Celebrate Pride with LGBTQ Reads: The Unmagical Life of Briar Jones and Father Material

9 Jun

The Unmagical Life of Briar Jones
by Lex Croucher
The Unmagical Life Life of Briar Jones is the latest by Lex Croucher. Briar and Seb were inseparable as children, but when wealthy, privileged Seb gets picked to attend an elite private school rumored to teach magic, Briar is heartbroken and their friendship crumbles. They don’t reunite till Briar gets a summer job at the school, cleaning out an old attic that has been used as a dumping ground for unwanted items. Briar discovers that the rumors are true about the magic, but the school is filled with brutal hazing and cruel students including Seb, now called Bastian, who is feared by his classmates. Briar befriends a group of students who are struggling against the Status Quo. Briar must come to terms with not only their feelings for Bastian, but also their own past in this riveting tale. Croucher themselves is non-binary and though Briar’s gender is not a main focal point of the story, their journey and perspective are an integral part of their identity. This was a page turner that I did not want to put down. If you love Dark Academia stories then this is one you will want to check out.

Father Material
by Alexis Hall
Father Material is the third in Alexis Hall’s terrific London Calling series. Luc and Oliver’s friends have all begun settling down and starting family’s of their own. At the novel’s opening, they themselves take the next big step of becoming dog dads to a frisky puppy named Spud. There is a lot of humor in their adapting to their new adorable pet, but there is also a lot of heart in Luc taking on a new responsible role and further exploring his feelings about his own absentee father. Oliver also must come to terms with his own experience with his childhood and his understanding of what defines good parenting. Their exploration of options for being parents, brings more serious themes into the work. The book is filled with complex characters and quippy banter that has made Hall one of my favorite authors. Hall’s books will appeal to those looking for well crafted and nuanced LGBTQ characters. Fans of British Rom-Coms will especially be charmed by the London Calling series.

Written by:
Aimee Harris
Information and Digital Services Manager

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Horror/Thriller May Book Club Pick: Dead First by Johnny Compton

4 Jun

From the moment the fire poker went straight through billionaire Saxton Braith’s head (this happens almost immediately), I was hooked. Talk about an inciting incident to hook us. What’s more? He survived and literally cannot die! Hell of a case for private investigator Shyla Sinclair. Millions of dollars and personal stakes are on the table.

Book cover for Dead First by Johnny Compton. The cover has a red-orange background with large black block letters spelling out the title. In the lower half, there is a dark silhouette of an isolated house with its windows faintly lit. Johnny Compton is in bright red lettering at the bottom.

I was intrigued by how the author would weave supernatural ambiguity with nitty-gritty detective noir, and I was pleased with how these genres meshed in certain parts. Mr. Braith is, of course, a mysteriously intriguing client, and how someone could see what happened with him and still logically pursue helping him is unfathomable to me. The author needed to explore that conundrum more. Instead, he chose to justify the illogical with a long-winded backstory, as a device, in my opinion, to convince the reader that it was alright for the protagonist (and us) to just accept it.

It’s all set against a Texas backdrop, and the investigation feels grounded at first, almost by-the-book, of someone choosing to follow procedure rather than dark corners clearly being exposed to her. The deeper Shyla digs into Braith’s past, the more the case stops making any kind of rational sense, so that should have told her to stop being rational.

The dialogue and character development are what make this novel strong. Remy, Braith’s loyal retainer, as I thought of him, was my favorite character.

The horror creeps gradually from the abandoned asylum to the San Antonio hotel and from the drive through Galveston. These are the places where family secrets and deeply buried rituals expose themselves.

Shyla is easy to root for in the beginning, but that faded for me when the author overindulged in backstory to justify her clear disregard for the strange in front of her. I will say, though, I love the dynamic between her and her partner Jinh. It gave the book a nice touch of humor and warmth. Their bicker-and-banter dialogue is a natural strength of the book.

Dead First was a bit of a letdown, but still a worthy novel to sink into, especially if you enjoy Noir and are looking for a bit of an edge to the classic detective tales.  

Interested in the Horror/Thriller Book Club or our Mystery Book Club? Please email reference@hobokenlibrary.org or register for our next meeting by searching under Events on our website.

Find a copy of Dead First here in the BCCLS catalog.

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Written by:
Sean Willey
Information and Digital Services Assistant

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