Don't let the gentle Jane Austen beginning lull you into a false sense of security. Kingfisher goes for the jugular (quite literally) in the second haDon't let the gentle Jane Austen beginning lull you into a false sense of security. Kingfisher goes for the jugular (quite literally) in the second half. Loved this!...more
I loved this story of thwarted love. The premise of a gathering of those who should have been on the Titanic, but for some reason didn't board is intrI loved this story of thwarted love. The premise of a gathering of those who should have been on the Titanic, but for some reason didn't board is intriguing. The impossible love triangle will break your heart. But I especially was drawn to the beautiful language and descriptions. I highly recommend it to anyone who loves language, books and bookstores, or, for that matter, Paris....more
This was both fascinating and heartening. I was thrilled to discover that there are individuals actively manufacturing high-quality, moderately-pricedThis was both fascinating and heartening. I was thrilled to discover that there are individuals actively manufacturing high-quality, moderately-priced clothing completely in America. Corporations and politicians insist that Americans only care about price. They insist that we will take cheap over good every time. And see where that has gotten us. But there is hope!
This is really more historical fiction than ghost story, though it is that also. The true horror of World War I is made visceral in a way that makes gThis is really more historical fiction than ghost story, though it is that also. The true horror of World War I is made visceral in a way that makes ghosts kind of beside the point. Laura, a frontline nurse is sent home, injured, to Halifax just in time for a war related explosion to kill her parents. Her brother Freddy is still at the front and Laura is determined to return and discover what has happened to him. In alternating chapters the reader discovers the horrors Freddy endures.
Great set up. Great characters. Low key (gay) love story. I liked the "real world" parts slightly better than the "magical world" parts, but that's juGreat set up. Great characters. Low key (gay) love story. I liked the "real world" parts slightly better than the "magical world" parts, but that's just me. It is pretty tame....more
love, duty, evil, complicity. Opal will do anything to get her little brother out of Eden Kentucky and out of the motel room where they have lived sinlove, duty, evil, complicity. Opal will do anything to get her little brother out of Eden Kentucky and out of the motel room where they have lived since their mother died. Even work for the weirdo in the haunted house. I loved this from the first page to the last. Alix E. Harrow is the best!...more
Pop culture is everywhere, but we rarely think about how it affects us: physically, emotionally, societally, globally. Well, Walt Hickey has. EnlightePop culture is everywhere, but we rarely think about how it affects us: physically, emotionally, societally, globally. Well, Walt Hickey has. Enlightening, entertaining, and surprising, this book is a delight from start to finish. Perfect for anyone who loves movies or books or music or art. In other words, anyone who is alive....more
I picked this up at random and I am really glad I did. Set in pre-Stonewall San Francisco it features a deeply closeted police detective suddenly outeI picked this up at random and I am really glad I did. Set in pre-Stonewall San Francisco it features a deeply closeted police detective suddenly outed in a raid and a "family" of kindred spirits with enough money to live as they please behind very closed doors. This is a fantastic start to a new and unique series. I can't wait for the next installment!...more
A warm, witty, insightful book on living a creative life by a man who started out with no clear path in mind. He ends up doing high end renovations foA warm, witty, insightful book on living a creative life by a man who started out with no clear path in mind. He ends up doing high end renovations for clueless billionaires. Loved it!...more
This is so much more than a brilliant, fast-paced, witty, tech/magic mash-up. Shantiport, a once glorious city, is sinking beneath rising tides, monsoThis is so much more than a brilliant, fast-paced, witty, tech/magic mash-up. Shantiport, a once glorious city, is sinking beneath rising tides, monsoons, and rampant corruption. Someone is spreading the rumor that the world is ending and pretty much everyone believes it. The rich are decamping for other, more promising, worlds leaving the city to the struggling masses.
Lina and her monkey-bot brother, Bader, concoct an audacious plan to wrest the city from the grip of the ruling Tiger Clan, the oligarchs, and crime bosses. And then things get really wild! (A jinn in a lamp figures prominently.)
A profoundly original examination of power and consciousness, nature and humanity, love and loyalty with world building on a par with N. K. Jemisin anA profoundly original examination of power and consciousness, nature and humanity, love and loyalty with world building on a par with N. K. Jemisin and Frank Herbert. I am still trying to catch my breath!...more
Jonathan Carroll writes speculative fiction that asks What If? What if we could visit the other lives we would have had if only we had chosen differenJonathan Carroll writes speculative fiction that asks What If? What if we could visit the other lives we would have had if only we had chosen differently? But nothing is quite as straightforward as that with Carroll. He is a wizard at lulling you into a false sense of complacency before yanking the rug out from under you. He is brilliantly odd....more
I started this book with no description, no blurbs, just three words from a co-worker scribbled on a post-it "This was excellent!" And it was. This prI started this book with no description, no blurbs, just three words from a co-worker scribbled on a post-it "This was excellent!" And it was. This presentation is appropriate. The book at the heart of NO TWO PERSONS touches lives unexpectedly and in vastly different ways. Leave your expectations behind and read it. You will be glad you did....more
I could not-did not-guess where this trilogy was headed, but oh, my, God! this was genius! I am going to have to go back and read all 3 over again. RiI could not-did not-guess where this trilogy was headed, but oh, my, God! this was genius! I am going to have to go back and read all 3 over again. Right now. Thank you Naomi Novik!...more
Brilliant! Hard science fiction with a heart and a fevered adrenaline rush. Complex characters and a propulsive plot take you places you have never beBrilliant! Hard science fiction with a heart and a fevered adrenaline rush. Complex characters and a propulsive plot take you places you have never been. As brilliantly plotted as Ann Leckie's Ancillary Justice, with characters as vivid as Martha Wells' Murderbot. This is the very best kind of sci fi: the kind that makes you think and makes you wonder if humanity deserves to survive....more
Loading...
