2020 book 64

Terry Pratchett's The Wee Free Men
Yes, now is the perfect time to reread the Tiffany Aching books. This first one is an excellent start, featuring a sensible girl, armed with a frying pan, who wants to be a witch, off to rescue her baby brother from a fairy queen. And accompanied by the best band of troublemaking little magical dudes any writer ever created. And well-written to boot!

2020 book 63

Lisa Lutz’s Spellman Six: The Next Generation
This book was originally called The Last Word, but I think the series was rebranded at some point (both titles are equally meaningless). More mysteries, more family antics, more great characters, etc. My cat is on my lap and my wrist is hurting from Animal Crossing so I don’t want to type anymore.

2020 book 62

Lisa Lutz’s Trail of the Spellmans
I’ve been bitter for like eight years that Lutz spent four books building up a romance, only to then skip ahead two years as the relationship is falling apart. Does it make sense that it wouldn’t work out for these particular characters? Yes. Is that satisfying to the reader? Not in the slightest. Anyway, the mysteries here are fairly inconsequential, if interesting, but Isabel remains a compelling character and the family interactions are hilarious as always.

2020 book 61

Lisa Lutz’s The Spellmans Strike Again
The fourth Spellmans book is another super satisfying one, both for the characters, the mysteries, and for JUSTICE (to some extent).  I just really like how all the pieces fit together in this one.

2020 book 60

Lisa Lutz’s Revenge of the Spellmans
The third Spellmans book is much more satisfying than the second one, in terms of both the mysteries  and the character development. Some great relationships here too—and not just romantic ones! I am of course partial to Izzy's friendship with her elderly Jewish lawyer. This one nicely balances humor, mystery elements, emotional growth, and family dynamics. What more do you need in a book?

2020 book 59

Lisa Lutz's Curse of the Spellmans
The second Spellmans book is a little bit less fun of a reread, because once you know the solution to the main mystery, the protagonist is a lot more frustrating. But it is still /pretty/ fun, because of the way the various storylines interweave, the way the narrative moves back and forth in time, and of course Henry getting to be a more prominent character, adding a lot more hilarity to the mix. If I remember correctly, the next one is stronger, so I’ll keep rereading.

2020 book 58

Lisa Lutz's The Spellman Files
I’m in the mood to reread series I haven’t revisited in a while—to get caught up in something else for a while. I got bitter about this one because a later book breaks up a couple I was super into (lol), but I am just gonna get past it. Anyway, this first one is a great introduction to a very funny mystery series involving the wayward twenty-something daughter of a family of PIs. This one deals with some missing person cases and other PI activities, tennis, a dentist, eccentric relatives, and some car chases. Very fun stuff.

2020 book 57

Michelle Cooper's The FitzOsbornes at War
The final book of the Montmaray series is a fairly typical, if well-done and interesting, story about upper class people in England during WWII. A satisfying end to the trilogy, for sure.

2020 book 56

Michelle Cooper's The FitzOsbornes in Exile
The second Montmaray book finds our family, as the title, says, adjusting to life in exile. Of course this mainly involves mingling with the highest echelons of British Society (lots of gossip about the Mitfords and appearances from the Kennedys). But war is creeping in. I swear this book is tailored to my particular interests, from the aforementioned Mitfords to the lengthy discussion of Picasso's Guernica. And I love the voice of a young girl coming into her own. Great stuff.

2020 book 55

Michelle Cooper's A Brief History of Montmaray
This feels like the perfect time to escape into some historical fiction—well, alternate historical fiction. This story is the diary of a teenage girl, a princess of a tiny kingdom on a tiny island between England and Spain, living a quiet life in a rundown castle. But it’s 1936, so things aren’t going to stay quiet for too long. I love the narrative voice here, and the whole cast of eccentrics is compelling. Satisfying stuff.

2020 book 54

Ash Parsons' Girls Save the World in This One
I first wanted to read this because of the bad-ass Jen Bartel cover, but I am also here for books about bad-ass teen girls. Our story takes place at a zombie-themed fandom convention, where our protagonists and her two best friends (and one FORMER best friend) plan to meet the stars of their favorite tv show and do some zombie-themed shopping. Buttttttt . . . some of these zombie cosplayers seem . . . maybe tooooo realistic? Yup, it's a zombie apocalypse! (What better sort of book to read while practicing social distancing due to a pandemic?) I really liked this, it was super engaging and fun and a little bit silly. Great characters and friendships, too. A-.

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A review copy was provided by the publisher. This book will be released on April 14th.

2020 book 53

Emily Tesh's Silver in the Wood
This is a really engaging novella about a Wild Man in the woods, and the eager folklorist who encounters him. There is also a sweet cat and a bad-ass middle aged lady. My only complaint is that I wanted this to be fleshed out more--or anyway, I just wanted more! But it works well as it is. And there is a sequel due out in June, which I am looking forward to. A/A-.

2020 book 52

Jaclyn Moriarty's Gravity is the Thing
Book club is a couple weeks away, but I really needed to read something GOOD right now. And Jaclyn Moriarty is one of my favorite authors for a satisfying read. This is her adult debut, focusing on a single mother who goes on a weekend retreat to find out more about a mysterious Guidebook. But it’s told with Moriarty's trademark irreverent narrative voice, and there is just so much humanity in it! It’s interesting to see her play with ideas from her YA novels (light waves, guidebooks, human connection) and level them up in this way. It is just really a cathartic read somehow, maybe even more so the second time. A giant row of heart eye emojis for this one.

2020 book 51

Diana Wynne Jones' Archer's Goon
This is one of the weirder Diana Wynne Jones books, but no less enjoyable for that. It centers on a young boy and his family who get caught up in the machinations of the seven supernatural siblings who secretly control their town—but have higher ambitions. Mildly goofy, a little bit sweet, and definitely satisfying. A-.

2020 book 50

Rainbow Rowell’s Attachments
Still just sinking into pure comfort reading over here. I’ve read this book I don’t know how many times and every time it is a freaking delight. If you somehow haven’t read it, it’s the story of a young man in the late 90s, still nursing an old heartbreak, whose job is to monitor the emails of a newsroom. And it’s the story of two women working there, whose emails are flagged by the system, but he opts not to warn them because he’s interested in their lives. Great friendships and relationships and humor and romance here, for sure. I love everything about this book.

2020 book 49

Diana Wynne Jones' Deep Secret
Let the comfort reading commence. This book was a great option, because I hadn’t read it in years and didn’t remember the details, but since it was by Diana Wynne Jones, I knew it would be satisfying. And it was! Who doesn’t love a story that involves multiverses, a band of magicians who keep order in the multiverses (including three brothers and a ghost), a sci-fi and fantasy con, lots of magical battles and spells, various mysteries, and a touch of romance? Plus baby chicks and centaurs!   Pure delightful escapism. A/A-.

2020 book 48

Shirley Jackson's Life Among the Savages
I think this memoir would come as a surprise to ppl only familiar with Jackson's fiction, because it is lighthearted and HILARIOUS. It focuses on moving from NYC to Vermont with her young children and husband, adapting to small-town life, dealing with motherhood, etc. There are some GREAT scenes with the cats, too. I know this is kind of a glossy take on Jackson's actual life--in real life her husband was horrible, and these stories were written for women's magazines. I will say that reading this straight through felt sort of same-y after a while, but that just might be me and my general issues with reading non-fiction. Definitely an interesting companion to Jackson's fiction. B+.

2020 book 47

Hilary McKay's The Exiles
This is a middle-grade story of four bookish sisters who are sent to spend the summer with their grandmother, who has decided to teach them some practical life skills. Most of this is very funny and sweet, though the girls are occasionally frustratingly clueless (candles are not safe!!). I enjoyed their misadventures and their befriending of the locals, as well as their relationship with their grandmother.    I will definitely be looking out for more by McKay. B+.

2020 book 46

Elizabeth Knox's Absolute Book
I read a review of this book and was like, well, I need to read THAT, and promptly ordered it from New Zealand. At first, the story feels like a traditional mystery--the protagonist's sister is murdered, but the killer is convicted of manslaughter and only serves five years, and the protagonist encourages an acquaintance to take revenge. Now it's several years later, and her best-selling book has thrust her into the limelight--and brought a detective around asking questions. And then things take a turn toward the fantastic. This book brings in all sorts of mythology/folklore/ancient religions, and so it was VERY much up my alley. Parts of it are a little slow but sort of in a meditative way, not in a dull way. The scope of this whole thing is huge and weird and wonderful. I didn't know what to expect from any of it, which is unusual and enjoyable. It does look like after that Slate piece, an American publisher did snag it, so hopefully it'll be here before too long. A.

2020 book 45

Rae Carson's The Empire of Dreams
So this is a story about Red, the little mixed race slave girl from the third book. In theory this is a standalone, but I do think you need to have read the earlier trilogy to understand the world and its politics. This takes place about eight years after the trilogy, as Red is about to be formally adopted by the queen—until a plot finds their petition denied. Red ends up in training to be one of the royal guard for some reason, the first girl to do so. It’s all very Tamora Pearce. I mean, it’s enjoyable—action, ass-kicking, making friends and reluctant allies, finding bad guys, etc—but it’s pretty well-worn territory. It is a well-written version of that trope, so if you’re into it (I am), definitely check this out. This seems like it was a very personal story for the author, and the emotions especially ring really true. A/A-.

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

2020 book 44

Rae Carson's The Bitter Kingdom
The third book in this series is a satisfying wrap-up, for sure. Politics, romance, adventure, magic, holy quests, etc. Not much else to say about it, but I am excited to see where the author is taking things with this new one.

2020 book 43

Rae Carson's The Crown of Embers
The second book in Carson's series involves more political maneuvering, a hint of romance, AND a mystical quest, plus it's way less fatphobic, so what's not to like? It’s a good second chapter—interesting on its own, not just setting up the pieces for a grand finale. Lots of moral conflict and adventure and friendship too. I am kind of over a lot of YA series, but still find this one satisfying.

2020 book 42

Rae Carson's The Girl of Fire and Thorns
Carson has written a new book focusing on one of the secondary characters in this series, but since I didn't remember who that character was, I decided I had to reread this trilogy for CONTEXT. I like this series a lot though (aside from the fatphobia issues, which really bother me), so no complaints here. It centers on a teenage princess, being married off to a foreign king and having to navigate court politics, while also trying to figure out what her destiny is (because she has a special God-given destiny). Which sounds like the cliche of all cliched YA books, but Carson makes it work. Again, aside from the fatphobia. Meh.

2020 book 41

Rufi Thorpe's The Knockout Queen
I love both of Thorpe's earlier novels, and this one was just as good! It centers on a gay teen boy, living with his aunt after his mother is arrested, who becomes best friends with the girl next door—a super tall volleyball player. To me, this felt suffused with melancholy, as the two struggle to fit in and deal with various crises. I also wanted a little bit more from the end—the protagonist is slightly older, but not far enough removed from things to have enough perspective. I mean, that is probably the point—the muddled feelings feel very real. Anyway, this was still excellent, and I’ll be thinking about it for a while. A/A-.

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

2020 book 40

K.J. Charles' A Flight of Magpies
The third Charm of Magpies book (and the last focusing on these characters) finds our heroes investigating a series of attacks on policemen—and also find someone plotting against the heroes! This is another fun book, though I can’t call it fluffy really as the violence is a bit gross. I also admit to being slightly disappointed that there doesn’t seem to be a book focused on Esther (yet?), who is sidelined a bit here. But still, great characters, and I love a historical-fantasy-mystery-romance! A-.

2020 book 39

K.J. Charles' A Case of Possession
The second Charm of Magpies book is more of the fun (and smutty) same, as our Earl and his magical boyfriend have to contend with murders, mayhem, and giant rats. We do also meet the magical-crime-fighting partner of our magician, and she IS a very cool Jewish woman, so I am fully on board here. A-.

2020 book 38

K.J. Charles' The Magpie Lord
I’d been meaning to read more by Charles, and this seemed like a good place to start—a historical mystery with magic and (gay) romance is very much up my alley. The plot barely matters—a man, who’s been in China for twenty years, returns home after the deaths of his father and brother leave him an earl. But someone is trying to kill him . . . with magic! Enter a magical practitioner, a scrappy dude with cool powers and a grudge. Sparks fly, magic happens, murder attempts happen,etc. It's a lot of fluffy fun, and I’ll be reading more bc it looks like the magical guy's best friend is a Jewish lady and I need magical Jewish ladies in my life. A-.

2020 book 37

Louisa May Alcott's Little Women
We're discussing this in book club this month, because none of us have read it in ages, but the recent movie made us want to revisit it! I'd kind of forgotten how didactic it is, but of course it's still a classic story once you get past all that. (I do think the novel would be half as long without all the Christian moralizing.) I had also forgotten that Amy really is the most prominent sister after Jo, so props to Greta Gerwig for actually showing that in her version. And I know it’s a ~thing~ to be like “Jo is trans” but honestly, you could write a very persuasive term paper about it. Anyway, there is going to be a LOT to discuss with my pals and I am excited to do so.

2020 book 36

Stephanie Wrobel's Darling Rose Gold
This is being billed as a thriller, but it doesn’t have the level of suspense and intensity I’d expect. It’s the story of a woman who’s just been released from prison—she was in for Munchausen by Proxy—and now her daughter, her victim, a new mother, is letting her stay in her guest room. This is interspersed with the story of the daughter after her mother was arrested. I found this to be a slightly stressful read and a major bummer, while also being a little bit slow. The end was interesting enough but I wished it had gotten where it was going a little earlier. I think the concept is what is making this book so buzzy, as opposed to the actual story. Oh well. B/B-.

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A review copy was provided by the publisher. This book will be released on March 17th.

2020 book 35

Sarah Gailey’s When We Were Magic
I looooove books about queer teen witches (there's a growing number of books in this genre), so was excited for Gailey's YA debut. But this is a bit grimmer/more disturbing than the usual YA fare. We start at a prom afterparty, where our protagonist is planning on sleeping with a (male) classmate she barely knows, even though she isn’t really into him, but then he explodes. So she calls in her crew of gal pals, because they’re all MAGIC, and they have to figure out what to do about this magical crime scene and this dead kid. I loved all their friendships and abilities, and was kind of rooting for the protagonist and her love interest, but this book has a real melancholy vibe. I also had mixed feelings about the end. Also, if you’re gonna have a protagonist who can TALK TO ANIMALS, there needs to be more animals around! I needed more cute animal chats! I mean, that’s not at all the point of this book. It’s about building relationships and friendships and learning to deal with mistakes etc. Just a bit too much disposing of body parts for my personal taste. B+.

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A review copy was provided by the publisher. This book will be released on March 3rd.

2020 book 34

Maureen Johnson's The Hand on the Wall
The third book in Johnson's Truly Devious mystery series--about a teen girl trying to solve a long-ago kidnapping at her elite and eccentric boarding school--is an adequate wrap-up. I admit that I didn't bother to reread the first two and so was hazy on a lot of details, which is a problem in a mystery story! And the mystery elements are all revealed in flashbacks, which feels like a cop-out. I was also uninterested in the wishy-washy romance. I really feel like this should have been just one book—breaking it into three pieces just weakens everything. This whole book could have been like four chapters. B/B-.

2020 book 33

Rebecca Stead's The List of Things That Will Not Change
A new book by Stead is always something to look forward to—she’s the author of one of my top five all time favorite books (When You Reach Me), after all. This felt like it was aimed at a slightly younger audience than some of her other books, but it was still a moving and engaging read. It’s narrated by tween Bea, who is delighted that her dad is going to marry his boyfriend—meaning she’s getting a new sister. But Stead doesn’t shy away from complicated feelings and complicated families and sorting out those tangles of emotions. Really solid work from an always outstanding author. A/A-.

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A review copy was provided by the publisher. This book will be released on April 7th.

2020 book 32

T. Kingfisher's Paladin's Grace
YAYYYY a new Ursula Vernon book!!! A breath of fresh air in these troubled times. This one is set in her Clocktaur/Swordheart world, but is a standalone story--a ROMANCE! I love the way she writes romances so am very here for this. Our hero is a paladin whose god has died, and now he serves in the Temple of the White Rat (the lawyers/healers in this world). He is also a KNITTER! Our heroine is a perfumer (whose best friend and landlady is a spy!), dealing with past heartache. They have a similar vibe to the couple in Swordheart, but I liked that couple, so I was okay with that. I also liked that one character from Swordheart plays a role here. There is also a whole thing with an attempted assassination, as well as a subplot involving severed heads. But Vernon balances the gore with fluff nicely. It looks like she’s working on more books set in this world and I will be psyched to read them! A/A-.

2020 book 31

Arkady Martine's A Memory of Empire
I've owned this book for a while, and heard tons of good things about it, but every time I started it I was like "I need to be able to concentrate more and really sink into this." And finally I was traveling, and I'm so glad I finally had the time to dive in, because it lived up to the hype. It's about a young woman from an independent space station, who is named ambassador to the mighty Empire after the previous ambassador is suddenly . . . unable to serve. And her society has a whole thing with shared memories, but her predecessor's are fifteen years out of date . . . so she's being thrown into a very dicey situation. Can she solve the mystery of what happened to her predecessor and also successfully navigate serious politics??? I love both those kinds of stories, so to have them come together with a bunch of compelling characters and fascinating world-building was definitely my jam. This was just really SATISFYING. I can't wait to read the next book in the series and see where things go. A.

2020 book 30

Emily St John Mandel's The Glass Hotel
I was a bit reluctant to read the author's latest, bc how could she follow up Station 11? But I shouldn’t have doubted her, bc this was super engrossing. I will say that I read it on a plane, totally absorbed, except the plane landed ten minutes before I was done and I lost the thread a bit. Anyway, this novel is about a young addict, his half-sister (who has fallen into the ocean), a Ponzi scheme, and various other ppl moving in and out of the picture. I think I loved this but I’m not sure how well it all cohered? Who cares, I love Vincent! A.


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

2020 book 29

Lois McMaster Bujold’s The Orphans of Raspay
The seventh book in the Penric series finds Penric captured by pirates, along with a pair of orphan girls, all about to be sold into slavery. I wasn’t super into this one for various reasons. It was not fun or funny. I mean, it was fine, just not as enjoyable as its predecessors. B.

2019 book 18

Lois McMaster Bujold's The Prisoner of Limnos
The sixth Penric book finds our sorcerer still attempting to woo his love interest--this time, while assisting her in rescuing her mother, who is being held hostage for political reasons. This one wraps up a bunch of stuff from the last few books, so is much more satisfying, while still having lots of humor and heart. Plus there's basically a magical heist--what's not to like? A/A-.

2019 book 17

Lois McMaster Bujold's Mira's Last Dance
The fifth Penric book does pick up where the last one leaves off, with Penric and his new compatriots on the run, eventually taking refuge in a brothel. Humor and nice moments ensue! I loved it! But this one ALSO ends on a cliffhanger, very unsatisfying. Still very good, and obviously I’m diving right into the next one. A-/B+.

2019 book 16

Louise Erdrich's The Night Watchman
The titular watchman is inspired by Erdrich's own grandfather, who fought the US government's efforts to dispossess/disband American's indigenous tribes. I found his story really compelling! There are a few other narrative strains, though, predominately that of Pixie, a young relative of the watchman's, who's trying to find her missing sister, sort out her lovelife, and keep her traditions alive. We also get to know a young local boxer, his (white) coach, a grad student, and various other community members and ghosts. I mostly enjoyed this a lot (ok, some of the stuff with Pixie and her sister is super stressful, trigger warnings ahoy), but it didn’t entirely come together for me. I still think Erdrich is one of our great American writers, of course, and this novel sheds a lot of light on a pivotal moment of our history. A-.

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

2020 book 15

Lois McMaster Bujold's Penric's Mission
The fourth Penric book picks up a few years later, and finds our hero on a covert mission to another country--where he is immediately imprisoned. Eventually he gets involved with a pretty young widow and her brother, who is being framed for treason. This one doesn't have a super satisfying conclusion, because I think the next book picks up right where this leaves off. Still, I of course enjoyed this, and am glad a little romance is being thrown into the mix. B+.

2020 book 14

Lois McMaster Bujold's Penric's Fox
The third Penric book finds the young sorcerer teaming up with the shaman and lawman from the previous book to solve a murder--the murder of a sorceress. The plot here is a fairly straightforward mystery--aside from, you know, the magical elements--and I continue to enjoy reading about these characters. Plus this one has BABY FOXES. Good all-around. A-.

2020 book 13

Lois McMaster Bujold's Penric and the Shaman
The second Penric book picks up a few years after the first, with Penric a fully fledged sorcerer, recruited to help track down a shaman who may have committed murder. Journeys, ghosts, and mysterious (and adorable) dogs ensue! I liked this a lot--this series is pretty solid for lighthearted fantasy entertainment (murders aside, of course). A-.

2020 book 12

Jenny Offill's Weather
I really liked Offill's last novel, Dept. of Speculation, but this one didn’t work as well for me. It’s also a sort of stream of consciousness novel, and while I did like the narrative voice a lot—she’s a librarian, dealing with an addict brother, trying to balance her work and kid and husband and side job answering emails for a podcast host, etc—but it’s just kind of all over the place. I appreciate that it was trying to present a hopeful look at the future (while still discussing our current harsh truths), but I just never felt connected to any of it. B.

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A review copy was provided by the publisher. This book will be released on February 11th.

2020 book 11

Magda Szabo's Abigail
Abigail is apparently Szabo's most popular novel in her native Hungary, but it took fifty years for an English translation to appear. Well, I'm glad it did! It's centered on a young Hungarian girl, the daughter of a widowed General, who is sent to a very strict boarding school in the provinces as WWII gets underway. The girls there do their best to make things livable—helped along by the statue in the garden, the titular Abigail, who reads their letters and comes to their aid. But who is behind Abigail, and what will happen as political tensions rise? That is not really a mystery to the reader; this is much more of a coming of age tale, and it’s a powerful and moving one. I was completely engrossed, and can’t wait to read more by Szabo. A.

2020 book 10

Lois McMaster Bujold's Penric's Demon
This novella is (I think) set in the author's Chalion world, but I don’t remember those well and had no issues following it. It’s a light and mostly funny story about a young man, traveling to his betrothal ceremony, who encounters an ill old women—who promptly dies, leaving him to be possessed by her demon. Whoops. It’s mainly about his relationship with the demon, which I found very interesting and compelling. I’ll definitely read more in this series. A-.

2020 book 9

Quan Barry's We Ride Upon Sticks
Y’all. This book. Is about. FIELD HOCKEY WITCHES.

FIELD HOCKEY WITCHES!!!!!

Has there ever been a book more geared toward ME? (See below pic for reference.)

Anyway, this story is set in 1989, where the much-losing varsity field hockey team at Danvers High takes a little inspiration from their town's history—Danvers, of course, being where most of the witch trials actually took place. I loved everything about this book—the first person plural narrative voice that nonetheless lets all the girls (and one boy) shine, their camaraderie and rivalries, how funny parts of this are and how satisfying all of it is, how it speaks to truth about the teen girl experience. Seriously, this book is GREAT and I recommend it highly, even if you didn’t play high school field hockey. A.

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

2020 book 8

Diana Wynne Jones' Howl's Moving Castle
My brain needed a palate cleanser after those last couple of books, and what better way to wash away dense and sordid philosophical novels than with a story of sisters, magic, romance, and mystery? This book is so funny and sweet and a little bit sly. Sophie, the eldest of three, knows how stories go, so she isn’t even surprised when a witch curses her and her misadventures begin, as she becomes housekeeper to the heartless wizard Howl. I love this book more every time I read it.

2020 book 7

Ada Palmer's Seven Surrenders
The second Terra Ignota book goes all in on philosophical/theological debates and (deliberately unpleasant) debauchery, but eventually plot does come into it and things pick up a bit. I think I like these books, but they also really bum me out. They do feel more like thought experiments than novels at times, which is not really my jam. I am /thinking/ about them a lot, so I guess they are effective in that way? I am curious enough to read the third, at least. B/B+.

2020 book 6

Ada Palmer's Too Like the Lightning
The first book in Palmer's Terra Ignota series is a doozy! It's a sci fi story set several hundred years in the future, and it also has a couple of different mysteries going on, and a LOT of political intrigue. The narrator is a man (though gender is hidden in this world and pronouns are used based more on societal role) who immediately confesses that he's a criminal, but his sentence was to be part of the servant class. He works for many of the world's leaders and so is witness to all sorts of politics. Also, there was a weird newspaper break-in, but who broke in, and why? And what did the narrator DO, exactly? Also, there's a mysterious little boy. ALSO, the narrator engages in a lot of conversations about 18th century Enlightenment thinkers (I personally could have done with less of this, as well as with less of the weird lewdness in the back half). OK, there is no good way for me to explain this book: it's very dense, and intense, and fascinating, and I can't wait to read the next one. A-.

2020 book 5

Gish Jen's The Resisters
All I knew going into this book was a) I like Gish Jen, and b) that is a badass cover and title. So I almost don’t want to say anything else about it so you too can be surprised about where it starts, and where it ends up. Here are some tidbits: a near-future dystopia, race and class struggles, a father watching his daughter grow up . . . and baseball. (I am not a person particularly interested in sports, but Jen makes the baseball pretty compelling.) It's great. A/A-.

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A review copy was provided by the publisher. This book will be released on February 4th.

2020 book 4

Kate Racculia's Tuesday Mooney Talks to Ghosts
I loved this book so much when I read it that I made my book club read it so I would have more people to discuss it with, but for some reason I had a little bit of a hard time rereading it. I think I was sort of cringing in anticipation of a couple of things I knew were coming, even though I knew awesome things were ALSO coming! (And knowing one of the twists means Tuesday is bad at her job is cringeworthy for sure.) But soon enough I was caught up in the adventures; following a dead man's treasure hunt with a wild cast of characters is bound to do that. This is heartfelt and bittersweet and full of adventures and sadness and joy. Just great.

2020 book 3

Kate Milford's The Thief Knot
The latest book in Milford's Greenglass House universe features a great mix of old and new characters (but works fine as a standalone, since I don’t remember all of them very well). Two girls live in the MOST boring town—because it’s a sanctuary for retired ne'er-do-wells—so of course when they hear about a kidnapping, they decide to investigate, and put a crew together. This makes it sound like a silly romp but Milford and her characters take all this very seriously, and it’s a really satisfying adventure story/mystery. Great friendships, great kids, great depiction of dealing with social anxiety. A/A-.

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A review copy was provided by the publisher. This book will be released on January 14th.

2020 book 2

Margaret Dumas' Murder in the Balcony
The second Murder in the Palace mystery, about a woman who runs a classic movie theater (which has a helpful and friendly ghost!) and deals with theater stuff, her maybe ex husband the movie star, her employees and friends, and also a little bit of murder-solvin'. This time, the boyfriend of one of her employees is MURDERED! Also, a shady real estate tycoon is trying to buy all the buildings on the block! Can she figure things out and save the day? The mystery here is solid, but it’s definitely the characters I’m most into here. And all the cute fake blog entries about classic movies. There were some annoying typos but otherwise this was a lot of fun. B+.

2020 book 1

Lina Rather's Sisters of the Vast Black
Nuns! In! Space!!!!!!!!

I mean, do I really need to write more? You already know if you want to read a book about nuns in space, on a living ship, in the far corners of the galaxy. Nuns of a practical nature.

But if you're on the fence about it--I recommend it HIGHLY. Especially if you're into the Becky Chambers Wayfarers books. Definitely that sort of vibe. And I will be eagerly awaiting whatever Rather writes next. A.

2019 book 168

Sarah Pinsker's A Song for a New Day

This novel takes place in the near future, in a world where, due to bombings and pandemics, public congregations (including concerts!) are banned. Our protagonists are a (woman) musician, ex-Orthodox Jewish, who misses playing live shows, and another young woman, who works for a corporation that controls basically everything. The story bogs down a bit when the latter gets a new job and has to face the real world; she is amazingly naive and parts of the book feel like capitalism/consumerism 101 as new friends clue her in. I did like that basically everyone in this book was queer, and liked the way it depicted music scenes. I just wished it was a little more subtle. B+.

2019 book 167

Tiffany Tsao's The Majesties
This book is kind of like if Crazy Rich Asians, instead of being fun and soapy, was something of a thriller. It’s narrated by a woman in a coma, whose beloved sister has poisoned their entire family and all their friends in a murder-suicide, and the comatose woman is the only survivor. So, as any coma patient would do, she narrates the story of her sister and herself in a straightforward literary manner. (Clearly I had some issues with suspension of disbelief.) The conclusion is super obvious, though I also felt it needed more actual foreshadowing to work. Parts of this are really moving, but on the whole it didn’t work for me. B.

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

2019 book 166

Catherine Lloyd’s Death Comes to the Nursery
The seventh Kurland St Mary mystery has a murder closer to home, when the new nursery maid—a very pretty girl who all the local men are fighting over—is found dead. The mystery elements were good enough, though a bit all over the place, but Lloyd is hitting the same character beats as in the last couple so it’s not super interesting. I mean, it’s fine, but the characters need some new friends and neighbors or something. B.

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

2019 book 165

Catherine Lloyd's Death Comes to Bath
The sixth Kurland St Mary mystery finds Lucy and Robert off to Bath to take the waters, with various friends and relations in tow. Soon a new acquaintance is murdered and they’re determined to solve the case. The mystery here is fine, even if the solution isn’t too hard to suss out, but I was really frustrated with the writing. This needed better proof-reading—lots of little mistakes and missing commas. And the story wasn’t engrossing enough to ignore it. B/B-.

2019 book 164

Diana Wynne Jones' The Pinhoe Egg
And the cozy reads continue with the sixth Chrestomanci book! This one features lots of magical secrets, mysteries, animals, etc, as Cat (from the first book) and a local girl deal with magical issues in the village. Just another very satisfying story.

2019 book 163

Diana Wynne Jones' Conrad's Fate
These are the perfect books to read in chilly weather when you are sleepy and cozy! The fifth Chrestomanci book finds a boy named Conrad partnered with teen Christopher as trainee servants in a gran house—but both are secretly there for other reasons. Adventures, comedy, and magic ensue and of course Jones wraps it all up with a satisfying bow. A-.

2019 book 162

Diana Wynne Jones' The Magicians of Caprona
The fourth Chrestomanci book has everything: feuding magical families in a town in Italy (the homage to Romeo and Juliet is intentional), political intrigue, interesting children, and excellent cats. Can they all come together to save the day? And will things be hilarious along the way? This is Diana Wynne Jones, so yes.

2019 book 161

Diana Wynne Jones' Witch Week
This is a charming and mildly silly outing in the Chrestomanci universe, in a world where witchcraft is illegal, but SOMEONE in the sixth grade class is a witch. Lots of magic and mayhem ensue before a very satisfying ending.

2019 book 160

Holly Goldberg Sloan and Meg Wolitzer's To Night Owl from Dogfish
I’ve had mixed feelings about previous works from both these authors, but this was a pretty cute middle grade book that has a reverse Parent Trap vibe. See, these tween girls' dads have become an item, and are sending the girls to camp to make friends. Which the girls resolutely REFUSE to do, nope, definitely not going to be friends, even though they are emailing back and forth like crazy. A lot of this was predictable but I liked the girls' relationship a lot. B+.

2019 book 159

Victoria Goddard's Blackcurrant Fool
The fourth Greenwing and Dart books finds our young men on a road trip to meet some heretofore unknown relations and also check out one of the local bastions of higher education. Things obviously don’t go quite as planned. I liked how Goddard brought in some of the world's trailing thread, plus I appreciated the emphasis on a good literary analysis! There are still some dangling bits of storyline so I have high hopes for more stories featuring these guys. A/A-.

2019 book 158

Victoria Goddard's Whiskeyjack
The third Greenwing and Dart book is full of the same fun and adventure and magic as its predecessors, plus it starts to solve some of the mysteries surrounding the protagonist's father. This one is maybe more action-packed/plot-forward as opposed to character-focused, but it is still obviously super entertaining and enjoyable.

2019 book 157

Victoria Goddard's Bee Sting Cake
The second Greenwing and Dart book is as delightful as the first, as old friends--and dragons--come to town, not to mention the upcoming harvest fair and cake competition! I love the narrative voice in these books and also love the focus on friendship. But you also can't go wrong with dragons who make you solve riddles.

2019 book 156

Victoria Goddard's Stargazy Pie
It is rereading cozy books season, and since the fourth one in this series just came out, I decided to reread the first three! This does a great job introducing a complicated fantasy world, full of magic and action and bookstores and mysterious cults and mysterious pies and friendship. What more could you want in a story??

2019 Favorites!!!!

I think this is my earliest favorite books post ever, but I am susceptible to peer pressure, everyone else is posting lists, and anyway are those library holds going to come in anytime soon? No. I read a bunch of good books this year and probably missed just as many other good books. SO here are my favorites, the ones that made me happy when the world was bad or that otherwise blew me away. In alphabetical order:


Naomi Kritzer's Catfishing on CatNet

Melina Marchetta's The Place on Dalhousie

Juliet Marillier's The Harp of Kings

Casey McQuiston's Red, White, and Royal Blue

Jaclyn Moriarty's Gravity Is The Thing

Sandra Newman's The Heavens

Helen Oyeyemi's Gingerbread

Ann Patchett's Dutch House

Kate Racculia's Tuesday Mooney Talks to Ghosts

Rainbow Rowell's Wayward Son

Elizabeth Strout's Olive, Again

Miriam Toews' Women Talking

2019 book 155

C.M. Waggoner's Unnatural Magic
This is just the sort of book I’ve been wanting to read, full of adventure and magic and romance and powerful ladies getting shit done. In this case, the powerful ladies are a young girl who wants to be a wizard (despite societal sexism), and a young troll woman who befriends an injured soldier. Also, there is a murder mystery!! (Though it’s not too hard to figure out.) Both storylines and all three characters are great, and when they eventually come together, it’s even more awesome. This is one of those stories I was so caught up in, I didn’t even notice when the cat got onto my lap. I love being totally engrossed. Anyway, I will definitely read whatever Waggoner writes next, and I hope it’s something else set in this world. A/A-.

2019 book 154

Margaret Peterson Haddox's Greystone Secrets 1: The Strangers
This is a solid start to a new middle-grade series, wherein three children live normal lives with their normal mom, until they hear a news story about three other children who have been kidnapped—children with their same names and birthdays. What is the connection between them? And why is their mom suddenly going on a mysterious business trip? This went in a direction I didn’t expect and it was great! Good characters and narrative voices, a quick-moving plot, etc. The end was a bit silly/even more unrealistic than anything else, but appropriate enough for a kids' book. I will definitely be looking forward to volume two. A-.

2019 book 153

Kate Saunders' Laetitia Rodd and the Case of the Wandering Scholar
The second book in Saunders' mystery series, about a lady detective in Victorian times, finds the titular Mrs. Rodd asked to track down a dying man's brother—a former scholar who now lives as a hermit in the woods. Soon she is caught up in a MURDER and must prove a friend's innocence! I liked the characters and the plot a lot, though a lot of the characters are vicars and parsons who have arguments about Christianity, which I am not personally that interested in. Still, if Saunders writes more in this series, I will definitely read them; I like the narrative voice very much. A-.

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A review copy was provided by the publisher. This book will be released on Tuesday.

2019 book 152

Becky Albertalli and Aisha Saeed's Yes No Maybe So
Do you need a super cute YA romance about progressive politics in your life? Yes, yes you do. This co-written novel focuses on a Jewish teen boy, plagued by social anxiety, and a Muslim girl, dealing with newly separated parents, who pair up to canvas for a state senatorial candidate in Atlanta. I love both characters and their relationships with friends and families (I was obviously partial to the sassy Jewish grandma and the sassy Jewish little sister). They felt like real kids, even if I did find the romance stuff to be sliiiiightly cheesy. Still, I was rooting for them! This was so cute and super relevant to our modern times! A/A-.

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

2019 book 151

Sylvia Townsend Warner's The Corner That Held Them
I keep reading things about Warner, and liked her book Lolly Willowes a lot, so though I’d check this out. It’s the story of a convent in 1300s England, and some parts are interesting and some are tiresome and not much really happens. I guess it’s an interesting concept from a literary point of view, but I didn’t really enjoy the reading experience. B/B-.

2019 book 150

K.B. Spangler's Stoneskin

This was a very compelling start to a sci-fi series that also includes some magical elements—namely, a sentient force in the universe that can communicate with certain people, called Witches, who can use it to teleport people and things all over the galaxy. Now it has chosen a little girl as a Witch, much younger than its usual selections—but why? Lots of adventure and learning to use powers and action and different kinds of humans, etc. I really liked the characters, relationships, and world building here, and will definitely read more of this series whenever it comes out. A-.

2019 book 149

Scarlett Thomas' Oligarchy
After writing the first three books in an excellent middle-grade series, Thomas is back to adult fiction with her latest. Though it does revolve around teen girls at a boarding school in England. Protagonist Natasha, daughter of a very rich Russian man, is sent to a weird school where the girls are all preoccupied by eating disorders and little learning seems to actually happen. I will say that I liked the disparate strands of this story a lot—the relationships between the girls, the relationship between Natasha and her aunt, the sort of mystery element that comes into play—but I felt like I wanted more meat to build the story out. Still, it has a sort of raw urgency that I appreciated; I read it all in one go. A-.

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

2019 book 148

Audrey Coulthurst's Inkmistress
This was described to me as a story involving magic, lesbians, and dragons, and I like all of those things, so figured I'd check it out. It centers on a young demi-god with various powers, but most importantly (and secretly): whatever she writes in her blood comes true. But not always in the ways she intended. So when her girlfriend needs help, she does some blood-writing, and things go very badly. Now she has to leave her isolated mountain and journey around to uncover the secrets behind her powers, etc. I liked the way the author uses magic here, but the writing was kind of awkward, I was not invested in the romance, and I found the protagonist really frustrating and clueless. I also found the ending disappointing on a number of levels. It kind of renders the entire rest of the book pointless. Just . . . not great. B-.

2019 book 147

Kate DiCamillo's Beverly, Right Here
In the final book in DiCamillo's trilogy, tough and practical Beverly gets the spotlight. She's fourteen and leaves home (her beloved dog has died) to make a new life for herself. Like its predecessor, this one had me struggling a bit. It's great for kids to read stories about found families sometimes being superior to birth families, but life isn't always this easy or convenient. I mean, it's not an overly optimistic view of the world; Beverly's mother is an alcoholic and her father abandoned them. I guess I just wish these stories went a little deeper. B/B+.

2019 book 146

Kate DiCamillo's Louisiana's Way Home
The second book in DeCamillo's Raymie Nightingale series focuses on her friend Louisiana--a talented singer from a family of performers, who is prone to fainting, and whose grandmother whisks her away in the middle of the night. I will say that I find the characters here likable--it's nice to have some warm-hearted people in the world--but the plot strains incredulity for an adult reader. It's a very sweet story but it doesn't really hold together for me. B.

2019 book 145

Kate DiCamillo's Raymie Nightingale
I'm reading this middle-grade novel for two reasons: 1) I saw Ann Patchett speak a couple weeks ago, and she spoke very warmly about DiCamillo and her work; and b) the third book in this series just came out to stellar reviews, and I am nothing if not a person who will always read a series from the beginning. Anyway, the titular Raymie is a ten year old in 1975, who wants to win a local beauty pageant type thing in the hopes it will bring her father back (he has left her mother for another woman). So she enrolls in baton-twirling lessons, where she meets two other girls who also have plans for the contest. I thought this was really sweet and enjoyed seeing how things worked out--DiCamillo does a great job with the structure here. The narrative voice reads a little young, but that works for a ten year old character in a book aimed at ten year olds. A-.

2019 book 144

Nona Fernandez's Space Invaders
This is a short but powerful novel about a group of friends who are haunted by dreams and memories of one of their childhood classmates in 1980s Chile, a girl who disappeared suddenly, and whose father was part of the Pinochet regime. (Kind of a Virgin Suicides vibe, but more interesting.) I did wish some parts of this were a little bit more fleshed out, but that would maybe defeat the purpose from a literary perspective. Anyway, a knockout of a book, and one of the best book covers I've seen in a long time. A/A-.

2019 book 143

Terry Pratchett’s Maskerade
This volume of the Discworld witches series finds our elder witches trying to recruit a local girl with talent—only she’s run off to the city to try and make it as a singer. Soon all three are in a pastiche of Phantom of the Opera, to endless hilarity. I will say I wish there were fewer comments about Agnes' body, though the book does seem to be sympathetic to her. Still an excellent and entertaining read.

2019 book 142

Margaret Wilkerson Sexton's The Revisioners
The Revisioners is the story of a woman in modern day New Orleans, a biracial woman who goes, with her black son, to live with and take care of her ailing, rich, white grandmother. It's also the story of the woman's great-great-something-grandmother, who was born a slave and built a new life for herself--until new neighbors come and complicate things. And mostly it's the story of families, the stories we tell ourselves, and racial and class tensions in the South. A bittersweet and moving story. A-.

2019 book 141

Terry Pratchett's Lords and Ladies
Cozy weather season has commenced which means I am all in on cozy reads, and apparently am just rereading all the Discworld Witches books as a result. This one is a lot of fun, as Elves start to break through into their town and the witches have to stop them! Plus one is about to get married! All three get some really good moments here, which is nice; obviously I adore Granny Weatherwax, but it's nice to see Nanny Ogg and Magrat getting into the action too. Just an all around funny and exciting book.

2019 book 140

Maggie Stiefvater's Call Down the Hawk
Considering all the book news I follow, I am amazed and a bit embarrassed that I didn't know until last week that Stiefvater a) had a new book coming out and that it was b) set in the Raven Cycle universe, focusing on Ronan! On the plus side, I only had to wait a week to read it. :) Anyway, this is really about all three of the Lynch brothers, plus a cast of new characters—another dreamer, some art forgers, a group tracking down and /killing/ dreamers to forestall the apocalypse. You know, the usual. I did wish these characters crossed paths a little earlier, but once they started interacting I was fully on board. Occasionally Steifvater's slightly mannered writing took me out of the story, but for the most part I suuuuuper enjoyed this and can’t wait to read the next one. In a year or so. Siiiiiiigh. A-.

2019 book 139

Steph Cha's Your House Will Pay
Cha is the author of the Juniper Song mysteries, which are not really my bag, but I wanted to read this stand-alone from her as it was getting great reviews. It's set in LA and focuses on two families--one African-American, one Korean-American--in the early 90s and in the present day. And I was totally caught up from the first page--just super compelling characters and narrative voices, and the suspense really draws you in. The murder at the heart of this story is based on a real murder (which I think I learned about from OJ: Made in America) and Cha does a lot to bring it back to life and show how the issues it raised are just as relevant now. This dragged a teensy bit for me in the middle but on the whole was a really powerful meditation on race and community and family. A-.

2019 book 138

Terry Pratchett's Witches Abroad
This Discworld book finds our three witches caught up in a mess of fairy tales—mainly Cinderella by way of New Orleans (the race stuff here is maybe problematic??). Lots of hilarity and magic ensue, of course! Seriously, there are so few books that make me actually cackle out loud, but this one definitely does.

2019 book 137

Terry Pratchett's Wyrd Sisters
IS there anything better than Terry Pratchett messing with Shakespearean actors and Macbeth and throwing his witches into the mix? No, there is not. Tons of action, laugh out loud moments, and sensible ladies saving the day. What more could you want in a book?

2019 book 136

Terry Pratchett's Equal Rites
Halloween may be over, but I still wanted to read about witches, and few literary witches are as good as Pratchett's. Do you know, I have actually never read this one! It centers on a little girl who, as a newborn, is given a wizard's powers (and staff) (he thinks she is the eighth son of an eighth son), and so local witch Granny Weatherwax has to deal with this girl and her magic. But it's wizard magic, so she has to go to wizard school, and what will they even let her learn?? This was a lot of fun, though the end left a little to be desired for me (I think this is like the third Discworld book, so he was obviously still fine-tuning). Still, hilarious and awesome for sure. A-/B+.

2019 book 135

Agatha Christie's Three Act Tragedy
It's Halloween, I thought, the perfect time to read a Poirot mystery I've never read, full of actors and amateur detectives and house parties and whatnot. And it starts off very funny, but we're not even to the end of chapter two before this starts:

I guess at this point the rampant casual anti-Semitism in Christie's books should not catch me unawares, and yet it does, every time.
Anyway, this mystery is fine, not one of her standout works, but well plotted and funny. I think I'm back on another break from Christie though. B.

2019 book 134

Leigh Bardugo's Ninth House
I’ve enjoyed several of Bardugo's YA novels, so was looking forward to her much-hyped adult debut—a paranormal murder mystery! I will say that I had to wait a while for my library hold to come through so my anticipation was pretty high, but the book mostly lived up to it. Like I said, it’s a paranormal murder mystery, set at Yale, where the eight super fancy secret societies are actually full of magic and mysticism and the occult! Our protagonist is a  (Sephardic Jewish!) girl from the wrong side of the tracks (her backstory was the part that didn’t work well for me) who can SEE GHOSTS, so she's been admitted to Yale under somewhat false pretenses to be part of a group that monitors all the paranormal weirdness. And then her mentor disappears, and a girl is murdered, and things really start to go off the rails. The mystery element was pretty good, although slightly convoluted, but I loved the characters, especially the growing friendships between the protagonists and other women. I will give a mega content warning here for a lot of violence against women (sexual and otherwise) which was hard to read. But I liked where this ended up and will definitely read the next one in this series. A-/B+.

2019 book 133

Rainbow Rowell's Wayward Son
Yes, this just came out a month ago and I read it then, but we're discussing it for book club this week so I had to reread it! I like the details to be fresh. I wanted to reread it anyway, because my first read was just like "what!" as the plot unfolded, and now that I know where it's going, I can absorb more of the atmosphere and character work. Anyway, if you have not read this, it features the three main characters of Carry On heading to America for a ROAD TRIP! Definitely no issues with magical teens entering unknown territory and dealing with relationship problems! Plus there's a pretty bad-ass ending (ILU, Penelope and Agatha). Can't wait for the third book!

2019 book 132

Agatha Christie's Hallowe'en Party
This is clearly a later Christie work, as it spends a lot of time lamenting about current society and its travails (particularly KIDS THESE DAYS: murderous children, as well as children getting murdered bc they got a ride from a stranger), and several times mentions that things would be better if more people were institutionalized! Anyway, mystery-wise, this is pretty solid: a little girl is murdered at a Halloween party after bragging about having once /witnessed/ a murder, so one of the party guests--a mystery novelist (who apparently appears in several of Christie's books) calls in her friend Poirot to track down the killer! There are plenty of suspects, as Poirot has two murders to solve, and has no idea what the first one was. The solution is a mixture of "yeah, that's what I expected" and pure goofiness. This book in general is very goofy, though I think a lot of that is the very dated attitudes about . . . everything. I am curious to read the other Christie books featuring Ariadne, though. B.

2019 book 131

Josephine Tey's Brat Farrar
The only book I’ve read by Tey is the one where the bedridden guy is reading about Richard III, but I saw someone mention this and it looked interesting, so I figured I’d give it a go. It’s about a young man who poses as the long lost heir to a horse breeding family (it's England). But what happened to the little boy he's pretending to be? And will he be found out??? This was a solid story, and while it’s not too hard to solve the mystery parts, the satisfaction is seeing how everything comes together. I enjoyed this a lot, a classic sort of British mystery. A-.

2019 book 130

Allie Larkin's Why Can't I Be You
I needed something fluffy after reading a creepy book by Shirley Jackson, and Christina recommended this to me. It totally fit the bill! It's the story of a woman who's heading to a conference--and then her boyfriend dumps her at the airport. So when the organizer of a high school reunion at the conference hotel mistakes her for an old classmate, she just kind of goes with it. If you can get past this fairly ridiculous premise, the book is super cute. It's got a 90s romcom vibe for sure. That also gets at its slight cheesiness and how things work out at the end. Still, I'd watch that movie! B/B+.

2019 book 129

Shirley Jackson's The Haunting of Hill House
I feel like everyone is talking about this book right now, because of course it's the perfect time of year to read a spooky story! I've actually never read this, and didn't watch the Netflix series, so I went into this knowing almost nothing about it. And it was SO CREEPY. SOOOOO CREEPY. But also funny at times. Anyway, if you don't know anything about it, the gist is that a paranormal researcher rents a haunted house for the summer, and invites two young women (who maybe have psychic abilities) and the heir to the house to investigate.(Sidebar: Theo is definitely a lesbian, right? And Eleanor?) As is common with people hanging out in haunted houses, things don't go too well. Jackson excels at this sort of psychological ambiguous terror, perfect October reading. A-.

2019 book 128

Laura Ruby's Thirteen Doorways, Wolves Behind Them All
Ruby's latest novel, after the great Bone Gap, is set in 1940s Chicago and is narrated by a ghost who likes to hang out and watch the girls at an orphanage. She is particularly interested in one Frankie, whose father left her and her siblings there during the Depression. I was personally more interested in the ghost than in Frankie (the ghost hangs out with a fox and befriends other ghosts and gradually remembers her own story), though Frankie is a very vivid and relatable character. I just felt like her story, while compelling, was not a particularly new one. Ruby is saying a lot here about being a girl and being a woman, as well as dealing a bit with racial tensions. A satisfying read for sure. B/B+.

2019 book 127

K. Eason's How Rory Thorne Destroyed the Multiverse
Ooh this book was SO FUN! It’s a really interesting fantasy-sci fi hybrid with court politics and fairy tales in outer space, lots of badass women, the friends we made along the way, etc. I will note that the title is a teensy bit misleading, as the multiverse here is not a bunch of alternate versions of reality, but just the general outer space area. But it didn’t even matter, because I enjoyed this so much. The narrative voice—a slightly snarky historian—is aces, I loved all the characters and action, and can’t wait to see what this series does next. A/A-.

2019 book 126

Diana Wynne Jones' The Lives of Christopher Chant
This Chrestomanci book is a prequel to the first, but I like it that way--it's fun to get the backstories of all the adults from the first book (especially Millie!). This is one of my favorites by Diana Wynne Jones--lots of good magic and adventure and magical adventures and humor and CATS. Such good cats.

2019 book 125

Elizabeth Strout's Olive, Again
This is the perfect fall book, with its crisp prose and evocative atmospheres. It's another of Strout's novels-in-stories about the titular Olive Kitteridge, but I had only vague memories of its predecessor and didn't feel lost at all. I really love the way Strout creates a whole town and its inhabitants, and how we catch little glimpses of them from one POV to another. This one focuses mostly on Olive growing older, though of course has lots to say about family and friendship and love and forgiveness. Another stellar work from Strout. A.

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A review copy was provided by the publisher. This book will be released on October 15th.

2019 book 124

Diana Wynne Jones' Charmed Life
Fall weather finally rolling in made me want to read books about WITCHES! So why not start with one of the modern classics? This one skews a bit young to be completely satisfying for me (plus has some brief weird race stuff, maybe bc it was written in 1977?), but it's cute and funny and full of magic, so what's not to like?