Ninth House

What if the Yale secret societies really did like secret stuff?  You know instead of Skull and Bones teaching you about having an offshore tax account for when you have a multinational corporation.  Like magic stuff.  Well, Leigh Bardugo, who is a Yalie herself, took a break from YA (her YA is excellent and I don't love YA as a rule) to write this adult fantasy-thriller. It is adult and a tad disturbing but the trauma has context and doesn't seem gratuitous. There have been some trigger warnings surrounding this book which are--legit.

Ninth House is kind of like what if Harry Potter was a heroin addict in LA and lived more under a bridge that under the stairs? Then he gets sent to Yale because they need someone who can speak parseltongue but he's a she and more like a non-guitar playing Joan Jett. That's the basic premise.

Awesome book but it loses a couple of points in that there are a lot of flashback scenes which is the hot thing these days (heavy sigh). Just have the character slowly reveal their past but in this chronological time for Pete's sake.  I tried to read Erin Morgenstern's new book The Starless Sea and I had to tap out. I'm like how many books am I reading in the same book? It was like a video game with side quests I swear. Despite some flaws Ninth House is solid and one of he few books I really thought about after a read it for like a whole month.  It's a chungus so it should keep you busy.

While I know I've posted the recipe before I'm going for simple cocktails while we are in quarantine. Dark and Stormy: 3 ounces aged rum, 3-4 ounces of good ginger beer (Q brand makes a can that is perfect to split--you can buy it at Kroger), 1/2 ounce lime juice.  Rocks glass and some ice, pour ingredients and give it a light stir. Nice for the porch and judging the neighbor's dogs.