Babel, by R.F. Kuang: I’m a massive linguistics lover and was thoroughly delighted by the wordplay here. Was it didactic at times? Yes, but how could it not be? I didn’t feel it detracted from the story; I don’t think the story was possible without it. I thought the book might fizzle out toward the end, but was pleased that it did not.
Dolls of Our Lives, by Allison Horrocks and Mary Mahoney: Very gimmicky – structured based on the subjects of the six books that accompany each historical American Girl doll, and the voice felt particularly forced. But a fun read in some ways. I never had one of the dolls, but I loved both the catalogs and American Girl magazine. The major hole in the book, for me, was that they discuss AG founder Pleasant Rowland in depth but don’t mention ever attempting to interview her (my assumption is they wanted to but she denied their request).
Moon of the Turning Leaves, by Waubgeshig Rice: I did not think much of Moon of the Turning Leaves yet still felt a compulsion to read this sequel. The writing is better than in the first, but nothing especially compelling.
The Frozen River, by Ariel Lawhon: A beautiful book, immersive and engaging. I really loved this – characters, setting, and plot.
Annie Bot, by Sierra Greer: Very quick and satisfying; I was less interested in the questions about AI and robots and humans and more in the extended allegory of domestic violence (granted it’s a literal story of domestic violence in one sense, but also felt metaphorical).
