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The story is told through the eyes of Bill, a man working at a struggling local newspaper in a fading industrial town. The town is never named, but based on description alone, I imagined it as a midwestern town around the desert regions of America.

When a high-profile murder case grips the community, Bill, along with his two colleagues, follows the story closely. The victim is the father of a local Denny’s worker named Ronny Lawton. Only the severed finger of Lawton’s father is discovered, and the town quickly assumes Ronny is responsible for killing his father and concealing the body. As the investigation unfolds, Bill becomes increasingly entangled, not just as a reporter, but as someone at the heart of the investigation.

At first glance, the novel appears to be about uncovering a murder, but it’s clear early on that Collins is interested in much more than the mechanics of a crime. The book acts as a mirror held up to American society, particularly towns that have been gutted by the collapse of industry and opportunity. Through Bill’s narration, Collins captures the aimlessness, frustration, and quiet despair of people left behind by economic change.

What struck me most was Collins’ prose. His writing is laced with irony and dark humor, yet also filled with moments of raw, unflinching honesty. Bill may present himself as simple, but his simplicity masks deep scars. Much of his worldview has been shaped by the trauma of his father’s suicide, and his outbursts and philosophical rants throughout the novel reveal a man grappling with not just the murder case in front of him, but with larger existential questions. There are sometimes passages full of Bill’s abstract commentary on society. These passages are often startling, showing Bill’s pessimistic outlook of the world.

Despite being published in 2000, the book feels timely in its discussions of social decay, captialism, and the costs of progress. Bill is a fascinating narrator because of the contrast between his outward simplicity and his inward complexity. His commentary is often cynical, yet beneath it lies an aching desire to make sense of a fractured world. Through him, Collins gives voice to the contradictions of small-town life: the closeness of the community alongside the gossip and suspicion, the pride in tradition clashing with the despair of stagnation.

Collins himself is Irish-born, but he demonstrates an acute understanding of American life. His depiction of the town feels authentic, almost painfully so, as if he has studied the anxieties of its people.

By the time I finished Keepers of Truth, I felt that I had read something far more substantial than a murder mystery. The crime provides the structure, but the novel’s true achievement lies in how it confronts the fragility of community and the quiet tragedies that shape ordinary lives.

Though they are not diverse, there is an elaborate cast of characters in this book. They are true to the types of people you would find in such a town. On the opposite side of Bill is a character named Darlene, who has a feministic outlook on the world, one that often clashes with Bill’s own outlook. These dynamics are interesting to analyze, although the narrative doesn’t exactly focus on it. The good thing is that these other characters balance out Bill’s sometimes unreliable narrations and judgements.

I enjoyed Collins’ writing so much that I am eager to explore more of his work. Keepers of Truth is bleak, thought-provoking, and at times darkly funny. Many readers might find this book slow or uninteresting, particularly if they are looking for a plot-driven story. The plot itself leaves much to be desired, and readers may finish the book with questions because nothing is clearly spelled out. But if, like me, you’re open to books full of irony and social commentary, then you might go on to understand why this book was shortlisted for the Booker prize back in 2000.

House of Earth and Blood: Crescent City by Sarah J. Maas | Buy on Amazon UK | Buy on Amazon US

About Crescent City

Author: Sarah J. Maas
Publishing Imprint: Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
Number of pages: 816
ISBN: 9781408884416

Premise

Bryce Quinlan is a half-human and half-fae woman living in Crescent City among a pack of Vanir (shapeshifting wolves). She might not have everything, but she enjoys spending time with her best friends, working hard and partying all night. When her best friends are brutally murdered while she’s partying hard, Bryce’s life will be forever changed.

Two years later, when a similar murder occurs, Bryce is forced into an investigation to find out the true culprit of both slaughters. She’s paired up with a fallen angel, Hunt Athalar; and together, with help from Bryce’s fae brother Ruhn, they will unravel a mysterious conspiracy. While also growing closer together.

My thoughts on Crescent City

Outside of the spectacular personal brand that Sarah J. Maas has built over the years, one of the other things I love about her is how she’s able to capture an entire aesthetic in her prose. She has this ability to make the reader vividly see the characters, surroundings and their actions as she writes.

I saw many complaining about there being too much info-dumping and world-building in this book, but I would actually argue that this book has the least convoluted world-building I’ve read in a fantasy book.

But while I thoroughly enjoyed reading Crescent City and was entertained throughout all 816 pages, I cannot call it the perfect book. The book is marketed as adult fantasy, but when put up against other adult fantasy works it is nothing alike.

I believe the only thing that deems this adult fantasy is the fact that her characters are older than the ones in Maas’s previous books. But they generally act the exact same way her characters would act in her New Adult books. This left me asking the question, what exactly does separate this book from A Court of Mist and Fury? (My previous favourite Maas book.)

There’s tons more swearing, the characters are ‘older’, and instead of coming up with creative ways to refer to a penis, she flat out calls it a cock. But besides that, this book wasn’t exactly the kind of adult fantasy I was expecting. Either her previous books are already adult fantasy, or this one reads just like her NA/YA books.

Another thing I expected to see in Maas’ adult work, is more varied characters. And I don’t just mean characters of a different colour—which, she had a few in here. But they’re not exactly main characters that were present the whole way through—I mean characters who are completely unalike. But it seems like every one in Crescent City is a super model-like specimen who is attractive to all; including Bryce herself. Sure, Maas’ beautiful world pallet is something that separates her brand and makes her books standout, but again, in adult fantasy I believe more depth and variety should be given to readers. Even if the main cast are beautiful, powerful beings, why not have some supporting cast who are more varied in their looks and abilities?

My criticisms could just be a result of me misunderstanding what was meant by “adult fantasy” here, and in which case, I must commend Sarah J. Maas on another book full of dazzling escapism. But as someone who reads a ton of mature/adult books, I was expecting something that would enter the same realm but also have Maas’ signature fantasy aesthetic and prose.

Verdict

I want to be clear in saying that this is still one of my favourite Maas books period. I just had different expectations for it and in every review I write there’s a need to be critical.

With that being said, I recommend the book to anyone who has loved a Maas book (or something similar) and wants to try something in the urban fantasy realm. But if you’re expecting Game of Thrones or Black Leopard Red Wolf, then Crescent City is something quite different. Make sure you have the right expectations going in and there will be a ton to enjoy here.

Whenever a sequel comes, I’ll be the first in line to pre-order. Because Maas did create a new and fascinating world for new stories to be told.

When it comes to paper types, I’ve tried ruled, blank, grid and dot grid paper. My favourite is dot grid paper as it provides a nice balance between blank and grid; I’m able to write neatly following the dots, but I also have the creativity to go out of formation without it looking obvious. Paperblanks have many dot grid journals available, but when I saw the Revolution cover by Android Jones, I couldn’t resist choosing it despite the fact it only comes in lined or blank. I opted to go with blank.

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All Paperblanks journals come with a description of the cover artwork and the artist’s style in the back pages as well as a memento pouch at the back for keeping inserts. There’s also a flap to stretch over the journal when it’s closed, as well as a satin ribbon for marking a page. Revolution is a hardcover book with an elasticated closure. It will lie flat when you are writing so you won’t have to apply pressure on the other side of the page.

The size of this journal is 9″ long by 7″ wide, which makes it larger than your typical notebook of this price range. What I love most (aside from the art) is the quality of the acid-free sustainable forest paper. In general, these notebooks are meant for writing, but with the thickness of this paper, I feel I would be able to experiment with some watercolours. Markers may go right through, as they do with most paper, but these pages still feel like they could handle more than the typical paper you get in Moleskine’s and other popular notebook types. With Moleskines and Leuchtturm1917s, you’re typically required to buy a specific product with thicker paper, but with Paperblanks this seems like common practice.

Overall, I am overly impressed with the quality of this journal and I would advise any serial journallers to look up Paperblanks and consider buying their next notebook from them. If you’re in the UK, Paperblanks notebooks can only be purchased in a few chain shops like Rymans and Waterstones, but you can also find a small selection of them on Amazon.

It’s worth visiting the Paperblanks website to see their full collection, as they have some truly unique designs that you might not find anywhere else. You can also find the perfect specifications for you if you buy directly from them.

When I look at my Paperblanks Revolution journal, it inspires me to write. And inspiration is important for all creatives. Enhance your creativity and get yourself a notebook that speaks to your soul right now.

The store is a book lovers dream, and from the moment I walked in and saw its aisles that were arranged like mazes, I wanted to get lost inside and discover all the books hidden within the ceiling high shelves. If I would have had unlimited time, I could have easily spent the entire day at the Strand.

I’m the type of book lover that doesn’t always have his eyes set on a specific book. I’m always open to discovering something completely new, and often times I let the book covers and titles capture my attention. Because of this, the Strand was exactly the store for me. The store is designed to make every book you stumble on seem like a new possibility.

But if you’re the type of shopper that is looking for something specific then you may need to ask for some assistance, as there are hundreds of books stacked in each row. Thankfully the staff is friendly and extremely helpful. At one point I was caught up in conversation with my companion about a book I’d seen online, and a nearby assistant overheard and pointed us in the right direction.

Like most book shops, each section is categorized. But on the central floor space you’ll find tables with curated selections. There are also four floors full of books. One floor is entirely dedicated to rare books and manuscripts.

One unique thing about the Strand is that they also buy and sell used books. Based on research, I’ve seen that brand new book sales make up around 40% of the Strand’s revenue, meaning that their used books trade is also a significant chunk of their business. All book hoarders know how important it is to have the option to sell off old or unwanted books, so this is another bonus about coming to Strand Bookstore. You can bring a stack of books with you to get rid of and replace them with a fresh haul. This is something that not all of the big book retailers here the UK offer.

As a tourist, there was also one kind of product I was extremely interested in, and that’s bookmarks. Seeing as I was traveling, I wanted as much memorabilia as I could get. Bookmarks were a perfect way to remember my journey, while also bringing something back for fellow book lovers. The Strand has a nice selection of bookmarks, magnets, pins and stationary. It also has its very own custom bookmarks that you can take for free.

If you’re in New York and you love books then you absolutely have to visit Strand Bookstore. If heaven exists for a book lover, then the Strand is definitely it.

– Pictures inside this article taken by Dana Abercrombie

Depending on where you are in the world, that may not be such a big deal. Honourable husband’s also wouldn’t have the same mindset as this type of husband. But that’s where The Vegetarian shines. It’s a book that exposes the ignorance towards vegetarians in South Korea. Throughout the book, the main character Yeong-hye is seen through the eyes of those closest to her; including her husband, her brother-in-law and her sister. We never get to see things through her own eyes and that makes for an interesting story dynamic as we’re presented with unpopular beliefs regarding Yeong-hye’s sudden change of heart.

As a reader, you’ll feel like being a vegetarian is no big deal, but Yeong-hye’s family will look down on and degrade her to the point things get uncomfortable. Her own father physically violates her to force her to eat meat again. Soon, it becomes clear that Yeong-hye is suffering from deep mental health issues that could have perhaps stemmed from her treatment from those around her. Yeong-hye is eventually admitted into hospital for care, and the book becomes an interesting character study of a woman clearly going through internal struggle.

– image from elenascrie

We see Yeong-hye be sexualised, and though it’s consensual, the terms in which she accepts it will make you feel deep conflicting emotions about whether she has been taken advantage of or not. The book became taxing on my emotions during the final third of the book, where Yeong-hye’s sister pleads with her to start eating again to maintain her health. Rarely does a book leave me feeling emotionally vulnerable, but The Vegetarian was one of those books.

The Vegetarian was written by South Korean author Han Kang, and translated by Deborah Smith. Reading the book left me with a strong desire to learn Korean so I could read through the original version to see if it’s just as beautifully written as Deborah Smith’s translation. It’s the type of book where every word feels strongly considered. No word on the page is ever wasted, and Deborah’s word choices are immaculate. It’s my strong belief that for a work like this to be translated so beautifully, the source material must have been just as spectacular if not better.

I remember having a conversation with someone about The Vegetarian last year. I told them I was interested in reading it and they told me that they were weary of it because of all the hype it had received. To anyone with similar thoughts, I wholeheartedly suggest that you forget about all the hype and read this book. Just because it’s something all readers should appreciate. I decided against using a rating system on this website, but if I did have one, The Vegetarian would score an easy 5/5 stars.

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– Featured image from Lily 

The Rithmatist is about a young man named Joel, whose life’s dream is to be a rithmatist. Unfortunately he appears to have missed his chance to become one. A rithmatist is a person who has the ability to draw a selection of magical markings on the ground using chalk to make them come to life. Much of the magic is defensive and at Joel’s school, rithmatic students are taught how to draw different defences that protect them from chalklings. Chalklings are offensive creatures that are drawn by rithmatists for the purpose of attacking both rithmatists and regular people. Chalkings are capable of eating the flesh of a living person, so they’re no joke. The only way to get rid of a Chalkling is by having it dismissed by the rithmatist who drew it, or by tossing a specially concocted acid to eliminate it from existence.

Usually when a person fails to become a rithmatist at a young age, they become uninterested in rithmatics entirely. But not Joel. Joel is so invested in rithmatics that he can draw rithmatic lines better than actual rithmatists. Joel’s invested interest leads him down a path of conspiracy where he must assist a respected rithmatic professor uncover a mystery that has led to rithmatic students being captured.

Along the way, Joel pairs up with a failing rithmatist student by the name of Melody. Melody’s rithmatic defenses are considered bad, but she takes pride in her chalklings. What’s great about Melody’s character is that she adds flavour to a story that may have been somewhat bland without her. She compliments Joel’s straight and narrow ways by giving him more of a human side. Both characters give the other purpose; especially considering Joel is able to help Melody improve her defences and Melody is able to make Joel’s rithmatic drawings come to life like he wishes he could.

There is no way I can do justice by explaining how well thought out the rithmatic system is in this book. Brandon Sanderson spent a lot of years thinking over these ideas before putting pen to paper and it shows. Every logical question is accounted for, so there’s hardly a time where you can think the system doesn’t make sense within its realms.

The book also includes illustrations that detail how the different markings work and each example of a rithmatic defence is annotated to help you understand its strengths and weaknesses. Chalklings can also be drawn in any shape or form that the rithmatist desires, so we often get a visual on the type of chalkling that is appearing in battle. Admittedly, if it were just a case of reading about rithmatics with no visual cues, I may have been overwhelmed by all of the jargon and therefore unable to visualise it in my head.

Although the writing in The Rithmatist is often descriptive, it never comes off boring as Sanderson is able to hook you in with a continued interest in the narrative. The world building is filtered in along the way so that the chunks of history we get are relevant to the current events of the story.

The Rithmatist takes place in a fictional version of the USA called the United Isles of America, which is basically America if the states were split into their own separate islands. When a rithmatist finishes their studies at Joel’s school they must serve at a rithmatic base in the island of Nebrask. Much of the conspiracy that unravels comes from Nebrask, and the reverence toward the location suggests that we’ll get to learn more about what goes on there in future.

Yes, that does mean that The Rithmatist is intended to be a series; which leads to my only real gripe with the book. The build up to the end is paced so perfectly that as a reader you’re not really expecting there to be a cliffhanger that sets up the next book. I think this book could have rounded up in a much more satisfying way that allows the book to be enjoyed as a singular reading experience – just in the off change that someone isn’t interested in picking up a new series at the time of reading – but after a pretty incredible scene, you’re left hanging.

That’s not to say that the book doesn’t deliver a good climax. In fact it delivers two of them. I just feel it could have been wrapped up a little tighter.

The mystery element is never predictable, and it will keep you guessing who the culprit is. Even the character that seems to be a red herring throughout the plot is given an interesting double twist. The unpredictability of the plot makes me keen to read more of Sanderson’s work.

When reading The Rithmatist, it’s easy to make comparisons to Harry Potter. When discussing the book with a friend afterwards, we mutually agreed that it’s possible Brandon Sanderson included subtle nods to the Potter books. It’s clear that Sanderson both loves and respects J.K Rowling’s hit series, so it’s plausible that he’s self-aware of the fact his story draws some inspiration it. I personally wanted to forget everything I knew about Harry Potter when reading The Rithmatist because I was eager to digest the story without comparing it to a juggernaut book series every step of the way. Ultimately, The Rithmatist is far from being some Harry Potter knock-off, even if some of the themes are comparative. Sanderson introduces some of the most refreshing concepts to magic and fantasy, so I feel his work deserves to be judged off its own merits rather than what’s already been done before him.

If you’re the type that considers fantasy an intimidating genre, then you have nothing to fear. The Rithmatist isn’t dense with its descriptions and world building. The character struggles are relative to what we face in the real world, so magic aside, it isn’t too far removed from reality. For that reason, The Rithmatist is a fantastic book that I would recommend to everyone.

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The story follows a Chicago hitman for the mob (named Sal Cupertine), who’s left in hot water after murdering two FBI agents. Sal must now go undercover to avoid bringing heat to the rest of the mob, and with the help of a couple of his mob connections he finds himself in Las Vegas where he must now live as a Rabbi.

The story also follows the investigation of one of the FBI agents (Jeff Hopper) that was in the vicinity during the murder. Jeff Hopper is out-casted by the FBI after the murder because fellow agents believe he’s responsible for the outcome of the incident. I can’t get too much into his story arc, but Jeff Hopper is just as rough around the edges as Sal Cupertine himself, yet the two characters contrast each other so well.

As for the writing of the story, there’s an abundance of dark humour in Gangsterland, and it’s so subtly enjoyable that it will have you secretly rooting for the overly violent bad guy. When you can empathize with a murderous hitman to the point you don’t want to see him brought to justice, you know the author has done a fantastic job writing the character.

My only gripe with Gangsterland is that there are often times when Sal Cupertine is aware of some of Jeff Hoppers moves back in Chicago. Sure, he could easily have read about it in a newspaper or article, but we never get to actually see how Sal finds out about these happenings, and what his reaction is to learning about it. These parts feel like missed opportunities, but it’s certainly not enough to take away from the story.

If you’re into mob stories, then there’s no denying that Gangsterland will be right up your alley. I was hooked from start to finish, and I completed the book in just over seven days (which is rare for me). However, for some, the violent undertones might be tough to swallow. Gangsterland is a book of preference, you have to love the genre to love the book.

What our reader’s group thought of Gangsterland

Every month we’ll allow members of our readers’ group to have their say on what they thought of the featured book. Here’s some quotes submitted from our readers.

C. Bates
Gangsterland is one of the funniest books I’ve read this year.

Brooke Rogers
Not my usual genre but it was a fun read. I’m interested in reading the next one.

Pete Johnston
Brutal but funny. Tod Golberg’s Gangsterland is both epic and deeply personal. 

Was I disappointed by The Street Lawyer? Not at all; the opening chapter does a fantastic job of hooking the reader, creating a tense hostage situation at a law firm known as Drake & Sweeney. A group of lawyers are held hostage by a homeless man known as “Mister”. The hostage situation ends in a messy fashion, but our protagonist Michael Brock gets out of the situation intact. The ordeal causes Michael Brock to rethink his stance on the homeless, and thus he begins to dig into the history of Mister. This leads Michael through a journey of discovery, by which he finds out that his own law firm assisted in the eviction of Mister and several other homeless.

I won’t get into what happens from then on, but the plot thickens quite nicely. What I appreciate the most about a John Grisham novel is his ability to write characters that feel so organic. You could picture a Michael Brock living somewhere in your city, because Grisham writes in his flaws and struggles so convincingly. However, the side effect to this style of writing is that there are often dull moments where Michael’s everyday life is told so accurately that you almost feel like some of it serves the story no purpose. For me, these slow moments weren’t too much of a biggie, but if you’re reading at night time on a work night it’s easy to nod off while reading about Michael Brock picking up his belongings from his old apartment.

If you read The Street Lawyer then it’s assumed that you’ll have enough understanding of John Grisham’s work to not get put off by the everyday dealings of an anti-trust lawyer going through a mid-life crisis. Therefore your expectations won’t get the better of you and you’ll be able to enjoy reading through The Street Lawyer gracefully. The Street Lawyer makes a great plane or train novel, and it should only take you a week to get through it depending on your reading pace.