Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone (by Benjamin Stevenson)

A great, metafictional, tongue-in-cheek murder mystery in the style of Anthony Horowitz.  And what a title!

This is one where the solution is actually quite guessable, but in spite of that, it's such a fun ride.  Unfortunate about all the murder but Stevenson's style makes it fun anyway. The characters are great, there are lots of twists beyond the solution that made it a page-turner, and I'm thrilled to see there's another book with this same main character coming out next year! I've already reserved it.

I do have the new Richard Oseman in the queue too, and maybe another Japanese mystery or two, so I'm not quite done with murder yet.

If You Still Recognise Me (by Cynthia So)

I put this as "world literature" since I am pretty sure the author (like their main character) lives in London.  I've been trying to clear out my library book backlog and started a couple of YAs that I abandoned, but this one I stuck with until the end.  It's quite good - focusing not entirely on the romance at the center but also on complex friendships, fandom, culture, queerness, the immigrant experience, and coming of age. Multi-layered and just really generally good!

Recommended for YA fans (as in, I immediately texted the cover to my friend Jenfoo, with whom I exchange all YA book recommendations).

The Tokyo Zodiac Murders (by Soji Shimada)

The Japanese murder mystery kick continues! This one is formatted as two friends talking about, and then trying to solve, a notorious series of murders 40 years previously. A lot of the book is just the dialogue between these characters, a detective and a Watson-style sidekick. But the structure was fun and I particularly enjoyed parts where the author challenges the reader to solve the murder, insisting all the clues are there, and even gives a list of questions to which you can guess the answers.

I guessed nothing right but enjoyed the twist and the resolution. I felt it could have had more emotional impact but I enjoyed the reveal of the killer very much and it was a page-turner as I raced to find out whodunnit!

The Decagon House Murders (by Yukito Ayatsuji)

I've been recommending this to all the mystery fans I know, especially Agatha Christie fans! It's yet another Japanese locked room murder, which echoes and pays homage to And Then There Were None. It's perfect for fans of that novel. 

Anything else I want to say could maybe be spoilery so I won't.  But I love a mystery novel with a solid reveal at the end and this one definitely delivers.  (I'm still not over one I read recently where the solution was so convoluted that it required a complete stranger to coincidentally show up in the neighborhood and drop dead in a convenient location at the right time.) 

Minnesota Books

I finished three books on my recent trip to Minneapolis and am off on another work trip soon, so I am squeezing in this little blog.

Rift Zone: Poems (by Tess Taylor)

For the RHC category "an author local to you" comes this amazing book of poetry by El Cerrito resident Tess Taylor. (It turns out we know people in common, which I didn't discover until I was talking to some other local poets at a school event.) I learned a lot about micro-local history and was blown away by the poems. If I had time, I'd dig up some quotes, but she has a lot listed on her website and I recommend them so highly.

The Honjin Murders (by Seishi Yokomizo) 

A "locked door mystery" originally published in 1946, but more recently translated into English. I enjoyed the atmosphere and characters here, and the mystery did keep me guessing, but the solution was beyond preposterous, really.  I'm going to keep exploring Japanese mysteries though until I find one that's both atmospheric and satisfying. Recommendations welcome!

The Dos and Donuts of Love (by Adiba Jaigirdar) 

The "reality show" at the center of this book is incoherent - Great British Bake-Off exists, and this is called Junior Irish Bake-Off, but it's structured like Masterchef, and the hosts are Gordon Cramsey, Padma Bollywood, and Marie Cherry? Really? The filming and editing process makes no sense. And on top of all of this, the romance falls totally flat.  Unfortunately this is a miss for me, although the fat positive and Bangladeshi-Irish representation are wonderful.