1libraryperilous
Happy New Year, everyone!
I'm Diana. I mainly read science fiction, historical mysteries, and middle grade fantasy. I also like historical fantasy, classics, and nonfiction about WWII, the ocean, or zoology.
No reading goals for 2024, except to prioritize quality over quantity and to read my own books. I'm applying to graduate school, as well as trying to set up freelance and/or consulting work. And, I'm still planning on moving back to a big city. It's going to be a busy year!
I'm Diana. I mainly read science fiction, historical mysteries, and middle grade fantasy. I also like historical fantasy, classics, and nonfiction about WWII, the ocean, or zoology.
No reading goals for 2024, except to prioritize quality over quantity and to read my own books. I'm applying to graduate school, as well as trying to set up freelance and/or consulting work. And, I'm still planning on moving back to a big city. It's going to be a busy year!
2libraryperilous
Best book of 2023: Dear Rosie
3libraryperilous
Sixteen books purchased for my fifteenth Thingaversary:
1. Emily Wilde's Map of the Otherlands (purchased 1/16/24)
2. Cece Rios and the Queen of the Brujas (preordered 1/15/24)
3. Tales of the Celestial Kingdom (purchased 2/6/24)
4. The Birdcage Library (purchased 2/14/24)
5. The Troublemakers (purchased 2/14/24)
6. The Train of Dark Wonders (purchased 2/14/24)
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
I'm trying to limit my 2024 book buying to these 16 books. I shall have to choose carefully throughout the year.
1. Emily Wilde's Map of the Otherlands (purchased 1/16/24)
2. Cece Rios and the Queen of the Brujas (preordered 1/15/24)
3. Tales of the Celestial Kingdom (purchased 2/6/24)
4. The Birdcage Library (purchased 2/14/24)
5. The Troublemakers (purchased 2/14/24)
6. The Train of Dark Wonders (purchased 2/14/24)
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
I'm trying to limit my 2024 book buying to these 16 books. I shall have to choose carefully throughout the year.
7Alexandra_book_life
Happy New Year! Have a wonderful reading year :)
8Bookmarque
I like the idea of limiting books purchased to only the official requirement, but I don't know if I could live up to it.
9libraryperilous
>4 Jim53:, >5 Karlstar:, >6 majkia:, >7 Alexandra_book_life:, >8 Bookmarque: Thank you! The same to all of you!
>8 Bookmarque: Love the crashed out dragon who indulged in too many books ;)
>8 Bookmarque: Love the crashed out dragon who indulged in too many books ;)
10clamairy
Happy New Year and Happy New Thread. May all of your reads be wonderful.
Best of luck with the grad school process. What field?
Best of luck with the grad school process. What field?
11libraryperilous
1. Brooms: fabulous YA graphic novel, set in an alternate Jim Crow South, where BIPOC magic is forbidden and Black and Indigenous children are carted off to special schools to learn white magic. Witches stage broom races deep in the woods, and five friends determine to win a difficult race in order to use the prize money to move north. This was so well done. 5 stars
2. Lo and Behold: cute middle grade graphic novel about Addie and Mateo's summer playing with virtual reality equipment. 4 stars
3. The Blighted Stars: 3D printing has made it possible for people to reprint their bodies after backing up their neural maps. Five families extract natural resources for the prints' pathways within a feudal system. Definitely the reprinting hasn't become a means of control. An expedition, led by the scholarly son of one of the families and sabotaged by an environmentalist organization, uncovers evidence that could overturn the entire printing system and knock down the families' empire. This is an exciting start to a space opera trilogy, but I could have done without the romance. 4.5 stars
4. Frontera: Nothing makes me angrier than the US' cruel and useless immigration policies. These policies are exposed in this heartbreaking yet hopeful graphic novel: extralegal militias that patrol the desert; the Border Patrol jeering from the ATVs they bought with taxpayer dollars; the water aid stations the Border Patrol smashes; the wall that has inhibited jaguars' migration; the Tohono O'odham lands caught in the middle. Teenager Mateo, whose family was deported to Mexico, makes the dangerous trek through the Sonoran to join his grandmother in Phoenix so he can finish high school and go to college. Such a compassionate and beautiful novel. 5 stars.
2. Lo and Behold: cute middle grade graphic novel about Addie and Mateo's summer playing with virtual reality equipment. 4 stars
3. The Blighted Stars: 3D printing has made it possible for people to reprint their bodies after backing up their neural maps. Five families extract natural resources for the prints' pathways within a feudal system. Definitely the reprinting hasn't become a means of control. An expedition, led by the scholarly son of one of the families and sabotaged by an environmentalist organization, uncovers evidence that could overturn the entire printing system and knock down the families' empire. This is an exciting start to a space opera trilogy, but I could have done without the romance. 4.5 stars
4. Frontera: Nothing makes me angrier than the US' cruel and useless immigration policies. These policies are exposed in this heartbreaking yet hopeful graphic novel: extralegal militias that patrol the desert; the Border Patrol jeering from the ATVs they bought with taxpayer dollars; the water aid stations the Border Patrol smashes; the wall that has inhibited jaguars' migration; the Tohono O'odham lands caught in the middle. Teenager Mateo, whose family was deported to Mexico, makes the dangerous trek through the Sonoran to join his grandmother in Phoenix so he can finish high school and go to college. Such a compassionate and beautiful novel. 5 stars.
12libraryperilous
>10 clamairy: Thank you! Just library school, with a focus on archiving. I'm excited!
I decided against a PhD in film theory because I don't want to teach, and what else would I do with it? :)
I decided against a PhD in film theory because I don't want to teach, and what else would I do with it? :)
13norabelle414
Happy New Year, Diana!
14ScoLgo
>11 libraryperilous: Reading your thoughts on Frontera makes me think of George Takei's They Called Us Enemy. Have you read it?
15Sakerfalcon
Happy New Year and Happy New Thread! I'm looking forward to your thoughts on reading! Best of luck with your life goals for this year!
16Marissa_Doyle
Happy New Year! I always like to see what you're reading. Good luck with the applications!
17curioussquared
Happy new year! Good luck with the applications and move. Brooms sounds great and I put it on hold immediately ☺️
18libraryperilous
>13 norabelle414:, >15 Sakerfalcon:, >16 Marissa_Doyle:, >17 curioussquared: Thank you!
>17 curioussquared: It definitely feels like your kind of graphic novel. :)
>14 ScoLgo: Thank you. This looks excellent. I've added it to my TBR.
>17 curioussquared: It definitely feels like your kind of graphic novel. :)
>14 ScoLgo: Thank you. This looks excellent. I've added it to my TBR.
19libraryperilous
5. The Curse of Penryth Hall: Gothic vibes combined with the investigating found in a traditional historical mystery. I like the combo! This particular novel is good, but not great, execution. 4 stars.
6. In the Company of Witches: Brynn Walker lives at her aunts' Connecticut B&B. The three are witches, but Brynn hasn't practiced magic or talked to ghosts since her husband died. When a guest is murdered, Brynn tries to solve the crime the old-fashioned way, and maybe with a reckless spell or two. This has cozy and autumnal witchy vibes. 4 stars.
6. In the Company of Witches: Brynn Walker lives at her aunts' Connecticut B&B. The three are witches, but Brynn hasn't practiced magic or talked to ghosts since her husband died. When a guest is murdered, Brynn tries to solve the crime the old-fashioned way, and maybe with a reckless spell or two. This has cozy and autumnal witchy vibes. 4 stars.
21MrsLee
>20 libraryperilous: Yet another series I loved when it came out, but haven't kept up with. I need to get back on the bandwagon.
22libraryperilous
>21 MrsLee: I tend to start with titles that interest me in a mystery series, and I often will skip books. I get series fatigue easily.
23libraryperilous
Per my annual custom, I've made my TBR account public for a few weeks. All of the books currently listed in GoodshipTBR are 2024 titles.
The science fiction all can be found in the 'Mainmast' shelf. If, like me, you're a fan of historical fantasy with Chinese, Japanese, or Korean gods behaving badly, I have twenty titles cataloged. We're not just getting Sue Lynn Tan readalikes, we're getting a new Sue Lynn Tan! Search for 'Asian fantasy' to see them. I acknowledge the imprecision and inherent bias of the phrase 'Asian fantasy.'
I also have labeled each book with their US (or UK) pub date. Search the library for January to see this month's titles.
tardis, there's a new Cordelia Hatmaker adventure coming this month. :)
The science fiction all can be found in the 'Mainmast' shelf. If, like me, you're a fan of historical fantasy with Chinese, Japanese, or Korean gods behaving badly, I have twenty titles cataloged. We're not just getting Sue Lynn Tan readalikes, we're getting a new Sue Lynn Tan! Search for 'Asian fantasy' to see them. I acknowledge the imprecision and inherent bias of the phrase 'Asian fantasy.'
I also have labeled each book with their US (or UK) pub date. Search the library for January to see this month's titles.
tardis, there's a new Cordelia Hatmaker adventure coming this month. :)
24libraryperilous
7. Emily Wilde's Map of the Otherlands: Emily and her beau, Wendell, set off for the Austrian Alps to track a nexus that might lead to Wendell's Faerie home . Fabulous, although Dr. Wilde's voice is a bit less scientific in this one. She keeps her journal, but she can't help getting carried away by all the adventures she and Wendell have. I adored Snowball, the fanged and half-feral fuchszwerge . Also Orga, a very cat-like fae cat . I would like to try one of Poe's loaves, perhaps the blueberry-sea salt one. 5 stars.
Edited to add star rating
Edited to add star rating
25Sakerfalcon
>24 libraryperilous: I'm looking forward to this one!
27curioussquared
>26 libraryperilous: This is amazing 😂
28Alexandra_book_life
>26 libraryperilous: Oh, wow! This was hilarious, thank you.
29Sakerfalcon
>26 libraryperilous: That is awesome! Just shared with my work colleagues who love it!
31clamairy
>26 libraryperilous: My daughter shared this in our family group a couple of months ago. I whupped both of my kids' asses on the quiz, (not a surprise) but I was laughing the whole time.
32libraryperilous
Glad everyone enjoyed it! I love how they threw in Bilbo so everyone can get at least one answer correct. :)
>30 LibraryLover23: He's signed a two-book deal, so we apparently are getting another Flavia in 2025, too!
>30 LibraryLover23: He's signed a two-book deal, so we apparently are getting another Flavia in 2025, too!
33libraryperilous
8. Killers of a Certain Age: Four sixty-something female assassins are offered a retirement cruise, only to be insulted when they discover their agency sent a hitman to kill them. They set about plotting revenge, and I love how the secrets they've kept from each other are owning safe houses or cats . This is a fun, fast-paced story, although the characters are one-dimensional. It's a plot-driven book. 4 stars.
34Karlstar
>26 libraryperilous: That was awesome, thank you!
35libraryperilous
>34 Karlstar: You're welcome!
36libraryperilous
9. Light and Air: Ten-year-old Halle's mom contracts TB and is sent to a progressive sanatorium. When Halle develops symptoms, she improves in the children's ward, but her mother remains on bed rest. Halle struggles to understand her mother's disease and her father's anger, but she finds friendship and kindness at the sanatorium. Despite grim moments, this middle grade novel is full of sympathy and healing. Recommended to readers of Kimberly Brubaker Bradley or Kate Albus. 5 stars.
37libraryperilous
10. Lunar New Year Love Story: delightful YA rom-com graphic novel about Valentina, a teenager who believes she's cursed in love. What to do when two cute lion dancer boys fall for her? I also love the sweet way this story portrays first- and second-generation Americans. 4.5 stars.
38libraryperilous
11. The Songbird and the Rambutan Tree: excellent middle grade historical fiction set in the Tjideng POW camp during WWII. Emmy lives with her merchant father in Batavia (Jakarta) and spends her days having adventures with her best friend, Bakti—until the Japanese occupation changes everything, even her friendship with Bakti. This is a powerful story of a girl surviving a grave injustice while also learning about other injustices around her. Highly recommended, especially to readers of Kate Albus or Kimberly Brubaker Bradley. 5 stars.
39libraryperilous
12. The Caretakers: another WWII Resistance book that should have been a magazine article. The marketing for this makes it seem like there was a concerted Resistance effort by the Imperial* War Graves Commission's gardeners. Instead, those who joined or helped the French Resistance used the connections they'd formed as part of an Anglo-French community to assist in their Resistance efforts.
Of more interest was the awful way the Commission treated the gardeners, who were tasked with maintaining the graves of WWI soldiers in France, Belgium, and elsewhere. Almost half of the men tending French cemeteries were stranded in France when the Nazis invaded. You'll be surprised to learn this was due to feckless leadership and poor planning by their superiors. In fact, the Commission ordered the gardeners to stay on duty while the Nazis were advancing through Belgium and France. During the war, the Commission used force majeure to stop paying the gardeners' wages. Meanwhile, almost all the gardeners living in Belgium made it out safely because their director planned an evacuation in advance. Same old story: elites fiddling while the world is burning, and the working class pays the price. The gardeners made efforts to obtain better wages and benefits, even while interned. When the Nazis rounded them up and sent them to camp,** they held a meeting and voted yes on a number of wage- and labor-related agenda items.
Meanwhile, after the war, the Commission nickle and dimed the gardeners on their back pay, refused to raise wages in accordance with inflation, and issued a self-serving investigative report absolving leadership of errors before or during the evacuation. The Commission's director, Fabian Ware, had spent years telling the men that their contributions were a sacred duty, not work, and that wages were not as important as the honor of tending the graves.*** How did most gardeners react? We don't know, because the Commission later destroyed most of their personnel records.
Four stars. I would have rated this higher if the labor dispute had been the focus.
*Now Commonwealth War Graves Commission
**The gardeners who were rounded up at the beginning of the war were interned in civilian camps, not labor or death camps.
***This tactic will be familiar to anyone who has worked in or applied for a nonprofit job.
Of more interest was the awful way the Commission treated the gardeners, who were tasked with maintaining the graves of WWI soldiers in France, Belgium, and elsewhere. Almost half of the men tending French cemeteries were stranded in France when the Nazis invaded. You'll be surprised to learn this was due to feckless leadership and poor planning by their superiors. In fact, the Commission ordered the gardeners to stay on duty while the Nazis were advancing through Belgium and France. During the war, the Commission used force majeure to stop paying the gardeners' wages. Meanwhile, almost all the gardeners living in Belgium made it out safely because their director planned an evacuation in advance. Same old story: elites fiddling while the world is burning, and the working class pays the price. The gardeners made efforts to obtain better wages and benefits, even while interned. When the Nazis rounded them up and sent them to camp,** they held a meeting and voted yes on a number of wage- and labor-related agenda items.
Meanwhile, after the war, the Commission nickle and dimed the gardeners on their back pay, refused to raise wages in accordance with inflation, and issued a self-serving investigative report absolving leadership of errors before or during the evacuation. The Commission's director, Fabian Ware, had spent years telling the men that their contributions were a sacred duty, not work, and that wages were not as important as the honor of tending the graves.*** How did most gardeners react? We don't know, because the Commission later destroyed most of their personnel records.
Four stars. I would have rated this higher if the labor dispute had been the focus.
*Now Commonwealth War Graves Commission
**The gardeners who were rounded up at the beginning of the war were interned in civilian camps, not labor or death camps.
***This tactic will be familiar to anyone who has worked in or applied for a nonprofit job.
40libraryperilous
13. The Tusks of Extinction: novella that considers how de-extinction might interact with human greed. This has thriller elements, but it mostly is a character study. I loved it. Five stars.
42libraryperilous
>41 curioussquared: All of them seem like they'd be to your taste, and I think >38 libraryperilous: has such a unique setting for a middle grade novel.
43norabelle414
>40 libraryperilous: Ooh, I'm interested
44Karlstar
>35 libraryperilous: Ooops, thank you, corrected to the right post.
45libraryperilous
>43 norabelle414: I'll watch for your review if you decide to read it. It's only around 100 pages, I think. (NB: There are a couple of on-page descriptions of poaching.)
>44 Karlstar: No worries! :)
>44 Karlstar: No worries! :)
46libraryperilous
14. Everyone on This Train Is a Suspect: Ernest and his girlfriend attend a writers' festival aboard the Ghan. The luxury train's nice, but the fellow festival writers are a catty mess of insecurities and secrets. When the most well-known of the writers is offed everyone on the train becomes a suspect, even Ernest's girlfriend. In addition to being the kind of person who suspects his girlfriend of a crime, Ernest (a middle-aged white dude) also has imposter syndrome, repeatedly breaks the fourth wall, and generally hides his clues in so much jargon that following the crumbs isn't that much fun. This was fine, I guess, but metafiction always makes me roll my eyes. 4 stars.
15. The Extraordinary Adventures of Alice Tonks: Alice starts at a boarding school and is promptly told by a seagull, Agent T, that something nefarious is afoot. Someone is taking animals around town! Alice and her new friends set out to discover the culprit with the help of Constance, a cat who talks like a schoolmarm. I liked this, but I thought Alice's talent forshapeshifting was a bit too farfetched. Still, who among us doesn't want to talk to animals? 4 stars.
15. The Extraordinary Adventures of Alice Tonks: Alice starts at a boarding school and is promptly told by a seagull, Agent T, that something nefarious is afoot. Someone is taking animals around town! Alice and her new friends set out to discover the culprit with the help of Constance, a cat who talks like a schoolmarm. I liked this, but I thought Alice's talent for
47Alexandra_book_life
>46 libraryperilous: They both sound like pretty wholesome reads :)
48libraryperilous
16. Wish Upon a Shark: cute early middle grade about Lucky, a mermicorn waiting for his magical talent to manifest. A Halloween costume as the fearsome, legendary Ghost Shark leads to adventure and friendship with a real ghost shark. Four stars.
17. Super Boba Cafe: Aria spends the summer with her nainai in San Francisco. Aria works at nainai's boba cafe, but her grandma disappears every evening and seems disinterested in attracting actual customers. Aria tries to solve the puzzle. Cute illustrations, but a bit thin on plot. The kittens were adorable. 4 stars.
18. Yours from the Tower: three gal pals exchange letters in late Victorian England. Polly has gone to work in an orphanage in Liverpool, Sophie is being sponsored for a London Season by a wealthy aunt, and Tirzah is stuck in the "Slough of Despond," her severe grandmother's Scottish estate. The girls exchange letters about courtship, their limited status in society, and the tastes of freedom they discover. This is a sweet, breezy epistolary YA novel. 4.5 stars.
19. Ink Girls: three girls experience the power of meaningful reporting to change their corrupt city. This is a smart, brightly illustrated middle grade graphic novel. I loved Dante, the cat that weaves in and out of scenes. There's so much attention to detail in the illustrations. "We're bound to the truth, not to power." It would be nice if modern journalism believed that. Instead we have the New York Times and CNN, lol. 4 stars.
Edited to add two titles I'd forgotten
17. Super Boba Cafe: Aria spends the summer with her nainai in San Francisco. Aria works at nainai's boba cafe, but her grandma disappears every evening and seems disinterested in attracting actual customers. Aria tries to solve the puzzle. Cute illustrations, but a bit thin on plot. The kittens were adorable. 4 stars.
18. Yours from the Tower: three gal pals exchange letters in late Victorian England. Polly has gone to work in an orphanage in Liverpool, Sophie is being sponsored for a London Season by a wealthy aunt, and Tirzah is stuck in the "Slough of Despond," her severe grandmother's Scottish estate. The girls exchange letters about courtship, their limited status in society, and the tastes of freedom they discover. This is a sweet, breezy epistolary YA novel. 4.5 stars.
19. Ink Girls: three girls experience the power of meaningful reporting to change their corrupt city. This is a smart, brightly illustrated middle grade graphic novel. I loved Dante, the cat that weaves in and out of scenes. There's so much attention to detail in the illustrations. "We're bound to the truth, not to power." It would be nice if modern journalism believed that. Instead we have the New York Times and CNN, lol. 4 stars.
Edited to add two titles I'd forgotten
49curioussquared
>48 libraryperilous: Ooh, you got me with Yours from the Tower!
50libraryperilous
My mom's kitty had a heart attack and died within a few minutes. She had been frolicking a few minutes before. Life is short, pet/hug your loved ones as often as you can.
RIP, Melba.
RIP, Melba.
51curioussquared
>50 libraryperilous: I'm so sorry, Diana. Poor Melba. I am giving Otter and Kermit kisses and pets on her honor.
52MrsLee
>50 libraryperilous: My heart goes out to your mama.
53libraryperilous
>51 curioussquared: Thank you. My mom is devastated. (She saw/heard the whole thing.) I'm trying to get a flight to Florida to stay with her for a few days, and the prices are so awful.
54libraryperilous
>52 MrsLee: Thank you so much.
55clamairy
>50 libraryperilous: Oh no! I'm so sorry. I hope you can get to FL soon.
56libraryperilous
>55 clamairy: Thank you. I was at my mom's for the holidays. Melba put her paws on my bag to try to prevent me from leaving.
57Sakerfalcon
>50 libraryperilous: I'm so sorry to hear this. Poor Melba and poor your mom. I hope you can get a flight soon.
58norabelle414
So sorry about Melba, Diana
59Alexandra_book_life
>50 libraryperilous: I am so sorry! I hope you can get to Florida soon and spend time with your mom...
60NotYourDad
I'm so sorry to hear about poor Melba. Losing a pet is such a heartbreaking experience. I wish you and your mom all of the peace and comfort!
61Marissa_Doyle
>50 libraryperilous: Oh, how awful--your poor mom, and poor Melba! I hope you can find a flight soon.
62libraryperilous
>57 Sakerfalcon: Thank you, Claire.
>58 norabelle414: Thank you, Nora.
>59 Alexandra_book_life: Thank you, Alexandra.
>60 NotYourDad: Thank you, Courtney. And happy belated welcome to LT and the Green Dragon!
>61 Marissa_Doyle: Thank you, Marissa.
>58 norabelle414: Thank you, Nora.
>59 Alexandra_book_life: Thank you, Alexandra.
>60 NotYourDad: Thank you, Courtney. And happy belated welcome to LT and the Green Dragon!
>61 Marissa_Doyle: Thank you, Marissa.
63libraryperilous
>49 curioussquared: I think you would like it, Natalie!
64LibraryLover23
>50 libraryperilous: Sending belated condolences, so sorry to hear this.
65libraryperilous
>64 LibraryLover23: Thank you so much. We miss her a ton.
66libraryperilous
20. The Kamogawa Food Detectives: collection of vignettes about a retired detective and his daughter, who run a tucked-away restaurant, where they sometimes help customers recreate long-lost meals. I liked this, especially the way each story has a quick 'mystery' and then jumps to the reveal: how they 'solved' the dish. 4.5 stars (half-star off because the cat was underutilized).
21. The Framed Women of Ardemore House: good debut manor house mystery, in which Jo, a neurodivergent editor, moves to England after she inherits a run-down Yorkshire estate. Of course, the surly groundskeeper Jo fired promptly gets himself murdered in her cottage after they've had a public row. The story is split between the local detective, who does the actual investigating, while Jo looks into her family's mysterious past. 4.5 stars.
22. Viewfinder: middle grade graphic novel about a young space explorer who returns to abandoned Earth and finds that some living beings still survive. There's a sense of wonder to the lovely, wordless illustrations, but the ambiguous ending feels more for grown-up readers. 4 stars.
23. The Fox Maidens: In Joseon Korea, a young woman discovers that she's agumiho . After a series of losses, Kai Song decides to embrace her foxhood and retreat to the forest, but (human) nature intrudes. I found this moving, but the ending was a little abrupt. 4.5 stars.
24. The Birdcage Library: Emmy Blackwood is hired by a nonagenarian to prepare his taxidermy collection for transport, but things are not what they seem at the run-down castle surrounded by a loch. I guessed the twists to this pretty easily, but that didn't detract from the historical Gothic vibes. 4.5 stars.
25. A Deadly Endeavor: a morose coroner and headstrong socialite team up to find a serial killer in Jazz Age, gangster-run Philly: an adequate debut. 4 stars.
21. The Framed Women of Ardemore House: good debut manor house mystery, in which Jo, a neurodivergent editor, moves to England after she inherits a run-down Yorkshire estate. Of course, the surly groundskeeper Jo fired promptly gets himself murdered in her cottage after they've had a public row. The story is split between the local detective, who does the actual investigating, while Jo looks into her family's mysterious past. 4.5 stars.
22. Viewfinder: middle grade graphic novel about a young space explorer who returns to abandoned Earth and finds that some living beings still survive. There's a sense of wonder to the lovely, wordless illustrations, but the ambiguous ending feels more for grown-up readers. 4 stars.
23. The Fox Maidens: In Joseon Korea, a young woman discovers that she's a
24. The Birdcage Library: Emmy Blackwood is hired by a nonagenarian to prepare his taxidermy collection for transport, but things are not what they seem at the run-down castle surrounded by a loch. I guessed the twists to this pretty easily, but that didn't detract from the historical Gothic vibes. 4.5 stars.
25. A Deadly Endeavor: a morose coroner and headstrong socialite team up to find a serial killer in Jazz Age, gangster-run Philly: an adequate debut. 4 stars.
67Alexandra_book_life
>66 libraryperilous: I've seen nice reviews of The Kamogawa Food Detectives elsewhere. Thank you for another one!
68Sakerfalcon
>66 libraryperilous: The Kamogawa food detectives is on my wishlist! I'm glad to see so much Japanese fiction in translation these days.
69libraryperilous
>67 Alexandra_book_life:, >68 Sakerfalcon: I hope you both enjoy it. I'm looking forward to the second book in the series. It's out in the US this October.
70libraryperilous
Catching up!
26. Ghost Roast: cute YA graphic novel about a teen who's embarrassed by her ghost hunter dad, until she discovers that ghosts are real and a plantation's secrets can be buried but not truly forgotten. 4 stars.
27. They Knew They Were Pilgrims: adequate but dry history of colonial New England. 4 stars.
28. Cece Rios and the Queen of Brujas: outstanding finale of my favorite middle grade trilogy. 5 stars.
29. Olivetti: a sentient typewriter tries to keep a family together. This was lighter on mystery and heavier on family conflict than I expected. 4 stars.
30. The Night War: historical WWII middle grade fiction with a dash of Gothic flair. 4 stars.
Edited: touchstone
26. Ghost Roast: cute YA graphic novel about a teen who's embarrassed by her ghost hunter dad, until she discovers that ghosts are real and a plantation's secrets can be buried but not truly forgotten. 4 stars.
27. They Knew They Were Pilgrims: adequate but dry history of colonial New England. 4 stars.
28. Cece Rios and the Queen of Brujas: outstanding finale of my favorite middle grade trilogy. 5 stars.
29. Olivetti: a sentient typewriter tries to keep a family together. This was lighter on mystery and heavier on family conflict than I expected. 4 stars.
30. The Night War: historical WWII middle grade fiction with a dash of Gothic flair. 4 stars.
Edited: touchstone
71libraryperilous
31. Floating Hotel: sabotage on a spaceship hotel. This is more of a character study than a mystery. 4 stars.
32. Conquering the American Wilderness: an unconvincing and incomplete thesis. 3 stars.
33. Secret Sparrow: YA historical fiction about a talented female telegraph Morse code operator in the WWI trenches. 4.5 stars.
34. The Underground Library: wholesome WWII biblio chick lit about a London library that operated out of a Tube station during the Blitz. 4 stars.
35. Song of the Six Realms: vivid standalone YA fantasy with music, elements of Rebecca, and feuding Chinese gods. 4.5 stars.
Edited: spacing
32. Conquering the American Wilderness: an unconvincing and incomplete thesis. 3 stars.
33. Secret Sparrow: YA historical fiction about a talented female telegraph Morse code operator in the WWI trenches. 4.5 stars.
34. The Underground Library: wholesome WWII biblio chick lit about a London library that operated out of a Tube station during the Blitz. 4 stars.
35. Song of the Six Realms: vivid standalone YA fantasy with music, elements of Rebecca, and feuding Chinese gods. 4.5 stars.
Edited: spacing
72libraryperilous
36. Kill Her Twice: engrossing YA historical mystery set in LA's Chinatown during the 1930s. Three sisters try to solve the murder of a family friend, a young Chinese American who had become a successful actress. I really liked that this was not a romance . 4.5 stars.
37. Code Name Kingfisher: tense WWII middle grade novel about a girl who uncovers her grandmother's experiences as a Jewish girl hiding with a Christian family in the Netherlands. 4.5 stars.
38. The Moon-Spinners: reread of one of my favorite Mary Stewart novels. A grand adventure, peril, gorgeous descriptions of landscape, a dash of romance. 5 stars.
39. Rose Cottage: reread of a gentle Mary Stewart novel about a young WWII widow who returns to her childhood home and unravels a family mystery. I raised my rating from 4.5 to 5 stars.
40. Madam, Will You Talk?: reread of Mary Stewart's first novel. The chase scenes are breathtaking, so I raised the rating from 4 to 4.5 stars. However, this is one of Mary's "romance with a jerk" novels, and I dislike that aspect.
37. Code Name Kingfisher: tense WWII middle grade novel about a girl who uncovers her grandmother's experiences as a Jewish girl hiding with a Christian family in the Netherlands. 4.5 stars.
38. The Moon-Spinners: reread of one of my favorite Mary Stewart novels. A grand adventure, peril, gorgeous descriptions of landscape, a dash of romance. 5 stars.
39. Rose Cottage: reread of a gentle Mary Stewart novel about a young WWII widow who returns to her childhood home and unravels a family mystery. I raised my rating from 4.5 to 5 stars.
40. Madam, Will You Talk?: reread of Mary Stewart's first novel. The chase scenes are breathtaking, so I raised the rating from 4 to 4.5 stars. However, this is one of Mary's "romance with a jerk" novels, and I dislike that aspect.
73libraryperilous
41. The Troublemakers: Cordelia Hatmaker is accused of treason and flees to a pirate island. Grand fun and clever magical creatures—and hats. 4.5 stars.
42. Thornyhold: reread of Mary Stewart's cottagecore fairy tale. A soothing read, but it needs more cat. 5 stars.
43. The Stardust Grail: fun yet thoughtful sci-fi heist mystery that explores the heartbreak of colonialism and the gift of cross-cultural friendship. I would love to read another story set in this universe, but this story wraps up nicely. 5 stars.
44. The Perils of Lady Catherine de Bourgh: who is trying to off the awful Lady Catherine? Julia Tilney and Jonathan Darcy are summoned by her ladyship to solve the case. I find this series delightful. 4.5 stars.
45. Down Girl and Sit: cute chapter books about two dog BFFs who hate squirrels, love donuts, and think their names are Down Girl and Sit. 4 to 4.5 stars per book.
42. Thornyhold: reread of Mary Stewart's cottagecore fairy tale. A soothing read, but it needs more cat. 5 stars.
43. The Stardust Grail: fun yet thoughtful sci-fi heist mystery that explores the heartbreak of colonialism and the gift of cross-cultural friendship. I would love to read another story set in this universe, but this story wraps up nicely. 5 stars.
44. The Perils of Lady Catherine de Bourgh: who is trying to off the awful Lady Catherine? Julia Tilney and Jonathan Darcy are summoned by her ladyship to solve the case. I find this series delightful. 4.5 stars.
45. Down Girl and Sit: cute chapter books about two dog BFFs who hate squirrels, love donuts, and think their names are Down Girl and Sit. 4 to 4.5 stars per book.
74libraryperilous
46. Orris and Timble: The Beginning: a naive young owl and crotchety older rat befriend one another in an old barn. There's not much to this, but it's enjoyable. 4 stars.
47. System Collapse: Murderbot is up in its feelings again. This took a bit to get going, but I liked the second half and the ending. 4.5 stars.
48. The Train of Dark Wonders: Bess' grandfather wills her his wonder emporium and a ticket to a magical train. Bess rides the train to a land of gummy bear ghosts that's been taken over by Halloween creatures. Can she and her new friends free the ghosts? Great fun, although one always wants more of a magical train and more of a ghost cat. 5 stars.
49. Tales of the Celestial Kingdom: Slight stories that expand upon the events that take place during Daughter of the Moon Goddess and Heart of the Sun Warrior. Thankfully, we all get the epilogue we deserve. 4.5 stars.
47. System Collapse: Murderbot is up in its feelings again. This took a bit to get going, but I liked the second half and the ending. 4.5 stars.
48. The Train of Dark Wonders: Bess' grandfather wills her his wonder emporium and a ticket to a magical train. Bess rides the train to a land of gummy bear ghosts that's been taken over by Halloween creatures. Can she and her new friends free the ghosts? Great fun, although one always wants more of a magical train and more of a ghost cat. 5 stars.
49. Tales of the Celestial Kingdom: Slight stories that expand upon the events that take place during Daughter of the Moon Goddess and Heart of the Sun Warrior. Thankfully, we all get the epilogue we deserve. 4.5 stars.
75clamairy
So happy to see you back! That's some extensive list. I'll have to go back and look at them all more slowly, How does The Moon-spinners stand up to a reread? I think it's been 5 decades for me!
76tardis
>70 libraryperilous: Oh, new Cece Rios! I now have it on hold at my library.
77Marissa_Doyle
Hello! You've been missed (and I've also been rather quiet lately...)
78Sakerfalcon
It's great to "see" you again! What a lot of reading to catch up with! Floating hotel is on my wishlist. Thanks for the note about it being more character than plot based. I'll adjust my expectations.
79Alexandra_book_life
>71 libraryperilous: It's nice to see your books again!
I enjoyed Floating Hotel quite a bit too :). It had some flaws, but I forgave them.
I enjoyed Floating Hotel quite a bit too :). It had some flaws, but I forgave them.
80Alexandra_book_life
>74 libraryperilous: Hurray for Murderbot! :)))
81libraryperilous
>75 clamairy:, >76 tardis:, >77 Marissa_Doyle:, >78 Sakerfalcon:, and >79 Alexandra_book_life: Thanks for the warm re-welcome!
>75 clamairy: I first read it in 2020, remembered most of the plot, and was swept away again by the story this time. :)
>76 tardis: I hope you enjoy it. There's a new Hatmakers as well, in >73 libraryperilous:. I had to order my copy through Blackwell's.
>77 Marissa_Doyle: I hope you quietly are reading some excellent books!
>78 Sakerfalcon:, >79 Alexandra_book_life: I definitely wanted more of the hotel itself. :)
>80 Alexandra_book_life: Eagerly awaiting the next adventure!
>75 clamairy: I first read it in 2020, remembered most of the plot, and was swept away again by the story this time. :)
>76 tardis: I hope you enjoy it. There's a new Hatmakers as well, in >73 libraryperilous:. I had to order my copy through Blackwell's.
>77 Marissa_Doyle: I hope you quietly are reading some excellent books!
>78 Sakerfalcon:, >79 Alexandra_book_life: I definitely wanted more of the hotel itself. :)
>80 Alexandra_book_life: Eagerly awaiting the next adventure!
82tardis
>81 libraryperilous: I have the new Hatmakers on hold at the library. Hope it comes soon! I really enjoyed the first one.
83curioussquared
Yay, Diana's back!
Looks like you've been doing some excellent reading :) I really need to start the Claudia Gray series -- I have The Murder of Mr Wickham waiting for me on my Kindle.
Looks like you've been doing some excellent reading :) I really need to start the Claudia Gray series -- I have The Murder of Mr Wickham waiting for me on my Kindle.
85libraryperilous
>82 tardis: I was pleasantly surprised to discover the third volume, because I thought it was supposed to be a duology. I hope you enjoy the next one!
86libraryperilous
50. The Brides of High Hill: my least favorite so far, and I was annoyed at how uninspired the Gothic elements were. Also, Cleric Chih spends too much time mooning over their new friend. 4 stars, mainly for the series as a whole.
51. Continental Drifter: Kathy's white American dad and Thai mom take Kathy and her older sister to coastal Maine every other summer. Kathy loves both places, but she isn't sure where she truly belongs. This is an interesting graphic novel, but I was a bit surprised by how tense Kathy's family is together. The blurbs don't mention that aspect at all. 4 stars.
52. Unfamiliar, Vol. 2: I was charmed by the quirkiness of the first volume, but this one was bland. I don't think I'll continue this graphic novel series. 3 stars.
53. Brownstone: YA graphic novel in which Almudena spends the summer with her Guatemalan immigrant father. Together, they repair a brownstone and Almudena discovers the joys of living in a closely-knit community. 4 stars.
54. The Island of Extraordinary Captives: poorly written, disjointed history of (mainly Jewish) refugees who were interned on the Isle of Man during WWII. The author clearly views the artists' colony, which developed in one of the camps, a glamorous episode. There's not enough material about the artists to fill more than a magazine article, and the UK's political and cultural treatment of the refugees deserves a more serious study. Also, for a book that claims to be outraged by the refugees' treatment, there's carelessness throughout. Paintings of two of the refugees are misidentified, including the one to whom Parkin dedicates the book. Nobody's story is given full attention. Worst of all, in three places in the book, Parkin directly blames Herschel Grynszpan for Kristallnacht. Not recommended. 3 stars, and I'm being generous because I finished the book.
51. Continental Drifter: Kathy's white American dad and Thai mom take Kathy and her older sister to coastal Maine every other summer. Kathy loves both places, but she isn't sure where she truly belongs. This is an interesting graphic novel, but I was a bit surprised by how tense Kathy's family is together. The blurbs don't mention that aspect at all. 4 stars.
52. Unfamiliar, Vol. 2: I was charmed by the quirkiness of the first volume, but this one was bland. I don't think I'll continue this graphic novel series. 3 stars.
53. Brownstone: YA graphic novel in which Almudena spends the summer with her Guatemalan immigrant father. Together, they repair a brownstone and Almudena discovers the joys of living in a closely-knit community. 4 stars.
54. The Island of Extraordinary Captives: poorly written, disjointed history of (mainly Jewish) refugees who were interned on the Isle of Man during WWII. The author clearly views the artists' colony, which developed in one of the camps, a glamorous episode. There's not enough material about the artists to fill more than a magazine article, and the UK's political and cultural treatment of the refugees deserves a more serious study. Also, for a book that claims to be outraged by the refugees' treatment, there's carelessness throughout. Paintings of two of the refugees are misidentified, including the one to whom Parkin dedicates the book. Nobody's story is given full attention. Worst of all, in three places in the book, Parkin directly blames Herschel Grynszpan for Kristallnacht. Not recommended. 3 stars, and I'm being generous because I finished the book.
87Alexandra_book_life
>86 libraryperilous: I've seen mixed reviews of The Brides of High Hill. I'll be reading it anyway, because I love the series. But it might be good to have slightly lower expectations ;)
88Sakerfalcon
Continental drifter and Brownstone both sound good. Adding to my wishlist.
89libraryperilous
>87 Alexandra_book_life: The previous entry, Mammoths at the Gates, was a tough act to follow. :)
>88 Sakerfalcon: I hope you enjoy them.
>88 Sakerfalcon: I hope you enjoy them.
90libraryperilous
55. The Nature of Nature: decent overview of how ecosystems work and why it's important to protect biodiversity. The chapter on the economic benefits of biodiversity is very good. 4 stars.
91libraryperilous
56. Prisoners of the Castle: another niche WWII history that should have been an article. The problem is that not many POWs actually escaped from Colditz. Macintyre writes the failed attempts as comedic, but they're rather sad. The British POWs at Colditz treated it like an Old Boys' Club, and most of the officers were snobs and bullies. The orderlies stuck serving them—beholden to both British and Nazi officers—had a more interesting perspective. Their stories are more difficult to uncover, because they left fewer written impressions. 4 stars, but not really recommended. I've been underwhelmed by the Macintyre books I've read. He strikes me as the British version of Erik Larson, another author I find overrated.
57. The Dallergut Dream Department Store: light fantasy about Penny, who gets a job working on the first floor of a magical department store that helps sleepers find dreams. Penny learns about the magic that creates dreams, meets some famous dream designers, and forms friendships with the other staff. This was fun. I enjoy department store fiction. There's not much of it, so I'm glad I liked this. 4 stars.
57. The Dallergut Dream Department Store: light fantasy about Penny, who gets a job working on the first floor of a magical department store that helps sleepers find dreams. Penny learns about the magic that creates dreams, meets some famous dream designers, and forms friendships with the other staff. This was fun. I enjoy department store fiction. There's not much of it, so I'm glad I liked this. 4 stars.
92Alexandra_book_life
>91 libraryperilous: I've been seeing nice reviews of Dallergut Dream Department Store elsewhere. It sounds nice and tempting :)
93Sakerfalcon
>57 Sakerfalcon: Dallergut has been on my wishlist for a while, so I was very pleased to find a copy on the free bookshelf at the railway station recently!
94libraryperilous
>92 Alexandra_book_life:, >93 Sakerfalcon: It's short, around 200 pages, and makes a nice palate cleanser. Or, a good book for a day trip on a train. :)
95libraryperilous
58. The Lost Story: portal fantasy inspired by Narnia, Peter Pan, and, perhaps, John Connolly's The Book of Lost Things. The author also notes Lord of the Flies as an inspiration. Jeremy and Rafe disappeared for six months into the West Virginia forest as teens. Years later, they return to the scene of their disappearance with Emilie, whose sister, Shannon, also was lost in the same forest. Jeremy can find lost girls, but Rafe has no memory of those long-ago six months. Once the trio reaches Shanandoah (not a typo), everything is perfect, except for the Lost Boys-like creeps who haunt a nearby Ghost Town. What's the moral of the story, here? To quote one of my favorite films, Ever After: "The point, gentlemen, is that they lived."
This is a derivative book, and not just because Narnia and Peter are famous. I enjoyed it! It's a well-told, familiar story. Bonus points for the neurodivergent and ace rep plus the boys' queer romance. 4 stars.
Shaffer's 2023 book, The Wishing Game was marketed as a debut. Both of Shaffer's cozy fantasies are polished products, and I suspect it's because they aren't really her first and second novels. Shaffer has written erotica under the name Tiffany Reisz for years. Totally fine to use pen names for different genres! The quality of Shaffer's writing is beyond a debut author's polish. Now we all know why.
This is a derivative book, and not just because Narnia and Peter are famous. I enjoyed it! It's a well-told, familiar story. Bonus points for the neurodivergent and ace rep plus the boys' queer romance. 4 stars.
Shaffer's 2023 book, The Wishing Game was marketed as a debut. Both of Shaffer's cozy fantasies are polished products, and I suspect it's because they aren't really her first and second novels. Shaffer has written erotica under the name Tiffany Reisz for years. Totally fine to use pen names for different genres! The quality of Shaffer's writing is beyond a debut author's polish. Now we all know why.
96Alexandra_book_life
>95 libraryperilous: I've seen both very positive and very negative reviews of this book ;) It's great that you enjoyed it! Narnia and Peter Pan is a nice mix :)
97libraryperilous
Does anyone have recommendations for a fast-paced (preferably standalone) science fiction novel published in the last 5-10 years? I like closed orbit (heh) murder mysteries, generation ships, found families, and politics/trade. I don't like lyrical/abstract prose, literary fiction, or dystopian/current affairs sci-fi.
Some of my favorite sci-fi novels, like The Stardust Grail and Project Hail Mary also are great adventure tales. I'm looking for that kind of plot-driven story.
I've been in a sci-fi rut this year and DNFed liberally. Thank you!
Some of my favorite sci-fi novels, like The Stardust Grail and Project Hail Mary also are great adventure tales. I'm looking for that kind of plot-driven story.
I've been in a sci-fi rut this year and DNFed liberally. Thank you!
98libraryperilous
>96 Alexandra_book_life: I don't think it's an astonishing achievement, but it does the familiar tropes in a comforting way. :)
99reconditereader
>97 libraryperilous: Maybe try The Tainted Cup by Robert Jackson Bennett. It's a sci-fi mystery that I liked a lot.
I also loved the amazing book More Perfect by Temi Oh, but it's sort of dystopian or I would have recommended it first. It's great though.
I also loved the amazing book More Perfect by Temi Oh, but it's sort of dystopian or I would have recommended it first. It's great though.
100Alexandra_book_life
>97 libraryperilous: My book club read The Deep Sky early this year. It's by the same author as The Stardust Grail. I wasn't exactly a fan, but it was entertaining and it answers some of your criteria. I'll see if I can think of anything else ;)
101Alexandra_book_life
>97 libraryperilous: Oh, there is also Floating Hotel. Found family - check, mystery - check. It was medium-paced, I thought. I did like it better than The Deep Sky ;)
102libraryperilous
>100 Alexandra_book_life:, >101 Alexandra_book_life: Thank you! I read and liked both of these, although The Deep Sky was more my cup of tea. I wanted more of the hotel in Floating Hotel.
>99 reconditereader: Thank you! The Bennett sounds fascinating. Temi Oh's earlier novel, Do You Dream of Terra-Two?, is one of Tori Morrow's favorites. I like Morrow's BookTube reviews, so I've been interested in trying something by Oh.
Edited: html error
>99 reconditereader: Thank you! The Bennett sounds fascinating. Temi Oh's earlier novel, Do You Dream of Terra-Two?, is one of Tori Morrow's favorites. I like Morrow's BookTube reviews, so I've been interested in trying something by Oh.
Edited: html error
103libraryperilous
59. Magic at Midnight: children's novella about pub sign creatures who come alive from midnight to the cock's crow. They frolic near Silver Pond, sing sea shanties, and foil a robbery. This was delightful. It's free to read on Internet Archive. 4.5 stars.
60. Out of Left Field: YA graphic novel about Jonah, who joins the baseball team as a freshman to impress a boy. Jonah spends the next four years struggling to balance baseball, his love for history, and being closeted. This was a nice slice of school life story. 4 stars.
61. Sunhead: another YA graphic novel. Rotem loves Sunrise, a sparkly vampire novel, but their friends cannot relate. Rotem's also struggling with their gender identity, and the vampire story becomes a way for them to explore being nonbinary. They also might have a crush on their new friend, Ayala, who loves the book too. I think I would have liked this more if I were a fan of the Twilight series. Also, Rotem demands that people support their passion, but they aren't interested in supporting their friends' hobbies. Honestly, this probably is more of a typical teen angst story than it is anything else. 3 stars.
Now we come to the one where I want to go on an epic rant but am not going to. Please clap.
62. The Mercy of Gods: white dudebro sci-fi (derogatory). 2 stars, 2.5 on Storygraph.
Edited: corrected pronoun
60. Out of Left Field: YA graphic novel about Jonah, who joins the baseball team as a freshman to impress a boy. Jonah spends the next four years struggling to balance baseball, his love for history, and being closeted. This was a nice slice of school life story. 4 stars.
61. Sunhead: another YA graphic novel. Rotem loves Sunrise, a sparkly vampire novel, but their friends cannot relate. Rotem's also struggling with their gender identity, and the vampire story becomes a way for them to explore being nonbinary. They also might have a crush on their new friend, Ayala, who loves the book too. I think I would have liked this more if I were a fan of the Twilight series. Also, Rotem demands that people support their passion, but they aren't interested in supporting their friends' hobbies. Honestly, this probably is more of a typical teen angst story than it is anything else. 3 stars.
Now we come to the one where I want to go on an epic rant but am not going to. Please clap.
62. The Mercy of Gods: white dudebro sci-fi (derogatory). 2 stars, 2.5 on Storygraph.
Edited: corrected pronoun
104norabelle414
>103 libraryperilous: I will never clap for lack of rant! I love rants! (That's how I felt about their previous series, too, so I'm not surprised)
105Alexandra_book_life
>102 libraryperilous: Oh, I see :) Still, I am glad you liked them.
I can second Bennett - I have not read The Tainted Cup yet, but I enjoyed his other books, especially The Divine Cities
I can second Bennett - I have not read The Tainted Cup yet, but I enjoyed his other books, especially The Divine Cities
106libraryperilous
>104 norabelle414: Ha! Just a reactionary book, full of reactionary solutions. I immediately deleted the Expanse series off my TBR. You've confirmed that was the right choice. :)
>105 Alexandra_book_life: I really need to try Bennett.
I've DNFed three contemporary mysteries in the last two days. That Thursday Murder Club book, which was the New York Times of murder mysteries: masquerading as liberal but full of conservatism. I Need You to Read This was bland, and I've grown weary of characters' mental health diseases as shorthand for insecure and quirky. That seems offensive? Also, I skipped ahead to the end, and the main character does, indeed, end up with the nice guy who tracks her home on an Uber he orders for her. We're supposed to see this as growth for the main character, who wasabused by her ex . I just ... what? I'm too old for dating in the digital era, I guess. A spinster I shall remain. I can't even remember the name of the other contemporary mystery I DNFed. Apparently it was that forgettable.
>105 Alexandra_book_life: I really need to try Bennett.
I've DNFed three contemporary mysteries in the last two days. That Thursday Murder Club book, which was the New York Times of murder mysteries: masquerading as liberal but full of conservatism. I Need You to Read This was bland, and I've grown weary of characters' mental health diseases as shorthand for insecure and quirky. That seems offensive? Also, I skipped ahead to the end, and the main character does, indeed, end up with the nice guy who tracks her home on an Uber he orders for her. We're supposed to see this as growth for the main character, who was
107libraryperilous
63. Love and Saffron: I screened this as a potential book club selection. I think my mom will love it, and I knocked one off the TBR I can't work up my nerve to delete. I really liked the epistolary friendship between the older Immy and the younger Joan, and I loved the interlude where they met in person . This reminded me of a fictional, food variation on 84, Charing Cross Road, only with said in-person meeting . The author's note details her inspiration for the story, including friends with whom she exchanges letters and a particular cookbook one of them authored. 4.5 stars.
64. A Galaxy of Whales: decent middle grade about Fern, who loves photography, and a wildlife photograph contest that nets her a new friend. There wasn't much substance here. 4 stars.
65. Story Magic: interesting middle grade fantasy in which men are trained to tell stories to the Listeners, who then perform magical favors in return. Kaya's brother has taught her the basics of the story magic, and she blames herself when he's arrested. The truth is more complex, as Kaya discovers on her journey to the capital to rescue her brother. 4 stars.
66. Squire: interesting, Middle Eastern inspired YA graphic novel about Aiza, a member of one of the empire's vilified ethnic minorities, who joins the army in order to receive full citizenship. But corruption runs deep, and for what, exactly, is Aiza fighting? 4 stars. This reminded me a bit of Ink Girls.
64. A Galaxy of Whales: decent middle grade about Fern, who loves photography, and a wildlife photograph contest that nets her a new friend. There wasn't much substance here. 4 stars.
65. Story Magic: interesting middle grade fantasy in which men are trained to tell stories to the Listeners, who then perform magical favors in return. Kaya's brother has taught her the basics of the story magic, and she blames herself when he's arrested. The truth is more complex, as Kaya discovers on her journey to the capital to rescue her brother. 4 stars.
66. Squire: interesting, Middle Eastern inspired YA graphic novel about Aiza, a member of one of the empire's vilified ethnic minorities, who joins the army in order to receive full citizenship. But corruption runs deep, and for what, exactly, is Aiza fighting? 4 stars. This reminded me a bit of Ink Girls.
108libraryperilous
67. Ash's Cabin: Ash, nonbinary and anxious about climate change, takes off with their dog to find their deceased grandfather's remote cabin. Really well done graphic novel. 4 stars.
68. The Pumpkin Princess and the Forever Night: Orphan Eve is adopted by the Pumpkin King and spirited to a land where night functions like day and Halloween creatures populate the land. Eve loves her new home, but a sinister plot may spoil her adoption. This was delightful, the perfect mix of autumnal and cozy-spooky. 5 stars.
69. The Survivors: character-driven mystery in which a man returns to his hometown and must face family secrets in order to heal from his brother's death. I only have one Jane Harper novel left to read, alas. 4.5 stars.
70. What Time the Sexton's Spade Doth Rust: A reclusive local with an unpleasant past is murdered, and Mrs. Mullet is suspected. Flavia finds that the clues lead even closer to home. It was good to be back with Flavia and Dogger, but I felt this lacked continued character development. I was not surprised that Flavia's fatheris alive , and the secret society stuff has become too unbelievable to me. 4 stars.
71. We'll Prescribe You a Cat: Lonely people visit a psychiatrist who prescribes the unusual treatment of caretaking fluffy cats for a few weeks at a time. I enjoyed these interlinked stories, although they're more about the people than the cats. 4 stars.
72. The Counterfeit Countess: The Polish and Jewish mathematician Josephine Jenina Mehlberg masqueraded as a Polish aristocrat during WWII. She bullied the Nazis who ran Majdanek into allowing medicine and food for Polish prisoners while hiding her Jewish heritage and assisting Polish refugees, many of whom were virulently antisemitic. This was written by two historians and based largely on Mehlberg's own unpublished memoir. It's another WWII book that should have been an article, and it's a little insulting that the authors believe they can tell Mehlberg's story better than she can. Still, Mehlberg herself was boldly courageous, and her insistence on helping all refugees and prisoners stands out for its decency. 4 stars.
73. Picnic at Hanging Rock: Four girls and a teacher go missing in Australia in1900, and the fallout impacts both the girls' boarding school and the local community. This is an eerie mix of perfectly-voiced Edwardian social realism, yet written in the 1960s and featuring an undercurrent of free love eroticism. The long tail of the girls' disappearance destroys some lives while freeing others, but no one is left undamaged. 4 stars.
74. A Strange Thing Happened in Cherry Hall: an artwork is stolen, and a turtle discovers her inner artist. This is a cute, shorter middle grade mystery. 4 stars.
75. The Lost Words: A few years ago, several nature words were replaced with technology words in a children's dictionary. This coffee table book encourages families to reconnect to nature by painting poetic images of these lost words. 4 stars.
76. The Lost Spells: Sequel to The Lost Words, and I found this one more affecting. The poems are by turns fierce and gentle, and they quietly exhort humans to be a part of nature, not separate ourselves from it. 5 stars.
68. The Pumpkin Princess and the Forever Night: Orphan Eve is adopted by the Pumpkin King and spirited to a land where night functions like day and Halloween creatures populate the land. Eve loves her new home, but a sinister plot may spoil her adoption. This was delightful, the perfect mix of autumnal and cozy-spooky. 5 stars.
69. The Survivors: character-driven mystery in which a man returns to his hometown and must face family secrets in order to heal from his brother's death. I only have one Jane Harper novel left to read, alas. 4.5 stars.
70. What Time the Sexton's Spade Doth Rust: A reclusive local with an unpleasant past is murdered, and Mrs. Mullet is suspected. Flavia finds that the clues lead even closer to home. It was good to be back with Flavia and Dogger, but I felt this lacked continued character development. I was not surprised that Flavia's father
71. We'll Prescribe You a Cat: Lonely people visit a psychiatrist who prescribes the unusual treatment of caretaking fluffy cats for a few weeks at a time. I enjoyed these interlinked stories, although they're more about the people than the cats. 4 stars.
72. The Counterfeit Countess: The Polish and Jewish mathematician Josephine Jenina Mehlberg masqueraded as a Polish aristocrat during WWII. She bullied the Nazis who ran Majdanek into allowing medicine and food for Polish prisoners while hiding her Jewish heritage and assisting Polish refugees, many of whom were virulently antisemitic. This was written by two historians and based largely on Mehlberg's own unpublished memoir. It's another WWII book that should have been an article, and it's a little insulting that the authors believe they can tell Mehlberg's story better than she can. Still, Mehlberg herself was boldly courageous, and her insistence on helping all refugees and prisoners stands out for its decency. 4 stars.
73. Picnic at Hanging Rock: Four girls and a teacher go missing in Australia in1900, and the fallout impacts both the girls' boarding school and the local community. This is an eerie mix of perfectly-voiced Edwardian social realism, yet written in the 1960s and featuring an undercurrent of free love eroticism. The long tail of the girls' disappearance destroys some lives while freeing others, but no one is left undamaged. 4 stars.
74. A Strange Thing Happened in Cherry Hall: an artwork is stolen, and a turtle discovers her inner artist. This is a cute, shorter middle grade mystery. 4 stars.
75. The Lost Words: A few years ago, several nature words were replaced with technology words in a children's dictionary. This coffee table book encourages families to reconnect to nature by painting poetic images of these lost words. 4 stars.
76. The Lost Spells: Sequel to The Lost Words, and I found this one more affecting. The poems are by turns fierce and gentle, and they quietly exhort humans to be a part of nature, not separate ourselves from it. 5 stars.
109libraryperilous
77. The Book Cat: An orphaned kitten finds a home with the Faber publishing company and saves additional cats from the Blitz. Super sweet. 4.5 stars.
78. The Lantern of Lost Memories: A man guides the recently deceased through their memories, allowing each person to return to one special moment in time and watch the events unfold before they fully depart. Yet the man's own memories are missing, but he hopes one of his guests eventually will provide answers. I enjoyed this thoughtful speculative work. 4.5 stars.
79. The Baker and the Bard: Two friends go on an errand for their bakery and find themselves helping others along the way. This is a short and sweet graphic novel. I'd read more stories set in the quasi-medieval fantasy realm. 4 stars.
80. The Pale Queen: A teenage girl finds herself seduced into helping a malevolent spirit, but a new friendship may provide the means of escape. This was unusual: a middle grade Gothic graphic novel. The story elements didn't quite work for me, but I found the art appealing. I wished for more menace. It is a Gothic story, after all. 4 stars.
81. Rumor Has It: The crew of You Sexy Thing are back, and they've been granted permission to dock at Cortland Station, famed for its wondrous gardens. Something for each of the crew! Secrets kept from each other! I love this series, which I find a delightful mix of humor and heart. Apparently, Rambo has planned ten (!) volumes of adventures. 4.5 stars.
82. Muffin's Big Adventure: Muffin the puffin is nervous about her first week as a trainee coast guard rescuer, especially because her feet curl up on the ends. This was a sweet early middle grade story. 4.5 stars.
83 and 84. Marshmallow Pie the Cat Superstar in Hollywood and Marshmallow Pie the Cat Superstar on Stage: Pie, a fluffy, slightly selfish cat, is enjoying his newfound celebrity. But part of being famous is remembering your true friends. This is a charming early middle grade series. I've enjoyed all four of Pie's adventures. 4.5 stars to both of these.
85. Agony Hill: A detective relocates from Boston to rural Vermont and finds himself quickly embroiled in an unpleasant local man's death. His neighbor engages in her own detecting, and she has her own secretive past. The theme of secrets in a small town isn't new, but the characters are interesting, their secrets are painful, and the mystery is well-plotted. This was a successful beginning to a new historical mystery series. I did not like one particular element, but it's not a large plot point at the moment. I'll read the next book in the series when it releases in 2025. 4.5 stars.
86. We Solve Murders: A pub quiz-loving widower and his beloved, tough-as-nails daughter-in-law are caught up in international intrigue, sponsored in part by a rich, eccentric writer of suspense novels. I really liked this! It was fun, thoughtful in places, and featured a great cast of characters. 4.5 stars.
78. The Lantern of Lost Memories: A man guides the recently deceased through their memories, allowing each person to return to one special moment in time and watch the events unfold before they fully depart. Yet the man's own memories are missing, but he hopes one of his guests eventually will provide answers. I enjoyed this thoughtful speculative work. 4.5 stars.
79. The Baker and the Bard: Two friends go on an errand for their bakery and find themselves helping others along the way. This is a short and sweet graphic novel. I'd read more stories set in the quasi-medieval fantasy realm. 4 stars.
80. The Pale Queen: A teenage girl finds herself seduced into helping a malevolent spirit, but a new friendship may provide the means of escape. This was unusual: a middle grade Gothic graphic novel. The story elements didn't quite work for me, but I found the art appealing. I wished for more menace. It is a Gothic story, after all. 4 stars.
81. Rumor Has It: The crew of You Sexy Thing are back, and they've been granted permission to dock at Cortland Station, famed for its wondrous gardens. Something for each of the crew! Secrets kept from each other! I love this series, which I find a delightful mix of humor and heart. Apparently, Rambo has planned ten (!) volumes of adventures. 4.5 stars.
82. Muffin's Big Adventure: Muffin the puffin is nervous about her first week as a trainee coast guard rescuer, especially because her feet curl up on the ends. This was a sweet early middle grade story. 4.5 stars.
83 and 84. Marshmallow Pie the Cat Superstar in Hollywood and Marshmallow Pie the Cat Superstar on Stage: Pie, a fluffy, slightly selfish cat, is enjoying his newfound celebrity. But part of being famous is remembering your true friends. This is a charming early middle grade series. I've enjoyed all four of Pie's adventures. 4.5 stars to both of these.
85. Agony Hill: A detective relocates from Boston to rural Vermont and finds himself quickly embroiled in an unpleasant local man's death. His neighbor engages in her own detecting, and she has her own secretive past. The theme of secrets in a small town isn't new, but the characters are interesting, their secrets are painful, and the mystery is well-plotted. This was a successful beginning to a new historical mystery series. I did not like one particular element, but it's not a large plot point at the moment. I'll read the next book in the series when it releases in 2025. 4.5 stars.
86. We Solve Murders: A pub quiz-loving widower and his beloved, tough-as-nails daughter-in-law are caught up in international intrigue, sponsored in part by a rich, eccentric writer of suspense novels. I really liked this! It was fun, thoughtful in places, and featured a great cast of characters. 4.5 stars.
110libraryperilous
87. The Hotel Balzaar: Marta lives in the attic of the Hotel Balzaar, in a room with her housekeeper mother, and Marta wishes each day for her missing father to return from the war. A mysterious duchess checks in to the hotel and tells Marta a series of fantastical stories, stories that may unlock Marta's wish. I didn't like this as much as the first Norendy tale. As usual, DiCamillo's theme is the power of stories to provide hope and healing. 4 stars.
88. Dreadful: Gav awakens in his study with no memory of who he is or what he was doing. It turns out, Gav was Gavrax, a dark wizard who'd been terrorizing his goblin staff and the local townspeople. Why? Hell if Gav remembers. There's also the small matter of the kidnapped princess, who may be why some other dark wizards are due to arrive at Gav's run-down castle any day. Oh, and his goblin cook would like to create grand meals and is feeling very insecure about her cooking. This went on a little too long, and it isn't as funny as the author thinks it is. However, I did enjoy it, especially the goblins, whocode switch when speaking to the ruling class. 4 stars.
89. Give Me Something Good to Eat: Only Mason remembers the missing children of his Halloween-crazed town. When his little sister is this year's missing child, Mason and his friends find themselves in an alternate reality, populated by genuinely monstrous monsters, who visit each year to enjoy their own Halloween. But the true price of this festival is close to Mason's heart. This was an excellent middle grade debut, creepy with a dash of humor and genuine heart. 5 stars.
90. The Village Library Demon-Hunting Society: Sherry Pinkwhistle, an older, divorced librarian, has a knack for solving murders in her small, upstate New York town. In fact, there are a lot of murders, and Sherry feels like there's something she's forgetting. When her cat, Sir Thomas Cromwell, is inhabited by the demon-ghost of the real Sir Thomas Cromwell, Mistress Pinkwhistle gets some unpleasant details about what's driving the town's murder rate. If the mix of demons, Murder She Wrote, and humor sounds appealing, you might enjoy this mystery. 4 stars.
91. The Crescent Moon Tearoom: Triplet witch sisters own a fortune-telling tearoom in old Chicago. They discover they are fighting a curse that threatens to tear them apart. Each sister longs for something a little different, and the curse grows stronger the more secrets they keep from each other. Their tearoom and their own futures are threatened further when the powerful witch council commands the sisters undertake a difficult task. This was cozy and warm. 4.5 stars.
92. The Full Moon Coffee Shop: Lonely people get the opportunity to visit a pop-up coffee shop run by talking, lifesize cats who are actuallyRoman gods . The cats use astrology to guide their patrons to better fates. The astrology stuff is boring and hokey, but I enjoyed the way people in the stories intersected with one another. 4 stars.
93. Somewhere Beyond the Sea: Arthur and Linus are back, and the orphanage and Marsyas Island are under threat from an evil politician who hates magical people. Yes, she's supposed to look and sound likeJK Rowling , as the author's note makes clear. Look, this bangs you over the head with its message, and it's saccharine, but it's also about being kind and welcoming, especially to refugees and trans kids. 4.5 stars.
94. Answers to Dog: A lonely boy who loves to run discovers a nearby puppy mill. Can he save the dogs? This is an engrossing middle grade novel, and I found the dog's perspective well-written without being too anthropomorphized. 4.5 stars.
95. Jupiter Nettle and the Seven Schools of Magic: Another dig at Rowling, this time in the form of a middle grade graphic novel that celebrates inclusiveness and kindness. Jupiter is insecure about being assigned to the surly botany professor, but she learns that growing plants undergirds all kinds of magic. I loved Lilith, Jupiter's sarcastic talking cat. I hope there are more adventures, although this one wraps up cleanly. 4.5 stars.
96. No Rules Tonight: Hyun Sook and her fellow theater college students go on a mountain retreat during the Christmas season. Christmas Eve is the one night in 1980s South Korea in which there are no rules, and each of the students finds ways to be a little freer. I thought the message of this was good, but the story itself is a little bland. 4 stars.
88. Dreadful: Gav awakens in his study with no memory of who he is or what he was doing. It turns out, Gav was Gavrax, a dark wizard who'd been terrorizing his goblin staff and the local townspeople. Why? Hell if Gav remembers. There's also the small matter of the kidnapped princess, who may be why some other dark wizards are due to arrive at Gav's run-down castle any day. Oh, and his goblin cook would like to create grand meals and is feeling very insecure about her cooking. This went on a little too long, and it isn't as funny as the author thinks it is. However, I did enjoy it, especially the goblins, who
89. Give Me Something Good to Eat: Only Mason remembers the missing children of his Halloween-crazed town. When his little sister is this year's missing child, Mason and his friends find themselves in an alternate reality, populated by genuinely monstrous monsters, who visit each year to enjoy their own Halloween. But the true price of this festival is close to Mason's heart. This was an excellent middle grade debut, creepy with a dash of humor and genuine heart. 5 stars.
90. The Village Library Demon-Hunting Society: Sherry Pinkwhistle, an older, divorced librarian, has a knack for solving murders in her small, upstate New York town. In fact, there are a lot of murders, and Sherry feels like there's something she's forgetting. When her cat, Sir Thomas Cromwell, is inhabited by the demon-ghost of the real Sir Thomas Cromwell, Mistress Pinkwhistle gets some unpleasant details about what's driving the town's murder rate. If the mix of demons, Murder She Wrote, and humor sounds appealing, you might enjoy this mystery. 4 stars.
91. The Crescent Moon Tearoom: Triplet witch sisters own a fortune-telling tearoom in old Chicago. They discover they are fighting a curse that threatens to tear them apart. Each sister longs for something a little different, and the curse grows stronger the more secrets they keep from each other. Their tearoom and their own futures are threatened further when the powerful witch council commands the sisters undertake a difficult task. This was cozy and warm. 4.5 stars.
92. The Full Moon Coffee Shop: Lonely people get the opportunity to visit a pop-up coffee shop run by talking, lifesize cats who are actually
93. Somewhere Beyond the Sea: Arthur and Linus are back, and the orphanage and Marsyas Island are under threat from an evil politician who hates magical people. Yes, she's supposed to look and sound like
94. Answers to Dog: A lonely boy who loves to run discovers a nearby puppy mill. Can he save the dogs? This is an engrossing middle grade novel, and I found the dog's perspective well-written without being too anthropomorphized. 4.5 stars.
95. Jupiter Nettle and the Seven Schools of Magic: Another dig at Rowling, this time in the form of a middle grade graphic novel that celebrates inclusiveness and kindness. Jupiter is insecure about being assigned to the surly botany professor, but she learns that growing plants undergirds all kinds of magic. I loved Lilith, Jupiter's sarcastic talking cat. I hope there are more adventures, although this one wraps up cleanly. 4.5 stars.
96. No Rules Tonight: Hyun Sook and her fellow theater college students go on a mountain retreat during the Christmas season. Christmas Eve is the one night in 1980s South Korea in which there are no rules, and each of the students finds ways to be a little freer. I thought the message of this was good, but the story itself is a little bland. 4 stars.
111libraryperilous
97. The New Girl: Lia moves from Romania to Canada and gets her first period at the airport waiting for the flight. Her new international school is a cool place, but Lia is a bit shy about fitting in, and her periods are super painful. It's only when she shares her period pain with her locker mate that she forms a solid group of friends. The girls are excellent, and there's a fun subplot about the kids' favorite home country snacks. This is an excellent start to a middle grade graphic novel series. Lia's a fan of comics about seven teen girls with superpowers who travel around the world solving problems. I'm just saying: I would read that series too. 4.5 stars.
98. A Tempest: Postcolonial critic and intellectual Aimé Césaire repurposes Shakespeare's The Tempest to critique colonialism, power, and intellectualism. There's some of that in the original, too, and Césaire, who seems to have liked the original work, crafts a thought-provoking response that raises more questions than it answers. 4 stars.
99. At Every Depth: The effects of climate change, scientific discoveries, and indigenous knowledge on the oceans, from tide pools to the abyss and from warm waters to the Arctic. This is a good one-volume introduction, and the science and the effects of climate change are described clearly. However, it's not a hopeless story, as these books often are, and I hope it finds a wide audience. The strongest chapters are the ones on coral reefs and the deep. 4.5 stars.
100. Lemon Bird Can Help!: A lemon bird (lemon + bird) helps her new friend Pupkin (pumpkin + puppy) find their way back to the farm. This is a cute early middle grade graphic novel, but I did wish for more peril on the adventure. The stakes are low, and I think the intended age group could handle something a bit more exciting. 4 stars.
101. Chai Jinxed: Misha is clumsy and doesn't pay attention in class. Predictably, her tea magic spells go awry. She's been expelled from her eighth magic school, and a new shopkeeper is spreading rumors about her auntie's tea shop—rumors Misha's bad spells don't help. A mysterious stranger offers Misha a place at a boarding school that has a prestigious spell competition. The tea magic is delightful! Misha likes Margaret's School, but something sinister is going on. Misha ignores a lot of it, because she doesn't pay attention, and the book fell a little flat because of this. This is supposed to be a book about liking yourself as you are, but, uhhh, school is for learning? 4 stars.
102. Eight-Legged Wonders: Spiders are magnificent! Biologist O'Hanlon explains some of the clever, cool things they can do, including using electromagnetism to swoop through the air and underwater spiders who live in tiny silk-spun submarines. The book is geared toward interested lay people, especially those who might have a mild phobia, and there's even a choose your own adventure chapter where you make decisions as a spider. This was really entertaining, but I wish there had been color plates. There are only a couple of black and white photos, and I imagine that's to make people feel more comfortable about reading the book. I already adore spiders, so I wanted color photos. 4.5 stars. Recommended!
103. The Perilous Performance at Milkweed Meadow: Butternut, the story-loving bunny, is back, and this time Milkweed Meadow is in danger from a troupe of turkey thespians. I always love a good forest friends tale, and I hope there are more volumes planned. 4.5 stars.
104. The Love Elixir of Augusta Stern: Augusta Stern, 80, retires from the hospital pharmacy and moves to a senior community in Florida. It's the 1980s, and Augusta runs into her teenage boyfriend, Irving Rivkin, now 82 and still irascibly charming. The dual-timeline story traces Augusta's love of pharmacy, her relationship with Irving, and the story of her great-aunt Esther's homeopathic remedies. I loved the glimpses into 1920s pharmacy medicine. Augusta is prickly, and Irving's a bit boorish. Eventually, you realize these are defense mechanisms. I cherished the Aunt Esther parts, and eventually the Florida story grew on me as well. This is a slower-moving story, and I'm glad I stuck with it. 4.5 stars.
105. In the Shadow of St Paul's Cathedral: a history of the London cathedral's churchyard, its shops, and its political uses. While this was published by Yale, it's by a former publishing industry insider. It's a bit dry, and I can't help but think it would have been a more exciting story in the hands of a historian. The book does pick up the pace when it gets to the Victorian era, and the shops vividly are rendered. I didn't know that shopkeepers used to have trading cards to hand to customers. 4 stars.
98. A Tempest: Postcolonial critic and intellectual Aimé Césaire repurposes Shakespeare's The Tempest to critique colonialism, power, and intellectualism. There's some of that in the original, too, and Césaire, who seems to have liked the original work, crafts a thought-provoking response that raises more questions than it answers. 4 stars.
99. At Every Depth: The effects of climate change, scientific discoveries, and indigenous knowledge on the oceans, from tide pools to the abyss and from warm waters to the Arctic. This is a good one-volume introduction, and the science and the effects of climate change are described clearly. However, it's not a hopeless story, as these books often are, and I hope it finds a wide audience. The strongest chapters are the ones on coral reefs and the deep. 4.5 stars.
100. Lemon Bird Can Help!: A lemon bird (lemon + bird) helps her new friend Pupkin (pumpkin + puppy) find their way back to the farm. This is a cute early middle grade graphic novel, but I did wish for more peril on the adventure. The stakes are low, and I think the intended age group could handle something a bit more exciting. 4 stars.
101. Chai Jinxed: Misha is clumsy and doesn't pay attention in class. Predictably, her tea magic spells go awry. She's been expelled from her eighth magic school, and a new shopkeeper is spreading rumors about her auntie's tea shop—rumors Misha's bad spells don't help. A mysterious stranger offers Misha a place at a boarding school that has a prestigious spell competition. The tea magic is delightful! Misha likes Margaret's School, but something sinister is going on. Misha ignores a lot of it, because she doesn't pay attention, and the book fell a little flat because of this. This is supposed to be a book about liking yourself as you are, but, uhhh, school is for learning? 4 stars.
102. Eight-Legged Wonders: Spiders are magnificent! Biologist O'Hanlon explains some of the clever, cool things they can do, including using electromagnetism to swoop through the air and underwater spiders who live in tiny silk-spun submarines. The book is geared toward interested lay people, especially those who might have a mild phobia, and there's even a choose your own adventure chapter where you make decisions as a spider. This was really entertaining, but I wish there had been color plates. There are only a couple of black and white photos, and I imagine that's to make people feel more comfortable about reading the book. I already adore spiders, so I wanted color photos. 4.5 stars. Recommended!
103. The Perilous Performance at Milkweed Meadow: Butternut, the story-loving bunny, is back, and this time Milkweed Meadow is in danger from a troupe of turkey thespians. I always love a good forest friends tale, and I hope there are more volumes planned. 4.5 stars.
104. The Love Elixir of Augusta Stern: Augusta Stern, 80, retires from the hospital pharmacy and moves to a senior community in Florida. It's the 1980s, and Augusta runs into her teenage boyfriend, Irving Rivkin, now 82 and still irascibly charming. The dual-timeline story traces Augusta's love of pharmacy, her relationship with Irving, and the story of her great-aunt Esther's homeopathic remedies. I loved the glimpses into 1920s pharmacy medicine. Augusta is prickly, and Irving's a bit boorish. Eventually, you realize these are defense mechanisms. I cherished the Aunt Esther parts, and eventually the Florida story grew on me as well. This is a slower-moving story, and I'm glad I stuck with it. 4.5 stars.
105. In the Shadow of St Paul's Cathedral: a history of the London cathedral's churchyard, its shops, and its political uses. While this was published by Yale, it's by a former publishing industry insider. It's a bit dry, and I can't help but think it would have been a more exciting story in the hands of a historian. The book does pick up the pace when it gets to the Victorian era, and the shops vividly are rendered. I didn't know that shopkeepers used to have trading cards to hand to customers. 4 stars.
112hfglen
>109 libraryperilous: no. 77: Remembering that Faber was T.S. Eliot's publisher, I have to ask if the orphaned kitten had or developed any other link to Old Possum?
113Sakerfalcon
Wow, you've been reading a LOT! And so many of these books sound great. I've added The new girl and The book cat to my wishlist.
>112 hfglen: I think Faber always had (has?) a cat in residence, so it may be based on one of their stories.
ETA I've just found this
>112 hfglen: I think Faber always had (has?) a cat in residence, so it may be based on one of their stories.
ETA I've just found this
114norabelle414
Wow, a lot of great books! I'm taking notes.
115hfglen
>113 Sakerfalcon: Thank you. Evidently a very indirect connection at best. Love that he is/was a black cat!
116curioussquared
So much good reading!!
117libraryperilous
I haven't posted a poem in ages! I saw this in my Bluesky wanderings and found it lovely. It's by Wendell Berry.
"February 2, 1968"
In the dark of the moon, in flying snow, in the dead of winter,
war spreading, families dying, the world in danger,
I walk the rocky hillside, sowing clover.
"February 2, 1968"
In the dark of the moon, in flying snow, in the dead of winter,
war spreading, families dying, the world in danger,
I walk the rocky hillside, sowing clover.
118libraryperilous
>112 hfglen: Eliot features in the story as the editor who notices and welcomes Morgan the cat. Eliot is inspired by Morgan, so Morgan saves other cats by smuggling them into authors' coats when they visit Faber. He matches his muses carefully with suitable authors. I should have sleuthed who some of the authors are, but I read it quickly. It's a short and sweet title.
>112 hfglen:, >113 Sakerfalcon:, >114 norabelle414:, >115 hfglen: Thanks for stopping by! I hope you enjoy any that you read.
>113 Sakerfalcon: Ha! I love the way they marketed Faber's book. Thanks for the link.
>112 hfglen:, >113 Sakerfalcon:, >114 norabelle414:, >115 hfglen: Thanks for stopping by! I hope you enjoy any that you read.
>113 Sakerfalcon: Ha! I love the way they marketed Faber's book. Thanks for the link.
119clamairy
Wow! You've been busy!
I think I might grab Picnic at Hanging Rock. I've always been intrigued by the premise.
I think I might grab Picnic at Hanging Rock. I've always been intrigued by the premise.
120LibraryLover23
Nice to see you posting again! I'm avoiding your spoilers on What Time The Sexton's Spade Doth Rust as I'm reading that one right now, although I can roughly guess where you're going with them, haha.
121libraryperilous
>119 clamairy: I look forward to your review of it!
>120 LibraryLover23: Ha! I'll watch for your review. I'm curious if you'll have a similar reaction.
Edited to correct numbering
>120 LibraryLover23: Ha! I'll watch for your review. I'm curious if you'll have a similar reaction.
Edited to correct numbering
122libraryperilous
106. The Teller of Small Fortunes: The Shinn-Eshteran fortune teller Tao travels through the Eshteran countryside telling small fortunes, like whether or not a missing cow will return or when a sweetheart will propose. Tao faces prejudice as an immigrant, but she stumbles into both friendship and adventure when she tells a small fortune with large consequences. This is a cozy fantasy, and it's quite slow-moving. Still, I enjoyed traveling with Tao and her friends, and I hope the author publishes more cozy fantasy adventures in this world. 4 stars.
107. The Last Gifts of the Universe: The archivist Scout, their engineer brother Kieran, and their cat Pumpkin (who has his own spacesuit for planetside explorations) travel throughout a dying universe seeking caches on dead worlds. The Endri, a mysterious force, has exterminated almost all of the known worlds. When they find a valuable cache that might explain the Endri, they find themselves in competition with a greedy corporation's mercenaries. This was a lovely, thoughtful book about loss, grief, and a path to healing in an imperfect universe that always will be full of suffering. What can you do in your own backyard to help, even if that backyard is a small spaceship in a big, moribund universe? 4.5 stars.
107. The Last Gifts of the Universe: The archivist Scout, their engineer brother Kieran, and their cat Pumpkin (who has his own spacesuit for planetside explorations) travel throughout a dying universe seeking caches on dead worlds. The Endri, a mysterious force, has exterminated almost all of the known worlds. When they find a valuable cache that might explain the Endri, they find themselves in competition with a greedy corporation's mercenaries. This was a lovely, thoughtful book about loss, grief, and a path to healing in an imperfect universe that always will be full of suffering. What can you do in your own backyard to help, even if that backyard is a small spaceship in a big, moribund universe? 4.5 stars.
123clamairy
>122 libraryperilous: Oh, you got me between the eyes with that second one.
124libraryperilous
>123 clamairy: It's a very kind book, and I think it would appeal to fans of Becky Chambers who might enjoy a little bit more snark. I hope you like it!
125libraryperilous
108-115. Lighthouse Family: delightful series of early middle grade stories featuring Pandora, a lonely cat lighthouse keeper who rescues Seabold the sailor dog. Seabold repairs his boat and thinks of leaving, but then the two of them find themselves adoptive parents to three orphaned mice. The family has many adventures and rescues many fellow creatures with their kindness and the mice children's curiosity and friendliness. Utterly delightful. 4 to 4.5 stars each; 4.5 stars to the overall series.
116. Thimbleberry Stories: an excellent forest friends adventure featuring Nigel the chipmunk and his companions. There is delightful food, there is paddling on a river, there is a hummingbird who creates tiny paintings. It's all charmingly cute without being twee. 5 stars.
117. The Secret of the Ravens: Two siblings find themselves embroiled in a magical plot to overthrow the throne. 4 stars.
118. Seasons of the Kitty: Funny and cute haiku poetry based on the Neko Atsume cats' character traits. 4.5 stars.
119. Navigational Entanglements: Young women who are members of rival trading families discover that the families may be embroiled in a sinister plot to overthrow another rival. This was fine. It's not too sappy on the romance, as some of Bodard's more recent novellas have been, and it's nice to see Bodard publish with Tor. 4 stars.
120. An Elderly Lady Is Up To No Good: An 88-year-old woman remorselessly commits crimes when anyone threatens her peaceful retirement. Enjoyable, kind of a cozy Nordic noir from an author known for grim police procedurals. Her two detectives make a cameo in a couple of the stories. 4 stars.
116. Thimbleberry Stories: an excellent forest friends adventure featuring Nigel the chipmunk and his companions. There is delightful food, there is paddling on a river, there is a hummingbird who creates tiny paintings. It's all charmingly cute without being twee. 5 stars.
117. The Secret of the Ravens: Two siblings find themselves embroiled in a magical plot to overthrow the throne. 4 stars.
118. Seasons of the Kitty: Funny and cute haiku poetry based on the Neko Atsume cats' character traits. 4.5 stars.
119. Navigational Entanglements: Young women who are members of rival trading families discover that the families may be embroiled in a sinister plot to overthrow another rival. This was fine. It's not too sappy on the romance, as some of Bodard's more recent novellas have been, and it's nice to see Bodard publish with Tor. 4 stars.
120. An Elderly Lady Is Up To No Good: An 88-year-old woman remorselessly commits crimes when anyone threatens her peaceful retirement. Enjoyable, kind of a cozy Nordic noir from an author known for grim police procedurals. Her two detectives make a cameo in a couple of the stories. 4 stars.
126libraryperilous
121. I Shall Never Fall in Love: Cousins Charlotte and Eleanor, and their neighbor, George, grow up best friends. As the three near their coming of age, they each find themselves constrained by Regency society for different reasons. This is an elegant, gorgeously illustrated confection of a graphic novel, and it offers a realistic HEA for its queer, trans, and WOC characters. So much care went into this book! 4.5 stars. Highly recommended.
127libraryperilous
My 2024 SantaThing entry is up. Suggestions for space operas, Victorian novels, and your favorite Shakespeare plays are welcome!
Thank you!
Thank you!
128Sakerfalcon
>126 libraryperilous: This sounds lovely!
129libraryperilous
>128 Sakerfalcon: I think you would like it! The color saturation and contrasts were sooooo good: rich jewel tones and deep pastels.
130Alexandra_book_life
>126 libraryperilous: Oh, I like your description of this book :) I'm more into manga, but it sounds lovely.
131libraryperilous
>130 Alexandra_book_life: I hope you enjoy it if you give it a try! It's a soothing read. :)
132curioussquared
>126 libraryperilous: This sounds lovely! I just put it on hold. (As a side note, it will be the first physical hold I pick up at my new home library since I don't check out much physically from the library these days aside from graphic novels 😊)
133libraryperilous
>132 curioussquared: I thought it might intrigue you. Congrats again on the new library card (and home, lol), and I hope the hold is worthy of its first status!
Hey all, I'm on Bluesky (shitposting mostly about politics, but sometimes about other things like fashion history, classic films, and books): https://bsky.app/profile/imperiledreader.bsky.social
I plan to eventually do a second account for non-politics, because it's been several years since I've used social media, and 1) the amount of info is overwhelming and 2) Bluesky doesn't have the best feed/list options yet.
If anyone has any tips on Bluesky info flows, I'd appreciate it. I really like the platform so far, and it's great to read expert opinions on a variety of topics.
Hey all, I'm on Bluesky (shitposting mostly about politics, but sometimes about other things like fashion history, classic films, and books): https://bsky.app/profile/imperiledreader.bsky.social
I plan to eventually do a second account for non-politics, because it's been several years since I've used social media, and 1) the amount of info is overwhelming and 2) Bluesky doesn't have the best feed/list options yet.
If anyone has any tips on Bluesky info flows, I'd appreciate it. I really like the platform so far, and it's great to read expert opinions on a variety of topics.
134clamairy
>133 libraryperilous: I have not ventured on to Bluesky yet. I was pretty happy with Threads in the beginning, but then the trolls started to show up. I'm still using Facebook and Instagram.
135libraryperilous
>134 clamairy: I've been off social media since 2016, and I cancelled Facebook at the beginning of the pandemic. I really enjoy learning from experts, so I decided to restart with Bluesky. I'm trying to avoid bigger corporate companies and media, like the New York Times, Washington Post, Facebook, etc. I hope Bluesky stays good on the ethics of running their company, but they had a round of venture capital funding recently, and some trolls like Jesse Singal and #Resistance grifter accounts have shown up. You might like Bluesky because it does have a nuclear block feature, so it's easy to get rid of the trolls on your feeds when you see them.
I found a fabulous feed for fashion history on Bluesky, so yay!
Edit: numbering
I found a fabulous feed for fashion history on Bluesky, so yay!
Edit: numbering
136clamairy
>135 libraryperilous: I still miss Twitter the way it used to be. :o( So it goes. I have a lot of extended family on Facebook, so I won't be giving that up any time soon. I am happy you have found a site that suits you. I may check it out after the holidays when things calm down.
137libraryperilous
If I may indulge as a Mets fan for a moment:
Woohoo we got Soto!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I saw a photo of Lindor (the absolute GOAT) traveling to visit Soto in Seattle, and I knew we had a chance. Woohooooooo! Is it spring training yet?!?!
Look, I'm not reading right now, because I'm playing Meow Tower and surfing Bluesky, so this is the content you're getting.
Woohoo we got Soto!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I saw a photo of Lindor (the absolute GOAT) traveling to visit Soto in Seattle, and I knew we had a chance. Woohooooooo! Is it spring training yet?!?!
Look, I'm not reading right now, because I'm playing Meow Tower and surfing Bluesky, so this is the content you're getting.
138clamairy
>137 libraryperilous: That is good news. They came sooo close this year.
How did you end up a Mets fan? I grew up on LI, so it was almost a given. (Yes, there are Yankees fans here, too.)
How did you end up a Mets fan? I grew up on LI, so it was almost a given. (Yes, there are Yankees fans here, too.)
139libraryperilous
>138 clamairy: Yrs, they just ran out of gas at the end. Such a fun team to watch!
I grew up a fan, from 84 on. And then of course 86, when I could watch them in the World Series. Honestly, I think I picked them because I loved Doc and Straw so much. Also, it felt glamorous to like a big city tram when I was in a small farming town. I also was a football Giants and Islanders fan, but the Pistons and Pacers for basketball.
I didn't know you like baseball and are a fellow Mets gal! Awesome!
I grew up a fan, from 84 on. And then of course 86, when I could watch them in the World Series. Honestly, I think I picked them because I loved Doc and Straw so much. Also, it felt glamorous to like a big city tram when I was in a small farming town. I also was a football Giants and Islanders fan, but the Pistons and Pacers for basketball.
I didn't know you like baseball and are a fellow Mets gal! Awesome!
140libraryperilous
122. And the Mighty Will Fall: fourth NeoG outing, and Max finds herself on a station above Mars, ready to hand it over to Free Mars. Saboteurs have other ideas. It's always good to be back with NeoG. The pacing was a little off. This one also jumps forward a few years, and the political background of the third book is useful. 4.5 stars.
Ignore the low LT rating. Someone was mad about pronouns.
Edit: html error; various fixes
Ignore the low LT rating. Someone was mad about pronouns.
Edit: html error; various fixes
141libraryperilous
A book announcement from Travis Baldree! https://bsky.app/profile/travisbaldree.bsky.social/post/3ld2mgkfbgk2l
143clamairy
>141 libraryperilous: Awesome news!
145libraryperilous
Has a book recommendation ever raked you over the coals or made you stare at yourself in the mirror in despair?
No, well here you go: https://bsky.app/profile/timmathews.bsky.social/post/3lcxbfw25ns2g
No, well here you go: https://bsky.app/profile/timmathews.bsky.social/post/3lcxbfw25ns2g
146Sakerfalcon
>141 libraryperilous: That's great news!
147libraryperilous
Just realized >145 libraryperilous: is sign-in only. Here's a screenshot. I feel very seen!
The image is a quote from a bookworm named Tim Matthews, who writes, "Here are my book recommendations for the new year: Read the books you already bought."
The image is a quote from a bookworm named Tim Matthews, who writes, "Here are my book recommendations for the new year: Read the books you already bought."
148curioussquared
>141 libraryperilous: Yay! Can't wait!
>147 libraryperilous: Well, he didn't have to call me out like that...
>147 libraryperilous: Well, he didn't have to call me out like that...
149clamairy
>147 libraryperilous: Ha! I like to think they are invisible on my Kindle, but I know they are there...
150pgmcc
>147 libraryperilous:
Sound advice. The only problem is the yearning of the books you haven’t bought…yet.
Sound advice. The only problem is the yearning of the books you haven’t bought…yet.
151libraryperilous
Okay, I know search engines are busted, Amazon is full of slop, and there are too many opinions online. But I cannot find even basic stuff or good info. And I'm good at sleuthing!
I'm in a protracted reading slump, it's two (2) months until pitchers and catchers report, and I decided to learn some hobbies.
Lol, good luck finding beginner's kits, decent blog posts with basic information, or even listicles that point you to good stores for various hobbies.
No wonder everyone is in a bad mood. I couldn't even find a decent latch hook kit, lol.
Is Reddit a good place to find craft communities?
Any tips from crafters would be appreciated!
I'm in a protracted reading slump, it's two (2) months until pitchers and catchers report, and I decided to learn some hobbies.
Lol, good luck finding beginner's kits, decent blog posts with basic information, or even listicles that point you to good stores for various hobbies.
No wonder everyone is in a bad mood. I couldn't even find a decent latch hook kit, lol.
Is Reddit a good place to find craft communities?
Any tips from crafters would be appreciated!
152libraryperilous
>150 pgmcc: Yes, most especially in my case for upcoming releases I want to add to my collection.
>149 clamairy: At least they don't take up too much shelf space, even if they live rent-free in your head. :)
>148 curioussquared: We're all the Mayor of Failure in his eyes.
>149 clamairy: At least they don't take up too much shelf space, even if they live rent-free in your head. :)
>148 curioussquared: We're all the Mayor of Failure in his eyes.
153norabelle414
>151 libraryperilous: I think it depends on knowing what hobby you want to take up.
For general articles etc. I like The Spruce https://www.thesprucecrafts.com/
For knit and crochet I like KnitPicks https://www.knitpicks.com/ and WeCrochet https://www.crochet.com/ (though I think they're going downhill lately)
For cross-stitch and embroidery I like Hawthorn https://www.hawthornhandmade.com/ (they're in England so on the expensive side but the quality is very high and the instructions are really good)
You can also usually find various kits at bookstores and craft stores (Michael's, Joann's, etc.)
I think Etsy is much better than Amazon for buying kits but that bar is extremely low. A lot of the stuff is dropshipped (which I don't think is the end of the world, just make sure you know what you're getting)
For general articles etc. I like The Spruce https://www.thesprucecrafts.com/
For knit and crochet I like KnitPicks https://www.knitpicks.com/ and WeCrochet https://www.crochet.com/ (though I think they're going downhill lately)
For cross-stitch and embroidery I like Hawthorn https://www.hawthornhandmade.com/ (they're in England so on the expensive side but the quality is very high and the instructions are really good)
You can also usually find various kits at bookstores and craft stores (Michael's, Joann's, etc.)
I think Etsy is much better than Amazon for buying kits but that bar is extremely low. A lot of the stuff is dropshipped (which I don't think is the end of the world, just make sure you know what you're getting)
154curioussquared
I have bought several beginner's cross-stitch kits off of Etsy that have all been decent quality with instructions and all materials. I don't have any tips for other crafts, though :(
155libraryperilous
Marsyas Island sweatshirt from Kingdom of Threads! They also have stickers, bookmarks, and other bookish swag!
The smaller items that I saw in Books-a-Million were of good quality and reasonably priced.
>153 norabelle414:, >154 curioussquared: Thank you both for these tips and Nora for the helpful links! I think the crafting impulse has passed, lol, but I did find some cute embroidery kits on both Hawthorn and Etsy. I bought a coloring book today, and I'll wait until after the holidays to see if I want to pick up anything else as a hobby. I also asked for jigsaw puzzles for Christmas.
The smaller items that I saw in Books-a-Million were of good quality and reasonably priced.
>153 norabelle414:, >154 curioussquared: Thank you both for these tips and Nora for the helpful links! I think the crafting impulse has passed, lol, but I did find some cute embroidery kits on both Hawthorn and Etsy. I bought a coloring book today, and I'll wait until after the holidays to see if I want to pick up anything else as a hobby. I also asked for jigsaw puzzles for Christmas.
156libraryperilous
My mom and I read Redwall for our book club. We want to work our way through the series. Is chronological or publication order better?
I read several books in no particular order when I was younger, mainly the titles that interested me.
I read several books in no particular order when I was younger, mainly the titles that interested me.
157Marissa_Doyle
I read the only the Redwall books for months after 9/11. They're very good when you're in a dark place.
158Sakerfalcon
>156 libraryperilous: I read them so long ago that publication order was really the only option! I remember winning a copy of Mattimeo when it was published! (Sadly I no longer have any of the series.)
159norabelle414
>156 libraryperilous: I think publication order, if you haven't read them all before. While the main stories of the books can take place back in time there's a frame narrative that is chronological.
160libraryperilous
>157 Marissa_Doyle: So far, the reread is both comforting and entertaining!
>158 Sakerfalcon: I got rid of my original mass market editions. :(
>159 norabelle414: Thank you! This is very helpful.
>158 Sakerfalcon: I got rid of my original mass market editions. :(
>159 norabelle414: Thank you! This is very helpful.
161libraryperilous
LOL, I bought several Kindle books for my mom for Christmas, and it triggered a block on my card with my bank.
Note to self: Buy an Amazon gift card next time and use it instead.
Note to self: Buy an Amazon gift card next time and use it instead.
162clamairy
>161 libraryperilous: Yikes! 'Tis the season, I guess. I was buying my daughter an Etsy gift card using my Target MasterCard, and Target rejected it and blocked my card. Target called me, but my phone blocked the call as spam. When I called back I could barely understand the gentleman on the line, but we did get everything straightened out. And I ended up buying the Etsy card on Amazon instead!
163pgmcc
>161 libraryperilous: >162 clamairy:
Messy.
When I buy something online with a site that I do not use too often the transaction has to be verified via my bank and my phone. The bank sends me an alert and a link to approve or cancel the transaction. It prevents a lot of blocking of cards. It is a standard feature with the card.
It is really annoying when a card is blocked. Before we had the alert system I had a problem with a card at an airport in England. Luckily I had a second card, but even with the second card I had to call customer service to get my transaction passed. I could have been stuck for hours in an airport with no way of paying for any food; even airport food would have become appealing. Perish the thought.
Messy.
When I buy something online with a site that I do not use too often the transaction has to be verified via my bank and my phone. The bank sends me an alert and a link to approve or cancel the transaction. It prevents a lot of blocking of cards. It is a standard feature with the card.
It is really annoying when a card is blocked. Before we had the alert system I had a problem with a card at an airport in England. Luckily I had a second card, but even with the second card I had to call customer service to get my transaction passed. I could have been stuck for hours in an airport with no way of paying for any food; even airport food would have become appealing. Perish the thought.
164clamairy
>163 pgmcc: We had a huge security breach here in the US* over the Summer, and just about everyone in the US had their Social Security numbers swiped by hackers. As a result I had to put block on my #SS with the three credit agencies. I think all of the banks & credit card companies have gotten extra jittery because of it. I had Discover call/text/email me about a purchase I made about 10 days ago, to verify that it was me. However they had not declined the purchase. They just checked to be sure it was me.
* It did not receive the amount of news coverage that it warranted, IMHO.
* It did not receive the amount of news coverage that it warranted, IMHO.
165pgmcc
>164 clamairy:
That is dreadful.
That is dreadful.
166Alexandra_book_life
>164 clamairy: Oh, this is horrible!
167libraryperilous
Bonus Goblin Emperor universe book, out in January 2025 from Subterranean Press!
168Karlstar
>167 libraryperilous: Wow! When I searched though, it said it was sold out already.
