A Month in Summary - July 2026

Little Whale Cove

Depoe Bay, Oregon

July 2026

Well, another month has come and gone. Many are already feeling as if summer is coming to a close, but I always think the end of summer falls after Labor Day. Plus, August temps along the Oregon Coast are usually very nice, and we may get above 70 degrees for a few days! This summer has actually been quite nice in our area, with lots of sunny days and moderate temps. The flipside to that, though, is that we are in desperate need of rain. We are currently 18" below normal, and our rainy season ended much sooner than usual. Today, as I look at my office window, I see a smoky haze from the fires that are burning in central Oregon. The fire situation this year is heartbreaking, and it feels as if we're living in apocalyptic times. It's time, once again, to make sure our "Go Bags" are in order.

Enough with the doom and gloom. 

We had family visiting for a few days in the middle of the month, but I didn't get any photos. Shocking, I know! I was probably distracted with all the attention I was giving to a big change in our lives. We decided to trade in our Class C motorhome for a Class B camper van! We (I should say Rod) did a lot of research on which would suit us best, searched dealerships near and far for the model we liked (and could afford), and set up negotiations for the purchase. We had our RV detailed and prepped for the trade-in, booked a campground near the dealership, unloaded the RV of 99% of the items we'd accumulated in the past 8 years of ownership, and headed out to Medford, Oregon to pickup our new rig! We're very happy with the van, which handles much better than our tank of an RV. We've gone from 26 to 21 feet, so we're definitely downsizing, but we'll be able to travel longer distances in a day, get better gas mileage, and fit into smaller campsites. It's a new adventure! We spent a couple of days on a "shakedown" trip, and we're still speaking to each other, so that's a win. :)

Meanwhile, I had a very good month of reading. I read five novels and re-read one memoir, winding up with very good ratings. Most were 4-star reads, but two were exceptional, earning 4.5 and 5 stars. No complaints here!

Books Read (click on the title for my review):

Yesteryear by Caro Claire Burke (4/5)

The Mother-In-Law by Sally Hepworth (4/5)

The Alice Network by Kate Quinn (4/5)

I Am I Am I Am by Maggie O'Farrell (4/5)

Dolly All the Time by Annabel Monaghan (4.5/5)

Whistler by Ann Patchett (5/5)

Gave Up On:

Our Missing Hearts by Celeste Ng

Movies & TV Series:

Dead of Winter - Good, but not great. Emma Thompson is worth watching, though.

The Fabelmans - This has been on our TBW list for quite sometime. We enjoyed it.

Golda - Helen Mirren is exceptional in this film.

The Good Shepherd - Great cast. Good film.

Hamnet - Probably an outlier, but I was disappointed with the film. The book is definitely better.

One Life - Very good, and not quite as horrific as Schindler's List.

Red Joan - I enjoyed this one, but didn't care for the younger Joan. Either the actress was not very good, or the characterization of Joan was too immature.

Ride or Die - We gave up after 4 episodes. Too silly.

Visitors:

Our neighborhood deer

The New RV/Van:

2026 Entegra Ethos

I hope you all are staying safe during this terrible fire season. 

Whistler

 

Whistler by Ann Patchett

Fiction

2026

Finished on July 22, 2026

Rating: 5/5 (Excellent)

Publisher's Blurb:

The acclaimed, prize-winning #1 New York Times bestselling writer returns with a moving, luminous novel that reminds us of the sweetness and impermanence of life and the power of connection to defy time.

When Daphne Fuller and her husband Jonathan visit the Metropolitan Museum of Art, they notice an older, white-haired gentleman following them. The man turns out to be Eddie Triplett, her former stepfather, who had been married to her mother for a little more than year when Daphne was nine. Now fifty-three, Daphne hasn’t seen Eddie for many years, not since the fateful event that changed the direction of both their lives. Meeting again, time falls away; while their relationship was brief, it had a profound impact on them both, and now that they are reunited, they have no intention of ever being separated again.

Whistler is a story about two adults looking back over the choices they made, and the choices that were made for them. It’s a story about bravery, memory, the often small yet consequential moments that define our lives, and the endless stream of loss that in time comes for us all. Beautiful in its simplicity, it is ultimately about how love endures, and how the feeling of being known by one other person, even for a short period of time, can change everything.

A delightful novel!

I finished Whistler a week ago and I'm still thinking about this wonderful story and its characters. It's the sort of novel that one can read very quickly, perhaps in a single day, yet I wanted to savor each page, forcing myself to read slowly, and yet I still finished in record speed. This is a book that is impossible not to tear through without pause!

What did I love? The relationships, all of them, but especially the one between Daphne and Eddie. I loved the backdrop of literature and the publishing world. I loved that Daphne recommended books much as the author does in her reels for Parnassus Books. (I added The Bee Sting, The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny, and Independent People to my TBR list). I loved the setting, wishing I could visit The Metropolitan Museum of Art. I think the last time I was there was with my daughter in 1996! I loved the story within a story within another story (which sounds confusing, but it works). And I love the way in which Patchett writes about family dynamics. When I think of her more recent works, I feel that they are centered around family relationships, unlike her earlier novels (Bel Canto and State of Wonder, specifically). Oh, and I especially loved that this is told from one point of view, and is more or less linear (aside from the flashbacks centered around an incident in Daphne's childhood). The last half dozen books that I've recently read included dual points of view, as well as alternating timelines. Whistler felt like a breath of fresh air!

Reading Whistler gives one a sense of deja vu. Anyone who has read Patchett's memoir, These Precious Days, or her New York Times essay, "My Three Fathers," may wonder if Whistler is autobiographical. There appear to be parallels to her life, but while she may draw on personal experiences, the book is not a story of Ann Patchett's life.

I loved Whistler. It may be my favorite book of 2026. It may even be my favorite by the author. And the ending couldn't have been more perfect! I won't be surprised if I read it a second time before the year is over. 

Highly recommend!!

Working on being an Ann Patchett "completist," I have only three remaining novels left to read. She is obviously one of my favorite writers.

Novels:

Tom Lake (5/5)

The Dutch House (4/5)

Commonwealth (4/5)

State of Wonder (5/5)

Bel Canto (5/5)

The Magician's Assistant (3.5/5)

Nonfiction:

These Precious Days (5/5)

This Is the Story of a Happy Marriage (4.5/5)

What Now? (pre-blogging days)

Truth and Beauty (3/5)

To Be Read:

Run

Taft

The Patron Saint of Liars

Dolly All the Time

 

Dolly All the Time by Annabel Monaghan

Fiction

2026

Narrated by Julia Whelan

Finished on July 21, 2026

Rating: 4.5/5 (Very Good)

Publisher's Blurb:

Dolly Brick has never met a problem she couldn’t solve. Not when her mom left when she was twelve, and not at thirty-nine when she moves with her son back to Whitfield, Rhode Island, for the summer to keep her dad and brother from losing the family home.

So when she comes across Stewart Whitfield—annoyingly handsome scion of the Whitfield family—with a flat tire and at the wrong end of a very public, very humiliating breakup, it’s in her nature to help. But Stewart’s proposed arrangement ends up being more than either of them bargained for, because as public dinners and high-society benefits turn into sunset boat rides and kisses that hit her bloodstream like a ghost pepper, Dolly starts to feel something more than helpful. She’s never relied on anyone besides herself—can she really start now?

When asked what type of books I enjoy reading, I usually state that fiction (contemporary, literary, and historical) is my go-to, as well as mysteries and the occasional (very occasional) science fiction and horror. I also enjoy nonfiction, with memoir as my main focus. What I don't typically read is romance novels. I think that last book that I read that falls into this category is The Wedding People, which I classified as a "romantic comedy." 

OK. Searching my blog for a similar book to Dolly All the Time, I came up with You Are Here by David Nicholls. And then when I searched for the audiobook narrator, Julia Whelan, I come up with several others. Thank You for Listening. Evvie Drake Starts Over. My Oxford Year. Book Lovers. Those titles reminded me also of Me Before You, Things You Save in a Fire, as well as The Lost and Found Bookshop. Obviously, I misspoke. Apparently, I do read romances! These mostly earn average (3/5) ratings from me, although there are a few that I loved (Me Before You, After You, and Still Me, all of which were written by Jojo Moyes). 

Listening to this genre is pure brain candy, especially those read by Julia Whelan. She breathes life into each character, their voices distinctive and as unique as if narrated from an ensemble of readers. When a character is on the verge of tears, Whelan's voice cracks as though she is on the verge of breaking down. (And yes, I choked up more than once.) And when she reads a humorous scene, I chortle out loud, not at all concerned if anyone hears me.

Dolly All the Time is written by Annabel Monaghan, an author with whom I'm unfamiliar, but I will most certainly read more from her backlist. As with most "romances," the usual tropes (fake dating, as well as rich man--poor woman) can't be ignored, and the storyline is not without predictability, but I was thoroughly entertained.

Recommend!

I Am, I Am, I Am: Seventeen Brushes with Death

 

I Am I Am I Am: Seventeen Brushes with Death by Maggie O'Farrell

Nonfiction - Memoir

2017

Finished on November 10, 2025 and July 16, 2026

Rating: 4.5/5 (Very Good) and 4/5 (Very Good)

Update: I read this a second time for book club. It was good, but not as good as the first time around. Not one I'll read again, so I've passed it on.

Publisher's Blurb:

We are never closer to life than when we brush up against the possibility of death.

I Am, I Am, I Am is Maggie O'Farrell's astonishing memoir of the near-death experiences that have punctuated and defined her life. The childhood illness that left her bedridden for a year, which she was not expected to survive. A teenage yearning to escape that nearly ended in disaster. An encounter with a disturbed man on a remote path. And, most terrifying of all, an ongoing, daily struggle to protect her daughter--for whom this book was written--from a condition that leaves her unimaginably vulnerable to life's myriad dangers.

Seventeen discrete encounters with Maggie at different ages, in different locations, reveal a whole life in a series of tense, visceral snapshots. In taut prose that vibrates with electricity and restrained emotion, O'Farrell captures the perils running just beneath the surface, and illuminates the preciousness, beauty, and mysteries of life itself.

I've read all but one of Maggie O'Farrell's books (The Marriage Portrait) and other than a couple of her novels, I Am I Am I Am is my favorite of her entire collection of published works. Wow. She has crafted a lovely memoir, filled with love, fear, and the most near-misses a human being could possibly encounter in their lifetime. O'Farrell is both a very unlucky and lucky woman to have experienced so many brushes with death. And she doesn't simply recount those situations in a cut and dried manner, but weaves poetic details throughout each beautifully rendered essay. I held my breath as I read a couple of the vignettes, fearful of the outcome despite knowing she is currently alive and (hopefully!) well.

There is nothing unique or special in a near-death experience. They are not rare; everyone, I would venture, has had them, at one time or another, perhaps without even realizing it. The brush of a van too close to your bicycle, the tired medic who realises that a dosage ought to be checked one final time, the driver who has drunk too much and is reluctantly persuaded to relinquish the car keys, the train missed after sleeping through an alarm, the aeroplane not caught, the virus never inhaled, the assailant never encountered, the path not taken. We are, all of us, wandering around in a state of oblivion, borrowing our time, seizing our days, escaping our fates, slipping through loopholes, unaware of when the axe may fall. 

I can't imagine anyone reading this memoir who doesn't revisit their own close calls. While I don't care to go into detail of the times that I might have avoided the Grim Reaper, O'Farrell's encounters do remind me of a few. I suppose anyone who has given birth, gone swimming in the ocean, hiked alone, or flown in an airplane will find themselves nodding their heads as they read this book. The final essay had holding my breath, especially knowing someone who has a child with severe allergies to numerous food items.

I know I must nod calmly when people tell me they understand exactly how I feel because they have a gluten allergy, which makes them really bloated whenever they eat bread. I know to be patient and genial when I have to explain that, no, it’s not OK to bring that hummus into our house. No, it’s not a good idea to give her a little bit to get her used to it. No, please don’t open that near her. Yes, your lunch could kill my child.

I loved this beautiful memoir. It's a keeper.

Highly recommend.

The Alice Network

 

The Alice Network by Kate Quinn

Fiction

2017

Finished on July 13, 2026

Rating: 4/5 (Very Good)

Publisher's Blurb:

In an enthralling new historical novel from national bestselling author Kate Quinn, two women—a female spy recruited to the real-life Alice Network in France during World War I and an unconventional American socialite searching for her cousin in 1947—are brought together in a mesmerizing story of courage and redemption.

1947. In the chaotic aftermath of World War II, American college girl Charlie St. Clair is pregnant, unmarried, and on the verge of being thrown out of her very proper family. She's also nursing a desperate hope that her beloved cousin Rose, who disappeared in Nazi-occupied France during the war, might still be alive. So when Charlie's parents banish her to Europe to have her "little problem" taken care of, Charlie breaks free and heads to London, determined to find out what happened to the cousin she loves like a sister.

1915. A year into the Great War, Eve Gardiner burns to join the fight against the Germans and unexpectedly gets her chance when she's recruited to work as a spy. Sent into enemy-occupied France, she's trained by the mesmerizing Lili, code name Alice, the "queen of spies", who manages a vast network of secret agents right under the enemy's nose.

Thirty years later, haunted by the betrayal that ultimately tore apart the Alice Network, Eve spends her days drunk and secluded in her crumbling London house. Until a young American barges in uttering a name Eve hasn't heard in decades, and launches them both on a mission to find the truth...no matter where it leads.

After reading Kate Quinn's marvelous novel, The Rose Code, last September, I knew I wanted to read more of her historical fiction. I got a copy a couple of months ago and added it to my Summer Reading list. As with The Rose Code, Quinn's historical novel alternates between two time periods, slowly revealing the events of 1915 as one of her main characters shares those details with others in 1947. It took me some time to settle into the story, wishing Quinn didn't flip back and forth between characters and years with each new chapter. Eventually, I fell into the rhythm of the narrative, anxious for both Eve and Charlie, one searching for an enemy and the other for a missing relative. Based on the life of Louise de Bettignies, The Alice Network is a worthwhile read, although I didn't enjoy it as much as The Rose Code. With that said, I'd love to see a TV series based on this book!

The Mother-In-Law

 

The Mother-In-Law by Sally Hepworth

Fiction

2019

Narrated by Barrie Kreinik

Finished on July 11, 2026

Rating: 4/5 (Very Good)

Publisher's Blurb:

Someone once told me that you have two families in your life - the one you are born into and the one you choose. Yes, you may get to choose your partner, but you don't choose your mother-in-law. The cackling mercenaries of fate determine it all.

From the moment Lucy met Diana, she was kept at arm's length. Diana is exquisitely polite, but Lucy knows, even after marrying Oliver, that they'll never have the closeness she'd been hoping for.

But who could fault Diana? She was a pillar of the community, an advocate for social justice, the matriarch of a loving family. Lucy had wanted so much to please her new mother-in-law.

That was ten years ago. Now, Diana has been found dead, leaving a suicide note. But the autopsy reveals evidence of suffocation. And everyone in the family is hiding something...

From the bestselling author of The Family Next Door comes a new page-turner about that trickiest of relationships.

Having recently read Mad Mabel, I decided to try another book by Sally Hepworth. While not quite as good as Mad Mabel, this audiobook was entertaining and it kept me guessing. Told from Lucy and Diana's perspectives, both from the past and the present, we gain insight as to why each behave the way in which they do, not only to one another but to other family members. A satisfying read!

Yesteryear

 

Yesteryear by Caro Claire Burke

Fiction

2026

Narrated by Rebecca Lowman

Finished on July 2, 2026

Rating: 4/5 (Very Good)

Publisher's Blurb:

A traditional American woman, a “tradwife” influencer, suddenly awakens in the brutal reality of 1855—where she must unravel whether this living nightmare is an elaborate hoax, a twisted reality show, or something far more sinister in this sensational debut novel.

My name was Natalie Heller Mills, and I was perfect at being alive.

Natalie lives a traditional lifestyle. Her charming farmhouse is rustic, her husband a handsome cowboy, her six children each more delightful than the last. So what if there are nannies and producers behind the scenes, her kitchen hiding industrial-grade fridges and ovens, her husband the heir to a political dynasty? What Natalie’s followers—all 8 million of them—don’t know won’t hurt them. And The Angry Women? The privileged, Ivy League, coastal elite haters who call her an antifeminist iconoclast? They’re sick with jealousy. Because Natalie isn’t simply living the good life, she’s living the ideal—and just so happens to be building an empire from it.

Until one morning she wakes up in a life that isn’t hers. Her home, her husband, her children—they’re all familiar, but something’s off. Her kitchen is warmed by a sputtering fire rather than electricity, her children are dirty and strange, and her soft-handed husband is suddenly a competent farmer. Just yesterday Natalie was curating photos of homemade jam for her Instagram, and now she’s expected to haul firewood and handwash clothes until her fingers bleed. Has she become the unwitting star of a ruthless reality show? Could it really be time travel? Is she being tested by God? By Satan? When Natalie suffers a brutal injury in the woods, she realizes two things: This is not her beautiful life, and she must escape by any means possible.

A gripping, electrifying novel that is as darkly funny as it is frightening, Yesteryear is a gimlet-eyed look at tradition, fame, faith, and the grand performance of womanhood.

I can't remember when a novel was as popular as Yesteryear, but with such opposing opinions. Many readers either gave up early on or disliked the book, calling it trash or poorly written. Others, who may have eagerly awaited long library waitlists, enjoyed the tale, happy to chat about it with friends and book groups. Whatever your opinion, one can't argue that this is the most buzzed about novel of the year. 

I went into the audiobook prepared to dislike the story, but was surprisingly captivated by Burke's ability to pull me into Natalie's world(s). Several years ago, I saw an Instagram story which showed a mother of several children making lunch for her family. She made fresh bread from a sourdough starter, cheese with milk from one of their cows, as well as other items, all in her quaint farm kitchen. Not unlike the beautiful photos in Ree Drummund's (Pioneer Woman) cookbooks, Hannah (Ballerina Farm) gave viewers a glimpse inside a home that may or may not be all that it appears. I guess I was naive to think that women like Drummond and Neeleman were doing all the work to create delicious and hearty meals from scratch, and yet, if I'm not mistaken, they have a staff of assistants behind the scenes prepping and styling every shot and angle. As with Natalie's online image in Yesteryear, not all is as it seems. Nannies, producers, farm hands, etc., are all there to make life look easier than it truly is. 

Online influencers, whether those promoting products related to nutrition and health, or those styling classic wardrobes (like my daughter, Fashion Jackson) have become so ubiquitous and profitable that young children aspire to be influencers when they grow up. Perhaps I'm biased because I've seen how hard my daughter works to create content for her followers, but I do believe that not all influencers are frauds. And perhaps that's why I was less critical than other readers of Yesteryear.

Plus, I had to keep listening to find out what the heck happened to Natalie! Not only is this a work of satire, but there's a strong element of mystery, as well. I thoroughly enjoyed the audio production, and I will probably watch the series once it hits a streaming platform. 

A Month in Summary - June 2026

Little Whale Cove

June 2026

We rarely see hot temps on the coast, but the above photo was taken on June 14th when we hit 80 degrees. We grabbed some cold drinks and headed out to the back deck before the sun disappeared behind the trees. It was wonderful to sit outside, soaking up the warmth of the sun, listening to the birds sing. Fortunately, the sunny weather stuck around for a family gathering later that week. My three brothers and some of their family members, as well as our granddaughter, came to visit over the course of a week. Good times!

My reading didn't seem to suffer from the busy month, and there were a few winners in the bunch. I'm eager to read more by Sally Hepworth and Liz Moore. I have one more of John Boyne's in my stacks for this summer's reading challenge, but I'll wait until August to start that one.

Books Read (click on the title for my review):

The House of Special Purpose by John Boyne (4/5)

Long Bright River by Liz Moore (4.5/5)

Mad Mabel by Sally Hepworth (4.5/5)

Upgrade by Blake Crouch (4/5)

The Safekeep by Yael van der Wouden (4/5)

Gave up on:

Looking for Alaska by John Green

Mink River by Brian Doyle

One Italian Summer by Rebecca Serle

Happiness Falls by Angie Kim

Within Arm's Reach by Ann Napolitano

I'm sure these books have their merits, but I've grown too impatient to stick with a book that doesn't grab me early on.

Movies & TV Series:

Unfamiliar - We enjoyed this series about two former spies living in Berlin with their teenage daughter.

Sherlock - We decided to re-watch this series, but stopped after a few episodes because they were so familiar.

Project Hail Mary - Watched this with my husband and my mom. We all read the book and agreed it was so much better than the movie. I liked how Rocky was portrayed, but overall this was a disappointment.

Oppenheimer - Very, very good.

Lee - Also very, very good. I wasn't prepared to be so moved by the story. Kate Winslet is outstanding as Lee Miller.

 

Visitors:

My heart is full!

The Safekeep

 

The Safekeep by Yael van der Wouden

Fiction

2024

Finished on June 28, 2026

Rating: 4/5 (Very Good)

Booker Prize Nominee for Shortlist (2024)

National Jewish Book Award for Debut Fiction (2024)

Women's Prize for Fiction (2025)

Publisher's Blurb:

An exhilarating, twisted tale of desire, suspicion, and obsession between two women staying in the same house in the Dutch countryside during the summer of 1961—a powerful exploration of the legacy of WWII and the darker parts of our collective past.

A house is a precious thing...

It is 1961 and the rural Dutch province of Overijssel is quiet. Bomb craters have been filled, buildings reconstructed, and the war is truly over. Living alone in her late mother’s country home, Isabel knows her life is as it should be—led by routine and discipline. But all is upended when her brother Louis brings his graceless new girlfriend Eva, leaving her at Isabel’s doorstep as a guest, to stay for the season.

Eva is Isabel’s antithesis: she sleeps late, walks loudly through the house, and touches things she shouldn’t. In response, Isabel develops a fury-fueled obsession, and when things start disappearing around the house—a spoon, a knife, a bowl—Isabel’s suspicions begin to spiral. In the sweltering peak of summer, Isabel’s paranoia gives way to infatuation—leading to a discovery that unravels all Isabel has ever known. The war might not be well and truly over after all, and neither Eva—nor the house in which they live—are what they seem.

Mysterious, sophisticated, sensual, and infused with intrigue, atmosphere, and sex, The Safekeep is a brilliantly plotted and provocative debut novel you won’t soon forget.

I finished this debut novel late last night and am glad I hadn't given up on it. The Safekeep is a quiet and unique tale, nothing like any novel I've read about post-World War II. The writing is lovely, but it was slow to draw me in, possibly due to the frenetic pacing of the book I read prior to this one. 

Isabel and Eva are complex, nuanced characters, both lost and broken in their individual lives, ultimately finding comfort with one another. It's a moving story of self-discovery and love, and yet the explicit revelation of Isabel's sexual awakening felt unnecessarily excessive, leaving nothing to the imagination. It didn't help to move the narrative forward, but rather became a distraction. The final chapters, however, rewarded me with an ultimately moving, and hopeful, conclusion. I look forward to reading more by the author in the future.

Recommend.

Upgrade

 

Upgrade by Blake Crouch

Fiction

2022

Finished on June 22, 2026

Rating: 4/5 (Very Good)

Publisher's Blurb:

At first, Logan Ramsay isn’t sure if anything’s different. He just feels a little . . . sharper. Better able to concentrate. Better at multitasking. Reading a bit faster, memorizing better, needing less sleep.

But before long, he can’t deny it: Something’s happening to his brain. To his body. He’s starting to see the world, and those around him—even those he loves most—in whole new ways.

The truth is, Logan’s genome has been hacked. And there’s a reason he’s been targeted for this upgrade. A reason that goes back decades to the darkest part of his past, and a horrific family legacy.

Worse still, what’s happening to him is just the first step in a much larger plan, one that will inflict the same changes on humanity at large—at a terrifying cost.

Because of his new abilities, Logan’s the one person in the world capable of stopping what’s been set in motion. But to have a chance at winning this war, he’ll have to become something other than himself. Maybe even something other than human.

And even as he’s fighting, he can’t help wondering: what if humanity’s only hope for a future really does lie in engineering our own evolution?

Intimate in scale yet epic in scope, Upgrade is an intricately plotted, lightning-fast tale that charts one man’s thrilling transformation, even as it asks us to ponder the limits of our humanity—and our boundless potential.

Upgrade is the third novel by Blake Crouch that I've read and enjoyed. As with Dark Matter and Recursion, I was quickly drawn into the story, the pages practically turning themselves. Similar to my reading experience with Crouch's books, as well as Andy Weir's Project Hail Mary, I found that I could read about science, and specifically molecular genetics and genetic engineering, without getting hung up on the specifics. Published just four years ago, this timely novel struck several chords with how our nation (and world) is evolving:

And I was struck again with the awareness that I was alive in strange times. There was a palpable sense of things in decline.

Africa alone had four billion people, most of whom were food insecure and worse. Even here in America, we were still crippled by rolling food shortages, supply-chain disruptions, and labor scarcity. With the cost of meat having skyrocketed, most restaurants that had closed during the Great Starvation never reopened.

We lived in a veritable surveillance state, engaged with screens more than with our loved ones, and the algorithms knew us better than we knew ourselves.

Each passing year, more jobs were lost to automation and artificial intelligence.

Crouch's characters are rich and fully realized, and the dialogue flows smoothly. And yet, by the halfway mark, I grew impatient. The momentum of the story was beginning to wane. I pushed through and finished, but what I thought would be a 5-star read dropped down a full point. The author has sold the rights to Amblin, Steven Spielberg's company. I enjoyed the 9-episode Apple TV series of Dark Matter, and look forward to watching Upgrade once it hits a streaming platform. 

If you haven't read Blake Crouch, I recommend starting with one of his previous books. This one is somewhat underwhelming.

Dark Matter (4.5/5)

Recursion (5/5)