Read PALADIN'S GRACE by T. Kingfisher if you love crises of faith, tremendous loss, feeling broken beyond repair, trudging onward, perfume, meet cutes but make them deadly, killers on the loose, gingerbread, best friends, political intrigue, assassination attempts, amazing kisses & civets.
SHARP, SATIRICAL DYSTOPIAN near-future adventure skewers privatized government, social censorship, and unrestrained avarice—and it’s a high-energy thriller as well! B PLUS
A VIRTUOSO RIFF ON AN AMERICAN classic: the inimitable Percival Everett retells the story of Huckleberry Finn from Jim’s perspective, transforming it from a familiar picaresque to a more complex adventure and a meditation on code-switching. A MINUS
A FORMER CHILD INFLUENCER comes to terms with how the exploitation of her image changed her life. More than just a “problem novel,” this thoughtful book deftly takes on issues of family trauma, love, friendship, racial and national identity. A MINUS
Read SO LET THEM BURN by Kamilah Cole if you love ancestral magic, the bond between sisters, the story that happens after the war is over, young people stepping up to save the world, dragons, libraries, magic schools, anti-colonial frameworks, intense crushes, the grey areas & dancing all night.
INTRIGUING YORKSHIRE MYSTERY set in 1964 stars a retired Newcastle police inspector, his loyal dog, and a young woman who dreams of being a detective. Substantial, clever plot with a strong sense of place and character. B PLUS
STUMBLING TOWARD ENLIGHTENMENT in Seoul: university friends now in their thirties find heartbreak and lesser forms of anomie in this eloquent, multivocal experimental novel rich with details of life in today’s South Korea. B PLUS
THE LONG-AWAITED SEQUEL TO Jasper Fforde’s enigmatic 2011 novel Shades of Grey is a fascinating, mysterious science fiction picaresque where decoding the secrets behind the worldbuilding is part of the fun. B PLUS
Read DEFEKT by Nino Cipri if you love big box stores, Corporate America, being overworked, employee handbooks, feeling broken & alone, taking a sick day, special projects, calezones, defective merchandise, found family, finding your super power & "Clair de Lune."
“MEKONG DELTA BLUESMAN” Son Vo tells the story of his life both offstage and on. From an early childhood in Saigon to a hardscrabble life in Maine to discovering his gift for music, Vo relates some wild adventures in a voice full of warmth and hope. B PLUS
A TALE OF LOVE AND MONSTERS is a heart-stopping, action-packed fantasy adventure, a unique romance, and a deep, wise parable about self-sacrifice and family stories. Beautifully crafted kaleidoscope of distinctively new and classic legends. A MINUS
Read IN THE DREAM HOUSE by Carmen Maria Machado if you love haunted houses, gut wrenchingly beautiful prose, autobiographical accounts, trauma narratives, exceedingly queer stories, a meticulous exploration of abuse, thematic echoes & brilliantly structured books.
Read THE FRAGILE THREADS OF POWER by V.E. Schwab if you love old friends, new friends, strong tea, being a hero, rebellions, running away, heists, chronic illness, magic items, sacrifices, festivals, markets, crowded shops, mirrors, f**ked up families & seeing what others do not.
ADRIFT IN A NEARLY DESERTED VENICE in the early months of the 2020 pandemic, a writer contemplates his native Nigeria, his life in Detroit, his love of travel, but most of all his complicated family. Beautifully crafted prose, distinctive story. B PLUS
A DELICATELY HAUNTING THAI novel unfolds like a late-night story from its protagonist, a monk in his 90s telling tales of his youth in the remote jungles of the late 19th century, where tigers and crocodiles lurked in the darkness. Stunning. A MINUS
Book Review: Stealing the Elf-King's Roses by Diane Duane In which an investigator stumbles onto a conspiracy while investigating the murder of an Alfen businessman @dianeduane@bookstodon#books#bookreviews
INTERTWINED NARRATIVES OF MOTHERHOOD and madness weave a subtly unsettling spell in this little gem of a novel of psychological horror and suspense. B PLUS
STYLISH CALIFORNIA THRILLER keeps the energy high with action and hot romance. Vivid details and strong characterizations make this a glossy rollercoaster of a read. B PLUS
A SCANDALOUS 1865 DIVORCE case offers a window into New York high society—the defendant was a cousin of Edith Wharton, no less—and the time’s changing attitudes about marriage, women’s rights, and sexuality. Great balance of gossip and context. B PLUS
A YOUNG WOMAN ON THE THRESHOLD between student and adult, between her early childhood in China and her life in Canada, and even between English and Mandarin, is haunted by memory and her younger self as her mother drifts into illness. B PLUS
Hi, folks! I've got a set of nano-reviews up at Nerds of a Feather!
Live Long and Evolve: A non-fiction book by an evolutionary biologist about what life on other planets might look like, charmingly interwoven with relevant Star Trek lore.
The Extractionist: a very Cyber futurist heisty type book, which I found well constructed but somehow dull
THe Frame-Up_Magical art thieves. Perfectly fine, but not special.