Book Review: The Summer of the Serpent By Cecilia Eudave

    As a reader I am gravitating more and more to horror.  I think this is because there is always something interesting going on in horror. 

  I initially was avoiding horror because I really don't need any adrenaline rushes and perhaps I was just not interested in cathartic reading experiences.  

But Horror to me is so much more. I have been fascinated to read horror novels from other cultures, as they offer such an amazing view into that culture- and it's interesting to see what transcends borders in horror and what needs footnotes for outsiders to fully grasp the horror. 

With all that in mind, I boldly sailed into The Summer of the Serpent by Cecilia Eudave.  As an added bonus, this is a book in translation, and I really want to beef up these books in my list.  In hindsight, I would have probably not read this book if I knew that the animal cruelty  and child abuse would be so prominent in parts of the book. This for me was so very difficult to listen to and although it was not extraordinarily graphic or grotesque in any sort of splatter punk way, it was a tough one to read through. Others may not find this as horrifying as I did, but HELP A READER OUT! 

This novel is only 144 pages. In this brief encounter, the reader is able to experience so many things about the sweltering summer of 1977 in Guadalajara, Mexico. 

   It feels as if this is more of a collection of vignettes with points of view from all angles, all experiencing the same time and space, but somehow, having wildly divergent experiences and emotions all tied up together. If you have ever sat around with siblings and recounted a monumental family trip  and realized that even though you were all there, on that trip, together, each one of you has a different memory- this is exactly how reading this felt. I was immersed in this sensation of a fever dream that often overtook my childhood summer days, and although my circumstances were different, these vignettes did bring back my childhood summers- to an extent. I want to read more from this author, but I will be a bit cautious about the content! 

First Published :  6/30/2026

Pages: 144

Available as an Audio Book :  Yes

Trigger Warnings: Death,  ghosts,  reference to child SA, Animal cruelty (not vague),  (this is not a full list, read responsibly)

Book Review The Plagued Sea By Kim Bo-Young

 Many Many Thanks to Honford Star Ltd for the advanced E-copy of Kim Bo-Young's A Plagued Sea.

Amazingly, After I finished this one, I was offered the Advanced Listener's Copy from MacMillan Audio!  I jumped at the opportunity because with this creepy novel, I wanted to see how the narrator would handle the monsters and general atmospheric vibe! 

I am not sure if there has been a new flood of translated Korean works into the English Market - or if I just somehow became aware of them and started to seek them out but I am definitely here for it either way. 

Let's start with the Cover:

This cover really gives off a bit of creepy vibes just with the muted tones and the sightless fish eyes, It was designed by Jana Heidersdorf who is well know as the creator of covers for Hazelthorn and Don't let the forest in.

    This is a novella and it is a perfect read for those embarking on HRCYED (Hardest Reading Challenge you'll ever do) in July. One of the prompts is Weather Events and another is Regions, and yet another involves the elements, so this compact novella could work for several prompts. 

For readers who aren't into challenges, this also stands out as a book in translation, and a horror novel that pulls in the most delightful Lovecraft elements, while maintaining originality. 

   Without any SPOILERS - (there's enough spoilt fish in this one), readers start in a train station where our main character and her delightful niece are set to take a trip to a seaside escape. As they near boarding, warnings abound noting a strong weather event at their destination. For an unknown reason Mu-young decides to board the train anyway - a decision she may come to regret. Three years later, She finds herself trapped in a village that is quarantined due to East Sea Fever. There's no vaccine or cure, and it seems only this village is affected. My-young fills her time working to maintain quarantine for the infected. It's a thankless job, and she isn't a gentle kind character that makes a reader want to support her. One day she's warned to stay inside, but of course, like all good horror, she does not do what she was told, and all hell, chaos and misery breaks loose in a way that opens her understanding and compassion. This crescendo of a moment really made the entire book for me! 

   Overall this read has top tier suspense that built steadily until an explosive conclusion. I enjoyed the references back to Lovecraft and felt that this novella does deserve to be called "lovecraftian" It was someone Covid-19 coded- and I did feel a bit triggered by many references that brought the Covid back to the forefront of my mind. I imagine in a few more years "the young folk" will find those references fascinating rather than triggering! 

Getting back to the Narrator... Joy Osmanski was the narrator and I appreciated the subtle way she used her voice tones and pauses to create this nightmare sensation of a novel.  It would have been easy to fall into sound effects, but instead I felt as if I was listening to Joy tell us a story naturally using just inflection, timbre and tone- as well as space between the words to set the scene. Amazing. 

I'm so glad I got the opportunity to dip into this one early and review it for all.  It's one to pop on the TBR to savor on a rainy summer afternoon! 

First Published :  8/11/2026

Pages: 156

Available as an Audio Book :  Yes

Trigger Warnings: Death, Ecological disaster, Disfigurement, violence, smoking and mild alcohol use, noxious odor references.  (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: Inner Space By Jakub Szamalek

   I picked up Inner Space on Audio from my library  mostly because of my 2026 Outer Space reading theme.   I can say.. this was a VERY good read. 

This fit nicely into so many of my goals as a piece of translated fiction, so I dove in immediately.

   For me this qualifies as Hard Sci-fi with a slice of messy relationships. Please do not mistake that for this novel being some sort of romance.  There are relationships, some romance and sex, but if you are looking for a happy ending, a couple rediscovering that each is their North Star, or that sort of novel, this will not hit the mark. 

If, however, you are looking for an intense, broody, slow burn/build thriller type novel with a side of horror, and human psychology-you will want this to earn a place on the TBR. 

No Spoilers Summary- because they are simply dreadful.  

In one of the final joint travel missions to the ISS American and Russian Astro/Cosmonauts head to the International Space Station. At the start, things feel awkward.  The crew is known to be somewhat poorly matched. Once established on the station, an ammonia leak is noted.  While not dangerous, the inability of the crew to locate and repair the leak leads to an increase in the already brewing tension. Soon, everyone is suspect. The location creates a bit of a unique huis clos - or closed door mystery situation. For me I felt the ISS itself became somewhat of a character itself, as all it's nooks, crannies and oddities are explored and exploited- ratcheting the tension up even more. As the crew commander investigates, directives are hurled into space from various parties and readers are invited to both explore the realities of life in space, human nature and tendencies, and solve a perplexing mystery. 

Szamalek  and translator Beresford clearly know their Space details, and I found the descriptions of life aboard the space station to be particularly fascinating. Indeed when I tune in to ISS news, the astronauts always look cheerful, and excited to be participating in their mission activities- but we can never really know their inner thoughts, frustrations and triumphs. Szamalek takes us into this mindset with interesting perspectives and through processes about motivation, dedication and exploration.  I admit, as a superfan of the Space Based Romance...the author's very well researched descriptions of life aboard the ISS have dampened my desire for my own space based romance, and I'm starting to believe all Space based romance should be reclassified as "Fantasy" rather than Sci Fi!  In a way, it makes me appreciate the romance all the more as I can now see how otherworldly it really is.  

Overall, I highly recommend. Szamalek tread a thin line- creating a thriller that engages, in a hyper realistic situation with extremely relatable characters.  The afternote from Kasia Beresford the translator was additionally very interesting as the background work to fully translate this novel is made clear for all readers. 

I hope more readers pick this up- as I want to talk about it more! 

STATS

First Published  7/2025

Pages: 352

Available as an Audio Book : Yes

Trigger Warnings:  violence, homophobia, descriptions of blood, bodily fluids, intense isolation, misogyny, psychological distress, hostile situations

(this is not a full list, read responsibly)  

Book Review The Black Cathedral by Marcial Gala

 

  This... book -  it was an adventure!  I have a lot of mixed feelings about this one! 

I have been reading

Ada Ferrer's  Amazing history of Cuba, and I wanted to pair it with some Cuban writers, and I really only knew Jose Marti and Leonardo Padura.  A search through Libby for some Cuban authors brought this one up. It advertised that it was a portrait of a broken utopia, so I thought, let's try this one out.  

Keeping in mind that this novel was read in translation, I fear I may have missed the twisted satire a bit, thought I caught some of it. 

     In summary-- with no spoilers, this novel follows a family as they move to a neighborhood on the edge of being a bad one- in a southern city in Cuba. Mr. Stuart is a minister and begins to raise funds to build a spectacular house of worship.  The story  unfold with very little "plot" and is more of a slice of life told by multiple narrators - gossips, neighbors both young and old, serial killers and a few ghosts. 

 The writing was excellent and evocative and thought provoking. Readers get a glimpse of Cuba as the narrators grow and change with Cuba as a nation growing and changing. I did enjoy the changes seen in several main characters, and was equally thrilled and horrified by the resident serial killer indeed. 

I did feel like the entire novel really embraces a  "Slice of life" style which over all is not my favorite. We have a distinct beginning with the arrival of Mr. Stuart and his unusual family, but the novel itself then sort of fans out to provide almost cameos of each interesting member of the neighborhood, rather than a novel focused on the arrival, settling in and moving away  of the Stuart family.  

So for me this is not going to be one of my favorite reads of the year.  I feel that reading it in the original language may have helped me, but alas, I am not fluent to read.  I feel that the perceived flaw - with a less solid plot- may have been intentional, so I can't say it's poorly executed, I can just say that the more nebulous plot is just kind of "not my favorite" style of novel. 

So- I do recommend this for people interested in Cuban literature,  weird literature, and books in translation. If you are looking for a story with a defined Beginning-Middle-End, this one may not satisfy you in that way. 

     STATS

First Published : January 2021

Pages: 224

Available as an Audio Book : YES

Trigger Warnings: violence, blood, death, grief, racism, Cannibalism, murder, As always not a complete list, please read responsibly. 

 

Book Review: The Convenience Store By the Sea By Sonoko Machida

 This book is probably the ultimate in cozy fiction.  I picked it up because it fit with my water theme.  I've not liked a lot of this cozy fiction- (DNF the Dallergut Dream department Store, DNF Dinner at the Night Library, Did not even start We'll Prescribe you a Cat, and Just barely made it through The Kamogawa Food Detectives) So, I'm a little unclear what possessed me to check this out of the library.  Did I think it would be different? 

  I didn't actually.  Yet, this one crept right into my heart, slowly and with a bit or stealth! 

I got to about 25% through and I honestly wasn't loving it. There were a lot of gentle vignettes coming along but I was not exactly finding myself wanting to read it. It became relegated to the car audio book- which is the audio I put on when driving. I can't easily switch to a new book, so it's likely to get finished.  

   An odd thing happened about at the 55%-65% mark. I started to really enjoy the way the stories connected. I started to love how some lovely, and lonely people were finding meaning in their lives through a convenience store that was run with thoughtfulness and obvious care.  I gobbled up the rest of this book with some joy. I especially loved the story of the girl who wanted to create the delicious treats sold in these stores, and the story of the retired businessman who became a substitute Grandfather - finding himself, rekindling a relationship with his wife and supporting a lonely child all in one fell swoop. 

  For me, I didn't really love that there wasn't exactly an overarching story, instead it being kind of a jumble of interactions and slices of life with an overall theme of kindness and care.  That said, I do see the appeal and see why it has sold so so well! 

I admit also... I am a little sad that this store - being by the sea- really says nothing about the sea in general! 

Overall more enjoyable than expected, would make an excellent gift book- nothing very controversial. What it lacks in propulsion, it makes up for in tenderness. 

STATS

First Published :  2023 in Japanese/ English version July 2025

Pages: 228

Available as an Audio Book : YES

Trigger Warnings: lonely people, medical situations, bullying, parental death (not a complete list- be responsible!)

September Reading Wrap Up

September was a month of Bangers from the Back list and some great new reads that I got as Advanced Copies.  There were also some very mid reads, but - you can't win them all. Some of this is just dissociation from the world, but also... Advanced copies. 

 I finished 23 books in September. Incomprehensible.

Admittedly one was a VERY short read: Don't Trust Fish by Neil Sharpson.

 I saw this as an audio book and thought why not?  I had no idea anyone harbored  such strong feelings about fish as villians.  

This took about 15 minutes to consume, so ... when I say I read 23 books... it might not be very impressive. 

Out of this stack of Books...  let's do some statistics! 

Books in Translation:  2/27   this comes out to 7%.   It seems low, but I still think I'm surpassing last year's totals.    I am keeping on in searching these out. 

Books by Diverse Authors: 7/27  which is about 26%   A lower percentage than last month, but a higher book count. 

Favorite read for the Month: Has to be My Name is Emilia del Valle  by Isabel Allende. 

 I loved this one with my whole heart and soul.  So relatable, and yet so different! 

A close second was Marie Lu's Adult Debut  Red City! 

  I enjoyed this one!  It was a wild ride that did generate some reading anxiety but... I appreciated the not very cliff- hanger-y conclusion. 

Last month I noted I had been requesting less Advanced Reader Copies, but honestly... I apparently have 8, so lots of new book reviews coming your way in October!!! 

I usually don't do a Least Favorite, but,  My least Favorite was K/A Knight's  The Wasteland.... not to be confused with T.S Eliot's poem.  The poem has great magnitude.  Knight's book is a RH story about a kick butt bounty hunter type woman, who picks up 3 very attractive male companions.  Both dystopian. I might need to do further comparison.  Knight has written other books that I've enjoyed, this one just didn't hang together very well. 

Book Review Hex by Thomas Olde Heuvelt

   This book should be at the top of any horror lovers list for "Spooky Season"  It is one book that actually managed to terrify me. 

A lot of the horror I read is sort of creeping, unsettling,  or slasher style horror with lots of gore and body parts.  Generally speaking, most of it seems so unrealistic that it isn't exactly "scary". HEX, on the other hand... very realistic with supernatural mixed in, sheer horror. 

    Our story is one of a HEX officer - Robert Grim who works in a small bucolic town - Black Spring NY  which is oddly haunted by a centuries old witch. There's a lot of lore about the witch- and she shows up all around town all the time. HEX is a project to monitor and control this phenomena- without alarming the general population outside of Black Spring. At some point, some teens start to do things that teens typically do- and the carefully constructed peace between the witch, and the town comes tumbling down. 

  If you are looking for something that is nauseatingly frightening on many different levels, this is going to be the book for you.  If not, I strongly advise avoiding it. 

For me, I loved it.  It was so original, and so well paced, and put together, that I could not put it down.. sort of. I also could not read it anywhere but the gym - surrounded by other people.  Interestingly, HEX is translated from Dutch, and the author heavily changed the story line for  a North American audience- moving the location from the Netherlands to the Hudson Valley and more.  I'm not sure how I feel about a book being essentially re-written for a new audience, but that was a choice that was made. 

This is definitely one with lots of extremely spooky vibes, and one from "the Backlist"  I'm glad I read it and I admit, I have been peeking around corners making sure that I don't bump into Katherine all week!!!! 

First Published : 2013  in Dutch  2016 in English

Pages: 384

Available as an Audio Book :YES

Trigger Warnings: violent events, Child death, Suicide, body horror, illness, murder, animal death. 

Not a full TW list, please read responsibly. 

August Reading Wrap up 2025

  Whew.  August has been kind of miserable for me. 

 I read 16 books.  Most of them on audio or in print with audio assistance. I feel like I had a pretty nice balance between what I'd call "serious reading" and fluff.   The fluff in the end was the most enjoyable as I am currently trying to just escape reality! I did also make a bit more of an effort to find those diverse books again, so hopefully this looks better than June and July! 

This is missing Sargassa, as I surprised myself by finishing it at the gym today! 

Books in Translation:  2/16  or about 12%.   I started a few more and really really - found I had chosen wrongly, and sent those back to the library as DNF.  I learned a lot from both novels (The Empusium, and Celestial Bodies)  but I'm not sure either was a top top read of the month. 

Books by Diverse Authors: 6/16  or about 38%.  This is about the same as June and July. I generally start off a month picking multiple diverse authors and then, somehow devolve into reading certain fluffy romances.  This past month, however, two of the fluffy romances were written by authors of a diverse background. In addition, a few authors don't have any sort of indication on websites about their background, so a few of these could be falling into the diverse category. 

Favorite of the Month? 

it has to be Old School Indian by Aaron John Curtis.

This one was so oddly relatable, and eye-opening at the same time. I loved everything about it.  Just amazing. 

This was followed in a very close second by Tim Chawaga's Salvagia. 

 
I fell in love with this one for the Florida theme, the "third way" alluded to throughout the book, the diving, and the general concept. I LOVED this.  

 I'll be diplomatic and not name my least favorite, because I did really loathe that one.  

I've been requesting less ARC's lately, so we shall see how September goes! 

What was your favorite read for August? 

Book Review: The Empusium - A health resort horror story by Olga Tokarczuk

 Wow!  this is a What did I just read? Book for me! 

 I have been wanting to delve a bit more into horror and specifically folk horror.  With August being women in translation month, I thought why not try this one out. It was my first novel by Tokarczuk, and I'm still on the fence about how I feel about it. 

I LOVED the creepy cover. 

Credit to Lauren Peters-Collaer as the designer.  This cover embodies the novel so so well. 

Trying not to give any spoilers-  This is a story set in 1913, in the Silesian mountains in Europe. A young man is sent to rest and recoup from tuberculosis. He's staying in a Guesthouse for Men, and each evening the residents gather after a meal to drink and opine on various topics, religion, the government, women, and more. Everyone takes these conversations very seriously, but yet of course, they are nothing in the sense of the world. I was struck by the yearning of men to be important, or viewed as important Our main character is an observer and finds that many odd things are afoot in the town, and in the surrounding mountains. As he observes, he comes closer and closer to the truth of how things are and will be for this town, and could be- for himself.   At the conclusion, our main character is entirely transformed.

This is billed as a recap of The Magic Mountain by Thomas Mann, but more feminist. which is possible, but there's a different feel to the novel. The entire novel itself feels like a slow burning fire, with a bit of mystery, gothic/folk horror and a side of "slice of life" moments.  

I will say I personally found the slow build up to the "night of terror" to be a bit long and possibly tedious, but each phrase was carefully crafted towards that main event, and I could feel it moving forward, I just wanted, apparently to go forward with a bit more haste.  Overall, recommend,  beautiful writing in translation. Extremely thought provoking, and with a lot of points to ponder on. 

First Published : 09/24/24 (US) 

Pages: 320

Available as an Audio Book :YES

Trigger Warnings: death, drug use, blood, medical situations, violence, murder,mental health situations. 

Not a full TW list, please read responsibly. 

Book Review: Celestial Bodies By Jokha Alharthi 3 stars

 Last month I didn't read any translated work and I was pretty disappointed in myself.  August ia Women in Translation month, so I was sure I wanted to read something in translation. 

  A quick perusal of things available from my library brought me to Celestial Bodies. It won the Man Booker Prize in 2019, so I felt pretty sure that it would be at least well written, if not enjoyable. I also was fascinated that it was written by an Omani woman, about Oman, a country that I really could not even point out on a map. I was primed for an interesting read. 

Reading the blurb I was ready to get into a generational saga that allowed me a window into how society changed over decades on both a community and personal level.

What it felt like I got- Gossip Girl, but set in Oman.

Every chapter seemed to be the reporting on the troubles in someone's relationship, the ill advised choices of another, who was doing what with whom or for whom. This was interesting but jumbled up so that if there was an overarching message, I surely missed it.

Not bad, but...also very put-down-able.

Readers follow three sisters, as they are born, mature and marry.  We are present for each sister's  decisions, and the outcome of these choices.  Each sister takes a different path and the paths taken highlights a lot of the societal changes within Oman, and the world over the decades.  I was fascinated by the decisions and options available.  

What made this a difficult read for me was that there really was not a clear set of main characters. The sisters are given about as much attention as every other character in the book, including husbands, parents, aunts, cousins and notable community personalities. As readers travel through these women's lives it is additionally not a linear journey and the story dips and weaves in and out of the past in an unpredictable and dizzying way.  I often found myself reading along about the marriage of one sister, only to be plunged with no warning back to a flashback about the death of one of the husband's parents. In the end for me, I read this almost as a series of "slice of life" moments over time. 

  I have a strong feeling that the translation is very good, but that somehow in the translation the boney structure of the novel was lost and changed into sort of a dreamy, confusing mush. 

   I do think it's fantastic to have a novel from Oman for us to read and I do feel like I understood much more about the role of women, and how it seems to have changed in that country.  What I feel like I missed was a thread that held the work together, and a conclusion that would somehow bring all the different experiences into a sharp focus.  Soooooo for me,  although this book is a lot of firsts, and has a lot of good qualities, it was a three star read. Because of it's place in literature, I might still recommend as a book in translation from a culture that isn't widely represented in literature.  I would love to discuss this one more, and if the timeline wasn't so jostled I would have loved to recommend for Book club! 

STATS

First Published : October , 2019

Pages: 256

Available as an Audio Book :YES

Trigger Warnings: Death, blood, medical situations, violence, childbirth.

Not a full TW list, please read responsibly. 

May Reading Wrap Up!

 May apparently was not a month for me to finish up a load of books.  My Total is 12. 

Kind of a far cry from February's 21 books.  May was a difficult month overall, and it shows that I wasn't really able to complete a lot of books.  I did have several that I just had to return to the library and place on hold again because I couldn't get them finished in the 2 week loan period, so... I did do a bit of soft DNF, because I just couldn't get the book done. It will be available in about 3 more months, and hopefully I won't have forgotten too much plot! 

Like this human, my head was full and I was unable to concentrate on anything that made sense. 

Albertus, D. O., Albertus, M., Farfengo, B., Giles, O. R., Albertus Magnus, S. & Lessing J. Rosenwald Collection. (1490) Opus Philosophie Naturalis. Brescia, Baptista Farfengo, 10 Sept. [Pdf] Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/47043534/.

 Despite my small reading, I do think I got a bit more variety in there this month. Let's look at the statistics!

Books in Translation: 1/12 It's a lower number, but I'm still glad to see that one of my books was a translated work! 

Books By Diverse Authors: 58% of the books I read were written by an identified diverse author. Much better than April's 19%.  

Buddy Reads: We started a book , but I failed to finish it.  I have been struggling with print books and leaning heavily on audio and this was a print book so it just.. fell a little by the wayside. 

Book Club: I DNF both the Local Book club book and my own On line Stabby and Smoochy Book Club book. The Stabby Book was in print, and no audio available and I just wasn't finding it to be that great. The Local library club was another tale of a heroic WW2 woman, and I decided after about a chapter that I'd read enough.  (And we see now why I may have only finished 12 books! 

Hugo Awards: I have made progress on reading this year's nominees, so, depending on which one wins, I might have made progress on this goal.

Water Theme:  33% - or 4 books this month fit in to my water theme very nicely. 

I have yet to review two of these for the blog. But, As soon as tumultuous May is finished maybe I can hope right on that! Overall, i was pleased with my mix of non-fiction and fiction about water, and our use of it in life and our stories. 

TOP Read for May?  

I think hands down it's the novel in translation:  Oromay  by Baalu Girma. 

Not only is it an interesting novel which presented me with a unique window into time, but it is one that I wish more people would pick up and read. 

IN very close second was Emily Tesh's  The Incandescent! 

This book was everything I wanted in a grown up world of magic, demons and finding meaning in ourselves and our lives as we navigate adulthood. 

Overall, I had a fun reading month, given that I had some fairly intense home/work life balance stress going on that's kind of very slowly resolving itself. (please send good thoughts) 

I am hopeful for June. Firstly I plan on READING the WHOLE book for my Stabby and Smoochy Book Club!  I'm skipping the library book club book because it looks like hot garbage,  and I am half way through some other books that I'm really enjoying so I'm hoping that will help me tally up some nice reads for June.  I don't really plan the TBR out, I just take what's available at the library. 

How do you plan your TBR?  

April Reading wrap up!

 April was a great month for reading, for me! I finished 23 books!  Almost all of them were on audio, so that is also a record for me.  Lately I have been wanting to read actual physical copies of books, but, the audiobooks are so very convenient and have now a lot of amazing narration as well. Still, sometimes, seeing the words in print and being able to go at one's own pace is really nice. 

  I haven't really tallied things up - but I feel like I may have read a little less diversly this month, which is NOT my goal at all. I have been enraptured with what is available on NetGalley lately  and that seems to have taken over. So I've been making friends with books.  A lot of friends.  And also, if you've read a good book by a diverse author, please drop the rec in the comments. Bonus if it is available at many libraries. 

Make friends with books November 13-19 , book week. , 1949. [United States: publisher not identified] Photograph. https://www.loc.gov/item/2015646092/.

Let's get into it! 

Statistics!

Books in Translation: 1/23  I do not have a particular goal of reading a lot of works in translation, but I do find it interesting when I read them, as the story is affected by both the author, the translator and the reader.  This month  I read Not a River by Selva Almada.  I am unsure if it fell flat somewhere in the translation, or if it just wasn't for me, but it did fall into my water theme nicely and I had never read anything by Almada, so now I have. 

Books by Diverse Authors: 19% of my reads were by diverse authors. Definitely a drop from February 57% . Al ot of this was that I was offered books that I wanted to read that weren't by diverse authors. Hopefully in May I will up that a  bit, I am really slipping.  So I've got 5-6 that I'm already starting in May which are by diverse authors, we will see.  I do kind of do a lot of DNF. 

TOP Read for April?  So hard. April was full of amazing reads, some very unusual for me  (Upon a Starlit Tide) and others that were kind of expected, like A Sorceress comes to Call). 

In the end, I'm  going with 

The River Has Roots By Amal Al-Mohtar

The writing was what clinched it.  The story itself was fine, but the musicality of the book really leant itself to reading aloud and thinking about things and overall the entire reading experience was wonderful.   I liked it so much I even made an entire video about it.

I'd recommend this to pretty much anyone. It's one I'd recommend for aspiring writers, just to look at how the author uses words throughout. 

A close second would be  If an Egyptian Cannot Speak English by Noor Naga  

This short novel was quite a surprise for me, I read it and found it to be a little bit on the nose, and sort of off putting in some ways and then boom, the ending was chaotic and wonderful.  I will look for more from this writer. 

Hugo Awards: I made progress on my goal to read the Hugo award wining novels, and finished off Fahrenheit 451  by Bradbury.  This one was a winner especially after The demolished man, which was NOT a winner.  It took me a long time to acquire the next one - apparently another weak one- The Forever Game-  in which a feminine appearing robot is named "Bossy"  so hopefully, I finish that in May. 

Buddy Reads: 

  I finished off  Well, Actually by Mazey Eddings  with my Book Buddy and we both thought it was really fun.  Eddings writes a well paced romance with tension, diverse characters and a lot of relatable and funny moments! 

This one was overall just an enjoyable read (Thank you NetGalley and SMP!) 

Book Club Reads:  This is a bit shameful for me to admit, but even though I lead the Stabby and Smoochy Bookclub... I DNF the last two books!  We choose books by vote and I was outvoted. Since I had so many books from the library and Netgalley, those two just had to go- to me they weren't that great, and I had Noor Naga and Amal El Mohtar competing, as well as the great Ruby Dixon. 

I did read some Ruby Dixon this past month-  Bad Guy  Where readers continue in the Risdaverse, and meet who we think is Crueldon the Ruiner  and Mina, another brave human female. YES... it was as always fantastic, and Narrated by Mason Lloyd, I've audiobooked so much by Mason that the Dog recognizes his voice. 

I recommend Ruby if you are looking for a little Monster Romance. Everyone is always surprised at the quality of  her work.  

What else made up the bulk of this month's reading?

    Looking back I seem to have indulged a bit too much into the romance genre, as well as some Science Fiction- as I'm moving through the Hugo Nominees.  Can't say I recommend that path as "Hitched to the Gunslinger" was OK, but...I think it may have rotted my brain.  I like romance, but I need it to be... better? 

 So.  Let's see if I can do better in May! 

I want more Diverse authors for myself, "better" romance, and I dunno, maybe not to get swayed by every single thing on offer with Net Galley! 

Book Review: Not a River by Selva Almada 3/5 stars

  I picked up this short novel, really a novella (104 pages!)  as part of my 2025 Water theme. 

It was shortlisted for the 2024 Booker Prize and has garnered many accolades. 

I was really excited to read it, I'm a fan of sparse prose and so I thought this was going to be precise and insightful. It was precise and - perhaps I missed the insightful part. There was a lot going on in this little volume and I can see it being an important read and discussion for literature classes, but for me... 

it didn't quite do it for me. 

  We have a story of an ill fated fishing trip of sorts, in rural Argentina, which is peppered with lots of flashbacks, making it almost a dual timeline narrative- except it's really more of a multiple timeline, which, was a little bit difficult to follow with the audio book.  This may be one novel that would have been better for me to have the actual book in my hands. Themes that emerged: life and death, masculinity and toxic masculinity, rural life and community, and a touch of magical realism (really not even a touch, a whisper of this) . 

  I do think I'd read more from this author, the writing was very good - I just somehow did not quite engage as I thought I would with the actual plot/storyline, and thus, it left me very happy when it ended. This, I think is a fault of me- the reader- and not the writer. In addition, it is a translated work, so it is not exactly the original and that can change quite a bit for readers.  Indeed the translator notes herself that this was a difficult work to translate due to some slang and idiosyncrasies in the novel. Which made me wonder if a lot of the magic was really lost in translation despite a very serious effort. 

 So, who is this for? People who like really evocative sparse writing, those who want a shorter novel, persons interested in Argentina, students of literature, and those exploring expressions of masculinity. 

While this wasn't for me, I do see the value of this work, it's clear that it is well regarded and I'm not discouraging a read of this novel, but I will say, in the end, this will not be in my top 12 for the year! Have you read this novel?  Please share your thoughts! 

STATS

First Published  May 2025

Pages: 104

Available as an Audio Book : Yes

Trigger Warnings:  Death, misogyny, alcohol, violence

(this is not a full list, read responsibly) 

Book Review One Hundred Shadows By Hwang Jungeun 3.75/5 Stars

 This novella is really a work of art. I was attracted to the book by the cover, and the description made me think this would be a bit of a jaunt through horror. 

Well...

The cover is beautiful and the writing is gorgeous...

The story, really is not a jaunt through horror.

It has some moments, but no it's not that. 

   Firstly,  it helps to read this book in context.  The author Hwang Jungeun notes that they were inspired by the Yongson tragedy of 2009.   I am embarrassed to say that I had to look this up- I had no recollection of this.  That spiraled into what was I doing in 2009...and ah yes,  that was a LONG time ago and most Americans were focused on financial news, the death of Michael Jackson, and Obama's first term.  

I was unaware of this context and jumped in blind  to a story where Eungyo and Mujae are lost in the woods.  I really thought some amazing creature was going to stalk them, but no... Eungyo starts to see her shadow rising and she fights not to follow it away. These two both work in an electronic market in a derelict area of Seoul. Eungyo describes her day to day life and interactions and notes that many people have started to see their shadows rising.  They are cautioned not to follow.  We get lots of stories about people who did give in to their shadow and their definite decline.  The buildings they work in are scheduled for demolition, and the occupants seem unphased, and unbothered, there's no great plan to migrate, just a stoic acceptance. As the process begins, nothing seems to really change, and the story sort of fades out with Eungyo and Mujae taking a trip that ends in a darkness, with a choice by Eungyo that propels them towards community and life. 

   This is a great little piece of literature that allows a reader to really explore different topics.  There's community, corporate greed/takeover, a delightful interaction where Eungyo and Mujae discuss that their area is considered a slum,  which is not how they see it at all, set against a somewhat bleak background. lots to talk about for the right book club.  Lots to avoid for the wrong book club.  

  As a whole,  The writing is gorgeous, even through translation, I really enjoyed reading the entire book.  It really is a mood piece, as there is not a plot with a beginning, middle and end, we are sort of invited in to observe this life, and then gently escorted out, leaving a reader to do the work of coming to their own conclusions. For me, even though I know the beauty of this is that the work can be interpreted in many ways, and that the reader interaction with the writing is the final step in the process, my pea-brain just wants to know...  

   Great book for the right book club, people interested in Korean life and culture, people wanting to read good books in translation, and those who tolerate those vague endings better than I do! 

STATS

First Published 2010 (Korean)

First Published in English 2016 (I may be wrong on this but it's what I found) 

Pages: 192

Available as an Audio Book : YES

Trigger Warnings:  Death of parent, death, classism 

(this is not a full list, read responsibly)

Book Review White King By Juan Gomez-Jurado 5/5 Stars

   What a WILD RIDE!  I have just finished  White King  by Juan Gomez Jurado.  This is the conclusion in a trio of thriller/police procedurals that I found to be...really just perfection.  My only regret if you will is that at the end of White King, there's no commentary assuring readers that our dynamic duo John and Antonia will be coming back. Thank you to macmillan and NetGalley  for the opportunity to listen and review in advance. I LOVED this book! 

  It's probably best to talk about the last book , while mentioning the first two as they are indeed, a series and while they could be read along, I feel they are best devoured all at once in a row. 

   The audio books are all narrated by the very talented Scott Brick, and he has done such a good job- he doesn't go in for fancy accents, or high pitched voices to bring the story to life, instead, he manages the spaces between words to create suspense, intrigue and humor at all the right places.  I highly recommend the audio if you are inclined to listen to audio books. 

Antonia and John, two somewhat ill fitting puzzle pieces of people come together at the start of the series  

to form a somewhat unlikely, but also somewhat predictable partnership.  She's socially repellent, but brilliant - so useful
to a secret project. He's socially cued in and affable enough to put up with and protect Antonia. Both find each other infuriating, but neither has a lot of other options. Both highly relatable, and yet, not so relatable that the reader feels they could actually "be" the characters. 

What makes these books just a cut above all the other thrillers and police novels is the way the author interjects with spot on observations about human nature, how language shapes our understanding of our world, and human interactions, the price we pay for them and what we gain.  Add in these small leitmotifs that make a reader feel like they are in on a secret joke, and this entire series is a winner, 

White King is a fantastic addition. Gomez-Jurado takes us - without delay- but with lots of suspense and anxiety- to a satisfying and surprisingly gentle conclusion that left me on the edge of my seat until about the last 4 minutes. I actually was found standing in the kitchen with a fresh cup of coffee shouting out NOOOOOOOOO.   I never do this. I'm not prone to too much excitement within the pages of a book (and I'm completely lying here of course)  but let me just say the ending was unexpected, perfect and far kinder than I had hoped for. 

 While there is a series on Prime  which I intend to watch, I think it likely misses some of the inner monologues of the book, some of the small details that draw a reader into a fast paced adventure. So I'd recommend reading the full series even if you've "seen the show" 

 This book will appeal to readers who loved The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo,  as well as those who enjoy a twisted mystery to unravel.

   I, for one, can't wait to see what's next for Juan Gomez-Jurado.  

STATS

First Published 2020 (Spanish) 

Scheduled for English release March 2025

Pages: 352

Available as an Audio Book : YES

Trigger Warnings:  death, violence, cursing, suicide, police action, homophobia,

(this is not a full list, read responsibly)