Just finished “The Lincoln Highway” by Amor Towles. I found a unique and surprisingly complex core hidden behind this simple American road trip adventure. I kept stopping it, assuming it was going to go in an ugly direction which made me uncomfortable…but when I returned to it I was almost always pleasantly surprised. Every character has unplumbed depths and acts independently of any trope except perhaps one of Greek Mythology. And that I found delightful.
So hey, did you know that I have a newsletter? When you subscribe, you get a SUPER AWESOME historical fantasy vampire story set in the same universe as my upcoming novel. https://www.katherinevillyard.com/newsletter I only email you like twice a month and you get ALL THE NEWS and other freebies!
Maryann reviews "Blade of Shadows, Wings of Light" by Chad Grayson, The Ascension Apocalypse book 1:
"Grayson doesn't go heavily into data dumps - it feels more like super hero story, which makes it fun to read... this book is filled with interesting ideas. A fun read."
#JustFinished A Song of the Huntress by Lucy Holland
Quite well-done historical fiction about civil war, love, magic, and broken hearts set during the reign of King Ine of Wessex (southern England, probably more or less 700 CE). I really liked the main characters and their interactions.
LGBTQIA positive
🔴 📖 🖥️ The smell of paper or the shine of a screen? Students’ reading comprehension, text processing, and attitudes when reading on paper and screen
“Our results reveal that, overall, the students performed better when reading on paper compared to on screen, which parallels existing findings highlighted in our literature review. Yet, examining single-student performance revealed that some performed equally well across both modes, and one student comprehended better with screen reading.”
Jensen, R.E., Roe, A. and Blikstad-Balas, M. (2024) ‘The smell of paper or the shine of a screen? Students’ reading comprehension, text processing, and attitudes when reading on paper and screen,’ Computers & Education, 219, p. 105107. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2024.105107.
Just finished Amazing Grace Adams [2023] by Fran #Littlewood. This is an amazing [yes, it is!] debut novel about a 45yo woman, her teenage daughter and her husband - whom you get to know and understand during different episodes going back and forth, over tens of years, which weren't easy but rich. Great storytelling, this book a monument of a woman in her midfourties, about parents, and about teens. *****
Lio wakes in someone else’s battered body with plenty of questions but no answers. Who is he? Who are the strangers who rescued him? Why do they call him Tenebris and Darkness? And why does everyone treat him like a feral dog ...
Good morning, internet! Today is Chapter 4 of #PrideAndPrejudice! I'm a day late as this week got away from me. Here we learn Lizzie and Jane are breaking down the assembly and why Bingley and Darcy are friends. You can find the video posted to FB, IG, TT, and YT! Locations here: https://linktr.ee/excessivelydiverting .
Does sci-fi influence tech developments, negative and positive? Author cites the torment nexus trope—tech companies building something that a sci-fi author warns against. Sci-fi has been predictive since Jules Verne. “Playing God leads to trouble” as I say in my study series, Christian Sci-Fi Night with Professor K.
“Evans devotes an incisive chapter to each of the rogues’ gallery of Göring, Goebbels, Himmler, von Ribbentrop and to notorious antisemites such as Ley, Streicher and Heydrich. It is however even more interesting to read about lesser figures who portrayed themselves after 1945 as honourable, principled and patriotic and far from being deranged and perverted.”
My #bookreview is brief/won't spoil, to spread good, great, & spectacular #horror#books far & wide.
A SPECTRE IS HAUNTING GREENTREE is an ideal "ramp up" read to start off Spooky Season. Carson Winter has created an engrossing, autumnal tale that combines a real world nightmare with elements of #folk and #supernatural horror in a pulpy pastiche of modern, macabre mayhem and creepy creatures. (Tenebrous Press)
Today's review! A Soldiers & Mercenaries Duology by Kasia Bacon:
"This was my first book by this author, and it has left me with a wish to read more of them... I thoroughly enjoyed this book and would recommend it to anyone who likes romances, queer characters and high fantasy."
#IndieInkAwards reviews for this year are coming in! I'll cross-post them here in replies to myself as they come in. Feel free to follow the hashtag to make sure you see them all! (These will be on other social media as well.)
First up, Tiny Elf Arcanist reviews A Necromancer Called Gam Gam and calls it "a moving exploration of grief and found family wrapped in beautiful prose"
A.P. Goodman reviews Teacher of the Year, calling it "a gripping MM romance sure to warm anyone's heart." She also says "no matter where we are on our journey, we deserve love. We deserve to accept it and to give it. Having broken pieces does not mean we're not worthy."
Book Challenge: 20 books that have had an impact on who you are. One book a day for 20 days. No explanations, no reviews, just book covers. (And don't forget the alt text.)
Book Challenge: 20 books that have had an impact on who you are. One book a day for 20 days. No explanations, no reviews, just book covers. (And don't forget the alt text.)
Book Challenge: 20 books that have had an impact on who you are. One book a day for 20 days. No explanations, no reviews, just book covers. (And don't forget the alt text.)