Interesting and well researched novella (there's a bibliography at the back! I love fiction that cites its sources!) about a trans nurse, post WWI, seInteresting and well researched novella (there's a bibliography at the back! I love fiction that cites its sources!) about a trans nurse, post WWI, sent to a small Appalachian town with the Frontier Nursing services, and finding the town in the chokehold of a bigoted preacher. The horror/fantasy element is mostly just vibes until near the end, when the magic enters the scene with a roar.
Very NSFW, or children.
*I am not rating books read for the World Fantasy Award.*...more
A loose retelling of Hades and Persephone, set in 15th century West Africa. The rich descriptive language was wonderful, and I appreciated that there A loose retelling of Hades and Persephone, set in 15th century West Africa. The rich descriptive language was wonderful, and I appreciated that there was a glossary at the back to help as well! (Love me a good glossary!) I listened to the audiobook, but followed along in the physical book, which was great because I would have been pronouncing the names all wrong in my head, and I hate that! Also, who wouldn't want a pet elephant?! I mean, be honest!
*I am not rating books read for the World Fantasy Award.*...more
The Duke and Duchess are a Delight! Simon's adventures as jack-of-all-trades and generally good guy are so fun to read, and of course I always love a The Duke and Duchess are a Delight! Simon's adventures as jack-of-all-trades and generally good guy are so fun to read, and of course I always love a book where handwork of any kind saves the day!...more
Picked this up on a whim from the library, once I got into it, I couldn't put it down!
Just a fabulous reminder that if one of your roommates says, "HPicked this up on a whim from the library, once I got into it, I couldn't put it down!
Just a fabulous reminder that if one of your roommates says, "Hey, we should do a spell/play with a ouija board/poke things in this voodoo doll," the only correct answer is "NO!"
*I am not rating any books eligible for the World Fantasy Award*...more
Just imagining her sisters sitting there calmly telling her that she's adopted and that they tried to give her back to the home for unwed mothers . . Just imagining her sisters sitting there calmly telling her that she's adopted and that they tried to give her back to the home for unwed mothers . . . so cold. So darkly funny! ...more
Charming Christmas story with a very satisfying ending. Takes us all through the year, from one Christmas to another, to tell the story of how lives aCharming Christmas story with a very satisfying ending. Takes us all through the year, from one Christmas to another, to tell the story of how lives are changed by an accident, misunderstanding, and a little bit of Christmas magic. ...more
Once again, I'm nodding my head along with intense science discussions, which I barely understand, and which I'm hoping I will not be tested on later.Once again, I'm nodding my head along with intense science discussions, which I barely understand, and which I'm hoping I will not be tested on later.
What I am here for is the madcap adventures of the main characters. Like Half-cocked Jack in The Baroque Cycle, or Raz in Anathem. Here we have Dawn/Avrora/Aurora, shunted back and forth between her cowgirl mother in Depression Era Western America and her intense Communist father in Russia and D. C. Dawn is probably, of all Stephenson's characters, the most Dickensian. This is David Copperfield with Communists. Like all of Stephenson's books, it also takes a while to get going, and I'm glad that this is just the first installment. I feel that we were just getting to really know Dawn, and her past and present were finally sort of coming together into a full picture, when it ended. So I'm very excited to see what happens next!...more
Beautiful and bittersweet. At first I was like, I dislike all the men, and I need all these women to ovary up.
And then later I was like, I LOATHE ALLBeautiful and bittersweet. At first I was like, I dislike all the men, and I need all these women to ovary up.
And then later I was like, I LOATHE ALL THE MEN AND THESE WOMEN ARE MY PRECIOUS WITCHES AND I WILL DIE FOR THEM.
I stayed up late to finish this, and I'm under doctor's orders to get more sleep! That's how much I needed to keep listening! (And btw: the audiobook has three narrators and they were all amazing!)
I rarely have patience with books where there's a lot of discussion of, you know, "womanly issues," but here it made sense. ...more
A bright little jewel of a book. I feel like Lowry has transitioned from writing "a year in the life" books like Anastasia Krupnik or Taking Care of TA bright little jewel of a book. I feel like Lowry has transitioned from writing "a year in the life" books like Anastasia Krupnik or Taking Care of Terrific, which did always have one big event they were building to, but did it slowly, to these sort of hyper-focused single event books.
Here we have Sophie, a bright young girl, who is facing an immediate challenge with her best friend Sophie, an elderly woman. That weekend Sophie the Elder's son is coming to take her to a doctor for a dementia assessment. Sophie needs to help Sophie pass the test, so things can stay just as they are. In trying to coach Sophie the Elder, Sophie the Younger tries to get her to remember three simple words, which the older woman does, but only by telling three beautiful, heartbreaking stories about her childhood in Poland, on the eve of World War Two.
This slender book packs so much in! History! Friendship! Contemporary issues! Aging relatives! Popularity! So, you know, classic Lowry!
It's every author's worst fear: Dying in the middle of a passion project.
While I knew that Heyer had struggled with having to pay the bills or fulfilIt's every author's worst fear: Dying in the middle of a passion project.
While I knew that Heyer had struggled with having to pay the bills or fulfill contracts by writing so many historical romances when she was ready to move on to other projects, I had no idea that her true passion project was writing history of the Lancasters and the birth of the War of the Roses! WHAT. According to the note at the beginning, written by her husband, she studied so long and so hard that she could read the English of the 15th century as easily as the 20th! She made discoveries, and helped to translate or preserve original writings and works. I mean . . . WHAT?!
No clue! Honestly thought this was going to be one of her medieval romances, like Beauvallet or something! And honestly? It was a little dry, and it moved a little too quickly, but it was not at all bad, which just made me feel sadder. This is clearly a first draft, and one that she was probably even rushing, in order to get it down, and it cuts off MID-SENTENCE.
Sorry, just had to get that off my chest. That was . . . such a weird thing to discover looking at the auTHIS GUY WROTE AND SANG THE PIÑA COLADA SONG.
Sorry, just had to get that off my chest. That was . . . such a weird thing to discover looking at the author bio.
But this book! So fun! Very dark humor, but so twisty and sort of . . . madcap. Yes, let's use the word "madcap" here. The school, the faculty, the three students we follow in their quest to complete their "theses." Madcap! At first I was like, Well, the cover's great, but what is happening? And also, THIS GUY WROTE THE PIÑA COLADA SONG?! Sorry. Sorry! Anyway. I was soon gripped, GRIPPED I SAY! And I'm very excited for the second one, Murder Your Mate! ...more
Read/listened to this in a sort of tense frenzy, if that makes sense. I absolutely HAD to know what happened! Very satisfying, and an interesting lookRead/listened to this in a sort of tense frenzy, if that makes sense. I absolutely HAD to know what happened! Very satisfying, and an interesting look at both the power of stories and at the lives (and aftermath) of the WWII evacuees. I had no idea that was called Operation Pied Piper- did no one point out that the children DIE in that story?! ...more
Fascinating look at medicine in the Middle Ages. It's been twenty years (more than!) since I read it but I remember it so clearly! Fascinating look at medicine in the Middle Ages. It's been twenty years (more than!) since I read it but I remember it so clearly! ...more
Adorable! This cute chapter book for young readers about a Viking girl who hates wearing skirts and eating fish was just precious and funny, and the iAdorable! This cute chapter book for young readers about a Viking girl who hates wearing skirts and eating fish was just precious and funny, and the illustrations are darling! ...more