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jrrrck's reviews
8 reviews
The Conductors by Nicole Glover
3.0
thanks to Netgalley & the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!
The Conductors is a good debut novel that I didn't love, but I would still recommend it because I think it would click for some readers. The story follows Hetty and Benjy, a married couple who live in Philadelphia shortly after emancipation. Most of the plot centers around as the two navigate their life and friend group while also trying to solve a recent murder mystery. At the same time there are flashbacks to their earlier life working with their magic, bravery, and smarts to help free enslaved people. I was drawn in with the beautiful cover and hopeful for the mystery and interplay of historical fiction & magic, especially as it is completely focused on black main characters.
Here are some top three elements I enjoyed, but with slight caveats of how I might have enjoyed them a little bit more. Regardless, this is a solid debut and I think worth checking out.
- strong focus on depicting a wide circle of found family and the main character's social group in Philadelphia. There are intimate small gatherings with some of Hetty & Benjy's closest friends as well as interactions some folks they are less keen on but still interact with and a strong scene around a memorial for the character in the group who died. I think Glover does some interesting stuff around depicting how Hetty & Benjy's relationships with people shifted overtime, especially depending on how people related to their trauma. At times, it felt like a lot of characters were being introduced quickly and would have appreciated a different pace for that.
- a unique approach to magic that emphasizes people, especially depending on their community learning experience & magical heritage. so many of the points of reference are based on how magic functioned as part of black community and resistance during enslavement. Hetty also diffuses magic throughout her work, be it her current sewing work or her previous experience of being a conductor. I think the magic feels very visual and I can imagine it being beautifully cinematic. however, it's also a bit confusing especially as it's introduced.
- the relationship between Hetty and Benjy is especially lovely and a lot of Hetty's interior experience throughout the book is her developing understanding about how she relates to her husband. The book has this lovely theme of partnership that underpins the romance. My favorite parts of the book easily were the flashbacks and the small moments focused on their life together. I would love to read a prequel or something that really focuses on the earlier days of their relationship.
As I said earlier, I think it's a solid debut with a lot to like even if there are some issues. I look forward to watching what else Glover does in the years to come!
The Conductors is a good debut novel that I didn't love, but I would still recommend it because I think it would click for some readers. The story follows Hetty and Benjy, a married couple who live in Philadelphia shortly after emancipation. Most of the plot centers around as the two navigate their life and friend group while also trying to solve a recent murder mystery. At the same time there are flashbacks to their earlier life working with their magic, bravery, and smarts to help free enslaved people. I was drawn in with the beautiful cover and hopeful for the mystery and interplay of historical fiction & magic, especially as it is completely focused on black main characters.
Here are some top three elements I enjoyed, but with slight caveats of how I might have enjoyed them a little bit more. Regardless, this is a solid debut and I think worth checking out.
- strong focus on depicting a wide circle of found family and the main character's social group in Philadelphia. There are intimate small gatherings with some of Hetty & Benjy's closest friends as well as interactions some folks they are less keen on but still interact with and a strong scene around a memorial for the character in the group who died. I think Glover does some interesting stuff around depicting how Hetty & Benjy's relationships with people shifted overtime, especially depending on how people related to their trauma. At times, it felt like a lot of characters were being introduced quickly and would have appreciated a different pace for that.
- a unique approach to magic that emphasizes people, especially depending on their community learning experience & magical heritage. so many of the points of reference are based on how magic functioned as part of black community and resistance during enslavement. Hetty also diffuses magic throughout her work, be it her current sewing work or her previous experience of being a conductor. I think the magic feels very visual and I can imagine it being beautifully cinematic. however, it's also a bit confusing especially as it's introduced.
- the relationship between Hetty and Benjy is especially lovely and a lot of Hetty's interior experience throughout the book is her developing understanding about how she relates to her husband. The book has this lovely theme of partnership that underpins the romance. My favorite parts of the book easily were the flashbacks and the small moments focused on their life together. I would love to read a prequel or something that really focuses on the earlier days of their relationship.
As I said earlier, I think it's a solid debut with a lot to like even if there are some issues. I look forward to watching what else Glover does in the years to come!
The Pain Gap: How Sexism and Racism in Healthcare Kill Women by Anushay Hossain
2.0
thanks to netgalley & tiller press for the review copy in exchange for an honest review.
The Pain Gap: How Sexism and Racism in Healthcare Kill Women is just okay. As other reviewers have pointed out, the marketing is a bit off. The title and description should have made it more clear that Hossain's dominant focus is sexism and racism within maternity healthcare. Most of the stories, policies, statistics, and suggestions related specifically to maternal health which is just one aspect of women's health and a facet that many women do not experience! She's also notably focused specifically on cisgender women's experience; at no point are there stories or reference points that introduce how anti-trans bias affect women's healthcare (or, on the flip side, care related to pregnancy).
There's also no substantive exploration of how either anti-fat bias affects healthcare access for women or women of color, especially black women. This is a huge point of health inequity and there are resources available to address it; it's a glaring omission and weakens the overall introduction and analysis of the topic. The primary mention of it was towards the end when she quotes Regen Chastain's advice about avoiding anti-fat bias at the doctor's office (which just amounts to ... look up doctor's ahead of time? lmao). For a more helpful resource for this specifically, I really recommend What's Wrong with Fat? by Abigail Saguy.
Finally, there's very little exploration of how financial inequity within healthcare and how that negatively impacts women and women of color. Again, really surprising especially given that she correctly identifies and highlights how much the United States underperform when it comes to maternity health. But believing women and women's pain isn't the only point of inequity within women's healthcare. The prohibitive cost of healthcare in the United States is part of the inequity that is almost completely ignored in The Pain Gap.
If this book were to serve as an introduction to the topic, it would be missing major facets of the issue. I wouldn't recommend it, unfortunately. I had much higher hopes!
The Pain Gap: How Sexism and Racism in Healthcare Kill Women is just okay. As other reviewers have pointed out, the marketing is a bit off. The title and description should have made it more clear that Hossain's dominant focus is sexism and racism within maternity healthcare. Most of the stories, policies, statistics, and suggestions related specifically to maternal health which is just one aspect of women's health and a facet that many women do not experience! She's also notably focused specifically on cisgender women's experience; at no point are there stories or reference points that introduce how anti-trans bias affect women's healthcare (or, on the flip side, care related to pregnancy).
There's also no substantive exploration of how either anti-fat bias affects healthcare access for women or women of color, especially black women. This is a huge point of health inequity and there are resources available to address it; it's a glaring omission and weakens the overall introduction and analysis of the topic. The primary mention of it was towards the end when she quotes Regen Chastain's advice about avoiding anti-fat bias at the doctor's office (which just amounts to ... look up doctor's ahead of time? lmao). For a more helpful resource for this specifically, I really recommend What's Wrong with Fat? by Abigail Saguy.
Finally, there's very little exploration of how financial inequity within healthcare and how that negatively impacts women and women of color. Again, really surprising especially given that she correctly identifies and highlights how much the United States underperform when it comes to maternity health. But believing women and women's pain isn't the only point of inequity within women's healthcare. The prohibitive cost of healthcare in the United States is part of the inequity that is almost completely ignored in The Pain Gap.
If this book were to serve as an introduction to the topic, it would be missing major facets of the issue. I wouldn't recommend it, unfortunately. I had much higher hopes!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Pregnancy, Medical trauma, Sexism, Racism, Child death, and Domestic abuse
Everyone on This Train Is a Suspect by Benjamin Stevenson
emotional
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
4.75
huge thanks to netgalley & mariner books for the advanced reader's copy in exchange for an honest review.
What an absolute joy! I'm so happy with this sequel and it really cements Stevenson's Ernest Cunningham series as one to watch. You've definitely got to read the first one. While the mystery here isn't connected to the mystery in Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone, Ernest's narrator voice is so specific it is worth the introduction. So definitely go read that if you haven't already. I can wait.
Okay, now that you've read the first book we can continue. One of my favorite facets of the first book was the way in which, underneath the novelties of the narrator style and some very funny writing, there was an emotionally resonate story about how Ernest connects with his family and experiences grief. I love that Everyone on This Train Is a Suspect continues that and, without being overly beholden to the previous book, naturally considers how he would have been impacted by the events depicted there. (I kind of want the next book to somehow be about Ernest going to therapy...)
Similar to the first, this is a mystery through and through. There's a lot of affection for the genre here and for writing in general. (I was especially amused by the references to Goodreads!) If you are a reader that enjoys trying to puzzle out a mystery, I think you'll like a lot of the elements in this series, especially this book. I typically don't try to puzzle it out, but found myself pulled into coming up with theories and trying to fit the various pieces into place.
I would easily recommend this. I will definitely get the next in the series. This is one of those series that will become the frame of reference for books published in years to come. As an aside - I also think the audiobook is probably really cool to read. Get that Australian accent really coming through!
What an absolute joy! I'm so happy with this sequel and it really cements Stevenson's Ernest Cunningham series as one to watch. You've definitely got to read the first one. While the mystery here isn't connected to the mystery in Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone, Ernest's narrator voice is so specific it is worth the introduction. So definitely go read that if you haven't already. I can wait.
Okay, now that you've read the first book we can continue. One of my favorite facets of the first book was the way in which, underneath the novelties of the narrator style and some very funny writing, there was an emotionally resonate story about how Ernest connects with his family and experiences grief. I love that Everyone on This Train Is a Suspect continues that and, without being overly beholden to the previous book, naturally considers how he would have been impacted by the events depicted there. (I kind of want the next book to somehow be about Ernest going to therapy...)
Similar to the first, this is a mystery through and through. There's a lot of affection for the genre here and for writing in general. (I was especially amused by the references to Goodreads!) If you are a reader that enjoys trying to puzzle out a mystery, I think you'll like a lot of the elements in this series, especially this book. I typically don't try to puzzle it out, but found myself pulled into coming up with theories and trying to fit the various pieces into place.
I would easily recommend this. I will definitely get the next in the series. This is one of those series that will become the frame of reference for books published in years to come. As an aside - I also think the audiobook is probably really cool to read. Get that Australian accent really coming through!
Content Warnings
Minor: Rape
The Push by Claire McGowan
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.0
thanks to netgalley & amazon publishing uk for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
The Push has a solid, if run of the mill, central psychological thriller set up. It features six different couples from the same prenatal group and the detective who is investigating a death that happens at one of the group gatherings. A theme throughout is pregnancy, motherhood, and partnership. There were moments where I felt like the writing inched towards something interesting, but the overall structure really fell flat. There were way too many POVs and timeline switches which meant the book overall felt muddled. There were several instances where the author was clearly obscuring information that otherwise naturally would be revealed (especially given the POV) in the interest of having an abundances of secrets and twists. There also was pretty much no character to connect with or like, which while it's fun to think about couples & mothers being flawed, it loses some degree of veracity when literally no one is liked.
The Push has a solid, if run of the mill, central psychological thriller set up. It features six different couples from the same prenatal group and the detective who is investigating a death that happens at one of the group gatherings. A theme throughout is pregnancy, motherhood, and partnership. There were moments where I felt like the writing inched towards something interesting, but the overall structure really fell flat. There were way too many POVs and timeline switches which meant the book overall felt muddled. There were several instances where the author was clearly obscuring information that otherwise naturally would be revealed (especially given the POV) in the interest of having an abundances of secrets and twists. There also was pretty much no character to connect with or like, which while it's fun to think about couples & mothers being flawed, it loses some degree of veracity when literally no one is liked.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infertility
To Love and to Loathe by Martha Waters
funny
lighthearted
2.0
thanks to netgalley & atria books for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
I really liked the beginning of this book, especially the prologue portion. Diana is smart, funny, and sharp, if a bit too mean. As a young woman, she wants financial stability above all else. Waters writes Diana with excellent clarity and there's a lot I like about her point of view. Comparatively, our hero, Jeremy, is a bit less defined. Diana definitely has a crush on him, but it feels unwieldy especially in light of his less encouraging financial situation. So the book starts with her firmly rejecting him. And that scene was the best part of the book.
Most of the book takes place several years later. Diana is now a widow and is looking to explore the option of seeing some men romantically in casual way. Jeremy has been seeing women and unexpectedly gets some criticism of his sexual abilities. He seeks a enemies-with-benefits situation with Diana in the hopes of finding out the truth. And so it goes. For the most part they have a friendly dynamic, but sometimes say things in a kind of mean way. There's a good scene specifically around Diana critiquing Jeremy's lack of attentiveness to her cues in bed. But it all just sort of blends together without much happening. Towards the end there's a bit of a step up in the conflict, but it's a scene that should have happened a lot sooner because otherwise the conflict is pretty contrived throughout. Ultimately disappointing, especially given a strong start.
Finally - there's a big authorial mistake when Diana outs a LGBTQ side character. This is presented as a completely normal and okay thing to do. It's off putting and makes it harder to continue being invested in her as a main character to root for.
I really liked the beginning of this book, especially the prologue portion. Diana is smart, funny, and sharp, if a bit too mean. As a young woman, she wants financial stability above all else. Waters writes Diana with excellent clarity and there's a lot I like about her point of view. Comparatively, our hero, Jeremy, is a bit less defined. Diana definitely has a crush on him, but it feels unwieldy especially in light of his less encouraging financial situation. So the book starts with her firmly rejecting him. And that scene was the best part of the book.
Most of the book takes place several years later. Diana is now a widow and is looking to explore the option of seeing some men romantically in casual way. Jeremy has been seeing women and unexpectedly gets some criticism of his sexual abilities. He seeks a enemies-with-benefits situation with Diana in the hopes of finding out the truth. And so it goes. For the most part they have a friendly dynamic, but sometimes say things in a kind of mean way. There's a good scene specifically around Diana critiquing Jeremy's lack of attentiveness to her cues in bed. But it all just sort of blends together without much happening. Towards the end there's a bit of a step up in the conflict, but it's a scene that should have happened a lot sooner because otherwise the conflict is pretty contrived throughout. Ultimately disappointing, especially given a strong start.
Finally - there's a big authorial mistake when Diana outs a LGBTQ side character. This is presented as a completely normal and okay thing to do. It's off putting and makes it harder to continue being invested in her as a main character to root for.
Movements & Moments by Sonja Eismann, Maya Schöningh, Ingo Schöningh
informative
inspiring
4.0
Movements and Moments is an anthology of eight comics about/by indigenous activists from different parts of the world. As with all anthologies, some of the pieces may stand out to the individual reader more than others, but here they are all striking, deeply informative, and artful examples of story-telling as advocacy. A beloved friend gave me this as a gift and I'm looking forward to recommending it to others and passing on the gift to share these stories further. I hope there will be more like this from the publisher.
The Maid by Nita Prose
medium-paced
2.0
Here's the thing - I spent the first half of this book waiting for the shoe to drop. The reader is so clearly meant to perceive that Molly's perception of the world is wrong. This is especially true when it comes to her interactions with other characters which makes it a kind of pained reading experience. There weren't any characters for most of the book that felt safe, trustworthy, or like I could take for granted Molly's understanding of them was accurate. It ends up giving this weird element of desolation amidst an otherwise good setting & character. Really weird. One star up because I do think the themes of grief were well done.
Blacktop Wasteland by S.A. Cosby
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Razorblade Tears was my first S.A. Cosby book and I like it a little bit more, but the same qualities that make that book a powerhouse are here, too. It is an intense crime/thriller story that is really atmospheric and is charged with so much energy. I don't know how to drive and still I was tearing through these pages of action sequences featuring *checks notes* shifting gears and *squints* something called a clutch. It just easily unfolds like a film in your mind and pulls you forward (even in those moments where it settles a bit). The best however is how grounded it is in a deeply emotional story. Really amazing stuff.
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