TWO-CENT TUESDAY

Below are a few (somewhat) brief, $.02 opinions about books I've read or listened to recently but don't have the time, inclination, or opportunity to review in full. Their appearance in this recurring piece often has little to nothing to do with merit. Some I enjoyed as much or more than those that got the full court press. I hope you'll consider one or two for your own TBR stack if they strike your fancy whether they struck mine or not.

KNOCKED MY SOCKS OFF

A Knock at Midnight, by Brittany K. Barnett

This book is not what I was expecting. I went in blind, sold by the cover, title, and rave recommendations from trusted sources. What I got was a searing and enraging look at the cost of America's ridiculous and racist "war on drugs" and the sentencing guidelines that have ravaged our communities of color.

Brittany Barnett was a brilliant student on her way to becoming an accountant when she learned of Sharanda Jones, a single mother, business owner and prison inmate given a life sentence for a minor (and first) drug offense. This was the first of many cases that changed Barnett's path along with those of numerous individuals who paid prices far beyond their offenses. Now an attorney and co-founder of Buried Alive, Barnett pens a fascinating look at a broken system. Required reading.

The Push, by Ashley Audrain

I'm not even sure how to describe this tense, psychological slow burn other than as a less-thriller-esque and more character study-ish Baby Teeth (which I loved, written by Zoje Stage). Blythe is a new mother who has trouble attaching to her new baby girl. Then she begins to feel there's really something wrong with her daughter. Or is something wrong with her? 

Blythe's husband Fox feels she's imagining things, because of course he has bonded with Violet and doesn't see anything wrong with her behavior. When baby Sam comes along, everything comes to a head. That's all you get. If difficult, in-depth character work is your thing, this will hit all the sweet spots.

The Low Desert: Gangster Stories, by Tod Goldberg

"Gangster" stories aren't usually my thing, nor do I like the heat. So why did I love these gangster stories set in the desert so much? Because Tod Goldberg writes with a wit and brutality that I love, place or subject matter be (somewhat) damned. The desert was the perfect place for these stories--hot, arid, lonely. Goldberg's gangsters run the gamut, from low-level thugs to those caught in circumstances that change them. I read this based on (surprise!) the cover and word-of-mouth and ended up buying a copy for my shelf. Goldberg's other offerings are now high on my "to read" list.

Homie, by Danez Smith

Although not meant for me, Danez Smith's poetry has become a "must-buy." He is brazen and bold, putting words to the world of a queer, Black, HIV+ man. Written about friendships and for his friends following the loss of one of them, this collection is often hard to read and always enlightening. I marked so many passages I might as well have copied the entire collection into my notebook. Poetry is such a personal thing, more so than other writing, I think. But if you want to try a collection, try some of Smith's. Don't Call Us Dead is one of my prized collections.

Sidelined: Sports, Culture and Being a Woman in America, by Julie DiCaro

Oh boy. The title of this one pretty much says it all. Enlightening and maddening, sports journalist DiCaro puts an elegant pen to some of the historic and current horrors of being a woman in the field. I knew it was bad, but fuck Barstool Sports to the ends of the earth. I would like to say that I'm amazed people like that exist, but I'm not. This quote pretty much sums it up: "There is no safe space for women in sports media." You could probably end that sentence after "in sports." Likely even after "for women." Read the book, it's stellar work.

GOOD READS EVEN IF MY SOCKS REMAINED UP

If I Disappear, by Eliza Jane Brazier

If you're a fan of mysteries based on true crime podcasts, this one may be for you. Sera is just such a fan and since her divorce she's spent most of her time listening to Murder, She Spoke. She's obsessed to the point that the "disappearance" of the podcast's host sends her off on her own hunt to figure out what happened to Rachel.

Enter creepy hometown in Northern California called Happy Camp, and Rachel's equally odd and strangely unworried family. While some of the plot involved in Sera's quest stretches the bounds of possibility, it's all in furtherance of the mystery I wanted to see unfold. On the whole an entertaining read that kept me turning pages and wondering who the most suspicious and least-trustworthy of all the characters would turn out to be.

Milk Blood Heat, by Dantiel W. Moniz

I very much enjoyed this set of short stories by Dantiel Moniz, which happens to be her debut. A Florida native, her stories are also set there. I've never been to Florida and we all know the "Florida Man" jokes, but I always have a keen interest in stories set in Florida. It's almost as though there's no limit to what story can be told in Florida. 

It's hard to describe this collection other than that they are stories of people, mostly women and young, who are facing an issue or adversity and/or trying to understand who they are. White/Black friendships, the loss of a child (resulting in the mother seeing parts of her baby everywhere), the stories range so much they are hard to put in one box. Which I love, because if I don't connect with one I know something vastly different is next. This collection sucked me in from the start, as two young girls, one white the other Black, forge their relationship as "blood sisters" by cutting their palms and mixing their blood with milk to drink it. 

UNDONE BY PANDEMIC BRAIN (MY ONGOING EXCUSE)

The Ocean House, by Mary-Beth Hughes

I'm something of a sucker for interconnected stories and this cover rocks. The publicity materials cite this as "an exquisite world of complicated family tales on the Jersey Shore," so I was all-in. Unfortunately, it lost me quickly. I'm not sure if it was me or the writing (though taking a quick peek at other ratings tells me it's not all me), but I did not connect with Hughes's prose at all. I love complicated family tales, so I would like to give this one another go, but I'm not burning to get to it.

THE THREE MRS. GREYS, by Shelly Ellis

Cool cover, author of color, fun premise: three women believe they are the only wife of wealthy businessman Cyrus Grey until he's shot and comatose in the hospital. I was expecting a thriller with a little soap (a little I can take), but this was a bit over the top in the drama department for me. I might have pushed through were it not for the staggering overuse of the exclamation point. Hot tip: USE THEM SPARINGLY. If at all. It felt like every line of dialogue had one and I just couldn't do it. I tapped out early.