Month: October 2023

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#BookReview: Dreaming Of Water by A.J. Banner

Fast, Twisty Read With Plenty O’ Drama. Once again Banner delivers on managing to pack quite a tale into a relatively short (260 ish page) package. Here, her personal passion for old typewriters (shared by Tom Hanks, fwiw) shines through, and she manages to essentially wrap an entire story around this anachronistic device that yes, was still being used by some as recently as 2004, when the “before” period of this book was set. Was it the dominant form of communication then? No. But remember: the smart phone was still 2-3 years away, as dated by Apple’s introduction of the iPhone in 2007. So it wasn’t as though communication had been completely revolutionized yet at that point either. The twists here come at a rather frenetic pace once they start, and the tension is particularly well paced, starting out rather slow as we first enter the world, before ramping up slowly and consistently before getting to a few peaks and troughs leading into the climax. Overall yet another excellent work by Banner, and I for one truly hope she continues to keep writing, as her particular style not being around anymore would be quite a loss for the literary world. Very much recommended.

This review of Dreaming Of Water by A.J. Banner was originally written on October 7, 2023.

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#BookReview: The Golden Gate by Amy Chua

More Noir Than Thriller. This is a *great* detective story set in pre-D-Day 1944 San Francisco that truly reads as more of a noir than an actual thriller. There is quite a bit of mystery and intrigue, but very few murders or even action sequences and really a rather lot of mind games and misdirection. So while it has bone-chilling moments, I really wouldn’t market this thing as a “thriller”. Beyond that, though, truly a superb book that combines history that many likely didn’t know (I know *I* didn’t, and American History is one of my stronger non-degree-oriented knowledge sets) with a *just* real enough story that you could believe it could have actually happened, if you were not 100% aware as you’re reading it that it is, in fact, historical fiction. Thus, it actually ranks as one of the *stronger* historical fiction tales around – and particularly noteworthy for a debut (in fiction anyway) author. While there is an element of “white guy bad” here, there is also a crucial *good* white guy, which brings enough of a balance to avoid any allegations of *blatant* racism, even as both the story itself and the author’s note at the back reveal that there is quite a bit of anti-white animus animating the story. But as this is primarily a story of non-white characters and their struggles during the Japanese Internment Camp era of US History, along with a dose of international intrigue with the addition of several more non-white characters from another prominent region outside of the US but significant during the era (and since), it isn’t so truly blatant or pervasive as to really mar the story at all. Indeed, it is only after finishing the book, and particularly while reading the author’s note, that the anti-white sentiment is *really* noticeable. So yet again, kudos for hiding in plain site with that one. Overall, this is truly a rather strong (fiction) debut, and it will be interesting to see what the author can do in this space with any sophomore effort. Very much recommended.

This review of The Golden Gate by Amy Chua was originally written on October 5, 2023.

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#BookReview: Cleat Cute by Meryl Wilsner

Several YMMV Issues But Nothing Objectively Wrong. This is one of those stories where there are a LOT of valid issues that people may have with the book, but ultimately pretty well all of them are matters of taste and not something truly concretely objectively *wrong*. Some may quibble about the rather obvious nature of having lesbians playing women’s professional sports (in this exact case, soccer). Fairly or unfairly, this is almost insulting in just how much it plays into the stereotypes of women’s professional sports in particular. Some may quibble about the extremely casual and flirting with erotica level sex that dominates most of the book, or the way that neither character actually knows much about the other before starting this form of “relationship”. That last bit may actually be the most realistic thing about that aspect of the relationship here, however! Some may quibble about the lack of communication and arguably even consent in at least a few key aspects of the later story. Some may quibble about the insistence on medication and the glorification of a “miracle cure” that eventually comes up. Some may quibble about the rather blatantly obvious “bad guy ex” stereotype or the rather wooden and largely barely characterized at all extended cast of friends and teammates that play such crucial roles at various points in the tale.

And I could keep going, but you, *my* reader, begin to get the picture here. There are issues, but they are issues that any given reader may or may not actually have problems with, and that is completely for Wilsner’s readers to decide for themselves here. Ultimately, I felt the book was fine for what it was, with nothing truly *jarringly* glaringly wrong about it, and nothing to objectively say “THIS IS WRONG!!!!” about. So read it for yourself if you’re remotely interested in reading about lesbian romances. Recommended.

This review of Cleat Cute by Meryl Wilsner was originally written on October 5, 2023.

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#BookReview: The Last Supper Club by Matthew Batt

Moving Memoir Of A Memorable Moment. This is a memoir of one of those moments in one man’s life where he was just looking to make a buck and make sure his family was ok… that turned into something he found he loved doing. After it ended, this book has become his love song to that period in his life, that place, and those people. And yes, Batt discusses his entire life, including touching on what he is doing outside the restaurant quite a bit. But even when the tale leaves the restaurant, it never strays too far… and it always comes back fairly quickly. Overall a poignant tale that will leave you looking back on the similar periods of your own life. Very much recommended.

This review of The Last Supper Club by Matthew Batt was originally written on October 4, 2023.