A DEFT, SHARP FABLE that could not be more timely. In a world where everything is decided by vote, what does democracy mean? Clever riff on Borges and Jackson stands on its own merits as well. B PLUS
WHEN MAGIC MAKES MONSTERS, the monsters must band together for safety. A wild and vibrant near-future tale at the crossroads of fantasy and speculative fiction, with deeply human emotion at its heart. B PLUS
AT THE INTERSECTION OF MAGIC AND THE EVERYDAY, this fluid and mythical tale traces the mourning journey of a Diné (Navajo) man across the colonized continent. Lovely and poetic prose rich with imagery. A MINUS
Probably one for reading with the lights on, and preemptive investigation of the possible sources of things that go bump or squeak. Most definitely one for people exploring the nature of secrets, small towns, mysteries and the past never quite going away.
A QUAINT, CHARMING FABLE inspired by the art of Vincent van Gogh and by great 19th-century fantasy writers like Andersen, Carroll, MacDonald and Wilde. Sweet, but with a witty bite. B PLUS
AN EXTRAVAGANTLY THEATRICAL LIFE, onstage and off—the playwright and incomparable diva Charles Busch’s memoir is witty and full of love for his family, friends, mentors, and muses, but most of all for the glamour of acting. B PLUS
A THEATER CRITIC TURNS SLEUTH in this glossy, stylish, erudite psychological thriller. Lots of sharp observation about contemporary New York and a brilliantly twisty plot. A MINUS
Read YOUR DRIVER IS WAITING by Priya Guns if you love children of immigrants, rideshare apps, grief narratives, queer lust, organizing spaces, protests, the crushing weight of capitalism, getting swole, chocolate almonds, white girl tears, incendiary emotions, Michael Douglas & overpriced coffee.
INNOVATIVE WORLDBUILDING AND THOUGHTFUL characterization make this steampunk speculative fiction tale about the hidden marvels in a glacial mountain shine. B PLUS
how vashista's son - Shakthi's rage killed himself and his brothers
how even great beings from sages to scientists like Strauss in Oppenheimer movie and me suffer from getting petty and bitter over what seems like simple things. Everyone has giant egos but we want to believe that we are this forgiving loving angel.
THE UNLIKELIEST CRIME LORDS and the story of their rise and fall: an always gritty, often witty, profoundly immersive novel from Brazil details just how far people will go to escape crushing poverty. You won’t want to put it down. A MINUS
Read "YOU JUST NEED TO LOSE WEIGHT": AND 19 OTHER MYTHS ABOUT FAT PEOPLE by Aubrey Gordon if you love discussing complex topics with thoroughness & kindness, the podcast Maintenance Phase, the body positive movement, and dismantling anti-fat bias & other forms of oppression.
BREATHTAKING, MULTIFACETED SCIENCE FICTION set on a 22nd century Earth transformed by climate change and political upheaval, where a small group of talented people are rehearsing for First Contact with other planets…or are they? A MINUS
Read WHAT FEASTS AT NIGHT by T. Kingfisher if you love remote villages, disreputable cabins in the woods, mysterious illnesses, nightmares, fungi, strongly spiced sausage, trauma narratives, endless cups of tea, propriety, knives & very good horses.
I received an advance copy of this book for review.
A VISIONARY, KALEIDOSCOPIC MEMOIR combines tales from the writer’s life with legends from her Japanese, Okinawan, and Taiwanese heritage. Touching and insightful; beautifully illustrated by the author’s sister. A MINUS
Read WALK AMONG US by Genevieve Gornichec, Cassandra Khaw & Caitlin Starling if you love the RPG Vampire: The Masquerade, novellas, uncertainty, isolation, starting college, twists, Iceland, fraternity, contracts, sustainable farming, overwhelming passions & blood.
SPOOKY HIGH-TECH THRILLER focuses on a brilliant, ruthless scientist’s mysterious experiments and their impact on the world around her—and on her own life. Lots of action and some terrifying psychological horror. B PLUS
POWERFULLY EVOCATIVE HISTORICAL novel details the struggles and joys of a young girl and her Russian immigrant family in a coal-mining town in early 20th century Pennsylvania. Rich in detail and emotional weight. A MINUS
Read MISLAID IN PARTS HALF-KNOWN by Seanan McGuire if you love thrift stores, maple syrup, reunions, mischiefs of magpies, classrooms, nonsense, running as fast as you can, dinosaurs, goblins, beautiful girls, seeking justice, vegetarian food, croquet, crushes, and goodbyes.
Read LOST IN THE MOMENT AND FOUND by Seanan McGuire if you love trauma narratives, grief, the uncertainty of childhood being exploited, magpies, lost things, found spaces, running away, the moment everything changes, teeth, journals & the addiction of novelty.
AN ASTONISHING, HARROWING, BEAUTIFUL novel mixes the everyday horrors of racism with the terrors of the supernatural in a tale of a brutal Florida reformatory haunted by the boys who died there. SOLID A