Thank you, Bothari43! I’m as excited to read these books as Wall-E is to destroy his newest toy. I’ve been wanting to read Polaris Rising ever since Instagram Cannonballer, Lanezabel, posted it in the Cannonball Instagram fun challenge this Spring. I’m excited to read my first Ilona Andrews, as I’ve seen how popular this writing duo is among the community! These seem like the perfect way to start CBR13. And a big Thank You! for supporting my favorite independent Mysterious Galaxy , I’ve been shopping with […]
Vocab bonus: this book taught me the fun word ‘graunched’
Once Upon a River by Diane Setterfield
Non-review babbling: Back in the Before Times, my husband and I made friends with a retired couple who were regulars at a breakfast place we loved. You know how geek calls to geek, so our passing hellos and smiles quickly grew into book recommendations and story swapping and lots and lots of coffee. They’re delightful, and I miss breakfasts out and socializing and finding new readers/friends. SIGH. Anyway, this was a book that would never have made it on my radar, but my breakfast buddy […]
An intriguing but ultimately disappointing take on aliens coming to Earth
Lagoon by Nnedi Okorafor
This was such a cool idea! Aliens land in the ocean outside Lagos, and basically start granting wishes to sea creatures. This swordfish wants to be enormous? Done. This eel thing wants to be able to fly? Done. Then the aliens come ashore and are basically like “Yo, earthlings, we’re here, we plan to stay, there’s nothing you can do about it, hi!” No nefarious plots, no interstellar war, no kidnapping humans for experiments. The main alien ambassador chooses three humans to be her representatives, […]
A decent read somewhat spoiled by sky-high expectations
Making Friends by Adrian Tchaikovsky
This is by the author of Children of Time, which catapulted onto my top 10 list last year. This one’s a novella, so not quite as juicy as that one, but it was still a fun read. Coppelia is a puppeteer and a small-time thief in a city that hoards magic. When she is approached by actual living homonculi, she is astonished and delighted. They form a team, with her making new bodies for them to bring to life, and the tiny doll-people stealing trinkets […]
People are Not Tools to be Used
Empire of Sand (The Books of Ambha) by Tasha Suri
I was incredibly fortunate to have Bothari43 as my CBR11 Book Exchange gifter. I gave her a list of authors and she rewarded me with a bounty, all of which you will eventually hear about. By coincidence, the Romance Sparks Joy book club announced that their January read is Tasha Suri’s Empire of Sand, one of the books Bothari43 gifted to me. You can follow RSJ on twitter @SparkJoyRomance. The general discussion of the book has already happened, but there will be a chat about […]