Do I have a favorite genre when it comes to reading? As it happens, I have two.
They are (as you might expect) the ones I combine in my own books: science fiction/speculative and mystery. It’s by no means all that I read, but it is a big chunk of my Kindle content.
I wanted to share a few recent favorites in those genres. These aren’t necessarily new releases, but they all lifted my spirits or stayed with me in some way.
Here we go, the books:
Vera Wong’s Unsolicited Advice for Murderersby Jesse Q. Sutanto. Strong-willed, lonely Vera Wong, whose husband has passed away and whose Americanized son doesn’t call often enough, finds a dead body in her Chinatown tea shop and we’re off from there. Delightful and charming, this novel is as much a found-family story as it is a murder mystery.
The Road to Roswell by Connie Willis. This humorous alien-abduction adventure reads like a 1930’s style romcom where dialogue is everything. There’s a road trip and a whole lot of references to Westerns and sci-fi movies, a good seasoning of UFO trivia, and an adorable alien. The ending leaves an opening for a sequel. If you’re looking for a lighthearted read, try this one.
The Woman in the Library by Sulari Gentill. This standalone mystery/thriller by an Australian writer kept the surprises and twists coming. Set in D.C., the story unfolds in parallel — we’re reading a mystery manuscript as it’s being written, chapter by chapter, by an author named Hannah, along with feedback on the manuscript by an aspiring author and fan of Hannah’s named Leo. The emails to Hannah from Leo, at first seemingly harmless, soon turn into something sinister. A cleverly plotted page-turner.
The Bullet That Missed: A Thursday Murder Club Mystery If you’ve somehow missed this popular series by Richard Osman, this is the third in the sequence and just as good as the previous two. (The fourth book came out in September; I just haven’t had a chance to read it yet.) Four elderly friends in an English retirement community meet every Thursday to tackle unsolved murders. Soon to be a Netflix movie, and what a cast! Helen Mirren, Pierce Brosnan, Ben Kingsley, and Celia Imrie. Am I looking forward to the movie? Oh yes.
We Will Teach You How to Read | We Will Teach You How to Read by Caroline M. Yoachim, a short story. I don’t read many short stories these days and I don’t even remember how I came across this one, but I am glad I did. This uniquely structured piece (story? poem?) revolves around a communication barrier between an alien race and humans, and reminds the reader that a fundamental shift in perception and thought process is sometimes needed. You can read it for free in Lightspeed Magazine. (But don’t try to read it on a phone! The format is 2+ columns of text, so a tablet or laptop works better.)
The photo at the top is of Grif the goldendoodle enjoying his Minnesota summer at the park down the block. We’re VERY happy that the July Fourth fireworks, which are a multi-night affair here, have tapered off. Grif’s not scared of them (and this is a dog who’s spooked of the doggie door we had put in just for him and refuses to use it, and also undecided how he feels about the strangeness of windy days.) Every time the fireworks went off in the neighborhood, he wanted to run into the yard and bark ferociously at them, only no one would let him out. Run to the back door. Bark madly. Every. Single. Time. Even at 2:00 a.m., which happened on more than one night. (Did I mention we’re happy the fireworks have finally tapered off?)
Thanks for subscribing to this newsletter and hope you’re having a great July!
Neve
Neve Maslakovic 