Hench | 
so-soHench is really interesting but ultimately flawed feminist take on superheroes and villains. The opening act revolves around the Millennial desire for a healthy workplace, while the bulk of the story deploys familiar tropes about how heroes and villains have a shared past. I think the novel would've been much better if Quantum Entanglement, the main female superhero, had been a co-protagonist with Anna a.k.a. The Auditor.
Hench has a terrific premise: what is life like for the men and women who do data entry, tech support, and getaway driving for supervillains? Parts of it remind me of The Boys.
pickOne of my co-workers recommended this read and I'm truly dealing with a book hangover but in a good way. This book is darker than I thought it would be and actually made me love it more. Anna was a character I truly wanted to take this journey with. 🌟🌟🌟🌟
#12BooksOf2022
Favorite book in August was Hench, a story about a low-level henchman just trying to make ends meet getting seriously injured in a villain-superhero battle. Laid up and pondering her choices, Anna wonders if the costs of a superhero saving the day outweighs the benefits so what does she do? She starts crunching the numbers vowing to show the world the true cost of superheroes. Impossible to put down, really fun story.
@Andrew65
On the 5th Day of Christmas I pick Hench as my favorite book of #May2022
#12booksof2022
I ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️ this book, it is tied for my second favorite of 2022 and I can‘t wait for the next one.
bailedI thought I would love this one, and I stuck it out almost halfway before I admitted to myself I was done. Final #bookspin for 2022 @TheAromaofBooks
pickI have been meaning to post about this for some time now, but convinced my book club to pick this for this month's read.
“A smart, imaginative , and evocative debut novel of love, betrayal, revenge, and redemption, told with razor-sharp wit and affection, in which a young woman discovered the greatest super power - for good or ill- is a properly executed spreadsheet“
pickI picked this up after it was recommended by someone in my bookclub.
Reading this felt like a cross between a superhero movie and The Boys. But with a smart and snarky female lead.
Anna is a temp. Yes with the annoying and boring and infuriating temp agency. But her skill set is unusual- she‘s a Hench. She essentially likes to do data entry and other tech work for villains.
On one of her jobs she gets injured by a Hero, and starts looking⬇️
I‘m looking forward to reading this book after it came recommended by An Unlikely Story on their Indie Press List from the Currently Reading podcast! The thank you card was a nice touch 😊 #currentlyreadingpodcast #indiepresslist #indiebookstore
I finished my beach read (👍🏻 Reckless Girls). I wasn‘t feeling my back up book right now. AND my flight is still 3 hours away. So…
#airportbook
Thank you very much, Melanie, for the book and candy! I'm looking forward to starting it tonight! And the candy is delicious! Happy Jolabokaflod! 📚🎄❄️ Merry Christmas!!
#JolabokaflodSwap
pickHelloooooooo!
In defence of the the tagged book this man was a super hero! I want to be in a book club with him.
Canada reads (survivor for books, canadian style) is the platform where he defended this book. It was not my favourite of the 6 (5?) books. But he was my favourite defender of all time! I want to be in a book club with him!
Oh my goodness!!! Edited to add this is Paul Sun-Hyung Lee (Appa from Kim‘s Conveniwnce)
pickAn unusual exploration of superheroes and villains that I thought bears some correlation to modern policing in this world. The book is gritty and snarky and I liked the imperfectness of the characters. I recommend the audio, the narrator is excellent. Spreadsheet nerds will also appreciate this book because the real hero analyizes data and numbers.
so-soOne hench, injured by a superhero, decides to use her data analysis knowledge to change the world. By way of villainy.
This was not what I expected, but I enjoyed it. This was a fascinating story that managed to make me care about how the story ended without making me root for any of the characters.
And an examination of the collateral damage of super powered battles. Popular media doesn‘t usually address those types of consequences. 🌕🌕🌕🌗🌑
pickI enjoyed this book so much. I suspect if I were to ever become a supervillain, I would be very similar to The Auditor.
pickSuch a unique book that kept me intrigued throughout its entirety! I love the focus on superheroes not being the best or most admirable people in the world. I loved reading a book that showed the "humanity" of villains. The book does a great job of showing that people are much more complex than just good or bad. The imagery is incredible. Their is a great diversity of characters. I would love to see this become a movie or show!
Finally picking up the last of the Canada Reads 2021 shortlist, which I will hopefully be done in time for the debates next week! I‘ve enjoyed the other 4 picks, but this is the one I think I‘m the most excited about.
pickThis was such a fun and fantastic read! The concept of a book from the point of view of a henchman to a villain was delightful. It has quirky writing, relatable characters, and is full of action.
The concept of the damage caused by superheroes was really interesting and definitely raises some ethical questions. I also couldn‘t predict fully where this story was going, which was great.
so-soI really love the premise & the LGBTQA rep - a bi MC! two characters who use they/them! a trans character who is never deadnamed! - and the author is really engaging in interview.
But for me, the book didn‘t quite stick the landing. I enjoyed it, but I don‘t whole-heartedly recommend it the way I‘d hoped.
