Tori's Reviews

As doctors race to invent more powerful anesthetics in the higher society of 1847 Edinburgh, an unsettling pattern of dead women surfaces in the city’s underbelly. Will Raven, an enigmatic new assistant to one of the city’s most prestigious doctors, and Sarah Fisher, the doctor’s astute housemaid, strike up an unlikely partnership to discover who is targeting the city’s most vulnerable women. The Way of All Flesh is a gritty and addicting read that will satisfy both mystery readers and lovers of historical fiction. - Tori

When the Earth Had Two Moons is a rollercoaster ride through our solar system. It takes the reader from planetary creations and collisions to the origin of our own moon. Asphaug revels in the romance of the universe. I found myself basking in a luxurious bath of cosmic language while developing an understanding of our universe that had, until I read this, evaded me. - Tori

This book is devastating and perfect. The small moments and mistakes that ruin a family are masterfully examined in Ng's debut novel. Misunderstandings, expectations and misguided priorities strain the relationships of the Lee family to a breaking point. Ng's portrait of this web of decisions and consequences is so delicate and earned it never feels like it's exploiting its reader. - Tori

Please read this book knowing as little as possible going in! Ishiguro touches on many themes, from discrimination and perception to futility and free-will, in an exquisitely quiet manner. As you follow a group of kids growing up at a withdrawn boarding school, moments start to feel off. Word choice seems suspect. A sense of dread and unease fills the halls. - Tori

Wow, I enjoyed the poop out of this book! The Ghost Map is FUN, informative and not for the faint of stomach. An examination of Cholora's horrific decent on London in the mid-1800s reveals fascinating patterns not only in the disease but also in human society, infrastructure, bacteria, the city itself, and, yes, poop (or night soil, excrement, nuisance... this book is a 19th century thesaurus for human waste). - Tori

Octopuses are so cool, right? They can lie in wait for prey, camouflaged against the grains of the ocean floor or the craggy rock amid the coral! I was already on board the octopus train when I opened this book one rainy afternoon and found my interest forever expanded. The Soul of an Octopus's wonderful achievement will be making you understand and care for octopuses on an individual level. I didn't expect this book to feel so personal, to me, the author, and the octopus. - Tori