The Quick
Lauren Owen
Fiction, hardback, library book
“There were owls in the nursery when James was a boy.”
When James Norbury moves to London after his graduation from Oxford, he tells his sister Charlotte that it’s with the intention of becoming a writer. Soon, however, he finds himself pulled away from his efforts by a charming young aristocrat. When Charlotte stops hearing from James, she makes the decision to travel to London…only to find herself entangled in a supernatural nightmare.
I added Owens’ novel to my TBR a long time ago and didn’t re-read the blurb before grabbing this at the library. The first few chapters were slow and I didn’t know what it was building to…and then bam! Straight into a ton of supernatural insanity. There were zero sparkly hot dudes to be found — just gothic horror at its finest. I loved the entire thing, and the last chapter absolutely took it over the top.
Pick up a copy if you like gothic horror, slow burn reads, and compelling characters. Just be prepared for gore.
Cults: Inside the World’s Most Notorious Groups and Understanding the People Who Joined Them
Max Cutler with Kevin Conley
Non-fiction, hardback, library book
“…it was the cult leaders who lit the fire, and the people trapped within their grip who tragically acted as the fuel.”
Are cult leaders born or made? What makes those followers endure (or even inflict) abuse? And why do most of these movements end in catastrophe? Cults tries to answer these and other questions through the stories of 10 of the most famous cult leaders.
Not to be weird, but I know a lot about cults — so many of them are such bloodbaths that they get covered in true crime circles. So I was surprised to see three names that I’d never heard mixed in with “classics” like Manson and Koresh. Each chapter covered a cult leader’s childhood, the cult’s founding and growth (plus the world/cultural factors that made it the right time to develop), and of course the always tragic and often horrifying end. It was interesting to learn more context about the names I already knew and get summaries of the stories I’d missed.
Grab this if you’re into cults/true crime and are looking for something skimmable but also un-put-downable.
Nettle & Bone
T. Kingfisher
Fiction, hardback, library book
“Three tasks the dust-wife had given her. Sew a cloak of owlcloth and nettles, build a dog of cursed bones, and catch moonlight in a jar of clay.”
All her life, Princess Marra has been in the way. Bundled off to a convent as a child, her role is to fade into obscurity unless she is needed to produce an heir. But when she discovers a devastating secret about the prince her older sister has married, Marra knows it’s time to step out of the shadows. Killing the prince will be difficult, but what does that matter to a woman who has already done the impossible?
This was another book I’ve had on my TBR, but after reading A Wizard’s Guide to Defensive Baking I knew I needed to pick up more works by T. Kingfisher (pen name of Ursula Vernon, winner of Hugo, Nebula, and other sci-fi awards). And holy shit was this good. Kingfisher has a way of storytelling through a crooked lens, balancing realism and magic, humor and fear. I loved the world building, the plot, and especially the characters. The writing is dark and beautiful, and I think I need to read this one again.
Recommended for people who enjoy twisted fairy tales, strong female characters, and demon-possessed chickens.
Killers of a Certain Age
Deanna Raybourn
Fiction, hardback, library book
“Forty years on one of the most elite assassin squads on earth and it finished like this, with a free cruise and a bouncy letter from a girl who signed her letters with hashtags.”
Billie, Mary Alice, Helen, and Natalie have been together since 1979. A lot has changed for these assassins 40 years, but one thing that hasn’t is their passion for details, no-mess kills, and clean getaways. And the women will need every skill in their arsenal when they discover that they’re next on the Museum’s hit list.
This book has all the things I love: strong female characters, mystery, sneaky shenanigans, and murder most deserved. Billie is the narrator, but her insights and the jumps back in time give the reader plenty of info on the other main players. It’s interesting to read about characters who have no real qualms about their work, who aren’t racked with guilt and in fact are fighting to stay and show that women (especially older women) shouldn’t be cast aside or ignored.
Try Raybourn’s novel if you like badass heroines, bad people getting nixed in creative ways, and the 2010 Bruce Willis film Red.
The Practicing Stoic: A Philosophical User’s Manual
Ward Farnsworth
Non-fiction, hardback
“The most productive advice anyone offers nowadays, casually or in a bestseller, often amounts to a restatement or rediscovery of something the Stoics said with more economy, intelligence, and wit long ago. The reader does better by going straight to the sages.”
A lovely book that covers 12 Stoic teachings in just 260 pages.
Learning an entire philosophy, Stoicism or otherwise, is not a quick process. Books like this make great reference and study material as I endeavor to wrap my head around the topic. I’ll be going through this one again with a highlighter and pen.
Read this if you’re looking for a solid summary of Stoicism.
Photo by Myriam Zilles on Unsplash
