Heartwood by Amity Gaige

 

Clever, suspenseful, with well-developed characters. Recommended.

Review copy provided by publisher.

Bad Nature by Ariel Courage

 

I felt like this didn't quite know what it wanted to be: dark comedy, quest, modern relationship novel, something else? And, as a result, it didn't quite work as anything.

Review copy provided by publisher.

Rabbit Moon by Jennifer Haigh

 

I can't say much without spoilers, but this was very well done, and in a suprising way at the end. I appreciate the characterization.

Review copy provided by publisher.

The Railway Conspiracy by John Shen Yen Nee and S.J. Rozan

 

I love this series so much -- the nods to golden age detective fiction, the interesting historical bits, the witty writing.

Review copy provided by publisher.

The Rainmaker by John Grisham

 

Solid, and has aged reasonably well.

Gothictown by Emily Carpenter

I don't normally do anything that's even horror-adjacent, but this was clever and interesting (and not too creepy).

Review copy provided by publisher.

The Strange Case of Jane O. by Karen Thompson Walker

 

A very compelling read, but I was not sure about the ending.

Everything Is Tuberculosis by John Green

 

So interesting and sad.

Isola by Allegra Goodman

 

I loved this.

The Q by Amy Tintera

 I loved the idea of a dystopia set in Austin, but there was virtually no local color.

Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne Collins

 Solid.

Parable of the Talents by Octavia Butler

 

This one's going to stick with me for a long time.