I’m trying to keep on top of my reviews this month, so you might see a few more mini-reviews from me. This week I am reviewing two recently published books that are pretty different from each other. Both were good, but not anything exceptional. But I did enjoy reading them.
Lula Dean’s Little Library of Banned Books by Kirsten Miller
Publication Date: June 18, 2024
Confession:
This book started off well enough. There is a fun ensemble cast of characters, each getting their own chapters to tell their part of the story. I really enjoyed the first quarter of the book which focused on how the banned books helped or influenced the various characters who read them. Many of these stories were quite humorous, but also held a tiny bit of hope that these characters would find their way. But as the story continues and these townspeople’s lives are changed, the story’s tone and meaning changed to. No longer were we getting these stories about banned books, but more and more different themes being crammed into the story. Themes of misogyny, slavery, reparations, white supremacy, gender discrimination, homophobia, the role of misinformation in the media, and I could probably come up with a few more, but you get the idea. I think the story just got way out of hand and the message about banned books got totally lost in the end. Speaking of the end, the climax and Lula Dean’s downfall came out of nowhere and really didn’t seem to fit the story? Let’s just say it went a little overboard. But I enjoyed the humor and the satire and even the story on the whole, I just wanted the focus to be more on the books than the other things.
Home is Where the Bodies Are by Jeneva Rose
Publication Date: April 30, 2024
Confession:
This was a well thought out thriller with a cast of rather unlikable characters, but still ones you can relate to. This was told through the three siblings in the present and then some chapters told by their mom in the past. Beth is the oldest and probably the most likable of the three, but she still has a lot of issues. She is stuck in her small town life, pining for her high school sweetheart and feeling put upon by her family. Nicole, the middle child, is a drug addict and that brings a whole set of other issues, like lying and always doing what it takes for that next hit. She is one month into her recovery, but the distrust from her siblings is still there. Michael was the only one who seemed to have his stuff together and made something of himself, but had distanced himself from his family. When they watch a home video that shows their father covered in blood with a dead body, things quickly fall apart between the siblings. This was a really good look at how adult siblings who have grown apart, try to come together to solve a mystery. Their relationships felt pretty authentic to me. Where this story fell apart though was it’s predictability. I figured out pretty early on what had probably happened that night, but the writing kept me going, as the tension and suspense ratcheted up and I needed to know the truth as much as the siblings did. The ending was well done and I was totally satisfied that the story wrapped up the way it did.
Confessions of a Serial Reader 