I am posting one book per day from my extensive, and ever growing, TBR shelves. Some are old and some are new, some were gifts and some I don't remember why I bought them.
Day 56
#ABookADay2024
52 likes
Westside | 
I am posting one book per day from my extensive, and ever growing, TBR shelves. Some are old and some are new, some were gifts and some I don't remember why I bought them.
Day 56
#ABookADay2024
pickWESTSIDE reads a little like WINTER‘S TALE and a little like THE ALIENIST, and while it doesn‘t quite capture either book‘s spark, it‘s still mighty enjoyable. Akers‘s characters are all complicated people with plenty of moving parts. His plot proceeds at a good clip. His alternate world feels lived in. I had a great time and I‘ll look forward to the sequel.
I‘m also chuffed The Jane, my NYC hotel of choice, plays a role in the narrative.
Did some #audiocrafting. I love head mounts but don‘t want an actual dead creature staring at me all day, so I bought one of those cardboard deer head puzzles at Dollarama and set about customizing it. The coppery head‘s done, the golden antlers are in progress, and I‘m praying the checkered wall mount dries without crinkling.
1. CHRISTMAS ON THE ISLAND by Jenny Colgan in print, WESTSIDE by W.M. Akers on audio, and WOMEN DESTROY FANTASY! for short fiction. On the comics front, I‘m about to start LAURA DEAN KEEPS BREAKING UP WITH ME by Mariko Tamaki and Rosemary Valero-O‘Connell.
2. CALL DOWN THE HAWK by Maggie Stiefvater
3. STARGATE by Pauline Gedge
#weekendreads
pickGilda Carr specializes in tiny mysteries, so of course, she takes on the case of the missing glove. Little did she know that her investigation would soon lead to a much bigger mystery, forcing her to face all that she avoids. Strange and odd yet so very intriguing, Westside is a fast-paced book not easily put down.
(I received a free copy of this book. All opinions expressed are my own.)
so-soLoved the beginning, struggled through the middle, and was relieved at the end. It started with a simple thing-a missing glove. A tiny mystery. The kind our heroine solves. Then we end up with cheating spouses, bootleggers, alternative versions of the same city, shadows that destroy, and a male author writing a woman character but missing the mark. Going with a so-so because I did like the beginning and the premise. Execution wasn‘t for me though.
pickThere‘s a lot to like in the premise of this odd, grim story, but also a lot lacking in its execution. Gilda is a sketch more than a character; the plot moves at a muddied pace, ricocheting from one climax to another, though it picks up speed near the end when it turns into a reverse portal fantasy that‘s absolutely delightful in a way. But the inventiveness and exquisite detail of the dark world of the Westside mostly make up for these failings.
pickWeird, violent, thoughtful, and melancholy don‘t usually go together - or match with the mystery genre- but here we are. What an interesting and unique read. Don‘t do what I did and try to speed read or skim your way through. There‘s a lot of details to track but it‘s worth the ride.
pickI loved this one- it felt like a mix between Gangs of New York and Stranger Things! A strong heroine who wants to only solve the small mysteries, but ends up deep in a big one.
A detective/mystery book with monsters. Yes please.
#BookMail
“Introducing a truly remarkable female detective, Westside is a mystery steeped in the supernatural and shot through with gunfights, rotgut whiskey, and sizzling Dixieland jazz. Full of dazzling color, delightful twists, and truly thrilling action, it announces the arrival of a wonderful new talent.”
It succeeds at being an engrossing, gritty, and an often-dark look at an alternate history of New York in the 1920s.
http://vampirebookclub.net/early-review-westside-by-w-m-akers/
