#33 [2025/CBR17] I Who Have Never Known Men by Jacqueline Harpman

CBR17Bingo: "Diaspora" - a little bit of a stretch, but this book has countless people all taken from their homes and brought to another location that is foreign to them. (It's unclear, but it seems like they may have been brought from a different planet.)

I stumbled on this book while browsing Audiobooks for something to listen to in my car. I had no idea what I was getting into. I Who Have Never Known Men (1995) by Jacqueline Harpman was originally written in French and has recently been re-released. I'm not sure how to characterize it. It is has aspects of survival, philosophy, friendship, loneliness, and the basic experiences of life. I guess the book is technically science fiction, but there is so little detail about where our protagonists are and what happened to them that it doesn't have a strong science fiction vibe.

The book begins from the point of view of a young girl. She is locked in an underground bunker with thirty-nine other women. The girl is the youngest of the group, and very isolated, sitting alone in the corner. The women are watched over constantly by three male guards, and the electric lights turn on and off at various intervals, presumably night and day.

I was listening to this book on audio, and it was about here where I almost gave up. I had no idea what was happening or why, and I didn't feel very connected to the characters. The girl did have a fascination with one of the younger guards as she grew older, but not much else was going on. Eventually the girl decides to try to get some control over their lives, and she uses her pulse to try to count time. 

One day, an alarm sounds in the bunker, and all the guards flee the bunker with no warning. Fortunately, the alarm sounded just as they were getting their food, so the small opening they use for passing food was open. The girl was able to get through the hole and reach some keys that had been dropped. In that way, the forty women escaped from the bunker where they had spent countless years for no known reason.

When the women emerge from the bunker, no one is around. All the guards are gone. The women are able to gather food and supplies from the bunker and they take off to see if they can discover where they are or find other people. During their travels, the women discover other bunkers. Some contain men, and some women. However, none of them were lucky enough to have had access to keys when the guards fled, and they were all dead by the time the women found them.

I'm really not sure how I feel about this book. I honestly think if I'd been reading a printed version, I may have gotten frustrated and stopped reading it. And there were many times throughout the book that I got frustrated by the lack of explanations. However, it did stick with me because I remember most of it pretty well, and it definitely felt original.

I also have no idea what Harpman was trying to say with this book. I can see it as a pared down allegory to all of our lives. We don't know how we got here or what will happen to us. We have very little control over our lives, but when our lives are pared down to almost nothing, we have friends, partnerships, and we take care of each other as best we can until the end.

#32 [2025/CBR17] Problematic Summer Romance by Ali Hazelwood

CBR17Bingo - "Favorite" because Ali Hazelwood is a favorite author of mine, and I read all of her books.

I have read all of Ali Hazelwood's women-in-STEM romance novels. I tend to read them very quickly because they're well written, interesting, and fun to read. Occasionally the characters or plot have me shaking my head a little bit, but the books are so enjoyable I don't mind.

Problematic Summer Romance (2025) is Hazelwood's latest novel, and it has all the trademarks of her brand. The book was easy and fun to read, and the characters have intense, amazing chemistry and are suitable for no one else. 

Maya Killgore is 23 years old and a graduate student in England. She is the much younger sister of Eli Killgore, the main character in Not in Love. Eli's best friend and co-owner of their very successful biotech firm is Conor Harkness, and he is 38 years old. Conor never paid any attention to Maya until he unexpectedly comes to her rescue when he happens to be nearby in Europe. The two have immediate attraction, but Conor does not want to be romantically involved in the  much younger sister of his best friend. However, they become very close friends and talk all the time. One night, they both pretty much lose control, and Conor guiltily breaks off contact with Maya. Maya is devastated.

It is months later that Maya's brother Eli and his bride, Rue, are getting married in Taormina, Italy. It's a beautiful week-long, destination wedding. And, of course, both Maya and Conor are attending. It is during this week that Maya and Conor are forced into close enough proximity that Conor's aloofness is truly tested.

This book had everything that Hazelwood's romances usually have, and it was well written. However, I could not enjoy it as much as her previous books. I had a hard time getting over the age difference. Hazelwood went out of her way to say that Conor was not even aware of Maya until she was in her 20's, so there was definitely no grooming going on. But it still felt a little gross to me. I'm not necessarily against big age gaps, but early twenties and not out of school feels very young. Also, I had some relationships with older men when I was in my twenties, and they were not a good fit. This book brought me back to those uncomfortable times that were certainly not romance-novel worthy. I sometimes wished she would just end up with someone else.

In addition, Maya spent a lot of time trying to convince Conor to be with her, which is not my favorite dynamic. If I'm living vicariously through this romance, I don't want the heroine to be constantly rejected. In short, even though this book was well written and entertaining, it was probably my least favorite of the Hazelwood books I've read.

#31 [2025/CBR17] Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne Collins

CBR17Bingo: "Purple" - for the purple on the cover

I've read all the Hunger Games books, so when I heard there was a new one out, I knew I didn't have a choice. I put a hold on Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne Collins (2025) and read it as soon as it became available. Sunrise is a prequel to the trilogy that made Collins famous. It focuses on Haymitch Abernathy, who in later books is the drunk and disillusioned "mentor" to Katniss and Peeta.

The book takes place around the 50th Annual Hunger Games. For the 50th Games, they've decided to take twice as many tributes from each district--two boys and two girls. Haymitch is eighteen and on his last year of eligibility, but he's put his name in many times for extra food and resources. Haymitch is in love with Lenore Dove Baird, a young singer who rebels in small ways against the Capital when she can. She is a relative Lucy Gray Baird, who was one of the main characters in The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes. Lucy had a personal connection with the current President Snow.

As was no surprise, Haymitch's name is chosen in the reaping, along with a young girl who is like a sister to Haymitch. In addition, there is a snobby girl Haymitch has always hated, and an older boy whose family is known for placing bets on the Hunger Games tributes.

At least half of the book is everything that leads up to the games, and it was pretty interesting. The way the tributes are treated, President Snow's machinations, and the hints of rebellion all come up. When Haymitch's young friend is killed in an accident, instead of dealing with the consequences or picking a new tribute, the Capital brings on an unconvincing look alike. The poor lookalike is being controlled and has obviously been tortured. It's very sad.

The part of the book focused on the Hunger Games was hard for me to read. There were so many monstrous animals created by the Capital that it felt more like a horror story. It definitely gave me nightmares, and I was happy when I finally finished. I could see the ending coming, and it was gut wrenching. I was almost annoyed by how heartless it was, but this could never be a happy story or Haymitch wouldn't be the man he is in later books.

On the whole, Sunrise on the Reaping, was interesting and fits in well with the other books. However, I feel like I'm growing out of this series. The violence and crazy animals are getting more and more disturbing to me, and the concept of the Hunger Games has been pretty thoroughly explored. I'm not sure if I'll read any more Hunger Games sequels/prequels if they happen.

#30 [2025/CBR17] Dept. of Speculation by Jenny Offill

CBR17Bingo: "Family" - because the main story is the story of a small family.

I had not heard of Dept. of Speculation, (2014) and I'd never read anything by Jenny Offill, the book's author. But my husband was reading Dept. of Speculation, and he recommended it to me. I forget exactly what he told me, but it was something about it being very readable and a page turner. This piqued my interest, and I almost immediately checked it out. It turns out that my husband and I have very different definitions of "readable." Although this book was well written, and there were moments and sentences I found interesting, it is very meandering and plot-less, which made it more difficult for me to keep reading.

This book is written in a stream of consciousness manner with lots of little insights, commentary and philosophy thrown in. In addition, we slowly learn about the life of the narrator, who is called "the wife."

The various blurbs that extol this book say that it is a "portrait of a marriage" and "a rumination on trust, intimacy, faith, and knowledge." They say that the book is about first-time motherhood, a cheating husband, and a writer's loneliness.

Honestly, though, I remember very little of this book. I do remember when "the wife" discovered that her husband was cheating, and her feelings were gut wrenching. 

"There is nowhere to cry in this city. But the wife has an idea one day. There is a cemetery half a mile from their apartment. Perhaps one could wander through it sobbing without unnerving anyone. Perhaps one could flap one's hands even."

However, I don't even remember the particulars of that section of the book. The only other thing I remember was that I was impressed at how Offill took us from that betrayal where I couldn't imagine how the wife could go on, to eventual forgiveness and a new normalcy. After many years, they were able to build their family back up again. And because it was done so slowly and thoughtfully, it felt very real.

Many people have very much enjoyed this book, and I can appreciate that it was well written. However, stream-of-consciousness writing is usually not for me, so this was not one of my favorites this year.

#29 [2025/CBR17] My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante

CBR17 Bingo: "Culture" - this book is very much rooted in the culture of a small town near Naples, Italy.

I had never heard of My Brilliant Friend (2016) until I saw the NYT's "100 Best Books of the 21st Century." I had read a good number of books from that list, but I was a little disappointed that I had missed number one. If nothing else, I am a sucker for a list, so it didn't take me long before I got around to remedying my omission.

My Brilliant Friend is the first book in the Neapolitan Novels, a series of four books that follows our main characters for sixty years, beginning in their childhood. The books are translated from Italian, and the author has used a pseudonym, so not much is known about her. The novel takes place in a poor neighborhood in the outskirts of Naples after World War II. As the book continues, you can see prosperity slowly increasing throughout the neighborhood.

Elena is the narrator and main character of this book, and Lila is her closest friend growing up. The two girls are both smart and end up chafing at the restrictions and expectations put upon them as women in this small, poor town with few opportunities. Their relationship is both caring and supportive as well as competitive. Elena's family allows her to continue school through high school while Lila is forced to stop going to school in order to work in her family's shoe shop. But it is Lila's love of reading and learning that pushes Elena to do well in school. 

Later, Lila is seen as the beauty in town, which leads to increasing amounts of attention, both wanted and unwanted. Elena gets more of a chance to see things outside of her town. After going to high school in a neighboring town, she is able to spend a summer helping out at a vacation home. This certainly broadened her perspective.

This was an interesting book to read. There was a lot going on, but Ferrante does not go out of her way to spell anything out, In addition, I was not familiar with the culture of small towns near Naples after World War II, so it took me a while to get a sense of the layout of people, their pasts, and their priorities. But Ferrante goes into great detail when it comes to the relationship between the two girls as they grow up, and that relationship feels very honest and real. I have to imagine that this book was based on the author and a friendship she had.

Anyway, I am glad to have finally read the number one book on yet another random book list. I will definitely be reading the next one in the Neapolitan Series.

#28 [2025/CBR17] Wrong Place Wrong Time by Gillian McAllister

CBR17 Bingo: "White" - for the white writing on the cover

When I finish an audiobook now, I usually go straight to my library catalog to find my next one. I've gotten into the habit of searching for audiobooks that are available now--sorting by popularity. I still have to sift through some series and genre books, but it usually points me in the right direction. And that is how I found Wrong Place Wrong Time (2022) by Gillian McAllister. I was hoping this novel would keep my interest, but I didn't really know what to expect. And honestly, my expectations were not very high. Fortunately, this novel had interesting characters, a gripping mystery, and an original way of playing with time travel within the novel. I ended up getting more out of it than I expected.

The book begins with Jen waiting for her 18-year-old-son, Todd, to come home on Halloween. She watches him come towards the house, and is then horrified when she sees her son turn and stab another man to death. She watches her son get arrested, and she and her husband go to the police station, but they are turned away without even being able to see him.

The next morning Jen wakes up with her life in tatters. But instead of continuing to live in the nightmare her life had turned into, she has woken up and it is the day before Halloween. Her son has not killed anyone, and she now has a chance to figure out what happened and possibly prevent it.

It turns out that Jen's traveling backwards through time is not entirely linear. Eventually, she does not go back one day at a time, but can leap back weeks, months, or even years. She hypothesizes that she goes back to any time that is important for her understanding of what her son did. Because Jen is always traveling backwards, her actions don't have any long-term consequences. Whatever she did that day, will be erased when she wakes up the next morning. It definitely changes your perspective. But it comes with its challenges as well. She can't accomplish anything that takes more than a day. A person can't send her a report "tomorrow" because Jen is not getting to tomorrow. In addition, if Jen is able to convince someone what's happening to her, she has to go and do it all again the next day when she goes backwards in time again.

Wrong Place Wrong Time certainly explores the question of how much we really know about the people we love. Sure, Todd had been acting more distant these past couple of months, but Jen just chalked that up to normal teenage angst. It was only with hindsight that she could see what she had been missing. The same thing happened with her husband. Jen thought she knew everything about him, but it turns out that she had been missing a lot.

In the end, I was impressed with Wrong Place Wrong Time. I thought it was a good story, originally told, The time travel aspects, and the careful reveal of what was going on was well done. I liked the characters, and felt like they had real, earned emotion. This one was a bit of a happy surprise, but it probably helped that I came in with no expectations.

#27 [2025/CBR17] Murder for the Modern Girl by Kendall Kulper

CBR17Bingo: "Borrow" - because I borrowed it from the library.

Murder for the Modern Girl (2022) by Kendall Kulper is another book I picked up after it was recommended to me by someone in my local book club. I thought it was original and unique. It was a quick read and kept my interest. Although there are fantastical elements to a couple of the characters in this book, the story still felt grounded. In fact, the fantastical elements really made the characters more interesting, and they added something to the story.

Ruby is 18 years old. We first see her when she is in disguise in a cheap bar, about to put poison in a man's drink. It is 1928 Chicago, and Ruby has a special talent. She can read minds. She's recently been using this talent to find men who are truly bad, but the system is too broken to find them and throw them in jail. And she kills them. Quite often, Ruby's act will save the life of another woman or women. Ruby justifies her actions because the justice system is a mess and often doesn't protect those in need.

Ruby is a fun character with a very progressive and modern take on life. She is very smart and independent, and she is very close with her father, who works for the city of Chicago. Ruby's father is in the midst of dealing with a couple different groups of gangsters.

Guy is a young man who works in a morgue. He can barely talk to people, he is easily overlooked and discounted. Although Guy spends his nights cleaning the morgue, he is also very smart and intuitive. He sees some of the bodies killed by Ruby and notices a trend. But even more interesting, Guy is in the morgue because he wants to befriend one of the doctors there. Guy is a shapeshifter. He can change his appearance at whim--although it is physically difficult. He is desperate for more information about his condition and hopes the doctor can help him.

Guy and Ruby are thrown together. Because she can see into minds, she can tell who Guy is no matter  what persona he arrives in. They work well together. However, Guy is still looking for the killer--which is Ruby--and that puts a damper on their relationship. Throw in a lot of drama and violence from the fighting gangsters who don't want Ruby's father involved, and there is a lot going on in this book.

Like I wrote above, I did enjoy this book. Ruby is a fun, resourceful character who is loyal to those she loves, and thinks outside the box. The setting was fun, and Guy was a very sympathetic character. It was good seeing them together. My only complaint is that I was a little weirded out by how comfortable Ruby was with killing people. I know they were bad and "deserved" it, but an eighteen-year-old calmly ending life after life after life was disconcerting. She was a serial killer, and never had any qualms. It's easier to overlook multiple murders in a book, but I was imagining this lady out in the world today.