A Book A Week

Throughout all of the tragedy that has come with the COVID-19 pandemic, there have also been small glimmers of hope and joy. One of those bright spots has to be the sudden Instagram stardom of Leslie Jordan. After several weeks of quarantine at home, the entire world put on hold, I would often find myself mindlessly scrolling through the various social media apps on my phone, not really looking for anything in particular. Amongst the doom and gloom that surrounded the pandemic in those early days, I vividly remember stopping on the smiling face of Jordan as he proclaimed, "What are y'all doing?" That silly little video instantly made me laugh and was shared with my friends and family through our various group messages. His infectiously humorous musings in a time that was so dark was just what the doctor ordered.  In his new book How Y'all Doing?: Misadventures and Mischief from a Life Well Lived, Leslie Jordan brings that same zeal and wit to life in the pages. 

There's a dichotomy to Jordan that makes him quite fascinating. He's an openly gay man with a career in Hollywood who also has deep ties to traditional southern values. Behind the humor lies a man who has learned to love and accept himself. Jordan doesn't shy away from writing about coming to terms with his sexuality or battling addiction. In fact, one of the most moving stories in the book is about how Jordan got his Southern Baptist mother to finally accept the fact that he is gay. I don't want to spoil it, but it involves a friendship with Carrie Fisher and a phone call from Debbie Reynolds. 

This book reads less like a memoir and more like a conversation between friends. Jordan pivots from topic to topic bringing his trademark humor and southern charm to each story. I was familiar with his work on both Will & Grace and American Horror Story, but I didn't realize the depth and longevity that his career has had. Through his decades-long career, he has been able to be unabashedly himself. I think that this is the key to his popularity. Whether he is hamming it up with Megan Mullally on a sitcom or documenting his time in quarantine from the camera on his phone, there is a sense of "what you see is what you get." In the era of reality television and influencers, the frankness of Leslie Jordan is a breath of fresh air. 

For more information visit the author's website, Amazon, and Goodreads. 

(2021, 22)

Back in 2019, I was driving from Texas to California and needed an audiobook to help pass the hours on the road. I had just returned from a vacation in London, so I was instantly drawn to Casey McQuiston's Red, White, and Royal Blue. That slow building romance between the President's son and a Prince of England instantly drew me in and had me longing to read more from McQuiston. It has been three years, but she's finally released a new work. Fortunately for me, her publisher was kind enough to send me a copy of it. 

Like most young people her age, August has moved to New York City intending to pave her own path in the world. At home in New Orleans, her life was mostly tied to her mother's obsessive search for her long-lost uncle. While August gained an abnormal proficiency in the art of investigation, that is by no means her own passion. She's got a degree of her own to finish, and New York seems like the perfect place to start anew. Her apartment, a small place that towers above a Popeye's Chicken of all things, comes with a band of quirky roommates who instantly accept August as their own. She lands a job bussing tables at a local diner. Life isn't glamourous by any means, but August feels good about the place she's in. 

Each day, August rides the Q to work and school. If you've ever ridden on a New York subway, you'll know about the interesting cast of characters that you usually find riding with you. August tries to mind her own business during her daily commute, but she can't help but notice the gorgeous girl who is always on the train. Jane is everything that August isn't. She's effortlessly cool with a vintage style that is all her own. She's confident and kind, not afraid to step in and help out a complete stranger. As August continues her daily ride on the Q, her crush on Jane grows and grows. The pair strike up a friendship that begins to veer toward romance, but a relationship isn't exactly in the cards for them. You see, Jane has ridden these rails since the 1970s, frozen in time as the world has moved on around her. She is bound to this train, unable to leave or travel anywhere else. August might be the only person who can help her escape this phenomenon, but she risks threatening their relationship in the process. 

Casey McQuiston follows up her hit debut novel with One Last Stop, another captivating romance that will instantly draw you in. McQuiston excels in building chemistry between two characters, and I found her writing of the brimming relationship between her two main characters to be the highlight of this novel. You can't help but root for the two women and dream of them being able to come together. McQuiston fills the story with a supporting cast that represents the diversity of the city she's writing about, a move that I'd love to see more fiction authors follow. Having characters of different nationalities, ages, genders, and sexual orientations added a richness to this story that others in the genre usually lack.  

Strong characters aside, I just couldn't fall in love with this book. I really wanted to love it, but the plotting surrounding the story's central mystery just fell flat for me. I think it came down to a lack of balance between the "frozen in time" hook and the actual relationship between the characters. So many pages were devoted to a plot point that just didn't pay off for me. As the ending approached, I was enthralled by the relationship, but frustrated with a twist that was all too convenient. Even the ending seemed unsure of which way to close the story. As the novel concluded, I was left feeling that the individual elements of the novel were more satisfying than the story as a whole. There's much to love about One Last Stop, and I seem to be in the minority of reviewers on it. While I didn't love the book, I still think it is a worthy addition from an obviously gifted author. I'll still be the first in line to read whatever Casey McQuiston comes up with next. 

For more information visit the author's website, Amazon, and Goodreads. 

(2021, 21)

As we slide past Memorial Day and into the summer season, I'm really dialed into working through my summer reading. I've written in the past that summer reading usually marks a shift to addictive page-turners that pull on my emotions through either strong character drama or twisty thrills. Fortunately for me, my friends at William Morrow sent along a book to review that does both of those things. In The Anatomy of Desire writing duo, L.R. Dorn presents a modern retelling of Theodore Dreiser's An American Tragedy. 

Cleo Ray has everything she could ever dream of. She's escaped the restrictive grasp of her religious fundamentalist parents by moving to Los Angeles under the guardianship of her uncle. Since moving and growing into adulthood, Cleo has made a name for herself as a fitness influencer. Her charisma has skyrocketed her to fame and notoriety. She's in a relationship with another prominent influencer, and everything seems to be going her way. 

Life has a funny way of catching up with a person. One afternoon Cleo takes the young woman Beck Aldin canoeing on a lake. The isolated location provides a quiet respite for the two to talk and take in the scenery. Soon after, the roughed up remains of Beck are found floating in the water, and Cleo seems to have disappeared. From the start, the situation provides more questions than answers. We aren't exactly sure what relationship the girls have, let alone why Cleo would leave the scene of what is either a tragic accident or calculated murder. As the news of Cleo's involvement breaks across social media, one thing is certain. Cleo's dreams of a life of fame and luxury are about to be traded for one of pure tragedy. 

I'm always a bit apprehensive about picking up a book that reimagines a famous novel. Sometimes they are hits, like Margaret Atwood's creative take on Shakespeare, that breathe riveting new life into the original work. Other times they seem to exist more to attract readers of the classic they are based upon than for any true creative reason. It has been over a decade since I read Dreiser's novel, but Dorn's take on the story works as both a modernization of a classic and as a standalone endeavor. Even if you've never read An American Tragedy, you'll still be able to find value in the commentary on fame, relationships, and the criminal justice system that The Anatomy of Desire provides. 

The novel is presented as the transcript of a podcast with each chapter serving as an episode. It took me a bit of time to fall into the rhythm of the format, but by the third episode, I was completely drawn in. The book ends up reading like a play, with each character giving their version of the events. As such, I actually think this story might work better as an audiobook than it did in print. The bulk of the work centers around a criminal trial. I found myself rushing to the next page to see the entire event through. My only real complaint is that the main character Cleo isn't an inherently good or bad person. While the ambiguity of her innocence lends to a more suspenseful read, it also makes it hard to know if the reader should root for her. Still, The Anatomy of Desire is a thoughtful page-turner that gave me everything I was looking for in a summer read. It was a great choice to start off this season. 

For more information visit the author's website, Amazon, and Goodreads. 

(2021, 20)

For as long as I can remember, scientists, politicians, and large corporations have gone back and forth about how to best respond to climate change. The scientific community is at a consensus that Earth's temperature is rising at an alarming rate due in a large part to human-induced emissions and greenhouse gasses. Despite most agreeing that this is a problem, no one seems to be able to agree on how to resolve it. In Project Hail Mary, Andy Weir imagines a climate catastrophe that makes our struggle with global warming pale in comparison. In his signature style, Weir writes of the last-ditch attempt to reverse the extinction of the human race, an effort that will take all of mankind coming together to save themselves. 

To say the situation that Ryland Grace finds himself in is completely alien to him would be both an understatement and about as accurate as you can get. As we first meet him, the public school science teacher is as in the dark about his predicament as we are. Grace has just awakened from a deep sleep. He's connected to various tubes and wires, each leading to machines that hum and beep quietly in the background. Moving his body is a chore. Dr. Grace aches with each attempt to lift himself from his bed and take in his surroundings. He sees two other beds that appear similar to his own, though neither of the others is connected to any monitoring devices. 

As his physical strength grows, so does his mental capacity. He can see now that the two other beds contain the lifeless bodies of two people, though Grace doesn't recognize either of them. More alarming is what lies outside of this room, a vast blackness that both mystifies and startles him. You see, Dr. Ryland Grace is in outer space. The only problem is that he has no idea how he got here or what he is supposed to do next. 

After enjoying Andy Weir's previous novel Artemis, I was excited to accept an offer from his publisher to review Project Hail Mary. Weir is best known for his breakout hit The Martian, and this novel sees him continue to combine his scientific expertise with a compelling story and witty dialogue. The main character's amnesia adds to the mystery of his situation. Weir alternates chapters of the past on earth with the present in space, allowing us to discover the motivations of his character without sacrificing any of the suspense of his current predicament. 

Both of Weir's previous works were the kind of sci-fi that is rooted firmly in a plausible reality. Project Hail Mary asks us to suspend disbelief a bit too much for my taste, taking the story into several eye roll-inducing moments. As the story progressed, things got more and more far-fetched, taking me out of the reality that the first portion of the novel so successfully built. By that point, however, I was so invested in seeing the story of this character through that I couldn't help but keep reading. To that end then, Project Hail Mary is ultimately a story of one man tasked with carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders. It is through the power of this one character that everything else filters through, ultimately making the novel an endearing, if a bit uneven, read. 

For more information visit the author's website, Amazon, and Goodreads. 

(2021, 19)

Every once in a while, a book breaks out and captures the world. Titles like The Da Vinci Code or Harry Potter are the kind of novels that become a global phenomenon, books that everyone you know is reading and talking about. The works are published in as many languages as possible and circulated around the globe. Inevitably a bidding war breaks out for the rights to create a film or television version of the story. The author goes from unknown to rich celebrity in an instant. For most authors, this is the kind of success they can only dream of. For Jacob Finch Bonner, the main character in Jean Hanff Korelitz's new novel The Plot, that fantasy is about to become reality. 

When we first meet Jake, he is barely holding on to his dream of being a professional author. He's published two books, but neither of them brought him enough sales or acclaim to comfortably live off of. Heck, his third and fourth books can't even find a publisher. Instead, Jake serves on the faculty of a low-tiered MFA program, coaching potential young authors with whatever experience and wisdom he can muster. His students rarely make an impression on him, so it is unusual that he finds himself thinking of a young man from his latest class. 

Evan Parker is cocky. He's the kind of guy who has all the confidence in the world and isn't afraid to show it. Jake takes an immediate dislike to him. Evan seems to think he's too good for the writing program. He even goes as far as telling Jake that he's only taking the class to pad his resume. Evan claims to have an idea for a novel that is too good to mess up. The last thing he needs is some washed-up author like Jake giving him advice. Jake has seen these kinds of students before, but Evan is different. In their one on one the first week, Evan lays out the plot of his work in progress.  Jake can't believe it. Evan is right. He has an idea that will take the world by storm, a surefire hit. All Jake can do is keep living his bland life and wait for his student to become a literary star. 

Years go by and Jake's life continues to diminish. The college he taught at closes, and he begins freelance editing self-published works. In an age when anybody with enough willpower and money can publish a book, the world of serious writing slips further and further away from him. He still thinks back to that day when the arrogant Evan Parker outlined his novel. Surprisingly, Jake never heard about his student becoming the runaway success that he was destined to be. On a whim, he looks Evan up. Jake is shocked to see that his student passed away shortly after completing his course. Even more alarming, it appears that Evan never got around to writing his novel, the very novel that was destined to lead him to stardom. In that instant, Jake makes a decision that will alter the course of his own life. He decides to steal Evan Parker's plot and write the hit novel himself. 

Who owns an idea? Sure, copyright laws exist to protect the works and their creator, but does an idea in and of itself belong to anyone? These are the questions at the center of The Plot. Jean Hanff Korelitz is no stranger to success. Her novel You Should Have Known was recently adapted into the hit HBO series The Undoing. Here she writes of an author dealing with a similar achievement while harboring the secret that his breakout work didn't begin as his own. As Jake grapples with the moral dilemma of his fame and fortune, he must also face the knowledge that someone knows his secret. Jean Hanff Korelitz does a fine job balancing the internal character conflict with the external strife that propels her thriller. I easily raced through the pages of this one, eager to see things come to a head. My only problem is that I guessed the twist in the plot about a quarter of the way in. While this didn't completely take away my enjoyment of the story, it did lessen the impact of its conclusion. Still, The Plot is a twisty thrill-ride of a novel that has enough nuanced character development to keep even the most skeptical readers engaged to the very end.

For more information, visit the author's website, Amazon, and Goodreads. 

(2021, 18)

I'm very late to the game with this book. At this point, it almost feels redundant to review it. Angie Thomas's The Hate U Give is a novel that has captured readers from the moment it was published by shining a light on the people affected by gun violence and police brutality. I've been hesitant to read this book. With so much unnecessary violence, racism, and injustice present in the real world, reading about those same topics in fiction just wasn't something I was emotionally prepared for. But then the verdict in the Derek Chauvin trial came in. While his conviction isn't the end of systemic racism in policing, it was a hopeful sign of progress in the long battle ahead. Inspired by the moment and determined to continue reading stories of those with different perspectives from my own, I decided to finally read The Hate U Give. 

Sixteen-year-old Starr Carter is a girl who lives two lives. The first is that of her life at school, a prominent prep school filled with affluent, mostly white students. She's had no trouble making friends, but she has learned to adapt and compartmentalize her school life with the other side of her. This place and these people just aren't ready to see the "real" Starr. When she leaves school, she heads home to a place that her school friends would probably consider another world. Starr doesn't live in the wealthy neighborhoods of her friends. She lives on the poor side of town. To her, this is home. It is the place her father owns a business, the place her childhood friends have grown up, and a place where she feels the greatest sense of community. 

Starr's worlds begin to collide when she and a friend are pulled over while leaving a party. The officer panics and fatally shoots her friend. In almost an instant, the victim-blaming begins. Claims of the victim being a drug dealer, gangbanger, and thug begin to circulate in the media. It is as if they are saying that he deserved to be killed. Besides the officer, Starr is the only witness to the shooting, the only one who has the voice that can speak the truth to this murder. But putting herself out there to the world will come with a cost. Everyone in her life at the prep school will know she was involved in the shooting. Everyone at home will know too. Determined to not let her friend become another statistic in the long history of police brutality, Starr risks everything to make sure the world knows what really happened. 

It is hard to describe the impact a book like The Hate U Give has on the reader. Angie Thomas begins her story like any other young adult novel. Her main character is someone who is coming to terms with who she is and who she wants to be. All the pressures of being a normal teenager are present. With an opening that seems so familiar, I was a bit disarmed by the sudden onslaught of police brutality. At one moment, life was normal. In the next, everything changed. This is the harsh reality that far too many people of color have to face. Thomas does an excellent job of building her characters and the community they inhabit. These people are familiar, the kinds of people whom we encounter on a daily basis. Her ability to get the reader to invest so heavily in her characters only adds to the outrage we feel as they face injustice. The Hate U Give is a story for our times, the kind of novel that demands to be read. It forces us to face the harsh reality of our world while encouraging us to learn more about the lives of our neighbors. I can't recommend it highly enough. 

For more information, visit the author's website, Amazon, and Goodreads. 

(2021, 17)