2025 book 176

 Judith Tarr’s The Isle of Glass

I’ve always heard good things about Tarr and am always interested in reading more fantasy written by women. This start of a series involves a half-elven man, a monk, who gets drawn into politics when he’s sent to help stop a war (this is set in very old-timey England as he ends up hanging out with Richard Lionheart, home from the Crusades). I really loved all the characters but I’m not sure if I’ll keep going with the series, I’m just not super interested in medieval Christianity and the Crusades, even if there are cool magical people. A-.

2025 book 175

 Emily Zipps’ Alice Rue Evades the Truth

So this is basically the same plot as the Sandra Bullock romcom While You Were Sleeping, except instead of falling for Bill Pullman, the bi heroine falls for the coma guy’s hot butch sister. Adorbs. I was also personally thrilled to discover, while reading on Rosh Hashanah, that the big loving family is Jewish!!! This book is Alicia catnip! Now I did think the second half dragged a little, lots of back and forth wishy-washiness, but this was very sweet and funny and I liked it a lot ! A-. 

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

2025 book 174

 Catherine Chidgey’s The Book of Guilt

A lot of times book marketing is like “it’s this book meets this book!” and it really isn’t like that at all. Well, this book is absolutely [one book] meets [another book], but telling which is major spoilers. Shrug emoji! I can tell you that this is set in an alternate 1970s England, where Hitler was assassinated and peace was sorted out. Our POV characters are Vincent, one of a set of identical triplets growing up in an isolated home under the auspices of a renowned doctor; a government minister, who is dealing with the dismantling of the homes; and a girl named Nancy, with odd and overprotective parents. I read this all in one sitting because I really wanted to know what was going to happen! Reveals come at a good pace. The story is somewhat unsettling? The end was kind of eh but I might try something else by this author. A-.

2025 book 173

 Percival Everett’s Erasure

Everett is coming here to speak next month, so we thought we’d read one of his books for book club—I know James is the obvious choice but the hold lists were very long! Anyway, Erasure is about a Black novelist/academic who writes extremely dense and unpopular books, until he gets mad at the state of popular literature and uses a pseudonym to write a parody novel about the Black experience—and it becomes a huge hit that no one realizes is a parody. But this is also kind of a dense novel about creativity, art, a mother with dementia, etc. I’m far removed from my academia days and I’m sure I missed a lot of references, but this was a really interesting and unconventional book and I’m looking forward to our discussion. A/A-.

2025 book 172

 William Alexander’s Sunward

I always like to try a cozy sci-fi and this one was cute, involving a courier who raises baby bots while flying around space. But when she finds a dead body and people start coming after her, her current baby gets lost in the data stream to save her. And while trying to save the baby, she gets caught up in even more adventures. I loved all her bot children and all the other side characters, but found the adventure/mystery elements to be mildly unsatisfying. I’m not sure they were even necessary? Unless there’s going to be a sequel? Anyway, a fun read either way, I always love bots who are people. A-.

2025 book 171

 Sue Dawes’ The Mune

This book is cool and interesting and a little weird! It starts off with a shipwreck in the Victorian era, and the only survivors are women and their babies, and they have to build a new community and figure out how to survive. Their perspectives are interspersed with stories told to one of the survivors about mysterious happenings. And of course there are some other things going on! Totally engrossing, great characters, intriguing ending. A lot is left unexplained but I liked it that way. This was published by a new press that focuses on intersectional feminist sci-fi, and I will definitely be investigating their other offerings. A.

2025 book 170

 Victoria Zeller’s One of the Boys

This was a GREAT book about a trans teen girl who used to be a football star, but left the team to transition, and now they want her back on the team because they need her kicking skills! It’s just as much about friendships and feelings and figuring out what you want from life. I loved all the cute queer kids in this book. There is a fair amount of transphobia directed toward the protagonist, but I liked the way her narrative voice handled it. And I even learned a little bit about football, a sport I have never understood (this is not me asking for an explainer). A/A-.

2025 book 169

 Rainbow Roswell’s Attachments

Sometimes you just want to reread a beloved book by a beloved author. I love this book because it’s about nice people getting their shit together. Also there are epistolary parts! And a romance that is totally sweet and moving even though it shouldn’t be! So good!

2025 book 168

 Diana Wynne Jones’ Charmed Life

I sort of lost interest in rereading the rest of the series I was on, and then nothing new was grabbing me, and simultaneously I was grumbling online and someone suggested I reread a children’s book AND one of my discords was discussing Diana Wynne Jones, so here we are. This is cute on a reread and was a nice brain break.

2025 book 167

 Sharon Shinn’s Shifter and Shadow

The second book in the series actually leads right into this new one, which focuses on Kirra and Donnall’s trip to an island with a bunch of sick children, to try an unconventional cure. Really pleasant and fun read! There are also some middle aged lesbians hanging out! I’m glad Shinn decided this story was worth telling. A/A-.

2025 book 166

 Sharon Shinn’s The Thirteenth House

I almost skipped rereading this one because there’s a lot of romance involving a married man, which I’m really not into. (I love Kirra, so it’s a frustrating plot to read). But I vaguely remembered that there were political things happening that matter for the later books, so, here we were. And actually I loved everything in this book that didn’t involve the doomed romance! Action, intrigue, friendship, magic, healing—lots of good stuff. Onto the next!

2025 book 165

 Sharon Shinn’s Mystic and Rider

There’s a new novella in this series out this week, a perfect excuse to reread! But actually a fantasy novel about a kingdom whose peace is threatened by a sect of religious fanatics who want to kill innocent people and start a civil war is not actually that escapist right now, sadlol. Still, I love this book. Shinn does such a good job of creating an interesting world of magic and politics and plot, and throws in a really great slow building romance. I also love all the camaraderie between the characters. Really enjoyable read.

2025 book 164

 Freya Marske’s Cinder House

Marske’s latest is a retelling of Cinderella where Ella is a ghost, haunting the house where her stepmother murdered her, being abused by her stepsisters even in death. And then she makes a deal with a fairy that will let her pass for living for three nights, so she can go to the Prince’s ball and dance (and eat!). I was really enjoying this, but was like, how can this wrap up in a satisfying way? And then it DOES! I loved this!!! Adorable!!!! A.

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

2025 book 163

 Emma Lathen’s Accounting for Murder

I really enjoy this series but I’m sort of parceling them out so I don’t burn out on them. In this one, Thatcher is drawn into things when an accountant is murdered while auditing the books for a company where things may be hinky. I did guess what was going on but it was still satisfying to see Thatcher figure it out. A-.

2025 book 162

 Megan Whalen Turner’s Return of the Thief

I ended up skipping the fifth book, which is kind of a standalone and which I remember being really slow, and jumped right to the conclusion of the series. Solid story, narrated by a disabled boy who witnessed all sorts of historical events firsthand. Good conclusion. 

2025 book 161

 Megan Whalen Turner’s A Conspiracy of Kings

The fourth book brings back one of my favorite characters from book one as political situations get more complicated and a young king has to take back his country. Anyway I’m tired so just know this book is great and this series is great.

2025 book 160

 Megan Whalen Turner’s The King of Attolia

The third book in this series is told primarily from the POV of  guardsman who doesn’t like or respect the new king, and how all that progresses. I do love a character who plans and plots and outsmarts everyone else!