What I've Heard- Conviction

I really enjoyed reading Conviction by Denise Mina and honestly, the audio version was even better! This book is all about a woman who loves listening to true crime podcasts and then gets pulled into her own crime mystery. Listening to the characters makes it seem like listening to that podcast. This was a good one.

 

The Wife Upstairs by Rachel Hawkins

When I was in high school, one of the few classics I enjoyed reading was Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte. The Wife Upstairs by Rachel Hawkins is a Jane Eyre retelling featuring Jane, a dog walker in an affluent neighborhood in Alabama who is trying to escape an ugly past, and Eddie, a wealthy presumed widower whom she meets while working. Eddie's wife has been missing for months after a boating accident and he takes quite an interest in young Jane. He could be her ticket to a better life, one she's always wanted, but they both have a lot of secrets to overcome.

I really liked this as a classic reimagined. While I knew the plot of the original, I never knew if Hawkins would stay true to it or if she would decide that 175 years of perspective might have changed how we see some of the characters. Social climbing may not have been the original Jane's goal, but this Jane wants to improve her station in life. The mystery of who Eddie's wife was and what happened to her kept me turning the pages late into the night. This was a fun thriller. Add it to your winter reading list!

 

Upgrade by Blake Crouch

Whoa, Nelly! I don't think I was ready for the whirlwind that was Upgrade by Blake Crouch. This technothriller follows Logan, an investigator with the government agency tasked with enforcing the new laws against genetic research. When he becomes the victim of a genome hack, he has to fight against his friends and his family to find a way to stop this from happening to anyone else. He is smarter and stronger and faster than ever before, but would this be the answer to humanity's problems, or will it usher in the end of the world. And how many will die if it all goes wrong?

This fast-moving thriller was exciting and kept me up well past bedtime. It got a little technical at times, but the research that went into writing it must have been massive. The science is fascinating, but the real enjoyment for me came from the philosophical questions raised. If we can, should we? What would make the world better? And what is an acceptable loss to save the human species?

The end of Homo sapiens lies just over the horizon. We can see it in a thousand metrics. Which means we have a chance. But only if we collectively decide to act. If nothing changes, we will die off for the stupidest reason imaginable- because we refused, for so many childish reasons, to do the obvious things that would save us.

Science fiction set in the near future is my favorite. The reader can see the world they know, but also begin to imagine what could be. We know what our problems are now and to see them solved is exciting, even if it isn't quite real. Yet. There are other quotes I'd love to share with you, but I'd hate to spoil such an entertaining read for you. I can't wait to read more Blake Crouch.

 

The Bodyguard by Katherine Center

I was really feeling in the mood for something fun and light. Katherine Center is always a good author for that and her latest, The Bodyguard, fits the bill perfectly. Hannah is an Executive Protection Agent, a bodyguard. She looks like she couldn't harm a fly, but as she says, her job is to make sure she stops a threat before it ever comes to physical fighting. And yet, she can still toss a fully grown man to the ground before he can blink. She's just had the worst few weeks of her life: her mother has died, her boyfriend has broken up with her, and her best friend is on the other side of the world. The worst part of it is that she can't distract herself the way she normally does- work. Happy to call herself a workaholic, Hannah feels fulfilled by her job. When her boss finally gives her another assignment, it isn't what she's expecting. She has to pretend to be the girlfriend of a gorgeous movie star. He doesn't want his family to know that he needs protection. But how good are their respective acting skills?

This book was super cute. It was sweet and romantic while not being saccharine. I really liked it, and I can't wait to listen to the audio version. Add this one to your list. It will definitely make you smile.

End of the World House by Adrienne Celt

The world is not doing well in End of the World House by Adrienne Celt. War is rampant, the climate has had enough of humanity, and the economy is devastated. And yet, life continues mostly as normal. People go to work, they hang out in bars, and they argue with their roommates over whose turn it is to take out the trash. The biggest concern in Bertie's life is that her best friend Kate is moving to another city. As one last hurrah and, Bertie hopes, for a chance to change Kate's mind, they fly to Paris. Travel is a luxury, but now that the ceasefire is in place, it may be their last chance before the world ends. One very strange day in the Louvre, and it all changes. Somehow the day keeps repeating itself, but it takes Bertie a while to figure that out.

This book was... interesting. It was confusing and when I thought I had it figured out, it completely flipped on me. A bit existential, a bit of a mindf... well, you know what I mean. Maybe the world doesn't ever actually end. Maybe we don't ever die. Maybe where we are right now isn't where we actually are right now. Maybe this book made me a little dizzy, but I kind of liked it. The choices we make are the foundations of who we are. If we make different decisions, maybe we turn out to be different people.

This book wasn't what I was expecting, but I still liked it. You should give it a try and see how it makes you feel. It could be very intriguing.