So, I just finished The Getaway God, the 6th book in the Sandman Slim series by Richard Kadrey. And whew.
God damn. What a ride.
You ever have a book that has a break-neck pace (or emotional gut punches one after the other) and something is happening page after page and there’s blood and death and God (yes, with a capital G) and Death (Yes, with a capital D) who are characters? And there’s a sentient bank building who has a fight with the physical manifestation of one of God’s split personalities and … lord, I feel like I just ran a marathon and I need to sit down and digest everything.
It’s like a review wouldn’t even come close to coming to covering everything I just read and I’m like where would I even start?
Has a book ever made you feel like that??
I love it when they do!
No idea if these are going to be like that, but there’s always hope 🙂
Dr Jekyll and Mr Seek
Edward Hyde is dead. But Mr Jekyll has returned to London and claimed his wealth, while those that question his identity start dying. However, someone did know Hyde and Jekyll were one and the same — Utterson, Hyde’s laywer. So where does this leave him knowing the truth? Doubting his own sanity and fearing for his safety. So many delicious questions aren’t there?? What do you think of this one??
Strange Magic
With a name like Rosie Strange, you’d think she’d believe in magic, but Rosie doesn’t. So when she inherits a witch museum, she wants to sell it and run. BUT. But… she stays. Why, she doesn’t quite know, but she does. And meets an academic who wants her to find the bones of an old witch, and then there’s Sam the curator of the museum who Rosie can’t decide if she likes or hates. And in the end, there’s a mystery I’m wanting to know more about and not to mention the strange magic. And also what looks to be a Brit cozy magic mystery of sorts.
Agatha Christie is having or will have somewhat of a resurgence (I think?) now that Murder on the Orient Express movie is coming and looks damn good, but while listening to the radio of all things during an entertainment report, I learned that she actually disappeared for about 10 days in real life… and to this day, it’s apparently still unsolved.
A Talent for Murder
So, this a novel about those 10 days, and a case of blackmail and murder into which she’s dragged. Turns out the man who seemingly rescued her from an oncoming train did so with the intention of blackmailing her into murdering someone. Involving Agatha Christie in a murder, in a blackmail plot is ingenious, I think — I mean it’s Christie after all! So, I am waiting for this with high hopes!
My Life as a Hashtag
Everyone likes a good rant on social don’t they? Or they let the rants get away from them — see mine with my phone, cable and internet companies on my Twitter. But what you shouldn’t do is press send on a rant when you discover your BFF has iced you out of one of the biggest parties of the year. Not to mention all the stuff happening at home, so MC is in trouble. Big time… isn’t there an app yet that doesn’t let you rage-tweet? Or something? Everything about this sounds so relatable I love it!
This fourth book is by an Ephron sister, because yes there are four and they’re all ridiculously talented.
You’ll never know, dear
There’s a huge disconnect here between the title and the cover for me — one, the title sounds like someone’s old, grey-haired mother is saying something and the cover looks creepy AF. Lissie is 7 and her sister Janey is 4 when Janey is kidnapped. 40 years later, their mother still places an ad in the paper for the doll Janey had with her when she went missing — and then, the doll comes back. And that’s the mystery — how is Lissa, her young daughter and her mother in danger? And who took Janey? It’s the cover that gets me with this one, and it amplifies the creepiness underneath this blurb, I think.
That’s it from me, I think. Writing about other books helped decompress me from the high from The Getaway God, so that worked 😉
I truly like the sound of Dr Jekyll and Mr Seek!
Also, The Getaway God doesn’t sound bad either, I’m very happy you had such a fantastic time with it, now I’m quite curious! 😀
Getaway God was crazy good! Every time I thought it couldn’t go any further, it totally did! Jekyll and Seek does sound fantastic doesn’t it? I am loving how authors are mixing up classics like this.
I love when a book just blows me away! They can be very difficult to review though. haha Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Seek sounds awesome!
-Lauren
I still have no idea where to begin with Getaway God lol !
I have read books like that. It’s like so many big things are going on that you don’t even know where to start talking about them. I feel like when I review them, I either go waayyyy too deep into the review, trying to cover everything, or else like you say, feeling like there’s no way I’m ever going to get close to covering my thoughts on it.
My Life As a Hashtag sounds fantastic. Definitely something that anyone who is on social media should find relatable. Great rec!
YES! Exactly! Kadrey is a brilliant BRILLIANT author, but when he’s so good, I get to the end of the book and I have no idea where to begin with reviewing it. And no matter what I write, by the end I feel it’s so inadequate. Haa, IA on my life as a hashtag!
There are definitely times when I feel like I simply cannot write a review. Most of the time it’s when a book is just so good and has so many wonderful things going on that a review would give too much away or just fail to get across my feelings. One such book is The Raven King by Maggie Stiefvater. It’s one of my favourite books but I never reviewed it!
As for your recs, I really like the sound of Strange Magic! Everything about it seems like something I would like. But You’ll Never Know, Dear sounds SO creepy, which has me very interested, haha.
I hope you like all of these when you get around to reading them!
YES! That’s exactly right — I am usually afraid of giving things away, but then I’m afraid that I’d tell too little and turn people off it lol!
I often feel the same, especially with big release, hyped books that I’ve loved. It’s the struggle between excitement and not accidentally spoiling readers. I find glowing reviews always the more difficult to write.
My Life As A Hashtag is one of my anticipated reads, I’ll have to grab a copy this weekend along with a few other newly released LoveOzYA titles.
Oooh, how was your weekend shopping trip?!? What did you get!?
Geez The Getaway God sounds amazing!! God stuff usually isn’t my thing, but I may have to check out that series. And I totally feel you, it’s so hard to write a review of a book you really love.
YES! I write and rewrite, and it’s just never right to me, never captures everything that I found good about it.
Yeah, I’ve had books like that where I didn’t even know what to write in my review because I was so overwhelmed! If only every book could be that good LOL.
Jekyll and Hyde is a really interesting book, so that one you shared sounds interesting too!
I immediately thought of the You Are My Sunshine song when I saw the title You’ll Never Know Dear, but you’re right, that cover looks really creepy. (Side note: I always thought that song was really sweet, but I just looked up the lyrics, and it turns out it’s actually sad and kind of creepy/manipulative?!)
YES! Overwhelmed is exactly right! Heh, you are totally right about You are my sunshine and You’ll never know dear — and now I have to go look up the lyrics!