Book: The Alienist

 Book: The Alienist

Author: Caleb Carr

Pages: 512

This is my 160th read for the year

What Amazon Says:

The year is 1896.  The city is New York.  Newspaper reporter John Schuyler Moore is summoned by his friend Dr. Laszlo Kreizler - a psychologist, or "alienist" - to view the horribly mutilated body of an adolescent boy abandoned on the unfinished Williamsburg Bridge.  From there the 2 embark on a revolutionary effort in criminology: creating a psychological profile of the perpetrator based on the details of his crimes.  Their dangerous quest takes them into the tortured past and twisted mind of a murderer who will kill again before their hunt is over. 

Stars:4 

Book: House of Odysseus

 Book: House of Odysseus

Author: Claire North

Pages: 432

This is my 159th read for the year

What Amazon Says:

On the isle of Ithaca, queen Penelope maintains a delicate balance of power.  Many years ago, her husband Odysseus sailed to war with Troy and never came home.  In his absence, Penelope uses all her cunning to keep the peace - a peace that is shattered by the return of Orestes, King of Mycenae, and his sister Elektra.  Orestes' hands are stained with his mother's blood.  Not so long ago, the son of Agamemnon took Queen Clytemnestra's life on Ithaca's sands.  Now, wracked with guilt, he is slowly losing his mind.  But a king cannot be seen to be weak, and Elektra has brought him to Ithaca to keep him safe from the ambitious men of Mycenae.  Penelope knows destruction will follow in his wake as surely as the furies circle him.  His uncle Menelaus, the battle-hungry king of Sparta, longs for Orestes' throne - and if he can seize it, no one will be safe from his violent whims.  Trapped between 2 mad kinds, Penelope fights to keep her home from being crushed by a war that stretches from Mycenae and Sparta to the summit of Mount Olympus itself.  Her only allies are Elektra, desperate to protect her brother, and Helen of Troy, Menelaus' wife.  And watching over them all is he goddess Aphrodite, who has plans of her own.  Each woman has a secret.  And their secrets will shape the world. 

This is the second book in the Ithaca series, and I liked it almost as much as the first.  It was well written and the story flowed nicely.  Aphrodite as the narrator is great.  Unsung heroine Penelope reigns supreme.  And Helena makes an appearance in this book.  Glad I found these gemes of Mythology retelling.

Stars: 4

Book: Memoirs of a Debulked Woman

 Book: Memoirs of a Debulked Woman

Author: Susan Gubar

Pages: 320

This is my 158th read for the year

What Amazon Says:

Diagnosed with ovarin cancer in 2008, Susan Gubar underwent radical debulking surgery, an attempt to excise the cancer by removing part or all of many organs in the lower abdomen.  Her memoir mines the deepset levels of anguish and devotion as she struggles to come to terms with her body's betrayal and the frightful protocols of contemporary medicine.  She finds solace in the abiding love of her husband, children, and friends while she searches for understanding in works of literature, visual art, and the testimonies of others who suffer with various forms of cancer.  Ovarian cancer remains an incurable disease for most of those diagnosed, even those lucky enough to find caring and skilled physicians.  

This was a pretty good book.  Hard to hear these stories, as always.  This book is over 12 years old now, and she was diagnosed a few years before she wrote this book.  I looked her up and was happy to see that she was alive and doing well 18 years after her diagnosis.

Stars: 4

Book: Margo's Got Money Troubles

 Book: Margo's Got Money Troubles

Author: Rufi Thorpe

Pages: 304

This is my 157th read for the year

What Amazon Says:

As the child of a Hooters waitress and an ex-pro wrestler, Margo Millet's always known she'd have to make it on her own.  So she enrolls at her local junior college, even though she can't imagine how she'll ever make a living.  She's still figuring things out and never planned to have an affair with her English professor - and while the affair is brief, it isn't brief enough to keep her from getting pregnant.  Despite everyone's advice, she decides to keep the baby, mostly out of naivete and a yearning for something bigger.  Now, at twenty, Margo is alone with an infant, unemployed, and on the verge of eviction.  She needs a case infusion - fast.  When her estranged father, Jinx, shows up on her doorstep and asks to move in with her, she agrees in exchange for help with childcare.  Then Margo begins to form a plan she'll start an only Fans as an experiment, and soon finds herself adapting some of Jinx's advice from the world of wrestling.  Like how to craft a compelling character and make your audience fall in love with you.  Before she knows it, she's turned it into a run away success.  Could this be the answer to all of Margo's probelms, or does internet fame come with too high a price?  Blisteringly funny and filled with sharp insight, Margo's Got Money Troubles is a tender tale starring an endearing young heroine who's struggling to wrest money and power from a world that has little interest in giving it to her.  It's a playful and honest examination of the art of storytelling and controlling your own narrative, and an empowering portrait of coming into your own, both online and off.

I really enjoyed this book.  I did watch the Apple TV series first, and found it pretty good, but I did like the book better.  I think in the book Margo holds it together a little better - seems a bit more mature.  I liked that OnlyFans wasn't the biggest part of the book - it was her trying to care for Bodi.  I liked that most of the people in the book are calmer than they are in the show.  There was strife, of course, and relationship discourse - but not like the show.  It had a great ending.  Glad I read it.

Stars: 4

Book: The Night We Lost Him

 Book: The Night We Lost Him

Author: Laura Dave

Pages: 320

This is my 156th read for the year

What Amazon Says:

Liam Noone was many things to many people.  To the public, he was an exacting, self-made hotel magnate fleeing his past.  To his 3 ex-wives, he was a loving albeit distant family man who kept his finances flush and his families carefully separated.  To Nora, he was a father who often loved her from afar - notably, a cliffside cottage perched on the California coast from which he fell to his death.  The authorities rule the death accidental, but Nora and her estraged brother Sam have other ideas.  As Nora and Sam form an uneasy alliance to unravel they mystery, they start putting together the pieces of their father's past and uncover a family secret that changes everything.

This was a pretty good book.  There was good character development, and I liked the dynamic of the family.  Mystery was decent.  The story moves along at a good clip.  There is plenty of conflict.  Good writing.  Satisfying ending.

Stars: 4 

Book: Logan's Run

 Book: Logan's Run

Author: William Nolan

Pages: 192

This is my 155th read for the year

What Amazon Says:

In 2116, it is against the law to live beyond the age of 21 years.  When the crystal flower in the palm of your hand turns from red to black, you have reached yr Lastday and you must report to a Sleepshop for processing.  But the human will to survive is strong - stronger than any mere law.  Logan 3 is a Sandman, an enforcer who hunts down those Runners who refuse to accept Deep Sleep.  The day before Logan's palmflower shirts to black, a Runner accidentally reveals that he was racing toward a goal: Sanctuary.  With this information driving him forward, Logan 3 assumes the role of the hunted and becomes a Runner.

This is an old book.  My husband bought it for me as a present thinking I might like it since this is my favorite genre.  But this book was weird.  It is short, and that is about the best thing it has going for it.  I had a hard time getting into it, and there were a million story lines.  Just odd.

Stars: 2 

Book: Ithaca

 Book: Ithaca

Author: Claire North

Pages: 416

This is my 154th read for the year

What Amazon Says:

17 years ago, King Odysseus sailed to war with Troy, taking with him every man of fighting age from the island of Ithaca.  None of them has returned, and the women of Ithaca have been left behind to run the kingdom.  Penelope was barely into womanhood when she wed Odysseus.  While he lived, her position was secure.  But now, years on, speculation is mounting that her husband is dead, and suitors are beginning to knock at her door.  No one man is strong enough to claim Odysseus empty throne - not yet.  But as everyone waits for the balance of power to tip, Penelope knows that any choice she makes could plunge Ithaca indo a bloody civil war.  

This was a great book.  I found it on a discount rack, and what a gem!  The writing is excellent and the story is intriguing.  Love the characters.  It is focused on the women - and told by one of the gods.  The story centers around Penelope, but heavily involes Clytemnestra - which is a favorite of mine (side note - you need to read the book Clytemnestra by Constanza Casati.  It is excellent).  This is the first book in the trilogy and I cannot wait to read the next one.  Check this one out.

Stars: 5