The Bookwyrm's Hoard

You can never have too many books

[remnantglow]

classic scifi novels by men r always like. page 1 here’s a cool scifi idea i had. page 2 i hate women so much it’s unreal

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guys if one more person leaves a tag like this on my post im gonna lose my mind. There Are Science Fiction Authors Who Are Not Misogynistic Men

[remnantglow]

ok i’ve gotten one too many ‘this is why i don’t read sci-fi’ comments so here’s a rec list for the people convinced all science fiction is bad and misogynistic (with something for everyone, hopefully!):

(also, btw, the book links are to the Storygraph, which includes content warnings for each one!)

smth funny and lighthearted about a security robot who’d rather watch TV then do its job? all systems red by martha wells (first novella in the The Murderbot Diaries series, 6 books, ongoing)

a complex, intricate political space opera following a warship AI who’s lost (almost) everything? ancillary justice by ann leckie (first in the Imperial Radch trilogy) (fun fact! bc of space linguistics reasons, all characters in this series are referred to with she/her pronouns, making gender a non-factor - it’s really cool!)

a dark story about travelling between parallel universes and a woman who is dead in almost every single one? the space between worlds by micaiah johnson (standalone) (SO good, i don’t get to recommend it often enough!!!)

a story about grief and letting go, and a unique take on alien invasion? the seep by chana porter (standalone novella)

hey, how abt some dystopian YA, for old times sake? specifically, one with sapphics and sick mechas? try gearbreakers by zoe hana mikuta (first in duology)

or, if you’d prefer something a bit less angsty, YA about a ragtag group of teens and a space heist? the disasters by m. k. england (standalone)

alternate history steampunk that blurs the line btwn science fiction and fantasy? the black god’s drums by p. djeli clark (standalone, novella)

a dark gone girl-esque thriller about clones? the echo wife by sarah gailey (standalone)

poetic sapphic romance and time travel? this is how you lose the time war by max gladstone and amal el-mohtar (standalone)

a hopeful utopian future and a human-robot friendship? a psalm for the wild-built by becky chambers (novella, first out of two) (this author’s got a whole bunch of hopepunk sci-fi novels in general, if that’s smth you’re looking for!)

africanfuturism, coming-of-age, and cool jellyfish aliens? binti by nnedi okorafor (novella, first in trilogy)

spicy lesbian cyborgs? and shall machines surrender my benjanun sriduangkaew (novella, first in the Machine Mandate series, 6 books)

cosmic horror with an autistic scientist, cyborg angels and AI gods? the outside by ada hoffmann (first in trilogy, 2 books are out)

also, if you’re a fan of Janelle Monáe, may i draw your attention to the fact that they’ve recently come out with a Dirty Computer short story collection, each story co-written with a diff writer?

this list is long enough, but have some more authors (who are not cis men) also worth checking out: rivers solomon, yoon ha lee, charlie jane anders, aliette de bodard, xiran jay zhao, mary robinette kowal, corinne duyvis

and finally, not all older/classic scifi is written by crusty old white guys who hate women!!! some iconic authors i’d particularly recommend looking into are ursula k. le guin, octavia e. butler, samuel r. delany and vonda n. mcintyre 🥰

[babischlong-six]

I’ll add C.J. Cherryh and her Foreigner series to this! Alien politics, linguistics, adventure and intrigue… Sometimes the aliens aren’t just like us, after all, and that’s ok!

[cleric-chono-is-my-everything]

Throwing in a recommendation for These Burning Stars by Bethany Jacobs

[bookwyrmshoard]

The Wedding Witch, by Erin Sterling

A delightfully funny, slightly spooky witchy romance

The third Penhallow brother meets his match in The Wedding Witch! If you’ve read the second book in the series, you’ve met her too: Tamsyn is the human acquirer of witchy artifacts who causes a fair amount of trouble in The Kiss Curse. Sterling does a great job of redeeming her in this book, turning her into the perfect match for the grumpy, reclusive—and sexy!— Bowen. Tamsyn is engaging and generally quick-thinking; she also tends to fantasize (mostly about Bowen) and has an endearing tendency to blurt out her inner monologue aloud. Bowen has good reasons to be grumpy, reclusive, and single-minded; guilt over his best friend’s apparent death weighs heavily on him. But not so heavily that he doesn’t lust over—and long for—Tamsyn just as much as she does for him. The attraction between them is hot, as are several of the intimate scenes.

The Wedding Witch is set in Wales, but I didn’t get as much of a sense of place as I hoped for. The small town of Tywyll could have been almost anywhere in Britain (apart from its name, of course.) Tywyll House, on the other hand, definitely has atmosphere! And the characters, secondary as well as main, are interesting, quirky, and individual.

The plot is fun, but there’s a bit of handwaving and a notable lack of explanation when it comes to just how everything works out fine in the end. And you know what? I didn’t care! I was having too much fun with the characters to worry about it. (That’s rare for me; this is a nit I usually pick.)

My only regret is that with all three Penhallow brothers paired off, I suspect this is the end of the series. I’ll be sorry to see the last of the Jones women and Penhallow men and the whole witchy world of Graves Grove.

4.5 stars A delightfully funny, slightly spooky witchy romance, perfect for the season.

Challenges: COYER Unwind, Chapter 4; NetGalley & Edelweiss Reading Challenge 2024

FTC disclosure: I received a review e-copy from the publisher, which does not affect my review or rating in any way.

[bookwyrmshoard]

When a Dragon Comes Courting, by Claire Trella Hill

A slow-burn, poignant dragon-shifter romance

When a company of soldiers are quartered at a war widow’s farm, they bring with them a prisoner… and a threat to her safety. The prisoner is one of her land’s most fearsome enemies, so why does Roe find herself sympathizing with him?

When a Dragon Comes Courting is a slow-burn, poignant dragon-shifter romance. Roe’s hatred of war, her sense of fairness, and her love for her child form the bedrock of who she is, and make her both strong and vulnerable. Her young daughter Aish is a delight, bright and intelligent; one of my favorite scenes involves her figuring out the hero’s secret. And the hero, Galad, is brave and protective, not to mention deeply committed to Roe.

But the book isn’t just about these three people forming a family; it’s about the impacts of war on ordinary families on both sides of a conflict or a border, in a way that really resonated for me. Not from personal experience, but because I could so easily put myself in Roe’s shoes. Yet the war-time setting notwithstanding, When a Dragon Comes Courting manages to maintain the feel of a cozy fantasy.

Although this is a novella, and Galad’s initial attraction to Roe is instantaneous, their relationship is still slow-burn because years elapse between the first and second sections of the book. (It’s also closed-door.) Despite that, the story itself is on the short side, even for a novella. In some ways, I wished it had been longer, but truthfully, When a Dragon Comes Courting hit the right notes for romantic fantasy at the perfect length for reading along with a pot of tea. (And thank you to author Stephanie Burgis for recommending this in her Dragons Book Club on her Patreon!)

Content warning for sexual assault [interrupted].

Challenges: COYER Unwind (2024), Chapt. 2

Review originally published on The Bookwyrm's Hoard blog: https://bookwyrmshoard.com/book-reviews/when-a-dragon-comes-courting-by-claire-trella-hill/

[bookwyrmshoard]

The Love Remedy, by Elizabeth Everett

A well-written, well researched historical romance

I loved The Love Remedy! This historical romance is well written, well researched, and deals sensitively with issues of women’s health and women’s rights that are as relevant today as they were in the 19th century. The main characters and their emotional journeys are both believable and relatable, and Ms. Everett has done an excellent job in making them sympathetic to modern readers while still maintaining historical sensibilities.

The plot avoids many of the familiar tropes of historical romances set in the 19th century. To begin with, both main characters are working-class, in their lifestyle if not (in Thorne’s case) by birth. There are no balls, house parties, or soirees; no fake engagement or forced marriage; no huge misunderstanding that could easily be solved with a simple, adult conversation. There is, however, a problem that Lucy needs to have solved if she is to keep her family from sinking into poverty, and Thorne is the inquiry agent she hires to solve it. Lucy and Thorne feel like real people, dealing with real, everyday struggles, loving their families, working out their different views of the world, and doing their best to survive. Their romance isn’t the stuff of high drama, but it’s highly satisfying nonetheless.

And it is set in a London that is diverse and alive, with characters of various ethnicities, races, classes, and gender identities… again, well-researched and written believably. If your mental picture of 19th-century England is based on older traditional historical romances (particularly when it comes to racial diversity), this novel’s milieu may come as a surprise to you—but trust me, it’s more accurate.

Speaking of diversity, I particularly appreciated Ms. Everett’s nuanced and sympathetic approach to her characters’ faith in God. This isn’t a Christian romance in the subgenre sense of the term; it’s not primarily intended for a Christian audience, and it doesn’t preach or hold up Christianity as the best or only true way to think, believe, and live. Instead, The Love Remedy accurately reflects the fact that people believe in God in a variety of ways and to varying degrees, from not at all to deeply. Some people are sustained by their faith; some find it constraining. Although 19th-century London was far more diverse culturally and spiritually than many historical romances portray it, at the time and place when The Love Remedy occurs, the majority of religious believers in London were probably following some form of Christianity. Ms. Everett’s characters are a completely believable mix in this regard; they hold differing interpretations of Christianity, and their participation in it ranges from disinterested to devout. Thorne, a recovering alcoholic, is also a practicing Methodist; he finds Methodism’s strict rules helpful in staying sober. Lucy is not a regular church-goer, but she does believe in God and strives to see the good in everyone, and this belief is reflected in her life and her business practices.

A final note: Ms. Everett explores several women’s issues in the course of the book, from the right to study and practice science and medicine, to contraception, abortion, and the right to control one’s own body. Lucy’s views on “restoring menses” and the question of when human life begins may trouble those in the pro-life/anti-abortion camp as much as they resonate with those in the pro-choice camp. Her beliefs in these matters are, however, historically accurate.

I enjoyed The Love Remedy so much that I immediately bought the first book in her earlier, related trilogy, The Secret Scientists of London. Some of the characters from that series appear in The Love Remedy, and I can’t wait to read A Lady’s Formula for Love. I’m also looking forward to the next book in the Damsels of Discovery series.

Challenges: COYER Unwind (2024), Chapter 2; NetGalley and Edelweiss Reading Challenge 2024

[bookwyrmshoard]

Love at First Book, by Jenn McKinlay

A warm, cozy hug of a romance, and a tribute to books, writers, and booklovers

Librarian Emily Allen arrives in Ireland to spend a year working as assistant to her favorite author, a YA novelist who hasn’t published a book in 10 years. Or rather, she’ll be spending her mornings as Siobhan Riordan’s assistant, and her afternoons working in the village bookstore owned by Siobhan and her son Kieran Murphy, a bookseller with romance-hero looks and a surly manner.

I loved a lot of things about this book. Em and Kier’s banter is great, especially because Kier brings out a feistiness in Em that she never knew she had. Em’s illness anxiety disorder is handled compassionately. Em herself is kind, likeable, enthusiastic, and good at solving problems. It’s a pleasure to watch her bloom and become more courageous and outspoken after spending much of her life trying to keep her (terrible) mother happy.

Kieran starts out as a fairly generic hero (in the handsome-but-grouchy vein), but as he opens up more, his character becomes a bit deeper and more complex, and thus more compelling. it’s easy to see why Em’s initial, physical attraction evolves into something more. Siobhan is a delight, and her acceptance and caring are healing for Em. And I loved seeing Em get the opportunity to work closely with her idol. I also enjoyed the bookstore staff, the village, and the Irish countryside, and wished we got more time with them.

Most of all, I loved how bookish this novel is. McKinlay describes the Last Chapter bookstore in loving detail. Em and Kier have an ongoing quotes competition; the books they quote range from children’s classics to adult literature. And Siobhan’s fictional Tig McMorrow series has much in common with the Harry Potter and Percy Jackson series. As a bonus, Em makes references to several romance novel tropes… and daydreams a few scenarios involving Kier.

I admit, there are a few things I wish Ms. McKinlay had done differently. The prose sometimes has more of the tone, flavor, and lightness of a cozy mystery, particularly at the beginning. Em narrates in the first person, which means we never experience Kier’s thoughts and feelings directly; I think I would have been even more invested in their relationship if I had seen it from both sides. Given the serious nature of one of the plot lines, I also would have appreciated deeper character and relationship development overall. Not that there was no depth of feeling! On the contrary, the book had me in tears at least twice.

The book takes place during late summer, fall, and winter, but it’s such a delightful wish-fulfillment romance, I highly recommend sticking it in your beach or vacation bag this summer!

Challenges: COYER Unwind, Chapt. 1; NetGalley & Edelweiss Challenge 2024

(This review has been abridged from a review originally published on my blog, The Bookwyrm's Hoard. To read the full review, click the link.)

FTC disclosure: I received a review copy from the publisher. All opinions are entirely my own.

[heybluechild]

public libraries are so sick. there are five books I want to read and they're all relatively new so they're only available in hardback which is so expensive but it just cost me $0 to place holds on them. five books for zero dollars. it requires nothing but clicking a button and then going to the library to pick them up when they're ready. zero dollars. that's crazy

[artpoppstar]

@certifiedlibraryposts

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Certified Library Post

[bookwyrmshoard]

A Midnight Puzzle, by Gigi Pandian

Puzzles, illusions, and murder

A Midnight Puzzle is the third book in the Secret Staircase Mysteries, a delightful cozy mystery series featuring Tempest Raj, a stage magician/illusionist, and her family. The series gets its name from her father’s architecture-and-construction company, which specializes in secret rooms, hidden staircases, and other architectural puzzles. Tempest’s skills in creating and figuring out illusions come in very handy as she and her friends investigate several murders, each involving the Secret Staircase firm’s clients or jobsite in some way.

There’s a lot I love about these books, from the fiendishly hard-to-solve locked-room plots, to the multicultural Tempest and her equally diverse family and friends, to the magic and illusions. (Note: Ms. Pandian is careful not to reveal the secrets behind any illusions or magic tricks that have not yet been made public.) Tempest herself is engaging and sympathetic, albeit somewhat obsessed with solving the mysteries impacting her family (and defying police orders to stay out of their investigation.) And the plots usually keep me guessing; I can sometimes figure out who, but I have yet to win the trifecta of “who, how, and why.”

The third installment in the series wraps up a three-book arc concerning the disappearance and presumed murder of Tempest’s mother 5 years earlier. This was a subplot in the first book, but became significantly more important in the second book. In A Midnight Puzzle, it takes center stage, deeply entwined with the present-day murder of one of Secret Staircase’s most unpleasant clients to date. But as rumors swirl that the ghost of Tempest’s mom was responsible, and then her mentor Nico is injured, Tempest feels compelled to investigate to clear her mother’s name and save her father’s company. As usual, Tempest is aided by her friends Ivy, a mystery fan and budding librarian; Sanjay, the “Hindi Houdini”; and Gideon, a stone sculptor who works for Tempest’s dad (and is sweet on Tempest.) We also see a lot more of Tempest’s aforementioned mentor, Nicodemus “the Necromancer,” a British illusionist with a side talent for creating amazing paper-cutout pop-ups.

This time, I fared better in figuring out “who,” although I missed some of “why” and a fair bit of “how.” I did not, however, find it easy to sort out the “who,” so the mystery kept me well entertained. I enjoyed the various twists and turns of the plot, but this time around, I was more exasperated by the way Tempest continued to ignore the police detective’s injunctions to stay out of things. She enters a building considered the crime scene more than once, despite the detective’s clear and repeated warning. I completely understood her motivations, and that particular detective is an absolute arse, but you can’t go around breaking the law (and breaking into buildings) just because the detective in charge of the case is pigheaded.

That aside, though, I really enjoyed A Midnight Puzzle. And although this three-book arc has wrapped up, there is a clear hint in the last chapter that Tempest’s role as an amateur investigator is far from over. I’m looking forward to more of Tempest, her family, and Ms. Pandian’s locked-room mysteries.

Challenges: COYER Unwind, Chapt. 1; NetGalley & Edelweiss Challenge 2024

I received a review copy of this book from the publisher.

Review originally published on The Bookwyrm's Hoard blog.

[bookwyrmshoard]

Inheritance, by Nora Roberts

A perfect blend of wish-fulfillment fantasy, romance, and deliciously spooky atmosphere

Inheritance, the first book in Nora Roberts’s Lost Brides trilogy, provides the perfect blend of wish-fulfillment, friendship, romance, and spookiness. I loved Sonya, the main character, a spirited, entrepreneurial graphic designer who uproots her life to live in the historic manor she unexpectedly inherits on the Maine shoreline. I loved the friendly ghosts she tries so hard not to believe in, and the adorable dog she adopts (his name is Yoda!) The young lawyer, Trey, is as easy to like as he is on the eyes. His family, as well as Sonya’s newly-met cousin Owen and her best friend Cleo, are all likeable and sympathetic. Cleo in particular is delightful, and I have high hopes for a secondary romance between Cleo and Owen.

On the other hand, the malevolent ghost who haunts the mansion and intermittently threatens Sonya? She gives me chills. But just the right amount of chills to thrill, and not so many as to cause nightmares. (At least not yet. I have a feeling things may escalate in the second and third books.)

The publisher’s blurb summarizes the plot of Inheritance pretty well. Sonya hasn’t just inherited a gorgeous-but-haunted mansion, she has also inherited a family curse going back generations. And she’ll have to solve a family mystery and break the curse if she doesn’t want to become this generation’s victim.

One of the things I appreciate about Nora Roberts, particularly in the past 15 years or so, is that the suspense plot doesn’t drive the entire book or dominate the main character’s life to the exclusion of all else. Instead, Roberts’s books spend plenty of time developing the character and the character’s day-to-day life. Just like people facing challenges in real life, Roberts’s characters have to live their lives between, around, and despite whatever dangers they face. For Sonya, that means settling into the mansion, meeting and learning more about her own family, exploring her growing relationship with Trey, and getting to know the small town and its people. She’s building a life here, and that process is part of her character arc; it’s also Roberts’s way of creating the support network Sonya will need as the supernatural threat against her grows.

Another thing I appreciated is the “competence p*rn,” as Sarah from SBTB calls it. Everyone in this book—everyone who matters, that is—both enjoys and is extremely good at what they do. None of the sympathetic characters are unhappy in their job or struggling with self-doubt; no one is even merely mediocre. It’s refreshing, though perhaps a little intimidating for those of us who, well into into our adulthood, are still figuring out what we want to be when we grow up.

All in all, there’s not a single thing I would change about this book — not even the cliffhanger ending. Which, I’ll be honest, is not something I ever thought I would say. Normally I hate cliffhanger endings, but in this case I’m not really sure how else the book could have ended. That said, if you can’t stand cliffhangers, you should probably wait to read Inheritance until the second book comes out, or maybe even the third. Because this book? It will definitely leave you in suspense.

Challenges: Library Love Challenge 2024

Review originally published on The Bookwyrm's Hoard blog, 4/04/2024.

[bookwyrmshoard]

The Lantern’s Dance, by Laurie R. King

A dizzying, delightful kaleidoscope of a novel

I was very excited to read The Lantern’s Dance, the first new Mary Russell & Sherlock Holmes mystery since 2021’s Castle Shade. Once started, I could hardly put it down, staying up until 2:30 in the morning to reach the denouement. Like The Murder of Mary Russell, the novel alternates between past and present narratives, slowly revealing hidden connections that surprised and enchanted me.

Readers familiar with the Sherlock Holmes canon may recall that in “The Adventure of the Greek Interpreter,” Holmes divulges that his grandmother was “the sister of Vernet, the French artist”—probably Horace Vernert (though the Vernet family produced a number of artists through the generations.) From this single quotation and a few other tidbits about Holmes’s origins, Laurie R. King has woven an adventure involving an antique zoetrope, a coded journal, family secrets, missing jewels, and a thirst for revenge several generations in the making. Told from three points of view (Mary Russell, Holmes, and the journal’s author), The Lantern’s Dance is a dizzying, delightful kaleidoscope of a novel, where each new revelation paints the known facts in a different light.

The book begins with Russell and Holmes arriving at Holmes’s son Damian’s home in France, only to discover that the Adlers (Damian, his fiancée Dr. Aileen Hemmings, and his young daughter Estelle) have fled. On questioning the neighbors, Holmes and Mary learn that several foreign men, possibly Indians, have been seeking Damian for several weeks—around the same time that he received a trio of crates and a trunk once belonging to the artist Vernet. A break-in the previous night by a man dressed as a lascar (an Indian sailor) has sent the Adler family into hiding. Holmes immediately sets out to find and protect them, while Russell, hobbled by a sprained ankle, remains at the Adler home to explore the crates and see what can be learned locally. Discovering an old journal written in an obscure and fiendishly difficult code, she sets about decoding it. As she reads, Mary begins to suspect the journal is connected not only to the Vernet family, but to the present-day mystery and perhaps even to Holmes himself.

If I have any small quibble about the book, it’s that I would have liked to see more of the present-day Adlers, particularly the child. The short glimpses of her are as charming as her appearances in The God of the Hive, but far too few. I also would have enjoyed more interactions between Damian and Aileen, and between Damian and his father… though their few interchanges are handled well, and I appreciate the hints of growth in their relationship with one another. Still, this is first and foremost a Mary Russell novel; while we do spend time with Holmes, the focus leans toward both Mary and the journal.

The chapters rotate between the three points of view, with the journal chapters often followed by Mary’s thoughts on what she has translated thus far, and her own attempts to find out more about the men seeking Damian. This sometimes makes for slightly uneven pacing, but on the whole, King build the tension well. My only other quibble is that in one of the plotlines, the danger is overcome a little too easily and the tension fizzles out. But this is not, strictly speaking, a murder mystery; it’s more a series of puzzles both past and present, and the reader has all the fun of figuring out not only the solutions (who are the men seeking Damian, and why? Who is the mysterious journal writer?) but also how they may be connected. I did in fact manage to solve the majority of the interlocking puzzles myself, but I missed a few crucial pieces here and there, and therefore I thoroughly enjoyed the final denouement.

I recommend The Lantern’s Dance to all of Mary Russell’s many fans—you won’t be disappointed! But if you’ve never met Russell or Laurie King’s iteration of Holmes before, you should really start with the first book in the series, The Beekeeper’s Apprentice, and follow that up with (at a minimum) the short story “The Marriage of Mary Russell” and the two-part mystery contained in The Language of Bees and The God of the Hive; the last two give necessary background on Damian, Estelle (also known as Stella), and Aileen. But honestly, I urge you to read the entire series in order; it’s one of my favorite mystery series of all time, and the order actually does matter.

Challenges: NetGalley & Edelweiss Challenge 2024; COYER Unwind (2024), Chapter 1; COYER Readathon (Read a book from a friend’s list)

Review originally published on my blog, The Bookwyrm's Hoard.

FTC disclosure: I received a review copy from the publisher.  All opinions are entirely my own.

[bookwyrmshoard]

Legends & Lattes, by Travis Baldree

Heartwarming cozy fantasy

What can I say about Legends & Lattes that hasn’t already been said? Baldree’s breakout, bestselling debut novel hits the sweet spot for me: low-stakes cozy fantasy, found family, believable (and likeable) main character, interesting secondary characters, and solid worldbuilding with a D&D feel. It’s a well-crafted novel with good pacing and just the right amount of description…enough to bring the scenes vividly to life without overwhelming the action or Viv’s emotional journey.

Speaking of Viv, I almost didn’t read the book because my concept of orcs is decidedly influenced by Tolkien, who in turn was influenced by George MacDonald’s goblins (with which I’m also familiar.) In other words, I was put off by the mere idea of an orc as a main character. (More fool me; I should know better than to judge based on stereotypes, even in fiction!) But between the internet buzz, the delightful cover art, and the seemingly unlikely premise—an orc mercenary retiring to open a… coffee shop?!—I decided to give it a try, and I’m so glad I did. I fell hard for Viv and her newfound friends, for her respect for others regardless of species, and for the warmth and welcoming atmosphere of the Legends & Lattes café.

And omg, the food! I can’t read the book without craving cinnamon rolls, chocolate croissants, biscotti, and (since I can’t drink coffee) a decaf chai latte to go with them.

I love Legends & Lattes so much, it has joined the ranks of my rereadable “comfort books,” and I have already read it twice. I can’t wait to read the prequel, Bookshops & Bonedust!

Review originally published on my blog, The Bookwyrm's Hoard.

FTC disclosure: I received a review copy from the publisher, but later bought my own copy.  All opinions are entirely my own.*

[bookwyrmshoard]

Gabriel's Angel, by Nora Roberts

Gabriel’s Angel is an example of just how good category romance can be when it’s done well, within the strict confines of length and style imposed by the publisher. Gabriel, a reclusive artist on the run from grief, and Laura, a woman trying desperately to protect her unborn child, are both in pain from events in their recent pasts. Each needs something the other can give: inspiration, protection, understanding, healing. Their marriage may be one of convenience, but the attraction between them is real from the beginning, and the blooming of their feelings is believable. The well-worn plot device of the pregnant-woman-on-the-run works very well in Roberts’s capable hands; she manages to keep it from being a cliché, and doesn’t flinch from the realities of the abuse Laura suffered at the hands of her first husband. Both Laura and Gabriel find strength and healing through the other’s care and support, as well as through seeing them interact with baby Michael; their growth is also believable and moving. The ultimate resolution of Laura’s predicament, though it plays out across several scenes, was more than satisfying; I wanted to cheer when she finally stood up to her antagonist.

Gabriel’s Angel was originally a Silhouette novel (published in 1989), and those length limits I mentioned above are evident when you compare the book with Roberts’s non-category romances. Although I enjoyed the novel, I missed the depth; the wealth of vivid, everyday detail; the more complicated plot; and the complex, well-realized protagonists that are all characteristic of Roberts’s later, longer books.

Challenges: The Backlist Reader Challenge 2024

[bookwyrmshoard]

Why Fish Don't Exist, by Lulu Miller

Why Fish Don’t Exist is a short but well-written and captivating book which combines biography, memoir, science (particularly taxonomy), and philosophy. Written by Lulu Miller, who cohosts both RadioLab and NPR’s Invisibilia podcast, the book recounts Miller’s fascination and subsequent disillusionment with David Starr Jordan, a prominent scientist and scholar during the late 19th and early 20th century. An ichthyologist, passionate about taxonomy, Jordan rose to become the first president of Stanford University and, following his retirement, an outspoken advocate for peace. But as Miller shares her discoveries about Jordan with the reader, a darker side of the man emerges.

Miller’s writing is engaging, even poetic at times, and she certainly knows how to tell a story. She punctuates the biographical chapters with sections on her own life and her struggle to find meaning and order in a universe where chaos reigns supreme. Despite some darker sections*, it’s ultimately a hopeful book, and one I am glad to have read.

*CW: Sensitive readers should be aware that the book includes discussions of some difficult topics, including suicidal ideation, eugenics, and possible murder.

[bookwyrmshoard]

My Most Anticipated New Releases for January–June 2024

Emily Wilde’s Map of the Otherlands by Heather Fawcett (Jan. 16, 2024)

The Lily of Ludgate Hill by Mimi Matthews (Jan. 16, 2024)

Just Stab Me Now by Jill Bearup (Feb. 5, 2024)

Perfect Accord by Celia Lake (Feb. 9, 2024)

The Lantern’s Dance by Laurie R. King (Feb. 13, 2024)

Speculations in Sin by Jennifer Ashley (Mar. 5, 2024)

A Grave Robbery by Deanna Raybourn (Mar. 12, 2024)

A Midnight Puzzle by Gigi Pandian (Mar. 19, 2024)

The Hidden City by Charles Finch (May 6, 2024)

People in Glass Houses by Jayne Castle (May 7, 2024)

Mind Games by Nora Roberts (May 21, 2024)

The Magic of Four by Celia Lake (May, 2024 — date TBD; no link or cover available. Cover shown is just a placeholder.)

Smoke and Mirrors by M. E. Hilliard (June 4, 2024 — slipped from Feb. 2024)

A Collection of Lies by Connie Berry (June 18, 2024)

Honorable Mention (or) Already Read

A Fragile Enchantment by Allison Saft (Jan. 2, 2024; currently reading)

The Night Island by Jayne Ann Krentz (Jan. 9, 2024; read and reviewed)

Always Remember by Mary Balogh (Jan. 16, 2024; read and reviewed)

The Bright Spot by Jill Shalvis (Jan. 16, 2024)

Of Hoaxes and Homicide by Anastasia Hastings (Jan. 30, 2024)

The Tainted Cup by Robert Jackson Bennett (Feb. 6, 2024)

The Book of Doors by Gareth Brown (Feb. 13, 2024)

Floating Hotel by Grace Curtis (Mar. 19, 2024)

Dragon Rider by Taran Matharu (Apr. 2, 2024)

A Letter to the Luminous Deep by Sylvie Cathrall (Apr. 25, 2024)

Twelfth Knight by Alexene Farol Follmuth (June 18, 2024)

[bookwyrmshoard]

Phasers on Stun!: How the Making (and Remaking) of Star Trek Changed the World, by Ryan Britt

Informative, entertaining, and delightful

As a lifelong Star Trek fan, I found Phasers on Stun!: How the Making (and Remaking) of Star Trek Changed the World both very informative and highly entertaining. The book covered things I already knew (for example, how Martin Luther King, Jr., told Nichelle Nichols that she had to remain on the show) , but also went into depth on things I hadn’t known (like the extent to which Nichols was instrumental in getting NASA to diversify the astronaut program, and her subsequent recruiting on NASA’s behalf.)

Like me (and my husband, Mr. Bookwyrm), Ryan Britt is a fan not only of Trek in its many iterations, but also of the ideals and underlying beliefs of Star Trek: its optimism; its vision of a future where all intelligent beings are respected and included regardless of race, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, or even species; and its preference for diplomatic resolution of conflicts (although Starfleet is willing to fight to defend its member planets when necessary.) Britt looks at how those ideals have been represented throughout the various series of Star Trek, from the original series (TOS) to Strange New Worlds. The shows haven’t always lived up to those ideals—it wasn’t until Discovery that a Star Trek series featured openly LGBTQIA+ characters as regulars, for instance—but from the beginning, the Enterprise crew, and by extension Starfleet and Star Trek itself, was diverse in terms of race, gender, and species. (I suspect the original Enterprise crew would have included more alien crew members if the show could have afforded them.) And while Star Trek’s example of embracing diversity is very much aligned with the liberal and Quaker values with which I was raised, TOS and ST:TNG both had a profound effect in shaping my worldview.

In telling the history of the shows and how they impacted and interacted with popular culture and real-world events, Britt includes quotes and stories from a number of Star Trek luminaries, from writers and showrunners to actors. Some of these are drawn from interviews conducted for various articles Britt (a sci-fi and pop-culture journalist) has written over the years; other interviews took place specifically for this book. The interviews and quotes give an insight into the experiences and motivations of the people who made and remade Star Trek, and continue to do so to this day.

Whether you grew up watching one of the Star Trek shows, came to the fandom as an adult, or simply want to understand the wide appeal of the Star Trek universe, I recommend reading or listening to Phasers on Stun! It’s a warm, loving, but not uncritical look at a pop-culture phenomenon that, at over 50 years old, is still relevant, influential, and dynamic.

[bookwyrmshoard]

Always Remember, by Mary Balogh

A beautiful strangers-to-friends-to-lovers story

Jennifer Arden, younger sister of the new Duke of Whilby (Remember Me), was crippled after a childhood disease left her with a twisted, shortened leg and foot. Deeply loved by her family, she is nonetheless an outsider rather than a participant in the ton, forced by her disability to sit quietly on the sidelines. She has cultivated a cheerful acceptance of her fate, but in her heart, she longs for romance, marriage, children… or simply to walk and dance like other young women.

Ben Ellis, the illegitimate son of the previous Earl of Stratton, knows all about being an outsider. Raised as a brother to the current Earl, Devin (Remember Love), and loved and accepted by his siblings and even their mother, Ben is nonetheless aware that his birth renders him ineligible to court any of the gently-born young ladies of his acquaintance.

On the surface, a match between Ben and Jennifer is impossible, but they are perfect for each other… if only they can find a way past the societal and family expectations that stand in their way.

Mary Balogh makes Ben and Jennifer’s journey to love and their families’ eventual acceptance both beautiful and moving. Their families’ objections arise out of their love for them both, but also from their unconscious beliefs regarding class and disability. Apart from one angry outburst by Jennifer’s brother Luc, both families’ opposition is quiet and caring, involving hints and subtle efforts to keep the pair apart. Their deep love for Ben and Jennifer enables their family members to eventually see and acknowledge how well-suited the couple are, and to gradually move from loving opposition to full support.

As her fans already know, Mary Balogh’s narrative voice is distinctive: quiet and more formal than most of the authors writing historical romance today. Her style suites the time period as much as it does the character-driven romances she writes. In Always Remember, she skillfully and sensitively depicts Ben’s complicated feelings about his parentage, his place in the Ware family, and his lack of knowledge about his birth mother. She is equally adept at unfolding Jennifer’s feelings about her disability and the effects of her family’s overprotectiveness. And the scenes showing Ben with his young daughter simply made my heart melt.

Both Ben and Jennifer love and appreciate their respective families, but each has consciously and unconsciously shaped themselves to fit their family’s expectations. The friendship between them develops because they are able to see and share with one another their hidden dreams, feelings, and needs. Jennifer and Ben see past not only the other’s social façade, but past the superficial obstacles—Ben’s illegitimacy, Jennifer’s disability—that initially kept them from noticing one another at all. As their friendship deepens, they encourage each other to acknowledge and explore their dreams: Jennifer’s for greater mobility and independence, and Ben’s to learn about and connect with his mother’s family. Ben’s approach to Jennifer’s disability is blessedly practical, figuring out ways to help her achieve more independence. Jennifer’s approach is more empathetic but equally helpful and insightful, given that Ben’s issues are more emotional and social than physical in nature.

I loved this strangers-to-friends-to-lovers story, and highly recommend it to Balogh’s fans and to lovers of well-written (and well-researched) historical romance generally. My only caveat is that the cast of secondary characters is enormous, and keeping track of them is made even more confusing by the use of titles or nicknames interchangeably with given names. For that reason, you should probably read the first two Ravenswood books before you read Always Remember; you will have a much easier time keeping track of who everyone is and how they are related. Even then, if you aren’t blessed with a genealogist’s memory for names and relationships, I suggest keeping a notebook handy to jot down the dramatis personae!

[theinquisitxor]

Why You Should Read Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries by Heather Fawcett

Emily, a Cambridge professor of dryadology travels to a remote Scandinavian town to study a previously unstudied type of faerie, in order to complete the Encycopaedia she is working on

When her colleague and academic rival, Wendall Brambleby also shows up, getting in her way and infuriating her, Emily and Wendall must work together to uncover the secrets of the faeries.

This book is like if Howls Moving Castle and Spinning Silver had a child?

Emily and Wendall give major Howl and Sophie vibes. Wendall is a dramatic, over the top sliterer-outer (and may not be all that he seems). Emily is a bit of a curmudgeon, not a people person, and dedicated to her work.

This book is a journal format, and we are reading Emily's journal recounting the experience

Footnotes!

This is a winter read through and through

Cozy-fantasy that is set during the Edwardian era, although parts can get a little bit dark (that's just how faeries are though)

the Faerie in this book reminded me a lot of the the staryk from Spinning Silver, so if you like that type of faerie, this book is for you

This book is a love letter to fairy tales, faeries, and folklore

A lovable dog companion, lesbian side characters

Changelings, brownies, Winter Kings and Faerie Princes, enchantments

This book is just clever and neat, and really opens up a lot of potential for other books

All in all, I loved it, and I think you should read it too!

[bookwyrmshoard]

The Night Island, by Jayne Ann Krentz

Fast-paced, high-octane paranormal romantic suspense

(Note: This review contains spoilers for book #1 in the series, Sleep No More.)

I've been a fan of Jayne Ann Krentz's fast-paced, high-octane romantic suspense thrillers for years now, so I always look forward to the next one. The Night Island did not disappoint. In fact, the pacing is smoother than in the previous book in this series (Sleep No More), and the plot is easier to follow.

In Sleep No More, we learned that months earlier, three women (Pallas, Talia, and Amelia) had woken together, strapped to gurneys in a burning building, with no memories of the previous night... and with enhanced psychic abilities. Determined to find out what happened to them, they joined together to start The Lost Night Files podcast. Sleep No More recounts Pallas's investigation of someone else's missing night; she and the subject, Ambrose, eventually figure out that they both took the same psych evaluation test years before, and suspect that whoever experimented on the four of them may be working from a list based on that test.

After a prologue to introduce the hero, The Night Island begins with Talia March headed to a meeting with an unknown informant with information about the list. But when she shows up at the rendezvous, the informant is missing, and another interested party, hero Luke Rand, is also there. The pair warily exchange information, discovering that they are both looking for the same list, and for the same reasons: Luke, too, experienced a lost night and a significant boost to his psychic powers. Talia knows he's not telling her everything, but based on a clue found in the missing informant's house, they agree to join forces to investigate the Night Island and search for the informant using Talia's enhanced talent for finding things. Outwardly the home of a tech-free meditation retreat, the Night Island has a decidedly creepy vibe, with unusual vegetation, a mysterious conservatory, and a very weird gardener. When people on the island start turning up dead, it will take all of Luke's and Talia's skills to keep themselves alive and solve the puzzles of the Night Island.

If you're thinking this sounds somewhat familiar, you're not wrong. There were hints in Sleep No More that the Lost Night Files trilogy might eventually tie into the Fogg Lake trilogy, with its mysterious Foundation and secret, lost government labs where experiments in psychic abilities and weapons took place. Those hints grow stronger in The Night Island, which has me excited for the third book (presumably featuring the third member of the podcast team, Amelia, and probably releasing in January 2025.) And since there were hints in the Fogg Lake books that the Foundation may exist in the same "universe" as the Arcane Society novels, though independent and unaware of the Arcane Society... well, this Krentz fan is definitely hooked.

One of the things I love about the Arcane Society series is how the Society offers structure and organization to the paranormal world and to the various types of "talent." Most of the characters are aware of and operate within that known structure; it helps ground them. Their own talents may be off the charts, but most of them exist within a community that recognizes and acknowledges the existence of the paranormal. In a more nebulous way, the Foundation serves a similar purpose in the Fogg Lake books.

That's not true for the Lost Night Files characters, who went from having slightly-better-than-normal intuition or abilities to having a strong psychic talent. Not only are they dealing with the impacts of, and learning the extent of, their enhanced abilities, there's all the disorientation of not knowing what happened to them and who was responsible. And they have to cope with all this without the benefit of any support other than each other, in a world which doesn't believe at all in paranormal abilities. It makes all the Lost Night Files characters less confident, less trusting, and less open about their abilities than most of the Arcane Society characters... but equally determined to survive and thrive. Talia and Luke are no exception.

In fact, Talia and Luke are typical of Krentz's main characters—smart, capable, and emotionally strong—though both are on the edgier, less communicative side of the Krentz hero/heroine spectrum for the reasons I mentioned above. I'm still not entirely sure why Talia is so drawn to the deeply taciturn Luke. Then again, she's not exactly open about her own thoughts and feelings, and clearly recognizes and (to some extent) accepts Luke's reticence. As a long-time fan, I have accepted that sometimes, I just have to accept the attraction between Krentz's hero and heroine as a given, and that's what I did in this case. Krentz does a good job of showing how their relationship develops from wariness to reluctant-and-limited partnership to deep-seated trust as they learn more about one another. The progression feels slow, but since the book takes place over the course of four days, it's actually quite fast.

It's hard to say any more about the plot of The Night Island without revealing spoilers, so I won't. I'll just say that for me, it hangs together better than the plot of Sleep No More —which I nonetheless enjoyed—and that I liked The Night Island as much or more on a second reading (to refresh my memory for this review) than I did the first time through. If you are already a Krentz fan, I think you'll have fun with this book. If you are new to her work, or to her paranormal-themed romantic suspense, I recommend starting with either Second Sight (the first Arcane Society novel, written under her Amanda Quick pen name), or The Vanishing (the first Fogg Lake book.)