Nonfiction: Dyscalculia by Camonghne Felix

It is interesting how a title can both interest and repel a reader, and I can certainly say I experienced both of these things when I first came across Dyscalculia: A Love Story of Epic Miscalculation by Camonghne Felix. The title comes from a real learning disorder that affects a person's ability to understand number-based information and math. I fought against my instinct to be disinterested in a scientific title, and after reading the description, I decided to give the book a try.

Genre, Themes, History: This is a nonfiction book that explores the author's life, and more specifically, her experience with dyscalculia, bipolar disorder, and how both factored into a relationship that becomes the center of a fair amount of the story. Written in something closer to poetry than prose, Felix starts in her early life, when the words dyscalculia, bipolar disorder, ADHD, and various medications are introduced into her life, before moving through adolescence and into early adulthood, when she will meet 'X' and begin the relationship that will shape the rest of the book. The book deals with mental health and self-harm, moving in a linear fashion that often does not feel that way.

My Verdict: This is one of those books that contains a lot of power in not a lot of pages, which is something I will always marvel at. Part of it could be the poetic prose style that the book is written in, but it can also simply be the story Felix is telling. With an honesty and a frankness that I can only applaud, Felix tells her story plainly, and succinctly, and in no uncertain terms. The small jumps across and through time may make things confusing for some readers, as some scenes feel slightly off-balance, but this may have been intentional. And even if it was not, it is certainly still affective in helping to bring the reader into Felix's world. Anyone looking for a quick, honest, and powerful read will not be disappointed in this book.

Favorite Moment: I enjoyed reading about Felix's conversations with her mother, which are sprinkled throughout the book.

Favorite Quote: Felix's mother gives her some incredibly true and powerful advice: "Nobody has to care about what hurts you because that's not their job. It's not the world's job to understand you, it's your job to understand the world. And the more you understand it, the more you learn how to get around it. The more you understand it, the more you understand who you can trust and how far you can stretch. You cannot wait for them to understand you, or they will kill you. You have to do it."

Recommended Reading: I recommend Freshwater by Akwaeke Emezi. 

Science Fiction: Chance by Matthew Fitzsimmons

This week's novel, Chance, is the second in author Matthew Fitzsimmons' Constance series, the first of which was reviewed in late October. Cloning remains at the center of the story, as a young man attempts to find out what happened to him and his brother during a kidnapping gone wrong.

The Situation: It is the year 2042, and Chance is about the perform the latest in what has become his annual stunts. Sometimes they go right, but more often they go wrong, and this one certainly can. But Chance and his family have a policy at Palingenesis, the company the keeps their clones on standby should one of them meet an untimely demise, something that Chance has done many times by now. His audience cannot get enough of his antics, while his critics point out the only reason he is able to be so reckless is because he is one of the 1%. Chance has heard it all, and he does not care. For him, any caring about what he should be doing to live a productive life went out the window five years ago, when he died the first time in botched kidnapping.

The Problem: Chance is obsessive about making and keeping his appointments at Palingenesis, making sure his clones will always be as up to date as possible on their memories, should his next stunt go wrong. He also makes sure his daily existence is well-documented and backed up, until one of his clones erases everything, after seemingly committing a horrible crime. When Chance wakes up in a new clone body, he has no idea what happened, and those that have always been against cloning now have a new reason to protest. All he knows is this has something to do with abduction that changed his life forever, and if he is to get answers, he must work fast and do what he can before he is arrested.

Genre, Themes, History: This is a science fiction novel set only two years after the first one, in 2042. After a landmark Supreme Court case, clones now have legal standing at the federal level, and any state's anti-cloning laws have now been done away with, therefore making the issue even more divisive. Enter Chance Harker, a 21 year-old influencer who has made a career out of exploiting the new technology, only being able to do so because his family is wealthy. Taking place in and around Los Angeles, the story follows Chance as he attempts to make a life for himself, but due to what happened five years ago, he exists in a cloud of resentment, anger, pride, and self-loathing. And many of the issues surrounding cloning that were brought up in the first book are expanded upon even further in this one.

My Verdict: This book contains the same fast-paced narrative style as the first one, as seemingly every chapter reveals a new detail, or twist to the story that changes what the audience thought they knew about where the story was going. It mainly falls under science fiction, but just like the first book, it is also part suspense thriller and part murder mystery, while asking the important questions when it comes the issue of cloning human beings. Chance is incredibly unlikeable in the beginning, but he knows it, and he does not care...but he does care, kind of. It is a complicated character that at first glance is simply a spoiled rich kid, but the layers get pulled back as the story moves forward, and I think I like it even better than the first book. 

Favorite Moment: Picking out a favorite moment with a book like this is near impossible, because almost every moment is a spoiler. At some point, Chance stops being a careless jerk and turns into a sympathetic human being, and it was nice to actually care about what happens to him towards the end.

Favorite Character: Con D'Arcy, the main character from the first book, makes an appearance in this one and plays an important role in helping Chance get the answers he is looking for.

Recommended Reading: I once again recommend Six Wakes by Mur Lafferty. 

Young Adult Fiction: Immortality by Dana Schwartz

It was no question that I was going to review Immortality: A Love Story by Dana Schwartz, the second and final book in The Anatomy Duology. The story continues to follow young Hazel Sinnett as she works tirelessly to be a female surgeon, at a time when such things were unheard of, and often not encouraged.

The Situation: It has been roughly a year since Hazel dressed in the clothes of her older brother and attended classes at the Royal Edinburgh Anatomist's Society, where women are not allowed. This is also when she met Jack - whose fate she is still not sure of - as well as Dr. Beecham, a man who was able to achieve the impossible. Now she is alone, living only when a few servants, as her mother has decided to leave the area with her youngest brother. Despite not being a real doctor, Hazel has found a steady, though often discreet, customer base among those who have a reason not to seek out the assistance of more well-known, and well-respected doctors. Some are eager for her help, while others are simply desperate. Hazel is glad for it, though she wonders how long she will be able to keep it up.

The Problem: When Hazel is arrested after helping one of her many desperate clients, she fears her habit of doing shady operations under dubious circumstances will indeed prove to be her end, but then help comes from the most unlikely of places. It seems the royals have heard of the female doctor with passable skill and the neatest stitches anyone has seen, and their hope is that the beloved Princess Charlotte will be more willing to be examined by one of her own sex, and that Hazel will be able to diagnose the mysterious illness that has caused the princess to call off her wedding. Hazel may have been saved from jail, but being in service to royalty has its own complications. And when Hazel encounters a secret social club known as the Companions to the Death, the events and secrets of the past year come back in a new way.

Genre, Themes, History: This is a work of young adult historical fiction set in the early 1800s, taking place almost entirely in and around London. Hazel is sent there to help take care of the ailing and well-loved Princess Charlotte, whose variety of symptoms have stumped the best doctors in England. Here, Schwartz admits to taking some liberties with real historical figures for the sake of the story, as well as some points in the history of medicine, particularly when it comes to the first uses of anesthesia. While the first book dealt more with Hazel's studies and the practice of medical students and doctors purchasing corpses to work with, this one looks further into the political aspect of it all, including the presence of secret societies that attempt to orchestrate things to follow their own agenda. 

My Verdict: From the start, the pacing and tone of this book is wonderful. Hazel may be done with school, but she is still learning, and her commitment to her patients, to gaining knowledge, and to working on her treatise gives this book a fun beginning as Hazel navigates the reality of being a female doctor at a time when that is frowned upon. Moving her into the company of royalty once again gives her a new problem to solve, and a new group to prove herself to, while still wrestling with the events of the previous book. Sure, the adventures in digging up dead bodies were thrilling, but now Hazel must move among royalty, and penetrate the inner workings of a secret society, all while holding out hope that Jack is still alive. It may seem like a lot, but Schwartz handles it well, providing a new kind of adventure, and love story, that will keep readers guessing without leaving them exhausted.

Favorite Moment: *spoiler alert* Hazel being able to correctly guess what is wrong with the princess is naturally a wonderful and triumphant moment, especially considering what the diagnosis turns out to be. 

Favorite Character: Dr. Simon von Ferris is a Swedish doctor, and the latest one brought in to assist the royal family with the ailing King. He has every reason to not be on Hazel's side, and yet he is, even when it is clear they may be working at cross-purposes. 

Recommended Reading: I will recommend Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, which I am aware can be a slog, but I promise it is worth it. 

Horror Fiction: The Spite House by Johnny Compton

In all honesty, I had largely ignored today's selection until seeing that the author would be reading from and signing his book at a local book store, as well as appearing at the San Antonio Book Festival on the 15th of this month. After reading the synopsis for The Spite House by Johnny Compton, I decided it deserved a spot in the blog. For one, it is horror fiction, a genre I do not read nearly enough of; and second, it is set in small and creepy Texas town, which I know can make for an unnerving setting when done well.

The Situation: Eric Ross and his two daughters, 18 year-old Dess and 12 year-old Stacy, have been moving from town-to-town for quite some time now. Eric will do whatever is necessary in order to take care of his daughters and keep them safe, and right now that means taking off-the-book jobs, staying in motels, and always being on the lookout. Dess is well-aware of what is at stake, and takes everything just as seriously as her father does. And while young Stacy may not be quite sure what is going on, she is clever and creative, and most importantly, obedient. When her father decides to accept an offer to stay in the "most haunted place in Texas," both girls understand that completing the job could mean the secure future they have searching for, even though no one before them has been able to remain in the house for very long.

The Problem: Eric may be doing his best to keep his past a secret, but he is not the only one. His new employer, Eunice, has a few secrets of her own, mostly related to the house she wants Eric and his small family to stay in, and its troubled history. Known as the spite house, all of the citizens of the town of Degener seem wary of the place, refusing to stay inside it for very long, and only coming inside if they truly have to. The people who came before Eric to attempt to do what Eunice wanted managed to come out alive, though there were issues. But Eric is determined to complete the assignment, with not only the six figure payout as motivation, but also to understand a few things about his own past, and what he has witnessed.

Genre, Themes, History: This is a horror fiction novel set in and around the fictional small town of Degener, Texas, where the strange spite house sits on a hill. The concept of a spite house is essentially a structure that has been built or altered solely for the purpose of irritating neighbors, or anyone interested in the land, or even in some cases, family members. There are many stories out there of people building houses or modifying them to intentionally block the view of another house, or somehow disrupt the building of something else. In this novel, vengeance, anger, and resentment are major themes, and are given a destructive power, almost creating a cautionary tale. Switching narrators throughout the story, the novel follows the Ross family, as well as those involved with the spite house, and weaves a creepy tale of what it may be like to have the past literally haunt you.

My Verdict: When described in one sentence, it would suffice to say that this novel is about a man who accepts an offer to stay in a haunted house with his two daughters in an effort to prove that there is something supernatural going on, and scary events ensue. It is the kind of thing many horror lovers will, and should, flock to. There is even the small town, and old woman keeping secrets, and a family man running from a mysterious past. All of the secrets and hidden terrors are revealed slowly, and the pacing of the novel is to be commended. But for me, this is a book that is all about the journey, as the final destination left a lot to be desired. However, for some, this may not be a bad thing, as the journey is interesting, and scary, just as it should be for a horror novel.

Favorite Moment: As someone who loves a good haunted house story, I love any moment that goes into deeper detail about how the house is physically constructed, especially if the detail is about something the house contains or was built with that is not included in most houses.

Favorite Character: Dess is a young woman who has been through more than most 18 year-olds, and who put her future on pause to make sure her little sister was taken care of.

Recommended Reading: I cannot end a post about a haunted house story without at least mention The Shining by Stephen King. Though more of a haunted hotel situation, I cannot recommend this book enough.