Many years ago, I saw the Stephen Spielberg movie based on the book Empire of the Sun by J. G. Ballard. I knew it wouldn't be a happy read, but I was ready for something of substance. It is historical fiction, but J. G. Ballard did spend four years of his life in a Japanese internment camp during World War II as a child. The novel revolves around a ten-year-old British boy who is separated from his parents during the first days of the occupation of Shanghai. He lives several months on his own, waiting for his parents to return, before being captured and put in a camp. He learns to be a survivor. He doesn't have parents to help him, but he is smart, observant, and determined. The war exposes him to aspects of human nature: the generous and the exploitative.
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The Society of Unknowable Objects is written by Gareth Brown, who wrote The Book of Doors. I find his books to be fast-paced and well-plotted, often taking unexpected turns. There are magic objects in the world that look ordinary, but are slightly heavier and feel off. When you hold them, you are able to do something magical like fly, become incorporeal, or control others' movements against their will. Many secrets remain to be discovered.Where did these magical objects come from, and are there more? Magda is the newest and youngest member of the society, and she is the one to travel to Hong Kong and examine a possible recently discovered magical object, not knowing others are searching for these objects to misuse them.
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Benjamin Stevenson writes terrific mysteries. The plots are complex and intricate, like a screwball comedy but in the best way. Ernest Cunningham often finds himself in the midst of quirky murders, so much so that he decides to become a detective, but he needs a loan to get his business started. He has tried bank after bank. Finally, a rural bank wants to meet with him to consider his loan. When he arrives for his appointment, the bank director demands that he find his missing brother before he will consider the loan. Upon leaving, Ernest finds the doors chained shut. He becomes embroiled in a robbery and, along with several other people, becomes a hostage. Over the course of the book, Ernest finds that everyone in the bank is a thief. More than hearts are stolen, spontaneous combustion is a problem. I like Stevenson's mysteries because they are implausible but possible, and he tells you along the way what he's doing. He'll point out important clues, yet I never can guess who it is.
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Abby Jimenez writes the best romances. I like how her characters aren't shiny, happy people. They have big, life-controlling problems. Larissa has been handed a crappy hand in life. Her alcoholic father used her Social Security number without her knowledge and ruined her credit. She is stuck in a low-wage, waitressing job, with multiple side hustles to make ends meet and pay down the debt her father ran up to regain her credit. Her mother keeps getting involved with the same sort of men as her father. She has a new boyfriend, Mike, whom she likes well enough, but she really vibes with his best friend Chris, who is secretly in love with her. How will this turn out?
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