Amoralman: a true story and other lies by Derek Delgaudio

Amoralman: a true story and other lies by Derek Delgaudio - 235 pages

I saw the documentary "In and of Itself" of  Derek Delgaudio's one man Broadway show and was blown away.  It led me to seek out his book which covers the evolution of an extraordinary education in the art of deception, both of oneself and of others.  As a young man obsessed with magic and sleight of hand Delgaudio's seeks out mentors that eventually lead him into the world of illegal gambling and card fixing.  This book is a fascinating look into that world and how his life led to what is included in the stage show.  Highly recommend.   

 

Cursebreakers Trilogy by Brigid Kemmerer

 

Cursebreakers Trilogy by Brigid Kemmerer
1) A Curse So Dark and Lonely - 512 pages
2) A Heart So Fierce and Broken - 480 pages
3) A Vow So Bold and Deadly - 416 pages

This retelling of Beauty and the Beast sucks the reader in immediately into the tale of the tortured Prince and the young women he takes to try and break his curse.  This isn't a story painted in bright Disney colors with dancing teacups.  This is a dark and angsty romance filled with violence and tragedy illuminating the depths of the bonds between people and how they can shine in the face of unimaginable evil.  

Million Dollar Demon by Kim Harrison

 

Million Dollar Demon by Kim Harrison - 464 pages
The Hollows: Book 15

There's a new sheriff in town (new master vampire Constance) and she wants Rachel gone yesterday.   Constance takes on all of Rachel's magical allies in her quest to take over the power structure of Cincinnati.   Rachel has to reach deep inside herself to see if she has the strength to step up or if she needs to step aside to save those precious to her.  

This is another fun entry into a long running series with great world building and strong well rounded characters that are like returning to old friends every time a new book comes out.  Looking forward to the next one.  

A Terrible Fall of Angels by Laurell K. Hamilton

A Terrible Fall of Angels by Laurell K. Hamilton - 388 pages

This book is the first in a new series for the the prolific Hamilton.  Zaniel Havelock is a cop that can talk to the divine which makes him the one tapped to investigate a demon possession murder.  Hamilton unfortunately falls back into her pattern of being way to in the head of the characters and having them voice every thought in their heads to the other characters as an exposition dump for the reader.  Hopefully other books in the series will be better since this world building is out of the way now.  
 

The Boy on the Bridge by M. R. Carey

The Boy on the Bridge by M. R. Carey - 400 pages

This book is a companion to "The Girl with All the Gifts" by the same author.  It tells the story of how  society fell to a fungal pathogen that turns people into mindless zombies known as "hungries."   A heavily fortified research RV is sent out from the Beacon which is where British society has retreated to in the wake of the plague.   Their mission is to try and find a possible way to combat or even cure the fungal plague.  The reader is thrust into a mission in progress with fully realized well lived in characters in the midst of all sorts of personal and external crises.  It reminded me a little of Alien as a character study of the choices made in the face of an unrelenting enemy.  Towards the end of their journey something new is discovered which turns everything on its head and leads to the events that are featured in "The Girl with All the Gifts."  An epilogue ties the two books together in a satisfying way.  Highly recommend.      

Rebel by Marie Lu

Rebel by Marie Lu - 400 pages
Legend Book 4

After the events of the first trilogy Day and his family are now living in Ross City in Antarctica.  Day has a fancy new job with  the Antarctic security forces while his little brother attends college.  The brother falls in with the wrong crowd and becomes of interest to the most dangerous organized crime figure who is looking to tear down the supposed merit system that is stratifying the society and stifling opportunity for the lower levels.  Many of the characters from the first trilogy appear and it's a worthwhile continuation of the Legend series.  

Legend Series by Marie Lu

Legend Series by Marie Lu:

1) Legend - 320 pages

2) Prodigy - 384 pages

3) Champion - 416 pages

The western United States has become "The Republic" and it is involved in a longstanding war with the its neighbors.  High society teen prodigy June is destined for a pampered life as one of the elite serving in the Republic's military.  In contrast, teen outlaw Day is a on the run from the authorities and trying to keep both himself and his family alive in the poorest district filled with plague fears.  There is good world building here of a society post climate change catastrophes that have reshaped the world into new city states trying to survive with the United States no longer any kind of super power.  The characters are well rounded and have you rooting for them from the start even though they fall a little bit into some young adult literature cliches along the way.  Definite recommend.   

The Midnight Library by Matt Haig

The Midnight Library by Matt Haig - 288 pages

Nora Seed finds herself at the lowest point in her life due to tragedy and regret  and everything is going wrong.  As she looks back at the decision points in her life she decides not to carry on but soon discovers that in between life and death there is a library filled with all the lives that could have been.  Nora's journey begins in the midnight library to find her way back to herself or to decide to move on to what's next.  

This book is odd but interesting in how it looks at how decisions both big and small impact not only our only lives but people around us, both close and strangers.  Plus a little education on the nature of multidimensional physics to boot!

The Clincher by Lisa Preston

 

The Clincher by Lisa Preston - 288 pages

Horseshoer Mystery Series Book 1

Horseshoer Rainy Dale falls unintentionally into a life in small town Oregon with a new man and a business to build.  She is a bundle of quirks and emotional baggage that adds complexity to all her relationships, both personal and professional.   When one of her clients turns up dead, all the evidence points to Rainy as the culprit.  In an effort to clear her name, Rainy embarks on a quest to find the truth.  

I enjoyed learning about a career I know nothing about, horseshoeing,  and the details of those in the horse owning community.  Rainy Dale's quirks and manner of speaking got a little annoying but it was worth it to look past that and enjoy the mystery.   

The Sentinel by Lee Child and Andrew Child

 

The Sentinel by Lee Child and Andrew Child - 368 pages
Release date: October 27, 2020

One of the perks of being a librarian is getting access to advance reader copies of upcoming books from the publishers.   So I got to read the new Jack Reacher book early - yay!  This book marks the introduction of Lee Child's younger brother Andrew as a co-writer.   The addition of Andrew will help keep the series alive as Lee transitions towards retirement.  The overall tone of the book remains classic Reacher with all the elements we know and love: blowing into a random town, seeing a person in crisis and intervening, and the resolution of the crisis through violence and also a stellar understanding of human motivations.  Reacher does use a cell phone in this book, gasp!  So we may be seeing a new era of technology entering into his adventures.  

Reacher hitches a ride into a small Tennessee town and foils a kidnapping while trying to get a cup of coffee.  The kidnap victim is at the center of a ransomware plot that has taken down the town's computer infrastructure.  The ransomware attack is just the most obvious part of a plot that reaches further into both the past and the present than initially thought.  This book is very timely in its look at the threat that hackers pose to our critical infrastructure.

Born Scared by Kevin Brooks

Born Scared by Kevin Brooks - 247 pages

Elliot's whole entire life has been governed by fear, or the "beast" as he calls it.  The beast can be kept at bay by pills but it has made Elliot view his bedroom as the only safe place in the world.  On Christmas Eve a mix up at the Pharmacy causes a delay in his mother being able to get his pills which leads to a nightmare series of events for all involved.  This sounds like a horrible book of darkness that no one would want to dive into but its not.  Brooks takes us into Elliot's psyche so we understand his view of the world and the demons he is fighting to just try and make it through the night.  At times poignant and at times horrifying, this teen book reads like the best adult suspense novels.  I highly recommend it. 

Yellow Brick War by Danielle Paige

Yellow Brick War by Danielle Paige - 269 pages
Book 3 of the Dorothy Must Die Series

The only thing disappointing about these books is that the page count is getting smaller as the series progresses.  This series is a dark and twisted modern retelling of the Wizard of Oz that examines what good and evil truly mean in a world filled with shades of grey and no good options.  Amy Gumm from our world continues to fight for the people of Oz and for herself as she tries to vanquish the evil holding them all hostage. 

The Wicked Will Rise by Danielle Paige

The Wicked Will Rise by Danielle Paige- 309 pages
Book 2 - Dorothy Must Die Series

Amy Gumm from Kansas continues in her quest to kill the Dorothy, the tyrant ruling over OZ.  She finds help along the way and tries to understand what being "wicked" means in this twisted version of the classic tale she knows from the movies and books back in the "real world." 

This series is dark but yet funny and fans of twisted takes on fairy tales will find much to like here.   

Dorothy Must Die by Danielle Paige

Dorothy Must Die by Danielle Paige
- 452 pages

Book 1 of the Dorothy Must Die series

Middle of nowhere Kansas, a girl whisked away by a tornado...stop me if you've heard this one before.  And then I'll tell you that Oz is real and everything you think you know is wrong.  This is a modern twist on the Wizard of Oz story throwing Amy Gumm from our world into the twisted nightmare that Oz has become during Dorothy's reign of terror.  At times darkly funny and also touching, this is a great read for fans of Wicked. 

Murderbot Diaries by Martha Wells

Murderbot Diaries by Martha Wells

1) All Systems Red - 150 pages
2) Artificial Condition - 160 pages
3) Rogue Protocol - 160 pages
4) Exit Strategy - 160 pages
5) Network Effect - 346 pages

The first book in this series won pretty much every novella award there is for SciFi:
Winner: 2018 Hugo Award for Best Novella
Winner: 2018 Nebula Award for Best Novella
Winner: 2018 Alex Award
Winner: 2018 Locus Award

This a great gripping series that is a first person narrative of the evolution of the self-named "Murderbot" into a free being making its own choices.  It's a darkly funny look into a future where planets are dominated by corporations controlling all levels of commerce and daily activities.  Murderbot hacks its governor module to find out the truth of its own past with the added bonus of being able to watch as many shows as possibly in the media feed.  (We all can relate to that for sure!)   I highly recommend this series and look forward to the next one.

The Secret of White Stone Gate by Julia Nobel

The Secret of White Stone Gate by Julia Nobel - 304 pages
Black Hollow Lane Book 2

After a summer at home in Connecticut, Emmy returns to England to go back to the boarding school where she almost died last year accompanied by her best friends Jack and Lola.  Intrigue with communications from her long lost father continue to embroil Emmy further in the machinations of the evil Order.  When Lola is framed for a crime she didn't commit, Emmy knows she must do whatever it takes to find the truth.

Think modern day Nancy Drew meets Harry Potter (just the boarding school, not magic) and you have a feel for the tone of this juvenile series.  Its lots of fun with strong characters and a vivid sense of place.  I look forward to the next one.

Dark Age by Pierce Brown

Dark Age by Pierce Brown - 776 pages
Red Rising Series Book Five

It's been ten years since Darrow took his dead wife's dream to the stars and broke the world.   As an outlaw trying to rescue the doomed Free Legions on Mars he faces insurmountable odds and the temptation to give into the darkness in order to achieve victory.  He is challenged by those within the Republic and the resurrection of the lost last heir to the empire, Lysander who is back to claim what he feels is rightfully his.

The first of this book is battle, battle and more battle which gets a bit wearying.  But the plot kicks in and the characters who have been so strong throughout the series bring their voices to the story and then things picked up for me.  It's not the best entry in the series but I'm still curious to see what happens next. 

Red Rising Trilogy by Pierce Brown

1) Red Rising - 382 pages

2) Golden Son - 464 pages

3) Morning Star - 544 pages

Romans in space!  What more do you need to know?  This epic scifi trilogy takes place when society has been stratified into color castes that dictate your place in the world.  Deep in the mines of Mars dissent is brewing that will shake the foundations of the caste system and attempt to remake society into a meritocracy where everyone has a fair chance to succeed.  Fans of Roman history and dystopian fiction like the Hunger Games will find much to enjoy here.    

The Institute by Stephen King

The Institute by Stephen King - 576 pages

This book is a throwback in a good way to early King novels such as Firestarter and It with its themes of children with powers fighting evil government agencies. 

Luke Ellis, an extremely smart kid, is sleeping when agents sneak into his Minneapolis house, murder his parents, and kidnap him for transport to The Institute.  He wakes up in a room that looks just like the bedroom he left but there is no window and the door opens onto an institutional hallway and a yard with other kids.  Luke soon discovers that the sinister forces behind The Institute are dead set on extracting psychic powers from the minds of gifted kids no matter the cost.  King's worlds are never black and white and it is fascinating to see what choices his characters will make in the grey. 

Darling Rose Gold by Stephanie Wrobel

Darling Rose Gold by Stephanie Wrobel - 320 pages

"Mothers never forget.  Daughters never forgive"

This book will be released in March 2020 and I was fortunate enough to get an advanced reader copy from NetGalley.  Fans of Gone Girl and The Act will find much to love in this compulsively suspenseful read. 

For the first eighteen years of her life Rose Gold Watts thought she was seriously ill.  She suffered from allergies to most everything, used a wheel chair and a feeding tube but no one could isolate and treat whatever was wrong with her.  It turned out that her problem was that her mother Peggy was a very good liar.  Peggy is sentenced to prison for what she did to Rose and then is released after five years with nowhere to go.  Everyone is shocked when Rose Gold takes her in.  Is it altruism, forgiveness or something far darker?  I stayed up late reading this one and highly recommend it.  It's one of the best psychological suspense books I've read in a very long time.