Scott Graham

What To Expect When You're Dead reads like a laundry list of the death practices and beliefs in the afterlife activities of the dearly or not so dearly departed. The author chose to examine concepts of the funerary practices of several civilizations and the beliefs of the afterlife and organize the book in that manner. It resulted in a disjointed book, jumping across a half dozen or so civilizations, topic by topic. It was as dry as dust.

It resulted in death knowledge overload. It's meticulously documented, so one gets the idea that it was at least partially intended as a reference; I think it would have been better presented civilization by civilization, complete in all the beliefs and practices of the civilzation before moving on to the next civilization.

Vague spoilers included: Stephen Graham Jones creates an absorbing new vampire mythology but in the last play misses the basket/TD/goal/run. The final scene was "meh" with vague motivation and reasoning, and includes a discrepancy with something established earlier in the book. Would the ultimate act accomplish the intended result? Prior incidents in the book suggest perhaps not. The author's afterward suggests 'why' this happened, but the rewritten frame story feels like a rush to publication. 95% great and 5% flat. Unfortunately, the 5% was the ending.

An excellent account of two men who loved each other like the closest of brothers, but earlier emotional damage made them too quick to take offense, and who can hurt you worse than the one you love the most? Told through the process of the writing and the recording of their songs, the author uses the music and lyrics to make observations about their lives, loves, and animosities.

Lincoln in the Bardo was an interesting exploration of Lincoln’s evolution to an abolitionist during the eatly days of his presidency through his interaction with the residents of the bardo or purgatory or whatever you might want to call it, during one very eventful night for the residents of that portion of the afterlife. The narrative contains mostly short snippets from the three main characters, with some color added in by the other denizens of the afterlife waystation. The tale is a bit scatalogical (in the general sense, not in the excretory sense) and may offend readers with a delicate sensibilty. It was a quick, fun read, very good, but didn’t live up to all the hype for this reader. Still, I am happy that I read it and portions of its theology will remain with me for some time.

A lovely confection with likeable characters that will leave you feeling good. Recommended for that space between two books of heavier subjects as a palate cleanser. Definitely worth reading. I look forward to seeing Sally Field as Tova and Lewis Pullman as Cameron.

A contemplative novel of the futility of living a life waiting for something to happen to you rather than taking agency in your own life and trying to make something happen for yourself. The Italian Waiting for Godot, except you know what Godot is, and "he" appears, but too late for the feckless main character.

A sad book, not in a tragic way, but wistful.

Beautiful in the way that life often is, wonderful moments surrounded by longing and living what Henry David Thoreau called a life of quiet desperation. It is short in length, but I'm sure I'll remember it for a long time. Poor Kathy Ellerbeck, Lucy Sykes, Alice Keach and Moon. As I read the book, most notably in the final act, I kept hearing the song "This Nearly Was Mine" play in the idle part of my mind.

An engaging account of the history, epidemiology, and difficulties around the fight to cure TB patients and eradicate the disease. John Green introduces us to a young TB patient in a woefully underfunded West African hospital with the local reputation of being where people go to die. This patient serves as a touchstone that the author repeatedly returns to, to put a name and a “face” to the fight to cure TB patients in poor countries, while educating us on the history, biology, and treatment (or non-treatment) of the disease. Mr. Green leaves the reader with hope in the fight, and with a cautionary warning about what the pursuit of ungodly profit over making eradication a goal may mean to the world as a whole. Mr. Green makes this account personal, but whether it resolves in a happy or sad way is up to you to discover by reading the book; there will be no spoilers here.

Battle Royale on Mars, but better conceived with a cynical eye toward a rules driven caste society. The charsmatic central character is flawed but likeable, and that is key in this novel. The friends he makes he thinks are for life, but are more likely for a reason or for a season. The other two volumes in the trilogy will probably bear this out. I liked the book very much and wouldn’t hesitate to recommend it to lovers of sci-fi dystopian stories.

Like a first nations’ legend meets H.P. Lovecraft. The peril is never defined beyond the malignant influence exerted on the people trying to live in late 19th century wilderness Canada. It was an interesting ride, but the destination was a bit of an enigma - weird solely for the sake of being weird. Sometimes that’s good, but this book didn’t pull it off.

Vol 2 brings Wei Wuxian and Lan Wanjii further on their quest to quiet the dismembered arm from vol 1, with the introduction of additional villains along the way. With a universe of undefined magic with rules made up as the author goes, the outcomes are not entirely satisfying, but our protagonists are likeable and get out of scrapes using the same non-rules based preternatural abilities. With an answer close at hand, the quest continues and an escape ushers in Vol 3.

Imminent is a glimpse into the government's investigations into UAPs (UFOs once upon a time), authored and narrated by a purported key player, Luis Elizondo. Facts become muddied in the telling in the closing chapters when the expected discrediting occurs, but we recently had disclosures of sorts that support the thesis of this exposè. A tad dry in the telling and some governmental alphabet soup thrown in does not detract from the point, much, but it does require the reader to at least follow the acronyms enough to know when a group/ organization mentioned earlier is the same one being discussed in a later passage. Recommended to enthusiasts, but aside from an assertion that those in the government in the form of a retired department head are lending some bona fides to things the open-minded already suspected, there isn't much new here. It reads like the exploits of an operative left out in the cold capitalizing on disclosing what they can for a needed payday. But hey, we've all got to eat, and the PTBs left the author little choice.

At times difficult to follow because every character has two or three names used interchangeably. The rules of the world are extremely mutable so when in a jam, the characters simly have to play a tune, whip out a heretofore unknown doo-dad to save the day, or call on another cultivation clan head to assist. The dangers are ever present but never really threatening. I’m engaged enough to continue to see where this quest is going though, so hopes are present but not high.

1. The author, Annie Jacobsen, takes a worst case scenario of insane actors, lack of communication, slow-to-be-made decisions and weaves them together in a nuclear war that escalates from limited to full out superpower involvement. Told in a minute by minute fashion, she ratchets up the tension as people and systems fail mankind until the inevitable ending. Informative, depressing, but compelling in the telling.

Told in two parts essentially, part one is a thought provoking exploration of author Sebastian Junger's close call with death, and either a unique glimpse into the afterlife, or the imaginings of his dying brain.

The second part describes Mr Junger's pursuit to understand what happened, what it might mean for each of us to be alive and then to not be alive, and how the universe accounts for it all. Spoiler: nothing is decided, but many interesting facts are explained that may impact that meaning. Food for thought.

I assume this novel was a roman à clef, written in prose, hitting you like poetry and fine art. Lyrical and visual, it's difficult to navigate because your eyes and your mind often fail to work in concert.

Your eyes, familiar with the mechanics of reading keep moving forward in the text while your mind wanders through the painting that Ocean Vuong has created with his words, so I found myself rereading passages quite often; my comprehension was still back at buffaloes careening off a cliff while my eyes had just finished a passage about monarch butterflies. The fault is mine and not the author's. I enjoyed it immensely, found the characters of Little Dog, Rose, Lan, and Trevor compelling, each in their own way, sometimes comical, occasionally infuriating, and in a few cases sadly tragic. I will reread it again, and be better prepared to go at the lazy, indulgent pace that the novel cries out for and deserves.

An appendix to Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell of sorts, the story is paced and illustrated as a child's story, but with a dark grey undertone that suggests that it's more of a whimsy for adults.

Some children that are not prone to fearful reactions to the unknown, and the most mild of suggestions of death would also like it, especially for its connection to Christmas, however tangential it might be. As an amply illustrated short story, it is a quick read, but satisfying nonetheless.

Beautifully written but at times too dense. The story of a mixed race journeyman actor from the 1960s through the pandemic era 2020s left me cold.

Supporting characters were more relatable than the leads, but unfortnately walked on and off the page with little fanfare. The lead character had no depth, and if that was the intention, then well done I say.

This anthology of short stories by Ken Liu is a mixed bag of satisfying and unsatisfying. The stories with a more traditional structure are, for the most part, the more satisfying of the collection. Some of the earlier stories in the collection are more experimental in subject matter and narrative but are less engaging because they either read like a text book or require the reader to make some decisions on the author's intentions for themself. Overall it's an interesting set of stories with a few that range from fever dream to thought experiment, with varying results for this reader.

This tale of Native Americans in Oakland CA converging at a Pow Wow in Oakland Coliseum is slow paced for the first three-quarters as we are introduced to all the ins a d outs of the characters, then switches gears in part IV and finishes at 120 mph. The description of the continued life struggle of these people displaced by the European migration is depressing, but effectively told. The characters are all interesting and Tommy Orange gives them all some level of sympathy, even the villains of the piece. The devestating ending is almost a fait accompli. I had a strong visceral reaction to the end, particularly one death, and subtracted a star for that reason.

The Hole is an mildly unsettling tale of the wife in a couple moving into a house owned by her husband's parents. Nothing appears normal to the reader, but the characters don't seem to notice; nothing much happens. and the reader is left with the bagagge of unease picked up along the way. The translation into English is very good although it reads a bit literal at times. Recommended for readers looking for a novella that will leave you with an unsettled feeling.

Otherwise it's not for the reader looking for a good tale that goes somewhere and does something.

Lie with Me lived up to its reputation. Read everything; the author reveals the ending before the story begins. Bittersweet, and full of sorrow, for the things that might have been but could not be. Mild spoilers follow.

Should the deal have been broken? Should the phone call have been made? Would things have turned out differently? Were there 2 or 3 lead characters? What were the intentions of the putative 3rd character's penultimate and last actions? I'm not haunted by the questions, but they DO nag at me a little.

Highly recommended, as long as you don't require a HEA ending.

A lovely story about special children in a home intended to keep them safe from the world, and the world safe from them. As the protagonist learns to love the children and find love for himself, he spreads his wings (figuratively) and having emerged from his self-imposed cocoon, acts for the protection and betterment of the inhabitants of the titular house on the cerulean sea. Told in a Grimms Fairy Tale fashion, the author's prose fits the story well, which makes the immersion into the magical world of the novel easy for the reader. Although a skinch heavy-handed at times, the tale has the right message. Who can resist a winsome son of satan?

Best solution to a murder mystery ever (and best ending).

An exploration of the life of Joan Lindsay, the author of the novel, The Picnic at Hanging Rock, the novel, and movie adaptation. The synchronicities and coincidences in the life of the author, the probable mysteries the story was based on, and the open ended nature of the story has remained with me for 45 years. This book does not resolve the mystery of what happened to the girls of Appleyard College or its real life equivalent, but it is a satisfying investigation into why the book was written and film adaptation made. Primarily it is a description of the extraordinary woman who may have lived the mystery, dreamt of the story, put it to paper, and oversaw its film adaptation in a small way. Well worth the time of the fan of the novel and/or the movie.