A Book A Week

I think it is safe to say that for many of us, this Christmas was anything but ordinary. My Christmas traditions usually consist of traveling home to see my parents, attending Christmas Eve church services, and celebrating the evening and following day with a large family gathering. Thanks to COVID-19, this was the first Christmas that I spent away from my family. There was no traveling, and holding our usual party was simply out of the question. Still, we managed to find ways of adapting our traditions to adhere to this new normal. Instead of attending church together, I watched it virtually. Instead of gathering around the Christmas tree to unwrap presents, we shipped gifts to each other and opened them during a FaceTime call. Fortunately, one of my personal traditions stayed exactly the same. As Christmas Eve turned to Christmas morning, I stayed awake, reading the final pages of a good book. 

When John Grisham, known more for his legal thrillers than Holiday-themed fare, published Skipping Christmas back in 2001, the idea of foregoing the holiday probably sounded absurd. In fact, Luther Krank's money-saving scheme of taking a cruise instead of practicing the family Christmas traditions raised ire and disbelief across his entire neighborhood. Krank did little to appease his community perception as a modern-day Ebenezer Scrooge. In fact, he relished in the opportunity to smugly rub his nonconformity in everyone's face. As such, he isn't the most likable character. But like the aforementioned Scrooge, Krank goes through a transformation. Through the power of a community coming together to bring the spirit of the season to an outsider, Luther Krank embraces that Christmas magic and learns to appreciate the smaller wonders of the holiday. 

I've read this book before, but this year saw the novel take on a deeper meaning for me. Sure, you'll have to overlook the unlikable main character and the all too convenient plotting, but there is something to be said about the idea of skipping Christmas this year. While we didn't skip our observance of the holiday, the way in which we approached it was vastly different. I think that Skipping Christmas mirrors our reality in some ways. How easy would it have been for us to simply put a halt to our celebration? In a year that has seen so much tragedy and despair, I'll admit that it felt a bit silly falling into the commercialism of decorating my home and buying gifts. But those are just trivial parts of what this season truly means. Like the neighborhood in the book, countless friends and families came together to keep the spirit of community that flows through this season alive. While 2020 certainly hasn't looked or felt like any other year that I've experienced, I'm glad that we made the effort to persevere through it all. More importantly, I'm thankful that we didn't skip Christmas. 

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

(2020, 51)

With just three books to go before completing my goal of reading a book a week this year, I'm finding that the end of this journey is looking much like it began. My reading has taken me through many more genres than I typically encounter, but I'm falling back into a more comfortable territory to close things out.  I started the year off by reading Just Watch Me, the start of a new series by Jeff Lindsay. Lindsay shot to fame for his best selling Dexter series, and his newest character proved to be just as fascinating. When his publisher offered me a copy of Fool Me Twice, the second novel to feature Lindsay's burglar protagonist Riley Wolfe, I jumped at the chance to read it. I'm pleased to report that this sequel more than delivered everything I grew to love about the first book. 

Riley Wolfe is really good at his job. He's meticulous in the preparation, execution, and clean up of each job he undertakes. He has to be. When you devote your life to pulling off the kind of heists that even the most competent thieves wouldn't even dream of attempting, there's really no room for error. In fact, that's why Riley is so frustrated with himself at the start of this novel. You see, despite all the precision and careful planning, the disguises, the fake names, and the payoffs, Riley has been double-crossed. He finds himself in the exact position he has worked so diligently to avoid. He's at the mercy of another crook. 

Held captive for several days, chained in place, his finger broken, Riley is pretty much done with whatever the heck is going on. He's not used to this kind of treatment, and he's ready to do whatever it will take to gain back his freedom. It is soon revealed that his captor, notorious arms dealer Patrick Boniface, is ready to make a deal. Boniface is prepared to trade Riley's freedom in exchange for a heist. But this isn't just your ordinary theft. What Boniface wants is impossible. He wants Riley to bring him a famed fresco by Raphael that is directly painted onto a wall within the Vatican. Fortunately for both Riley and Boniface, Riley has a knack for achieving the impossible. 

With Fool Me Twice, Jeff Lindsay is two for two in providing clever thrills and intriguing drama in his series. Like his more famous character Dexter, Riley Wolfe is a classic anti-hero. The man literally lies, cheats, and steals his way through life, and I couldn't get enough of him. There's something delightfully irresistible about Wolfe. It is fun in the way that any heist story is. You know what the protagonist is doing is technically wrong, but you're so caught up in the thrill of the attempt that you can't help but root for them. While reading the first book will provide more insight into the existing relationships between the main characters (there's a noticeable lack of continued character development in this book compared to the previous one), not reading it won't disqualify you from enjoying the main story of this one. That being said, the first book is really fun too. Do yourself a favor and read both! As for me, I'll be anxiously awaiting the next book to feature this fun character, and quickly reading a couple more books to finish my book a week goal. 

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

(2020, 50)

"One minute there was a God with the whole world in his hands; the next minute the world was plummeting, ceaselessly, toward an ever-shifting bottom."

With this unprecedented year quickly coming to a close, I've got just a few more weeks to tackle my 2020 reading list and achieve my goal of reading a book a week. I've been not so patiently waiting to read Yaa Gyasi's Transcendent Kingdom pretty much from the moment I closed the cover on her stunning debut Homegoing. I was left astounded at the way Gyasi brilliantly captured the enormous scope of systemic racism across the timeline of American history while maintaining a relatively small page count. The depth of emotion that she presented in 300 pages was masterful. This new novel clocks in at an even shorter page count but still delivers all of the emotional heft of a much larger work. 

Gifty is in the 6th year of her doctorate studies at Stanford, working diligently each day to understand the inner workings of neurological processes. Specifically, her science deals with the tragic cycle of addiction and the emotional trauma it leaves in its wake. She watches as the mice navigate her experiment, getting their fix from a chemical concoction that keeps them coming back for more. Gifty sees the agony of the mice who are denied this drug. She sees the depression set in, the will to live diminishes, and the sheer desperation that fills the poor creatures. But these mice are mere pawns in a science project. For Gifty, the realities of addiction and depression hit much closer to home. 

Gifty and her family moved from Ghana to Huntsville, Alabama when she was just a small child. Her father quickly left the family to start a new one, and her mother sought solace in the only place that was available to her, the evangelical southern church. With one parent out of the picture and the other too worried about protecting the soul of her family to have a real conversation with her children, Gifty and her older brother Nana formed an inseparable bond. The two could turn to each other no matter what. That is, they could until Nana injured himself on the basketball court. The rising star soon became dependent on prescription drugs, and the family was never the same. 

Transcendent Kingdom sees Yaa Gyasi juxtapose science and religion through a grounded story about a family and their struggle to find their place in the world. There's no narrative gymnastics in this one. Gyasi deftly keeps her story small in scope, remaining intentional in the way she reveals the trauma of her characters. Her main character Gifty is a young woman caught between devotion to caring for her family and a desire to make more of her own life and become her own person. She longs to move on and make her mark on the world but is constantly held back by her past. She is simply unable to tend to one without neglecting the other. Gyasi has written a novel that is classical in its modernity, a story that is both of this time and transcendent of any particular moment in time. This family, these words, all come together to form one truly Transcendent Kingdom. 

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

(2020, 49)

"I just think you're meant to meet some people. I think the universe nudges them into your path. 

There is something magical about this time of year. I spent the last couple of days eating way too much food, shopping for gifts, and decorating the house for the holidays. And though this year required us to do things differently than we have in years past, those holiday traditions still bring the same amount of magic that they always have. One of my favorite things to do this time of year is to curl up next to the fire with a good book. The Texas weather finally brought us winter this weekend, so I decided to take full advantage and finish reading What If It's Us. This cute love story was the perfect way to kick off the holiday season. 

Arthur is soaking up every moment of his summer internship in New York. The soon-to-be high school senior is wholly committed to taking in all of the sights and sounds of the city life, even if that means neglecting the duties of his job. Today though, his internship has sent him on a mission that allows him to fulfill both of his desires. Today, he's been tasked with dropping off work documents at the post office. Yes, this is just a simple errand, but the city is ripe with adventure and opportunity. 

Ben is at the post office for an entirely different reason. He's got a box full of stuff that belongs to his ex-boyfriend. The breakup is still so fresh and difficult that Ben can't bear to even see his ex. Having all of this stuff that reminds him of the relationship isn't helping either. It makes sense to just mail it all back to him and rid himself of that part of his life for good. As you can imagine, fate has other plans. Ben and Arthur meet in line at the post office and have a really cute conversation. The spark between the two is undeniable, but then they are separated. Was this just a chance encounter meant to fill that small moment of time, or is this something more? You'll have to read to find out. 

I was so drawn into the story and characters that it is almost impossible for me to objectively comment on this book. In What If It's Us co-authors Becky Albertalli (of Simon vs the  Homo Sapiens Agenda fame) and Adam Silvera deliver the kind of meet-cute YA romance that you'll have a hard time putting down. I don't normally read this genre, so I was a bit apprehensive at first. As I started reading, I couldn't help but find little pieces of myself in each of the characters. There's something about navigating the final years as a teenager that is universally relatable. Take away the fact that the main characters are gay (this story could have been equally effective with a heterosexual couple), and you are still left with a story that is just too compelling to not read. Is this a great work of literature that will be touted for its prose and structure? Of course not. But there's so much about What If It's Us to like about that you won't mind the little things that would normally detract from a novel. A sequel has recently been announced, and I really can't wait to read more about these characters. 

For more information visit Albertalli's website, Silvera's website, Amazon, and Goodreads. 

(2020, 48)

"Long-buried images of my past rose up, blurry at first, and then gradually coming into focus, all of them deeply disturbing."

Reading the latest Alex Cross novel by James Patterson has become one of my yearly traditions. Dating all the way back to my years as a reluctant high school reader, my mom has given me the latest novel as a Christmas gift. The books usually release in November, so this gives me an entire year to procrastinate on reading it until I inevitably receive the next installment. Each of the 26 books in the series has varying levels of success as pieces of writing, but I look forward to breezing through the new one regardless. Criss Cross, the 27th book in the prolific series, has been waiting for my attention for nearly a year now. With the holidays rapidly approaching, I decided now was as good a time as any to finally dive in and give it a read. 

With so many Alex Cross books under my belt, I pretty much know what to expect when I pick up the latest. There's a comfort in the familiarity of Patterson's characters and plot structures that allows me to settle into the words and read them quickly. With that many books, I've also grown to know what kinds of stories work best for these characters. In the case of Alex Cross, the best novels always feature a balance between the hunt for a secretive serial killer and the continued development of the extended Cross family. Fortunately for me, Criss Cross perfectly finds that balance. 

Alex is being taunted by a mysterious murderer who goes simply by the name M. We learn that this particular killer has been a part of Alex's career from the very beginning, an elusive criminal who takes as much pleasure in the act of murder as he does is toying with the famed detective. Alex is truly stuck. His usual intellect fails him at every step of the way, keeping him always one step behind M. 

If the case wasn't causing enough stress, Alex has plenty to worry about on the homefront. After recovering from a season-ending injury, his daughter is finally poised to make a triumphant return to track and field. And not a moment too soon. She's caught the eye of several university coaches, each wanting to see how she performs after her recovery. Just as things seem to be moving in the right direction, she comes down with an illness that threatens to end her season and any hopes and receiving one of the coveted track scholarships. 

A James Patterson novel is usually either pretty good or absolutely rubbish. Criss Cross falls into the pretty good category. Patterson keeps the suspense moving through several flashbacks and detours of family drama, constantly driving the novel forward to a pretty satisfying conclusion. I always enjoy getting to check in on the Cross family, and this book was no exception. Patterson has smartly allowed his characters to age with the series. This means there are new life experiences for the characters with each new book and new angles for us to see them in. The mystery is one of the more intriguing puzzles Patterson has written in recent installments. I genuinely didn't know who the murderer would be until the very end, a rarity for a seasoned crime reader like myself. The Alex Cross series will never win awards for literary merit, but it has become a hallmark of my holiday tradition. I will always enjoy reading these books, and I can't wait to unwrap the next one soon. 

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

(2020, 47)

"Life is not what you think it is. Remember that. Remember me."

With the arrival of November comes cooler air, shorter days, and the need to curl up with a good book. I was given a copy of Alice Hoffman's Magic Lessons from her publisher and was eager to read this prequel to her hit Practical Magic. While I had never read a novel by the author before, this combination of historical fiction and fantasy seemed like the perfect read to tie into the change of seasons. As an added bonus, I hoped that it would also help my mind escape from the tumultuous election season. While it turns out it wasn't exactly the kind of novel I was expecting, there is still a lot to like about the book. 

The novel traces the history of the Owens women, famed masters of the "unnamed art". Maria Owens, just a small infant, is left abandoned in a rural field in England. Fortunately for her, Hannah Owens, a single woman who lives on the outskirts of town, takes the child in as her own. From a young age, Maria is extremely adept at learning Hannah's magic. The child sees how women from the town flock to Hannah's cottage for her remedies of everything from common medical ailments to matters of love. She also learns that there are some things you shouldn't mess with. Hannah warns her about matters of the heart. For every blessing bestowed, a curse must also follow. 

As Maria grows into a young woman, tragedy strikes and forces her to flee to the new world. Even on her journey across the sea to America, Maria puts her skills into practice. She heals a young sailor from his illness and seems to fall under his spell in the process. Still, she is extremely wary of the trappings of love and refuses to fall into such traps herself. Her journey in the new land sees her break free from indentured servitude and follow her heart to a new town. Little does she know the trouble that awaits her in Salem, Massachusets. 

I have quite a mixed reaction to Alice Hoffman's Magic Lessons. I absolutely slogged through the first half of the novel, not feeling much connection to the characters are the events that unfolded. I think this is partly because Hoffman merely told us about what was happening instead of actually showing it. The beginning has a lot of history and rules to establish. I never felt like the discovery of this history was organic. It wasn't until the protagonist Maria arrived in America and made her way to Salem, that the pace quickened and my investment in the story finally took hold. 

Placing a woman who practices witchcraft directly into the setting of the horrendous trials against women brought some much-needed drama and suspense to the work.  Commentary about feminism and family peppered into the story in a way that only heightened by connection in the latter half of the book. And so I'm on the fence about recommending this novel. I nearly stopped reading it in the beginning, but I couldn't put it down toward the end. I won't be rushing to read a Hoffman novel any time soon, but I also wouldn't' be against reading one down the road. 

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

(2020, 46)