The House in the Cerulean Sea

Executive Summary: I'm a big fan of the magic school trope. This isn't quite that, but it was in a similar wheelhouse if told from the adult's point of view. Overall I found this a really fun book.

Audiobook: Daniel Henning does a fantastic job. If you enjoy audiobooks, do this one in audio. He does a variety of voices so that it's very clear which of the characters are speaking that really elevated an already delightful book.

Full Review
This last year has been rough for everyone. I had not heard of this book at all until it was entered in the Sword & Laser March Madness tournament. I actually voted against it in the finals but probably would have still read it had it lost.

I can't speak to how much I'll enjoy the runner-up, but this ended up far exceeding my expectations. I like my job a lot, most days. If I had Linus's job however I'd have gone crazy.

I am someone who follows a routine like Linus, but even for me the rules of his employer are far too much.

The actual house and the children were all delightful. I enjoy the sarcasm and dark sense of humor this book seems to have. While the children definitely play an important role in the book, this is really more about Linus and his journey.

Overall I found it had a nice message about treating everyone with respect regardless of your differences and loving yourself for who you are without beating you over the head with it.