The Poison Squad - Deborah Blum

You know the French saying "plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose" (the more things change, the more they stay the same)? This nonfiction book is a case in point. Subtitled "One Chemist's Single-minded Crusade for Food Safety at the Turn of the Twentieth Century" this book shows that the current issues our entire planet seems to be having with a small group of wealthy people doing everything in their power, including deliberately inflicting harm on people, so they can get even richer, is an apparently eternal conflict. That it seems to play out day after day after day, year after year after year, century after century after century, is, frankly, infuriating and disgusting. 

When we apply Mr. Rogers' wonderful "look for the helpers" principle we find people like the subject of this book, Dr. Harvey Washington Wiley, who spent decades fighting for basic food safety legislation. Of course, he was fought tooth and nail by the creeps that profit on literally poisoning humans to make a buck, and their idiotic arguments were pretty much exactly the same idiotic arguments these creeps make today to get away with their numerous misdeeds. I'm just glad that we have had (and still have) people like Dr. Wiley on the side of what's right. 

The Lost Book of Adana Moreau - Michael Zapata

This book can best be described as a "mindflip." It's another book that I am not sure what to think of. I liked the premise but it's one of those books that would most likely benefit from multiple readings to really see and grasp the connections the author has set up. There are a lot of disparate elements that sort of come together and sort of don't. Fans of speculative sci-fi type books might love it. 

Libertie - Kaitlyn Greenidge

Confession time - I have to admit I wanted to like this book a lot more than I did. I found the main character fascinating, and the time period really rich with potential, but I think the book had two distinct parts and I am not sure how well they blended together. I think I would have preferred a book that focused on either one of the halves, if that makes sense. Or, a book that focused on the main character's mother - that would really have been a story I would have liked to hear. The writing was good so I would definitely read more by this author. 

The Only Good Indians - Stephen Graham Jones

Hot on the heels of reading a bestseller with "meh" writing, I dove into this amazing, well written book and couldn't put it down. If you like horror novels, you need to read this book. Even if you don't like horror novels, you should read this book for the sheer pleasure of reading something so well written. If you have any interest in Native American folklore and contemporary life, you should read this because I think you will be as captivated as I was. How is it possible that I have only now heard of this author, who apparently has something like 20 books out??? I have to credit Christopher Buehlman for mentioning this book on social media - no way could such a recommendation be something I wouldn't enjoy, I reasoned, and I was correct. I'm actually really happy that there are so many books I can catch up on for a new favorite author. Very highly recommended. 

The Mystery of Mrs. Christie - Marie Benedict

Did you know that famed mystery writer Agatha Christie went missing for more than a week? It's a very mysterious thing - Agatha herself never spoke of it, and didn't even mention it in her autobiography. It was played off at the time as amnesia but there is no way to know, and considering she is to this day the best selling mystery writer of all time, it's easy to think she could have planned something as a publicity stunt, or for some other, more personal reason. 

This book is a speculative historical fiction novel that posits an explanation for the disappearance (I won't give it away). It was the latest book club choice, and I think it was a good one for book club. Despite devouring Agatha Christie's Hercule Poirot stories when I was a kid, I was only vaguely aware of this event in her personal life, so this book was an entertaining way to learn more about her life. As is typical for "bestseller" type books, the writing is a tad clunky and there is a lot of telling rather than showing, but all in all this was a fast read that had me wanting to read more Agatha Christie books. 

The Blacktongue Thief - Christopher Buehlman

Longtime readers may remember me discovering this author many years ago, and raving about his book (now books). He got me reading horror again, although I haven't branched out into other modern horror authors yet (but I do have a read coming up, so stay tuned!). 

Well, now he's got me back to reading more fantasy type books with this latest release. As you might imagine from a master storyteller, it's a "ripping yarn" full of unforgettable characters and amazing action sequences - this would be a super cool movie. I think there are enough elements of horror to please his current fans as he branches out into fantasy, but if you love Lord of the Rings, for example, I think you would love this too. Highly recommended.  

Searching for Sylvie Lee - Jean Kwok

This book is billed as a mystery but it's more of a family drama with mystery elements. I am not sure what to think of it - I figured out something early on, which I don't normally do, so that tells me it must have been super obvious - ? Lots of weird things happen and ... I don't know. I would love to hear what others thought of it. 

Cary Grant: A Brilliant Disguise - Scott Eyman

You probably don't know this about me, but Cary Grant is my favorite actor. I absolutely adore him. He's the perfect package: suave, sophisticated, funny, and of course, stunningly handsome. And yes, I know that most of time these personas are created by the Hollywood studios and etc., but Cary Grant just embodied his so well! 

As a huge fan, I knew some of the basics about his life, but this book filled in a lot of details. It's well written and researched and was a fast, entertaining read. I do wish there had been more photos, but that is a small nitpicky "critique." Now I think I will go see if I can catch one of his films on TV! Highly recommended. 

Before the Coffee Gets Cold - Toshikazu Kawaguchi

Despite being a fan of Japanese fiction, I am apparently out of the loop because I had never heard of this book, which is apparently a worldwide bestseller, before it became a book club choice. This book was right up my street. I won't describe the plot or anything, but to sum up, it grapples with the eternal question of what you might change if you could go back in time. 

Although this is a novel, apparently the author is a playwright, and this was originally a stage play. I think that showed in many aspects, but it also probably contributed to the very quiet and calming feeling I had when reading. Recommended. 

The Hate U Give - Angie Thomas

March's book club choice is timely and devastating. The title comes from slain rapper Tupac, who used the acronym THUG LIFE (meaning "the hate u give little infants f---s everyone"). He's absolutely right. Hate begets hate and it creates cycles of abuse and horror that keep going and going.... and are very difficult to escape. 

This book personalizes this cycle by showing how the main character and her community react when she sees her friend murdered by cops. The story feels very immediate and personal and we are able to see why and how the characters react as they do. Recommended. 

Side note - somehow I missed the movie that was made of this book, I will have to check it out.