The quirky yet believable characters make this historical novel set in 1926 worth reading. I wanted each of them to succeed at their ultimate goals despite being at odds with one another.
There’s Nellie Coker, the nightclub matriarch. “She was happy to provide [fun] for others, for a sum. There was nothing wrong with having a good time as long as she didn’t have to have one herself.” As for Detective Chief Inspector John Frobisher, “Dirt never slept, so neither would Frobisher.” Gwendolen Kelling, labeled “practical” by some yet “ruthless” by her own mother, is the perfect person to infiltrate London nightclubs to find two missing fourteen-year-olds. Freda Murgatroyd, one of the missing girls, says, “I am not a brat, merely unusually confident.” Even a waiter has a special manner: “May I introduce the beef, sir?”
I recommend you read this book for the characters but also for the lush historical detail and settings and the intriguing, well-woven plot.
'Atkinson on her finest form. A marvel of plate-spinning narrative knowhow, a peak performance of consummate control.' OBSERVER
'This is the perfect novel for uncertain times.' THE TIMES
'I can think of few writers other than Dickens who can match it' SUNDAY TIMES
'Brilliant' RICHARD OSMAN
'Kate Atkinson is simply one of the best writers working today, anywhere in the world' GILLIAN FLYNN
____
1926, and in a country still recovering from the Great War, London has become the focus for a delirious new nightlife. In the clubs of Soho, peers of the realm rub shoulders with starlets, foreign dignitaries…
I loved this science fiction novel for its humor, much of which comes from great dialogue. Through his characters’ banter, Scalzi makes the impossible seem possible. Creatures with internal nuclear reactors? Of course, it all makes perfect sense!
In a way, this book mirrors my life as a literary-focused individual embedded with brilliant scientists, the most obvious difference being that I haven’t gone to an alternate Earth to assist with the study of giant monsters. At least, as of this writing, nobody has invited me.
I had read other Scalzi novels, including the Interdependency series, so I knew this book would be fun and approachable. Last but not least, I also appreciated the inclusiveness of Scalzi’s diverse characters.
The Kaiju Preservation Society is John Scalzi's first standalone adventure since the conclusion of his New York Times bestselling Interdependency trilogy.
When COVID-19 sweeps through New York City, Jamie Gray is stuck as a dead-end driver for food delivery apps. That is, until Jamie makes a delivery to an old acquaintance, Tom, who works at what he calls “an animal rights organization.” Tom’s team needs a last-minute grunt to handle things on their next field visit. Jamie, eager to do anything, immediately signs on.
What Tom doesn't tell Jamie is that the animals his team cares for are not here…
I was officially disabled for more than a year by a cerebrospinal fluid leak. Even with this background, I knew that my understanding of disability was severely limited, which is why I readAbout Us.
I learned so much, such as why people with disabilities might balk at being labeled “inspiring,” and what it’s like from the point of view of somebody who stutters, has Tourette Syndrome, is blind, uses a wheelchair, and so much more.
Everybody who reads this book will learn something valuable to help navigate their disability or that of others, since “…one in five adults in the United States is living with a disability” and “There are two kinds of people in the world: the disabled and the not-yet-disabled.”
Boldly claiming a space where people with disabilities tell the stories of their own lives-not other's stories about them-About Us captures the voices of a community that has for too long been stereotyped and misrepresented. Speaking not only to people with disabilities and their support networks, but to all of us, the authors in About Us offer intimate stories of how they navigate a world not built for them. Echoing the refrain of the disability rights movement, "nothing about us without us," this collection, with a foreword by Andrew Solomon, is a landmark publication of the disability movement for readers…
We Grew Tales is a collaboration by authors Susan Whiting Kemp, Evelyn Arvey, and Nancy Bonnington. Its thirty tales encompass a wide range of genres, including literary, humor, speculative fiction, science fiction, crime, historical fiction, popular fiction, and travel.
The first half of the book includes their most popular stories, some of which have been published in reputable literary magazines. For the second half, they challenged each other with writing prompts (such as “Saturday at 6:26 pm.” or “But unfortunately, that’s illegal”). You’ll experience a wild range of stories, even though they were grown from the same “seeds.”
The book’s title is a play on one of its stories, We Grew Tails, which explores the surprising outcome when people grow actual tails.
