Wow, September has been an absolutely banner month for reading. Honestly, nothing less than stellar in the bunch. Or wait – have I been in an exceptionally good mood all month? That can’t be it. It’s gotta be luck of the draw with these books!
The Mechanical by Ian Tregillis. This was a reread for me, and SO GOOD again. If you haven’t read it before, you probably should. I don’t even know what genre it is, it’s that unique. BRB. Okay, so Google suggests Science, Alternate History, Fantasy Fiction. Steampunk, Thriller, Historical Fantasy… So, all the things? Amazing, really.
Arsenic and Adobo by Mia P. Manansala. And this, on the other hand, is a delightful cozy mystery firmly rooted in genre conventions but with lots of flavour and originality too. I will read this author again, for sure.
All Adults Here by Emma Straub. Really charming and enjoyable to read. It’s about the Strick family, comprising the widowed matriarch, Astrid, her three children, their spouses and children, and a few of their friends and acquaintances in Clapham, a classic Americana kind of town a couple of hours from New York. The characters are a mix of everyday jerks, absolute gems (the teens!) and mostly people who are somewhere in between, trying to do their best. (As an aside, I just saw a comment on GoodReads about the graphic sexual content in this book. That… did not cross my mind about this book. Like, at all.)
The Night Watchman by Lousie Erhdrich. Based on the life of the author’s grandfather, the night watchman of title, this novel grabbed me by the heart early on and did not let go. The story is mainly told through his perspective and that of his niece, Pixie. Thomas works literally night and day to keep his family and the tribe safe – during the night at the jewel bearing plant and in the day on the Tribal Council, fighting the government proposal to “emancipate” the Turtle Mountain Chippewa from federal responsibility. At the same time, 19-year-old Pixie is balancing her job at the plant, home responsibilities, and trying to find her sister who has disappeared into the big city. This novel is truly gorgeous – at once a story about the weight and trauma and heritage of the past and about intimate personal journeys.
Emma by Jane Austen. Every once in a while, I get a hankering for some Austen. She never lets me down with her imperfect heroines, scoundrels and Regency society mores.
Love at First Spite by Anna E. Collins. As part of moving on from her cheating ex-fiancé, the protagonist of this entertaining rom-com decides to buy the plot of land beside his dream home – which was supposed to be their dream home. And on this narrow plot of land, she plans to build a tall, view-blocking “spite house” to rent out just to spite him. There are plenty of twists and turns and a conveniently hunky Mr Darcy-type architect along the way.
Finlay Donovan Is Killing It by Elle Cosimano. A struggling, recently divorced mom-of-two novelist – accent on struggling – accidentally becomes a killer-for-hire, sort of. It’s delightful.
LIfe’s Too Short by Abby Jimenez. A highly enjoyable, occasionally eye-welling story about a young social media influencer/travel vlogger whose family history means a 50% chance of developing ALS, who lives her life to the fullest for that very reason. It’s another rom-com and, in this case, the love interest is her extremely handsome and no-fun-having lawyer neighbour. Sparks – eventually! – fly.
One Last Stop by Casey McQuiston. I thought The Mechanical was hard to pin a genre on, but along comes Casey McQuiston and says “hold my beer, Tregillis.” If you’re looking for a book that combines time travel, 70s punk, latter twentieth century queer history, Brooklyn neighbourhoods, lesbian romance, pancakes, drag queens, psychic phenomena, and a missing person mystery, have I got the novel for you. Sincerely. I enjoyed it so much.
