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Review

“Song of the Forever Rains”

E. J. Mellow

I bounced off this book at first—it opens with a very violent scene, and that put me off for quite a while. Fortunately for this book, though, that happened right as I was going into one of my “I need to reread the Circle of Magic books” phases, so instead of completely putting it away, I wound up setting it aside for long enough to forget why I hadn’t finished it, and gave it another go. And as it turns out, it got a lot more interesting from there!

Broadly, what’s sticking with me here at the end of the book is the dreamlike quality of the world. There’s a poetry to it; the titular Forever Rains are a decade-long rainstorm brought about by grief bolstered with magic. Everything about the magic system, really, has that feeling to it—that whatever rules there may be, they only exist to service the story. Unlike most soft magic systems like that, though, it isn’t “the author can change the rules for the sake of the story,” it really feels more like “within this world, magic changes the rules of magic for the sake of whatever story it’s trying to tell.”

It made for a fun read; Lark, the protagonist, is a delight, and reading her interactions with her sisters brought a smile to my face. So, if you don’t mind the occasional bit of violence, I can recommend the book. Check it out.1

  1. This is a Bookshop affiliate link – if you buy it from here, I get a little bit of commission. It won’t hurt my feelings if you buy it elsewhere; honestly, I’d rather you check it out from your local library, or go to a local book store. I use Bookshop affiliate links instead of Amazon because they distribute a significant chunk of their profits to small, local book stores. ↩
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Review

“Uncommon Charm”

Emily Bergslien, Kat Weaver

I might have to go back and reread the first chapter now that I’ve finished this, just so I can understand what all was going on. The point-of-view protagonist spends that whole time talking a mile a minute, and there’s so much background that you don’t know yet that it’s rather overwhelming. Though, given that it’s a scene of someone being dropped off for a new apprenticeship, feeling overwhelmed is probably about right.

There’s a definite mystery vibe to this one, though it’s a cold case, as well as something of a coming-of-age. Really, quite a lot to shove into this short a book. It was an interesting read, though, and at least one reveal had me going back like “oh, that’s what that was about! oh! oh.” Check it out.1

  1. This is a Bookshop affiliate link – if you buy it from here, I get a little bit of commission. It won’t hurt my feelings if you buy it elsewhere; honestly, I’d rather you check it out from your local library, or go to a local book store. I use Bookshop affiliate links instead of Amazon because they distribute a significant chunk of their profits to small, local book stores. ↩
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Review

“Any Way the Wind Blows”

Rainbow Rowell

Oh dear, it has been four years since I read the first two books in this trilogy, no wonder it took me so long to remember who any of the characters were or what had been going on.

That said, after an adjustment period of the first part of the book to remember what was going on and who any of these people were, I quite enjoyed it. There’s solid closure for some of the lingering threads that I remember cropping up in the first book, which was quite nice to see, as well as some additional characters being brought in to add some more to it.

Switching from POV to POV was a bit rough at times, but Rowell used it well—so many opportunities for cliffhangers!

I enjoyed the whole concept of this series, really. It came from another of Rowell’s books, where what these books are was a fanfiction being written by the protagonist of that book. Very clearly meant to be an homage to the whole Harry Potter fandom, without incurring the wrath of She Who Must Not Be Named. But instead of writing the children’s book series, we have the final book and then the epilogue.1 Because, hey, a child soldier? They’re not exactly gonna be in a great place, mentally at the end of their war. Can’t really hand-wave past a decade of trauma. These characters deserve time to work through that.

Anyhow, I really enjoyed this book. What’s not to like? There’s a whole scene that I’d describe as “divorce court in Hell,” which I’d call a B-plot, roughly, but with the POV swapping you can kinda choose whichever plotline you’d like as the A-plot. So many choices! Give it a go.2

  1. The Harry Potter epilogue (and later sequel) being so bad that there’s a whole “Epilogue? What Epilogue?” tag. ↩
  2. This is a Bookshop affiliate link – if you buy it from here, I get a little bit of commission. It won’t hurt my feelings if you buy it elsewhere; honestly, I’d rather you check it out from your local library, or go to a local book store. I use Bookshop affiliate links instead of Amazon because they distribute a significant chunk of their profits to small, local book stores. ↩
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Review

“The Naturalist Society”

Carrie Vaughn

This was one of the free books that Amazon hands out every month as part of Prime, which meant my expectations were low—there’s the occasional gem in there, but on average, those books tend to feel rather bland. They’re aimed at the widest possible audience, so of course they’re generic.

This, though? This was a delight. The fact that two of the three protagonists were a gay couple was already putting it in the top 10% of Free Prime Books for me. That trio felt something like a Venn diagram to me—these two are queer, these two come across as being autistic, these two are part of the upper class but looked down upon for not being old white guys. It feels all the more progressive for being set in the late 1800s; everyone is so concerned with scandal, and for the majority of the book the scandal is simply that gasp, a woman is interested in science? Doesn’t show know that’s not a feminine interest? The shame!

I almost bounced off this book, at the beginning. It’s a rough time for me to be reading a book that has a scene of someone listening to a loved one breathe their last. I’m glad I kept with it, though—not just because of the aforementioned delightful setting and characters, but because so much of the book was about Beth fighting for her right to grieve, and doing so in the way that was right for her.

So, for that, and all the other things, I absolutely loved this book. It’s so rare that my “why don’t you just-“ mutterings at the book actually turn out to be what they do, and work great for everyone. If I’ve got my scheduling right, it’s only available for pre-order at the moment, but I think it’s well worth it; check it out.1

  1. This is a Bookshop affiliate link – if you buy it from here, I get a little bit of commission. It won’t hurt my feelings if you buy it elsewhere; honestly, I’d rather you check it out from your local library, or go to a local book store. I use Bookshop affiliate links instead of Amazon because they distribute a significant chunk of their profits to small, local book stores. ↩
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Review

“The Vegetarian Flavor Bible”

Karen Page, Andrew Dornenburg

Once again, the Flavor Bible format is a weird format to read and then write a review of. The first two chapters, before it got into the A-Z list section, were quite interesting to read! I was, frankly, already sold on a nearly-vegetarian diet, so a lot of it felt like preaching to the choir, but I enjoyed the discussion regardless.

The majority of the book continues to feel sorta like sitting down to read through a Wikipedia category page, and makes for an absolutely dismal epub, but it’s a valuable resource nevertheless. I actually ordered myself a print copy to keep in the kitchen in the future… but depending on how that goes, may wind up putting together a database I can query against instead. Last time I thought of Pokemon type charts; this time, I thought of SQL schema.1

Having now bought this book twice, it’s clear to see that I appreciate it, and as such, that I can recommend it, maybe even more than the original Flavor Bible. Check it out!2

  1. Two tables, basically: the keyword, and then a join table from keyword back to itself, with an additional field on it for the level of relationship between the two. ↩
  2. This is a Bookshop affiliate link – if you buy it from here, I get a little bit of commission. It won’t hurt my feelings if you buy it elsewhere; honestly, I’d rather you check it out from your local library, or go to a local book store. I use Bookshop affiliate links instead of Amazon because they distribute a significant chunk of their profits to small, local book stores. ↩
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Review

“Under a Gilded Moon”

Joy Jordan-Lake

Downton Abbey, but make it Appalachia.1

I’m of mixed opinions about this book. It was very well-written; the prose was a delight to read through. But it has that ‘literary’ feel to it; there’s no real closure at the end, a token bit here or there but not nearly enough to leave me feeling like the story has actually been wrapped up. I suppose that’s what I get for reading historical fiction; when the person you want to get their comeuppance is an actual historical figure, you can’t deliver on that desire without breaking the timeline. Alas.

As I said, it’s a pretty book to read; I don’t regret the time I spent with it. I just wish it was a more just world; back to my other genres I go.

  1. I haven’t actually watched any Downton Abbey; I just know that it’s got that above stairs/below stairs split going on. ↩
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Review

“Make Something Wonderful”

The Steve Jobs Archive

I’m really not sure why I bothered being surprised that this book is beautifully-typeset. The story about Steve taking the calligraphy class at Reed shows up a handful of times, it’s very clear that typography was important to him, so of course the definitive book about his life would put a great deal of care into that aspect.

Beyond the typography, though, it’s clear that a great deal of care went into everything, from the selection of photos to the editorial aspect of which quotes to use and in what order. There’s even a one more thing after the index, which is the sort of touch that made me think, this book really knows who’s going to be reading it. The audience of this book is the exact sort of people who are excited about One More Thing, who have fond memories of One More Thing, who dream about One More Thing.

When you’ve lived your life in as much of a spotlight as Steve Jobs did, it’s easy to be quotable. There’s a lot of material available, particularly when the person doing the picking is your official archivist with access to things like your email archive. But I remain impressed with how well-spoken Jobs was, and how poignant some of the quotes were. Hindsight is 20/20, and sure can make someone look prophetic about their own life.

How many of you have seen the birth of another human? It is a miracle. And how many of you have witnessed the death of a human? It is a mystery beyond our comprehension. No human alive knows what happens to “us” upon or after our death. Some believe this, others that, but no one really knows at all. Again, most people of your age have not thought about these events very much, and it’s as if we shelter you from them, afraid that the thought of mortality will somehow wound you. For me it’s the opposite: to know my arc will fall makes me want to blaze while I am in the sky. Not for others, but for myself, for the trail I know I am leaving.

Steve Jobs, speaking at the Palo Alto High School graduation in 1996

I like to think that I’m not all-in on the Cult of Jobs, but there’s no denying that the guy was interesting. The book is free to read online, in a very well-made ebook form, so go check it out.

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Review

“The Unbalancing”

R. B. Lemberger

I’m not quite sure how I feel about this one. It’s definitely an interesting world—I’m particularly a fan of anything where the Ancient Magic/Technology gets explained in terms of the current stuff. And the setting is remarkably idyllic… at first.

That’s where my uncertainty comes in; Lemberger created a really beautiful world, one that’s, whilst not perfectly utopian, a heck of a lot closer than ours is. And this story is, fundamentally, about the end of that civilization. Entropy comes for us all, I suppose.

That said, for the setting and magic system alone, I’d recommend reading this one. It’s fairly short, and approachable in that; the names threw me a bit at the beginning, but the naming as a whole makes more sense as the story goes on. Give it a read.1

  1. This is a Bookshop affiliate link – if you buy it from here, I get a little bit of commission. It won’t hurt my feelings if you buy it elsewhere; honestly, I’d rather you check it out from your local library, or go to a local book store. I use Bookshop affiliate links instead of Amazon because they distribute a significant chunk of their profits to small, local book stores. ↩
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Review

“This Way Out”

Tufayel Ahmed

This is a contender for “most stressful book I’ve ever read.” Science fiction and fantasy are easier; when the stakes are ‘the fate of the entire world,’ it’s easy to remember that these aren’t my problems they’re dealing with. This, though, is much more approachable in scale… which means it feels like the sort of thing I’d actually have to figure out.

Boy, am I glad that I’m already on the “going to therapy” train, reading through someone else’s breaking point that gets them to start was rough. Don’t want to be back there, thanks very much.

All that said, I did really enjoy the book. It’s not quite the Hero’s Journey, more of an immediate plummet and then a slow climb back up, but there’s a palpable sense of progress throughout. You can feel the protagonist’s work they’re putting in, and seeing it actually pay off feels very rewarding. Stick with it through the painful beginning, and I hope you’ll enjoy it too.1

  1. This is a Bookshop affiliate link – if you buy it from here, I get a little bit of commission. It won’t hurt my feelings if you buy it elsewhere; honestly, I’d rather you check it out from your local library, or go to a local book store. I use Bookshop affiliate links instead of Amazon because they distribute a significant chunk of their profits to small, local book stores. ↩
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Review

“Through a Darkening Glass”

R.S. Maxwell

I enjoyed this book a lot more than I expected to. Honestly, most of the way through I was looking at the protagonist like “you’re kinda the worst.” She is, though — bursts into this town and starts nosing around in everyone’s business, digging up the past, and it’s not even a “let’s help people figure this out!” kind of thing, she’s just over here like “I’m an English major and I’m gonna write a book about this!” That said, by the end of the book I was just accepting that that’s what she was like, and she learned some discretion at least, and meanwhile I was having so much fun with everything else going on that I didn’t much mind it anymore.

The overall feeling of this book is… a Gordian knot. It actually did a great job of tripping me up; I thought I’d figured out how everything was going to be tied together into one big bow at the end, and I was hilariously wrong. I think that’s about all I can say without it being too much of a spoiler.

Suffice it to say, I enjoyed the heck out of this book. It struck a truly wonderful balance between some Gothic spookiness, a romance arc, some mystery, a surprising amount of comedy, and a reasonably-accurate historical feel. Absolutely worth a read; check it out.1

  1. This is a Bookshop affiliate link – if you buy it from here, I get a little bit of commission. It won’t hurt my feelings if you buy it elsewhere; honestly, I’d rather you check it out from your local library, or go to a local book store. I use Bookshop affiliate links instead of Amazon because they distribute a significant chunk of their profits to small, local book stores. ↩
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Review

“Cosmic Cats and Fantastic Furballs”

Mary A. Turzillo

In general, I enjoy anthologies; it’s a whole bunch of little things, so generally, even if one of them is bad, the next one won’t be. That said, on the occasions where I consistently don’t like them, they’re an edge case in the way I think about books. In general, my rule is that I have to get something like 10-20% of the way through a book before I can determine that I just don’t like it and won’t be finishing it. With an anthology, I instead feel like I have to give each story a shot… and then the stories themselves are, almost always, too short to be worth skipping once I’m partially through.

Which is a long-winded way of saying that I didn’t really enjoy this one. There’s just something about the way that Turzillo thinks, or writes, that didn’t click with me. Oh well, it wasn’t terribly long; on to the next book.

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Review

“Shards of Honor”

Lois McMaster Bujold

Somehow I had mixed this up in my head with the Honor Harrington books. Which isn’t much of a mystery; it’s space combat sci-fi, it’s got “Honor” in the name, easy enough to conflate.

That said, “Shards of Honor” was a good read; it’s got some Star Trek vibes in the beginning, but getting into the actual Space Combat Sci-Fi parts, it has a whole bunch of different vibes to it. The latter story arc got surprisingly comedic; I think it’s just the protagonist having a solid sense of humor as she faces adversity.

All in all, I enjoyed the read! Give it a go.1

  1. This is an Amazon affiliate link – if you buy it from here, I get a little bit of commission. It won’t hurt my feelings if you buy it elsewhere; honestly, I’d rather you check it out from your local library, or go to a local book store. I prefer Bookshop affiliate links to Amazon when possible, but in this case, the book wasn’t available there, so it’ll have to do. ↩
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Review

“The Silences of Ararat”

L. Timmel Duchamp

This was an interesting little story; I see now why the collection it’s part of is titled “conversation pieces.” I quite enjoyed the process of piecing together the setting; vaguely in the future, definitely post-United States, with just a touch of magic. It reminds me of a book I didn’t finish, actually – The Fever King had a similar “the USA collapsed, here’s what it is now” kind of vibe going on, although that one was a lot more fantasy-forward.

An interesting read; I’d say it’s worth checking out.1

  1. This is an Amazon affiliate link – if you buy it from here, I get a little bit of commission. It won’t hurt my feelings if you buy it elsewhere; honestly, I’d rather you check it out from your local library, or go to a local book store. I prefer Bookshop affiliate links to Amazon when possible, but in this case, the book wasn’t available there, so it’ll have to do. ↩
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Review

“That Wild Country”

Mark Kenyon

I went in with the wrong expectations here—I was expecting a purely-history book, and so the opening chapters being entirely autobiographical about this guy’s experience of going on hikes felt very weird. Over the course of the book, though, I adjusted to it being a split of history and autobiography, and I think Kenyon did as well, striking a better balance by the end.

It was nice that the book had, in essence, a thesis throughout: our public lands are the thing that truly makes America great, and we should be defending them against the predations of… industry and development, basically. And, as a bonus, this is something that we can build a bipartisan coalition around: “Cabela’s and REI” both agree that these public lands should be preserved for public use, if for slightly different reasons. But that’s the beauty of a multiple-use land arrangement; all the outdoorsy folks can do their thing.

Overall, I found this book quite enjoyable, and heartily recommend it. Check it out.1

  1. This is a Bookshop affiliate link – if you buy it from here, I get a little bit of commission. It won’t hurt my feelings if you buy it elsewhere; honestly, I’d rather you check it out from your local library, or go to a local book store. I use Bookshop affiliate links instead of Amazon because they distribute a significant chunk of their profits to small, local book stores. ↩
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Review

“Queer Weird West Tales”

ed. Julie Bozza

“Queer science fiction anthology” might be my favorite genre, at this point. Save a couple creepy ones, the stories are almost all hopeful, and the last one in the collection was an excellent anchor to end on, a nice little redemption story. Definitely a bit predictable in what the twist was going to be, but it’s a 40-page short story, there isn’t that much room for surprise.

The ‘wild west’ framing is also a fun one, particularly in the handful of cases where the authors decided to twist what that actually meant. Really it’s more of a “frontier” collection than anything else, it’s just that “western” is the genre we think of for that concept.

Overall, quite enjoyable; give it a read.1

  1. This is a Bookshop affiliate link – if you buy it from here, I get a little bit of commission. It won’t hurt my feelings if you buy it elsewhere; honestly, I’d rather you check it out from your local library, or go to a local book store. I use Bookshop affiliate links instead of Amazon because they distribute a significant chunk of their profits to small, local book stores. ↩