Angelhide by Barb Rude

Reviewed by: Jimi Roberts, Circulation Assistant

Genre: Modern Fantasy

Suggested Age: Adult

What is the book about?: Agnes Halcomb is a newly graduated guardian angel fresh out of Angel Academy.  The story starts off with Agnes (Aggie) in Heaven waiting at the Departure station for her trip to Earth.  She has been tasked with finding her first assignment, Nicholas Bayer.  He proves quite difficult to locate and her guidance from Heaven is…lacking.  I would not dare spoil the hilarity that ensues thanks to her divine cell phone and its effectiveness, but it had me laughing out loud more than once, and that’s just the beginning.  This is a truly engrossing tale about a young Angel trying to find her way in a world that feels so familiar yet so foreign.  The people she meets along the way will change her life forever, and she will no doubt change theirs.  The cast of supporting characters are the real rock stars of the story most of the time.  I actually hesitate to call them supporting characters because they each have their own narrative and I found myself emotionally attached to the fate of each one of them.  They deal with life, death, dreams, reality, love and grief in their own unique and very real ways.  I found the examination of one character’s relationship with dreams and sleep to be particularly fascinating.  As the story unfolds, it is like watching a beautiful, and at times terrifying, world grow up around you.

My review: So here is a book I couldn’t put down.  The plot is complex but easy to follow, the imagery is vivid, and the characters are deep.  I loved the balance of action, drama, comedy and horror.  None of it was there for effect.  Every aspect of the narrative served to grow the characters as they make their way on a journey not entirely dissimilar from one we all must make.  They approach the future with varying levels of acceptance and apprehension.  A lot of fantasy novels, especially when they are the first in a series, spend so much time world building that they get bogged down and don’t leave themselves room to explore the characters.  This is not the case here in any way, shape, or form.  The world is fantastic but it never feels forced.  It grows as it needs to and as the actions of the characters dictate.  The way it all flows together is completely organic.  The next chapter in this series can’t get here fast enough.  I want to learn more about every aspect of the world and each of its unique inhabitants.

Rating: 5/5

Find it at the library!

About FDL Reads

Welcome to FDL Reads, weekly book reviews from Fondulac District Library.  Librarians (and possibly some other guest reviewers) review all types of books, from children’s picture books, young adult favorites, to the latest adult thriller, and share their thoughts each Tuesday at fondulaclibrary.org. If the book is owned by Fondulac District Library (or another local library), you’ll see a direct link to the catalog entry and whether or not it is available.  If it is checked out or at another local library, you will be able to place a hold as long as you have your library card and PIN numbers. As with any book review, these are our opinions…we disagree amongst ourselves about books frequently.  We all have different likes and dislikes, which is what makes the world an interesting place. Please enjoy, and keep on reading!

Smoke Gets in Your Eyes and Other Lessons from the Crematory by Caitlyn Doughty

Reviewed by: Laura Warren, Reference Assistant

Genre: Non-Fiction/Memoirs

Suggested Age: Adult

What is the book about?: Caitlin Doughty has been obsessed with death since childhood. Growing up, she concealed this morbid part of herself from those around her, but upon entering college, she decided to embrace it. With a Master’s Degree in Medieval History, she began a job at a San Francisco crematory. This book follows Doughty as she finds her way through her new job responsibilities. We meet a myriad of mesmerizing characters, both living and dead. As she finds her way through each new experience with a death, the diversity of the rituals each culture follows becomes clearer and clearer. Through philosophers and anthropologists, Doughty discusses both the ritual and the physical activities surrounding an individual’s death or the death of a loved one. She also discusses how removed we, as the developed world, are from physically preparing those who have passed on. Through our distance from the dead, Doughty insists, we have stunted our personal, as well as cultural, understanding and acceptance of death. She advocates for reclaiming our dead and truly looking into the face of death as the only way to accept this inevitable part of life.

My review: I devoured this book in two sittings and found a kindred spirit in Caitlyn Doughty. I, like Doughty, have always found myself to be a little on the morbid side. I have a background in Anthropology, so studying cultures and death are not shocking to me, but this might not be the case for the majority of readers. I respect the frankness and humor which is weaved throughout this book. Individuals who must literally stare death in the face every day have to adapt the psychological tools needed to do this type of work. The author explained how different cultures approach death and framed the differences beautifully. Doughty argues that we, as westerners, have lost all contact with our dead. They have become another commodity, which we pay others to deal with. We, as individuals who are not part of the death business, do not deal with the bodies of our deceased, and because of this distance, we have lost the ability to handle death in a healthy manner. Though I do not agree that we have fully lost our death rituals, and do not necessarily agree with all of her other points, I find her arguments well thought out, soundly researched, thought provoking, and wonderfully assembled. 

Heads up:  This book is not for the squeamish. Doughty discusses, in detail, what happens to the body in death, and what goes on with the body behind closed doors. I understand this subject is taboo, and not for the faint of heart.

Rating: 5/5

Find it at the library!

About FDL Reads

Welcome to FDL Reads, weekly book reviews from Fondulac District Library.  Librarians (and possibly some other guest reviewers) review all types of books, from children’s picture books, young adult favorites, to the latest adult thriller, and share their thoughts each Tuesday at fondulaclibrary.org. If the book is owned by Fondulac District Library (or another local library), you’ll see a direct link to the catalog entry and whether or not it is available.  If it is checked out or at another local library, you will be able to place a hold as long as you have your library card and PIN numbers. As with any book review, these are our opinions…we disagree amongst ourselves about books frequently.  We all have different likes and dislikes, which is what makes the world an interesting place. Please enjoy, and keep on reading!

Horrorstör by Grady Hendrix

Reviewed by: Carey Gibbons, Reference Assistant

Genre: Horror

Suggested Age: Adult

What is the book about?: Amy works at ORSK, an IKEA knockoff store. She feels like her life is a mess and nothing at all goes right for her. But her life is about to get a whole lot worse. Bad things are happening in the ORSK store after hours. Merchandise gets broken and goes missing, and one morning, the staff arrives to find what looks like blood all over one of the Brooka sofas. Amy’s boss, Basil, enlists her to stay overnight at ORSK and catch whoever is breaking in. But Amy and Basil quickly realize that the terrible things happening in ORSK are way beyond your average creepy hobo.

My review: The concept behind this book is really clever. The actual book is modeled on an IKEA catalogue complete with furniture diagrams with inspirational instructions, available colors, and item ID codes. This is a horror book, but it was hard not to chuckle at the big box store, retail as religion, mockery. However, I would have liked this book a lot more if the author wasn’t constantly pointing out how clever he was. Hendrix explains every joke and reference, even the fact that ORSK is an IKEA knockoff. I feel like he doesn’t trust his readers to get even the most basic references. I was also thrown out of the narrative by Hendrix’s lack of a grasp on time. Theoretically, only 7 hours pass in the main narrative of the book but certain characters are tortured for what might pass as days. A flashlight also runs out of power in 30 minutes. These seem like little problems, but they’re constant – enough to fracture the narrative. Overall, I liked this book well enough, but it didn’t feel like a final draft. It’s definitely one to borrow instead of buy.

Rating: 3/5

Find it at the library!

About FDL Reads

Welcome to FDL Reads, weekly book reviews from Fondulac District Library.  Librarians (and possibly some other guest reviewers) review all types of books, from children’s picture books, young adult favorites, to the latest adult thriller, and share their thoughts each Tuesday at fondulaclibrary.org. If the book is owned by Fondulac District Library (or another local library), you’ll see a direct link to the catalog entry and whether or not it is available.  If it is checked out or at another local library, you will be able to place a hold as long as you have your library card and PIN numbers. As with any book review, these are our opinions…we disagree amongst ourselves about books frequently.  We all have different likes and dislikes, which is what makes the world an interesting place. Please enjoy, and keep on reading!

Somewhere Safe with Somebody Good by Jan Karon

Reviewed by: Diane Soffietti, Reference Assistant

Genre: Contemporary Inspirational

Suggested Age: Adult

What is the book about?: Somewhere Safe with Somebody Good has Father Tim making life decisions about his Episcopal Church parish and his town. He is retired and diabetic, but still is surrounded by his family and quirky friends

My review:  Jan Karon has written another novel in her well-known Mitford series. This has Father Tim and wife Cynthia back from their travels and with all of their friends and some new ones in Mitford. This title, Somewhere Safe with Somebody Good is the tenth book of the Mitford series, which began in 1996. Karon has also written two holiday books, as well as two that take Father Tim away from Mitford and his parish. Therefore, the characters are loved by many fans that have read stories of the Episcopal priest Father Tim Cavanaugh and his life in the small town of Mitford, North Carolina.

Jan Karon has enjoyed success as a New York Times bestselling author after a previous career in advertising. In an interview, she explained that she was lead to write this series by God. She believes He has had a hand in her writings.

I have enjoyed reading about old friends and characters and how they have changed and stayed the same in the small mountain community. Travel with Father Tim and Cynthia to the cozy streets of Mitford, North Carolina.

Rating: 4/5

Find it at the library!

About FDL Reads

Welcome to FDL Reads, weekly book reviews from Fondulac District Library.  Librarians (and possibly some other guest reviewers) review all types of books, from children’s picture books, young adult favorites, to the latest adult thriller, and share their thoughts each Tuesday at fondulaclibrary.org. If the book is owned by Fondulac District Library (or another local library), you’ll see a direct link to the catalog entry and whether or not it is available.  If it is checked out or at another local library, you will be able to place a hold as long as you have your library card and PIN numbers. As with any book review, these are our opinions…we disagree amongst ourselves about books frequently.  We all have different likes and dislikes, which is what makes the world an interesting place. Please enjoy, and keep on reading!