What Strange Paradise by Omar El Akkad
I am a book reader because I love to escape and imagine the lives of others. Books are a way to touch lives that I would never be able to reach in my limited, brief time here on Earth. I have spent my 40 something years here mostly in the United States, post colonialism and legal slavery, with … [Read more]
Did you grow up as a reader, or was there a particular book or story that sparked your love of reading? I have been an avid reader since I was a little kid, but I do have an origin story for it! My school used to do a program where older kids would be partnered with younger ones as reading … [Read more]
Empire of Pain by Patrick Radden Keefe
Living in the UK, there are certain things about the USA which are very alien to me – non-socialized medicine, for example. I was also unaware of the opioid crisis in the States which has led to thousands of deaths from overdoses and the misery of addiction. Much of this can be laid firmly at the … [Read more]
A Psalm for the Wild-Built by Becky Chambers
I cried far more often during this 147-page read than I'm strictly comfortable with, but the wise characters in this book would reassure me that my being comfortable with something isn't a pre-requisite for it having worth. For the first third of this novella, we are with Sibling Dex getting a … [Read more]
The Excalibur Curse by Kiersten White
Kiersten White's Camelot Rising trilogy has been a fun diversion through other points of the last two rotten years, so I was looking forward to the final book wrapping it all up. The premise thus far has been intriguing, after all: the series focuses on the perspective of Guinevere, newly married to … [Read more]
Critical Role: Vox Machina Origins by Matthew Colville, Matthew Mercer, Olivia Samson (artist)
Our household is BIG into Dungeons and Dragons (DnD). My SO and I met at a LARP (live action roleplaying event) and we now play DnD with our kids. When Critical Role (a DnD game run by voice actor Matthew Mercer and all the characters are also voice actors) debuted on YouTube we gave it a try and … [Read more]
