2025 book 65

Sulari Gentill's A Few Right Thinking Men

Hello, it's a new-to-me historical mystery series! This one is set in 1931 Australia, and centers on the younger son of a very rich and prominent family, except he's a painter and his house in Sydney is full of other artists. When his uncle (the one relative who approves of him) is murdered, he has to figure out what's up (with the help of his friends, of course)! There's also a whole thing with tensions between the local Communists (including some of his friends) and various conservative/fascist groups, which does take over a lot of the plot. I really liked the writing and characters here, even if the mystery was more of a historical political thriller. Looking forward to checking out more of this series. A-.

2025 book 64

 T. Kingfisher's Hemlock & Silver

This won't be released till August, but it was my BIRTHDAY this past weekend which means I get to read an ARC I'm excited about, and Kingfisher riffing on Snow White was the one! The protagonist here is a thirty-something woman who studies poisons and antidotes, and then the king callsnon her to see if she can figure out what's up with his daughter Snow, who is mysteriously ill. There is a lot of the trademark Kingfisher humor and also creepiness, but there is also a talking cat, so two thumbs up for sure. I will say that the narrative voice/protagonist/love interest will feel familiar to readers of Kingfisher's other works—that’s fine with me, I like all that, but I have seen people talk about some of her books hitting similar beats and this is definitely one of them. The plot/mystery is solid, though, and I enjoyed this a lot. A-.

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 A review copy was provided by the publisher. This book will be released in August.

2025 book 63

 Leonie Swann's Big Bad Wool

The sequel to Three Bags Full is more of the same, as the flock of sheep starts investigating some mysterious happenings in the first near their chateau. I love the vibes of this, the sheep are great and there are some funny bits! Plus a bunch of goats! But also there is a serial killer on the loose and it’s mildly grim, and it’s not necessarily a satisfying mystery. But again, it’s mainly the vibes at work here making this an entertaining read. B+.

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A review copy was provided by the publisher. This book will be released on May 6th.

2025 book 62

 John Wyndham's The Day of the Triffids

Still enjoying some classic sci-fi by Wyndham thanks to Rainbow Rowell's recommendation! This one involves a dude who is one of the few people left with sight after a mysterious meteor shower, and also there are killer plants. But really it’s the narrative voice and the characters that kept me interested! My only disappointment is that I really did want to read a book about the new society being built, and not necessarily just the more immediate days after the collapse of civilization. Which somehow felt relevant/current even as it was all science fiction-y. Sigh. A-.

2025 book 61

 Stephen Graham Jones' The Buffalo Hunter Hunter

I'm not usually one for horror, but I do like a revenge story, and I'm here for a Blackfeet vampire killing a bunch of white buffalo hunters. This has an interesting framing device--an academic is reading the recently discovered diary of her great-something-grandfather, a Lutheran pastor who was being told this story by the mysterious Good Stab. I think that helps it not be so creepy, though it is very tense and definitely gory. Things are pretty slow at the start

2025 book 60

 Connie Willis' Inside Job

Cute and mildly silly novella involving a guy who runs a magazine that debunks psychics and mediums and stuff, with the help of his beautiful rich actress employee, and what happens when they investigate a woman who may actually be channeling a spirit without meaning to. I like Willis' lighter stuff and this was a fun read. B+.