Dorothy Sayers' Strong Poison
Heck yeah, it’s the introduction of Harriet Vane to this series in a story that’s a total banger. Harriet, who writes mystery novels, is on trial for murdering her ex, and Peter is determined to prove her innocent (and marry her, if possible). It’s not too hard to guess who actually did it, but watching Peter figure out how to prove it is very compelling. This one also has some really funny parts. I do love Peter.
Dorothy Sayers' The Unpleasantness at the Bellona Club
I really like this one—a super engaging mystery, involving trying to determine the exact time of death of an elderly man whose sister died the same day, for will-related reasons. Lots of twists and turns, and Peter is clever and sympathetic. Plus, no one says anything randomly racist! A winner on all fronts.
Dorothy Sayers' Unnatural Death
This Peter Wimsey mystery centers on the death of an elderly woman with cancer, but her doctor is convinced she was murdered by her niece. Except nothing suspicious turns up on the autopsy, and everyone thinks the doctor is wrong. Except Peter, who is on the case! With the assistance of a hilarious new associate, Miss Climpson! Very fun and satisfying story, minus the n-word being dropped a bunch of times and a couple bits of antisemitism. Gotta love those 1920s mysteries.
Dorothy Sayers' Clouds of Witness
The second Peter Wimsey book finds Peter trying to solve the case when his brother the Duke is arrested for murdering their sister's fiancé. Awkward. Plenty of red herrings keep the plot moving, though there are some sections that drag a little. The Dowager Duchess remains my fave.
Dorothy Sayers' Whose Body
I read this article recently, which made me want to revisit the Peter Wimsey books! Unfortunately I didn’t remember the plot of this one—where Lord Peter is assisting on two cases, a missing wealthy Jewish businessman, and an unknown body discovered in an acquaintance’s bathtub—and that allllll the characters are cheerfully and casually antisemitic (as wealthy British people WERE, at that time). So, that’s not fun. It’s still an interesting mystery, though, even remembering most of how it played out. And I do like Peter as a character.
Fran Wilde's The Book of Gems
I found this one to be somewhat frustrating. It starts off well enough, with a young academic on her way to the Valley her family is from (home of the magical gems), to track down the missing mentor who stole her research. But it kind of just goes in circles. I actually think this would have benefited from being shorter, since most of the back half is just one argument going around and around. It was tiresome. B.
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A review copy was provided by the publisher. This book will be released on June 20th.
Fran Wilde's The Fire Opal Mechanism
This is a short novel instead of a novella, but still feels kind of underdeveloped, even compared to the first one. I did enjoy the plot a lot—a mysterious group is taking over in all the countries and destroying books and universities, claiming to be democratizing knowledge—and one librarian and a thief are all that can stop them. But I really needed more character development! Interesting connections to the first book, though. A-/B+.
Fran Wilde's The Jewel and her Lapidary
Honestly kind of a heartbreaking story here! It’s about an isolated kingdom with magical gemstones, and what happens when the ruling family is betrayed and the only survivors are the youngest daughter and her companion, who can hear the stones. This novella was very interesting, but I did wish there was more to the story! There are two more related books and I’m looking forward to seeing the world fleshed out a little more. A-.
T. Kingfisher’s A Wizard's Guide to Defensive Baking
I’ve read this book several times (rereading it for book club this go-around) and it's excellent every time! I don’t know how the author manages to always mix magic and whimsy and humor with sadness and the occasional gross/morbid, but she does and it WORKS. If you haven’t read this, it’s the story of a fourteen year old girl who works at a bakery and has bakery magic (she can get dough to not burn and make gingerbread men dance), but when a dead body turns up in the bakery, she’s drawn into a world of political plots, assassins, and war. But with a gingerbread man sidekick and an angry sourdough starter, of course. I am curious to see how book club will react to this, but I personally love it every time.
Anne Berest's The Postcard
The articles I’d read about this book made me think it was a memoir about a French Jewish woman investigating the stories of her family members who were murdered in Auschwitz, but it’s actually a work of autofiction. About a French Jewish woman investigating the stories of her family members who were murdered in Auschwitz. And part of me gets that, because she tells their stories, which must be at least partially imagined, very beautifully. But part of me found it distracting, wondering if the letters and e-mails that appear in the current timeline are “real.” (I was also very distracted by Passover being described as “the Jewish Easter,” which is wrong on a LOT of levels, but that’s not relevant really.) Anyway, things kick off when the author's mother receives a postcard listing the names of HER mother's immediately family (parents and siblings) who all died at Auschwitz, and so the author is determined to figure out who sent the postcard, and why, assisted by the research her mother has done over the years, all while interrogating her own non-observant Jewish identity. I found the historical portions, and the investigation, very moving, and I cried several times. Some of the author's thoughts on her identity were less interesting (though were relevant thematically), and I’m not sure why she included a scene of her grandfather being horny at an opium den. Anyway, I’m not grading a Holocaust book, I’m not sure this one is breaking new ground on Holocaust stories (it is very well told), but I think the examination of the survivors and their descendants and how they live (or don’t) with everything was very powerful.
Laura Hankin's The Daydreams
One thing about me is that I love pop culture, I love behind-the-scenes gossip, and I love DRAMA. So this book was very much in my wheelhouse. It’s centered on the four stars of a Disney-esque musical tv show that ended very dramatically, and now fourteen years later the stars—the narrator, the “mean girl,” who became a lawyer; the sidekick, now a celebrity wife/influencer; the main girl, who went off the rails; and the boy, who is now a respected and successful actor—are doing a reunion. But what really happened all those years ago?? (Drama.) This was very entertaining, I wasn’t a hundred percent sold on all of the ending but I mostly thought this was great. Definitely one for my book club. A-.
Emma Torzs' Ink Blood Sister Scribe
From the cover and the title, you might think this is some fantasy novel set in a crumbly castle, and it sooo isn’t, it’s set in our modern world, but a world full of magical books!! Our main characters are two adult sisters, one who can sense magic and guards her family's library of magical books, and her older sister, who is immune to magic, and who lives on the run per their father's orders. There’s also a guy who is the heir to a powerful and wealthy Library in London (not to mention his adorable dog, and his bodyguard), and is the only person who can create new magic books. This started a little slow with setting things up, but pretty soon I was ALL IN, so many reveals and lots of action and lots of feelings. This book was SO my jam. VERY FUN. (Content warning for blood talk if that bothers you, I personally am not a fan but liked this book anyway.) A/A-.
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A review copy was provided by the publisher. This book will be released on Tuesday.
Janet Kagan's Hellspark
I really liked Kagan's Mirabile, and am finally getting around to reading her other novel, which I liked even more! It’s about a woman from a society that learns all sorts of languages and their nuances, and she ends up on a planet being surveyed, where one surveyor has mysteriously died, and no one can agree if the local creatures are sapient, and there are a lot of interpersonal problems amongst the group. And she’s got to sort that all out, but luckily she has her spaceship AI to help out! And much of the book is from the AI's point of view as she (her name is Maggy) learns more about communication and the world around her. Everything about THAT was my catnip. But this whole book was just really interesting and SATISFYING. SO GOOD. A.
Alexis Hall's Mortal Follies
I don’t always love Alexis Hall's stuff, but his latest was pretty fun! It’s narrated by Puck, for some reason, and he’s telling the story of a young woman in the Regency Era who's been cursed, and she teams up with a suspected sorceress/murderess to try and figure out who cursed her and how to break the curse, with the help of her biracial gay cousin and her adorable and hilarious best friend. But also sparks are flying between the main character and the sorceress! I did love the narrative voice here (I mean, it’s Puck, lol) but some of the characters are pretty flat and some of the dialogue is ehhh. I will say this story had some truly unexpected moments and I really liked how it wrapped up. A-/B+.
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A review copy was provided by the publisher. This book will be released on June 6th.
Rachel Neumeier’s No Foreign Sky
I think this is Neumeier’s first sci-fi novel, and I really liked it! One of the things she does really well is the meeting of two disparate cultures, and that is definitely at the forefront here. To back up, this is about a far far future where an abandoned human colony merged with a nearby alien civilization (made up of boar-centaur people) to form a new society. Out story begins with a ship from that society fighting a losing battle with some vicious enemy aliens, when they’re rescued by an unknown ship—a ship full of other humans (more directly tied to Earth and its ways). Soon they have to form an alliance to fight the bad guys. I am super here for outer space politics and diplomacy—this maybe leaned more on the space battle side of things, I would have preferred more of the talking, but that’s just me. I did love all the characters here and hope Neumeier writes more in this world. A/A-.
Lois McMaster Bujold’s Knot of Shadows
I’d forgotten that this one is kind of a bummer in a lot of ways, a downer way to end this reread for sure (I could just jump into rereading the Chalion books, but my to-read list is piling up). Still, I do hope for more Pen and Des stories, just preferably less sad ones.
Lois McMaster Bujold’s The Assassins of Thasalon
This is the rare full-length novel for Pen and Des, and there’s a lot going on, and I love every second of it! Adventure, politics, magic, religion, romance, and JUSTICE. I love Pen delighting at being a nerd at every opportunity. And I love the saint who’d rather be fishing. Just a great balance of humor and action and philosophy.
Lois McMaster Bujold’s The Physicians of Vilnoc
I skipped the previous book, The Orphans of Raspay, because that one isn’t super fun. But I was forgetting that this one ALSO isn’t super fun, as it finds Pen and Des dealing with a deadly plague, trying to save tons of patients and figure out what’s causing it. It is a /satisfying/ story, but definitely on the grimmer side.
Lois McMaster Bujold’s The Prisoner of Limnos
Pen makes some progress in his courtship when his love interest needs help busting her mom out of jail! (She’s been taken as a hostage/political prisoner.) Another very fun Pen and Des adventure. (Another reason these reviews are short is that I’m always eager to jump right into the next one!)
Lois McMaster Bujold’s Mira's Last Dance
This picks up where the previous book left off, with our characters on the run. Eventually Pen ends up disguised as a (woman) courtesan, which luckily one of Des' previous people was, lending verisimilitude. Lots of humor in this one, and a lil bit of pining.
Lois McMaster Bujold’s Penric’s Mission
Here we find Penric sent on a mission, where he’s immediately captured as a spy! We also have another POV character, a young widow whose military brother is being accused of treason. Of course these things are related and soon lots of adventures and magic are afoot, not to mention a CRUSH. Des is particularly funny in this one. Love it.
Lois McMaster Bujold’s Masquerade in Lodi
Another action-packed romp as Pen and Des and a young woman saint try and track down a runaway demon, all during their god's annual festival. The nice thing about a series that is mostly novellas is you can just tear right through them, and these are both fun and interesting while you’re doing it.
Victoria Goddard's Clary Sage
Gotta take a break from rereading a series when one of your fave authors surprise-drops a novella! This one is the story of How Hal Decided To Go To Morrowlea (the college where he met and befriended Jemis, the main character of the Greenwing and Dart books). Did this story need to exist? Eh. Did I delight in reading it? Obviously. A/A-.
Lois McMaster Bujold’s Penric's Fox
The third book in this series finds Pen and Des teaming up with the dudes from the previous book to solve the murder of a sorceress—and track down her missing demon. Great characters, as always, and a quick and satisfying read. I do love these books.
Lois McMaster Bujold’s Penric and the Shaman
The second Pen and Des book is set a few years after the first, and finds Pen now fully accredited (or whatever) and teaming up with an investigator to track down a missing man and resolve a supernatural mystery. I do love the gods/worldbuilding in these!
Lois McMaster Bujold’s Penric’s Demon
Yes, I'm rereading the Penric and Desdemona books again, even though I have well over a hundred unread books on my Kindle (I lost count at a certain point). Let me live. These are quick and satisfying reads since most of the series consists of novellas, and I love the story of how Penric inherited a demon and his head is suddenly crowded with twelve hilarious women. Bujold's World of the Five Gods is always a pleasure to revisit.
Juno Dawson's The Shadow Cabinet
This is the second book in the Her Majesty's Royal Coven series, and I can't say much about the plot without spoiling the first book (plus there are a lot of characters and a lot of plot threads so it's hard to summarize anyway). Suffice it to say there's lots more witchy action and adventure this time around, as well as new threats to deal with, plus we get to know a new character and uncover some mysteries. Some plot lines are more interesting than others, some are stressful as hell, there is a lot going on! I kind of want a tv show based on this though? And I’m so intrigued by where book three will go. A-.
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A review copy was provided by the publisher. This book will be released on May 23rd.
T. Kingfisher’s Summer in Orcus
I had gotten pretty well into two different books that I wasn’t gelling with, and the only cure for that mood is to reread something you know is good. And I had been wanting to reread this one! I think it’s very underrated as far as Kingfisher's books go—it’s one of her middle grade books, about an eleven year old girl with a difficult and overprotective mother, and what happens when she meets Baba Yaga. AMAZING animals in this one—a no-nonsense weasel, a foppish bird, and one of the best fictional wolves of all time—plus a heroine who is very relatable as she undergoes adventures. So good.
Peg Kerr's The Wild Swans
I really liked Emerald House Rising, so wanted to try this other book by Kerr, and I might have liked it even more? It’s a retelling of the fairy tale about the girl with the eleven cursed swan brothers, set in 1600s England, but it’s interwoven with the story of an eighteen year-old boy who's been kicked out of home for being gay, and eventually he finds a community and love. But…. it's New York in the early 80s and the AIDS crisis is looming. I was SOBBING BUCKETS. The modern storyline is a little more compelling, but I enjoyed the whole (my only complaint is also one I have with Shakespeare [lol]—why is it a happy ending for a woman to get back with a man who accused her of a horrible crime? But that’s how fairy talked and Shakespeare stories go, I guess). But anyway, subbing buckets. It does seem like Kerr only published these two novels and I think that’s a shame, they were both so good. A.
Janet Edwards' Earth Flight
Well, if you like a book with plot, this book has plot out the wazoo. There's diplomacy and politics, conspiracies, romance, archaeology, going on the run, romance, aliens, murder attempts, and more that I can’t even remember bc there was so much going on. It was a fine conclusion to this series but very busy. B+.
Janet Edwards' Earth Star
The second book in the Earth Girl series finds our protagonist, still a college student, recruited to help lead a vital military operation. Which is COMPLETELY ABSURD, but sometimes you just gotta roll with it. And I was willing to roll with it because it was all very entertaining. Another thing I like about this series is that there is a romance, but it’s kind of on the back-burner, plot wise, which seems rare in YA these days. Anyway, more interesting sci-fi adventures, and I’m excited for book three. A-.
Janet Edwards' Earth Girl
This is set like 700 years in the future, where humanity mainly lives on far-off planets, but some babies are born allergic to the atmosphere and have to be shipped off to live on Earth, and they get called things like “apes.” Our protagonist is one such teen girl, and decides to stick it to ‘em by applying to an off-world university whose first year takes place on Earth (she’s a huge history/archaeology nerd and I’m here for it), with the big plan to eventually say like “I’m an ape and y’all can suck it” and then transfer. Lol. But of course she loves her program, and makes friends, and is lying about her background, and it all starts to get very complicated. I loved the narrative voice; I am a sucker for smart but snarky and slightly sad teen girls telling their stories in the first person (maybe the only YA I love?). This is also amazingly action-packed for a book about a history nerd. I really liked this and have already purchased the sequel. A/A-.
