Mendoza in Hollywood (The Company, #3)
by Kage Baker
Torn between 3 and 4/5. There are so many things I enjoy about this series: secret alternate history, little conspiracy theories everywhere, fitting the sci fi timeline in among things I have always wished were knowable, like prehistorical human culture + the people of the Americas pre-conquest.... I like Mendoza's botany talk and observations of humans mortal and immortal, much as she doesn't like them.... And yet her lover I just find so ???? - I don't get his appeal. I don't like him much, or find him interesting (although this book finally added a little intrigue/mystery, yay) which makes it hard to understand why she makes such weird decisions when it comes to him.
It's weird that I've accidentally read three books about Los Angeles in the last 3 weeks ([b:ELADATL: A History of the East Los Angeles Dirigible Air Transport Lines|44280584|ELADATL A History of the East Los Angeles Dirigible Air Transport Lines|Sesshu Foster|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1617074287l/44280584.SY75.jpg|68794083] , [b:Light from Uncommon Stars|56179360|Light from Uncommon Stars|Ryka Aoki|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1626721795l/56179360.SY75.jpg|80834645] , and this) and none of them gave me the least desire to travel there. I often find it useful to read bad reviews of books I'm considering reading, because it gives me a sense of what other people are getting out of them and if I would find that thing annoying or if it would be exactly my cup of tea. This felt like three authors giving me their pitches for what sucks about Los Angeles but also what they get out of it and what ultimately makes it interesting and worthwhile to them, and it all sounds awful to me. Except maybe the food in Light from Uncommon Stars, and even then....
Back on topic, the food in this was a well-done running gag that also gave its touch of characterization to each of the immortals. I really enjoyed the serial feel of the whole novel - I can't recall if other Mendoza books have had that feel, or if this was a special format to fit the Hollywood theme.