Sleeping Giants by Sylvian Neuvel

Sleeping Giants
by Sylvian Neuvel
Hardcover, 320 pages
Del Ray, April 26, 2016
5 stars

Rose is out riding her new bike when she falls through the earth and makes an astounding archaeological discovery – a massive hand, buried in what appears to be some kind of man-made chamber whose walls are covered with carvings. Seventeen years later, Rose is a physicist, working to crack the code of the carvings on the cave walls, hoping to find an answer to the hand. Theories and conspiracies abound, especially in light of carbon dating that places the hand well before technology should have existed to create such a thing. As Rose and her colleagues are interviewed regarding their work by a man who seems to know more than he lets on, the question remains – what is this ancient sculpture and is it safe in the hands of those who hide it from the American public?

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"Am I ready to accept all that may come out of this if it works? It might give us the cure for everything. It might also have the power to kill millions. Do I want that on my conscience?" 

This book was just a ton of fun. Mysterious artifacts, government conspiracies, fringe science, international political intrigue, an icy "mastermind"...this book was like a science-fiction version of Indiana Jones, if Indy had ever stuck around *after* getting back from his treasure hunting. It was solidly science fiction while still being grounded in enough real life to make it feel relatable. That's not to say the science was sound (interspecies breeding when it comes to humans is an old trope but still firmly in the realm of fiction) but it was at least recognizable, to some extent.  

 The story is told through journal entries and interviews, with a handful of radio transcripts and news reports thrown in as well. It's been done (and perhaps overdone) but it worked really well here. The interviewer becomes a character in and of himself and you come to realize that he knows a bit more than he originally lets on. I got a total Smoking Man vibe from him and loved every bit of it. Interestingly, you eventually realize that the "files" you're reading are numbered and that they are incomplete - numbers are skipped with no explanation - and I immediately wondered if this was a part of the mystery. Are they implying that there's information we're *not* being given? Will we see it later? As mysteries are solved more arise, teasing the reader all the way to the end.   All in all this book was a complete win for me. It was exciting, action-packed, and had just enough of a cliff-hanger to make me wish I didn't have to wait a year for the sequel.

(Thank you to Del Ray and NetGalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.)

Hidden Bodies by Caroline Kepnes

Hidden Bodies
by Caroline Kepnes
Hardcover, 448 pages
Atria, February 23, 2016
4.5 stars

After surviving his last, rather disastrous, relationship, Joe Goldberg thought he had at last found his soulmate in Amy.  However, when Amy turns out not to be the attentive and loving girlfriend Joe had hoped she would be, Joe decides to pick up stakes and relocate across the country NYC to L.A., partly because he desires a fresh start and partly because he's determined to track Amy down and make her pay. Once there he finds a place to stay, gets a job at another bookstore, creates a Facebook page, and begins hunting down the woman who broke his heart. In doing so, he realizes how hard it can be to move forward with your life when your past seems determined to come back to haunt you. 

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"The real horror of my life is not that I've killed some horrible people. The real horror is that the people I've loved didn't love me back." 

New location, same crazy. It's still hard to dislike Joe (despite his being a murderous psychopath) because he really does have some great insights on life and relationships. Sure, he murders people, but the people he murders are insufferable assholes. He even shows tremendous self restraint in not murdering some people despite there being compelling evidence that they might deserve it. His observations about LA life were spot-on, too.  Joe unfortunately doesn't adjust well to LA – people are just too loud, to open, and too casual for Joe's liking. They start to get on his nerves and, like Joe says, "It's the little things that make you want to kill someone." Kepnes did a brilliant job (again) in making me nervous for Joe – not because I wanted to stop him from committing these heinous crimes, but rather because I was worried he'd get caught.

I also appreciated how unpredictable the plot was, despite being a sequel. Every new death (or non-death) was a surprise and the strange circumstances Joe continually found himself in added an element of unpredictability for the reader. The plot dragged a bit in the middle but the development of Joe as a character, with a good side that complimented his bad side, made up for the uneven pacing. Another surprise was the cliff-hanger ending Kepnes chose to close this installment with. You could have ended where it did and been a brilliant stand-alone novel. Hidden Bodies ends in such a way that I'm now eagerly anticipating the next installment. Joe had just begun what could be the start of a redemption arc so it will be interesting to see how that gets carried through to the next novel.

Overall this book wasn't quite as good as the first book but I think part of that is because Joe's personality and behavior aren't new to the reader anymore, which was part of the charm of You.  On the bright side, the new environment, new characters, new revenge angle, and new love interest all worked to create a reading experience that managed to be familiar and fresh all at the same time. I can't wait for the next book! 

Backlist Bump: Again, any book from the Ripley series by Patricia Highsmith is good here. If you want to try something new, though, and are looking for a book with a character you're not sure you're supposed to like, The Good Girl by Mary Kubica is a good option. 

What to Drink: My drink recommendation for this is the Moscow Mule. Joe may be in the land of the Mai Tai but he's an NYC man at heart, and what's more NYC than this? 

Moscow Mule 

2 oz vodka 

1 oz fresh lime juice 

Ginger beer 

Lime wedge for garnish 

Pour the vodka and lime juice into your glass, over ice cubes. To be traditional, this should be a copper mug. Top off with the ginger beer and add your garnish if desired. 

You: Stalking in the Second Person

You
by Caroline Kepnes
Hardcover, 422 pages
Atria, September 30, 2014

When Guinevere Beck walks through the doors of Joe's bookstore, he knows instantly that there's something special about her. She's beautiful, clever, and an aspiring writer. After looking her up online he easily finds her Facebook and Twitter accounts and has no problem finding out all about her - what she's doing, where she's meeting her friends, who she's dating, and where she lives. After orchestrating an encounter at a bar he tracks her down at, he's sure she's the one for him. Now he just has to convince her of that.

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"...the bullshit thing is, if someone saw the three of us, well, most people would think I'm the weird one just because I followed you here. And that's the problem with this world..." 

Holy crap. This was a twisted novel about stalking, obsession, and psychopathy. It touched in on the use of social media in interesting ways - whether we overshare, how safe it is, and whether we're fully experiencing life if we're so concerned with constantly sharing updates. The second-person narration was a unique and especially effective method of showing the world from Joe's perspective. It upped the creepiness factor substantially, since Joe was speaking right to you...as Beck. This point of view also allowed for an interesting examination of the games people play when in relationships, even when they're not crazy stalkers trying to manipulate their prey...I mean, significant others. <ahem> Along those same lines, Beck's online presence highlighted how easy stalking is in the current digital age, where a quick Google search can bring up any number of personal social media accounts, addresses, telephone numbers, education and employment history, all from the comfort of your own home.  

For a completely nut job, Joe, our narrator, is surprisingly charming and witty. His observations on daily life sometimes had me nodding along, which led to uncomfortable discussions with myself about how I could possibly be agreeing with someone so unstable. I'd go chapters before I'd be jarred back to the reality of what a creepy psycho he was...usually around the time he was stealing Beck's cell phone or panties or something. 

This book works great as a stand-alone novel, but I'm glad it's the first in a trilogy because I look forward to seeing what Joe's future holds. Whatever it is, I'm sure it's creepy and likely illegal.

Backlist Bump: The Talented Mr. Ripley (another psychopathic protagonist you'll find yourself rooting for against your better judgment).  

What to Drink: Reading this book and it's discussions about club soda put me in the mood for a vodka and soda - a simple but refreshing drink. This book, however, needed something a bit more pretentious than that, which is why I ended up with a St. Germain Cocktail. Still refreshing but highbrow enough to have maybe made an appearance at one of Peach's parties.

The St-Germain Cocktail

2 parts Champagne

1.5 parts St-Germain

2 parts club soda

Fill a tall Collins glass with ice and add ingredients in order. Stir completely and garnish with a twist of lemon. Enjoy...with the lights on.