Fetal Position by Carolyn Huynh (Advance Review)

 

Fetal Position by Carolyn Huynh (publication date 12-1-26)

Reviewed by Kristin

Imagine if in just a few generations the global birth rate plunged. You really don’t have to imagine that; the current rate is less than half what it was in the mid-20^th century. Imagine that governments and private corporations also wanted to influence people’s personal and reproductive decisions. Again, do we really have to imagine?

In this dystopian near future scenario, Lena Do is a successful professional woman. Men no longer hold many leadership roles, as they have been found to be the weaker gender. In order to combat the “male loneliness epidemic” the United States government even arranges and financially supports dinner dates between men and women. Robot assistants are common, both domestic and in the workplace.

Amidst all the corporate grind and the grim prospects in finding a partner, Lena is burnt out. She begins seeing advertisements for a company called Hatch which promises a leisurely and well paid life to “high-value” women in exchange for just one little task—being human incubators and saving the world population.

Lena has no family. Her mother died suddenly many years ago, and Lena was one of the early embryos conceived using lab grown sperm. No father, no siblings, no cousins. No one.

Lena takes the leap and joins Hatch. The new recruits are transported to their new community in luxury, and everything looks promising. Of course they can leave at any time they wish. Consent is everything. But the utopia is not entirely as it seems, and Lena starts asking questions. As women disappear and others begin to forget their former lives, Lena fights through her own mental fog to discover the true motives of the Hatch leadership. Will she succeed? No spoilers here.

I highly recommend this book.

Thanks to NetGalley and publisher Atria Books for an advance copy!

Some People by Parini Shroff

 

Reviewed by Jeanne

Nathan Whitlock is startled to receive a call from the hospital about his mother-in-law, Malti Patel.  Well, soon to be ex-mother-in-law. With her daughter Kavya studying in India, Nathan is the only contact they can find and he dutifully goes to check on Malti.

Trouble is, Malti and Nathan have never really gotten along.  From Nathan’s point of view, Malti is stubborn, judgmental, and unreasonable.  Of course, from Malti’s point of view, Nathan is the same.  Can these two possibly stand each other for a week?

I love good characterization and this book relies on exactly that.  It’s pretty much just these two characters trying to navigate a constrained space, butting heads, and coming to some interesting realizations.  Shroff uses these two to provide some thoughtful commentary about gender divides, cultural divides, and even generational divides, and does so in a delightful manner.  There is so much humor in the book, which is a great disarming technique.  I found myself agreeing with both characters, even as they gradually let down their guards to consider another point of view, and to examine assumptions they have made. It’s quite the feat for the author to have created two sympathetic characters who are so at odds. The one thing they both agree on is that they love Kavya, and that both of them have let her down. They also realize that they are more alike than is comfortable. Malti even says at one point that she was so determined to keep Kavya from marrying a man like her father that she didn’t notice she married her mother.

The other thing that I love is that even as the two learn to view each other differently, it doesn’t make everything all hunky-dory. They still butt heads and get on each other’s nerves; they’re also just a little more open—maybe because they are also both aware that when the divorce is final, they won’t have any ties to each other. They can feel free to say what they like, because soon it won’t matter.

It also gave me food for thought about my own relatives and, well, I guess myself. Because Shroff isn’t into pointing fingers or declaring one thing right and another wrong, it’s all but impossible to get defensive.  As Nathan points out, we are more than the sum of our mistakes. And we can’t control what other people perceive or remember.

Funny, moving, and wise, this is a real gem.  And did I mention funny?

Nevermore: Lost Souls Meet Under a Full Moon, Bandit Queens, Secret Society of Librarians

 

Nevermore 10-13-26           Reported by Rita

 

Lost Souls Meet Under a Full Moon by Mizuki Tsujimura, Yuki Tejima (Translator)

When a young woman from Tokyo contacts the Go-Between to request a meeting with a deceased TV star who once helped her, she doesn’t expect a teenage boy to show up. Dressed in a designer duffel coat and carrying a tattered notebook, Ayumi Shibuya, our mysterious intermediary, offers an extraordinary service: he reunites the living with their dearly departed. Meeting his clients at a luxury hotel, Ayumi lays down the ground rules: each reunion is a one-time arrangement that the dead can refuse; the service is entirely free, and the meeting must take place during a full moon.

I found this book to be enchanting, very well-written, beautiful, and thoroughly enjoyable.     -MS     5 stars 

 

The Bandit Queens by Parini Shroff

Geeta's no-good husband disappeared five years ago. She didn't kill him, but everyone thinks she did--no matter how much she protests. But she soon discovers that being known as a "self-made" widow has some surprising perks. No one messes with her, no one threatens her, and no one tries to control (ahem, marry) her. It's even been good for her business; no one wants to risk getting on her bad side by not buying her jewelry. Freedom must look good on Geeta, because other women in the village have started asking for her help to get rid of their own no-good husbands...but not all of them are asking nicely. Now that Geeta's fearsome reputation has become a double-edged sword, she must decide how far to go to protect it, along with the life she's built. Because even the best-laid plans of would-be widows tend to go awry.

I enjoyed learning about another culture. I also liked the interaction of the women and how they watched out for each other despite their differences.     -MH     4 stars

 

The Secret Society of Librarians by Kate Thompson

The Secret Society of Librarians is a heartbreaking yet heartwarming wartime library-set novel, inspired by real people, real stories, and extensive research. Meeting through real-life Secret Society of Librarians in London, two women form a close bond. When WW2 hits, they take their libraries underground, creating create a roaming underground library. But when one of them is taken to Poland and a concentration camp, they think there is no chance of ever being reunited again... This is an inspirational, true and compelling story about friendship, everyday bravery and the power of books, with a dual narrative set between London and Poland in the 1940s.

I didn't care for the dual timeline, but it was still really interesting.     -WJ     5 stars

Other Books Mentioned

The Hocus Pocus Spell Book by Eric Geron

If You Didn't Bring Jerky, What Did I Just Eat?: Misadventures in Hunting, Fishing, and the Wilds of Suburbia by Bill Heavey

Worse Than Slavery: Parchman Farm and the Ordeal of Jim Crow Justice by David M. Oshinsky

Off the Record: A Vietnam War Nurse's Journal by Fay Ferington

When Ghosts Come Home by Wiley Cash

The Skeleton and the Cat by Brandon James Scott

Astarion: Baldur's Gate 3 by T. Kingfisher

 

New Books

The Birthing Tree by Amanda Peters

Siren Says by Jennifer Michelle Herrera

Fallingwater photos: Christopher Little, editor: Lynda Waggoner

The Ghost of the Mountains: Unraveling the Secrets of the Snow Leopard by Kulbhushansingh Suryawanshi

The Everest Mystery: Sandy Irvine, George Mallory, and the Truth Still Buried on Everest by Julie Summers and Jochen Hemmleb

New in November!

 

Fiction

Armstrong, Jess The Lost Souls of Saint Oda’s (Ruby Vaughn)

Baldacci, David  All In  (6:20 Man)

Battles, Brett Stuart Woods’ Hostile Intent

Borgos, Bruce  The Riddle Maker (Beck Porter)

Bowen, Rhys  To Crown It All (Royal Spyness)

Boyd, William Cold Sunset  (Gabriel Dax)

Bradley, Alan Numb Were the Beadsman’s Fingers (Flavia de Luce)

Coble, Colleen  She Will End This

Cussler, Dirk Clive Cussler Obsidian Sky (Dirk Pitt)

Deaver, Jeffery  The Collateral Heart  (Lincoln Rhyme)

Estep, Jennifer  Queen of Foxes

Evanovich, Janet  Split Second (Stephanie Plum)

Finch, Charles  Midnight in the House of Commons (Charles Lenox)

Graham, Heather  Destiny Rising

Greenwood, Kerry  Murder in the Cathedral (Phryne Fisher)

Griffiths, Elly The Killing Time (Ali Dawson)

Hamilton, Laurell K. A Glimmer of Death (Merry Gentry)

Harkaway, Nick The Taper Man ( John Le Carre’s Circus)

Jance, J.A. The Taken Ones (Beaumont)

Jensen, Danielle L. Defy the Dusk

Johnson, Craig  Have Courage: Longmire Stories

Klune, TJ Murmuration

Krempholtz, Emily Prudence Marsh Is Not a Nobody Anymore

Lupica, Mike Robert B. Parker’s Framed (Spenser)

Margolin, Phillip Conspiracy Theory

McFadden, Freida The Gift  (short story)

Paretsky, Sara Bad Company

Patterson, James The Murder Trial

Peterson, Tracie  Devoted to Love

Rankin, Ian  The Heights

Roberts, Nora  Birth of the Witch (Coven of Three)

Scalzi, John Monsters of Ohio

Score, Lucy Heist Before Christmas (Riley Thorn)

Shaara, Jeff The Unfinished Work:  A Novel of Abraham Lincoln

Steel, Danielle  Celebration

Williams, Niall  O Now!

Woodward, M.P. Tom Clancy the Coldest War (Jack Ryan)

Wrobel, Stephanie Revenge Plot

Yarros, Rebecca Peculiar Stars

Nonfiction

Burton, LeVar  Take My Word for It: A Memoir

Cameron, Julia Blasting Through Blocks: An Artist’s Way Guide to Unleashing Your Inner Creativity

Dench, Judi  Is It Too Late to Make a Run for It?

Gleick, James The Telephone: A New History

Greene, Robert The Law of the Sublime

Hansen, James R. Solo and Together: Charles and Anne Morrow Lindbergh, an Enigmatic Life and Marriage

Hoffman, Dustin Look at Me

Lembke, Anna Radical Surrender: Letting Go in a World Addicted to Control

Sinise, Gary Graceful Warrior: The True Story of a Son, a Father, and a Family Who Carried Each Other Through

Hard Candy Christmas: A Talbot & Andrews Investigation by Susan M. Boyer

 

Reviewed by Jeanne

Liz Talbot, her husband Nate Andrews, and Liz’s family are at the airport seeing her brother and his family off for Christmas in Italy. It’s an emotional send-off, but nothing compared to what happens next:  an officer shows up to inform them that Frank, Liz’s father, has been accused of murder.

It’s not a recent murder, either. The bones that turned up in the swamp had been there for decades, maybe since the 1990s.  They belong to Paul Miller, who was married to Frank’s sister Sharon.  It’s safe to say Frank was not a fan.  He was heard arguing with, and threatening, Paul in 1998—and Paul was never seen again.

Although Liz’s mother Carolyn had forbidden Liz and Nate from resuming their careers as investigators, she’s willing to make an exception now.  Fortunately, Liz has Colleen, her best friend for life—and afterlife.  Colleen died when she was 17, but hangs around to keep a watchful eye on the island they both love and call home.  While Colleen can’t intervene, she can offer advice, cryptic though it may have to be.

The problem isn’t just that the murder happened so long ago. Paul Miller had a checkered past, to put it mildly: one that included drug running, violence, intimidation, and who knows what else. A lot of people weren’t sorry to see the last of Paul Miller.

With an arrest looming, and her father in fragile health, Liz and Nate are racing against time to find the real killer or else this could their last family Christmas together.

I’ve read and enjoyed entries in both of Boyer’s other series, the Liz Talbot Mystery series and the Carolina Tales series. She creates memorable characters, none more so than Colleen, the ghostly best friend with a sense of humor. Colleen who acts as a sort of guardian angel for Stella Maris, the fictional South Carolina island the characters call home.  Colleen is a treasure.  The setting has a wonderful Southern vibe to it, and I really appreciate Boyer’s gentle sense of humor.

I particularly enjoyed the plot in this one.  I freely admit that I didn’t see the answer coming but the solution felt plausible and satisfying.  The ends were tied up just right, including some I didn’t know need to be tied until I read it. While there can be tough times and unlikeable people, there is an underlying sweetness that has a great attraction for me.

There is a list of characters in the front of the book which appears a bit daunting but don’t let that deter you.  This book brings together characters from her other series, but you needn’t have read all of them to enjoy this book.

Fun note: the title is a Dolly Parton song, and each chapter has the title of a different Christmas carol.

I’m very much looking forward to Liz and Nate’s next adventure!

Full disclosure:  I was sent an Advance Reader’s Copy of the book but the opinions expressed are my own.

Nevermore: The Women in White, The Last Ballad, I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter

 

Nevermore October 6, 2026

 

The Women in White by Sarah Pekkanen

Homeless after a divorce, Riley Bell takes a job as a live-in caretaker for an elderly woman named Betty, who seems stuck in a 1960s time warp. Betty is something of a recluse as well.  She asks Riley to find her three friends who were part of an experiment decades earlier.  The dual timeline story leads Riley to discover a disturbing story involving a university and the women who were test subjects.

“I’m interested in ESP, premonitions, etc. but this book was poorly written, with awkward conversations, and stereotyped characters.”  3 Stars CW

The Last Ballad by Wiley Cash

Ella Mae Wiggins is a millworker and mother who simply can’t make ends meet on the poor wages she’s paid.  In 1929 North Carolina, that’s the norm. Desperate for better pay and hours, she attends a union rally and becomes one of the leaders for the movement. Her gift for songwriting attracts attention and converts, but change is not going to be easy—or painless. This is based on a true story.

“It told a story I hadn’t known.” 5 Stars—WCJ

I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter by Erika Sanchez

After the death of her older sister Olga, Julia is unable to become the “perfect Mexican” daughter” that Olga seemed to be: polite, interested in tradition, respectful.  Then Julia discovers that Olga had secrets of her own.

“I learned about the title in a previous program.  The seemingly coming of age of this 15 year old in Chicago, who is trying to find out more about her older sister who is run over by a truck, is really more to raise awareness of Latina teens who have attempted suicide.  More realistic than Trampoline.” 5 Stars—AH

Other Books Mentioned

The Good Good Pig by Sy Montgomery

Here and Hereafter by Tyler Henry

Tundra: Bottom of the Food Chain by Chad Carpenter

Whistler by Ann Patchett

The Road to Tender Hearts by Annie Hartnett

The Good Good Pig by Sy Montgomery

Lost Souls Meet Under the Full Moon by Mizuki Tsujimura

Some People by Parini Shroff

Daisy Chain Flower Shop by Laurie Gilmore

 

New Books

Are They Dead Yet?  The Art of the Obit by Sam Roberts

Brimstone Hollow by Archer Sullivan

Hidden Haunts: A Creepy Collection of Forgotten Ghostly Places by Conner Gossel, illustrations by Natalie Dean

Reviewed by Jeanne

With an interest in both history and ghosts, Conner Gossel combined his interests to create “The Haunted Historian,” which is both a podcast and an Instagram account. He has collected some of the more interesting stories in Hidden Haunts which, as the subtitle suggests, focuses on lesser known haunted places rather than the one with high name recognition like the Winchester House.

The book is divided up by region and while most of the listings are from the United States, there are a few entries from other countries like Canada or Mexico. Each entry has a brief, well-written description with important information such as whether or not the site is available for public tours.  Many seem to have been turned into apartment buildings or B&Bs, and a good number have embraced the ghost stories as a selling point.  “Frightmore Manor” in Talbot, Tennessee has gone so far as to become a seasonal attraction, with added frights provided by entities more natural than super.

Of course, the first thing I did was to check the table of contents to see if I recognized any of the places and I did not.  I didn’t recognize any of the place names but after a couple of quick searches I discovered some where closer than I thought—the aforementioned Talbot, Tennessee is between Morristown and Jefferson City, while Harriman, Tennessee is a bit past Knoxville.

Even if the places aren’t in our own backyard, I enjoyed reading the descriptions. I like Gossel’s neutral tone, neither trying to sell the reader on hauntings nor debunking them.  He does have a few humorous asides, noting the commercial prospects of a haunted location, but for the most part his tone is compassionate regarding some of the tragic tales told about a property. He avoids sensationalism but still manages to be entertaining. Entries are short, one or two pages at most.  Gossel often mentions historic preservation in connection with these sites, including some restoration and renovation made possible by paranormal investigators.

I also was very impressed by the illustrations by Dean. They suit the book perfectly and to me have a bit of an Edward Gorey feel while also appearing to be mostly architecturally accurate.  (Not knowing the buildings personally, I have to rely on an image search.) I'm happy to report the illustrations are plentiful.  

The only disappointments were the lack of an index, especially as Gossel will occasionally toss in a bonus bit, like the Bell Witch.  The other complaint I have is that while the use of a gray textured background on the paper provided a good feel atmospherically, visually it made it a bit more of a chore to read for older eyes.  Bigger print would have helped a lot.

Those quibbles aside, this is an interesting, entertaining, and informative book enhanced by the atmospheric illustrations.  And if I ever find myself in Brandenburg, KY I definitely want to check out the prisoner pepperoni rolls at Jailhouse Pizza.