Book Review: Starry and Restless by Julia Cooke

 

Firstly Many Thanks to macmillan audio for the advanced listener copy of Starry and Restless. 

This is a non-fiction book for those who want to start reading more non-fiction!   Julia Cooke has brought to life the amazing lives of three woman reporters who were most certainly the talk of the town. It reads a bit like a memoir but has more commentary and information giving historic context to the women's lives.

In my very progressive school, I was taught that the women's rights movement really came along in the 1960's and 1970's. I was led to believe that women were pillars of domesticity up until that time. Obviously there's truth in this, but exploring the lives of these women who decided it to shed those expectations showed me that there were indeed many degrees of this domesticity. 

    Martha Gellhorn, Emily (Mickey) Hahn and Rebecca West were three women who defied custom and made their way in the world as writers. These women traveled the world, married who they pleased, reported on the events of the day, and all left their mark on American journalism.  Although their names are not well known in this day and time, their influence is unmistakable. 

    In very readable (listenable) language, Cooke introduces us to these women and illustrates how they themselves interacted, influencing each other. I was fascinated by the lives they carved out for themselves, defying many social norms and expectations. 

   Andi Arndt is the narrator for this gem and her clear reading voice made this a fantastic read for my morning commute. Arndt always has perfect pacing, and this narration is no exception!

   This book was fascinating and while reading, I was reminded of Isabel Allende's My Name is Emilia Del Valle, which is a fictionalized story of a female reporter in about the same time frame. While I enjoyed Allende's work quite a bit, I was most intrigued by Cooke's new book because these ladies were real living beings- one who owned a pet Gibbon! One who chose to be a single mother in a time when this was not at all the norm, several who traveled to exotic places and married "exotic" men. The truth always does seem stranger than fiction. 

One to add to the shelves if you like historical fiction, or non-fiction. Definitely one to share with young aspiring writers as they figure out how to make a mark in the industry. 

                                                 First Published :  February 2026

Pages: 448

Available as an Audio Book : Yes  

Trigger Warnings: drug use, war violence, (this is not a full list, read responsibly)

Book Review: The Plotters by Un-su Kim

                                            

 So last year when I wanted to add some translated works to my TBR, I put several audiobooks on hold. They then all started to become available in the past few weeks. So, it looks like I may do better than last year on my books in translation. 

    This is a bit of a hidden gem, I have not heard many people discussing this one, and I found myself to be listening with delight as this Crime noir/thriller unfolded.   It is also a beat the back-list type of novel as it was first published in 2018.  This is one novel that I could see as a television mini-series. 

     So without spoilers- this is a novel about assassins, and the people (or plotters) behind the assassins. Our main character is a likeable, well read young man who was raised unconventionally by Old Raccoon, who is essentially a kingpin in the Assassin world in an alternative by contemporary South Korea.  Our main character follows orders, he pulls triggers when asked, and otherwise lives a quiet and bland life. He is, however, thoughtful, and observant. Eventually he carries out a plan, but doesn't quite follow the instructions to a T, and finds himself privy to a bizarre scheme put into motion by the most unexpected of players. Will he join them, or remain a cog in the machine?  I really was rooting for our main character, because, after all, who can dislike a man with cats named Desk and Lampshade? And He's a man who takes care of those cats. 

  I really loved this one. There's a lot of dark humor, and wry commentary on the state of life in general, the plot has a lot of twists and turns and goes places that I didn't imagine it would. While I did find the ending to be less satisfying than I would have liked, it certainly fit the story. 

The translator is Sora Kim-Russell, and they have done a wonderful wonderful job. Sarcasm, suspense, dry humor, and implied tones are difficult to translate, and I felt that I didn't miss any of that in this novel, it was all there, in spades. 

  Now I've seen people say if you enjoy Han Kang, you'll enjoy this, but I don't think that's necessarily the case.  The two writers are very different. I see this more as a novel for folks who love the noir genre and want to explore it in other cultures other than the sort of UK/USA area. For me, I really enjoyed it as it was so well plotted, grabbed me in the beginning, held me through the middle and had me on the edge of my chair for the end! 

                                 First Published :  August 2018

Pages: 310

Available as an Audio Book : Yes  

Trigger Warnings: death, death of dog, death of child,  classism, medical issues, body horror, misogyny.

(this is not a full list, read responsibly)

Book Review NK Jemison's The Fifth Season

  So,  I don't really need to do a book review on this do I? 

Published in 2015, this is a Hugo award winner, and is very well known. 

 I have kind of been skirting around it. In part because it has a HUGE wait list at the library and in part, I think because I was afraid I might not love it. 

 I LOVED IT. 

Image from: https://www.facebook.com/groups/freeprintablesdesigns/posts/1637550117243782/

  I did initially text my book buddy saying "I do not think I am smart enough for this book." So it was a love that grew on me as I continued to read.  I had it on audio and fortunately for me and it, I was on a piece of exercise equipment and didn't have a hand available to stop it so I listened to a good part of it and it began to reveal itself so I was indeed able to find my footing. 

   This novel did demand a lot more of me than other books I've read, and as such, I pretty much stopped reading anything else, and concentrated all of my book time on this until I finished it. There were details upon details of world building, character building and plot points to ponder.  I was grateful for the audiobook given some unfamiliar names and place names- I did not have to make up any pronunciation. 

  

 As a "no spoiler summary"  We follow several persons who are born as "Orogene's"- people who can manipulate earth energy who are both feared and at the same time, valued by society. Society is arranged with a goal of surviving frequent environmental disasters, and people are sorted into Use groups which seem to become their identity.  As the plot develops these persons move toward a new environmental disaster, each with their own memories, abilities and motivations. Readers are definitely left with a cliffhanger leading into the next book, so I can say this one definitely leaves a reader feeling a bit "unresolved"

  I really loved that the plot really had some gentle surprises and some other "oh wow" moments all through the novel. I was never bored and the pacing was really spot on.  Coming off reading Clay Cane's Burn Down Master's House, I was quite attuned to the references to slavery in the Americas and was able to appreciate that I was able to see those and connect with them through the novel.  Combined with an awareness of climate changes over time, this one packed a significant reading punch. 

 I can say after avoiding this for several years, I wish I'd read it earlier, so if you are on the fence, go ahead and pick this one up. 

First Published :  2015

Pages: 512

Available as an Audio Book : Yes   ~ 15 hrs

Trigger Warnings:  racism, classism, domestic violence/abuse, medical issues, body horror, slavery, climate issues, 

(this is not a full list, read responsibly)

Book review : To The Moon and Back by Eliana Ramage

  Oh My Gosh, so I assumed this was going to be a book for me, in fact, I was fully prepared to LOVE love this book to the ends of the earth.  To the Moon and Back, indeed. 

    Obviously I'm telling you this because, spoiler.  I did not love this book that much, maybe to Tallahassee and back.  

This is a complicated story of a a young woman who has worked her entire life to become an astronaut. As readers follow her journey, they move through her life and grapple with her character as she decides what it means to be a Cherokee, a scientist, a lesbian and a sister, aunt and daughter, and indeed, there is more. It is a very ambitious novel addressing identity, family, obligations and ambitious and belonging. 

   In the end I struggled with this one. On one hand I was very invested in the main character getting to space. On the other, I was somehow not invested in chapters and chapters and chapters of relationship drama.  Be it from her Mother, her sister or her girlfriend, it eventually felt overplayed.  I know that some people's lives are indeed like that, but at one point if I wasn't 3 hrs to the end, I would have just DNF the whole thing. 

   Despite me not really enjoying the novel, I think it is well written and for many this is one they might want to read. In general picks from Reese's book club tend to be very readable  I am a bit embarrassed to admit, I just had to look up exactly who Reese is and after looking over her picks, this one seems like one of the more adventurous picks. The rest that I viewed, seemed to be sort of safe book club picks.  This one was more on the wild side, and, with her cinematic background, I can entirely entirely see this book being made into a mini-series - the amount of family drama would draw in quite the audience. I did enjoy that it was written as a contemporary novel and that made it feel quite real.  Characters were well fleshed out though none were particularly likeable to me. 

So... would I recommend this novel?  Possibly. I would not recommend it to just anyone, but for the right person, this will be a 5 star read. 

For me it was about a 3.25  but that's all based on vibes alone. 

First Published :  9/2/25

Pages: 448

Available as an Audio Book : Yes   ~ 14 hrs

Trigger Warnings:  poverty, racism, classism, domestic violence, medical issues, body horror, slavery, 

(this is not a full list, read responsibly)

Book Review: Burn Down Master's House by Clay Cane

 Wow!  Just WOW!!!

I had this book tagged on Libby and thus I was able to borrow it almost immediately with it came out. 

It's kind of unique that it is the first book I have finished in February, Black History Month in the United States. 

This is a really unique piece of writing.   I was initially attracted to the cover, because it is a piece of art that really grabs the attention. 

Ray Jean-Giles is the cover artist.   And I really am awe of the cover. 

I honestly did not know what I was getting into, which tells you the power of a cover.  I put that book on "Notify me"  and borrowed it asap. 

It could have been anything. 

The author starts off by explaining that indeed this is going to be an uncomfortable book for some. I wasn't sure exactly where I'd fall in the comfort zone, but I decided to give it a go. What I got is a deeply engaging and at times very satisfying piece of quasi-historical fiction. It was not a comfortable read, and in this era where readers are looking for cozy fiction, this one is not that. 

Readers follow 4 quasi-interconnected enslaved persons as they face absolute horror in every day life. 

If anyone ever trots out the narrative that slavery had some kind masters and that it couldn't have been all bad, etc- this is the book to point them to. Because I felt that this laid bare the brutality- both intended and thoughtless-that characterized American slavery. 

The stories contained in this novel are based on detailed research of actual persons. The characters, like enslaved persons who lived years ago had varying reactions- some defied their masters outright, others in smaller ways, and others slipped away to freedom while exacting a precise revenge.  The story that held my attention the most was of Charity and Larkin where one feels a relief as Charity becomes free, only to have that relief torn away in one short moment.  While these interconnected stories are based on real events, it's also true that no one can really know all the exact thoughts and feelings of another. It is plausible that a bit of a modern feel pops in here and there, but to be honest, I felt like this only added to the depth of the novel. Cane isn't trying to recreate a history, as an author, I felt that he was almost partnered with these figures to bring this period to life in real, agonizing detail so that readers might really take a pause to examine all that we've been taught about slavery in the US. 

The results are a combustible novel that sizzles with revenge, tender love, and defiance. 

In short, I loved it, could not stop reading it, and also hated it.  it took me about 5 days to read it, which is really... a record for me for speed. 

Should you read this book?  Yes. It likely isn't a great one for Book club, but it SHOULD BE.  It's one to put on the TBR. 

   I did the audio book, and it is narrated by Clay Cane himself.  I admit, I didn't really like the hesitating way that he read his work, but I'm assuming that, like everything else, this was a deliberate choice. It did make me sit up and listen carefully. 

First Published :  January 2026

Pages: 288

Available as an Audio Book : Yes   ~ 11 hrs

Trigger Warnings:  poverty, racism, classism, bugs, medical issues, body horror, slavery, SA, 

(this is not a full list, read responsibly)

January 2026 Reading Wrap Up

 Well, I must first remark upon the weather. 

It's super cold here. Like. the coldest I can recall in years and years. 

It's a little bit hard to handle just because I don't really have cold weather gear.  but I do have a space heater, and blankets and an indoors so I am exceedingly blessed in this world. 

Ok now.  Moving on. 

Winter's embrace needs to move on, or tone it down some. 

in Winter's Embrace. , 1907. [United States: publisher not transcribed] Photograph. https://www.loc.gov/item/2018696747/.

In January, I finished a whopping 21 books. I am really enjoying my Outer Space theme, more than my Water theme from last year. 

Lets Break it down a bit. 

Books in Translation:  2/21  So about 9.5 % of my reading. Both of the books I read were excellent reads and I was very happy to have read them. 

    

Books By Diverse Authors:   3/21  14%

 

Of these three, I highly recommend The Manor of Dreams, but I don't know that any of these would steer a curious reader to DNF, they were all well written. 

This was not my month to be reading books by diverse authors. Many of the books had diverse characters, but the authors I looked into pretty much...were kind of the standard white bread authors. 

Non-Fiction reads:  3/21 14%  I read three books about Outer Space,  all of which were interesting and helped me understand the universe.  They did kind of decrease my excitement when reading some space setting romances, especially the idea that astronauts are really just moving about the space station in maximum absorbency garments - diapers if you will. 

Total Books on my Outer Space Theme? 9/21 about 43%  so I am approaching half of the books read to be about Space.  

Favorite reads?  I really liked almost everything I read this month.  I did have to DNF a non-fiction book about Black Holes.  I started it several times and eventually just gave up.  I could not with it. I will have to get black hole understanding elsewhere. 

Will I complete 21 more books in February?  That remains to be seen.  It helped that I read a few novellas this past month, and I don't know that I've got more of that on the horizon. 

I am starting off February pretty strong with some diverse authors, and a book in translation (The Plotters!) but it's a short month, and I'm finding I may not have quite as much reading time as I work to master my new job and continue at my old one part time. 

Life is full and ok. Things in the world are on fire and thus I feel I must also, in my own way, attend to that fire.  Sadly, reading will likely not be the actions required to throw some dirt on the fire. 
     
                                       

Book Review: Mickey 7 by Edward Ashton

 Mickey 7  is a well known smash hit made into a motion picture.  

Of COURSE --I'd never read it.  But having chosen the theme of Outer Space, it seemed like a good year to pick it up, and  because it isn't the latest media darling, the audio book was available immediately at my local library, 

Overall, I'm not sure how I feel about it. The premise is fascinating, Mickey Barnes is an Expendable.  A person who's sent out on dangerous missions that only a human has the dexterity or decision making skills to carry out.  If Mickey perishes, they have a way to regenerate him with memories and personality intact.   

         Mickey joined up to escape an unpleasant situation on his home planet, but now that he's been regenerated a few times, he had to admit that this life is a challenge. Left for dead at one point, he actually survives, and comes back to his bunk to find that Mickey 8 has already been regenerated. As one might imagine,  this creates a great deal of comedic problems, and thought provoking situations. 

     I liked this novel.  I admit, I did not LOVE this novel. The writing is good, and the premise is fantastic, and original.  What I didn't like is that the characters were kind of flat overall.  Given that this is an action/plot based kind of a book, it makes sense, but I still wanted maybe a bit more. 

I will definitely be reading more from this author, but I'm not sure I want to read more of the Mickey 7 series.  It was a solid OK.  I suspect if I was a 17-22 yr old man it would have been perfection. 

Have you read this series or seen the film?

 STATS

First Published :  2023

Pages: 330

Available as an Audio Book : Yes  

Trigger Warnings:  poverty, racism, classism, bugs, medical issues, body horror, supernatural creatures

(this is not a full list, read responsibly)