Hell of a Book by Jason Mott

Hell of a Book by Jason Mott 

Superb, chillingly darkly hilarious and heartbreakingly horrific. A black author is on a book signing tour for his best selling novel, Hell of a Book. He is experiencing loads of anxiety-out of body experiences- as he travels from city to city presenting in books stores, TV studios, and Town Hall venues essentially to discuss the success of his book, the plot and the reasons he wrote it. His brain literally becomes more and more unhinged as he pushes himself into discomfort and his behavior/persona gradually unravels. He is haunted by his brutally violent past resulting in flashbacks to personal tragedies that cloud his ability to function and remember details about his life. The writing is superb, chillingly, darkly hilarious and the story heartbreakingly real and horrifying. 

I could not put it down. The writing is mature and powerful. I appreciate reading about social topics that give me insight and understanding and I feel like in this case, Mott highly succeeded. It did win the 2022 National Book Award. My rating:

JB

The Kaiju Preservation Society by John Scalzi

 

The Kaiju Preservation Society by John Scalzi is a clever, dynamic, and fun story for sci-fi fans. 

This is not a heavy or brooding science fiction piece. It is, in Scalzi's own words, a 'pop song'. And it truly is. It's engaging and fun and unforgettable. 

If you are newer to science fiction and worried about getting bogged down in explanations, this is the one for you. Scalzi gives us just what the reader needs to know and balances it well with witty dialogue and references to popular science fiction from the past. 

Beyond that, this book is for all the people behind the scenes that have kept and will keep everything running while the CEOs and other higher-ups take their vacations. This book is literally for the people doing the lifting.  

4/5⭐

~cp

Black Cake by Charmaine Wilkerson

Black Cake by Charmaine Wilkerson

Black Cake by Charmaine Wilkerson is a fabulous novel of Black Caribbean heritage, family and the things that hold us together. It tells the story of adult siblings, Bennie and Byron who's mother, Covantina, has died and left them a recording and Black Cake to be eaten when 'it's time". 

The author combines an epic tale of survival as well as deep insight into relationships, family secrets, and the effects of racism on lives from the perspective of  Coventina in the 1960's as well from her children's challenges finding meaningful careers and relationships. The writing is captivating and I learned a great deal about Caribbean, British and American culture in regards to immigration and some of the difficulties faced in the last 50 years.

MY RATING: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

I highly recommend Black Cake. It is a delicious novel!

Jaema