Staff Choices

There's Something About Mira is about a woman whose fiancé is unable to travel with her to New York on their planned "engagement moon" trip. So she decides to travel alone, staying with her brother and his partner. While in NYC she finds a beautiful ring on a broken chain recognizing it is one-half of a ring set. Mira then embarks on a mission to try to find the owner. The book is written with depth and romance. It deals with past trauma and cultural differences; it has a dual time-line, issues of learning to stand up for yourself and even has a thriller element.

Sonali Dev was one of the wonderful authors in attendance at AHML's 4th annual Lit Stroll in June. Pick up a copy if you enjoy reading Lit Stroll authors and domestic fiction.

Vera Wong's Guide to Snooping (on a Dead Man) starts some time after Vera Wong's Unsolicited Advice for Murderers ends, with the various characters moving on to their respective happy/bittersweet endings. Vera should be happy too, with her fuller life and found family, and she is, definitely. But she's also bored. So, so bored that when the opportunity for a new case appears, she seizes it by the horns and tears after every lead she unearths, complete with towers of home-cooked food and a new cast of characters who, bemused and confuzzled, are pulled along in her wake. The moral of the story is that there is no stopping Vera Wong when she puts her mind to it. Oh, and come hungry.

At first, the beginning seems like it will follow a similar formulaic structure to Unsolicited Advice; however, patience pays off--after the (roughly) first third of the book, the plot veers off into a very different direction: Sutanto has several important points to make with this novel. I won't say too much about these (spoilers), but I came away from it both satisfied and impressed. It's hard to balance heartwarming comedy with the gravity of some of the themes without seeming to make light of a serious, ongoing issue, but Sutanto does this balance well. That said, it should be noted that while Unsolicited Advice is solidly cozy mystery/amateur sleuth-type mystery, this novel is definitely darker than its predecessor, an in-between book that straddles cozy and gritty mysteries with a garnish of suspense. Sutanto also notes in her acknowledgements that much of the darker material she uses is, unfortunately, derived from actual facts. On a lighter note, one of the best scenes was when Vera defends Robin at her school--what a hero!

Readers who enjoy this novel may also like: any of Sutanto's other works, Sisters of the Lost Nation by Nick Medina, The Return of Ellie Black by Emiko Jean, The Kamogawa Food Detectives by Hisashi Kashiwai, and Elevator in Sài Gòn by Thuận, among others. 

Saint Catherine is Anna Meyer's debut graphic novel. In this book, Catherine, an emerging adult, is living a pretty solid life in the big city--she has a job she thinks about quitting, friends she adores, and a sweet and caring boyfriend. But Catherine, who was raised Irish Catholic, has a secret--she has never missed a Sunday Mass and is terrified of the consequences if she does. Then, the one day she decides to skip church, she wakes up host to a demon prince and his 27 legions of Hell, sparking an existential crisis about herself, her loved ones, and the role of religion in her life.

Like Catherine, Meyer was raised Catholic and also had an existential crisis as a young adult, so although this story is fictional, it draws on the author's personal experience. The book focuses mainly on one's personal connections to family and faith, as well as the general culture of Catholicism. It also points out the potential generational and cultural differences in terms of connections to religion and the Church--Catherine's mother views religion differently from her children, and while there are commonalities in beliefs and practices between Catherine and her Russian Orthodox friend, her boyfriend's family--also Christian--views religion much more loosely than she does. These nuances, if brief, offer layers to the book as Catherine quite literally struggles with her own demons. The book does have an overall positive ending, though I'm kicking myself a bit over the plot twist at the end. Meyer's art is also very well rendered, with color-coded flashbacks and flowing panels. Her depiction of Vassago, Prince of Hell, was also quite fun--who knew that a blob could be both so cute and so scary?

Readers who enjoy this graphic novel may also enjoy: Visitations by Corey Egbert, Covenant by LySandra Vuong, Fun Home and Are You My Mother? by Alison Bechdel, and Hijab Butch Blues by Lamya H., among others. 

Water Moon is Manila-based author Samantha Sotto Yambao's fifth book and first fantasy, inspired by a trip to Kyoto and the role of pawnshops during the COVID-19 pandemic. A standalone novel, it follows Hana, the daughter of a magical pawnbroker who buys regrets and choices, and Keishin, a physicist who has come to Japan to do more than study neutrinos. Their adventures will change everything they once thought they knew about their worlds, themselves, and each other.

Firstly, this book's cover gets an enthusiastic five stars! It's gorgeous in that it can be examined from every single angle. It truly does bring out the magic of Yambao's worldbuilding, a world that I would love to see visualized, either as an animated film or as a graphic novel. Her settings and magic system (including the tattoos) feel like a love letter to Studio Ghibli and Makoto Shinkai's films, gorgeously rendered and nostalgic for Cool Japan and cultural traditions. That--and Haruto, origami master--were some of my favorite parts of this book. There were also some plot twists that I did not see coming. Overall, this was an enjoyable, cozy-adjacent fantasy. It is also available as an eAudiobook.

Readers may also enjoy: The Haunted Bookstore: Gateway to a Parallel Universe by Shinobumaru, Spirited Away (2001), Everything Everywhere All at Once (2022), The Dallergut Dream Department Store by Lee Miye, The Rainfall Market by You Yeong-Gwang, Your Name. (2016), and Weathering With You (2019). 

A Serial Killer's Guide to Marriage by Asia Mackay is a darkly comedic and refreshingly unique thriller that blends suspense with cunning wit. The story follows Tiffy, a sharp and resourceful woman who has a secret life as a professional assassin. When she marries the alluring but seemingly normal Ben, her dual identity starts to clash with the reality of married life. Mackay is able to weave humor and tension, offering a smart, contemptuous look at relationships, loyalty, and the challenges of balancing a dangerous career with the expectations of domestic bliss. The book’s fast-paced, snappy dialogue and twisty plot make it both entertaining and thrilling, while the dubious characters keep readers hooked. It’s a clever take on crime fiction, full of surprises and sharp social commentary, perfect for fans of thrillers with a touch of satire. Every chapter of A Serial Killer’s Guide to Marriage explodes with tension, humor, or a jaw-dropping revelation.  This book is a rollercoaster of murder, marriage, and mayhem, served with clever wit that makes it a quick read. The family that slays together, stays together. 

Wheel of the Infinite by Martha Wells is a standalone high fantasy novel. Originally published in the early 2000s, it tells the tale of Maskelle, Voice of the Adversary, and Rian, runaway monarchial bodyguard, as they try to protect the Wheel during the Hundred Years' rite in order to save the world as they know it.

I had been looking forward to this novel, as Martha Wells has been oft recommended to me. Indeed, the world-building was one of the best parts of this book, with complex political relationships and magic/deity systems. It reminded me very much of Tamora Pierce's work, and is a book in which the reader is dropped right into the middle of things and must figure out the rules themself as they read, similar to Gideon the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir. That said, I'm glad that my first Wells book was an older work, so that the newer, very popular ones can showcase her growth as a writer.

Readers who enjoy this book may also like: The Rising World and The Murderbot Diaries series by Martha Wells, anything by Tamora Pierce, Tanith Lee, and Sherwood Smith, The Locked Tomb series by Tamsyn Muir, and the Riverside and Tremontaine series by Ellen Kushner (et al.). 

It may seem like everyone is jumping on the romantasy bandwagon these days, and you’d have every right to be skeptical of an author’s first go at the genre. I was certainly apprehensive of the hype Shield of Sparrows by Devney Perry was getting, but its place on the New York Times Bestseller’s list held steady and swayed me to dig in. And I’m certainly glad I did! Even though this is over 500 pages, it never felt long or drawn out. While the plot twists were fairly easy to figure out from the get-go, the satisfaction of being right in the end is worth it in my book. 

A slow burn fantasy romance, Shield of Sparrows follows Princess Odessa, the eldest daughter of the Kingdom of Quentis as she is torn from the life she knows and thrust into one of danger around every bend. Bound by the Shield of Sparrows treaty, Odessa’s sister was raised from birth to wed Prince Zavier of Turah. However, when they arrive in Quentis, Prince Zavier chooses Odessa as his bride and whisks her away on a perilous journey across the sea. Before their departure, Odessa’s father tasks her with discovering the secret location of the Turan capital of Allesaria. When she arrives in Turah, what she finds is a place cursed by nightmarish beasts and abandoned by its King. 

Along the way, Zavier’s trusted friend and advisor, the Guardian, keeps a constant eye on Odessa. As they spend more time together, forbidden feelings begin to arise.  

This book is full of action and what I can only describe as Lisa Frank inspired monsters (but 500x more terrifying). You’ll leave with questions, but not on a cliffhanger, thankfully. This is the first book of a planned trilogy. 

At 97 years old, George E. Johnson has written an inspiring memoir about his success at founding the Johnson Products Company. And I am so glad that he did. 
Created on Chicago's south side in 1954, Johnson Products was the first Black-owned company to be traded on the American Stock Exchange. The book tells of Johnson using hard work and strong character to start a business that filled in a gap in the haircare industry and supported the Black community in expressing their authentic beauty.

The book is filled with his coming of age story how without a formal education, he pushed through racial barriers to achieve success. Starting out by working odd jobs as a teenager, he learned that practicing the Golden Rule was the key to growing his multi-million dollar business. His impact is is inspiring and captivating as he highlights how courage and perseverance can create a legacy. 

The Next Conversation by Jefferson Fisher is a non-fiction, self-help book. Fisher is an attorney and the son of an attorney. Communication in the courtroom and with clients is an important skill in his profession. In this book, the author provides examples of real situations, often his own situations, where you might encounter tense moments that can easily go wrong in situations within your personal or work life. By providing language suggestions in how to respond, he demonstrates how to preserve the dignity of both yourself and the other person while clearly communicating boundaries and asserting yourself. Escalating conflicts can often be defused by remaining calm and not trying to "win" an argument.

I first heard of this author on social media and found him to be an affable speaker. Pick up a copy of his book if you'd also like to read some of his kernels of wisdom.
 

Memories can be beautiful, sad, terrifying or even the last remaining pieces of those we once held dear. And in Dissolution by Nicholas Binge, a weapon.  

Told in alternating timelines, Dissolution is a beautifully woven and fast-paced technothriller that will have you guessing until the very end. One half of the story follows Stanley Webb, a loner genius sucked into a world of memory experimentation. The other half, a present-day conversation between Stanley’s wife, Maggie, and a mysterious stranger, Hassan, as time ticks down to dissolution. 

Over the past decade Maggie has had to watch her beloved husband Stanley slowly lose the memories of their life together. His dementia is only getting worse, and their daughter has seemingly without reason cut ties, leaving Maggie feeling terribly alone. One day Maggie wakes up in an empty swimming pool, hooked up to a machine and sitting across from a man named Hassan, who wants nothing more than for Maggie to recall exactly how they met and the details that followed. Apparently, Stanley does not have dementia. In fact, his memories are being stolen, and Maggie must go in and retrieve them before it’s too late. 

The ensuing action brings up questions regarding the ethics of scientific advancement, who you can actually trust, and the importance of memory in the retelling of historical events. As someone who loves it when seemingly disparate pieces of a puzzle come together, there were very satisfying moments in this story.