I’m still a little behind in reviewing books, but let’s be honest: none of us thought I was going to be this up-to-date, given I usually make it a month or so before giving up on posting reviews.

Anyway.

I finished five books in May:

Kills Well with Others by Deanna Raybourn

In this follow-up to Killers of a Certain Age, the quartet of retired women assassins return. In this story, there is a mole in the secret agency they worked for, which leads to a former colleague being murdered and a clue being left that points to one of their old assignments. Their contact, not knowing which current agents she can trust, turns to them, asking them to go undercover on a cruise and take out the person responsible, while she works the internal angles. Only it turns out that even after his death, there may still be ripple effects that continue to be in play, bringing danger once again to their loved ones.

Solid fun. Honestly, if this book series hasn’t been optioned to a studio yet, it’s a shame.

Paper. Library.

The Savior’s Book Café Story in Another World, Vol. 1, based on novels by by Kyouka Izumi and adapted to manga by Oumiya with artwork by Reiko Sakurado (and translated by Alexa Frank)

Based on a series of Japanese web-based novels, this manga adaptation tells the story of how a deity appears to a modern, 33-year-old bookworm to inform her she has been chosen to be a savior in an alternative world. Tsukina says she’d rather not, so in order to convince her, the deity offers her her heart’s desire. Being a savvy reader, she understands that she should ask a lot of questions about this bargain, the first of which is, can I only ask for one thing? And so, among her wishes, is for her to be the proprietor of a bookstore cafe in an out-of-the way place to make it unlikely she’ll be stumbled upon. But, before long, a reader finds her, and, as fate would have it, he’s the captain of the guard for the kingdom.

It was cute, and maybe I’ll read more at some point, but I’m in no rush to do so.

Paper. Library.

Days at the Morisaki Bookshop by Satoshi Yagasawa (and translated by Eric Ozawa)

After 25-year-old Takoko slips into a serious post-breakup depression, her estranged (and quirky) uncle asks her to help him out in the family’s used bookstore, which comes with a room to live in rent-free. When Saturo learns she doesn’t like reading (and after a customer teases that she’s kind of useless at her job if she doesn’t), he can’t help but share some of the works in the store he loves. And so, over time — and anecdotal chapters — Takoko starts reading, and then starts living again.

Yes, two books about books back to back. Again, it was fine, although I’m learning I may not have a ton of patience for slice-of-life, episodic Japanese fiction (although each chapter is well-suited in length to washing a day’s dishes). The parts I liked best were learning about the Kanda–Jinbōchō neighborhood in Tokyo, which is home to tons of bookshops, and the translator’s note, which points out which Japanese novels referenced in the text might be available to check out. (I did take notes.)

Audio. Library.

Passion Project by London Sperry

Still reeling a couple years after the death of her longtime boyfriend, Bennet is stuck in her depression. Even a move to New York City with her childhood best friend hasn’t helped. Realizing she’s trying her friend’s last nerve, she agrees to go on a date — until a panic attack sends her running into the bar across from where they’re supposed to meet. When they do eventually connect, she reveals that she works temp jobs and then goes home to sleep through the rest of life. He suggests that they embark upon a weekly friend date, where he tries to help her discover her adopted city — and a passion of her own.

As is the wont of this type of romance novel, Henry is too perfect. And the resolution is too easy and a little gimmicky. But the overarching messages — friends love you (even when you’re an idiot), you won’t start feeling better if you don’t actually decide that you want to, one small action can create momentum — are positive and the characters mostly likeable.

Audio. Library.

Careless People: A Cautionary Tale of Power, Greed, and Lost Idealism by Sarah Wynn-Williams

First, two caveats: This is not the sort of book I read. But when I heard that the powers-that-be at Facebook were actively trying to suppress its publication, I put it on hold. And second, I have never thought Facebook was a good thing and do not have an account, although I have certainly referred to businesses’ pages on it in search of updates, so I went in with a bit of hate-watching energy. (In fairness, while this story is specific to Facebook, it’s also not.)

With a title and epigraph referencing The Great Gatsby, former Facebook executive Sarah Wynn-Williams shares her take on the rise (and, in many’s opinion, fall) of the social media giant. A New Zealander by birth and former U.N. employee, Wynn-Williams early sees the potential of Facebook to be an international force and pitches creating a job for herself there that helps them navigate creating internal policies (pointing out it’s better to help shape policy than to be subjected to it by external forces).

She gets to travel to a lot of cool places — and a bunch of scary ones — on her own and in the company of Sheryl Sandberg and Mark Zuckerberg. She talks about being a woman in a predominantly male company, complete with both casual and criminal misogyny. She talks about how it feels to work under one of the most powerful mothers in tech, only to realize that while a work-life balance is touted, it’s not permitted. She talks about company algorithms that intentionally do harm (both to individuals (marketing harmful companies to depressed children) and to countries (embedding an employee in the Trump campaign to manipulate disinformation) and lies told to governments that deny they exist. She talks about boundless egos and unfettered wealth. And while she certainly expresses regrets for not leaving when she realized Facebook was never going to be the company she thought it could have been (it was like halfway through the book!) and reasons for why she did not, it’s hard to find a real sense that, as one of the people in an elite inner circle, she takes some responsibility for how things have turned out.

Honestly, if you already think Facebook (substitute Twitter, Amazon, Google) is a shitshow out only to centralize and magnify its own power, don’t waste your energy reading the book, because you’ll just feel worse once it’s done. Maybe if you like reality shows and tell-alls, you’ll find some upside? Otherwise, I’d take a very hard pass.

Paper. Library.