Second paragraph of third chapter:

All of that, and she had absolutely no idea what anybody said through the whole process. She could just barely answer a question if it was put to her, and if she looked at Richard Yale she couldn’t even do that. Once the words left her lips, she had no idea what she’d said, and had to trust that even stupefied, she wouldn’t betray her or the town’s best interests.

Novella by Catie Murphy, who is known to some of you, under her Murphy Lawless pseudonym. It’s a story of capitalism clashing with culture in today’s Alaska; you know what’s going to happen as soon as you look at the front cover, but the ride is immense fun and the sex scenes very good without being gruesomely explicit. You can get Raven Heart here.

This was the shortest unread book on my shelves acquired in 2020. Next on that pile is Ventiforms, by Sean Monaghan.

Second paragraph of third chapter:

“He hit her,” Rosie told the police, “and came after me. I had no choice.”

A cheerful tale of a young woman, working in a Detroit factory at the end of the second world war, who discovers that she is the chosen Redeemer capable of ridding the world (or at least America) of the demon enemies of humanity, one exorcism at a time. She must also deal with friends, potential lovers and family, and their expectations, in particular choosing between Boring But Handsome Guy and Smart But Weedy Guy. The book is the first in a series, so that last question is unresolved, but I know which side my money is on. Good fun anyway. You can get it here.