by Patrick Ogle

Spectral Evidence by Gemma Files is H.P. Lovecraft but with 100 percent less racism! It is like reading the better episodes of the show Supernatural but with women leads. It is good, scary fun.

Although maybe it isn't always...fun. It is also genuinely creepy.

Since I write these mainly as notes to myself I feel compelled to note that I have some sort of brain block with short stories. I read them way slower than I do other books  I think it may be that I get invested and interested in a story or characters and then...BOOM....the story is over and the characters gone! Oh no! It then takes me some time to get into the next story. I suppose if I thought about it I would find I start books slow then read faster.

Spectral Evidence slowed me down but it was worth it. Files is a unique, engaging voice that I am extremely glad I discovered (with help for the Miami Herald Book Page on Facebook...yes, there is something useful on social media).

Light From Uncommon Stars by Ryka Aoki.

Wow.

This is a book that is difficult to define. Is it science fiction? No. Is it horror? No, it is way too charming and pleasant (mostly) for that. There are spaceships and a demon on hand as well as deals with hell and discussion of a space plague. If it can be assigned a predecessor in literature I would nominate The Master and Margarita (perhaps my favorite book). So maybe we can call it magical realism, if we have to place it in a genre.

It is a story about music as much as anything. It tells the story through food and the interconnecting legacies of immigrants to Southern California (even immigrants from outer space) .The characters, after a few chapters, feel like family. You will worry about them--from their ultimate fate to their mental well being. I kept telling myself; “They are not REAL”

There are numerous side plots in the book but they all come together seamlessly, touching, connecting, weaving the pieces together. The book truly is about the immigrant experience as noted but it is also about being an outsider. It is about mistakes and it is also about redemption. For me redemption is always a great thing for a book to be about (even if it is only partly).

This book pulls you into a world where people so diverse in outlook and origin interact that you feel yourself trying to fit in. Really it isn't “a world” but WORLDS because from one character to another they are living in different universes (even when we are not talking about aliens).

Also…donuts.

After writing this I want a giant donut. 

The book is magical, fun and thought provoking. I really think there are a lot of people who NEED to read this book out there in the world now. I hope they do.