The Irresponsible Reader - I Read (a lot) and then Rant, Rave and maybe Review

Down the TBR Hole (22 of 24+)

On March 10, 2021

Cut a lot of items off the list in this entry—which is sort of the point of this. And I’m really looking forward to the ones I didn’t add to the list and need to get moving on them.

This meme was created by Lia @ Lost in a Story—but Jenna at Bookmark Your Thoughts is the one that exposed me to this, and as my Goodreads “Want To Read” shelf is scarily long, I had to do this.

The Rules are simple:

Go to your Goodreads to-read shelf
Order on ascending date added.
Take the first 5 (or 10 if you’re feeling adventurous) books.
Read the synopses of the books.
Decide: keep it or should it go?
Keep track of where you left off so you can pick up there next week! (or whenever)

What distinguishes this series from the Mt. TBR section of my Month-end Retrospectives? Those are books I actually own while Goodreads contains my aspirational TBR (many of which will be Library reads). The Naming of the two is a bit confusing, but…what’re you going to do?

(Click on the cover for an official site or something with more info about the book)

	Ethan Frome by Edith Wharton Blurb: “Ethan Frome is a poor farmer, trapped in a marriage to a demanding and controlling wife, Zeena. When Zeena’s young cousin Mattie enters their household she opens a window of hope in Ethan’s bleak life, but his wife’s reaction prompts a desperate attempt to escape fate that goes horribly wrong.” My Thoughts: Like I said in the last entry, I think I read some article a couple of years ago about “why you need to read Edith Wharton.” I don’t remember where I read it or any of the content. So I really don’t remember why I put this 20th Century Classic on my list. From the description, it’s not my cup of tea. Verdict:
	Devil’s Peak by Deon Meyer Blurb: Alcoholic detective with a marriage and career on the ropes on the hunt for a vigilante killer in Cape Town. My Thoughts: I wish I knew how this got added to the list. Looks promising, but the series looks like too muh to take on. Verdict:
	One Man: A City of Fallen Gods Novel by Harry Connolly Blurb: “Presumed dead after a disastrous overseas quest, [a young nobleman] now lives in a downcity slum under a false name, hiding behind the bars of a pawnshop window. Riliska, a nine-year-old pickpocket who sells stolen trinkets to his shop, is the closest thing he has to a friend. When a criminal gang kills Riliska’s mother and kidnaps the little girl, Kyrioc goes hunting for her.” My Thoughts: I read this and blogged about back in July. Verdict:
	Kalanon’s Rising by Darian Smith Blurb: “Solve a Murder. Stop a War. Save the World. Magic, murder, and a strangely alluring enemy ambassador. Brannon’s life just got complicated.” My Thoughts: A murder mystery in a fantasy world—you know it’s calling my name. I read and heard a couple of rave reviews for this, too. True, I’d forgotten about it since putting it on the list, but I remember it now. Verdict:
	Bluebird, Bluebird by Attica Locke Blurb: “When it comes to law and order, East Texas plays by its own rules – a fact that Darren Mathews, a black Texas Ranger, knows all too well. Deeply ambivalent about growing up black in the lone star state, he was the first in his family to get as far away from Texas as he could. Until duty called him home. But when his allegiance to his roots puts his job in jeopardy, he travels up Highway 59 to the small town of Lark, where two murders—a black lawyer from Chicago and a local white woman—have stirred up a hornet’s nest of resentment. Darren must solve the crimes – and save himself in the process – before Lark’s long-simmering racial fault lines erupt. A rural noir suffused with the unique music, color, and nuance of East Texas…” Verdict:
	A Friend is a Gift You Give Yourself by William Boyle My Thoughts: I had this on the list twice, covered it back in #18. Whoops. Verdict:
	The Unlikely Escape of Uriah Heep by H.G. Parry My Thoughts: I had this on the list twice, covered it back in #19. Whoops again. Verdict:
	Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo Blurb: This is not something I can sum up in a paragraph or two, click the link. My Thoughts: Not really my thing, though, not sure why I added this to the list in the first place. Verdict:
	Reverting to Type: a Reader’s Story by Alan Jacobs Blurb: A “reader’s memoir,” describing his development as a reader over the course of his life. Verdict:
	Hero Forged by Josh Erikson Blurb: “Gabriel Delling might call himself a professional con artist, but when walking superstitions start trying to bite his face off, his charm is shockingly unhelpful. It turns out living nightmares almost never appreciate a good joke. Together with a succubus who insists on constantly saving his life, he desperately tries to survive a new reality that suddenly features demons, legends, and a giant locust named Dale—all of whom pretty much hate his guts. And when an ancient horror comes hunting for the spirit locked in his head, Gabe finds himself faced with the excruciating choice between death…or becoming some kind of freaking hero.” Verdict:

Books Removed in this Post: 7 / 10
Total Books Removed: 124 / 240

Anyone out there read any of these books? Did I make the right call with any of them?

(Image by moritz320 from Pixabay)

Cover Blown by Ian Robinson: DI Nash’s Professional Worlds Collide

By HCNewton

On March 10, 2021

In Mystery/Detective Fiction/Crime Fiction/Thriller

Cover Blown

by Ian Robinson
Series: DI Nash and DS Moretti, #2

Kindle Edition, 185 pg.
The Book Folks, 2021

Read: February 24-25, 2021

What’s Cover Blown About?

Fresh off the events of Latent Damage DI Nash’s team dives into a new murder case. Two women have been murdered in clearly connected events, sadly, that’s the only thing that seems to connect them (well, that and they’re cat owners, but does that count?). Nash and Moretti are quickly stymied by the strange circumstances around the cases.

Meanwhile, Nash is helping out an undercover unit on the side. She’s as disciplined as possible with this, keeping her priority on the homicides, but she occasionally has to step away, leaving Moretti to direct the team’s efforts. At some point (and I’m only saying this because it’s in the publisher’s description), evidence is uncovered that indicates DI Nash had been in communication with both victims.

A Thought About DI Nash

I like Nash—watching her juggle the murder cases and the undercover operation is something you don’t get to see often in procedurals (particularly from someone of her rank). We haven’t (so far) gotten too deep with her and what makes her tick—but I like what we’ve seen so far, she’s an interesting character. Which is all I’m looking for—an interesting and compelling character.

That said, I wouldn’t want her as a boss. She’s mercurial, she seems to manage primarily through threats, and while she’ll come through or her team when the chips are down, it’d be good to see her do that before I got to that stage (she’s also better at looking out for them with outsiders than among themselves).

Basically, I like reading about her but wouldn’t want to work for/with her. There’s part of me that hopes she grows into a better manager as the series progresses—but I also enjoy seeing someone successful and flawed.

So, what did I think about Cover Blown?

While this is the Nash and Moretti series, in the first book, there was a definite emphasis on Moretti. This book focused on Nash—I really hope this balancing act continues (think Lydia Chin/Bill Smith books by S. J. Rozan, but in the third person), it’s a good way to tell the duo’s story (and the team’s) without the perspective becoming stale or allowing one character to take over.

The dialogue issues I had in the first book were either absent or so rare in this installment that they never bugged me—and that goes for some of the other stumbles I thought were made in Latent Damage—it feels like Robinson’s more comfortable in this new voice, this new world, and that’s good news for the reader.

The procedural element of this novel is one of the strengths, the sheer effort involved in making the slightest progress in a murder inquiry is something to behold. With these books, Robinson is blending the murder team, the work of those who handle informants, and an undercover unit, which is another layer of difficulty to portray well, and Robinson nails that. I can’t remember if I talked much about it in the post about the last book, but this team spends a lot of time and effort on avenues that don’t ultimately lead where they want to go. I love seeing that—particularly (and I expect realistically) when they end up turning up other criminal activity.

Good characters, fascinating cases, a couple of exciting moments, and an all-around entertaining novel. I’d encourage you to grab hop on to this series here at the beginning—this is a keeper.

4 Stars

Latent Damage by Ian Robinson: A Compelling Series Debut

By HCNewton

On March 10, 2021

In Mystery/Detective Fiction/Crime Fiction/Thriller

Latent Damage

by Ian Robinson
Series: DI Nash and DS Moretti, #1

Kindle Edition, 199 pg.
The Book Folks, 2021

Read: February 16-17, 2021

What’s Latent Damage About?

Being awakened at 5 in the morning on a Saturday morning to come to a crime scene is not what DS Nick Moretti had planned. He’s got a vacation—sorry, holiday—coming up in a couple of weeks, and a homicide investigation could derail that. All part of the fun in the Met’s Homicide and Serious Crime Command.

When he arrives at the crime scene, Moretti discovers that the victim is a Muslim man whose throat was cut just across the street from his mosque. Automatically, the assumption is this is some sort of right-wing group acting out Anti-Muslim sentiment.

Moretti’s DI, Pip Nash spent some time in an undercover unit and still has a lot of contacts there—she’s able to use some of them to help once they get a direction to look in, but first they need to get a motive and some suspects.

While they’re still struggling to get some momentum for the investigation, another body shows up—with his throat cut in a similar fashion—this time, however, it’s an Anglican priest who was the victim.

Now, the team has two members of religious communities murdered in December—this is a PR nightmare in the making for the Met. Will these detectives and the rest of their team be able to stop the killer before another corpse shows up?

DI Nash and DS Moretti

DI Pip Nash is career-oriented, by the book type. She knows what she wants out of members of her team and isn’t afraid to demand it. Her background with the UC team adds a fun twist to things, and watching both the informants’ team and the UC team work with the homicide team is a nice change of pace—I’m used to seeing one of these entities at work, watching them cooperate (to whatever degree) is a great way to start a series.

DS Nick Moretti is less career-oriented (it seems), he’s definitely less by the book (he’s lucky if his alarm gets set in the morning). But he seems to do a good job of rallying the troops and putting the pieces of the murder together. His personal life is in an interesting state (although he has one, and it doesn’t seem that Nash does), and seems like it will prove fertile ground for drama in the future.

I’ve seen versions of both of these characters in books here and there—rarely as a team sharing the name of the series. I think watching their dynamic grow and develop over the next few books will prove just as interesting (maybe more so) than the crimes they investigate.

A Couple of Misgivings

So much of the dialogue in this book was awkward—some was even painful. The characters were trying to joke around or banter and it came off as stilted or excessively wordy—and it’s just off-putting. There were also a few instances of “I’m going to explain my job duties as I carry them out, despite the fact that everyone I’m talking to already knows this is my job.” The latter happens a lot with procedurals, so it’s easy to shrug off (even if these were some egregious examples). The former, however, is another matter. These are supposed to be friends or at least close colleagues, banter should feel natural. I’m going to chalk this up to Robigins just getting used to this world, and (if you count the works under his pen name) this is at least his fifth novel, and the first that I know of where practically every character wasn’t lying to everyone they talk to—it’s possible he doesn’t know how to write for people who aren’t deceiving.

So, what did I think about Latent Damage?

One thing that I’ve always really enjoyed about a good police procedural is the procedure. Watching a team go through the steps, grinding away to get the desired result is a pleasure. Sure, the procedure is dramatized, and usually only bears a passing resemblance to reality. But you can generally get a feel for what authors skew toward authenticity (few of these would be U.S.-based procedurals). And that’s pretty much what Robinson gives us—naturally, that’s helped by his years of actual experience. As such, there are investigative paths that go nowhere, and some that lead to unexpected places—and the amount of effort that goes into making small progress is a great realistic touch.

Yes, the ultimate reveals about the way the killer went about things seems a bit on the outlandish side*—but the way the team came up with his identity wasn’t. Nor was his motive, which seemed very grounded in reality.

* not unforgivably so, I’m not reading True Crime here, I don’t want a dramatized police blotter.

This is a solid, entertaining novel with a few stumbles along the way. But I’m recommending it, and am planning on coming back for at least a couple of more installments in this new series. Nash and Moretti are both the kind of characters you could build a series around, put them together and you’ve got a great foundation; the procedural element was well done, and the ending was as satisfying as you could ask for. Also, under his pen name, Robinson has crafted some of the best Crime Writing of the last few years—this series is going to improve, I know it (and even if it stayed at the same level, it’d still be worth coming back for).

3 Stars

Saturday Miscellany—3/6/21

By HCNewton

On March 6, 2021

In Books, News/Misc., Saturday Miscellany

I’ve had slow weeks for this post before, but this seems like one of the slowest. Looking over the links I gathered for the week, I can’t help but wonder what I read online this week—was I even online? I almost skipped this week, but I do have a couple of things to share, and it’s been years since I missed a week, and I’d hate to break the only consistent streak in my life…

Odds n ends about books and reading that caught my eye this week. You’ve probably seen some/most/all of them, but just in case:
bullet The 15 Best Book Covers of February: So Many Covers, So Little Time—There’s only one on this list I’m halfway interested in reading, but I doubt I’d want to buy it. But had I the money, I’d buy at least 14 of these for the cover.
bullet Matthew Yglesias (a name I see here and there on twitter, but know almost nothing about) set a small fire this week about books entering public domain—with a pretty dumb take, in my opinion, but I don’t know that much about it. Several people took issue with him (most of whom know a lot more about this than I do), including:
bullet Christopher Moore
bullet Silvia Moreno-Garcia
bullet Scott Lynch
bullet ‘Bosch’ Spinoff a Go at Amazon’s IMDb TV—this is good news in general. But also it plays into the above—The Black Echo is just shy of 30. Thinking that Connelly should lose control of that work next year is mind-boggling.
bullet I want to talk to you about Seraphina’s Lament—Sarah Chorn talks about what derailed her first series. Authors have to deal with this kind of thing regularly—I imagine female authors in Speculative Fiction get it worse—how anyone can write with this kind of thing in their head boggles my mind. Some of what this person objected to is what made Seraphina’s Lament one of my favorite novels of the year, by the way. (her follow up post on Gaslighting is also worth a read)

This Week's New Releases That I’m Excited About and/or You’ll Probably See Here Soon:
bullet A War of Wizards by Layton Green—The Blackwood Saga concludes here in Book 5. I’d say I’d dive in next week, but, I still haven’t read book four. Maybe I can squeeze that in next week..hmm….

Lastly I’d like to say hi and extend a warm welcome to mybookishbliss, who followed the blog this week. Don’t be a stranger, and use that comment box, would you?

The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling by Henry Fielding: BOOK XVII., i. – iv.

By HCNewton

On March 5, 2021

In Fiction, Fridays with The Foundling, General Fiction/Literature

Fridays with the Foundling
I’m a little daunted by these chapters, I’ve gotta say…if I’m not careful, this’ll be the longest (by far) post in this series.

We kick off the penultimate (!!!) Book with Fielding talking about the tough spot he’s in—if he were writing a tragedy, he’d be about finished.

it would be difficult for the devil, or any of his representatives on earth, to have contrived much greater torments for poor Jones than those in which we left him in the last chapter; and as for Sophia, a good-natured woman would hardly wish more uneasiness to a rival than what she must at present be supposed to feel. What then remains to complete the tragedy but a murder or two and a few moral sentences!

But he’s not writing a tragedy, it’s a comedy—and it’s going to be some effort

to bring our favourites out of their present anguish and distress, and to land them at last on the shore of happiness

He amends that by noting, it wouldn’t be that hard to get Sophia to a happy ending, but Tom who might just get hanged at Tyburn*—that’s going to be tricky. Especially because he’s not willing to use a literal Deus ex machina (like the ancients would), or any other mythical/supernatural being to help—this is a “natural” work and he’s got to do this in an honest way.

let us try therefore what, by these means, may be done for poor Jones; though to confess the truth, something whispers me in the ear that he doth not yet know the worst of his fortune; and that a more shocking piece of news than any he hath yet heard remains for him in the unopened leaves of fate.

* Fielding stating it’s possible that Tom would be “hanged at Tyburn” made me think of Lady Ty from Ben Aaronovitch’s The Rivers of London\. Now I want Tom to show up and do something with Tom and Nightingale.

After Tom is taken into custody, Blifil comes into breakfast with Mrs. Miller and Mr. Allworthy—and he’s bursting to give the news about

“that Jones, that wretch whom you nourished in your bosom, [who] hath proved one of the greatest villains upon earth.

At this point, Mrs. Miller interrupts him with a glowing defense of Tom—even going so far as to say that Allworthy didn’t do right by him. And even when Allworthy makes her let Blifil share his news, she stands by him—if he actually killed a man, that man deserved it. Before the discussion can go further, Squire Western shows up and Mrs. Miller excuses herself.

Western comes with news—someone else is proposing, and they’d better get things moving if Blifil is going to marry her. Allworthy puts his foot down—he won’t let Sophia be forced into this. Western and Blifil argue against it, but he’s unmoved–if she changes her mind freely, that’s one thing–but otherwise, Allworthy won’t go for it. Blifil can’t help himself and shares the news about Tom, which sends Western into giddy celebration–literally singing and dancing. This will remove Tom from Sophia’s affections, that’s got to be the nail in the coffin, she’ll be Mrs. Blifil before long at this rate.

Western goes off on his way, and Allworthy warns Blifil that the marriage is just not going to happen and he needs to move on.

The reader may pretty well guess Blifil’s answer; but, if he should be at a loss, we are not at present at leisure to satisfy him, as our history now hastens on to matters of higher importance, and we can no longer bear to be absent from Sophia.

Sophia and Mrs. Western are at loggerheads—Lord Fellamar is coming by that afternoon and wants some time without Mrs. Western around. Sophia pleads to not be left alone with him—after some back and forth, she breaks down and tells her aunt what happened. Mrs. Western initially doesn’t believe it, he’s such a good guy with honorable intentions, and so on. But Sophia convinces her. Agast, Mrs. Western agrees to never leave the two of them alone. Fellamar comes, spends an incredibly dull afternoon with the two of them, and departs.

And now we have seen our heroine in a better situation than she hath been for a long time before, we will look a little after Mr Jones, whom we left in the most deplorable situation that can be well imagined.

So what do I have to say about all that? I loved the introductory chapter (even if what he says about the ancients, Persians, and Arabians is irresponsible, inaccurate, and condescending at best). I thought Mrs. MIller was brave and wonderful in her defense, and I was just waiting for her to slap Blifil with a kitchen implement for being such a twerp. I’ve never liked Squire Western less, and I feel bad how the deck is being stacked against Tom. The last chapter between Sophia and her aunt was just great, too.

I guess, basically, I’m excited to be in the home stretch, am really enjoying what Fielding us up to, and am tempted to finish the novel tonight.

The Friday 56 for 3/5/21: Calculated Risks by Seanan McGuire

By HCNewton

On March 5, 2021

In Currently Reading, News/Misc., Quotations, The Friday 56

This is a weekly bloghop hosted by Freda’s Voice

RULES:
The Friday 56 Grab a book, any book.
Turn to Page 56 or 56% on your ereader. If you have to improvise, that is okay.
Find a snippet, short and sweet.
Post it

from page 56 of:
Calculated Risks

Calculated Risks by Seanan McGuire

“I think that if there are flying bugs that big, I don’t want to see what eats them,” said Annie. “What happens when the suns go down?”

“With three suns, it’s possible that it’s never going to be what we think of as true night,” said Artie. “One of them may always be in the sky, or there could even be a fourth sun that’s currently behind the planet that’s going to rise while the others are setting.”

“This dimension is really stupid,” said Annie. “I do not like it here.”

“No one’s asking you to,” I said…

What the World Needs Now – Bees! by Cheryl Rosebush, Zuzana Svobodová: A Much-Needed Lesson for Kids About those Tiny Pollinators

By HCNewton

On March 5, 2021

In Book Tour, Non-Fiction, YA/MG/Children's Books

What the World Needs Now – Bees!

by Cheryl Rosebush, Zuzana Svobodová (Illustrator)
Series: What the World Needs Now

PDF, 34 pg.
2021

Read: March 4, 2021

Was I tempted to just copy what I said about her earlier book, What the World Needs Now – Trees!, and give it a couple of small edits? Yes. And it would’ve been true, but that seems a little on the sketchy side.

What’s What the World Needs Now – Bees! About?

Melly, a young black bear, gives the reader a brief tour of her home area, with a particular focus on the fauna (particularly fruit) in the area, and then teaches the reader about the role that bees play in pollinating the plants. Then there’s a little discussion about what can cause problems among the bee population and some simple things that can be done—even by a young reader/pre-reader—to help.

A Moment of Pedantry

One of the supplemental information boxes includes this:

American black bears are medium-sized ursines that live in forests across North America. You can find them in Alaska, Canada, the United States of America, and even as far south as northern Mexico.

Alaska is part of the U.S. (as a state since 1959, and as a territory for more than 40 years prior to that).

Parents, teachers, caregivers can (and should) easily edit that sentence as they read it to a child, but it still rankles me.

How were the Illustrations?

Svobodová and her cartoonish-balanced with-accurate style are back, and I think better this time out. Melly and her flying friends are wonderfully rendered here.

The illustrations are full of small little touches to keep the attention of the youngest readers as they come back again and again. For example, there was a small chipmunk (I think—maybe a squirrel, I couldn’t see enough of it to tell) poking its head out from a hole in a tree on page 2. I’m not sure I can explain it, but that critter’s existence made the book for me—it’s a tiny little detail that it’d be easy to miss, but you know some eagle-eyed kid is going to focus on that while they’re listening (or, not listening, let’s be honest) to someone read the book to them. It’s a nice, subtle touch.

So, what did I think about What the World Needs Now – Bees!?

Like the art, I liked this a little more than its predecessor. I thought this was a bit more engaging and interesting. Again, it explained some of the current issues without being alarmist and did so in an attractive way, sure to keep the interest of the target audience.

I did wonder if there was a way to spend less time on pollination and more on the bees themselves (not that I have a problem with the pollination material, and it’s one of the bigger reasons we need bees—I just wanted more about the insects (I imagine many kids would agree with me—insects are almost always more interesting than anything else for every kid I’ve known)

Although, honestly, I think I had an easier time sleeping not knowing about the existence of Wallace’s giant bee. 🙂 Sure, they’re in Indonesia, but a bee with a 2.5″ wingspan? No thank you.

This is a good book and a good series, it’s well worth your time and effort.

3 Stars

My thanks to Love Books Group for the invitation to participate in this tour and the materials (including the book) they provided.

BOOK SPOTLIGHT: What the World Needs Now – Bees! by Cheryl Rosebush, Zuzana Svobodová

By HCNewton

On March 5, 2021

In Book Tour, Fiction, YA/MG/Children's Books

Today I’m pleased to welcome the Book tour for the children’s book, What the World Needs Now – Bees! by Cheryl Rosebush. After this post, I’ll be giving my take on the book here in a little bit. But let’s start by learning a bit about the book.

Book Details:

Book Title: What the World Needs Now – Bees! by Cheryl Rosebush, Zuzana Svobodová (Illustrator)
Publisher: Cheryl Rosebush Communications
Format: Ebook/Paperback

Book Blurb:

Inside the sprawling forests of Ontario, Canada lives a friendly black bear named Melly. One of Melly’s favourite things to do is EAT! And many of the delicious fruits she snacks on wouldn’t grow without the help of some very important little forest creatures.

What the World Needs Now: Bees! explores the vital role busy, busy bees play in helping plants to grow the food people and animals love to eat.

About the Series:

What the World Needs Now is an environmental children’s book series for ages 4-8 that aims to connect the world’s youngest book lovers to the importance of nature, and our place in it.

Each book in the series follows a friendly animal through its habitat, helping kids learn about one thing the world needs now, be it more trees or bees or less plastic, to maintain a healthy planet.

The series is designed to help parents and educators lay the foundation for future learning on the world’s most pressing environmental challenges. But for our littlest kids, the connection starts at a much simpler point: their first job is to fall in love with nature – because you don’t protect what you don’t love.

The books support engaging with our kids on how we can better respect and care for the only planet we have.

About the Author:

I was born and raised in Southern Ontario, Canada in the cities of Burlington and St. Catharines. Long before the internet and mobile phones (now I’m aging myself!), my childhood was spent in forests and parks, on bike rides, and playing hide and seek until the streetlights came on. My family did comical Griswold-style road trips in wood-paneled station wagons. We spent summers swimming in friends’ backyards. These are my very fortunate roots.

I knew from an early age that my destiny would take me far from Southern Ontario. I graduated high school and moved to Montreal to study international politics at McGill University. The subject fascinated me, but as graduation approached, I realized I didn’t know what I wanted to do with a degree in international politics. I didn’t want to become a lawyer. I didn’t want to become a politician or civil servant. The media industry, on the other hand, intrigued me.

The West Coast of Canada also intrigued me. So, after graduating McGill, I packed up again, moved to Vancouver and took the first media job I could get at a local Top 40 radio station (Z.95.3) in Vancouver. Best job. Great bosses. I learned so much. But after a couple of years there, the winds of change came calling again.

September 11, 2001. In a heartbeat, Z95.3 went from playing Britney Spears to reporting up-to-the-minute information on the local, national and international fallout of the terrorist attacks in New York and Washington. In that moment, I knew I had found my calling. I wanted to do something that was needed on a good day, and needed even more on a bad day. I wanted to become a full-time journalist.

So, I packed my bags again (a running theme in my life), and moved to Ottawa, Ontario to do my Masters of Journalism. Another incredible two years culminated in me getting a research internship with the Canadian Broadcast Corporation (CBC) in London, England. That position helped me land back in Montreal for a second chapter there as local news reporter for the CBC. While I was there, I wore just about every hat you could in CBC’s radio and TV newsrooms. Depending on the day, I was a researcher, producer, reporter, or online writer. I even filled in for the weather reports every once in a while.
https://www.cherylrosebush.com/

Purchase Links

What the World Needs Now children’s book series

My thanks to Love Books Group for the invitation to participate in this tour and the materials (including the book) they provided.

What Abigail Did That Summer by Ben Aaronovitch: Peter Grant’s Cousin Searches for Missing Kids

By HCNewton

On March 4, 2021

In Ben Aaronovitch, Rivers of London (Peter Grant), Urban Fantasy

What Abigail Did That Summer

by Ben Aaronovitch
Series: The Rivers of London, #5.7 (or so, I’m not sure how it’ll get numbered)

eARC, 232 pg.
Subterranean Press, 2021

Read: March 1, 2021

There are a few, uh, provisos, a, a couple of quid pro quos.

I almost feel like I need to go back and do a lot of re-reading before writing much about this book. I’d have thought that Abigail’s involvement with the Folly and Peter wasn’t this developed until later in the series.

Also, I know there’s a connection between Abigail and the talking foxes, but I don’t remember exactly when it comes about and how much of this book is Aaronovich filling in the backstory that he just breezes past in one of the novels.

I didn’t feel at a loss for context while reading the book, but I tell you what, I’m feeling it as I try to talk about the novella. So, I guess I’m saying, be nice and forgive any lapses in what’s to come:

What’s What Abigail Did That Summer About?

This novella is set during the events of Foxglove Summer and Peter’s not in London. But never fear, Abigail does talk to Nightingale a couple of times.

Abigail has a strange interaction with someone she used to know and sees someone else acting slightly strangely. She starts, not really investigating, but taking a close look around at everything. Then when the police start asking questions of kids in the park, showing pictures of those same people, she knows something’s up.

Not that she tells the police that, because they’re not going to believe her. She’s told that these children (and others) have gone missing, but then reappear at home, with fuzzy memories of the last couple of days. If Abigail, she thinks, with the help of some of the local talking foxes, can figure out what’s going on, she can point Nightingale in the right direction—which might help convince him that she’s ready for training.

But mostly, Abigail’s curious about what’s happening and has to figure it out.

Postmartin’s Contribution

Abigail’s first-person account is littered with footnotes by the Folly’s archivist, Harold Postmartin. Largely, these footnotes are to explain some of the more slang-y terms Abigail uses (although sometimes it’s a more technical note). He seems to go to great lengths to make sure that American readers can get what she’s saying. I halfway wonder if in UK editions those notes have differences.

I think I could’ve worked out the terms I wasn’t already familiar with, but the footnotes were entertaining enough that it doesn’t matter if I could’ve. This was a better way to deal with it.

So, what did I think about What Abigail Did That Summer?

This is absolutely a Folly-story, one that belongs in this series, but there’s no way that Peter Grant was the right character to use for this story, Aaronovich needed to use someone like Abigail to tell this, conveniently enough, there she was. She has a different way of thinking than Peter—and while there’s humor to her narration, it’s not the same as Peter’s (even if it’s occasionally similar). Seeing things from her perspective, it’s a great way to see how she’s similar to her cousin, while very much being her own person.

Frequently, with novellas, I walk away wondering why couldn’t we get a full novel out of it? This isn’t one of those times—the story is as long as it needs to be—it’s complex and satisfying. Also, we get a lot of development out of Abigail and get a better degree of understanding of her than we’ve had before.

That said, there are just so many things I want to know more about, but just making this novel-length wouldn’t take care of it. For example, we learn right off the bat that there’s something…different…about Simon’s mom—and Aaronovich teases us with a couple of more things. I want more of this. I want to know just what it is that Abigail’s doing for her. I want more adventures with Abigail and the foxes.

I’ve always wanted to see more Abigail in the novels—this underscores that for me.

In short, this was a fun story—a strange one at times, but fun—that makes me more curious about a character I already enjoyed, but now I want more of her—both on her own (like this) or in the main novels. I had a similar reaction to the novella The October Man, too. Although that probably is my reaction to anything in this universe (at least so far)—”I enjoyed that, can I have more like it?”

This would be an interesting jumping-on point for the whole series—I’m not sure I’d recommend it, but it might be enough to convince you to dive into the rest.

Disclaimer: I received this eARC from Subterranean Press via NetGalley in exchange for this post—thanks to both for this.

3.5 Stars