Adult Book Reviews

The Myth of Sisyphus is a newer interpretation of the traditional story from greek myth. Camus tells about how someone can be happy even when they can only perform meaningless actions. Some of it can be a little hard to wrap your mind around with all of the philosophical language, but its a very fun read. It is very interesting to see interpretations from various different perspectives of the myth of Sisyphus, and it changes the definition of true happiness in certain situations.

Much like Ajax Penumbra 1969 helped fill in some of the lore for Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore, Robin Sloan expounded on his book Sourdough with The Suitcase Clone. This short story doesn’t necessarily share any of the main characters from Sourdough, but it gives some insight about the mysterious “creature” that’s in the sourdough while also providing an interesting look into intellectual property theft when it comes to specific wines—which itself is reason enough to read this short story.

Sloan takes a somewhat unorthodox approach to the point of view here, which took some getting used to. His language bordered on being too flowery, and it lost me as to what was happening at least a few times. But in terms of straight vibes, The Suitcase Clone successfully gives off that eerie, otherworldly feeling that helps add to the mystery of this almost microorganism entity. Reading this story is what I would imagine taking mind-altering drugs would be like as one travels the countryside of France. It’s not something I would do personally, but I can see the appeal of it.

As it’s a distinctly different feel when compared to the standard analog/digital style Sloan uses in his other, full-length books, I’m glad this backstory wasn’t forced into the main plotline for Sourdough. You don’t really gain any huge revelations as part of this prequel story, but rather have a context for the weirdness that ensues in the main book this stems from. As a fan of this author, I’ll always read anything he puts out, but The Suitcase Clone almost feels too experimental for me to get my head around.

A trippy vibe that sets up some of the weirdness in Sourdough, I give The Suitcase Clone 3.5 stars out of 5.

I picked the book Lesson in Chemistry because I'm currently taking Chemistry and this bright cover and its status as a PPLD top checkout caught my eye. The story follows Elizabeth Zott, scientist who ends up hosting a TV cooking show to teach women about science. I loved Elizabeth’s fierce intelligence, but it was frustrating to read about the blatant sexism she faced in the lab. I really related deeply to Elizabeth’s struggle for professional respect, making this one of my favorite reads of the year.

I chose this book after seeing the movie adaptation announced, since I wanted to understand the true history behind the headlines. This non-fiction storyline investigates the chilling "Reign of Terror" in the 1920s, where members of the Osage Nation in Oklahoma were murdered one by one after oil was discovered under their land. What I enjoyed most was how David Grann writes like a novelist; the pacing is so fast that you forget you are reading a history book. However, the sheer level of injustice described was deeply upsetting to process. It definitely surprised me because I had never learned about this specific part of American history in school.

I chose this book because I had heard so much about the story and wanted to see if the rest of the book was just as haunting. The plot of the main story involves a small town gathering for an annual ritual that seems innocent at first but ends with a shocking twist that I truly did not see coming. What I enjoyed most was Jackson's ability to make the mundane feel terrifying, however some of the shorter sketches felt a bit unfinished compared to the other in the bunch.

Even though it was written in the 90s, the premise of Parable of the Sower intrigued me because it was set in our near past of 2024. That its themes focused on the end of the world being brought about by climate change and wealth inequality was also eerily prescient enough for me to want to read how Octavia E. Butler thought things would play out in the “future.” Perhaps part of me wanted some amount of optimism; but ultimately, it’s just a depressing examination of current failures.

The first half of Parable of the Sower really paints a picture of some scarily accurate predictions for the state of society today. Even if people deny the effects of climate change, this book shows an even more extreme world that could be in our future if we do nothing to reverse it. Of course, climate change is really the exacerbating force that drives the wealth disparity present in this book into apocalypse territory. The depressing part of this book is how the only realistic solution is to give up and start over.

With the onslaught of awful things that happened in this book, it lost its entertainment appeal as the hits kept coming. Perhaps it was my desire for escapism—that it would give a way to fix these broken things that we currently have no control over—that ultimately wasn’t met. And while I agree the current system should probably be demolished and built from the ground up with empathy (or even “hyper-empathy”), I still think there are things we can also do to fight what’s happening. Even if this book predicted a lot of bad things , I hope we can work to make some good.

A gauntlet of eerily prescient bad news for modern times, I give Parable of the Sower 3.5 stars out of 5.

It was the most perfect, cheesy romance imaginable! While being unfortunately highly unrealistic, Poppy and Alex's story was so silly and fun to go along with. Honestly a refreshing read that wasn't too heavy but had enough weight to have a good plot!

Uncle Tom’s Cabin is one of those iconic literary texts that evaded my entire educational career. Remedying this, I have finally sat down to read this famous book, and I think more people would benefit from its narrative if they’re encouraged to read it as well. While the events are fictitious, the world Harriet Beecher Stowe paints with her words is probably closer to reality than most people at the time realized, thus educating people (mainly Christians) about how their beliefs should not be aligned with slavery in any way.

First and foremost, the format of Uncle Tom’s Cabin is still entertaining. The story itself is strong because it shares so many similarities with things happening in the lead-up to the Civil War. Things that most people of the time were likely ignorant of. We may take these events as common knowledge after all the history books that have been written about slavery, but to those in its contemporary era who didn’t know this was happening, it’s quite an enraging piece of literature that spurs one to action. The trick with reading it today is making sure to actually engage with the original material.

Partly because of all the adaptations of this work, some themes and characterizations are lost as people associate with the versions of Uncle Tom’s Cabin that ultimately form negative stereotypes for African Americans. I went into this book expecting these things but was pleasantly surprised to find that these characters really shined in their depiction of humanity. That there’s hope to defeat such an ugly beast of humanity’s greed makes me wonder if any other modern works will be written that expose things in a way to get the masses mad about what’s currently happening in our world.

A well-written exposé on the evils of slavery, I give Uncle Tom’s Cabin 4.5 stars out of 5.

This book follows the adventure of a misfortunate scholar named Humphrey Van Weyden. During a trip by boat he is knocked over board and finds himself saved and in the service of the unfeeling tyrannical captain Wolf Larsen. Throughout the book Van Weyden philosophically debates with his counterpart Wolf Larsen on kindness and intellect versus survival of the fittest. Van Weyden is eventually forced to confront Larsen and make his way back to civilization.

The book spends most of its narrative highlighting the absolute differences between the two main characters. Due to this focus the books story tends to be slower and sometimes repetitive. The book provides an excellent example of how environment shapes character and what beliefs are most important when confronted by challenge. The book has a compelling concept that unfortunately suffers from an excess of dialogue and not enough story progression or narrative.

There are nonfiction biographies about famous people, then there are books like Blonde, which fuse fictional narration techniques with mostly biographical details of a person’s life. While not entirely historically accurate, it is intrinsically entertaining. In fact, I would deem that Blonde is perhaps the most entertaining version of Marilyn Monroe’s life to be put to the page (given that you're listening to the abridged version like I did). It might be too over-erotic in places, but the trauma of being deemed and treated like a sex symbol for decades really comes into focus in this intimate portrayal of Norma Jeane.

Blonde is interesting in the way that it almost feels like an autobiography from Marilyn’s perspective. The almost breathless whispering affectation comes across and has such a well-thought-out explanation as to really convey Monroe’s internal monologue through these words. The progression of her life feels completely out of her control, but her ability to adapt and make the most of what she wanted to get out of it. That her endless stream of male suitors feels more like a used doll passed down the line instead of something she actively pursued really highlights how little autonomy women of the era had—even women as well-known as Marilyn Monroe.

Trying to make Monroe’s life into something more puritan would have been a disservice to the effect she had on society. While this could have been done in a less explicit manner, it drives home the central themes of the book. From a modern context, even 26 years after its original 2000 release, Blonde shows how oppressive the patriarchy was/is. Objectification has not improved in the meantime, even if the #MeToo movement has made voices calling out abuse more prevalent. In the end, Marilyn’s life is tragic, and the contextualization in Blonde merely brings this into uncomfortable focus.

An intimate and semi-fictional account of Marilyn Monroe, I give Blonde 4.5 stars out of 5.

When I was first introduced to the book, The Other Half of Church, I thought it might cover topics similar to Thinking Fast and Slow where the authors would explore how neuroscience affects the religious experience that comes with attending / participating in church. While there was some discussion of these ideas, most of this text focused on the feeling of belonging that we get when we’re part of a group of like-minded individuals. This “hesed” appears to be vital for a healthy church, but it doesn’t really dive deep enough into the brain science that the early chapters promise.

Perhaps my expectation was that The Other Half of Church would get into how individuals can make snap judgements that can determine their initial desire to be included in a particular church, but then get deeper into the relational part of life with Christ by a focused attention on the Scriptures and prayer. A few of the early chapters address some of this, but about half-way through, the book pivots into how the larger organic church (not the individual) needs to deal with that feeling of belonging.

The discussion of the “hesed” was truly a useful topic to cover. Some chapters even dealt with shame and how it’s not necessarily a bad thing when correcting others to align them with the collective “this is who we are” mentality that comes with hesed. Ultimately, the church thrives on these feelings, which themselves are spawned from the way our brain makes connections with communities. However, I don’t think it quite addresses how that belonging can sometimes be a trap for churches looking to expand or enliven their congregations if they don’t address some of the cultural understandings of the modern church and how they might drive potential members away.

A useful primer on “hesed” and the feeling of belonging, I give The Other Side of Church 3.5 stars out of 5.

Determining he is not hallucinating or going crazy when he experiences his rare edition of The Great Gatsby showing him words like "murder" and making strange noises, Daniel Freund is thrown into a self-led homicide investigation in his own neighborhood. One problem: the death occurred three years ago and was deemed an open-and-shut suicide by the local police. Daniel must work together with retired detective Israel Abramovitz to prove his notion that his neighbor was actually murdered.

This book is a fairly short read and even without much background information, readers are gripped by a realistic main character and an easily followed mystery. David Finkle's writing style just might be one of my favorites...ever. It is witty to the max and frank, with resigned humor in every metaphor. I appreciated that this book includes only the mystery and excludes anything unrelated (like coinciding personal events or emotions of the main character). The end leaves readers satisfied and with a memorable impression--I even looked David Finkle up afterwards to see if I could read anything else of his.

10/10 recommend if you like The Great Gatsby, murder mysteries, candid humor, and just an overall good read.

Some of the best science fiction ever written has its basis in reality. These “what-if” scenarios often pull from actual processes and procedures that help ground them while still being entertaining. Knowing that Michael Crichton always digs deep into the science of his stories, it’s no wonder that The Andromeda Strain is an engaging examination of what happens when an unknown pathogen comes to Earth and wreaks havoc on the biosphere in odd and mysterious ways. Of course, the core of this story is the safety steps it takes to combat a terrifying virus.

This book mostly splits into two stories: one about the tragic effects of the titular “Andromeda Strain” and one about the purification rituals the scientists need to perform in order to come up with a way to counter it. Half is hazmat suits performing autopsies to learn what happened, and half is multi-layer clean-room (and extreme contingency) protocols to ensure this deadly virus cannot escape the facility meant to research it. Both parts of this book are engaging in their own way, with their twists and reveals that drive the story forward.

My singular qualm with this book is that there’s all this build-up and tension as more details are revealed, only for the climax to be anticlimactic. That there’s ultimately no need for a vaccine or protocol to keep the population safe makes it feel like all that work was ultimately wasted. Still, I really enjoyed The Andromeda Strain for the peek into extremely competent individuals following highly detailed rules meant to keep everyone involved (and even the whole world) safe from the alien virus. It might come across as stiff and more non-fiction than many would like, but I’d almost consider this book as an early example of today’s hard sci-fi.

A journey of competence that lacks some payoff, I give The Andromeda Strain 4.5 stars out of 5.

I love Edenbrooke so much, when I read it became one of my new favorite books. The main character is belittled in regard to how perfect her sister is, and she just lives in the shadow of her sister. Edenbrooke is the perfect example of a main character finding her own story. The romance is real and makes you not want to stop reading. The plot is loveable which makes you fall in love with the book. It is simple but beautiful, Julianne Donaldson did a fabulous job.

Continuing the story of the Hero association infiltrating the Monster HQ, the Class S heroes have been shown to demonstrate their value of power against the Dragon level monsters all while keeping a really good dialogue between the two sides. The art style, as always, is phenomenal especially on the fight scenes. The story so far has been so good now that we get introduced to more characters and lore behind the Monster King Orochi's origins.

While the Arthurian legend has always fascinated me, I wasn’t entirely sure how much of what I knew was just condensed through other adaptations and interpretations and what was in the original story. I finally took it upon myself to read through this huge multi-volume set to find out what it’s actually about. To say it disappointed me would be an understatement. Perhaps it’s the prose, or the translation, or just the story structure, but I have never been so bored by a piece of literature since I forced myself to read Ulysses .

Early on, Le Morte D’Arthur had enough recognizable events to keep me engaged. The origins of Arthur’s birth. The Sword in the Stone. Lady of the Lake and Excalibur. Then, things fell apart. So much of the focus in this book was on random battles and jousts that I could hardly believe the famous stories that were gleaned from this tome even existed in this form. After a while, I was just forcing myself to sit through it just to say that I’d covered the source material.

Considering this is the earliest story (aside from the Bible) that I’ve read all the way through, it can be forgiven for being obtuse and unfocused. I’m more glad that the salient story beats have been distilled in Cliff Notes and other adaptations so that I don’t have to dive in and tackle this unwieldy story again. My curiosity wanted to make sure I wasn’t missing anything, but my masochism forced me to finish it. Ultimately, if you’re also curious to read the original manuscript that inspired so many drama-filled tales of chivalrous knights, I’d say just pick up something that covers all the good bits and ignore the original.

An overly long book that doesn’t even seem to focus on anything it’s known for, I give Le Morte D'Arthur 2.0 stars out of 5.

This book is a collection of answers to crazy hypothetical questions. Randall Munroe, a former NASA robotics engineer, that is also a cartoonist explores many hypothetical and unique situations like what if you went swimming in a spent nuclear fuel pool or how many printers would it take to keep up with all the Wikipedia edits? This book is just endless joy to read with its charm and humor. I have read and re-read this book countless times and if you are a nerd that has interest in math and science I couldn't recommend any single book higher.

Climate is a poetry book that explores the difficulty and the beauty of navigating life. Hanson uses an extended metaphor to represent how our emotions are like weather and our overall wellbeing is like climate. I loved this book because it delves into the importance of recognizing each of our emotions. It gives the powerful perspective that maybe our ultimate goal should not be happiness, but the delicate balance of peace.

When Chloe learns that her birth mother unexpectedly has another child, the last thing she expects is for her mother to name her next of kin for guardianship of her new sister. Not hesitating to say yes, Chloe learns that she does not meet all the requirements, and must enlist in a foster care program where she and another perspective guardian must work together to care for their siblings.

This book was very cute. It is a romance following two adults in their young twenties trying to care for their siblings amidst dealing with the foster care system. I’m lucky enough to have never needed to be in the foster care system, but I thought that the thought and care that the author implements regarding these situations was very sweet. Some parts of the book however seemed very convenient to the point that it did not seem realistic. So many coincidences happened in the main character’s favor that it was a little hard to believe. Other than that, this was a very easy read, and I really enjoyed the romance story.

Born during the time of apartheid in South Africa, comedian Trevor Noah tells the story of his childhood as a mixed boy in a time where having bi-racial parents was considered a crime.

This book was incredible! I had to read it as a summer reading assignment, and while books for school are rarely interesting, “Born a Crime” blew me away. For starters, Trevor Noah tells a story of inequality and injustice and writes of horrors I can barely imagine, and yet he writes with so much humor that it is very digestible. The life he lived and the way he grew up is so very different to me that it was at some points hard to fathom, but I felt like it opened my eyes in so many ways. The fact that apartheid only ended in the nineties is heartbreaking to me, but Trevor Noah talks about firsthand experiences living through the aftermath. While I knew vaguely who Trevor Noah was, his memoir filled me with the utmost appreciation for him, and his story will be one that sticks with me for a long time.

Enemy for a Brain is a memoir by Zara Beth, disability rights activist, author, content creator, LGBTQA+ individual, and disabled herself. This book is about her life and the highs and lows in her life so far. We start reading about her primary, elementary, school life and end with her adult years so far. I really enjoyed reading this book because I found it fascinating learning about how one person can deal with so much and still lead a great life. I also love watching her content! I would recommend it to anyone, but especially people who might be going through some similar situations and/or are having a difficult time accepting themselves.

After marrying to form a political alliance between both their nations, Alaric and Talasyn are far from at peace with one another. However, as the two grow closer and the world hangs in the balance with the Moonless Dark upcoming, loyalties are tested and the two must question what their motives might mean for the other. Little do they both know something more sinister is brewing.

This was a great sequel to “The Hurricane Wars!” While I felt like a lot of the plot was relatively predictable, it still made for an easy and exciting read. However, at the very end of the novel, Guanzon wrote an astounding plot twist that I truly did not see coming! With heavy tension still laying between the two main characters and this new development of the story, I’m very excited to see what Guanzon will do for the finale!

Set in occupied France during World War 2, “The Nightingale” tells the story of two sisters navigating their lives that become forever changed. Vianne has never spent her life alone. While living a quiet life with her husband and daughter in a small French town, she believes nothing will come of Hitler’s army terrorizing her country. When her husband is enlisted to fight for France, she finds herself alone for the first time and must discover how to balance keeping her family safe while fighting for what’s right. Opposite of Vianne, Isabelle has always dreamed of becoming a hero and fighting for her country. When she discovers the newly beginning French Resistance, she doesn’t hesitate in risking her life to save downed airmen all across France. However, when Germany begins losing the war, the consequences for spies become more serious, and Isabelle must decide how far she is willing to go for her country.

This book devastated me. Kristin Hannah describes all of the horrors of World War 2 in brutal, unflinching detail. More than that however, she put in so much research into learning about the French Resistance and the role women played, and she writes their courage and bravery with such passion. I think this a novel everyone should read, as the lessons of humanity and good vs evil will stick with me for a long time. I feel like everyone hears about how terrible war is, but accounts such as the ones in this novel, even while fictional, truly prove how war ravishes humanity and communities.

Those who live in Barkley Cove are more than happy to accuse the mysterious "Marsh Girl" of murdering beloved quarterback Chase Andrews. But there is so much more to Kya Clark than that. After being left to fend for herself at the age of ten, Kya learns to live off the land, developing a deep love for nature and its wonders. And as she grows older, she is forced to navigate the complexities of first love, loneliness, and heartbreak. "Where The Crawdads Sing" alternates between Kya's coming-of-age story and the ongoing murder investigation, leaving you constantly wanting to know what will happen next.

I was really looking forward to reading "Where the Crawdads Sing" because of its original and intriguing genre-blending. However, I think that Delia Owens may have tried to incorporate too many ideas into one story. The time skips were incredibly disorganized, with chapters and chapters devoted to the span of a few days with little action, followed by massive time skips that threw off the pacing, making this book boring, repetitive, and predictable. Along with this, the writing style was all over the place and the dialogue was poorly written, especially as the author unevenly incorporated North Carolina dialects for no apparent reason. In addition to these issues, I could not get invested in the romance plot, as the love triangle seemed forced, unnecessary, and confusing, hypersexualizing Kya and undermining her character development. Overall, I am sad to say that "Where the Crawdads Sing" did not live up to the hype for me, though I'm sure some readers will enjoy it.

Besides its incredible medical program, DeWitt Med is known for one thing: its influx of drug overdoses in first year students. Following the perspectives of five students and their professor, “Dead Med” navigates the lives of students crumbling under the pressure of med school and consider turning to the impossible, and when tensions are high the night before the final, a shot rings out, and the mystery regarding who did it is just beginning.

This mystery thriller was so incredibly underwhelming. The POVs of the lives of the students and the events leading up to the shooting were, in my opinion, very pointless to advancing the story and providing answers to the mystery. I only gave the novel two stars because some of the characters’ stories were mildly interesting, but even then, none of them were likeable! Also, the story as a whole was very confusing to follow, which made the plot twists and discoveries downright boring. And to finish, the book ends with a mediocre epilogue that attempts to explain the lives of the characters after the events that occurred, and I just felt as though this epilogue was so unnecessary as it still didn’t provide any sort of explanation.

Overall, I would not recommend this book. This was also my first Freida McFadden book, and unfortunately, I don’t know how many more novels I will be reading of this author.

All Talasyn has known is the Hurricane Wars. Her whole life has been composed of fighting and defending her land of Sardovia from the tyrannous Night Empire. Following a devastating blow and a shocking discovery, Talasyn meets Alaric, the newly crowned Emperor of the Night Empire. Despite being sworn enemies, the two must work together to face a new and rising evil.

This book was really fun to read! I saw a lot of people saying it gave the same vibes as Rae and Ben Solo from Star Wars, and while I don’t really like that comparison, I love Star Wars and I could see a little similarity with the world Guanzon wrote. I do wish the novel was a little less romance focused, as I feel as though some elements of the romance plot overtook the main fantasy story. Overall, this was a very fun book, and I’m excited to continue with the series!

The Lost World is a thrilling sequel to Jurassic Park that follows the returning Ian Malcolm and other scientists on a rescue mission for an arrogant scientist stuck on an island. I chose this book because I had already read Jurassic Park and loved it. I enjoyed the fast-paced, exciting second half. It is one of the best books I have read this year because it has lots of thrills and science. Overall, The Lost World is an amazing sequel that I highly recommend.

In the third installment of the House of Devils series, Darien must race against the clock in order to save Loren. The cost? It requires him and his Devils to venture to a completely different city, Yveswich. Meanwhile, in Ker's bustling capital city, Roman Devlin only lives for one purpose: to protect his brothers. The last thing he expects is for Darkslaying rival, Shayla Cousens, to steal and blackmail him. Now, with both Darien and Roman's lives becoming uprooted, the true dangers of the conflicts in Terra begin to evolve in terrifying new ways.

Wow! Just when I thought the plot couldn't evolve any further, Kayla Edwards continuously proves me wrong! I'm so glad the author included the perspectives of both new characters and old side characters. It definitely helped shape the plot and furthered my understanding of the conflict. I also absolutely love the found family trope that begins to develop in this novel. While the story was steadily building towards it in the previous novels, the effects are displayed more clearly in this novel. As per all of her books, Edwards did not fail at making me feel every emotion. I laughed, I cried, and my heart broke on more than one occasion for nearly all of the characters. I am so excited to continue this series, and I am so upset the rest of the series is not written already.

In the fourth installment of the House of Devils, the city of Yveswich is in uproar. With the city rapidly declining and the imperator only allowing limited time to get out, the Devils and the other Darkslayers must race against the clock. Within Yveswich, a dangerous new magic is forming, and it is up to the Devils to save not only the world, but also one another.

This book made me feel everything. Looking back from the first book, the plot is so much more intricate now and every character serves a purpose. I'm so impressed with how the author is able to seamlessly implement relatively small details from the first novels and make them serve a much larger purpose in this book. There was so much foreshadowing in books 1 and 2 and I just did not notice it! As I have said with previous reviews, I adore the characters, and this book allowed for so much plot-focused character development. While the decisions of some characters made me angry, I could always understand why they would make the decisions they did along with the information provided to them. I'm so sad this is a continuing series and this is the last book that is published, but I'm so excited to see where Kayla Edwards takes this series next! It's very rare that nearly every book in a series is five stars, but the author writes this story so well that I can't help but find it perfect.

Following the events of “City of Gods and Monsters,” Loren and Darien have new challenges to face. With Loren being blackmailed and Darien fighting demons only he can see, the two are forced to engage in a continuously growing conflict that not only threatens Angelthene, but their world of Terra as they know it.

I love this series! This book had me in a chokehold with the amount of the emotions the author was emitting. These characters just can’t catch a break! I also love how she expanded the characters instead of just talking about Loren and Darien, it really helped give a new perspective to the plot and conflict. I can’t wait to continue!