Battle Ground by Jim Butcher

From the publisher: THINGS ARE ABOUT TO GET SERIOUS FOR HARRY DRESDEN, CHICAGO’S ONLY PROFESSIONAL WIZARD, in the next entry in the #1 New York Times bestselling Dresden Files.

Harry has faced terrible odds before. He has a long history of fighting enemies above his weight class. The Red Court of vampires. The fallen angels of the Order of the Blackened Denarius. The Outsiders.

But this time it’s different. A being more powerful and dangerous on an order of magnitude beyond what the world has seen in a millennium is coming. And she’s bringing an army. The Last Titan has declared war on the city of Chicago, and has come to subjugate humanity, obliterating any who stand in her way.

Harry’s mission is simple but impossible: Save the city by killing a Titan. And the attempt will change Harry’s life, Chicago, and the mortal world forever.

After I reviewed Peace Talks last month, I knew I had to review this 17th book featuring "the other wizard named Harry" as soon as possible. As I mentioned in the Peace Talks review, Battle Ground is the second half of that story, which was originally one book but was split in half by the publisher. While I think splitting into two books was probably the right decision, neither book feels quite complete on its own so I recommend reading the two back-to-back if at all possible.

For those unfamiliar with the series, I recommend starting with Storm Front, the first book, rather than jumping in here. The rest of this review may contain some spoilers for earlier books in the series, so please stop reading now if you don't want to know anything about the earlier books.

Since it was basically the first half of one story, Peace Talks left readers with a lot of unanswered questions:

• What happens when Harry Dresden's divided loyalties between the White Council of wizards and the Winter Court come into conflict?
• Why did Harry's brother Thomas try to assassinate the svartalf king?
• Can even the combined forces of the Accorded nations survive the onslaught of Ethniu and the Fomor?
• Even if they survive, can the world ever be the same after such a large-scale conflict happens out in the open?
• Do krakens have souls?

Okay, that last one isn't a lingering question from the last book, but readers are going to find out the answer anyway. 😁

One side effect of being the second half of a two-part story is that Battle Ground has a LOT of action. From start to finish, this book is practically one long sequence of action scenes and battles. The stakes here are higher than they've ever been before, with the fate of all of Chicago and possibly the entire world riding on Harry's success. But thanks to his tangled relationships and family, the personal stakes are still quite high as well. Harry still has family and loved ones to protect, even as some of them fight beside him and try to keep him safe as well. Thanks to the relentless pace of the story, I was totally sucked in and finished all 402 pages of this book in just one day.

All in all, Battle Ground has everything that was missing from the last book and more. It brings a true Dresden Files action climax with all the cool moments, sarcastic wit, and heart-wrenching drama that fans have come to expect from Jim Butcher over the first 16 books. Fans of the series will not be disappointed. The hardcover edition also contains a short story called "Christmas Eve," which was previously published online on the author's website.

Battle Ground is available to check out from Galesburg Public Library in hardcover format, and through the library's ebook collections using the Libby and Axis360 apps.

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.

Lab Girl by Hope Jahren

From the publisher: Geobiologist Hope Jahren has spent her life studying trees, flowers, seeds, and soil. Lab Girl is her revelatory treatise on plant life—but it is also a celebration of the lifelong curiosity, humility, and passion that drive every scientist. In these pages, Hope takes us back to her Minnesota childhood, where she spent hours in unfettered play in her father’s college laboratory. She tells us how she found a sanctuary in science, learning to perform lab work “with both the heart and the hands.” She introduces us to Bill, her brilliant, eccentric lab manager. And she extends the mantle of scientist to each one of her readers, inviting us to join her in observing and protecting our environment. Warm, luminous, compulsively readable, Lab Girl vividly demonstrates the mountains that we can move when love and work come together.

Lab Girl is Hope Jahren’s memoir and first book, and though it is about her life in science, you can tell that she also has a background in English. Her writing is beautiful and easy to follow, even when describing intricate scientific experiments. Indeed, she did start off as an English major in college before turning to science, but Lab Girl makes it clear that science is her true love. Even those who are not big into science will come out with a newfound interest in the subject due to Jahren’s affectionate descriptions of her work and trees in general. She manages to teach the reader a lot about what she does without making it seem like you’re reading a textbook. 

Jahren is a geobiologist, and studies trees and plants. Lab Girl follows her as she goes to college in Minnesota, gets her PhD at the University of California Berkeley, meets her best friend and lab partner, Bill, and builds several labs all over the world. Despite her love of science, her early years were lonely ones, and her story makes for an enlightening but often sad read. She discusses her mental health struggles, giving vivid descriptions of manic depressive episodes stemming from her Bipolar Disorder. She also talks frankly about the sexism she endures in her field. In telling about her first scientific breakthrough, she says “On some deep level, the realization that I could do good science was accompanied by the knowledge that I had formally and terminally missed my chance to become like any of the women that I had ever known”. She works with very few other women, and is often looked down upon and endures condescension and gossip about her looks and intelligence from the men she works with, except for Bill. Jahren meets Bill at Berkeley, and the two bond quickly over being outcasts in their field. Jahren hires Bill to work in her lab at Berkeley, and they have worked together ever since. Hope and Bill’s friendship is my favorite part of the book. They are there for each other every step of the way, at any time of day, and to help with any problem, work related or personal. 

I am not a big “science person”, so I was worried that this book would be boring or go right over my head. That was not the case. The book has interchapters, before each chapter about her own life, Jahren includes a short chapter about the growth or history of trees. These interchapters tie in to her story and she draws parallels between her life and the life cycle of trees. While some of these shorter tree chapters did drag a bit for me, they were mostly interesting and a creative way to tell her story while also showing how important and alive plants are. Overall, Lab Girl is a beautifully written story of an interesting and adventurous life. I would highly recommend it for anyone interested in environmental activism or women in science.

Jahren is passionate about environmental conservation and keeping our planet green and healthy. She ends the book with a plea to the reader to plant a tree, so I will end this review in the same way. If you are able, plant a tree this spring. Tree seedlings are fairly cheap, and it’s a great outdoor activity if you’re stuck at home during quarantine. Jahren continues her fight against climate change in her new book that came out in March, The Story of More: How We Got to Climate Change and Where to Go from Here. The Galesburg Public Library owns a copy, so if you enjoy Lab Girl, be sure to check it out. If you’re looking for more books on this subject, check out The Overstory by Richard Powers, also available as a print book and an ebook. 

The Galesburg Public Library owns Lab Girl as a print copy, an ebook, and an audiobook.

They Can't Kill Us Until They Kill Us by Hanif Abdurraqib

From the Publisher: In an age of confusion, fear, and loss, Hanif Abdurraqib's is a voice that matters. Whether he's attending a Bruce Springsteen concert the day after visiting Michael Brown's grave, or discussing public displays of affection at a Carly Rae Jepsen show, he writes with a poignancy and magnetism that resonates profoundly.

In the wake of the nightclub attacks in Paris, he recalls how he sought refuge as a teenager in music, at shows, and wonders whether the next generation of young Muslims will not be afforded that opportunity now. While discussing the everyday threat to the lives of black Americans, Abdurraqib recounts the first time he was ordered to the ground by police officers: for attempting to enter his own car.

In essays that have been published by the New York Times, MTV, and Pitchfork, among others—along with original, previously unreleased essays—Abdurraqib uses music and culture as a lens through which to view our world, so that we might better understand ourselves, and in so doing proves himself a bellwether for our times.

I don’t think I possess the words to describe how important and powerful this book is. Yet, here goes.

This is amazing from the first page—from the introduction by Eve Ensler, perfectly setting up the prose that you’re about to read, to Abdurraqib’s first essay on Chance the Rapper, which so eloquently encapsulates the feelings of being alive in 2016 through the lens of a music review. 

“The soundtrack to grief isn’t always as dark as the grief itself. Sometimes what we need is something to make the grief seem small, even when you know it’s a lie.” He then transitions to Bruce Springsteen and the killing of Michael Brown, and then Carly Rae Jepsen and his unapologetic love for her music, but before you can even be confused by the chasm that lies between these artists and topics, Abdurraqib has pulled you in with his beautiful words and talent and you don’t even begin to think this wasn’t intentional. His writing is the definition of “Go Big or Go Home” in the best way possible.

And seriously, all that is in the first 30 pages. Abdurraqib blends the things he’s passionate about through essay after essay of thoughtful and deliberate writing that combines into something that again, can’t even really be described. There’s a point in this book where a passage about Allen Iverson MADE ME CRY.

It’s a love letter to a city, to a people, to a feeling. It so clearly and honestly defines what it was like to be in that city, to be one of those people, to feel that feeling. This book is perfect for lovers of music, of sports, of the black experience, or just good, entertaining writing that allows you to connect with the writer even when you don’t necessarily have shared interests.

I hesitate to gush too much about this book, because as a white woman I feel guilty. I feel that it doesn’t matter that I like this book, that it isn’t for me, that no talented black man needs my approval. And while I know all of that is true, I can’t help but feel so connected to this that I need to gush. And maybe that’s exactly where Abdurraqib’s talent lies. At one point he’s talking about white people loving Chance the Rapper, and says “... but I think what Chance does is what the best artists of color manage to do in this setting: make music facing his people while also leaving the door open for everyone else to try and work their way in.” I hope that Hanif would approve of me thinking of his writing in the same way.

Abdurraqib is also known for his poetry, and the Galesburg Public Library owns a copy of his latest collection, "A Fortune For Your Disaster"

The End of October by Lawrence Wright

From the publisher: In this riveting medical thriller–from the Pulitzer Prize winner and best-selling author–Dr. Henry Parsons, an unlikely but appealing hero, races to find the origins and cure of a mysterious new killer virus as it brings the world to its knees.

I’m stuck at home during a global pandemic and what do I choose to read? A thriller about a global pandemic. But it’s good one, so believable and so filled with facts and scenarios that have come/are coming true.

The first two thirds of the book is really great. I would say I couldn’t put it down but I did in fact have to put it down because while I wanted to keep reading it was also ramping up my anxiety in this time of Covid-19. The last third devolves into a Hollywood thriller, and I fully expect to watch the movie version of the book one day.

The main character, Henry Parsons, suffered rickets as a child and has health issues and a limp. Think of him as a young Dr. Fauci, a leading expert on emerging diseases. He has a worried wife and young children who want him to come home, but he is called to travel all over the world as the threat grows.

As I read The End of October I kept thinking of Donald Trump saying “Nobody knew there’d be a pandemic or an epidemic of this proportion.” People knew. LOTS of people knew. Lawrence Wright knew, and everyone he talked to researching this book knew. 

The End of October does feel really well researched. I don’t know when it was written, but clearly well before the Covid-19 crisis arrived, and yet so much of what happens in the book has happened in real life – right down to the TP hoarding – or COULD happen in real life.

Fortunately, the crisis in the book is much worse than the one we are currently experiencing (and let’s hope it stays that way). It’s also a bird flu, which as a birder made me very unhappy. Both domesticated and wild birds are slaughtered in the book. There are some twisty plot twists that remind you this is a book and not real life, but nothing seemed too outlandish. The end is sad but satisfying.

It’s possible I was more engaged by this book now than I would have been at a different time. Still, if you love medical thrillers, I definitely recommend The End of October.

I read an advance reader copy of The End of October. It is scheduled to be published in April 2020, and the Galesburg Public Library will have it in regular print and large print and as an ebook. Thank you to Alfred A. Knopf, Penguin Random House, and Baker & Taylor for the advance reader's edition.