Quickie Reviews (Portraits and Violins and Alice and Alice)

Dishes and laundry and kid bellies are bottomless.
This has really impacted all the reading and blogging and shopping and baby-holding and whatever else I'd like to be doing.  Usually I figure out how to make the time to fit it all in, but here lately that's been a little tougher.  
However!!  Today I'm going to knock out a quick blog, so you all know that I'm still among the living (and reading) and then I'll feel super accomplished.  But I mean a QUICK blog.  But you're busy too, so I'm saving you - my six readers - some time as well!

Portrait of Jennie by Robert Nathan
Short, predictable, beautifully written, and good for a slightly eerie but not scary Halloween read.

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The Ensemble by Aja Gabel
Another well-written, if forgettable, book – this time about the career of a quartet and their relationships both within and outside of their tight-knit group.  

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Vincent and Alice and Alice by Shane Jones
Initially begins as a fun workplace story that promises to explore a science fiction alternate reality where we keep doing our jobs while also living our best life.  Vincent’s best life is apparently to simply be with his ex, but that means that the universe now holds alternate-reality Alice and real Alice.  Chaos ensues, but not really.  Kinda felt like the author was on deadline and just pounded it out at the end.

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Next up:  I'm working my way through a large but fascinating book about Nigerians in America.  I'm also working my way through a weird book that is interesting but disjointed and I'm like wait, are these just short stories or is this all coming together at some point?  What are YOU reading?