit long to me. I read an ARC and there may be changes in the final published version, but I found myself attempting to read “one more chapter” and running out of steam because of how long they were. Despite these criticisms I enjoyed The Paradox Hotel. I think fans of time travel sci-fi and thrillers may like this book. ⭐️⭐️⭐️

God is My Hiding Place by Corrie ten Boom is a different kind of book than what I normally read and review. This is a non-fiction Christian devotional book that combines scriptures, prayers, and the stories and reflections of Corrie ten Boom - a Dutch clockmaker and concentration camp survivor - into a 40 day devotional reading on many topics related to living with God. During World War II the ten Boom family hid Jewish people in their home to help them evade the Nazis. The ten Boom's were betrayed, arrested, and imprisoned. Corrie and her sister Betsie were sent to concentration camps, but despite the horrors and darkness around them they discovered that God was their hiding place. They put their focus on Him and ministered to others imprisoned with them. They clung to God during the trials and tribulations they endured. Betsie went to be with the Lord during this time, but Corrie survived and spent the rest of her life traveling, preaching, ministering, and sharing the Gospel throughout the world. This book tells stories from before her imprisonment, during it, and after. It is divided into 40 short daily readings that begin with a scripture and end with a prayer. I read multiple days at a time because I was reading this title to review, but I think the length and contents of each daily reading would be excellent for day by day reading, meditation, prayer, and reflection. What struck me was how encouraging and uplifting this devotional book is. Despite everything ten Boom had been through, she remained steadfast in her faith and found joy, hope, strength, forgiveness, gratitude, and peace in Jesus. In many ways this book seeks to help each of us find this in our lives too, whatever our own circumstances may be. I found reading this devotional book to be a blessing. I haven't read many devotionals before, but I now hope to read others in the future. I would highly recommend this book to anyone and everyone at any point in their faith journey (as well as to those who do not consider themselves to be on a “faith journey.”) I got a lot out of this book, and I hope and pray you will too. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Many thanks to Bethany House and NetGalley for providing me with a complimentary ARC of this title.

Gideon the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir is a multi-genre adventure combining a dark fantasy, science fiction, and horror with an amusingly crass protagonist. It's funny, it's gay, it's suspenseful, and it's a novel of truly epic proportions! Gideon lives in the Ninth House, known as the shadow cult and keepers of the Locked Tomb, as an indentured surf of sorts. On the very day she's plotted to escape and enlist in the military her hated archrival, the necromancer Reverend Daughter Harrowhark Nonagesimus, announces that she and her Cavalier will travel to the First House to undertake a trial so she may become an immortal Lyctor in service to the God-Emperor. Except the Cavalier has fled (in the very shuttle Gideon planned to steal to get off-world), and now Gideon must assume the role in exchange for her freedom. Of course, things do not go as planned. Intrigued? Confused? Me too. Overall I found this book to be really exciting. I loved Gideon as a character and was really into her witty quips and irreverent temperament. I was also drawn in by the epic nature of the story and found many sections to be highly suspenseful and compelling. Unfortunately I did have a bit of a tough time tracking who was who and sometimes what exactly was going on. To be fair, Muir did provide a Dramatis Personae section at the beginning of the book, but nevertheless I just found this volume to be a little bit confusing. Muir chose to reveal information in a way that left the reader in the dark about a number of things until fairly late in the book. I can respect this as a storytelling device, but once again I simply felt confused or as if I had “missed something” throughout sections of the book. Despite these criticisms I enjoyed this book and hope to read the sequel soon. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

A Head Full of Ghosts by Paul Tremblay might be my favorite work of possession fiction. Tremblay tells the story of Merry, Marjorie, and their parents through a series of conversations, interview recollections, and blog posts. Each of these different types of chapter has its own voice and style, resulting in outstanding pacing and variety in this novel. The story never felt stagnant or repetitive, and was both highly entertaining, thought provoking, and heart breaking. On the surface this book seems akin to many other exorcism stories (with a LOT of meta references to other horror books and movies). Is teenaged Marjorie possessed, faking a possession, or is she mentally ill? However when told through the POV of her younger sister this volume takes on the postmodern mantle of the unknowable or even non-existent nature of absolute truth. On this, my second reading of this book, I came away with the sense that above all the various characters were possessed by stories and ideas. I do not know if Marjorie or her father or anyone else was actually possessed by a demon. I feel fairly confident that one or both were probably struggling with mental illness, but ultimately I found Merry, like her namesake, to be a somewhat unreliable narrator underscoring the ultimately mysterious and unknowable nature of what really happened. I can see why some readers might find this less satisfying or even less original than desired. I had not read Shirley Jackson the first time I read this book, and I can see why certain elements of this story may have felt predictable to readers
who had. Yet overall I found the combination of voice and style, meta references to other works, and themes to be a really brilliant read. Acting as both a homage to and critique of the possession and exorcism sun-genre of horror, A Head Full of Ghosts is one of my favorite books and one that is likely to haunt my thoughts long after finishing. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️