Little Syllables: The Blog
Review - In Another Light by A.J. Banner
I received a free advance copy from NetGalley. All opinions are my own.
I have read a lot of books this year. At one time, I was reading 3-4 books each week. That has significantly dropped off lately. I have found myself delving deeper into certain things, distracted by other things, and not reading as quickly.
Thriller to the rescue!
Whenever I need something to get me reading again, or to make me feel like I’ve made progress in a book, I pick up a thriller. A.J. Banner’s In Another Light fit the bill and did not disappoint. I read the entire book in one day. The story kept me turning pages and kept me up late to finish.
This book tells the story of Phoebe, a mortuary cosmetologist. The reader is introduced to her gradually—her past unfolding one step at a time. This fits well with Phoebe’s character. She seems reserved and private. She has few friends. We eventually discover the events that have led her to her current state of depression and hopelessness.
Then the mystery really sets in when a familiar face shows up at the mortuary. Phoebe’s search for answers about the mystery woman leads her on a winding path. She attempts to unravel her past and present in somewhat ill-conceived ways. Let’s be clear: she makes some awful choices.
I felt like this was a pretty solid mystery with a great premise. It’s about secrets people keep, even from those they are closest to. It’s about family. It’s about love and trust—and forgiveness. Ultimately, it’s about Phoebe learning to move on (or not) from the tragic events of her past.
I did find some portions of the plot and characterization to be a bit far-fetched. Some of the coincidences were too convenient for me to believe.
In the end, this is a book I would recommend as a quick read for fans of the genre. I found Phoebe to be a believable character and I enjoyed following her story for the most part. The premise of the story was intriguing, though it possibly could have been better executed.
In Another Light is available now!
To read more reviews and see book recommendations, use the post tags below!
Review - The Family Tree by Steph Mullen & Nicole Mabry
I received an advanced copy from NetGalley. All opinions are my own.
I read a fair number of thrillers and mysteries, so I’m always keen to snap up advanced copies in those genres. I really respect a mystery author who can lead the reader along, dropping clues, and then completely surprise them at the end. This book was trying to be one of those mysteries, but the execution was not great.
The Family Tree is told from two different perspectives: Liz, a young woman seeking to learn more about her biological family, and an unidentified (until the end) serial killer. I feel like this book had a great premise, possibly inspired by some real-life criminal cases solved using familial DNA. But the authors seemed to struggle to make the protagonist (Liz) likable and relatable, and to lead the reader toward the solution. Instead, readers are stuck tagging along with Liz, who makes terrible decisions, alienates those closest to her, and rushes into danger, only solving any mysteries by accident. And the big mystery—the identity of the killer—was a big disappointment for me. I don’t want to spoil too much, but let’s just say the killer’s identity seems to come out of nowhere.
Another problem I found with this story is the epilogue, which sets the stage for a sequel, maybe? We spend an entire novel getting to know the main characters, only to suddenly have two additional characters thrown in at the last second. They seemed like an afterthought. This book left me with a lot of unanswered questions because the authors didn’t provide the breadcrumbs to lead me organically to the solution.
This book was not a total miss. It kept me turning pages and I read to the end. I thought some portions were well-executed, such as the premise of how the serial killer operated and the storyline of the victims. I found most of the characters to be rather one-dimensional and unnatural, though I did like Liz’s cousin Andie and her boyfriend Travis.
One thing I will say about this book is that it is pretty clean for a thriller about a serial killer. There isn’t much adult language or sexual content. So readers who are sensitive to those things, but still want to read the genre may find the book appealing in that way.
The Family Tree by Steph Mullen and Nicole Mabry is releasing October 5, 2021.
To read more reviews and see book recommendations, use the post tags below!
Review - Cloud Cuckoo Land by Anthony Doerr
I received a free advanced copy from NetGalley. All opinions are my own.
Anthony Doerr’s new novel, Cloud Cuckoo Land, is unlike anything I have read before. This book follows five different characters (Konstance, Zeno, Seymour, Omeir, and Anna), detailing their lives lived in different times and places, eventually weaving them together. Konstance is a girl living aboard a spaceship in the future. Zeno is a retired snowplow driver and amateur translator in Idaho. Seymour is a troubled teenager who wants to save the world. Omeir is a young man with facial deformities conscripted into war. Anna is a book lover stuck in a city under siege. They are all tied together by the story of Cloud Cuckoo Land.
This book takes the reader on an adventure around the globe (and beyond) while also showing the different forms of isolation each of the characters experiences. While reading this book, I felt immersed in each character’s unique situation, feeling their loneliness and despair along with them, but also feeling their hope. These characters are nothing if not resilient.
I loved this book. It blends genres of historical, contemporary, and science fiction. It is magical, epic, and extremely human. But it’s not perfect. In the end, I found myself wanting to know why. I think Doerr was intentional in leaving some questions unanswered. After all, those unanswered questions have left me thinking about this book long after finishing it. And ultimately, this book is about the power of literature to change the world—one person at a time.
Cloud Cuckoo Land is set for release on September 28, 2021.
To read more reviews and see book recommendations, use the post tags below!
Review - The World Played Chess by Robert Dugoni
I received a free reading copy from NetGalley. All opinions are my own.
Robert Dugoni’s The World Played Chess is an incredible read. Three storylines intertwine to tell the story of William Goodman and Vincent Bianco, who became friends on a work crew in 1979. William is a Vietnam vet and Vincent is a recent high school graduate. As they work together, William begins to tell Vincent about Vietnam. The other storyline finds Vincent 40 years later, navigating life as his son Beau finishes high school. William sends him his Vietnam journal. The reader gets to experience the journal along with Vincent, while also hearing stories directly from William as he told them in 1979.
As with any book about war, this one is heartbreaking. William’s journal and stories bring so many of his fellow soldiers back to life. This book is the ultimate coming-of-age novel, following William, Vincent, and Beau as they encounter struggles that cause them to grow up quickly.
I loved the interwoven plots in this novel. It is masterfully done. I loved the characters and their development. This book is about growing up, but it’s also about letting go and learning to stand alone. It’s about the relationships that make and break each person.
Overall, I highly recommend this book. Sensitive readers should anticipate the violence found in a war novel, as well as racism, language, and sexual content.
The World Played Chess is set for release on September 14, 2021.
To read more reviews and see book recommendations, use the post tags below!
Review - Partners in Lime by Bree Baker
I received a free advanced copy through NetGalley. All opinions are my own.
Mystery novels are my go-to when I’m looking for a quick read. Cozy mysteries are even better at filling these gaps in my reading. This book definitely falls into that category. It is also part of a series, and I have not read the earlier installments. I came into this book unfamiliar with the characters and setting.
Author Bree Baker does a great job of setting up character and setting in a way that catches the reader up on the series without over-explaining (for the most part). If you start with book 6 like me, you won’t feel lost at sea. The only thing I can think of that might be spoiled by reading out of order is the romantic element.
The main problem I had with characterization in this novel is the focus on the protagonist’s weight and size. Granted, many women’s thoughts focus on their body size and weight (which is a big cultural issue that I have a lot of problems with), but I felt adding those details in did nothing to help me better know the character of Everly Swan. The size of her pants has no bearing on the plot of the novel, the course of her romance, or the success of her business. It could have very easily been left out. The references left this narrative feeling a little out of touch in our current “body positive” or “health at any size” cultural movements.
That said, I enjoyed this book for the fun, quick read it is. The mystery itself was enough to keep me reading, and I enjoyed the relationships that were established throughout the book. Don’t open this book hoping for a deep, thought-provoking read. Take it for what it is and enjoy the cozy ride through the Outer Banks.
Partners in Lime by Bree Baker will be released August 31, 2021.
To read more reviews and see book recommendations, use the post tags below!
Review - A Million Things by Emily Spurr
I received a free galley of this book through NetGalley. All opinions are my own.
Trigger warning: This book deals with mental illness, child neglect, and suicide. It contains some violence and very mild language.
This is the story of 10-year old Rae, her dog Splinter, and her elderly neighbor Lettie. Through a series of upsetting events, they become friends. This is the story of mental illness, tragedy, resilience, and recovery. Those are powerful themes to view through the eyes of a child. I appreciate that Spurr faced these themes head-on. She didn’t just focus on these issues, but also on the stigma surrounding these issues.
I loved this book. I read it in a single day and neglected much else. I loved the narration style, the characterization, and how each character in the story developed. I loved seeing the world through Rae’s eyes. I loved how real and flawed both Rae and Lettie are and how well the author helps the reader see their blind spots. I loved reading an unbelievable story and believing it was possible, even though it’s not a bright story, and I hope it never happens in real life.
I heartily recommend this book!
A Million Things by Emily Spurr will be available on August 24, 2021.
To read more reviews and see book recommendations, use the post tags below!
Review - The Other Passenger by Louise Candlish
Special thanks to Atria Books for my free advanced copy. All opinions are my own.
I love reading thrillers. They’re fast-paced with twisty plots and generally unreliable narrators. Louise Candlish’s The Other Passenger did not disappoint in any of these areas. I devoured it as the author kept me guessing.
Candlish did a great job on characterization in this book. I’m big on believable characters, and I found our four main characters (Jamie, Clare, Kit, and Melia) to be believable, distinct, and well-developed. Although this book was written by a woman and contains strong female characters, our narrator Jamie is a man, and arguably, the most vulnerable of the four. Seeing the story through his eyes gives an interesting spin on the other characters that you wouldn’t get from a third-person perspective.
I also enjoyed the setting of this book. It’s set in London, but centers around a suburban area and Jamie and Kit’s daily commute via river bus. This gives the story a cozy home, while also adding variety in the character dynamics as they venture out from that home base.
The mystery was compelling. I’m not spoiling anything by saying that Kit goes missing and Jamie becomes a suspect in his disappearance. But nothing is as it seems. Jamie slowly unravels the history of the four characters and their relationships, gradually letting the readers in. These relationships are the crux of the novel and it’s difficult to know who to trust.
Overall, I enjoyed this book. Sensitive readers should be aware of adult language, sexual content, and some violence.
The Other Passenger by Louise Candlish is available now.
To read more reviews and see book recommendations, use the post tags below!
Review - The People We Keep by Allison Larkin
I received a free advanced copy through NetGalley. All opinions are my own.
I was excited to get an advanced copy of The People We Keep after I saw that it was one of the Book of the Month Club selections for July. It tells the story of April, a teenage singer/songwriter, as she leaves home to build her own life. The book follows April over the course of several years as she tries to find somewhere to call home.
I got a slow start on this book. It took me a while to get to know April and to start to care about her problems and her life. But once I did, I couldn’t put the book down. This book is told from April’s perspective as a teenager from a troubled home. She is immature and frustrating. She makes terrible choices and finds herself in impossible situations. Ultimately, the book shows how she grows up, how she learns to love and trust, and how she eventually finds a family of her own.
I loved the character development in this story, not just of April, but of those she encounters. Although this story takes place in many different settings, it’s really about the people and relationships—good and bad. And while some of those relationships didn’t turn out the way I hoped, readers are left with hope for April’s future at the end.
The People We Keep comes out August 3, 2021. Check it out!
To read more reviews and see book recommendations, use the post tags below!
Review - Take What You Can Carry by Gian Sardar
I received this book from my Scribbler subscription box, which is what first brought it to my attention. I am not compensated in any way for my review and all opinions are my own.
Take What You Can Carry is a book about a time and place that I knew virtually nothing about. It is set in the late 1970s in Los Angeles and Iraq. As I was born in the ‘80s, the basis of my knowledge about the Middle East (and Iraq specifically) come from media coverage of conflicts in the region. This book was eye opening and I felt I learned so much from it.
This book started off on the right foot. I loved the first few lines so much that I wrote them down:
She’d seen it clearly: a woman half-over, half-happy with her life. A focused, single snapshot of her future midmark, that moment the hourglass gets flipped. She’d be forty-five years old and play a. mere footnote in her own life: someone’s secretary, someone’s wife, someone’s mother.
This book tells the story of Olivia, an American secretary who dreams of being a photo journalist. Her boyfriend, Delan, is Kurdish. The story centers around the two of them traveling to visit Delan’s family in Iraq. There, Olivia’s eyes are opened to Delan’s past and her own future.
I loved the character development in this novel, not only in Olivia and Delan, but in more minor characters as well. We see the events of the story from Olivia’s point of view and experience her changes firsthand. It is an emotional journey, filled with love and fear and sadness and hope.
I don’t want to give away anything that happens in this book, other than that the political situation is a huge issue for our characters. Events transpire in Iraq that change Olivia forever, in so many ways. This is a book about love and relationships. It’s about being the Other, in small and large ways.
I absolutely loved this book and wholeheartedly recommend it. I already plan to read it again.
To read more reviews and see book recommendations, use the post tags below!
Review - The Woman They Could Not Silence by Kate Moore
I received a free NetGalley of this book, but my opinions are all my own.
The Woman They Could Not Silence: One Woman, Her Incredible Fight for Freedom, and the Men Who Tried to Make Her Disappear is historical non-fiction, telling the story of Elizabeth Packard and her fight for women’s rights in the 19th century. The author uses Packard’s own writings, as well as the writings of others, to tell this in-depth story of the problems facing married women in the Civil War era.
Elizabeth Packard was sent to an insane asylum by her husband Theophilus. He forcibly removed her from her home, her six children, and her life, labelling her as “insane” and locking her up to protect himself from criticism for her opinions. Elizabeth was a force to be reckoned with, and not only did she survive the insane asylum, but she went on to change laws throughout the country so that the same thing would not continue happening to other married women.
The book is extremely detailed. I enjoyed reading it and learned much that I didn’t know about the Civil War era and women’s rights. The author really brings the reader into Elizabeth’s experience. We experience the frustrating feeling of being trapped right along with her. We experience the confusion as it is difficult to know who is trustworthy. We experience the heartbreak of her life as a mother.
Overall, I recommend this book. It is well-researched, well-written, and still relevant to the struggles of our day. At times it does move slowly and I feel that the story could have been told just as effectively in fewer pages. But ultimately, the author has done an incredible job with a difficult and complicated subject.