By Gaslight
Steven Price
“There were leafless trees branched and cold like capillaries in the lungs of the dead and William saw this from the open seat of a rented carriage with a blanket over his knees and a scarf at his throat and he understood he had been waiting for something that had at last arrived.”
Two decades after the end of America’s bloody Civil War, William Pinkerton is in London chasing a phantom. Across town the leader of a trio of thieves has returned at the request of an old acquaintance. The discovery of a body on the shore of the Thames sets in motion a series of events that takes both men through fog-choked streets, sewers, and opium dens — all the time drawing them closer to the truth they each seek…and will kill for.
Let’s start with the good. Author Steven Price is a literal poet, and it shows in this novel. It was all too easy for me to imagine myself chasing bad guys through thick fog, covering my nose with a handkerchief in sewers, and getting woozy from opium smoke. The Civil War portions were visceral, and brought me as near to the carnage of war as I care to get. The downside is that all this atmosphere concealed the fact that the plot of this 700-page doorstop was lacking. I like character studies, but the story didn’t give me much scaffolding to build those characters on. I spent a couple days trying to tell myself I didn’t enjoy this one a lot because I was trying to read it on a stressful international trip, but in the end I think it was too much description and not enough actually happening. But I might try some of Price’s poetry.
Potentially a good choice if you like Sherlock Holmes-adjacent characters and prefer atmosphere to plot.
The Strange Case of Jane O.
Karen Thompson Walker
“They want to know what I was doing all that time—the police, my parents. They want to know why. But…those many hours are gone. Frames snipped from a strip of film.”
One rainy day in New York City, a young woman visits a therapist. At first Dr. Henry Byrd believes that Jane’s symptoms may be the result of unprocessed trauma. He encourages her to start journaling as a way to work through her feelings. Soon, however, Jane’s memory and understanding of what is true begins to slip away. The ensuing months will force both Jane and Henry to reconsider what they know about themselves, each other, and the nature of reality itself.
This book came to me as part of my Heywood Hill subscription last year, and I’ve been avoiding it because I have a hard time with unreliable narrators. And turns out this one has two. This book was more interesting than really enjoyable; I found myself finishing with more questions than I started with. This would be a great buddy/book club read, because it’s complex and cerebral and intriguing.
Can someone please read this so we can talk about it?
The Hitchcock Hotel
Stephanie Wrobel
“It’s just three nights, she tells herself. As long as she keeps her wits about her, she has no reason to worry.”
Alfred Smettle has loved, perhaps a bit too much, Hitchcock films his whole life. So it’s not surprising when he acquires a New England mansion and turns it into a hotel featuring his favorite filmmaker. To celebrate the hotel’s first year anniversary, he decides to invite five estranged friends from his college days for a long weekend stay. But someone has shown up with something other than reconnecting on their mind — and the suspense may just kill.
I’m not a Hitchcock fan, but I do love murder mysteries — especially when they take an unexpected route. Wrobel’s novel had some interesting twists that make it unique in the murder mystery space. The characters were a little flat and mostly unlikable, but the unique features of the story were enough to keep me engaged. My biggest gripe is that certain aspects made the novel feel too unbelievable in parts. It made certain characters’ decisions feel drastically out of line with the stakes. A fun read, but not one I’ll be keeping on my shelves.
Read this if you’re looking for a unique, if slightly unbelievable, take on the murder mystery genre.
A Prayer for the Crown-Shy (Monk & Robot #2)
Becky Chambers
“You don’t have to have a reason to be tired. You don’t have to earn rest or comfort. You’re allowed to just be.”
With their time in the wilds of Panga complete, Sibling Dex and the robot Mosscap have returned to civilization with the goal of helping Mosscap understand what humanity needs.
I read A Psalm for the Wild-Built over a year ago, and at the time lamented that I wish the story had been longer. Some part of me knew that Chambers wrote a sequel, but for whatever reason I just hadn’t picked it up until now. Turns out it’s because the bookish gods knew I needed to wait until just now. I’ve had a rough year, and while I know the changes I’ve made are good for me, it’s been hard to overcome the feeling that I’m failing or doing something wrong. Crown-Shy contained just the message I needed to help me acknowledge my own feelings and values as valid. Reading it has been a balm to my sore heart, and I’m so glad I picked it up.
Pick this up if you’re looking for a quiet but powerful tale that refills your cup.
84, Charing Cross Road
Helene Hanff
“Poor Frank, I give him such a hard time, I’m always bawling him out for something. I’m only teasing, but I know he’ll take me seriously. I keep trying to puncture that proper British reserve, if he gets ulcers I did it.”
In October 1949, American author Helene Hanff wrote to a small bookshop in London asking for help sourcing out-of-print books. Over the next 20 years she, the bookstore staff, and their families exchanged letters and gifts across countries and cultures. By turns funny and sincere, the letters show the development of close friendships over a mutual love of books.
A simple, sweet collection of stories that inspired Hanff’s career and eventual writing of Q’s Legacy: A Delightful Account of a Lifelong Love Affair with Books. This one was never going to be a winner for me because it’s epistolary and short on narrative, but it was short and funny enough that I could enjoy my time with it.
Try this if you like your reading short, snappy, and bookish.
The Little Book of Galway
Helen Lee
“Over the course of 10,000 years of history, from the arrival of the first people in about 8,000 BC, Ireland has had her share of invasions and oppression, wars and battles, famine and strife, progress and prosperity. Throughout this history Galway and her people have played their part.”
A short reference guide to the people, geography, arts, wars, and people of Galway.
I picked this up during my delightful 30-minute ramble through Charlie Byrne’s Bookshop on my recent work trip to Ireland. It was a good way to learn a lot of information in a short amount of time. It’s always fun to read books about/set in places I’ve visited, it makes it so easy to picture the setting.
Recommended plane reading for your trip to Galway.
The Pumpkin Spice Café
Laurie Gilmore
“She wasn’t so much afraid of dying as she was of forgetting to live her life. Somewhere along the way, she’d forgotten to figure out who she was or what she wanted to be when she grew up.”
After discovering her boss dead from stress, Jeannie realizes it’s time to get out of Boston. Fortunately the town of Dream Harbor needs a new owner for their best (and only) coffee shop. Unfortunately the place may be haunted, and the supplier of local produce for the cafe’s smoothies thinks she’s crazy — which is a bummer, because the man makes even flannel shirts look good. Can Jeannie make Dream Harbor her home and keep her heart in one piece?
Obligatory spooky season read complete. I went in hoping this would be a little different — who doesn’t love a haunted cafe and a grumpy man blackmailed into helping out? Sadly this ended up being just another bit of writing fluff. Gilmore is a solid writer, but I found the story too predictable. Not for me, but I see why it’s making the rounds of people’s TBRs this year.
Read if you like aggressively cozy, seasonal series.
Photo by Ján Jakub Naništa on Unsplash
