Bayou Bytes Blog

 Evelyn Perdanu owns of of the most powerful shipping companies in the dying city of Delphinium. Once a rich and successful port, war has cut Delphinium off from most of it's resources and the city is slowly fading. While many of the rich party in an attempt to ignore their slow decline, Evelyn leads a solitary and calculating existence. When one of her ships returns to port, she is horrified to find a mysterious illness onboard.  Despite her efforts, the sickness soon spreads beyond her ship. Infected persons, with an undeniable glint in their eye and manic energy, begin turning up in her daily life. And soon it becomes apparent that she is the common factor. Whatever is driving the infected, it's after Evelyn.  She retreats to the safety of her manor, determined to find answers. A cure if she can, before the whole city is overrun. This is a fantasy horror story, brought to you by the author of The Luminous Dead. Which I have praised extensively, and reviewed here . ...

 Nella has been the only Black employee at Wagner Books for two years. She's been working as an editor's assistant, and though it's hard navigating the all-white company, she's determined to one day be a Black editor so she can help publish Black stories.  But once a new Black woman is hired, Nella hopes she may have a new ally. Hazel just moved into town, but she is cool, collected, and immediately endears herself to all her new coworkers.   But just as Nella starts a budding friendship with Hazel, an anonymous note appears on her desk.   LEAVE WAGNER  Is a white coworker finally revealing a grudge against her? Is her boss displeased with her work? Or...is Hazel trying to replace Nella as the only Black employee? Nella's world is shaken as she tries to discover who's trying to oust her from her dream career.  This is largely realistic fiction, but I would recommend this book for readers who want a touch of sci fi or thriller. Just as I thought I ...

 I first picked up this book because Eric Ngyuen is a local author. He attended our very own McNeese State University. Though it's a genre I wouldn't normally pick, I am happy to have read this.   Things We Lost to the Water follows a single mother and her two sons as they escape from Vietnam in the 70's and settle in New Orleans. Chapters drift through the years, providing snapshots as they grow older and grow apart. Huong and her sons, Tuan and Binh, drift apart as they struggle to understand each other's life choices. The story follows them through the decades, ending in 2005 when a disaster strikes the city, forcing them to reach back out to each other.   It's clear from the beginning that Ngyuen's novel is tackling some heavy and upsetting topics. Not only is he delving into the difficulty of immigrating to a new country, building a whole new life, and the loss of family, but he's also tackling the terror and devastation of Hurricane Katrina. And he doe...