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Complex Web Of Secrets. You're in your 30's/ 40's or so - old enough to have mid teen kids yourself - and you've been going to the same lake houses for literally decades at this point with the same neighbor families, so you've effectively grown up with these people. Considered them close friends. Perhaps even family. You know you know them.

But do you? Do they know you? Do you as a collective know all the secrets the lake - or even the houses you've come to all these years - may hold?

You have your secrets. They have theirs. The lake has its.

All is about to be revealed...

(Yeah, yeah. I don't normally do a version of a description for a review, but seriously, *for this book*, I think the above is largely the best way to do the review. There are elements here that some will love and some will hate - there are a lot of characters and at least a few different narrators here, and the book takes over 350 pages to tell a somewhat simple (at a high level at least) tale. Breakneck action, this is not. But it *was* a *really* good tale of relatable friends and family... even when some of them are pretty open scumbags. The tale is rather dark, and there are no white knights to be had here. Just a group of people doing the best they can in rather interesting and stressful situations. So give this book a chance, read it, and write your own review and let us know what *you* thought about it.)

Very much recommended.

Inverted Hillbilly Elegy. That really is the easiest way to have a general idea about this book. Take nearly everything about Hillbilly Elegy, invert it, and you have a pretty solid approximation of Grant's thinking. Told as a native of the eastern/ southern side of Appalachia rather than the western/ northern side, this is a man who went to prestigious Southern schools (his dad was shot in the 2007 Virginia Tech shooting) rather than prestigious Northern schools ("the" Ohio State and Yale). Instead of going into the military as a way out of Appalachia, Grant had already left Appalachia long ago as a businessman and came back during COVID to work in a purely peaceful, yet also Constitutionally guaranteed, service - the United States Postal Service, with its own sworn oath remarkably similar to that of the military's. Instead of "spreading Democracy" as a desk jockey PR flack in Baghdad, Grant was the first person outside their homes and families that many people in his rural area of Virginia saw during the global shutdowns of COVID, spreading hope person to person in a manner somewhat reminiscent of the titular Postman of both David Brin's original book and Kevin Costner's movie (neither of which Grant ever mentions, to be clear). Instead of learning to fire a rifle from ROTC, Grant learned from his family and friends - including his avid fly fisherman dad. Instead of never really needing one in the safe zones of Baghdad (as Vance himself noted, to be clear), Grant speaks of the necessity of his John Browning designed 1911 pistol in the hinterlands of Appalachia - even against explicit USPS policy, as Grant notes more than once. Instead of the dangers of a broken family, Grant's dangers come from both his own mind and the natural world around him, including an incident with a hornet nest as well as the burning and freezing of working out of a largely uninsulated metal box.

Now, Grant doesn't seem to have any ambition for public office - even when Hillbilly Elegy came out, Vance was already running for US Senate - and that is truly one key distinction here. And yet, there are so many other similarities that the dichotomies really do speak to how you, the reader of my review of this book, can begin to get an idea of the overall nature of the book and whether you might be interested in reading it.

In all honesty, this is absolutely one I would recommend for anyone even remotely interested in learning about the lives of a "normal" (if any of us really are) American in a job most of us will never have, but who came to that job during a period where most all of us experienced massive upheaval. (To be clear, I was atypical during that period - the *only* difference in my job was that suddenly I was doing it from my home rather than driving across town to a cubicle I largely hated being in anyway. At the time I was working for a Fortune 50 global bank, and had been for a couple of years already. I wouldn't leave there until long after the world had regained most normality, such as it had by the mid 2020s at least.)

Now, you may be asking me, "Jeff, why didn't you deduct a star for relying on COVID so much? You literally did that in your very last review for a book set in that exact same year." Which is a fair question, because I did do that and I do maintain that I largely don't want to read anything about that year at all. But it is also a *nonfiction* and specifically *memoir* based look at that year (which also spared it the star deduction for lack of bibliography, as this was purely memoir), and it was clear from the description - that mentions Grant losing his job in March 2020 specifically and becoming a mail carrier after that point - that this book would be covering that period in some manner. Thus, I can't exactly deduct a star for a real life look at that period that I was explicitly told up front was exactly that.

Overall a truly solid work perhaps more in the vein of the relatively unknown One Bullet Away by Nathaniel Frick (which told of a Dartmouth graduate's experience as a Marine officer who was among the first "boots on the ground" in both Afghanistan and Iraq in the post 9/11 era) than Hillbilly Elegy, yet also with the direct contrasts between itself and Hillbilly. In other words, compelling, interesting, and...

Very Much Recommended.

'Horus Rising (The Horus Heresy #1)' by Dan Abnett follows the path of Horus. Favored son of the benevolent Immortal Emperor of the Imperium of Man (beloved by all), Horus has been entrusted to lead the great crusade as his father returns to Terra.  

Though his official title is Warmaster, Horus is at his core both a warrior and an idealist. While his tactical brilliance both in affairs of battle and diplomacy seem to have no equal, he's also the sole will of the Emperor, ultimately responsible for every aspect of the crusade his father once led. He's expected to act as the Emperor would act, but entirely on his own with no oversight from his father.. simply by interpreting on his own and making the right decisions.

Heavy is the mantle.

The story here is told from the perspective of Gavriel Loken. Another highly-skilled, decorated warrior.. Loken through unimaginable feats, is elevated to a position in Horus' direct orbit. He becomes privy to intricate diplomatic movements and finds himself in a battle below the surface of the crusade. A war encroaching on the Imperium, not from the multitudes of military actions he's accustomed to, but something more sinister.

Over the years, I've read a handful of standalone Black Library titles and each of them has been extraordinary. The storytelling seems to hail from a time mostly gone by.. of rich texturing and a cautious unraveling of details. Not too slow, not too fast.. no massive information dumps, no twists simply for the sake of adding them. Everything in its place with perfect intention.

This book is much the same.  

I had been wanting to give the core Warhammer 40k world a try for some time, but I was worried that it might be too dry for me. I love a good epic sci-fi/fantasy read, but managing that balance between the depth of information and world building with synchromatic story progression at a pace that will keep me interested.. can be challenging. There's a point where an author can get so caught up in their creation, that it becomes the main focus and the story gets sort of.. buried beneath it.  

Turns out though, I didn't need to worry.  

While Abnett is violently creative in his world building, it never once bogs down the story. Each alien world.. every unfathomable enemy.. all the machines of war.. be they sentient or not.. is a stitch in the overall mosaic of words. He paints these foreign concepts with the visual clarity of a master, yet manages to avoid the pitfalls of overwhelming the reader with the sheer amount delivered at once by drawing them out across his scenes.  

Gone too, from the more median samplings within the epic sci-fi/fantasy books, is that sense of aloofness. I find authors in this genre often fail to connect the reader with the characters in their stories. It's a challenge, certainly.. to transport the reader to a wholly exotic world while keeping it relatable. Those connections have to come in universal forms of feeling, the things we can really understand.

Abnett gives us all of that. He doesn't simply tell us there's comraderie amongst the Astartes, he teaches us brotherhood through our experiences with them. He doesn't tell us our Warmaster is a thinking, feeling warrior who's willing to adapt even his basest instincts to make the right decisions for the good of the Imperium he's responsible for.. he exposes us to his nature and bares the.. dare I say it.. humanity.. of his immortal identity.  

What a beautifully crafted story. I cannot wait to continue this series.

Originally posted on my blog Nonstop Reader.

A Most Puzzling Murder is a well written and engaging standalone meta-puzzle mystery by Bianca Marais. Released 10th June 2025 by HarperCollins on their MIRA imprint, it's 480 pages and is available in hardcover, paperback, audio, and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links and references throughout.

This is a multi-layered puzzle mystery with a clever, well constructed core, and numerous meta-puzzles for readers to work out themselves. It straddles genres, ostensibly marketed as a cozy, it's nevertheless a fantasy/gothic/mystery with a -large- (often confusing) cast of characters and a dollop of magical realism. Stylistically, the prose is more YA than adult (MC is called Destiny Whip, her foils are the Scruffmore family), but it's not really a YA selection either. 

The plot positively meanders along with lots of side trips and dead ends. Overall, it gives a confusing, discontinuous read. Nevertheless, it's full of puzzles, and curses, and creepy murderous vibes. The meta-puzzles are solved in the back of the book for readers who get stuck.

The unabridged audiobook has a run time of 15 hours, 9 minutes and is capably read by Dylan Moore. The setup and nature of the puzzles do *not* lend themselves to audio format, and readers who choose the audiobook should also have access to a print version or ebook. 

Three and a half stars. Odd, disjointed, and brooding. It would be worthwhile for public library acquisition, or possibly a buddy read or home library selection. 

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes. 

Originally posted on my blog Nonstop Reader.

Nothing Special, Vol. Three is the third collection of webcomics (season 2) by Katie Cook. Originally published online as a webtoon, this collection, released 25th June 2025 by Penguin Random House on their Ten Speed Press imprint is 384 (!!) pages and is available in hardcover and paperback formats.

The art is beautifully complex, absolutely FULL of small hidden details, easter eggs, and inside jokes. The single page comics are in one-panel format, with a huge cast of recurring characters. The humor is ever so slightly off-kilter and is surreal with elements of magical realism, nerd culture, absurdism, and irony.

This would be a good selection for current fans of the authors' work online, or for fans of webcomic style art in general. For readers unfamiliar with the series and characters going into the read completely blind, expect to be lost for a while (or do a quick brush up online before diving in).

Four stars. It would be an excellent choice for public library acquisition, home library, or for gift giving purposes. 

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes. 

Originally posted on my blog Nonstop Reader.

Spent: A Comic Novel is a heavily fictionalized slice-of-life graphic novel by Alison Bechdel. Released 20th May 2025 by HarperCollins on their Mariner imprint, it's 275 pages and is available in hardcover, paperback, and ebook formats. Audiobook due out 15th July 2025 from the same publisher.

To the folks who already know the author's work, this is much the same: intricate, intimately drawn, wryly self-deprecating, sardonic. To folks who aren't familiar, this is probably not the best introduction as it lies outside her oeuvre's development up to this point. This book is a lot calmer, less outraged/angsty, and more gently introspective (and almost not-at-all scathing). 

The audiobook (what an odd concept, an audiobook of a graphic novel), isn't entirely successful as a standalone. It's narrated by the author herself, along with a large cast of supplementary voices and is enhanced by music and sound effects. It's certainly possible to mostly get the gist of what's going on, but really should be listened to in conjunction with the graphic novel at the very least. Unabridged recording run time: 4 hours, 39 minutes.

Four stars (three for the audiobook). It would be an excellent choice for public or post-secondary library collections, home use, gifting, as well as making some support literature lists for selected classroom analysis (gender studies, writing, etc). It's enjoyable and funny/poignant in places.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

Rich And Multilayered Story Marred By Emphasis On COVID. At one point during/ after the world collapse due to COVID-19, I had an ironclad star deduction policy for any mention of COVID whatsoever. One line referencing it even obliquely was usually enough to trigger it. I've relaxed that policy over the years and no longer apply it for such one off/ tangential references, so long as they are minimal and don't actually impact the story beyond an attempt to acknowledge the reality of setting any story in that period of world history.

This noted, I absolutely still apply it religiously when a story makes COVID a primary focus of the story... and unfortunately that happens here. Borgos could have used almost literally anything else to achieve some of the same ends he uses COVID for here, and it would have worked reasonably well - hell, some of them could have even tied into themes from earlier in the series. But he chose to use COVID, and that is damnable to many - and a major issue for me. Enough to warrant the star deduction, at minimum.

One of the other major themes here is perhaps just as volatile, if more locally - that of Nevada's wild horses and what should be done about them. This story plays out across the entire book, and Borgos seemingly does a solid job of showing the strengths and weaknesses of both sides. I say "seemingly" here as as a native of the borderlands between Appalachia and Atlanta, I can certainly count on both hands the number of times I've even been west of the Mississippi River - and I'm pretty sure I can count them on one hand. I've only been west of Texas *once* - a weekend nearly 20 yrs ago in Phoenix, Arizona. Thus, I don't really know anything at all about how Nevadans feel about this issue one way or the other, and unlike Borgos, this isn't something I've spent a lifetime in and around- culturally, at minimum. (Now, if the issue is the American Civil War... different story. But that particular topic doesn't apply to this book. :D)

Outside of these issues (and even inside of them, to a degree), this is a police procedural in form and format, if a more interesting/ less typical version of the sub genre in its particulars. Throughout this series, Borgos has made a truly interesting and compelling character in Porter Beck, a fully fleshed out, heroic yet flawed in his own ways, man of his world. Supporting characters, including Beck's dad and sister, are equally compelling, and even other relationships come across as all too realistic, particularly as things develop further in this book with these relationships. Even secondary characters such as the various suspects of this book are fleshed out much better than other authors generally do, including some rather horrific backstories that have enough detail to them that they seem based on at least generalizations of specific real world people and events. Indeed, once one gets beyond the COVID and beyond the horse issue-  both central to this particular story, to be clear - and perhaps beyond the issues of foreign ownership and mining also discussed here, though less prominently and in far less detail, the actual story here between the various characters themselves is actually quite strong, and everyone plays their roles rather superbly.

Borgos has done an excellent job of building this world in a realistic, complex manner that reflects on the real world issues of its place and time in a manner that provides food for thought for all involved and for those completely unfamiliar with the area or its issues, and in so doing presents a solid story for all readers, but particularly male readers who may be looking for more male-oriented books that don't have the problems that more extreme forms of entertainment and/ or discussion all too often have.

Very much recommended.