Book #30 of 2020: Throwback by Peter Lerangis (Throwback #1) I love the character interactions and the depiction of historical New York City in this middle-grade time-travel adventure, but it’s maybe a bit overstuffed with plot. (The hero is nominally trying to save his grandmother from dying on September 11th, but he spends most of …
Author Archives: Joe Kessler
Book Review: The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield
Book #29 of 2020: The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield I’m trying not to compare this 2006 novel to 2017’s The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, which also features a famous recluse inviting someone from out of the blue to come write her official biography. But even setting aside that much superior later book, this …
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Book Review: One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel García Márquez
Book #28 of 2020: One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel García Márquez Justifiably a classic of Latin American literature, this multi-generational novel provides a sprawling look at the central family in a fictional Colombian town as it undergoes periods of settlement, growth, war, encroaching modernity, and ultimately collapse. The storytelling is recursive and elliptical, …
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Book Review: Infinity Son by Adam Silvera
Book #27 of 2020: Infinity Son by Adam Silvera (Infinity Cycle #1) I feel similarly about this YA superhero novel as I do Marissa Meyer’s Renegades trilogy: it’s neat for the genre exploration and representation — which in this case includes a gay Latino protagonist written by a gay Latino author — but somewhat underwhelming …
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Book Review: Fool’s Assassin by Robin Hobb
Book #26 of 2020: Fool’s Assassin by Robin Hobb (The Fitz and the Fool #1) When I first read this novel in 2015, I gave it the following lukewarm review: “Ideally, any sequel should justify its own existence. Why are we returning for another chapter of this story? What new developments require plucking these characters …
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Book Review: Stepsister by Jennifer Donnelly
Book #25 of 2020: Stepsister by Jennifer Donnelly Less a retelling than a continuation, this novel takes the standard version of the Cinderella fairy tale and imagines a possible redemption story for one of her wicked relations. But it really doesn’t work for me, on just about any level. Worst of all are the under-explained …
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Book Review: Serpent & Dove by Shelby Mahurin
Book #24 of 2020: Serpent & Dove by Shelby Mahurin (Serpent & Dove #1) A reader’s enjoyment of this fantasy debut may depend on their fondness for certain fanfiction tropes about nemeses forced to fake a relationship for appearance’s sake. In this case, it’s a church witchfinder and a secret witch, whose dynamic of grudging …
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Book Review: Star Wars: Dooku: Jedi Lost by Cavan Scott
Book #23 of 2020: Star Wars: Dooku: Jedi Lost by Cavan Scott The treacherous Count Dooku feels like a bit of an afterthought in the Star Wars prequel movies, but I’m glad I took a chance on this recent full-cast audiobook fleshing out his backstory. It’s easy for franchise media tie-ins to come off as …
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Book Review: Lalani of the Distant Sea by Erin Entrada Kelly
Book #22 of 2020: Lalani of the Distant Sea by Erin Entrada Kelly I like the idea behind this wandering maritime adventure — think The Voyage of the Dawn Treader crossed with Disney’s Moana, roughly — but I feel like it would have been stronger if the point-of-view had stuck with the title heroine throughout …
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TV Review: The Good Place, season 4
TV #1 of 2020: The Good Place, season 4 This heartfelt sitcom about trying to become a better person in the afterlife never quite surpassed its stellar first season, but it’s remained a surprisingly hilarious exploration of moral philosophy and a great showcase for the sort of tender character development creator Michael Schur perfected on …
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