Tender Is The Flesh by Agustina Bazterrica was just .... wow.

When I picked this book up I thought it would be predictable in the end, a little like the movie Soilent Green. I was happy to be incorrect.

The book follows Marcos, a man who had his wife leave after a tragedy. He is trying to figure things out, while still working at the slaughterhouse, where the cattle is people. A virus has made all animal meat infectious and toxic to humans, at least that is what the government wants everyone to believe. In comes humans bred for food, they are bred to be cattle and only cattle, with no thought or intelligence. One day Marcos is given a gift, a gift he is not sure what to do with. He starts trying to decide what to do with this gift, when he realizes what he has been given. Marcos must keep a secret while trying to move on with his wife, and his life.

This book made me think, especially now going through this Coronavirus pandemic. I wondered what those of us in the United States would do if the government claimed all animals and animal meat were toxic? We are having a hard enough time trying to regulate what people should or should not do during the pandemic, so it was a perfect time to read this book.

This was a very disturbing novel, in more ways than it simply being about cannibalism. The book followed Marcos as he moved through time, going from slaughterhouse, to butchers shop, to cattle field. We see him introduce to potential applicants through the floor of the slaughterhouse, as humans are treated like pigs. Stunned and then killed, these humans are expertly dismembered to separate the pieces to go where they will be distributed. Marcos lives a hard life, full of questions, and he often questions what is and isn't right. After the tragedy that he and his wife suffer, he has stopped eating meat, and no matter what he does he struggles to get past what he has seen and lost. Marcos isn't sure what to do, so he goes against what he has always believed, and what the government has told him, and makes a decision all on his own.

I am pleased to say that while I was reading this novel I thought it was going to end predictably, but it did not. The ending was unexpected as I really thought that Marcos had changed his mind and was going to do something totally the opposite of what he did. The novel is one of those novels that make you think about what makes a person human, what makes a person someone who gets to live or someone to be eaten, and how far are you willing to go to get meat if it becomes unavailable. I am still thinking of this book, and I finished it a few weeks ago, I simply waited to write this review because I kept thinking of this book.

Really, if you have a chance read this book. It is about more than cannibalism, it is about life and life choices.

Del Rio by Jane Rosenthal is about a middle-age District Attorney named Callie. Callie has a sister named Mia, and a brother named Mike. This family is very dysfunctional, and the spouses of Mia and Mike are both into something they should not be.

After a child's arm is found by migrant workers, Callie McCall finds herself embroiled in uncovering a family secret and a murder investigation. She has to decide what to do, or if she should do anything. When she finds out that things are happening on both sides of the border, she decides she must find out what is going on, even if that means destroying everything she has worked for.

This novel was not bad to start with, although there were some things I was uncomfortable with (as someone who was raised in California), but I will address these things later. The story starts off interesting with Callie dealing with her horrible ex-husband, Sam, and her equally horrible brother-in-law, Jim Fletcher. The readers find out that Jim Fletcher is involved in something unsavory, involving children, but it takes a bit to find out what that unsavory thing is, and in the end there are several things. Callie travels to Mexico and back to her inherited orchard in California, hoping to find the answers to the death of the child, and trying to figure out what her brother-in-law, husband, sister, and brother might be into.

About halfway through the book it becomes a little bit disjointed as another character, Nathan, is added. It seemed very unnecessary for him to be inserted into the novel, and a lot of his chapters seemed like non-sequiturs. Then in the end I was not sure why he was there. I would have liked more into his character, and why he was important, but to me it seemed like he was in the novel to move some parts of the story along, when he wasn't really needed, or possibly when the author didn't know what exactly to do.

I was a little disappointed in the ending of the novel as well. A few of the bad characters really did "get what they had coming to them," but since at least two of the characters who did not deserve the endings they got (Mia and Mike), which meant it was not satisfactory. Callie was a bit of a disappointment to me as well. She seemed so strong in the beginning, but she continually discusses how much her political future means, and that makes her feel as if she cares, but does not really care, about the migrant workers or the death of the child whose arm was found.

One thing that really bothered me was the town, and how the Hispanics were described. Most seem like stereotypes, as someone from California, and that bothered me. Also the description of the town as a place filled with run-down Dollar stores, a place where you drive through with the windows up and the doors locked. I feel that this is a stereotype when in reality places with orchards, vineyards, and farms, with migrants working are usually peaceful, with high end stores and tourist destinations near them. This may be my own issue.

I'd say this is an interesting read, and you should give it a chance.

Jealousy, revenge, murder, and betrayal are all issues in the novel The Dead Ex by Jane Corry.
 
Vicki is a woman with a troubled mind, a sad past, and a horrible ex-husband. When her ex-husband, David, goes missing, and the police arrive on her doorstep asking her if she knows where he is, she is thrown into a life she never thought possible. A life of questions without answers. A life of mystery. A life where she isn't sure what has happened or what is going on. Vicki is an aromatherapist who can't find a way out. She wants to confront David's new wife, Tanya, who should be the first suspect, but doesn't seem to be.
 
Then the story follows Scarlet, a young girl forced by her mother to play a dangerous game, which eventually gets them both in trouble. Scarlet then learns what it is like to live without her mother, and Zelda learns what it is like to have her daughter removed from her custody. Every visit is traumatic, and in the end Scarlet see who her mother really is, but she doesn't act, because no matter what Zelda is still her mother.
 
The first third of the story follows the beginning of the stories of Scarlet and Vicki as she learns of David's disappearance. This was probably the most interesting part of the story. The characters were intriguing. Learning about the games Scarlet was made to play by her mother was interesting, and gave a view into a dark side of life that I would have no idea about. I have never been involved in criminal activity, and I wouldn't even know how to do some of the things that Zelda made Scarlet do to make money. When Scarlet is taken and Zelda is punished the story that unfolds from there is sad and, well sad, because the truth of what is going to happen is probably not going to have a happy ending, especially since Zelda doesn't seem like she is going to change.
 
The next third is a set up of what is going to happen in the last third, and neither seems to be surprising or interesting. The biggest thing is we learn more about what a dick David is, and boy is he a 100% grade A dick, and we learn more about Vicki and why she is so trouble, also why she is still so in love with David, even though he treated her like garbage. Of course, he still treats her like garbage, and everyone else in his life. The ending isn't a huge surprise, especially after reading the beginning. None of the characters were really relatable, even though the author tries to make Scarlet and Vicki relatable, they really aren't. None of the characters have anything to offer the reader. Yet, as I say this the beginning of the book was well done, I wish it came together a little better, and I wish the book didn't become as vicious as it ended up being.
 
I can't really say whether one should or shouldn't read this, but in my opinion is was only okay. Some people might like it, but others might find it mediocre, as I did.
 
I want to say one last thing, the title in a little farfetched, and this could have used a better, more thrilling, and one better suited to the content.

The Sun Down Motel by Simone St. James revolves around two young women, Vivian, and her niece, Carly.

Vivian was on her way to New York, but stops in Fell, NY. She really has no plan, but she has to get away from her mother, so she heads to New York with aspirations of being an actress, even though she isn't even sure that is what she wants to do. While on this break from her family, she stops at a place called the Sun Down Motel, where she stays a few nights until the owner offers her a job as the night manager. Strange things go on at the motel, and Viv starts to seek out the truth.

Carly heads to Fell after her mother's death from cancer, and decides she must do research on what happened to her Aunt Viv twenty-five years earlier. She leaves school and goes to Fell to find out why no one knows where her Aunt is, and what happened on the night she disappeared. Carly sees a help wanted sign in the window of the Sun Down Motel and decided it is fate, so she takes the job her Aunt one had in hopes of getting closer to her, and closer to finding out what happened to her Aunt.

This book started of very well. The characters were interesting and the plot was intriguing. Of the two main characters, Viv was much more interesting than Carly, and more developed. Viv was also a funner character to read. Carly was a little to self-absorbed and she didn't seem very bright at times. The other characters weren't very interesting. Heather seemed a stereotype of what someone with mental illness would be like in a place like Fell. Nick was a boring man, and it was obvious what was going to happen with him a the end of the story. The rest of the characters ran into each other, although I would have liked more from the little boy and Betty.

I like a good ghost story, and I could have used more from the ghost perspective. I thought the ending was way too predictable, and I really wanted a twist to it. There was no surprises at the end, which disappointed me. The book could have been a lot better if the last few chapters had been rewritten so the story did not end the way it actually did. That being said, I liked this book. If I kept books just based on their covers I would keep this book for forever as the cover is wonderful. However, I like to share books that I like, so I will be sending this one along to a friend.

*I was going to write about 2020 and how we are finally at the end of a terrible year, but I am not sure that the next year will be any better....yet. So, I am going to leave you with this movie review, and we will see if the world is less of a dumpster fire at then end of January."

Jigsaw is the last thus far in the Saw series. From IMDb the plot summary states that bodies are turning up around the city, each having met a uniquely gruesome demise. As the investigation proceeds, evidence points to one suspect: John Kramer, the man known as Jigsaw, who has been dead for over 10 years. Logan Nelson, the local coroner, is trying to figure out who the killer is, because unless a man can come back from the dead, someone is framing a dead man.
 
The Saw series is an interesting series, and how it ended with the last movie seemed to close a loop, which I really enjoyed. It was the same with the Final Destination series. I enjoyed how the last movie linked the series of movies together, even if I didn’t like all of the movies themselves. I thought the last movie in the Saw series did that too, bringing the movies together and ending a loop in an interesting and exciting way. While I didn’t care for all of the movies, I did enjoy the ending and the way they were brought together.
 
This movie didn’t have anything new or exciting that the last bunch of movies didn’t have. There were the traps that people had to try to figure out before it took their life, and there were grotesque and dramatic death scenes that involved as much blood as gore as possible. The characters were nothing new, all there because of some deed they had done which had either taken another life or affected another life.
 
I didn’t, however, expect the ending. I was a little surprised who and why they ended up killing people, and how everything had progressed.
 
This wasn’t a good movie, and seemed pointless. There was really no reason for this movie to be made, unless it was being made to keep the franchise running. But in reality, everything should come to an end. I feel that if they had stopped at the last movie it would have been better, because the last movie closed things up in a way that, to me at least, was satisfying. This movie added nothing to the rest of the franchise, and is a one off that isn’t necessary. It didn’t keep the integrity of the series, and like a lot of series not every aspect needs to be continued or made (think the Solo movie, I mean did it really need to be made???).
 
Skip this movie, and go with something else, or go back to the beginning and watch the original Saw movie.

What Remains of Her by Eric Rickstad is one of the best books I've recently read. Before reading this, I had not heard of Eric Rickstad, and right now I am happy to have won this book in a Goodreads giveaway. I would not have picked it up on my own, likely because I wouldn't have known where to find it, nor would it have grabbed my attention.
 
The plot follows a man, Jonah, and his search for his wife, Rebecca, and his daughter, Sally. He comes home from work to find neither home, and hours later, after they still have not arrived he calls his friend, Maurice, who is the Sheriff. For Jonah, things don't get any better. He becomes the main suspect, as everyone knows he would, and in fact the only person who seems to believe he had nothing to do with the disappearance is his young daughters’ best friend, Lucinda, who has a few secrets of her own. The story then moves to twenty-five years later, Jonah is still living in the shadow of what happened, having lost everything because he has waited for his wife and daughter, believing that someday they would come back. Lucinda has a better life, but not by much, as she owns a local story, is a part time deputy, and helps care for her ailing father. And on top of this past destruction, another young girl has gone missing, on the same day that Sally did. Coincidence?
 
Jonah is not a likeable character, but there are things about him that continue to lead the reader to believe that he is a good father, and continues to love his daughter, and is in fact living for her return, even though that is unlikely. Lucinda seems to have some issues with her father, with a past live, with her store, and with future decisions she needs to make. There are things that could have been developed a little more, for example the relationship between Lucinda and her ex, Kirk, isn't as developed as it could have been and the reader doesn't really get the reasons for the breakup even though they seem like they are very important to the story.
 
The reader also sees Jonah living, but there is no development into what he is doing. Is he living just in the hopes that Sally will come back? Or is there something deeper?
 
There is a character, Dale, who isn't as developed as he could have been, as there were several times in the story when he could have had a little more emotion, but instead he was flat.
 
Now, even with that being said, I still really liked this book. The end made me want to cry, even though I was sitting in the middle of a Starbucks. I felt for Jonah, and I felt for Lucinda. Their lives could have been so different if things had been revealed twenty-five years earlier.
 
I do recommend this novel, as not only a mystery thriller, but also as a book with real characters. How would you act if your child and spouse didn't return home and you had no idea where they went? How long would you search for them? Would you give up? Or would you give up everything, like Jonah did, in the hopes that your family would find you again?

Spook: Science Tackles the Afterlife by Mary Roach was not as good as her novel Stiff.

I wanted to like this book. I thought a book about the science of the afterlife would be interesting or have some really fascinating ideas in it. I was wrong.

Ms. Roach is too judgemental in some of the sections, especially the beginning half of the book. She continually inserts her opinion and you can almost hear her rolling her eyes during these sections of the book. I am fine if she doesn't believe in things like reincarnation, but please, at least try to be a little respectful when writing about someone who believes they are a reincarnation of someone. The entire first part of the book felt sleazy, like she was not only rolling her eyes but she was making fun of these people right in front of their faces, and behind their backs. I get it, maybe there was no way to prove things scientifically, but don't be a jerk about your opinions.

I'm not even talking about political correctness here, but with some of Ms. Roach's opinions inserted, this also doesn't seem very scientific. This makes some of her observations feel a little childish. I wanted more of an unbiased books, with facts telling me yes or no, the afterlife could be possible. I think maybe Ms. Roach is better with real ideas rather than abstract ideas like the afterlife. As stated earlier, her novel Stiff was very interesting.

I can't recommend this book for anyone. I wish I had not read it myself. So, onto the next big and amazing thing.

The Space Between Worlds by Micaiah Johnson is about multidimensional travel. This novel revolves around Cara, a young woman who is a traverser. She goes between all versions of Earth to gather information and data on that version of Earth. The catch to this job? She can't visit a world where she is still alive. There are also limits to what she can do, and every trip has consequences. The twist, Cara isn't who everyone thinks she is, and she must not only hide her own secrets, but reveal the secrets of others.

I wasn't sure, when I started this novel, if I would like it. I thought for sure that it would be another lazy novel to give an author the recourse to continue writing the same characters in different worlds. It was not what I expected, which was a good thing. This novel involves people of different ethnic backgrounds and sexual orientations, which led to some of the interesting ideas and segments in the novel. Not only is Cara of a dark skinned ethnicity, but her manager, Dell is as well. This in itself leads to a disparity that can even be seen today in how people react to and treat each other.

There were moments, on the different versions of Earth, when I thought the book could have used some editing and some of the information could have been left out. Some parts of the novel, especially on Earth 172, were a little long and unnecessary. I would have also like a little more development to Jean, the man who kept trying to help Cara be a better version of herself. There was a little bit of character development lacking, and for characters that were important to Cara, like Dell, Jean, her sister, Esther, and even the tech guy, Adam. This would have pulled me in a little to scenes that seemed to simply happen.

I would have like a little more on Cara's "boyfriend" Nik Nik as well. I can't say much more on this without giving parts of the book away, so I shall end that comment there.

I would recommend this novel to anyone looking for a change in their science fiction. Not only is this written by a woman of color, but it's written by a woman, and the novel itself has diverse characters. Plus, it is a pretty good read.

If I Had Your Face by Frances Cha was a sad and sweet story about five young women who are struggling to find who they are in Seoul, South Korea.

The novel follows five young women, all who live in the same building, as they navigate life and try to figure out what they should be doing with their lives. Not only was this a sad and insightful look into the lives of young women in Seoul, it was also a sad and sweet look into a culture that I did not know much about.

Kyuri is a young woman who has had several facial surgeries to be as beautiful as she can be. She works in a "salon room" which is basically, as it sounds, a strip joint with less nudity but the possibility of sex later. Men go in to let lose and the women who work in the salons are forced to keep the men happy, pretend like they are part of the furniture, and drink as much as the men give them. Miho is an artist who is engaged to a man she is not sure she wants to marry. However, this man has a social status that makes him useful, and that is what all of the girls want, someone with status so they can leave the lives they have behind. Ara is a mute who is a hair stylist, and very popular among certain social status symbols. She can't speak but she wants more for her life, and she knows that life is hard due to the accident which caused her to lose her voice. Ara's roommate wants to become a salon room girl like Kyuri, and her arc follows this lead as well. Then there is Wonna, the young married woman who lives downstairs.

The novel is a little heartbreaking because of the pressure the women feel to be or look a certain way. There is so much put on social status and looks that it causes discomfort. I felt that the heartache of the women was something that I would never fully understand, being born in the US and having the ability to easily build myself and my life up. It was surprising how important the "right school" was for the women, or anyone in the Korean society to succeed. The fact that someone feels that she has to completely rebuild her face, even if it causes numbness and the loss of feeling in part of her face, to be successful, is an insane idea. I don't know how real this and the thoughts of social status is in real life, but this novel, just like the novel My Sister The Serial Killer, gave me an insight to a society that I have never experienced.

I felt for all of the women, that Wonna married because the man she married was "fine" was a sad reason to marry someone. There was no discussion of love or being happy, only making sure that who you married could lift you up or take care of you.

I think this is a novel more people should read. It had great insights into the lives of the Korean women, and offered a view of what other women go through to try having a good, successful, or fulfilling life.

I highly recommend this novel.

The Herd by Andrea Bartz left a lot to be desired. The novel follows two sisters, Hana and Katie, as they struggle to figure out what happened to their friend, Elenore. They attempt to do this while keeping their own secrets, and while trying to work together around things that are hard for them.

Let's start with the characters. None of them were likeable. Katie seemed whiny and continually complained about why she could not write a book she had been working on. It became dull. Hana and her best friend, Mikki, seemed all over the place, and they were not interesting. They too continued to continually discuss something that they couldn't talk about. Elenore, before she disappears, was also a little to pretentious, and she had zero reasons for some of it. There is a moment, when the book starts off, and there is graffiti in the "bathroom." The graffiti says "Ugly Cunts" and Elenore hates the words, but it is never explained why she hates it so vehemently. This is just one of the things in the books that seemed unrealistic and unnecessary.

The secrets that everyone is keeping never seem to be that drastic, or really that interesting. In fact, Katie's secret was borderline boring. I wanted something juicy, and I got a rotten peach. Then, when I found out the secret Hana and Mikki were keeping, I felt the same. And then at the end of the book, when everything had been settled and figured out, I was done. I feel like I read this book for no reason, and I am upset that all of the positive reviews led me to waste my money on it.

I honestly hate giving bad reviews, especially when a book sounds so amazing, like this one did. However, I hated that I spent my money on this. I don't recommend this novel. It was not as well-developed as I thought it would be.