July, August, and September 2020 Book of the Month Reviews

I got a little behind on my reviews, especially for Book of the Month. In all honesty, I just got a little lazy. 

*Disclaimer: This box was purchased by See, Shop, Love!

I love Book of the Month. It's exactly what it sounds like: a monthly subscription where you can choose one of five new, hardcover titles for $14.99 per month, shipping included. You can also add on as many titles to your box as you'd like for $9.99 per book, or skip that month if nothing piques your interest.

My July selection was The Shadows by Alex North. I had received a previous title by this author from Book of the Month, The Whisper Man, and it was excellent, so I was excited to try another title from him. Unfortunately this one was not as interesting as the first book, but it was still a decent story. Here's the synopsis:

You knew a teenager like Charlie Crabtree. A dark imagination, a sinister smile--always on the outside of the group. Some part of you suspected he might be capable of doing something awful. Twenty-five years ago, Crabtree did just that, committing a murder so shocking that it’s attracted that strange kind of infamy that only exists on the darkest corners of the internet--and inspired more than one copycat.

Paul Adams remembers the case all too well: Crabtree--and his victim--were Paul’s friends. Paul has slowly put his life back together. But now his mother, old and suffering from dementia, has taken a turn for the worse. Though every inch of him resists, it is time to come home.

It's not long before things start to go wrong. Paul learns that Detective Amanda Beck is investigating another copycat that has struck in the nearby town of Featherbank. His mother is distressed, insistent that there's something in the house. And someone is following him. Which reminds him of the most unsettling thing about that awful day twenty-five years ago.

It wasn't just the murder.It was the fact that afterward, Charlie Crabtree was never seen again...

When you receive your 12th box, you'll officially have "BFF" status, which includes the following added benefits:

• Book of the Month tote bag (pictured above)
• A free add-on book during your birthday month
• A free choice of one of the Book of the Year Finalists
  

I really like this tote! It has an exterior book pocket that also comes in handy for holding my keys, phone, and/or wallet, and an interior zip pocket. I've been carrying it as an everyday bag and for shopping runs.

My August book selection was The Space Between Worlds by Micaiah Johnson. I hadn't gotten a science fiction title for a while, and this one sounded great. I haven't read it yet, but here is the synopsis:

Multiverse travel is finally possible, but there’s just one catch: No one can visit a world where their counterpart is still alive. Enter Cara, whose parallel selves happen to be exceptionally good at dying—from disease, turf wars, or vendettas they couldn’t outrun. Cara’s life has been cut short on 372 worlds in total.

On this dystopian Earth, however, Cara has survived. Identified as an outlier and therefore a perfect candidate for multiverse travel, Cara is plucked from the dirt of the wastelands. Now what once made her marginalized has finally become an unexpected source of power. She has a nice apartment on the lower levels of the wealthy and walled-off Wiley City. She works—and shamelessly flirts—with her enticing yet aloof handler, Dell, as the two women collect off-world data for the Eldridge Institute. She even occasionally leaves the city to visit her family in the wastes, though she struggles to feel at home in either place. So long as she can keep her head down and avoid trouble, Cara is on a sure path to citizenship and security.

But trouble finds Cara when one of her eight remaining doppelgängers dies under mysterious circumstances, plunging her into a new world with an old secret. What she discovers will connect her past and her future in ways she could have never imagined—and reveal her own role in a plot that endangers not just her world, but the entire multiverse.

Last up is my most recent box, for September. I chose Winter Counts by David Heska Wanbli Weiden. It's a thriller and I can't wait to dive into it:

Virgil Wounded Horse is the local enforcer on the Rosebud Indian Reservation in South Dakota.  When justice is denied by the American legal system or the tribal council, Virgil is hired to deliver his own punishment, the kind that’s hard to forget. But when heroin makes its way into the reservation and finds Virgil’s nephew, his vigilantism suddenly becomes personal. He enlists the help of his ex-girlfriend and sets out to learn where the drugs are coming from, and how to make them stop.

They follow a lead to Denver and find that drug cartels are rapidly expanding and forming new and terrifying alliances. And back on the reservation, a new tribal council initiative raises uncomfortable questions about money and power. As Virgil starts to link the pieces together, he must face his own demons and reclaim his Native identity. He realizes that being a Native American in the twenty-first century comes at an incredible cost.

Winter Counts is a tour-de-force of crime fiction, a bracingly honest look at a long-ignored part of American life, and a twisting, turning story that’s as deeply rendered as it is thrilling.

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Bottom Line: I was happy to achieve BFF status with Book of the Month in August, as I think the added bonuses are great value. My birthday is in December, the same month as the Book of the Year finalists announcement, so I'll get two extra books for that month!

Book of the Month is a must-have subscription for any avid reader, or anyone looking to expand their book collection.