Shelly's Book Shelf

The Keeper

2026-05-16T01:18:25.609-04:00

TITLE: The Keeper

AUTHOR: Tana French

I love Tana French's books, especially the Dublin Murder Squad. Her standalone books and this third book featuring Cal Hooper, a retired American cop who moved to a small town in Ireland are more suspense than mystery, with a focus on character rather than plot.

This one has a slower start than the previous two and is probably more for people who love these characters, like me. After catching up with the main characters, the actual story gets underway when a local girl goes missing. When her body is found in the river, an accident is suspected, but an autopsy points to suicide. In trying to discover the truth, Cal and his fiancee Lena slowly dig into the secrets planted deep into the town's inhabitants and way of life. Other than some not-very-surprising plot twists, there isn't much going on, but the ending is satisfying. Since I know what to expect from this series, I'd welcome another addition.

Outlaw Planet

2026-04-11T13:43:00.003-04:00

TITLE: Outlaw Planet

AUTHOR: M. R. Carey

I loved this book. A continuation of Carey's Pandominion duology, it's very much its own thing, a futuristic western. And at his center is an unforgettable character, Elizabeth Indigo Sandpiper, who came to be known as the outlaw Dog-Bitch Bess.

It probably isn't necessary to have read the first two books before reading this, but it would help a lot, especially in understanding the various sentient species that share this particular planet. The Pandominion worlds are essentially alternate Earths, each with its own dominate sentient species.

Bess leaves her home in the north for a teaching job in a small southern city, where she is when war breaks out, a parallel of the US's Civil War. Tragic events sent Bess hunting for revenge, aided by a high-tech, AI-powered gun known as Wakeful Slim that dates from the planet's distant past. The backstory unfolds slowly as Bess comes to learn the truth of her world's origins.

Carey is a wonderful writer and he keeps the story moving at a compelling pace, building suspense to the satisfying climax and conclusion. I felt almost as if I was sitting at a campfire while someone told me the story of Dog-Bitch Bess. I hope Carey continues to write in this universe.

Daughter of Genoa

2026-03-24T14:12:00.004-04:00

TITLE: Daughter of Genoa

AUTHOR: Kat Devereaux

I'm a sucker for a good historical novel and this did not disappoint. Set in Italy during a few months in 1944, this story captures the desperation and bravery of people trapped in a war that's all too relevant today. Based on the real-life Italian resistance organization DELASEM -- the Delegation for the Assistance of Jewish Emigrants -- the story is told through the perspectives of two characters: Anna, a Jewish woman living in hiding who assists DELASEM by forging identity cards, and Vittorio, a Jesuit priest working with DELASEM who rescues Anna when her home is destroyed during a bombing raid and finds her a safehouse where she can stay. A third character, Massimo Teglio, known as Mister X, is a real-life Jew whose work with DELASEM helped save most of Italy's Jewish population.

At the heart of this fictional story is an emotionally fraught love triangle that forms between Anna and the two men, complicated by Vittorio's vows and past histories that haunt all three characters. The prose is simple yet compelling and drew me in from the first page.

Midnight Taxi

2026-02-23T15:34:00.004-05:00

TITLE: The Midnight Taxi

AUTHOR: Yosha Gunasekera

A nice cover and a good review in Publishers Weekly convinced me to try this debut mystery set in present-day NYC. Siriwathi Perera, who immigrated to the US with her parents and brother from Sri Lanka when she was a young girl, drives a cab to support her family while trying to find her purpose in life. Listening to true crime podcasts while cruising the city, looking for fares, has given her a slanted view of the criminal justice system that is put too the test when she's arrested for murder of her most recent passenger who was stabbed in the back seat of her cab. An earlier chance meeting with a fellow Sri Lankan proves fortuitous because the woman is a public defender. Together, they set out to find the actual killer.

This is a breezy, fast-reading book, with a chatty narrator who gets a bit repetitious and there's a lot of New York City trivia, which normally wouldn't bother me, but in a book with not much actual action and story, it feels like filler at times. There are some nifty plot twists, though most didn't really surprise me.

Overall, this is a pleasant mystery with appealing characters, and judging by the excerpt of a forthcoming book by the author, it's the first of a series. I'll probably read that when it's published.

Improvisers

2026-01-31T15:50:00.000-05:00

TITLE: The Improvisers: A Murder and Magic Novel

AUTHOR: Nicole Glover

I've been trying to read more widely and diversely, so I'm including more fantasy. Since this book is also historical, a fiction category I enjoy, and the protagonist -- Velma Frye -- is a Black woman inspired by Bessie Coleman, a real-life aviator, this book ticked a few boxes for me.

Set in 1931, the book takes place years after two others that I haven't read, and while characters from those books appear, this works fine as a standalone. Velma is continuing her family's tradition of solving magic-related mysteries and murders while working for the Magnolia Muses, magic rights organization. When people start acting oddly, even violently, Velma discovers the cause is magic-infused artifacts, sending her across the country in her plane to find and retrieve more of these dangerous objects.

A murder complicates Velma's investigation, as does the continued presence of Dillon Harris, a very persistent reporter investigating a mystery organization that may be connected to Velma's case.

It took me a couple of chapters to get into the rhythm of the book which is written in simple, straightforward prose. At times, it felt like I was reading a Nancy Drew book for adults, which isn't a bad thing. Regular readers of fantasy might see all the plot twists coming, but I was surprised by a few of them. I'm undecided about reading the earlier "Murder and Magic" books, but I would definitely read a sequel to this. Velma is a wonderful character and I came to care a lot about her, and her family and friends.

To Be Read

2025-12-20T17:17:00.000-05:00

I've never made a TBR stack before. Sometimes I pick my next book before finishing my current one, but mostly I choose what I'm in the mood for from the 100 or so unread books I own. For the 1st time, I'm committing to read at least these books I've recently bought.

Seven stacked books, top to bottom: The Ganymedan, Daughter of Genoa, The Improvisors, I Am Pilgrim, Outlaw Planet, un-a-bridged, and Gilt Frame

I have two more print books on pre-order and a digital book available from Bookshop.org to add to this stack.

Nickel and Dimed

2025-10-27T19:33:00.004-04:00

TITLE: Nickel and Dimed: (On (Not) Getting By in America

AUTHOR: Barbara Ehrenreich

I've been working my way through old books. I'd thought I'd read this years ago, but no. Despite reading it so many years after it was published (in 2001), it still feels current (minus the out-of-date statistics).

The author spent the better part of a year working in low-income jobs and paying for her expenses with her earnings only. She waitressed in Florida, cleaned houses in Maine while working weekends at a nursing home, and was sales "associate" at a Wal-Mart in Minnesota.

Ehrenreich has a way with words, making for an entertaining read while educating readers about the issues faced by the working poor, a situation that still stymies upward mobility and financial security of this economic class. Well worth reading.

Death at the Sign of the Rook

2025-10-09T14:10:00.000-04:00

TITLE: Death at the Sign of the Rook

AUTHOR: Kate Atkinson

It's been a tough year for me for reading, but hopefully, I'm now back on track.

Kate Atkinson is one of my favorite authors and her PI character, Jackson Brodie, is one of my favorite fictional creations. This latest installment in the series is a complete delight. The mystery -- possibly connected art thefts -- is almost beside the point, serving mainly to bring Jackson and the rest of the main characters together for a murder mystery weekend at a mansion/hotel during a blizzard. Jackson is merely one character in the quirky cast and the alternating points of view bring them all to life, so much so that some of them deserve their own novels. This is a compulsive, delightful read.

Girls of Tender Age

2025-02-04T17:39:00.004-05:00

TITLE: Girls of Tender Age

AUTHOR: Mary-Ann Tirone Smith

My goal of reading older books I've accumulated over many years continues with this memoir/true crime book. Tirone Smith grew up in Connecticut during the 1950s, a time when people had no fear of leaving their doors unlocked. Her prose is very readable and full of humor, and her choice of using present tense gives her story a timeless feel.

Two things make this more than a simple memoir. First is the challenge of living with an autistic brother at a time when the condition was poorly understood. Second is the murder of her fifth grade classmate at the hands of a pedophile and the lasting effect that horror had on Tirone Smith's life. Together, these two things elevate a story of childhood innocence into something more memorable. I'm glad I finally got around to reading it.

The Hunter

2025-02-02T16:16:00.002-05:00

TITLE: The Hunter

AUTHOR: Tana French

A sequel to The Searcher, this book picks up two years later. Retired Chicago cop Cal Hooper has settled into small town life in Ireland where he is mostly accepted by the locals, especially Lena Dunne with whom he has a comfortable relationship. They both care about fifteen-year-old Trey Reddy who, with their guidance has begun changing from a near-feral kid into a good kid with a good future. So, when Trey's absentee father returns from London with a wealthy investor in tow, Cal senses trouble.

Slowly, Johnny Reddy's great plan -- to dig for gold in the fields and nearby mountain -- is revealed. Local investors are needed and Cal smells a scam. He wants to protect Trey from her father's scheming, but Trey has plans of her own.

French's prose is compelling and the way she uses the town as a character helps build the suspense. This isn't much of a mystery, but it is a well-written story about characters I've come to love.

Two Novellas

2025-01-06T22:37:00.000-05:00

These two novellas were my last reads of 2024:

This World is not Yours by Kemi Ashing-Giwa

As Many Ships as Stars by Weyodi OldBear

Both were well reviewed by "Publishers Weekly," so I decided to give them a shot. I've been trying to read more diverse books, especially in science fiction and these two sounded perfect.

They both were enjoyable, but they reminded me of how much I dislike reading short stories. They're too short, and read in places like a synopsis. The character development is basic and I found it hard to care about what happens to most of them, especially those in This World is not Yours. Both had places where I wanted to know more, but there was no more.

This World is not Yours is a bit of a horror story in a work of science fiction. Two women in a romantic relationship and their male friend are part of a team colonizing a remote planet that features something they call the Gray, something that the planet produces to violently remove anything it perceives as a threat. I understand the importance of diverse characters so readers of all ethnic groups and sexual orientation, but I felt like those characters could've been anyone and the story would've worked pretty much un changed.

As Many Ships as Stars is more ambitious, covering 30,000 Earth years, with a few time jumps that had me wishing for more. A work of Indigenous Futurism, the story focuses on Leia, a Comanche woman working as an engineer on the spaceships that will take the richest families off a dying Earth (due to climate change), while knowing people like her will be left behind. So she decides to steal one of the ships.

The first third of the book shows how tough life is for her and her people, but the scenes felt too similar and I almost stopped reading because nothing much was happening. The book finally takes off pun intended, when she and her family and friends launch the spacecraft. Things get interesting, and the cultures of the Indigenous spacefarers come into play. But after the slow moving opening section, the rest feels rushed. I'd love this to have been at least twice as long. One quibble: the typesetting is awful, with words being split at the right margin in weird places with not a hyphen in sight. I do hope OldBear tries her hand at novels.

Two Memoirs

2024-11-18T21:06:00.000-05:00

I hadn't planned to read these actor memoirs one after the other, preferring to mix things up, but here we are.

Damn Glad to Meet You: My Seven Decades in the Hollywood Trenches by Tim Matheson, an actor whose work I've enjoyed over the years, is a fast, easy read, covering his time as a kid actor to the present. Probably best known for playing Otter in "Animal House," he takes the reader through the good and bad times a working actor/director faces. He writes a lot about needing to reinvent himself as he outgrows certain types of roles while wanting to improve his performances and break out of typecasting. Peppered through the book is acting advice, something not relevant for me but enjoyable none the less.

The Friday Afternoon Club: A Family Memoir by Griffin Dunne is a more serious book, though also very readable. I had a hard time putting it down. Dunne brings his well-known family to life, including his father, Hollywood producer and writer Dominick Dunne; his uncle, writer John Gregory Dunne; and aunt, author Joan Didion, as well as his indominable mother. There is no glossing over family dysfunction and addictions, but the murder of his sister, actress Dominique Dunne, by her former boyfriend hangs over the lives of Griffin and his family. The opening chapter covers Dunne's mother getting a visit late at night by a police officer there to give her the awful news; the last section deals with the aftermath, with the court case and the emotional toll on Griffin and his family, making this more than a typical actor's memoir

Echo of Worlds

2024-07-08T22:49:00.002-04:00

TITLE: Echo of Worlds

AUTHOR: M. R. Carey

The sequel to Infinity Gate. This seemed to have more techy info dumps and I had trouble with some of the science, but that didn't hurt my enjoyment of this fast-moving story of AI versus organics across the infinite Earths of the multiverse. The war between the Pandominion (sentient organics, including humans) and the Ansurrection (AIs) has ratcheted up and the Pandominion has a plan to destroy the machines. Rupshe, a powerful AI on a non-affiliated Earth that suffered a decimating war a decade ago has its own plan, along with a small team of organics and AIs to help.

Aside from my poor job of summarizing the plot, this is a immensely readable book, with memorable characters, especially Paz, a teenaged girl from Ut, a version of Earth where the main sentient species evolved from rabbits instead of apes. Paz, with her digital implants (including part of her brain as part of a life-saving surgery), becomes the key to ending the war. This is a story with a lot of heart.

Translation State

2024-06-10T13:27:00.002-04:00

TITLE: Translation State

AUTHOR: Ann Leckie

Set in the universe of Leckie's Ancillary/Radch books, which I loved, this is a standalone novel that explores identity issues while also exploring the nature of the alien Presger aliens, specifically the Presger Translators. Told in three alternating POVs, the main characters come to life, and despite their differences, they each want to be their authentic selves.

Enae, on her own for the first time since her grandmother's death, takes on a diplomatic job and is tasked with finding a fugitive missing for two centuries. Reet, a mechanic adopted as a baby by a human couple, longs to find any info about his birth parents, discovers more than he bargained for. And Qven, the only one of the three who has a first person pov in their chapters, is a rebellious would-be Presger Translator who wants a different life than the one they were created for. It's no surprise that these three characters cross each other's path, leading to a confrontation that puts the treaty between the Presger and humans at risk.

The story is fairly basic, especially when compared to the Imperial Radch trilogy. But the usage of a wide variety of personal pronouns, along with a discourse on what it means to be human, as well as three likable protagonists, elevates the story. I hope Leckie continues to write in this universe.

Downloaded

2024-06-03T13:38:00.004-04:00

TITLE: The Downloaded

AUTHOR: Robert J. Sawyer

In 2059, the crew of a starship scheduled to travel to a planet in a different star system, have their consciousness uploaded to a quantum computer and their bodies placed in cryosleep for the long journey. Also uploaded in the same Canadian facility are a group of convicts who chose to serve their sentences in a virtual prison. When something goes horribly wrong, everyone is downloaded to their waking body500 years in the future. While the facility is intact, the outside shows signs of a plent-wide disaster. The astronauts and ex-cons must learn how to work together in order to survive.

This short novel is a quick read, told in alternating points of view. The narrative gimmick has many of the characters answer questions from an unnamed interviewer. The characters are all interesting, though at times, their voices seem a bit too similar. But the keep the story moving forward and there's a real sense of them as people just trying to deal with the unexpected reality in which they find themselves.

Wings Upon Her Back

2024-05-29T12:44:00.005-04:00

TITLE: The Wings Upon Her Back

AUTHOR: Samantha Mills

In a city divided into districts devoted to one of the five gods, fourteen-year-old Zenya, born to scholars who worship the Scholar God, longs to fly. Her ambition means leaving her home and family for the warriors who worship the Mecha God. Chosen by the great warrior Vodaya to join her team, Zenya devotes all her energy to be everything Vodaya wants. But now, after 26 years of doing anything Vodaya commands of her, Zenya, now Winged Zemolai, commits an act of mercy that leads to the loss of her wings and banishment. The past, showing how Zenya earned her wings is told in alternating chapters.

Zemolai is a fully developed character, and her fall from grace is well-told, including her gradual disillusionment especially when it comes to her charismatic leader, Vodaya.

The books makes for a quick read, one I enjoyed. However, the glowing reviews had me expecting something greater, something more complex or profound. It's a good book, just not the great one I'd been expecting.

Coffee Trader

2023-11-14T23:50:00.003-05:00

TITLE: The Coffee Trader

AUTHOR: David Liss

This book is a prequel of sorts to the author's first book, A Conspiracy of Paper. The main character, Miguel Lienzo, having escaped Spain and the Inquisition, is the trader of the title and an ancestor of the protagonist in the aforementioned first book. Living in Amsterdam, in 1659, with other displaced Jews, he is now able to practice his religion. To ply his trade, he often crosses lines set by the Ma'amad, the group of elected leaders in the Jewish community who set lifestyle rules and protect the community from anyone wishing to do them harm.

Having lost his funds and ruined his reputation in a deal gone wrong, Miguel is forced to live in his brother's flood-prone basement, a bad situation made worse by the enmity between the brothers and by Miguel's growing affection for his brother's wife. So, when a Dutch widow he's befriended wants to partner with him in a scheme to make a fortune in trading the new drink made from coffee berries, Miguel agrees, setting in motion a twisty endeavor full of intrigue and betrayal.

I haven't really read historical fiction set in this time period, so it made for an interesting read. And Lisss's pacing and plot twists kept me turning pages.

Conspiracy of Paper

2023-09-09T13:20:00.001-04:00

TITLE: A Conspiracy of Paper

AUTHOR: David Liss

It's a bit embarrassing to say I've had this book for two decades, but I have and now I'm trying to read my older books along with the newer ones.

The narrator/protagonist, Benjamin Weaver, is a former boxer now chasing down debtors and thieves for well-to-do clients in 1719 London. A Jew, he is estranged from his family, but when a new client hires him to investigate the suicide of his father and the accidental death of Ben's wealthy stock-jobber father, Ben is forced to make peace with his uncle in order to learn more about his father's activities.

Ben knows next to nothing about the fairly new stock market, so there is a fair amount of explanations and info-dumping in this story written in formal English to fit the time period. The more Ben learns, the more he realizes he doesn't know, but attempts on his life convince him to keep pushing for answers. The are enough plot twists, some I saw coming and a couple that surprised me, to keep the story moving and like Ben, I wasn't sure who could be trusted. With its attention to period detail, this historical novel is worth reading.

Books for Maui

2023-08-23T20:02:00.001-04:00

Books for Maui is a bookish auction to help Hawaii recover from the storm that wiped out the historic town of Lahaina on Maui.

Infinity Gate

2023-07-28T17:22:00.007-04:00

TITLE: Infinity Gate

AUTHOR: M. R. Carey

This reads as it is, the first book in a trilogy. I enjoyed it immensely, but have given it only 4 of 5 stars due to its incompleteness. Some opening volumes for trilogies end on a more definite point, the immediate threat ended, or the main isue resolved, with hints of trouble ahead. This ends more like a first chapter in a very long novel, its main function being to gather together the main characters for the story to come.

The premise is deceptively simple. Scientist Hadiz Tambuwal, in trying to find a way to save her dying Earth from out-of-control climate change, stumbles upon the discovery of the multiverse, and the Step technology that can take her to and from any of the millions of alternate Earths. Unbeknownst to her as she explores multiple Earths, seeking a solution for her Earth's dilemma, she comes to the attention of the Pandominion, a political and trade alliance of multiple Earths that maintains order through its military force: the Cielo.

The prose is very accessible, except for some early techno talk, and there is a fascinating variety in the multiverse, with many, many Earths where simians were not the species that evolved to become the dominant lifeform. There is also a nice variety of AIs to deal with. The characters all seem real, and my favorite is Topaz Tourmaline FiveHills, an adolescent rabbit who I hope plays an even larger role in book 2, due to be published in 2024. I am eagerly looking forward to reading how the rest of the story plays out.

Shrines of Gaiety

2023-06-19T13:16:00.002-04:00

TITLE: Shrines of Gaiety

AUTHOR: Kate Atkinson

Kate Atkinson is one of my favorite authors and she has yet to disappoint me. As always, her prose sucks me into whatever realm she's created. This time, it's 1926 and London's notorious nightclub owner, Nellie Coker, has just been released from prison. With police Chief Inspector Frobisher determined to put Nellie back in prison and enemies just as determined to steal her night clubs from her, along with trying to secure the future of her six mostly grown children, Nellie has a lot on her plate and few people she can trust. There's a nice Dickensian feel to the narration, with darkness underlying the gaiety of the clubs. Bodies of girls are being pulled out of the Thames, and other girls go missing. Gwendolen Kelling, a librarian from York, shows up at Frobisher's office, hoping the police can help her find two girls who have runaway to find fame and fortune on the London stage. Atkinson pulls all the plot threads together in a satisfying way. As with all my favorite authors, the characters linger with me after I read the last page.

Feral Detective

2023-05-16T13:56:00.000-04:00

TITLE: The Feral Detective

AUTHOR: Jonathan Lethem

While trying to find her friend's missing teen daughter in the Los Angeles area, New Yorker Phoebe Siegler enlists the reluctant assistance of Charles Heist, a loner of few words who seems immune to Phoebe's sarcasm and nearly non-stop talking. I was expecting the story to be told from Heist's point of view; instead, it's told from Phoebe's narration as she continually reconsiders her opinion of Heist and even herself.

The search for the missing Arabella takes Phoebe and Heist up a mountain, then into the desert where Phoebe encounters people living off the grid who challenge her way of thinking. The story is set in the early days of the Trump administration, which provides a backdrop for Phoebe's unraveling. Finding Arabella is the plot point that sets the story in motion, but it's Phoebe's snarky voice that gives the book its soul.

Postmistress of Paris

2023-04-16T17:41:00.000-04:00

TITLE: The Postmistress of Paris

AUTHOR: Meg Waite Clayton

This novel of World War II, set in France after the German invasion, was inspired by real-life American socialite Mary Jayne Gold, who used her charms, smarts, and money to help artist and writers escape European occupation. Clayton reimagines Gold as Nanee, a volunteer known as the Postmistress for her courier work with real-life journalist Varian Fry. Nanee, an adventurist at heart, is always looking for ways to help refugees sought by the Gestopo, which leads her to try to free photographer Edouard Moss, a German Jewish refugee imprisoned in Camp des Milles, a man she'd met only once previously yet is unable to stop thinking about.

The book is a fast read, with a good sense of time and place, requisites for historical fiction. Along with the action and intrigue, there is also the compelling attraction between widowed Edouard and Nanee, complicated by Edouard's need to find and reunite with his young daughter Luki. And peppered throughout are discussions about art, the need for it and the philosophy of it. The story is straight-forward while the main characters are complex fully formed They and the story linger in my mind, just the way I love books to end.

Gods of Jade and Shadow

2023-03-20T23:35:00.000-04:00

TITLE: Gods of Jade and Shadow

AUTHOR: Silvia Moreno-Garcia

This is a simply told story inspired by Mayan mythology. It begins with a basic Cinderella setup. Eighteen-year-old Casiopea Tun and her mother are forced by circumstances to live with the mother's wealthy family in a small town in Mexico's Yucatan peninsula in the 1920s. Casiopea is forced into servitude, especially to her grandfather and to her cousin Martin. Until the day, acting on overwhelming curiosity, she unlocks a large chest in her grandfather's bedroom. Expecting to find gold or jewels, she's stunned to discover a cache of old bones that reassemble themselves into the deposed god of the Underworld, Hun-Kame. When a shard from one of his bones becomes embedded in Casiopea's hand, she and the god are linked, with her life and his immortality in the balance. Thus begins their quest to find his remaining body parts (including an eye and a hand) and restore him to his throne.

Moreno-Garcia weaves a fantastic tale of gods, demons, and humans; dreams and nightmares; young love and sacrifice with her simple yet spellbinding prose. I would love to read a sequel.

City and the City

2023-02-22T16:06:00.009-05:00

TITLE: The City & the City

AUTHOR: China Mieville

This is pretty much a standard mystery involving the murder of a young woman who was killed in one city and her body dumped in another city. What makes this a fantasy is that both cities, Beszel and Ul Qoman, occupy the same piece of geography. For the cities to safely co-exist, their citizens must master the art of unseeing the other. While this forms the foundation of the story, it's never fully explained how this can be. No mention of phasing or alternate realities are mentioned, hence the fantasy element rather than this being science fiction, I suppose. To see the unseeable, or to cross any of the boundaries separating the cities is to breach, invoking the justice of the Breach, the mysteries beings who oversee the integrity of the two cities.

As Inspector Borlu of Beszel investigates the murder, he is forced into working with Detective Dhatt of Ul Qoma, an investigation that suggests the victim was killed because she knew too much about the long rumored entities that live between the cities, something scarier than Breach.

This would have made for a decent mystery without the fantasy element, but the setting does factor into the resolution and provides for intriguing character tensions and suspense. Still, I wish the set-up of the cities had been more scientific. Stronger characters would have gone a long way to flesh this out. Only Borlu seemed fully realized and most of the characters speak in similar patterns, in both cities, in choppy, incomplete sentences. This was good enough for met to wish it were better.