Then and Now #36 (1/1/23 - 8/1/23)

Happy Sunday and welcome to the new year!  The Sunday Post is a blog news meme hosted @ Caffeinated Reviewer. See rules here: Sunday Post Meme. Mailbox Monday is the gathering place for readers to share the books that came in their mailbox during the last week.  It is hosted weekly over at Mailbox Monday and every Friday they do a round-up of some of their favourite, shared reads!

Last Week

The first week of January was a bit of a tense one. I don't mean to be complaining in this section every time I do this post, but somehow something is always happening xD My granddad fell pretty bad and had a basilar skull fracture as well as intercerebral bleeding. By some miracle, however, he was lucid the whole time and has been recovering slowly but surely. Don't know how we got that lucky, but I'm also majorly relieved. But then my sister was in the A&E, which couldn't really help, and was in pain for a few days until meds helped. And now my cat is once again acting up, although I think my own stress is causing that. So I'm doing my best to stay calm, stick to my routines, and enjoy the last free day before the semester begins again on Monday!

There have also been highlights this past week though! I had a study session with two other PhD students which was really productive but also just a really lovely afternoon with two people who are in the exact same position/place in life as me. Can't wait to spend more time with them this year! And my mother and step-dad visited me, so I got to show of my town and workplace. And my cat was adorable, sniffing them and cuddling up to them! And I got my article handed in on the 31st, so fingers crossed that when the feedback comes back it is mostly positive or at least gentle in its criticism! 

Posted this week

• Favourite Reads of 2023: Top Three
• Review: Slenderman: Online Obsession, Mental Illness, and the Violent Crime of Two Midwestern Girls by Kathleen Hale (absolutely recommend this one!)
• Review: Murder in the Crooked House by Sōji Shimada, trans. by Louise Heal Kawai
• Review: The Last Graduate (The Scholomance #2) by Naomi Novik

Recommendation

I have absolutely fallen in love with this song over the last few weeks, it is just so uplifting! It is sung in Soweto, as far as I'm aware, and I've been doing my best to learn the lyrics so I can sing along in the mornings.

Mailbox Monday

Secluded Cabin Sleeps Six by Lisa Unger (Legend Press; 2/16/23)

Three couples rent a luxury cabin in the woods for a weekend getaway to die for in this atmospheric and gripping locked-room thriller by New York Times bestselling author Lisa Unger.

What could be more restful, more restorative, than a weekend getaway with family and friends? Especially in an isolated luxury cabin in the woods, complete with spectacular views, a hot tub and a personal chef. The reviews are stellar.

But a deadly storm is brewing. The owner seems just a little too present. The chef reveals that the beautiful house has a spine-tingling history. And the guests have their own complicated pasts, with secrets that run blood deep. The perfect weekend is about to turn into a nightmare.

I love me some Lisa Unger thrills! Also, ever since Glass Onion I'm utterly down for any film or book that takes the piss with the rich and wealthy and reveals everything that's under the carefully-managed facade! Don't know if Secluded Cabin Sleeps Six is going in that direction, but I can't wait to find out.

The Saint of Bright Doors by Vajra Chandrasekera (Tordotcom; 7/11/2023)

The Saint of Bright Doors sets the high drama of divine revolutionaries and transcendent cults against the mundane disappointments of modern life, resulting in a novel that is revelatory and resonant.

Fetter was raised to kill, honed as a knife to cut down his sainted father. This gave him plenty to talk about in therapy. He walked among invisible powers: devils and anti-gods that mock the mortal form. He learned a lethal catechism, lost his shadow, and gained a habit for secrecy. After a blood-soaked childhood, Fetter escaped his rural hometown for the big city, and fell into a broader world where divine destinies are a dime a dozen.

Everything in Luriat is more than it seems. Group therapy is recruitment for a revolutionary cadre. Junk email hints at the arrival of a god. Every door is laden with potential, and once closed may never open again. The city is scattered with Bright Doors, looming portals through which a cold wind blows. In this unknowable metropolis, Fetter will discover what kind of man he is, and his discovery will rewrite the world.

Omg I'm so excited for this book! Not only is the cover stunning, but I'm obsessed with Fetter already! A sainted father, devils, and anti-gods? Sign me up! I don't know if I'll manage to save it till closer to the publication date, I might just need to read it asap.