Anxious People by Fredrik Backman

Swedish author burst onto the American book scene in 2014 with A Man Called Ove. Backman has a very distinct writing style, and it’s on full display in his new novel Anxious People. I’m sure his style is not to everyone’s taste, but Backman really speaks to me. I loved A Man Called Ove and Beartown; maybe I didn’t love Anxious People quite as much but I still loved it. There are a lot of characters in this book and no main character, and I didn’t quite feel like I connected with anyone like I did with Ove. I still enjoyed this earnest, heartfelt story.

I heard Fredrik Backman speak in a webinar recently, and he suffers from anxiety. Anxious People was not supposed to be about anxiety, but that’s what it turned into. Backman can’t keep thoughts on anxiety and suicide out of his books, but they are somehow happy anxiety books. By that I mean, people who are depressed and anxious and who feel inadequate carry on and do the best they can and do some things very well.

The story in Anxious People is “spoiled” for us by the narrator straight off. The story meanders all over, doubling back to explain things we’ve already read. It’s repetitive, in an OCD kind of way. And yet to me it does not feel like Backman is trying to be clever. I believe this is how his mind works.

This book addresses the need to understand that everyone is out there struggling and the need for kindness and empathy. It’s a rare book that makes me cry, and I can legit say I was crying at the end.

I read an advance reader copy of Anxious People provided by Netgalley. The book was published in early September 2020 and is available at the Galesburg Public Library in print, audio, and digital.

Peace Talks by Jim Butcher

From the Publisher: HARRY DRESDEN IS BACK AND READY FOR ACTION, in the new entry in the #1 New York Times bestselling Dresden Files.

When the Supernatural nations of the world meet up to negotiate an end to ongoing hostilities, Harry Dresden, Chicago's only professional wizard, joins the White Council's security team to make sure the talks stay civil. But can he succeed, when dark political manipulations threaten the very existence of Chicago—and all he holds dear?

Harry Dresden is back in the 16th book in Jim Butcher's urban fantasy series, and the first full-length novel since 2014's Skin Game. This far into the series, fans likely know what to expect: explosive action, snarky humor, lovable secondary characters (a great many of whom appear in this book), and ever-increasing stakes. 

Readers new to the Dresden Files series might prefer to start with the first book, Storm Front, also available for checkout at GPL. You also might want to stop reading here, to avoid spoilers for other books in the series.

The big thing thing to know about Peace Talks is that it's an incomplete story - the manuscript was large enough that the publisher split the book in two. As a result, many plot threads begin in Peace Talks that won't be resolved until the next book, which leaves the story feeling incomplete. Thankfully, Battle Ground, the next book, comes out on September 29th so it's not too long of a wait.

Peace Talks begins with Harry, Chicago's only practicing wizard/private detective, balancing his duties as a Warden of the White Council, as Knight of the Winter Court, and as a father raising both a human child and a spiritual one. The peaceful, domestic bliss is short-lived though, as several big events hit at once:

• Harry's vampire brother Thomas informs Harry that he's expecting a child
• The White Council of wizards is holding in inquest whether to revoke Harry's status as a member of the Council, even as...
• Queen Mab of the Winter Court is holding a peace talks summit between signatories of her Accords, which will bring important members of the supernatural community from all over the world to Chicago. As both a Warden of the White Council and the Winter Knight, Harry will have to represent both groups at the event and put his divided loyalties to the test.
• The Accords are disrupted even before they begin by an assassination attempt made against the king of the Svartalves, and the assassin turns out to be someone very close to Harry.

With all of this going on, things are even crazier for Harry than ever before. The peace talks bring all sorts of characters from previous books and short stories back to Chicago, which is a fun treat for readers. Harry's trademark sarcastic wit is still very much on display, but Butcher has also done a great job developing our favorite wizard/detective into a wiser, more mature Harry with a family to protect. 

However, because the story was split into two books, many of the plot threads set up in Peace Talks are left unresolved until the next one. While hardcore fans will be eager to devour this new entry into the series, more casual fans might prefer to wait until they can read the whole story at once.

Peace Talks is available for checkout from Galesburg Public Library in hardcover format, and through the library's ebook collections using the Libby and Axis360 apps.

The Foundling by Georgette Heyer

WHY hasn’t this book been made into a movie? It’s hilarious with a cast of characters actors would love to sink their teeth into.

If you love Jane Austen, you’ve probably discovered Georgette Heyer. Her Regency novels are well researched and a lot of fun. This one was a little slow starting, but once I got past the overly long set up I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Our timid hero His Grace the Duke of Sale was a sickly child born early to a mother who died in childbirth. As his father was already dead, he was a duke from the day he was born. He has been cossetted and bullied by his hovering relatives and servants his entire life. The only person who knows there is more to Adolphus Gillespie Vernon Ware (aka Gilly) than meets the eye is his cousin Gideon. When another cousin finds himself in a scrape, Gilly disguises himself, escapes his retinue, and sets off on an adventure to solve the problem and learn about himself.

Some of the great characters in this novel include our undersized hero, his oversized cousin, his well meaning but bullying uncle, the charming villain of the piece, the dim beauty who will go off with any kind man who promises to buy her a purple dress, the wild teenager Gilly rescues on the road, and Gilly’s shy intended Harriet.

If you enjoy well written, true to the times Regency fiction and have not yet discovered Georgette Heyer, check her out! And somebody please make The Foundling into a movie!

The Galesburg Public Library has The Foundling as a book and an ebook available through Overdrive/Libby.

Tsarina by Ellen Alpsten

From the publisher: Before there was Catherine the Great, there was Catherine Alexeyevna: the first woman to rule Russia in her own right. Ellen Alpsten's rich, sweeping debut novel is the story of her rise to power.

St. Petersburg, 1725. Peter the Great lies dying in his magnificent Winter Palace. The weakness and treachery of his only son has driven his father to an appalling act of cruelty and left the empire without an heir. Russia risks falling into chaos. Into the void steps the woman who has been by his side for decades: his second wife, Catherine Alexeyevna, as ambitious, ruthless and passionate as Peter himself.

Born into devastating poverty, Catherine used her extraordinary beauty and shrewd intelligence to ingratiate herself with Peter’s powerful generals, finally seducing the Tsar himself. But even amongst the splendor and opulence of her new life—the lavish feasts, glittering jewels, and candle-lit hours in Peter’s bedchamber—she knows the peril of her position. Peter’s attentions are fickle and his rages powerful; his first wife is condemned to a prison cell, her lover impaled alive in Red Square. And now Catherine faces the ultimate test: can she keep the Tsar’s death a secret as she plays a lethal game to destroy her enemies and take the Crown for herself?

So, like many people, my knowledge of Russian history is mostly confined to Rasputin and the Romanovs, and names like Peter, Catherine, and Ivan, and wars being fought in terrible winters, with no real idea of the details. So I was excited to read a novel about a female ruler I had never heard of, Catherine I (not Catherine the Great), who rose from poverty to empress. In the publisher's information, New York Times bestselling author Daisy Goodwin is quoted as saying Tsarina 'makes Game of Thrones look like a nursery rhyme", and this is absolutely the case. This is a book filled with depictions of violence, sexual assault, torture, and multiple consensual sex scenes. You should be aware of what you're getting into before you start reading.

As stated by the author, the book opens as Peter the Great is dying. With the line of succession in question, Catherine declares herself empress. While waiting to hear how Peter's grandson and the city will take the news, she thinks back to her (very) humble beginnings as a illiterate serf named Marta in what is now Estonia (according to Wikipedia). From there she ends up as a maid to a cruel merchant, then later in the household of a pastor. After a very brief arranged marriage to a soldier, she is rescued from yet another rape and ends up in Peter's camp. Once taken under the wing of his best friend's mistress, she begins a whirlwind life as a royal mistress and later Peter's wife. While she genuinely loves Peter, she is also very much aware of how much of her position lies in producing a surviving male heir. She will let little stop her in her efforts to secure her life and standing.

I found this book to be an absorbing read for the most part. The stark contrast between the life of an average Russian citizen and the glittering nobility is a constant theme throughout the novel. The book was difficult to follow in the beginning scene, when many characters in Peter's court are introduced with little backstory or context. It was difficult to appreciate Catherine's precarious position at the time without this information. I would be very curious to read a well-written biography now, and see how much of what is in Tsarina is historically accurate and what was added to make a better story. If you're a fan of historical fiction or Game of Thrones, you should check this one out.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the ARC. Tsarina will be out on November 10, 2020 and will be available from Galesburg Public Library.