Fantasy

The first T. Kingfisher book is one of my new faves!

Nine Goblins by T. Kingfisher

February 3, 2026 by narfna 4 Comments

“All you had were pigs and enthusiasm. It’s not your fault.” The first book Ursula Vernon wrote under the penname T. Kingfisher; she self-published it because trad publishing did not want to subject children to things they felt were “inappropriate.” Meanwhile, she’s over here in her introduction to the new, adorable trad-published version of this book, saying things like, kids would appreciate a dead body or two. And I agree with her! Anyway, this book is in the tradition of Pratchett, with T. Kingfisher proclivities […]

Contemporary history

Journey to Tomioka by Laurent Galandon

February 2, 2026 by BlackRaven Leave a Comment

Journey to Tomioka by Laurent Galandon, translated by Owen Smith and Anne Smith with illustrations by Michaël Crouzat was read via an online reader copy. In June 2026, however, you can find a copy, which I highly recommend. The publisher, First Second, has become one of those publishers for me that I might not always love something they published, in fact, I might not even like it, but I always respect what happened and the time it takes to make something that can be thoughtful, […]

Plant Puns and Getting Spicy

Violet Thistelwaite is Not a Villain Anymore by Emily Krempholtz

February 1, 2026 by CoffeeShopReader Leave a Comment

There’s a blurb on the back of Violet Thistlewaite is Not a Villain Anymore that says that this is a “cozy fantasy with plant magic, love, and second chances”. That’s generally accurate, except that this feels more on the romance side of romantasy, and things get spicier than I was expecting from something with “cozy” in the description. That’s not necessarily a complaint, but it might be a little bit about expectations. Basically, Violet was known as the Thornwitch, the powerful right hand of an […]

Taking Time to Recover

Twelve Months by Jim Butcher

February 1, 2026 by LittlePlat 1 Comment

Ugh, slow start to the year. Winter is a terrible time for me. I’m going to blame Mab. Because, why not? From what I understand, Twelve Months was not originally part of the original ‘Dresden Files’ line up; the next planned book after Battleground, if I remember right, was meant to be titled Mirror Mirror. But after the what was a very action heavy and unrelenting previous installment for the reader—and potentially the worst weekend of their life for the protagonist—I can see how we […]

The House Witch 3- a satisfying conclusion to the trilogy

The House Witch 3 by Delemhach

January 31, 2026 by NatteringwPride Leave a Comment

House witch Finlay Ashowan is pulled out of the kitchen—and into the fire—as war, family, and love collide in the third book of this fantasy romance series. Having somehow convinced Lady Annika Jenoure to marry him, all Finlay Ashowan wants to do is settle down, cook some good meals, and enjoy a quiet life in Daxaria. But fate has different plans. Fin’s father, Aidan Helmer, fire witch and servant of King Matthias of Troivack, has arrived in the kingdom with devastating news: Annika’s brother Charles […]

The House Witch 2- the hug continues, with a touch of pathos

The House Witch 2 by Delemhach